Chapter Three - Report from Forge Gate
NOT ONE OF us spoke a single word as we headed away from Madge's desolate hut and back toward Blossomdown. Bettery eyed the piece of tatty paper angrily as if it were some kind of death warrant. It was obvious she felt that, by taking the scribbled incantation from Madge's hands, I had just doomed myself. I suppose I had. But it wasn't through some misguided bravery. It was because of my selfish need to fix what I had broken. If I could right my wrongs then by any means possible, I would. I would do anything to chase away the horrible feelings of guilt.
Merl was also quiet. No doubt, he was contemplating the events of the day. Madge, for all her eccentricities had proven a worthy match for him. I wondered if they had been so volatile towards one another whilst Merryweather was alive. It was classic mother-in-law syndrome. I chuckled to myself at the thought of two of the world's most powerful sorcerers, bickering like children. This prompted a disapproving look from Bettery. She was angry with me now, thinking I was taking the proposition of losing part of my soul too lightly. Maybe I was, people always told me that I had an old-head on my shoulders but underneath all my outward maturity was just a scared, na?ve and reckless teenage girl.
Balthus, who had several offers of a private back massage from Madge before he finally managed to get away, was a few steady paces in front. He practically ran the first mile over the moors and away from the hut, tripping as he went. Madge asked him to visit again soon. Somehow, I got the feeling he was not planning to.
As we passed through Blossomdown village, the usual hissing and booing from the angry Bobbins and Worlen refugees was my greeting. There wasn't much use in trying to disguise myself when I travelled with Merl because everyone knew by now that I was his heir. Bettery grasped my hand tightly as passed the jeering mob. It was a small show of support but it lifted me enough to face my critics with my head held high.
Burzel, the Bobbin I'd accidentally frightened so much he'd ran into a door, was part of the gathering crowd. He picked up an apple from the village fruit cart and launched it at my head, with all the might his small arms could muster. I braced for the impact on the left side of my face, placing my hand defensively at the side of my head, but it did not come. I surveyed the astounded faces of the Bobbin crowd as Merl levitated the apple mid-air, his face incandescent with rage. I was positive that he was going to do something violent with the levitating apple. The look of anger on his aged face was intense as he looked from the apple to Burzel and back again.
"Please, Merl just forget it." I implored.
"I will not ruddy well just forget it." Merl exploded. He was not addressing me, rather he was shouting into the crowd. "As you all seem so assured that Violet and Violet alone, is responsible for Agrona's rising, then do tell me, where was Violet the first time we met with Agrona?" He surveyed the faces of the astounded crowd as if looking for an answer. "Violet is a nincompoop, Violet should not have gone to the chamber that night but she is not solely responsible for what took place. I am equally as accountable, which imbecile would like to attempt to throw some ruddy fruit at me?"
Not a single person in the crowd took Merl up on his offer. Instead, they shuffled around uncomfortably, some looking awkwardly into the sky in order to avoid his indignant gaze. "I thought not." He bellowed.
Just as Merl finished his sentence, a tiny red apple flew over the heads of the rest of the crowd and landed directly at his feet. The suspense that filled the air was palpable, as all faces looked to one-another, trying to identify the culprit. No one moved an inch as a giggling stranger made their way through the parting crowd. The stranger was of small stature with buckled leather boots and a long red cloak covering the rest of their body. The strangers face, obscured from immediate recognition, by the hood of the cloak. I held my breath in anticipation.
Merl stood motionless for a few moments before his angry frown began to dissipate, replaced by a smile of recognition. The stranger stopped just yards from Merl and bent to pick up the apple. As they rose from the ground, the stranger's hood fell to their shoulders. A slightly bruised yet smiling Elba bit into the tiny red apple.
"Sorry, my aim is slighty off." She laughed.
Balthus was beside himself with relief and happiness at seeing his daughter alive. It had been difficult for him over the past few weeks, worrying that both his son and daughter may be dead. At least Elba was safe. It renewed my hope that maybe Jestin was alive. I was determined I was going to search for him at some point either with or without Merl's blessing. However, at the moment, I had to focus on the spell and getting word to Bugul that his daughter was alive, somewhere in Galdur Wood. I decided to deal with the easiest first.
Ambrose the huge bat hung tightly curled, latching onto the beams of Merl's sitting room ceiling.
"Ambrose." I whispered. If he was asleep, I would leave him be and ask him another time. He gave a small shuffle, indicating that he was awake. "Ambrose, can you deliver a message to Thistlewick Forest for me?" It was asking a lot of Ambrose to venture into that horrible place, I wouldn't have burdened him if I had the opportunity to go myself but I had to get on with finding the objects for the spell. Ambrose unfurled, his giant brown wings creating a breeze as they unravelled. He came over to me and nuzzled his large head into the palm of my hand. It felt mean of me that the only payment I could offer him was the few berries I'd collected from the garden. He happily accepted them, chewing them eagerly before licking his snout clean. When he'd finished, he stuck out his thin leg and I carefully attached a scribbled note, addressed to Bugul, to the bottom of his ankle. It was not a long note, it simply read,
'Bugul, I think your child is alive! Search Galdur Wood. Violet.'
Ambrose spread his gigantic wings, throwing most of the sitting room into shade in the process. Stooping out of the largest window and disappearing into the sky, I watched his majestic flight until he faded into a small dot in the blue sky. It was strange to witness a bat flying in the daytime but Ambrose was not a typical bat to say the least. I would make him a fruit basket every day for a month when he returned. Having completed my first task I set out to find Elba.
Elba had been smiling all the way back to Merl's home but the bruises on her face looked awful. Despite his obvious relief, I know Balthus noticed them the most, I watched him assessing the severity of the largest ones when he thought she wasn't looking. In those moments, he looked pained although he was careful not to show it when Elba actually looked at him. I could understand the guilt he felt, even though I don't think anyone blamed him for not recklessly rushing into Forge Gate. I knew Balthus well enough by now to understand that he felt responsible for anything that happened to her, anything he felt he could no longer protect her from.
I found Elba, sat at the dark oak kitchen table devouring a meal of pheasant and fried mushrooms. I was not in the least surprised at her hunger. She had certainly lost weight. She no longer had the same muscle volume and large clumps of her hair had fallen out, leaving bald patches where short, luscious brown locks once grew. I couldn't imagine what she suffered whilst she was a prisoner in Forge Gate. Balthus sat across from her, an uncertain smile took the place of his usual gigantic grin. I'm sure in his darkest moments Balthus feared he'd lost her for good. He hinted to me that he felt the same way about Jestin but precious few people were aware that he was Jestin's real father. I don't think Jestin knew, he simply thought of Balthus as an uncle who had acted more like a father to him over the years. Queen Deltrina could no longer tell her son the truth, having been so mercilessly slain on the night Agrona awoke. Another stab of guilt touched my heart, would Deltrina be dead now if it wasn't for me?
Merl followed me into the kitchen with Bettery close behind him. We all sat around the table, quietly waiting for Elba to finish off her meal. It didn't take her long and then she looked up, surveying our faces with confusion. Was she so hungry that she hadn't even noticed our arrival? It must have been worse than I thought at Forge Gate. I really hoped Jest
in wasn't a hostage there. He WAS still alive, I knew it. Merl was the first to speak.
"Elba my girl, I cannot begin to fathom the horrors you must have witnessed over the past few weeks." He began. Elba's eyes turned downwardly as she began to pick nervously at a knot in the wooden table. "As you are aware inside information, no matter how trivial, may be of vital importance in the fight against Agrona." He coaxed her gently. Elba's eyes rose from the table as she looked to Balthus. He gave a reassuring fatherly nod, whatever she had to say, he was ready to hear. She pushed her cleared plate away and wiped the leftover morsels from the meal off her lips with the back of her hand. Clearing her throat, she began her tale.
'Alstious should never have come along on our mission. It wasn't that he was old. I have no problem with older warriors, they are just as capable as the younger, inexperienced ones. The problem was that he was not focused. It was as if his task had little to do with freeing the enslaved Worlen people and a lot to do with keeping a close eye over me." She eyed Balthus accusingly. Balthus was the one gazing down at the table now. "He wasn't paying attention when the Gnarls attacked us near the border of Forge Gate. He was so wrapped up in my battle, that he didn't see the suffocating spell until it was too late. I had no choice but to jump in front of the enchantment the Gnarl shot at him. He would have never survived that spell. It nearly finished me off, I hope you will pardon me for being frank but I was the best fighter there. The spell constricted me so much that it took a lot from me. I no longer had the strength to fight and I just gave in.
When I awoke, I was shackled to the wall in a dungeon I did not recognise. The guard was a ratty Gnarl they called Sif. He was an evil little creature. He used to warm an iron rod, he kept as his constant companion, on a wide log fire he sat beside for most of the day. When it was red-hot, he would poke at the prisoners with it laughing moronically as he did. I hated him with more passion than I knew I was capable of mustering.
At either side of me were two Banshee scouts. One of them, her name was Lillith, was weak with suffering. The other Ffion, recounted in whispers about how they were sent by Queen Evangelista to observe and then report back to Thistlewick. Only instructed to go to the gate, no further, they were resting behind a huge boulder when captured. They had been there, shackled to that wall for two weeks before I joined them.
Months passed by and as the three of us grew weaker; Sif became more brutal in his torture of us. I had nearly lost all hope of ever escaping before my opportunity finally arose.
One day whilst taking a particularly nasty beating, I noticed that my wrists had become so thin that they could slip through the shackles holding them. Armed with this revelation, I waited patiently until Sif went to place his iron rod in the fire and then I slid loose. Driven more by animosity than the little strength I had left, I snuck behind the little rat and kicked him as hard as I could into the fire. In the moments I stood there, listening to him scream and watching him writhe in the flames, I knew that something dark was woken in me. I felt nothing but joy as I watched him suffer. I had become the same kind of monster as Sif."
Elba paused and looked toward Balthus, trying to measure his reaction to her last comment. He reached out toward her, trying to place his hand reassuringly over hers. She pulled her own hand away in response, leaving a devastated Balthus looking utterly rejected.
"After I watched Sif die, I went over to free Lillith and Ffion. Only Ffion responded to my touch. Lillith was dead. She must have died during the night and I hadn't even noticed. There was no time to mourn for her we had to escape. Fortunately, we stole out of the dungeon without any unwanted attention. If anyone had seen us, as emancipated as we were, I would not be here to tell you this tale. In the light of day, it became clear that the dungeon was built under an outbuilding near the bottom of the mountain. It was used to keep prisoners that the Gnarls didn't think Agrona needed bothering with. I am lucky that I did not meet Agrona during my time there. She would have killed me without question. I led Ffion to a small gap in the earth under the gate. I begged her to come with me to Blossomdown but she wouldn't. She said she needed to return to Thistlewick and report to Queen Evangelista. We trekked as far as Loch Du together and then spilt up. I do not know if she made it home."
Finished with her tale, Elba reclined wearily in her seat. Bettery went over to the large chimney and placed a kettle over the small fire burning in the chimney-half. A dejected looking Balthus walked over to the kitchen door, taking one last glance at Elba, he walked out muttering something about the Dragon's Scale on his way. Merl sat for a while, eyeing Elba reflectively before he too rose from his seat and left the room. I took the crumpled piece of paper with the enchantment on out of my pocket. I was about to unfold it when Bettery turned to me.
"Do you want a drink deary?" She smiled.
"No thank you." I smiled back tucking the paper back into my pocket not wanting to spoil Bettery's renewed happiness. In the same moment I tucked the piece of paper away, Elba lifted her head and looked toward me. her gaze seemed devoid of something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. She smiled uncertainly.
"I guess we messed up Violet."
"Yeah we did." I agreed.
"So what next?" She asked. I was about to answer but was interrupted by a call from Merl, beckoning me into the sitting room. Bettery was pouring Elba a cup of citrus smelling tea as I left the room.
Merl was once again perched in his purple velvet chair when I entered the room. He was stroking his beard, twisting the very ends between his fingers as he watched me sit on the battered wooden bench.
"Pack your possessions Violet, tonight you can sleep in another room." I opened my mouth to quip that I no longer had any possessions but Merl continued. "I am aware that you have become quite partial to the nursery, it is a truly beautiful room to inhabit. However, I feel that Elba will need the room to herself for now. She has been much affected by her experience in Forge Gate, more so than either you or I could truly comprehend. You can stay in the room next to my own. It will be comfortable enough for now."
"I'll go and get my things." I said turning to leave the room.
"One more thing Violet," Merl said, stopping me just before I left the room. "Do not impart any of the details of our mission to Elba. She has a fragile mind at the moment, she needn't be burden with it. We leave tomorrow to collect the waters of Roseworth, tell her and everyone else that we are going to search for Jestin, agreed?"
"Okay." I promised.
As I pushed open the heavy door to my new bedchamber, I began to regret agreeing to sleep in this new room. It was high up in the leaning spire making the floor uneven. Other than a bed and a small wardrobe engraved with the same interwoven bird pattern as the sitting room door, the room was bare. The bed was a simple wrought-iron single that had become orange with rust. I placed my small leather sack on it and tried the door of the wardrobe. It would not open no matter how much I pulled on the small wooden knob. Merl had put me in this room as a penance I know it. Seeing how horribly Elba had been treated reminded him of my stupid betrayal and this was my punishment. I sat on the bed sulking and mulling over our most recent conversation.
I could understand Merl not wanting Elba to come along on our mission to collect the items for the spell. She needed to stay here in Blossomdown and rest but why didn't he want her to know about the spell at all? There was more to this deceit than Merl wished to impart. I guessed he was afraid that if Elba was captured again, she might reveal the details of the spell under torture. I suppose the less people that knew about the spell, the better. Neither Bettery nor Balthus had uttered a word about Madge's revelation since our visit and Bettery seemed in much better spirits about the whole situation. She no longer glared at the small piece of paper when I took it out of my bag to review it at the table. Maybe seeing Elba and hearing about the torture she'd suffered, made Bettery realise that we had to do everything we could to stop Agrona.
I tucked my leather sack beneath the bed and lay d
own. A dust cloud erupted from the sheets, trust Merl to put me in a room that hadn't been used for centuries and not warn me to change the bed sheets. I opened the narrow window and shook them violently to air them out before going back to the bed and taking off the pillow to do the same. When I removed the pillow, there was a small silver ring with a yellow gemstone, shaped in the form of a heart. Picking it up I brought it closer to my face in order to read the small inscription, inside it read,
'To Mother, we made this from our hearts. G.B.P'
I placed the ring in my sack. I would give it to Merl in the morning.
After around half an hour admiring the fullness of the fluorescent silver moon, I had a long and deep sleep. That was before a loud and persistent banging roused me from my slumber. I quickly climbed out of bed and raced down the stairs, followed closely by Merl. As I thundered down them two at a time, something stopped me dead in my tracks. It was a smell that distracted me - an earthy wooden smell, a smell I knew well. Jestin! He was here, it must be him at the door. It was fortunate I was nearing the bottom of the staircase because Merl, who was tearing down the stairs behind me, did not have time to stop and careered directly into me, sending us both tumbling toward the door in a forward roll. The fact that I broke Merl's fall did not seem to make him any less angry as he bellowed at the top of his voice,
"Violet you ruddy nincompoop, get out of the way." I untangled myself from his spindly legs and took a step backwards. My heart did a full three hundred and sixty degree somersault as it pumped at a thousand beats per minute. Merl brushed off his crumpled bed robes and pulled open the door.
"What is the ruddy meaning of this." He roared.