Anilyia

by Carroll, John H.

  The snail stopped trying to get away. Liselle got the impression it would be panting if able. The flowers relaxed and opened their petals once more while trees straightened their trunks. Vevin looked at her in amazement. “Wow. I didn’t know anyone could counter dragon fear,” he told her with a smile. “You really are powerful.”

  She blushed at the compliment. Looking around, it didn’t seem as though the wave of peace would reach the creatures that had already left the area because it was moving much too slowly. Liselle went to Vevin and wrapped her arms around his waist once more. Vevin wrapped his arms around her again and she rested a cheek on his shoulder. “The peace you sent made me feel good, but I’m going to teach you how to shield me if you ever do anything that hurts, alright?” he asked.

  Her eyes widened in alarm. Liselle hadn’t even considered shielding him from it. “I’m so sorry,” she said in a worried tone, looking up into his eyes.

  “It’s alright. I’m not upset,” he reassured her. “I can handle most spells even if they’re potent. You just happen to be more powerful than most and I want to teach you things that might make you a better sorceress.”

  Liselle thought about that for a moment. “I’m a sorceress?” she asked.

  He frowned in thought. “No. Not really. I just don’t know what you are. There isn’t another one of you anywhere that I know of.”

  “Oh.” She liked the idea of being the only one of her that existed.

  “Shall we continue?” Vevin asked. “I don’t think our escort is going to come back for us and I know how to get to the village anyway.”

  “Yes. Let’s go.” They began walking back along the path. A moment later, they came across the outer edge of the spell Liselle had cast. It was moving very slowly in every direction from the center where she had cast it. The trees and plants in its path visibly relaxed as it moved over them.

  “Let it go,” Vevin said. “It will eventually fade. Until then, everything it touches will know peace, which is a rare feeling for many things.” Liselle smiled at him and nodded. They stepped through the slow wave of peace and continued at a leisurely pace the rest of the way to the village, arriving well after sunset.

  Chapter 6

  Tathan was sitting on a stump at the outskirts of the village while Sir Danth leaned against a nearby tree. Lights from scattered dwellings cast a glow throughout the forest. Tathan looked unhappy and Liselle became instantly irritated by that fact. “Hello, Cousin,” she said with a hint of challenge.

  “Hi.” It looked like he was about to say more, but restrained himself. “It’s good to see you,” he said, standing as they walked up. He reached out to give Liselle a hug, which surprised her. Tathan wasn’t one for displays of affection.

  “It’s good to see you too.” Liselle returned the hug then looked at him, puzzled.

  He sighed and stepped back with a shrug. “I was worried about you. I know you can take care of yourself, but I still worry.”

  Liselle’s eyes narrowed. “You’re right. I can take care of myself. There’s no need for you to worry,” she told him in a firm voice.

  Tathan frowned. “Don’t talk to me like that, Cousin. I’m not being condescending.”

  His tone surprised her. Tathan had never spoken harshly to her that she could remember. “What do you mean?” she asked, unsure of herself.

  “I mean that I worry about you, but it’s not because I don’t think you can take care of yourself,” he said. “I’ve been alone for years now with no one I like or trust.” Tathan put his hands on his waist and looked at the ground. “You’re my cousin, but you’re also my best friend and I don’t know what I’d do if anything were to happen to you.”

  Liselle leapt forward, grabbed him in a big hug and started crying. She was doing a lot of that lately and was going to have to figure out why, but she didn’t care at that moment.

  He held her against his chest. “When I think about you being captured down in those caverns it sends chills up my spine. I worry even though I know you can take care of yourself.”

  “Immbbmmphhlleeoo,” Liselle replied.

  “What?” Tathan asked, loosening his grip.

  She pulled away and wiped her eyes on a sleeve. “I worry about you too and you’re my best friend too,” she said between deep sobbing breaths. “I know I can handle myself, but sometimes I get a little scared and want someone to take care of me.” Vevin handed her a handkerchief he pulled out of thin air. Sir Danth raised a non-existent eyebrow at the trick.

  “I understand that completely,” Tathan agreed. “Sometimes I’m terrified and wish someone would take care of me.”

  “Really? You seem so brave and willing to face danger.” Liselle used the handkerchief to blow her nose. She looked at it wondering where Vevin had found it. It wasn’t in their things and he didn’t have a backpack. Then she wondered where the ones from the inn had disappeared to. She shrugged and blew her nose again.

  “Yes, really.” Tathan took her by the shoulders. “Life isn’t easy for anyone, Liselle. Everyone feels fear and wants to be comforted at times. It’s completely natural.”

  “Oh yes,” Vevin said at her side. “Even dragons sometimes feel fear. I was very afraid when I thought you might be hurt.” He did his reassuring dance. Liselle realized he had been doing that one a lot around her lately. “The fear is not always for ourselves, but sometimes for those we love.”

  “So everyone is afraid sometime,” Liselle said. For some reason, she hadn’t thought her companions were frightened by anything. The knowledge that they felt fear comforted her. She looked at Sir Danth who hadn’t said anything. “Even you, brave knight?”

  “No. I have never known fear,” he replied matter-of-factly.

  “Never?” Tathan asked with a raised eyebrow. “Come now, I’m sure you have a reputation for bravery, but everyone feels fear at one time or another. In fact, facing your fears is the definition of bravery.”

  The dark knight spread his arms out to the side. “No. I have never felt fear. It does not know me, nor have I met it, although I have seen it in people’s eyes.”

  They stared at him for a moment. “Not even when you were a child, Sir Knight?” Liselle asked.

  “Not even when I was a child. My mother cursed me for my recklessness.” Sir Danth looked at them and said firmly, “I have never known fear. I am the ultimate Knight of Morhain and there has never been my equal. It is as simple as that.”

  “Well . . . alright then,” Tathan said. He turned to Liselle and Vevin. “We’ve been given beds in a small cabin near the stream. Your bow is there, Liselle and there’s food waiting if you’re hungry.” Liselle and Vevin both nodded vigorously and followed him to the cabin.

  It consisted of two bedrooms and a simple living room. The furnishings were well crafted, if basic. Mats lay on the dirt floor. Pelt window coverings were drawn back to let in the fresh evening air. They sat around the table in the living room while Vevin and Liselle ate. It was a cool night with a gentle forest breeze carrying pine scents that mixed with evening meals being cooked. Their meal consisted primarily of fruits and nuts, though one of the Druids brought elk meat for Vevin. He heated it with fire and shared some with Liselle.

  Tathan casually munched on a piece of fruit and explained their trip to the village. “Some Druids tried hiding off the road to surprise us, but I snuck around behind them while our metal friend here popped into the woods on the other side,” he said, taking another bite of fruit and gesturing to Sir Danth. “The Druids came out onto the road scratching their heads after realizing that we had disappeared. The next thing they knew, our swords were at the back of their necks,” Tathan said with a grin. Sir Danth chuckled happily.

  The knight became serious. “They were quite mad at us for catching them by surprise.” Tathan nodded. Sir Danth continued in his deep, hollow voice, “Their leader, a man by the name of Bromin, was wroth with us and yelled that it was disrespectful to surprise a Druid. He claimed it even more disre
spectful to draw weapons upon them.”

  “Wroth? I like that,” Tathan said with a smirk. “If wroth means cussing so bad that the trees blush that is.”

  “That is precisely what it means,” Sir Danth said. “The Druids chose not to lead us to the village, instead waiting for you to arrive. Did you not see them?” he asked Liselle and Vevin.

  “Well . . . we did . . . briefly,” Liselle answered, feeling embarrassed. Vevin looked anywhere but at Tathan and Sir Danth.

  “Oh?” the knight asked in amusement. “Do tell.”

  Liselle looked at Vevin. “Perhaps you should tell this one, dearest.”

  “Oh, me? Well . . . Not much to tell really,” he stammered.

  “Here now, Sir Dragon. You have piqued my curiosity,” the knight declared. He put his elbows on the table and the chin of his helmet in his hands like a child would when listening to a tale. “Please proceed with the story.”

  Vevin blushed deep purple. “I saw the Druids hiding too. We decided to be nice and let them surprise us. Then Bromin smiled at Liselle like he was hungry, so I got mad.”

  Tathan sat up straight. “You didn’t eat them?”

  “No! Of course not. I just got mad and one pulled a sword, so I threatened to eat them,” Vevin said indignantly. “Bromin got cranky with me and said I couldn’t, so I told him I could if I wanted to and they ran away.”

  “They ran away because you told them that you could eat them?” Tathan asked with furrowed brow.

  “Methinks there are details missing from the story, Master Tathan,” Sir Danth said, head still propped in his gauntlets.

  Vevin sighed, not wanting to continue. Liselle put a hand on his arm and explained the rest. “He spoke with his dragon voice and used something called dragon fear, which scared them off along with every other living thing in the area. For all we know they’re still running.”

  Vevin hung his head as Liselle patted his arm and smiled at him. Tathan and Sir Danth stared at their dragon friend for a moment. Then they burst into laughter and began banging their fists on the table.

  “Brilliant!” Sir Danth exclaimed. “Absolutely brilliant!” The knight’s laughter boomed out of the armor, filling the room. Vevin looked at them in surprise. Liselle was laughing as well and he finally joined in. The mirth lasted for a good while.

  As they sat at the table relaxing, Tathan had a thought. “So where did you end up after dashing into the forest, Cousin?”

  Liselle froze. She had forgotten about Yebisu. At the moment, she was relaxed and didn’t really want to go into it.

  Vevin spoke up and ruined any chance she had of putting it off until morning. “We came across a stupid, talking yellow bird that looked rather tasty,” he said with a grin.

  “A talking bird? That sounds interesting,” Sir Danth said. “Do tell.”

  “Oh yes. It was a very cranky talking bird.” Vevin continued explaining, for which Liselle was grateful. The incident had left a bad taste in her mouth. “Anyway, Liselle was communicating with the flowers, smelling and touching them. They guided her to a clearing with a pool in the center.”

  “Ahh, a magical place then,” Sir Danth said. He turned to Tathan. “Clearings with pools in the middle are always magical places,” he said with a knowing nod. Tathan responded with a knowing nod of his own. Liselle rolled her eyes.

  “Oh yes. It was a magical pool. As you say, they always are,” Vevin agreed. “Anyway, there was a big, bright light in the middle that turned out to be Yebisu, the Yellow Bird of Sunshine.” He said the last part in a mock dramatic tone.

  “The Yellow Bird of Sunshine? Sounds impressive.” Sir Danth chuckled.

  “Oh yes, very impressive. Just ask her,” Vevin replied with a wink and a chuckle of his own. “Anyway, she dimmed her sunshine so we could see and then she landed on a rock.”

  “What rock?” Tathan asked. Details were important to him.

  “The big one next to the pool,” Vevin explained. Tathan accepted that with a nod and motioned the dragon to continue. “Anyway, Yebisu told Liselle to save Princess Anilyia of Mayncal or the world would go ‘poof’”. Vevin cast a ball of light and made it go ‘poof’ to emphasize.

  “Poof?” Sir Danth asked.

  “Oh yes!” Vevin exclaimed. He conjured up another ball of light and made it go ‘poof’. “Poof, just like that,” he said. More flew from his fingertips. “Poof, poof, poof, poof, poof!” he exclaimed with giggles. It was his new favorite game. Liselle rolled her eyes again and rested her elbows on the table with chin propped in palms just as Sir Danth had done a short while before.

  Tathan watched how the dragon did it then tried too. It took him longer to create a ball of light than it did Vevin. His was orange instead of purple. Once he had it formed, he tried to make it go ‘poof’. His went ‘plip’ like a sick bubble instead.

  Sir Danth burst into laughter and Liselle buried her face in her hands and groaned. “No, no,” corrected Vevin. “Like this.” He pulled up another purple light and made it go ‘poof’ slowly. It was more of a ‘poooooooofffffff’.

  “Ohhhh, I see,” Tathan replied and made another ball of light. This time when he gestured it gave a satisfying ‘poof’. It wasn’t as excellent as Vevin’s, but respectable nonetheless.

  “Well done, Master Tathan! Well done,” the knight exclaimed with a smack on the shoulder. Tathan staggered forward in his stool with a grunt. Liselle rolled her eyes at the little ritual the boys played. It seemed a game for Sir Danth to thump Tathan in the shoulder while Tathan did his best to avoid it. The knight won the game more often than not.

  “Anyway,” Vevin continued. “Miss Sunshine Birdie insisted that Liselle promise to save the princess.” Tathan frowned at that. Sir Danth stopped laughing. “Liselle refused to make any promise, but said she might try if the opportunity arose. Mrs. Sunshine got mad and flew away in a beam of light.”

  Tathan stood up, moving to the window to look at the lights from other dwellings. The small village blended with the trees. Liselle worried that he would be upset with her even though she didn’t feel like she had done anything wrong.

  “Did the Yellow Bird of Sunshine poop daylight on your head when she left?” Sir Danth asked innocently.

  They burst into laughter again. The knight pounded on the table, causing it to jump with each hit. It was a few minutes before anyone was able to talk with any clarity.

  Tathan came back to the table, sitting on the edge. “It sounds like you handled it really well, Cousin,” he told her with a smile. It made her feel better and she smiled back. “Did the bird really say the world would go ‘poof’?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yes, she cast a ball of light like Vevin’s and made it go ‘poof’ too. I remembered what you said about people alleging the world would end if a quest wasn’t taken. I wasn’t willing to make any promises.”

  “That was a good decision,” Tathan said with a nod.

  Liselle became very serious. “I asked if the fate of the world really hung in the balance if I didn’t rescue the princess. Yebisu insisted that it did. She seemed so desperate for me to rescue the princess. I worry that maybe the fate of the world really is in danger.”

  Tathan shrugged. “It might be. I don’t know for certain.”

  That was an admission she didn’t expect. “But you told me things like that were always lies to get adventurers to accept a quest.”

  “Well, that’s true in my experience,” he said. “I can’t say the fate of the world isn’t in the balance, but I have a hard time believing any one person, or group of people, is responsible for the entire world and all life.”

  Liselle nodded. “It all sounds so sensible when you say it like that. Yet when I refused to make the promise, Yebisu made it seem as though I hated the world.” Liselle was mad again. Mad at being made to feel guilty and mad at being told that the world would end if she didn’t do something. Vevin put an arm around her shoulders in comfort.

  “You are not responsible f
or the fate of the world, Lady Liselle,” Sir Danth assured her. “I have been alive for a long time and seen centuries pass. No one person is responsible for the world. I believe that with all of my heart,” he said, reaching out to gently put a gauntlet on her arm.

  “But what if I am?” she asked. “What if the world does go ‘poof’ if I don’t save the princess? How am I supposed to feel about that?”

  “Then the world goes ‘poof’,” Tathan said. He made another ball of light go ‘poof’, causing Vevin to giggle. Tathan smiled tenderly. “You do the best you can, Cousin. Maybe you save the world, maybe you don’t.”

  “But that seems too casual,” Liselle protested. “If I’m supposed to save the world then I should do everything possible to succeed!”

  “That is very noble,” Sir Danth told her. “I have even more respect for you than before, and I have never respected an individual more than you, Milady.”

  “It is noble, cousin,” Tathan agreed, taking a bite out of another piece of fruit. “But if you’re the only one who can save the world out of an infinite number of people throughout an infinite number of years, then the blame falls upon the shoulders of the gods for coming up with such a stupid concept.”

  Liselle blushed while Vevin and Sir Danth nodded in agreement. “Well said, Master Tathan. Well said,” the knight told him, attempting another pat on the back, which Tathan managed to avoid.

  “The point is, you shouldn’t feel bad if you aren’t able to save the princess,” Tathan told her.

  “That is the princess the merchant was talking about, Master Tathan,” the knight pointed out. “He said the Princess of Mayncal had been kidnapped.” Sir Danth turned to Liselle. “You did say the Princess of Mayncal, yes?”

  “Yes. Princess Anilyia of Mayncal,” she answered with a nod.