by K M Reynolds
“Don’t mention it.” Wynne returned the smile before turning to the door. “Alright, Adelaide, these eggs won’t collect themselves! Let’s get a move on.”
Adelaide followed Wynne out the door and into the yard. They made their way across the dewy grass to the barn. Once they were inside, Wynne turned to Adelaide. “There is a henhouse, but the chickens don’t always use it. They prefer to make my life difficult and tend to hide their eggs all over the barn. So we’ll start our search in the henhouse, but we should check all of the stalls and the loft, as well.”
“Sounds good,” Adelaide nodded to Wynne, her eyes already searching the hay for hidden eggs. The women searched thoroughly and came away with over a dozen fresh eggs. Before they left the barn, Adelaide checked on Senaris. She was amazed to see that where his flesh was once shredded and raw, it was now healed beautifully, with thin silver scars the only traces of the Woodlyn attack.
In the house, the company sat down for breakfast. Adelaide’s mouth watered as Cambria presented a plate full of warm muffins, and the smell of eggs and berries mingled with the soft scent of the pastry.
“Everything looks delicious,” Charles complimented Wynne and Cambria. “I bet it tastes like heaven.”
“I’m starting to think this place is heaven,” Adelaide laughed, gesturing around the room. “I mean, we slept like rocks last night, wounds heal in a day, the food is amazing, and the scenery is so peaceful. This must be what heaven is like.”
“The scenery is peaceful inside my habitat,” Wynne reminded them. “Don’t forget about the very real dangers that lurk just outside of these borders.”
“Speaking of that,” Charles interjected, “that Woodlyn that attacked us last night is still out there.”
“Charles, I don’t think you have to worry, he can’t get to us in here.” Adelaide rested her hand on his. “Don’t think about it too much. We are safe.”
“No, I’m not worried about him getting to us at all, since he’s dead.”
Wynne’s eyes widened. “He’s what?”
“Yeah, when we crossed the barrier, he was mid-air. He slammed into it like it was a stone wall. He’s down for good.”
Wynne rose from the table, dusting muffin crumbs from her fingers. “I’ll be right back. I need to drag his body inside the borders.”
“What for?” Adelaide wanted to know.
“His hide, of course.” Wynne winked at Adelaide. “Woodlyn pelts are hard to come by, but they have such divine fur, it would be a shame to waste it. I need to pull it to safety before scavengers can ruin it.”
“I can help you,” Charles offered, rising from his chair.
“No need, this will be quick and simple. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Charles settled back into his chair and piled more food on his plate. Wynne chuckled, shaking her head.
“I’ll be back quickly, but ladies,” she glanced at Cambria and Adelaide, “Make sure he doesn’t eat all the food before I get back. I want another muffin!” With a silvery laugh she swept out the door.
“I like her.” Cambria spoke with her mouth full, tiny bits of egg sticking to her lips. “She is pretty amazing.”
Adelaide agreed. “She is so warm and friendly, not at all what I pictured when I thought of a great sorceress. And she looks so young!”
Cambria laughed, nodding as she gulped fresh water. “She’s going to have to teach me how she does that. I want to look flawless when I’m old.”
“Agreed.”
“I think you’ll both age beautifully,” Charles joined in.
“Of course you do!” Adelaide playfully poked his ribs. “At least, you’d better think that!”
The trio laughed, and Adelaide was secretly relieved that the tension between them had dissolved. After all the danger, the lies, and the uncertainty, it was nice to go back to feeling like a team again. She smiled to herself as she spooned fresh berries into her mouth, certain that at last everything was going to be okay.
the uuvern
T he rock hit the surface of the lake and jumped, leaving a trail of ripples in its wake. Adelaide watched as it traversed the still water before finally sinking below the surface with a plop.
“Charles, you have to teach me how to do that!”
“Absolutely, I learned this as a child on Grey Lake. My brothers taught me.” His face grew solemn as his thoughts wandered back to his childhood home in the Evermore Mountains.
My rightful home, Adelaide thought. She coughed lightly, and Charles snapped back to attention.
“Right! Well, first of all, you want to find a flat, smooth stone that fits comfortably in your hand.”
Adelaide searched the shoreline for the perfect stone, discarding several before she found one that was perfectly flat and oval in shape. “I’ve got one!”
“Great. Now watch how I do this. See how I’m holding the stone?” He demonstrated his grip to Adelaide, and wound up to toss it in slow motion. “Watch how I release it. See the motion of my arm, here? You want to throw it so the flat side of the stone skims the surface of the water, causing it to skip across. If you don’t get the angle just right, all you’ll accomplish is a big splash and a sinking rock.”
“I understand.” Adelaide made several practice motions with her arm. “Like this?”
“Exactly,” Charles encouraged. “Now, throw it for real.”
Adelaide wound up and released the rock, and it sailed from her hand towards the glassy surface of the lake. It hit the water with a ker-plush, and down it went.
“Oh no,” Adelaide groaned. “I wasted a perfectly good rock!”
“Hey, you’ll get the hang of it, you’ve just got to keep trying. Find another rock, let’s try again.”
Adelaide crossed her arms, huffing. “Why are you so optimistic? I’ll probably just muff it up again.”
“Probably,” Charles laughed. “But that’s half the fun. You’ll get it right eventually.”
“Well then, I’d better get a whole pile of rocks to practice with before I toss another one.”
“Sounds like a plan, Princess.”
Adelaide wandered up the shoreline, occasionally dipping her toes in the cool water. The sun was beating down from overhead, but at the lake, the heat didn’t seem as oppressive as it had in the thick of the jungle. She gathered smooth stones as she walked, humming to herself. After several minutes of walking, she tossed a glance over her shoulder. She could see Charles in the distance, skipping more rocks across the lake. With a jolt, she realized that Wynne’s property was not visibly marked.
“Am I still within the boundaries?” She whispered to the gentle breeze that stirred the reeds. She turned in a circle, surveying the land around her. In the light of day, the jungle seemed harmless, almost inviting. She eyed the distance between herself and Charles again, making the decision to head back. A sudden shadow made her look up, squinting her eyes against the glare of the afternoon sun. What she saw froze her in her tracks.
A huge winged creature was gliding silently overhead, crossing from one side of the lake to the other. It was several paces long, and scaled. It’s a dragon. By The Five, that’s a real dragon. Adelaide’s eyes were riveted on the creature as it soared above her, loftily unaware of her activity below. As the creature disappeared from view Adelaide exhaled, and she realized she had been holding her breath. Clutching her stones in her skirt, she spun on her heel and raced back towards Charles. Once she got within twenty paces, she found her voice.
“Charles! A dragon! I saw a dragon!”
Charles rushed over to her, taking in her breathless appearance. “A dragon? Addie, there’s no dragons in The Tangle.”
“But I saw it! It flew right over me, and it had leathery wings and scales, and huge claws…”
“How big was it?”
“What? It was huge!”
“I understand that, but was it big enough to carry off a man, or big enough to carry off ten men?”
Adelaide looked at Ch
arles quizzically as she panted for breath. “It was big enough to carry off one man, for sure. But not ten… it could have been a baby though!”
Charles shook his head. “That wasn’t a dragon, Addie. That was an uuvern. I told you about them back at the beginning, remember? They are related to dragons, but are considerably smaller. And they don’t breathe fire, so that’s a plus.”
Adelaide’s eyes were so wide she feared they might pop out of her head. “Dragons are even bigger?”
“Addie, according to the stories, dragons are easily twenty times larger than uuvern.”
“But those are just stories, right? There’s no way there are creatures that big, and we are just oblivious to them!”
“Addie, we’ve encountered a lot of things that are supposed to be ‘just stories’ so far on this quest. At this point, I’m inclined to believe that the legends are true.”
Adelaide sighed, her lips trembling. “That’s true. I just don’t understand how there could be all these terrifying creatures roaming about, and no one seems to know about it! How have the people become so blind to what is right in front of them? And what if one decides to break through Wynne’s barrier? How can we stop it?”
“Hey.” Charles spoke gently, resting his hands on Adelaide’s shoulders. “Let’s not worry about that right now, eh? We are safe here.” He gestured to the lake, smiling. “Let’s skip some rocks!”
At dinner that night, Adelaide brought up the Uuvern she had seen. Wynne listened carefully as Adelaide recounted her experience, frowning slightly as she nodded.
“You are safe from all creatures, whether they be on land, sea, or air, as long as you stay within my borders. I didn’t think to mark my territory clearly for you, so that you don’t wander too far. I’ll be sure to do that. I’ve been living here for decades, so I don’t need the markers. It never occurred to me that you would.”
“Thank you, Wynne, that adds a great deal of comfort. I didn’t even think about it, I just walked along the water’s edge, and after a while I realized that I had no idea where the boundaries were. Then when I saw that Uuvern, I realized just how quickly my life could end. I don’t want to stray into danger unnecessarily.”
“Of course, Princess. Consider it taken care of.”
The company ate dinner in comfortable silence until their appetites were satisfied. Wynne poured them each a glass of wine, and they began to discuss plans for their future at the lake. Wynne turned to Cambria, her face somber.
“When you first arrived, I told you that you are the Keeper of Shadows. We need to begin your training as soon as possible, since you’ve missed out on so many years worth of instruction. You’ll need to catch up and master your skills if you hope to be a valuable asset in the dark times to come.”
Cambria shook her head and sipped her wine. “I still have no idea what you mean by that, Wynne. What skills? What training? What is a Keeper of Shadows?”
“I will explain all of that in our first training session. But first, you need to agree to be trained.”
“I have to agree to training before I can learn what I’m being trained in?”
“Yes, that’s generally how it works.”
Cambria glanced uneasily at Adelaide, who gave a small smile of support. “Fine, I accept that I will be trained.”
“Excellent.” Wynne sat back in her chair and turned her gaze to Adelaide. “Your highness, you will need to work on your hand-to-hand combat, and build physical strength and endurance.”
“Whatever for?” Adelaide wanted to know.
“Because every ruler, every queen, should know how to fight and defend their throne.”
Adelaide pondered Wynne’s words, slowly chewing her food. “That does make sense. The thought of me actually fighting someone seems a little out of my realm, though. I’m not exactly warrior material.”
Wynne smiled and nodded knowingly. “When it comes to the things you love, everyone is a warrior. It may be buried deep, but there is a warrior in each of our hearts just waiting to leap into action.”
Charles spoke up, clearing his throat. “So, what should I do in the coming days?”
Wynne leveled her gaze at him, her face sobering. “In the coming days, you will follow orders. You will do as instructed, and help where needed. You will offer your advice or opinion only when requested, and you will not complain. It’s the least you can do.”
Charles nodded, his eyes wide. “Consider it done.”
“Now, I’m sure you are all still exhausted from your journey, so no more talk about the future tonight. Let’s relax and continue to settle in, and tomorrow will begin the journey towards a brighter future. One day, we will light up this Kingdom of Shadows. Until that day comes, we will train, and we will rest.” Wynne rose from the table and began to collect the empty plates. Juniper yowled from beneath the table, and Wynne glanced down. “I’ll feed you in a minute, silly creature.”
“This all sounds great,” Adelaide replied, stifling a yawn. “I can’t wait to learn all of these things, and to set the plan in motion. But for now, I actually am exhausted. I feel like I didn’t do much today, but I’m still so wiped out!”
“It’s just the strain of the journey catching up with you,” Wynne replied, tenderly laying a hand on Adelaide’s shoulder as she walked behind her. “You will be feeling right as the rain in no time. But until then, rest and nourishment are key.”
“In that case, I better turn in for the evening,” Cambria said as she stood. “I am wiped out, and my ankle is starting to act up a little. I could use the rest.”
“I’ll walk you to your room, Cam.” Adelaide turned to Wynne and Charles. “I’m going to turn in, too. I’ll see you both in the morning.”
After Adelaide and Cambria had left the room, Charles turned to Wynne. “So, what do you want to do with the rest of our evening? Get to know one another? Anything I can help with?” He smiled, hoping to win over his host. Wynne glared in response, rolling her eyes.
“I’m going to meditate for a while, then head to bed. What you do with your time is your own business, as long as it doesn’t affect myself or your companions.”
“Alright, then.” Charles shuffled uncomfortably, chewing his lip. “I suppose I’ll turn in, too.”
“Goodnight then, Sir Bainbridge.”
Charles grimaced at Wynne’s pointed use of his given name, but decided against protesting. He sighed heavily, slumping his shoulders. “Goodnight, Wynne.”
The next morning dawned far too early for Adelaide’s comfort. The sounds of the Lake were once more floating through the window, and for a brief moment, she was transported back to Gran’s cottage. The illusion shattered as her eyes opened, and the memories of the past months came flooding back.
I’m in The Tangle, at Lake Lemange. On the heels of that thought came another, one that caused her to sit upright in her bed. Today, our training begins. She slipped out of bed and padded across the floor to the closet. She quickly dressed and stepped out into the hallway, quietly making her way to the main rooms. The smell of fresh bread tickled her nose, and her stomach growled. Cambria must be awake.
As if to confirm her thoughts, Cambria’s cheery voice greeted her as she stepped into the dining area adjacent to the living room.
“Morning, Addie! Did you sleep well?” Cambria grinned, holding out a plate of warm bread. “Fresh out of the oven! Want some?”
Adelaide smiled and accepted a slice of bread. “I distinctly remember you saying that you weren’t planning to become a morning person,” she said as she bit into the bread. “Yet here you are, for the second morning in a row, awake before the sun and baking! I’m telling you, Cam, I think this Lake has some sort of mystical effect on you.”
Cambria laughed throwing her hands up in defeat. “You are right, of course. I just keep waking up early, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t go back to sleep! I can’t explain it—I’ve never had this problem before in my life.”
“You’re telling me
,” Adelaide giggled. “I remember how mad your mama used to get when it was your job to start the ovens in the bakery in the morning. She’d have to drag you out of bed by your ear!”
Cambria smiled sadly at the mention of her family. “Oh boy, do I remember.” She sighed heavily, her eyes growing glassy. “I remember like it was yesterday. Gosh, I miss them.” She swatted away a tear that threatened to spill from her eye and cleared her throat. “But I’m sure they are doing fine, even without me snoring the morning away.”
Adelaide nodded, her face somber. “I miss Redloch too, Cam. It’s ok to be sad about it. There’s no point in hiding our emotions. We are both feeling pretty similarly about it, I can imagine.”
“Yeah.” Cambria’s voice trembled slightly as she swiped at her eyes again.
The girls stood in silence for a few moments, basking in the glow of bittersweet memories. The sound of a woodlark sang through the air, echoing across the still water.
Cambria turned to Adelaide, gesturing out the window toward the lake. “Care for a swim?”
The sun was warm on Adelaide’s exposed skin as she stripped down to her thin cotton slip and approached the shoreline. The clear water swirled around her ankles, then her calves, slowly covering her body as she inched deeper and deeper. With a sigh, she sank up to her shoulders in the cool water, her hair floating out around her like tendrils of fire on the surface of the lake. To her left, Cambria surfaced in a cloud of bubbles, shaking the water from her tightly coiled hair. Adelaide closed her eyes and lay back, spreading her arms as she floated.
The gentle sounds of The Tangle were muffled by the water that surrounded her ears, and the sunlight danced across her closed eyelids. She could feel the heat of the rising sun on her body, but it was mitigated by the cool embrace of the water. This must be what paradise feels like. She floated in silence, her body suspended between the worlds of wind and water. She could hear Cambria swimming leisurely off to her left, her languid strokes sending ripples across the surface of the lake.