The Twilight Star

by Laura E. Collins

  “Hey!” A familiar voice bellowed. Sam and I and the crowd bearing down on us turned to see Sean stalking towards us. For once I thanked my lucky stars he was my friend. “Leave these women alone and get back to your work!” he ordered authoritatively. I had to admit he appeared impressive as his tall muscular figure towered over the startled villagers confronting us. He came to a stop standing next to Samantha with his large blacksmith’s hammer resting clearly visible up on his left shoulder. He could easily beat the crap out of any of the people before us.

  The man who had threatened us replied, “the princess may not mind your presence here, but we do. We will be watching you.” And with that, the crowd dispersed back to wherever they came from as Sean glared at them.

  “If anyone ever threatens you again, you let me know,” Sean said to us.

  “Thank you, . . . who was that?” I replied.

  “That was Bartholomew Hove. He is the foreman over at that mill,” he informed us, pointing off to the right behind us. It was a different one than the one Josh worked at. “Apparently he is considered an elder or something here.”

  “We’ll be careful. Thank you, Sean,” Sam replied.

  “No problem,” he said as he walked back towards the blacksmith’s shop he worked at.

  We continued on to try to complete our tasks, keeping a wary eye out. I wanted to move quickly and get back to Dr. Thorpe before anything else happened. I had no clue what to expect here. Relief swept over me as I saw the familiar colorful tents of the marketplace. We still endured more stares as we strolled in together. After our encounter with some of the villagers, we decided to stick together. I quickly located the candlestick maker and marched up to his booth.

  “Hello,” I greeted him politely, giving him my best example of a friendly smile. “I work with Dr. Thorpe and we need to buy three candles for our clinic.”

  The older man regarded us carefully, looking around at the villagers that had stopped to watch us. After a moment he replied matter-of-factly, “then tell the doctor to come and buy them himself. I do not deal with outsiders.”

  Sam stopped me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Evie, it’s not worth it.”

  She was right, it wasn’t worth it. I gave the man one last look before we made our way to the weaver’s booth. The weaver was a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties. She had dark brown hair and eyes that focused sharply on her work as she moved her spinning wheel inside her booth. We stopped for a moment, observing her graceful and skilled movements with the device. I felt as though I was back at the renaissance fair watching a demonstration of skills that were for the most part obsolete, but here, they were a way of life. She was dressed with a cream chemise and burgundy overskirt and bodice with delicate embroidery. She was definitely the best dressed villager I had encountered, but it made sense; she was a weaver and seamstress.

  “Excuse us,” Sam began, bringing the weaver out of her spinning trance. “May we buy some silk thread for suturing? Dr. Thorpe sent us,” Sam said, holding up her coin.

  The weaver slowed her wheel to a stop and looked up at us. Without missing a beat, she replied casually, “I have none, you should look elsewhere.”

  I studied the young woman, looking around her booth and spied what we were looking for wrapped around a spool sitting on the back bench. Liar. “Isn’t that suturing thread on the spool behind you?” I asked, gesturing to what she obviously did not want to sell us.

  She casually glanced back at it and then back to us. “I said I have none for sale, now stop wasting my time, wayfarers,” the weaver spat back sharply, turning back to her work.

  I sighed and turned with Sam to march back to the clinic. Fortunately no one stopped to threaten or confront us on the way, however we did feel a fair number of suspicious eyes on us.

  Once we returned, we explained to Dr. Thorpe what had happened to us and he stopped grinding his dried herbs and raised his eyes up to the ceiling and sighed deeply. “Evie,” he said, removing his apron and grabbing his cloak on the wall, “keep going with this and I will go and get what we need.”

  “Thank you,” I said, as Sam and I gave his crowns back to him.

  He stormed out the door muttering something I caught about “narrow minded peasants” before the door was closed.

  Chapter 6

  A week passed and my life fell into a simple routine from sunrise to sunset. Working at the clinic kept me busy all of the time; I equated it to something like boot camp. We were just thrown into things left and right. There always seemed like there was something to do. I was used to not having any downtime in my job as a nurse on the unit back home. Even though I was well trained in my time, it was nothing compared to the crude medicine that was practiced here. The experience of it left me feeling inadequate. I’m sure Dr. Thorpe must have felt it as I did, but he never let it show. He and Samantha were my constant companions, along with Drew. As I grew to know them, I grew to trust them. My instincts rarely failed me; and so far they told me that Dr. Thorpe and Drew were honest, good people. I think that even though Dr. Thorpe was a seasoned wayfarer here, he enjoyed reminiscing with me and Samantha about how his life used to be in our time. We were truly the only ones here that could understand.

  Sunday was the only day the clinic was closed so that we could relax and attend church if we desired. Dr. Thorpe always attended, taking a seat next to Ms. Bettina. Samantha and I went with him sometimes, but the others from our group stayed away and used the free day to rest and congregate for strategy meetings. Sean and some of the others borrowed horses and scouted out the mountainside looking for any clue as to where the portal might be inclined to open back up so that we could go home. So far, they haven’t uncovered anything. Dr. Thorpe tried to discourage us from delving too deeply into our search. I think he didn’t want us getting our hopes up.

  A few weeks after our introduction into society, a messenger arrived at the clinic early on a Sunday afternoon just as I had finished watering the herb garden after church. Dr. Thorpe took the sealed note and opened it. After a moment he glanced at me.

  “Evie, Princess Emeley would like to meet with you.”

  “Princess Emeley? Why?”

  “I think she wants a report on the progress of your companions. Go along, you don’t want to keep her waiting.”

  “But . . .,” I stammered. I did not want to go and see her alone.

  “The messenger will lead you. Be on your best behavior and be polite.”

  “Yes, of course,” I replied matter-of-factly as I removed my work apron. I was still dressed for church, in one of the better outfits that had come my way in the few weeks that I had arrived. The servants of the nobles must be dressed impeccably because their used clothing kept arriving by the trunk full. Most of it didn’t fit me and I passed it on. I was tall and slim and the women here were much smaller than me. The dresses that did fit fell several inches short from the ground, revealing my modern-day sneakers that I still wore. I wondered if the villagers thought I was as freaky as I probably appeared to them.

  I gave Samantha a look as I followed the messenger out the door. I felt conflicted. My meeting with the princess was going to take me away from seeing my companions. I wanted to hear the latest ideas from the group on how to look for a portal home, however I was glad I would miss Sean’s weekly rant about how much he hated it here.

  We followed the same path Dr. Thorpe had taken us on the very first time we met the princess but veered into the castle instead of to a terrace. I had seen some parts of the castle during my training with Dr. Thorpe so I wasn’t totally unfamiliar with it. The stone walled castle had very few windows to let natural light in. The few that did exist were set high up on the walls and were narrow. Large chandeliers, torches, and candles helped supplement the lighting. I couldn’t tell if the placement of the windows so high up was for security, or if it was to protect the vampires from the sun. It was fairly obvious that any sunlight coming in would never be able to directly fall on
anyone. What a clever and practical idea, I thought. Off of the Great Hall we took a left down a different wing and up a flight of stairs to another decorated hallway and finally to a large room that resembled a study. I heard laughter through the door before the messenger knocked. I took a deep breath as the door opened and I was led through.

  Lots of light filled the room from the floor to ceiling windows at the opposite end. I looked around at the fine furniture and decorations and finally to the same three women I saw the first time I was brought to the castle. I recognized the dark-haired and sour Lady Bluteau first. She sat on one of the fine couches scarcely acknowledging me, patting the folds out of her gold dress. I approached Princess Emeley and did my best curtsy. I had some practice since I last saw her as I moved about the village with Dr. Thorpe over the past few weeks and had been introduced to some of the local lords and ladies of the court. She rose from her couch with grace and walked over to me. She wore a beautiful pastel blue silk gown that complimented her pale gold hair and blue-green eyes. Whoever made her clothes definitely knew what they were doing. I felt as though I was wearing a potato sack compared to her. The third woman, a kind appearing dark blonde woman sitting on the couch where the princess had been, nodded at me. Like the princess, she was also well dressed in a pale lavender gown.

  “Miss Evelyn Remington, welcome to court,” she said cordially.

  “Thank you, Your Highness,” I replied politely. I really didn’t know what else to say. Dr. Thorpe had advised that we as servants should never speak unless we were spoken to first. I lowered my eyes as he had taught me as a sign of respect.

  She seemed to study me for a moment. Looking me over in my hand-me-down dress before her eyes fell on my dirt dusted sneakers. “May I call you Evelyn?”

  “Of course, Your Highness.”

  “This is my relative, Lady Aryn Symons,” the princess said sweeping her hand towards the blonde woman, “and this is Lady Celina Bluteau,” she nodded towards the dark haired woman who ignored me. “They are my chief ladies in waiting. I have called you here this afternoon because I am curious to find out how you are coping with your new life here.”

  I nodded, wondering why she would go to the trouble of making introductions. I was a servant after all. It felt stupid for me to have a conversation looking at the floor near her feet so I looked up at her and our eyes met. She didn’t seem offended by the eye contact that was so normal in my world so I decided to try it out.

  “Thank you, Your Highness. We are all extremely grateful for your generosity and concern for our well-being.” I watched as she nodded and then I continued, “we have all appreciated the jobs and lodging we have been given and are doing our best to blend in.”

  “Blend in?” Lady Celina laughed. “That is highly unlikely given your appearance,” she said haughtily. I assume she referred to the taller statures and unusual hair styles of myself and my companions, particularly Sean.

  The princess glanced at her and continued, taking a seat. “How is it that you came to be in my world?”

  I looked at her and the others and took a deep breath. I couldn’t see a reason why not to tell her our story. Perhaps she had some clues as to how we could get back home. I began with our visit to the Faire and ended up with Dr. Thorpe’s discovery of us. She watched me intently during my explanation and never once interrupted me. A servant arrived, bringing them refreshments and something to drink. I tried not to notice.

  “Why was your husband not with you at this . . . renaissance fair . . . as you call it?” she asked looking up at me.

  “My husband? . . . I am not married, Your Highness,” I stammered.

  “Not married? A woman of your age?” Lady Aryn asked in a bewildered tone. I don’t think she meant to offend me.

  “It is not unusual for women to pursue an education and a career first where I come from, my lady,” I explained. I tried not to sound annoyed. I had to keep reminding myself where I was and the uniqueness of my situation.

  “Whatever for?” she asked, seeming puzzled by the idea.

  “In order to earn a living and support ourselves so that we can have the freedom to do whatever we want.”

  “That is preposterous!” Lady Celina blurted out. I didn’t like the trend this conversation was going down. The last thing I needed was to infuriate them with my apparent forward thinking of their traditionally backward assigned gender roles. I needed to get out of here before I offended someone.

  “What kind of a world allows their women to run wild and do as they please? It sounds positively barbaric! No wonder you do not have a husband,” she stated. “No man wants to marry a woman who thinks for herself.”

  I silently counted to ten. At the end of my self-control exercise I decided it would be best to remain silent. I had a hard time relating to the people in Eteryn in general, save for Dr. Thorpe. There was no point to try to argue with her, it was all too apparent that subservience was ingrained in her demeanor. It would be better for me to keep a low profile and remain under their radar until my friends and I could figure out how to open the portal and return home.

  The princess looked thoughtful for a moment before she said, “you are dismissed, Miss Evelyn. However, I would like to hear more of your world. I will send a messenger for you tomorrow afternoon. Good day,” she said in a pleasant but dismissive tone.

  I curtsied and saw myself back out into the hallway, catching the attention of the guards keeping watch. I turned the opposite direction and tried to find my way back out to the Great Hall. I must have taken a wrong turn because I ended up passing by a large room that was being set up for dining and entertainment.

  “Evie?”

  I turned as I heard my name. “Paul!” I said as I walked over to greet him. I hadn’t seen much of him since we arrived. He was wearing a uniform of a belted black tunic embroidered in silver with the Claymore crest over thick black hose with lace up leather shoes.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Trying to find my way to the Great Hall so I can get back to the clinic.”

  “It’s this way, follow me,” he said softly turning back the way I had come.

  “What was that room for?” I asked.

  “We are setting up for the banquet tonight. They have one once or twice a week.”

  “Like a dinner party?”

  “Something like that. The nobles eat first, and then there is music and dancing. I guess that’s what you do when you don’t have electricity,” he joked.

  “Sounds like fun,” I said half-joking myself. “How are you?”

  “I’m in once piece,” he said amiably. “They keep me busy from sun up to sun down and then afterwards on the days of the banquets. Why are you in the castle?” he asked.

  “The princess and her ladies wanted to see me. They started asking me about my life back home. They were shocked to discover I am not married,” I joked as I smiled at him.

  “Be careful what you say to them, Evie. Don’t give them any ideas. The last thing we all need is to be persecuted for witchcraft or something.”

  “I promise not to start a revolution,” I said mockingly. His advice was sound though. I wondered what the princess wanted to talk about tomorrow.

  “Here you are,” he said as he pointed me down the hallway that led to the Great Hall. “I think I will have a day off next Sunday. I will try to meet with all of you then.”

  “We would love for you to join us,” I said as I started to turn away.

  “Let me know what time and location,” he called in a low voice after me.

  “I’ll text you,” I joked as I continued on my way, smiling for the first time in a while.

  ∞

  Chaos greeted me when I arrived back at the clinic. It was late on a Sunday afternoon and the clinic wasn’t open, but I could hear the commotion out in the examination area before I could even see it.

  “There must be something more you can do for him!” Sean’s booming voice demanded as I walked into the
clinic.

  Everyone from my group was there, save for Paul who was working in the castle. My eyes immediately went to the cot where Matthew lay, propped up and apparently struggling to breathe. I could hear his breath dragging within his constricted airways and knew immediately what was happening, he was suffering from an asthma attack.

  “We are helping him. Your presence here is not required,” Dr. Thorpe said impatiently to Sean as Sam handed him a decoction to administer to Matthew.

  “What are you giving him?” I asked, drawing nearer, doing my best to assess his condition.

  “Ephedra, . . . it’s all we have for asthma here. His inhaler is depleted,” Dr. Thorpe informed me as I put a hand on Matthew’s shoulder as he drank it without question. He appeared pale and sweaty and I sensed he seemed fearful of his condition as he continued to wheeze.

  “Evie, stay with him while I prepare some in a vapor.”

  “This world sucks! It’s a miracle anyone survives here without any real medicine,” Sean snorted.

  “Sean, take it easy, they are doing the best they can,” Sarah said gently trying to calm his temper down. I ignored him, trying to keep my focus on Matthew, who seemed to be growing more and more exhausted. I felt bad that Paul couldn’t be here to support his friend.

  Dr. Thorpe returned with a steaming bowl of the ephedra decoction, intending for Matthew to inhale the vapor this time. I suppose it was the closest thing to a nebulizer we had. He set it down on a nearby table and we helped him over to the chair so he could lean over it. Dr. Thorpe laid a cloth over his head and the bowl so that the steam wouldn’t escape.

  “Even though he ingested it, it doesn’t work right away. He will need to take it every day for the full effect,” Dr. Thorpe explained to me.