Anilyia (8 page)

Liselle was glaring at him with her jaw set.
Tathan and Vevin wisely stepped away from the table. Sir Danth
looked at Liselle, then at the other two, then back at Liselle.
“What? Don’t glare at me. I like princesses,” he said innocently.
“If they get kidnapped, then I have a job to do, plus they’re
almost always pretty.”

Liselle folded her arms and continued to
glare.

“They also add a certain level of drama to
palaces, running around saying they want ponies and stomping their
feet and yelling things like: ‘No I won’t marry that eighty year
old lord just so you can get extra tapestries for the main hall’.”
Sir Danth leaned back on the stool and gave a distinct impression
that he was grinning. The knight had realized that Liselle was
getting angry and he was having fun with it. Vevin and Tathan were
trying desperately to cover laughter with their hands.

“Hmm . . . Fine. I see how it’s going to
be,” Liselle said. “I guess we’ll just have to save the princess so
that I can tell her your opinions.”

Sir Danth sat up straight. “Well now,
there’s no need to be like that. I’m just saying what others feel,”
he replied innocently. The others could no longer contain their
laughter. Liselle and Sir Danth joined in.

Tathan asked, “Did the sunshine birdie tell
you where the princess is?”

“She said the princess is being held in the
caverns of the Rojuun, though she didn’t know where,” Liselle
answered. “It sounds like we would have to figure it out for
ourselves, which sounds hard.”

“That would be hard,” Tathan admitted with a
nod. “I’ll admit I’m curious though. Let’s talk to Mother Tree and
see if she can tell us anything about the princess or Yebisu. If
Mother Tree doesn’t need us for anything else, then we’ll make
finding the princess our next task.”

“Really? You don’t mind?” Liselle asked in
surprise.

“Well, the three of you want to give it a
try and I don’t have any reason not to. It sounds challenging, so
I’m interested too,” he said with a shrug. “I don’t have any other
commitments anyway.”

“Then it is decided,” Sir Danth said,
hitting his fist on the table for emphasis. “We go to rescue
Princess Anilyia of Mayncal.”

The next morning as they were leaving the
cabin, a group of Druids approached them, led by an older man with
grey-speckled brown hair and trimmed beard. He wore a brown robe,
signifying that he was an elder of the village. “Hello, my name is
Eithan. I was hoping you could answer some questions.” His rich,
mellow voice was mild, though he sounded upset.

The companions exchanged glances. “Of
course,” Tathan replied. “What is it you wish to know?”

“A group of Druids was sent to meet you
yesterday after the forest informed us of your presence. They were
led by one named Bromin,” Eithan told them with a frown. “I would
like to know if you saw them. If so, why did they not come back
with you?”

“Ah yes. Bromin.” Tathan nodded. “We did see
them. They didn’t come back with us because they didn’t like us,”
he finished, as though that explained everything.

“They would not have failed to come back
regardless of whether or not they liked you,” Eithan responded with
a hand up for them to stay. A few of the other Druids exchanged
glances and a couple of them had hands on their weapons. Tathan
still hadn’t figured out why people put their hands on their
weapons when they really didn’t want to use them. It just led to
angry reactions and bloodshed.

“They stayed to wait for Liselle and Vevin,”
Tathan replied with a gesture toward the two of them. “Sir Danth
and I knew where we were going and didn’t need an escort.”

The Druid held up a finger and opened his
mouth as though to ask him something else, but turned to Liselle
instead. “And did they meet with you?” he asked.

“Yes,” Liselle answered with a nod.

Eithan sighed, realizing these people
weren’t going to be at all helpful. “And when they met with you,
what happened?” he asked.

She looked at the Druid innocently. “Well,
they made Vevin very mad, and Vevin doesn’t like it when people
make him mad.” She began petting the side of Vevin’s hair in long,
dramatic strokes. “Isn’t that right, my wonderful dragon?” she said
in sympathetic baby tones while sticking out a pouty bottom
lip.

Tathan’s lips twitched while Sir Danth took
a sudden interest in the forest. Vevin became very miserable and
leaned into Liselle’s hand. “Yes, I don’t like being mad. It makes
me sad,” he said very sadly.

A look of concern washed across Eithan’s
face. “You didn’t eat or kill them did you?” he asked.

“Oh no. I wouldn’t think to do that and it
makes me sad to think that you would think that of me,” Vevin
responded, looking even sadder than before.

They all stopped to think about that one for
a moment, even Vevin. Then Eithan said, “I’m sorry they made you
sad . . . err . . . mad, Vevin Dragon. Please tell me why they
didn’t escort you to the village.”

Vevin straightened and became serious.
Liselle stopped the petting. “Bromin was attracted to my mate,” he
said, indicating Liselle. “It upset me. One of the Druids pulled a
sword on me because of the anger on my face, so I used dragon fear
on them. They’re likely still running.”

Eithan’s face turned red with anger. “You
would use dragon fear on Druids? How dare you?” At his words, all
of the Druids put hands on weapons. The nearby trees of the forest
became more ominous and the animals were silent.

None of the companions put hands on weapons
nor showed any outward sign of hostility. They didn’t wish to harm
the Druids. The fight wouldn’t be fair anyway. A hundred Druids
couldn’t stand up to any one of them. They’d proven that to
themselves while fighting sstejj in the caverns.

Unexpectedly, the Druids relaxed one by one,
taking their hands off weapons. Eithan smiled. “I’m sorry. I don’t
know what came over me,” he said, running fingers through his hair.
“I don’t like it when Druids are treated with disrespect. However,
guests of the forest should not be treated with disrespect either,”
he said, gesturing toward Vevin. “Your horses are in the stables.
Please ride safely.” With that, Eithan waved off the other Druids
and they left the companions to their business.

Tathan watched in stunned silence. He had
never known anyone to stop being hostile quite so abruptly. The
thought crossed his mind that perhaps Mother Tree had something to
do with it. He looked to see if anyone else thought it was odd,
only to be met with shrugs. Tathan shrugged too. “Well . . . I
guess we should get going.” The companions walked toward the
stables. Tathan and Sir Danth took the lead. Vevin and Liselle
followed, giving each other a knowing glance the others didn’t
notice.

The horses were waiting outside. Their tack
was in place and an older woman was petting one of them. The sight
of the horses brought back hard memories for Tathan. These were
horses that desert warriors had ridden in the attack on his home.
He turned to Liselle to see that her face had gone pale at the
sight as well. The loss of their parents had been difficult and
while they had moved on, the memories still hurt and always
would.

They reached out and held hands for a
moment. Vevin and Sir Danth put hands on their shoulders to support
them, for which the cousins smiled in thanks. Tathan mounted the
steed he had ridden on their previous journey.

Liselle had changed to her travel clothes, a
green tunic and leggings that blended with the colors of the
forest. The bow her uncle had made for her was strapped across her
back.

Vevin had switched from his robe to the
exceptional purple vest he cherished. Gold and silver filigree made
it shine when sunlight hit it. The purple leggings he wore matched
the vest. The one thing Vevin never wore was shoes of any sort.

Horses didn’t fear him even though he was a
dragon and they would make a tasty treat. Vevin had explained early
on that dragons liked to charm animals. It made them much more
willing to be eaten.

Last to mount a horse was Sir Danth. He did
so gracefully in spite of his armor. Once they were all atop their
respective mounts, Tathan led them out of the village to begin the
five-day journey to Brondaggiin where the Mother Tree resided.

The day warmed and it was already hot by the
time lunch rolled around. Critters went about their business, while
the melodious sounds of birds filled the air. The insects didn’t
bother the companions. Vevin had a force around him at all times
that kept them away. Nothing bothered the suit of armor that was
Sir Danth. Liselle actually liked insects, especially bees and
butterflies who were attracted to her like a flower. The bees never
stung her.

Tathan had learned a few tricks for keeping
away bugs. Monks at a monastery he had lived at taught him methods
for mentally accepting them. A thief’s guild he had worked for
taught him to welcome insects in order to repulse people so they
wouldn’t pay attention to him, while a mage had taught him spells
to drive insects off.

They stopped next to a small lake for lunch.
It reflected trees and mountains in its beautiful, clear waters,
making a picturesque resting place. Water lapped the sandy shore
where they laid a blanket to eat. After they had begun eating,
Liselle tentatively asked, “You remember how the Druids suddenly
became pleasant after being angry this morning?”

Tathan gave her a suspicious look. “Did you
have something to do with that? I figured it was Mother Tree.”

“As did I,” agreed Sir Danth. “It would make
sense.

Liselle shook her head. “It wasn’t Mother
Tree. It was . . . a spell I cast yesterday evening.” She blushed
in embarrassment.

“You cast a spell last evening to calm
Druids this morning?” Sir Danth asked in wonder. “That shows
supernatural foresight. I am intrigued.”

“No, not like that. It wasn’t foresight so
much as . . .” Her blush became deeper. “I cast a spell of peace to
relax the denizens of the forest after Vevin used the dragon
fear.”

“Alright, but that was last evening. How
could it calm the druids this morning?” Tathan asked.

Vevin interjected, “It was a slow moving
spell. Apparently it was much stronger and longer lasting than we
originally thought.”

“How
much
more powerful and longer
lasting?” Tathan asked with a frown.

“I don’t know, honestly,” Liselle admitted.
“We passed it again when we rode away from the village.” That was
another fact she and Vevin had kept to themselves. “I’m guessing
it’ll be at this lake tonight or tomorrow.”

“You mean it’s still moving?” Tathan asked,
getting up to gaze back the way they had come. “Why didn’t you stop
it?”

Liselle shrugged helplessly and Vevin came
to her rescue. “Oh no! Last night I told her not to. Peace is a
good thing to spread.”

“So there’s a rogue spell loose and you have
no idea how powerful it is or how long it’ll last. Do I have that
correct?” Tathan asked sternly with folded arms.

They both looked at the ground. Liselle’s
flower moved forward in her hair in a protective gesture. “It’s a
spell of peace that will make everyone feel better,” Vevin said
obstinately.

“Yeah, it sounds nice, but it’s an unchecked
spell that has no end in sight,” Tathan said in frustration. “One
thing I learned from the wizards I’ve known is that you must always
identify the beginning and end of a spell. It’s like a fire. If you
leave it unchecked, it can burn down the forest.”

Vevin put his elbows on his knees and hung
his head. Liselle looked up at Tathan with worry in her eyes. “It
was a spell of peace. That can’t be bad, can it?” she asked in
despair.

Tathan sighed and went back to the log he
had sat on while eating. He didn’t like to upset Liselle. “I don’t
know, Cousin,” he said with arms out to the side. “I was wondering
why I was so relaxed this morning. Do you have any idea how long it
will last? Did you give it any kind of an end?”

Liselle thought back before shaking her
head. She looked at Vevin, hoping he would know. He considered the
question for a moment then said, “I didn’t see a specific end to
it. I assumed it would die out after a certain distance like dragon
fear does, but . . . sometimes I forget how powerful Liselle is . .
.” he trailed off, looking in the direction of the lake.

“Surely it will have to fade at some point,”
Sir Danth said encouragingly.

“Yes . . .” Vevin said slowly, still staring
off into the distance. He didn’t sound convinced.

“So when do you think it will end, or is it
possible that it could just go on forever?” Tathan asked them both
in the hopes that one would be able to answer.

Vevin shrugged. “It was a little thinner the
last time we passed it, but just as strong. I don’t know that it’ll
end anytime soon,” he admitted.

Liselle chewed on her lower lip as she
considered. “I think there might be a little bit of a problem.”

“Oh?” Tathan asked with a raised
eyebrow.

“Sometimes I use the energy of flowers to
help me,” she said slowly. “I did this time too.”

“So your spells have flower power, Milady?”
Sir Danth asked with a chuckle.

Liselle giggled and nodded. “Yes, flower
power.” She looked at Tathan who was not amused. “When I used the
energy of the flowers, it gave the spell ‘flower power’ as Sir
Danth said.” Liselle gestured to the knight. “As long as there are
flowers around, the spell will stay strong.”

Tathan frowned. “So it’ll die as soon as it
hits the oceans or desert?”

“I don’t think so,” she answered
thoughtfully. “The plants and trees like to help my spells too, so
as long as there’s a living plant of any sort it’ll continue. I’ve
heard that oceans have plants in them, so it could keep going even
underwater.” She looked at her hands, not wanting to see anyone’s
reaction to that.