Contents of article "’Beyond the Hedge’ - Chapter 17 Part 1"
’Beyond the Hedge’
The Fairy Queen was emotionally drained and still recovering from the wound inflicted by the anklet but, thanks to the bravery of Kismet and Minxie, the Harpie was finally vanquished. The dark secret at the heart of Sylvania had been exposed. Celestina was devastated to discover she had a monstrous twin sister but she wanted nothing kept from her loyal council after everything they been through together.
Hamish was ashen-faced and angry. “Did you know about any of this, Indigoletta?”
Creel raised his head to look at the Royal Raven as she shifted uncomfortably on her perch in the small reception room. Jock stood on the arm of the old fisherman’s chair and Grimpen lay curled up at his feet. The rest of the Clandestine Council were present, except for Alfie who was still under the care of the Banshee. Pogo was there in his place with Cassandra resting on her lap.
The Royal Raven’s voice was clear and steady. “I believed Princess Celestina to be the only surviving twin. Her sister was stillborn. This turned out to be a blessed accident of fate as the baby bore the birthmark indicating she was from the dark side. I informed the Prince of Cobalt-Sibilance immediately but we did not divulge this information to anyone other than Queen Daria herself. The doctor and midwife had seen the distinguishing mark and knew its significance but their silence was assured as trusted members of the royal household. The whole business was hushed up and the dead infant was taken care of according to ancient law. The Queen decided her remaining daughter should never know the truth. What was the point of upsetting her unnecessarily?”
“Clearly something went wrong though.”
“Apparently so, sir.”
“There’s no apparent about it, Indigoletta.”
Celestina put a restraining hand on her husband’s arm.
“If anyone’s at fault, it’s me,” said Sammy. “I had the remains of the princess exhumed before I came here and the baby turned out to be nothing more than two bags of sugar wrapped in a shawl. I believed the infant to be dead, for which I was profoundly grateful, and had no reason to suspect anything was amiss when the sealed box arrived for interment. Clearly I should have been more thorough.”
“I won’t have you taking the blame,” said Indigoletta. “I was the one who told you she was dead. You never even saw the baby. Only those present at the twins’ birth can be held responsible.”
“The doctor made a mistake,” said Jock reasonably. “Everything else happened as a result of that.”
“But the real damage was caused by my wife’s dishonesty.” Creel looked directly at the Prince of Cobalt-Sibilance. “She was trusted with delivering the baby to you, sir. She told me she left Queen Daria’s rooms with it concealed in the carpet bag she always had with her when she attended a birth. As Royal Midwife she was trusted absolutely. When she discovered the baby was alive she knew what the birthmark represented and yet she still stole her. We desperately wanted a child of our own but Kedda’s obsession must have driven her out of her mind.”
“She’s paid a heavy price, from what you’ve told us,” said Celestina sadly. “But you have suffered so much yourself. Killing your demonic step-daughter to save your wife took enormous courage and what a terrible burden to carry all these years. How did you finally discover the information that brought you here to warn me?”
Creel lifted a work-worn hand and stroked Jock’s tail-feathers.
“I was horribly troubled by the eruption on the Island of Long Forgotten Dreams, Your Majesty, and that, coupled with a growing preoccupation with my drowned daughter, took me up onto the cliff to the spot where we buried Feya’s toys and trinkets as a memorial to her. I hate going there as I always relive my last day with her in harrowing detail, but the island is clearly visible from the clifftop. When the dragon flew past, the hunched figure on its back looked at me with such hatred I knew with absolute certainty Feya was behind its eyes. I confronted Kedda and she confessed what she’d done. I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time.”
“So, she didn’t drown after all,” said Sammy. “Feya must have fallen prey to an opportunistic Harpie. These parasitical creatures absorb their victims like a malignant sponge and live off them.” The Attendant to the Royal Raven shuddered. “There is only one requirement, Will, and you don’t and never will qualify. The blacker the heart, the more attractive it is to a Harpie. Maligna fed on Feya and grew supremely powerful. The entity she lived off was the epitome of evil and created her longing for control of Sylvania in the first place. Harpies are not ambitious or single-minded as a rule and they don’t usually possess a weapon as deadly as the anklet. Maligna failed to take control of Sylvania the first time and, with the anklet restored to her, wasn’t about to let that happen again. Those long years in the sink-hole had fuelled her hatred making her more determined to succeed. How she came by that destructive magic is lost in the distant past. There has been much speculation but my own belief is that she stole the anklet from one of the last great necromancers. This isn’t the first time our world has been stalked by evil.”
Celestina’s voice was flat and empty. “My dark half created the monster that was Maligna.”
“Dear child,” said the Royal Raven, dispensing with all formality. “She is not your other half. She is the exact opposite of you. Identical in appearance but that is all.”
They sat in silence for a while then Will asked the question on everyone’s lips. “Surely you noticed your step-daughter bore an uncanny resemblance to your Sovereign, Creel?”
“All this happened a very long time ago and I’ve never seen Her Majesty at close quarters until today.”
Pigsblanket secured the rowing boat underneath one of the rope ladders on the starboard side of ‘The Cheeky Monkey’ and the starry bow light switched itself off.
The boy addressed the kilt and sporran in the most serious tone he could muster. “Do you think you could stop bickering at least until we’ve achieved our aim? A skirt on a ship is bad enough without it being heckled by a purse.”
“Right enough, lad. You can rely on us. Isn’t that right, Invincible?”
The kilt grew in stature and its pleats expanded accordingly. “Florin and I are a team and that’s a fact.”
Pongo ached to go with Sandy who was cautiously making her way up the ladder towards the gundeck. “Do I really have to stay here? I feel so useless.”
“I can’t see an alternative,” Pigsblanket said sympathetically. “Rope ladders are tricky if you’ve four legs. There’s a swell in the harbour so, if I were you, I wouldn’t risk it.”
Jamie leapt onto the swinging ladder and followed Sandy without the slightest hesitation.
“I didn’t know he was going to do that,” gasped the amazed dog.
“Neither did I. Who’d have thought he was so nimble?”
“Or so brave. He’s a rare beast.”
Sandy arrived unscathed at the top of the ladder and disappeared over the side. Jamie jumped into her arms and draped himself round her shoulders like a fur collar. She leant out and gave a hasty thumbs-up before concealing herself behind the nearest cannon.
There were hurricane lamps dotted around but large areas of the gundeck were in shadow.
She unfolded the pencil sketch Pigsblanket had drawn for her and the magic stars formed a map-light above the scrap of paper. There was an ‘X’ marking the all-important coil of rope and a smaller one above the locker where the lobster creels were stored. She crept along the gundeck, ducking under muzzles of cannons.
A group of sailors were assembled in neat rows, with their backs to her, receiving a dressing-down from Pestilence Grimshaw. She couldn’t see the infamous buccaneer but she could hear him clearly over the wind. As she passed the foremast, Peg gave the agreed signal from the rigging where he was acting as lookout.
Pigsblanket had assured her the cupboard was never locked.
The creels were in among a jumble of fishing nets and crab-pots. She pulled one out and grabbed a couple of lengths of rope.
Peg gave the all-clear and she darted back across the deck, skipping from one patch of shadow to another. She jinked behind an oildrum when a grumbling bunch of matelots came towards her from the gundeck. She could see Gilbert and Leo’s hiding place from where she was and experienced a stab of excitement.
When Sandy stepped out from behind the drum she came face-to-face with Cahoots. She was extremely startled, never having met a dragon before. Jamie was in full bristle mode and wouldn’t have looked out of place on a witch’s broomstick.
“Who are you?” asked Cahoots brightly. “I’m sorry if I scared you both. Does he always travel like that?”
“Only when he’s feeling too lazy to walk.”
“You cheeky monkey!” said the cat.
“That’s the ship’s name,” replied the amused dragon. “Me Cahoots.”
The cat gave an extended sigh. “I’m Jamie and the lippy child is Sandy.”
The dragon’s eyes grew large. “Are you the one from Irvine everyone’s banging on about?”
“Yes, but could you keep your voice down? I don’t want anyone to know I’m here.”
“Okey-dokey.” Cahoots lowered his head and his voice. “Not even the Captain?”
Sandy’s eyebrows shot up. “Especially not him!” She’d blurted it out before she could stop herself.
“Don’t worry about that. He’s in a foul temper and I’m staying well out of his way. Gilbert and Leo have done a bunk and he’s livid. I really miss them, they were my friends. I don’t suppose you know where they are?”
“Actually I do, which is why I’m sneaking around in the dark. We’ve come to rescue them.”
“Oh, goody! Maybe I can help.”
Sandy looked doubtful. If she refused his offer he might decide to blow the whistle, so why take the risk. “I’d appreciate that. Perhaps you could act as a mobile screen. You’re certainly big enough.”
The dragon was delighted. He’d even forgotten about Maligna. “Size is not an issue with me as long as I’m out of doors. Give me a few more hours at the current rate of growth and I could walk past Captain Grimshaw with the entire crew behind me without him spotting a single one of them! What’s the knitted cage for?”
There was a commotion by the foremast before she could reply.
“Get ready to catch him, men,” yelled Leitzoff as he took an almighty swipe at Lorimer with the broom.
The lobster swung clear at the last minute, throwing in a spontaneous display of somersaults and half turns worthy of the trapeze act at Gilbert and Leo’s circus, before plunging deckwards with a fixed grin and a crowd-pleasing ‘taa-raaah’; ever the professional performer. He only escaped being smashed to atoms by Sandy’s automatic response which had her running across the deck to catch him in the creel as if he were a tossed pancake and not the marine equivalent of Humpty-Dumpty.
His relief was short-lived when he realised where he was but there was no time to get in a lather, at least not about that. The Bosun and a group of sailors had them surrounded.
“I’ll take the lobster,” said Leitzoff with a lopsided smirk. “Me and the lads could do with a slap-up dinner. We’re sick of saltbeef and crackers.” The others nodded vigorously. “There’s good eating in that there crustashun. She fills out her bathin’ costume very nicely.”
“She?!” Lorimer was outraged and almost forgot the predicament he was in. “I’m not female. They’re much fleshier. I’m not worth the trouble. All shell and gristle. I’ll only get stuck in your teeth.”
“That’s not somethin’ I have to worry about, bein’ as I’m near enough out of gnashers.” Leitzoff thrust his head forward menacingly. “I’ll suck the meat out of you instead.”
“Sorry, Lorimer, but you’re safer in there for once.” Sandy closed the lid of the creel and hugged it to her chest. “This lobster stays right where it is. Take one step towards me and I’ll yell my lungs out.” She was pretty sure the Bosun wouldn’t want Grimshaw on the scene, that would put paid to his plans for dinner. Her gamble paid off.
“Now, don’t you be too hasty. We means you no harm nor your collar,” he said with a snigger.
“Perhaps we can come to some arrangement,” said the ‘collar’. “I too am partial to lobster.” Lorimer gazed anxiously at Jamie from inside the creel. The cat winked at him. “Preferably cooked, which is where you come in.”
“Traitor!” he said, playing along with Jamie. “You won’t let any of them eat me will you, Sandy?”
She tweaked his tail surreptitiously to reassure him. “That depends.”
Leitzoff became lights on. “Now yer talkin’.” He turned to the sailor nearest him. “You keep an eye out for the Skipper while I comes to an arrangement with this here lad in the skirt. You’re not from around here, are you?” She shook her head. “Name your price.”
“I want safe passage off this ship with…” She never finished the sentence, something that happens a lot in this tale.
A strangulated snort came from Cahoots who had caught sight of Pestilence Grimshaw. He was striding towards them from the gundeck. “Quick, get behind me, the Captain’s heading this way. He’s so angry he looks as if he’s been spit-roasted.”
Sandy broke through the circle of sailors and dashed behind the dragon only to find the Bosun and his men heading towards her from the other direction.
Grimshaw went into full buccaneer mode, all ‘Jolly Roger’ and no jollity. “What are you playing at, you barnacle-brained bedbug? Come out at once and bring those yellow-bellied scumbags with you.”
Sandy grabbed the Bosun’s arm and whispered urgently. “The lobster’s yours if you don’t give us away.” He nodded and nudged his men out from behind the dragon.
“Sorry, Cap’n, one of the topmastmen thought he’d seen ratty’s tail sticking out of that coil of rope, so I thought we ought to have a quick shufti.”
Sandy practically collapsed and Lorimer could have made good use of smelling salts. Jamie remained calm on the outside but his heart was hammering against his ribcage.
“It turned out to be a false alarm.”
Florin relaxed his seams and Vince loosened his buckles.
Cahoots remained where he was with what felt like a very silly expression on his face. “Any news of mother?” he squeaked when he could no longer bear Grimshaw’s penetrating stare.
“Nothing as yet, nephew dear, but she’s a tough old bird. She’ll be back to annoy us soon enough, so why don’t you come and have something to eat before we sail? It’s time we got this ship on the high seas while there’s still a remote chance of getting away.”
“I think I’ll stay here a bit longer, if that’s OK with you,” he said, trying to sound morose rather than over-excited.
“Suit yourself.” Grimshaw turned and headed back to his cabin. He called out to the Bosun. “I want a word with the First Mate. Have him report to me at once. You men get about your duties and find the prisoners. Maligna will tear your heads off with my blessing if you don’t.”
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