by Mark Boutros
Flowfornians backed away.
‘No, no!’ Maladin pleaded. ‘I’ll just work harder. I promise!’ He dropped to his knees.
‘Stand,’ Lord Ragnus demanded.
Sabrinia leapt out of her chair. ‘Stop!’
Lord Ragnus turned to Arazod.
Arazod huffed. ‘You can’t do this again, future wife. He needs to express himself.’
‘But… but Maladin is one of our best bakers. You just… You can’t kill him.’
Arazod’s beak twitched. ‘Very well…’
Lord Ragnus clenched his fists. Maladin closed his eyes.
Sabrinia took slow breaths.
Arazod’s eyes narrowed at her and he scratched his feathers. ‘You choose someone, or it’s bye bye baker.’
Her mouth fell open. ’What?’
The crowd gasped.
‘Not including me, Lord Ragnus or any Fools.’ He smiled. ‘Not that you would choose me.’
‘But—’
‘You want people to follow their dreams. Lord Ragnus dreams of throwing somebody off the Wrath of Arazod, don’t you?’
‘Among other things, yes.’
Arazod shrugged at Sabrinia. ‘So choose someone.’
There was no reasoning with such muddled logic.
None of her people made eye contact with her. Hargon nodded, volunteering.
Sabrinia straightened herself. If Arazod wanted fear, he would have it. She would threaten the thing he truly wanted. ‘I choose me.’ She remembered Karl’s selflessness in the dungeon.
Arazod’s smile vanished. ‘Wha… you can’t…’
‘I choose me!’ She walked towards Lord Ragnus, her arms out, offering herself to be thrown. With each step it became more real. She stood in front of Lord Ragnus and her neck stiffened. Why wasn’t Arazod stopping it?
Lord Ragnus grabbed Sabrinia under her arms, lifted her and held her over the edge of the cliff. He looked her in the eyes and smirked. Her feet dangled and her heart pounded. At least she would see her father.
‘No!’ Arazod commanded. ‘Put her back on land! Back on land! Land!’
Lord Ragnus took a deep breath, looked into Sabrinia’s eyes with pure hatred and put her back on land.
‘But you said I could choose,’ Sabrinia said, her heart still racing.
‘And now I’m saying your choice is bad.’
‘Well… if he’s not going to throw me, he shouldn’t throw anyone.’
Arazod stared at her and nodded, then hung his head.
Some of the crowd smiled.
‘Return to me,’ Arazod said.
Sabrinia walked back and sat. ‘Thank you,’ she said to Arazod.
Maladin’s eyes shone at her, full of gratitude.
‘Changed my mind!’ Arazod nodded to Lord Ragnus, who took Maladin under the arms and launched him off the cliff.
‘No!’ Sabrinia leaned forward.
Arazod raised a finger to silence everyone so they could listen to the scream. It stopped for a moment before a splash. Arazod clapped, sat, rested one of his talons on the table and leaned in to Sabrinia. ‘Sorry, I can’t look weak in front of them. Otherwise they’ll never love me.’
He had no idea what love was.
‘Now, who is next to raise an issue?’ he asked.
The line turned back into a crowd. Arazod smiled at Sabrinia. She swallowed her hatred and closed her eyes, trying to shake Maladin’s scream from her mind.
‘This is the kind of free kingdom…’ He coughed. ‘That will make our lives easier. Otherwise we’ll always be dealing with nonsense complaints.’ He mimed people chatting too much.
Sabrinia stared into the distance.
Arazod scratched his cheek. ‘Also, thinking about you dying just then, it made me realise. I want us to be remembered as the greatest rulers of Flowforn, so we have to be the last.’
Sabrinia nodded, not listening.
‘Fools, on one knee!’
They dropped to one knee.
‘If I die, before you kill yourselves, you are to burn Flowforn to the ground, so that I am its last king.’
The order registered in their eyes.
The words shook Sabrinia out of her slump. She had no idea how she was going to protect her people now.
Arazod turned to her. ‘And if you die, I… It will be too difficult, so I’ll have to destroy all things to do with you.’
Her heart felt like it was trying to eat itself.
Arazod turned to the crowd. ‘Time for the fun to begin! The rope pull! I’m going to break King Sastin’s record.’
Fools carried a long rope to an area of grass and mud. They poured buckets of water on themselves, rolled around on the ground and created a muddy patch.
‘You’re going to marry…’ Arazod gasped. ‘A record breaker.’
He was like a child desperate to please its mother.
Sabrinia bit her lip. She'd known Maladin for over five years. He'd travelled all the way from across the sea to live in Flowforn, having heard about its great way of life.
Arazod removed King Sastin’s cloak and handed it to Sabrinia. He strutted over to the rope. ‘King Sastin once beat three Cyclopes. I will now beat a larger number of beings to set the new record.’
A rotund scribe unrolled a scroll, ready to alter it.
‘Bring me my opponents! They are the fiercest warriors from the town of Lugas.’
Two Fools dragged a chained line of eight filthy, hungry children. They stumbled to the rope, some coughing, probably full of sickness.
Sabrinia covered her mouth.
The children picked up the rope while Arazod encouraged the crowd to applaud. He removed the keys from around his neck and placed them on the grass behind him.
‘Give us the count, future wife.’ Arazod smiled at her.
She took a breath. Everyone watched her. The words hung in her throat.
‘Go on,’ Arazod encouraged.
She stood and with no enthusiasm or pause between the words, said, ‘Three two one pull…’ She sat back down and stared ahead.
The children tried, but they were too weak and weary.
‘Is that your best?’ Arazod threw the rope from hand to hand and laughed.
The crowd groaned.
‘Fine, I’ll put them out of their misery. Little runts.’ Arazod tightened his grip, but something like an eagle knocked him beak first into the mud. His feathers now a dirty brown.
Sabrinia could have sworn she saw Karl hiding up a tree, but when she looked back there was nothing.
Pockets of laughter broke out from the crowd. The children won. They collapsed.
Sabrinia grabbed a handful of meat and bread and hid it in her cloak. She approached Arazod and dropped the food by the children. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked him, diverting his eyes from the children eating.
‘They cheated!’ Arazod scowled.
Lord Ragnus joined Sabrinia in helping Arazod to stand. He handed Arazod his axe.
‘All of you, get back to the…’ Arazod gasped. He swung his axe. ‘Castle! Go!’ He swung again. ‘Leave me! Leave me!’
Everyone apart from Lord Ragnus and Sabrinia departed. ‘You go too.’ He got up. ‘I need to be…’ He gestured alone.
23
Arazod wept. He didn’t want anyone to see or hear it.
His father had once described the crying as a cocktail of horrible noises nobody should ever have to hear. Then he threw Arazod into a pit. Each day Sarzo would unleash a new hell on Arazod, from snakes with stingers to imps with a touch that burned like fire. Sarzo would watch and he only freed Arazod once he had learned to hold back his tears.
Arazod approached the platform and stared at it. He took deep breaths then brought his axe down and chopped through the table. His body tensed. He screamed and chopped everything until his feathers were damp with sweat and his breathing laboured.
Nothing impressed her. She was like his father, judging every action, every word. He did the things she asked, bu
t it wasn’t enough.
He walked away and leaned on one of the soft trees of Herbis Forest. He was done doing things her way. When he returned to the castle he would make her choose a wedding day and stick to it.
Something moved in the leaves behind him. Whatever it was, he’d slice it in half.
He turned around, axe ready, but only saw trees. A large hand clamped his face and swiped him into the woods.
24
Karl stood under a statue of King Sastin that marked the beginning of Flowforn’s land. The castle walls stood on the horizon.
The relief of being so close was mixed with the sadness of goodbye.
‘Well, I guess this is it.’ He smiled at Questions. ‘You've been my hero.’
Questions smiled back. ‘Am I sad to say goodbye?’
‘So am I.’ He hugged her. ‘I’ll tell Sabrinia to come and find you by this statue.’
Oaf extended his hand.
Karl shook it. ‘I’m glad we met. And they'll still be looking for me, so I hope you get what you want.’
Oaf nodded. ‘Good luck. I hope the portal takes you somewhere nice.’ He took the bottle containing Tortured Soul out of his pocket but she was asleep. ‘Tortured Soul, do you want to say goodbye?’
She didn't move. Oaf shook the bottle but it made no difference.
Karl chuckled and shrugged. ‘Thank you, both.’ His friends were so brave and inspirational. ‘Stay safe.’
He flew away.
He landed on top of the castle wall. He’d never appreciated Flowforn until he was forced to flee, but it was different. The old drunk who threw potatoes at people wasn’t in her usual spot by the tavern. Worse yet, the tavern was closed and boarded up. Arazod’s statues poked their beaks into every silent alley and the flags flapped with Arazod’s smug face instead of King Sastin’s.
Karl swooped down to a washing line and stole clothes more suited to an adult. He flew up to Sabrinia’s open window, not realising he was at the wrong tower. Lord Ragnus stood in a steel tub and coated his leathery scarred back with moisturiser. Karl grimaced and flew away.
Karl arrived at Sabrinia’s room and flew in.
‘You’re alive!’ Sabrinia threw her arms around him. ‘And Questions?’
‘She’s fine.’ He held her tight. ‘She's waiting for you by a statue of your dad outside the back wall.’
‘Thank you.’ Sabrinia pulled away and looked at his wings. ‘It seems a lot has changed since I last saw you.’
‘Given to me for saving a species.’ He smiled. ‘I hope you enjoyed me knocking Arazod into the mud.’ He flapped his wings.
She strained a smile but Karl noticed the red in her eyes.
‘What’s wrong?’ He wiped her tear stains but accidentally used his dragon dung scented hand.
Sabrinia retched.
‘Sorry! Invisible Dragon dung.’ Karl shrugged.
‘Arazod is missing.’ She sat on her bed. ‘Lord Ragnus found his axe but no sign of him. We think he’s been taken.’
‘Then it’s over. Let’s celebrate! Where do you hide the alcohol? And don’t pretend you don’t have any. I bet you’ve a secret stash to help you tolerate that feathered cretin.’
‘No. You don’t get it. He told the Fools that if he dies then they are to burn Flowforn to the ground.’
‘Oh… But hold on. Even if he dies in many years, it makes no difference.’
Sabrinia nodded. ‘If I marry Arazod, this is his home. And as time passes, who knows, he might soften and call off the Fools. Maybe I can get to him.’
‘But there's no guarantee of that and you don’t actually love him.’
‘I know. And that’s why I’ve been stalling the wedding, wishing for another solution to come along, or hoping I could at least find something good in him to make the situation less awful.’ She lay back on the bed. ‘I know princesses rarely ever marry for love, but I hoped I could at least feel something other than disgust.’ She shook her head. ‘But it’s not about me… It’s about saving the lives of my people…’
‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed but he seems to be making their lives miserable. The alleys are quiet and they’ve even closed the tavern.’
She stood, grabbed a flask of crushed berry juice from atop the chest of drawers and poured two cups. ‘I have to believe that marrying him will calm his appetite for destruction and that things will improve.’ She handed Karl a cup. ‘He keeps killing no matter how many lands he claims. But he’s never had love, or what he thinks is love.’ Sabrinia drank and walked to the window.
‘Because he’s too unbearable.’ Karl joined her, careful to avoid being seen.
‘The situation is dire, yes. But where there are only bad options, I’ve chosen the least terrible.’ She sounded so lost.
Karl offered an understanding nod.
‘Do you have a better option than hoping?’ she asked.
‘Get your people together to fight the Fools and Lord Ragnus.’ Karl drank and placed the cup on the window ledge.
‘I thought about it for a moment. I even thought about pushing him off a cliff. But we wouldn’t stand a chance.’ She pointed to Hargon down by outdoor cages. He had a bucket on his head while three Flowfornians hit it with sticks.
‘I could fly to another kingdom and ask for help?’
‘Nobody will help us. Father cut off alliances because he saw too much betrayal. That’s why he tried to make Flowforn a place that didn’t need anyone.’
‘So you’re going to bind your soul to that tyrant and wreck not only your life, but even your death?’
‘If I can fix the future for hundreds, hopefully, then I don’t matter.’ She took a breath. ‘I should have reminded myself of that and just gone through with the wedding.’
Karl shook his head. She would sacrifice herself for the happiness of others.
‘With your new wings, you could go and search for him.’ Sabrinia studied Karl’s face.
He bit his lip, unable to think of words that didn’t sound harsh.
‘But you won’t, will you?’
‘It’s just. In the dungeons is the portal back to my home. I saw a piece of it.’
‘I understand. You have to look after yourself and find out who you are. There is no guarantee this chance will come again.’
Her tone poked at Karl. He tapped his foot on the wooden floor. ‘Good. Glad you see it that way.’
BANG, BANG, BANG.
They looked at each other, eyes wide.
‘Hide,’ Sabrinia whispered. ‘I’m coming!’
Karl looked in a cupboard. Too obvious.
‘Hurry!’ she said.
BANG. BANG.
‘Hold on, I’m coming!’
Karl remembered he had wings and flew outside.
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.
He pressed his back against the tower bricks to stay hidden from the Fools below.
Sabrinia’s door creaked open.
‘Hello,’ she said politely.
‘One of the Fools saw a person fly in here,’ Lord Ragnus said.
‘A person? No. They must be imagining it.’
Items crashed against Sabrinia's floor. Was he harming her? Karl tensed, ready to fly in and attack at the slightest sound of pain.
‘If you’re holding a cup of juice, whose is that?’ Lord Ragnus asked.
Karl's cup of juice rested on the window ledge.
‘I’ve left it on the ledge to cool, for later,’ she said.
Lord Ragnus’ hand wrapped around the cup. His shadow crept over the window frame.
Lord Ragnus popped his head out, but Peezant flew in front of his face and into the room, thankfully diverting his attention.
‘What are you doing?’ Lord Ragnus said.
‘What are you doing?’ Peezant replied. ‘Did you knock my perch over?’
A strained squawk burst out of the room.
‘Did you fly in here from the ground earlier?’
Peezant made a noise.
&nbs
p; ‘What?’ Lord Ragnus said.
‘It would probably help him to answer if you released his beak,’ Sabrinia said. ‘You know. Beak moving leads to words.’
‘I flew up here. I flew!’ Peezant squawked.
‘And I was cooling the juice for him,’ Sabrinia added.
Peezant flew up to the cup and dipped his beak in it. His body got stuck in it and he and the cup fell out of the window.
Idiot.
‘I’m going to search for Arazod,’ Lord Ragnus said. ‘I’ll burn anything that makes me suspicious.’
‘You don’t have to burn things,’ Sabrinia said. ‘Just ask questions, be polite, and people will likely help.’
Lord Ragnus chuckled. ‘Maybe I’ll just burn anyone who irritates me.’
Fools in the courtyard and as far as Karl could see dropped to one knee.
Karl flew to the top of the tower and hid behind Arazod's statue. A Fool hammering stones dropped to a knee. ‘Must find Arazod,’ the Fool said. ‘Somewhere with rocks.’
Karl flew back down and Sabrinia poked her head out of the window to call him back in. She sat on her bed and Peezant returned and perched on her shoulder.
‘Thank you, Peezant,’ he said.
‘I didn’t do it for you,’ Peezant replied.
‘He’s great isn’t he?’ Sabrinia stroked him.
‘He’s a joy,’ Karl said with a false smile.
‘He’s really smart too. Understands all the languages of all the creatures in Flowfornia, don’t you? Yes you do.’ Sabrinia kissed Peezant on the beak.
Karl shook his head.
Peezant smiled.
Karl thought he should make an effort. After all, he had saved him and Sabrinia loved him. ‘So, Peezant, how do you find having wings?’
Peezant looked at Karl, blinked, and then flew away.
Sabrinia laughed and then took Karl’s hands. The warmth of her fingers relaxed his body. ‘I hope Lord Ragnus finds Arazod before too many people have to suffer. Good luck finding out who you are, Karl.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll miss you.’ She opened a drawer and took a rock. She showed it to him.
‘It’s… the rock I gave you for your twelfth year of birth!’
‘The one you thought was a two-headed turtle.’
