Prisoners of the Keep

by Susan Bianculli

  CHAPTER 5

  I crawled out from my wooden hollow some time the next morning. I breakfasted from the picnic basket while examining my surroundings. There was a lot that was similar to Central Park here. But the strange foliage and odd colors of plants mixed among the ones I knew, plus the sporadic blue-furred creatures that scampered in the branches above my head, really made it clear to me that I was, in fact, not at home. I sighed. I’d always wanted to live in the fairy world since I was a little girl, but I’d never realized what that would actually mean. I’d never thought about the fact that neither my parents nor my friends would be around. I was stuck here until someone opened a mist gate on my side. At least I had Caelestis’ promise of going back through when it happened, but it had to happen first.

  Golden sparkles appeared in the air before me as I ate, which changed into the goddess. Now that I was paying attention, I could strongly feel the other-worldliness about Caelestis that Oakalyn had mentioned; something that neither the Dryad nor the Redcap had had despite them being magical beings too. Looking at Caelestis, I think I understood then why she was a deity. There was something about the Winged-elf that made me want to give reverence; something in me that responded to her presence.

  Her spicy fragrance surrounded me as she lit up the glade with her smile. “Have you given thought to my words, Analise?”

  I said, “I’ve been thinking. But, first I’d like to know what makes me so special, Caelestis?”

  She nodded gravely as if expecting this question. “You are Human, Analise. There are things that you can do that others of this realm would have a hard time doing, if at all. Such as your ability to handle cold iron, for instance.”

  Ah. Everything was now perfectly clear. Of course the fey folk would not be able to handle iron—that was a theme that showed up over and over again in the tales. That would be a good reason for Caelestis considering me special. Okay, I’d buy that. But then I wondered about the trap Oakalyn had been in. Hadn’t the Dryad said that it had had iron in it?

  “If iron is bad for fey folk, how is it that Oakalyn was tangled in iron wires and not hurt? And how could there be iron wires to begin with?” I asked.

  “The iron was coated by another metal,” Caelestis replied. “Thus Oakalyn could be hindered by the iron without being physically affected by it immediately. Iron continually handled by someone from this world eventually makes that being not right in the head, so had she remained in those wires long enough it would have affected her mind. But those of evil intent seem to believe that the power of iron is worth the risk.”

  “Shouldn’t the Redcap’s pike have been made of iron too, then?”

  She shrugged. “I do not fathom the mind of evil well. I do not know why it was not.”

  I took a deep breath and changed the subject. “Not knowing much about worshiping over here, I asked Oakalyn yesterday about it.”

  I glanced sideways at Caelestis, but she didn’t seem surprised or annoyed.

  Heartened, I continued. “She said that over here everybody worships somebody. Also, you mentioned something about serving you as a representative or champion or something, which seems to go beyond worshiping? What, exactly, would I have to do for either of those choices?”

  “What I said yesterday still holds true,” she replied. “Worshiping a Deity gives you more of a connection to this world, making you more of a resident than one who just exists here. Worship means believing in your chosen Deity and praying to Him or Her. Prayers are conversations that can be short or long. You ask for favors, you give thanks, you tell your Deity experiences of interest or pieces of knowledge you have found out that you think He or She should know.”

  I was silent a moment digesting this, then asked, “What about sacrifices?”

  “What about them?”

  “Are they necessary?”

  “To some Deities, yes. To others, not as much.”

  “Ummm—do you?” I asked hesitantly.

  Caelestis laughed. “No, I do not. If you ever feel inclined to make a grand gesture like that to Me, I am sure I would be fine with whatever it was that you did. I would trust in your good sense and good heart.”

  “And what about serving?”

  “One who serves as a Champion for a Deity is steered onto quests that will accomplish a desired end. The mortal ability of choice still guides the Champion, of course, so if he or she feels that what the Deity wants is not in His or Her best interest, then the Champion can choose to not finish the quest. Or the Champion can alter the quest’s boundaries through new information becoming available to turn it to the Deity’s benefit. A Champion is just that: someone who always looks to further a Deity’s interests.”

  I thought for a few minutes after she stopped speaking. Everything Caelestis had said seemed to hang together—but what decided me more than anything else was the memory of my mother’s advice for unfamiliar situations: go along, to get along. My gut told me that having a Goddess on my side would not be a bad thing.

  “I’ll agree to worship you for now, and to do this errand that you seem to want me to do. But I will not become your champion.”

  Caelestis bowed her fair-skinned neck. “Very well, My dear Analise.” She glided over to stand in front of me and spread her wings a little to form a feathery backdrop. “Are you certain of your choices, Analise Lynden Baxter?”

  When I nodded again, a glittering rod materialized in her hand.

  “Then by Head, Hand and Heart,” she said as she touched me with it slowly on each named part, “I accept you as My worshiper.”

  I felt a slight rush of warm air blow in my face and stir my hair, and a tingle briefly raced along my nerves and across my skin.

  Caelestis stepped back and gave me a once-over with her twinkling green eyes. “In order to complete the task I desire of you I will need to provision you more than I have already.” A weapon materialized in her hands. “It is good that you have knowledge of the sword,” she said matter-of-factly as she handed it to me.

  It looked something like the fencing foils I’d used in class, but it was thicker and less springy, and it had a bladed tip with an edge all the way to the wing-decorated bell guard. I took it with wonder.

  “Is this a saber? It looks kind of like one, but not quite. This isn’t like the épée I learned on, but its close enough that I should be able to use it.” Realizing what I’d just said, I added in a panicked voice, “And what I mean by that is I’m a decent enough fencer, but I don’t know anything like enough to be a real swordswoman!”

  “Do not worry, My dear,” Caelestis reassured me. “You will learn, and you will find that it comes more naturally to you than to some.”

  She waved her hand in a circle, and a suit of leather armor made of some stiffened hide dyed white and gold appeared on the ground. It consisted of bracers, greaves, and a thick, long bodied split leather vest with built-in shoulder pads.

  Caelestis gestured at them. “Here is armor to protect you, and,” she beckoned out from out behind her semi-spread wings a big, strapping golden-colored horse with a pale mane, “a mount on which to travel, along with the supplies that you will find in his saddlebags.”

  She waggled her fingers, and a silver chain with a golden pendent in the shape of a winged circle appeared in them. “Lastly, here is My symbol. This will let anyone who sees it know that you have My blessings.”

  She hung it around my neck.

  “Th–thank you, Caelestis!” I stuttered.

  “No thanks are needed, My dear. Now, set your trail north to the mountains and find the settlement of Meritzon, where you will learn of those who have been wrongfully imprisoned. Your heart will tell you what to do when you find them. You will also receive help and guidance from unlikely places and sources; do not be afraid of them. And I will see you by and by.”

  She raised a hand in farewell and faded away in a cloud of golden sparkles. I stared for a few moments at the spot where she had vanished, and then what I had just agreed t
o hit me full force.

  “Caelestis! Caelestis—wait! Can we talk about this a little more? How about some more information, at least? Caelestis?” I called out, hoping she’d reappear.

  Only the sounds of the forest answered me. I guessed I would just have to figure things out as I went along and hope to get some decent help from the Goddess while doing it. I shook myself, dropped my saber onto my new armor, and went to introduce myself to the horse. The stallion had been nosing through the pine needles, but he raised his head as if he knew me when I approached. I reached out with care to rub the velvety nose and pat the sleek, smooth neck.

  “Easy there, big fellow. I’m Lise. Good thing I learned how to ride, huh, boy? Well, sort of know how to, anyway; I guess I’ll be getting a lot of practice while we travel.” I ran my fingers through his mane, which was smoother than I expected. “Wow, you are one gorgeous piece of horseflesh! Since Caelestis didn’t say what your name is, I should probably give you one.”

  I looked him over for any obvious features, like socks or a blaze or something, but he was simply a beautiful yellowish color all over.

  “Hmm, what do I know that’s yellow? Pieces of eight, sunshine, bananas, tulips—oh wait, isn’t there a yellow spice? Yeah, there is—Saffron! Hey, what do you think of Saffron as a name, boy?”

  The horse shook his head and stamped his front hoof at being addressed, but nothing more. I patted him for another minute, and then checked through the bulging saddlebags. To my delighted relief, I discovered that they were provisioned with things like nested cooking pans, small sacks of what looked like grain, a bedroll, and other stuff. Things I’d probably need on the road and would have to figure out how to use, since the type of camping I was used to at the 4-H was with cabins and bunk beds, a dining hall, sports fields and a pool.

  Self-consciously giving thanks to Caelestis, I went back to the pile on the ground and tried on my new armor.

  CHAPTER 6

  When I figured out how to get everything on, I looked at my golden horse and decided I’d better get some help getting up on him. A tree that had fallen down just outside the clearing looked perfect, so I pulled on Saffron’s reins and led him over to it. Using the log like a mounting block like the jousters did at renn faires back home, I clumsily mounted my horse. Once settled I looked around for the path Oakalyn had created, but ended up confused. I could have sworn that it had started next to the double oak yesterday. Now it went by the big ash tree. Maybe the Dryad had changed it to accommodate Caelestis’ wish for me to go north?

  “Thank you, Oakalyn,” I called out, taking no chances.

  I wasn’t surprised that I got no response, though I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get to say goodbye. I fumbled at the reins a bit, and managed to get Saffron moving along the little road. The further and further I got from the Dryad’s clearing, the gloomier and thicker the woods seemed. The forest grew oppressive, and the air somehow seemed harder to breathe. It smelled more of mustiness and decay here than before. I had the impression of glowing eyes following me—though whenever I turned to look, nothing was there. Occasionally branches would shake without a wind to move them, and weird noises echoed deep in the woods. I shivered a lot as I rode, and I stayed dead center on the path.

  The little road left the woods after about an hour, dead-ending on the top of a series of hills growing thick with long orange—orange?—grasses dotted about with mushrooms. Or at least, things that looked like mushrooms that were as tall as I was on my horse. I was a little unnerved by them but very happy to be out from under the ominous branches of the forest. Still, I watched the giant fungi warily as I rode forward. I found a trail cutting along the tops of the hills and felt bold enough to practice different riding positions and rein holds as I went along it, trying to remember everything I’d learned in my riding lessons. I remembered some and fumbled with others. Thankfully Saffron was mostly patient with my experiments, though one command had him turn right around, which unnerved me.

  Cresting the last hill I saw far ahead of me what had to be the mountains Caelestis had mentioned. A beautiful pine wood stood some distance down and below to the right that looked less dark than Oakalyn’s forest, and then a river ran beyond that. I pretended it was the Harlem River, because if this world was geographically anything like mine this river would be in about the right spot. I smiled to myself for the whimsy—as if a fantasy world would have the same geography as the real one! I followed the trail, which wound down through the trees and out to a flatter land with a broad expanse of green meadow before hitting the sandy beach of the river. Looking at the stretch of grassy land ahead of me gave me the perfect place, and excuse, to see just what Saffron and I could really do.

  To the commands I’d figured out on the way, the golden horse walked, cantered, trotted, and galloped. Saffron was fast, powerful, and smooth in all his gaits. He was receptive to the least little pressure on his reins or touch of my boot. I was very happy when I’d done everything I could think of—he was simply great! The 4-H had never had anything like him, and I loved knowing that I could call him my own. If any horse could make me become a really good rider, it was him. I felt confident enough to nudge him into a gallop again towards the beach and the crossing barge that I saw pulled up on the shore. It was large bottomed with a broad, weathered deck, and looked large enough to carry several horses and their riders.

  As I approached, I could see a hooded and cloaked figure in grey standing beside it, facing the water. When Saffron’s hooves hit the sand, the figure turned towards me. A little nervous, I slowed my horse down from the gallop and walked him up to where the cloak waited.

  “Ummm, hello. I need to travel across the river. How much does it cost?”

  The figure remained silent.

  I cleared my throat. “Uh, hello? I need to cross the river. Can you help me?”

  The figure nodded once.

  Apparently he—she?—wasn’t much of a conversationalist. I got down off the horse and a scent of dry, dusty cloth came to me as I stood in front of the grey cloak. The hood was so shadowed that I still had no idea if I was talking to a man or a woman. It had to be magic. Cautiously I pulled out the pendent Caelestis had given me from around my neck. I held it in front of the hood but got no reaction.

  Crap. Now what?

  I put the necklace back under my armor. “Please, gentle—uh, being—will you please tell me what I need to do to cross the river?”

  A weird, multi-layered voice issued out from under the hood. “To pass the river without delay, you must listen close to what I say.”

  Rhymes? Just great. I was not good at rhymes off the cuff. The last time I tried it was in my freshman year with some friends for a presentation in history class, and it had not gone well. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to rhyme back at him/her.

  “Questions three will I now ask, to answer them will be your task,” the cloak went on.

  Wow. This was straight out of fairy tales, all right. There were lots of stories and legends that had the protagonist being asked three questions by mysterious folk they’d met. I’d found a lot of those while researching for my now missing term paper. I had to stifle the urge to look around for a gingerbread cottage or maybe a magic bean stalk.

  “To come to no grief, tell me no lie; but speak to me false, and you will die.”

  That got my attention fast!

  “Ummm, gentle-being, you don’t really mean ‘die’, like in ‘leave this life’, do you?” I asked nervously.

  The figure nodded once.

  I started sweating. This really was like a fairy tale! What if I inadvertently lied, or said something that was a lie but I thought was the truth? I gazed out at the water. It started out shallow enough, but I could see the bottom dropping away pretty quick. Swimming was out of the question, though, since I’d never swum a horse before. And if my clothes got wet from the river, never mind my armor, it would take forever to dry them both. There seemed to be no real option so I knew I had to
suck it up.

  I looked back at the figure. “Okay, I guess. What are the questions?”

  “Question the First: who are you?”

  I almost opened my mouth to say that was stupid, but didn’t. Fairy tale questions are always about something deeper that just what you see. Sure, I could say my name and it would be technically right, but I was pretty certain that wouldn’t be enough. So, who was I? I was a daughter; a pet owner; a school girl, and a fencer to start with. But was I still those things here? Maybe not. So, who was I in this world? I remembered what Caelestis had said: being a worshiper of a deity gave a person a connection to this world. So the beginning of my identity here was as a worshiper of Caelestis. That seemed a little pathetic, to define myself solely by that. But I could also say that I was a quester, a rescuer, and a friend of Dryads—okay, maybe just one Dryad, but I felt a little literary license could be allowed. Before I opened my mouth I realized that I would have to include some of my real world stuff; because though they may not have influence now, they were what had shaped me. Listing off everything would take forever though, so I decided to stick with a small, balanced number of things from both worlds.

  “I am Analise Lynden Baxter: a daughter, a student, and a user of swords who is also a quester, a rescuer, and a worshiper of Caelestis.” I held my breath and hoped it was enough.

  The figure nodded. “Accepted.”

  I blew my breath out in relief.

  “Question the Second: where do you go?”

  I frowned. This was beginning to sound suspiciously like the bridge test from ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’. But no, I had that backwards—Monty Python had taken from fairy tales as liberally as I had for my now missing term paper.

  “I go north at the behest of the goddess Caelestis, to do her bidding when I find what she wants me to find.” Rather vague, but truthful.