“Where have you been all my life?” Gwen said. “I could have used this spell every time Ellie drags me out dancing. Which is all the time. You think practice would make perfect, but no.”
“Well, we can clean up and dance, but what if Ellie can’t come with us? What if she’s enchanted to never leave the castle?”
“Then I beg Isolde for mercy. See if she has any drop of maternal instinct.” She bit her lip. “I’d rather not do that, but if I have to, for Ellie’s sake I will.” She snorted. “Not that it’s likely to work, but it’s our last resort.”
***
The sun peaked in the sky and beamed down through every parting in the leaves. The forest was warm and humid, moisture from the undergrowth evaporating into the air. Everything was lazy and hot as Gwen sweated in her dress, long since hiked up into her sash. She daydreamed of a shower, blissfully cool water pouring out of the showerhead in an unending stream, the dirt and grime of the past few days sliding down the drain. She was so immersed in the vision that she bumped into Aidan. He had stopped in front of her, his head tilted to one side as if listening.
“Do you hear that?” He looked to their left. “I hear water.”
Gwen was suddenly, intensely aware of her dry tongue. She licked her lips, feeling cracks. A faint trickling and splashing gave scintillating hints of a river nearby.
“I thought it was just my imagination. Oh, let’s go find it.”
“It doesn’t sound too far,” Aidan said, indecision warring with longing in his voice. “Okay, let’s go. I just don’t want to go too far from the path.”
Gwen barely let him finish his sentence before climbing over a nearby log in the direction of the sound. There was a small crest ahead of them, and beyond that the tops of willow trees peeked out from a thicket of leafy bushes. She picked up her pace.
The water sounds grew louder and more resonant as she climbed the ridge. Twigs snapped loudly under Aidan’s feet behind her as they climbed, but her focus was entirely on the water. She rounded the top of the crest and her mouth widened in a blissful smile.
A river flowed below the ridge, its waters clear and deep. Broad banks of moss curled over the water’s edge in puffy pillows. The river bank widened directly below Gwen. Farther upstream the river grew shallow as it rippled and splashed over boulders in a series of mild rapids. The sun filtered through the willows and beamed down into the clearing. The river curved gracefully as if presenting itself to Gwen, and meandered out of sight around a corner downstream. She sighed in relief and contentment.
Aidan hauled himself up beside her, panting, and stopped short.
“That’s a sight for sore eyes,” he said, wiping his forehead with a sleeve. “You ready for a swim?”
“Am I ever,” Gwen replied. She paused. “No bathing suit, unfortunately.”
Aidan gave an exaggerated sigh and gestured extravagantly toward the river. “Ladies first. I’ll just sit on the other side of this hill and ward off flies.”
“Eww.” Gwen laughed and swatted his arm. “Just go down the river a few steps and wash there. You don’t have to go too far.”
Aidan looked downstream and nodded.
“Scream if you need anything.”
Gwen smiled as Aidan trudged away, then turned to the sparkling river. It beckoned, inviting her with gentle burbles and flashes of sunlight. She waited until Aidan was out of sight and glanced nervously up and down the banks, but there wasn’t a living creature in sight. She walked down the gentle embankment and stopped by a large boulder at the water’s edge, feeling immensely self-conscious.
She took one more glance around then quickly untied her sash and slid her dress to the ground. Undergarments off, she stepped gingerly to the edge of the river and stopped. A strange tingling ran up her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked around. Was someone watching her?
Nothing stirred along the river except a solitary robin peering inquisitively at her. Feeling foolish, but horribly exposed, Gwen lowered herself into the clear water. It was freezing and she gasped in shock. Then, taking a big breath and squeezing her eyes shut in anticipation, she let herself fall backward into the deeper pool in the center of the river.
Her body exploded with sensation in the cold water swirling with bubbles. She instinctively kicked to the surface and gasped as her face emerged into the summery air. She paddled for a minute, panting, trying to pretend she couldn’t feel the frigid water surrounding her body and rushing past with each kick.
Gradually the sensations faded, and Gwen began to enjoy her swim. The sunlight dazzled her eyes and warmed her head, and the gentle flow of the river kept her paddling to stay in one place. She felt she could stay for a long time, here in this sunny piece of paradise. But then she thought of Aidan and time passing, and regretfully dunked her head again to wash it as best she could. Once she had rinsed away the last few days of grime and sweat and fear, she hoisted herself onto the bank. The moss was spongy and soft under her knees. She nestled her fingers into its fuzzy bulk, enjoying the sensation.
Suddenly conscious of her nakedness, she looked up to find her clothes. The boulder that she had laid them on was empty. Thinking they had fallen to the other side she stood up and dripped over to the boulder. A quick circumference yielded nothing. Puzzlement gave way to alarm.
A voice behind her said, “Are you looking for these?”
Chapter 15
Gwen whirled around to look for the owner of the voice. She crouched behind the boulder with all her senses on high alert, frantically searching for the speaker.
There was a tall bush directly ahead, its large leaves creating patterns of light and shadow on themselves, which melded and mixed with shadows cast by the gently swaying willow nearby. Gwen looked once, then closer. A figure stood casually in the shadows of the bush, his body so camouflaged by the dappled shade that he almost seemed a part of it, as if he were growing there amongst the leaves. He stepped forward and Gwen saw why she had been confused. As the light hit the man, it revealed a torso completely covered by swirling green tattoos of vines and leaves, similar to her own mark. But where hers wrapped across her shoulder, the man’s mark spread down his arms and across his stomach to end just above his trousers, and a tendril or two even snaked and climbed up his neck. Gwen tore her gaze away from the markings and looked at the man’s face.
“Loniel?” she gasped.
“Hello, little birdling,” he said. “I said we would meet again, and so here we are.” He smiled impishly. “In the flesh, as it were.”
Gwen was acutely aware of her naked body, crouching awkwardly behind the boulder. Trying to muster what little dignity she had left, she said, “Have you seen my clothes? I thought I’d left them here.” She tried to ignore the fact that Loniel had probably been watching her for some time.
“You mean these ones?” He pointed to his right. On the bank were her dress, undergarments, and shoes, all neatly laid out and impeccably clean. He continued, “They were filthy, so I took the liberty of cleaning them.”
“Thank you?” she said, half-questioning. She looked from Loniel to the clothes and back again. “Umm…”
Loniel tilted his head to one side and looked at her with knowing eyes.
“You want me to look away, don’t you?” He sighed, smiling, as she nodded. He turned and started to whistle. Gwen ran over to her clothes and hastily threw them on, cheeks red. She was tying her sash when Loniel said, “I forgot how modest humans are. You shouldn’t be ashamed. Bodies are beautiful things.”
The words took a moment to sink in. Gwen’s hands paused at the bow of her sash.
“What did you say?” she gasped.
Loniel turned his head to look at her, letting his body follow in a fluid wave. He raised an eyebrow.
“You may be able to fool the rest of them, but you can’t hide from me.” He looked appraisingly at Gwen’s fearful face. “Fear not, little halfling. I mean you no harm.�
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“How do you know? I mean, who are you?” She looked at his chest then back into his eyes. “Or what are you?”
“Ah, a more pertinent question.” He reached his arms out languidly and turned in a circle for Gwen to see the full extent of his tattoos, which spread across the upper half of his back and curled around his sides. He returned to face Gwen. “You and I are not so different. Your father is human, and your mother is queen in these parts, if I read your mark correctly.” His eyes strayed briefly to her shoulder, exposed in the low-cut dress, then back to her face. “My mother was also from this realm, long ago. My father was of a different race entirely, from another world parallel to this one. Connected, not unlike the close linkage between this world and the human one.”
Gwen frowned, digesting this information.
“So, are there lots of worlds, all linked together?”
Loniel shrugged.
“Perhaps. I haven’t explored enough to say. What is relevant is that you, little halfling, have strayed over to this world and have caught my attention.”
A chill ran down Gwen’s back at these words.
“What do you mean?”
“When we met, you were searching for a human girl, were you not? In a blue dress, as I recall.” He gazed at Gwen through half-closed golden eyes. “I presume you followed Corann and his prize from the human world, given your wild demeanor that afternoon. You wish to rescue your human girl from Isolde’s court, do you not?”
Gwen shook her head slightly in amazement. Somehow he had guessed everything.
“I suppose there’s no point in hiding, since you seem to know everything already.”
He laughed softly.
“Indeed. I make it my business to know. And when you’ve lived as long as I have, it’s not difficult to piece things together.” He gave a half-smile at Gwen whose confusion must have been apparent on her face. “Yes, exceptional long life runs in the family, on my father’s side. I have seen many centuries pass, and the people here bloom and wither like leaves on a tree.”
Gwen looked at him curiously.
“Why did you stay here in this world? Why wouldn’t you go to your father’s people? It must get lonely here by yourself if everyone always dies on you.”
“Ah,” Loniel said softly. “You cut right to the heart with one blow, little bird.” He looked at her, considering. “I was born and raised here, so this place feels like home. But my longevity is inconsequential. My father’s people will have nothing to do with me, and I am viewed with shame—an abomination. You see, they came to this world to use these people for their own amusement, but the Breenan were always inferior, always beneath. My father fell in love with my mother, which was incomprehensible to most. When she died, he killed himself so as to not live without her. Birth and death are rare in that other world, and I was a perfect vessel to pour in their blame and grief of losing one of their own. Their memories are long and their grudges unbending. There is no place for me there, nor at this point would I wish for one.”
Gwen took her hand away from her mouth, where it had ended up during Loniel’s tale.
“Oh, Loniel, I’m so sorry. That’s horrible.”
He looked at her with amusement.
“Dear little halfling, do not pity me. I have had many centuries to accept my lot. The past holds no more pain for me. My birth caused the others to vow never again to enter this world, lest another be born of the same shame.
“I stayed in this world and lived my life. I even visited your world from time to time, since the Breenan had discovered the locations of the portals. I was pleased when some humans ventured here, falling through the cracks between worlds. They are so amusing when they are confused. They always enjoy themselves, especially at my bonfire.” Here Loniel raised an eyebrow suggestively, and Gwen blushed. “I was less pleased when the Breenan began to feel superior to humans, to treat them as slaves and to hunt them for sport. It was history repeating itself, but with the enslaved race now snaring their own prey in turn. The lessons of the past were too far removed. I was frustrated, but unsure what to do.
“Then a queen of the Breenan came to my bonfire one night, heavy with child, sobbing as if her heart were broken. She was a descendant of my mother’s brother, truth be told, although she did not know it. Her name was Kiera, and she had found her human lover with another woman, a human woman. She was distraught, and wanted to close all the portals to prevent any other Breenan from following her path and falling in love with a human.
“‘For I know you have the power, Loniel,’ she said to me, ‘and it is for the best. No one should suffer the fate I have suffered.’
“I pondered her request. It seemed extreme, but perhaps it was a solution to the greed and callousness of the Breenan, and it might protect the humans from further enslavement. And then she said something that removed any doubts.
“‘Just make sure my son may travel between worlds. He is of both kinds, and I would not want to take away his human side. He deserves to be of both worlds.’
“Such a request from this last bastion of kindness of the Breenan, I could not refuse. And so it came to pass that Queen Kiera closed the portals between worlds, with a little help from yours truly.” Loniel gave a bow. “And that is how you, my little halfling, were able to enter this world. I agree with Kiera, that all halflings should be able to be of both worlds, if they so desire.”
Gwen’s head whirled. Her first thought was to wonder how old Loniel really was. A second, more relevant question came to her mind.
“How did Corann get through with Ellie? And how did Isolde come to find my dad?”
Loniel’s lips pursed.
“Isolde and a few others have discovered and exploited the loophole. I believe Isolde has a locket with the necessary magic, which she lends to Corann to collect humans for her own purposes. The defense, and indeed the very fabric of her realm are dependent on magic produced from the dancing and music in her court. A pretty notion, dreamt up by her grandmother, but a risky one. It relies on a steady input of new human talent to feed the magic.” He stepped toward Gwen. “Your feathers are still wet, little bird,” he said. He moved behind her. She stood stock still, tense. There was something about Loniel that was wild and uncertain, despite his calm words. He touched a hand to her temple. “May I?”
She nodded slightly, not quite sure what she was allowing. He stroked her hair gently. As he did so, her hair lightened as it dried under his touch. He continued talking, close to her ear.
“In fact, that locket is the reason I am here. I wish to prevent Isolde from luring any more humans into her realm. I would take the locket myself, but unfortunately she has a cunning magical barrier surrounding her castle. You would think that with my far greater magic she would not be able to keep me out, but there you are.” There was a smile in his voice as he separated strands of her now dry hair. His wrist appeared on the edge of her vision as he worked, its green markings distinct against his golden skin.
“Is that what the marks represent?” Gwen asked, interested. “The amount of magic people have?”
“Partially. Also parentage, as you know by now.” He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned into her ear. “Will you steal the locket, and destroy it? Will you prevent future enslavement of your people?”
Gwen’s breath was shallow. Ellie’s desperate face appeared in her mind’s eye. Could she stop this madness from happening again?
“How can I get it from her? She’s so powerful. And cruel…”
Loniel moved to stand in front of her and continued to manipulate her hair, teasing strands and tucking things in.
“I’m sending her a message,” he said vaguely. “There, you are complete.”
Gwen reached up to touch her head.
“Ah ah,” he admonished. “No touching.” He looked into her eyes. “Remember, you have deep power that your mother cannot access, if you choose. You will find it, when you are ready to find it.”
Gwen’s bro
w knit in confusion at his cryptic words. Loniel smiled wide and stroked her cheek.
“Safe travels, little bird,” he said, and walked away into the bushes, fading into the leaves without a trace.
Aidan called out. “Gwen? Can I come over?”
“I’m ready!” she called back.
The noise of cracking twigs preceded Aidan’s appearance as he climbed over a log partially fallen in the river. His wet hair lay against his head, and his face was scrubbed clean. He stopped when he saw her.
“Wow,” he said softly, then cleared his throat. “You look amazing. How did you do your hair like that?”
“I had help,” she said.
***
“Honestly, I leave you for twenty minutes, and this is what happens,” Aidan said, shaking his head. They were on the path again, heading for the castle. Gwen had just filled him in on Loniel’s visit. Aidan was sufficiently awed by Loniel’s longevity and otherworldliness, but was less than impressed that he had been watching her swim.
“That’s creepy,” he said flatly.
“Yeah, definitely.” Her mouth twisted in distaste, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “They’re not so up on modesty here.”
Aidan raised his eyebrows, but refrained from commenting further.
“So now we’ve got to get this locket off the queen, as well as rescue Ellie.” Aidan scuffed his foot against a protruding tree root. “And get home. Luckily they’re all easy tasks. We should be back by supper.”
“Ha, ha,” Gwen replied. “Loniel said he was sending Isolde a message. Maybe that will help? Let’s focus on one task at a time. Ellie is first.”
“Agreed. Let’s carry out the plan as is,” Aidan said.
They walked for another hour, Gwen with her skirt carefully tucked up into her sash as usual to preserve Loniel’s cleaning. The cool freshness of morning had faded into the warm sultriness of a summer’s afternoon when Gwen paused.
Breenan Series Box Set Page 15