Heart of the Staff - Complete Series

by Carol Marrs Phipps

“Thank you,” she said as she suddenly pointed the Staff, blowing off one of his feet and toppling him to the floor to wail out in agony, immediately bringing four wide- eyed guards to the top of the stairs.

  “Shut up!” she shouted as she jabbed his throat with the Staff, freezing it to silence. “Take him to the dungeon!”

  ***

  “This is going to be good,” she said as she tapped at a tooth. She decided to help herself to a tour of the castle before all of the hectic festivities tomorrow. She went all over, peering in everywhere. She found a nice balcony where she thought she would like eating supper and left word with the kitchen.

  “Well, it's old and small,” she said, “but it's almost opulent, and I've never seen so many strange passages. But I do remember places like this stupid ballroom and banquet hall, where James had his birthday and he and I... And Myrtlebell. Tart!”

  By the time she was finally seated at her private board on the balcony with the wind gently rippling the skirt of the linen tablecloth and the candle flames a-flutter, she was in a most sullen mood. “Beat it!” she said to the orderly who set salsify soup sprinkled with fresh parsley and Bethan's own steaming cinnamon buns, new clover honey and fresh sweet butter before her. She chucked her napkin in the soup, crossed her arms and glowered as the orderly bowed politely and vanished.

  “Touchy this evening, are we?” said Demonica, appearing at the far end of the board.

  “We, Grandmother?”

  Demonica erupted with laughter.

  “Why weren't you this happy when you were alive?”

  “How very personal! Well why be serious? You're the one with everything at stake these days. I'm merely the fascinated bystander.”

  “Right. A bystander pointing out all my mistakes and ridiculing every single one of my decisions. I thought you'd agreed to help me, not to undermine everything I do.”

  “Is that what you thought?” said Demonica. “My! I thought that about you until you murdered me.”

  “Murdered you? Had you not tormented me at every turn, I might not have been driven to kill you. You pushed me beyond anything I could endure. It was plain self- defense Demonica, not murder.”

  “My! You really do need a way of excusing your killing me, just as if you had some teensy shred of conscience bothering that stone-cold heart of yours.”

  “Ah!” said Spitemorta, grabbing at her bosom. “And the way you bother to make me sound like your granddaughter convinces me that you suffer from the very same thing. Now, get out of here!” She shoved back from the board and went to the balustrade to prop herself on her arms and stare into the evening breeze.

  “And just as it was when I was alive, you childishly fight every attempt I make to help you...”

  “What?” said Spitemorta, looking up to find Demonica sitting on the balustrade nearby. “Why are you still here?”

  “Trying to help you, dear. You may have the Heart and the Staff, but you're still a long way from omnipotent. You can't escape needing others to cooperate with your plans. These people need time to get used to the idea of having you come here and sit on the throne. And how are you going to have a big celebration and execution without giving them the time to make preparations? And you never know how they'll react to a public execution. Things might not go quite the way you expect.”

  “It appears I have little choice, then.”

  “Of course you have a choice. Just quietly execute Number Two and be done with it. What's in the way is your vain celebration. That could never happen overnight. You'll have trouble even trying it. It simply requires that they know you first, and you can't expect that yet. And they may not sit still for a public execution of someone they've admired. Look. Just distribute the skinweleriou, determine who you can trust and who must die. The skinweleriou ought to go to the trustworthy as soon as you have an inkling about who they might be. Now wait a minute. This place stinks of your darling James, doesn't it?”

  “Not to put too fine a point on it, Grandmother.”

  “Really Spitemorta. Why all the embarrassing drama? It would do you a world of good to take Number Two and spend a few hours in the dungeon taking him apart piece by piece. I think you've forgotten how utterly rejuvenating that can be, dear.”

  “Maybe you're right. Torturing that steward might be just the thing. Care to come along and watch?”

  “I'm doing better than that dear,” said Demonica, hopping off the railing. “I'm always at your side now, for one thing. And number Two is a new subject. You may need some pointers.”

  “Fine. But he needs to be alive for his private execution.”

  ***

  “There you are Edward!” said Laora as she flopped down beside him in the mottled shade of a scrub oak. “I've been looking all over for you. Why did you disappear after dinner? I thought we we're going to hunt spiny lizards together.”

  “I know Laora,” he said. “I just don't feel like it. Maybe you could get Toast or Flame to go hunt with you.”

  “Maybe,” said Laora as she watched him snap a twig into little pieces, “but the best part of hunting 'em is being with you Edward. So if you don't want to go, then I don't either.”

  “There's no reason to give up your fun on account of me.”

  “You'd say that because we're best friends,” she said, sorting through some flight feathers. “So tell me what's wrong. And don't you tell me nothing is, 'cause I know better.”

  Edward heaved a sigh. “I've just been thinking,” he said. “Things will be different around here real soon. That's all.”

  “So? You aren't upset that Prince Abbey is going to be living here in the caves, are you?”

  “No. Abbey 's all right. I know it's not his fault about Momma. And we're alike anyway, because he's lost his mom to her being no good.”

  “So what's the problem? You'll have your own kind around, and you've always liked Elves and diatrymas.”

  “No Laora. Did you know that Rose's brother will be coming and that her mother and grandfather are even coming?”

  “That ought to be good. You really like Rose, especially since she's your new mother and all.”

  “Yea,” he said, turning his back to her. “So where are she and Fuzz, Laora? Do you realize how long they've been gone? I thought they'd get back ages ago, and we've not even heard from them. And what if they aren't coming back at all?” And with that he was weeping.

  “Oh Edward!” she said, covering him with the flight feathers of both arms as she grabbed him into a dear hug and rocked him. “They'll come for us just as soon as they can. They just will. You'll see.”

  “You really think so?” he said as he ran his eye down the back of a fist.

  “I do Edward,” she said with a great toothy nod.

  Edward gave her a big hug back. “Well then,” he said, shooting to his feet with a sniffle, “let's see how many lizards we can catch before supper.” And with that, he threw his leg across her back and they were aloft.

  Chapter 171

  Rose awoke with a start to find herself rolling to the edge of the bunk. She dropped her foot to the floor, propping herself to keep from falling. She felt the heaving sea through the floorboards, and it was frightfully dark for broad daylight. “Dear Fates!” she gasped. Not again!” She dashed for the stairs, only to lose her balance on her first step up, ending up on her back. “No!” she wailed, scrambling up the steps on her hands and knees to slip and skid out onto the deck, awash with sheets of rain from the shelf of black clouds about to close off the last strip of blue sky at the horizon. Carrey bounded after her onto the deck, stumbling for footing. Just as she was certain that the ship was rolling over into the angry water, the railing hove up out of the reach of the surging waves. There was Fuzz, frantically pulling on a rope. “Fuzz!” she cried into the drenching wind. “Is this a hurricane?”

  “No!” he hollered. “Just a squall!”

  “Are we sinking?”

  “Not if we furl this lower topsail and the main course belo
w it!”

  “What?”

  “Help me haul this clewline! The wind keeps yanking it out of my hands! Obbree's got the other side! Olloo and Roseen are doing everything they can to haul the buntlines!”

  They were not the only ones. When Rose grabbed onto Fuzz's rope, she saw that every strike falcon was there, bedraggled and clamped to ropes, bracing and kicking in the downpour. Three of them were helping Obbree. The moment she thought about the dangling line behind her, Carrey clamped on and yanked out the slack.

  “Batten the lines!” roared Fuzz. “Main lower topsail furled! Now the main course! Haul the clewlines! Clews up to the ends of the yard! Bring the foot up to the main yard! Haul the buntlines!”

  In short order they had the great sail securely furled to the main course yard. Fuzz yanked his knot tight and scooped Rose into a whirling hug across the slippery deck. “That was 'way closer than I want to think about,” he said with a giddy laugh. “We'd never have made it without your help.”

  “Fiddlesticks!”

  “No, really! Without both sides going up at once, it would've taken too long. We'd have been on our side for sure.”

  “Why ever did you leave me in bed, Fuzz?”

  “You needed your sleep,” he said. “I mean, look at you. And then it had us. It came on us 'way too quickly.”

  “I am showing...”

  “And you need to go back to bed. It'll be over soon. I think we'll drop anchor until it's gone by.”

  “Not a chance,” she said. I'm staying topside until we see the quays at the Port of Niarg.”

  Here came Karl-Veur, pausing to wring water out of his long black hair.

  “We'd be swimming for another beach right now if you hadn't kept our stern to the wind!” called Fuzz.

  “May be,” said Karl-Veur. “But I'd rather have a tiller any day than that damned wheel. The nibs on it are mean business. My arms will look like leopards with all the bruises.”

  “I'm going below to put on something dry and fix tea and egg in a hole,” said Roseen, hurrying by.

  “Just the thing!” hollered Rose. “I'll be right down to help you fix it!”

  ***

  By the time they had finished their late breakfast, the squall was all gone except for a scattered handful of dark clouds in the east. Gulls and squadrons of pelicans could be seen out fishing. Before long, they had their two sails billowing in the mild breeze. Right before noon, they found themselves studying the coastline and saw that they were north of Niarg, so they sailed south. When they finally reached the Port of Niarg in the middle of the afternoon, the wind was almost due west, and since tying up at the quays would need tacking skills quite beyond them, they dropped anchor. Neither Fuzz nor Karl-Veur liked there not being a single vessel in sight at the harbor, either. It would be too risky to disembark without having a look about first, so they left everyone aboard and came ashore in a rowboat.

  “This can't be right,” said Fuzz as they hauled their boat out of sight beneath a pier. “Rose never spent a great amount of time here at the port, but she swears that she's never seen it with no boats at all. And neither have I.”

  “And we don't want to be seen, either,” said Karl-Veur. “Being spotted could be a big mistake.” He pointed at the end of the wharf. “And what's that, yonder?”

  “Ah!” said Fuzz. “The Blue Delphin. Perfect. That tavern is never closed, day or night.”

  “Let's skirt the buildings. Out in the middle of the street makes us easier to spot at a distance.”

  They found the door locked. “If it's not open, I wouldn't pound on it,” said Karl- Veur.

  “You're right,” said Fuzz. “So I wonder what...”

  “Demonica, maybe?”

  “Fates forbid! Well let's keep looking.”

  “Yea,” said Karl-Veur. “And beyond the wharves, the streets look just as deserted.”

  Sparrows cheeped in the empty streets, adding to the cries of gulls. A small boy scampered across the street, chasing a yapping puppy.

  “Hoy!” hollered Fuzz, immediately giving chase, only to lose sight of him in the next street over. They knocked at three or four doors. “No one's in any of these houses,” he said.

  “Not to mention that our pounding can be heard all up and down the street...” said Karl-Veur.

  Just then a door clicked shut at the next house.

  “Hey!” cried Fuzz, rushing over to knock on the door. “We've been gone! What's happened here?”

  “I just saw curtains move,” said Karl-Veur.

  “And I saw the door go closed the moment we heard it,” said Fuzz.

  “You're armed!” came a voice from inside.

  “I've never heard the like in Niarg!” cried Fuzz. “Of course we're armed! Look! We just got off a ship...”

  The door opened a crack. “No one here but soldiers wear swords,” said a nose beyond the crack.

  “We're not soldiers,” said Fuzz.

  “I can see you're not,” said Nose, throwing wide the door and stepping into sight with his drawn longbow. “But if they see us, they'll be here right smart to take everything we carry.”

  “Who?”

  “Well who are you?” said Nose, letting his bow relax. “I might talk if I get some straight answers.”

  “I'm Karlton Strong. I used to be one of the Royal Guard, years ago.”

  “I'm Karl-Veur...”

  “From Head? Pennvro?”

  “Well the Dark Empire, at least.”

  “My mother was Janed Bro-Saoz, but my father's family is from here,” said Nose. “And Karlton Strong. Now that is strange. There was a Sir Karlton Strong who was Captain of the Guard 'way before my time, but you're not nearly old enough, and I know everyone in it.”

  “And you are?” said Fuzz.

  “Corporal Amheus.”

  “I see,” said Fuzz. “Well as I said, we just got off the boat and things don't look right. So could you tell us...?”

  Corporal Amheus gave Fuzz a look of contempt and turned his attention to Karl- Veur. “So what brings you to Niarg?”

  “We've arrived on an urgent errand to the Castle,” said Karl-Veur with a veiled glance at Fuzz, “and not one thing we've seen since we stepped ashore seems right. We're afraid of walking into a trap, to be frank. And I'm afraid that I've the very same question as Fuzz, here. What's happened to Niarg?”

  “Fuzz? I thought he just said Karlton Strong.”

  “Well Fuzz and I have indeed been talking about him all morning, as you might imagine with us coming here, since Sir Karlton was Fuzz's father. So what has happened? To our knowledge, the harbor has never stood empty before.”

  Amheus gave a hiss through his nose. “Now, I don't believe either one of you,” he said. “You're both playing me for a fool, but it's easy to see that neither one of you are Gwaels. And by walking about armed, bold as brass, you undoubtedly are walking into a trap...”

  “Gwaels?” said Karl-Veur and Fuzz together.

  “Yea. And you may as well forget any errand at the castle, as if that had any truth to it, because Queen Spitemorta and her witch grandmother found everyone in the castle dead with the plague and knocked every last wall and stone of it asunder. Not one part of it still stands.”

  “Spitemorta and Demonica, then?” said Karl-Veur.

  “That's what I said.”

  “How much of the town of Niarg died of the plague, then?”

  “Nobody that I heard tell of,” said Amheus.

  “And Gwaels,” said Fuzz. “What are they doing here?”

  “Being the Reaper Witch's army. We destroyed the army of Loxmere-Goll at Ashmore. Well, actually up Cwm Eryr. Then she found King Hebraun at what was left of Ash Fork and killed him.”

  “That's the only thing we already knew,” said Fuzz.

  “Well good,” said Amheus. “I'm right glad you knew something. Now you're going to have to go. I'm hiding, actually. And when they spot you, they're going to be right here at this doorstep. Go get kill
ed somewhere else. Goodbye.” And with that, he closed and barred the door.

  “He's nice!” said Karl-Veur.

  “You're pretty good,” said Fuzz. “For a moment there, I thought you had him. And you know what? I don't trust him any more than he trusted us. I don't want to get close enough to get us into trouble, but I do want to see what happened to the castle. If it's really down, I suppose we can assume that everything else he said was true.”

  “Well lead then,” said Karl-Veur with a resolute sigh, “but do keep an eye out.”

  They made their way by walking next to the empty houses, avoiding the middles of the streets. A pigeon bowed and pouted, chasing a female along a balcony rail.

  “I don't see a living soul,” said Karl Veur.

  “Nor hog nor chicken,” said Fuzz. “But I see something else. Look 'ee yonder.”

  Karl-Veur peered beneath his hand.

  “No. Between those two houses, off a piece, above the rooftops. That's Argentowre. The abbey it was part of is down. It was right next to Castle Niarg, so the castle has to be down. I want to go to the corner of that house, yonder, and look. And I agree. We shouldn't get any closer.”

  Carefully they eased their way to a large spiraea bush at the corner of the house.

  “Well I see the castle,” said Fuzz. “And I see soldiers. Why they've got people... Those people they've got a-working are either Niarg townspeople or Niarg soldiers.”

  “I see laundry hung out. It looks like people are living in the houses on the other side of the Castle. I wonder why it's abandoned over here?”

  “I bet I know. They're set up all around the castle, and they don't want some invasion force coming in from the port and being helped and hidden by folks out in the streets between the castle and the port, a-going about their daily business. And see that strange house up on posts with all the windows, right by Argentowre? That's the exchequer's house. I can't imagine the Gwaels not having it occupied so they can watch people. Let's get out of here.”

  “I'm right behind you.”

  ***

  Fuzz and Karl-Veur climbed up the rope ladder and sat wearily on opposite sides of a great coil of rope as everyone aboard the Marner Medhow and his strike falcon crowded 'round. “This is probably perilous, being anchored out here,” said Fuzz as he propped his forehead in his hands, gave his scalp a vigorous scratch and looked up. “We didn't see a single vessel about which they might use to give chase, but I can't imagine that we're one bit safe. And Castle Niarg has been smote clean to the ground.”