Ben's NaNoWriMo Log

Chapter 19 added Sep 23, 2005
Sarah's eyes snapped open. It took her a moment to remember where she was. She had finally fallen into a dreamless sleep, propped up against a wide boled tree. Though her eyes were open, the darkness around her was as total as if she had kept them closed. She breathed slowly, listening to the sounds of the night around her. Aside from Molly's familiar snoring, there was no sound except for the singing of innumerable insects and frogs. Just as she was about to close her eyes and try to go back to sleep, a tiny twinkle out among the trees caught her eye. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared; for a moment Sarah thought she must have imagined it. Then she saw another light some distance off, which bobbed along for a few heartbeats before it, too, was hidden by the intervening trees. She nudged Molly with her toe. The snoring stopped. "What? What's going on?" "Look out there," Sarah whispered. She pointed in the direction where she had seen the lights, though in the pitch darkness it seemed a futile gesture. Even as she spoke, two of the lights appeared, then disappeared again. "Torches?" guessed Molly. "How could they have found us so quickly?" "Maybe it's not them. It could be anyone." She didn't want to admit it, but she hoped they had food, whoever they were. "Maybe we could get close enough to find out without being seen?" Molly was silent for a moment. Finally, she said. "It may be worth the risk. If we move slowly, we should be able to sneak up on them without being spotted." They began creeping forward through the trees, as the lights continued to appear and disappear in the forest beyond. It was impossible to tell how many there were, though Sarah counted at least four at a single time as they approached. It was impossible to tell in the darkness how far away the lights were; it seemed as though they kept appearing at the same distance. As she crept along, Sarah reached out in front of her and found empty air where she had been expecting another tree or bush. She looked around for a few heartbeats, but saw no more lights appearing. Before she could say anything to Molly, a cloud slid aside to reveal the full moon shining in the sky above. Sarah could suddenly see that she was at the edge of a wide, grassy clearing. Molly was crouched a few feet away. They exchanged surprised glances as they stood. "This is... very strange." said Molly, her hand hovering uncertainly near her rapier. "That it is," agreed Sarah. She looked up at the now cloudless sky. "Was the moon full last night?" "I don't think so." Her blade leaped into her hand as leaves rustled somewhere on the far side of the clearing. "What's that?" Sarah drew her own sword slowly. "I don't know." They began to see lights again then, but this time they appeared in pairs among the trees surrounding the clearing. The points of light twinkled like the reflective eyes of cats shining in the brilliant glow of the moon. Dozens of shining pairs of eyes watched them from the gloom around the clearing, appearing and disappearing at random. Sarah's stomach growled. Amid the ever-present musty smell of the ancient forest was suddenly an odor of apples and flowers. Though it seemed ludicrous, she could swear that there was also the scent of freshly baked bread. "Do you smell that?" she whispered to Molly. "I do." She lowered her sword, motioning for Sarah to do the same. "We mean you no harm," she called to the mysterious eyes around them. "We would greatly appreciate any food you might be able to share with us." For several long moments there was no response save the continued chirping and trilling of night insects. Then a voice spoke, light and musical like a delicate wind chime heard from far away. "We would gladly share with you," it said, each word seeming to come from a different place around the clearing, though all in the same voice. "However, we fear the blades you carry. Cast them away and we will allow you to join our feast." "This is crazy," said Sarah, shaking her head. "What if it's a trap?" "I'd hate to end up lost and starving in the woods," said Molly. She glanced around, then nodded to a thick tree branch that had fallen nearby. "If we need to we can fight our way out with sticks. Whoever these people are, if they meant us harm they would probably have filled us with arrows by now." Taking a deep breath, she tossed her rapier down onto the soft grass. Sarah looked around once more at the winking eyes, then shrugged. She threw her blade down next to Molly's. She nearly jumped as a pair of great owls swooped silently down from the trees nearby, snatching the weapons up in their talons and flapping soundlessly back up into the night sky. Even as she recovered from the sudden appearance of the birds, Sarah was startled to see a slender young woman standing few yards in front of them. She was clad only in a gauzy shift that floated around her as though she were under water. Her doe-like green eyes seemed almost too large for her face, which was framed by pale hair like the seeds of a dandelion. "Welcome," said the woman in the same voice they had heard before. "Who are you?" asked Sarah. The woman held up a hand. "There will be time enough for names." She pointed to something behind Sarah. "You are tired and hungry. Please accept our hospitality." Sarah turned around curiously. A large flat rock sat in the midst of the grass, its surface strewn with flowers and piled high with fruits, pastries, rolls, and other less identifiable confections. She was sure that she couldn't have missed something like that on her way into the clearing, but she was quickly learning to suspend her disbelief. She exchanged a brief glance with Molly, but whatever apprehension they might have had about this mysterious feast was outweighed by their hunger. The food tasted as good as it looked, and Sarah found several crystal cups filled with a variety of sweet wines. She and Molly ate for some time, marveling at the delicate flavors and textures. Their hostess looked on silently. Finally, as their hunger receded and they slowed in their dining, the woman spoke. "What has brought you so deep into the woods?" she asked. The question seemed innocently curious: a simple query rather than a challenge. Sarah looked at Molly, then shrugged. "We were being chased by men who wanted to kill us. We had no choice but to come here." The woman smiled and nodded, as though she had known the answer already. "You speak the truth, and I sense no malice in your hearts. I bid you welcome to Faerie." "I knew it!" shouted Molly, looking embarrassed as her exclamation broke the tranquil mood. "Well, I suspected," she said, more quietly. She turned to the woman. "Are you a faerie queen?" The green eyed woman's laugh was like tiny silver bells. "You may think of me as such if it pleases you, though I have no power to command my fellow faeries. You may call me Chloe."
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