by Bill Albert
The Second and Sixth Ministers didn’t speak again until they were out of the chamber. On the southern end of the city there was an observation platform. It was wide, flat and had a wooden rail around the edge and, from this vantage point; a viewer could see almost all of the Land of Starpoint. They also knew that, upon their entrance, everyone else would be politely escorted off. They knew there was no way anyone could hear them speak.
“I will immediately set my agents to the task of finding her,” the Second Minister said even though he was not completely comfortable.
“As I will mine,” the Sixth Minister agreed.
“I have no connections with the Third Minister’s web, however,” the Second Minister admitted.
“I may have one, a new agent with connections inside his entourage. They may be able to find something.”
“Good.”
“I also have a private connection inside the king’s guard.”
The Second Minister was impressed and could not hide how surprised he was. “Very well,” he said with some envy.
“This girl, what if she is a threat to us? What do you plan to do with her?”
“Take her to the First Minister,” the Second Minister looked at him quizzically. “You have other plans?”
“No,” he said after a time. “I’m just beginning to fear that we, the Giant Lords, will fall just like Starpoint Mountain.”
Without another word they studied the forever altered eastern horizon. Hoping for some sort of comfort the Second Minister finally turned away towards the familiar and unchanged southern horizon. Something in the distance caught his eye. It was a large, dull colored object moving towards them. He went to the edge and leaned as far over the rail as he could to get a clear view. Though it was in the shadows of the city it was still very hard to completely hide a giant’s stagecoach; especially at times like this when an official mourning period had begun and travel, even for Giant lords, had to be recorded. He watched it for several minutes then looked at the Sixth Minister and smiled.
“I wonder where he’s coming from,” the Sixth Minister smiled and stroked his beard.
***
Gallif lay on her side on the slab of stone she assumed was supposed to be her bed. The cell she was in was barely bigger than the slab, so she had very little room to do anything else. The door to the cell was a heavy wooden door on one end and it was closed tight. The only source of light in the room was a small vent in the ceiling but it was nearly twelve feet off the ground and there was barely enough light to see anything. When she was first thrown in the light above had been eclipsed several times by someone walking over it, but that sign of life soon stopped. She lay back to consider what had happened and what they could do and soon drifted off to sleep.
Silence.
Darkness.
Silence.
Gallif awoke quickly when she heard the jingling of keys in the lock. The door opened slowly, and she raised a hand to protect herself from the blinding torchlight as someone entered the cell. The door closed and the visitor stood unmoving.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“It’s me, Gallif,” the visitor said in the sweetest voice. She held the torch away so Gallif could see her face.
“Maura?” Gallif gasped. She tried to rise but there was so little space she had no choice but to stay seated.
Maura hung the torch on a wall mount and sat on the slab. Gallif rose as much as she could, and they quickly wrapped their arms around each other. They held each other tight and Gallif drew strength from the feel and smell of the woman.
“How did you get here?” Gallif asked keeping her head on Maura’s shoulder.
“I’ve been working here for a few weeks now.”
“Are you a prisoner?”
“They say no, just a servant who is not allowed to leave. They claim there is a difference,” she whispered.
Gallif pulled away just enough to see her deep blue eyes and ran her fingers through Maura’s blond hair. “What happened after the school was attacked?”
“I ran,” she said ashamed. “I ran like a coward and didn’t stop until the next day. I wanted to protect your friends, but…”
“It’s okay,” Gallif said honestly. “There was nothing you could have done. I’ve seen what was left of the school.”
After several deep breaths Maura wiped tears from her eyes and continued. “I was looking for places to hide, I feared the elves would come after me, but got caught by a militia group investigating the fire. They asked me lots of questions. They were suspicious from the start and I couldn’t give them any good answers. They didn’t know what to do with me; they wouldn’t let me go home, so they took me prisoner. After the mountain fell I got shipped around a few times, I really think they just forgot about me, then I ended up here.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come get you. I didn’t know.”
“You had something to do with it, didn’t you? The mountain falling, I mean.”
“Yes,” Gallif answered looking straight at her.
Maura sighed deeply and wiped some of the dirt off of Gallif’s face. She softly touched Gallif’s red hair and then gently kissed her on the lips. “I haven’t told anyone,” she said. “About us, I mean.”
“I understand. They would probably punish you if they knew.”
“I know they would. What’s happened between us, what we feel, is forbidden.”
“I know,” Gallif whispered. “They don’t even have a name for it. Even kisertets don’t talk about it,” Gallif managed with a smile and Maura matched it. The fable they had always heard was that kisertets, spirits of the dead, always gave up their secrets. The worst things were always said to be so taboo even they wouldn’t speak them.
“I have to go before they notice I’m missing. I’m really not supposed to be down here,” Maura said. She desperately wanted to keep hold of Gallif but knew every second they spent increased the danger. “I’ll bring you some food when I can,” Maura promised as she rose. She stopped suddenly, gripped her belly and took a deep breath, then took the torch off the wall mount.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Maura responded quietly. “I’m just not feeling well, like there’s something in my stomach.”
Cold fear gripped Gallif as she was reminded of the monsters still inside her. She was struck with sadness and couldn’t say a word as Maura left and locked the door behind her. She lay back on the slab with her fists tight from anger.
Darkness.
Silence.
Darkness.
Sometimes not sure which was which, Gallif slipped between sleep and wakefulness. Sometimes she lay motionless and concentrated on the sound of her own heartbeat. Sometimes she heard nothing, sometimes she felt everything.
Caught between the zones she felt something rest on her back. Without moving she became completely awake and wondered what it was. A rat? A bat? A cat? She considered all the possibilities then scolded herself for not realizing it sooner. She turned slightly to look up and instantly the weight left her, and she heard the fluttering of wings.
“Are you better?” Lincilara asked. The fairy’s own green glow was enough to light up the confined space.
Gallif was still too tired to move much but she smiled in relief at who she saw. “You’re not a rat, a bat or a cat,” she said.
“And don’t you forget it,” Lincilara warned her sternly with her hands on her hips.
“Can we get out of here?”
“There’s a few ways but they are all guarded.”
“Do you know where everybody is?”
“Not yet.”
“All right,” Gallif said propping her up on her elbows. “Stay quiet, stay invisible, but find them as fast as you can. There’s someone else I need you to look for,” she added quickly before Lincilara zoomed away. “There’s a woman, a human with blond hair, she’s a servant here, look for her.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, what do you mean?
”
“I didn’t see any humans at all working here, just giants and hobgoblins. I didn’t smell anyone else either.”
Gallif swallowed hard as she thought about it. Maura had to have been here someplace. She wondered if there had been so many people that Lincilara had just missed her. “Find her if you can.”
“Okay,” Lincilara said and instantly disappeared. Before Gallif’s eyes could adjust to the darkness she reappeared in the same spot. “Check the floor,” she said then disappeared again in a blink.
In complete darkness Gallif lay down and carefully reached for the floor. She stopped when she touched the stone, waved her hand back and forth, then moved to a new spot. The third time she tried it she connected with not one patch of cloth but two. She retrieved them both and weighed them in each hand. One had a soft substance inside and Gallif held it close to take a deep breath.
“Lincilara, you are my hero,” she said and poured some of the salt into her other hand. She held it tight to her lips and carefully swallowed every grain. She took in half the bag that way and, since her stomach was calm, she pulled the string tight. She was still wearing her armor, boots and belt so she carefully placed the bag inside her right boot.
The second bag had something solid and round in it. As she pulled the string silver light sparkled into the room. She carefully looked inside to see a silver rod about six inches long with a silver loop on one end. She grabbed it by the loop and pulled it from the bag. As she watched silver flakes fell from the front of the rod similar to the way ice flakes fell from her frost sword. She sat up on the edge of the slab with her boots on the floor and studied it closer.
She noticed how, if it had any teeth, it would look like a key but without them it would open nothing. She balanced it in her palm; it had very little weight. As she swung it back and forth a few times for good measure, it left a shower of silver flakes in its path, but they quickly faded. She shook her head as it was no use as a weapon.
She wondered if it could be used for communication or seeing so she held it in front of her green eyes and concentrated hoping an answer would come to her. When it did, she jumped up to stand on the slab and repeated the message out loud.
“You idiot!” she scolded herself as her thoughts cleared. “Rayjen taught you better than that!”
She went to the door and put her hand on the knob. Though there was no keyhole on the inside she put the tip of the rod to where she estimated the keyhole would be. She pushed it forward and heard the bolts clicking as she passed the cast key through the chamber. She turned it clockwise and heard the tumblers move as she did so. When she pulled the cast key out, she caught the slightest reduction in the intensity of silver light. She turned the knob and was surprised to find that the door didn’t open.
She ran her fingers through her pale hair and considered what to do next. She put her hand against the door and gently pushed it forward. It bounced ever so slightly so she repeated the process until she could tell by the resistance that there was another lock on the other side. She inserted the cast key and twisted it again to make sure the outer lock was open.
She repeated the process several times and found five locks total and each time she used it the consistency of the silver flakes lessened. When the last one was open, she put the cast key back into the bag and looped it around her belt.
She heard nothing discernable so she opened the door just enough to remove any filter it may cause. She counted to ten and still heard absolute silence, so she opened it just far enough to allow herself to slip through into the hall and close the door behind her. She locked the four latches on the outside but decided to leave the main lock alone. She was suspecting that the cast key had a limited number of uses and figured that the four outer latches being closed would keep her escape a secret.
The hallway was slightly brighter and was not nearly as cramped. There was plenty of room for giants to maneuver in here and the grates in the ceiling were bigger and gave more light. She heard footsteps approaching on top and as she looked up a squad of the hobgoblin militia marched overhead, but the silence quickly returned.
This hallway only had four cells on one side and none on the other. One end was solid wall and the other was part of a three-way intersection. She checked the cell next to hers. The door was unlocked and there was nothing inside. The third cell was the same but the door on the fourth one was locked.
She was so intent on unlocking the bolts she didn’t see the giant shadow near the intersection behind her.
With the fifth bolt in her hand she leaned forward and could hear something moving inside. She dare not call to see who it was for fear of giving herself away, so she pulled it open. Without releasing it she took her weight off the door and slowly pulled it open.
With an ear splitting scream the aquilus inside the cell jumped at her and put pressure against the door to open it. Gallif dug her boots into the floor and put all her strength against the door. Though she was bigger the aquilus was quite strong and they were even. It howled at her and she could feel its spit against her bare left arm. The door failed to move in either direction until it was distracted by a flash of green light as Lincilara dove out of the darkness and into its face. It snapped its fanged teeth at her and gave Gallif the advantage she needed to push the door shut. She locked the bolts and was surprised at how much the door shook as the enraged elf inside repeatedly threw itself against the door. Though the locks were in place she pressed her back against the door as she caught her breath.
“No,” she said aloud as her emotions settled. “It is not a monster, a creature or an animal.” She took a few deep breaths and looked at Lincilara.
“I know where Jakobus and Blinks are being held,” the fairy reported.
“Luvin?”
“I’m pretty sure I think I know where he is. I could smell him but couldn’t get close enough when I heard the, whatever that is, scream.”
“We’re going to have to get going soon. Who knows how many heard that scream? Did you find Maura?” she asked hopefully. She saw Lincilara’s confused response and quickly added, “She’s the woman I asked you to look for.”
“No. I’m sorry but I couldn’t find any signs of human, boys or girls, helping them at all. Just more of the hobgoblins. The way they talked I can’t imagine there are any humans here. I doubt that they would trust one enough. No offence.”
Gallif shook her head feeling that Lincilara had to have been mistaken.
“Did you eat the salt? Please tell me you had the salt.”
“I took some of it and will take more as I need it. Bless you, you saved my life again. Where did you get the cast key?”
“The what?”
“The cast key in the other bag, to get out of the cell, where did you get it?”
“I didn’t bring you two bags,” Lincilara whispered in great concern.
“Maybe Maura did it,” Gallif said hopefully.
“No,” the giant said leaving the shadows and walking towards them. “I gave it to you.”
***
The Third Minister sat at his desk quietly watching King Paleth pace back and forth.
“You’re absolutely sure?”
“Yes, we have proof. A signed confession witnessed by two of the Council of Ministers. No one will question that. No one would dare.”
“I just can’t believe that this young girl, a human no less, could have taken part in the fall of Starpoint Mountain.”
“Not just taken part, my friend, but been responsible for it. That and tricking the aquilus with oreg spices to do her bidding. She is also, therefore, directly responsible for the assassination of the Fourth Minister.”
Paleth shuddered at the thought of someone being so evil and held a hand to his head as he stopped walking. “You will be a hero for finding her. I will have to make a special Royal Freedom Medal for you.”
“No, no, no, my friend,” the Third Minister said waving his hands. “You are the king of the Giant Lords, you are the
hero,” he said without sincerity.
Paleth smiled and stood a bit taller. It felt good having a friend in the Third Minister. “Where is she now?”
“Hidden until the anger of the discovery settles down, for her own safety, then we can set the stage for the execution.”
“A royal execution?” Paleth asked wide eyed. “With the golden veils and the trumpets?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I always wanted to see one of those.”
“It will settle any doubt and unrest people may have. It will also remind them who their protectors, and rulers, actually are.”
“Good, then things will get back to normal. Are the proclamations ready to sign?” he asked rehearsing his signature in thin air.
“They will be ready by tomorrow morning. Riders and wings will be ready to dispatch them immediately.”
“I haven’t slept well recently,” Paleth suddenly said as his shoulders drooped. “Gweneve has been rather upset about things. She keeps blathering on about it all night.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I thought you were in separate bedrooms.”
“We were, Krove, but after the fall the militia decided it would be safer if we stayed together for a while.”
“They know about that?” he asked unhappily but quickly regained his control. “I’m sure once the news of the girl’s confession gets around that will go back to normal, too.”
“I hope so. I’m afraid I have to go now,” the king said regretfully as he walked towards the door. “There are some arrangements for the funeral of the Fourth Minister I have to attend to.” He suddenly stopped and turned to face his friend and confidant with a frown and sad eyes. “What a pity…” he said. Then his face changed, and he suddenly smiled asking “That wasn’t too much was it? Did I look to sad?”
“No, it was perfect,” the Third Minister said and opened the door for the king of the Giant Lords. “Duty calls,” he said with a bow of his head.
Paleth straightened his shoulders and left the office like a king.
