Discoucia

by Nicholas Lovelock

  “To meet my maker,” replied Arthur rather cryptically.

  “Oh. Well it was a pleasure to help but I must say goodbye to the princess before I leave,” she said.

  After Kate had left, the group all decided to work on the plan to capture The Ghost of Captain Scurvy. When it was nearly night time Lady Camellia was holding a banquet like she did every Friday. She had begun to get ready and Sir Stuart was seen running across the lawn to the ship.

  “We have an hour and the ship is already out, so let’s see what we can do,” he said.

  “She takes an hour to get ready?” asked Jo.

  “She does, I don’t know why but I don’t question her anymore,” said Stuart. The ship lifted off past the windows but all the lights were turned off, so it looked like a wraith gliding silently by.

  The fishing boat was similar in size to the Nostradamus but a bit more beat up, considering it was used for work and not for pleasure. The ship waited about fifty yards away from the fishing boat waiting for the ghost ship to appear. Arthur and Stuart leaned on the banister watching the ship, like a tiny lamp in a vast empty void. The sea was calm, and everything seemed normal. Then there was a small green light that came from behind the Nostradamus, as if from the shore.

  “There it is,” said Stuart.

  Arthur drew his pistol and he waited for the ship to come closer. He then thought about how Archie despised guns and put it back. Jo and Lilia now walked onto the deck. Jo stood with Arthur and Lilia stood with Stuart. Lilia had become quite taken with Stuart, but since he was married she couldn’t say her true feelings.

  The ship then got close enough for the four to get a good look and it looked like the Nostradamus, only with skeletons displayed everywhere and ragged sails. As it edged closer they saw the ship’s captain. He was a giant of a man with huge hands and a long scraggly beard. His eyes glowed green and he had a large pirate hat on.

  There were two other men with him who looked just as mean as he did. One was bald with a long pointy moustache, and the other had a small beard and an eye patch. “Stereotypical pirates aren’t they?” asked Lilia.

  “Just like something out of a book, but what do you expect from ghosts?” replied Stuart.

  “Let’s see,” said Arthur, who grabbed a rope and abseiled down the hull, and with one arm on the rope, he shot his pistol at the ship. The glowing green wood splintered and new wood was revealed below. Arthur then stuck his pistol in its holster, and with both hands slid down the rope.

  “Come on!” he shouted.

  Jo needed no convincing; she grabbed a rope and jumped down onto the ship, which had now stopped. The fishing boat had now moved back, since its job as a decoy was now done. Lilia then jumped down, and Stuart followed.

  The ship was made to look as evil as possible, and it glowed with a green luminescence that nearly blinded the group. Arthur and Stuart’s attention was immediately set on Captain Scurvy, while Jo and Lilia tied the ropes they had swung down on to the banisters of the ship, so it couldn’t get away.

  “Good evening Captain,” said Arthur.

  “Get ‘em!” he shouted, and the two other pirates ran at Arthur and Stuart.

  Arthur dodged a sword strike and smacked the pirate in the mouth. He went down surprisingly easily, which made Arthur worried. He stared at his fist, not knowing that he was that strong. Stuart did exactly the same, and they both let the girls tie up the pirates and went for the captain.

  “You need better staff, mate,” said Arthur. The captain just growled, and went for Stuart. Arthur put his leg out and the captain toppled.

  “Oww” said Arthur, who felt that the captain’s leg was made of metal. Stuart and Arthur tied up the captain with the other two, and Stuart commandeered the ship. Arthur stayed with him and the girls went back to The Nostradamus. They then sailed both ships to the Sea Fort, and a large group of people had gathered on the lawn. Both ships landed and it was a strange scene that was unfolding. All the people from the banquet came down as well.

  “So, in my past experience, who are we missing?” asked Arthur.

  “What do you mean?” asked Stuart.

  “All right, let’s see who our captain is,” said Arthur, who yanked on the pirate hat, and the whole of the captain’s mask came off with it.

  “Camellia?!” said a shocked Stuart.

  “And…” said Jo and Lilia pulling the masks off of the two pirates.

  “Reginald, and David?!” he said again in the same tone.

  “OK, I understand how but I am a bit clueless as to why” said Arthur.

  “You are not like us, Stuart. You are not of our kind,” said Camellia, in a snide tone.

  “Excuse me?” he asked.

  “I asked my father not to marry you but he wouldn’t listen, I had to marry a commoner like you!” she said again.

  “Oh I see now, but what was this going to achieve?” asked Arthur.

  “Stuart is a Sir, not a Lord so he didn’t have a position for life, the people could get rid of him,” said Camellia.

  “So by creating this whole ghost thing you could make the people lose faith in me and then get rid of me, is that it?” asked Stuart.

  “Oh good, you’re not completely stupid,” she said.

  “So, destroying ships and terrorising people, how long in Icester would she get?” asked Arthur.

  “Criminal damage is five years, and she destroyed six ships, so I’m going with fifty years combining terrorism,” said Jo.

  “You can’t do that, I’m a Lady,” she said.

  “And I’m a princess, and since I’m higher on the scale that you hold so dear, I say that you and your accomplices need to cool off for a while,” said Jo.

  “I’ll get you for this” she said. “I’m sure you will and I’m also sure that it will make an interesting story one day, but until then, bye” said Jo, who walked off back onto the Nostradamus.

  “It was very clever, the whole using stilts to make yourselves look more menacing, but next time come up with something a bit more original,” said Arthur.

  “Why did she say she was going to get Jo, when she was the one doing the bad stuff? My god it’s embarrassing that I’m asking,” said Lilia as they walked off.

  “Sour grapes, criminal mentality, crash of reality, yada yada yada,” replied Arthur.

  Kate took Camellia and her two sons with her back to Evermore to face trial which left Stuart alone. “Do you know what you will do now?” asked Jo.

  “Not really, I suppose I’ll travel for a while,” he replied.

  “Would you like to come with us? We’re visiting all the islands in the Luminosity Archipelago, and you would be welcome to join us if you want,” said Arthur.

  “No, I would be a fourth wheel,” he said.

  “I would like it if you came,” said Lilia.

  “Why would that be?” asked Stuart.

  “Because I feel a bit left out,” she said.

  “It would be a pleasure, with me you won’t have any trouble crossing the islands,” he said.

  “Why is that?” asked Jo.

  “The rulers of the islands are all a bit funny, not in good way,” said Stuart.

  “You can take the room next to Lilia, Jo and I will stay upstairs,” said Arthur.

  “When do you want to leave?” asked Stuart.

  “As soon as possible,” said Arthur.

  “Then allow me to pack and we can be off, I’ll be about an hour and I’ll leave control of the city in Captain Kystos’ and Captain Ferno’s capable hands,” he said.

  When Stuart came back, the ship was all lit up, ready to leave. “Why are we leaving in the evening?” asked Lilia.

  “That way, we should reach Elagos by sunrise, and we can be at Sir Charles’ mansion for breakfast,” said Stuart.

  “Do you know him personally?” asked Lilia.

  “I’ve known him for years, he visits me, and I visit him, he comes from old old incredibly old money,” said Stuart.

 
; “Wait a moment, is his daughter Lady Victoria Ridge?” asked Jo.

  “Yes, have you met her before?” asked Stuart.

  “Yes, Arthur and I have, only Arthur would remember her as Vicki, and she would remember him as Alexandra,” said Jo.

  “Oh,” said Arthur.

  “Please explain,” said Stuart.

  The Demon’s of Ridge Mansion

  The Island of Elagos is a strange place. It was a sandy, rocky wasteland, but when Sir Charles Ridge’s ancestors first settled there, they began work on an oasis of epic proportions. Nine generations down the line, the Ridge Mansion is a white jewel in a green ring of trees that were painstakingly cultivated out of nothing, and the Ridge family are a proud people. Inside the mansion live Sir Charles Ridge, Lady Anna Ridge, Lady Victoria Ridge and Jonathan Ridge, plus the staff. Sir Charles Ridge made a huge amount of money from gold mining, and that catapulted his family into the highest society in Discoucia.

  The Nostradamus landed outside the mansion which was an amazing building, and was made from white marble similar to the ruined temples in Tanalos. The gardens were landscaped perfectly, the grass was green, and there were statues all around taken from Tanalos when Sir Charles’ uncle explored the place years ago. There was the sound of running water somewhere and from Arthur’s bedroom he and Jo could see that there were bridges running over immaculate streams that ran through the trees. Stuart and Lilia were up and they knocked on the door. All they heard was the sound of something being thrown around the room, bashing into the walls and then they heard Jo and Arthur saying something. “That was way too close,” they heard Jo say.

  “Whatever, I bet we could on every island,” said Arthur.

  “I doubt it, come on, let’s go downstairs,” said Stuart, and Lilia nodded with a funny look.

  The four poured out onto the deck and they saw nobody about. “There’s no one around, isn’t someone supposed to be around?” asked Stuart.

  “That’s usually the way it goes, but for some reason something has happened,” said Arthur. Out of the trees burst a horrific looking creature; all green with horns, red glowing eyes, and breathed a horrible stench from its mouth. Then a strange sound was heard, a strange melody, and the creature disappeared, jumping off the ship and running for the woods.

  “In broad daylight, I have never seen a monster do that before. At least you have a fog or shadow or something,” said Arthur.

  “So that’s why no one is here, let’s follow it,” said Stuart, who drew his gun from its holster.

  “Keep an eye on the ship girls, and if you see anyone tell them where we have gone,” said Arthur.

  “OK, be careful men, us women will look after the ship while you go out and do scary work that would be too much for our tiny minds to comprehend,” said Jo, very sarcastically.

  Lilia just noticed that Jo’s hair was comically out of place, with one side all messy and the other nearly perfect. “Did you have a chance to do your hair Jo?” asked Lilia.

  “You woke us up in a hurry, I didn’t really get a chance,” said Jo.

  “Oh well, I’m sure that Sir Charles will not notice,” said Lilia. Jo looked at her for a second, and then ran into the sitting room and then upstairs. Lilia smirked and sat on one of the banisters.

  Arthur and Stuart were running after the demon, and they saw it in the distance. It was a fast runner, and it bolted expertly through the perfectly maintained gardens, and ahead the two saw the desert that bordered the forest. The demon ran out of the forest and into the open. “We’ve got it” shouted Stuart. Arthur was not so sure, and when the heat of the now open space hit them, they were amazed at how the demon had managed to disappear into thin air.

  “Where did it go?” asked Stuart. Arthur remained silent and looked around for something that could be concealing it, but it was just a flat plain that extended off into the distance until it reached the sea.

  “We’d better get back, it’s amazing isn’t it, how it’s so hot out here, but cooler in there,” said Stuart.

  “I’d rather be cool than hot, let’s get back to the ship,” said Arthur.

  Back at the ship, they saw that Jo and Lilia had gone, and they decided to go to the house. Stuart knocked on the door and a smartly dressed man opened the door. “Good morning Sir Stuart, won’t you come in and bring your friend with you,” he said.

  “Thank you Carlswell, this is Sir Arthur Pageon and I trust that Princess Josephine and Lady Lilia are here too?” asked Stuart.

  “Yes sir, follow me to the conservatory,” said Carlswell.

  The House was opulently decorated with a real emphasis on white. There was a cold breeze running through the house which was pleasant for Arthur and Stuart, who after a couple of minutes in the desert felt too hot. They came to a doorway which was open and they walked into the conservatory, which was massive. It had a water pool in the corner and out of the sides ran water into a little river that flowed all around the room. In the centre was a large table, and at it sat six people. There was Jo and Lilia, plus a man, a woman, and a younger man and Vicki.

  “Good morning, welcome back to Elagos, Stuart” said the man, who was obviously Sir Charles.

  “It looks lovelier than the last time I came,” he replied.

  “And Sir Arthur Pageon, it’s lovely to meet you,” said Charles.

  “This is such a lovely home, and I must say your gardens are the most beautiful I have ever seen,” said Arthur.

  “You are too kind, please join us,” he said.

  Stuart sat next to Lilia, and Arthur sat next to Jo.

  “So, Princess Josephine tells us that you had a run in with our resident demon,” he said.

  “Fast chap, how long have you had a problem with him?” asked Arthur.

  “It is a long story,” said Charles.

  “My favourite kind,” said Arthur.

  After breakfast, they all sat in the drawing room, and Sir Charles related the strange story that had caused him such upset.

  “It all began several hundred years ago, my ancestors came to this Island long ago and they first encountered an alchemist, by the name of Varellion who lived by the Eternal Spring which is in the south part of the garden. Of course back then there was nothing here, and they told him that they now owned the Island and they wanted him to leave. He then cursed them, and said that a horrible throng of demons would hound the ninth descendent of the family, which happens to be me,” he explained.

  “Is this a tale that has been passed down from generation to generation?” asked Jo.

  “I would assume so, my wife found the tale in an old book written by my grandfather while I was away on the north side of the island checking on the goldmine,” he said.

  “I was cleaning, I would usually ask the maid to do it but while Charles is away I have precious little to do,” said Lady Anna.

  “It must be quite lonely here,” said Lilia, who was speaking from personal experience.

  “I have a lot of servants here so I don’t mind that much,” she replied.

  “Anyway getting back to your problem, what has happened recently?” asked Stuart.

  “The Alchemist has returned but he looks more like a magician, and he has been releasing demons left right and centre. He has control over three of them, the green one that you ran into, a red one, and a particularly nasty black one and they terrorise the grounds,” explained Charles.

  “Oh that is good, we finish with one mystery and we get another one, does the Magician ever get close enough for you to see him?” asked Arthur.

  “We don’t really venture out of the house, we’re actually under siege,” said Anna.

  “Then it’s good we came, I’ll get rid of your demons and their malignant magician,” said Arthur.

  “If you can, then I would forever in gratitude, and whatever we have taken out of the mine this week is yours,” said Charles.

  “Deal, just send it to my account in Gard when we’re done,” said Arthur.

  �
�Nonsense, we will do this for you and we expect nothing in return,” said Jo, kicking Arthur under the coffee table.

  “Sorry, yes what my fiancée said,” said Arthur quickly.

  “Is there any reason you came other than for a simple visit?” asked Vicki.

  “Yes actually,” said Arthur taking out the bracelet that was given to him by the High King.

  “What is this?” asked Charles.

  “The High King would like you to become a member of the Discoucian Temple of Lords and with this bracelet you would agree to help him in any way. However he doesn’t mean anything bad, it has to be voted to by all the members of the Temple before it goes through and it also means that you would become Lord Ridge” said Arthur.

  “If you can get rid of this man, then I shall also agree to the King’s terms, but only when you bring him to me,” said Charles.

  “Do you think you have a chance against him?” asked Jonathan, who hadn’t talked for the entire time, and now everyone looked at him and then to Arthur.

  “I suppose I have more of a chance than anyone else but I won’t be using a gun this time, because if these are real demons then there would be no point. And this magician must be ancient so I’ll just have to push him over and that’s it,” said Arthur.

  “We’ll see,” said Jonathan, who walked out of the room.

  “He doesn’t get out much and staying here doesn’t help,” said Anna.

  “Why don’t you take him with you to your goldmine?” asked Jo.

  “He doesn’t want to go,” said Charles.

  “Then tell him to go, he won’t change if you don’t help change him,” said Jo.

  “With all due respect Princess Josephine, are you telling me how to raise my children?” asked Charles.

  “If you want your empire to continue, then who are you going give it to who is experienced?” asked Jo.

  “It wouldn’t hurt for him to go,” said Anna.

  “Alright, when this business is wrapped up I’ll take him to the goldmine and show him what to do,” said Charles.

  “I’m sorry, no one wants advice on raising their kids,” said Jo.