Spellbound Chapter 15.

Chapter Fifteen.

 

Denied entrance.

 

Bycliff was only a small town, but it had a coaching inn, and the landlady was delighted to welcome such important guests. She fussed over them and made sure Calizone and Grace were shown to a comfortable room.

As soon as the door closed, Calizone turned sharply. “There’s been powerful magic used here. I can feel it.”

Grace nodded. “There was a rough-looking man sitting by the well. I got a strong feeling of terror from him, without even touching him.”

Calizone found Beldan and ordered him to bring the man inside. Beldan walked across to the Well and grabbed the man. He was shaking so badly that Beldan almost had to carry him.

Grace laid a hand on his shoulder. The man flinched, but Mardan and Beldan held him steady. After a moment, Grace dropped her hand.

“Ugh,” she said. “He’s a nasty, mean-spirited creature.”

“Why is he so afraid?” asked Calizone.

“He’s one of a gang of thugs,” said Grace. “They were sent by a Lord Margib to capture a girl from a group of outlaws. When the girl appeared, she waved her hands and his head burst into flames. She ordered them to leave, then vanished. He and his mates ran away. He’s terrified of the witch child.”

Grace shuddered. “He deserves everything she did to him.”

“That’s the magic I felt,” said Calizone. “She must be powerful to do that to more than one person. We need to find her quickly. Did you sense where the outlaws live?”

“There’s a valley in the mountains just outside town,” said Grace. “Only a short ride.”

“In the morning then,” said Calizone. “I suspect I’ll need to be well rested to meet this girl.” She rubbed her aching knees. “These old bones have had enough for one day.”

Grace touched her arm. “You’re tired.”

Beldan looked worried. “Should you be travelling tomorrow?”

Calizone waved them off. “I’m not completely useless yet. Save your fussing for someone who needs it.”

Early next morning, after getting directions from the landlady, they set off. The frightened man ran alongside the coach for a few yards.

“Don’t go there,” he pleaded. “Don’t… don’t…”

His voice faded as they rode away.

It was easy to spot the valley. The entrance was blocked by a makeshift barricade, guarded by four men armed with pitchforks.

Beldan stepped forward. “I am Prince Beldan. Why are you blocking the way?”

One man stepped out. “If you’re Prince Beldan, have you brought the papers from the palace?”

“Papers?” Beldan frowned.

“Margib’s secretary in Riddock said he sent papers to the palace to lift the outlaw decree.”

“Sorry,” said Beldan. “We haven’t been near the palace for a while. No papers.”

The man sniffed. “No papers, no entry.”

“We just want to talk to the girl Sophie,” said Grace.

Another man stepped forward. “No one is going near my niece. We’ve had enough people trying to take her.” He waved his pitchfork.

“This lady is Calizone,” said Beldan. “The Witch of the Dark Forest. She’s here to see Sophie.”

The man swallowed but didn’t move. “Nobody, not even the Witch of the Dark Forest, is taking my niece.”

Beldan’s hand went to his sword. Calizone stopped him. “Come away. We don’t want trouble.”

They rode slowly back to the inn. Beldan was furious.

“Mardan and I could have overpowered those idiots,” he muttered.

“And what good would that do?” said Calizone sharply. “If Sophie could deal with a pack of thugs, she could do the same to you. The last thing I want is to frighten her into doing something terrible.”

“You could have used magic,” said Mardan. “Not nasty magic, just put them to sleep so we could slip past.”

“Same problem,” said Calizone. “The moment armed men—” she glanced at Beldan, who dropped his hand from his sword “—or an old witch force their way in, the girl will panic. And who knows what she’ll do. We must find another way.”

“There are a lot of frightened people here,” said Grace. “Their fear is so strong I can feel it without touching them. I can’t tell what they’re afraid of, though.”

“Frightened people do silly things,” said Calizone. “We don’t want them hurting the girl if she’s what scares them.”

She tapped her teeth thoughtfully. “Wopnik said this girl helped one of his people.”

Grace nodded. “She healed a child with a broken leg.”

“The wraith couldn’t have come up the path,” said Calizone. “Too much sunlight. It must have come through a cave.”

“So?” asked Beldan.

“There must be a cave into the valley,” said Mardan. “But I thought the spell stopped wraiths leaving their own valley.”

“It does,” said Calizone. “But they have the Citspal cloth. It lets them pass the spell.”

“If they can get in that way,” said Beldan, “so can we.”

“I must do this alone,” said Calizone. “I’ll go back to Wopnik’s valley and ask him to take me to the cave.”

Both princes protested, but Calizone raised a hand. “You may escort me to the wraiths’ land, then return to the inn. I’ll be safe with Wopnik. And my power will protect me from Sophie. She may be strong, but she doesn’t know how to use her magic properly yet.”

Grace nodded. “I sensed great age, gentleness, and sorrow in Wopnik.”

“Wraiths don’t die of old age,” said Calizone. “But many died when they were trapped in their valley. They have few children. The one Sophie helped would be very important to them.”

Grace and Naeve stayed at the inn while Beldan and Mardan escorted Calizone into the mountains. Reluctantly, they left her at the rocks where they had met Wopnik before.

Looking back, Mardan saw Wopnik appear. He reined in his horse. Beldan did the same. They watched silently as Wopnik wrapped a Citspal cloak around Calizone, covering her from head to foot. The last they saw was her walking between the rocks into the wraiths’ valley.

“I hope she knows what she’s doing,” said Beldan. “My father would never forgive us if anything happened to her.”

“Nor would Grace or Naeve,” said Mardan. “But if anyone can look after herself, it’s that old witch.”