Geoffrey's Queen: A Mobious' Quest Novel

by Gwendolyn Druyor

  “You’re losing your touch, buddy boy.”

  This is what she calls talking trash. It is supposed to anger me and weaken my concentration. I consider it inspiration.

  “You think so, my lady?”

  She stopped dancing and laughed. “I’m no lady.”

  When she attacked again, I pretended to trip and started to go down. Her aggression flipped to compassion in a flash and she reached out to grab my shirt to keep me from falling. When she did so, I grabbed her wrist and flipped her with one of her own moves. I deliberately stepped over her so that now she was facing the sun and then offered her a hand up.

  She scoffed at my courtesy and dragged herself up of her own accord, brushing dirt from the short dress she was wearing over her jeans. Something struck me about the outfit and I stepped forward instinctively. She thought that I was attacking and in her haste to bring her sword up and avoid me, she lost her balance and began falling backwards.

  I was debating the possibility that she was turning my own trick on me when we heard Faite calling to her to fall into a roll and run for solid ground. Nanda giggled as the tactic worked and she fell back out of my reach. As she scrambled to her feet, racing away from me, I leaned into pursuit hoping to grab the edge of the spaghetti-strap sundress which she wouldn’t risk having torn off. I slowed momentarily as I noticed that she was wearing the green sundress with jeans and sandals, a sweater tied around her waist. Her hair was, uncharacteristically, in two braids. She looked exactly as she had the first time I met her. In Kaveg.

  My sword fell from my hand into the grass as I raced up the hill to catch her. “Wait!”

  She glanced over her shoulder, laughing at me. As she did so she stepped on uneven ground and I watched her lose her balance and topple towards the earth. But I didn’t see her hit the ground. In the middle of her fall, the air shimmered and she disappeared.

  In my haste to reach her, I too tripped and fell. But I landed right there in Cheesman park. I screamed at her to watch out for the five. I clenched my fists into the grass. I knew the dangers she would encounter and the horrors she would see. I remembered all of the friends that she had yet to meet.

  “Geoffrey.”

  A short man was walking up the hill with a little girl cradled in his arms. He had wild black hair and a grizzled goatee, but everything else about him was familiar. He stopped a few greg away as I stood.

  “You’re Faite?”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  Everything did not fall into place, but many of my vague questions solidified as I stared at him.

  “Where is she?”

  He looked at me in surprise, “You know where she is.”

  “I mean after the battle. Did she survive? Is she okay?”

  “Oh, that.” He looked off into the sky as if straining to remember, “That was so long ago.” He considered too long.

  “IS SHE ALIVE, MOBIOUS!?”

  “Yes.” He stepped back at my approach. “Yes, she’s okay. And last I heard, she was doing a good job pulling the kingdom back together.”

  “How do I get there?” I looked around for... I don’t know what I was expecting to see; some doorway or, or shimmer as the air over a flame?

  My guardian looked down at Kelly and then raised his eyes again to meet mine. “I don’t know.”

  I turned my head and watched the sun setting behind the tall buildings of the city. Orange glinted off of the glass and steel. I have no idea what I could have asked. No answer, certainly, would satisfy me.

  “Geoffrey. I am Konifer’s son and dTserra’s get and Deg’s hatchling. My blood has power. But I have had no training. I know things. I know what must happen for Lander and dTelfur to survive. I have tried to solve far more convoluted riddles than the ones you hold. But Nature has her say much less metaphorically than most people think. I have traveled time. Your Donja spent twenty-two sheddings in the Dormounts with me before we woke Annie. I had not intended that. I did send Nanda to Battlescar just now. But she wouldn’t have gone if you had never appeared in Chicago and that was your own doing. You tried to use Nature against Fierell’s bloodmagic and Nature, as she did at Battlescar, rifted the worlds and sent you here. My father found himself here. He lived here. And he died here, never finding a way home. He bonded with another dTelfur refugee and they had a daughter. That daughter found a dTelfur son and they had two girls. Nanda was one them. Nanda has my father's nature; his anger and his magic.

  "Take Kelly and go home. You will not return to Kaveg this night.”

  “But I will return.”

  “I don’t know.” He laid the sleeping girl in my arms and walked away. The sun had passed below the horizon and he turned, a greg away, to face me in the light of the single moon. “You agreed to pay my bloodprice, Geoffrey, not knowing how high it is.”

  And he left too.

  Twenty-nine

  ∞ Nanda Junior’s journal ∞

  Voferen Kahago, Kaveg

  Stiles found us in the afternoon when the sun was hanging tentatively in the northwestern sky. Annie and I had crashed in the matted grass near the lakeshore rocks. Since sunup yesterday, or rather the day before yesterday now, we had traveled over thirty megg, fought and ended a war, cleaned up a field of muck and filth and death and pain, and met more people than either of us had ever seen before in our lives. And Annie had only about a hundred and ten frseason with something like forty-two sheddings awake. I had no sheddings, less than one frseason, and twenty-five years. Missing friend and daughter notwithstanding, the point came when neither of us younguns could continue to function without rest. So we chose a sunny spot and I curled up in the curve of Annie’s great body. And with heat enough for the both of us, we napped.

  Until Stiles hollered my name through the foggy ether of my dreams. Mindful of the possibility of Geoffrey’s appearance, I dragged my mind, kicking and screaming, out of the heavy grave of sleep and with great exertion of discipline forced my limbs to climb out of the comfy nest. I hadn’t slept long but Stiles sounded urgent.

  He was standing a good bus-length away shouting over the intervening distance. The rest of Tren’s troops were waiting even farther back than he. I shook my head and waved them in closer from my refuge behind Annie’s tail. As I waved, I glanced over at Annie’s massive head, resting on the tip of her tail. She wasn’t disturbed in the slightest by Stiles screams or my movement. She continued sleeping like a baby.

  “No one could find you. I figured out you were with the dragon. You didn’t set a—”

  I interrupted his shouting. “Come here. I’m too tired to listen to you screaming like that.”

  Stiles began creeping in closer. Annie, finally roused by the commotion, lifted her massive head and yawned. She made an adorable straining squeaking sound and tears welled up at the corners of her closed eyes, just like any human, only with a much larger view of a massive mouth. Stiles turned tail and ran.

  The sudden motion opened Annie’s eyes and she watched the retreating human curiously. And sleepily. I crawled over her tail and leaned against her velvety ear, yawning myself. When Stiles reached the rest of the fighting unit, several of whom were yawning in response to Annie’s jaw cracking effort, he stopped dead still in front of them, reported something I couldn’t hear and then pivoted and marched resolutely back towards us. Toss, Krt, Tren, and Wyckham followed at a more cautious pace.

  “Hi Stiles.”

  He stopped a slightly farther than polite distance from us and nodded. “Hi. Nanda. Annie.” He paused for a calming breath. “We haven’t been introduced. I’m Stiles.” He put his hand out, palm up.

  Annie lifted her chin and tilted her head at him.

  “Ighay Stiles.” I translated.

  She turned her great head and looked at me, then reached forward and brushed her goatee on Stiles’ hand. “Ighay Annie.” She spoke as lightly as she could to keep from blowing him over.

  Stiles’ jaw dropped though he kept his hand properly extended. The crew w
hich had been approaching were stopped in their tracks. Krt gasped, unable to catch his breath. He began hyperventalating. Annie turned away from the stunned boy to look at the tough guy. Toss had put an arm around his bond and was attempting to comfort him, so neither noticed Annie stretch her tail out to touch Krt's boot. I was alert, ready to react in case the man should become frightened and scare Annie right back. But when Krt felt the light tap and saw Annie’s tail, he immediately looked up at Annie with concern. He took a deep breath and walked over beside Stiles, his palm extended to the length of his arm.

  “I’m okay. It was just. . . I was raised to. . . . Lies. So many lies.”

  Annie was upset at Krt's obvious distress even though she couldn’t understand him, so she laid her head down at my friend's feet and purred.

  “You can slap the side of her muzzle in return. Hard as you like, she’s got thick skin.”

  Krt awkwardly patted Annie on her snout. Stiles stepped over and whacked her with relish.

  I continued the introductions. “Ighay Krt.”

  It bothered him none at all that Annie had some trouble with the new name, “Ighay Annie, Krrrr.”

  When the introductions were complete and this took some time with the general aura of shock amongst the group, Tren told me why they’d been sent.

  “Ko is looking for you.”

  Toss butt in, “Wants to see you with clear eyes, he said.” He winked his eyebrows at me until Tren shoved him aside.

  “He relays that you’re wanted in Kahago to speak with Mobious but you’re to see the healer first about your hands.”

  Wyckham spoke up, “He also wanted to know if Geoffrey’s with you.”

  That was the question of the hour. Where was their prince? I already had my suspicions—the image of him in mid head-cut wearing a light tunic inappropriate to Chicago winds, his heavy sword covered with gruesomely realistic bloodstains was burned on my retina.

  “I hoped to see him in the castle.”

  “Let’s get you there then.” Tren shot Wyckham a reproving glance which the other shrugged off with a roll of her eyes.

  I shouted after Wyckham, “Where’s Wolf?”

  “He’s still missing.” Tren answered. Wyckham walked away. “He followed Fierell and you know she showed up. But he still hasn’t.”

  “I’m sorry.” And I was.

  I turned away and crossed over to where Annie was struggling to keep her eyes open. I rained a paradiddle on her warm muzzle and smiled at her. “Annie. Sleepy.” I closed my eyes and laid my cheek against my praying hands, then peeked out of one eye, “La?”

  “La.” She answered sleepily, her voice growling low in her throat.

  “Well you can’t stay here. I have to go to the castle and you might not be safe alone.”

  “Castle.” She growled some words I didn’t understand. “Stone.”

  “Perfect! Garke.” I slapped her a few times and pantomimed that she should go sleep on the balcony.

  During our errands earlier in the day, Annie had been excited by a stone overhang jutting out of the castle which I assumed to be the great southern balcony to which Geoffrey had sometimes referred. Annie saw it as a great place to curl up for a nap.

  So she nodded to everyone and launched into the air. I walked in to the city with the wing. We exchanged stories, pardon me, called tales of our day’s adventures and I asked what their plans were for the future.

  “When we’ve done as much as we can here we’re all going down to clean up Forte. We’d only started when word came of Fierell’s march. There’s still a lot of work to do.” Tren worked hard to maintain an impassive countenance.

  “I wish you luck.”

  Wyckham snorted derisively so I added, “I’ve been there. That’s my blood on the stairs of the approach cellar, my chalk covered bloody skirts by the well. I sincerely wish you luck.”

  Wyckham paled, “I’m sorry. It’s just that no one believes us when we tell them.”

  I took her proffered hand and held it as we walked. “Are there others to help you?”

  “My father’s caravan is joining us.” Krt took a few wide strides to catch up with us, handing an abandoned weapon to his bond.

  Toss added the bladed rope to his sack, chuckling. “Marcelendrew is equal to lightening any task.”

  We parted ways at the civil guarde barracks where they duly handed me over to Ko with assurances that they would find me again before they left, if only to have another word with Annie.

  “You know, she could really use some friends,” I told them. “I don’t need to be around for you to chat. She loves jabbering away with absolutely no concern as to whether you understand her or not.”

  Wyckham subtly hung back as the five (not THE five-never again The five) took their leave. She grabbed me in a self-conscious hug. “I hope you find Geoffrey soon and not just for us.”

  I whispered back, “And you Wolf.”

  Pulling out of the hug as quickly as she had initiated it, she smiled and chucked me on the shoulder.

  “Here she is, ladies and lords.” Ko laid an arm across my shoulders and led me into the barracks-cum-hospital. “This is Geoffrey’s brave friend who brought me back to life.”

  I sighed at the cheer he raised, “I’m too tired for your exaggeration, Uncle.”

  He laughed. “Your daughter is as beautiful as you are and that is no exaggeration.”

  My heart leaped. “You’ve seen Donja?”

  “Donja? When I ran into Mobious in the castle, when he asked me to find you, he told me that the bright little red-head he held was called Kelly.”

  “What?”

  I ran from the barracks. Ko chased after but lost me in the crowds of people filling the streets of the city. The castle was visible from the barracks. I didn’t expect the haphazard arrangement of buildings between the two. As a result Ko beat me there. He didn’t find me, of course, and nobody had seen anyone pass into the castle. He took his search elsewhere and I arrived shortly after he left. I spared no glance for the unsupported stone balcony above me on which my friend was napping as I struggled with the great doors to the castle.

  That front foyer is astounding. I was momentarily halted by the sheer immensity of the space. A tall, thin-boned woman with wild black locks approached me silently while I stood there drinking in the surroundings of Geoffrey’s childhood. I asked her where I could find Mobious and she directed me to the wide staircase carved neatly into a wall which would lead me up to the Southern balcony where he and the baby were watching the dragon sleep.

  I thanked her and hurried to the back of the room where the stairs began. I took them slowly, keeping my left hand extended in front of me for fear of falling and my right hand on the wall. At the top of the stairs I crossed through a low ceilinged chamber to the right and went up another, much less stressful stairway as she had directed.

  There, standing on the rich carpeting, was a short old man with thick black hair. He was looking out through a series of thin arches at Annie glowing orange from the setting sun.

  “Mobious?” I was suddenly scared to meet this great prophet and guardian, this man who seemed to be keeping more secrets than Fierell.

  He turned. And I almost fell back down the short staircase. Then I saw my baby and I crossed the short distance to take her from him.

  With Donja safely in my arms, a great measure of calm slowed my tensed heart, “Geoffrey isn’t here.”

  “No, Nanda.” He stood there impassively, no excuses, no explanations. “He’s in Chicago.”

  “Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?”

  “You need to go out and talk to the masses before your tentative peace breaks out in petty differences.”

  “I need to—” I choked up. I couldn’t demand what couldn’t be. I couldn’t expect answers in such an incomprehensible situation. “You chose me, didn’t you? All along—”

  “No. But I knew you were the one.”

  “Why did—”

  �
�Nanda.” He silenced me with a thought I could feel in my mind. “Go speak to the people. You must act as queen until your partner’s return. Ko and Kierri are blood. They will support you.”

  I rebelled against the pushing in my brain. “You know this.”

  “Go, Nanda.”

  His will prevailed and I found myself turning to join Annie on the balcony.

  “Nanda.” He stopped me with a hand. “I’ll take Keldonja.”

  I stared down into my girl’s face, helpless to resist as he took her from me, seeing clearly now the familiar features that should have been obvious when I first held her. He nodded and I walked out to the dragon lying in the lowering orange-red sunlight.

  She was curled up tightly on the stone of the balcony and woke groggily as I ran my hand down her nose.

  “Nanda.” She took in a deep breath and sighed, blowing dust off the balcony causing some exclamation below. I sunk down at her side and laid my head on her forearm. She pushed me with her nose. I think that’s a sign of affection. Her left wing unfolded in the middle of her curled up body and she raised it to the sky.

  “Let.”

  “La. La.” I smiled and caressed her floppy ear.

  I leaned against her and tried to sort questions and events through my mind, mainly who the hell was he that he could push me like that. I had nothing to say to that crowd of strangers down there. I was an American trapped in a foreign world, in love with their prince, and ignorant, so ignorant. I rested my head on the muscle of Annie’s forepaw and leaned back into her elbow, watching the sun setting. A low murmur roused me from my doze and I realized that a crowd had converged beneath the balcony.

  “Geoffrey!” A cracked voice hollered up.

  Reluctantly I stood and leaned over the railing. “I’m sorry. He’s not here.”

  The old woman waggled a few fingers at Annie who was attempting to peek over my shoulder as much as a creature ten times the size of a buffalo can peek. “I’m Deeva.” She smiled kindly at me. “Are you Nanda?”