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"Ouch!" Sheila landed hard on the stone-lined street of Campora's main square, just a few feet away from her trash bag and backpack. She sat up and smiled, rubbing her skinned elbow. She had done it. She had come through the transporter in one piece!
There was no doubt about it—she was definitely in Campora. But even in the dark of night, Sheila could tell that the city was not exactly as she remembered it.
The grand homes with their columns and balconies had been replaced by simpler white stone buildings. Their windows glowed with soft, welcoming lights. The podiums on which lawbreakers had been publicly punished were gone, replaced by small running fountains. The platform from which the Emperor Dynasian spoke to his oppressed people had been removed and the ground under it planted with flowers. It seemed to Sheila that the stones of the street beneath her were the only relic of the old Campora.
For a moment Sheila was puzzled by the change. But then she remembered that during the great battle to free Campora from Dynasian and his vicious wizard, Mardock, torches had been knocked over and an uncontrollable fire had raged. It had still been burning when Sheila left. The fire must have destroyed the entire square, and maybe a great deal of the city.
Rising to her feet, Sheila picked up her bag and threw the backpack over her shoulder. She liked this Campora better than the old one. It was a brighter, friendlier-looking place by far. And she knew the reason why.
Illyria and Laric governed here now. Sheila recalled the handsome face of Prince Laric, lllyria's love. Now that the spell which Mardock had cast over Laric and his men was broken—a spell that had changed them into giant golden eagles—Sheila was sure she would find the two lovers together. The palace seemed the most likely place to seek them.
She headed to her left, down one of the narrow winding streets that fed into the square. But Sheila soon discovered that her memory of Campora wasn't as accurate as she had thought. After almost twenty minutes spent wandering along the curving, dimly lit streets, Sheila realized she had somehow gotten turned around and was almost back to where she started from. Her bags were beginning to feel heavier with each step she took. "Think, Sheila," she coached herself. "You're not concentrating.''
She sat down on a stone step in front of a silversmith's shop, which was dark and locked up for the night. Suddenly she heard the sound of a woman laughing. The warm lilt of her voice was wonderfully familiar to Sheila.
In the next second Sheila saw the woman round the dark corner and start walking toward her. She was accompanied by another, smaller, woman. Sheila jumped up, hoping she was right. "Kara? Lianne?" she called to the two figures who were still cloaked in shadow.
The larger woman stiffened, her shoulders squared, and her head cocked alertly to one side. "Who calls us? Show yourself!" she commanded.
Now Sheila was sure. She stepped out into the ray of light thrown from the window above. "It's me, Sheila."
Kara and the smaller woman, her sister, Lianne, ran toward Sheila. "By earth and sky, it is!'' Kara shouted, grabbing hold of Sheila's two arms. ''I took you to be some sort of night spirit, roaming around by yourself at this hour."
Kara hugged Sheila warmly. "Come, come home with Lianne and me and tell us of your adventures since last we saw you.”
"You look very well indeed," said Lianne, slipping her arm through Sheila's.
"So do you," Sheila replied. "Both of you," she added, turning to look at Kara, still tall and strong-looking, her dark brown hair pulled back into a bun.
Sheila was happy to discover that she still had the ability to understand their language. The magic Gem of Speaking had imparted that power to her when she first arrived in the land of the unicorns, and apparently her time away had not diminished it.
The two sisters stopped after a short while and turned into an open courtyard full of narrow homes attached to one an other. Kara pushed open the door of one and guided Sheila inside.
Only a single lantern burned in the dark room, but Lianne quickly used its flame to light several more. Kara made a small fire in the stone hearth, and the room was soon awash in gentle golden light.
It was a simple but attractive room. Large red cushions on two platforms made appealing beds not far from the fireplace, and a smooth wooden table dominated the area on the other side. There was an earthen bowl of low bristly purple flowers in the center of the table. Sheila knew that was surely gentle Lianne's touch.
As she set her bags down in a corner, it occurred to Sheila that she had never seen either woman in such a comfortable setting before—she had only known them dressed in scraps and armor, riding their unicorns or sitting around a campfire. But that wasn't the only difference Sheila noticed. Though Kara's delicate face still wore the same serious expression, there was a new gentleness in her eyes, and her face looked slightly fuller. A glance at her arms told Sheila they were still the well-muscled limbs of a champion archer, but there was something more relaxed in her posture. She had turned in her rough tunic and now wore a simple belted blue dress of soft material that fell just below her calves.
Sheila had always known Lianne was pretty, but now with her light brown hair curling gently around her shoulders and wearing a simple white gown, clasped at either shoulder with two pins, she was absolutely beautiful. Both sisters had lost the alert, road-worn look that life as a warrior seemed to bring.
"Has everyone settled here in Campora?" Sheila asked.
"Unlikely as it may seem, it has become home base,” Kara said with a laugh as she hung a kettle of water over the fire. "But Lianne and I are the only ones who've chosen to hang up our shields. The others still ride with Illyria and tend to the unicorns. Things have been rather quiet, though, even for them."
Lianne sat at the table, chopping a potatolike root. "I'm going to be married next month," she said happily, "to Ansom, one of Laric's men."
"Not handsome Ansom!" Sheila teased. "The one you said was in love with his own good looks?"
Lianne blushed. "I was wrong about him. He's not conceited in the least. And he is handsome, isn't he?"
"That's for sure," Sheila replied. She was happy for Lianne, who had never really been cut out for the warrior life. "Do you still see the others?" Sheila asked, settling down on a cushion by the fire.
"I see most of them every day up at the palace," Kara answered. "In fact, we just came from there. I teach archery to the new soldiers and to Laric's men." Kara got up and took a basketful of the root from Lianne, then tossed the pieces into the boiling water. "I only joined Illyria to find Lianne after she was kidnapped by Dynasian. Now that I've found her, my job is done. I'm ready for an easier life."
"How about you, Sheila? What have you been doing, and what brings you back to us?" Lianne asked, now chopping an orangy-brown vegetable.
Sheila told them all about her dream and her fears for Morning Star. Kara drummed her fingertips on the stone floor where she was seated. "That worries me," she said. "Illyria and the others left two weeks ago. They should have returned by now.
"Where did they go?" Sheila asked.
"They were going to return the unicorns Dynasian had captured to the mountains. The city is no place for such wild creatures." Kara rose and began to pace. "They were simply going to guide them to a mountain pasture and make sure they found good grazing."
"Now that Dynasian and Mardock are gone, they're safe, though. Aren't they?" Sheila asked.
Kara laughed bitterly. "Don't fool yourself, girl. Dynasian made all kinds of sordid alliances before we undid him. And Campora is still a city of immeasurable value. There are many who would like to control it."
Sheila breathed deeply to calm her racing heart. She didn't like the sound of Kara's words. "Kara, would you mind if I left now and went to the palace?" Sheila asked apologetically. "I want to see Laric. I'm not sure why. I just have this feeling."
"I'll take you," Kara offered. "Laric won't be able to tell you any more than I just did, but when news or Illyria herself arrives, he will be the first to know. Your intimations of trouble dismay me. They are too much like my own.”
Sheila hugged Lianne. "I'll be back. You'll probably see me tomorrow.”
Kara and Sheila left the cozy house and headed out through the courtyard. They walked in silence for ten minutes until they came to a steep road, which Sheila instantly recognized as the way to the palace.
"What happened to all the gold statues and the jeweled picture frames?" she asked Kara as a smiling guard waved them through the front gate.
"Laric and Illyria sold most of them to rebuild the city square and the west side after they were destroyed by the fire."
"That stuff was gross anyway,” Sheila commented, remembering the ornate gold statues of fat men and women, usually shown stuffing themselves at feasts.
Kara stopped and looked at Sheila, puzzled. "I mean they were ugly," Sheila explained, remembering that her use of the word gross was unknown in Kara's language.
"Gross," Kara repeated. "Yes, they were that. Whatever precious metals weren't sold were melted down for weapons. The rest of the valuables were stored away to be sold in the future so there would be no need to tax the people."
"The Camporans must be so happy," said Sheila.
"We are indeed!" Kara told her proudly. Kara and Sheila continued to make their way through the palace, which was now a simpler, brighter, and more pleasant place than the one Sheila remembered. Guards smiled and waved at Kara as she passed. "Is Laric about this evening?" Kara called to one of them.
"I saw him enter the meeting hall,'' the guard answered.
The two women continued down the high, wide hallway until they stopped in front of a wooden door. Kara rapped on it. "Enter," a deep and familiar voice commanded.
Stepping inside, they saw Prince Laric sitting at a large round table intently studying a big book, which was opened in front of him. He looked up, his dark eyes unfocused, as though his thoughts were still back with his book. In an instant, though, he had recognized Sheila and was on his feet. His handsome face broke into the warm smile that made it handsomer still. "What wizard has conjured you up?" he asked happily, coming toward her, his powerful arms spread wide in welcome.
Sheila smiled back as the tall man embraced her.
"She's come because she's worried," Kara told him.
"Worried?" Lane asked, stepping back to look at Sheila. He pulled a chair out from the table and gestured for her to sit. "What could be worrying my brave little warrior? Tell me, please."
"I'm worried about Morning Star. I think she needs me. And now Kara says Illyria and the others are with the unicorns. So maybe they're in trouble, too."
Laric's face remained somber. "And what is the basis for this worry'?''
"My dreams. I keep dreaming that Morning Star is in danger,'' Sheila answered.
As she described her troubling visions of Morning Star leaping off the cliff and disappearing before her eyes, Laric pressed his fingers together and held them against his lips. "Your dreams," he said thoughtfully. Sheila knew he wouldn't laugh or dismiss her fears as nonsense. In this land, dreams and magic were taken seriously. Laric himself was a mage, a practitioner of good magic.
"Illyria is late coming back," Kara reminded him needlessly.
Laric smiled. "That does not worry me," he said. "Illyria's life on the road has made her as wild as the unicorns she now frees. The city is much too confining for her. She is often restless. I'm sure she is simply taking advantage of her time in the wilderness."
''It is possible, but I don't like it,'' Kara insisted.
"You, of all people, should have faith in Illyria's abilities," Laric replied. "Illyria and her women can outfight and outwit the best of men."
"What you say is true," Kara conceded, "but something is distressing you. I saw it in your face when we entered."
Laric walked back to the book he had been studying, which was opened to a large and very detailed map. "It may be nothing, nothing at all," he explained. "This evening two men arrived, ragged wanderers. They said they had information about Emperor Ankzar of Queelotoo—that he is planning to move against Campora soon."
"I have not heard of this Ankzar," Kara said, her hazel eyes shifting as she searched her memory.
"He is an ally and neighbor of King Kumuru's," Laric told her. Kumuru had been allied with Dynasian as well. It was he Illyria's band had once stopped from shipping a whole herd of unicorns to Kumuru to be sacrificed to the Dark Gods Kumuru worshipped. Kara and Sheila both knew that any friend of Kumuru's was bound to be bad news as well.
"The men may have simply been looking for payment," Laric continued. "Still, I have been studying this book of maps, trying to anticipate what Ankzar's approach would be, should the rumor prove true."
Sheila glanced down at the table. She knew from experience that the maps in this world often turned out to be dismayingly inaccurate. They were derived from guesses and approximations. A place that appeared on a map to be a day's ride away often turned out to take two days—or ten. But this map was different. It was drawn with a strong, confident hand and appeared more like a modem map than any she had seen. "This is a beautiful thing. Where did it come from?" she asked Laric.
"It's an eagle's-eye view of the world," he said proudly. "Even though we are free of Mardock's curse and can live as humans, my men and I were left with the ability to shift into eagle form at will. Of course, the map is but a product of memory, and memory can have its flaws. Still, viewing the land from the air gives us a great advantage. We have covered vast territories and set it all down here. I believe these are the most accurate maps ever to have existed."
Sheila went to her pack, which she had set down near the table, and took out the atlas. She opened it to a two-page map marked "The Ancient World." She wasn't sure if the geography of this land was exactly the same as that of her own. Some things were the same, but then others were not. It seemed to be a world that was roughly parallel to ancient Earth not a carbon copy of it.
She placed her map down above Laric's map. The land masses did seem to be remarkably similar. "These are also drawn from aerial photos," she explained. "Maybe they'll help you.
Laric and Kara looked at Sheila with questioning eyes. "Do you have men and women who can fly in your world?" Laric asked.
Sheila laughed. "No, these were taken from planes. Maybe they even use satellites now, I'm not sure." She realized they were still looking at her blankly. "A satellite is this spaceship kind of thing, only nobody's on it and…” Her voice trailed off as Sheila realized she was getting her friends even more confused. "I'll explain it some other time."
Studying the maps, Sheila saw that Campora appeared to be just below Earth's Rome. "Where is this Ankzar guy!" she asked Laric. When he pointed on his map to Queelotoo, Sheila referred back to her own map. "Gosh, that looks kind of like Egypt in my world. He's pretty far away."
"It is quite distant indeed," Laric agreed, shutting his big book. "May I keep your maps?" he asked. "I would love to compare them with my own and make adjustments. Your saddled-lights are most remarkable."
Now it was Sheila's turn to look puzzled. "Oh, you mean satellites!" she said at last. "But you know, you're right. Sometimes you can see them shining in the sky like manmade stars. I like that. Anyway, sure, you can keep the book."
Suddenly Sheila felt a yawn rising up inside her. Not wanting to be rude, she stifled it, causing her nostrils to flare slightly. Laric laid his large hand on her shoulder. "You've had a long journey and must be exhausted. It is rime we all retire. I'm sure the morrow will bring news of Illyria, and perhaps the morning sun will shed some light on the question of Ankzar."
Laric asked Kara to show Sheila to one of the upper chambers and bade the women good night. "I will be back tomorrow afternoon to give archery lessons,” Kara told Sheila at the door of an empty bedchamber. "I will see you then. Sleep well."
Sheila sat down on the soft, velvet-covered bed. The room was bathed in the soft light of two torches hanging from the wall. The flames were shielded by finely carved metallic casings that sent pinpoints of light dancing over the room.
Across from the bed was a stand with a large clay basin and a pitcher of cool water. Sheila splashed some on her face and then took off her outer clothes: She had barely crawled under the soft covers when she found herself drifting off to sleep—and into the world of dreams.
“No, no dream," she mumbled in her sleep, fighting her way back to wakefulness.
Sheila's eyes snapped open. When she realized she was safe in Laric's chamber, she rolled over, stretched, and was instantly asleep. Just before dawn she opened her eyes once, thinking she was home, but seeing the scattered lights of Laric's torches, she rolled to her other side and closed them again.
That's when the nightmare came. It was a new dream, even more terrible than the one that had brought her back to the land of the unicorns. It began with a lovely mournful song. A song that filled the air and seemed to call her. . .
Back To Chapter Listings!
Chapter 1: Haunted Days, Sleepless Nights
Chapter 2: Transported
Chapter 4: Into the Wilderness
Chapter 5: Reunion
Chapter 6: The Unicorns' Lament
Chapter 7: Spellbound
Chapter 8: Stops Along the Way
Chapter 9: The Hickorites
Chapter 10: Across the Unknown Sea
Chapter 11: Queelotoo
Chapter 12: In Ankzar’s Prison
Chapter 13: The Words of Reemergence
Chapter 14: Simi's Revenge
Chapter 15: Sheila’s Magic
Chapter 16: Homeward Bound
Email: Nikki