On the balconies and under overhangs, small groups of singers began to gather as the first of the solstice songs grew spontaneously from the crowd. From the one tavern and from every kitchen in the village treats of spice cakes, hot cider, and mulled wine started to make the rounds as the children of Brunn shared their family's gifts of food and drink with every person in town.
Kadana hoisted the sacks of loot onto the platform. "Verhren," she addressed the Elder, "you will know how to get this back to the right people. I expect you will be honest and fair."
"As Lord Daitho Deldano instructed, we have gathered a complete record of what was taken," the learned Elder announced for all to hear. "And claims of money and valuables have been verified through several sources, as suggested," he added quietly.
Tokara turned her head to study her mother, who continued to look out at the crowd with a pleasant, festive smile, a mug of hot, spiced wine in her hand. I hadn't realized how vigilant Momma is. Tokara tried to put herself in her mother's place. She is well liked, but I don't think she readily trusts anyone. Even the Elder seems a little afraid of her.
The first solstice song flowed into many as the people of Brunn celebrated the return of longer days and the hopes of the year to come. Kadana had instructed her daughters to remain on the platform for the duration of the feast, but the girls had no lack of entertainment from where they stood. Told to eat sparingly in light of the feast to come at the castle, Tokara and Caia shared a few treats handed to them as a reception line of villagers were presented to the lady and received her blessing.
Tokara watched her mother convey her wishes of good fortune and happiness to each group. The words she spoke were traditional, but she said them with sincerity and honesty, looking each person in the eye as they climbed the steps to stand before her. Though the words had to be repeated each time, Tokara was certain each person felt that her mother spoke her heartfelt wishes to them directly and singularly. I wonder if she learned how to do this, or if she just always knew. I'll have to ask her.
They enjoyed the hours of celebration in Brunn, but when their mother waved her hand, letting them know it was time to go, both Caia and Tokara couldn't wait to jump into the sleigh and head back home for the solstice feast at the castle.
They stopped a little past the crossroads, allowing Howler a short jaunt into the woods for the sake of his bladder. The riders had not accompanied them back, and though it was still light out, Tokara looked around nervously.
"Shouldn't we have put Howler on a lead?" she asked her mother quietly as they watched Caia dance in the snow after her puppy. "What if . . ."
Kadana waited, but Tokara didn't finish her sentence.
The day had been extraordinary, but vague fear gnawed at Tokara. Momma should call Caia back, tell her to get in the sled, put Howler in a basket to keep him safe, or a cage. Tokara looked up at her mother, wanting desperately a guarantee that all was well. I want everyone safe. She felt powerless. "Maybe Caia should stay closer to the sleigh," Tokara started. "The woods can be . . . Make her be safe."
Again Kadana waited, silent.
Tokara felt foolish and upset all at once.
They watched as Caia called Howler back from the thicker underbrush. The young dog looked at the little girl, looked back at the snow tunnel he had started to dig, then seemingly made up his mind and sprinted back to Caia, yipping happily. The little girl caught him in her arms and planted a big kiss on his forehead.
Kadana smiled broadly.
"She commands him just with her voice," Tokara marveled at her little sister. "It took the boys much longer to train their hounds."
"Caia knows her mind," Kadana said. "She is too young to see anything else. You see many possibilities now. But, my girl, you can't control all things around you. You had better not count on safety as your greatest ally. Safety is often nothing but a trap."
Tokara took a deep breath, noticing that her ribs ached far less.
"Don't worry, my sweet girl," Kadana said, her words giving Tokara comfort. "I have seen much. Many roads. Many possibilities. I know you will always find the right way."
"Look up at the sky," Caia shouted. "I can see the moon and a few stars, even though it's still daylight."
Kadana grinned at her youngest. "You have a good eye, my smallest monkey. Now, gather up your puppy and let's get home."
Chapter 8: Dream State
Tokara couldn't sleep. The solstice feast in the great hall flashed through her brain whenever she tried to close her eyes, and her ears still rang with the hours and hours of solstice songs and Caydelee reels performed by the gathered bards and minstrels.
The Melian relatives hadn't made their entrance until well after dinner had been served, but once they'd arrived her older brother Beren had spun an epic ballad of magic and adventure so enthralling it had brought tears and laughter to every person in the hall. The Melian bards had continued to play for hours without pause, each outdoing the next in skill and beauty of melody.
Kadana had beamed with pride as her eldest son had held his audience in the palm of his hand, but Tokara had felt no jealousy. She'd wondered if her mother would discuss Bumpus with Beren, but the topic was never broached in her presence.
As Tokara lay in bed, digging herself deeper under her covers, she tried to make out the stars through the lightest part of her stained-glass window. The image assembled by the colored glass was that of a unicorn with a sweeping white mane and a golden horn. The magnificent beast's eyes had been set with clear glass, so its eye color changed depending on the color of the sky and the time of day or night.
From her bed, squeezing one eye shut and focusing on the very center of the small clear fragment, Tokara could make out a few stars in the inky black sky.
Dawn has to be near, she thought.
The feast was probably still going and would continue until the first rooster's call, but Tokara had felt sleep beckoning a little after midnight. She had helped Caia to her sleeping chambers, making certain to tuck Howler in next to the little girl. Both the puppy and her sister had been fast asleep before she had finished adding logs to the fire. She'd snuck back to her own rooms in total silence, though there was little danger of waking the sleeping girl.
Tokara turned on her side, restless and wide awake once her head had hit the pillow. Wish I could fall asleep.
She thought of the rich pear and custard pie and the honey-drenched cheesecake she had enjoyed after wolfing down slices of venison and roasted lamb. She had only selected her favorite bites from the overflowing platters but still felt like she was bursting at the seams.
I ate too much. That's why I can't sleep.
She wrestled with her blankets and, without entirely meaning to, sat up in bed.
"I can't promise anything," a disembodied voice said faintly from far away.
Tokara tilted her head to the side, uncertain what she was hearing. Her mother was speaking; she no had doubt of that.
She stuffed her stockinged feet into her house boots. The chill of the night crept up her limbs slowly, but she ignored the breeze and wrapped one of the fur throws around her shoulders.
Stepping into the hallway, she could hear the sounds of continued feasting float up the grand staircase from the great hall. But the soft conversation — her mother's voice, her tone, her resonance, her cadence and someone else's words — drifted around the corners from the opposite end of the hall.
Tokara followed the hushed tones as if pulled along by a rope, uncertain why she was not in her bed, why she was not asleep. She walked through a rounded opening and descended stone stairs, leaving her small footprints in the gathered dust.
One. Two. Three. She counted each spiraling step until she reached the bottom. Twenty-one.
"You ask a great deal, old one." Kadana spoke in a firm but gentle tone.
Tokara stared through a row of arches into an enclosed garden. She looked up at the night sky, the castle walls looming high above her on each side. To her, the
sky looked so blue it seemed almost purple with stars that pinwheeled like the toys the Brunn children had carried. She inhaled the rich scents of the garden: rosemary, basil, lavender, mint, and flowering woodbine — all the herbs protected by minor kitchen spells throughout the winter. She felt as if she were floating, and her skin tingled.
Her mother stood on the center garden path, her back to Tokara, and spoke to someone hiding in the shadows.
"We . . . my daughter and I . . ." Kadana turned and looked directly at Tokara. Tokara thought her heart would burst. "We hear your plea."
The hiding something moved from the shadow and became visible. An enormous white wolf face stared at mother and daughter with his unforgettable blue eyes.
"Bumpus," Tokara said his name with a steadier voice than she had imagined herself capable of at that moment.
"We are the caretakers of this land and the people and creatures on it," Kadana continued, turning back to the white giant. "You are now one of ours. Do you agree?"
There was a pause. Tokara feared for her mother. Maybe she is too bold. Maybe the creature is too powerful. Maybe it's all a mistake.
Despite the cold fear bathing Tokara in icy sweat, despite her thundering heart, despite every rational thought urging her to run, Tokara Deldano walked calmly to her mother's side and faced Straakhan's immortal companion.
"I agree," Bumpus said finally. "I agree," he rumbled with eagerness.
Kadana tightened her lips and gestured to Bumpus. "Tokara, can you understand us?"
Tokara nodded minutely.
"Then it has been decided," Kadana said as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Stay, old one. Sleep your sleep. Be calm and serene."
The bitter cold that had been snapping at Tokara's fingers and nose retreated. Soft snowflakes fell from the vibrant sky, the last of night clinging to remain as the first fingers of rosy dawn stretched into the midnight blue.
Tokara's eyes focused on the snow crystals as they fell in front of her eyes, each delicate hexagon growing roots and patterns with mesmerizing symmetry and ever increasing speed.
Caught up in the swirl of crystals, she felt entangled in their splendor and spun around to grasp at them. As she twirled, the air around her grew warmer and the white in front of her eyes increased, until she saw nothing else.
❖
Tokara flipped over in her bed, the white sheets grabbing at her arms and throat. She sat up with a start. I'm in bed? She jumped to her feet on the mattress. I was just in the garden!
The morning sun streamed in through her unicorn window. She heard the unmistakable sounds of the castle's early hustle and bustle. Momma. Bumpus. What happened? I couldn't have drea—
She spotted her house boots next to her bed. Wet to the ankles, as if I'd worn them in the snow.
Then she noticed a sprig of rosemary on her night table.
Tokara picked up the fragrant twig and ran her fingers over its prickly needle-like leaves. She inhaled deeply. Peace, she thought. What a wonderful way to start the season.
Epilogue
Tokara Deldano flipped the pages of the old leather-bound storybook with great care. On the lambskin rug in front of the fireplace, her six-year-old sister Caia nestled in a dog pile with the hounds of the castle. Caia's special dog Howler, who had grown half again his size and weight in the three months since the solstice, snored peacefully in the little girl's tightly wound grasp. Caia was wide awake and stared at Tokara with anticipation.
Tokara had become quite fluent in the tome's ancient language, and she delighted in translating the early adventures of Straakhan and Bumpus for her sister's enjoyment.
The girls' older brothers, Reeve and Rask, pretended to pore over brittle maps on her mother's great desk, but Tokara could tell that they too were listening.
"What happened when Straakhan and Bumpus rode up to the Crystal of Light?" Caia asked, anticipation in her voice. "Did Bumpus pass the test?"
"Companions are never tested," Tokara answered sagely and ran her fingertips over the cracking spine of the book. "Are you sure you want me to read the rest of the story tonight?"
"Everyone come down for dinner," Kadana interrupted, sticking her head through the door of the solar. "Last big dinner before I set sail. I want all of my children at the table. Hurry up, sloth-feets!"
The boys sprang ahead, squeezing through the door, past their mother while shouting out heartfelt entreaties.
"Are you sure I can't sail with you this time?" Reeve crowed. "I understand why you don't want to take Rask, but I could be very useful on the ship."
"You?" Rask cried, outraged. "I know the Golden Voyage better than anyone. And it's not a ship; it's a galleon. So there."
Kadana pushed her sons further down the hall. "Neither of you is ready to travel to Melia. You have the manners of monkeys!" She poked her head back into the room. "Coming girls?"
"Yes, Momma," Tokara and Caia said in unison, scrambling to their feet.
Alert and ready for their dinner, the pack of dogs, including Howler, dashed out of the solar and nosily galloped down the hall, baying. BrrrUUUUUHHHHRRRRR.
Tokara set the tome of tales on the side table. She felt a little sad. Their mother had stayed with them for the better part of the season, but now that the early spring sun was melting the snow, she was leaving again. Tokara sighed.
"One day, we can all travel with you?" she asked, taking her mother's hand.
"One day, my sweet girls." Kadana squeezed Tokara's hand and took Caia's outstretched hand as well. "One day, I will ask if I can accompany you on your adventures." She cast a glance back at the storybook.
Tokara met her mother's eyes and smiled, feeling a surge of happiness. "There's a whole big world out there, Momma."
"Won't it be lonely to travel in the big world?" Caia asked, breaking into the conversation, her curiosity piqued.
"It won't be lonely, Caia." Tokara peeked around her mother to catch her sister's eye. "Because you and I will always be together."
"Companions?" the little girls asked with delight. "Like Straakhan and Bumpus."
"Better than companions," Tokara said, as certain as she had ever been of anything. "Much better than companions . . . Sisters."
Tokara Deldano smiled broadly as she let her mother usher them down to the last great feast before the spring travels began. Cold rains whipped the castle walls, and she imagined that somewhere under the thin blanket of vanishing snow the first snowbell bud was breaking through the cracking frost and stretching its delicate alabaster head toward the sun.
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Thank you!
Camilla
As ever, I want to thank my husband, P.J., for his continuous support of my writing and this project in particular. He is an eagle-eyed editor, a story doctor and the brilliantly protean narrator of our audiobooks. I could not have done any of this without him.
My partner in Werewolf Whisperer crimes, Bonita, has had our backs throughout this long process. She's lent an ear, an eye, and her tireless enthusiasm.
Carol
I want to thank my family and friends for all their support and well-wishes. I'll keep fighting.
We also want to thank all of our friends who listened to the tale of the tale unfolding, and threw nothing but positive energy and l
ove our way.
And a big thanks to our very first fan, Noreen. We knew we had something special when she kept asking, "What's next?"
About the Authors
Carol E. Leever:
Carol E. Leever, a college professor, has been teaching Computer Science for many years. She programs computers for fun, but turns to writing and painting when she wants to give her brain a good work out.
An avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, she's also been published in the Sword and Sorceress anthologies, and has recently gotten into painting illustrations and book covers. A great lover of cats, she also manages to work her feline overlords into her writing, painting and programming classes often to the dismay of her students.
Camilla Ochlan:
Owner of a precariously untamed imagination and a scuffed set of polyhedral dice (which have gotten her in trouble more than once), Camilla writes fantasy and science fiction. Separate OF CATS AND DRAGONS, Camilla has written the urban fantasy WEREWOLF WHISPERER series (with Bonita Gutierrez), the mythpunk noir THE SEVENTH LANE and, in collaboration with her husband, written and produced a number of short films, including the suburban ghost story DOG BREATH and the recent 20/ 20 HINDSIGHT. An unapologetic dog lover and cat servant, Camilla lives in Los Angeles with her husband actor, audiobook narrator and dialect coach P.J. Ochlan, three sweet rescue dogs and a bright orange Abyssinian cat.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Storybook
Chapter 2: Daybreak
Chapter 3: Winter Woods
Chapter 4: Ice Cave
Chapter 5: War Hammer
Chapter 6: Stolen Treasures
Chapter 7: Solstice Gifts
Chapter 8: Dream State
Epilogue
Winter Tithe Page 7
