you don’t want to leave Traveller but you should be back by the time they carry him home.”
Wrenna reluctantly agreed, turning down a narrow rough path that led around the village to Stonehollow, accompanied by Harmony. Breathing a sigh of relief when the enormous dog disappeared in the trees and unsure exactly where to go, he stopped, refusing to go any farther. “What the hell is going on, Jade? Where is this place? Why are all of you blue? And what’s with the fangs and pointy ears? I refuse to go any farther until someone explains something to me!” He stared around wildly at his surroundings. “There are things blooming here! It’s December. What is this place?”
Behind him, he heard Merlyn’s low laughter. “Jade, I figured he would be too stubborn to go, unless we explained everything first.” He led his brother and Jade back to the stone bench near the calm pool in the clearing. “Bish, there’s no way to explain everything in a few minutes but I’ll give you the quick, short version because we need to take care of Traveller. First of all, you’ve arrived in Mystic Valley. Our village, Lost Market, is located over in that direction, past that belt of trees.” He pointed toward a towering spire of rock off in the distance as he watched Bish with deep interest. “You’re doing that goldfish thing again.”
“But—”
“I do vividly remember how we felt when we first arrived but trust me, you’re going to have to accept some things until we have time to give you fuller explanations. Now! Where was I?” he asked Jade. “Oh, yes! There is no way out of this valley—that we’ve been able to locate. A very few people, less that three hundred in the last thousand years, have come through that cave we found you in or one of the other pledging circles. Most of those have been in the last fifty years.”
Bish started to say something and then thought better of it. Merlyn nodded. “Wise choice. Hmm. Dancer came through the passage at pledging circle three about a month ago and he is bonded with our daughter, Eppie. Jade and I have fourteen children, so you’re an uncle several times over. There are about fifteen hundred people in the valley, mostly in small family clans.” His eyes took on an unfocused look and he stopped talking.
“What? What’s going on?” Bishop demanded sharply.
Merlyn sighed. “Trouble. I had hoped to delay it for a while but Wrenna inadvertently spilled the beans.”
Jade covered her mouth with one hand and moaned. “Oh, no. I didn’t even think to tell her not to mention Bishop.”
“Well,” Merlyn said grimly, “she did, so now Dancer’s enraged. You go with Bishop and Traveller back to the village. Llyon, you take care of Traveller. Tyger, see to your mama. Dai and I will go see Dancer and Eppie. Perhaps we can salvage the situation.”
Minutes later, Bishop found himself leading Jade along the path in the wake of the jury-rigged stretcher bearing Traveller. “Why is it a problem for Dancer to know I’m here?” he asked curiously.
“You’re not the problem,” Jade explained patiently. “We are. He doesn’t know that we’re Llewellyns. He’s so angry, and rightfully so, with Fremont that he feels hatred toward all of us. He doesn’t trust anyone related to Free.”
* * * * *
The early morning light barely lit the dark rocky path through the woods to Stonehollow where Eppie and Dancer were spending their seclusion. Wrenna wrapped her shawl close around her shoulders and shivered in the cool air as she hurried along the trail with Harmony keeping pace with her.
“What do you suppose Dancer will think?” Wrenna mused. “I bet they aren’t even awake yet.”
They are awake , Harmony replied with dry amusement. But they ’ re still in bed so you may want to be prepared for a wait .
“I’m not waiting very long,” Wrenna retorted. “Traveller is in a lot of pain. I want to be there where I can help.”
Why not link with him from here ?
Wrenna reluctantly agreed, turning down a narrow rough path that led around the village to Stonehollow, accompanied by Harmony. Breathing a sigh of relief when the enormous dog disappeared in the trees and unsure exactly where to go, he stopped, refusing to go any farther. “What the hell is going on, Jade? Where is this place? Why are all of you blue? And what’s with the fangs and pointy ears? I refuse to go any farther until someone explains something to me!” He stared around wildly at his surroundings. “There are things blooming here! It’s December. What is this place?”
Behind him, he heard Merlyn’s low laughter. “Jade, I figured he would be too stubborn to go, unless we explained everything first.” He led his brother and Jade back to the stone bench near the calm pool in the clearing. “Bish, there’s no way to explain everything in a few minutes but I’ll give you the quick, short version because we need to take care of Traveller. First of all, you’ve arrived in Mystic Valley. Our village, Lost Market, is located over in that direction, past that belt of trees.” He pointed toward a towering spire of rock off in the distance as he watched Bish with deep interest. “You’re doing that goldfish thing again.”
“But—”
“I do vividly remember how we felt when we first arrived but trust me, you’re going to have to accept some things until we have time to give you fuller explanations. Now! Where was I?” he asked Jade. “Oh, yes! There is no way out of this valley—that we’ve been able to locate. A very few people, less that three hundred in the last thousand years, have come through that cave we found you in or one of the other pledging circles. Most of those have been in the last fifty years.”
Bish started to say something and then thought better of it. Merlyn nodded. “Wise choice. Hmm. Dancer came through the passage at pledging circle three about a month ago and he is bonded with our daughter, Eppie. Jade and I have fourteen children, so you’re an uncle several times over. There are about fifteen hundred people in the valley, mostly in small family clans.” His eyes took on an unfocused look and he stopped talking.
“What? What’s going on?” Bishop demanded sharply.
Merlyn sighed. “Trouble. I had hoped to delay it for a while but Wrenna inadvertently spilled the beans.”
Jade covered her mouth with one hand and moaned. “Oh, no. I didn’t even think to tell her not to mention Bishop.”
“Well,” Merlyn said grimly, “she did, so now Dancer’s enraged. You go with Bishop and Traveller back to the village. Llyon, you take care of Traveller. Tyger, see to your mama. Dai and I will go see Dancer and Eppie. Perhaps we can salvage the situation.”
Minutes later, Bishop found himself leading Jade along the path in the wake of the jury-rigged stretcher bearing Traveller. “Why is it a problem for Dancer to know I’m here?” he asked curiously.
“You’re not the problem,” Jade explained patiently. “We are. He doesn’t know that we’re Llewellyns. He’s so angry, and rightfully so, with Fremont that he feels hatred toward all of us. He doesn’t trust anyone related to Free.”
* * * * *
The early morning light barely lit the dark rocky path through the woods to Stonehollow where Eppie and Dancer were spending their seclusion. Wrenna wrapped her shawl close around her shoulders and shivered in the cool air as she hurried along the trail with Harmony keeping pace with her.
“What do you suppose Dancer will think?” Wrenna mused. “I bet they aren’t even awake yet.”
They are awake , Harmony replied with dry amusement. But they ’ re still in bed so you may want to be prepared for a wait .
“I’m not waiting very long,” Wrenna retorted. “Traveller is in a lot of pain. I want to be there where I can help.”
Why not link with him from here ?
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