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CHAPTER 12
“Okay, so now we need to talk about Grace,” Russell whispered. They all sat at a table in a corner of
the tavern. Russell and Aunna had
convinced Grace to order the seafood chowder. She was very glad she did. The chowder was creamy and full of chunks of potato, onion,
fish, and clam. It was perfectly
seasoned and needed no extra salt or pepper.
“So
we know she fits the facts perfectly,” continued Russell. “The princess disapeared from Fantasia
about thirteen years ago. Grace
popped into Paransville around thirteen years ago. Grace is a werewolf.
The princess is a werewolf.
No one knows she’s a werewolf but us.”
“Wait, how do you know?” broke in Grace.
“Well, for one, you have the concealment spell on you,” he
answered. “And for another, Gryzo
really, really wants you. Remember
what we read in the library? He’ll
stop at nothing to get you. He’s
enforced guards everywhere to look for you. All creatures can see the true forms of everyone. So, if they could see you’re a
werewolf, they would totally turn you in.
There’s a big, big price on your head.”
“Assuming she’s the princess,” interrupted Aunna. “Yeah,” said Grace.
“Come on guys!” Russell
seemed exasperated. “She’s totally
the princess! She fits the facts
like no one else! It’s obvious.”
“I
think that she might be the princess,” said Aunna thoughtfully. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you,”
growled Russell.
“I
guess that I might be her,” said Grace hesitantly. “I mean, I guess so.
But it’s just so hard to think that I’m a princess. After living my whole life in the
middle of nowhere, I’m suddenly dumped into a grand scheme where Gryzo wants me
to open the treasure chamber?
That’s crazy.”
“Well, I think you definitely are,” said Russell. “Totally. There’s no one who even comes close to being the princess,
except you.”
“He
has a point,” reminded Aunna.
“I’ll have to think about it.
I mean, I’m not sure. Maybe
I should sleep on it. Are you guys
ready for bed? ‘Cause I’m super
tired.” She yawned and stretched.
“Yes, I’m tired. Let’s go
to bed. C’mon, you can sleep in my
dad’s room,” said Russell. He
yawned. “Hey!” he exclaimed. “You made me yawn!” They laughed as they walked
upstairs. “Goodnight guys!” said
Aunna as she headed down the hall.
“Goodnight!” chorused Russell and Grace. Russell led Grace into his family’s suite. He pointed to another room. “The sheets are changed, so don’t freak
out. Or you could sleep on the
couch.”
“I
think I’ll take the couch,” said Grace.
“Okay, goodnight,” said Russell as he went into his room.
“Night,” replied Grace. She
lay down on the couch, suddenly hit by exaustion. She closed her eyes.
If only her friends in Montana could see her now. Grace thought of all the places she had
been that day, and the possibility that she could be the lost princess. She almost hoped it was true.
She
regreted that thought later.
*****************
“Get
up!!” a voice whispered. Grace
groaned and rolled over.
“Get
up, girl!! Get up if you want to
live!!” She opened her eyes. Christy was standing over her, a cloak
covering her face. “Come on,
Grace, follow me quickly!”
Grace sat up. “What, what
is it?”
“Come, no time, Russell and Aunna are outside. Let’s go!” Christy said urgently. Grace followed her through the kitchen. All of the lights were off, and it
looked eirie. “Why are we
doin-“ “SHH!!” Christy clapped a hand over her mouth. She looked around and turned to a wall
covered in cooking utensils.
“Follow me, no matter how weird it looks,” she said. Suddenly, Christy walked through
it!!
Grace stared. Christy had
just walked through a wall!! How was she supposed to follow? Then she remembered. Christy said to follow, no matter what. Grace took a deep breath, walked over
to the wall, and tenatively touched it.
It was not solid! She
pressed her arm all the way through it.
Then she walked through the wall.
Russell, Aunna, and Christy were waiting on the other side. The wall doorway had opened to a damp
tunnel. “Come on, let’s walk,”
whispered Christy.
They
walked down the tunnel, which sloped slightly. “Why are we here?” asked Grace. “I do have some magic, which I use,” replied Christy. “I had a feeling, so I looked into my scrying orb to figure out what it
meant. I saw Gryzo’s ellite force
coming my way, and I suspected they wanted you. So I got Russ and Aunna up, and got you too. Are you the lost princess?”
Christy’s bluntness surprised Grace. “Well, I don’t know, but Russell and Aunna think so.”
“Thought so,” replied Christy.
“We’re going through a tunnel under the city. This is an meeting place for some of my rebel
customers. They often meet in
rooms off this tunnel to discuss how to annoy Gryzo. They’ve been stealing wepons and supplies from his soldiers
for 12 years while they awaited the return of the princess. I often join their meetings as a
member. I’ve asked them all to
come tonight, and while the Rynests ransack my inn, we’ll talk about you.”
Grace was feeling quite uncomfortable when Aunna fluttered beside her to
rest on her shoulder. “Don’t be
scared. We don’t even know if
you’re the princess or not. We’ll
just try and work it out.
Everything will be fine, okay?”
Grace sighed. “I know, but
what if I am the princess?
Everyone expects me to liberate Fantasia, and do all this other stuff,
and all I know is how to make machinery.
I’m not supposed to be a princess, I’m just Grace. But part of me wants to be the
princess, because I know my parents are alive, and I’d get to see them. I think.....I don’t know what to think.”
“You’ll
be fine,” whispered Aunna.
“Here we are,” announced Christy.
“Now, some of these guys look suspicious, but they’re on our side. I’ve been working with them for years.” She pushed on the wall. A door sized portion swung inward, and
candlelight flooded into the tunnel.
“Welcome to the RAGAHM, or Resistance Against Gryzo And His Minions. Russ and Aunna are members, and so am
I.” They filed through the
doorway.
The
room was big, and in it was a table with 15 chairs around it. Siting in 14 of the chairs were
creatures straight out of mythology.
There was a minotaur, an elf, two male fairies in battle armor, a satyr,
a witch and a wizard, a dwarf, a goblin, a nyad and a dryad, a ghost, a
vampire, and a very small man with a toolbag.
The
wizard spoke. “Siathell, I thought
we agreed to no more visitors.”
“This may be a very import guest, Eldor,” replied Christy. She pulled a wand out of her sleeve and
waved at the empty chair. It split
in quarters, forming four seprate chairs.
“Sit down, dear,” she motioned to Grace as she sat in one of the chairs
herself. After a pause, Grace sat,
as did Russell and Aunna.
“This is Grace,” said Christy.
“What does she have to do with
anything?” asked the goblin rudely.
“Hold your tounge, Greemo,” chided the elf. “We must hear Siathell out.”
“Thank you, Serin,” said Christy.
“Where was I? Oh yes. Grace is a werewolf, as most of you
probably can't tell. She has a
concealment spell on her.
Russell?”
Russell stood up. “While my
family and I were traveling, we passed through Grace’s town. I noticed that she was a werewolf,
somehow, even through the concealment spell. I brought her here, and took her to the library. She wanted to know more about Fantasia,
and I had a hunch. I think she’s
the lost princess. We read a book
at the library, and she seems to fit the clues. As you know, we’ve been investigating the werewolf province,
to see if any werewolves escaped Gryzo.
None did. I’d say Grace is
the only werewolf Fantasia has seen since the Golden Days. Auntie Christy just a few minutes ago
gazed in her scrying orb and saw Gryzo’s asassin force coming to The Flabby
Frog. That’s why you’re here. We need your input. What do you think?”
“Tell us your story, Grace,” said the nyad in a soft voice. She was clothed in vines from head to
toe, and had wavy dark brown hair held back in a bun. “I for one would like to hear your childhood.”
Grace stuttered. “Um, uh,
okay. Well, I was raised in
Montana, by a barber, and I appeared in his shop 13 years ago. I was only a few moths old. I’ve been living in a shop where I earn
some money repairing machinery and making stuff. I’ve got a shack in the back where I can stay when it’s a
full moon. I’ve learned that if I
don’t, there’s consequences. I’d
never even heard of Fantasia until yesterday.”
“Well,” the minotaur said in a deep voice, “she sure fits the clues
better than anyone else. I mean,
she’s the only werewolf out of the Blythe for how many years?”
“No,
she can't be the princess,” argued Greemo. “How can we tell she’s a werewolf? She could be a dragon, for all I know. With that concealment spell on her, we
can't prove anything.”
“You
could wait until the full moon,” joked the small man. “Fred, this is no time for kidding around,” rebuked the
elf. “Aw come on, you need some
humor in your life,” said the man.
Grace liked him immediately.
His eyes sparkled, and he had a faint beard and a mop of brown hair half
covering his eyes. “We had better
go around and tell Grace our names, I’m sure she’s quite confused. Grace, I’m Fred and I’m a brownie. You know, the little guys that clean up
and fix stuff you leave out at night.”
“I’m
Forcynthia, dear,” said the nyad, “and I’m a dryad, a tree spirit.”
“Bern the minotaur.”
“Greemo.”
“He’s
a goblin. Serin of the northern
woods, I’m an elf.”
“Eldor the wizard.”
“Rhynelle the witch.”
“Aquafina the nyad, but you can call me Fina.”
“Drakon the dwarf.”
“Lukas the satyr, or faun, or whatever.”
“Ash
the fairy, and this is my brother Oak.”
“Hey, I can introduce myself!!”
“Sorry bro.”
Grace grinned to herself and the introductions went on.
“Noah the ghost.”
“And
I’m Ri the vampire.”
“Thank you, everyone,” said Christy. “And you know me, of course. Everone calls me Christy except Serin, he insists on calling
me by my elf name.” The elf
frowned.
“Well, we all need to come to a conclusion about who Grace is and what
to do with her.” Serin looked
around at everyone. “My elf sense
is telling me that she is the princess.
Remember the prophesy!”
“Wait wait wait, what? I’m
confused. What prophesy?” asked
Aunna.
“There is an old prophesy in the werewolf province,” said Ri. “One day the princess will come
again. Her arival will bring pain,
but with the pain will come victory.
The one least expected will betray her, and creatures will be hurt. His lot is with the Evil One. Scales and wings follow her, and one
will see the light in the future because of her. She will bring liberation to Fantasia. Watch and wait!! She will come.”
Everyone was silent. “Well,
the prophesy said scales and wings follow her, right?” asked Russell. “That sounds like me and Aunna.”
“Yes, it does,” agreed Noah as a bug flew through him. “But we don’t know for sure.”
“We
should ask Zina,” said Fred.
“She’d know what to do.”
“Yes, Zina would tell us,” said Ash and Oak. “She always knows.”
“Who’s Zina?” asked Grace.
Everyone looked at her. She
blushed.
“Zina is a fortune teller,” said Rhynelle. “She lives close, and makes money by acting as a seer. She’d tell us what to do with you and
if you are the princess.”
“She
sounds worth a try to me,” said Russell.
“How about we go see her?”
“I’ll take you,” volunteered Fred.
“I know the way, and she owes me a favor. What does the Council say?”
“All
in favor, raise your right hand,” said Christy. 10 hands went up.
Bern, Greemo, Eldor, and Noah kept their hands down. “Why do you disagree?” asked Christy.
“It’s too dangerous,” said Greemo.
He stood up. The goblin was
around four feet high.
He had green skin, small eyes, and large pointy ears. “Gryzo’s ellite force is looking for
her. She’d be dead the momen she
stepped out the door.”
“I’ll take them the back ways,” said Fred. “Wait Fred, let’s hear them out,” reminded Christy.
“Greemo’s right,” said Bern.
“It’s way to dangerous.”
“If
she was a ghost, it would be different,” remarked Noah. “She could make herself
invisivble. But she’s a werewolf,
for goodness’ sake!! They’re all
supposed to be in prison.”
“What about you, Eldor?” asked Christy.
“She
is unexperienced.” Eldor looked
around. “She doesn’t know
Fantasia. This is her second day
here. She should not go, she
should wait until she has been here for a while.”
“I’ll go the back ways,” offered Fred. “I’ll do everything I can to keep her safe. But if we don’t go to Zina, how will we
know? We won't. We’ve got to take chances.”
“I agree.
Another show of hands?” 10
hands went up again. “Well, it’s
settled.” Christy looked
around. “They’ve got to go. Fred, keep them safe. We’ll await your arrival.”
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CUE THE ACTION! CUE THE ADVENTURE! CUE THE LONG-NESS!
Fun, huh? Now it REALLY starts getting exciting. And the chapters start getting longer, too. Hope you enjoy it all!
~~Zoë Wingfeather
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