Elements of Glory: The Princess of Nothing

’Two will stand in the end, as rulers… that is as much as you need to know right now, Demoness…’

-Servantt, to the Demoness, concerning his plans

WERAL CASTLE

John was confused. He felt like he’d been confused for a long time. He was even more confused now. He sat on a stool beside a large bed, where Samantha lay, sleeping. Wuzzul and Whirligig were perched on the end of the bed, looking worried. John didn’t know where the Princess Emily, her Wasgician, Siri, and the Griffin had gotten to, but they were gone.

They were discussing things.

John felt left out again, just like he’d felt left out back home, before Thaddeus and all the others were slaughtered, and before Billy disappeared.

John resented being left out!

He wanted to know what was going on. After all, if he was an Element of Glory, and was as important as they all said he was, then… well, shouldn’t he be included in the discussion? Shouldn’t he be informed of what they were going to do next?

They just think I’m a kid, like everyone just thinks I’m a kid!

With a groan of frustration, John stood up. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and crossed the grand room, walking to a tall window that looked out over forest treetops, down a slope, toward the wide lake and the angry waters that were white-capped and pebbled, as rain continued to pour down.

Does it do anything but rain here?

John stared out at the lake and the rain for a long time. He found himself wondering about Billy, about Thaddeus, and about all the others. His heart ached for his friends and his family, who’d all been lost to him. Slowly, he found himself turning and looking back at Samantha, who was still laying almost motionless in her bed. The only way John could tell she was alive was from the slow rise and fall of her chest.

Be okay, Samantha, please be okay! You’re all I have left.

John stepped toward Samantha’s bed. He thought she looked older now, like and older girl, maybe sixteen or seventeen. John didn’t understand it, but he felt almost as if he’d been left behind. Samantha had grown faster than him all of his life, and now it had happened again.

John shook his head, trying to break away from his self-pity. Samantha was alive, and that was all that mattered.

The door clicked and John turned to look. He watched it slowly open, and stared in wonder as the Griffin King – now dry and ever more magnificent – stepped into the chamber. He glanced at the bed where Samantha lay, and then let his blue eyes slide over to John, as he ruffled his silky golden feathers.

The Griffin stared for a long moment.

‘You are, John?’ the Griffin asked.

‘Yes,’ John said after a moment.

‘Yes,’ the Griffin agreed, ’I remember you…’ he hesitated. ’Do you remember me?’

John shook his head, unable to put together any response to that. He knew that people had been telling him that he and Samantha had lived other lives, but he had no memory of them, nor of the things it was claimed he and the others did. Still, as the Griffin stared at him with those big, blue, eyes, there was no hatred.

There was no anger.

There was pity.

‘I thought you wouldn’t,’ the Griffin said sadly.

Slowly he padded across the chamber and stopped beside Samantha’s bed. He stared down on her. The Dooys stirred at Samantha’s feet. Gently, the Griffin raised one of his bird-like hands, and placed the clawed appendage on Samantha’s forehead. He closed his eyes, spoke something softly, and Samantha opened her blue eyes.

John hurried around to the other side of Samantha’s bed and reached out, taking one of her hands, overjoyed that she was awake. He was about to say something to her, but watched as she turned to look at the Griffin and stare at him. Her blue eyes were filled with utter wonder.

’You remember me, don’t you, Samantha?’ the Griffin King asked.

Samantha stared a little longer, and she nodded. John saw tears streaming down her face.

‘Wait-’

’Hush,’ the Griffin said, cutting John off. Then the creature leaned his bird-like head closer to Samantha. ‘Do you remember your captivity?’

Samantha nodded again.

’Do you remember who commanded the Dead Man? Can you tell me who the Hidden Master is?’

Samantha parted her lips, and for a moment she said nothing. Then with a soft whisper, she said one word, ‘Servantt.’

Her eyes closed again, and she became still, save the rise and fall of her chest.

’Servantt?’ John asked in dismay. ’Who… what is that?’

The Griffin looked worried. He turned quickly and headed for the door of the chamber.

‘WHO’S SERVANTT?’ John shouted after him, frustrated and angry.

The Griffin whipped his lion tail up to the door, and slammed it shut behind him, leaving John behind with only unanswered questions.

*

Emily turned from the tall window behind the throne, in her parent’s old throne room, when she heard Grijyn soar into the chamber. He landed heavily, claws scraping on the floor. Aragam, who was standing near Emily, stepped away from her, curiosity in his eyes. Siri hopped down from an arm of the throne, her little wings slowing her decent barely.

‘What did the girl say?’ Siri asked.

’Servantt,’ the Griffin responded.

‘Servantt?’ Aragam asked. ’What’s that supposed to mean?’ All of this was starting to wear on him, and his voice was laced with impatience. In fact he sounded quite rude, but the others ignored it.

‘It is the name of the Dead Man’s master,’ Grijyn responded, snapping his beak as he said it.

’Servantt is the Master?’ Siri asked, narrowing her yellow eyes.

’Do you know who Servantt is?’ Aragam wondered, staring down at the Impish woman.

‘No,’ Siri replied, ‘I do not…’ she looked at Grijyn. ‘You?’

‘I’ve been imprisoned for the last two decades,’ the Griffin responded, as if that were answer enough, and of course, it really was.

‘Nothing from before you-’

‘No,’ Grijyn said, cutting Aragam off, making the Wasgician frown, ’this is a new evil… a greater evil, one powerful enough to destroy Ratikgurr… or at least dupe him.’ The Griffin looked terribly grave. ’The Queen of Wonders and the rebuilt Weral Kingdom will save the world; so the prophecies say… but I only assumed the evil that we would be facing was Ratikgurr. I never imagined it would be a new darkness all together!’

Siri flopped down onto the floor at the foot of the throne and folded her thin arms across her chest. ’Well this is bad, I know that for sure.’

Everyone was silent for a long moment.

‘Well what-’

Emily spoke over Aragam, her voice cracking as she did. ‘What do we do?’ she asked, and the Griffin stared at her. ‘Where do we go from here?’ She was quite worried, it was evident in her voice. Aragam felt sorry for her. Her world had been completely turned on its head – it made his own troubles seem small.

Grijyn shifted his beak back and forth for a moment as he stared at Emily. ’It will not be easy,’ he answered her.

‘Fine. What do we do?’ Emily pressed.

The Griffin waited a moment more, but then said, ’We must rebuild your Kingdom, milady, so that it is even greater than it was before.’

’How?’ Aragam asked in dismay. ’These lands are haunted by evil. No one from any of the other Kingdoms will even spend the night in the Weral Kingdom! How are we supposed to rebuild?’

’We must make the lands of Weral safe again,’ Grijyn responded.

’Yes, yes, that is something I also know to be true,’ Siri agreed happily.

‘Okay,’ Aragam growled. ’How exactly are we supposed to make the lands safe again?’

‘Drive the evil out of them,’ Emily said. Her voice was barely a whisper, but it echoed loudly and drew everyone’s attention.

’What?’ Aragam choked.

’You are exactly right, Milady,’ the Griffin said, smiling and nodding in agreement.

’She’s right?’ Aragam stammered.

‘She is,’ Siri agreed.

Aragam turned away from the others. He was frustrated beyond his ability to speak. This was too much! It had all become too much, indeed! A simple mission from Grulem had turned into an insane, never-ending, struggle. He’d had enough of it! In his frustration, Aragam snatched his tall blue hat from off the top of his head, twisted it tight like it was a wet cloth he was ringing dry, threw it to the floor, and let out an exasperated sigh as he ran his fingers through his messy brown hair. He hung his head for a long moment, struggling to calm himself. Then he turned back to the others.

‘Okay,’ he asked, forcing his voice steady, ’how exactly are we going to do that?’