by Amy Neftzger
Chapter
Two
A Momentary Reunion
Megan and the king bumped knuckles before she grabbed him in a bear hug and rolled across the ground with him. At first Nicholas was afraid that the king would be hurt by the large snow leopard’s physical expression of affection. However, the king appeared unhurt as he stood up and swiped his hand playfully over the top of the giant snow leopard’s head several times while the leopard swatted her paw at the king’s moving hand. One could say that it was an unusual relationship, but there really wasn’t anything that could be called usual in the kingdom at all.
In fact, things often appeared different from what they really were. It was all part of the spell the evil sorcerer had placed upon the kingdom to try to conquer it. The spell created confusion and altered perceptions so that no one could see what was real. The spell even affected the animals in the kingdom. The only one who seemed unaffected by the spell was the king and those closest to him. Even Kelsey had noticed that during her time at the castle, the sorcerer’s spell was the weakest she had ever experienced in her entire life. It was the first time her perception wasn’t confused and everything was what it appeared to be. Leaving the safety of the castle might make things difficult for her again, but she had done it before, and she was ready to face the struggle to see truth again. Bravery was something she had never lacked, although her sense of compassion often went missing.
“Hello, Megan,” Kelsey said politely as she held out her hand. Megan ignored the hand and swiped Kelsey up into a bear hug, but they didn’t roll across the ground. Kelsey’s hands remained at her sides and she had made no effort to return the affection. The leopard embraced the girl’s stiff body tightly for a moment before releasing her.
“What’s up, Squirt?” Megan asked in a casual and familiar tone.
“I’m not a squirt,” Kelsey replied flatly as she stepped backwards. She lifted her chin upward and tried to look down her nose at the leopard, but Megan was too tall and Kelsey was still looking up, even with her chin raised.
“Look, when you’re 400 pounds, everyone is a squirt,” Megan explained offhandedly. She turned to Nicholas. “Hello, young man.” She offered a paw and Nicholas graciously took it in both of his hands. He could feel the softness of the fur on one side and the roughness of the pads on the other. They shook hands firmly as they studied one another carefully for a moment. Then Megan abruptly took her paw back and turned to Kelsey. “Can he do any tricks?” Megan asked hopefully.
“No,” Kelsey replied coldly. She glanced to one side with an annoyed expression.
“I’m kidding!” Megan laughed and then turned to Nicholas. “You see, when I first met Squirt, she was traveling with the king, but Squirt didn’t know it was the king, and I did. So I asked Squirt if the king could do any tricks. We still laugh about it to this day.”
“I’m not laughing,” Kelsey said.
“I wasn’t talking about you,” Megan replied dismissively. “The king and I laugh about it all the time.”
“You’re just as annoying as you always were,” Kelsey announced as she glanced up at the clouds in the sky. They looked as wooly as Megan’s fur coat.
“Yeah,” the leopard agreed, “I am. But we’re friends now, and that’s never going to change.” Kelsey paused as she thought about her response. The giant cat was always getting the better of her. She thought Megan was one of the most annoying creatures she had ever met, but she had also learned a lot from Megan and did appreciate many things about her. She even loved Megan, but she didn’t like her all the time.
“Yes, we are friends,” Kelsey finally replied. Megan smiled that odd grin that looked like something between a snarl and a smile. Her upper lip was curled back to show her fangs and Kelsey understood that Megan wanted a compliment on her teeth. “And you have beautiful fangs that can neatly rip the heart out of any living creature,” Kelsey said. Megan was pleased with the compliment, and she sat down with a thump that made the earth in the vicinity shake.
“I hear that you’ve become even more expert at slaughter,” Megan said casually as she licked the fur on the top of her white paw, carefully cleaning in between her claws. The remark was her version of a compliment.
“I’ve been training with the army, if that’s what you mean.” Kelsey folded her arms across her chest as she peered into Megan’s eyes. Even if they were friends, Kelsey still found the animal extremely irritating at times.
“Anyone can train. What I’m talking about are the results, and I’ve heard that yours have been excellent.” Megan continued to gently lick her paw.
Kelsey felt pride at hearing the compliment and raised herself up, standing as tall as she could make herself. She awkwardly unfolded her arms and then quickly folded them again.
“Thank you,” Kelsey said. She wasn’t sure what else to say. Megan finally stopped licking her paw and turned to Nicholas.
“It’s good to see you again,” she said politely to the boy.
“Thank you for coming here. I’m looking forward to our training sessions,” he replied.
“So am I. I’m looking forward to training both of you,” the leopard said.
“Both?” Kelsey asked.
“I thought you were staying here to train me,” Nicholas said with a rather confused expression on his face.
“I am. But Squirt here is going to learn to talk with the birds, and I’ll be sending messages back and forth to her as part of her training.”
“I thought the king was going to do that!” Kelsey exclaimed with annoyance in her voice.
“We’ll both be sending you messages. If you learn to interpret what only one person says, your skills will be incomplete. You need to be able to interpret messages from different sources and different birds.”
Kelsey shifted her weight from one foot to the other. This quest was starting to be more trouble than she had expected. All she wanted was to slay a few things and solve the problem with the wolves. She didn’t care for all this communication and interpersonal stuff. This quest wasn’t going to be simple at all.
“So you’ll just be talking with me? All I need to do is figure out what you’re saying and send a message back to you?” Kelsey asked.
“No, I would never make it that easy. You’re brave and smart, so I think you’re up to the challenge of learning a bit of healing, too.”
“Healing? What for? I’m a killer!” Kelsey exclaimed. She wished the king had told her about this.
“Even killers occasionally get wounded and need to heal,” Megan explained. “It’s only a little, so don’t worry. It won’t make you go soft or anything.”
“I know it won’t make me go soft. You’re one of the meanest – I mean toughest – animals I’ve ever met. I just don’t know if I can take the time to learn to heal when I could be working on improving my killing skills.”
“Everyone needs some knowledge of healing. It won’t be that bad.” Megan waited for Kelsey to protest again, but the girl was quietly brooding. “So if you’re OK with these lessons, I’ll need you to sign some paperwork. You know, as a formality.”
Kelsey put one hand on her hip and shifted her weight impatiently. She reached up and stroked her blond ponytail as she considered the situation. She could protest, but she also knew that if the king had arranged these lessons that this was important whether she liked it or not. On the other hand, these lessons could be a distraction from the mission of saving hope. She didn’t want to compromise the main mission. Kelsey carefully weighed the situation and finally decided that since the king was wise, then he must also have some plans for her that she would learn more about later. It was best to agree to whatever the king requested and then patiently wait to learn the reason for it.
“OK,” Kelsey said.
“Good!” Megan replied as she produced a satchel that she had been carrying on her back. “The papers are in here. You’ll have to get them out yourself. I can’t work the clasp on the bag since I don’t have thu
mbs.”
Kelsey took the satchel and, after opening it, pulled out the stack of papers and pen. She glanced over the printed words, but there were too many sheets to read the whole thing and she was too irritated to see straight. She quickly flipped through the stack of papers until she came to the last one and saw the dotted line at the bottom. Kelsey snatched the pen from where it was resting on the top of the stack and signed her name.
“I’ll also need you to initial the first 15 pages in the bottom corner,” Megan said after clearing her throat.
“Initial them?”
“Just write your initials — the letter your name begins with — in the bottom right hand corner on the first 15 pages. Don’t worry about the rest.”
“I won’t,” Kelsey said with disdain as she rapidly worked to complete the task. When she was finished, she handed the papers back to Megan who took them in her mouth.
“What?” Megan asked in response to Kelsey’s look of disgust. “I don’t have thumbs. How else am I supposed to carry these?” She nodded goodbye and trotted off with the papers.
“You don’t like her, do you?” Nicholas asked.
“It’s complicated.”
“I don’t think she’s that bad.”
“We’re just very different. We don’t like or appreciate the same things, and our natural talents couldn’t be more opposite.”
“But you like Roland.”
“He’s the best,” Kelsey said as she smiled. “He can kill things just by looking at them.”
“Killing is a skill you respect.”
“Of course. Who wouldn’t?”
“Lots of people. Not everyone thinks that killing is a skill that needs to be cultivated.”
“What? Why not?” Kelsey was genuinely shocked at the idea that someone would be opposed to killing.
“Everyone isn’t exactly alike. We all have different things we’re good at.”
“And what are you good at?” Kelsey asked.
“I don’t know – at least, not yet,” Nicholas confessed.
“Then how would you know what anyone else values or if everyone values the same things or not?”
“I’m only saying that you seem to like people who are similar to you. I think we’re all this way. I’m not trying to insult you. I’m only pointing out that we’re all different, and because we’re not all the same, we might have different values also.”
“I think I’ve figured out what you’re good at,” Kelsey replied thoughtfully.
“What?”
“Being annoying.” Kelsey turned away to leave when Nicholas called her name.
“Not everyone would think what I just said was annoying,” he said.
“No,” Kelsey said in agreement. “Some of us would think it was extra annoying.”
Several more hours passed before Kelsey’s traveling companions arrived. While she was waiting for them, Kelsey had organized supplies into three packs to distribute the load evenly so that none of them would be carrying more or less than the others and everyone would carry a fair share. She had already decided that Maggie was going to shoulder her own burden on this journey. If Maggie was going with them, then she was going as an equal member of the group and would not receive special treatment just because she was weaker than the other two. A lot weaker, Kelsey thought.
Maggie arrived at the castle shortly before Roland. Kelsey spent at least an hour in the study, lecturing Maggie on the best methods for shouldering a pack. When she began spouting some random survival tips, Maggie yawned openly.
“I’m sure I’ll figure it out while we’re traveling,” Maggie insisted lazily. As she nodded, her short dark hair bobbed with her head.
“No,” Kelsey replied adamantly. “If you wait to figure out how to survive until you need to survive, then you’re dead.”
“Well, I’m not dead yet.”
“But you will be!” Kelsey said in a loud voice. She was finding it difficult to control her temper with this girl.
“At some point we all will be,” Maggie calmly said to counter the argument.
Kelsey folded her hands and brought them up to her chin as she bowed her head. It looked like a prayer for patience. She could see the host of problems she was going to have with Maggie. Kelsey wanted to speak with the king about his decision to send Maggie on this journey, but she didn’t know how to address the issue appropriately. It was important not to contradict the king or challenge his authority, but Kelsey could see that Maggie was going to be a liability when traveling. Of course, Kelsey knew there were a lot of things she had not yet been told, but this decision to send Maggie on the quest appeared to make no sense at all.
Kelsey closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The fresh air calmed her, and once she had exhaled, she felt less tense. Deep breathing often helped her to calm down when she felt frustrated.
“Yes,” Kelsey agreed. “One day we will all be dead. But our goal for today is to avoid it happening right now.”
“Great! I’m glad we see it the same way. Now let’s find some snacks. I haven’t eaten for hours, and I’m starving.”
Kelsey rolled her eyes and then told Maggie how to find the kitchen. Afterwards, Kelsey walked outside to speak with the king, who was watching Roland approach the castle. The red fox had just emerged from the forest and was slowly trotting up the drive.
Kelsey walked up to the king confidently, but as soon as she reached him, she knew she shouldn’t challenge his decision. There was something about his regal presence that made Kelsey respect his authority. Even though she didn’t understand it, Kelsey decided that she would trust his reasoning. She sighed loudly but didn’t speak.
“You don’t have to agree with a decision for it to be the right one,” the king said quietly, as if he already knew what Kelsey had been about to say.
“I know,” she said timidly.
“I’m aware of your unhappiness, but we have more important things than your personal comfort.”
Kelsey opened her mouth to speak and then changed her mind. She stared off in the distance at Roland. He was in disguise, but she could see who he was, despite the large feathered hat, sunglasses, and polka dot cravat. He reminded her of one of the legendary musketeers.
The king continued, “You’re no stranger to physical discomfort, but personal discomfort is a challenge for you.”
“I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Kelsey finally replied. “But you’re right. It’s a personal discomfort, a clash of personalities instead of swords.”
“More like a clash of personalities that can’t be resolved through a clash of swords,” he said with a hint of a smile. Kelsey laughed because she knew it was the truth, and the king laughed with her.
“Yes, Sire.”
“Your fighting spirit is your greatest asset. I know this won’t be easy for you. I appreciate the hardship that the situation will place on you in this journey, but it’s absolutely necessary, and I know you’ll work through it.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
Maggie walked outside to join them. She was chomping down on a large chunk of bread with a thick layer of cheese stuffed into a slit on one side of it. The loaf was crusty, and Maggie scattered crumbs everywhere each time she bit into it. As Kelsey watched, she appreciated the unladylike manner in which Maggie was eating. For a brief moment, Kelsey looked upon her with some amount of satisfaction.
After greeting her, Kelsey and the king both turned to continue watching Roland approach the castle. They stared silently into the distance as Maggie glanced around unaware.
“What are you looking at?” Maggie asked with her mouth full.
“Roland. He’s my friend,” Kelsey answered indicating the figure who was nearly upon them. He looked regal in his cloak and feathered hat.
“Where?” Maggie asked.
“Right there.” Kelsey pointed again, wondering if the giant sandwich Maggie was holding was obscuring her vision. They waite
d in silence for a few minutes as Roland approached them.
Roland first greeted the king with a handshake and dignified embrace before turning to Kelsey. She was so happy to see him that her eyes welled with tears as she hugged him. It had been more than a year since she had seen him last, but he was the traveling companion she had loved the most.
Maggie stood still as she watched the greeting, holding her sandwich to her frozen lips without taking a bite. Her eyes were large as she looked uncertainly upon the scene.
“He won’t bite,” Kelsey said with a nod in Roland’s direction.
“Who won’t bite?”
“Roland.”
“Oh. When’s he arriving?”
“He’s right here.” Kelsey looked impatiently at Maggie, who slowly lowered her sandwich from her lips and clutched it to her chest as if it were something precious she didn’t want to lose.
“Death appears to each one of us differently,” the king explained.
“But he’s not appearing to her. I don’t think she can see him at all,” Kelsey whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“That’s because Maggie lives in the moment. It’s very possible that she will never actually see death until it’s her moment to die.”
“There’s not really anyone else here, is there?” Maggie said as she reached out one hand and groped blindly in Roland’s direction. Each time she reached forward, Roland stepped out of the way to avoid being touched. “What’s his name? Mr. Death?”
“His name is Roland,” Kelsey said sharply.
“He’s a soul harvester,” the king explained, “and he’s very real, but not everyone sees him the same way or even sees him at all.”
“A soul harvester?” Maggie asked.
“He’s like a grim reaper,” said Kelsey.
“Please don’t call me grim. You know I despise that title. I’m generally a very happy person,” Roland said.