“That’s it, I’m going to find him.”
“The master said for us to wait here and not go back.” Belle was leaning against the wooden rail, causing the ship to list about ten degrees.
“How can you be so calm?” Alice rounded on her. “You felt it too, he was terrified! The last time I felt him that scared was when he was fighting his grandfather!”
“The drow are scary, it’s not a surprise he was afraid. Maybe Nen wanted to spend some time alone with him.” Belle closed her eyes and shuddered. “But he’s not afraid now though.”
“No,” she admitted. “But I don’t like what he’s feeling now either. He feels,” she chewed her lip and thought about the best word to describe it. “Defeated.”
Belle nodded. “Maybe the drow broke the deal, that’s probably what happened.”
“Then why did he feel excited before?”
“High expectations? Look, sweetie, you’re overthinking this. The master can summon us if he really needs us. He made it clear he wants us to stay here and wait for him.” She glanced at the crew and lowered her voice. “What do you plan to do? Fly in and scoop him up? What if someone spots you and you get blasted with a bolt of lightning or something? I sort of get the feeling those mages don’t like us much.”
“Well, since they tried to kill you before everything happened today I can’t really argue with that. But he’s not moving, why is he still in one place? And what is happening up there? It sounds like a war.”
“Birthday parties can get out of hand sometimes. Look sweetie, if he’s in trouble he’ll summon us. Until then let’s wait here like he said.”
Alice sighed. What Belle said made sense, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something very bad was going on. “Fine, I’ll wait for now. But if he feels afraid again or he doesn’t start moving soon I’m going.”
The captain approached her. “Excuse me, miss. Just how long is it going to be before we can go?”
“I don’t know.”
“The lads are getting a bit nervous. Troubles in a city have a way of spreading fast. I think we’d all feel better if we cast off.”
“We already paid you ten silver coins, and you agreed to leave when we told you to.”
“I did, but it’s never a good thing to be close to men fighting.”
She took a deep breath and looked deep into the captain’s eyes. “Please, be patient and ask your men to do the same.”
A blank expression filled his features and his mouth opened and closed wordlessly. “Yes, I’ll do that.” He wandered back to his crew.
She didn’t like Charming people, but there were times when it was necessary. Alice began to pace again and hoped she would soon sense Waldo approaching.
XXX
He was lying on his side, panting. He felt exhausted and unbearably hot, as though he’d just run ten miles. There was a stinging pain on his chest, above his heart, and a buzzing in the back of his head. From somewhere he could hear people shouting.
Melissa was kneeling beside him, he could feel her fingers running through his hair.
“Don’t worry, the effects will pass soon,” Melissa said as she continued to touch him. “You’ll recover your strength and we’ll be able to set out. You’ll love Avalon, I promise. It’s the most beautiful country in the world.”
Liar, Waldo thought. I am from the most wondrous and majestic city in all the Shattered Lands. What could your miserable little island have that even begins to compare to The Forge or The Hall or the seven castles of the Great Houses?
Her hand finally left his hair and began to play with his ear and cheek. “You’re angry with me, aren’t you? I can understand, but it’s for your own good. Now your new life can begin. You can leave your past behind and start over clean. Once you’ve been reeducated you can be inducted into the Order of Mist. With your natural strength and Talent in Healing you’ll rise through the ranks quickly. We’ll be married of course, and we’ll have at least a dozen beautiful children, all strong with magic. I’ll make you happy, my beloved. You have been truly blessed.”
He turned his face up to look at her. “Fuck… you.” He said between pants.
Melissa didn’t get upset with him, she continued to gently touch his face. “You can be angry with me, it’s fine. I’m sure in time you’ll come to appreciate what I’ve done for you. You belong to me now, Waldo. Until death do we part.”
Waldo wondered if the sounds he was hearing were the Dark Powers laughing at him. Perhaps Alice had been right about them being jealous gods. If this was his punishment for telling a few stories it seemed awfully disproportionate to his crime. Couldn’t they have just given him leprosy or covered him in boils?
And just as he was certain the Dark Powers were treating him the way a dog in heat treats a person’s leg, he was shown they had a sense of humor. The shouts he’d heard grew louder and closer. Some people ran past the mouth of the alley, others chased after them. One of these spotted him and Melissa and called out. Dozens of men poured into the alley from both sides. All of them wore work clothes, a few of them carried swords with others carrying torches, clubs, or daggers. Not one of them wore armor or carried a shield.
When this mob arrived, Melissa got to her feet with her wand at the ready. Waldo remained bound on the ground. The mob did not attack them, but seemed very angry. Melissa’s stood protectively over him with her face darting to either side. They were packed in and within arm’s length. Waldo noted they had stepped all over the lines and runes of the circle Melissa had drawn.
One man pushed his way to the front of the unruly horde, he had a bloodied sword in his right hand and his shirt and face were stained red.
“Master Rabbit! Mistress Cornwall! What happened?” Derren asked. He pointed at Waldo. “Cut the master free!”
Two men with knives hurriedly cut the ropes and helped Waldo to his feet. His legs didn’t want to hold him up and he was forced to lean on one of them to stand.
“The mages did this didn’t they?” Derren seethed. “It wasn’t enough for them to steal your woman’s victory and take everything we had. They had to attack you too.” He nodded to Melissa. “You must have rescued him, mistress. I’m very glad you’re both safe.”
Melissa hesitated. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”
“Well you don’t need to worry. We’ve already killed a bunch of them and the guards, we’re taking back everything they’ve stolen from us! For they be not of the herd and will not have the Rabbit’s love.” He lifted his sword over his head and gave a shout. “For the Rabbit!”
All the men gave a loud cheer in response.
Waldo stood there and looked around. Besides the people in the alleyway there were many more in the street. They were looting the buildings and then setting them on fire. The few who tried to stop them were savagely beaten or stabbed. There were no Gold Guards to be seen. There had to be hundreds of men rampaging, maybe thousands. Could all these really be people who believed his stories?
Just as an experiment Waldo put his hands behind his head. “The love of the Rabbit unto you.”
Derren and every man in the alleyway made the sign of the Rabbit. “And unto you as well.”
Waldo stared at them. It seemed he was a much better liar than he’d ever imagined.
Melissa gawked and shook her head. She turned to Waldo. “Avalon has been sending ambassadors here for years trying to gain support, and we achieved nothing. You managed to cause all this in less than a week!”
His eyes glared back at hers. “I am but an instrument of the Great Rabbit’s will.”
These men were all insane, but unlike Melissa they were insane in a good way. If he were to point at Melissa, shout ‘blasphemer,’ and tell them to tear her apart, would they? He’d instructed them to obey all White Mages, could he convince them she had sinned and that the Great Rabbit considered her unworthy? As much as he would have loved to try it, Waldo had to immediately dismiss the idea. Even if these idiots were willing,
he couldn’t kill her now, not without killing himself. The next best thing was to get as far away from her as he possibly could.
“Derren, I have a sacred mission to carry out far from this city. I want some of your men to help me get to the gold gate.”
Derren immediately bowed his head. “Yes, master. Whatever you command.”
“Wait!” Melissa grabbed Waldo’s hand. “You can’t leave! With your followers we can stage a revolt! We can take over this city and country! You have to stay and help me!”
He yanked his hand free of hers. He still felt weak, but his anger helped to harden his words. “You don’t give me orders. Do whatever you want with them, but I’m leaving.” He turned his lips up in a cold smile. “It’s the will of the Rabbit.”
“You’re making a very stupid mistake.” Melissa warned him.
“Do you dare question the wisdom of the Great Rabbit Kookoocachoo?”
Melissa glanced at the faces of all those listening to them. She then did something that caught Waldo by surprise. She darted forward and kissed him. It was rushed and sloppy and over before he could push her away or yell at her. Melissa’s cheeks blushed, and she appeared to be satisfied.
“If it is the god’s will who am I who to challenge it? Go then, but know when my work here is done I will follow after you. Wherever you go I will always follow you.”
Waldo wiped his lips and got moving. “Good to know.” Ten men came with him. As he left he heard Melissa’s order to the rest of them.
“Follow me to the palace.”
Chapter 39
Leaving Torikai
The tournament had been very exciting. She loved surprises and the ending had certainly been that. Many of the spectators had booed and seemed upset, but Garibaldi had explained to her that Master Waldo had cheated. There had been no choice but to disqualify Belle and banish both her and Waldo. It was all very disappointing, but she’d accepted it. Truthfully, she wasn’t sorry to see Waldo go, he’d been very rude. She was mainly saddened to know she wouldn’t see Alice again. All in all, though, it had still been a wonderful birthday celebration. She hoped next years would be just as exciting.
As she was relaxing, one of her servants came knocking on her apartment door to report the peasants were rioting. She’d assumed it was a celebration of her birthday that had gotten out of hand. She told the man to have the guards deal with it and shooed him away. Madis had then returned to her play and not given it another thought.
But, before long, there was a pounding on her door. The same servant came in without even waiting for royal permission. “My queen, you must run! They’re coming here! To the palace!”
“Who?”
“The people! Thousands of them!”
“They are? Did Garibaldi want to surprise me? He is always doing little things like that.”
“Your majesty, they aren’t here to celebrate, they’re tearing the city apart! Entire blocks are burning! You need to escape while you still can!”
“What are you talking about?” She asked in annoyance. “My people love me. I’m sure this is just their way of celebrating my birthday. Tell Garibaldi to entertain them for a bit and then send them away. The commoners really shouldn’t be here, no matter how much they love me.”
The fool servant had gawked at her before turning around and simply running off. He hadn’t waited to be dismissed or even shut the door to her rooms. Madis had been very upset and made a mental note to have the man fired. Perhaps some of the servants needed new training in proper etiquette. She ordered one of her maids to shut the door and returned to her games.
That was what she was doing when they came for her.
There was shouting and the sound of things breaking out in the hall. She was just about to order one of her maids to see what was happening when the door was kicked in. Men in dirty, worn clothes rushed into her quarters, some had bloody swords in their hands.
“She’s here!” One of them shouted.
“For the Rabbit!” Another yelled.
Madis had stared at the pack of dirty commoners not understanding what was happening. Were they all insane? “Get out! How dare you?! Guards! Guards!”
Phiaa had run up to block their way. “You can’t be here! These are the queen’s rooms!”
One of the men slapped her across the face knocking her down.
“Bring them all!”
They grabbed Madis and yanked her out of her bed. “Stop! What are you doing?!! I am the queen! I am the queen! Stop! Guards! Guards! Garibaldi! Help!!”
No one came to save her. She and her maids were dragged screaming all the way to the throne room. They threw Madis down onto the hard stone floor in front of her throne. She scrambled to get to her knees. The entire place was packed with dirty commoners. They were ripping down the curtains, smashing the furniture to kindling, and acting like animals. The world seemed to have gone mad.
“What are you doing?!” She screamed and got to her feet. “I am your queen! I command you to stop!”
“And what is a queen?” A voice called out from inside the crowd.
Instantly, people quieted down and began to move and make room. As they did so, Madis saw bodies scattered about the floor. Royal guards and servants, their heads hacked from their bodies, some torn literally to pieces. What shocked her most was the sight of Garibaldi, he was still in his robes. His chest was soaked in red, his eyes were open and staring at her unblinking. Stepping past her advisor’s corpse was a woman in white robes. The robes were no longer pristine, there were streaks of filth and spattered blood stains, some dried, some still glistening. Melissa strode towards her with her wand gripped firmly in one hand. As she walked past, people bowed their heads to her.
“What is a queen?” Melissa repeated her own question and then answered it. “Just a woman with a crown, and I see no crown on you. Nunc.”
With that single word of magic all the illusions within the throne room were dispelled. The walls were no longer white marble, but grey granite. The golden throne of Torikai was revealed to be carved alabaster. Madis’s true form was exposed. The thinning hair, the wrinkles, the dark spots, the rolls of flesh hanging beneath her chin and arms, the shapeless lumps of fat that made up her entire body, all of it was on display. Covered only by a scanty pink, silk nightgown that was stretched out over her corpulent body.
“NO!!!” Madis desperately covered herself with her arms and bent down, but there was nowhere for her to hide. Everyone could see her, and she could see the looks of disgust on their faces.
“That’s the queen? I’ve seen prettier pigs!”
“She’s like a pregnant sow wrapped in a pink blanket.”
“No wonder there was never enough food in the market!”
“She’s a heifer. We ought to call in a butcher.”
“That was some strong magic.”
“Disgusting! I can’t believe I ever wanted to fuck that!”
They pointed and made their jokes and rude comments. Melissa simply stood there, looking down at her with obvious contempt.
“You did this!” Madis shrilled while still vainly trying to cover herself.
“I told you many times, Madis, the truth will always win out in the end.”
“How did you turn my people against me? Was it magic?”
Both of Melissa’s eyebrows rose. “You think I had to trick them into hating you?” The White Mage shook her head. “You did that entirely on your own. A sovereign’s primary duty is to see to the welfare of her subjects. You never cared about anything but yourself. ‘Let them eat candy.’ Do you really believe hungry people will love a queen who tells them that?”
Heads in the crowd nodded and faces hardened.
“What should we do with her?” Someone shouted.
“Kill her!”
“Hang her!”
“Butcher her!”
“Tear the fat pig apart!”
Madis jerked her eyes about at all the angry faces that surrounded her. They were
screaming their hatred and fury. There was no escape. These were her people! They were supposed to love her! Where did all this anger come from? She was supposed to be their beautiful queen!
Melissa held her hands up and the crowd slowly quieted down. Once that was done Melissa leaned in close to Madis.
“Your people hate you, but if you are willing to listen to my words it is not too late.”
Madis looked about once more. There was not a single friendly face, no one to protect her.
“What do you want?”
“To begin with you must show your willingness to change. You will need to…” Melissa whispered in the woman’s ear.
The Rabbit Great And Terrible Page 35
