by Emmett Swan
“What is it?” she asked.
“Those garments, piled under that bench. They look like the ones Meyler and Riley were wearing.”
Jessica focused on the bundle. Blue jeans and hunting fatigues. She didn’t think Derfarians wore Tommy Hilfiger. “I think they are!”
Conall spun around looking in all directions. “Then where are they?”
“Sire!” cried the captain of King Brecan’s royal guard. “There are two persons of short stature lurking in the rushes. I fear Panaguan treachery. Please stand back.”
The soldiers advanced toward the cluster of reeds with their spears at the ready. They formed a half circle around the cluster, pointing their spears at its center.
“You there!” cried the captain. “And you! Both of you, come out now or your days are done!”
Jessica saw two heads rise above the reeds and recognized Riley and Meyler. They stood slowly, trying their best to cover their nakedness with their hands. The guards gestured for them to walk toward the group on the plaza, where they were pushed down on their knees before King Brecan.
“Riley!” cried Jessica.
“A couple of naked spies, I see,” said King Brecan. “Who are you and what is your end?”
“King Brecan!” said Jessica. “They’re with us. That’s my brother, Riley, and the other one is Conall’s brother.” She glanced at Conall, who was smiling at Meyler’s predicament.
“Doth thou hath no decency, my little brother?”
“Please,” said Riley. “We are not spies. We were swimming. Then our invisibility elixir wore off. We left our clothes under that bench and couldn’t get to them with all of you standing here.”
“A couple of harmless earthlings frolicking in the water, eh?” replied King Brecan, smiling.
Riley’s face, initially showing concern for his welfare, had now shifted to a reddish hue. “Can we get our clothes now?”
King Brecan nodded and the men lifted their spear points. Riley and Meyler dashed to their clothes and quickly put them on.
This new threat revealed as harmless, King Brecan turned back to Keeva. He put his hand on her shoulder. “My dear daughter, it grieves me to see you in such a state. When I think back on your life, I am struck by how much it was damaged by your wicked jealousy, and how many other individuals could have been harmed. I don’t know what lies before you now, but you must release your vendetta against King Neasan and the people of Panagu. You must find a way to start your life anew, and I have some thinking to do myself. Perhaps I was not the best father for you as a young girl. Ruling a kingdom comes with challenges, and I have not balanced that with my personal responsibilities to you. I see that now.”
Keeva didn’t respond or even look up at her father but continued to sob pitifully.
King Brecan stood and turned to King Neasan. “We were ready to make war against your people, all because of my daughter’s broken heart. I hope you and the people of Panagu can forgive us.”
King Neasan reached his hand out to King Brecan. “For my part, I forgive, for I know you were misled. And it was I, having broken Keeva’s heart, that set the wheels in motion. In the end, there has been little harm to our people.”
King Neasan looked down at Keeva’s pathetic form. “She has lived with unhappiness for many years. Perhaps that is a just punishment for her deceit. I hope she has not now lost her reason and can move forward.”
“Only time will tell,” said King Brecan, his brow furrowed as he studied Keeva. He let out a breath and gave Neasan a brief half smile. “If nothing else, perhaps this episode will open up channels of diplomacy and even friendship between our realms. Although, for the last thirty years, hate for Panagu has festered in our lands. It will take some time to change.”
King Brecan watched Yasna pull Keeva up from the plaza and lead her away. Keeva mutely followed.
He wiped away a tear and turned to Jessica, Riley, Conall, Laughlin, and Meyer, who were now gathered in a group. “And you earthlings, I offer my apology for your ill-treatment. You are welcome to stay and partake of our hospitality as long as you desire. And, of course, you are free to leave as you may wish.”
Thallach, who had been quiet all this time, stepped forward. “Aye, but we ask that you return a certain red vial before going your merry way. I spent many a hard hour making that batch of mirclair.”
Conall nodded. “Hard work, perhaps. With gold that belonged to my family. But in the interest of furthering the friendship between realms of Derfaria and Panagu, I offer it to both King Brecan and King Neasan. May you dispense it wisely.”
“We could ask for nothing more,” replied King Neasan.
King Brecan nodded. “Indeed.”
“Please follow me,” said Conall. “I buried the vial in a nearby grove of pine trees.”
As the group made their way to the grove, Jessica hung back and walked with Riley, though she watched Conall as he conversed confidently with both kings, one to either side. He was sharing all the details of their adventure. He was taking charge again, and that was fine.
He was a good man. A mature man. So much more than the boys she knew at home. He came from a time when people grew up quickly in response to the need to provide for families and manage groups of people. Interest in the common good loomed large in his nature; he was a good person to get to know. And now, she had the rest of the summer to do so. The anticipation of developing this relationship thrilled and excited her. For the first time in a long time, she felt optimistic and looked forward to her future.
Fifty
Jessica, Riley, and the Kyne brothers led Thallach, King Neasan, and King Brecan to the cluster of pine trees near the pasture where they had first appeared in Derfaria. Conall uncovered the vial of mirclair from beneath a pile of pine straw. While he held the glowing red vial up for all to see, Jessica discreetly shifted the pine straw that covered the nearly empty vial of norl she had hidden earlier and slipped it into her pocket.
Conall began to hand the vial to Thallach but hesitated. “I believe it is a fair request to be allowed to keep a few precious drops,” he said. “After all, we need to get home.”
“Well lad,” said Thallach. “It is fair. But mirclair is probably the most valuable substance of all three worlds. I cannot dispense it without authority.”
“They need to go home,” said King Neasan. “Back to Earth. I give you the authority.”
Thallach looked over the red vial and shrugged. He pulled a small glass vial from his pocket and counted out five drops of the precious substance and gave it to Conall.
Conall turned to the others. “Shall we go home?”
“I’m ready,” said Jessica.
“In case you are not aware,” began Thallach, “time passes more quickly on Earth than it does on Derfaria. You’ve spent, what, almost a day here, so five or six days will have come and gone at your home.”
“Really?” asked Riley, his voice showing his concern.
“Wow, we’re going to be in big trouble when we get back,” added Jessica.
“Conall,” said Laughlin, “this is a strange land, I know very well. Yellow light and pale people. But I think I will stay for a while.”
“My brother! What is this you ask?”
“I know what it is he asks,” said Jessica, smiling at Laughlin. “Her name is Yasna.”
“But brother, this is folly. The two of you just met.”
“Aye,” replied Laughlin. “Folly perhaps. But it matters not. I have yet to meet anyone like her. Nor, I am certain, ever will I. I am not inclined to leave her.”
Conall rubbed his face with his hands, shaking his head, but looking hard at Laughlin. “My dear brother, I have never known you to be in love, so I take what you say gravely. But if you stay here, at least for very long, it will be difficult for you to return. Since the days come and go at a quicker rate on Earth, we will age faster than you.”
Laughlin nodded. “I accept that. And I must point out that, for us, Earth is no less
strange than Derfaria, since it is two centuries past our time.”
Conall sighed and turned to Thallach. “Do you have another small vial so I can leave a drop or two extra of the red elixir in his possession, in case he chooses to come visit us, perhaps with his new love.”
“This is precious stuff, laddie,” replied Thallach, his face aghast. “It can’t be given out willy-nilly.”
“You are a stingy old coot, are you?” asked Jessica.
“He is indeed,” observed King Brecan. “But since the elixir was made from the gold of his family, as Conall has noted, I believe the request is fair.”
Thallach glanced at King Neasan, who nodded. “If I must,” sighed Thallach. “Fair is fair. But I insist on you returning the extra drop I gave you.” He produced another empty glass vial from his pocket and dripped two drops of the red, glowing substance into it, and handed it to Laughlin. And then carefully dripped out one drop from the vial he had handed Conall.
“Now remember,” said Conall. “If you miss home and your brothers, you can return. And I hope you will visit us from time to time.”
“Aye, and if I bring more elixir, you could always return with me,” replied Laughlin. “You may find the new Earth not to your liking.”
“It may be true,” replied Conall, looking at Jessica. “But we have friends that, I believe, will make the transition bearable.”
Jessica felt a surge of pleasure and even admiration well up inside her. Conall had let Laughlin make his own decision, honoring him completely. She’d never met anyone like him before.
She watched him say goodbye to his younger brother, completely comfortable with his display of emotion. And confident with letting Laughlin choose his own course. Could she be so supportive with Riley if he made such a huge decision? She wasn’t sure.
She felt the urge to be close to Conall and wanted to be alone with him. To hear his voice in her ear. To learn his dreams and ambitions. Excitement about the future stirred within her again.
After a final hug, a handshake, and farewells all around, Jessica used the purple magic marker to draw the appropriate runes on the forearms of Conall, Meyler, Riley, and herself. Conall then dripped the red elixir on Jessica’s arm, but not before he gave her a deep kiss. Before she had a chance to respond, she disappeared in a swirl of red.
In seconds, the four of them appeared in their enchanted forest.
Fifty-One
Back in their private realm, the little forest where it all started, Jessica surveyed the familiar surroundings with relief. Riley, Conall, and Meyler stood with her.
“We’re gonna have to talk about that little sneaky trick, mister!” she teased with a big smile, making a fist at Conall like she was going to punch him.
“Back home again,” said Riley.
Meyler looked at Conall. “Now what do we do?”
“I’m not sure,” said Conall. “Even should our story be believed, I doubt we can claim any property or land. So we must start from scratch and learn to live in this new world.”
“I’ve thought about this,” said Jessica. “For now, you can live in Thallach’s workshop. Did you notice the pieces of leftover gold stacked in the corner? Sell them for cash. That gold was probably yours anyway. It should set you up while you figure out what to do.”
Conall nodded, scratching his chin.
“Maybe you could start an acting troupe,” blurted Riley. “You two have authentic accents from olden days. And I could help. I work with a playhouse back in Louisville.”
“An interesting proposition,” said Conall, smiling.
“Sounds good to me,” added Meyler.
“Whatever you decide to do, you’ll need a lot of help adjusting to things,” said Jessica. “Riley and I will be here all summer. And beyond that, who knows? There are ways to communicate, even across oceans.”
“We would appreciate that very much,” echoed Meyler, looking at Riley. “It’d be fine to have you as a companion.”
Riley blushed but smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “It would be good to hang out.”
Jessica liked the connection Riley had established with Meyler, though she wasn’t sure what the connection was. She looked at Conall and smiled. He stepped toward her, reached out, and took her hand. Jessica watched with pleasure as he brought her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. “And it would be fine having you as a companion too,” he said.
Jessica moved closer to Conall, his face mere inches from hers, then slowly brought her lips to his. “It certainly would,” she whispered, just before their lips met. They gripped each other tightly and kissed. Jessica became fully lost in the moment, oblivious to the passage of time. She did not think of Curtis and her tragic loss. Nor did she think of her role in his death. She thought only of how happy she was to be in Conall’s arms. After what seemed a lifetime, they broke their embrace and took a breath. Embarrassed, she glanced sheepishly at Riley, only to see him and Meyler staring at them with stupid grins on their faces.
Something on the ground caught her attention. “Hey! Look.” They all peered at two small shiny cylinders. “Batteries. They weren’t here before.”
“Those are for a flashlight,” observed Riley.
Jessica looked around more carefully. For the first time she noticed the moss along the creek bank had been damaged by foot traffic. “Tracks are everywhere,” she said.
“People have been here,” said Riley. “A lot of people.”
“They’ve been searching for us!”
“Well, you have been gone five Earth days,” said Conall. “Maybe six.”
“Six days is a long time,” said Meyler.
“Uncle Basil and Aunt Noreen will be frantic,” cried Jessica. “They would have searched everywhere.”
“They probably think we’re dead or kidnapped,” added Riley, shaking his head. “God, we’re in so much trouble.”
“How are we going to explain this?” wondered Jessica.
“You are welcome to live with us in Thallach’s cave,” offered Meyler.
“Maybe you could tell them the truth,” suggested Conall. “The whole story.”
Jessica frowned, shaking her head. “We tried before, but they didn’t believe us. And now? Add magical elixirs and other realms to our story of boys turned into trees, and they’ll think we’ve gone over the edge.”
“Is there any mirclair left?” asked Riley. “That would prove your story.”
Conall held up the vial and studied it. “That Thallach is a stingy sort. He gave us just enough to get us home.”
“Wait!” exclaimed Jessica. “We do have something.” From her pocket, she removed the glass vial that contained the green elixir they had used in Derfaria. At the bottom was a small amount of the glowing liquid.
“Norl!” cried Conall.
“We left it in the grove where we stashed the mirclair,” said Jessica. “No one asked me for it, so…” She shrugged and looked at the container closely. “There’s not much left.”
Conall took the green vial. “Two drops I’d say. Maybe less.”
“But it will be enough for us to use it to convince Uncle Basil and Aunt Noreen,” said Riley. “We’ll tell them the whole story and they’ll have to believe us.”
Jessica gazed at the green substance. “They will know magic exists.”
“Whatever happens, you are welcome to visit us at Thallach’s workshop at any time,” said Conall.
“Oh, we’ll be there,” said Jessica. “If we are not put on house restriction for the rest of the summer.”
“We can sneak out if they do,” said Riley. “We’ll come to see you all the time. You’ll get sick of us hanging around.”
“Till we see you again,” said Conall, and he gave Jessica one more kiss.
Jessica looked into his eyes while holding his hands. After a long moment, she dropped them and sighed. “It won’t be long, I promise,” she said.
Jessica and Riley pulled off their shoes and stepped into the creek to head hom
e. It was a clear afternoon back on Earth. Along the familiar path back to Connaree Manor, Jessica surveyed the beautiful green fields and Riley’s happy face. It wouldn’t be such a bad summer after all, once they convinced their aunt and uncle that they weren’t kidnapped for a week. And she already missed Conall. She sighed, pulled out a notepad and pen, and dropped down in the middle of the field.
“What’re you doing, Jess?”
“I can’t put it off any longer. It’s time to write a poem.”
* * *
Thank you so much for reading Jessica’s story. We hope you enjoyed visiting an enchanted forest and traveling to the realms of Panagu and Derfaria.
Would you like to be the first to hear our latest author news? Please go to our website (emmettswan.com) to sign up for our mailing list. We’ll send you word whenever we have some new announcement or write a new blog post.
Our next release is a fantasy novel entitled Cadaver Swords. In this story, Chimber, a rustic gravedigger, teams up with Brechlin, a former general cast from her army, to thwart the plans of magical medium gone rogue. This powerful madman contrives to kill every inhabitant of the island of Bewel, and animate their corpses into a gruesome fighting force. Chimber and Brechlin must recruit the assistance of the reclusive Medium of the Blue Mountain to save their lands from the bite of Cadaver Swords.
Here is an excerpt from the novel:
The first thing of which Brechlin was aware was a piercing pain inside her skull. Awareness of other, lesser pains soon followed. Her eyes didn’t focus at first, but she was undressed and in a comfortable bed. Although her vision was blurry, she groped around for her sword, seeking its comfortable hilt, but not finding it. After a moment, her vision resolved, and she discovered she was in a rustic room, simply furnished, with a fine fire blazing in a corner. No one was to be seen.
She attempted to sit up but opted to abandon that course of action when the pain in her head ratcheted up several notches. She stared at the ceiling and, once the surge of pain subsided, tried to reconstruct the events that had brought her here. She remembered the sortie against the cadaver mob and the subsequent retreat of her companions. She remembered going back to help a fallen rider and fighting the group of cadavers that attacked her. After that, all was dark. Could she now be a prisoner?