Lord of Monsters

by John Claude Bemis

  “So they have some means of disappearing,” Mezmer said. “Have you heard of this magic, Lazuli?”

  She shook her head.

  “But it’s certainly possible,” Maestro chirped. “I’ve never learned much of the details around Diamancer’s ascent to power. But surely he commanded strange magic.”

  “Whatever happened down there, what’s important now is the safety of Abaton,” Mezmer said, rousing herself from her grief. “Diamancer and his monsters are free, so Abaton is in grave danger.” She got to her feet. “We need to get back to the Moonlit Court, darlings, before—”

  “Wait!” Pinocchio said. “Hold on just a moment. Diamancer knew we were coming. It was a trap. But how did he know we’d be here?”

  Lazuli shook her head. “Maybe he knew we’d seek Regolith and find the memories about the pyramid.”

  “But that’s not how we learned about the Upended Forest,” Pinocchio said. “Dr. Nundrum told us about it.”

  “And turns out, he was wrong,” Mezmer said. “This might have been the prison once, but obviously the prisoners were moved at some point in the past to a new prison. It was too dusty. No one had been in there for centuries.”

  “Or they escaped long ago,” Sop said, scratching his face.

  “A thousand escaped monsters hiding all this time and Prester John didn’t know?” Maestro squeaked. “Not possible!”

  “Well, they’ve obviously escaped now,” Sop argued, “and nobody seems to know where they are!”

  Maestro fluttered. “But Prester John—”

  “Stop!” Pinocchio said. “What I’m trying to say is—whatever’s happened with these prisoners escaping—Diamancer knew we’d come here. How did he know? Someone must have told him. Or worse…what if Diamancer wanted us to come here and had someone send us into this trap?”

  Lazuli frowned. “But Dr. Nundrum was the one who told us. Are you suggesting he’s helping Diamancer?”

  “Maybe,” Pinocchio said. “We don’t know.”

  “Preposterous!” Maestro said. “He’s served in the Moonlit Court for ages.”

  “Who better to convince us to go into this trap,” Sop said, whiskers bristling. “Don’t you remember how that little flibbertigibbet was so insistent that we leave immediately for the Upended Forest!” He did the last part in a mocking version of Dr. Nundrum’s flittery speech.

  “He was scared of the monsters returning,” Maestro said. “He just wanted the matter resolved.”

  “Or he wanted us to fly blind into a trap,” Sop said.

  Lazuli shook her head. “I can’t believe it would be Dr. Nundrum.”

  Sop waved his arms around. “Well, Pinocchio’s right! For Diamancer to pull this off, he needed someone close to the presters to get us to go to the Upended Forest. If it wasn’t that overwrung owl, it was somebody in the Moonlit Court who fed Dr. Nundrum the information about the Upended Forest. Somebody!”

  Lazuli looked up with a stony expression. “My aunt said that the other three high nobles wanted Pinocchio and me replaced with a regency council.”

  “There you go!” Sop said, jabbing a claw. “I always thought that Lord Smoldrin looked devilish. Well, all djinn do a bit, but you know, more devilish than most.”

  Pinocchio’s thoughts went to the banquet, to how the nobles had seemed skeptical of him and Lazuli as the presters. But to help Diamancer? Surely they couldn’t have been part of this.

  “Until we know, it’s all speculation.” Mezmer’s eyes narrowed. “But I agree, Diamancer can’t be acting alone. And really, there’s no telling who else could be involved. So…well…what do we do?”

  “Hide,” Maestro squeaked. “Somewhere Diamancer won’t find us.”

  “Which would be where, exactly?” Sop asked, tightening his eye patch behind his head.

  “My father is at Grootslang Hole,” Pinocchio said. “We could go to the gnomes.”

  “First, we need to find out if Diamancer’s monsters have attacked anywhere,” Lazuli said. “I’ll contact my aunt Sapphira.”

  “And I’ll use Riggle to speak to my father,” Pinocchio said.

  “I’ll make sure the kirins are ready to go,” Mezmer said. “We shouldn’t stay here any longer than possible, in case Diamancer comes back. For now, he might think Pinocchio is dead. We don’t want to be around if he brings more monsters than that manticore.”

  Mezmer began barking orders at her knights to post watches before she set off toward the falls.

  Lazuli took the small mirror from her bag and moved off to a branch to speak to her aunt. Left alone, Pinocchio dug the box containing Riggle out from his satchel. Maestro perched on his shoulder, listening as Pinocchio opened the lid.

  “Riggle, I need to speak with you.”

  The worm’s little pink head poked up from the dirt. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

  “We’re in danger and—”

  “I heard! I’m glad you escaped, Your Majesty!”

  “You heard?” Pinocchio asked, impressed that the worm could hear that well buried inside his box down in the satchel.

  “Yes, everything. And I’ve already gotten your father’s attention. He’s here with me. He’s quite worried.”

  “Has he heard any news from the Moonlit Court?” Pinocchio asked. “Is there any word whether Diamancer’s monsters have attacked?”

  He listened as Riggle repeated his questions, remembering that whatever the worm was saying here, he was also saying to his father in Grootslang.

  “Your father says there’s no news of any monsters being seen. But he says that he discovered a book that says Prester John moved the prisoners from the pyramid after Mezmercurian’s death.”

  Pinocchio gave a jolt, thinking how in Regolith’s memory Mezmercurian had warned Prester John that the Upended Forest was becoming inhabited. Had he listened longer—had he endured more of the awful transformation—would he have known then that the pyramid was no longer the prison? Pinocchio cursed himself, feeling doubly angry because the escape from the pyramid had cost them so much.

  “Your father doesn’t know where the prison is,” Riggle continued, “but he thinks one of the primordials might have been charged with guarding the prisoners.”

  “Is that all?” Pinocchio asked. Riggle seemed to be listening to something on his father’s end. Maestro fluttered impatiently on his shoulder.

  The worm said, “No, your father says we can’t be sure who lured you to Diamancer in the pyramid. He fears it could be anyone. Whoever it is might be using Diamancer or Diamancer might be using them…either way, someone is trying to take the Ancientmost Pearl and usurp the throne. He wants you to find somewhere safe to hide while he finds out more about who is behind this.”

  “What about Grootslang?” Pinocchio asked. “Should we come there?”

  Riggle repeated the question to Geppetto.

  “Your father says that while he trusts Chief Muckamire, he might be wrong to do so. For now, he thinks you should be suspicious that anyone could be involved in this plot.”

  A dagger of fear ran through Pinocchio. He suddenly remembered that Chief Muckamire was the one who had given him Riggle. Could he have kept a part of Riggle as well?

  “Riggle,” Pinocchio breathed. “Is Chief Muckamire listening to you speak now?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  Pinocchio felt frozen. “Can I talk to you without anyone else hearing?”

  “Whatever you say, only I hear,” Riggle answered. “But whatever I say to you, my other selves say it as well.”

  Pinocchio realized he had to be careful with his words. “Riggle, do you know if Chief Muckamire is involved in this plot against me?”

  “I can’t—”

  “Don’t say Chief Muckamire’s name!” Pinocchio said. “I don’t want him to know that I’m aware he’s listening.”

  The worm nodded and continued again. “I can’t be certain, Your Majesty. I am not always in his company.”

  Pinocchio hoped the word hi
s would be interpreted as referring to his father.

  “Your father has come to the same conclusion as you, Your Majesty,” Riggle added. “He just said so to me. He says we should speak no more now, and that you should not tell him where you are going.”

  Pinocchio realized why. His father would be desperate to know, but he couldn’t risk Chief Muckamire discovering it as well.

  “He says to tell you he loves you,” Riggle said. “He’s put me away, Your Majesty.”

  “Thank you,” Pinocchio said.

  He closed the lid over Riggle; icy panic threatened to envelop him. Was his father in danger at Grootslang Hole? Surely the kindly gnome lord wasn’t involved in this plot. But hadn’t Lazuli warned him that even friends could become enemies? Chief Muckamire, Lord Smoldrin, and Raya Piscus had wanted him and Lazuli off the throne. They’d urged Lady Sapphira to support their plan to form a regency council of the high nobles to rule Abaton.

  When Lady Sapphira had refused, maybe the other three high nobles had continued plotting in secret. Maybe they had awoken Diamancer. Maybe they…

  Pinocchio tried to remember every word Riggle had just said, wondering if there was anything that would have put them in danger.

  The only thing that came to mind was that if Diamancer was working with Chief Muckamire to steal the Pearl, then they would now know that Pinocchio had survived the pyramid’s collapse. They had to leave immediately.

  But as he got to his feet, another concern grew in his mind.

  Pinocchio put down Riggle’s box gently on the branch and crossed a few limbs to get out of earshot. He could hear Lazuli over a short ways, speaking to her aunt in the mirror.

  “Maestro,” Pinocchio whispered. “How do we know we can trust Riggle?”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” the cricket replied. “At any time, he could be passing information from what he’s hearing to Chief Muckamire…or possibly to any other person who has a piece of Riggle. We can’t know how many Riggles there are!”

  “Should we leave him here?” Pinocchio asked, looking back at the box.

  “What if your father needs to contact you? What if he comes to some danger?”

  Pinocchio sighed. He would have to hang on to the worm. “What if we wrap the box in something so he won’t be able to hear?”

  “It might keep us from hearing Riggle if your father is calling for you,” Maestro said. “No, I think I have a better idea. I’ll stay in your bag. I managed before. And if Riggle is speaking to anyone, I’ll know.”

  Pinocchio nodded. It seemed like the best solution. “Thanks, Maestro.”

  He climbed back to the branch with the box, and placed it in the satchel with the Sands of Sleep. Maestro looked up at Pinocchio, made a little assuring nod, and then climbed in.

  Lazuli was still speaking to her aunt. Pinocchio paced along the tree trunk, eager for her to finish so they could talk. He found Kataton standing nearby.

  Surprised, he asked hurriedly, “What are you doing here?”

  “Standing. Guard,” Kataton said with a roll of his eyes. “Over. You. And. Prester. Lazuli.”

  Pinocchio smiled weakly. Riggle’s conversation had shaken him. It had sown seeds of such uncertainty about who to trust. But surely he could trust Kataton. He was a true knight—as loyal and good as any hero who had ever served in the Celestial Brigade.

  “Kataton,” Pinocchio said. “When you rescued General Mezmer, you were so incredibly fast, faster than I’ve seen anyone move. How did you do that?”

  “I. Have. Always. Been. Told. I. Am. Slow,” he said. “Others. Made. Fun. Of. Me.” Kataton shifted his stance, the reptilian frills on the sides of his face expanding. “But. I. Do. Not. Think. Of. Myself. As. Slow.” He tapped a claw to the side of his head. “If. You. Believe. In. Here. That. You. Are. A. Certain. Way.” He smiled. “Then. You. Will. Be.”

  Pinocchio rubbed a hand along his arm, feeling the wood beneath his shirt. He wished Kataton was right. He wished it was that simple.

  “Pinocchio,” Lazuli said behind him.

  He took hold of a branch and climbed over to meet her, out of earshot from Kataton. He quickly told her about what had happened with his father and Riggle, about the concern that Chief Muckamire or the other Noble Houses could possibly be involved in this plot.

  Lazuli listened with that same stony gaze. She nodded as he spoke, but her eyes looked distant and unblinking. When he finished, she said nothing, simply stared ashen-faced into Pinocchio’s eyes, but it was as if she wasn’t seeing him.

  “Are you all right?” he asked. He’d never seen her like this.

  Her eyes flicked to Kataton. Then she said in the barest whisper, “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Me either,” Pinocchio said.

  “But…” Her lips trembled momentarily before she brought her face back nearly to perfect composure. “I’m supposed to.”

  “No one expects that!” Pinocchio said.

  “My father did. When I put the Pearl back inside you down in the Deep One, after I brought you back to life, he told me it would be up to me to keep Abaton safe. To help you rule. But that while you were to protect the Pearl, I was his daughter, Abatonian royalty, the one he expected to look after Abaton.”

  Her face seemed on the verge of shattering into a thousand pieces.

  “Rion…” she said. “He wanted to be my friend. You make friends so easily, Pinocchio, but I never knew whether I should. I was his prester. I’ve always been told I should…” She put a hand over her eyes. “He’s dead and he died trying to protect us and Abaton. I never should have let him die.”

  “You didn’t know where he was!” Pinocchio said. “It was chaos down there—”

  “But I’m the prester! I’m the one who is supposed to protect my people! But these monsters keep coming and we’ve no idea how to stop them and we’ve lost…”

  For a moment, Pinocchio thought she might at last allow herself to cry. But then her eyes danced off Kataton, and she drew in a shuddering breath before looking back at Pinocchio.

  “I can’t lose any more,” she said.

  Lazuli had lost her father. Their friend Rion. Now Abaton itself seemed dangerously on the verge of being lost.

  Her lips trembled. “Promise you won’t let that happen? Promise I won’t lose you too.”

  How could she ask him to promise that? Not when the safety of Abaton might depend on his using the Pearl. Not when she knew he’d made a promise to Wiq that he hadn’t been able to keep.

  But the look of pain and desperation straining against her face brought a lump into his throat.

  It was all so infuriating. Why was the Pearl affecting him in this way? It didn’t seem like it should, from all his father told him about Prester John and how he contained the magic of Abaton inside the Pearl. Why couldn’t he just command it the way Prester John had?

  But he couldn’t. And Lazuli knew he couldn’t. But she clearly needed some reassurance that her whole world wouldn’t be swept away.

  “We’ll find another way to stop Diamancer,” he said.

  She smiled a shaky smile that faded nearly as soon as it formed. “I need my aunt,” she said. “I…we need to go to her in the Mist Cities.”

  Pinocchio hesitated before asking, “Do we know we can trust her?”

  “The other High Nobles and Dr. Nundrum might have turned against us. Who knows if they’re helping Diamancer? We don’t know who’s against us and who’s not!” Lazuli narrowed her eyes. “But if there is anyone I trust in Abaton, it is my aunt. She’s only ever wanted the best for me, even before I was prester. She’ll know what we should do.”

  Pinocchio gave a nod. Then he said, “Lazuli?”

  “What is it?”

  He wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask. He was thinking how Lazuli had warned him that sometimes friends could become enemies. And he would never have suspected before that Dr. Nundrum or Chief Muckamire or even Riggle could be his enemy. But now he wasn’t sure.


  But what if he was really their enemy? What if the ones they’d been suspecting hadn’t done anything wrong, but he was the one doing something bad—by keeping his secret from the people of Abaton, for withholding what the Pearl was doing to him even though that was putting them all in danger.

  “How do you know whether someone is a good person or a bad person?” he asked.

  Lazuli tilted her head, searching his face. She didn’t look like she had an answer, and already Kataton was coming their way across a branch.

  “General. Mezmer. Is. Ready. Your. Majesties,” he said.

  Lazuli brought her chin up confidently. Pinocchio was amazed at how quickly she transitioned. Amazed and a bit sad.

  “Lead the way,” she said.

  They followed Kataton, scrambling along the wild tangle of branches through the Upended Forest until the three of them reached the others waiting at the falls. The kirins were poking their horned heads through the curtain of water.

  The mushroom people had gathered, not only to see off their presters but also Goliath, who was officially joining the Celestial Brigade. The fierce little mushroom pumped a fist in the air before leaping onto Pini. Pinocchio and Lazuli said their good-byes, offered their thanks, and climbed onto the kirins, along with the others.

  Back above, the desert was washed a dim purple with the approach of dawn. Pinocchio looked around at the empty lakeshore. “Where’s Quila?” he asked Wini.

  “She disappeared sometime in the night, Your Majesty,” the kirin said.

  Pinocchio wondered what had become of the poor griffin but was too exhausted to think any more about it. He hoped there was a way to sleep while Wini flew. Kataton would hold him on.

  Mezmer rode on Fini’s back with Lazuli. She pulled out the map. “So where do we go, dearests?”

  “To the Mist Cities,” Lazuli said, laying her weary head between Mezmer’s shoulder blades.

  The aleya raced ahead. Pini, with Sop and Goliath on her back, came into formation beside her sisters. Kicking their hooves, the kirins rose into the star-strewn sky and left the Upended Forest.