She swims over to where I’m laying and kisses my cheek. “I have to get back to the house. Tomorrow is an early morning, and the new harvest master starts. I hear that he’s sexy as hell, but a hard task master.” She steps out of the water, and once again, I’m jealous of her perfect figure. I hear that in the human realm they call her figure a Barbie doll, long legs, itty bitty waist, and large perky boobs, but not the cantaloupes that I was given. She turns to look at me over her shoulder as she shimmies her leggings on over her wet skin. “Oh, and I want a play by play of every hot minute with your guys.”
I laugh at her and splash water at her. “Who is to say there will be a hot second, let alone a minute?”
“Trust me girl, there will be more than one hot minute. If those guys get their hands on you, you will spontaneously combust. Now don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” With a waggle of her fingers, she walks back towards my house. I decide to spend some more time in the warm waters thinking about what Bray had said and the upcoming trip.
Chapter 10
I YAWN AND CLUTCH THE coffee cup to my chest with a death grip. Why the hell had I thought that we should leave at first light. I’m not a morning person, and I think the guys can sense that they shouldn’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee. I look over my cup and see Puck smirking at me. Yep he is definitely finding humor in this.
“Don’t even.” I say.
Puck grins and holds his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t say anything, but I do have more coffee.”
I thrust my almost empty cup out at him. “Gimmee”
He laughs and fills my cup. Warren comes in and shakes his head but doesn’t speak. Orrin comes in from the living room, his hair standing up. He looks kind of sexy except for the scowl on his face. He’s clearly not a morning person either.
“Coffee” he croaks. Puck laughs, but hands him a full cup of coffee, and Orrin sighs at his first sip.
“I have omelettes, berries, and nuts for everyone. I figure this might be our last real breakfast depending on what we find to eat, so we might as well eat something good.” Puck starts to serve up the meal.
When he places my plate in front of me, I groan in appreciation at the smells. “Puck, my hips will never forgive me for the way you cook.”
He leans over and whispers, “That’s okay, just more to hold onto when you ride.”
I choke on the bite of food, and Puck pounds on my back. I couldn’t have heard him right, but when I look over my shoulder at him he grins, and I know he did say that.
“You okay, Aislin?” Warren asks.
“Yeah, just went down the wrong pipe.” My face must be beet-red, but I try to act normal. “Once we finish eating, we need to get on the road. Does everyone have what they need packed?”
The guys all nod their heads, their mouths full of food.
“Then let’s get going.” I push the last bite of food into my mouth and take my plate to the sink.
WE SHRUG OUR PACKS on our backs and fly or in my case walk the short way to the edge of the island where a boat awaits us. Ren has kindly provided one of the storm and water fairies to help us cross the water, but that will be all the assistance we’ll get.
I gingerly climb into the boat and quickly sit down, clutching my stomach. Just the smallest jostle has me wanting to lean over the side and empty my stomach of the breakfast that I had eaten. I doubt it will taste as good the second time around.
Orrin gets in and sits so that he faces me, a glare on his face. I wish I understood what his issue is. He has done everything he can to make it obvious that he wants nothing to do with us.
Warren and Puck are the last to get in, and they sit behind me. They feel like a shield behind me, as if they will protect me. Puck pats my shoulder and passes something to me. “Put this under your tongue. It might sting or feel hot, but it will help with the nausea.”
I do as he says and want to scream from the fiery, spicy pain that suddenly permeates my mouth. The nausea is gone, and I am not sure if it’s because I am now distracted from it with a different form of torture or if whatever he gave me is helping.
“What–the–hell–is–that?” I gasp out, feeling like I could spew flames.
“Ginger pepper. I had one of my friends create it for me. She took a ginger and a jalapeno pepper and merged them to create it. It has some excellent properties for cooking, but is wonderful for motion sickness. I carry it with me all the time.” Puck almost preens as he elaborates on his Ginger pepper. I want to take the piece of pepper out of my mouth, but find that I’m actually not feeling sick, even in the choppy waters.
“How long till we reach the mainland?” I ask one of the fairies that’s steering the boat.
“About three hours if we can maintain this speed. Ren said to tell you to send a message via the Brownies when you’re ready to come back.”
I nod. The Brownies are the only species that we are remotely friendly with. They don’t desire us as playthings. In fact, their borders are closed to all but them and the Nixies. We will land on a small beach where we’ll have to wait for a Brownie to come and escort us through their lands.
“Guys, how long will it take us to get to the forest?” I ask them. I’m not sure how long they can fly for, especially as they will be carrying me.
Orrin just glares at me, he wasn’t too happy with the idea of having to carry me the whole journey.
Warren speaks up. “Through the Brownie kingdom, we’ll have to go at the pace they set, so it could be midday tomorrow or the next day at the latest. Then we’ll have to go through two more kingdoms, the Selkie and the Mhularuskas. That will be another two days. Once we get to the forest, I’m not sure how long it will take us to find Loretta. Or what games she’ll have us play.”
“So, at least four days to get there and another four back.” I look to the storm fairy who is escorting us, “Will you tell Ren to start looking for a message in ten days?”
“Yes of course.” She turns back to guiding the winds, ensuring our journey is as smooth and swift as she can make it.
I lean my head on the side of the boat and find myself drifting to sleep.
Chapter 11
WARM HANDS MASSAGE my shoulders and neck, and I moan. My eyes feel heavy and hard to open, but something tells me I really need to open them, or I will never live this down. With as much force as I can muster, I open my eyes to find we have reached the small beach. The storm and water fairies have left us, and it’s just Orrin, Puck, Warren, and me. Orrin is looking at me with hot eyes, and I wonder if I drooled in my sleep. I can just see Warren out of the corner of my eye, which leaves Puck massaging my shoulders and neck.
I gently sit up, and his hands fall to rest on the tops of my shoulders.
“Hey, you’re awake. You had been asleep so long that it looked like your neck would be hurting. I thought maybe to take some of the kinks out and wake you at the same time.”
I smile at his thoughtfulness. “Thanks.” I roll my head around. “It must have helped because I don’t feel sore at all. How long have we been here?”
“Almost an hour. I think our escort should be here any minute,” Orrin said.
As if he had heard us, a tall Brownie with dark black hair and dark brown almost black eyes emerged from the tall pink grass and scrub bushes. “I am Orlagh. I will guide you through our lands. Are you ready to go?”
I scramble to get out of the boat, followed by the guys. “Let us get the carry chair ready. Do you mind if we fly? The men are not used to walking long distances.”
Orlagh looked at us with disdain, but nodded his head. “If you must fly, then please keep pace with me.” He whistled and a small donkey-like animal with curling horns appeared next to his side. Four more of the odd creatures followed behind. “If you would rather, you could ride.”
I could feel the men behind me radiate their displeasure. “I would love to try,” I say, trying to smooth things over with our host. “I have never ridden an animal before as it is not don
e on our island. But I believe my friends would feel more comfortable flying.” I feel their relief at being let off the hook from having to try to ride.
Orlagh smiles and makes an odd whistle/huff noise, and one of the odd animals comes forward. “This is Cynthia. She is gentle, and will be a good mount for you.” He helps me up onto the animal, and I find that even with her being the smallest of the animals, my legs are spread very wide, and the ground seems so far away. I cling to her mane and pray that I don’t make a fool of myself and fall off her.
Orlagh looks at all of us and then turns to lead the way. “We will stop at one of our wayhouses for the evening. There we can have dinner and spend the night.” After that, he doesn’t say a word for the remainder of our trip.
I spend the time looking around at the landscape that’s so different than what is on our island. Here, it’s rather flat with pink five foot tall grasses that sway in the breeze. Every once in a while, we see small mounds with windows sparkling in the sunlight. The paths that we take winds between the rivers and glades. Occasionally, a ghostly-white face would appear floating near the water's surface. They had . . . things . . . that grew off of the cheek or neck area, and were so delicate that they could have been an apparition, or a figment of my imagination, but they weren't.
“What are those things in the water?” I ask, peering down into the depths at the one who is keeping pace with my ride.
“Don’t look them in the eyes!” Orlagh exclaims. “Those are Nixie, and they can ensnare you and take you into their lairs under water.” To the men he said, “do not listen to their songs either, they will pull you in and enslave you.”
I quickly pull back and spend the rest of the ride looking above ground. The beauty of the marsh-like land mesmerizes me and between the sway of the animal I ride on and that never ending grass, I lose track of time. I notice that I’m getting sore and am about to ask if we can take a break when Orlagh stops us. A small mound is ahead in the distance.
“We will stay at the rest house. It has some beds, and wood for fires. I have some light meals in my bag.” Once he is finished speaking, he kicks his mount into a trot and we are off again.
I gape at the odd structure. It looks like someone took a pile of mud, hardened it and then scooped out the inside. I’m almost afraid to go inside and find that there are worms or worse, snakes crawling in the walls.
Orlagh comes to help me off my animal, and as my feet touch the ground, my legs give out. Orlagh is quick to grab me under the arms before I fall on my face. “Careful there, beautiful,” he says in my ear as he helps me get my land legs back. I didn’t realize that riding would make me so incredibly sore.
“Let’s get some dinner and rest.” Orlagh says to the others, and leads the way into the house. The space is dark with only two small windows allowing light to filter in. At one end, is a large fireplace. The far wall and back wall have a series of bunk beds that line them, allowing up to fifteen to sleep in them. The middle space has tables and chairs, as well as two low couches. Much to my pleasure, the walls are brushed to a shine, and no worms or snakes are visible.
“These houses are very interesting. Do you have trouble with them when it rains?” Warren asks.
“No. The walls are all formed of hard packed mud. We light large fires on the inside and outside of the buildings, sort of like how some of the kingdoms make bricks. Once the walls have been baked and cooled, we shine them and then put the roofs on. It takes many months to make a house, but they last for a long time.”
Warren runs his hand over the walls. “I think I would like to see if you could show us how to use this technology back home. That is, if you are willing.”
Orlagh cocks his head and looks at Warren, almost as if he is judging his sincerity. Finally, he nods his head, “Once your quest is done, we can talk it over between our King and your Queen.”
“Now, how about some dinner? I have some fruit, nuts, and cheese. I also can make a stew, but I wasn’t sure if you eat meat.”
“Thank you. The fruit, nuts, and cheese will be plenty. The only meat we eat is fish,” I tell him. The Brownies tend to be rather exclusive, but at the same time when they do interact with other species, they try to accommodate them. Unlike the other kingdoms who will push their way of life onto others.
We sit down and eat the meal that is provided. Once it is finished and clean up done, we lounge around, talking. Our interactions with the other kingdoms are few and far between, so this is a good time to learn about what we might face as we go on from the Brownie lands.
“Be wary of the Selkies. They have tried to take Brownies captive. You will have to pass through their lands for half a day before veering off into the forest. Once there, the Mhularuka will be a threat. For the most part, they have been taught a lesson and been on their best behavior, but since Jake and Snowden are no longer with us, we don’t know what to expect from them. I advise flying high in their lands so that they cannot catch you and not stopping. Once you are through their land, the forest will be dead ahead. We have no knowledge of the forest. Just be careful. “
We are quiet after Orlagh’s advice. Our quest is seeming more and more daunting.
Chapter 12
WE SAY GOODBYE TO ORLAGH late the next morning and Warren lays out the carrying chair. I am nervous for them to carry me, but realize that it’s the only way for us to get across the countryside quickly. I sit down in the middle of the triangle, my feet pointing towards the tip of the triangle. Orrin takes the lead, being the strongest of the three, and loops rope through the holes in the triangle and attaches it to the belt at his waist. Warren and Puck take position on either side of me, attaching the rope through the holes and attaching at their waist.
Orrin counts “one, two, three,” and they all jump into the air. For a minute, the ropes pull taught and nothing happens, but then the blanket slowly pulls up around me, and I’m lifted off the ground. My view is obscured by the sides of the blanket, and I gulp as my stomach rises into my throat.
“You okay in there?” I hear Puck call.
“Yes, but I wouldn’t mind some of that Ginger Pepper when we stop.” He chuckles and the flight continues in quiet. If I had thought travel would be interesting, this is the opposite. I can’t see the countryside, and talking like this is difficult. I should have brought my leafpad, at least then, I could have sketched something.
A bump awakens me, and the blanket falls down around me. The guys are all standing around me. “Why’d we stop?”
“While you get to lie there, we are doing the work, and it’s tiring.” Orrin glares at me. I’m starting to think it might be me that he has an issue with. I ignore him and look around at the area we stopped in. There’s a bridge nearby that goes over a river. And alongside the river bank are some large red Armarillia Capes. A road follows one side of the river and then winds away on the other side. In the distance, I can see a forest.
“So, how much farther will we go today?” I realize that my stomach is growling, so it must be past lunch time.
This time, it’s Warren who speaks up. “It’s mid-afternoon. We wanted to get as far as we could today, but I think that maybe we should have stopped sooner for a break. We tried to fly away from the road to avoid being spotted, but we had to be able to see the road to stay on track. Now we have to decide what to do for the evening/night?”
“What do you mean?” Orrin asks, his voice surrly. “We stay here for the night. These capes will be perfect for the evening.”
I shake my head at him. “Sleeping on the road like this leaves us vulnerable. We’ll have a hard time protecting ourselves here. We’re better off eating a quick meal here and then going to the forest and finding shelter there.”
Puck and Warren nod their heads in agreement, but Orrin is determined to sleep under a cape. I have to agree with him that it will be much more comfortable than anything we could make in the forest, but it won’t be safe. I, for one, would rather sleep in relative safety over comfort
.
Puck steps forward and looks almost afraid to speak. “I saw some fish in the river. We could catch some, then carry them closer to the woods to eat them and then from there find somewhere to sleep. That way the fire doesn’t lead directly to where we’re sleeping.”
I’m surprised at Puck’s survival skills and forethought. “That’s a great idea. Will four fish be enough for us?” I ask him, as I take my pack off to get out my hook and line.
“I think so. For us these fish will be a full meal, for a Selkie or Brownie, they would want more,” Puck says. I see the guys following my lead as they get their lines and hooks out. We all line up and start casting. It isn’t long until we have enough fish for dinner. Puck quickly cleans them and hangs them on a chain that attaches to a belt he wears around his waist.
I’m about to climb into the carrying chair when I realize that Orrin isn’t in position. I look over at him and he has made himself comfortable under one of the Capes. I stomp over to him and glare down at him.
“What are you doing?” I ask, my teeth clenched.
“I’m sleeping here tonight. It’s comfortable, and we haven’t seen a soul all day. You might be able to lounge around, but I have been lifting your not so insignificant weight all day.” He looks at me with disdain and then looks past me at the river.
I suck my breath in at his words. I don’t think there is much he could have said that would have bothered me more besides commenting on my weight and my inability to fly.
“Hey! We all carried her, not just you. And there is no reason to make her feel bad. Now let’s get going!” Warren jumps in, ready to fight for me. I want to kiss him. Besides Bray or Nip, no one has ever stood up for me.
“No one put either of you in charge. In fact, no one put anyone in charge. I want to sleep in comfort, and this is the best spot for it. I’m staying here and bubble eyes and chubby cheeks can’t stop me.”
Finding Her Wings Page 5