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  Chapter 4

  The ocean spread out before us, sparkling and inviting. I slid off my cornasinus, grimacing at the pain that tingles through my legs. Usually I preferred to walk, but for long distances or when in a hurry, the cornasinus were much faster.

  “Is that a person in the water?” I asked, holding my hand up to my eyes to block the sun’s glare.

  “Probably one of the Nokken. They patrol these waters, keeping our shores safe. In return they are allowed to use this beach to meet with the Nixie every full moon.” Ansil didn't even glance at the water.

  Having never met a Nokken, I didn't know if what I was seeing was one or not. He didn't look anything like the Nixie. He looked almost human, or what I could see of him, bobbing up and down in the small waves. I caught him looking at me, before he disappeared into the waves.

  “Ortheus, we might as well send the corna back to the keep. It looks like we will have to wait till tomorrow for a boat.” I heard Ansil say.

  Turning quickly, I looked up and down the beach. “Where are we to sleep and what do we eat?” I didn't see any Bog homes or Amarallis Capes that we could stay in.

  “Why, on the beach of course. You did pack a bedroll did you not?” Ansil looked at me like I was some child and I wanted to scream.

  “Yes, I packed a bedroll, you neejit. I am not some child who does not know what to do. As you well know, the only way I have slept out is either in a Bog home or under an Amarallis Cape. Neither of which is here.” Ansil was getting under my skin to the point that I had to stop myself from stomping my foot.

  “Thea, he meant nothing by that. We both are well aware that you are not a child.” Ortheus stood and walked toward me. “We brought food and can catch some fish for dinner. There is a fire ring up the beach a little way. You can help by looking in the brush for some wood while we get everything set.”

  Still irritated with Ansil, I turned without speaking and walked up the beach toward a clump of small trees. Hopefully there would be some wood that I could find easily. A narrow path caught my eye and I looked over my shoulder to see Ansil and Ortheus occupied with something on the shores edge. I bite my lip, but a dead scrub tree ahead has me walking up the path, my mind on my last trip out of the Bog.

  I had been so excited for my first trip out of the Bog. What made it more thrilling was that Ansil was to be my escort, I had had a crush on him for what seems like forever. I had thought that maybe the trip would give me time to have him see me as a woman and not a child. But it did not happen that way.

  Everything was so new, and I wanted to experience everything, so stopping to smell the flowers slowed our trip down. But what Ansil couldn’t forgive was me helping the pixies. In a field of wildflowers, I had heard crying and investigated. A small pixie was curled into a flower, sobbing as if she had lost everything, which she had. She told me the tale of her family being captured and forced to work for a master, taking care of all his personal hygiene. She begged me to help her, and though I didn’t think I could do anything, I promised to do what I could. I never thought to ask Ansil, or even tell him what I was doing. I just took off following the little pixie as she zoomed through the woods. Suddenly, the ground fell out from under me and I plunged into a pit.

  The little pixie leaned down over the edge and called down, “I’m sorry little Brownie, but he made me promise to bring him lunch or he would eat my family.” With that she left me to wait for whoever needed lunch. If Ansil hadn’t seen me run off and followed, I would have been lunch.

  I shook myself from the memories and looked around. I could no longer see the beach as a row of scrub trees blocked my view, though I could hear the crash of the waves. Ahead of me sat a small house, the window panes missing or broken. Unlike most Bog homes, this one was built all of wood.

  Looking over my shoulder, I knew I should go get Ansil and Ortheus, but curiosity pulled me forward and I walked toward the door and pushed it open.

  Chapter 5

  Pushing the door open, I stepped into the cottage and let my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. Once I could see, I looked around at the small space. The room I was in looked like a small living space with a dining area at the back. The front of the room that faced the beach had two windows and a stone structure that was covered in soot, so I was guessing it was for fires. Broken chairs and benches were scattered around the room.

  In one corner I saw a pile of toys, little wood figures that looked like people and animals and a small straw doll. Turning, I looked to the back of the room where a table and five chairs sat on one side of the room and across from them were cupboards with some dishes still sitting in them. Who lived here? I couldn’t imagine a Brownie ever living like this. Our homes were made of the Bog themselves and looked like small hills. This reminded me more of the homes in the human realm.

  On the back wall of the house, there was a broken ladder that lead up to a second level and next to that a door that lead to another room. Slowly, I walked into the back room. A large bed took up most of the space with a cradle next to it. Something about the space made me sad and want to leave, another part wanted to find out who lived here, what their story was.

  I walked over to the bed, the mattress long since gone and only threads and the boards left. My hand rested on the cradle, smiling at the evidence of some animal using it for their bed. The past owners didn’t leave much behind to give me an idea who stayed here. But I imagined it was someone from one of the other Kingdoms, being so close to the water they would be able to come here and rest on their travels.

  I took one last glance around the room before leaving and at that moment the sun came out from under the cloud it had been hiding behind and bathed the room in its golden glow, highlighting the life left behind. A glint of sun on metal had me walking back into the room. Crouching down to look under the bed, I saw something that had caught a glint of light. To reach it I had to lay on my stomach and squirm under the bed. But I got the metal object and slithered out from under the bed, wiping the dust and cobwebs off my head. Opening my fist, I looked down and saw a heart shaped pendant, its metal dirty with age, but the Brownie coat of arms clearly visible.

  How did something with the Brownie Coat of Arms end up under the bed in an abandoned cottage?

  “Thea!” a distant voice called, I quickly put the pendant in my pocket and ran outside and down the path. Something told me that this wasn't the time to tell Ansil and Ortheus of my find. I grabbed a few branches from the under the scrub trees as I neared the beach, making it look like I had been searching for firewood this whole time.

  Breathless, I almost ran into Ortheus.

  “Where were you? I thought you would stay on the beach looking for wood.”

  “I am sorry, Ortheus. I got distracted following a butterfly. Did you know that there is a small creek just down the beach?” I had heard a trickle of water near the house, so took a guess that there would be a creek nearby.

  “Yes, and you should stay away from it. That is for the Nokken and Nixie only, we do not use it.” His voice was stern, then softened as he reached out to pull a spider web from my hair. “It looks like you did more than just follow the butterfly. What mischief did you get into this time?”

  “None Ortheus, I swear.” I looked up at him through my eyelashes. Maybe with all that time practicing in front of the mirror I could distract him and get his mind on something other than what I had been doing. “Maybe you could help me find some . . . wood?”

  His eyes widen as they heat for a second at my words, but then he smiled, “Sure. We will definitely need more than those few twigs you have gotten.”

  Darn, when will they see that I am a woman? At this rate, I will have to walk naked around them to get their attention.

  Chapter 6

  “I do not understand. The Nokken always come when we reach the beach, we have never had to wait this long for them or the Fairies.” Ansil worried. It was now late the following day and we were running low on supplies.

&nbs
p; “Is there somewhere else we can get a boat? Or another way to get ahold of the Fairies?” I asked. A part of me was happy at the delay, more time to get to know Ansil and Ortheus, to let them see me as a woman. I had been on my very best behavior with them, not doing anything to cause problems or issues. Sitting quietly as a Princess should, eating neatly and doing what I could to help.

  “No, Thea. This is the only way. The Fairies do not associate with many of the Kingdoms and chose to live on their Island with little contact with others.”

  “Why? I would think that would be difficult for them to trade and for diplomacy.”

  “They do not need to trade, they have everything they need on their Island. And as to diplomacy, they do not talk with anyone besides the Nokken and us. The other Kingdoms want to capture the Fairies and use them. The Fairy magic is very strong and can help a Kingdom in many ways.”

  “So, like us, the other Kingdoms only want to deal with the Fairies as it benefits them?” I asked. On my last trip outside the Bog I had learned of how the Selkies and many other nations hated us, only tolerating us as it was our magic that made the portals work. Without us they would not be able to travel to the human realm or to other Kingdoms.

  “Yes, the Fairies have many talents that a Kingdom can find useful, just as the pixies that you met can be used as slaves. Our realm is not one of peace and cooperation, which is why our borders are closed to all but the Nixie and us. This beach is the one place that any of the various races of the realm can come without a Brownie’s escort, but they cannot step off the beach.”

  “Oh, that explains a lot.” I thought on what I had learned. “So, therefore we do not use the portal to travel to the Selkie Kingdom and take one of their ships?”

  “Yes, but it looks like we might have to do that. It will take us a day just to walk back to the Keep where the portal is.” Ansil turned from looking out over the water. “Ortheus, Thea, pack up. If we leave now, we should be back before dark. If not, we can stay in a way house.”

  I quickly scurried to do as he said, not wanting to be walking the Bog at night. It was easy to get lost and end up in a Nixie bed, which would mean death. We even taught our children of the dangers of Nixie, the song ran through my head.

  Nixie song is calling you

  Lulling you to her depths

  When you wake

  Your fate be set

  Nixie song is waiting for you

  One look back at where I knew the small house stood, I promised to come back and search more to answer the questions that were burning through me. The pendant in my pocket reminded me that I should tell Ansil and Ortheus about what I found. Or maybe when we return home I would have a chance to ask Da.

  “Ansil, we will have to leave some of the supplies. It is just too much for you, me and Thea to carry.” Ortheus said, looking at the pile of luggage that had been carried by the extra pack animals. “Thea, you will have to decide what you will take and what you will leave. Whatever you take, you will need to carry, and anything left will more than likely be ruined by the elements.”

  I looked at my belongings and bit my lip. The thought of losing my books, my painting supplies, and dresses had me almost in tears. I knew that there was a solution, but if I told them about the house and exploring it, any progress I had made in the past day with proving I am a grown Brownie would be lost.

  Ansil stomped over to start sorting through his bags, grumbling under his breath. When I saw him pull the bow that his father gave him out and set it in the pile of things to be left, I realized that my pride wasn't as important as helping. I didn't have to tell them that I went into the house, just that I saw it.

  “Um. Ansil? Ortheus? I might have a solution to not having everything left in the elements.” I said nervously rubbing the pendant in my pocket.

  “I am listening,” Ansil stated, glaring at me like he could read what I was thinking and knew that I went exploring.

  “When I was looking for wood earlier, I found a house. It looked to be abandoned, there are no windows and it isn’t a Bog home. But we could put what we cannot carry there and send someone back to get it later.” I rushed my words, trying not to say too much.

  “Why did you not mention this house when I found you yesterday?” Ortheus looked at me with disappointment, like I didn't trust him.

  “I, I forgot and did not think it important.” Please accept my answer, please.

  “Well, grab some bags and we will see if this house will suffice.” Ansil grabbed his bags and started to lead the way.

  “Ansil? Should I lead? You do not know where the house is. . . .do you?” He acted like he knew where he was going.

  “Oh, right. Habit.” And he stopped to let me lead them to my discovery.

  Chapter 7

  I lead them up the small path I had found, and they stopped walking when the house came into view.

  “Did you know of this?” Ortheus exclaimed in surprise to Ansil.

  “No! And we have used this beach for years to travel to the Fairy Kingdom. Who would have built this? It is nothing like our homes.” He slowly walked towards the structure, as if he thought someone would jump out of it.

  “No, it looks like a combination of the Fairy homes and the Selkies.” Ortheus dropped the bags he had been carrying and walked around the front of the house to the other side. “Hey look at this! There must have been a glass room over here.”

  Ansil and I ran to the side of the house and stared at the wood frame with broken and missing glass. I stood looking at the structure, not understanding what I was seeing. A room of glass? What was the point?

  “Should we go inside?” I asked.

  “Of course! How else will we put the supplies inside?” Ansil looked at me like I grew two heads in the time we walked around the house.

  “Sorry!” I stretched the word out and rolled my eyes. “I was just thinking that the inside might have more answers than staring at a room that is barely standing.”

  Ansil didn’t respond, just turned and walked back to where we had dropped the bags, Ortheus and I following like small Pixies on a leash.

  “Did he eat a squashfish for breakfast or is it just me that puts him in such a good mood?” I asked Ortheus.

  “He just worries about you.” Ortheus didn’t continue and I heard his unspoken words. Worried about you and the trouble that follows you.

  “You mean he is waiting for me to screw up again?” I asked bitterly.

  “No. He just worries about your safety. Now let us head inside, I do not know what is up with the weather, but it is starting to look like a nasty storm is approaching.”

  I hadn’t noticed before, but the wind had picked up considerably and the once bright sun had now been eclipsed by dark, gray clouds. I shivered as if a ghost walked by me, a cold chill that had nothing to do with the weather.

  “Yes. I do not like the looks of this as if--” my words cut off as I feel my eyes roll up, seeing nothing but the visions that pass through my consciousness, of things past and things to come in such a flurry that I couldn’t separate them. But they left me with the feeling that we were heading into danger.

  “Thea!” Ortheus called me, his hands grasped my arms.

  Shaking my head, I looked around, “Sorry! I still have little to no control over the visions.”

  “You need to get inside and then tell us what you saw.” Ortheus guided me toward the house.

  “There is nothing I can tell you other than that we are heading into danger sometime in the near future.”

  “Well, that is helpful. Of course, we are heading into danger. Not only do we have to travel to the Selkie Kingdom, we must trust our lives in the hands of one of the Nereid Shipmasters. And to add to that, we have to travel through the Netvor Pass.”

  “Hey! I did not ask for this gift and being the only Brownie with the gift of foresight makes it pretty darn near impossible to have someone teach me how to use it.”

  “Thea, I did not mean anything by that
. Just frustrated with how things are going. This trip was supposed to be easy, but it already is turning difficult and we have not even left the Bog.”

  The door to the house suddenly opened and Ansil stepped out. “What are you two arguing about? Get in here before you are as drenched as a plover in a puddle.”

  Ortheus grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the cottage just as the skies opened up.

  “Now what was wrong?” Ansil looked from Ortheus to me. I stared at Ortheus since he was the one who was yelling.

  He rubbed his head, “Nothing. Thea had one of her visions and all it did was tell us what we already knew, that this trip was going to be dangerous.”

  “So, get over it. We will be here for a while by the look of that storm, so we might as well set up here for the night.” Ansil glared at the two of us, then turned away. He started moving the furniture remnants around. “I think some of this might be used for firewood... We can use our pallets to sleep near the fire.”

  I noticed that the pile of wood was perilously close to the corner that had the wood toys in them. “Hey Ansil. Look.” I ran over to the corner and pulled the toys out. “Who would make toys like these?”

  “How did you know that those were back there?” He looked at me suspiciously.

  “You were throwing debris that way and I just saw them. What do you think, I came in here sometime in the past twenty-four hours and explored? When would I have had time for that?”

  He looked at me for a minute and then looked away. “I am sorry. I have been acting like a royal neejit. I guess I just want to protect you from yourself and in trying to do that I am pushing you away or trying to change you. Can you forgive me?”

  I looked at him, I wanted to just scream yes and jump into his arms, but at the same time I didn't want to be easy or appear needy. “I guess I have not made your job very easy, keeping me safe. Maybe I could try to listen more, to both you and myself. Taking a minute to try and see the consequences of my actions.”