Anilyia (37 page)

“I’m thankful for that. I’ve grown soft and
didn’t realize when real danger was near,” Tathan stated, obviously
mad at himself.

“Not at all. They were using spells to hide
their presence. I didn’t notice them either.” Sir Danth turned to
Liselle. “I killed all fifty, Milady. I know it was your wish to
minimize loss, but with you and Master Tathan incapacitated, I
considered the risk to be great. All were warriors or users of
magic.”

“I know. It was necessary to kill them in
order to save us and I thank you for that,” she told him. What she
didn’t tell him is that she hated seeing dead bodies littering the
ground and wanted to leave as fast as possible. The canyon was
deathly still, as though nature was paying its respect with a
moment of silence.

“I don’t think it’s safe to stay here
anymore,” Tathan said. “Let’s clean up downstream and leave. I
think it’s going to be hot today and we’ll dry out fast
enough.”

“What about the bodies?” Liselle asked.

“I believe more Rojuun will follow and care
for the dead in their way,” Sir Danth said. “What is their
way?”

Tathan shrugged. “I don’t know. They don’t
talk to humans about that from what I can tell.”

Anilyia, seeing Tathan sheathe his sword,
let go of Liselle and rushed over to grab his hand. She held onto
it tightly and buried her face in his shoulder. Tathan looked
guiltily at Liselle.

They went downstream a ways to clean up
while Sir Danth stood guard. Tathan and Liselle changed out of
their robes and back into their traveling clothes. They got the
bloodstains out as best they could.

The entire time Tathan bathed and changed,
Anilyia sat in the stream staring at him. Liselle knew women found
her cousin attractive, but the princess stared without pretending
to be interested in anything else. If Tathan noticed, he didn’t
give any indication. A few minutes later, they were ready to go.
Anilyia remained in the dress, which Liselle helped her clean as
much as possible.

They reached the end of the canyon where the
stream met the river and then turned onto the Lost Road, intent on
putting as much distance between them and Rojuun territory as
possible. They didn’t know how long it would take to reach the
Willden where they would be safe.

Vevin still hadn’t appeared and Liselle had
no idea how long his flight would take. She worried that the Rojuun
had gotten him or even worse, whatever had injured him before they
met. He still hadn’t told her what it was that had left the scar
across his face.

All through the day’s travel, Anilyia held
onto Tathan’s hand. When night fell, they didn’t stop except for a
short time to eat and rest their legs. When it was time to go
again, Liselle gave them all a strong boost of stamina that would
last for hours. She ate three times the normal amount of food and
knew that when it did come time to rest, it would be a deep sleep.
Tathan and Sir Danth assured her that they would be able to handle
any danger.

Liselle had touched as many flowers as
possible, waving at the ones she couldn’t get to. They were all
thrilled to see her. Even though she was in mortal danger, Liselle
was in high spirits. Being underground had cut her off from flowers
and sun. She needed both to survive. Realization was beginning to
set in that she had been close to suffocating underground. Had she
stayed down there, it would have literally killed her before
long.

Princess Anilyia was doing better too.
Liselle felt sympathy for everything she had been through. Being a
prisoner of the Rojuun must have been difficult. Now she was with
dangerous strangers running for her life. At least she was finally
speaking and didn’t cower when Liselle came near. Perhaps not
feeding her to Vevin after bathing had helped. Liselle grinned to
herself.

Just before dawn, they stopped in a clearing
where the river widened. The spell that helped their stamina had
worn off, leaving all but Sir Danth exhausted. He stood watch so
they could sleep.

A few hours later, he woke them up with the
smell of cooking food. Liselle could barely concentrate. The magic
she had used was taking its toll on her and she needed a couple
days of sleep, which they couldn’t afford. Tathan helped her up,
walked her over to the river to splash water on her face. It helped
a bit, but she really wanted to lie back down. Sir Danth gave her a
double helping of food, which she greedily nommed.

When they got up to go, Liselle began to
ready another boosting spell. Tathan quickly took her hands to stop
her. “You’re tired. Save it for an emergency. For now, we’re just
going to travel at a normal pace.” She smiled thankfully and
nodded. Upon seeing Anilyia’s worried look, she smiled at her too,
receiving one in return. Vevin still wasn’t back. Liselle grew more
worried with each passing hour. There was no telling what had
happened to him.

A little while later, the road moved away
from the river, traveling upward. Mountains were thick in front of
them and they could see that the river had cut a deep canyon, too
narrow for the road to exist beside it. The incline of the road
took its toll on the companions and by evening, they were moving
slowly. Thin mountain air didn’t help and Anilyia was struggling
even more than the two cousins who had both been raised in a
mountain valley. They found a level clearing next to the road where
they collapsed.

Once again, Sir Danth prepared food for
them. The immortal knight did not tire or need rest. He had been
quiet and supportive, always there to lend a hand. They were
thankful for his friendship.

Liselle slept instantly, not waking until
the smells of another breakfast made by the knight filled her
nostrils. Tathan groaned and stretched, sitting up to take the
plate Sir Danth handed him. A sharp cry of pain from Anilyia
startled them all. She was clutching her calf while writhing in
pain. Liselle went to her right away. The princess was cramping
from all the exertion. After taking a deep breath to compose her
thoughts, Liselle flowed a small amount of healing energy into the
offending muscle. Then she massaged the other calf with healing
energy as well as the thighs.

“Here, drink some water. It’ll help,” Tathan
said, handing his waterskin to the princess. She took a long drink
before handing it back. They helped her stand up, taking it slowly
to make sure she could walk without pain.

Anilyia smiled. “I’m fine. I’ve never walked
so much, or done anything so much,” she said with a short
laugh.

“Honestly, I’m exhausted too,” Liselle
admitted. “The walking is bad enough, but going up and down
mountains while being chased is a bit much.” They agreed fervently.
“I wish Vevin was here. He would probably dance up the mountain,”
she said with a longing sigh. Tathan gave her a hug without saying
anything. They ate breakfast before continuing up the mountain. He
refused to let Liselle cast another boosting spell.

They reached the top of the pass around
midday a couple of hours after passing the tree line. The mountain,
whose slope the Lost Road traveled over, continued to rise high
above them on the right. On the south side, there was a large area
with a partially broken, stone rail overlooking a cliff. It
reminded Liselle of the ancient bridge they had crossed near
Aaltdiin.

Anilyia dramatically collapsed to the ground
in exhaustion and laughed. Tathan and Liselle quickly followed
form. When Sir Danth did the same thing, they all burst into
uncontrollable laughter. It seemed odd that they were having so
much fun with everything that was happening.

They lay on the ground for a little while,
looking at the sky. Occasionally, one of them would start laughing
again and begin another round. Even Sir Danth was
uncharacteristically merry.

“Tathan,” Liselle called out.

“Yes?”

“Why are we having so much fun?” she
asked.

Tathan got to his feet and went over to the
railing to look at the view. “Because we’re alive, because we’re
not miles underground anymore, because we’re together, because we
rescued a princess, because we’re being chased and it’s exciting,
because . . . well, because adventuring is fun,” he said, turning
around and sitting on the rail.

Liselle got up too and helped Anilyia who
groaned at having to move. They went to the railing, joined by Sir
Danth. The scenery was breathtaking, with mountains rising in every
direction. Taller ones still had a little snow on top of their
peaks. They were far north and snow didn’t always melt. The day was
clear, with a gentle breeze keeping it from getting too hot. She
turned to Tathan. “Our lives are in danger, we’re being chased by
Rojuun, we have to figure out how to get the princess home, and
there’s nothing even resembling civilization nearby,” she
summarized. “It seems like we should be miserable, but instead, I
feel alive.”

Anilyia stretched to loosen tight muscles.
“I agree, it is kind of fun. I always wondered what it would be
like to get out of the palace and see the world. This isn’t how I
expected to go about it,” she said with a grin. Then she sighed
deeply. “I’d rather be back at home though. The world is a lot
dirtier than I thought it would be.” She looked at her dress, which
had become grubby.

The sky was becoming much brighter. Liselle
looked up to see another sun in the sky. Anilyia gasped and went to
hide behind Tathan, who had drawn his sword. Sir Danth stepped in
front of Liselle, sword at the ready.

The new sun came closer, flying toward them.
That’s when Liselle realized that it was, in fact, flying.
“Yebisu,” she said quietly. Anilyia gasped again, looking at her,
then at the new sun. They all shielded their eyes as Yebisu came
near.

“Well, are you going to give me room to land
on the rail or do you expect me to hover out here?” Yebisu demanded
in a testy voice. The companions all backed up enough to allow her
to perch. Shortly after she settled on the rail, the light dimmed
and they could see without shielding their eyes.

“Put that cursed blade away, Tathan of the
Shadows! I will not have it absorbing my light.” Yebisu glared at
him until he slowly slid it back into its sheath. “I am beautiful
and brilliant to observe,” she declared, settling her fiery
feathers. “I can make it so that you may look upon me, but my
brilliance is impossible to dim while flying.”

“Is this the one that goes ‘poof’?” Sir
Danth asked Liselle. He made no attempt to be subtle.

Liselle giggled, ignoring the fiery glare
given to Sir Danth. “Tathan, Sir Danth, Your Highness, I would like
to introduce you all to the Yellow Bird of Sunshine, also known as
Yebisu.” Liselle gestured toward each as she said their names.

Tathan and Sir Danth both bowed. Yebisu
ignored them and focused on Anilyia who peeked from behind Tathan’s
back. “Ahh! Your Royal Highness, Princess Anilyia Felicia Romenia
Illiath Turllisa Wannita Ullbra! It really is you!” Yebisu hopped
from foot to foot.

She turned to Liselle. “I did not think you
would do the right thing, Liselle of the Flowers. It is good that
you did so.” Liselle resisted the urge to snap the bird’s neck.
“Take her to the palace immediately!” Yebisu demanded.

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Tathan
asked, his hand remaining on the hilt of his sword.

“Well, I certainly don’t know!” she said,
ruffling her feathers. “Just do it.” Yebisu acted as if it was the
easiest thing in the world.

“Right. We should be there in two or three
months,” Tathan told her.

“WHAT?!” Yebisu shrieked. “Take her to the
palace immediately!”

Liselle stepped forward. “We don’t have a
way to do so. None of us have the ability to teleport and we’re far
away from Mayncal.” She pointed her finger in Yebisu’s face. “You
will not speak to my cousin that way. Is that clear, Miss
Sunshine?”

Yebisu backed away from the fire in
Liselle’s eyes, which would have been fine if she hadn’t been
standing on a rail. With a squawk, the Yellow Bird of Sunshine
disappeared over the edge of the cliff.

A moment later, she flapped back into the
air, shining brightly once more. “I do not like you, Liselle of the
Flowers. You are rude and disobedient!” Yebisu rose a bit further,
radiating even more light. “Take Princess Anilyia to the palace
immediately!” With that, she shot into the air in a blaze of
light.

There was silence for a moment as they
digested Yebisu’s words. Tathan turned and shrugged. “Unless one of
you knows how to get the princess home instantly, I say we stick
with our current plan.”

“That was really Yebisu,” Anilyia said in
awe.

“Yes, she’s the one who asked me to rescue
you,” Liselle informed her. “Yebisu said that the fate of the world
was in my hands and it would burst into pieces if I didn’t save
you.” Liselle snapped her fingers. “I should have asked Ryallon
about that.”

Anilyia frowned. “So . . . you were the one
who rescued me, not Tathan or Sir Danth?”

“We all agreed to rescue you, and none of us
could have succeeded without the others,” Liselle informed her. “I
don’t know why Yebisu wanted you rescued, but I never promised that
I would, just that I would try.”

“Oh,” Anilyia replied quietly. She walked to
the rail and stared at the scenery while digesting the new
information. A moment later she spoke. “Yebisu is the Archangel of
Mayncal. She speaks for the gods who look over our kingdom.”

“So, saving you had nothing to do with
saving the world, just saving your kingdom,” Tathan said with a
knowing nod. “I thought as much.” Anilyia nodded silently.

Liselle placed a gentle hand on her
shoulder. “Regardless of whether we save the world, a kingdom, or
just a kidnapped princess, I’m glad we rescued you, Anilyia.”

Anilyia looked at her in surprise. “You used
my name . . .”