But anyways, after I finish giving you the rest of Alice & Alyssa, I will finish The Magic Saber. Sorry for dropping those posts... :-/
Then we'll have a vote for what you want next!! :D
Excited?
Chapter Twenty:
Alyssa opened her eyes to the sun
shining brightly. As usual, she was the first one up. Yawning, she stretched
and it was then she remembered what had happened the night before. A grin
spread over her face and she glanced over at the sleeping forms of Raynold and
Eliana. Now wide awake, she stood up and walked over to her sister.
Surprisingly, Alice was awake and blinking in the bright sunlight.
“Morning already?” She asked groggily.
Alyssa nodded. Alice sighed. “And I was having such a wonderful dream.” She
yawned, stretched, and caught sight of the look on her sister’s face. “What
happened? What did I miss this time?”
Alyssa filled her sister in on all that
had happened the night before. Soon Alice was grinning almost as widely as her
twin and both girls chortled together over the obvious success of their scheme.
Diana rolled to her side and opened her
eyes. “What are you two laughing about?” She asked after a yawn.
“Nothing,” Alice giggled.
“Liar,” Diana accused.
“We can’t tell you,” Alyssa explained.
“Another author secret.”
Diana sighed and sat up. “I’m gonna be
really glad when all this mystery is cleared up. You two have been cooking up
something in your book, and I’m itching to find out what it is.”
“Oh, you will soon enough,” Alice said,
giving her twin a significant look. Both girls burst into laughter.
“Good grief!” Diana muttered.
Just then, Eliana woke up, as did
Raynold. The latter began to make the fire, and Eliana made breakfast. The
daily breakfast of hot meal, which Bettina and Raynold’s mother and so sweetly
provided, cooked into a thick paste was getting tiring but no one complained
this morning.
When Eliana gave Raynold his bowl, he
said “thank you” and their eyes met and locked for a moment. But that moment
was enough for Diana to begin to figure out what Alice and Alyssa had been
giggling about earlier that morning. Besides, both of the watched persons
looked as if Eliana’s salve had been applied to their cheeks every time the
other one spoke to them.
At last, when the meal had been put away
and their blankets were packed back into their bags and put on their horses for
what all the adventurers hoped was the last time, they mounted their horses and
began the trip home.
*********************************************
The whole village came out of their
homes to greet the returning travelers as they rode in triumphantly. Raynold paused
in front of the village hall and he dismounted, tied Peace to the hitching
rail, and walked inside. The others followed his example and also dismounted
and walked into the village hall.
Father Thaddeus was waiting for them
just inside. “You have the stone?” He asked.
Raynold nodded and took the stone from
Diana’s trembling fingers. The council member’s present gasped in awe.
“It is a miracle!”
“Can it be true? We have the weapon in
our hands now?”
“We no longer have to fear our dreaded
enemies, the gliefs?”
“What will it feel like to be free from
the fear of them?”
Hushed whispers circulated the room.
Father Thaddeus turned to Raynold and the girls with tears in his eyes. “Thank
you,” he said simply. He caught sight of Eliana, who had hung back when they
entered the village hall. “But, tell me, who is this with you?”
Raynold turned red as if on signal, and
then led Eliana forward. “This is Eliana, Guardian of the Fire Stone, and our
very good friend. Without her we would not have been able to come back here
alive with the stone.”
Father Thaddeus placed a hand of
blessing on the young woman’s head. “Then we also owe our thanks to you, my
daughter,” he said with a smile.
“I only wish I could have done more,”
Eliana replied.
“You can,” Raynold prompted. “Tell them
the truth about the stone!”
Eliana nodded. “I have come to tell you
that this stone is not the only thing that can kill our enemies, the dreaded gliefs.”
There was a general gasp, and Father
Thaddeus frowned thoughtfully. “Then our belief has been wrong? Other weapons
can kill gliefs?”
Eliana nodded again. “Any weapon you use
to kill ordinary, every-day animals can kill gliefs too.”
More doubtful mummers arose. But then,
doubts passed and a wild, joyful cheer arose from the throats of the council
members.
“Pass the glad tidings!” Father Thaddeus
ordered some of the younger council members. “And tell the people that we have
in our possession the legendary Fire Stone that will keep us safe from gliefs
until the end of this world!”
The men chosen left amidst deafening
cheers and wide grins.
The travelers again mounted their horses
and Raynold led them to his home where he was welcomed with open arms by his
parents and siblings. The girls were also welcomed as long gone daughters, and
the warmth of their welcome caused a lump to rise in Alice’s throat. It
reminded her of the times when her parents had welcomed them home from summer
camps and nights they had been away with friends.
Corbin came up to his brother with
shining eyes. “Did you kill any gliefs?” He asked eagerly.
Raynold grinned and ruffled his younger
brother’s hair. “No, but we got chased by one that was bigger than our house!”
Corbin’s eyes grew wide. “Tell me about
it,” he ordered, his voice filled with awe.
“Alright,” Raynold said. While he kept
Corbin enthralled with exaggerated tales of their adventures, Bettina, her
mother, and Eliana gave the girls the first promised lesson in cooking. Alyssa
noticed how often Raynold’s gaze settled on Eliana, and how she blushed
whenever their eyes met, but she kept her thoughts to herself, since as the
author she knew how it would end.
By now, everyone knew that Raynold and
Eliana were in love, it was only a matter of time before they would have the
marriage ceremony in the small chapel in their village. As Raynold had
predicted, Bettina and Eliana had become fast friends, and both his parents
were thrilled with his choice of wife.
It was a sad day when Alice and Alyssa
said that it was time to go home.
Diana sighed. “Must we?”
“We must,” Alice said firmly. “After
all, my sister and I have a book to publish.”
“But how?”
Alice and Alyssa shared a grin. “Hold
our hands,” Alice said.
“Close your eyes,” Alyssa added.
“And now we’re home,” they said together
and then sighed.
A cool night breeze lifted the hair from
their faces and waved them around their faces. Their eyes opened in unison and
with a reluctant look back behind them at the tree that they all knew was no
longer there, the friends walked home.
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