Authors: Daniel Arenson
Willow stared at her. "And you're a demon. So what?"
Scruff tapped her chain. "Look, Willow, you tried to kill us. You helped destroy Burrfield. You have to be punished. I think you should stay here forever."
She hung her head low. "I deserve it." She sniffed. "I didn't want to destroy Burrfield. Honestly. I tried not to. But... Madrila, she... she said I had to destroy the church. When I couldn't do it, she banished me." She looked up with teary eyes. "I'm sorry, Bullies. I'm sorry for everything. I deserve this punishment."
Romy stamped her feet. "But I want just desserts!" She tugged Scruff's sleeve. "Please, Scruff, please let her go,
please
. She can't make us treats if she's down here." She turned next to Neev, making puppydog eyes. "Please, Neev, can you free her? I want cookies. Cooookies!"
Scruff looked at the other Bullies. Neev sighed. Cobweb nodded, staring at Willow with soft eyes. Romy was rubbing her belly and salivating. Jamie rolled her eyes and groaned.
"I don't know," Scruff said. "I—"
"Oh, Scruff, just let her go," Jamie said. "We all knew all along she'd be good at the end, didn't we?"
Scruff winced. "I suppose it was rather obvious, wasn't it? Oh well." Keys hung upon a peg in the wall. Scruff grabbed them and unlocked Willow's fetters.
The girl rose slowly, rubbing her ankle. She leaped onto Scruff and hugged him.
"Oh thank you, thank you!" Willow said. "I'll be good now, really really good. No more evil for me. I think, instead of being a witch, I'll become a baker. Do you think Burrfield could use a new baker?"
Romy was drooling so much, it pooled around her feet. "Do we! You could take over Quill's old shop, and turn it into a bakery."
"But on one condition," Scruff added, sternly pointing at Willow. "You must supply us with free baked goods forever."
Willow looked at his belly, looked at Romy's drool, and gulped. But then she looked back at the chains and sighed. "Oh, all right."
Romy leaped for joy, then slipped in her drool, crashed to the floor, and moaned.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Stargazing
Cobweb lay on the hill, watching the stars. The constellations glowed. Orion the hunter rose before her, proud and strong. The big dipper winked above, glistening. The Milky Way spilled across the sky, a scarf of silver.
"It's beautiful, innit?" Scruff said. He lay on his back beside her.
Cobweb cuddled against him. "B-b-beautifuw."
She sighed and tears filled her eyes.
Scruff looked at her, saw her tears, and kissed her cheek. "What's wrong, Cobweb?"
She held him tight. "It's j-j-just dat... when M-M-Madwiwa tuwned me into a spidew, I c-c-couwd speak Spidewtongue. I tawked to da diddwywiggwes. And I c-c-couwd tawk pewfectwy!" Her tongue hurt, and she trembled from the effort of speaking so many words, but plowed on. "F-f-fow da onwy time in m-my wife, I sounded smawt, p-p-pwoud, stwong. Not wike a b-b-baby." A tear rolled down to her lips. She gulped and twisted her tongue, struggling to say more; each word felt like climbing a mountain. "I m-m-miss dat. Da spidews wistened t-to me, Scwuff. Dey wespected me because I couwd speak so weww. B-but now... n-now I'm ashamed. Wiww anyone evew wespect me ag-g-gain?"
She clung to him, trembling. He held her tight and kissed her hair.
"Are you sad to be a girl again?" he asked. "Not a spider anymore?"
She shook her head. "No. B-b-but.... Oh, Scwuff! I j-just want da spidewwings not to m-m-mock me."
"Those spiderlings followed you to war," Scruff said. "They obeyed your commands, and you weren't a spider then. Nobody will mock you again. And if anybody does... now you have me around, and I'd pound them."
She propped herself onto her elbows and looked downhill. A column of glowing figures moved there, kissed with starlight. The spiderlings were leaving Burrfield, travelling into the wild Teasel Forest.
"Dey awe fowming a new c-c-cwan," Cobweb said. "Dey cannot wetuwn to Spidewsiwk Fowest. Dey wiww settwe in T-T-Teasew Fowest. Dey wiww be ouw neighbows."
She smiled and warmth filled her. Since her banishment, other spiderlings had seemed so far, so out of reach. But now, Gossamer and Webdew would live near her, just outside the city gates. She could visit them anytime, and no elders would imprison her.
Scruff sat up beside her, and worry filled his eyes. He held her hands.
"Will you go live with them?" he asked. "Will you also leave Burrfield?" He swallowed. "Leave me?"
She laughed and kissed his cheek. "Of couwse not, siwwy Scwuff. You know how m-m-much I wove you, now and awways. I nevew want to b-b-be apawt fwom you."
He laughed too, and pulled her into his arms, nearly crushing her. They kissed and lay upon the grass, holding each other, looking up at the stars. Cobweb smiled. She felt safe and warm. She felt happy.
* * * * *
Jamie stood outside the city walls, facing the three elflings. A lump filled her throat and her eyes stung. The elflings wore their travelling cloaks and held walking staffs. They stared back at her, silent.
Jamie gulped and took a step toward Rowyn. The young wizard smiled softly. His goldencharm, shaped like a star, glowed on his forehead, and dry leaves filled his mop of brown hair. Jamie put her hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Rowyn," she said. She meant to speak powerfully, but her voice came out a hoarse whisper.
Rowyn pulled her into an embrace. "Goodbye, Jamie Thistle of Burrfield. We'll miss you."
Next Jamie turned toward Noelyn. The archer stared at her with large, purple eyes. Her silver hair cascaded like waterfalls, and her half-moon goldencharm glowed like molten silver. She smiled.
"Goodbye, Jamie," she said. "Thank you for teaching us about courage."
Jamie hugged her tight. She smelled like rivers, deep forests, and magic.
The lump growing in her throat, Jamie finally turned to face Ellywyn. Now she could not help it, and tears filled her eyes.
"Goodbye, Ellywyn," she whispered. "I'll miss you."
The young warrior's face was bruised, and bandages covered her thigh and shoulder. Her silver dagger hung from her belt, and her pointy ears thrust out from her red hair. She sniffed, and her sun-shaped goldencharm blazed upon her freckled face.
"Goodbye, Jamie," she said and pulled her into a crushing hug. "Goodbye, my sister in arms. You are a great warrior. The greatest I've known." She sniffed back tears. "And you are a great friend."
Jamie looked at the three. Elflings. Humble creatures. Short, thin people few humans knew about. Jamie had grown up a runt—the size of these elflings, thin and quick and almost invisible to most people. She bit her lip.
"Thank you all. You taught me to be proud of who I am."
Rowyn looked at his fellow elflings, then back at Jamie. He took a deep breath.
"Jamie," he finally said, "return with us to Glaswood Forest. I'll speak to my grandfather, the ruler of our clan. We'll adopt you as our own. You'll become an honorary elfling."
Jamie blinked tears from her eyes. She—an elfling! Nobody would call her a runt in Glaswood Forest. She would stand tall there, proud and noble. And she would have dear friends—wise Rowyn, mysterious Noelyn, fiery Ellywyn.
She looked back at the walls of Burrfield. They rose behind her, ancient and crumbling. What did she still have in Burrfield? Her parents were gone. Her brothers had found love; Scruff had Cobweb, and Neev had Romy, but she had no partner. Was there anything left for her here? Did her destiny lie in Glaswood among people her size?
She stared at those walls—the walls she was born behind, the walls she had fought for. Her parents might be gone, but their bones lay in Burrfield. Her brothers might have found love, but she was still their sister. She could not leave them.
She turned back to the elflings. They looked at her with sad smiles.
"Thank you, dearest friends," Jamie said. "But I can't leave my home and my family." She sniffed back tears. "I promise to visit you—as often as I can."
The elflings looked at one another. They seemed to exchange unspoken words. Finally they all nodded.
Rowyn turned back to Jamie and drew his wand. "We'll grant you a parting gift. We'll bless you with a goldencharm. It is our highest honor. It will glow upon you forever. It will light your path in the world."
Jamie gasped. Honorary elfling indeed! She nodded, tears rolling, and closed her eyes. She felt Rowyn's wand touch her forehead. Warmth spread through her. She gasped, opened her eyes, and saw glittering light flow across her like fireflies. The light hummed and danced and her forehead tingled.
When the light faded, she stood breathing heavily. She touched her forehead and felt warmth and goodness.
"Did it work?" she whispered.
Noelyn pulled a handheld mirror from her pouch. Its frame and grip were woven of silver. Jamie took the mirror and gazed upon her reflection.
Disappointment filled her.
A goldencharm glowed upon her forehead... shaped as a flower.
Jamie bit her lip. Her belly ached.
A flower.
She, a mighty warrior—with a flower on her forehead. Was this a joke? Rowyn had a star, Noelyn a moon, Ellywyn a sun. Why didn't she get a mighty light of the heavens, but only a girly flower?
"I... thank you," she said, "but...."
The elflings laughed, and Jamie felt rage bubble inside her. After all this, how could they mock her? But Noelyn only hugged her.
"It's a
thistle
, silly!" the archer said. "Like your last name."
Jamie looked into the mirror again, and her disappointment left her. Joy filled her instead. Noelyn was right. It was a small, glowing thistle—like her surname, like her father's coat of arms. Thistles were small and delicate, but thorny.
Like me,
Jamie thought.
"I'm honored," she whispered, throat tight.
The elflings hugged her and cried.
"You will always have friends in Glaswood," Ellywyn said. "Goodbye, Jamie Thistle, warrior of Burrfield."
They walked into the forest, heading to their northern homeland. Jamie stood silently for a long time, watching the trees. Then she touched her forehead, smiled, and went home.
* * * * *
Romy hugged her friends tight.
"Goodbye, Annie! Goodbye, Mandy!"
She kissed the girls on their cheeks. The two beamed up at her, wagged their tails, and kissed her too.
"Goodbye, Romy! Remember to visit us."
Romy nodded. "The door to Hell is just outside Burrfield. You come visit too." She leaned down and whispered to them. "We'll raise hell together in Burrfield whenever we can."
The two little demons turned away. They walked down Friar Hill in the night, hair flaming. Their flock of hellhogs followed them, snorting and blowing smoke from their nostrils. Old Grumbledook walked there too, coughing and grumbling.
"Do you think I'll like hell?" the old dragon could be heard asking.
The demon girls nodded. "You'll love it!" They patted him and tugged his beard. "It's nice and warm, and we'll take good care of you."
The old dragon grumbled. "Just don't go tugging my beard, girls, it took me decades to grow, and...."
His voice faded in the distance. The demon girls, hellhogs, and dragon disappeared into the night.
Romy remained standing atop Friar Hill by her house. Sadness crept into her, and she wrapped her wings around her. Suddenly she wanted to go to Hell too—to live forever with Mandy, Annie, the hellhogs, and even old Grumbledook. She sniffed loudly and blew her nose into a handkerchief.
Neev stood beside her, wrapped in his cloak. He patted her shoulder. "Are you all right, Romster?"
She looked at him, and some of her pain flowed away. Neev's eyes were soft, his face kind. She knew that few others ever saw this side of him. Most knew him as the cranky, cynical wunderkind. But she knew the real Neev. He was a dark, mysterious, angry warlock... but also a kind, gentle young man. She loved him deeply.
"I'm proud of you, Neev." She kissed him. "You faced Madrila. You saved us."
He sighed. "It was Willow's spiders who did that, not me. I lost the duel."
Romy thought for a moment. "Oh yeah! You're right." She patted his cheek. "Screw you, Neev. It's Willow I should be kissing."
"I'd like to see that."
She snorted. "I'm sure you would. But I'm not sharing my lips with anyone else."
She held his hand, and they stood watching the stars. A meteor blazed, and the constellations shone. When she first came to Earth, the sky had scared Romy; it was so deep, the stars so distant. But now she found this celestial painting a thing of beauty, of hope, of promise.
When Neev and I have kids,
she thought,
I'll take them stargazing on this hill.
She looked at him. There was one thing that still bothered her, one last concern that gnawed on her bones. She took a deep breath.
"Neev," she said, "be honest. Do you think my butt is big? Do you think I'm a baboon?"
He sighed. "The only thing too big about you is your mouth," he said... and kissed that mouth. He wrapped his arms around her. They kissed under the stars for long moments.
When finally their kiss ended, Romy laughed. She mussed his hair and pinched his nose.
"I'm going to bug the hell out of you with this big mouth," she said. "For the rest of your life. You know that, don't you, monkey boy?"
Neev sighed, held her close, and kissed her cheek.
"All things considered," he said, "that doesn't sound too bad."
NOVELS BY DANIEL ARENSON
Standalones:
Firefly Island
(2007)
The Gods of Dream
(2010)
Flaming Dove
(2010)