Chapter 9: Desolate Castle
A figure silhouetted by bright sunlight appeared atop the stairs. “Well, well, our long-awaited visitors have arrived. I trust you were not involved in any mishaps during the long journey around Reloria.”
Fandri heard age and weariness in that gravelly voice.
The boys raced up the stairs and saw a tall figure in flowing robes. A hand raised slowly as though weakened with age, and extended a black wand with a glowing white orb on its tip.
There was no change to the light, but a whistling sound emanated from the figure before the disembodied noise travelled down the staircase. Fandri felt cold fingers ruffle his hair, stroke his arms and blow gently in his ears, causing him to freeze with fright. His jaw dropped open at the intimate nature of this strange draft. He felt Fandri-La’s shock as the breeze raised her up and down like a puppet on string.
Then there was nothing. The breeze left them standing stock still in astonishment.
The halfling and fairy shrugged in unison. Their eyes gazed up the stairs, but stopped.
“I say.” Varl’s eyes grew wide with alarm as his arms were extended by the breeze and he was lifted up off his feet. “Release me, you ghost.”
The unfortunate squire toppled to the floor while the stranger above them laughed.
“Enough of this!” Nnarndam’s voice boomed in the tunnel and everyone froze.
Flames flickered around the base of the stranger’s robes. He yelped. “Are you mad, brother? If you exhaust our air supply we shall all perish.”
The flames disappeared. “Well, you can get us some more air, Wizard Nnald. Now, stop your games and offer these weary travellers some hospitality.” Nnarndam was angry now. Purple flames ignited from his eyes and shot up the staircase towards the wizard.
The blaze met an invisible barrier of air. Purple flames licked up the wall. The companions witnessed Wizard Nnald trip on his robe as he stepped backwards. He ended up sitting hard on the stair. Dropping his wand in his fright.
The purple flames disappeared.
Mage Nnarndam levitated up the stairs and hovered over him. “I expect better manners from you, Keeper of the Eastern Shield.” Fandri thought his face looked dark with anger and rather scary. The halfling’s heart thumped in his chest and his palms felt damp with sweat as the realisation of these wizards’ magic.
He crept up the stairs to the wizards and gave a gentle tug to Nnarndam’s robe. “Ah…excuse me, Grand Mage, have we arrived at Desolate Castle?”
The mage turned and his face transformed from anger to smiles of friendship in an instant. “Yes, young lad. Come on up. You and Fandri-La will enjoy the strange red desert.” He floated down until his toes touched the step, and he took the halfling’s hand in his own. “Come, come.”
Halfling and fairy exchanged wide-eyed glances at this sudden change in the mage’s mood. A moment passed before they realised he was tapping his shoe on the step. “We’re coming.” A flurry of tiny wings led the way.
Once out in the open, the warm air hit them like a blow to the chest. The travellers blinked to adjust to the bright sunlight. Fandri felt stinging tears irritate the corners of his eyes and he held a hand to his forehead to shade his eyes.
“I feel as though I’ve walked into an oven.” Fandri-La’s drooped into his hand with the heat. “Ugh. I suddenly feel tired, like I can’t fly anymore.” Her dainty wings closed together.
“Welcome to Desolate Castle. I am Wizard Nnald, the shield keeper here. Come over here where it is shaded.” The wizard who had tried to bowl them over with air in the tunnel, now appeared happy and generous. His arms were spread wide apart and he waved them up a flight of stairs into a large hall.
Nnald now looked every bit the generous host. With a flick of his bent and gnarled fingers, carafes and goblets of wine flew from a side table to every stone-topped table in the room. The company sat upon benches and enjoyed spiced refreshments.
Varl and Fandri sat side by side with their elbows upon the hard table and hands wrapped around the goblets. They exchanged conspiratorial winks as they took their first sip of the unfamiliar dark drink. Fandri thought it tasted like a fruit which had gone bad. The bitter drop burned like liquid fire as it passed down his throat.
“Ack, ack, ack.” Both boys coughed and spluttered as their throats constricted. They set their goblets down. Then yelped as they were yanked backwards by the scruff of the neck and dragged out into the sunlight. “What?”
The door slammed closed and a shadow fell upon them. Sir Rawlan’s face was purple like a thundercloud and contorted in a fit of rage. “How dare you drink an adult’s drink and fail to attend to your knight. You have no place as a squire if you disobey the knights’ code.”
Young Varl’s eyes widened in shock and dismay at the rebuke. He dropped onto one knee to beg for forgiveness, but Sir Rawlan’s tirade continued. He swung around to Fandri and his trembling fairy and pointed a finger which shook with anger. “You are the cause of this wilful rebellion. Squire Varl has been disobedient and distracted since you joined our company. I henceforth decree that you will not speak to nor communicate in any way with my squire for the remainder of your journey. If I have cause to speak to you one more time, you will be sent back home across the desert with naught, but a water-skin.”
Unused to such eloquent anger, Fandri stepped forward to defend himself and his friend. “My apologies, Sir Rawlan, but please let me explain…” He could see Varl shaking his head in a silent plea for him to stop, but he took a deep breath to steady his racing heart and continued. “In my land it is customary to accept a drink if it is offered and…”
Rawlan stopped him with a raised hand. “In lands of other races and peoples, you must respect their laws and customs. This is your final warning: leave my sight and do not speak to Squire Varl for the remainder of our journey.”
Fandri felt waves of sadness flowing through the halfling bond and his own eyes involuntarily welled with tears. He bowed from the waist in the knight’s direction and left in silence. His eyes followed Varl as Rawlan opened the heavy door and they re-joined the company.
He blinked back tears as he sat upon a red stone bench next to Telmane.
The elf’s kindly hazel eyes measured his distress in an instant. He wrapped an arm around the halfling’s shoulder in a surprising, but welcome gesture.
“Thanks Telmane.”
“You’re an honest and decent young boy, Fandri. Don’t be deterred by the knights’ strict rules. You have earned a place in our company and are welcome at my side, as is Fandri-La.”
The fairy curtsied in recognition.
“Harrumph! I don’t know why you pander to these little people, Guardian. You diminish your station by associating with them.” Prince Celdar-Moon screwed up his nose as though he smelled something distasteful. He turned his back on them and laid a soft hand on the queen’s arm. She smiled at him and continued her conversation with Juline-Mist whose green eyes shone with excitement at an exchanged glance with the prince.
Telmane’s whisper was a bare breath in Fandri’s ear to avoid the other elves hearing him. “Ignore him. I think he is jealous that the king was fond of you and not him.”
“It feels like we are running out of people we can talk to.” Fandri-La’s eyes moistened with emotion.
A tureen of delicious-smelling goat stew bumped Fandri on the head as it flew to land on the table. “Ouch!”
“Oh, sorry, sorry. My reflexes aren’t what they used to be.” Wizard Nnald gave an embarrassed chuckle and shuffled over to pat Fandri’s throbbing head.
Mage Nnarndam stood and tut-tutted. “What are you now, Nnald? 120? 130 years young? Surely you’re not feeling old already. Look at me, going strong at 400 and something. You know, Lemonina only lets me have birthday parties once a decade now.”
Nnald cleared his throat. “I am in fact 143, which is pretty impressive for someone with only two powers. Of course a thrice-talented mage like yourself may be eternal. Don’t
be such a skite.” He flicked a wrinkly hand and Nnarndam’s hat flew across the room to peals of laughter from the gathered companions.
“Oh ho, a wizard’s duel it is then. Keep up old man.” Nnarndam gave a glee-filled chuckle and returned the favour by lifting Nnald’s pointed hat, spinning it around thrice and returning it to his head, though lopsided. Not content with this display, he shimmered and shape-shifted into a golden dragon. It breathed fire up to the ceiling and down the walls to surround them in flickering flames, which rustled against the walls.
Fandri’s mouth dropped open with astonishment at the fearsome sight, and his goblet clattered to the floor. The sounds of many falling goblets, and the raised brows around him proved that the others were equally surprised.
The door swung open as an icy breeze raced into the room, causing goose-bumps on the arms of those present. Fandri-La glanced at Wizard Nnald and felt waves of magic emanating from him. As the fairy watched, the wizard’s midnight blue cloak and hat faded to pure white and he grew as tall as the ceiling. He thinned as he grew, looking stretched with long, thin features and a crooked-toothed grimace.
Ice cracked in wine carafes as the drinks froze over. People shivered in the sudden cold.
Fandri had never felt this cold in his entire life and drew close to Telmane for warmth.
Nnarndam dragon’s fiery breath caught in his throat as he too gaped in surprise at the freezing wind rushing into his nostrils. He sneezed and covered the nearest elf in unpleasant-smelling icicles.
“Ugh.” Prince Celdar-Moon stood and shook his arms to remove some of the frozen mucous. “Do try to watch yourself, dragon, for this is not my preferred attire for dining.”
The whole room burst into laughter at the unpopular elf’s expense and the tension between the magic users melted away. Nnarndam changed back to his true form and Nnald shrank back to his usual size.
The mage clapped Nnald’s shoulder. “Come, we have much to catch up on, little brother.” They left the hall together all smiles, and the room was abuzz with their wondrous feats.