Sun glimmered against the rippling lake that the twins were playing in. Laughter filled the air. A long-forgotten peace fell between the two as if the water had washed away the terrors of the last month. Alanis' cheeks ached from smiling, and she twisted to avoid the water flying towards her. She flicked her wrists and sent a wave over Rhistel. The liquid hissed and evaporated into smoke when it touched the elf.
"Tha's cheatin'," accused Rhistel. "No usin' our powers durin' a fight."
"Says who? Nae an adult here tae tell me what tae do." A small watery boat formed between the two. Alanis gleeful expression about her creation fell when two fireballs destroyed her ship. Her bottom lip stuck out. "Ye'll pay fer tha'."
Tendrils of fire twisted before her. "Now we're talkin'." Rhistel backed up into shallower water.
Knuckles cracked and muscles twitching, Alanis poised herself. The water was her ally, and she had no worries about winning this battle.
"Sorry to interrupt this mutiny." Kraneia's body rose from behind a nearby hill. "The ship's been spotted, and Sen wants everyone to prepare for its arrival."
Alanis told the dryad that they'd be down shortly. Not waiting for the twins, Kraneia left.
Rhistel grumbled, "Two days. We only got two days to relax, that cannae be fair."
"Am hopin' they'll let us bring a couple of flasks of that blackberry liqueur." Alanis winked.
It didn't take long to change into dry clothes. The earth-toned flannels the fauns had gifted them were soft against Alanis' skin. The dry clothes soaked up any remaining water droplets on her body, insulating her well. Twig had refused to join them in the lake, quoting that they were insane to do so in the cold.
A hot hand rubbed her back. "Cannae have ye dyin' from a cold after everythin'."
"Thanks, Ma."
"Welcome, Waterbug."
Alanis sighed. "Ye know a hate tha' nickname."
"Ma calls ye it. A see no problems callin' ye it too."
"Well, a cannae well tell Ma a hate the nickname she loves so much. Ye, however, can go suck a-"
"That's not nice tae say, Waterbug." Rhistel ran down the hill, Alanis close on her heels.
Halfway down, Alanis spotted someone. "What's Kraneia doin'?"
The old dryad stood several feet away, an unreadable expression on her face. Her braided hair dragged on the ground as Kraneia crouched.
"What's she doin'?" asked Rhistel.
Alanis shrugged. "Who knows."
The dryad spotted the twins and brought a finger to her lips. Her eyes flickered from them to the left. Following the direction of her gaze, Alanis saw another figure through the trees. Rubbing her eyes, Alanis tried to focus on the woman if she could call it that. She tugged at Rhistel's arm, but her sister shrugged her off. Alanis left her behind and squatted, edging toward Kraneia. More than once, she stopped, holding her breath when a leaf would crumble underfoot. The stranger must not have heard Alanis because she never looked back. A soft, mournful wailing came from her direction.
Alanis' knees were starting to ache, and she cursed her weak joints. "What's-"
A wooden hand covered her mouth. Kraneia gave her a warning glare. The two turned to Rhistel, who was out of sight. Alanis flinched, when Kraneia yelled, "No, Rhistel. Don't go near her!"
It was too late. Her idiot sister had grabbed the stranger by the shoulder. The creature hissed and lashed out, trying to swat Rhistel with its washing.
"Don't let go of her." Kraneia rushed to the elf's side. "And stay clear of its attacks."
The underbrush scratched at Alanis' bare feet as she scrambled to her sister. A webbed hand tried to claw Rhistel. She managed to pull away milliseconds before getting hit. The grass at their feet grew longer and twisted together. It wrapped itself around the woman's body.
"What's this bloody thing?" Rhistel panted.
Kraneia neared the thing cautiously. "It's a bean nighe. Nasty, violent spirit when disturbed."
The spirit croaked, but no words came from its mouth. The bean nighe forlornly at Alanis, its eyes begging to be released. She had half a mind to ask Kraneia to release her when the creature kicked a webbed foot at her. Almost tripping to avoid the hit, Alanis found herself feeling less sorry. Droopy eyes that sunk far into her skull stared back at the elf. The creature's sagging skin made her look aged, although her features were that of a malformed child. A single nostril jutted forward, and a single large tooth hung from its gums.
Leaves crunched underfoot. "What's this?" Rhistel picked up dripping wet laundry from the rock beside them. "Isn't this one of our shirts? How'd this creature get a hold of these?"
The bean nighe glanced at the laundry. It relaxed into its grassy cocoon, humming to itself. The melody made Alanis' heartache for a reason she couldn't quite understand.
"The Washerwoman is an old creature native to these lands. I only saw one other many a year ago. They only appear for one reason. Rhistel," Kraneia turned to the other elf, "Which hand did you grab her with?" Rhistel held up her left arm. "Good, this is good. Legend says that if you manage to sneak up on one such spirit and touch her shoulder with that hand, she'll grant you a wish. There are other ways to get more wishes, but I don't think you'd be up for it."
"Nae way that's true," scoffed Rhistel. "A wish for-"
"No. Don't waste a chance like this. Think carefully. You don't have to use the wish now. Keep it in your pocket for later use," Kraneia cautioned. "If she'd heard you coming up and hit you with her washing, you'd be paralysed."
Rhistel gulped. "Remind me tae never sneak up on what a donnae know," she whispered.
"So what do we do with her now?" Alanis couldn't look away from the washerwoman's eyes.
Kraneia fiddled with her braid. "After we're a safe distance away, I'll let her go. She only wants to do her washing undisturbed."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
The spirit lay patiently, humming to herself as they backed away. The grass untangled from her body. Alanis looked back before the washerwoman disappeared behind the trees. She'd risen and waddled back to the pond's edge, washing the shirt and did not attempt to follow them.
Not looking where she was walking, Alanis scraped her arm on a low-hanging branch. Hissing, she cupped the reddened mark on her skin. The jerking movement sent a sharp pain through her shoulder. Although Twig had healed the outer wound, the tissues were tender. She rubbed the shoulder.
Rhistel's forehead creased and Alanis gave her a reassuring look. Her sister didn't un-tense. Water condensed above Rhistel, forming a storm cloud over her head. It started to pour.
"Ye'll pay for tha'." Waving firey hands, Rhistel tried to extinguish the personal raincloud.
Alanis stuck her tongue out and laughed when the cloud evaded the fireballs.
"Took you guys long enough," Sen said sourly as the trio walked through the door. He snickered once he spotted a soaking Rhistel stomping past him. "Which raincloud did you get stuck under?"
She flicked a heated middle finger at him. Steam rolled off her as she dried herself. Even Kraneia cracked a smile at the prank. Taking pity on her sister, Alanis flicked her wrist, and the rain stopped. Another small movement and the puddles on the floor gathered and slunk outside.
"The ship was spotted?" Alanis took a seat across from the vampire.
"It won't be here until later thing evening, but yes. Atlas has assured me that the ship won't dock for long. This also means that I'll be leaving by first light."
A sullen aura fell over the room. Alanis let out an involuntary sigh. She'd grown fond of the vampire and didn't wish to see him go. The daunting pressure of their mission scared her enough, but with one person less, it sunk in that they were on their own. Sen felt like an anchor, someone there to rely on and who'd protect them no matter what. His hunting skills found them food. His speed ensured that he'd be there to help within seconds. "Must ye go?"
"We'll miss ye, Fangs." Rhistel leaned on his shoulder.
He smiled. "Send word by Kraneia's sisters on your return. Once I report back to my fellow brethren, I will meet you again."
"Where's ye saddle buddy? Havenna seen her fer hours."
Sen shook his head. "Probably nose deep in dirt. Europa told her about the garden needing tending to before the cold comes and she's been missing since."
"So we had to stop our fun but she donnae? Someone's a little bias."
Picking Rhistel's arm up from his shoulder, Sen gave her a look. "She never unpacked. Been ready to leave at a moment's notice since we arrived. What about you?"
Rhistel grinned. "That's fair, a guess. But, a only have tae do a wee bit more tae prepare. It's Alanis who's moved into our room and unpacked everythin'."
"Donnae sell me out like tha'. A sense another storm coming yer way," retorted Alanis. So she was hoping that the boat would take more than two days to get there. Was it so wrong to wish for a little relaxation?
A throaty cough made all heads turn to Kraneia, who looked dazed. The moss growing on her body vibrated. "One of my sisters is here."
As she spoke those words, Europa entered the room. "A impatient tree woman is waiting for you outside."
The gang followed her to the messenger. Alanis' heart fluttered. What could be so crucial that a dryad came? The not knowing comforted her more than the news they were about to hear. She lagged behind the others, who'd pace walked farther ahead. Her feet felt like they were stuck in quicksand. Each step slower than the last.
Standing away from the group, Alanis rubbed her sweaty hands against her wraps. The dryad hung her body halfway out of the leafless tree. Short, dark green hair jutted out from her head. An evergreen dryad.
Their conversation wasn't over before Sen tried to leave. Kraneia grabbed his arm. Heated words passed between the two. His eyes were black, breathing heavy and uneven. Shoulders rolling back, Sen freed his arm, and disappeared down the road they'd arrived on.
Even at her distance, Alanis could see Twig's eyes glistening. Her heart sped up faster. Rhistel turned her head and made eye contact with her sister. Her drooping eyes told Alanis how bad the news was. Kraneia's sister continued speaking with the other three before melting into the tree.
"What's happened?" Speaking felt foreign, as if Alanis' body had forgotten how to talk.
Twig's wings hung low. They'd always done that when something upset her. She'd never been good at hiding her emotions, ever since they'd met near ten years ago. "Tanvell...Tanvell..."
"Spit it out. What happened?" Those words came out harsher than Alanis intended.
"It's been burnt," her sister's voice was scratchy. Rhistel joined them while Kraneia left with Europa back up the mountain. "It's Balfield all over again. Only ashes and a shell of a city remains. Makes no sense. Most of the High Council had left by then, why attack a city for no apparent reason? And how'd humans get so far into our lands cannae a wee soul seein' them? If mud humans were spotted, word would have been sent immediately to the castle. Gods, a need a cigarette."
"Had Sir Madin left yet?"
"Nope." Twig wiped away a tear. "Word is Sir Madin's granddaughter went missing too. No one's seen her since the attack, but her body wasn't among those killed. Sen has gone back to search for her."
Alanis covered her mouth. The shock was fading and the realisation of what this meant sunk in. Humans were farther along in their plan than they thought. To attack Tanvell, with the elven guards protecting almost every corner of the place, they must be a powerful force. Would stopping The Four prevent the ending of the New World? Or were humans already so far ahead in the game that the opposing side couldn't recover? "Does Jai-Jai know? She seemed tae be close with the child when we were there."
"Kraneia's gone to tell her now. Gods help us all." Twig cracked a weak smile when Alanis' arm wrapped around her shoulder.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
The evening air was crisp; birds tweeted as they pecked at crawling bugs on the ground. The sun had sunk low, casting a golden glow on the world. Jai-Jai hummed to herself as she cut handfuls of flowers. The pruning scissors cut through the stems like butter. The sap dripping from the decapitated stems left sticky residue on her fingers. She wiped her hands on her apron before standing up. If only her caretakers could see her now. Mud on the hems of her pants, hair in a loose bun with much of it escaped. It brought a smile to her face. The tightly wound hair and itchy clothing were all things she did not miss.
"Jai-Jai?" A voice called out.
Hands full of flowers, she blew hair out of her face, not looking at Kraneia. "Tell Sen that his impatience is aggravating. I was planning on coming in a few minutes."
"Jai-Jai," Kraneia said again.
This time Jai-Jai saw her friend's sunken expression. "What happened?"
"Sen's gone."
"What do you mean? He left the dining hall because I was late?"
Kraneia shook her head. "No. My sister arrived today with news and Sen's gone."
"I don't understand. Sen doesn't leave until tomorrow." Jai-Jai's grip tightened, and the flowers snapped in half. Would he leave without saying goodbye?
"Tanvell's been destroyed, and-"
"And what?"
"The grandchild of Sir Madin-"
"What about Mara?"
"Mara's missing."
Sucking in a breath, Jai-Jai felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. How can Tiny be gone? "Who attacked?"
"Mud humans," said Kraneia bitterly. "They burned the entire city to the ground."
"I need..." Jai-Jai didn't know what she needed, but whatever it was, she couldn't be around anyone right now. "I think I need some space." Her palms heated up and Jai-Jai worried Kraneia would notice the wavy air around them.
Kraneia nodded and left. Retreating backwards, Jai-Jai broke into a run. Her feet carried her to the washing lake, and she jumped. The icy water gave her the needed jolt to control the heat rising in her body. It was impossible not to worry about the child. If They took her. There was a high percentage that they'd grabbed the girl. This was all a show for Jai-Jai, and she knew it. Her aunt was giving a grand display of the power she wielded.
Time's up. Ervesa's coming for us, and we may not be able to escape this time.