approve.”
“I am going. You cannot stop me,” Charla stubbornly repeated. “I will go on my own if I have to, but we should go together. Three together will have a better chance to survive this island than one alone. A threefold cord is not easily broken.”
“Charla, we cannot stop you, but I think you should go back,” Ben said. Charla said nothing. It was clear that she had no intention of returning to Fairwaters without Brina and the crown.
Jared said nothing, but it was clear that he wanted nothing to do with a changeling.
“Well Jared, your dream said three would go.”
“But I never dreamed a mer changeling would be one of the three. We can’t trust her. She will betray us.”
“I don’t like this any better than you do, Jared, however, I have enough experience with Charla to know that she will try on her own if we do not let her come with us. Who knows, maybe we’ll be glad to have her along.” Ben said these last words without conviction. He could not imagine ever being happy for the mermaid’s company. “Jared, you must promise not to harm Charla if you want to come with me,” Ben continued.
Jared paused briefly, before responding, “I promise before the Creator of all Worlds, and in the name of my honored ancestors to be true to my word. I, Jared, son of Minro, son of Jared, son of Petra, son of Gill will do everything I can to protect and prolong the life of Charla, mer changeling, at least until we have found the crown and rescued my brother. So I have vowed and so I will do. If it is not so, may I be cut off from my ancestors in that place beyond death, and my name be forgotten among my people.”
“Well,” Ben breathed, clearly taken back by Jared’s vow. “Just one more thing. You need to extend that agreement till Charla is back in the sea.”
“Agreed,” Jared responded.
“Charla, I want your promise that you will do nothing to hurt Jared,” Ben said, adding, “or I will go with Jared and you will be left alone.”
The mermaid nodded reluctantly. "I will do no harm to this tree ape."
“That is settled then. Put away your weapons,” Ben commanded.
Jared returned his knife to its sheath and went to look for his spear. Charla slid her spear into its holder. Relief flooded through Ben. His hands shook. His legs felt weak. Ben knelt down on the ground. He leaned forward with his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes, Ben saw footprints. “Someone came this way,” Ben said, his voice shaking.
“It was my brother Gill,” Jared stated with conviction.
“I may be able to follow the trail. It is one of the strange things they teach us at school.”
“I will catch some fish for our supper,” Charla said. Charla’s words brought a smile to Jared’s face that was quickly replaced by a scowl as Charla resumed her fish tail and disappeared into the small pond below the waterfall. Jared thought seriously of refusing anything Charla caught. He did not want to be beholden to this Changeling any more than he already was, but not eating might take away the strength he needed to climb a mountain and find his brother. In the end he made up his mind to eat.
“I don’t suppose you have matches?” Ben asked.
“What are matches,” Jared replied.
“I was afraid you might say that,” Ben stated.
“Well, what are matches?”
“Something to start a fire with,” Ben responded.
“I have fire rocks. But fish is just as good raw as it is cooked. And a fire might draw the attention of a treg or some other creature.”
Their conversation ended with Charla’s return. She threw a fat fish on the shore before disappearing into the water again. Jared had the first fish filleted when Charla came back with a second. He handed the first one to Ben. Ben stared at it, completely turned off by the idea of eating raw fish. He sat there holding the raw fish in his
“I am going. You cannot stop me,” Charla stubbornly repeated. “I will go on my own if I have to, but we should go together. Three together will have a better chance to survive this island than one alone. A threefold cord is not easily broken.”
“Charla, we cannot stop you, but I think you should go back,” Ben said. Charla said nothing. It was clear that she had no intention of returning to Fairwaters without Brina and the crown.
Jared said nothing, but it was clear that he wanted nothing to do with a changeling.
“Well Jared, your dream said three would go.”
“But I never dreamed a mer changeling would be one of the three. We can’t trust her. She will betray us.”
“I don’t like this any better than you do, Jared, however, I have enough experience with Charla to know that she will try on her own if we do not let her come with us. Who knows, maybe we’ll be glad to have her along.” Ben said these last words without conviction. He could not imagine ever being happy for the mermaid’s company. “Jared, you must promise not to harm Charla if you want to come with me,” Ben continued.
Jared paused briefly, before responding, “I promise before the Creator of all Worlds, and in the name of my honored ancestors to be true to my word. I, Jared, son of Minro, son of Jared, son of Petra, son of Gill will do everything I can to protect and prolong the life of Charla, mer changeling, at least until we have found the crown and rescued my brother. So I have vowed and so I will do. If it is not so, may I be cut off from my ancestors in that place beyond death, and my name be forgotten among my people.”
“Well,” Ben breathed, clearly taken back by Jared’s vow. “Just one more thing. You need to extend that agreement till Charla is back in the sea.”
“Agreed,” Jared responded.
“Charla, I want your promise that you will do nothing to hurt Jared,” Ben said, adding, “or I will go with Jared and you will be left alone.”
The mermaid nodded reluctantly. "I will do no harm to this tree ape."
“That is settled then. Put away your weapons,” Ben commanded.
Jared returned his knife to its sheath and went to look for his spear. Charla slid her spear into its holder. Relief flooded through Ben. His hands shook. His legs felt weak. Ben knelt down on the ground. He leaned forward with his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes, Ben saw footprints. “Someone came this way,” Ben said, his voice shaking.
“It was my brother Gill,” Jared stated with conviction.
“I may be able to follow the trail. It is one of the strange things they teach us at school.”
“I will catch some fish for our supper,” Charla said. Charla’s words brought a smile to Jared’s face that was quickly replaced by a scowl as Charla resumed her fish tail and disappeared into the small pond below the waterfall. Jared thought seriously of refusing anything Charla caught. He did not want to be beholden to this Changeling any more than he already was, but not eating might take away the strength he needed to climb a mountain and find his brother. In the end he made up his mind to eat.
“I don’t suppose you have matches?” Ben asked.
“What are matches,” Jared replied.
“I was afraid you might say that,” Ben stated.
“Well, what are matches?”
“Something to start a fire with,” Ben responded.
“I have fire rocks. But fish is just as good raw as it is cooked. And a fire might draw the attention of a treg or some other creature.”
Their conversation ended with Charla’s return. She threw a fat fish on the shore before disappearing into the water again. Jared had the first fish filleted when Charla came back with a second. He handed the first one to Ben. Ben stared at it, completely turned off by the idea of eating raw fish. He sat there holding the raw fish in his
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