Chapter Sixteen - Friends and Enemies
TINY EYES SQUINTED as they surveyed the room and then closed again in sleep.
"Shhh." I whispered as I rocked from side to side keeping the little bundle close to my body. Her small mouth opened and then closed again in a suckling movement. She was dreaming of her mother but Dahlia had to be examined by Bettery to make sure that the birth had run smoothly and so here Airmid was, in my arms. I felt a rush of love permeate my being, as much as if this petite infant resting in my arms were my own. Jestin leaned over my shoulder to inspect the baby. He gave an approving smile before moving off to talk to Idris who was waiting at the door of Bettery's home.
I watched as Idris waved his arms in exasperation and angrily pointed my way. Unbelievable! His first-born child had just made a dramatic appearance into the world on the floor of the Dragons Scales and instead of evident elation at her arrival; he stood in the doorway throwing a tantrum because I was holding his daughter.
I carefully passed Airmid to Balthus, who was sitting on Bettery's comfy sofa. He cooed and smiled at her and in return, she wrapped her miniature hand around his enormous thumb.
As soon as the news had filtered through to the Worlen camp that a baby had been born to the Worlen prince and Banshee queen, Balthus had rushed into the village, meeting us on the path toward Bettery's cottage. Balthus had mentioned upon his arrival that a couple of the more traditional Worlens' disagreed with such a union of cultures but he'd told them to mind their own business in not so many words. Up until that point, Jestin and I had carried the exhausted Dahlia up the path but Balthus had insisted we passed her to him and he supported her comfortably regardless of his heavy replacement limb.
Crone and Delpha climbed onto his massive arms to get a better look at the baby princess. I could have stayed and admired the picture of the four of them, despite her Banshee origins, the instantaneous way most of the Worlens' welcomed Airmid into their pack was touching to behold. She would need all the protection she could get in this harsh world.
The sound of Idris and Jestin's increasingly heated discussion broke my musings. I crossed the room with Airmid's baby smell still clinging to my clothes like a soft perfume.
"What's wrong?" I asked as calmly as I could.
"You shouldn't be holding my baby." Idris sneered.
"Why am I not good enough?" I asked annoyed.
"Violet, that is not what Idris means." Jestin defended his brother. I couldn't believe it, had Jestin completely forgotten all about the real Idris during his time in wolf-form?
"So what does he mean then? Because, just so he knows, I would do anything to protect that little girl, anything." I said truthfully.
"Well then perhaps you should remember that you haven't yet mastered unspoken magic. I have overheard conversations you have had with the wizard. Your hands are dangerous at the moment, especially for Airmid. What if a spell shot from them whilst you were holding her?" The worry in Idris's voice was evident. My mouth opened slightly and then closed again. I had nothing to say. He had no right to eavesdrop but he was right, I could accidentally harm Airmid and I hadn't even thought about it.
"That isn't fair Idris; you know Violet would never harm a hair on Airmid's head." Jestin leapt to my defence.
"No, he's right." I stepped in. "I should have thought before I picked Airmid up." I stated quietly. "I'm sorry." I apologised to Idris. "You should go in there and hold her yourself."
"I would love nothing more than to go in that room and hold my daughter but Balthus has made it very clear that I am not welcome in this household. He still blames me for what he thinks was my part in the death of my mother." Idris stated.
"What do you mean your part?" Jestin asked bemused, the edge to his voice made me uneasy. The ever-strengthening breeze pushed the heads of the pansies that ran parallel to the cobbled path in our direction so they looked as if they were observing the conversation. Judging, or perhaps waiting for the inevitable lies about to spew from Idris's mouth.
"I collaborated with father, I didn't know the full extent of what he wanted to do but I assisted him." Idris was surprisingly honest with Jestin.
"You villain, you treacherous fool." Jestin spat at his brother in disgust. Idris nodded his head rather than speak a reply. I suspect that he knew as well as anyone the implications of his own decisions. I began to feel a prang of sympathy for the spider prince, after-all my actions had had similar consequences.
"Our young brothers are motherless, we are motherless and here you stand in your egocentric arrogance when you should be clawing at the gate to get at the woman that took her from us." Jestin's voice was quiet but threatening.
"And look how well that turned out for you brother, I have demonstrated my worth to the cause by retrieving the Moonstone Scythe." Idris argued defiantly.
"This is not the time or the place." I pointed out to the both of them.
"Astonishingly, I actually agree with her." Idris said icily. Jestin replied with a heated glare.
"Come Jestin, you haven't been to visit your brothers yet. They're sharing Balthus's cabin in Blossomwood, I bet they would be glad to see you." I urged.
"Fine." Jestin spat on the floor and then raised his gaze to meet his older brothers, he stood so close that their noses were almost touching. The obvious warning seemed to shake Idris who took a backward step into the cottage in fear. It wasn't like Jestin to lose control of his emotions so easily, at least it wasn't like human Jestin anyway.
"Come." I grabbed his hand and tugged him gently off toward the cobbled path before a fight broke out.
As we neared the end of the path, the wind carried my name directly to my ears like a ghostly messenger.
"Violet, wait." It was not a ghost. Idris was calling me back. Confusion and suspicion flip-flopped in my mind. Jestin's eyes narrowed in clear distrust.
"It's ok." I reassured. "Go to your brothers, I'll meet you back at the cabin." He gave a quick nod before throwing Idris a warning glower that, even in the soft light of the moon, was full of deadly menace.
Idris's face was contemplative, his deep frown lines defined by the light of the thick candles within the house.
"What do you want?" I tried to keep my tone even but that was difficult for me when it came to Idris, Dahlia may have forgiven him for all the horrible things he had done to her but I wasn't about to.
"I simply wish to speak to you." The smug tone of his voice made me want to pin him to the outer wall of Bettery's home, not that I had any idea how I'd managed to perform that spell. Reign in your anger Violet, he only asked to talk.
"Speak away." I said, not expecting much from this particular conversation.
"In the course of the last conversation I had with Queen Evangelista she made it perfectly clear that I was not good enough for her child, not brave enough, strong enough, or true enough but she still imparted the whereabouts of the Scythe to me and do you know why that is?" He asked.
"I have no idea." I shrugged sardonically. He gave a slight smile that did not touch his eyes.
"Because after the rising of Agrona she was desperate and fearful and when people like Evangelista, who are used to feeling in control, feel desperation and fear, they react irrationally and with violence. Evangelista knew there was a very strong possibility she would not return from Forge Gate, she also knew I was not to be trusted. Yet, she trusted me to bring the Moonstone Scythe to Merrydian regardless."
"Why would anyone trust you? You must have manipulated her." It was a brutal thing for me to say but I was being honest.
"She trusted me because I told her the same thing I am about to tell you." He looked at me thoughtfully, I couldn't tell if I was being entrusted or manipulated. "I may have grown up with a demented tyrant as a father and perhaps that has encouraged my callous side. It is true that I am wedded to my position and possessions with much greater love than I am to my wife. However, the greatest gift I received was a lesson from my beloved mother; the knowledge t
hat to love your own children above all else is your most important duty in life. Your legacy counts for nothing if your children cannot believe in you." As he spoke, he looked into the room at the tiny squirming bundle in Balthus's arms who had begun to kick toward the sky and cry for her mother's milk.
"So when you delivered the Scythe to Merl's home, why didn't you admit that you were doing it for Airmid?" I asked, slightly astounded at the knowledge that there was something in the world that mattered more to Idris than Idris.
"I doubt you would have believed me, I doubt you believe me now. Yet every breath I take from her conception to my death has been and will remain to be for Airmid Deltrina, I do not want her to live in a world of fear and desperation." He sounded convincing but I still had my uncertainties about his explanation.
"Since you have been in Blossomdown your motives have been questioned plenty of times, you could have offered this explanation but you haven't until now." It wasn't a question, it was a factual statement as I attempted to figure Idris out.
"I would much rather that the whole world thought me a self-serving demon than to tear out my heart for everyone to behold." He stated.
"So why are you telling me?" Idris was the last person I would choose to confide in, I assumed the feeling would be more than mutual.
"Much the same as with Evangelista, I don't think you are going to live for long." He said coldly.
"I thought you didn't want Airmid to live in a world of fear and desperation? If I die, if Agrona takes my heart, then Falinn Galdur is only the beginning for the rest of you." I pointed out.
"I said I don't want Airmid Deltrina to live in a world of fear and desperation and I have delivered the Moonstone Scythe in the hope that Merrydian will be able to use it purposefully, I did not say that I believe you will escape the fate Agrona has in mind for you. And therein lies the difference between hope and expectation."
My mind was awash with confliction. Did we have a traitor in our mist once again? Was Idris hiding in plain sight? Or was he being truthful for once? It was a question that required an urgent answer. If Idris was a traitor then maybe he was trying to find a way to let Agrona into Blossomdown. She wouldn't be able to get through the barrier but maybe she could go under it. On the other hand, perhaps Idris thought that if he could get Merl or myself to trust him then we might unwittingly open a portal for him. It wouldn't be the first time he'd tampered with a portal for his own ends. The very thought of Agrona here in Blossomdown gave me the type of chills that penetrated into the very marrow of my bones. I shuddered as I pushed open the huge wrought-iron gate and pulled down the hood on my coat.
I didn't want to do this, the feelings of anger and betrayal were still raw but if I didn't go to Merl with my suspicions then I may not live long enough to regret my stubbornness.
"Open up." I demanded, not in the mood for any of Fizzlesnap's awkwardness.
"What's the password?" He yawned. I thought for a second.
"Ginger biscuit." I said confidently. The gargoyle eyed me in suspicion before swinging open with the door.
Elba stood before me in the doorway just about to exit, a huge pot of green soup in her hands.
"That smells foul." I observed.
"Doesn't it just, nettle and bramble toad soup apparently its Madge's favourite." She looked into the mixture with disgust. "Bettery has given me the task of delivering it to Madge, I'd better go before it gets cold." She said.
"Oh sorry." I stepped out of the way. Elba crossed the threshold before twisting the top half of her body to face me again.
"How is your wrist?" She asked.
"Better thanks." I smiled.
Merl sat in his usual seat gazing at nothing in particular, deep in thought by the looks of it. Bettery sat on the cushioned sofa thumbing through a small blue book. Neither of them realised I had entered the room because they were both so engrossed in their activities.
"Hm umm." I cleared my throat.
"Oh Violet deary, I didn't notice you there I didn't." Bettery smiled warmly at me before looking to Merl uncertainly. Merl looked my way and bowed his head in acknowledgement of my presence but didn't say anything. I guess it was his turn to feel betrayed.
"Could Agrona enter Blossomdown through a portal?" I asked. I reasoned that I might as well get straight to the point.
"It is a possibility." Merl nodded. "It is also something I have been considering myself for quite some time now."
"So what can we do about it?" I asked.
"There are three people in Blossomdown with the immediate ability to open a portal. One of them is you, the other is myself and as I do not think either of us have any intention of allowing Agrona into Blossomdown, I think we can sleep safely for the time being."
"What about Elba?" I asked surprised that Merl had neglected to mention the third person able to open a portal.
"What about her?" Merl retorted.
"What if she goes off on another Worlen rescue mission and accidentally allows Agrona passage to Falinn Galdur?" It seemed to me an obvious question.
"Elba no longer has the ability to open the portal to Forge Gate. I took away her blood key and closed the portal as soon as Jestin was found." His answer gave rise to a sense of anger within me. Merl had known where Jestin was, yet he allowed Elba to risk her life in her search for him just to keep up appearances. I wanted to rant but there were more pressing issues at hand.
"So who is the third?" I asked urgently.
"The third person is of no concern to you." He said stormily.
"So what, now I'm refusing to curse my soul for eternity you're going to freeze me out?" I asked angrily.
"That's not it deary it's not." Bettery came to Merl's defence, shaking her head from side to side to emphasise her point. She walked over to where I stood.
"So what is it then Bettery?" I asked exasperated.
"A bargain has been struck. I have given my word and I will not break it. There's a saying in Falinn Galdur - An owls head only turns once- It means that once you have seen a situation as it really is then there is no need to revisit it." Merl answered.
"I've never much liked that saying I haven't." Bettery raised a small chubby finger to the edge of her lips in thought. "I mean what if the owl missed something the first time around?" Merl rolled his eyes but I ceased on her point.
"Exactly, how can we know the whole of a situation if we aren't communicating? There's a saying in my old world; united we stand, divided we fall. Surely you have realised by now that withholding information doesn't help anybody?" Merl raised his eyebrows at my final point but didn't protest.
"We are not divided Violet you nincompoop. You are disappointed in me and I will admit for my part, I am a little disappointed in you but we are not nor will we ever be divided." I suppose I knew I had disappointed him but it still stung a little to hear the words come out of his mouth. "In any case I have closed all the portals that could serve as a way in after the business with Jestin. Only the gate remains open and that is with two Worlen sentinels and a Bobbin spotter on guard."
"That's not right." I said with sudden realisation.
"Yes it ruddy-well is." Merl's voice deepened with defensiveness.
"No it's not, there's a working portal in the cabin. It leads to my world, to the broken tower of an abandoned castle in the woods." I said. Merl's frowning mouth fell open and his blue eyes widened in realisation.
"Have you mentioned the portal to anybody?" He asked frantically.
"Not directly." I said as terror began to rise within me, my hands shook, little sparks of electricity jolted from them like sparklers on bonfire night, if Merl was worried then it was time to panic.
"What do you mean directly?"
"Well, Jestin and I discussed the portal in the Dragons Scales, I suppose anybody could have overheard. Merl, who has the blood key you took from Elba now?" I had a right to know, if Agrona was coming, if someone had the ability to let her through then I would be her first target. Merl did
n't answer, instead he turned to Bettery.
"Go to Balthus's cabin immediately. Do not stop for anything or anyone. Tell him that the snake is striking. He will know what that means. Hurry Bettery and be safe." He urged.
"I will." Bettery promised before pulling a small yellow cloak over her shoulders and rushing off into the uncertain night.
"Merl, what is going on? Who is the person with the blood key?" I began to ring my hands around one another to try to stop the crackling of the sparks. Merl looked directly into my eyes. His own eyes were deep blue oceans, calm and still before a storm.
"Idris has the blood key. It was given to him as a reward for delivering the Scythe." My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. Idris had fooled us all again. He had agreed to be tamed because with Agrona on his side he wouldn't need the ability to transform. He hadn't run through the Bobbin barrier after Jestin because he knew that if he did, being an enemy to the Bobbins, he wouldn't be able to pass back through and that would have exposed him before the time was right, before he could figure out a way to let Agrona in.
The room became awash with crackles, bangs, fizzles and pops as if someone had set alight a box of fireworks. Colours, lights and sounds but only for seconds and then they were gone. As the smoke began to clear I realised they had come from me.
"VIOLET YOU NINCOMPOOP NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" Merl roared from behind his scorched chair. Ambrose quickly unfurled and swooped sideways out of the doorway in search of a safer place to sleep.
"I'm sorry." I whispered as my shaking hands stung with burns. He gave me a disapproving look.
"Come, we must go to the cabin and seal the portal."
No sooner had we cleared the thistle bushes than Merl broke off into a hobbled run. I followed, seeing the same as Merl had, that the cabin door swung open, hanging partially from a single rusted hinge.
Inside, Madge lay twisted across her daybed, distorted into directions that someone of her age and stature shouldn't be able to turn in. One arm was pulled uncomfortably over her head in a backward direction whilst the other ran a line across her chest. One of her thin aged legs was bent backward at the knee and ran underneath her, the other skewed off to the left with her knee twisted at a strange angle. Holding her in position were threads, like the threads of a spiders web only thicker and longer. Her mouth, wide open in a silent scream was covered with the strange webbing. The same webbing ran through her hair making it stand straight as if she had had a terrible electric shock. Her eyes were open and darting around the room in a look of pure terror before resting with desperation on Merl.
"Oh Madge." My heart sunk. I went to touch her arm, it was a natural reflex but Merl stopped me.
"No Violet. This is Spinners webbing it is not to be trifled with. Now, do you have any honey in the cabin." He asked, not breaking eye contact with the distraught Madge.
"Yes, I have some stashed under my bed that Bettery gave me for a cough a while back." I answered hurriedly, detecting the urgency in his voice.
"Good, collect it please. I am going to need it."
I rushed into my room, tripping over something heavy on the way in, it was difficult to see by the light of the moon especially when that light came in through such a small window.
"Eardom." I made the required tulip movement with my hand. The room lit up with soft yellow light emitting from my palm. It still stung a little from the panicked spell that had just escaped me in Merl's living room but I had to focus on the task in hand. I dropped to my chest and rolled the small glass jar of golden-yellow liquid that sat under my bed toward me.
"Hurry Violet. Whomever or whatever did this to Madge is currently on the loose in Blossomdown and we must find them." I heard Merl appeal from the sitting room.
"I'm coming. I've got the honey." I called, pulling myself to my feet.
The first thing I noticed were the dead eyes that lay before me just before the door. Elba's dead eyes, her mouth slightly parted and a solitary trickle of blood ran from it. An outstretched hand reached toward the bookshelf. Her skin was white, almost translucent, as if she were a ghost.
I stumbled backward in horror. My heart pumped, I could feel cold sweat gathering on the precipice of every pour making my body shiver involuntarily.
"Violet!" Merl bellowed from the living room. The unsuspecting living room where I had been mere moments before and Elba was alive, here in the bedroom, with its salty smell of death, I knew different. A primal instinct somewhere deep within told me to run, to flee to the farthest place I could imagine from where Elba's lifeless body now lay on the floor.
"I'm sorry. I promise I'll come back for you." It came out in a strangled whisper. My throat was constricted with horror but it didn't matter, Elba couldn't hear me anyway. I knew it was too late to help her but I didn't want to abandon her completely and that promise was the only thing I had to offer Elba now. I swallowed down a hard lump in my throat. Then I stepped over her gently and rushed back into the living room.
"You took your ruddy time." Merl said angrily as he poured the honey into a green coloured mixture he had created using Madge's array of potions that she thought she kept hidden under her bed. I opened my mouth to speak and then closed it again. I was too shocked to find words, too shocked to move, too shocked to think. Instead, I went into autopilot as I began assisting Merl with applying the mixture to the bonds that held Madge fast. The speed with which the potion dissolved the thick, stringy webbing was remarkable. As Madge's body became free from the tight bonds, she took in a deep guttural breath and then began to cough wildly.
"Madge are you okay?" I cleared my throat and steadied my voice as I rubbed the middle of her back gently. It was a silly question, the kind of question that is more of a reflex than a query.
"What did this Madge?" Merl asked a more sensible question and one he seemed to fear he already had the answer to.
"It was her." Madge managed to force the words out despite an attack of sporadic coughs. "It was Agrona."
Everything ceased. The owl that sat in the tree above the cabin no longer hooted. The fox that foraged in the brushes hid low against the ground and stayed there perfectly still. The woodlouse that scurried underfoot stayed motionless, pretending to be an insignificant speck on the ground to avoid detection. I felt as if the moon itself had fallen from the sky and crashed into the earth bringing with it a frozen mist that enveloped Blossomdown. The mist was poison, deadly murderous mist seeping into the pours of every living being it touched. She was here and I felt it before I had entered the cabin, yet I wasn't willing to acknowledge it.
"I will require the Moonstone Scythe, Violet you must flee and then find somewhere safe to hide, take Madge to Blossom Wood and run north." Merl's voice had an air of panic yet his face held a familiar stoicism.
"I need to find Herborg, he ran off when the witch walked in. I'm not going anywhere without Herborg." Madge said stubbornly. I noticed that she hadn't mentioned Elba. Obviously, Madge couldn't know that Elba was dead yet, it wasn't like her to be completely unconcerned, Agrona came through the portal and Madge must have known that Ebla was in the bedroom but, being constricted in the web had clearly traumatised her and now all she could focus on was Herborg's safety. I tore my eyes away from the withered dragon woman.
"I'm going with you." The words fell from my lips with an unexpected calm. Inwardly I was terrified but I wasn't about to run, not when I had the capacity to help. Merl began to shake his head in disagreement, so I continued. "Tell me Merl, where can I run to where she can't catch me, where can I hide where she can't find me? The safest place for me to be is at your side, you must know that." I pleaded.
"Violet, trying to protect you might very well distract me. I cannot risk your life and as a consequence, the lives of all inhabitants of Falinn Galdur." I knew his concern was coming from a place of love but his words stung.
"I'm not the same na?ve girl that stumbled through the portal. I can help you. I want to trust you again, I can't stand this tension bet
ween us, but for me to trust you, I need you to trust me. Trust me that I can do this with you, without the spell to make me stronger. Trust me that I can survive. Let me help you. Remember, together we can bring some light."
Merl thought for a moment before nodding quite reluctantly.
"Come, we have a witch to find."
The light from the stars twinkled reflections on the blade of the Scythe, it was both enchanting and disconcerting as we made our way through the otherwise dark, narrow, winding streets of Blossomdown. Our footsteps echoed on the cobbled paths of the deserted lanes, lanes that were usually full of merry Bobbins stumbling home from the Dragons Scales by now. It was as if the Bobbins knew there was something amiss in Blossomdown tonight. Every time the wind blew a wooden street sign or caused a garden gate to crash against its post I jumped with nerves. Every noise made my heart skip a beat as if it might be its last. Although, as far as I could tell no-one was around, I couldn't shake the itching paranoia that there was someone following us.
"Where are we going?" I asked, daring to take a backward glance.
"To the beach, she will be at the beach." Merl answered confidently.
"How can you know that?" I questioned, acutely aware that the price of us heading in the wrong direction might very well be someone else's life.
"Because that is where they used to play. That is undoubtedly where she will be." Merl answered, holding his head high with determination and staring ahead at the dirt path before us that led to the beach. I opened my mouth to question but then closed it again at the thudding sound of many different feet pounding into the ground behind us. Gnarls! Oh no, not them too. Agrona struck fear into the hearts of even the bravest of beings and with good reason, I had felt her icy touch of despair, the death and decay within her soul but Gnarls were terrifying for a whole other reason. Gnarls scared me because of how devoted they were to Agrona, they would literally do anything and everything for her. That made them disturbing in their own right.
I felt my sore hands begin to shake, my eyes nervously searched the dark for a group of cloaked figures, but before I could accidently release any unspoken magic and give our position away, Merl whipped around, pulling me behind him in one swift movement that defied his advanced age. A collection of shadows moved through the village, a whole group of them approaching upon our position on the path but they were not Gnarls, as I had first feared. The sound of deep sobbing filled the air and grew louder as the group approached. Funny, how you can identify someone from the sound of his or her cries. These cries signalled a deep, deep distress I'd never heard in this voice before. Yet nevertheless, it was a voice I knew well, the sobs were coming from Dahlia and as she drew in a jagged breath and desperately screamed out the name of her daughter as if she were pleading with the night itself.
"What is wrong child?" Merl asked sympathetically as we emerged from the shelter of the darkness to see, Jestin, Rosamaylind, Bettery and Bugul followed by Dahlia, supported by Balthus she faltered beside him. She didn't answer the question. Instead, she gazed at Merl with a glazed look in her eyes. It was as if she were seeing straight through him. Open mouthed she turned to me, the same empty look of horror in her eyes only this time a solitary tear fell onto her cheek and tumbled toward the ground. Jestin strode over to where I stood and placed his warm hand on my shoulder.
"It's Airmid. Something took Airmid, we've tracked it to this point so far but the trail continues." He said pointing along the path to the beach.
"Like a shadow it was. Just swept in and scooped her up it did." Bettery's usually ruddy face was ashen.
"Right out of my arms. She was there and then she was gone. It took her from me as if I had the strength of a Shellycoat." Balthus said, the shock was evident in his trembling voice.
"Where's Idris?" I asked. It might seem like a question out of context to anyone but myself and Merl at the moment but if he was loose somewhere in the village, he could hurt someone or worse.
"We don't know we don't." Bettery shrugged defeated. "Well he followed the shadow he did. Of like a shot he was."
"I bet he was." I murmured, the traitor, it wouldn't surprise me if he had planned this all along, I mean, how convenient for him to lose the main bond he has to a woman he despises. When we found him, provided I survived, I intended to hurt him.
"Come, the longer we stand about talking, the greater the peril to the infant." Merl didn't need to say anymore, a moan of anguish escaped from Dahlia's lips, every being in our group turned to face the path, a collective spirit of determined stoicism held us together like glue as we headed into the unknown darkness of the night.