They both went to sleep, even Arthur who had disturbing dreams of walking all around Evermore in a bright pink dress, while Jo’s dreams were infinitely more interesting.
She was walking down a tunnel, and above was a blue light reflected through the windows in the ceiling. She saw that hundreds of fish were swimming above her, and she walked along the tunnel, all the while looking up. She walked across a metal grate, and below she heard the sound of rushing water. She woke up; it was still dark. The clock on the wall read 1:00.
She tip toed down the stairs and past Arthur, who was snoring in an undignified position on the settee, with his legs bent over the back of the arms and his head nearly touching the carpet. She ran out to go to the Sky Port bathroom, then came back and went to sleep again.
This time she was riding a whale through the ocean like a horse. It was swimming gracefully, and she heard it sing. She saw another whale, and Arthur was riding it. She tried to shout him, but blew bubbles instead. “You’re underwater, he can’t hear you,” said the whale. Jo nodded and let the whale glide across a large empty expanse of sand, and it blew it up in a vast cloud. She then saw another whale, and Archie was riding it.
“You know Josephine, you just have to ask and I can make this happen,” she said.
Jo mumbled something, and Archie replied “Just remember a piece of advice I got from Lupin the Third, ‘The key to enjoying life is doing as many foolish things as possible’, remember that Josephine,” she said. Jo woke up again. This time the clock read 3:00.
She crept downstairs and now Arthur was laid on his front, with his arms over the left arm and his feet over the edge of the right arm. He was still snoring when she came back from the bathroom a second time. She went to sleep again, but her strange night wasn’t over.
Jo was walking past the largest glass screen she had seen, and she saw thousands of fish swim past it. When they had dispersed, she saw the most beautiful scene she had ever seen. The coral was so colourful that it hurt her eyes to see it. Tiny fish were congregating around red, blue, green, orange and purple sea anemones. She then saw something else; a creature so large that its sheer size was enough to scare Jo. It swam and encircled the rainbow amphitheatre, and then swam straight for Jo. She was a tiny speck in the shadow of this leviathan. She woke up, and it was 4:00.
She walked downstairs, and now Arthur was now upside down, with his hair all spread out on the carpet. His legs were bent backwards over the back of the settee, and he was still snoring. When she returned, he was lying on the floor, with his back arched up, and Jo was completely at a loss as to how Arthur was comfortable in that position. She picked him up, and laid him on the settee, and covered him in the blanket that lay on the back.
“Sleep well, Artie,” she said.
The sun rose in the east, and Jo awoke after a peaceful sleep. Today she would see a wonder, and if it was anything like her dreams, then she couldn’t wait.
On the windswept island of Harrha in Queen Lilia’s castle, someone had just finished a painting of Archie. The shadowy figure then put it on the wall and stepped back. The painting then became peppered with darts as the dark figure stepped into the light. Lilia was not happy at all.
The City of Cesta was built on the site of a seaside village that was destroyed by Seashorelle, when they tried to catch her with a fleet of ships. Ever since then it has grown differently, and instead of 100% fishing, they mine sapphires from beneath the ocean, but they are so deep that they don’t affect the seabed. The city is built with avenues for streets, and when the city floods, they fill with water and people travel through them on boats. When the water level drops, they walk along them as normal.
Arthur woke up quite cosy on the settee, and tried to remember if he had put the blanket on himself or not. “Who else would have done it?” he thought to himself.
Jo walked downstairs, and found that Arthur was tidying up before they left. This time Jo was wearing a dark blue version of her earlier green ensemble. She and Arthur matched each other perfectly, since Arthur was wearing light blue. “It looks nice, how did you sleep?” he asked.
“Some strange dreams, but otherwise it was pleasant,” she replied.
“Right, were off as soon as Corky can get the Emerald Engine stoked,” he said. Just as he finished, a shudder was felt through the ship.
“There we go, I’m going on the deck, and I want to see the Chene from the air in the daylight,” he said.
“Me too,” she said.
Chene did look beautiful from the air, and as they lifted to 200ft above the ground, the place looked so much smaller, and Arthur couldn’t believe that the huge expanse of the Yellow Coven lay beneath all the streets and buildings. They flew south, and Jo saw that the huge expanse of wasteland outside of the City of Chene was so large, that she couldn’t see the western shore and the largest part of the Sky River that flowed out into the Infinite Sea. They flew over the vast wasteland and the shadow of the Nostradamus was a tiny black dot on an otherwise blank canvas.
“As my Uncle Philip used to say, the best place to see the world is from above,” said Arthur.
“You had an Uncle Philip?” she asked.
“Yes, he built The Nostradamus, and taught me how to fly it if I ever needed to, and it seems that he knew what was going to happen,” he replied.
“How many members are there in your family?” she asked.
“There’s Lilia and I, then there was my mother and father, my mother’s brother Philip and my father’s two sisters Julia and Bianca. Then there’s my Grandfather Lucian, and his wife Iris. And then there’s my Grandmother Calsyne and her husband Tristan. Then finally there’s my Great Grandmother Helatia, and finally, my Great Aunt Maude,” he explained.
“I see that you have a rather extensive family, what happened to your Uncle Phillip?” she asked.
“He was hit on the head with a mace by my father after a very big argument, but he didn’t die. He wandered around the forests beneath the peaks of Fina for days. He is the only Pageon apart from me and Lilia to still live, although it’s not much of an existence living in Hemlock Asylum,” he said.
“Your Uncle Philip is in Hemlock Asylum?” she asked, shocked.
“Yes, I’ve tried to get him out, but even if I did what would I do with him?” he asked.
“That’s the sad truth I suppose,” she said.
“Anyway, I’d rather talk about something else,” he replied.
“Why don’t we just not talk about anything, and enjoy the beautiful scenery,” she replied.
Jo put her arm around Arthur’s waist, and she pulled him closer. Arthur was so caught up in the scenery that he didn’t notice, and Jo laid her head on his shoulder as they flew south, where the weather is warmer and the wonders of the Blue Coven awaited.
They flew across several areas of farmland, which had large square fields bordered by old stone walls and the odd tree growing over a gate. They saw that it was harvest time, and that some people were pulling a cart that was filled with a huge mass of hay, and some farm houses, with barns that were painted red with white roofs. They then passed over random clumps of trees that had turned to fiery red fires in the wake of autumn. The grass had turned to yellow, and it looked surprisingly beautiful. They passed over stately homes outside small villages, which were all different, were surrounded by walls and had their own flying ships anchored outside.
“I always wanted a house like that, a stately home with a big red brick wall around it, and big fruit trees in the orchard. A pond where ducks are swimming and a big garden where I can play catch with my kids. And in the snow we can build a snowman and then pelt each other with snowballs. Do you ever dream about the future?” he asked.
“I’m a princess of Discoucia, and when my father dies Alex and I become the new advisors,” she replied.
“That’s not very fair,” he said.
“My future is pretty much assured,” she said. The ship stopped slowly, until it came to a complete stop
above a grove of trees. A puff of smoke appeared above Jo and a piece of paper floated down to her.
“Don’t count on that, A’,” she read.
“I don’t know what to say to that, except maybe we should go inside,” said Arthur. They both walked into the sitting room, and the ship started off again as suddenly as it stopped. Back in the cabin, they both sat down on the settee.
“You know, she said that she couldn’t see the future, though I don’t believe that,” said Jo.
“Maybe not, but if you think about it, she has given you hope,” replied Arthur.
“I guess she has,” said Jo.
“Anyway, were nearly there, and when we get to Cesta, I’ll take you out for dinner, after we’ve visited the Blue Coven that is,” he said. Jo leant on Arthur, and began to drift off to sleep, since she had so many interruptions last night.
The Sea Hag of Cesta
Corky walked in on Jo sleeping soundly on Arthur’s lap, and Arthur looking at him with wide eyes. “What’s the matter sir, situation not perfect enough for you?” whispered Corky sarcastically.
“What do I do? She’s fallen asleep on me, literally!” he whispered back loudly.
“Shall I turn on the Barry White sir?” he asked.
“What in the heck are you talking about?!” he asked.
“No idea, your friend Archie told me to say it if this situation ever arose, personally I don’t know what she was talking about,” said Corky.
“Look, you know what to do, it’s nearly dark, and so tomorrow morning we get the ship repainted white, like an Evermore Peace Ship, and then were going to stay here for tomorrow, and the morning after that we’ll go to Illumination Island, and from there to Harrha, understand?” he asked, still whispering.
“Yes sir, I’ll leave you to what is considered an unanswerable riddle…get out of that without moving,” he said, and disappeared through the door.
Arthur carried Jo upstairs, and tucked her into bed, and he went downstairs, wrote a letter which he left on the desk for her, and walked out into the streets of Cesta.
Jo awoke on her own to the sound of seagulls and the sound of people talking outside her window. She looked out to see that a group of people were painting the ship. “Artie! Artie! What’s going on?” she shouted as she walked down the stairs. There was no answer, and she found the piece of parchment on the table. “‘Jo, I’ve gone to the Blue Coven since I couldn’t sleep, and I’ll meet you in the entrance, the old abandoned lighthouse of St Helio’,” she read.
She left the sitting room and saw that most of the ship was white, and that they were just finishing. She looked at the floor, and saw that it was still wet. She jumped off the ship in a spectacular display of acrobatics, and saw that when she put her hands on the banister to propel herself through the air, they were wet too, and she now had white paint on her hands and shoes. She walked down the stairs that led down from the Sky Port and walked over to the huge fountain in the centre of the city that was shaded by a massive acacia tree.
She washed the paint off and looked down into the water at the reflection, and thought about what Arthur had said. What future did she really dream of? One that was exactly as Arthur had described. She kept staring at her reflection, and saw Arthur’s face in the water. She turned around and saw that there was no one near her, but the usual number of people running around. She looked back into the pool and he was still there, only now he was smiling.
She put her hand into the water and saw that the bottom of the fountain was made of glass. She felt across the glass, and saw that she couldn’t see Arthur anymore, because the water rippled. She waited until it calmed and she saw Arthur say something but she couldn’t hear him. He disappeared, and she was left alone again.
“Strangest thing is, I miss him,” she said to herself. She got up, and walked over to the acacia tree, which had a plaque that she read aloud. “‘This was the only tree to survive the disastrous flood of Seashorelle, and will forever remain as a testament to the foolishness of the people of the time’,”
“Are you looking for something?” asked a young boy, who was smartly dressed.
“Yes, is that the Lighthouse of St Helio?” she asked, pointing at a large lighthouse that rose above the rest of the buildings. It was in a good state, and there was a stone staircase on the outside leading to the top, which wasn’t in bad shape either.
“Nope, that’s the current one, that’s the Lighthouse of St Helio.” he replied, pointing up to the south. On top of a grey cliff with rain clouds and thunder, was a black shape poking up into the sky.
“Oh come on, the evil looking old abandoned lighthouse? This is like out of a book” she said.
“What an odd thing to say,” he replied.
“Who are you exactly?” she asked.
“I’m Hylele, Hylele Aquatine, son of the current Lord Aquatine,” he said.
“Lady Josephine Olandine, nice to meet you Hylele,” she replied.
“You’re the daughter of the High King?! Oh that’s brilliant, there’s now someone in the city that I can’t boss around,” he said.
“Umm, OK. Take me to the lighthouse,” she said.
“Follow me,” he said, and walked across the square in the direction of the lighthouse.
“OK then,” said Jo, who was surprised at how easy this was.
They walked along a street that was filled with stalls selling a variety of different fish, which were all different colours, however Jo didn’t notice, because her attention was focused on the stupidly scary looking building surrounded by crows circling its top. “It’s not that far, but why would you possibly want to go there?” he asked.
“Umm, it was on the tourist route, and I wanted to go to the scariest place in Cesta for a laugh,” said Jo.
“You’re joking right?” he asked.
“Why do you think I’m going there?” she asked.
“You’re going to the Blue Coven? Why didn’t you just use the main entrance in my house?” he asked.
“Because I had no idea that there was one, and also because my friend is obviously planning something, and that’s why I’m going. I’m new to all this you know,” she said.
“Why didn’t you fly there?” he asked.
“The ship’s being painted,” she replied.
“How big is your ship?” he asked.
“Normal skyship size, why?” she asked.
“My father is having a new ship commissioned, it’s going to be larger than normal ships, and will have several rooms on it, so we can go on holiday and won’t have to stay in hotels,” he said.
“Good for you,” she said.
They were now out of the city and came to a bridge that spanned another outlet of the Sky River. It was so strange to be warm and sunny here, but at the top of the hill it was dark and gloomy. “None of this seems odd to you, the weather I mean?” she said.
“No, should it?” he asked.
“No, I mean nothing makes much sense anyway, so why should the weather be any different” she replied, shrugging. They walked across the well trod path that led to the lighthouse that now pierced the sky like a demonic stalagmite. The windows were shattered and the wood was rotting. She walked up to the door and saw that Hylele had stopped. “Thank you for taking me here, tell your father I said hello,” she said.
“OK, have fun,” he said, and ran off down the hill.
“My God look at me, what has become of Princess Josephine?” she asked herself, and pushed on the old shuttered door.
The Lighthouse was as dilapidated as it could possibly be, but the stairs looked in good shape. “Arthur!” she shouted up the stairs. She heard the sound of someone upstairs, and saw a black shape moving. “You know, if I think about this logically, the entrance to the Blue Coven must be somewhere down, not up, so there is no reason for me to go upstairs and investigate that sound,” she said. A puff of smoke appeared above her, and her eyes followed the piece of paper that floated down. “Honestly, when is
it ever that simple” she read aloud. “OK, I guess we’re doing this,” she said, and walked over the stairs. She stepped up, and the stairs creaked as she stepped on them.
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,” she counted the number of steps and the number of creaks, which were the same. “I walk up nine steps and every one of them creaks, isn’t that a bit of a cliché?” she asked rhetorically, and put her hand out ready to receive another note. A puff of smoke appeared and she again read it aloud. “’Funny, but I would be more concerned about what’s waiting for you at the top of the stairs’” she read.
“Okay, let’s go then,” said Jo.
She reached the first floor, and dodged a chain that was flung down at her, and heard the sound of cackling above her; however it was a female cackling, which made her wonder. “Artie, are you practising a female voice? Because if you are, it needs a lot of work!” she shouted. A cloud of dust descended from the ceiling, and then several floor boards, and Jo was greeted by The Sea Hag. She had old wrinkled skin, her eyes were glowing green, and she was covered in seaweed that was spread out across the old rags that were once clothes.
“GEETTT OUUUTTT!!!” she shouted, displaying a set of decaying yellow teeth.
“OK, your creepy costume looks way better than mine, and your whole act is really quite terrifying,” she said.
“I SAID GET OUUUTTT!!” she shouted again.
“Seriously, I gave up when you figured out it was me,” she said. The Hag ran at her and swiped with her long fingernails. “Okay, very funny,” she said, stepping backwards towards the stairs. She ran down them, pursued by the Hag, and straight through the door. “NEVER RETUUURNNN!!!!” she shouted, and slammed the door.
Jo stood staring at the lighthouse, and scratched her head. “If that was Arthur, then he’s done his homework,” she said.
“I thought you were going to the Blue Coven, what happened?” asked Hylele, who had appeared out of nowhere.
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