Chapter Twenty Five
The Baroness fell to the ground by the Tree at the Clearing after the Travelling Stone transported her there. Matthew rushed to help her. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked as he pulled her up to a sitting position.
‘Yes, thanks to Hannah, I’m in the right place. Can you please get me some water?’ The Baroness asked. Matthew took out the leather flask Hannah had given him, filled it up in the stream, and gave some to her. He noticed it was getting light now.
‘Thank you,’ the Baroness said. She then moved closer to the stream herself and splashed some water on her face and hair. ‘I must look awful,’ she said, looking over at Matthew.
Matthew felt a little embarrassed. He could not lie – she did look pretty terrible – but he did not want to hurt her feelings.
‘It’s ok, Matthew. You don’t have to lie. But we have to act quickly. My brother’s soldiers will soon be here looking for us.’
‘What do I have to do?’ asked Matthew
‘First, you have to get the Spear out,’ said the Baroness. He did this and went to give it to her. ‘No,’ she said, ‘I don’t have the energy to hold it. But it is you who must hold it in any event. All I can do with my knowledge of magic is use it through you. Please point it at me, and no matter what happens, do not let go of it or point it away.’
‘Ok,’ said Matthew a little nervously. He was not sure what she was going to do.
‘You must do this willingly. Otherwise it will not work,’ she said. ‘I’m going to use the Spear’s power through you to recover myself with my energy which will be heightened in the Clearing.’ The Baroness then began to chant something in what Matthew thought was Latin, facing the Spear, while he was holding it. Then suddenly he could feel its power begin to manifest itself. His hands now felt glued to it as it trembled and began to glow. The Baroness began to shake like she was having a fit.
Matthew felt a little unsure about what he was doing and the power seemed to waver a little. But the Baroness in her strange state gave him what he thought was a look of encouragement to carry on, and so he continued to aim the Spear at her. The power then fully returned and suddenly almost became too much for him.
Then the Baroness stopped chanting and fell to the ground. The glow stopped. Matthew let go and went over to her. He touched her face. ‘Are you ok?’ he asked concerned. But he could now see that she looked different. All the colour had returned to her cheeks and her body looked more full.
She opened her eyes and then suddenly sprang up on her feet. ‘I feel FINE!’ she shouted as though she were reborn. She jumped and skipped around him and Matthew felt good that she was so healthy again and happy. Matthew also felt better at now knowing more about the power of the Spear and his role in its use. ‘I had thought that the Spear was only a weapon of war, from what I’d read about it,’ he said.
‘It will do whatever I want it to and whatever you allow me to do,’ she said. ‘But I can only use it for what is in my nature. If, for instance, I tried to destroy something it probably wouldn’t work because this is not something I truly want to do. But my brother he is different. With it and you willingly helping him, he could do much damage and destruction to the Land.’
‘But your brother already has some powerful magic. We saw some of it at the Castle a short while ago,’ said Matthew
‘Yes, but the Spear has limitless power. My brother cannot take over the Land with only the magic he has now,’ she said.
‘Ok,’ said Matthew ‘So what do we do now? Your brother has Hannah and the others and your father. How can we use the Spear to free them and end your brother’s rule?’
‘I don’t know exactly yet. But I think we should return to the Castle and see what’s happening,’ she said.
‘The Castle. But that is exactly what the Baron wants isn’t it?’ asked Matthew
‘Perhaps, though if you and I work together like we did just now, then not even my brother and all his soldiers can hurt us,’ replied the Baroness.
‘Ok,’ said Matthew, thinking he could not fault her reasoning, and they left, after he had gathered up the Travelling stones. The morning was now much brighter and it was getting quite warm. This forested Land really was beautiful, he thought, as they walked over the bridge to the path. Matthew remembered the fight with the two soldiers yesterday, as they did so. Presumably, with the Baroness and the Spear he would not have the same problems again.
After about 15 minutes, Matthew spotted the path in the forest that would get them to the crossroads quicker. They took it and on the way he told her all that had happened to him from the time he first visited the Kunsthistorisches. ‘I’m glad my message seemed to get through to you,’ she said.
‘But how did you know when I would enter the Clearing from my world?’ Matthew asked.
‘I didn’t. When my brother first set the enticing spell at the Clearing, I could feel what he was up to – he had used a lot of magic, which resonated throughout the Castle - and I used what energy I had at the time to include an image of myself and then the galloping horses to warn whoever was enticed by the spell,’ replied the Baroness.
‘Thanks for that,’ said Matthew ‘It did make me more cautious when I came to your Land.’
‘I’m only sorry that I caused the problem in my Land in the first place,’ the Baroness said.
‘What you mean bringing your brother back?’ asked Matthew
‘Exactly,’ she said. ‘My father exiled him over five years ago after my brother had refused to stop using magic in bad ways. He caught him doing something to one of the servants and finally had had enough. My brother was always interested in using magic to gain power over people and things.
But I thought my father had made a mistake and that the best way of changing my brother was through love. I managed to communicate with him using magic in the three years he was away. But I now realise my brother was just playing along with me until he had the power to return and take over the Castle.
He suddenly returned one night with Eustace and some other soldiers. But he had changed and was now a monster. He was dressed like a monk and I couldn’t even see his face,’ she said. Matthew remembered the meeting with the Baron with a little shudder.
The Baroness continued ‘Then he used some of his magic on me and my father and the next thing I remember is waking up in the room where you found me last night. As much as I screamed for help, no one came. My health gradually deteriorated on the meagre food they gave me. If you had not rescued me then I would probably have died soon.
But tell me, what do you know of my father?’ she finally asked.
‘Not much really,’ said Matthew, who did not want to tell her everything he knew but then he felt he had to. ‘Curt did say that there was some blood outside your family quarters in the Castle, just before he was dismissed from service. We obviously didn’t find him in the Castle when we were looking for you. But you are alive, and so it is possible he is,’ Matthew finished.
‘I hope you’re right, but I cannot seem to communicate with him in my mind,’ said the Baroness.
‘Well, you certainly don’t look bad anymore,’ Matthew said to cheer her up but meaning it. The Baroness must be at least 25, he thought, with a petite body and pretty face. The Spear even repaired her dress, which had been filthy and in much disrepair.
‘Thank you for that, Matthew. But I now have to put right my mistake that has caused my people so much trouble. Come on, the sooner we can free my people the better,’ she said