by Ryder Bailey
They were all quiet for a moment, and Anil was about to ask what they were waiting to see, when she noticed movement from under a shrub near the fountain. Moments later what appeared to be a butterfly fluttered over to them.
It went to Wildas first, and landed on the hand he held out for it. Anil leaned closer to look and saw that it wasn't a butterfly at all, but a very tiny person with butterfly wings. She had heard stories of fairies, but as far as she knew they weren't supposed to truly exist. At least, they didn't exist in Phelin.
The fairy appeared to be a female wearing a dress of white flower petals. Her wings and hair were also white. She looked at Wildas for a moment, then looked at the rest of them. Out of the corner of her eye Anil saw another fairy, which also landed on Wildas's hand with precision. The second fairy appeared to be male, with green-and-gold wings and even dark green hair. He wore green leaves as what appeared to be a loincloth.
"This is the queen and her consort," Wildas explained. "I don't know what their names are, and I doubt I could pronounce them even if they would be willing to give them."
"Do they speak?" Myri asked, leaning across Anil to look at the fairies.
"Yes, but very few people can understand or speak their language," Wildas answered. "Shelton is the only one I personally know who can speak with them."
The queen made a whistling sound that visibly startled Wildas.
"I guess I can understand their language now," he observed. The two fairies had remained balanced on his palm even as he moved and they were both giving him a clearly curious look.
"What did she say?" Anil asked.
"She told the rest of them that it's safe to visit us," Wildas replied, sounding a little shocked.
"I guess the magic helps you understand other languages, too," Myri commented.
A female fairy with blue wings, hair, and flower petal dress appeared in front of Anil and began looking her all over. Anil held out her hand and the fairy landed there, then promptly began touching the metal of her wedding ring. She slowly turned her hand over and the fairy looked closely at the four diamonds that were the size of the tiny woman's hand.
Soon, they were all surrounded by dozens of fairies, who enjoyed looking at whatever gems they wore. When she glanced at Coulta, Anil saw several fairies touching the lines on his face and hands. The queen showed a special interest in him, too.
"I thought fairies were just tales," Anil commented as a red-and-gold male swung from the bracelet she was wearing.
"They're rare," Wildas explained. "They used to be plentiful in the country of Mahlon, and people brought captured fairies to sell here and in Algoma and Berk. Queen Dyna hated the trade and eventually got Grand King Caolan to ban the import of fairies. Then she went out and bought all the ones she could find. She made them this sanctuary, because she didn't want them being captured and sold elsewhere. In appreciation, the fairies promised to keep this courtyard maintained and not to enter the castle itself. Our part of the bargain is that we don't catch them or hurt them, and we bring them food every evening. They mostly feed off the plants, like bees, but they also enjoy milk, wine, and certain berries that can't grow here. They rarely come out during the day."
"Has anyone ever broken the promise before?" Myri asked.
"I was told someone tried to poison them once, and no one knows why. The fairies saw who did it, and went into the castle to attack him because two fairies had been killed. They ended up killing the man, then returned to the courtyard and went on as they had before. No one sought retribution against them, and the fairies didn't take it as the promise being broken."
The queen returned to Wildas and landed on his knee, making several whistling and humming sounds.
"She says that once the man who had hurt them was dealt with, they had no reason not to keep their promise again," Wildas translated. "They like their arrangement here. They live for five hundred years, so most of them know that life outside of here would be harsh. They don't want to be caught and kept in cages again. Here they are happy."
Anil smiled. "It's good that they're happy. It seems it's better to have them as friends than enemies."
Wildas smiled. "Certainly."
3
Coulta found the final days of the Guard tournament much less interesting than the previous days. There was an endurance race that was run from the castle, through the city and field outside the walls to the woods, and back to the castle. The race began at dawn and it was almost midday by the time the first runners returned to the castle. Wildas had to preside over the start of the race, and had to greet the return of the runners, so they were forced to spend the entire day sitting outside once again – the final runner didn't return until almost dinnertime.
The final day was the written exam, which took place in the throne room where there were enough benches already arranged for the contestants to all sit. Wildas also had to preside over this, and Coulta was happy to at least be out of the summer heat for a day.
But the day of the selection they were once again outside. The participants all knelt in the sand of the arena, which was surrounded by more spectators than had been there for any of the individual days. Rohan read the names of all fifty-four new members of the Royal Guard. Each name was followed by cheering and applause as the new Guardsman – or Guardswoman – rose and saluted Rohan before taking a place in the ranks behind the Prince-General. The rest of the contestants were asked to return to their regular military unit and to try again the following summer.
At some point a stable boy had come seeking Anil's help in the foaling barn, but Coulta was mildly surprised when she didn't return to them by the end of the selection. Wildas and his spouses were supposed to introduce themselves to each of the new Guardsmen, something that took all afternoon, even without Anil.
"She probably went back to the castle to clean up again," Myri suggested when they were done with the Guardsmen.
Coulta thought Myri's assessment was probably correct, and let his concern fade a bit. They would see her at the castle.
But she wasn't at the dining hall, and that made them all uneasy again. After a brief dinner, Myri went ahead of Wildas and Coulta, suggesting that Anil might be feeling ill, but came running back down the hall only moments after going into Wildas's office. The look of panic on her face sent fear straight through Coulta.
"I just found this on the floor of your office," she explained, handing over a sheet of paper.
Coulta read over Wildas's shoulder and felt his fear transform into a horrible sense of dread.
What do you value more? Your country or your queen and the child she carries? Peace is possible. Your throne for their safety. We will meet in the throne room at dawn.
Wildas's hands were shaking as he crumpled the note. "I need to find her."
"Is something wrong?"
They all turned to see Shelton and Yvona walking toward them.
Wildas simply held out the note and Shelton took it, straightening it in order to read what it said. Yvona leaned close to read it as well.
"She's pregnant?" Yvona asked quietly.
"We only know because I can sense it," Myri explained.
"And that means that whoever took her was able to hear us talking in our rooms," Wildas added, "because none of us have spoken openly about it."
"You're certain?" Shelton asked, glancing at all of them.
They all nodded.
"Then as soon as we find her, I'm putting stronger spells on your rooms. Now give me a moment to get a sense of who wrote this."
Violet light surrounded the sheet of paper, which promptly burst into flames. Shelton swore and dropped it. The paper was ashes before it reached the ground where the flames vanished.
"Shelton!" Yvona cried, and she grabbed him as he swayed on his feet. She moved him back against the wall, where he leaned, shaking, his badly burned hands out in front of him. He stared at them, clearly shocked.
Myri sprang forward and grabbed Shelton's hands in her own, a bla
ck-and-silver light appearing where they touched. When she released him a moment later his hands were fully healed.
Shelton swore and leaned his head against the wall. Yvona still had a hand on his shoulder and he reached out to grasp her other hand as he took several deep breaths. Finally, he managed to thank Myri for healing him.
"Did –" Wildas started to ask, but was immediately silenced by Shelton's words.
"No," Shelton said hoarsely. "There was a destruction spell on the paper that made it destroy itself as soon as another spell touched it. I got no reading of who wrote it. And I don't know where she is."
Coulta suddenly remembered the betrothal gifts he had given his spouses. He'd never tried to use them before, but he pulled the black stone from beneath his shirt and felt the magic call to the matching stones. The two presences close to him where Wildas and Myri, but the third was difficult to locate. She wasn't far, but he wasn't sure exactly where she was. All he could say for certain was one thing.
"She's still in the castle." When everyone looked at him he held up the necklace. "That's all I can tell."
Shelton nodded. "The magic in the stonework of the castle would interfere with the locator spell." He released Yvona's hand and stood up again. He swept one hand across his body and a massive, haunting groan echoed throughout the entire building. Coulta saw the guards at the end of the hallway put hands on their swords and glance around.
"I've sealed the castle," he explained. "Hopefully Rohan is inside, because we need him," he added as he started back down the hallway. "Get your weapons and meet me at the courtyard!"
Coulta followed Wildas back to their rooms so Wildas could get his sword, and noticed that Wildas was shaking as he pulled on his belt. He knew Wildas was feeling just as afraid and anguished as he felt. But he was also determined.
"Wildas," Coulta said, grasping his husband's arm. "We'll find her."
Wildas looked up at him and nodded. "I know."
Coulta squeezed his arm again before they left with Myri. When they reached the courtyard they found Yvona, Shelton, and Rohan waiting with a group of eight Guardsmen.
"Where do we even begin to search?" Rohan was asking when they arrived. "Unless I can bring in more Guardsmen, it will take days to search this entire castle."
Shelton held up one hand and turned to the courtyard doorway. Wildas's attention was drawn there as well, and he stepped up next to Shelton. Coulta followed and was surprised to see the fairy queen come to land on Shelton's outstretched hand. The sorcerer had a brief conversation with the fairy, which Wildas could clearly understand, judging by his sudden excitement.
"She knows we're looking for Anil," Shelton explained to everyone else. "And she knows where she is." Lifting a hand, he pointed into the courtyard and straight at the far tower. "They noticed movement in the windows and flew up to look inside. She's at the top."
Coulta knew that the four towers on the castle were used mainly for storage now, not defense. All except for one tower which had always been blocked off since Coulta's arrival at the castle. He had often thought to ask about it, but had never gotten to.
"Ardan's tower?" Yvona asked.
"How did someone break through the magic?" Rohan demanded.
"What is Ardan's tower?" Myri questioned.
"When the sorcerer Ardan helped Grand King Caolan take Phelin back from Berk, he wanted nothing to do with his old life as the court sorcerer for Caolan's father, King Caol," Shelton explained. "So he sealed off his old workrooms, knowing that some of the things in there were dangerous to the untrained, or to the trained in some cases. With the castle being expanded the rooms weren't truly needed, so sealing them off was a logical solution."
"What are the dangers in there?" Wildas questioned. "What could this bastard use against her?"
Shelton shook his head grimly. "I don't know. I've never been inside and Ardan didn't leave an inventory record anywhere. But he was a red sorcerer, so not just anyone should be able to take down the spells of sealing."
He started walking away from the courtyard and they all followed quickly. Shelton didn't pause or turn when he continued speaking, "Coulta, I need you with me. Yvona, Wildas, and Rohan, you follow. My first concern is magic. Myri, wait outside the tower and we'll bring her to you for healing if she needs it."
Coulta moved forward so he was just behind Shelton, with the others following. He fought back the fear that Anil was being seriously harmed. It was best to only think about saving her. As fast as they were walking, it was only minutes before they reached the tower and the door that was supposed to be sealed.
The door was no longer set smoothly in the stone, but merely resting in the doorway only half on its hinges. The wooden door was charred and two pale, jagged runes like lightning bolts stood out against the black burns.
Shelton drew a sharp breath. "Exactly what I had feared. Whoever did this has some power for necromancy, or was given a set of spells by someone."
"This is getting worse and worse," Wildas muttered.
"What can we do?" Coulta asked, glancing at Shelton.
"Proceed with caution," Shelton replied firmly. "Even if this person is a necromancer, he can't be very powerful. He's likely just helping Kemale."
As he spoke, Shelton stepped close to the door, but paused to look behind him. "Could I borrow a knife? I'd rather not set my hands aflame again."
Yvona pulled a medium sized dagger from her belt and handed it over. Coulta drew his sword as Shelton prepared to open the door. Behind him, he heard the others do the same and caught Rohan giving instructions to someone to stay with Myri at the base of the tower.
Using the dagger to push the door open, Shelton stepped through the doorway, followed by Coulta, then the others. The bottom room was empty aside from several old wall torches and numerous spider webs and dust that danced around them as they moved in. Shelton took a torch off the wall and lit it with violet fire. Others took torches and lit theirs from Shelton's.
As they slowly moved up the stairs, Coulta took notice of the fact that the dust and cobwebs had been recently disturbed. Other than that, nothing was unusual until they got to the fourth floor. Another door was here, and it too was marked with runes and charring.
From inside came a sudden scream.
***
Anil had gone back to her room to clean up before dinner, but when she had left the rooms via Wildas's office, he had grabbed her. She'd tried to yell at the guards at the end of the hall but found herself unable to speak. And he must have used magic to conceal their movements as he forced her through the castle, because no one noticed them, even when the man used magic runes and a black dagger to open the tower doors.
Despite the fact that Anil was more frightened than she had been in all her life, she still knew that she needed to find out what she could from this man who had taken her prisoner. He was slim and blond and had a horribly smooth voice that was almost hypnotic. But she kept trying to talk to him. It was easy to come off as a girl afraid for her life when that was exactly what she was. All that kept her from losing her composure was the belief that someone would find her. Coulta and Wildas would find her. Myri. Shelton. One of them or all of them. They would be there. She had to believe it.
"What do you want with me?" she asked as he shoved her into the room.
He gave her an evil smile and forced her to sit on the dusty workroom floor, then tied her hands to the leg of the heavy desk beside her. "My master doesn't have the patience to regain his full power. You are to be ransomed for the country itself. You and the baby."
Anil couldn't hide her shock. They had told no one yet about her pregnancy. Wildas still believed it was too early.
The man smiled again. "Oh, we know about that. The violet bastard is powerful, but he's not adept at sensing my master's magic. Your rooms are covered in listening spells." He knelt beside her and caressed her cheek. "It's been rather enjoyable to listen in whenever I wish." He grimaced and added, "Except when those men are at it.
Disgusting."
He stood again and began pacing the cluttered room. "I knew him once. The cursed one. We had the same master in Arren." The man paused to light a torch on the wall with the black dagger again. "It's a pity he escaped before he could truly gain power. My life has only gotten better since Varin's end."
"You were an assassin too?" Anil asked. She believed they would find her, but she didn't know how long that would take. Perhaps no one even knew she was gone yet. They could assume she was staying late at the stables.
What would she do if this man tried to hurt her? She couldn't fight like Coulta or Wildas. Besides, her hands were tied.
Then she remembered the herb Myri had given to her before the wedding. The one that would stop any would-be rapist immediately – or any other attacker who got close enough. She kept it in a pouch in the folds of her dress and he hadn't noticed it.
She worked her hands in the rope until she could almost pull her right hand free.
The man turned back to her and snorted. "Of course I wasn't an assassin. I don't want that filthy work. I was Varin's best spy. Found out everything he needed to know about the actions of his people in his city. I found the useless ones and the killers did the rest."
"So who do you work for now, if he's dead?"
He smirked and knelt beside her again. "I'm sure you know. From what I've heard, you aren't just a pretty jewel used to decorate the castle. Nor are you just for breeding. He actually keeps you informed of most of what goes on. A shame that he can't protect you from everything."
Anil put on the most frightened look she could muster. It wasn't exaggerated. "You said I was to be traded for the country. You mean we will still die?"
The man grinned and cupped her chin. "Of course. But first, I was assured I would be able to take what I wished from you, as long as I keep you alive."
He leaned in and kissed her rather forcefully, one hand pulling her hair so hard her eyes watered. As repulsive as he was, she gave in and let him kiss her, and with him distracted she carefully pulled her right hand from the rope. She easily found the little purse in the folds of her skirt, and took a pinch of the herb Myri had given her.
