Elements of Glory: The Princess of Nothing

’Keys open doors? That’s the lesson for today? That’s the best you can do? Keys open blinking doors? Do I look like a simpleton?’

-Aragam, at his first lesson with Grulem – Grulem responded to Aragam that he did think him a bit of a simpleton

Emily still hadn’t come up with a plan, but then neither Aragam... or Wuzzul! The group – two Humans and a Dooy – were huddled together behind the cover of a twisted tree that looked like some kind of evil gnarled hand, clawing for the heavens, as the rain continued to pour down upon them. They stared toward the gaping mouth of the dark cave, where Samantha was being kept – according to Wuzzul – their eyes locked on the two Troll’s guarding the entrance.

‘Couldn’t you use your Gemgic?’ Emily asked Aragam suddenly, smiling, hope in her voice.

The Wasgician straightened his sopping wet, pointed, blue hat, and shook his head. ’I couldn’t take on two Trolls myself, no way.’

Emily turned to Wuzzul. ‘What about you?’ she asked. ’Aren’t you supposed to be Samantha’s Protector?’

’Me am scared of killing,’ Wuzzul said, true concern in his voice. ’If Dooys kill too many, we become... dangerous… some even turn bad, very, very bad!’

‘Can’t you just be careful?’ Emily asked.

‘Mine power is strong,’ Wuzzul explained, ‘extra strong, because me am so worried.’

’Well, we need to do something,’ Aragam grumbled. He glanced at Emily. ’And unless Emily plans to go in there swinging her swords, it looks like we might be relying on your powers little buddy.’

Emily glared at Aragam. ’Why are you putting this on me, I don’t see you-’

‘I’m not putting anything one anyone,’ Aragam protested, ‘I was just making a comment.’

Emily folded her arms across her chest and frowned. ’Well, you know, I could if I wanted to.’

Aragam smirked. ‘Yeah,’ he chuckled, ’I’m sure.’

Emily huffed.

Who does this guy think he is?

’Listen, Emily, this isn’t any time to get proud,’ Aragam told her, patting the air with his hands. ‘Let’s just let Wuzzul-’

‘You hear something!’ one of the Trolls growled to the other, his voice carrying so it reached Emily and the others. She hunkered closer to the gnarled tree, further out of the sight of the beasts.

‘Me hear nothing,’ the other Troll grumbled, a seeming waterfall of rain running down his lumpy, green, face, ‘me just hear ugly rain!’

‘Rain not ugly,’ the first Troll protested, ‘rain just rain.’

The second Troll snorted.

Well, they’re both not completely dim, Emily reasoned.

‘Me sure me heard something,’ the first Troll said, and Emily heard his huge, heavy, bare feet slop in the soggy ground as he stepped away from the mouth of the cave. ‘Me heard voices.’

Emily saw Aragam motioning with his hand out the corner of her eye. She looked at him and saw that he was pointing into the woods, as if they should run. Emily nodded, and she started after Aragam as he bolted, Wuzzul racing after them. They dove into some briers and then tumbled down a slick, muddy, slope, into a gully that was ankle high with cold, black, water.

Emily, Aragam, and Wuzzul stayed perfectly still and listened through the pouring rain for the Trolls. They heard voices above, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Then everything became silent again. After a few moments, Emily sighed. Then she noticed that she’d landed on top of Aragam, and he was holding her, his arms wrapped around her waist. They looked at each other and then Aragam became very embarrassed, and helped Emily off of him.

’Sorry,’ he said quickly, ‘are you all right, then?’

’Fine,’ Emily responded.

‘Good, good,’ Aragam nodded and looked off into the woods, as if the twisted trees were somehow interesting to him.

‘Psst,’ Wuzzul said, causing Emily and Aragam to quickly look at him. They saw that the Dooy was pointing toward a dark tunnel at the end of the ditch they were standing in.

‘Hey, do you think-?’

Wuzzul was already running for the opening before Aragam could finish his thought, his feet splashing in the water as he did. Emily almost called out for him, but she caught herself, and just followed, with Aragam on her heels.

The tunnel was dark, and no less wet than it was outside – though they were out of the driving rain. Through the darkness of the tunnel, Emily followed Wuzzul, until he stopped and looked up. A shaft of light shone down from the ceiling onto him.

‘Samantha,’ the Dooy whispered.

Emily and Aragam reached him, and both crouched down, looking up through the hole in the ceiling. The chamber above looked wide, and it was dim, as if it was lit only by candles. There were soft voices above, and whimpering – it sounded like the voice of a young woman.

‘She am up there, Wasgician Man,’ Wuzzul said, looking at Aragam with wide eyes, appearing as though he might cry.

‘All right, little buddy,’ Aragam reassured, patting the Dooy on the shoulder, ’we’ll figure something out.’

Emily stared up through the hole, and sighed, hoping against hope that Aragam was right.

*

John woke up. Dark memories flooded into his mind. With a yelp he sat up, expecting to see the burning remains of the mansion where he’d grown up. Instead, he discovered that he was in a wide bed, in a large room with stone walls, a large window, and fine pictures on the walls of far green lands. The bed he was in had a canopy overhead, and rain was pelting the window across from him.

‘Hello?’ John asked.

A black blur flipped down from the top of the canopy and landed on the covers of the bed beside John, causing him to jump. His heart was pounding furiously in his chest when he realized the black blur was none other than Whirligig.

‘Bloody blazes!’ John exclaimed, glaring at his Protector. ’Don’t do that!’

Whirligig stared at John for a moment, and then his face filled with sadness as he pouted, and flopped down onto his bum, folding his arms across his chest. ‘Me only came when you called, John,’ the Dooy sniffed.

John rolled his eyes and sighed. ’I’m sorry, Whirligig, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, you just scared me.’

Whirligig looked up, studied John for a moment, and then smiled. ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘me didn’t know. Am you better now?’

John smirked and chuckled. ‘Yeah, Whirligig, I’m fine.’ As the Dooy happily stood up again, John looked around the room he was in, and stared in wonder at the posh furniture, and immaculate craftsmanship.

Then he looked at Whirligig. ‘Where are we?’

Whirligig shrugged. ‘Me don’t know,’ he said. ’Lady with Wings knows, but me not know.’

‘Lady with…’ John remembered the strange woman who’d popped out of the forest as Thaddeus and Eleanor’s mansion burned. She’d said she was there to save him. Then there was a flash of light, and then… then he was here.

John looked at Whirligig seriously. ‘Where is she?’ he asked.

As if on cue, a thick wooden door, across the room, clicked open. John whipped his head to look, and watched the thin-limbed, grey-skinned woman step into the room. Her yellow eyes were fixed on John, and some of her oily grey hair was hanging in her face. Her long-fingered hands were clenched into fists. Her ugly and shrivelled leathery wings twitched on her back.

On reflex, John backed up against the headboard of his bed, as he stared at the strange woman, and she glared back at him.

‘John Raven,’ the woman croaked, ‘you are all right?’

John hesitated. ‘Where am I?’ he demanded.

‘The Weral Kingdom,’ the woman responded. ’Twenty-two cycles ago you helped destroy it.’

’What?’ John demanded.

’Surely Thulinon told you that?’

John narrowed his eyes. ‘What happened to the mansion?’ he demanded.

‘The other Elements of Glory were killed,’ the winged woman said darkly, ‘and then it was burned to the ground. Your life back there is at an end.’

John’s voice caught in his throat as he asked, ‘Killed?’

‘Mmm,’ the woman said, nodding her head, ’though I haven’t yet come to understand why… Things aren’t happening as I thought they would, and that has me concerned.’

John’s head was spinning. ‘They can’t… I…’ he couldn’t find the words. He just knew he had to be having a nightmare. This couldn’t be happening. First Samantha had disappeared, then Billy, and now Thaddeus and the others were dead!

But, even as he tried to convince himself that he was dreaming, he knew that it was real. He’d seen the fire, he’d felt the heat! John’s shoulders slumped, and he hung his head, forcing himself not to cry, though it was the only thing he wanted to do right now.

’How could this happen?’ he whispered, after a long moment.

’I thought Ratikgurr was moving to reclaim the power of the Elements of Glory, but… it seems there’s a new evil on the move… someone who doesn’t feel he needs the Elements, or…’ the woman let her voice trail off. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered.

There was a moment of silence.

John asked, ‘Who are you?’

‘I am called Siri,’ the woman responded. She turned and started out into the hallway. ‘Come now, we have much to prepare, you and I.’

John glanced at Whirligig, sighed, and then threw off his covers. He hung his legs over the edge of the bed, slid his feet into his shoes – he wondered how he knew they were there – and then hurried after Siri, Whirligig following quickly behind him.

*

Wuzzul dropped down, through the hole in the ceiling, right into Aragam’s arms. The Wasgician grunted quietly, and then set Wuzzul down on the wet floor. Emily stared down at Wuzzul and saw deeper concern in the Dooy’s, blue, eyes. He almost looked like he was about to cry.

He always looks like he’s going to cry!

‘What is it?’ Emily asked.

Samantha am in there,’ Wuzzul said, ’but she am chained to the wall, and me see ten Voglons guarding my Samantha, and them have all weapons! Oooo, Wuzzul is scared for Samantha!’

Aragam sighed, and leaned against the wall of the tunnel. ‘Ten armed Voglons,’ he mused. ‘And probably more guards out in the hallway and such… Blast it, but why is this girl so important to these monsters!’

’That’s not really the issue right now, is it?’ Emily asked. ’What’s crucial is getting Samantha out of there.’

‘Go on,’ Aragam said, nodding to Emily, ‘you have a plan?’

Emily gritted her teeth. ’As a matter of fact, I do,’ she responded.

Aragam raised his big eyebrows in surprise. ’Really?’ he asked.

‘Yes,’ Emily responded.

‘Okay,’ Aragam said, standing away from the wall, ‘let’s have it.’

In a flash of movement, Emily had her swords out, one pointed at the end of Wuzzul’s squat nose, the other pressed up against Aragam’s neck. Both looked terrified, and Aragam had an expression that seemed to ask if she was betraying them.

‘I know how to fight…’ Emily smirked. ‘Looks like I’ll have to go in swinging these swords after all.’

’Have you ever fought monsters before?’ Aragam asked, glancing down at the blade touching his skin.

‘Not as such,’ Emily responded, ‘but Wilth taught me how to fight.’

‘Theory and practice are two different things,’ Aragam argued.

’Well, I’ve got to learn practice some time, don’t I?’ Emily asked.

‘Well of course you-’

‘Good,’ Emily responded, sheathing her swords as quickly as she’d drawn then, ‘follow my lead.’ Leaving no time for protest, Emily jumped up, grabbing the edges of the hole in the ceiling, and hefted herself into the chamber above. She stayed low, and rolled toward a wall, taking cover.

The room she was in wasn’t round – it was odd-shaped, with sort of lumpy walls. There were torches stuck into the walls, burning, offering light. On the far end of the room, a group of toad-like Voglons, with long arms and short bodies, stood in a group before a smooth area of stone wall, where a blonde woman was chained. She wore a grubby robe that gave her a semblance of modesty, and she was looking around with fear in her blue eyes.

Aragam hadn’t been lying when he’d said Samantha had grown up.

To the left of Samantha and the group of Voglons, there was an open doorway and a dim hallway beyond. Flanking the doorway were a pair of Hools, holding spears. The Hools had short bodies like the Voglons, and long thick, muscular, arms, but their green skin was touched with short wiry hair, and they had the faces of pigs, tusks and all. Also, the Hools had little useless wings poking out of their backs.

Emily’s attention was taken back to the toad-like Voglons, who seemed to be playing a game with pebbles on the floor. There were shouts of joy and groans of defeat now and again, as their green, hairless, toad-like faces were all directed down toward the floor.

Emily felt Aragam and Wuzzul crouch down behind her.

’Emily, this is a stupid plan,’ Aragam growled.

‘If you have a better one, I’d like to hear it,’ Emily challenged.

Aragam said nothing.

‘Great,’ Emily responded, ’we do it my way… You use your Gemgic to get Samantha out of those chains. Wuzzul and I will take care of the Voglons.’ She looked at Wuzzul for confirmation. The little man forced himself to look brave and he nodded.

Samantha turned to look out at the Hools and Voglons again. She hesitated, took a deep breath, hoped Wilth’s training would serve her well in what she needed to do, and charged!

She and Wuzzul were on top of the Voglons before they even knew what was coming. Wuzzul struck first, clapping his hands and causing a bright blue blast of energy to roll away from him. Several of the Voglons went flying, crashing heavily into the stone walls of the chamber. Those who didn’t go flying quickly attacked! They came at Emily with short swords and clubs, and she fended them off handily, her sword training coming to her like never before.

Also, she was being flooded with an uncommon courage. She marvelled that she’d even suggested this plan, and, what’s more, was carrying it out! She spun this way and that, her long, wet, hair whipping out, as she fended off her attackers! Wuzzul did his part to help, blasting Voglons with Gemgic, and shouting, ‘Ooo, sorry!’ as he did.

Then the Hools, from the doorway, burst in, slashing with their spears.

‘Get Samantha!’ Emily shouted at Aragam.

The Wasgician leapt over Voglon heads, and sent blasts of Gemgic with a thick, crystal-tipped, wand at the chains holding Samantha to the wall. As he gathered the young woman up into his arms, Emily slashed with her swords, taking the pointed ends off the spears of her attackers. The dim Hools looked at each other, which gave Emily the time she needed to hit them up the side of the head with her swords, crashing their skulls together, and knocking them out cold.

‘Let’s go!’ she shouted, turning toward the way they’d entered. Even as she did, a whole host of Voglons and Hools came crawling up, through the hole, cursing and swinging weapons.

‘OTHER WAY!’ Emily shouted, and led the way through the door an out into the hallway. Wuzzul, and Aragam – who was carrying Samantha in his arms – followed closely behind her as the screams and howls of Hools and Voglons sounded behind them.

‘You know how to get us out of here?’ Aragam shouted at Emily’s back.

‘I’ll figure it out,’ she shot back.

’Oooo, this am not good!’ Wuzzul said.

*

Siri led John and Whirligig toward tall, wooden, doors – like the ones you might find at the entrance of a throne room. Emblazoned on the doors, in gold, was a Griffin crest. It looked stunning and magnificent, and there was power radiating from the other side of the doors. John didn’t know how he felt it, or how to explain what he felt, but it was there.

’What is this place?’ John asked.

‘The throne room of the Weral Kingdom,’ Siri responded, ‘there is Gemgic power trapped within that we need to free.’

John looked shocked. ’We… how are we supposed to do that?’

’You have the powers of the Elements of Glory… you were one of the ones who helped trap this power… therefore, you can release it.’

John stared at Siri and then shook his head. ‘I don’t know how-’

‘It will come back to you,’ Siri assured, smiling at John and showing her teeth. He’d expected them to be crooked and hideous, but they were gleaming white and… perfect.

‘I can’t… I mean, I don’t even know you, why should I-’

’I saved your life,’ Siri protested. ’Besides, Thaddeus trusted me… and beyond that, I’ve been watching you and Samantha, protecting you along with Whirligig and Wuzzul for cycles, because you two were the strongest. You two were the best… I even had to destroy that fort you two planned to fix up… that was a trap, an evil trap... of course neither of you could notice it.’

’You destroyed the fort?’ John asked in surprise. ’That was you?’

‘Hmm,’ Siri responded. ‘I think you even glimpsed me that day.’

John thought back to a better time, before he knew he was an Element of Glory, before Samantha had disappeared. His heart ached, but he did remember the shattered cabin and that he’d thought he saw something move in the bushes.

Could that have really been Siri?

’John, my boy, we need to open this throne room and free the power you and the others trapped inside there. I’ve searched for Wilth… he’s dead. This is the only way. You, Samantha, and Emily must be trained… I feel a great darkness is coming… though I don’t know yet what it is… We’ll need you all to fight it though… this I know to be true.’

John stared at Siri for a moment. He didn’t know if he should trust her, yet he did. He didn’t know why he trusted her, yet he did.

Finally, heaving a sigh, he asked, ‘What do I have to do?’

‘Just touch the doors,’ Siri responded with a smirk, ‘it will come back to you.’

John hesitated a moment more, but then, slowly, he stepped toward the doors and held out a hand, pressing it against the smooth wood. For a moment nothing happened, but then, to John’s utter surprise, water started to sweat out of the wood, and run in, fat, droplets toward the floor.

‘What’s happening?’ John asked.

‘It will come to you,’ Siri responded, eyes wide, grinning.

*

With Voglons and Hools behind them, screaming and screeching, Emily led the way through the twisting tunnels, racing away from the chamber where they’d been holding Samantha. Emily had no idea how she knew where she was going, but somehow she did. She ran as fast as she could, with Wuzzul and Aragam charging behind her.

In very short order, they burst out the mouth of the cave, racing between the two Trolls. Without thinking – as Emily passed them – she slashed with her swords, along the back of the Trolls legs. They roared in pain and dropped to their knees.

‘Come on!’ Emily shouted to Aragam and Wuzzul, and they charged toward the woods on the other side of the small clearing. Even as they did, fifty or more Voglons leapt out of the trees, slopping into the muddy ground, landing in crouches, snarling and waving their weapons in front of them. The toad-like creatures roared furiously, as rain pelted out of the dark sky onto them.

Emily turned with her companions, back toward the cave entrance, but saw the Voglons and Hools from before spill out of the mouth, and spread out. In mere seconds, Emily, Aragam, Wuzzul, and Samantha were surrounded.

Even the wounded Trolls managed to get up and join the throng.

’Okay, so maybe not the best plan… First time and all that!’ Emily said in a quivering voice.

Aragam pressed close to Emily as she held her swords forward, ready to ward off any attackers, though she knew she couldn’t take them all.

‘Okay,’ Aragam said out the corner of his mouth, ’now what.’

’I wish I knew,’ Samantha responded as the rain continued to pour down.

‘Ooo,’ Wuzzul cried, ’this am not good! This am not good at all!’