Weary from using her wings, Chloe landed next to her mother. Her wings vanished, making the room dim. She knelt over the little rectangle Othella had drawn in the dust. “What do the symbols look like? Do you know any of them?”
“A few,” Othella said. She traced a finger through the dust again and drew a triangle with a line across it. Next to it she drew a sideways figure eight with two lines intersecting in the middle.
It was gibberish to Chloe. She was already thinking of something else. “That tablet wasn’t like Emma’s flute, was it? I mean, it could be destroyed, right? There weren’t any monsters bound by it or any curses on it?”
Othella shook her head. “Nothing like that.”
“Well then who’s to say Kiros didn’t destroy it long ago?” Chloe asked. “I know if Emma could destroy the flute, she’d do it in a heartbeat.”
“But why would Kiros destroy it?” Othella asked. “On its own it is harmless. You have to be a skilled Alchemist to use it.”
“The flute is harmless on its own, too,” Chloe pointed out. She turned to ask Tobin something, but he was staring entranced at the symbols that Othella had drawn in the dust.
“I know these,” he said. “I’ve seen them before.”
“Where?” Othella and Chloe asked at the same time.
“Mom has some tattoos on the insides of her forearms. I always thought they were tribal or Egyptian or something.”
Chloe grew excited again. “That’s it! Kiros doesn’t have the Rubedo Tablet. She is the Rubedo Tablet!”
Violet spoke up. “But where would they have taken her? Who would have taken her, for that matter?”
“Back to scouring this place for clues,” Chloe said with a sigh.
Tobin picked up a picture of his mother from a desk and blew the dust from it. It was the same photo they’d used on the news report. Kiros stared out of the frame looking secretive and majestic. Tobin gazed warmly at the photo. Then his face fell and he suddenly looked very, very tired.
“I’ve been all through this place,” he said. “I checked all her research notes, her day planners…everything. There was nothing out of the ordinary. I came over for breakfast on the day she disappeared. Everything was normal. She was happy. She made me pancakes.”
Chloe, Violet and Othella glanced quietly at each other. Chloe was trying not to become frustrated, but it did really look as though they’d come to a dead end.
“Well, I suppose there’s only one thing left to do,” Othella said. She reached into her tote bag.
Chloe watched curiously. “Mother?”
“If we can’t find anything else here then it’s time to go back. If Kiros is the tablet and somebody needs it, she’s still alive. If she’s alive, she’s in Faylinn.”
Chloe’s heart fluttered. Home!
“We don’t have any allies,” Violet said. “It’s just us three. We may as well have never left if we can’t bring back more help!”
“You have me,” Tobin said. He placed the picture carefully back in its place and then faced them. He stood rigid with his fists clenched at his sides. His jaw was hard and his eyes were narrowed. “I don’t know where we’re going but if my mother is there, I’m in.”
Othella tilted her head and looked at him thoughtfully. “Since you are part Fay you should be able to cross into Faylinn, but I cannot guarantee that we can bring you back here.”
She took out the Pyxis Charm. The poor little trinket was tarnished and cracked.
“I’m sure,” Tobin said. “I want to see this place where people have wings. I want to see my mother’s homeland.”
Chloe wondered if he had any idea what he was in for. For that matter, now that they were going home, she didn’t know what she was in for. What would they find there? They’d been gone almost third of a year. She gulped and tried to be brave. She was a queen. She wouldn’t show fear.
“We don’t have the backup I wanted,” Othella acknowledged as she twisted the sides of the Pyxis Charm. “We can only hope that we still have allies in Faylinn—Damn it!”
Chloe and Violet both let out squeaks of surprise. They’d never in their whole lives heard their mother curse.
Alarmed, Chloe asked, “What is it?”
“The Pyxis Charm,” Othella said. “It’s far weaker than I thought. I will not be able to choose our destination. If we’re lucky, it will still break the seal between our world and this one, but I have no way of knowing where we’ll end up.”
“That’s not good,” Violet said.
The Pyxis Charm started to glow.
“Hurry!” Othella said. “Everyone grab onto my chair!”
Tobin grabbed one of Othella’s armrests. Violet clasped one of her mother’s hands and Chloe held onto the back of the chair.
The light from the Pyxis Charm flickered wildly. Chloe felt the world around her wobbling. There was no other way to describe it. There should have been an explosion of light, but instead they heard an awful ripping sound. Fractured beams of energy danced around them. At first it seemed as though the beams materialized out of nothing, but soon enough they all saw it: there was a gouge in the air. Light from the world beyond it spilled into the room. Space bent around the anomaly, creating an optical nightmare.
“What’s that?” Chloe shouted.
“A rip in the seal!” Othella said. Her words were scattered by the turbulent atmospheric forces at work in the room. “It’s from whoever came through here last.”
A tremendous bang drowned out her words. The streams of light from the rip lashed out and wrapped around the four people and the wheelchair.
Then it was over. They were in a dark, cold room with a floor made of stone. It was quiet as a tomb.
Nobody spoke. Chloe didn’t know where they were. It didn’t feel like a place in the castle. It was too dark and too drafty.
“Where are we?” Violet whispered.
“I don’t know,” Othella whispered back. “The Pyxis Charm pulled us through an old rip rather than creating a new one. Wherever it is, we’re stuck here.”
She lifted a sad little heap of parts in her hands. Their Pyxis Charm had made its final journey.
CHAPTER TWENTY- SIX
I knew with miserable certainty that the tree King Hugo spoke of was the tree that my ancestors had used to make the Summoning Flute. They had sacrificed the beasts now bound to the flute at the tree’s roots, along with countless other enemies of the Fay. They had poisoned the tree with such sacrifices, but they had also made it powerful. That was why they had sealed it away at the bottom of the ocean.
What I knew was too big to keep to myself. I had to speak to him. There was no room left for pride. I watched for an opening. People with questions surrounded him, along with his intimidating crew of Slaugh. It was no good. I couldn’t approach him with so many people around.
Something big, brown and furry cleared a path up the steps to where I stood. Before I knew what was happening, two big arms wrapped around me and drew me into a tight embrace.
“It’s you!” Yert exclaimed tearfully. “It’s been so long, but I haven’t forgotten!”
Yert’s husband, Ralph, stood behind her. Bayard led Sandrine carefully up the steps. Once he was clear of them, he abandoned Sandrine and outdid Yert’s hug by lifting me off my feet and spinning me around.
“My goodness, you’re so grown up!” He exclaimed as he put me back on my feet. “I don’t know how I ever hoped to compete with you. You’re a lot prettier than me!”
I was so dizzy that I saw two of him. “Um…thanks. Not looking too bad yourself there, Golden Boy.”
Sandrine cleared her throat loudly. Bayard went and led her to me. The Hobgoblin stood up straight and walked steadily even though she wore a blindfold around her eyes. She reached out and felt my arm.
“Hello, Captain,” I said.
Her ears perked up. “So it is you. I’ve heard some fantastic tales about you these past two years. It seems you haven’t yet learned how to stay out of tr
ouble.”
“Hey, trouble follows me,” I said. “I’d be glad to be rid of it! What about you? How’s the ship?”
Sandrine removed her plumed hat and held it to her chest. “Ah, the old Melidee Gale. May she rest in peace along with dear, departed Dr. Splitfoot.”
I held a hand to my mouth and gasped. “Oh no! Is he…?”
“No longer of this world,” said Wimbleysminch. The Gremlin and his partner, Joyboy, were perched next to me on the railing.
“What happened?” I asked.
“We were anchored in a cove off the Bangador Islands,” Sandrine said. “It has interesting rock formations. There’s a famous one that looks like a dragon. Dr. Splitfoot was sleepwalking one night and wandered up to the deck. He saw the rock formation and took it to be a real dragon. Unfortunately, someone had left the cannon powder out. We heard lots of shouting and cursing, so we ran out on deck to find Dr. Splitfoot sitting on the cannon, yelling at the dragon. He had stuffed the whole barrel of powder into the cannon.”
“And he’d already lit the fuse,” Bayard said. “We were too late.”
“Let me guess…” I said.
Sandrine nodded. “Aye, the cannon exploded. It blew a hole in the ship. We were anchored close to shore, so the rest of us made it out alive. All we ever found of Dr. Splitfoot were his glasses. We buried them on the beach.”
“It was a nice memorial,” Yert said, wiping away a tear.
Joyboy and Wimbleysminch snickered. Sandrine scowled in their direction.
“What?” Joyboy asked innocently.
“Yeah, you’ve got to admit, it was a hell of a way to go out,” Wimbleysminch said, grinning. “Long as I live, I’ll be able to picture that crazy old Hobgoblin on top of that cannon, cussing at the top of his lungs.”
I did have to stifle a grin at the thought of it. “What’s your new ship called?” I asked Sandrine.
“Splitfoot’s Folly,” Sandrine said. “Hopefully we can repair it—when we get it out of the trees, that is.”
I wanted to talk to them more, but I saw Hugo and his entourage leaving the room below. I gave Yert a pat on the back and said, “We’ll catch up at dinner.”
Hugo, followed closely by Katriel, walked towards the boys’ sleeping quarters on the far side of the Hall. I passed Valory on the stairs as I headed after him.
“Hey Em, wanna come with me to tell stories to the kiddies?” Valory asked.
“Later,” I said without stopping.
Valory saw who I was tailing and gave me a wink. “Good luck.”
Most of the Slaugh were going the same direction as Hugo. I didn’t want to barge through them, so I hung back a little. They’d been given lodging in a large room that encircled a tree trunk. There were hammocks and waterlogged supplies laid out to dry on the floor.
Hugo and Katriel went past the big room to a stairwell leading down to a room I had not yet seen. Hugo entered the room while Katriel stood guard at the top of the stairs.
Great, I thought. Unsure what to expect, I tried to steady my pulse and look calm as I approached.
Katriel drew herself up like an angry snake when she saw me. “What business do you have down here?” she asked with a sneer.
She was scary. I didn’t want to come off as defiant—not yet. “I just need a word with King Hugo.”
Katriel smirked. “He doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
I held my ground. “This is important. I must talk to him right now.”
“No disturbances!” Katriel growled. “Leave.”
Something belligerent rose up in me. I crossed my arms, lifted my chin and pasted on the stoniest expression I could muster. “I’m not leaving until I speak to him.”
There came the cold, metallic sound of a weapon being drawn from its sheath. I reacted instantly, drawing my shortsword from my belt.
Katriel’s weapon of choice was a rapier. While she was busy brandishing it under my chin, I flicked my sword quickly and held it to her thigh.
Startled, Katriel drew away from the sword but I stayed close, trying not to mind the rapier just inches from my nose. If Katriel backed up any more she’d tumble down the stairs.
“So now what?” I asked.
Katriel growled and lunged to the side, avoiding my sword. She shoved my shoulder with the butt of the rapier.
Dazed, but still upright, I threw all my body weight into a counter blow, ramming Katriel in the stomach. The Slaugh girl gasped as I knocked the breath out of her. She stumbled and grabbed the wall to keep from falling down the stairs.
“Now you’re in for it!” Katriel hissed. She let out a war cry and hurled herself at me.
I didn’t have time to prepare my defense. Katriel quickly landed some punches that would leave ugly bruises. They didn’t worry me. I was more concerned about the rapier and how far I could push Katriel before she became infuriated enough to use it. I dodged what would have been a crushing blow to my cheek and elbowed Katriel in the chest.
For a few moments everything became a blur of fists and elbows and knees. I got socked in the jaw, but I managed to kick Katriel in the thigh. The move bought me enough time to draw back and recollect my strength.
Wincing, Katriel leaned against the wall. Her face was contorted into an animal snarl. She screeched her awful war call again and brandished her rapier.
“Katriel, Stand down!”
The words were spoken in the Slaugh language. I understood them thanks to the lesson in the fruit Anouk had brought me in the cathedral cell.
Katriel was still bristling. It looked as though it took every ounce of her strength to keep from impaling me. Hugo glared at her from the bottom of the stairs. “Stand down,” he said in Slaugh again.
I stayed absolutely still with the sword at my side. I didn’t want to give Katriel any reason to disobey orders.
Katriel made a hateful face at me. “She started it!” she said to Hugo in Slaugh.
“She’s perfectly capable of finishing it, too,” he said, still in his mother tongue.
I felt a pang of warmth. Was it a compliment? Of course, he’d trained me in combat. To say I was a good fighter was the same as complimenting himself.
There was another clang of metal as Katriel sheathed her rapier. She looked like a dog that had run to the end of her leash only to be jerked back.
“She says she wants to speak to you,” Katriel said in my own language.
Hugo did not look at me. He turned and simply said, “Fine.”
Unsure whether it was an invitation or not, I sheathed my sword and proceeded slowly after Hugo. Katriel hissed as I walked past her.
Hugo left the door propped open. I walked inside and was greeted by cool air that smelled of earth. The room was dug underground. It was dark and chilly and quiet just like Lev’s old room back at Ivywild.
I shook my head to rid it of the memory. What mattered was the here and now. I closed the door behind me and waited for Hugo to speak. My heart thudded so loudly that I thought I could hear it echoing in the room.
Hugo was preoccupied with arranging his supplies, which were laid out on a rickety table. He inspected things and walked around the room, never once looking at me. He studied his weapons as though they were the most important things in the world. It took someone who’d known him as long as I had to notice that his forehead was knotted in a petulant way and that he was subconsciously biting his bottom lip.
I suddenly saw him not as the mysterious Slaugh king, but rather as the ill-tempered boy that Commander Larue had wrapped in chains and tossed in the back of a wagon. He had been so full of himself back then and so eager to prove that he didn’t have any use for anybody.
Well this is just ridiculous, I thought. There was no way we could accomplish anything if he kept ignoring me. It was going to hurt a lot, but I knew what had to be done.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
His wings twitched. He glanced over his shoulder, giving me the bare minimum of acknowledgement.
&n
bsp; My pulse sped up even more, but it was out of anger rather than nerves. “I said—”
“I heard you,” he snapped. “If you came here just to make an empty apology, I should have let Katriel do her worst.”
I matched the anger in my voice to the venom in his. “Empty? I’m admitting I was wrong, okay?”
“But you don’t mean it,” he said. “You meant what you said when I left. I fully expected you to attack me when I saw you earlier.”
I was stunned. “No! I…maybe I did mean those things when I said them, but that has changed. We’re on the same side now.”
Hugo overturned the table. Weapons and supplies clattered loudly to the floor. He stormed at me with his wings flapping half-open. “I was always on your side! Always! There was nowhere you could have gone that I wouldn’t have followed! There was nothing you could have done to make me turn away from you! And then, when I needed you to believe in me, you told me all of that was a waste of time!”
I cringed. I couldn’t meet his gaze. The anguish and the guilt were too much.
Hugo reined himself in. His wings settled and he looked away again. “Now, since we’ve both decided not to waste each others’ time anymore, what do you have to say to me? Because there is nothing, nothing that you can say to make things the way they were.”
Every word hurt like the lash of the whip. The knowledge that I wasn’t doing this for me was the only thing keeping me together.
“I know,” I said. “Like you said that day, this is much bigger than you and me. All of Faylinn is in danger and unless we can agree to be civil long enough to work together, then I’m afraid everyone will suffer for it.”
His black hair hid his face so I couldn’t see his expression. He appeared to be growing calmer, if not any less prickly. “Go on.”
I took a deep breath. “I know about that tree that the mechamen took from the bottom of the ocean. My ancestors put it there. It’s like the flute because the flute was made from it; it has special powers. They couldn’t destroy it, so they sealed it away.”
The Flute Keeper's Promise (The Flute Keeper Saga) Page 34
