Everyone gazed warily at the cage, wondering about the animal’s ultimate fate. A pair of vacant gray eyes stared back. The cat slowly ground its claws into the wooden bottom and hissed like a snake, quietly boiling with rage.
Everyone said their final goodbyes in the main courtyard an hour later while three carriages were loaded up for the return journey to Endora. The impatient clip-clopping of several horses upon the sun-splashed cobblestone echoed from wall to wall. Princess Rosalind and several of her attendants decided to stay a few extra days to work on the wedding plans they had barely started since their arrival.
“So I must say goodbye to you here,” Rosalind said, giving Molly a hug. “But unlike four years ago, something tells me that this might not be your last trip to our world. Artemas may be able to work his magic again with the timedoor.”
“I’ll do my best,” he said with a wink, holding the cage at his side. It was now covered with a heavy piece of cloth as the cat slept soundly within. Artemas decided to ride in front with one of the drivers to keep his dangerous cargo away from as many people as possible.
“That would be great, Artemas,” Molly said. “In spite of all the hard work, this was a pretty good vacation.”
Her mother raised an eyebrow. “Memorable to say the least!”
“Well, have a nice wedding,” Molly added with a smile to Rosalind and King Jeremiah. “You’ll have to tell me all about it if I’m ever back.”
“That’s a promise,” Rosalind replied.
Moments later the couple stood hand in hand when the trio of carriages finally departed and rumbled slowly across the drawbridge for the long journey back.
They had been on the road for less than an hour when Molly started scribbling on a sheet of parchment. She curled up on one side of the carriage. Her mother sat on the opposite side holding Vergil, who was now fast asleep. Magic stretched lazily upon the floor, occasionally licking his nose or scratching furiously behind an ear. The sun, sliding down in the clear western sky, cast a soft orange glow through the window.
Molly sniffed the air. “That dog is definitely in need of a bath when we get home,” she said, her eyes fixed upon the paper.
“What are you writing?” her mother asked. “Isn’t that difficult while this carriage rattles and shakes?”
“I’ll rewrite it when we get home,” she replied, dipping a quill pen into a small bottle of ink securely held in her other hand. “Princess Rosalind gave me these items before we left. I had a few ideas for a poem I wanted to jot down before I forgot them. Want to hear what I’ve written so far?”
“I’d love to,” her mother said, shifting Vergil from one arm to the other. He yawned and squirmed like a puppy, but continued to sleep soundly.
Molly sat up and placed a stopper in the ink bottle, then prepared to read her creation. “Mind you, it’s not finished and it’s only the first draft. I’ll work on it some more at home. But here’s what I have.” She cleared her throat and was about to read when she suddenly gazed out the window and looked to the south. The sun warmed the side of her face. Molly smiled and glanced at her mother. “We have visitors!”
Mrs. Jordan wrinkled her brow and slid across the seat to look out the window, careful not to wake her son. The carriages began to slow down at that point as Molly and Mrs. Jordan watched two horses approach them from the grassy fields along the side of the dirt road. A man on the lead horse gently galloped toward the first carriage, apparently speaking to Artemas. A man and a boy shared the second horse, and Mrs. Jordan teared up when she saw her husband and child returning safely in the glow of the setting sun.
Molly flung the door open when the carriage stopped and jumped out to greet them. Magic followed in a flurry of excitement, barking and waging his tail as if dinner were about to be served. Vergil awoke in his mother’s arms and the two quickly disembarked.
“Do you have any room for three tired cowboys?” Mr. Jordan joked amid many hugs and much laughter.
“Do we ever!” his wife said, wrapping her arms around him and Christopher as soon as they climbed off the horse.
Mr. Jordan hoisted Vergil on his shoulders as Molly and her mother peppered Christopher with question after question about his adventures since his escape across the castle moat. King Rupert and the others soon joined the gathering so that everyone could hear the story at one time. Christopher seemed overwhelmed with the sudden attention and grinned awkwardly. Mr. Jordan smiled at him as he proudly looked on, eager to hear Christopher’s story one more time.
“Well, it was just your basic outwit-the-bad-guys operation,” Christopher said with an easy confidence in his voice.
He highlighted his adventures tracking Morgus Vandar through the wild, his escape from Fennic, and the final confrontation with the horseman by the river who was eventually left as a prisoner at one of the outposts. Ulric and Mr. Jordan occasionally added a few details to the story, but Christopher enthralled everyone with his version of events. And after Artemas provided them with information about Belthasar’s defeat, King Rupert hastened everyone back into the carriages to resume their journey. Twilight fast approached and they had a deadline to beat.
So the Jordan family found itself together again as the carriages rumbled southward across the plains. Only six days had passed since they shared a pot of hot spiced tea and cinnamon biscuits in their quarters in King Rupert’s castle, but it seemed as if they had been separated for weeks. Now everyone felt content simply to sit in each other’s quiet company, occasionally exchanging a loving smile or a reassuring nod. But it didn’t take long for Molly to break the silence.
“Well, as long as I have a captive audience, I can read a few verses from my latest poem,” she said, unrolling the piece of parchment in front of her.
“Nooooo!” Christopher wailed with exaggeration, covering his face with his hands. “Not on the way back too!”
“Oh hush,” Molly said with a flick of her hand. “Mom wanted to hear this earlier, so block your ears if you don’t want to listen. It’s not long.”
“Give us a reading, Molly, and don’t mind Chris,” her father said. “Your mother and I definitely want to hear what you’ve written.”
“So do I and Magic!” Vergil piped up.
“Then you’re in for a treat,” Molly said, clearing her throat as if she were about to speak before thousands. “I call this poem Family. And no snickering, Chris. Here goes.”
Family is like a gentle breeze
that sweeps across a field of flowers.
Family is like the warming light
that saves you in your darkest hours.
When times are tough and the world is cold
they’ll comfort you in your plight.
But when family is away you need only recall
the sweeping breeze and the saving light.
Molly looked up from the parchment and saw her mother and father staring at her, a pair of satisfied smiles upon their faces. She felt their pride radiate across to her like the warmth from a campfire.
“That’s all I have right now,” she said. “It needs some work, plus I have to think of a few more images for the next couple of stanzas. But what do you think so far?”
“I think it’s a wonderful start,” her mother said as Mr. Jordan nodded in agreement. “I can’t wait to hear the rest.”
“Not bad,” Christopher added as he settled back in his seat for a nap.
He flashed a slight smile before closing his eyes, and Molly knew that her brother appreciated the sentiments of the poem more than he was willing to admit. She decided not to press him on the issue and let him rest, knowing how exhausted he must be after a night in the wild. Sleep tugged at Molly as well, and though she tried to fight it, she soon drifted off into a soothing dream as the piece of parchment fell out of her hand.
Christopher and Molly remained fast asleep hours later when the travelers stopped at one of the outposts for a brief rest. King Rupert received word there that his soldiers back home h
ad surprised the waiting army of trolls and goblins and drove them far back into the mountains. Endora was as safe and secure as ever now that the last remnant of Belthasar’s plan was foiled. Though the King wanted to thank Christopher and Molly once again on the spot, he let them continue to sleep instead. They deserved a good rest and so much more, but King Rupert knew he would never be able to fully repay them for their help as long as he lived.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Cats and Dogs
Everybody took a sip, but not from fancy glasses of fine wine. Nor was there a huge crowd gathered in a banquet hall to celebrate over a delicious meal of roasted lamb with herbs and bowls of steamed truffles. Instead, eleven tired travelers, one dog and one cat lounged about in King Rupert’s chamber, some drinking mugs of hot tea, others yawning, and most with heavy eyelids ready to drop. It was an hour past midnight and the castle lay as still as a sleeping elephant.
“As much as I could use a few hours of sleep, I still have several duties to attend to before the timedoor reopens,” Artemas said.
“And I must consult with my officers,” Ulric added. “But I will stop by before you leave.” He wished them a good night and exited the room.
Artemas picked up the caged cat and turned around before leaving. “However, I suggest that all of you should try to get some rest. You desperately need it. The timedoor reopens in about two and a half hours and closes three hours after that. I’ll return when everything is ready.” Magic growled as the magician walked out the door, suspiciously eyeing the cage that dangled from his hand.
Then Emma looked at Mr. Smithers with a raised eyebrow and he nodded supportively. She stood, anxiously fingering her pearl necklace.
“I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you our news,” she said, staring uneasily at her sister.
“What is it, dear?” Queen Eleanor asked, unsure if she had reason to be worried or excited. “It’s too late in the night to keep us in suspense.”
Emma sighed. “Then I’ll tell you flat out. Stanley and I have decided to return through the timedoor and visit his world.” Molly and her mother gasped in surprise when hearing the news, but Queen Eleanor sat back in stunned horror.
“That is, with your permission, King Rupert,” Mr. Smithers quickly added. “As a member of your guard, I don’t think I can traipse off on a vacation without your consent.”
“You have my blessing in this matter,” King Rupert said. “However, it is not me you should be worried about,” he added, tossing a sidelong glance at his wife.
“Now there’s no reason for anyone to be concerned,” Emma said, glancing at Queen Eleanor with a comforting smile. “It’s not like you’ll never see me again.”
“But the timedoor to Christopher and Molly’s world is closing for the last time. How will you get back?” the Queen asked, tearing up. “I’ll miss you!”
“Artemas managed to reconnect to their world a second time. I’m sure he can do it again,” Emma confidently replied.
“That’s only because King Rupert’s sword and crown had been left behind,” Christopher reminded her.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” she said. “There’ll be another object from this world on the other side. Me!”
“Well, that should work,” Mr. Jordan said with an amused smile as he stood cradling his sleeping son. “Artemas will have to tweak his calculations a bit, but there should be no problem.”
“I would so much like to see Stanley’s world,” Emma said, imagining untold wonders on the other side of the timedoor.
Queen Eleanor sighed as she held her husband’s hand. “I suppose it’s no use trying to talk you out of this, my dear sister. And though I’ll miss you terribly, I want you both to have a wonderful time.” She blinked away a few forming tears. “I only hope it doesn’t take Artemas another four years to bring you back!”
Artemas gathered everyone in his chamber shortly after dawn cast its first pallid gleams of light across the Endoran sky. The timedoor had already opened in the dead of night and would close in about half an hour. And though most of the travelers had gotten little if any sleep since their return to the castle, everyone seemed wide awake, brimming with anticipation and excitement. Vergil darted around the chamber, exploring each corner of the magician’s room, though Mrs. Jordan had to keep pulling him back whenever he was tempted to get close to the timedoor. As the adults double checked the luggage and said their farewells, Christopher and Molly took one final look across the land from Artemas’ balcony. A balmy breeze swept inside through one of the open doors.
“Remember when we watched Belthasar’s army marching across the plains through the telescope?” Molly reminded her brother. “What a horrible feeling I had in the pit of my stomach when I saw that!”
Christopher smirked. “And now the miserable pest is reduced to living inside a cat. How the mighty have fallen.”
The cat, resting inside its cage on a table near the balcony doors, started to scratch at the wooden bars and spin around, angry and agitated. Christopher and Molly looked suspiciously at the animal as they stepped back inside the chamber and closed the double doors, wondering if Belthasar’s spirit could understand them. Magic sat up across the room and barked several times as if warning the cat to behave. Vergil tried to calm him, scratching the dog behind its ears.
“Just ignore that silly kitty. It is bad and has to stay in a cage,” he said. But that only made the cat hiss spitefully and bare its teeth.
“I think somebody needs a lesson in proper manners,” Artemas said, addressing the cat in a stern voice. “I’ll cover him up until everybody leaves,” he added, smiling reassuringly at Vergil.
The cat hissed once more as Artemas walked across the room to grab a heavy piece of cloth to toss over the cage. Vergil jumped up and followed him.
“I’ll help you cover up that troublemaker cat!” he said, tugging at the magician’s sleeve. Christopher and Molly grinned as they watched their little brother marching in step with Artemas.
With his tail waging like a windsock, Magic scrambled over to follow Vergil, passing the cat with a leery gaze. The cat stared back with deadened gray eyes and extended a paw outside the cage, its knife-like claws slicing the air. It locked Magic in its sights and hissed slowly and venomously like a snake about to spring. Magic froze in his tracks and growled at the cat just as Artemas flung open the cloth and snapped it in the air. The cat leaped inside the cage and shrieked, swiping its claws at the dog. Magic barked ferociously and jumped up, standing on his hind legs and batting the cage repeatedly with his front paws. The cat wailed like a demon and fought back.
“No, Magic!” Molly cried, running to him. “Bad dog!”
“Get him away from there!” Artemas exclaimed in the same instant as everyone rushed toward the table.
But before anybody could reach Magic, he smacked the cage on one side and sent it crashing to the floor. The latch popped open upon impact and the cat shot out of its prison like a jet of fire, running right through Magic’s legs and barreling straight toward the doorway. Magic spun around and gave chase, but Ulric flew along the side wall and beat them both there, slamming the door shut.
“Someone guard the entrance to the timedoor!” he shouted. “Don’t let that cat through!”
Mr. Smithers planted his body in front while everyone else raced around like a slew of bumper cars–knocking into each other or sliding past, arms flailing and elbows jabbing–all while trying to subdue the two animals. Christopher and his father finally grabbed Magic by the collar before he crashed into a table of glass vials filled with potions. They settled him down as Molly scooped the cat from inside one of Artemas’ large boots near the coat tree where it had jumped to hide. A moment later everyone stood as quiet as stones, red-faced and out of breath, gazing at one another with subdued suspicion.
Molly gently held the cat as it cuddled close to her heart in a ball, meowing now and then and licking its furry paws. Molly scratched the animal behind the e
ars, smiling.
“She seems all better now,” Molly said, hugging the cat as if she wanted to keep it for a pet. Magic had given up any interest in the chase and lay on the floor panting and flicking his tail, more than satisfied with the moment’s entertainment.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Artemas said gravely. He walked over to Molly and examined the cat as she held it, stroking its back, astonished at its sudden shift in behavior. “A totally different animal,” he whispered, nodding his head in amazement. “The spirit of Belthasar is no longer in this creature.”
“Then where is he?” Mrs. Jordan asked apprehensively, picking up Vergil. The boy smiled and gave his mother a hug.”
“I would like an answer to that question too,” King Rupert said.
“I think we all would,” Artemas replied, carefully scanning each individual in the room. He studied everyone’s eyes, face and demeanor, sizing them up from head to toe. “Belthasar’s spirit could move from one living thing to another outside the timedoor, but only if they touched.”
“That doesn’t help us much,” Mr. Jordan said. “We were crawling over each other a few moments ago like ants at a picnic. Belthasar could be in any one of us.”
“A cheery thought indeed!” Queen Eleanor said with a shudder.
“His whereabouts shouldn’t be difficult to figure out,” Christopher suggested. “That man is as angry as a volcano, ready to erupt if you say hello to him the wrong way.”
The Endora Trilogy (The Complete Series) Page 41
