“We will see you tomorrow for the Full Moon Ceremony and the Moonbridge Crossing. Meet us at the Gabriella Passage” Kelne repeated. They nodded and waved.
The four quickly ran into the servant’s quarters, grabbed their packs, changed back into traveling clothes, and slipped out the back entrance. Just as they left through the servant’s entrance, they heard the storming of the front gate. Charles and his men had arrived.
Sam opened a trail that led them into the forest and down the hill. They were on their way to the Divide ahead. They fled as quickly as they could move.
Charles came into the town square with two archers ready to search the village. He expected to corner the earthlings. But he never got the chance.
When he looked around, there was no event to interrupt. Kris and Sylvia sat at a candle lit table having a romantic dinner for two. Kelne and Beacon sat in the corner enjoying a cup of tea. Jasmine, Walenda and Marty sat at another table in the back. Charles didn’t know them. There was no trace of the Earth travelers.
“Where are they? I demand to know,” Charles said, generally yelling at the people in the restaurant.
“I’m so sorry,” Sylvia said. “Is there something I can help you with?” She stood and slowly walked over to Charles in a slightly flirtatious manner. “Who did you say you’re looking for?” She fluttered her eyelashes.
Charles paused and his archers put their bows down. “Well, there are four kids about the same age. Earthlings who came here on vacation. I want them to show me more respect, not jump into their Messenger Trails to exclude me. How dare they.”
“I see. What do they look like? How will we know it’s them? I’m happy to help if I can,” Sylvia insisted.
“They are girls. They are dangerous. They might prevent me from feeding all the people because they’re so mean,” Charles said, his temper rising. “I can’t believe them. They must be stopped.”
“All right, sir. I’ll see what I can do to find them for you. I’ll be sure they come and see you.” She fluttered her eyelashes towards Charles once again.
Sylvia sat next to Kris. “He said four Earth girls. They’re bad news and we should be genuinely concerned.” She put her hand on her chest in worry. “He said they’re trouble.”
“Two Earth girls and two Earth boys,” Charles corrected.
“I’m sorry. I thought you said girls,” Sylvia replied.
“I’m not worried about the boys. They’re manageable. They can work in my Bogs.” “Those girls …” His lip snarled. Charles left the building, mounted his horse, and led his party out of the front gate. Sylvia and Kris got up from the table and bid Charles farewell.
“Thank you for letting us know about the rogue tourists. Appreciate it,” Sylvia said.
The elegantly dressed couple walked outside across the square and past the bell tower. They stood on the bridge and gave one another a warm hug and gently kissed before looking out over the view. In the far distance they saw the four travelers near the bottom of the hill, at the far end of Sam’s Messenger Trail. They were well on their way and Sam had led well.
“If we see any earthlings,” Kris said warmly to Sylvia, with one hand on her hips and the other around her back, “we’ll have to be sure Charles knows all about it. I don’t see any. Do you?” Kris gave Sylvia a gentle kiss on the mouth and hugged her tightly.
Once Charles and his men were gone, Sylvia and Kris jumped into action. Sylvia called her wolves and Shantini and Jetson arrived. Then they opened an ancient wolf trail and led Sylvia and Kris away, “It’s time to track down the compromised meridians and stop Charles’s plans,” Sylvia said to her wolves.
Tahendra and her friends were at the bottom of the hill. The forest was thinner where they stood. A pine forest surrounded them, made of growing, crystallized trees. The land was fragrant.
Chapter 24
Tahendra sat on the ground in tears. She’d followed the red trail markers to avoid the Bog. Only now they were in a box canyon, closed in from all sides. The cliff walls were smooth and slick. She tried to get a handhold but couldn’t.
“I can’t do this! Everything I do just gets us lost or injured. I’m sorry. I’m not meant to lead. I should go back, and you should find someone else to do this,” Tahendra wailed inconsolably.
Kassara wanted to reach out to her friend, but she was not in control of her limbs at that moment—or her voice. While running full out, she was snagged by a trap made from a tree. The branches made a net that scooped her up. She couldn’t move at all. There was no escape. She wanted to give her friend a hug, for both of their sakes. She hadn’t seen Tahendra fall apart like this in a long time.
It had looked like their trek away from dinner through the night had gone well. The red trail they followed looked exactly like it skirted the Bog. Unfortunately, it took them to the Bog’s side door. Dang. Certain that in the end everything would be okay, Kassara smiled to her friends to give them hope. She stopped struggling against the tree branches. She met Tahendra’s gaze and looked deep into her friend's eyes. Tah’s eyes apologized. She was spent and exhausted.
Sam was fighting quicksand. Jaime was also stuck; he froze to stop the process of sinking. When Jaime looked up, Kassara was smiling at him. If they’d ever needed a coach and a huddle to plan next steps, this was the time and Kassara knew it. Sam sank all the way to his chest.
A few wolf pups arrived. They observed the travelers and slowly came closer, staying in the shadows off the cliff trail, where they were easily hidden.
The Grizzled Queen’s big fat face loomed before them. Her face was projected onto the box canyon that covered the side entrance to the Bog, right where the travelers stood. They were cornered in a dead end, her face the size of a billboard before them. The fat white face with its large double chins sucked up all the air. The Grizzled Queen ate a large bite from her corn on the cob. Spittle oozed out of her face as they watched her in horror. She was eating an ear of corn with too much butter on it; the grease and corn kernels were all over her face. The Grizzled Queen was particularly angry today. She had not lived the life she wanted she was mad. The world had been unfair to poor little her.
When she saw the earthling travelers in her trap, she laughed. “So, you’re the yahoos running around Kalendra unsupervised.” She sneered. Time to put a stop to that right now. If I’m miserable, they’ll be more miserable. That’s what they deserve. Especially those moon girls with their special privileges. Charles had told her the smaller one was not a moon child. He tried to poison her with a Blue Montis marble already. It didn’t work. She was just an Earthling. Ignore her. Didn’t matter she looked Kalendrian.
“Who said you could travel freely in Kalendra?” She said through a loudspeaker as she rolled her eyes. “I didn’t give my permission. The only thing that’s okay is doing exactly what you’re told.” Then she turned to Jaime.
“Who said you could draw? That’s not fair. I don’t draw. I was told to quit when I was little, and I did. You can only draw what I want, not your stupid ideas.”
Her guards seized Jaime’s journal, strapped on the outside of his pack. Then she saw the tall lanky boy who’d just been rescued from the quicksand. She snickered to herself. I could bully him all day long while he tried to get my approval. She smiled. Ooh, this is going to be fun. My sisters will want to join. It was always more fun to bully with friends and ratchet it up a bit. She laughed and looked at Sam.
The Grizzled Queen stopped in her tracks.
“Ah, the Grrrrllllss.” She sneered. “I could play the tricky narrow game,” she said under her breath. “Make them beg for acceptance and disqualify them every single time. It’s so easy. Make expectations so narrow everyone fails. That ought to lower their self-esteem and make them ineffective.
“Don’t be a waif and don’t be plump.” Girls will always fail at size. If they fit, just change the rules. Make up whatever you want. Easy Peazy.
“Don’t be boring but don’t stand out.” Another perfect
pairing. Another guaranteed fail for girls.
“But I’m bored now,” she mumbled to herself with a sigh.
“I know,” she said into the loudspeaker. “Put the dark-haired girl on that new Blue Montis bed. If she’s a moon child like Charles said, she’ll be dead in an hour. I’ll keep her overnight, just to be sure.” The Grizzled Queen could not wait to strap her down. Charles will be so proud, she thought to herself.
Kassara was easily taken. She couldn’t break free. The plants released her into the Grizzled Queen’s command. She was held with ropes around her wrists, accompanied by two guards. The Grizzled Queen slowly and loudly instructed. “Strip her bare and lay her in the cell on the table made of Blue Montis. Have her stay overnight, her arms and legs bound as tightly as possible so she can’t move. And be sure her body touches that stone everywhere. Make it burn. No mercy for her.” The Grizzled Queen spat out a piece of corn stuck in her teeth.
“We’ll get rid of those Moon Children and their magic. There will be none of that here.”
While the Grizzled Queen was sadistically focused on Kassara, Tahendra slipped into the wall and followed the wolf pups. The guards were focusing on getting Sam out of the quicksand when Tahendra slipped away. Sylvia’s wolves showed her how to navigate the caves beneath the Bog village. They led her through passageways into the cliffs. Tahendra went unnoticed. She had to find someone who could protect Kassara right away. Marty. How could she contact him? She sent one wolf to report back to Sylvia and let her know Kassara was taken.
A grave, she’d heard, was already being dug for her friend. The Grizzled Queen insisted Kassara was the moon daughter who’d returned. That stone would kill Tahendra. She needed help.
She looked through the crystallized wall, relieved she was hidden from view. The guys were out of the quicksand now. They were talking, trying to please the Grizzled Queen who kept criticizing them. Quickly and visibly Tahendra watched their self-esteem plummet, then vanish altogether.
Skinny and lanky were words Sam couldn’t take. Bookish was her word to discredit Jaime. Then she said, “Drawing,” with a long-disgusted look down her nose as she held Jaime’s journal. Tahendra heard her promise they’d be freed as soon as she was satisfied with their work.
She couldn’t believe they already agreed to somehow earn their way out of this madness. She saw see the guys from inside the cliff structure. It looked bad. They completely forgot Beacon’s training. Their eyes were wide with fear.
No time guys. Not now, she wanted to scream. They had to get to the Full Moon Ceremony.
Two more wolves arrived, ready to help.
They needed to understand the meridian near the Divide and keep it strong. Tahendra was sure it was right beneath her. She sensed this Bog Village was running on its energy. What else were they doing, she wondered?
Sohm showed Tahendra three important meridian points when they spoke in the Crystalline Steps. She wrote them down at dinner last night and gave them to Kris and Sylvia. Where were they from here? She looked out of her protected corridor and tried to take in the main square. She saw Sam lugging around heavy bags of crystal at a light run. Ground meridian, perhaps?
She looked out in frustration. They were in a trance. Approval will never come, guys. They think you’re here for the duration ... Tahendra winced.
She called for Shantini, Sylvia’s beautiful white wolf. Her hazel colored eyes were surrounded by jet-black eyeliner. Tahendra looked through the maps and found what looked like a prison. She asked Shantini to find and release Kassara. “Come back if you need help,” Tahendra instructed. “I cannot touch the Blue Montis … thank you.”
Through the compound, Shantini ran unnoticed. Staying hidden in broad daylight was her superpower. Down a city block’s worth of buildings, she turned into an alleyway and disappeared in the shadows. Shantini had a sixth sense and a strong nose.
Kassara had gone down the stairs. Shantini followed her scent. Pure fear hung in the air over the staircase. Kassara was there. Shantini carefully went down one flight of stairs, into the darkness. Nothing. No one there. She went down the next flight. It was cold and blue in every direction.
Shantini pushed the prison door open, and it allowed her entrance. The white wolf immediately hung in the shadows. She looked around the jail cells lined up in a row. Kassara was the only prisoner. No guard. Everything unlocked and open. Kassara was tied to a bed of cold blue stone. Shantini could feel the cold from across the room as if Kassara laid on a brick of ice.
Kassara was semiconscious and heard a voice speak in her dream.
“I am Sohm, Tahendra’s moon brother. You must have been born on a full moon in your world. I cannot come to many people because they don’t have the right energy channel for me to reach them. Now I can come to you also.
“Something shifted while you were strapped to the Blue Montis bed. I can speak to you now. The poison of that stone did not harm you. Something else in the Blue Montis strengthened you. I can feel it in your blood. You are healthy and strong after your night on the Blue Montis bed. I look forward to helping you develop your strengths,” She heard a satisfied smile on his voice.
“You must get out of here now. I need your healing skills for the meridians. Remember the green stone you soothed Tahendra with? Your choice will calm Shaman Moon’s pain. Thank you. I am incredibly happy. Before you begin healing the meridians, you must get yourself to the Full Moon Ceremony. I believe we can count on Maureen to get the boys out of here. She’s my favorite double agent.”
Kassara could feel Sohm’s satisfaction as he said those words. She woke up and saw Shantini in the doorway, waiting.
“Hi,” Kassara said.
The white wolf pup jumped up on the bed of Blue Montis. She swiped her paw at the ropes holding Kassara and separated them. Of the many ropes, she identified the short, knotted one out of the group. She pulled that one hard with her teeth. To both of their delight, the shackles were thrown. Kassara was free. She sat up, naked, then loosened her ropes.
“Thank you. Clothing. I need something to wear.”
Kassara saw a box of clothing strewn in the corner. Fresh laundry. Would they identify her as a prisoner? She couldn’t worry about that. She found a loose-fitting red shirt and a pair of jeans. There was also a pair of shoes. They fit well enough.
Kassara and Shantini ran through the back door. Kassara hid in the shadows on the staircase. Shantini climbed to the daylight outside. She stood guard. When it was clear she signaled Kassara to follow. They ran to a nearby building. Shantini led as they ran through empty corridors, and then quickly past rooms brimming with people. At the end of the quiet hallway, Shantini stopped. She showed Kassara a thin slot entrance into the crystalline exterior wall where Tahendra and the wolves had stayed. The wolf led her inside.
Suddenly they were no longer visible. From this passage, Kassara saw, she could casually walk out of the Bog and back into the forest. Shantini took Kassara to where Tahendra had been, but she was gone. Two wolves remained. Shantini checked in with them. Those wolves were ready to escort Jaime and Sam. Shantini took charge of Kassara and led her out of the bog to arrive at the Full Moon Ceremony on time.
As badly as Kassara wanted to check on everyone else, the time strapped to that cold stone had taken a lot out of her. She needed to recover. She could use some of that green stone Sohm had mentioned. That would be soothing, she agreed. But it was in her pack with her other medicines, and she doubted she’d ever see her belongings again. She could not be concerned with that now.
Maureen stood inside the exterior wall. When they turned the corner, she was waiting. She smiled at Kassara and Shantini. Kassara panicked and tensed up, wondering if she had just been busted. Shantini showed no sign of alarm. Kassara faced Maureen.
“I’m sorry I was a jerk at Beacon’s. You can’t be near my dad or Charles. They are too dangerous as you just saw. I didn’t want you to feel safe coming over, so I was a jerk. It worked but I’m sorry. Tahendra obvio
usly wasn’t safe at my house, either. I don’t know why Kelne trusted my dad ... You think I don’t know? I wish I was going with you.” Maureen hesitated; a look of sadness crossed her face. Kassara looked in her eyes and nodded understanding.
“I promised Tahendra I’d get the boys out of here. They’re barely coming to their senses,” Maureen said. “By the way, I’m glad you found the clothes I left you last night. I hope the shoes are okay. I want to give you something before you leave. That’s why I’m here.” She pulled out a beautiful necklace with a thin, clear stone the size of a quarter with a zigzag in the center.
“You know that Moon Catcher I gave Tahendra? It protected her from the Blue Montis, a little. They’re useful. Ask her to show you. Here. Please. It will protect you and make you stronger. She placed the long chain over Kassara’s head, and the stone rested near her heart. “How is she, by the way?”
“She’s good. Ivy and her shaman worked for a long time and got all the poison,” Kassara said. “Thank you, Maureen,” she handled the Moon Catcher. “This is kind of you.”
“I’m so glad to hear. I won’t keep you. Good luck.” Maureen slipped back into the main corridor, where the other people were now moving between meetings.
Kassara followed Shantini through the exterior wall and past the cliffs. They ran through corridors below ground. They arrived at the exit, and Shantini allowed Kassara to look around.
“I wish...” she said.
Kassara remembered that being cynical toward the Bog and running full-out through Messenger Trails to her destination was the most responsible choice she could make right now. “No regrets.” She smiled to herself, remembering that sticking to her guns was a significant win. She still wanted to know her friends were okay.
“They will be at the Full Moon Ceremony, like they promised, likely each on his or her own path,” Kassara said aloud. She then knelt next to Shantini and put her arms around her companion.
Magic Invitation: Kalendra Chronicles Book One Page 12
