We're Heading to the Capital of Pauperia
"Is she awake yet?!" a nervous, panicked male voice struck my ears, making me wince. I’ve never been fond of loud shouting.
"Do you really think a young girl can just shrug off such intense stress?" I heard my grandmother’s calm voice, though beneath the calm swirled a storm of restrained emotions. She was barely holding herself back from snapping at Burgomaster Hibiscus. "Put yourself in her shoes—she’s still just a child. And she was nearly executed! Almost killed for nothing! For a crime she didn’t commit!"
"Watch your tongue, Mrs. Egrettis! Imagining your burgomaster on the scaffold during an execution is tantamount to treason! I will never be in her place!" The burgomaster’s voice cracked like a rooster’s crow.
"Since when is a mere supposition considered betrayal?" Grandma didn’t change her tone, only adding more force to her words.
She had never feared people in power or with wealth. She once told me she’d faced enough fear in her time to last a lifetime. "You’d do better to order a proper investigation! The real criminal is still out there! Heaven forbid they kill someone else! Ida is innocent, and that was clear from the start. You know it full well!" By the end, her voice was like a razor’s edge—sharp and furious.
"How does the duende know her?" the burgomaster shifted the subject. "After all, Djalzh Fergard Quartz of the Clan of Dissenters, the overseer of our kingdom, only arrived in the capital of the Fifth Corner the day before yesterday. And the capital is a far cry from our little town!"
"I haven’t the slightest idea!" Grandma cut him off, then turned to me with a gentle tone, noticing I’d opened my eyes. "Ida, how are you, my dear girl?"
"I’m fine," I replied, sitting up on the bed.
We were in an unfamiliar room, and standing nearby was an irritated Burgomaster Hibiscus. Seeing that I was awake, he quickly moved to the door, flung it open, and shouted:
"She’s come to! Hurry and get her presentable—we’re leaving for the capital in half an hour!"
"The girl needs to eat," Grandma interjected, stopping Burgomaster Hibiscus as he was already stepping into the hallway. "She’s got no strength left after all she’s been through. That’s the first thing. And the second—I’m coming with you!"
"Why on earth?" the burgomaster asked, clearly annoyed. It was obvious he was angry, but also frightened. And I understood why: when a duende publicly berates a burgomaster, even of a small town, in front of a crowd, it’s both humiliating and terrifying. Everyone feels vulnerable and afraid, not just the mayor. "Do you honestly think you can elicit even a drop of sympathy from a duende? Don’t make me laugh! I’ll take her myself. And bring some food!" The last sentence he barked at a few servants in the corridor.
"I’m coming with you, and that’s final!" Grandma declared.
The burgomaster must have realized it was better to agree than to fray his nerves arguing with Mrs. Egrettis. He let out a loud sigh, rolled his eyes, and stormed off, tossing over his shoulder:
"The carriage will be waiting outside in half an hour!"
Some people, likely the burgomaster’s servants (as it turned out we were in his estate, where I’d been swiftly brought after the execution), delivered clothes and food for me.
Grandma shooed them out of the room, firmly stating she’d help me dress herself. As I ate ravenously—truly, I was hungry as a wolf—she sternly questioned me about every detail of what had happened in that cursed abandoned mill. I told her everything honestly, swallowing both the roasted pork and my tears, which streamed down my cheeks.
"Oh, Idarella," she sighed after hearing my dismal tale. "You’ve gotten yourself into deep trouble. A real mess. Everyone knows you shouldn’t get involved with the duende under any circumstances. They’re terrifying beings. Your life already belongs to him. The first time, he saved you from dishonor, and the second, from death..."
"I know," I sobbed. "And I understand I must repay this debt, even tenfold. So I’m asking you, Grandma, don’t come to the royal palace. Don’t put yourself through unnecessary stress. I’ll endure it all and do whatever that duende commands. I have to. And you shouldn’t worry yourself—you know Antalia and Mossida are still minors. Who will look after them if you end up in the hospital?" Grandma tried to protest, but I finished firmly. "I’m to blame for everything that’s happened. I let Herny get too close, gave him reason to think I was a frivolous girl, though I’m not! Now I have to fix this myself! First, I’ll find out who killed that boy so these murder accusations don’t hang over me! And second, I’ll pay the duende whatever price he demands! You understand, I have to do this! Even if the price is too high, I can’t refuse..."
Grandma listened at first with objection and disbelief in her voice, then nodded as if making a decision for herself.
"You’re right, Idarella. Everything the Star sends us as a trial has a purpose. If this has happened in your life, you must come out of this difficult situation with dignity. Besides, I believe the duende didn’t save you just to kill you himself! He needs you alive. I’m proud of your thoughts and decisions. But take care of yourself, my girl. Since your parents passed, I’ve taken on the great responsibility of raising you into true, honorable people. And I believe you won’t tarnish the honor of the Egrettis name, no matter where you are or what you do..."
"Grandma, I love you so much, but under your wing, my sisters and I forgot that we have our own lives and must learn to live them on our own. It’s not just you who’s responsible for us—we’re responsible for ourselves too! For our own lives. Thank you for everything. I’ll get through this and come back! I promise!"
I finally convinced Grandma not to come with us, as my sisters would indeed be left entirely alone. There was also the shop, which needed constant attention and work...
Half an hour later, I was sitting in a carriage with Burgomaster Hibiscus himself, heading to the capital. Summer was in full bloom outside, so in the new, uncomfortable, slightly tight, and overly warm dress they’d found for me at the burgomaster’s estate, I felt stiflingly hot. The long sleeves and woolen hem were ill-suited for a sunny day. The healer-mages had quickly tended to the wound on the back of my neck, but I could still feel the scar. Every time it throbbed, a shiver ran through me as I recalled the executioner’s axe against my skin.
The burgomaster initially tried to pry information from me about the duende, asking how I knew him, but I stood firm: I know nothing, I’ve heard nothing, it’s all news to me. He fell silent after that, and we rode the rest of the way to the royal palace without a word.
Our little town of Kleptas isn’t far from the capital. It takes about an hour by passenger coach to reach the kingdom’s main city. On various holidays, my sisters and I often traveled to the capital for a day out. Sometimes we went with Grandma to the theater or art exhibitions, as she once dreamed of becoming an artist and, I believe, was even somewhat well-known for a time. But she didn’t like talking about it. We don’t even have her paintings at home. If there are any, they’re stashed away in the cluttered attic, filled with old things left behind by Mom and Dad. They died when my sisters were very young, and I was only five. Grandma has raised us ever since.
Talinta is the capital of the smallest kingdom by territory under the oversight of the duende. As an unshakable truth, we learned in school that the duende protect, care for, tend to, and oversee the Five Kingdoms.
The vast continent we live on is roughly shaped like an eight-pointed star, and it’s called just that—the Star. It’s believed that the goddess who created it was also named the Unseen Star. The continent hosts the Five Kingdoms, plus the separate realm of the duende. Each kingdom on the continent occupies its own corner of the Star (with only five inhabited Corners remaining, as three of the ancient Eight Kingdoms were once conquered and erased from existence by the ruthless duende). Our kingdom is one of these five and is officially called Pauperia, though everyone refers to it as the Fifth Corner. We have a king and queen, an army and a navy, and many people live here, but all of this is a mere fraction compared to the mighty duende, who are incredibly powerful on land and sea. They wield primal magic and can, with a single wave of their hand, annihilate hundreds of people, burn several ships, or destroy a small settlement...
As I grew older, I wondered why the duende hadn’t formed an empire by annexing all five kingdoms into their domain, why they hadn’t conquered us so we’d become part of their lands. Then I realized: theoretically, the kingdoms are free and independent, but in reality, our nations have long been controlled by these terrifying beings. The duende govern our states, sending observers and verdictors to handle various issues and disputes, overseeing the rule of our kings... Some of these actions by the duende are even codified in our laws.
I tried not to dwell on why this particular duende needed me. After all, beings like them could have concubines from anywhere in our world. I doubt he needs me, Idarella from Kleptas, for a mere fling. Don’t make me laugh! Plenty of girls would willingly jump into a duende’s bed if one so much as whistled! They’re both wealthy and striking, and many women and girls would likely dream of being even a one-night mistress, let alone a favored one. But they always instilled a primal fear in people, being cruel, hateful, vicious, and fierce, devoid of any emotions or feelings...
I, on the other hand, hated the duende with all my heart. They were the reason my parents died, and I had no desire to become a one-night stand for the duende who now demanded to see me. But I braced myself for the worst—my debt to him had grown a hundredfold. I intended to repay it. Yet I was utterly terrified of that duende! Whenever I recalled those black eyes that seemed to burn through to my bones, that voice that made me curl up in fear, that haughty gaze under which I felt like nothing more than a speck of dirt, or a tiny insect about to be crushed in disgust... But hatred aside, fear aside, debts must be paid...
Meeting the Duende
At the entrance to the royal palace, we were greeted by a vulpess dressed in the red garb of a courtier. Her long, bushy tail nearly swept the floor, and her ears were adorned with several earrings, a sign of high status within her family. She hailed from a lineage in the Third Corner, the land of the vulpess, where fox-shifters dwell.
"My name is Courtier Kallida, or simply Lady Kallida," she introduced herself, blinking at us with yellow eyes and narrow pupils. "I’ve been expecting you. You’re the last to bring... er... the candidate," she scolded Burgomaster Hibiscus as she led us through the corridors of the royal palace. "Duende Djalzh Fergard Quartz of the Clan of Dissenters has already inquired about you. He is most displeased with the delay."
"We did our best to hurry," the burgomaster muttered. Though he carried himself with dignity, he seemed to shrink before Lady Kallida.
She nodded to him and pointed further down the corridor:
"His Majesty wishes to see you. He’s in the throne room, so please proceed there. I must escort this... er... individual... to our esteemed guest," the vulpess twitched her ears and bared her teeth in what passed for a smile to the burgomaster. He quickly averted his gaze and hurried off.
"Come along, all the girls are already gathered!" She briskly turned down a side corridor, and I struggled to keep up.
We passed through several long hallways and entered a small room. It was nearly bare of furniture, but three young women, about my age, stood there. They all turned sharply as Lady Kallida entered.
"Alright, girls, follow me! I’m warning you all right now. Silence! Not a single word! That’s one of the rules when dealing with a duende, as you know! Never initiate conversation, never address a duende, and most importantly, never look them in the eyes! Understood? Or you might end up without eyes at all!" she added threateningly. "Follow me and do exactly as the duende commands!"
She barked out more instructions along the way, but I wasn’t listening. I trailed behind the other girls, feeling a growing unease. I could see Lady Kallida was deeply frightened—her fluffy red fur on her face bristled, and her narrow pupils dilated. She kept referring to the duende by his full name, which was cumbersome to pronounce, a tongue-twister, especially for a vulpess, who sometimes struggled with certain words. But shortening a duende’s name was forbidden, so she had to say it all.
She stopped at a pair of tall doors adorned with intricate, web-like carvings, signaled to us, and peeked inside.
"Bring them all in!" came a voice that sent a shiver through all the girls. I stood there, terrified, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
Courtier Kallida led us into a spacious room. Lounging on a sofa, a glass of wine in hand, sat the duende. A sleek black suit accentuated his powerful frame, and between the slightly unbuttoned collar of his pristine white shirt, an odd artifact gleamed—a tangle of dozens of thin, twisted chains. His pitch-black hair fell in soft waves to his shoulders. His piercing black eyes, beneath furrowed brows, disdainfully surveyed the cluster of girls hovering near the entrance.
"Have them all undress. I’ll see which one suits," he ordered.
If the courtier was surprised, she didn’t show it. She turned to us and commanded:
"Hurry up and take off your dresses! His Mightiness wishes to see if you’re suitable for a very important task! Quickly now!"
The girls stirred, but none began to comply with the courtier’s order.
"Did I not make myself c-c-clear?!" Lady Kallida raised her voice. "Undress immediately! Or I’ll call the servants to strip that r-r-rubbish off you!"
The angry, hissing drawl in her words revealed both her fear—likely of the duende—and her frustration at being disobeyed...
The three other girls quickly began unbuttoning their dresses. I, however, didn’t move. I felt repulsed. Were we to be inspected here like sheep in a pen, or what? Like horses in a stable? Colts? Mares?
"Do you need a personal invitation?" the courtier hissed at me. "Undress now!"
She reached out a paw and tried to undo a button on my dress. It had a small neckline, with tiny buttons running down to the waist. I stepped back.
"No," I shook my head, forcing out the refusal. I knew resisting was futile, but some inner pride wouldn’t let me strip in front of everyone.
"What do you mean, no?!" The vulpess was stunned. "His Mightiness, Duende Djalzh Fergard Quartz of the Clan of Dissenters, has chosen you for an important mission. You must immediately obey our overseer’s command! Take off that blasted dress, you wretch!" The last sentence she hissed right in my face, snapping her teeth inches from my nose.
The courtier began tugging at my sleeve, trying to reach the buttons. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other girls had already shed their dresses and stood bare, clutching the garments to their chests.
"Well, Lady Kallida, if the girl can’t undress herself, she needs assistance," I suddenly heard a voice close by.
The duende stood near us, towering over me. He was a head taller, intimidating, massive, striking with the coldness in his gaze and the black shards of stone beginning to manifest on his face. His handsome features morphed into a mosaic, where mirrored stone bordered gray granite sheen. This must have been how his anger manifested—he turned to stone, then reverted to a human guise. With a hand grayed by stone flecks, he pushed Lady Kallida aside and stepped closer to me.
"It seems this is becoming a habit for you, needing to be undressed by force," he mocked, speaking directly into my face. Suddenly, he grabbed the top of my collar near my chin with his gray hand. For a moment, his hand turned to solid gray stone. I gasped in shock, recoiling, but he rasped, pulling me closer, not letting me escape:
"I’m not done yet!"
He held me like that for a moment longer, then released me. And all my clothing—my dress and everything else—fell to my feet, crumbling into gray sand. I stood before the duende completely naked. Tears of helplessness streamed down my cheeks, but I remained silent. I wouldn’t give this monster the satisfaction of hearing another word from me. Yes, I was in his power, he could torment my body, but my essence, my soul, he would not touch...
The duende lowered his gaze, inspecting every inch of me. I could physically feel his eyes on my chest, my waist, my hips...
Then he looked into my eyes again with that black void of his and spoke to Lady Kallida without breaking eye contact with me.
"I’ll take this one! I think His Majesty will appreciate such a spirited one..."
He stepped back from me and glanced at the other girls. Under his gaze and the courtier’s hissing, they dropped their dresses to the floor, standing bare before the duende as well.
The duende skimmed over them with his eyes and said:
"The one on the left won’t do, too thin. And this one," he approached a short, blonde girl trembling like a candle in a draft, "has breasts too small. His Majesty, the Gray King of the Duende, likes everything in abundance," he even let out something resembling a smile, startling everyone in the room once more. "So, I’ll take two! Prepare them for travel! I leave tomorrow morning. No personal belongings—we’ll provide appropriate clothing. And I trust they’re all untouched?"
Lady Kallida nodded vigorously, though she cast a frightened glance at me. She must have been confident about the other girls but hadn’t had time to verify my status.
The duende ran his gaze over my figure once more, as if ensnaring me with thorny brambles, then turned and left through the door.
Caprissa
Lady Kallida visibly relaxed once the duende left the room.
"Alright, girls, get dressed," she said kindly to the three other girls I’d been brought in with, then snapped at me, baring her sharp teeth. "Well, why did you resist? If you’d undressed right away, you wouldn’t have angered our guest! Here, take this!" She yanked a tablecloth off a nearby table and thrust it at me. "Wrap yourself up, we’ve still got to cross the entire palace! Oh, these girls!"
I wrapped myself in the tablecloth, which barely covered my knees, and let out a sigh of relief. This duende terrified me. Worse, he remembered me, that shameful incident in the abandoned mill. A shiver ran through me, as if I were gripped by fever. Back then, I hadn’t wanted Herny to strip me either, and he’d tried to do it by force. And now, the duende had essentially done the same, albeit with his magic. How was he any different from that brutish lad? Not at all! True, the situation was somewhat different. But still! You can’t treat people like this! Like trash! Like slaves! I fumed inwardly, though deep down, I knew it was true—I had become a slave to this man, an eternal debtor, because he had saved my life...
Stepping over the gray sand that had once been my clothes and shoes, I trudged after the other girls and Lady Kallida.
I had only ever seen the royal palace from the outside; I’d never been inside before. The stunning tapestries, intricate plasterwork on the ceilings, magical wall sconces of breathtaking beauty, a gigantic chandelier in the center of the ceiling in the enormous hall we passed through with the courtier, and the gleaming parquet under my bare feet—all of it was both awe-inspiring and blurred, as tears of helplessness and humiliation still welled in my eyes. Angrily, I wiped them away with the edge of the tablecloth and shook my head. No more! I wouldn’t cry anymore! I wouldn’t show how hurt, offended, and humiliated I felt! If I crossed paths with that cruel duende again, I wouldn’t reveal my weakness! That’s it, Idarella, your carefree girlish days are over—those times when you flitted through life with a laugh, teased boys at parties, delighted in new dresses, and eagerly scribbled down new dessert recipes in Grandma’s big cookbook... Now, you’re on your own, solely responsible for your life.
Courtier Kallida led us to a room somewhere in the back of the palace, far less grand and ornate than the other areas we’d seen.
"You two," she nodded to the girls the duende had rejected, "can gather your things and head home. You’ll be compensated for participating in the selection. And you two," she glanced at me and the girl beside me, "settle in here for now. We’re up very early tomorrow—don’t make Duende Djalzh Fergard Quartz of the Clan of Dissenters wait even a minute. I’ll personally escort you to his carriage in the morning. As for you, someone will bring you some clothes shortly. I hope you’ve learned your lesson—all of the duende’s orders must be followed quickly and without delay! Otherwise, it won’t just be your clothes he destroys, but you yourself!"
I stayed silent, clenching my teeth. I’d decided to speak less and keep quiet more.
The two rejected girls grabbed their belongings and left happily. Lady Kallida promised to send servants with lunch and clothes for me, leaving me alone with the other girl who had caught the duende’s eye.
The room had a few sofas, and the girl sat down on one of them, turning to me:
"Well, shall we get acquainted? Since we’re traveling together for the selection. My name is Caprissa, Caprissa Reverdal. My father is Duke Reverdal. I’m sure you’ve heard of him."
I was taken aback. The daughter of Duke Reverdal? Everyone knew of him. He was one of the three dukes of our kingdom, the king’s first advisor and right-hand man. But I couldn’t wrap my head around why his daughter would humiliate herself before a duende. By the Unseen Star, she had stripped in front of him today like some common wench! My surprise must have flickered in my eyes because the girl pursed her lips and added:
"I intend to become the bride of the Gray King of the Duende! Nothing will stop me! I’ll do whatever is asked of me, fight tooth and nail for my happiness! I’ll be the first at the royal selection! So I’m warning you right now: don’t get in my way!" Her eyes glinted with a hateful fire.
"I’m Idarella from Kleptas," I said, sitting down on a different sofa. I didn’t want to sit next to this... er... duchess. Something about her irritated me. "A selection? What selection? What are you talking about?"
Caprissa gave me a surprised look and laughed:
"Don’t tell me you have no idea what you’ve stumbled into? That’s news! Duende Djalzh came to our kingdom to pick three candidates to be brides for the Gray King of the Duende. His wife recently passed, and he’s looking for a new one. By tradition, the selection happens in three stages: first, each kingdom sends candidates to the duende king; then, there are trials at the royal palace; and finally, the king himself makes his choice, with some additional conditions and challenges. But the details of the last stage are kept secret. No matter how hard I tried to find out, it was useless. Not that it matters to you," she glanced at my bare feet. "You definitely won’t make it to the third round."
"A bride selection?" I ignored Caprissa’s mocking chatter, stunned by the very idea that I was apparently part of some selection. "But I never intended to, nor do I want to, become the bride of any king!"
"Perfect!" Caprissa nodded gleefully. "Keep saying that to everyone. And don’t get ahead of me. I don’t know what other candidates are coming, but I will be the first! It’s good that each kingdom can send no more than three candidates. So far, it’s just the two of us—and I’m better! You angered Duende Djalzh so much that I’m sure he’ll make you pay for it more than once. He’s very vengeful and cruel. You might not even make it to the duende capital—he could incinerate you like a piece of paper!"
"You really want to be the bride of the duende king?" I asked, astonished. "From what I’ve heard, he’s... well... not exactly young," I trailed off tactfully, as discussing the duende was strictly forbidden. Grandma always taught my sisters and me: speak well of the duende or say nothing at all. We used to laugh that it was just like speaking of the dead.
"You mean old?" Caprissa smirked. "That’s even better! He’ll die soon, and after bearing an heir in marriage, I’ll be the sole regent."
Wow, what ambitious plans Caprissa had! She wasn’t even a bride yet, and she was already dreaming of regency!
"How are candidates for brides chosen in the kingdoms?" I asked.
I was curious. Logically, there should be some kind of local selections, like contests or something similar. After all, not everyone was like me, unwilling to have anything to do with the duende. Plenty of people would love to align themselves with the duende, to serve them, and many women dreamed of at least becoming a favored mistress...
"They take whoever catches the overseer’s eye," Caprissa explained. "They don’t bother with elaborate, fair selections in each kingdom. The overseer visits every six months to check loyalty and sentiment in the kingdom, as well as to collect tribute for the duende’s protection. This time, Duende Djalzh’s visit coincided with the selection of bride candidates. He stormed through the palace in a foul mood, saw three reasonably pretty girls, and ordered them to be candidates. Tomorrow, he’ll take us to the duende capital."
"You must have made sure to cross his path often and deliberately?" I asked with a hint of mockery.
"You’re an idiot!" Caprissa snapped for some reason. "I paid the servants to track where he’d be and made sure to appear there constantly! And I arranged a grand girls’ outing to the Wavy Rapids waterfall for all the unmarried women in the palace at the time—ladies-in-waiting and guests alike! Do you know how much money that cost? On purpose! I was the only one in the palace who kept catching his eye! But then that wretch Countess Cupra showed up with her two daughters... The duende saw those daughters and named them candidates too. But that’s fine! One is too thin, and the other’s chest didn’t please the duende! He was satisfied to have chosen three, as he had a heap of other matters to attend to and was irritated that these brides were already a thorn in his side! Yes, I did everything to become a candidate for the duende king’s bride! And I succeeded! And I will become his bride!" Caprissa’s amber eyes pierced me sharply. "But where did you come from?"
_______________
*Pauperia - the name of the kingdom derives from Latin pauperis "poor."
**Vulpess - in the book, a race of fox-shifters, from Latin vulpes "fox."
***Callidus - from Latin "cunning."
****Sufit - (from Polish sufit, Ukr. archaic) - ceiling.
*****Regent (from Latin rego — "I rule") — a person who temporarily rules in monarchic states in place of the monarch (during the minority of the heir, illness of the reigning monarch).