Hannah reached out a hand containing a wide silver bracelet. Elli went to Hannah and took the bracelet and then sat down again, placing the plain but elegant item on her wrist.
“Look now at the amulet, Elli. Ask it in your heart, whether aloud or in silence, whether the words that I have spoken are true.”
Elli looked at the bracelet and asked out loud: “Are the words spoken by Hannah all true?” Immediately, the amulet began to glow softly.
“The amulet is glowing, is it not?” asked Hannah.
“Yes, it is,” replied Elli.
“You can trust the bracelet, Elli. But remember: it will respond only when you want it to.” She paused, then said, “Remember also on your journey that all things ugly are not bad and all things beautiful are not good. And, finally, do not under any circumstances tell your story to anyone.” Hannah paused again. “I will give each of you a knife. It will assist you in many ways yet unforeseen, and it can be used also as a powerful weapon—and with extraordinary power on any one occasion you desire. However, you may use your knife as a weapon with extraordinary powers on one occasion only, so you must take great care to not squander its efficacy prematurely on lesser moments when greater moments of need may be yet to come. In that moment of extraordinary need, you will simply use it with the words, ‘in the will of the Good.’ Otherwise, it will still assist you immensely in battle and in other ways. Remember, however,” Hannah said with particular emphasis, “success in battle, large or small, may not necessarily be of benefit to you. The knife will not give you the wisdom of when to use it or not in its extraordinary capacity.”
Speaking as if she had just remembered a crucial piece of information, she said, “You must do all you can to avoid being seen by those who are the enemy, because your mere presence will alert them to a great anomaly they believe will threaten their power and so raise alarm throughout the kingdom. They may not know, at least at the outset, what your mission happens to be, but they will know you are not from this land simply because you are children; there have been no children in Bairnmoor since the ascent of Sutante Bliss. Indeed, since all children and any evidence of childnessness have been destroyed at the instance of Sutante’s rule, he will want to destroy you as soon as possible, and especially so since what he considers to be only legend nevertheless refers to the prophetic coming of a child to restore the kingdom to Taralina. Regardless of whether he believes the prophecy or not, he will take no chances, and will do anything and everything in his power to bring about your destruction as quickly as possible.
“All of us must now go our separate ways, for there are forces of evil approaching nearby from the west, and they may already be aware of your presence, so prevalent are there spies serving Sutante in all parts of the country. There are a few, like me, who will assist you on your journey. Nevertheless, regardless of their friendly questioning, you must not answer the questions I have posed to you or otherwise tell your story. If they are friends who have been set apart to assist you, they will know that part of the story they require to assist you, and they will insist on no more. But, be prepared for them to test you.
“Before you depart, I want you to put on clothes I have for you, and to hide your knives behind your backs; it will be best if all whom you encounter along the way see, first, that you anticipate peace.” While saying these words, Hannah brought out from the dark interior of the hut an outfit for each child, including a knife and sheath. There were short, dark brown leather skirts for the girls and loose leather trousers for the boys, all of which to the children seemed surprisingly lightweight. She gave to each a thick, long-sleeve linen shirt the color of toasted bread and a pair of knee-high boots made from water snake skin. In addition, Hannah provided each of the girls with leggings that were both lightweight and durable, designed to keep their legs warm, even in extreme cold, and cool in the heat.
The children put on their new clothes that would blend more easily into their surroundings, sequestered their knives, and at Hannah’s request hesitantly cast their old clothes into the fire. The fire flamed brightly for a few minutes before becoming only glowing embers once more.
All that remained of their former world, apart from themselves, was the library key.
“Now, it is time for you to go, and without any further hesitation,” Hannah said.
“But, Hannah, which way do we go?” Elli asked.
“I’m afraid I do not know, dear children,” she said, rather sadly Elli thought, with her voice trailing off as if she had herself already left their presence for the depths of the darkness encircling them. And, then, as Hannah retreated into the seemingly impregnable forest, the children could just barely hear her final words. “The castle is far to the north, beyond The Mountains. Fare thee well.”
~three~
The children stood looking at Elli, waiting for her to provide direction. As Elli considered their next move, the others noticed at once the slow appearance of the beast, Beatríz alerted to its presence from the slight, tight gasp that came from Alex. The creature was advancing to within several feet of the children, all frozen in place, when Alex stepped quickly in front of Elli in a posture of defense while reaching back to pull out his knife. And then, just as Alex had the knife in front of him, the beast lay down on all eight legs and gave out a tiny pleading sort of whimper, as if asking to not be left behind.
“Wait, Alex. I think he wants to follow us,” Elli said.
“I hear a rumbling not all that far away, and I don’t think it’s thunder,” said Beatríz.
“Then let’s go,” said Elli.
“Wait,” Beatríz said. “Can anyone see anything beyond the fire?”
“No,” said Jamie, “no, not at all, Beatríz.”
“So choose a direction and let me lead. I can move best in the dark, I think. I can ‘see’ with my hands and feet and ears probably better than the rest of you,” Beatríz concluded.
“Good,” replied Elli. “Feel which way I’m facing, Beatríz, and lead on.”
Beatríz stood in front of Elli and then stepped forward into the forest with Elli, Jamie, and Alex trailing close behind by the aid of sound and touch. The beast followed Alex, but at a distance. The forest was dense, with thick vines draping from trees, requiring the children to lift and duck beneath them. They struggled to avoid entanglement, and the going was slow and tiring. The rumbling was not far away, and getting closer. No one said a word. There was nothing to say. The only sounds were those of the forest being disturbed by the four visitors—or, perhaps, trespassers—and the beast. Beatríz stopped to rest, and then all of them stopped and stood quietly, hearing only the slight whispers of their breathing and nothing from the creature following supposedly on their heels. All of them felt a heavy cold wind passing by. Perhaps, thought Elli, it was the same wind that had marked its presence on the staircase, shortly after they had left Peterwinkle. In any event, she had the same feeling that something other than the beast was close and noticing them.
They resumed their slow march. Within a minute or so, however, Beatríz, still in the lead, stopped again. “What is it?” Elli asked.
“The wood has just ended here, and the ground is beginning to slant sharply downward. I’m going to get down on my stomach and feel where it leads, and whether we can go any further in this direction,” said Beatríz.
Beatríz lay down and stretched out her arms in front of her head. She crawled forward just a bit. “Elli—Jamie, Alex. Hold onto my legs and don’t let go. There seems to be some sort of drop-off here, but I don’t know how steep it is or how far down it goes.” Beatríz, now secured by the others, crawled downward until soon she announced, “I’ve hit what