Lamp of Light

by Alex H Singh

  Phillip cringed as he thought of the goblins. Seven of them? He couldn’t quite recall, but he figured they had been summoned by the princess with the sole purpose of being her weapons against the opposition. Her reign of terror had begun, and they were no closer to getting the lamp. Phillip didn’t miss that one of the pirate’s mention ‘the other one’, who must have been a demon. This made Esther Anna wonder if he’d meant Damien, as the description fit. If that were the case, it meant he wasn’t after them, and that the cloaking spell the fairies used had worked a little too well. She smiled at the prospect. Their mission would be a lot easier without the woodsman at their heels.

  “Their deaths will not be in vain.” Phillip finally spoke up, with a look of determination in his eyes. He meant every word, and Esther Anna appreciated his sentiment.

  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, their vessel docked. Phillip rose to his feet and stretched out and rearranged his pack now that he was standing. He offered a hand to help the queen to her feet as well.

  “Well, let’s hope these guys are as greedy as they look.” Phillip uttered, as they approached the crew who were disembarking from the ship.

  It was a good sign they were laughing heartily amongst themselves.

  Phillip’s gait was easy as he stepped forward. “Hello, fellas.” He offered a cheery smile, but this made them stop their chatter in an instant. The fairy prince’s smile never wavered, and he stood watching them, arms at ease, hanging at his sides. “How’re you boys doing this fine morning? I see you just returned from a voyage. I trust it was successful?”

  They looked him over, maintaining their belligerent expressions and looking just about ready to jump on him for distracting their fraternizing.

  “What’s it to ya, huh?” One of the men asked, with his gaze fixed on Esther Anna.

  She stared back at him defiantly as he took a couple of steps forward, and he laughed.

  “What’s it to ya?” he repeated, looking up at Phillip now.

  “Well, it is a fine-looking boat. I would like to borrow it. Rent, if we may, for a very short voyage of my own.” Phillip smiled, and he noticed that seemed to bother them, on top of his request to rent their vessel.

  One of the men behind murmured something he couldn’t hear, an insult, perhaps, but it was ignored.

  The man who stood closest to the prince scoffed as if he could not believe what he was hearing. “Boat’s not available for sale or rent, son. You can ask over around there.” He pointed toward a part of the harbor and he began to turn away.

  Esther Anna stepped forward. “Well, you see sir, we have already asked over there, and they didn’t have what we wanted. We were just about to give up when you sailed in. I promise that we will return it in one piece, and even pay you for any damages caused. We will pay now, in gold, upfront.”

  Phillip smirked, impressed at Esther Anna’s offer, and her courage.

  The man gazed at her again. He looked at Prince Phillip and his eyes lingered on the sword that swung lazily at his hip and he smiled. “Gold, you say?” He arched an eyebrow, letting his words trail off into the air before he shook his head. “Sorry, but the Marry Finny Fine is not for sale. Now run along. My next answer will not be quite as civil.”

  He started to turn away, but a hand placed on his shoulder stopped him and his men shifted uncomfortably. He turned to gaze upon a smiling Prince Phillip, who removed his hand and reached into the pack when he had the man’s attention. Phillip retrieved a handful of fairy gold coins, and when he revealed the money, it was clear he’d gotten the man’s attention since his eyes widened with recognition. One by one, his comrades moved in closer to get a better look at what they all knew to be the rarest currency all the kingdoms. Finding even one fairy coin was something the most accomplished sailors bragged about, yet here he was, carrying a bag full of them.

  Phillip watched as he picked out one of the gold coins. He proceeded to use a specialized test, one that he’d perhaps picked up from sailor stories, to determine the authenticity of the gold. Close behind him, Esther Anna rolled her eyes at the man’s distrust. It was expected, however, as they knew quite well that the kingdom was littered with cheats and thieves. The man would be a fool to be so quick to trust the strangers who might have had a bag full of counterfeit coin, after all.

  It was a three-part test, and he nodded as the coin passed each one. Once it was complete, he looked back at his men, and they all smiled and exchanged knowing glances. “Fairy gold. That be some really hard currency to come by, boy. Who are you?” He scanned his gaze over Phillip, then to the queen, then back to Phillip once more.

  “That is not the business at hand my friend.” Phillip responded, as he transferred the pack from one shoulder to the other. The hungry and eager eyes of the men followed the movement. “You’ll have to trust me. There’s plenty where that came from and you can even conduct your verification tests while we wait. I assure you; it is authentic fairy gold, for the chance to sail off with your ship. You have to admit, it is a very good deal.”

  The men huddled amongst themselves and discussed their plan of action in hushed whispers. They peeked up from time to time, stealing nervous glances at Phillip and Esther Anna as if they half-expected them to vanish out of sight.

  “What do you think they’re talking about?” Esther asked, and her question jarred him out of his thoughts.

  “I can’t say for sure, at my signal, I need you to run and hide behind that boat over there.” Phillip pointed to an abandoned vessel that was being used to store supplies.

  Esther Anna nodded and returned to her position. She looked around and noticed that people were throwing odd stares towards them. What was he thinking? She wondered. Showing off fairy gold to strangers who were already reluctant to let them use their vessel was just a recipe for disaster. While she remained uneasy about the men talking for this long, he stood there confidently.

  Is there something he’s not telling me?

  The presumed leader of the men stepped forward. His eyes glistened with something that looked like greed, mixed with something else.

  So, what’s it going to be? Phillip wondered.

  “Well, my men and I have decided…” He turned back to the men and they nodded.

  Phillip saw one of them pull out a dagger and twiddle it between his fingers with a small smile on his face, though his own smile didn’t falter. “And?” He looked at the man with the dagger briefly before returning his gaze to the leader.

  Esther Anna didn’t seem bothered by the weapon at all.

  “And…we’ve decided we’ll take your money.” the man replied.

  Phillip feigned happiness and obliviousness rubbing both palms together and smiling happily, “That’s very good. I’m glad we could reach an amicable conclusion.”

  The eight men burst out in a roar of laughter, which made Esther Anna shift uncomfortably. Phillip stared at the men wearing a fake expression of confusion. He was giving them as many chances as he could afford to just take the money and be on their merry way. Why did they choose to be so predictable? He wondered as the man looked to his men and back to Phillip.

  “I wasn’t finished yet, boy!” The man said, and his smile vanished. He glared daggers at Phillip as he spoke. “We will be taking the money. Period. The Marry Finny Fine, like I said before, is not for sale.” He pulled his sabre from its sheath and let his eyes scan over the blade, carefully.

  “Well, gentlemen, that’s a real pity. But if that’s the way it’s going to be, and you don’t really want to rent out your boat, then me and my friend here, are going to have to take our fairy gold and leave.” Phillip turned to walk away.

  However, he read the attack even before the man had begun the move. Rearing back, the man pulled back his free hand and thrust it towards Prince Phillip’s face, with the intent for it to be a jaw splitting punch. Phillip saw this move and turned to the side. He quickly unsheathed his sword, and in a lightning quick move he lifted the
blade, cutting edge out, up to his face. It happened faster than the man could think, and by the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. With all the force he could muster, the man punched through the blade, splitting his hand in two in between the middle and ring finger. His cry of pain spurned his men to action and at the same time another cry rang out.

  “Move, now!” Phillip shouted.

  Esther Anna didn’t have to be told twice—and she took her position as Phillip told her.

  The fiends dashed towards Phillip, and instead of fighting with his blade, he returned his sword to its scabbard.

  The man who’d reached him first lunged at him with his blade. Phillip was incredibly light on his feet, which surprised his attacker. Phillip moved to the side and disarmed the man with one strike. The sword tumbled to the ground with a mocking clang. With this opening, Phillip used his momentum to push the man back with a face-splitting kick. The second man’s attack met with a parry in mid-air, and Phillip threw the man over his shoulder and lurched him forward, to give him some time and distance between attacks. The sound of a bloodcurdling scream of attack announced the presence of a third attacker. Phillip bent down, and the man’s blow sailed over his head, missing his mark completely. The prince sprung up and launched his fist to the man’s chin, sending him backwards in a flip that made him land on his face with a sickening crunch.

  Another blade was headed his way. A thug armed with a dagger snuck up behind Phillip with the intent of going for his neck but a whimper from Esther Anna alerted the prince of this. He turned and struggled with him; back and forth, the tip of the dagger was turned on the prince, and then the attacker, until Phillip was able to gain the upper hand. He bent his knee and took a shot to the man’s midsection and when he lurched forward, Phillip used his weight to throw him up and over his back.

  Another one down…

  The man twisted until he flopped himself over onto his stomach and he crawled to reach the dagger that was dropped in the tussle. Phillip huffed and immediately stomped on the man’s hand. Once, twice, and a third time to make sure he wasn’t going to pose a threat again. The man screamed aloud in indescribable pain.

  “Come on guys, I’m still more than ready to pay you with my gold. Fairy gold… Just take the money, give me the boat and we’ll be on our way. Sound good?” Phillip taunted them with his lackadaisical tone.

  It seemed like the mention of fairy gold sent the other man into a frenzy and he lunged towards Phillip, screaming like a man possessed. Another man rushed towards him, dagger raised behind him, aimed for Phillip’s neck. Phillip caught hold of the first man and smashed his head on his knee, crushing his nose. The man fell to the floor, bleeding profusely from the front of his face.

  The second man who’d rushed in for the next round trembled and hesitated in his attack, as he’d been distracted by the takedown of his cohort. Phillip rushed him. He ducked to his left and the man moved to block, but it left his other side open for attack. The prince swept in and delivered three quick but powerful jabs at his side, and he felt his bones give way under his fist. His assailant clutched his side and bent over in pain, eventually succumbing to the injury as he fell to the ground.

  The man with the bloody face was back up on his feet and he charged forth, but Phillip delivered a clean uppercut to his jaw and with a lightning-quick reflex, kicked the man’s knee and his leg bent at an odd angle. His cry echoed in the area as he fell back.

  Another man who joined the fray was met with an equally undignified defeat. All it took was one quick jab to the neck that sent both of his hands up to clutch at the affected area. It’d jostled his airway and his breaths came in shallow gasps. Phillip reared back and thrust forward to deliver an open-palm blow, square in his chest. The gasping man was sent reeling back until he tripped and fell onto his backside a short distance away.

  The man with the broken ribs was the only one able to rise again and he ran at Phillip blindly. He swung a right, and then a left, but Phillip was agile enough to dodge those with ease. However, the man bent to swing with his leg, which caught the fairy prince off guard. He was fast to act, as his wings suddenly appeared and with one strong beat, the wind pulled him back to evade the attack. Phillip caught the man’s leg and kicked the remaining one out from under him. After he threw him down, the prince turned and observed the aftermath of this scuffle. All three men were defeated, splayed out on the ground around him, and they all groaned and grunted in pain.

  “Enough!” The leader of the group said, angrily. He had Esther Anna in his grasp and threatened her with a small knife to her neck. The sweat rolled off his head in torrents and his hand oozed blood from its wound, staining the queen’s dress. “Enough, creature! Or your lady gets it. Don’t test me!”

  She struggled slightly against his strong hold, but it was futile.

  “So…” He wore a sinister smile as he looked over Phillip from head to toe. “What’s a fairy royal doing in our humble harbor?”

  Phillip was shocked by the accusation. How did he know?

  Esther Anna’s captor spat at him, and it landed at his side before he spoke again. “I noticed the markings on the sword. Those are of royal origin. So, you’re either of royal blood yourself or you stole it from one!” The man staggered, though his hold on Esther Anna was tight. He was losing quite a bit of blood from his injury.

  Phillip was silent for a moment. Just great. Of all the humans in the world, we encounter one who could read our language… He adjusted his stance. Not to surrender, but to come clean. “Okay! Fine. Yes, I am Prince Phillip, heir to the throne of Fandrela. That, right there, is Queen Esther Anna LaPointe, wife to the late King Pierre LaChance of Tibethia. We need to use your boat since we are on a mission of significant importance. There’s only one way we leave here today my friend, and that is with that boat.”

  The man laughed and held Esther closer. “The fairy prince, travelling with the murderous queen…now how did that meeting happen?”

  Phillip sighed. It was another obstacle they didn’t have time for. Not to mention, he was just forced to give away their identities, and he had no doubt the princess would hear about it and they would be surrounded in no time. He locked eyes with Esther Anna briefly. As the man shifted weight off his leg, he outstretched the other, and Phillip found her gaze again. A silent command was all she needed…She knew what to do. The fairy shoes she had on, while quite light on the feet was heeled in the strangest manner.

  With one quick move, she lifted her leg and stepped on the man with all her might and he released her instantly. Before he could realize his mistake, Phillip dashed in front of him and had grabbed him by the neck. Phillip held him off the ground, and he kicked and struggled against his strength. He begged to be let down, and eventually Phillip scoffed and released him. The man desperately clutched at his throat, gasping for air when he fell to the ground.

  Phillip stood over him, a proud smirk on his face. “We’ll be needing a couple of your men as well.”

  Present time. Kingdom of Tibethia.

  Damien sighed in frustration as he felt the tug once more. What exactly does she want? He wondered. He hated being drawn from his guard post and he was frustrated by the lack of activity from the fairy entrance. Could it be that they had left the fairy kingdom already without his knowledge? He’d studied the enchanted man, the same one encoded with her genetic signature to lock on to whenever she came out of the protect the barrier of the fairy kingdom. It had become increasingly frustrating because he could no longer feel her essence in the forest and was concerned with its slow decline. He felt unbelievable anger rise at the thought of the fairies having killed her, but he willed himself to calm down.

  He felt the call once more and shook his head in anger and ignored it. Damien had helped her win her mini war and gain the respect and fear of the people. What more could she possibly want? Unless he was being called in for a reward. But the princess had to know that for a woodsman, the chase and the eventual kill was re
ward enough for the woodsman. Damien got up and stretched and felt strongly compelled to get to the palace. Perhaps the princess was employing a stronger means of summoning him?

  He struggled to fight the pull, but eventually he was powerless to resist.

  Damien materialized in the throne room, and when he looked up, he saw Princess Noelle upon her throne. He sensed the presence of his brothers in darkness, the seven deadly sins nearby. It pleased him to know the princess had decided to keep the goblins around for extra security, and with them around, she was virtually untouchable.

  Smart move.

  He gave a formal bow to her, and she quickly waved him up. The woodsman studied her features and discovered that she was seething but trying very hard to keep herself in control. “What has happened, princess?” He asked.

  Noelle looked up sharply, seemingly offended as he spoke. She looked towards the door and clapped her hands several times.

  He was amused by her actions, and that just seemed to make her angrier.

  Before she could snap, a man stumbled into the room. He didn’t look like he belonged anywhere near the palace. He was ragged, with unusual, disproportionate features that saw the wear of time, and perhaps suffered against something that lurked outside of the kingdom walls. One look at him and Damien decided that he was a filthy, unsavory human.

  The man caught sight of Damien and looked like he was about to turn around and run away before the princess’ voice broke through his thoughts of escape.

  “Edgar. Tell him what you told me.” Noelle demanded of the man and gestured to Damien.

  The man nervously looked at Damien. He coughed to clear his throat and spoke as he’d been commanded. “Well, a couple of us were at the harbor yesterday, y-you know, just earning a living. Nothing fancy. Then this couple came around looking for a specific boat, a-a man and woman. Or at least, he seemed like a man. They don’t see the boat they want, you see? So, they leave. They come by again this morning, searching for that boat, a fine couple these two, and they walk like, well like her…” He pointed at Noelle to note that they strolled around like royalty. Edgar continued his story: “So, they ask around. Offer to pay big, but nobody has the boat. Then, a colleague of mine, Ledger, he comes in with his boat. Turns out he had exactly what this couple wanted, and they offer to pay…in fairy gold.”