"How is he?" asked May.
Grace shrugged. "Still the same. It's bad. Really bad."
"I feel so sorry for him," said May quietly. "But we can't do anything
for him, can we?"
"Hardly," sighed Soot. "I had to restrain him physically, you know. He
wanted to run after her, and he didn't even know where she went!"
"He loves her," whispered Grace.
"You knew that, didn't you?" replied Soot. "And he loves her mind,
not her body, which makes it even more inconveniencing. By the way - you
two could tell us the truth sooner."
"Zack didn't want it," said Grace. "He thought... I guess he considered
that his own personal problem."
"And what was the result? Merta is Raia now and she ran away from him."
"Don't you say that!" cried Grace. "She didn't run away! She... she..."
"She just wants to end it," said Max from the door.
He smiled nervously. "We are getting crowded in here," he remarked. "I
lied them down, all of them - Zack, Linda... she's still scared, poor thing
- and Pauline."
The girls nodded in unison.
"I'm..." he hesitated, "I'm not too sure what to do, you know. I got my
little sister back, but she's... she has changed."
"She's a Geomancer," said Grace.
"Yes, that, plus... that body thing..."
That was a thing. While Swarm was sleeping, a trails of particles were
rising from her body, moving around... exploring, then sinking back.
"How does that work?" wondered May. "What kind of body does
she have?"
"I don't know," shrugged Max. "I just hope... it will keep working. If
something went wrong... we can't help her in any way."
"Mrs. Tain is coming, right?" asked May.
Max nodded. "Yes. She... she might know. And I certainly have some questions
for her!"
Except for those who collapsed, noone got a good sleep that night.
I
was walking up the hill and I was holding hands with Merta. It was a high
hill. In fact, I couldn't see the bottom - or the top. There was just the
hill, perpetual and eternal.
Then someone took my other hand. I turned around...
It was Raia. For some reason, the girls didn't see each other. There
was just me, going, holding hands with both of them. Then, suddenly, Merta was gone, dissolved in the air. There was just
Raia, smirking at me.
"We will never see each other again," she said. I woke up with a scream.
Then I started crying.
"There must be something we can do," said Grace when the crying
subsided. "The four of us."
"Five," reminded Rosey.
"What can we do?" asked May.
"Maybe one of us could sacrifice herself and ask for a spanking?" suggested
Soot. "He needs to take it off on something, that's what I think."
"Great," smirked May. "Care to volunteer? Besides," she continued without
waiting for an answer, "Zack isn't like that."
"I know," sighed Soot. "It would be easier if he was. Some guys think that
a spanking can solve all troubles."
"Imagine Raia taking a spanking!" laughed Grace, despite the seriousness
of situation.
"Are you going to go to the market today?" asked May.
Max jumped. "The market! I left everything in there! But, well..." He sighed.
"I can't go, May. Pauline might need me. Damn, someone might rob me!"
"Hardly," said Grace. "I think the only thief on the island is here with
us."
"I'm trying to quit," protested Soot. "I want to be a good role model for
Rosey."
"I see," smiled Max. "You are overcome by your maternal instincts."
"Am not!"
The ship halted and an old woman came off. She bore a forbidding look on
her face.
Immediately, the Mayor who was waiting at the pier ran towards her.
"Mrs. Tain! It was an attack, that's what it was! It's all because of you!
You and your plans! Your little catastrophes! Why did you call this disaster
to this island?"
The woman slapped him and the Mayor raised his hand to his face, shocked.
"Everything's coming apart!" hissed Mrs. Tain. "What happened here is nothing
- nothing at all - compared to what's coming! Where are they?"
"You mean -"
"You know who I mean! I ran out of my patience! Where are they?"
"In the woods!" yelped the Mayor. "Old shack. You can't miss it... well,
in fact you can, and rather easily, but..."
Mrs. Tain scoffed. "I'll find it."
"Who pays for the damages?" complained the Mayor. "Lots of ships were damaged
or destroyed. There was panic, even a little riot..."
"Go to the Unknown Land," hissed Mrs. Tain. "Seek the Castle of Seal, knock
on its gate and ask the Queen to pay the damages. Do just that, if
you want. But don't... bother... me!"
She turned around and set out in a determined way. The Mayor couldn't but
gape.
"Zack," said Grace. "You should really try to eat something. At least an
egg or something."
I was sitting on a bed. The other bed was occupied by Linda. And...
"Isn't that Swarm?" I asked.
Grace nodded. "She's with us now. It's a long story. Max will explain."
She hesitated. "Zack... I know how you feel, but..."
"No, you don't!" I cried. "I loved hear, Grace, you hear me? And now she's
gone!"
"You can't be sure!" she retorted. "Who knows what Raia plans? She could
easily lie to you, you know! Maybe Merta is still alive! Maybe she could be
brought back!"
"Yeah..." I said. "That... crossed my mind."
"Others won't be sincere to you, because they feel sorry for you," snapped
Grace. "But I won't! If Merta's alive, we can still try to bring her back
- and if she's dead, we will try anyways, as it can't do any harm! You understand?"
I gasped. "Ye... yes, I think so..."
Grace was in tears. "If you ever give up, I... I ask Soot to pummel you
good!"
That threat was so ridiculous I had to laugh. "OK, Grace," I said. "I won't
give up, I promise. But, well - how can we find her?"
"I don't know," admitted Grace. "But there must be a way, I mean..."
A knock at the main door sounded through the house.
Linda woke up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "What, it's morning already?"
she wondered.
Grace went out and I followed.
"Ah! We were expecting you today," said Max in a pleasant voice.
Mrs. Tain looked the same as when we last saw here, before we reached Cant,
but today she was looking serious. Angry, even.
"What has happened?" she demanded. "Tell me!"
"You know," continued Max, "yesterday I got quite a surprise. Imagine who
stopped for a chat? Pauline. My sister. That sister who was dead, according
to what you told me. Now isn't that just plain weird?"
Mrs. Tain seemed taken aback a bit. "I... I didn't think..."
"Raia is gone, you know," continued Max. "She broke the surface of her mind,
suppressed - or maybe killed - Merta, and went to deal with the Queen on her
terms. We did what we could, Mrs. Tain. But it still ended up like this.
So now - the question is: what are you going to do about it?"
Mrs. Tain recoiled as if he slapped her. "You... you have no right to speak
with me like that!"
"I think he has," I said. Swarm was Max's sister? I was a bit shocked by
this revelation.
Mrs. Tain sighed. Her anger deflated a little.
"I never thought the Queen would do something like this," she said. "She...
she had to find out, somehow, that I'm coming. She wanted to hurt... to hurt
me."
"Maybe you owe us some explaining," suggested Soot.
"I suppose I do."
"For starters," I said, "who are you? It's clear you are not just an old
lady who collects medical herbs."
Mrs. Tain smiled. "Sorry. Soime things are better to stay a secret."
She jumped, startled a bit, as Linda came in the room.
"What is that?" she yelped.
"How rude!" puffed Linda. "I'm a human being, you know." She looked at her.
"Heeey... I've seen you before!"
Mrs. Tain blinked. "Excuse me? I don't think so..."
"You were younger then," said Linda. "Much younger. You gave him the stick,
didn't you?"
"What stick?" Mrs. Tain was clearly puzzled.
"When that man sealed Raia," said Linda. "You were there. I've seen you."
Mrs. Tain staggered as if she took a blow. "I... I..." she stammered.
"You changed, but your smell didn't," continued Linda. "So don't try to
lie, old lady. I know the truth."
"That's impossible..." said May. "Isn't it? Raia was sealed..."
"Three hundred years ago," nodded Max. "It would certainly explain why the
old lady is so wrinkled, but really..."
"No, she's right," sighed Mrs. Tain. "I was there. I was one of the
Fourteen. One of the last Geomancers. And the only one who survived."
"You're a Geomancer?" blinked Max.
"No," she shook her head. "Not anymore, I'm afraid. My power was the old
power and there is no old power anymore. The new power, power that
Raia embodied - that's something I never wanted to use."
"You are three-hundred years old?" said Soot. "Well, that gives a new dimension
to 'old lady'!"
"Don't get cheeky with me," scoffed Mrs. Tain. "I... I better tell you the
whole story."
"I wasn't born a Geomancer," she started. "Nobody really was, at that time.
The power was weakening, and it stayed in the family line. When a Geomancer
died, one of his or her children inherited the power. And if there were no
children - then the power dissipated. There was a time when we were powerful,
when we ruled this world, but when I was young, these times were long
gone. But my mother died very young. That's how I came to power."
She looked at us. "I discovered several diagrams accidentally. Then I realized
the patterns in geomancy, and by trial and error, I managed to amass a useful
arsenal of abilities.
When I was twelve, I met another Geomancer for the first time. His name
was Baran."
She stopped and stared at May who couldn't suppress a yawn. "I hope I'm
not bothering you," she said in an icy tone.
"Not at all," said May pleasantly. "Please do continue."
I frowned at her. So did Max. She scowled a little.
"I became his apprentice," said Mrs. Tain quietly. "I ran from home, there
was nothing for me there. It was a great time... I had the power and I used
it, oh yes. There were restrictions, but not really that severe. It seemed
like a dream to me..."
She sighed again. "But then Baran told me about the crisis Geomancers face.
The power was dying. More and more Geomancers died childless and before they
realized what was happening, their number dwindled to just fourteen, including
us - seven men and seven women. And he told me his real mission. They wanted
me to marry another Geomancer - they believed our children would have the
power from the beginning, that they could start a new dynasty..."
Her eyes were sad. "The man they've chosen for me was named Leik Tain."
"Well, since you're Mrs. Tain, you obviously married him, right?" said Soot.
Mrs. Tain nodded. "Eventually. At first, he didn't like the idea any more
than me, but the others employed some... cunning plans. And really,
he was no worse than the boys I've known in the village. Several years later,
we married. I was seventeen at that time."
"What happened then?" asked May.
"Oh? So now you are suddenly interested again?" scoffed Mrs. Tain. "Oh,
well... to keep it short, we never had children. We were infertile. Both
of us. Just like all the other Geomancers."
"Why?" asked Grace. "Did your power cause this?"
"We never found out," said Mrs. Tain. "Maybe... Anyways, then there came
the day my husband came forward with a daring plan. He suggested to use geomancy
for creating a child, since we can't conceive one by natural means.
All we needed was blood sample from each of us - and a woman, mother that
would bear the child through pregnancy."
"That seems... cruel," whispered May.
"It was," nodded Mrs. Tain. "I'm not saying otherwise. But we were desperate.
And there was not much time. Ideal number of Geomancers to perform this ritual
would be twenty-four, but it could be done with as few as thirteen. Baran
was quite old at this time... he might not live much longer. In the end, we
have voted. I... I must admit I stood by Leik. Others stood against. The final
vote was seven against seven, and in this case, the leader would get to break
the tie. Baran was the leader. And he decided to go with Leik's plan."
"I've seen that," said Linda excitedly. "The Queen showed me. It was...
terrible."
"Yes, I suppose it was," nodded Mrs. Tain. "That poor girl didn't feel anything,
we drugged her before the ritual... We chose a recently-married girl so there
would be no rumors. And we mixed our blood, draw the proper diagram and everything..."
She grasped the table. "How could we know? How?"
"And so," I said, slowly, "Raia was born."
"She was," admitted Mrs. Tain. "And we observed her. We weren't sure
she will inherit the power. Then..."
She sighed again. "It's hard for me to talk about it. Raia started to use
geomancy. She didn't have to discover the proper diagrams. She just
knew them. For several years, we were looking at her with pride. We
thought she will be our future - and even if she was infertile like us, we
were sure the ritual could be repeated to yield more children like her. Then...
It was me who first noticed that people around Raia are behaving oddly.
People of that time had a deep mistrust of geomancy, yet Raia was using it
freely and nobody seemed to mind. I looked into it and I've soon realized
that apart from geomancy, Raia has also the power to affect the minds of
those around her. She never harmed anyone with geomancy, but this other power
looked too dangerous to pass unchecked. So... I decided to break my cover
and approach her. Without consent of the others. Without their knowledge,
even. At that time, she was ten."
She fell strangely silent. Then she spoke.
"I didn't do it on purpose, you understand. But I believe it was my actions
that awoke the Queen... and created Raia the menace."
We were silent while Mrs. Tain sipped the tea Grace made.
"Yes," she continued, "it was my fault. You see, I was scared. Raia was an
experiment - anything unexpected was a reason to worry; and her mental abilities
were certainly unexpected! I visited the village. I arranged it so I could
meet Raia.
Once I stepped in, I realized how odd the atmosphere was. On the first glance,
it looked like an ordinary village, but... as I watched, I realized that
in a way, everyone is subservient to that little girl. Wherever Raia went,
everyone praised her. Everyone was nice to her. And whatever she did - and
she could be very naughty girl, indeed - nobody minded, they just laughed.
She was never spanked.
Every child wishes to have a childhood like that," continued Mrs. Tain. "But
they don't - and for a good reason! Having all your needs instantly fulfilled
teaches wrong lesson about the life, and childhood is the age of hard lessons,
nothing wrong about it. Raia was pampered... like a Queen.
I came to her. I asked her name, though I already knew, of course. But she...
she looked at me..."
"Who are you?" asked the girl, looking at the young woman. "I don't know
you. I don't know anything about you."
"I'm Mrs. Tain," replied the woman. "I... know some things about you. I can
do the things you can. Look!"
She drew a tetrahedron and it burst into flames.
The girl scoffed. "That's easy. Try this!"
Her hands traced a complicated diagram in the air. A complicated structure
of squares and triangles enlarged and encompassed both of them. Suddenly,
they were inside a room.
Mrs. Tain gasped. This was a trick only a handful of oldest Geomancers knew
- and this girl performed it effortlessly and without a moment of hesitation!
Although the girl was so little, she decided to talk with her as she would
with an adult.
"You are affecting minds of people in this village," she said.
"Yes," answered the girl.
"You shouldn't do that, Raia." She smirked. "Because it's not 'proper'? They don't even know I'm doing
it."
"That's why it's not proper, Raia."
She just pointed her finger at Mrs. Tain. "Sleep!" she ordered.
A sudden dizziness flowed through older woman's body, but she managed to
stay upright.
Raia frowned. "I can't read your mind," she said. "Why?"
"Because I'm a Geomancer. The same as you."
"We've came ot of the rhombicuboctahedron - the secret room," said Mrs.
Tain quietly. "Raia was extatic that she can show off her abilities. She
was always keeping them secret, you know. She could do anything I could -
and many things I've never heard of. I... I envied her the power.
And then I asked her if she understands why she can't use her mental powers
on the villagers. And she said 'Yes. But I'm going to do it anyways. It's
fun.'"
Mrs. Tain sighed. "I told her that she mustn't. I... I threatened to spank
her if she will.
She bristled. She was never spanked and the idea made her terribly mad. 'I
will spank you if I find you abusing your power in such a way,' I repeated.
'Promise me you won't.' And she looked in my eyes and said: 'OK. I won't
mess with their minds anymore.'"
"But..." said Grace.
"Three days later," said Mrs. Tain simply, "that village ceased to exist."
It was a picture of devastation, a microscopic armageddon. The trees were
burnt, each house looked as if a bomb exploded inside, and the people...
Yes, the people. That were the worst of all.
Some charred, some nearly intact, but all bodies meticulously laid in a line.
And while Mrs. Tain was looking at this picture of disaster, she heard Raia's
voice: "I won't mess with their minds anymore..."
I've watched in horror as Mrs. Tain cried.
"I had no right messing with Raia! Something stirred inside of her, a being
we came to call Queen. The others never found out how it started. I never
told them! I was bearing my shame and guilt throughout the centuries... Maybe
she would have done it anyways. Maybe not. But still..."
Then she talked more and we listened.
About a castle which Raia conquered and made people inside it her slaves.
With help of an army, she went on a journey of pillaging. And she learned
to recognize other Geomancers. In the following years, war overtook the land,
and Geomancers were dying...
"She was using illusions, so nobody would know her true age," said Mrs. Tain.
"But only the most faithful could see her. It was a strange war, you see
- not too bloody, since she didn't have many enemies. After two years, all
local lords were crushed and she personally converted them to her cause.
Only us - the people she couldn't control - stayed.
At this time, Baran looked in our history. He was desperate to determine
what went wrong with Raia. He considered her his daughter and he was torn
by the things she did. And finally, he found it. In the ancient times, very
powerful Geomancers sometimes went mad. They started to affect others' minds,
all the symptoms were there. According to the legend, they could be only
defeated by lots of other Geomancers combining their strengths. But there
were not enough alive. And Raia was systematically trying to exterminate
us."
She sighed. "We were dying. Some by arrows - some by knife - some even by
terrible power of Raia herself. It took years. Raia was growing up. She was
sixteen now. And our numbers dwindled to six."
She still saw it before her eyes - that final battlefield. Maria, the
youngest of Geomancers, who Baran found in a mountain village, dying in his
arms. Then, the five Geomancers nearing the Witch Queen herself... and all
that followed.
"So it was Leik who sealed her?" asked Grace.
Mrs. Tain nodded. "Yes. And I helped him. We couldn't kill her, you
know - not after what happened. We found out about the Queen. We were afraid
that she might be... freed, if Raia dies."
She smiled a bit. "Raia didn't struggle, in the end. She went into the oblivion,
knowing that it's for the best. I believe that in the final moment, she was
herself again - and she stood at the same side as us, against the Queen.
"And then?" asked May.
"Then, the life went on. But there were no more Geomancers. All the power
was bound in the seal. And..." She smiled a little, "a few years later, Leik
and I had... a beautiful baby boy."
"How come?" asked Linda.
"Apparently, it was our power what made us infertile," replied Mrs. Tain.
"After we lost the power, we could have children again. Or maybe the Queen
blocked our fertility somehow... I don't know. But we had a child. The remaining
three Geomancers had children, too... And so, four families were born. Four
families of Guardians."
"Let me guess..." said Max. "I have a strange feeling that now you reveal
you are my long-lost grandmother or something like that. After all, I
am from a Guardian family."
"Nope," chuckled Mrs. Tain. "You are descendant of Kenoa, the only other
female Geomancer who survived. She was always the most beautiful of us..."
"How did you survive?" asked Max. "I think that's what we would like
to know."
Any joy in face of Mrs. Tain was suddenly gone.
"I... aged," she said. "And so did Leik. Our child grew up and left home.
We told him about his heritage, of course. He married, had his own kids...
And we were aging and aging..."
She blinked. "One day, Leik disappeared. He left and never came back. I've
searched for him, and finally..."
The seal looked the same as all those years ago. Heptagons flickering
in a circle. Nobody came here, ever. Even animals avoided this place.
There was a letter, pinned down and marked, simply: To my Beloved.
I can't explain, it said. This is something I must do. I will come
back, but... it will take a very long time, and so I say my goodbyes to you
here and now.
We are the last. The last of old Geomancers, the last ones to know the power.
But there is still her, and the monster that lives inside of her.
In the last years, I have studied. I didn't want to bother you with my research,
but I have discovered the truth, in the end. I know the true purpose of Queen's
existence - and of ours. And because of that, I have to leave.
I tapped the power of the seal with an amulet I've crafted. Please, guard
it well.
Goodbye.
Leik
"I've found the amulet," said Mrs. Tain. "And then - I didn't want do
die without him. I wanted to see him again... And so I..."
A woman's hand lays the golden heptagon on the seal and cuts a line like
knife. A girl appears, for a moment, and Mrs. Tain sees for a fraction of
a second another intelligence behind her eyes... dark, vengeful and very,
very angry... But a few seconds is all she needs. She feels the power coursing
through the golden amulet, and finally...
A complex figure appears around her. Like a mirror of countless tetrahedra
- although she had counted them and she knows there are precisely six hundred.
Each of them holds a different image, but all of them hold the same woman.
Swirl of undescribable colors - and the apparition is gone, just the old
woman stands there and breathes heavily.
She puts the heptagon down again, and closes the seal, ignoring the sad,
demonic stare of the young girl in the center.
"It was the geomancy of the highest degree," said Mrs. Tain. "But I was
the only Geomancer in the world. I could perform it.
Human beings live in the flow of time. They age as they use their time up.
But I... I enclosed my time in a circle. I could go on... using the same
time over and over. One year of my time. I didn't have left much more.
And so I live since then. I must have lived through the three hundred years,
but, you know, the thing is that I can't remember. My memory can only encompass
the one year. After a year, all memories fade and disappear. Oh, I have a
diary, but it's like it happened to someone else."
"You wait for him... three hundred years?" said May reverently. "Now that's
what I call love!"
"I don't wait for him anymore," shook Mrs. Tain her head. "After a few decades
in this state... you lose the determination. You go on because that's what
you've always did, as far as you remember. It's a sad existence. But at least...
I was here when the seal was broken and the Queen came back to this world."
"How did that happen?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No idea. I didn't realize what was happening until she
attacked Max's family. And by then, it was too late. I've tried to wake up
from my zombie-like state, and I managed to recruit Max..."
"Why didn't you tell me Pauline was alive?" said Max.
"I didn't want you to go off and search for her!" she snapped. "You would
get yourself killed, and I needed you here. Then, the fate brought Raia herself
to my door - and I found out what she did to herself so she could escape.
I gave you the amulets of the Knight and the Lady - amulets Leik made, long
time ago, for me and himself. I gather they were useful to you.
I nodded. "They were. But..."
"I wanted to suppress Raia," said Mrs. Tain. "I was a fool. She had a backup
plan, she always did, and now they are gone and the Queen is free. If she
takes control of Raia again... that would be bad. But should Raia die -"
"What would happen?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I'm not sure. That's what I'm afraid of."
"Mrs. Tain?"
The old woman looked at Grace. She had just came out of the house, leaving
everyone in. It was close to noon.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I remember," smiled Mrs. Tain. "I try to remember all those years I had
to forget. I never do, but that's not really the point, is it?"
"Mrs. Tain - what did happen to that amulet?"
She smiled again. "It was important. So I hid it. I gave it to my first great-grandchild
as a heirloom."
Grace took her amulet out and looked at her.
"So... that makes me your descendant?"
Mrs. Tain showed no surprise. She shrugged. "Who knows? Who knows how many
descendants I have, after three hundred years? You might be one of them.
Or someone in your family got to the amulet... in another way."
"I don't believe you," stated Grace. "You wouldn't lose the trace of it.
You would keep watching it. You would ensure it won't fall in the wrong hands."
Mrs. Tain laughed. "Well done, Grace! But really, does that matter? There
is a part of me in you, but it's a so small part! In every village you can
probably find people who are more closely related to you than I am."
"Can I... hug you?" asked Grace. "Only it's... a long time since I had a
family."
She smiled. "Of course... my child."
"Granny!"
When Mrs. Tain released her, she took the amulet and passed her fingers over
it. "This will be important," she said. "Keep your eye on it."
"Yes, Granny."
"So?" I asked. "What are we going to do?"
Soot smirked. "What else? We find Raia and get her back! And Merta,
too!"
We all nodded.
Mrs. Tain sighed. "It's hard. I know that the Queen has a castle built on
the site of seal. But the seal... it's a long way from here. People don't
live around there, not anymore... You call it Unknown Land..."
"I was there, once," said Soot. "I know the place."
"How long will it take to get there?" I asked. "Not too long."
Pauline - Swarm - was standing in the doorway. Dark particles were trailing
off her skin. She changed to a teenage form. "I am a Geomancer. I can use the dodecahedron. I will send you to the
Unknown Land," she stated.
"Pauline," started Max. "I'm no longer the Pauline you knew, brother," said Swarm and her
voice reverbered with infinite sadness. "The Queen has changed me and
I will never be the same. I'm sorry. I would like to help you in your quest
against the Queen - but she still exists inside of me. I could be overtaken,
or used to spy you. Therefore, I have to leave you." "Pauline!" cried Max. "I will come back, I promise," she said. "Please, you must not
waste time. Select who you want to send."
"Can you get us in the castle?" asked Mrs. Tain.
Swarm shook her head, which became fuzzy for a moment. "Not possible.
The Queen has erected a barrier and my code to breach it will no longer work.
I can get you... close to the castle, that's all."
"Should we split?" I said. "If the fighters will all go with one group...
people who stay here will be vulnerable." "No," said Swarm. "I'm going to protect them. Don't worry about
them."
I sighed. "I guess... only me and Max should go. And Mrs. Tain. It's too
dangerous."
"What?" shrieked Soot. "I'm a thief! I mean, I used to... anyways, I can
help you infiltrate the castle!"
"But you have Rosey to look after," I told her. "You shouldn't leave her."
"But..."
"If something happens to Swarm, you will be the main protector here. Please!"
She nodded. "OK, Zack. But I'm not happy with it."
"So, I guess that's is..." I started, but I was interrupted.
"No," said Grace firmly. She held Linda's hand. "We are going with you and
that's final. Linda is the most dexterous of us all. She has a personal score
to settle with the Queen, to boot. And as for me..." She looked at Mrs. Tain,
desperately.
She nodded. "Yes. You have to go. You have your own destiny."
"What's going on here?" I blinked.
Mrs. Tain smiled. "Girl things. Don't concern yourself. Do... you have everything
girls?"
Grace took her bag and put out her paddle. And Merta's brush.
"Yep!" she smiled. "We have everything we might need."
"Goodbye," said Soot, solemnly. "Goodbye," repeated Swarm.
Then she drew a picture.
End of Chapter 19
May's Readers' Corner:
Off they go! Well, since I'm not going with them, I asked Grace to keep
this corner for a while - just why could she go and not me? Oh well,
Grace told me the title of next chapter will be "Journey to Unknown Land"! I guess
we will see, huh?
s 
May's Readers' Corner: