The Goblin Market (Into the Green) (12 page)

The heavy cloak fell around her, lifting a tremendous weight from her shoulders, and then the other woman circled around her to unfasten the buttons in the front of her dress. Meredith trembled, suddenly unsure of this entire experience, and then the most delightful sound filled the chamber. No longer preoccupied with Niliel’s careful fingers unfastening the buttons, she peered around the other woman’s shoulder to see that the four maidens in the water had begun to circle around one another in a playful, water dance.

Moment’s later a magical song echoed through the bathhouse; its resounding beauty entranced the mind, and washed her worries away. Meredith felt drawn into the water.

Niliel leaned in close and whispered, “The Lellitieu are Siren born, the daughters of men who fell in love with the sea and sacrificed themselves for that love.”

While that should have been a startling notion, it seemed more wonderful than the stories she had occupied herself with by the fire at home. The enchanted echo of their magical song circled through the bathhouse in hypnotic beauty. Water droplets plunked into the pool from the root-braided ceiling of the bathhouse, a natural accompaniment to their lovely incantation.

Hardly aware then of her own nakedness, Meredith was led to the edge of the water by Niliel. The Lellitieu reached out for her, and she for them, gliding into the water with them. Their song remained unbroken even as it seemed their faces lit up with laughter and merriment. They drew her deep into the pool so that the mulberry hued water came up over her breasts and lapped tenderly at her neckline. Again they led her forward until she realized she was being lifted into a stone sitting station where one maid began to work long, nimble fingers over the knots of tension in her body. Another started on her hair, tilting Meredith’s head back while she unwound the loose braids she’d been wearing since the day before. Once unbound, her hair fell over her neck and shoulders, down her back in rippling waves the color of ripe of wheat.

It all seemed so far away now, as though it had taken place years earlier, not hours.

She wasn’t sure if it was the peaceful song that carried her away, or the relaxing blend of smells. Her mind knew only peace and calm, and while she started on her journey with little more than fear and anger to guide her, she felt in her heart that she was on the right path for the first time in her life. There was no urgency which rushed her toward the quest that lay ahead of her. Wherever Christina was, she was safe until Meredith either perished in the Darknjan Wald, or she arrived on the castle doorstep ready to challenge her enemy.

And there was no doubt in her mind now that Kothar was the enemy. No stories of the love he once held for her could water the fire of her anger now that she was fully aware of his elaborate plan. Awakening with the hint of those memories there had been another feeling about Kothar she had only come to terms with right there in the quiet sanctuary of her mind. His love for her even then had been a sort of madness, the type of love that leads men to possession, and no matter what sacrifices he made for her, she would not simply lie down and be possessed.

A shimmer of apprehension attempted to break through the bubble of calm that surrounded her, but she pushed it aside. Swirling steam whispered calmly to her that no matter what lay ahead in the world, everything would work out as it was meant to.

It always did.

As her body was washed clean, all traces of the goblin poison rinsed away, so was her hair. Clarity of mind was restored at last, and as they poured pitcher after pitcher of that steaming, fragrant water over her, she tilted her head back and stared into the intricate weave of the rooted ceiling. Layers and tangles, knots and woven tendrils snaked in and out of the earth, but every one of them was connected to it. It was an awakening revelation: along side her resolution that everything would work out as it was meant to, it was already written somewhere, and that notion put everything she’d ever known into perspective. She was connected to this place, to everything in it, just as it was all connected to her, and again she felt as if every moment of her life had been leading her to this task.

The Lellitieu splashed and played around her, and when finished with their task, they drew her back into the pool. Circling around her all the way to the shore, they finished the last ringing refrain of their wondrous song, and then bid her farewell, each one planting a tender kiss on Meredith’s cheek before they dove back into the pool. Niliel waited on the shore with another, this faerie with sky-blue skin and round-green eyes. She smiled as Meredith approached and unraveled a soft new gown made of raw, green silk. Golden threaded patterns of oak branches, leaves and acorn decorated the sleeves and hemline.

The blue woman and Niliel helped Meredith into the gown, and Niliel finally tied it with a gold cord around the waist before stepping back to admire the fit. The other woman looked to Niliel and said something Meredith didn’t quite understand, though it sounded familiar in her mind.

Niliel translated, “She says that your eyes are all that is left of the girl she once knew.”

Meredith swallowed, her heart aching with a familiarity she couldn't escape, nor completely grab onto. She felt like she suffered from some mind sickness, only most times she wasn’t sure what the affliction was, and what was real. Everything that had happened was amazing, and for Sylvanus to tell her she was the lost heiress to their realm overwhelmed her.

The two women remained silent then as they plaited and wound Meredith’s hair, weaving a ring of delicate lavender and yellow flowers through the braids. Finally, Niliel stepped back to glimpse her with round, earthen eyes, and admiration dawned on her mouth. “No one will disbelieve you come from this realm now that they see you,” she said.

Led toward the door she had come through, Meredith glanced longingly back to the pool, and then she followed Niliel through the dark spiral upward. Even as the heavy door closed behind them she could hear the soulful song of the Lellitieu calling after her, and she knew she’d never be the same again.

Somehow, the tunnels that wound and spiraled upward seemed to take forever to climb, but at last they arrived at the doorway to the outside. It opened slowly; moonlight peeking through the widening crack with such brilliance Meredith felt the need to shield her eyes. It was amazing, she thought, as she stepped out of the bathhouse entrance, just how bright the moon was in the village, how brightly it had shone through the treetops during their journey even.

She lowered her gaze and was surprised to see an entire procession had gathered around the base of the bathhouse entrance to wait for her. The first face her eyes flashed across was Him’s. The tousled curls of his wild hair hung just over his eyes, and when he saw her he reached up to brush them away revealing an anxious, yet bewildered gaze. The exchanging of their stares seemed to last a lifetime, and then Sylvanus stepped forward and held out an arm to receive her.

“Lady Meredith,” he beamed brilliantly. “I am pleased to see that your time in the bathhouse was well spent. You appear refreshed.”

“I feel exhilarated,” she admitted.

“Wonderful.” He slipped his arm through hers and drew her away from the bathhouse. “My servants have been busy readying your sleeping quarters, and though I am sure you are anxious to explore this place you left behind so long ago, I recommend you head straight to bed. There is a long journey ahead of you, and you are in dire need of rest before you begin.”

“Of course,” she agreed.

Him leaned slightly forward as they walked, as though he’d been trying once again to meet with her eyes. She did, but only for a moment, only long enough for her to realize how shamelessly she was flirting, and then her face flushed pink as she withdrew again.

She had never acted on such flirtatious impulses as the ones that fueled her in his company, but there was something about Him, she realized, something different than all the other young men she’d known. And she didn't mean the fact that he was fey, or that his skin was that strange hue between oak-moss and green, or even that he had antlers like a stag... none of that equated the difference, or even signaled her desire. It was so much more than that.

The casual confidence he exhibited, the clumsy stumble that made him laugh at himself when he seemed to be going out of his way to get her attention while they walked... or perhaps it was entirely based on his attraction to her. She could feel it, sense it every time he looked into her eyes, and she’d never experienced anything like it before. It was exciting, and she didn’t want it to end.

The faces that had watched her walking to the bathhouse had doubled in number on the way back to Sylvanus’s household. It seemed that every child had gone for her mother, every mother for her husband, until the entire realm now stood outside their homes, on the walkways waiting, watching—trying to catch a glimpse so they could decide for themselves just who she really was, and what good, if any she might bring to them.

She held her head high and made eye contact with every face she could, hoping this brazen new tactic would offer them some comfort or assurance.

“I will make sure that provisions for your journey are made ready,” Sylvanus told her. “And on the morrow we will see you off with a grand feast.”

“That isn’t necessary,” she protested.

“Perhaps not,” he shrugged, “but we will do it nevertheless.”

“Thank you,” she conceded, her eyes flashing just beyond his face to where Him waited to catch her gaze again. She looked away, the shy, yet delighted grin she wore drawing at her entire face. “You have done so much for me already,” she said, returning her attention to Sylvanus. “I hope one day I am able to repay you for your generosity.”

A slow, lingering nod from Sylvanus followed, and he said, “Though a small, trifle of a debt, I am sure you will repay it tenfold.”

They arrived once more outside the door of Sylvanus’s dwelling, and he gestured for her to precede him through the entrance. Meredith obliged and stepped into the house. Though it was definitely an indoors setting, everything about it so closely mimicked nature, that she wondered if some otherworldly magic had been employed to twist the elements together effortlessly.

“I will have Niliel show you to your sleeping quarters, and if you find you need anything at all through the night, please feel free to seek out one of the servants.” Sylvanus instructed.

“Thank you,” she said. “For everything you have done, thank you.”

“May the moon light the pathway to your dreams,” he bowed his head and reached out to take her hand in his. He brought it against his lips, and then met eyes with her once more before gesturing for Niliel to see her off.

She looked to Him then, a lingering and curious stare shared by them both as she felt Niliel’s hand on her forearm, leading her away from the vast foyer and toward a well-lit spiraled staircase. She craned her neck over her shoulder to catch one last glimpse before they turned around the stairs and she could no longer see the foyer at all.

“You’re making a complete fool of yourself, you know,” Sir Gwydion’s scolding echo followed them up the staircase.

“Well, you’re already a fool,” Him replied.

Her smile drew gently at the corners of her mouth, and she laughed as they wound a second spiral and stepped up onto the landing. The voices downstairs faded as their footsteps shuffled through the growing shadows of the corridor. Halfway down the hall Niliel stopped and opened a door, gesturing for Meredith to step inside first. She was once again amazed by the architectural beauty, and the subtle integrations of the outdoors within.

Inside the room she noticed that several twining trellises made up the base of the room, which at waist height opened up to the outdoors. Three of the five walls were open to the night, and the slow rustle of wind through the leaves could be heard just under the subtle exhale of her own breath. The other two walls closed out the night with wicker blinds, and against the furthest wall was a bed designed in the same twining, white trellis pattern. It spiraled up into a peaked headboard where pedestals lifted small candles, the only light in the room except the moonlight. There was a small desk there, and a comfortable chair overlooking the village below.

“If you find yourself in need of anything at all, please don’t hesitate to seek out one of the household staff,” Niliel repeated Sylvanus's invitation.

“Thank you,” Meredith nodded.

“Good night,” the other woman said, as she backed out of the room and pulled the door closed.

The soft gold light of the candles intertwined with the silver moonlight that streamed in shadowed, leaf patterns across the floor. Meredith gasped in wonder as she gazed up at the ceiling only to discover that there was no ceiling, only the wild and reaching branches acting as a canopy against inclement weather. It was beautiful, the most amazing and wonderful place she had ever been, and while the sad-reminder of the perilous journey that awaited her lingered in the back of her mind, Meredith found a part of herself never wanting to leave that most glorious and magical place.

Collapsing back onto the bed, she gazed between the shimmering leaves, occasionally glimpsing a view of distant starlight. Hands clasped across her waist, a sigh of contentment escaped her as she closed her eyes. She was safe for the moment, and somewhere she knew her sister was safe too, safe as long as Meredith herself were still alive. The overwhelming burden of the day’s events had been washed away in the bathhouse, and only peaceful dreams awaited her.

She closed her eyes and it was only moments before she felt light as air and surrounded by the most incredibly uplifting brightness.

She dreamed herself laying on a wisp of cloud in the gossamer moonlight, arms draped over the edge as she gazed down into lighted woods. From the camouflage of trees two eyes, round and beautiful, stared up into the sky as though a desperate longing prompted his search. Their eyes met, and a hand reached out to her. Without a moment’s hesitation she reached for that hand, tumbling lithely through the warm air until her body took flight and she soared back up again.