“What...what have you done to…” he began.
Suddenly an enormous form hurled out of the trees and barreled into the man. He screamed as the enormous jaw of a lion closed around his neck. With a sickening crunch, the man’s screams ceased.
Lion turned to face Una, his mouth darkened with blood.
Una’s breath came faster. It had happened in an instant. One moment the man had been frozen in place, and the next he was dead.
If this had been Abessa’s husband, then she was in trouble. She had told the lion not to attack a human, but it must have seen her in distress, and assumed that she needed protecting. It had obeyed her overriding order to attack anyone who attacked her.
She would not normally care. Such men deserved to die. But if this was the farmer…
She quickly searched through his clothes and found that his pockets were full of valuables. There were jewels and gold coins, and even a small book made of vellum and hand-painted by some Christian monk, undoubtedly. Had this man stolen from the nearby abbey?
A soft cry sounded nearby, and Una whirled to see Corecca standing there. Lion growled.
Corecca’s eyes stared at the dead man lying on the ground. She looked at Una, then at the lion, then back at the man.
All before she turned and ran.
Cursing, Una sprang to her feet and leapt at the fleeing girl. She caught up almost instantly and Corecca careened to the ground as Una grabbed hold of her.
She wanted to say it was an accident, to assure Corecca that she hadn’t meant to kill the man, or even to point out that he had assaulted her first. But of course, Corecca could hear none of her protests. And she would have no luck explaining to Abessa at this point.
Una would need to leave now.
Holding Corecca fast, she locked one arm around her throat. The girl gasped for air and thrashed her arms around in an attempt to throw Una off.
Lion came closer, growling and baring his fangs.
“No,” Una commanded the lion. “She’s not attacking me, you will not touch her.”
The lion obeyed, staying back as Una continued to close off Corecca’s windpipe. She’d done this once before with an unsuspecting guard she had conned back at Londinium. Though he had been a little stronger than Corecca, and he’d managed to throw her off. She’d gone a week without food for that one.
The girl’s arms went limp, and Una immediately let go, laying Corecca down on the grass and pressing her head close to the girl’s lips to listen. Good, she was still breathing. But she likely wouldn’t remain unconscious for long.
“We have to go,” she said to the lion.
She had come to the cottage with no belongings, and now she would leave with nothing as well. Though she wished she could have taken some of that woman’s bread along with her. But there was nothing she could do at this point. All she had was a small pouch where she kept George’s flint and steel. It would have to do.
Darting one hand into the dead man’s pockets, she extracted a handful of gems and coins. These should help her get by if she found an inn or tavern nearby. Perhaps there were other farms where she could trade for food.
She pocketed the gems and began heading back the way they originally came, back to the river. The lion followed with hardly a sound.
That man must have been the reason why Abessa and Corecca lived in such apparent luxury. No farmer could afford what they had, but now it all made sense. The old woman’s husband had been stealing from the abbey, and maybe from others as well, and no one noticed because they were living so remotely, and this close to the forest.
Frustration overtook her. Sure, she had some money now, but all of that would be useless inside the forest. What she needed was food, something that would keep, and there didn’t seem to be much of that here. Her only hope was that her lion could continue hunting and bringing her something to eat. If he survived inside the forest that is. If they came across another one of those serpents…
A wail sounded in the distance behind her. Una cursed and increased her step. That sounded like Corecca. She had awoken and found the man lying there, the man who was in all likelihood her father.
Una had stolen before, she had taken what didn’t belong to her without a second thought. Because usually, in that moment, she had a greater need of what she took than whoever owned it. But this was different. This time, she had taken a life.
Sure, it had been indirect. The lion had done the actual killing, but she was the one who ordered the beast to attack anything that attacked her.
The man had deserved it, though. He had shown his lust for Una like so many others, and he was obviously a thief after all, and not someone who stole out of necessity like Una. The family had plenty in their household, they did not need more.
Lion continued to follow her down the river, more like a puppy than a dangerous animal. What was she going to do about him? She could only hope that he continued to obey her as they went through the forest. But once she entered civilization again, she might have to find a way to get rid of him. She couldn’t be seen walking through a village with a lion in tow. And after what happened at the cottage, she couldn’t trust him to behave as she desired.
And what of her magic, if magic it was? Three times now it had seemingly worked in her favor. But at least two of those instances had been accompanied by problems. Her winning dice roll at the inn had resulted in a bunch of men attacking her. And now the lion had left someone dead based on her orders.
The only time her magic had benefited her without consequence was the time she had driven off the small serpents from killing George. Perhaps magic was also the reason why George had mysteriously healed from the poison. Maybe the serpent bites had been fatal, but something in the way she spoke to the serpents had also neutralized their poison.
But what if that incident had consequences too? Sure, it had saved George’s life, but now where was he? Had Una somehow been responsible for his leaving? If so, she might not be able to trust her magic going forward. She would have to be careful in the future. Maybe. Though a little experimentation couldn’t hurt. She needed to know more.
She couldn’t think on that right now. The cries of Corecca still sounded through the night, great wails that only confirmed what Una suspected: the man was close to that family. As she pushed on, she thought she heard another voice join the lament. Abessa.
Wincing, she pushed on. “I’m sorry,” she muttered under her breath, wishing she could convey her regret to Abessa and Corecca. But she could not go back, she could only push forward, following the banks of the river until she arrived at the main road through the forest. “I’m sorry,” she said again, to no one in particular. “I’m sorry.”
Abessa plunged through the trees, yelling curses after the young girl who had ruined their future. “I let you eat my bread!” she screamed, stumbling through the underbrush. “I welcomed you into our home, gave you my hospitality. And you repay us with death! I wipe the dust of my feet at you. May the one true God curse you and all of your family.”
She tripped on an ash root and fell, sprawling into some ferns, her face scraping against a nearby tree.
She rose to her hands and knees, tears finally welling up in her eyes. There was no use running after the girl. That one was thin and strong. She could easily outrun an old woman like herself. Besides, the girl still had that...lion, the beast Corecca claimed was responsible for her husband’s death. A human certainly couldn’t have done what she saw. Great bite marks had been the cause of her husband’s demise. There was nothing she could do against such a creature.
Kneeling on the ground, she rocked back and forth, tears and great sobs coming from her throat. “Curse you,” she said, though she was not yelling now. “May the devil peel the flesh from your bones as you burn in hell.”
Something rustled in the brush behind her. Had Corecca followed her? But no, the sound was greater, it came from a heavier being.
“Who is it you curse, old woman?” said a voice.
She turned to see someone standing there, silhouetted against the moon. He was a man in full plate armor, glinting with his eyes in the night. He bore a sword and shield, the latter of which bore a great red cross.
Abessa got to her feet. “Are you the accursed knight that girl was looking for?” she spat. “Get away from us. We want nothing to do with you.”
“Was she thin, with short-cropped brown hair, and pale skin?”
“That she was,” confirmed Abessa. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from her, and from us.”
“What did she do that vexes you so?”
“She killed my husband.” All the emotion inside Abessa came flooding out in a great rush. “She took our livelihood away from us.”
The knight paused to consider her as she wept, great tears rolling down her cheeks. “I am sorry,” he said after some time. “But it is imperative that I find her.”
“Well if you do,” Abessa wiped her eyes. “Kill that accursed lion before he kills anyone else.”
The knight shifted, his plates of armor grinding against each other with the motion. “A lion?” he asked.
“Yes. Twas a great beast that ended my husband. A beast that answered the call of that girl, even after we fed her and offered her a place to stay. Now Corecca and I will be without comfort, without sustenance.”
“Interesting,” said the knight. “And how was it that she controlled this beast?”
“Heavens, I shouldn’t know,” Abessa waved a hand. “I don’t dabble in the black arts of Lucifer. I merely assume it is through some dark power, like those witches at Avalon.”
“Indeed, then I must find and apprehend this girl at all costs. Can you tell me which way she was headed?”
Abessa pointed straight ahead. “She was following the river, and likely headed towards the main road. She said something about going through the forest, so I would look for her there.”
“I will do so, and bring justice to your family.”
“You would betray your own sister to help us?” Abessa looked at the man under a new kind of light.
The knight paused again. “My sister?” he said.
“Yes, or was that a lie too? She told us she was looking for a knight like yourself who was her brother. Said she was lost and put on such a pitiful complexion that I believed her.” “Yes,” he said, tentatively. “She lied to you. I will ensure she faces justice for that sin as well.”
Abessa’s face grew stern. “Then I wish you luck in finding her. May the good Lord guide your steps.”
“Indeed,” said the knight. He pushed past her with a curious expression on his face. Abessa couldn’t make out much in the moonlight, especially when he was wearing all that armor, but his mouth was curved upward in something like a smirk. “You can rest assured; a god is guiding my steps.”
And with that curious statement, he continued on ahead, his boots crunching through the underbrush as he went.
Abessa watched him go. Yes, she would pray tonight, pray that the knight caught up with the girl and gave her swift justice. Her only regret was that she would not be there when it happened.
15
Una faced the great Forest of Arden. The road through the forest stretched out before her, dark, and more like a cave than a path through the woods. She had found the old abbey that the thief had likely robbed, and there was a small inn just up the road. There she had instructed Lion to wait outside the town, before peddling one of the coins she’d taken from the thief in exchange for some bread for the road.
“Stay on the path,” said the innkeeper when he heard where she was going. “If you stray, you will never find it again, and you will die of starvation, if the fae do not take you first.”
“So, it’s true what they say about fae, or the Faerie Queen?”
“I’ve lived here for twelve years,” said the innkeeper, leaning in close. “I’ve never seen anything myself, but there have always been children that disappear, travelers who are never heard from again, and strange noises in the night. There’s something there, and no mistake. But if you stay on the path, you still have a chance of arriving at the other side.”
Now that she faced the forest itself, Una felt true foreboding for the first time since she’d spied the great serpent with the Red Cross knight. Lion stood beside her, a low growl escaping his throat as they both stared into the maw. Even with the morning light cresting the sky, visibility was limited in this forest.
She took a deep breath. “Come on, Lion. Let’s go.”
With that, she took her first step forward, her first step into the Forest of Arden.
No sooner had she gone beneath the cover of the trees, when something whispered in her ear. She whirled but saw no one there. Another whisper, indistinguishable, seemed to come from behind her. She turned again and saw nothing.
Cursing, she reconsidered her options. Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all. She’d gone no more than two steps beneath the trees and already she was hearing things. If this was a side effect of her magic, then it was one she did not need right now.
Should she turn back? She could simply walk around the forest. It would take her a month longer to get there, but she could do it, and thereby avoid any perils this forest had to offer. She steeled herself. But going around would mean entering Saxon territory. She could also go the other way around, but that would take even longer, and the entire area was overrun with lawless bandits and worse. She wouldn’t fare better in that direction.
And besides, she could not delay. The midsummer solstice was less than two weeks away now. She’d been delayed for three years, and it was time to go back home. She would arrive as soon as possible, find a way to sneak past the dragon, and discover what became of her family. If anyone was still alive, she had to know sooner rather than later.
She must be getting jumpy. Those whispers were probably nothing more than the wind flowing through the trees. Yes, that had to be it.
Beware of Duessa… Una nearly jumped as this time she understood the whispers coming from above her now. It still sounded like it could have been the wind, but since when did the wind create words in the trees.
She stilled, looking up and listening. “Who is Duessa?”
Beware of Duessa. There was no mistaking it. Those were words, and they seemed to be coming from the trees themselves.
“Curse me and leave me to rot,” Una muttered under her breath, before raising her voice and repeating. “Who is Duessa?”
The Red Cross knight will not listen to us, came the faint voices. Yes, there were voices, like a chorus of trees speaking to her all at once.
A low rumble, and Una turned to see Lion growling, his teeth partially bared. He could hear them too, or at least sense that something was wrong.
The Red Cross knight ignores his will, he has become a slave to Duessa.
“Again,” said Una. “Who is Duessa?”
Heed our warning, came the reply. Do what the Red Cross knight will not.
“What warning?” Una said with some exasperation. “You haven’t told me anything.”
But no reply came this time, other than a gentle whisper of wind in the trees. But the sound did not bear words.
“Curse me,” she said again. Was she really going to keep traveling deeper into the woods after that?
The answer of course, was yes. She would not turn back now. Talking trees were not the worst thing she’d experienced. She’d seen a dragon literally appear out of nowhere and kill everyone she’d grown up with. She could handle this.
Forcing one step in front of the other, she continued forward until she was deep inside the tree line. Darkness closed in on her and it wasn’t long before she could hardly see the path ahead.
The innkeeper had warned her to stay on the main road, but he had not mentioned that even seeing the path was more than a little impossible. She walked for hours, her progress slow as she frequently and carefully checked that she was still where she should be. Luckily, the
forest was so dense that when she did come close to straying from the path, she realized it rather quickly.
The good news was, her eyes adjusted, and there was still some light that filtered through the trees. The bad news was...well everything else. The air all but smothered her, and insects ate her alive. Strange noises permeated the darkness, and even Lion seemed a little on edge. He constantly uttered a low growl from his throat, though Una could see nothing.
In truth, even though Lion had ruined her situation with Abessa and her daughter, she was glad to have him around. If her knight had left her, it was nice to have someone else to talk to in the dark, someone to assist her if anything attacked.
Lion froze in the middle of the road and immediately turned, a growl crawling out of his throat, low and deep. He was staring at something behind them, something approaching them in the distance. Una could hear it, whatever it was, the sound of metal scraping against metal.
She narrowed her eyes. Was it another beast? Or a man in armor? What else could make that kind of noise?
“Una?” said a voice in the distance. “Una, is that you?” Her eyes widened as she recognized the voice.
“George!” she exclaimed, running forward until she could make out the full knight ahead of her. But this time he wasn’t in his ordinary gambeson. He was wearing the entire complement of plate armor. But his faceplate was up, and she could see the somewhat lumpy yet alluring face of the knight who had left her.
She was about to close the distance entirely, wrap him in a hug and tell him she missed him. But something stopped her.
Pausing just short of an embrace, she asked, “Where have you been?”
“I’m sorry,” he said, shifting his feet uncomfortably. “I was overtaking a felon. Then I...good graces, what is that?”
He recoiled as Lion took two steps forward, continuing his low growl.
“Shh, stop it, Lion,” she said, putting out a hand to tame the beast. Then to George, she said, “It’s a long story, but he won’t hurt you.”
“You’ve managed to tame a lion?” he said, somewhat breathless. He was looking at her as though in awe, though there was a hint of jealousy in his gaze, which was odd.
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