Parchment and deceit--Part 2

I started running even before my brain consciously registered the danger. Khalid grabbed my hand and pushed me in front of him. The sudden change in motion caused a momentary loss of balance and I almost fell over a log in the path ahead of me. I quickly regained my physical equilibrium but my emotional state was not as easy to redeem. Something was amiss. The ominous footsteps behind us had ceased. Everything in the courtyard was stagnant and silent. Trouble was close at hand.

Suddenly, darkness descended upon us and I looked towards the sky long enough to see the large silhouette of the dragon flying overhead. The dragon’s body nose-dived and appeared ready to swoop down upon us.

I motioned for Khalid to look up with a twitching hand. I heard an unintelligible exclamation coming from his mouth as he pushed me painfully through and underneath a large hedge of hydrangea bushes.

“We’ve got to get inside that castle” Khalid said, while shaking his head in frustration. “I have to get inside and find the emancipation chamber. That is where I will find the document that proves the King granted me asylum.”

Khalid is a from Caldonian: a small kingdom located in the farthest reaches of the Ander Mountains. Caldonians are feared by my people because they possess a rare ability. They are masters at interpreting body language and perceiving subtle shifts in vocal tones. This sensitivity allows them to uncover deceit and strong emotions.

As a result of their abilities, Caldonians were considered dangerous and a security risk. My home of Wyndsber has a long history of war, strife, and economic calamities-- so the act of scapegoating: blaming a particular group for the kingdom's woes--was not unusual.

About ten years ago the Wyndsber ruler at the time, a ruthless man by the name of King Burrik, made a proclamation that Caledonians were a menace to society and must leave the Kingdom immediately. They were given a choice: either leave voluntarily or be imprisoned and forcibly removed—or worse. Burrik’s propaganda machine worked tirelessly to convince the public that Caldonians were evil deviants that only used their abilities to harm people.

This harsh tactic was necessary because Burrik ignored normal protocol when The High King died. Rather than sending an emissary to fetch the rightful heir of the throne he seized it for himself. He claimed the actual heir had died in battle. The Caldonians in the court uncovered the corruption, verified that the rightful heir was alive and threatened to expose the deceit. Consequently, Burrik did not want his sins to be unveiled by the intrusiveness and inconvenience of any Caledonians so he decided to rid himself of this one small problem.

Subsequently, all Caledonians were publicly executed and a proclamation was issued that demanded all other Caldonians leave the kingdom immediately or face the same fate. Any Caldonians that did not leave: whether from illness, family attachments or compulsion, were detained and placed in prison. The prison conditions were so deplorable that many died of starvation or exposure. Any who survived were rounded up and either killed on the spot or deposited in the treacherous Ander Mountains to die there.

Summoned by the Caldonians, Cantis Nuray--the rightful heir to the throne-- came back from his travels and accused Burrik of seizing the throne without proper authority. Nuray insisted that he was the next in line and he should have been notified. A brutal battle ensued between Burrik’s supporters and Nuray’s. The battle lasted three months and it appeared that Buttrik’s army would be victorious, but suddenly, hundreds of soldier’s became ill and died on the battlefield. Only Nuray’s army was immune. By the end of the month only Burrik and a handful of followers remained. They quickly took shelter within the Obsidian Forest.

Cantis Nuray became Wyndsber’s new regent and a brief period of calm settled over the weary nation. Nuray was a fair and noble ruler and during his short reign peace and prosperity descended on the land. Although King Nuray could not completely overturn Burrik’s old proclamation banning Caldonians from Wyndsber he tried to lessen the effects. Burrik’s propaganda was successful and he had poisoned a substantial percentage of the populace against Caldonians. King Nuray knew that any sudden measure to allow mass migrations into Wyndsber would result in significant uprisings.

Instead, he decided to grant asylum to a few trusted Caldonians he had met and befriended while abroad. Having these Caldonians was helpful to Nuray in many ways. Imagine the advantages of having advisers who can perceive the deceit and manipulations of any enemies to the throne. Eventually, when the fear subsided, Nuray was planning on opening the borders between both kingdoms..

My husband was one of the few Caledonian advisers to King Nuray. He swore an oath before the King and three of his clerics to uphold the honor of the King and to keep all revelations secret. After the ceremony they presented Khalid with an official document that outlined his asylum status. This document was to be kept within the walls of the emancipation chamber and sealed in a vault. Only two keys for the vault were made, one for the King and one for the individual Caldonian.

Caldonians were advised to keep their nationality a secret-- but if a situation arose that revealed their identity, they could appeal to the King and verify their asylum status with the document. The clerics put a charm on the document and the Caledonian so that the asylum status was ensured even if the King Nuray died. No person could kill a Caldonian with asylum status without incurring death himself.

Or, at least that’s what my husband was told—indeed what he thought, until Burrik came back.

Inside the Dragon's Lair--Part 1

Slithering in between the tangles of blackthorn and ivy, my husband and I stealthily picked our way through the dense bushes lining the medieval fortress that lay just outside the castle gates. The old gnarly witch in the Obsidian Forest told us Ashcroft Castle was protected by an powerful magic and no one could gain entrance without the purple crystal key. The key was buried underneath Pan's statue which was located near Wygham Lake in the furthest eastern corner of the kingdom. Our goal was to retrieve the key and journey to Ashcroft Castle; find a doorway in the fortress marked with a rune called raido: a symbol that approximates the look of a letter "r" with a slightly askew leg on one end. It was here that my husband could find an ancient document that would finally grant him his freedom.

Finding the purple crystal key was relatively easy, except for the few ornery trolls we had put to sleep with a tranquility spell. Trolls aren't easily susceptible to serenity and it took our combined efforts along with a sharp hit on the noggin of one particularly difficult troll to ensure the entire group got it's fair share of tranquility.

However, trying to find the doorway with the rune mark was particularly difficult. We had circled the entire fortress and had not discovered the necessary doorway. They all looked the same: plain withered planks of splintered wood with an odd diamond shaped keyhole.

The only protection that was offered to us was the dense brush of blackthorn and we often had to jump quickly back into those thorny bushes when the King's Brigade came by. Once they marched a safe distance away we ran to the next nearest door. I quickly pulled the crystal key from a pocket deep in my bronze cloak. There wasn't a discernible mark on the expanse of the door but I tried to fit the key in the lock anyway and was amazed when both the key and the lock eerily metamorphosed shape into the mark of the rune. The knob turned and we carefully pushed the door open.

A magnificent garden greeted our tired and surprised eyes. I had to blink multiple times before my eyes could adjust to the penetrating golden light and the flurry of color. It was unlike any garden I had seen: filled with meandering plants of such girth and height that obscured every object in the garden with a thousand flourishes of unusual blooms. In the middle of the courtyard there was a glittering gold fountain and torrents of silvery liquid that cascaded over multi layered tiers of stone chiseled seashells.

On either side of the fountain, approximately 1000 feet apart, stood two massive black gargoyle sculptures with terrifying grimaces and large, slightly oblong ears that diminished to long, curled tips at the ends. Their sleek and massive wings stood immobile but partially unfurled on either side as their twisted and slick talons held a stone sphere cruelly in each paw. I looked at them in fascination for a few minutes and then slowly turned to catch my husband's gaze. But as my head started to turn I could have sworn my eyes registered some movement in my peripheral vision. I quickly turned back to look at the statue but it was completely still. Bemused I was about to say something to my husband when I heard him say: "Beth, get behind me."

My head snapped quickly back to my husband. The alarm in his voice was initiated by an animated gargoyle towering over my husband in a predatory stance. He was about four feet away from him, close enough for the monster's breathe to move the hair on my husband's head.

A loud growl ensued from a different direction and I swiveled my head to the left and gazed in horror at the visage of the other gargoyle. He was no longer perched benignly on the marble pedestal but was instead flapping his wings passionately and focusing his red eyes intently in my direction. From a distance, I heard the deep, evil cry of the other gargoyle, but I could not turn my attention from the monster in front of me. I gripped the spear at my side and raised it slowly. I took a quick step forward but the gargoyle was quicker and knocked the spear out of my hands with his long snout.

I deftly dodged the flap of his massive left wing and took cover under the billowy leaves of a willow tree. I had to get my spear back-- and fast. The stupid beast was not aware of my hiding place and seemed to be looking for me on the dense bushes of blackthorn. I ran out from under the cover of the willow and grabbed my spear. The gargoyle turned in pursuit. As it lunged for me I raised the spear and threw it right into the monster's heart. The creature stumbled, stopped and then collapsed-- all the while snorting and thrashing to the ground.

I turned and looked for my husband. The other beast had also collapsed to the ground but I could not find my husband. I called for him but heard nothing in return. After what seemed to be an eternity I finally heard the muffled voice of my husband. I ran to where the sound came from. I saw my husband's hand peaking out from under the wing of the massive beast. Grunting with the effort, I lifted the wing just enough for my husband to crawl out.

"That was a close one", he said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He grinned sheepishly and added, "After this-- the rest should be a piece of cake."

From behind us we heard the loudest shriek we have ever heard in our lives. It sounded like a cross between an eagle, a lion and the wail of a colicky baby. The ground shook with the massive creature's substantial weight. We turned quickly to see the body of a gargantuan iridescent green dragon looking at us with a gaze of pure hatred.

I was frozen in fear and the only thought that came clearly to mind was that it wasn't going to be all that easy to gain my husband's freedom.

Ok..time for some truth-telling: the trip to Homeland Security wasn't quite as bad as the former story. However, the drama queen in me couldn't help embellishing the real story a trifle. And of course--I'm sure you have surmised already-- Khalid was safely returned home.Otherwise, I wouldn't have been up for such story-telling. In all honesty, this whole situation seems surreal and much like a fantasy novel: with unseen enemies, surprises, miracles and hazardous journeys. So the fantasy story seemed strangely appropriate.

Indeed, the trip went well. We were only kept waiting for about 20 minutes--a record. Usually we are there for three hours or more. Khalid's Deportation Officer was very nice and congenial. She told us there were no new developments and to come back in three months. There were no trolls, no gargoyles and no dragon. There was also no freedom for my husband either.....so at least that part was true!