The Kingdom of Noitcif

Chapter Nineteen - The Island of Ytreop

 Espen felt panic rising in his chest as he made his way back to his quarters. A bath was drawn for him by one of his servants, and a change of clothes was upon his bed. The young king noticed his dagger and a jeweled-handled sword were on a side table beside them. He pulled each weapon out of their sheaths and inspected the gleaming, newly polished surfaces, realizing with dread that he may have to use them soon.

  As the new king enjoyed the hearty meal waiting for him after his bath, there was a knock at his suite door.

  "Chief Knight Fleet Hollingberry here to see you, my king." Espen's doorman bowed as he spoke.

  "Send him in please, Sebastian," Espen replied with mixed feelings, for although he enjoyed Fleet's company, he was concerned about the purpose of his visit.

  Fleet was seated and served by the royal wait staff. He seemed grateful for the bowl of grapes and glass of ice water that was brought to him, but insisted on not having anything else.

  After Espen had finished his meal, Fleet addressed the young king solemnly, "My king, not only has Lysander disappeared, but so has Hyperion's former personal chef. The kitchen staff reported he did not turn up for work today." The knight's expression hardened more still as he continued, "Our investigation has uncovered the distinct possibility he may have been slowly poisoning King Hyperion, thus being instrumental in his death."

  Espen sat for a long time after the chief knight's departure, mulling Fleet's words over and over in his mind. His father's death may have been prevented. And if the chef truly did poison his father, what wasn't to say he hadn't started to poison him, too? At this point, he didn't feel any effects of sickness or weakening, but it was still a concern. Espen was relieved the chef had left the kingdom before he could – perhaps - kill again, but then again... where had he gone?

  The more Espen ruminated, the more he realized he was going to need some help to work through the problems plaguing his kingdom. Even though it was rather late, he pushed away from the table, nodded at Sebastian on his way out, and headed down the hallway to the turret stairs. Soon, he was knocking on a chamber door one floor down from his, and soon enough, the doorman showed him in with a bow. Luckily, Lee Rose was still up and was equally glad to commensurate with her son. They had experienced brief encounters numerous times since the coronation, but hadn't gotten to have a long talk since two days after King Hyperion's funeral.

  The personal assistants to the queen seated them with a pitcher of juice in her dining room before leaving them alone to converse. Espen mentioned Lysander, at which point Lee Rose held up her hand and shook her head to express her knowledge of the matter and her deep disappointment in the duke she had trusted for so long.

  They spoke of the tower powering up, as well. The queen stated her opinion that its effects seemed different this time. Not quite as strong, perhaps? Espen made a mental note of that and relayed the earlier events involving Rosalind, Jax, Griffith, and the holographic Engres. Lee Rose sat deep in thought with little comment as Espen finished up his story. However, the young king left out the recent news about the royal chef leaving. He decided it was disturbing information for another time.

  "I just don't know what to do, Lee Rose," Espen stated wearily after he had finished his tale. "People call me a king, but the truth is: I'm as much in the dark as any of them."

Lee Rose nodded, and silently pondered the options of what she could do for her overwhelmed son. As she poured them another cup of juice and looked deeper into her memory bank, she uncovered the name of a group of people who might indeed be useful.

  "Estevan, I know some people I would like you to meet," she told him. "I cannot guarantee they will give you complete information, but they will give you hints about the future; that should help you no matter what."

  "Wait... information about the future? How?"

  His mother smiled. "Come back early tomorrow and I will show you."

  The next day, Lee Rose mounted her steed – Pagina - Espen mounted Fabula, and the two of them set off for the Island of Ytreop. The young king had visited many of the islands surrounding Noitcif during his reign, but Ytreop was one of the few Lysander didn't think it worthwhile for him to see. However, as Lee Rose dismounted off her pegasus and began to lead her son towards the center of the island, Espen realized there was quite a bit of intrigue about this place.

  Ytreop was tiny, and mostly consisted of a rocky maze with numerous trees and shrubs. Stone walls around the perimeter of the maze rose ten feet in the air, with leafy vines attaching their sticky tendrils to hug the walls' surfaces. Lee Rose told Espen to tie Fabula to a nearby tree, and he obliged before following her into the maze.

  Once inside, the charm of the island began to become evident. At every turn, there was a different artifact placed in the maze's corner. None of the items were very large, but they were both intriguing and impressive, nonetheless. There were clay vases, sword hilts, elegant statues, and quaint pieces of furniture. At first, Espen chuckled whenever they came across one, for they seemed absolutely pointless; there were hardly any people about, and couldn't provide any use all on their own. But the further they went into the maze, Espen realized that the little objects began to tell a story. A story more complex and unusual than anything he had seen before, but he couldn't quite decipher the meaning...

  Lee Rose was a perfect navigator. She had an air of confidence and assurance about her as she traveled through the maze, her long brown hair swaying as she walked. Espen had no worries about getting lost as long as he didn't lose sight of his mother. But when their destination came into view, Lee Rose said something that he wasn't expecting.

  "You are going to have to go in there alone."

  They had reached a tall, square building in the center of the maze. The darkened windows must have offered a beautiful view of the surrounding foliage and trees, but no one was inside to enjoy it. It looked to be completely abandoned.

  "Alone?" Espen inquired, his voice faltering. "In there?"

  A thin spiderweb hung over the entrance of the door, and the slanted roof was in need of repair.

  "Yes," his mother replied. "I know it looks foreboding, but it is the only way the silhouettes are going to speak to you. If I was in there also..." A gust of wind blew, making her pause mid-sentence. A crow was heard cawing in the sky. "... well, let us just say the shadows are not very intelligent. They will get confused about which one of us they are supposed to enlighten, and their predictions are muddled enough as it is."

  "Fantastic," Espen thought. "Going into an abandoned house to let a group of confused shadows speak to me. That doesn't sound creepy at all."

 However, the way his mother delivered her words made him nod in agreement, take a step towards the structure, then another, and another. Soon enough, he was completely inside of the building. A gentle breeze made the door slam shut.