Spellbinder, p.56
Spellbinder, page 56
part #2 of The Jester King Series
He gripped Malcolm’s arm. “Thank you for being my teacher.”
Malcolm smiled. “‘Twas a pleasure. Thank you for being my friend.”
Billy then clasped Hugh by the arm. “It feels strange saying goodbye to you again. I remember the day we met like it was yesterday.”
“We’ll meet again someday, Your Majesty.”
Billy contemplated this and touched the dragon scar on his chest. “You may be right.”
“You promised … and I’m holding you to it.”
Billy smiled. “Someday, I will return.”
“Lyonesse will be waiting, Your Majesty.”
“Take good care of my sister.”
“I will, Your Majesty. You can count on me.”
Billy then turned to Myrredith. Tears beat at the doors of his eyes, but he was determined to be strong. He didn’t want them to know that he felt he might never return.
He embraced Myrredith. “Sister … ” Tears began to flow, and he couldn’t stop them. “I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“I’m so glad we found each other.”
“Take good care of Hugh.”
“You can count on me.”
She released Billy and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Now hurry, so you can come back to me—and Lyonesse.”
“You are Lyonesse to me.”
He embraced Myrredith again, then backed away from her and stood for a moment, taking in the three of them.
“I just figured it out. You are my family. I will never forget you.”
Myrredith grabbed Hugh’s hand for strength. “Nor shall we ever forget you, Your Majesty.”
The trio knelt on the sand and bowed their heads to their sovereign.
Billy turned and ran through the surf to the Dragonfly. Deordrif lowered a rope ladder and helped Billy climb aboard.
Billy turned to the captain. “Let’s away!”
Toady Brimstone smiled. “Welcome aboard, Your Highness.” He then called to his crew, “Let’s see what she’s got, boys!”
The ship surged ahead. Billy went to the railing and waved to his family on the beach as they and Lyonesse receded into the darkness and out of sight.
No sooner had they vanished, than a thick fog descended on the little ship. Their speed increased. The breeze tousled Billy’s hair and chilled his cheeks.
Drif gripped the railing. “You better hold on.”
Billy grabbed the gold railing, and the gentle wind on his face became a gust. Captain Brimstone let out a howl, and his crew echoed him. The Dragonfly rose up and lurched forward, headed straight for the moon.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
And a Time to Every Purpose
The Dragonfly sailed through the hazy moonlit fog for what felt like an hour before Billy heard the sound of water under the keel again. The graceful vessel slowed, and the fog lifted. He got up from Sylvys’ side and went on deck to examine the sea around them. The moon still dipped in the ocean at their bow, with no sign of land.
“What happened? Is something wrong?”
Toady Brimstone appeared next to Billy and stared up at the stars. “No, laddie. We’re almost home.”
“How can that be? We’ve only been traveling for a short time. And isn’t Tirn Aill in the other direction?”
Toady smiled and swelled up to where Billy thought he or his warts would pop. “The Dragonfly’s no ordinary ship,” he bragged. “She don’t sail on water or beg speed from the wind like them others, though she can when needed.” The captain beckoned to him, and then leaned in close to whisper in his gruff voice. “She can sail on a moonbeam, slip between shadows, glide under the waves, or over the sky.” He winked and clicked his teeth. “And the fuller the moon, the faster we travel.”
“So how much further is it?” Billy scanned ahead.
The moon’s reflection danced in a thousand pieces on the boundless black water of the sea. He could discern only immeasurable ocean and sky. As he watched the moon rise again from its watery berth, Toady studied the stars.
Finally, Brimstone finished his calculations. “Well, we overshot some, so we’ll be there in about two, three hours.”
“Two or three hours?”
Toady mistook Billy’s surprise for anger and tried to apologize. “Sorry, Your Highness. I was havin’ a wee bit of fun an’ didn’t want to stop.”
“Oh, um. Carry on, Captain! And tell me when we’re close.”
“Aye.”
Billy returned to tending Sylvys. The air was chill, so he put another cover on him with Drif’s help. He then took Sylvys’ hand. It felt fish-cold. The satyr lay so still that it was difficult to tell if he still breathed. The bones of his face were prominent—angular.
“He’s been like that since Mershore,” Deordrif said.
“Hold on, my friend.” Billy squeezed his hand. “Just a little longer.”
Drif took Sylvys’ other hand. “Yes, old friend. Keep fighting.”
Some time later, Toady Brimstone approached with a grim face. “You need to see this.”
Billy followed the goblin captain to the bow. In front of them, in a jagged profile, the black waters became a vast white field of ice.
“Can we break through?”
“It’s too thick, laddie. It’ll break her in two. We’ve got to go around.”
Brimstone gave the order, and the Dragonfly turned parallel to the ice field. They sailed southeast for an hour, but the ice kept pushing them further and further south. To make matters worse, it started to snow, drastically reducing visibility.
“It’s no good. This ice is forcing us away from Tirn Aill.”
“I know.” Billy pursed his lips. “And if we go north, it will only get worse.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve seen it.”
“Oh.”
“Somehow, we’ve got to go through. Wait a minute! Didn’t you tell me the Dragonfly could glide under the waves or over the sky?”
“Aye, but that’s ice!”
“Can’t we just travel the way we did when we left Lyonesse?”
“Good thought, laddie, but she can’t do that until the next moonrise.”
Billy looked at the moon peeking through the clouds, and then towards Sylvys. “We haven’t got that long. It’s got to be tonight.”
Billy and Brimstone leaned on the railings of the Dragonfly and stared at the impenetrable ice. Both desperately wanted to beat the frozen waste. Billy paced the deck.
“What if—no, that’ll never work! Or maybe—”
At that moment, his feet slipped on the snow-covered deck and kicked out from under him. His back hit the deck, and he slid to the railing. He lay there looking up at Toady, who stared at him with his hands on his plump waist.
“I think I have an idea,” Billy said.
Half an hour later, with a little magical help from Billy, Toady had the Dragonfly up on the ice, skating swiftly for Tirn Aill. The little ship agilely jumped over, skipped across, or sailed around the jagged protrusions and broken ice in her path. Despite the gravity of their mission, Captain Brimstone and his crew were in high spirits, laughing and howling with wild delight at their newfound speed sport.
“Goblins!” Deordrif shook her head and scanned ahead for danger.
Billy grinned. “Well, at least we’re making good time.”
“Good time?” Toady exclaimed from behind them. “I’ll wager no ship ever made this speed on the water!”
At that moment, a wide sheet of ice rose up before the Dragonfly. The ship hit the ramp and flew into the air.
“Wahoo!” Brimstone shouted.
“Wahoo!” his crew echoed.
The ship came down with a bump then whooshed across the ice as before. The goblin at the helm giggled.
Deordrif crossed her arms and glared at Toady. “Goblins.”
Soon, the Dragonfly approached the Isle of Tirn Aill. The lush forests were stripped bare. As there were no evergreens on this side of the island, only twigs and black trunks remained. The tall, gentle hills, now white and grey, slumbered above the black boulders of the silent shore. Far above, where the high hills melted into grey clouds, lightning pulsed in the heavens.
The captain took over the helm and swung his ship around the southern tip of the island to Glitter Gilt Bay and the only dock. As they entered the bay, his crew took in the sails and readied the mooring lines and anchor.
“Wait, Captain! Keep going and take us up the river.”
“Aye, Your Highness. But I don’t know how far we’ll get.”
The crew raised every bit of sail as they turned from the dock and let the Dragonfly build up speed before taking her straight up the river. Just then, a gust of wind grabbed the ship and accelerated it to an alarming speed. Toady held the first bend without trouble, but on the second, as they passed through the gap in the hills, the ship skidded up the bank and slammed into the side of the steep hill. The Dragonfly bounced back onto the frozen river and fishtailed around the next turn.
Captain Brimstone’s eyes bulged as the trees ahead closed in.
“Drop the sails! Now!”
The crew hopped to it while their captain maneuvered the ship through the narrowing passage.
With only two bends before they reached the royal court, and far too much speed, Toady shouted for the anchor. A goblin crewmember tossed it over the side and it ricocheted off the ice.
“It bounced off, Captain!”
“Throw your lines, boys!”
The crew threw their mooring lines at the sides of the river, trying to lasso passing rocks or trees—anything that might stop or slow them down. Toady leaned into the rudder with all he had and pushed the ship around the next turn.
The Dragonfly swept around the bend, but her stern kept turning. Toady and Billy pulled on the rudder together. A second later, the ship whooshed up the bank backward, snapping off saplings in their path to the royal court. Billy spied over the aft railing and saw the court village racing towards them.
“Hold onto something!”
He grabbed the railing and braced himself. A moment later, one of the crew grabbed hold of his leg. Billy looked down at the small goblin, who shrugged and smiled. Billy put his hand on the goblin’s shoulder and noticed Toady still standing at the rudder, facing the rear of the ship with the wind in his face. He seemed determined to steer the ship to the gruesome end. Billy closed his eyes.
The ship came to a complete stop with a loud groan. Everyone aboard got tossed towards the stern. Billy flew over the railing with his new goblin friend and slammed into the rear of the ship, which knocked the wind out of him, and caused him to lose his grip on the railing. They fell to the lumpy white terrain with the crunch of fresh snow.
Billy opened his eyes one at a time. He was sitting at the end of the giant banquet table in the center of the court. He pushed away some snow and found he was sitting on the throne. He squinted up at the stern of the Dragonfly and found Toady and Deordrif gawking at him.
“Are you hurt?” the elf asked.
Billy patted himself. “No broken bones. How’s Sylvys?”
“Sleeping.”
Brimstone laughed. “Did you find your throne all right, Your Highness?”
Billy patted the throne and smiled. “Right where I left it! To what do I owe having a throne and not a pile of splinters?”
Drif looked over her shoulder. “The anchor finally caught on a tree.”
Toady brushed off his hands and turned from the railing. “Just like I planned.”
“I’ll be right down, Your Highness.”
“I’m fine, Drif. Stay with Sylvys. Make sure he stays warm. Oh, and have someone lower my pack over the side.”
“As you wish.”
He stood up as best he could in the knee-deep snow and scanned around him. There was no sign of life. The dark, icy village surrounding the court looked abandoned. At that moment, he heard a muffled cry and looked down beside him. He reached into the snowdrift behind the throne and felt a foot. He pulled on it, and out popped the goblin that had come over the railing with him.
The goblin shivered as Billy helped brush off the snow. He then took off his hat, bowed, and ran to the side of the Dragonfly to climb back onboard. Billy smiled at how well his oversized goblin feet kept him atop the snow.
Billy made his way to the closest structure in the village, with the snow crunching under his feet. He tried to open the door, but the snow and ice barred him. He banged on the door. No sounds came from within. He went to the next building but found it in the same condition. Then he spotted someone in a robe, standing before the door of the next hut.
“Hey!” he shouted. When he got no response, he ran. “Must be deaf.”
“Hey, I’m back!” He reached to tap the figure on the shoulder and tripped.
He looked up from the snow. A hand had been frozen to the door by a lumpy accumulation of ice. He traced the arm and found the frozen, clenched features of a hobgoblin staring back.
“Ha!” Billy flinched and banged his head on the doorjamb. He rolled away and stepped around the edge of the building, panting and rubbing his head. Still staring at the frozen corpse, he stepped back and bumped into something else. He turned and found someone behind him. “Ha!” he exclaimed with a leap backward. He leaned over with one hand on his knee and tried to catch his breath. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
He stopped when he realized he was talking to another frozen faerie. This one, an elf, held a rope in her hand. Billy followed the ice-cycled rope behind her and found yet another frozen corpse. The rope went into the woods to a dozen frozen faeries, some huddled together, some lying alone on the ground, others frozen in mid-step. Billy fell to his knees and collapsed against a tree at the edge of the woods.
“Too late, too late.”
After he threw up and got control of his emotions, he trudged back through the village and around to the side of the ship to retrieve his pack. He opened it on the snow and withdrew a square package wrapped in cloth. The cloth fell away to reveal a wooden box with a stone-lion inlay on its lid. He peeked inside. The thorn blossom was wilting.
It’s too late. They’re all dead. Nothing I can do. I’ve got the cure, but it’s too late.
Just then, a voice said, “Do what you came to do.”
He stepped back and looked up at the Dragonfly. Brimstone stood by the railing, giving orders to his crew.
“Captain!” Billy said.
Toady turned to face him.
“Did you just say ‘do what you came to do’?”
Brimstone scratched his chin and looked distracted more than thoughtful. “No, but it sounds like good advice. Also sounds like that tempest is moving down towards us. I’d like to be out of here before it does.”
Billy looked to the tallest hills. The wild lightning storm swirled around them like a colossal cauldron in the sky. It moved lower, and the thunder grew louder. In the midst of the thunder, he heard the voice again, saying, “Finish the quest. Fulfill your destiny.”
Billy reexamined the thorn blossom in the box. While the petals were drooping, the berry still looked full of life.
The thunder growled again, and he knelt. He dug through the snow, but when he reached the ground, he found it frozen solid. “There’s nothing for it,” he muttered as he drew Lura Zahn and stabbed at the frozen earth. Though it complained, the blade performed well; however, he was still only breaking the crust.
The sound of clattering hooves broke Billy’s focus. He looked up and saw Malkry and her warriors crossing the frozen river on horseback. He grabbed the box and got to his feet with the ship at his back. The dark elves ambled up the bank and all but Malkry and her lieutenant dismounted. Her warriors drew their weapons and circled around Billy as Malkry rode up behind them.
“Malkry!” Billy felt behind him for the Dragonfly’s rope ladder. “Thank goodness you’re still alive. And you’re just in time to help. We need to dig—”
“I’m not here to help you, you half-breed stench.” Malkry glared down at him.
“You’re not? … But I’ve found it! I found the cure.”
Malkry took in the ship at his back, along with its goblin crew. After a moment, she smiled and returned her eyes to Billy.
“And no sign of your bodyguard, Shaldra.” She pretended to pout. “I thought Onian’s whelps were supposed to be tough.”
Billy ground his teeth. Of all the people to survive. Lura Zahn rattled at his side, but he restrained the blade and his hand. “What do you want, Malkry? I’ve no time for games.”
She smiled. “Well, I want you dead, but in order to secure my reign, I must, at least, appear blameless in your death. So I’m here to watch my friend Gulch do it for me.”
Dozens of goblins charged out of the woods and village and scrambled across the slippery river. They ran on all fours and fed in between Malkry’s elves, filling every possible gap like potatoes poured into bins. The dark elves sheathed their weapons and stepped back with their arms crossed as the goblins took the front line around Billy.
Then Gulch gave a husky laugh from somewhere behind Malkry. It came closer, and the ranks of elves and goblins moved aside as the chief of the goblins nudged his way through. At last, Gulch swaggered into the center and stood with his fists on his hips, glaring at Billy.
The goblin paced from side to side and drew his curved saw-like sword. “I bet you never expected I would be the end of you. Did ya? Did ya? You gonna tell me to shut up again?”
A clicking sound came from above Billy’s head as Toady Brimstone leaned over the side and pointed his crossbow at Gulch. “No, Gulchmelon, but I will.”
Gulch stepped back, and his eyes bulged when he saw the Dragonfly’s captain had him in his sights. “What are you doin’, Brimstone?”
“Keepin’ an eye on my future king. … Now, why don’t you tell me how you figure to end him when I’ve gotcha dead to rights?”
Gulch’s jaw tightened, and he ground his teeth. Then he growled. “I’ll have him skewered on ole Riptooth here before you can shoot.”
