Sorcery, Schemes and Skelt: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol II

by Rachel Ronning

  “I don’t understand,” said Joss looking at Lucy.

  “A doorway is a way to somewhere. A closed door can lead to anywhere until you open it. You decide what’s on the other side. I hoped archways worked the same way,” explained Lucy.

  “But you can see through an archway,” said Joss.

  “I closed my eyes,” responded Lucy.

  Taran laughed. Justin did too, but tightened his grip on Lucy’s hand. That was a dangerous and risky thing for her to do. Especially without practice and taking three other people and a mouse with her. Joss closed his eyes and Lucy thought he might be mentally counting to ten like an enraged parent.

  “You’ve done this before? How did you know it would work?” asked Joss.

  “I’ll admit I got lucky,” said Lucy. “There’s always a first time when you try something. What better encouragement to do it right than when your other option is burning alive?”

  Joss closed his eyes again. On one hand, he’d be thrilled if he had been with them and it had worked. On the other hand it sounded very dangerous and he didn’t like the idea of Maya in danger.

  “I think you are missing the point,” stepped in Tish. “Obviously we have a big problem on our hands and no proof. What are our options?”

  “I sent a message to Allar and Kinda, thinking we’d need their help at some point. Hopefully they are on their way here. We can send them as emissaries to the Dwarves and Giants. You can alert the Elves,” said Taran.

  “I had planned to do that anyway. It’s good to know Allar and Kinda can help. I was not looking forward to dealing with Dwarves,” said Tish.

  “Kinda is a Dwarf,” teased Taran.

  “Correct. Kinda is a Dwarf. It is much easier to talk to one Dwarf than convince a council of 50 of them anything, especially if you are an Elf.”

  “True,” agreed Taran, laughing.

  “Do you think whatever is stirring up things in the mists and Fredamonn was connected with the Skelt and the anderi? Was the Skelt in Fredamonn involved in a bigger plan, or there on his own? Connection or coincidence?” wondered Lucy.

  “A good but dangerous and foreboding group of questions,” answered Justin. “It makes me wonder how deeply the Skelt are involved. Is that where they got the anderi? What could they be up to now? We knew they had been quiet for too long, but we had no idea they might be making friends with anything in the mists. Beyond that, who else is involved, or being used, by something beyond the mists?”

  “Who else is involved and who can we trust? What about the Wild Woods and the Krythonians?” asked Tish.

  “It might be worthwhile alerting them. I’m pretty sure they are not involved. They should be informed about what is going on. When we are done here, I’ll call in some local birds to send a message,” said Justin. “I wouldn’t expect an army from either group or any assistance, but you never know. The Krythonians believe in peace, balance, love, growth, and acceptance in all things. An army from the mists is not balance. We can always hope,” finished Justin with a shrug.

  “We can alert the other human kingdoms with runners,” said Joss. “What do we tell them? What if they are involved?”

  “We tell them there is a possible threat brewing from the other side of the mountains. They should alert their populations and look into preparing for war while we gather more information,” said Justin. “If they are involved, they might try to alert whatever being in the mists is their accomplice, but I doubt it. At this point, anyone we tell is likely far enough away not to be involved directly. Something from the mists may send things to stir up trouble, but the other humans are most likely not aligned with it.”

  “How do you plan on gathering more information?” asked Joss.

  “We go into the mists,” said Taran.

  Joss looked horrified. He looked at Justin who nodded.

  “Not all of you. Not right away. You just escaped burning alive,” protested Joss.

  “I’m in,” said Gavin.

  “Of course you are,” sighed Joss. “I would be too if I wasn’t stuck here being King.”

  “Give it up. Form a democracy,” said Taran.

  “I can’t do that! I’m King! My father would kill me. Speaking of which, who’s going to stay here and protect me? Going into the mists is the kind of adventure I don’t mind taking. I don’t like the kind of adventure that involves being poisoned at every meal.”

  “I’ve taught you enough that you can sense poison in your food,” chided Justin. “Maya will stay here. She will keep you safe and help you prepare for war. She can set up an area to work on potions. With those, she can heal your population so your soldiers are healthy. She can liaise with anyone sent here to find out more information. She is an official ambassador after all. She can help keep an eye on the Bathrralma family. We know they are either working on a coup of their own or someone put them up to it. They are probably connected in some way. Maya can help you with interrogations.”

  Joss nodded. He seemed happier knowing Maya would not be going into the mists. Also, Justin was right. She could be helpful. “What about Taran?” Joss would have liked to have his friend stay too.

  “I think I need Taran, Gavin, and Lucy,” said Justin.

  “I wish you’d wait until Kinda and Allar alert the Dwarves and Giants and return. I’m not sure I want to go, but those two might and they would be helpful,” said Tish.

  “We’ll think about it,” said Justin.

  “They might be able to help come up with a more complex plan than simply heading west,” said Joss.

  “They might, or they might decide that heading west is a wonderful plan and jump on board,” said Justin. “I believe coming up with a better plan while on the move is what all of us do best. So I say we leave and come up with a plan. In fact, if we are feeling ambitious, we can come up with a backup plan too.”

  “If you need a backup plan, perhaps you shouldn’t be doing whatever it is in the first place,” responded Joss glibly.

  There wasn’t much more to say after that so they all went to bed. You could only argue about the same thing for so long before you started to argue in circles. Lucy figured half of Joss’s objections had to do with the fact that he couldn’t go with them. Justin and Lucy, no longer blond or dimpled, lay together in bed, talking.

  “You really turned a prince into a mouse?” Justin asked still amazed.

  “Yes. Perhaps not the best idea I’ve ever had, but something had to be done. Do you know how to change him back?”

  “I’m sure we can figure it out. It is rather an amusing predicament. The question is, should we? Do we have more or less problems with Andriss as a mouse?”

  “I have no idea,” replied Lucy. “He does know a lot of secrets. Maybe some of them could be of use to Joss.”

  “I like that you thought of that, but I rather doubt it. His secrets will mostly be about the people of Fredamonn. Those secrets might be useful if Joss were thinking about helping stage a coup or something like that. I don’t think Joss wants to have any involvement with them other than a truce.”

  “Good point.”

  “However, we could get lucky. He might know more about what’s going on around here than we do.”

  “Lots to think about,” said Lucy. “We don’t really need to answer all that tonight do we?”

  “No,” laughed Justin, still amused.

  “I have a question for you,” said Lucy.

  “Ask away.”

  “When you said you’d see me in my dreams did you mean literally? Like what I did with Peter? I hoped to dream about you, but I didn’t. Did something go wrong?” asked Lucy.

  “I did mean it literally. I tried to tell you that as a warning so you would be ready, open, and perceptive. Some people who are magical automatically shield in their sleep. I was hoping if you were expecting me, I could get in. I’ve never done it before, but I thought it was worth trying. I tried a couple of times, but nothing happened. I might have tried while you were awake in w
hich case it wouldn’t work. You or something else could have blocked me. When we get back to the school, it’s something I want to ask Eric about. He could teach us. It would be a useful skill to have if we are separated for some reason.”

  “I agree. The other solution is to not separate again.”

  “I like that idea, but what if we are separated? One of us could get captured or there might be other good reasons to split up, like with the trip to Fredamonn.”

  “Okay,” accepted Lucy, “But let’s try to keep those occasions few and far between.”

  “Agreed. So, when do you want to go into the mists?”

  “You want to go tomorrow, don’t you?” asked Lucy.

  “I do. I’m afraid of anything powerful enough to try whatever this is trying. I’m afraid to guess how many steps ahead of us it is. Is there an army ready to march already? If so how big is it? We need information. We need it badly and as quickly as possible. A small group can travel faster than an army. I’d like to wait for Allar and Kinda but we don’t know how far away they are and even if they are on their way. I’m hoping to be able to give Kinowenn some kind of warning and preferably adequate time to arm and coordinate. What do you think?”

  “I think we go into the mists tomorrow,” replied Lucy with a kiss.

  “Tomorrow,” affirmed Justin, kissing her back. “But not tonight.”

  “No, not tonight.”

  That’s how the following morning found Gavin, Taran, Justin, and Lucy once again sneaking out of Lerramorre. Only this time, they weren’t doing something mildly dangerous. They were doing something life threatening and potentially stupid. They were going into the mists.

  Here ends the Kinowenn Chronicles Volume II

  Look for Volume III which follows our heroes into the mists.