Free Anilyia by John H. Carroll Page B

where his eyes
would be.
    “So it could go on forever?” Tathan asked.
“Is that even possible? Wouldn’t it have to stop somewhere?”
    “It would stop on the other side of the
world directly opposite of where Liselle stood when she cast the
spell,” Vevin said. He stood and began pacing as he contemplated.
“The world is very large, so it would take a long time at its
current speed. Maybe a few centuries or even millennia before it
reached that spot.”
    The rest of them exchanged glances. Tathan
asked, “What’ll happen when it reaches that spot?”
    Vevin stopped and turned. “Oh my! I honestly
don’t know. I’m very curious to find out though.” A smile lit his
face. “I’ll most likely be alive when it does. I think I’ll go
there, just to see what happens!” He broke into a happy dance.
    Liselle frowned. She didn’t think she’d be
alive when it happened. Humans didn’t live that long, and most
flowers had even shorter lives, so she had no idea what her own
life expectancy was. The idea that Vevin could live without her
made her sad.
    Vevin stopped dancing when he saw the look
on her face. With a single leap, he was in front of her, wrapping
her in his arms. Tathan and Sir Danth looked on, not knowing what
to say. After a moment, they readied the horses while the two
lovers silently held each other.
    Nothing more was said about the spell or
life expectancies of humans and flowers. Liselle and Vevin rode
next to each other with legs touching for the rest of the day.
    The companions rode for the next five days,
talking and joking about various things. Vevin taught Liselle how
to always make certain a spell had an ending. He also taught Tathan
and Liselle additional spells and some of the basic theories of
magic. No one mentioned it, but all of them were surprised by how
voracious the Child of Flowers was for knowledge and how quickly
she learned everything presented to her. The raw power she
possessed had never had a teacher to hone and shape it before.
    By the time they reached the ancient city of
Brondaggiin, Liselle understood magic better than most wizards
Tathan had met in his travels.
     

Chapter 8
     
    Mother Tree grew in the middle of
Brondaggiin, which was once the capital city of Morhain. The
citizens of Morhain vanished in an event called “The Great
Disappearing.” Nobody knew how or why they disappeared. They just
went ‘poof’ like one of Vevin’s balls of light. Actually, nobody
knew if they even made a ‘poof’ sound as it always happened when no
one was around.
    The extraordinary city was made to be one
with the trees. Many dwellings were part of the trunks and
branches, built in such a way as to make the trees stronger and
still allow them to grow. The companions reached the city by late
evening, when they were encouraged to sleep for the night before
going to see Mother Tree. They were tired after their journey and
readily agreed.
    The next morning was overcast. A cool
drizzle felt good after hot days on the road. The smell of
rain-washed forest filled the air, while droplets of water pitter
patted through the leaves, creating gentle music. It wasn’t raining
so hard as to make it uncomfortable, and a shelter of wood and leaf
protected the table in the clearing where their small dwellings
hung. They ate a pleasant breakfast and relaxed awhile.
    Tathan liked it in Brondaggiin because he
felt at peace. In cities, he jumped at shadows and even empty air.
Nightmares that he could never remember the details of often kept
him from good sleep. In this forest, he was protected from those
nightmares and shadows. He had not slept so peacefully since being
a child in his bed at home.
    In a way, it was too tame for Tathan.
He had grown used to living life on the edge of a sword, not
knowing if he was going to fall or be cut by the blade. Cities were
exciting, always filled with danger. People in cities hid things
that Tathan liked to find, whether it be treasure or secrets. The
unknown