HAPTER FOUR
I woke up in the same bed I drifted off in, squashing my hopes that this had all been some sort of really convoluted dream. Slowly, I yawned and stretched. I still felt achy in all of my joints, but it wasn’t as bad as when I started a new workout, or after I had moved out of my tiny apartment into my Abuela’s.
I swung my feet over the side of the large bed, setting them on the cold, wooden floor. If you wanted something to wake you up suddenly, that would do it, and I found myself much more conscious than I had been a few seconds ago.
Looking down at my naked form, I realized I should probably put some sort of clothing on, lest I start some sort of nudist scandal on my second day in the world. Crossing over to the closet, I pulled out what looked like a sensible but plain frock in red and brown, and an underdress of faded off-white. It wasn’t until I had them laid out across the bed that I realized I had no idea what kind of underclothes people wore in this time period. Did they wear any at all?
I decided not to worry about it, and that I could keep my newfangled brassiere until it fell apart. Which would only be a month or so given the fact that I liked to buy cheap and in bulk.
That thought gave me pause. Did I really think I wasn’t going to be home in a month?
…That was depressing.
I shook my head, banishing the thoughts, and pulled the rough spun dress over my head.
Only to promptly have it get stuck.
“Shit,” I hissed to myself, wiggling to try to get it down past my shoulders. But I was solidly encased within the fabric. A knock sounded at the door and I let out a strangled mew of exasperation.
“Mercedes? Are you awake already?”
“Yeah,” I admitted with a sigh. “But I’m having an issue with getting dressed.”
“Oh sweetling, I told you I would help you with that. May I come in?”
I hesitated for a moment, after all I was practically nude in just a flesh-colored pair of lacy boyshorts and bra, but it wasn’t like I had much of a choice.
“Yeah, come on in.”
I heard the door open, then close, and a stifled laugh. “You certainly have gotten yourself into a mess, haven’t you?”
“Yup. That seems to be my thing lately. Lots and lots of messes.”
“Here, hold still. The lacings are still all done on this. Let me pull it off.”
I obeyed, and with a few persistent tugs, the fabric was off of me. I was instantly cold, and crossed my hands over myself as Maryana gave me a bemused look.
“You certainly are a thin little thing, aren’t you?”
My brow furrowed at that. I had never considered myself thin at all. I was much more of a curvy type, and had been fairly proud of my hourglass figure. But looking over the capable Maryana, I realized I was missing the muscle that came with years of manual labor to survive. Perhaps, to them, I was a delicate thing. Such an odd perception.
“I was the runt of my litter,” I answered instead, hoping to win another laugh from the pleasant older woman. It worked, and I was treated to a giggle.
“You would think they don’t have proper food in this land of lightning you come from.” She finished doing whatever she was doing to the dress and held it above me.
“Arms up, let’s get you decent.” But as I obeyed, she raised an eyebrow. “I suppose what you’re wearing is your version of undergarments.”
“Uh yeah,” I said softly. “They’re not going to get me into any sort of trouble, are they?”
“No, not at all. Just curious looking.”
“Yeah, I imagine they would be to you.”
“Alright, well, no need to keep them out on display,” she said before lowering the garment over my raised arms.
It took a little bit of shifting and shuffling, but finally I got the thing on, and she showed me how to lace the front of it up. It was pretty, in a very practical kind of way. It certainly made me feel less like some sort of time traveling outsider who was dropped from the sky.
“Now, if you’ll have a seat, I’ll take care of your hair. We can’t have it out and loose; it might tempt the men.”
I snorted. “What, like my hair is going to seduce them into leaving their wives?”
“That is a bit of the superstition, yes.”
“Wow, okay. I was just kidding but alrighty then.” I walked over to the stool by the desk and settled myself down. “Please, by all means make me less tempting. I would hate to lead anyone astray.”
“Of that I’m sure. Otherwise do you think I would let you stay in the same house as my husband?” We shared a laugh at that, and I relaxed as she began running a brush through my long black curls. I had no idea how she was going to tame the mass that was my hair, but apparently, she was dedicated.
It only took at least an hour, two brushes, and a pot of boiling water for her to have my long, dark hair in a presentable braid that coiled at the back of my head into a bun. When she showed my reflection in a very polished platter, I was surprised at the image staring back. I looked like an actual member of the cast. Who knew, maybe I was more cut out for this life than I thought.
“There you are. You look lovely, as I knew you would. Leryk explained that I need to teach you as much about our world as possible before you find why you were summoned here, so what do you wish to learn?”
“Um, I’m not really sure. Everything, I guess.” I gave a nervous laugh. “Maybe we should start with some basic survival stuff? You’re a potion master, you said, right? You’ve got to know a bit about edible plants found in the wild, how to build a shelter, find water, all that good stuff.”
She nodded gravely. “That sounds like a good place to start as any. Come, let’s eat our fill to break the fast, then we will set out. By the grace of the gods, I don’t have any appointments or orders needed today.”
“Whoo,” I tried to say enthusiastically. “What a blessing.”
She raised her eyebrow at my passive tone, but said nothing, instead leading me back into the main room. Sure enough, there was food steaming on the table. I saw eggs, bread, a slab of butter, and some sort of meat. The smell was absolutely sinful and I found myself salivating.
I sat down and started shoveling down food just as emphatically as I had the night before. It seemed that something about this world skipping business took up massive amounts of my energy. Like just existing was an enormous effort. Then again, it probably was. I really needed to read Abuela’s book/diary more. It probably had plenty of answers.
But I didn’t have time to do it now. As soon as we finished eating, it was then feeding scraps to the pigs, then scouring the plates, then fetching more well water for the pitchers in the house.
I suddenly had much more respect for all the appliances that I had neglected to use in the kitchen. Everything took forever to do manually.
But despite my privileged ineptitude for any sort of housework, we finished a bit before noon and headed out. As we walked through the town, Maryana explained different buildings to me. Most importantly were the several outhouses shared by the town.
Of course the bigger homes had their own waste-relieving methods, whether it was chamber pots, or deep holes, but the communal ones were meant for those out and about, or those who would be seriously inconvenienced by having to return to their home every time they needed a bowel movement.
At first I was a bit off-put by how much time she spent explaining their waste management system to me, but I realized in this world where germs and illness very much reigned unchecked, it made sense to be hyper vigilant about fecal matter in general.
After that lesson, she led me through the common area again. It was much emptier than the previous night, but not quite deserted. There were several children there who were listening to a woman so wrinkled that she was practically a raisin telling a story about some great bard and a troll.
“So, is this kind of a gathering place for those who don’t have duties during the day?”
“Yes, the great house has all kinds of uses. But perhaps its most important lies below your feet.”
Oh no, we weren’t starting this cryptic stuff now, were we? “What do you mean?”
She motioned for me to stand to the side, then moved the carpet that I had been standing on. It was a large divot cut into the wooden floor, almost like a handle. Curious, I watched as she wrapped her fingers under the impression and pulled up a trap door.
“What? You guys have a secret dungeon or something?”
Her eyes sparkled as she gestured for me to follow her down the stairs. “Not quite. Here, come.”
I did as I was told, trying hard not to ooh and ahh as we descended down into the cool, damp passage. After what seemed like a solid three minutes of stair navigating, we ended up in a wide landing. It was dim, with only a few torches flickering for lights, but I was able to make out walls that looked like they were coated in thick Vaseline, and hear the rush of running water.
“What is this place?” I asked, more than a little bit awestruck. So far everything I had experienced in my short time on this plane was extremely primitive. Yet somehow this village had hewn out a giant, secret room hundreds of feet below the surface?
“It’s where we hide if the dragons attack. There has not been such an onslaught in generations, but there are still scars on the ground the last time our ancestors dared defy the dragons.”
“Wow,” I murmured, trailing a finger along some of the barrels stacked against the wall. “Why’d they attack?”
“Our Chief’s son grew greedy and stole several scales of one of the great beasts. They did not take that well.”
“Why didn’t they just ask the Court of Champions for some? They always give them willingly.”
Maryana stood up straight for that. “Court of Champions? What is this? What do you know of dragons?”
“Wait, you guys don’t know about the Court? But in the books humans…” I trailed off, beginning to wonder how direct a translation this world was of the novel I had been so immersed in.
The Chief’s wife seemed to notice my trailing off and her face softened. “It’s alright. I trust that it’s Rider specific knowledge. You don’t have to explain.”
I let out a grateful sigh at that. “Thanks.”
“Always know, should there ever be another attack, this is where we must go to hide. It is our only hope to survive the great beasts.”
So, it seemed they didn’t know dragons had human forms. That was pretty fascinating. “Noted. Shall we return to the surface, my fair lady.”
“I am far from a lady, but I accept your invitation anyways.”
We laughed as we ascended back up the winding steps. But I couldn’t help but look back at the dark, dank space as we left. I hoped I never had to see it.
The sun was particularly bright compared to the dimness of the underground keep, and I found my eyes watering as we left the great house. If Maryana thought less of me for it, she didn’t say so, instead continuing to point out useful landmarks should I continue to stay with them.
There was the healer’s hut, where two servants of the Goddess of Health lived, although apparently only one was currently in residence—the other having taken a journey to receive new training at the capital. There was the house of worship, where one could leave offerings to the gods or speak to ancestors. There was the weaver’s house, the sweetmaker, the blacksmith, the cobbler, the stables. My brain started to get overwhelmed before we even reached the forest at the edge of the woods.
But reach the trees we did, and my head managed not to explode from the wealth of information. It was like being a child again and having the whole world explained to me, but this time I was acutely aware of how much I didn’t know.
“So, it is important, should you ever be lost in the woods, always follow the Star of Kravek.”
“What’s that?” I asked, automatically looking up to search for the star even though it was midday. I felt pretty foolish at that, but again, Maryana did not point out my folly.
“You will see it when you look. It is a beautiful star, brilliant and shining blue. It will lead you towards the capital, and the closer you grow to the capital, the more likely you are to find someone to aide your needs.”
“But how will I know if they’re someone who will actually help me? I might be naive, but I know that not everyone I meet will be anxious to help a young girl on her own.”
“Very smart. That is something I cannot teach you. The best thing is to stay hidden until you can observe what kind of people they are. But even that is not full proof.”
“Alright, so try not to get lost in the woods.”
“But still, should you, it is important to know what you can eat. Most important of all though, if you must find water. You can live for weeks on the tiniest of scraps, but die in days from thirst.”
“Good point. So how do I find water?”
“That is much harder than finding food. The key is to remember that water is not always so easily spotted, but it flows everywhere. It clings to leaves after a rain, lays in the roots of many mosses. Lays within patches of mud. And of course, watching the paths that animals take. If there is one thing that the beasts of the forest always know, it’s where to whet their tongues.”
I nodded, and continued to absorb everything she taught me. I could feel a hungry sort of flame alight in myself, one I hadn’t felt in a long time. After so long of floating through life, existing, I was actually learning and doing things vital to my existence. I felt like I hadn’t been taught anything relevant to my survival and progression as a human since I was a teen.
It was refreshing.
…And exhausting.
We stayed out for several hours, and when we finally returned back to the village, the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon line. We met the shepherds as they returned for the night, and Maryana explained to me that they returned their sheep to their own stable, lest they be carried off by wights, werekin, dragons or thieves. The last example seemed so odd compared to the others that I had to swallow a laugh at her straight expression.
We were just about to get to the Chief’s lodgings when whinnying carried to us on the wind, as well as something else similar to thunder, but quieter.
“What is that?” I asked.
“A company of horse riders,” Maryana answered, turning her face towards the same path I had entered the town on. “Far more than we have living here. These are not our men.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“We shall have to see.”
Slowly, she approached the main road, back ramrod straight. The hairs at the back of my neck stood on end, and I felt apprehension wind about my spine in a vice lock. I followed after her, but several steps behind. I didn’t want to draw too much attention to myself, of course. I was basically a baby in a grown-up body.
After what seemed like forever of watching them approach, they finally neared us. Many of the women who had been previously outside had disappeared into their homes, leaving only the elders in sight—all of whom were watching silently. It was pretty creepy.
“Greetings, traveler,” Maryana called as they halted. Most of the company seemed to be well armored soldiers, but the three at the forefront obviously had the finest gear of any of the formation. The one at the head took off his helmet, revealing chin length, auburn hair.
“Where is your Chief.”
“He is securing some of our barriers from the darkwood, sir. We’ve had some issues with wights slipping through the enchantments.”
The look on his face was equal parts leering and derisive. “So what, they leave the crones and women here to fend for themselves against the cruel world?”
“I think you’ll find that both our crones and women are equally capable of making the cruel world feel sorry for crossing us.” I was amazed that her smile remained bright and welcoming. No wonder people had thought her a witch; she was utterly mesmerizing. “Thankfully, we haven’t had a chance to prove it in many years. Come, your men must be tired. We shall house you and feed you in our common hall.”
“Yes. Good. And tell your Chief that the Duke of Marlonvale requires his presence.”
“I will send a runner to him with the message. Our young gentleman will take care of your horses for you.”
“Yes. See that you do.”
With that, both he and his company dismounted. “You,” the Duke said once he had both feet on the earth. It took me longer than I would have liked to admit to realize he was talking to me. “Lead me there.”
I pointed at the building that was just down the main path. “It’s right there,” I said flatly.
His eyes narrowed, but he just smiled too brightly. “Of course I see it. Are you outlying folk so backwards you don’t know basic manners of how to treat your superiors?”
“Forgive her, my Lord Duke, she’s not from here.”
He took a step towards me, and I drew myself up to my full height, daring him to come closer. Lord or not, I would make sure he regretted touching me if I did not will it.
“I should have known. With such skin, and those eyes. Let me guess, the Shimmering Ilse?”
“Yes,” I said cautiously, not wanting to give an answer that would end up trapping me in some narrative that I knew nothing about.
“Curious, to see one of your kind here, so far from home.”
“She is my apprentice,” Maryana answered quickly. “Potion making is a dying art.”
The Duke snorted. “Rightfully so. Come,” he said, offering an arm. “Escort me.”
I risked one last furtive glance to Maryana, but she could only helplessly furrow her brow. It seemed like there wasn’t a tone of choice here.
I paused for another long moment, steadying my breath, before taking his offered limb. “Right this way, sir.”
“That is not the proper way to address me.”
“Yet you knew who I was speaking to.”
“As fiery as your islands, I see!” he said with a deep, rumbling laugh. “But it would fare you well to learn the proper adages. Not everyone is as graciously forgiving as me.”
“Then pray tell, sir, what should I address you as?”
“Your Grace, his Lord Duke. Sir is only to be used after you have addressed me as one of the former.”
“That seems needlessly complicated.”
He laughed again, and squeezed my arm. “Yes, I suppose it would to a barbarian such as yourself.”
“Oh, you know us foreigners,” I said, deciding to play along before I got myself beheaded. “We don’t know anything outside of our huts and fire dances.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Now his fingers were tapping out a rhythm against my arm. Gross. “I’ve met a Shimmering maiden who has taught me a thing or two.”
“How wonderful that you’re still open to enrichment at your age.”
A snicker sounded from behind him and I felt his mood switch. Apparently even in another world I couldn’t learn to keep my mouth in check. It was the theater kid in me. We always had something to say, even when it wasn’t our line.
But before he could do any stabbing, a shadow fell over us.
“Your Grace,” I barely resisted a sigh as Leryk’s strong, familiar voice rumbled over us.
The man turned both of us to regard the giant of a man, and his grip on me relaxed. “Of course this backwater town would have an ogre in residence. I take it you are the Chief?”
“That I am, but as human as I can be, I’m afraid.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
“I would be more than happy to prove my ancestry, but I request that you release our guest. She’s still so new, we wouldn’t want to scare her off from the trade we have with the Shimmering Ilse. Our daughter lies in residence with their soothsayer, after all.”
The Duke reluctantly let go. “Shame. The conversation was just beginning to go somewhere. You know how hard it is to draw a sensible sentence out of a barbarian.”
“I have an idea. Shall I show you to our great hall?”
“By all means. Let’s see if it lives up to the name.”
I bowed my head and stood to the side as the men marched past me, my skin crawling. I had the feeling that this guy was like this with everyone, not just me, but it was pretty damn upsetting. It was basically catcalling but turned up to the ninth degree.
A gentle hand alighted on my shoulder and I looked up into Maryana’s kind, but concerned eyes. “I am truly sorry, my dearest. I should have told you to go inside.”
“It’s fine,” I murmured, watching the marching troupe enter the communal building. “I have a feeling I wouldn’t have been able to avoid him.”
Her gaze intensified on that, and her fingers interlaced through mine. Once more, I was reminded of the comforting spirit of my Abuela.
“Is it your calling? Do you feel it?”
“I…I don’t know. But, I do feel something.”
She nodded. “Pay attention to that feeling. Only you can know what you were sent for. But for now, let’s go home.”
“Yeah, home,” I murmured. But as we walked, I couldn’t help but replay the situation over and over again in my head. This Duke was bad news. I knew that much.