Gasping, Maezy turned to Brandalfr and found him in the same condition. His eyes found hers, and he shook his head. “It’s not me,” he whispered. His words were cut off, and he looked frozen in place.
“Brandalfr has been so useful. To a point.” Her father slithered closer. “The Seekers have made sure you won’t be going anywhere. Either of you. Unfortunately, you still have a job to do, daughter. I am here to make sure it gets finished.”
The elves grabbed her arms and held her in place. Two did the same to Brandalfr. Unable to do anything more, Maezy held her head erect and remained silent.
“You know. I think this is the first time we have been formally introduced. Maezy, I am your father.” Sliding closer, his arms held out to embrace her.
Held stationary, Maezy kept her arms at her side as her father hugged her. “I don’t think of you as my father. I never will. Fathers don’t send an army to kidnap their daughter. A few of your warriors almost killed me. Forgive me if I don’t care to get to know you.”
“They almost killed you?” His face inches from hers, towering above her, Maezy saw the blue darken. His eyes sought those who held her arms prisoner. “What is this?”
None of them spoke. His murderous gaze raked over them before returning to her own. “They wouldn’t have dared.”
“They dared. If I hadn’t defended myself I’d probably be dead now.”
“I will speak to them. For now, I need you to help me,” he cajoled.
“I won’t,” she refused.
“You may feel this way, if you choose. However, if you refuse to help me, bad things will happen.” Nodding his head, Maezy saw as one of the guards holding Brandalfr pulled out a knife and held it to the warlock’s throat.
“Brandalfr, do something!” she implored.
“I can’t,” he whispered.
“What’s wrong? What is going on?” Turning back to her father, she demanded an answer.
“Brandalfr is experiencing a Seeker’s spell. They have ensured he won’t be going anywhere and can’t create any spells of his own. In other words, you both will be here until I say otherwise.”
2
The room was cold. Bars lined the only window three feet above her head. It smelled. In fact, it was the worst smell she’d ever encountered. A mixture between sweat, urine, and mold. Maezy tried to hold her breath. It didn’t work well.
The dungeon of Brandalfr’s home had not been used in years. The neglect was obvious. As obvious as the rats scurrying back and forth everywhere. Hopping onto the thinly padded cot, Maezy tried not to let out her own squeaks as three of the fat rodents scurried to her feet.
“THIS IS RIDICULOUS!” Maezy shouted to the top of her lungs.
“Silence!” a guard called without the door.
“Get rid of these rodents, and I’ll be as silent as the grave!” Maezy called in return.
“They aren’t going anywhere, and neither are you.”
“Don’t be too sure,” she muttered.
Wishing she had been a better student of her mother’s, Maezy tried to think of what she could do to get rid of the little beasts. Their wiggly noses had them standing on their back legs and reaching upward. Backing against the wall, Maezy’s hands grasped at the rough, rocky surface. Whimpering, she bit her lip and tried to not be afraid.
“This is stupid. Go!” she clapped at them as two more peeked their beady-eyed heads out of the wall. “Go!”
The three scampered over to the other two sitting by the wall, and their noses twitched in the air. Maezy grabbed up the pillow and threw it at them. Each took off into the hole. Taking advantage of the moment, she jumped off the cot. She grabbed the pillow and stuffed it into the opening. Glancing around the room, no other rodents were spotted, and Maezy tried to find something heavy enough to hold the pillow in place.
There was nothing.
“I can’t believe I’m afraid of some tiny creature. I can kill a man with one swift slice of my blade. A rodent shouldn’t make me scream like a girl.” She tried to reason with herself.
Back on the cot, eyes on the pillow, Maezy stared at the hole as the sun set and darkness poured into the cell.
Eyes gritty, palms sweaty, Maezy’s breathing chopped through the air in a quick staccato. She’d come up with no plan to hold the rodents at bay. She had no way of breaking out of the cell. Her heart beat against her chest, and continuous swallowing tried to hold the panic back.
“They’re tiny. Insignificant.” she repeated to herself. “They’re tiny. Insignificant. They won’t hurt me. They won’t.”
Squeak, squeak, squeak. Their tiny voices reached her ears. For a second, she thought she felt one against her arm. Pulling back with a gasp, she shifted over on the cot.
“Go away!” she murmured.
In a way, the rodents helped to keep her mind off the rat she was locked up with. Brandalfr was in another cell, and she hadn’t determined how guilty he was for their recapture. If he’d been helping her father this whole time, she wouldn’t be able to escape.
What am I going to do? Another thought came to her, why was the Seeker’s spell working on Brandalfr? If he’s the most powerful warlock, how had they bested him?
All night, she kept her guard up. Refusing to fall asleep, every sound made her jump. Eyes wide open, she was awake when the first sunbeams filtered through her small window. Keeping the pillow under watch, which had been moved and was now flat on the ground, no eyes protruded from the hole.
With a great sigh of relief, Maezy waited for the door to open. She waited for her father to come and ask her again to help him. She waited to find out what her answer would be.
Brandalfr beat on the door for at least an hour. Every spell he attempted fizzled out before it even began. Cursing, he hit his fist against the door once more.
“I could use you now, father,” he whispered.
The air was stale and putrid. His eyes roamed the dungeon cell in the hope of an escape. The window was just above his head, and if he stretched out his fingertips, he could grasp the bars. To get a better view, he pulled the cot over and placed it beneath the window.
The window faced the woods on the east side. If he could loosen the bars, he could find Maezy and try to escape. If they could even hide until he could come up with a plan, it would be better for them both. He suspected King Ingvar wasn’t going to give him what he wanted. The doubt of his even making it out of this alive became questionable.
Getting to work, he started to pull and push on the bars. Attempting each, he wiggled them one by one hoping for something to pull loose. Despite having his powers kept at bay by the Seekers and his own set of bands, Brandalfr chanted spells of release over and over again.
At some point, one would have to work. They couldn’t battle against him all night, and their hold wouldn’t be secure over him if they didn’t keep the spells in motion. His power, like Maleficent’s, had gone past the ability of just anyone taking them away. They would have to fight to keep him inactive. The bands wouldn’t work without their recitations either.
Chanting, pulling, pushing, wiggling, glaring, he kept up his work. He would break free and find Maezy. If he didn’t, she would have no choice but to help her father. King Ingvar wouldn’t let them go alive.
Day was breaking. Sunbeams filtering through the bars, blinding his eyes, but he continued to work. His steadfast motion began to affect his fingers and wrists, but he wouldn’t quit. Too much was at stake.
“Come on, come on,” he whispered to the bars.
One, on the right, began to pull from the cement and rock just a little. Working still, he kept at it. At last, he was able to yank on the bar. Rock crumbled down the wall and onto the cot’s mattress.
Sweating, Brandalfr wiped his brow. He picked at the rocks. The sun climbed higher in the sky. After a while, the bottom of the bar was free.
“That’s it!”
Wrenching, pulling, he tried to break the top free. Chanting once more, Brandalfr
held his breath and yanked down on the bar as hard as he could. More rock tumbled down the wall. Pausing, he looked toward the door as chunks of cement crashed.
“What’s going on?” Brandalfr heard a voice call outside the door. A squeak and heave later, he knew the guard was coming.
Jumping off the bed, he ran to the door. He stood beneath it, ducked down, and kept behind it. Grasping the freed bar in both hands, he decided to go with a different plan.
“What?” the guard exclaimed.
Keys rattled, and the door screeched open. “What’s this?” His guard stepped into the room and stood looking up at the window with a glare.
The elf was tall, but the young warlock met him in height. Not waiting for the elf to realize his mistake, he jumped from behind the door. Without thinking anymore about it, Brandalfr swung. The metal bar hit the elf on the back of the head with a thump.
The elf guard collapsed.
3
Grabbing the keys from the door, Brandalfr locked him inside. Panting, he glanced up and down the hallway. “Where are you, Maezy?” he mumbled.
Starting down the hall, he kept to the right and kept the bar held ready. He rounded the curve slowly and found a guard standing outside what he deduced as Maezy’s door. Considering his options, Brandalfr decided to go with Plan F.
F for failure. Because it was probably going to be a terrible idea.
Hiding the bar behind his right leg, he stepped into sight and called, “King Ingvar told me to come get the girl. It’s time to get started. He wants us to meet him in the library.”
“What are you doing out of your cell? Where’s your guard?”
And they say elves are an intelligent folk, Brandalfr shook his head. “He’s coming. The guard directed me this way and told me to tell you the king is ready. He was detained by another guard with a message.”
Brows pulled low, the guard began to shake his head. Brandalfr stopped within a foot of the guard. He made note of the sword still sheathed.
Instead of adding anything more to his message, he nodded at the door. “Let her out.”
Turning to his left halfway, the guard glanced at the door. Brandalfr whipped out the bar and brought it up in an arc. He caught the guard in the forehead. Stunned, the elf stumbled backward and began to pull out his sword.
Brandalfr didn’t give him a chance to react beyond the first yank. He switched hands and smacked the guard on the head again. This time hard enough to drop him to the ground.
“And that’s how it’s done without magic!” He shot his fist into the air and did a little dance.
“Can you stop gloating and get me out of here now?” Maezy’s voice interrupted his celebration.
“Right.” Brandalfr stopped dancing, it was more of an arm wiggle anyway, and grabbed the keys he’d stolen from the previous guard.
Opening the door, Maezy ran past him before he’d inched it open more than a foot.
“Let’s throw him inside and get out of here!” She grabbed the guard’s legs and started heaving him toward the door.
“Hold on! I’ll help!” Brandalfr grabbed him under the arms, and together they laid the guard inside. He took time to grab the guard’s sword.
Maezy was back outside the door hopping from foot to foot before he had time to exit. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I have spent enough time in the creepy dungeon. I want to leave now.” Maezy told him and helped herself to the sword as he turned to close and lock the door.
Glancing through the barred window as he turned the lock, he noticed the pillow on the floor and the hole in the wall. He connected the dots.
“You don’t like rats?”
“Nope. Let’s go!”
Smothering a snort, he pointed to the right. “If we continue down the hall, we should be able to find an exit door and get out. We can try a realm door. I don’t know if we’ll be able to make it through with the spell your father put on us.”
“Anywhere but here is fine for now.”
“Understood,” he told her, gripping the bar tight and motioning for her to follow.
The tunnel continued down, doors on each side, and the lights ending about halfway past Maezy’s cell. Grabbing the last lit lamp, Brandalfr shook his head. “Father never installed electricity down here. I don’t think he assumed we’d ever have need of it.”
“I’m glad he wasn’t pre-planning this day in cahoots with my father. At least one of them isn’t dungeon happy.” Maezy grumbled and looked into the dark before grabbing the second lamp off the wall. “We might as well continue.”
“Maybe it’s a good sign. The dark might mean we won’t encounter any other guards,” Brandalfr encouraged.
“Well, right now, I’m more worried about the guards we left behind. How did you get out?”
“I worked a little finger magic to get this baby loose.” He indicated the bar by holding it up. “Then, I clobbered my guard when he came inside to investigate and then locked him inside before I came looking for you.”
“Thanks for not leaving me in there.”
“I wouldn’t have done that.” He shrugged.
“One never knows. My father seemed convinced you were helping him in some roundabout way,” Maezy pointed out.
“I hate to break this to you, but your father is delusional. I know you haven’t known him long, but take my word for it.”
“I haven’t known you long either,” Maezy retorted, “and as I recall, you were trying to take me hostage as well.”
They paused to glance around a dark curve before continuing. Their lights casting shadows across the stone walls and floor. Maezy kept an eye out for any other squeaky rats.
Brandalfr shook his head. “You can really carry a grudge, can’t you?”
“It was literally yesterday when you did this. So, it’s not called carrying a grudge. Instead, I would refer to it as having a really good memory.”
Brandalfr snorted, “True, but you’ve already forgotten, I was your True Love’s Kiss.”
“I knew that was going to come back and bite me in the--”
“I think it’s sweet you think so highly of me after such a short acquaintance.”
“Brandalfr?”
“Yes?”
“Stick your head closer to my sword,” she smiled.
“I will pass on your generous offer at this time.”
“I did guarantee a beheading. Now seems an appropriate time if you don’t shut up about True Love’s Kiss.” Maezy had the blade held aloft and at the ready.
Glancing from it to Maezy’s smiling face, Brandalfr decided to stop while he was ahead. He didn’t know her well enough to be certain she wouldn’t decapitate him. “I won’t mention it again,” he promised. “For now,” he added, in a whisper.
“I heard you.” Maezy frowned at him, and he grinned back and shrugged.
Maezy didn’t know whether to punch him in the face or threaten him with the sword again. His smirk was irritating, but she knew he didn’t mean any harm by it. Plus, she was in a hurry to get out of the damp, dank dark. At least their banter was keeping her mind off of said damp, dank dungeon.
Growling and shrugging her own shoulders, she looked ahead. “Is that daylight?” she asked.
“I think so!” Let’s go!” His words were followed by a rumble from behind them. Glancing at each other, they took off running.
“I think they just realized we’re gone!” Brandalfr said in a loud whisper, as they rounded the next curve and came face to face with a guard.
4
The guard was quick. He brought his sword up and blocked Maezy’s swing before it decapitated him. Shoving his weight against the sword, he pushed back on her, grabbed a dagger at his waist, and sliced in Brandalfr’s direction.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Maezy stepped back and released the hold his sword had. As he fell forward, she sidestepped the downward slice of his blade. She brought her sword up and slammed down with the hilt. He crumpled at their
feet.
“Nice! I will no longer make fun of you with a sword in your hand. Door!” Brandalfr grabbed her sleeve and pulled. “This is the way out!”
The sound of the other guards pounded closer. Both dived for the door, Maezy got it open as she switched her sword to her left hand. They rushed through, shut the door behind them, and took a second to look for a blockade.
“This!” Brandalfr lifted a rock and shoved it in front of the door.
“I don’t think that will stop them!”
“It will slow them down. Grab another!”
Maezy found another large rock and shoved it beside his. They placed a few more in front of the door before looking around. Grabbing her right hand, Brandalfr took off across the open land. Their feet ate up the miles of grass as he veered to the east and runs parallel to the woods surrounding the castle. As soon as they could, both ducked into the forest and kept running.
“There weren’t any archers?” Maezy called out.
“I noticed!”
“They probably don’t think we’ll get far!”
“That’s what scares me!” Brandalfr admitted, before evading another limb.
Eluding branches and sidestepping bushes, they sprinted neck and neck through the woods. Deeper inside, the denser the trees became, and they slowed their pace. Rushing around the plants felt like a game of follow the leader, Maezy stayed close behind Brandalfr. So close, she slammed right into him when he came to a stop in a clearing.
“Umpf!” she muttered, holding the sword aloft in her left hand and peeked over his shoulder.
Archers stood before them. Five, to be exact. They had their bows ready and arrows pointed. They stood in front of what must be the realm door.
“Why can’t a realm door just be normal and located inside the house? Stupid elf doors,” she muttered.
The Four Tales Page 78