CHAPTER 7
TALISMAN
The ride to the castle in the slow-moving buckboard seemed to take forever. Even the elves, who never rushed about unless it was a dire emergency, seemed to be impatient to get back to the castle. Their horses could sense the anxiousness in their riders and they chomped at the bits, eager to gallop across the rolling green hills that stretched out before them. It was late evening when the Twilight finally came into view. They could see the sunlight glistening on the river as it entered the mysterious dark forest. Above the trees, the towers and spires of Castle Twilight rose gracefully into an evening sky that was just beginning to turn red on the western horizon.
“Oh, I do hope Ben is here,” said Louise, wringing her hands.
“I’m sure he is,” Amos assured her.
“What about Hob, Gob, and Nob?” Casey asked. “Have they had enough time to make it here by boat?”
“Absolutely,” Amos replied. “They had already left when I made it to the lake and I could not spot their boat anywhere on the water. That means they had already hit the river before we had even hitched Old Dan back up to the wagon. They are probably eating the poor elves out of house and home as we speak.”
Casey smiled at Amos’s jest, but could not muster a laugh. She knew he was just trying to cheer her up and reassure her that everything was okay, but it seemed like every time they came to Camelot something bad happened. She felt like she hadn’t had the opportunity to visit at all and already she wanted to go home. She fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. Marcus had given her this as a gift and every one of the little charms did something unique. However, the only one she knew about was the tiny arrow. It was supposed to always point toward the Twilight. Curious, she held her arm up and rotated the bracelet until the little arrow was dangling below her wrist. The tiny arrow began to turn in a circle, like a compass needle that cannot find north. It pointed left and then right. It made a couple of slow circles and then suddenly snapped around and pointed straight toward the forest ahead of them. Casey moved her arm and as she moved it the arrow turned, continuing to point toward the forest. She looked at the other charms. If only Marcus would have told her what they did. Maybe there was one on here that could help them? Garrick called out to them from up ahead and interrupted her thoughts.
“Roland and I will ride on ahead and let everyone know you are here. The trees will let you pass and will guide you to the entrance.” Amos nodded. The two elves gave rein to their horses and sped away toward the wooded area.
When the wagon rolled up to the edge of the woods, the Faerie Oaks raised their limbs and pulled back their roots, revealing a sandy road that wound its way through the forest. Amos clucked to Old Dan and everyone watched in fascination as the wagon entered the forest. Ahead of them, the trees were moving; slowly, methodically, almost hypnotically. The limbs were pulled back, raised up, and lowered to guide them along, while behind them the limbs and roots snapped back into place to conceal the road and bar the pathway to intruders and unwelcomed guests. The trees led them unerringly to the castle’s east entrance. The gates were open and Roland was there waiting for them.
“Where’s Ben?” Louise cried. She didn’t see him anywhere and a lump of fear began to rise in her throat. Amos drove the wagon into the courtyard a pulled back on the reins as Roland walked up to help them down. “Where’s Ben?” Louise cried again. “Is he here?”
“Yes, Ben is here,” Rowland replied. He is with Gabriel.”
“Is he okay?” asked Casey.
“He is fine. He and Gabriel are waiting for you now. Come, someone will attend to your horse and wagon.”
“What about the dwarves?” asked Amos.
“The dwarves have not yet arrived. We’ve sent riders and boats up the river to see if we can discover what has delayed them. If our scouts have to make the trip all the way to Long Lake, they will not return to the Twilight until tomorrow morning.”
“Something has gone wrong,” said Amos. “They’ve had plenty of time to get here. Where is Garrick?”
“Garrick has returned to Faerie. We have elves stationed near the lodge below Mount Gazafar. They received a message from Marcus earlier and Garrick has gone back to let him know that Ben is here in Camelot. We will meet them at the lodge, once our plans are finalized.”
They followed Rowland into the castle. The last time they were in the castle keep, they were celebrating Christmas with the elves. It was hard to believe that was only three months ago. Now, the hearths were bare and the great hall was empty and silent. Rowland led them to the Keeper’s study where they found Ben and Gabriel seated at a table and playing a game of chess.
“Ben!” Louise cried. “I have a half a mind to bend you over my knee and wail the living daylights out you young man! Come here and give me a hug, I’m so glad you are okay!”
Red faced, Ben stood while his grandma examined him and made a big fuss over him. He could feel his ears turning red too. Gabriel cleared away the chess set and invited them all to sit at the table. He spoke briefly to Rowland, who nodded and then hurried away. After Rowland was gone, Gabriel joined them at the table.
“It is good to see you, my friends, but I wish it were under different circumstances. Rowland has told you about Marcus, but it seems we have a couple of mysteries on our hands that we must attend to first. The first mystery is what has become of our good dwarves? Apparently, they should have been here by now and, as much as I am worried for their safety, I am sad to say there is nothing we can do until our scouts get back with their report. Until then, let’s look into the matter of the second mystery; Merlin’s staff. It seems that Ben here was able to open a pathway with the staff.”
“Wasn’t that the enchantment that Marcus placed on it?” asked Louise.
“Not at all. The enchantment Marcus used was quite different. Pathways require a magic beyond a simple spell, although the spell that Marcus used was anything but simple. No, without the aid of a powerful talisman, such as a unicorn horn, pathways are beyond our spell casting abilities.”
“Is the staff a magical talisman?” asked Ben.
“Perhaps,” Gabriel answered, “but I do not think Marcus would cast such a spell without telling anyone about it.”
“He wouldn’t tell me anything about the other charms on my bracelet,” said Casey.
“You are correct,” the elf conceded. “Marcus often has needed to conceal things that he has foreseen, so that he does not influence the paths that people choose and thereby create less desirable outcomes than lady fate has already designed.” Gabriel turned to Ben and laid his hand upon his shoulder. “Tell me everything that happened before the portal opened. Tell me everything you did and everything you said. Do not leave out anything, no matter how trivial it may seem to you.”
Ben recounted the events leading up to the discovery of the open portal several times. With input from the others, he eventually constructed a story that everyone agreed upon, but there was nothing remarkable or out of the ordinary that should have triggered the portal to open.
“Let’s try something,” Gabriel suggested. The elf retrieved the staff from beside the door and handed it to Ben.
“What do you want me to do?” Ben asked, sliding his chair back and rising to his feet. Louise rose also and moved over to stand beside him. She loved the elves and she trusted them too. She knew they would never do anything to harm Ben, but she did not like all of the talk about prophecies and about Ben being the chosen one, whatever that meant.
“Speak the words; east gate.”
“That’s all?”
Gabriel nodded.
Ben shrugged. “East gate,” he said. Nothing happened.
“Now,” said Gabriel, “concentrate on the east gate. Picture it in your mind and speak the words like a command. Say the words as if speaking them would take you there.”
Ben closed his eyes and concentrated on the east gate of the
castle. He pictured the gates in his mind and wished with all of his might to go there. He tightened his grip on the staff and spoke again, “east gate.”
“Look!” Casey cried. Louise gasped and Ben slowly opened his eyes. In the corner of the room, hovering a few inches over the floor was a large black hole. It was a portal. A wizard’s pathway and he had summoned it, just as he had done earlier today when they were traveling to the dwarves’ cabin.
“Do you think it goes to the gate?” Ben asked.
“I believe it does, but there is only one way to find out. We need to…”
“Gabriel,” Louise interrupted, “Ben is not going in there.”
“Yes I am, Grandma. I’ll be okay. If I can use the staff to open pathways, this will be an incredible advantage for the elves. We can use it to rescue Marcus.”
“He’s right, Louise,” said Amos. “I’ll go through the pathway with him.”
“Why don’t you just run outside and see if another portal is open near the gate,” Casey suggested. “It would only take a moment.”
Gabriel banged his palm against his forehead. “Good heavens, why didn’t I think of that?” he exclaimed. He called over his shoulder, as he darted out into the hallway, “Thank you Casey, I’ll be right back.”
The elf was gone for scarcely a minute before he burst back into the study. “It’s there; right beside the gate!”
“Come on,” said Amos, “I’ll go through first. Louise and Casey, you go with Gabriel and meet us at the other end.”
Gabriel raced out the door with Louise and Casey right behind him.
“Are you ready?” Amos asked Ben.
“Let’s go,” Ben replied. Amos nodded and disappeared into the dark hole. Once inside, he could see though the opening near the castle gate and he could even see Louise, Casey, and Gabriel waiting anxiously for them to come through. As soon as Ben entered, Amos grabbed him by the hand and practically dragged him across the dark expanse. When they stepped out into the courtyard, the black hole winked shut.
“This is amazing,” Gabriel marveled. “We must get word to Garrick and then to Marcus. If we use this wisely, it may just give us the edge we need to defeat Bellator.”
At that time, two riders came thundering through the gates, the great horses narrowly missing them as they sped by. Gabriel called out to the riders and they pulled back hard on the reins. One of them leapt from his horse and raced toward the south gate tower, while the other one wheeled his horse around and rode back to speak to Gabriel. These riders were Mandril and Avery; two scouts he had sent out to find the dwarves. Their horses had been ridden hard and were in a lather. They were back much sooner than expected too and Gabriel feared their news.
“Mandril, what have you discovered? What is going on?”
“The dwarves are coming down the river in their boat. Avery is going to the south tower to raise the portcullis, so that they may enter the courtyard.”
“Are they okay?” asked Amos. “What took them so long?”
“They are okay for now, but they are not together. Gob and Nob are the only ones on the boat.”
“Where is Hob?”
“Hob is still at Long Lake. You must hear their story firsthand.”
“Is he okay?” asked Gabriel.
“Yes, for now he is safe.”
Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief. He and Hob had become fast friends. They had accompanied Ben in his hunt for the witch and had been captured by Ringwald Stonebreaker when Zoltan, the black dragon from Crag, had forced them underground. They had shared many adventures together and he was extremely fond of the gruff and ill-tempered dwarf.
“Go to the kitchens and get the dwarves some refreshments,” said Gabriel. “Leave them in the Keeper’s study. They will be hungry, I’m sure.”
Mandril bowed and then sped off to the kitchens, while Gabriel made his way to the docks. The south gate entrance was open now and a black swan boat was just coming though. Following along behind the swan boat were Gob and Nob. They were riding in the elfin boat that Gabriel had given to them last summer. Both vessels glided over the water to the river’s edge and came to rest against the dock. Gabriel helped Gob and Nob out of their boat and both dwarfs began talking at once. Gabriel couldn’t make out a word they were saying and neither one would hush to let the other speak. In just a few seconds, they were yanking on each other’s beard and kicking each other in the shins.
“HEY,” Ben yelled. “Stop it!”
The two dwarves froze at the sound of Ben’s voice.
“Ben!” said Gob. “Thank goodness you are okay! You gave us all quite a scare.”
“Yes,” Nob agreed. “So glad to see you are alright, but of course I knew you would be.”
“Listen,” said Ben, “we need to know what has happened to Hob. Rock, paper, scissors to see who gets to tell the story.”
Gob and Nob straightened themselves up and squared off with their fists out in front of them.
“Ready?” asked Gob.
“Ready,” said Nob.
“One, two, three,” Gob counted, as the two dwarves pumped their fists. Gob threw a rock and Nob threw a scissors.
“Drat!” said Nob. “You win, go ahead.”
Gob cleared his throat. “Hob is stranded on a tiny island in Long Lake. He is being held prisoner there by Arinya.”
“Who is Arinya?” asked Gabriel.
“Arinya is the water nymph that gave you and Hob passage across the lake in Kahzidar,” Nob blurted. Gob delivered a quick and well-aimed kick to his shin.
“I’m telling this story!”
“How did Arinya manage to get out of Kahzidar?” Gabriel asked. “Nymphs are bound to the water they inhabit. She should not have been able to leave there.” He did not like the sound of this. He remembered all too well the grisly ride in her boat of bones. He remembered the grinning skulls with the eerie green lights that shone from their empty sockets. Even worse, he remembered the screams of the terrified gnomes when Ringwald had them thrown in the lake.
“After Ringwald was overthrown and the dragon defeated, the gnomes drained the lake to open up the Black Hills section of the mines. Arinya somehow found her way to Long Lake and has taken up residence there.”
“That is ill news indeed,” said Gabriel. “And what of Hob? Is he well? What does she want with him?”
Gob glanced at Ben and swallowed the lump in his throat. “Let’s all go inside where we can sit down and talk.”
*****