“Don’t say it. I don’t want to
know.” Ria grimaced as she sat back down on the bed. “What do I do then? Just
stay here and wait for him to lose interest in me?”
“You
will die of old age before he does that.” Banton said bitterly. “My people have
been trying to defeat him for years. He’s too strong for us though.”
“So
why did you bring me here? Why did you even bother saving me if all I can do is
hide in this place?”
“Will
you just be grateful that you’re still alive?” Banton snapped at her. “I
couldn’t see anything else to do. It was either bring you here, or let you die
like your parents.”
“And
I had no choice, just like I have no choice now. You’re just trying to cover up
that you kidnapped me!”
“I
did not kidnap you, I—Where are you going now?” Banton stood up and followed
her as she stormed out of the room.
“Away
from you.” She told him without looking back. The hallway was made of white
stones, with large arching windows that made it feel more like a balcony.
Through the windows she could see the sky, looking cloudy but still light and
sunny, as if the city was covered in haze. At some point as she walked,
Banton’s footsteps behind her vanished, leaving her alone in the unfamiliar
castle.
He
caught up with her again hours later, as the light in the sky was starting to
set. A tall middle aged woman followed him, the small crown on her head marking
her as a Queen.
“Miss
Lyte, I am very sorry to hear what happened to your family.” the woman said
somberly. “We had taken notice of you a few months ago, and we did our best to
protect your family, but there was not much we could do. My son says that you
wish to go home. I’m afraid at the moment that will not be safe for you.” she
frowned in sympathy and place a hand on Banton’s shoulder—her son, presumably.
“I
understand.” Ria murmured and lowered her eyes in an attempt to hide her anger.
All she wanted to do was return home, even if it meant leaving the city she had
grown up in.
“Good.
There is something we must talk about then.” the queen said and leaned in
closer so she could lower her voice. “The Sandman has been asking about you.”
Ria
pulled back in horror and quickly shook her head. “How did you hear this?” she
demanded. “I thought you were fighting him, not chatting over a cup of tea.”
“We
are trying to negotiate with him.” the Queen said calmly. “He says that he will
draw his forces back if we give you up.”
“No,
you can’t. You saved my life, you can’t just give me away…” she trailed off as
she looked into the eyes of the queen. She looked sad, almost ashamed.
“We
have been talking, and we think we have an idea.” Banton spoke up. “We’ve
recently come up with a powder that will disintegrate rock. Unfortunately, it
will only work at close range. The best way is to deliver it straight to him,
but none of our messengers can get close enough to him. Even during our
negotiations he relayed his messages through someone else and remained far away
from us.”
“However,
he will let you come close, to make sure that you really are who he wants.” the
queen continued. “All you would have to do is deliver a token of peace in a
box. Inside will be a trigger to release the powder after ten seconds. You have
in that time to back away as far as you can. We do not think it will reach more
than a metre away from him, but it’s best to be safe. Once the powder is
released, we will send our army in to deal with his soldiers.”
It
seemed like a risky plan, riddled with uncertainties. “Once he is dead, I can
go home, right?”
“If
that is what you wish.” the queen nodded and gave Ria an encouraging smile. “Of
course the plan is dangerous, and we cannot predict what the Sandman will do,
but it’s our only hope of getting rid of him. If you return to us safely, then
we will bring you back to your home.”
Ria
pursed her lips in thought, then reluctantly nodded. “I cannot see any other
way.”
“Good!
Let’s find you a mount then.” the queen smiled and turned to lead the way to
the stable.
“Wait,
now? Don’t you have to prepare?” Ria protested as she hurried to catch up with
the woman’s long strides.
“We
have been prepared for weeks now. All we needed was that key person to set the
plan in motion. We are lucky that you arrived so soon.” she said cheerfully.
“Lucky?”
Ria repeated in disgust. “My parents were killed and I was brought here against
my will. I would call that more of a coincident.”
“Call
it what you like, you’re still getting revenge for your parents.” Banton
pointed out, and Ria had to agree.
They
entered the stable, filled with odd creatures that looked like a mixture
between a horse and a cat. They were all tall and skinny, with large slitted
eyes and shaggy fur, each with their own pattern of stripes, spots or a
combination of both. The queen picked out a small one and had a groom rein it
up before gesturing for Ria to mount.
“I
believe they’re just like your horses, so you should be fine.” she explained.
“Just hold on tight to the reins and don’t fall off.”
Before
Ria could ask about a saddle, the groom had picked her up under the arms and
lifted her onto the animal’s back. It tensed and pawed the ground with a
two-toed foot, anticipating the important journey. A servant approached holding
a small chest, which he offered up to Ria. She took it, surprised at the
weight.
“Good
luck, Miss Lyte. Your success could mean the end of the Sandman’s tyrannical
reign of your world and ours.” the queen nodded politely and stepped back as
the groom led the animal out of the stable.
Ria
glanced back at them. Banton looked nervous, and averted his eyes when he
noticed her gaze.
It
didn’t take them long to travel through the city and reach the gate. Like the
castle, every building was made of the same white stone, with whimsical looking
architecture and arches so thin it seemed impossible they could hold anything
up. The gate, however, was made for use, not appearance. Although it too was
made of white stone, it was easily ten paces thick, each end with a sturdy iron
gate. On the other side all appearances of being beautiful gave way to a
massive army of nightmarish monsters. No two looked identical. Some were
mythical creatures like the minotaur or gorgon, others looked like a
combination of two, three, even four animals, and even more were humanoid, with
features missing or exaggerated. All of them were lined up as if ready for a
charge, and when they spotted Ria exiting the gate, they started howling,
screaming, roaring. From their midst stepped the Sandman.
He
looked even taller now, but wore the same robes and still had the crack on the
side of his head from Banton’s attack. He grinned as he strode out to meet Ria.
“I
was not expecting a reply so soon.” he laughed. His presence caused her mount
to become anxious, and eventually Ria had to climb down, letting the animal
turn and flee.
“I
did not have much choice.” she replied coldly and started walking forward to
meet up with him. She held the box out in front of her. “The royal family
wished me to give you a present, a peace offering.”
“I
don’t care for presents. You’re the only thing I wished from them.” he pulled
out a dagger, the blade gleaming red in the light of the setting sun.
Ria
faltered and stepped back in fear. “I… I would like to see it, before you deal
with me.”
His
lips pulled into a scowl. “Fine, open it.”
She
hesitated again, then started to open the lid. As long as she got the powder
close to him, her job would be done. She could wait until the last second
before running, leaving the box behind.
Inside
there was no device to release the powder. There wasn’t even any powder to be
released. The bottom was lined with stones, and on top rested a piece of paper.
“She
is yours now. We have our deal. Leave us be.”
She
dropped the paper as the Sandman stepped forward. A moment later a sharp pain
pierced her stomach.
No comments:
Post a Comment