The Queen and the Mage

by Wilma van Wyngaarden

  “Are they that wild? I suspect so, as they must survive on their own—I see them from the castle wall,” said Scylla, who had lived as a recluse in her chambers prior to her father’s death. She had tended her garden boxes and beehives on the castle wall. Since her return to the castle, she had not climbed the stairs even once to watch the sunrise. Once the stonemasons had completed the repairs and the new turret, she planned to return to her former routine. “How many are there around the village?”

  Mako shrugged. “I suppose eight or ten. There are several boys living rough. I suspect there are fewer girls because the priests would pay to have one caught for them—or so I’ve heard.”

  “And Darwyn too, although he would take any child,” Coltic said harshly. “Pardon me, Princess.”

  “The soldiers say there is a rat-girl—she carries two pet rats everywhere. Also, I have seen another small one, very young.”

  “How do you plan to catch them?” asked Scylla.

  Again Mako shrugged. “Through their bellies. I’ll direct the castle kitchen to feed them at regular times. Your mother Queen Clerryn, in her time, had the kitchen feed the poor. Queen Maris ended that.”

  “Yon wicked Queen Maris,” Scylla said reflectively. “Yes, I will have that carved on her gravestone.”

  Mako ignored her. His plate was empty. Scylla had eaten two slices of cheese. She handed her plate over to Mako to finish, and sat back with her tea.

  “Thank you, Princess. We will try to gain their confidence and introduce the idea of a roof over their heads and regular meals. Also there are a few orphans around—I know of one baby taken in by a family. They may agree to send her to Zara’s village.”

  “Perhaps a family or two could be hired to move to the village,” Coltic said. “That is, if you can’t tame the feral children.”

  “Best of luck, Chancellor. I look forward to your reports.” Scylla looked around the grounds. Jay came around the corner of the building, sharing tidbits with the dogs. “There is Jay now. He can take you to the spring we discovered, although how you will find anyone to tend it, I do not know.”

  “Nor do I,” Mako admitted. He handed the empty plates to Coltic and rose to his feet. “Jay! Take me to this spring of yours! Captain, send a couple of soldiers with horses shortly. We will walk down but I suspect I will be happy to ride back.”

  “I need a nap.” Scylla yawned. “Sleeping under spruce boughs has its limitations.”

  “I will have the men bring out a more comfortable bench,” Coltic said. “The air inside is intolerable.” A short time later, Scylla lay back on an upholstered chaise, wrapping her cloak around her. Chancellor Mako and Jay had disappeared down the forest path with the dogs, bypassing the body of the priest.

  “How long will it be before they take away the corpses?” she asked Coltic, who had turned his attention to the stone foundation of the hunting lodge.

  “Oh… them. I will have them moved soon. The soldiers will transport them to the nearest crossroads and bury them. The crossing of the paths will confuse the spirits and trap them.”

  “Ah,” said Scylla. “Did you just make that up, Captain?”

  “No, but before you and the chancellor proclaimed an ending to the priests’ dismal religion, I would not have suggested it.”

  “On pain of persecution?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “Many people remember and follow the old ways, but not openly. There has been little persecution during King Tobin’s reign, but I believe prior to his coronation there was—and even more severe during the reign of his grandfather and great-grandfather.”

  “I will need to educate myself. Or perhaps not…” she sighed. “Without fear to discourage them, all these old ways will become apparent, no doubt.” She closed her eyes. The air was warm, the breeze light. The clearing around the lodge felt calm and peaceful, despite the morning’s violence. She could hear distant voices from within the lodge, and Coltic muttered to himself as he continued his inspection. Birds shrieked near and far, while the breeze ruffled through the leaves of the forest. After a while she fell asleep.

  2

  Queen Scylla woke to the sounds of hoofbeats and wheels. She sat up, blinking, to see Chancellor Mako and two soldiers riding into the hunting lodge grounds with the pony and carriage trotting behind. With Jay in the wicker box seat were the two dogs, one on his lap and the other beside him. Sparky began to yap.

  “Be quiet, Sparky!” commanded Coltic, who had been in discussion with several soldiers at the door of the lodge. “Princess, your carriage has arrived!”

  “Good Goddess! Does that forest road lead directly to Bart Smith’s village?” She yawned.

  “Not directly.”

  “I now know the way, Princess!” Jay spoke up. “As long as I stay on this path. It's wide enough for the carriage, as you can see.”

  “Did you find the spring?”

  “Yes, and I’ve left the Goddess another coin of thanks.”

  “Excellent. I hope she will forgive me if I don’t return to the spring today.”

  “Maybe she will.” He didn’t sound hopeful. He clucked and drove the carriage in a small circle in the clearing, as his pony would not stand without pawing impatiently.

  “I rely upon your gift of thanks. Remind me to replace it!” Scylla called to him.

  “You don’t need to replace it,” Jay said severely over his shoulder. “But recall that I was promised a gold coin!”

  “You shall have it,” Mako told him. “How long will the pony need to rest before we start our journey back to the castle?”

  “If someone holds him so I can get out…” Jay had a firm grip on the reins, but the pony did not care to stand quietly. “I’ll unhitch him and give him a few moments to graze. He should have a drink before we go.”

  Mako’s soldiers dismounted and one took hold of the pony’s bridle. Jay hopped nimbly out, placing the dogs on the ground before unhitching.

  “I need a drink too,” Scylla said. “Perhaps another cup of tea before we leave.”

  “More tea is brewing… and while the tea’s steeping, may I show you the wine cellar, Chancellor?”

  “I will be there in a moment.” Mako handed his horse over to a soldier and disappeared inside.

  Scylla reclined on the chaise, looking around the grounds. The dead bodies were now wrapped in rough cloth. They lay next to each other—waiting for transport to the nearest crossroads, she presumed.

  She yawned and fingered the knot in her hair to make sure it was still in place. Jay now had his pony on a lead line, allowing him to gobble the untended grass. Cuddles and Sparky followed Jay’s every step as if they were his shadows. Obviously, Scylla could look forward to sharing the small wicker carriage with them. She sighed, hoping they would return to the castle well before dark. She thought longingly of a bath and the comforts of her own bed…

  “Princess!” Mako’s voice preceded his return through the doorway.

  “Yes, Chancellor?”

  “May I ask if you have inspected the cellar?”

  “I have not entered the building, as Captain Coltic recommended I did not.”

  Mako wore an odd expression. “Not today, but during past visits to the lodge.”

  “I do not know how to find the cellar.”

  “Perhaps you could visit it now, if you disregard the state of the interior.”

  Scylla heaved a sigh. “If you insist.” She stood up and limped the short distance to the arched doorway.

  Mako offered her his arm, and she stepped inside. The stink of dampness filled her nostrils, accompanied by conflicting notes of decay, rotting food and the stench of wine. A heap of broken furniture with slashed upholstery cancelled the grandeur of the main hall. Scylla averted her eyes from the gouges and smears on the floors, shattered paneling, and the splintered floorboards.

  “I am shocked by the destruction. Why have they pried up the boards?”

  “I believe the priests were looking for something, Princ
ess,” Mako said in an undertone.

  “Oh, I see… What, in particular?”

  “Likely what you are about to see… this way.” He led her to the king’s private reception room, where the damage was even worse. The whitewashed walls had been hung with hunting trophies and a collection of swords, spears, and other weapons. Many were now piled haphazardly near the door. Others hung askew as if a strong wind had blown through, and holes defaced the walls.

  Mako gestured toward an open door on the right, beneath the grand staircase that led from the main hall to the second floor. “The cellar door.”

  Scylla suppressed a feeling of panic. Dark stairs led to a void lit only by flickering candlelight.

  Mako picked up a candlestick he had left on a side table and started down, giving her his hand in support. She clung to the hilt of her sword stick with the other hand and descended the wide, even steps.

  “This stairway is much better than the one leading from the attic to the kitchen.” She tried to keep her voice steady.

  “It leads directly to the king’s wine cellars,” Coltic’s voice answered from below. He came into view looking upward, the candlelight casting eerie shadows across his face. “There is another stair from the kitchen to the storage cellar, where we found the cheese and sausage. Would you care for some wine, Princess?” He gestured around him as Scylla reached the stone floor. The air was cool and smelled like a winery—broken bottles lay scattered about amid sticky puddles.

  But far more wine bottles were still intact, stacked on wooden racks in ordered rows throughout the cellar.

  “Good Goddess! Why did my father hoard so much wine?”

  “It was one of his hobbies. There is a fortune in wine here, even more than at the castle.” Coltic held up his candlestick. Candelabra hung at regular intervals, and all the wicks were alight. There were still deep shadows. The understructure of the building was impressive, with large support posts and stone block walls.

  “Good Goddess,” Scylla repeated. “I hope you will take on the task of selling it, Captain.”

  “Of course, Princess.” He lowered his voice significantly. “But that is not what we want to show you. This was a rustic hunting cabin when King Tobin inherited it, and he expanded it over the years. You can see where the cellar has been enlarged.” He turned away, pointing to the far corner of the cellar. “I believe that corner is the original cellar—you will see the difference in building style and those two walls jutting out. I have swept aside the broken glass, but watch your step.”

  Scylla followed him cautiously. Despite Mako’s presence behind her, she was on high alert. Panic fluttered in her chest. In this section, the builders had used smaller, irregular stones, and some parts of the walls were crumbling with age.

  “It appears older. But why must I inspect this? Can you not bring me a report?”

  “Look. The priests had broken through the wall here, where it appears as if a doorway has been closed up.”

  Scylla peered past Coltic. The flickering flames showed fresh gouges and chips. Someone had pried a few stones out, exposing a dark recess. Damp, musty air reached her nostrils.

  “There is a cave on the other side of the wall.” Coltic kept his voice low. “I saw boxes within, although the hole is not large enough to see well. I believe the king stored more treasure—coins, not wine—here. But why it is bricked over when the king would have regularly accessed it, I cannot understand. As you see, the priests have not broken through completely…”

  Scylla stopped dead, stiffening.

  “What is it?” Mako turned to stare at her.

  “I have been here before,” she said after a moment’s stillness. “As a small child, I believe. I don’t think it was a dream… I remember that damp smell, and the brick wall, but it opens…”

  “What opens?”

  “The wall—there is a trick to it,” she recalled. From the recesses of her mind, she unearthed an unwelcome memory… her father taking her into the cellar, chuckling as she clung to him in fear, heading for the far corner of the cellar, and lifting his hand to… what? “He put his hand to the wall somewhere there,” she pointed. “I believe there is a stone that moves.”

  Coltic raised his candlestick and inspected the wall closely. He ran his free hand over the stones.

  “You will have to push harder.” Scylla’s heart was pounding. “I will… I will leave this to you, gentlemen. I need more air.”

  “Try that one, Captain,” said Mako, ignoring her as he pointed at the wall.

  Coltic said, “Aha!” and a moment later, a section of the wall gave a shudder and slowly pivoted toward them. A piece of stone fell from the back of it and split on the cobbled floor.

  Scylla gave a faint scream and recoiled, bumping into Mako. He barely noticed.

  “Curses! You do not expect me to go into that hole, do you? I screamed when my father brought me here! I never came here again.”

  “Do not worry, Princess,” Mako responded vaguely. His interest was wholly on what lay behind the door. “Captain… is that all gold?”

  Coltic leaned into the space with the candlestick, illuminating the cave beyond the doorway. The damp odor fought with the smell of the spilled wine. Stacked boxes of dully gleaming gold coins lined both walls.

  “Not only coins,” he reported, craning his neck to see further in. “There are crates of small flakes and chunks too. The cave leads downward.”

  “Do not enter!” Scylla could hear the quiver of panic in her voice.

  “Look inside,” Mako urged at the same time. “Are those steps cut into the stone? How much can you see?”

  Coltic stepped inside and cautiously descended the wide, low steps leading deeper into the cave. His voice floated back to them, wavering like the candlelight. “This cave is actually a mine. I can see lines of gold in the rock, along the ceiling and down one wall! And there is a pool of water further back.”

  “Come back, Captain!” Scylla hoped she did not sound too shrill. “Please do not…”

  “How large is the cave?” Mako sounded as if he wished he were the one exploring.

  “Twenty or more paces long and two or three wide… not as high as I am… I cannot see the end.”

  “Do not follow, Chancellor! If you do, I shall scream!… the door is swinging back!”

  Mako dragged his attention away from the cave’s interior. “Come out! I believe we have seen enough for now.” He braced against the door, slowing its motion.

  “Is that door closing?” Coltic’s face lit as if facing an exciting challenge. He leaped back up the steps, snatching a few coins from the nearest stack as he squeezed through the gap. His candles blew out and he relit the wicks from Mako’s small flame. “Hmmm… how fascinating! It truly closes by itself?” He studied the now blank wall closely.

  Mako’s hand hovered. “Which stone was the key?”

  “That one.”

  Mako pressed firmly. In silence, they watched the door as it opened. Some moments later it swung back into place with a grating thud. Dust puffed into the air.

  “It must be on a spring,” Coltic surmised. “Open it again.” Mako did so. The door yawned wide. Coltic quickly entered and scanned the inner walls and what he could see of the mechanics.

  “Do come out, Captain!” Scylla stared nervously at the door. She gasped when it lurched back into motion. Coltic watched as long as possible before he withdrew.

  “Not a recent construction,” he told Mako. “What ancient genius built that, I wonder?”

  “There should be another trigger inside, I would think. But where?”

  Both men stared at the wall as if they hoped to see through it.

  “There must be,” Scylla said sharply. “It cannot be magic. And no one could move those boxes in or out in such a short time.”

  “In case there is no exit mechanism inside…” said Coltic, picking up a heavy bar that lay on the uneven floor nearby. He shoved it through the narrow hole, and it dropped with an echoi
ng clang.

  “He may have wedged it open while he was inside… You know, I never heard a whisper of this in all my years in the king’s service. I have been in this building many times.” Mako’s voice held an odd note… was it admiration that King Tobin had kept the secret close—or chagrin?

  “Take these, Princess.”

  Scylla held out her hand reluctantly and Coltic gave her the coins he had removed from the cave. There were six coins, larger than any she had seen before, and weighty. The light was too dim to see any real detail.

  Coltic handed his candlestick to Mako and turned back to the blocked-up doorway. The trigger stone was all but indistinguishable from those around it in the dim light.

  “I’ll disguise the damage.” He wedged pieces of stone into the freshly chipped hole as tightly as possible. Then he picked up a handful of debris from the cellar floor and worked it into the gaps. “I do not recommend we speak of this to anyone else, Princess… Chancellor. I discovered it myself and none of the soldiers know of it.”

  “How did you find it?” Scylla asked. The creeping chill and the smell of the cellar were becoming worse, not better. She wondered if King Tobin had planned to show the cave to her half-brothers during the last tragic visit to the lodge… or had he shown them already?

  “From the evidence upstairs they were searching for something. I also saw the caretaker’s injuries… they tortured him before he died. Obviously the priests suspected only that treasure lay somewhere in the building, or they would have found this sooner.”

  “Yes, without bothering to ruin the floors and walls,” Mako agreed. “I suggest no soldiers stay behind today. We will send a repair crew soon. Captain, perhaps you should spend some time watching the masons at work on Queen Scylla’s wall.”

  “Oh, and learn how to repair this wall? Excellent idea! I will assign the soldiers to work upstairs while I… list the king’s wines.” He winked. “Do not worry, Princess… if I go inside the cave, I will wedge the door open!”

  Scylla eyed him skeptically. “Do not be reckless, Captain. Keep in mind how unpleasant it would be to find yourself trapped inside!”