by Isaac Crowe
Max returned the stare. “The law states that you give any information regarding illegal activity to the Protectors.”
The old man didn’t bat an eye. “Who said I knew anything about illegal activity? Besides, if you haven’t noticed by now, few in this town care for your law.”
Eve straightened, putting on her most innocent face; the one Max recalled having lulled him into more than one of her adventures. “Maxy is my friend and I’m sure he won’t report anything back to the Protectors.”
The old man remained firm. “Perhaps there is hope for him if a lacarnian can call him a friend, but he is no friend of mine.”
Eve’s tail swished back and forth in frustration. “But...”
“It’s okay, Eve, I’ll go outside. Someone should check on Lysander anyway.”
“Wise choice, young man, and take the young lady with you.” The man nodded at Melody.
“Me, I’m hardly in league with the Protectors. Besides, I have a message for you from Lady Metis.”
“You may not be in league with the Protectors, but I believe the Church of the Immortals to be misguided. I do not trust anyone from their order with the truth. Hand me the message from your lady and leave.”
“What do you mean you do not trust us with the truth?”
The old man shook his head. “I have nothing else to say.”
Melody reached in her robe and pulled out a sealed letter which she tossed on the desk.
“Fine. Come, Maxwell.”
Melody did an about face and headed for the door, or at least that is where she tried to head. Max had his doubts.
“Are you sure you remember the way out of here?”
“I think we turn left at the bonsai tree then right at the wooden fish.”
Max laughed. This place could certainly carry such an assortment.
“That wasn’t a joke, Max.”
Sure enough, Max spotted a bonsai tree that was in desperate need of trimming. Melody took a left then a right at a beautifully painted carving of a fish. Back outside, they found Lysander sitting impatiently among a stack of assorted chairs. He stood upon seeing them.
“So, what did you find out?”
“Nothing. He wouldn’t talk to Melody or me, only Eve.”
Lysander shook his head. “What is it with this town? They are awfully friendly with the fur balls.”
Melody rolled her eyes. “Gee, I can’t imagine why he didn’t want to talk to a member of the Protectors.”
Lysander groaned. “Here we go again with how the Protectors treat the lacarna. You need to be careful about making judgments without knowing all the facts. You have let that girl Max calls a friend cloud your mind.”
“I may not know everything that has happened in the past, but at the present there are a lot of people that don’t like how the Protectors handle things.”
“Someone is always going to get upset about what we do, lacarnians or humans.” Lysander walked away from them. “I’ll be in the tavern, come and get me when the fur ball is back.”
Max watched him go. “I don’t understand. My father protected everyone equally, but that’s not what I’m seeing from the other Protectors.”
Melody put her hand on Max’s shoulder. “Maybe they have changed since then, Max. Or, maybe this is how they’ve always been, and your dad was the odd one out.”
The door opened and closed behind them. Turning, they saw Eve walking towards them. She noticed their sour mood.
“What’s wrong?”
Max sighed. “Apparently, you’re clouding our minds.”
Eve smiled mischievously. “You’re just now figuring that out, or did Melody tell you?”
Max shook his head. “More like Lysander.”
“Ahh, he’s on to me. I guess I’ll have to work my wiles on him too.”
Max snickered. “Good luck with that.”
Eve looked around. “Where did he go?”
“He headed for the tavern.”
Eve shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well, we can’t do anything until tonight.”
Max and Melody leaned towards Eve. “You found something out?”
“Yep. Here.”
Eve handed both of them a small, black brooch in the shape of a cat. “We’ll need to wear these or we won’t be able to find the path that leads from the edge of town to the camp. They only work at night though.”
Max and Melody examined the brooches then handed them back to Eve. Max spread his arms.
“Well, what do we do for the next few hours? I don’t think the tavern is a good idea.”
Eve sighed. “Can’t we just leave him there until after we find the camp?”
Max hesitated for a second and then shook his head. “No.”
Melody brightened with an idea. “How about we grab a bite to eat?”
Eve bounded up and down. “Great! I’m starved and so is Spook.”
Max heard a squeak from the satchel on Eve’s back. Maybe Eve had clouded his mind. He could have sworn the mouse just agreed to their plan of action. Max stepped back, raising his hand towards the busy street.
“Ok, Eve, you’ve got the nose, which way for the best food.”
Eve sniffed at the air. “Mmmm, this way.”
She started down the street, her nose held high in the air.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Eve jumped to her feet. “Here they come.”
Melody stopped pacing. “Good, now get down from there.”
“Okay, Okay.”
Eve walked down the sloped roof of the house. At the edge, she leapt off, landing on the ground next to an agitated Melody.
“So much for being subtle, Eve”
“There’s no one around, or I’d have smelled them.”
“Maybe, but that’s what’s bothering me. Why isn’t there anyone here?”
Eve shrugged her shoulders. “I guess that’s why the people at the camp are using this as their entry point into town.”
Max and Lysander approached the narrow walkway between the two deserted houses. “Eve? Melody?”
Eve waved at them. “Here, Maxy.”
Melody knocked Eve’s hand down. “Eve, shhh!”
Max followed the voices until he found the two girls. “This is it, huh?”
“Yep!”
Melody cringed. “Shhh!”
Lysander snickered then resumed his normal composure. “Don’t worry, it turns out this place is more known than people first let on. For example, there is a path behind here that leads into the forest, right?”
Melody nodded in surprise. “That’s right. I take it you found someone in the tavern actually willing to talk to you?”
“A couple. They said several people have tried to find the camp. A few even tried the path behind these houses, but they never got far in the woods before coming back out here where they started. None could say how they got turned around.”
Melody crossed her arms. “And how much had they been drinking at the time?”
Lysander cleared his throat. “A bit.”
“And how about you?”
Lysander stood straight and serious. “None. I never drink when I am on duty.”
Lysander relaxed, taking a few wandering steps forward between the houses. “I don’t see how we will fare any better though.”
Eve spun around, facing away from them. “Easy, we have something they didn’t. Melody, can you get the brooches?”
Melody reached her hand into the satchel on Eve’s back. A squeak of protest erupted from it. Melody yanked her hand out, eliciting a giggle from Eve.
“Careful of Spook.”
The little mouse climbed out of the satchel and onto Eve’s shoulder. Melody rolled her eyes then reached into the satchel, pulling out the brooches. She handed one to each of them as Eve continued.
“Don’t put them on yet. Let’s follow the path to the edge of the woods first.”
They left the houses, following the path until it ended at the forest’s edge. Lysander spread out his arms.
“Okay, dead end. Now what?”
Melody closed her eyes. “Hmm, the spirits in the forest are acting strangely; like they are being controlled.”
Eve pinned her broach to her shirt. “Ooh?”
Everyone else hurriedly put there broaches on as well. A path through the forest appeared in front of them. Eve cleared her throat and faced them. “Now then, here are the rules.”
Max’s shoulders slumped. “Rules? You didn’t mention anything about rules earlier.”
Eve smiled. “Oops.”
Max groaned. Melody patted his shoulder.
“I’m sure it will be fine, Max.”
Max shook his head. “Eve doesn’t forget things. She just conveniently leaves out the details. All the trouble she gets me into starts out this way. The happier she is, the worse the adventure.”
Melody laughed. “Come on, Max, it can’t be that bad.”
Eve ignored the two, clearing her throat a second time. “There are multiple paths in the forest. The old man told me which ones to take, so that shouldn’t cause us a problem. The important thing to remember is that, once we’re in, we only have ten minutes to reach the camp before the brooches break.”
“I knew it. Let me guess, if the brooches break, we lose the path, ending up back here.”
Eve nodded. “That, or worse.”
Melody’s smile disappeared. She dropped her hand from Max’s shoulder.
“Worse?”
Eve grinned from ear to ear. “We could be forever lost, fall into a pit, eaten…”
Max waved his hand, not wanting to hear anymore. “Told ya.”
This time Melody let out a groan. Eve’s grin faded a little.
“It won’t be that bad, Melody, but we will have to move pretty fast to make it.”
Lysander stepped close to Eve and stared down at her. “Just remember, we don’t move as fast as you.”
Max moved to their side. “Easy, Lysander, if Eve wanted to get rid of you, she’d find a more direct method. Trust me. But, if you’re that worried, you can go in front of me.”
Lysander thought a moment then shook his head. “No, I’ll take the rear. There is a chance I can’t make it no matter what the pace. I’ll have to trust you, Max, to do your job if that happens.”
Max nodded. “Of course.”
Melody, resigned to whatever fate lay before her, joined the other three. “I’ll follow Eve. I’m pretty light on my feet.”
Spook squeaked as she climbed onto Eve’s head and lay between her ears. Eve petted the mouse.
“I guess you want a good seat, huh? At least someone, besides me, is having fun.”
Eve brought her attention back to the others as she bounced up and down. “Okay then, is everyone ready?”
At everyone’s acknowledgment, Eve entered the forest, not giving them a chance to change their minds. The others filed in behind and ran after her. They had not gone far before other trails began to split off in different directions. Eve changed paths several times within the first few minutes, causing Max to give up trying to keep track of where they were going. He focused on following Melody, letting the trees and path blur by.
Suddenly, Melody switched to a full run. Max struggled to keep pace.
We must be running out of time.
Behind him, Lysander’s footsteps fell farther and farther behind. As Max neared his limit, he burst into a clearing. Caught off guard, it took him a moment to realize Melody had stopped. He slid to a halt just short of running into her. His relief at avoiding the collision faded instantly. He spun as Lysander barreled out of the forest at full speed with his head down. Max tried to wave him off.
“Lysander!”
Lysander lifted his head, his eyes growing wide at seeing Max. It was too late. Lysander plowed into Max, shoving him into Melody and knocking them to the ground.
“Owww!”
That was Eve’s voice! “Eve!”
“I’m under Melody.”
Lysander jumped up. “I’m sorry, here.”
Lysander extended a hand to Max and helped him off of Melody. He helped Melody up next, with Max reaching for Eve. Max took hold of her arm, but she jerked it back.
“Ouch! That hurts!”
Max knelt beside her. “What’s wrong?”
Eve’s teeth were clenched tight. “I think my arm is broken.”
“I’m sorry, Evangeline. I was about to lose sight of Max so I focused solely on running. I heard Max yell, but I couldn’t stop in time.”
The apology caught all three by surprise. Eve gave him a weak smile.
“I…it’s okay, but I’m not leading next time.”
Max rolled his eyes and focused on Eve’s arm. “Is there anything you can do for her, Melody?”
Melody shook her head. “I’m not that skilled. If I had the right things, I could set the bone, but that’s it.”
“I’ll manage, Max. I heal quickly. Besides, I need to find Spook. She got knocked off my head.”
“Your friend is over here by the fire.”
The collision had distracted them from their surroundings. Startled by the unknown voice, they took in the clearing, seeing a campfire about hundred and twenty feet in front of them. A dozen lacarnian women and a few humans sat around it, staring at them. One of the lacarnian women stood.
“Bring her over here.”
Lysander eyed those around the camp. “Careful, Maxwell, this must be the camp that headquarters told us about.”
“If they meant us harm, wouldn’t they have attacked us by now?”
Melody bent over and picked up a piece of a brooch from the ground. “It’s not like we can go anywhere else. Our time is up.”
Lysander nodded. “So be it, but stay behind me.”
Melody rolled her eyes, but complied. Max carefully gathered Eve in his arms and followed Lysander and Melody to the edge of the campfire. The lacarnian woman brushed by Lysander and pointed Max to a stump.
“Sit her there so we can have a better look.”
Max lowered Eve onto the stump and then sat on one next to her. Spook scurried over from the fire and climbed onto Eve’s shoulder. Another lacarnian, much older than the rest, approached Eve.
“Let’s have a look at you, my child.”
The woman took Eve’s arm and slowly moved it in different directions, making Eve wince, before gently putting it back down.
“It is definitely broken. No worries child, Miss Alexandra will fix it in no time.”
Melody stepped around Eve to better see the old woman.
“Fix it? Is there a member of the Children here?”
The old woman shuffled back to her seat. “No, no. Miss Alexandra belongs to no such order.”
“Then who is she?”
The woman smiled fondly. “She is the one who watches out for us.”
Lysander, ignoring the conversation, bent down next to Max. “Did you notice none of the lacarnians are wearing collars?”
The smile vanished from the old woman’s face. “Of course we are not! Miss Alexandra finds those things as dreadful as we do.”
The woman’s reaction startled Max. Beside him, Lysander tensed, readying for a fight. Before the situation could escalate, another lacarnian stepped between them.
“Miss Alexandra will see you now.”
Eve gasped. “You’re the one I talked to at the tavern!”
“I’m often there watching for those that would do well in our camp. I thought she might like you,” the girl looked with disdain at the rest of them, “but I did not expect Miss Alexandra to invite everyone. Now come.”
The girl left the campsite in the direction she had come. Max helped Eve stand and they, along with Melody and Lysander, followed her. Past the small camp lay a narrow stone path lined with torches on either side that ignited as they neared, only to extinguish a few feet behind them. The path led to a copse of trees in the middle of the meadow that hid within it a smaller version of Melody’s church. Here, the vi
nes and trees intertwined so much with the structure that they could see little of the original stone.
The girl opened the door to the building. “Enter.”
Max, followed by the others, stepped inside the doorway. The girl, staying outside, closed the door behind them. Torches glowed from either side of the doorway, lighting the entrance, but leaving the front of the building in shadows. There, Max could make out a single table, next to which stood a small figure. The hair on Max’s neck rose as the figure reached out her hand.
“Evangeline, come to me.”
The stern, but childlike voice sounded familiar. Max took hold of Eve’s good arm.
“I’m not sure about this, Eve.”
Melody touched Eve on the shoulder. “Same here, the spirits in this room are incredibly active. It could be dangerous.”
Max took a step forward. “Why don’t you come to us?”
The small, but firm voice responded. “Because this is my home where I do as I please.”
Eve gently brushed Max’s hand off of her arm. “It’s okay, Max. I don’t know why, but I feel very safe here.”
“Eve is correct. I mean her no harm. I only wish to heal her.”
Lysander moved next to Max. “And the rest of us?”
“I will not harm you, for the time being.”
“How reassuring.”
Eve squeezed between Max and Lysander. “Really, it’s okay.”
She crossed the floor into the shadows. The figure spoke to her for a moment then had Eve lay on the table. Max tensed at the sight, but Melody took hold of his arm.
“Wait, Max.”
Max waited nervously as the figure placed a small, thin object on Eve’s arm. The figure then held her hand closely over it. To Max’s surprise the object sank into Eve’s arm. A moment later Eve sat up, moving her arm about freely. She hopped off the table and ran back to Max.
“She fixed it!”
Melody grabbed Eve’s arm and examined it, astonished. “But how? It takes skilled use and understanding of the spirits to heal bones that quickly.”
“Nonsense, acolyte, I used a basic technique.”
Melody let go of Eve’s arm and faced the figure. “Basic technique? I have only seen the Revered Mother of our order heal a broken bone in that manner.”
A long sigh escaped the figure. “Has that much knowledge really been lost?”
