Jack Shian and the King's Chalice

by Andrew Symon

  “It’ll be a charm stone – we told you before.”

  “What did she mean, ‘the Saddux’?” asked Petros, following on.

  “It is an old word signifying those who believe that death is the end,” replied Grandpa. “It refers to Shian and humans. It seems we are more bound up than ever before.”

  “Aunt Katie said the Brashat think death is the end,” said Jack. “So I guess they want the Cup because they think that means they’ll never die.”

  “Grandpa, can’t we slow down a bit?” said Petros. “I’m out of breath.”

  “Then perhaps it would be best to save your questions for later. I need time to think about what Tamlina has told us. Look after that horn she gave you, Jack. Tamlina will always have a reason for doing things.”

  As they reached the house they saw people standing at the doorway, talking and laughing; the sound of music came from inside. As they entered, they found the house packed. Hart and Dorcas were in the kitchen, singing together while a young fiddler played along. People were listening with rapt attention. The atmosphere resonated with goodwill.

  “What was the problem?” asked Grandpa of Hart when his song finished.

  Hart looked blank for a moment. “Oh, that. Those two,” he indicated Rana and Lizzie in the doorway, “were playing truant. As soon as we’d left, they just disappeared. Dorcas was worried sick.”

  Jack looked across to where his cousins were scoffing cakes. Rana saw him looking and waved, laughing.

  “And where were they?” asked Jack.

  “They won’t say, except it was ‘in the woods playing’. They had Dorcas and Katie going for a while. But no harm done.”

  “There are things we should discuss,” said Grandpa to Hart. “Where are Ossian and Doonya?”

  “They sent a grig to say they’d be late. But it’s the party now. We can talk in the morning.”

  Jack and Petros made a beeline for the food. It had been a good day: they had been to see an enchantress, apart from the zap (secretly Petros was quite proud of this) she had treated them well, times were changing and they felt part of it, important.

  When the sun had gone down and twilight was just upon them, people started to move outside for the moment when day and night would meet on equal terms. In the western sky, a meteor shower heralded the moment when the year turned into a new quarter. All raised their goblets to the sky and chorused, “Equinox!”

  25

  A Mystery Explained

  Jack half-awoke at dawn and could hear his grandfather and uncles talking downstairs, but he was too tired to get up. When he came down for breakfast two hours later and pressed them for information, Doonya seemed irritable.

  “Not now, Jack. We’ve got to get back to the castle. We must consult the manuscripts, and you’ll be late if we don’t get a move on.”

  “He’s right,” Grandpa concurred.

  Jack ate in silence. They had all shared in yesterday’s adventure, surely they should all discuss what they knew? But the adults were not for changing their minds, and after a hurried breakfast, they set out for the low road. Striding ahead, Doonya got to the mound first.

  “Come on,” he announced sharply. “You have your apprenticeships to go to, and we have much to do.”

  As Rana and Lizzie caught up, taking as long as they dared, Grandpa ushered them towards their parents on the low road entrance.

  “Come along, girls,” he said quickly. “You need to get going too.”

  Doonya put his arms around their shoulders.

  “Wind-flock castle!”

  Within seconds, Jack and Petros were also flying back to the castle with Grandpa. By the time they reached the Shian square, Rana and Lizzie had run ahead to the house, eager to check that Nuxie was all right. Jack and Petros had time only to pick up their satchels and make off for their morning’s work.

  When Jack reached Gilmore’s workshop, the only other person there was Freya.

  “Hiya, Jack,” she called. “Did you have a good time at Keldy last night? We heard your aunt and uncle were having a party.”

  “It was great. We went into the woods again to see …” Jack’s voice trailed off. Should he be telling others what they had done?

  “It’s all right, you don’t have to say.” Freya saved him the embarrassment of trying to back down. “I’ll hear anyway; your cousins can’t keep a secret.”

  “If you mean Rana and Lizzie, they didn’t come with us,” said Jack curtly, and was surprised when Freya just smiled back.

  “Gilmore’s not going to be in ’til later, and Doxer’s sick today. D’you want to see some special cloth?”

  Jack looked around. It was certainly quieter than usual.

  “Where’s Fenrig?”

  “Dunno. He suits himself most of the time. I don’t think he’s been sent home, though. Come here. I’ll show you what I’m working on.”

  Jack examined the dark green shiny bonnet Freya was sewing. The cloth almost glowed.

  “It’s a shifter,” explained Freya. “When you put it on, you move sideways or backwards ten or fifteen yards. It’s for getting you out of a tight spot. You have to be quick, though, and keep moving. Whoever’s after you won’t wait around.”

  “Can I try it?”

  “It’s not finished yet. I might let you try it in a few days. But don’t say anything to Gilmore. You know how strict he is.”

  Gilmore, when he finally arrived, was flustered, and not inclined to speak. When Jack asked what he should do next, Gilmore snapped back irritably that Jack was old enough to find things to do for himself.

  Jack’s day was not improved by Murkle’s lesson. Once again the great storyteller launched into a lengthy tale about a brave Shian prince, and once again his room became a sleepy retreat from the outside world for several young apprentices. Most had stopped listening after a few minutes and were trying to find something – anything – to hold their attention. Jack sat and thought about Tamlina’s chant.

  “A thief’s brief reward.” So someone had stolen the Cup. Well, that didn’t help much. Who? And where was it now? “Its future determined by fire and by sword.” Jack resolved to ask Grandpa about this as soon as the lesson ended. And what about the ram’s horn? If it was that important, he would have to keep it with him at all times. He must have been thinking hard about the visit to Keldy, because mercifully the time slipped by quickly. However, when he got home, his aunt informed him that Grandpa was not likely to be back until much later.

  “He’s got things to see to, dear,” she explained. “And I’m not sure you young ones should be getting mixed up in all this.”

  Rana and Lizzie were playing noisily in the front room. Jack went in to see what they were up to.

  “We know something you don’t,” teased Lizzie.

  “Heard it,” said Jack, refusing to rise to the bait.

  “Did you enjoy your trip to see you-know-who yesterday?” asked Rana innocently.

  “What d’you mean? Who’re you talking about?”

  “Oh, nothing,” replied Rana airily. “We just thought maybe you wanted to tell us some of your stories.” She eyed him playfully. “She did keep you waiting an awful long time, though.”

  “It was you, wasn’t it?” shouted Jack. “One time I was sure I’d heard you. How’d you manage it?”

  “Manage what?” said Lizzie, her eyes wide open in fake surprise.

  “You know what I mean,” said Jack, recovering his poise. “You followed us, didn’t you? And Tamlina nearly discovered you too. She sensed five of us there.”

  “You mean you went to see that old hag?” asked Rana in a mock serious voice, but, unable to keep a straight face, she promptly burst out laughing, and was joined by her sister.

  Realising he would get nowhere with them on his own, Jack resolved to wait for Petros. But his cousin was late that day, only turning up when Uncle Doonya and Grandpa returned at suppertime. As they all sat around the table, Rana and Lizzie kept giggling and whisperi
ng to each other. Catching the flow of Jack’s increasing exasperation, Grandpa forestalled any shouting.

  “Jack, we’ll have a chat after supper about yesterday. I’m sorry, but there really wasn’t time this morning.”

  After supper, Grandpa ushered Jack, Petros and Doonya into the front room.

  “Jack,” he began, stroking his beard, “we have some news for you. Your uncle and Ossian went to the History Pool, as you know. And Doonya has something to tell you.”

  “Word had got around, and there were many creatures by the Pool. But it knows who’s watching, somehow. When it was our turn we looked in, and …” He took a deep breath. “We saw your father, Jack. Going through the woods of Keldy all those years ago with Konan the Brashat. And it’s like Tamlina told you. They were trying to trick each other.”

  Jack’s felt his heart jump up his throat. For years he had wanted to find out about his father; now he dreaded hearing more.

  “Your father and Konan started arguing, then fighting, then the Grey arrived.”

  Jack gasped.

  “She quickly suspended the two of them. We saw them hanging, frozen, in the dark. Then the waters became murky again. When they cleared, it was just your father there.”

  “Jack,” Grandpa’s voice was soothing. “It tells us he didn’t betray us. And although the Grey’s curse is strong, there may be ways to break it.”

  “What … what did he look like?” Jack knew it was an odd question, but his brain was having trouble processing this new information.

  “Jack, he was suspended,” said Doonya softly. “It’s like the body is frozen – it looks lifeless.”

  “But you get suspended for committing serious crimes.”

  “It’s the Grey we’re dealing with, Jack. She makes her own rules.”

  “What can break the curse?” whispered Jack.

  “Until we find him, that’s impossible to say,” said Grandpa gently. “It depends what the Grey has done to him. He looked suspended. There may be more. But her power is not absolute, she can be beaten.”

  “How did Konan escape, then?” asked Petros. “Maybe the Brashat did a deal with the Grey.”

  “The Grey doesn’t ‘do’ deals. She’s an agent of despair and death,” said Doonya. “Being a Brashat won’t protect you from that.”

  “But the Brashat do live longer than us, don’t they?” pointed out Petros. “That might mean they have some influence with death.”

  “They want influence with death – that’s why I’m sure they’d like to get the Cup. They’ll think it’ll let them live forever. But they don’t have it yet. And the Grey cursed both of them. We don’t know how Konan got away.”

  “Tamlina said I might have met Konan,” said Jack softly. “But I would know if I had, wouldn’t I?”

  “Tamlina speaks in riddles sometimes – who knows what she meant? There are many things we still have to figure out, including where the Cup is. She was specific about asking Daid’s advice, though. He was away for Equinox, but he’ll be back tomorrow.”

  Jack’s head was buzzing as he made his way upstairs for bed. He didn’t feel like talking about it, not even to Petros. Rana and Lizzie were playing up in the next bedroom, until Katie shouted at them to be quiet. Jack was grateful for the comparative quiet as he lay there, trying to make sense of his thoughts. But no matter how he tried, he couldn’t work out what he was meant to be feeling.

  Jack had a restless night. A series of bizarre dreams prevented any restful sleep, and when morning came he felt bleary. His work at Gilmore’s did not go well, his basic mistakes exasperating his tutor. By the time Jack got home that afternoon he felt drained, and even passed up the chance to go out to the High Street, slumping instead in the front room, alone. His mood didn’t improve at suppertime when Grandpa announced that Daid had not provided any useful information.

  “I couldn’t tell you over supper,” explained Grandpa to the boys afterwards. “The girls are a little young to be hearing this, but as you are both already taught by Daid, I feel it’s fair to tell you.”

  Jack and Petros exchanged puzzled glances.

  “You may have noticed that Daid is not always … alert.” stated Grandpa. Jack smiled quietly. “He has an unparalleled experience of living with humans, but that experience has left him with an occasional disadvantage. He has a fondness, shall we say, for some of the human failings.”

  “You mean he likes their beer?” laughed Petros. “Everyone in my class knows that.”

  “Your classmates may have noticed something,” continued Grandpa evenly, “but you ought to know that Shian can’t drink human beer.”

  Jack saw his cousin blush.

  “That said, Daid has developed something of a taste for what the humans call the water of life – a spirit drink. The upshot is that sometimes – like now – he’s a little under the weather. We won’t get much out of him until tomorrow. However, we still have time. Tamlina said the Cup is revealed on Hallows’ Eve, that’s not for another month.”

  Grandpa’s optimism, however, was unfounded, for even the next day Daid was unable to provide any useful information. By the time Thursday’s lesson came around, Daid was almost beside himself with worry. He spent the entire lesson jumping up and rushing over to the bookshelf, grabbing a volume, only to let the book fall after he had flicked through its contents. The afternoon passed by in a confused haze.

  Depressingly, that set the tone for the next three weeks. Daid remained incapable of remembering where the answer lay, although he knew that it was somewhere in one of his books. But there were so many, and although he’d read parts of all of them, and most of some of them, his erratic approach and haphazard filing system meant that he was unable to remember the book he wanted, never mind find it.

  As Daid fretted, so Grandpa became ever more anxious, knowing that Hallows’ Eve was a chance not to be missed. He was convinced that some of the manuscripts had been mislaid, but try as he might, he couldn’t find them. Jack and Petros, aware of these concerns, felt powerless. But if Grandpa and Daid between them could not solve the problem, what chance had they?

  26

  Solving the Riddles

  Monday arrived. Just a day to go to Hallows’ Eve. Grandpa Sandy had become almost frantic. The lost manuscripts remained lost, and Daid was no nearer to finding the book he sought. The tutor had lapsed into a state of melancholy, informing the apprentices that he was unfit to live under the castle with members of the Congress.

  By the time of Murkle’s lesson that afternoon, a dark cloud of despondency hung over the Shian square. The rock wall crystals showered their light, but somehow it was duller than usual. Only Fenrig appeared cheery, as he recounted his planned exploits at Hallows’ Eve.

  “I’m going to play some really good tricks on stupid humans,” he announced as they made their way to Murkle’s door. “They won’t know what’s hit them by the time I’m finished.”

  Although most of the group shared a distaste for Fenrig much of the time, there was some approval for this.

  “The humans are driving the animals away,” said Diana heatedly. “Even the charmed places are getting smaller.”

  Murkle opened the door and ushered the group in. Once they were all inside, he sat in his usual chair and began to recite. Like the others, Jack had learnt by now how to cope with the tedium. He closed his eyes and pictured the woods of Keldy, then the streams in Rangie. Within minutes, Jack was miles away. Murkle occasionally gazed around the room, but he too seemed to be far away in his own world, reciting stories that should have been interesting, but which none of his class wanted to hear.

  Purdy, sitting next to Jack, used his body to shield herself from Murkle. As the tutor droned on, she sat and doodled on a scrap of paper on the small area of seat between herself and Jack. Sometimes purposeful, sometimes absent-minded, she sketched away.

  Murkle coughed, and Jack sat up with a start, but the teacher quickly resumed his story.

  “On certain e
xceptional nights, the ghosts of long ago can be conjured up with the sounding of a special ram’s horn. The horn may revive all those connected with a particular object or place, and unlike any other night the ghosts can act as if they were alive, but this can only be …”

  Jack lapsed again into half-sleep as Murkle’s voice droned on. Realising that there was still some way to go, Jack looked sleepily around. The other apprentices were each silently following their chosen paths of boredom relief. His mind still fuzzy from his daydream, Jack glanced down at Purdy’s doodles.

  She’s quite artistic; they’re nice patterns. Swirls and curves, knots and spirals; she’s linked them up nicely.

  Spirals. At the back of Jack’s bored mind, a candle ignited. He looked at the paper again. There was no doubt: it was a Triple-S spiral.

  He sat bolt upright, suddenly awake.

  “Where did you see that?!”

  There was a stir of interest around the room. Murkle looked over angrily towards Jack.

  “Harrumph … What’s the meaning of this?” he barked.

  “I–I’m sorry,” stammered Jack. “I saw something.”

  “And what is so important that you have to shout in my lesson?”

  Jack was caught. He didn’t want to draw attention to Purdy’s drawing, especially with Fenrig looking on, but there was always a risk the others would see it anyway.

  “Could I see you and Purdy outside for a minute, please, Murkle?” he asked, surreptitiously slipping his hand over Purdy’s drawing.

  Murkle glared at Jack for a moment, and Jack wondered briefly whether the teacher was going to beat him. Then Murkle stood up abruptly and led Jack and Purdy out of the room, closing the door. He had not reverted the youngsters to their normal size, and towered over them.

  “Well?” he demanded severely.

  Jack realised he had nothing to lose now.

  “Please, Murkle, it’s the pattern on Tamlina’s ring you saw at the Congress meeting, the one you said wasn’t Shian. Purdy’s just drawn it.”