cat.
She paused upon a tussock of
grass that rose from the water. She stretched out her arms and
yawned.
"I'm so weary I can barely
keep moving," she lied. Of course, she could have easily reached
home on her own by now, and she could easily keep moving for another
turn. But she didn't want to be dragging an exhausted, drowning boy
out of the water, nor did she want to hurt his pride. "I need to
rest and sleep."
He climbed onto the islet and
stood beside her, breathing raggedly. Mud and moss covered him from
head to toe. He managed to nod. "Very well. If you'd like to
rest, I suppose we can."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't
pretend you don't need a rest yourself." She mussed his muddy
hair.
They lay on their backs in the
grass. The frogs trilled around them, the water gurgled, and the
leaves rustled above. Fireflies floated across them, and the hot,
soupy air made their lids heavy. Neekeya had forgotten the richness
of this place—the thick, lush scent of water and leaf, the
languorous heat, the music of the life and water around her. She had
gone to Teel University to learn magic, and now she realized that all
of Daenor was magic; the very air here filled her with wonder.
Home. Would this home now be
lost? She had seen the Radian pins upon the northerners—traitors to
their own kingdom. Traveling here, she had seen Mageria's armies
muster east of the Teekat Mountains, camps of many tents, archers,
and swordsmen prepared for war. She had seen Arden fall under Serin's
grip; would her own home now follow? Would this beautiful land burn
in the Radian fire, its trees cut down, its waters dried, and the
pyramid of her father crumbled to dust? As she lay here in this
beauty beside the man she loved, a wave of fear rose within Neekeya,
and she saw in her mind a great eclipse—a Radian sun not only hiding
Eloria's moon but all lands of free folk.
Lying on his back, Tam reached
out to hold her hand. He breathed deeply. "You know, lying here,
Daenor isn't all that bad. I like the birds, and even the dragonflies
are pretty. And the music of frogs and crickets is soothing.
And—Idar's bottom!" He leaped to his feet and drew his sword.
"Neekeya!"
She looked up, yawned, and
stretched. "It's only a crocodile."
The reptile emerged from the
water, placed its front claws upon the islet, and opened its jaws
wide. Tam scrambled backwards, holding his blade before him.
"It's a bloody swamp
dragon!" he sputtered.
Neekeya rose to her feet and
approached the crocodile. "He's cute." She pointed back to
the water. "Go, boy! Back into the water. No food for you here.
Go!"
The reptile snapped its teeth,
but after a few harsh words from Neekeya, it slunk back into the
water and floated away in pursuit of less vocal meals.
"I'll never be able to
sleep here," Tam said.
Neekeya shrugged. "There
are worse animals that could visit. Take that python for example."
She pointed across the marsh. A great snake coiled around branches,
possibly even larger than the crocodile, deep in slumber.
Seeing the beast, Tam paled and
fell to his knees. "I'm definitely not sleeping."
"Good." Neekeya
nodded. "You can watch while I rest."
She pulled off her armor, lay
back down, and closed her eyes. A moment later, she felt Tam lie
down at her side. She peeked through narrowed eyelids to see him
looking at her.
"I set up an alarm around
the islet," he said. "I changed the grass and soil like
Professor Fen taught us. The magic will trumpet if anything larger
than a toad sneaks up on us. I suppose I should sleep a little."
He yawned. "I've never been more tired in . . ."
He was asleep before he could
complete his sentence. Neekeya looked at the muddy Ardish prince. As
a child, she had been taught that the eastern royals beyond the
mountains were cruel, that they looked down upon Daenor, seeing the
swamp-people as little better than Elorians. But now Neekeya had met
Elorians; she had met Madori and Jitomi and she loved them dearly,
and she missed them. And now
She paused upon a tussock of
grass that rose from the water. She stretched out her arms and
yawned.
"I'm so weary I can barely
keep moving," she lied. Of course, she could have easily reached
home on her own by now, and she could easily keep moving for another
turn. But she didn't want to be dragging an exhausted, drowning boy
out of the water, nor did she want to hurt his pride. "I need to
rest and sleep."
He climbed onto the islet and
stood beside her, breathing raggedly. Mud and moss covered him from
head to toe. He managed to nod. "Very well. If you'd like to
rest, I suppose we can."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't
pretend you don't need a rest yourself." She mussed his muddy
hair.
They lay on their backs in the
grass. The frogs trilled around them, the water gurgled, and the
leaves rustled above. Fireflies floated across them, and the hot,
soupy air made their lids heavy. Neekeya had forgotten the richness
of this place—the thick, lush scent of water and leaf, the
languorous heat, the music of the life and water around her. She had
gone to Teel University to learn magic, and now she realized that all
of Daenor was magic; the very air here filled her with wonder.
Home. Would this home now be
lost? She had seen the Radian pins upon the northerners—traitors to
their own kingdom. Traveling here, she had seen Mageria's armies
muster east of the Teekat Mountains, camps of many tents, archers,
and swordsmen prepared for war. She had seen Arden fall under Serin's
grip; would her own home now follow? Would this beautiful land burn
in the Radian fire, its trees cut down, its waters dried, and the
pyramid of her father crumbled to dust? As she lay here in this
beauty beside the man she loved, a wave of fear rose within Neekeya,
and she saw in her mind a great eclipse—a Radian sun not only hiding
Eloria's moon but all lands of free folk.
Lying on his back, Tam reached
out to hold her hand. He breathed deeply. "You know, lying here,
Daenor isn't all that bad. I like the birds, and even the dragonflies
are pretty. And the music of frogs and crickets is soothing.
And—Idar's bottom!" He leaped to his feet and drew his sword.
"Neekeya!"
She looked up, yawned, and
stretched. "It's only a crocodile."
The reptile emerged from the
water, placed its front claws upon the islet, and opened its jaws
wide. Tam scrambled backwards, holding his blade before him.
"It's a bloody swamp
dragon!" he sputtered.
Neekeya rose to her feet and
approached the crocodile. "He's cute." She pointed back to
the water. "Go, boy! Back into the water. No food for you here.
Go!"
The reptile snapped its teeth,
but after a few harsh words from Neekeya, it slunk back into the
water and floated away in pursuit of less vocal meals.
"I'll never be able to
sleep here," Tam said.
Neekeya shrugged. "There
are worse animals that could visit. Take that python for example."
She pointed across the marsh. A great snake coiled around branches,
possibly even larger than the crocodile, deep in slumber.
Seeing the beast, Tam paled and
fell to his knees. "I'm definitely not sleeping."
"Good." Neekeya
nodded. "You can watch while I rest."
She pulled off her armor, lay
back down, and closed her eyes. A moment later, she felt Tam lie
down at her side. She peeked through narrowed eyelids to see him
looking at her.
"I set up an alarm around
the islet," he said. "I changed the grass and soil like
Professor Fen taught us. The magic will trumpet if anything larger
than a toad sneaks up on us. I suppose I should sleep a little."
He yawned. "I've never been more tired in . . ."
He was asleep before he could
complete his sentence. Neekeya looked at the muddy Ardish prince. As
a child, she had been taught that the eastern royals beyond the
mountains were cruel, that they looked down upon Daenor, seeing the
swamp-people as little better than Elorians. But now Neekeya had met
Elorians; she had met Madori and Jitomi and she loved them dearly,
and she missed them. And now
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