Discoucia Read online

  “I’m not interested,” he said.

  “So you’re not into girls? I had a cousin, Lady Lynda, who wasn’t in to boys, and…” said Jo, but she was stopped by Arthur.

  “No! No, I’m into girls, but I’ve not had any time lately, what with my megalomaniac sister and all,” he explained.

  “OK,” she said, sipping her drink.

  “Why do you ask?” he asked.

  “I was just curious,” she replied, downing it.

  A Purple Invitation

  It was in the Azure Hall that the two found the High King again, only this time he was sitting and not standing as he was before. “So, you two have done well, you’ve blown up the Castle at Karga, though that place was a dangerous ruin so you’ve probably done a public service to the kingdom. You saved Lord Artlintone, who by now must be older than anyone else I know, and I hope he makes plenty more interesting business decisions in the near future. You discovered a whole wooden city below Icester that funnily enough had none of the ice diamonds or snow gold you mention. Then you as members of the secret service acted like a school bus and returned psychotic children to their homes. But I hope that you found out something about what Queen Lilia is planning, so this whole endeavour wasn’t a complete waste of time,” explained the King.

  “Apart from generally scaring locals and using what appears to be a fog generator to hide an army…not much,” replied Arthur.

  “Are you sure about this?!” he asked.

  “Quite sure Daddy, it’s all true,” said Jo.

  “In that case you had better see this; it was brought to me by one of her messengers and is addressed to me personally,” said the King, handing a purple piece of paper to Arthur.

  ‘To my dear High King Olandine, I bid you a heartfelt sadness at your current condition, and I offer you chance at being well again. All I ask is that you or one of your family members graces my humble island with their presence. I will expect you in two months from the date this letter reaches you.

  Sincerely yours,

  Queen Lilia the Young

  P.S. I will be having my birthday celebration at the time, and since I shall also be inviting guests from all over the kingdom, nothing underhanded will befall you or your family.’

  “It’s obviously a trap,” said Jo.

  “Of course it is, but what would you suggest I do?” asked the King.

  “I think your daughter should go since she knows what she’s doing,” said Arthur.

  “And you would accompany her of course,” said the King.

  “She’s my sister, she’ll recognise me in a second,” said Arthur.

  “No she won’t,” said Jo.

  Both Arthur and the High King looked at Jo, but she wasn’t going to answer. “I’ll leave it to you, but you have two months so I would like one of you two to do a little favour for me,” he asked.

  “Of course, Daddy,” said Jo.

  “I’m not feeling as strong as I used to be so I have two tasks that I would like you to do,” he said.

  “Do you want us to do them together or separately?” asked Jo.

  “It will be quicker if you did them separately, and since you want to go to Chene before you go to Harrha it makes more sense,” said the King.

  “So where are we going?” asked Arthur.

  “I would like one of you to fetch a herbal honey drink from Lady Josette in Adlin,” he explained.

  “Considering that the city of Adlin is only open to women, I think we know who is going where” said Jo.

  “I always wanted to see the mine workings, plus I can see more of Evermore while you are gone,” said Arthur.

  “Good, in that case I shall see you soon,” said the King.

  Jo went to go but Arthur was held back by the King. “There is more to being courageous than fighting villains and rescuing my daughter,” he said.

  “What do you mean Sir?” he asked.

  Jo grabbed Arthur and took him to another door that he hadn’t used before in the right hand centre of the hall. She led him into a courtyard, and then across a stone bridge that crossed over a street where hundreds of people were milling around. Ahead he saw a huge building with large windows, and through the windows he saw gleaming piles of gold.

  “That’s not Evermore’s gold reserve, is it?” asked Arthur.

  “No, we have an incredibly huge amount of treasure beneath the city, in a place where no robber would ever be able to go,” she explained. They descended a set of stairs and came to another courtyard, where children were playing beneath the well tended trees and splashing in the fountains that poured from holes in the walls into large marble fonts.

  The day was becoming evening, and the stars twinkled in the gaps between the towers that extended into the sky. There was a staircase that led down to a large open courtyard, and in the distance they could see the lit up ruins of The Sandy Fortress. Walking along the main wall of Evermore, they saw the oak forest that made up a first defence for the city. The trees were swaying in the breeze, and deer could be seen running through the holes in the canopy.

  The ramparts led through a couple of towers, and then to a maze of battlement walls which in turn led to more towers. Then they finally came to a huge courtyard that was missing some parts of the floor. They were one level above the floor, and the level they were on didn’t look at all stable.

  “Just one little question, why on earth is the city so beautifully maintained but this area looks like it’s falling apart?” asked Arthur.

  “It looks quite deceiving, but it’s as stable as the rest of the city. It is used by everyone as a kind of assault course, and that way they don’t become fat and lazy courtiers like the ones in Chene,” she replied.

  “And why are we here?” asked Arthur.

  “I need your help to carry something from my bedroom; I told Cornelius to fly the ship to right above my ceiling,” she said.

  “Nice to see that you’ve commandeered my driver,” said Arthur.

  “Our driver Artie,” she said with a smile.

  They navigated their way around, and found that they had made their way to a balcony above the reception hall. There were people standing in groups around the hall, but none of them noticed the two as they returned to the courtyard since there was no way of getting any higher from the reception hall.

  They walked all around the courtyard’s second level, which seemed to be intact, and climbed a ladder that led to the third level. “Oh good, we can get to my bedroom from here, though it won’t be easy, as there more holes in the floor than there were before,” she said. The carpet in the corridors was a black and blue checked pattern, and there were indeed more holes in the floor than before.

  They reached the end and entered a large room whose walls were covered in paintings. Outside a window Arthur saw the inhabited part of Evermore, and all the houses had acacia wood roofs and tall red brick chimneys that puffed out smoke. The city looked beautiful in the dark, with its many tiny lights twinkling like an extension of the night sky.

  “Come on Artie, we’re nearly there, said Jo, grabbing his arm and dragging him away from the window. They came to a long corridor that looked out onto the city like the other did; only the city looked so much bigger and brighter from this angle. Jo opened a door in the centre of the corridor, and she took Arthur in with her.

  “So, this is my room,” said Jo. Her room was massive, befitting a princess of Evermore, but it was not the size of the room that caught Arthur’s attention. It was more the large amount of clothes that were strewn everywhere.

  “You didn’t tidy up before we left to go to Karga did you?” asked Arthur.

  “No, but my room is like this pretty much all the time,” she replied.

  “So what was it you wanted to get?” he asked.

  “I wanted to get some money, so that I can pay for some of the stuff in Chene,” she replied.

  “But we’re not going there for a while, why do you need it now?” he asked.

 
“I was hoping you would let me use the ship to go to Adlin, since it’s nearly impossible to get to by foot or by horse, and then I was going to put this in your safe,” she replied.

  “How do you know I have a safe?” he asked.

  “I accidently discovered it when I was getting a book on ‘Horticultural Engineering’ from your middle bookcase,” she replied.

  “Did you go in it?” he asked.

  “No, I couldn’t figure out the combination,” she said.

  “I thought you might, well, in that case the code is 6-7-1-9-6-7,” he said.

  “OK, I’ll put it in on the way there while you’re making your way below the city,” she replied.

  They finished in Jo’s bedroom and made their way to the top of the building, which was covered in flowers and Arthur saw that Jo had a garden above her bedroom. He waved goodbye to her as she sailed off into the west, and he walked back to the Azure Hall to meet the High King.

  “Now that my daughter is gone, tell me if you think she is ready for a life outside the palace,” he said.

  “I guess; is it really up to me to decide that?” asked Arthur.

  “Well, you’ve spent a lot of time with her and she’s a bit of a handful. She needs to have a constructive influence and seems to have changed during her time with you,” he said.

  “I don’t know about that, but if I’m helping then that’s all that matters,” replied Arthur.

  “Take care of her on when you go to Harrha, as much as Lilia is your sister there’s not much either of us can do about the evidence,” he said.

  The Dark Chasm Creature

  Arthur looked out at the scene he had witnessed with Jo weeks before, and he felt different somehow. Before his mind had been filled with thoughts of the beauty that people had created down here in the dark, carving massive stone corridors out of the rock, and lighting them up so it seemed like the sun was shining on this underground kingdom.

  He walked down the stairs; that winded around the rock columns like a spiral staircase. Arthur noticed that the path led down to the shores of the Great Underground Desert, which confused him because a desert is supposed to be hot, however the temperature in a wide open space was chilly. “Thank god it’s not hot down here, this combo gets unbearable sometimes,” he said, taking off his blue jacket and slinging it over his shoulder.

  Arthur carried on walking and was so absorbed in the scenery that he didn’t hear the sound of someone walk up behind him. They tapped him on the shoulder and Arthur was so surprised that he awkwardly spun round and tripped on nothing. He crashed into the shape and they both flew off the side of the landing and onto the sand dunes.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said quickly, then looked at who he had pulled down with him. It was a giant teddy bear, and it pulled off its head to reveal the woman Arthur had met on top of the rock outside Starfall Academy. “You!” he shouted, and it echoed around the massive cavern.

  “Archie actually but I’ve been called worse,” she said.

  “Who are you exactly?” asked Arthur.

  “Well first off maybe we should climb back up, I’ve got fur in my sand…wait that’s not right,” she said.

  “You’re not even a real bear, who are you and where do you come from?” he asked as they made it up to the landing. She sat down and dusted herself off while Arthur put his jacket back on and folded his arms.

  “I come from a place far away, and you wouldn’t believe anything I tell you about myself if I told you” she said.

  “I’m fairly open minded and I have seen many strange things in my life so please tell me and I will make my own decision,” said Arthur.

  “Very well Sir Arthur, I am the god Authos and I have created this world with the power given to me by The Great Creator himself. There are four elemental gods and I am the Goddess of Water. I wish to help you in any way that I can and am prepared to give you some evidence that what I say is true,” she replied.

  “Well I am prepared to believe you if your intentions are honourable. Why would a god want to help me?” asked Arthur.

  “I helped you once before if you remember rightly, I want you to have the best chance against evil, though this isn’t the standard struggle I can assume,” she said.

  “So you know that it is my sister that is the person I am fighting,” said Arthur.

  “I do and I think we should bring her back down to earth before she does something stupid,” said Archie.

  “And see her imprisoned for all the evil she has committed?” asked Arthur. “Oh goodness no, she doesn’t really deserve that,” said Archie.

  “So what would you suggest we do?” he asked.

  “Rescue her and take her with you on your next adventure so she can be brought back to reality,” she replied.

  “That was my intention but nobody would ever let that happen,” he said.

  “We could try, I’ll give you all the help I can,” she said.

  “I suppose with a god I can’t lose,” he said.

  “I wouldn’t bank on me being very reliable, though, since I disappear at strange times and have a really stifling personality,” she said.

  “If we’re going to be friends then it’s something I’ll deal with. Now can we go to the Dark Chasm?” he asked.

  “Of course,” she replied.

  Arthur and Archie walked along the terrace that was built between the desert sands and the massive rock wall. They finally came to the South Gate of Elowe; it looked out onto the desert as a castle above ground would look over the flatlands. They walked through the massive marble arch that had the most intricate carvings that Arthur had ever seen. “Look, it’s a huge carving of what they think Evere looks like,” said Archie.

  “It looks normal,” replied Arthur.

  “It’s missing a set of wings, and its horns need to be a lot bigger,” said Archie.

  “Have you ever seen her?” asked Arthur.

  “It’s a long story, shall we go?” she asked.

  They walked along the tunnel, and either side of it they saw that trees were growing out of the sandy soil beneath the huge lamps that lit up the tunnel. “Why do they have trees down here?” asked Arthur.

  “It’s quite brilliant to be honest; you see, trees produce oxygen above ground, and down here there is a distinct lack of it, so you see, this tunnel and the Forest of Black Light are Elowe’s oxygen factories. They produce enough oxygen that it removes the need to build airshafts,” she explained.

  “You know an awful lot about this stuff,” replied Arthur.

  “I read a lot, and I write a lot, then I go and stop evil people from destroying the balance of the world,” she replied.

  “So you’re an author?” asked Arthur.

  “Yes, you could say that,” she replied.

  “In that case, I’m going to call you ‘The Author’, since that is what you are,” said Arthur.

  “You called it not me, but could you call me Archie, that’s my name,” she replied.

  “If you insist, but why did you say, ‘I called it’?” he asked.

  “Nothing. Shall we push on?” asked Archie.

  They walked along the floor, which was covered in sand, and from the walls, more sand was flowing out. “Those are the small tunnels that the sand from mining flows out of; it comes into here, and then flows out into the desert out there,” she explained.

  “I see, and how far is the Chasm from here?” asked Arthur.

  “It’s a mile down the main sandy tunnel,” said Archie.

  “How did you know that? You said you didn’t know the way,” said Arthur suspiciously.

  “It’s on the map over there,” said Archie, pointing to the wall. Arthur looked around and saw that there was indeed a map on the wall, one that he didn’t see before.

  “That map wasn’t there before,” he said.

  “No, I just magically made it appear,” said Archie.

  “Funny, I just didn’t notice,” said Arthur.

  “Anyway, it’
s a mile away, so should we press on?” asked Archie.

  The road to the Dark Chasm went past several natural landmarks that were breathtaking to behold. They saw one of the many black glass bridges in the distance that spanned the Dark River. The water wasn’t a different colour, but since it was as black as night in areas without light then there was no other name it could have. They saw the edge of the Forest of Black Light; at the top of a small cliff, the roots of the massive trees poke themselves through the solid rock. They also went past an entrance that read ‘The Cave of Lost Dreams’ on top of it, and even though Arthur wanted to go in, he looked at Archie, and then decided not to.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll get a chance to go there one day,” she said.

  “How do you know? Are you clairvoyant too?” asked Arthur.

  “You don’t trust me, do you?” she asked.

  “I just find it very strange that you appeared out of nowhere,” said Arthur.

  “I didn’t come out of nowhere, and if you want to know my real name, it’s Archie because I like Bubblegum Pop, and I come from over the hills and far away, if you must know” she said.

  “Are you even from Discoucia?” he asked.

  “No. I tell you what, when we get to the Dark Chasm River, we can talk all about this,” she replied.

  “If you say so, how far are we away?” he asked.

  “Just follow me; we can make the time fly by with pleasant conversation,” replied Archie.

  “How old are you?” asked Arthur.

  “That’s not pleasant conversation, try again,” said Archie.

  “You start the conversation then,” replied Arthur.

  “Tell me, do you have a wife?” asked Archie.

  “No, I don’t”, he replied.

  “Then who was the girl I saw you with outside the main gate?” asked Archie.

  “That was Princess Josephine, she’s my partner,” said Arthur.

  “I see. Well she seemed nice,” said Archie.

  “Yeah, she is,” said Arthur in a dazed tone.

  “There’s something I should show you about me Arthur,” said Archie.

  “I thought you were going to wait until we got to the Dark Chasm Bridge,” said Arthur.