by J. M. Kearl
“The game is simple, bring the orb back to us and you win. The only clue: find the orb where ears are near,” the strawberry blonde said.
“One last thing,” said the other. “When you find it, someone will likely try to take it. Be ready to defend yourselves.”
Even if they’d set rules against fighting over the orb once it’d been found, who would enforce them? The Professors weren’t involved. Students planned this event. For such a prize, get ready to defend ourselves indeed.
Chapter 20
Small groups and pairs formed. Some students set off alone, most headed for the stables. My friends hurried over to us.
Taz scratched his smooth chin. “They decided to pair up. Lora and Aramis. Legacy and Taron, and you two.”
“Where’s Freya?” I asked. “Who are you going with?” I hadn’t seen Freya in days now that I thought about it.
“I can go alone.” Taz looked away. “Freya is with some other friends.”
“No, come with us,” I insisted.
Taz shook his head. “I’ll be fine on my own.”
“How about you join my brother and me? You’ll feel like less of a third wheel,” Lora said and laughed.
“Alright,” Taz agreed.
I didn’t inquire further about Freya but I wanted to. Obviously something was off between them but relationship drama could wait. The whole group didn’t need to know about it. “Alright, let’s move out before someone finds it.”
Zyacus waved as they set off. “Things might get bloody! Be careful.”
“We all love a good brawl, there is no might. Things will get bloody.” Lora chuckled and darted away. Aramis and Taz hurried after her. Legacy and Taron trailed behind them.
“I think the stables are too obvious,” Zyacus said. “Yes, animals have ears but what else?”
“There’s the soldier statues near the front doors.”
Zyacus looked down the path that led toward the back of the property. “There’s also the mermaid statue in the middle of the lake.”
That seemed like the most challenging place and a likely hiding spot. “I say we start there.”
His hand clasped around mine. “Let’s spell there. This scavenger hunt will be over before anyone knows it.”
Within moments we stood at the edge of the lake. I’d used my own power to get there and because it was nearly a mile, if I hadn’t gained new considerable power, my energy would have drained. Yet I felt great—strong as ever. Now I knew what it was like to be my mother. The most powerful woman in this land, and someday I could rival her power. Our mother-daughter duo would be unstoppable when my training was sufficient.
Zyacus peered over the water at the statue rising out of the placid lake. The red moon shining down made the usually pale stone have a scarlet hue.
He turned to me. “How bad do you want the bow?”
Only one of us could have it. Which meant only one of us needed to go to the mermaid. As amazing as it would be to have the weapon, I knew he wanted it more. “You go.”
“Are you sure? It’s all yours if you want it.”
I shook my head and slowly looked around making sure no one else was nearby to try and snake it from us.
“I’ll be right back.” He vanished and moments later he clung to the fin of the mermaid. After searching the statue, Zyacus returned without an orb.
“So we were wrong.”
“It appears so. To the front?”
As I was about to agree, a quiet voice drifted by me as if carried on the wind, “Corn.”
I whirled around looking for the speaker. “Corn?” I questioned aloud.
With narrowed eyes Zyacus watched me. “I guess ‘ears of corn’ would apply. You’re clever. Let’s check the corn patch.”
Had he not heard the voice too? I didn’t come up with that on my own. Dragons fire, that better not be my crown again, “Sure… yes, corn does have ears of a sort.”
We jogged east and when we drew closer to the patch, even in the twilight darkening sky I knew something was off. The stalks bent and wilted in strange ways. My eyes flicked to the cursed scarlet moon hovering above us. I reached out to touch a leaf and flinched at the crispness of it. As if it had been dead and unwatered for months. But I’d seen it green and thriving just the day before. “Our crop is dead.”
Zyacus pulled an ear of corn and peeled it open to find browned dried out kernels. “The blood moon curse. The crops died when this happened before. If this happened everywhere… what if we don’t have enough food stored to last until next season?”
My stomach felt all sorts of twisted. Yes our magic could make food appear on a table in an instant but it didn’t come out of nowhere. It had to be grown and prepared. I knew at the castle food stores existed but enough for all of Delhoon? No. If we ran out of food I could see desperation driving the people to make a deal with the Fae.
“I don’t know what will happen. We must have some storage here at this academy.”
Zyacus let out a sigh. “We’ve had famine before. People in all our kingdoms should have some storage for emergencies.”
“I hope so.”
“Left,” that same light voice drifted on the air again. I turned my head. Through the stalks a warm red glow permeated on the ground.
“The orb,” I whisper-shouted. We’d have to deal with the dying crops after the game. It’s not as if we could do anything anyway.
Checking around us first, Zyacus ran and scooped it up in a matter of seconds. He grinned when he came back to my side. “You saw it. You should have it.”
If I hadn’t been told by whoever or whatever was whispering I may not have been the first to see it. “We can share it. But right now we need to get back and inform the Headmaster of the dead crop.”
A snarky male voice interrupted us, “Of course the royalty would find the orb. They probably told you where it was. That’s the way it always is, isn’t it boys? The high and mighty get everything handed to them.” A group of six Collweyan boys emerged from the shadows of dark trees.
A sharp chill ran down my spine. I hoped they weren’t vampires.
Pushing his shoulders back with a sneer, Zyacus said, “We got the same clue as everyone. You simply weren’t smart enough to figure it out before we did.”
Truthfully, if the mysterious voice hadn’t told me, we’d have been up near the front doors searching the statues but this boy from Collweya and his group of five friends didn’t need to know that.
“It’s too much of a coincidence. Cheaters,” the light-haired boy growled.
“Get out of the way,” Zyacus snapped.
All six of them pulled their swords. The blond smirked. “Give us the orb and we won’t leave you beaten and nearly dead. Or all the way dead. I haven’t decided yet.”
I tensed, my body surging with electric energy at their threat. “You would dare threaten to kill us?” I demanded pulling my own weapon. “I could have you punished for this.”
“You two going to run to momma and papa?” the leader asked, and the boys snickered. “Or handle your own problems like true warriors?”
“You think all of you can share the bow?” Zyacus huffed. “It can only belong to one person. And I suppose the hot head here thinks he’ll get it.”
“Stupid prince,” drawled another boy, who happened to be incredibly well built. “Do you have any idea how much that thing is worth? But you two wouldn’t care. You have all the riches you could ever want.”
So they planned on selling the bow and splitting the money. If they knew of the dying crops and how much money they will need just to feed their families, they might truly want to kill us for it. I wasn’t worried about dying, but I didn’t need the bow. Like the boy said, Zyacus and I had never been left wanting for anything. “Just give them the orb. They clearly need the coin.”
“We don’t need your pity,” the blond boy snapped.
With a look of his usual arrogance, Zyacus tossed the orb up and down. “Our pity is the o
nly way you’ll get it. If you want it, get down on your knees and say, ‘oh great and marvelous Prince Zyacus, and gracious, amazing, beautiful Princess Visteal, please show us pity and give us the orb.’” He stuck one foot out in front of him. “Then kiss my boot.”
My heart nearly seized, oh good pixie of course he’d say something like that. I threw up my magical shield knowing they’d attack. No self-respecting person at this academy wouldn’t fight after that insulting speech.
A blazing fireball slammed into my shield and I absorbed the magic of it. Standing back to back, Zyacus and I fought off magical attacks and blocked weapons. The ping of swords was bound to draw attention. I hoped that of our friends. I was nervous about unleashing my power; I didn’t want to accidentally kill anyone.
I got the better of one boy, slicing him across the cheek, leaving a gaping wound. He bellowed and backed off, probably running for the infirmary. Five more to go. Another dropped on Zyacus’s end. The large built boy slammed his sword into mine pressing against me with a crushing weight. I pushed with all my strength. Grinding my teeth, I let out a clenched scream at the pressure. If I didn’t hold, his sword could cut me in half. There were no healing wounds of the dead. I couldn’t stop it, my magic flared and a wave rocked the Collweyan boys, tossing them twenty feet away.
This time however, Zyacus hadn’t been hit. He stood inches from me. Somehow my magic went around him.
One of the Collweyan boys on the ground groaned. At least they were alive.
“You’ve got to show me that spell,” Zyacus murmured. He lifted his chin toward the academy. “Let’s go before they get up.”
As we ran to find the two girls who hosted the scavenger hunt, I heard the voice again, just as quiet as before, “Impressive.”
Chapter 21
When I saw a group traveling down the path toward us, I stopped Zyacus. Not that I couldn’t handle another fight but we could avoid it and we should. “Let’s spell back.” I wrapped my arms around his torso and whispered, “appearus.” I held the image of where I wanted us to go and we were pulled through space and materialized next to the boulder where the hosts had last been.
The chatter stopped between the girls and—Firo Hazelvale as well as another man. Firo turned on a heel.
With a mischievous smile, Zyacus stuffed the orb into my hand and turned me around to face them. “Visteal found the orb.”
The girls beamed at Zyacus as if I weren’t even there. I’d gotten used to the reaction from pretty much all females.
Firo though, had his eyes pinned on me. “It looks like this belongs to you then, highness.” With the golden bow in hand he stepped toward us.
The other man, another light-haired, dark-eyed Hazelvale by the look of him, studied me like he was inspecting a prized horse. Growing increasingly uncomfortable, I lifted my chin. “Is there something you’d like to ask me, sir? Or perhaps you’re staring at me so intently for another reason.”
Firo chuckled as he placed the bow in my hands. He looked back over his shoulder to the man. “As I said, brother, she is quite outspoken.”
The brother cracked a smile. “I guess she is.”
“She,” I said, “doesn’t like to be referred to as if she is not here. She is also your princess and will have your respect.” Simply because they had wealth didn’t mean they were on my status level.
Zyacus moved closer to me, I could feel the heat of his body millimeters from mine.
Firo turned back with an amused gleam in his eye, and bowed his head. “Highness, please forgive our rudeness. My brother Dain and I meant you no disrespect.”
I wrapped my fingers hard around the wood of the bow. “Thank you for the weapon. It is a generous prize.”
The corner of his mouth pulled up. “You’re quite welcome. Somehow I knew you’d be the one to find it.” He watched me, maybe waiting for something, but I didn’t know what.
I slipped my upper body between the bowstring and wood and secured it over my chest. “We must leave. While the prince and I searched for the orb we found the corn crop to be completely dead. I suspect with the blood moon that may not be the only food source we lose.”
Firo exchanged a knowing glance with Dain. “If that is so I hope there is enough food to last the season. Of course my family is prepared for such things but not everyone is. The blood moon is no farce.”
Zyacus folded his arms. “What do you know of it?”
Firo curled his finger and inspected his nails as if they’d suddenly become interesting. “Only that more trouble is to come. Congratulations on your prize. Dain and I must be going.” And with that, both of them vanished into the night air.
Zyacus and I didn’t spare any time lingering and made for the academy. With a wave of Zyacus’s hand the double doors pulled open. Neither of us had spoken on the brief walk. I couldn’t stop thinking about Firo. Something about him made my skin crawl. When I mentioned the corn he showed no surprise, nor worry. In fact with his claim that more trouble would come, he had to know more than he let on.
But the main reason he troubled me? I couldn’t get the similarities between him and the Fae man I’d seen months ago out of my head. Perhaps it was paranoia but either way I didn’t trust Firo or his brother Dain. I needed to know more about the Hazelvale family.
Zyacus knocked on the Headmaster’s ornate, heavy wooden door. There’d been few times I’d seen him appear truly troubled. When Senica bit me, and when Aric died then turned. The anxiety permeated from him now and that increased my own. If the ever-confident prince I’d come to know was afraid…
The door swung open and Headmaster Elvbane blinked in surprise. “Good evening, highnesses.” He stepped aside and waved us in. “What do I owe this pleasure?”
“A few things,” Zyacus said.
I took a seat in front of his desk, Zyacus went to the other and we waited for the Headmaster. I had a few questions before we discussed our original reason for coming here.
Elvbane sat and leaned forward against his desk. “Please, speak freely.”
“Why did you have the princes and myself fight the trolls on day one? I’ve noticed since there haven’t been any matches against them. Did it have something to do with Firo Hazelvale?”
The Headmaster sat back in his chair and folded his hands on his abdomen. “This is why you two have come to me when it’s nearly curfew?”
“Answer the question,” Zyacus demanded.
Elvbane twisted his mouth then sat erect. “It was a request from him and a few others. I knew the three of you could handle it and it provided a generous donation to the academy in exchange.” His eyes fell to an ink bottle on his desk. “His family can be quite persuasive.”
I didn’t like that the Hazelvales somehow overruled what the queens and kings had put into place here. I could almost guarantee my mother knew nothing of the event. “More so than mine?”
Squirming in his chair, he cleared his throat. “Certainly not, your highness.”
“What did he offer you?” Zyacus asked. “To put all three royal children in that danger for entertainment is a risky move.”
Elvbane starred in between us, his eyes unfocused, blinking several times.
I gave Zyacus a questioning glance. What is wrong with the Headmaster? “Did he threaten you?”
His eyes jerked to mine. “Oh no. Nothing like that. He was just very persuasive.”
“Yes,” Zyacus drawled, sounding annoyed. “You said that. How?”
“It’s strange,” he said slowly. “I can’t remember now. But the three of you are fine and everything turned out well. The academy is funded for several years to come.”
With the way he acted I didn’t know if he were fit to handle a food shortage let alone lead this academy. Was he under the influence of some sort of magic?
Without another word Zyacus stood. “That is all, Headmaster. Thank you for your time.”
When the door closed to his office Zyacus pulled me into a darkened alcove. The wing
of a pixie statue dug into my back as we crammed in. “Clearly something isn’t right with him. We need to find out what the Hazelvales are up to.”
“Definitely.” I agreed. “We also need to find out if the dying crops are a blight singular to here or if it’s everywhere.”
With a slow nod he said, “I have a feeling I know the answer to that but I’ll find out for Hesstia. You check with Delhoon.”
Zyacus walked me to the girls’ dorms and left me with a chaste kiss. One that would normally leave me wanting more but worry gnawed in my gut. That night I tossed and turned and when I dreamed it was of pointed eared men leading my fellow students in chains through a portal to another world.
∞∞∞
Before I even had to ask about the state of things outside the academy, my grandparents called me into their office. Word spread rapidly through the kingdoms and every plant-based source of food everywhere had died overnight. My papa assured me all would be well. “There have been famines before and we survived,” he’d said. The unusually light pallor to his skin told me a different story.
I had trouble focusing during classes. Even though the professors had tried to keep the news quiet, everyone knew. But classes and training had to go on. If my vision was right, and it always was, we’d have to fight the Fae or become slaves. We had to be ready.
A week went by before I noticed the abundance of food we usually had, changed to smaller portions. We didn’t have bread available at every meal. Potatoes and other vegetables were used sparingly. Dried and leathered fruit became frequent.
In the dining hall a pattern of conversations from all kingdoms and years could be heard at each meal. “Are we going to starve?”
“I don’t want to eat oats again.”
“The professors say we’ll be fine but will we?”
The Headmaster had even given a speech to reassure us all there was plenty of food. We just wouldn’t have any fresh fruit or vegetables for a while and sweets would be reserved to a couple times a week rather than daily. Basically get used to eating foods that wouldn’t rot quickly.