Prince Jeremiah grunted his contempt. “Am I supposed to feel sorry for you as you recount this sad tale? That punishment was too good for you in my humble opinion.”
“Well, your opinion no longer counts! In fact, Prince Jeremiah, your power no longer counts either. Not here in the kingdom of Solárin,” he scoffed, “or anywhere else for that matter. Though my body was crushed to nothingness, my spirit lived on. I am now stronger than ever and have been given the most wonderful gift. Do you wish to know what it is?”
Jeremiah raised his eyes to the ceiling, pretending not to care, though in his heart he knew he needed to know what had happened to Belthasar. If this were truly him again, Jeremiah needed to know every detail for the sake of his kingdom.
“Tell me if you must, if indeed you really are Belthasar,” he said. “I can see that you would like nothing more than to regale me with your woeful tale.”
“Oh, but parts of this story are quite uplifting too,” Morgus replied with a sinister laugh. “At least from my point of view. And that is all that really matters.”
“From your point of view, the world is a dark and twisted place,” Jeremiah said. “Just like your mind. But you bore me with your dramatics. Either tell your tale or leave me in peace.”
Morgus twitched an eye, upset that Jeremiah still showed such defiance. But he vowed to break his spirit, and he knew just how to do it. “Oh, there will be no peace when I am through with you and your measly kingdom. I have been given a great gift that will enable me to achieve all that I could ever desire. You see, after I was adrift in that nothingness for what seemed ages, I one day heard voices in the blackness. Distant echoes from a world I once knew. I zeroed in on the voices, and to my amazement, I saw three adults, three children and a large furry mutt pass through my darkened realm.” Morgus pounded a fist into the palm of his hand. “To my utter disdain, two of those individuals were the very same obnoxious children who had sent me to my doom, along with that troublesome magician! But what they didn’t know at the time,” he added, regaining some of his composure, “was that I was again haunting them.”
“Your story intrigues me–but only a little,” Prince Jeremiah said with a yawn.
“You haven’t heard the best part yet,” Morgus continued. “I desired so much to take my vengeance upon these people that I charged at them like an invisible army. But I merely passed through them at will, unnoticed. Yet as I did so, I perceived some of their thoughts and feelings and felt a sense of control I hadn’t known for many years. They were soon about to leave my prison through an opening of light, and finding that I could not leave that same way on my own, I took refuge in the smallest member of the group.”
“That explains the boy’s unruly behavior at King Rupert and Queen Eleanor’s party,” Jeremiah guessed.
“By doing so I felt I would have the least chance of being detected until I could get my bearings.”
“Your presence was not totally hidden, Belthasar. Your vile anger and bitterness always show through. It is the core of your wretched being.”
“You don’t know the first thing about me!” Morgus shouted, ready to leap at Jeremiah. But he held back, his face red, his breathing erratic.
“While you act as a parasite inside this host called Morgus Vandar, or in that pet dog which you inhabited next after the child–or even within me–your rage is always apparent. You cannot control it. It will be your doom,” Jeremiah calmly stated.
“It is my strength!” Morgus insisted. “And it will take me to places I had only dreamed about.” He grew suddenly calm, eerily so, and flashed another wicked smile. “And the task will be so easy. No need to recruit goblins and trolls this time to take over your father’s castle. No elaborate plans are necessary to dominate Solárin either. Everything will be done at my request.”
“And how do you plan to accomplish that, Belthasar? Your track record so far is not very impressive.”
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing this time. The plan fell right into my lap when I least expected it,” he said. “I discovered that my spirit could easily pass from one being to another while inside the timedoor. But back in the real world I learned that I must touch another living being if I want to move about, doing this whenever I please. So when my spirit was inside that mangy dog, I was delighted when you were one of the four men that helped subdue it. I saw all my dreams come true in the instant it took me to leave the dog and inhabit Prince Jeremiah. You were the perfect vehicle to take me back to King Alexander’s castle under everybody’s noses, back to the one place I so very much wanted to be.”
“To the one place you shall never control!”
“Oh, but I will,” Morgus said with assurance. “Sad to say, but your father is not long for this world, and when he departs, you shall be crowned as the next King–only it shall be me who will control the reins of power.”
Jeremiah’s heart pounded as anger and frustration welled inside him as if he were a volcano ready to explode. “I would sooner jump off a cliff than let you control the fate of my father’s kingdom.”
“But I shall control your will, Prince Jeremiah, so you’ll not be able to jump off a cliff, escape into the wilderness or stop me in any way imaginable,” he said with a sickening satisfaction. “When you are finally presented the sword and the crown of your father, it is I, not you, who shall be King!”
“Never!” shouted Jeremiah as he glared at Morgus. He tugged at his ropes like a wild animal in an attempt to free himself, the fibers cutting into his skin. But the bonds were too tight. He repeatedly kicked at the wooden post with all his strength and heaved his body against it, holding his breath and gritting his teeth, but all to no avail.
Morgus watched Prince Jeremiah’s futile attempt to free himself, brimming with confidence at how easily he would be able to conquer the kingdom. “Much too easily,” he said, walking toward the prince. “Though I would have preferred more of a challenge, this will do just fine.” Morgus grabbed hold of Jeremiah’s hand and looked him squarely in the eyes. “Until we talk again.”
“No!” shouted Jeremiah, trying to break free of Morgus’ hold.
But an instant later Jeremiah was still and calm, a cloudy grayness again enveloping his eyes. He stood up straight while at the same time Morgus Vandar took a few unsteady steps backward, catching himself against the table. Jeremiah watched with an amused grin as the man pulled out a chair and sat down. Morgus put his hands to his head as if in pain. His eyes throbbed and the room spun in circles.
“Now do you believe me?” Jeremiah asked.
Morgus looked up, as pale as dawn. “It is you, Belthasar. I think…” He swallowed hard. “What just happened? For a moment I thought you were inside my mind, and then… Was I dreaming? I can hardly believe it.”
“When I am finished with my grand scheme, the world will have no choice but to believe,” he said. “I am stronger than ever! And my rule will be the same. Now untie me quickly! We have much work to do.”
Morgus Vandar jumped up and untied Jeremiah from the post. “I again will help you in any way I can, Belthasar. But if you are to be crowned King one of these days soon, what use can I be to you?”
Jeremiah rubbed the soreness out of his wrists. “I admit that conquering Solárin will not be all that difficult considering my new situation. But that is only the beginning.” He folded his arms and placed a finger on the tip of his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “I think this kingdom will not be big enough for all the plans I have. I’ll need some extra land–much more land–to accomplish what I have in mind.” He smiled viciously. “I believe Endora would make a nice addition to my property. Don’t you?”
Morgus laughed greedily. “Oh, a nice addition indeed! When do we start, Belthasar?”
“We start now, my friend!”
CHAPTER SIX
Wedding Presents
Molly accompanied Princess Rosalind and her aides to the village of Windmere early the following morning to assist with the wedding
preparations. Christopher remained in the castle, sleeping late, and then afterward enjoyed a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, biscuits and tea. He sat near an open window and savored a warm spring breeze, much preferring this to shopping for flowers and food. But by late morning, Molly and Rosalind had returned and arrangements were made for the trip back to Endora.
“We are behind schedule, so it will be deep into the night before we reach my father’s castle,” she said.
“Don’t worry,” Molly replied. “We’re on vacation. It doesn’t matter what time we get home.”
“It matters to your parents.”
“I suppose.” The three sat in one of the castle common rooms as others milled about. Molly glanced around. “Where’s Prince Jeremiah? Have you talked to him this morning?”
“I haven’t seen him since last night before dinner,” Rosalind replied. “Mr. Tupper said that Jeremiah had been up late into the night. Very late. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still sleeping.”
“Nothing wrong with sleeping in late,” Christopher said with a grin. “By the way, do we have time for a bit more castle exploring? I wish we had another day or two to spend here.”
“Had you not slept so late, young man, you could have done as much exploring as you’d like,” Princess Rosalind said with a smile before shooing them away. “Curiosity seems to be in your blood. So hurry off. Just make sure to meet us in the front courtyard in about an hour. By then we should nearly be ready to depart.”
“Thanks!” Christopher said as he and Molly ran out of the room like puppies through a field of grass, ready for one last round about the castle.
“I bet I could beat you to the top of those stairs and still not be out of breath,” boasted Molly.
“No way on earth!” Christopher said.
“We’re not on earth.”
“Then no way on this planet, whatever it’s called. We’ll have to ask Artemas about that.”
“I made it to the top with King Rupert and Ulric, and I was only eight then. You’re not scared of a little competition, are you?”
Christopher glanced at his sister as they walked, scrunching up his face. “I don’t think so, squirt. See ya!”
He took off like a rabbit through the castle corridor, but Molly anticipated this and ran after him as fast as she could. Their footsteps and laughter sharply echoed through the stone passageways and neither could have ever imagined having such fun in this place after the events of four years ago. Others they passed in the hallways looked upon the visitors with delighted smiles or curious grins. Christopher and Molly finally reached the doorway that led to the prison cells below where Molly had confronted the troll and goblin guards. That very same staircase spiraled up to one of the castle towers where Princess Rosalind had been held prisoner.
“It’s a steep climb, Chris, so if you want to back out just say so,” teased Molly.
“You wish!” He opened the door. “Maybe I’ll take the stairs two at a time just to make it fair.”
“Don’t try to be a showoff because you’ll definitely not make it to the top that way. I know what I’m talking about.”
“Well, you do know how to talk,” he muttered. “And talk and talk and…”
Molly smirked and gently pushed her brother through the doorway and onto the stairwell landing. The spiral stone staircase wound its way up and down, and Molly couldn’t help recalling the first time she had entered this place. The echoes of the troll and goblin’s argument were fresh in her mind. She instinctively went silent, fearing for a moment that they were still down there.
“Those two argued forever about guard duty and no ale,” Molly scoffed. “But I showed them a thing or two.”
“Don’t you think King Rupert and Ulric might have had a little something to do with your success?”
“Of course. But I confronted that ugly troll and goblin first,” she replied, beaming with pride. “I was the key to the whole plan.”
“Uh huh…” he brother softly said.
Molly glanced up and down the stairs. “It doesn’t look so bad in here as last time. Kind of pretty actually.”
Instead of a single blazing torch lighting up the stairwell, a series of small openings had been carved into the stone walls all the way up and down the steps, each containing a large lighted candle. The flickering firelight cast assorted shadows that twisted and turned like tree branches in a wild and windy storm. Molly led the way up, and though she and her brother attempted to race each other at first, they finally gave up and admitted what a tiring climb it actually was. A leisurely walk carried them the rest of the way to the upper landing. Molly opened the door at the top, half expecting a stinging wintry wind to greet her.
A warm spring breeze and dazzling sunshine welcomed them instead. Christopher and Molly raced across the parapet, their arms extended, feeling like a pair of eagles basking in a sunlit flight. The plains to the south burst with luscious green growth and dark blue webs of bubbling streams. Peering over the low stone wall on the left, the children saw the open courtyard below. And on top of the castle tower just ahead where Rosalind had been held captive, flapped the honored flag of the Solárin kingdom. The sky blue banner, displaying a rising sun over the trees and rivers of the Pinecrest Valley, waved majestically in the balmy air.
“I love it up here!” shouted Molly. “What a great place to curl up with a book on a warm summer day.”
Christopher stared out at the vast sprawling southern plains, losing himself in the incredible sight. “What a view…” he whispered.
Christopher and Molly instantly looked at each other when they heard it. A dull pounding sound rose over the breeze and disappeared. They walked toward the tower entrance then heard it again–a dull clanking of metal and stone. It sounded as if the noises originated from below, so they hurried past the tower and turned a corner, continuing along the parapet for a few more yards.
Christopher stopped and glanced down the sheer wall of the castle. From this dizzying height he could see a dozen men milling about on the ground below. Some wielded large sledge hammers, hitting metal crowbars held against the mortar seams between the stones. Several large blocks had already been removed from the wall. Molly took a peek and wrinkled her face.
“What are they doing, Chris?”
“Looks like they’re making a large opening in the wall,” he said, equally perplexed. “But I don’t have the slightest idea why.”
Each clank and thud stirred up the children’s interest more and more until finally they could no longer tolerate the suspense.
“Let’s hurry down and find out what’s going on,” Christopher said.
“If we take the stairs down to the bottom, it should lead us right to them,” Molly guessed. “Looks like they’re breaking down the wall to the storage rooms.”
Christopher signaled for his sister to follow as he ran back to the door leading to the spiral staircase. “Come on. We’ll visit the tower another time. This hole in the wall looks more interesting!”
They descended the stairs at a brisk pace, their imaginations racing as fast as their feet. The candles whisked by as a single wavy blur of yellow light. In no time they reached the bottom landing where they started, then continued on to the guard room below. It was empty and looked as it did four years ago. They hurried through the arched doorway and ran past the row of empty prison cells to the iron door at the end of the corridor. It stood wide open and Christopher and Molly entered and galloped down the stairs into the storage area.
Streaks of bright sunlight shot into the room through the opening in the wall a short distance from the bottom stair. A handful of moths, taking refuge from the late morning sun, fluttered in a frenzy. Five additional workmen were inside assisting with the demolition project, their faces sweaty, dust-covered and unshaven. One looked up at the children as he was about to swing a sledge hammer at one of the blocks to loosen it.
“If this is the extra help we asked for, then we’ll never get this job finished
on time!” he joked as his companions laughed.
“You kids shouldn’t be down here,” another said. “You might get hurt.”
“We’ve been down here before,” Molly replied. “And trust me, the danger posed by your hammers and rocks are nothing compared to some of the things we had to put up with. Besides, we have permission from Princess Rosalind to roam the castle.”
“Oh, so you’re friends with the princess,” one of the workers said with feigned astonishment. He was missing one of his front teeth. “You won’t banish us if we get in your way, will you?”
“How very amusing,” she said with a smirk as the men laughed again.
“We’re just checking out what’s happening,” Christopher said, taking a quick look through the opening. “Mind if we go outside?”
“Sure,” another said, signaling for the men to let them pass. “Two coming through!” he shouted.
“Thanks,” Christopher said as he stepped over a pile of stone chips into the blinding sunlight. Molly followed closely behind and waved goodbye to the workers.
The men outside were equally amused to watch them emerge from within the castle. A few workers rested on some of the larger stones they had removed from the wall. Another washed his hands and arms in the moat several yards away, splashing cool water on his face.
“You ought to stick your feet in there in the wintertime if you really want to cool off,” Christopher called to him. The man looked up with a confused expression as Molly erupted in a fit of giggles.
“What’s so funny?” asked another man who seemed to be the one in charge.
“Nothing,” she replied. “You had to be there.”
The Endora Trilogy (The Complete Series) Page 24
