Chapter 42
Heart Made of Pebbles
The early morning’s sun heated the empty cobble street leading to the main gates of Maskil. Bronwyn guided Tam’s sturdy horse onto it. From its behaviour, he sensed the well-trained mare once had a thoughtful former master. Needing a second mount, he believed Tam wouldn’t mind if he claimed his ride. He also knew Isla would recognise it. If she saw it, she would search for Tam and find him.
He and Alaura had studied the large oak which consumed the dwarf and found no trace of him. Alaura probed the area with magic. Still no sign of life materialised. She had heard of a spell which entombed its victims within tree trunks and believed this to be Tam’s fate. They’re absorbed into the very being of the plant and cease to exist, she’d said.
A hooded person rushed from an alley, startling Bronwyn. When a breeze tossed back the hood, he stared in disbelief. The female dwarf, speckled with warts and adorned with flowing green hair, stopped abruptly. She gawked at him in horror, pulled the hood back over her head and ran towards the centre of town.
He watched her go. Was it Breckin Dole, the woman who had caused him such grief? Had Alaura carried out her promise? He nudged the horse and continued towards the gate. Women had their own ways of dealing with other women who hurt their men. Their men. He smiled thinking of Alaura and the night she had referred to him by the phrase.
A warm feeling swept through him. That same night they had joined—in dream only—but it had felt real, vivid, with true images and feelings. On the return trip to Maskil, they had talked little, riding separate horses. They travelled faster, but he missed the closeness they had shared being in one seat; separate saddles brought a distance betwixt them he hadn’t expected. Only at night, when they fell into each other’s arms to ease the pain of losing Isla, did they touch. During those times, they had bridged the Transfer Spell only once by accident as they slept.
Their dream—as vivid and as real as the previous—placed them near a mountain pool overlooking a town. Urged on by a strange sense of knowing where he headed though he had never journeyed there, Bronwyn squeezed betwixt two boulders and entered a rocky crest. There, he found Alaura, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chin looking over the valley. His appearance startled her. He sensed a great weight on her shoulders, but she remained silent. Although he encouraged her to talk, she didn’t want to.
There’s nothing to say about things one cannot change, she said. All we can do is enjoy the moments we have. Then she kissed him.
Bronwyn had tried to sooth the unhappiness he sensed, but in the end, with the joining complete, he felt the sadness had grown. He held her tightly, feeling powerless to extinguish her fears, the ones he felt as strongly as if they belonged to him. Isla had identified the situation exactly; for the most part, Alaura appeared happy, but she suffered moments of unexplained sadness. He should have pressed her to learn more as she had done with him, but he didn’t want to deepen her sorrow.
From thereafter, Alaura guarded her hand. She slept with it under her cheek, so the Transfer Spell couldn’t be bridged. He had asked her about the fear, but she brushed it off.
Bronwyn released a heavy sigh and looked at his right hand. The red from the bog berry had faded, but the portal to Alaura’s hand rested in front of him. He might not be able to send items to her, but he had sent his thoughts.
Pressing the palm to his lips, he mustered his concentration and kissed it. In his head, he recited the words which fuelled the spell. Travel in air. Travel on land. Transfer this kiss to her hand. He imaged his kiss being received on Alaura’s hand with her long slender fingers wrapping around it. The feeling entered her skin and travelled through her blood to reach her lips. He clenched his fist to trap it inside.
Alaura lay out there, sleeping probably. He thought about finding her and apologising for the way he had spoken to her the evening before but knew it to be a mistake. Then, she’d again ask to come.
Farlan waited for him at the front gates. He mounted a horse and fell into stride beside him.
“You’re not coming.” Bronwyn glanced at his friend. Farlan appeared well, but knew his injury still kept him from filling his duties completely.
“I want to ride a while.”
The pair rode in silence for about ten minutes before Farlan halted his horse. He swung one of his long legs over the pommel of the saddle and stared at his friend.
Bronwyn admired the sergeant badge on Farlan’s lapel. “The badge looks good on you.”
“It’d look better on you.” The human looked away. “We all have our duty.”
“And you?”
“I guess my duty is right here, taking care of the citizens of Maskil and this cursed castle.” Farlan chuckled. “Who knows, by the time you get back, I might have this place whipped into shape. I might have the ol’ man confiding in me like he did you.”
“I wish things could be different, but…”
Farlan shrugged. “The important thing is to find our little girl and bring her home. I’ll take care of everything here.”
“Visit my family while I’m gone. Mum will be looking for you.”
“I’ll keep an eye on them…Alaura too. I’ll see to her. Make sure she’s well.” He paused. “Did you two have an argument?”
“Why do you ask?”
“She waited at the gates this morning when I opened them. I’ve never seen her so distraught.”
“Which way did she take?”
“Towards Moon Meadow.” Farlan looked at his friend. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“She wanted to come with me. It’d have been easier if she had accepted the fact I wanted to keep her safe. But she’s so damn stubborn, it—”
“Like another friend I know!” They chuckled to ease the tension.
Bronwyn wanted to move on, get past the good-bye, but he couldn’t tear himself away from the friend he had come to know better than any brother. The horse beneath him shuffled its feet, eager to get underway.
“Listen.” Farlan became serious. “I want you to check in now and again. I might need advice on things.” He paused. “Send me a message. Let me…let me know you’re still out there…still looking…still—”
“Still alive?”
“Life’s a precious thing. We all need a little reassurance now and again.” There was no mistaking the sincerity in Farlan’s words.
Bronwyn felt a warm sensation in his right hand and looked at his palm. A red spot surrounded by a heart made of pebbles appeared. Without a doubt he knew it to be a squished bog berry. He smile, relieved her anger diminished enough to acknowledge him. Had she received his kiss?
“Seems Alaura has more than one way to get to you.” Farlan looked at Bronwyn’s hand, puzzled.
Bronwyn pulled the small pouch from his pocket and dumped the pebbles inside with Isla’s book page. Long after the bog berry stain faded, he’d have Alaura’s stones.
Farlan flipped his leg back into the stirrup. He guided his horse closer and grasped the dwarf’s hand. “Safe travels, Bronwyn. I’ll be waiting your return.”
“Remember you’re not alone in the struggle, Farlan. You not only have friends, but those who are like family.” Bronwyn equalled his friend’s handshake.
“Likewise you. You’ll never be alone in your journey. The thoughts of many travel with you.”
They released their physical bond.
Farlan turned his horse and headed for Maskil. Bronwyn looked back several times, capturing the image in his mind. As he left the sanctuary of the only home he had known, he cast a final glance at the stone structure that kept his family and friends safe. He knew every inch of the wall, the inside passages and tunnels. He wondered if he would ever see Maskil again.
His thoughts drifted to the fateful day when Isla became part of his life. The same day, he came face-to-face with another female who had touched his being in more ways than he understood. In his memories, he watched her walk confidently into the Private Audienc
e room. A captivating vision and an enchanting scent had swept past her to fill his eyes and cloud his mind. It was as if a spell had been cast.
Tam’s horse tugged at the reins, and Bronwyn realised he was smiling. One day he’d return for Alaura of Niamh. For now, he had to focus on the daunting task of finding Isla. Gathering his reins, he nudged the horse to a jog as he followed the Shulie River south towards Ellswire.
Shadows in the Stone Page 77