Ariella and the Blood Curse

by Owen Crane

Ariella ignored him, “he mentioned butterflies to Micah and it set him on

  edge. Then I saw him talking to Karlov when we arrived at the Guardian

  compound. I thought he was talking to Karlov about me but what if was talking

  to him about Eleazar?”

  “But what do butterflies and midnight assassins have to do with the Blood

  Curse and Baron Rexsalve?” asked Jaron, leaning back in his chair.

  “Beats me,” muttered Indio, downing his drink.

  “I don"t know if they are connected,” said Ariella, “if they are, I can"t see a

  connection.”

  “So which one do we deal with?” Indio asked.

  “I can"t see us having any impact on Baron Rexsalve accept for freaking his

  thugs out occasionally.” Said Jaron. “I say we look out for Eleazar and find out

  who this butterfly man is.”

  “Woman,” interrupted Ariella

  “Excuse me?”

  “It"s a woman.” She replied. “The person that threw that dart at me was

  definitely female.”

  “Ok then,” said Indio, “that settles it. We find the butterfly girl. Stop her

  before she kills Ele and all the while avoiding stabbing Eugenie with a fork every

  time she breathes in an annoying way.”

  “Not to mention surviving The Journey, random Thunderhead attacks and

  Karlov"s mood swings,” smiled Jaron. “Simple really.”

  Ariella laughed, “alright then. Let"s go find Eleazar and see if we can find

  out what"s going on.”

  The streets of Stonegard had quietened down as they emerged from the

  Friendly Phoenix. The sun was setting over the high city walls, casting long

  shadows in the streets.

  They had only walked a few streets when Jaron kept glancing up over his

  shoulder.

  “What"s wrong?” Ariella asked.

  “We"re being followed. Don"t look around. Up on the rooftops. I keep

  seeing a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye but when I turn there"s

  nothing there.”

  He scanned the streets ahead, “Follow me,” and he darted into a side street.

  He moved quickly, down one street, and then turned sharply into an alley, then

  another. He came to a stop, finger over his lips. They stopped and waited, eyes

  on the roof tops.

  A minute went past and nothing. Then, suddenly, there was a flash of

  movement directly over their heads.

  Ariella couldn"t stop herself “Hakeem!” she cried.

  A gargoyle, the size of a dog leapt down from the rooftops and landed

  amongst them. Indio leapt back, scrabbling for some sort of weapon to use.

  Jaron pushed Ariella out of the way, his ball of indigo light bursting out of his

  palm.

  The gargoyle"s face was shaped like a dragon, with long horns and short

  stubby stone wings. Its blank, stony eyes stared at the boys for a moment and

  then turned to Ariella. She threw her arms around its neck and kissed its bald

  head.

  “Urgh!” coughed Indio.

  “What are you doing?” asked Jaron, startled.

  She looked at the stunned expressions on the boys" faces and burst into

  laughter.

  “This is one of the legendary gargoyles of Lightharbour,” she said proudly.

  “And most importantly, it"s a gift from an old friend.”

  The gargoyle opened up its clawed hand and revealed two pouches of deep

  blue velvet.

  Ariella opened the first pouch. The familiar smell of rich chocolate filled the

  alleyway.

  “Here” she said, tossing the pouch to Jaron. He helped himself to a chunk.

  “Wow, I like this old friend of yours.”

  She smiled and opened the second pouch. It contained a small scroll written

  in the flowing handwriting of Hakeem that she knew so well.

  She read the note. Her eyes went wide.

  “What is it?” asked Indio.

  She ignored him and read it again. She looked up at the gargoyle and then at

  Indio and Jaron.

  “Oh crap,” she whispered.

  Chapter 17

  My dearest Ariella, Hakeem wrote.

  I hope my messenger finds you in time. The Gargoyles don’t often travel far from

  Lightharbour and are uncomfortable away from the city.

  I’m afraid that I write to you with dire news. Dawnhaven faces its greatest threat since the emergence of the five Kingdoms and the creation of the Guardians.

  The Blood Curse that has swept Trevena is being felt across the Island. The other

  four Kingdoms rely on the farms of Trevena for the majority of their food. Now that the harvest has been devastated it’s not only the people of Trevena that face hardship but all of Dawnhaven.

  Your mother and the council have been working tirelessly to bring in food supplies

  from outside our land but the price is high and delivery is slow.

  Our scholars have been searching the archives of the Palace Library and our

  suspicions have been upheld. Dawnhaven, or any other land, has never seen a plague like this. Our research confirms our worst fears. This curse is not natural. Some darkness has created it and unleashed it on us.

  As of yet, we do not know who or why. What we can do is ascertain who is profiting from the disaster. So far the obvious, in fact the only candidate, is Baron Rexsalve.

  He has never been vocal with his opinions regarding the Guardians and the five

  Kingdoms, until now. He seems to have seized on this moment to gather popular

  support. He is playing on the fears of the populace, noble and common alike. He has chosen Khan to direct people’s anger towards. There is no evidence to support his claim, but people are scared, so they do not need evidence.

  He has managed to gather a number of the influential Barons to his side and they are making life difficult for King Tristan. He is calling a gathering of the monarchs to Stonegard. The tide in Trevena is turning against Queen Abalyne and the people of

  Khan. Tristan and Abalyne have never got on, their relationship is strained. Your mother is currently working to find common ground between the two of them but it is not easy.

  To complicate matters further I am led to believe that Baron Rexsalve’ daughter

  Eugenie is currently on The Journey and in your Knot. I do not know what she plans but I cannot imagine she has the Guardian’s best interest at heart.

  I need you to watch her closely Ariella. There are events colliding that I cannot

  foresee but the fate of the Guardians is in the balance. Your presence there is not a coincidence. I sense that you and your Knot will have a significant part to play in the days ahead.

  You possess a strength you are not aware of yet. It will serve you well. Use it for the good of Dawnhaven, the Guardians and those you love.

  I will see you soon, my dear Ariella. Until then, stay strong, stay brave and enjoy the chocolate.

  Hakeem.

  “Oh crap,” she said again passing the note to Jaron.

  He scanned it, with Indio, reading over his shoulder.

  Jaron looked up at Ariella then read the note again. “Oh crap.”

  “Exactly,” replied Ariella.

  Indio smiled, “Um, before we all get a bit carried away, there"s something

  important to ask.” The others paused, “can I have some chocolate? It"s been ages

  since I"ve had chocolate.”

  Ariella and Jaron both stared at him

  “What?” he protested, “you were both thinking it.”

  She shook her head as Jaron tossed him the pouch of chocolate. He helped

  himself to a piece, savouring and making happy noises.

&n
bsp; “Oh Ari, this is good stuff!” murmured Indio. “Tell Hakeem he has a new

  best friend. Here Jaron, have another, there are candied oranges, it"s like the

  tears of a mermaid.”

  Jaron ignored him, “Ari, who"s Hakeem and what,” he pointed at the

  gargoyle, “is that?”

  Ariella patted the gargoyle"s cold, stone head. “This is a gargoyle.”

  Jaron shook his head and pointed up at a group of gargoyles on a high part

  of the city wall. “No Ari, those are gargoyles. Gargoyles don"t move, they don"t

  stare at me and they sure as hell don"t deliver chocolate for you.”

  “You"ve never heard of the Gargoyles of Lightharbour?” she asked.

  Jaron rubbed his eyes, “Yes I"ve heard of them, I just thought that they were

  stories people made up to scare kids. You know, „be good or the gargoyles will

  be watching you", that kind of thing.”

  The gargoyle tilted his head and took a few steps towards Jaron, nuzzling its

  chin against his knee. Jaron"s jawed dropped open.

  “I think he likes you,” smiled Ariella.

  “This is too weird,” he mumbled.

  “Apart from someone who sends you amazing gifts,” said Indio through a

  mouthful of chocolate, “who is Hakeem?”

  “An old friend. Actually, he was my father"s best friend. He"s been around

  our family for as long as I can remember.” She replied.

  “And he has gargoyles as pets?” asked Jaron, the shock evident in his voice.

  “Not pets,” said Ariella. “The gargoyles aren"t pets. I"ve never seen them

  respond to anyone else except for Hakeem, they’re wild. They seem to be happy

  to work for him when he asks. How he asks is a mystery, they don"t talk and I"m

  not sure if they understand us.”

  She bent to the gargoyle and smiled. “Will you go tell Hakeem that I got his

  message? Tell him I"m on it, if you can talk or whatever it is you do.” She gave

  the gargoyle a kiss on his head and Indio made a gagging sound. “And thank

  him for the chocolate!” The gargoyle leapt from the street, landed on the rooftop

  above them and was gone.

  “Wow,” laughed Indio, “I can"t wait until we go to Lightharbour.”

  The sound of heavy hooves passing on the street broke up their conversation.

  The three exchanged glances, and then crept out of the alleyway to see what was

  going on.

  In the main street was a tremendous black carriage. It was fully enclosed

  with a driver at the front and two footmen standing at the back. With the

  carriage were huge horses ridden by heavily armoured knights, two in front and

  two behind. Emblazoned on the carriage door and on the shields of the knights

  was a distinctive sigil. A burning crown pierced by a blood sword.

  “Rexsalve,” snarled Indio.

  “Let"s follow him,” said Ariella.

  They kept to the growing shadows on each side of the streets, mingling with

  the thinning crowd. They followed the carriage with ease as it made it" way

  down the wide Stonegard streets.

  Jaron grabbed the arms of the other two and pulled them into a side alley.

  “He"s heading to the compound. Let"s get in front of him.”

  Before they could object Jaron began criss-crossing the streets and alleyways,

  working his way back to the compound and staying out of sight of Rexsalve"

  Knights. Ariella and Indio had trouble keeping up with him as he led them back

  and forth until they emerged in a tight alleyway by the compound entrance.

  They could hear the heavy hooves echoing off the stone streets.

  Jaron was breathing heavily when they stopped. “We made it.” He glanced

  out of the alley, “and just in time.”

  Indio leaned his back against the wall and took deep breaths. “How the heck

  did you do that? You"ve never been down half of those streets before, unless

  you"ve been sneaking out of the compound without me.”

  Jaron had a sparkle in his eye. “My father is a Hedge Warden and my

  mother is a Ranger. I"ve been tracking since I could walk. These streets aren"t

  that much different from the forest, once you get your bearings.”

  “Your father"s a what?”

  “Shh,” snapped Ariella, “they"re here.”

  They ducked down into the deep shadows of the alleyway, watching the

  approach procession. The Guardians on sentry duty at the compound entrance

  snapped to attention as they approached. Their hands were on their swords.

  “You don"t think he"s actually going to start a fight do you?” whispered

  Indio.

  No one answered him.

  The two lead Knights came to a halt no more than a few yards from the

  Guardian sentries. The visors on the Knights" helmets were down and mounted

  on top of their warhorses, they were an imposing sight. The Guardians didn"t

  flinch.

  For a few moments there was silence. Nobody moved. Ariella held her

  breath.

  Then, on perfectly oiled hinges, the carriage door swung open without a

  sound. Out stepped a tall man with slightly receding, slicked brown hair. His

  clothes were exquisite, adorned with various jewels. He had piercing, narrow

  eyes that scanned the Guardian sentries without blinking.

  So that’s Baron Rexsalve.

  He turned back to the carriage and extended a hand, it was taken by an

  attractive young woman with flowing blonde hair. Standing next to each other it

  was impossible to miss the family resemblance.

  “Eugenie,” muttered Indio. “We should"ve known. Hag, witch, harpy.”

  Ariella gave him a withering look and slapped a hand over his mouth,

  silencing him.

  The Baron leaned towards his daughter and whispered something in her ear

  as she lifted her head and laughed, loud and clear. She kissed him once on each

  cheek and walked towards the Guardian compound, calling over her shoulder.

  “Farewell Father, I"ll see you very soon,” Eugenie called over her shoulder.

  What does she mean by that?

  The Baron climbed back into his carriage and banged the side with his palm,

  signalling to the driver to move off. The two lead Knights wheeled away from

  the Guardian sentries, so close they could almost touch, and led the carriage back

  into the streets of Stonegard.

  “Hey,” whispered Indio, now Ariella had taken her hand from his mouth,

  “I"ve been practicing.”

  Before anyone could stop him, he opened his hand and sent a red flash of

  light bursting into the faces of the two horses bringing up the rear of the

  procession. The startled horses reared in fright, toppling one knight from his

  saddle. He crashed to the ground, his metal armour smashing off the stones.

  The two horses, one now without a rider, bolted past the carriage, spooking the

  horses pulling it. They took off at a gallop causing the carriage to bump and

  bounce down the streets. One footman lost his grip and fell; the other was

  cursing the driver while trying to hang on. There was bedlam as the carriage

  tore down the streets with a knight and a footman running along behind.

  The three young Sojourners burst into laughter, falling about the dark

  alleyway. Their joy was short lived when a tall figure blocked the alley way

  entrance.

  “Having fun are we?” the figure asked.

  The thre
e shut up, staring up at the visitor. It was the Guardian leading the

  sentry duty and he didn"t look happy.

  “First years?”

  The three nodded in unison, suddenly feeling nervous.

  “Knot leader?”

  “Karlov, sir,” answered Ariella.

  The man nodded. “Get back in the compound and back to your tower.”

  The three didn"t argue. They sped past the man and into the compound

  heading for their tower. At first they didn"t see Eugenie, standing in the

  courtyard, arms folded with a vicious look in her eye.

  “I suppose you think that was funny?” she demanded.

  Indio laughed “Hell yeah, that was hilarious! Did you see the way the

  carriage bounced down the street? I bet whoever was in there got thrown

  around good and proper. Any idea who it was in there Eugenie?”

  Her lip curled in a sneer, “red light? I know that was you. Don"t play games

  with me Indio.”

  Jaron stepped up to Eugenie, their noses almost touching. His voice was

  low, calm and steady. “No Eugenie, it"s you who shouldn"t play games with us.

  I"ve waited my whole life to become a Guardian. It"s what I would give the

  whole rest of my life for. I will not allow you, your father, or anyone else to

  jeopardise that. Do not play games with us. It will end badly for you.”

  Jaron let the words hang for a moment before turning on his heel and

  walking to the tower. Indio whistled and ran after him slapping him on the

  back.

  Ariella hesitated as she watched Eugenie. For just a moment her face

  changed.

  What is that? She looks upset, genuinely upset. What’s going on with her?

  Eugenie saw Ariella watching her and her face changed again, the barriers

  were back up and it was the cold, hard Eugenie of before.

  “What are you looking at?” she demanded

  “I don"t know.” Ariella answered, honestly, “I really don"t know.” She

  sighed and followed Jaron and Indio to the tower.

  Karlov found them after dinner. They had grabbed three of the soft

  armchairs and pulled them to the far side of the mess hall and were in deep

  conversation when he interrupted them.

  “Had an interesting afternoon?” he asked.

  No one spoke. Suddenly they all found the floor hugely interesting.

  Karlov coughed. “When I ask you a question, it"s not rhetorical. Interesting