Return of the Crown (26 page)

Ravyn cupped Blade’s strong muscular face in
her hands. Blue eyes brimmed with tears, but they also held a
smile. “You always know how to make me feel better, Blade. Thank
you for being you.” Warmth flushing her face, she leaned in to him,
returning his kiss. “I love you too,” she sighed. They sat together
on the bench holding hands and gazing at the stars. Neither one
wanting to break the peaceful spell that wrapped around them.

“Rav,” Blade murmured in her ear, “you need
sleep.”

“I know,” she said, whispering, “but I don’t
want this moment to end.”

“It never will,” he smiled, “it’s written
upon our hearts. Now that you’ve confessed your love for me just
try leaving me and see how far you’ll get.”

Arm in arm they returned to the inn,
separating only when they came to their rooms. “May the Light bless
your dreams,” he whispered, kissing her cheek.

Ravyn lay down on the soft feather bed.
Blade’s face swam through her mind, pushing the worries of the
future into a little box, where she promptly closed the lid. She
snuggled into the downy softness, gently snoring. She saw herself
sitting at the side of a sparkling river. At the river’s edge, two
beautiful water sprites rose to the surface, giggling and splashing
water all about. They handed her something, and peace fell over
her. “Believe in yourself,” the melodious voices cried in joy. A
smile tugged at the corners of Ravyn’s lips, and she slept until
the sun started rising, heralding a new day.

Ravyn woke to a chorus of birdsong that
flitted through her open window. Light filtered through a crack in
the shutters. She closed her eyes so she could think about the
dream. She didn’t understand it exactly, but it filled her with
hope. Filling the porcelain basin with cool water, she washed the
sleep out of her eyes. She ran a brush through her sleep-mussed
hair. The aroma of bacon and biscuits wafted up from the kitchen,
enticing her to hurry downstairs for breakfast.

She bumped into Connor in the hallway. “Oh,
I’m sorry; I was in such a hurry to get to the food. It smells so
wonderful.”

“You’re looking alert and hungry this
morning,” he mused. “I assume you finally got some rest last
night.”

“I had the most wonderful dream. I think it
foretold of a way past the moat. I believe the Light blesses our
quest and is going to send aid. I feel so alive this morning,” she
spun in a little circle arms outstretched.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, because I
didn’t get any clarity last night.” An enormous grumbling erupted
from Connor’s stomach. Patting it, he chuckled, “Time to feed the
beast.”

Stopping in front of Blade’s door, Ravyn
smirked, “Should we wake the sleepyhead?”

“Who’re you calling sleepyhead,” Blade asked
from the stairwell. “I’ve been up for hours already, seeing to the
wolves’ armor, as M’ lady asked,” he said bowing. “I’ve groomed our
horses and packed our provisions. I was on my way to wake you for
breakfast.”

“Oh,” Ravyn laughed. “Connor and I are very
hungry. I hope you’ve saved some.” Descending the stairs, they
entered the dining room. Jolene and an older woman placed trays
heaping with bacon, eggs, and fluffy biscuits on the table. Mugs of
steaming tea set ready at their places.

Ravyn hopped on the bench, digging into the
meal. After her third helping of honey smothered biscuits, she
pushed herself away from the table. “I don’t believe I could eat
another bite.”

“I should hope not,” Blade cried in
amusement, “or I’ll have to get you a draft horse for the
journey.”

“Well, if you’re done with the bacon, pass
that tray to me,” Connor gestured to the last pieces of bacon. “I
have room for those.” Ravyn passed the tray, Connor took the bacon,
and then he stood. “I can eat while I ride. Blade, is my horse
ready as well, or do you only take care of the lady
now-a-days?”

“Yes, sir, your horse is ready. All the men
are ready to ride. The wolves are scouting the trail ahead and
should return as we ride out.”

Jolene emerged from the kitchen as they were
heading out the front door. “M’ lady,” she cried, “I have something
for you. Last night Captain Greves mentioned how well you liked the
honey cakes I made, so I packed you some.” She handed a little
parcel to Ravyn.

“Thank you, Jolene. They are delicious. Did
the Captain get some as well? I’m afraid I ate all of his
yesterday.”

“I made some for him too, m’ lady,” Jolene
smiled, winking, “I’ve heard some say the way to a man’s heart is
through his stomach.”

Connor laughed, “It’s true Jolene. Why, if I
were younger, I’d be fighting for your hand. I suppose I’ll have to
leave that to someone like the Captain though. Lucky man.”

Jolene blushed. “The blessing of the Light
upon you all. We will by praying for your success and safety.”

Ravyn embraced Jolene. “Thank you,” she
whispered, “for everything. I feel privileged to have known
you.”

The horses pranced in anticipation at a
picket in front of The Dancing Bear. Ravyn untied the lead to her
stallion and leapt up into her saddle. Blade was already seated and
ready to go. He murmured into his nervous horse’s ears, cooing soft
and low. The lane exiting the little town swelled with a sea of
faces, far more than the little town could hold. Ravyn smiled and
waved as she allowed her stallion the freedom it wanted, and it
trotted out of the courtyard.

A wave of cheers and blessings to the Light
washed over her filling her with pride as they exited the square,
heading south to the river. The bright sun smiled down at them. A
cool autumn breeze danced through the trees, and the leaves
whispered a happy melody.

Off in the distance Ravyn could see several
gray forms loping toward them, the sun glinting off silvery backs.
The wolves quickly closed the distance.

“Kialgyn, you look magnificent,” Ravyn cried
as he neared her horse. “I hope the armor isn’t too
uncomfortable.”

His blue eyes twinkled, “Rather a fine fit
actually; the Blade oversaw the whole thing. The mail is light and
cool. We hardly know it’s there. We’ve run several miles ahead, and
nothing out of the ordinary catches our attention. Oakley is still
scouting ahead. He will send messages to us in the rear if anything
is amiss. He has a sensitive nose and an earsplitting howl.”
Kialgyn flashed Ravyn a toothy grin.

They continued down the road together,
enjoying the fine autumn day. The mood was light, with everyone
laughing and joking as they passed fields of grain ripe for
harvest.

The morning skipped by, and at mid-day a
howling message passed down the line of wolves. They neared the
river where scores of men, elves, unicorn, and harpy camped on both
sides. General Joff spurred his horse and galloped away from them
at breakneck speed, with great clouds of dust billowing up each
time his horse’s hooves struck the road. He soon reached the river
and was off his horse. They lost sight of him as the warriors who
awaited his commands surrounded him.

As her horse sauntered along, Ravyn lost
herself in the scenes of autumn. Trees were heavy with ripe fruit,
and bees were buzzing about the wildflowers growing along the road.
Women were out in the orchards and fields bringing in the harvest.
Their children followed behind gleaning the fallen fruit and golden
grains.

“A copper for your thoughts,” Blade
interrupted her meditation.

She turned to face him. She was wearing a sad
smile that tugged on his heartstrings. “No thought really. I was
just marveling at the beautiful countryside. I noticed women out in
the fields. Their men will be down at the river, armed and ready
for battle. How many of those men will return to their homes, their
families, their friends?” She stared into Blade’s eyes,
determination crossing her face. “We must get into that castle as
fast as possible, Blade. Only I can stop these people from
dying.”

The easiness of the morning vanished, gone in
an instant. “We’ll do our best, Ravyn. That’s all we can do.”

“I know,” she murmured, “I know.”

The river sparkled up ahead like a long
serpentine chain. Both sides of the river swelled with untold
numbers of men and women, elves, harpies, and even unicorn. A loud
roaring cheer broke from the camps as her horse neared. Swallowing
back the lump in her throat, Ravyn sat a little taller in her
saddle and held her head a little higher. So many faces, some
bitterly young and many far too old. They had to succeed. They just
had to.

General Joff was addressing a large group and
shouting out orders. So many sounds assailed her ear: the hissing
sounds of fires as water hit the flames, pots and pans clanking
together as they thudded into the back of a wagon, the snapping of
canvas as tents were shaken out to be folded and rolled and tied to
the back of a horse. Giallag broke from a herd of a hundred or more
unicorn; his thundering hooves added to the cacophony. He skidded
to a stop in front of Ravyn, and he bowed his great white head.
Colorful glimmers of light danced across the ground at his feet as
the sun reflected off his opalescent horn.

“Giallag is again at your service, m’ lady.
Every unicorn of fighting age is with us here today. We fight for
the Light and for you, Princess Ravyn. For the return of the
crown!”

Ravyn leapt off her horse landing squarely in
front of Giallag She threw her arms around the great stallion’s
muscular neck and breathed in his horsey scent. “Giallag, I’m so
glad to see you again. I only wish it wasn’t because we are heading
into battle.”

“This is a good fight, Ravyn. It is for the
future of all Aigerach. There is great honor in being part of this.
That’s why you see so many good creatures before you.” He tossed
his head pointing his horn at a grove of trees filled with harpies.
“Your harpy Medina is here as well, a good ally.” He nudged Ravyn
with his nose. “I must return to my herd to stand ready to depart;
we will visit when this is over.” He nodded his head once more and
then turned, trotting back to his herd.

“Rav, we should eat while we’re waiting. I
don’t know how much time we’ll get after this,” Blade
suggested.

“I am hungry. Do you think we could eat
beside the river? It seems so peaceful.” She pointed to a soft
grassy bank overlooking the river. Luminescent blue dragonflies
hovered above the water darting back and forth in some intricate
insect dance.

“I’ll gather lunch and join you there.”

Ravyn walked to the river’s edge and sank
down in the grass, inhaling the warm earthy smell. She watched the
water rippling against the rocks. The sparkles of light dancing on
the water’s surface mesmerized her. Cold water splashed her cheek,
and Ravyn whipped her head around. The two beautiful sprites from
her dream floated in the river. Their lavender hair cascaded down
their shoulders gracing their pale jade skin.

"Princess, we have a gift for you from the
Light,” giggled the first sprite, flinging droplets of water as she
tossed her hair.

“Tell her who we are first,” the second
interrupted.

“Oh, of course! I am Spree and this is
Spraoi. We care for the water of this river and the creatures that
live within it.” The liquid violet eyes captured Ravyn’s. Spree
began quivering. “We had a vision,” she gasped.

“It was horrible,” Spraoi cried.

“Yes it was,” Spree echoed. “It showed us the
death of this river and all that dwell in it.” She covered her eyes
as if to blot out the vision.

“And we died,” squealed Spraoi.

“That’s horrible,” Ravyn cried. “How can this
be stopped?”

“By you, silly,” Spree looked at Ravyn,
rolling her eyes. “You must complete your quest. That’s why we have
this,” she giggled, holding out an elegant silver chain. Several
pearls and a quartz crystal dangled from it. “To give to you,” she
finished.

Ravyn leaned out over the water and took the
silver chain. Spree held the chain in a tight fist, making Ravyn
tug to free it. The feisty sprite let go of the chain, splashing
backwards and falling into a fit of giggles.

“It purifies any water it touches, cleansing
it from all nasties. You must wear it where you are going. It will
let you pass,” Spraoi informed her.

“Will it protect someone who is with me?”

“It will as long as you stay in flesh contact
with each other when you are in the Dark water. When you complete
your quest, the water will disappear,” Spree said, smiling at her
reflection in the water.

“To the Dark place,” Spraoi added. Violet
eyes widened in alarm, “Oh, someone’s coming!”

“The blessings of the Light upon you,
Princess,” they cried together and with a gigantic splash, they
were gone.

“Wow, that must’ve been some huge fish,”
Blade said, watching the large water ripples circle outward. He saw
a gleam of silver in Ravyn’s hand. “What’s that you’re
holding?”

Ravyn jumped up, throwing her arms around
Blade’s neck. She kissed him on the cheek. “This,” she cried
joyfully, “is our ticket across the moat.”

Pulling her into his arms, Blade leaned in
staring into the brilliant blue eyes. Ravyn pulled back,
hesitating, before rising up on her toes to brush her lips across
his.

“Harumph,” interjected Connor. “No time for
that now. That’s what all that time in the wolves’ den was for.”
His grey eyes sparkled with mischief. “You really should eat.”

“Oh, Connor, the most splendid thing just
happened,” Ravyn cried, eyes alight.

“Yes, yes, true love is a splendid thing, and
I couldn’t be happier for you both.”

“Connor,” she growled, hands on her hips,
“that is not what I meant. The water sprites Spree and Spraoi gave
me a gift. It cleanses foul water. Blade and I can swim across the
moat!” She grinned, the pearl and quartz amulet dangled on the
delicate chain, sparkling in the sun.