King Alexander, meanwhile, lay awake in his bedroom, staring unblinkingly at the ceiling as if he could see right through the wood and stone into the stormy skies above. Cracks of thunder rumbled like an avalanche of rocks, and ghostly white flashes lit up the edges around the window shutters. Several candles provided light in the room, and Mr. Tupper, despite the clamor outdoors, had dozed off in a chair while keeping watch in the corner shadows. The scent of fresh herbs in steaming water wafted through the air like a vague whisper in a dream.
King Alexander listened closely beyond the raucous thunder and the howling wind, thinking that he had heard a gentle reassuring voice in the storm. He wondered how at this moment he could see the sun shine so warmly upon the grassy fields outside his castle and upon the streams, treetops and sky blue flags waving proudly in a tender spring breeze. He breathed deeply and smiled, his heart feeling free and light. Then he closed his eyes, never to reopen them.
Princess Rosalind was pouring hot tea for the prince when Mr. Tupper knocked on the door and stepped into the room, his face drained of all color. She set the teapot down with a dull thud. Prince Jeremiah looked blankly at the table. Both knew in an instant that King Alexander had died, so they hurried to his room. An honor guard of ten soldiers was immediately posted outside the door.
When the storm finally ended, riders were swiftly dispatched to all the villages of Solárin to inform the population of the King’s passing. Prince Jeremiah also sent messages to Endora to notify King Rupert of the development. Throughout the castle, seamstresses busily sewed narrow strips of black cloth to the bottom of every flag inside and outside to mark the solemn occasion. As custom, the King’s funeral and burial would be held in three days. And on the day after that, Prince Jeremiah would be crowned as the new King.
Christopher and Molly felt as useful as a boat in a desert. As everyone rushed about the castle attending to hundreds of official duties and details, they found themselves alone and ignored and wished they were back in Endora. Princess Rosalind eventually saw them wandering in an upper corridor and sat them down for a talk in one of the common rooms.
“I apologize for neglecting you, but a few things needed my immediate attention,” she said.
“No need to apologize,” Christopher said. “We understand everyone in the castle will be busy over the next several days. Put us on a carriage first thing in the morning and we’ll be out of your hair.”
“We don’t want to be in people’s way,” Molly added. “But if there’s anything we can do, just let us know.”
“I appreciate that offer very much,” she replied with a grateful smile. “And if something does come up where your services are required, I will definitely take you up on your offer. But in the meantime…”
Christopher nodded understandingly. “In the meantime, we’ll keep a low profile. We know you’re swamped, Princess Rosalind, so don’t feel guilty about not hanging out with us.”
“We’ll explore some more,” Molly said. “We’re quite good at that.”
“I know you are,” she said. “But I promise we shall dine together this evening to catch up on the latest news. It may only be a brief meal, for I shall be busy late into the night. Until then, shall I trust you’ll be able to scrape up supper by yourselves?”
“No problem,” Christopher assured her. “We’ll raid some of the kitchens if we have to.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. All the castle kitchens are gearing up for the days ahead. You should have no difficulty finding a bite to eat when the mood strikes.”
“Or when the stomach growls,” added Molly.
But neither Christopher nor Molly was very hungry as the hours dragged by. They were bored and despondent, and the thought of more castle exploration didn’t appeal to them as it had a few hours ago. So they took to wandering outside again, happy to distance themselves from the hectic goings-on within. The air warmed slightly after the storm and the clouds broke up so that the sky looked like a drifting collage of gray and white patches. The sun peeked out from time to time, and by sunset, a stretch of clouds on the western horizon was tinted in brilliant shades of orange, grape and blood red.
They retreated indoors as twilight deepened. Their spirits lifted when Princess Rosalind greeted them and took them to a small private dining room for a light meal and some quiet talk. But their time alone with her was far too brief, and soon she was off again, apologizing for having to attend to other obligations. Christopher and Molly said they understood and told her they would probably retire soon for the night as they were both very tired.
A short time later they were sitting in their small quarters by a low fire, barely keeping a conversation alive. The death of King Alexander and the wild storm had drained much of the enthusiasm from their visit. Now more than ever, Christopher and Molly missed their parents, little Vergil and Magic, and wanted nothing more than to sit with them and enjoy a few laughs over a platter of iced ginger cookies and a pot of hot cinnamon tea.
“I’m beat,” Christopher said, getting up and trudging to his bedroom. “These extra four hours a day are catching up with me. See you in the morning.”
“All right,” Molly said, staring into the fire. “I’ll probably turn in soon myself. Goodnight.”
“Night,” he lazily replied, closing the door.
Molly stretched and yawned, and a few minutes later she lumbered over to her own room, hardly able to keep her eyes open. She quietly closed the door and flopped on her bed, wishing for morning.
But as tired as they were, sleep never took hold of either one. Both tossed and turned and listened to the occasional gust of wind still swirling about the castle. Though sleep tugged at their eyelids, restlessness ran circles in their minds and eventually proved itself the more powerful. Around midnight, Christopher tiptoed out of his room and opened the door to the hallway. He felt like getting some fresh air and had thrown on a navy blue hooded sweatshirt to keep warm. He didn’t hear Molly open her bedroom door.
“Where are you going, Chris?” she whispered.
He turned around and saw the vacant expression on his sister’s face in the dim firelight. “You can’t sleep either?” Molly shook her head. “Then put on a jacket and follow me. I’m heading up to the towers. Maybe the night air will make us sleepy.”
“A few slices of pizza usually knock me out at bedtime,” she said. “But I don’t think anyone around here delivers.”
Christopher grinned and waited for Molly to grab her jacket, and then the two quietly slipped into the corridor and wandered to the door that opened onto the spiral staircase. They determined that if the fresh air didn’t tire them out, then another climb up those torturous steps surely would.
The hallways were so quiet that the gentle sputtering of the wall torches seemed as loud as a dripping faucet in the middle of the night. The smell of rising smoke reminded Christopher of their first trip across the plains on horseback. He fondly recalled sitting in front of a crackling fire before dawn, sharing a bit of conversation with Ulric while enjoying that grand adventure. And though he was glad to have the chance to revisit Endora and Solárin, Christopher felt this second journey hadn’t turned out quite like he had hoped. The thrill of a daring rescue was replaced by more ordinary events–a girl’s wedding plans, a father’s funeral and some really bad weather. He thought maybe the two worlds connected by the timedoor weren’t quite so different after all. Maybe people, for the most part, were pretty much alike no matter where they lived.
Christopher and Molly met no one in the corridors. When they reached the door, they took their time climbing the stairs to the parapet. When they stepped outside, a gentle night breeze and a flood of stars welcomed them. Both were awed by the endless stretch of stars and simply gazed up for several moments, lost in thought.
“I remember how beautiful the stars looked when we traveled with King Rupert on our rescue mission,” Molly said. “Now being up here, I feel as if I can reach into the sky and grab a handful.”
She stretched her arm out in a playful attempt.
Christopher closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the cool wind slip through his hood and wrap around his ears. “I can’t believe how dark the night is.” Though a small flickering torch on the wall next to the door shed a bit of light in their area, the vastness beyond looked as black as ink. Molly suggested taking one of the candles from inside the stairwell if they planned to walk along the parapet. “We’ll be okay,” Christopher assured her. “I bet people around here have great night vision. With no moonlight or streetlights, they have to get used to the dark.”
“Well, if you stub a toe, don’t blame me,” she said as they began their walk.
In no time they heard the flapping of the flag on the corner tower just ahead. Another torch was also fixed to the wall near that entrance.
“See. More light. No need to worry, Molly.”
They passed the tower where Princess Rosalind had been held prisoner and continued to the spot where they first noticed the workmen breaking down the castle wall yesterday afternoon. Looking down, they could see the reflection of stars in the moat.
“I wonder if the pigeons are asleep,” Molly said a few moments later, dashing farther along the parapet to the next tower. This housed the aviary where Rosalind had taken them earlier in the day. Another torch illuminated its entryway.
“Don’t even think about going in there!” Christopher warned as he caught up with her. “I don’t know anything about pigeons’ sleeping habits, but you’re not going to disturb them even if they are awake.”
“But they were so cuuuuute when we visited them!” she said in a squeaky voice.
Christopher stood in front of the door and looked sternly at his sister. “Visit them tomorrow. We don’t need dozens of pigeons going spastic on us because you throw a late night scare into them.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t scare them. And quit trying to act like Dad, okay? You’re not my boss,” she grumbled. Molly turned the corner and ran ahead.
“But I’m older and bigger, so you’re going to have to pay attention, like it or not,” he said as he walked fast to catch up.
He found Molly leaning over the parapet wall, her chin resting on her folded arms as she gazed into the moat. The reflected stars stared back like thousands of unblinking eyes. Christopher stood next to her and looked down as well.
“See anything interesting?”
She shrugged. “No.”
Christopher nudged her. “I know I’m not Dad. I’m just trying to keep an eye out for you.”
“I know,” she muttered with a sigh. “I wasn’t really sore at you anyway. I’m a little sad because of King Alexander. We only got to meet him once and now he’s gone. He seemed like a very pleasant person.”
“I’ll bet he was,” Christopher said to the darkness. “I’m kind of sad too, and we barely knew the man. Maybe Rosalind or Jeremiah can tell us more about him before we go home.”
Molly gazed up at the stars. “Do you think one of those is our sun, Chris?”
“I suppose one of them has to be. Maybe that one!” he said convincingly as he randomly pointed at a star.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just guessing, Chris.”
“Of course I am. But it would be cool if we did know which one was our sun. It’d be kind of neat to know that people from our world might be looking up at Endora’s sun while we’re staring back at theirs.”
“I suppose…” Molly yawned as she again gazed at the stars mirrored in the moat. “Anything’s possible. It’s just that–” She suddenly glanced up at the sky for an instant and then looked down at the moat again.
“What’d you see?” asked Christopher.
“Look in the water,” she whispered, pointing out a spot almost directly below. “The stars’ reflection is blacked out over a small moving space. I thought a cloud might be passing overhead.”
Christopher strained his eyes and watched closely. He soon noticed a dark patch floating upon the water, moving from the outer shore toward the castle.
“That’s no image of a passing cloud,” he said. “It’s clear as a bell in the sky.” Christopher looked at his sister and softly spoke. “Somebody’s down there floating across the moat.”
Molly gasped and looked again, realizing her brother was correct. A black square silently drifted across the water, temporarily blotting out the stars as it moved. “That must be the raft that was tied up outside the door to our hiding spot. I think I can make out the shape of one person on it.”
“Me too,” Christopher said, his eyes growing accustomed to the darkness. “I believe the door is right below us, Molly. What’s this character up to?”
“I want to know who released the raft so this person could use it,” Molly said.
“Assuming that that’s the raft being used. But in either case, we’ve got to alert Prince Jeremiah.”
“At this hour? He’s probably fast asleep.”
“It’ll be too late otherwise.” Christopher grabbed Molly’s hand and sped along the parapet to the staircase door. “Some things can’t wait until morning.”
They flew down the stairs as fast as a pair of squirrels. When they reached ground level, Christopher and Molly raced through several corridors, hurrying back to the one leading to their hiding spot. Christopher thought it best if he remained hidden inside the passageway to spy on anyone who might enter the castle, instructing Molly to warn Prince Jeremiah and Princess Rosalind at once.
“All right,” she said, ready to sprint away.
But before she took even one step into the vast chamber where the three corridors converged, Christopher pulled her back and put a finger to his lips.
“I hear footsteps coming down the corridor to our right,” he whispered.
The children stood with their backs to a shadowy part of the wall and anxiously watched whoever approached through the right hand opening into the chamber. A few moments later Prince Jeremiah walked into view. He wore a black hooded traveling cloak and quickly removed one of the torches blazing on the wall.
“What’s he doing?” Molly whispered. “Shall I run out and tell him what we saw on the moat?”
“Let’s wait a minute,” Christopher said, scratching his head. “Something’s odd.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“Like that,” he said, pointing to the prince.
At that moment with torch in hand, Prince Jeremiah opened the door to the hiding place, glanced around, and then slipped inside. The door closed.
“Why’d he go in there?” Molly asked. “What would Prince Jeremiah want in that empty room especially at this hour?”
“Don’t know,” her brother said. “This is a third castle mystery. But we’re not going to barge in and ask the prince what he’s up to. I don’t think he’d appreciate it. Let’s watch and wait.”
But after several minutes of a fruitless vigil, Christopher wondered if he had misread the situation. “Maybe Jeremiah didn’t enter the room to meet the person who had crossed the moat. Maybe he plans to leave the castle and go somewhere with him.”
“Why wouldn’t he just ride out across the drawbridge?” Molly asked.
“Maybe he likes his privacy. I don’t know. In any case, we need to take another look from on top of the castle to find out. Since I’m the faster runner, I’ll go back up.” Christopher ignored the rolling eyes and sour smirk from Molly. “You stay here and keep tabs on anyone who leaves that room. I’ll get back as fast as I can.”
“Hurry, Chris. I’m feeling a bit uneasy about this.”
“Me too,” he replied as he patted her on the back and rocketed down the corridor.
When he returned to the parapet, his eyes took a minute or two to readjust to the darkness. Christopher walked to the spot above the door to the hiding place and gazed down upon the moat. In a few moments, the reflected stars in the water grew visible like a cluster of lightning bugs. The strange mix of unfamiliar constellations made him yea
rn for home, but that feeling didn’t last long. His heart pounded in the next second when he saw it–a black square drifting upon the water, blotting out the stars as it moved toward the far shore. Christopher looked harder and could only discern a solitary figure on the raft again, so he assumed Prince Jeremiah was still in the castle. He hurried inside and ran back down the stairs for the second time that night.
He flew out the door like a jack-in-the-box and darted down the corridor to find Molly. He turned a corner and suddenly stopped. She had found him first.
“What are you doing here?” he asked out of breath. “You’re supposed to be keeping an eye on the door to our hiding spot.”
“I know that.”
“Whoever came over on the raft has just left. Prince Jeremiah must only have met with him,” Christopher said.
“For what purpose?”
“Good question, Molly. Did you see the prince come back inside the castle?”
“No, but let’s assume he did,” she said with a sigh. “I heard two people talking after you left. They were walking toward the area I was hiding in, so I took off. I really didn’t want to explain what I was doing there so late at night if they spotted me.”
“I suppose that was best. It wouldn’t look good if guests were found to be spying on the prince.” He signaled for Molly to follow him back to their room. “Let’s try to get some sleep.”
“I’m still not very tired.”
“Me either. I did say try, didn’t I?” Christopher shrugged his shoulders as he flipped the hood off his head. “My mind is running in circles trying to figure out why the prince would have a secret midnight meeting with someone sneaking across the moat. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Why didn’t that visitor make an appointment like everyone else?”
The Endora Trilogy (The Complete Series) Page 26