Kyyoro didn’t have to wait long before her Senator had completed her assigned
task. Five citizens were brought before her. They all bowed and shook as the
queen addressed them.
“Good day,” Kyyoro said quickly. “Please introduce yourselves and then we
will get down to business.”
A blue Lupe stepped forward first. He had a heart-shaped birthmark on his
front shoulder. “I am Inokyenu. I am good with riddles and have been here for
a long time. I will help you as much as I can in any way.”
“I am Anger_Fire,” said the second in line when he stepped up. “I have lived
in your kingdom for as long as I can remember, always walking in your shadow,
my queen, my idol. I will try to serve you in any way.” The red Shoyru stepped
away and a white Uni stepped forward.
“My name is Marlhorn. I would like to help you. They say I was chosen because
of my high standards and grades, so here I am, erm....” Kyyoro would have smiled
on any other day at how shy the young girl was.
The others Depridama had rounded up included a cyan Aisha named SilentSilk
and Ravenan, a green Shoyru.
Kyyoro decided to get right to the point. “We have a problem, er, citizens.”
Kyyoro was not sure how to address them. Kids wasn’t right, citizens was too
much, people was too casual....
“Herongedy has written us one of their riddles. All we can understand is that
they want war. I asked Senator Depridama to bring to me the smartest, most trustworthy
people in the land. If you share any information you gain here, the consequence
will be harsh.” Queen Kyyoro took out the scroll and read it aloud.
“O’ER the mountains,
By the stream,
Through each and every night
Glazed by moonlight’s gleam
Through obstacles, come dark,
Examining by light of day,
Must two come in twenty-nine?
Battle marks the way
Through field, through stream,
Through sky, through tree,
Your choices clear; your delicacy ours,
Surrender, or face defeat.
Allies by the past Sworn enemies by
Come kneeling, come bowing,
May the victor emerge strong
The part about warfare is clear, but the rest makes as much sense as chocolate
covered Grarrls.”
“Right then,” Anger_Fire said. “Let’s start, line by line.”
Kyyoro nodded. “You may sit in the chairs before you, but do not do them any
damage.”
Depridama scowled at the sight of the Lupe Inokyenu making himself comfortable
on her seat. There were more seats than just the five occupied by the queen
and Council, so everyone sat save the little Uni, Marlhorn who found it difficult
to sit.
“Okay,” Kyyoro said quickly. “The first line is, O’ER the mountains/by the
stream. I suppose that means just what it says. Any other thoughts on the matter?”
Everyone glanced at each other and shook their heads. The queen moved on.
“Through each and every night/glazed by moonlight’s gleam.”
SilentSilk raised her paw rapidly before the queen could say anything. “Whatever
they are trying to say, they must do it by night.”
“Or,” Inokyenu glared at the Aisha, “they could mean whenever the moon is
full.”
“Both good answers,” Kyyoro nodded. “But because of the next line, I think
they might mean they were in the mountains by the stream every night, like SilentSilk
said.”
His answer being eliminated, Inokyenu stayed quiet for some time.
“Let’s see, through obstacles, come dark/examining by light of day...” Kyyoro
looked over the scroll silently. “I think they were training by night and watching
us during the day.”
Everyone nodded.
“Must twenty-nine of two come/Battle marks the way.” Kyyoro looked at the
paper in front of her, stumped. “I can never figure out this part.”
For what seemed like forever, they all thought to themselves, but no one could
prevail with an answer to the riddle.
“Perhaps,” Ravenan said, breaking the long silence, “perhaps we should continue
figuring out the rest and come back to this part.”
“Good thinking, Ravenan,” Kyyoro picked up the scroll once more. “Through field,
through stream/through sky, through tree/your choices clear; your delicacy ours/surrender,
or face defeat. I guess that means they want something of ours, or they will
declare war.”
Everyone agreed.
“Allies by the past/sworn enemies by/come the twenty-nine of two/may the victor
emerge strong.” Kyyoro finished.
“Who did you say wrote this?” Anger_Fire asked.
“Herongedy, we presume," Kyyoro answered. “The writing, the context, the thought
required – it’s from Herongedy.”
“Umm…” Anger_Fire murmured. “We were allies?”
Queen Kyyoro sighed. “Once, yes. It was so long ago – and no benefits on our
part. See, a nearby country was being attacked, and Herongedy thought it would
be a wise strategy to gain fame by assisting them. Well, the king made some
few mistakes; their fortune was soon the target of the enemy.
“So, with nowhere else to turn, King Herongedy asked for my aid. I was foolish
enough to agree with his commands, for fear that many innocent citizens may
be harmed.
“We helped them to win, but we were shown no gratitude. King Herongedy bows
to no one and didn’t want any countries to attack his weak military. So he acted
as if we were just two different countries fighting for the same thing.”
“I see," Anger_Fire said, thinking hardly.
Marlhorn was suddenly struck by an idea. “Perhaps this is their way of pledging
revenge! They want our power. But what do we hold that gives power?”
“I don’t know...” Kyyoro shook her head miserably. “But I will find out. Tonight
I will send our armies to Herongedy to find out what they want.”
The gathered citizens all left after that. Kyyoro groaned. “Bessinia,” she
called.
The Kau walked in softly. “Yes, Ma’am,” she said in her tender, loving voice.
“Send me Corporal Episcal," Kyyoro told her maid. “Tell him that it is very
urgent and that he should report here immediately.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Bessinia trotted out of the room.
Soon, Episcal was at the large door. “You wanted to see me, Your Highness?”
“Bring your army to Herongedy. Find out what the king wants from us and be
prepared. Each soldier should be armed with a weapon and shield. Hurry,"
the queen ordered.
Episcal nodded. “My armies are always prepared.” He saluted and marched out
of the room quickly.”
***
The sun rose, warming Tarquinta’s tender body as if the events of the past
nights had been erased from the memories of the earth. The Shoyru looked around
only to flop back down on the grass. Her cloak was soaked by the dew and Tarquinta
instantly knew she had to get up and fly away.
Her wings blandly pushed against the brisk morning air. Slowly she rose, but
she soon remembered the Sorceress’s orders: “Bring to me the elements as fast
as you can or suffer the penalties.”
She judged that she only had a few more miles to go, and her wings were beginning
to push as hard as they had before. Tarquinta sighed. She would never understand
how she could have stolen the items. They were so beautiful; royal and gold,
history as older than time itself. But the items weren’t her own – they belonged
to the Sorceress now.
Unless, if she were to keep the items for herself…
But how could she avoid the Sorceress?
Then, she realized that what she had taken could be hers if she didn’t go
home. She had nothing to go home to. Her parents gone, she was homeless, under
the power of the Sorceress.
The Sorceress would track her down, of course, but if she did, Tarquinta was
well armed.
Smiling gently to herself, Tarquinta turned noticeably to the west and continued
to soar into the day’s bright sky.
***
Inscorrade’s chubby face was as gloomy as a swamp as he sat beside Depridama
at the large table. They sat there, awaiting news from Episcal, whose army had
not returned yet. Silence ruled above all in the Meeting Room, and the queen
looked more melancholy than anyone in the Palace. If Episcal didn’t discovered
what they wanted, the Palace of Kyyoro would be destroyed.
Corporal Episcal burst into the room, shaking everyone.
“Outrageous!” He cried.
“What do they want, Episcal?” Queen Kyyoro stood, her spirits lifting.
“Those measly little sneaks!” Episcal shouted. “They don’t even know what
they want! They claim we’ve stolen something of theirs! I couldn’t reason with
those Herongedy leeches!”
“Corporal,” Kyyoro silenced Episcal. “You are not giving me the full story.
What happened to make you so enraged?”
“We arrived at the Kingdom and they claimed that we stole the queen’s property,"
Episcal explained. “But no one here could do such a thing. Everyone is in their
rooms by midnight and–”
“Excuse my interruption, Ma’am,” Bessinia said softly. “But my Kaus check
on everyone at midnight unless they request us not to for their personal reasons.
No one has requested that for the past two weeks and no one has gone missing.”
“Did they say when the articles were stolen?” Kyyoro asked Episcal.
“They didn’t tell us, only the Herongedy Kingdom would never wait this long
to get vengeance," Episcal answered.
“He’s right,” Depridama cried. “But how can we find what they want if they
won’t tell us what it is?”
“I don’t know, Senator,” Corporal Episcal eyed Depridama with hatred.
“Right,” Kyyoro said quickly. “I shall contact the king myself.”
Everyone present gasped.
“But–but, Ma’am–they’ll destroy you!” Inscorrade stammered.
“You... you can’t be going there, Miss!”
“I will go and reason with their monarchy personally,” Kyyoro repeated. “If
they truly want their article back and think we have possession of it, they
would not destroy their leader.”
“Oh, but yes they would,” Depridama argued. “Without you we’d be powerless
and would have to hand over the article, but since we don’t have it, we’d have
to find it for them.”
“You speak reason,” Kyyoro pulled on her cloak. “But perhaps you would like
to go for me, Senator.”
Depridama stood silent.
“Take Episcal with you,” Depridama ordered after she found her voice again.
“I don’t need anyone with me, but if you do feel unsure about my leaving,
you may watch me go. If you see anything go wrong, I give you full permission,
Episcal, to send your army.”
“Yes, Your Majesty," Episcal saluted.
Queen Kyyoro had just opened the large soundproof door of the Meeting Room
when she was tackled by a guard.
“Get down, Miss! We’re under attack!”
To be continued... | 
