Little do the people know the calamity that has befallen this day, with disaster to follow if Orbane is set free.
Over the bridge and into the courtyard and toward the stables the riders and Wolf pack fared, and Camille stepped back from the balcony and into the castle proper and went down the spiral stairs, making her way toward the ballroom to signal Valeray and the others that the men had returned.
. .
One at a time, so as to not alarm the echecs contestants, the royalty slipped from the grand ballroom to make their way up to the war chamber high in a tower central to the castle, a room with windows overlooking all approaches to the holt. Camille stepped out first, and she swiftly went to the stables and led the men to the chamber, where they awaited the arrival of the others, and one by one they drifted in: Liaze, Celeste, and finally Saissa and Valeray.
Both the king and queen looked upon Regar in puzzlement, and Borel said, “Sire, Dam, this is Prince Regar of the Wyldwood, grandson to the Fairy King. He went with us on the search.”
Valeray frowned and then his eyes lit in recognition. “Ah, I remember: you are the bowman who nearly won the contest at archery. Welcome, Prince.”
Regar bowed and replied, “Bastard prince at best, my lord, for the Fairy King did not wed my grandmother.”
“Nevertheless,” said Valeray, “in my halls you are a prince.”
He gestured toward the broad map table. “Let us be seated and speak of what you found.”
As soon as all were ensconced in chairs, Valeray turned to Borel and said, “What came to pass?”
Borel glanced at the others and said, “While Roel and the others were gathering the horses, Alain, Luc, the Wolves, and I went to Luc’s tent at the dawnwise end of the arena, and there we. .”
. .
“. . and that’s when the Bear came to the end of the trail.” Saissa said, “The Bear and the Wolves went through the center of the faire?”
“Oui, Maman.”
“I imagine that startled them.”
“Oui, Maman, yet there was no other way to follow the imposter to the source.” Regar looked at Alain in wonderment, and Alain smiled and shrugged a shoulder.
As the vial made its way ’round to Luc, to be slipped back into the pocket of his waistcoat, King Valeray sighed. “And so, to summarize what you have told me: Hradian came to ground in the woodland, went through the heart of the faire unnoticed, perhaps in a glamoured form; she paused at the dawnwise end of the arena and took on the guise of Liaze, mayhap using a potion; then she inveigled the amulet from Luc, after which she fled.”
“Oui, Papa,” said Alain, with Borel and the others nodding in glum agreement.
“Given the word of the Wolves and that of the Bear,” said Camille, “it was no Changeling that Scruff flew after, but instead it was Hradian in the shape of a crow, or glamoured to look like a crow, when she took flight, amulet in hand.” In the pall that followed, Luc slammed a fist to the table and exclaimed, “What a fool am I!”
“Non, Luc,” said Valeray. “Fooled, oui; a fool, non.”
“But I thought it peculiar that Liaze would ask for the key,” replied Luc. He shook his head and added, “I should have known it was not my truelove, but an imposter instead.” Even as Liaze reached out and took Luc’s hand, there came a tapping at the door, and servants entered bearing a tea service and a platter of small appetizers. They were followed by the steward of the Castle of the Seasons, a tall and spare blue-eyed man with dark hair touched by silver, who asked, “My lord, will you be dining herein?”
“Non, Claude. As before, we will be in the gold room. Set an extra plate for Prince Regar.”
“Oui, my lord,” said Claude, and he signaled the staff and they withdrew.
As Queen Saissa poured, and they passed the filled cups around, along with the appetizers-sauteed mushrooms stuffed with a light cheese-King Valeray sighed in resignation. “I suppose there’s nothing for it but that we must raise our armies and alert the realms and notify the Firsts.”
“The Firsts?” asked Regar.
“The first of each Kind to appear in Faery,” said Valeray.
“They were critical in defeating Orbane the last time, for they could raise whole armies; even so, Orbane alone held them off until we found a way to banish him to the Castle of Shadows in the Great Darkness beyond the Black Wall of the World.”
“Ah, I see. And if I understand correctly, this talisman the witch did steal, it is the key that will unlock him.”
“Oui.”
There came a discreet tap at the door, and, at Valeray’s call, Claude entered. “My lord, there is someone who urgently requests an audience. He says he has-” His iridescent wings but a blur, into the chamber hurtled Flic, the tiny Sprite darting this way and that. “My lord Valeray, my lord Borel, my lady Celeste,” called the tiny Sprite, and for a moment he seemed confused as to which person he should address-Valeray the king; or Borel, his old companion; or Celeste, the princess of the Springwood. Finally, he landed before the king. “In the Springwood,” Flic gasped, “the Springwood, my lord-”
“Take a deep breath, Flic,” said Valeray, “and gather your wits.” Valeray then turned to Claude. “How did he come?”
“Through the grand ballroom, my lord, calling out for you or Prince Borel or Princess Celeste.”
Valeray sighed and said, “Claude, make certain the guests therein are not alarmed by his appearance and obvious distress.
Allay any fear they might have.”
“Oui, my lord,” said the steward, and he withdrew.
Puffing and blowing, at last Flic managed to quiet his panting, and, with a final deep breath and slow exhalation, he bowed and said, “My lord.”
“Now, Flic, this news you bear,” said Valeray, smiling.
“My lord, the witch Hradian-Fleurette and I think it was she-is within the Springwood; she flies sunwise.”
“As we thought,” groaned Luc.
Flic puckered his brow and turned toward the knight. “You knew she was there?”
“We were somewhat certain that she had left my demesne,” said Valeray. He looked at the gathering and said, “And given what we now know, it seems likely the witch you saw was indeed Hradian.”
“Are you positive that it was Hradian in my demesne?” asked Celeste. “Could it have been a different witch?”
“Mayhap, my lady,” said Flic. “Yet the one we saw fits the description given Fleurette by Lady Camille, and the one Lord Borel told to me: a knot of darkness streaming shadows.”
“With that depiction,” said Camille, “I agree: Flic and Fleurette saw Hradian.”
“Oh, and there is this,” said Flic, “the witch seemed to be talking to a great flock of crows-dreadful savages that they are-and they scattered in all directions, and then she flew away.”
Valeray frowned. “Speaking to crows?”
“Oui, but I know not what she said.”
“Why would she be speaking to crows?” asked Regar, and he looked about the table and saw only frowns of puzzlement.
After a moment Borel asked “Where is Fleurette?”
“She and Buzzer are in this demesne, just this side of the dawnwise bound, Lord Borel. Though a day late, we were on our way to the faire, and we had just settled for the night, what with Buzzer needing to sleep when the eventide begins to flow.”
“Exactly where did you see the witch?” asked Celeste.
“In the Springwood nigh your starwise border. The racket of the crows awoke us, and Hradian was on a tor talking to them, the flock swirling about and listening.”
“Across my own dawnwise marge?” asked Valeray.
“Oui, my lord, just barely.”
“Think you she had just come from my demesne?” Flic shrugged. “That I know not, my lord, yet if she were travelling in a straight line, she would have been flying sunwise as she entered the Springwood, and sunwise she did continue.” Silence fell, and Flic asked, “Why would she be here?” Valeray sighed and said, “She took the key to the Castle of Shadows, and with it she will set Orbane free.”