Chapter Nine
“BAD BUG,” PRESCOTT MUMBLED OVER AND OVER as the clerics in the Hall of the Sanguine applied a healing salve to the several dozen tiny holes in his wide back.
“Very bad bug,” I grumbled as I threw a dark look at the truculent pixie sitting atop a cabinet filled with small bottles of tonics.
Her tiny purple wings fluttered in aggravation as she flew into the air, leaving plum-toned motes floating in the midday wind.
She zipped over to buzz in front of my face, black eyes snapping, and jabbed a finger at my nose.
“Firstly, I’m not a bug. I’m a pixie. In fact, you knuckleheaded cob humper, I am the Royal Ward Guardian whose sworn duty is to protect the prince and princess.
Your troll wandered into the gardens with a weapon and approached Prince Al’fur and Princess Alfina with evil intent.
I will not fail in my duty again, and so he was repelled. ”
“It wasn’t a weapon. It was a piccolo he found in the music room,” I explained for the tenth time. Royal Ward Guardian Tezen Plumwax rolled a lip to show sharp little teeth.
“Anything in the hand of a troll is a weapon,” she fired back and threw a glower at Prescott, who now looked as if he had as many freckles as Scout Beiro.
Whom I had yet to even speak to since arriving at this damn castle.
My patience was wearing thin being trapped in this luxurious prison, for that was how it felt after two long days.
“He came charging up to the children, yelling something about pike and go, so I did what the king and queen pay me to do.”
“Aye, you did, and now the poor sod has tiny holes all over his arms, back, and belly thanks to your damn war picks.”
“He’s lucky he has such thick skin. I’ve been known to open a human’s belly like a gutted fish!”
“You’re lucky those picks only made tiny pricks in his skin. This is my guardian, a guest of the king, and a gentle soul who only wished to play with the children. He adores little ones.”
“How was I to know?! The last troll I came into contact with tried to munch a small group of druids out gathering herbs!”
“Perhaps you should ask instead of attacking first!”
“Perhaps you should teach your troll to have common manners!”
“He’s not a troll.” She hit me with a flat look. “Not wholly. He’s half troll and half human. We think. The point remains. You flew into a guest of the king and harmed him.”
“Bug stings,” Prescott mumbled, his broad back bowed and covered with scarlet berry paste to soothe the many holes.
“I’m not a bug!” Tezen shouted. The door to the hall opened. We all fell into silence when Aelir strolled in, dressed casually, his guardian Pasil at his heel. I nodded to the guard. The guard did his best to ignore me. Sore loser, that one.
“Your Majesty,” we all said in unison, placing a fist to our chests as we bowed our heads.
“Can someone tell me what happened in the garden, please?” Aelir asked, padding over to Prescott to hand him a large pot of plum pudding and a huge wooden stirring spoon. “This is for you. The prince and princess like sweets when they have to visit the healers.”
“Pudding!” Prescott shouted in joy. The cleric treating his wounds jumped a foot. “King nice. Bug bad.”
“If that oversized cockhead calls me a bug once more…” Tezen snarled.
“He means no harm,” Aelir stated, looking from Prescott to me and then to the pixie.
“Now, someone please tell me what took place in the garden.” Tezen and I began talking at once.
The king raised a hand. “Coelum, please, your version, and then I will hear Tezen out.” After both sides were told, the king passed his judgment.
“I understand your reaction, Tezen, and thank you for your dedication in protecting the twins with such vigor. The fault lies with me. I should have made you aware of the gentle nature of our guest before he found himself in the proximity of the children.”
“Gentle. Pah, he cleared the training ground of a dozen of my best guards, tossing them about like rag dolls,” Pasil interjected, clearly a bit tender about the loss to a dirty pirate.
“See!” Tezen waved a small hand at Pasil. “The guard captain has the right of it. If one of the children made him mad, he could—” She stalled there, her chest heaving. “They could be greatly harmed. I will not allow them to be misused in any way.”
The king gave her a gentle smile. “I know you are ever vigilant. That is why you are their protector.” He turned his attention to me. “Coelum, I think it wise you keep Prescott close to hand while you are our guest.”
“I merely turned my back for a moment while we were spending time in the music room when he bolted. There is no catching him when he’s sprinting.
Also, I do apologize for the damage done to the doorway leading out into the southern garden.
He sometimes forgets to open doors before he goes through them.
In his defense, he adores little ones. Back home, he frolics about with the children in the street, singing and dancing, blowing on wooden flutes.
I’m sure he merely meant to play with the twins as he does the children of Quinn’s Quay. ”
“Understood. Perhaps we can set up supervised visit times for him and the twins. They’re both quite eager to meet him again. They were most impressed with his tweeting on the piccolo before he was attacked by their guardian.”
I nodded at Aelir. “That sounds like a good plan.”
“Your Majesty, surely that is not wise. Trolls are known for their violent tempers and fondness for elven flesh,” Tezen hurried to say, flying from me to the king to plead her case.
“Prescott would never harm or eat anyone,” I spoke up. The pixie rolled her lip at me again. Feisty for such a wee thing. I’d never encountered a pixie before, but rumor had it they were regal, prim beings. Not this one. “I will vouch for him.”
“The word of a pirate isn’t worth my spit,” Tezen snapped in reply. Ah, well, my reputation was now widespread throughout the keep as well as the city.
“His word is worth the same as mine,” Aelir interjected as I opened my mouth to reply to the pixie.
Everyone in the hall, aside from Prescott, who was spooning pudding into his mouth, gaped at the king.
“I trust Coelum. This matter is settled. Prescott will visit the children daily with supervision and two extra guards.”
Tezen nodded in understanding. Pasil inclined his head. “Thank you,” I said to the king. “I promise I will accompany him.”
“Cleric Lindel, is the patient able to leave?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The wounds were superficial and should heal well if he does not scratch at them,” the healer replied as he slowly backed away from his patient.
“Good. Coelum, I wish to speak to you. Come with me,” Aelir announced.
I fell in behind him and Pasil, Tezen flying back to her charges, I assumed, and Prescott plodding along after us with his pudding and spoon, making yummy, slurpy noises.
We paused at a large room that faced the sea, the ballroom empty now.
Four wide doors opened out to the Silvura.
My sight flew to the ocean, searching for my ship, which I found still docked where it had been for days now.
“What do you think of this ballroom?” I ripped my irritated gaze from the Cloud’s Shame to stare at Aelir in confusion. “Do you like it?”
“It’s quite gaudy, but then again every room in this castle is overdone,” I answered honestly, the sea winds blowing on my back, throwing my hair into my face.
“It’s called the Seafarer’s Hall, for it has the best view of the ocean.”
“That’s sensible.” Pasil melted into a corner, giving us some privacy but still within reach of the king should I decide to attack. Prescott flopped down in the middle of the polished white stone floor to enjoy what was left of his pudding. “Your Majesty—”
“Aelir, please, when we are alone or among family, use my given name,” he asked.
“Yes, sorry. Aelir, it’s been three days. The blood rites were only to take two as I understood it. We’ve not been allowed to leave the castle grounds for our own safety. I’m not a male to sit about stuffing my face with sweet meats.”
“You’re bored.”
“So dreadfully badly I may start pulling my hair out and braiding it,” I confessed. “Also, why is my ship not being worked on? The shipwright has been out to appraise it, and the damage was assessed, so why is it still docked?”
“It is in line to be serviced after the ships before it are repaired.”
“Ah, well…fine then, but is there no way to push it ahead of the others?” I asked.
Pasil looked disgruntled at my tone. I cared little if he was displeased. The king wanted familiarity, and he would get it.
“I shall see what I can do,” Aelir replied and walked to one of the open doors, waving me to join him as he stepped out onto the balcony.
“Stay and eat your pudding,” I told Prescott, who was happy to do so.
Pasil moved to the doorway but did not walk out to join me at the king’s side.
We stepped to a stone balustrade to place our hands on it and tip our faces into the prevailing winds.
Seabirds kited overhead, ducking and diving to avoid a blue wyrmling trying to catch them.
As annoying as the dragon had been, it was good to see him.
Beiro and Asdren had been missing from view, as had Le’ral.
The call of the sea was strong today. It was strong every day, but the longer I was on land, the louder it grew. Perhaps it was more boisterous because I was feeling alone.
“The testing is near completion. There were some struggles in finding the proper regents and nodes as well as locating the fourth mage. The elders, the ones who know the ways of the wood elves, are few now, most having passed over to rest with Ihdos. But four were found, and they are now brewing the final potion that will be added to your blood to reveal its nobility.”
“You speak as if it’s a foregone conclusion that my blood and yours are similar.”