Felux and Delrik passed through the trees. They were getting close. They could already hear the sounds of the town. Felux picked up the last bead a few paces ago. It wouldn't be long now.
Without warning the trees opened up to reveal the outskirts of Carneth, the busy trade city.
Delrik said, "We've arrived."
Felux said, "Not too late I hope."
༻✧༺
Cosaria, Tilda and Pamtha had just finished lunch and were sitting in a gazebo near the Carneth church grounds. They were finishing their meal with lovely cups of tea. Tilda was nodding off to sleep while Pamtha and Cosaria chatted away.
Pamtha said, "Your mother was the most wonderful of priestesses. Her divine powers were greater than anything I'd ever seen."
Cosaria said, "I didn't know mother had friends."
Pamtha said, "And I didn't know she had a daughter. That must have been why she left Carneth so mysteriously. We hadn't heard from her in so long and then we received the news, she was dead. That was a bad day."
"I was raised by mother in a small community until she died. That's when my father, Baron Baxarte, took me in."
Pamtha was very active with her hands when she spoke, "Your father? Baron Baxarte? Ha! Not likely. He was certainly in love with Seredith but she... well... huh... I don't quite know. I thought she was smarter than to be in love with a man like him. Maybe I was wrong."
Pamtha remembered the courting attempts the married man had tried in order to seduce Seredith. She often snubbed him but there were occasions when she did entertain his presence. Pamtha never understood why. Maybe she liked the attention.
Pamtha shrugged her thoughts away as Tilda's head lay asleep on the table.
Pamtha asked, "Do you know how she died?"
Cosaria said, "She got sick. That's all anyone told me."
Pamtha said, "Mysterious indeed."
Just then, a hooded figure clamored through the nearby bushes.
"Nobody panic, but I'm here to end this little reunion," Ferris said as he threatened the table with a raised sword.
Cosaria started trembling as Pamtha poked at Tilda, saying, "Tilda, wake up."
Tilda blinked her eyes open and raised her head only to find a sword being shoved in her face.
Ferris said, "The blonde one is coming with me."
"Are you serious?" Tilda said, still waking up, "We just came out of a dangerous scenario."
Ferris said, "I won't lose my prize."
Pamtha said, "The panther is coming."
"What?" Tilda said. She couldn't tell if Pamtha had actually said that or if she was still half asleep. It didn't help that everyone else just ignored Pamtha's comment.
Ferris commanded Cosaria, saying, "Get up."
Cosaria stood up.
Pamtha verified reality when she said, "I saw it in my dream. A panther."
Tilda realized the urgency of the situation.
Ferris finally acknowledged Pamtha, saying, "Crazy bat."
Tilda threw a plate at Ferris as she yelled, "Run Lady Cosaria!"
Cosaria turned to run but Ferris, who had dodged the plate, grabbed Cosaria's hair and pointed his sword at Tilda.
Ferris yelled, "Try that again girl!"
Tilda put her hands in the air as she said, "Please don't hurt her."
Ferris said, "I have no plans to. But you-"
He raised his sword to strike.
Cosaria screamed, "No!"
She jerked around under Ferris's grip but she couldn't free her hair and he was pulling it so hard that tears began to sting at Cosaria's eyes.
"Interesting," Ferris said, taking note that the docile lamb resisted when it came to harming the pathetic maid.
Tilda said, "Anywhere she goes, I go."
Ferris took a step closer to Tilda. Licking his lips he said, "Two for the price of one. I like the sound of that. You most certainly would make for a tasty dessert."
"Your breath smells like fish," Tilda said.
Ferris leaned in closer to Tilda's face, saying, "I'm sure the taste of your tongue could cure that."
He lowered his sword for just a moment as he whispered, "How about it? You don't want this little lamb hurt, do you?"
Pamtha said, "She's a rabbit actually." She felt a bit slighted being left out of all the excitement.
Ferris raised his head in confusion. He said, "Excuse me?"
Tilda lept into action and bit down on Ferris's arm with the hand holding Cosaria's hair. Ferris cried out and let go as Cosaria fell to the ground. Tilda pushed Ferris as hard as she could when...
Fling, whiz.
The side of Ferris's head was grazed by an arrow.
Felux and Delrik appeared out of the surrounding trees. Felux was equipped with a bow as Delrik brandished his sword. They had seen the encounter but couldn't intervene while Cosaria and Tilda were in such close proximity to their target.
Ferris realized he was outnumbered and outmatched. He immediately started running as Felux nocked another arrow. It hit Ferris in the leg as he tried to continue hobbling away. In no time, Felux caught the criminal and tied him up. The danger had passed.
Delrik went to the ladies. Cosaria was crumpled on her knees as Tilda put her hand on her back.
"There there milady," Tilda said, "It's all over now."
Delrik kneeled in front of Cosaria and reached out his hand. He said, "Are you unharmed?"
Cosaria looked up, tears filling her eyes. She nodded.
"I'm here now," Delrik said as he wiped away her tears.
Tilda backed away from the two and walked a few paces back. She needed some space from this situation. Felux approached her and said, "Tilda."
She turned to face Felux only to be enveloped in a tight hug. Tilda hesitated, swallowed, then buried her face in his shoulder as tears fell out of her eyes.
She said, "I was scared. Really, really scared." Even she succumbed to fear at times.
"Aye," Felux said, "Me too."
The ordeal had been physically and emotionally exhausting and Tilda had reached her human limits. In Felux's arms, she finally felt safe to let out all the anxiety, fear, frustration and terror she had sealed inside.
"The hormones in the air are so potent," Pamtha said as she fanned off her blushing face from feeling all the second-hand romance.
Delrik stood up while Felux continued to hold Tilda in the background.
Delrik addressed Pamtha saying, "You are?"
Pamtha held out her hand for Delrik to kiss and said, "My name is Pamtha. I'm an old family friend of Lady Cosaria."
Delrik said flatly, "You're a priestess." He didn't trust priestesses.
Pamtha retorted, "And you're a panther, how nice of you to notice."
"She helped save me from the slave auction," Cosaria said as she stood up.
"You-!" Delrik was completely baffled and horrified to think that Cosaria was at a slave auction. He said, "I'm so sorry." He should have been there. None of this would have happened if he had just accepted her invitation to the festival. It was all his fault.
"Ahem," Pamtha said, "And what about me?" Her hand was still outstretched, waiting for a certain Duke to kiss it.
Delrik took her hand and performed a quick bow to it saying, "Thank you."
It wasn't a kiss.
"What a young boy you are," Pamtha said, "Haven't learned to man yet, have you?" Real men never pass up the opportunity to kiss a woman. Pamtha assumed that was the reason why Captain Hapilt still wasn't married.
Tilda had calmed down enough so she softened her grip on hugging Felux. He in turn, let her go.
She said, "You found us."
Felux reached in his pockets and pulled out the beads. He said, "It's yer trail we found."
Tilda touched the beads and said, "I'm sorry I broke the bracelet."
"Don't be," Felux said as they locked eyes. It was because of the broken bracelet that he found her.
Tilda looked away and shuffled over to the table where the rest of the group were congregated. To both Delrik and Felux she said, "You both arrived just in time."
Pamtha said, "I knew they would."
Tilda's brows furrowed as she asked, "You knew they would be here?"
Pamtha said, "Of course."
Felux joined in, "You did?"
"Ha! Not at all," Pamtha said, "Twas a joke. I hadn't an idea. I just like people to think I know what I'm talking about."
Delrik said, "She's quite an odd priestess."
Pamtha nudged Cosaria, saying, "You should have met Priestess Seredith, now she was an odd one."
"Seredit was my mother," Cosaria explained.
Delrik exclaimed, "Your mother was a priestess! ...I suppose that makes sense."
Seeing as how Cosaria was extremely powerful and most powers were hereditary, Delrik was surprised he hadn't considered the thought before.
Felux said, "We ready fer home?"
Tilda leaned against one of the gazebo columns as she said, "Yes please."
༻✧༺
Cosaria was safe in her room as the Arquix castle said goodnight to the day. Tilda was alone in the servant's commons, as all the other servants were already asleep. She was writing a letter by candle light. She had already described her most recent adventure and was summing up its ending. Her letter read:
Captain Hapilt of Carneth was awarded a medal from the Duke for stopping the slave traders. He deserves it. I don't think Lady Cosaria would be here if he wasn't Captain of the Guard. He's good at his job and he's a good man. That one white-haired crazy guy, they sent him to prison but he escaped. We don't know how, he was just gone overnight. Pamtha, the old priestess, she gave Lady Cosaria a little note and promised to send more. It was complete nonsense but who knows, maybe it'll mean something someday.
Tilda remembered earlier that day when Cosaria read the note.
"When the windmill falls the bush will grow into a tree," Cosaria had read, then she turned and asked Tilda, "I don't understand, what do I need to do? I must have missed something."
Tilda shrugged as she filled a flower vase with water, "Nah, the lady's just crazy."
Cosaria disagreed.
Tilda decided not to write the gibberish in her letter. Instead she wrote:
We're safe now so try not to worry too much. We have a lot of people here at the castle to keep us safe. I love you, and miss you all very much. If things start to calm down, I'm thinking I might try to visit soon. Tell Valka not to entertain more than one beau at a time and tell Deniter that he's too young for a beard. Mama, your bread is still the best. Love, Tilda
Tilda put the letter in an envelope. Then she blew out the candle and welcomed the dark.