It did not seem to think there was anything amiss in me not having this information already. There seemed little caution about strangers in this subterranean world. ‘It is the palace of the Ambertrantes,’ it replied.
‘And what are they?’
‘Those who call themselves rulers of this realm.’ The creature spat carefully into the black waters.
‘You would contest their claim?’
The creature shrugged. ‘No. I am never invited to the island, though.’ It eyed me beadily. ‘Perhaps you, madam, could take me with you.’
‘I am not invited either,’ I replied. ‘Perhaps we should land the boat somewhere discreet.’
Behind the great palace lay a stretch of shadowy beach, where abandoned gazebos fell slowly to dissolution. Several figures sat apart from each other, their heads in their hands. They seemed not to notice our approach. Since my guide seemed so amenable, I told it why I was there. ‘Am I in danger here?’
It seemed not to understand the question.
‘Will the Ambertrantes or their guests hurt me?’
Again, puzzlement.
Sighing, I tried once more. ‘What happens here?’
The creature’s thin mouth split into a grin. ‘Much, much. All pleasures. You will be welcome, yes.’
‘Wait for me here,’ I said. ‘And I will pay you more coins.’
The creature nodded, its eyes glinting with greed.
So, I stepped onto the shore, where the sand was all of crushed sapphires. The land was lit by an eerie radiance that seemed to emanate from the palace itself: an edifice that clawed the air, both splendid and deformed. A hundred styles of building, from all corners of the world, seemed to comprise its towers, walkways, domes, colonnades and courtyards. Its walls were of polished porphyry and onyx. Silk flags hung from poles of gold, their tassels as soft as human hair. I heard laughter in the air, both manic and sublime. I heard the sound of many feet running. My nostrils were assailed by a thousand competing aromas, some exquisite, some foul. I walked up a wide flight of steps that led from the beach. Around me, emerald green peacocks pecked a sward of scarlet grass. One fell out of a tree as I passed and flapped drunkenly in a swirl of shed feathers at my feet. I saw that all the trees had trunks of gold and silver, and their leaves were made of jewels. Lanterns swung in a breeze I could not feel, and once a woman ran past me, arms stretched out ahead of her, screaming in hysterical delight. No one paid me any heed. There were too many people around for a single stranger’s presence to make any impact, perhaps, but I sensed the elemental’s words were correct and none could see me. Wine flowed from fountains, down into the mouths of those who lay in the pools beneath them. Narcotic fumes oozes from cubes of incense that smouldered in human skulls. I saw men and women of incredible beauty, like glaciers or naked flames. All were dancing, dancing. As I passed into a great ballroom, lit by a hundred crimson chandeliers, I saw then the princes I had followed. They were dressed in indigo velvet, strung with icy diamonds. Their eyes seemed to be filmed with milk; they danced. This was the land of gratification. I wondered how the princes had found entrance to its heady domain.
Invisible, I strolled among the revellers. No one could see me. They were all like statues come to life; physically perfect, but strangely devoid of souls. I sat on a chair at the edge of the hall and watched for some time. Then I rose and went back out into the gardens and thence to the shore. Before climbing back into the boat, I broke off a small twig from one of the trees and concealed it beneath my jacket.
‘That is stealing,’ said the boatman. ‘The Ambertrantes won’t like that.’
‘Take me back,’ I said. ‘Tomorrow night I will need your services again.’
‘If you return, they will kill you,’ said the beast.
‘It is a risk I will take,’ I said, ‘and not your concern. You will get paid regardless.’
Shrugging the boatman guided the boat across the dark lake to the farthest shore.
Back in the princes’ bedchamber I hid the jewelled twig amongst my belongings, then composed myself on the couch that stood against the wall. To be sure, I was fast asleep by the time Calobel and Cataban came stealing back up the dark stairway, although I awoke as they got into their bed. I could hear them whispering together, laughing softly. No doubt they thought I would soon be a dead woman.
The following morning, the queen came to the princes’ chamber and enquired how my night had been. I stretched and yawned and told her I was well pleased with what I’d learned.
‘You were asleep,’ said she, her face pinched with suspicion.
‘I have three days,’ I said. ‘Trust that at the end of this time, all secrets will be known.’
That night, the princes once again enacted what they supposed to be their deception upon me, and once again I only pretended to drink the draft they gave to me. As before, I uttered no word. This time, I followed close upon their heels as they descended the stone steps, and as before, they could not perceive my presence with their eyes. However, at one point, in the darkness, I trod upon the hem of Calobel’s nightshirt and he hissed to his brother. ‘All is not right. Something has pulled at my robe.’
‘Rats,’ said Cataban. ‘That is all.’
In the antechamber at the bottom of the stairs, they discarded their nightclothes and dressed themselves in the velvet suits similar to those they had worn the previous night. The clothes were hanging waiting upon pegs in the wall, and there was no sign of the discarded nightshirts they’d left there the last time. Once in their finery, they opened the door upon the dark shore.
Following them out, I stumbled a little and sent a litter of stones flying. Again, Calobel said, ‘All is not right. Did you hear that noise?’
‘A distant firecracker from the palace grounds,’ said Cataban. ‘Stop fretting.’
I watched them climb into their boat and then hurried to where the little warty boatman was waiting for me. This time I had brought him more coins to keep him sweet.
I followed the princes as before, into the palace of light. Again, it was filled with a throng of people, dancing and running about and shrieking hysterically. The princes danced like lunatics, drinking strange ichors from crystal chalices, much like the one I had been offered in their bed chamber. This night, I stayed a little longer, and at some point the princes disappeared. I didn’t see them go and ran out in a panic to the gardens, worried they’d gone home early and would discover I wasn’t where they thought I’d be. But their boat still rested against the shore, where they’d left it. I went back into the palace and searched as many rooms as I could enter, but there was no sign of them. Dawn must not now be far away, so I knew I must return to my boatman, but as I was leaving the palace, I heard a lady say, ‘The Lord and Lady of this house spend too much time with the princes Calobel and Cataban. They are neglecting all those of us who worship at their feet.’
Her companion, a handsome man dressed in armour, said, ‘Fear not, my lady, for after tomorrow the princes will be no more. The time has come for their dance to reach its climax.’
How I wished I could interrogate these people, but of course it was not possible. As I left the palace, I took one of the crystal goblets from a table. It was a beautiful thing and hidden fires lurked within its facets.
In the morning, again the queen came to question me and once again I assured her that soon the mystery would be solved. I wasn’t yet sure myself how I would solve it, because what I’d heard the previous night had hardly been encouraging, but I was not without hope.
Later, as I followed the princes on their nocturnal excursion, I took with me my sharpest blade.
This time, I stuck close to Calobel and Cataban, to make sure I did not lose sight of them. They were beautiful to behold, but that night, it seemed a dark shadow hung over them. Their movements were more languid, their eyes unfocused. They had the look of creatures hypnotised by a snake.
Long past the midnight hour, I saw the princes glance at one another. Cataban
nodded his head and Calobel took his brother’s hand. They left the ballroom through a curtained doorway, and I went after them at once. We passed through many chambers, in which scenes of great excess were enacted like bizarre theatrical productions. I was in a strange frame of mind, neither disgusted nor delighted. Neither was I afraid. It was as if I’d drunk the waters of forgetfulness, and walked in a drugged state.
Finally, I followed the princes into a chamber lit by fire-pits of blue and green. Long-backed lizards baked themselves upon steaming stones, and salamanders crawled in and about the unearthly embers. Otherwise, the chamber appeared empty. The princes danced together, to music only they could hear. Once we’d walked under the arch that led into the room, all sound from beyond was cut off, as if someone had closed a door of lead upon us. Then, Calobel stopped dancing, his body shaking. ‘Brother, there is someone here with us,’ he said.
Cataban frowned. ‘No, no, they have not yet come.’
‘Not them,’ the other urged, ‘but someone else.’
I held my breath, standing utterly still.Their milky eyes looked directly at me, yet I knew they could not see me. I was not part of this world, but like a phantom in it.
‘There is no one,’ Cataban said, and turned a slow pirouette on the spot.
My heart ached to see them caught in this weird thrall. They were two of the beautiful sons of the world, and did not belong in this place of dark hedonism. Even as I began to plan what I could do to save their souls, there was a great crash in the room, like someone striking an immense gong. It was the clamour of swords, of thunderbolts. The princes began to dance maniacally, as if their lives depended on it. The sight was at once grotesque and arresting. Hair spun and writhed and limbs described jittery arcs on the air. They were but puppets and someone had just tweaked their strings.
The light in the room grew more intense, and I saw a wall of heavy drapery peel away to either side. Beyond it was stark white radiance, and against it two silhouettes, one male, one female. Their costumes were magnificent, high collars rearing behind their heads, spiked with black feathers. The woman took the hand of the man and together they strolled down a shallow staircase into the room. ‘My pets,’ said the woman, in a voice like the bells that shake at the ankles of dancing girls.
‘Pleasing,’ said the man.
They were very tall, their skin of a strange bluish tinge. Likewise their hair was stroked with cobalt flashes and their eyes shone like sapphires. Demons, I thought, and took an unconscious step backwards. The princes meanwhile threw themselves about the room in a frenzied manner. The woman laughed and clicked her fingers. ‘Dance, my pretties. Dance for me.’
The feet of the princes were but a blur, and their faces were agonised. This was an enchantment of great potency, and the only ones deriving pleasure from it were the demons.
‘How well they dance,’ said the demoness to her companion. ‘It seems almost a shame to quench their flames.’
‘There will be more such as they,’ said the demon, ‘for is it not our magic that makes them so lovely?’
‘I think I love them,’ said the demoness, ‘and if I didn’t love you more, I would crush the jewelled leaf of a tree and mix it in a chalice of smoke and fire with your blood. Then the enchantment would be ended, and there would only be they and I to explore new possibilities upon our island of desire.’
‘You love me more,’ said the demon. ‘The children of the earth are your playthings, my dear, and your sustenance. If we do not quench their flames, our work would be in vain, and that beauty you enjoy so much would wither.Then this would become the island of despair instead.’
‘Food,’ said the demoness, staring sadly at the dancing princes. ‘They seem so much more than that.’
‘But they are not,’ said the demon. ‘They have danced for us for many seasons to tenderise their essence. Now, they are ready to delight us.’ He clapped his hands and called the princes’ names. At once, they became still and stood with drooping heads in the centre of the room, held in trance.
The demons glided towards them, and each took a prince in their arms. I expected them to be vampires and suck blood, but instead, they began to bite the princes’ flesh. I realised then they would consume the youths alive. There was no time for me to consider my actions. I unsheathed my blade and leapt into the centre of the room. The demons did not anticipate what happened and I beheaded them in a trice with swift strokes of the weapon. The princes were barely nibbled, and still stood lethargically before me. I gathered up the heads of the demons and tore down some of the draperies in the room in which to wrap them. Even as I was doing this, strange sounds reverberated through the palace: low hoarse screams and the crash of timbers. I realised that, in destroying these creatures, I had set about the destruction of their sorcerous domain. There was no time to waste. I could not risk speaking to the princes, because that would break my protection of invisibility and, in any case, it was doubtful whether they’d be able to hear me. With the heads slung over my shoulder, I took an arm of each prince in my grasp and dragged them, stumbling, from the room.
Outside, the palace was in chaos. Huge lumps of ornate plasterwork were falling from the ceiling, walls were collapsing and draperies were aflame. Panicking revellers were running this way and that, shrieking madly, and were in such a state of horror and alarm they had no time to notice me. Still, I was aware that the demons must have defences about the place, so dragged the princes as quickly as I could to the gardens. It was difficult to proceed because the island itself was sinking back into the dark lake. Explosions lit the air around the palace, and I could see that far above, there were only rocks covered in fungus and no sky.
The boatman was agitated to the point of being difficult as I tried to shove the princes into his boat. ‘My vessel is too small,’ he said. ‘We will sink.’
‘Then take the other boat!’ I said. ‘The one the princes use.’
‘It will not obey me,’ said the boatman. ‘I cannot steer it.’
‘Then we risk a sinking!’ I snapped. ‘Hurry up! When this island submerges, there will be a maelstrom and any boatman foolish enough to be hanging around here then can think of drowning whether the boat is too heavy or not!’
Grumbling, the boatman had to see the sense of what I said and he began to urge his little vessel back across the lake. It was a perilous journey – terrifyingly slow, because the boat was so burdened, and the waters roiled and churned around us. Many times, I was sure I’d have to swim to shore, and wondered how I could save my own skin and still bring the princes back to their parents. Looking back towards the island, I could see people fleeing to boats around the shore, and even as I watched, whirlpools began to spin and sucked some of the unfortunate wretches down beneath the surface of the lake.
Oblivious, Calobel and Cataban lolled on the floor of the boat, their heads upon each other’s shoulders. They missed entirely the final great spectacle as with a huge roar, a burst of sparks and filthy spray, the island disappeared completely, taking most of those floundering around in boats with it.
When we finally reached the other side of the lake, I was exhausted with anxiety and could see the little boatman was also near the end of his strength. Whatever nether creature he might be, he had served me well these past nights. It seemed he realised this for himself.
As he dragged the boat to shore, he said, ‘Never mind the fine glittering coins you have given me, lady. Now, my employment is at an end, for there will be no one to transport and nowhere to transport them to. Therefore, I am seeking new employment, and it has occurred to me how well I have worked for you, and that a brave adventurer should have a companion to see to her needs and to lend his brains when she requires an intelligent mind to aid her. I proudly offer you my services.’
I observed him for a few moments, then said, ‘Help me with the princes, creature. We shall see.’
‘I can do far more than guide a boat. I have great magics.’
‘Just help me get t
hese boys back to their beds.’
In the morning, as usual, the queen came to the bedchamber. I had already made some preparations and was ready for her. Calobel and Cataban lay stupefied upon their beds and indeed now looked close to death, for their breathing rattled in their chests. The queen glanced askance at my new servant, whose name I’d learned was Gart.
‘My sons look the same to me,’ said the queen. ‘And now you will hang. I had entertained great hopes for you. It is a great pity.’
‘I have solved the mystery,’ I said. ‘There will be no hanging. Have the princes conveyed to a room where you and your husband can watch me break the enchantment.’
Frowning at me, the queen nodded her head. ‘Very well, but I think you are misleading yourself.’ She gestured at Gart. ‘What is that beast?’
‘My servant,’ I said. ‘We should make haste. It appears the enchantment is finally sucking out the princes’ lives.’
Even as I spoke, I was aware of strange movements within the bundle of cloth that lay on the couch, and which the queen had not noticed was leaking unsavoury fluids. I had a suspicion that the demons might still have power even without their bodies.
Calobel and Cataban were carried on litters to the great throne room, where the king had convened all his courtiers. I stood before him and he said. ‘Is it plain to me that you have failed where all others have failed. What is the purpose of bringing my sons here? Soon, you will dangle in the courtyard.’
‘Indeed I will not,’ I said. ‘I have followed your sons for three nights to a subterranean realm, where they have danced the night away. They were ensorcelled by demons, who sought to devour their life force.’
‘Rubbish!’ exclaimed the king. ‘This story is preposterous.’
The Thorn Boy Page 30
