Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles

Chapter Six: Change Calls for Blood

"No citizen can bestow upon a Slave any rights specified in the Law of Noelle to be the rights of a Person, and no citizen shall attempt to do so."

That same morning, Polaris and Drake were back out in the cemetery with Wendell observing the Rose Tree to see if anything new had transpired. Its twisted trunk leaned further away from the palace as if to aid its drooping pearl branches in their growing effort to touch the ground. Polaris expected that the black leaves would brush the dirt before the end of the next month.

"Nothing new has happened since we smelled the soap and farm animals, Your Honor," Wendell informed.

"Well, I suppose no news is good news," Drake said.

"Not necessarily," Polaris replied. "The more information we obtain, the more evidence we have for Their Majesties. Not to mention the closer we get to a solid answer."

"I suppose I can't argue with that," said Drake. "But since there is nothing new, I suggest that we inform His Majesty about what we have so far and see what he has to say about our results."

Polaris sighed. "I think I'll wait for more evidence."

"Why? The sooner we convince the king about our theory, the sooner we find Nadia and prevent a war."

Polaris faced Drake to be sure that his words were clear.

"Yes, but only if we convince him. I don't believe that's possible with what we have. You forget, Drake, that I have yet to convince myself about this half-brained theory. If I can't convince myself, how do you expect me to convince someone else? There will be no second chance for us. If I can't persuade Their Majesties the first time I bring the theory to their attention, their minds will be forever closed off to the idea entirely."

Suddenly, they heard a noise that resembled the sound of bark being torn off the trunk of a tree.

"What was that?" asked Drake.

Another rip.

"It's coming from behind the tree," said Wendell.

Everyone present lightly stepped around the tree just as the sound came a third time. That's when they discovered three long, crimson lashes stretched across the trunk at diagonal angles. They watched as another, and another, and another appeared with blood dripping from the gashes.

"She's being whipped," Drake confirmed.

"She's too young for that," said Polaris solemnly.

"I never noticed those other markings before!" Wendell pointed.

They all saw them. They were the same tell-tale mermaid spots that Nadia had claimed were the mixed markings of a dryad and napaeae.

"What do those mean?" Drake asked.

"I'm not sure," Polaris answered deep in thought. "But I'm going to find out. This could be the evidence I've been looking for all along."

He scribbled notes into his journal and included a sketch of the exact manner in which the spots appeared on the tree, with a separate sketch of how the lashes appeared over them. Then he stood up from his crouch, breathed a heavy sigh, and took one last look at the lashes.

"I was hoping to find her before this happened."

Polaris and Drake rushed back into the library where Polaris searched around the maple bookshelves and grabbed all the books about the species he knew bore birthmarks on their backs – primarily books on seapeople. He flipped through the pages and studied the pictures until he found one that was the closest match he could find to the ones on the Rose Tree.

"Drake, we're right," Polaris said, not particularly thrilled. "The Rose Tree is mimicking Gerardo's descendant, who happens to be Nadia... and Nadia's a mermaid."

Drake glanced over the page which Polaris observed. Meanwhile, Polaris had to take a step back and let it all sink in. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Though it was all right there in front of him, it was still so difficult to digest. All his life, Gerardo's survival was a legend and mermaids were a myth, and now suddenly he was not only dealing with the descendant of Gerardo, this person was also a mermaid; the second one he had come across. The chances were less than slim, yet here it was. For a faint moment, he wondered how many more mermaids could be wandering around on land and why they were here. Then Drake distracted him from this thought and brought him back to the issue at hand.

"No one's going to believe it," he warned when he finished reading.

"Can you blame them?" Polaris replied.

"Let's keep the mermaid part out of this. For now, we should try to convince Their Majesties that the Rose Tree is imitating Nadia and leave all else out of the matter. This way we at least have a chance."

"I agree, but this is all so hard to prove without Nadia here to demonstrate the similarities."

Polaris and Drake sat in thought for a moment.

"Are there any similar studies on such things?" Drake asked. "Objects reacting to people in close proximity?"

"Or vice versa," Polaris added as he approached a bookcase. "I may be able to come upon some historical studies of some kind. Help me search around and see what we can find."

                                                              ***

Polaris and Drake managed to obtain some scientific precedent and met up with King Darren and Queen Ariana in their conference room. The king sat at one end of a large oak table and the queen sat to his left with a white rabbit in her arms. Drake sat a couple of seats away across from the queen, but Polaris was so restless he had to stand, even pace some. The room was too small for comfort and Polaris felt his body temperature rise as he imagined he was slowly suffocating. The abundance of mirrors in the room didn't help either. Practically all he could see was his nervous self as he sweated and paced back and forth.

Once it seemed that the king and queen were finally ready to listen, Polaris showed them all the evidence and notes he could to convince them of his suspicions, excluding the mermaid aspect, of course.

"Your Majesties," Polaris began. "I have studied the Rose Tree relentlessly for nearly a month now, and I have been able to come to one and only one conclusion as to what is causing its unusual alterations. It is as bazaar as the circumstance itself, but what can one expect?"

"So, tell us," Darren pushed.

"I believe that your Rose Tree is mimicking Nadia and every major aspect of her life."

"You jest," Ariana replied with a forced chuckle.

"I believe that Nadia is in this kingdom," Polaris continued, ignoring the queen's remark. "And the reason I'm so sure of that is because she has to be nearby in order to affect the Rose Tree in such a way. This is after all, how nature works. Nothing can affect something in such a way from a distance."

"This is how nature works?" Ariana repeated. "What is so natural about this happenstance?"

"What evidence do you have to prove that the tree is imitating Nadia?" Darren asked.

"The tree has pearl-white bark just as Nadia has pearl-white skin. Behind the Rose Tree, whipping marks appeared before our eyes and as she was purchased by someone in your dream, we can confirm that she is a slave." Polaris showed the rulers his sketches. "Wendell, Drake, and myself all witnessed the moment these lashes appeared one by one on the back of the trunk of the tree. You may observe them for yourselves if you so wish. I am convinced that once we find her, she will have the exact same markings on her back. I also suspect that once you sent out your search party, Nadia's owner colored her hair black. Therefore, the leaves on the tree have turned black. Why do I believe that these are what reflect her hair, you ask? Well, observe."

Here, Polaris revealed a leaf he had taken from the Rose Tree and removed a handkerchief from his sleeve. He rubbed the handkerchief against the leaf and presented the result to the two rulers.

"Is that not the original hair color of the child in your dream?" Polaris asked them.

The king and queen looked over the leaf. "Blinding specs, it is!" exclaimed the king.

"This proves nothing," said Ariana. "It would be showing her true hair color if it were mimicking Nadia."

"Not if it's mimicking every major aspect of her life," Polaris corrected. "It has also been producing the odors of soap and farm animals. Nobody whipped the tree either, but sure enough, lashes appeared before our eyes. It droops as if depressed, as most slaves are. All we have to do is find a very wealthy slave owner who also owns farm animals and we'll soon find Nadia."

"Which is about ninety-nine percent of all slave owners in Noelle," said Ariana. "Do you have any other magnificent suggestions for us, Polaris?"

"Ariana," said Darren. "Calm down, he's only doing what I asked of him. And might I add he has done a spectacular job."

"He's coming up with preposterous conclusions and wasting our time!"

"Then you may step out and take care of whatever else you find more important! Right now, I want to hear everything he has to say." Ariana kept silent and remained where she was. Darren turned back to Polaris. "Why would the Rose Tree be mimicking Nadia, do you suppose?" Darren asked.

Polaris and Drake glanced at each other and Polaris strived to develop a reason separate from Nadia's lineage. He cleared his throat.

"The Rose Tree is a major symbol of the Noelle royal family. You and Ariana shared a dream which prophesied the future generations of the family. When this prophecy failed to transpire, your Rose Tree found it necessary to intervene with the purpose of protecting the future of the royal family."

"The Rose Tree has the ability to make decisions?" Ariana asked.

"You're absolutely right," said Polaris, slightly annoyed. "Allow me to rephrase: since the Rose Tree, a symbol of the royal family, has been blessed by God, and this prophecy which we all believe to be a message from God has been interrupted, God is using the Rose Tree as a way to navigate circumstances back to where He wants them. Does this make more sense, my Queen?"

"It does to me," said Darren as he shot a warning glance to Ariana. Though she wished to reply, she accepted Darren's warning and kept her mouth shut. Darren continued to address Polaris. "Can you explain anything else happening with the Rose Tree that would support your theory?"

"I suspect that the action of drooping along with the sudden appearance of lashes tells us that things aren't going so well for Nadia. I do suspect that if we continue to monitor the Rose Tree, a pattern will reveal itself and provide us with more information that will help us find her."

King Darren considered Polaris's information. "What you've shown me does make sense. However, Ariana is correct. There are too many wealthy slave owners who own farm animals, and it seems this is all you have to offer when it comes to Nadia's whereabouts. If you can narrow down the search, I'll consider your request. In the meantime, I will be sending my army on their way to Saíd on the morrow."

"So soon, sire?" Drake asked. "Forgive me, I was under the impression you wish for those new weapons to be manufactured first."

"Yes, and come tomorrow, I will have succeeded in arming three companies in two days," Darren said proudly.

"How is that even possible?" Polaris asked.

"I've funded an entire factory to quickly build these weapons non-stop for ninety-six hours. The result has been pleasingly effective so far, if I say so myself."

Queen Ariana smirked evilly, but said nothing. Polaris observed this reaction and his suspicions of Ariana's involvement in Nadia's disappearance increased.

"Well I must say, Your Majesty," said Polaris to Darren. "You are certainly making good time."

"Of course I am," replied the king. "We have no time to waste. Neither have you."

"Indeed," Polaris agreed. "Sire, might you and Her Majesty be able to describe the appearance of the man in your dream who originally purchased Nadia?"

The king and queen paused for a moment and glanced at each other. Darren was the only one to give it a try.

"He appeared human to me. He may have been just under six feet tall, black hair passing his ears, black facial hair... he wore a crest..."

"What did the crest look like?" Polaris encouraged.

"Hmm... there appeared to be a snake and a wolf... with some floral design surrounding the two I believe. I wasn't exactly paying attention, as you might imagine."

"Understood. You wouldn't happen to know which way the creatures on the crest were facing, would you?"

"Away from each other," Ariana answered immediately.

"No, no, no," Darren stopped. "I remember very well they were both facing left. There is no doubt in my mind on that fact. The reason I'm so confident is because in the dream, they were both facing Nadia and I believed it meant that one day, all eyes would be on her."

Polaris smiled. "I have one final request, sire. It may benefit us both in the end."

"What is it, Polaris?"

"Allow me to take charge of the search parties. After all, you are so busy with your battle preparations. This way, you should be relieved of some responsibilities so that you may dedicate one hundred percent of your focus to a single task. In the meantime, I'll develop a profile on our slave owner and narrow the search down so that it might be more adequate and we may save more time and expense."

Queen Ariana narrowed her eyes at Polaris. Clearly, she desired to object to this suggestion, but somehow, she could conjure no argument against it.

"Very well," Darren said. "I shall turn the authority over to you. Report any major news to me immediately after you learn of it."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

                                                                 ***

Polaris and Drake returned to Polaris's chamber where the royal advisor slammed his books down on his desk.

"She is so bloodthirsty!" Polaris roared. "Tell me you observed her as well; she clearly feels no concern for Nadia whatsoever!"

"I did notice, in fact," Drake said. "I would go so far to say that she even wishes to stall the search."

"They're both right, however," said Polaris. "Just about every slave owner in the kingdom owns at least one farm animal and most are quite wealthy."

Polaris smiled a little and paused to ponder his next thought. Drake took a seat in a lounge chair and waited to hear why Polaris grinned so bright.

"But not every slave owner has a family crest," Polaris said. "Even less have a family crest with a wolf and a snake – facing left even."

Drake racked his brain for a moment. "The Viscount of Baskerville!"

Polaris's smile grew wider and he pointed an excited finger at Drake. "The Viscount of Baskerville. That's exactly right." He began to pace the room, deep in thought. "Now, in order to have changed the dream which both of Their Majesties dreamt, someone would've had to bid higher than the viscount. As I've mentioned before, it must have been a very large amount since it nearly changed fate, so this new person must be exceedingly wealthy."

"Wealthier than the viscount," Drake clarified.

"Precisely," Polaris confirmed.

"But there are many who are wealthier than a viscount," said Drake.

"Yes, but at least we know that this person is neither equal to nor lesser than the viscount. So, Nadia's new owner must be a noble. He also seems to get word of Their Majesties' actions quickly, so he must be someone who has access to the palace or access to someone within the palace. And quickly. So, he's quite nearby."

"So... the Marchioness of Aramycius, the Dukes of Helvetica and Aramycius, the Count of Helvetica... Do you suppose Mayove is close enough?"

"Drake," Polaris stopped. "You must agree with me now that Queen Ariana is suspicious."

Drake paused. "Somewhat, I suppose."

Polaris took a seat at his desk and leaned towards Drake.

"I believe that she informed our suspected buyer of Nadia's existence," Polaris continued. "I also believe that our buyer and Nadia are located here in Helvetica." There was a tense pause. "I believe that our buyer is Sir Rallian."

"That's quite an accusation, Polaris," Drake mentioned. "You really believe that he would risk his reputation over this?"

"He has the queen to protect his reputation," Polaris said. "Additionally, it's possible that she offered him something grand in return."

"Yes, of course. Perhaps we should pay the Viscount of Baskerville a visit first, just to be safe before we waltz around accusing nobles of starting a war for dishonorable purposes. Surely he remembers who outbid him for Nadia."

Polaris considered this course of action. "I suppose it would be wise to stay safe."

"Or you can simply save time since you're right about it being the Count of Helvetica."

Polaris and Drake jumped back at the sound of a third voice in the room. They each gazed in the direction of Polaris's chamber window to see a small, glowing creature standing on the advisor's journal, which sat open on his desk.

"Great griffins!" Drake exclaimed. "A pixie!"

Polaris was only curious and furrowed his brows at the tiny fairy. "And who might you be?"

"My name is Rein Bow." She bowed. "Two words. I'm a friend of Nadia's, and the rest of her family."

Polaris was intrigued. "The rest of her family?"

"Yes, her mother, Empress Renée, and her grandfather, Emperor Gerardo. I've been a family friend for centuries. I know of Nadia's situation very well."

Polaris glanced at Drake. "She's of royal blood even." He turned to face Rein again. "How much do you know, exactly?"

"Everything." Rein sat cross-legged on Polaris's journal, and Polaris listened intently to everything Rein had to say. "You were correct. Nadia is a descendent of Gerardo of Liko, who did survive his plunge into the Aquamarine and became ruler of every body of water in the world. Nadia was adopted by Gerardo's son and was made a blood relative by ceremony. Gerardo's blood officially runs through her veins. She had been sent to land to live here because the ocean was no longer safe for her, but as you know, she was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The Count of Helvetica purchased her."

"For how much?" Polaris inquired.

"Fifty twilights."

"Savage sprites!" Drake whispered.

"So, what is Nadia?" Polaris asked.

"She's one hundred percent mermaid. She inherited the human form by eating some form of crystals concocted by the miracle worker under the Aquamarine."

Polaris's eyes widened and he turned to Drake. "This is highly unfortunate, Drake. This is going to make things exceptionally more difficult for us."

"No doubt," Drake replied.

"Does the count know that she's a mermaid?" Polaris asked.

"Not yet, but he's getting close," Rein answered.

"Hopefully we can keep it secret. Does Nadia ever leave Aimonbay?"

"As much as possible... which isn't much," Rein answered. "However, she'll be running a stand in the market next Market Day."

"Fantastic! That's where we'll find her!" Polaris faced Drake. "I'll bring her straight to the palace and have her freed by royal command. Then we can figure the rest out afterward. Until then, the only thing we need to focus on is her safety and well-being, and to make sure that Rallian never learns of her ethnicity. Rein, how is she doing?"

Rein lowered her head while she searched for the best words. "I suppose as good as one can expect. She doesn't have the type of spirit that does well trapped... if you can understand what I mean."

Polaris nodded. "I understand. Fortunately, she won't be trapped for much longer."

                                                                 ***

Back at Aimonbay Estate, leshy slaves carried the freshly-punished Nadia on a stretcher to her bedroom where she would heal for the remainder of the day. Leshies were forest nymphs who cared for animals and were also helpful for medical purposes, such as tending to Nadia's lashes. One could tell them apart from the other ethnicities which the count owned by the way that their colorful eyes glowed. They used their talents and remedies on Nadia's fresh wounds as she lay faced-down on her bed. Garnet hurried into the room as soon as one leshy began to soak a cloth in a bowl of medicated liquid.

"Great griffins, Lila!" she exclaimed. "Why did you confess?"

"Because Master already knew," Nadia answered hoarsely. She kept her puffy red eyes cast down at the floor.

"He could've been lying, though. To trick you into confessing. Don't you know anything about questioning?"

"Oh well, the damage is done. But it was all worth it to me."

The leshy placed the soaked cloth onto Nadia's back. Nadia flinched at the burn and inhaled deeply through her nose in a desperate attempt to relax and push through the pain.

"Just let that sit there for some time," the leshy said. "Get some rest; we'll be back in an hour or so."

Once the leshies left to allow Nadia's wounds to cleanse, Rein flew in from the window before Garnet could speak again.

"I came as soon as I could," Rein said. "What happened?"

"Lila confessed to what she did last night because Master said he knew that she sabotaged the construction," Garnet answered.

"Oh, Honey," said Rein.

"It was worth it though," Nadia insisted. "I'd do it again if I had the choice."

"I wouldn't," said Garnet.

"Well don't do it again," said Rein. "Understand? The best thing to do is to win your master's favor, not his disapproval. Well, it might not matter anymore anyway. I've manage to gain us help from a palace-worker." Rein's elation quickly amplified. "You'll officially be living in the palace after next Market Day!"

"What?" Nadia asked.

Rein couldn't tell if the look on Nadia's face was pleasant shock or sheer panic.

"Yes, the royal advisor is going to pick you up, take you to the palace, and get you freed by royal command. Then you shall live in the palace for the rest of your life!"

"For however long that may be," Nadia replied. "I don't want to go to the palace."

"But why not?" Rein asked, stunned stiff from confusion.

"The queen lives there," Nadia explained. "She hates me. She wouldn't stand to allow my presence in her palace."

One could see the confusion drain out of Rein's mind.

"You're absolutely right. I hadn't thought of that. After all, she's the reason you're here." Rein took a seat on Nadia's dresser and processed this realization for a moment. Soon, Rein decided it didn't matter. "Well in that case, we must prepare for you to be here for an indefinite period of time. To start, I would tell your master that you're a mermaid so to avoid another punishment like this. We all know that he won't be very pleased if he has to find out the hard way."

"You're a what?" Garnet nearly shouted. She looked back to Rein for verification, but Rein only put her finger to her lips.

"Who says he's going to find out?" Nadia asked.

"I do," Rein snapped. "Because he eventually will. He's a very educated former knight, unfortunately. Not only wouldn't I underestimate him, but I would do what I could to win his favor. I really hate to tell you this, Nadia, but if you refuse to go live in the Helvetican Palace like you're supposed to, you might be stuck here for much longer than we anticipated and you'll want to make this as painless as possible for yourself. So please trust me, obey your master, and don't keep any secrets from him. Except, of course, for your curse. That must remain hush-hush for as long as possible."

"But the miracle worker told me not to tell anyone about my ethnicity," said Nadia.

"The miracle worker didn't expect you to be bought by the Count Rallian of Helvetica," Rein replied. "Of all Noellites to purchase you from the slave market, it had to be the queen's best friend. It appears that not only has fate been completely destroyed, but it seems to only be getting worse." Rein rubbed her face in frustration. "So you must choose, Nadia. Stay here and tell the count the truth, or live your life in the palace and trust that Polaris and I will protect you from Queen Ariana."

"Great griffins, what's going on here?" Garnet asked.

"I'll explain later." Nadia was silent for a moment. "I'll think about it, Rein."

"I'll accept that for now," Rein said with a sigh. "What about your ball? Have you retrieved it yet?" 

"No I haven't," Nadia answered. "I forgot. I'll fetch it tomorrow."

Rein sighed. "Please do because the water's revealing it. I'll make sure that it's still there and hidden in the meantime."

With that, Rein left and Nadia spent the rest of the day in bed. However, she was unable to relax knowing that she was going to be a slave on Aimonbay Estate for longer than previously thought, or she would be spending the rest of her life fighting to survive Queen Ariana's wrath in the palace. Which was better? Which should she choose?