The Secret Of The Crystal Skull

by Mallerey Cálgara

  He began to investigate people who have visited the Queen in recent weeks. Through the maids, he knew she had met with Prince Sulco. His suspicions that the queen had been poisoned increased, but he couldn’t accuse the prince based on his suspicions; after all, he was the king’s brother. As the maids couldn’t tell if Sulco had given the Queen something to eat or drink, only left to Mongho wait for the opportunity to ask personally.

  Two days later, Mongho got an audience with the Queen Driadh. He rushed after receiving the statement from the messenger that she was waiting for him in her room.

  “Bonan matenon, Via Mosxto!”[56] He bowed.

  “Please come in, Mongho!” The queen sat on the bed, finishing her breakfast. She looked her maids, who immediately removed the tray and left.

  “How are you today, Your Majesty?” Mongho asked, holding Driadh’s hand and depositing a respectful kiss on the tip of her fingers.

  “I’ve had worse, although I still think I’m living in a big nightmare.” Her voice sounded calm but full of pain. She pointed to the chair beside the bed, and he sat down. “Hard, it will be to wake up to reality and heal the wounds in my heart. They are deep and difficult to heal.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, your majesty!” Mongho looked down and frowned. His face was filled with sadness, but not for long, for soon came the relief. “But I’m glad you’re alive. Although you have been through a very great suffering, you’re young and may still have many children.”

  “I hope so, my friend!” There was a lot of veiled sadness in her eyes that filled with tears. “I see you’re still concerned. What bothers you? It would be something related to my husband?” she asked in a gentle tone, while surreptitiously wiping her tears.

  “It’s a constant concern in my life, Your Majesty!” He smiled, but his face took on a troubled expression. “Besides wanting to visit you and cheer my heart to see you’re better, I anticipate my apologies if it’s bothering you, but I need to ask some questions.” She consented with a nod. “Maybe you don’t understand what leads me to question it, but I promise that soon I can explain my reasons.” She smiled slightly and he continued. “Your majesty received any visits from strangers in recent weeks?”

  “No. Be clear, please.”

  “I will be, Your Majesty! Did you receive any visit from Prince Sulco in recent weeks? Did he give you something to drink or eat?” His voice was dry and bitter. Driadh looked at him intently and a smile slowly appeared on her lips, to become broad, guessing the thoughts of Mongho.

  “I wonder what may be your suspicions, my dear friend. Also, I don’t trust him... But this time, I believe he is innocent. For sometimes I found him passing through the halls. In one, he carried a flower arrangement. I was enchanted to see them, and he, after all, like a gentleman, he has offered me the flowers. Nothing else.” She paused, realizing Mongho’s frustration. “I'm sorry to disappoint you.”

  “That’s weird… Him, carrying flowers? Did you asked where they came from, Majesty?”

  “No need, I recognized the flowers. They came from the castle garden.”

  “Where are them? Can I see it?”

  The queen looked around, searching for them. Then she pointed to her right side.

  “They were here on the nightstand. One of the maids must have them thrown out, probably because they wilted. After all, it’s been a few days. Weird. The maid took up the vase!”

  “I’ll let you rest, your majesty. I’m sorry again for bothering you with my suspicions.” Mongho greeted her and went thoughtfully, without any information to add to his search. Despite the queen’s words, he still suspected of Sulco. But for now, he would have to agree with her.

  ◆◆◆

  The days passed and the queen was still bedridden. Her father, the king of Drudtas, asked permission to send some healers of his land. The Drudtas were an extremely religious people and they believed in what the ground could do. The rituals were part of their lives. They believed that the ground could heal and purify any harm. Heian wasn’t very familiar with this belief, but he allowed even so, after talking with his wife and see that it was to her liking.

  The first days of May were punished by heavy rains. Only there was a truce when the west wind pushed the clouds away. The sun had set, and a cool evening died in the night. A star emerged on the eastern trees when the entourage of Drudtas passed through the castle gates, bringing animals, aromas, breads and crystals to be offered to Mother Earth and Father Sky. According to their beliefs, balance and alignment of energy that vibrate between heaven and earth would bring healing to the king's daughter.

  The next morning arrived pale, cold and clammy. Healers coming from Drudtas stood even before the stars have retired. Prepared very carefully artifacts, bringing them close to the mountains, where rituals happen. They believed it was the best place for celebration, because the mountains propitiated communication between the celestial world and the underworld.

  Day after day, in the same place and time, at sunrise, repeated the ritual. The queen was taken to the mountain and lying on the floor. Around her, they were placed some soil and salt. The salt was used because this is the most available of the crystals, increasing the flow of energy between them and the environment. During the rituals, they served bread, wine and fresh fruit.

  Mongho always accompanied them, unable to understand how it would help the queen, but he also concluded that harm wouldn’t do. Moreover, the delicacies served were delicious.

  On the morning of the fifth day, when the sun hadn’t come out from behind the clouds, there was a change after the ritual. Healers sent a message to the king, who came immediately meet Mongho on the mountain. Two healers approached them and walked together to the site of the ritual. It was a very pleasant place where the trees cast shadows tall and slender and the ground was quite flat, with little undergrowth. The Queen had returned to the castle when they arrived, but there was a drawing on the floor, marking the place where she had gone to bed every morning. Heian and Mongho crouched at the request of the elder healer.

  “Majesty!” The old man looked at Heian. “After long days watching and thanks to our Mother Earth, which helps us in everything and sustains us for help to heal the wounds of her daughter, now she blessed us with healing. Note the land where the Queen stood, majesty. It is dark, dead.” His hand on the ground. “And now watch the earth collected in the days: is pale, without color.” From inside a bag he was carrying in tow, the old man pulled out a pile of soil and laid on the floor. “This leads us to believe that the Queen was poisoned.”

  Heian and Mongho looked at each other in amazement, while the other healer confirmed with a nod.

  “Poisoned?! With what?” Heian asked nervously. The healer just stared without answering, continuing the explanation:

  “See also these dry hills of soil, petrified red blood tone.” He pointed them around the drawing. “This leads us to believe that there will be no fruit, that is, the queen won’t have more children.” The old healer was convinced. “To answer your question, Your Majesty, we can’t say what was used to poison her, we just know it was so powerful that not only killed the child in her womb, but also killed his own belly, preventing her from getting pregnant again.”

  “Are you sure what you’re saying?”

  “Absolute, Your Majesty!”

  Mongho helped the old man to get up, and Heian remained at a furious silence. The pain at the thought of the suffering of his wife clouded his face. As hard as it would absorb those words, he accept them as true. The old man was one of the advisers of king Kchaos. He was a man with great knowledge, respected and admired by everyone in his kingdom; therefore, his conclusion was almost unquestioned. He would never say anything frivolously.

  They went to the shade of a sturdy tree, a bit more than twenty feet away, where the other people who participated in the ritual were. They collected the objects to get back to the castle. Heian couldn’t understand how anyone could have done something so sordid.
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  “Who could have done this cruelty?” Heian looked with great indignation. Mongho sighed, but he was silent.

  “This answer, Your Majesty, we don’t have. But I believe it’s someone very close to you, someone who don’t want you to have an heir.”

  In the silence that followed, Mongho started to say something several times, but only long sighs arose in the place of words. How to tell the Heian about his suspicions, without having any proof ?!

  “If you’ll excuse us, Your Majesty, we would like to help gather our belongings and return to our kingdom. I assure you that the Queen is well now with the medication that I gave her.”

  “Please, thank everyone for their efforts, in my name. I personally will make sure that they are rewarded fairly. Thank you!” said Heian.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!” said the healer in awe.

  ◆◆◆

  Later that same day, already back to his room, Mongho decided to look for the old witch. He felt that only she could give him any evidence to incriminate Sulco, even thinking that the old woman was unreliable. After the words of the ancient healer, he went on to make sure that the disease of queen was related to the herbs ordered by Sulco. He spent hours thinking about what he could negotiate with the witch. He needed to be persuasive because gold coins wouldn’t satisfy her. Then he remembered the story told by Heian, and hoped it was true. If the woman in the picture was actually a witch, he could exchange it for the information he wanted.

  Excited, he left the room to request authorization from the Heian to pick up the painting, thinking of something to justify his request. He was in the hallway when suddenly, a strange and inexplicable feeling disturbed. His footsteps and his breathing seemed to him strangely muffled, as if he had dipped the ears in a bowl with water, although the pulse was twice as fast. When he reached the bottom of speckled corridor of empty chandeliers, which would turn to the left, leaving behind part of the east wing, his heart began to beat wildly. But before going into the next aisle, he was surprised by the presence of Prince Sulco coming his way.

  Although Sulco was with a cold face as always, Mongho noted that the grueling training with the guards in the courtyard had almost all the fat from his body, leaving it with strong arms and tanned skin. But it was something beyond the physical change that most caught his attention. An unexpected power flowed from him, the same as Mongho felt when using the crystal ball, but not of equal intensity. Mongho eyes were drawn to an object that emitted a faint glow in the groove of the neck, and his blood ran cold when he recognized the necklace. It was a crystal talisman that only wizards and witches had. Just pass across him someone who was turning into a major rival, seeking power through control of the elements. But for what purpose?, he thought, intrigued.

  Mongho went ahead with slower steps, waiting for Sulco turned next hallway towards his room. When he didn’t hear his footsteps, he glanced back to make sure, and returned to his room, once again, to deepen the magic studies. There was something more important to worry about at the moment, since queen Driadh was medicated and spent well.

  His suspicions made more sense to each event. To defend all he cared about, there was only one way: to strengthen as soon as possible. The visit to the witch’s house would be for another day.

  CHAPTER XI

  There was a great tension within the castle walls, with all looking at each other suspiciously. They knew of the existence of one or more killers among them, but they had been unable to identify someone until now.

  Following King Heian’s orders, several guards were scattered waking, especially in the kitchen, where servants were experiencing all the food and drink that would be served at meals. Everyone feared that the royal family suffered another attempted poisoning.

  Mongho was getting stronger every day. He practiced control over the elements incessantly, but without getting carried away by the good results achieved. He knew that only with great effort he would achieve perfection. He lacked learn to master the water element. This part had been torn from his book of magic, but that doesn’t stop him from training.

  Feeling better able to maintain control over the crystal ball, he invoked the future forecast and had again the vision of children, but with some changes, and this led him to understand a little more about the predictions. They were unstable, changing each time with the present, this interfered in the future events.

  Furthermore, the wizard managed a very important ally: queen Driadh. He began to breathe more relieved to have someone to discuss his suspicions and to discuss his progress with magic. He made a small demonstration with the crystal ball, by floating a few fireballs, leaving the queen impressed. Mongho told her about his visit to the old witch’s house and about her association with Prince Sulco. He poured out all his suspicions about her baby loss, which would be related to the herbs ordered by Sulco, although at the time, he couldn’t prove. He finished telling the Sulco’s sudden interest for magic, as he was recognized in Sulco’s neck the talisman that once belonged to the witch. Driadh listened quietly, paying close attention to the explanations, without, however, showing much surprise at the wizard’s confidences.

  Aware of Mongho’s efforts, the queen borrowed him several books of her kingdom culture, offering to assist him in everything in her power. The books were of great value, because the wizard could perfect the technique of control of the earth. Still, Mongho didn’t feel satisfied. He always thought about prince Sulco, and it made him doubtful about his progress, he didn’t know if their knowledge was equal.

  In consensus, the queen and Mongho decided that, for now on, they wouldn’t tell anything to Heian. They would tell him only when they had concrete evidence. They knew how prince Sulco was dangerous and feared for their lives; therefore, they decided to act normally to avoid any suspicion from him. So, it would be easier to get some information against him.

  They infiltrated a servant and a maid in the east wing. Mongho always found them in the garden gazebo at dusk, staying abreast of events and passing them after queen Driadh.

  They didn’t get a lot of information, for both, prince Sulco and Cérbus, remained several hours a day in the old dungeon, and no servant was allowed to go down those dark stairs. A rumor spread among the servants that ten guards, under Sulco’s orders, went down the stairs. Twelve days had passed, and none had returned yet. This news left Mongho and the queen very apprehensive.

  When Prince Sulco wasn’t in the dungeon, he was training with the guards. His prowess in the simultaneous handling of two swords was admired. At first, it seemed that nothing more was happening, but with each passing day, some strange changes took place in the east wing, making the meetings with informants even more difficult. The last news Mongh and the queen got from them was that the guard had increased, and anyone caught driving to the other part of the castle would have their head cut off at the time. Those were direct orders from Prince Sulco.

  ◆◆◆

  Three days have passed since Mongho’s last meeting with informants, which made him very concerned. On the morning of the fourth day, he woke up determined to get them in the east wing. He followed the underground hallways when, on the border of the wings, he was surprised by something unexpected: an invisible barrier prevented him from proceeding and, when he tried to cross it by force, he was thrown away. He tried to use control of earth, but it was unsuccessful. He startled and without understanding what happened immediately returned to the surface. He followed rushed through the halls, and again ran into the barrier. It was no longer possible to go to the east wing of the castle.

  Mongho, increasingly perplexed, was surrounded by a strange noise, which arose suddenly. He ran back and found a lot of confusion in the hallways. People were running from one side to the other, frightened.

  He walked quickly from one of the windows, seeing the confusion extended beyond the castle walls. The kingdom, as far as his eye could see, was divided by the same invisible wall that had reached the castle, causing chaos am
ong the villagers.

  Homes, families, possessions, everything was divided. People saw through the invisible wall, but couldn’t touch each other. The castle gates were closed due to the difficulty of the guards to control the cluster of afflicted people looking for explanations. A frightened and breathless herald approached Mongho, with wide eyes, bringing a message from the king and queen. Both were requesting his presence in urgency.

  Immediately Mongho looked for queen Driadh. From her room, they went to the throne room, where they met with king Heian, anxious for news. They settled down at the table where Mongho and Driadh reported to the king all the events.

  Heian heard in silence, but with a troubled expression. Sometimes he walked from one side to another, head down, no questions asked. He had always been a calm person, so he couldn’t find, at that moment, words that express all his anger. There was a raging fire in his head.

  When Mongho finished the narrative, Heian stopped walking, stunned with so much information. He took a deep breath, searching for strength, feeling that he lacked. He looked first at his queen and then to his friend. Then he left the room, without saying a word.

  Mongho and Driadh exchanged startled looks. She was distress on her husband’s reaction, shook hands across her chest, fearing the worst. She didn’t have to say anything, it was enough to frown when looking at Mongho, and he left behind Heian.

  Even panting, Heian kept pace, following the halls toward the east wing, ignoring anyone who came near him. There was only one thought in mind: to expel the brother of the castle.

  ◆◆◆

  As he entered the hallways that divided the wards, he saw Sulco’s guards, who were the immediate stations, blocking the passage.

  “Stop, Heian!” Mongho shouted, but in vain. Heian touched the invisible barrier and was repulsed. Even without understanding, he insisted on crossing it, and smote every thrust. On the other hand, the guards held their positions, such was the king’s insistence. Seeing that it was really impossible to overcome the barrier, exhausted and dripping blood for various injuries, only left Heian to scream for his brother.