Grishma (Necoh Saga) (13 page)

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you,” said Brooklyn as she beckoned the creature to come closer.

Obeying her command, the creature inched forward. When it was within five feet of her outreached hand, she could hear loud vibrations.
Is it purring?

Before she knew what had happened, the creature nuzzled its wet black nose in the palm of her hand. She stroked the animal’s silky fur and inspected its face. With long floppy ears, a long poufy tail, and wet black nose, it looked like an equal mixture of bunny, dog, and cat.

“Well aren’t you just precious,” said Brooklyn.

All of a sudden, two large gruff looking men burst through the half open door and immediately found Brooklyn. “Princess Sophie! We have been looking everywhere for you! Why in the world are you in here?”

“Uh, I, um…” she stammered, frantically trying to think of something to say.

Shifting his gaze, he noticed the creature that was practically in Brooklyn’s lap. “Oh, did you find Boonum? The King was hoping your childhood pet would rekindle some memories,” said one of the guards.

“Yes, that’s why I’m here, actually. I saw this creature wander into the room and it looked familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why,” said Brooklyn.

Man, I hope they buy that story!

“Ah, Princess Sophie, this is Boonum. He has been a faithful companion of yours ever since you were a little girl. Your mother gave him to you for your second birthday,” said the guard.

Smiling, Brooklyn continued to stroke Boonum. “Did you miss me, buddy?”

Softening a bit, one of the guards smiled back and said, “He seems to remember you.”

The second guard coughed and then said, “Princess Sophie, Lenora and Pinga are waiting for you in your chambers, please allow us to escort you there.”

Standing up, Brooklyn attempted to carry herself as a royal would do. “May Boonum come along?”

“Of course, Princess Sophie, whatever pleases you,” replied the guard.

“Come, Boonum,” called Brooklyn as she followed the two guards out of the room. The creature padded behind her, never more than an arm’s length away.

Winding through the halls of the castle was disorienting. Feeling utterly lost, she followed the guards closely, for fear of not finding her way back. Finally, they arrived at her massive bedroom. Boonum pushed open the door with his nose and promptly walked into the room, his long furry tail wagging.

“Boonum! What are you doing here?” Pinga giggled as she reached over to pet the furry creature. Boonum’s tail wagged happily and he gave her a big lick. “Ew!” squealed Pinga.

“I thought he might help jog my memory,” said Brooklyn smiling.

“Ahem!” Lenora said, purposefully cleared her throat.

Brooklyn and Pinga looked up. Lenora stood with her hands on her ample hips, tapping her left foot. “Princess! Please come here, we must try on your dress!”

Shooing the two guards out of the room, Lenora and Pinga pulled out the largest garment bag Brooklyn had ever seen. As they carefully unzipped the protective covering, the beautiful shimmering amethyst fabric started to peak through.

Pinga and Lenora smiled as they held up the gown together.

“Oh my, it’s absolutely gorgeous,” breathed Brooklyn.

“I’m glad you like it, Princess Sophie,” replied Lenora as she and Pinga pulled the dress completely out of the bag.

“Pinga, please help her out of that dress,” said Lenora.

Pinga’s thin fingers quickly unlaced the corset and before she knew it, the dress she had been wearing had been placed neatly on the chair in front of her vanity.

“Come,” instructed Lenora.

Following her directions, Brooklyn stepped in front of Lenora and raised her arms in the air.

It took both Pinga and Lenora to lift the gown above Brooklyn’s head. As they carefully lowered the hand-sewn masterpiece over her body, Brooklyn could see from the expression on their faces just how pleased they were with their handiwork. Pinga pulled gently and quickly laced up the back.

“Oh, Princess, you look stunning!” exclaimed Pinga.

Nodding her head in agreement, Lenora said, “You look absolutely exquisite! Here, come look at yourself in the mirror.”

Brooklyn had to do a double take to make sure that she was really looking at herself in the reflection. The dress was unlike anything she had ever tried on before. It was as light as a feather and shimmered with every move she made. Not to mention it made her waist look impossibly small and it showed just the right amount of cleavage.

For a moment, she was truly speechless.
I look amazing!

Pinga beamed. “Princess Sophie, you will be the most beautiful bri—I mean, the most beautiful princess in all of Necoh!”

“Damn you, Pinga!” hissed Adeline.

Whoa! Where the heck did she come from?

“Wait a minute, you said I’m going to be the most beautiful bri—did you mean bride?” asked Brooklyn. She looked around at everyone. No one would even make eye contact. “I thought this was supposed to be a royal ball to celebrate my return? What’s going on here?”

Adeline grabbed Pinga by the arm and threw her out of the room.

“Lenora, help me get her out of the dress,” spat Adeline.

Brooklyn sent Lenora a pleading look. “I’m so sorry, Princess. Please let me help you out of that dress.”

Brooklyn stood with her arms crossed firmly across her chest. “I’m not doing anything until someone tells me what’s going on.”

Chapter Fourteen

A
s they stood in front
of the massive red door, Ryder turned to Pidifer and said, “Are you sure we can trust Gwendolyn?”

“Absolutely!” he replied. “Plus, she owes me a favor and I don’t know anyone else who can get you into that ball.”

Before they could say one more word, the door swung open and an extremely tall hunchbacked man cleared this throat. “How may I help you?”

Pidifer spoke up. “Please inform Lady Gwendolyn that Pidifer is here and wishes to speak with her.”

Without uttering another word, the man turned on his heel and promptly shut the door in their faces.

“He just slammed the door on us! Now what?” asked Lant.

Cridifer and Pidifer exchanged looks and smiled.

“It’s just the way of the nobility in Sumner,” Cridifer explained. “Give it a minute.”

After waiting what seemed like an eternity, the door swung open dramatically and a plump woman dripping in jewelry with fiery red hair emerged.

Bowing deeply, Pidifer said, “Lady Gwendolyn! It’s so lovely to see you!”

Gwendolyn smiled. “Pidifer! How long has it been?”

“Too long, much too long!” said Pidifer.

“Please, come in!” she said as she motioned for everyone to come through the door.

Ryder and his comrades squeezed past the boisterous woman and entered a large, ornately decorated room.

Ryder’s eyes scanned the room. A big crystal chandelier hung above their heads and portraits of men and women in elegant clothing adored every wall. He smirked and thought to himself,
this place could give the MacIntyres a run for their money!

Interrupting his thoughts, Gwendolyn clapped her hands. Instantaneously, the tall hunchbacked and extremely thin doorman appeared. “Charleton, can you please prepare the sitting room?”

With a tight expression, the man simply nodded and disappeared down the hallway.

“So Pidifer, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” asked Gwendolyn.

“Well, my lady, that is a complicated story. Perhaps one best told over a strong drink and a hot meal?”

She smiled and arched one of her eyebrows. “Very interesting.”

“The sitting room has been prepared, Lady Gwendolyn,” said Charleton from the end of the long hallway.

“Thank you, Charleton. Now please bring us a selection of spirits and tell Madsen to prepare dinner for our guests and myself.”

“As you wish,” he replied drily.

Gwendolyn motioned for her guests to follow her once again. “Come, come, follow me!”

“Wow,” murmured Albie.

Gwendolyn turned to him. “Pardon?”

“It’s just so beautiful, it reminds me of the décor inside the castle,” replied Albie.

Ryder didn’t know what the inside of the castle looked like, but everything in Gwendolyn’s house, from the plush furniture to the tapestries that were hanging from the wall, screamed immense wealth.

“Ah,” sighed Kroy as he sank into a large chair covered in light gray fabric.

“I could get used to this,” added Albie as he kicked his furry little legs onto a nearby footstool.

Gwendolyn appeared amused by their antics and a smile crept up on her lips.

Charleton entered the room holding a large tray. “Ahem, your drinks, my lady.”

After passing out a myriad of spirits, Charleton excused himself and vanished down another long hallway on the opposite side of the sitting room.

Everyone sat and enjoyed their drinks for a moment.

Pidifer sniffed the air. “Mmmm, is that dinner I smell?”

Gwendolyn laughed a hearty laugh. “You haven’t changed much, Pidifer! Always hungry!”

“You can say that again!” chimed in Lant.

“Now, please, tell me what is going on, dear friend? I always enjoy your company, but what is the meaning of this visit?” asked Gwendolyn.

“Well, this is my friend Ryder, and he can tell you about our predicament. I’ll fill in around the time of the Nalun attack,” said Pidifer.

Gwendolyn’s chubby jaw dropped. “The Nalun attack? Oh dear, Pidifer! This sounds serious!”

As the delicious smells of dinner invaded the sitting room, Ryder began to recount his journey.

“You’re trying to destroy Grishma?” gasped Gwendolyn. “Are you mad?”

Ryder took a deep breath and then told the story of his father’s death and the kidnapping of his mother and sister.

“I’m so sorry,” interjected Cridifer.

“Thank you,” responded Ryder. “You see, this is why I’ve been hunting Grishma so tirelessly.”

His comrades shook their heads and Gwendolyn wiped tears from her eyes.

Ryder’s shoulders slumped and his voice became shaky as he continued his story, including how Brooklyn became involved. “When Grishma snatched her up, I panicked. I followed Grishma’s tracks, which led me to the Swive River, but they were already gone. I was desperate to catch up and find them, instead I ran into Cridifer and Pidifer.”

Retelling the story was emotionally draining and Ryder was beyond relieved when Pidifer took over.

Gwendolyn’s eyes grew wide when he described the Nalun attack. “You are all so brave! I’m in the company of heroes!”

This pleased Cridifer and Pidifer immensely. They puffed out their chests and held their heads up high as they took turns telling Gwendolyn about the remainder of their journey.

“Well, I must admit, I’ve never heard such an exciting, yet, heartbreaking story,” said Gwendolyn. “Please tell me, what can I do to help you?”

Pidifer smiled. “I was hoping you were invited to the Royal Ball tomorrow and that you would consider taking Ryder as your guest,” he suggested.

Gwendolyn’s eyes flitted between Ryder and Pidifer. Breaking out into a wide smile, she replied, “I would be honored to help your cause!”

“Oh thank goodness!” sighed Pidifer. “Now can we eat?”

Laughing, Gwendolyn clapped and Charleton magically appeared. “Yes, my lady?”

“Is dinner ready?” she asked.

“Yes, I will tell Madsen to plate the first course,” said Charleton.

The dining room was a large rectangular room with a massive wooden table situated directly in the middle. Cushioned chairs with high backs lined both sides of the table.

The first course was a salad with chilled reaps and kinu nuts.

“Mmmm,” said Lant in between bites. “This is delicious!”

The next course consisted of piping hot vegetable stew, thick with chunks of carrots and freshly baked croutons.

The following courses came and left until everyone was sufficiently, if not, overly, stuffed.

Leaning back in his chair, Ryder’s mind was hazy with drink and food. “Lady Gwendolyn, thank you so very much for your hospitality. Is there any way we could impose further and stay here tonight?”

“Oh, of course!” Clapping again, Charleton appeared within a matter of seconds.

“Yes, my lady?”

“Charleton, please prepare the guest rooms, our company will be staying with us tonight.”

“Consider it done, Lady Gwendolyn,” he replied.

Gwendolyn sighed contently. “Ryder, seeing as you arrived with only a small pack, shall I see if I can find something for you to wear? I think you may be the same size as my son.”

“Yes, I would be ever so grateful,” replied Ryder.

“I will see to it first thing in the morning. I assume you’re all tired from your adventures? You look as though you could stand a bath and a good night’s sleep,” said Gwendolyn.

Everyone exchanged looks then nodded in agreement.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but Pidifer, I can smell you from here,” said Lant joked, grinning broadly.

Like clockwork, Gwendolyn clapped her hands and Charleton instantly stepped into the room.

How does he get here so fast?