Earthscænt

Trio of Travelers

 Trio of Travelers

The following day, Maya, Gabrielle, and Paolo said brief goodbyes to Polianneska and Martinue. The kind woman had packed fruits and bread for the journey. She would have loved to add in their favorite smoothies, but Paolo said there were streams of fresh water everywhere, and that was more than enough.

It warm and pleasant, and they’d all had a good night’s sleep, so high hopes and spirits showed.

The past night, the trio of travelers had discussed their options.

“Well, the Degnach princess says a grand human invasion will enter Espherak in three days. I’ve heard that this particular Degnach can See future events. This might or might not be true…” Paolo looked at the sisters suspiciously. “Do not do anything stupid. If you bring more humans, we’ll all be killed.”

Maya spoke up, “We’re not going to bring any humans here, Paolo. Why would we?”

Gabrielle frowned.  Well, our world is crumbling to rubble, and this here Espherak is a paradise in comparison. If we brought our people here…problem solved. No threat of total extermination!  She did not say a word, however.

“You humans have greedy minds… you’ve sought power over all lands and people through the ages. One would think our world would interest you greatly.” Paolo said matter-of-factly.

He smiled. “But since you treasure your lives, I am sure we won’t witness any idiotic actions from either of you.”

“I think we should do as Samaire said. Go back to Earth. I already have a possible solution to our problem there.” Maya said.

Paolo snapped his fingers. “Why, yes. You were saying that yesterday evening, when that Degnach woman interrupted. A potion called Earthscænt…quite brilliant a plan, for a human.”

“Why thank—” Maya started. Paolo put his finger to his lips.

“I believe,” he whispered, “the only way to get you two back to Earth…is through the thirteenth house on the block. The alternative would be a war…and that is not something I would like to witness.”

So the decision had been made.

Unfortunately, flight was not an option. Paolo was sure that the Degnach (at least Samaire’s clan) would be on the lookout for their every move. He’d much prefer giving them a difficult time about it. More importantly, Samaire could decide to kill them any time she pleased, and the Degnach were as good with arrows as they were with wings.

There were three main regions of Espherak on the way to the mind-prison: The Trenches, The Willowoods, and The Cliffs. They would have to be extremely careful in the later two, mostly because of the Degnach rule over the land.

As they walked, Maya stared at the slim, sharpened dagger Paolo had placed in her hand. Its polished, golden hilt had the crest of the four seasons etched in it. Season Authority property, Paolo had called it. Capable of transferring the powers of any of the four seasons into the attack. Well, that would come in handy in case of an encounter. A stab of winter was sure to injure severely, if not kill.

She wasn’t sure why he hadn’t given it to Gabrielle, however. Though she was calm and secure when it came to observing scenes of murder and agony, she had never killed anyone. Gabrielle was a lot more capable of plunging a dagger into a heart than she was. In fact, she was sure Gabrielle could kill as serenely as she herself noted scenes of crime.

Maya glanced at her sister, who only carried a small flask of healing potion. Would that help at all in case of a deadly injury?

She bit her lip anxiously. She hadn’t thought about the possibility that they might not survive the journey. What if Gabrielle died? That was possible. What if she, Maya Spekter, was killed? Well, that wouldn’t matter as much. Gabrielle was smart, strong. More intelligent than herself, probably. Perhaps even better at solving problems…surely quick-witted enough to keep herself out of trouble, if she made it back to Earth.