The sounds of stringed instruments floated up the circular stairway as Andy made his way down to join the festivities the following evening. He wore new black dress robes since his first set remained at home where he had last worn them.
The hall was adorned with new banners tonight. The King’s royal blue crest hung against a white field rather than the traditional black background. The abundance of streamers betrayed the enthusiasm of the decorators at the news of their queen’s return.
“Prince Andrew,” came a commanding, nasally voice. Razen’s expression remained impassive as he informed, “Your parents request that you join them at the top of the grand staircase to welcome our guests.”
As he made his way to the requested destination, Yara caught up with him. While he had seen her cleaned and scrubbed yesterday, the flowing white gown she now wore, combined with the golden locks that fell loosely over her shoulders, made Andy’s jaw drop.
Words escaped him and the princess giggled. “I guess I look okay then, huh?” she teased.
All manner of flying creatures took flight in Andy’s belly. He adjusted his robe collar and wondered why it suddenly felt so constricting, then shook his head, trying to clear his stupor. “You…you…you look…beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Yara dipped her head and curtsied.
Alden and Hannah, who had also dressed for the occasion, rescued Andy as they approached hand in hand.
“I’m not on duty tonight, so I’ll get to dance with my lady.” Alden winked at Hannah and received a warm smile in return.
“Oh, Andy, Queen Emmalee asked us to go find you and have you join her and the King as soon possible. Dignitaries are beginning to arrive,” Hannah informed.
“Duty calls,” Yara intoned, grabbing Andy’s hand and excusing them.
“I’d rather stay with you. The last time I greeted guests my feet ached and my face hurt from smiling,” Andy confided as they strolled across the hall.
“Your people need you,” the princess encouraged. “Besides, we can dance the night away once you’re done.”
“I’m not a very good dancer.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make you look good. My parents made my brother and me dance first at every celebration. And we had to do it well. ‘We represented the monarchy, after all,’” she recited, then laughed.
Andy smiled. “That sounds like something my dad would say.”
Hans, Cadfael, and Lucee, all cleaned up and well attired for the occasion, stood chatting. Andy waved as they passed. Marta scurried about putting last-minute touches on decorations and table settings. Ox lugged a heavy barrel toward its stand.
As they reached their destination, Andy spotted Regent Bellum’s wife hugging Mom. The officer gushed with praise at meeting the King’s beloved who had been lost for so long.
Scanning the length of the staircase, all manner of public officials with their elegantly clad spouses crowded the span, and more flowed through the front door.
“Prince Andrew! So good to see you again,” the regent exclaimed, wrenching Andy’s hand from Yara and shaking it vigorously.
The princess winked then turned, and as she did an eerie, piercing wail wafted through the open door, stopping all conversation.
Banshee!
Yara pivoted back, her eyes like saucers. Andy sidestepped the regent and wrapped his arms around her.
“Emily? Andy?” The fear-filled whisper echoed about the stone chamber, causing everyone to look up and search for the source as everything went dark for Andy.
The thick sod of Dad’s formerly pristine lawn cushioned Andy’s landing, but the thud still rattled his bones. A cursory glance was all he had time for, however, as a zolt charged out the open front door, swinging.
Methuselah!
The hilt materialized in his hand but did not extend. Panic threatened to devour him before a fleeting thought raced through his brain: You don’t have to be afraid. You have a choice!
The enemy reached him a second later. Andy blocked the downward strike with the hilt as Cadfael had taught him during dagger training. The foul adversary quickly brought its weapon up to try again, and as before, Andy deflected the downward thrust. The parry served to slow the pace of the contest, and Andy now assumed his ready position, looking for a vulnerability. The villain quickly grew impatient as they circled, and it lunged for Andy’s chest. Andy sidestepped, but as the zolt rushed past it was at the mercy of momentum and Methuselah’s hilt connected with the back of its skull. The bird-man crumpled to the ground.
Andy wiped his brow and scanned the area as he caught his breath. He chanced a look at the neighbor’s house, and through a downstairs window he could see Mrs. Nosey Neighbor talking on her cell phone and gesturing wildly. Andy headed for his front door.
Where’s Mom?
“Dad? Madison?” he called as he stepped inside. Blood splatters across the living and family rooms bore evidence to the struggle that had raged.
No bodies? Andy pondered, but the thought fled as he saw the hall closet door peek open.
“Dad?”
“Andy? Oh, Andy!” Dad emerged from hiding with Madison clinging to his shirt. “It’s okay, honey. They’re gone.”
As Dad engulfed her in a hug, Madison wiped her eyes.
“Where’s Mom?” she asked quietly.
As if on command, Mom, still wearing the gown she had on at the celebration, dropped onto the sofa and startled the three of them.
“Is everyone okay?” Mom worried, bounding up.
“Our nerves are a bit worse for wear, but otherwise we’re unscathed,” Dad assured.
Mom embraced Dad in a hug that lasted a full minute. Seeing Mom in Dad’s arms restored normalcy for Andy. That, combined with the calm, made him feel wrapped in a comforting embrace. A glance at Madison told him she felt it too.
“How come I never manage a soft landing?” Andy joked when Mom and Dad finally separated.
“This place is a mess,” Mom assessed.
“Where’d all the bodies go?” Andy wondered, drawing wide eyes from his sister.
“They disappeared as they died,” Mom informed. She gave him a knowing look and he deduced her meaning: back to Oomaldee.
Dad ricocheted a look between Mom and Andy before suggesting, “Madison, why don’t you and I go attack the upstairs?” Andy’s sister shot him a look of horror. “Okay, poor choice of words,” Dad grimaced.
Receiving no further resistance, Dad wrapped an arm around Madison’s shoulders and the pair headed upward.
“I came as soon as I could,” Mom explained. “I didn’t want to leave the King without his queen at the celebration.”
“You had the ability to decide when you returned?”
“The King and I saw you disappear. Before anything happened to me, he pleaded, ‘Please don’t go yet.’ And I didn’t. I disappeared after the celebration concluded.”
“What happened to Yara?” Andy demanded.
“As you might imagine, the princess was more than a little upset.”
Andy’s shoulders sagged and he looked down.
“You really like her, huh?”
Andy managed a nod.
“Well, I’m certain you’ll see her again.”
“Yeah, but it’ll be a long time.”
When Mom didn’t respond, Andy looked up.
“You begin to understand.” She smiled and ruffled his hair.
“Oh. Right.”
“What say we start with the kitchen,” Mom suggested.
As they scoured the counters, Mom asked, “Have you seen my carving knife and meat cleaver?”
“Umm…I may have dropped them in the Oozy bog where I landed.”
Mom could not hold back a much-needed laugh, then added, “Do you know how strange that would sound under any other circumstance?”
The comment made Andy reciprocate with a deep, tension-releasing laugh.
“Did you hear that banshee wail just before I left?” Andy managed, composing himself.
“It would’ve been hard not to.”
“What do you suppose it meant?”
“I hope it was nothing.” Mom’s expression betrayed her fears, and Andy’s stomach rolled.
Sounds of scrubbing were all that broke the silence for several minutes.
“I dreamed you and Imogenia talked.”
Mom turned. “So you mentioned. Oh thou seer, pray tell what we said,” she kidded.
Andy proceeded to summarize the conversation, ending with, “She sure can be frustrating: ‘I’ll just know he’s sorry when I know.’ Good grief. So what are you going to do?”
Mom put her sponge down. After a long pause she explained, “Since Methuselah appeared, I’ve known there is a task I must fulfill in my homeland. I just didn’t know what it was until now.”
Andy tilted his head.
“I believe I must help defeat Abaddon. I’m still not sure in what capacity, but he is the greatest threat to the land, especially now that he’s regained eternal life. I can’t sit around here in comfort and let that devil rain down death and destruction. It was no mistake that I returned when I did.”
“What about Dad and Madison?”
“I don’t know yet. What I do know is that everything will work itself out. It always does.”
“Father says that.”
“Maybe that’s where I got it from.”