he believed that we both would
be unable to carry tales.”
“He would kill my daughter?”
“He pulled his knife out and had begun his attack,” Jepson
said. “That’s when she pulled her sword from the folds of her habit and
disarmed him. She is a resourceful young woman.”
Sighing, Lord John nodded and pulled Galahad next to
Jepson’s steed. “Come, we can talk as we move forward,” he said. “How bad are
your injuries?”
“The cuts and bruises are not too bad,” Jepson said. “But I
have a least three cracked ribs that are causing me discomfort as I ride. The
magistrate has a large foot.”
Lord John nodded silently, clenching his fists in
anger. “Did she tell you…” he began. “ Did she give you a clue… ”
“She said to tell you she would be fine, just like this
morning.”
“The Old Woods,” he said, nodding his approval. “If they
have the courage to follow her in there, at least she will have the advantage
of knowing the territory.”
He turned to Jepson. “I am going to ride ahead and send Fitz
back to help you. But I need to find Meggie.”
Jepson nodded. “Go, my lord. And God Speed.”
Chapter Twenty
Meaghan woke in darkness and shook her head, trying to
remember where she was. She reached out her hand. Grass? Why am I laying on grass? Then she heard the gurgle of water
near, and she remembered. The
Old Woods.
Pushing herself up, she crawled to the edge of the pond,
cupped her hand and drank deeply of the cold water. It tasted sweet and it not only quenched her
thirst, but as it traveled through her it also seemed to rejuvenate her body. She drank for a few more moments and then
splashed water on her face and her neck. Taking her handkerchief from her waistband, she patted her skin while
she looked around at her surroundings.
The full moon was bright and high in the sky, and grey,
nearly transparent, clouds encircled it like layers of frothy lace. The light
of the moon was reflected in the pond as a long bar of yellow-white light. As
her eyes adjusted, she could see movement in the water. She leaned closer for a
better look and jumped when something splashed in the water next to her. Soft, high-pitched laughter thrummed around
the pond at her reaction.
She looked down in the water, near the splash, and saw a
water sprite dressed in a gown of light green seaweed lounging on a lily pad.
The sprite laughed at her again, and this time Meaghan joined in.
The sprite turned sideways and, using her wings for power,
propelled the lily pad toward the middle of the pond, leaving a tiny wake in
her path. Meaghan followed her progress
and saw that all of the lily pads were also in the center. Suddenly a hush fell on the pond. Even the
frogs stop croaking. Meaghan held her
breath, unsure of what was going to happen next.
The long sweeping branches of the willow trees started to
sparkle, lit by thousands of fireflies, and the entire pond was
illuminated. The sprites on the lily
pads jumped into the air and performed like tiny acrobats, each trailing a
gossamer length of reed that scattered gold dust in its wake. They soared and dove, drawing intricate patterns in the darkened sky above
the pond that lasted for only a moment until the dust slowly fell to the
surface of the water. Suddenly there was a noise from outside the
clearing. The fireflies went dark, the
sprites disappeared, and a giant owl silently flew from a tree above Meaghan
across the pond into the darkness of the trees.
Standing, Meaghan crept back to the log and waited. She heard the noise again, this time a little
closer and a little clearer. Stepping around the log, she ran across the
clearing to the break in the brush and pushed through it, listening again for
the familiar sound.
“Meggie,” her father’s voice called. “Meggie, where are
you?”
“Here Father!” she called, scrambling up the path in the
direction of his voice. “I’m down here.”
A
be unable to carry tales.”
“He would kill my daughter?”
“He pulled his knife out and had begun his attack,” Jepson
said. “That’s when she pulled her sword from the folds of her habit and
disarmed him. She is a resourceful young woman.”
Sighing, Lord John nodded and pulled Galahad next to
Jepson’s steed. “Come, we can talk as we move forward,” he said. “How bad are
your injuries?”
“The cuts and bruises are not too bad,” Jepson said. “But I
have a least three cracked ribs that are causing me discomfort as I ride. The
magistrate has a large foot.”
Lord John nodded silently, clenching his fists in
anger. “Did she tell you…” he began. “ Did she give you a clue… ”
“She said to tell you she would be fine, just like this
morning.”
“The Old Woods,” he said, nodding his approval. “If they
have the courage to follow her in there, at least she will have the advantage
of knowing the territory.”
He turned to Jepson. “I am going to ride ahead and send Fitz
back to help you. But I need to find Meggie.”
Jepson nodded. “Go, my lord. And God Speed.”
Chapter Twenty
Meaghan woke in darkness and shook her head, trying to
remember where she was. She reached out her hand. Grass? Why am I laying on grass? Then she heard the gurgle of water
near, and she remembered. The
Old Woods.
Pushing herself up, she crawled to the edge of the pond,
cupped her hand and drank deeply of the cold water. It tasted sweet and it not only quenched her
thirst, but as it traveled through her it also seemed to rejuvenate her body. She drank for a few more moments and then
splashed water on her face and her neck. Taking her handkerchief from her waistband, she patted her skin while
she looked around at her surroundings.
The full moon was bright and high in the sky, and grey,
nearly transparent, clouds encircled it like layers of frothy lace. The light
of the moon was reflected in the pond as a long bar of yellow-white light. As
her eyes adjusted, she could see movement in the water. She leaned closer for a
better look and jumped when something splashed in the water next to her. Soft, high-pitched laughter thrummed around
the pond at her reaction.
She looked down in the water, near the splash, and saw a
water sprite dressed in a gown of light green seaweed lounging on a lily pad.
The sprite laughed at her again, and this time Meaghan joined in.
The sprite turned sideways and, using her wings for power,
propelled the lily pad toward the middle of the pond, leaving a tiny wake in
her path. Meaghan followed her progress
and saw that all of the lily pads were also in the center. Suddenly a hush fell on the pond. Even the
frogs stop croaking. Meaghan held her
breath, unsure of what was going to happen next.
The long sweeping branches of the willow trees started to
sparkle, lit by thousands of fireflies, and the entire pond was
illuminated. The sprites on the lily
pads jumped into the air and performed like tiny acrobats, each trailing a
gossamer length of reed that scattered gold dust in its wake. They soared and dove, drawing intricate patterns in the darkened sky above
the pond that lasted for only a moment until the dust slowly fell to the
surface of the water. Suddenly there was a noise from outside the
clearing. The fireflies went dark, the
sprites disappeared, and a giant owl silently flew from a tree above Meaghan
across the pond into the darkness of the trees.
Standing, Meaghan crept back to the log and waited. She heard the noise again, this time a little
closer and a little clearer. Stepping around the log, she ran across the
clearing to the break in the brush and pushed through it, listening again for
the familiar sound.
“Meggie,” her father’s voice called. “Meggie, where are
you?”
“Here Father!” she called, scrambling up the path in the
direction of his voice. “I’m down here.”
A
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