Chapter 4-(Amaranthe)-The Day of Reckoning





"Amaranthe," Pedar panted. "Do you not think of the consequences?"
I pressed my boot to the shovel, and tossed the hard dirt over my shoulder. "May I beseech you to specify, Pedar? Consequences of what action?"
"Well, forgive me, but . . . this." He said, waving his laced hand around frivolously. "This whole situation. Don't you think that my father will scorn you for making the only prince of the kingdom dirty from manual labor? And I also have to wonder, you understand, as your friend . . . why on earth would you want to dig a hole again? Isn't this your fourth try?"
"It's my third, I believe." I stopped, pondering as I leaned against the shovel. "Labor isn't so bad for you every other day or so, so you cannot argue that I am causing your death, as I am in actuality preserving your life. As for the latter . . . perhaps curiosity?"
"You are curious whether or not fifteen feet below the foot will kill you, Amaranthe?" he asked archly.
"That would be unfortunate, I suppose, but Cosmas is smarter than to set a trap like that. I'm thinking that the barrier has to end at thirty or fifty feet below us, but I can't be so sure. And then there's a problem even then; if I do find the gap, I have to find out how to dig upwards. It's very perplexing when I can't use my magic."
"Amaranthe . . . your sense of humor is baffling the normal human mind, isn't it?"
I shrugged nonchalantly, sticking my spade in the ground. "Perhaps. I wouldn't know what a normal human is, as you're aware of, Pedar. I believe you've helped me dig enough, now. Four feet in about two hours is quite a lot. I'll finish by tomorrow morning."
"You can't dig eleven more feet in less than a day." he protested, but all the same, he climbed out of the hole and held his hand out to me.
"I will. I normally have to use a potion that softens the ground, but with you here, I saw no need to tamper with Nature as much."
He grabbed my wrists delicately, knowing I didn't truly need his help at all, as I lifted my leg and hopped up onto the grass.
He wiped the sweat off his royal brow, sighing. "I think you only want me to smell for the princess I have to meet tonight. Clever of you."
"Perhaps in the back of my mind I thought to sabotage your future marriage for you. But perhaps I didn't." I smiled slowly, knowing the smirk on my face was impish.
Pedar huffed good-naturedly-he always carried such a pleasant and soothing air about him-and used his white, satin-covered thumb to clean something off my jaw. "You have a bit of dirt on you, flower."
My smile disappeared immediately as I glowered. I pushed him away before I spun. "You should go meet your princess before she worries." I snapped. "I told you too many times not to call me that, Peter! I will really turn you into a frog permanently if you don't stop. Truly, I will."
"I . . . forget myself. I'm sorry, Amaranthe."
"You should be. I've told you several times to stop that. What if Cosmas starts ranting about how we make a good match? What will we do if your father thinks so as well, if only for the sake of not losing connection with the only credible wizard in the province?" I rubbed my temples, exasperated. "I don't wish for any such marriage between us. You're my friend, and you deserve someone you love."
Unspoken in the back of my mind was a dark whisper; he deserves someone who can carry love within them. He was pleasant. He ought to have pleasance for all his life.
I heard Pedar sigh heavily again. "Yes."
I turned. "Do you have a headache-"
Something tingled in my nostrils, burning. There was a wild scream of a cat, and a monstrous splash and gurgle of water.
I went rigid.
And then turned on my heel and ran towards the pond.
"Amaranthe?"
I could hear Pedar chase after me, but he was too soft and cultured to run as fast as me, and I knew the land like every wrinkle in my palm. I knew where to jump and just how high I needed to, I knew where there were low tree branches, and holes in the ground made by rabbits and other game, and I knew where to go to get around the maze of bushes and plants.
I think I was also aware of what was happening, in the back of my mind, too.
And I was fully conscious of the fact that I was just seconds too late to stop it.
I burst from the foliage easily, just in front of the southern pond, and felt my eyes flick to the slightly blurry figures before me as my nostrils flared from the run. Cosmas was standing over the water, throwing a bright turquoise cloth delicately over a writhing, hissing form beneath him.