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

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The Flute Keeper's Promise (The Flute Keeper Saga) Page 31

by Ashley Setzer


  I crossed my arms and stared Valory down. Valory crossed her arms and stared right back. She looked on the verge of laughter.

  “So was he a good kisser?” she asked.

  I stomped off down the nearest stairs. Valory followed, chuckling.

  “Oh, come back, Em. I was just makin’ a joke!”

  I kept walking down the stairs, through a corridor, over a bridge and down some more stairs until I found myself in the room where we’d had our Truth Test. Many people were milling about, talking in hushed voices. I spied Lord Finbarr.

  “What’s all this?” Valory asked as she bumped into my back.

  My pulse raced. “The meeting must be over!”

  I made a beeline for Lord Finbarr. He was talking with the leader of the men who had apprehended Valory and me in the forest. When he saw me approaching, the other man gave me a courteous nod and went on his way.

  “Sorry we didn’t wake you,” Lord Finbarr said. “I knew you needed rest.”

  “What did you decide?” I asked.

  Lord Finbarr put a hand on my shoulder and guided me away from the others. “We must investigate what’s going on at Helm Bogvogny,” he said. “We’ve assembled a team.”

  “I’m going,” I said.

  Lord Finbarr gave me patient smile. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

  “But I am,” I said. “I must! I’m the only one who has seen what the alchemic stone is capable of!”

  Valory cleared her throat loudly behind me.

  “Besides Valory, I mean,” I quickly corrected myself. I stood up straight and looked Lord Finbarr in the eye. “I’m going.”

  Valory cleared her throat again.

  Annoyed, I added, “And Valory is, too.”

  “That is not in our best interests,” Lord Finbarr said. “It’s too dangerous.”

  I tried not to take it as an insult, but my feelings were hurt just the same. “I know what the risks are. I know I’m young and I’m not that powerful. I can still help, though. Your guys will need all the help they can get!”

  “I’m sorry, Emma,” Lord Finbarr said. “We can’t risk you falling into the hands of the clergy again. You’ve had a hard winter. You need this time to rest and recuperate.”

  I couldn’t control my voice anymore. “I DON’T NEED TO REST! I NEED TO PAY THEM BACK FOR WHAT THEY DID TO THE COMMANDER!”

  Everyone in the room fell silent and stared at me.

  Embarrassed, but still angry, I looked down at my feet. Lord Finbarr let out a weary sigh.

  Somebody tapped me on the shoulder. “Can I have a word with you?”

  It was Jules Larue. He was wearing a stern expression. I cringed. He drew me aside into a coat room.

  “Do you remember what I told you that night at the house?” Mr. Larue asked in a steely tone.

  “Something about making sure I do things for the right reason?” I said meekly.

  “Right,” Mr. Larue said. His voice grew softer. “I know you want to help, but it’s better if you stay here.”

  “But—”

  “I know you don’t like being protected,” he said. “Obviously you can take care of yourself. That’s not what this is about. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve just become one of our biggest weapons.”

  “Then put me to use!” I said.

  Mr. Larue shook his head. “Not this time. The duke thinks you’re dead. The longer we can keep it that way, the better. If this trip to Helm Bogvogny is a success, it will mean victory for our side but it will not be the blow that fells the duke. Besides, you just want to go for revenge.”

  “Isn’t that why the others are going?” I asked.

  “No,” Mr. Larue said. “Even though it sickens me to know what they did to my brother, I wouldn’t go if they weren’t working on a super weapon of their own. The others feel the same way. We’re going to stop them before it’s too late.”

  I saw the sense in it, but I was also surprised. “You mean you’re going?”

  “Yes,” Mr. Larue said. “Me and five other men including Bazzlejet and Garland Finbarr. The only reason I’m letting Bazzlejet come is because he has experience with alchemy. The other men were trainees under my brother. They’re the best fighters we’ve got. I would be worried that we’re taking some protection away from this place but…” he smiled down at me. “You won’t let anything happen to Woodman’s Hall. I can leave knowing Cecily and the girls are safe with you here.”

  The big heap of resentment I had been feeling suddenly became a weight of responsibility. Mr. Larue’s smile was so kind and his eyes were so trusting that I had no choice but to gulp and smile back.

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll stay here. I’ll help Lord Finbarr run the place. Just…just try really hard to bring the others back, okay? If something happens to you, I can’t make any promises about what I’ll do next.”

  The team left after nightfall. The three Master Casters, Garland Finbarr, Bazzlejet and Mr. Larue said their good-byes in the grand entrance room. They carried light packs full of only the most essential tools and clothes. Mrs. Larue had enchanted twenty loaves of bread and fifty rice cakes to be the size of marbles inside of a specially knitted sack. The instant the food was removed from the sack it would expand to normal size.

  Anouk handled the departure the worst of anybody. Though she tried to put on a brave face she crumpled every time she looked at Garland. The poor boy looked more stricken than I had ever seen him. It wasn’t fair. Anouk and Garland had only had one short month together and now they were parting again, maybe forever.

  No, I wouldn’t let myself think that way. I tried to take strength from Alice and Harriet. The little girls kissed their father’s cheek and told him to beat up all the bad guys. Misty-eyed, he promised them that he would. Beth kept a stony silence in the corner.

  When the time came for Mr. Larue and the others to walk out the door, Beth ran up to her father and threw her arms around his neck.

  “Please Daddy! Don’t let them hurt you like they did Uncle Frayne! You’ve got to come back!”

  Mr. Larue patted her gently on the back. “It’ll be okay, Lizzy Beth.”

  She sniffled and then hugged Bazzlejet, who was looking left out in the midst of all the teary goodbyes. His mother had hugged him until he was blue in the face, but he kept watching Garland and Anouk jealously.

  “You take care of Dad!” Beth said.

  “You mind Mom,” Bazzlejet said.

  Valory, Lord Finbarr and I hung back as all the well-wishers followed the team across the drawbridge. Lord Finbarr was quiet. Anything he’d said to his son remained private. Valory just shuffled her feet and looked awkward.

  “We’d best be getting to bed,” Lord Finbarr said. “There will be plenty of chores in the morning if you girls are up to it. I hear you’re a great hunter, Valory. We could use some fresh game.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Valory said. “I can hunt better at night, though. If you don’t mind, I’d like to fly around out in the forest a bit.”

  Lord Finbarr rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Yes, I think that would be okay. I’ll let the night watchmen know. Just be sure and stay close. Stay under cover, too. Don’t go too far out in the open.”

  “Will do,” Valory said happily. She stretched her wings in anticipation.

  I longed to go with her. I didn’t think it would be possible to sleep.

  Anouk and Beth came back from the drawbridge. Anouk looked woeful and Beth had resumed her usual sour face. Even so, I found her a little less obnoxious now.

  “They could use some comforting words,” Lord Finbarr whispered to me.

  I followed Beth up to the girls’ sleeping quarters. Anouk had her own room. She declined my invitation to talk, saying she was exhausted. I knew that she was probably going to be up all night crying, but I wouldn’t force her to talk. It would all come out in good time.

  Beth turned out to be a hard case. Despite my best efforts she wouldn’t talk about her dad or her brother or practi
cally anything else. Instead she clammed up and pulled her sheets over her head.

  Mrs. Larue brought Alice and Harriet upstairs to put them to bed. I slipped off into a comfortable sleep as she sang them a lullaby. It was the kind of bone-weary slumber that left no room for dreams. It was exactly what I needed, but it was cut short by a frantic Slaugh.

  “Wake up! Wake up!” Valory whispered. She tugged my arm.

  Still half-asleep, I rolled over and scowled at her. “What? What is it? Stop doing that.”

  Valory’s dark hair formed curtains around her face as she stood over me. Her eyes gleamed like a cat’s in the gloom. “Wake up! Come see! You have to come see!” She waved her arms in a wild gesture. Her wings kept fluttering half-open.

  “Quiet down!” I whispered. “You’ll wake the girls!”

  Valory looked like she was about to burst. “Will you just come! I have to show you!”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Water!” Valory whispered. She opened her arms wide. “Big water…like a mountain…oh!” she stomped her feet in agitation. “Won’t you just come look?”

  Perplexed, I put on my boots and followed Valory out to a terrace. To my surprise, she grabbed me by the arms and lifted me. She flapped her wings hard.

  “What on earth?” I exclaimed.

  Red-faced, Valory huffed and puffed. “Just-a-little-higher!”

  We rose to the highest branches of the trees. Valory dropped me on a branch as wide as a park bench and then collapsed beside me.

  All I could see was an unending expanse of treetops. “Well?”

  Valory pointed behind me. “There!”

  I turned. I hadn’t realized how close Woodman’s Hall was to the coast. There were seaside cliffs barely a mile distant. The rocks below them looked wet, but there was no water. Then I caught the gleam of the sea far back from the cliffs. It got closer as I watched.

  The receding ocean had formed into a giant wall of water. Now it was rushing back to the shore. The water piled higher and higher every second.

  It’s been out like that for a while Valory said. “I thought I smelled fish, so I flew to the shore to look for some but that’s when I noticed the water was way out from where it should be. It’s coming back real fast, though.”

  Even as I watched the swell coming closer I couldn’t grasp the enormity of it. “A tsunami,” I said in disbelief. “What could have caused it?”

  “Beats me,” Valory said. “But we’ve got a problem.”

  I turned to her and gasped. “You think it can reach Woodman’s Hall?”

  “I’d rather not find out!” Valory said, flapping her wings out of anxiety.

  The wave drew closer. I could hear it now. The distant rumble filled up the night. I thought grimly about how Mr. Larue had entrusted me to protect his family. That trust was about to be put to the test.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Within minutes, Woodman’s Hall was a flurry with people running and flying and generally just panicking. Lord Finbarr tried to maintain order. Without knowing how high the water would reach the first thing we had to do was get everyone to higher ground. Valory helped the strongest adults lift children up to the treetops further inland.

  All the while the roar of the approaching sea grew louder. Birds that lived on the seaside cliffs flew inland in flocks. Their white bodies darted among the tree branches, creating more confusion.

  Mrs. Larue went from room to room, making sure all the children were accounted for. Acting on a wild hunch, I rounded up all the Enchanters who were staying at the hall.

  “We have to protect this place,” I said as I ran across a narrow walkway. An addled seabird narrowly missed flying into me.

  Lord Finbarr was behind me. “Yes,” he agreed. “Our survival will count for little if the hideout is washed away. What are you thinking?”

  “You know how Garland raised that mound of earth to protect the king at Mag Mell?”

  “Hmmm. I see what you’re getting at, but we’d need a much bigger mound for this place. Still, it’s worth a try.”

  I ran headlong into Anouk. “Hey, you’re an Enchanter, right?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. Meet us down at the ground level,” I said. “Grab any other Enchanters on the way. Any Master Casters, too.”

  Anouk didn’t question me. She hurried on to do exactly as I asked. Lord Finbarr and I arrived at the hall’s main entrance to find Mrs. Larue waiting.

  All the children are safe,” she said.

  I knew she would rather go to the treetops to be with her girls, but we needed her.

  “When Anouk gets here take her and the others to the west side of the building where it faces the sea,” I said. “Do whatever you have to do to raise an earth dam. Make it as high as you can. Then get to safety.”

  “Where are you going?” Mrs. Larue asked.

  I was already on my way up the next flight of stairs so I didn’t answer. Blood pounded in my ears. Ordering people around came easier than I thought it would be. I didn’t like the idea of asking so many of them to stay down from the treetops, but Lord Finbarr was right. Without Woodman’s Hall, we’d have nothing.

  I climbed round and round a tree trunk until I reached the hall’s highest level on its west side. It gave me a good vantage point. Lord Finbarr, Anouk and the others were hard at work below. The night lit up with green flashes as they forced the earth around the hall to rise. A dam took shape around the outer perimeter of the building.

  The roar of the tidal wave was deafening. A gritty mist filled the air. It came with the smells of salty ocean froth that sent the tree-dwelling creatures like squerbils and bough gliders into a frenzy. They scurried along the branches, chattering in fright.

  The earth wall grew higher, but there was little soil on the forest floor for the Enchanters to work with. What the dam gained in height it lost in strength. I spied many weak spots that were likely to crumble.

  “Over there!” I shouted, pointing to a wide crack in the wall. Anouk hurried to repair it. A young female Master Caster helped by freezing over the weak spot with a layer of ice.

  The floor rattled as Valory landed beside me. “The air stinks of ocean stuff,” she said. “Whatever did this had to be big, ya know?”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be up in the treetops?” I asked.

  “I figured I’d hang low and offer you my wings if you need them.”

  “Thanks, Val, but it’s safer if you go with the others. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Valory crossed her arms. “And I don’t want YOU to get hurt, so that’s that…hey, what’s that?”

  She pointed at a speck on the crest of the wave. It was so distant that it could have been anything from a piece of driftwood to a house.

  The ground shook as the tidal wave crashed into the cliffs. The timbers of Woodman’s Hall rattled and the wall that the Enchanters had been working feverishly to build cracked and split in several places. I shouted and pointed out the weak spots from above, but my cries were inaudible over the roar of the wave. The ground shook harder and the wall crumbled even more.

  The cliffs broke some of the wave’s momentum, but the water kept coming. It bore down on us in a mountain of turbulent brown foam. Debris tumbled along with the raging water. Whole trees fell, adding to its arsenal. It was an unstoppable force. Our wall would never be able to hold it back.

  The Enchanters were still down below, giving it their all. They fused giant trees together for fortification and still it wasn’t enough.

  “Get to higher ground!” I shouted.

  They couldn’t hear me. Anouk, Mrs. Larue and Lord Finbarr, along with many others, were still working tirelessly on the dam while the wave grew closer, devouring everything in its path.

  “Fly me down there!” I shouted to Valory.

  Valory swept me up and dropped me clumsily on top of the wall. Mrs. Larue looked up at me.

  “GO!” I yelled. I pointed to the treetops. Mrs. Larue
grabbed the others working nearby. They summoned their wings and flew over my head to branches high above.

  Valory alerted Lord Finbarr and the others. She had to help carry a few people because they were too exhausted to conjure their wings. Lord Finbarr was one of them. I caught the look of sadness on his face as Valory helped him up to the treetops.

  The mist had become a thick spray. It stuck in my hair with the scent of decay from the ocean floor. The forest trembled as the water made its assault. The wave slowed. The biggest trees were no longer falling to it, but their lower branches were being stripped away. It gave me a little peace of mind for my comrades taking shelter above. As for Woodman’s Hall, it was doomed.

  “Time to go!” Valory shouted next to me.

  I looked over at her in surprise. I hadn’t realized that she was back. The wall was crumbling under my feet. No, I thought. It doesn’t end like this. It can’t. Where will we go? What will we do?

  I knew what I had to try. A familiar power stirred in my blood, made much stronger by the desperation of all those watching from above.

  “Come on!” Valory said, grabbing my arm.

  I pulled away from her. “I can’t. You get to safety.”

  Valory stayed rooted in place. “Hey Em, your eyes look funny.”

  I barely heard her between the roar of the water and the rising hum of my own magical energy. My arms and legs trembled. My blood felt like hot magma flowing through my veins. I had to save Woodman’s Hall. It was home now. If I couldn’t save it, I might as well drown. With that thought burning in my mind I summoned up all my power into a force strong enough to withstand the wave. It was only water, after all. I wasn’t about to give up to plain old water.

  I screamed, unable to contain the power any longer. The wave collided with the dam. The little wall held up for but an instant before it buckled. Rivers raced to pound the sides of Woodman’s Hall, but they didn’t touch it. A wall of shimmering blue energy held them at bay.

  The remains of the wall disintegrated beneath my feet. Valory held me aloft, flapping her wings furiously. I held on until the very last second, willing my barrier to stay in place. The wave began to recede, threatening Woodman’s Hall from the other direction. I focused my magic there, reinforcing the barrier so that no water got past the drawbridge.

 

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