Ariella and the Blood Curse

by Owen Crane

  stone on the outer wall of the corridor. She felt for a moment until she found the

  tiny indentation, no bigger than the tip of her finger. Into it she placed the index

  finger of her left hand, and with her right, she felt along the wall again, this time,

  lower down. There it was, an identical mark, invisible to the eye. She placed her

  right index finger in the second indentation and pushed. A slim slab of the white

  stone swung outward from the corridor wall without a sound.

  The gap in the wall was a fraction taller than Ariella in height but narrower

  than her shoulders. Beyond it was a tiny stone platform, and beyond that,

  nothing but the clear blue sky.

  Chapter 3

  Ariella stepped lightly on to the platform and moved the stone back into

  place behind her. She leaned her back against the outside of the western tower

  and breathed. The platform was just wide enough for her to stand on, and from

  it led a series of other platforms, forming hidden steps around the outside of the

  tower.

  The warm sea breeze blew across her as she stood, delicately balancing, on

  the thin, white stone. The secret door that she had stepped through faced due

  west. All that lay before her was the Southern sea, stretching far out to the

  horizon. Standing on this side of the tower meant she was hidden from view

  from anyone in Lightharbour.

  Being here on the outside of the palace always calmed her nerves. She took

  another deep breath then skipped lightly up the stone steps that led her to the

  top of the tower. The tower was capped with a stone roof, domed but easy

  enough for Ariella to walk across. Surrounding it was a white stone wall that

  rose to her waist. From up here she could see the whole of the city.

  In the north of the city was the port from where the city got its name, and its

  wealth. Ships came from all over the world. They brought with them a dizzying

  range of spices and silks, gems and jewellery, weapons and wondrous animals.

  Ariella loved the port, the sights and smells, the different sailors from far off

  lands singing songs that would cause her heart to soar. She loved to listen to

  their stories of adventures, tragedy, romance and treasure. Often she thought of

  running, leaving everything and sailing off into the sun, but something had

  always made her stay. Duty? Family? She didn"t know, she just knew that

  Dawnhaven was her home and where she was meant to be.

  Away east lay the bulk of the massive city. Almost one million people called

  Lightharbour home. That was the official figures, who knew home many more

  slipped unnoticed through its gates? It was by far the largest and most populous

  city in Dawnhaven.

  To the south and west of the tower were the Eagle Cliffs, and beyond them,

  the Southern Sea. As she stood and watched, a pair of the giant sea eagles of

  Lightharbour took off from their nest high on the cliffs. The birds were awe

  inspiring, so powerful, so deadly and yet wonderfully graceful. Their bodies

  were the size of a small horse and their great wings spread out, vast and wide.

  Their silver feathers reflected the afternoon sun as they soared on the thermals,

  their keen eyes looking for tuna in the sea below.

  Ariella sat on the stone wall and looked out across the city. She could clearly

  see the main square where this morning’s announcement had been made. The

  banners of her family, House of the Eagle, could be seen fluttering in the gentle

  breeze. Next to them flew the banners of the Guardians of Dawnhaven, the

  golden sun rising on the green earth.

  She remembered her mother first telling her about the Guardians. Of how

  ever since the Rebellion and the dividing of Dawnhaven into the five Kingdoms,

  the Guardians had been the protectors of the Island, the thin line of unity that

  bound the Kingdoms together and reminded them of their common past and

  their shared future.

  Her mother would tell her stories of Vantor, the Lord Guardian, the greatest

  warrior of Dawnhaven and master of the Light. How he was there in the final

  battle of the Rebellion, when Diatus’ armies were destroyed. He was with Queen

  Lucia, Ariella"s grandmother, when she paid the ultimate price to drive back the

  shadow beasts.

  Ariella"s favourite stories were always of Elsa Leaina, the Guardian"s Master

  of Arms. Elsa, the Lioness, strong, fierce and graceful. She would make her

  mother tell her tales of Elsa over and over again.

  Maybe I’ll finally get to meet her.

  The reality of that sent her into a mild panic.

  I might meet her! Do Sojourners meet her on the first year of the Journey? Surely

  not, she’s going to be way too busy with the fourth and fifth years. I’ll not meet her for a while. Excellent, plenty of time before I make a total idiot of myself.

  Ariella smiled and shook her head.

  Get a grip Ari, you’re not even on the Journey and you’re already planning your

  moment of great embarrassment in front of Elsa. First of all you have to get out of the palace without your mother locking you in the dungeon.

  She stuffed her hands deep into the pockets of her black trousers and drew

  her shoulders in close. Her default posture when dealing with sadness she

  couldn’t control. Unconsciously her fingers felt for the Echo Orbs. The

  unthinking moving of them through her fingers seemed to calm her down. But

  not today.

  The fingers in her left pocket quickly found the marble sized orb and began

  passing it from one finger to the next. But her right fingers found nothing. She

  dug down into the deep corners of her pockets, slowly at first, but then

  frantically searching for her missing orb. She grabbed the inner lining of her

  pocket and pulled it inside out trying desperately to find her missing treasure.

  Nothing.

  Where is it?

  She started searching the rooftop, pacing back and forth trying to retrace her

  exact footsteps.

  Nothing.

  The corridor.

  She jumped the low stone wall and ran down the steps to the hidden door.

  She paused for a moment with her ear to the stone. Silence. She quickly found

  the small holes on the outer wall, pulled open the door and slipped inside. Her

  eyes scanned the corridor, hoping to find a glimpse of the orb, hoping it had

  rolled into the corner of the narrow passage.

  Nothing

  Not good Ariella. Not good at all. Where is it? Where did I drop it?

  Absent-mindedly she put her hands into the left pocket, her fingers closing

  on the remaining orb. She gasped. The orb was, ever so gently, humming.

  Someone’s talking.

  Swiftly she pulled out the orb and placed it to her ear.

  “I’ve lost her, what am I going to do?”

  It was her mother’s voice, but different. There was deep sadness, something

  Ariella had never heard before. She felt her throat tighten and tears spring in her

  eyes.

  She’s talking about me.

  “She is not lost.” It was Hakeem, his deep voice soft and melodic.

  “How can you say that? She’s going on The Journey. People die on The

  Journey! Even if she survives she’ll be a Guardian, she’ll no longer be part of my

  House.”

  “She will always be your d
aughter. Being a Guardian will never change

  that.”

  There was a long pause. Ariella held the Echo Orb closer to her ear.

  Where is it, where did I drop it?

  She tried to retrace the events of the last hour.

  I felt it after I threw the dragon book at the twins. I’m sure it was in my pocket when the gargoyle brought Hakeem’s gift. Where then? They’ve never fallen out on their own before.

  Then she realised. That moment in the library when she had shouted at her

  mother. She remembered her hands flying from her pockets, fists clenched. She

  was so angry. Moments before she had been spinning the orb in her fingers.

  The orb must’ve fallen when I pulled my hands out. It’s still in the library.

  “When did you know?” It was her mother again. There was no anger in her

  voice now, just sadness

  “Late last year, just as the selection began.”

  “How did you find out? The selection is secret, no one is supposed to know

  until today, until the announcement.” The Queen’s voice cracked and Ariella

  thought she heard the soft sound of her mother’s tears.

  “You didn"t tell me.” The Queen, spoke softly.

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  Hakeem sighed. Ariella felt for him. She knew when she went forward for

  selection that Hakeem was going to find out. She was sure that there was little

  that went on in Lightharbour without him finding out. It seemed to her that

  Hakeem was on first name terms with the whole city; nobles at court, traders in

  the markets, and especially the sailors on the docks. On top of that, Hakeem had

  a way with the gargoyles and the gargoyles seemed to be able to get anywhere.

  The gargoyles of Lightharbour were not like ordinary gargoyles. They

  moved. Not all of them, but enough. It was the day after the end of the

  Rebellion. Queen Lucia had sacrificed herself to destroy the shadow beasts and

  had scattered the Light across the entire of Dawnhaven. Somehow, some of it

  had found its way into some of the gargoyles and they, ever so slowly, came to

  life. The initial shock of seeing stone carvings jumping across the city roofs

  settled down after a few months. Now they were included as just another piece

  of the wonderful colour that makes up Lightharbour.

  “She is growing up my Queen. She chooses her own path.”

  “A path away from Lightharbour, from her responsibilities, from me.”

  “Yes.” Hakeem paused. “There is something different about Ariella.

  Something I cannot see, cannot predict. Whatever you say or do now, I do not

  believe that you can convince her to stay. She is going to leave for Trevena

  tomorrow.”

  “And then what?” The anger had returned to the Queen"s voice now.

  “You have a city to rule. And the boys will need you more than ever. Soon

  Osias is going to realise that with Ariella as a Guardian, he"s next in line to the

  throne. I think there may by some power struggles between your sons that will

  need your influence.”

  Ariella heard the queen try to suppress her laugh.

  She heard movement, then footsteps. Her mother’s? Then there was silence

  again. She held her breath trying to hear the slightest sound from the library.

  “What did I say?”

  Ariella nearly jumped out of her skin. It was Hakeem"s voice, loud and clear

  through the orb.

  He must be holding it to his lips!

  “Meet me in the garden, if you would be so kind, Your Highness”

  It was spoken as a request but Ariella was already moving out of the corridor

  and down the long winding stairs towards the palace gardens. Hakeem spoke to

  her like no one else and she found herself responding to him differently to

  anyone else. After her father died, he had been a constant in her life. There had

  been many times over the past years when she had needed his strength, his

  wisdom, his courage and his joy. She responded to Hakeem because he had

  proved, time and again, that he loved her deeply and wanted the best for her. It

  meant that he encouraged her when she was down, praised her when she

  succeeded and corrected her when she went astray.

  Ariella walked slowly through the palace, careful to avoid as many people as

  possible. She found one of the many side doors that led out to the vast palace

  gardens. The sun had started to sink in the afternoon sky but the garden was

  warm and the honey bees flew lazily through the air seeking nectar. The fruit in

  the trees was beginning to grow after the spring blossom had fallen. Oranges,

  olives, pomegranates and pineapples all grew in the palace gardens. But

  Ariella’s favourite was passion fruit. She craved it almost as much as the

  chocolate brought in on the trade ships.

  She avoided the formal path of the main gardens, with its fountains,

  sculptures and topiary. Instead she turned to the west and followed a smaller

  path heading to the edge of the garden. In the middle of the long outer garden

  wall was a small gap. Through the gap was a stunning sun terrace perched

  precariously, over hanging the Eagle Cliffs. The view was spectacular. To the

  north and south Ariella could see the massive sea cliffs stretching out for miles.

  She could see the eyries of the nesting eagles and some of the great birds soaring

  high in the clear blue sky.

  To the west was the Southern Sea, calm as a mill pond today, hardly a ripple

  on the surface. She loved the sea, stretching out for miles before her. It never

  ceased to amaze her how one day it looked like it would shatter like glass if you

  dipped your toe into it. Yet other days it could swallow the grandest ships in the

  navy, gone, smashed to pieces by the brutality of the swell.

  This was Ariella"s favourite place in the garden. Whether it was the view,

  the sense of freedom, the privacy or the closeness of the passion fruit vines, she

  didn"t know. Maybe all of them. All she knew is that here, she smiled, always.

  When Hakeem said to meet her in the garden, she knew this is where he

  meant. He was already waiting for her, standing on the edge of the terrace. His

  eyes fixed on an eagle flying over the sea, hunting for an early supper for the

  chicks in the nest. He turned at her approached and smiled his wide, infectious

  smile. The whiteness of his teeth stood in contrast to the dark brown of his skin.

  The many lines across his face creased deeper with the breadth of his smile. His

  „happy lines" he called them. He would tell Ariella that lines are a sign of a life

  well lived, full of laughter, friends and adventures.

  He spread his strong arms wide and Ariella dove into them, burying her face

  in the magnificent silk scarf that wrapped around his head and several times

  around his neck. Nowhere in Dawnhaven produces silk like this. Hakeem told

  her it was from his birth place, many miles across the sea. The silk was soft, a

  pale green emblazoned with a thousand golden flowers she didn"t recognise.

  He held her close for a long time. She always felt safe in his arms. He led

  her to a pair of intricate chairs facing out to sea. They sunk into the soft cushions

  and breathed in the fresh sea air.

  “Well child, you"ve caused quite a stir.”

  Ariella squirmed in her chair under Hakeem"s heavy gaze.

/>   “Is she going to be okay?”

  “She will be. In time.” Hakeem kept his eyes on Ariella. She dropped hers

  to the white stone terrace.

  “Did you forget what I wrote in the note?”

  “No. It"s just… I got angry. She was being so unreasonable, she was treating

  me like a child”

  “Unreasonable?”

  “Yes!” Ariella said that a little more forcibly than she intended.

  Hakeem said nothing. He kept his intense brown eyes on Ariella. She tried

  to meet them but had to keep looking away.

  She was unreasonable! Wasn’t she? I don’t know anymore. She was treating me a

  like a child, she said I couldn’t go, but I am going, it’s all I’ve ever wanted. Surely she can see that?

  Ariella paused for a moment, Hakeem"s eyes were searching her, looking for

  some response.

  “Maybe, I could"ve spoken to her before…”

  “Before? Before it was announced to the whole of the city. Is that what you

  mean?”

  “Yes.” Her shoulders dropped, her chin rested on her chest.

  “She loves you child, much more than you realise. She was shocked by the

  announcement and angered by the manner in which it was done. Grace was

  needed. Did you treat her graciously?”

  Ariella felt the tears well in her eyes. She spoke just above a whisper.

  “I was angry. I told her grandmother would"ve let me go”

  It was Hakeem"s turn for his shoulders to drop.

  “My dear child, you are your father"s daughter. You have a soul of

  adventure and people will follow you, but you have much to learn. We do not

  treat people with grace because they deserve it; we treat them with grace because

  it is the best for our own heart. Your heart is beautiful Ariella, guard it, guard it

  with everything you have.”

  Hakeem paused.

  “And what have I told you about the Echo Orbs and spying on your

  mother?”

  “It was an accident! It fell out when I was shouting at her. I was holding on

  to the orbs when we were arguing and then I got so mad. I pulled my hands out

  of my pockets and it fell out. I didn"t notice, neither did she, we were so busy

  yelling at each other. I"ve never used it to spy on her, I promise.” She realised

  she was pleading now, needing Hakeem to believe her. She didn"t want his last

  memory of her, before she left, to be about this.