Thronegarden Andrew Dickerson (the little red hen ebook TXT) 📖

interrupted. “No one alive knows the true magic of bells; it is conceivable one could hold the power to bridge the gap between us and the Evergarden. My question is, why are you looking for it?”

Princess Damselfly felt exposed as the conversation built in tension; it would take only one word from the maiden and her soldiers would strike them down.

“I wish to recover Death’s timepiece.”

The guards seemed to mock her statement before the Maiden Fayre silenced them.

“Such a purpose deserves respect,” she ordered.

“Will you help me?” Damselfly asked.

“I cannot while an army waits outside my door,” the Scorj leader replied.

“Could you not join with the Shades to defeat them?” Damselfly proposed.

“The Scorj and the Shades are feudal enemies, nothing can change that.”

“You could,” Damselfly spoke up. “Neither of you can stand against the Sprites alone; together you may stand a chance.”

“What do you think to the girl’s proposal, my Sting,” Maiden Fayre spoke to the old man.

“Her words carry the naiveté of youth,” the Scorpion’s Sting pronounced.

“Your ancestors tried to unite your people once before.” Damselfly referred to the Legend of the Lady.

“Look how that turned out,” Maiden Fayre scoffed. “Scorj and Shades will always remain enemies, no matter the circumstances.”

“You won’t be enemies if you’re all dead,” Damselfly stated.

The chamber fell silent as all eyes travelled to the woman atop the Scorpion Seat. Maiden Fayre’s face was turning the same colour as her lips, and the tension was unbearable.

“Leave us,” she commanded.

In moments, Damselfly, Buttons and Delridden were alone with Maiden Fayre and her Sting. A pair of guards remained at the periphery where they could offer protection without hearing what was being discussed.

“We know the serious nature of our predicament,” the old man spoke in a low voice to avoid it carrying. “Our people have known the Shades as enemies for so long it will not be easy for them to accept such a change.”

“But you would consider it, a temporary alliance with the Shades?” Damselfly questioned.

“Perhaps if we could be assured they would accept such an agreement faithfully, we might reconsider our stance.”

“I could speak to them,” Damselfly volunteered,

“On your behalf. I am sure they would be willing to speak with you.”

“Visit the Shades and return with news of your findings,” Maiden Fayre instructed.

“I wish to accompany them,” Delridden added.

“Very well,” Maiden Fayre agreed. “I place them under your protection, Rider from the West.”

They followed the Scorpion’s Sting out of the chamber and back to the tunnels, stopping only briefly for rations, which Delridden shouldered solemnly. Once in the depths of Mount Duskenside, they were at the whim of the old man who maintained a steady pace and soon brought them back to the surface.

“I see hope when I look at you, child,” he proclaimed.

“I will speak to the Shades and make them see an alliance is the only way,” Damselfly confirmed.

“Perhaps you will,” the old man smiled. “I want to offer you a gift.”

The Scorpion’s Sting held out a scarred hand which opened to reveal a red flower.

“Be careful, it is poisonous,” Delridden warned.

“Not all of it,” the wise man corrected. “The petals are ground into powder for dyes. The seeds inside are poisonous, and the only cure can be found in the cacti they grow on. A milky sap inside the plant is the only known antitoxin; without this, the infected will die, and time or no time cannot halt it.”

Damselfly accepted the bloom cautiously before bowing to the Scorpion’s Sting who returned their gesture before sweeping back into the tunnels. The sun warmed them after their adventure underground, and Buttons was especially happy to see blue sky again.

“Do you really mean to speak with the Shades?” Delridden questioned.

“I must,” the princess replied.

“Then I will do my best to see you there safely,” he swore.

The three travellers mounted Winter, who seemed pleased to see them, and began their slow descent of the mountain to the flatlands below where the Shades called home.

Chapter 13 The Trickiest of Times

“Is Delridden your real name?”

“The Scorj gave me that name when I arrived here; it means Rider from the West.”

“What is your real name?” Damselfly questioned.

“I left my name and my old life behind long ago,” the soldier declared.

“Why?”

“I was sworn to protect someone and I lost them,” Delridden replied. “I lost everything.”

Understanding she had pushed too hard, the princess changed subject, hoping to lighten the mood of their small travelling party.

“Maiden Fayre is amazing.”

“She is an unusual character,” Delridden agreed. “Her father and brothers have all died in the civil war against the Shades. She is the last of her line going all the way back to the Scorpion. Her Sting belonged to him and supposedly drew first blood in the dispute. She only spoke to you because of your own royal blood, though she listened because circumstances are extremely dire for both leading families of the east. This Sprite army could destroy the two longest-surviving dynasties in Fable’s history. Where they failed to destroy each other, this army of the Fairy King may succeed.”

“That would be terrible.” Damselfly held the flower Maiden Fayre had given to her, both delicate and dangerous.

“They say her lipstick is made from that poisonous plant. All the Blood Brothers that make up her red guard have built up an immunity to the poison they use to kill their enemies. It is a rite of passage where only the strongest survive.”

“It sounds barbaric,” Damselfly stated.

“The Scorj have lived war since the very beginning, they know no other way,” Delridden explained.

“We have to get the Shades to agree an alliance.”

“That will be easier said than done.”

All this time they had been travelling down Mount Duskenside towards