Ariella and the Blood Curse

by Owen Crane

  in the dungeon.”

  “Oh princess, don"t be like that, you"d miss me.”

  “Like a hammer to the head,” she laughed as Lavina lifted her back into the

  sky.

  There were no clouds as they made their way back to Stonegard. The setting

  sun turned the sky a lush shade of pink and orange as the Royal Keep came into

  view.

  “I think we should avoid Rapha,” called Indio. “Let"s get in trouble with

  him another day.”

  Ariella nodded. “Let’s see if we can land in the Guardian compound without

  too much attention.”

  “And then the fun begins,” said Eleazar, his face worried.

  The group fanned out and came in low over the city heading as fast as

  possible to their compound. But the timing was atrocious. Masses of people

  were heading home from the day’s work. They stopped and gawped at the

  incoming griffins. Some shook their fists and shouted. Some made obscene

  gestures and swore at what they thought were more Khan Calvary.

  “Welcome back,” muttered Indio. To make matters worse a small

  detachment of royal guards were making their way back to the Keep and spotted

  them. Orders were barked and men ran off in various directions, no doubt

  carrying messages.

  “They know we’re back,” called Jaron.

  So much for a quiet entrance. Let the fireworks begin.

  They landed the griffins in the training area, much to the shock of the

  Guardians on duty. There was more shouting and people running to and fro.

  Ariella dropped to the floor, the boys following her. They waited in silence

  for the coming storm. They didn’t have to wait long. Karlov came bursting out

  of the weapons room with Lalea close behind.

  “He looks pretty ticked,” whispered Indio

  “Why do you think that is? Maybe someone burnt his dinner?” Answered

  Eleazar

  Ariella gave them both a cold stare.

  Karlov came barrelling towards them, shouting the whole time.

  “You stupid, impudent, idiotic, foolish morons! I ought to string you up by

  your thumbs…”

  “Told you,” whispered Jaron.

  “Shut up,” hissed Ariella.

  “…but that would be too good for Sojourners as spectacularly dumb and

  reckless as you four. We’ve got two kingdoms at each other’s throats and you

  think it’s a great idea to steal the Queen of Khan’s griffins.”

  “Er… ” Started Indio

  “Don’t,” whispered Jaron

  “Er, pardon me for interrupting sir but,” began Indio

  “What? You have something to say you do you? You have something to

  contribute that could possibly justify your cataclysmic stupidity?”

  “Just wanted to clarify,”

  “Clarify what?” Yelled Karlov

  “They were borrowed, you see, not stolen. We brought them back.” Indio

  even managed to smile as he said it.

  Karlov’s face turned bright red and green sparks flashed across his finger

  tips. He opened his mouth to answer but Lalea leaned a gentle hand on his

  shoulder.

  “You four step away from the griffins.” She then noticed Polly, still perched nervously on her mount. “And who are you?”

  Polly gulped and tears welled in her eyes.

  “It’s her,” said Ariella.

  “What the hell kind of answer is that?” Karlov demanded.

  “Is all been her,” said Ariella, trying it remain calm. “She’s the one that started the blood curse.”

  Karlov was stunned, his mouth hanging open. “Her? Are you serious?”

  The four of them nodded.

  “She was being forced by Ghost Raiders to put a blood curse on the

  Willowbank,” explained Ariella. “We saw her do it. Then we rescued her and

  she broke the curse. It"s over.”

  “Are you kidding me?” demanded Karlov, eyeing Polly with disdain.

  “It"s true,” said Jaron, “I swear it.”

  Karlov clenched his jaw and looked at Lalea. She nodded.

  “Wait here.” she commanded. Turning on her heel she strode to the central

  building.

  Karlov called over to the guards on the gate, “watch them, closely. Do not let

  them leave.” He turned and followed after Lalea

  “Uh oh,” said Jaron.

  “You don’t think they’re going to get…” Eleazar’s voice trailed off.

  “Who?” Asked Indio looking at the two of them but they were avoiding eye

  contact. “What are they talking about Ari?”

  “Vantor,” she replied, “they’ve gone to get Lord Vantor.”

  Indio sighed. “Someone stab me now.”

  Chapter 24

  “So you"ve come crawling back then?” Eugenie"s voice echoed across the

  courtyard.

  The rest of the Knot emerged from the tower, Eugenie and Theia taking the

  lead.

  “Oh hell,” sighed Eleazar, “this is exactly what we need.”

  “Get lost Eugenie,” called Ariella.

  “You"ve got some nerve coming back here,” Eugenie continued “You take off

  to who knows where, abandoning your Knot and…

  “Oh do shut up!” snapped Jaron. “You don"t give a rip about the Knot, the

  Guardians or anyone but yourself. You"re a spoilt little rich girl, happy to play a

  part in daddy"s schemes. Even if that means betraying the Guardians and

  spreading lies about Khan. You make me sick.”

  It was the first time Ariella had seen Eugenie lost for words. She stood there

  for a moment, mouth open wide, eyes fixed on Jaron. Then she turned and ran

  pushing through the rest of the Knot and back into the tower, Theia following

  behind. Before she turned Ariella had seen a look on a face that didn"t quite fit.

  She was hurt, genuinely hurt. Not defensive or angry but hurt. Jaron hurt her.

  “You"re not dead then?” said Joachim. Ariella wasn"t sure if it was a

  question or statement. Either way he didn"t seem to want an answer. He was

  more interested in the griffins.

  “We missed you too,” said Eleazar, but the tall warrior didn"t even

  acknowledge him.

  “It"s so good to see you all,” said Esther, a bright smile on her face.

  “We were pretty worried when we heard you"d taken the griffins.” added

  Felix “Karlov was erupting, I thought he was going to burst something.”

  “There"s still time for that,” said Indio, trying to be funny but no one

  laughed.

  Phoebe came and stood in front of Ariella. The tall girl stooped sheepishly,

  looking at her.

  “It"s good to see you Phoebe,” she said. Phoebe nodded, and gave Ariella a

  nervous half smile.

  The reunion was brought to a sudden halt as Karlov, emerging into the

  sunlight, swung the doors of the main Guardian building open. Lalea was still

  with him followed by Malum, Elsa and lastly Lord Vantor.

  A hush descended on the courtyard as the Lord Guardian strode towards the

  young Sojourners.

  “This is not going to be pretty,” muttered Eleazar.

  “I think being strung up by my thumbs is looking like a more attractive

  option than facing this lot,” said Indio, shifting from one foot to another.

  Ariella tried to slow her breathing as she took a step forward to meet the

  oncoming group. Karlov came to a halt just in front of her and stepped to the

  side. He turned to
Lord Vantor and indicated with his hand.

  “These are the four I was telling you about, my Lord.”

  Vantor said nothing. He stood and stared at them, taking in every detail.

  Malum stood on one side of him, his usual bored expression on his face. He was

  causing small flickers of light to fly between one index finger and the other. It

  seemed to be making Indio even more nervous.

  That’s probably his plan. Why doesn’t anyone say something? Should I speak first?

  She glanced at Elsa, her childhood hero, standing on the other side of Vantor.

  She had always dreamed of meeting her, of being this close to her.

  Excellent. You finally get to meet the Lioness of the Guardians as she expels you

  from The Journey. This’ll be a fun day to tell your grandchildren about.

  Lord Vantor stood in front of them like a statue. Only his eyes moved, from

  one of the four Sojourners to others. Soaking in everything.

  Enough already! Speak will you! Say something!

  “Tell me,” began Vantor, in a soft tone. “Whose idea was it to leave the city

  without permission and steal the Queen of Khan"s griffin?”

  “It was mine, my Lord,” said Ariella trying desperately to sound strong.

  Indio coughed and stepped forward. “Actually, my Lord, it was my idea to

  take the griffins.”

  “Hold on, I think going to Khan was my idea,” said Jaron, moving to

  Ariella’s side.

  “I thought they were all nuts, my Lord,” said Eleazar. “But I figured they

  needed someone to keep them out of trouble.”

  Elsa frowned, Malum smirked, Vantor didn"t move.

  “You are Ariella?” Vantor asked, his eyes seem to bore into her soul.

  She nodded.

  “Why don"t you tell us what happened?” The words he used made it sound

  like she had an option. His tone said otherwise.

  Ariella tried to swallow. Her mouth had suddenly gone dry. Jaron squeezed

  her hand. She took a deep breath and launched into their tale. Excluding the

  part about the Echo Orbs. Some things needed to remain secret.

  No one interrupted her when she spoke. Indio showed excellent restraint

  when she told how they stole the griffins. When she finished, Elsa was still

  frowning, Malum was still smirking and Vantor still hadn"t moved.

  “How many different types of Light?” Malum asked her. It sounded like an

  innocent question but something in the look on his face made Ariella uneasy.

  “Three,” she answered

  “All three? Interesting.” said Malum.

  What’s interesting? What the hell are you getting at?

  But Malum fell silent.

  “Do you have any proof of your words?” asked Elsa.

  “The blood you see on our clothes,” said Ariella. “And on Lavina"s wing.

  The Light healed our wounds so there are no scars. Apart from that we have

  nothing. No proof at all.”

  “Actually,” said Indio, “would this help?” He held out two apples. “I took

  these from an orchard we passed on the way back from Khan. We wanted to test

  if the curse had been broken.”

  “How does that prove anything?” asked Elsa, her voice sceptical

  “Well,” began Indio. “They"re from the same tree, they look the same.”

  “And?” asked Elsa

  Indio dropped one of the apples onto the stone courtyard and stamped down

  hard. The fruit exploded in a shower of dark red blood, splattering across the

  flagstones and Karlov"s boots.

  “Oops, sorry about that, didn"t think that one through.” said Indio.

  “Keep going,” Karlov growled

  “Er, yes, well, as you can see, that apple had been affected by the blood

  curse. But I soaked this other one in the Willowbank.”

  Indio bit down on the second apple, taking a huge bite. Lalea winced,

  expecting a shower of blood but all they got was the sound of Indio crunching

  down on the flesh of the ripe apple.”

  “See?” said Indio.

  “Nice job,” whispered Jaron, giving Indio a wink.

  Vantor turned his attention to Polly. “And you my dear,” he asked gently,

  “Where are you from?”

  “From across the eastern sea, my Lord,” she said, her voice weak. “A small

  chain of islands where my family have lived for generations. The Ghost Raiders

  came to our village one night and killed my parents and threatened my brother

  with the same if I did not help them.”

  “It was not the Light that wrought the blood curse and no Light was able to

  break it,” said Elsa, her eyes narrowing as she studied Polly.

  “Magic,” said Malum, his face darkening “Blood magic.”

  “Our people use it for good,” said Polly, taking a step away from Malum.

  Vantor turned to Karlov. “Send out our fastest riders. Get them to the

  Willowbank and as many of its tributaries as you can. I want this verified within

  the hour.”

  Karlov nodded and began issuing commands to the Guardians around him.

  Within a few moments a dozen riders were mounted and galloping out of the

  city.

  “Now the question remains,” began Vantor. “What shall we do with you

  four?”

  “Expulsion seems the obvious choice,” said Elsa

  “On what charge?” asked Malum “They didn"t actually disobey any direct

  commands as far as I can see. They missed one day of their Journey through

  their actions. That should be punished, of course. And I believe they didn"t steal

  the griffins, they merely borrowed them, isn"t that right Indio?”

  “Er, yes, exactly,” said Indio. “That"s what I"ve been saying all along.

  Borrowed, definitely borrowed.”

  “So you see, expulsion seems to be too severe a punishment. Especially as it

  appears they have broken the Blood Curse,” added Malum

  Elsa was not convinced. “That remains to be seen. This whole thing could

  have just been a colossal waste of time.”

  Malum and Elsa looked at Vantor, who still hadn"t moved. He stood silent.

  Enough with the silent treatment, will you just put us out of our misery?

  “Karlov,” said Vantor. “These four are to be confined to the compound until

  the High Winter Festival. During that time they are to take personal

  responsibility for the cleaning of all the stables as well as their normal duties.”

  “Yes, my lord.” nodded Karlov.

  He didn’t expel us!

  “And Karlov,”

  “Yes, my Lord.”

  “If there are any more indiscretions, string them up by their thumbs.”

  “Yes, my Lord.” Karlov gave them a dark scowl.

  “Looks like word has got around,” said Elsa pointing at the gate.

  A small detachment of Royal Guards had arrived at the compound and were

  arguing with the Guardians at the gate.

  “I"ll deal with it,” said Malum, striding over to the Royal Guards, a burst of

  blue flame covering his right hand. He returned a few moments later carrying a

  letter with a large wax seal.

  “It"s for you,” said Malum handing Vantor the letter. “I think the King

  would like to find out who borrowed his sister"s griffins.

  Vantor broke the seal on the letter, scanned it and handed it back to Malum.

  He looked at the four Sojourners then at Polly.

  “The King would like to meet you.”

  “Splendid
idea.” said Malum with a broad grin. “Now?”

  “Now.” replied Vantor.

  “Er…” began Indio.

  Vantor spoke slowly, his eyes fixed on Indio. “This would not be a good

  time to speak.”

  Indio shrank back and clamped his mouth shut.

  Vantor set off for the compound gates followed by Elsa and Malum. Ariella

  and the others hesitated until Karlov spoke up.

  “It was not an invitation,” he said. “It was an order. Get moving. You too

  Polly.”

  Within a few moments they were following Lord Vantor through the streets

  of Stonegard heading to the Royal Keep.

  “And I thought this day couldn"t get any worse,” said Eleazar. “Now we"re

  off to see the King, oh joy.”

  “At least they didn"t expel us,” said Jaron

  “Or string us up by our thumbs,” added Indio.

  Elsa turned and glared at them and they fell silent.

  The Royal Guards were expecting them and parted as they approached the

  Keep. The great iron doors swung inward revealing a spectacular entrance hall

  as high as it was wide. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and rich red

  carpet covered the floor.

  Polly began shaking, her eyes darting around. Ariella moved closer to her

  and touched her arm.

  “It"ll be okay,” she whispered, “The King is a good man. Nothing will

  happen to you.”

  Polly tried to smile but her lip quivered.

  As they stepped into the entrance hall a tall, thin courtier greeted them with

  an aloof expression on his face. His was dressed in fine orange and red robes; a

  golden phoenix brooch was pinned to his chest.

  “Lord Vantor,” he began, “His royal Majesty King Tristan of Trevena will see

  you now.”

  The courtier"s robes swooshed grandly as he spun on his heel and led the

  group onward. They passed through several large double doors until they

  arrived at a pair of stunning gold doors with a Royal Guard at each handle. As

  they approached, the guards swung open the doors and they stepped into the

  throne room.

  At the far end was a great golden throne; a phoenix rising from the flames

  was emblazoned on its back. In front of the throne was King Tristan and, much

  to Ariella"s surprise, were the other four Monarchs of Dawnhaven.

  “Oh no,” said Ariella under her breath when she saw her mother.

  Standing just behind Queen Abalyne was Indio"s uncle, Ketil Griffinfriend,