Magic Underground: The Complete Collection (Magic Underground Anthologies Book 4)

by Melinda Kucsera

  “We will for now. We are armed but there are only two of us and a whole village of men.”

  “We could have taken them. I could have taken them.”

  “We are well aware, Sir Maxwell. We do remember.” It was under those similar circumstances that Maxwell, then a squire, had displayed the heroism that earned him his knighthood. “We will collect the rest of our troop, return, and secure her release.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Sir Maxwell groused. “Sire, did you think her to be bewitched like the other people in Near?”

  “It is hard to say, Sir Maxwell, but we would think not. We suspect Dame Deidre has a plan of some sort.”

  “But Sire!”

  “Fear not. Dame Deidre does not lack for valor.” She could, in fact, be deadly and had earned her title by dispatching an enemy with lethal force. Robin paused to release Meeyoo from the sack. She stretched out her rear legs, then her front legs, and shook out her fur. Robin set off, Meeyoo trotting alongside. “As we make our way to There, keep your eye out for the other wall.”

  “What other wall?”

  “Think about it, Sir Maxwell. The settlement called There was inside an enclosing wall, the one we topped. And we found Near encircled by the second wall, the one with the tunnel through which we passed. I suspect there is yet another wall surrounding yet another settlement. Picture the emblem they all wore in Near: a circle within a circle.”

  “So these settlements are arranged in a set of concentric circles?”

  “That's our theory. We suspect we'll find another wall there.” Robin stood with his back to the wall with the conduit through which they had passed and pointed ahead. “And on the other side of it, possibly another settlement exists, one we hope could be of use to us.”

  “Maybe the circle in the circle is Perooc,” said Sir Maxwell.

  “The circle within the circle within the circle,” Robin replied. “Which would make their emblem inaccurate. It was only two rings.”

  “Maybe they don't know about the other two settlements. Only theirs and Perooc.” Sir Maxwell took off at an angle.

  “We are not looking for Perooc but someone damn well had better know where Hewnstone is,” Robin grunted.

  The knight made no attempt to be stealthy as he plowed through the wood, thrashing low-hanging branches out of his way and crunching twigs underfoot. “Yes, yes!” he shouted. “I see something.” The crashing and crunching grew louder and more frenzied.

  Robin scooped up Meeyoo, quickened his pace, and followed the trail of broken brambles until he caught up with the knight. They stood at the base of yet another wall.

  “The people in Near must know about this.”

  “There must be a way over, or through.”

  “‘Through’ would be my preference,” Sir Maxwell said with an apologetic grin.

  Robin's ire rose. “We cannot believe Enono is unaware that Near lies between two walls.” He tapped his foot. “Sir Maxwell, we will return to Near and get answers. They know more than they are telling us, and that includes the location we seek.”

  “Perooc?”

  “No, Sir Maxwell, Hewnstone.” Robin tucked Meeyoo into the sack and charged back toward Near, the knight close behind.

  “And Dame Deidre? We will not abandon her, will we, Sire?” Sir Maxwell sounded anxious. “Is it not wrong to leave a fellow knight behind on the battlefield?”

  “We're not at war yet, Sir Maxwell but be assured. We will not leave Near with Dame Deidre's well-being in question.”

  They reached Near and found the streets empty.

  “To the church,” Robin said.

  The church was deserted, the courtyard vacant.

  “Sire, you don't suppose they're all gone? Magically whisked themselves away?”

  Chapter Three

  “Magic?” Robin spat. “No, Sir Maxwell. They are likely at supper or prayer. Let's get someone's attention.” He strode to the church door and pounded on it. “Dame Deidre! Enono!”

  As he hoped, the door opened. Enono stood framed in the doorway, a book in his hand. Robin peered into the church seeking Dame Deidre but the glow of a few candles did little to illuminate the interior.

  Enono slipped the book under his arm and greeted them with pressed palms and a bow. “You have reconsidered, Your Majesty. I am pleased. I promise, Sire, we will administer your training with the utmost care and attention.”

  “We are not here for training,” Robin retorted. “We are here for answers. You know and you will tell us.”

  Enono took a stumbling step back.

  “Where is this place, where is Perooc, and where in the hell is Hewnstone?” Robin demanded. “Is it on the other side of the wall?”

  Enono's crossed eyes did not meet Robin's but his brow furrowed. “The other side of the wall. That is There.” He shook his head. “Your Majesty does not wish to waste his time with those people. They do not know the Laws. They have nothing of use to tell. Those people will never be worthy.”

  “Not that wall. The other wall!”

  Enono sucked in his lower lip. “Ah. Yes. The other wall. I swear, Your Majesty, I know nothing of Hewnstone or the other place about which you inquired. But Perooc. Indeed, Perooc would be beyond that wall.”

  “Then why all this?” Sir Maxwell asked, including the church and the prayer circuit with a sweep of his arm. “Why not simply climb over the wall?”

  Enono took a moment to respond. “Perooc cannot be reached that way.”

  “So Perooc is not on the other side of that wall?”

  “One cannot simply breach the wall and hope to attain Perooc. Only by learning the Laws and obeying every one can one hope to be worthy of reaching Perooc. We invite you to learn with us.”

  “No. We have another approach in mind,” the king said.

  “You cannot waltz through the door—”

  Sir Maxwell stepped nose to nose with the man. “There's a door?”

  Enono took a step back. Robin detected a chink in the man’s stoic demeanor. “Yes, there is a door.”

  “Where is it?”

  Enono recoiled. “I cannot tell you. It is forbidden.”

  “Forbidden by whom?”

  “By our most learned and revered teachers. Teachers of old, who wrote the book.” Enono hugged the volume to his chest. “They were close to the treasure, closer than any of us has ever been. Ever could be. Unless we master the Laws.” Enono clasped the king's arm. “If you think to find the door or simply climb over the wall, you cannot. Perooc cannot be attained that way. You must follow the rules. You must earn access. You must be worthy!”

  “Unhand His Majesty,” said Sir Maxwell.

  Enono dropped his hand. “You are doomed to fail. You are not deserving. It can't be done that way. You must take instruction from accredited masters. You must study for years, for a lifetime. You must follow the Laws to the letter. You must proceed in one way and one way only.”

  “And what way is that?”

  Enono avoided Robin's glare. “Well, no one really knows,” he mumbled. He shook himself loose. “Please, stay with us. We will teach you. You may join your lady who has chosen to study the Laws, the better to merit the treasure of Perooc.”

  “Chose?” Sir Maxwell grabbed the man by the neck of his tunic. “Dame Deidre would never choose such a life. She is a warrior, a champion!”

  Robin grasped the young knight's arm and pulled him back.

  “You have been warned,” Enono called after him. “If you do not follow the Laws, you risk spending an eternity in Hell.”

  “What utter nonsense. In the Chalklands, lawbreakers go to prison, not Hell,” Robin muttered. He stomped away from the church, Sir Maxwell trotting behind.

  “I can't believe these people live inside this huge ring and not a one has tried to get over the second wall.”

  “Perhaps one has,” said Sir Maxwell. “And met with failure. Or worse, death. Not everyone can battle a dragon.”

  They crossed the mea
dow. Once they were well out of sight of Near, Robin released Meeyoo from the sack so she could stretch her legs—all four of them.

  Sir Maxwell blazing a trail while Robin and Meeyoo followed, they threaded through the wooded area until they reached the third wall rimmed by a wide grassy margin dotted with stumps.

  “Does it appear to you the trees near the wall have been felled?” Robin said.

  Sir Maxwell grunted. “I'll bet they did it to keep anyone from using one to get over the wall, the way we got down from the first wall.” Sir Maxwell snorted. “That wouldn't stop me. It's clear the people in Near know perfectly well where Perooc is and how to reach it. They want to keep the secret of the treasure to themselves.” He paced before the wall. “Enono said there is a door. I'd like to search for it.”

  “You've done enough climbing for one expedition, haven’t you?” Robin asked.

  The young knight squared his shoulders. “I am ready and able to do whatever my king needs to be done. Your Majesty need only to say the word.”

  “At ease, Sir Maxwell. You may be ready to scale another wall but we're not. Let's search for this forbidden door.”

  Chapter Four

  They took different sections, looking up, down, and sideways, probing the surface for telltale defects.

  “Oh, I'll be a beslumbering noodledick,” said Sir Maxwell. “Begging your pardon, Sire. But here is another disguised door.”

  Robin could see the outline. Unlike the zigzag pattern tracing the door to the conduit, this appeared to be a straight-sided panel. The bricks did not dovetail with the wall on either side. “Do you detect any hinges?”

  “I don't, Sire. It's a door, I'm sure of it, but how does it open?”

  They pushed and prodded at the sides but nothing budged.

  Meeyoo scratched the sand along the panel’s bottom.

  “Look, Sire, Meeyoo is helping.”

  “We suspect she needs to relieve herself,” Robin said, grateful she hadn't soiled the inside of the rucksack.

  He and Sir Maxwell dug knives into the panel's border but found no device joining the door to the wall.

  “I'm sorry, Your Majesty,” Sir Maxwell said. “I can't figure out how this opens.”

  Robin sighed. “Let's take a step back. Maybe from a different perspective ... wait. Meeyoo? Where's Meeyoo?”

  “She probably took off after a lizard or a mouse,” Sir Maxwell said.

  “Perhaps.” Robin scanned his surroundings but the cat was nowhere in sight. “Meeyoo? Where did you go?” He took a few steps to the right then the left. His throat tightening and his stomach souring, he trotted toward the woods calling the cat's name. He wished he had some pungent treat like a morsel of cheese or fish with which to coax her out of hiding.

  “Sire, look,” Sir Maxwell called.

  Heaving a sigh of relief, Robin jogged to where the knight stood facing the wall. “You found her?”

  The knight pointed up at the sky. “It's the gryphon, Sire.”

  Robin squinted. Two distant for him to make out any detail, a dark shape cycled high above in the sky beyond the wall. “It’s a bird, Sir Maxwell. A large one, with a long tail. A hawk or buzzard perhaps. There could be something dead on the other side of the wall.”

  “It's the gryphon, Sire. Meeyoo's mate, Meeyowyow's father. He protects Meeyoo. He is never far from her. She must be on the other side.”

  Robin tried not to snort. The young knight did have a fanciful imagination and it wasn't helping to find the cat. She could be anywhere. She could be far from here by now, as lost in this unmapped land as they were. His shoulders cramping with mounting despair, he scanned the grounds. A small trough leading under the panel's bottom edge was imprinted with fresh cat tracks and the feather strokes of a feline's tail. “Look at this. We think she's tunneled underneath.” Of course she had. What cat could resist investigating what lay behind a closed door?

  “Then she is on the other side,” Sir Maxwell said. “The gryphon is keeping her in his sight. Maybe like Meeyoo we could tunnel underneath.” He dropped to his knees and scraped at the ground.

  Robin heard a creak and gravel rained down. “Hold a minute, Sir Maxwell,” said Robin. The panel’s top edge no longer abutted the wall but had inched out. “It's not hinged on either side. It pivots at the midpoint.”

  They pushed the bottom edge away from them. The top edge tipped into the space above them. When the panel was at a right angle to the ground it left an opening.

  Sir Maxwell stood back and regarded the opening. “Looks wide enough for a person to pass through.”

  “Or a cat. Meeyoo?”

  “It would have to be a small man,” Sir Maxwell continued. “Do you suppose it explains why the people in Near eat so sparingly? So they can remain thin?” He stroked his chin. “A woman could pass through. Maybe that's why they have their women cloistered. They train them as scouts to wiggle through this wall and search for Perooc.”

  “What a notion. Meeyoo?” Robin called.

  The cat neither appeared nor made a noise.

  Sir Maxwell removed his pack, set it on the ground near the opening, and knelt. “I will investigate, Your Majesty.”

  “Take care not to get wedged in,” Robin said.

  Sir Maxwell turned on his side and wriggled through the space. His feet vanished from view.

  Robin knelt and peered into the space. Light on the other side shined on Sir Maxwell's lower legs and feet. “Sir Maxwell?” he called.

  “Yes, Sire. Meeyoo has done the scouting for us. She is here. Nothing and no one in the immediate area presents a threat.” The knight paused. “Your Majesty should see this.”

  Robin sighed. Another secret door? Taking the passage leading to Near had been a gamble, one he lost. Not only was he no nearer to sailing to Hewnstone but it also cost him a knight.

  Sir Maxwell was as concerned as he was about Dame Deidre. Yet the young knight’s breathless exclamation conveyed wonder as well as urgency.

  Would this gate lead to another settlement? It had better not be Perooc. It had damn well better be populated by people who could aid him in to reach port. What was to have been a brief excursion to a landmass to bury a dead wizard had stretched into two days. Tempus was fugit-ing. Meanwhile, the crew of the Emperor's Fancy was no doubt losing patience and the people of the Chalklands desperately needed the delayed cargo.

  Robin sighed. Even as he shoved Sir Maxwell’s pack and his own through the narrow opening in the wall, he suspected it was a mistake. He trusted his young knight, though, and Sir Maxwell’s astonished shout from the opposite side piqued Robin’s curiosity. He squeezed through the aperture afforded by the trap door, straightened, and regarded the scene before him.

  Robin blinked against the brightness. No wonder Sir Maxwell sounded awed. Groves, fields, and meadows surrounded the three small settlements they had encountered but the ones stretching before him now dazzled him with color. The trees were not simply vivid green but also brilliant pink, purple, golden yellow, and deep red. Feathery meadow grasses waved plumes of orange, pale blue, and chartreuse, like a peacock’s tail. The scents of rose, lilac, and rosemary perfumed the air, as well as aromas he couldn’t name.

  Robin was proud of his Chalklands kingdom’s landscape: its verdant pastures, fruitful fields, and leafy woods, its abundant kitchen gardens, and robust flower beds. He found it especially impressive since the realm’s chalky soil made agriculture difficult. Even in winter, his groundskeepers strove to make Bell Castle attractive by clearing away dead foliage and staging containers of junipers and ivies so there would be something green to see at every turn. Servants festooned the castle walls and statuary with garlands of holly and pots of heather to add spots of color.

  It paled in comparison to this vista. He gawped at his present setting. The gaudiness of what lay before him made him dizzy. There’s citizens would be too consumed by ceaseless arguing to notice but it would stun the practical and purposeful people of Here, and rattle the re
gimented residents of Near. At least the figures winging across the sky had the shapes of ordinary birds, save for one outsized specimen.

  Even Meeyoo appeared unnerved. She sat on her haunches, her eyes opened wide, her nose, ears, whiskers, and tail twitching.

  “Your Majesty,” Sir Maxwell breathed, his mouth agape.

  “It is a sight, Sir Maxwell.” Robin shouldered his pack and handed Sir Maxwell’s to him. The tip of a spire miles in the distance suggested the existence of a settlement. “Let’s go that way. We’re hopeful the denizens of such a vibrant setting might have equally lively minds that will yield the information we need.” He and his knights had come ashore in part to get a fix on their position and had learned nothing. Delving deeper into this unfamiliar territory had only taken them further from their ship.

  He and the knight had gone but a few feet through a meadow as colorful as a quilt when Robin noticed Sir Maxwell’s leggings and his own taking on color, and Meeyoo’s fur was rainbow-striped. He thought at first they had picked up pollen from the meadow plants then realized they were flecks of paint. Someone had colored the fields and surrounding flora.

  Robin scooped up the cat and finger-combed paint from her fur. “Meeyoo, best you ride or you’ll be cleaning yourself for days.” He tucked her into the rucksack and hoped the paint wouldn’t prove to be poisonous.

  A village came into view. The settlement looked as though someone had unleashed a hoard of children armed with paints, bits of lumber and fabric, and clay. Structures were in every possible geometric shape and painted in a myriad of colors. The sides of buildings served as canvases for illustrations, portraits, and slogans.

  Where Here was the definition of “stark,” There a model of “idiosyncrasy,” and Near the epitome of “order,” the village ahead personified “abandon.” Aromas both herbal and floral wafted toward them. The commons rang with music, but nothing organized. Robin heard a flute and a recorder, string instruments, and drums, each playing a different tune. Pennants flew from the roof of a gazebo thronged with people.

  “Some type of festival, do you think, Sire?” Sir Maxwell asked.