Glassmage

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-one

At some point during this part of the tale, Gabrielle had taken Deorwynn’s hands into her own. Now, they sat together in silence.

Gabrielle’s body hummed, her very bones vibrating. She needed to tell Deorwynn what she suspected, but knew the old woman had a bit more to say. Another breeze filled the room and the fire crackled, whispering secrets to itself.

Deorwynn took a long, shuddering breath before speaking again.

“Eadwynn’s rage was a dark, bottomless well. She had me imprisoned before nightfall. I spent, I believe, a bit over a year in the lower part of the castle. At one point, I even discovered a way to escape, but hadn’t the will to do it. For a long time, I felt I deserved my sentence for what I did to Marinelle. Eventually, my sister stopped caring and had me returned here. Since I was the only Glassmage remaining on Kell, my ability was forbidden. I gave up practicing, for she has her ways of detecting the visual effects of the secret art if it is used outside. It didn’t matter, though, for I had no desire to create. I need only to revisit those last moments with Marinelle and wish I could somehow give up my powers completely.”

Gabrielle took a deep breath and said, “Marinelle isn’t dead.”

Deorwynn smiled sadly. “I get lost in thoughts and imagine that, too. That, somehow, she is alive in the past and perhaps trying to find a way back.”

“No,” Gabrielle said patiently. “That’s not what I mean. When Marinelle went through to the other ocean, I think she came into my world. My Grandmother has been collecting these tiny pieces of worn sea glass from her beach for years and years. Some pieces of sea glass were special and she glued them to a wall until it was nearly covered. I found the last piece. There was a bright flash of light and the whole wall of glass turned solid. That’s how I came to your world. I closed my eyes and walked through the wall.”

Deorwynn’s expression was unreadable.

“My Grandmother’s name is Marine. That’s pretty close to Marinelle, isn’t it? And all those pieces of sea glass?”

Deorwynn was nodding. “They are the broken remains of the glass ship destroyed in the storm. Yes. Oh, yes. Marinelle truly was trying to come back to us. She didn’t give up.”

“No,” Gabrielle added. “She just… forgot where she was going. She forgot where home was.”

Deorwynn yawned and her eyes fluttered. Gabrielle helped her to the other side of the room and onto a poor excuse for a bed, nothing more than a rectangular pallet. On a nearby chair sat a stack of folded quilts and she took a few to tuck her in.

“You are my Great Aunt,” Gabrielle said. “We’re family.”

“You are one of us, dear child,” Deorwynn said groggily, “We need to bring your grandmother, our Marinelle, back.”

“Yes, but I don’t know how. When I came through the sea glass, I turned around and there was nothing behind me. The beach was empty.”

“You came through in the morning,” Deorwynn sighed, then fell asleep.

Gabrielle knelt there before the sleeping form and tried to calm her racing mind. So much had just been revealed, it was impossible to process it all. She should have been as exhausted as Deorwynn, but she wasn’t.

At the front door, she listened to the nearby surf and breathed in the wonderful evening air. In a daze, she walked slowly toward the distant beach. The weight of her position grew heavier. This is not America, she thought wildly. I might not even be on Earth.

“You really should get some sleep,” Deorwynn said from behind her.

Gabrielle turned around. “I know,” she said, “I was just thinking—”

But it wasn’t Deorwynn standing between her and the small shanty, though she looked exactly like her.

“I had a strange feeling it wasn’t Deorwynn who caused that flash,” Eadwynn said with a thin smile. “As far as I can tell, she hasn’t drawn sand in two decades. But you, now… who exactly are you, young one? And how is it that you have become a Glassmage?”

“I’m… I’m not—” Gabrielle began, then felt someone grab her from behind. Something warm and wet covered her mouth and nose. She watched Eadwynn move slowly toward her, then all was darkness.