by J F Rogers
“No, a watch is a device that tells the time.”
“Oh.” Pepin scratched his head and winced as if attempting to make sense of it caused him physical pain. “The pech need no such device. We have an internal sense of passing time.”
We followed Pepin through the tunnels to the main door where Tollak and a few others stood guard. Tollak gave all but Pepin a glemmestein. It looked and felt like an air gun pellet.
Tollak invaded Pepin’s space and towered over him. “You know the rules, runt.” He poked Pepin in the chest, pushing him back, then stepped forward to bridge the gap again. “Do not give away our secrets. Unless you care to test your luck with the uilebheist again.”
Pepin stepped out of range, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
Tollak turned toward the rest of us. His face, full of contempt, softened slightly. His shoulders raised and chest puffed out, he marched back and forth before us. “Take the glemmestein now. Place it on your tongue and let it melt.”
I popped the silvery rocklike thing on my tongue. Cold and smooth, it melted fast into a bitter, thick fluid which coated my tongue. I fought the urge to spit it out, gagging as I struggled to swallow. Then it was gone. Not even a lingering aftertaste remained.
Drochaid pointed toward the space on the wall where the door should be. Once we showed Tollak the glemmestein had melted, he waved his hand along the wall. The seam appeared, and the door slowly opened, scraping along the ground.
Tollak cleared his throat. “In a couple minutes you will have forgotten all you have seen here. Pech do not say goodbye, so forgive me for not doing so.”
We squeezed our way out, and the hole in the door sealed, disappearing behind us.
Wolf lay by the door. He perked his head up when we came out. I hurled myself at him. He rose in time for me to throw my arms around him.
I let go of Wolf and faced the others, searching their expressions for evidence of memory loss.
Ryann was the first to question it. “Perhaps it did not work. Perhaps we will…” Confusion squinched her brow. “What was I saying?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
◊◊◊
“WHAT IN THE—” I’D been standing on the threshold. Now, without a step, I stood about twenty feet away on the grass, as though I’d been transported from one spot to another. And the sun—seconds before it hovered at our backs. Now, the tower blocked all but the lingering rays peeking out from behind.
Ryann held her hands out as though steadying herself. “What happened?”
“The sun.” Declan pointed to where it had hung in the sky. “It was over there. And I”—He turned back to the Tower door—“was standing there.”
Cahal’s head shifted back and forth from where we’d been standing to where we now stood.
“Oh, my.” An unfamiliar voice spoke behind me.
I jumped, and then looked down in its direction. My body jerked at the sight of the small man standing there.
“Who are you?” Ryann and I asked in high-pitched voices.
Cahal and Declan asked, “Where did you come from?”
“Oh, my,” the gnome-like creature repeated, shaking his head.
I stared, waiting for an explanation. He had appeared as if by magic. His features, accompanied by his magical appearance, reminded me of the Lucky Charms leprechaun.
“I’m Pepin, the pech who made the amulet you wear.” He motioned toward me.
Cahal unsheathed his battle-axe and bounded over to Pepin, shaking the ground as he went. He held the weapon low before Pepin’s face. “I will not ask again. Where did you come from?”
Cahal, scary in his natural, relaxed state, truly frightened me now. I tensed, fearful for this poor little man, Pepin, whoever he was. Cahal’s pants were longer than Pepin’s entire body.
He shook his head and sighed. “I wish they hadn’t given you a glemmestein.”
“Glemmestein?” Our voices echoed the unfamiliar word in unison.
“Yes.” The strange little man glanced at the tower. “To make you forget.” He spoke in a hush. “Please, not here.” He reached out a shaky hand to the axe before him and gently pushed it down. “I will tell you what I know, but not here. Where is Drochaid leading you now?”
“Wait.” Cahal held up his hand as I was about to speak. “Who erased our memories?” His eyes narrowed as if it would better enable him to discern the truth.
Pepin groaned. “The pech, but—”
“Your people just erased our memories, and now you want us to follow you?” Ryann stood, hands on her hips.
I threw Wolf a sideways glance. He sat and licked his paw. His lack of concern put me at ease.
Pepin threw his hands up as if under arrest. “It was the only way they would allow you passage. Please, I promise you. I am who I say. I’m a believer in the One True God. If you don’t believe me, check Drochaid. It pointed at the entrance before. It points another direction now. Am I right?”
“He’s right. It’s pointing that way.” I motioned to the left of the tower. “We never even went inside.”
“But you did,” Pepin said. “That is why the direction has changed. You have fulfilled your mission here. I am with you. Please…” His eyes darted back to the tower as he hunched over, cowering. “This is treason. I will be prosecuted for this.”
Cahal grunted. “Follow Drochaid. At the tree line, tell us what you know.”
We marched in uncomfortable silence across the open field. Cahal followed Pepin closely, battle-axe in hand. The moment we reached the trees, with the weapon at Pepin’s back, Cahal pushed him past the trees to block us from view. “Talk. Now.”
Pepin explained what had occurred in the tower—what we’d forgotten. I’d done and said things I couldn’t remember? An icky feeling spread over me, like spiders crawled up and down my back.
“I pray you are telling us the truth.” Ryann said.
Declan put a hand on Pepin’s shoulder. “Until we have reason to believe otherwise, we’ll trust you. You have our word that the tower’s secret and your disclosure with remain with us.”
“Aye.” Cahal grumbled, returning the battle-axe to his back.
Ryann and I both nodded.
Pepin’s brow furrowed. The air trapped in his overextended cheeks escaped with a soft hiss. “There is more I must tell you. Drochaid is missing a jewel. See there?” He pointed to the center circle. “The angel told me it needed a jewel found undersea. But I couldn’t get it. Pech can’t swim. We sink like stone. I’m surprised Drochaid works at all…” His words trailed off, eyes downcast.
Ryann’s face grew peaceful. “An angel visited you?”
“Yes. That is what prompted me to forge Drochaid. The angel told me to make an inter-realm travel amulet. The only difference between Drochaid and more ordinary ones was the materials used and the image engraved on its face.”
“Angels are real?” I breathed the question as my mind attempted to wrap around the concept.
Ryann looked at me as if I were daft. “Of course. Angels are God’s army, carrying out His will. It is quite an honor to receive a visit from one. It means God has big plans for you.”
If what she said was true, why hadn’t I been visited by an angel? I’d say I had a pretty big part in His plans. None of them were chosen to overthrow Aodan.
Ryann placed a gentle hand on Pepin’s shoulder. “Not to worry, my friend. Drochaid has gotten us this far. God will see us through. If we need the jewel to complete our mission, He will ensure we find it.”
Pepin perked up a little, though he didn’t seem convinced. Perhaps he was disappointed in himself. Sinking was a legitimate problem. Despite my love of the ocean, I was hopeful Drochaid wouldn’t lead me under the sea unless it also proved to be an underwater breathing apparatus. I much preferred relaxing on its surface to testing my lung capacity underneath.
As we twisted our way around thorny brush, Pepin told us about his kind.
“The pech have lived in Ariboslia longer than any other creature. We are the oldest race, but not the wisest.” He pushed a large branch out of his way and let it fly as he passed. It smacked me in the stomach.
“Ow!” I cried. I peeled the thorny branch off me and inspected my in-desperate-need-of-a-wash dress to find a small tear toward the side. Scraped skin with tiny droplets of blood peeked through.
Declan rushed to my side. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.” I covered up the hole and pressed on, in front of Pepin.
Declan jumped in front of me, pushing branches out of the way, gently holding them for me to grab and safely walk past.
Pepin snorted. “I’ve never fit in with my kind. We celebrate our individual strength above all else. It’s prideful.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t say this because I don’t have the physical strength of most. It’s the truth. Despite my defeat of the uilebheist, I was essentially shunned.”
“You defeated a uilebheist?” Declan’s eyes widened.
Pepin filled us in on the conversation we’d forgotten. The creepy bugs-crawling-on-my-skin sensation returned. What else happened that I couldn’t remember? Where did the memories go? Did that thing they made us take extract part of our brain? Who knows what could happen in this bizarre world with flying toads and retracting grass. I shuddered, trying to focus.
“As I was saying…Despite my defeat of the uilebheist, I was shunned. Their laws would not allow them to kill me, but didn’t require them to acknowledge my existence either.”
“So you’re the only one to succeed at such a feat?” Cahal asked.
Pepin nodded.
“I’m amazed they weren’t impressed,” Declan said.
“Nothing, not even our strength, is more important than the gods of the pech.” His eyes widened. “I mean…to them. Not to me.”
Ryann laughed. “It’s all right, Pepin. We knew what you meant.”
Pepin threw her a feeble smile. “As I was saying, I’d become invisible. But it was good. It allowed me to travel freely. No one concerned themselves with my whereabouts. In visiting other villages and cities, I learned about other cultures and religions. I saw how the gachen behaved compared to the pech. I compared the different villages. Notirr in particular showed me how it is to love—something pech know little of. In all I’ve learned, I’ve come to believe real love is only possible with the One True God.”
I wished I had half Pepin’s conviction. I wanted to believe in his God. Something tugged at my heart, urging me to have faith. I fought it. I wasn’t worthy. Perhaps I would be, once I saved my mother. For now, I hoped to find her, as long as I didn’t have to do anything heroic. Just get her and go home.
Chapter Twenty-Three
◊◊◊
THE WOODS WERE DARK and difficult to traverse over the felled trees, rocks, and uneven countryside. I missed the roads. It was probably safer out here though. Who in their right mind would wander this forest at night? Besides us.
Pepin told us we had taken a nap in the tower, but it didn’t feel like it. I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep for a day or two. Judging from my friends’ slow progress and occasional tripping, they felt the same. Still, Cahal insisted we press on. Surprise, surprise. He was probably right. We were not nocturnal beings by nature and risked losing ground if we allowed ourselves to fall into our natural routine, even for one night.
Pepin jogged along, panting.
I stepped closer to Declan. “Look at Pepin. He’s so small. Are you sure it was a good idea to bring him?”
Declan shrugged. “Size isn’t everything. He defeated the uilebheist. And he says he’s traveled a lot.”
I shook my head. “Not at this pace. Look at him—he’s a tad taller than Cahal’s legs. He has to take about twenty steps to one of his.”
Wolf must’ve overheard our conversation. He stopped in front of Pepin.
“Whoa. Sorry, friend. I nearly ran into you.” Pepin attempted to sidestep Wolf.
He moved squarely in front of Pepin, blocking his path yet again, and lowered his front legs, offering Pepin a ride.
“Oh. Thank you, Wolf.” Pepin showed no trace of embarrassment as he hopped aboard. With his naturally reddish skin tone and the darkness surrounding us, I could only guess if he blushed. But his voice sounded grateful, and he didn’t hesitate to accept the ride.
Perhaps with the fasgadair attack so far behind us, or because we were in a heavily wooded area where others weren’t likely to be, Declan wasn’t as concerned about being quiet. Or maybe enough time had passed since our confession of feelings. But I was grateful he was loosening up around me again, talking. I didn’t want to risk losing his companionship by asking what had changed. It didn’t matter.
“Can you teach me…um…what language do you speak?” I asked. As difficult as it might be, it would be nice to know the language in case something ever happened to Drochaid. And it would offer a source of a never-ending supply of things for us to talk about. And I was bored.
“’Tis Ariboslian. But you’ll have to give Drochaid to someone else.”
I handed the amulet to Ryann.
Declan pointed to a large evergreen and said, “Craobh.”
His accent obscured what he was saying. He trilled the R, which I loved, but struggled to understand. I repeated it to him, thinking I’d misheard, “Croove?”
He chuckled slightly and nodded, then pointed to a bush. “Dos.”
Now it sounded like he was speaking Spanish. “Dos?”
We entertained ourselves in this manner as we traveled. We would then repeat some of the words I’d already learned to reinforce them. It helped break up the monotony.
By the time we got to the gachen word for water, I was tired and punchy. I couldn’t get enough of Declan’s accent, his true voice, but it sounded so funny, like “buuuu-r”. I started laughing so hard tears came to my eyes. I tripped over myself as I walked. At first Declan stared at me as though I should be locked up, so I repeated the word, drawing it out. I loosed a guffaw, clutched my pained stomach, and almost toppled over. I looked back at Declan and tried to say the word again but could only squeak.
A smile tugged at his face. Then he laughed with me.
Cahal glanced back at us like he’d never met us before and had no idea why we were following him. Ryann shook her head as if we were beyond hope. Pepin chuckled.
Declan egged me on by telling me sillier sounding words. At that point, all hope of learning a language was gone. Everything sounded so funny we laughed, fighting to catch our breath.
Cahal stopped and dropped his satchel, his typical wordless way of saying, “Time to make camp.” He wasn’t much of a conversationalist.
Pepin dismounted.
Ryann returned Drochaid. “All right, children,” she said. “Fallon, do you want to help me collect firewood?”
She phrased it like a question, but it sounded like a command. No doubt an attempt to keep a close eye on me.
“I was thinking about teaching her to hunt.” Declan turned to me. “Would you like me to teach you?”
A multitude of tiny joy bubbles rose to the surface, popping like soda. I responded with a bit too much eagerness. “Yes!”
“Is that acceptable, Ryann?” Declan asked. “Pepin can help with firewood.”
“Of course.” Her disapproving expression contradicted her words. “Would you mind starting a flame first, Fallon? It’s easier for you.”
“Sure.” I collected twigs while Ryann cleared vegetation and fallen leaves from an area until only dirt remained. As she lined it with rocks, I threw down the kindling. I gazed at the twigs, and they burst into flame.
“Can I go?” I asked.
Ryann nodded, frowning.
What was I waiting for? Why did I feel like I shouldn’t go? I swallowed, trying to ignore it, and followed him.
Though I was more interested in time alone with Dec
lan than learning to hunt, I tried to be a decent student. He showed me how to identify tracks, which direction they headed, and how fresh they were. He explained how to determine where animals were likely to be, near water sources and such.
“Here.” He squatted then pulled me down for a closer look at rabbit tracks in the mud. His right arm rested on my shoulder as his left hand pointed.
I struggled to focus on his words. His touch had all my attention.
“The tracks head in this direction—there.” He pointed to a hollow log. “But they do not come out the other side. The rabbit is still inside.”
“What should we do?” I whispered, wishing to stay where we were.
“Walk slowly over to that end of the log. Step in front of it when I tell you.”
I followed his instructions as he moved toward the middle.
“Go,” he whispered.
I moved in front of the entrance as Declan kicked the middle. Claws scratched inside the log between kicks. The rabbit sounded like it headed my way. It must’ve seen me and turned in the other direction.
Just as the rabbit appeared from the opposite hole, Declan ran and grabbed it. I turned away as he twisted its neck. He laughed at me.
I couldn’t look at the body dangling from his hand. It had been a living creature. I was an accomplice to murder.
When we returned, Declan handed the rabbit to Ryann and nodded to the fire. “I’m amazed how easy it is for you to do that now, Fallon. Pepin, have you seen what she can do?”
Pepin’s eyes glazed over as he stared into the flames. “No.”
Declan handed me a stick. “Watch.”
I concentrated on the tip and a flame erupted. Much easier than it used to be.
Pepin let out a long “Ooo” then glanced around as if to see if everyone else was as impressed. “Doesn’t this impress you, Cahal?”
“Fire is a dangerous tool. God has His reasons for what He allows. But I’ve seen what happens when such powers are in the wrong hands. Aodan was banished from Notirr for starting a fire that killed a few and wounded many. The fire that took my father’s life and did this to me.” Cahal pulled up his tunic sleeve, revealing puckered skin covering his shoulder.