“You fought bravely, Jonathan. I owe you my life. You must have killed five or six of them before the opal’s spell took effect,” Serese said.
“It was seven actually. My quivers are nearly depleted. I saw you stab three of them with that jeweled dagger of yours. Quite impressive.”
Serese smiled, “Thank you. Clearly, my father’s training has not been in vain.”
Sir Roan bounded ahead of them with a slight whine in the back of his throat. Serese and Jonathan paused, staring at the scampering wolf.
They watched as Sir Roan trotted around a bend in the path ahead of them.
Jonathan lay on the dusty granite trail, putting his head to the ground. He sat up and shrugged his shoulders. “I do not hear anything. Sir Roan definitely smelled something. You wait here while I -”
Serese interrupted him, “Absolutely not. I will not stay behind.”
Jonathan frowned, but went in front of the princess as they followed slowly after Sir Roan. The view that awaited them around the corner astonished them both.
Sir Roan sat in front of a pile of jagged broken rocks which were higher than the tallest cathedral Serese had ever seen. The jumbled boulders were blocking the path but that was not what surprised them the most.
At the very top of the broken tower of granite grew the largest thorniest rose shrub Serese had ever seen. Its’ crooked brown branches sprawled wide under dark green leaves. Its far-reaching brambles seemed to mock her. It was absolutely inaccessible.
One deep violet rose grew on its innermost branch. Only because it was uncommonly large, could they see if from their vantage point.
The single blooming rose soared in the sky, looming above them. Perhaps if she were a cat, she could maneuver this rock tower. But unless her opal could magically transform her into a nimble legged feline, the tower of stone before was insurmountable. “Bat’s Breath!” she snapped. k'12
That mountain of loose rock would likely cause her fall if she attempted to climb it. If she could not pluck that rose, she could not concoct the counter potion. Without it, she could not dispense with Serpentine. Had her journey brought her to this sudden end?
Chapter Twenty
Serese sat on a particularly smooth rock at the base of the tower, “Was that monstrosity always there?” she asked Sir Roan, as she peered up the mountain. What she would not give for Aunt Serafine’s magic now. An obliterating spell would be most beneficial. But she knew none of the castings. Truly, she must be the most ill-equipped enchantress in all of the ages past and the ages yet to come.
Jonathan walked closer to the tower, and touching a granite boulder, he caused a torrent of the smaller rocks to tumble. They nearly landed on Serese before she quickly got out of the way.
“Be careful, Jonathan! I have not come this far to be smothered under these horrid stones,” Serese scolded.
Jonathan asked, “Why not ask your jewel for assistance?”
“I have already done so, shepherd. It has yet to respond. It must believe we are capable of facing this challenge without its aid. Please fetch firewood. Make yourself useful and leave me to think.” Serese could not keep the frustration out of her voice.
“This looks like Allegra’s handiwork to me. She is obviously expecting us and has created an obstacle,” Sir Roan said as he sniffed the fallen rocks.
“Well she has certainly outdone herself,” Jonathan added.
Serese’s cheeks turned pink as she said, “Well, if Allegra created this pile of stones, then she can get rid of it.”
Jonathan looked at her in confusion, “Pray tell us, princess, what you are thinking,” he said.
“We trick her the way she has tricked us. We pretend to give her what she wants—after she helps us.” Serese stood and paced back and forth excitedly, “I know it will succeed.”
“How would you deceive her?” Jonathan asked. He had his doubts about tricking a faerie queen. The ones he had already met were no simple-minded creatures.
Serese spoke, “If we camp here in apparent defeat, she is bound to come and collect her prize. But I doubt the opal will let her claim it.”
They made their tent ready, dined on dried beef strips and drank the last of the spiced cider. They waited around the campfire, watching for unusual signs in the earth.
Finally, Sir Roan smelled sulfur in the wind. Not of the canine or mortal variety either.
He motioned for Serese and Jonathan to come near him. They huddled together as the dirt at their feet began to dance as if possessed. It drifted in eddies around them, causing them to cough.
A blast of lightning struck the rock mountain while a clap of thunder exploded in the sky.
Then another lightning flash revealed a gaping hole in the mountain side next to them. They observed a brown earth-covered young girl crawling out of this hole.
Her glossy brown hair clustered like branches around her shoulders and her brown skin glimmered. Her chestnut-colored gown was coated with hundreds of topazes. Deer and owls were carved in her leather boots. Her wings were dark green, threaded with brown veins and folded tightly against her slim back. Her brown eyes glared at them with intense hatred.
Queen Allegra shook herself, causing dust to fall, “You have lasted longer than I thought you would, princess. I will get your enchanted rose for you but only if you give it to me. I will require your opal too.”
“I must admit, you are more forthright than the other queens.” Serese said, “But I cannot give you the opal. It has a mind of its own and will not let me betray my people. If you assist me, I am certain there would be recompense for you.”
Queen Allegra laughed, “My, you are a brave little fool to make me that offer. But hubris is a sign of youth and you are but a child. Have you even learned the mystical arts needed to wield that stone you wear so carelessly around your neck? I think not. I shall teach you a lesson.”
Then Queen Allegra screeched and it sounded like a thousand cat claws scraping on a slate roof tile. The cry was like buried souls seeking release from an underground crypt.
It made the skin crawl on the travelers. Serese covered her ears as she cowered before the earthen faerie queen. Jonathan crouched next to her, moaning with pain at the terrible sound.
The rocks in the pile began to slide in a slow descent toward them. It was as if the jagged stones had grown legs for they moved that purposefully. Serese stepped closer to the musty smelling faerie, in order to avoid the sharp rocks.
Then Queen Allegra quickly grabbed her.
The princess cried out as the rough skin of Queen Allegra’s arms scratched her, even through her woolen sleeves. Serese struggled to escape. The strong arms of the faerie queen clenched around Serese like unyielding branches on an oak tree.
The faerie queen smelled of mud and animal dung. The princess breathed through her mouth. Serese struggled uselessly in the unbelievably strong arms of Queen Allegra.
“Do not trifle with me, Serese. I will only ask politely once.”
Jonathan shouldered his bow, notched an arrow and aimed it at the earthen faerie queen’s heart. “Release her now or I let this arrow fly.”
Queen Allegra laughed again, causing more rocks to slide down the pile, “I cannot be killed by a mortal. Your bravery tells me you long for a military post. Perhaps you can serve me.”
Sir Roan had crept up behind the faerie and bit her left leg. Queen Allegra lifted her sore leg away from the source of the pain. Then, the quick-footed wolf bit her on her right leg too.
Queen Allegra shouted, unfurling her green wings as she floated above the earth, still holding Serese captive in her grip.
“Wolf king, you had better cease or I will take the princess to her aunt. I am certain Serpentine will be delighted to see her-” A ray of brown light emanated from the opal, engulfing Allegra with brown sparks. The skin on the earthen faerie queen’s tree arms began to blister and peel off in patches.
Queen Allegra shrieked, dropping Serese, who fell to the ground with a th
ud. “God’s teeth!” Serese cried as she rubbed her head, finding an egg sized bump there.
“I have left you a token to remember me. You have not seen the last of me, Serese,” an enraged Queen Allegra flew into the night, nursing her burnt arms against her side.
Serese screamed as she looked at her own scratched arms and her stomach churned at what she saw squirming inside the gashes.
Dozens of tiny black worms wiggled in the gaping cuts among her blood. Brown mud began to harden in the wounds. The smell of the rotten dirt made her woozy. “Some warrior I am turning out to be,” she thought while Jonathan moved closer to the fire to get a better look at her arms.
Serese tried to pick them out, but they held firm and dug in deeper. Even the shepherd grimaced when he saw the condition of Serese’s gashes. He placed a stick into the fire and blew the burning end of it out. He cautiously approached the princess.
“Wait a moment,” Serese began, “Do you mean to burn them out? They are obviously magical worms. I doubt fire will destroy them! Oh, they itch when they crawl.”
Sir Roan rushed over to the pale faced princess and whined when he saw the slimy worms moving about. From a safe distance, he dribbled some of his saliva onto her left arm.
Some of the worms shriveled up into balls and died. The smell of the mud was less potent. But the remaining worms grew larger. Their writhing forms made her bile rise.
Serese cried out with the frustration at the pain. “She means to bury me alive,” Serese said as she stared in disgust at the gashes in her arms.
Sir Roan sat back on his haunches and shook his head, “My power is not enough to destroy them. Faerie queen magic is likely required.”
“Do you suggest I have Queen Arianna drown them or Queen Aurelia blow them out? How exactly is my opal to do my bidding when it got me into this mess?”
Sir Roan suggested, “How about looking into your charm? It is meant to guide you. Pray beseech it for counsel on plucking the violet rose as well.”
“So be it then, wolf,” Serese said as she grasped the charm. The opal began to glow and its milky depths slowly took on the shape of a definite image. Her questions were not answered but a new vision appeared in the jewel’s translucent surface:
Underneath the pile of rocks were bodies, decayed, skeletons—some with their clothing on and some in tatters. Serese moved with her right foot first and was able to ascend the pile. If she moved with her left foot first, rocks tumbled. She would be crushed if she stepped with her left foot first.
“Well?” Sir Roan inquired with curtness in his tone.
Jonathan glanced at her and Serese sighed, “It is gruesome; there are hundreds of bodies buried under the rubble. That is why the pile is so high—they did not know the secret to pass. You must step first only with your right foot. The entire climb must be done this way.”
“What happens if you step first with your left?” Jonathan asked.
“You will be buried under the rocks—they are enchanted.” Serese gave Jonathan a pointed stare which said he ought to have known that.
He began to break down their camp, packing his supplies into his satchel. Sir Roan approached Serese, leaning into her side and she stroked his fur, grimacing as the black worms wiggled deeper into her cuts.
The shepherd shouldered his pack, keeping his bow and arrows close. It would not hurt to be prepared. But he did not know how useful his skills would be against the enchanted foes they would likely meet.
Jonathan wished he had paid better attention to his father’s lessons. Any knowledge of the mystical arts would prove useful on this wretched quest. But he had been preoccupied with learning how to fight. He had not the means to conquer the otherworldly enemies they faced. It rankled him that his brawn was practically worthless.
Serese did not look down as she grabbed hold of a rock and hauled herself up, placing her right foot ahead of her. She looked for footholds among the fallen rocks, and carefully ascended the tower. She slipped several times.
Sir Roan used his four legs to balance her two unsteady ones. Jonathan managed remarkably well, Serese noticed. At least he was not whistling; she did not think she could tolerate that.
She vowed to never climb another mountain again. Truly, sitting in her tower and embroidering cushions held a certain appeal. As did lace making and weaving and reading her book of hours, on her knees, in their cold stone chapel. She would never complain of those tedious tasks again. God’s teeth! If only she could be pricking her fingers with a needle instead.
At least the climb served to distract her from the pain the worms caused as they settled deeper into her arms. She could not think about the itching, nor could she scratch her arms.
A particularly sharp rock cut her hand and she cried out but she did not stop climbing. The rose shrub was nearly in sight. She must continue. No matter how sore, how tired she felt.
One more step and there it was. Truly, it was exquisite and vibrant and it smelled so beautiful. Serese hoped she was not turning into a lovesick maiden by admiring the violet blooms. Her father had raised her better than that.
An area of packed earth surrounded it. Serese saw no passage through its tangled branches. She grasped her opal and nearly dropped it when a clap of thunder sounded.
“God’s eyes! But this weather is positively unpredictable.” Serese muttered.
Her mark burned at her throat. The rose mark on her neck changed from white to a scorched violet. A flash of violet light burst forth from the opal, striking the rose bush. The plant was as large as her beloved mare’s stable. She would have to fight her way into it somehow.
Serese cried out as she pried the opal away from her neck. She knew suddenly what she must do. She drew her cloak tightly around her and braced herself. Her gloves she left off, for she could not bear to pull them up over the slithering worms in her arms.
The princess walked into the thorny rose bush, gritting her teeth as it pierced her skin.
Her heart felt as if it had been stabbed and tears fell out of her eyes. Her new scratches bled steadily. The worms in her arm burrowed frantically, as if seeking a way to hide in her angry wound. As if they knew their remaining time was short.
After spotting the rose, larger by three times than any other, Serese reached into the thorny branches.
She felt along its stem and where the rose met the shrub, she yanked it free. The mystical flower gave way. Serese clutched it in her hand.
A hot rushing sensation filled her throat and spread through her limbs as sweet peace replaced the dread she had felt.
Serese looked down at her arms. The black worms evaporated, flaking away like crumbs. Her numerous scratches were instantly healed. Faint scars were all that remained of her gashes.
She felt as if she had soaked in a steaming bath filled with hundreds of rose petals. Even her hair smelled of roses and was gloriously clean while her travel-stained gown was pristine. Her torn fingernails were whole again, with no dirt under them.
The princess cradled the rose as the formerly tangled vines opened for her, creating a path to exit.
The rose nestled against her breast, and the opal gleamed upon its velvet petals.
When she was clear of the rose bush, she sank to her knees and holding the rose in her hands, she kissed it. Serese had a smile the size of the sun on her face.
Jonathan gave a loud whoop when he saw the rose and ran to embrace Serese, but he stopped, for the princess had changed.
Serese was glowing. A new authority shone from her face as she stood to her feet. She was not the unsure girl who had entered the branches moments ago.
Jonathan knelt before her, “My Queen,” he said.
Serese smiled at him and said, “I am not queen yet.”
Then the princess withdrew the silver flask, pulled the petals off the rose and crushed them into the liquid. The water sizzled and turned violet, smelling sweeter than any living rose.
Serese nodded with satisfaction. She corked it, returning
the completed potion to her gown’s pocket and said, “We will journey straight over the mountain. When we are free of these cliffs, we will rest.”
Princess Serese took command. Even Sir Roan followed at a respectful distance. Jonathan marveled at the changes which had taken place in the princess. He wondered if she was truly out of his reach now. He hoped not; he loved her more than ever.
Chapter Twenty-One
The marble room in which Lord Forn lay was austere, as he grumbled, “I feel as though I have met my mausoleum ahead of schedule.”
His head pounded with every heart beat and his stomach roiled as he tasted the remnants of the bitter poison Serpentine had given him. He suspected his pork supper had been tampered with but he could not be certain since it was a new dish which his stepmother had prepared. All of her courtiers and renegade lords had eaten it, with no dire results. He had been so famished. He ought to have had a royal taster try it first. But of course, that slight to Serpentine would not have been forgivable. As it was, he had offended her taste for humiliation by refusing to dance with the troll maiden.
He smiled when he recalled how he had been able to resist his stepmother’s commands. It had not been easy-it had given him a blinding headache. It satisfied him to know that he had thwarted Serpentine.
He wondered how he had been able to disobey her. He had carried the humiliated troll girl out the great room balcony, it had nearly made him pass out, but he had succeeded.
The young troll had surely weighed two stone more than he did. The girl had run away, but unfortunately not without kissing him first. Her foul breath was likely partly responsible for his current illness.
God’s breath, but he certainly missed the sweet smelling Serese; her kisses, he would not despise. He wondered if the princess had concocted the counter potion which would cure him yet. He certainly hoped so; he longed to exact revenge upon his stepmother.
Lord Forn knew he needed to escape but he was unable to stir. He knew if he did not get out of bed soon, Serpentine would indeed kill him. Her icy eyes had told him as much.
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