Tara Duncan and the Forbidden Book

by HRH Princess Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian

  The dwarf blushed and bowed, still suspended in midair.

  The king released the levitation spell, letting Fafnir land as gently as a feather on the shiny marble floor.

  The Living Castle, which didn’t usually project its illusory landscapes on sculpted surfaces, decided to give Fafnir a little present. To the courtier’s surprise, it projected Hymlia.

  The dwarves’ houses appeared, with their forges and metal shops, shooting sparks and glowing fires. Dwarves like nature, too, and amid the stone and metal, flowers, trees, and grass softened the rough angles of their dwellings. The scene was full of vigorous energy.

  And then a miracle happened. Fafnir smiled!

  The courtiers applauded the dwarf’s pleasure and the castle’s sagacity.

  Tara and her friends only had a few minutes to say goodbye. As the council wrapped up its business, they crowded round and wished Fafnir good luck, heartsick at being apart from her again.

  “The king’s right,” said Cal. “Patin and Chanfrein are very good. And you’re in no danger if you don’t get too close to the island.”

  Fafnir was doubtful.

  “We dwarves don’t like asking for favors,” she whispered as the wizards headed her way, trailed by two big floating bundles. “But I’d like you to find out more about the Ravager. Like, what he is, and where he’s from. I don’t think the court realizes what it’s dealing with. If anything happened, you’d be my last hope!”

  Sparrow shuddered. “Don’t say that! Everything will be fine. I’m sure the two wizards will find a way to cure you. Come back to Lancovit quickly. We’ll be waiting.”

  “It’s a promise. May your hammers ring clear, my friends.”

  “May your anvil resound,” they chorused.

  After a last goodbye, Fafnir headed for the Transfer Portal with a wizard on either side. Destination: the Gray Fortress.

  Meanwhile, Chem and Isabella were deep in conversation, with the dragon bringing her up to date on Tara’s latest adventures. From the expression on Isabella’s face, Tara felt it might be a good idea to a quickly leave the room.

  The chamber emptied amid an excited ruckus. It had been a very lively council session!

  Tara, Cal, Sparrow, Manitou, and Robin headed for their room. The castle displayed a variety of landscapes along the way. Tara kept her eyes peeled, but it didn’t play any tricks on her. What happened last time had clearly inhibited it. In fact, the castle had created an addition to Tara’s suite: a believable replica of the Chateau of Versailles.

  Tara sat cross-legged on her bed. The pillows arranged themselves to cushion her back, and the blue bed grumbled because she hadn’t taken off her sneakers. As her friends gathered around, Manitou leaped up onto the bed next to her and said: “I just learned some wonderful news!”

  “The high wizards are giving us a year’s vacation?” hazarded Cal.

  “Better yet!” exclaimed the dog. “There’s going to be a feast! A sublime, marvelous, succulent feast! To celebrate Isabella’s freedom from her oath, the king and queen have decided to throw a party!”

  “But we’re supposed to be on vacation!” Cal moaned.

  “So what?” asked Manitou, surprised.

  “The apprentice spellbinders often have kitchen duty when there’s a feast. We have to replicate the dishes the chefs make.”

  “Yes, I know,” said the dog. “When I was young, I hated working in the kitchen. But as I’ve gotten older, I find it’s a comforting, delicious, aromatic place. I’d be happy to spend the rest of my days there.”

  Cal rolled his eyes. “And you’d get so fat we wouldn’t even to be able to move you. At least with us you always have lots to keep you busy.”

  “Yeah, and it wouldn’t hurt if we had a little less to do. Okay, Tara, I suppose your priority is to gather as much information as you can on the Ravager.”

  Tara blinked, surprised at seeming so transparent.

  “Oh,” she exclaimed. “Is it that obvious?”

  “As plain as the nose on your face,” said Manitou. “And I think it’s a very bad idea, just as I know you won’t listen to a single word I have to say. So, go ahead. I await with impatience the horribly dangerous and totally deadly plan you’ve probably concocted.”

  His tone made Tara laugh. “I have to admit I don’t have anything very definite right now. Fafnir just asked us to do some research in case things turn out badly for her.”

  The dog licked his chops thoughtfully. “And you think that—”

  “They’ll turn out badly? I’ve noticed that events in this crazy world do one of two things: they turn out well, or they turn out badly. Guess which one happens most often?”

  “They turn out badly?” suggested the Labrador.

  “Exactly! You win the Golden Chew Toy! How much do you want to bet that Fafnir will have problems?”

  “Forget it, I’m not betting with you,” said Manitou. “So, all we have to do is go to the library, and that’s that.”

  Sparrow, who appeared to be thinking hard, cleared her throat: “If we have to look through all the books, parchments, and journals in that library, it’s gonna take us months.”

  “Months? You’ve got to be kidding!” said Cal, who didn’t especially care for reading.

  “The Discussarium!” Tara shouted, making them all jump. “It’s been in the back of my mind. Sparrow, you remember the first time we went to Omois; that boy Damien asked a question about one of your ancestors.”

  The pretty brunette blinked in confusion, then suddenly remembered.

  “Yes, of course! He wanted to know the first name of Beauty’s daughter, the one who passed the beast curse on me. And you think that—”

  “Absolutely!” Tara interrupted joyfully. “When we went to the Discussarium, Damien asked the question, and this thing called the Voice immediately answered him. It’s supposed to know everything about everything. It should be able to give us information about the Ravager!”

  Manitou approved. “We have to go to Omois anyway, to give Empress Lisbeth the taludi and to get Cal’s verdict overturned.”

  “So that’s settled,” said Cal. “Let’s go.”

  “Yeah, let’s,” said Tara, “before my grandmother drags me back to Earth and locks me in a dungeon for the next two hundred years.”

  “We’re all agreed?” asked Cal. “We’ll pick up Fabrice and head for Omois.”

  “What about my feast?” moaned Manitou.

  “You can stay here, Grandpa,” said Tara kindly. “After all, we’re just gonna do a little research.”

  “Yeah, right! Every time you go somewhere, something happens. I’d rather cheat my stomach than let you out of my sight.”

  Tara kissed him, both touched and annoyed by his concern.

  Before they left, Cal decided to transform himself so he wouldn’t be arrested the moment they reached Tingapore.

  Fafnir had recognized him pretty easily, so he chose a very different look this time. He made himself taller—the metamorphosis wasn’t pleasant—lightened his hair, broadened his shoulders, and aged his body about fifteen years.

  “Heyyyy!” whistled Sparrow. “Cute guy!”

  “Thenk yew, thenk yew,” Cal said, bowing.

  But just as they were about to leave, a black streak appeared in Cal’s hair, one of his legs suddenly shortened, making him fall, and an eye reverted from blue to gray. The overall effect was pretty slapdash.

  “Crap!” said the little thief. “I’m too tired to maintain my appearance. It must be an aftereffect of the t’sil worms. I’m going to need your help, Tara.”

  “Sure,” she said, though a little surprised. “What do I have to do?”

  “Really powerful spellbinders like Master Chem can modify other people’s bodies for a certain length of time. That’s what he did for us when we went to Limbo. But it takes lots of energy. He has to constantly hold every detail of the transformations in his mind, so they don’t vary.”

  “So what?”


  “It might be hard for you to manipulate my body that way, so that’s not what I’m going to ask you.”

  “To be honest, it’s just as well, because you might wind up missing an arm or a leg.”

  Cal smiled at her. “My mother has had all kinds of adventures, and she told me about them because she figured they might be useful some day. And she told me that it’s possible to lend your power to another spellbinder.”

  “No!” Sparrow’s outburst startled them.

  “Don’t do it, Tara. It’s too dangerous!” she said, looking upset. “If you aren’t in control of the flux when you’re transferring your power, you can die!”

  Tara was taken aback by her friend’s forcefulness.

  “Don’t worry, the living stone will help me control my magic,” she said. “Besides, Cal doesn’t need much power—just enough to stabilize his transformation.”

  Sparrow took a deep breath and smiled weakly. “I’m sorry, but I’ve heard about some horrible accidents. So be very careful, okay?”

  Tara hugged her.

  “I won’t take any chances,” she whispered reassuringly. “And if I feel Cal’s grabbing too much power, you have my permission to shift into the beast and punch his lights out. All right?”

  “All right,” Sparrow said with a chuckle.

  “Tara, I’d knock myself out before I’d hurt a hair on your head,” said Cal. “So, are we ready?”

  “We’re ready.”

  Living stone? Tara mentally inquired.

  Heard I did, answered the stone. Power you need for nice Cal? Power I give.

  Tara only intended to give Cal the look he’d chosen initially: a tall man of twenty-five with brown hair and blue eyes. But the stone’s magic was hard to control, and its notion of what the young man should look like was very different from Tara’s.

  Its great power seized Cal and whipped up a howling whirlwind around him. When it subsided, Robin and Manitou both whistled in surprise.

  Standing before them was the handsomest man they had ever seen. His eyes were sparkling green. A thick head of golden hair fell to his broad shoulders. He had a gladiator’s chin and a Roman emperor’s nose. Everything about him embodied nobility, strength, and honor. His spellbinder robe had disappeared, replaced by a kind of jewel-studded loincloth that set off his beautifully muscled legs and a glittering jerkin that molded incredible abs and left his enormous biceps free. A white cape, held by a golden clasp, fell gracefully down his back.

  He was . . . amazing.

  “Wow!” yelped Sparrow, agape.

  “Yeah, like, wow!” agreed Tara.

  “So, does it look all right?” asked the apparition in a resonant voice.

  Sparrow giggled. Pointing at one of the suite’s walls, she said, “By Reflectus, a mirror I now require, the better cute Cal for us to admire.”

  The wall turned into a mirror, and Cal was able to see his reflection in it.

  Seeing his eyes widen and his manly jaw drop, the girls practically died laughing.

  “Holy smokes! What the heck is that?”

  “That’s you,” said Manitou simply, with a hint of envy.

  “But it’s awful! Everyone’s gonna notice me!”

  “No duh!” said Robin, laughing. “You’re right, it’s going be hard to avoid attracting attention. But don’t worry. We’ll protect you from the hordes of crazed fans who’ll rush you the moment you stick your nose outside.”

  Cal gulped.

  “Tara?” asked Sparrow, sounding quite serious. “Next time the court holds a ball, will you lend me a little of your power?”

  “Sure!”

  Tara was glad to see that Cal’s astonishing transformation had eased Sparrow’s fears. She was circling him wearing a huge smile, while the poor boy writhed in embarrassment.

  Blondin barked to get Cal’s attention.

  “Crap! I almost forgot,” he said in his thrilling, resonant voice. “Everyone knows my familiar is a fox. We’ll have to disguise him too.”

  “All right, what kind of familiar would you like?” asked Tara. “How about a hydra, like Toto?”

  He scowled at her.

  “Very funny. No, an Arctic fox, like the last time. That would be fine.”

  Tara sent the image to the living stone, and they combined their magic.

  The whirlwind spun around the fox, and when it subsided, a magnificent red lion stood in his place.

  I asked for a white fox, said Tara mentally.

  Pfft! answered the living stone. Not big, fox. Lion better. Go good with gorgeous, pretty new Cal.

  “You know, Tara,” he said, “this isn’t quite what we agreed on.”

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered, “but I still can’t control my power very well.”

  “That’s all right. I’ll just look outside to make sure your grandmother isn’t hanging around, okay?”

  “Go ahead, Cal. We’ll follow you.”

  “Sure,” said Robin, “just as soon as we find some cotton.”

  “Cotton?”

  “To plug our ears when the girls see you and start screaming.”

  “Idiot!”

  Shrugging his broad shoulders, Cal walked to the door with a majestic stride.

  He took a peek outside, ignoring the waves of giggles shaking his friends. Suddenly the Council Chamber popped up, and he jumped backward. Blondin meant to bark, but, forgetting that he was a lion, let out a mighty roar, which made his irritated master jump again. Master Chem, Isabella, King Bear, Queen Titania, and Counselor Salatar were meeting, and they looked so real, you’d swear they were in the same room.

  Cal slowed his pounding heart. Then he realized that the Living Castle was trying to be helpful.

  “Thanks a lot,” he said, speaking to the wall. “What you just did was really neat. But next time, warn me, all right? I’m too young to die of a heart attack!”

  Amused, the castle projected a unicorn, which bowed graciously to him. Cal bowed in turn, at which point the unicorn bowed again . . . This would’ve gone on for a long time if Tara, Robin, Manitou, and Sparrow hadn’t come out of the room.

  “What in heaven’s name are you doing?” asked the latter, seeing their friend bowing to nothingness.

  “I’m thanking the castle,” he answered with dignity. “It just showed me an image of the Council Chamber. Your grandmother’s still there, so we can leave.”

  But their progress to the portal didn’t go unnoticed.

  The first two women they encountered would have bumped into a statue and knocked themselves out if the statute hadn’t quickly moved out of their way.

  Serving girls jostled each other as they backed off, the better to see the manly apparition. An old witch fainted, unable to stand the sight of so much splendor. A dozen girl spellbinders giggled when they passed, then began following Cal, unwilling to abandon their prey. Ladies-in-waiting fell into step with them, and the friends were soon followed by a whole mob of women. The whispering was the worst.

  “Tara, can’t you dial back your power a little, please?” moaned Cal. “Otherwise these looky-looks are gonna follow us to the ends of the earth.”

  “Hey, this was your idea! And in any case, there’s nothing I can do. I just gave you my power. It’s not my fault the living stone did whatever she felt like. Personally, I prefer boys with dark hair.”

  Robin glanced at his white locks and looked glum.

  “Is that so? asked Cal, suddenly very interested.

  “Nah, I’m just teasing you,” said Tara with a chuckle. “I don’t have a preference.”

  Robin sighed with relief.

  Amused by Cal’s glorious appearance, the castle arranged itself so that a ray of sunshine constantly illuminated him, and it created splendid landscapes to show his impressive physique off to all. He strode by hills lit by a glowing red sunset, with a gentle wind billowing his cape and ruffling his red lion’s mane. It was spectacular.

  Followed by their little troop of panting admirers, the f
riends went to the infirmary to see how Fabrice was doing. The centipede + shark demon was no longer there; Master Chem had probably returned it to Limbo. But neither was Fabrice.

  They jumped when he suddenly spoke from behind them: “Ah, I was looking for you! I was told you were in the Council Chamber.”

  Turning, they saw Fabrice looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, with Barune at his side.

  “Weren’t you supposed to stay in bed?” asked Robin.

  “That shaman!” grumbled Fabrice. “He scared me out of my wits talking about infections, gangrene, intoxications, and poisonings. Then, when he was sure I was good and terrified, he cured my wound just like that, poof!, I must have drunk a hundred gallons of that awful brew of his, and then he kicked me out of the infirmary!” He paused. “So, what’s been happening while I was laid up?”

  Fabrice suddenly noticed the presence of the extraordinary Cal.

  “I don’t think I know this gentleman,” he said.

  “Stop kidding, Fabrice. It’s me, Cal.”

  “Cal? What in the world—”

  “It’s just something that didn’t work quite the way we expected. Anyway, we have lots to tell you, and then we’ve got to get the heck out of here before they close in.”

  Fabrice suddenly burst out laughing. “They? Oh, you mean that crowd of girls outside is after you? Man, oh man!”

  “Tell me about it!”

  The friends brought Fabrice up to date on the recent developments. When he learned that the king had sent two high wizards off with Fafnir, he whistled in surprise.

  “Fafnir’s got a pretty difficult personality,” he chuckled. “And when she’s possessed, she must be a total drag. I wish the two wizards luck!”

  “Speaking of that, she asked us to do some research on the Ravager, and we’re heading for Omois. Want to come along?”

  “Of course,” said Fabrice, rolling his shoulders. “Otherwise, who’d protect you from those nasty monsters, mam’zelle?”

  Tara grinned at him, and Robin frowned.

  Apparently, not having gorgeous Cal right under their eyes helped the female spellbinders and ladies-in-waiting come to their senses, because the hallway was empty when the friends stepped out, to Cal’s great relief.