The Toy Prince

12. Niklaus

Getting to Strindz in the short amount of time that they had meant that Ursula had to create a doorway of her own. To do that she had to reread the journal.

He watched her struggle for two minutes trying to make a doorway until she was red in the face. She was getting frustrated with herself which was clouding her concentration.

"Are you ready to listen to me now?" he asked for the second time in as many minutes.

Ursula flipped him the bird and tried again. He smiled to himself and settled back in his chair. He'd be here when she needed him.

"Fine! I give up!" she snapped, literally throwing her hands up in the air. She glared at him. "What should I do?"

He sat forward, rubbing his hands together with glee. "Your mind is too full of stuff. It's making it hard for you to concentrate. You need to clear your mind."

Ursula's glare intensified. "You really are an ijit aren't you?"

"What does that mean? On better thoughts don't tell me. Just stop thinking. Close your eyes and listen to my voice." Ursula gave him a sceptical look but did as he asked. "Imagine that you're in the sea. You can feel the waves washing over you, bumping against your skin. Let your mind only think about that and then when you feel calm enough, start to visualise the door. You might feel the stone on your bracelet becoming warm as it focuses your thoughts but it's nothing to be scared of."

He let his voice lapse into silence. Ursula was very still, not even weaving side to side. He breathing had become significantly deeper, a sure sign that she was calming down. As if hearing his thoughts, a faint shimmering line of light appeared in front of Ursula.

It started to grow, becoming taller and wider until it was about the size of your average door. Then to his surprise it began to fill itself in. The outside became solid first taking on a deep red colour, closely followed by the centre filling in with a similar red colour but taking on a wood grain and sprouting a silver hand. A solid door stood between him and Ursula.

"Um...Ursula?"

He couldn't see her reaction but he could certainly hear it.

"Holy crap!" She came around the side of the door to stand next to him. "That looks very permanent."

Niklaus nodded. "I guess you're better at this than you thought."

Ursula didn't look happy though. "I was only trying to make a temporary one. This thing in the middle of the room is just odd." She waved at the door and made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. "I hope to God I can remove it when this is all sorted."

"You made it, you can destroy it."

Ursula actually gave him a small smile at that. "You know that might be the best thing you've said to me in a while."

"Gee, don't I feel good."

Ursula smiled at him. "Let's go."

. . .

When they stepped through the doorway Niklaus was confused by his surroundings. Strindz had changed dramatically since he'd last been there.

It had once been the artistic centre of the Kingdom where there had been long streets of profitable shops selling everything from art to jewellery. Now there were empty shells of buildings that looked as if they'd been abandoned in a hurry. There was nobody on the streets either, another polar opposite to its once busy past.

"This looks like a slum," Ursula said.

Her words echoed his own sentiments exactly. She didn't understand how wrong this whole picture was. Konigreich didn't have areas like this where obvious poverty existed. There were places where people lived a more simple life but nothing like this. He could see haunted and skeletal faces watching them from behind broken windows. Why was his Uncle not helping these people? It was a question he would put to him when this was all over.

"Where to?" Ursula asked.

"The fountain is in the square. We have to go this way."

He pointed the way after dragging his gaze away from a particularly emaciated child. He was losing focus on the immediate problem. As unfortunate as it sounded these people would be here when they came back.

He kept close to Ursula as they walked down the street. It was eerie to be the only people moving down the wide, empty street and to have their every move watched. It was the most unnerving sensation and he found himself looking straight ahead to prevent his head being on a constant swivel. He didn't sense any danger. He only sensed fear. They were being watched by very fearful people.

"I hate to ask but can we pick up the pace?" Ursula asked.

They did, rounding the corner and entering the square known as Valkyrie's Square. It didn't look any better than where they'd just come from.

"Time for you to disappear," Ursula said. She sounded nervous.

"I'll still be here. You just won't be able to see me."

His attempt to reassure her did very little. Ursula still looked scared but she moved with an air of confidence that anyone would envy. He watched her walk to the once famous Strindz fountain and sit on the edge. His nutcracker prison sat on her lap, the ghoulish grin fixed on him. Niklaus shivered and looked away, focusing on the fountain instead.

It was a majestic work of art that sat directly in the centre of a square of buildings that overlooked the fountain like a group of sentinels. The base of the fountain was made of pale grey stone shaped like an octagon. In the centre of the fountain, on a raised pedestal, was a carved figure of a winged woman pouring water from a large jar into the base of the fountain.

The woman was a Valkyrie, a death spirit that haunted battlefields taking dead warriors up to Valhalla. The fountains Valkyrie wasn't fighting or flying which had always made Niklaus confuse her with an angel. She was made from gold and inlays of jet and lapis lazuli brought some colour to the carved folds of her gown. The fountain looked remarkably clean and was completely intact. That surprised him. He'd half expected it would have been stripped and sold to stave of the hunger of the residents.

His attention was suddenly caught by a shadow moving to the east side of the square. Who it was, he couldn't tell yet. There were more of them he was sure of it. His Father wouldn't be foolish enough to just send one person to take Ursula. He would have ten men or more stationed throughout the square. Felix would be the one to do the actual kidnapping.

Niklaus let out a low whistle. It was their predetermined sign that let Ursula know she wasn't alone anymore. He saw her grip on the nutcracker tighten ever so slightly. The only outward sign she was nervous. It wouldn't be long before she had a lot more to be nervous about.