Aspasia

Chapter 11

  >Quinn<      

         The sun shone through a window I hadn't seen when I came last night. I sat up in the large bed. What had happened last night? Who was the stranger? Had I died. On the edge of the bed was a plate. It was heaped with eggs and bacon. On the end table sat a large glass of orange juice. I pushed the nightmare from my mind. I ate the breakfast quickly. When I finished I saw my newly clean clothes on a large vanity. My shoes and socks on the ground. The harness sat on the ground. The swords next to it neatly polished. I set the plate aside. I walked to my clothing. Throwing the night gown off I dressed quickly. I was just pulling on my first boot when Anna ran into the room. I smiled a greeting. “Hey Anna. What's up?”  

          “Not much. I just got up.” I noticed her clothing was newly cleaned as well. 

          “Same here. Did you eat?”

              “Yep. Is it just me or is Athena scary the way she knows everything about us?”

          “Sort of,” I shrugged.

          “I know where we need to go next,” Anna smiled.

          “What?” I asked.

           “The map on the far wall showed where the rest of our group is. I copied it. The closest to us is Sadira. She's in the mountains. We can get there in an afternoon.” Anna finished as I finished tying and putting on both my shoes. I pulled myself to my feet. I slid on the harness, and then slid the swords into their spots. “Let’s go find James,” Anna said with a wide smile. I laughed quietly. We walked out of my room and headed to the front of the cave. There we found James and Athena. James was browsing the bookcase. Athena was hovering over a large leather book. James turned when we walked into the room. He smiled when he saw Anna. Then gave me a nod. I nodded back. “Morning you two,” Anna chirped happily.

                   “So where to now?” James asked.

                   “The mountains for Sadira. We should leave soon,” I told him. He nodded.

                “It's an afternoons walk away,” Athena told us. “You should leave if you want to get there before sunset.” We all agreed. We decided to head out right away. Athena gave Anna a bag of food which Anna put in her bag.  While they were doing this I again saw a flash of fire. I turned, but nothing was there. What was that? Was I going crazy? I turned back to Anna, Athena, and James. We finished thanking Athena for her help. Then we said our goodbyes. “Oh, Anna do you have the book? It’s a gift from Miranda and I. We do have more gifts for you three,” Athena said. She whispered a few words in her native language. Out of air came three weapons. In front of us appeared a hunting knife, a quarterstaff and two throwing axes.  Also, a harness for the axes. It was made of brown leather and strapped across the chest, like my swords.

        “My weapon of choice,” James said with a smile. He strapped it on himself with a smile. Anna picked up the quarterstaff. I slid the knife into my boot.

      “Both are magic. You don't have to worry about losing them. I have one more gift,” she said as she flew to the bookcase. She gently tugged on a small book with a white cover. Anna took the book in her hands. She opened it to a shiny golden page. It was missing words. “What is it for?” Anna asked.

      “It will tell you anything you need to know. Also it will present each new person with a weapon. It’s a small gift from Miranda,” Athena said vaguely. We pestered her with more questions, but she told us nothing else. Anna slipped the book into her bag with a confused smile. With that done we headed out of the cave. We passed the waterfall heading to the right. Following a stone path we headed into the bright sunshine. I blinked in the bright sun. The sun shone off the water creating a beautiful effect.  It was a warm day. Signaling to my friends we headed down the river. The sun was high in the sky. We headed in the direction of the mountains. The river rushed in the same direction we were walking. Anna reached into her bag and pulled out her new book. She read and walked. James had to catch her every once in a while when she tripped. Anna read to us about the fairies in her book.  Every once in a while she would come upon an odd fairy, and would laugh. Other than that we walked in silence. We would exchange pleasantries. Along the way we stopped for lunch by the river. We ate in quite silence. I was listening for pursuers. I thought I saw Merlcok and his gang once or twice.  We packed up our lunch and once again followed the river.  Anna put away her book. James told us what had been happening in the castle. He told us about his job.