Realizing I’d been gone far longer than intended, I said a silent farewell and was soon soaring across the meadow hoping my friends had saved me some breakfast. As I flew I pondered what might eventually use the caverns. Thus far the only creatures we’d brought over that could even reach those heights were the winged horses. As far as I knew, Pegasi did not live in mountain caves. And besides, the painfully beautiful white steeds had been freed somewhere else on this world, not here. No doubt, Immy was going to need more assistance than the sisters could provide to get whatever was going to inhabit those caves, through a gate. Or perhaps they were just destined to remain vacant. Though I had a long long life ahead of me, it was doubtful I would ever know.
I came to a landing at the edge of the meadow and walked into camp. Immy had returned and everyone seemed to just be finishing up breakfast. Lekees was missing, probably gone to bathe before we headed out. Everyone else except Immy had wet hair. I probably should take a dip too, but food was more important at the moment.
“I found some interesting caves across the meadow.” I told the group as I filled a bowl and found a seat on a rock. “I couldn’t tell what might have inhabited them. At first I thought it might have been a stronghold for Dwarfs, but they appear to be just external caves, with no internal access. I was hoping it was some long lost civilization, but all I found were some stones,” I joked. “There wasn’t a single scrap of history left from the previous tenants. I brought back a few of the stones as souvenirs. Hopefully that’s not a problem?”
I must have said something strange, because the sisters seemed to stop, hold their breath, then immediately became extremely busy looking for things in their packs. Four of them mumbled something I didn’t understand then practically bolted from camp. The other two simply refused to look at me. Their weird reaction caused me to hesitate, before glancing toward Immy with both eyebrows high.
Unlike the others, Immy was looking intently back at me, her head tilted slightly. She raised an eyebrow herself, then shrugged a shoulder and lifted her hands slightly in the universal ‘I don’t know’ sign, “What harm could a few…stones cause?” She responded, “If their previous stewards had wanted them all that badly, I suspect they would have found a way to take them when they moved on.”
Exactly. Clearly the previous inhabitants had migrated elsewhere and simply left them. I’d found no trace of bones at the site so they must have just buried them and what, hoped for the best? Could they foresee that I’d come along and snatch them up in the future? More likely they just didn’t care enough to bother. If they were eggs and had been my babies, you can damn sure bet I wouldn’t have abandoned them! Just thinking about it got me worked up and I had to laugh at myself. Here it was hundreds, maybe thousands of years post apocalypse and I still couldn’t desert them! Well except the three. But I hadn’t spent years developing my hunter senses only to ignore my instincts, especially when Goldy was one hundred percent in agreement. So okay those three were just going to have to stay and maybe someone or something in the future might find and care for them. I couldn’t imagine what kind of being that might be. But if nothing else; this trip had opened my eyes to the worlds of possibilities. They would just have to be patient. But the rest were mine, and they were coming with me. I thought with a sudden fierceness that actually shocked me. Perhaps all they would ever be is art on a shelf or baubles for my hope chest, but they would not be alone and abandoned.
Wow! I thought with a wince, realizing I’d gone off on quite the mental tangent. Hopefully I wasn’t going to turn into some crazy stone lady. Talking to my shiny baubles like they were alive, or dressing them up in cute little outfits. Yikes, it was almost like my mommy switch had been flipped. Sweet Danu! Where had that come from? If I couldn’t even leave a bunch of petrified rocks, how was I going to be able to turn over my own living breathing babies to someone else to rear for me? Well that was a depressing thought which nearly had me reaching to empty my quiver. But Goldy raised her head and gave me such a disgusted look I actually blushed and lowered my arm.
Sweet Danu! Is this the real reason I was here? To learn some great truth about my future self? Like I didn’t already know I was possessive? I glanced sharply at Immy who was still watching me with a patient look on her face. I realized I still had my lower shield raised and she probably couldn’t tell what I was thinking. At least I didn’t think so.
Shaking my head, I stared down at my food, pushed aside the thoughts of future children and considered what it would be like to hear other people’s thoughts for a change. The idea made me grimace. No doubt I’d have left a lot more bodies in my wake these past few weeks, most of them female. That thought made me shake my head again and take a deep breath. I finished off the not-oatmeal oatmeal in my bowl distractedly, and tried not to wonder just how I was supposed to deal with my future mommy self.
It didn’t look like we would be leaving immediately, what with everyone except Immy and I wrapped up in extremely important tasks, or so it appeared. So I picked up the cooking pot and spoon along with my bowl, and headed to the pond. I might as well get in a quick bath before heading out to the great unknown. Besides, I could use a little quiet contemplation time, maybe do some breathing exercises. I won’t say I was having a panic attack. But Goldy was making suspiciously soothing noises and I was having a hard time appreciating them, what with my pulse pounding in my eardrums.
When I came up out of the water, Mictaar was standing on the bank with the now clean cooking utensils in her hands. She looked slightly embarrassed as I slogged toward the bank wearing most of my clothing. I’d considered taking them off, but had given up on the buckles. Instead I’d simply removed my boots and weapons, and jumped in with my pants, top and corset still on. Hopefully the corset didn’t dry stiff or I might have problems breathing later.
“Are we ready to head out?” I asked, once I’d flipped my hair back and wrung most of the water out. I watched her glance around. She looked uncomfortable for some reason and I wasn’t sure why. Mictaar had been hanging out with me since I’d killed the cat thing. I wasn’t sure if I’d impressed her or if she really liked me because of my sparkling personality. Actually, I suspected she was a kindred spirit. And while I couldn’t hear her thoughts, I was pretty sure they ran along in the same sort of sarcastic rut as mine. Or maybe it was just that I hadn’t had a lot of experience with friendships, and I’d like to think I’d be leaving here having made at least one.
“I wanted to apologize.”
I glanced at her curiously before asking. “For what?”
“We didn’t mean to make you feel you had to hide your thoughts from us. I’m not sure what Lekees did…”
I held up a hand, stopping her apology mid-sentence, “Wait, wait, Lekees didn’t do or say anything. I raised my shield because I sensed hearing my internal ramblings made her uncomfortable. That’s all.” I said with a shrug of a shoulder, “It is nothing to be worried about.”
She looked back at me skeptically and asked, “Then why are your thoughts still hidden?”
“I just sort of forgot.” I told her honestly then went ahead and lowered my shield so she could hear me again. “See, I’m not mad.” I assured her and nodded when she looked relieved.
Her smile was suddenly bright and sunny. “That is better. If you are done with ah…washing what’s left of your clothing,” she replied with a dubious look, glancing at my newly sleeveless arms, then down at the rest of my clothing which I’d obviously not removed, “the others are indeed ready to depart.”
I stuck my tongue out at her then made a moue when she laughed back at me. “It was taking too long to get the buckles undone.” I finally admitted while she smirked and told me to hurry before trotting off with the family silverware. Sheesh I thought as I yanked on my boots, strapped on my sword, and shoved knives back into hidden sheaths. It wasn’t that funny.
A soul wrenching ride later, the nine of us were standing under a large ancient stone archway leading to wh
at I could only describe as a fairy garden in the woods. One that looked like it had recently been trampled by a really large Ogre, or maybe a pack of Trolls. Uprooted trees and flowers lay wilted in the dappled sunlight, like so many broken solders. Huge brightly colored toadstools were strewn about the clearing, their caps broken and crushed. The smell of rich earth hung heavy over what I suspected was once a breathtakingly beautiful glen. The only sound to be heard was that of the nine of us breathing. Not a single bird or insect broke the eerie silence. I edged around Immy for a better look and realized I was holding my breath. Perhaps worried we might find more than just vegetation lying strewn about. Just who had been tending this garden? And where were they now?
Immy made a distressed sound, “Where indeed.” She replied then moved into the clearing on silent feet. Her tail moved in an agitated back and forth sweeping motion behind her. I glanced at Mictaar who edged up beside me. She had her head tilted and seemed to be concentrating as if she could hear something off to the left. I shifted slightly, turning to face the same direction. Around me the others tensed, and they too glanced sharply left. In the clearing Immy stopped and turned her head while her hand moved to grasp her chackram.
A high whistle from our left broke the silence, and a second later furry little faces peeked out from the underbrush all about the glen. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Immy relax, and return her weapon to her side.
From under the brush emerged two beautiful foxes. One had long black fur with silver tips. Upon its back rode a fair haired Fairy Queen holding a miter with an embedded silver stone at its top which glowed softly. Her silver crown sparkled in the dappled sunlight. She had a double set of pale blue wings and was dressed in a filmy blue and white material that seemed to float around her long slender body. A beautiful cape of dark blue was tied at her throat, its back split to accommodate her wings. Her eyes were two toned blue with the outer ring a periwinkle and the inner a pale ice blue. For all her diminutive size, she was almost painfully beautiful and wore a haughty expression one might expect to see on a Queen.
The other fox had long silver fur with dark red tips and a red face. Upon the second fox rode what I assumed to the Fairy King. Unlike the Queen, his wings resembled a monarch butterfly on the upper portions, but the lower sections were a pale buttery yellow color. His crown was gold, as was his miter which had a large golden jewel at its head. It too glowed. His hair coloring was similar to Lira, auburn but with thick streaks of blond running through it. His eyes were pale yellow like daffodils, with lines of light brown that ran outward from his iris. He was dressed in leggings, boots and a rich brown surcoat and gloves. He too had a cloak, and was armed with a small sword upon his hip.
The foxes lightly stepped around the damaged vegetation and debris toward Immy, who waited patiently for them. From around the clearing came all manner of other small animals carrying what I assumed to be their court. The animals were as varied as the lovely Fairies that rode upon them. Strangely hued rabbits and long silky haired guinea pigs, zebra striped capybara like creatures and miniature fuzzy goats crowed into the glen with the royals. Behind them came Sprites whose skin sparkled in browns, blues and greens. Their eyes like crystals, their hair dancing around their slender bodies as they slipped silently into the clearing. There were Brownies and Gnomes, Nymphs and Pixies, Sprites and Sylphs. And lastly, just at the edge of the clearing came the Elves. But these were Elves unlike any others I had seen before. The seemed more…wild. Maybe closer to nature then those of my Grandmother’s Court. Their coloring was more vibrant and unique. And they appeared to have segregated themselves into four distinct groups which ranged about just inside the outer edge of the clearing. Many more could be seen spread out behind them, their shadows in amongst the trees.
While Immy waited for the King and Queen, I couldn’t help noticing that the Elves seemed more interested in me than Immy or the sisters. If I had to categorize them I would say they looked like forest, warrior, light and dark. I wasn’t sure how else to describe them. Wait, hadn’t Amras and Cursed told me there were four races of Elves? I thought back and tried to remember the names for the descendants of Annwn. I knew I was Ljosalfar or Finias as was Amras, we were the light elves. Cursed was of the Daoine or Tegs the warriors who were once royal guards in Annwn. Then there was the Mirel or Fennians those who were healers, musicians and artists. And lastly there were the Svartalfar of the Gorias line. They were the dark elves, hunters like Tdem’s guards I thought, and wondered if under their armor they resembled these Elves. Each group seemed to have several members that wore a crown or circlet and carried themselves as royalty. It made me wonder why it was that the Fairy King and Queen stepped forward alone. I was musing this over when it occurred to me that I hadn’t sensed any other thoughts or pressure on my unshielded mind. There had to be hundreds if not thousands within and surrounding the glen, yet not a whisper of thought touched me.
“Well met your Royal Highnesses, King Uruwyn, Queen Elre.” Immy told the two, as their foxes came to a halt several feet from her. She dipped her head in a show of respect and actually slid her right foot behind her left and bent deeply in curtsy.
Meanwhile I worried at my lip as I glanced about the assembled races. This could be tricky depending upon how Immy introduced me. One did not slight Fey royalty and expect to remain unscathed. Yet as a Seelie Elven Princess I technically out ranked even a Queen and King of the lesser Fey. And of course as a Dragon…well I need bow my head to none…ever. In fact to do so was to give a potential adversary perceived power over you. Of course that was how we handled these things back home. I dipped and curtsied to my Grandmother the Queen and no other, not even Mom. Though a show of respect was expected when greeting my Mother, it typically came in the form of a nod and kiss upon the cheek. And that was only because I wanted to keep my options open. But these Elves might be a different story. Here on whatever world we currently resided, it was anyone’s guess. I might find myself needing to imitate Immy’s greeting. Beside me the sisters shifted slightly, probably following my train of thought and no doubt wondering how they themselves should respond. If we made it through this unscathed, I was going to have to have a conversation with Immy. This lack of forewarning was a bit exasperating.
Immy took that moment to turn to us with a sly grin and motion us forward. I took a deep breath and adopted my own version of haughty. Had I known I’d be doing a formal introduction, I might have actually done something with my hair. I winced internally and considered my damp and basically all over the place tangled locks. I lacked even a comb, and hadn’t had time to borrow Mictaar’s before we’d all joined hands and had our souls twisted inside out to get here. I’m sure I looked more like a ragamuffin than a Seelie Princess. I suppose if it got bad, I could always shift. Please Goddess, do not let this get bad.
I think Immy was trying to torture me since she made a point of introducing the sisters first. Lucky them, they just had to nod and murmur pleasantries. Too bad I thought, I would have liked to see what a Centauress curtsy looked like. But the Greeks and Fey didn’t exactly spend time recognizing each other. Mictaar stifled a grin at my wry thought, then stepped back along with her sisters, leaving just little ol’ me standing there being stared up at.
Before Immy could open her mouth Queen Elre demanded in an imperial sounding voice, “What is this? You promised us dragons, yet all I see are Vamme natural rokko nórë and Titta moriquende man dwells -esse i taurë.”
Oh oh oh…she did not just call me a runt of an Elf that dwells in the forest. And my friends, an unnatural horse people! And she spoke English and High Elvish! How was that possible? I mean…technically what she’d said was true. Except I didn’t normally live in a forest and compared to the Elves she’d brought to the party I was, as usual, vertically impaired. More so since I was wearing boots. And Mictaar and her sisters were descended from the Gods who weren’t known for the mundane. But for crying out loud, she herself was maybe what…less than two feet tall! And
again, she was speaking English! Here on a world who knew how many light years away from Earth?
Apparently it was going to be like that? I thought, as my eyes narrowed and my hand reached for the pommel of my sword. I would have taken a threatening step forward, but King Uruwyn’s mount pulled back his teeth and make a low warning noise in his throat. I looked at the fox and mentally yelled SIT! To my surprise the beast, as well as nearly every other mount in the glen, actually heard me. Most of them attempted to obey and several riders tumbled to the ground in the ensuing melee. The King himself was nearly unseated when his Fox attempted to do just as I’d bid.
It took a moment of confused chaos before his Majesty regained control of his severely chastised steed. All the while Queen Elre stared daggers between Immy and me while keeping a tight grip on the fur of her own uneasy mount. Good thing, because her fox was having a hard time holding its ground in the face of my irritation. And this with me completely unshielded, which when I thought about it was odd. None of the Fey acted as if they’d heard any of my previous inner dialog. Even my quick survey of the Elves seemed to indicate they had no idea what had just occurred to cause the beasts’ upset. In fact several of them had reached for weapons and were looking about with concern. Could it be that even unshielded they couldn’t sense me? I sent a look to Immy who nodded ever so slightly in response. Wow I thought, what had happened here? No Fey can hear me, but their animals could?
Dragon Envy Page 30
