by Emmett Swan
“Yeah, and I like it that way. You never have to worry about who you might run into like back home, or what you look like.” She snickered. “It never fails to happen. Every time I look like crap and Mom makes me go out for something, I run into fifteen people I know!”
“Yeah,” Riley agreed.
The lane wandered alongside another flower-strewn field before reaching the wooden bridge Jessica had spotted from her bedroom window. It spanned a little gorge carved by a shallow, sandy-bottom creek. Jessica paused on the bridge and looked out at the creek, which flowed about twenty feet below. Its gentle ripples darkened under the shade of the trees. Despite the breeze, the cloudless sky had given the sun ample opportunity to warm the air. The clear water and the cool shadows beckoned her.
“Hey Riles, let’s go down there. Let’s walk in the creek.”
“Are you serious? What about our shoes?”
“The creek bed is just sand. We’ll take our shoes off and walk barefooted.”
“Okay,” said Riley, shrugging. “After you.”
Twelve
After hearing the disappointing news from Iragram and her father, Keeva staggered to her chambers and then to her private terrace, where she sat on a bench kneading her forehead and wondering how she could make things right. Indignation writhed inside her. Her heart pounded so hard she could feel the pulse in her neck.
“Damn him!” she seethed. “Damn him to hell!”
Keeva stood up. Her jealous thoughts fueled her outrage. Her body felt hot; her blood seemed to boil in her veins as she paced back and forth.
Neasan would soon be Prince Neasan, and he would rule Panagu at Princess Velthia’s side. Keeva felt such bitter jealousy and disgust toward that woman, she could taste it in her mouth. She recalled the image of them together, feeling the estrangement, and spat in disgust. “And damn her to hell as well!”
Neasan had broken her heart, and she had little faith that the Panaguan leadership would give him what he deserved.
She balled up her fists so tight her nails drew blood from her palms. Oblivious to the pain, she stopped pacing to look out over the countryside. Letting the anger channel her motivation, she slammed her clenched fists onto the terrace rail and whispered through gritted teeth, “This will not end here! I will not rest until I have my revenge.”
“So much anger”, said a disembodied voice. And then, a few feet from where she sat, a vortex of greenish light appeared, expanded, and then, standing before her was Neasan.
Keeva braced herself with the terrace handrail. She was a swirling mix of emotions. Beside the anger, there was also guilt and embarrassment, for by now he would know about her lies. But mostly she felt sincere happiness as she always did when she saw him.
“Neasan! You’ve come back.” She felt the urge to embrace him but held herself back.
“Yes, my Keeva. I have returned. But only to explain my actions to you.”
Keeva turned away, hopes dashed once more. She grimaced against the disappointment but would not let him see her pain. She clenched her jaw firmly, once more determined.
“I see. You want to explain to me why you shattered my heart to marry another.” Releasing those very words from her mouth triggered something within her. As if compelled by some outside force, she spun around and slapped Neasan squarely on the face.
Stunned by her action, Keeva covered her face with her hands, sat on the bench, and burst into tears. Neasan kneeled before her and took her hands into his. They were so warm. She wanted to curl up in their warmth always. She looked up. The red imprint of her hand was on his cheek.
“I deserved that, my dear Keeva. But will you please listen to what I have to say? I lied to you about why I had to stop seeing you. But I never lied about the way I felt. When my parents approached me about an arranged marriage with Princess Velthia, I could not refuse. I would be king of Panagu one day. And I believe I will be a good king. I will rule the land wisely and help it prosper. I would do this for my people, though it meant breaking my heart as well as yours.”
Keeva lightly caressed Neasan’s red cheek. “Have you forgotten that I am also a princess? That had you married me, you would have one day been king of Derfaria and ruled by my side?” She searched his troubled eyes for some positive sign.
Neasan looked down at the ground and nodded. “I know this. But…” He looked around and spread his hands. “Derfaria is not my home. These are not my people.” He turned back to her, looking dismayed. “I owe them nothing. It is the people of Panagu that I wish to rule.” He stood up, straight and tall, as if taking his rule onto his broad shoulders.
“Then you should have never asked for my heart.”
“I am sorry for that. It was not because I didn’t love you. Please understand.”
Keeva slowly shook her head. “I don’t.” Her mind was thinking fast, searching for some way to convince him to come back to her.
“And all this talk of war,” said Neasan. “Are you so angry you would unleash suffering and death upon both our people?”
Keeva rubbed her face with her hands. “I…I don’t know!” she cried, shaking her head. “I don’t want you to be happy without me. Princess Velthia is beautiful and the two of you will have beautiful children together. I just can’t bear the thought of it.”
“But Keeva…”
At that moment, the door to the terrace opened and King Brecan stepped through. “Keeva, I was a bit harsh with you just—” he began, his head looking down, but he froze when he saw Neasan sitting with his daughter.
“Panagu!” he cried, drawing his sword. “So you thought you would return! Now you shall taste my sword!”
Brecan advanced toward the red-haired man. Moving rapidly, Neasan backed away while flourishing his vial of green elixir. As Brecan reared back his sword arm, there was a swirl of green light and rushing wind. An instant later it dissipated, and Neasan had vanished. King Brecan blinked in amazement but quickly summoned his royal guards with a loud call. They joined him on the terrace in seconds, their swords drawn.
“There is a Panaguan spy on this terrace! He has rendered himself invisible with norl. Find him and destroy him!”
The guards fanned out onto the empty areas of the terrace and began stabbing in all directions with their sword tips.
“Bah!” cried King Brecan after a few minutes of fruitless stabbing. “He must have escaped. He obviously scampered over the railing and climbed down.”
He walked to the edge of the terrace and looked out over the scene below him. “Panagu!” he cried. “I know you can hear me. This means war! Do you hear me? War!”
Thirteen
Jessica and Riley walked to the end of the wooden bridge and scampered down the side of the gorge to the bank of the creek. They examined its shallow but wide waters. Close up, it looked even more inviting, with ripples of clean sand covering the bottom. They took off their shoes, stuffed their socks in them, tied their laces together, and draped their shoes over their shoulders. The temperature of the water was cool but not uncomfortable. They soon lost themselves in play, trying to catch creatures that swam under rocks as they came near.
They gradually made their way downstream, splashing and laughing, chasing schools of tiny minnows and several hand-sized fish. As they gingerly stepped across a rock shelf, they managed to surprise and capture a slippery newt. Jessica grasped it in her hand.
“Will it bite you?” asked Riley.
“I don’t think so,” said Jessica. She felt its slick skin and inspected its spots and orange belly. Its sides expanded and contracted in excited breaths. “Isn’t he precious?”
“He’s pretty. But I don’t think he likes being held. You should let him go.”
“I will. I just wanted to look at him.”
She put her hands into the ankle-deep water and gently released the newt. The creature hesitated momentarily, apparently unsure of its luck, and then, in a burst of speed, broke for cover.
Further down the creek the
y wandered. The bleating of sheep could be heard from time to time, but no human voices. Jessica was beginning to like the seclusion and quiet of the country, which she had never known so intimately. It felt relaxing, wholesome. At the moment, she had no burdensome thoughts of the role she played in Curtis’s death; the freedom made her feel lighter and more energetic.
As she realized how much she was enjoying herself, she wondered if maybe her parents had been right. That she obsessed too much over the tragedy of Curtis’s death. Out here, there was just adventure and nature. No fundraising drives to stop drunk boating. And here in the creek, there were no servants. It felt good to be right here right now.
The creek took a sharp turn and passed into a steep-walled canyon through a cleft. They followed the creek through the narrow opening and looked up at the stone crags that shot vertically up either bank. Several shadowy forms flitted by.
“Those are swifts!” cried Jessica. “Look, they have nests on the cliffs.” She had learned about them in biology class her sophomore year.
Riley watched the swifts fly back and forth. “This place is cool,” he said airily. “Let’s keep going.” There was a noticeable flush to his cheeks, and he suddenly looked much younger to Jessica, like a curious boy.
They waded another thirty yards downstream, and one of the cliff faces gave way to a low bank covered in thick green moss, while the cliff on the opposite bank continued to tower over the creek. The moss was exceptionally green and thick. It looked inviting.
“All that green is so pretty,” said Jessica.
Behind the bank stood a cluster of trees. Jessica and Riley climbed up on the moss and Jessica could see that the trees were different from the ones they had seen before. They were older, with large trunks and full branches. The individual trees grew close enough together so that the light from the sun only made it to the forest floor after being filtered through thousands of green leaves, translucent in the early spring. The altered light that bathed the scene was magical.
Entranced, Jessica and Riley gazed into the tiny forest. They set their shoes down by the stream and walked barefoot over the carpet of green, the lush moss cushioning their feet. Twenty yards into the trees, they stopped and stood still, taking in the enchanting scene.
“I can’t believe this place,” whispered Jessica.
“It’s like something from a dream,” added Riley. “Must be why we’re whispering.”
They walked deeper into the woods, but after fifty feet or so, a sandstone wall shot straight up. The canyon wall had diverted away from the creek to create an enclave of beautiful old trees before winding back to the edge of the stream.
Riley took a complete spin, surveying the forest. “It’s like an island of trees in the middle of all these fields.”
They walked around the perimeter of the forest, following the steep wall until it led them back around to the creek. They saw no trails. Not even a piece of trash.
“It doesn’t look like anyone comes in here,” said Riley.
“Just look at the trees,” said Jessica. “They’re amazing.” She lay on the moss, put her hands behind her head, and looked up through the canopy of branches and leaves as they swayed in the light breeze. The cool moss conformed softly to her body. The forest was quiet except for the babbling creek and the wind rustling the leaves. “Don’t you just love it here?”
Riley nodded and took a seat, leaning against one of the large gnarly trunks nearby. He breathed in deeply and let out a long, contented sigh.
“It ain’t Louisville,” he said.
Jessica sat up and looked at him. “It’s enchanted. Can’t you feel it? I feel happy here.”
“Yeah, I can feel something. But please don’t recite a poem about it,” he chided.
“You know what, Riles? This can be our place. We can come here to get away from that nasty Gerald and that shrivel-eared Meeda.” She lay back down, peering up into the umbrella of leaves above her.
“Sounds good to me,” said Riley. “I could stay here all day.” He closed his eyes softly. They were both quiet, lost in pleasant thought.
Over the next two hours, the two of them lounged about the forest, exploring the confines of their little parcel of paradise or sitting on the soft moss by the creek while their feet dangled in the cool stream. They talked about their home and their hopes and wishes. Jessica talked about Curtis and how bad she felt about his death. Riley talked about the new friends he had made working for the theater’s summer program, and how much he enjoyed it. And as they sat there and poured their hearts out to one another, they occasionally glanced at the trees, especially three unusually large and gnarly trees clustered near one another not far from the bank. Jessica wondered if they were listening. It wasn’t that she minded. They could listen all they wanted. In fact, it was pleasant to think that they cared.
“That’s a silly thought,” said Jessica. “Trees don’t listen.” But she looked again at the three trees, and she wasn’t so sure. “Hey Riley, have you noticed how different those three trees are?” She crawled on her knees to the one closest to her to examine the bark.
“Yeah, I guess so,” said Riley, who was leaning against one. He eyed it more thoroughly. “Older and twisty.”
“I don’t think trees like these grow in Louisville,” added Jessica. “Not that I’ve ever seen.”
“Nice limbs for climbing,” said Riley. He stood and pulled himself up on one of the lower limbs, just a few feet from the ground. He maneuvered up a few more limbs and sat, leaning back on the trunk of the tree.
“Good view,” he said, grinning down at Jessica.
“I don’t think they like that.”
“Are you kidding? Trees love to be climbed. It’s the highlight of their day!” He patted the limb like it was a horse on which he was comfortably perched.
“Yeah, whatever.” She looked back downstream, in the direction of the wooden bridge from whence they had come hours earlier. “I guess we should start heading back.”
“I don’t want to go back,” he whined. “Let’s just stay here all summer.”
“Well, now that we’ve found this place, we can come here as often as we want to. Every day, even.” Jessica stood up and dusted the forest debris from her clothing. “Come on,” she insisted. “We’ll come back tomorrow.”
Riley let out a long sigh and climbed down. They picked up their shoes and stepped into the cool, clear creek. They gave their little forest one quick glance and headed back down the stream to the wooden bridge, down the lane, and then across the field to Connaree Manor.
Fourteen
Keeva sat in her room struggling with her despair. It was but a few days since her father’s discovery of Neasan on her terrace, and since then Derfaria had formally declared war on Panagu. She had gotten what she wanted. As soon as some means could be devised for transporting Derfaria’s fighting forces to Panagu, Neasan and that vile Velthia would pay for their transgressions. They would both suffer and she would have her vengeance.
She did her best to keep that little voice in the back of her head quiet. But it asked questions she could not ignore entirely. She had blatantly lied to her father and now two realms were at the brink of war. Yes, Neasan had broken her heart, but other than that, he had not really done anything terribly dishonorable. And not only would Neasan and Velthia suffer in the course of war, but so would many others.
Wasn’t what she was doing wrong? How could she let strong feelings of affection turn into such hateful malice?
She couldn’t answer those questions. She only knew that the thought of Neasan and Velthia having a family together nearly paralyzed her with anger and hurt. It should be her family. Neasan should be her lover. She couldn’t bear their happiness. Bitter contempt was much easier to feel than pain; it fueled her, making her feel more powerful. Stronger.
Besides, if she revealed the truth to her father now, she would have to bear the humiliation. Everyone would know that the king’s daughter had lied. That she h
ad brought Derfaria to the brink of war simply because her heart had been broken. She would be a pathetic source of jokes throughout the land. Even if she could bear the heartache, she refused to tolerate humiliation and embarrassment.
She walked out to her terrace and looked out upon the land of Derfaria. They were a proud people. And strong. She was certain they would easily destroy the forces of Panagu. So there would be no turning back. She would have her revenge sooner or later. If it was later, she resolved herself to the task; bitterness would have to carry her through to the end.
She turned her thoughts to the practical problems of the war. King Brecan was meeting with his war council at that very moment, and Panagu knew war had been declared. But currently, the threat was impotent. Without real mirclair, there was no means available to transport the fighting forces of Derfaria to Panagu. It was known that Panagu possessed a little of the red elixir but not enough to transport an army. And even if there were enough, she thought it unlikely that the armies of Panagu, invisible or not, could stand up to Derfaria’s War Gryphons.
Luth, Derfaria’s own special elixir, could transform beings into other forms as long as the correct rune was drawn on the subject’s skin. In times of conflict, the king’s royal guards were transformed into War Gryphons. These horrible abominations had powerful bodies much like a lion’s, with the wings and head of a giant eagle. They could attack from the air and rip apart the enemies of Derfaria with ease.
But if they could not bring Derfaria’s army to Panagu, Neasan and Velthia would have their little happy life together.
She would do anything in her power to prevent that.
A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. “Princess Keeva?” the voice said. “It’s Iragram.”
Keeva opened the door and looked at Iragram with a questioning face.
“Our spies have returned from Panagu,” he said. “Your father would speak with you.”
Keeva’s eyes widened. “Have you devised a means to strike at Panagu?”