章 405: Eat the Elephant
"Don't hold out on us, what does it say?" Alaron poked his sister in the side such that she yelped.
Mairwen didn't look up, continuing to stare at the page. However, she cleared her throat and complied.
"Princess,
I knew you would get this. I hope you can forgive me for trying to keep you out of this, but now I do not know who else I can ask for help. Taran is taking me north, I think. He needs a lot of magical water for what he intends to do. My fiancé will not tell me where we are going, so I have no more information. I hope this is enough. Please hurry! I can only delay him so long.
Until then, Dania."
Mariwen relayed the letter aloud, her mind still racing. It was certainly in Dania's own handwriting. It was a relief and somehow an even greater burden to see Mairwen's worst fears confirmed by Dania herself.
"You really should have led with this," the princess complained again.
The blonde visibly bristled. "To what purpose, Your Highness? So you could have been torn about whether to rush off without getting all of the information or to stay and find out what was in her notes? You cannot eat the elephant in one bite, you must take it one small bit at a time…" Eliana defended herself. "Handling one problem at a time is the only way to solve things with a clear head."
"One problem at a time, hm? You sound like my mother," Alaron said, his hand disappearing beneath his hood as he rubbed his forehead.
"She must be a very wise woman then," the blonde smiled.
"Indeed," Mairwen was not going to debate the merits of her mother. The Empress was focused and usually level-headed, which is what Mairwen was hoping to be just now. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "I do not want to argue. What's done is done. We must get back to the point. This note mentions a need for a vast amount of magical water. There cannot be many places like that which humans can easily access."
"There is only one I can think of. I have been there." Alaron stated simply. "The lake around the ice barrier. Humans can get to it without a magical creature's permission."
"The lake is magical?"
"It is where the last of the magic is drained, or so I am told. The lake is warm even though it is next to the ice barrier, and many believe the unknown heat source underneath refines the water until no magic is left." The Guardian retold the story that Justum had told him. Justum had tried to discover the mystery of the heat before, but had never come up with a conclusive answer. As a result, only the Maker knew exactly what occurred under the mysterious body of water.
"Is it big enough for Taran to do whatever evil he is concocting?" Mairwen had never seen the lake herself, only heard about it from her parents and brother. Her mind wasn't sure what to make of this enchanting spot.
"Other than the ocean, I have never seen a larger body of water. It is like a small sea."
"Then that is where we should head, don't you think, my love?" The reluctance in Renat's voice was gone. The longer they were in Eliana's home, the more the lanky scientist's attitude had changed. Hearing about Dania's abduction, the mishap with her research, and most importantly the note which entreated them to hurry... all of this had put a fire in his belly.
Renat's family was being threatened, and it was being done by someone who pretended to be his friend. The hurt quickly turned to resolve to make things right.
Mairwen nodded, stood and began to collect her things. "We should head out right this moment. There is no time to lose."
"I am glad we have solved that issue. However, do you remember how I said we solve one problem at a time?" Eliana sounded very calm, but her words sent a wave of fear through her four visitors.
"Please don't tell us that you have new dilemma for us." Eira already knew the answer, although she hoped she was wrong.
"A bit more than a dilemma, I am afraid. You may have noticed that your news about wolf and lizard creatures did not even cause me to raise an eyebrow." Eliana tilted her head. It was true; the young woman hadn't even questioned them on that point although they rest had been too wrapped up in their own discoveries to be so observant.
"Now that you mention it, that did seem rather odd..." Renat said carefully.
"The reason is quite simple. While I have not seen the canine critters, I have most certainly seen their reptilian cousins. They have been skirting around my house for the past couple of weeks. I wonder why they did not stop you from approaching. I guess they did not want to let you know that they were there."
"There are lizards...here?!" Alaron whisper-shouted. He closed his eyes and tried to sense the world around him outside the cozy cabin. Sure enough, many beings, which seemed neither human nor magical, were making soft noises in various directions outside the home. The Guardian counted the individual sounds. "Are there six of them?"
"I am not sure. I thought there were at least seven. They replaced the men that Sir Taran left behind to make sure I didn't try to follow him."
"Why didn't you warn us sooner!" Mairwen was frustrated once again.
The blonde shrugged as her mood ring eyes turned a deep, glistening blue. "While I haven't tested it too much, the lizards don't seem fond of my onions and garlic, just like common lizards, so I planted them in a perimeter around the house. As long as you stay in the house I believe you are safe."
"So you basically just made us prisoners with you," Mairwen inhaled deeply through her nose.
Crinkling her nose, Eliana scoffed at the assertion. "Of course not! I can leave whenever I want. The monsters must have been warned not to hurt me."
There was silence in the cabin for a long time. "We have to leave," Alaron said at last, his heart heavy.
"I agree. We cannot wait around to see if the onion-garlic remedy will hold. At some point those lizards will try something…"
"I think they already are," the Guardian's eyes flashed silver. He could feel the creatures circling around like a deadly noose. They only had a couple of minutes before they would not have any escape.
"Come with us," Mairwen took Eliana's hand. "If we rescue Dania, she will want to know you are safe. Taran may not leave you unharmed if your sister is not under his control."
"I will only slow you down. But if you draw away them away, I will sneak out to my neighbor's house and then head south in the morning…"
"But!" Mairwen started to object. The blonde held up her hands to silence her.
"I was waiting for you to arrive, but now you are here and I can slip away. Two solutions in one, really. Those are the best kind." Eliana was confident in her answer. She pulled her hand free and patted the lady's cheek. "Save my sister, Your Highness. Do not worry about me."
"We need to go now," the silver-eyed man urged them.
"Listen to Prince Alaron," Eliana handed the man the notes to stow in his cloak.
The Guardian's mouth hung loose. "How did you know?"
"You and the princess are siblings if ever I have seen them. You know, it always bothered me...your death never made sense. One more mystery solved! Don't worry; I won't tell." Eliana pressed her finger to her lips. "Now go!" She tossed each of the others a clove of garlic. "It may buy you some time."
Then she pushed up against the door and prepared to throw it open.
"Ready?" The blonde asked, her brow furrowing.
The four heroes looked at each other and nodded. Renat took his wife's hand and balled his other fist. "Ready for round two with the slithering lizards?"
"Let's do this," the princess confirmed.
Alaron handed Mairwen a quiver and bow. She slung them over her shoulder.
Eira put her hand on her sword and stepped in front. "I will lead. The Guardian will take up the rear and the princess will shoot anything that moves."
The others got in line behind the soldier, letting her take the lead. "Ready," Eira told Eliana.
"Take care," the blonde wished them well.
With a deep breath, Eliana pushed open the door. The four visitors slipped into the night. Eliana shut the door quickly and pressed her ears up to the aged wood. The sound of horses filled the air before everything went deathly quiet.
Counting to one hundred, Eliana slipped out of the door, and headed toward town. She knew her friendly neighbor would be understanding about her sudden presence. Kiz always had cool water and a warm welcome for anyone who crossed his path.
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