by HC MacDonald
When I got there, there was still a light on in the main room. I rushed up the porch and threw the door wide open. Surprise hit me at once. There seated comfortably was Raina. Her eyes wide with surprise. I was so angry that they were here and not waiting for me. I blurted out, “Where have you been.”
My sister immediately scolded me. I was being played the fool. Embarrassment rushed to my face. Was there a note? I was to busy worrying that I hadn’t noticed. I was angry at Ethan for telling Sanna. I should have known better. Sanna was not one to let things lie. I walked out of their home and slammed the door shut to make my point.
I cooled down by the time I got home. Glad that Raina and the children were safe and taken care of. Glad that they were still here. In the back of my mind I was jealous of my sister for snatching her away from me. Tomorrow was a new day, I would get some answers before seeing Raoul. I would go over first thing in the morning, talk with her until I had to met up with Raoul. Raina and I would be able to spend time together. Then we would have all evening as a family. The thought put a smile on my face. Then I remembered the ceremony and my smile disappeared. I only had the morning. I would make the best of it I thought. Trying to be positive. I laid down to get some rest.
Chapter 14
Market
Raina
Morning came fast. It was a pleasant night. No nightmares, no fussing, no playing nursemaid. Just a quiet, peaceful night. It would be great when this was a regular occurrence in our lives. My mind drifted to the tasks of the day. Today was going to be busy. I stretched out my legs and arched my back. I felt no pain in my ankle or on my arm. I took the bandage off my ankle. If it wasn’t for the faint scar from my knife cut, you would never have know I was injured. I went to the washroom to look at my shoulder. Both the cut on my arm and bite in my shoulder gone. I decided to test the agility and movement so I began flapping my arms and waving it about while jumping and shaking my ankle.
I didn’t realize Sanna was watching me until I heard the uncontrollable laughter that attacked me from the main room. My cheeks red, I turned just in time to see water come shooting out of Sanna’s nose. We both began laughing.
“It’s the lotion. It’s a special potion to heal. You should be back to normal.” Sanna added between laughs. With a smile on my face we began the day.
We started the day at the village market. There were vendors with every kind of ware available. I looked at Sanna.
“I don’t have anything to barter with.”
Sanna just laughed. “I know, you have nothing to worry about. This is a gift from us to you.” She said with a smile and partial squeeze of her arm around my shoulders.
“Thank you,” I said again regretting the fact we had to leave. I enjoyed our brief time together. I was sad to see it end. I didn’t want to think about the loss, so I focused on the wonder of the market. Sanna took me first to a clothing cart. Sanna was great at picking out the right sizes to fit the kids. We held them up, hem and hawed, then finally decided. When we had finished we found two durable outfits for each of them.
Next we ventured into a shop with clothing my size. I was overwhelmed. I let Sanna pick out a couple outfits for me. Tried them on. Then off we went. We stopped at the tonics peddler and she got me some healing lotion. I was most excited about this. Other than food, it was something I thought would be of use.
Next we headed to a basket weaver and found two over the shoulder bags. Perfect for our supplies. On to the butcher, where Sanna picked up jerky and dried meats. This would quicken our journey allowing us to eat on the walk. Then last to the farmers cart. There were all manner of fruits and vegetables. Many I had never before seen. Sanna riffled through the selection and filled a bag with a variety. I was grateful she was here to help.
We had wrapped up our shopping. When on the way back we passed a toy vender. Sanna stopped. She picked up a rag doll. It wasn’t anything grand. My mind took me back to when I was a girl and had one of my own. The ache in my heart manifested. My mother all alone. My father, dead. I watched as she set it down and picked up a wooden horse and cart. Wyatt would adore that. I didn’t say a word. Instead I watched in silence. She had the vendor wrap up the horse and cart, and two dolls. We were lucky to have Sanna as a friend. We were almost out of the hustle of the market when we ran into Ethan.
“Where are the kids?” Sanna asked surprised.
“With my mom.” Ethan stated as if we should have known. “I went to the cart maker and had this done for Raina!” He almost shouted excitedly.
Behind him was a wooden cart. He showed us all the features. It had a pull out drawer on the bottom for all three children to sleep on. When it was pushed in, it sat all three or provided enough room for two to lay down. It had a hammock on top sturdy enough for a child to sleep on. The wooden rails moved to straighten the hammock into a cover when the drawer was pulled all the way out. It had baskets hanging from the canopy. A bar in the back to push the cart. A lever in the front to pull with. Ethan even said he tested it. “If the slope isn’t two steep, you can all sit in the cart and coast down the hills. Beware of making sharp turns,” he chuckled. Holding up a scrapped arm.
He continued saying, “You may find it doesn’t take sharp turns to well.” At that we all laughed. Then came the piece of resistance; a hidden sleeve were in was a long blade. Ethan was smiling from ear to ear. So proud of his contribution. I had to admit, I was impressed. Sanna patted him on the shoulder and nodded, “You did good.”
With our new found cart and all our supplies we were ready to go. Sanna helped me get the cart ready for tomorrow. Blankets were added for comfort and warmth. All our supplies loaded into the wagons and baskets. It had taken all morning and into the afternoon, but we were done. I think we both were confident in moving forward with our travel plans.
Now that we were packed for tomorrow, Sanna and her mother-in-law Ethel took me to get ready for the nights activities. Ethan was sent on errands, and the children were having an afternoon nap. Alone, they explained to me how it worked.
“First dinner. Everyone arrives and the banquet begins. Then the couple will arrive and start the first dance. The orbs of light in the sky will enchant the couple causing their scents to be magnified. This is needed for the couple to imprint their scent onto one another.” They told me.
Sanna continued, “We are to watch. Then the Village Leader initiates the ceremony. This is Leon. He will address the crowd instructing them of the sanctity of marriage. He is followed by Elder Raoul who initiates the enchantment that begins the mating test. The female is hidden amongst all the eligible women of the village. (She was quick to point out that included me.) Her mate is blinded by enchantment as well as any male of age that is unmated. They are sent to pick out their mate based solely on scent. When he finds her, they dance. All the other males will choose then and everyone dances. Ethan and I, will be able to dance together here as well. He doesn’t go thru the enchantment since we are already mated.”
She went on to say. “Once the dance is over the enchantment is broken. The identity of the chosen mate revealed. According to the Elders, this helps those eligible find a mate for courting. At the end of the dance, you can give your locket to your dance partner if you want him to pursue you. The ceremony is then sealed by Elder Raoul. Dancing and more dining take over the rest of the evening. It is always a wonderfully enchanted evening.” Sanna said with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Then she squinted her eyes and bent her head low to my ears. I knew a juicy peace of gossip was coming. “Sometimes they pick wrong. When they can’t find the right mate, the ceremony ends and he is not allowed to mate again until permission from the council is granted.
“Either way,” Ethel chimed in, “it is a great party with a fabulous dress.”
I was nervous. I didn’t have a dress to wear. I was still convinced this was a bad idea. Sanna said she had everything covered. Sanna began by doing my hair and Ethel worked on her hair. Then I watched as Ethel highlight
ed Sanna’s face with special lotions. They looked at me. “Your next.” Both of them began putting lotions and powders on my face. It felt foreign and heavy to me. I looked in the small hand held mirror she had asked me to hold. The face that stared back at me glowed with soft rosy pink cheeks, lips a deep varnish red in color. Eyes dusted in sparkle like the deep blue sea making my eyes a bright vivid blue. My skin looked invitingly soft and subtle to touch. I raised my fingers but was to nervous to touch my own face in fear I would rub it off and ruin the art work she had done. I didn’t recognize myself.
Once our hair and faces were done Sanna pulled out a glittering dress to change into. She wore a floor length gown with a square neckline. The sleeves were dark at the shoulders and virtually transparent by they time it reached her wrists. It was tailor made to fit her body perfectly. Molding to every inch of her slender frame. The color was vibrant, of twilight shifting to darkness. It highlighted the deep purple of her eyes. As she moved it looked like the hues of night stretching over her body. Changing from light violet to a deep purple. The locket she wore was the same color as her gown. It to changed colors going light and dark as she moved. Always matching the shade of the dress. She was stunning.
I tried straightening the blue shirt she had given me the other day and was trying my best to press out the wrinkles in my skirt. Sanna looked at the clock on the wall, then began pacing. Ethan wasn’t home yet. Before she could wear a hole in the floor, in he came. With him, dark dress robes in one hand and a white box tied with a blue bow in the other. He whistling and howled at Sanna as she walked toward him. Sanna took the box from his hands and walked into the bedroom. Ethel and I followed suit.
She pulled out of the box another floor length gown as beautiful and glittery as her own. It wasn’t exactly the same as Sanna’s but very similar. This floor length gown flared just above the knees giving the image it was floating on water. The neckline was scooped and the sleeves were long giving way to transparency just past the elbows. It was the color of the sea and with every movement changed into shades of deep blues and pale greens. As I moved the gown, it reminded me of the tide rolling in and out. I was speechless. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life and she had handed it to me.
I couldn’t help the tears that flowed. She quickly handed me some tissue and instructed me to blot my eyes. She to was crying. We hugged and she helped me get into the dress. I needed a moment to myself. I finally had the courage to look in the full length mirror. I still didn’t recognize the person before me. No more a scrap of a girl eight years old running in the shadows, in its place an attractive young women. When had I left my childhood behind and become this person I thought?
Leaving her room I entered the main room where Ethel, Ethan and Sanna were waiting. We bid Ethel goodbye, and off we went. As Ethan had said, “The best looking man with the two best looking gals. I’ll be the envy of the party.” I knew he was being nice, but the way he looked at Sanna told me he appreciated her in more ways than one tonight.
Down the path we strolled toward the ceremonial grounds. My apprehension growing with every step.
Chapter 15
Ceremony
Leon
I had gone to Sanna’s that morning and the lot of them were gone. Ethel was watching the little ones. She told me they had to get supplies. I was frustrated. I wanted to spend time with her. Raoul had questions I was to ask. Now what? I couldn’t help feeling exasperated. I assessed my situation and ran my fingers through my hair. I decided I would head into town to get my robes for tonight and my errands done.
In town I ran into Ethan. He was headed into the carpenters shed. “Where’s Raina?” I blurted out a little to angry. I wasn’t upset with him. I was upset at the circumstances.
He winked at me, “Shopping with your sister. Good luck separating her from Sanna.” I knew he was right. Sanna would get her way. If she wanted Raina with her, she would keep her. I would just have to wait.
“When will they be back?” I questioned.
“Probably around lunch time. Do you want me to tell Sanna your coming over?” Ethan replied.
I ran my hand thru my hair and replied, “No, I have to meet with Raoul then. Maybe after?”
“Nope, Sanna has her roped into the ceremony tonight; and I am not going to be the one to tell Sanna that Raina can’t go.” Ethan was waving his finger at me and shaking his head no. I didn’t blame him. Sanna was a tough one to argue with. He was a brave man for marrying her.
I ran my hands across my face. Defeated. “You wouldn’t know if she is one of us would you?”
“Sanna knows more about her past, but what she shared with me, I would think not. Came from a regular village on the West coast somewhere. We don’t know of any packs or villages like ours that way. You should ask Sanna though. Hey, I got to go. See you tonight then.”
“Yeah, see you then.” I walked away headed to my next errand before meeting Raoul.
It was just after lunch as I strolled to the Atheneum. Raoul was waiting. I was eager to find out what he had learned. There were so many questions. I was still in a foul mood from not being able to talk with Raina myself. To top it off, Sanna knew more about her then I did. Frustration was eating at me.
I made it to the door and ran down the winding staircase. Raoul was waiting for me at a table filled with books. Some open, some in piles. I sat down across from him in one of the fine leather crafted chairs that filled the Atheneum. Quietly I waited for him to start.
“Finding answers has proved to be a challenge.” Raoul stated. “There is very little knowledge on the Koboldrone. I would like to speak with her tomorrow.”
“I will see what I can do. Are you to say, that we have no more answers then we did before.” I asked.
Raoul rubbed his chin. “Is she one of us?” He asked patiently.
“No, what does that mean?” I said with anxiety in my voice.
Raoul continued to rub his chin. He began shifting books and opening to marked pages within. Turning a dusty torn book around, he pointed to a passage. “I had originally thought,” he started in a calculated and thought provoked statement, “if she was one of us.” He paused. “Perhaps, you were not fully captured into the spell, allowing for her scent to arouse your mating desire. The animal in you awakened was enough to break the spell on your soul.” Raoul rubbed his chin some more and tapped to the pages in front of me.
“But that is not the case is it?” I replied asking myself as much as I was asking Raoul. “How is it that she was not affected by the Koboldrone?”
We went around in circles, asking questioning, searching, theory after theory being disproved. Nothing made sense. The more we searched, the more questions Raoul and I had.
“I wonder.” Raoul spoke to himself. He left the table and went in search of a book. I sat waiting for him to return. He arrived back with a small white leather clad book. It had strange writings on the spine. I did not know what language it was. Raoul set it on the table and began searching the pages. It looked from my angle to be genealogy charts. I was confused how this would help us. I stood up and began to pace. We had no more answers then when we started. Raoul continued flipping thru the pages.
Raoul whispered again, “I wonder?”
I practically screamed at him, frustration mounting, “What do you wonder?”
“This is the record of when magic came to be. The first holders and conductors of magic. Alaric was a wise man who lived over 600 years ago. In his travels he discovered a way to manipulate and alter his reality. He knew this gift should not be given to only one man. He went about teaching and sharing this gift with others. Some he taught the power to fly. Others he taught the powers to shift. To some potions and talismans, others teleportation. Never teaching any person or group, more than a single gift. Alaric in his wisdom wanted there to be balance.
Generation after generation passed, all living in peace. He married in his old age and had a son and a daughter. All his knowledg
e was passed by the fates only to his son, unbeknownst to Alaric. When Alaric found out, he bound his son, Latif, from using his magic. Eventually Alaric died and with it the bind that held his son. His son gained an instant knowledge of all things.
Latif was a powerful, yet kind wizard. Only doing good. He married and had two boys. Each son gaining the knowledge and power as he did. Unlike his father, he did not bind his sons. He taught them how to use magic. Eventually Latif died. In his place as wizard, left his sons, Alastair and Nezra. Nezra was jealous of his brother. He sought to kill him. As far as anyone knows he did. It has been over 200 years. It is said Nezra used his magic to extend his life. Upon the death of his brother he became more powerful than his grandfather ever was.” Raoul took a slow breath then looked back at the charts that had ended.
“What became of the daughter of Alaric?” I asked.
Raoul shook his head. “According to the charts, she died young. Drowned in the river. Her father could not save her from death.
“And Alastair, any children?” I wanted to know.
“A single unknown named daughter. She is shown to be ungifted. It also says she married a young man according to the book then nothing more is mentioned. That was over 100 years ago.” Raoul commented.
“So, how does this help us with answers?” I asked, still confused as to why we went off on this tangent.
Raoul leaned forward in his chair and said, “When I was a boy my grandfather had told of a traveler that came to our village. He taught us how to make the potions and talismans that we use today. I wonder if the same happened to her village, if they were taught by the traveler how to break curses.” Raoul sat quietly rubbing his chin. “My grandfather always thought it was Alastair who ventured into his village. Swore he looked liked this.” At that Raoul turned the book toward me and I saw the picture he was pointing to. I stared at the drawing. His green painted eyes staring back at me. Raoul looked from me to the book. Confusion was still etched over my face.
