The Princelings of the East Page 7

  Chapter 4: At the Inn of the Seventh Happiness

  In which Fred learns more about the Energy Drain and we meet a Prince with a Purpose

  Fred’s feet were getting sore. It was hard work running alongside the stranger. He didn’t seem to be hurrying, yet he moved quickly for a big guy. At first Fred had chatted to the stranger freely, talking about life at the Castle, about George’s experiments and engineering feats, about the cousins that had disappeared and about Uncle Vlad. Then he had got tireder and talked less, and they probably had not spoken for a couple of hours now. He wished he had taken George’s advice and had a good rest. He felt guilty and worried at the same time; what would happen to George if he didn’t catch them up? He would hardly be likely to at the pace they were going. Fred had been looking for somewhere to rest for ages, but there didn’t seem to be anywhere, just miles and miles of unending smooth earth tunnel wall. He was summoning up the strength to suggest they stopped for a break just where they were, when they rounded a bend and he saw light ahead, not cold light like before, but warm, welcoming light, with a hum of voices.

  They slowed to a stroll and came out of the tunnel into what appeared to be a market square, with other tunnels leading off at angles. It was night, but there were lanterns strung around the place and across from the tunnels to a building at the centre. Its windows and doors were wide open, and quite clearly was an inn. Fred’s spirits brightened tremendously.

  “Let’s stop here and rest a while,” said the stranger. Fred agreed heartily and they threaded their way through other travellers who were seated at tables, on benches and just on the floor, and arrived at the bar. A young person, with a cute face, greyish coloured hood covering hair that went everywhere at once, and wearing a smart white jacket was springing about from customer to customer. He waved cheerily at them and finished serving the traveller he was with.

  “My goodness, Hugo!” he said, “We haven’t seen you for ages! Where have you been?”

  “Here and there,” replied Hugo, for now the stranger had a name, “wherever business took me. How is your father?”

  A shadow crossed the barkeeper’s face. “He disappeared back in the early spring. Said he was going to look for more Energy. We haven’t seen him since. What will you two have? Will you want to stay for the night? We have only one spare room. Sorry!”

  Hugo accepted the spare room on their behalf and asked for a Wozna. He looked at Fred, who wondered what a Wozna was and asked for a strawberry juice to be safe. Hugo looked at him curiously, but just ordered the strawberry juice. When it arrived, he held it up to the light as if examining it for purity before passing it over.

  “Your good health,” said Hugo.

  “And to your family,” responded Fred and they breathed deep as they savoured their first drink for quite a while. Fred’s tummy promptly rumbled and Hugo ordered a double portion of Melange du Jardin from the menu, which sounded good to Fred, as long as it was tasty and edible. They took a second round of drinks to a table in one corner where it was a little less boisterous: some of the travellers had started a game of Shove H’penny and there was quite a lot of Shoving going on.

  They took their ease and looked around at the other customers. An enormous platter of fresh vegetables that the barkeeper brought over to them diverted their attention.

  “Thanks, Victor,” said Hugo. “That’s real good. When you’ve got time, come and join us.”

  “Yes of course,” he replied and scuttled off to serve more customers.

  Fred and Hugo tucked in to the meal. It was delicious - plain, but revitalising, especially after a busy day travelling. In fact, Fred realised with a jolt, he must have been travelling for a whole day without really stopping. No wonder he felt tired and footsore.

  “Where do you come from, Hugo?” he asked after they had demolished at least three-quarters of their meal, hoping that by asking again at a more mellow moment he might actually get some information.

  “Well, my name’s not really Hugo,” he replied. “But they call me that in these parts and it will do.”

  “Why Hugo?”

  “Because by your standards I’m huge, and I come and I go, I think,” and he laughed.

  Fred wondered whether he had invented that name himself to suit his personality, but he decided it fitted, and he was unlikely to get further with it, so he changed the subject.

  “Why would Victor’s father go to look for more Energy and not come back?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, and I mean to draw out Victor on that subject before I make any further plans. Oh, there’s Lupes - do you mind waiting here while I do a little business with him? Finish the food, order more if you want, and have more to drink - it’s on expenses.” He got up and whilst he appeared to amble over to someone sitting in the opposite corner, he arrived quickly at his side. The object of his attention was surrounded by what appeared to be admirers although it also had the cosy feel that might have been princelings round an uncle. Fred was unable to see him clearly but he appeared to have fallen in some soot as he had a smut on his nose. Fred also didn’t understand what Hugo meant by expenses, but the order to help himself was clear. He went over to the bar and asked Victor for another strawberry juice and a melon chaser.

  Victor waved him back to his seat. “I’ll bring it when ready, if you don’t mind. Awful busy. It’ll quieten down soon. Only overnighters stay past midnight.”

  Midnight! Fred was right then. He and George had left the Castle in the Marsh a little while after sunset, but could never have travelled this far in less than five hours. He got to Thinking about time and how it could fly or drag. He got himself so lost in his Thought he was very nearly grumpy when Victor interrupted him with the food and drink, but remembered both his manners and his thirst just in time.

  “Where’s Hugo gone? Oh, he’s over with Prince Lupin. I wanted to catch up with him. I haven’t seen you before. Are you Hugo’s new apprentice?” Victor asked, settling down beside him with a drink he had brought for himself.

  “Um, no,” said Fred, working out that only the last comment needed an answer. “I was travelling with my brother George and we met Hugo when he came into the tunnel we were in.”

  “Brother George? I haven’t served him yet.” Victor looked around worried, like someone failing in his duty.

  “No, we got separated.” Fred reassured him. “If he turns up here after we’ve gone, will you tell him which way to go?” he asked anxiously.

  “George will get my best attention,” Victor assured him, which made Fred feel only slightly less guilty for abandoning him.

  “And where are you from?” asked Victor.

  “The Castle in the Marsh,” replied Fred, wondering how long it would be before he got back there.

  “Hmm, heard people claim their birthplace,” said Victor. “Not met someone claiming to come straight from there.”

  “I don’t think we’re renowned as travellers,” Fred smiled, “but lots of my cousins have gone travelling one way or another.”

  “Your brother George, he looks like you? Will I recognise him?”

  “He’s very alike, but slightly redder hair and he hasn’t got a crest,” explained Fred. “We’re non-identical twins, but people often mix us up even with the different hairstyles. This is good strawberry juice,” he added, hoping to turn the questioning round the other way.

  “Thank you. We still get call for the traditional drinks. Most people drink Wozna or Vex these days.”

  “I’ve not heard of either of them.”

  “Castle Marsh must be off the network. You’d have had the trade otherwise. They’re all the rage. Hugo is involved. Brought us Wozna years ago. Only drinks Wozna that one.” Victor supped his drink, which was in a bottle marked ‘VEX’ in green lettering.

  “We’re having trouble with an Energy Drain,” Fred decided he might as well start researching straight away. “You said your fath
er had gone looking for more Energy.”

  “Yes, Energy drains periodically. Always worst when we’re low on stocks. Got the usual sources, sun, water, pedal power. We have this clever game in the backyard. The kids love it. Climb up the top of a tower and swing off. Does great things for our energy store. Can’t keep up though. Oh - I’d better get back!” and he got up as Hugo came back to the table accompanied by the tall handsome prince, who either had been incredibly messy as his feet were also covered in soot or, more likely, thought Fred, was of a particularly noble line and this was his royal regalia.

  “No, stay, Victor,” said the Prince and Hugo more or less in unison. “We want to hear more about your father,” added the Prince.

  “Prince Lupin, may I present Princeling Fred of Castle in the Marsh,” said Hugo, as Fred bowed deeply and formally, with his Castle’s special sign. “Fred, you are in the presence of Prince Lupin of Buckmore.”

  Fred stayed in position.

  “OK, Fred, rise, I’m not that formal outside the castles themselves,” said the Prince, seating himself comfortably by the table with his feet up. Fred grinned and relaxed. This was the sort of prince he liked. “Settle yourself back again. Victor, tell me more about your father - I hear he’s gone wandering.”

  “Not wandering, begging your pardon, Prince,” said Victor in a suitably modest tone and much more formally, “He was anxious about the drain on our Energy. He said he was going to find more.”

  “Which way did he go and when?” asked the Prince.

  “Three moons ago, he set off after closure. Along the Corey-Vexstein line.”

  “Probably thought to check out what happened at the first castle to be affected,” said Hugo to the Prince.

  “Excuse me, Prince Lupin,” said Fred, “but we also have a problem with the Energy Drain and I am tasked to find out more about it.”

  Lupin and Hugo both looked at Fred; Lupin with interest, assessing him in a positive light, and Hugo, well, Hugo’s look was rather suspicious.

  “Ok, young Fred,” said the Prince, “I will give you a crash course in the Energy Drain, but first we must find out a little more about Victor’s father, since Victor cannot come with us and keep the inn going.”

  Lupin started to ask Victor about his father, and the times when Energy seemed to be at its lowest. Fred found himself nodding in the warmth of the room, and although he caught words like “delivery” and “turnover” and “dynamo”, they all seemed very distant, as did the word “Castle Buckmore” which seemed to be joined to the phrases “set off for” and “at first light”. He came to with a start and tried to look as if he had been listening and thinking. Victor was just standing up, nodding in a different way, and thanking the Prince for his attention.

  “Don’t worry too much, young man,” said the Prince to Victor, “you’re doing a grand job here and your father will be proud of you. Keep up the good work; we would be in a sorry state if the Inn of the Seventh Happiness was to close.”

  “Now, Hugo,” he said, turning to him as Victor scurried off, “if we are going to make progress on this we need to be careful, but we need to make haste since the situation is getting critical. I’ll go and brief my lads, and get some sleep. I’ll see you both in the morning in the breakfast room. Goodnight to you both.” He nodded politely, Fred bowed again, and Lupin laughed gently as he strode off.

  “Time to turn in, young man,” said Hugo. “The room’s this way,” and he led the way across the inn and down a staircase that corkscrewed into the corner.

  “How far is it to Castle Buckmore?” asked Fred.

  “We’ll probably arrive before sundown if we get away at first light. I don’t know what you did, but it made a good impression on the Prince. He’s not usually too quick in taking up with other people - got too many of his own to look after already.”

  They arrived at their room, a small cubbyhole, not much larger than the hidey-hole Fred and George had left at their own castle.

  “You take that corner - sleep well, and get yourself up quickly when we’re called - we need to be on our way pronto.”

  Fred shifted round Hugo to get to the corner and settle down. He had plenty to Think about, but he really felt in need of sleep. He wondered what would happen at Castle Buckmore. He closed his eyes and stayed still for what seemed like five seconds before he wanted to scratch his leg. He opened his eyes again and started: someone was tickling his leg with a feather. Victor’s face was looking out of a small hole in the floor at the foot of his bed. He put a finger to his mouth in the age-old warning to be quiet, and beckoned Fred to follow him. Fred did so, even more quietly than a mouse, leaving Hugo gently snoring in the other corner. They went down a narrow tunnel then up some stairs and emerged into some well-lit, beautifully appointed rooms.

  “Sorry, young Fred,” said Prince Lupin. “I think you should leave now, with my friend and Steward here, the former Princeling Baden. He’ll introduce you to someone who can explain when you get to Buckmore. You can sleep in the carriage.”

  Fred, not sure who could be trusted and who could not, decided to go with the flow. He got into a carriage for the first time in his life, and set off, with an unknown but amiable guy called Baden, into the dark of the night.