Chapter Seven - Politics
WHEN WE FINALLY reached Queen Evangelista’s throne room, I was relieved to see that there was only space for one person left at the side of Merl and Bettery on the silver benches. They were assembled in a rectangle shape around the throne for maximum exposure. After the awkward silence of the walk there, I didn’t want to have to endure sitting so close to Jestin, the electric atmosphere between us was amplified by the new sense of awkwardness. Knowing that nothing could ever become of us was something I simply didn’t want to dwell on. Adjusting to this strange new world I had found myself in was enough of a strain for me at the moment. Dahlia it seemed didn’t have the same problem. She was sitting on the opposite side of the rectangle next to Prince Idris. They were perched on the Worlen bench, sitting remarkably close for two people who had only just met and worse, she was actually laughing at something he was whispering to her. I was so angry at myself for leaving them alone together. I should have realised that he would win her over somehow. It seemed the smiling spider had caught Dahlia in his sticky web. I didn’t know what he wanted with her but I had to try and protect her from him, especially after his own brother warned me about how dangerous he was. I had to tell her about his visit to my room after the meeting concluded, before he had the chance to manipulate her any further.
As the last of the assembly gathered, Jestin took a seat next to his brother and directly across from me. He was staring at me, his intense eyes pleading with me to understand and accept his decision. I smiled and looked away desperately wanting this meeting to be over as soon as possible. Rosamaylind and another blonde-haired female Banshee, who I didn’t recognise, were followed into the room by two bald-headed, muscular males and a silver-haired Bobbin woman. The Banshees, who were last to be seated, took their places on the bench facing Queen Evangelista. I noticed the queen swiftly glance towards the Worlen bench at her daughter, concern distorting her radiant features but not long enough for anyone other than myself to observe.
The ramble of the visitors turned to silence as the queen rose and took position in the middle of the room to address the assembly. Bettery delivered a short elbow blow to a snoring Merl’s ribs. The queen continued, politely ignoring Merl’s cursing at the rude awakening.
“I would like to begin by extending my thanks to all of the peoples who have travelled across the island in order to convene at this meeting, Prince Idris and General Jestin of Forge Gate. Huk and Darrik of the Selkies” the queen turned her attention from the Worlen bench towards the bald males. “And of course Mayor Wilmot of Blossomdown and the Bobbins.” The queen now regarded the silver-haired female Bobbin who smiled in return. “I have a matter of great urgency brought to my attention by my most trusted advisor and infallible seer Rosamaylind.” Rosamaylind nodded her head graciously at the queen’s acknowledgement of her. “She has recently experienced a series of alarming visions, an old enemy will return to our shores. With an heir currently on the island of Falinn Galdur, I felt I had no choice but to bring this worrying information to your attention.” The word ‘heir’ broke the silence and now the people on the benches were whispering amongst themselves and looking toward me. I remembered that the first time I met Jestin, he too had referred to me as an heir but in the confusion of his arrival, I forgot to ask Bettery what he meant. The queen continued as the room plunged back into a different, more serious kind of silence.
“This information is not to be shared with anyone outside of this room and everyone will drink from the enchanted chalice on their way out under the watch of my guards. The punishment for the impartation of the information that I am about to convey is instant death. Merrydian, who has kindly brewed the potion himself, suggested this. This may seem severe but due to the seriousness of the possible consequences, we believe it to be an unwelcome necessity.” The largest of the bald males rose from his seat pointing accusingly at Merl, his voice was strange, almost too low to be human
“Death, ha! You expect us to drink a poison potion because an heir is here on the island, death…death to protect your family. I WILL NOT!” The last words were an angry shout. Merl stood to face the irate male
“I’m rather afraid Huk you always have been and always will be of astoundingly subnormal intelligence. However, even a nincompoop such as yourself must recognise the obvious danger in allowing the knowledge of an heir on the island to be divulged willy ruddy nilly.” Merl was now the one becoming incensed, in an unexpected way there was an ominous quality about this seemingly fragile old wizard. Even the muscular male, who was at least twice the size and probably double the weight of Merl, sat back in his place. Queen Evangelista cut in before Merl could continue
“It is not merely the heir’s arrival that has caused the concern. I’m afraid the situation is much more serious.” Queen Evangelista took Rosamaylind’s hand and led her into the middle of the circle.
“Show them,” she directed to her sister. Rosamaylind took in a deep breath, filling her lungs, she reminded me of a little sparrow with her small frame and overly pronounced chest, and she slowly exhaled.
The air she respired was visible and twisting around the centre of the chamber. An unearthly whisper, entangled with the breath itself, followed the same path into the centre. I couldn’t decipher any words from within the sound but I was reminded of the forest when the poison had taken hold of my mind. It was as if Rosamaylind’s innermost thoughts had escaped and were now telling their story to the stunned witnesses in the chamber. The mist danced before us, twisting one way and then the other until it settled in the shape of a tall woman, accompanied on either side by two snarling Gnarls, crouched in animalistic positions at her feet. The woman was tall and young. Her tightly curled red hair tumbled over her shoulders reaching the small of her back. Her mouth was curved upwards into a smile but it didn’t touch her cool blue eyes which were blank and uncaring. Her dress was the darkest shade midnight black with the middle plunged all the way to her naval. The ends of the sleeves were huge oval shapes that covered her hands. The two Gnarls gripped the long train at the back of the dress like obedient yet feral children. Mayor Wilmot the silver-haired Bobbin, covered her eyes with her hands, she was trembling with fear. The mist continued to form the shape of the redheaded woman, who was now walking towards something, reaching out her hand in greeting. The pathetic Gnarls grovelling on the ground behind her.
All the faces in the throne room filled with a mixture of shock and repulsion at the image of the woman. All other than Jestin, whose calm demeanour stood out against the chaos. Mayor Wilmot was now screaming and the bald haired men shouting furiously at the image in a language I couldn’t understand. Bettery shuddered in her seat at my side. I grabbed her hand wanting to return to her the comfort she had shown to me since I had arrived. The breath began to swirl again shaping itself into the fingers of a new hand. All eyes now rested on Rosamaylind’s twisting breath as it shaped into the image of a male arm extending towards the wicked woman. Prince Idris stood and swiftly walked towards the centre of the chamber.
“THIS! This is exactly the reason why the Banshees should show Worlen warriors the courtesy of imparting the whereabouts of the Moonstone Scythe.” Idris’s interruption had broken Rosamaylind’s concentration and the breath dispersed into the air. The bald-headed males were visibly angry at the interruption but it seemed that they did not want to offend the Worlen by attacking their prince. They stayed in their seats seething quietly. Idris continued unaware of the stir that his badly timed interruption had caused. “We demand to know its whereabouts. If it is true that this abominable woman could walk amongst us once again, then we must have the scythe. The Banshees and Worlen people have not been engaged in a war for hundreds of years now. You have no reason to hold on to such a deadly instrument that has been the cause of the suffering of numerous Worlen warriors.” Queen Evangelista approached Idris, her majesty matching his own, she was not afraid of him.
“We have discussed the matter enough Idris, the M
oonstone Scythe is hidden and no one other than I and its creator are privy to its whereabouts. Do not try and use this time of worry to your advantage, ever the politician that you are.” Idris opened his mouth to protest but his words were interrupted.
A blood-curdling screech pierced the air like a knife, coming from the far side of the castle. It was the most distressing sound I had ever heard. My head ached with the noise, I felt as if my mind was about to explode. Jestin was the first out of his seat, tearing through the throne room, down the corridor and out of view. I looked to Merl
“What’s happening?” I asked desperately. Merl in turn looked towards Bettery. It was the first time I had seen Merl’s face give the slightest hint of concern.
“The watch-Banshee Vidica, the one you will have encountered at the drawbridge yesterday, she has raised the alarm.” Merl answered.
“What do you mean raised the alarm?” I asked, Merl began to look annoyed at my naivety.
“Foolish girl, the castle is under attack.” With that, Merl also took off running in the same direction as Jestin. Queen Evangelista and Rosamaylind followed him closely. I scanned the throne room for Bettery but she had disappeared, as had Mayor Wilmot and the bald headed males. I saw Dahlia pushing through the panicking crowd as she ran towards me.
“Come with us Violet, Idris is taking me to my room. He says there is a hidden cupboard in there we can take shelter in.” No matter how much I disliked Prince Idris, I was at least grateful he was there to guide Dahlia to safety but I couldn’t go with them.
“No Dahlia you go ahead without me. I need to find Bettery.” Dahlia didn’t plead with me. After all our years of friendship, we knew each other as well as we knew ourselves and she knew that I would be too stubborn to follow her. She grabbed my hand and looked me in the eyes.
“Be safe.” Even amongst the ensuing chaos, the guards who stood at the door were still attempting to ensure that no one left without drinking from Merl’s chalice. I grabbed the cup, swigged a mouthful of the bitter tasting liquid and swallowed as I ran through the doors.
I bolted down the main corridor in the same direction that I had seen Jestin take. I scanned the faces around me, most comprised of Banshee males ushering the children up the main staircase to the safety of the rooms above. Dahlia had stopped to help in the effort but Idris, who was a few paces in front of her, backtracked down the stairs, pulling her by the arm towards her quarters. My anger at seeing my friend dragged away so abruptly, was replaced by relief as Bettery approached me carrying a small Banshee baby in her arms.
“Thank god deary, I didn’t want to leave you but I had to get to the nursery and warn the males I did. By the sounds of that alarm, there is a hoard of Changelings on its way towards the castle there is, you should get to safety too.”
“I will.” I shouted behind me as I headed down the corridor longbow in hand, towards the battle.
I flew out of the castles grand entrance and bounded across the courtyard and towards the drawbridge with as much speed as I could muster. I could see female Banshees ready for battle, leaping over the ten-foot stone walls that surrounded the castle with an unnatural ease. When I reached the drawbridge, I ascended the steps to the lookout and found Vidica’s usual outpost empty. On the ground below, I could see the Banshees that were leaping over the wall were now falling into line at the other side with Jestin, Merl and Queen Evangelista stood at the forefront. They were collectively looking across the marshland, waiting with tense anticipation. I looked out too, my human eyes not as hypersensitive as the supernatural creatures before me. I couldn’t see the little beasts until they were within a quarter mile distance. Three hundred hissing demon-like creatures scurried across the wet grass. They were on all fours using the very tips of their fingers and toes to push themselves forward. Their features, unlike the angelic changeling we witnessed in the forest, no longer hidden behind the mask of an innocent child. As they advanced, it was clear these beings were malevolent, bearing their pointed teeth in attack. Jestin turned to address the rows of Banshee fighters.
“We cannot let them reach the castle. We will not let them take the children. Fight for the kill.” As he gave the command, one of the larger Changelings leapt with a might equal to the Banshees and landed directly on his back. The creature widened its mouth to a grotesque proportion, its teeth growing in size as it was about to bite down into Jestin. I looked on in horror expecting the razor-like teeth to penetrate into his spine paralysing him but they didn’t. The demonic creature backed away hissing with pain, its mouth bleeding, and its once perfectly shaped razor sharp teeth were now broken and jagged. The creature did not suffer long. Jestin swivelled on his heels and pulled its terrifying head from its body in a single swift movement. The rest of the hoard hissed simultaneously in anger, advancing with greater speed towards the castle. I took out my long bow and shot one, two, three, four perfect shots directly to the heart of the little demons but it didn’t seem to make a dent in the sheer number of them. Jestin continued to tear the creatures apart, predicting with frightening speed and accuracy, which angle the next attacker would emerge from.
Queen Evangelista and the other Banshees were grappling with the beasts, wrapping their arms around the attacking Changelings; they were bringing the creatures ears towards their mouths and screeching directly into them. It looked like a painful death, the hideous creatures eyes filled with tears of blood and it ran in streams from their noses as they expired. I was unrelentingly hitting my targets, narrowly stopping one Changeling from landing on a Banshee as she was already grappling with another. The Changelings were small but their teeth were as sharp as knifepoints creating jagged lacerations in the Banshees they caught off guard. I saw the blonde-haired Banshee from the throne room break ranks and head towards the entrance of the castle. A number of Changelings noticed the hole in the front line and pounced towards the fleeing Banshee, ripping with their talon fingernails at her face and neck. Her screams, the most terrifying sound I had heard in my existence, made my head pound as if it was about to explode. Jestin ran over to where she lay stricken, a bloody plump on the floor of the marshland, and threw the Changelings one by one over the edge of the moat and into the blanket of mist. I expected them to emerge, scurrying over the sides of the bank but it seemed they just vanished into the ether. I aimed my arrows well, hitting the creatures closest to the glass drawbridge. I couldn’t allow them to pass my mark. As quickly as their attack begun, it seemed to cease. They stopped in their encroachment and waited menacingly on the marsh, neither retreating nor advancing. The battlefield grew silent. Merl who had been stationary throughout the battle, seemingly unnoticed by the changelings was chanting with one finger extended towards the ground. The Banshees looked towards one another. Their unease at the sudden cease in the battle was obvious. Queen Evangelista was the first to speak
“What is it Merrydian? Why aren’t they fighting?” Merl’s concentrated eyes shot open and he turned towards the Banshee ranks.
“RETREAT INSIDE THE CASTLE THERE ARE MORE!” Unhesitant, the Banshees leapt back over the stone walls. Queen Evangelista, who waited until all of her subjects had found shelter in the castle, was the last to make a powerful leap that propelled her almost to the castle door. Merl remained in position, unflinching as the hissing of a thousand snakes grew louder and louder from the distance. Jestin, who had turned to make his own way back into the castle, spotted me in the lookout. The fury and fear that burned in his eyes was unmistakable. He ran to the base of the wall and began climbing. His powerful arms carried him up the stone wall within seconds.
“What on earth are you doing Violet? You could have been killed out here. I hadn’t even noticed you, what if the one of the little monsters found you here?” To my relief he seemed more upset with himself than me. “You need to retreat to the castle where you will be safe.”
I was annoyed at Jestin. If he wanted to break this connection between us he needed to stop acting like my protector.
; “I caused this Jestin, I shot that devil in the forest and that’s why they’re here now isn’t it? Well isn’t it?” I shouted accusingly, intended more for me than him. He looked away silently but I already knew the answer. “It’s my fault they’re attacking the Banshees, you have no right to tell me that I can’t fight with you now.”
“This is no longer our fight Violet. Merl is the only one who can defeat a hoard this size.” I couldn’t see them yet but the hissing of the Changeling hoard had grown to such a crescendo that we could hardly hear each other. I peered over the stone wall. I could see Merl, a stationary figure faced with the demonic hoard of Changelings that was about to grow in size.
The little beasts were now leaping into the air on the spot, the way that an excited dog waiting for a walk will spring towards its lead. The very ground shook as a thousand more Changelings descended on the castle, rows and rows of razor sharp teeth menacingly bared for the kill. Merl, who cast a lonely figure, stood statuesque against the threat. Fear shot through my body, how could a solitary old wizard defeat such a large number of these grimacing little demons? I pulled the string of my bow, a glistening golden arrow began to take form but Jestin steered the bow towards the ground shaking his head. The Changelings, outranking their enemy a thousand to one, pushed forward. Merl finally moved reaching towards the ground, he pulled his hand upward toward the darkening sky. In the same moment, the mist that guarded the outer edge of the castle left the moat. In an upward motion, it levitated echoing Merl’s actions. Merl pushed his hands outwards towards the hoard with great force and the echoing mist followed. The action created an eerie whistling, almost a scream, as it flew with great speed towards the unsuspecting Changelings. The front line of the Changelings halted realising that the mist, consuming all living creatures that were unfortunate enough to stand in its path, was coming towards them. For the front ranks of the hoard the sudden retreat was fruitless, the sheer numbers of the scurrying creatures pushed them onwards against their will. The mist enveloped the creatures like a great blanket had fallen from the sky. As it spread further and further over the ranks of the Changelings. The hissing sound became dull and eventually stopped. The hundreds of Changelings that had been advancing towards Merl had disappeared. It was as if the ground itself had swallowed them. Leaving a thousand voids in the physical space the creatures inhabited just a moment before. The fastest of the Changelings, further back in the hoard, scurried rearwards towards the forest in defeat, their terrified wailings almost equal in horror to that of the stricken Banshee.
I could taste the acrid mist that permeated the air even in the opposite direction to which it had travelled. It became difficult to see as the back draft from the mist hit the castle perimeter. I felt Jestin’s hand tug as mine pulling me in a direction that I couldn’t discern. When we reached the steps he lost his footing and for a second. I noticed two bright lights penetrating the mist and then they were gone. Jestin must have had his eyes closed. The mist was stinging his hypersensitive eyes in a way that my less advanced eyes could cope with. I closed my own eyes and tried to draw energy from the ground. It was difficult connecting with the earth through the stone of the castle but I could feel the same pulses I had felt in Merl’s dusty sitting room. I closed my hand into the form of a cupped tulip and extended my fingers outward, “Eadrom” I whispered. I used my glowing hand to guide us to the castle. I shone the light of my hand toward the entrance, patted the third horse the way Rosamaylind had the day before, and with the thundering of hooves, the huge ivory doors slid open.
As we entered, the new air hit my lungs with a welcoming sweetness. I felt refreshed as I took in a deep breath, not wanting to ever exhale in case the next breath I took was as acrid as the mist I had just been respiring. Jestin was breathing heavily at my side, feeling the same sense of relief. The entrance was lonely. Everyone must have retreated further into the castle when Merl had given the orders to find safety. Jestin grabbed the tops of my arms and slowly turned me to face him.
“Don’t ever put yourself in harm’s way like that again Violet.” He begged. I felt guilty that I had let him down. I wasn’t brave by any measure. I was terrified at our encounter on the battlefield but I had always been stubborn and I couldn’t promise that I would shy away from a fight when it involved the people I had come to care about.
“Jestin, I’ll get Merl to unbind you. I can’t stand that I’m putting you in danger but I had to protect those people in the castle, I was the reason they came, I had to help put it right.” Jestin looked angry and hurt at the same time.
“My concern is not for myself Violet.” He rested his head against my own. With his face almost touching mine, our eyes met. I noticed slight hints of golden yellow complementing the vivid green of his irises. He rubbed the tip of his nose against mine. We both knew, standing here in the lonely doorway, the depth of the connection between us couldn’t be denied. I could smell the sweetness of his breath entrancing me towards the softness of his lips. He wasn’t resisting the kiss either, leaning to meet my lips with his. His kiss was powerful yet gentle guiding rather than forcing the movement of my own lips against his. I inhaled the earthy yet sweet scent of his body, leaning in closer to his embrace. I felt his arms wrap tightly around my waist, pulling me in protectively. The electricity surged as the kiss became more desperate, each of us knowing that when we did let go, a moment as beautiful and real as this couldn’t happen between us again. Jestin was the first to break, turning his back to me as he stepped away. I stood in the doorway void of thought, I didn’t want to analyse the moment we just shared. Pouring over every detail and movement and what they meant would only cause more heartbreak. We both knew we belonged in different worlds.
“This cannot happen again.” Jestin still had his back turned to me as he spoke. I didn’t respond to his words, I knew they were true I just didn’t want to acknowledge them. Luckily for me, that wasn’t necessary, Merl emerged through the entrance without a single sign of physical harm. He wasn’t even struggling for breath as myself and Jestin had.
“Merl, you saved us all.” I ran to Merl and wrapped my arms tightly around him. I felt so grateful that he had risked his own life to fight a war that I had caused.
“Yes well, that’s quite enough of the hugging nonsense. I feel its time I fully explained to you who you really are.” He said. In all the commotion of the attack, I had forgotten about the meeting and everybody referring to me as an heir. I followed Merl towards the throne room glancing backwards at Jestin. My own heartbreak echoed on his face as he watched me leave.