Warriors of the Black Shroud

by Peter Howe

  “Who is the Black Count?” Walker asked.

  “He’s like the king,” said Eddie, “only he’s the King of Darkness. He used to control all of Diabolonia until King Leukos defeated him. Now his power is limited to the Outer Wastes, although our king is convinced that he’s getting closer.”

  “But Lumina thinks he’s too weak to be a real threat,” Walker said.

  “That’s what she’d like to think,” Eddie assured him. “Lumina was a young warrior in the last war with the Black Count, and during the Battle of Barren Plains something happened to her—nobody knows what and she won’t talk about it—but whatever it was it changed her. You may think her hair’s white because she’s old, but it’s been that way ever since then. No, she may not want it to be so, but the threat’s real enough, all right. Remember your dream last night, the real scary one? Well, if the Shroud took over it would be like that, only ten times worse.”

  A shudder ran down Walker’s back at the thought of it. Then another shudder ran down his spine when he realized that he had never mentioned a word to Eddie about his dreams.

  “How do you know what I dreamed about last night?” he asked. “I never told you about them.”

  “I was the one who sent them to you—me and the king,” Eddie informed him. “He sent you the nice one with the unicorn and your girlfriend.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” Walker protested. “And you can’t send people dreams. They’re private.”

  “If you’re desperate you can,” Eddie assured him, “and we need you to step up and become King Leukos’s heir. The future of the Kingdom depends on it.”

  “If it’s so important, why did the king tell me I only had to be his heir if I wanted to?” Walker replied. “Why couldn’t someone else be king? Why couldn’t you? You’re a prince, so you’re halfway there already.”

  “I may be a prince, but I’m not a Chosen One, and only Chosen Ones can rule,” said Eddie. “That’s all I can tell you. Come back to the Kingdom, I beg of you.”

  Chapter 8

  Astrodor pulled on the gold-edged gown of a page in the royal household. He smoothed it down and looked at himself in the large mirror on the wall. The uniform looked good, he thought, but not as good as the armor of a knight.

  “One of these days,” he told the mirror, “you’ll be looking at His Majesty’s Loyal Lightkeeper, the noble Astrodor!”

  It was what he wanted more than anything else Nebula could offer. It wouldn’t be easy, he knew. It had been hard enough to become a page, and he probably wouldn’t be one now if it was not for the fact that his father was a teacher in the Kingdom’s only school. Teachers were revered in Nebula and their families were given special privileges, but they were also held to higher standards. So Astrodor worked hard and energetically did everything he was told as fast as he could, although perhaps he should slow down a bit. Running into that new Chosen One in front of the king probably hadn’t helped his career.

  Astrodor left the dressing area and went into the family room. Houses in the Kingdom only ever had one bedroom, solely for the use of the frail and elderly or the sick. Because of the energy that every citizen got from the Source nobody slept until they became advanced in age, and Astrodor was too young to be tired. He was the eldest child of the family, with three younger brothers, Artor and the twins, Avradin and Amradin, and one sister, Amalia. The twins were the only ones in the family room when Astrodor entered it.

  “Where’s everyone else?” he asked.

  “Mom and Amalia have gone visiting,” said Avradin. “I dunno where Dad is.”

  “Staying out of trouble, I hope,” Astrodor said.

  “Is he in trouble?” asked Amradin.

  “He will be if he keeps telling his students that the king only won the War Against Darkness because he was lucky,” Astrodor replied.

  “Is that bad?” asked Avradin.

  “Bad!” said Astrodor. “It’s almost treason. Everyone knows that the king was a hero during that war and that if he hadn’t won the Battle of Barren Plains, Nebula would’ve been overrun by the Shroud.”

  The twins looked up at him, their eyes wide with fear.

  “Will he lose his job and have to work in the stone quarry?” Amradin asked.

  “I doubt it,” Astrodor reassured them. “Teachers are way too valuable to get rid of. I have to go to the palace. I’ll see you at Quiet Hour.”

  He hugged the twins good-bye and walked down the short garden path and onto the street. Two of his friends, also pages, were waiting for him on the corner of a wide avenue. They usually walked to work together, although Astrodor hardly ever walked anywhere, but sped along half jogging.

  “Astrodor, slow down, will you?” one of the friends pleaded.

  “You two always take forever,” Astrodor protested. “Come on! We may be missing something at the Palace.”

  Grumbling, the other two pages tried to keep up with him until they saw something that stopped all three of them dead in their tracks. A juggler was balanced on a board on top of a large ball while tossing several smaller balls high in the air. He was always in the same place and normally the pages paid no attention to him. But today a small boy ran around the corner chased by another boy and a girl. He ran straight into the juggler, knocking the board out from beneath his feet and causing him to come crashing to the ground. The boy ran over to the man to try to help him up.

  “I’m sorry, sir,” the boy said. “I didn’t see you and I was going too fast.”

  The juggler looked at him and raised his hand as if to strike him.

  “Get out of here, you little brat!” he yelled.

  “Hey, stop that!” someone in the crowd called back. “Leave him alone. He’s just a child.”

  “He may be just a child,” another of the onlookers cried out, “but he should be kept under control! Parents have no idea how to bring up children nowadays!”

  A fearsome shouting match broke out with the audience taking sides either with the juggler or with the little boy, who by this time had run away, terrified. The pages stood watching, openmouthed. They had never witnessed people arguing in the street before, and as for striking a child, well, that meant working in the stone quarry for the rest of your life.

  The juggler wanted nothing to do with the argument. He picked up his board and balls and walked angrily away. The boys looked at one another.

  “Wow!” exclaimed one. “That was scary.”

  “My dad saw the same sort of thing a couple of cycles ago,” said the other. “He’d never seen anything like it either, and he’s old. He says that Nebula’s changing, and not for the better.”

  “Let’s go before it changes any more,” said Astrodor. “I don’t want to be late.”

  Walker looked at Eddie after hearing his plea to return to the Kingdom. His shoulders were hunched in despair, and he looked tired.

  “Okay,” he finally said. “I’ll return to the Kingdom, but on two conditions—that I can come back here whenever I want, and that going there doesn’t mean I’ve decided to be the king’s heir.”

  Eddie thought for a moment.

  “All right then, it’s agreed.”

  “On your honor?” asked Walker.

  “Everything I do is on my honor,” Eddie replied pompously.

  “Oh,” Walker added, “and that Frankie comes with us.”

  “That’s three conditions,” Eddie pointed out, “and the answer is no.”

  “Why not?” Walker protested.

  “I can’t go bringing every Tom, Dick, or Harriet to the Kingdom!” Eddie cried. “We’d end up with half the Outerworld, and there’s just not that much room.”

  “It’s not half the Outerworld,” Walker protested. “It’s only one skinny girl.”

  “No,” said Eddie.

  “If she doesn’t go, I don’t go,” said Walker determinedly, crossing his arms as he spoke.

  “Oh for goodness’ sake!” cried Eddie in exasperation. “You’re the most stubborn p
erson I’ve met for centuries. Well, if you’re really determined then I suppose we’ll have to take her, although I’m still against it. I know things have changed since I was born, but in my experience girls are no use when it comes to defending Kingdoms.”

  “I bet she would be,” Walker said, “but that’s not why I want her along. I just want someone from the Outerworld with me while I make up my mind.”

  “All right, all right,” Eddie said. “I agree. Let’s go get her.”

  “I don’t even know if she’s home,” Walker said.

  “She’s home,” Eddie assured him.

  “How do you know?” asked Walker

  “I just know,” Eddie replied. “Let’s go. I’ll beat you there.”

  Eddie started running down the dirt road toward Frankie’s house, even though Walker had never told him where she lived. He was surprised at how fast Eddie moved, especially since he was carrying his heavy sword. It was almost as if his feet never touched the ground.

  By the time they got to Frankie’s front door Walker was panting, but Eddie didn’t seem to be breathing any faster. Walker grabbed hold of the black metal doorknocker and rapped sharply. After a few minutes the door swung open to reveal a very tall, very thin woman with a tired and worried expression on her face.

  “Yes?” was all she said.

  “Please, can Frankie come out?” Walker asked.

  “Oh, you must be the boy from down the road—the Watson child,” the woman said. “Let me see what she’s doing.” She closed the door, leaving them standing on the step.

  “She needs feeding up, that one,” Eddie declared.

  Walker looked at his strange companion with his shoulder-length red hair, his fedora, and his sword.

  “Don’t you think you should hide, maybe?” he asked. “Frankie’s mom may not want her going around with weird people.”

  “Weird yourself,” Eddie retorted. “What’s weird about me? Anyway, she can’t see me or hear me, so even if I was weird it wouldn’t make any difference.”

  Then the door flew open and Frankie burst out, almost knocking him over. Today’s T-shirt said HIGH MAINTENANCE BUT WORTH IT.

  “You came to my house!” she enthused. “How cool. That means we really are friends. Maybe we should cut ourselves and exchange blood to make it official. It wouldn’t have to be a big cut, just a little nick, really.”

  Walker didn’t think that was a good idea at all, so he changed the subject.

  “Eddie says he’ll take you to the Kingdom,” he said.

  “Yay!” She screamed with delight. “Excellent. When do we go? When do I meet him? Oh, this is soooo great!”

  “He’s right there,” said Walker, pointing to Eddie, who was glowering with disapproval.

  “Where?” asked Frankie, looking in the direction that Walker was pointing.

  “Eddie, please stop that,” Walker pleaded. “How can you take her to the Kingdom if she can’t see or hear you?”

  “I’ve changed my mind,” said Eddie.

  “Well, I haven’t,” Walker assured him. “So if you’d just go away please and leave us alone, we have things to do.”

  Frankie looked quite bewildered, but not nearly as confused as she did when she suddenly saw Eddie standing right next to her.

  “All right, then. If that’s the way you’re going to be,” said Eddie, “we’ll all go.”

  “Oh wow!” cried Frankie. “How d’you do that? That is amazing! I’m Frankie, by the way.”

  “No kidding!” said Eddie. “I kinda guessed that. You’re the only skinny girl around here that I can see.”

  “And I’m kinda guessing that you’re rude, and it’s not cool to be rude to people you just met,” said Frankie.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Eddie smirked. “If I upset you that much maybe you’d prefer to stay here and not have to be in my company.”

  “Nice try, buster,” said Frankie, “but I don’t upset easily.”

  “Will you two stop?” yelled Walker. “You’re making me remember why I never wanted friends.”

  Much to Walker’s surprise they both fell silent.

  “Are we going to the Kingdom or not?” he demanded.

  “Yes,” grumbled Eddie. “We’re going.”

  The three of them made their way back to the hole in the ground and stood on its edge.

  “Now hold hands and don’t let go until we’re in motion,” Eddie said sternly.

  “How will we know we’re in motion?” asked Frankie.

  “You’ll know because you’re moving,” replied Eddie. “That’s what motion means.”

  “Is he always this nasty?” Frankie asked Walker.

  Walker just sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and took hold of her hand. He felt Eddie’s hand close around his other one.

  “On the count of three we jump,” Eddie commanded. “One—two—three!”

  They leaped into the air, and instead of the jarring sensation on their feet and ankles, they were enveloped in the smooth, silky blackness and strange floating feeling that Walker now knew meant they were on their way to the Kingdom. After what seemed both forever and no time at all they found themselves standing upright, only this time they were in the courtyard of the Palace.

  “Oh—my—God!” Frankie cried. “That was totally awesome—I mean absolutely, completely the most amazing thing that ever happened to me, way better than snowboarding.”

  She looked around in wonder, staring at the people, the buildings, and the silver birds high above her head.

  “This,” she said in an unusually hushed voice, “is the most beautiful place I’ve seen anywhere.”

  Walker looked at her with admiration; she seemed to have no fear. He also noticed for the first time how pretty she was. She glowed, not just in the way that everybody in the Kingdom glowed, but also because of excitement and anticipation. Then anxiety overtook him. He knew that by coming back he could be walking into a trap. Even though the king had let him return to the Outerworld before, there was no guarantee he would again, and bad as it would be to be captive himself, it would be far worse to know that Frankie was caged because of him.

  Chapter 9

  Walker was still a little anxious as they mounted the steps to the Royal Apartments. But he also found he was feeling surprisingly at home. It was fun to be here with Frankie. He was wary of strange things himself, but all the way to the castle she had been exclaiming with wonder and delight.

  “Look at that cute dragon!”

  “Wow, what a weird instrument! How great would it be to have one of those in our school band?”

  “Look at that tightrope walker. I’d love to walk a tightrope.”

  These and many more things in the Kingdom captivated Frankie, who didn’t seem to be the least bit worried about being in a strange world from which there was no guarantee of return. As they climbed the stairs Walker could hear her continuing commentary on everything they saw.

  Luzaro met them in the hallway outside the antechamber.

  “Welcome back, Your Highness, my lord,” he said, nodding to both the boys, “and welcome to you, Miss Frankie, as well.”

  “How does he know my name?” whispered Frankie to Walker.

  “They seem to know everything,” he answered.

  “Oooh, how spooky,” said Frankie. “Even that I’m wearing the same socks as yesterday?”

  “Probably,” Walker replied.

  “Yikes,” Frankie said. “I’m not sure I could live here.”

  Then, as if to disprove all Walker had just told her, Fussingham came bursting through the curtain.

  “Just one moment, just one moment!” he cried. “I have no record of this young woman. What is your name, child? I need details.”

  “Frankie,” replied Frankie, without missing a beat. “Actually Frances Livonia Hayes, but you can call me Frankie. Put down I was born in Mass General, you must know it, it’s that huge hospital, you can’t miss it, and both my parents are lawyers, although actually my da
d will probably be a judge soon, but my mom does real estate, and while she says it’s much more boring than criminal—that’s what my dad does right now—she also makes much more money, in fact heaps of it, and although she’ll never be on the Supreme Court, which my dad could be although it’s unlikely, she’s the one that paid for the house down the road from Walker, which is how I met him and how I came to be here.”

  Fussingham’s silver feather pen was scratching furiously over the pages of the book he carried wherever he went. She looked over his shoulder.

  “No,” she said. “‘Judge’ is spelled j-u-D-g-e.”

  “Maybe, Fussingham,” said Luzaro impatiently, “you could get this down later. The king wishes to see these three young people.”

  “Yes, quite,” replied Fussingham. “Later. Good idea.”

  For the time being he was a beaten man.

  Luzaro led them into the antechamber, which was empty of Lightkeepers or anyone else, and had a desolate look about it, as did the king. He was sprawled on his throne at the far end, and seemed distracted and tired.

  “Come here, come here.” He beckoned them over. “I am glad to see you return, Chosen One. I understand that we cannot yet hope for you as our future king, but the fact that you are here once more is encouragement enough at a time when there is little else to find reassuring. Luzaro said this young lady persuaded you to come back, and for that we thank her.”

  “I don’t know how much persuading I did, King,” she said with unusual modesty, “but I’m glad I did. You have a very cool Kingdom.”

  “Ah, well, indeed there are chill winds blowing closer every day,” said the king, completely misunderstanding her. “It is most troubling.”

  Luzaro appeared at the curtain once more.

  “The Lightkeepers have returned, Your Majesty,” he announced.

  “Bring them in, Luzaro. Bring them in.”

  The king turned back to the three children.

  “Our situation gets graver by the moment, although I am the only one who seems to see it,” he said, “and I have much to decide with my counselors. Go with my page until I have finished with them. I must talk more with you, Chosen One, about whether or not you wish to be king.”