The next morning, I awoke to sunlight streaming in my window. I blinked once, feeling rather owlish, then I slowly sat up. A smile spread across my face as I realised that for the first night in over a week, I had slept without dreaming. I felt better rested than I had since before my fall.
That realisation had me smiling still as I went downstairs. I found the others already at our table. Connor and Sydney were defending a small plate of food from Opal.
"When Zera wakes up, she's going to want some food, too!" Sydney said. She looked as though she was going to continue, but then Connor looked up and saw me walking towards them. "Morning, Zera," he said. "How're you doing?"
"I am fine," I said. The feel of my smile upon my face changed as we spoke- it became gentler, tenderer. Odd. "We've been trying to keep Opal from eating your breakfast," Sydney told me. My stomach growled as I sat down with them. "I appreciate your efforts," I said, digging in to the plate she had slid before me.
"What time is it?" I asked. Opal looked up at a large clock on the wall. "Seven thirty, about," she told me. "Ah," I replied. I had slept well past dawn.
When I had finished my plate, Opal said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to the castle!" She rose and bounced impatiently as I pulled on my boots. Then we made for the castle.
Both thrones in the room were now occupied. As before, King Scott sat upon the right one, but now the left was occupied by a slight woman with short blond hair, a violet dress, and shoulder-length gloves- no doubt the queen. It distracted me for a moment- how was it that Simona had brown hair when both her dam and sire were blond? - but I put it aside.
Simona stood before the thrones. "Mother, Father…" she said, "I've decided that I'm going to give answer to the knight's demands." The queen put her head into her hands, sobbing. "Oh, no, Simona, please!" King Schott looked at her, seeming annoyed- though his beard hid from me the set of his mouth.
"There's nothing to cry about, you silly besom!" he said. I was rather shocked at his words- he was speaking to his wife in the rudest manner! - but he continued. "I'll never allow her to go. Ach, they'll be the death of me, these two…"
With that, he realised that we stood in the doorway. The queen and Simona, seeing his distraction, looked to us as well. "Ah!" Schott said. "It's you! I've been waiting on the edge of my throne for you to come back. Hurry closer, now!"
We approached the throne and bowed. "It's good to see you back with us. So tell me, what news is there of the Wight Knight?"
We told him the tale, Opal most of all. Her eagerness to speak was helpful in some situations. I smiled as I listened to her describe the battle. I took up the tale when it came to what he said afterwards, not wishing Opal or Sydney to mention Stella. We had not been finished for a full minute when the king spoke.
"Och! So you're telling me he just lost his memory and mistook my Simona for his fiancée? And he told you he's going off to find Brigadoom now, so he won't be bothering us here again?"
When I nodded, he rose from his throne, anger suddenly gathering upon his face like thunderclouds. "And you believed him?" he bellowed. I took an involuntary step back. "Sounds like a ham-a-haddie to me! That blethering skite can't be trusted!"
"Father!" exclaimed Simona. "Why do you have such a low opinion of him? What did he ever do to you?" As she spoke, I was struck by how much she resembled her father- not in appearance, but in her inner strength. They seemed much like two sides of the same coin.
Schott sat back down, and even with the beard I could tell that his mouth was set stubbornly. "Hmph!" he said. "I've never even heard of Brigadoom for one thing. That proves he must be lying." He looked to us.
"Here's the situation. I'm sure that miscreant will be back here before long after my Simona again. So until you put a stop to him once and for all, you can forget about trying to collect any reward!"
Simona clasped her hands before her chest- something I had noticed her doing during our previous audience with the king. "Why do you refuse to believe their story, Father?" she asked. "If he really is all on his own miles away from home, it must be terrible for him."
Schott looked to her, shaking his head. "Och, lassie. I'm doing this all to protect you, you know. Do try to understand."
Simona appeared to not be listening. As he finished speaking, her face lit up, as though she had had an idea. Without speaking, she turned and ran from the throne room. Schott stood. "Simona!" he called.
The audience was clearly over. We left the throne room. As we passed through the doorway, I heard Simona's voice from my left: "Zera!" I turned to look. She looked about, as though to make sure no one was watching. "There's something I need to talk to all of you about. I don't want anyone to overhear. My room's through that door-" she pointed- "and to the east. Could we talk there? It's about Brigadoom."
Without waiting for an answer, she left through the door she had indicated. I looked to my companions. "Shall we go?" I asked. Sydney nodded. "If she really does know about Brigadoom, it could be useful."
So we followed Simona out the door. As we walked, Stella complained that we wouldn't get any benevolessence with the king so ungrateful. I tuned out her moaning. It was easy- my happiness from having slept fully without my nightmare and from speaking with Connor the night before still lingered.
Simona's room was rather simpler than I had expected. Grand, certainly- her wardrobe alone doubtless was worth more than Erinn's house in Angel Falls- but it was sparsely furnished. Simona stood before the bed, facing the door when we walked in.
"Sorry to ask you to come here like this," she said. "Father would just try to interfere if he overheard. You see, I actually have heard of Brigadoom." As Connor, Sydney, Opal and I looked at one another in surprise, the princess continued: "I remember it from a nursery rhyme one of the maids used to sing to me when I was a wee girl. Maybe that song can give us a clue as to how we can fix all this! The maid's gone back to live in Zere now. It's a tiny village just the west of Loch Storn." She sighed.
"The Wight Knight isn't the evil character that Father thinks he is, I just know it. He needs help, Zera. Please, do whatever you can."
"We shall do our best," I promised. "You can count upon us."
"Zere, huh?" asked Stella as we left the castle. "Sounds a lot like your name, Zera!" I smiled. "What is it?" Opal asked. "I was thinking of how similar Zere sounds to Zera," I told her. Opal smiled widely. "Yeah, they do sound a lot alike!" she said. "That's funny!"
We left the city. A short distance from the path to the loch, I saw fields of grain. "Are the people of Zere farmers?" I asked. "I think so," Sydney said. "It's a small town, so it's not as though they'd have much else."
As we travelled through the fields, it was evident that the monsters were plaguing this area, as well. Ragged reapers and betterflies wandered about the fields, often destroying a few stalks of grain. No doubt if this continued, the harvest would be a small one.
When we left the fields, we could see Zere up ahead. What I first noticed about it was that it seemed oriented around an enormous tree that was missing most of its branches. Even from this distance, I could tell that the town was small.
We stopped at a small shop at Opal's insistence. Connor purchased nothing, but I found for myself a new top, a knee-length leather tunic dyed green, belted at the waist, and with a thick, brown leather cape attached. I looked oddly at Opal when she purchased a blue tunic nearly exactly like the one I had purchased in Angel Falls, only smaller. "It's cute!" she said when she noticed. "And yours would be too big for me."
She and Opal each purchased a pair of leather boots, and we each bought a sturdy bronze shield. After selling our old shields and Sydney and Opal's sandals, we asked the man minding the shop for directions.
"Aye, Alanna lives on the other side of our tree," he said. "She used to work as the princess's nurse- imagine!" We thanked him, and continued on our way.
The door to the house 'on the other side of our tree' was open, so we peered in. Two grey-haired women sat at a table. "Wheesht, Alanna!" said the one closest to us. "There you go again, blethering about the old days."
The other woman smiled. "I was actually a wee bit jealous of you back then, Petra," she said. She stopped abruptly as she caught sight of us standing in the doorway. "Aye?" she asked. Petra turned. "Och, we've company! Welcome, welcome!"
We entered. "Greetings," I said. "We wished to ask you something. Would either of you have happened to be Princess Simona's nurse when she was a child?"
"Aye, that's right," Alanna said. "I used to look after Princess Simona. Why do you ask?"
"Because we wanted to hear the song you sang to her, about Brigadoom!" Opal said cheerfully. "Well, I can't deny a request like that, can I?" Alanna asked. She looked to Petra. "You'll sing along with me, won't you, Petra?"
"The Right Knight ditty?" Petra asked. "Aye, I could sing that in my sleep." I was rather confused- everyone we had spoken with had called him the Wight Knight, had they not? – but Alanna and Petra seemed not to notice my confusion as they turned to us. Petra began the song.
"Giddy up, giddy up, and away he goes!" Alanna continued:
"The Right Knight sets off on his steed
"In search of evil he rides.
"If he can defeat the terrible beast
"He'll be home to wed his bride.
"The town is full of laughter, preparing a feast fit for a queen,"
"Och! But then, disaster!
"The Right Knight's nowhere to be seen!"
"Bird, north, Brigadoomward on,
"Tell her that her knight is gone,"
"Bird, north, Brigadoomward on,
"Tell her that her knight is goooone!"
Alanna smiled. "Well, that's the song, dearie. I hope it was to your liking." Then she paused. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why would you come all this way just to hear an old nursery rhyme?"
I paused. Then I told her, "We are searching for Brigadoom."
"Oh, so you want to find Brigadoom, do you? In that case, I'd pay special attention to the part about the bird flying north. Why don't you try flying north yourself and seeing what you can find?"
"We will," Sydney said. "Thank you both."
"It was no problem, my dears, no problem at all!" Alanna said. "I wish you luck!"
We thanked her once more, and left the cottage. "Let's go to an inn," Connor suggested. "We'll have space to spread out the map."
"That is a good plan," I said. I pointed. "The inn is just across the way."
"Across the stream?" Opal asked. "It looks a little too wide to jump." So we travelled around the tree, taking the long way around to avoid getting wet. As we came down a set of earthen stairs, I heard a shout.
"S-somebody help me!" yelled a man's voice, and a large blond man came running into the village. Chasing after him, riding upon his black steed, was the Wight Knight- no, I reminded myself, the Right Knight. "Aargh! We're done for! Help! Heelp!" yelled the man, ever more frantic.
"Why do you run from me?" asked the Wight- Right- Knight. "I just want to talk with you. I mean you no harm."
"Dinnae gie me that!" yelped the man. "I saw that witch in the woods out lookin' for ye, so I did! A real piece o' work, she was, red eyes a-blazin' and all! Asked me if I'd seen her slave, the Wight Knight, so she did! That's you, I'd wager. Ye're her slave, are ye not?"
"Do I look like a witch's slave to you?" demanded the knight. "I've never heard anything so ridiculous!" At that, he seemed to spot us, standing atop the steps, watching over the scene.
"It's Zera, is it not?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"
"We came to try to learn more about Brigadoom," Connor said. "You've been trying to find out more about Brigadoom?" the knight asked. "You really didn't need to go to such trouble on my account."
He paused for a moment, then said hesitantly, "So…were you able to learn anything?"
"You are called the Right Knight, are you not?" I asked. "The Right Knight?" he asked. "Yes, that's what they called me back in Brigadoom. However did you find that out?"
"There's a song!" Opal said. She looked at me, her eyes bright. "You're a minstrel, Zera. Sing it for him!"
"Erm…" I said. I was not sure that I could remember all the words, nor was I sure that I would be able to sing in from of so many people- for there were more people about than just my companions and the Right Knight. Then I felt a gentle pressure on my hand. I looked down to see Connor's hand around my own. He smiled, squeezed it once, then let go. No one else saw.
I looked back up and took a deep breath. Then I began the song.
As I sang, I knew that I was changing notes slightly, adding small trills and moving up and down where Alanna and Petra had remained still. But I could not help it as I moved through the simple lyrics.
The silence when I finished was far deeper than I had anticipated. The sounds of conversation in the village had quieted, and while I could still heard birdsong and the sounds of the monsters outside the village, it was very quiet.
"That was really good!" Connor said. I looked down smiling, warmth rising to my cheeks. "Yeah, it was!" Opal cheered. "Had you heard that song before?" Sydney asked. "I don't think you missed a single word."
"Surely not!" the Right Knight said, looking into the distance. He was not speaking to any of us, I was certain of that. "There's a song about me! This is all very odd. Surely I'm not just the figment of a storyteller's imagination?"
He looked to us. "'Bird, north, Brigadoomward on'? That's the only clue there was in the song?" He turned his steed about.
"Then I suppose there's nothing for it but to follow the bird's example. Northward ho!" he cried, and his steed galloped out of the village and away.
We were silent for several moments. Then Sydney said, "Well…are we still going to the inn, or shall we just follow him north?"
"Follow him, I should think," I said. "After all, he is from Brigadoom. Would he not know best where to find it?" The others agreed, and we left the village, following the hoofprints of the Right Knight's steed.
Fifteen minutes north and west of the village was a great forest. "Doomingale Forest," Sydney said, consulting her map. "But there's no record of anything here aside from trees. No mention of Brigadoom or anything."
I pulled out my fan as we walked. Doomingale Forest had an eerie feel to it, much like that of a storm about to break. As I looked up, I realised that was true in more ways than one. Dark thunderheads were massing above the forest. I pointed them out to my companions.
"There shouldn't be storms this early in the day," Sydney said. She sounded concerned. "Maybe we ought to wait for tomorrow."
"No!" I said. "It is only nine in the morning. If we wait for the morrow, we will have wasted a full day!" Sydney was reluctant, but we convinced her- for Connor and Opal sided with me. And so we continued.
The prints of the Right Knight's steed were no longer there to guide our way. The ground was too dry for anything to leave a print.
As we continued roughly north, I heard a sound from behind us. "What was that?" I asked, turning. My eyes widened as I saw two leery louts and a cumaulus charging us. "Behind you!" I cried.
I was just in time. Sydney dodged just as one of the leery louts' swords passed through the space her midsection had occupied only an instant before. Opal raised her dagger and cast a spell I had not seen before. It rent the air around the monsters in a series of small explosions. One of the leery louts- the one that had swung at Sydney- died on the spot, leaving nothing but a bit of the traditional purple dust.
Connor swung a fist at the remaining leery lout. He managed to circumvent the monster's shield and hit it in the face. It howled.
The cumaulus now sped at me. It wrapped itself around me, so that I could see nothing but grey mist, and then I jumped as something within the mist bit me. I heard a click and the mist lit up with flame. I dropped to the ground before I could be singed, and the cumaulus exploded.
Now I ran at the final monster, slicing diagonally across its front. It raised its shield, but it was an instant too slow, and it joined its fellows in becoming dust.
We stood still then, breathing heavily. "Thank you," I said to Sydney. "No problem," she replied. After a moment, Opal said, "Well, let's keep looking!"
And so we continued on our way.
If the sun had been out, it would have reached its zenith and begun its journey to the western horizon before we saw something ahead that was not trees. We hurried forwards, hoping our journey was at an end. But when we saw what was ahead, we stopped.
It was the ruins of what had doubtless once been a great city. I could see what remained of towers, staircases, and buildings in the gloomy light that made its way through the clouds. Before us was a large, gated arch, but there were no walls around it. I could not understand. Where was Brigadoom?
Then I realised: this was Brigadoom.
Lightning lit up the ruined city with an eerie light, and I amended my previous thought.
This used to be Brigadoom.
"No!" cried a voice from behind us. I turned to see my companions as shocked as I, but none of them had cried out.
The Right Knight rode up behind us. As much as I could tell behind his faceplate, he was staring up at the ruins. "This can't be Brigadoom. I don't understand. How can I have been away for so long that it's fallen into such disrepair?" He paused for a moment. "And where is my beloved Mona? Princess Mona! Mona!"
We parted before him as he rode his steed through our midst. He circumvented the gate, racing into the ruined city. We soon lost sight of him through the rain that had begun.
"What happened to this place?" Opal asked in a whisper. "I don't know," Connor said. Instinctively, the four of us moved closer together as we walked into the ruins. Jinksters, leery louts, cumauluses, and other monsters had made the ruins into their home.
"Where are we supposed to go?" I asked. "I don't know," Opal replied. I heard a sniff from my right, and looked over. My eyes widened in surprise.
Sydney had tears in her eyes, and I could see the track of one down her cheek. "This is horrible," she whispered. "There was so much life here. How could it have all been destroyed like this?"
None of us had any answers.
We walked in silence through the pouring rain that had broken free from the thunderheads. The monsters did not bother us- I supposed our group was large enough that they did not fancy their chances. I saw two bookcases, filled with ruined books, and I nearly cried as well. There had doubtless been much knowledge in this city. Now it was lost.
Hours later, it seemed, we stumbled upon a descending staircase in the northernmost part of the city. "Shall we check here?" I asked. "Sure," Connor said. I led the way down the stairs, cautious in case they crumbled beneath my feet.
To my right as I reached the floor below ran a hallway. Before us, the hall was filled with rubble. Behind the wall on the other side of the hall, I thought I heard a voice. "There's someone there!" Opal exclaimed as she reached the bottom. Evidently, I had not been hearing things. We went to investigate.
We were forced to circumnavigate what seemed to be a large room. Opposite the side where we had begun, there was a large oak door. I pushed it part of the way open, and we peered in.
The Right Knight stood in the centre of the room, facing away from us, his sword in hand. I could not see whom he faced, aside for a pair of violet, bat-like wings. Did the knight face a demon? I wondered.
"Ka ha ha!" came a harsh voice from in front of the knight. It sounded to me like the voice of a woman, though it was difficult to tell. We edged slowly into the room, hoping not to be noticed.
My eyes widened as I beheld the figure the Right Knight faced. It looked to me like a demon, with the figure of a woman. But her skin was blue-grey, her long hair the colour of her wings, and her eyes naught but red pits. She sat in a throne at the end of the room.
"Welcome home, ma love," she said. I was shocked. Ma love? I thought. Was this…witch the Princess Mona the knight had spoken of? Had he been under a spell?
"I've been lookin' ev'rywhere for ye," the witch continued. "Ye wernae hidin' from me, were ye, ye naughty boy?" The way in which she spoke contrasted with her appearance to the point where it might have been amusing, had I not been so confused by the situation. She had a lisp, it seemed; when she pronounced an 'r', it sounded like a 'w'.
"…Morag!" cried the Right Knight. "Now I understand. Now I remember everything. I left Brigadoom in search of you, so that I could destroy you."
The words of the ditty echoed in my head: in search of evil he rides. Everything was falling into place very neatly.
Morag stood. "Ka ha ha!" she laughed. "But it was I who defeated ye, an' wrapped ye in mah sweet, sweet embrace…An' I had ye all tae maself there for a century or two, in oor own private wee world of darkness. Ye're all mine, an' dinnae forget it. Ye're mah Wight Knight in shinin' armour…"
I understood now where the name Wight Knight had come from. Morag was unable to pronounce the 'r'. What an odd way to gain a name, I thought.
The Right Knight tensed. "Enough!" he shouted. "This is all your doing. What have you done with her? Where is my Mona?"
With that, he leapt at Morag, and I though to see her the next second skewered upon the tip of his sword. But it did not happen, for Morag's red eyes flashed darkly, and twin beams of darkness speared the Right Knight from them. The knight was flung back. As he struggled to his feet, I realised that crackling around him was a nimbus of dark energy. "Graaaah!" he cried as he managed to stand.
"Ka ha ha!" Morag laughed again. "Ye silly nyaff! The earthquake broke the spell I placed on ye, but there's nothing can stand in the way of true love. I'll put another spell on ye, an' we'll be all alone together in the darkness again before ye know it. Just the two of us…"
"We must go up!" I whispered. Opal swallowed. Connor nodded. Sydney adjusted her grip on her staff. And we walked up between the knight and Morag, who regarded us coolly. "An' who might ye be, hm?" she asked. Ye're not here to steal my beloved Wight Knight away from me, are ye? Ha! Well, ye're a fool if ye are. Can ye not feel the strength of the curse I've put on mah poor wee darling? It's pure dead powerful!"
She laughed one again, and continued. "Dinnae worry yer pretty wee heid if ye cannae, though. Ye'll feel it soon enough for yerself! Ka ha ha!"
Her eyes flashed once more. I had a split second to realise that the twin beams were heading directly at Connor before I shoved him away. But in doing so, I placed myself directly in their paths.
I closed my eyes, curling in upon myself. Dimly, I could hear something: gasps, a scream, Connor's voice: "Zera!" But I could not focus upon them. The black energy wrapped itself around me, crushing me at the same time it shocked my like a thousand lightning bolts. I clenched my teeth, trying not to scream with pain.
Then I straightened and flung my arms away. The black energy dissipated, along with the pain. I smiled grimly at Morag. I heard shocked gasps from my companions. Morag, too, seemed shocked.
"Wh-what…?" she asked. "I've the cruellest, most crippling curses known tae mortalkind…how could they not work…?" She looked at me oddly. "Just what exactly are ye? If ye were mortal, my curse couldnae have failed." Then the red pits of her eyes widened. My smile widened in response. "…Wait, ye're not…one of them, are ye?" I nodded once, still smiling. I tightened my grip on my fan, knowing that she would likely spring at any second.
"Ach, no! We cannae be havin' this!" Morag cried. She readied her knife. "Why couldn't ye just have left us in peace, eh?" she asked. "Now I'm goin' to have tae make yer pretty face a whole lot less lovely!"
And then she sprang. Already tensed, I jumped out of the way when her knife stabbed towards me. As Morag landed, my companions joined in. Opal cast the spell she had used on the monsters in the forest. As it rent the air, I decided to christen it Bang.
As we grouped together to face her, Morag's eyes flashed, but not in the same way as when she had hit me with the dark energy. I felt myself freeze. She had paralysed me!
I saw Connor attack, a solid punch to Morag's midsection. It worked much better against her than it had the armoured Right Knight, and had I been able to move I would have smiled with the satisfaction of hearing her cry out.
I heard the distinctive click of Sydney's wizard's staff, and the ball of flame hit Morag in the face. She put it out, but I could see the marks it left.
Morag attacked again then, and I realised that Opal must have been paralysed as well. I could not move to avoid the knife, nor to cry out when it dug into my left shoulder. If I were able to move again during the battle, the wound would hamper my attacks.
The battle continued for half an hour at the least. Opal and I became free to move again, and with four against one, the fight became almost- almost- easy. When, suddenly, a punch from Connor flung the witch back against her throne, she could not rise above a kneeling position, even with the help of her throne.
We were all breathing heavily. I could feel the sting of several wounds across my body, and I knew the others were similarly injured.
"No…" groaned the witch. "Ma Wight Knight…. Oor eternal world together…no more…. But, ma love…ye must ken that ye cannae turn back the centuries. Yer beloved Mona is no more…Ka…ha ha…." She struggled to look up, directly at the Right Knight. "Now ye're doomed to walk alone in eternal despair… Ka ha ha ha ha…!"
And thus saying, her body dissolved into darkness. Slowly, I turned to look at the Right Knight. The black energy had vanished, but he was on his knees. "Princess Mona! It can't be true!" he cried. Then he looked up at us. "With your help, I finally returned to Brigadoom. And yet…the passing of time has destroyed my homeland. And my beloved Mona is no longer here to welcome me."
He paused for a long time. "I came home at last…but alas, I was too late…"
For a moment, all was silent. My breathing hitched as I thought of what it would be like to return to the Observatory and find it as Brigadoom was: desolate, ruined…empty. I shivered.
Then, a familiar voice came from the doorway. "You are not too late," it said. We all looked. Standing in the doorway was Princess Simona.
But was it? For her voice was slightly changed. It was accented as the Right Knight's, not as the one I had heard in the castle. Around her neck, the princess wore a golden necklace with a large ruby pendant. She wore a beautiful, pure white dress.
"That necklace!" cried the Right Knight. The princess walked up and stood directly behind him, so that he had to turn his head nearly all the way around. "Princess Mona!" he said, his voice full of relief and love. "I don't…aren't you…?"
The princess shook her head. "I made you a promise," she said. "I swore I would wait for you, no matter how long it took." She extended her right hand to the knight. "My beloved Right Knight…take my hand and dance with me! The first dance we would have had as man and wife…"
Slowly, the Right Knight rose. "Princess Mona…" he said. "You forgive me?" The princess said nothing, but she smiled. The Right Knight took her hand, and they pulled one another close.
As they did so, beautiful, sourceless music filled the room. Princess and knight began to dance, staring into each other's eyes. It seemed to me as though we stood no longer in a ruined throne room, but in the grandest of ballrooms, one fit for the first dance of a princess and prince. I felt myself swaying along to the music, and then a slightly rough, warm hand grasped my own. I looked at Connor and smiled. He smiled back at me.
And for at least ten minutes, the unearthly music filled the room, and the princess and the knight danced.
When the Right Knight began to glow softly, the music did not cease. The pair stopped dancing, looking at one another. "Thank you, Princess," said the Right Knight. "I know now that you are not my Mona. But…without you, I would have been forced to wander forever in eternal despair."
Simona- for it could be no other but her- smiled gently. "I knew you were the Right Knight from the old stories," she told him, and her voice now sounded the way it had when I had first heard her. "I just knew it. I knew there was a connection between us the moment you appeared."
"It is not unbelievable that you, who inherited the memories of my beloved Mona, would have felt so…" the knight said. Simona's blue eyes widened. "So I am Princess Mona's…!"
The Right Knight turned to us. "Thank you, Zera," he said. "Without you, I would never have uncovered the truth. Now I have no regrets. Only gratitude…"
He looked up to the sky. Slowly, he began to rise up, and the glow grew to an unbearable brightness. Then, with a flash, he was gone.
The room was silent for a time. Then, Simona said, "I know I was supposed to leave it all up to you, but I couldn't help myself and I just had to come along." She paused. "It's really very odd. When I was dancing with him, I heard a voice…a woman's voice…. She was saying 'thank you'….
"Anyway, I must hurry back to the castle and tell everyone the news. I'll be sure to have your reward ready for you, so do stop by the castle as soon as you can." She turned and left the room. As she walked out, I saw the green uniform of the castle guards.
We all looked at one another. And then slowly, without speaking, we left the ruins of the city to return to Stornway.
/*\
It was late when we reached the city, but as it was not quite sundown, we decided to go to the castle and report to the king. As tired as I was, the grandiosity of the castle left me rather untouched.
"Ah, it's you!" cried Schott as we entered the throne room and bowed. "Good to see you! Simona's told me everything." He shifted uncomfortably on his throne. "Sounds like that Wight Knight was having a tough old time of it. I feel a wee bit guilty in hindsight." He paused.
"Still, all's well that ends well. You did a braw job there. I'm impressed! Aye, and you more than deserve that reward I promised. You just help yourself. Take all of it if you want to! Just climb the stairs behind the throne and go outside. East from there you'll see the treasure chamber."
Then, he seemed to remember something. "Crivvens!" he exclaimed. "I almost forgot! I've opened up the eastern checkpoint again. It was closed while all that stramast with the Wight Knight was going on. There's a big town beyond the checkpoint. Could be an interesting place to visit on your travels."
He looked about the room. "Aye, well…" he murmured. Simona smiled and bowed to us. My eyes widened, but before any of us could say anything, Schott said, "I hope you have a safe journey. And maybe you'll stop in Stornway again sometime? You'll always be welcome here!"
We bowed. "Thank you, King Schott," I said. "Thank you," Simona said. "For everything."
I smiled. "We were glad to help." Then, I looked to the others. "Shall we?"
We ascended the stairs and went east to the treasure chamber. My eyes widened as I looked about. Opal whistled. "Wow," murmured Sydney. "That's a lot of treasure," Connor said. "Aye," I agreed. "It really is."
There were coins in piles all about the room, red and blue chests on pedestals, and jewels all about. Slowly, we moved farther into the room.
Sydney picked up a golden rosary, looking at it in amazement. "This must be worth a fortune," she murmured. Connor took a phial of something from the floor. "Aggressence!" he exclaimed. "This could come in handy!"
Opal and I each took coins, and we left the chamber. As we made our way back to the Quester's Rest, Stella said, "Nice one, Zera! Looks like everyone here thinks you're the flea's knees now! See! Check it out! Benevolessence as far as the eye can see!" I gazed around the darkening city, but I could not see a hint of the beautiful crystal.
"Oops!" Stella said. "I forgot you can't see it! What a flapping idiot! I'm sure the Almighty will notice what you've been up to now, anyway. We'll be back to the Observatory in no time, you'll see!"
I was relieved when we reached the Quester's Rest and settled into our beds. Surely, I thought, this has been one of the longest days of my life- and I had had many days. My mind briefly wandered: one hundred forty-five years, seven months and…eight days? No, nine…
But before I could even begin to calculate the number of days I had lived, my eyes had drifted closed and I was asleep.
"Oi, lazy-limbs! Wake up, would you? The Starflight, remember? And you'll have to think of some story to tell those friends of yours as well, so let's get snapping!"
"Stella," I groaned. I sat up slowly, blinking at the bright light coming in through my window. "Must you be so loud? I would not be surprised if the people in the next room heard you- and they are mortal!" I stretched luxuriously. Already I felt quite awake- what a difference it made to have the nightmares gone!
Downstairs, I found that only Connor was out and about. "Good morning," I said to him, feeling suddenly much more cheerful. A smile came unconsciously to my lips as he turned from his food. "Morning," he said, smiling in response. He pulled out a chair. "Do you want to sit?"
"Thank you," I said, sitting next to him. We were silent for a moment. Then Connor hesitantly asked, "Did…did you get the benevolessence?"
"You remembered the word!" I said, rather surprised. It was rather a long word, after all, and I doubted that he had heard it prior to our discussion the previous night.
"Yeah," Connor replied. What was that expression? Worry? Anxiety? "Stella said there was benevolessence aplenty in the town," I told him. "…Stella?" he asked, brows contracting. Then he appeared to remember: "Oh, the faerie."
"Yes, the faerie, you flapping marrow-head!" spluttered Stella. "When'd you tell him about me, eh, Zera?" I did not deign to respond. Muttering, Stella folded her arms and looked away.
"When you say Stella told you…" Connor said, and I returned my attention to him. "Can't you see it?"
I shook my head sadly. "Not since I fell. Aside from my wings and halo, it seems to be the only of my Celestrian powers that has deserted me."
There was another silent moment, broken by the morning sounds of the inn and the city outside. Then: "So what are you going to do now?" There was an odd note of something in his voice…concern? Distress? I cut myself off at that, not wishing to travel any further down that particular path.
"I suppose Stella and I return to the Starflight Express and find if we are able to travel back to the Observatory." I swallowed as I finished saying it. Why must this be so difficult? I wondered. And why does the thought of leaving Connor seem even worse than that of leaving Sydney and Opal?
For it did, I realised then. My heart gave an odd, knifelike jerk at the thought that I would likely never be able to speak with him again. There was so much I had been unable to ask him about: his family, his hopes, his past…and I never would. The simple idea of never seeing him again, never feeling my spirit lift in the strange way it did when I was with him, never seeing his smile and dark eyes again…it hurt almost beyond my ability to bear.
"Come with me," I said desperately, the words coming out seemingly of their own accord. Connor looked at me oddly. "Come with you where?"
"To the Starflight," I responded. "As far as you can. I am not ready yet to leave you." The words came out very fast- I sounded rather like Stella, if Stella had ever sounded as quietly desperate as my voice felt.
"You…you really want me to come with you?" Connor asked. "Yes," I said. "As much as I have ever wanted anything in my life…and I have had a very long life, by your standards."
"Just how- never mind," Connor said. However, before either of us could say anything more, Opal bounded out of the elevator, followed by a very tired-looking Sydney, who was leaning rather heavily on her staff. "Opal, why did you have to wake me up?" she complained as she followed the small girl to our table.
"I wanna get an early start!" Opal cheered. "Are we gonna go to Coffinwell?" she asked me. I hesitated, looking at Connor. His face had gone completely smooth, aside from the occasional red bump of a pimple.
"There is something I must do first," I said. "Let us eat, and then we shall go- all of us." I looked at Connor as I said this, and everything I could not say- because I did not know how to say or even entirely what- seemed to pass between us. A smile very nearly touched my lips as I went to get breakfast for us.
/\*/\
It was another beautiful day, sunny and cloudless. Birds sang in the trees, and monsters hopped around, some chirping to one another, while others seemed to be playing. Even monsters did not seem so threatening.
I was not sure whether or not I was glad that the pass was a short distance away. Certainly it made it easier to fend off questions from Opal and Sydney, but it felt as though the time was passing faster than it should. I held Connor's hand tightly, ignoring questioning looks. I did not wish to let go a moment before I must.
"Here," I said quietly when we reached the clearing where the Starflight sat. "Hang on a minute!" Stella exclaimed. "The Starflight looks exactly the flapping same! I was sure we'd have given it a new release on life by now….If the Almighty had noticed all our good work and decided to help out, it'd be all glowing…I can't have gotten the wrong end of the gearshift on this one, can I?"
I ignored her to watch my friends. "…What exactly are we supposed to be looking at?" asked Sydney. I swallowed, suddenly uncertain. I did not know what to say!
"I am not a mortal," I said, the words spilling out. Opal and Sydney simply stared. "Huh?" asked Opal. "I am not mortal," I said, and launched into a version of the tale I had told Connor only two nights before. Had it truly been so short a time? It felt like so much longer…
"I am one of the Celestrians, the Guardians," I said. "My master, Aquila, had recently finished training me, and I was the new Guardian of Angel Falls. The duty of the Celestrians is to assist mortals, and to receive benevolessence to offer to Yggdrasil, the tree which tops our home in the sky. She was soon to bloom, and there was excitement in all Celestrians…
"Nine days ago, all was as it should be. I had completed my rounds of Angel Falls, and Aquila and I had returned to the Observatory. I went up to offer the benevolessence I had gathered to Yggdrasil, and found Aquila and Apus Major, the leader of the Celestrians, stood at her foot. They told me that Yggdrasil's time had come, that the sacred fyggs would bloom.
"I offered my benevolessence to the great Tree, and She indeed bloomed- seven golden, glowing fyggs. The celestial carriage- the Starflight Express, the train in the clearing that none of you can see- came to us. As I moved to it, a beam of dark light shook the Observatory, flinging me away. I crashed into the pool in Angel Falls, and when I awoke, my wings and halo were gone and I was visible to the mortals who lived therein- including Erinn.
"And I travelled to Stornway in the company of a faerie named Stella, who is currently fluttering next to me. After that, you know the story as well as I."
Sydney and Opal stared. They looked to Connor. Opal's eyes narrowed. "You knew!" she accused. Connor shifted. "Yes," he said. "Zera told me the night before last."
"And you didn't tell us!" cried Opal. But then I realised something: Sydney was tearing up. "Is something the matter?" I asked her. A look of wonder and something I could describe only as pure joy was spreading across her face as the tears spilled over.
"I knew you existed!" she whispered. "I just knew it!" She hesitated. "Can…can I hug you?" she asked. I smiled and opened my arms slightly. Sydney stepped forward and hugged me gently. I squeezed her gently in return. After a moment, she stepped back. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."
"You are welcome," I said.
"Why are we here?" Opal asked. I swallowed. "Stella believes we have collected enough benevolessence to get the Almighty's assistance in reviving the Starflight so we are able to return to the Observatory."
The words fell into complete silence. Opal and Sydney looked stunned. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Connor close his eyes as a look of- pain? – crossed his face.
"You can't go!" Opal burst. "We're just getting started! This was gonna be such a great adventure, and we were gonna go all over and…and…" Her dark little face crumpled. "I'm gonna miss you!" She flung her arms around my waist.
I could say nothing except "I shall miss you, too." I bowed my head and felt tears come to my own eyes. After a moment, I forced myself away, murmuring, "I must go." I sniffed once, surprised at myself. I usually showed far more reserve than this.
I forced myself to turn away. Connor touched my shoulder gently. "Do not," I whispered, my voice cracking. "It is already difficult enough."
I followed Stella, who was already inside the Starflight. I paused on the step outside, attempting to regain control of myself. "I don't believe it!" Stella was saying to herself. "It all looks exactly the flapping same! And after we went to all that trouble…has the Almighty decided to turn a blind ear to us or something?"
I stepped inside, and nearly jumped out of my skin as the Starflight gave an almighty lurch. "Yikes!" Stella exclaimed, arms and legs flailing. She turned to me, and I fought down a sudden desire to laugh. She looked entirely ridiculous!
"What was that? The entire thing moved when you came in just then…" She froze halfway through the flail. "…When you came in! That's it! That's it, Zera! The benevolessence you got from helping that knight has given you back some of your Celestrian powers!"
She crossed her arms, looking very smug with herself for figuring it out. "It looks like my first instinct didn't stink after all! The Starflight will fly if she has a Celestrian on board!" She turned away, seeming lost in thought. "But first you need to help people so you can get your powers back…get back all of your powers and we'll have the old girl flying like a dream again!"
She turned back to me triumphantly. "We'd better flat-foot it to that town beyond the checkpoint. I bet it's cram-packed with people in need of our help!" She pumped her fist into the air. "Woohoo! There's hope at last! Time to disembark on a mission of mortal mercy! Ha ha!"
Unable to believe my fortune, I turned mechanically and followed Stella off the train. I saw the shock on my friends' faces as I disembarked. "Zera?" Connor asked, seemingly unable to believe it. "We did not have enough," I said, "and Stella realised something." I smiled slightly. "Shall we go on to Coffinwell?"
A smile grew across Connor's face, and I felt myself smile in response. "Let's go!" enthused Opal, and Connor took my hand. And we set off for Coffinwell.
/\*/\
"I've been wondering," said Connor about forty-five minutes later as we walked along the path to Coffinwell, "how old are you? You were saying this morning, about it being a long time by our standards."
I hesitated, making a face. "I am worried that it will frighten you."
Opal rolled her eyes. "You told us you were a Celestrian not half an hour ago. I don't think anything is really going to freak us out now!" Connor laughed, and I smiled. Sydney still looked far away. She had had a faraway, wondering expression ever since I had told them of my origins, and I guessed she was still overwhelmed by the revelation. It must have seemed nothing short of a miracle to her that her faith should be affirmed in such a way.
"I suppose so," I said. After a moment more, I said, "All right…I am one hundred forty-five years, seven months and…ten days old."
There was silence. To my surprise, Sydney was the one to break it: "Well, I suppose we should have expected a number like that." Slowly, Connor nodded. I was worried for a moment that he would release my hand- I was not sure if I would be able to stand it if he did- but he did not. I relaxed and saw a slight smile spread across his face. "It does not…freak you out?" I asked, borrowing Opal's terminology. Connor laughed. "Do you know how strange that sounds coming from you?" he asked me. I smiled. "I shall take that as a yes."
"Please do," said Connor, still chortling. I cuffed him lightly on the back of the head, making Opal and even Sydney laugh. After hesitating, I joined them. My Celestrian composure was leaving me, but I did not mind. I truly enjoyed letting my guard down around my friends. Perhaps mortals had a better grasp on friendship than the Celestrians did.
The weather grew slightly cooler as we walked. As Connor had said, Coffinwell was always rather cool, and it was honestly rather nice. Monsters I had not seen before roamed about, and I pulled out my notebook and pen and began sketching a particularly leafy-looking one that was watching our passage from the side.
"That's a leafy larrikin," Connor told me. "You want to watch out for them- they have a nasty habit of chasing you down for a fight."
About an hour and a half after leaving the Starflight, Coffinwell came into sight. However, unlike when I had first seen Stornway, I could hear little or nothing from within the city. As we drew closer, the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up.
"Something's wrong," Connor said. He appeared fixated on the left side of town. "The churchyard…there shouldn't be that many graves there." He stared at it for a moment, then took off towards Coffinwell. Opal, Sydney, and I raced after him, and caught up at the top of the stairs leading up to the church and churchyard. Connor was staring at a woman dressed in a nun's garb who stood before the graves, her head bowed. I shivered as I realised how many of the graves looked fresh.
"S…Sister Kari?" asked Connor, his voice shaking. The nun coughed, looked up, and my eyes widened. She looked hollow, as though she had not had enough nourishment, and there were deep bags beneath her eyes. She looked terribly ill.
"Connor," said Sister Kari. "Sister, what happened to you?" Connor asked, sounding horror-struck. As she opened her mouth to answer, she was caught up in a great coughing fit. When she finished, she said, "Connor, you need to leave, you and your friends. Now, before it's too late!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Connor, bewildered. I rather shared the sentiment. Opal and Sydney appeared to, as well. "Sister Kari, what is going on here?"
Sister Kari swallowed. "The contagion," she said. "Things have changed around here since the earthquake, Connor. This contagion's been spreading like wildfire. Get out, before you catch it too!"
Earthquake? I thought. Had the quake affected even areas as far from Angel Falls as Coffinwell? Where would its effects end?
Connor's mind, however, seemed to be travelling down another path. "Uncle Jack, and Aunt Hailey, and Lily…" he said, and the nun bowed her head. "Lily left us only this morning," she murmured. "And your aunt and uncle died nearly two weeks ago."
Connor's face crumpled. Before I could even attempt to console him (how could I console him? How did one offer comfort in death?), he had sprinted to the graves. He fell onto his knees before two; one the double grave of those married, one a small single grave. Slowly, I followed him, Sydney and Opal beside me.
Connor shook slightly. I heard Sister Kari cough again as Sydney placed a hand on Connor's shoulder, but he shook it off roughly. "Leave me be," he said.
"Go find an inn," I murmured. "I shall look after him."
After a moment of hesitation, Opal nodded and pulled Sydney away from the churchyard. I kneeled gently on the cobblestones beside Connor, putting an arm over his shoulders. He tensed, then relaxed into me. He was visibly restraining tears.
"I am so sorry," I murmured, putting my other arm around him. "Me, too," he said, his voice breaking. "They didn't deserve this."
His face went an odd shape. "Do not be afraid to cry," I murmured, tightening my arms. Connor needed comfort; this was the only comfort I could offer to him. "I am here for you."
He held out a moment longer, and then the waterworks burst free. I held him as best I could, rubbing his back gently, feeling his tears on my bare shoulder. He had rested his head there. I leaned my own head against his, wishing I could say something to ease his pain. I felt oddly protective as I held him, in a way that had naught to do with physical pain- at the moment.
We sat together before the graves for hours, until Connor's sobs had been reduced to weak hiccoughs. Then, slowly, he pulled back, and I had to look up to look into his eyes. They were very red.
"I'm sorry," Connor said, his voice weak. I shook my head. "Do not apologise," I told him. "It was your right. I am only glad that I was able to give you a shoulder to cry upon."
Connor gave a very weak approximation of a smile. Then: "Almighty help us, but we've got to try to do something."
"What can we do?" I asked. "This is a disease, a contagion. I do not believe any of us have the skills to even attempt to help the city."
"You could always talk to Mayor Laria," suggested a voice behind us and to our left. We turned, and Sister Kari stood in the door of the church. "Laria?" asked Connor, his voice still weak. "What does he know about healing?"
"I don't know," Sister Kari said, "but he's supposed to be working with Phlegming on finding out what's wrong." As she finished saying this, she broke into a coughing fit. We watched, concerned, until she stopped.
"Phlegming?" asked Connor. "Wasn't he that unsociable archaeologist courting Laria's daughter?"
"Catarrhina," said Sister Kari nodding. "They got married just before the earthquake, and apparently he and Laria are working together. I'd advise visiting Laria first, though- Phlegming likely won't open up to anyone but Catarrhina."
"Thank you, Sister Kari," I said as Connor and I rose. I sighed as my knees left the stones- they had viciously protested the prolonged contact. "Shall we?" I murmured to Connor as Sister Kari returned to the inside of the church. He nodded. "Let's get Opal and Sydney first, though."
We walked through the streets, arms still around one another, until we reached the inn. Sydney and Opal sat at a table, eating- it must have been at least midday, I realised, as I realised also how very hungry I was. Connor's stomach growled audibly, and I smiled slightly as we let go of one another to sit.
"Are you all right?" Sydney asked gently. Connor looked down at the plate of food I slid before him. "I don't know," he said. "But we found out something interesting."
"The mayor of Coffinwell and an archaeologist named Phlegming are attempting to find the cause of the contagion," I explained as I dug in to the food I had gotten for myself. "I think we ought to visit the mayor once we have eaten."
Sydney nodded. "We have to try to help these people," she said, and I should not have been surprised at the passion in her voice as she said it. She was a priest, after all, and a healer; she would no more leave people suffering than cut off her right hand.
So we ate.
We found Mayor Laria in the library of his mansion, sitting with his head bent over a manuscript. "So that's what it says!" he murmured, then, "…Oh, it's no use. I don't understand a word of it. I'll have to rely on his help after all. I have no choice. I must do something before more people suffer needlessly."
He sighed and leaned back in the chair, and jumped slightly when he saw us. "Oh! I beg your pardon. I didn't realise I had guests. I'm Mayor Laria. May I assist you with something?"
"We are very sorry to disturb you, sir," I said as we entered the room. "We are worried about what is happening in the city, and we wish to be of assistance in any way possible." My Celestrian reserve always returned when I spoke to strangers. Perhaps it was a good thing; I enjoyed being more free with Connor and Opal and Sydney, but I had no desire to be so with those I did not know.
"Hmm," mused Laria. "You're concerned about what's going on here in Coffinwell? Very well. I'll tell you all I know." He paused for a moment, then began.
"I'm sure you're already aware that Coffinwell has been hit by a contagious disease. The fact is, the very same disease attacked the town a century ago."
My eyes widened as I remembered: Coffinwell's Guardian, a man named Delphinus, had spoken with Apus Major about a disease in Coffinwell! I had been young- by Celestrian standards- at the time, and had paid little attention.
"I started looking though the ancient manuscripts for a solution, but I'm afraid I barely understand a word. I won't be beaten, though! I passed them on to Phlegming in the hope that he might be able to make some sense of them. I imagine it won't be long before he turns something up, but I'm afraid I'm rather loath to go and ask him in person."
His eyes seemed to light up then, and he said, "Of course! You care about what's been going on here, don't you? In that case, perhaps you could pop along to Phlegming's place and see how he's getting on? His house is just to the west of the mansion. Sorry to trouble you, but I really would appreciate it if you paid him a visit." He hesitated for a moment, and looked at Connor. "I'm very sorry for your loss, Connor. Jack, Hailey, and Lily were much loved, and they'll be much missed by everyone."
I looked at Connor. He nodded in response to Laria, but something seemed…off about his expression. "Connor, are you all right?" I asked, worry rising up in me. I tried to fight it down before it could name itself and make itself fully known.
"I don't…know," he replied. "I was feeling off all through lu- lun-"
He broke off into a terrible coughing fit. The worry I had tried to fight down rose up inside me, as panic now. "Connor?" I asked. "Connor?"
The coughing increased in intensity and volume until I feared he would choke. Then, suddenly, it stopped, and Connor collapsed.
"Connor!" I cried, falling onto my knees beside him. "No, no, no!" My fingers fumbled for his wrists, felt his forehead. His pulse was fast and irregular; his skin was hot to the touch.
"Almighty above us," Sydney whispered, sounding strangled.
My fear had been proved terribly correct.
Connor had caught the contagion.