by Cale Madison
Shortly after, a young girl revealed herself from the rafters above. Caked over her face was soot and black dirt, as if she had just attempted to bury herself to hide from us only moments before we arrived. I spotted the birthmark on her throat just below her left ear, “Hello, Krea.”
“How’d you know my name? Did you hurt the two boys outside? They don’t know anything, I swear to you.” the girl replied, her eyes nervously darting between us and the open door.
“Like I said, your mother sent us. We’re trying to find the missing prince and we think you may know something we don’t yet.” I replied, “I’m not interested in why you’re hiding from the King. I just need to find his son. Can you help us? Do you know where Malachi might’ve gone?”
Krea descended from the rafters on a ladder before joining us on the ground. Her dress was covered in dust, as if she had been crouched up there for some time. Suddenly, a young man appeared from behind us and quickly darted to her side. He withdrew a sharpened wooden stake, fashioned from the hilt of a broken broom and declared, “You will not take her! Have at you, fiends! Break my bones and kill me but she will never leave with you!”
I nearly laughed at the sight of this young boy waving a broomstick in my face, shouting a declaration of war but I kept my composure. Skalige, unfortunately, had begun laughing hysterically. The young man’s eyes wildly bulged, as if he were prepared to give his life in this one moment. I batted away the stake with one swing of my sword and looked down into their fearful eyes.
“Tell me what’s going on here.” I demanded, “You want your secret to stay safe with us? Give us something to work with. Where was Malachi one week ago to this night? Did he come through Bardford? Do either of you know?”
Krea shrugged and her friend shook his head. I knew that I wouldn’t get anywhere with these kids by reasoning with them. Skalige had stopped laughing once the joke had completely run its course. He then blurted out, “Least tell us why that fuckin’ house outside is in shambles! For God’s sake, it looks like a wagon filled with dynamite went off! What happened?”
I appreciated the baron for not using his previous method of questioning on these kids, but they were indeed testing my patience. I said directly to the girl, “You know something. Refuse to cooperate and we’ll do the same. Looks like you two will have to find a new hiding place, after all. Wonder how long you could stay on the run with the entire Tuskan army on your trail.”
We prepared to leave before Krea stopped us, pleading, “Don’t! Stop, stop. Listen, you have to promise on your mother’s grave that you will not speak a word of this to anyone. Promise!”
I vowed on my deceased mother’s honor to keep this code of secrecy. She sighed and began to unravel her story, “It was huge and ugly, like the biggest man you ever saw! Grandad told me and Fendel, here, to hide somewhere in the barn until he left. He was taller than the biggest oak tree in Avenwood Forest. He picked up a cow carcass in one hand and tossed it over the hill like a sack of apples...”
“Back up the story a bit.” I interrupted, “What was it? This monster?”
“A giant,” Fendel answered, “the one they say lives in Gorgon.”
“So this giant smashed the farmhouse? How does that tell us where Malachi went?” Skalige asked, clearly becoming slightly agitated with the pace of this investigation.
“Because...” Krea began to say but paused, as if debating to answer truthfully or not, “...because he came here searching for me, about a week ago. The giant stirred a ruckus in Bardford, loud enough to wake a sleeping dragon and I’m guessing that Malachi heard it from the palace. He must have, ‘cause he came charging through the village streets around midnight that night.”
I began to piece together what happened on that fateful night.
“All we could hear were the cows as he ate them.” Fendel explained, “It moved quietly for something so big. Krea and I hid in here and when the noises stopped, the giant was gone with two of our prized bulls. It just up and ran away and Malachi chased after it!”
“Ran away?” I interjected, “What could scare a giant?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Boy, you better start giving us better answers than that!” Skalige shouted at the young man, “Who are you, anyway? Krea’s cousin?”
The two shot each other a nervous glance and I realized the truth in an instant. I explained to my companion, “Malachi came here, looking for Krea after Adaline sent her away. He must have followed the giant, but that means that one of you either lied to him or said nothing. Which is it? Who lied to the prince?”
Krea replied with sincerity, “I was inside with my grandfather. Fendel says that Malachi left shortly after the giant was gone.” I then looked at the young man and studied his face as it twisted in a perplexing manner.
“Fendel’s got more story to tell.” I said, narrowing my eyes at the boy.
With a heavy sigh, he willfully admitted, “The prince said that he was checking on Krea’s health. He started professing his unwavering love for her, saying that he wouldn’t leave until he knew for sure, so I told him that the giant took her. I didn’t see where he went after he left. There was this huge explosion and then they were both gone. Must’ve fled into the forest. Nobody goes in and comes back out. The elves shoot you down on sight.”
Skalige blurted out, “This little cunt killed the prince, Caine! It’s over! Fendel, you cheat! Little scoundrel! Why would you send him away on a suicide mission like that?”
“Because he loves Krea too.” I declared after I pieced together the story, “and he didn’t want Malachi snaking around, asking questions. Isn’t that right, Fendel? You sent Malachi away, hoping he would give up on Krea. You didn’t expect him to follow the giant.”
Fendel nodded in agreement. Skalige shook his head and muttered, “Fucking dramatic kids. The most trouble we ever got in was sneaking wine to the river when our parents were asleep.”
I contemplated on our next move, now that we had learned the truth and that our prince was more than likely rotting in the forest. Outside, a storm cloud covered the sun, casting shade over the barn.
“He was wearing armor that looked to be a little too big for him,” Fendel informed us, “and waving a knight’s sword with red rubies and elvish markings. I’m sorry...I had no idea he would go after it...”
“I’d stop talking if I were you, boy.” Skalige snapped, “You may be responsible for the death of the prince. Those are very serious charges. You two stay here until we come back, in case we have any more questions. Tuskan’s not a big enough country to hide from us. It’ll be the gallows if you try to run.”
The young man’s face turned ghostly pale as the words were said.
“Skalige,” I whispered, “we won’t learn much else here.”
We left the stables and walked to our horses awaiting us on the trail. I trained my eyes on the destroyed farmhouse, moving my attention to the forest and what area Malachi must have ventured into. Skalige led me to the large pile of cobblestone, bricks and shattered wooden planks, where he pointed out a surprising discovery: a footprint the length of five horses, leaving a deep imprint in the soil beside the house’s remains. Leading our mounts, we followed the tracks to the edge of the Avenwood Forest.
“That wasn’t the giant that stomped the farmhouse.” he reported, catching my attention, “Moonsalt residue lined the grass outside. Looks and smells like chalk or hot sulfur, like rotten eggs, and is highly explosive. Someone must’ve triggered it. Think it could’ve been our prince?”
“I have no idea, baron.” I said, sliding from my mount to the grass.
“If we’re lucky, his head will already be on a pike.” Skalige said, optimistically, “I’ve heard of the Elves of Avenwood. They don’t allow trespassers. Why don’t we alert Darius and ask his army to join us?”
“If we march in there with an armed militia behind us, they’ll see that as a declaration of war.” I explained to my battle-ready companion, “Two of us
have a better chance of slipping by undetected. As for our two love birds, let’s leave them alone. Krea and her mother would be banished for aiding in this debacle and, as you so gracefully put it, Fendel would face the hangman’s noose.”
“We return with the boy’s head. It’s half the bounty but still something.”
“Since when has this only been about the coin, Skalige? Where’s your sense of adventure and wonder? Are you not curious as to what strange monsters are lurking in the forests of Avenwood?” I asked as I sheathed my blade, “Besides, I wasn’t told to bring back his son’s head for half of the reward.”
“I haven’t been promised a copper.” he replied and did the same. We unloaded what packs we could carry from our horses and sent them away. Part of me even questioned why I would endure such a deadly mission into uncharted territory, but then I remembered how desperately we needed the king’s money and his charitized estate. Maybe I was more interested in the adventure.
“You’re my knight, remember?”
I laughed, almost anxiously and followed him into the depths of the woods.
***
The castle walls, strongly built on the foundation of the Tuskan maxim: live for honor, for family, for truth. For decades, the Lockmour family has thrived behind them, multiplying by the dozens, spawning ungrateful, young girls and war-hungry sons. Aketa planned to investigate further. After learning from Lord Gavin that the armory had been broken into the night that Malachi disappeared, she knew that this was the perfect thread to follow. She descended the staircase into the main hall, where she was planned to speak with each of the Lockmour princes and the princess, under the watchful eye of two guards standing at the door. Once in the dining hall, she could see the children sitting together around the head of the King’s table.
Dane, the youngest, fiddled with a straw doll in his lap. He would pull apart his limbs, softly screaming as if he were speaking for the little toy. Alice entertained herself by plucking at loose hairs that had been collecting on her white dress. Athalos folded his arms, eyeing Aketa as she approached them.
“Hello, Your Majesties.” my wife greeted them, “My name is Aketa. My husband is a friend of your father’s, and I need to ask you a couple of ques-”
“Ugh, I’m bored already.” Alice sneered, “Sing us a song, lady. Juggle some tomatoes or something. The cooks should have some rotten ones leftover from brunch today!”
Aketa stopped for a second and tried to collect her thoughts while Dane proceeded to ask, “Why’s your hair so yellow? You dip it in your piss pot every morning, do ya?”
The two young children seemed to find this hilarious. Athalos rolled his eyes.
“Guards,” Aketa said to the men standing behind her, “I’d like to speak with these three, one at a time. It seems that we can’t be civil in a group. We can do this by age, youngest to oldest, starting with Dane here.”
“Who are you to give us orders?!” Dane suddenly shouted, rising from his chair, “Guards, I want her head on this plate, now! Bring me her babbling head! Now, I said!”
“You three will do as she asks.” Queen Isabelle announced to her children from a hallway on the other side of the room. She walked with such grace and confidence, striding in a royal, black dress. Hemmed into the cloth were various shapes of flowers and thorn-covered roses. Her black hair was tied behind her head and held together by her glorious, silver crown. She smelled strongly of beeswax and ginger, the same as Aketa. She silently prayed that she wouldn’t notice.
“Lady Mercer, you may talk with them one at a time.” she said with a polite nod.
“Thank you, Your Grace. I wish to speak with Dane first.”
Alice and Athalos exited from their chairs and departed from the dining hall as Isabelle watched from a distant corner, leaving Aketa alone with the youngest prince. The two of them looked at each other briefly, as if sizing each other up. The watchful guards and the queen watched on in silence. The prince folded his arms and scowled, narrowing his little green eyes. His moppy, blonde hair fell just past his eyes and swayed when he fidgeted.
“So Dane, how old are you?”
“Eleven, which makes you, what? About a hundred, you old bat?”
“That’s not very nice.”
He stuck his tongue out and turned away. Aketa smiled and realized that she would make little to no progress with blunt questions. She understood that to learn from a juvenile, sometimes you had to think like one.
“Hey, I bet you love lighting fireworks...burning things, don’t you?” she asked with a mischievous smile, “Bonfires and big explosions, right?”
His face lit up like one as he exclaimed, “Yes, yes, I do!”
“You ever sneak off into rooms of this place?” Aketa inquired, leaning down to be eye-level with him, “Maybe creep into the armory to try on the armor or play with the swords?”
Dane replied, “I love to play with the knight’s swords! Malachi and I would duel in the courtyard but Father keeps the armory locked now, after what happened last time he caught us. That was a dreadful day.”
“What happened?”
“Malachi stole two cutlasses so we could play ‘Knights and Bandits’ in Mother’s orchard. He was King Destrian the Bold and I was Ronan Blackhart, the rebel!” Dane exclaimed, his eyes wildly bulging as he recalled of the event, “We were fencing along the courtyard walls when I slipped and cut him. Weren’t my fault, though...he’s not a good swordsman like me. He didn’t even cry!”
“I’m sure. Was it a bad cut?”
“Blood was everywhere, all over Mother’s new flowers.” Dane replied, “I really like the sight of blood. The pools of red when the cut is fresh. It’s exciting, like holding a new pair of boots or watching two warriors fight to the death. The orchard was coated red, as if someone had painted it. Did you know that a body holds almost two gallons of it? You can drain someone completely if you cut the right vein! Hah! How funny!”
“You like...blood?” Aketa asked, making sure she had heard the prince correctly. He nodded and began to play with a scab on his hand until he opened it to peek at what was hiding beneath his skin. How peculiar, she thought.
“When did you last see Malachi?” she then asked the strange boy.
“Same as the others.” Dane answered, keeping his glazed eyes focused on the torn scab, “Saw him at dinner and then woke up to hear that he’s gone. He sleepwalks, you know? Pisses in his trousers and walks around the palace at night so they had to lock him away. The giant probably got him! Only thing tall enough to reach him in that tower of his.”
“What giant?” Aketa asked, startled.
“You’re saying you haven’t heard of the Gorgon Giant? The Destroyer of Cities? He could squash the entire palace with one foot! Gavin says that he woke up when the war broke out, that the armies were loud enough to disturb his sleep! Gavin knows a great deal about the giant, actually.” Dane said, his eyes drifting as he began to ponder, “Gavin says the giant is going to crush the duchess in her castle! He’s going to ROAAAAR and smash their city to bits!”
“A giant lives in the mountains? How do you know this?” Aketa asked, unable to keep up with the prince’s frantic replies.
The queen interrupted their talk and approached them at the other end of the table, “That’s enough, Lady Mercer! Come, Dane. You’re going to your room!”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.” said Aketa, “I’m only trying to find answers.”
“Dane hasn’t told you anything that we didn’t already know!” Isabelle firmly stated as she grabbed the prince by his limp wrist.
“I apologize again, Your Majesty.”
The queen angrily shook her head and left Aketa in the room, alone again. In one hand, she held the half-pendant tied around her neck while the other hand felt the grooves of the dining table. The young princess, Alice peeked through the large doors in between the two guards.
“Come in, dear.” Aketa said to the girl.
Alice crossed the chamber, l
imping in some odd way, sat down across from her and prepared herself for the questions. Her little feet dangled above the floor. Before Aketa could say a word, the princess said, “Father interrogates men too. Strings them up by their balls over the moat and feeds them to the alkimars. Are you going to do that to me?”
“No, heavens no. I just want to ask about Malachi.”
“Ooh, this is about Malachi. Do you know where he went?”
“Not yet. That’s what I’m here to find out.” Aketa answered, “Where did you last see your brother, Alice?”
“We were riding horses in the valley, just outside of the wall. Malachi loosened the straps on my saddle and I was thrown off.” Alice answered, gesturing to her leg, “Sprained my ankle. It still hurts if I twist it too far to the right.”
“Why would he do such a thing?”
“He denies it but Athalos says that he saw it happen.” the princess replied, “Please find him. I’ve been nasty to him lately and I want to take it all back. He’s a sweet big brother. Athalos and Dane are mean to me. They steal my dolls and chase me with snakes. Malachi’s never done that. He’s good to me.”
“We’ll bring him back, I promise, Alice. Are you able to get into your father’s armory? Do you know of any other ways to get inside after nightfall?” Aketa asked, hopelessly feeling as if she was getting nowhere in her investigation. The young girl fidgeted in her chair while she played with her curly, blonde hair.
“No.” Alice answered. Her honesty could be read on her small, round face.
“I believe you, dear.” Aketa said, “Send in your older brother, will you?”
The princess rose from her chair and hobbled to the door, where she invited Athalos inside and then vanished into the castle. The strong, thirteen-year old adolescent walked with honor and pride in his path to the chair opposite of Aketa. Each of the previous Lockmour children had blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Athalos had black hair with emerald-green eyes like his mother. She took note of this.