Reluctant Royals
by Michael G. Crawford
Chapter Five
She could feel it now as she too closed her eyes, and kept backing, away from the cold and toward the warmth. For a moment she opened her eyes again, only to see a walled up window. On a hunch she reached out, the warmth of the walled up window attracting her like a moth to light. Sure enough, as her hands got closer, she saw them disappear into the stone. It was an illusion. But it was a powerful one, one strong enough to continue to fool her eyes despite the warmth her hands felt. Then as she moved forward, he hands came up against more warmth and solid smoothness. It was like the glass in the church at home, but so much smoother and fine. And the warmth felt like sunlight. Sun warmed glass then. She could envison it now, and closing her eyes, she drew her sword, the energy flow to Alain dimming a little, eliciting a small surprised sound from him.
"Hang on, I'm still with you" she whispered as she reveresed the sword and smashed the pummel forward. She could only hope that the illusion was not real enough to stop her sword. It wasn't. The pommel went far enough forward to assure her of that. But rather than make a foolish try to feel around now, she realized her best hope was to assume there was a ragged hole. Sweeping the pommel to one side, she felt it stop solidly. Now scribing a large rectangle in the illusionary stone, she passed the pommel around the would be frame of glass to clear it from that frame. Only then did she attempt to carefully check her handiwork with bare hands.
A small sliver of pain let her know she had not quite completed the task and she repeated the rectangle, slower and larger this time. She opened her eyes again only to notice blood on her left hand where the glass had caught her. She had not quite been clever enough. Fortunately it was indeed only a small cut, more from a splinter as she had first felt. She was tempted to ponder the feelings, vision, and reality versus the illusion. But they were running out of time. She could feel Alain weakening, and sensed he was near his strength's end.
"This way!" she whispered loudly, and Alain, eyes still closed backed his way over to her. Light was streaming from the archway now, and she could sense the movement in the other room as THEY came closer to the passage between the two.
She grabbed Alain as he drew near, and gripping his arm, she pulled him to where the stone covered window was.
"Imagine an opening just here" she said as his eyes flew open. "Crawl through after me" she instructed and then hoisted herself up into the frame. She reached back onto his arm to ensure he followed, and within a moment they were both outside the barracks again.
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It was near sunset. The waning light cast strange shadows on the front of the barracks, and these frightened her at first. But then, she saw Garland and several king's men she recognized. They were asleep. Well sort of drugged looking really, their eyes partly opened but their bodies inert. She pulled a stunned Alain over to Garland who was leaning heavy against the wall.
"My Lady" whispered her personnel spy. "It has been so long. I thought you had been swallowed..."
"Ssshhhh, Garland. We are here and that is what matters. How long?"
"Days, my lady. I was so worried...worried what the King would say...do to me."
"No fear now Garland. And we must be off. This is not a place to be in the dark. Off, I say, we MUST GO!"
And Garland roused himself, attempting to wake his men. But it was to no avail. They were fast in trance and nothing that she, Alain or Garland would do could elicit any response.
Tessa was wrought with guilt. If she hadn't started this fool hardy venture, had stayed home with her father and led her life like a royal, this all would be a nightmare that had never happened. She was struck with such sadness, a gasp escaped her lips.
"Alain it is all my fault!" she cried out loud, and a horrid depression fell upon her like heavy blankets, nearly dragging her down to the ground. Alain caught at her, now holding her arms to keep her standing.
"No, lady. You musn't"
"But they won't be coming with us, will they?"
"Nay, I don't think so. And I fear we shan't be returning either."
"Ohhhh" she cried again, the pain of her actions now striking home. Tears fell, not quite streaming, but ample enough to drip down off her cheeks. She leaned down to touch the face of one of Garland's men, her hands feeling the cold settling in on the barely warm face. Soon they would be as cold as those back in the nightmare barracks. She couldn't stand the image forming in her mind of these young men frozen like this for all eternity, their minds crying out for some kind of release for all time.
As she leaned down over the young man and her hands moved to his cheeks, her tears dripped onto his hands which appeared frozen in some rictus gesture. She looked down at the nearly blue hands, and saw that where her tears had landed, bright pink spots showed through. Suddenly she was struck with inspiration. With a wipe of her face, she wet her hand and laid if wide on the young man's face. With a gasp she stepped back as the young man started, nearly sitting up in reflex. In a moment he was shaking his head and Alain was helping him stand.
With tears of joy, Tessa applied the magical salve to the other five of Garland's men and to Garland himself, despite his appearance of full readiness. She was taking no chances now. As they fled she vowed first not to look back, and second to never return. It was a promise she would keep.