Lost Girl

by Mary E. Twomey

  But there was no one.

  There was no one, and then there was an arrow. The shooter had been waiting for her to turn around to face him or her, and then took aim and sunk an arrow straight through her left eye. I whimpered at the horrific sight as the Gévaudan tried to blink, but couldn’t close her eye around the arrow. Another flew as soon as her mouth opened in a loud cry of distress. The tip aimed true, driving straight into her mouth, and I’m guessing sticking in the back of her throat.

  Bayard didn’t understand either, but he took his window of opportunity and ran at the Gévaudan with his sword raised.

  It happened so quickly, it was barely a fight. The Gévaudan turned, her giant paw swooshing through the air and catching Bayard’s midsection. He was flung backwards, flying several feet in the air, and landed with a thud in the clearing not too far from where Draper and I were hiding. Blood bloomed over Bayard’s shirt, and his gasps sounded like they rattled with a dying man’s desperation.

  I ducked out of Draper’s stunned hold and ran to Bayard, revealing my presence so I could stand over him, chin raised. I had to shield him from the Gévaudan, who wasn’t finished with him yet. “Leave him alone!” I shouted with my dagger drawn, scared and angry.

  “Die. Kill. Eat.”

  My heart spluttered when the face I expected never to see again burst out from the woods behind the Gévaudan.

  14

  Not So Lost

  Bastien the Bold was fierce in his focus, shooting three more arrows that each landed strategically in various painful and unignorable spots. I wanted to run both to him and away from him at the same time. I wanted to shake him and also to hold him a little bit. I wanted to throttle him, but was terrified at having someone who’d dinged my heart so thoroughly too near the oversized beast. Draper had Bayard by the ankles, and was dragging him back into the woods for some semblance of cover. When I finally found my voice, the cry of my heart was a resounding, “Run, Bastien!”

  Bastien didn’t seem surprised at all to hear my warning, but his grip on the bow tightened as he aimed another arrow. “I’ve got this, Daisy! Just stay put.”

  The beast, caught in the worst day of her life, turned around in confusion as it dawned on her that this would also be the last of her days. Bastien ran at the beast when she started to topple. He jumped up with his long retractable knives at the ready, slashing and stabbing as often as he could while he climbed up her side and mounted her like she was a horse.

  The horse!

  My eyes flicked to the Cheval Mallet, and I heard his inner debate that judged whether or not the Gévaudan would make it out of this alive. If the beast died, he didn’t need to stick around. I knew if we waited until it was completely safe, we would lose our shot at the Horse to Nowhere.

  Draper was tending to Bayard’s supine form. He didn’t have a chance at restraining me when I bolted toward the horse, hoping I’d make it before I was noticed by the flailing Gévaudan.

  “No, Rosie!” Draper was fast, but I was faster.

  I flew to the Cheval Mallet, throwing myself over his seated body and hugging his neck. “You can’t go yet! I need you to take me with you.”

  “You?” The horse spluttered, distracted from the fight by the only person who could speak to him in a language he knew. “The Voix? You’re the Voix?”

  I nodded into his sleek black mane. “Yes, and you took my cousin away. Roland. I need to find him and bring him back. I need you to take me to him, and then let Roland and me come back to Avalon. Please, Cheval. Please!” My mind raced as the piercing cry of the Gévaudan echoed out behind me. “And the pouch of jewels that belonged to Duchess Heloise, Gliten, and Elaine of Avalon. Master Kerdik gave them to you and sent you off with them twenty-one years ago. I need those! I need you to take me to them so I can bring them back and help the people of Avalon. Please?”

  The horse seemed shocked, but still too hesitant for compliance. “I don’t know, I…”

  I heard Bastien cry out, and my head whipped around at the horrible sound. His shoulder was bleeding, but he was still in the clear winner’s spot atop the flailing giant wolf monster, who was down on her knees now. I wanted to help them; it wasn’t in my nature to sit back while the people who belonged to me were attacked. But I couldn’t bring myself to lash out at a grieving mother. I just couldn’t do it.

  Draper ran out to the fight and drew a slice across the Gévaudan’s throat with Bayard’s sword. The two men were sweating, grunting and letting out the occasional noise of terror when the oversized wolf-monster reared up or fought back in its last attempts at survival.

  Bastien’s forearms were bulging with sweat and strain as he fought to see which of them was the bigger beast. I was caught between running out to help the guys slay the beast, and clinging to Cheval’s mane. The Gévaudan’s cries of pain and grief struck my heart with far too many deep arrows. I curled my toes inside my sneakers and gripped my horse around the neck, willing the tears not to fall at the anguish I couldn’t unhear.

  My arms gripped the Cheval Mallet at first to make sure he didn’t run off on me, but as I watched the harrowing stabbing and war cries, it grew to be more than that. The hold became a hug I desperately needed when Cheval hooked his maw over my shoulder. This wasn’t the journey I signed on for. Come to think of it, I’d been kidnapped in the beginning, so there wasn’t much signing on I could’ve done at that point. I buried my face in Cheval’s mane when Bastien howled. I wanted to go to him, to help the guys, but I knew making sure the horse stayed was the whole point of this. I wouldn’t let us go through all this again.

  Bastien had come back. He’d run out on me, but he’d come back. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, so I tucked it away and reasoned I would decide later when I could talk it out with Lane over raw cookie dough and green tea. We always drank green tea when we gorged on something totally unhealthy. In our minds, it balanced everything out if we ingested a mug of tea with the garbage. More than anything, I wanted that mug of terrible tasting tea to balance out all the rubbish in my life. I wanted the blue couch with white stripes that Lane and I sat on either end of with our toes touching in the middle under the afghan we’d made together. I say “together”, but really it was me trying to copy Lane’s stitches, getting frustrated and creating more work for her to undo and redo while I slept.

  Cheval leaned his head to mine to comfort me, the sweetheart. His silky black mane was soft and almost felt like water, but it wasn’t wet at all. I buried my cheek in his long neck, marveling at the luxurious texture of his velvety skin. “There, there,” he said to me, sounding like a patient sage. “Sometimes this is the way of it. Death or despair is how these things end. For some, death is a welcome release. For others, I take them so their despair is contained. They can heal far away from the battle they couldn’t escape. I’m their escape.”

  “That’s really beautiful.” We were snuggling, and I didn’t feel one bit of ashamed at how much I needed the comfort. “Do you remember my cousin? Roland?”

  “I never know their names. It’s possible I took your cousin.”

  “Do you remember the gems?”

  Cheval stiffened and nodded, resting the underside of his head atop mine. “I do. I’ll only surrender them to you, Elaine of Avalon or Master Kerdik, though. They belong to Master Kerdik. He told me to take them away until the time was right. That you’re here now? That must mean it’s time.”

  I hugged his neck tighter, a ball of nerves growing in the pit of my stomach at the level of expectation everyone was putting on me. “Can I tell you a secret?” I clung to him while the battle started coming to a crest.

  “I keep many things; secrets are safe with me.”

  I closed my eyes and squeezed him tight, digging my fingers into his mane. “I don’t know what I’m doing. Everyone wants me to stand up to Morgan and make their crops grow, but I don’t know how to do any of that. I was barely passing my classes at school. Now I’m supposed to be some awesome princess?
Find things and people that can’t be found? Find treasures I’ve never even seen?”

  Cheval was quiet a few seconds, mulling over my confession. “I’m not sure many people know the breadth of what they do. Your very best effort will have to suffice.”

  I heard Bastien announce with an evil villainous laugh that they defeated the Gévaudan. A triumphant shout from Draper forced out an exhale I didn’t realize I was holding in. They were safe. We survived. Cheval nuzzled the side of his face to my cheek as I clung to his neck on the grass of the woods. It somehow felt like we were the only two there for the briefest of moments. His voice was quiet when he spoke to me. “I can tell you for certain that nobody knows what they’re doing all the time. This is your moment to feel lost. Even the greatest leaders go through that. You have to learn to trust the road that leads you there.” His tone was warm toward me, soothing the ache that had settled in my breast. Cheval had a sense of calm about him that was infectious. Like he’d seen too many battles to think of them as anything but ordinary at this point. Death was nothing new for him, but having a conversation with a person was. “My job is to find people who are lost and bring them to safety. Take it from me, Princess, you are not so lost.”

  My eyes closed as my face buried itself further in his silky raven mane. “Sometimes I need to hear that.”

  “The company I keep is usually the broken down or left for dead. I don’t often get to speak, since the other animals avoid me. They assume I bring destruction. This… Being with you is peaceful.” He paused as he surveyed the fallen Gévaudan, and then took on a note of affection that broke through his solemn demeanor. “When you feel like a lost girl again, I’ll find you. Then we can be lost together.”

  It was the sweetest pledge I’d ever gotten from an animal. The love sizzled in my heart, leaving a mark there that couldn’t be glossed over. It was funny how animals could do that. They could take one look at you and get a true sense of who you are, and tie their loyalties to you or attack in the next breath. People needed far more convincing. There were nuances and hidden pitfalls that were harder to put a finger on. Love was simple with animals. “I’d like that,” I whispered. “Please don’t leave me.”

  “Not until you’re ready. I’ll stay with you so you know you’re not lost. After we find Roland and I get you the gems, I’ll bring you back to your life.”

  “Thanks.” I kissed his cheek, and I could tell he’d been starved for affection. His usual company was people on the verge of suicide.

  “We’ve got an audience,” Cheval informed me.

  “They’re all going to want to come with me to get Roland and the gems.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible. I can carry two, but no more. Now that I’ve met the Voix? I see the good in your heart. I’ll only hand the gems over to you.”

  I turned my head and saw Draper and Bastien standing behind me, gawking at the most beautiful black horse they’d ever seen. Blood and sweat were dripping from them, but they wore the breathless and accomplished grins of the victor.

  15

  Stalked by Bastien the Not-so-Bold

  “You found him!” Draper breathed in amazement, his sword still dripping at his side. He limped forward, his leg bleeding through his pants. He clumsily knelt on one knee, showing his reverence to the mythical creature. “I’ve heard stories of him, but I’ve never seen him for myself. Beautiful.”

  I kissed Cheval’s neck. “Is everyone okay?” I kept my eyes from Bastien, knowing if I looked at him for too long, some kind of emotion would bubble up like vomit. I wasn’t in the mood for emotional chunk-blowing.

  Draper’s voice dropped with sadness. “Bayard’s body is in the trees over there. I couldn’t save him.”

  Bastien’s jaw stiffened, and he turned on his heel to go to Bayard. I stood with Cheval, and walked with my horse toward the place in the trees we’d hidden from the Gévaudan.

  Sure enough, there was Bayard, lifeless eyes staring up at the underside of the trees, as if he was contemplating the meaning of life. The slashes across his chest were deep, but the one over his stomach had been lethal. I could see clear into his innards, some of which had spilled out onto the grass at his sides. I covered my mouth with my hand, catching the scream in my palm.

  Bastien knelt down and closed Bayard’s eyes. He lifted Bayard’s limp hand and sandwiched it between his own. I bowed my head in respect as Bastien recited the soldier’s farewell I’d heard twice before already. If things kept going this way, we would bury more bodies than we saved. “‘Beyond the clouds there lies a home for the brave at heart to rest and roam. Your weapon’s sure, your body best, but now you’ve earned a warrior’s rest.’” He stood and glanced around. “I don’t have a shovel to bury him.”

  Draper shook his head and picked up Bayard’s ankles. “In the nest. If anyone happens into these woods, they should know Bayard’s fight to defeat the Gévaudan.”

  Bastien nodded once, and picked up Bayard’s upper half. The two carried him over to the nest, and gently lowered him inside. Bastien positioned his arms to cross over his chest, looking more heroic than tragic this way. He spoke to Draper without making eye contact. “Send his sword back to his people. Province 3 should know they lost a hero.”

  Cheval led me away from the carnage, sensing my impending breakdown. Bastien and Draper soon followed, and we sat on the other side of the clearing, the guys taking a few minutes to inspect their various injuries.

  Draper frowned, and then pulled Remy’s first aid kit out of my backpack, setting to work on Bastien’s shoulder. “Looks like this and my leg got the brunt of it. Not bad, guys.” Bastien wouldn’t remove his shirt to make stitching up the wound easier on Draper, but rather tugged the collar down to expose the gash. I watched him suture the wound in silence, and then he muttered something that sounded like an incantation over the wound. His eyes cut to me to explain. “That’s me disinfecting the wound. I used a bit of my magic. It can’t heal everything. Obviously, I still had to stitch him, but it fends off infection.”

  When Draper finished, he sat in the grass, rolling up his pant leg to reveal a long gash from a claw with too much precision. Bastien took the needle and thread and started on Draper’s leg. I moved over to my brother, holding his hands through the stitches that made him grimace. When Bastien did the same incantation over Draper’s leg after the needle and thread were put away, Draper reached out and grasped Bastien’s hand in a firm lock of men who’d fought a battle together. “I thought that would be our last moment. That you came for us? Thank you.”

  Bastien had none of his usual swagger, though if any occasion warranted his brash attitude, this was the one. “Yup,” he mumbled.

  “How long have you been tracking us?” Draper asked quietly.

  “Since you left the Lost Village. I’ve been with you all the whole time, just keeping watch from a distance. I was afraid your bird might spot me, but Seven stayed with you guys, so I lucked out.” His eyes flicked over at me with some hidden meaning I couldn’t place. What’s more, I didn’t want to decipher it. I’d given him my very first kiss, and he ran off with it. Come back though he did, the betrayal still ran deep.

  I pointed to the other end of the woods. “You guys should go back. Cheval’s going to take me to find Roland and the gems, and he’ll bring me back to you afterwards. You want to meet at a spot on the other side of the woods or something? Might take me a few days, but you can all rest and chill there while you wait. Probably should get out of the forest at some point.”

  Draper shook his head, sifting through the first aid kit. “No way, Rosie. I’m coming with you. Two can fit on that horse.” Draper’s voice of reason had a hint of anxiety to it.

  Bastien finally spoke in my direction. “If Roland went with the Cheval Mallet, he may not want to be found. Someone has to go who he’ll trust.”

  “Draper can take me,” I said quietly, hoping I’d missed a conversation where Draper was really Roland’s best friend or something
.

  “Duke Roland hates me because of who my father is,” Draper admitted, his hard gaze falling on Bastien. “He’d have no reason to trust me enough to come back to Avalon.”

  Bastien nodded, and I buried my face in Cheval’s neck, angry and so very embarrassed that we were being forced to work together. Bastien’s voice was quiet and humble. “I’ll go with you, then. Is that alright, Rosie?”

  I don’t know why my traitor heart pulled in my chest when he said my name. “You don’t have to pretend like I get a vote. I can go by myself, but I know no one will listen to me.”

  Draper remembered his role as my greatest protector when he stood and rolled his pants back down his leg. He stood up and cuffed the nape of Bastien’s neck, leading the surprisingly submissive ruffian away from our group like a naughty schoolboy. All I heard was, “If you’re going anywhere with my sister, we’re setting a few things straight first.”

  I kept my head down until Draper came back. “Bastien’s refilling the canteens, then he’ll take you with the Cheval Mallet.”

  Draper sat down beside me, leaning against Cheval with a hint of trepidation at being so chummy with the coolest horse in history. He rubbed my back to relax me, and I wished he’d had a better relationship with Roland, so he could come with me instead. “I don’t want to go with Bastien,” I whispered.

  “I don’t want you to go with Bastien, either. He’s scum for running out on you like that.”

  “Yeah? Well, you’re a jag for making me go with him after he did that to me.”

  Draper’s hand stilled on my back, but after a few beats, he resumed rubbing slow, soothing circles into the fabric of my shirt. “I suppose you’re right. Would it help if I said I was sorry, but this was the only way?”