Keeper of the Realms: Crow's Revenge (Book 1)

by Marcus Alexander

  ‘Hmm,’ mused Dridif. ‘Yer proposal does, I must admit, have some advantages over wot has previously been suggested. Does any councillor have any misgivings or opinions about dis suggestion?’

  The councillors remained silent. Charlie held her breath to see what the outcome would be. She liked the idea of meeting another girl who was into K’Changa. Maybe this Constantina could teach her a thing or two.

  ‘Who is more suitable than Lady Narcissa to ensure the child’s well-being?’ rumbled a dark, almost purple-skinned Stoman who sat opposite Flint. ‘Lady Narcissa’s great sense of charity and kindness is well known throughout Sylvaris and Deepforest. If the young Keeper has the good fortune to live with her, then she should count her blessings.’

  Rumbles of agreement echoed this sentiment. It appeared that for once all the councillors could agree on something, although Charlie noticed that Azariah failed to show any enthusiasm for the proposal. But with his large monk’s hood covering his face she couldn’t really be too sure.

  ‘Very well, then. It is settled,’ announced Dridif with a big smile of satisfaction on her face. ‘Charlie Keeper, I place ya under Lady Narcissa’s guardianship. The council will reconvene in two days’ time ta discuss wot is ta be done about the pendant. Until then, young Keeper, I bid ya a good day.’ Dridif smiled warmly at Charlie before leaving the Council Chamber, with most of the remaining councillors following her.

  Charlie stared after Dridif. She couldn’t quite make up her mind about the old Treman lady, who seemed like a wise, grandmotherly woman one moment, then a hard-as-nails leader the next.

  ‘Come, young lady, follow me and I shall show you to my tower,’ said Lady Narcissa, interrupting Charlie’s thoughts.

  ‘What about Kelko and Jensen?’ asked Charlie as she eyed her steadfast friends.

  ‘Go on, lass, don’t worry about us,’ said Jensen. ‘We’ll come round and see ya dis afternoon.’

  ‘But I thought I was staying with you!’ stammered Charlie. Although she’d been aware that she was moving into Narcissa’s tower, it only now dawned on her that this would mean leaving Jensen and Kelko behind.

  ‘Yeah, I know, lass, I know,’ sighed Jensen, his large ears slightly drooped. ‘But the Jade Circle has decided otherwise and it’s not for me ta argue. Don’t worry. I’m sure dis will only be for a day or two at the most, so cheer up.’

  ‘He’s right, blossom,’ muttered Kelko with a glum look. ‘Dis is really for the best if it means keeping ya safe from Bane.’

  Charlie felt a little crestfallen. Why was life always so unfair?

  ‘Come now, Charlie, this way,’ said Lady Narcissa before Charlie could complain.

  Striding off briskly, Lady Narcissa gracefully made her way from the Council Chamber and Charlie had no choice but to follow. After a quick farewell to the two Tremen, she hurried after her new guardian.

  20

  Two-faced

  The Shade half slid and half dragged its broken body into the Throne Room. Mewling in agony and fear, it crawled towards the Devouring Throne.

  Bane, looking very much like a carved statue, sat impassive and still. Silently he watched the slow approach of his broken and injured servant. Offering no remorse or compassion, he just waited.

  The Shade reached the foot of the dais and wearily hauled itself up the carved stone stairs to huddle at Bane’s feet.

  ‘Master, only I survived. All the others perished.’

  ‘That is of no concern to me,’ growled Bane. ‘What of the pendant and the squishy Human maggot?’

  ‘We failed to attain either, lord.’

  ‘Bah!’ spat Bane. ‘That fleshy girl still runs free! How could you let this happen, you useless cur! Tell me what happened. Tell me all of it and leave nothing out!’

  The Shade painfully pulled itself upright and despairingly began to relate to the Western Menace all that had occurred within Sylvaris. Bane sat silent and still on the throne as he listened to the Shade’s account. Only when the black shadow fell silent did he say anything.

  ‘You failed me, Shade, when I commanded you to perform a simple task,’ he rumbled as he stared down at the wretched shadow lying at his feet. ‘You know the penalty.’

  ‘Aye, lord.’

  Moving so fast that he practically blurred, Bane reached down and snatched up the Shade with both hands. It wriggled and flopped within his iron grasp.

  ‘How dare you fail me?’ hissed Bane, his temper rising to shroud his silhouette with a dark cloud. ‘How dare you?’

  And with a huge, furious roar he tore the black shadow in two and flung the still-writhing pieces of Shade to the Throne Room floor. Hissing faintly, the wriggling flaps of darkness dissolved into a puddle of black, ash-like powder.

  Bane stared briefly at the miserable stains that blemished his floor before snapping his fingers. One of the many silent footmen hurried over.

  ‘Tell me something good,’ snarled the Stoman Lord. ‘Tell me that the treasonous councillor from the Jade Circle has finally promised to deliver me that squishy Keeper into my hands.’

  ‘My lord, our agent in eastern Sylvaris has just informed us that the traitor has requested the presence of a Shade to finalize details. Hopefully the deal shall be settled by this evening.’

  ‘It had better be. Now get me my generals. I wish to know what new lands my armies have conquered. Go.’ Cracking his knuckles, he watched as the footman hastened from the Throne Room.

  Lady Narcissa’s Ivory Tower glinted and glimmered in the midday sun. Flags and pennants fluttered in the breeze and long garlands of white lilies cascaded down from the many tiers of balconies that graced the slender tower. As they drew closer, Charlie noted that Lady Narcissa’s crest, featured on all the white flags, was a black and silver heron with a rose caught firmly in its beak.

  They walked across a narrow drawbridge and passed silent yet fierce-looking guards who wore strange, spiked armour. Striding beneath a thick portcullis and passing yet more guards, they entered the tower. Marble hallways and delicately painted corridors led to willowy staircases as the two travelled deeper into the building. Charlie was getting slightly nervous. Her new guardian, she noticed, had not spoken a word since leaving the Jade Tower. Stealing a look at Lady Narcissa, Charlie was shocked to see that her beautiful pale face was spoiled by a horrible frown. Anger lines wrinkled Lady Narcissa’s forehead, causing her stunning green eyes to squint and peer. But even worse, her wide mouth had puckered and shrunk into a thin line, making her seem mean and cruel. She looked like a completely different woman. What had caused such a change?

  ‘Lady Narcissa, is everything OK?’ asked Charlie with concern. Maybe her new host was ill.

  ‘Of course everything is all right!’ snapped Lady Narcissa. Without slowing her brisk stride, she threw Charlie a scathing look.

  Charlie almost stumbled over her feet in shock. What had happened to the beautiful, caring Lady Narcissa? Had she done something to offend her?

  ‘In here,’ said Lady Narcissa curtly, and pointed with a perfectly manicured finger to a door near the end of the corridor.

  Charlie drew back in alarm as the door they were approaching opened. Inside she could see both Stix and Stones, the Delightful Brothers. Charlie stopped. She didn’t like the look of this. Not at all. Something fishy was going on.

  ‘Why are they here?’ she asked.

  ‘How dare you question what happens in my house!’ snapped Lady Narcissa, her beautiful face twisting into an angry mask. ‘Did you not hear me say that my adopted sons were to be a part of your security? Now do what you are told and get in there!’

  Stix and Stones came out of the room and stationed themselves on either side of the door.

  ‘I don’t care what the Jade Circle said!’ shouted Charlie, her fear quickly turning to anger. ‘You can’t just tell – ow!’

  Lady Narcissa, eyes blazing like a crazed woman, slapped Charlie furiously on the cheek.

  Charlie saw stars and lost her bal
ance. She frantically tried to regain her senses, but while her head was ringing Lady Narcissa grabbed her by the hair and forcefully dragged her into the room.

  Laughing at Charlie Keeper’s misfortune, Stix slammed the door shut.

  21

  The Isiris Bracelets

  Charlie still felt woozy, so when Lady Narcissa let go of her hair she was only too happy to slump to the floor.

  ‘Hello, Mother,’ rumbled Stone’s unforgettable voice, as he and Stix followed Charlie and Lady Narcissa into the room. ‘I see you’ve brought that little minx of a Keeper with you. Do you want us to do anything with her? Perhaps cut off her feet?’

  ‘Or tear out her nails one by one and stick them back in upside down?’ suggested Stix.

  ‘No, my beautiful, strong sons. We can do nothing too permanent to her otherwise the council will know. However, if the little brat doesn’t do exactly what I instruct her to do, when I tell her to, beat her. Beat her hard but not so that it shows.’

  ‘We can do that. In fact, we might just do that anyway,’ leered Stix, and laughed as Charlie tried to regain her feet. ‘It would serve the brat right for fooling us back in Deepforest.’

  ‘Enough chatter. Put the mongrel child on that chair,’ said Lady Narcissa.

  She watched as Stix and Stones dragged Charlie on to the seat.

  Bending over the girl, she sneered, ‘Now then, young and foolish Keeper, you must learn not to be so trusting. Are you not aware that the whole of Bellania is at war, and that you and your pendant play a very large and important role in this? Well, know this, you brainless little girl: Bane, the Western Menace, is not going to be stopped, not by the Jade Council, not by the armies of Alavis and Alacorn, not by the Winged Ones, not by anyone. And definitely not by you! He’s an unstoppable force and I shall use you as a stepping stone to become one of his most trusted allies. With my position on the Jade Council, and my knowledge of Sylvaris and Deepforest, it will be a deal he can’t refuse.’

  Charlie rubbed at her stinging cheek. It still hurt like crazy. Lady Narcissa certainly packed a mean punch. ‘I think you missed your cue just then,’ she said. ‘Aren’t all crazy, psychotic women with ugly children supposed to do an evil laugh after such a long speech?’

  ‘Why, you little –’ growled Lady Narcissa, drawing back her hand to slap Charlie’s other cheek.

  ‘Wait, Mother,’ interrupted Stix. ‘You don’t want to be doing that.’

  ‘And why not?’

  ‘Because I can do it better,’ he said. And so saying, with his yellow eyes glinting, Stix reached over and slapped Charlie on the other side of the face. Then, just for good measure, he viciously kicked her so that both she and the chair flew over backwards to land with a clatter on the marble floor.

  Charlie lay there, breathing heavily as she spasmed uncontrollably in pain. How could this be happening? Surely someone had made a mistake along the way?

  The room suddenly spun as Stones casually leaned over and righted the chair with Charlie still in it.

  ‘Enough of your smart comebacks, girlie,’ Stix growled in Charlie’s ear. ‘I can torture you all day and, when I do it right, it’ll never leave a mark.’

  ‘Yeah, well, glad to hear it, cos I can keep my mouth moving all day too, you mangy, flea-ridden mistake of a person.’ Charlie grinned through the pain, unable to help herself. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.

  ‘Enough!’ spat Lady Narcissa. ‘We don’t have all day for this. Besides, I have just the thing to handle this meddlesome wretch.’ Reaching into a polished oak and brass-hinged chest, she pulled out two dazzling amethyst bracelets. ‘Here, put these on her,’ she commanded.

  ‘Bracelets?’ taunted Charlie. ‘Ooh, I’m shaking in my shoes!’

  ‘For your information, young Keeper, these are Isiris Bracelets. In days gone by Stoman bishops would use these to bind uncontrollable and disobedient slaves.’

  Charlie tried to wriggle free as Stix fastened the bracelets around her wrists, but Stones, with his incredible strength, held her fast, allowing his brother to finish the job. With a click the bracelets snapped into place.

  Charlie froze, waiting for something to happen. A clap of thunder or perhaps a puff of smoke, but there was nothing.

  ‘That’s it?’ stuttered Charlie.

  ‘Not quite,’ smirked Lady Narcissa. Reaching back into the ornate chest, she pulled out a small velvet pouch from which a rather plain and nondescript ring tumbled into her palm. Slowly and lovingly, she pulled it on to her slim forefinger. ‘Consider this the last part in the link. This ring is what makes the Isiris Bracelets work. I issue a command and you obey. Now then … get down on your knees and lick Stones’s sandals.’

  To her utter shock and complete horror, Charlie found herself sinking down to her knees. She couldn’t stop herself. Her mind remained clear and free, but her body acted as though it had a will of its own.

  She had no control.

  None whatsoever.

  Her head lowered over Stones’s scabbed and calloused foot. Slowly her tongue stuck out and, to her disgust, she began to lick. She had never, ever felt so humiliated. Nothing that Mr Crow had done came close to this. The shame was so overwhelming that she would quite happily have died there and then.

  ‘Enough, silly girl. Stand up and face me,’ instructed Lady Narcissa.

  Charlie’s body pulled itself to its feet against her will. Cheeks blushing uncontrollably, she stared into the eyes of the woman who was supposed to be her guardian. The woman who she had admired and then trusted not just with her life, but with protecting the pendant that might one day lead her to her parents. Never had she felt a hate so complete. Never had such an anger awoken within her heart. That very instant Charlie felt something deep inside her move and change. Something in her soul sickened and died and in its place something darker was born. This was a moment that would be etched eternally into her mind. She would never forget. Never forgive.

  ‘Had enough, have you, my little princess?’ asked Lady Narcissa. ‘Would you like to go home now, or perhaps go and see your good friends Jensen and Kelko? Wouldn’t that be nice? Well, you can’t! You and your pendant are mine! Now then, back down on your knees! This time you can lick Stix’s shoes clean and when you’ve finished you can do mine!’

  ‘What of the pendant, Mother?’ asked Stix, talking to her over Charlie’s kneeling form. ‘Are you going to remove it for safekeeping?’

  ‘What, and raise suspicion? Just think of the uproar it would cause if a member of the council should see the girl without it around her scrawny neck! Besides, she isn’t going to go anywhere, say anything, or remove that pendant without my say-so.’

  ‘How do you know that?’ asked Stones.

  Lady Narcissa sighed and rolled her eyes. Some days she just couldn’t believe how stupid her adopted sons could be. ‘Because of the Isiris Bracelets! Watch. Maybe you’ll learn something.’ She turned to Charlie. ‘Charlie Keeper, look at me. You will not leave this tower without my or one of my sons’ permission. Neither will you remove the pendant unless I tell you to and you will not remove or attempt to tell anyone about the Isiris Bracelets.’

  Charlie didn’t feel anything, nor did she feel any different, but she knew that Lady Narcissa had just effectively ended any chance of escape.

  ‘And now, Charlie Keeper, I find myself sickened by the very sight of you. I think that I should find something suitable for you to do while I finalize all those essential, nitty-gritty little details required to commit treason.’

  ‘Send her down to the Alavisan Watchmen. I’m sure they could put her to work,’ chuckled Stones.

  ‘Hmm, I’m sure they would, but I would like something a bit more … degrading for her.’

  ‘The sewers need a decent service. Put her to work mucking the plumbing out,’ suggested Stix.

  ‘Better. I like the idea, but I’m sure neither of you wants to volunteer to check she’s done the work afterwards. No, I think she should be sent d
own to the Spinnery. She can work the looms and the threads. It’s a gruelling task and I know Aranea takes pleasure in working her staff into the ground,’ said Lady Narcissa. ‘Charlie, you delightful little girl, many thanks for cleaning my shoes. You’ve done a wonderful job. Now then, I would like very much for you to go downstairs and introduce yourself to Aranea, Mistress of the Spinnery. You are to work for her and only when the late shift finishes and the last loom falls silent may you return here to sleep. Now smile, thank me and go.’

  Charlie’s face creased into a beautiful smile, she just couldn’t stop it. ‘Thank you, Lady Narcissa.’ Without being able to help herself, Charlie turned and walked towards the door.

  ‘Oh! And, Charlie, please tell Aranea that I consider you to be a troublemaker and that she should be sure to work you hard. Very hard.’

  Charlie gritted her teeth. Her body may have been under the control of the traitorous councillor but her mind was not. As she walked back down the corridor the sound of the Delightful Brothers’ laughter fuelled and fanned the hate that grew like a black lump within her heart.

  22

  The Spinnery

  ‘What do you want?’ asked the seamstress.

  Charlie stared at the woman. There was no hint of a smile on the woman’s face. Indeed, there was no hint that she had ever smiled in her life. Her face was all cold angles and sharp lines. And although her bright red dress was beautifully made, its high collar, tight seams and spiky buttons only added to the unfriendly appearance.

  ‘Well, don’t stand there gawking,’ said the seamstress. ‘I don’t have all day.’