The sun began to sink toward the western sky and cast a golden wash over the workers as they finished up the last of the elixirs and packed away the last canisters of willow bark and other herbs into the apothecary. Nicodemus appeared. He carried a leather lasso over his shoulder, and he strode over to the table where Sunny and Hugh sat. He nodded toward the woods behind Laurel Cottage, "I think it's time to call out the white prince and get him ready to head to Thornfield."
Sunny nodded and got to her feet, stretching stiffly, "I'll go see where he's hiding," she said with a sigh, "With so many people coming and going, I'll bet he's back off in the forest somewhere quiet."
"You want me to go with you?" Hugh asked.
She shook her head. "I don't think so, you know how grumpy he can be. I think I should go alone."
Sunny stepped into the forest and waded through the fiddlehead ferns and into the wooded area behind the cottage. She had only gotten a few yards away from the house when she spotted two white stallions standing in the clearing. Sunny recognized Orion immediately, but she did not think Hugh or anyone else would be able to tell any difference.
["This is Arrius, my younger brother,"] Orion said in her head, ["He is ready to take my place."]
Sunny looked to Arrius and dipped a curtsey to the proud-looking stallion. He lowered his head and gently laid the broad plane of his muzzle against Sunny's chest. Orion snorted gently and Arrius stepped back a pace and looked to his brother.
"Nicodemus is waiting with Hugh at Laurel Cottage," Sunny replied. "I believe he will serve as escort to Thornfield."
["There will be no restraints!"] Orion rumbled. ["Arrius has never had to endure the humiliation of having a lasso around his neck."]
["Nor will he,"] Sunny promised. ["Your reputation will keep everyone far away from Arrius. They serve only as an escort to the back pasture of Thornfield."]
Both pookahs bobbed their heads in understanding and agreement. Orion came up to meet his brother head-on. He dipped his head encircling his brother's neck with a pookah version of a hug and stepped back. Sunny and Arrius walked together up the trail toward the front of Laurel Cottage. Both Nicodemus and three of his men were waiting on horseback along with Hugh who was standing next to Domino. When he spotted Sunny walking with the white stallion, he looped the reins over a low tree limb and started to approach. Arrius did an amazing performance as Orion. His ears flatted on his broad head, and he turned and growled at Hugh.
Hugh stopped and backed up to stand once again with his mount. Sunny gently soothed the well-muscled shoulder of the pookah. ["I know you will be isolated while you are here, but you will be well cared for, and want for nothing save good conversation. Once she is feeling well, I will see if Aunt Fiona can come out occasionally to give you news."]
Arrius dipped his head down toward Sunny then moved toward the road. Nicodemus and his men moved behind Arrius, and Hugh watched until they had all begun to move down the road before approaching Sunny. He gathered her up in a hug and held her close. "Be careful and if you need anything, write to me and I'll make sure it gets done."
Sunny returned the hug then stepped back and smiled up at the man she had grown to love like a brother. "I will, I promise. Look in on Aunt Fiona when you can, she'll be difficult to keep out of commission while she gets better, so a little diversion will be good for her and help Cassie."
Hugh chuckled softly. "I promise, I'll keep an eye out for Fiona."
One of Nicodemus' riders had doubled back and was waiting for Hugh on the road. When Hugh saw him, he lifted a hand in acknowledgment and leaned forward and kissed Sunny's forehead gently. "I'll see you soon."
Sunny watched him mount and ease off to join the rider, she waved, and they disappeared from her view. She sighed heavily then turned to go into the house and prepare to pack. Lucy and Cassie were waiting in the kitchen with Tully when she walked in. "We're prepared for whatever comes," Lucy told her.
"If there are any cases that pop up in Nu'Ada, they are preparing the same elixirs there," Cassie replied. She had a notepad that she was referring to and she handed it to Sunny to look over. "There's a complete list of everything in stores and how many bottles of elixir we bottled up today."
"I hope we don't need all of it," Sunny remarked looking over the written list. "From what Aunt Fiona told me of the symptoms, it is resistant to traditional treatments."
Lucy nodded, "Resistant but not incurable."
Cassie nodded sadly, "I've seen illness like this before – luckily only a few times – but I've seen it and lived through it."
Sunny nodded and heard the front door open and close. It was Tully, he strode in, and Cassie was ready with a glass of dark ale. He smiled his thanks and looked over at Sunny as he took a large swallow, "So Nico is off delivering the goods to Thornfield?"
"He is," Sunny replied. "I'm heading upstairs to spend some time with Aunt Fiona."
Tully nodded and quaffed down half the glass of ale before he answered. "You will be traveling well after sundown with the Dannan clan, so you have a little bit of time left with Fiona, be sure you look me up before you go."
"Does that mean you're going to stay here until the fall?" Sunny asked.
"Aye," Tully replied. "I have a place in the Ballencoo that is quite comfortable. I have lived here and in Nu'Ada for many years with no harm."
"I'm glad you'll be close," Sunny said. "I know Aunt Fiona will be happy to hear it too."
Sunny went upstairs to her bedroom and sat down on the bed. After a few minutes of staring at the small carpet under her feet, she realized that she was at the same crossroads when she and Jason had parted company. This time, it was not a painful and confusing choice – this time it was an odyssey into the unknown and dangerous! Despite all of the uncertainty, she was looking forward to it! She knew she would have people around her that would keep her safe, there were even a few Ne'Medians she could count on, but it did not lessen the need for caution.
The illness that had struck so suddenly in Ballencoo and probably would spread to Nu'Ada and Ne'Media had her deeply worried. This was something that none of the people from the other side of the arch could fight against. It was a deadly threat if it spread to young children and the elderly, there would be casualties. The thought of that made her sick inside. It also made her angry – who would do such a thing? Who could cruelly introduce a potentially deadly disease into an innocent population?
"Why are you mad at flowers on the rug?"
Sunny turned and looked at Bracken who was sitting beside her on the bed. She sighed heavily. "I don't know; thinking," she replied and got to her feet. "I have to pack and get ready to head off to Nu'Ada with the clan. I don't know what to take with me."
"Cannot take from the old home," Bracken told her, then looked mournful, "Not take even 'chock-o-lots'."
Sunny chuckled. "Then you better polish off the bag before we go,"
"No, when you leave, I am staying when the Arch closes."
"So only you stay here when the other Watchers go back to Nu'Ada?" She asked shifting around to lean up against the bedpost.
Bracken nodded. "I go and I come. Most times, I stay here. Stay close to Dannan."
Sunny grunted in understanding, "Well, you know where the chocolate stays."
"I get when I visit." Bracken said with a terrible grin that showed all his horrible fangs.
Sunny eyed the creature warily, all those teeth were unnatural! How could she now accept his presence without any caution at all? There were in fact, many things she accepted without question – it was now normal to her. "Bracken, how many of the Wolfe clan turn?"
"Not many," the Watcher replied. "Doyle, Flynn, Kane."
"The Doyle family all turn, even the women?" Sunny wanted to know.
"Sometimes," Bracken replied. "Doyle males turn lots, not many have special knowing all times. Most not knowing during turning times."
"Griffin and now Shannon have that ability," Sunny murmured more to herself than to Bracken. "I wonder why he's reluctant to go back to being Shannon?"
"Not knowing," Bracken replied. "Feel better in the head as Shanley."
Sunny considered the Watcher. His logic made sense. "Well, since I don't have to pack, I don't have to think about it anymore. It'll all be waiting when I get back."
She then headed off to Fiona's room. She knocked and peered in and found Fiona sitting up with her writing materials and a wooden lap desk. She looked up and smiled, "Come in dear, I'm just finishing up your letters of introduction."
"What will I do with those?" Sunny asked sitting down on the edge of Fiona's bedside.
"Well," Fiona said as she took the dark green sealing wax wand and lit it. She let the tiny flame begin melting the wax then tipped it over letting the wax pool over the edge of the heavy paper. "When you get settled, Nicodemus will probably take you to a few places where you will need to be introduced formally, maybe even before the Ard Ri." She took a heavy seal, pressed it into the wax, and let it sit there for a moment. When she lifted the seal, she examined the impression and smiled. She handed the first of several letters over to Sunny. "These letters will be a substitute for me."
Sunny looked at the wax impression and wondered whether she would be accepted at these places Fiona thought Nicodemus would take her. She had not even thought of going to court or any formal affairs.
Fiona seemed to follow her line of thought and as she began sealing the other letters she glanced over at Sunny, "Don't worry dear, it's a bit different in Nu'Ada than you'll be used to. Think of it as being transported back to medieval times; then you will know just how to behave."
Sunny's eyebrows rose, "Are women treated the same as in medieval times here?"
Fiona laughed lightly, "Not at all, but there are some formalities observed. There will be men and women of royalty and high-born status you may meet. Doer Nemed and Nemed status are adhered to. You'll need to be aware of that."
"And the Dannan's?" Sunny asked.
"The Dannan's are considered Doer Nemed," Fiona replied with a level of pride Sunny had not seen before. She held up the letters that were now all sealed, "This is just a formality that must be observed."
"And the Fury family, they're high-born, aren't they?" Sunny asked.
"They are an ancient family," Fiona said. She blew out the flame of the sealing wax stick and watched the thin thread of smoke spiral into the air. "The family is far older than even the Affaron line."
Fiona put the sealing wax and seal into the small chest, took the sealed letters, and put them into a leather wallet. It had the same insignia tooled into the leather as the wax seal. It was a great oak tree with an upward-facing short sword. "Aunt Fiona, is that the Dannan crest?"
"Aye, it is!" She examined the brass stamp with a surprised look on her face as she looked up at Sunny. "Do you think this is what I think it is? The Shai'Alomar?"
"It sure looks like it," Sunny replied. "I suppose no one ever thought anything about it before. But there it is hiding out in plain sight."
Fiona ran her finger over the stamp. "I've only used it a few times since Mother gave it to me. Each Dannan selects her color wax. Colleen and I used to talk about what color sealing wax we would use, and I always wanted this dark green, and she wanted to use gold, but settled on using indigo sealing wax on all the letters she sent to friends in Nu'Ada."
"What is Fra'mora like?" Sunny asked.
Fiona closed her eyes and smiled. "Oh, it is a beautiful place! I have very fond memories of being there. I would imagine it hasn't changed much – it's high in the hills and the land surrounding is magical!"
"Magical, huh?" Sunny murmured. She could have easily seen Fiona's memories of the place, but she did not want to intrude. She would wait and be surprised. "I haven't anything to take with me. Will it be the same season in Nu'Ada as here?"
"You may find it a bit cooler," Fiona replied opening her eyes. "As for clothing, don't worry about that, Nicodemus is seeing to all of that. Also, the sunlight will be a bit different as well – like looking through sunglasses all the time. But it won't take long to get used to it."
"I'm looking forward to it," Sunny said, "But I'm not looking forward to leaving you."
Fiona took Sunny's hands in her own. "This time will seem to fly by, Sunny. And you will be learning and training. Once I'm back on my feet, we can arrange to visit. We'll be able to communicate with one another."
Sunny nodded, "I know, but it's still bittersweet leaving Ballencoo."
Fiona opened her mouth to say something when Sunny suddenly held up her hand and listened. It was Nicodemus speaking to her. She spoke as his words came to her so Fiona would know what he was saying, ["Words from Griffin. He says the young man from the festival is back in town. He's looking for me."]
"Sean?" Fiona questioned and Sunny nodded. ["Where is he now?"] Sunny asked Nicodemus but spoke out loud for Fiona's benefit.
["Outside Cluny's tavern,"] Came Fury's response.
Sunny looked up at Fiona and frowned. "Why would he be back?"
"Go find out," Fiona responded. "You have time."
Sunny got to her feet and planted a kiss on Fiona's brow. "I won't be long." She went downstairs, sending word to Orion to stay hidden. She did not want to risk exposing the switch. With Orion's rumble of displeasure drifting in her mind she headed on foot toward the village. As she walked, she began to feel as if something were wrong, why would Sean be back in town? Why did she feel worried that there was something wrong?