The Death of Yorik Mortwell

bullets became honeybees and the crewman slumped to the ground, snoring.

In this way, they soon arrived at the path. The Princess released Yorik’s hand. “Where is he?” she said. “I’ve got to go to him, you know. He can’t come to me. It wouldn’t be proper.”

Yorik decided not to remind her of the massive Yglhfm who had destroyed her father. He could hear a distant rumbling from the direction of the Manor. “I don’t know, Princess, but we have to move quickly.” Yorik took her hand again and hurried her to the Manor lawn.

They were only steps onto the grass when Yorik noticed a firefly hovering motionless, its abdomen alight. He looked around. The world had stopped. There were motes of soot and dust and fire suspended in warm light, just as they had been a few minutes ago. He felt bathed in a spirit of purest love, and when he looked at the Princess, he saw that she felt it too. Her hand slipped from his and she rose into the air, eyes closed, as though lifted by an invisible hand. Her gossamer dress and face shone, her silver hair glistened, and her laurel crown sprouted white flowers. As if from far away, Yorik heard the faltering voice of the young Princess and the warm, rich voice of her gentle father. They were speaking in a beautiful language that he could not understand. There were tears in the voice of the girl, but happy tears now, and happiness in the stern tones of her father too.

Of course he’s not dead, thought Yorik, feeling embarrassed that he had ever thought her father could be disposed of so easily.

Then time began again. The Princess drifted back to the ground as the dust motes swirled away in a sudden burst of foul wind. They were on the Manor lawn under a bloody sky, distant screams all around, and a Yglhfm mountain towering over them, so tall now that Yorik could not see its peak.

A furious roar shook the heavens. Violent blue thunderbolts slashed the clouds.

The Princess was beaming. “Ah,” she said. “At last I’m my old self.”

Yorik pointed upward. “Princess, it’s time. You must fight the Dark Ones. They’ve all combined together somehow to form this mountain, and—”

“Oh, Yorik,” said the Princess, her face tear-streaked and dreamy. “Isn’t it wonderful? Father has forgiven me. I’m free.”

“I know,” said Yorik. “Now, Princess—”

“And I owe it all to you,” the Princess continued in a misty voice. She clasped his arm. “Lovely, lovely Yorik. My little ghost friend.”

Yorik grasped the Princess by the collar. “Dark Ones! Millions of them, they—”

But he could see the Princess was not at all focused on the immediate problem. Around them the grass was putrefying, stinking like the rotting vegetation in the Dark Ones’ world. Yorik could no longer recognize features of the Estate, and here and there masses of earth were pushing up into new hills.

“Yorik! Oh no, your arm!” The Princess’s face creased in deep concern. “Dear Yorik, what happened to your little arm?”

“Your twig fried it off. Princess, look!” He tried to turn her by the shoulder.

“Oh yes,” said the Princess vaguely. “My leafy twig.” She looked at her hand. “Where is it?” She knelt and began feeling around in the grass.

“Your father burned it to a cinder,” explained Yorik quickly. “Princess, please—”

A dark chorus of angry bellows interrupted. Yorik looked up. The mountain was now ringed by foothills, which surrounded him and the Princess as though they were at the bottom of a vast bowl. Atop each hill were crowds of giant Yglhfm. They began crashing in black waves down toward the center. Thousands more were raining from the flame-blue clouds.

“He burned it?” murmured the Princess. “Oh, naughty Father … I must make a new one … let’s go back to my aviary glade and get a twig.…” She wandered off dreamily in the other direction.

“Erde!” Yorik shouted desperately. “Princess, remember Erde—these are the ones who hurt Erde!”

The Princess snapped to attention. She quivered as her brilliant glow turned red. “They hurt Erde,” she said in a deadly tone.

She put out one hand. From the ground, a twig flew to her. Instantly it sprouted leaves. “Where are they?”

“Ah …!” Yorik swept his arm toward the on-rushing horde of Yglhfm.

From the dark wave, a multitude of voices combined to thunder in victory. YOU WILL SERVE US!

The Princess looked crossly at the horde. “Oh, you’re still here? Don’t you ever give up?”

She pointed her leafy twig.

“Caterpillars! All of you! Now!”

Chapter Sixteen

Yorik felt as though he had looked into the sun. He blinked until his vision returned. When it did, he saw a quiet, starry sky, and wispy clouds catching on the steeples and gables of Ravenby Manor. He didn’t see any Yglhfm. He saw the smirking Princess.

“You destroyed the Dark Ones!” Yorik exclaimed.

The Princess shook her head. “Not at all,” she said. “That would be a terrible thing to do!”

“Then what happened?”

“Exactly what I said would happen if they ever came around my beautiful glade,” said the Princess with immense satisfaction. She nodded toward the ground.

Yorik looked down. Now he could see, wriggling in the grass and stretching in all directions, thousands upon thousands of fat white caterpillars. “But aren’t they still …”

“Evil?” replied the Princess. “Yes, of course, but only in a sort of limited, caterpillar way.”

“What should we do with them?”

“Do with them? What do you mean, do with them?”

“We can’t just leave them here,” said Yorik.

“Why not?” The Princess sniffed. “They’re beautiful caterpillars. Any day now they’ll spin their chrysalises and turn into butterflies and fly away.”

“But what about their own world? It’s full of millions of Dark Ones.”

“Well, it’s full of caterpillars now,” mused the Princess. “Sounds as though they’ll rather like it there.”

Yorik thought of all the floating masses of green vegetation. He hesitated, imagining a mountain-sized evil butterfly. “Still,” he said, “I’d be worried about them coming back through the portal.”

“I told you, they’re all caterpillars,” she said in irritation. “Who cares?”

“Please,” said Yorik.

The Princess sighed. “Very well. For you.” She reached her twig out and rapidly drew the tablet runes upon the air in silver flame. They lingered a moment, then faded, accompanied by the dead echo of a red lion’s roar. She giggled. “Goodness, it’s fun to do things the old-fashioned way sometimes.”

“So that’s it?” asked Yorik. “The portal is sealed?”

“Oh yes,” said the Princess. “And forever. You can’t break my magic with a silly hammer!”

Yorik looked up at the Manor. It seemed completely back to normal, though entirely dark, no lamps alight with all the residents gone. And the sky had no flame-blue clouds. “I don’t understand why your father let them destroy his body. Why didn’t he fight the Dark Ones himself?”

The Princess rolled her eyes. “Oh, it was my responsibility, really, and Father says you haven’t learned how to do something properly until you’ve done it yourself. He’s very irritating sometimes.”

“My father used to say the same thing,” said Yorik.

Both were quiet for a moment.

“My sister,” said Yorik. “Susan was inside the wreck, in the topiary garden.”

“Easy!” exclaimed the Princess. “Let’s go!” She lashed out with her leafy twig. Yorik hardly had time to register the return of his right hand before the Princess seized it and they shot up into the air.