The Call
The three things suggested:
1) An emperor (or empress) who is fond of riddles
2) A burlap sack filled with potatoes
3) The knave (jack) of spades
The Call
The Call Bruce was relaxing like he normally does when he's not busy in front of a good roaring fire in his fireplace. Oh yes, he realized that it was at least 95 degrees today and that everyone was trying to stay cool. Not Bruce. Whether it's winter or summer, hot or cold Bruce sits in his old fashioned rocking chair, feet up on a footstool only a few feet from the fire, rocking them slowly back and forth.If Bruce were a sports figure, or a politician, or even an actor he'd be an imposing figure. He stands over 6'6" tall is massive of chest, arm and leg and had a neck like, well, like a Moose. However when he's sitting like this, feet to the warmth of his fire his feet draw your complete attention. They're absolutely huge! He wears no shoes, he finds them confining and a shoemaker would probably go broke trying to create a pair for him.
As Bruce sat there, slowly rocking in his chair and enjoying the absolutely delicious feeling of the heat of the fire on his feet he hears a knock at the door.
"Come in!" Bruce yells to the visitor, "The door is open." Bruce seldom locks his door. There's no crime in his village and besides, Bruce doesn't even know where the keys are.
A small young Fox, barely old enough not to be referred to as a Kit came in and bowed to Bruce. The Fox was dressed in beautiful red heralds' robes and wore a fine cloth hat of majestic red as well. On the front of the uniform was a crest that Bruce knew well.
The crest had the look of a Knave that you would see playing some of the card games at the inn, complete with the spade symbol at the upper right and lower left of the crest. This Knave was completely different than those on the decks of playing cards that Bruce was familiar with for the crest that he wore consisted of a large question mark emblazoned in bright red on his chest. Bruce groaned softly knowing another adventure was about to begin.
He then looked at the herald a little more closely.
The herald looked back expressionless with piercing yellow eyes. The Fox didn’t need to have an expression however. Like all of his kind his presence made its own expression. The hat he was wearing was not borne like a normal herald would have worn it but slightly askew, almost rakishly. Bruce looked a little more closely and then laughed loudly!
"You've done well for yourself Narin!" Last I knew you were working in the kitchens. Quite the promotion."
Narin looked back at Bruce and for the first time allowed any expression cross his face. He smiled proudly, his eyes gleaming impishly and his brilliant sharp white teeth in stark contrast to the red of the fur covering his body.
"Yes, Sir Bruce. Last year the Empress made me a courier. She tested me in the kitchens where the gossip was served as fast as the food and she found that no matter what I could keep a secret. One day she hid 25 gold coins in a sac of potatoes knowing that I was on duty that day to peel them. I found the coins. An absolute fortune for a kitchen worker! I knew that no one in the kitchen would have had such a fortune and that they could only have belonged to the Empress. I knew they had to be returned to their rightful owner."
Bruce nodded his head and continued listening.
"I hid the coins, knowing some of the other workers as I did, and finished my kitchen shift. I then retrieved the coins and went to see the Empress herself. As you can imagine kitchen help does NOT see the Empress, under any circumstances, and her guards made that quite plain to me as I stood outside the throne room demanding entry."
Bruce laughed and could well envision this small Kit, no not a kit, this Fox, standing up to much larger and well trained guards and probably intimidating them.
"Well, I had no choice but to get loud, and loud I got! I demanded entry. I told them I had important business with the Empress and the more serious I got the more amusing the guards found it. Wolves I think they were. Maybe Boars, I don't remember because I was terrified. Anyway, suddenly the throne room doors flew open and there stood the Empress."
"She is beautiful. The most graceful Panther you'd ever want to meet. She just doesn't walk anywhere, she flows there! Totally black except for those blue eyes. You've seen her haven't you Sir Bruce? What am I saying? Of course yu have, many times! She is the most beautiful being I have ever met and standing there, scowling at the noise, well, my heart almost stopped!"
"Everyone became deadly silent and immediately kneeled. I did too, much to my total embarrassment. As I knelt the coin sac that I had hidden under my shirt slipped out, hit the floor and broke wide open, spewing coins in every direction."
The Empress burst out laughing and pointed to a guard who was totally confused by the site of a kitchen worker obviously carrying a fortune in gold. "Pick those up! Count them. And find something to put them in."
The guard collected a small urn decorating the entryway and picked up each coin and counted it before dropping it into the urn. Wolves, they were Wolves! Boars would not have been able to count! Anyway the guard finished picking up the coins and presented the urn to the Empress."
"25 coins Your Majesty."
"Thank you Marock," the Empress said, bowing ever so slightly to her guard, "Go back to your post now, all of you."
"I turned to go back to the kitchen," Narin continued, "when the Empress stated, "Not you Narin. You have passed my test. Come with me!" The Empress looked at the guards and stated flatly,
"If Narin ever comes to these doors again requesting entry, you are to immediately obey him. Do you all understand?"
The guards saluted and affirmed that they did. Thus, I was promoted. Now I'm here to deliver this."
Narin reached into a hidden fold in his robes and produced a small golden envelope with one word etched in fine pen on the outside. It read "Bruce"
Bruce sighed and opened the envelope as Narin stood quietly, waiting. Bruce tilted his head just a little and Narin said,
"The Empress asked me to wait for a reply."
Bruce nodded and smiled and asked,
"Do you know what this is Narin?"
Narin looked almost insulted and then realized who he was speaking to,
"If you mean do I know what is specifically written, of course not Sir!" But if you are asking do I know whether or not it is a riddle, yes, it is all I deliver for the Empress. She s quite fond of them."
Bruce realized the situation he had put Narin in and also how deftly the Fox had maneuvered out of the difficulty. Yes, this was a job that Narin and his kind fit into extraordinarily well.
"I did not mean to suppose you had read this note Narin. My apologies for even making you think I would assume such a thing. Sometimes I speak first and my mind gets in gear afterwards. Yes, I was asking you whether you knew if it was a riddle."
Narin smiled and replied, "No offense taken Sir Bruce." I have delivered many of these for the Empress and they have all been riddles so I assume this one is too."
Bruce opened the envelope and on extremely fine writing paper was what both he and Narin suspected. A riddle.
"This plant of the sea grows tremendously fast. Replace its eleven with eight and you'll know what I ask."
Bruce shook his head. "Do you know what this means Narin?" Bruce asked the herald.
"No Sir. I never know but I'm not prevented from helping if you wish."
Bruce talked out loud, "A sea plant. Coral? No, that's an animal. Plankton? No, that could be either plant or animal. Seaweed?"
Narin spoke up, "How does seaweed have an eight? Eight roots? Eight strands?"
"Something else." Bruce said. "Has to be." At this time Bruce was sitting straight up in his chair rocking thoughtfully, feet flat on the floor.
"Sponge?" Narin asked helpfully? Maybe a plant with eight letters in its name?"
"Seagrass?" Bruce spoke aloud? "Eight letters. No. It's simpler than this. Has to be. What is the fastest growing plant in the sea?"
Almost in unison Bruce and Narin shouted out, "Kelp!"
"Of course!" Bruce laughed, "Kelp. And there is the eleven!"
Narin was confused, "Eleven? I only see four characters."
Bruce smiled, "No, not eleven characters, the eleventh character. K."
Bruce smiled at Narin, "Tell your empress that she will have my Help." I will be there tomorrow.
Bruce saw the light go on in Narin's mind and his nodding at understanding the riddle. He bowed to Bruce and said, "I will convey your reply to the empress immediately Sir Bruce."
As Narin headed to the door Bruce spoke, "Good seeing you again Narin. You've done well and your family must be proud."
The herald stopped at the door, opened it, and replied without turning around, "Yes, Sir Bruce, I suspect they would be, if they knew."
He then stepped through the door and closed it behind him before Bruce could respond.
Bruce sat back in his chair and rocked slowly. Thoughts about what kind of help the Empress needed nagged at him and the comment Narin made about his family troubled him. They didn't know? Bruce had known Narin's family for years. They lived in the castle as valued advisors. How could they not know?
Bruce rocked back and forth and the more he thought about it the more troubled he was. Well, guess he would find out.
But that's a story for next time.
© 2007 Gene Wolf | Design by Andreas Viklund