Heart of the Staff - Complete Series

by Carol Marrs Phipps

  Yann-Ber saw that there nothing for it but to grab sukere and join in.

  “I hope you didn't think us rude for not stopping until now,” said Spark, when at last all the greedy mouths were closed and the cheeps and peeps had become snoring round tummies. “But thank you ever so much for your...”

  Yann-Ber already had both hands up. “No explanation is necessary my good dragons. The situation quite spoke for itself.” He glanced aside and smiled around his pustules as the last dragonet closed her eyes and wiggled in snugly amongst her siblings.

  “But now with this unexpected time on my hands, I'm at something of a loss at what to do. It has been a very long time since I've had any leisure at all.”

  “I'm sure. Just sitting and waiting for something to happen is a very difficult thing to do,” said Spark, “but, as I said yesterday, if Razzmorten is already on his way back, it's best not to start, and if he's delayed, his circumstances are right likely to be too hazardous to walk into. It oughtn't to be terribly longer.”

  “Oh, I quite agree, Spark. It would indeed be altogether foolish to high off after him. What I'm trying to say is that since my condition is terminal, every moment I spend that is not productive seems wasteful. I mean, please, it would be a favor to me to do anything you need being done around here. I would be honored to serve you.”

  Spark was at a loss for words.

  “That's quite understandable, Yann-Ber,” said Lipperella. “I'm sure anyone in your position would feel the same.”

  “Come on,” said Edward, piping in with a yank on Yann-Ber's sleeve. “It's time for our breakfast. If we wait too long the babies will be awake again and everything will get cold while we feed them.”

  “In that case, I'd say we'd better hurry,” said Yann-Ber merrily. He followed Spark to the table where breakfast had already been laid for him and young Edward. Spark showed him his chair. Edward dug in.

  “What about the two of you?” said Yann-Ber, looking up at his hosts. “You've obviously been up hard at work since before dawn.”

  “Which is why Lipperella and I already ate,” said Spark. “Again, I hope you don't think us ill-mannered...”

  “Hardly. I think you're practical,” said Yann-Ber. He faltered as his eyes turned red, but recovered at once. “And the other favor I was trying to thank you for, which is far greater than you could possibly ever imagine, is giving me a few days to spend around a real family.”

  ***

  “I can't believe there's nothing we can do to help Grandfather,” said Rose as she picked up her bedroll and walked outside the cave in the early light of morning.

  “I understand your frustration, but this is your grandfather's request,” said Ceidwad, studying her with one keen eye. “He thinks it better to hold the Cia in his head than let it out to take over another one of us or to report back to Demonica.”

  “If that was the Cia talking when Grandfather was up on his feet,” said Lukus, “didn't he want to use the Heart of the Staff against Demonica and Spitemorta?”

  “That's what it sounded like,” said Ceidwad, “but that hardly means it's on our side. It might want to destroy Demonica, while feeling the need to report to her in the meantime if it thinks it has to. Who knows what it might do? As far as I know only renegade Cias, outlaws to their own kind, venture beyond their own Great Barrier. Any Cia controlled by Demonica may be deranged. Think about this. Cias are normally retiring and peaceful, and never have I heard of one taking over someone's head.” She gave her feathers a shake and turned to look at Razzmorten, still sleeping away just inside the cave. “Razzmorten is very old and wise and he has had experience with Cias. I'm sure he knows what he is doing.”

  Rose chewed her lip and nodded in resignation.

  “Good,” said Ceidwad. “Shouldn't we be moving on? If Demonica sent one Cia to seek us out, what would keep her from sending another if they wondered why it wasn't back?”

  “You've got a point,” said Fuzz. “I was actually thinking it might not be a bad idea to hold up here for a while on the chance that Mary might wake up, but I hadn't thought about that possibility.”

  “I'm already packing,” said Rose.

  “And I am now,” said Myrtlebell.

  “Looks like we get to clean up and break camp out here,” said Fuzz.

  “As usual,” said Lukus as he doused the fire.

  An agitation of crows cawed and stirred amongst themselves in the tops of two tall choke oaks standing before the bluff in the first broad light of day.

  “Now what?” said Oana turning to Mael. “Do we follow them or report what we have learnt so far to

  Demonica? We've already been gone long enough that she's bound to know something's wrong. It would have been better to have gone back and told her what we found, the moment we discovered what Devi was up to. I don't know why I let you talk me into these things, Mael.”

  “Oh go on, Oana. You know we didn't go back because she'd have blamed us for not staying with Devi every moment. She'd say that if we'd stayed he'd not have been able to pull a stunt like enter Razzmorten instead of Myrtlebell. Don't you get it? We're in as much trouble with her as Devi is.”

  “Then what do we do?” said Oana as she wavered anxiously in the bluff face.

  “First,” said Mael sternly, “you need to stay calm and stop shimmering around. We'll be seen if you don't stop, especially since that diatryma just pointed out the possibility that there could be more of us about than Devi.”

  “Oh, sorry,” said Oana, as she blended into the bluff face at once.

  “Much better,” said Mael. You know, we've had a bad life with Demonica...”

  “And?”

  “All right. We could go back to her right now and tell her all we know, which includes that we don't know where they're going 'cause we didn't wait to find out. That ought to irk her almost as much as finding out about Devi and Razzmorten.

  “Or?”

  “We could stay here until we find out where they are going, but that may be a while, unless we just report the direction they take when they leave. Of course either one of these choices will...”

  “Will displease Demonica,” said Oana.

  “No other way.”

  “So what do we do? We're always in trouble, no matter what.”

  “Exactly. So, why don't we just leave?”

  “What? What did you just say, Mael?”

  “Leave. We could go far away from here. How would Demonica find us? Besides, she's so wrapped up in getting her claws on the Heart that she hasn't the time to track us down. Think about it, Oana. This is the perfect time. It may be our only time for years to come. We could be free of her and her evil. We could go where we want. We could do the things we'd planned when we left home. You haven't forgotten why we left home, have you?”

  “No, of course not, but that was before Demonica. She'll never just up and let us go,” said Oana, as she began shimmering again. “And if she can't find us, she'll report us to the Exalted Council of Thought. They'll kill us for our escape, Mael.”

  “You have to stay calm.”

  “I know. I'm trying,” she said. “Have we no other options?”

  “We could return home and go to the Council, Oana. They might think we could be rehabilitated if we show up on our own.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “I think it's possible.”

  “I want to go home Mael. I've wanted to almost since we left. I miss everyone. The outside world is not a nice place for Cias. The Council was right to build the Great barrier.”

  “We might die...” said Mael in a flat voice.

  “I know. It terrifies me, but being Demonica's slave is worse than death, I think.”

  “We could still just leave. Even if Demonica really reports us to the Council, they may not think us worth tracking down. I mean, why haven't they done it before now?”

  “They didn't know where to find us, perhaps?”

  “Well, maybe. But if she doesn't kn
ow where we've gone, the Council won't either.”

  “You have a point there, but I'd still rather go home, Mael. I'm not nearly as certain as you are that Demonica won't track us down in time. She has her scrying crystal for one thing. And when she does...”

  “Not when, if.”

  “Very well, if Demonica tracks us down, her wrath would be worse than the wrath of the Council. At least the Exalted Ones will grant us a merciful and quick death.”

  “True enough. Then, I suppose we should head for the Barrier the moment Razzmorten's party moves on, which they are starting to do this very minute.”

  “Shall we go, then?”

  “If you are certain this is what you wish, there's no reason to stay.”

  “I'm certain.”

  “Home it is,” said Mael as they sprang from the bluff face and shot out of sight.

  ***

  “How far do you think they could have gotten, Demonica?” said Spitemorta as she flung up her hand to deflect a choke oak branch.

  “Too far. Or else we'd have them this minute,” said Demonica. “And it looks like you've lost their trail, again.”

  “Yea, because you insisted on pressing on, last time we lost them, instead of taking time to pick up where they went on. Are those diatryma tracks down there? Never mind. I can see they're not,” she said, glancing back.

  She turned forward just in time to fly into a huge python as it dropped from a choke oak. With a scream of terror she plummeted to the ground and rolled, bouncing through a thicket of briars, wound tight in the coils of the snake, spilling Demonica and the Staff as she went, belching out one lungful of gravelly scream after another as she fought to breathe. Ugleeuh's death flashed in her mind as the snake grappled to reposition its coils around her throat.

  After hitting her head against the ground three times hard enough to see stars, Demonica ended up on her feet, flailing her arms to a halt. Right in front of her was the Staff, sticking out of a gooseberry bush. She grabbed it up at once. At that very instant, the snake let go of Spitemorta and whipped out of sight into the leaves.

  Spitemorta sat on the ground, heaving and whimpering from her trauma.

  “You lost your stick, dear heart,” said Demonica, holding out the Staff. That was right odd, wasn't it?”

  “The vile thing could have killed me,” shrieked Spitemorta, “and all you can say is that is was odd?”

  “Now, are you dead or what? You're lucky. The snake cushioned your fall. Bet you don't have nearly the knots on your head that I have. Anyway, you needn't be so ruffled. I was getting ready to kill it.”

  “After it broke how many of my bones?”

  “Not many, I'm sure, but I'd have healed you as soon as the thing was dead...if you hadn't become overly disrespectful by then.”

  Spitemorta rolled her eyes as she struggled to her feet, but she could see how it all was and grew quiet.

  “Odd, odd, odd!” said Demonica.

  “We were going awfully fast for a snake...”

  “No, not that. It seemed to know what I was doing when I picked up the Staff.”

  “What's so strange about that?” said Spitemorta. “The Peppermint Forest hasn't completely turned back to Chokewoods, so that could have been one of Ugleeuh's enchanted creatures who remembered the Staff.”

  “I suppose you could be right, but if you are, there are an awful lot of ifs that just manage to work out.”

  ***

  “How long do you think it will take to get back to the Dragon Caves from here, Fuzz?” said Myrtlebell, hanging onto Mary, as she and Lladder trotted alongside him.

  “A good long day or two short ones.”

  “I see.”

  “Look, Myrtlebell,” said Fuzz, “I know you're anxious about Edward, but as Lladdwr and Ceidwad said, he couldn't be safer than he is with the dragons.”

  “I know, Fuzz. I just miss him terribly, and in spite of the fact that I know he is safe, sometimes I get the awful feeling I'll never see him again.”

  “It's just all you've been through, Myrtlebell. Now that the end of all this is in sight, I expect you're just having a hard time believing it.”

  “Do you really think we've lost Demonica and Spitemorta, Fuzz?”

  “It's been quiet for a long time, so maybe.”

  She gave him a feeble smile and then fell back to ride beside Rose for awhile.

  Rose waited for her to speak first.

  “Rose, I'm not sure how to say this,” she said, as Lladdwr and Ceidwad took turns shaking their feathers. “I know we've never been anything like friends. In fact, I know that in the past I've treated you like...well, rather like, whole ass droppings.”

  Rose nodded cautiously and waited.

  “I just want you to know that I've come to realize how awful I was to you then. Oh, Fates! I was rotten to a lot of people, I'm sorry to say.” She bit her lip and looked at Rose. “I guess about the worst thing I ever did was make up all that about you being adopted.”

  Rose looked away.

  “Fates, Rose! I never meant it to go so far. I just wanted to split up you and James. I envied you so much.”

  “You envied me?” said Rose with astonishment.

  “You've no idea, Rose. I mean, you had James and I was so in love with him. He looked right through me. And when he talked about you, it's as though you were the perfect woman, created just for him and he was the luckiest person in the world. I couldn't understand it. Most people told me I was...” She looked away, flushing deeply.

  “Prettier?” said Rose.

  “Well my friends... Well, those who told me they were my friends told me, and of course I believed them. It made no sense to me. I was too young to know that a beautiful face didn't mean that the world would fall at my feet, nor did I see how shallow and hateful my 'friends' happened to be. They were just like me.” She met Rose's startled eyes. “Well, I just wanted you to know that. I realize you can probably never forgive me, but I needed you to know how sorry I am.”

  Rose stared at Myrtlebell, letting her words sink in. Directly, she reached out and put her hand on Myrtlebell's arm. “I appreciate your telling me all of that,” she said. “It was brave admitting all those things. And by the way, you were awful. And you're right, we were nothing like friends. And since we are being honest, I didn't like you or any of your crowd one bit.”

  Myrtlebell dropped agape.

  “I don't know if we'll ever be friends, but I do forgive you, and I would like to try to be. After all, if it hadn't been for you I'd never have met Fuzz.”

  “Do you really mean that?” said Myrtlebell, brightening. “You'd be my friend?”

  Rose nodded. “Fuzz and Lukus are right. You have changed. You're like a completely different person. I should've realized that when I met your little boy. No one as nasty as you used to be could have raised such a fine young fellow.”

  Myrtlebell's eyes lit with adoration at the mention of Edward and Rose knew without a doubt that she'd not been false. Rose smiled at her and turned back to look at the path with a much lighter heart than she'd had for a very long time.

  Chapter 76

  “Now that we've gone for a tumble with your snake, we're really behind Razzmorten,” said Demonica between her teeth, as she picked the last of the leaves and twigs from her hair and felt of the knots on her head.

  “I hardly volunteered, as you well know,” growled Spitemorta, as she gave up with a huff and yanked a stick out of her locks. “Besides, I don't see the problem. All we have to do is get on and go again. Bad as we spilt, we still haven't lost much time.”

  “Every moment we waste is one too many at this point, particularly when Razzmorten has such a head start.”

  “Who gave him the head start, Grandmother? Had we not wasted all that time waiting for your Cias...” She clamped shut at once thinking better of it. “Fates! she thought. It's impossible to stay civil with this woman.” At once she adjusted her delivery: “If the Cias had returned in a timely manner,
we wouldn't be having this problem.”

  “Yes,” said Demonica with a nod, “You know good and well that Razzmorten did something to keep them from coming back when they should have.” She looked at their surroundings, a large opening in the trees, and studied how they had tumbled to the ground in the brush which had grown up in the clearing. A woodpecker hammered a dead limb up in the trees, as a gentle heave of breeze rattled leaves all about. “Hold out the Staff and let's get going. Fly over the cursed bushes and get back under the trees.”

  “As you say,” said Spitemorta, as she stepped over the Staff and paused for Demonica. “But why don't we just stay above the tops of the trees after we clear the briars and bushes? We could cover some ground quickly before we have to start looking again.”

  “Actually, that's a good idea for just a little while. They've certainly been going steadily north-east, but we'll have to watch our business and keep checking the ground, even so.”

  “They have been, but how do we know? It's been a good long while since we've seen anything. In fact, how do you know they're really ahead of us? Maybe they're not even going to the Dragon Caves.”

  Demonica went silent.

  “For once I've got her,” thought Spitemorta.

  “As much as it pains me to say it, Spitemorta, you may actually be right, this time. Perhaps we should go back to Goll and figure out just how we are going to remove the Heart from the Niarg Treasury.”

  “Yes. After all Grandmother, if you did it once, why not again? I'd think it might be easier the second time.”

  “That, dear, is because you've never done it. Still, I do expect we can find a way.”

  “Then, you've no objection if I fly straight for Goll?” she said, brightening at once.

  “I suppose not, but I still have my hunch, so I want to fly the rest of the way to the Dragon Caves, just to see what we're going to see.”

  Spitemorta rolled her eyes.

  ***

  “No sign of the witches anywhere, Fuzz,” said Hubba Hubba as he and Pebbles landed on Arwr's head, bringing him to a jogging halt. “It's really beginning to look like we've lost 'em at last.”