The Mapkeeper and the Rise of the Wardens (7 page)

“Greetings, Ms. Lucy Barnes! Welcome to Tropos Castle, home of his Highness Muttongale and the royal family,” a well-dressed butler announced, taking Lucy by surprise. He had short cropped white hair and a matching, perfectly clipped bristled mustache. “Sir Cadmus, it’s a pleasure as always.” The butler bowed low, one arm swept behind his back and the other tucked in the fold of his waist.

“Milo, good to see you.” Cadmus stepped forward and grasped the butler’s hand in a firm handshake, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Well, thank you, sir. If I may, I have been instructed to show the Mapkeeper and her brothers to the Great Hall to be introduced to the royal family. If you will be so kind as to follow me…” He pivoted and floated across the room toward the golden double doors.

“I’ve never seen a place so magnificent,” Lucy muttered to no one in particular.

Milo turned and smiled graciously, spreading his hands. “The palace is beautiful indeed, Ms. Barnes. It was built a thousand years ago during the reign of Lord Hammington the Bold. It is said he built the palace from the ground up for his wife, Lady Shirlet, whose loveliness is legendary. They say she was the most beautiful creature that ever lived.” His eyes twinkled as he spoke. He reminded Lucy of her late grandfather, and this made her think of her father, bringing back the familiar twinge of guilt.
He might be worrying about me at this very moment,
she reflected. She missed him even more than she could have thought possible.

Milo pushed open the heavy gilded doors, revealing two massive, identical spiral staircases. Cadmus held one door open while Milo held the other, standing stick-straight. The Barnes siblings stepped through the doors and waited at the base of the steps for further direction.

Lucy ogled the gorgeous, thick red carpeting of the stairs, which was inlaid with elegant floral designs in shades of violet and lilac. A dense, intricately carved wooden hand rail trimmed the bannister.

“Up we go, if you please, Ms. Barnes.” Milo bowed and gestured with one hand for Lucy to proceed. She cringed, unaccustomed to this kind of treatment.

“Um, Milo, you can just call me Lucy.” She smiled politely.

His eyes widened for an instant before his face relaxed into a kind smile. “Oh my, Ms. Barnes, I do appreciate your benevolence, but I must insist upon regarding you with the highest respect. After all, you are the Mapkeeper.” Lucy glanced at Mack, eyebrows raised in uncomfortable disbelief. He shrugged, sharing in her surprise.

The eerie feeling of being the wrong person in the wrong place settled once again in the pit of Lucy’s stomach.

Despite the weight in her stomach and the tightness in her throat, she and Mack led the ascent up the wide staircase.

“It’ll be up two flights to the Great Hall, Ms. Barnes,” Milo directed from behind her.

They passed several enormous arched stained glass windows as they climbed. Abstract jets of colored light streamed in, bathing the room in blood red and egg yolk yellow. On the third floor Lucy found herself facing another set of heavy gold double doors, carved with the same detailed complexity as the set below. Milo and Cadmus quickened their pace to reach the doors first, pulling them open for their guests. Lucy’s heart pounded in her chest as the doors opened. She had no idea what to expect beyond the double doors, but the presence of her brothers once again provided her with comfort. After a brief hesitation, they stepped into an expansive room with shiny white marble flooring.

“Ms. Barnes and gentlemen, I present to you the Great Hall.” Milo bowed as the doors eased shut behind him. Cadmus gave Lucy a reassuring smile, his piercing blue eyes wrinkling at the corners.

Lucy’s eyes were drawn across the room, where three thrones dominated the space, the largest in the center, flanked by two smaller ones. The thrones were perched atop a stepped platform overlooking the Great Hall, which included a massive banquet table. The royal family were perched in their thrones, expectant of their guests’ arrival.

“Ah, good day, Ms. Lucy Barnes! What a pleasure it is to host the Mapkeeper and her two brothers in Tropos Castle for the very first time! My name is King Muttongale, and it is my honor to welcome you to Praxis.” The king stood as he spoke. His height changed very little when he went from sitting to standing. He was one of the shortest men Lucy had ever seen! He sported a king’s full regalia, with a bright red velvet cape and an eight-point golden crown. His wiry red beard extended two fists’ length beneath his chin and matched his wild mop of red hair. “This is my wife, Queen Oleksandra, and my son and heir, Prince Puck.”

The queen was stunning. She stood with graceful ease in a single, flowing motion. She was tall and slender, with soft dark eyes and long, smooth brown hair. A small silver tiara teeming with diamonds was combed through her hair, and a svelte, floor-length midnight blue dress cloaked her slender frame. “Good day, Ms. Barnes,” the queen said in her melodic voice. “We are pleased and honored to host you. I trust these are your brothers?”

Mack stepped forward and bowed at the waist. “Good day my queen, my name is Mack Barnes and this is my brother Luke. We are Lucy’s brothers.” Lucy ogled her brother. He spoke as though he’d been accustomed to addressing royalty his entire life.
Good day?
Luke followed suit with a deep bow.

The queen smiled appreciatively. King Muttongale peered at Prince Puck and prodded him with an elbow. “Aren’t you going to greet our guests, son?” The plump prince filled out his little throne quite well.

“Hello, guests.” He pouted, his chubby arms crossed in a tight, thick twist across his chest. Lucy guessed he was about twelve years old. Strawberry-blonde hair hung over his forehead in strings.

King Muttongale chortled, throwing his head back and grabbing his round belly as it jiggled up and down. “Our prince is quite the little grouch this morning.” He wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye, but the queen’s eyebrows furrowed with concern. Lucy looked down at her feet, uncomfortable. She could feel the burn of the prince’s eyes—he was glaring at her. She released her breath with a soft hiss when Cadmus intervened.

“Your Highness, will we have the Ceremony of Light this evening?”

“Ah! Yes, thank you for reminding me, Cadmus.” King Muttongale hooked his stubby thumbs into his leather belt. “Lucy, whenever Praxis acquires a new Mapkeeper, we have a tradition of introducing him or her at the Ceremony of Light. It is a grand festival and all the creatures of Praxis will be there to welcome you. The ceremony will be held tonight in Central Square in the village.”

“I—I would be most honored, your highness,” she stammered as she bowed. It was Mack’s turn to give her a funny look. As soon as she heard herself speak, she knew her brothers would laugh at her choice of words. Nervous, she avoided making eye contact with her brothers and stifled an awkward grin.

“In the meantime, may I show you to your quarters?” Queen Oleksandra stepped forward, gesturing at the doors behind them.

“That would be lovely, your highness.” Lucy met the queen’s warm gaze with a smile of genuine gratitude.

“Cadmus, you will be our guests’ personal escort throughout their stay,” the King proclaimed. Cadmus bowed in confirmation. His long brown hair flipped over his forehead. Lucy looked away and noticed Mack watching her intently. Feigning ignorance, she whipped around to follow the queen, who was already leading the way out of the Great Hall. She would hear about it later from her brothers, she knew. Mack and Luke were overprotective.

“Sir Mack and Sir Luke, please follow me. Your rooms are just down the hall from your sister’s.” Milo gestured toward the door.

Lucy heard the king give Prince Puck a halfhearted scolding as they left the room.

“How have you enjoyed Praxis so far, Ms. Barnes?” The queen glanced over her shoulder as she led Lucy to her quarters.

“It is beautiful here, your highness! But I am still in shock at being selected as the new Mapkeeper. I have so much to learn,” she confided.

Queen Oleksandra smiled. “It is beautiful indeed. You will learn in time, don’t worry about that.” She paused outside a set of wooden double doors with large gold handles and her smile disappeared. “But dark forces are stirring, Ms. Barnes. You must be very careful. We will not leave you unguarded.”

“Why would anyone want to hurt me?” Lucy stopped, her chest tightening with fear. She had finally asked the question that had been haunting her since they’d arrived.

“There is plenty of time to talk on that later,” the queen said, dismissing the question as she opened one of the doors and ushered Lucy in. Lucy’s frustration was renewed, but she entered the chamber anyway.

Warm sunlight filled the large room, spilling in through a ceiling-high arched window. A canopy bed dominated the room, curtains tied around the bedposts. It was piled high with purple pillows and appeared tall enough that Lucy might have to perform a jumping dive to get into bed.

The knot in Lucy’s stomach loosened as she admired the room. She’d never seen such a lavish bedroom! Lush red carpet with a gold pattern stretched to the corners of the room. A tall armoire sat opposite the window, and a smaller chest of drawers with a stool and a mirror was positioned next to the window, so the sunlight would illuminate whoever sat in front of the mirror. An overstuffed red chair with a matching ottoman occupied the far corner beside a red velvet cat bed, in which a fluffy white cat napped in the sun.

“Aww! Who is this little guy?” Lucy went to the cat, bending to pet it. The cat stretched, waking and beginning to purr at her touch. He was small, and soft as silk.

“That is Sir Wigginsworth, our trusty little companion. We have had him for six years now.” The queen smiled.

Standing, Lucy peered into the bathroom. It joined the bedroom via a wide arched door on the wall opposite the bed. Walking in, she was overwhelmed by its magnificence. The floor and counter tops were adorned with gold-flecked cream marble. There were dozens of gold-knobbed cherry wood cabinets, polished to a soft shine. A massive four-legged bath tub with a complicated array of golden spouts sat at the far end of the room. At the near end was a large square shower with a frosted glass door. Lucy pulled open the door, peering inside.

“Whoa,” she murmured.

The inside of the shower was tiled dark blue. An intricate gold swirl tile pattern circled the golden drain cover on the floor. There was another confusing array of gold knobs, spouts, and hoses mounted on the wall and dangling from the ceiling. One wall had a bench, and another was home to a half dozen nooks packed with an assortment of purple and pink soaps and rinses, a large wooden-handled scrub brush, and a poofy body lathering puff.

“You should have everything you need,” the queen said with a smile. “However, should you require anything at all, Olivia will see to it.” Lucy turned to see the queen place a gentle hand on a young girl’s back, encouraging the shy girl to step forward. “Olivia, say hello to our new Mapkeeper, Ms. Barnes.”

“Hello, Ms. Barnes,” came her shy murmur. The girl looked to be about ten years old. She had long, dark hair and matching eyes. She was scrawny and wore a simple green dress beneath an apron.

“Hi, Olivia.” Lucy smiled and extended a hand. The girl eyed it, uncertain.

“Go ahead, she wants to shake your hand, dear.” The queen nudged Olivia forward. The girl slipped a limp hand into Lucy’s and Lucy gave it a gentle shake, hoping to convey kindness with her smile. “Olivia will be your handmaid. She is at your disposal for the duration of your stay in Praxis.” The queen smiled. “She lives here at the castle. Her mother Helda is a cook in the kitchens, and her father Quinn is our lead stableman. Her brother Pip will look after your brothers.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lucy said, smiling. Olivia nodded.

“Well, I’ll leave you to get settled. Oh, and this is your laundry chute,” the queen added on her way to the door, pushing open an inconspicuous false panel in the wall. “I’ll send Milo for you when it is time to go to the village for the Festival of Light.” The queen floated out of the room, the door latch clicking behind her.

Lucy ran and dove onto the high bed, laughing. For a moment, her fears were forgotten. The bed was as thick and soft as it looked. She rolled onto her back and sighed, savoring the comfort. Her bed back home was a brick compared to this! She glanced over at Olivia, who still stood in the bathroom entryway, eyes agog.

“How old are you?” Lucy asked, propping herself up on one elbow.

“Twelve,” Olivia replied, clasping her hands in front of her.

“Have you always lived at the castle?”

“No. When I was born we lived in the village. But my father was so passionate about horses that he trained to become a stable hand. He started out pitching hay, and now he is the head stableman for the royal family.” She lifted her chin with pride.

“That’s great! My dad is a boat mechanic.” Olivia gave her a funny look. “I guess you don’t have those here.” Olivia shook her head. Her long, shiny hair swung back and forth.

Lucy dropped her head over the side of the bed and peered out the window upside down. She could see the stable in the distance. A boy was brushing a horse. Green fields stretched for perhaps a half mile, and then the hill ended with a sharp drop down to the village below. To the north, she could make out a large lake in the distance. She rolled onto her stomach and pulled the map out of her jeans pocket, unfolding it. The lake was marked Glacial Lake.

Olivia still stood in the doorway to the bathroom. “What did the queen mean when she said ‘dark forces are stirring’? She seemed to think I would be unsafe if I’m not guarded.” Olivia’s eyes darkened.

“There have been many signs that something very, very bad is coming, Ms. Barnes. Here in Praxis, there is a legend passed down from one generation to the next about a great catastrophe that occurred over a thousand years ago. They say there were warning signs—natural disasters, tremors, and storms. A lot of people are on edge right now because we have been seeing some of the signs.” Her voice descended to a whisper.

“Like what?” Lucy asked, riveted.

“Like last week, there was a tremor. The whole world was shaking. I was outside with Pip in the stable. The horses felt it coming first. They started to whinny and stomp, and we couldn’t figure out why. Then the tremor came, and Pip and I ran and took cover against a wall. It was awful. Everything shook so hard I thought the stable would fall down on us! It felt like the world was ending.” Olivia wrung her hands at the memory.

“Wow…” Lucy exhaled. Back home in Algid there were occasional snow slides, but never anything as awful as what Olivia had described. “What does legend say happened the last time all these signs occurred?”

Olivia’s expression became solemn. “There is a dark magic in Praxis. It is ancient and capable of terrible power. The last time these signs happened was because the dark magic was being awakened. The wrong people came into possession of it—they called themselves the Wardens. They used it to awaken three terrible beasts: one from the sea, one from the mountains, and one from beneath the ground.” Olivia shuddered. “The three beasts ravaged Praxis, almost to total destruction.”

A leaden weight sank in Lucy’s stomach. Her palms began to sweat. Fearful of the answer, but knowing she had to ask, she whispered, “Who—who stopped the Wardens?”

Olivia gulped and took a deep breath. Looking Lucy in the eyes, she replied, “The Mapkeeper.”