Gypsy's Quest

by Nikki Broadwell

  The next town was little more than a few ramshackle buildings that included a tiny market and herb store. The suspicious glances I got reminded me of Tolam, changing my mind about purchasing herbs. Instead I quickened my pace, relieved when I saw the large oak tree, the landmark that signaled the new path. Turning right I headed into the forest.

  There was an unnerving quiet under the trees, reminding me of the lost soul area around Amalthea. But I was still days away and this forest was nothing like that jungle. I wondered how many people had once lived here—were there abandoned settlements under the heavy vegetation, the bones of its inhabitants buried with it? With this disturbing thought my nerves began to dance, my mind conjuring shadows in my peripheral vision.

  I took a long drink from my waterskin. Dehydration could cause hallucinations. When I came upon a few upright stones I decided to take a look. Many had completely disintegrated but some remained, their surfaces faintly covered with rune-like markings. There was a strange energy here that drew me. I sat down and closed my eyes, waiting for a vision. After several minutes of nothing happening I stood, brushing off my skirt and laughing at myself. I wasn’t a goddess or even a priestess, most of my abilities a thing of the past. I felt depressed as I moved on, my thoughts on my job in Milltown, how I had helped people searching for answers. Now I couldn’t even help myself.

  It wasn’t long after this that I began to hear rustling and twigs snapping, disturbing signs that someone was following me. I broke into a sweat as I hurried down the path that had now narrowed to the size of a deer trail. But the deer were long gone in these parts and according to Gunnar few animals remained.

  “You certainly keep a fast pace,” a wheezy voice said, the next time I stopped to take a drink. Behind me Foy struggled to catch his breath.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I couldn’t let you go off all alone. A woodland spirit can come in handy, and besides, I was bored.”

  I didn’t know if I was happy or sad to see him but when he laughed I decided he might keep me from sinking further into despair.

  “And look what I brought with me.” He waved a small set of pipes in the air, a goatish smile lighting up his eyes.

  “Are they magic?”

  “They aren’t magic but I am. You must know about Pan and his pipes.” He cocked his head, his light-colored eyes regarding me quizzically.

  “I’ve heard of them but I always thought…”

  “…it was myth.” He shook his head, sighing. “You humans are so sensible. Once in a while you should let go of your preconceived notions about how things work.”

  “If you can get my baby back I’ll believe anything you say.”

  ***

  We walked single file without talking, my nerves calmer with the satyr behind me. I knew he would smell or hear danger long before I did.

  “It’s time to stop for the night.”

  Foy’s pronouncement brought me out of some memory of Rifak and looking around I noticed that the sun was gone, shadows replacing the slanting light that had illuminated the trail. “I must have been in a daze,” I answered, looking back.

  “I know this part of the forest and if I’m not mistaken some of my kind live around here. Shall I take you to them or would you rather pretend they don’t exist?”

  “I never pretended you don’t exist! Why do you say things like that?”

  “Most humans see only what they want to see.”

  “I’m not most humans, and besides that, I consider you my friend.”

  “But how will you feel surrounded with twelve of me? It can be disconcerting.”

  “If they have a fire and shelter I’ll take my chances.”

  We found the satyrs deeper in the forest, their shelters well camoflauged. Without Foy I could have walked right by without noticing the spindly wooden structures covered in leaves and twigs. After Foy called out they all appeared as if by magic, greeting him leisurely, their eyes moving toward me as they talked. Most of the males were taller and broader than Foy, a few of them very handsome and beguiling despite the horns protruding from their heads. They seemed to think I was fair game, circling around alarmingly as they sized me up. “Satyrs and humans can mate,” one told me, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

  “Leave her alone,” Foy called. “She’s with me.” Foy left the female he’d been flirting with, his little hooves moving across the soft dirt and scattering the group of male satyrs. He regarded me with a frown. “Can you manage to stay out of trouble while I…?”

  “While you what?” I asked innocently.

  He pointed to a downed tree a short distance from the camp. “Here’s a safe place. Sit here and have some food. I’ll make sure they don’t bother you.”

  “And where will you be?”

  Foy grinned.

  ***

  Sunlight hit my eyelids early, waking me out of a disturbing dream in which I was fighting Adair using only my fists—an exercise in futility. In the background Rifak crouched like a terrified animal. Before sleep I had struggled through a Tarot reading, the cards again slipping through my fingers as though I’d never handled them before. Why they chose to show themselves to me sometimes and not others was a mystery. The Lovers I understood, but did it refer to Kafir or Brandubh? The Star was reversed, meaning that my spiritual quest was distorted, my inner self, despairing. The five of cups indicated loss and the difficulty of dealing with it. I got no answers, only what I already knew to be true.

  “Are you ready to move on?” Foy asked, his bright eyes staring into mine.

  “I only this moment woke up. Don’t you satyrs drink tea or eat anything in the morning?”

  He shook his head. “If it requires work we avoid it. I took the liberty of refilling your waterskin. Have some of that.”

  Since Foy seemed so intent on leaving, I did as he asked, drinking deeply and then grabbing a hunk of the bread Tara had left for me. I followed him out of the camp without seeing another satyr. Once we were back on the trail he turned my way. “We are late sleepers by nature. I thought it best to leave before anyone woke.”

  “Foy, were you with someone’s wife last night?”

  “We don’t marry like you humans, but there are certain rules. I’m afraid I broke a few.”

  After telling me this Foy brayed, prancing ahead of me up the trail. When he jumped straight into the air his exuberance took away the lingering wisps of my dream, making me laugh.

  ***

  We made it by Amalthea without mishap, skirting the ruined city on the eastern side. Beyond it was an area I had never seen before filled with old lava flows, hissing steam and bubbling pools, the smell of sulphur burning my nostrils. Foy knew his way around it, leading me safely across the mile wide area and into another jungle.

  “There are several of those around here,” he told me, leading the way through the dense undergrowth. “It would be a good place for a murder,” he added, with a sly glance.

  He was right. If someone died here they would never be found again, burned to a crisp in those deep hissing pools. I imagined Adair’s look of horror as I pushed her in. If I could only manage that…

  That night Foy made us a fire and I roasted some potatoes Tara had given me. After eating Foy curled up close to the fire and I made my bed further away underneath a broad limbed tree, pulling my heavy cloak over me. I dreamed of Freyja again, her worried gaze accompanying the prophetic words. “This is a dangerous trip you have undertaken. The sorceress is in Jotunheim as you suspected but with her is the god Loki. You must stay clear of him and his trickster ways. I will do what I can to help but I have very little power in this Utangard realm. I live with my father, Njord, near the southern sea,” she told me, gesturing into the distance. “If you need me, face that direction and call upon me.”

  Before I could reply she was gone, dissolving into the mist that surrounded our little camp.

  “Was that Freyja?” Foy asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

&nbs
p; “You saw her? I thought it was a dream.”

  Foy nodded as though having a goddess visit was commonplace. “Loki is a sly one. I hope we can avoid any confrontation with him.”

  “How can we? They’re together now.”

  Foy shook his head, heading in under the trees away from me. When he reappeared a few minutes later I was heating water for tea. “How far away is the sea?” I asked him.

  “Several days journey on foot. Is that where you want to go?”

  “Freyja mentioned her father, Njord. If we could enlist…”

  “Are you crazy? He’s a god! He’s not going to help you find your child.”

  “Then why is Freyja helping?”

  “Goddesses are more compassionate than gods. For some reason she’s taken it upon herself to protect you. Now if Kafir were here the sea would be an escape route. Unfortunately…” Foy stared at me mournfully. “What happened between you two?”

  “Not anything I want to talk about.”

  ***

  We had been traveling for over two weeks when we came upon Yggrasil’s roots. They spread like enormous snakes, twisting and turning across the terrain as far as I could see. “Tara said to follow them to the east,” I told Foy, kneeling to examine them.

  “Thank Pan the clouds have lifted. Otherwise how would we know which direction to go?”

  I stared at him in surprise. “I thought satyrs had an internal compass.”

  He shook his shaggy head. “One minute you think we don’t exist and the next you ascribe powers to us.”

  “Knowing where east is, is hardly a power…” A crash in the underbrush brought me to my feet. A second later Brandubh appeared, his clothing ripped and filled with bits of twig and leaves. The look in his eyes was wild.

  “My gods! I didn’t think I could catch up with you. Luckily you left an obvious trail.” He sat down heavily next to the fire, running shaking fingers through his hair. “I hope you have some food. I’m starving and I haven’t slept in two days.”

  “I didn’t ask for your help…” I began, but he cut me off, raising his hand.

  “Fehin is my son. Adair is my mother. How could you leave me behind? Thank the gods that I was staying at the Inn. I overheard a woman talking about the misguided quest you’d embarked on all alone.” He pressed his lips together shaking his head. “And to bring along one of those instead of…”

  “One of those?” Foy stared at the man, his goat eyes narrowed.

  “Oh, you can speak.”

  “Of course I can speak, you simpleton!”

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend. I’m really not myself.”

  “Have some food,” I said, hoping to break the tension as I handed him my pack. “And when you’ve recovered you can help us make a plan.”

  ***

  After eating we picked one enormous twisting root and followed it toward where the sun peeked through the trees. The forest had thinned and swirling fog moved across the flat area, the temperature dropping the further we went. My nerves were on edge, every sound making me jump.

  “If the giants are around you’ll know it,” Foy remarked after the third or fourth time of this.

  Brandubh had been strangely quiet and when I looked his way I noticed that his color was not quite right. “Are you sick?” I asked, stopping to lay a hand on his forehead.

  “I might be,” he answered. “I had thought immortality would keep me from something as ordinary as a virus but…”

  “I think you have a fever. We should rest a while.” Brandubh didn’t argue, obediently sitting down with his back against a small oak. I brought my cloak over, pressing it in around his body. “I wish I had some aspirin.”

  “Are there any willows around?” he asked, his eyes closed.

  I looked toward the satyr who answered. “We might find a few here but once we cross into Jotunheim there will be nothing.”

  “If you can bring a twig or two it might bring down my fever.”

  Foy looked toward me. “I guess you expect me to go and do this errand? If I’m not back soon you’d better go on without me.”

  “Why do you say that? We’re not in Jotunheim yet—what is there to be afraid of?”

  “Beasts and savage creatures who cannot survive in either world hang out inbetween. I hope I see you again,” he intoned gloomily, moving off under the trees.

  I hoped he was being overly dramatic, but anything was possible in this freaky fairytale world. When I checked on Brandubh he was shivering violently, his eyes closed. I wriggled underneath the cloak, pressing my body close to his and hoping my warmth would help. When I woke later Brandubh was on his side and I was in a spooning position in front of him, his arm tight around my middle. He was still hot but the shivering had subsided. “Thank you,” he muttered, moving his arm to pull me closer. “I’m so cold.”

  I stayed where I was, listening for Foy’s return. I had no idea how long the satyr had been gone. When I woke again it was because I had to pee. When I extricated myself, Brandubh groaned, curling into a ball. I headed quickly into the bushes, pulling up my skirt as I scanned into the darkness. Something touched my arm as I stood up and the scream that came out of my mouth scared me almost as much as it scared Foy.

  “It’s just me,” Foy whispered. “The willow was further away than I thought.” He handed me a couple of twigs. “Is there anything to eat?”

  “I didn’t make a fire. Get anything you want out of my pack.” I led the way back to the camp, pointing to where my pack lay propped against a downed log.

  “Someone will have to hunt soon,” Foy said, rummaging through my pack. “The freezing temperatures will kill us even if the giants don’t.” He removed a bag of nuts, settling next to the cold firepit to eat.

  “Thanks for that, Foy. It does a lot to boost my confidence.”

  “I’m only telling you the truth. Isn’t that why you brought me along?”

  “I didn’t bring you along—you followed me.”

  “Well, that fact doesn’t change anything. The man is incapable of hunting, fighting or anything else. I think we should leave him here.”

  “I can’t do that! He’s sick.”

  “So what? He’s also a fool.”

  ***

  After giving the willow to Brandubh I spent the rest of the night huddled into a little ball next to him, trying to keep us both warm. He moaned in his sleep, his muttered words mostly indistinguishable, but one sentence was loud and clear. “Fehin, run to me! Get away from him, you hag!” Brandubh rolled on top of me, his arms flailing frantically.

  I was stuck under him, hardly able to breathe. “Brandubh, wake up!”

  When he opened his eyes and saw me, his head went down to my neck, his warm lips finding my bare skin. “I was having a terrible dream,” he mumbled, relaxing into me.

  “Get off! I can’t breathe.”

  His eyes went wide. “Where are we? I thought we were…”

  “Together? Did you slip into the past?”

  “I don’t know. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

  Rose light filtered through the trees indicating the coming dawn. I got to my feet, brushing off the leaves and twigs clinging to my clothing. “Your fever seems to have broken.” I left him where he was, heading to the firepit and trying to suppress the feelings his lips had awakened.

  Foy appeared from under the trees, his goat eyes taking everything in. “Hmm. What have we here?” he asked, his gaze flicking from me to Brandubh.

  “He’s feeling better,” I told the satyr.

  “And why might that be?”

  “Stop it, Foy. Nothing salacious is going on here despite what you think you’re picking up.”

  “Salacious?” Brandubh seemed to emerge from his thoughts, a questioning expression on his face.

  “Just ignore it, Brandubh. Foy likes to make trouble.”

  “I’ve heard that about satyrs,” Brandubh said, coming over next to me to pour some tea.

  ***

 
Our trip took us across barren areas where Yggrasil’s roots disappeared underground, making it difficult to follow them. The weeks of traveling had depleted our food supply just as Foy had warned and any streams to refill the waterskin were long gone, the desolation more complete the closer we drew to Jotunheim.

  “I need food,” Foy muttered when we stopped to rest. “I can’t go on without it.”

  “Don’t you satyrs hunt?” Brandubh asked, taking a drink from the small amount of water we had left.

  “We aren’t meat eaters like you humans,” Foy replied, taking the waterskin from Brandubh. “We eat nuts and fruits and roots but those are in short supply around here.”

  “You’ll have to make do with the cheese we have left,” Brandubh said, breaking off a small piece from the remaining wedge.

  We had been measuring food for days now and coming to the end of our supplies.

  “I haven’t seen an animal or an acorn for a week,” I said, my stomach grumbling. “I guess I didn’t think the food thing through very well. But then again I didn’t expect to have two more mouths to feed.”

  “Oh, so now it’s our fault?” Foy said, frowning at me. “Either one of you could have done some hunting back where there was game. I warned you but you chose to ignore me. We’ll starve or die of dehydration before we even reach Jotunheim.”

  Brandubh came next to me, holding out a tiny piece of cheese. “Eat,” he told me.

  ***

  That night when the temperature plunged I moved next to Brandubh, covering us with my cloak and huddling close. Foy seemed unperturbed by the drop in temperature, his fur acting as insulation.

  “I hate to say this but I’m glad of the cold,” Brandubh whispered into my ear.