The Golden Fountain Read online

  The

  Golden

  Fountain

  Zuheb Alep

  Copyright © 2018 Zuheb Alep

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

  Matador

  9 Priory Business Park,

  Wistow Road, Kibworth Beauchamp,

  Leicestershire. LE8 0RX

  Tel: 0116 279 2299

  Email: [email protected]

  Web: www.troubador.co.uk/matador

  Twitter: @matadorbooks

  ISBN 9781788034715

  British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Matador® is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

  This book is for Adam,

  Simply because you brought this book to life...

  Far away from us lies the Galaxy of Lux Aeterna where hundreds of thousands of worlds shine with such beautiful light, but in some corruptions of darkness remain.

  This story is set in a beautiful world holding one of the brightest lights of all; the World of Araillien.

  Contents

  Part 1 Aradia

  Chapter 1 The Birthday Carnival

  Chapter 2 The Royal Palace

  Chapter 3 Fleeting Memories

  Chapter 4 The Summoning

  Chapter 5 The Unexpected Visitor

  Chapter 6 The Gift

  Chapter 7 The Western Docks

  Part 2 The Far South

  Chapter 8 The Band of Benjamin

  Chapter 9 Brightlake

  Chapter 10 Kelindra’s Inheritance

  Chapter 11 The Orellions

  Chapter 12 The First Battle

  Chapter 13 The Fulfilment of the Band of Benjamin

  Part 3 Egypta

  Chapter 14 Homebound

  Chapter 15 The Unique Compass

  Chapter 16 Egypta

  Chapter 17 The Pharaoh’s Choice

  Chapter 18 The Red Tents

  Chapter 19 The Second Battle

  Chapter 20 Eidoncheirs

  Chapter 21 The Great Feast

  Part 4 The Far North

  Chapter 22 The Three Kings

  Chapter 23 Arcum Aeterna Lux College

  Chapter 24 Toalla Kingsborne

  Chapter 25 The Kingdom of Afghardan Iceland

  Chapter 26 Halamaband of the Far North

  Chapter 27 The Third Battle

  Chapter 28 The Golden Fountain

  Acknowledgement

  About the Author

  Connect

  Part 1

  Aradia

  Chapter 1

  The Birthday Carnival

  In a roaring crowd of thousands, only Benjamin saw the ghost open the door of the lion’s cage. He was sitting on the roof of his house, enjoying one of the best views in the city of Springhaven and looking forward to the carnival for Prince Adam’s birthday.

  It was fun to be in the thronging crowd, but from here he could see the elephants and the camels, wearing trappings of gold and diamonds. They were followed by the smartly-dressed marching band which filled the air with joyful music and provided a rhythm for the half-naked belly dancers, turbaned fire-throwers and circus artists whose skill made the crowds cheer and stamp. He looked over to the bell-tower of the great sanctuarium and saw the clock strike five.

  Finally Prince Adam came in sight, sitting in a golden chair carried by four strong men who sweated in the sun but stood proudly under their royal burden. Prince Adam was thirteen today, the hope and future of the Aradian Empire. In spite of all his wealth, the fortune fate had lavished on him and the jewels that covered him, Prince Adam looked miserable. Benjamin wondered what he had to worry about.

  Several floats behind the prince’s golden chair was a cage containing a magnificent lion.

  A fragment from the previous night’s dream came back to haunt Benjamin.

  Watch for the prince and the lion…

  Behind the cage was a strange figure, dark and shadowy, such a stark contrast to everyone else in the parade that Benjamin could not understand why no one was paying him any attention. He wore a black cloak with a hood so deep it was impossible to see his face, and beside him a ghostly apparition sent clouds of dust swirling.

  It was a boy in a pearly dress, and Benjamin could see right through him.

  The ghost raised his hands and the lock on the lion’s cage snapped, allowing the door to swing open. The big cat climbed out of the cage and stretched to his full length, showing off his magnificent muscles and great golden mane, then stalked towards the prince. Still no one reacted, as if they were blind to what was happening.

  Benjamin didn’t give himself time to think. He raced down from the roof, passing three flights of stairs, out through his front door, and shoved his way through the crowds to get to the prince.

  By ruthlessly pushing people out of his way, once even jumping over a toddler and ducking under an elephant’s belly, he reached the golden chair. His heart thumped loudly with nerves wracked to the edge of panic as he swiftly dodged the guards. Turning a deaf ear to the anxious crowd, he shouted, “Move!” He grabbed hold of Prince Adam’s collar, dragged the prince down from the chair and stood in front of him. The lion was so close now that he could smell the sour tang of rotting meat on his breath and see the intensity of the gaze the lion fixed on Prince Adam.

  He grabbed the bejewelled dagger from the prince’s belt and, as the lion leapt, he swung it with all the strength fear and inexperience could give him.

  Whether it was luck or fate he never knew, but the sword cut the lion’s throat, causing him to fall mid-leap and collapse on top of Benjamin.

  The weight of the beast knocked him flat, and he struggled to breathe under the mass of warm fur and heavy muscle. Blood spurted out in a red shower, blinding him.

  When he had fought his way out from underneath, everyone was staring at him. He wanted to cry at the necessity of killing such a beautiful animal, but it was too late.

  Prince Adam was smiling warmly, looking for a moment like a normal boy. He took a step towards Benjamin.

  “You’re filthy. Get away from him!”

  A guard grabbed Benjamin’s arms, dragging him away from the birthday carnival. He lost sight of Prince Adam and the lion. He looked around once more for the ghost and the dark cloaked man, but they had disappeared.

  Chapter 2

  The Royal Palace

  If Mama knew what Benjamin had done she’d probably give him a slap, but Papa reacted differently.

  “I saw what just happened.” Papa furrowed his eyebrows, looking down at his son. “Sebastian and I saw you save Prince Adam; don’t worry, you’re not in trouble.”

  Benjamin had been brought to his father’s room, fearing the consequences of his actions until now. He should have known that his father would understand. When he was six, he’d been caught climbing on the roof. Papa had pulled him down and given him a warning finger. “Don’t let your mother catch you doing that,” he’d said with a fleeting smile. “And I’d advise you to wear
boots if you want to climb around.”

  After Benjamin had returned to the house, his elder brother, Sebastian, had scolded him. A bulky man in his thirties, Sebastian had sat him down on the sofa in the living room. “What you did was dangerous!” he said. “You could have been killed.”

  Benjamin didn’t like his tone. Only Kaileena had approved of what he’d done; his dearest friend since birth, she understood his nature. When his brother had ceased shouting and peace had resumed, she asked him a sensible question that had not occurred to Sebastian: “How did you know our prince was going to be attacked by that lion?”

  Benjamin’s heart thumped. He began to explain, but footsteps descending the stairs tied his tongue. The house was not empty; his father was at home. He entered the living room, sent Kaileena home and then called Benjamin up to his large bedroom, overpowered by the scent of his mother’s perfumes.

  Here Benjamin stood, breathing a sigh of relief. The thought of all that had happened preyed on his mind; the memory of stabbing that lion almost made him vomit. Sounds of the carnival could still be heard, slowly fading away like an echo. Clutched in Benjamin’s fist was the wet knife which had stained his palm with blood. He still had it, wrapped in a damp cloth to keep it from dripping.

  “Did you hear me?” said his father. “Relax; you’re not in trouble.”

  “Papa,” said Benjamin. When his father nodded to show that he was listening, Benjamin recounted all that had occurred. “I think that dark cloaked man and the ghost released the lion to assassinate the prince. When I looked for them afterwards, they had disappeared.”

  Papa collapsed onto his bed, taking a newspaper from the desk. “You should be careful nowadays,” he said. “You’re not a little boy anymore. The outside world can be a dangerous place. You did a good thing, though.”

  Benjamin wanted to smile, yet the memory of knifing that poor lion consumed him with guilt. It was hard to feel proud of that.

  “Now,” said Papa, changing the subject, “you need to get dressed. Remember the new dress robe I bought for you over the summer, the aquamarine one?”

  Benjamin nodded. “Are we going to a party?” he asked.

  “Have you forgotten? We’re going to Prince Adam’s birthday party tonight. I told you months ago when we got the invitation.”

  Hearing this made Benjamin’s eyes open wide; if he were to attend this party, he’d see Prince Adam again this very evening. He marvelled at the coincidence that their second encounter would take place so soon.

  “There’ll be lots of children to play with,” his father chuckled. “Half the city has been invited, and those who haven’t are going to turn up anyway. Go on, get ready!”

  Benjamin scampered out of his father’s bedroom. He stopped to sit on the stairs and thought of all that had happened. One good thing had come out of it: Prince Adam was safe.

  Look to the prince and the lion …

  That had been more than a dream.

  *

  It was precisely half-past eight when Benjamin stood in front of the large mirror in the living room, nicely dressed. He was combing his dark hair and hated it. He liked it best when it was messy, but Mama wouldn’t have it. Benjamin grumbled at each pull of the comb. The ideas brewing behind his clenched eye muscles were hard to comprehend. He’d been trying to solve the mystery of the day’s events; the dark cloaked man and the ghost were surely assassins, but using the lion to accomplish their mission didn’t seem to make much sense. Why do it in public? And why could he see them when others couldn’t? The thought of someone wanting Prince Adam dead was also worrying.

  When Benjamin finished, he hurried out into the corridor. His family could be heard bickering loudly in the other rooms. He had three elder brothers, Sebastian being the eldest, then Edgar and Herman who followed in line as the second and fourth. Third and fifth in order of age were his sisters Jordanna and Nadine. Kevin and Alby, his younger brothers, were now screaming in pain as they were ruthlessly combed into respectability by their mother.

  To distract himself, Benjamin took Prince Adam’s knife from his pocket. Papa had told him to return it at the birthday party. It wasn’t his, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a proper glimpse of the blade first, would it? Benjamin slowly unwrapped the creased cloth to find that the blood had dried into a sickening shade of scarlet. In the light, the knife shone with many colours. It must be worth all the houses on this street. The cross-guard was richly studded with amber stones, diamonds and rubies. Benjamin held it up for just a second and imagined himself as a warrior.

  He jumped at the sound of the doorbell, startled. Opening the front door, he saw his friends and their families. They were all here, happily exchanging greetings. Benjamin welcomed them in. When the women had disappeared up the stairs with their toddlers to help Mama with her make-up, Benjamin stood alone with his friends. To pass the time, he recounted all that had happened that day. When he’d finished, his cousin Abel, bespectacled Jama Morad and brown-haired Anouk Torres all gave it as their opinion that he might be demented. Seeing a ghost roaming around the street in broad daylight was not normal.

  Kaileena believed him, though. “Don’t forget that he saved Prince Adam when no one else could. I saw it all in passing,” she reminded them.

  Abel opened his mouth to argue but Sebastian tapped it shut. “Time to go,” he said, opening the door to lead everyone out.

  There was a long debate on whether to drive to the palace, which was some distance away; due to the fact that there might be no parking space, the elders decided to walk.

  Benjamin held Sebastian’s hand, telling himself to put his thoughts aside. He was going to enjoy the royal birthday party tonight.

  It was a long, cold walk, and the sky was dark; stars shone like diamonds sparkling in the winter. The moon had left them for the other side of the world. They walked west first before turning north, and after about half an hour the royal palace came into sight. It stood tall in the centre of Springhaven like a towering mountain, a dozen mansions of gold and white all merged together with turrets and domed roofs reaching for the sky. Hundreds of wide windows shone with amber lights. Below, the silver doors of the grand entrance were open to welcome hundreds of smartly-dressed guests.

  Benjamin had seen it many times during his visits to the roof, but he had never been inside. With each step his body pulsed with excitement, quieting at the smell of Aradian blueberries.

  The courtyard contained two flowing fountains, numerous royal statues and a few trim hedges. It was packed with people. The queue was long and the chatter of the guests uncomfortably loud. Benjamin looked at his friends and family, sharing their excitement. When they’d arrived at the threshold, Benjamin pushed through to watch his father hand the invitation to one of the security guards; just a check of the list granted them access.

  They were struck by the warmth of the thronged hall. As they entered, a splendid sight met their eyes: a massive gold chandelier hung from the high ceiling, reflected in the emerald stone walls. The polished marble floor shone with unstained perfection. An enchanting smell from the nearby kitchen overcame the discreet perfume that Benjamin wore. Sebastian pulled him along.

  “Come on,” he said. “We must greet the royal family first.”

  Benjamin hopped alongside, remembering that Papa knew the king. The two had been friends for many years since their thirties. They first met at the hospital where Papa worked as a doctor. King Baruji suffered from a broken leg that was caused by his fall off a horse one summer. When Papa had mended it, the king never forgot him till this day.

  This was how Benjamin and his family and friends had come to be invited.

  As they approached, Benjamin watched Papa greet King Dastan Baruji with a firm handshake. They laughed like old friends, guffawing. King Baruji was a burly man in his fifties, black-bearded and clothed in heavy royal garments. His fingers were covered in jewelled
rings of many colours. Beside him was his queen, Miransa Baruji; the fairest of them all, she wore a simple red dress. Her hair was done in a style which would be spoken of for many days to come. Princess Hanna, the eldest royal child at fifteen, and Prince Harris, the youngest at nine, smiled valiantly, both of them in black. But where was Prince Adam, the middle child? He was nowhere to be seen. His absence worried Benjamin. “Prince Adam is over there,” the Aradian queen informed them, pointing her elegant fingers at the crowded area on the northern side of the hall. “He’s receiving gifts from guests all over the city.”

  Benjamin hoped to catch a glimpse of the prince, but the tall guests blocked him from view, all drinking wines of blue and green.

  “So sorry about the incident at the birthday carnival,” said Mama. Benjamin widened his eyes. “Is he all right?”

  Why did Mama have to bring that up? Lovely as she was, Mama was the greatest gossip in the city. After leaving her hometown in the Far East to be wedded to Papa, Mama had realised that she was now alone, without the friends and family of her youth. Long after her wedding day, the neighbours would listen avidly as she passed on a tragic story about an affair from her hometown without thinking twice about it. Papa didn’t like to hear her gossip, always turning a deaf as she told of an interesting drama nearby. Sometimes he would laugh at her stories.

  The queen nodded once. “Yes, thanks to the boy who saved him,” she said. “If I could find out who it was, I would announce a great honour to be placed upon his name.”

  Benjamin bowed his head, embarrassed. He raised his eyes to his father who returned a fleeting smile; he seemed proud, yet he chuckled silently at Mama’s behaviour. Mama took out a gift from her bag and handed it to Benjamin. “Find Prince Adam and give this to him,” she said, “and remember to bow.”