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
Y orik 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 evercame 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-sizedevil 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,
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
Y orik 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 evercame 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-sizedevil 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,
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