The Gift of Volkeye

by Marque Strickland

  The two of them broke up with laughter.

  “Will I meet him sometime soon? …You say he has two children also?”

  “Yep. In fact, my cousins will be down tomorrow,” he said, happy to see Bahzee so interested in meeting his family.

  “What are their names?”

  “Khyeryn and Lyn Sha.”

  IX

  A Slit Throat

  1

  “Son, give me a name, and I’ll have someone’s head for this!”

  Felix was in too much pain to talk, slouched on the floor with his back propped against the wall. He whimpered in pain, as Sing Tzi Yi took a wet sponge and began dabbing the end of his damaged nose.

  He jerked suddenly and caused Sing to tear off a small patch of dried blood.

  “Arggggggggghhh!”

  The little clotting that had been already begun was formed in vain. Again, the blood streamed.

  WHACK!

  Sing’s head was shoved to the left as Phyllamon’s calloused hand crossed her face.

  “Watch what the hell you’re doing, woman!” he said.

  Now Helena came storming down the hall.

  “Oh, my poor baby! What happened?” she asked, shaking Felix gently as if to wake him from a coma. Then she turned and marked Sing with furious eyes. “What did you do to him, you little whore?”

  “I did nothing. His Royal Highness beckoned me a moment ago, and this is what I found.”

  Helena looked up at her husband to see if the handmaiden spoke the truth.

  He nodded. “Felix crawled through the door like this,” Phyllamon said, desperately wanting answers. “Son, tell me who did this! I’ll have their bodies sliding down metal spikes by the evening! Give me something!”

  Phyllamon waited eagerly, hoping Felix was coherent enough to whisper a name or place. He leaned in closer.

  “Bah-z-zee…boyfriend…south…Rha-meer-y-laaaa,” Felix managed to say, even though it pained him so.

  Phyllamon’s brow wrinkled. He rose from his knees and began pacing.

  Felix slumped up against the wall and passed out. Sing, realizing that he was unconscious, began dabbing at his nose without pity, reveling in the act of causing blood flow, rather than stopping it. Helena was too puzzled to take notice.

  “What does he mean, my love?” she asked.

  Phyllamon turned to face her. “Peculiar,” he said.

  Typically, he never thought that he paid any mind to the mumblings of his miners, but (now that he’d heard it from his son) the word ‘Rhameeryla’ sounded very familiar! Once, Phyllamon even thought that he heard this word in conjunction with Zynathian’s name. However, he dismissed it then. Not only was he uncertain if he’d heard properly, but even if he had, so what? The last twenty years had taught him to never trust any leads on Zynathian, for they only wound up disappointing him. But now, he wondered.

  What else did Felix say? South?

  Phyllamon abruptly stormed down the corridor.

  “What is it?” Helena yelled after him, nervously.

  “There are things I must see to…we’ll discuss them later!”

  As the echoing sound of Phyllamon’s heavy boots died, the castle physicians arrived. Helena turned to face her son. To her and the doctors’ horrid surprise, Felix was bleeding profusely from several more gashes in his face!

  (While no one was looking, Sing had gone to work on Felix, digging deeply in his face with her nails.)

  Thinking he’d died whilst her attention was elsewhere, Helena keened in horror and promptly passed out. As she lay with her mouth wide open, greenish hued fumes of toxic breath rose in light waves.

  A physician, who had rushed to her aid, made the mistake of leaning directly over her open mouth.

  “Ugh!”

  The doctor fell flat on his back, twitching, as one having an epileptic seizure.

  “Idiot, I told you to watch out for her breath! Be thankful it was just severe halitosis that you encountered! Had it been one of her other fragrances, you might’ve died, you buffoon!” the eldest doctor said, scolding the foolish man.

  The other two of them were wearing small facemasks, and this one wasn’t, for he was fairly new and therefore inexperienced. He’d forgotten the “Never go anywhere in the castle without your Helena Protection Mask” rule, so now he lay on the floor, vomiting.

  The two wise doctors once had first hand contact with Helena when she confronted them about a cyst on her genitalia (which she’d attained from so seldom washing her body, but of course they couldn’t tell her this!). Since that day, they’d never been unprepared again. And though, like Phyllamon and Felix, they’d built up immunity to Helena’s stench, which could no longer make them collapse to the floor with seizures, it was still quite unpleasant for them to be near her. So, they always carried their masks.

  Once the new doctor was finished spitting up his first two meals of the day, the eldest physician handed him an extra mask. Next, the two of them grabbed up Helena and carried her off to the infirmary.

  The last of the castle’s physicians was a large muscular black man, who was none too gentle with Felix as he threw him over his shoulder. Before he entered the stairwell, Sing watched him slam Felix’s unconscious body up against the wall several times, and she was absolutely certain that he had good reason.

  The people in this castle are mad! All of them, willing to lead lives they hate just to receive a meal! I’d rather be dead!

  Sing rose from the floor, her mind racing.

  We’ll soon see if death is my fate!

  It was a rare occurrence in which the entire castle was so incredibly distracted that they weren’t watching her. Sing knew then that this was the moment that she’d been waiting for. She felt that the divine was speaking directly to her.

  It’s time! she thought, darting off, vanishing into the dark hallways.

  2

  “Whoa, Jalum, cool it!”

  He was giving Khyeryn a very rough ride, due to the fact that he was hungry and irritated. Anyone with good sense knew how dangerous it was to ride Jalum while he was upset, so Khyeryn knew he had to feed the bird before heading home.

  “I’m trying to find you a treat right now. Just be patient!”

  As they flew along the coast of the Mashyuvian Ocean, Khyeryn searched below for dense patches of scattered bright colours, meaning fruit. Finally they spotted it. Just ahead, there was a huge tree with large, deep red objects dangling about.

  “Jay it’s a pomegranate tree—your favourite! Take us d-”

  Khyeryn’s thought was cut off as he beheld a magnificent castle, resting at the peak of a hill. It overlooked the ocean and was absolutely beautiful (yet eerie in a way that he couldn’t place).

  “Land down there, Jalum,” he said, gazing curiously at the sight before him.

  3

  “You say Felix has been attacked, my Lord…by whom?” Murlach asked.

  “I’m not certain…but I have a feeling that Zynathian was involved.”

  Though he was doubtful, Murlach knew better than to disagree with Phyllamon under the circumstances. He just listened intently.

  “Prepare every piece of weaponry that’s aboard the tank, and make sure that it’s fueled and ready to go.”

  Murlach nodded.

  “Infantry?” he asked.

  “Bring Zu…but I want him on ‘standby’ unless we really need him. You can also add that four-armed Cyclops chap and the short stubby thing with the large teeth…the rest are up to you. I want everyone ready within the hour.”

  With that, Murlach exited the chamber.

  4

  The infirmary was a large damp cellar in the basement of the castle—dim and rank smelling. It boasted a putrid odour of blood, for Phyllamon often did unspeakable things to people in this room when the doctors were absent.

  Helena’s unconscious body lay on an oak table, while Felix was sprawled on a large slab of stone that resembled a square coffin.

  Instead of using the
smelling salts to rouse Felix, the angry physician slapped his face repeatedly to awaken him. The other two doctors allowed it, because they knew that their colleague was only taking vengeance for his cat.

  One day recently when Felix had just returned from another of Bahzee’s refusals, the doctor happened to be roaming about with the cat in his arms. It looked very much like Bahzee’s feline, Toodles. In a spiteful rage, Felix grabbed a piece of broken stone from the castle floor and took the cat from the doctor’s arms, jabbing the rock shard in its chest. The cat died instantly.

  “Bloody hell, I hate those things! They’re always making a mess with hairballs and such! Now clean up the blood, and get your filthy dead animal out of here, you ruddy muck up!” Felix had said.

  Now that the unconscious little demon was at the physician’s mercy, he refused to not take advantage. Dorcey, his name, hit Felix with blows that would wallop his head back against the stone each time. The other doctors had begun to worry.

  “Don’t kill the chap! You’d best be careful if you don’t want to wind up in a cell with the Karnovs!”

  Dorcey then punched the less swollen side of Felix’s face, breaking more bones. Then he cleansed Felix’s cuts with a sterilized cloth and gave him a minute dose of morphine. Finally, he took the salts out of his pocket and placed them under Felix’s nose. The other doctors did the same for Helena.

  The patients began to squirm, and it was Helena that sat up first. Felix was also awake but with a splitting headache and a face much more swollen than it had been when he first arrived home. His eyelids fluttered, seeming as if he wanted to slip right back into unconsciousness.

  With some effort, Helena got to her feet and made her way over to Felix. The doctors all backed away from her even though they were dressed and masked for the occasion. She leaned over Felix, weeping.

  “Oh my, you look terrible.”

  Felix, breathing heavily through his mouth, managed to spit out another few words.

  “Okay…need rest…food…but can’t chew. No…more…talking.”

  Helena quickly helped her son to his feet.

  “Come, we’ll get you something. Out of the way, you oafs!” she demanded of the physicians.

  While watching them leave the cellar, the doctors removed their masks and shared a smile. They were all too relieved, assuming that they wouldn’t have to deal with Helena for some time. However, they were oblivious to the fact that they’d be treating her within the very next hour. She’d be rushed to them, bleeding to death.

  5

  “Okay, Jay, you eat. I’m gonna’ have a look around. I won’t be far.”

  Jalum turned and gave a low growl, telling Khyeryn to keep his word.

  “I promise I’ll stay close.”

  However, this did not satisfy Jalum. He advanced upon Khyeryn, snapping his beak to let him know that he meant business.

  “I promise, Jay…and I’ll holler if I need you.”

  With that said, Khyeryn was off wandering.

  Jalum went back to eating, but did so slowly, concentrating on every sound in the forest. He quickly took note that there was no high wind, so he’d be able to hear Khyeryn if called. While it seemed that there was nothing harmful out here, Jalum couldn’t help but be worried.

  6

  As Helena stumbled into the room with Felix leaning on her shoulder, she couldn’t help noticing the deep gouges in his face, knowing that there was no way possible that she could’ve missed them earlier.

  Helping Felix sit down next to a huge window, she handed him a set of strap-on binoculars. He’d always loved these, and he smiled at the fact that, even though her body and breath smelled worse than camel ass, she was still a good mother.

  Indulging a rare act, Helena bent down and kissed his forehead. Though her poisonous halitosis made his skin sizzle, he still put on a weak smile.

  “I’m going to have some soup made for you Sweet Pea.”

  Then she was off to the kitchen to boss the cooks around.

  It took three quarters of an hour for the chefs to prepare something that Felix would be able to swallow without enduring the agony of chewing—a homemade cream of potato soup. After letting it cool for a few moments, she took him the soup and left him alone.

  Upon leaving, Helena’s mind went back to the gashes on Felix’s face. She stood idle a moment until realization struck her.

  Sing!

  7

  Khyeryn waded about the beautiful ocean of colours, pulling him every which way. The fragrance of this immense garden was as hypnotic as the aesthetic appeal, and although Khye hadn’t noticed, he’d been lured only thirty feet away from the castle gates! This was much farther away than Jalum wanted.

  8

  Felix sat cross-legged on the stone windowsill, looking about their garden through his binoculars. His father had just entered the room and was relieved to see him up and about.

  “Feeling better are we? You’ll be pleased to know that I’m sending some scouts to the south in light of your situation.”

  Felix didn’t hear anything his father had said, for he was trying to get a better look at whatever it was that was drawing near. At first, he dismissed it as one of Murlach’s creatures that had been let out to stretch its legs. However, as it got closer, Felix was doubtful because he was almost certain that this beast was human-sized!

  If only the plants and bushes weren’t so bloody tall!

  So transfixed on identifying this object, Felix missed the fact that he left his bike outdoors. His need for medical attention had forced him to leave it unattended.

  (This was a foolish act, as he’d forgotten that he’d taught a certain handmaiden to ride it several months previous. Felix had been bamboozled by Sing, who flirted with him and stroked his ego in exchange for some lessons. Since he was extremely upset that his mother and father had no interest in the bike, he’d taught Sing merely from a need to show off.)

  Still gazing ahead, Felix zoomed in on a bush that had just moved.

  “I’m sorry, father, did you s—”

  9

  Sing finished packing her sack. Having few belongings, most of the bag’s weight came from books that she couldn’t bear to leave without. In case she pulled off her escape, Sing was worried that she’d never be able to find the novels again, so she thought to risk it, even though they slightly weighed her down.

  Over the last fourteen years, Sing Tzi Yi had educated herself by eavesdropping on Felix’s sessions with his tutors. From this, she’d learned to sound out words and to search for them in the dictionary, and thereby gained literacy through repetition. Reading was one of the few positive things that had come of her time here in the castle, and because it had taken her several years to learn, Sing’s books were her prize possessions.

  These were six of her favourite Wrinklegus PoisonTongue stories that she stole from the castle library long ago. At first, she took them only because the author’s name made her laugh (and God only knew how few laughs she’d had over the years!). However, upon reading them, Sing discovered that these stories took her beyond the castle walls, so they quickly became a drug for her, and she indulged them as much as possible. By now she’d read them countless times, as they were the only things to help maintain her sanity amidst the horrors she faced.

  But now is the time to leave these horrors behind…even if it means my death!

  She sharpened her knife and placed it back into the hidden leather pouch inside the pleat of her dress. Next she threw a thick, hooded shawl over her shoulders and fastened it at her neck. Sing then grabbed her pack and raced into the stairwell, meeting her first obstacle at the bottom.

  Helena looked insane and furious, trembling with her fists clenched. No matter. She wouldn’t even get the chance to complete her sentence.

  10

  “Papa, catch him and murder the bastard! It’s the boy I saw in Rhameeryla! He’s the reason she almost killed me!” Felix spat with blood projecting from his mouth, paining his swollen
face.

  Phyllamon sprinted down the corridor, meeting several members of his infantry, lined against the wall. Murlach stood in front of them, surrounded by the bloodthirsty Karnovs, who paced back and forth, snarling. The largest was saddled, and Phyllamon hopped on it immediately, saying, “We have an intruder!”

  “KILL!” Murlach said, clicking his tongue at the Karnovs and pointing outdoors.

  Phyllamon bolted out of the castle doors with four other Karnovs behind him.

  11

  “You deceitful, little wh—”

  Sing’s arm slashed through the air without hesitation, and the first three inches of her blade sliced into Helena’s throat. With balletic grace, blood danced in all directions, striking beautiful midair poses as it showered its environment in scarlet blankets.

  Sing didn’t even stay to watch her body drop. She burst through the oak double doors, completely forgetting that it was not in her plan to leave by way of the front entrance!

  12

  Khyeryn, kneeling over to smell a white and red flower, felt the ground tremble beneath his feet. Horrified, he looked up to discover the most frightening creatures he’d ever seen. Atop one of them was…

  (Beware the bald man with the unibrow!)

  Khye knew instantly. “JALUUUUUUM!” he called out, darting off.

  He didn’t get very far before coming to a halt, realizing it was pointless to run. Knowing there was no way he’d reach Jalum before these beasts ripped him to pieces, Khyeryn decided to face them and die fighting. He knelt and took hold of a long thick branch, aiming the sharp end upward. As he assumed, the beasts were already pouncing, and the first two were impaled upon the branch. They stuck back to back like an animal Shish Ke-bab, and thick spatters of blood slapped onto the furry coats of the two following them.

  The largest of the five charged him, butting him with its head as if it were a bull. Khyeryn’s body lifted from the ground, smashing into a tree ten feet away. With adrenaline coursing through his body, Khyeryn quickly recovered and grabbed the first object within reach. He spun around and swung the rock as hard as he could, piercing the beast’s eye.