Kara Read online

  “This is exquisite!” La’ard’s voice was breathless He gazed into the onyx surface. His men watched, their own greed piqued by the king’s lustful tones. La’ard sensed their jealously, their wanting. “I want the Witch Guard out!” he shouted. “Master Kreitan, see to it that your men remain guard outside. The spooks and you can stay.” The king did not move much from his spot in front of the mirror while Kreitan ordered his men out of the tomb.

  Kreitan and the spooks inspected the whole tomb while La’ard remained in front of the mirror.

  Several minutes later, Kreitan approached the king. “Sire, the spooks have decoded some of the runes here upon the wall.”

  “Yes?” La’ard said with indifference.

  Kreitan unfolded a sheet of paper a spook had handed him and read, “Beware these possessions, for in possessing them, one may be possessed himself.”

  “Rubbish! Utter nonsense.”

  Words that in time, La’ard would deeply regret.

  “We also found another door, possibly leading to a burial chamber.” Kreitan said. He pointed to the left of the throne. Faintly carved into the wall, La’ard could see the outline of a door.

  “Good, good.” For La’ard had no idea what Kreitan said. He was lost in his own image. “Have your men take this mirror to the palace, but take care. I do not want it damaged.”

  Back at the palace, the looking glass stood in the courtroom at first, but soon La’ard became anxious and nervous about the object. His fears of magic began creeping back. Often, when he was not staring at the fractured surface, he had the uneasy feeling of eyes upon him. Paranoia often made him glance toward it, expecting something other than his reflection would be smiling back.

  Euphoria instantly fell in love with it. “Daddy, what a beautiful mirror! Where did you get it?” La’ard’s apprehension of the piece abated, replaced by the joy and happiness that he had pleased his daughter. It infused his own soul with ignorance. He granted her the mirror and ordered it taken to her room.

  For much of the next few weeks, Euphoria rarely saw others. At first La’ard hardly noticed the princess was absent since there were other matters of the kingdom that occupied him. But soon, he observed something was the matter with her. Her manner used to be sweet, innocent, and very kind. Now she was snippy and nervous. In the past, Euphoria had always prided herself on her appearance. Now she wasn’t taking care of herself, often leaving her hair unbrushed and her dresses wrinkled or askew.

  One night a servant came knocking at his chambers. “Sire! Come quick! The princess!” The man’s voice and hands were shaking.

  Fear gripped the king’s heart with those words. His mind knew something horrible had befallen his daughter. He rushed to her chambers.

  Euphoria lay unresponsive on the floor, like a crumpled child’s doll. The mirror was broken, a crystal tiara that belonged to the princess among the pieces.

  They called in physikers. “Not dead,” the head physiker decreed.

  La’ard covered his face in his hands recalling those first few weeks. By her side every minute, wanting something other than ‘not dead.’ They summoned spooks, strange medicine men from the east consulted, even the priests of the high church, yet no one had an answer for the king.

  Then one evening, a guttural sound came from his daughters lips. Hello, the voice said.

  La’ard raised his head, hope gleaming in his eyes. But he soon found out about the creature that inhabited Euphoria. He also learned to hate the thing.

  Twelve days ago, the creature made a suspicious offer. Hope for her yet, my dear king. Make the mirror whole and set Euphoria free.

  When La’ard tried to learn more, the creature only taunted him and laughed. Desperation set in and La’ard commanded his servants to reassemble the mirror.

  Thrown out when the servants cleaned the room after the incident, the pieces slowly resurfaced. Bit by bit, the mirror became whole. Some pieces appeared quickly, while others required more time to track. Eventually, all were found except a large shard. None of the servants remembered seeing it when they were tending to the princess’s room.

  An off-hand comment from a passing cook made a castle guard bring up the name of Cehwalie. Interviewed earlier—on the night after the incident—but promptly forgotten.

  Kreitan came down hard on the cook. La’ard sat in on the interview, his pulse quickening, knowing his daughter’s freedom might be close at hand. That had been two days ago, and the mirror was still incomplete.

  Argh! It made him feel incompetent. A king with all this power, this rule, and he could not save his only daughter. If his father, Longshanks, had still been around, this nightmare would have been even worse.

  “Not much of king…one that would let his own daughter…under his own roof….” La’ard banged his fist against the throne to drive out the imagined words of his dearly departed father.

  He rested his forehead in his hands, his elbows on his knees. His father would disapprove of his posture. Not a proper pose for any king to be seen in. But he cared not. Who would see him? Nobles did not come to visit much anymore. His temper proved to be too swift and harsh these days. Many went away stripped of their titles and few just went away, never to be seen again.

  The land did not consider him a benevolent king, even before the mirror came to the palace. Sure, he had conquered Ustonia, which then brought the rich ore into the city. Nobles cheered that day, even though many of the Ustonians found themselves put to death, slaughtered by sword or axe. La’ard’s army pillaged on orders from the king and they had taken full advantage of that order.

  Now La’ard sat alone, his daughter possessed because of his greed. He strived no longer to be a great ruler, just one who had a living daughter.

  Chapter Seven

  “Shouldn’t they be here by now, Grace?” Hambone surveyed the passing crowd. Worry was obvious in his voice.

  The green sprite flew higher for a moment. She quickly descended and chirped a resounding no.

  Then an idea struck Hambone. His face became grim. “He didn’t go where I think he went, did he?”

  Grace twittered, even flashed a brief red color.

  “You’ll be mad? How about me? I was the one who brought Kara into this mess.” Hambone pushed out into the sea of market goers. “Come on.” With each hurried step, a mixture of emotions pounded together inside the dwarc. There were slave traders lurking here. Hambone heard terrible tales about them. If Dante had put Kara in danger, he’d be sorry.

  In minutes, they navigated the labyrinth of booths and stalls and approached the Nymphs Beauty booth. Sure enough, Dante ventured out of the booth, smiling broadly.

  “Thank you, Lyllianna,” he said

  “Dante!”

  Hambone’s roar broke the magical aura round Dante. His face flushed a bright red. “Wha— Hambone!”

  “How could you? Where is Kara?”

  “Right here.” Dante gestured toward a figure that stood close to where he’d left Kara. A dwarven woman looked up at him. Dante recoiled. “Oh, you’re not Kara.”

  “And yar ain’t no prince charming neither!” She stomped on his foot before sulking away.

  Dante yowled, and Hambone felt a small smile surface, but the fact that Kara was missing quickly squashed any amusement.

  “I told her to stay put.” Dante said through the pain, but his annoyance gave way to the same realization Hambone did. Kara was missing. “I left her right here.”

  “You left her.” Hambone’s tone held rumblings of anger.

  Dante ignored this and began searching the crowd. “Kara!” he said in a loud whisper. “Kara!” There was no need to draw too much attention, especially if her illusion wore off. A human girl at the market place could stir up some trouble.

  Schunk!

  Dante switched to his fox form and started down an aisle. Grace hovered above, while Hambone bounded through the crowd in an opposite direction. They both met back in the middle. Dante shook his head.

&nb
sp; “You fool. She’s only twelve and a human to boot. There were already people after her.” Hambone continued to berate the werefox while surveying the crowd. Dante hung his head.

  Grace flew by twittering excitedly.

  “What did you find? A glove?” Hambone followed the sprite up the aisle and to a booth that held tables of jewelry. Sure enough, on the ground was a riding glove similar to one Kara had been wearing. The goblin running the booth watched Hambone as he bent and picked up the glove.

  “Excuse me?” Hambone said as he turned toward the shopkeeper.

  “Skrag, at service.”

  “Uh, yes. Do you remember a customer of yours who might have been wearing a shawl around her head and wearing riding gloves like this one?”

  The goblin stared at him, eyes momentarily wide and then narrowing into a suspicious look. “Many customers today.” He stood up on a box and picked up a bracelet. “Skrag sell you something?”

  Hambone shook his head. “Um, no.” Hambone waved away the bracelet. “Are you sure you did not see her? She was supposed to meet me right here. This is her glove.”

  “I sure! No girl!” Skrag’s anger came out like spit. A second later, he became friendly again. “Bracelet. You like?”

  Grace flew down to the goblin’s eye level. She twittered her own questions, but it appeared as if Skrag didn’t know the fairy language.

  Hambone sighed, but tried once more. “Did you see who dropped this?”

  He held the glove closer for inspection. Skrag grabbed it and threw it to the side of the booth.

  “No hum…no girl! If no buy, then go!” The goblin looked like he could turn red any minute. Hambone caught Skrag’s slip-up and was sure that Skrag remembered Kara. Why else would he almost say ‘human?’

  “Skrag! What seems to be the…Ahhh, we have company.” A sultry voice containing a note of mocking came from behind Hambone. Approaching was an elvin woman, almost six feet tall, with skin was the blue-black color of a midnight sky. Her silver eyes did a check on Hambone, before turning to Skrag. “Go to the kettle house to fetch us some food.”

  Skrag obeyed without a word or glance at Hambone.

  “Katrena, I didn’t know you had a shop in the market. How good it is to see you.” Hambone tried to find another word instead of good, but everything else sounded too nice.

  Katrena brushed some of her long black hair away from her face with a few cougar-clawed fingers. Her hands and arms, covered with her own wares—bracelets and rings—shone brightly against her dark skin.

  “So what brings you to my booth? A gift for my sister?”

  “Um, no. I was just looking for a friend. But since your wonderful helper made it clear that he did not see her, we’ll be going.”

  And with that Hambone turned tail. Katrena was bad news and he did not need her finding out anything about Kara.

  ***

  Narrowed silver eyes watched the riff-raff party depart. Oh, how she hated the dwarc. She would love nothing more than to place a throwing dagger into his back. She resisted the urge knowing the sour repercussions that it could have. What her sister ever saw in that thing escaped her.

  Katrena despised her twin sister for many reasons and anyone else she associated with. Ra’na was sweet and kind, the complete opposite of her. Birds and furry woodland creatures seemed to follow the elf maiden wherever she went.

  Shoving aside her anger for the moment, Katrena took a moment to look over her jewelry tables. The market booth was a means to an end. She enjoyed jewelry, even though most of the pieces here she had not made herself. She acquired some as payment, some were just…acquired. They were all beautiful and intriguing. Why have bland merchandise that most customers would just snub?

  Her eyes scanned her wares to see if Skrag had sold anything. On one of the front tables, Katrena paused at an empty spot. What had been there? The bat pendant! Had Skrag really sold that piece? Quickly, she went to the cash drawer, but after counting the money, it was short what the pendant would’ve fetched. She counted it again. Still it came up the same. What was going on here?

  Katrena scanned her other merchandise in case she’d overlooked something. All seemed to be there, except maybe for an odd ring or bracelet which could have been bought. But the bat pendant was not.

  “Mistress, food!” Skrag came back jovial with a bag that smelled of roast chicken.

  Quick like a cat, Katrena grabbed the goblin by the neck, hoisted him up, and drew her blade—positioned so he could see and feel it.

  “Where is the pendant?” No seduction or sultriness colored her tone now. It rang with hard-edged anger.

  “What….”

  “Don’t play coy with me. The bat pendant. Where is it?” She squeezed a little tighter.

  “Human.” His voice came out barely audible. This reply took her by surprise. Katrena’s grip slackened a bit, and Skrag took in a deep breath.

  “What?” Her grip tightened again, stronger this time.

  “Human girl.” He used his remaining breath on the statement. Now he began fighting for air again, his hands pawed at the fist holding him. Katrena dropped him on a nearby table.

  “Excuse me, may I see…” A customer at the entrance of the booth waved his hand to get Katrena’s attention.

  “We’re at lunch. Come again another time!” The bugbear looked taken aback and then left quickly. Katrena turned her eyes back on Skrag, who looked terrified.

  “Okay Skrag, tell me in detail about it.”

  Skrag told her about the incident. A smile replaced her sneer.

  “Customer normal. Lady. Wrapped up. Glove took off. Hold pendant. Then Skrag see human. Like magic.” His mistress’s smile widened a bit and his nervousness disappeared.

  “But that still doesn’t answer my question about the necklace. Where did the pendant go?”

  “She startled. Ran away. With pendant, I think.” Skrag shrank back from this, knowing how his mistress’s wrath could be.

  Her fist pounded the table next to Skrag. “So close!”

  The frightened goblin jumped up and ran toward the end of the table. Katrena did not see his reaction; she was too busy contemplating plans. When she looked up though, she saw him cowering.

  “Skrag, honey. Come here.” Her voice picked up an instant exotic tone. Slowly, her helper came to her. She cuddled him like a baby in her arms. “You did fine. I’m sorry I was angry with you.” Katrena ran a finger down his face to his nose. It was always good to keep Skrag loyal to her. He did find out information that helped her greatly, this being so far the best news yet.

  “Then dwarc asked for her.”

  “What?” Skrag dropped to the ground as Katrena lost focus. The goblin quickly got to his feet.

  “Yes. He ask. I lie.” Skrag puffed out his chest and grinned at his mistress.

  “Did he really? Well now, that just brings everything home for me.” She looked down at the table and then out at the crowd. Sunlight glinted off her silver eyes.

  “Skrag, you did well. Eat your food. I’ll look after the shop.” Her hand patted his head. A dreamy look came over his face. The goblin simply nodded and watched her walk to the shop’s entrance.

  Katrena scanned the crowd in the aisle, looking for Hambone. Of course, the dwarc had moved on, but that was no concern. She knew where to find him, and maybe the girl too.

  This mission might have just gotten a little easier.

  ***

  “It’s all my fault.” Dante crumbled into a miserable state. They’d walked through the whole market but discovered no further sign or clue to finding Kara.

  “That goblin knows something. If only he wasn’t Katrena’s pet slave, I could find a way to make him talk.” Hambone’s orc tendencies toward violence were coming out. When his temper flared up, trees ended up broken.

  Grace twittered something and flew in Hambone’s face. “Grace is right. Someone else had to have seen Kara.” Dante padded along the road leading away from the market. Hambone follow
ed. He needed to clear his head. Maybe something would occur to him.

  The dwarc kept looking back towards the market, struggling with the idea of going back and pummeling the puny goblin. Grace kept by the dwarc, giving off a soothing aura of soft green.

  The sounds of the market faded, rounding a bend in the road. Dante skulked over to a nearby bench, transformed, and then sat down. Hambone soon joined him.

  “When did this day turn complicated?” Dante asked looked at the ground. He picked up a stone from the ground absentmindedly.

  “Probably when I stumbled across Kara yesterday.” Hambone said. He also picked up a rock from the ground. Grace just hovered.

  “She was nice.” Dante rolled the object about in his hands, and then threw it across the path.

  “She liked my soup.” Hambone threw his stone as well.

  “Well, that’s human taste for you.” Dante laughed a bit. He scooped up another stone.

  “But you do have to admit, I make a good Fedashala.” Hambone too, picked another rock. Dante nodded. Another rock flew across the path. Hambone followed with his. In a slow rhythm, both continued to throw rocks. No one spoke. Grace just watched the two.

  Dante turned and looked at Hambone. “Do you forgive me?”

  Hambone turned and looked surprised. “For what?”

  “Losing Kara.”

  “It could have happened to anyone.”

  “But it happened to me.” Dante looked away.

  “There’s nothing to forgive.” Hambone patted his friend on the back almost knocking him from the seat. “Plus, it is hard to resist those nymphs and their treatment.”

  “You aren’t kidding me. The shampooing was paradise.” Dante gave a guttural growl of excitement, which caused Hambone to laugh. The laugh became infectious and soon Dante laughed as well.

  Grace chirped and twittered, but neither heard her.

  Frustrated, Grace let out one sharp chirp that caused both werefox and dwarc to wince. “Why’d you do that?” Dante wiggled a finger in one ear. Grace sprite-spoke rapidly.