Through the Looking Glass

by Rebecca Lorino Pond

  “I will help you of course! You could think of it as a surprise for Lord Jakar. He loved to come here all the time with his mother, but now he only comes once a year to lay flowers on her grave.”

  “She’s buried in here?”

  “Right over there.” Nyla pointed to what she had thought was a stone bench.

  Isobel walked over to the grave. Her feelings of sadness and foreboding flared up as she took in the condition of the grave. Parts of the stone had been chipped away while vines covered the stone slab that sealed the resting place of Jakar’s mother. Lying against the sides of the grave were numerous bouquets of dead, dried flowers. These must be the flowers Jakar brought to his mother and with no one allowed to attend the garden, the pile had grown over the years in neglect.

  “But, Nyla. Don’t you think we’ll get in to trouble if we mess with the garden? I mean, Jakar already doesn’t like me very much and I really don’t want to do anything that’s going to piss him off.” She looked behind her as she spoke. Now that she knew what this place was, she didn’t want anyone to see her in there and report it to Jakar.

  “He’s not going to find out until after we are done. I told you, no one comes here, so there won’t be any problems.” Nyla spoke excitedly then landed on top of the stone slab. “Let’s start right here! We can put the old bouquets on top for now.” Nyla walked to the edge of the grave and looked down at the decaying gifts.

  Unsure if she should go along with Nyla’s plan, Isobel stood rooted to the spot. “Ok, but if you get me in trouble I’m blaming it all on you!”

  Nyla cheered as she knelt down into the mud and dead leaves. Together they worked well into the afternoon pulling weeds from around the grave and from along the path that lead there. It was surprising to see how strong Nyla was with her being so petite. At one point Nyla pulled on the stem of a weed and went sailing backwards when the stem broke in half instead of coming loose from the ground. She couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her friend rolling backwards into a small mud puddle. Her laughter made Nyla laugh as the fairy tried to wipe off as much of the grime as she could.

  They were working and chatting away when Isobel suddenly heard footsteps behind her. She was on her hands and knees, petrified to turn her head in case it was Jakar.

  “What do you two think you are doing?” The voice was familiar to her and she sighed with relief when she realized it was Nana.

  Isobel got to her feet and wiped her dirty hands on the front of the dress she wore. “We were…we were just,” she didn’t know what to say. Would Nana rat them out to her husband?

  “I can see what you are doing. But why? Nyla knows no one is supposed to be in here.” Nana’s glare turned on the pint-size fairy.

  Unexpectedly, Nyla flew right up into the old woman’s face and pointed a finger at her. “It is high time Jakar stop hiding the fact that his mother is dead and gone. There is a new lady of the castle and she should be able to attend the garden she would have attended to right alongside the previous lady.”

  Nana stood silent for a long time. Her eyes bounced back and forth between Nyla and herself as she wrung her hands in front of her. When she did speak, it was not the reply either of them had been expecting. “Can I bring you something to eat and drink?”

  Isobel looked to Nyla who had a large grin spread across her face. She looked back to the old woman and replied, “That would be wonderful!”

  “I’ll be back shortly.” Nana turned to leave then decided to turn back around to address them again. “I think I might have some tools that would make your work easier.”

  Again they looked at each other. “We’d love to have them,” Isobel said.

  They returned to their work when Nana left the garden. She had been as nervous as a school girl being caught with her hand in the candy jar as she stood before Nana. She knew Jakar meant a lot to the old woman, so she prayed the woman would keep their secret.

  Not long after she had returned to pulling weeds, Nana returned with a basket. Inside they found a loaf of fresh bread, cheese wrapped in a cloth, and a couple slices of meat that she didn’t recognize. To wash it all down, a jug of lemonade had been added to the feast. They stopped to eat and rest for a few minutes then went back to work. The hours ticked away and soon the light of the dreary day began to fade away.

  Nyla was the first to say they needed to stop for the day. “You had better so get cleaned up before Jakar returns.” Nyla brushed specks of dirt off her hands.

  “Oh my god! I didn’t even think of that!” She quickly jumped up, brushed the dirt and debris off her dress then raced into the castle.

  Nyla flew alongside her as she rushed to get back to her room and get cleaned up. “I will see you again tomorrow. I will meet you here in the morning.”

  “Okay,” she said, “See you tomorrow.” She waved her fingers a Nyla as the fairy took off in a different direction.

  She rushed through the halls and gave praise to God that they were empty. She had feared she would run into servants in her current state of dress and would have to explain where she had been to get so dirty. Safe in their room once again, she stripped off the filthy clothes and under garments. She needed to hide the dirty clothes until she had time to wash them when Jakar was not around. A large basket that sat in the corner with other dirty items would be the perfect place to hide them except she would put them at the bottom of the basket.

  The bathroom was chilly in her naked state. The steaming water began to fill the tub as soon as she turned the handle to let the water in. The fact that the castle was able to keep a steady supply of hot water, in pipes no doubt, fascinated her. In the Medieval times of her world, water had to be boiled in pots then carried to the room. It was a long and tedious task but it was how they bathed back then. Needless to say bathing was not an everyday occurrence then either. Here though, the seemingly never ending supply of hot water was a God send.

  Chapter 17

  Daniel left the confines of Tuloch’s castle as quickly as he could. After informing Tuloch he was leaving to finish the mission he had been sent on, he took three of his best men and four horses and set out for the north. The weather wasn’t the greatest and was promising more rain. The long journey to the northern part of Aslog would take the group about three days to travel to, maybe even longer if the weather turned really bad.

  The four men were silent for most of the first day’s travels. Daniel had been lost in his thoughts as he formulated his plan to kidnap Isobel. He would have to get close enough to the castle without being recognized by her, which might not be so hard because she was used to seeing him in the clothes of her world. Not only the clothes had changed but he had also shaved his head to the bare skin and started to regrow his beard.

  His thoughts stayed focused on Isobel for the entire day. Once he found her and was able to get her away from Jakar, he would make sure she knew about the trouble he had gone through since the night he ended her parents’ lives. Looking back on the night of the killings, he should have made absolutely sure Isobel was out with her friend. He hadn’t even bothered to call her that day to make sure her plans hadn’t changed. His moment of surprise had come when he had heard her mother scream for her to run. At that point he knew he had made a mistake. But there was nothing he could about it now. It was in the past and there wasn’t any way to change it.

  “Sir, this looks like a good place to stop for the night.” One of the men with Daniel addressed him.

  Daniel stopped his horse and surveyed the area. It was a good spot to stop with the cluster of trees and large rocks that made a natural barrier. It would be easy enough to hide behind the stones and the trees without the fear of being seen by any passing traveler.

  “Set up camp and get a fire started. I’ll take the horses to be watered.” Jumping down off his horse, he took the reins of the other three horses and led them to the gurgling stream.

  Daniel stood on the bank of the stream watching as the horses took their fill of the
cold water. The sound of the water flowing over the smooth rocks protruding from the water was very relaxing, something he hadn’t been able to do for a while now. The only way he could think of getting close enough to Isobel was if he ran across her in the village. It could be weeks before she even made an appearance in the village, if at all. He would give it a couple of days then he would have to alter his plans. He just hoped Tuloch’s little spy inside the castle was able to meet up with him at the given time.

  He didn’t have a clue to who the contact was. All he knew was that it was a woman. The evening before he left for the north, Tuloch had sent one of his fastest men to Jakar’s castle to inform the informant of his impending arrival. Four nights from now, he was to meet the woman at an old abandoned mill that sat well outside the village. The mill was originally used when the current castle had been built by Jakar’s grandfather. But over the years, people moved closer to the castle and away from the mill, ultimately abandoning it all together. A new mill had been built closer to the castle where the materials for expanding the castle were easily accessible. His own father had worked in the new mill for a short period until he took his family and moved them to the southern part of Aslog.

  It wasn’t long after Daniel and his family arrived in south Aslog when his father had joined Tuloch’s father’s mission to rejoin the two halves Aslog, with Tuloch’s father being the self-appointed ruler. Ever since then, the two halves of Aslog had been at war with each other. It wasn’t always a continuous fight day after day but it was a fight that had so far lasted for over forty years.

  Once the horses had their fill he lead them back to the campsite where his men had a fire going with meat hanging over the open flame. The aroma of cooking rabbit made his stomach growl in protest from being left empty for too long.

  “Catch a rabbit there did ya?” He tied the reigns to the nearest tree then took a seat on the ground in front of the fire.

  “There was a bunch of them over there when I went to collect some wood for the fire. Walked right up on them.” Jon turned the rabbit meat over to cook the other side.

  “Have you come up with a plan on how we are going to take this woman?” Daniel’s second lieutenant, Trax, asked then handed him a canteen.

  He threw back his head to take a large gulp of what he thought was water. The burn of the fiery liquid hit the back of his throat and slid down. His eyes watered and his teeth clamp together as the whiskey made its way into his stomach.

  “Good god man!” he shouted between gasps of air. “You should have warned me it wasn’t water!”

  The trio of men laughed riotously at him. He didn’t care to be the brunt of anyone’s joke much less from his own men. “I’ll slit your throat if you ever do that again!" He held out his knife to demonstrate he was dead serious.

  “Calm down, Daniel,” Jon said as he tried to hide the laugh he was dying to let out. “The boy is only trying to lighten the mood.” Jon was the only one who he allowed to call him by his first name.

  “Now is not the time for jokes!” he shouted. He hated being the brunt of joke. “I haven’t a clue to what we are going to do. First, I need to locate the woman and see how tight of a reign Jakar has on her. I have a source on the inside who is going to help us.”

  “You seriously don’t have a plan yet? Why the hell are we on this mission if you don’t even know what the fuck we are going to be able to do?” Jon’s words were filled with anger.

  Daniel automatically went on the defensive. He pulled out his dirk again and pointed it in Jon’s direction this time. “Speak to me like that again and I will slit your throat too.”

  Jon remained silent after the threat. The group of men ate their meal of rabbit and dried oat cakes in silence. All the men in the group knew not to cross Daniel for fear of his retaliation. Daniel was well-known for his ruthless ways of getting even with a person who had done him wrong and the woman they were after would be no different.

  ******

  Jakar spent the day searching the forest near the castle for any sign of Tuloch’s presence. He had a nagging feeling that Tuloch wouldn’t wait long to attack his people again. While he had accepted the truth of Isobel being the one for him, he still didn’t understand how she would be able to help bring down the man he had fought so often.

  His thoughts lingered on the woman he had left in his bed this morning. He had married her with only the idea of having her as a wife of convenience. His feelings for her though were now shifting into territory he was unfamiliar with. Of course he had bedded other woman but Isobel was so different. Something was trying to form a bond between them that would remain unbreakable. After hearing her story of what happened to her, the feeling of wanting to protect her slammed into him full force. The thought of this man, who had supposedly loved her, killed her parents then went after her, had his blood boiling. The bad thing about the entire situation was that there was no way for him to find out how or when Tuloch planned on making a move.

  This morning when he had gone to the training field he wanted his men to put in a full day’s worth of practicing. He had taken part in the training to try and strengthen his shoulder he had injured in the last fight with his enemy. It wasn’t until a boy came running into the castle shouting he had seen soldiers in the forest. Jakar immediately rang the alarm and told his men to suit up and head out. He wanted every inch of the forest searched.

  Hours later he returned to the castle empty handed. Nothing was found in the way of soldiers roaming the forest. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary which made him feel even more nervous. The boy had obviously seen something but what? He hadn’t bothered to question the boy before they set out but he would when he returned.

  Jakar gave the call to start heading back when the first cracks of thunder sounded in the distance. He was so tired of the rain and couldn’t wait for the rainy season to be over. Everything felt so depressing and sad during this time of the year. He guessed it was because most people were stuck inside for most of the time or if they had to go out, the rain would surely find them.

  The clouds coming over the mountains rolled and tripped over each other as if they were in a race to be the first to reach him. He inhaled deeply to get the scent of the impending rain and damp ground. It would take some time to get back to the castle and he just hoped it was before it began to rain. He also hoped Isobel was waiting for him, preferably naked in his bed. With that thought on his mind it suddenly became very uncomfortable sitting astride his horse. His cock had gone from sleeping to full alertness with just the thought of Isobel naked. He stood in the stirrups to try and relieve the pressure but there was only one thing that would ease his discomfort as he envisioned his wife sprawled out on their bed waiting for him.

  ******

  Brock and Lizzy made it to his castle before darkness set in. For most of the ride, he had questioned Isobel’s supposed friend for details of the man who had accompanied her to his world. He could tell that the woman was scared out of her wits because of the trembling he felt coursing through her body. At first he had thought she might be cold, but after further examination of her clothing, he was satisfied she was warm enough. This only left the emotion of her being scared. He tried in earnest to calm her even though he knew she would never see her home again.

  The hours of riding on his horse proved to be very informative and by the time they approached his home, he had a pretty good idea of who was chasing Isobel. Lizzy was able to give such an accurate description of Tuloch’s henchman, it frightened him. She even produced a small device in which she was able to show him a portrait of who the man was.

  He held the small device in his large hand when she handed it to him for further examination. There was no doubt in his mind it was Daniel, one of Tuloch’s minions. The only thing that puzzled him was that Lizzy had no idea why Daniel wanted Isobel. She relayed the story of Daniel and Isobel courting one another and how much she detested her friend’s fiancé. It was when she told him about Daniel murdering Isob
el’s parents that the true horror of what Isobel had experienced set in. He was relieved though when Lizzy continued on and told him all about her part in the incredible story.

  “Are you sure Isobel is safe?” Lizzy asked over her shoulder.

  “I am positive. I left my brother’s home two days ago and she was quite fine.”

  This was the fourth time she asked about her friend. He could understand her worry and concern but she didn’t have to keep asking. He would have to return to Jakar’s home soon in order to inform him of who and what he had found.

  Unfortunately, he was stuck with Lizzy until he was able to transport her to her friend. Not that Elizabeth was ugly or anything, he just didn’t want to be saddled with a female in distress.

  It wouldn’t take them much longer to reach his home. The weather was turning nasty again, so he was hoping they would reach it before it rolled in. The wind never died down for the entire ride and it was now having quite a bite to it. He felt a few tremors run though the woman’s body he was holding in his arms and he was tempted to crush her against him to give her his added warmth.