Essentia (13 page)

    She was reaching down and says, "I'm sorry it’s my leg." I forgot about her leg. How stupid of me.

    "Is it hurting?" I ask her. Knowing damn well it is. And it's my fault at that.

    "Yes, I must have moved the wrong way. It is starting to throb now." What was I thinking? Making out with her and her being this injured. I berate myself

    I reach down and say "I'm going to have a look at it alright" She nods her head. I slide her gown up her thigh to where I can see the bindings. There is blood soaking through, "This is going to have to be re-wrapped ok. I am going to get Thegan." She nods her head again and looks down, I reach down to her and kiss her on the forehead and say, "Fret not, My Princess, it is alright" she smiled a little, and I then head out to get my brother.                                         

                
Chapter Fifteen

           Terra

              'That was the worst timing ever.' I think to myself. It was just getting good too. I have never been kissed like that in all of my 27 years. The feeling of his lips on mine. His gentle hand on my head and the look in his eyes are enough to drive a woman mad. Every cell in my body standing on end. The sensation on my lips causing goose bumps across my skin. Feeling my face heat up I say to myself 'Calm down Terra. It was just a kiss. Ok, the best kiss of your life but still, just a kiss'.

     While I am thinking to myself, I hear the guys walking down the hall. When they come in Thegan looks at me and smiles. Enre didn't tell them about our little make-out session, did he? My face starts to heat up again, and Thegan says "It's alright, let's get this leg fixed back up, shall we. “Then he starts unwrapping the bandage. The wound is considerably smaller than it was before, but a few of the stitches have come loose. Thegan looks over at Enre and Enre just shrugged his shoulders. "This is going to hurt," Thegan says as he pulls the broken stitch out. He wasn't kidding. It hurts like hell. He places these small strips on it instead of re-sewing it. They seem to be holding it together really well. After that he rewraps it and hands me a cup of tea, "This will help with the pain" he says.

    "Thank you Thegan," I say to him. Hopefully, it will stop the pain and keep me from dreaming.

    He then gets up and looks at Enre with a wry smile and says "Next time, be easier on the princess." Then he gives a haughty laugh and claps him on the shoulder. The look on Enre's face was priceless, he was red from head to toe. I guess he hadn't told Thegan anything. He must have figured it out for himself. Thegan then looks at me and says "If you wake up hurting My Lady there is some more tea on the nightstand for you, Good night."

    "Good night Thegan, and thank you again." He gave a small bow and left the room.

    When I look over at Enre, he looks at me and says "I promise, I did not tell him anything." It's apparent that he hadn't based on the reaction he had earlier.

    I start to giggle and say to him, "Its ok Enre, nothing to worry about, I know you didn't say anything." I mean it's not like it matters. We are adults. I am just not really sure how this royalty works, as far as customs and manners and such.

    "Thank Bohyne. I thought for sure you would be upset" He said. Bohyne, there is that word again. I wonder what it means. Since I have heard the Brothers use that word a few times, I think.

    It shouldn't hurt to ask and see if they know anything about it. "Enre, May I ask you a question?"

    "You may ask me anything princess," He says in return. running his fingers through my hair. 

    "What does the word Bohyne mean? I have seen it before, and it is in your family book as well. And you guys say it a lot." I ask him.

    He looks a little shocked at my question, but he answers me just the same, "Bohyne is our realms Goddess. She is like this realms mother earth. What's different between them is, Bohyne has the ability to save and destroy what she sees fit. Plus, she is the Goddess of Warriors. May I ask you where else you have seen this name before?"  Warriors huh? That is very interesting.

    "It is on a carved box that came into the book (yawn) shop," I tell him yawning. I'm getting so sleepy.

    "Rest now my Princess. We can talk about it tomorrow alright." I flash a tired grin at him, and he kisses me on the forehead. He crawls the rest of the way into the bed with me, and I curl up to his broad chest. I can hear the beating, it's like a lullaby singing me to sleep. Soon after that, I am Standing under My Tree.

     I thought I wouldn't dream since I drank that medicine. But here I am. My tree is missing half of its leaves. The branch that was broken was nowhere to be seen, and you couldn't tell where it had fallen from. Why is my tree losing its leaves? "Is it dying?" I ask out loud. But there is no answer, not only that but the wind and rain does not come. The sounds of men at war can still be heard, though. I look around the field and there stands the shadow by the tree line. From my earlier conversation with the brothers, I know that is Enre standing there. I have never walked away from the tree, So I don't know what will happen if I do, But I have to try and see if I can get to him. I take a hesitant step away from the tree, then another, and another. Soon I am running towards Enre. I yell out to him "Enre." He must have heard me because he is waving at me.

    While I get closer and closer to him I sense someone else watching me, it is an eerie feeling which causes my steps to falter. The next thing I know I hear a voice in my head, "Terra, you must return it to the tree." It was a woman's voice. One I have never heard before. Her voice was soothing for some reason.

    I slow to a stop, and I say to the disembodied voice "I have to get to Enre." Talking to the wind like a crazy person.

    "No Terra, the tree is the answer. You have to save it; it is dying" the woman said again. What she says puts fear in me that I have never felt before. She said My Tree is dying. But why is that important.

    I ask the voice "What happens if the tree dies." Scared to death of the answer to my question. In my heart, I believe I already know.

    "Aelmere will be no more," she said. No, no that can't be. How do our dreams connect to Aelmere? Then the voice says something else. "You three have to save the tree, dark forces are manipulating your dreams, that’s why you were injured. I can't hold them off much longer." Hold who off? Who is doing this to us?

    "How do we save it? Where can we find the tree?" I ask her. Wanting to help. Even though I do not know anything about trees.     All she says is "The way to find it, is in the dreams. But you must return it to the tree. They cannot get to you at the tree" With that, I turn around and run as fast as I can to the tree. When I get there, I look back searching for Enre, but he is not there. He must have already woken up. I start to look around to see if I can find any clues. She said we have to return 'it' to the tree. What is 'it'? And who it is that is trying to get to get me.

    I start to look around the tree and notice that there is some bark loose on the trunk. I go to touch it, and the bark falls off. I look at the bare space where the bark was just moments before, and it looks like something is supposed to be placed there. There is a hole in the shape of a crescent moon and another that looks like a heart shape. Do we have to find the pieces that go here? Is that why the tree is dying? I must tell the brothers when I wake up. With that thought, I slip into a dreamless sleep.

       Chapter Sixteen

           Thegan

    I lay there wide awake stretched out in my bed. The dream I just had was nothing like it has been in the past. There was no pain, just silence, I could see where I was, I was in a cave, I could see the entrance and the trees just outside of it. I try to get up but I can't, I am tied to a tall stone. There is nothing else in the cave with me just more rocks. How do I get out of these ropes, I have to get out of here. There is something that I am supposed to do in this dream, but I have no idea what that is right now, if only I could get loose, I could look around. I try to wiggle and loosen the ropes, but they do not budge. I say to myself, 'Bohyne help me get free,' just then a voice says to me "Be patient Great King, they will come for you."

    Who was that, I have never heard that voice before. "Who are you?" I ask the woman, but an answer never came, only more silence.

    As I lay there, I wonder why the woman spoke to me and why had my dream changed. Who was she? So many questions run through my mind. How I wish I had the answers to them. I lay there for a while longer before I decide to get up.  Heading into the kitchen to get something to drink, I hear people stirring in the hallway. I peek around the door facing to see, Enre and Terra, him carrying her like a priceless treasure, Beautiful but fragile. I say to them "Would you two like something to drink, while I am in here?"

    "Yes please," Terra says with a smile on her face. I grab all of us a drink and head to the living room. After giving them their drinks, I have a seat in my usual spot.

    I ask Terra "Did you sleep alright My lady?" Knowing our dreams are connected I thought it wise to ask.

    She looks at me and says, "Yes I did. My dream was different this time, though." So it wasn't just mine that was different.

    I look from her to Enre, he nods his head slightly and says. "Tell him about it, Terra, he may be able to make more sense of it than I." She then tells me about the dream, her giant oak tree and the woman that spoke to her. 'So she was in her dream as well' I think to myself. Then she describes the holes in the tree.

    I'm sure the look of shock is on my face because she looked concerned and says "What is it Thegan? Do you know what they mean?"  I do know what the spots are for, but where the items are is another question. Why would someone steal the trees essence? This makes no sense.

    I look at her and tell her "Yes I do. Those empty spaces hold objects of pure Essence. It is where our power originates and has been since the very beginning. Did the woman say anything else?"

    She looks troubled when she says "She did.  She stated that there was someone manipulating our dreams, and that's why we got hurt." She paused for a second and took in a deep breath, then added "And also, if the tree dies, Aelmere will be no more," She looked down in defeat. So among all the other problems we have to deal with we have to save a tree as well. This just keeps getting better and better. It is getting harder to hold in my anger. But I suppress it the best I can, for Terra and Enre's sake. At the very least, we have a lead to go on now. Which is better than nothing, now we have to find the missing pure essence of the tree and put it back in it rightful place. The tree is in Aelmere so we will have to go there to save it but we can't go until she is healed well.

     I look at her, and she looks so sad. I have to say something to her lift her spirits, so I tell her "Do not worry My Lady, now that we have got a lead, we should be able to accomplish something now, so chin up Princess" I smile at her and She finally cracks a smile at me.

    Enre then says to her "Everything will be alright Terra, you will see, we will not let our realm be wiped away so easily." she nodded at Enre and grinned up at him. With a look of determination, he says to me. "So what do we do now?" What do we do now? What we can do is try and figure out how to find the trees Essence. So I tell him "The only thing we can at this point. That's finding a way to find the missing pieces."

     Chapter Seventeen

          Terra

    The Brothers and I were talking to one another when someone knocked on the door. Enre jumps, Startled by the knock. He then gets up and sets me back down in the chair as easy as he can, placing a hand on my cheek he says "One moment Princess." The man's voice could melt butter. It stirs my heart; the way he speaks to me. I watch him as he walks away and notice Thegan looking at me with a knowing expression. I blush and look away as he smiles at me.

    Enre returns with Aiden and 2 other people I have never seen before. They were both wearing long cloaks, and their faces and hands had strange looking markings on them. Enre then says "Let me introduce Dazna and Crios, Haruspex of Aelmere. They are here to try and help us". Man, they really do look like witches.

    They both bow down low and say in unison “Your Highness's." They said this to Thegan and me but, I am not royal, I have no title. I am just a bookshop owner, a nobody. I sit in the chair, thinking to myself when Enre comes over and picks me up and places me back on his lap. The two Haruspex sit down on the couch, not taking their eyes off of Enre and me.

    Aiden then clears his throat and says "I have filled them in with the happenings going on My Lords, My Lady." I am glad Aiden already told them about it all. I was not looking forward to rehashing the story.