Page 42 of The Marked Princess

“Wait up, I'm coming!”

Josselyn started to follow after the light, then hesitated.Dropping down beside Conrad's body, she pulled her dagg er out of his belt and took a moment to strap it back onto her leg, before hurrying after the strange woman. She led them through the forest, moving further and further away from the road. The trees and shrubs grew thicker as they went north, and the way would have been impassable had the woman not used her staff to clear a path. Branches and briers pulled back as if by magic, allowing them to pass by before creeping back into place. Josseyln watched with wide eyes, making sure to stay close to the woman as they walked.

After a while, the woman came to a stop in front of a large boulder. She tapped the end of her staff against the rough stone and the light coming out changed to a bright blue that spread out across the rock face, illuminating a scrolling pattern that was etched across it. Josselyn watched as a small, wooden door appeared, and the woman reached out to pull it open, revealing what looked like a long, dark tunnel.

“How in the world?” Josselyn muttered, craning to look around the other side of the boulder, where there was nothing but trees and brush. She looked at the woman, who was waiting patiently beside the door. "Where does this go?”

The woman grinned, gesturing for Josselyn to enter the tunnel. “Why, it goes to my home, of course. Isn't that where I said we were going?”

Josselyn bit her lip, eyeing both the tunnel and the woman in turn. This is nuts. I must be out of my damn mind to even consider walking into a tunnel to nowhere with some kind of strange witch. I should just turn around and find the road again. Yes, that's exactly what I should do.

Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and stepped past the woman and into the tunnel. The woman followed, pulling the magical door closed behind her. A pinprick of light shone at the end of the tunnel, and Josselyn focused on it, striding toward it with all the confidence she could muster. Moments later, she found herself stepping out into a small clearing, surrounded on all sides by sheer, rock walls, with a small cottage at the center.

Large, flat stones formed a path leading to the doorstep, and green vines full of ivy grew over the rough, stone walls. The back of the cottage was built into the side of a hill, so that you could walk around the house and end up on to the roof, which was covered in some kind of moss. Flowers in a rainbow of colors poked out of every crack and crevice, and a soft glow filled the clearing as the sun made its slow ascent into the sky, the night finally giving way to day.

The woman brushed past her as she stood gaping, heading straight for the cottage door. “Come in, come in,” she urged, stepping to the side as Josselyn followed her. “Let me just take care of that face of yours, then I'll get us each something cool to drink.” She gestured toward a small wooden table with two chairs sitting in what Josselyn assumed was the 'kitchen' area. The entire cottage seemed to be just one open room, with a kitchen area on one side and bedroom on the other.

“What would you like? I've got water, tea...” She paused, waggling her eyebrows at Josselyn. “Some very fine homemade wine.”

“Water would be great, thank you,” Josselyn replied, sitting down in one of the chairs by the table.

The woman bustled about, mumbling to herself as she pulled out various jars, mixing the contents together and wrapping them up in a thin cloth. Once she had finished, she opened a small door in the floor and pulled out a large jug of water. “I like my drinking water nice and cool during the summer,” she explained, pouring them each a glass and setting them on the table. She lowered herself onto the chair across from Josselyn, handing her the poultice and taking a long drink of water before setting the glass down and folding her hands neatly in her lap.

“Introductions are in order, I believe. You, of course, are Princess Josselyn deLure.” Josselyn raised a brow as she sipped her water. “Have we met before?”

“Not in the flesh, but we're more closely connected than you know. I've actually been searching for you ever since I felt you release Kella the other night. I lost track of you, however, until tonight, when I felt a brief flicker of your beast's energy. You were closer than I'd dared hope.”

“Why is it I feel like your answers are only creating more questions?”

“I suppose I am being rather cryptic, aren't I?”

“Just a bit,” Josselyn replied, the corners of her mouth turning up into a wry smile.

The woman grinned. “Cheeky.” Josselyn felt her smile grow wider. There was something about this woman that put her at ease, made her feel lighter.

“Well? Are you going to tell me who you are or not?” Josselyn teased, leaning back in her chair and looking at the woman inquisitively.

The woman chuckled, setting her glass on the table and leaning forward. “Oh, I'm going to tell you, don't you worry. But in order for me to explain who I am, I'll need to first tell you the story of Lunares and Luxeos, and the creation of the Shendri warriors.”

She stood up and took a loaf of bread off of a shelf near the fireplace. She sliced off several large pieces, arranging them on a plate and placing them on the table in front of Josselyn. Sitting back in her chair, she gestured for Josselyn to take some, before she continued.

“Right, then, as I was saying... Lunares and Luxeos. Would you like to hear it?”

Josselyn nodded, her mouth full of bread. Swallowing quickly, she added, “Please.”

The woman smiled. Reaching across the small table, she slid her hands around Josselyn's, wrapping her fingers around her wrists. “Or, better yet, why don't I show you?”

“Um... what? How can you... I don't...”

The woman chuckled, her thumbs pressing gently against Josselyn's pulse points. Trickles of warmth, like summer sunshine, crept up her arms and spread across her chest. “Just close your eyes dear, and let me worry about the rest.”

Her eyelids already fluttering closed, Josselyn relaxed her shoulders, giving in to the delicious warmth. “If you say so,” she whispered, even as the darkness behind her lids began to swirl with color, creating a nightscape of rocky cliffs, sandy beach, and rolling blue waves that sparkled beneath the light of a full moon. The woman's voice floated through the air, like a whisper on the soft summer breeze that blew wisps of hair across Josselyn's face.

“It all started two hundred and twenty years ago...”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Once there were two goddesses who shone their light upon Lehi. One was Luxeos, goddess of the sun, and the other was Lunares, goddess of the moon. Luxeos watched over the kingdoms by day, Lunares by night, and, between the two of them, the land was fertile, the people content, and the kingdoms at peace.