by Mark Boutros
Questions cried and cried and then cried some more. The only thing keeping her going was that she didn’t want her father’s sacrifice to be for nothing. But the hunger, and the cold…
Powerful winds split sections of the hut, like an icy giant ripping wood from the ground and throwing it off the cliffs for a burial at sea.
The wind carried her favourite books away. The Is This the Book of Tales? shook and threatened to take flight. Questions was too stiff to move, but she couldn’t let her father’s words and with them, his soul, be carried away. She rocked, exhausted, until she rolled over. The winds tried to force the book through a stubborn plank wedged in the ground. She was close. Her tiny hand froze and the wind chilled her eyes. She stretched her fingers out. The plank left the floor but she grabbed the book by its corner and smothered it to protect it.
The cold surrounded her and she closed her eyes, falling asleep on her precious stories.
Questions woke to marching and carriage wheels bumping on the ice-covered, rocky ground. Could she make a noise to get their attention? She tried to move, tried to force a sound, but her limbs were stiff and her lips bound by frost. All she could move was one eye. Could they hear her blink?
The wooden wheels cracking ice faded. Questions closed her one working eye for what she thought would be the last time.
Giggling filled her brain. Childish giggling. She thought she was slipping into a happy memory of her father but the sound grew closer.
‘Stop, Sabrinia!’ boomed an authoritative voice.
A tiny, nine-year-old ran in, wrapped from head to toe in fur. The girl saw Questions and stopped. Curious, she approached.
Questions was terrified, but Sabrinia smiled at her and she felt safe.
‘Pa, I found a fat girl!’
‘Leave her. She probably wants to die with her people,’ King Sastin said. The thud of his boots broke the ice on the wooden remains.
He studied Questions and turned to Sabrinia. ‘You know people outside of the castle have strange customs. The last thing we want is someone declaring war because in trying to help we misunderstood the situation.’
King Sastin took Sabrinia in his arms and walked her out of the hut, but she kicked free and ran back to Questions. ‘No. We’re taking her with us! Please, Pa.’
‘But—’
‘There’s nobody left to declare war even if we break a custom.’
King Sastin huffed. He couldn’t refuse his daughter, especially when she had such a valid point. ‘Guards,’ he called out. ‘Bring her with us.’
Questions sat in the carriage with Sabrinia and King Sastin all the way back to Flowforn. She turned her body to look back at the peaks of Mount Brohl, once her home, now a frosty cemetery. She vowed to return one day, and to travel the world to finish writing the Is This the Book of Tales? for her father.
Sabrinia gave Questions her furs and explained what everything was on the way back to Flowforn. Questions blinked her responses at Sabrinia. She would’ve cried if she could. Sabrinia showed Questions the sort of kindness she had only felt from her father, and from that day forward Questions knew that no matter what, she would always do what Sabrinia asked…
… Even if it meant scraping the most disgusting feet in Hastovia.
Questions dug the fork into the crusts of filth. She dripped with sweat and her arms shook.
Karl paced, eating some bread, his first familiar meal since he fled Flowforn. ‘She’s been scraping long enough for you to give me information now.’
Frong nodded. ‘Well—’
‘What is all this stuff?’ Questions blew flakes off Sags’ feet. She took the Is This the Book of Tales? from the leather pouch on her belt and prepared to note down the answer.
‘Ah...’ Frong clicked, more than happy to share. ‘There’s a lot of horse-mole hair. It has a life of its own so burrows into the skin and causes great pain. It’s what gives him his limp. And that layer of crust is formed from all the different dirt in the land. That yellow one is sea dragon phlegm, over fourteen thousand and one hundred sunsets old…’
‘What’s that in years?’ Questions asked.
‘Oh, we don’t do years. You see, we like to live sunset by sunset.’ He pointed to Sags’ feet. ‘Its developed a sort of casing as you can see. You have to really dig in. It even blunted my sword so I used my teeth but look what happened.’ He showed her his yellow-brown, blunt teeth.
Questions grimaced.
‘The portal?’ Karl asked.
‘Youth, so impatient.’ Frong took a long swig of his drink.
Karl closed his eyes to contain his frustration.
‘You’ve given it a good go,’ Frong said to Questions. ‘Maybe we can do more scraping later.’
Sags retracted his foot and smiled at Questions who returned the gesture.
Frong looked at Karl. ‘An angry, drunk knight once told me the story of a lady that used to live in Flowforn, roughly between seven and ten thousand sunsets ago, when Flowforn was not such a nice place to live.’
‘Okay…’ Karl hoped this backstory was relevant.
‘Once, when King Sastin was off getting a hair and beard trim, the lady put on his crown and made orders to the servants. She told them to throw some left-over food at a passing carriage, for a joke, thinking it was her friend inside.’ Frong pulled his beard. ‘You know, they should really have training schools for servants. They can do things like protocol, food handling…’ Frong chuckled to himself. ‘That’s actually a great idea.’
Karl tapped his foot against the floorboards.
‘Anyway. Being stupid, the servants followed these orders. Turned out the carriage had a warlord on his way to bargain for peace. Not the nicest of welcomes... and war was declared. To avoid it, Flowforn had to pay a lot of gold and resources, and King Sastin had to make an example of the lady by sentencing her to rot in a cell for all eternity.’
‘Sastin wouldn’t have done that, he’s a hero,’ Karl said.
‘This is when he was still learning what being a good king meant. Plus, being in a cell for all eternity sounds worse than it is. In those times all cells were pretty luxurious and had doors instead of bars, so at least there was privacy. People hadn’t quite got the hang of punishment. You see the first form of punishment was just to ignore someone so they felt like they didn’t exist, then came the idea of imprisonment, followed by brutal—’
‘The portal…’ Karl said through gritted teeth. He would’ve choked Frong if it didn’t mean he’d release information even slower. ‘Please... time is important.’
‘Relax. We’re there…’ Frong assured Karl. ‘One hundred and fifty-nine sunsets into her sentence, when the guards decided to go in and poke her for fun, she was completely gone. No sign of escape, no rotting corpse. Just gone. They decided to make Cell Two B a storage room and assumed a spirit had devoured her. But if you ask me, that’s where the mages missed a portal. You see, spirits always leave something behind to scare people, like a nail, a tooth, blood or some air that chills you when you pass through it, but there was nothing.’
‘But you’re not completely sure?’
‘Flowforn castle is one of the few places we’ve not explored in Flowfornia. To be honest, when they turned us away we decided it wasn’t worth our time.’
‘Why did they turn you away?’ Questions asked.
‘We wanted to live there, in your free kingdom, but your great hero king rejected us because we aren’t a conventional coupling.’
‘But he welcomed everyone,’ Karl said.
‘Everyone who falls into a comfortable category. He was a king, so even if he wanted to, he still had to do what made his people happy, and there are a lot of people in this world who don’t accept what we are.’
Sags squeezed Frong’s thigh.
‘That’s why popular kings aren’t always the best. They’re scared to teach people new ways of thinking,’ Frong said.
‘I’m… sorry…’ Karl said.
Frong
shrugged. ‘We’re happy living here. We did think about sneaking in and kissing in the middle of the courtyard for a challenge, but then... well…’ Frong and Sags raised their drinks to Marlens once again. ‘I’d bet my beard your portal is in that cell. It all makes sense.’
‘So more on the hope of a story being true, I have to go back to the place where I’m definitely going to die.’
Bar Witch laughed at Karl’s predicament.
‘Thanks.’ He needed an alternative but he wasn’t exactly presented with several options. ‘You know what. I’ll just live out my life here.’
Frong waved his finger. ‘Surely the Fools will return. And what’s to stop them being a bit more thorough next time?’
Karl huffed.
‘Do you want to go home and find out who you really are?’ Questions asked.
‘I do. And I want to learn about my parents. Who they really were… but if the cost is my life, I’ll gladly wait until the price comes down.’ Karl scratched his neck.
‘When you think about it, the word home is misleading. It suggests a place, but in fact, home is the place you feel most, at home,’ Frong said.
Karl stared at him then looked at Bar Witch. ‘Could you just magic me into the cell?’
‘Nope.’
‘But you’re a witch. I heard your people can use magic.’
‘I’m a Bar Witch. It’s all party magic and showpieces, like animals.’
She rolled her eyes into the back of her head and a light blue glow pulsed through her veins. ‘Beakestorus!’ Her breath heavy, she pulled a two-beaked crow out of her sleeve. It flew into the wall and fell to the floor. Bar Witch dabbed her forehead with a cloth. ‘Sorry I can’t help.’ It seemed to take a lot out of her.
Karl hung his head.
Questions handed him a parchment.
‘There’s another engagement party in two nights.’ Karl shook his head, amazed anything ever got done in Flowforn. ‘But all are welcome.’
‘You could sneak in.’ Frong turned to Questions. ‘You know, engagement parties used to be surprises, where people would find out on the day that a couple were to wed. Now they’ve become less special because everyone wants gifts. And it all began with the first king of Barma, a poor kingdom—’
‘Nobody cares,’ Karl said. ‘But, you’re right, they’ll just come back. I could stay, and they might find me, or I can run and they might find me. Or I can go to the portal where they might find me, but at least there’s a way out there.’
‘That’s the spirit,’ Frong said. ‘Often the hardest choice, the one you are most resistant to, has the greatest reward.’
Karl nodded. ‘I’ll sneak into the castle. Work my way down to Cell Two B, trick a guard into giving me the keys and…’ He banged the table. ‘Vanish. Hopefully into the home of my parents.’ Despair became hope. In his mind he was already hugging his mother and father.
Questions’ leg shook. ‘Do you know that Arazod has a Fool holding the keys? Do you know it’s stood by him at all times?’
Karl hung his head and squeezed his eyes shut. He needed a plan, but right now, he mostly needed to rest.
7
The night sun’s rays bounced off the grey leaves of the forest, and the chilly air gave the trees a smoke-like gloss.
Karl had whined for the sunset and a half they’d travelled, unable to formulate a plan and fighting scenarios in his mind that ended with his death.
‘Do you hear that?’ Questions asked.
Karl shook his head. ‘It’s just the wind blowing through the leaves.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. Like I was a moment ago, and the moment before that.’
Mount Hastovia’s spikes crept over the horizon, the stars resting above it. Questions stopped to open her Is This the Book of Tales? She took a quill from her inside pocket.
‘Why do stars burn so bright, Karl?’ She dipped the quill into a tiny bottle of ink.
‘I don’t know, Questions, but we should keep walking.’
‘Why are they so still, Karl?’
Karl took a breath. ‘I don’t know, Questions, but please stop, I need to think.’ They passed an abandoned cart, covered with patches of straw and stained with blood. Karl worried bandits were near.
‘Why do we think, Karl?’
A twig snapped, accompanied by a thud and a smack.
‘Okay, I heard that,’ Karl said.
Questions walked towards the noise.
‘No, Questions, move away from the noise.’ He looked around for a weapon but only found rocks that wouldn’t do much.
‘Did I promise Sabrinia I’d protect you?’
‘Yes, but you never walk towards the scary noise. You run away from it. Away.’
Questions gasped and stiffened. She waved Karl over and he reluctantly joined her. His eyes widened and a metallic taste hung in his throat. At the bottom of a slope were thirteen Fools punching the beast from the tavern. Blood ran down the beast’s sad face, dotting the cloak hanging over his grass-green, tough frame.
‘Shall we help the creature?’ Questions whispered.
Karl tapped a knuckle against his teeth. He turned to look at Flowforn castle on the horizon. ‘It’s only us two, Questions… We don’t stand a chance.’ He grimaced. The Fools had the numbers, the weapons and the will to harm. ‘I think we need to pick our battles. Come on.’
They turned but a groan filled the air.
‘Are they going to kill him?’ Questions’ eyes welled up. She clasped her hands together and her bottom lip trembled.
Karl turned back. One Fool took out its bow and arrow. The others tried to tie the bloodied, struggling beast to a tree, but he shook them off. His strength was incredible, but there were too many Fools and they eventually held him down. Karl tried to imagine that the beast had the strength to overcome the odds, but knew he would fail.
Karl’s heart clenched. The beast looked only slightly older than him.
Karl couldn’t abandon a life the way he had been. He ran over to the cart and pushed it down the slope.
The Fool drew its arm back to release the arrow that would end the beast’s life, but the cart smashed into the Fool, knocking the shot wayward. The others looked up the slope and saw Karl and Questions. One Fool took a parchment from its leather pouch. ‘That’s ugly Karl! Must capture ugly Karl!’
Their facial expressions shifted to dull and focused. It was like they lost control of themselves. They left the beast and chased Karl.
Questions and Karl ran, weaving in and out of trees.
‘They’re after me, Questions, you run that way.’ Karl pointed towards a stream, but she wouldn’t go.
‘Did I promise Sabrinia I’d protect you?’
‘Stop saying that. Just go.’
She shook her head.
Karl’s legs throbbed and he couldn’t keep running. He stopped and turned in the hope the Fools had given up, but they closed in.
‘Must capture ugly Karl,’ they repeated.
‘Seriously Questions, just go. Get over that tree.’ A fallen tree, not far, bridged a river that the stream fed in to.
She stood by his side and clenched her fists.
He felt lucky to have her by his side. ‘I don’t agree with your decision, but thank you.’
Ten Fools closed in, but the cloaked beast punched the tenth in the back. Then the ninth, eighth and seventh were all knocked out. He bashed his way through all of them and stood by Karl and Questions.
‘Follow… before they recover.’ The cloaked beast ran towards the tree bridging the banks of the river. He took Questions’ hand and helped her on to it. She carefully walked across.
‘Go on…’ he told Karl.
Karl stared at the violent water and froze.
‘Just look forward and take it foot by foot,’ the beast said.
Karl turned back. The mob of Fools had recovered and was gaining ground.
‘Hurry!’
Karl’s legs shook.
‘Can you look at me?’ Questions asked.
Karl nodded and stepped onto the wet tree. It was hard enough without it having that extra slipperiness. He shuffled his feet, swaying and nearly losing balance. His heart raced. He kept his eyes on Questions, but the thrashing water created images in his mind that were scary enough. He neared the other bank and stretched his hand out to Questions. She took it but he slipped and his body thumped off the wood. He wrapped his legs around the tree and hung underneath it. He clutched on to Questions’ hand, desperate to avoid being swallowed by the rushing river.
The water hammered Karl’s body. His fingers slipped from Questions’ hand and his head hit the water. His legs lost grip, but the beast pulled him up and they reached the riverbank.
Karl lay down to recover.
The beast pushed the tree into the river, stopping the Fools from following. All thirteen of them stood on the riverbank and stared.
‘Must capture ugly Karl,’ one said. It stepped into the water and was swept away.
‘What are they doing?’ Questions asked.
Karl caught his breath. ‘They’re cursed to follow orders, and it seems that when they can identify me, catching me is all that matters.’
Another Fool walked into the water.
‘Stop!’ Karl yelled, sad to see the loss of life.
Another Fool with tears in its eyes walked forward as though knowing it would die, but being unable to stop itself. ‘Must capture ugly Karl.’ It walked through the river until it was neck deep. Its eyes locked on Karl. The water consumed it.
‘Good…’ the beast said. He hung his head as though disappointed with himself for saying it.
The Fool with the dart shooter took aim.
‘Let’s go…’ Karl said.
Away from the river, they rested under a tree with Flowforn in full view. Questions studied her book and ripped up some circular leaves. She squeezed a gloopy liquid from them directly onto the beast’s wound.
