The Endora Trilogy (The Complete Series)

by Thomas J. Prestopnik

  “Then it wouldn’t be secret,” he said as they entered the corridor leading to their room.

  “Let’s just ask Prince Jeremiah what he was up to,” Molly suggested. “Maybe after breakfast.”

  Christopher stopped and turned to her. “We mention this to no one, Molly. Not until we find out more.”

  “How will we do that?” she asked wide-eyed, though no reply was forthcoming. “Perhaps we should confide in Princess Rosalind. We need someone else on our side.”

  “All right,” her brother finally agreed. “But we don’t speak of this to her until the time is right. Let’s not jump to conclusions. There may be a perfectly logical explanation for Jeremiah’s late night visit.”

  Molly furrowed her brow. “And that explanation would be…?”

  Christopher left Molly behind and continued walking toward the room. “I’ll let you know as soon as I think of one.”

  “Well, I won’t hold my breath,” she whispered, hurrying to catch up with him.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  A Piece of the Puzzle

  The carrier pigeons were busy between the two kingdoms, flying with frequent messages from post to post since King Alexander’s death. By midmorning the next day, word reached the castle that representatives from Endora would arrive in Solárin in time for Prince Jeremiah’s coronation in three days. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan and Vergil would also attend. But because of toppled trees and flooded streams along the main road, they would miss the King’s funeral scheduled one day earlier.

  “You must be very happy that your mother and father will soon be here,” Princess Rosalind said when she informed Christopher and Molly of the news.

  They strolled through one of the inner courtyards warmed by the climbing sun. Christopher and Molly were now dressed in attire native to the kingdom. Rosalind had asked one of the kitchen workers if she could round up a set of clean clothes for them. Christopher wore a pair of brown trousers, a light woolen shirt and a dark gray vest with silver buttons. He scratched behind his neck a few times as the material made his skin itch. Molly appeared happier in a striped beige skirt that covered her ankles and a bright yellow blouse. She declined a shawl to complete the outfit, content to don her windbreaker if she got cold. But Christopher and Molly still wore their sneakers in spite of curious stares from passers-by.

  “We’ve only been here two days, but it seems like a week. So much has happened so fast,” Molly said, spinning around so that her skirt spread out delicately in the air. “I feel like it’s dress-up day.”

  Christopher looked at her askance and smirked. “Yeah, those sneakers go with that dress like jelly beans on a pizza.”

  “Don’t pick on your sister,” Rosalind said. “I think she looks lovely. I’ll wager those sneakers feel more comfortable than some of the shoes we wear around here. I would like to try on a pair some day.”

  “We’ll bring a pair back if we ever visit again,” Molly suggested. “What size is your foot?”

  “This size,” Rosalind replied, raising one foot slightly and holding it out.

  Molly tried not to giggle while Christopher bit his tongue and looked at the floor.

  “We’ll figure it out later,” she said.

  “Tell us about the coronation,” Christopher jumped in. “How many people will attend, and how long is the ceremony?”

  “Everyone from all the villages in the kingdom is invited,” Princess Rosalind said. They sat on a stone bench in one corner of the courtyard. A fresh spring breeze swept through a clump of white birch trees planted nearby. “Many guests from Endora shall also be present. The event will be held in the field on the west side of the castle in two days. With the mountains visible in the background, it should be a stunning sight when Jeremiah receives the sword and crown of his father. A glorious day…” Rosalind’s voice trailed off, a hint of uncertainty in her tone. “Or I had hoped it would be. I dreamed about this day and, well…” She carefully folded her hands in her lap. “I guess that was only a dream. A silly dream.”

  “You’re still upset about the prince’s behavior.”

  “Is it that obvious, Molly?” She wiped away a tear. “I know this is a difficult time for him. He must bury his father, become King and assume the responsibility of this kingdom–and then marry me besides. But something has changed. Jeremiah is not the same man he once was. He’s snippy and brooding and– It happened so quickly, too. I’m beginning to wonder if–”

  “If what?” Christopher softly asked.

  Rosalind tugged at the folds of her dress. “I wonder if he still loves me.”

  Molly held her hand and smiled. “I’m sure he does, Princess Rosalind. You have to believe that. Just give him time to come to grips with his father’s death. That impending moment must have been lying heavily on his heart for a long time.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, Molly. Or at least I’ll tell myself so.”

  “She is right,” Christopher said. “And I usually don’t give Molly that much credit.”

  Rosalind laughed and Christopher was happy to hear a trace of joy in her voice if only for a brief moment. He knew, however, that this was not the proper time to bring up the subject of the mystery man floating across the moat or Jeremiah’s secret middle-of-the-night meeting with him. Christopher wondered if there ever would be a good time to discuss the matter with the princess now that she was in such an anxious state. He glanced at Molly and knew his sister harbored the very same thought.

  Jeremiah was as somber as a cold and rainy Monday after his father’s funeral. King Alexander was laid to rest in a stone coffin placed inside a burial chamber on one of the lower levels of the castle. This revered place was reserved for the long line of rulers of Solárin. An honor guard stood outside the door until sunrise.

  Prince Jeremiah retreated to his living quarters after the funeral, telling Rosalind that he wanted to be left alone. She nodded sadly and said she understood, asking to be left alone herself to wander the castle corridors and clear her mind. Christopher and Molly watched her depart through a side staircase and respected her wish. But only for a short time.

  “She may say she wants to be alone,” Molly whispered to Christopher, “but I can tell by that glum look on her face that that is the last thing she wants. Or needs.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “We give her twenty minutes–tops. Then we’re on her like a tail on a puppy dog. Princess Rosalind is our friend and we can’t abandon her. She’s sad and hurting and needs our help.”

  Christopher agreed. So they departed from the area outside the burial chamber, taking a different exit than Rosalind did, though nobody paid much attention to them anyway. When finally alone, they sped through the corridors, seeking out shortcuts here, backtracking there, all in an effort to meet up with Princess Rosalind somewhere in the castle while making it look like a chance encounter. Half an hour later they barreled down a passageway on the second level, heading straight for the princess who still wandered lost in thought as if no one else in the world existed.

  “Slow down!” she said when finally noticing them, holding out her hand like a traffic cop. Christopher stopped in an instant as Molly nearly collided into him from behind. “Where are you running to in such a hurry?”

  “Actually, I was just chasing after my brother,” Molly said, a little out of breath. “He bet he could outrun me, but I kept up with him without breaking a sweat. Right, Chris?” she added, nudging him with an elbow.

  “I wasn’t running full speed,” he replied. “Otherwise I’d be on the next level of the castle and Molly wouldn’t have a prayer of finding me.”

  “Well, you both just happened to find me,” Princess Rosalind said with a raised eyebrow.

  “Then maybe we could walk with you awhile,” Molly suggested. “Until we catch our breath.”

  “That sounds like a fine idea,” she said as she continued along the corridor, aimlessly admiring the tapestries upon the wall and the ornate carvings in some of the w
ooden pillars and doorways. “I could use a little company now. I thought I wanted to be alone, but I don’t anymore.”

  “Where’s Prince Jeremiah?” Molly asked.

  “He has taken refuge in his room–again.” A shade of bitterness painted her words. “He told me he will dine alone as he has done for the last few nights. Later, he’ll probably consult with some of his new advisors in private.”

  “When did he take on new advisors?” Christopher asked.

  “Over the last two days. He gives them his undivided attention while slowly diminishing the duties of Mr. Tupper and other members of King Alexander’s staff.” Rosalind shook her head with disappointment. “Mr. Tupper had been a loyal aide to Jeremiah’s father for years, even during his exile. But now he is tossed aside like a useless trinket. It isn’t right. It does not make sense.”

  “Pardon me if I’m being nosy,” Christopher said as he walked by her side, “but where exactly does the prince meet with his new advisors?”

  “Usually in his private quarters. Why do you ask?”

  “Just wondering,” he said. “So I guess the person he met with secretly three nights ago in our old hiding place couldn’t have been one of those advisors.”

  Rosalind stopped and looked at Christopher with a puzzled expression. “What are you talking about? What secret meeting?”

  “A man crossed over the moat on a tiny raft three nights ago,” Molly explained. “We were going to mention it to you earlier, but with the funeral preparations and you feeling out of sorts…”

  Rosalind knelt on one knee and took them each by the hand. “Start from the beginning and tell me exactly what you’re talking about. Who is this man on a raft? And what secret meeting are you referring to?”

  Now that the truth was out, Christopher explained in great detail about their chance sighting of a lone figure floating across the moat, and Prince Jeremiah’s apparent meeting with that stranger in the hiding place. “We later saw the mystery man leave on the raft again, so we assume the prince met with him apart from his other advisors.”

  “That is the oddest story I have ever heard,” Rosalind said. She stood and folded her arms. “You’re sure about this?”

  “As sure as my name is Christopher.”

  “Perhaps I should make a late night visit to Jeremiah’s quarters to see if he is working or sleeping as he claims, or up to something else entirely.” Rosalind raised a defiant eyebrow. “You two are more than welcome to accompany me.”

  “I was hoping you would ask,” Molly said with an eager smile.

  So just before midnight when the castle lay as quiet as a passing cloud, Christopher and Molly gently rapped on Princess Rosalind’s door. She stepped out and joined them for an excursion to Prince Jeremiah’s quarters, and hopefully, the truth.

  He resided in a room at the end of one corridor on an upper level of the castle. Rosalind raised a finger to her lips as she approached the door. Christopher and Molly held their breath in uneasy anticipation. Just as the princess was about to knock, a voice called out to them.

  “The prince does not want to be disturbed tonight,” a tall burly man said in a quiet but stern voice as he passed through an adjacent corridor. He introduced himself as Kravic, one of Jeremiah’s new advisors. He and the other advisors were provided personal quarters inside the castle.

  “I am Prince Jeremiah’s fiancée,” said Rosalind. “Surely he will not mind if I have a word with him, no matter what the hour.”

  “Ordinarily no,” he replied with an icy civility. “But he has asked me to keep everyone away from him tonight–no exceptions. I’m afraid that includes you, Princess Rosalind. No offense intended.” Kravic had dirty blond hair that reached to his shoulders and a set of dull, lifeless eyes. “The prince is extremely busy and on the brink of exhaustion, what with the coronation tomorrow and his dear father’s funeral today.”

  “I understand,” the princess replied apologetically to the surprise of Christopher and Molly. They were about to protest until she threw them a cautionary glance. “We’ll leave at once and respect his wishes.”

  “That is the sensible thing to do.”

  “Sorry to bother you–Kravic, is it?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good evening then.”

  Rosalind walked past Kravic with Christopher and Molly tagging silently behind like scolded puppies. They disappeared around a corner and Kravic continued on in the opposite direction. About a minute later, Rosalind poked her head back around the corner. Seeing the hallway empty, she signaled to the children to follow and the trio once again approached Prince Jeremiah’s door. Without a spoken word among them, Rosalind gently knocked on the door three different times, receiving no reply between each attempt. She tried to open the door, but it was locked.

  Molly tugged at Rosalind’s sleeve and pointed at the door handle while mouthing the word keyhole. Princess Rosalind understood and knelt down, gazing through the keyhole. Inside the room she observed a single lit candle on a small stand against one wall, as well as an empty desk chair, another empty chair at a table, and an empty bed. A third chair near a fireplace was also unoccupied. She looked at Christopher and Molly.

  “No one inside,” she whispered, with a mix of surprise and annoyance.

  She stepped aside to let two younger pairs of eyes make an observation. Both Christopher and Molly reached the same conclusion–Prince Jeremiah was definitely not in his quarters.

  Christopher repeatedly pointed a finger toward the floor and nodded knowingly until both Molly and Rosalind understood and returned nods of agreement. Christopher’s animated expression conveyed the possibility that Jeremiah might be on his way to another secret meeting in the hiding place downstairs. Determined to find out his whereabouts once and for all, Rosalind hurried back down the corridor with the children close on her heels, her emotions swimming in currents of doubt, anxiety and foreboding.

  Not a soul was in sight when they reached the first floor. Christopher and Molly quietly led the way to the corridor where they spied on Prince Jeremiah three nights ago.

  “We stood right here in the shadows and watched him,” Molly said softly, pointing to the door on the far side of the vast chamber. “He wore a traveling cloak.”

  “And look!” Christopher added, pointing to a spot on the wall near the door. “A torch is missing. Prince Jeremiah had taken one off the wall before he went into the room the last time. That must mean–”

  “–that he’s in there now,” Princess Rosalind said.

  She marched out of the corridor and across the chamber floor right up to the door. Her footsteps echoed so loudly that Molly thought everybody in the castle would awake at any moment. Rosalind gripped the door handle, ready to swing it open, when Christopher gently placed a hand upon hers.

  “We don’t know who’s in there,” he whispered. “Open it slowly.”

  Rosalind nodded, realizing that her emotions were getting the best of her. Now was not the time for rash actions. She carefully opened the door and the trio stepped into the shadows of the top landing. When Molly closed the door behind them, they expected the darkness to increase. But a glimmer of light reflected off the walls at the bottom of the stairs, bright enough so that they could just see one another. Christopher cautiously led the way down the short staircase. Quickly the light increased and he soon saw why. Leaning against the far wall was the torch from upstairs, but whoever brought it down was nowhere in sight. The room was apparently empty.

  Molly hurried down the steps and looked out the small barred window in the door. Hundreds of stars flooded the night sky.

  “Maybe Prince Jeremiah left with the man who floated across the moat on the last visit,” she guessed. Rosalind stood behind her and gazed out into the darkness.

  “That was too small a raft for two people,” Christopher said. “Maybe Jeremiah paddled across the water by himself on our raft.” He squeezed in front of the women so he could open the door. He stepped outside, and to
his utter confusion, saw the raft still tied to the wall. “Maybe he swam across?”

  “It seems neither of you is right,” Rosalind said as Christopher came back in, closing the door. “Perhaps he’s wandering outside.”

  Christopher picked up the torch and held it aloft, lighting the room more fully. He noticed the wood crate against the far wall that he and Molly had discovered on their earlier visit, and then his eyes popped wide open in astonishment.

  “Or perhaps not…” He swallowed hard, gazing incredulously across the room. “Look!”

  Molly and Princess Rosalind spun around and saw a dark figure of a man sprawled upon the floor near the crate, his back facing them. They rushed over as Christopher held the torch high above to provide more light. The man’s hands were tied behind his back and his feet were bound as well. A third rope secured his arms to his side, rendering him immobile. A piece of cloth was fastened tightly around his mouth. Rosalind quickly untied the gag as the man craned his neck back to look upon his rescuers. She trembled as Prince Jeremiah gazed lovingly into her disbelieving eyes.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Wedding Presents Opened

  Christopher handed Molly the torch and untied Jeremiah, then he and Princess Rosalind walked him over to the bottom step to sit and rest. Jeremiah felt lightheaded and a bit hungry. Molly grabbed an apple from the wooden crate and gave it to him.

  “Thank you,” he said, taking a bite.

  “Are you hurt?” Rosalind asked, sitting beside him and rubbing his back. Though he looked pale in the soft firelight, Rosalind gazed into his sky blue eyes and silently rejoiced that the kind and loving fiancé she had always known was again by her side.

  “I am fine,” he said, “especially since you’re with me, Rosalind. But our situation is dire. An evil has returned to Solárin that I thought we were rid of forever.”

  “What are you talking about?”