“Yes,” she said. “Unlike my daughters, my son has his father’s eyes. My daughters were lucky enough to get my eyes and War’s hair. A perfect combination.”
War finished greeting his son and slipped his arm around his wife. “I guess I need no introduction,” he said. “And I know I am definitely not what you were expecting.”
I was spared from answering by a young woman calling out. “You’re back I see.”
“My sister, Spatha,” Kris said as she walked across the garden toward us. She must have been in her early twenties and, as her mother had said, she was blessed with long blonde hair and green eyes and was absolutely stunning. She greeted Kris warmly before turning her attention to me and Robert.
“Welcome to our humble home,” she said with no trace of sarcasm. “I hope you have had a good journey.” Was she trying to be funny? Apparently not.
“It has been long and tiring,” Kris said. “I really don’t think they will want to talk about it right now.”
“And how about you dear brother? Have you been having fun?”
“Yes, actually,” Kris replied with a smile on his face. “Perceval says hi by the way.”
Perceval? Oh, yes. The ogre.
“Why don’t we catch up over a cool drink in the house,” Bo said. To my surprise, she took my arm and led me in.
Glasses of cool, fresh, homemade lemonade were waiting for us in what Bo described as the ‘sun room’ and it wasn’t until I started drinking that I realised how thirsty I was. The room was made entirely of glass and was bright and cosy. The furniture was so comfortable I soon found it hard to keep my eyes open. I was startled awake by a new arrival entering the room and throwing herself into Kris’s arms.
“I have missed you so much big brother,” the girl said.
“I’ve only been gone a few weeks.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “It feels like longer.”
Kris ruffled her wavy blonde hair and she glared at him. “I’ve told you not to do that.”
“Rachel, Rob, meet my baby sister Katana.” Katana was small and slim and very pretty. She looked young, eighteen at most, and obviously adored her brother.
“Come with me,” Katana said, taking hold of my hand. “I will show you to your room.”
“I’ll come with you,” Spatha said.
“Bo,” I heard War say as I was led away. “Please show Rob where he will be staying while he is with us. I want a word with my son.” I’m sure I heard Kris groan.
The sisters took me down the corridor and opened one of the doors on the left.
“You can stay here tonight,” Katana said. “My room is next door, Kris and Spatha’s rooms are opposite.”
“Thank you,” I said as I entered the room. It was comfortable looking with a door at one end that had to be either a walk-in wardrobe or a bathroom. I really hoped it was the latter. I desperately wanted to wash and change into clean clothes, but I didn’t get the chance.
“Leave your bag here,” Spatha said, “and we will show you around the house and grounds.” Despite wanting to do nothing more than bathe then take a nap, I obeyed.
It took quite a while to show me around the house. It really was a lovely family home, even though it was rather large. Unlike Famine’s cottage, it didn’t create rooms when they were needed; they were all permanently there. Dining room, sitting room, music room with a piano that looked suspiciously like the one Kris had played at Famine’s; it even had a small but well stocked library. I was beginning to understand why Kris had been looking forward to getting back here so much.
As they showed me around, the two young ladies never stopped asking me questions. They seemed to want to know everything about me. And not just what I had done and where I had been; they were just as interested in my thoughts and opinions.
Eventually I had been shown every room in the house and was looking forward to returning to my room, but instead I was led out into the gardens. Yes, they really were beautiful, but I was too tired to show any real appreciation.
That changed when we arrived at the stables where War kept his horse. It was red. No, I don’t mean it was a dark brown or chestnut; it was bright red, the colour of fresh blood. It was a tall stallion with a crimson mane and matching tail and a white diamond shaped patch between his eyes.
“This is Broussard,” Katana said and the horse whinnied when he heard his name. “Only War is supposed to ride him, but I have taken him out a few times when father has been away.” She suddenly gave me a pleading look. “You won’t tell him, will you?”
I shook my head and reached out my hand to stroke his nose. He was a magnificent animal and I could understand why Katana had snuck out on him. Spatha produced a carrot from out of nowhere and passed it to me so I could feed him.
“So what do you think of Ankou?” Katana asked casually and I silently groaned. How the hell did they know I had met him already?
The entire way back to the house I was subjected to twenty questions about Kris’s cousin and I was grateful to Spatha when she suggested that Katana leave me in peace for a while so I could freshen up.
“She means no harm,” Spatha said once her younger sister had departed. “She is just inquisitive.”
Instead of taking me directly to my room, Spatha took me to her own and started rummaging through her wardrobe, eventually emerging with a dress in her arms. She held it up against me and decided it should fit.
“We usually dress up for dinner,” she said, “and I wasn’t sure if you had anything suitable with you.”
“Thank you,” I said as she handed it over. I was too overcome to say anything more. Kris’s relatives were really making me feel at home and I hadn’t felt part of a family for a long time.
When I walked back into the bedroom I was surprised to find a silk dressing gown lying across the bed. I picked it up and carried it into what turned out to be an ensuite bathroom. Someone had even run a bubble bath for me. I quickly stripped off my clothes and eased myself into the hot water. It was bliss. I leaned back and closed my eyes. I think I must have dozed off as the water was only lukewarm when I opened them again.
The towels were soft and fluffy and I loved the feel of them against my skin, but not as much as the dressing gown. It slid down me as it fell into place. I had never worn real silk before and I now knew what I would be buying as soon as I got home.
I was sitting on the bed, combing my wet hair, when there was a knock at the door and I called out to my visitor that they could enter.
“Hi,” Kris said as he walked in and sat down on the bed beside me. “I thought I should check that my sister’s didn’t give you a hard time about anything. They can be a little overwhelming sometimes.”
“They are a bit full on,” I said. “They seemed to want to know everything about me. They certainly asked some very personal questions.”
“They like to say they are inquisitive. I think they are just plain nosey.”
“They also gave me the third degree about Ankou.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Apparently he came here at some point after he left Famine’s house so they know I have met him. They wanted to know what I thought of him, what we did while we were with Famine, that sort of thing.”
“Oh,” Kris said. “And what did you tell them?”
“The truth.” OK, so I had neglected to mention him coming to my room, but that was between him and me; nobody else needed to know. “When I spoke about Ankou trying to teach me how to use a sword, Katana seemed to get very jealous and grumbled that he had never offered to teach her.”
“I bet she did.”
“She wouldn’t shut up about him. If he wasn’t her cousin, I’d say she has a huge crush on him.”
“She has,” Kris said, grinning.
“Ewe.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “Isn’t that sort of incestuous?”
“Probably. Everyone keeps telling her nothing can ever happen between them, but she still has her heart
set on marrying him.”
Kris stretched out on the bed and placed his hands behind his head. He seemed more relaxed now he was in his own home than I had ever seen him. “So did you tell them you think he is, what’s the saying? Drop dead gorgeous?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I opted for the truth. “Well I could hardly say otherwise, could I? They would know I was lying. But I did point out that I need more than just good looks to be attracted to someone.” I was kind of speaking the truth. In my opinion, personality wins out over physical appearance any day. I just neglected to mention that I quite like his personality as well. Kris had lost many girls to Ankou and, though I wasn’t his to lose and I don’t think he even thinks of me in that way, I didn’t want him to believe I was yet another one.
“Ankou must have said some good things about you,” he said. He rolled over as he spoke, bending his arm to support his head so he could look at me. “Rob’s room is upstairs in the guest suite, where all visitors are usually put up, but this one is in the family part of the house. Ankou is the only one who is ever allowed to stay here.”
“I’m honoured,” I said, and I was. Then I smiled at him. “Maybe your family just feel sorry for me having to travel with you and Robert.”
“Ha ha. Very funny.” He pushed himself upward and eased himself off the bed. “Dinner will be ready soon. I’ll come and get you.” He walked to the door, but paused before leaving. “Feel free to wear the red dress, if you want.”
“Spatha has already given me a dress she thought would be suitable,” I said. I may be wrong, but I’m sure he looked disappointed.
As soon as he left I put on the blue dress and was pleased to find it fitted me well. It felt a little tight around the chest, but nothing I couldn’t live with. I was still brushing my hair when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in Kris,” I called out and was surprised when Spatha walked in.
“The dress looks a lot better on you than it does on me,” she said. “I brought you this to wear with it.” She handed over a gold chain with a blue pendant on it. “It’s a sapphire surrounded by tiny diamonds. Here, let me,” she said when she saw me struggling to undo the clasp.
She placed the chain around my neck and let it fall into place. The chain was a little long and the pendant went into my cleavage slightly so it was partially hidden by the dress.
“Well that’s no good,” she said, tutting to herself. She stared at it and the chain shortened. “That’s better. Now for your hair.”
Before I could protest, she took the brush out of my hand and started to run it through my hair. She then spent a good bit of time pinning parts of it up while letting other parts flow down my back. Next she set about applying makeup to my face. I must admit, when I looked in the mirror I was impressed with the overall effect.
As she closed her makeup case with a snap there was a knock at the door and Kris requested permission to enter.
“What are you up to?” he asked Spatha in an unfriendly tone as soon as he laid eyes on her.
“I’m just helping Rachel get ready,” she said. “After all, when was the last time we had a female guest? One that wasn’t family, that is.”
“That would be never,” he replied, his tone softening. “Come on. Dinner’s ready.” He looked me up and down as I passed him and I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked out of the room. I knew I looked good; Spatha had said so, yet there is still something about a man confirming it with his eyes that seems to validate it more, or is that just me?
Robert was already in the dining room when we got there. He was wearing a dark grey suit and looked very uncomfortable in it. He was chatting with War and Bo and didn’t even look up when we entered. When he did he didn’t comment on how I looked. Then again, I wouldn’t expect him to. He has seen me at my best and my worst. He has seen me dressed up for weddings and parties. He has also seen me curled up in bed with flu and with my head down a toilet having had too much to drink.
Dinner was anything but formal. It was a nice, relaxed, family meal during which the two girls took great delight in telling amusing stories about the family, mainly Kris, and seemed to be competing as to who could embarrass him the most. I haven’t laughed so much since my parents died. He took it well, giving as good as he got. Once or twice I caught him glaring at them, but they just smirked back at him as though daring him to say anything.
It was very late when we finally decided to call it a night. The wine had been flowing all evening and I found I was a little wobbly on my feet when I stood up. Kris offered to escort me to my room, but Spatha grabbed my arm before he had the chance, so he wished me a good night and left the room. Robert, too, told me to sleep well before Katana took him by the hand and led him to his room. It had taken him a while, but during the meal he had slowly relaxed enough to join in the casual conversations and I think he ended up having a good evening. He even talked about some of the things we had done since arriving in Hell.
He did, however, obtain a promise from War that our next challenge would be set first thing the next morning. I wondered what it was going to be while I walked to my room, but by the time I reached it I decided I was too tired to care.
“Are you going to be alright?” Spatha asked as she dumped me on my bed.
“Fine,” I replied, waving her away.
“You may want to get changed before going to sleep,” she said. “I can’t imagine sleeping in that dress will be that comfortable.”
I roused myself enough to do as she suggested and as soon as she saw that I was following her advice she left me alone. Moments later I was curled up under the covers and was soon fast asleep.
Days 23 - 25
I couldn’t write in my diary for a couple of days and the reason will become obvious as you continue reading.
I was woken the next morning by scratching at my door. I unwillingly got out of bed to see what it was and the two wolf cubs raced into the room and jumped onto my bed.
“Great,” I said to myself. Have I already mentioned I’m not really a dog person? I really wanted to get back into bed for a little while, but that wasn’t going to happen now, was it?
I quickly washed and dressed and found a grinning Kris outside my room when I opened the door.
“I thought that would get you up,” he said. “Half the morning has gone and Rob is eager to find out what War’s test is going to be.”
I hadn’t realised I had slept so late and apologised profusely to Robert when I saw him in the dining room.
He waved away my apologies. “We are all exhausted,” he said. “A lay in has probably done you the world of good.”
He was right. I did feel much more alive and alert than I had done in ages.
After a hurried breakfast Kris led us back to the ‘sun room’ where the rest of his family were waiting for us.
“So far you have had your courage, your intelligence and your compassion tested,” War said as soon as we were seated. “I will be testing your ingenuity. Katana has volunteered to lead you to one of our nearby lakes, which is frozen solid. Though the temperature is much colder than anything you would encounter on Earth, except for at the poles perhaps, the ice is still very thin and will not hold your weight. All you have to do is cross it.”
“You mean you want us to walk on water,” Robert said with a smile on his face. An enjoyable evening and a good night’s sleep had helped him as well. His sense of humour had obviously returned.
“Something like that,” War said, returning his smile.
“Time to go,” Katana said before we had chance to ask any questions. “It’s not far, so you won’t need to bring anything with you. If you haven’t figured it out by lunchtime, I will provide refreshments. If you are still stuck by the time it gets dark, you have failed.”
Why did she sound so cheerful when she said that? Maybe it’s just her personality and she is always happy no matter what she is discussing.
As we walked out of the room I
overheard Kris talking to Spatha.
“I hope you know what you are doing,” he said to her.
“Trust me big brother,” she said.
“Now why do I always worry when I hear you say that?”
Unfortunately we were too far away for me to hear the reply.
It did not take long for the three of us to reach the frozen lake and when we did I gasped. I had been expecting something small, maybe a couple of dozen feet across, but this was so big I couldn’t see the other side.
“How the he−,” I started to say, but stopped myself in time. “How are we supposed to cross that?” I asked.
“That is your problem, not mine,” Katana replied and sat herself down under a tree nearby.
“Any ideas?” I asked Robert. The size of the lake had completely emptied my mind.
“Not yet,” he said. “First let’s see just how thin this ice is.”
He walked to the water’s edge and tentatively placed one foot on the ice. “It seems quite solid,” he said just before the ice gave way and his foot fell through. “Son of a bitch,” he yelled loudly, making Katana giggle.
“Is it cold by any chance?” I asked unsympathetically. We had been warned the ice would not hold our weight so he had been stupid to try it.
“Words cannot describe it,” he said. “I strongly suggest we don’t try that again. If more of me had gone in I’m not sure I would have been able to continue breathing.”
“So what do we do now?” I had absolutely no idea.
“We look around to see what resources we have,” he said.
I turned around and that was the last thing I remember until I woke up and found myself suspended upside down above a hole in the ice with a full sized Fee fluttering beside me.
“Awake at last,” she said in a vicious tone. “Now we just have to wait for sleeping beauty.”
I looked toward the shore and saw that both Robert and Katana were unconscious.
“What happened?” I asked. What I really wanted to ask was ‘what is holding me in the air’, but I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know the answer.
Diary of a journey through Hell Page 18
