Over The Sea by Sherwood Smith Page A

hunched up, feeling the urge to hide.
    â€œThe Shadow,” Clair said. “Don’t worry. Magic wards the people from coming out, and no one wants to go in. They don’t patrol the edges.”
    â€œIt’s so dark,” I muttered.
    â€œBecause Mearsies is right above. I don’t know that it’s right,” Clair added, pointing up at the cloud. “There we sit, getting all the light. Kwenz’s people live in that eternal gloom.”
    That didn’t bother me any. Didn’t villains deserve gloom? They even liked it, at least according to the stories I’d read.
    â€œYow,” I exclaimed, squinting into the Shadow. Under that low, dark sky I could make out the silhouette of a castle built against the side of the mountain. “If that’s not a villain castle, I don’t know what is!”
    â€œIt’s Kwenz’s,” Clair said. “It’s a Chwahir castle, built for war, all walled and ringed and guarded. The stone is all mossy from the years and years of no light, which is why it looks black. There used to be lots of fighting back and forth, which is why no one lives here.” She pointed south. “Good farmland, but empty — called No Man’s Land.”
    â€œLooks like no girls or women, either.”
    She gave me a brief smile, then looked serious. “He was gone for a year or so, until recently. But as yet he hasn’t tried anything against us. I know something’s going on in there.” She rubbed her hands up her arms from her elbows, as if she were cold, though it wasn’t chilly outside. “I wish I knew what.”
    I glanced behind me, as if someone had snuck up and breathed icy air on my neck. Above, clouds were gathering swiftly, closing off the light to the south.
    But Kwenz’ Shadowland was much darker.
    â€œSo who exactly lives there?” I asked.
    â€œChwahir, of course. You’ll know them at once. They all kind of look the same, at least to us,” Clair stated. “Dark hair, pasty skin, mostly flat round faces with mean expressions. From what I’ve read they don’t have much sun in Chwahirsland — too many black magic wardings, and the weather is supposed to be really awful. They live for war there. All the records say so. War and killing. But I guess Kwenz couldn’t get along with all warriors and no one to cook or clean, and so some Mearsieans are in there, too,” she said, looking pained. “That’s why I feel bad about the Shadow.”
    â€œWhy are there Mearsieans in it? Did they get tricked?”
    â€œYes. That’d exactly what happened. The last successful plan of Kwenz’s, just before Jennet got killed. At New Year’s celebration — oh, you don’t know about that. Well, the short explanation is that Kwenz got some people to give out free wine, over in Wesset North, there.” She pointed southwards. “And it was enchanted. The people who drank it — and no one’s supposed to drink on Debt Day of ’Tween Year Week — all turned odd and walked out and went to the Shadow. Most of them had been alone, or in sneaky groups, because of the custom. So no one realized until it was too late, and then they couldn’t stop them. And have been there ever since, because he finished the enchantment when they got there. So there are some of my people living there. As servants.”
    â€œUgh.”
    â€œThere was an awful skirmish not long after, when people from the city tried to attack and free the others. That’s how Sherry’s family got killed.”
    â€œYeuch!”
    â€œI don’t want fighting,” Clair said with conviction. “I have to find some other way to get the people back, and ward Kwenz. He goes back to Chwahirsland from time to time, which is good, but he always returns and tries something awful. His brother is king over there, see, and he’s reputed to be far