The Hollow Kingdom (8 page)

"Don't you dare ask him," warned her sister, standing up. "We'd better go home now and face the whispering aunts. We'll stay together in your room tonight, and maybe I can find some way to convince them tomorrow."

But even this simple plan proved impossible.

"You want us to do what?" Kate gasped to Prim. That dour woman held a letter out to her.

"I want you and Emily to take this message up to the Hall for me," Prim replied defensively. "You'll stay with Mrs. Bigelow tonight."

"But Aunt Prim," spluttered Kate, "you can't possibly mean it! It's already dark out there!"

"I certainly do mean it," her aunt said forcefully. "Kate, I know you're afraid of--of the dark--but Hugh suggested this, and I think it will help. You need to face your fears."

"What?" gasped Kate. "You actually expect me to walk out this door--and
face
them?"

"Kate, get hold of yourself!" the old woman said firmly. "We simply can't have another day like today."

"Oh, you won't!" cried Kate, snatching the letter from her. "You won't have any more days like today ever again!" The two girls stumbled out into the night.

"This is just splendid!" snapped Kate, clutching Emily's hand tightly. "This is simply perfect!" She stopped short at the gravel path. "Now what on earth are we going to do?"

"Run?" suggested Emily uncertainly.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Em! They have horses."

They entered the forest. The moon, almost full, climbed a nearly cloudless sky, and Kate gathered courage from its pale rays. Bright moonlight dappled the path before them with silver spots, but under the trees, the shadows were black and ominous. After only a couple of minutes, they heard just what they had been afraid to hear: the creaking of saddles and the ringing of hooves on stone. Voices behind them began to laugh and howl.

"Come
on!
" Kate cried, and they did their best to run. They stumbled over roots and caught their clothes on branches. Kate lost a shoe and ran on in her stocking. The horses were almost upon them. She dragged Emily off the path into the deep shadows beside it. The horses trotted by.

"Quick!" gasped Kate. "They missed us!" She jumped to her feet with her sister in tow and ran across the path into the woods beyond. About ten feet off the path, a clearing opened up. A little woman worked in the moonlight, filling her basket with herbs and humming melodiously.

"Help!" panted the girls, dashing up. Old Agatha's broad face and snapping black eyes turned toward them.

"Oh, look!" she cried, clapping her hands and dropping her herb-filled basket. "It's my two pretty ladies! Now, help from what, my dears?"

Kate stopped short in horror, but Emily burst out, "Agatha, save us! The goblins are coming!" This was a rather silly speech to make, but the little woman took their trembling hands kindly enough.

"Not yet, dears," she soothed. "Who's been chasing my ladies?" As if in reply, they heard hooves on the path again. Kate pointed mutely toward the sound.

"Oh, that!" Agatha chuckled. "They're no goblins! Just a couple of clodhopping humans out for a moonlight ride."

"But they're after us!" cried Emily. Kate nodded vigorously. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it stuck fast.

"Not for long," declared the little woman. "Just stand still now." She reached into one of her capacious pockets and pulled out some sort of powder, carefully patting it down into the hollow of her hand. The horses were almost upon them. Agatha took a deep breath and blew the powder toward them. The air was filled with the sound of terrified neighing and plunging, riders' confused shouts, and snapping branches. The two horses tore off down the path to the house as if demons were after them, their riders clinging to them more by accident than skill.

Old Agatha watched them go, chuckling with satisfaction. Then she bent and retrieved her basket and went on with her work. The girls stared after the horses in amazement. The exhaustion of the sudden fright and quick run caught up with them, and they stood speechless for a moment, drawing in shaky breaths.

"We're so excited about the wedding, dear," Agatha assured the petrified Kate, her nimble fingers working in the weeds at their feet. "And a prize you are, to be sure, after the King's last wife. What a dull, drab thing she was, poor mite! He certainly didn't deserve that. And a fine King he is, too, my dear, though I should say it, who was his old nurse, you know. He's the best magician we've had in many a generation, though there do be some who say he's too elf-pretty to be a proper king."

"Mm," said Kate stupidly, too horrified to reply, but Emily was quite interested in the little woman's speech. She had no difficulty, as usual, in thinking of things she wanted to know.

"What do you mean, elf-pretty?" she asked the busy Agatha. "And why doesn't the King just marry another goblin? Doesn't anyone at home want to marry him?"

"Oh, they couldn't, dear, you know," old Agatha replied. "Goblin women don't bear well. Many goblins marry outside for to
bring in fresh blood, you see. And the King, always. It's the ancient way of our race. Elves and humans for the King, though there's been the occasional dwarf," she added proudly. "And that's the way it's always been for us. The high families marries the elves and dwarves or a pretty human girl, and the beast folk marries whatever of the animal folk they fancies. The cat tribe, the dog tribe, eagles or bears, anyone who'll be a good mother to goblin young. That's why goblins look like everything on earth."

The two girls pondered this extremely peculiar statement. Emily was not to be thwarted, however.

"What do you mean, elf-pretty?" she asked again. Agatha stopped her work and stretched.

"The Kings tended to marry elves, back when the elves still lived. They're all gone now, the elves. I saw the last when I was a child. She was this King's grandmother, and he's like her in ways. He's hardly got a single animal trait about him, and that's odd in a King. No wings or claws, no feathers or fangs, and that makes folks call him elf-pretty. Oh, they were our cousins, you know, the elves, though there was no love lost between us. They were pretty to look at, but we were the stronger race. We captured their women whenever we pleased, and the goblins learned their magic. This King, now"--she nodded to Kate--"he knows all about elf magic. It's a powerful good to the goblin folk to have a strong King."

A strong King. That was just the problem. "Yes, well," Kate said, managing to find her voice at last, "Emily and I had better be going now. Thank you for your help."

Old Agatha's black eyes twinkled up at Kate shrewdly. "Don't thank me just yet, my dear," she said.

"Well, good-bye, then," Kate answered. She took Emily's hand and turned to go. Then she let out a gasp. Her feet! They were glued to the spot. She tried to tear them free, but they seemed to have grown roots.

"Agatha!" she wailed. She and Emily struggled fruitlessly and then stared at each other in panic. The goblin woman calmly carried on with her work.

"We're so excited about the wedding," she repeated. "We've got everything all ready. And I'm in charge of the women's part. It's quite an honor, you know."

Kate thought she could hear distant hoofbeats over the drumming of blood in her ears. "Agatha," she pleaded futilely.

"Now, now, dear," the old woman said soothingly, "you've no need to carry on. He'll make a good husband for you, you know. He was that kind to his other poor wife, and she was just as mad as a spring hare."

Yes, that must be hoofbeats, Kate thought desperately, and she knew how that poor mad wife must have felt. But somehow, she knew just what to do.

"Agatha," she said winningly, not even sure what she was saying, "you don't want the King's new wife handed over like a sack of potatoes. Everyone will hear of it. What a dull, drab thing I'll seem." The little woman paused in her work, her bright black eyes on Kate.

"And isn't it good to see the King so busy," Kate chatted on. "Something new to plan for every day. It's good for him, you know," she added persuasively. "He always does get things his own way."

Agatha burst into a chuckle and patted Kate's hand. "Oh, go on with you," she said indulgently as if she were sending them out to play. "Go ahead and get a little head start; it does make it sporting. He'll be here soon enough."

"Thank you, Agatha," Kate gasped, snatching her sister's hand and dashing from the clearing. On the path, they both froze, listening. The horseman was very near.

"To the tree circle!" called Kate. "He's already at the house." Then she saved her breath for running. As they tore up the little slope
that led to the tree circle hill, the hoofbeats drummed out loudly behind them. The horseman was catching up.

"Don't look back," Kate begged, but Emily couldn't help it. As they raced toward the first circle of trees, she glanced over her shoulder to see the gray horse break from the woods behind them. His master held him at a gallop, riding low, black cloak streaming back in the wind and one arm reaching out to snatch the sisters. Then Kate was dodging between the massive trees, dragging Emily behind her. They heard the horse plunge and slide to a stop as they ran to the center of the clearing.

The stars hung huge and low over them, and the almost-full moon shone down, but a crackling ring of purple lightning split the sky. It arced and danced in the trees, blinding their dazzled eyes, and a fierce wind whipped up, whirling and tearing at their clothes. The sisters threw themselves on the ground and huddled in terror, their arms clutched tightly around each other. The wind whistled and sang in their ears, and the constant cracks of lightning picked out patterns on the insides of their tightly closed eyelids. Emily sobbed aloud in fright. Kate waited in a state beyond fright for the hands that would drag her away. When they didn't come, she began to grow impatient. What was he waiting for?

"Stop doing that!" she called out loudly. "You're frightening my sister!"

Complete calm reigned instantly. No lightning crackled, and the wind puffed down to a gentle breeze. After a few seconds, the girls raised their heads and looked about them, expecting to see destruction and chaos, wildfires and uprooted trees. Instead, the stars hung huge and low, and the silver moon shone down. The clearing looked exactly as it had before.

"Kate," called Marak's pleasant voice from beyond the huge oak trees, "it's time to stop this foolishness now. Come out before you make me do something rash."

Kate felt her blood turn to ice. She stroked the grassy turf for a second. The feel of it gave her confidence. She looked around at the stars, the moon, the trees. These were things that she could count on.

"You can't come in here, can you?" she shouted back. "This is a magic place."

"Don't be ridiculous," the goblin answered reasonably. "Of course I can come in. It is a magic place, and I'm magic."

"Oh, no, or you'd already be here," Kate shouted exultantly. "Your magic doesn't work here. You can't do anything to us, I know it!"

Marak walked into the clearing, stopping just inside the circle of trees. Emily gave a gasp of dismay and scrambled to her feet. She was getting her first good look at the goblin King.

Marak grinned, showing his dark teeth. "Kate, you're a treasure," he declared. "I don't know how you know things, but you do. You're exactly right. I can't do anything to make you leave this place. Anything magical, anything actual. All force is completely forbidden here because this is the elves' and goblins' truce circle." He sighed. "And once again, I just wish I knew how you know it."

Kate struggled to her feet, wild hope making her giddy.

"We're safe here," she told her sister. She turned triumphantly to face the goblin King. "And you might as well leave. We'll be staying here all night where you can't hurt us."

The wiry goblin smiled at her. "Now, who ever gave you the idea that I would hurt you?" He shook the striped hair out of his brilliant eyes. "No, force is not allowed at all within this circle. You are free to do whatever you want to do. Or whatever you're persuaded to do. Elves and goblins aren't susceptible to persuasion spells, so there's no protection against them." He leered at the two sisters. "Let's see, Kate," he suggested. "I think what you really want to do right now is walk over to me."

Kate stiffened at once, her confidence evaporating. "I certainly do not!" she gasped. Marak's big, bony face wore an amused grin.

"No?" he asked coolly. His voice dropped, becoming quiet and gentle. "Walk toward me, Kate, first the left foot and then the right. You want to come away with me." He continued in a steady murmur, the pleasant voice almost a singsong. Kate felt her resistance begin to fade. He was so convincing. It all sounded so easy. She found herself taking a step.

"Em, help!" Kate cried out in dread, but before her sister could come to her aid, Marak's voice quickened a trifle.

"And M, you want to sit right down and watch her," he went on smoothly. Emily plopped down on the grass. "You just wonder what all the fuss is about." His even voice continued, rising and falling, almost without words. Emily watched Kate tottering step by step toward the edge of the circle, her teeth gritted, hands clenched, desperately trying to stop herself. And Emily wondered, indeed, what all the fuss was about.

Kate was almost to the first circle of trees. The goblin King kept up the quiet rhythm, stepping away from her back between the oaks. His smile was triumphant as he reached out to her. Kate gave a strangled cry. As he disappeared from view, she felt the magic pull weaken just a little. It was her only chance. She turned and bashed her head as hard as she could against the trunk nearest to her. With a sigh, she crumpled at the foot of the tree. The moonlit world winked into darkness.

Emily came to her senses. Feet flying, she dashed to her sister's side, but Marak reached Kate first. He rolled her over, a stream of foreign words issuing emphatically from his lips. Emily flinched, afraid of magical lightning or some other powerful result, but no spell was underway. Marak was just venting his sorely tried feelings in the capable goblin tongue.