Chapter Fifteen

The Golden Gift

 

 

T

he Grimmir slowed down as they appeared right above one of the colorful coral reefs they had passed in the Ebb Sea. As the portal disappeared, the beast turned around to face them. Mira and Kay let go of its tail, their nerves easing in sight of their peaceful surroundings.

Mira’s head was still pounding, but she fought through the pain to look into the Grimmir’s glossy, black eyes.

Thank you, she thought.

Yeah, you saved us, said Kay’s voice.

The Grimmir bowed its head.

It is I who should be thanking the two of you.

Even though he didn’t speak aloud, Mira thought she traced a hint of exhaustion in the sound of the sorcerer’s voice that echoed in her mind.

I had not a single hope left in the world until you found me. I do not recall the last time a merrow has even spoken to me. I either hunt, or I am hunted. That has been my way of life for many moons.

For the first time, Mira noticed the scars that ran along the Grimmir’s back from the countless times it had been hunted: jagged slashes that were cut through its sleek black-and-red scales, all of them around the grooves atop its spine, where its golden horns used to be.

Kay swam forward. We listened to the conch shell you left behind. It’s how we knew you were really cursed and that you could be set free.

The conch… the Grimmir repeated, slowly twisting its body to swim around the coral reef as it thought. Ah, yes. I feel as if a fog is being lifted from my memory. I remember my tower, my laketown, my hideaway.

Mira and Kay glanced at each other.

I’m sorry, but your tower was destroyed. Mira cringed as she sent the sorcerer her thoughts. One of the empress’s spies tore it down.

No matter. I would never have made it back to my tower in this state. I am slowly, but surely, transforming back to my old self, though my merrow body has long outlived its life. At long last, my time on this earth has come to an end.

It turned its head to look at the children closely with a large black eye.

Though it seems there is still some wonder left in this world that can surprise an ancient sorcerer like myself. Two merrowlings discovering the portal into my hideaway and unlocking the vial of my blood, only to deliver it to me. I once had hope that such a thing would be possible, but it had vanished centuries ago.

We followed your voice in the hideaway, Mira thought and looked at Kay, who nodded. You’re the one who led us to it.

The powers I once possessed were great to behold. Even a drop of that blood could have been used to do things even greater than what the empress is capable of doing. It seems the protective spell I used to seal it away was successful. Only those who wield the powers necessary to unlock the vial but who do not wish to use the blood for their own gain would be able to take it.

Powers? Kay repeated. What powers?

Never have I seen a sorcerer conjure a portal such as the one you created. And you, he twitched his head towards Mira. Your mind is an indestructible fortress. There is magic in your blood, little ones. Be careful how you use it. The powers of sorcery come with a price. You can see mine with your very eyes.

The beast circled around the children. Mira once again noticed the jagged scars running through the Grimmir’s dark scales before it turned back to face them.

It can take ages for sorcerers to realize that their powers are not worth the price of using them, but we all understand it in the end—even if it is too late to do anything about it. I deserved to be hated and hunted for all those years after living my life with selfishness on land. You two have done me a great service, despite all of that. I know that you seek my help. I can, at least, do one good deed to partly make up for the misdeeds of my past.

It lowered its head and rubbed it against the reef. With a gentle snap, the last golden horn popped off the back of its head and fell softly onto the seabed.

Take it. Crush it into powder and brew it in freshwater for a full day and night. The potion will return the drinker to health in an instant, even if they are at the brink of death.

Mira swam down and picked up the horn, which was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. She closed her trembling fingers over it and swam back up to look into the Grimmir’s eyes again, seeing her face reflected back at her.

Thank you, she repeated. You’ve saved us and our friends.

It is you two who have saved me, little ones. You have given me the gift of sight so that I may revel in the beauty of the ocean one last time.

It glided past the children without another word, its snakelike body uncoiling as it swam off into the depths of the ocean. Mira watched it move with a heavy heart, for she knew this was the end of the sorcerer’s story. The Grimmir’s golden stripes winked under the faint light from the surface as it disappeared from sight on its final swim through the water: a vicious beast on the outside but on the inside a merrow who spent his last moments of life to do some good in the world.

Kay approached Mira a moment later and murmured, “Let me see.”

Mira opened her hand to show him the pointed, golden horn. His face broke into a grin that lit up his eyes.

“We did it,” he said.

Mira returned his smile. “We have the cure.”

She repeated the phrase over and over in her head, barely daring to believe it herself. After a long sigh of relief, she sent the words across the Old Towns to Peter.

We have the cure.

She carefully placed the horn in her pocket, and they rushed over to the base of the docks to grab their clothes. With their cloaks and boots in hand, Kay made another portal in front of them, and they were off to the familiar lake they had once used for their training on the other side of the kingdom.

They had no idea how long they had been in the ocean, but the cloudless sky above the kingdom’s capital was dark and speckled with stars when they emerged from the lake. By the time they made their way through the forest at the edge of the city and reached the curved streets of the Ripple, they were dragging their feet with exhaustion. Mira didn’t know which hurt worse: her head or her feet. She didn’t even have the strength to tell Kay what she’d seen in her stolen glance into the empress’s mind. This would have to wait for another time. All she could think was that they needed to reach the palace and deliver the Grimmir’s horn as soon as they could.

The streets were empty. Mira had to keep reminding herself that it was because they were walking about at night and not because they were still in the lands that were cursed and abandoned after Amara’s plague.

Luckily, one of the guards that stood in front of the closed palace gates recognized them as soon as they stumbled up.

“They’re the merrows!” he said, raising his helmet to get a better look at them under the light of the lit torches on either side of the gates. He turned to his companion. “Tullor won’t believe it when we tell him—that little man was right. The children came, after all. Quick, open the gates. They look like they’ve gone through quite an ordeal.”

Mira was too tired to pay much attention to what the guard was saying. She leaned her body against her brother, willing herself to take the last few steps to reach the warmth of the indoors.

“We need to see the king,” Kay grunted as they waited for the gates to swing open.

“The king and his family are at the Winter Castle down south,” the guard said, almost apologetically. “The Royal Advisor, Dane Tullor, is in charge here until they return. We can wake him—”

“You can wake him, Wade,” the other guard snapped. “I’m not getting in trouble just because two little children arrived—”

“You don’t need to wake him yet,” Mira cut in weakly. “First, take us to the infirmary.”

“Are you hurt, little miss?” said the guard named Wade.

She stuck her hand in her pocket and took out the golden horn.

“We’ve got the cure to everlock sleep.”

 

Once they made it inside the Throne Room, Mira and Kay were rushed into the infirmary by a nurse. They headed to Alexandra’s bed immediately. Their friend looked just as they remembered: her soft cheeks were smooth and dimple-less, and her eyes were still closed in her endless sleep.

We’re here, Mira thought, placing a hand on her warm shoulder. You’ll wake up soon.

Aristide was still sleeping on the bed opposite Alexandra’s. Mira handed the golden horn to the nurse, telling her the Grimmir’s instructions for brewing the potion that could break an unbreakable sleep. The nurse listened seriously, her eyes widening at the mention of the Grimmir. She nodded and then urged the children into the beds next to their friend. Mira welcomed the warm hug of the sheets, and after sending a thought of reassurance to Appoline and Peter that they were safe in the palace, she closed her eyes, eager to let her mind slip into sleep.

She awoke to the sounds of people speaking in hushed voices. She squinted in the sunlight that poured in from the tall windows, and for a moment, she didn’t remember where she was. When her eyes fell on Alexandra sleeping on the bed next to hers, the memories of the previous night came flooding into her.

“…started as early as we could, sir,” the nurse was saying. Mira peered over her sheets to see the woman looking down at the foot of her bed, though there was no one there. Then, the tip of a pointed green hat moved at the edge of the bed, and a familiar, gruff voice spoke.

“No ‘sirs’ for me, thank you.”

Mira gasped and sat up.

“Tonttu!”

“M’huh?” Kay mumbled with a start from the bed on Mira’s other side.

A colorfully dressed gnome peeked around the bed. His beady eyes were squinted in an enormous smile that could be seen even through his bushy beard as he walked between the children.

Mira jumped down and hugged him. A small cough by Tonttu made her realize she had picked him up completely off the floor. She hastily set him down, holding in a squeal at the sight of him. The nurse turned and hurried away, clearly relieved at the distraction.

“Tonttu, is that you?” Kay muttered as he rubbed his eyes.

“That it is, my boy,” Tonttu said. “You can’t expect to see many other gnomes in the Royal Palace, I can assure you.”

“What are you doing here?” Mira breathed. “Did you know we had the cure to everlock sleep?”

“I came straight to the palace when you told me you were off to retrieve it,” Tonttu said. “I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that you would be successful, though Tullor didn’t believe me when I assured him yesterday that you would soon be returning with a cure. I came this morning to check if he had told the king of your upcoming arrival. That is when the guards out front told me you had already arrived. It must be quite a story—the nurse tells me you brought the horn of the legendary Grimmir?”

Mira smiled. “We did.”

Tonttu took a moment to raise his chin proudly as he beamed up at them.

“Then I must say that you are two of the most accomplished merrows to have walked this earth,” he said. “Or rather—to have swum in its waters. You managed to find the Grimmir in the ocean, retrieve one of his horns, and bring it to the palace in a matter of hours.”

“Well, there’s a lot we have to tell you.” Kay sat up. “I can make portals into any body of water I’ve been in. So we went straight from Crispin to the Ebb Sea and found the Grimmir based on some old fairy stories that mentioned where he was seen—Peter helped us with that part. Mira protected our thoughts before the Grimmir had a chance to freeze and eat us—” He stopped when Tonttu began laughing.

“And to think you two were only learning to use your fins and summon little puddles of water a few months ago,” he said between chuckles. “It seems you now have more to teach me than I have to teach you on the topic of merrows.”

At that moment, the infirmary doors opened, and a man strode in. It was Tullor, and he looked rather tired and pale, but he stretched his lips in a forced smile.

“Ah, the weary travelers are finally awake.” He barely gave Tonttu a glance as he stopped at their beds. “Though I am not surprised at your exhaustion. You two have made quite a long journey on your own, yet my guards don’t report ever seeing a flying horse near the palace.”

“We swam,” Kay said.

“And then walked,” Mira added, knowing that they weren’t particularly helpful with their responses, but something about Tullor’s impatience made her want to keep him guessing. He clearly didn’t trust her or her brother, so why should they trust him?

Tullor squinted his eyes. “I am not quite sure I understand. How did you swim to the Ripple from the Old Towns? Better yet, how did you do it in less than a day?”

“The same way the Shadowveils manage to swim from lake to lake, I imagine,” Tonttu grunted. Mira could tell he didn’t much like the king’s advisor either. “Aristide always told me there are channels in the water that the empress’s spies use to travel about the kingdom. It turns out he was correct—isn’t that right, children?”

Mira and Kay nodded.

Tullor raised an eyebrow and then continued, “Very well. You can explain exactly how these channels work to the king when he arrives.”

“I expect Old Aristide will be able to do a much better job at explaining,” Tonttu said. “He’s our expert on the merrows, and he should be awake well before the king’s arrival.”

“Let us hope he will be,” Tullor muttered, though Mira thought he looked unconvinced. He continued with just as little enthusiasm, “We have the kingdom’s best apothecary working on the antidote, using the horn you brought with you. In the meantime, the king has named you our honored guests. As I expect you must be hungry after your long journey, we have prepared an early dinner for you in the Banquet Hall. I suppose your friend may join you if he so wishes. If you’ll follow me…”

Mira and Kay exchanged a bewildered glance before hurrying to follow Tullor, who looked quite displeased with the task of having to host the newcomers at the palace. Tonttu grumbled after them, grudgingly muttering that he wouldn’t say no to an invitation to a palace feast.

As they walked through the palace, Mira marveled at the lavish decorations in the halls. She had only ever walked through them in a hurry and didn’t have time to notice the detailed paintings along the walls and the golden chandeliers that hung from high ceilings. She was even more astonished when they entered the Banquet Hall. One long wall was adorned with green and yellow banners hanging between stained-glass windows, and the other had colorful murals broken up by multiple fireplaces. The end of a long table in the middle of the room was prepared for them with more food than Mira had ever seen in one place, even at festivals.

Tullor left them there, mentioning something about arranging things for the arrival of the king, but Mira barely listened as the smell of food had driven all other thoughts from her mind. Servants came and went, cutting fresh slices of beef and bread to put on their plates and bringing freshly-cooked pies and pastries to the table for dessert. Tonttu needed two cushions to be able to reach his plate on the table, but he didn’t complain as he gobbled down the food with as much eagerness as Mira and Kay.

There was barely any time to talk until they had eaten their fill and walked away with round bellies. At Tonttu’s request, one of the servants led them to the castle gardens, where they were left alone to wander and speak under warm rays of the setting sun.

Tonttu didn’t interrupt as Mira and Kay told him everything––from the moment the Fabler told them the story of ‘The Sorcerer’s Transformation’ to their escape from Amara with the help of the Grimmir.

“I am afraid I must sit.” Tonttu hopped up onto a bench and peered at them with a twinkle in his eye. “I have never heard of such heroism and from such young children like yourselves. Aristide will be impressed, and Alexandra will be beside herself with pride.”

“I hope the potion really does work,” Kay said. “Can’t believe they really might be awake by tomorrow…”

“I don’t see why not!” Tonttu exclaimed. “It would be a truly evil person who would trick you with a false antidote, and the man behind the mask of the Grimmir did not seem like an evil person, at least not anymore. He saved you, didn’t he? You would have still been in Amara’s clutches if it weren’t for him.”

Tonttu’s words brought about the memory of the vision Mira had seen when Amara had grabbed her arm amidst the confusion when the Grimmir broke through the ring of soldiers.

“Actually,” she said and took a deep breath, “there’s something else I need to tell you—both of you. The moment the Grimmir came to save us, Amara tried to grab onto me, to stop me from escaping. I don’t know why it happened, but I broke through her mind—just the way it happened with the Shadowveil the time he bumped into me—and I saw some things.”

“What kinds of things?” Kay asked.

Mira sighed. “It was all mixed up like she was having lots of thoughts at once. But I know I saw a big, silver cup that seemed like it was drained. I heard Amara say ‘the curse must not be stopped’ and that she ‘must finish what she started.’ She sounded worried. Then I saw some of the people who lived in her empire. They looked scared like they didn’t want to be caught doing something wrong.” Mira sat next to Tonttu and wrung her hands together. “I think she caught me doing it. She realized I looked into her mind and let go of me, and that’s when we got the chance to grab onto the Grimmir and get away.”

After a moment, Tonttu spoke. “Perhaps the curse she mentioned was the plague that we have learned was her doing.” He fiddled with his beard absently. “I reckon it has something to do with her unusually long life. If that’s true, then I am afraid it means the curse is not yet over. Thanks to you, Mira, we are one step closer to finding out what Amara is up to, and once we know that, we can find a way to stop her.”

He leaned over to look into Mira’s eyes.

“One thing I do know is this,” he said. “If Amara knows of your powers, she will be more desperate than ever to keep you out of her mind until she completes her task, whatever that may be. This could be a good thing. Desperation encourages mistakes. But you must not tell anyone else in the palace about your powers, especially since you say it is not a particularly pleasant experience. Some may wish to use them for their own gain, even if it could hurt you.”

Tonttu’s words reminded her of the Fabler’s warning—that true villains would not stop to get what they wanted, even if it meant hurting others to get it. Mira rubbed her temple, remembering the pounding pain that filled her head after each time she read someone’s thoughts. When she nodded, Tonttu smiled and patted her knee.

“Very good, my dear child.”

“I hope the others are all right,” Mira said. “I hope Appoline and Peter and everyone in Crispin are safe.”

“Yeah. Wonder how bad that storm got,” Kay said.

“Don’t worry,” Tonttu grunted, sliding off the bench to his feet. “I have a good feeling that everything will be all right. Come, it is getting dark.”

But as they walked back to the palace, Mira thought about the enormous distance between her and her best friend and how they had never been so far apart. Her heart still ached with guilt that she left Appoline in Crispin, but it ached with a different kind of pain when she thought of Peter. When would she see him again? She wondered if he would really try to come to the Ripple.

Unable to stop herself, she pushed the boundaries of her mind again, searching desperately for her friend. Where are you, Peter? she thought, staring at the pebbly path as they walked, no longer hearing the sounds of Tonttu and Kay talking by her side, wishing only to hear Peter.

A surge of surprise, then excitement. There were flashes of white: silky hair and neat, smooth feathers swiped across her vision. Beyond the beats of the great wings was a cloudless sky with a setting sun on the horizon.

“I’m on my way, Mira.”

She pressed her lips together to hold back a squeal. Even through the sharp pain in her head, Mira could barely keep herself from smiling as she continued walking beside the others. They had no clue of the glee that put a spring in Mira’s step.

Peter had found Eola. He was coming, after all.

Mira suddenly agreed with Tonttu; perhaps everything really was going to be all right.

Back at the palace, Tonttu and the children were given separate bedrooms, and each one was more than double the size of the room Mira and Kay shared in their townhouse. Tonttu was particularly vexed with his room, complaining that everything in it was too high off the floor for his use, but he was quickly appeased when several stepping stools were brought in for him.

“I could get used to this,” he muttered to Mira and Kay before hurrying off to bed.

 

The next morning, they were awoken by a nurse holding a lit lantern up to their faces in the darkness.

“Come, children,” she whispered. “We’ve given them the potion. They’re waking up.”

The thought of sleep driven out of their minds by the promise of seeing their friends, Mira and Kay hopped out of the enormous bed. They followed the woman out to find Tonttu already waiting for them in the hall. Silently, they moved through the palace under the glow of the nurse’s lantern and the dim light of dawn that shone through the tall windows. Mira wished the nurse would walk faster.

Once they had reached the infirmary, they stopped at the entrance, and Mira held her breath.

Alexandra was sitting up against her pillows, her thick hair framing her face. She brushed it aside to look over at the group staring at her by the doors. Her face broke into a brilliant smile, dimples digging into her cheeks, amber eyes glinting in the flickering lights of the lanterns.

“Now, that’s a welcome sight!”

Without a word, Mira ran to her bed and hugged her. Kay and Tonttu hurried over, laughing as they took turns to embrace their friend. Alexandra’s bubbly laugh seemed to melt away all the exhaustion of the past few days, and Mira felt as if she could fly.

In all their excitement, they almost forgot the man who was slowly waking up from everlock sleep across the room. Mira heard the unfamiliar voice amidst their excited chatter and looked over at Aristide’s bed.

“Where is she?” he muttered, his eyes still closed, his brow furrowed as he stirred. The nurse hurried over to his side and dabbed his forehead with a wet towel. His gray hair stuck to his sweaty skin as he twisted his head left and right.

Aristide was tossing and turning in his bed as if he was having a nightmare.

“Where is she?” he repeated. “They have her!”

“Shh,” the nurse said gently. “It’s all right.”

Aristide’s eyes popped open. He pushed himself away from the woman, a frenzied look in his eyes.

“Where is she?” he said again.

“Aristide?” Alexandra said softly, leaning forward in her bed.

Aristide turned towards the sound of her voice, blinked rapidly, and pushed himself up against his bedframe. He looked at the group across the room with sharp, green eyes that were sunken in their sockets, as if three years of sleep had done nothing to take away his exhaustion. He buried his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes as if to wake himself up. When he raised his head again, he squinted at Alexandra, his forehead still creased with worry.

“Alexandra,” he said in a deep, warm voice. “What are you—what are we doing here?”

“We’ve just woken up from everlock sleep,” she said gently.

Aristide’s face clouded over. “They got you, too,” he said, his voice pained. “I am so sorry.”

“We’re all right, now.” Alexandra smiled. “We’re in the infirmary of the Royal Palace, thanks to the wonderful people who have saved us.” She turned to the others.

“Hello, old friend!” Tonttu stepped into view.

Aristide’s weary expression gave way to a look of wonder.

“Tonttu! How good it is to see your face, but it’s considerably more covered by your beard, it seems.”

Tonttu chuckled. “I never thought I’d see you give yourself a moment’s rest. And here you are, waking up after three years of sleep.”

Aristide flinched at his words. “Three years?” he said slowly, looking from face to face.

“A lot has happened in that time,” Tonttu said.

Alexandra nodded.

“The nurse just told me you went through quite an ordeal to find us the cure to everlock sleep.” She beamed at Mira and Kay with her honey-colored eyes. “You retrieved it from the bottom of the ocean?”

Before either of them could answer, Aristide spoke.

“The bottom of the ocean?” He stared at the children. “Do you mean to say…” he trailed off, throwing a wary glance at the nurse.

“The curse of the silver mist is broken,” Tonttu said. “These two merrows, here, helped to break it. They traveled into the realm of the Empress of the Sea and back to bring you the cure that has woken you up. There’s the potion, right there.” He nodded to a small, clear flask on the table behind the nurse. A small amount of liquid glinted inside it, golden like the Grimmir’s last horn.

Aristide’s eyes widened. Mira wondered if he’d ever dreamed he would hear anyone speak of merrows so freely. At that moment, his face lit up as if he just realized the years of running had finally come to an end.

The nurse gently laid a hand on Aristide’s shoulder.

“That’s enough for now,” she said softly, turning to the others. “We should give them a moment’s peace to gather their wits and regain their strength. You’ll have plenty of time to talk later.”

As the nurse began steering away the visitors, Alexandra took Mira’s and Kay’s hands and squeezed them tightly.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes glistening as she gave them a brilliant smile. “I’m not the least bit surprised to wake up and see your faces.”

“Peter’s done just as much as us,” Mira said. “He couldn’t come with us into the ocean, but he’s coming to the Ripple to see you.”

“Oh, do we have a lot to tell you,” Kay added, raising his eyebrows.

“I’m looking forward to hearing it all,” Alexandra said with a laugh.

Mira let herself be steered out of the room with the others. Once they were out in the hall by themselves, Tonttu spoke.

“Time and time again,” he sighed, “we are blocking the empress’s attempts to keep us apart. We must never stop, for together, there is no telling what we can do.”

Mira and Kay returned his smile. They turned to a window that overlooked the Ripple and the distant mountains against the brightening sky. From atop the hill, their troubles seemed quite far away, but Mira knew they would return eventually, that Amara would strike back with a vengeance.

Yet in that moment, watching the world in front of her awaken under a new dawn, Mira wasn’t worried. She knew that Tonttu was right. There was no silver mist to silence them and no unbreakable sleep to keep them apart.

As long as they were together, they were strong.