The Bad Seed Read online

  A shower of twinkling light drifted down from above her. Resembling embers dancing above a fire, they fell over her and with that, she was gone, fading away from sight.

  It was hard to explain, but her words did bring him serenity. He had never known his grandmother, and now he knew she would be with him every step. Even just as an inner thought, it was still a comfort to have her. Zachery drifted off to sleep much easier this time. His head filled with thoughts of dragons and what it would be like to have one with him along the way.

  Meeting my grandmother that night was just what I needed to get me through. My head overflowed with questions, thoughts, and fears but she helped me see that I was not alone and never would be. I could not wait to see my father and tell him of this!

  12

  Next Stop: A New World

  The next morning, Zachery woke to the smell of fresh bread, bacon, and eggs straight from the kiln. He almost forgot where he was.

  "Something smells good. Mother has the stove hot this morning." Zachery thought while rubbing his eyes.

  Gabriel knocked on his door and stepped inside. "Benzoete’s plan is to perform the ritual after breakfast, to not alarm anyone that you and Natallia have gone."

  Gabriel followed Zachery down the hall to the winding staircase that would take them to the main floor. As they walked to the formal dining room, those in attendance not already seated to eat, bowed to their king. The two entered the dining room from the main entrance that resembled the front gate of a castle. A hush came across the crowd as a voice announced, "His highness. King Gabriel of Whitehold and master Morely." Everyone stood and bowed to their king, then returned to their meal. They arrived at a table set for the royal breakfast at Castle Whitehold. Fitting, since the king himself, had a seat at the head of the massive table. Maidens walked from person to person, filling glasses and piling plates high with food.

  Zachery looked around the room in awe. "I have never seen so much food at one setting. This is amazing."

  As everyone enjoyed their meal Benzoete stood. "Greetings to all our new friends. It is an honor to dine with his grace, King Gabriel and the beautiful Queen Natallia of Castle Whitehold. Today marks a historic day for all; we, the elves of Eska'Taurn who have made our way here in Weelinn, join forces with the army of Whitehold to find a way to crush this threat that has been lain at our door. Like the original elders of ancient times, we will prevail. I and my advisers will work diligently with the king and his men to defeat Dori'naur before he can cause more havoc and horror on all the good people of Amundiss."

  The cheers from the dining area were deafening; the High Elf wizard spoke with such encouragement. Adrenaline was raging as it stirred everyone to do their part in this war. Zachery was ready. He understood he had to sacrifice to gain.

  Benzoete was a natural speaker. He sparked a fire in everyone. I believed we could have ended Dori'naur right then! His wisdom and passion were plain to see, and it was reassuring, knowing the journey we were about to embark on.

  Zachery knew they had to fight to be able to win and win they would. He would be ready when asked to do his part, whatever tasks lay before him.

  After the meal, Benzoete made a fictitious announcement. "I hope the food was as good as the company to all. Please, eat your fill and feel free to take as much as you would like back to your homes. I have instructed the good maidens to see that each one of you has food for your bellies. Elos and I will be joining the royal party in my library to help with a plan."

  They were instead going to a secret temple located inside the structure only the High Elf wizard and his apprentice knew about. Benzoete placed an arm around Zachery's shoulders and leaned close to his ear. "Do not be afraid once we are back in my library. There is an elven temple hidden inside, we will be safe. Nod if you understand." Zachery took a deep breath and nodded his head once. After they excused themselves, Benzoete led the party through a large door that opened to a staircase lined with brass rails. As they entered the library, guards were placed at the entrance of the library door with strict orders not to let anyone inside, anyone at all.

  Once everyone was in place and accounted for, Benzoete waved his hand and spoke. "Kella tora, strall en' tel i."

  Books began to fly from a set of bookshelves directly in the back portion of the room. The books hovered in a small circle at the top of the room while candles shook and flew out of their holders. The two bookcases slide across the walls, revealing an open, dark doorway with strange writing starting at the floor of the left side, winding all the way around the circular top, to the floor on the right. The smell that escaped from the pitch-black void was damp and musky.

  "Once we descend into the stairwell, I will close the entrance. Only I can reopen it. No one will come looking here for you, for only Elos and I know of this place. If this fails, and something happens to me, you all will perish inside the temple." Benzoete searched their faces and saw they were ready and understood the consequences.

  Elos was the first to enter the stairwell. As he walked, the torches on either side of the walls lit one by one. After the last one entered, Benzoete spoke again. "Amalla en' tora shall en' tora Dien.”

  The doorway closed and they could hear the room return to the way it was when they entered. When the sound of books returned to their resting places upon the shelves and the thud of the bookcases sliding back against the wall was heard, they knew there was no turning back.

  Gabriel patted Zachery on the back. "I have faith in you."

  Five little words that seemed to wash the fear and doubt from his mind. They had a duty to all the people to give them a chance to live. They continued down the stairwell until it opened to a massive temple floor. The walls were decorated with artifacts from Eska'Taurn. In the center of the round room stood an altar of pure white marble surrounded by seven blood red candles.

  Benzoete laid a hand on young Zachery's shoulder. "It's time. We must stay strong and say our farewells."

  Elos stood beside the altar, lighting the candles with a long, skinny, golden torch. He had changed into a white robe trimmed in gold crested with a dragon on the front, much like the one Valindra wore when she visited Zachery. Benzoete walked to a shelf and retrieved a book that looked like the Book of the Ancients, but this version seemed alive. Bones protected the cover and when in the wizard’s hands it seemed to move out of the way for him to open it. He placed it on a stand beside the altar. Elos handed Benzoete a robe that was like his own. Benzoete tied the gold frayed cord around his waist as he motioned with his hands, "Please, Queen Natallia, you and young Morely join me at the altar. The rest of you, stand to the outer edges and do not speak during the ritual."

  Natallia leaned toward Gabriel. "I love you, my dear husband. You have brought me more happiness than I could have ever deserved." She leaned forward for a kiss.

  "This is not a farewell kiss, my love." Gabriel put a hand on her stomach. "We shall be together again, as a family. I trust in Benzoete. We will win this war against the demons. Then we will sit at Castle Whitehold with our son at our side."

  Natallia wanted to believe that very badly. She longed for this to be over and to have her life back to normal. She hugged her brother Antoine and said her goodbyes.

  "I need to go with you. To protect you. I need you to be safe," Antoine told her.

  Natallia kissed his cheek and wiped the single tear off his face. "You have protected me my whole life. Now I need you to protect Gabriel. I want him in one piece when I return."

  She walked over to stand beside Benzoete at the altar.

  Gabriel stopped Zachery. "I have known your father nearly my entire life, we are as brothers. I know he would be proud of the man that he has raised, and I promise you, he will know of your bravery and courage."

  As the king extended his hand, Zachery realized he was a man now. Childhood was left behind that door in the old wizard's library. He stepped up and listened as Benzoete shared what little advice he had of the new world to help them on
this new journey.

  "First thing, you are no longer Queen of Whitehold or anything for that matter. You have to tell anyone that asks you hail from a place called England. Do not tell anyone where you are really from. You will have to fit in and make your way among these people, find work, find a home," he told them.

  I knew this was my destiny. I would train to be a Dragon Rider. A chuckle escaped from inside me. A Dragon Rider in a land without dragons, magic, or my family. This was going to be hard, but it had to work. I would make this work somehow.

  Benzoete handed Natallia an emerald stone attached to a necklace. "I will be able to communicate with you from time to time, but only for brief moments. Wear this. It will let you know when we can talk. Keep it hidden under your garments so as not to attract thieves.

  At the time it alerts you, you must find a mirror in your home and wait to see me." He searched their faces to see if they understood. With that, he gave a nod to Elos.

  A chant started from the apprentice, and Benzoete extended a hand to help Natallia onto the altar. Next, Zachery. The kind old wizard smiled. "Close your eyes and concentrate. May the Gods be with you, and soon we will be back together, stronger than ever."

  He joined Elos in chanting the ritual. The air started to swirl. All the candles around the altar flared up, and strange symbols flew around them, as if they were ricocheting off the walls. A giant, swirling portal opened above the altar. Benzoete and Elos backed away from them, hands stretched toward the portal, the two elves were chanting together as one. Louder and louder. "Kella tor' en Kello dah tri oss!"

  The portal fell upon the altar. Light shone so bright the ones standing around the altar had to shield their eyes.

  "I love you, my darling!” Gabriel shouted to Natallia. “Be strong and know I am with you!"

  The air became normal again as the candles flickered. Natallia and Zachery were gone. Gabriel rushed to Benzoete. "Did it work? Are they alright?"

  Benzoete walked over to a mirror, waved his hand, and the mirror rippled like water. He gazed into it. "Yes, I can see them. They are on a hill overlooking a small town with strange buildings. It is in their hands now. They must establish themselves as a part of that world. Once they do that, we will be able to communicate briefly with them."

  13

  The Queen Has Fallen

  At Castle Whitehold, Dori'naur was busy adding fresh skulls to adorn his throne when a captain of the Dark Guard escorted a servant from Weelinn into the throne room.

  "What do you want, maggot? I have pressing matters to attend. This had better be useful or you will become a wall fixture!" Dori'naur sneered.

  It was El'nora, the chambermaid from Benzoete's tower. She fell before him landing on her face. "I have come looking for safety for me and my family in return for the information you seek," said the woman.

  Dori'naur was intrigued. "The value of this information will determine the value of your safety. Speak."

  El'nora knelt before him weeping. "My Lord, the king and queen are in Weelinn seeking help from my master, Benzoete."

  "Former king!” Dori’naur shouted. “I am the ruler of this land until my master takes his rightful place."

  "My apologies, my Lord. I do not wish to offend. The former ruler and his party are in Weelinn. I stood outside the door trying to listen to their plan. Alas, the doors are thick in the tower, I could only hear pieces. Master Benzoete has a plan that will protect the former queen and her child. Whatever the plan is, I know it is soon. You will have to act fast." El'nora stood waiting for Dori'naur to react.

  The demon cackled. "So, they think they can hide from us? We shall rain death upon them and deliver the vessel of light back to ash!" Dori'naur beamed with delight. "Captain, take the woman to the gates." He threw a handful of gold at the servant for her information. "Run. The next time we meet, I will not be so gracious."

  Dori'naur decided his new army would march into Weelinn and destroy them. He stepped through the doorway leading out to a balcony, overlooking the courtyard where his army trained. "Attention my army! The enemy has been discovered. Your services are required to assist your masters. If you fail terrible, excruciating pain can be expected, but riches will befall the one that brings us the head of the false queen! Take this city of Weelinn and shake it from its foundation!"

  The army of the dark one stirred. Avoiding harm to these people was unavoidable, they had to do his bidding. Steeling themselves, they marched for Weelinn.

  DORI'NAUR WAS NOT THE only one with spies in the realm. Benzoete’s great power allowed him to hear the news the wind brought of the army headed their way. He and Elos went to the Waters of Life to see the events unfolding.

  "We have to act quickly, my master. We do not have much time to prepare," Elos said to Benzoete.

  They rushed to Gabriel and Benzoete explained what they had seen. "We need to bring haste to our plan, Dori'naur marches on the city. He must have had a spy amongst my ranks."

  "Natallia is safe, far away from here. Let them come!" Antoine growled with hate.

  Gabriel looked to the wizard. "What will happen when they march on the city and find she is not here?"

  Elos shifted his eyes to Benzoete and back to Gabriel. "We have a plan of sorts, to buy us some time. It is not a very moral plan, but it may be our best chance."

  At this time, any plan will be a good plan. They did not know exactly how many of the demon's army would descend on the city but knew they would not stop until they had delivered the queen back to the demon.

  "We have the corpse of a woman in the same age range as the queen. She was with child at the time of her demise. She was ill and came here looking for help. Her ailment had progressed and even my magic could not help her; fever ran through her body, killing her and the child. She had no family that she spoke of. We were preparing her for burial when you arrived. I can use a spell of illusion to transform her into Natallia. It should buy us the time we need to get to a safer place and plan our next move." Benzoete explained.

  As the sun slowly sank down behind the hills, an alarm sounded. The army had arrived. The elven guards, the city defense, and the king's guard were ready.

  The army broke through the main gates and poured into the city. The sound of steel rang through the streets and alleyways. Death, destruction, and bloodshed was everywhere. Antoine and Gabriel ran into the fray, swords blazing in the haze of the setting sun, trying to help the men.

  "We have to delay them. Benzoete needs more time!" Antoine shouted as he sliced through one of the former citizens of Whitehold.

  Gabriel retorted. "How many must we kill? These are good people who are simply scared."

  As the army pushed through the city, the High Elf wizard said an enchantment over the body of the dead woman, and she transformed into an exact replica of the beautiful Queen Natallia. He and Elos took the body to the ground floor, set her hands with rope and, with her body between them, carried her out to the streets. Benzoete placed his hand on the back of the corpse, directly behind her heart and whispered, “Hillin ter fret, Tella' no ray.” The woman’s body began to twitch.

  "We have what you want!" shouted Elos. "Take her and leave; we want no more bloodshed!"

  They shoved the twitching body into the alley. The dark army rushed to the queen, trying to be the first to take her head and claim their prize. The illusion worked to perfection. Dori'naur's people greedily fought against each other in hope of receiving the rewards. With all the confusion, this gave the defenders a chance to swoop in and attack the distracted army. The more they killed today, the less they had to worry about later.

  The guards who rushed to defend their queen were fooled by the illusion.

  "Save the queen! They have abandoned her!" One of the King's Guards shouted.

  The King's Guard fought fearlessly, trying to save a woman who was not their queen and already dead. The men fought fearlessly. They started to devour the attacking army, swords found their marks and laid waste to those carryi
ng out the evil demon's commands. Pushed back by the horde of attackers, the army was finally able to get to the woman.

  One of the dark one’s soldiers had sliced her head clean off her at the shoulders. Excited, he hoisted his prize and ran for the gates. Another of the army tripped him and delivered a sword through the back. The new victor snatched up the head and jumped on a horse as a horn sounded and the army retreated.

  Antoine and Gabriel had to play their parts as well to avoid suspicion. They rushed to the fallen woman, swords at the ready.

  "Run to your master! Tell him to be ready, for I will have vengeance! The light shall burn him, and we will send him straight back to hell!" shouted Antoine.

  Gabriel held the woman's body, weeping uncontrollably. It was not hard to let his emotions flow. He had just sent his true love and unborn child to a world they did not know.

  "No, Natallia! No! This is not the way it is supposed to be!" sobbed the king.

  He was unsure of their safety and wondered if he would ever see them again. They had to move fast and determine their next step in the plan. The illusion would not fool Dori'naur for very long and when he found out he was tricked; nothing would contain the rampage and violence that he would unleash. They had to brace for the worse and hope for the best. They sent prayers to the Gods that Natallia and Zachery were safe.

  14

  Celebration at Castle Whitehold

  As the demon's army returned from Weelinn, all seemed to be lost. Dori'naur was pleased with his subjects when the head of the queen was presented to him.