Secret Places and Hidden Things

Chapter Four

Jack spent the rest of the morning with Daerk in the dining room. Where it had been snowy and cold when he woke up, now it was raining quietly—clouds and mist obscuring any new landscape that might have appeared out the windows. They were sitting in the dim light, listening to the fire crackle, and working their way through a full spread of pastries. Jack had never seen so many different kinds of bread.

"Where did you get all of this?" Jack asked.

"Oh, well, funny you should ask," Daerk started to say, but a burst of light suddenly broke through the clouds, revealing a forested valley curving past the window and a steep cliff beyond. The fog had cleared in an instant. Daerk leaned back in his chair and clapped politely, watching the river sparkle over a waterfall below. Somehow, springtime had come without warning.

It was a moment before Jack realized a woman was sitting in the chair next to Daerk. Jack couldn't say how it happened, but after the light had shifted she was there as surely as she hadn't been before. She had impossibly red hair, coppery-green eyes, and she was wearing a bright yellow dress with red and gold embroidery around the edges—flowers and fire made from real gemstones. She seemed frozen in place. Jack looked at Daerk, but he made no apparent response, watching the scene as if it was a mildly interesting show. The golden light streaming in through the windows set the woman's hair aflame with color, bright dust motes dancing above her.

Suddenly, she moved, blinking rapidly and jerking back as if she'd just woken up. "What's all this?" she asked, looking around quickly. She fixed her gaze on Daerk. He couldn't have been more opposite with his pale eyes and white hair. Even his skin appeared gray next to her. He was almost not-there, like a drawing rather than a person.

"This is the dining room," Daerk said, smiling blandly.

Jack passed her a glass of water, and she looked at it with wonder. After taking a sip, she narrowed her eyes and looked at him suspiciously. "I know this, but you've stolen the word for it."

"It's just water," Jack said with his eyebrows raised. She gave him a sly look.

"Are you new?" he asked.

"New?" She was feeling her face with her hands.

"Have you ever been to the helm before?"

"No, she hasn't," Daerk said. "At least, not like this."

"Do you remember your name?" Jack asked.

She looked at him a moment. "Marelle. I'm Marelle." She sat up straight after saying this, like the name gave her some self control.

"Are you hungry?" Daerk asked. He slid a bowl of some thick brown soup towards her. She looked at it without comment. Jack wondered what it was; he'd never seen anything like it.

"Why am I here?" Marelle asked. "I don't remember anything."

"Well, I don't know." Daerk said, waving one of his hands airily.

Jack laughed. "Daerk isn't very helpful."

She looked at Daerk with appraising eyes. He just looked back at her vaguely, blinking occasionally. "No. I guess not."

"Do you remember anything else, anything at all?" Jack asked.

She looked over at him for a moment, then looked around the room. "What is this place?" she asked.

"This is the helm," Jack said. "That's what Daerk calls it, anyway. It's a big castle, I think. The doors are always changing."

Suddenly, Daerk leaned forward, looking into Marelle's ear. She leaned away, one of her eyebrows twitching.

"You have something in there," Daerk said. Before she could react, he reached up with one of his spidery hands and plunged his whole arm into the side of her head. Her ear stretched to accommodate his thin wrist, and she flinched sideways, her face the picture of shock. With another sudden movement, Daerk pulled his hand free and revealed a tiny fox dangling by the scruff of its neck.

"Well, look at that." Daerk said, dropping the fox on the table.

Marelle's eyes were still wide. She looked at the fox in front of her, then felt her ear gingerly. It was back to its normal size and shape.

"I bet your thoughts were all fuzzy," Daerk said, scratching the fox under the chin. It closed its eyes and leaned forward, stretching its jaw to follow his hand.

Marelle braced her arms on the table, stood up without saying another word, and walked out the door, the jewels on her dress flashing.

"Should we go with her?" Jack asked.

"I don't know," Daerk said, shrugging.