The Mapkeeper and the Rise of the Wardens (11 page)

He smiled. “I love Praxis. Would you like me to show you and your brothers around town when they come back from the stable?” They glanced in the direction of the stable. Mack, Luke, and Pip were on horseback, galloping around the meadow. “
If
they ever come back from the stable,” he corrected himself, laughing.

Lucy agreed. She and Cadmus left the library and parted ways. Before they went to the village, the king and queen had requested to speak with her in the Hearth Room on the main floor. As she exited one of the identical spiral staircases and turned to enter the Hearth Room, a sudden movement at the edge of her vision caught her eye. She whipped her head around in time to see the golden doors that led into the atrium click shut.
Who was that incredibly short person?
she wondered, having caught the slightest glimpse of the back side of an oddly-shaped figure slipping through the doors. She had no idea why this sighting made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, but a strange chill of fear that she could not ignore ran down her spine.

An hour later they were on their way to the village in the carriage accompanied by the familiar entourage of guards. When she met with the royal couple, Lucy had protested the need for armed escort, but King Muttongale refused to hear it. “Your protection is my top priority,” he asserted, wagging a stubby finger. “I have instructed my head guard that they are to be by your side throughout your visit to the village. I won’t compromise your safety, Lucy.” Queen Oleksandra nodded her approval.

The carriage dropped off Lucy, her brothers, and Cadmus in Central Square, in the same spot as it had the previous evening for the Ceremony of Light. Lucy hopped out first.

“Look, Ma, it’s the new Mapkeeper!” A young boy shouted, pointing and running toward her. Activity in the bustling town center came to a halt and the townspeople flocked to her. Cadmus put up both arms and held the people back. Mack appeared on her other side to help shield her from the crowd.

“Ms. Barnes! Ms. Barnes! What is your plan to stop the disasters that are happening?”

“Did you know you would be the next Mapkeeper?”

“Do you have the map with you?”

The pressure of the crowd pressed in on her, making her heart race. She could only hold out her arms in defense. To her relief, the guards dismounted and hurried to her side, forming a protective ring around Lucy, Cadmus, and her brothers. They prodded the townspeople back with the blunt ends of their sheathed swords.

At last, the eager throng began to disperse. Children hopped up on the edge of the stage, peering over the adults for a better view. Some people backed away or continued on with their errands, understanding that the Mapkeeper needed some breathing room.

“I think they’re excited to see you,” Mack declared with a laugh.

“I’m glad now that the king made us bring the guards,” Lucy admitted. “That was a little overwhelming!”

“They’ll get used to seeing you,” Cadmus predicted. “We’ll keep the guards close for today and we shouldn’t have any more issues. In the meantime, let’s get to seeing the town!” He led them toward the row of shops lining the south side of Central Square. The guards were on full alert, making sure no one came too close. But the guards couldn’t stop dozens of curious eyes from following them across the cobbled circle.

“Emil’s Clothier Shop,” Luke read aloud the ornate hand-painted sign above the first shop they encountered. The street-level window had two mannequins—one dressed in the style of everyday men’s work clothes that Lucy saw most of the townspeople wearing, the other a female figure clothed in a fine silk chartreuse dress.

“Emil is the town clothier. He’s a very talented tailor. He can make any item of clothing you could ever need. He also makes and repairs shoes.” Cadmus waved as they approached the shop. A small, dark haired man with thick glasses emerged. “This is Emil Poulsen.”

“Ms. Barnes, it is my greatest pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He folded in a deep bow then shook her hand in both of his. His dark, serious eyes appeared twice their actual size through his round bottle glasses. He craned his neck to look up from his vantage point a whole head shorter than her.

“It’s very nice to meet you too, Mr. Poulsen,” Lucy replied, smiling.

“Please call me Emil, and do let me know if you are ever in need of anything, Ms. Barnes. I am not just a clothier, I also specialize in leather goods—riding boots, saddles… you name it. It would be my honor to serve you.” He bowed again, still cupping her hand.

Lucy smiled at Mack and Luke, uncomfortable with the level of formality with which she was being treated.

“Emil, these are my brothers Luke and Mack.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Mack and Luke stepped forward and shook Emil’s hand, towering over the little man.

“The pleasure is all mine, gentlemen!” He shook their hands with enthusiasm.

Cadmus clapped the little man on his dainty shoulder and they turned to face the row of shops encircling Central Square leading to the bell tower at the head of the circle. Their guards stood several paces away, deterring curious onlookers from coming too close.

A hulking, grimy man wearing a soot-encrusted apron stood nearby, peering around as if looking for something. He spotted them and his eyes lit up.

“Cadmus! I see you’ve brought Ms. Barnes and her brothers out to town. How do you do? I am Vasyl Demir, the village blacksmith. I’d shake your hand, but mine are always filthy, and I’d hate to be responsible for mucking you up,” he smiled a slow, easy grin that reached all the way up to his tired eyes.

“Very nice to meet you, Vasyl.” There was something about this exhausted, stringy-haired behemoth that Lucy liked right away. He rested against a large sledgehammer on his left side, one massive hairy arm extended and braced against the tool. In a flash, two small black creatures appeared, squealing and flitting in circles around Vasyl’s tree-trunk legs.

“Whoa, there kiddos, there you are!” Vasyl stood upright, reaching down and grabbing each sooty child by its head. “I was looking for you!” The whites of their teeth and eyes were in stark contrast to their grubby faces. “These are my young ones, Skew and Nell. Slow down, kids, and say hello to our new Mapkeeper.”

“Hello, new Mapkeeper,” the little gremlins echoed in unison before sprinting back inside the shop. Vasyl chuckled.

“I apologize for their rudeness, Miss Lucy—may I call you Miss Lucy?” His soft brown eyes were hopeful.

“Of course, Vasyl. And your children are adorable.”

They continued on, meeting a number of villagers this way. An elderly man named Hamlin Buell hobbled up to greet them. He was a reedy, white-haired man, all spectacles and teeth. His bony hand felt knobby and cold in Lucy’s grasp. She worried she might break his frail arm off his body if she shook it too hard.

“Ms. Barnes, it is a pleasure to meet you…” Hamlin squinted at her through the narrow lenses of his spectacles. “…a pleasure indeed. It has been many, many years since Praxis has had a female Mapkeeper, you know,” he added, wagging a long finger at her. “This,” he gestured over his shoulder to the three-story building behind him, “is the library of Praxis. You are welcome here any time. Cadmus has spent many hours here poring over my books, haven’t you, young man?” He winked at Cadmus.

Cadmus chuckled. “You’re right, Hamlin. The castle library is wonderful but limited in what it has to offer. Hamlin’s collection was crucial for me to develop a complete understanding of Praxis’ history. And Hamlin himself is a very valuable resource. He knows more than anyone else in the village of Praxis’ history.”

Hamlin’s white-blue eyes clouded, gazing into the distance. “Ah, yes. There are dark forces afoot, Ms. Barnes. We must all be very, very cautious. Both in where we go, and in whom we trust.” His cloudy eyes sharpened and locked on hers. “There are those who wish you harm, Ms. Barnes. Choose your companions with the utmost care.”

Lucy shuddered. Hamlin’s warning replayed in her mind, even after Cadmus placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and led her away from the old man.

“Cadmus, what did Hamlin mean by that?”

“Don’t worry about that now. There will be a time and place to discuss it.” His curt reply took her by surprise. “This is the town hall.” He pointed at a plain brown shingled building with square windows. It was three stories high, like most shops in Central Square, but it appeared dark and deserted.

They reached the top of the circle and stood at the base of the bell tower. Lucy looked up, and its sheer height made her feel like an insignificant speck on the cobblestone. It was made of rough-hewn gray stone, and the clock face high above was gold with large black numerals. Lush green ivy wrapped its way up the clock tower, hugging the stones so that it appeared to be a part of the rock.

They continued their little tour around Central Square toward the matching row of shops bordering the northern side of the circle. A heavy, red-faced man in a bloodied apron stood outside the first shop. The front window of his shop boasted large rump roasts and various cuts of meat hanging from butcher’s twine.

“Hello, Cadmus!” the large man roared.

“Hello, Arnold,” Cadmus replied. “This is Lucy Barnes, our new Mapkeeper, and her brothers Mack and Luke.”

“Glad to meet ya, Ms. Barnes. I’m Arnold Brawne, the town butcher. I run the shop with the help of my son Fritz.” He gestured to the crude hand-painted sign tacked above the door that read “Brawne & Son Butchery.”

“It ain’t much, but it keeps a roof over our heads and it sure keeps us fed!” he grabbed his swollen belly with both hands, threw his head back, and roared at his joke.

Lucy and her brothers joined in laughing, more out of surprise than amusement at the joke.

“Come on back any time for a good meal,” Arnold offered.

“Thank you Arnold. It was nice to meet you.” Lucy smiled and continued on. The next shop sign read “Maerwynn’s Artifacts.” The run-down structure appeared to be closed and shuttered.

“I’d bet Old Maerwynn has already turned in for the day,” Cadmus explained. “She is a widow, and she runs the shop by herself.”

They were met by a tall, thin man in a buttoned vest outside the second shop from the end. Beside him stood a very short woman with curly brown hair.

“Hello, Rolf,” Cadmus called. “Lucy, this is Rolf Schuman and his wife Bernie.”

“How do you do,” Bernie and Rolf shook each of their hands. “We are so pleased to have you, Ms. Barnes. The last Mapkeeper was just so strange—”

“Bernie, don’t bring that up now,” Rolf interjected. “That’s no way to greet our new Mapkeeper. Ms. Barnes, we just would like you to know how thrilled we all are to have you here.”

“Well, most of us, anyway,” Bernie corrected her husband, putting her hands on her hips.

“Bernie! Don’t give the nice lady the wrong idea. Ms. Barnes, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who isn’t ecstatic about your arrival in Praxis. You’re the third Mapkeeper for Bernie and me, and we couldn’t be happier.” He reached down low and put an arm around his wife, hugging her to his hip.

“Thank you, Rolf. That is such a relief to hear,” Lucy smiled.

A sudden rumbling noise startled them all. A huge black cloud moved across the sky, where a moment ago only the warm, bright sun had been. The map began to quiver. She slipped a hand into her pocket and touched it, feeling its warmth.

“Oh, my!” Bernie exclaimed. “Isn’t that an odd-looking cloud?”

It swirled and roiled, expanding as it swept toward them from the northwest. It now covered half the sky. An audible crack of lightning split the sky beneath the monstrous cloud. Children across Central Square screamed and scrambled into their mothers’ arms. The townspeople scattered, running for cover.

Cadmus put a hand on Lucy’s shoulder and turned to Mack and Luke.

“Quick, follow me!” He ran toward the last building in the row of shops. Lucy had enough time to read “Alewife Inn” on the crudely painted sign above the door they were running toward before the cloud moved overhead and a dense curtain of rainfall engulfed Central Square. They made it through the door after just a few seconds of running through the downpour, but it was enough that they were all drenched. Lucy wiped her face, breathless, and Luke shook his mop of wet hair, flipping it out of his eyes.

“Jeez!” Lucy exclaimed, shaking a sheath of water off her arms. The castle guards followed them and stood under the awning outside the inn, scraping water off their sleeves and hats.

“Welcome to Alewife Inn,” a husky female voice crooned from behind them.

Lucy twisted, squinting at the stocky woman standing behind them through the dim light. She had a round face and a shock of thick red hair tied back in a large, dense bun.

“Cadmus, how are you?” she crooned, brushing past Lucy and extending a hand toward him. He took her hand and smiled with good grace, still wiping water from his brow.

“Miss Marla, always a pleasure,” Cadmus replied.

She scoffed with offense. “How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Marla? Come on in, now. You’re soaked! That rain sure came out of nowhere, didn’t it? Here, I’ve got a prime table for you.” She took him by the elbow and led him away. Cadmus shrugged, looking over his shoulder and beckoning the Barnes siblings to follow.

“Marla, this is Praxis’ new Mapkeeper, Lucy Barnes, and her brothers Mack and Luke.”

“Oh, so you’re the new Mapkeeper!” Marla turned to Lucy as if seeing her for the first time, seating them at a wide booth table near the edge of the restaurant. The first floor was a restaurant and pub, lit by occasional hanging lanterns and rickety candlelight chandeliers. Heavy wooden tables with bench seats lined the walls of the establishment, and taller round tables with stools littered the rest of the room. “Nice to meet you,” Marla stated, turning her attention back to Cadmus.

“It’s been ages since you’ve stopped by!” she complained, unfolding a napkin into his lap and handing him a menu. “What have you been so busy with?” She leaned up against a wooden column beside him.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time at the castle,” Cadmus replied. “Marla, if it’s not too much trouble, can we please have four hot mulled meads?”

“Oh, of course! How rude of me, let me go grab three more menus for you kids.” Marla bustled off into the shadows toward the bar.