by Talia Haze
“You mean Angel? How is Angel about to make the same journey? We have not seen her in years!”
Saramine curtsied, embarrassed. “I apologize; I have not called her that in many years. You will have to ask her that question. Follow.”
I couldn’t respond. Sean found words more quickly. “Thank you,” he answered before turning to Ryan and I. “Come on.”
I followed them, but my heart raced. Four years. I spent four years apart from Angel, and she was so near. Was she? Was this all a part of the game, or was Saramine right? Was it over? Or were we being tricked once more? Saramine said we had reached the end of the fairy route. A fairy route! What did that even mean?
Oh, Angel! She never left my thoughts. But Saramine said she was about to make the same journey…she would find our parents without me. I felt so conflicted. I felt hurt and excitement, anticipation and anger.
“Where are we?” Sean’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “What did you say all that was we just passed? A fairy route?”
“You are in the land of Dalae,” Saramine opened her arm and whirled proudly around, her skirt flaring. A few apples tumbled to the ground. “This is my home, the freed kingdom of Nyora.”
“Another land?” Sean repeated, bending to pick up the stray apples. “How can that be?”
“The fairy route is like a shortcut. You are from the first land of Lyngaria. You have passed the second, Agesbon, and now, you have entered the third, Dalae!”
I had so many questions, but a tiny voice rang out.
“Have you forgotten me?”
Ryan just laughed. We had. Ryan pulled Connie from his pocket and presented her to Saramine.
“You looked at the gems?” Saramine asked. Connie huffed and folded her arms. “Do not fear. We can change you back. We shall meet Aira in half an hour!”
Half an hour with my thoughts. The others’ conversation faded from my ears, and I walked in a haze. What did my sister do all of this time? Did she always mean to go find our parents? Truly, if she hadn’t left, Uncle Harrison wouldn’t have become such a brute. He would have assumed we were being watched carefully, we would have assumed our parents were still dead, and we wouldn’t have had to leave our home. It was no longer my fault, it was hers. If she just stayed, everything would have been right.
Wouldn’t it?
“Just wait,” Saramine said gently when I ran into her. I didn’t realize she had stopped. She watched the trees carefully. I scanned the foliage, although I didn’t know what I was looking for.
“Do not move,” she whispered. She handed Sean her basket and continued silently ahead. She walked in a slightly-hunched matter, her hands fanned out at her sides. She stepped so silently, I didn’t even hear her crunch the fallen leaves. Whatever was out there was equally stealthy; I couldn’t see or hear anything.
A sudden ripple. My eyes focused on Saramine just in time to see an arrow race towards her head. An assassin! We cried out, but before the sound could even leave our mouths, Saramine spun around, catching the arrow. I breathed deeply; the arrowhead was replaced with a small pouch of water.
“Not quite, Aira,” Saramine teased, calling out into the trees and shaking the harmless arrow in her hand. “I fear that the weeks have weakened your senses!”
The leaves rustled overhead, drawing our eyes upward. A young girl dressed in a short, brown hide skirt and a sleeveless shirt that laced up in the front stood high above us on a branch. She wrapped her bare feet around a vine and slid down it, standing before Saramine.
“I fear you are right,” she admitted, “but the respite has certainly been well received.” Saramine’s smile grew and she beckoned for us to come near. Sean took the first step as the girl from the trees turned.
My sister!
“Gabriella!” Her mouth fell open in shock as I collapsed into her arms.
“Angel!” I grasped her tightly. “My dear sister!”
A wave of relief washed over me. My sister! After all this time wondering where she was or what became of her, finally, I had the answer. I had her.
I pulled away from her to inspect her. How the years had changed her! Her hair was just as long as mine, but so much fuller. She herself was fuller…she apparently hadn’t been rationed food like we had. What was it that she wore? I ran my hand over her skirt. I wouldn’t have even recognized her if she wasn’t my twin.
“It is a long story,” she said, grasping me tightly. Over my shoulder, she saw Sean and Ryan and squealed, releasing me and running to them. “Oh, Sean! Look how tall you are!” She hugged him tightly. “You are so beautiful! And look! Is this my thick-headed Ryan?”
“Oh, scurry off,” Ryan growled in reply as he wrapped his arms around her. “You’re the one who left home for years; you’re ornerier than I’ll ever be.”
“How did you find me?”
We spoke all at once, Angel’s eyes jumping from face to face as she sternly deciphered our muddled talk. Our story sounded so strange, yet Angel listened as if we were simply reciting a tale from memory. She stood expressionless; her face only darkening once when Sean described our last encounter with Uncle Harrison.
“I see,” she simply said when we finished. Her jaw set firmly, and her eyes stayed focused on some unseen object. “Now that you have told your story, let me tell mine. To start, I apologize for my delay. I did not plan to be away for so long…I unintentionally joined the war against the ambassador of this city which has only just ended. But the reason I even left in the first place was to seek Mother and Father…”
“You knew all this, then!” I cried out. My excitement and confusion quickly turned to anger. All those days imagining and praying…everything was all for nothing. “I can’t believe you left me all alone!”
“What else was I to do, Gabriella?” Angel replied firmly. “I found out that they were alive quite by accident. I would not burden you with such a truth! Even so, Uncle Harrison was not so terrible when I left. How was I to know that that would change? You have seen that travel to this land is difficult…I did not know what this place could have been like! Why should I pull you from your safe home and into such an unknown? I came well-prepared and well-skilled, but even a master is weak when people he loves are around. I did not need the hassle of protecting three extra people if I did not have to.”
“You act as if we can’t protect ourselves!”
Angel reached behind her and pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back, holding it before my face. “I practiced every morning before our chores. And you?”
I didn’t know what to answer. I always knew my sister was brave, but I never thought her so bold. Why didn’t she just tell me? But what if she had? Would that have changed anything? Certainly, Uncle Harrison wouldn’t have become such a tyrant. With the ever-present fear that at any moment Angel could return with our parents...she should have just told me!
“Gabriella.” Angel repeated as she took my hand. Her face looked so regretful as she stared into mine. “I swear I did not know that I would be gone for so long. I should have sent word. I did not plan to join a war.”
I wouldn’t look at her. I missed her so much and thought about her so much. I didn’t want to blame her. But I did. I blamed her for everything. Even though we had been apart for so long, she could sense my bitterness and gripped my hands hard.
“Everything would have been different,” I finally muttered. She slowly nodded.
“Perhaps so. I just did not want you to fret. I did not want you to chase after me.” I looked up into her regretful eyes. “I had to keep you safe.”
“And what about you? So, you played with arrows in the garden! How were you to stay safe in a war?”
Angel released my hands, smiling. “I trained. I fought, I learned the native language, I led my squads to victories, I became nik’dalo.” Angel turned away. “I have not forgotten you…I have said that the war has only just ended.”
Saramine stepped next to me.
“There is a girl trapped
in a gem. Should we not return her?”
Ryan handed Connie to Angel, who nodded.
“Do not fret, Miss, we shall get you out.” She nodded her head for us to follow, “Ma-hali. Let’s go.”
I sulked far behind them. It was not at all how I imagined being reunited with my beloved sister. What happened to her? She was always the bossy one, but now she had quite mastered the manner to go along with it. She walked with her head high and her posture was straight and commanding. Her skin was stippled with new and faded scars, and her bare feet were calloused and rough. What happened to her the four years she was gone?
We followed for half an hour before she slowed her pace. A dark silhouette of a cottage sat ahead, nestled in the pines. I almost didn’t see it; it sat sheltered so perfectly in the shade of the trees. The late afternoon sunlight poured through the foliage, and the tall, yellow grass danced gently in the wind. Just behind the house lay a blue lake, reflecting the sky.
“Go in, make yourself comfortable,” Angel waved one arm inside and used the other to push open the door. Sean quickly lit the fresh wood in the fireplace and the three of us sat on the hearthrug. Angel walked further into the home and placed Connie on a table before rummaging through cabinets.
“I love to sit and eat after a long day,” Saramine called out as she put the basket on the table in the kitchen.
“Tapo, Saramine,” Angel answered, not even giving her friend a look. “First things first.” She finally found what she was looking for, and walked back before Connie. Curious, we gathered around her. “You need to stare at this and wonder of its beauty.” Angel sat an old, scratched crystal in front of Connie before turning again for a candle.
“Beauty?” scoffed Connie, folding her arms. “That is the most worthless stone I have ever laid eyes upon…”
“It’s fine, Goldilocks, do not trouble yourself, then,” Ryan soothed. “I like you better like this, anyway. The gem really brings out your eyes…”
“Shut up, Ryan!”
Angel sat the lit candle behind of the stone before Connie. The light went through the stone and came out the other side as a rainbow.
“How did you do that?” asked Sean. “Now, that’s beautiful.”
“It is an old prism,” Angel explained. “It breaks the strand of light down to the several strands of color. Is it not beautiful, Connie?”
Connie didn’t answer. She stared hard at the prism, a dull smile on her face and her eyes shone like rubies again.
“Oh!” Angel dove into another chest. “Put this in your ears, iamo!” she commanded, handing us beeswax. “Now!” she repeated. “The scream of the jewel is known to kill. I am indeed surprised you three are still sane…well, more or less,” she added, glancing at Ryan. He smirked at her as we put the beeswax in our ears and watched Connie scream and writhe. The beeswax was a wonderful idea; we could barely hear her, and I saw no ghostly shapes. After a blinding flash, we found Connie returned to normal and laying fast asleep atop the table.
Chapter Eleven
Aira – Sent One
I leaned back into my chair and gripped the arms. Angel spent the last half hour arguing with me, the others becoming bored and leaving the kitchen. For someone who missed me as much as she claimed, she certainly acted like I was a burden.
“Tomorrow, Gabriella, I am going alone to the fairy route, as planned. I will have Saramine take you back to the one that will get you home. If you pass through them once, you do not have to solve the riddles again; it will be instant like the first...”
“I don’t want go home!” I objected. I did want to go home. I wanted to return to normalcy…especially after going through such an ordeal like the fairy route. But my sister acted so calloused. She would insist on my return, even after learning what fate awaited me? Why didn’t she see that she was wrong?
“What am I to do about Uncle Harrison? I cannot claim our inheritance without you…!”
“You cannot claim our inheritance anyway unless our parents are dead,” she answered, coolly. “They are not.”
“That doesn’t matter, Angel! You have been gone for four years…I suspect you can run a household. Return with me and we shall be rid of him!”
“And then what?” she responded. “What if I did come with you? Do you think the Chancellor will bother himself enough to send guards to ensure the law was followed? Why should my presence alone make Uncle Harrison yield? At least if I return our parents, we shall have protection.”
“Protection? Have you not been ‘protecting’ yourself this whole time? If you could protect yourself enough to have been gone for years, could you not ‘protect’ yourself against Uncle Harrison?”
Angel’s face darkened. “My defense is lethal. I am a warrior, not a murderer. Our father must make this right. He must be the one to send them off. Until I find him to do that, this is how it must be.”
“Must be?”
I wanted to scream in frustration. When did she become so stubborn? My face felt hot and I gripped the sides of my chair. “Then, dear sister, what should I expect from Uncle Harrison when I arrive home? A reward? An understanding ‘farewell’ as he leaves?”
“Gabby…”
“Perhaps my bruises aren’t enough to convince you. Dear sister, just look at my face! Do you suppose he will leave it like this?” Angel shifted. “I suppose his fist will greet me first when I arrive. Sean supposes that he will kill me…”
“Na-izik! Stop!” Angel finally cried out, covering her ears. “Stop! I understand.”
I took a deep breath and leaned back on my chair. It still felt a stalemate. What would we do now? Angel wouldn’t return home without our parents. I couldn’t return home without Angel. But still she was right…even if she returned, we had no guarantee that Uncle Harrison would leave peacefully. There was only one solution.
“I have to come with you,” I said. Angel sighed deeply and stared at me gravely, but her stone face had softened. “Bother this untrained nonsense. We made it here fine without your help, and none of us are armed.” Her face finally returned to the gentle one I was familiar with. I spoke more freely. “Besides, we have the scrolls and the book. How far did you suppose you’d get without any clues?”
Angel finally nodded. “Agreed, Gabriella, but this journey will not be an easy one. I pray you will not regret your persistence.” She stood to her feet. “For now, I must rest. I have a lot to consider. Saramine, will you show my friends to the rooms?”
Saramine, Sean and Ryan lay on their stomachs atop the hearthrug, playing an interesting game of war using crudely-made figures of wood and twine. I couldn’t tell how the game was played, but from the sound of their laughter, I doubted if anyone followed the rules.
“As you command, Aira,” Saramine replied, only briefly looking up.
“Thank you. I shall show Gabriella now.”
I wasn’t sure what I witnessed. “Why does she call you Aira?”
“That is my Inzi name,” Angel replied, sitting back down across from me at the table. “When I first arrived, I was interrogated by a troop of the ambassador’s soldiers. Since I traveled alone, they meant harm. But a group of Inzi stopped them. Battled them quickly before my eyes and invited me back to their village.” Angel paused, stretching her arms over the table, while staring at her fingers. I couldn’t help but stare at her scars.
“There, I learned that the king was gone on campaign, and the ambassador ruled this kingdom of Nyora. The Inzi had been living in the forests outside the town walls for decades, and until the ambassador came to power, there was peace between the two nations. The Ambassador searched for something. To gain the labor he needed, he often sentenced entire families to the mines for petty offenses. He wanted to enslave the Inzi, thinking that they were weak. When the Inzi rebelled, he started a war.”
“Angel,” I breathed. She didn’t look up at me. “That is so dangerous! Why did you fight?”
Angel shrugged. “I did not at first,” she answered after a p
ause. “I simply wanted to repay a debt. I was a part of a small group of villagers that joined the Inzi resistance. We were given the task as spies since we did not look native. As time passed, I climbed the ranks. Once I lead my first troop to victory, the Inzi called me Aira, ‘Sent One’. Saramine will not be the only one you hear call me that. It is the name by which I am known.”
I wanted to stay angry with her, but I couldn’t. Name by which she was known? And how was she known? Who had she become? Her tired grin grew as my smile became more excited. Her eyes were heavy from exhaustion, but I couldn’t let her rest. Not just yet. How often had I pretended that I was a young, warrior woman, battling giants and centaurs! Never would I have imagined my sister off doing it!
“Angel, you led an entire troop? And by yourself?”
“Gabby, I led an entire nation,” she replied softly. “I committed alowé…I took the Inzi tribe about a year ago. I am nik’dalo. Chief.”
It all made so much sense. Her haughty manner, her direct way of speaking, Saramine’s submissiveness. She always had the makings of a chief. Angel stood again from the table, turning once more towards the stairs. I quickly followed her.
“This is your house, then?” I asked, looking around.
“Yes, it was given to me after defeating the ambassador.” Saramine’s head jerked up, but Angel didn’t see Saramine’s glance. “Here we are,” Angel added as she opened a door. “This is where we sleep. Now, I take my leave.”
She flashed me one last tired smile before disappearing behind the door. I walked back downstairs and collapsed on the sofa. My sister…a chief! Four years had transformed her into someone completely new and remarkable. I couldn’t wait to go with her through the next fairy route. At last! The fair maiden Gabriella and her daring nik’dalo sister, reunited! And soon, they would brave another voyage of riddles through a fairy route!
I missed home. I thought of Hannah and Aunt Beth and Jessica and Anna quite often. But being apart from them would be so much easier at my sister’s side.