sugar berry

[imeanforever]

Near a stream that pours off a high cliff and then snakes away is a garden, carefully tended, and a house, built of wood and stone and transmuted pearl. Fairies weed the plants. One is fixing the roof. A berrybush, hair atangle with spidery branches, is painting gold stripes onto her purple arms.

Comments

[infinitely_stranger]

"I am called Arcane, sorcerer of the Queenscourt," Arcane says serenely. "I have been traveling for one hundred and sixty-one days out of a two-hundred-day leave. In thirty-nine days, if I am not back where the Queen expects me to be, she will send others to retrieve me. If you try to keep me from her, or interfere with me otherwise, she is likely to be annoyed with you."

[alicornucopia]

The dewflower with her head in Thorn's lap is suddenly bleeding a lot more. Probably that involuntary hand-clenching problem Thorn has. He should get that checked out. She makes a squeaking noise and heals herself.

"Tell me," says Thorn, "the best way to ensure no attention from the Queen or her court after this incident."

[infinitely_stranger]

Arcane smiles.

"If you rescind all orders from me and let me go, with some appropriate compensation, then I will not mention this incident unnecessarily at the Queenscourt and if it should come up I will advise her that you were very cooperative and need not be punished, nor is your court remarkable in any way that would make it worth capturing for her purposes. A vassal would qualify as appropriate compensation. One with some sorcerous skill, partcularly."

[alicornucopia]

Thorn thinks for a moment.

Then he removes his claws from his dewflower's head and says, "Go make the leaflet presentable and bring her here."

The dewflower gets up, bows, and trots out of the room to obey.

[infinitely_stranger]

Arcane, of course, waits.

[imeanforever]

Blossom returns with a pale hawthorn-winged leaflet. The leaflet is presently uninjured, but there's a lingering smell of blood and general misfortune about her and she doesn't seem to be walking very well, having to place each foot carefully in front of the other as she follows Blossom in.

"Arcane, this is Alisyrrabel, called Promise, a sorcerer of some talent if few years. She can show you beyond the edges of my property, whereupon you may consider all orders you received within my court rescinded for yourself and do as you like with her. As described the pair of you may go."

Promise nods shakily and turns to lead Arcane out of the building.

[infinitely_stranger]

He smiles again, and nods graciously to Thorn, and follows Promise.

[imeanforever]

Promise manages to fly, when they're out in the open. She flies until they are at an unremarkable bit of swamp and then she lands in a tree. This is presumably the edge of the property, although Promise does not seem to be able to speak.

[infinitely_stranger]

"You may disregard all previous orders," says Arcane, hovering next to the tree.

[imeanforever]

Promise sags on her branch, gasping slightly.

Then she looks up at Arcane. "What are you going to do with me?" she whispers.

[infinitely_stranger]

"That depends substantially on what you would like done with you," says Arcane. "You have the option of accompanying me on the rest of my leave from the Queenscourt and then returning there with me to work as my sorcerous assistant. You also have other options. I have no demands on my time for the next thirty-nine days, and no particular plans except to leave Thorn's court and not return. If you would like to be escorted beyond his reach and left alone thereafter, I can accomplish that without trouble and would be happy to."

[imeanforever]

Promise looks at him, apparently trying to figure out whether he is playing nasty mind games with her.

[infinitely_stranger]

Arcane hovers. His wing-veils ripple, and individual stars slowly become brighter or dimmer.

"My main interests are solitude and sorcery. I could use another assistant but don't need one. I suggested Thorn give me a vassal because I wanted to reduce the number of fairies who have to put up with him, not because I am interested in collecting vassals at all."

[imeanforever]

"I - I'd rather go with you than risk him taking me back but I -" She swallows. "I want to take a cutting of my tree and plant it far away somewhere and live there instead."

[infinitely_stranger]

"I'm sure that can be accomplished. Where is your tree?"

[imeanforever]

"In the autumn forest that way. About three miles north of the bend in the river with the little island."

[infinitely_stranger]

"I can take you there in less than an hour," he says.

[imeanforever]

"Okay."

[infinitely_stranger]

"All right then. It will be simplest to carry you if you give me your hand." He holds out his.

[imeanforever]

She quivers, but takes it.

[infinitely_stranger]

And they ascend rapidly above tree level, and zoom off in the direction of Promise's tree. A bubble of calm air zooms with them, to prevent what would otherwise be an uncomfortable amount of wind.

It's a quick trip. Arcane doesn't talk. When he spots the hawthorn tree in the described location, he slows their approach, and finally lets go of Promise's hand when they are drifting above it.

"I don't detect anyone nearby," he says. "If there were someone, I would be very likely to detect them."

[imeanforever]

Promise... nods, and flutters down to her tree, and peels a branch-tip off of it.

[infinitely_stranger]

"Where would you like to go next?" he asks. "I have plenty of time to bring you anywhere you might want."

[imeanforever]

"I - was thinking up in the white grass valleys. Someplace where there's a patch of trees to blend in with."

[infinitely_stranger]

"Certainly doable. I could also take you much farther than that. Do you know the Sapphire and Emerald Seas?"