by V F Sharp
Her eyes followed him as he approached the terrace doors and turned around.
“It’s a shame,” he said.
“What is, Your Grace?”
“To waste all that bread. When you’re done, I’ll have Miss Tee collect whatever is left and distribute it to the poor.”
She glanced at the two large loaves of bread that they had barely touched. When she turned around to reply to the prince, he was gone.
She rose and went back into the bedroom. Her mind began to wander. Had he found her arrow? Or was he simply hoping that she would be able to shed light on the mysterious sparkles and flashes? Did he know the answers to some of his questions, but was testing her honesty? She wished she could ease his dilemma by revealing the truth, but she dared not. She could never put her friends at risk like that, or herself for that matter.
Ezstasia paced the room and occupied herself by testing all the wall fixtures for other possible secret chambers.
She was interrupted by a soft knock at the door that she recognized as Miss Tee’s knock. As expected, Miss Tee entered, carrying a large sack.
“Miss Ezstasia, my lord has asked me to bring you your things and to lay them out for you, so you may see what was collected.”
“Thank you, Miss Tee. Please, you can put them down on the bed.”
Miss Tee did as she asked and took out her belongings and placed them in a neat pile on the bed. She wanted to ask her if she was free to leave, but she hesitated. She didn’t want to appear over-anxious, or worse, guilty.
“Call for me if you need anything, dear,” said Miss Tee as she left and shut the door behind her.
Ezstasia walked over to the bed and was relieved to see her silver necklace resting right on top of the pile. It had a special orb which was derived from tree resin and had belonged to her mother. It was an irreplaceable heirloom. After her parents had died, leaving Lanzzie to care for her, it was the only thing she had left from her.
Under her perfectly folded clothes, she saw her water can and Tia’s tag chain wrapped around an arrowhead. They were both resting on top of her large, brown cloak. Slowly, she began to lift the cloak, wondering if perhaps her arrow might be underneath it. She wasn’t sure if that would be a good thing or a bad thing, as it would likely still be sparkling. Of course, if it wasn’t there, then someone could still find it in the forest—or had found it already—which was definitely a bad thing.
Tired of speculating, she decided to lift the cloak. She closed her eyes and felt her heart pounding. Then, with one swift movement she lifted the cloak up and tossed it aside.
She opened her eyes.
There was no arrow.
She felt panic rise within her heart and up to her throat, but she considered one more possibility, which she hoped for—maybe the arrow was with her friends. Wherever it was, she needed to return to the Cottages, and fast—injured or not. For all she knew, her sister and her friends could be hurt or in serious trouble.
She hurriedly threw her belongings back into the sack and threw it over her shoulder. Still wearing the gown, she quietly made her way out the bedroom door and into the corridor. As gracious as the prince was, it didn’t sound like he was willing to let her leave right away, so she’d decided to make that decision on her own.
Glancing around for any signs of Miss Tee or the castle staff, she continued past the colorful frescoes and the seemingly endless intricately carved doors. There were quite a few wall carvings in sporadic places, and she wondered how many of them led to secret passageways or chambers. Eventually, she came to a large open doorway. She peeked into the dimly lit room, where she saw countless suits of armor and weapons hanging on the wall. This must’ve been the castle’s armory, she thought to herself.
She continued past the armory and came to another opening. She felt a rush of air hit her as she peeked in and saw that it led to an inner courtyard. Ordinarily, she would’ve loved to look around, but there was no time now. She moved further down the corridor as quietly as she could. She noticed that the ceiling had begun to rise much higher—a glorious, towering, arched ceiling, parts of it coated in gold. The magnificent corridor wound around to the left. Just as she turned the corner, her mouth dropped. What stood in front of her was the largest set of wooden double doors she’d ever seen. She felt like an insect in comparison.
She gazed in awe at the detailed carvings of a giant tree that was outlined in gold and extended across the two doors. Both doors reached all the way up to the high ceiling. The same ancient writing she’d seen inside the old book in the hidden room was also carved in silver across the tree. She carefully grasped the two, vine-shaped golden handles, almost afraid to see what was on the other side. She hesitated for a moment and contemplated how she’d react if she ran into someone. She knew that she hadn’t asked for permission to explore, nor to leave her room. As she prepared to pull the heavy doors open, a shuffling sound behind her made her jump.
“Valorian truly loved his trees,” said a male voice that she knew all too well.
She turned to see Prince Alazar staring right at her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Your Grace,” said Ezstasia. “I—I was—”
“You were leaving,” he said, nonchalantly. “You wouldn’t have gotten very far. Our gates are guarded day and night.”
“So you’re saying I’m a prisoner?”
“A prisoner? I just gave you tea and bread on the most beautiful terrace in the kingdom. I was headed to your room to invite you to dinner. I’d hardly call you a prisoner.”
Now she felt guilty. She especially felt guilty lying to him, or at least not telling him the full truth. But she couldn’t.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I didn’t mean to be ungrateful. I just need to get back to my friends.”
“If you recall, I told you I can get word to them of your whereabouts.”
“It’s not that, it’s just—I’m afraid you don’t understand.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand. So enlighten me. Please.”
“I just miss them, that’s all. This castle is beautiful and you’ve been as gracious as can be, but I need to see my sister.”
“And see her you shall. You have my word on that. But you still need your wound to heal. Surely, your friends and your sister would understand that?”
“But what if they’re injured as well? You said yourself that strange things are happening in that forest. I need to make sure they’re all okay.”
The prince sighed and then nodded.
“Okay,” he said. “I promise to send word first thing in the morning. If you’re feeling well enough to leave the following morning, I’ll have my horsemen take you home. Do we have an agreement?”
She thought about it and realized it was the best she was going to get.
She nodded. “We do.”
“Good. Then without further ado, there’s something I’d like to show you before dinner.”
He turned and signaled to a servant who had entered the hallway behind him. The servant approached and held out a hand to Ezstasia, offering to carry her sack of belongings.
“Allow me,” he said. He had an oversized mustache that was too large for his face.
She handed it to him and he hoisted it over his shoulders.
The prince headed toward a grand, descending staircase and motioned for her to come with him. She’d barely noticed it because she was so enamored by the huge doors straight ahead.
“What was behind those giant doors?” she said, walking with him down the elaborate staircase that wound around to the left. The servant followed a distance behind them.
“You ask a lot of questions,” said the prince, smiling, though still not answering her question.
She followed the prince and descended the carpet-lined marble steps, holding tightly to the magnificent wrought iron railing. She looked down and saw an enormous dining hall. Waiters were running back and forth, preparing the long, wooden table for an extravagant meal. Enormous
tapestries lined the walls, and the cathedral ceiling was covered in gold mosaic. Above the table hung a crystal chandelier that held more candles than she had ever seen one hold.
As she stared in wonder, the prince led her through several more corridors until they entered a section of the castle that had dark grey stone walls with torches and heavily barred doors on both sides.
It didn’t take her long to realize that these were the dungeons. Her heart sank with the sudden thought that her sister and friends may be here if they had been caught. Is that why he was leading her here? Or was it for some other reason?
“Do you have any prisoners at the moment?” she said, realizing her tone was a bit too anxious. She slowed down her pace to get a glimpse of any prisoners inside the cells.
“Prisoners? As matter of fact, we just received one this morning. He’s in another section of the cells. He was almost treated unjustly, but I put a stop to that. Justice must be served quickly, but fairly.”
“What did he do? What kind of justice?” Her pulse quickened.
The prince must have been able to see that she felt nervous, because he glanced at her and smirked. But she couldn’t determine if it was a reassuring smile or an ominous one, like he was leading a pig to slaughter.
“You do ask a lot of questions,” he said.
Then finally, obviously seeing the level of her discomfort, he continued.
“He stole property from some of the nobles. We get prisoners on occasion, mostly for minor infractions. Obviously, a larger crime would warrant a much more severe punishment.”
“Your Grace, if you brought me here to scare me into revealing something, I assure you I’ve shared as much as I remember.”
He laughed. “Dearest lords, no! I brought you here because it’s the quickest way out to the Eastern Village. What I want to show you is outside.”
With still no hint of what he was planning to show her, she felt her stomach turn with anticipation. She couldn’t wait until she was back home at the Cottages.
“Are you okay?” he said. “You look like you’ve just seen Izhar’s ghost.”
“I’m fine, really. Who was he anyway?”
“You’re still concerned about that prisoner?”
“No, I meant the Izhar in ‘Izhar’s ghost.’ Who was he?”
“Ah, he was my father’s ancestor, and mine. Izhar the First. Valorian’s father. They say his ghost travels the kingdom, endlessly mourning the loss of his son.”
“Have you ever seen it?”
“I’ve seen a lot of things, but no, I have never seen a ghost.”
The skies were dark now, and the village looked magical in the moonlight. She could see an endless array of homes, packed much more tightly together than the Cottages. Most were made of stone, with patios and thatched roofs. They turned and continued up a path, past a stone well. She heard loud footsteps behind them, and turned to see two rows of knights, fully dressed in armor.
“Are those knights following us?” she said.
“They’re part of the Vynterran Guard. They give protection whenever I leave the castle. Although, I truly don’t believe I need a guard in this kingdom.”
Just as he said that, a group of villagers waved to him from their patio. The prince returned their hello with a smile and a wave.
“Pardon me for saying, Your Grace, but they don’t seem astonished to see you walking about their village.”
“Why would they be? I make it a point to be seen among my people daily. I want to know their problems and hear their conversations. I learned that from my father.”
“No wonder he’s known as Izhar the Great.”
They continued along the walkway past a series of stone houses with thatched roofs, and then proceeded through a field of wildflowers. She could see the moonlit mountains on her left, and, from here, the powerful rush of the waterfalls was louder than ever, though she could barely make them out from this angle.
Before long, they came to a tree-lined dirt road that looked almost as eerie as the forest. It seemed to go on forever.
“This is the Road of Sorrow,” said the prince. “It’s where Izhar the First was forced to watch his son Valorian being led to his death. It connects the Eastern and Western villages.”
“This is the actual Road of Sorrow?” she said. Everyone had heard of it from the Old Scrolls. She never imagined that she would actually walk it.
“The very one.”
They continued down a steep decline, which made the back of her thighs hurt. Eventually they emerged into an open pebble-covered path, which led past rows of homes on the right.
“Those are the Western Villages,” said the prince.
Then she saw something ahead on her left that made her stop in her tracks.
“What is that!?” she said.
She gazed in awe at an imposing black castle that looked even bigger than Valorian’s Castle, but with less extravagance. It had large, stone buttresses along its walls.
“It’s the Black Castle,” he said, smiling. “An obvious name, I know, but that’s what Valorian called it. We use it for training. “It’s only partially restored, but with the increasing rumors about the forest, we felt it—well, let’s just say we want to be prepared for anything.”
“What kind of training? Is that where the knights train?”
“So many questions, Lady Arrow,” said the prince.
They resumed walking, and as they got closer, she could see a large moat surrounding the castle, with thick, iron gates along the perimeter. An enormous stone bridge led from the land to the castle’s gates, with guards blocking the entrance to the castle grounds.
She gazed up and could’ve sworn she saw a man in a form-fitting black face mask staring out of one of the windows. Just then, the prince grabbed her arm, making her jump.
“Look to your right,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to show you.”
As she looked to see where the prince was pointing, she became excited. It was a large, wooden stable, with a wooden sign above it that read, The Cozy Barn. She could hear the sounds of goats and horses awaiting their dinner.
“Tia!” she said.
“Go ahead,” said the prince. “She’ll be anxious to see you.”
She didn’t know what came over her, but she hugged the prince with a tight grip. He looked a bit surprised, but he seemed pleased with her gratitude.
As soon as she’d entered the barn, she saw Tia in a stable, munching on some carrots. She ran up to Tia, who, for a rabbit, looked genuinely excited to see her. At least she did for a moment, but then the rabbit returned to her carrots.
Ezstasia went into the stable and hugged the soft, giant rabbit. Even Tia’s smell made her nostalgic for the Cottages.
“I figured you would be anxious to see her,” said the prince from behind her. She turned to look at him and saw the large grin on his face.
“You have no idea. Can I take her home now?”
“Now? Do you have any idea how long the journey is from here to the Cottages?”
“Tia’s strong. If you just pointed me in the direction of—”
“We already discussed this and came to an agreement. I’ll send word to your friends in the morning, and you can take Tia home the next day if you’d like—with my guards escorting you of course. A head injury is not something to take lightly.”
“But, I’m—”
“I’m asking you to stay,” he said, his tone becoming more serious. “Please. If not for me, then for your own safety. I can’t let you leave at night in good conscience, not even with an escort.”
As anxious as she was to get home, she had to admit she felt a bit flattered by his persistence in her staying.
“I appreciate your concern,” she said, “but I’m fine. Really.”
He paused. Ezstasia jumped at the opportunity in his potential moment of weakness.
“I must warn you, Your Grace, I do win most arguments.” She smiled.
He smiled back. “Well, I
assure you, Lady Arrow, you won’t win this one.”
* * * *
Lanzzie couldn’t stay still in the sitting room in Fin’s cottage. It was getting late, and even though she was exhausted, she paced back and forth and fidgeted with her hands; her mind was racing in all directions. Ithron and Jezreel were curled up in the corner. The others were scattered around the room, sitting quietly and staring at her without any new ideas to suggest, though she was sure they were just as tired as she was. All she could think of was her sister. And now she had to worry about staying out of the dungeons long enough to find her. She usually appreciated the stable keepers, but in this situation, she was furious with them.
“Lanz, we’ll figure something out,” said Fin, sitting to the right of Randin and Zander on a large fur rug by the wall.
“When?” she said. “Did you see how that old stable master looked at us?”
“He didn’t just look at us,” said Zander. “He said he’ll see us later.”
Randin elbowed him.
“It’s a bluff,” said Meldon from a rocking chair that he couldn’t stop rocking on. “He had to say that.”
“I wish Mr. Pudge was back to run the stables,” said Lanzzie. “At least he liked us. This one has the personality of a hedgehog.”
“And the looks of one,” said Zander. “Plus, he eats hay. At least he’s always chewing on it. Maybe he really is in the hedgehog family?”
“Hedgehogs don’t eat hay,” said Meldon. “And the man was chewing on a straw, which is an entirely different thing and is used for—”
“Guys,” said Pallu, glancing out the window into the darkness. “Shouldn’t we be thinking about what to say if he finds us?”
“He won’t find us here,” said Fin.
“Don’t be so sure,” said Zander.
“He’s coming,” said Lanzzie. “I just know it. You know how determined he was. He kept reading the rules over and over to us. What do we tell him?”
“Let’s offer him some food,” said Pallu.
“Yeah, sure,” said Zander, rolling his eyes. “Let’s invite him to dinner. That’ll solve everything.”
