by Jeff Gunzel
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Holding a beanbag pillow against her chest, Viola lay on the hard wood plank that served as a bed, staring up at the ceiling. Jagged cracks in the stone ran parallel to each other, their deep darkness giving the illusion that through them she was seeing the sky above. When she stared at the black lines long enough, her imagination began to play tricks. Shadowy fingers crept down through the darkness, probing around the ceiling in search of something. But a blink of her eyes sent them away, vanished, like the distorted illusions they were.
Glancing down at her bruised hand, she flexed her fingers. Reddened welts striped the back of her wrist, as well as a fair amount of her forearm. She knew Ozryn had cracked her with a switch each time she made a mistake during today’s sparring, but in truth, she could hardly remember the ordeal. The whole day’s events were a haze, some distant memory that was difficult to recall. Who had survived? For the life of her, she still could not picture any of their faces.
A light slap of the side wall drew her attention. She looked up to see Salina’s face peeking in. “May I come in?” she asked, eyebrows raised with a hopeful expression. When Viola didn’t answer, she cleared her throat and slunk over to sit on her bed. “There are only five of us now. If you don’t want me here, I can just move over to the next room. It’s no trouble if—”
“I don’t want to be alone!” said Viola, swinging her legs over the side and sitting upright. She could see Salina clearly, those dark eyes webbed with wrinkles. The day’s events had blurred together into a single, incoherent thought. A vile combination of horror and sadness. But just this once she could actually see the person speaking to her. Those kind eyes served as a sort of anchor, keeping her mind grounded, preventing her from swirling into madness. “I don’t want to be alone tonight, or any other night.”
Salina smiled, lowering her eyes to the floor. “All right then. I would be happy to stay here with you. In a place like this, we could all use some company, I suppose.”
“You knew.”
“What?” She looked up at Viola’s red-eyed gaze. Unblinking, hands on her knees, her stare was not one of anger. Anger was emotion, and emotion was not what she saw in those eyes. Cold, emotionless, the eyes of a girl who had just lost part of her soul.
“This morning, you knew what was about to happen, so you refused to work with me. How did you know?”
Salina’s gaze circled the room, as if searching for some sort of inspiration. Eventually, she looked back at Viola’s bruised wrist. “How is your hand?” she asked, changing the subject.
Viola looked down and flexed her fingers. Her grip was a little tight, but that seemed rather unimportant to her right now. “It’s fine,” she answered softly. “I don’t really remember how it happened.”
“Viola, answer me truthfully. Today was the first time you ever took a life, wasn’t it?” Viola’s eyes snapped up at the blunt question. Her bottom lip began to quiver as emotion swelled up inside her. Her numbness throughout the day had been nothing more than her mind trying to forget what she had done, trying to block out all reality for as long as she could. Suddenly, she could see his face clear as day, his accusing eyes glassy and lifeless as he was dragged away. “Viola, are you all right?”
“No. No I’m not,” she squeaked, tears flowing as she began to cry. The numbness had masked the pain, but it had worn off now. She could feel it all, and it hurt so bad she wasn’t sure she even wanted to live. Salina hopped over from her bed and sat next to her. Pulling Viola’s head to her chest, she held her close.
Now bawling intensely, all Viola’s built-up emotion flooded out in a painful rush. “I don’t want to be here! I want to go home!”
“I know, dear. I know,” Salina whispered.
Home? I don’t even know what that means anymore...
Chapter 5
Stirring beneath her many layers of thick blankets, Bella was finally breaking from her long, heavy sleep. Slowly, her senses were returning. Half awake, half asleep, her mind struggled between focusing on the comfort of a plush bed and the danger of not knowing where she was. Dulled instincts called out in alarm, yet her fatigued body still refused to move. I’ll just sleep a little longer. These blankets are so warm. I’ll just stay here a little while longer before— Here. Here? Where is here? Where am I?!
Alarmed, confused, she sat up with a jolt as her warm blankets fell away. But when the chill in the air hit her, she nearly pulled them back up. Despite the cold, the room she was in had a comfortable feel to it. There was a bookshelf in the corner filled with well-kept books, and a table with two hand-carved oak chairs at either end. The walls were clean and painted a dark blue. But what caught her eye, and nose, was the steaming silver tray of food at the foot of the bed. Still hot, it couldn’t have been there that long. What looked like strips of roast mutton, surrounded by roasted carrots and potatoes, was practically calling to her. Her mouth watered at the sight. It was all she could do not to rush the tray and inhale every morsel. No... I need to figure out where I am.
“Ah, good, I see you are awake.” With a start, she turned to the man standing in the doorway, his hands clasped behind his back. “Your Highness,” he added, bowing his head respectfully. His reddish-brown beard was trim and well kept, its color matching the thick helmet of hair on his head. His fine robe was dark blue with slashes of white across the chest and sleeves, and his black sandals were little more than leather wrappings hugging his feet.
“Who are you? Why am I here? I demand that you—” Bella stopped in midsentence, certain she was probably making a fool of herself. She was in no position to be demanding anything. Those days were long gone. She was no one now, a commoner at best. Not even a commoner. Right now she was obviously a prisoner.
“You have nothing to fear, Your Highness,” he replied, bowing his head a second time. “My name is Ghatrie. As for why you are here.” He pointed towards her with his chin. Following his gaze, she looked down at her own arms covered with tiny bumps. Lifting her other arm before glancing at her legs, she could see that the stings were everywhere. The hunger, the bees, it was all coming back to her now. Mostly healed, it was clear they been treated. “I assumed you would prefer life over death. Was I wrong in this assumption? Should we have left you to die?”
She dropped her arms and looked up at him. “You’re the one who saved me?”
“I did as I was told,” he said as he shrugged. His eyes flickered towards the silver tray, then back at her. “Are you not hungry? You’ve been through quite an ordeal. I would imagine you are starving.” She wiped the back of her hand across her watering mouth, but still made no move towards the food. “Oh, I see. Perhaps we are trying to poison you? Is that it? Well then, let’s just see what we have here.” He picked up a strip of meat and slowly, tauntingly, tipped his head back and lowered it into his mouth. After doing the same with a roasted carrot, he glanced back at her with his mouth half full. “I’ll eat it all if you wish, but I’ve often found that dinning with company is much more appealing. Don’t you agree?”
Unbearable hunger hastening her decision, she scrambled across the bed on all fours and snatched a piece of meat. Perfectly spiced, it melted in her mouth like butter. Even if she hadn’t been starving, the food would have been fit for royalty. But she was starving, and all sense of etiquette had vanished from her thoughts. Ignoring the utensils laid out on the side of the platter, she grabbed another two strips of meat with one hand and a fistful of vegetables in the other.
Gorging like an animal, she had all but forgotten that Ghatrie was still standing there. When she glanced up, mouth stuffed with juices dripping off her face and from between her fingers, he just smiled down at her, acting as if watching a queen shovel food down her throat was quite normal. Embarrassed, humiliated at how far she had fallen, she pushed the tray away and broke down sobbing.
“What has happened to me?” she cried. “How did it all go so wrong? My life has become one living nightmare after another.”
&
nbsp; “And yet...you are still alive,” said Ghatrie. His youthful blue eyes watched her intently. “Do not forget that. Death is the only true end to the journey of life, and I have a feeling that your journey has only just begun. Each breath you draw from this day forward must be a reminder of your second chance. I ask only that you remember that, Your Highness.”
“Please stop calling me that,” she said breathlessly. She was tired, so very tired. “That title belonged to another person in another life. It means nothing to me now.” He nodded, then picked up the tray and moved it to the table. After setting out two plates and filling two goblets from a nearby pitcher, he rounded the front of the table and pulled back a seat.
“Then the two of us shall dine together as equals,” he said, gesturing down to the chair. She moved over to the table, accepting the offered seat and allowing him to push her in. For all she knew, this was the part where he poisoned her, or drugged her at the very least. It no longer mattered. Nothing mattered. Determined to go out with dignity, she snatched the goblet in front of her and attempted to drain it one swallow, poison and all. She would not show weakness or fear in her final moments. Expecting the clear liquid to be water, its sweetness surprised her, causing her to cough.
“Pear nectar. Do you like it?” he asked, sipping on his own to prove once again that there was no poison.
“It’s good,” she said softly. Prepared to meet her end only seconds before, she was surprised to feel relieved that she hadn’t. Perhaps there was still some fight left in her after all. “So then, am I your captive?” she asked bluntly, setting down the goblet.
“No,” came his disinterested answer as he proceeded to fill both plates from the tray. “You may leave whenever you like, but only after you’ve regained your strength.” He placed a generously full plate in front of her, then took his seat beside her with the other. “And only after you’ve spoken to the Moon Mistress.”
Still plenty hungry, she tried not to seem too eager as she carved at the food. “And who is this Moon Mistress you speak of?” When he shifted his head, she noticed something she hadn’t seen before. Tiny golden scales overlapped the lower portion of his neck like some sort of skin disease. As they were mostly covered by the robe, she only caught a glimpse.
“She is the one who will answer all your questions,” he replied. “Know that I am just her humble servant. Once you are finished eating, and hopefully feeling better, I will bring you to see her. Those are my orders.”
“So I’m her captive,” Bella reasoned.
“No,” he repeated, sounding irritated for the first time. “I admit my ignorance when it comes to the ways of humans. But from the few encounters I’ve had, I can freely say that I find your endless distrust of all species, including your own...tiresome and boring. I’ve already told you you are not a captive. I said you would be free to go if you so choose after you’ve spoken to the Moon Mistress. Nothing has changed.”
She took a tentative bite of her mutton, then washed it down with more pear nectar. Clearly she had offended him, but under the circumstances, her distrust would have been more than justified in any normal human society.
“But I’m not certain where you would go even if you choose to leave,” he added.
She looked up, her earlier question suddenly burning on the tip of her tongue. “Where am I?”
“The Latrain Mountains.”
She dropped her fork. It tinkled against her plate and bounced onto the table. “That’s impossible,” she mumbled. “The Latrain Mountain Range is hundreds of miles north of Shadowfen. How could we have possibly traveled that far? Anyway, no one lives there. It’s nothing but a barren, snowy wasteland.” A chill reminded her once again of how cold the room was. Trying not to shiver, she briskly rubbed her knees.
“And yet here you are,” said Ghatrie, moving towards the bed to strip off a single blanket. He draped it around the back of her shoulders. “And just because you have never seen it for yourself doesn’t mean it is a barren wasteland. I’m afraid this is the reasoning of humans I was just talking about.”
“But how did I get here? If we are as far north as you say, then how am I supposed to get back?”
“Back to what, exactly?” he reasoned, more a statement disguised as a question. “Back to a city where your authority is no longer recognized? Back into the arms of a king who would rather see you dead than have you retake the throne at his side? Tell me, Bella, what is it you miss so badly about your old life that you’re in such a hurry to get back to?”
“How do you know all of this?” she asked, her fork scraping circles around her plate. It was unnerving having a perfect stranger seem to know every detail of her life.
Ghatrie stood, offering her his hand. “A good question indeed, one you should ask the Moon Mistress herself.”
“Then let’s get on with it,” she said, rising to her feet but ignoring his assistance. She wasn’t completely recovered, but felt better than she had since first awakening. Now with some food in her belly, she could feel her strength returning. “I see no need to put this off any longer. My fate is already sealed no matter what.” Dipping her head to the man with an outstretched hand, she gestured for Ghatrie to lead the way.
The hall was cool, possibly even colder than the room had been. Thin carpet covered a hardwood floor, and the stone walls were painted a light blue. Plain, even a bit drab, the hall didn’t match the fine room they had been keeping her in. Lit candles mounted on the wall every few feet barely provided sufficient light as they walked in silence. But with the halls nearly empty of furniture, there was no real concern of bumping into anything. The dreary surroundings reminded her of an old abandoned house. She felt certain there would be thick black cobwebs in every corner had the cool environment been more suitable to spiders.
Walking along in silence, Bella was surprised at how calm she was. What were these people, and what did they want with her? So many unknowns, yet she had no fear of her situation. It was obvious they wanted her alive. In fact, they had gone to great lengths to make sure she survived her horrific ordeal. They passed others in the hall, usually walking in pairs. More often than not, she received a nod of acknowledgement from the men and women who passed by.
But after the third or fourth pair had passed, she began to notice a trend in their appearances. Their faces all looked different, as varying as any group of random humans. But the men all had the same light blues eyes and reddish hair, just like Ghatrie. The women all had straight black hair, usually long with a few exceptions. And gold-colored eyes much like the scales she could see clearly on the lower portion of their necks.
After leading her partway up a stairwell, Ghatrie stopped just short of the top. Above them was a wide-open space, and even just standing here Bella could feel another drop in temperature. “I am not permitted to go any farther,” said Ghatrie, stepping aside with his back flat against the wall. “You will find her waiting up there. May fortune smile on you.”
Taking a breath, Bella turned sideways and slipped past him. Hands to his sides, back straight with unblinking eyes, at that moment he very much reminded her of an obedient soldier. He may have been just that for all she knew. After going halfway up, she glanced back over her shoulder. She could see he was still standing guard with eyes fixed straight ahead. Although she knew nothing about him, she felt a connection of sorts, a kind of trust more in the form of a gut feeling than any logical reasoning.
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for everything you have done for me.” He said nothing, but a slight hint of a smile revealed much. She returned his smile, then proceeded up the last few steps.
Ascending through the square entrance, one that looked as if it should have a trapdoor attached but was little more than a hole in the floor, an arctic blast chilled her to the bone. The room was just as cold as she had feared. Hugging herself to help retain every bit of precious body heat, she could see black drapes around the room snapping around like flags in the breeze. Seated in a larg
e white chair across the room was a woman in a black dress. Like all those Bella had seen so far, her hair was long and black, but her eyes were dark instead of gold. Young and beautiful with a confident posture, there could be no doubt as to who this was.
With a warm smile and inviting gaze, she rose from her white throne and seemed to drift across the thin blue carpet thrown down over brittle stone. What looked like a normal dress at first suddenly lifted in the breeze, revealing itself as a series of black ribbons tied to various parts of her body. Arms, shoulders, and legs flapped wildly with silky black banners. With her two-piece undergarment now fully exposed, Bella got a far better look at her body than any of the others.
Overlapping scales covered her lower neck and body, forming a shimmering golden mesh, but her legs and arms remained flesh-colored like any other human. As she drew closer, Bella could see she wasn’t entirely correct about this woman’s eyes either. They were dark, but with flecks of gold color that seemed to glimmer when the light hit them just right. Her smile dimmed upon seeing the shivering human up close.
“My apologies,” she said, changing direction to snatch a fur hanging on the wall. Returning swiftly, she twirled it up and around Bella’s shoulders. With the soft, warm wrapping around her, Bella nodded her thanks while trying to stop her teeth from chattering. It wasn’t just the discomfort of the cold that was bothering her; it was also appearing so weak and vulnerable in a situation where she still wasn’t sure what was going on. “I’m sorry about that,” the woman apologized again. “Over the years our people have become so accustomed to the elements that we rarely think about them anymore.”
“I was told I have been brought to the far north, to the Latrain Mountains?” asked Bella, already certain of the answer. During this time of year, no place else could possibly be this cold.
