Chapter Twenty-Five

Mido clutched Calliope's body close to him as they joined King Sloan's army galloping through the forest, stopping briefly at the abandoned house. Men leaned against its old frame, their wounds still wrapped. Maria hurried to them as they approached, running her hands over Calliope.

"I dunno what I can do for 'er," she said with worry. "This is beyond my expertise."

King Sloan trotted to them, his eyes on the witch.

"Is that the witch?" he asked them, his brows knit together as he looked her over. "The one who killed Scarletta?"

Mido nodded. "She needs help."

The king's horse pawed anxiously at the ground as he studied the witch in Mido's arms. "I can have my doctor look her over," he began, hesitant, "but I don't know what good he will be for a witch."

"Anythin'," Maria said, turning to the king. "Ya gotta help 'er."

King Sloan looked over the men that watched them and turned to a few of his men, waiting for his orders. "You stay with them until they are well enough to travel. Bring them safely to Alryn. We'll be waiting." King Sloan turned to Mido. "We better get moving if she's going to have any chance."

Without another word, Mido turned Lily back into the woods, trotting ahead of Ian and following King Sloan and the rest of his men. Ian turned to Maria.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Go with 'im," she said. "There's no witch 'ere any more to threaten us."

Ian hesitated before turning and following Mido through the forest. They pushed their horses faster and faster as they made their way through the kingdom, reaching Alryn's gates late into the evening. The two guards stepped aside as the king and his men approached. They trotted quickly through the city streets and through another set of tall, sturdy gates that marked the castle's property. King Sloan barked his orders at his men, and they hurried off to fetch their kingdom's best doctor in the city below.

Ian gawked at the castle's tall ceilings as they followed King Sloan into an empty room. Mido carefully placed Calliope on the empty bed and watched anxiously for some sign of life. He waited in the dim room with Ian and their king, the world outside growing darker quickly. With each passing minute, Mido grew more and more anxious, until finally, the king's doctor pushed hurriedly through the door.

Mido watched as the king's best doctor examined Calliope's body. He checked for a pulse, listened to her chest, and peered into her golden eyes. After a few minutes, the doctor turned and spoke to the king, his voice low and quiet. Mido strained to hear what he was saying. The king turned to Mido and Mido approached them.

"I don't know what we can do for her," the doctor said with remorse. "She's gone. There's no heartbeat."

"That can't be," Mido stuttered. "She wasn't hurt. She was fine. She was alive. She's not dead."

"I don't know anything about witches," the doctor said. "All I know is that she shows no sign of life.

Mido knelt beside Calliope's body, examining her and shaking his head. "No, no, no." He took her hand in his. "Come on, Calliope. Come back. Calliope."

"But the Nequam," Ian said, approaching from behind them. "When Scarletta died, they burst into dust. Calliope didn't. She can't be dead."

"She's not dead," Mido said forcefully, getting to his feet. "She's not even human. Her body isn't the same as ours."

"There is an old man that lives just outside the city who claims to know of Scarletta's magic," the king said. "Many believe he's crazy, but maybe he knows something we do not."

"Get him over here," Mido said. The king narrowed his eyes at him, then called to his messenger, sending him off to deliver the message.

The young man, just barely out of his adolescence years, rode with speed and confidence through the kingdom to the small hut a couple miles outside of the city where the old man lived. He had only seen the man a few times before, when Samus traveled to the city to buy his goods. He was anxious to meet him and see what he knew of the magical world.

The messenger kicked his horse faster, knowing the life of Calliope rested on his shoulders. Time was of the essence if she was going to be saved. If she could be saved. He prayed that she could. He was fascinated by her powers and her loyalty to the kingdom. They'd be the most powerful kingdom with her on their side. No kingdom would dare to interfere with them. No more war. No more death. The idea of becoming a soldier in the king's army scared him, despite the fact that he wanted to do right by his kingdom. In that moment, though, he was the most important person in the entire kingdom, and that pushed him onward, anxious and excited.

He pulled his horse to a stop when they reached the little house. He slid off his horse's back, landing lightly on his feet, and hurried to the door, knocking quickly and hard. The old man opened the door and smiled at the young boy, nodding, as if he were expecting him.

"Sir, I come with a message from King Sloan," the messenger said, bowing to the elder. "Your knowledge is needed to save the young witch that has saved our kingdom from Scarletta's shadow."

"The witch?" Samus asked. "Calliope? She is injured?"

The messenger nodded. "The king's doctor does not know what he can do for her, a magical creature. Rumor has it, you study magic. Could you help her? Do you know how?"

The old man laughed. "Do I know how," he mumbled to himself. He cleared his throat. "Yes, let me see her. I will do what I can."

Samus closed the door behind him and whistled sharply. An old, skinny gray horse appeared from around the house, snorting in response to his master's called. The old man climbed onto his steed's back and instructed him forward. The messenger mounted his horse and squeezed him on, anxiously catching up and running ahead. The boy looked behind, checking on the old man and his horse.

Samus coughed and cleared his throat. "We can catch up," he said. The messenger hesitated for a moment before pushing his horse faster. The gray gelding followed close behind, inching faster and faster until they raced across the kingdom together, towards Alryn.