The Emerald Staff

by Alison Pensy

  Etyran opened his mouth to answer but the Gatekeeper beat him to it.

  “If I may offer my assistance,” he said.

  They turned to look at him, waiting in anticipation.

  “There is another way in and out of this cavern, one that those nasty little creatures know nothing about.”

  “There is? Where?” Faedra asked.

  The dragon looked up, and Faedra and Etyran’s gaze followed. The cavern was immense, Faedra couldn’t even see where the ceiling was.

  “But how are we going to get up there?” she asked out loud then turned to Etyran. “You can’t fly can you?”

  Etyran shook his head.

  “I can,” the Gatekeeper stated.

  Faedra’s eyebrows jumped a notch as the ruby red dragon turned his body towards the two travelers who were looking stunned.

  “On you get,” the dragon stated as he crouched low.

  Faedra flung a nervous look in Etyran’s direction before he pulled himself up and straddled the enormous scaly back just in front of its wings. He then turned and held his hands down for Faedra.

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she mumbled as she took hold of Etyran’s hands and was pulled up onto the dragon’s back to sit behind him.

  “Hold on,” Etyran whispered.

  “Ready?” the Gatekeeper asked.

  “Yes. No.” Etyran and Faedra said at the same time.

  Faedra let out a little squeal as the dragon took off. She grabbed hold around Etyran’s waist before she had a chance to tumble backwards and roll down the dragon’s tail, and clung on for dear life. She didn’t quite know what he was holding on to, as the dragon’s scales were smooth as silk, but Etyran stuck to the dragon like glue, even against the strong force of the dragon’s wings sending them skyward.

  Faedra couldn’t quite believe the height of the cavern, it seemed never ending. The soft whoosh, whoosh of the Gatekeeper’s wings as they beat rhythmically seemed to calm her raging nerves, and, after a few moments, the dragon slowed and came to a stop on a ledge high above the cave floor. For the first time in what seemed like an age, Faedra could see the stars again. It was still nighttime outside so they still had the cover of darkness to protect them.

  “This is as far as I go, I’m afraid,” the dragon said.

  “Thank you,” Faedra replied.

  “You are welcome. Good luck in your quest, little one.” And with that, the dragon turned and launched himself off the ledge. Faedra watched him glide downwards until she could no longer see him, then turned and took a good long look at where they were. She never thought she would be so grateful to see the stars twinkling above or have the cool night breeze caress her face as it did at that moment. She looked down from the craggy outcrop they were standing on and could see tiny dots of light down on the ground, she assumed they must be the redcap’s torches.

  “How on earth do we get down there?”

  Etyran pointed down the side of the mountain. “See that little dot behind the piece of rock that juts out where the entrance is?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that’s Faen, so all we need to do is get his attention, then he can fly up here and get us.”

  “And that’s your plan?” Faedra retorted sarcastically.

  “Yep.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Etyran put his fingers in his mouth and blew out an ear-splitting whistle.

  “Are you crazy?” Faedra said in a harsh whisper. “You’ll draw every redcap’s attention for miles. Do you want to get us killed?”

  “Settle down, little lady. Yes I’ll draw their attention, but they can’t fly and Faen can. He’ll get up here much quicker than they will.”

  “But he might not be quick enough to get me somewhere safe and then come back for you.”

  “He won’t need to come back for me.”

  “What do you mean?” Faedra asked, eyebrows forming a frown. “We can’t just leave you here.”

  “Yes, you can, and you will. I’ll make my way down the mountain, they won’t be able to see me, remember?”

  “You’re not coming with us?”

  “No, my place is here for right now. I want to keep an eye on those creepy little blighters.” He gestured with his head in the direction of the redcaps. “Still have no idea what they’re doing here.”

  Faedra looked down the mountain and saw some torches clustered together that started to move up the rock-face.

  “We need some of those light balls of yours,” Etyran instructed. “He’ll never find us on the side of this mountain, otherwise.”

  Faedra nodded and, a moment later, a couple of blue orbs were bobbing above the palms of both hands. Etyran blew out another shrill whistle, while Faedra waved her hands about creating pretty neon patterns in the inky night sky. A few moments later she could see pearlescent wings flapping in the distance. With each beat they brought their owner closer and closer, guided by her light show. Faen eventually reached the ledge, and the two took a step back so that he could join them. He landed gracefully on the craggy outcrop.

  He took one look at his Custodian and grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her in an unprecedented show of relief and joy. Faedra let out a startled squeak as he almost knocked her off balance with his enthusiasm. She reciprocated the hug, her emotions a mixture of shock at his unusual display of compassion, and relief that he was by her side again.

  Etyran took a step back and averted his eyes, deciding that his feet were all of a sudden much more interesting to look at.

  “Thank Kernunnos you are okay,” Faen whispered as he pulled back and looked at the stunned face of his charge before wrapping her in his arms again.

  “I told you I’d look after her, mate,” Etyran piped up.

  Faen released his grip on Faedra and turned to his friend. “Thank you, my friend. I owe you.”

  “Nah, don’t mention it. We had fun, didn’t we, girlie?” he aimed his question at Faedra who raised her eyebrows in disbelief. She decided it best not to answer.

  Faen gave her a curious look. “Where is the emerald staff? Did Draconis not have it?”

  Faedra blew out a disappointed sigh. “Oh, he had it alright, but he’s a dragon, and, apparently, dragons don’t lend their possessions without getting something in return.”

  “What does he want in return?”

  “He wants me to find an egg.”

  “An egg?”

  “Yep.”

  Etyran turned his attention over the ledge they were standing on. “Mate, she can fill you in on the details on your way back, but, right now, you have to get her out of here.” He could see the trail of torchlight snaking its way up the side of the mountain. Faen peeked over the edge and nodded. He then turned, scooped Faedra up in his arms and moved to the edge of the ledge. “What about you?”

  “Don’t you worry about me,” Etyran replied with his signature roguish grin. “You need to go find that egg.”

  “Thank you,” Faedra said, giving him a long meaningful look that spoke volumes.

  In an uncharacteristic gesture, Etyran inclined his head in a very old worldly manner. “My pleasure, Princess. Now go find that egg and rescue your dad.”

  Faedra gave him a mock evil stare before Faen launched them off the side of the mountain.

  “You told him about your heritage?” Faen asked as he flew them away from the mountain.

  “In a roundabout way. Draconis could tell I was half fae just by sniffing at me, which was lucky, coz he was a few seconds away from killing me for being human.” Faedra was actually quite thankful, at that point, that she was the product of a fling between her mum and the fae king, though she was still having a hard time digesting the fact she was a princess and, even more so, that her half-sister hated her guts enough to try and kill her.

  Faen held her closer when he noticed her stiffen a little. “So, tell me about the egg.”

  Faedra dug out the time-pebble from her pocket. Even though she couldn’t make o
ut the color variation in the dark, she knew she was running out of time to find her dad.

  “Draconis lost his only heir in a bet about a thousand years ago to a man named Ralph De Gael. He wants me to find it and take it to him before he’ll lend me the emerald staff. The only clue he could give me was that the guy just inherited a castle at the time.”

  “Why did he bet his only heir?” Faen couldn’t help but be bemused at her statement.

  “All he said is that he was young and foolish at the time. Savu killed his mate so there is not much hope of him creating another heir and he said he could lose the kingdom.”

  “Dragon lore can be very convoluted, at times.” Faen responded.

  “All I know is that I need to get online and see if anything comes up when I do a search on this guy. Is it going to take long to get home?”

  “Be assured, Faedra I will fly us as fast as I can. You must be exhausted. You should try and get some sleep while you can. I have a feeling that we are going to be very busy as soon as we get back to the World of Men.”

  Faedra hadn’t thought about being tired until her Guardian mentioned it. She couldn’t think how long it had been since she last slept. The sky was changing color on the horizon in preparation for welcoming another day, and her eyes were starting to feel very heavy. Maybe she would just rest her eyes for a few moments.

  The next thing she knew, Faen had landed and was waking her as he lowered her legs, allowing her feet to make contact with the lush green grass in front of the portal that would take them back to behind the church.

  She rubbed her eyes and looked up into the face of her Guardian. Then she remembered something and her cheeks drained of all color.

  Faen frowned. “What is the matter?”

  “Um, I kind of had to, um, knock your sister out.” Faedra admitted rather sheepishly.

  Faen tried to hide a smile threatening to curve his lips.

  “I had to. She insisted on coming with me and I didn’t want to put her in any danger, so I kind of zapped her and leaned her up against a head stone. Oh, God, she’s going to kill me, isn’t she?”

  Faen lost the battle and not only smiled but laughed as well. “I dare say she will get over it. I have to admit, there has been the odd time I would not have minded doing that myself.”

  Faedra dreaded the thought of having to face Jocelyn in just a few seconds as they stepped through the portal. She held her breath looking sheepish as she felt the crunch of gravel under her feet and knew they were back behind the church. To her surprise they weren’t greeted by an angry young fairy, which caused Faedra relief and concern all at the same time.

  “I left her over there, Faen, I promise.” She pointed towards a large granite headstone where she had leaned the young fairy before heading through the portal. “Where is she?”

  “Do not worry, Faedra, she has probably gone back to the house to wait for you.”

  “But why would she wait for me there? She knows I would have to come back through this way.” Faedra started to worry a little more.

  “Not necessarily, there are more portals to Azran than this one. For all she knew, you could be coming out of another,” Faen reassured her.

  “Okay, I just hope she’s alright. I feel awful enough at knocking her out, I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to her.”

  “She will be fine. Is your car here?”

  “Yes, let’s get back to the house so I can look up that guy.”

  As they headed towards the car park, something prompted Faedra to look towards a stand of trees. She was almost certain she saw the vicar pull his head back behind a tree trunk when she looked in that direction. She wondered if the vicar had seen them appear from nowhere, but didn’t have time to worry about it right then. She had to find out if Ralph De Gael did in fact exist at one time, and, if so, on what corner of the planet. His name sounded French which gave her a bit of hope. In the big scheme of things, France wasn’t that far away.

  Faedra gave a fleeting thought as to how empty the cottage was when they walked through the door, but didn’t allow herself to dwell on it. She could see the blinking red light on the answer machine as she dashed past it on the way to her bedroom. She wasn’t about to stop and listen to any messages. They were probably all from her uncle, anyway, wondering where she and her dad were.

  Once in her bedroom, she scooted around the bed to her desk and fired up her computer, tapping her fingers on the desk with an impatient air while she waited for her pc to whirr through the start-up cycle.

  “Come on, come on,” she whispered testily, as if her words would have any bearing on the speed of her pc. She could feel Faen’s presence just inches from her back as he looked over her shoulder. His nearness gave her some much-needed comfort, especially, in the event that she couldn’t find anything on this man?

  “At last,” she sighed as she clicked onto the Internet and typed “Ralph De Gael” into the search engine.

  Within seconds several sites with his name were listed. Relief washed over her.

  “Well, it looks like he definitely existed,” she said to Faen as she clicked on a site that looked promising. “It says here that he was born around 1040 and was the Earl of …no way!”

  “The Earl of Norway?” Faen asked, not realizing Norway had Earls.

  “What? No, he was the Earl of East Anglia. He lived right here in Norfolk. Oh, I can’t possibly be this lucky. It says that he inherited a castle from his father-in-law. You’ll never guess which one.”

  Faen raised his eyebrows waiting for her to tell him.

  “Norwich Castle!” Faedra shrieked with excitement. “The egg could be hidden right here in Norwich Castle! It has to be there, it just has to be!”

  She looked at the time and shoved her chair back from the desk so hard Faen had to make evasive maneuvers to save his toes from being rolled over.

  Faedra looked up at Faen who was hovering a couple of feet from the floor and wrinkled her eyebrows in question. “What are you doing up there? Come on let’s go, they should still be open.”

  Faen looked heavenward as he lowered himself to the floor and followed his excited charge out of the house to her car.

  Leaving a spray of gravel behind them, Faedra made a hasty exit up the driveway and headed towards the city.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  “I think they close at five; we’re going to make it just in time,” Faedra stated as they walked towards the castle with ten minutes to spare. The castle, in its modern day role, acted as a museum and was open to the public. Faedra visited it on a school outing once but never paid it much attention beyond that. It was always just there, standing tall and proud in the middle of the city. People walked past it every day, probably without giving it a second glance, but she was paying attention now and all of a sudden the castle seemed much much larger than she remembered. The majestic pale stone building was perched high on its mound and seemed to loom over her, taunting her with its secrets, secrets she was sure it wouldn’t give up without a fight.

  Her throat went dry, she hadn’t given the first thought about how she was going to find something so small in something so big. Something that could have been found by archeologists a long time ago. No, she couldn’t think that way, it had to be in there somewhere, it just had to be. She dug out the time-pebble and checked the color. She still had time, but not much.

  They crossed the bridge that led to the museum’s entrance, stopping outside the huge revolving oak and glass door, and looked at the fee schedule.

  “Oh, no, I left in such a hurry I didn’t think to bring any money with me,” she said, dismayed. “Faen, do you have any money for the entrance fee?”

  He gave her an odd look, “I am fae, we have no need of money.”

  “Course not, silly me,” Faedra retorted. “Much as I hate to do this you’re going to have to glamour us then.”

  “As you wish, but I think it best if we do not disappear right in front of the door, the lady behind the
desk is watching us.”

  “Good point.” Faedra said as Faen moved her to one side and did a quick look around to see if anyone else was watching before he cloaked them with glamour.

  It was a tight squeeze for both of them to fit into one of the compartments of the revolving door but they managed it and shuffled their way round until they were inside. Faedra noticed the clerk’s eyes grow wide.

  “Joe,” she said to the security guard who was standing a few feet from the desk. “That door just moved on its own.”

  Joe tossed a nonchalant glance towards the door. “Probably just the wind, nothing to worry about, there’s obviously no one there.”

  “Probably just the wind? The leaves aren’t even moving on that tree outside, and it’s because there’s no one there that’s creeping me out.” The clerk was starting to sound a little panicky at that point.

  Joe leaned to one side so that he could see the tree to which the clerk was referring, and gave a disinterested shrug when he saw the leaves were unmoving in the calm afternoon air. “What do you want me to say, that the place isn’t haunted? It’s nearly a thousand years old, Mary. To be honest, I’d be more surprised if things like that didn’t happen.”

  “Oh don’t say that, it’s my turn to check the ladies loos before lock up tonight. I’m sure I’m being watched in there.”

  Joe gave the woman a knowing smile before turning to leave. “Well, I best go and do my rounds. Make sure the dungeons and battlements are empty before we close. Last thing we need is someone to die of fright after being stuck in the dungeons all night.” He gave a chuckle as he walked away.

  Faedra noticed the clerk shudder as she looked down at her watch. At least they knew where not to hide until the museum closed, not that it really mattered. As long as Faen had them in glamour they could stand in a corner until the place was empty and no one would know. Which is exactly what they did.

  After the announcement over the loudspeaker that the museum would be closing in five minutes, visitors started meandering past the two on their way out, chatting to one another about what they’d seen. Faedra and Faen waited a while longer and watched as the security guard named Joe held the door open for the employees to leave and locked it up behind the last one. He then made his way past them, down a corridor and into a room, muttering something to himself about putting the kettle on and watching the soccer match on TV. He shut the door behind him.