by V. M. Sang
They continued along the corridor quickly, but not running now. Soon they reached the stairs to Blundo's tower.
`Let's put them up there,' Pettic suggested.
`I've a better idea,' Lucenra said. `We should scatter them around so it's less likely someone could find them all and get them together again. We've no idea if they could still be used to hold a gate to the Bubble, and we can't risk Hellom and Blundo getting free.'
Pettic looked at her. `Good idea. You know, Luce, I can't believe we were taken in by Blundo. Looking back there were quite a number of things that ought to have made us suspicious. Why would Hellom leave behind incriminating diaries? He found out about the elemental worlds and how to get there pretty quickly too.'
`When we met him the other day, rushing off to meet someone,' replied the princess. `I bet that was Hellom he was going to see. And what about the time we found him in the nursery? He'd probably just come from the Bubble then.'
The three climbed the stairs to Blundo's laboratory and hid one of the quartz crystals in a drawer with others of the same kind.
`This reminds me of Hellom's laboratory,' said Lucenra. `I never told you what happened in there did I?'
`We've time now,' her brother said as he sat down on Blundo's chair. `Fire away, Sis.'
Lucenra sat down facing him and indicated to Pettic he should also sit. Then she began.
`It's not a very long tale. I went to try to find Cledo, as you know. I knew he wouldn't be far away, and last time I saw him was near the laboratory. Anyway, I went back and saw the door was closed. At first I thought perhaps he'd gone somewhere else, but then I remembered the door being open when we passed.'
She paused and ran her fingers through her hair.
`I thought it odd, so I went over to the door and then heard Cledo whining from inside. When I opened it, he came bounding out, but I was curious as to why the door should have closed so I went in.'
`Why was it open in the first place?' Pettic enquired. `I'm sure we closed it when we came out.'
'We did. I think Hellom or Blundo went in to get the gems he used on you two and didn't close it. He probably heard us coming and rushed away.
'Well, I went in and found a window open. (I think whoever it was climbed out rather than risk us seeing him crossing the great hall.) A draught from that window probably blew the door closed after Cledo went in. He probably smelled someone in there and went to investigate.
`At first I was going to leave immediately, but then something made me look around. On the desk was a jar containing some gems. I think they're called 'tiger eyes' or something.'
`A kind of agate,' murmured Torren.
Lucenra continued.
'I picked a few out of the jar. They seemed to tingle so I thought perhaps they'd been enchanted. Remember, Pettic, when we first went to see Blundo and I picked up a gem? He said I had an affinity for them because I felt a tingle. I thought some of these might be useful so I took a few.
`When I got outside and saw Hellom and Blundo had you in their power, I just threw whatever I had at them, or rather, at Hellom. He seemed the more dangerous. The gems exploded in a great flash of light that blinded Hellom as you saw.'
`So that's what that light was. I wondered.' Torren mused.
`But the most important thing is what else I found there.'
She pulled a few sheets of paper from a pocket in the breeches she was wearing. Torren took them from her.
`It's proof of what was going on,' he said. `These are plans for the takeover.'
He let his eyes rove down the papers. Then he gasped and his face went pale.
`Read that, you two,' he said, thrusting the paper into hands Pettic's hands.
The pair leaned over as Torren held the candle he had been using and read the writing on the paper.
`So, it was poison,' Lucenra said slowly. `Father was murdered.'
`So it would seem. Hellom and Blundo are trapped in that Bubble. I'll need to decide whether to leave them there or bring them back for trial.'
`That would mean opening the gate again,' pointed out Pettic. `Would that be a good idea?'
Torren decided he would have to think hard about that, but as he said, now was not the time. First they had to disperse the quartz crystals then expose the false Torren. That would not be easy as the two were so alike it was impossible to tell them apart. Both could state the other was the imposter and who could tell?
They scattered the quartz crystals around the palace as far away from each other as they could and in places where they would not be noticed easily. This included on the paths around the garden.
They were all tired by this time. Dilrong had taken the king's apartment, but Torren daren't use his old one in case someone saw him. He went with Pettic to his apartment where he tumbled into Pettic's bed, leaving Pettic to sleep on the couch.
Pettic rose stiffly the following morning. He washed in cold water and brushed his hair. He wanted to go and change his clothes but did not want to disturb Torren who probably needed his sleep.
The door to his apartment opened and Larro entered. He looked surprised to see Pettic already up.
`Sir,' said Larro, `I've hot water here. Do you want me to shave you?'
Pettic rubbed his chin and decided he would feel better for a shave, so he sat down on a chair and submitted to the attentions of his valet.
When he had finished, Pettic asked him to get some fresh water because the king had spent the night here and might want to be attended in the same way.
Larro, well trained as he was, showed no reaction to this announcement except for a brief puzzled look. He left then and Pettic sat wondering how to tackle the problem of two identical kings.
Of course, eventually the spell on the ring Dilrong wore would eventually dissipate and Hellom was trapped in the Bubble. Was there another magician in the rebels' pay who could re-enchant the gem?
Anyway, even if there were not, once the coronation was over it would not matter. Dilrong would be king and that was that. How long until the coronation? The preparations were well underway when he returned from Aqua but he had not thought to ask the date of the event.
Just then, Torren came out of the bedroom. He yawned and stretched.
'What time is it? he asked.
`Time you had a wash and a shave,' Pettic told him, `and here's water and a man to do it.'
After Torren had been made respectable, and the valet had left, he looked down at his clothes.
`These things are filthy,' he said. `I could do with some of my own. How can we get them?'
`I understand that Dilrong has moved into the king's apartment,' Pettic told him. `That means your old one is empty. I don't know if he's taken your stuff, but there's a chance there's something left there, anyway.'
`Then I'll go and get something clean and a little more kingly,' Torren answered him.
`I think you'd better stay here,' Pettic said. `Just in case Dilrong decides to pay his old apartment a visit. I don't want to let him know we've got you out just yet. I've not worked out what to do and if Dilrong knows you're here it'll give him a chance to think up how to convince people he's the real king.'
Pettic left immediately to cross to Torren's old apartment. He met no one and managed to get a suitable outfit for Torren. One in sober colours as befits a king. Or at least what he thought others might think of as suitable wear for a king.
On his return to his own apartment he was surprised to see Princess Lucenra there with her sister, Princess Icerra.
His eyes met those of Lucenra and he smiled.
`I brought Iccy because she asked too many questions. It seems she'd seen Torren coming into your apartment not long after she knew Dilrong was elsewhere. She thought she was going mad. I told her everything that's happened.'
`And I'm cross!' Icerra replied. `You had an adventure and didn't include me. Didn't even tell me!'
Torren looked at his sister. `Iccy, it was dangerous. Any of us could have been killed in t
he last escapade.'
Icerra pouted but made no comment.
Lucenra walked to the window and looked out. Pettic's eyes followed her, then he walked over to where she stood.
`What are you looking at?' he asked.
`Dilrong,' she answered. `He looks as though he's going out. He's got his riding things on. Look, there's that guard friend of his saddling up his horse.'
The pair watched until Dilrong and the guard rode out through the gate of the palace, then Pettic turned to the other two.
`I think we should go and tell your mother, Torren,' he said. `She has a right to know, but it's going to be hard to convince her.'
`I'll get the evidence and meet you there,' Icerra said, wanting to be involved now she know about it all.
She ran off to Lucenra's apartment leaving the others to wait until she came back with the papers before going to visit the queen.
Torren went into Pettic's bedroom and changed into the clothes Pettic had brought, with a grimace. When he came out, he looked at Pettic.
`Ugh. These clothes are boring! I hate black.'
`I thought it was more fitting for a king to be dressed in sober colours. Anyway, you're in mourning. You can go back to wearing your normal attire once we've established you as yourself and exposed Dilrong.'
Torren wrinkled up his nose, but agreed.
Very soon, Icerra returned. She handed the papers over to Lucenra and said, `Do you think we should all go to see Mother?'
`Why do you ask that?' Lucenra asked.
`Well, I thought perhaps it would make things easier to explain without the complication of Mother wondering if this was the right Torren. After all there's really no proof that this Torren is the real one.'
She looked at Torren. `This could be a double bluff, you know. Perhaps Torren, our Torren that is, is another doppleganger that Hellom had hidden just in case the first was exposed.'
Pettic looked at her with eyes blazing.
`Ask Cledo if this is the right Torren,' he snapped. `Look at him.'
Cledo leaned against Torren enjoying having his ears scratched.
Lucenra then looked at the man and dog.
`Iccy has a point, Pettic. Not everyone knows about the animosity Cledo shows towards Dilrong and the friendship he shows to Torren.'
`It's all right, Pettic,' Torren told him. `I'll stay here with Cledo. I noticed a book on your shelf I want to read. I'll make a start on that.'
Then Lucenra and Pettic left for the queen's apartment.
Chapter 18
The queen had her own apartment in the palace, although she had in practice lived in the king's. Now, with Dilrong taking over those apartments, she had moved into her own.
The two young people knocked at the door, which was opened by the queen's butler. He bowed when he saw who was standing there.
`Your Highnesses and My Lord,' he said. `Come inside and I'll go and tell Her Majesty you're here. Come through to the audience chamber.'
They followed him into a large room with chairs scattered around and a throne at one end. It was not as large nor as grand as the one in the king's apartments, but it gave the queen an air of authority.
The butler disappeared through an inner door, leaving the three in the audience chamber.
`Let's sit while we wait for Mother,' Lucenra said, leading the way to a group of blue-covered chairs.
They did not have to wait for long before the queen came into the room
`You wanted to see me?' she said looking from one to the other. `What is it?'
Lucenra sighed. `We have a long story to tell you Mother. May we go somewhere more private than here?'
`Of course. Come into my sitting room.'
They followed the queen to a smaller room. Here it was much more modestly furnished. The walls were a pale cream as were the furnishings. Several chairs upholstered in cream were grouped around a low table and two more in front of the fireplace A green chaise longue stood near the window, which had green brocade curtains hanging before it. Cushions of the same colour lay on several of the chairs.
Two ladies in waiting sat on the chairs, sewing. The queen asked them to leave, which they did, but not without a look of curiosity at the young people.
The queen sat down and indicated to the others to do the same.
`A good job Torren isn't here. Yesterday he told me off for sitting without his permission. This idea of him being king seems to have gone to his head. I only hope he gets over it and rules as your father taught him.'
The queen shook her head.
`I never thought he'd behave in the way he has. Your Father would be so disappointed. Torren always seemed to have the making of a good king.'
`Actually, mother,' said Lucenra, `Torren didn't tell you off. He'd never do that to you.'
`Luce,' replied the queen, `I was there and you weren't. How can you know what happened.'
`Because Torren wasn't with you yesterday. He was with us.'
The queen looked at her daughter as if she had gone mad, which she probably thought was the case. Pettic noticed the look and jumped to Lucenra's defence.
`It's true,' Your Majesty,`he said. 'We were with His Majesty last night. The person you were with is an imposter. His name's Dilrong.'
The queen frowned and looked from one to the other.
`You'd better tell me everything. I don't understand what's going on here.'
Pettic started by telling the queen how his dog had started to react strangely to Torren, growling every time he saw him.
As the story unfolded, each telling a part, the queen's eyes grew wider and wider. Suddenly, she said, `So this person–Dilrong did you call him?–poisoned your father?'
Her eyes filled with tears and she took out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes. She pulled herself together and looked hard at them.
Lucenra told Icerra to hand over the papers and the queen spent some time looking through them.
`Well, this seems to incriminate Hellom and Blundo. They're trapped in this 'Bubble' you say?'
`Yes,' Pettic said. `They might have the gems to escape, or be able to make them, but we've removed and hidden the crystals that held the gate so even if they can make some more keys they'll be no use.'
`Let's hope so. I wonder what made Hellom join those rebels?' she mused. `He'd always been well treated here. And Blundo too.'
Pettic looked at the queen. `Perhaps something in his diaries will tell us. Blundo said he 'found' them behind some books. We need to go and look at them.'
`Yes,' said Lucenra, `but that's not the priority. We need to expose Dilrong first.'
Icerra spoke for the first time. `Now Hellom is trapped, won't the enchantment wear off the ring and he'll be exposed then.'
Lucenra turned to her sister. `Think, Iccy, think! He must be exposed before the coronation. We don't know how long the enchantment on the gem will last. If it's just been charged, it'll last until after the coronation and then it'll be too late. He'll be king!'
Icerra looked chastened.
They all sat round trying to devise a plan, until eventually the queen suggested getting them both together in front of all the nobility and asking questions, one of which must be about something only the real Torren would know. Not something that could be found out by reading or asking questions.
The next job was to think of a question and so they all decided to think about it and meet again the following morning.
Chapter 19
That night, Pettic once again slept on his sofa. Torren had said he would sleep there, but Pettic said it was not seemly for a mere earl to sleep in a bed while his king was on the sofa. He argued long and eventually Torren gave way and went to the bedroom.
Pettic had only just got dressed and Torren was still in bed when a knock came at the door. Larro answered it and came back to say there was a messenger from the queen for King Torren.
Pettic went into the bedroom to tell Torren, and the king got out of bed immediately. He pulled one of Pe
ttic's robes he found hanging behind the door and entered the private living room of the apartment.
The messenger bowed low and if he were surprised that Torren was sleeping in Pettic's apartment and not the king's, he made no sign.
He said, `Your Majesty, Her Majesty, your mother, the queen, would like you to attend her for breakfast.'
`You can tell my mother I'll be along as soon as I'm washed and dressed,' he said.
The messenger bowed low again and backed out of the room.
`I wonder what she wants?' he asked Pettic. `She didn't mention you coming with me. I suppose she's got some new idea, but I wonder why only me?'
`Perhaps she's inviting all her children,' Pettic said. `Or perhaps you, Lucenra and Icerra to tell you something. You won't know until you get there. You can come and tell me afterwards.'
The queen sat in her reception room. The breakfast already prepared and lying on a table under a window at the far side of the room. A low table sat close by with plates and cutlery ready for food.
A knock came at the door and Torren came in.
`Good morning, Mother,' he said as he bent to kiss her. `I hope you had a good night.'
The queen sighed. `As good as I've had since your father died.'
`I'm sorry to hear…'
Another knock sounded at the door. When it opened, Torren stepped into the room.
`Good morning, Mother,' he said, but as he bent to kiss her he saw his double sitting opposite her. He straightened up and looked from one to the other.
`Oh, sit down, Torren,' the queen said impatiently. `I need to talk to you both.'
She turned towards the young man already seated, then back to the other as he sat down at the table.
`Now, I don't know which of you is which. It has come to my ears there's an imposter in the palace. That there's a coup in place. The king has been replaced by a doppleganger. One of you is that doppleganger.'
Both young men began to protest, but the queen raised her hand.