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

had been unable to sleep and now existed in a permanent malaise. If she was not terrified about her mother’s condition, Damselfly fretted over Buttons who had looked devastated by Luyna’s cruel revelation. Then there were all those people she had met on her adventure, who were depending on her. The villagers of the Wintergarden, the Matriarch who had placed her last hope of keeping magic alive in her, and, of course, the Shades who were right now prisoners like her. When Damselfly believed matters could not get any worse, Coral and Celeste had stood outside her door whispering terrible things. Damselfly had tried to ignore the spiteful twins, though it did not stop the tears from soaking her dress. It was Tyten who finally entered the room, wearing his shining armour and formidable broadsword.

“You have been summoned,” was all he would say.

Damselfly, who was initially glad to be leaving her confinement, soon discovered to her dread that she was being led to Judge Vale’s court. With Tyten leading the way, and two other stalwart soldiers on either side, Damselfly was led down to the upper levels of the castle beneath the royal apartments. The court room was surprisingly empty, although that did not stop Damselfly from feeling like her stomach was doing somersaults. Judge Vale was sitting on his plinth while Luyna was standing before the vacant benches, looking enchanting in a light blue dress with her golden hair tied up in a bun. Damselfly felt a shiver run down her spine as the sorceress looked at her with those yellow feline eyes. The princess was led into the defendant’s position by Tyten before the soldiers withdrew to a respectful distance, and Judge Vale drew everyone’s attention by bringing down his gavel.

“Court is in session,” he declared dramatically despite the lack of audience. “Lady Luyna, when you are ready.”

Damselfly had thought the benches were empty; however, she noticed now that two people were sitting near the back, and she recognised Old Nana being comforted by her husband, Pilgrim. It felt slightly better knowing that she was not completely alone although that feeling was soon to fade.

“This child has abandoned her duties, caused grief to her family and put many lives including her own at severe risk,” Luyna barked.

Judge Vale adjusted his tiny spectacles on his large nose and peered through them with tiny dark eyes that looked like pinpricks.

“This girl entered a restricted area through nefarious means before leaving the castle without permission and running amok. Without thought or consideration for her father, mother or the kingdom she is supposed to represent.”

“That’s not true,” Damselfly interrupted.

“Order, order.” Judge Vale slammed his gavel authoritatively.

“You will have your chance to speak later.”

Luyna smiled coldly at Damselfly before continuing her verbal assault.

“Due to her thoughtless actions, I was forced to send my brother chasing half way around Fable to keep her safe and bring her back.”

The proceedings were briefly unsettled by a latecomer who attempted to sneak into the courtroom and only succeeded in drawing more attention. Damselfly was surprised to see Gregorian the gatekeeper take a seat, near the front where he watched dutifully. Luyna, who had been unbalanced in her conviction for a moment, pressed on, speaking a litany of half-truths and accusations against Damselfly like she was some base criminal.

“I call Pariah as my first witness,” Luyna announced.

The Master of Bells, whose title was mostly ceremonial since the knowledge of bells had dwindled, obediently appeared and walked to the front where everyone could hear him.

“Tell us a little about the magic of bells,” Luyna introduced.

“Well, much of the knowledge about bells has been lost over many generations. We know that Death possessed the bell Sereth which was called ‘the voice of death’ and gave him great power. We also believe there was a sister bell known as Genesis ‘the voice of life’ though where this object might be is lost to legend.”

“Were these two bells the only ones made?” Luyna posed.

“No, there are records of other bells created and designed for different purposes,” Pariah explained.

“Unfortunately, there is no one alive today that truly understands the origin or mastery of fusing magic with bells.”

“Would you say that bells represent the greatest danger from magic?” Luyna questioned.

“It depends on the wielder, though it is fair to say that the power these bells can bring others is potentially a great threat to the wider community.”

“Exhibit A.” Luyna revealed the bell that Damselfly had won in the Shadowgarden.

Judge Vale nearly toppled from his perch trying to catch sight of the rare artefact.

“What do you make of this specimen?” the sorceress asked.

“Be careful, Lady Luyna,” Pariah pleaded.

“You are frightened of this bell?”

“Without studying it further, I cannot know what damage it could do; no one does,” Pariah warned.

“It does not ring,” Luyna revealed, flourishing the bell recklessly.

“That was extremely dangerous,” Pariah criticised. “We do not know the bell’s purpose.”

“You talk as if the object has cognizance,” Luyna scoffed.

“The truth is unknown.”

Luyna placed the bell down carefully, bringing a joint exhalation of relief from the attendants as the sorceress continued her diatribe.

“One fact we can all agree on is that this artefact is too dangerous for a child to possess.”

“I would like to know how she came to have such a treasure in the first place,” Pariah said.

“Please stick to answering the questions,” Judge Vale interposed.

“I am certain she stole it,” Luyna condemned.

Again, Damselfly leapt to her own defence, only to be silenced by a venomous judge whose face was turning red.

“You will get your chance later.”

The princess dropped into her seat, feeling like it was a mile down. When she finally raised her eyes, Damselfly noticed the orphan Rat watching from high above on the gantry. Damselfly remembered watching Blakast’s trial from that same