MONARCH MOMENT
Electrum shook his hat out the window. The evening breeze swirled the thought dust into a spiral that blew away over the trees and faded quickly in the darkening sky.
It was Monarch Moment time, his weekly update meeting with the King. He slipped on his crumpled robe. The wrinkles were now a permanent part of the fabric. It billowed around him as he hurried across the bridge to the next platform.
At the spiral staircase he stopped to catch his breath. The coiling steps with the smooth railing were an open invitation. As a tad he had slid down it many times until that one morning he had collided with the queen’s cranky maid. That put an end to his stair surfing, but the impulse had never faded.
A cool breeze brushed his face. The stairs were empty. He glanced around and saw no one on the platform.
With stiff movements, he sat down on the railing and adjusted the robe. Hearing approaching footsteps he pushed off with his foot and partially extended a wing for balance. As he spiraled down, he began to pick up speed.
The breeze fanned his hot skin and blew away his troubled thoughts. A big grin spread across his face. Laughter began bubbling up inside. As he whipped around a curve, the robe caught on a branch that should have been trimmed back. A ripping noise replaced his laugher with dismay.
The railing came to an abrupt end, and he sailed off into thin air. Stifling a cry of alarm he extended his wings. He managed to land on his feet, but made a horrific clatter as he hopped across the floor flailing his arms and bumping into the walls.
His fingers closed around a rope hanging outside the king’s meeting room. Silence fell and he steadied himself. The soft warm tone of a wind chime filled the quiet hall, and he realized he had pulled on a bell cord. With a gasp of disgust, he cast it away as if it had burnt his fingers. It swung silently in a wide arc, passing across the heavy curtains.
A quick inspection revealed a jagged tear on the robe. If he kept his arm down, maybe it wouldn’t show. The curtains parted.
Simon stepped out, but ducked back as the cord swung past his nose. Without blinking he caught and steadied it. Then raising his eyebrows he bent his head to look down at the pookah.
“Good evening, Electrum. I’m surprised to see you.”
Electrum snorted. “I have an appointment with the King, do I not?”
“Well, yes. But I thought that perhaps, under the circumstances, you might have asked to be excused.”
“It was a noisy entrance, but I don’t think any harm was done.” The robe was beyond repair, but no sense mentioning that.
“I was referring to the Salamander.”
Electrum’s stomach tightened. He felt a chill and forgot about the robe. “What happened to the Salamander?”
Simon looked distressed and his voice softened. “It was captured by a boy in the Tween World this evening. The ship and cargo are missing.”
“The pollywogs?”
“Most came here safely. There were several on board that are known for jumping ship and playing in the Tween World. They were seen heading toward the Gold Realm. I’ve no doubt they made it.”
“I see. And Ragnar?”
“He’s here now in a meeting with Sterling."
Electrum let out his breath. “Ragnar will be chafing to get a ship to find the pollywogs. Once he knows they are safe, he will have to deal with losing his beloved ship and the huge financial loss.”
“A loss to everyone. I fear that Mirta’s tapestry may have been on that ship. Few understand what that loss will mean.”
“The Silver Harbor tapestry? What’s so important about it?”
“Simon!” the King bellowed.
A wry smile crossed the sprite’s face. “Perhaps we can consider this matter later. However, if you’re keeping the appointment, you best go in now.”
Electrum stifled an annoyed laugh and straightened his hat. Sparkles slipped onto his shoulder. He could feel Simon’s stare.
“Are you sure you’re quite ready?” Simon asked. “Did you need time to…prepare? We just had the room cleaned.”
“Yes, yes. Let’s not keep the King waiting any longer. Get on with it.”
“As you wish.”
Simon pivoted on his heel, and marched through the doorway. His crisp uniform seemed molded to his body and flowed with his precise movements.
Electrum limped along holding his left arm close to his body. Occasional sparkles fell from his hat in a crooked line behind him on the polished floor.
They walked past latticed walls woven from living branches. At intervals the branches curved and twisted together to form windows. A faint breeze filtered through the tangle, making the reception room cooler than the hall.
At the sound of their footsteps, the King turned away from a large window at the end of the room. He shook his wings and they flashed with a gleam from the room’s glowstone.
“There you are,” he said.
The King settled into a chair fashioned out of leaves and covered with a shimmering gray glaze. It hung from vines and bobbed gently as he adjusted his silver robes.
He frowned. “You look terrible, Electrum. Did you sleep in that robe?”
Electrum took a breath to respond, but the King waved his hand. “Never mind. I hear that Silverthorn’s been missing classes. Give your report.”
“He has mastered his lessons and is competent in his duties,” Electrum said.
“Competent? I expect him to excel in his duties. More rigorous discipline might have served him better than book study and languishing on a merchant ship. Our captain of the guard feels it was a mistake to allow Silverthorn to be a pollywog. Tonight’s terrible news of Ragnar’s ship gives some credence to his views.”
“Silverthorn is more capable than some of Sterling’s minions would suggest.” The startled look on the King’s face made Electrum realize he had to choose his words more carefully.
The King’s eyes narrowed, his gaze unnerving. “The experiment seems to have turned out all right, but we should never have placed the prince at such risk.”
“He has earned a fine reputation with the people. That will make him a strong ruler. Like you,” Electrum added.
“And what of those nasty rumors about a flirtation with a merchant girl in the Gold Realm?”
With a slight stutter Electrum said, “Typical adolescent behavior. He is fully aware of his duties and the limits between the Silver and Gold Realms.”
“Let’s hope he gained some valuable experience.”
“My plan was that he gain understanding of how the merchant system works. Something he couldn’t learn from inside the palace.”
“Commerce is one thing. Flirtation is another. See that nothing untoward comes of it. You wouldn’t want your years of hard work to be spoiled by a silly fancy.”
The King smiled, but Electrum didn’t feel any warmth in it. A trickle of sweat ran down his neck. He twitched his ears causing a stream of thought dust to cascade from his hat and form a tiny mound on the floor beside him. Shifting his weight, he moved his foot over the dust and stirred the pile. A few sparkles floated in the air, and Simon stepped out of their path.
The silence lengthened. The faint breeze was gone and the air was stifling. The robe weighed heavy on his shoulders. He was sure the King suspected something.
He heard a soft swishing sound and turned his head slightly. Simon was sweeping his thought dust into a leaf. He frowned. The thoughts would be jumbled. Simon stiffly marched out of the room. The King was still waiting for a reply.
“I am putting forth every effort to ensure the success of Silverthorn’s future, and my own,” Electrum managed to say.
“I’m glad you understand they are tightly connected.” The King leaned back in his chair. “I expect everything to go smoothly and without incident during the eclipse.”
Electrum winced. The incident was going to be far beyond anything the King could imagine. More than anyone could imagine. He searched his mind frantically for a response. <
br />
“Your pardon, Sire,” Simon said.
Electrum jumped. He hadn’t heard the tall sprite come back in the room. Simon handed the King a parchment. “An update on Ragnar’s ship from pookah scouts. There are marks in the dirt where it was dragged off, but the trail was lost in the grass. Untimely rain made further exploration impossible.”
The King’s eyes scanned the writing. “One of the Tween World’s revolting storms. It will wash away what little trail was left.”
Simon’s face was grim. “The ship will dissolve in five days if it is left outside in the light,” he said.
“There’s no help for it. With no trail, it would be too perilous even for pookahs. I won’t risk lives. No one will be sent on a salvage mission.” He crumpled the paper. Without looking up he said, “Do something about that robe Electrum. It’s in disgraceful condition."
Electrum hurried out. There was no trace of sparkles on the floor. Simon was meticulous.
He reached his room, stripped off the robe, and flung it on the hammock. He was hanging his hat carefully on the branch when Silverthorn burst into the room.
“Ragnar’s ship has been taken.” The prince’s voice cracked with tension.
Electrum sat down heavily on the hammock crushing new wrinkles into the robe. “Yes, I heard. Is there any news?”
Silverthorn shook his head. “They think everyone got away safely, but the ship and all the cargo is gone. A human boy plucked it out of the water when it emerged from under the giant footbridge. Then he dragged it out of the woods.”
Electrum’s shoulders drooped. “Ragnar’s had the Salamander his whole career. That ship means more to him than anything. He’s never lost a cargo.”
“He cloaked all the pollywogs as well as the ship, but he couldn’t cloak the masthead since it came from the Tween World. We can account for all but three of the pollywogs that were headed to the Gold Realm. Word spread fast. Sterling never missed a beat. He’s already spreading fear about the recklessness of shipping.”
Electrum stretched and ran his fingers through his hair scattering sparkles. “The storm will just add to his arguments, and the King is not inclined to send anyone.”
“We have some time,” Silverthorn said. “The ship won’t dissolve immediately.”
“No, but once the storm ends, there won’t be much time to locate it and salvage anything.”
“We don’t have to locate it. I know where the ship is,” Silverthorn said.
“What do you mean? The report said the trail was lost in the grass.”
“I was there when it happened. I followed the boy.”
Electrum felt numb. “What were you doing there?”
“Never mind that. The ship is outside and will be exposed to sunlight and moonlight. We have about five days before the ship and everything on it dissolves in the Tween World light.”
“I should talk to Ragnar.”
“He’s with Sterling. You can see him tomorrow. Then the following night...” Silverthorn’s eyes sparkled and he lowered his voice. “We could check out the ship. If Ragnar had some special item on board, we might be able to salvage it for him.” He rubbed his hands together and silver sparkles hung in the air. “What do you say to a little adventure?”
Electrum sat up. Was Mirta’s tapestry on board? Should he try to salvage it for Simon? What was its significance?
“There’s no need to alert Sterling,” Silverthorn continued. “This is more of a stealthy job, wouldn’t you say? Just you and me?”
Electrum nodded. “I believe you’re right.”
“We should let things settle down a bit. No need to get Sterling all riled up.”
“That’s very sensible of you,” Electrum said.
Silverthorn shrugged. “Must be all those lectures of yours. Tomorrow you can visit Ragnar. Then we’ll meet on the tower platform the following evening right before dark.” Silverthorn swaggered out of the room, whistling.