The Flute Keeper's Promise (The Flute Keeper Saga)

by Ashley Setzer

  “That’s crazy,” I mumbled to myself. Surely he’d have told me. Maybe I just thought about him too much and it made me see his face everywhere. I would just have to ask him. The idea scared me. What if he said yes?

  I shivered. If Lev was the king’s son that would mean he’d lied about lots of things. It would mean that his name wasn’t really Lev Hartwig. That was just impossible. He was Lev. He’d always be Lev. He couldn’t be anyone else.

  The night air hung damp and chilly in my clothes. I was still some distance from the castle cliff. I caught the buzz of Pixies in the tall grass. Somewhere a cusith hound howled at the moon. The sounds were familiar and should have been comforting, but I couldn’t shake my sense of unease.

  A crowd of outlanders was camped at the base of the cliff. I walked past them, trying to not meet any of their eyes. These were the hard-working Fay of farms and villages. Many of them had small children. They didn’t lead pampered lives like Ivywild’s citizens and their magic wasn’t nearly as cultivated. With all the rumors and the very real threat of Robyn out there, it was no wonder they wanted the protection of Ivywild’s walls.

  Though most of the outlanders were asleep in tents, a few persistent pilgrims badgered the doorman.

  “Come on, let us in! We’ve come all the way from Ballyhoo Bay!” shouted one emphatic fisherman. A meek looking woman and a little girl stood behind him.

  The doorman regarded them with a sideways glance. His job was to keep the door leading into the cliff sealed. He took it very seriously, holding his crystal scepter like a sword at his side.

  “No more entries until morning!” the doorman said.

  Chloe must have finally put her foot down. I kept my head low and made sure my hair was covering my ears. It wouldn’t do for me to go barging to the front of the line.

  “What is this tripe?” the fisherman asked. “It’s not safe out here! My uncle Samus said his first mate Jeb’s half-sister Gertie disappeared while out for a stroll.”

  “I don’t care what your Uncle Whatshisface saw,” the doorman said. “Everyone must wait until morning. Princess’s orders.”

  “Bah!” the fisherman exclaimed. “Who’re you going to listen to? Uncle Samus said he heard that Princess Chloe stays out all night drinking with Hobgoblins. Me, I’m going with the Seelie Court!”

  “Did you hear how skinny she was at her public address?” piped up a rotund woman. “Who knows what strange curses she’s brought upon herself?”

  “I heard she courts a different boy every day,” said the fisherman’s wife in a girlish whisper. “And you know she hangs out with the hybrid girl.”

  “Oh, you mean the Flute Keeper,” said the other lady with an indulgent smirk. “You won’t believe what my cousin, Bess, says about her! Bess runs the bread stand up in the market. That’s who I’m going to live with. She says the Flute Keeper is seeing this awful Slaugh boy. She said you can see him flying up to her balcony every night!”

  The fisherman’s wife squealed. “A Slaugh! But I thought they were all gone! Good grief, I don’t know if I want to go up there now!” She patted her little daughter on the head. “I can’t subject Mindy to such scandalous behavior!”

  I had heard enough. I elbowed my way up to the doorman. “It’s me,” I whispered, keeping my head low.

  The doorman used the tip of his scepter to lift my bangs. “Ah, hello, Miss Wren. Been out, eh? Rough crowd tonight. Don’t take it too personal.”

  “I understand if you want me to wait until morning,” I said.

  “With this lot?” the doorman said. “Don’t be silly.” He turned and lifted his scepter to the sealed door. The crystal tip glowed, outlining Ivywild’s symbol on the door’s stone face.

  “Be quick!” the doorman said as the door slid open a fraction.

  I tried to dart inside but the fisherman cried out, “Hey, what’s this? Why does she get to go in?”

  His cry roused other sleepy pilgrims. They scowled at me.

  “If she goes in, we all go in!” yelled one lady.

  “Quiet, all of you!” the doorman shouted. “She lives here. Stop this harassment or I’ll summon the Master Casters!”

  “Oh yeah, little man?” the fisherman said with a sneer. “We’ll see about that!” he shoved the doorman in the chest.

  I reacted instantly without even thinking about it. I hurled a small barrier at the fisherman. He flew off his feet. The angry crowd behind him parted and he landed hard on the ground.

  At first, the crowd stared at me in shocked silence. Then somebody yelled, “It’s her! It’s the half human!”

  My hair had blown back, showing off the roundness of my ears. I gulped.

  The fisherman sat up stiffly. “That was unnecessary force!” he shouted.

  Yeah!” yelled his wife as she helped him to his feet. “You could have injured him! And you scared Mindy!”

  Their young daughter stuck her fingers in her mouth and started crying.

  A dangerous mix of fear and anger swelled inside me. They were being unfair.

  “We’d best seal ourselves inside,” the doorman whispered. “I’ll call for reinforcements when we get up to the castle.”

  The leering crowd pressed towards us. I held them at bay with a small protective barrier while the doorman squeezed through the opening. I waited for my chance then slipped inside after him. As soon as we were through, he sealed the door shut with his scepter.

  Though we were inside the cliff, I could still hear the angry voices of the mob outside.

  “How long has it been this way?” I asked.

  The doorman sighed. “The rumors are nothing new, although they have gotten more ludicrous of late. People didn’t start getting pushy until Princess Chloe issued the order to limit newcomers.”

  “Not good,” I surmised. “She’s going to have to think of some other place to send them or—”

  “Or we will have a riot on our hands,” said the doorman wearily.

  After the long trek up the cliff, we emerged in the courtyard and the doorman hurried off to find Commander Larue. I made a beeline for Chloe’s room.

  I entered via the doorway that connected my room to hers.

  “Who goes there?” shouted a sleepy voice.

  “It’s me,” I said.

  A candle flickered to life. Bazzlejet was slouched on a pouf by the door. He was still dressed as a maid but his wig was crooked and his lip tint was smeared halfway across one cheek. Chloe’s bed was empty.

  “What’r you doin’ here?” Bazzlejet asked, rubbing his eyes.

  “Looking for Chloe. Has she not come back yet?”

  “She’s still with the king,” Bazzlejet said. “I’ll go check on her.”

  “I’ll do it,” I said before he could get up. “You should have a look in the mirror.”

  Bazzlejet shrugged and flopped back against the pouf. “Whatever. Say, pop back in and tell me if the princess is okay, would ya? I’m gonna finish up my nap.”

  The room was in disarray. There was a puddle of broken glass and bits of food on the floor. The curtains looked as though they’d been scorched.

  “Um, Bazzlejet?”

  He snorted awake. “Huh? What?”

  “How’s it going—you know, being her bodyguard?”

  Bazzlejet’s ember colored eyes narrowed into slits. “She’s awful. I thought Boss was a slave driver, but Chloe is much worse! I accidentally stepped on her dress and I thought she was going to incinerate me! Then I spilled some food…okay, a lot of food, and, seriously, you should have seen her face! It was almost funny and I would laugh, except for my corset is too tight and she jabbed me in the ribs with one of her skinny elbows.”

  “She’s not as thin as she used to be,” I pointed out.

  Bazzlejet grinned. “She won’t be for long if I can help it. I’ve been slipping powdered fluffalo milk into all her meals.”

  I didn’t know whether to be amused or appalled. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

/>   “I’ve got my orders! I’m to watch her and make sure she stays healthy and safe. Anyways, there’s nothing but wholesome nutrients in fluffalo milk. The only possible side effect is a milk mustache.”

  “Well, if that’s all—”

  “And who doesn’t love a good fluffalo milk mustache?” Bazzlejet said. “So pink and fuzzy…”

  “If you say so,” I said as I headed for the main hall.

  I felt odd approaching the king’s personal chambers. I’d been inside a few times before with Chloe. The aura of despair hung thick. Everything was muffled in the antechamber outside his bedroom.

  The attendant vanished inside to check that I was allowed in. When he returned he ushered me through.

  The room was very dim. A fire blazed on the hearth but a chill lurked in the air. I could almost feel the cold hands of death grasping for the four-poster bed in the middle of the room. The curtains around it were drawn on all sides but one. Chloe leaned on the bedside with her elbows. She stared sadly at the frail figure of the king.

  He looked even worse than the last time I had seen him. His skin was ashy gray. His pointed ears drooped like wilted flowers. The beard that once used to hang in two thick braids down to his chest was diminished to a few wispy white hairs.

  Chloe looked up when I approached. “I was beginning to worry about you.”

  “Sorry,” I said. I wanted to tell her what had happened, but now was not the time or place. “I got called away. It took longer than I thought.”

  “You sound like Mother,” Chloe said. “She was here earlier but she said she had things to attend to.”

  I sat next to her at the king’s bedside. The king moaned and shuddered beneath his covers. His eyes fluttered open briefly but he fell back into fitful slumber.

  Chloe sighed. “I just wish he could recognize me,” she said. “He hardly ever wakes up now, and when he does he just acts like he’s lost. He doesn’t even know who I am!”

  The door cracked open and a white-clad Channeler walked in with a tray of herbs. “’Scuse me, Princess,” she said. “It’s time for his regimen.”

  With another sigh, Chloe rose from her spot. She leaned over and gave the king a peck on the cheek. “Love you, Daddy. Till next time.”

  The king’s eyes opened. He stretched his fingers weakly towards Chloe. She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Tears flooded her eyes.

  A vision of my mother lying weak in a hospital bed made me look away. Time had not smoothed the edges of the memory. They were still so jagged that it hurt.

  “I just wish he knew me,” Chloe said as we walked quietly out to the hall. “If he would just look me in the eye or say my name…I mean, what good is saying good-bye if he doesn’t even know?”

  “But you’ll know,” I said. “Maybe that’s more important.”

  “Maybe,” Chloe said. “Honestly, I wish he was alert enough to tell me what to do about all our problems. He could handle a crisis so much better than me! I hope everyone in Faylinn doesn’t hate me before this is over.”

  “Maybe it can be over sooner than you think,” I said. “I got a sign from the Seraphim.”

  Chloe paused mid-step. “Did they tell you how to defeat Robyn?”

  I shook my head. “I still don’t know exactly what I must do, but I have this.” I pulled out the red dagger.

  Chloe winced at the sight of it. The last time she’d seen the dagger it had been plunged into her side. “That?”

  “It’s a key,” I explained. “It can lock Robyn away in the Twi-Realm where she belongs. She really is a demon.”

  Chloe shuddered. “Demons can’t be killed!”

  “But they can be sealed off from our world.” I felt more confident just saying it. For the first time in months I didn’t feel defenseless when I thought about Robyn.

  “If that’s a key, then where’s the lock?” Chloe asked.

  “I don’t know, but I think it has something to do with my ancestors.”

  “Hmmm,” Chloe said, cocking her head. “Well that could be lots of things, couldn’t it? Guess you’d better get to searching.”

  We’d arrived at Chloe’s room. The princess yawned and bid me goodnight. “You know, of course, that you have all the resources you need. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do. I’m going to be a little busy tomorrow. Lord Finbarr wants to meet about something or other.”

  “Is that you, m’lady?” called a screechy voice from inside Chloe’s room.

  Chloe rolled her eyes. “What is she doing up? This new maid is just the worst!”

  I lay awake a long time thinking while I turned the red dagger over and over in my hands. A key. A lock. A demon. If I could connect the three, I could avenge countless deaths and end Faylinn’s fear and suffering. It sounded so simple.

  It wasn’t. This was not how I had imagined myself at seventeen. When I allowed my mind to drift to normal teenage dreams, I felt guilty. Too much weighed in the balance for me to worry about how to do my hair or what shade of eye shadow looked best. It was more important that I stay focused. This was Faylinn, not the human world. I’d never go to a prom or get a driver’s license, so was there really any difference between seventeen and seventy?

  My heart gave a twitch. I dared to wonder where I would be at seventy. If all went as planned, I supposed I’d be spending my days at the cathedral, possibly teaching new trainees. It wasn’t exciting, but it was a future nonetheless. As far as I knew, no other Wren had even made it to seventy in the last three generations.

  I wondered how old my grandfather, Alberich, was when he died. He couldn’t have been very old if Dad was just a baby. He was probably no older than thirty, I guessed. That meant my grandmother must have been quite young, too. I wondered if Grandma was pretty. What color hair did she have? Was she an outlander or a local?

  I understood why Linaeve had advised me to research my grandparents. It was ridiculous how little I knew of them.

  Once again I found myself afloat in a sea of questions. For a split second I resented all my responsibilities. I wanted to throw on a pair of blue jeans and go to a shopping mall so I could forget who I was for just a while.

  Then I thought of the dying king reaching out his hand to Chloe. In him, I’d seen the face of my mother, my father, and the endangered dreams of an entire world.

  The dagger burned in my hands as the image rekindled a fierce determination inside me.

  “I’m coming for you, Robyn,” I whispered.

  ***

  The Cathedral was quiet when I arrived at the crack of dawn. The morning felt cool and clean and I had awoken refreshed. I had a definite mission now.

  I heard voices outside. Two people were talking near the water well that served the dormitories. I recognized Anouk’s infectious laughter.

  The young priestess was leaning against the well with her chin propped in her hands. A forgotten bucket of water sat at her feet. A thirsty cusith pup lapped at the water, unnoticed. Across from Anouk stood a slender Fay youth with glasses and curly hair the color of evergreen needles. He held a book of some kind and this appeared to be the source of mirth.

  “Garland,” I said, surprised. “What brings you here?”

  Anouk jumped, knocking over the water bucket. The startled cusith pup ran away. “Gracious me, Emma! You snuck up on me!”

  I raised an eyebrow as I watched Anouk’s cheeks turn crimson.

  Garland cleared his throat. “Pleasure to see you, Emma, it’s been a while. I was just sharing something I found in this book with Miss Makoti.”

  I glanced at the book. “What’s so funny?”

  Garland appeared pleased that I’d asked. “There’s an error.” He flipped through the pages and handed the book to me.

  The book was titled An Illustrated History of Faylinn’s Beasts. The article Garland pointed out had a picture of terrifyingly large, primitive bear. The caption said: “Ursa Giganormous, the biggest, hairiest rear ever to blight the forests of Faylinn.”
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  I snorted and handed the book back to Garland. “You surprise me, Finbarr.”

  Garland looked perplexed. “Really? How’s that?”

  “I didn’t know you had a sense of humor.”

  Anouk tittered. “Who, Garland? He’s always bringing me these kinds of things. You don’t see stuff like that in the—” she caught herself, “I mean, in our library. In the castle books you can see where the scribes got lazy or tried to have a little fun.” She giggled again. “Can’t you just see it? The biggest, hairiest rear towering over the forests?”

  “My lady, the image haunts my nightmares,” Garland said with a respectable front of sincerity.

  Anouk laughed so hard that tears rolled down the sides of her face. The sound had the distinct effect of making Garland smile more broadly than I’d ever seen him smile before.

  Suddenly I felt awkward. I had intruded upon a special moment. It wasn’t often that I got to see two of my friends so happy. I went to leave.

  “Did you need something?” Anouk asked as she wiped the tears off her cheeks.

  “No, not really,” I said. “I think I’ll just go see if I can get in to talk to my Spirit Mentor.”

  “Sorry,” Anouk said. “No trainees are allowed in the cathedral today. All the senior priests and priestesses are in council.”

  “Council about what?”

  “The effort to spread knowledge of magical defense and the use of charms to outlanders,” Garland said. “It was Father’s idea, actually. He suggested they form some kind of traveling mission to set up workshops in the villages so people will feel safer. The Seelie Court doesn’t like it, though, so that’s why they’re having a council.”

  “Figures,” I said. Now I was out of ideas. If I couldn’t get into the orchard or my Spirit Mentor, I didn’t know what to do.

  “Well,” Garland said with a little bow to Anouk, “guess I’ll be on my way.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to, I was just leaving,” I said.

  “No, no, there’s work to be done,” Garland said, coloring slightly. “Good day, ladies.”

  I watched him leave with much interest. There was a bounce in his step and if my ears didn’t deceive me, he was humming a cheery melody.