"But I wouldn't be here," Lya said.
The king frowned, not understanding.
"Siegfried saved me from the Draknoir, Klik. They were the ones who cut off my wings and kept me imprisoned in their cages all these years. The elf you hate so much is the sole reason why I stand before you now."
The king appeared as though he'd received a punch in the stomach. He blinked several times then sat on his throne processing this information. Although Violet did not wish to get in the middle of the familial dispute, she knew time was of the essence and they needed talo ferns.
"Your Majesty, you seem to have a good deal to discuss with your sister. Perhaps you two would prefer to speak privately?" Violet suggested, trying to be amiable to the volatile monarch.
Klik nodded absently. "I'm sorry, Miss Violet. But I still have no idea why you are here — aside from the fact that you are the previous occupant of this cottage."
Violet clenched her fists at the words "previous occupant," but she once again kept her temper in check. The issue of her cottage was secondary at present.
"Yes, well. We are on an urgent mission from the King of Aldron to harvest talo ferns that I planted in a garden just outside. If you would allow us to collect the ferns and be on our way that would be most gracious," she said evenly.
"Harvest to your hearts content," he said dismissively. "Just be aware that the garden which you speak of lies close to the forest."
Violet forced a smile. "Yes, I'm well aware of that. I did plant the ferns myself."
"Well then, it will come as a surprise to you that they are dangerously close to the banshees' territory."
Violet furrowed her eyebrow. "Banshees? They haunt the Southern Passage in the Burning Woods. They don't travel this far north."
Klik offered a sad smile. "Yes, that used to be the case. But then we killed their leaders and now there is chaos among them. Hence why we are displaced in your cottage."
"Are your men equipped to fight banshees, Lieutenant Morton?" Violet asked.
They all stood near the back of the cottage with the golem Tok standing watch nearby. Several yards from their position, Violet saw the garden she planted and tended for many years. Talo ferns and various medicinal plants grew wildly now, overrun with weeds and brambles that spread from the edge of the forest. Beyond the tree line, a thick mist hovered among the trees. Since it was a sunny day with little cloud cover, the mist seemed out of place. Syl and the other faeries told them the banshees create the mist and liked to dwell in the foggy atmosphere.
"Not exactly, my lady," Morton replied. "To be honest, I don't think any of us have ever faced one of the vile creatures. I've heard orichalcum weapons are the best means of killing them. Iron and steel might not do much damage," he admitted.
Syl floated alongside them and gazed at the garden. "They haven't appeared for several days. But we're always on alert when that blasted mist appears. How many of those ferns do you need?" He asked.
"As much as we can carry home with us. Every leaf on a fern can be boiled and distilled into a jar of antidote for crow's blight. We have thousands who will need this cure. I'll need to harvest the ferns with roots intact so we can plant a new crop in Aldron."
"I see. So running over there and ripping those plants out won't do you much good then?"
"Not really. The leaves would still be useful of course, but we need a crop to stamp out this disease if it spreads," Violet explained.
"Why don't we just send this big rocky monstrosity to take care of the beasts?" Caldwell said. The old man was leaning against the timber exterior of the cottage with his arms crossed. He seemed annoyed with this unexpected complication in their plans. Violet knew he simply wanted to get the ferns and race back to his patients, but to everyone else he probably sounded like a crotchety geezer.
"Lady Violet, we could guard you and Dr. Caldwell from any attack if we position ourselves close enough to the forest. But I won't deny that a little help might be useful," Morton said, looking over at Syl.
"Yes, of course. You brought back our Princess and we are indebted to you even if the king is not so quick to admit it. Tok hates the banshees and would love nothing more than to crush them for chasing us out of our home. The only difficulty is there is only one of him and many of them. That's how we lost the last time," Syl said sadly.
"Well, we're just going to have to try our best then aren't we?" Violet said. She glanced behind her at all the faeries on the roof who were eavesdropping on the conversation. "Is there any way we can get your friends up there to help us? Perhaps provide a distraction of some sort?"
The faeries looked at each other nervously, but some raised their hands eagerly and volunteered to take part in the plan.
"I think I can convince a few of them to come along. It's the least we could do for taking your home," Syl said smiling.
Violet frowned. "Yes about that. Your king and I will be speaking at length regarding whose home this really is."
"I think Princess Lya might already be speaking for you on that matter," Syl replied.
Before they'd come out here to take stock of their situation, Lya and Klik remained inside the cottage to discuss the issues regarding their estrangement. Violet hoped their mutual grievances would heal over the course of this visit. Lya was a dear friend to her, and she hated to see the pain she carried over her brother's many transgressions. For a moment, she realized how hard it must be to lead a kingdom alone. The thought reminded her of Silas and his current situation. Had he not met her that fateful day along the Feilon River, he would have no one by his side whom he could call family. Aside from trusted advisors like Blaise and Weifar, Silas had no living relations to steer him in the right direction after his father died. Perhaps he might have succumbed to the same grief and anger that King Klik faced now. She thanked Yéwa that wasn't the case.
"I've assembled thirty willing faeries who will participate, my lady," Syl declared. Many of his volunteers looked quite a bit younger than him and some bore a slight resemblance to the yellow faerie.
"We'll do anything for big brother!" A smaller faerie cried.
"Hush!" Syl reprimanded. The little faerie looked aghast and hid behind his older siblings. "If you're going to help me on this mission, then you need to take orders and be disciplined."
The faeries all nodded and gave a quick salute to the head faerie. The action elicited a giggle from Violet, who could not help but gush over how adorable these little beings could be.
"All right then. Here's the plan," Morton said.
He explained to Violet and Syl that the Royal Guard would take a position along the border of the forest. Violet and Caldwell would use potato sacks to collect as many talo ferns as they could before the banshees appeared. When the apparitions showed themselves, Tok would engage them first. The faeries would hide in the tall grass around the garden and fly up to distract the banshees if Tok became overwhelmed.
"During the commotion, me and the rest of the Royal Guard will escort you back to the cottage," Morton said. "With any luck, they'll scatter and in a few hours we can try again until all the ferns are accounted for."
Caldwell scoffed. "That's if none of us gets killed first."
"We will make sure that doesn't happen, Caldwell," Violet said, patting the physician on the shoulder. He shook his head in annoyance, but the gesture settled him.
"Okay, let's get into position, men." Morton ordered his troops.
Six guardsmen unslung the shields on their backs and drew their swords. They all wore the elaborate armor that set the Royal Guard apart from the Aldronian army—purple surcoats with chain mail and silver breastplates emblazoned with the Dermont royal crest. Steel helmets covered every inch of their heads except for their eyes, mouth, and ears.
They were a fearsome bunch, Violet thought. But could they challenge the banshees? She wasn't sure.
Syl and his group of faeries fluttered just above the ground and dimmed their lights as they reached the tall grass. T
he faeries tucked themselves between the blades of grass, watching anxiously as Morton and the Royal Guard neared the tree line. With a wave of his hand, Morton signaled for Violet and Caldwell to approach the garden. Violet jogged to the nearest talo fern, holding her sack while working the plant out of the soil. Caldwell watched her for a moment to get a sense of how to retrieve the ferns without damaging them. They did not have any gardening tools since the faeries misplaced Violet's trowel and shovel when they moved inside the cottage. So the physician and the apothecary utilized their bare hands to dig through the damp dirt. In some places, thick mud formed from spring rains that melted the snow and allowed moisture to pool. Upon inspecting these areas, Violet saw several ferns had not matured enough this early in the season. She ignored these ferns and moved to the next, trying to be swift in this project before trouble from the forest arose.
Occasionally, both she and Caldwell peered over their shoulders at the soldiers keeping watch near the forest. The unnerving mist continued to swirl amid the trees, but they saw no signs of any banshees. When Violet had filled half of her sack, she jumped at the sound of a bloodcurdling shriek from behind them.
"Here they come!" Morton yelled.
Violet whirled around to see Morton and the soldiers take defensive positions as more screams filled the air. Directly in front of them, Tok stood unmoving like an ominous monolith — waiting for his moment to strike.
It came sooner than any of them expected.
A slew of ghastly apparitions escaped the mist and entered the garden. They were transparent, but their faces were clearly visible to Violet even from this vantage point. Scarred, mummified visages of human beings cursed to haunt the earth as punishment for their wickedness. She'd heard the stories as a little girl of a trio of sisters who had disobeyed their father, a druid of old. He turned his mischievous daughters into banshees with his black magic. Anyone who betrayed the druid or defended the sisters' defiance faced a similar fate. They were simple ghost stories meant to teach children to obey their parents. But she never thought she'd face such awful creatures in person.
With immeasurable speed, Tok descended upon the banshees with his large rock fists. The golem pummeled the banshees into clouds of dust that disintegrated in the air. But not even the golem's fury could hold back the wave of banshees that flocked out of the woods. They swarmed like locusts into the countryside surrounding the cottage. Syl and his faeries flew high to meet them and diverted the ghosts away from Violet, Caldwell, and the soldiers. But the banshees did not seem concerned with either the faeries or Tok. Violet realized that the apparitions were fleeing the forest rather than attacking anyone specifically.
"I think they're running away," Violet said, turning to Caldwell.
The elder physician did not respond. His eyes fixated on the chaos enveloping the surrounding sky. Both faeries and banshees flew like crazed confetti above them.
Morton and his men rushed toward them, looking as confused as Violet when the banshees avoided them. "I think the golem might've scared them off," he guessed.
Violet shook her head, "I don't think so. Look, there's some light emerging from the woods!"
Everyone turned to inspect this new threat. A white orb of light floated through the mist and shadow of the forest. At first, Violet thought it was some disembodied soul who the banshees had run away from. But as the orb came out of the forest, she saw it attached to a long staff held by a tall old man with a feathered collar.
"By the Order of Celestine, I banish you spirits to the Abode of Shadows where you belong!" The old man yelled.
He lifted up the staff and pounded the ground with it. A flash of white light blinded Violet for a moment. When her eyes could focus again, she saw that the multitude of banshees explode into dust that disappeared as it descended. Syl and the faeries looked bewildered at the sudden disappearance of the ghosts.
The old man with the staff walked toward them and Violet noticed that a company of smaller beings trailed him. They were dwarves! Hundreds of them, emerging from the forest like a motley crew of followers.
"I must apologize for that," the old man said. "We've been trailing those accursed banshees for several days and I hoped we could be rid of them before they escaped the Burning Woods."
"Who are you?" Morton asked. He still held his sword in front of him in a defensive position along with his men. Whoever this man might be, he was clearly a magic wielder. And a powerful one at that, Violet thought.
"My name is Alistair. I am a druid of the Order of Celestine and the last of my race, unfortunately.” He turned and gestured to a dwarf next to him who wore a crown. “This is Balfour, High King of Djoulmir, and his loyal warrior tribes.”
“Enough with the pleasantries, Al. We're famished! If I don't find something to eat for the others, we’ll have an uprising on our hands,” the dwarf said.
Alistair scowled at Balfour then turned to Violet and the others. “I'm sorry for the abruptness of my small friend here, but can any of you spare any food?”
Violet exchanged glances with Caldwell and Morton. They all could scarcely process what had transpired since the banshees appeared. Now a druid and a dwarven monarch were asking about food. Nothing seemed to make any sense.
“I'm still unclear why you are here and how you destroyed thousands of banshees,” Syl interrupted. The same question on Violet's mind.
“Oh,” Alistair said, scratching his beard absently. “Yes I suppose that might help.”
The druid launched into a long story about how he and Balfour had come to a tenuous agreement concerning the growing power of both Nasgothar and Ghadarya. Dwarves were happy to stay out of the escalating conflict in Azuleah but Alistair convinced them to act and prevent the probable enslavement—or worse, destruction—of their people. Part of this agreement required not only renouncing their isolationist tendencies but also aiding their neighbors in this war.
Apparently, the survivors of Sylvania had sought refuge from the dwarves and Balfour was not keen to give it. Alistair changed that and many of the people Violet knew were probably safely underground in Djoulmir.
“The first leg of our journey was to find more survivors in Sylvania and thwart any nearby threats to the beleaguered city. Unfortunately, there is nothing left to save. It is in ruins," Alistair said with a frown. "However, we caught wind of the banshees‘ ill deeds in the Burning Woods and thought it might be a fun interlude to our mission.”
“Your definition of fun is positively mad.” Caldwell bristled.
Balfour chuckled. “See! I'm not the only one.”
Alistair frowned. “Nevertheless, now that the banshees are gone our next goal is laying siege to Arkadeus.”
Violet’s eyes widened at the statement. “You plan to attack Memnon’s fortress?”
“Indeed. But it might be an easier task if we had more soldiers to join our ranks,” the druid said, glancing at Morton and the Royal Guard.
“King Silas of Aldron would be happy to join forces on that score,” Violet said. She probably broke some form of protocol by committing her fiance to a military alliance without his permission. But she knew Silas had lost countless hours of sleep over the lack of troops for the planned assault on Arkadeus. Gaining the help of a strong dwarven force would certainly even the odds against the dragons and legions of Draknoir.
“Excellent! I presume you are acquainted with the king in order to speak on his behalf?” Alistair asked curiously.
“She's engaged to him,” Caldwell cut in. “You're looking at the future queen of Aldron.”
Violet’s cheeks flushed.
“I see,” Alistair said.
A sudden screech from above startled her, and she craned her neck to see a falcon flying overhead. The bird descended at considerable speed and landed on the orb of Alistair’s staff.
“Friend of yours?” Morton asked, sheathing his sword finally. His soldiers followed when he gestured with a hand signal.
“Yes, this is Archibald. Wha
t seems to be the trouble friend?” Archibald looked at the falcon intently. The bird uttered a series of clicks and chirps punctuated with a high screech. “Oh dear.”
“What's wrong,” Syl asked, hovering nearby with a retinue of faeries surrounding him.
“The Black Dragon is in Ithileo and our mutual friends are in terrible danger,” the druid said.
“Which friends?” Violet asked, feeling her heart race.
“Lucius and Siegfried,” he replied. He raised his staff suddenly and Archibald took to the air as the orb glowed. “Let's give them a helping hand.”
A flare of white light shot out of the orb and flew into the sky. The faeries scattered in all directions, fearing the flare might hit them. But it soared high into the air then exploded in a brilliant display of light that could be seen for miles. When the blinding flare disappeared, everyone stared at the sky with mouths agape.
Alistair grinned, pleased at his handiwork. “There. That should get Kraegyn’s attention.”
Chapter 9
Lucius led Penna to the riverbank where the horse gulped down mouthfuls of water. Their trial inside the fiery forest had likely dehydrated the animal. He grabbed his own waterskin and drank eagerly from it. The Drachengarde took a position in a secluded rock cove where the Dulan River intersected with the Feilon River. For several hours, the party rested, ate, and discussed their options after the devastating attack by Kraegyn. Many of the men were uneasy at being so close to the enemy's stronghold in Arkadeus. Although they could not see the massive fortress from here, the vicious attack from Kraegyn unnerved them all.
Keep of Dragons (The Azuleah Trilogy Book 3) Page 11
