by A. E. Wright
I opened my eyes as the water subsided from around me. I was lying at the top of a black stone staircase that twinkled with the diamonds still submerged in the surface of the rock. As my lungs worked furiously to expel the water invading them, I leaned out over the edge of the staircase in the hope that gravity would speed the process along. As I spat the remains of the water from my mouth, I noticed that at the bottom of the staircase lay Elba, lifeless and surrounded by a group of snarling Gnarls.
It looked like she had taken a hard blow to the head. I wanted to scream, to cry like a child and run for cover but I couldn’t make a noise or they would see me here at the top of the staircase, weak and vulnerable. I backed away slowly, crawling rearward as quietly as possible until I reached a hard rock surface away from the ledge. I needed to think and quickly. The Gnarls would surely be ascending the staircase soon, coming to inspect why the water had suddenly engulfed the chamber. I guess they must have been hiding out in here since Alphus let them through the gate. As for the flooded chamber, that was something I wasn’t even sure of myself yet. I had to try and remember the defensive spells that Merl taught me and apply them to getting both myself and Elba out of this terrible situation but I couldn’t think clearly. There was a tapping noise invading my thoughts like a tribal drum beat, it broke my concentration. I didn’t remember hitting my head whilst being dragged by the current but the noise was so insistent, it was as if it had a physical source within the room itself.
Bub Bum Bub Bum it was like the relentless beating of an excited heart. My last thought brought about the horrifying recognition that the noise was not coming from my head. It was in the room. The source of the sound was directly above my head. I rose from my spot entranced by what I knew I was about to see. The hard surface that I had come to rest against was not the walls of the chamber, it was a rudimentary stone table, built with a small indentation to hold the disembodied yet still beating heart that sat in its centre. The heart was distorted and enlarged when I focused my disorientated eyes upon it properly, I could see that it wasn’t just one heart but around four or five hearts that had been grotesquely moulded into one. Each heart beating out of equilibrium with the others, it looked grotesque and unearthly. It was as black as the midnight sky and pounding furiously as if in excitement or anticipation. I felt ill at the sight of the heart. The evil and darkness of its presence saturated the very atmosphere around it. Whispers began to fill the chamber.
‘Help me child, Take me to her, help me.’ The whispers came from the heart itself, Agrona’s heart, pleading to be united with its deadly owner. I would never get a chance like this one again. I had to take it even if it meant that the Gnarls would have the time to reach me before I could even begin to think of a plan to save Elba and myself. I reached around my back and felt the smooth pliable wood of my trusty bow. Pulling it around in front of me and taking aim at the monstrous specimen before me, I was shooting to kill.
Chapter Sixteen - Alphus the Damnable
MY HEART WAS steady, my vision focused and my mind clear. I was going to end it here and now. Merl was right. I could do what he couldn’t. When he beheld what lay in front of me now he saw the last living traces of his daughters, a hope that someday he might be able to resurrect and reinstate their stolen lives, all I saw was murder and thievery. I could destroy this ghastly specimen with an ease that unsettled me slightly. I pulled back my bowstring until I felt the required level of resistance but before I could release my arrow, something caught my arm.
Something powerful was pulling my arm backwards, twisting it into impossible and unnatural positions. A different kind of pain from the dull aching of my bruised body took over me now; this pain was inescapable, forcing me to acknowledge its presence. A scream of agony rose from within the very depths of my stomach as I felt the muscles in my shoulder tear. I was abruptly flung across the room like a used rag. I landed heavily at the top of the winding stone staircase. I could see the long blood-red robe of my assailant, his malicious sneer, the only visible feature underneath his deep-set robe.
“Foolish girl, did you think you would be left unattended with the heart once you had raised it from the waters of Roseworth? We have been waiting for you for almost two days now. I must admit the innards of a damp, dark mountain are not the most fitting environment for a king, however it will have to suffice if I am to be reunited with my true queen once again.” Alphus sneered.
“You! You’re the one who led Gweniveev to her death. You’re the one who ordered the Gnarl to rip out her heart. You’re a traitor to your kind and to all of Falinn Galdur.” I was seething yet the pain of my injuries held such a presence in my voice that my words only amused him.
“You are very much like your great ancestor, you have her pale blue eyes and wistful looks, you’re also equally as dim witted. She too only realised my true intentions once her death was imminent.” He replied arrogantly.
“So what you’re going to kill me now are you? I’m not sure your psychotic girlfriend would be too happy about the fact that you stopped a heart she so desperately needs to complete her immortality.” I reasoned.
Alphus moved rapidly in my direction, bringing his face in line with my own, his sneer had become a menacing snarl. His withered skin drooped from his thin features. His grey eyes and pale skin contrasted with his jet-black hair, the effect of which made him seem corpse-like. Time had not been kind to the mean-hearted Alphus.
“Your naivety is rather boring, I’m not going to kill you.” he turned away, looking towards the winding staircase that now had a row of Gnarls ascending the stairs with a large form, wrapped in a golden silk sheet, above their heads. Alphus smiled affectionately towards the bundle. “She is!”
The terror of the moment struck me like an arrow shot out of the skies by the gods themselves. Her body was here, in the secret chamber where her heart had been hidden. The inevitability of her rising was now clear to me and although both my arms were pretty badly injured and although the Gnarls and Alphus were here in the chamber with me, I had to try and get myself and Ebla to safety. I had to try to warn Merl.
The Gnarls laid out the body gently at the foot of the stone table, skipping backwards with giddy excitement once their task was completed. Alphus, distracted by the sight of Agrona’s inanimate body, had joined the crowd of Gnarls around the table. The crowd of Gnarls buzzed and whizzed around like summer horseflies with excitement. All the while, the memorised Alphus pushed and elbowed his way through the crowd and toward the body. He stopped just above the stationary form of Agrona lying horizontal before him and made a stroking motion above the sheet with his vein-knotted hand. He never physically touched the soft rippling sheet but the excitement he felt at being so close was grossly palpable in the damp air. I decided that now was my time, if I could not make it to Elba in this moment, amidst the distracted elation of my enemies, I would never get the chance again.
I began to drag myself silently down the stone staircase, searing pain threatened to escape out of me in the form of an agonised scream and give the game away. I decided to silence myself by biting down into my bottom lip. I could hear Alphus in the background, giving some sort of pompous speech about the glorious new rule that was dawning to the inattentive Gnarls who just wanted to see their precious mistress again. Each step I stumbled down intensified the pain of my injuries. There would be no way I could fight the powerful Agrona whilst I was this weak but at least if I could make it to Elba and wake her up she might stand a chance of escaping and warning Merl. When I reached the bottom of the stairway Elba was already awake, holding her bleeding head, she seemed dazed as she looked toward the walls of the chamber. I hobbled over to her and ripped a piece from my already torn top for her to use as a bandage. Wrapping it tightly around her wound to act as a tourniquet to stem the blood.
“You have to get out of here and warn the others that Agrona’s body and heart have been reunited.” I spoke as I wrapped the bandage gently around Elba’s wound.
; “That was my plan, before I saw the walls. There‘s no way either of us is going to make it through that!” Elba pointed in the direction she had been staring a moment before. I hadn’t noticed in my haste to reach her but the water that had spiralled around the room as the staircase appeared, now formed a solid meter thick block of water around the walls of the chamber. “I just saw a Gnarl try to pass through it, let’s just say he didn’t succeed.” Elba pointed towards the body of a Gnarl who now floated hopelessly around in the wall of water. It wasn’t moving. I picked up a small piece of rock, threw it into the shield of water and watched as it became entrapped in the current, unable to pass through to the other side. It looked hopeless; whoever had constructed this wall had intended it to be escape proof. A mixture of relief and elation hit me at once, whoever had constructed the wall would have to possess the kind of magic that only two people were capable of performing and one of them was ruled out by the fact that her heart had been brought here separate to her body. That left Merl, who I knew always built one fail-safe into everything he created, magical blood! I had magical blood in abundance spilling readily from the gash to my elbow.
“Right Elba, I’m going to open the wall at the point of the tunnel where we entered. I want you to go find somebody, anybody; just let them know what’s happening here and ready the army. Tell them that Alphus is the traitor and that he is going to wake Agrona. Then get yourself out of here, I’ll bet Merl will have repaired the doorway you broke by now. Here take this, it’s a piece of my shirt saturated in my blood you should be able to open it with that.” I directed.
Elba didn’t plead for me to go with her, she knew that I couldn’t make it out in time and the last thing that either of us wanted at the moment was for Agrona to rise in secret with no one to warn the people of Falinn Galdur. Instead, she gave me a sharp nod and passed me the small hunting knife she had tucked into her shoe. I went over to the wall as silently as I could manage and let the blood that had now begun to congeal slightly touch the ice-cold water. The sensation of the cool water against the warm ache of my wound was relieving but it only lasted mere seconds before a gap began to form, creating an arched doorway to freedom. Elba crept through giving me one last backward glance before she disappeared up the dangerously jagged tunnel.
Now that I was alone against the Gnarls, Alphus and Agrona, and now that I didn’t have Elba to think about, the fear at the gravity of my situation began to set in. There was no point in trying to hide myself here. I didn’t want to be hidden. I wanted Agrona to find me and be distracted by me just long enough for Elba to warn Merl. Even in my current condition, I was planning to put up a fight. I wasn’t going to make this easy for her if I could help it, more out of fear than bravery but whatever the motive any delay was surely a good thing. Maybe Agrona killing me would be the last push that Merl would need in order for him to stop her heart once and for all. I took comfort in the idea. At least the people I loved would be safe if Merl could find it in himself to destroy her. Dahlia, Bettery, Elba, Balthus, Bugul and the children who were playing by Merl’s window on the day they arrived in Blossomdown, they would all be safe once she was gone. If my sacrifice was required for their safety, it was a price I was willing to pay.
Jestin would move on eventually, I secretly hoped he would become king and rule over Forge Gate with more grace and charity than had been shown by his father. I didn’t want to think about who would become his queen and have his children but that didn’t stop me from wishing for both love and happiness for him.
I was back at the bottom of the stairway now, ready to make my way up and pick a fight with someone who was definitely not my own size. Every step I climbed was accompanied by my own personal mantra ‘you can do this’, I whispered it over and over, trying to distract myself from the terror that threatened to engulf my soul. I was nearly at the top again, I could hear the fuss as the Gnarls scurried around Agrona’s body, readying it for the unification ritual that was about to take place. Jestin! I thought to myself in sudden awareness of what I was about to do. If I did this, if I sacrificed myself, I was also sentencing him to death. My resolve wavered and now I was more afraid than determined but not for myself. I had already made my choice, but he hadn’t. Unwittingly I had made it for him, I hoped he could forgive me in death otherwise I was sure my soul would be tortured for all of eternity.
Alphus finished his speech just as I reached the very top of the stairway. His satisfaction with himself turned to anger when he realised that I had been down to help Elba. He peered over the edge of the staircase looking for evidence that she was still in the chamber with us but she wasn’t and now he knew. The fury that shook all over his body did not reach his eyes. Underneath he was smiling, glad that he would justifiably be able to punish me for this offence. The speed at which he moved towards me in this moment was terrifying, his evil features twisted, more wolf than man. My own body responded to the oncoming attack by stiffening, my hands balled into fists as if an electric current had been sent down them, forcing them to close. The Malevolent king was upon me, and then blackness.
I hadn’t thought death was supposed to be this painful. I didn’t exactly expect pearly gates and fluffy clouds but I certainly didn’t think I would still feel the aching discomfort from being catapulted around the chamber or the intense pain in my elbow and shoulder. I was cold, wet and groggy when I opened my eyes. I thought for sure that Alphus had finished me off, his anger was so severe as he approached me, I didn’t think he would have been able to control it. But I wasn’t dead. I had been positioned underneath the stone table, an offering from one lover to another. I was a gift. Around fifteen Gnarls stood guard over me. Their excited grimaces as they surveyed the table above, told me that the unification of the heart and body was imminent.
I sat up on my elbows, big mistake. The pain that followed had me floored again instantly. One Gnarl who had kept an eye on me during my awakening, guffawed ridiculously at my struggle. The others did not pay him any attention, too enamoured at the events above my head. I managed to shuffle slightly away from the table, just enough to see what was happening without having to support the weight of my body on my injured elbow or shoulder.
I could see Alphus stood above the lifeless body of Agrona, either foot at the side of her arms holding the monstrous heart above his head, like an athlete proudly displaying their victory trophy. He seemed like a giant from my position on the floor, his manner filled with the arrogance of the king he was. The importance he placed upon the unification saw him moving at too slow a pace for the Gnarls, who were beginning to growl and snarl at the delay. As he lowered the heart towards the body, snake like veins and arteries rose up from the hole within the chest and began to ensnarl the heart, pulling it eagerly into the chest cavity. My stomach turned at the awful display. Whoever the Princess Agrona had been before her search for power and immortality, what she was now was an unnatural monster. She was a whirlwind of dark magic and deviant forces. The magical blood within me sensed the danger as her wicked presence begun to fill the room.
My jaw clenched, my eyes unblinking in their observation of this ungodly spectacle. The veins and arteries retreated into the chest with the heart, the snapping of the ribs as they broke back into place seemed unfathomably loud as the sound echoed from the roof of the chamber. Alphus took one last smiling look in my direction and as our eyes met the elation in his juxtaposed with the fear in mine. After all the centuries that Merl had managed to keep Agrona hidden, protect the people on this island from her, I had undone it all in a matter of weeks and now I was going to pay. She was awake!
I was still not entirely defeated, I was weak, outnumbered and out-skilled but the one thing I had that Agrona didn’t was a good enough reason to fight. The battle that was upon me was impossible to win, but if I didn’t try I was letting down the people who I loved. I braced myself for one last effort. I remembered Merl once told me that true bravery was not to be unafraid but to face your fears regardless. I don’t th
ink I truly understood the sentiment until this moment. Something else I couldn’t quite understand was why Alphus’s face changed so rapidly from sheer delight to utter terror. At least that wasn’t until I witnessed the huge flash of silver reaching out from the stone table and snaking towards his chest with such a force that it sent him over the edge of the stairway and into the wall of water. Panicking the Gnarls began to drop to the ground like grovelling dogs begging their angered owner to forgive some supposed wrongdoing. Now was my chance, I had to take it. With Alphus thrashing around violently trying to escape the thick wall of water and the Gnarls otherwise occupied with their pitiful display, I moved my hand slowly to the top of my thigh and whispered “Cela.” I was gone.
Disappeared like the pebble on the beach at Blossomdown. No one seemed to notice the magic I had just performed although I dared not move just yet. It was a good thing I had chosen to remain stationary as one bare foot followed by another left their position on the table and propelled their owner towards the crowd of grovelling Gnarls.
The way Agrona moved was strange. It was as if she had no field of gravity around her. The light gracefulness in her movement didn’t fit with the idea of the psychopathic raging beast of a woman that I had formed in my imaginings of her. Her ringed, flame red hair tumbled over her shoulders to rest at the small of her back. Her elongated dress forming a fork at the end of its trail, acted as if it was a physically animate creature, curing to rest at her feet. She turned her head in my direction surveying her new surroundings with a suspicious curiosity. I had seen her face once before as she lay in purgatory, trapped in the crypt at Stonehenge, but then it had been dark and the arrogant smile she had worn in the moments before her living death had distorted her features. Here I could see that she was in-fact incredibly beautiful. Her smooth jaw line, long lashes and plump lips almost gave her a girlish look yet, her defined cheekbones and strong thin eyebrows that made her face more womanly counteracted them. Despite her physical beauty and elegant movement, the darkness that surrounded her was all-encompassing, devouring the atmosphere until there was nothing but black. She turned back to the Gnarls and spoke in a commanding voice,
