“Pardon me, but we are parched and famished,” said Stone, not caring to talk about the elf right now. “Would there be a chance of getting some bread and ale?”
“Silly me. Where are my manners? I haven’t even introduced myself,” said the woman. “I am Alaina, Queen of the Fae.”
“Fae? As in fairies?” asked Stone. “I didn’t think they really existed. Of course, I shouldn’t be surprised since I didn’t think I’d ever see anything like those gnomes either.”
“Yes, fairies are the fae folk, and we do exist,” Alaina told them. “Actually, I am also an elemental.”
“That’s nice,” said Stone, not caring at the moment what being an elemental even meant. He just wanted something to eat and drink and to be on his way to track down Rancor.
“I’m Aithrod and this is Stone,” Aithrod introduced them.
“And who is this?” Alaina hunkered down and pet the dog, not at all afraid of him. “So nice to meet you, Fang,” she said before they could tell her the hound’s name.
“How did you know my dog’s name?” asked Stone suspiciously. He scanned the area, still looking for the men he tracked. “Did Elric tell you?”
“Nay, I haven’t seen Elric,” she answered. “Fang told me.”
“What?” gasped Aithrod.
“I am a fae,” she continued. “The Fae Folk all have special powers. I am able to communicate with animals. Fang tells me you are bounty hunters tracking down a dangerous man.”
Stone let out a deep breath. So much for keeping cautious. “I didn’t know I had to tell the hound to be discreet, too. This land surely isn’t like ours at all.”
“Is there magic where you come from?” asked Alaina.
“Nay, we don’t have magic in Taelgonoth,” Aithrod quickly answered.
Alaina stood. “I’d like to know more about you and from where you come.”
Before Stone could respond, a large raven flew overhead, squawking like crazy.
“What is it, Murk? What’s wrong?” asked the woman, looking up at the bird that landed atop the roof of her cottage. “Oh, no. That is horrible. Yes, go to Talia and tell her. I will leave at once.”
“Excuse me,” said Stone, not liking to be left out of the conversation. “What is going on?”
“I’m sorry, but I must leave you now. There are injured people who need my help. I’ll just collect my bag of herbs and be on my way.”
“What about our bread and ale?” Stone felt so hungry and thirsty that he couldn’t think straight. He also didn’t like to be ignored and left to fend for themselves in a strange land.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “I’m afraid I haven’t been much of a hostess. I suppose it would be better if you just came with me and got something to eat and drink there.”
“Go with you? Where?” asked Stone, following her to her cottage. She went inside and picked up her bag and returned.
“To Kasculbough Castle.”
“Is that nearby?” asked Aithrod. “We don’t have horses to use for travel. They didn’t come through the portal with us.”
“Nay, the castle is not close. It is on the other side of the Picajord Mountains.” She pointed to high mountains far in the distance.
“How long does it take to get there on foot?” asked Stone.
“On foot, it would take days I imagine.”
“Do you have horses we can use as well?” he asked.
“Nay, I don’t have any horses. However, I have a very fast way of getting there.”
“How?” asked Stone.
“I can show you. But you might want to hold on to your dog so he doesn’t get scared.”
“Scared? Of what?”
“I am an Elemental of the Air,” she told them, but it meant nothing at all to Stone. “Hold on to your things.” Alaina lifted her hands and the air started swirling all around her.
“Egads, we must be in the middle of a cyclone,” said Stone, bending down to grab Fang.
“Not a cyclone. Or not exactly,” stated Alaina. “I can control the air. It will give us a lift to Kasculbough in no time at all.”
“Naaay,” shouted Aithrod as his feet left the ground and he shot up into the air.
“Oh, crap,” mumbled Stone, holding the dog tighter. Fang whimpered and the dog’s feet went wild as both Stone and Fang left the ground next, rising up into the sky. Higher and higher they went until the little cottage was nothing but a dot below them in the far distance. Stone’s head spun. His stomach lurched and he felt as if he were about to vomit. “Hang in there, Fang,” he told the dog. “I’m afraid this one is going to be an even harder landing than before.”
Six
When Persimmon and her traveling party got to Kasculbough Castle, Medea ran out to greet them.
