Forgiveness and Flight - Chapter 24
Forgiveness and Flight - Chapter 24
“What are we going to do?” Laschna said at last.
In the white-flowered hawthorn brake,
Love, be merry for my sake;
Twine the blossoms in my hair,
Kiss me where I am most fair –
Kiss me, love! for who knoweth
What thing cometh after death?
-Ogier the Dane
“This is the Lady May,” the Shanachie grunted.
“Purr,” the Lady May affirmed.
“This is Simple J. Malarkey,” the Shanachie grunted.
“Hiss,” Malarkey affirmed.
“This is Young Scorpion,” the Shanachie grunted.
“Miao,” Young Scorpion affirmed.
“This is Hobbes,” the Shanachie grunted.
“Wong,” Hobbes affirmed.
King Holger and Queen Alianora both glanced at the sun, already nearing midday. Several servants had gathered to do their best to corral the kittens, but it was an uphill battle. They hoped this would not go on for much longer.
“Wow!” Morien’s eyes lit up as soon as he stepped into the school library. Books, books, books as far as the eye could see! Big books, little books, old books, new books, all of them right there and right in front of him! After having torn through all the books the Carolingian Librarian had given him in barely a week, Morien had naturally been hungry for new reading material, and now, here it was right in front of him! Oh, if only he didn’t have an important quest to attend to, he could spend days in this paradise!
“Neat, isn’t it?” Laschna asked. “Back when Erin and I were students, she used to spend all her time here.”
“Really?’ Morien turned in surprise to his traveling companion. “Anything you recommend?”
“W-well…” Erin mumbled, obviously embarrassed to be back in the center of her school-day awkwardness.
“Look! It’s Erin,” the gossiping whispers of the nearby students brought the trio back to the task at hand.
“C’mon,” Laschna wandered over to the center of the library, wherein stood a crystal ball on a cushioned pulpit. “Let’s get going before the paparazzi swarm us again.”
“So… what is that?” Morien peered at the ball curiously.
“Well, normally we’d consult the Shanachie,” Laschna explained.
“That, um, that’s like the Celtic version of a griot,” Erin clarified.
“Right,” Laschna said. “But she’s out now, because of the new teacher, so we’ll have to rely on her shadow to help us.”
“Shadow?”
“’Scuse us,” Laschna tapped on the glass, until a shadowy face at last appeared inside the ball.
“Yes?” the face groaned in a manner most beleaguered.
“We need information on anything pertaining to the ancient Key of Sky,” Laschna said. “What’ve you got?”
The face sighed deeply, as it rolled its eyes back in thought, before finally replying. “Section D, Subsection A, I’d consider your best bet to be within the 300 to 600 range.”
“Thanks,” Laschna nodded. “Well, let’s go.”
Wow, Morien cast one last sidelong glance at the crystal ball as its face disappeared and sighed. What a useful device. If only there was more time. But then the thought of Hobie, down on his last dregs of power, brought a deep sense of shame to his enthusiasm. How could he be thinking of books when his friend’s life was at stake? Morien cursed himself for being so selfish, and wondered how Hobie was doing at that moment.
“Hey,” Laschna walked over to the table where Erin sat in the library.
“Whatcha reading?” Naomi peered across the pages Erin had stuck her nose into.
“O-oh!” Erin gave a start as she realized her friends’ presence. “N-nothing! Just…”
“Just what?” Naomi snatched the book away, a teasing twinkle in her eyes. “Dashing knights and fair maidens and all that jazz? Hm?”
“Um! Uh!” Erin stammered. How could she explain that dashing knights and fair maidens held her heart in equal measure?
“Hey, come on,” Laschna sighed.
“There is this peculiar difference between them, which likewise distinguishes the women from those of the earth!” Naomi read haughtily aloud.
“Ah! N-Naomi!” Erin cried.
“The men alone have arms- and…” Naomi stopped, and stared at the words before her. “the women have only wings. W-what?”
Laschna glanced sidelong at Erin.
Onwards Naomi read, slowly and unsurely. “Resplendent wings are they, wherein they can shroud themselves from head to foot in a panoply of glistering glory. By these wings alone, it may frequently be judged in what seasons, and under what aspects, they were born.”
Erin knew what came next. Summer babes grew wings of rose, with tips aligned with gleaming gold. Autumn births made violet wings, with brown inlines like royal kings. Winter girls were white as snow, with shining sheens of silvery glow. And last of all, those born in spring…
“Those born in spring have wings of a brilliant green, green as grass; and towards the edges the feathers are enamelled like the surface of the grass-blades. These again are white within.” Naomi looked up from the book, and stared somberly at Erin. “What is this?”
“I-it’s a book,” Erin explained. “It’s, um, it’s about a guy, w-who goes to Fairyland. And… he sees a lot of… amazing and wonderful… stuff.”
“Like peris?” Laschna asked.
Naomi turned away from them, and Erin and Laschna could see the green hue of her own wings in the light.
“You know…” Naomi said at last. “My mom is the last peri in this world.”
“What about you?” Laschna asked.
“I’m only half-peri,” Naomi scowled. “The other half, my dad… I just don’t understand! Why did she stay here, just to be with some guy?”
“I dunno,” Laschna shrugged. “Is she happy?”
“She was a queen!” Naomi cried. “Queen of the entire peri race! She had everything she wanted up there in the clouds. But then this stupid schmuck shows up and she gives it all up to be with him!”
“Yeah but is she happy?”
“She stayed behind! When all the other peris and jinn and magic beings went to Fairyland she stayed behind!”
“But is she happy?”
“She can’t be,” Naomi scowled. “I know my dad. Shah or no, he’s nothing much.”
“W-well, I dunno,” Erin murmured. “They had you, didn’t they?”
“M-maybe…” Naomi grunted. “But if I had the choice, I know I’d pick Fairyland any day.”
“Well, if that’s what makes you happy,” Laschna shrugged. “Still, it’s not like anyone can get there nowadays, can they?”
“Uh! Um…” Erin mumbled.
“Hm?” her friends glanced at her in surprise.
“A-actually…”
“Here, put these on,” Professor My handed Julia and Yann each a pair of green goggles.
“Uh… okay. Why?” Julia glanced at the door that led to the Heart, as evidenced by the bright red signs warning people not to enter without proper protection or permission.
“Well, the Heart is filled with bright light,” My explained as she fastened on her own pair. “So bright in fact, that without proper visual protection, you’d be blinded in an instant.”
Duly noted, Yann and Julia both quickly put their goggles on, before My at last chanted a spell to unlock the door and let them in.
As soon as the door had opened, Julia saw that My hadn’t been lying. The Heart was actually quite small, not even as big as the inside of Julia’s wagon. But within that tiny room, hooked to a series of siphoning pipes and wires, sat a brilliant emerald, no bigger than a human hand. Its light shone brighter and more glorious than the midday sun, and even with her goggles, Julia felt scared to stare at the emerald for too long, lest she go blind.
“Hey Jinjur,” My greeted the professor who sat dutifully by the pedestal where the emerald lay. Jinjur nodded curtly in reply.
“You need something?” Jinjur asked.
“Yes,” My explained the situation. “So we were just wondering, is there any way to siphon off some of the Heart’s life without disrupting the rest of the island?”
“Huh?” Julia was caught off-guard. “What do you mean, the island?”
“The Heart is how Hibernia stays aloft,” Jinjur explained. “I guard it.”
“Whoa,” Julia glanced warily at the Heart. “That’s… a lot of power for one tiny gem.”
Indeed, Yann nodded.
“Erin, this is amazing!” Naomi beamed at the series of books now splayed across the dorm room floor.
“It’s nothing really,” Erin smiled nervously. “Just some books I found on the subject.”
“Child Rowland, Thomas the Rhymer,” Laschna peered through the selection. “You certainly seem to know your stuff.”
“I guess the tricky part is just finding out which of these will actually work,” Naomi took a glance at some of the passages.
“You really want to go there huh?” Laschna asked.
“Of course!” Naomi cried. “Every day my mom’s told me about my aunts and grandmothers, but I’ve never been able to meet or talk with them before. All I have are stories, and they’re just words! Empty words and yellowed pages. But if I get to Fairyland, I’ll see them, meet them, talk to them in person! I’ll have something real.”
Laschna stared at Naomi for a while.
“Well, alright then,” Laschna shrugged. “If it’s what makes you happy, I don’t have a problem with helping out. So, Erin, where’s a good place to start you think?”
“W-well,” Erin pulled up one book. “If we find a nearby church…”
“Phew,” Morien fanned the dust away from the musty tome he now held.
“Careful,” Laschna plopped another book into Morien’s hands, as she stood perched on a shelf ladder. “Some of these books are fragile.”
“How old are these things?” Morien asked.
“I’d say several hundred years,” Erin examined them. “At the youngest.”
“Well, that ought to be enough,” Laschna dropped down, and spread the books out on a nearby table. “Let’s get started.”
Good. Morien was eager to occupy his mind with busywork at that moment. Unfortunately, as he opened the cover of the ancient manuscript before him, Morien quickly began to see a problem.
“Um… hwæt?” Morien stared blankly down at the book’s scribbled contents.
“Hm?” Laschna peered over at his book. “Oh. Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t be able to read that.”
“It looks like Old Norman,” Erin bit her lip. “Are all the books like this?”
“Well,” Laschna flipped through all the books. “We’ve got some Old Breton and Old Vanske here as well. Mostly it’s Old Celtic though.”
“Um, I do know Breton,” Morien said.
“Yes, but Old Breton?” Laschna showed Morien the book, and his head soon swam with confusion.
“I, uh, I guess not…” Morien mumbled.
“Well, I at least know Old Celtic,” Erin said. “So I guess I’ll take those.”
“And I’ll take the others then,” Laschna added.
“But… um… b-but what about me?” Morien barely murmured.
“Well, we are in a library,” Erin smiled. “And I know you love books.”
“We’ve got things covered here, thanks,” Laschna replied. “If we need anything, we’ll call you.”
“I… uh… um… o-okay…” Morien muttered, feeling suddenly very useless and unnecessary. “I’ll just… um… okay… sorry…”
With a quick apology and an awkward exit, Morien stumbled away. Now what was he supposed to do? Looking all around him, Morien saw books from across the globe, treasured tomes and marvelous manuscripts as far as the eye could see. Surely it would be no trouble to take one, curl up beside a shelf, and read the day away. That was how Morien had spent many a happy afternoon before. So why now did that seem like the last thing he wanted to do? Why now, instead of joy, did he feel only misery? Morien clutched his saphie for understanding.
For the next several months, Erin, Laschna, and Naomi occupied themselves with the task of finding a path to Fairyland. Every day, after classes had finished and homework had been completed, the girls would try to find a nearby church or in-between space to test out. They were never once successful, but their determination remained intact even with each new failure. Ah, perhaps we missed the in-between time, perhaps the path was broken down, perhaps another spot will yield better results, they would say. The mornings after their failures, they would always find some factor they had overlooked, some newfound possibility, and in the afternoons they would be back at it again.
Slowly, day by day, Erin found herself growing closer to Naomi and Laschna. Now, when Mim and Mer said hello in the hallways, instead of cowering behind a book, Erin would nervously wave a greeting back. Now, when a teacher called on her in class, instead of cowering and crying, Erin would answer as best she could. Now, every day, Erin was finding more and more little things that made her life worthwhile. Someone else in the library, who liked the same book as her. Something tasty in the dining hall, that made Erin wolf down seconds. Someplace new and exciting, discovered in her quest for Fairyland.
Bit by bit, Erin found herself collecting little pieces of happiness, and her life grew a little brighter. She found herself laughing more, worrying less, and learning to smile. What a lovely smile, everyone would say, and Erin would stammer and sputter words of denial every time at such a compliment. But deep down, she felt glad to have been given such kind words. Inside her heart, she felt the happiness grow, and she knew it was all thanks to Laschna and Naomi. She hoped the three of them could stay as they were forever.
“Hum,” Julia sighed, as she and Yann sat outside on the campus field. After handing over Hobie to Professors Jinjur and My, the two teachers had become engaged in a long, jargon-filled conversation, until at last Julia and Yann had been asked to leave while they sorted everything out. Judging from the fact that no-one had come back from the Heart to let either Julia or Yann know the results of said discussion, this led them to believe that it was still ongoing. But how long would it continue? How long until they knew anything?
“Well, at least it’s not a bad view,” Julia gazed up at the sky, the sun shining brightly through its clear, azure color.
To Julia’s surprise, Yann got up and started to walk away.
“Huh? Hey, where are you going?” she asked.
Just to check up on something, Yann grinned assuredly. She needn’t have worried about it.
“Well, okay then,” Julia sighed. She supposed that left her to wait for the professors’ consensus.
“Ah, good, I was hoping you’d return.”
Yann sighed as he reentered the stables to find the ox expecting him.
“So then,” the ox said. “Let’s talk.”
Yann parted his hair to reveal the scar that lay on his scalp.
“Oh. Oh dear,” the ox cooed. “That won’t do at all. Tell you what, if you release me from my yoke, I’ll grant you speech. Deal?”
Yann merely raised an eyebrow in response.
“Drat. Was hoping that’d work,” the ox sighed. “Still, one can only dream. Could you at least take me out to an open field? It’s been ages since I last ate fresh grass.”
Let’s just stay right here, Yann took up a stool. It never paid to trust cows that talked.
“I am perplexed,” the ox said. “You could tell I wasn’t an ordinary ox, right from the beginning, even though your companion couldn’t. Indeed, no-one save the upper staff, and, well, the people who made me this way, of course, know of my proper origin.”
Really? Yann crossed his legs and stared at the yoke’s runes.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised though,” the ox mentioned casually. “After all, you’re hardly ordinary yourself, are you?
At that, Yann’s eyes widened momentarily, before a smirk made its way to his lips. You’re a lot smarter than you seem, Yann grinned.
“I could say the same of you,” the ox grinned back.
One afternoon, Erin had forgotten a book in the classroom, and was forced to return while Laschna and Naomi went on ahead. When Erin entered the room though, she found to her surprise that Gloriana was still there, reading the book from her classroom seat.
“You’re trying to get to Fairyland, aren’t you?” she asked coolly, and Erin felt a chill run down her spine. No-one in the trio had let slip their goal, they had always maintained the utmost of secrecy. So how then had Gloriana found out?
“Um… I…” Erin stammered. No matter how many pieces of happiness she collected, Gloriana still made her feel so small.
“I take it you haven’t been successful?” Gloriana stood up and handed the book back to Erin.
“Uh… well…”
“Well,” Gloriana patted the girl’s shoulder, and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “It’s no wonder you haven’t made it to Fairyland yet. A half-rate witch like you. You aren’t powerful enough to open the way.”
It was only after she’d left the room that Erin realized Gloriana had never looked directly at her, as though she was somehow beneath the attention of a daughter of the noble House of Clem.
Morien glanced at the long, tall mirror that stood on the library wall. For several minutes now he’d been staring, examining and judging his pitiful reflection. He didn’t know why, when Hobie was on his last leg of life, when Tar-Cruorem was nearly awake, when there were a million other, far more important things to be worried about, his thoughts kept creeping back to Julia. But somehow they did. Somehow all he could think about was how useless he was, how pathetic he looked, how stupid he felt. Look at me, he thought. Lanky and awkward. Lips the size of kidneys. Nose stretched out like a tarp. Small and weak. No good in a fight. Only good for reading, and getting in the way.
That’s not true, Morien. The young man heard Hobie’s voice resound in his head. Have I been talking to a brick wall? Have you forgotten the two Keys whose possession you earned? The friends you’ve made, the people you’ve helped, all along your way? Remember them, lad!
But what did any of that have to do with Julia? He was so ugly. So weird and inexperienced. Even if he was good enough for the Keys, he’d never be good enough for her. He had to get over her. He had to get comfortable with the idea of them just being friends. So why couldn’t he do that? Why couldn’t he do something as simple as that? Just shut the feelings off, keep them locked and held in tight, until they died and he was happy again. Why couldn’t he do that? Why, why, WHY? Morien shut his eyes and tried, tried with everything he had, to stop the tide of pity and self-loathing that filled him in that moment. His fist clasped the saphie so tightly it imprinted on his hand, but still it did no good. He needed something to do, something to distract him, some task to make himself useful with, anything, anything at all to rip this stupid, lovesick mood right out of his heart and kill it once and for all!
“Hello?”
Morien gasped, his eyes wide open as he whipped his head around to see who had spoken. But no-one was there. He stood alone in his little corner of the library. It was just him. But then…
“Hey!”
Morien glanced back at the mirror, only to find to his great surprise a young girl standing inside. With flame-red hair and a wide, toothy grin, the girl gazed imperiously down at Morien as one might gaze upon a peasant, until with a flash of shock on her face, she realized one important fact.
“Wait a minute!” the girl gasped. “Holy crap! You’re a boy!”
“Um… y-yes?”
The girl stared blankly back at Morien, before biting her lip nervously and huddling in the mirror’s corner.
“How far off did I go? I must have gone all the way off school grounds! This is- Wait a minute! This means I’m even more powerful than I ever imagined! Yes! Yes, even without intending to I went all the way to Soudania! Mwahaha! Mwahahahaha!”
“Um, you know I can hear you,” Morien said.
“Silence peon!” the girl cried and resumed an imperious stance. “Thou shalt address me by my proper title when thou, uh, shalt… address… me…”
“Who are you?”
“Well, my given name is Rina, but it would take far too long to list all my patronyms, matronyms, avonyms, and honorary titles.”
“Such as?”
Rina flinched at that.
“Uh… anyways,” she quickly changed the subject. “Peon, tell me to where I have transported myself at this moment.”
“You’re in the library of Morgana Academy. And my name is Morien.”
“Eh?” Rina blinked. “Mor- That’s only a few feet from my dorm! Wait… but then what are you doing here?”
“It’s… a long story,” Morien sighed. “What are you doing here?”
“Me?” Rina laughed. “I am tracking down the iron dragon, whom our wicked and cruel Dragon Mother keeps locked away in a tower on campus.”
“Why?”
“I dunno. She just does,” Rina shrugged.
“No, I mean-”
“Oh! Yeah, well you see! It is said that the iron dragon possesses sorcery of untold, unlimited power! Ancient magics and wondrous spells the likes of which no-one has ever seen before! And if I get my hands on him, and make him tell me his secrets, I’ll have so much power, soon the whole world will know my name!”
“You can’t even tell it to me now.”
“Erk! I! Uh! I mean… that is…” Rina stammered. “Uh, anyways! I must be off! There’s dragons to be found and secrets to be won and, uh, stuff, so… bye!”
And with that, she dashed off, deeper and deeper into the recesses of the mirror, leaving Morien alone with his thoughts once again.
“Ah! W-wait!” Morien cried. “Hold on!”
“Uh! Um! M-Miss!”
“Hm?” Julia glanced to the side, to see two young girls standing there, blushing and giggling nervously.
“Omigosh!” the girls were sent into a frenzy at Julia’s eye contact, and the blushes and giggles became only more excessive.
“Er, w-well you see, miss…” the girls started afresh.
“Please, just call me Julia,” Julia smiled gently.
“Omigosh!” the girls began to giggle and blush anew, and Julia sighed.
“S-sorry miss,” they calmed themselves. “I-it’s just… we were wondering…”
“Yes?”
“I mean… you… you’re from the outside world, and… I mean, you seem like you know a lot about… stuff.”
“Stuff?”
“You know. I mean… have you… with a boy… I mean…?” the girls’ giggles and blushes became uncontrollable once again.
“You mean… ah,” Julia grinned as she realized the girls’ intent. “Yes, as a matter of fact I have.”
Passersby furrowed their brows as they saw a pair of girls squealing and writhing on the campus field in histrionics.
“What’s it like?” the first girl asked excitedly.
“Yes! Please, tell us!” the second girl cried eagerly.
“Well,” Julia said. “It all depends on the boy, how attentive he is, I mean. If he’s no good, the whole thing can be difficult to enjoy.”
“B-but if he is good?”
Julia sighed wistfully. “It’s wonderful. Like walking on air.”
“OMIGOSH!” More giggles and blushes.
“You ought to be careful though,” Julia warned. “A lot of boys out there may seem nice at first, but it’s all an act to get you off your guard. You ought to know at least some basic self-defense.”
“Well, we already have magic-” the first girl began.
“But please! Teach us!” the second girl interjected.
“Alright,” Julia began to demonstrate some basic techniques. “You’ll most likely be lighter than him, so the trick is not to overpower him, but to use his own power against him. You see, if I reach out to grab you, like so, you can use my own momentum against me.”
For a while, Lem and Lam, for those were their names, diligently studied self-defense under Professor Julia.
“Remember, no matter how big or strong it is, every human body has certain limits,” Julia demonstrated the many directions an elbow could not bend. “Your job is to exploit those limits to your advantage, like so. Good! Good!”
“Wow,” Lem was panting heavily at this point. “You really know a lot!”
“Yeah,” Lam was sweating profusely at this point. “This is actually kind of fun!”
“Glad you approve,” Julia wiped her own sweating brow. “Remember though, this’ll help you, but it’s no surefire guarantee. The biggest guarantee of safety is to steer clear of sketchy places, stick together with your friends, and always be on the alert. Okay?”
“Okay!” the two girls grinned.
“Good,” Julia patted them on the shoulders. “Now go forth, and conquer!”
“Uh! W-wait!” Lem blushed.
“Hm?” Julia asked.
“I-it’s just…” Lem murmured. “I hear the first time… hurts.”
“Ah,” Julia smiled gently. “Well, again, it depends. For some girls it’ll hurt a lot, for others it’ll barely hurt at all.”
“D-did it hurt for you?” Lam asked.
Julia blinked in surprise, as she searched back and back into her memory, to a time she had done her best to forget. Her master had been old and fat, with a coarse, filthy beard and a constant, sweaty musk surrounding him. And as Julia had gotten older, she’d soon found him gazing at her with evil, hungry eyes. Julia had known that, should the day come, she would have been in no position to refuse her master’s advances.
So she had seduced his son, a young, stalwart man, and it had been wonderful. It had hurt. It had hurt quite a bit. But every day afterward, when Julia had seen the look of fury on her master’s face, knowing that should he have hurt her in any way, his son would surely have killed him, that had made everything worth it. That was when Julia had first realized the power she possessed, had first found how she could outwit and outmaneuver anything the world threw her way, so long as she remained in control. Soon afterwards she had managed to escape her master’s house, to flee and find freedom and fortune. And all that time she had retained control.
But these girls, they had no thoughts of control. To them, the simple joy of the chase was all they cared about. When was the last time Julia had thought that way? When she had been held in the arms of her master’s son, Julia had felt so calm and loved. But at the back of her mind, there had always lurked something cold and calculating. Julia had been with so many men. But the more she looked back, the more she realized, the men for whom she had simply surrendered, for whom she’d had no ulterior motive beyond the thrill of the chase and the warmth of the afterglow, she could count them all on a single hand. And one of them, she recalled that night in the Tarasque, was still with her now. Oh how she wanted him! That tender and sweet boy, if only things had been different. But as it was, the thought of being with him, of being vulnerable once more, it terrified her. If only she could be like Lem and Lam. They looked upon her with such awe, such reverence. But deep down, Julia was envious of the ease with which they could surrender themselves to love.
“Miss Julia?”
“Hm?” Julia was brought back to reality. “O-oh, yes. Yes, it hurt. But only at first.”
“Omigosh!” the girls erupted into giggles and blushes once again, and Julia smiled.
“Man, how much longer till midnight?” Naomi yawned as the trio waited by a craggy cave.
“Say, couple hours or so,” Laschna replied.
“Aw man!” Naomi moaned. “I can’t believe it! What with finals coming up and everything, I’m just getting so tired all the time.”
“Tell me about it,” Laschna’s deathlike pallor gleamed in the moonlight. “I’ve lost all the color in my cheek.”
“Um… you have?” Naomi stared blankly back at her friend.
“And Erin’s gotten even pastier,” Laschna turned toward the young witch, huddled by the campfire. “Haven’t you, Erin?”
“Huh? O-oh, yeah,” Erin mumbled.
Laschna and Naomi exchanged worried glances.
“What’s the matter, Erin?” Laschna asked.
“Yeah, is something up?” Naomi inquired.
“J-just…” Erin muttered. “D-do you think… maybe we should get someone else to help us? S-someone with more magical power, I mean?”
Laschna and Naomi exchanged confused glances.
“No, not at all,” Laschna said. “Even someone with no magic can make it to Fairyland if they find a way. Power has nothing to do with it.”
“Yeah, and besides,” Naomi replied. “Even if that would help, I wouldn’t want to go to Fairyland with anyone but you guys.”
“H-huh?” Erin stared blankly back at Naomi.
“You mean it?” Even Laschna was surprised.
“Yeah,” Naomi grinned. “I mean, I know when I started this out, I really wanted to get there, but now… I mean, it’s been really fun! Just hanging out with you all. Even if… even if we never make it there, I won’t mind all this time we’ve spent together.”
“R-really?” Erin could hardly believe her ears.
“Yeah!” Naomi laughed. “We’re friends, after all. And nothing can change that.”
“F-friends,” Erin whispered the word. It seemed so alien to her. But it was true, wasn’t it? She, Laschna, and Naomi were all friends, and that would never change.
As midnight approached, the three friends whiled away the hours with campfire stories. And when this in-between space proved just as fruitless as the previous ones, even as they moaned and complained of all the lost sleep and study-time, none of the girls regretted a single moment they’d shared that night. From that day on, a change had occurred. Soon meetings at churches and in-between spaces were forgone in favor of more convenient locales. Soon plans and strategies for entering Fairyland were forgone in favor of simple talks and friendly exchanges. Soon, though the way to Fairyland had been all but forgotten, the friendship that had been made from its searching proved strong and unbreakable.
Unbreakable, that is, until the day he came.
“No!” Erin cried as she lurched back from her seat in horror.
“What is it?” Laschna came over concernedly to look at what her friend had found.
“Th-the Key of Sky…” Erin gasped. “It’s the Heart! It’s what’s keeping this island afloat!”
Quickly Laschna gazed down at the book that lay before Erin, its open pages mockingly inviting. Once, twice, three times Laschna read and re-read the passage. How Lon the Lionheart, as thanks for their aid in his time of need, had gifted the Celts with the Key of Sky. How the Celts, many years later, would use that same Key to uplift their island. How, should the Key ever be removed, Hibernia would fall, dooming everyone on it and whatever land they happened to fall upon. Laschna did not want to believe it. In the back of her mind, she insisted there had to be some other solution. But there it was, staring her right in the face, irrefutable proof. If Morien was to secure the Key of Sky, to re-seal Tar-Cruorem in his stygian cage, he would have to let everyone on Hibernia die.
“What are we going to do?” Laschna said at last.