181 Votes
1983
Views
Views
Chapter 19:- SELADOR'S GATE
Deep beneath the earth, the mirrors went dim. Harrold King growled. He was still floating and bobbing in his pool that smelled of rotten eggs, deep in the Chamber of Mirrors. His fingers and toes had become very wrinkly.
Rithel scurried along the ceiling until he was just above Harrold King. He dropped plop! onto Harrold King’s oily belly.
“She was supposed to die!” said Harrold King. He breathed heavily through his large, humid nostrils. In and out. In and out. Fuming.
“We didn’t know the monkey would go after her.” said Rithel.
“You should have known. You’re my advisor in these matters. You disgust me.”
Harrold King looked at the missing place where the Ruby Eye had been at the top of his scepter. He said, “I have no intention of leaving this place, no matter what the Woolly thinks. And I want the Ruby Eye returned to its place.”
“Yessss,” hissed Rithel. “But the prophesy is real. The night of Blood Moon will come—unless Fair O’Nelli is destroyed.”
He thought of the great battle of Rall Kindaria. If Fair could be destroyed, perhaps Selador would not find the Door of Reunion. The great plan would be ruined. Rithel’s imagination surged with a rush of greed and glory. “All will be mine,” he muttered.
“What did you say?” asked Harrold King.
“All will be fine, your majesty,” he lied. “I have thought of another plan.”
***
Fair and her friends approached the edge of the noisy, fearsome woods. Before them, a vast field of goldenrod spread out for miles all around. The sky was clear blue and dotted with white fluffy clouds. The grassy path seemed to point like an arrow, right through the middle of it.
“We did it, did it, did it!” cried Gibber Will. “We’re out of the woods!”
He dashed ahead of Fair and the Woolly, who rode on Fair’s shoulder. He hopped as high as he could to see over the goldenrod as he went along.
His head popped up above the height of the yellow flowers, “This is glorious!” He disappeared again when he dropped earthwards for another good leap, then instantly reappeared, “Magnificent!” He disappeared and reappeared with a zesty shout, “Pure sunshine on the ground.”
Fair skipped after him in wide-eyed wonder, “And the sky. It’s so blue. But where do we go from here?”
“I don’t know very much, you know, you know,” said Gibber Will, “But my guess is there ain’t nowheres to go but straight ahead, Fair. We’re on the grassy path, and there’s only one.”
“And this might sound crazy . . .” said the Woolly. He shyly grabbed his tail and didn’t finish what he wanted to say.
“Come on now, I’m sure you have a great idea, Woolly,” prodded Fair.
“Well, I have a clear notion that you’re about to find who you’re looking for, Fair.”
Fair turned to look the Woolly in the eye, just inches away. She reached up to pet him, “Selador? Oh do you, really? Wouldn’t that be wonderful. We’ve come such a long way. And I might get my dog back.”
She paused and looked at the pouch hanging from her wrist. She opened it and took out Azanamer, “What are your feelings on the matter, Azanamer?”
Azanamer said, “I wouldn’t know, because I still can’t feel a heart beat in all this stone. So, let me ask you, Fair, what does your heart tell you? You know better than anyone what you’re supposed to do.”
“Oh no, not me. Really, I don’t.”
“Listen, Fair,” Azanamer whispered.
“For what, Azanamer?”
“Not for, but to.”
“To?” asked Fair.
“To your heart.”
“Oh, I almost forgot,” said Fair, touching the Ruby Eye on her forehead. “How silly of me.” She looked at the field of golden rod from one end to the other and then at the path. “I really don’t know how to listen, but I’ll try.”
Fair closed her eyes and stayed silent for awhile, long enough to feel the wordless knowing that filled her soul. Something felt really clear inside, in a way she couldn’t explain—even to her dog. It was sweet, like sugar that had been painted onto the underside of her skin with hundreds of little, wet brushes. It was cool, like the water that dripped down her cellar walls and filled her waiting cup so she could drink. She just knew she was on the right path. So, she made a decision. They would keep moving forward. Soon, the Ruby Eye began to grow warm on her forehead. Fair noticed for the first time that her own heart felt warm. At the same time she got goose bumps all over. She took it as a good sign.
She opened her eyes.
“Straight ahead,” she said.
“Are you sure, Fair?” everyone asked.
“Yes, I’m sure!” Fair laughed. Soon she was walking waist-high through the field of bright, yellow golden rod. Gibber Will’s ears and head could be seen bopping up above the flowers every time he jumped and had a look around.
***
After several hours the Woolly said, “I don’t believe my eyes, but I think I see something shining up ahead, off in the distance.”
“Do you really?” Fair said. She pulled her hands to her chest and hardly dared to hope. She was thirsty and was trying hard not to think about it.
She stopped walking and looked. Nothing.
Gibber Will hopped up and down to have a look. “I can’t see anything,” he complained. He flopped on the ground and went limp. “I’m tired of being so small. I can’t get a real good look.”
“Here,” said Fair, “Let me pick you up.” As she reached down to pick him up, she thought she saw Selador lying there. It lasted just a moment, but it was so clear to her that she shook her head and thought to herself, “There it is again. I’m seeing things.”
She picked up Gibber Will, pulled Azanamer out of the pouch, and together they all looked off into the distance. They squinted their eyes to see what they could see.
“Where?” said Gibber Will.
“There,” pointed the Woolly. “Just to the side of the grassy path.”
The sun came out from behind a cloud just then: off to the left of the path, far in the distance, a castle revealed itself in a glorious shape against the sky. It reflected the sun like a golden mirror. It was so bright that everyone looked away.
They opened and closed their mouths in silence. After the dark and fearsome woods, this was a change for the better indeed. Then, they all began to talk at once, in a flurry of exclamations and excitement.
“Could it be?”
“That must be Selador’s Gate. I just knew it!”
“How come no one knew about this place?”
“It’s so beautiful!”
Deep beneath the earth, the mirrors went dim. Harrold King growled. He was still floating and bobbing in his pool that smelled of rotten eggs, deep in the Chamber of Mirrors. His fingers and toes had become very wrinkly.
Rithel scurried along the ceiling until he was just above Harrold King. He dropped plop! onto Harrold King’s oily belly.
“She was supposed to die!” said Harrold King. He breathed heavily through his large, humid nostrils. In and out. In and out. Fuming.
“We didn’t know the monkey would go after her.” said Rithel.
“You should have known. You’re my advisor in these matters. You disgust me.”
Harrold King looked at the missing place where the Ruby Eye had been at the top of his scepter. He said, “I have no intention of leaving this place, no matter what the Woolly thinks. And I want the Ruby Eye returned to its place.”
“Yessss,” hissed Rithel. “But the prophesy is real. The night of Blood Moon will come—unless Fair O’Nelli is destroyed.”
He thought of the great battle of Rall Kindaria. If Fair could be destroyed, perhaps Selador would not find the Door of Reunion. The great plan would be ruined. Rithel’s imagination surged with a rush of greed and glory. “All will be mine,” he muttered.
“What did you say?” asked Harrold King.
“All will be fine, your majesty,” he lied. “I have thought of another plan.”
***
Fair and her friends approached the edge of the noisy, fearsome woods. Before them, a vast field of goldenrod spread out for miles all around. The sky was clear blue and dotted with white fluffy clouds. The grassy path seemed to point like an arrow, right through the middle of it.
“We did it, did it, did it!” cried Gibber Will. “We’re out of the woods!”
He dashed ahead of Fair and the Woolly, who rode on Fair’s shoulder. He hopped as high as he could to see over the goldenrod as he went along.
His head popped up above the height of the yellow flowers, “This is glorious!” He disappeared again when he dropped earthwards for another good leap, then instantly reappeared, “Magnificent!” He disappeared and reappeared with a zesty shout, “Pure sunshine on the ground.”
Fair skipped after him in wide-eyed wonder, “And the sky. It’s so blue. But where do we go from here?”
“I don’t know very much, you know, you know,” said Gibber Will, “But my guess is there ain’t nowheres to go but straight ahead, Fair. We’re on the grassy path, and there’s only one.”
“And this might sound crazy . . .” said the Woolly. He shyly grabbed his tail and didn’t finish what he wanted to say.
“Come on now, I’m sure you have a great idea, Woolly,” prodded Fair.
“Well, I have a clear notion that you’re about to find who you’re looking for, Fair.”
Fair turned to look the Woolly in the eye, just inches away. She reached up to pet him, “Selador? Oh do you, really? Wouldn’t that be wonderful. We’ve come such a long way. And I might get my dog back.”
She paused and looked at the pouch hanging from her wrist. She opened it and took out Azanamer, “What are your feelings on the matter, Azanamer?”
Azanamer said, “I wouldn’t know, because I still can’t feel a heart beat in all this stone. So, let me ask you, Fair, what does your heart tell you? You know better than anyone what you’re supposed to do.”
“Oh no, not me. Really, I don’t.”
“Listen, Fair,” Azanamer whispered.
“For what, Azanamer?”
“Not for, but to.”
“To?” asked Fair.
“To your heart.”
“Oh, I almost forgot,” said Fair, touching the Ruby Eye on her forehead. “How silly of me.” She looked at the field of golden rod from one end to the other and then at the path. “I really don’t know how to listen, but I’ll try.”
Fair closed her eyes and stayed silent for awhile, long enough to feel the wordless knowing that filled her soul. Something felt really clear inside, in a way she couldn’t explain—even to her dog. It was sweet, like sugar that had been painted onto the underside of her skin with hundreds of little, wet brushes. It was cool, like the water that dripped down her cellar walls and filled her waiting cup so she could drink. She just knew she was on the right path. So, she made a decision. They would keep moving forward. Soon, the Ruby Eye began to grow warm on her forehead. Fair noticed for the first time that her own heart felt warm. At the same time she got goose bumps all over. She took it as a good sign.
She opened her eyes.
“Straight ahead,” she said.
“Are you sure, Fair?” everyone asked.
“Yes, I’m sure!” Fair laughed. Soon she was walking waist-high through the field of bright, yellow golden rod. Gibber Will’s ears and head could be seen bopping up above the flowers every time he jumped and had a look around.
***
After several hours the Woolly said, “I don’t believe my eyes, but I think I see something shining up ahead, off in the distance.”
“Do you really?” Fair said. She pulled her hands to her chest and hardly dared to hope. She was thirsty and was trying hard not to think about it.
She stopped walking and looked. Nothing.
Gibber Will hopped up and down to have a look. “I can’t see anything,” he complained. He flopped on the ground and went limp. “I’m tired of being so small. I can’t get a real good look.”
“Here,” said Fair, “Let me pick you up.” As she reached down to pick him up, she thought she saw Selador lying there. It lasted just a moment, but it was so clear to her that she shook her head and thought to herself, “There it is again. I’m seeing things.”
She picked up Gibber Will, pulled Azanamer out of the pouch, and together they all looked off into the distance. They squinted their eyes to see what they could see.
“Where?” said Gibber Will.
“There,” pointed the Woolly. “Just to the side of the grassy path.”
The sun came out from behind a cloud just then: off to the left of the path, far in the distance, a castle revealed itself in a glorious shape against the sky. It reflected the sun like a golden mirror. It was so bright that everyone looked away.
They opened and closed their mouths in silence. After the dark and fearsome woods, this was a change for the better indeed. Then, they all began to talk at once, in a flurry of exclamations and excitement.
“Could it be?”
“That must be Selador’s Gate. I just knew it!”
“How come no one knew about this place?”
“It’s so beautiful!”
