The Wealding Word (12 page)

Peter gave a weak, “Erm…” in reply.

The creature spat another bitter word at him, but they could now hear hooves pounding through the forest, and the grumlin seemed to feel that this strange trio was not worth the effort. Fins behind its head slapping violently, it sprang away toward the trees.

“Here it is,” Peter said at last, producing a small book, “My Vodyani Grammar!”

Danger past, Nell ran forward and clung to Rawley. “You saved us!” She buried her face in his fur. When she brought her arms away, she found her hand was smeared with blood. The dog endured her fawning with a strained look. Drips of red splattered the leaves, but there was little Nell could do.

Looking up from his book, the hermit laughed triumphantly, “Go-mash to-
klas
! ‘We mean you no harm!’ I accidentally told him: ‘We mean you no pork.’ Well, it worked anyway!”

Nell ignored his mirth. “What else is in your bag?” she demanded. “Do you have bandages?”

Peter’s smile faded and he shook his head. “No. No bandages – just books. And it’s lucky I brought this one,” he said defensively. “Ah, it’s been too long since I brushed up on my Old Vodyani. I can almost taste the sea on my lips.” It didn’t seem to register with the old man that Rawley had been wounded. Perhaps it didn’t matter to him.

Nell put her hand over the tiny puncture that was leaking so much blood. She tried to coax the dog to lie down so she could press the sleeve of her coat against his side, but nothing would stem the flow. At that moment Nell knew she
was
truly cursed: stuck with a useless old man and powerless to help a dying companion. She sobbed in frustration, leaning her head on Rawley’s soft fur. Stroking the dog’s neck, she murmured soothing words to him, feeling the fast thump of his heart. When she looked up, however, three riders on horseback were speaking to Peter. The hermit pointed in the direction the grumlin ran, and two of them galloped off through the trees. The third swung off his mount.

“Nell!” he cried. “I found you!” She knew the voice immediately: it was Edward, her friend from the castle.

Seeing the tears on her face and the red pool gathering beneath the dog, Ward said, “Here let me help.” He produced a cobalt banner and folded it down the middle. The head and hooves of a rearing
silver unicorn stitched upon it showed for just a moment. The young soldier knelt and wrapped the cloth tightly around Rawley’s ribs, saying, “We feared the worst had happened to you. Is your sister here too?”

“Lexi? No. Why?” Nell’s voice broke when she asked. “What’s happened to her?”

Ward frowned, “You don’t know? Last night grumlins stole into the village where you live. They ran off with your sister. We thought they had taken you too, since no one knew where you were. The weald is crawling with the creatures now. How they managed to sneak this far into the realm is a mystery.” He looked again at Nell. “Your parents are sick with worry over you. If grumlins didn’t carry you off, then how did you get out here?” He rounded suspiciously toward the hermit. “And who, sir, are you?”

Before the old man could answer, Nell said, “I ran away into the weald yesterday. At least, I think it was yesterday.” She fretted knowing her parents thought she was in the hands of grumlins. “I got lost and ended up in the swamp. This is Peter Domani, he was taking me home.”

“Very well then,” Ward said. “I will bring you to the main contingent of riders. Your father is with them, and the prince is there too.” The young soldier helped Nell into the saddle and gently lifted Rawley to carry. “Some of the men captured a strange creature in the weald. They were discussing what to do with it when I set out to chase down that grumlin of yours. They’re not far from here.”

The thought of the prince no longer excited Nell: he had failed to keep his word. She longed to see her father though. “Why did they take Lexi?” she wondered.

Ward frowned, “Perhaps the Widow sent her servants to fetch a prisoner. She’s been known to steal children before – but your sister is a bit old for that kind of thing. Who can say?”

A satchel of books over his arm, Peter was left to lead the soldier’s roan horse as they walked back to the group. The smoke-heavy sky above seemed to grow a shade darker with every step. When they were within earshot of the men, Peter stopped, turning to Nell. “Aach. I am no good with soldiers and princes,” he said. “You’ll be safe with them. But now I need to go and check on the old tree.”

Nell shook her head, knowing that Peter would be killed by the first grumlin he met. “What can you do? All you have are… books!” He had no magic to help the tree or himself, and after the long walk through the marsh, the hermit could barely manage the bag on his shoulder. A thick haze began seeping through the trees – the sounds of cracking wood and the whoosh of the fire were not far off. Surely Peter would be lost if he went on alone.

As if reading her thoughts, the old man stiffened. “I am not useless in a time of need! No, I can’t change into a bird, and I don’t have the powers of heaven and earth at my whim… but I have my wits,” he knocked a bony finger against his temple. “And I know that if there’s one way to deal with a grumlin, it’s with these.” He produced one of the striped mushrooms harvested along the way. “I promise you I won’t throw my life away.”

Strangely, Nell believed the old man. He reached up and squeezed her hand, trying to bring her into focus with his cloudy eyes. Then he handed Nell the reigns and strode off into the thicket, Vodyani Grammar in hand.

Through the trees ahead, Nell saw a group of armed men in conversation with the prince. Some of the lower-ranking soldiers standing about hailed Ward as he came forward, and when Nell appeared on the young man’s horse, the company raised a cheer. Chase was there in an instant, helping Nell down and hugging the breath out of her. Ward carefully set Rawley on the ground and went to tender his report to the prince, leaving Nell in good hands.

Relief washed over the girl, making her tremble for joy. She squeezed her father tightly, feeling exhausted and suddenly ready to cry. But the happy moment was short lived. Through teary eyes Nell saw a troubling sight: in a trundle cart used to carry supplies sat Tomkin, holding his bearded, soot-stained face in his hands. A rope tied around his tiny wrist bound him securely.

Not far away, a knight in dusky armor was lecturing the prince like a wicked schoolmaster just about to assign a punishment. A cruel smile kept creeping across his face, as though the search through the burning woods amused him. “My lord, we haven’t men to spare over this
troll.”
When Ryan didn’t answer, the man continued, “We don’t need any more distractions. The first girl has just been found. The other must not be far away. Destroy the troll and let’s get on with our hunt.”

Ryan set his jaw and held his silence, causing the lord to snatch off his helm in annoyance. “Your
mother
the queen commanded that we find these missing brats – against my council. Yet here I am!
In service.
” he glared down at the boy. “If we are to honor her wishes, we must finish our sweep before the weald burns to ashes around us.”

His voice dripped with disdain, as though risking his life for two urchins was a disgrace to his rank. And to make it worse, Pharisij’s boy-prince was feeling conflicted over some curiosity of the forest.
How typical
. The woods nearby crackled from the heat, treetops exploding in flames. The knight was as relentless as the fire. “Is a grotesque imp like that,” he shot his mailed hand toward Tomkin, “worth all of us dying out here? We’re wasting time even considering it! If your father rode with us today, he would agree!”

Mention of the king made Ryan look up sharply. The boy barely knew his father, but he knew that this furious knight, Lord Umbrage, was the king’s childhood friend. As the wind fanned the fire closer, Ryan gave in to the words of the knight. Gravely the prince said, “It’s time to find the other girl. Do what you think is best.”

With a sneering bow, Lord Umbrage unsheathed his sword. “As you wish, my prince.”

C
HAPTER
13

E
SCAPE

Standing not far from the group of soldiers and the prince, Nell heard enough to know what they intended. “No!” she cried, struggling out of Chase’s arms. “Dad, they’re going to kill Tomkin!” she screamed.

“Kill
who?”
her father asked.

So immersed was he in his discussions with Umbrage, Prince Ryan hadn’t seen the girl that Ward had brought back. The prince looked about, surprised to hear Nell’s voice. She made to run over to him but Chase grabbed her hand. “That is the
prince
, Nell, and Lord Umbrage, the king’s own councilor. People like us cannot interfere with their business.” Her father’s voice was strained. “Lexi is still missing, and they’re making plans to get her back.”

“But they can’t kill Tomkin, he’s my friend!” Nell pulled at her father’s hand, but she couldn’t get free.

Some distance away, Ward faced the knight in the dark armor, gesturing vehemently toward Tomkin. Soon both men’s voices were raised in dispute. Lord Umbrage showed the young soldier none of the restraint he afforded the prince. The advisor’s temper burned hotter than the fires in the wood. Before him Ward stood unflinching, his face knotted in defiance. “The creature is harmless!” the young man shouted. “Just let it free and let’s continue looking for the other girl!” Flames rose above the trees behind them as they argued, and
the horses shied in fear. If the group didn’t move soon, they would all burn.

Nell tugged at her father’s arm, pulling him toward the small wagon. “Come on, I’ll show you!” With a scared glance between the fast moving fire and the forest troll, Chase allowed himself to be dragged along. Rawley whimpered, limping at Nell’s hip.

“Tomkin!” she called.

When Tomkin saw Nell, he wiped his soot-streaked face. “Eh? You again? Lady Zel don’t happen to be with you, does she?” His bushy eyebrows were raised hopefully.

“No, it’s just me. Peter was here, but he went on to look after the great tree.”

“What?” Tomkin shrieked. “The old fool! That’s where all this started! I saw it myself!” He tried to raise his hands dramatically, but the rope held one of them fast. The little man yanked on it, incensed, and then gave up. “I thought I’d have a dip in the Aureate’s pond this morning,” he said. “Was a day like any other. Then a shadow passed over. Strike me down if it wasn’t the Widow of the Sea herself! She came to talk to the old oak. And wouldn’t you know, her grumlins were dragging a girl who looked a bit like yourself – all tied up, except for her mouth.” He jerked on his own rope again, as though the knot might have somehow loosened. “Since you visited the old tree, rumor’s got out that he’s been talking again, to a young girl from the village. Rhian—”

“The Widow has Lexi?” The news had just penetrated Chase’s thoughts, and he choked as though he’d been stabbed. “I… I remember seeing a tree with a face once. It was on a hill deep within the weald. You think she’s there?” he asked Tomkin.

“Well, she
was
, some time ago,” the troll said. “Before these fool knights put a sack over me.”

“The prince needs to know about this,” Chase said. He took a step toward the group of advisors – but stopped abruptly, reconsidering.
What would it look like? A common shoemaker like himself barging in on the prince, spouting the outlandish claims of a forest troll: he had no station to speak with them, much less to bring nonsense like this. It was exactly the kind of thing he scolded Nell for just moments ago. Angrily, he turned around. “Nell, this… this creature is trying to put a spell over us. I’m sure Lord Umbrage would not want a troll’s opinion.”

“More’s the pity!” Tomkin yelled.

His chain armor jingling, Umbrage stalked toward the wagon. The prince trailed behind, staring at the ground in defeat. Ward stood back with a number of lesser knights, still irate over the advisor’s insistence upon killing the troll. But Ryan had made his choice, and for Edward to disobey the command of the prince would be treason. Already he would be severely reprimanded for arguing with Umbrage, and not even the queen herself would be able to save him from losing his head if he pushed the matter any further.

“Get away from that creature,” Lord Umbrage commanded.

Tomkin raged again against the cord tying his wrist. “You people never learn! It’s the grumlins by the Aureate! They’re burning the wood to spite the trees!”

Nell shouted at the prince, “Ryan, you can’t hurt Tomkin! He’s on our side! He knows where my sister is!”

Umbrage sneered. “Get that blathering girl out of here.” Nell’s father pulled her away from the cart, fearing the anger of the nobleman.

“Ooo!” Tomkin shouted impotently. He flung his head back and cried, “You spirits of earth and air!
You know who you are
– don’t pretend you’re not listening!” The troll jabbed a stumpy finger at the smoke billowing overhead. “If you ever had a debt to repay me, now is the time!”

The knight came toward the cart, his weapon glinting orange in the angry firelight. Nell looked at Ryan, but the prince avoided
her gaze. The small sword hanging at his side seemed so fine and impressive to Nell during the parade, but now it appeared worthless. It was just an ornament, like the prince himself. Umbrage was really in control. The knight drew his weapon, and somewhere far in the distance, the flames gave a terrifying wail.

Nell covered her eyes as the sword was raised above Tomkin’s defenseless head. The little troll cowered, his beard quivering in fear. Leaves all around them stirred in a slight breeze. Then a wave of hot, stinging smoke blotted everything from view. Knights cursed and Nell’s father let go of her hand to rub at his eyes.