the Forest of Emmitaenu

The Summons

"Twice! That's twice now I've almost kissed her and been halted!" Lienkin grumbled to himself as he ran towards home. He hated leaving Lara like that, but he had to go back to his village and a sense of foreboding told him it wouldn't be safe to bring her along. Lienkin! The restless summons continued calling him.

The sun was directly above, indicating the noon hour when he reached his cottage. He came rushing through the door before his mother rose from her bed. For a moment he stopped dead in his tracks, his frenzy completely paused by the rare oddity. It was truly unimaginable to see his mother still lounging in bed at this time of day. He stood there, trying to shake the weirdness and searching his memory for past occurrence of her tucked abed in midday. He couldn't think of one.

The question stuck in his throat, still feeling too stunned to speak out loud, so Lienkin directed his thoughts at her and asked his mother if she was feeling alright in the witches' speech. Leann opened her eyes lazily and smiled a fleeting smile at him.

"Good morning Lienkin," she didn't seem aware of the hour in the least. "Where were you during our circle last night?" She rose slowly out of bed and went to wash her hands in the basin she'd used the night before.  She walked as if through a haze, and it made his brain even foggier.  His thoughts ran aground like a boat lost in the mist without a light house.  When Leann didn't speak again, he realized that she was waiting for his answer.  He had to concentrate just to remember what the question was.

"I happened upon a maiden of perfection and stole away an evening with her. I had nearly ensnared her by charm and good grace before someone interrupted me with an urgent summons, beckoning me here." He spoke using a tone of voice to imply that his mother had been the one calling him.

"I assure you, it wasn't I," she responded defensively, "but you mentioned you found a maiden, one you would dare call fair?" Leann drawled on a long breath, dragging out the question as to emboss it with as much importance as she could, and Lienkin knew exactly what she was getting at. He beamed a smile.

"Yes," he replied. Leann blinked, and in that instant, all the vice-like focus she'd willed around his answer dissipated and she her shoulders slumped as she busied herself with drying her hands.

"Well, if you have snared her as you say you have, then I can rest assured that she is of no threat to us, am I right?" They could just as easily have been discussing his afternoon chores.  Her next question should have been 'where' but she didn't have the energy for that right now.

"Mother, you have nothing to worry about. But if it wasn't you calling me, then who?" Leann simply shrugged and slugged back into bed. He was both confused and concerned at the same time. His mother was-Lienkin!-acting peculiar.

Lienkin was even more baffled than before. When his mother said she wasn't the one seeking him, he believed her. Not only did she seem too tired to perform a summons, the feeling he received with the calling was one of unrelenting desire, and not in the maternal sense. The only person that evoked such feelings was Lara, but she was with him when the summons came. He wanted to pretend that it was all his imagination but the feeling remained and his name was still echoing from that urgently whispering voice. It was maddening and it refused to go away.

Deciding he'd puzzled over it long enough, Lienkin walked out the door on his way back to Lara. He needed to go quickly, or she might not be there when he returned. Already he could imagine the demon or the nomad hunting her down and dragging her away without hearing a word of her protest or a single explanation for her presence there. He didn't have time to waste. Not if he wanted to find her in the same place he left her. After all, he'd made a promise, and he refused to break that promise.

Running out the front gate of his cottage he turned down the dusty dirt road away from the heart of the village and back toward the woods. His attention was caught up ahead by someone walking his way. Was it Lara? Had she sought him out? The sun was blazing bright, shining in his eyes, and at first he couldn't see. You've found me, Lienkin. The voice in his head said, finally sounding soothing. Shielding his eyes from the brilliant rays, he looked down the path at the person walking toward him.

"Tres?" Lienkin wondered out loud. She was wearing a figure flattering yellow dress with matching sandals. She looked especially lovely today. Her curly brown hair bounced and she skipped happily toward him carrying a basket of flowers she had been gathering all afternoon. When they were closer she smiled at him.

"Good day, Lienkin, how are you?" She asked in her singsong voice. It seemed to echo in his mind and he had to think hard of a reply.  Perhaps it was the all nighter he pulled last night, but he couldn't seem to shake the fog in his brain.

"I'm... good. How are you?" She smiled again and shrugged her shoulders. He watched the small gesture, as if every movement left a magnified impression on his eyes.

"I'm fine, was feeling lonely until I spotted you," she practically purred which would have irritated him on a regular day, but it seemed sort of endearing today. He smiled sheepishly.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me?" He asked in a daze. She smiled and nodded. He linked arms with her and the summons subsided. He knew now that the desire he had felt was aimed at her and for the first time he could see why. She was radiant, glowing with an inner power and poise he'd never seen in her before, his mind couldn't get past the transformation.