Jupiter Rising

Chapter Twenty - A Map

The outskirts of Olamoore were surrounded by soldiers, five kingdoms, five various colours of flags and plumes, waiting to escort four Queens home. From an Aerial view, the forest appeared like a painting. I admired it from the back of my swift as I flew with their scream. They were fondly called so, as a group, because of the noise they made chasing one another through the trees here and the many buildings of the human world beyond our veil.

Eyes were now everywhere, above the clouds, within the forests, deep in the streams of the west, and to the seas of the south. Alert, waiting, and watching. The soldiers in Gold surrounding the Kingdom, were not the only army dispersed at my word.

We had no idea who or what this King of Gloam was or where the seventh Kingdom would rear its ugly head from, but my guess was the North, for my eyes were limited there. I had the loyalty of the creatures of the South, and the West took the knee long ago, but the North was dark for me, and the army I had hidden there amongst them was limited in numbers, it was Sorcha who claimed the North, and the creatures there were fearful of reprisals, and so kept to themselves. Valendoor had the lakes, and so those that resided within them were theirs. What flew above them however, were mine.

The eyes above the lakes were certain that they had sensed changes in the lands North, visually the landscape was changing, and the cloud was unusually dense. They were blind there. That wasn't a coincidence. Gloam didn't want to be discovered, and he didn't like being watched, but I never did like adhering to the rules of  Kings. So, I'd be the disobedient daughter once more... and rather than hide ... I'd head straight into the heart of enemy territory, hoping to rip out his.

I had to see it for myself, the Gloam, and figure out a way to retrieve Mirren and Emerald. I couldn't do that blind, and neither could I ask my people to offer themselves up to vanish within the dark one by one on quest of the answer. I had to Map out Gloam from above, and my Swift was just the creature to help.

I made a plan to head North that afternoon. I didn't want to fly by dark, for obvious reasons, and so I would leave after lunch, and knowing all would stop me, I didn't tell them. A note would suffice. I would head to bed with a headache, and hope that nobody checked in, and then I'd fly from my balcony. I hoped to be back before it was even noticed. I didn't have much hope of that, and I knew Andromeda would be furious, but I had to follow my gut instinct, and it told me that the only way to get ahead of the King of Gloam, was to catch him by surprise. I wouldn't land, and I wouldn't make contact. I just had to see it, and understand it better, to know how to fight it.

When I landed back on the Oak I was met with a little grumpy troll.

"Sycamore" I greeted as I dismounted.

His arms were arched up, and his hands were on his hips as he observed me with his puffed up chest in his penguin suit. "You're not to do it"

"Do what" I asked, knowing very well what he alluded too.

I slowly removed my flight gloves as my eyes met his.

"Don't go there" he ordered, in his squeaky exasperated and somewhat hoarse voice.

"Where" I returned, annoying him greatly.

"Queen Rowan... I forbid it. If you go there you might not come back"

I rolled my eyes slightly and threw the gloves down "Dear Sycamore... you have no say here anymore. Your duties to me are done, you are Jupiters now. Watch my daughter, and keep her safe. That is all I ask of you"

"Who do you think ordered me up here with news of this outing" he barked back.

I smiled "She orders you already?"