by S K Wee
Elated, the elves began to voice happy cheers. The nervousness dissipated and a couple of them helped Dianna to her feet and led her over to a small pool. Quin edged his way over to that area also. He thought if he could get close enough he might be able to whisper to her and tell her that everything was going to be all right.
Dianna sunk down into the pool—it was obvious she welcomed the cleansing. She spoke to the other elves, which surprised Quin. He was sure she didn’t know any elf language before. They must have taught her the language since she was abducted. Most of the elves left the room heading back the way he had come, but there were still five who remained behind with Dianna. Quin sat back on his haunches, patiently awaiting his chance to speak with her.
As he looked her over, she seemed to have gained a few curves while at the same time lost weight. She looked painfully thin like she hadn’t had a good meal in months, which was probably true remembering the few supplies the elves purchased every few weeks. Quin felt a spike of anger at these people for putting her through this ordeal, but immediately realized he needed to rein in his emotions if he wanted to maintain his shadow.
Dianna waved off three more of the elves. He had no idea what she told them, but they smiled and bowed down to her before they hurried off. The old woman was among those who left and seemed to glance in Quin’s direction once more before she left the room. Now there were just two remaining to worry about. Quin edged ever closer to Dianna, who was now leaning back in the pool with her head cushioned on the side and her eyes closed.
“Dianna,” Quin whispered as low as possible while still trying to get her attention. She opened her eyes and looked around. “Don’t move, Dianna. It’s Quin. I’m in a shadow right behind you. I came to get you out of here. Please, don’t look around.”
Dianna closed her eyes once again and said something to the two remaining women. They looked somewhat confused at whatever she said, but bowed down to her and left. “Quintus! Where are you? Are you really here?”
“I’m right here. If you’re up to it, I can cast my shadow over both of us long enough to get us out of here but you’ll need to come in close.”
“Oh, Quin, how beautiful you look to me. I thought they all forgot about me. Yes, we must go quickly. I sent them to my room at the other end, so they won’t be back for a few minutes. I don’t have any clothing.” Dianna looked around the pool area looking for something she could use to cover herself.
“Let’s worry about that later. The important thing is to get moving. I’ve signaled Darby and Twig; they will meet up with us along the way. Come in close and keep step with me.” Quin tried not to let her nakedness affect him, but he really had a hard time concentrating on the shadow. This was going to be the roughest exit ever.
Though he wanted to rush them through, they met up with two elves in the corridor. Quin tried to sneak into a doorway quickly, but the door was closed so they stood as close as possible to the wall. The elves walked side by side and when they came up to them the one on the right actually rubbed against Quin’s side. He was able to keep the shadow in place. Holding an anxious breath, he waited as the elf stopped and looked all around and then down at his arm—which had rubbed up on something that wasn’t visible—he then shook his head, smiled, and continued on.
“Whew, that was close. Let’s get out of here before they find you missing and start searching in earnest.” They increased the speed of their departure and thankfully, reached the stairway without another encounter. There were a few elves near the stairway but not close enough that they were in danger of being touched. Now, if they could get up the stairs without loose stones flying, they would be close to being free.
Instead of taking the chance, Quin decided to lift Dianna so it was only his feet that needed to touch the stairs. She felt so light to him that it wasn’t any great feat to carry her the whole way up the stairs and into the light.
Once outside, Quin noticed Taichi was out there taking care of the mules that had pulled the wagon. Quin had toyed with the idea of stealing the wagon and mules if he got the chance, but that would be impossible now. He was at the edge of his strength with his gift and knew he would need to drop the shadow to rest before they could continue on.
Having edged away from where Taichi stood behind some rubble, Quin let go of the shadow and whispered to Dianna. “I need to rest just for a minute.” He wiped the sweat from his brow and took a deep breath. They would need to walk, but he knew they would not have far to go before Twig, Sylly, and Darby would be there to rescue them.
“Oveestra.” The old woman walked right over to where they were hiding like she had always known just where they were.
Quin pulled out his dagger and moved to shield Dianna from the woman just as Taichi rushed over with a blade of his own. Dianna held up her hand and the man stopped short.
*****
Since coming out of the pit, Dianna’s memories were fuzzy. When she thought she had an idea about what had happened, it soon floated out of her reach before she could study it. Thus, she had no idea what took place or even how long she had been down there. One thing was for sure, though; she hadn’t had any sustenance for some time. She was extremely hungry and as soon as they got away from the ruins, she was going to ask for food.
They were surprised by Natsuki, who had no problem finding them. When Taichi came over with dagger in hand, ready to cut down Quin, she needed to stop any bloodshed. Taichi had been her constant companion for all these months. Her teacher, her only friend. Then she remembered how he had so easily slit Sarala’s throat the night he had taken her. How could she have forgotten that night? He was a cold-blooded murderer. But he had since become her friend. She still did not understand why Sarala had to die, but she trusted Taichi and to a lesser degree, Natsuki.
“Nice trick your friend has, but I’m afraid any Dream Dancer can see through shadows. You’ll learn that and much more as time goes on.” Natsuki motioned to Taichi to put his dagger back and held out a folded garment toward Dianna. “Here, take this robe, it was designed and stitched for you. Whether you like it or not, your survival in the pit has warranted our reverence. Among us, you will always be treated with respect.” Dianna reached out for the beautiful, silken robe.
“What do you mean? I need to return to my family.” Dianna had been so close to escape and the thought of being stopped caused the tears to start. She wanted to be with her family, with Amma, and Uncle Ekky.
Natsuki regarded her with a tolerant smile. “We are your family now and you will discover this fact soon enough. For now, return with your rescuers and remember to pay attention to all your dreams. You will one day soon return here and fulfill the prophecy.” Natsuki turned to Taichi and the others who had gathered above. “Let’s go eat and praise the gods for soon our salvation will return to us.” Dianna didn’t know what to think of that but was happy they would not be pursued.
As Dianna secured the robe, she turned to Quin. “They will not follow. I’m not sure what to believe but they seem to think I’ll return here at a later date. Let’s go before they change their minds.”
“Huh? Sure, Dianna.” Quin glanced behind them and found that the elves were not following. “Are you sure they aren’t going to come after you? After all they have done to keep you here?”
“Natsuki, the seer, just said that I would return. I don’t know what went on in the pit, but I believe it was my sole purpose in being brought to this place. I remember going down and screaming and the next thing I knew I was above and given something to drink. I’m sure I was down there for days because I am very hungry. I bet I could eat whole chicken but I’d settle for any kind of meat.” She had been living off vegetables and grains and the thought of a juicy slice of meat caused rumbling in her belly.
“I’ve already sent a message to Twig that you will require some food. We shouldn’t have far to walk. Look! It’s Darby’s hawk.” Quin grabbed on to Dianna’s hand and began running toward the hawk. As she began to stumble
, he picked her up and ran without missing a step.
As physically fit as Quin was from all his Academy training, within an hour he had to stop to catch his breath. Dianna looked back toward the ruins and could no longer see anything but sand. By the time Quin caught his breath, they heard the wagon come toward them and she heard Quin’s sigh of relief. “There they are, there are Darby and the rest of them.
Dianna shielded her eyes so that she could see the wagon. “Sylly is with him and so is Twig.”
Chapter 13
Palace of Amir Kurush, City of Port Devdan, Country of Bhaelor
The last couple of days, Frankie had seen a great change come over Kappy. Where he once lacked self-confidence, he now seemed to believe he was up to the challenge of his new position. Frankie was very proud of her young brother. Though she had not been very close to him the first few years of his life, since he began his training at the Academy, they got to know each other quite well. She had no problem talking to him about his dead father. Frankie made sure that Kappy knew his father was thoroughly despicable as a person and as a ruler, there was no reason to sugar-coat the facts. These traits were not part of Kappy’s make-up, though. After she made sure Kappy would never need to worry about such a thing as following in his father’s footsteps, they were free to discuss their mother. Kappy had no memories of her and was thrilled when he found her journal.
Kappy brought out the journal and lay in down in front of her. “You won’t believe all that she went through. She had such high hopes when he chose her as his bride. I think she truly loved him, though I can’t imagine how.” Though Darby had told her much the same, Frankie had never seen any sign of that love. What she remembered were fear and disgust.
“Darby once told me that he was very charming. He showed the world a whole different façade than what he truly was. Let’s look through the journal together so we can talk about the entries.” Each evening they sat for hours and discussed what they read in the journal. Ester wrote about having such high hopes for her marriage, and it wasn’t until after Frankie was born that she realized what a monster he truly was. By then it was far too late for her.
They also discussed Kappy’s infatuation with Birgit and his desire to formalize the relationship with a betrothal. Though Frankie had a few reservations, she reluctantly agreed to help him. Councilman Nirav, Birgit’s father, was thrilled to have a direct line to the Amir, though a couple of the other council members were none too happy to be denied the opportunity.
Thus, the day of Dianna’s return was cause for celebration throughout the household. Frankie helped Rose out in the planning of the feast to celebrate both Dianna’s rescue and the imminent betrothal. The formal agreement would still need to be arranged but Kappy wanted all his family and friends to hear his news. About mid-afternoon, they heard the wagon arriving and Frankie ran to the front stairs. She could see her husband’s vibrant array of colors from quite a distance. His colors never failed to amaze her but also in the group were her father’s mixture of darkness and light, though through the years the light was gaining over the dark. The contrast was still quite evident.
Sylly, Quin, and Dianna were all in the back of the farm wagon. They must have picked it up in the hamlet. Frankie had to look at her twice, her skin was deeply tanned from the sun and she seemed so much more grown up. Her colors were changed also—she no longer held the innocence of youth, but pain and suffering from her ordeal. When Frankie glanced to the side she noticed her dear friend, Conny, stood with tears streaming down her face as she looked at Dianna.
When Dianna looked up at them, she cast a smile at Frankie but soon looked over at Conny and her whole wealth of colors changed in that instant. The pain and suffering all but disappeared and in their place were colors of love and a sense of homecoming.
“Amma! Amma!” Dianna yelled as she jumped out of the wagon before it came to a complete stop. She ran up the stairs taking two at a time and was in her amma’s arms. Frankie could see Conny’s whole body shake with sobs.
“Come, you two. Let’s bring our reunion indoors.” Frankie led the two, still embracing, inside and into the small private sitting area. She closed the door on the two so they could have a private moment before Dianna would need to answer a bevy of questions from everyone else.
“We’ll all meet in the front parlor,” Rose stated. “Come on, everyone.” Rose led the way into the parlor and asked the servants to provide some refreshments.
*****
When Dianna saw Amma at the top of the stairs, she could finally throw off the feelings of loneliness and abandonment that still clung to her. Amma looked like a beautiful beacon in the darkness. She had always been there for Dianna, through bad dreams and small scrapes. Her amma had always made everything all right once again. Now, once again, here she was. Dianna was sure Amma would take away every last vestige of her pain and fear.
They clung together for quite a while before Conny finally pulled away to get a look at her face. “Oh, my little princess, look at you. I can’t tell you how worried I have been. But none of that matters as long as you’re safe in my arms. How I love you.”
“Oh, Amma, I love you, too!” Dianna asked about the rest of the family. She had already spoken with Sylly but she wanted to know how Dank and Uncle Ekky were. She expressed her desire to return home to Briar as soon as they could.
“Rose has planned a small feast this evening. She wanted to celebrate your return and also there will be an announcement about Kappy’s future betrothal. As soon as that is finished we can leave.”
“What did you say, Amma? Kappy’s betrothal? How can this be? When did this happen?” Dianna felt the bottom fall out of her world once more.
“Kappy has met one of his council member’s daughters. Her name is Birgit and she will be at dinner for you to meet. She seems very nice. They will have a formal betrothal celebration at a later date, but he’s so excited he can’t wait to let us know.”
“I can’t believe it. I always thought he would wait for me to grow up. A silly dream, I know. I had always pictured the two of us together.” Dianna felt some envy for an unknown girl and couldn’t believe she would be good enough for her Kappy.
“You have known each other all of your life, Dianna. I know you have always looked up to him, just like your brothers, but I don’t think he would ever make you happy. I think you just have a romantic dream. The reality is something else. Now, let’s get you something nice to wear for dinner. Wherever did you find this robe?”
“I have much to tell you, Amma. The seer gave this special robe to me just as we were leaving, up until then, I had nothing on at all. The elves made this for me and believe that I’m some sort of savior for them.”
“Sweetheart, did they hurt you? Why were you held without clothing?” Conny’s face took on a fierce protective glare and Dianna knew she had the wrong idea.
“They removed my clothes for their ritual. Quin found me right afterward and I didn’t take the time to find something to wear. We just wanted to get out of there, fast.”
“Yes, that was good thinking. We’ll talk more about your ordeal. I want you to know that you can tell me everything, you hear? We’ll talk it all through no matter what may have happened.” Conny would want to know every single detail and Dianna knew once they discussed everything she would feel much better about what she went through.
“Oh, Amma, how I have missed you. I will tell you everything I remember. The last part is fuzzy, but if anyone can help me figure it all out, it would be you.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about other things. Dianna was given a bath and Conny found one of her dresses they left behind after her abduction. She wasn’t too surprised to find she had gained in height but was much thinner.
As Dianna soaked in the nice warm tub that was brought to her room, she thought about everything that had happened. She remembered what had caused her to leave the safety of the palace grounds to begin with. Sarala had told her about
a love charm Dianna could use to gain Kappy’s love. How wrong she had been, not only to trust Sarala—who had never even talked to her prior to that—but also, trying to get love from someone who wasn’t willing to give it freely. What kind of relationship would that have been?
Meeting Kappy’s new love interest would not be easy, but he had free choice and had chosen who he wanted. Dianna would try to be happy for him. Even though she had idolized him ever since she could remember, she had no claim on him.
Dianna noticed how the gown hung loosely on her frame. The meager rations they had provided for her were certainly to blame, but she hadn’t realized it would make so much of a difference. Conny brushed her long brown hair out until it shone, then braided it while talking about everything they had discovered in the library. Dianna wasn’t really listening to the words, but she loved the sweet sound of Amma’s voice when she talked about new things she had learned.
“Sweetheart, what are these marks on the back of your neck? They almost look like bite marks.” Dianna felt the back of her neck and a dim memory flashed through her mind. The pain of a bite, but she couldn’t grasp the thought.
