The Kingdom of Noitcif

Chapter Twenty- The Four Silhouettes

  The darkness was complete. As soon as Espen heard the door close, he tried groping around for the doorknob, but he couldn't see his own hands, let alone the handle of the exit. When he began to relax and was able to breath properly, he noticed a flickering candle burning up ahead at the opposite end of the house, along with another in the adjacent corner.

  As his eyes adjusted, the candles proved to be effective, and he was able to stumble his way to the other end of the structure, pausing as he stepped around overturned tables, chairs, and statues – much like those he saw in the maze. It looked as if this house was once a great feast hall, but was deserted long ago.

  Espen stepped over the final clay pot and stood in front of the single wall that was being illuminated. The candlelight flickered and swayed as he cupped his hand over it. As he withdraw his hand, his shadow was cast long and ominously across the completely blank stone face – a contrast to the three other walls, which were dotted with spiderwebs, scuff marks, and ink splatters.

  "Hello."

  Espen gave a start, and looked wildly around for the speaker, stepping out of the candlelight as he did so. His shadow disappeared from the stone face.

  "Oy. Looks like the young king has come to visit us, Ana," a thick Scottish voice chuckled, much different from the calm, wise voice that spoke before.

  "Yes, indeed," a lilting, female tone replied. "How are you, King Estevan?"

  As Espen watched, transfixed, a lifelike silhouette appeared on the stone wall in front of him - walking in from the side as if it was coming onstage. The teenager glanced behind him for its owner, but saw no one. It then dawned on him that the shadow was much smaller and more detailed than his silhouette had been, and therefore, must be an entity in itself. Just as Espen deciphered that, another silhouette came across the wall, followed by another, and finally, the shadow of a bird came fluttering around the heads of the three.

  "Welcome, King Estevan, to the home of the Four Silhouettes," the tallest of the four proclaimed, giving him a low bow.

  "Um... thank you."

  "We heard that the duke left. That is a pity, truly a pity," the Scottish shadow sighed, his curly hair bobbing as he shook his head in dismay.

  "Yes!" Espen exclaimed, suddenly remembering why he had come. "Yes, he did! And that's why I'm here now. My entire kingdom is in an uproar, and I need to know how to proceed. Lee Rose thought I should come here."

  "Lee Rose, the fine queen! Of course she would not forget us! How is your mother doing these days?"

  "Kester, the king did not come to us for small talk; he came to have his future told," the tall, wise-sounding shadow stated evenly.

  "Yes, my dear. We do not want to keep him waiting all day," Ana added.

  The large bird over their heads let out a loud "Caw!"

  "All right, so what specifically would you like to know?" the tall, wise man inquired of the king.

  Espen thought about this for a moment before formulating an answer. "I want to know what Engres is planning to do, and what will be the fate of my kingdom in the near future. Should I be preparing for something? Planning for something? Is there something I'm missing?"