by Emmett Swan
“Who’s there? Speak!”
“I am not of Panagu!” said Laughlin quickly. “Please don’t be alarmed.”
The woman stepped back, reaching for something under her robes. A weapon? She half turned toward the doorway.
“I could have easily avoided your touch, but I did not wish to,” said Laughlin, his voice pleading. “I am not your enemy.”
She paused, facing the door. Laughlin could see she was conflicted.
“Then who are you?” she asked, turning back to the empty bench.
“I am from Earth.”
Her brow contorted into a frown. “Earth! But why?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Show yourself, or I’ll alert the royal guards.”
“Please. I mean you no harm. One called Keeva placed a curse on me and my brothers.” Laughlin noticed that at the mention of the name “Keeva,” the young lady’s eyes widened. “I seek her so that we may have the curse reversed and that is all. I am not of Panagu. I promise you, milady.”
The young woman came closer to the bench. Though sweat dripped down his back, Laughlin didn’t move a muscle. The woman stared hard at the empty space Laughlin occupied but did not appear the least bit frightened. “Keeva is my mother,” she said. “She has no power to curse.”
“By curse, I mean she changed us into trees using her blue elixir.” Laughlin sensed the outcome of revealing himself resting on a knife edge. He spoke evenly, trying to keep calm and poised. “I am in human form for now, but our respite is short-lived. We must find her soon.” As he spoke, he noticed a tiny twitch around her mouth. Would she out him yet? He thought not.
“Are you here alone?”
“Yes. What I mean to say is that my brothers are also in the compound searching for Keeva, but they are not here on this terrace. Only myself.”
“And why would my mother wish to transform earthlings into trees?” she asked suspiciously, though her obvious curiosity allowed Laughlin to breathe a bit easier.
“It was part of a plan to acquire mirclair. We were merely innocent bystanders.”
The young woman nodded pensively and the lines of her face softened. “It is possible,” she said, half to herself. She approached Laughlin’s bench. She had pulled out a dagger from the folds of her robe and held it out, pointing it in his direction.
“I can tell from whence you come by touching your face. Are you willing to allow me to do so while I place this knife at your throat? It is for my protection, of course, and would be wielded only should I sense a threat.”
“Yes, milady. I give you free rein.”
She stepped next to the bench and slowly extended her arm. Her fingertips once again brushed Laughlin’s cheek. She placed the blade of the dagger firmly against his throat and he sat still while she felt around his face and head. Then her hand moved down his arms, his torso, and to the top of his hips. She did not seem shy to put her hand wherever it needed to go.
“Your form and dress are not of Panagu,” she said. She touched his face again. “And you are young.”
Finally Laughlin could take a full breath. She didn’t appear to be bent on exposing him, after all. At least, not right away.
“Aye. Seventeen years.”
“Well, I insist you use your norl to return to visible form. For only then can I be comfortable in your presence.”
“I’m afraid I cannot. I do not possess the green elixir. Conall, my older brother, holds the vial.”
The lady blew out an exasperated sigh. “You expect much of me! Every reasonable bone in my body screams out that I should call for help.”
Laughlin once again stiffened. “Please. Before you do, sit and listen. I will tell all. And then you may judge the best course of action.”
She pursed her lips and knitted her lovely blonde eyebrows together in consideration but slowly sat on her bench. “As you wish,” she said and looked toward the empty space. “I am Yasna,” she said.
“Yasna? It is a beautiful name. I would expect nothing less.” Good man. A little charm goes a long way.
“Please, tell me your story.”
“Aye, and I will hold nothing back.”
“Begin with your name, if you please.”
“My name is Laughlin.”
“Your name, too, is fine,” replied Yasna.
“I thank you, Yasna. Well, many years past, over two centuries even, my two brothers and I discovered that an invisible thief was stealing gold from our family estate. We ran in pursuit of him, following his tracks in fresh snow, but he used invisibility magic to evade us. We thought it best to fight magic with magic. We had heard of a magical and benevolent woman who could be summoned with gold and we went to her for help. It was Keeva, your mother. She had us draw symbols on our arms and dripped a blue elixir onto the symbols. She said she was giving us the power of seeing invisible beings. Instead, the elixir turned us into trees.”
Yasna held up her hand. “Hold, for this does not make sense to me. The thief was no doubt Thallach, sent to Earth to distill mirclair. But Keeva’s design was to recruit earthlings to destroy him and his mirclair production. So why would she wish three earthlings to become transformed into trees?”
“I cannot say with certainty, but I believe Keeva did not want the mirclair destroyed. She wanted it for herself. It was her design to prevent us from apprehending Thallach and halting its production.”
Yasna bit her lower lip. “It is possible,” she said.
“So, for two hundred years and more, my brothers and I stood in a small forest, isolated and alone. Fortunately, the spell weakened in the full moon and, by chance, we were able to speak to two passersby on a moonlit night. Not realizing Keeva’s treachery, we sent them back to her for help. She agreed, but only in exchange for the full vial of mirclair. She reversed the transformation to allow us to pursue Thallach and the mirclair but gave us respite for only two days. We went in search of the Panaguan, found him, and acquired the vial.”
“Hmm,” pondered Yasna. “And yet here you are. Are you claiming Keeva betrayed you?”
“No. We balked at giving the mirclair to her.”
“Was it not a fair exchange?”
“We were concerned—”
“Oh! I see your fingers!”
Laughlin looked at his hand. The outline of it was clearly visible. Seconds later, it filled in completely. Then his arm and then the remainder of his body. He felt vulnerable, yet he was pleased to be visible before Yasna.
He looked at her face and smiled. “The elixir has worn off.”
Yasna smiled back, intently looking him over. “You are definitely no Panaguan. And your face does not displease me.”
“That is slight praise. However, I am happy I do not displease you.”
“And I can better judge the truthfulness of what you say by watching your face as you speak. So please, continue your tale. Why did you not give the mirclair to my mother?”
“She wishes to launch a war against Panagu. So the gold thief told us.”
Yasna stood up and walked to the railing of the terrace, looking out at the grounds of her dwelling. “It’s true. Derfaria has been in a state of war with Panagu for many years. But without mirclair, our army cannot reach that land.”
“And that is why we chose to keep the mirclair. We want our freedom from the curse but not at the exchange of the loss of many lives. So we are here, looking for another way.”
Yasna didn’t move for a minute then came to sit on the bench beside Laughlin. It felt warm and pleasant sitting next to her. If he had his way, she would never leave his side.
“Your words have the ring of truth. When my mother was our age, the young men of Panagu used their supply of mirclair and norl to come to our world to amuse themselves by spying on our maidens as they bathed in their private chambers. The worst of all was one named Neasan, now Prince Neasan. He appeared before Keeva with malicious intent. She managed to escape his clutches, but he appeared again, only to be discovered in her chambers by Kin
g Brecan himself. The king declared war on Panagu when their sovereign refused to turn Neasan and the others over to our courts for justice.”
“That sounds terrible,” said Laughlin, “and I apologize to you for invading your private terrace in a similar manner. But I assure you, I am not of the same ilk.”
“If you did not watch me for entertainment, as did the men of Panagu, then why sit and gaze?”
“I cannot say,” said Laughlin. “I simply could not divert my eyes from your face. Even now, as you sit next to me, I feel a wonderful and pleasant sensation. I do not wish to leave your side.”
That’s quite enough, lad, no need to overdo. Yet, none of it was untrue; he felt more enchanted and less ashamed every moment.
Yasna peered into Laughlin’s eyes a long minute in silence. Her brow wrinkled in thought. She cocked her head to one side, measuring him up and down. He had never felt so contented to be fixed in someone’s gaze, so he returned it with similar pensiveness.
“So, love at first sight, is it?” asked Yasna finally. “You understand that is difficult to believe. Perhaps you’ve been too long a tree,” she added with a smirk.
“I can see how it would be so. But that recognition does not change the truth of my heart. I heard your voice, saw your face, and watched your motions, and now…truly…I am in love.”
Yasna giggled softly and, her face inches away, she continued to peer deeply into Laughlin’s eyes. He felt he would swoon. Neither said anything for several minutes, the moments vanishing as they bathed in the other’s scrutiny.
It was Laughlin who, with great reluctance, broke the trance. “Perhaps there is good reason for war,” he said, “but we were not willing to be responsible. Thallach, the Panaguan gold thief, told us that the forces of Derfaria would attack without warning, killing many citizens, including innocent women and children.”
“I don’t doubt it,” replied Yasna. “Such is the nature of war.” She laid her hand upon Laughlin’s. “What, may I ask, would you do to Keeva should you find her?”
“I know not,” said Laughlin, speaking honestly. “We have to convince her to permanently release the spell. We want to live our lives as men, not as trees. It is a fair request.”
Yasna looked down at the terrace floor. “It is a fair request,” she said after a minute, “but I do not think you would convince her. And if you attempt to threaten her, the consequences would be dire. Of that, I’m certain.”
“Your mother would harm us?”
“She carries her scars with her and she will not let them go easily. It disturbs me to say this about my mother, but yes, she would do further harm to all of you if you stand in the way of her revenge on Prince Neasan.”
“So our plight is a dire one,” said Laughlin in a somber tone.
She peered back into Laughlin’s eyes. “But I will help you.”
“Can you reverse this spell?”
“I cannot. I have no elixir nor do I know the runes. But I know someone who does. Iragram is an ancient teacher of the ways of luth. He taught my mother to be powerful in its use. I believe his age has made him wise and that he despises war too. I could take you to him. He would know how to lift the curse.”
“I would meet this Iragram,” said Laughlin. “All the more so because it lengthens the amount of time I spend at your side.” He took Yasna’s hand, bowing ceremoniously, and kissed it. “Lead milady, and I will follow you anywhere.”
Forty-Four
Jessica struggled in the suffocating darkness under the tarp. She tried to fight back panic, but the powder had coated her throat and was burning her lungs. It was as if someone had thrust her face into a bucket of loose powder. Thrashing her head from side to side, she sought oxygen amid the cloud. Her gag reflex triggered, yet the powder dried everything, so she dry heaved.
She began feeling light-headed and dizzy and thought she might pass out. But then she heard Conall’s croaky voice. “Remain calm—shallow breaths—we’re okay—shallow breaths.” The words edged her away from unconsciousness. She searched the powdery darkness for something to focus her eyes on and saw Conall’s lips a few inches away.
“We’re okay,” she watched the lips say. She relaxed, and the panic subsided. After a few minutes, Jessica’s throat quit constricting and gagging, as she continued to concentrate on tiny sips of oxygen. She repeated Conall’s words in her head to soothe her nerves. Calm, slow breath. Be calm. I’m okay. Tiny breaths. Tiny breaths.
Finally the powder settled, and she found she could breathe a little easier, though the heat was stifling and the tightly wound rope still constricted her. She and Conall were lying on the ground now, bound close together for what seemed like a long time.
“Oh my God, Conall, what are we going to do?” she squeaked through her raw throat. “What’s going to happen?”
“We’ll be okay,” he whispered. She could feel him struggling, trying to test the rope.
They heard approaching footsteps.
“Shh,” said Conall.
A large number of people shuffled around them. Then they heard muffled voices. Jessica clearly heard a guard say, “Yes, sire.”
Strong hands pulled them up on their feet. The constricting rope and tarp were finally removed from their bodies, the powder flying everywhere. They coughed and squinted around them in the bright light. Several swords were pointed at their heads. But at last, she could breathe, and they were alive.
“What have we here?” said a tall figure in fine regalia. He was holding one of the swords.
“They were invisible when we captured them,” said one of the guards. Jessica looked down at her body and saw that both she and Conall were now fully visible and covered in white powder. The norl had completely worn off.
“I see,” said the tall man. He picked up Jessica’s arm and, after brushing away the white powder, examined the symbol drawn with the purple magic marker. He dropped her arm in disgust. “That’s the Panaguan invisibility rune.”
“We are not from Panagu,” said Conall.
The tall man looked them over carefully and nodded pensively. “It is true you do not look of Panagu. Earthlings, I would say, from your manner of dress. But no doubt in cahoots with that evil race.”
“No!” cried Jessica. Her life was in danger and so was Conall’s, but she somehow felt confident. She focused on speaking quickly and succinctly. “We came here on our own. A Derfarian woman has cursed this boy and his brothers by turning them into trees! They have temporary reprieve from the curse, but we must find this woman to have the spell lifted permanently, or they will return to tree form. Do you know of Keeva?”
“What malarkey is this!” said the man, holding the sword point at Jessica’s throat. “Keeva is my daughter. And, as you likely know, I am Brecan, the sovereign king of this land.”
“We mean no offense,” said Conall, picking up where Jessica left off, “but she speaks true. Your daughter used blue elixir to transform me and my two brothers into trees two hundred years ago. And she would not agree to lift the curse permanently unless, well, unacceptable conditions were met. We came here to find her and persuade her in person. Our time is limited.”
King Brecan moved the point of his sword from Jessica’s throat to Conall’s. “Persuade her how, I wonder? No doubt with threat of harm!”
“We don’t want to do that,” insisted Jessica. “She harmed them. We just want the curse lifted.”
King Brecan studied Jessica, his deep blue eyes intense. She had the impression his thoughts were running quickly. He glanced from her to Conall, then back again. Finally, with a sigh, he lowered his sword.
“Your story is implausible and insults my family name. Yet, I cannot discount it out of hand. Keeva was assigned a mission in your realm, with instructions to inhibit the activities of a Panaguan who has a workshop there.”
“Yes!” cried Jessica. “His name is Thallach. Keeva wanted his vial of mirclair, which we got as payment to reverse the tree curse. But we refused because
we didn’t want to unleash a war between two kingdoms.”
“Her mission was to destroy the mirclair!” said King Brecan, his voice stern. Then, he scratched his chin as he slowly nodded. “Or, I must allow, acquire it if possible.”
“She wanted to possess it,” said Conall. “When I proposed we pour it out, she flew into a rage. She swore that we would live our entire lives as trees.”
King Brecan frowned. “It may be as you say, but maybe not.” He turned to the guards. “Lock them in the cells, but search them to make sure they have no elixir of any kind in their possession.” He then turned back to Conall and Jessica. “I still suspect you are in the employ of Panagu, but I shall not have you executed immediately as I typically would for Panaguan spies. You will be detained in our cells until we pursue this matter further with Keeva.”
“But Your Majesty!” cried Jessica, already struggling against the guard who had grabbed her shoulders and was pulling her away. “The curse. They’ll turn back into trees! Please believe us.”
“I know of no application of luth that temporarily reverses a transformation. But if what you say is true, and we confirm your words, then fear not. Should the form of this man and his brothers revert to trees, we have the power to make them men once again.” He gestured to his men with a wave of his hand. “Haul them away.”
Forty-Five
Yasna gazed at the place on her hand where Laughlin’s soft lips had kissed a few seconds earlier. She caressed the spot and looked up at Laughlin. The barest of smiles fleetingly crossed her face. She took his hand.
“Yes, follow me,” she said. “Iragram’s abode is across the main terrace, near the Pool of Solace. And try to make yourself as discreet as possible. Your strange clothing and appearance may draw unwanted attention.”
“Aye, I agree these garments are strange. But they belong to our friends who are from a more recent age of Earth.”
“I see,” said Yasna. “Well, come and we will see if we can prevent you from slumbering as a tree for years to come. I rather like you in your present form.” She winked.