Where Adainne Lets LooseA Chapter by Alskar Adainne was up as the sun settled on the imaginary fields. She peeled back the curtains and questioned the unreal nature of these fields. They looked so touchable, so alive and fresh. She wanted nothing more than to slide out of the window and explore, running through the golden meadows and dipping into its blue streams. She pulled on a woollen jumper and left her room. As she left she noticed Trellor’s door was open. She took one step from her threshold to his. She knocked on the weathered white door, but as she walked further into the room it became apparent he wasn’t there. Neither were Boston or the star. His room reminded her of a beach house. Teak floors, teal walls and a wicker double bed. It was unmade, and boxer shorts were strewn over his bedside lamp. She went to the right of his room to unopened blinds. Pulling them open they revealed, as she had guessed, a beach scene with a broad ocean view and palm trees. The beach was empty. Adainne found this sad. It was probably a similar scene with the beaches on Earth now. No one wanted to chill out at the beach when they’re supposed to be in hiding, or following their dictator leader. She left the blinds open and made the bed up. The boxer shorts she left - she wasn’t touching them. She closed the door behind her and made a turn to the stairs on her left. “Morning, Adainne!” called a jubilant voice, followed by a loud sizzling. Adainne hung over the banister to see Trellor firing up a frying pan. “Morning. What are you making now?” She asked this with caution. She saw the star hovering over Trellor’s head and holding a book open in front of him. “Oh, don’t worry your moon head. Just eggs and bacon, with fried bread. I found a recipe book in a cupboard upstairs and it tells you the basics at the back. I’ll be making eggs benedict tomorrow!” “That will be interesting,” she yawned, coming down the stairs. “And what’s a moon head?” “You, with your bluey-silver hair.” He cracked an egg into the pan. “Insult?” “You decide.” Adainne grunted. “So where’s Boston?” “I let him outside to do cat business,” he replied, the tang of olive oil wafting through the house. “Oh.” Adainne settled into a seat at the table. There was a silence between them, marred only by sizzling. She supposed he wasn’t a bad guy. He was nice enough to her, even if he annoyed her. She was beginning to feel sorry for him now. Ever since she found out about his past and his reason for his rogue wizardry, her opinion of him had changed. She never really thought of why rogue wizards were rogue. She had been taught that they were vigilantes cowering out of their duty to their planet. Now she understood better. Maybe they weren’t all like that. “So, what are you doing today?” said Adainne. It came out awkwardly - she felt awkward. “Oh, nothing in particular. I need to head out to the valley today to get water for the house. Don’t want to use magic for everything, you know?” “Can I come?” Adainne hadn’t considered this question before she asked it. She just did. “Yes, why not!” Trellor dunked four slices of bacon into the pan, where they shrivelled. “I extract water from the nimbus cloud, purify it, and use it for the water supplies in my house. Most resourceful, and because nimbus clouds carry a lot of water, smart too.” “Very resourceful,” Adainne agreed. Trellor trotted across with the frying pan to the table. “Hurry up, plates!” “Could have asked me before!” Adainne groaned. She jogged to the cupboard, piled up plates on her arm, then rushed back to the table. Trellor splattered two fried eggs, two rashers of shiny bacon and an uncut slice of golden bread onto her plate. “This looks…good,” said Adainne. “You sound surprised?” said Trellor, filling up his own plate. She tucked into her meal - her body was still recovering from the trauma it had been through. “Hey, cooking isn’t all that hard after all,” Trellor commented, jumping into his seat and ripping a bacon rasher apart. “I mean, proper cooking. From a recipe book.” He crammed the bacon into his mouth then licked the grease from his fingers. Adainne watched him with a wrinkled nose. He noticed her look and turned to her. “What?” Wordlessly, she got up, grabbed a tissue from the coffee table, and passed it to him. “Oh. Yeah, sorry, not so used to having company.” The door went. “There’s Boston, never late for breakfast,” he said, leaping over the back of his chair to the door. “Morning. I see you’ve already got breakfast.” Trellor closed the door and the cat slid in, a mouse caught between his teeth. He winked at Adainne before bounding upstairs to have his breakfast in peace. The star had pushed the recipe book into the bookshelf in the far corner of the room. She followed the cat upstairs, leaving Trellor and Adainne to enjoy their breakfast. *** Trellor knocked on the door opposite his. “Adainne, you ready yet?” Inside, Adainne was pulling shorts over a day blue shirt. “Yes yes, hang on a moment.” She pulled on black boots over dark tights. Then Adainne opened the door. Trellor was inspecting his wand in the corridor. “Okay, let’s go.” They went to the front door. Adainne began to wonder as she stood side by side with Trellor; would this valley be like the untouchable fields outside of the window? What lay beyond the front door? A portal? The nimbus cloud? These questions circled round her mind. But one remained more prominent than the rest. “Why, on earth, are you wearing a cape?” Trellor pulled the black and gold cape more tightly around his shoulders. “Capes are fun.” “Should I wear a cape?” “Wear a cape if you want.” “I don’t want.” “Well don’t wear one then.” Behind them, underneath the stairs, the cat sighed and the star rolled its eyes. “Anyway, grab a bucket, and we’ll be off,” said Trellor, picking up a wooden bucket beside the door. Adainne picked the other one up and they moved towards the door. “Oh, hang on, almost forgot.” He withdrew his wand and tilted it at the door. “If we’d have opened that door just then, we would have been sucked into the cloud and suffocated to death.” He let out a hesitant laugh. Adainne’s eyes widened. Trellor flung open the antique door. It took a moment for Adainne’s eyes to adjust to the vibrancy of the scene before her. They were at the bottom of a hill. A hill of glossy summer green and hot yellow daffodils, of fragile daisies and passionate poppies being tossed around in the bold spring wind. A mound of ultraviolet peonies and magnolia, curving over the peak and kissing the underbelly of the river-blue sky. In the far distance, an earth-purple mountain could just be seen. “Trellor…this is beautiful.” “Oh it gets better than this. Boston, hold the fort while I’m gone. Not that you have much choice. And lock the ship, will you?” Boston murmured some sarcastic response, but Trellor had closed the door behind them. Above them, chimes twinkled in the breeze. Adainne looked up, noticing the ivy that curled round the low ledge above the door. She swung her bucket onto her arm, inspired, and ran out to the hill. “Adainne!” It was as though the house was a part of this valley. From here it looked three stories high, but desolate and abandoned. It was made up of dark vertical wood with glassless windows and ivy trellises. It might have looked out of place here, but it was old and beautiful to Adainne. Trellor chased her up the hill, panting as he reached her. “It would have been nice if you’d waited.” “Why does the house look so unused on the outside?” “Oh, that.” Trellor caught his breath, and stood upright next to Adainne. “In case anyone gets into my valley. The desolation is an illusion to deter them. Come on, the water’s this way.” He hung his bucket on his arm, then seized Adainne’s hand, darting up the rest of the hill. “Trellor!” she gasped, bucket clanging furiously. “Stop! Trellor!” “Live a little!” he called breathlessly back to her. He was laughing like a cello; bright and tenor. “Trellor!” she yelled to him again, feeling the searing rasp on her throat. He stopped. She crashed into him. “I’ve got you, silly,” he said, grabbing an arm and hoisting her upright. The wind was warm, grazing the back of her exposed neck. Her hair sailed like a proud flag in the breeze. Below them was a small lake. It was a blissful aqua, pushing waves into a reedy shore as though rinsing the life around it. “That’s where we’re headed, that lake over there. Come on.” This time, he did not grab her. Nor did she hesitate in following him. Side by side, they rode on the wind as they ran to the lake. Reaching the bottom of the hill, they were immersed in a field thick with a golden harvest. “Not exactly the place I would expect someone to grow crops,” commented Adainne, flattening her palms against the coarse tips of barley. “They’re mostly just for show,” replied Trellor. “I like running through a barley field.” “I did when I was younger. The smell of barley actually reminds me of-” She stopped herself, embarrassed at what she had been about to say. Trellor had paused, and turned to look at her. “Yes?” “Er, well…I lost my virginity in a barley field.” “Huh,” said Trellor, considering. He began to move again, and Adainne followed. “I lost mine at the back of a Wal-Mart.” Adainne giggled. “Seriously? Weren’t you scared of doing something that big out in the open?” Trellor shot her a lean smile over his shoulder. “Look who’s talking.” “Yeah, but mine was far out into the countryside. Your’s was where people go to shop.” He stopped and gave her an abrupt once over. “And technically you had your’s in a field of stuff people eat. I think we’re even.” Adainne wrinkled her nose. “Ew, you’re right. I never thought of it like that before.” He smiled. “See. I wouldn’t have any shenanigans like that in my barley field, whether it’s to be eaten or not.” “Your stupid cape keeps getting caught.” “You’re right, it is stupid.” He flicked out his wand, and the cape disappeared. “So fun, but such a nuisance.” “So how do we purify this water, exactly? And how come it’s in a lake?” “Well, you see,” said Trellor, swatting away a persistent firefly, “We don’t really purify it, as the mountains do it for us, and it all collects in this lake. We just take out any lingering nasties with our wands and carry it back home.” “And how are we meant to carry enough water for the house in these silly buckets?” “Look inside, and you’ll see they’re not so silly.” So she did. She thought she was looking into a well for a moment. “Oh, you extended it.” “Indeed. Much more space on the inside than there seems on the outside.” They pushed through the final row of barley and found themselves at the edge of the lake. It wasn’t so small up close - it stretched back a mile or so. “Get a load in,” said Trellor, swiping down with his bucket and trapping the water with a protesting gush. Adainne copied, pushing her bucket straight into the edge of the lake and bringing it back up to the surface. Surprisingly, the weight seemed not to have changed. “It’s much easier not having to make two trips for this, now you’re here,” said Trellor, putting his bucket down. He held out a hand to her. “We can spend a bit of time here, if you like. There’s no rush to get back, and we’re only over the hill.” “Where are we going?” She did not take the hand. “To the centre of the lake.” “Do you have a boat?” Trellor laughed. “You War Wizards. You don’t think of magic as having any other purpose than fighting with, do you? We’re going to walk out there.” “We are?” “Well I am.” “Are you sure we’re not going to de-purify your lake?” “Oh possibly. Nothing that can’t be fixed. This land is mine after all.” He half-smiled at her. “Come on, well.” Trellor took the first step onto the lake. Adainne could see the ridges of his shoes just under the water, the little stones and moist sand under him. He really was on the water’s surface. He took a further three steps forward before turning back to her. “Come on, I put a spell on you so you can do it too.” Adainne stepped away from the water. “No. Why should I trust you? For all I know you’re going to drown me so I don’t report back to my father.” Trellor raised his brows. “You’re the daughter of the President of Cloudline?” Adainne sighed. “Well now you know, yeah. Now you can kill me. Go on. I’m defenceless, after all.” Trellor laughed through his nose. “What have you been smoking today? I’m not going to kill you! Don’t you think I would have done it in your sleep?” Adainne stared. “Well, crap. Now you know I’m the President’s daughter you probably will now.” He shook his head. “Adainne! I know you don’t really know me that well but I’m not a murderer. That’s your bag, not mine.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Trellor sighed. “You’re trained to kill. You might already have killed a few Earth soldiers for all I know. If any one should be scared here, it’s me. Now get your a*s over here.” Adainne hesitated. He was right, though. She had been trained to kill; she could kill someone without a wand or a weapon. This included Trellor if he tried to do anything. Adainne stepped towards Trellor and the lake. “I just…stand on it? You’re sure I won’t go through?” “I’m doing it, aren’t I? Just step on it like you’re stepping onto a small stair.” Adainne dipped a shoe into the water. Except, it didn’t dip. It stopped above the water - there was no force pressing against her, but she couldn’t put her foot any further in. She raised her leg and took a slow step onto the water. Here, the water was shallow, but the feeling of weightlessness was not deterred. Adainne looked to Trellor with a renewed sense of being. He held her eyes with the same expression. They moved out to the centre of the lake. The lake widened with each step they took, growing more vast and deep. Beneath them, the water rippled obediently as they walked. It wasn’t clear water, but it wasn’t thick with dirt. They reached the heart of the lake, then turned with dancer elegance to face where they had come from. “That was more fun than wearing the cape,” Trellor admitted, staring. “I would think so,” said Adainne vaguely. “Hey, we could do another cool biblical thing.” “Yes?” “We could always er-” He winked, produced two glasses with his wand, and scooped the water into each. “Turn this into wine.” The liquid burnt crimson in a second. “Oh, nice. Turn religion into something that will get you in my pants.” “Excuse you?” asked Trellor, passing her the glass. “Nothing,” she said, embarrassed. “Here’s to this valley and having the resources to stand on water. And turn a beautiful, natural substance into intoxication.” “Here here,” Trellor agreed heartily, chugging down his wine. In the spirit of things, Adainne chugged her’s down too. “You can pack it away!” said Trellor. “You sound surprised?” “I am. Not because you’re a girl or anything, you’re just, you.” “And what am I?” she said with a purr. “Ew. That smile would turn Marquis de Sade away.” “Who’s Marquis de Sade?” “Some ancient guy who slept with a twelve year old.” “Ew. And why do you know that?” “Creepy stuff fascinates me,” he admitted, refilling their glasses. Wiping the mulberry liquid from his lips, he spoke again. “Not in a weird way, but I always wonder why people do the stuff that they do.” “Makes sense, I guess.” She downed her glass, again. “I take it Jesus wine doesn’t have a percentage on it?” “What a good question. I think I made it about ten percent. We can always bump that up, if you want.” “Bump away,” she said, holding out her glass to him. He refilled it, and she sipped. “You didn’t half bump it up. That stuff has to be at least thirty now!” “There abouts,” he admitted. “Let’s sit and make lots and lots of toasts.” “Why?” “What else will we do?” “Okay, you start.” “I’m toasting to my house and all my lovely jubbly stuff in it,” said Trellor, taking a large gulp. “’Kay, you go.” “Well, I’m toasting to not dying when you electrocuted me,” she said, drinking. “Ooh, that’s a good one! Okay, okay, I’m toasting to my lovely companions, including my latest one. That’s you, by the way.” Adainne grinned. “I got that. And I’m toasting to my mum, and anyone else who didn’t make it in Wizard Eron’s war.” Trellor’s eyes dimmed, and his face fell. “Yeah, make that a toast to my sister too. And my family.” The two clinked their glasses and quickly polished off the freshly filled glasses, silent for moments as they considered the people they had lost. © 2012 AlskarReviews
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