The Catastrophe of the Emerald Queen (5 page)

 “
I will tell you later,”
the huge figure replied, his deep voice somehow reassuring
despite the fear and confusion Jared was feeling.
“Come inside, I will find you clean clothes and
food and you can rest.”

 
He put
his hand on Jared’s shoulder and gently steered him through the
dusty field, Jared’s shoes picking up the dirt as they made their
way round the front of the house. In places the ground was split
but in the cracks was a bright orange, thick substance like smooth
marmalade. It bubbled slightly and a steam rose from it.

 “
Watch your step,”
Mordalayn said, steering him around the
ooze.

  
A
large black horse was standing in a pen, it raised its head and
snuffled as they approached it. Mordalayn extended his hand and
rubbed the creature’s nose soothingly. He ducked down under the
tiled awning above the doorway and grasped the round metal handle,
shoving the door forwards with a grinding noise.

 
Checking that the room was secure he then
beckoned Jared to enter.
“Come,”
he said,
“it will be
colder soon.”
Jared gingerly stepped
inside and saw that the room was a basic living space. There was a
large wooden table in the centre with a few metal plates and mugs.
There was what looked like a fruit bowl on it, but the main item in
it looked like a cross between a pineapple and a cactus plant.
Looking closer, what he thought at first glance was an apple
appeared to be silver in colour. Further back were a couple of
closed doors and to his left was a large window.

 
Mordalayn turned to
Jared
.
“Your arm
with the bracelet, show it to me.”

 
He
hesitated but then extended his arm. Mordalayn pulled the grubby
sleeve back and saw the oval crystal was still cloudy. He unslung
his sword and laid it on the table, then removed his
robe.

 
Jared jumped as a male voice suddenly
went.
“
Well, back
again. Just in time for tea.”

 
A short
man wearing an apron emerged from one of the doorways. Jared could
see a stove through the open door with a couple of large black pans
on. He felt his stomach rumble in protest.

 “
Hello young man,” the man said cheerfully,
wiping his hands on a large cloth
“and who
might you be then?”

 “
He appears totally unfazed by the sight of
a hulking, cat faced man who’s just walked into his front room and
lain a sword on his table
,” Jared
thought.

 “
My...”
he squeaked
and then coughed to clear his throat and cover up for his
nervousness.
“My name’s Jared. Jared
Miller.”

 “
Ah,”
the man said beaming.

 
Jared looked at him puzzled.
“Now then,”
he said to
Mordalayn who was wrapping his robe up into a ball.
“You both must be hungry. I have some stew and
sweetsomes for eating. You are both welcome of
course.”

 
Jared glanced around the room. The place
had a high ceiling and wooden beams supporting it, criss crossing
here and there. The windows were old looking and diamond shaped
from the lead patterns on the outside. There were many ornaments on
the various sills, large cabinets and chests of drawers. One was a
small statue of a woman, wearing a long green dress and holding her
arms out as if wanting to give a hug. Another was of a ship, the
rigging and sails exquisitely rendered. The man caught Jared’s
wandering eye and chuckled.
“You like my
boat?”

 “
Yes, errr…it’s very
good.
”

 “
Thank you,”
he
replied smiling and then,
“My, my, where
are my manners,”
he tutted to himself.
Putting the rag he’d wiped his hands on into the pouch on his
apron, he extended his hand.
“Fellicone,”
he said beaming and
shaking Jared’s hand hard.

 
Mordalayn had finished wrapping up his
items and he turned around. He was hugely tall and was dressed in
green leather trousers and calf length brown leather boots, buckled
severely. He wore a brown jerkin with several pockets adorning it,
over a green shirt of some heavy looking fabric with the sleeves
rolled up. He had what looked like a silver coat of arms pinned to
the left breast. The buckle on his belt was large and had a carving
of a hand, with a crown in the centre. Writing above and below said
“MANUS HAEC INIMICA TYRANNIS.” The cat face showed no emotion. He
gestured for Jared to sit down
.
“Please, we owe you an explanation and I do not
want you to be afraid.”

 
Jared
thought that being afraid was something he might have to get used
to but took the proffered wooden chair and sat, looking from the
smiling, friendly face of Fellicone to the unreadable one of
Mordalayn.

 
Mordalayn sat opposite Jared and placed one arm on the table,
his huge fingers still, the gold ring on his middle finger had the
same hand and crown crest on it.

 
The cat figure leaned forward and spoke
quietly his voice resonating in the room.
“
You were in mortal danger when I
chanced upon you in the hospital. The creature who was in that room
was an assassin, sent by evil men to kill our queen.”
Jared looked puzzled and Mordalayn
paused.

 “
Do, do
you mean Sophie?”

 
Fellicone and Mordalayn exchanged glances
and Mordalayn leaned slightly further forward.
“Her name to you is Sophie Roberts. Here she is our queen and
ruler, bringer of light and joy to all in
Alegria.”

 
He paused for a moment and then continued
with his explanation.
“She was hurt, four
months or more by your calendar, much longer by ours. She is
greatly vulnerable now.”

 
Jared
stared at him confused and bewildered. He had no idea what was
going on and far from reassuring him, this explanation was just
tying his brain in more knots.

 “
Sophie
was hurt in a car crash, at least I thought she was. How is she
your ruler here? Is this like Africa or something? Is she a
princess staying in England or something?”

 
Mordalayn again glanced at Fellicone whose face creased in
concern.

 “
Jared,
we are not in Africa. This is Alegria.”

 
He paused and Jared looked at him even more
confused
.
“Where’s Alegria?”
he
asked.

 
Mordalyn paused.
“I cannot tell you everything now, for your own safety. I
dealt with the assassin and placed a protection spell on Our Lady
so they cannot find her. But that spell he threw into you means our
enemies can track you.”

 
Jared looked around and was still
uncomprehending.
“But again. Where ARE we?
I have to go home, my mum and dad will be worried about
me.”

 
Mordalayn sighed.
“I promise you all this will be made clearer later. I need to
get you to a safe place. We are safe here for a short time only but
we are on the borders of Alegria. Those who would hurt the queen
may find you here.”

 
He stood.
“The
corvo he placed within you has to be removed.”

 
Jared paled.
“But,
but I feel nothing. What is it?”

 “
The
corvo is not malignant, it simply resides within you, but our
enemies can track you with it. We need to remove it.
Now..”

 
Jared was scared and stammered.
“
But, but what will you
do?”

 “
I promise you this will not hurt or do you
damage but you MUST do as I say ok?”
Mordalayn’s feline face looked deadly serious and Jared
squirmed under his gaze. Fellicone stepped forward and smiled
reassuringly at Jared.

 “
It’s
ok my boy. This is quick but we need to do it immediately. Please
be assured we mean you no harm.”

 
Jared looked from Fellicone to Mordalayn
and back.
“What do you want me to
do?”
he asked, his voice
cracking.

 “
Just sit still. This will be over
quickly,”
Mordalayn said and looked to
Fellicone who moved forward.

 “
Please
don’t be scared, but be aware you may be shocked by what you
see.”

 
Mordalayn moved to the windows and drew the heavy curtains,
blocking the final rays of sunlight. He lit a fat green candle in
the middle of the table and another on a cabinet near the front
door. Locking it he pocketed the key and turned to
Jared.

 “
Stay
in the chair and do not speak or move, no matter what happens. Do
you understand?”

 
The
flickering candles cast an orange glow across the room and the
shadows were long and deep. He braced himself in the chair as
Fellicone stood in front of him and smiled once more. Gently he
took Jared’s hands in his large, pudgy ones. He closed his eyes and
began to say very softly:

 “
Eye of
evil, we see you. We know you. None trust you and none want you.
You are bereft and alone. Begone from this boy.”

 
Jared
looked around but nothing was happening. Mordalayn stood next to
Fellicone, his face emotionless.

 
Fellicone repeated the phrase and this time
he raised both arms with the palms facing down and moved to stand
over Jared. After a pause he began a third time and Jared felt
something prickling the skin on his chest, like pins and needles.
He squirmed slightly but Mordalayn whispered urgently.
“Keep still.”

 
Fellicone loudly shouted.
“Eyes of treachery, beacon of betrayal leave this
boy and go. You are not welcome.”

 
Jared could feel his skin getting hotter
and it felt like something was moving in his chest. He fought to
remain still but then he felt a bump against his ribs but from the
inside and he yelled out and squirmed. Suddenly Mordalayn was
behind him, pinning his arms to his sides and whispering.
“Be still, you must be still.”

 
Fellicone again chanted and then Jared saw a ghostly, shadowy
shape appear through his t-shirt. He gasped as it pushed through
and saw that it was the head of some sort of large bird. The beak
was open as if it was trying to cry out. He couldn’t feel the bird
moving, only the prickling sensation but he struggled against
Mordalayn’s grip as the bird continued to emerge.

 
It was like a huge black crow, faded
slightly as if in an old photograph. It looked
like
a projection from a movie
camera. It’s eyes were red and angry. Fellicone chanted, raising
his arms higher. The bird thrashed its head from side to side and
then pulled clear of Jared’s chest, its huge wings beating slowly
as if they had been trapped. The bird shook itself and raised its
head in anger at Fellicone and silently screeched, its long curved
beak open in fury. Then as it finally wrenched itself free of Jared
it hovered in the air and finally made a sound. A horrible,
piercing screech that made the very air echo, as Mordalayn held
Jared fast against the chair. The monstrous bird raised its wings
and lunged forward as if to attack but then suddenly faded, the
screech dying out as it vanished.

 
Fellicone opened his eyes and slowly breathed out in relief.
Jared blinked and looked around. The candle nearest the door had
gone out and the room was dull in the sputtering flame from the
other. Mordalayn released his grip and moved to stand in front of
him.

 “
The corvo is gone,”
he said.
“You will be
fine.”

 
Jared
nodded slowly, sweat on his forehead and Mordalayn moved away from
him. Fellicone moved to light oil lamps on the walls and another on
the table.

 
Jared gulped, then found his voice.
“What was that thing?”

 
Fellicone smiled kindly and said.
“A tracker. Rancidrain placed it in you as a
spell when you happened upon him in the presence of Our Lady. Have
no fear, it is gone now.”
He paused but
then added,
“had he known what he was
doing we could not have removed it so easily or without harm to
you. Fortunately our enemies used someone they would never miss so
luck was on our side.”

 
Jared looked at Mordalayn who was checking
out the windows of the house, moving the curtains aside to look at
the view across the fields to the dense woods further back. Far in
the distance was a high hill and at the top was an elegant white
building. In the dying sunlight the last rays cast a beam across
the huge cat figure. Mordalayn turned to Fellicone and
asked.
“You are shielded
here?”