Anilyia

by Carroll, John H.

  “Well then. It certainly sounds like a noble cause regardless of whether or not the world goes ‘poof’. Let’s rescue her, Tathan,” The knight said eagerly. “Rescuing princesses is knightly and I have an urge to do something truly knightly.”

  Tathan looked at Sir Danth and sighed. “Well, I suppose that makes sense with you being a knight and all.”

  “I think it would be fun, Tathan. Can we?” Vevin asked hopefully. “That way I could prove to Liselle that I have restraint by not eating the princess!” That got Tathan’s attention. He raised an eyebrow at Vevin.

  “Ahh, yes. I had forgotten that dragons have a taste for princesses. A princess is the only human dragons are allowed to eat without penalty,” Sir Danth stated. “Perhaps this isn’t such a good idea after all.”

  “Princesses?” Tathan asked in confusion.

  “Yes,” nodded Sir Danth. “The agreement was made long ago. Dragons like princesses and have always accepted them as sacrifices. Kings find daughters to be inconvenient in most cases, so it worked out well to exclude them from the agreement,” the knight explained. “It also gave kings a bargaining chip in case a dragon got cranky.”

  Liselle was offended all over again. “Why are princesses inconvenient?” she asked dangerously.

  “Well, you can’t do much with a princess, can you?” He began ticking off the points on his fingers. “They can’t become king, they throw temper tantrums, they get picky about which prince to marry, and they’re always going about getting kidnapped, all of which is extremely inconvenient.”

  Liselle was glaring at him with her jaw set. Tathan and Vevin wisely stepped away from the table. Sir Danth looked at Liselle, then at the other two, then back at Liselle. “What? Don’t glare at me. I like princesses,” he said innocently. “If they get kidnapped, then I have a job to do, plus they’re almost always pretty.”

  Liselle folded her arms and continued to glare.

  “They also add a certain level of drama to palaces, running around saying they want ponies and stomping their feet and yelling things like: ‘No I won’t marry that eighty year old lord just so you can get extra tapestries for the main hall’.” Sir Danth leaned back on the stool and gave a distinct impression that he was grinning. The knight had realized that Liselle was getting angry and he was having fun with it. Vevin and Tathan were trying desperately to cover laughter with their hands.

  “Hmm . . . Fine. I see how it’s going to be,” Liselle said. “I guess we’ll just have to save the princess so that I can tell her your opinions.”

  Sir Danth sat up straight. “Well now, there’s no need to be like that. I’m just saying what others feel,” he replied innocently. The others could no longer contain their laughter. Liselle and Sir Danth joined in.

  Tathan asked, “Did the sunshine birdie tell you where the princess is?”

  “She said the princess is being held in the caverns of the Rojuun, though she didn’t know where,” Liselle answered. “It sounds like we would have to figure it out for ourselves, which sounds hard.”

  “That would be hard,” Tathan admitted with a nod. “I’ll admit I’m curious though. Let’s talk to Mother Tree and see if she can tell us anything about the princess or Yebisu. If Mother Tree doesn’t need us for anything else, then we’ll make finding the princess our next task.”

  “Really? You don’t mind?” Liselle asked in surprise.

  “Well, the three of you want to give it a try and I don’t have any reason not to. It sounds challenging, so I’m interested too,” he said with a shrug. “I don’t have any other commitments anyway.”

  “Then it is decided,” Sir Danth said, hitting his fist on the table for emphasis. “We go to rescue Princess Anilyia of Mayncal.”

  Chapter 7

  The next morning as they were leaving the cabin, a group of Druids approached them, led by an older man with grey-speckled brown hair and trimmed beard. He wore a brown robe, signifying that he was an elder of the village. “Hello, my name is Eithan. I was hoping you could answer some questions.” His rich, mellow voice was mild, though he sounded upset.

  The companions exchanged glances. “Of course,” Tathan replied. “What is it you wish to know?”

  “A group of Druids was sent to meet you yesterday after the forest informed us of your presence. They were led by one named Bromin,” Eithan told them with a frown. “I would like to know if you saw them. If so, why did they not come back with you?”

  “Ah yes. Bromin.” Tathan nodded. “We did see them. They didn’t come back with us because they didn’t like us,” he finished, as though that explained everything.

  “They would not have failed to come back regardless of whether or not they liked you,” Eithan responded with a hand up for them to stay. A few of the other Druids exchanged glances and a couple of them had hands on their weapons. Tathan still hadn’t figured out why people put their hands on their weapons when they really didn’t want to use them. It just led to angry reactions and bloodshed.

  “They stayed to wait for Liselle and Vevin,” Tathan replied with a gesture toward the two of them. “Sir Danth and I knew where we were going and didn’t need an escort.”

  The Druid held up a finger and opened his mouth as though to ask him something else, but turned to Liselle instead. “And did they meet with you?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Liselle answered with a nod.

  Eithan sighed, realizing these people weren’t going to be at all helpful. “And when they met with you, what happened?” he asked.

  She looked at the Druid innocently. “Well, they made Vevin very mad, and Vevin doesn’t like it when people make him mad.” She began petting the side of Vevin’s hair in long, dramatic strokes. “Isn’t that right, my wonderful dragon?” she said in sympathetic baby tones while sticking out a pouty bottom lip.

  Tathan’s lips twitched while Sir Danth took a sudden interest in the forest. Vevin became very miserable and leaned into Liselle’s hand. “Yes, I don’t like being mad. It makes me sad,” he said very sadly.

  A look of concern washed across Eithan’s face. “You didn’t eat or kill them did you?” he asked.

  “Oh no. I wouldn’t think to do that and it makes me sad to think that you would think that of me,” Vevin responded, looking even sadder than before.

  They all stopped to think about that one for a moment, even Vevin. Then Eithan said, “I’m sorry they made you sad . . . err . . . mad, Vevin Dragon. Please tell me why they didn’t escort you to the village.”

  Vevin straightened and became serious. Liselle stopped the petting. “Bromin was attracted to my mate,” he said, indicating Liselle. “It upset me. One of the Druids pulled a sword on me because of the anger on my face, so I used dragon fear on them. They’re likely still running.”

  Eithan’s face turned red with anger. “You would use dragon fear on Druids? How dare you?” At his words, all of the Druids put hands on weapons. The nearby trees of the forest became more ominous and the animals were silent.

  None of the companions put hands on weapons nor showed any outward sign of hostility. They didn’t wish to harm the Druids. The fight wouldn’t be fair anyway. A hundred Druids couldn’t stand up to any one of them. They’d proven that to themselves while fighting sstejj in the caverns.

  Unexpectedly, the Druids relaxed one by one, taking their hands off weapons. Eithan smiled. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” he said, running fingers through his hair. “I don’t like it when Druids are treated with disrespect. However, guests of the forest should not be treated with disrespect either,” he said, gesturing toward Vevin. “Your horses are in the stables. Please ride safely.” With that, Eithan waved off the other Druids and they left the companions to their business.

  Tathan watched in stunned silence. He had never known anyone to stop being hostile quite so abruptly. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps Mother Tree had something to do with it. He looked to see if anyone else thought it was odd, only to be met with shr
ugs. Tathan shrugged too. “Well . . . I guess we should get going.” The companions walked toward the stables. Tathan and Sir Danth took the lead. Vevin and Liselle followed, giving each other a knowing glance the others didn’t notice.

  The horses were waiting outside. Their tack was in place and an older woman was petting one of them. The sight of the horses brought back hard memories for Tathan. These were horses that desert warriors had ridden in the attack on his home. He turned to Liselle to see that her face had gone pale at the sight as well. The loss of their parents had been difficult and while they had moved on, the memories still hurt and always would.

  They reached out and held hands for a moment. Vevin and Sir Danth put hands on their shoulders to support them, for which the cousins smiled in thanks. Tathan mounted the steed he had ridden on their previous journey.

  Liselle had changed to her travel clothes, a green tunic and leggings that blended with the colors of the forest. The bow her uncle had made for her was strapped across her back.

  Vevin had switched from his robe to the exceptional purple vest he cherished. Gold and silver filigree made it shine when sunlight hit it. The purple leggings he wore matched the vest. The one thing Vevin never wore was shoes of any sort.

  Horses didn’t fear him even though he was a dragon and they would make a tasty treat. Vevin had explained early on that dragons liked to charm animals. It made them much more willing to be eaten.

  Last to mount a horse was Sir Danth. He did so gracefully in spite of his armor. Once they were all atop their respective mounts, Tathan led them out of the village to begin the five-day journey to Brondaggiin where the Mother Tree resided.

  The day warmed and it was already hot by the time lunch rolled around. Critters went about their business, while the melodious sounds of birds filled the air. The insects didn’t bother the companions. Vevin had a force around him at all times that kept them away. Nothing bothered the suit of armor that was Sir Danth. Liselle actually liked insects, especially bees and butterflies who were attracted to her like a flower. The bees never stung her.

  Tathan had learned a few tricks for keeping away bugs. Monks at a monastery he had lived at taught him methods for mentally accepting them. A thief’s guild he had worked for taught him to welcome insects in order to repulse people so they wouldn’t pay attention to him, while a mage had taught him spells to drive insects off.

  They stopped next to a small lake for lunch. It reflected trees and mountains in its beautiful, clear waters, making a picturesque resting place. Water lapped the sandy shore where they laid a blanket to eat. After they had begun eating, Liselle tentatively asked, “You remember how the Druids suddenly became pleasant after being angry this morning?”

  Tathan gave her a suspicious look. “Did you have something to do with that? I figured it was Mother Tree.”

  “As did I,” agreed Sir Danth. “It would make sense.

  Liselle shook her head. “It wasn’t Mother Tree. It was . . . a spell I cast yesterday evening.” She blushed in embarrassment.

  “You cast a spell last evening to calm Druids this morning?” Sir Danth asked in wonder. “That shows supernatural foresight. I am intrigued.”

  “No, not like that. It wasn’t foresight so much as . . .” Her blush became deeper. “I cast a spell of peace to relax the denizens of the forest after Vevin used the dragon fear.”

  “Alright, but that was last evening. How could it calm the druids this morning?” Tathan asked.

  Vevin interjected, “It was a slow moving spell. Apparently it was much stronger and longer lasting than we originally thought.”

  “How much more powerful and longer lasting?” Tathan asked with a frown.

  “I don’t know, honestly,” Liselle admitted. “We passed it again when we rode away from the village.” That was another fact she and Vevin had kept to themselves. “I’m guessing it’ll be at this lake tonight or tomorrow.”

  “You mean it’s still moving?” Tathan asked, getting up to gaze back the way they had come. “Why didn’t you stop it?”

  Liselle shrugged helplessly and Vevin came to her rescue. “Oh no! Last night I told her not to. Peace is a good thing to spread.”

  “So there’s a rogue spell loose and you have no idea how powerful it is or how long it’ll last. Do I have that correct?” Tathan asked sternly with folded arms.

  They both looked at the ground. Liselle’s flower moved forward in her hair in a protective gesture. “It’s a spell of peace that will make everyone feel better,” Vevin said obstinately.

  “Yeah, it sounds nice, but it’s an unchecked spell that has no end in sight,” Tathan said in frustration. “One thing I learned from the wizards I’ve known is that you must always identify the beginning and end of a spell. It’s like a fire. If you leave it unchecked, it can burn down the forest.”

  Vevin put his elbows on his knees and hung his head. Liselle looked up at Tathan with worry in her eyes. “It was a spell of peace. That can’t be bad, can it?” she asked in despair.

  Tathan sighed and went back to the log he had sat on while eating. He didn’t like to upset Liselle. “I don’t know, Cousin,” he said with arms out to the side. “I was wondering why I was so relaxed this morning. Do you have any idea how long it will last? Did you give it any kind of an end?”

  Liselle thought back before shaking her head. She looked at Vevin, hoping he would know. He considered the question for a moment then said, “I didn’t see a specific end to it. I assumed it would die out after a certain distance like dragon fear does, but . . . sometimes I forget how powerful Liselle is . . .” he trailed off, looking in the direction of the lake.

  “Surely it will have to fade at some point,” Sir Danth said encouragingly.

  “Yes . . .” Vevin said slowly, still staring off into the distance. He didn’t sound convinced.

  “So when do you think it will end, or is it possible that it could just go on forever?” Tathan asked them both in the hopes that one would be able to answer.

  Vevin shrugged. “It was a little thinner the last time we passed it, but just as strong. I don’t know that it’ll end anytime soon,” he admitted.

  Liselle chewed on her lower lip as she considered. “I think there might be a little bit of a problem.”

  “Oh?” Tathan asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Sometimes I use the energy of flowers to help me,” she said slowly. “I did this time too.”

  “So your spells have flower power, Milady?” Sir Danth asked with a chuckle.

  Liselle giggled and nodded. “Yes, flower power.” She looked at Tathan who was not amused. “When I used the energy of the flowers, it gave the spell ‘flower power’ as Sir Danth said.” Liselle gestured to the knight. “As long as there are flowers around, the spell will stay strong.”

  Tathan frowned. “So it’ll die as soon as it hits the oceans or desert?”

  “I don’t think so,” she answered thoughtfully. “The plants and trees like to help my spells too, so as long as there’s a living plant of any sort it’ll continue. I’ve heard that oceans have plants in them, so it could keep going even underwater.” She looked at her hands, not wanting to see anyone’s reaction to that.

  “But not the desert?” Tathan asked.

  Liselle thought about that for a moment before shrugging. “It’s a ring.”

  “A ring?” Tathan persisted.

  “Yes, a ring, a circle. The spell centered from me in a circle and as long as any part of it is touching plant life of any sort, the entire thing will continue. It could even last a day or two without touching plant life.” As the full impact of what she said dawned upon them, awe began to show in their eyes, except for Sir Danth, but awe seeped from the helmet where his eyes would be.

  “So it could go on forever?” Tathan asked. “Is that even possible? Wouldn’t it have to stop somewhere?”

  “It would stop on the other side of the world directly opposite of where Liselle stood when she cast the spell,”
Vevin said. He stood and began pacing as he contemplated. “The world is very large, so it would take a long time at its current speed. Maybe a few centuries or even millennia before it reached that spot.”

  The rest of them exchanged glances. Tathan asked, “What’ll happen when it reaches that spot?”

  Vevin stopped and turned. “Oh my! I honestly don’t know. I’m very curious to find out though.” A smile lit his face. “I’ll most likely be alive when it does. I think I’ll go there, just to see what happens!” He broke into a happy dance.

  Liselle frowned. She didn’t think she’d be alive when it happened. Humans didn’t live that long, and most flowers had even shorter lives, so she had no idea what her own life expectancy was. The idea that Vevin could live without her made her sad.

  Vevin stopped dancing when he saw the look on her face. With a single leap, he was in front of her, wrapping her in his arms. Tathan and Sir Danth looked on, not knowing what to say. After a moment, they readied the horses while the two lovers silently held each other.

  Nothing more was said about the spell or life expectancies of humans and flowers. Liselle and Vevin rode next to each other with legs touching for the rest of the day.

  The companions rode for the next five days, talking and joking about various things. Vevin taught Liselle how to always make certain a spell had an ending. He also taught Tathan and Liselle additional spells and some of the basic theories of magic. No one mentioned it, but all of them were surprised by how voracious the Child of Flowers was for knowledge and how quickly she learned everything presented to her. The raw power she possessed had never had a teacher to hone and shape it before.

  By the time they reached the ancient city of Brondaggiin, Liselle understood magic better than most wizards Tathan had met in his travels.

  Chapter 8

  Mother Tree grew in the middle of Brondaggiin, which was once the capital city of Morhain. The citizens of Morhain vanished in an event called “The Great Disappearing.” Nobody knew how or why they disappeared. They just went ‘poof’ like one of Vevin’s balls of light. Actually, nobody knew if they even made a ‘poof’ sound as it always happened when no one was around.