Suzerain of the Beast (Vision Dream Series Book 3), page 18
Her husband just grunted his agreement, while continuing to enjoy his meal.
“Right. Harr,” Gwelsenla said again with more emphasis.
“What?” said the guide looking up. “Oh, yes. Yes, I suppose I do.”
Harridon got up and went over to a small side table with several cubby holes in it. He extracted something and came back to the dinner table. He tossed a leather disk to Angelterra. On it was tooled the letter H and below the letter was stamped the words: guide for hire.
“When you get to Munkenira, it will be near day’s end, and you will be in need of lodging. Go to an inn known as The Fat River Inn and give this token to the innkeeper, a man we all call Hopper. He will treat you well and keep you two safe,” said Harridon as he continued to consume his venison stew.
“Thank thee, Kind Guide,” said Angelterra. She placed the leather token in a small pocket of her traveling dress.
❖ CHAPTER 16 ❖
ANGELTERRA OPENED HER eyes to see Rosems adding the morning’s wood to the small stone hearth in the girl’s shared sleeping room. It was a rather long, narrow room with the hearth on the center of the back wall. The four girls slept on cots set against the long side walls. Harridon had brought in an extra cot from outside for her and Selkeeda. And after several passes with a copper bed warmer, the cot was nice and toasty and dry. Angelterra and Selkeeda were cuddled up together under a mountain of covers and quilts. The girls went a little overboard in efforts to make the two of them comfortable. She was sure the girls would miss pampering them when she and Selkeeda had to move on.
“Morn, Lady Angelterra,” Rosems greeted her.
“Morn to you, Rosems,” replied the princess.
“I saw blue sky this morn. You may have a clear and bright day for your ride to Munkenira,” said Rosems, and she gave a little giggle.
Ride? But she and Selkeeda were walking.
Perhaps Gwelsenla was going to give them a ride in the sleigh for a couple of miles to get them started.
That would be sweet of her, thought Angelterra.
“Where are all the other girls?” asked the princess, noticing for the first time how quiet and peaceful the room was. Each girl’s bed had been made with her blankets and quilts folded neatly.
“My sisters are all in the common awaiting thee and Selkeeda. We rise early here. Father thinks it makes for a healthier, happier day,” said Rosems. “There is water in a basin at the end of the room and some of Mother’s soap to freshen yourself.” Then the older girl exited the room shutting the door gently behind her.
Angelterra looked down at the quiet, sweet face of Selkeeda. The little girl’s breath was even. There seemed to be no care or trouble in the world that could touch the girl at that moment. The princess hated to waken the child from such tranquility, but they would need to gather their things for the long walk to Munkenira very soon. They had a lot of ground to cover this day and most of it would be snowy, regardless of how sunny it would be. Angelterra rose and let her charge sleep for a little while longer, covering her with several blankets.
The water in the washbasin was icy cold, and it shocked away any traces of sleep that were trying to cling to Angelterra’s mind. When she had finished fixing the braids of her hair, she glanced back to the cot to check on Selkeeda, but to her surprise, the girl had disappeared.
She cannot wait to play with her new friends, thought Angelterra, feeling a brief smile crossing her clean face.
❖ ❖ ❖
Angelterra entered the large main room of the home that Rosems had called the common room. There she saw Selkeeda holding her doll, while Hollybee pretended to carefully brush its brown, yarn hair. A single platter was set at the table with bits of bread and cheese and dried meat. A mug of hot mulled wine sat before the platter, its curling steam beckoning to her. Gwelsenla was seated across from that place setting, sipping on some mulled wine of her own. She waved for Angelterra to come and sit.
“Selkeeda has already finished her morning meal,” said Gwelsenla. “Our Hollybee saw to that.”
“I am sure that she did,” agreed Angelterra. She picked up a hunk of bread and started to eat it. It was warm and fresh. This country woman must have been up for hours.
“Harr is out back getting things ready. He and the girls and I have all eaten,” said Gwelsenla.
Angelterra felt slothful for getting up at such a late hour, though she was sure it was not that far past the dawn judging from the gray light outside.
“Mamma packed you and Selky a sack with food,” said Chammie, who then handed it to Angelterra. “She even put snacking cakes in it, too.”
“Gwelsenla, you all have been so kind to us,” said the princess, and she reached into her pocket for some gold.”
“Keep thy coins, Lady Angelterra. It is just what we do in this land for strangers in need,” said Gwelsenla. “Your people have been very good to us in the past. This is our chance to thank them back.”
The back door opened and Harridon stepped in. He stomped snow off of his boots as he took off his cloak and heavy fur hat.
“You cloak, Anjaterri. Be chilly, chilly today,” said Hollybee, who somehow had managed to get to the other side of the commons room without being noticed. The little, take-charge lass was trying to drag Angelterra’s heavy cloak to her and was having a hard time of it.
“Heavy,” noted Hollybee with an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion.
Suddenly, a thin circular metal object fell out of the cloak and rolled over to Harridon’s feet. He picked it up. It was Angelterra’s circlet. He examined it for a moment and glanced over at her wide-eyed.
“It is…her, Gwelly,” said Harridon in amazement. “It is Arrandrind’s daughter!”
“Oh my word!” exclaimed Gwelsenla. “Terrielanna’s baby girl! Here! In our home!”
“You know my parents?” Angelterra could not believe it. “But how?”
“Before you were born, your parents used to come up here and hunt quite a bit,” explained Harridon. “Lord Berkeldor, the lord of this area, whose father was also from Palzintine was a good friend of your grandfather’s. Your father had been coming up here to hunt on the lord’s land since he was a lad.”
“The last year your father came to hunt, he brought his new wife, Terrielanna, with him,” said Gwelsenla. “And she was…carrying you.”
“We are honored to have you back, Your Highness,” said Harridon. “How fares the king and queen in such dark times down there?”
The question sliced through Angelterra like a Verka’s arming sword. She recalled that terrible day last fall when she stood on a ridge top overlooking the battle to defend Palzintine at the Delar Ravine. And how she watched in horror when the king’s tent was overrun by the enemy’s line and demolished before defenders could rescue the king and queen.
“Are you all right, dear?” asked Gwelsenla.
Angelterra looked up at them, took a deep breath and shook her head. She hurriedly wiped tears from her eyes.
“Oh, Father of all, no!” gasped Gwelsenla. Tears streamed down the woman’s face.
Harridon took several deep breaths to steady himself.
“We are truly sorry,” was all he said as he placed a hand briefly on Angelterra’s shoulder.
“They drove us out of Palzintine. Everyone has gathered in Rosverdar,” said Angelterra after a moment. “We managed to mount a counter attack to split up their army and stall their progress through the winter. I pray spring will give a new chance at defeating them.”
“That is good,” said Harridon. He handed her back her circlet. “May I see the token I gave you?”
The princess extracted the leather token and handed it back to Harridon. He took out a small hammer and punch. He placed the punch on the leather token and struck it several times with the hammer. He examined it. Satisfied, he handed it back to Angelterra. She noticed that he had made a small star and two crosses in the leather of the token.
“Hopper will more than take care of you,” promised Harridon.
“Will I be able to buy a horse there?” asked Angelterra. She was getting weary of walking.
“Yes, he can find you a horse. But for your trip to Munkenira, our Marthleea will take you,” said Gwelsenla. “She be a bit old and none too very fast these days, but she still has a lot of heart left in her.”
“I could not possibly take your only horse,” said the princess. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a few gold coins.”
“She is not our only horse. Besides, she was once a great guide horse. It would do her good to have one last adventure,” said Harridon. “Leave her with Hopper and buy a better horse. I will go fetch her back in a week’s time. Or save your coin and take her on as far as she will go. She really would love that. I leave it up to you, Your Highness.”
❖ ❖ ❖
Selkeeda stood gazing vacantly at Hollybee, while Hollybee tidied up Selkeeda’s cloak and made sure her blonde hair was behind her ears.
“Here, this is Master Marn,” said Hollybee, handing Selkeeda a little, rather badly worn doll. I do not like him any more, but I think he will keep your dolly company.”
Wordlessly, Selkeeda accepted the tattered doll. Then she turned away and walked up to the side of Marthleea and waited to be handed up to Angelterra.
“Fare thee well, Gwelsenla. Goodbye girls,” said Angelterra. “Thank you all so much for everything.”
“It was our pleasure, Your Highness,” said Gwelsenla, and the woman briefly touched the princess’s leg.
“Angel. My family calls me that. And you all are part of that,” replied Angelterra.
“Take great care of yourself and that little one while on the road, Angel,” said Harridon.
“You too, kind Guide,” said Angelterra. “You are a good and kind man, Harridon.
“Remember, The Fat River Inn,” added Harridon.
“I shall remember,” replied Angelterra.
Then the princess gave the old horse a gentle kick, and they started back up the trail that led to the main road. Angelterra turned back to see everyone waving goodbye, and the girls were jumping up and down as they waved. The princess watched Selkeeda turn around to look back at her young friend and mentor for a moment before fixing her gaze back upon the road.
❖ ❖ ❖
Her dark cloak was warming up in the sun as they made their way along the road east towards Munkenira. Selkeeda sat in front of her and gazed quietly at the road ahead. No one crossed their path, and the trip was as uneventful as Angelterra had hoped it would be.
She hoped the innkeeper known as Hopper would be able to locate Selkeeda’s parents or family. Though the child seemed to open up to the determined Hollybee, Angelterra was still very worried about her. This quiet girl had a long way to go in her social skills. Hopefully being reunited with her family would let the floodgates of her heart, which now held back a torrent of painful emotions that were backing up inside the little girl, burst open. A purging of such pain may finally make Selkeeda whole once more. And Angelterra desperately wanted the best for this little mysterious child who had landed in her heart. The princess could not explain the feeling that she had when she looked past the girl’s vacant stares. There was a hurt and a terror behind those young eyes that was deep and scarring.
Suddenly, Selkeeda began to point towards the woods. There was a little side road, or more like a tiny deer path, veering off to the right.
“Are you sure, Sweetie?” asked Angelterra. Something in the princess’s skin began to prickle. She did not like the look of the small path. But Selkeeda just kept pointing directly at it.
“Is this where you live, my Sweetie?”
The princess had to trust the child on this one, so she nudged Marthleea on to the path. Twigs and leaves snapped and crunched under the weight of the horse’s hooves as they worked their way through the winding, twisting path. Finally the trail took them to a small, empty glade. And then the path just ended. A heavy, tall thicket enclosed the tiny glade like a tangled thorny castle wall. Angelterra nudged Marthleea to circle the edges of the glade, but there seemed to be no exit through the thicket other than the way they had just come. She halted the old mount.
“I am sorry, Sweetie, but we will have to go back,” said Angelterra.
Before she could start back, she felt Marthleea begin to shift uneasy and snort. Then there was a rustling coming from the other side of the thicket. The rustling suddenly was all around them. Angelterra felt an extreme sense of danger. She caught glimpses of several things circling and shifting on the other side of the thicket. Marthleea was becoming panicked. Angelterra forced her mount towards the only way out of what was becoming a trap.” She kicked the old horse hard, and it charged off towards the gap in the thicket. Instantly, a creature jumped out from behind the thicket and into their path. It crouched low ready to strike them as it growled.
Wolves!
Selkeeda, who had not made a single noise before, now began to laugh gleefully.
❖ CHAPTER 17 ❖
THE SLICES OF bread she was heating on the edge of the old brazier were nearly ready. It would be time to wake her uninvited travel mate to eat. She wanted to get an early start, but Jeela, against her better judgment, let this woman sleep a little longer. This Marelara seemed ill suited for travel of any kind, let alone wondering the countryside in the harsh winter. There was something odd about this woman. Marelara slept on her side with her back towards Jeela and the door. That was strange too.
Did she not know that one needs to be ready for an attack at any time? Apparently not.
Jeela glanced out of the glassless shop window up at the gray, overcast sky. Though she knew it was getting lighter, she could hardly tell. It seemed that it may even snow again today. Hopefully, she was wrong, and the sun would find them as they made their way up through the mountains. She wished there was a way she could make up the time. The princess could be anywhere by now. The knight had no idea where her Princess’s real destination was, or even why she had rushed off with such haste.
And if Her Highness, riding atop of that monster, turned either east or west on the other side of the mountains, how in the world would Jeela ever be able to tell?
Do not get yourself down. Just keep doing what you are doing, Jeela scolded herself.
Her best chance of finding Her Highness was to continue north and see what comes along the way. By the Flow of the Spirit, she would catch the princess’s trail. Jeela closed her eyes and put her prayer hands together and touched them to her forehead.
May the Flow of the Spirit run through me like a river and guide me, she chanted silently to herself. May the Flow of the—
“Are you praying?” came a hoarse voice outside her.
Jeela opened one eye and looked over at the woman known as Marelara, who was now sitting up watching her.
“I was trying,” replied Jeela, trying not to sound annoyed as she was.
“That is a very curious way to say prayers,” said Marelara.
“I am Hardabinian. This is the way we pray,” said Jeela.
“Are you hungry?” asked Marelara.
“I suppose I am,” replied Jeela rising from her cross-legged sitting position.
“Good, I brought a small jar of strawberry jam that would be heavenly on that toast of yours,” offered Marelara.” Just let me fetch it.”
A jar of jam? That will add a lot of extra weight to carry, thought Jeela, though she was not altogether displeased about the idea of having sweet jam for her morning meal.
Marelara returned with a small clay jar of jam. Jeela spread it on the toasted bread and offered a piece to Marelara. They both consumed the jam-covered bread that was made crunchy by the fire. It was a good start to the day.
“I wonder what this place is called?” said Jeela gesturing to the ruined city.
“Vesturidar. It was the ancient capital at the time of the first empire. It was founded by Saint Rosver himself centuries earlier,” replied Marelara, sounding as if she were reciting her lessons. “It was also said to be the very spot of the Visitation Night for Rosverdar.”
“What happened?” wondered Jeela, as she crunched some more of her toast. “What destroyed it?”
“Lord Zorkelian, the sorcerer of old, who was the first to try to enslave the entire world under his rule,” said Marelara, for a moment her voice sounded sweeter than usual with her hoarseness seemingly gone. But after a coughing fit, she continued in her usual raspy tone, “For a time he did succeed. This place was destroyed, and all the people led away in chains. It is said to have bad luck so no one has ever returned to rebuild it.”
“A shame,” said Jeela. She stood and stretched. “And now it is our turn to leave it behind.”
❖ ❖ ❖
As their mounts worked their way up the narrow, winding mountain trail, Jeela was forced to slow her pace to allow the unskilled Marelara to catch up. This woman’s horse skills left a lot to be desired. The knight forced herself to remain calm. It was not Marelara’s fault that her skills were weak or that Jeela had chosen to oversee the woman’s safety. In Mora the Pink’s personal diary, she often lamented that …many of the women of noble families had poor riding skills until they lost their husbands or patrons.
If this Marelara be married, her husband must be healthy as an ox, thought Jeela.
The sun finally broke through the heavy overcast at about the noon. Even with the dropping temperatures of the mountain air, its rays felt warm.
“The last village on this side of the mountains that I know of is just ahead,” called Marelara from somewhere behind Jeela. “Perhaps we could stop to see if we can get a warm meal and if we are lucky eat it beside a warm fire.
“All right, but we cannot stay long,” said Jeela. She preferred that they eat their meal cold and keep on moving north. But perhaps some of the villagers could tell them where was the best place to stop for the night in the mountains.
