«Ornella! Stop them!» She didn’t want to ask, but what else to do. Given her acquaintance in the mountains, Ornella was almost like a friend to her. Well, with a stretch of the imagination, of course. But you could say that. She was in touch, so she was a friend. Only Ornella did not respond to her cries, and those around her considered her crazy, or confirmed their speculation that she is a witch who is now trying to bewitch a noble lady.
It’s a moment like this that makes you want to curse all the people in the world. But Fiona was no witch. Her curse was unlikely to work. Besides, she was never allowed to speak again. The guards shoved her roughly into a cramped, barred van. Why not string her up or burn her on the spot in front of the cheering villagers? We had to jolt along the bumpy road for hours. Was she really going to be taken to a dungeon and tortured? Fiona became frightened. If an evil spirit had spoken to her and offered to trade her soul for her escape, she would have said yes without hesitation.
People had got it into their heads that the redhead was a witch. No one in the town where they’d brought her was shrieking with delight and pointing their fingers at her, screaming «witch». The crowd was far more aristocratic. She was either turned away or looked at with devastatingly arrogant stares. She must have been brought to the capital. There is fabulous luxury everywhere, but Fiona was led not to the palace, but to a dungeon.
The witch who had been captured was confined toВ aВ small cell. There was no room toВ expand. There was not enough space. The dirt floor, lined with aВ thin layer ofВ straw, was the only place toВ take aВ nap.
Fiona dreamt ofВ the red-haired noblewoman inВ the carriage. She was alive inВ the dream, though the gray stains ofВ decay and wounds remained on her body. Her eyes were still missing, but inВ their place there were gems ofВ emerald and ruby that had been inserted into her eye sockets. They were the same stones Fiona had dropped on the road when she had been captured.
The dead woman, whose name seemed to be Claretta, was reaching for her hands. Not hands, but rotting meat in lace cuffs. She couldn’t see very well. Besides, the two multi-colored eyes were frightening. They say only witches’ eyes are different colors. And it didn’t matter that they were stones. In her sleep, Fiona couldn’t move or run away from Claretta. The dead girl’s hands fumbled for her.
В«They are looking for one special girl. Not me! It is the other redhead. Run away from them!В»
Good advice! Run! But where could she run? There are bars and locks everywhere. The smell ofВ deadness was lingering inВ the cell after her sleep, as if Claretta had really been here.
Could the conversation with the crucified dead man on the pole have been just a dream, too? After all, corpses, as everyone knows, don’t come back to life. Or did they? What if the inquisitors’ omen is true, and dead bodies briefly come back to life if their murderer happens to be around to point a finger at the criminal.
If that were indeed the case, then criminals would be very easy to catch. With one «but» – the murderer must be near the corpse to be convicted in this way. Such a trial is easy to conduct only if all the suspects can be brought to the corpse at once. But what to do if the criminal has already fled and it is not known who he is? Then the method is ineffective.
Fiona could not have killed all these people, or even one of them. Or could she, since the corpses came back to life in her presence? They say the dead know everything, unlike the living. Those who have stepped over the brink of death discover the secrets of the netherworld. But this time, the dead have messed up, or someone has deliberately confused them. She wasn’t a killer, that’s for sure. It is not as if she were a bird of prey, capable of tearing a man’s flesh apart with her claws.
She was slandered. Ornella had arranged the whole thing cleverly. Such timing! Except how did Ornella know that Fiona would stumble upon a carriage load of corpses on the way back? Hadn’t she organized the murder herself, and then led the whole regiment to catch the witch. It was all subtly calculated. The only way to believe a frail girl could tear apart several tall men with her bare hands was if she was a witch.
Unfortunately, Fiona couldn’t do witchcraft, or she would have evaporated with the black wind or the smoke. Or what else could witches turn into?
Slander was a terrible thing. It could make an ordinary weak girl the stuff of fear for the big city. Fiona determined that she’d been dragged to the capital. A mob will soon be raging outside the prison windows, demanding an emergency execution for the witch. What a mess! If she had known it would end like this, she would never have gone to the mountains for a dozen golden eagles.
What was she going toВ do now? First, Fiona decided toВ look around. Was there any way toВ escape from here? The place was as bright as aВ campfire.
A spider web of fire stretched along the walls. A fire fairy the size of a cat crawled across it. Fiona carelessly touched it with her finger. The fire stung a larger bumblebee. The fairy grinned with her hot mouth and braided a flaming web around the already barred window. Yes, there’s no escaping from here! It is the local rulers who are witches, not she. Who but witches have flaming orange fairies as watchmen?
«Scram!» Fiona scolded the insolent firewoman. She may have been very pretty, but she was terrifying to be around. Touch such a beauty and there’d be no cure for the burns.
Apparently, when she realized she was being insulted, the fairy hissed inВ displeasure, spitting out sparks, and crawled up the wall inВ an offended manner.
It was calmer without her. Fiona listened toВ the silence. Not even the footsteps ofВ the sentries could be heard. No prisoner would escape from aВ fairy. She could burn him alive if he escaped.
The sea was splashing beneath the dungeon window. She wished the fire fairy would fall there!
В«You are unhappy, but there is nothing you can do,В» came aВ mesmerizing voice from theВ sea.
В«IВ am the king ofВ Sultanit. IВ can do anything,В» aВ hoarse, unpleasant bass protested.
В«And IВ am the king ofВ the sea. Which ofВ us has aВ better chance ofВ controlling the other?В»
Is she dreaming ofВ those voices? The meaning ofВ the conversation was somehow fantastic, unless the talkers were joking. Fiona stood up and tried toВ look out the window. It was high enough above the floor, but she could see the edge ofВ the surf. Fiona could see the helmets ofВ the warriors, with their puffy cockades. An entire regiment had been brought ashore. Were they all really going toВ catch the Sea King? Or was it the nickname ofВ some pirate?
Fiona peered around, but all she saw were belligerent men. Someone she could not see, however, was speaking toВ them from the side ofВ the waves ofВ the surf. His voice was hypnotizing, depriving her ofВ will and reason. The sounds made her dizzy.
Outside the window something was happening on the water. First she heard the sound of an argument, then the clatter of weapons. Through the grating of the window Fiona could see only a corner of the shore. She had to tiptoe up to get a glimpse of the battle. Some kind of giant with blue skin and golden horns, strongly reminiscent of a watery creature, was battling a huge bird. The torn bodies of the guards were washed by the surf. A moment ago all those men in armor were alive. How could an entire squad be wiped out so quickly? And where had the Earth’s King gone? All Fiona could see was a huge griffin with a crown on a bird’s head.
Was she not dreaming about all this? Fiona rubbed her eyes. Somebody who had come out ofВ the waves and looked little like aВ man had already beheaded the king and was walking away, clutching the severed head byВ the hair with his webbed hand. The head inВ his hands was definitely human and crowned. But where had the gryphon gone? Fiona looked closely at the face ofВ the dead head. There was horror on it. The eyes remained wide open. The wrinkled skin showed traces ofВ claws.
If she was not mistaken, it was King ofВ Sultanit who had just been beheaded, and there was no one even toВ raise the alarm because everyone was dead. Fiona kept waiting for aВ gryphon toВ pounce on the assassin from behind, but the bird was gone. But the victor himself resembled aВ king, too. He had aВ blue scaly body, spikes on his back, pearls sprouting inВ his skin like armor. AВ crown glittered on his eerie head, too. As he went underwater, aВ turquoise dragon-like tail wriggled behindВ him.
He looked at Fiona. It was as if he sensed she was watchingВ him!
В«Let me out ofВ here!В» She called out toВ him.
The water monster, however, decided that the poor prisoner was not worth his attention. And in the coastal villages there are still legends that watermen are fond of women’s beauty! Apparently, if he’s no ordinary water-boy, but the king of the sea himself, he wants nothing more or less than a princess.
Though, on reflection, it’s even good that he didn’t like her. After all, the watermen drown their chosen ones. What’s better: drowning or burning? Fiona had an unenviable choice.
The firebrands hissed unhappily at the ceiling. The proximity ofВ the water tsar displeased them. AВ shout ofВ summoning came from above the castle towers:
В«Seal!В»
Ornella seemed toВ be shouting. Fiona was not mistaken inВ her hearing.
She kept hoping that the water king would come back and smashed the dungeon wall with a single blow of his powerful fist, but he went under the water slowly, as if descending a ladder. The last to disappear in the waves was his pointed crown, like a starfish of gold and coral. She wondered if she was dreaming. There’s no such thing as creatures with blue skin, shell ears, and a crown that grows right out of their heads.
It was easy to see if she was dreaming or not. The decapitated body in the royal robe would have been left on the beach. Except the bars were so narrow you couldn’t look out through them. One could not see the shore. Only the sea and the thin edge of the surf are visible. The water seems to turn scarlet closer to the shore. Or maybe it’s the rays of sunset.
Curiosity leads toВ aВ dungeon and aВ fire
Fiona was awakened byВ the sound ofВ quiet conversation. The talkers were unaware that she was already awake and watching from beneath half-closed lashes.
Ornella and one ofВ her brothers came into the cell. They seemed like two evil ghosts inВ the glare ofВ the orange glow cast byВ the fire fairies actively crawling on the walls and ceiling.
Fiona was used to the regular hiss of fire overhead, but the sound of Ornella’s arrogant voice was disgusting. Who would have thought the sight of that silk-clad lady would make her sick.
«Father’s gone!» Ornella said. «I cannot, as the present Queen, go out and tell the people that the Sultanit does not have the strength to reach down and behead a supernatural murderer. Such a gesture would be seen as helplessness. I will be overthrown! Better to find the culprit, who is already known to the people as a witch. You know you can’t get a sea fortune-teller.»
«But she’s not a witch!»
«How would you know, Orvel! You’ve never been able to read minds. That’s my talent. I agree that each of my brothers has their own special gift, but I’m still the most gifted. That is why I will rule! Remember your place!»
В«This you say toВ the eldest heir ofВ the Sultanit?В» Orvel was indignant.
В«You gave me your place on the throne.В»
В«IВ had no choice,В» he scowled.
В«Yes, you did. And you have none now. IВ am the queen!В»
«The death of my father at the hands of the water king seems to have been good for you. And everyone knows that the Sea King was your admirer. Maybe they’ll think you’re a witch.»
«Not unreasonably, as you know! But everyone also knows that I rejected the Sea King because of his not standard appearance and lack of gifts worthy of a Sultanit’s princess. Apparently he’s already spent it all on the withered Occylvanian princess Lilothea, who he dragged off to the bottom, so there’s no money left for new courtship.»
«What’s your point?» Orvel’s worried.
«That killing our father might be an act of revenge on the part of a spurned suitor. It’s not a pretty story! I suppose someone might accuse me of provoking the wrath of the sea on the Sultanit by my intransigence. We’d better execute one witch and close the case. The people will be glad, and so will I.»
«And all your brothers won’t! She’s perfect for us to close the circle.»
«And I’m not good enough for you?»
«She has a special purpose,» Orvel said. «I just don’t know what it is yet.»
В«You must be mistaken!В» Ornella barked back atВ him.
«Then we’re all wrong!»
«That’s why I rule, not you. All my brothers, unlike me, were not smart enough to be in charge of the country. And here I am, the first woman to pull the Sultan’s power. And you still contradict me!»
The firemen hissed angrily, sending up aВ shower ofВ sparks.
«They report the watermen are watching us. A whole regiment of morgens under the windows,» Orwell translated the fire fairy’s tongue. «Soon they’ll bring the worst of the storm.»
«And it is good! Executing a witch at a time like this will distract everyone. I’ve already ordered a bonfire to be built in the square.»
В«Execute such aВ pretty girl!В» Orvel was indignant. В«Give her toВ me!В»
«Didn’t you claw the last minion with your claws during love games?»
«I’ve been more careful.»
«I won’t let you do that to this one. I could catch and send some old gypsy fortune-teller instead of her to tonight’s bonfire. But that redheaded girl’s no good for your clawed amusement anyway. You can’t have her!»
Ornella cares about her? There’s something fishy going on here. Fiona had trouble waking up to what was going on and who was running the country since the King’s death. But the word «bonfire» gave her a fright. She shuddered violently.
«She’s waking up!» Orvel determined. «I’ll take her upstairs to my ex-fiancée’s quarters.»
«You swore you wouldn’t take any more harlots.»
«This one’s innocent. I can smell it.»
«She’s a witch,» Orvnella said stubbornly.
«No, she isn’t. There’s something magical about her, but not witchy.»
«But she’ll burn at the stake as a witch!»
«Why don’t you leave her to us?» Orvel was begging. «The room of the Crown Prince’s dead bride is still empty, and apparently it will be empty forever.»
«You don’t want to marry a commoner, do you?»
В«Well, no, ofВ course not,В» Orwell hesitated. В«But she might amuseВ us.В»
Fiona was frightened. For some reason she invariably associated amusement with scratches and claws and savage pain. Oh, why had she gone in the mountains? If she hadn’t gone there, she wouldn’t have ended up in a dungeon.
Ornella leaned over her and ran her fingers through her tangled hair.
В«She is aВ redhead and she has no freckles!В» For some reason Ornella was alarmed byВ this fact.
Yes, Fiona had no freckles. So what is of it? Redheads usually had them, but someone got away with it. You should be happy, not sad! Freckles and pimples were all skin blemishes. Fiona was glad she didn’t have to cover her freckles with homemade flour whitewash, not enough for the market. Ornella, on the other hand, was even angry.
«Remember the prophecies about the redheaded beast who…» She clutched at her brother’s sleeve.
«Ch-ch-ch!» he glanced at Fiona, who couldn’t stand it and opened her eyes.
В«After aВ fire, memories turn toВ ashes too, so let her listen!В» Ornella waved her ringed hand and straightened up stately.
«But it wouldn’t hurt to put the plugs in!» Orvel remarked.
Fiona felt a blockage in her ears, but not for long. She couldn’t hear anything at first. All she could see was Ornella’s pursed lips opening aggressively, and her brother shaking his head negatively. Then fragments of phrase began to be heard again.
«What do you mean, you can’t? You could! You have to learn better!»
В«It is Sephora. She is aВ bad teacher and she is too flaming.В»
«She’s the best, that’s why she’s fiery.»
Isn’t that the firebrand they’re talking about? That one hissed in a web of fire, hovering over Ornella’s head. A moment and her redheaded fingers reached for the crown on Ornella’s head, causing the metal to glow. Ornella shuddered, and quickly stepped back into the shadows. Smoke billowed from her strands.
«You are thieves!» She hissed at the fire fairies. «I’ll have you burned at the stake for disrespecting the Queen!»
The fairies merely laughed evilly.
«Then I’ll drown you! Give you to the Morgens as tribute!»
The flaming fairies kept silence, and scurried away. It was dark without them. Only Ornella’s jewels exuded a little golden glow, and the torches of the guards gingerly glowed behind the bars in the distance.
В«IВ will invite Sephora again,В» Ornella promised toВ Orvel.
«But don’t invite her dragons again!» He exclaimed.
В«They are like her train. They are always around.В»
«You don’t own us!»
В«Yes, IВ do!В»
