Under the Roses

66 - There Flies a Sea-Swallow Over the Water

VANESSA

"I'm not sure if you can handle the Walls." Ambrose glanced down at them as they walked alongside his horse, leaves crunching under feet and hooves. Well, Whit and Vanessa were walking. Alice had been lifted up onto the horse with Prince Ambrose, which Alice hadn't seemed too keen about, but Ambrose had insisted because he said she was very small, which Alice had looked quite offended by but had said nothing about.

"I think I can handle the Walls," Alice said, sounding a little huffy. Apparently, she was still a little offended.

They'd run into Ambrose right after they'd gotten out the other end of the portal; he'd been coming up to the Labyrinth on his horse, which was black as midnight. He hadn't seemed at all concerned about the three of them being there, and he had seemed even less concerned that they were going to see the Queen of South Auvyn.

"Yes, but you're a bit...small," said Ambrose. He looked down at Whit and Vanessa again. "You both aren't quite as small, but you are rather young."

Vanessa blinked. Was that supposed to be some sort of insult? Ambrose didn't look like he was insulting them. He just said it all very thoughtfully. And Vanessa guessed they were sort of young. But then, everyone would seem young to an immortal.

"And you're all humans, which is the biggest problem," he continued. Vanessa looked sharply at him. Was he going to send them all out of Auvyn?

"I don't really see how that's a problem," Vanessa said, a little hotly. She wondered if she still counted as human. She was definitely mortal...probably, and she was a human most of the time. Until she wasn't.

Ambrose shrugged. "You probably won't be accustomed to how...how much South Auvyn is."

"How much of what?" piped up Alice.

He shrugged again, gesturing vaguely. "Spirits and things. And I'm sure you all have lived quite far from all that magic."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" said Alice. "I thought North and South Auvyn weren't on good terms."

"Ah," Ambrose said. "Well, North Auvyn is thinking of negotiating conflicts with South Auvyn, and Queen Amoret thought it would be better for me to come first to break the ice. Queen Amabel has a soft spot for my mother's children."

A soft spot? Vanessa couldn't possibly imagine the Queen of South Auvyn, one of the most formidable figures in the Midworld, having any sort of soft spot.

"Here's the First Wall," Ambrose said. They'd stopped in front of a large arch created by the branches of the surrounding trees. He looked at them curiously, almost expectantly. "It's three to get to Central Auvyn, three more to get to South Auvyn."

"Oh," said Vanessa. "Yay?" This only made him look more curious.

"You don't feel anything?" he said.

Vanessa frowned. Did she feel anything? Not really. She shook her head.

"Me neither," said Alice. Whit shook his head too.

"Strange," Ambrose said, and they went through the First Wall.

Vanessa felt the branches grabbing at her as she walked through. It scratched at her skin beneath her cloak, and she hugged herself tightly. The branches felt like hands, fingers. Claws, reaching out to grope her.

She shut her eyes tight and followed the crunching footsteps of the others.

And then she opened her eyes, and she was on the other side.