by Sue Lyndon
Rhiannon nodded and clung to Edwin for dear life, though she trusted him to keep her safe. They stepped onto the light in unison and immediately felt their bodies moving, slowly down and away from the imprisonment of the Cold Top. When they reached solid land, Rhiannon let out a sigh of relief. The Whispering Forest would be safe and they would reach it in two days, finally she could experience freedom at its fullest.
Chapter 5
“Time to set up camp,” Edwin announced.
“But I’m not tired and you have the lantern. Can’t we travel a bit through the night?” asked Rhiannon.
“No. We’ve been walking all day, much later than we normally do. You must get your rest, lass.”
“Just a little further, Edwin,” she whined. “We already had dinner, so what harm will it do to walk a bit more?”
“I’ve given you my answer. Now take your pack off and help me set up camp.” He dropped his own pack to the ground.
“We could cut a half day or maybe a whole day from our journey if we walk longer each day, Edwin. Just because I’m a weak mortal doesn’t mean I can’t…”
“Enough!” Edwin thundered.
Despite the fact that her husband towered over her slender form with crossed arms, Rhiannon didn’t desist. Her desire to reach the Palace of Lights caused her common sense to flee. “You’ve been bossy during this entire trip!” she declared. “This is the first time I’ve asked for anything since we left the cabin. It’s not fair!”
Of course, she immediately realized the error of her ways when Edwin gripped her arm and led her toward a fallen tree. He seated himself and pulled her across his lap in one swift movement.
“I think perhaps your attitude could use an adjustment,” he declared as he brought his hand down swiftly across the seat of her dress. It was the first time he’d ever punished her with clothing on, but it hurt nearly as badly as a bare bottom spanking.
Though the marks from the awful switching had faded days ago, Rhiannon realized just how tender her flesh remained as the spanking continued. When she kicked and struggled to stand, Edwin pinned her legs beneath his and held her hands firmly at the small of her back.
“You will speak to me in a respectful tone!” he said before delivering another round of smacks to the tenderest area at the base of her cheeks. “And you will accept my decisions without pouting like a child!”
He increased the rhythm of spanks and she ceased her struggles against him. Her bottom was on fire, and she felt warm tears gathering. “Please!” she begged, “I’m sorry, Edwin! I’m sorry!”
But the spanking continued for some time, and Rhiannon accepted her fate and remained still for the stinging punishment. Perhaps she had been mouthier than she’d realized. Edwin always made good decisions, yet she had challenged him a few times during the day.
When the spanking finally ended, Edwin kept her pinned across his lap. He pulled her dress up and rubbed her tender, reddened flesh.
“I’m sorry,” Rhiannon murmured through her quiet sobs.
“You’re forgiven,” Edwin replied after a deep sigh, cradling her in his lap. “I hope we can complete the rest of this journey with you on your best behavior.”
“I’ll be good. I promise.” Her face flushed.
“Once we enter the Whispering Forest, we will be surrounded by trees, trees from which I can cut another switch.”
Rhiannon gulped and a shiver ran down her spine at the mere mention of a switch. That was one experience she never wished to repeat.
“Yes, Edwin. I understand.”
“Good,” he said as he shifted her legs apart. She gasped as his fingers brushed against her sex, delicately rubbing the moist folds between her thighs. As the moon appeared from behind a cloud, bright and massive in the sky, Edwin bent Rhiannon over the fallen tree and roughly claimed her, muttering a prayer to his dream spirits.
*
The sun was hot, even through the shade of the ancient trees of the Whispering Forest, but Rhiannon didn’t mind. She was finally here. Deep inside the Whispering Forest and less than a day from the Palace of Lights.
Occasionally, Edwin patted her bottom as they navigated through the thick underbrush. Each time he did this she couldn’t suppress the fluttering in her stomach or keep the hot blush from her face. She was very much in love with her handsome Crigon husband, stern though he was.
When twilight beckoned throughout the forest and the nighttime insects began their ethereal chorus, Rhiannon expected Edwin to announce they would set up camp for the evening. Despite how much she longed to reach the Palace of Lights, she dared not broach the subject. Not when such an action might prompt another spanking.
Edwin suddenly squeezed her hand. “The Palace of Lights isn’t too far now. We will rest there tonight.”
She squealed in delight and kissed his hand. “Thank you!”
Sure enough, the forest soon began to glow seemingly of its own accord, and Edwin extinguished the lantern. The night air itself shimmered around them, and the chorus of insects transformed into something more beautiful than Rhiannon had ever heard. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought they had already entered the afterlife.
“Behold, the Palace of Lights,” said Edwin once they reached the clearing where the tall, crystalline structure rested. “This is where the roaming Crigons often travel to conceive a child before returning to Strellia.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Yes, although I don’t remember much about my time here, since my mate was here with me. I assume we sought the help of a healer—your grandmother—in a village after encountering difficulties in conceiving.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said. And it was. It was the most magnificent structure, something more incredible than she could’ve ever imagined. The peaks of the glowing white structure kissed the night sky. A bright door summoned them from the clearing, a shimmering entrance that faded from yellow to red and back again.
The interior was just as magnificent as the outside, intricately decorated bedrooms and spacious dwelling areas were dispersed throughout the structure. Rhiannon imagined it would hold hundreds of Crigon couples during the fertility season.
“The next hundred year period won’t arrive for another thirty years,” said Edwin. “We have the whole palace to ourselves.”
Rhiannon giggled and ran ahead. “And where shall we sleep?” she asked.
“You may choose your favorite bedroom, lass,” he said. “But the hour is late and I am tired, so please choose quickly.”
As they moved deeper into the halls of the palace, Rhiannon stuck her head into each bedroom. They were all open and beautiful, but she finally decided on one decorated in blues and silvers with a skylight to the stars.
“Now all we have to do is mate until you are with child, my love,” Edwin said as they crawled beneath the soft, shimmering coverlets.
“Sounds wonderful,” she replied as he pressed his hardness against her thigh.
“Just remember that there are still rules here.”
Rhiannon looked up, her brows furrowed. “What kind of rules could possibly exist here? I thought the forest was protected from dangerous beasts and those from the Land of Holon.”
“Yes, it is. But I expect you to remain close to me, nonetheless. Just in case we were to encounter another roaming Crigon.”
“But…” Rhiannon started but Edwin put a finger to her lips.
“I also expect you to be on your best behavior. You will tell me before you leave this level of the palace or the palace itself. I also expect you to take good care of yourself. Since you are trying to conceive a child you must get plenty of rest and eat healthily.”
Rhiannon couldn’t restrain herself from rolling her eyes, despite the fact that Edwin was hovering over her and peering directly into her face. The palace was supposed to be a thousand times safer than the Cold Top, but Edwin was turning it into yet another prison.
“But, Edwin…”
He
pressed his finger against her mouth again.
“You will obey me in this, or you will suffer the consequences. Furthermore, if you ever roll your eyes at me again, I will put you over my knee and blister your bare bottom until it is as red as the moon apples in the Whispering Forest. Is that understood?” His eyes were dark and his tone menacing.
“Yes, Edwin,” she said, mentally chastising herself for rolling her eyes directly in her strict husband’s face. She had better be careful or she’d end up over his knee yet again.
*
Time passed in the Palace of Lights, each day like the one before. But that was fine with Rhiannon, for each day was spent roaming the palace and the surrounding Whispering Forest with Edwin by her side. He promised her the afterlife would hold even greater joys, but that idea was hard to imagine. Life in the Palace of Lights with Edwin was perfect…most of the time.
Occasionally, Rhiannon longed for the freedom to explore the levels of the palace on a whim, and she seethed when Edwin insisted she pace herself. She had an intense urge to investigate every corner of every room, but her husband insisted she only explore a little each day. “If you do it all today, what will you do tomorrow?” he would say.
The palace was immune to the collection of dust and other grime, so Rhiannon’s household duties only consisted of keeping their bedroom tidy, as well as the kitchen down the hall which they often used. It took little time each day for these things, which left plenty of time for Rhiannon to read her books and gaze upon the great Whispering Forest from the numerous balconies in the palace.
One day Edwin returned from an early morning hunt with a grim countenance. Rhiannon immediately sensed his mood and rushed toward him, her heart growing heavy with concern.
“What is it?”
His blue eyes narrowed as he gazed down and cupped her face. “My dream spirits came to me with a warning while I was hunting.”
Fear penetrated Rhiannon, deep into her core. The Palace of Lights was supposed to be safe, and Edwin, always so brave, looked shaken with trouble. “Wh-what did they say?”
“A lone roaming Crigon male, possessed by an evil spirit from the Caves of Terr is nearing the edges of the Whispering Forest.”
“But I thought the forest was protected. How can this be?”
“There is no protection against a Crigon entering the forest, possessed or otherwise.”
“Does he know we are staying in the palace?” Her voice cracked under the fear building within her chest.
“Yes, but there is protection in the cellar of the palace. The foundation was built with flaggarock. It is impossible to kill the spirit within the roaming Crigon, but it works as a repellant. He won’t be able to set foot inside the cellar.”
“But how will we ever leave when it’s time to travel to Strellia?”
A shadow fell across Edwin’s face. “That I do not know. But I know that you must be kept safe. If I kill the roaming Crigon, then the evil spirit will soar freely and possibly enter my body. The usual strength of a Crigon body renders this circumstance different since the spirit will not vanish under death as in a man. If the roaming Crigon kills me, then he will seek entrance into Strellia with you as his mate. The consequences would be disastrous. I fear it would spark a war between Etronelli, Strellia, and the Caves of Terr.”
“So we must hide in the palace cellar until this roaming Crigon gives up and leaves us?” Rhiannon was almost hysterical. How long could they survive down there? How many years would pass until the evil spirit from the Caves of Terr gave up?
“Yes. I’m sorry, Rhiannon,” he said. “We must get busy at once and move to store as much food as possible in the cellar. There’s an old hearth for cooking and I can move one of the smaller beds so that we will be comfortable.”
A terrifying numbness overtook her. Their carefree days of scampering about the Palace of Lights and venturing through the Whispering Forest had ended, brutally and swiftly.
The next two days were hurriedly spent gathering food from the forest and the kitchens in the palace. Yet another marvel of the Palace of Lights was that food within the walls never spoiled. Edwin heaved crates of wild fruit and berries down the winding cellar steps, while Rhiannon took to organizing their living space in the cold, dark room.
As they crawled into bed that night, Rhiannon noticed Edwin’s body tense and she gave him a question look.
“My dream spirits say the roaming Crigon will arrive at the palace in the late morning,” he said. “You are never to even set foot near the cellar stairs, as they are made of wood and he may stand upon them.”
“I understand, Edwin.” If only she’d conceived a child by now.
“I mean it,” he said, his voice razor sharp. “Any disobedience from you will be met with the swiftest, harshest punishment. I mean to keep you safe, lass, always.”
She wondered if he had a switch hidden amongst the supplies in the cellar, but she dared not ask. “I promise to listen to you.”
He kissed her lips lightly and they fell asleep huddled beneath the piled coverlets on the tiny bed. They awoke to no sunlight, for there were no windows in the cellar. The fire in the hearth smoldered and the lantern on the table burned low.
Rhiannon fixed a light breakfast, figuring that the somber mood would hinder Edwin’s appetite as much as it hindered hers.
Just before lunchtime, a noise came from the levels above the cellar.
Footsteps.
The roaming Crigon male possessed by an evil spirit from the Caves of Terr was inside the Palace of Lights!
Rhiannon found herself wrapped in Edwin’s arms atop their bed, burying her head in his broad chest and shaking with fear. Most of the spirits from the Caves of Terr had committed unspeakable evils as men. She knew the evil Crigon couldn’t get her in the cellar, but the fact that he walked above them left her blood running cold.
The noise from above lasted throughout the day. Footsteps, scratching, and horrid moaning sounds. Rhiannon eventually occupied herself with baking bread and reading. Edwin paced across the flaggarock floor in a trance, telling Rhiannon he was seeking guidance from his dream spirits.
“He knows we’re down here,” said Edwin on their seventh morning in the cellar.
“Did your dream spirits tell you that?” asked Rhiannon, looking up from the breakfast she was preparing.
“Yes.”
Hopelessness and fear was all that Rhiannon knew at that moment. They would never escape the cellar. If she died before reaching Stretta, then her soul would be sent to Etonelli unattached to Edwin. If Edwin died before reaching Stretta, then his soul would enter the rebirth cycle and Edwin as he was now would be forever lost.
They made love when the footsteps were silent during the darkest hours of night, quiet and urgent, and each time it felt as if they were saying goodbye to one another.
They stopped talking about reaching Stretta. They stopped talking about conceiving a child, though Rhiannon longed to feel a swell in her belly.
Thirty days passed and Rhiannon awoke in a sweat. Edwin was fast asleep, but she slid out of bed to find Edwin’s spear. Her dream spirits had appeared to her as a beautiful chorus.
Her dream spirits had appeared to her for the first time in over a decade.
She would be with child soon, they had sung.
Even better, there was a way to destroy the evil Crigon lurking upstairs, his body along with the evil spirit within him.
Her fingers bled as she pulled flaggarock pebbles from the cracks of the walls. She put them directly into the bread pan and placed it directly atop the smoldering hearth. Flaggarock will melt under the power of fire and a powerful prayer to Stretta and Retta, the dream spirits had sung.
And as Edwin slept still, Rhiannon prayed and watched the pebbles melt over the heat of the hearth. The pearly liquid was a swirling of blues when she removed the bread pan. Immediately, she dipped the tip of Edwin’s sharpened spear and held it up until the melted flaggarock had cooled.
&n
bsp; Rhiannon held in her hands a weapon capable of completely destroying a roaming Crigon inhabited by an evil spirit from the Caves of Terr.
“Edwin! Edwin!” she called from the foot of the bed.
Her handsome husband awoke with a start. “What’s wrong? Why are you holding the spear?”
“Look,” she said, pointing to the tip. “The dream spirits told me to melt flaggarock to reinforce your spear. It will kill the evil Crigon. Both his body and spirit.” Rhiannon smiled as she remembered the dream spirits had also sung that she would soon carry Edwin’s child. But she would save that happy news for later.
Edwin took the spear and embraced Rhiannon. “Your dream spirits have returned?” he asked in wonderment after pulling away.
“Yes,” said Rhiannon, tears of joy streaking her face. After so many years of absence, her chorus of dream spirits had found her again.
“You will remain here until I return,” Edwin advised. “Under no circumstances are you to leave the cellar. Under no circumstances are you to even walk near the wooden steps.”
She panicked over the thought of Edwin not returning, but she kept her expression confident and kissed her husband for luck. He strode up the wooden stairs and shut the door behind him.
The hours passed and Rhiannon grew sick with worry. No sound was heard in the palace above. No footsteps. No voices. No scratching or moaning. It was as silent as the grave.
“Edwin,” she whispered through a wave of tears. What if the dream spirits had misguided her? What if, despite the flaggarock spear, Edwin had failed to kill the Crigon?
Evening came and Edwin was still absent. He was dead, Rhiannon knew it. And when she remembered she hadn’t told him of their future child, she wept a river and fell asleep amidst the greatest sorrow ever known to her.
The dream spirits didn’t visit her that night. Rhiannon was suffocating in the cellar, and despite Edwin’s warning, she planned to leave. So, she melted more flaggarock pebbles and dipped another spear tip in the pearly liquid.
The Palace of Lights remained silent, but most of the doors were open. The Whispering Forest was warm and filled with morning sunlight, but Edwin was nowhere to be found. After a while, Rhiannon began screaming his name to the trees, but only the whooping birds responded.