Read Online The Merchant and the Menace by Daniel F McHugh - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Daniel F McHugh
Ads: Link
pushed the door ajar. Kael inched
forward and pressed his eye to the opening.
The green glowing jars radiated light throughout
the castle. The corridor was empty and Kael’s sharp ears picked up no sound of
activity. The boy slipped from his room and silently moved down the hallway.
The blood raced through his veins and his senses were on full alert.
He let those senses direct him. He crept past
portraits of dignified Elves and displays of ornate weaponry, pausing only
briefly to ponder their beauty. Each step provided a new wonder hidden in an
alcove or resting on a pedestal of intricately carved white wood.
A sudden turn in the corridor and Kael stood
before the opening to a winding staircase. He stepped in and looked up the
center of the stairwell. It appeared to rise forever. His curiosity was piqued
again. He nervously glanced around and then ascended the staircase.
At first he proceeded slowly, expecting to find a
guard or opening around each turn. With every step his courage grew and he
raced up the staircase. Glass jars rested in iron mountings on the walls, radiating
greenish light up and down the stairwell. Finally, Kael spied an opening above
him and slowed to investigate. He stepped into the center of a small, square
room. Shutters were set in each of the four walls of the room. A mosaic set
into the floor displayed a large compass.
Kael walked to the shutters above the “E”. He threw
their latch back and they noiselessly opened. He gasped. Below him the palace
and its outbuildings lay spread across the circular clearing. The tops of the
gigantic white trees swayed below him. Beyond and still further below the ring
of white sentinels lay the green canopy of the Nagur, stretching out in waves
of lush forest to the eastern horizon. Mist rose out of the forest rooftop, as
the sun burned the early dew from its foliage. The sky to the east was aflame
and a sliver of sun peeked above the horizon. As Kael gazed to the East, he saw
the outlines of snowcapped mountains.
“Tis a beautiful sight is it not?” said a soft
voice behind him.
Startled, Kael turned to find Queen Eirtwin
standing in the center of the room.
“Your keen sense of hearing must come and go,” she
laughed.
“Pardon me, your highness,” said Kael. “I didn’t
mean to trespass.”
“You haven’t. The observatory is for all to use. I
must admit however, at this early hour I’m customarily the only one up here,”
said Eirtwin. “You see, most Elves love their forest home. I do as well, but
there are times I long to see the blue skies and feel the rays of the sun.”
“Do you come up here often ... my lady?” asked
Kael.
“Yes, it’s a habit from the days of my youth. When
I was young, my sister and I stole up here and whispered dreams of our future.
Now I sit here alone, burdened by the thoughts a ruler must ponder. The concerns
of my people. Their wellbeing. Food. Shelter. Protection.”
“Your sister no longer joins you?” questioned
Kael.
“Unfortunately no,” answered the queen. “She
passed into the hands of Avra.”
“I am ... uh ... terribly sorry,” said Kael, his
vision dropping to the floor.
The pair stood in silence for a few moments. The
queen’s gaze penetrated the boy as he ran his hands through his hair and
shifted on his feet. Finally, she turned and focused on the sun as it crept up
over the horizon. Its light was dazzling and the Nagur blazed in green. Flocks
of birds swirled from treetop to treetop. Snow white clouds drifted lazily
overhead and occasionally a circling hawk cried out.
The queen smiled and turned north. She unlatched
those shutters and swung them open. Kael caught his breath again. The massive
forest fanned out beneath them. He walked to the opening and looked to the
palace grounds below. The dizzying height gave him an appreciation of his
earlier climb. He guessed they were perched over forty yards above the forest
floor. The castle and its surrounding buildings filled the
forward and pressed his eye to the opening.
The green glowing jars radiated light throughout
the castle. The corridor was empty and Kael’s sharp ears picked up no sound of
activity. The boy slipped from his room and silently moved down the hallway.
The blood raced through his veins and his senses were on full alert.
He let those senses direct him. He crept past
portraits of dignified Elves and displays of ornate weaponry, pausing only
briefly to ponder their beauty. Each step provided a new wonder hidden in an
alcove or resting on a pedestal of intricately carved white wood.
A sudden turn in the corridor and Kael stood
before the opening to a winding staircase. He stepped in and looked up the
center of the stairwell. It appeared to rise forever. His curiosity was piqued
again. He nervously glanced around and then ascended the staircase.
At first he proceeded slowly, expecting to find a
guard or opening around each turn. With every step his courage grew and he
raced up the staircase. Glass jars rested in iron mountings on the walls, radiating
greenish light up and down the stairwell. Finally, Kael spied an opening above
him and slowed to investigate. He stepped into the center of a small, square
room. Shutters were set in each of the four walls of the room. A mosaic set
into the floor displayed a large compass.
Kael walked to the shutters above the “E”. He threw
their latch back and they noiselessly opened. He gasped. Below him the palace
and its outbuildings lay spread across the circular clearing. The tops of the
gigantic white trees swayed below him. Beyond and still further below the ring
of white sentinels lay the green canopy of the Nagur, stretching out in waves
of lush forest to the eastern horizon. Mist rose out of the forest rooftop, as
the sun burned the early dew from its foliage. The sky to the east was aflame
and a sliver of sun peeked above the horizon. As Kael gazed to the East, he saw
the outlines of snowcapped mountains.
“Tis a beautiful sight is it not?” said a soft
voice behind him.
Startled, Kael turned to find Queen Eirtwin
standing in the center of the room.
“Your keen sense of hearing must come and go,” she
laughed.
“Pardon me, your highness,” said Kael. “I didn’t
mean to trespass.”
“You haven’t. The observatory is for all to use. I
must admit however, at this early hour I’m customarily the only one up here,”
said Eirtwin. “You see, most Elves love their forest home. I do as well, but
there are times I long to see the blue skies and feel the rays of the sun.”
“Do you come up here often ... my lady?” asked
Kael.
“Yes, it’s a habit from the days of my youth. When
I was young, my sister and I stole up here and whispered dreams of our future.
Now I sit here alone, burdened by the thoughts a ruler must ponder. The concerns
of my people. Their wellbeing. Food. Shelter. Protection.”
“Your sister no longer joins you?” questioned
Kael.
“Unfortunately no,” answered the queen. “She
passed into the hands of Avra.”
“I am ... uh ... terribly sorry,” said Kael, his
vision dropping to the floor.
The pair stood in silence for a few moments. The
queen’s gaze penetrated the boy as he ran his hands through his hair and
shifted on his feet. Finally, she turned and focused on the sun as it crept up
over the horizon. Its light was dazzling and the Nagur blazed in green. Flocks
of birds swirled from treetop to treetop. Snow white clouds drifted lazily
overhead and occasionally a circling hawk cried out.
The queen smiled and turned north. She unlatched
those shutters and swung them open. Kael caught his breath again. The massive
forest fanned out beneath them. He walked to the opening and looked to the
palace grounds below. The dizzying height gave him an appreciation of his
earlier climb. He guessed they were perched over forty yards above the forest
floor. The castle and its surrounding buildings filled the
Similar Books
