Contact: norsebarddk@gmail.com
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DISCLAIMERS:
This short Fantasy Action Adventure tale belongs in the Uber category. All characters are created by me though they may remind you of someone.
This story depicts a budding romantic relationship between consenting adult women. If such a story frightens you, you better click on the X in the top right corner of your screen right away.
All characters depicted, names used, and incidents portrayed in this story are fictitious. No identification with actual persons is intended nor should be inferred. Any resemblance of the characters portrayed to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
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NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR:
Written: August 13th-18th 2021, January 8th-15th & 21st-25th 2022.
- Wave! Phineas Redux :D Flower!
As usual, I'd like to say a great, big THANK YOU to my mates at AUSXIP Talking Xena, especially to the gals and guys in Subtext Central. I really appreciate your support - Thanks, everybody! :D
Description: The aspiring sorceress Guthren of Emmerlingen and her special friend Lady Siegrid of Oldenburg return with another Medieval Fantasy Adventure. The final set of exams awaits Guthren. Her dream is to become a Traveling Sorceress and help villagers in need all over Queen Irmgard's vast realm - if she fails her exams, she'll have to spend another year behind the thick walls of the ancient Kranichburg Castle with her nose buried in her dusty textbooks. Her biggest challenge is controlling the Magic Mirror, but with Lady Siegrid by her side supporting her every step of the way, how can she fail?
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MIRROR, MIRROR!
In a world beyond time, space and reality, a prosperous nation graced a vast stretch of land that offered everything from snow-peaked mountains, crystal clear lakes and raging rivers to dense spruce forests, rolling hills and lush meadows. Here and there, walled cities, castles and citadels had been built to protect the nation's people from their opponents in the neighboring lands.
The largest of those edifices in the Eastern realm was the imposing Kranichburg Castle. Home to the ruling family since its creation an eon ago, its present leading resident was the elderly Queen Irmgard whose entire life from birth to death would take place within the castle's yard-thick walls. The Crown Prince was ready to take over the duties of ruling the prosperous nation when the time would come, but the respected and much-loved Irmgard had no intention of leaving just yet.
The primary defensive line of Kranichburg Castle was a wall six storeys tall surrounding the entire perimeter. No less than twenty guard towers connected by battlements protected the two keeps and main halls that saw countless suites and chambers for the ruling family and their staff. The halls were also home to the sublime Knights' Hall that doubled as a dining and reception hall, and an opulent throne room where Queen Irmgard held court at least once a fortnight.
A large kitchen was located in the vaults below the Knights' Hall to simplify the process of delivering food and drink to what could be an impatient collection of knights and high-ranking officers from the castle's cavalry and infantry garrisons.
An archery range, the royal stables, two hay barns, an ornamental garden, a deep well and the main access to the underground dungeon had all been put in the vast, main courtyard that still had room to spare for the sandy tilt-yard used for jousting - the tilt-yard was mostly used in the spring and summer months.
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One of the lush meadows beyond Kranichburg Castle's protective walls had seen plenty of activity all morning. As the sun moved past mid-day, a group of young apprentices dressed in dark-brown robes moved around collecting, studying and comparing various herbs; the plants were needed for their afternoon classes in basic sorcery and the creation of useful herbal medicines and other types of healing potions.
The earthy palette of the surrounding foliage proved that winter had yet to fully release its deathly grip on nature. Still, the sun shone bright in the sky where it tried its best to infuse the barren landscape with a few rays of life.
The ages of the busy junior apprentices ranged from eight to eleven years so they were duly protected by a seven-strong detachment of leather-clad soldiers from Kranichburg's Watch Regiment. The burly men seemed bored with their assignment and paid little attention to the children; instead, they had their playing cards out and were engaged in a noisy round of Jacks, the favorite card game in most of the local taverns.
A large, quilted blanket in the center of the meadow was home to a picnic basket, two large flasks of wine - one of which was empty - and three people: an elderly man and two younger women. The elderly fellow, Master Torklith of Kranichburg, was fast asleep and snored loudly as the wine and the voluminous fried chicken he had consumed for lunch had joined forces with the pleasantly warm rays of the sun to send him to the land of Nod.
Master Torklith used a hefty, leatherbound textbook as a pillow though it would appear to be highly uncomfortable to use a book for such a purpose. He wore a dark-brown tunic that reached to just below his knees - underneath it, woolen hosen protected his sandaled feet and chalk-white legs.
The two women presented a stark contrast to the elderly Master and his snoring. Not only were they wide awake, they were basking in each other's presence as they shared a juicy fruit from the picnic basket. The younger of the two, Guthren of Emmerlingen, had reddish hair and spring-green eyes, and she wore a medium-blue dress she had sewn herself. A heavy, fur-lined winter robe covered most, but not all, of the blue dress to stave off the chill that crept up from the cold ground beneath the blanket. Her feet and lower legs were covered by off-white long-stockings and flat shoes that carried square brass buckles like castle etiquette demanded.
Having just turned twenty-one, Guthren had been given the important task of acting as an assistant teacher to Master Torklith during the time where she studied for her final exams - her dream was to become a travelling sorceress who would go from village to village and help those in need.
While she had often proven herself proficient in the lesser categories of sorcery, the highest levels of magic and conjuring continued to trip her up. She had already made three unsuccessful attempts at clearing the final hurdle at her past three birthdays, and it weighed heavily on her soul that Kranichburg's resident senior sorceress, the great Mistress Kriemhild of Quedlinburg, was slowly losing faith in her ever achieving the insight required to support her undeniable talent.
All those dark thoughts had no chance of competing with the soothing presence of Lady Siegrid of Oldenburg. On the cusp of entering her thirties, the tall, charismatic woman - who was forced to conceal her true identity to the world at large - sat with her legs folded to the side as she ate the juicy fruit. She wore black boots, dark-brown riding britches and a loose, sandy tunic with puff-cuffs; a pale-brown leather belt with a bronze buckle held everything in place.
Black leather riding gloves, a leather scabbard and a folded-up winter robe had been put on the blanket next to her; the scabbard contained a three-foot long sword adorned with a fleur-de-lis lily on the handle to mark that its owner came from the House of Holsteinia. A pair of hunting daggers had been inserted into sheaths sewn onto the outside of the bootlegs to complete the lethal ensemble.
The weaponry was needed since Lady Siegrid harbored a deep, dark secret: though posing as a mere squire to Lord Maximilian, her true identity was in fact that of the renowned Black - Avenging - Knight of the Kingdom of Holsteinia. When her older brother had been slain by assassins, she had been passed over in the royal succession in favor of her slightly younger twin Maximilian because of archaic laws that meant females could neither rule their realm nor obtain Knighthood.
The ancient kingdom had nearly fallen prey to its enemies when it turned out that Maximilian was nothing more than a soft-boiled egg when it came to the art of combat. Whenever a battle or a jousting tournament needed to be contested, Lady Siegrid would don the majestic suit of armor and become the Black Knight. After she had secured decisive victories in the various altercations, she would slip away and leave her brother to collect the laurel wreath, potential spoils of war and any other accolade as well as the undying gratitude of their people - all to keep the traditionalists satisfied.
Her long, black hair and intense, pale-blue eyes were as impressive as ever. The eyes shone with warmth as she kept close to the young sorceress - officially to act as a last line of defense in case of a dastardly attack, but in reality to share the space with the woman who had stolen her heart.
"Milady," Guthren suddenly said as she put a hand on Siegrid's knee; the gentle touch and the rich sound of the younger woman's voice made Lady Siegrid realize she had become so enchanted she had no idea what had just taken place.
Smiling, Guthren continued: "I fear Master Torklith made such a racket that I failed to understand but a single word that passed by your lips. Though I know it will be a terrible inconvenience to you, could I perchance tempt you to repeat it…?"
Siegrid of Oldenburg reached out to return the favor by giving her companion's shoulder a tender rub. "I fear you cannot, my dearest Lady Guthren."
"Ack…"
"For I cannot remember a thing of what I said. Was it important?"
"I… well, I could not hear you, Lady Siegrid, so I fear I will not be of much help with regards to answering your question," Guthren said before her lips creased into an embarrassed half-smile.
A few smiles fluttered back and forth between the women before Siegrid's memory had caught up with her: "Oh, how foolish of me! At long last, I remember. I was merely trying to convey my feelings seeing the early spring sun caress your hair after the harshness of winter. My bardic skills leave a lot to be desired when even I could not recall the very subject I was waxing lyrically about!"
Master Torklith chose that moment to let out a particularly impressive snore that seemed to come from as far down as the soles of his feet. He shifted a couple of times before he grew still once more - but certainly not silent.
Guthren and Siegrid shot each other a quick glance before they broke out in identical laughs. Before their conversation could carry on where it had broken off, several of the young apprentices returned to the picnic blanket carrying armfuls of the herbs they had collected.
Almost unnoticeably, Siegrid inched away from Guthren so she would not appear to be encroaching on the assistant teacher. The warm and joyful expression on her face was soon replaced by a stoic, neutral mask that showed the Black Knight had returned.
"Mistress Guthren," the first of the young hopefuls said as he presented an impressive collection of greenery, "I beg for forgiveness for disturbing your lunch, but may I humbly ask for an appraisal of these plants, please?"
"You certainly may, Hagen," Guthren said and got to her feet so she could carry out the task she was there for.
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The familiar chattering of rain and sleet against the leaded window panes of Kranichburg Castle was a reminder that winter had no intention of surrendering just yet. Siegrid observed the downpour through one of the leaded windows halfway up the central keep. Though she had managed to get Guthren, Master Torklith and the apprentices safely back to the castle with no worse injuries than wet hair and soggy shoes, the dark scowl on her face proved the rather abrupt conclusion to the pleasant day had put her in a foul mood.
That the detachment of soldiers who were supposed to protect Lady Guthren and the others had left them unguarded - it appeared running ahead to get back to dry land had been more important to them - only darkened her state of mind. As a mere guest at Kranichburg Castle, she had no authority over the soldiers from the Watch Regiment so she could not openly put them in their place. An urgent reaction to their selfish behavior was required, however, so she stepped back from the window to speak to Guthren who had already gone further up the grand, sloping staircase: "Lady Guthren… please wait."
Turning around, Guthren briefly looked at Siegrid before she moved back down the staircase; she kept lifting the lower hem of her damp winter robe off the ground so she would not trip over it. "Yes, Lady Siegrid?" she said, trying to brush a few locks of wet hair off her forehead.
"The Watch Commander needs to be told of his men's irresponsible behavior. I shall be detained for a while before I can join you in your chamber," Siegrid said in a stern, unwavering voice. Remembering to whom she was speaking, she softened her tones as she continued: "Will you stoke the fire in the meantime so my poor fingers can once again regain their natural color?"
"I shall certainly give it a fair try, my dearest! I shall proceed to make us mugs of tea as well," Guthren said with a smile, "and as you know, the honey pot is never safe when I am around!"
Clicking her bootheels, Siegrid bowed to the younger sorceress before she set off on her quest to find and inform the watch commander of the latest incident.
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The torch-lit bowels of Kranichburg Castle were vast and confusing to the uninitiated, but Siegrid had spent enough time down there in her months at the castle to know her way around. After finding the correct door - made of sturdy oak that would withstand any attempts by a raiding party to break it down - she moved up her fist intending to pound on it. Reconsidering, she used her knuckles to knock three times in rapid succession instead.
A spy-slit in the heavy door was soon slid to the side so the guard on duty could verify the identity of the knockee. Since Siegrid was there alone and in full uniform albeit one belonging to a neighboring kingdom, the guard had little reason not to work the seven bolts and pull the oak door open.
Stepping inside the well-protected chamber, Siegrid's probing eye soon arrived at the fellow she was there to see leaning over a table studying several maps of the borderlands between Queen Irmgard's realm and the surrounding kingdoms. The wooden table and the priceless maps were kept a safe distance from an open fireplace where orange flames were busy consuming several logs that had been chopped into smaller sections to aid the burning process.
Four brass candlesticks had been put on the corners of the table to provide reading light for the Commander of the Watch, and the flames atop the candles cast a playful flicker across the important information presented on the maps. Steam rose from a mug of herbal tea that had been put next to a collection of map scrolls that had yet to be unfurled.
Like all members of the Watch Regiment protecting Kranichburg Castle, Captain Waltherius of Riedzburg's uniform consisted of sturdy marching boots, dark-brown britches and a maroon tunic held in place by a leather belt that featured a square brass buckle. The shoulder-section of a set of plate armor had been put over the backrest of a chair while a set of heavy chain mail - compulsory for all senior officers - had been put on the chair's seat next to his helmet.
The bearded, middle-aged watch commander cast a critical glance at the female visitor from the House of Holsteinia before he removed a couple of lead weights that pinned down the map on top. Once the weights had been removed, the map rolled itself up so no intelligence could be gathered from it. "Lady Siegrid. Pray tell, what business brings you here? Nothing too dramatic, I hope?" he said as he kept his hand close to the hilt of the sword he carried on his right hip just to be on the safe side.
"Alas, Captain Waltherius," Siegrid said and stepped closer to the table with the maps so she could enter the cones of light produced by the four candles. "I fear I am the bearer of news that could indeed be interpreted as dramatic. The detachment of soldiers from the Watch assigned to protect Lady Guthren, Master Torklith and the younglings failed to properly carry out their task. As the rain surprised us upon the meadow, the soldiers hurried back to the castle like fleetfooted goslings evading a fox. The people they were there to protect were thus left to fend for themselves. They were fully exposed to an attack in case an enemy had been waiting for an opportunity to strike."
The Watch Commander's face grew surly. Standing up straight, he put his hands behind his back and took an age to compose a reply. "My dear Lady Siegrid," he eventually said in a voice that bordered on the patronizing, " 'tis plain to see that a mere squire such as yourself does not have enough insight into proper military procedures to fully understand such matters. Even beyond that, there has not been an enemy presence so close to Kranichburg Castle for a generation. Our excellent long-range scouts would surely have alerted us of such a threat long before an opposing force could move but a half-league toward us."
Siegrid had already drawn a deep breath to counter the preposterous statement when she remembered she could not risk exposing the secrets involving herself and her brother. If the truth came to light, it would undoubtedly be exploited by not only the sworn enemies of the House of Holsteinia but by those who gathered intelligence on the age-old conflicts between the various kingdoms in the North-West, such as the shrewd Captain Waltherius and others.
"How right you are, Sir," she said and pretended to come to her senses. After painting an apologetic smile on her face, she made sure to add plenty of honey to her voice to sweeten her reply: "I beg for forgiveness, my dear Captain. I let my annoyance with the inclement weather run off with me. The dreadful rain and sleet ruined the wonderful lunch! Wine should simply not be watered down in such a terrible fashion."
The sugary answer seemed to appease the captain who relaxed his stance at once. Nodding, he stepped away from the table with the maps and put a fatherly hand on Siegrid's shoulder - that she was in fact taller by an inch or two negated the desired effect. "Ah, my good Lady, that part I can certainly understand. Having plans scuppered through no fault of our own is never less than galling," he said as she guided her back to the door to show the meeting was over.
"I agree wholeheartedly, Captain. Have a good day, Sir," Siegrid said as she stepped past the heavy door and out into the corridor beyond it.
"And you, Lady Siegrid," Waltherius said and promptly motioned the guard at the oak door to slam it shut behind their guest.
Siegrid's smile lasted exactly one second longer than it took the soldier on guard duty to work the many bolts and locks. Once she was alone, a dark mask fell over her features. She waited for a few seconds more before she stomped off back to the central staircase.
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The smaller of Kranichburg Castle's two keeps was home to the handmaidens, the pages, the kitchen staff and the apprentices of the resident sorceress. The latter group had the top floors of the keep all to themselves since no one else dared to go near the chambers that were frequently home to experiments and exercises that did not always go to plan.
No experiments were conducted in the chamber belonging to Guthren of Emmerlingen as the young redhead had her hands full stoking the fire to really get it going for when Siegrid would rejoin her. She had pushed her writing desk further away from the fireplace to keep it safe from the heat; an untidy pile of gray dust bunnies on the floor proved it had been a little too long since she had swept or washed the floor.
Her wooden bed with the colorful, quilted bedspread and the wool duvet remained where it had always been as it took a four-in-hand of dray horses to move it but an inch. To offer seating for her important guest, a second chair had been borrowed and put next to the bed.
Coughing and spluttering from the abundance of smoke that had been produced by her stoking, Guthren took a step back from the fireplace and ran the back of her hand across her forehead to get her hair out of her eyes - she was unaware that she left a sooty smear that nearly reached from one side of her head to the other.
The tiny flames that played atop a log were steadfast in their reluctance to grow. Guthren scratched her cheek which left another sooty smear there. She had just decided to reach into the hugely wide sleeves of her robe to find her magic wand and cast a fire spell when someone knocked on the door.
"Ack! Oh, I fear 'tis far too soon, Lady Siegrid!" Guthren cried as she spun around to look at the door - since no heat had yet been produced by the fire, the fresh water in the kettle that hung on a hook above the open fire would undoubtedly still be near the point of freezing.
The knock on the door was repeated.
"I shall be there forthwith!" Guthren cried before she swept her hair out of her eyes thus leaving a third smear. This time, she noticed something odd about the whole thing; she let out a long groan when she spotted her sooty fingers. "Oh, by the Holy Mother… bad luck clings to me like a burr today! Ack, and I have no time to rectify it. Coming!"
Once she had whooshed open the door, the cheery greeting she had already formed on her lips stopped short of escaping when she clapped eyes on her visitor. Rather than the expected Lady Siegrid, the person outside was one of her closest friends at the castle: one of the handmaidens assigned to work in Queen Irmgard's royal quarters.
"Oh… Isolde!" Guthren cried and let out a sigh of relief. "Please come in… my dear friend, I am grateful the Holy Mother heard my pleas and sent you! I badly need your help to breathe life into the fire. I fear I cannot get it going no matter what I do."
" 'Tis not for a lack of trying, Guthren! I can see that plain as day," Isolde said and snickered into her hand. Like the other handmaidens serving the noblest of the castle's permanent residents, the good-humored teen wore soft shoes, white long-stockings and a white, tunic-like dress that came to just above her ankles - the lower hem of the dress was reinforced by a strip of pale-brown leather to increase its sturdiness. During the cold, clammy months, the maids and pages all wore a woolly cloak over their shoulders to stay warm when they were away from work.
Isolde's slender waist was graced by a leather utility belt that featured numerous pouches providing room for all the remedies she needed for her work, and she reached into one of them at once to find a handkerchief that she offered her friend. "May I suggest you wipe your forehead and your cheeks?"
"Ack… I have soot all over, have I not?" Guthren croaked as she took the offered cloth and ran it over her face. She rolled her eyes at the blackness that was transferred onto the pristine fabric.
Snickering, Isolde hurried past her friend to get over to the fireplace. "I fear you do, yes," she said as she knelt next to the reluctant logs. A tinderbox and a poker were soon picked up and put to good use - in no time at all, the flames grew stronger and began to caress the logs in a proper fashion.
"Ahhhh…. I am forever grateful for your assistance, my dear Isolde," Guthren said as she continued to scrub her face until its original pinkish hue had returned.
Isolde smiled back before she briefly touched the kettle with the back of her hand to test how far it had come. "You are most welcome. The water is still rather cold, but it shall be ready to grace your tea leaves before long."
Once the soot had been fully transferred to the once-pristine cloth, Guthren shuffled over to join her friend at the fireplace. "Good! The wretched rain not only ruined our delightful lunch but sent an icy chill through me. I cannot wait to feel the warmth from the scorching hot liquid seep into my bones," she said as she put her hands to exploit the heat that rose from the flames.
"I beg for forgiveness for poking my nose into matters that do not concern me, Guthren, but could you not simply have cast a fire spell?"
"Ah, I could. But you see, Mistress Kriemhild has warned me of, ah… using magic for personal gains."
"Oh," Isolde said and broke out in a knowing nod. "And you were perchance also afeared the spell might go wrong like the seventeen previous attem-"
Guthren reached over at once to slap her friend's shoulder. "Isolde! I shall have you know that my spellcasting has not failed for a good, long while!"
"I am happy for you, my friend… truly I am," Isolde said while sporting a cheeky expression. "Ack, woe haunts me to this very day when I recall your ghastly spell that was supposed to help me make the royal beds the other year. I still break out in a shudder at the thought…"
"Ah, quite," Guthren said and scratched her cheek as she thought back to the utter chaos she had created when she had enchanted the linen cart intending to ease her friend's strenuous task - she had never expected the cart to gain a free will and race through the castle hotly pursued by not only the handmaidens but a matron whose angry yelling could be heard all through the halls. "I fear that was not my finest hour. Nor my finest spell."
Another knock on the door brought Guthren back to the present, and she moved away from the fire at once to answer the knock. Though she was pleased to be joined by Siegrid, the sour look upon the tall lady's face proved something had happened in the short while they had been apart.
Siegrid entered the chamber in a clear huff. Guthren chewed on her cheek and closed the door softly. "Ack, Lady Siegrid… your face is like thunder. May I humbly ask what caused such a vile look to fall upon you?"
Isolde went into a deep curtsey at the arrival of the important visitor from the House of Holsteinia. The stony silence that followed Guthren's innocuous question proved that Siegrid would not speak while a handmaiden was present, so to give the ladies the privacy they required, Isolde hurried over to the door. "Guthren, I merely came to your chamber for a little chat. I shall return at a later time."
"Oh… very well, Isolde," Guthren said, eyeing first her friend and then Lady Siegrid who had become a great deal more than a mere friend in the year they had spent in close company.
Once Isolde had left, Siegrid let out a deep sigh and turned to the fireplace to warm her hands. "The Captain of the Watch is a wretched fool," she said in a voice that held a strong undertone of bitterness. "He brushed me off like I truly was the lowly squire I am posing as. Had I not sworn to forever protect the secret I share with my brother Maximilian, I would have told that pompous buffoon a few truths."
"Captain Waltherius?"
"Pray tell, do you have more than one Captain of the Watch?" Siegrid said in a brusque manner. Not a moment later, an even darker expression fell over her as she glared into the flickering fire. "I beg for forgiveness, my dear Guthren. I had no right to speak to you in such a disrespectful fashion."
"Fear not, Lady Siegrid. I am not a delicate flower that wilts from hearing harsh words," Guthren said and snuck her hand around Siegrid's waist. "I fully understand your annoyance. Captain Waltherius is not the most, ah… progressive gentleman here at Kranichburg Castle."
"Indeed he is not. Let us speak no more of that fool. I could use some hot tea."
"As could I. It should be ready before long," Guthren said and peeked into the kettle - a few bubbles had begun to appear in the water proving it would soon reach boiling point.
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Later on in the afternoon, the hot tea had indeed helped fight off the chill. The double-layered quilt Siegrid had wrapped around the more scrawny Guthren helped as well, but the greatest factor in staying warm came from the fact that they sat so close under the quilt they appeared to be one being with four legs, four hands and two heads.
Siegrid sat at the back; her chin resting on Guthren's shoulder while her arms were wrapped around the slender waist underneath the quilt. A peaceful expression had replaced the mask of surliness that had been etched onto her face upon her return from speaking to the Captain of the Watch. Breathing in the sweet, natural scent of the younger woman in her arms made her close her eyes and simply enjoy the moment of blissful tranquility.
They sat in soothing silence, content with gazing at the orange flames that caressed the logs in the fireplace with the gentleness of old lovers. Now and then, the logs let out a crackle or two like they were inviting the flames to grow bolder. Siegrid decided to take on the challenge and lowered her lips onto Guthren's exposed neck. When the first nibble produced a husky laugh from the young sorceress, a second followed at once.
Guthren soon shuffled around so she and Siegrid could continue the delightful adventure face to face; several gentle kisses were exchanged while the logs continued to crackle merrily as if they approved of the intimacy. "Lady Siegrid," she breathed, "could I perchance… and utterly humbly, I might add… ask of thee to provide hands-on tutoring later in the eve after the night bell has been struck?"
"Why wait?" Siegrid replied in a matching whisper before she resumed the sweet quest by seeking out a special spot on the side of Guthren's neck - she knew the exquisite response such a touch would create.
A few moans escaped Guthren as Siegrid's expert lips and tongue explored a field of magic as strong as anything written in the ancient Book Of Love Spells. To show she needed to get a point across, she moved her head a little to the side though the separation amounted to near-torture. "Alas, I fear I need my wits about me at supper. Mistress Kriemhild has tasked me with monitoring the apprentices during their evening meal."
"Take spoon. Dip into soup. Open mouth. Insert spoon," Siegrid said with an exaggerated wink. "If such a simple procedure is too much for the supposed cream of the crop, I dread the day they are let out into society!"
Snickering, Guthren needed to put a finger on Siegrid's lips to stop the eager lady from resuming her intimate ministrations. "Quite true… however, the apprentices are frequently fond of showing off any new skills they have acquired through their studies. Their enthusiasm is admirable, but it can lead to the soup refusing to stay inside the bowl. Suffice to say, I know of which I speaketh."
"You do, do you?"
"I fear it is thus, Lady Siegrid," Guthren said and broke out in a sincere nod. "Ack, the trouble I found myself in when I was a young apprentice… not all of my own doing, mind you."
Siegrid let out a knowing chuckle. "I seem to recall being the reluctant and certainly wholly innocent victim of a spell you cast on me not too long ago. So I say, some of the trouble in your youth may indeed have been of your own doing?"
"Ah… quite," Guthren mumbled; her cheeks flushed red and she had to duck her head as the memories of the failed spells she had cast at the woman in her arms flooded her mind. She had only wanted to help Lady Siegrid of Oldenburg in the jousting contest, but despite her best intentions, matters grew from bad to worse to downright horrendous at such pace it took the mighty powers of Mistress Kriemhild to sort everything out.
"Let us speak no more of that, Guthren. I would much rather kiss your lips-"
Before the promise could be brought to life, yet another knock on the door interrupted the cozy scene under the blanket. Siegrid glared at the door like it would help; a second knock proved it would not. "You better see who it is, Guthren. It might be important," she said and swept aside the blanket.
Nodding, Guthren got to her feet and hurried over to the door.
The knockee proved to be none other than the great Mistress Kriemhild of Quedlinburg, the resident sorceress, whose face portrayed a certain mirth at seeing Guthren becoming greatly befuddled at the surprise visit. Standing tall and proud as always, the ageless Kriemhild wore a white dress that reached her ankles; a wide, braided belt featuring a brass buckle graced her hips while a dark-brown wool cloak had been wrapped around her shoulders. Her graying hair, held together by a purple barrette, reached far down her back as always.
"Ack!" Guthren croaked as she took in the sight of her mentor. To show the proper respect for the important Lady, she performed a deep curtsey. As she came back up, the blood drained from her face as she tried to calculate how much time had gone by while she and Siegrid had been snuggling under the quilt. "Mistress Kriemhild… I b- beg f- for… forgive-uhhhh… ness. I swear to the Holy Mother the ringing of the dinner bell failed to reach my ears!"
"Be calm, child. 'Tis not why I have paid you a visit," Kriemhild said as she remained in the doorway. "May I enter?" she said after a short while of inactivity.
The toad-like croak that escaped the blushing Guthren proved how embarrassed she was. Nodding vigorously, she curtseyed again before stepping aside to grant the greatest sorceress in the entire realm - and perhaps the known world - access to her chamber.
"Good eve, Lady Siegrid," Kriemhild said as she spotted the tall, leather-clad woman by the fireplace. "My Skills are not needed to sense the warmth here. And I do not speak of the fireplace."
"Ah… ahhh… ah… ah, quite…" Guthren croaked. Wringing her hands, she hurried back to Siegrid's side to seek a little moral support in what she expected would be a stern telling-off for being tardy.
Siegrid let out a chuckle before she clicked her bootheels and bowed to their guest. "Right you are as always, Mistress Kriemhild. I am pleased to say that Lady Guthren and I have grown closer."
"Much closer and I expect you shall be joined at the hip," Kriemhild said and eyed the blushing Guthren. "Child, I came to observe you study for your exams. You have been studying, have you not?"
"Ah… ahhhh… ah, well…"
Kriemhild narrowed her eyes and let out a distinct Tut tut tut!-sound. "Guthren, I fear I need to remind you of the degree of difficulty presented by these exams. The magic mirror challenge badly exposed your lack of preparation at your last attempt."
"I am keenly aware of my inexcusable failure, Mistress Kriemhild," Guthren said in a mumble.
"As you should be. You need to study, child!"
"Yes, Mistress Kriemhild…"
"All night if you have to," Kriemhild continued with a slight smile playing on her lips.
Guthren cast a brief, but highly disappointed, glance at Siegrid before she nodded and let out a croaked "Yes, Mistress Kriemhild." The moral support she needed came promptly as Siegrid snaked a hand around her slender waist and pulled her a little closer.
Kriemhild caught the affectionate touch and had to subdue a laugh. She turned back to the mortified Guthren and spoke on in a softer, friendlier voice: "After all… at noon sharp in the morrow, Master Torklith and I shall see you in my chamber for the next part of your final exams."
It took a few moments for the news to break through to Guthren, but when it did, her eyes and mouth flew wide open. She stood like that for another two heartbeats until she could produce a highly eloquent "D'ohhhhh!"
This time, Mistress Kriemhild was unable to contain the laugh she had been storing; leaning her head back, a string of warm chuckles escaped her. "Indeed. The magic mirror challenge awaits you, Guthren. Be prepared… or face the inevitable."
"I… I shall study all night long, Mistress Kriemhild!" Guthren said, nodding so hard her reddish hair bobbed up and down. "I shall not let you down this time. Why, I feel in my heart that I shall conquer that and any other challenge no matter how taxing they may be!"
"Good."
Right on cue, the frantic striking of the dinner bell could be heard loud and clear throughout the entire Kranichburg Castle. "Oh! The apprentices shall soon gather in the hall! I must be there first to keep them calm," Guthren said; after she had spoken, she cast a rapid look at Siegrid's smiling face. Though the exhilarating evening and night she had dreamt of had fallen by the wayside, she soon came to terms with the inevitable and stood up on tip-toes to place a wonderfully wet and sloppy see-you-later kiss on Siegrid's lips.
Guthren remembered to perform yet another deep curtsey to Mistress Kriemhild before she tore out of her chamber and ran down the sweeping staircase to get to the dining hall before the apprentices could tear it apart.
-*-*-*-
-*-*-*-
-*-*-*-
A rooster crowing somewhere down in the courtyard stirred Guthren from a deep, dream-filled sleep. The first thing she noticed as she cracked open an eyelid was that she had fallen asleep at her desk with her nose buried in her ancient textbooks. An insistent crick in her neck made its presence felt a mere moment later. Wincing, she reached up to rub the sore spot but stopped her arm's progress halfway there.
While the rooster crowed again, she noticed she had accidentally bumped into her inkwell in her sleep which had given her right hand and forearm an odd, bluish-black skin tone from the knuckles to the elbow. "Ack… not today… not today, please, Holy Mother!"
Her sore neck prevented her from moving her head too far to the side so she had to inch around on the chair to see if the final embers in the fireplace could be salvaged or if she needed to set the fire all over again. Almost too predictably on such an important day, the ash mocked her with its dark-gray, ice-cold state. As she turned back around to ignite her candle instead, her elbow managed to send one of the hefty textbooks onto the floor where it landed with a huge thud. The gray cloud of dust bunnies kicked up by the errant book slowly returned to the floor like an indoor flurry of snow.
A long, deep sigh escaped her.
"I pray to the Holy Mother this shall not turn out to be one of those days," she mumbled as she reached for her tinderbox to light her candle. Her cold fingers did such a poor job of igniting the wick that she grew frustrated to the point of wanting to throw the whole thing out of the window.
Thoroughly fed up with her early-morning misfortune, she reached for her magic wand and recited the age-old Fire Spell in a somewhat sleepy mumble - it did the trick as a bright-orange flame soon rose from the tip of the candle.
Her bluish-black arm looked even worse in the flickering candlelight. She tried to scrape the ink off with a fingernail but found it too deeply embedded in her skin. "Ack… hot water is needed," she mumbled to herself. "Plenty of hot water. And for that, I need to visit the pump in the courtyard. And I need to obtain a bucket from somewhere before I can visit the pump… and then I need to set the fire. By the Holy Mother, such a poor start to this important day. I shall be most displeased if it continues in the same vein!"
Sighing again, she got up from her desk, made a slow turn so she would not exacerbate the crick in the neck and shuffled over to the door to seek out a bucket fit to hold the clean, freshly pumped water.
---
"-And lo and behold, the ink had splashed all over my arm," Guthren said as she returned to her chamber a while later carrying a reed basket that featured a few jars of stewed fruit, three buns and a loaf of bread that was still warm. She held the door open for Siegrid who entered holding a metal bucket filled with cold water. "Just hang it over the fire, please. Oh, and I shall be forever grateful if you could perchance start the fire for me. I fear the pixie in the fireplace holds a grudge against me."
"I shall try my best," Siegrid said and hung the bucket on the hook. After putting her hands on it to still its sideways motions, she knelt in front of the fireplace and began working on setting the larger logs and smaller kindling required to get the fire going.
The apprentices - to which Guthren still belonged despite her advancing years - were not allowed to entertain sleeping visitors in their chambers, so Siegrid continued to spend the nights in her own accommodations in the wing reserved for the esteemed guests of Kranichburg Castle. To mark the important day for her dear friend, she had jumped into a fresh pair of leather-reinforced riding britches and a pale-brown, sleeveless tunic over a black shirt that featured wraparound cuffs. She wore her usual boots that each carried a dagger held in place by leather straps on the outside of the legs; further up, a ceremonial short-sword rested in a sheath on her pale-brown leather belt.
While Siegrid was busy stoking the fire, Guthren removed her cloak and pulled her dress over her head so she could clean up a little. Her night shift covered her fully, but after sending a couple of sideways glances at the door and her friend, she lowered the straps at the shoulders to gain better access to her upper body. The chill that assaulted her fair skin made goosebumps appear all over, but she was so used to freezing mornings that it hardly registered with her.
A dipper was soon taken and dunked into the bucket. The water it could hold was transferred to a bowl that she proceeded to reach into so she could wash her face, neck and elsewhere. The icy nature of the water made her gasp and shiver, but personal hygiene was important - especially considering the important event that was to take place up in Mistress Kriemhild's chamber at noon.
Siegrid soon had the kindling going well in the fireplace. It did not take long before the orange flames jumped over to the larger logs and began consuming them; a merry crackling proved the fire was off to a good start. A little too much smoke was produced initially, but Siegrid took care of that by moving the lever that adjusted the damper inside the chimney itself. "The water will be ready before long… it shall give you a chance to rid your arm of the dastardly ink," she said after checking the water's temperature by touching the side of the metal bucket with the back of her hand.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart," Guthren said with a sigh - her right forearm was still bluish-black and offered the impression that she suffered from a potentially lethal case of blood poisoning. Taking a coarse piece of cloth, she performed such a vigorous scrubbing of her face, neck and upper chest that her reddish hair was sent through all kinds of wild maneuvers.
Once her skin had been suitably scrubbed and thus utterly pink, she pulled the night shift's shoulder-straps back up and shuffled over to her wardrobe to find a clean dress for the day. She chose a pale-green, short-sleeved one that she had sewn herself. It was a plain and simple design, but it fit her well and she felt comfortable wearing it. She folded it over her clean arm and brought it back to her chair where she put it over the backrest.
Siegrid eyed Guthren's blue arm and red locks as she clambered to her feet and dusted off her hands. "You should consider yourself quite fortunate, my dear. Had the ink gone into your hair, I fear we would have had to cut it off. We would never have been able to get the dye out otherwise."
"Ack!" Guthren said and immediately reached up to cradle her long locks. "Let us not speak of such matters! Though my Skills and strength may not stem from the length of my hair like the legendary warriors of yore, I shall have you know I am quite attached to it… oh… beyond the… the… obvious. Ah… obviously."
"Obviously," Siegrid said with a grin.
"Oh, this is too silly by far…" Guthren said before she guided Siegrid over to the bed. "Lady Siegrid, please be my attentive audience and good faerie as I shall attempt to scrub off this infernal ink."
After Siegrid had made herself comfortable on the bed that had not been used the previous night, she crossed her legs and assumed a look of fascinated excitement.
The water in the bucket soon reached boiling point. Using the dipper, Guthren transferred a small amount of the scalding hot liquid into the bowl she had already used once - she needed to wait several long moments for the temperature to drop even the tiniest bit. Once it was manageable, she dunked a sponge into the bucket and ran it up and down her arm a multitude of times. A good portion of the ink came off as she had hoped it would, but more than half of the bluish-black stain persisted even after the fifteenth pass of furious scrubbing.
"Oh… drat," Guthren mumbled as she looked at the sorry state of her forearm. She tried scrubbing even harder, but all she got out of that approach was sore skin. After staring at the involuntary tattoo for a few moments longer, she gave up and threw the sponge back into the wash bowl. "I declare, long sleeves shall be the order of the day for the important meeting with Mistress Kriemhild and Master Torklith," she said as she took the coarse piece of cloth and wiped her arm free of excess water.
---
Guthren soon wore her regular buckled shoes, white long-stockings, a white, long-sleeved shirt and the pale-green, short-sleeved dress she had selected - in short, her outfit matched the importance of her noon meeting.
Taking the reed basket, she strolled over to the bed and leaned down where her dear friend sat. She smiled as she held out the basket. "Bread? Stewed fruit?"
"I shall settle for some fruit, thank you," Siegrid said and took the small jar and the petite spoon intended for the purpose. "I have already enjoyed a hearty bowl of oatmeal, but a treat like that should never be rejected."
"I shall have a chunk of the loaf," Guthren said and broke the lower end off the bread. While she chewed on the fresh loaf, she crossed over the chamber's stone floor and swept a protective cover off a practice mirror. Only a quarter of the size - and thus one fourth of the strength - of the mirrors used by the master practitioners, it was nevertheless fully functional and a good base model for the purpose of studying the ancient arts.
Guthren soon dunked the dipper into the bucket to transfer the remaining boiling water into their mugs; the appropriate amount of tea leaves and honey was soon added to make the mix just right. She made sure to do everything slowly and deliberately - so slowly, in fact, that it was quite obvious she was trying to push off returning to the magic mirror for as long as possible.
"My dear Guthren," Siegrid said and crossed her legs the other way. "I beg for forgiveness if I have misread your intentions, but I do believe you are merely pretending not to see the mirror or your textbook."
"Ack… how right you are. As always," Guthren said and broke out in a sigh. She tore another chunk off the loaf and chased it down with a long swig of her hot, sweet tea. A sigh escaped her as she shuffled back to her ink-blotted desk and took her magic wand. "Alas, my graduation… and indeed my future… depends on the successful outcome of this exam. I ought to study harder than I ever have, but… no, perhaps my time would be better spent trying to scrub this infernal ink-"
"Guthren…"
"-off my arm… ack. You are right, Lady Siegrid. I cannot postpone it any longer," Guthren said and let out yet another sigh. She paused for a moment before she began to leaf through the hefty tome to find the chapter with the practice spells meant to manipulate the magic mirror. "Ah, yes… 'tis here. The first exercise shall simply be to bring it out of its dormant state. I shall wave my wand and hope all will go well."
Much mumbling and silent moving of lips ensued before her index finger stopped at a particular spell. She glanced over at the practice mirror before she re-read the passage; clearing her throat, she held the magic wand high. "Mirror, mirror, hear my plea! Mirror, mirror, travel free! Mirror, mirror, let me See!"
Nothing seemed to happen at first, but a deep hum soon emanated from somewhere inside the mirror. The glass itself suddenly turned black and became a fluid portal to time and space rather than a solid surface.
Siegrid sat up straight and stared wide-eyed at the uncanny sight; then she glanced at Guthren hoping to see a clue that the young sorceress knew what she was doing.
"Magnificent! 'Tis truly wonderful to behold how it responds to my commands," Guthren said with a grin before she returned to the textbook to read the next paragraph. "Let us continue, shall we? The second exercise shall be to peek at what was but is no more. Mirror, mirror! Show me the recent past, if you please!" she said while performing an appropriately artistic gesture with her magic wand.
A moment later, an image of Guthren sleeping at her desk appeared within the mirror's fluid portal. A rooster crowing somewhere in the distance stirred the young redhead awake.
Siegrid shook her head in disbelief as she tried - and failed - to provide a real-world explanation for the supernatural echo of the things that had just transpired in the very chamber they were in. " 'Tis rare I am struck dumb, sweet Guthren, but I am now. Why, I have never seen such magic… your Skills are truly extraordinary," she said without taking her eyes off the scene that played out within the magic mirror.
"I am humbly grateful for your words of praise, Lady Siegrid, but please do not consider this extraordinary t'all. I have witnessed Mistress Kriemhild cast a mirror spell that chronicled the creation of the world we inhabit!" Guthren said before she turned back to the mirror. "Mirror, mirror, I thank thee!" she said as she waved her magic wand - the gesture and the spell made the mirror's image of herself fade out.
"Remarkable…"
"Why, indeed it was! Mistress Kriemhild is truly-"
"No, I meant how you can make the practice mirror come alive and return to inactivity with a few words and flicks of your wrist. May I enquire if Mistress Kriemhild used such a mirror there for the advanced spellcasting you just mentioned?"
Guthren studied the small practice mirror; although its hand-crafted frame featured a few ornate wood carvings, its design was quite basic and utilitarian on the whole. "Oh, no, Milady. Mistress Kriemhild has one up in her chamber that is at least four times as large. Quite possibly even larger than that. The majestic mirror and the sublime Skills possessed by Mistress Kriemhild grant her the strength to cast spells that let us See the future!"
"Oh, I fear I am rather doubtful of such a notion, sweet Guthren… I find it difficult enough to accept that we have just witnessed the past. The future-"
"I beg for forgiveness, Lady Siegrid, but I speaketh no lie. I have seen the future in the large mirror. A better phrase to use would perhaps be a future. Mistress Kriemhild made sure to explain that even the tiniest change in the present would alter the future, therefore-"
"Now 'tis I who shall beg for forgiveness, my dearest Guthren. I fear I am not convinced in the least," Siegrid said and shook her head.
Guthren chewed on her cheek for a few moments before she returned to the ancient textbook. The next exercise was to make the mirror show specific people or places when asked about them, but it suddenly seemed irrelevant.
Moving on in the hefty tome, she leafed through an entire chapter of spells for beginners and lightly experienced until she reached the exercises for the advanced class. Her cheek was put through another round of vigorous chewing before she waved her magic wand at the practice mirror. "Mirror, mirror, hear my plea! Mirror, mirror, travel free! Mirror, mirror, let me See!"
As the sheer glass turned black and fluid once more, Guthren scratched her neck and returned to the textbook. She flipped the pages back and forth a couple of times before she settled for a spell that would fit the challenge presented to her by her dear friend. "Mirror, mirror-"
"Guthren," Siegrid said and rose from the bed. She quickly made her way across the stone floor so she could put a hand on Guthren's arm. "Please do not attempt anything you are not ready for just to make me see the error of my ways."
"But-"
"I doubt neither your determination nor your Skills, but I wish you would remember the near-disasters you caused when we first met."
"Ack, how right you are, but-"
"And you also have an important appointment at noon. Once your examination has been completed with the success you deserve, perhaps you could persuade Mistress Kriemhild to treat me to the incredible spectacle you spoke of?"
The fresh logs in the fireplace chose the moment to let out a few crackles. An ember jumped from one of the logs and onto the stone floor in front of the fireplace, but it was unable to live long on the cold, hard floor and soon fizzled out.
Siegrid's words caused Guthren to lower her magic wand. "I am afeared I cannot promise that, dearest. Mistress Kriemhild is staunchly opposed to us using our Skills merely to create a spectacle, but… well, I suppose asking could not hurt." She cast a final glance at the highly advanced spell she had found in the textbook before she turned back to the practice mirror. "Mirror, mirror, I thank thee!" she said and performed the required waving of the wand to make the mirror turn passive once more.
As Guthren moved away from the desk to snatch a bun, a jar of stewed fruit and a spoon from the reed basket, the magic mirror seemed to take exception to the fact that it had not been asked to do anything after its activation. The surface remained fluid rather than turning solid like it had done after the previous spellcasting session. A deep hum started somewhere beyond the portal to time and space, and ripples began appearing in the black pool.
Utterly oblivious to the mounting drama behind her, Guthren moved over to Siegrid with the reed basket to offer her friend something to eat. When the offer was rejected, Guthren put the basket away and sat down on the bed with her spoon and the jar of stewed fruit. "Have you been beyond the castle's gates this chilly morn, Lady Siegrid?"
"No, but I visited my horse in the royal stables."
"Ah," Guthren said and craned her neck to look out of the tiny window behind them. She was unable to see anything but a heavy cloud cover. "I sense a definite chill in the air but I would very much like to take a stroll in Queen Irmgard's ornamental garden to clear my mind before the… pray tell, what is that odd hum? Surely it cannot be- Ack! 'Tis the mirror! By the Holy Mother!"
With Siegrid hot on her heels, Guthren flew up from the bed and hurried over to the desk. She picked up her magic wand and made several wild gestures at the mirror that literally appeared to have reached boiling point. "Mirror, mirror! I thank thee! Mirror, mirror! I thank thee! Ack! It refuses to obey my command… Lady Siegrid, you and the Holy Mother are my witnesses! I have done nothing that could cause such a vile reaction to flow through the-"
Before Siegrid could even open her mouth to acknowledge Guthren's heartfelt complaint, the rippling pool of blackness spewed out of the magic mirror with the intensity of a dam bursting after a late-summer thundershower. Instead of drenching everything in what looked to be a foul, black liquid, the magical substance absorbed every single item that was not bolted to the floor inside the chamber: the wooden desk, the chairs, the colorful, quilted bedspread, Guthren's cloak and spare clothes, the bucket of boiling water from the fireplace, the burning logs, the bread basket with all its contents, the ancient textbook and ultimately even the two women.
A rapidly expanding vortex was suddenly created at the center of the mirror. As probing tendrils escaped the portal and began to suck everything into it, Siegrid tried with all her might to hold onto not only Guthren but the four-post bed.
Their clothes and hair were sent into a whipping frenzy as Siegrid wrapped her free arm around one of the posts, but it was all to no avail as the vortex and the tendrils were strong enough to pull even the heavy bed closer and closer to the mirror - a moment later, Siegrid, Guthren and the bed were caught by the edges of the magical storm. What had been meant as an attempt to escape the vortex turned into a trap as the bed suddenly flipped over and hurtled into the mirror with its human passengers merely along for the ride.
The last echo of Siegrid and Guthren before they were rudely pulled from the dimension they belonged to was a prolonged "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-nooooooooooooooo!" that was cut off abruptly when the practice mirror exploded with such force that a firestorm and thousands upon thousands of razor-sharp shards obliterated the last remaining items inside Guthren's chamber.
~~~~~
Guthren had her arms and legs wrapped around Siegrid as they hurtled through an eerie, black void. They continued spinning at first, but the dizzying motion soon calmed and left them right-side up - the only problem was that the real-world concepts of the vertical and the horizontal did not seem to apply to the odd place they found themselves in.
A few moans and croaks escaped Guthren as she glanced around to take in their surroundings. Although the void was pitch-black, she was still able to see herself and Siegrid perfectly. A light source appeared to shine directly upon them, but she was unable to see any such source anywhere. Probing for any kind of substance in any direction beyond their bodies was akin to waving it in the air - she could grasp nothing but emptiness. Nothing held them up yet they did not seem to be falling.
"Oh, this is magnificent," Siegrid mumbled in a somewhat surly tone. "My plans for the morn surely did not include being sucked into a mirror… magic or otherwise."
"Alas, I fear 'tis worse than that. We must have passed over into the Great Beyond, my sweet Lady Siegrid. Drat, I had yet to see so much of the world we left behind," Guthren croaked. A squeak and an "Ack!" escaped her at once when she found her behind pinched by Siegrid's strong fingers.
"I take it you felt that?"
Guthren nodded while she reached down to rub the sore spot. "I did indeed, Lady Siegrid! If this is not the Great Beyond, I am afeared I have no inkling where we are. Oh, if only Mistress Kriemhild… by the Holy Mother, Lady Siegrid, behold! Please tell me thy eyes see that pinpoint of light in the far distance!"
"I fear my eyes cannot see anything past you, dearest Guthren… where, did you say?" Siegrid said and moved around to look over her shoulder. Her movement had been a little too effective as she and Guthren began to spin once more albeit far gentler than the first time.
After coming to a rest for a second time, Siegrid was able to follow Guthren's pointing finger and see a point of light that seemed to hover in mid-air - or mid-void - some distance from them. "Why, I do see it! I cannot explain how such a light can exist in this mysterious otherworld, but I certainly see it. Is it perchance akin to the stars that riddle the heavens at night?"
"We shall soon find out! Come, let us swim toward it!"
"Guthren, wait," Siegrid said and held onto her friend before she could leave. "Please pause to consider that the point of light may be the great evil behind all this. What if it simply wants to lure us closer so it can devour us? Like a carnivorous flower or a predator in its lair."
"Ack… I did not think of that," Guthren said and smacked her forehead. "I beg for forgiveness, Lady Siegrid. I fear I am at my wits' end. And yet… unless we test our fortune with that point of light, I cannot see a way out of this wretched predicament. I fear we may be stuck here for all eternity if we do not at least try."
Siegrid sighed and rubbed her face. "If only I had my daggers or even my ceremonial sword. They were all torn from their sheaths by the violence of the spinning."
"I shall be the first to admit I know nothing of warfare, but I do know that a metal blade would be of no use against a point of light."
"But perhaps against the beast lurking within."
Guthren rubbed her brow several times before she tried to float around a little to see whether or not they could even make it closer to the point of light - it seemed to work, if slowly. "Lady Siegrid, I do not wish to leave you behind on my quest to reach the light. My heart shall swell with joy if you would protect me during my hazardous endeavor… please?"
"Only a fool would reject such a plea. A fool I am not," Siegrid said and tried to kick out with her legs like she was submerged in a lake and not a freakish black void. When the force propelled her a short distance ahead, she repeated the movement using stronger strokes. Soon, she and Guthren floated toward the point of light that did indeed seem to come closer.
After twenty strokes, Guthren let out a croaked laugh. "I say, I cannot even swim so I fail to fathom how this can come naturally to me… yet it does."
"Quite. But my dear, what do we do when we reach the point of light and discover there is nothing beyond it but more blackness?"
"Ack, Lady Siegrid! You can be such a worrywart at times… have a little faith. The Holy Mother shall provide a way out, I am certain of it."
A string of dark chuckles escaped Siegrid as she floated through a sheer endless black void headed for a point of light of unknown size, origin and intentions. "I wish I had your eternally optimistic mind, Guthren. I have a rather more fatalistic view upon life. The skirmishes and wars I have participated in have taught me there are no wondrous escapes."
"That may be, yet here you are speaking of those very skirmishes…"
"I have many skills," Siegrid deadpanned somewhere behind the smaller woman whose lighter weight made her seem to float better through the void. "Though none of them could have prepared me for-"
"Siegrid! By the Holy Mother! Are… are we not floating faster all of a sudden?" Guthren said in a voice that soon turned frazzled.
~~~~~
Before Siegrid could compose an answer, she and her companion were sent hurtling toward the pinpoint of light in a series of dizzying somersaults. Through a superhuman effort, Siegrid managed to inch closer to the shrieking Guthren and grab hold of her. She had hoped the added mass would reduce the wild spins they were put through, but it only seemed to increase the violent motions.
And then the hair-raising ride was all over. The black void disappeared in a flash which left the two women suspended fifteen feet in the air. Falling far too fast for comfort, they found themselves on a direct collision course with an open dumpster that stood in a non-descript back alley in a vastly different time and place to the one they had left behind.
A prolonged shriek escaped Guthren's throat as she was thrown into the dumpster at high speed. After a surprisingly soft landing, whatever she had hit sent her bouncing back up in the air where she was nearly collected by Siegrid who was still on her initial approach. Guthren's second landing was less graceful than the first, but she managed to remain inside the metal contraption until the thing had stopped shaking like a cat trapped in the middle of a summer shower.
"Ack… behold," she croaked as she ran her hands over the strange material she and Siegrid had landed on. "What, pray tell, are these? They cushioned our fall yet they appear to be merely large sheets of parchment… surely that is a nonsense. Had they been, we would have gone straight through!"
"We literally drop into a strange world and your first desire is to know what we fell upon?" Siegrid said in a surly tone of voice. Her long hair had become a rather messy ball of yarn by the impact, and it took her several attempts to sweep it all out of her eyes.
Guthren shot her dear friend a slightly dark look as she continued her exploration of the spot they had landed in. She continued to pat the large sheets of parchment like she was trying to feel if they were like that all over or just in a single spot near the center.
Not only did the sheets come in many different colors, various words had been printed on them - like This Side Up, Stacks Six, Fragile, and O'Connor's Finest Irish Whisky. "Whiss-key… ack, I dare say this is fascinating!" Guthren mumbled as she studied the words printed on a piece of parchment chiefly held in green with a few golden highlights here and there.
Moving around, Siegrid ended up sitting on her knees while she got her bearings. The color of the clear sky above them offered a hint it was late evening or early night. The numerous low buildings next to the metal contraption they had fallen into proved they were in a village somewhere. Putting two and two together, she realized they had landed in a waste bin - a rather large waste bin, but one nonetheless.
Apart from the ubiquitous stench of cat urine that could be found in any alley anywhere in the world - and seemingly in any time period - she could smell no organic waste anywhere near them, so she surmised the waste bin was used by a bookbinder or another trade that used large amounts of parchment for their production.
Siegrid inched over to the edge of the metal contraption to have a closer look at the ground. When it turned out to be regular flagstones, she put her hands on the edge of the cold metal and jumped out. Her boots produced the familiar thump as they hit the hard ground proving that while they were most decidedly far away from home, some basic laws of physics were unchanged. "Come, Guthren… take my hand," she said as she reached for her younger friend. "We need to seek shelter before we are discovered. The locals may not pose a threat to us, but safe is surely better than sorry."
"I agree. We must be cautious," Guthren said and took the hand offered her. Even with the added leverage, her shorter legs meant exiting the waste bin proved a little more cumbersome than it had for Siegrid. As she straddled the metal edge intending to swing her other leg over as well, a door was flung open not too far from their position. Odd, distorted music and a constant murmur of many voices could be heard through the opening. Guthren let out a croaked "Ack!" and promptly dove for cover down in the waste bin.
Instead of following suit, Siegrid hunched over and ran across the back alley to a section that was hidden in a deep shadow. From there, she observed a young man walking closer to the large bin she had just vacated. The apron-wearing youngling - whose cheeks were covered by a scraggly beard - carried an armful of the same sheets of the parchment-like material that formed the contents of the waste bin.
Siegrid clenched her jaw as the youngling stepped closer to the metal bin. It would only be a matter of moments before he would spot Guthren - once he had, anything could happen. Fortunately for all concerned, the actual outcome of the potential confrontation proved to be nothing to write home about. After the youngling had dumped the sheets in the bin, he dusted off his hands and returned to the door he had come from.
Once the door had closed behind him - which brought about a blessed respite from the distorted music - Siegrid jumped up and ran back to the waste bin to save her friend. She had barely arrived when she had to roll her eyes at the sound of Guthren snickering. Though the new sheets of parchment had landed directly on top of the young sorceress, they had so little weight that her dress had not even suffered any wrinkles.
"I say! 'Twas like being tickled with the downs of a duckling!" Guthren said between snickers as she dug herself out of the pile. A smaller but highly colorful piece of parchment that carried the words H.E. Fenwyck Breweries - Midnight Velvet Stout - 12 cans was given a closer study before she put it next to the others. "My dear Lady Siegrid, this world may not be as hostile as you feared!"
"Or perchance we were merely lucky. That bearded youngling was clearly an errant boy of some kind and thus no threat to us," Siegrid said as she helped Guthren out of the large waste bin. "That is not to say we shall not face a militia patrol or a detachment of the magistrate's foot soldiers in a moment."
"Ack, always such a worrywart," Guthren said and swatted at Siegrid's arm. "Our first task shall be to explore this wondrous land-"
"It shall not! Our first and indeed only task shall be to find a way home!"
Guthren shot her friend another dark look. "The two are surely connected. Though my Skills have improved greatly, I cannot simply conjure up a magic mirror and ask it to send us back. Perhaps Mistress Kriemhild possesses such powers, but I most certainly do not!"
Siegrid let out a deep sigh and ran her hands through her hair that she had only just managed to get sorted. She glared at the dark back alley like it was the root of the evil that had brought them there. The alley, the buildings, the people inhabiting the strange world - everything appeared familiar, yet everything had enough of a twist to make it alien.
Her keen hearing picked up an odd whooshing noise from somewhere beyond the low buildings. She likened it to a babbling stream except that it seemed to come in irregular gusts rather than being a constant companion. Looking up, she tried to locate some of the constellations she was so familiar with from spending countless nights at bivouacs and forward posts, but although the stars were out in force, the only familiar item in the sky was the moon.
Clenching her jaw all over again, Siegrid slammed her hands onto her hips. She spun around to send a dark glare at the young sorceress. "Guthren, I fear you do not grasp the severity of our predicament. We are far, far away from home, trapped in a strange, possibly hostile world! Unlike you, I have obligations that I need to honor."
"Ack! I beg for-"
"I cannot suddenly vanish! The fate of my brother's kingdom, our subjects and quite possibly my brother's very life depends on my constant presence. Even beyond that, swift and violent death may lurk in every nook and cranny here! Yet you dream of exploring this realm like we have come to a magical garden full of wonders!"
"I beg for forgiveness, Lady Siegrid!" Guthren said and mirrored her friend by slamming her hands onto her hips. "I cannot be held responsible for this mess as none of it is my doing! The mirror would simply not obey my command. Pray tell, how could I have done anything differently? That question is yours to answer. If you can, I shall gladly accept your heated tirade for then I will have earned every last word. If not, I dare say your anger is misplaced!"
Siegrid clammed up and crossed her arms over her chest. Several moments of high drama went by before she relaxed her stance and released a sigh. "You are too dear to me to be a target of such uncivilized and crude yelling. Please accept my sincerest apology."
A wistful smile spread over Guthren's face as she ran over to Siegrid and wrapped an arm around the warrior's waist. "Apology accepted, my dear Siegrid. I understand your frustration as I certainly feel it too. My excitement was childish and for that I wish to beg for forgiveness, too. Alas, the terrible fact remains that we have no means of getting back at present."
"Drat. Very well, I concede the point. It seems we must explore this world, but we need to do it covertly. The risk of falling prey to an ambush is too great to ignore. Dangers will most likely await us around every corner seeing that we have arrived inside a fortified post of some kind."
Guthren had already begun to move away when she paused to look back at Siegrid. "A fortified post? How, pray tell, can you possibly know that?" she said and shook her head.
"The buildings surrounding us are made of stone. Not wood. They are built to weather lengthy sieges. Also telling is the lack of the typical smell of stables. Fortified posts usually do not have cavalry units since they require too much feed and water during siege conditions. I shall be most surprised if this post does not possess at least one regiment of infantrymen instead. Not to mention scouts and Rangers who are the local ruler's eyes and ears in the field."
"Ack, I have so much to learn… how can we except to avoid all of those?!"
"By using stealth. This shall not be my first infiltration of an enemy post. Come, Guthren… let us explore. Follow in my tracks," Siegrid said before she hunched over and ran into the deep shadows that presented themselves on the opposite side of the alley.
Guthren took a deep breath and let it out in a hard burst. "I shall follow so closely you shall think I am a burr stuck to your britches, Lady Siegrid!"
-*-*-*-
The back alley they had arrived in was only one of a larger grid of similar alleys that seemed to stretch out to a road of some kind. Siegrid peeked around the corner of a brick building to gather as much intelligence as she could. Though it had been a while since she had been on a covert operation deep in enemy territory, it had happened so often in her youth she had forgotten none of it.
In her formative years, she had been sent to forward posts where she had posed as a commoner to protect her from assassins sent by opposing kingdoms. After her father's death - of natural causes - and her older brother's murder, her true identity had been revealed to those in the inner circle of the realm. Though her gender had prevented her from being the ruler of their kingdom, the role as the Avenging Knight acted as just compensation and had served her well.
Behind the fierce yet calm warrior, the rampant nervousness of the slightly less fierce Guthren meant she babbled on ceaselessly: "-ack, 'tis true, I have been sneaking around the castle when I know I should not. But the books… ack, Lady Siegrid, the books… I am afeared they are so old and lifeless they cannot hold my interest for long… once the wanderlust sinks its claws into me, I cannot stay in my chamber a moment longer. In my defense, I can claim to be a fairly good sneaker… I have yet to be caught, though there have been a few close-"
"Guthren?"
"Yes, Lady Siegrid?"
Siegrid hid a smirk that would have been unhelpful given the nature of the message she was about to deliver: "Would it perchance be possible for you to grow slightly less talkative? I do believe we are trying to remain undetected."
"Ah… we are indeed, Lady Siegrid. I beg for forgiveness. Ack, I know I tend to blather on when I feel a certain tension in my bones, but 'tis something I fear I… cannot…" - A quick glance at Siegrid's narrowed eyes and raised eyebrow made Guthren clam up in a hurry and nod vigorously. Two seconds later, she continued: "I beg for forgiveness. I shall be quiet now, Lady Siegrid. I promise!"
Siegrid responded by smiling before they ran through the final alley that had direct access to the road. Once there, a deep furrow spread over the warrior's brow. It had been obvious from the outset they had been transported into another realm, but the items on display on the road proved that time itself had been manipulated to such a point it was anyone's guess where and when they had re-emerged after their trip through the black void.
"By the Holy Mother…" Guthren croaked as she took in the sight of plenty of four-wheeled carriages moving on their own accord. The horseless vehicles all had coachmen who sat inside a metal box behind panes of glass instead of on top of a buckboard. Some of the strange vehicles were open at the back and carried barrels and other types of supplies like the carts she was familiar with; others were closed at the back like covered wagons. One seemed to have a handful of passengers in the back which reminded Guthren of the omnibus wagons that brought peasants and day laborers to and from the fields back home. Most odd was the fact that everywhere the horseless carriages went, sounds of blatant flatulence followed though no beasts of burden who could produce such crude noises were in sight.
Like the alleys, the central road seemed to have a hard surface akin to flagstones that was laid out in a very tight pattern. A low rumble was produced when the carriages rolled along the material that turned out to be less coarse than at first glance despite its black color.
A handful of stores lined the far side of the road - one of which appeared to be a general goods store while another sold furniture and common household appliances. They were all lit though no candles or all-night fireplaces could be seen beyond the large window panes. One store even had a rectangular board above its main entrance where the name of the proprietor was lit up in a magical color collage that completely transfixed Guthren.
Several people strolled along on the other side of the road; their clothes were so bizarre that Guthren had to scratch her neck. "Lady Siegrid, behold…" she whispered, "even the womenfolk wear britches here! All of them… ack, I fear I shall stick out like a sore thumb if we venture into the light."
"But not I. I wear riding britches, dear Guthren," Siegrid said and let out a chuckle.
"Oh… 'tis true. It had thoroughly slipped my mind after all this drama," Guthren said and looked down at her friend's black outfit. "Ack, my point is still valid! And behold those eerie wagons… magic clearly exists here or else they could not move like that. Why, I see no oxen or horses or donkeys anywhere. And yet they move!"
Siegrid nodded without taking her eyes off the road and the people who were there. "I agree, Guthren, 'tis a conundrum. Alas, however bewildering such matters may be, I fear we cannot spend too much time on them. The people pose the greatest danger, and quite frankly, I have very little desire to run afoul of the local population."
"Ack… neither have I, Lady Siegrid…"
"Quite. And yet, if we are ever to return to our own time, I am gravely afeared we shall be forced to confront a few of them to seek answers. Come, Guthren. Summon your strength and let us take another leap into the unknown."
Guthren took several deep breaths before she nodded and followed Siegrid out of the mouth of the alley and into the scary world beyond it.
---
The two women tried to blend in to the best of their abilities, but their quaint clothing literally made them stand out in the crowd like Guthren had predicted. Moving ahead without responding to the odd looks that were sent their way, they soon came to an establishment that was clearly a tavern that served ale, port and wine.
The distorted music that escaped through the open door offered a hint it was the front of the low building next to the waste bin they had landed in. Siegrid scrunched up her face in disgust at the hideous noises that were clearly supposed to be music, but the patrons seemed to enjoy the entertainment as cheers rose when the first tune died down and the next began.
On the sidewalk, a burly, bearded man dressed in rugged boots and an outfit that had the colors of the forest woven into the fabric - green, brown and black - held onto a barmaid and attempted to kiss her. Judging by the woman's delighted squeals, she was merely playing hard to get rather than resisting his advances, but it still made Siegrid scrunch up her face even further.
"Ack…" Guthren croaked as she watched how the man's roaming hands went on a daring adventure around certain parts of the barmaid's upper body - a few more squeals of delight followed before the maid surrendered and allowed the burly fellow full access to her lips and curves.
"Alas, some things never change… regardless of where or when," Siegrid said in a grumble. She observed the man's strange outfit closely and identified it as a uniform of some kind - the forest-like colors of his britches and coarse jacket suggested he was a scout or a Ranger. Nodding grimly, she took hold of Guthren's shoulder and guided the younger woman further away from the tavern.
-*-*-*-
Once they had found the mouth of another alley to stay at a safe distance from the people loitering in front of the drinking establishment, Siegrid leaned down so she did not need to speak louder than a whisper: "I am positive that the bearded fellow we saw at the tavern is a member of the local militia or perhaps even the realm's regular military. I could see no insignia that showed his rank, but his crude behavior suggests he is not an officer but a common foot soldier."
Guthren tried to crane her neck to take a second glance at man in question, but he and the barmaid were just beyond her field of view. Pulling back, she replied in a matching whisper: "Ack… why, I did indeed see the resemblance to some of Captain Waltherius' ruffian-like men. Have you seen others like him, Siegrid?"
Siegrid shook her head; as she did so, she cast a thorough look at the road where the strange horseless carriages continued to move without any visible means of propulsion. "I have not, nor have I figured out where the garrison might be located. 'Tis a strange village, this. There is little military presence, and yet… behold, Guthren," - she pointed at the far end of the road that seemed to extend well beyond the last row of houses - "there are no defensive walls or sentries of any kind. I cannot recall ever visiting such an unprotected village. We must be far away from any borders to neighboring realms."
"Or perhaps they are simply not at war with anyone?"
Siegrid let out a dark grunt. "I cannot imagine that to be true. In all of man's existence, war has been his constant companion and I am afeared it shall continue to be thus until the blood-red rays of the eve sun falls over the final battleground. The notion of a peaceful society is admirable but ultimately foolish. A pipe dream for poets."
"A peaceful society governed by men is a misnomer, I agree, Lady Siegrid. But governed by women, I fear I strongly disagree. Behold Queen Irmgard and Mistress Kriemhild. Are they war-like? Of course they are not."
"I concede the point with regards to those noble women, but others are far less inclined to live by the word rather than the fist."
" 'Tis true, but-"
"Behold your present company, Guthren… do I not carry daggers, a sword and a lance? I don a suit of armor that sports the symbol of my House when I joust against kings and princes. I have often been at the vanguard of an army advancing toward an enemy. And yes, I have killed in combat and on the tilt-yard… although the latter was a tragic accident and not a result of bloodlust on my part."
Guthren stared at her far more worldly friend with wide, unblinking eyes. After a moment or two, she nodded and let out a sigh. "Ack… I fear I did not think of that, sweet Siegrid. Nor did I need to be reminded of it."
"I beg for forgiveness. I did not mean to sour your eve," Siegrid said and pulled Guthren further into the shadows of the alley to evade the eyes of a couple of men walking past. Once they were alone, she leaned down to continue in a whisper: "Guthren, perhaps we should postpone this debate until we have made a safe return home. What, pray tell, do you require to set the spell in motion?"
Guthren rubbed her forehead. "I have neither my magic wand nor the textbook. I cannot say whether I am able to cast the spells needed without those items-"
"I grant that my knowledge of magic and spellcasting is non-existent, but will a simple stick not suffice? Seems such a tool would be easy enough to find even in this strange land," Siegrid said and immediately began to search for a suitable replacement for the missing magic wand.
Guthren put up her hands in the age-old and universal gesture known as 'wait a minute,' but the eager Siegrid had no intention of stopping her search. When Guthren realized that, she put a hand on Siegrid's elbow. "I am afeared you must first listen to what I am about to say, my dearest friend… even if I had the textbook and my proper wand, they would be worthless!"
"But why? I fear I do not underst-"
"I could spend ten days and ten nights and another ten days casting all the spells I could think of, but without a magic mirror to act as the portal, they shall most certainly be doomed to fail… and utterly so, I fear!"
"Truth be told, that was not the message I wished to hear," Siegrid said after stopping her search. She put her hands on her hips for a few moments before she said: "Perchance you could conjure up some kind of mirror that you could-"
"Lady Siegrid, I can conjure up enough mirrors to fill Lake Wamerow back home, but a magic mirror would not be among them… I fear such spellcasting would require the vast Skills possessed by the great Mistress Kriemhild!"
A few silent curses were formed on Siegrid's lips. Sighing, she rubbed her chin for a moment before she said: "How many enchanted mirrors exist?"
"Oh, countless… most of the Masters and Mistresses have one. Some have several."
"Well, there you have it, Guthren."
"I do? I fear I cannot-"
"Even the great Mistress Kriemhild cannot have enchanted every magic mirror in existence. Some, perchance, but surely not all. How did the other mirrors obtain their magic, then? Are they created that way by master glaziers? I cannot imagine that to be true."
"I… I cannot say… perchance… perchance they are…" Guthren said in a voice that trailed off into nothing.
"The practice mirror in your chamber had a simple brass frame and what appeared to be a regular pane. My dear Guthren, I am convinced the magic only springs forth when the sorceress commands it to… and she does so through her spellcasting. With or without the presence of a magic wand, mind."
Guthren remained silent for a few moments before she broke out in a shrug. "Perhaps your notion is correct, but I simply do not possess the Skills needed to find out. I am but an apprentice to the great Mistress Kriemhild… and an inexperienced one at that. I cannot tell you how often one of my spells has gone awry on me… ack, I recall a fire spell that scorched the ceiling of my chamber… and a water spell that caused severe flooding in the Knight's Hall! I so dearly wish to have greater Skills, but I do not, Lady Siegrid!"
"Guthren," Siegrid said in a somber tone; she put her hands on her younger friend's shoulders to underscore the serious matter, "your Skills are already extraordinary. I have told you that more than once. What you must learn is to harness your powers. Focus!"
"Ack, 'tis so easy to say-"
Siegrid shook her head which made Guthren pipe down at once. "You must at least try. If you do not, we shall be marooned here until our dying breaths. Death is inevitable for us all, but I for one would prefer it to happen back home in the presence of my family and loved ones… not here, seemingly a thousand leagues from home. Please."
The argument was too weighty to ignore, so Guthren nodded and rubbed her brow once more. "Very well. I shall try. Perhaps it would be most prudent if you took a long step back, dear Siegrid… I fear I cannot fully predict what the outcome of casting spells without my beloved wand might be."
Grunting in agreement with her friend's words, Siegrid moved over to the other side of the dark alley to give the spellcasting experiment plenty of room to unfold - or perhaps fail in spectacular fashion.
"Ack… here goes," Guthren mumbled before she put up her hands to allow the magic to flow unhindered. She stopped to look at her fingers that she had already curled into the proper positions. "I must say, not using a wand for spellcasting is certainly an entirely new experience for me. However, it shall be useful for my exams… provided we ever return home, that is…"
"Guthren… please just cast the spell-"
The nervousness coursing through Guthren's veins made her unable to stop speaking: "The magic wand is in fact only the conductor of the most rudimentary form of magic. The more experienced spellcasters simply use their hands. Of course, when a sorcerer or sorceress achieves the highest level of magic, they are able to cast spells using sheer mind power."
"Guthren-"
"Why, Mistress Kriemhild once… showed… us… Ack. My dear Lady Siegrid, I beg for forgiveness for babbling like a creek in the springtime. I shall attempt to cast my very first hand spell now."
"I thank you!" Siegrid said and let out a chuckle.
"Right… here goes. Mirror, mirror, hear my plea! Mirror, mirror, appear before me…" Guthren said as she put her hands and arms through a series of gestures.
Nothing.
"Oh, drat…" - Guthren shook her head as she stared at the empty space in front of her. Two seconds went by before she threw her hands in the air and leaned her head back to let out an: "Ack, nothing but a pretender am I! A fool! A mere suckling trying to tap into the realm of the Ancients!"
"Please focus your strength on casting the spell, not-"
"Ack, 'tis no use, Lady Siegrid-"
"Guthren! There shall be plenty of time for you to throw tantrums later!"
Guthren shot her friend the darkest glare she could muster. Silent cursing ran past her lips as she turned around to face the empty alley. "Mirror, mirror, hear my plea! Mirror, mirror, appear before me!" she cried accompanied by all the appropriate gestures.
This time, a thunderclap echoed through the alley as the dimensions were broken and a full-sized mirror in a bronze frame appeared where nothing had been before. Once a strong gust of hot wind that ruffled the hair and clothing of the two women had died down, the four-foot tall mirror teetered on its lower edge for a few moments before it tilted forward on a collision course with the ground.
"By the Holy-" Guthren cried as she jumped forward to restrain it before all her efforts would be in vain. She did in fact catch it in the nick of time, but instead of pushing it upright, its weight was such that she was forced onto the coarse ground and utterly pinned down.
Siegrid let out a grunt of surprise and hurriedly jumped ahead so she could grab hold of the mirror's edges. Clenching her muscles to prepare for the physical activity, she intended to pull the mirror upright to release her friend from her involuntary, and certainly unwanted, pressing engagement.
"Ack… Lady Siegrid… fair maiden in distress! May I humbly beg for some urgent assistance, please?" Guthren croaked from somewhere under the heavy mirror.
"I am trying!" Siegrid said in a groan as she pulled with all her might. The mirror's weight and the odd angle it had ended up in forced even the battle-trained warrior to change her tactics: instead of pulling, she ran around the mirror so she could use her arms, back and legs in unison to push it back upright. The new approach worked far better and she was soon able to get it off Guthren who promptly let out a squeak of relief.
Walking in a strained fashion due to the cargo's cumbersome size and weight, Siegrid manhandled the mirror over to lean against the nearest wall in the alley. Once it was safe, she dusted off her aching hands and hurried back to Guthren.
"Ack, my gratitude extends beyond mere words, my sweet Lady Siegrid… I cannot recall an unpleasant encounter worthy of rivaling this one," Guthren said as she clambered to her feet. After straightening her dress, she flexed her fingers to make sure her spellcasting abilities had not been harmed by the incident.
"I pray you are all right…? You certainly seem no worse for wear," Siegrid said after she had given the younger woman a thorough visual inspection from top to toe.
"I believe I am, yes."
"Perchance you should not have given it a bronze frame, dear Guthren…"
After scratching her neck, Guthren broke out in a shrug. "I never specified it should have one… why, I am not even certain we can add such detail to the spellcasting! Ack, such a wretched mirror. Now I shall be most upset if it cannot provide us with a swift exit," she said as she massaged her important hands. "Very well. Perhaps you should make your distance as I shall attempt to establish contact now."
"I am grateful for the warning, sweet Guthren," Siegrid said with a grin as she moved over to the other side of the alley.
Guthren rolled her shoulders before she turned to the bronze mirror that had already been the cause of so much drama. "Mirror, mirror, hear my plea! Mirror, mirror, travel free! Mirror, mirror, let me See!"
Nothing.
"Ack… mirror, mirror, hear my plea! Mirror, mirror, travel free! Mirror, mirror, let me See!"
Nothing.
Guthren took a deep breath and let it out slowly. After rolling her shoulders all over again, she really put her mind to the task at hand and upped the intensity: "Mirror, mirror, hear my plea! Mirror, mirror, travel free! Mirror, mirror, let me See!"
Nothing.
"Ack! 'Tis no use! The wretched mirror will not listen to me nor my pleas! We shall wither and die here for we are stuck in this wretched world for all eternity! Stuck! Stuck, I tell ye!"
"Guthren-"
The young sorceress suddenly stared at the mirror like it had insulted her family three generations back - then she slammed her eyes shut and shook her head so hard that it made her long hair whip about. "Aargh, such a wretched fool am I! Fool! Fool! Fool!" she cried as she smacked her palm against her forehead several times in rapid succession.
"Guthren-" Siegrid tried for a second time, but she was cut off at once when Guthren continued at undiminished volume:
" 'Tis impossible to conjure up a magic mirror! Because of my wretched flighty mind, I was unable to recall the proper teaching… 'tis what I have been trying to convey to you, Milady, only I was too foolish to do so properly!"
"I fear you have lost me completely…"
Guthren buried her face in her hands and let out a long sigh. "Some of the words of wisdom Mistress Kriemhild has tried to knock into my numbskull have just come to me… no single object can possess two attributes of magic at any one time."
"I beg for forgiveness? Does that mean-"
"Yes, I fear it does, Lady Siegrid. Any mirror I have conjured up simply cannot be transformed into one of magic. We shall be forced to seek an existing, regular mirror… then I can attempt to breathe life into it."
An awkward silence fell between the two women. Several long moments went by before Siegrid uttered the thought that ran through both their minds: "And where, pray tell, would you suggest we found a regular mirror?"
Before Guthren had time to answer the very good question, they dark alley they were in was suddenly lit up by a pair of strong lanterns as one of the horseless carriages turned into it.
The driver - yet another of the village's seemingly inexhaustible roster of burly, bearded fellows - came to a hard stop when he noticed the two women. After rolling down the window, he stuck his head out and shouted: "Whaddahell you broads doin' in here? Dontcha be shootin' your shit in my driveway! Geddahell off my property!"
The fact Guthren and Siegrid were able to understand the words, if not their strange usage, surprised them both. Unfortunately, their unexpected skill failed to sweeten the crude way in which the message had been delivered. Siegrid simply nodded and put her hand on Guthren's elbow to guide the younger woman away from what they had believed to be an alley instead of wasting her breath complaining about the man's coarse language.
"Whaddahell's that thing over there?" the driver said as he clapped eyes on the worthless bronze mirror that had been left leaning forlornly against the wall. "You broads are burglars or som'tin? Hey… finders keepers, right?"
When Siegrid and Guthren moved past the open window of the horseless carriage, the bearded fellow moved his cap back and let out a long wolf call. "Ohhh-yeah… hot and hotter. I changed my mind, girls. You're free to be doin' anythin' you like as long as I can watch!"
"Sir, I dare say thou art the vilest of creatures ever to walk this-" Guthren barked, but Siegrid's strong hand on her elbow was a good indication it was neither the time nor the place for a confrontation with the burly fellow. It failed to stop her from mumbling a long string of juicy curses on their way out to the road, but she kept most of them to herself.
-*-*-*-
The crowd in front of the drinking establishment had turned rowdier by the time Guthren and Siegrid walked past, so they crossed over the road to avoid further interaction with the local ruffians. As they walked along the handful of stores lining the road, Siegrid kept her experienced eyes peeled on the types of goods offered for sale in case something would appear that might help them. Guthren only had eyes for the road ahead of her feet - she had yet to stop grumbling after their encounter with the ill-mannered fellow.
Another fifty yards down the road, Siegrid came to a halt to take in the promising inventory of a store that had caught her attention. Her eyes went on a brief tour of the items on display beyond the window pane; she let out a grunt when she spotted the very thing they had been looking for. "Guthren… Guthren?" she said with little success. "Lady Guthren!"
"Ack, do you wish to speak with me, Milady?"
"Quite."
Nodding, Guthren turned around and walked back to her friend. "I beg for forgiveness. I was contemplating the best course of action for punishing that annoying fellow. Turning him into a billy-goat seems a fitting destiny. He already has the beard. Or a wart-plagued toad… ack, decisions, decisions."
"Ah… I believe you should see this before planning his demise."
Guthren soon arrived at the storefront window. "A carpenter's workshop?" she said as she took in the sight of the handcrafted furniture the store offered for sale.
Chairs, tables, love seats, settees, wardrobes, beds, dressers and sideboards were on display, and all seemed to be made of the finest wood. A section at the back of the store held candlesticks equipped with glass domes, candles shaped like flower bulbs, and finally a collection of items that made Guthren break out in a squeak and a: "By the Holy Mother! Behold! Mirrors! Plenty of mirrors!"
"Indeed, my sweet Lady," Siegrid said with a grin. "Come, let us try the door. Perhaps we shall be lucky and the storeowner will let us in."
Guthren hurried over to the main entrance and grabbed hold of the solid handle - it refused to budge no matter how hard she pulled or pushed. "Oh, drat! For the life of me, I cannot explain why our plans constantly come a cropper… I fear we must wait for the owner to return in the morn, Lady Siegrid."
Across the road at the noisy tavern, two of the rowdies had decided that heavy drinking was no longer sufficient to prove their manliness to the barmaids - one took a wild, drunken swing at another who responded by kicking the first fellow in the crotch. This in turn prompted several of the others to join in, and the sidewalk was soon awash in burly men who fought tooth and nail for nothing at all.
Siegrid let out a dark grunt as she took in the scene that was all too familiar to her. Whenever men of violence imbibed too much, fights would inevitably break out - the years she had spent among her brother Maximilian's foot soldiers meant that none of what took place in such establishments could shock her.
Conversely, Guthren stared so hard at the brawl that her eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets. Her jaw grew slack as she took in the sight of the melee that seemed to grow more vicious by the moment.
"The hunting knives shall be out before long. I have no intention of spending a moment longer than necessary in this world," Siegrid said decisively. "Come, Guthren… let us seek another way to enter the workshop. A back door must surely exist at the far end of the adjacent alley."
"Ack… very well, my dear Lady," Guthren said before Siegrid took off to test the waters around the corner. She had a hard time tearing her eyes away from the messy bar fight that continued to take place across the road, but eventually followed her friend down the dark alley. "Siegrid? Lady Siegrid, where art thou?"
'Here! I found the back door! Your feet shall carry you here if you proceed straight ahead.'
"Thank the Holy Mother," Guthren mumbled as she upped her tempo. "If fortune smiles upon us and we return safely to our beloved home, I swear I shall retire all notions of becoming a travelling sorceress… I shall gladly settle for a life as a scribe or a lady-in-waiting or a-"
'Guthren, you went too far!'
"Ack! I did? This wretched darkness… I am almost there, Lady Siegrid!" Guthren cried and spun around on her heel to hurry back toward her friend's voice.
---
The back door to the carpenter's workshop proved unable to withstand a well-placed kick by Siegrid's riding boot: as the door's latch was struck, everything fell apart and the door swung open with a Whoosh!
"Why, Lady Siegrid! I am entirely fearful of asking where a noblewoman such as your good self has learned how to do that!" Guthren said in a squeak.
"You need not waste your breath. My lips shall remain forever sealed," Siegrid said as she took the lead. She and Guthren soon entered a small office at the back of the store. Nothing there could hold their attention so it did not take long for them to slip through a bead curtain and sneak into the store itself.
Guthren whipped her head around to find the mirrors she had seen while they had been out front. The first was soon located but she discarded it almost at once since it did not have the proper elegance required by a magic mirror. The next two were discarded as well until she arrived at one that had a hand-crafted ornamental frame made of the finest oakwood. She ran her hand across one of the wooden parts to get a sense for the texture. Breaking out in a relieved smile, she attempted to remove the mirror from the rack it had been placed in. "No… ugh… too heavy by far for the likes of me. Lady Siegrid? Lady Siegrid? I fear I shall need your strength… Lady Siegrid?"
When it dawned on Guthren that Siegrid had yet to join her at the mirrors, she ran back through the store to see what was going on. She came to a temporary halt when she caught a glimpse of a flashing, orange light out on the road - it was far too strong to come from a mere candle so it had to be a torch.
Although it puzzled her greatly how a torch could flash on-and-off in such a rhythmic pattern, she was soon back on full song to search for the missing warrior. "Lady Siegrid?" she whispered as she went up onto tip-toes to obtain a greater degree of stealth.
'In here, Guthren,' Siegrid whispered back from the office.
"What, pray tell, are you still doing here?" Guthren said after she had ducked through the bead curtain. "Come quick, I have found a mirror I truly believe shall help us. Oh… another flashing torch?"
Siegrid had moved over to one of the office's walls to get a closer view of a strange candle that omitted no heat despite the fact that orange light seemed to pulsate inside it. No amount of blowing on the candle had been able to extinguish the flame, and its candlestick had been bolted directly onto the wall negating the usual option of taking the whole thing down and dunking it into water to snuff it out.
Grunting, she took a step back and put her hands on her hips - only then did she stop to think about what Guthren had actually said. "Wait… you said 'another' flashing torch? Where is the other one?"
"Out on the road where we just were, Lady Siegrid!"
"Wretched!" Siegrid barked as she tore through the bead curtain and into the store itself. Her experienced eye told her the flashing light was bad news, and that matters could - and most likely would - grow worse in a hurry. "I fear the militia may soon be upon us."
Guthren wrung her hands at the news as she hurried over to the windows. Her eyes sought out the rowdy crowd across the road, but it seemed they had yet to spot the strangely flashing torch. "I pray to the Holy Mother that we shall stay well clear of such drama… but surely the militia cannot possibly know that we have-"
"I am willing to wager my armor's weight in gold that those flashing torches act like the alarm bells we know from home."
"Oh… like those used at Kranichburg Castle when bad storms gather on the horizon?"
"Indeed. Or to alert villagers of a fire. I cannot claim to understand how a candle or torch can flash with such regularity, but I sense an invisible magic is involved somehow. Regardless of-"
Guthren spun around and pointed an index finger at Siegrid like she was already casting a spell. "Invisible! Why, Lady Siegrid, the brilliance of your mind is nothing short of dazzling… a shield of invisibility shall be our salvation! I shall simply cast a spell upon you and I that shall allow us to evade any-"
"No, Guthren! Concentrate on turning the mirror you found into one that possesses magic. We need to leave for good, not just turn invisible."
"Ack… I beg for forgiveness, Milady. How right you are. Please come, I shall need your strength to move the mirror away from its present berth. My spell must have unhindered access to its pane for it to work," Guthren said and ran back to the spot where she had found the mirror with the ornamental frame.
Working together, they were able to lift the mirror free of a pair of metal clamps that made sure it would not tilt. Siegrid placed it carefully against a wall while Guthren worked herself into a state of serenity that would provide the magic they needed.
Before the young sorceress could make much headway, a terrifying wail cut through the evening air. The wail rose and fell like the beast that produced it was out of breath after having galloped - or flown - toward the small village and the audacious burglars. "Siegrid! There be dragons here!" Guthren cried in a frazzled voice.
"Dragons only exist in faery tales!" Siegrid barked back. " 'Tis the militia! Concentrate, Guthren, concentrate!"
"Ack! Ack, I shall try… by the Holy Mother… chased by dragons and ruffians and the militia… upon waking, I wished the crick in my neck and the ink on my arm would form the low point of my day! I distinctly remember thinking-"
"Guthren!"
"Yes, yes, yes, I know! Shouting is futile as I am already doing all I can! Ack!" Guthren cried as she whipped up her hands and began to gesture for all she was worth. A little more effort was required, so she leaned forward and focused all her Skills on the ornamental mirror that stood passively in front of her. "Mirror, mirror, hear my plea! Mirror, mirror, travel free! Mirror, mirror, let me See!"
Biting her lips, Guthren stared wide-eyed at the mirror to see if she had been right when she had said that any object could only possess one type of magic at any one time. Unless the mirror responded to her spellcasting, she and Siegrid would indeed be stuck there - in the local magistrate's dungeons.
Nothing seemed to happen at first, but then a deep hum emanated from somewhere inside the mirror with the ornamental frame. Similar to the practice mirror in Guthren's chamber back home at Kranichburg Castle, the glass itself suddenly turned black and became a fluid portal to time and space rather than a solid surface.
"I did it! By the Holy Mother, I did it! Behold, Lady Siegrid! My spellcasting worked… it really worked!" Guthren cried as she pointed at the portal. Merely saying it was not enough, so she began to jump up and down while clapping her hands in joy.
Out on the road, the dragon-like wailing had been joined by eerie red and blue lights that flashed in a pre-determined pattern; soon, one of the horseless carriages came to a screeching halt in front of the store. Two uniformed men jumped out and ran over to the main entrance. They were both carrying strong torches that were able to shine through the window panes and illuminate the store. While the first man grabbed hold of the locked door, the second ran down the dark alley Guthren and Siegrid had used to find the rear entrance.
"I never doubted you for a second, sweet Guthren!" Siegrid shouted over her shoulder; she had jumped into hiding behind one of the settees when the cone of light from one of the torches had swept close to her.
"Quite fortunate, really… considering how poorly I rated my spellcasting proficiency. I s'pose that even a blind hen can peck grain," Guthren said in a mumble.
"In the nick of time, too… the militia is here," Siegrid continued and jumped up from her hiding place just as the store fell into darkness once more. She hurried over to Guthren who remained at the mirror. "I would prefer to avoid any hand-to-hand combat if at all possible. Quick, let us jump into it and go home!"
"But my sweet Lady Siegrid… we cannot! That is not how the other magic mirror worked…" Guthren said and began to chew on her fingernails.
"Now you tell me!"
"Well, you were there to witness how the other mirror functioned… or malfunctioned, even! I fear we shall be forced to wait for the tendrils of darkness to burst forth and engulf us-"
"Sheriff's Department! Freeze!" a coarse male voice suddenly roared not ten feet from Guthren. The strong torch held by the uniformed man did its job far too well by shining a cone of blindingly bright light directly into her eyes. "You're under arrest! Keep your hands where I can see 'em! Get down on the floor!"
The man from the village militia held a black object vaguely similar to a blacksmith's tool in his other hand. Guthren had no idea what it could be, but the man wielded it in such a manner it could only be an offensive weapon of some kind. She was about to follow his command when he drew a deep breath and yelled: "Down on the floor! Down! Now! This is your last warning!"
"Ack! Spare your vocal cords, my good Sir! We pose no threat to you!" Guthren cried, but that was all she had time for - one moment later, she found herself grabbed by Siegrid's strong hands and thrown into the magic mirror's dark portal. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" she continued as she was flung head-first into the familiar inky blackness. After a few wild somersaults worthy of the acrobats who regularly visited Kranichburg Castle at the Autumn Fairs, she was able to regain her equilibrium and let the endless void ease her movements.
Slowing down, she whipped her head around to search for Siegrid. A long sigh of relief escaped her when she spotted the warrior floating not too far from her own position. They were initially too far apart for their outstretched arms to bridge the gap, but Guthren began to swim through the inky void to close the distance. "Lady Siegrid, art thou well? I find myself a little dizzy and winded, but otherwise in good health."
"I am fine. Please do not worry about me," Siegrid said while she turned around on her axis to get onto the same plane as the approaching Guthren. "I beg for forgiveness for my crude act of manhandling you into the mirror… I felt an urgent escape was a more enticing prospect than attempting to negotiate with the gruff militiaman."
Guthren finally came close enough to the floating warrior to reach out and let herself be pulled the rest of the distance. "You need not apologize, my dearest. No complaints shall come past these lips of mine," she said and immediately went in deep to wrap her arms around Siegrid's body. "Alas, one question remains… and I fear it may be one that has the potential of souring our day even further."
"I am sure we can overcome it. With such a skilled sorceress on our side, how can we not? What, pray tell, is on your mind?"
"Which point of light will lead us home?"
Grunting in unison, Guthren and Siegrid glanced around the eerie, inky void - unlike their first trip through the vast emptiness, there were dozens, scores, hundreds or perhaps even thousands of pinpoints of light scattered all over the black fabric that enshrouded them.
-*-*-*-
Time went by without any way to gauge the exact amount - it might have been an eon or it might have been a mere moment. Guthren and Siegrid cared little as they spent their involuntary crossing between the dimensions with their arms wrapped around each other.
Guthren let out a sigh; she had her head resting in the nook of Siegrid's chin. " 'Tis remarkable. I should be worried… gravely concerned… mortally afraid, even. And yet I am not. I fear no outcome to this outlandish journey as long as you and I shall see it through together."
"I share your sentiment, sweet Guthren," Siegrid said and reached up to stroke her dear friend's silky-soft, reddish locks. "Perhaps we shall wake up in a moment and find ourselves at the outset of an ordinary day. I shall set and stoke the fire while you fetch water for our morn' tea. Then we shall eat stewed fruit and bread together before you turn to your textbooks and I shall visit the stables and provide my horse with a carrot or two."
"Ack, such a charming vision. I fear returning home shall not be quite as simple as that, Lady Siegrid-" Suddenly cutting herself off, Guthren pulled her head back from Siegrid with a jerk to stare at the inky void around them. They were still floating among countless pinpoints of light but remained too far from any of them to be pulled toward it. "By the Holy Mother, could it really be that simple?" she mumbled.
"A thought has come to you… Guthren, please share it!"
"Instead of explaining, I shall… I shall… oh, Siegrid, please be prepared for anything!"
"Very well," Siegrid said and rolled her shoulders a couple of times to get all the kinks out. "Do you wish me to hold onto you while you… uh… do whichever it is you plan to do?"
"Yes, please! But leave my arms and hands free… I shall be needing them to cast a spell!" A wide smile graced Guthren's features as a pair of strong hands were once again wrapped around her midsection - this time from behind. "Mirror, mirror, hear my plea! Mirror, mirror, travel free! Mirror, mirror, let me See- Ohhhhhh!"
The spell had barely gone past her lips before the void they were floating in was transformed into its familiar pool-like state. The blackness surrounding them suddenly took on a liquid form reminiscent of the visual experience of being submerged in a body of water.
"Ack! Ack!" Guthren cried as the ripples and churns inside the magic mirror sent her and Siegrid on a wild, bucking ride. "Mi- mirror, mirror! He- hear m- my… ack! No, th- this sh- shall not d- do… I ca- cannot cast the sp- spell bo- bobbing around like th- this!"
"I cannot hold on tighter without hurting you!" Siegrid cried from somewhere behind Guthren.
"Ack! I must… I must… con- concentrate…" Taking a deep breath, Guthren let rip in a thunderous roar: "Mirror! Mirror! Hear! My! Plea! Mirror! Mirror! Set! Us! Free!"
From one heartbeat to the next, their speed increased exponentially until they were hurtling toward one of the pinpoints of light. Faster and faster they went until their hair and clothes were nearly torn from their bodies. The white light approached so fast Guthren barely had time to scream…
~~~~~
Bursting out of the vortex that had been created in mid-air, Guthren and Siegrid rolled across a hard, coarse stone floor until they thumped against the legs of a desk.
The desk offered far too little stopping power and was simply shoved aside with a fierce squeak as its legs were forced across the coarse surface - the sturdy piece of furniture nearly keeled over but stopped swaying before it was too late. The violent motions it was exposed to meant that several items fell off it and rattled onto the stone floor.
A wall a short distance beyond the desk proved harder to move for the tumbling women, and their involuntary flight ended right there. Guthren found herself resting on her shoulders while her legs stuck straight up along the stone wall. "Ack… this is intolerable," she croaked just before gravity took over and she flopped to the side like a beached trout.
Siegrid had initially come to a halt in a sitting position that was less ungraceful than that of her dear friend, but her personal space was soon invaded by a certain red-headed sorceress whose legs and lower body landed squarely across her lap.
After clambering away from Siegrid's leather-clad lap while uttering a string of mumbled apologies, Guthren whipped her head around to see if she could recognize the spot they had literally fallen into.
She needed to move her hair out of her eyes to take in the sights; a whoop of delight followed almost at once when it dawned on her they had returned to her chamber in the keep of Kranichburg Castle. "Behold! Behold, Lady Siegrid! 'Tis my chamber… it truly is! We have returned home! By the Holy Mother, we are home!" she cried and began to dance around.
"It appears we are. I cannot tell you how grateful I am, sweet Guthren. Quite extraordinary," Siegrid said and got to her feet. She hurried over to the window to look out - the dark sky suggested it was evening or night so at least a day had vanished during their involuntary stay in the void.
A quick look at the fireplace proved that the hefty logs she had used to set the fire only moments before their departure had been reduced to minuscule piles of ash. She let out a grunt of surprise as she thought back to the size of the logs - they had been far too large for the tiny amount of ash that was left.
Her brow gained several deep furrows as she took in the sight of Guthren's heavy four-post bed that occupied the exact same spot that it always had. It was made to the nines and appeared not to have been used for a while. The quilt that covered the wool duvet was a neutral one rather than Guthren's regular colorful bedspread.
It all appeared remarkably safe and sound considering it should not have been there at all - it had been sucked into the practice mirror at the same time Guthren and Siegrid had. In fact, they had been clinging onto one of its legs just before their insane journey through the void had begun.
"Guthren," she said in an apprehensive tone, "before our cup of joy overfloweth too much, I fear I must add a pinch of bitter root to it… without having actual proof of any misdeed, I get a strong sense that something is off about the whole thing."
Guthren stopped celebrating and shot her friend a puzzled glance. "What, pray tell, would be off about it, sweet Lady? I fear I cannot follow your observations. 'Tis undeniable we have returned home to my chamber. Granted, it does hold a penetrating smell of… of… woodsmoke, perhaps? Or soot. And some of the surfaces seem to be blackened or scorched, but… perchance I could learn what you have sensed?"
"Your bed is present and sporting a new quilt," Siegrid said and pointed at the large four-post bed. "Your desk, too. In fact, those and several other items that were last seen being flung into the practice mirror have all returned. Save for the bucket of water for the tea, and… oddly enough… the practice mirror itself."
"And good riddance to it! Tragically, my beloved magic wand may still be in there as here 'tis not. But Lady Siegrid, we returned from that frightening place… why would my bed and my writing desk not share our good fortune? I am afeared I fail to see to what you are referring," Guthren said and cocked her head.
"We saw none of those items when we were in there. Yet, here they are. And here we are. My question is…. where is 'here'? Or perhaps more to the point, 'when'?"
Guthren furrowed her brow while the details of the message filtered through to her brain. She performed a full turn while she studied all the details of her chamber - the odd smell, the scorchmarks on the walls and the ceiling, and a vast collection of unusual scratches on the stone floor that she could not recall seeing before; then she moved onto the items that were present as well as those that were still missing.
The more she looked, the more she noticed things that were wrong, or at least 'off' like Siegrid had put it. She moved over to the writing desk and pulled out the drawer where she kept all her handwritten notes. When the drawer was found to be empty, she broke out in a shrug and said: "Now I do see your point… perchance 'tis not my chamber after all… or perchance years have gone by!"
" 'Tis a possibility, yes. Of course, we may have also have returned in the past. Perhaps days, moons, years, decades earlier than we left. Kranichburg Castle has stood here for centuries, mind. We may not even have been born yet. Our parents may not have been born yet!"
"Ack… such wretched luck we seem to be having… surely something must come to us that shall solve this wicked conundrum," Guthren said as she looked at the items on display - the missing practice mirror and the bucket over the fireplace were largely irrelevant, but it irked her severely that her vast collection of notes and her beloved magic wand had yet to reappear from whichever past, future or simply otherworldly dimension they had visited. "If nothing else, the crick in my neck has gone away. If that is a good or bad omen, I cannot say!"
"Nor can I. The ink on your arm?"
Guthren looked down at once; the skin on her arm was as pristine and pale-white as ever. Just to be sure, she twisted and turned her arm and craned her neck to observe it from all angles. " 'Tis gone… worn off, perhaps?"
"Perhaps it has simply not happened yet."
"Ack… my mind cannot absorb such a mystery on an empty stomach," Guthren said and used her fingers to rub her brow and scalp. "A lingering hunger gnaws at my gut. I feel as if I have not eaten for quite a while… but that cannot be true as you and I shared the delicious stewed fruit and bread this morning."
"Or whenever our meal was."
"True… drat. Shall we seek out the castle's kitchen in the hope of finding someone there who will take pity on a couple of weary world travelers?"
"We shall," Siegrid said and moved away from the bed. "Finding food, company and perhaps a few answers to the questions that continue to burn brightly shall be rewarding, I am sure."
---
Not a living soul came to greet Guthren and Siegrid as they followed the grand staircase down to the lowest levels of Kranichburg Castle. The delightful scents emanating from the bread ovens in the kitchen offered the first hint that they were not alone in the world - it also proved it was early morning rather than late evening or the dead of night.
Once they reached the first of the underground corridors, they turned right to move toward the back part of the kitchen. They used the servants' access rather than the more stately main entrance and soon found themselves in the middle of the usual hectic activity.
The fresh bread was in the process of being brought out of the ovens, and the experienced and greatly agile kitchenmaids filled reed baskets faster than the waiting chambermaids could line them up. Once the fresh buns and loaves were in the baskets, the chambermaids would hurry up the castle's many passageways to deliver them to the doors - or in some cases even the beds - of the esteemed noblemen and Ladies who were just waking up.
While the Matron of the Kitchen supervised it all in her typical brusque fashion, other kitchenmaids worked hard at churning and salting butter from the milk that had been delivered by the region's many cattle farmers over night; others again stirred casks of malt ale while adding herbal sweeteners so it would obtain the right head and taste for the finicky clientele.
Guthren had always been awed by the expertly choreographed spectacle in the kitchen. Although Isolde - her best friend among the maids - belonged to the staff servicing the chambers, Guthren had spent many a spare moment in the kitchen simply observing the skilled maids performing their own brand of magic. "Good morn, my friends! Ack, 'tis so delightful so see you and to smell the wonderful bread you have toiled over," she said as she stepped forward wearing a broad grin.
Every single maid stopped what she was doing to stare wide-eyed at the two women who had appeared without anyone noticing. A split second later, the maids all began to howl, shriek and run around in clear states of unrestrained panic - almost like they had seen not one, but two ghosts.
All the fresh buns and loaves of bread flew through the air as reed basket after reed basket was knocked onto the floor by the shrieking, fleeing maids whose arms flailed all over. The heavy barrel used to churn the butter was abandoned and nearly tipped over after being bumped into with great force. The cask with the sweetened ale did in fact tip over, and it was only through sheer good fortune - and a well-placed table - that the entire kitchen floor was spared a brown, sticky flooding.
"Ack! But… but! Have no fear, 'tis merely us! Guthren of Emmerlingen and Lady Siegrid of Oldenburg!" Guthren cried after the initial shock of the maids' reaction to her had nearly blown her off her feet. "Why… why are… by the Holy Mother! Will you please restrain yourselves! All we desired was a loaf of bread and some water for our tea, not cause such pandemonium!"
The howling and shrieking maids soon alerted the night watch who in turn blew his alarm whistle so hard an entire platoon of soldiers from Captain Waltherius' unit showed up with their swords and daggers drawn and ready to engage whatever or whomever they would encounter. Some wore their full uniforms while others had yet to don various elements like their helmet or shoulder pads. Regardless of their relative state of dress, all looked sublimely annoyed at being pulled from their warm beds as such a vile hour of the day.
"No, no, no…" Guthren croaked as she faced the lethal tips of several lances, short-swords and even a rake that someone had grabbed on his way out of the door. "I beg of thee, lower thy weapons! 'Tis all a horrible misunderstanding! My dear friend and I were merely seeking bread and water-"
"All right, what in the name of Phirax the Unholy is going on here?!" a gruff male voice roared from somewhere behind the wall of threatening soldiers. The men soon spread to allow Captain Waltherius of Riedzburg through. The moment the commander of the Kranichburg Castle Watch Regiment spotted the two women, he came to a dead stop and stared wide-eyed at Siegrid like he too had seen a pair of ghosts. "Lady Siegrid! By the Holy Mother, 'tis you!"
" 'Tis indeed, Captain Waltherius. Siegrid of Oldenburg. A squire of Lord Maximilian of the House of Holsteinia. I must say, knowing that you have not lost your eyesight since we last spoke is rather comforting," Siegrid said in a surly fashion as she shoved one of the blades aside so she could step forward.
Before she continued, she put a protective - and calming - hand on Guthren's shoulder. "My dear Captain, may I humbly ask why all and sundry react as if we are lepers?"
Waltherius scratched his beard as he took in the sight of the two women. "Because you have been regarded as deceased since the fiery accident in the chamber just over a fortnight ago. Why, urns containing your ashes were even stored in the burial crypt. The official mourning period has only just ended."
"Ack! Ack-ack-ack!" Guthren croaked as she grabbed hold of the calming hand on her shoulder; Siegrid settled for narrowing her eyes down into slits.
"As I hope you can plainly see, Captain," Siegrid said after a few moments, "death has yet to put its hideous mark on us. Alive we most certainly are. This explains the maids' reactions but not the ghoulish details of the matter. I am sure you shall fill us in before long."
"I shall indeed, Lady Siegrid," the captain said before he turned to one of his men: "Fetch Mistress Kriemhild at once."
As the soldier hurried away to carry out the command, Captain Waltherius put out his gloved hand in an invitation for Siegrid and Guthren to join him in his chamber.
"Ack!" Guthren croaked as she was led away from the delightful buns and loaves of bread without getting as much as a crumb. "I fear I am ever so famished! Surely I shall faint if I do not get someth- ack! Can I please get but a single fresh loaf? Or a mere bun? I demand no butter and I shall gladly take one that has visited the floor…"
Further objections were futile as the watch commander strode through the underground corridors to get back to his chamber - even without looking behind him, it was obvious he expected everyone to follow in perfect goose-step.
"By the Holy Mother… if we did not have such wretched luck, we most assuredly would have no luck t'all," Guthren mumbled as she had no choice but to follow one of the semi-uniformed and fully annoyed soldiers back through the corridors.
-*-*-*-
A series of severe knocks on the wooden door to Captain Waltherius' chamber a short while later proved to be Mistress Kriemhild of Quedlinburg. The ageless sorceress appeared in a hastily assembled outfit consisting of her sleeping gown, furry slippers and a dark-brown woolly cloak she had swept over her shoulders. Most unusually, her hair was unruly and sleep-tousled - that fact alone made Guthren open her eyes wide.
Before Kriemhild could complain to the watch commander about the utter lack of good manners displayed by the soldier who had summoned her, she came to a full stop in the middle of the chamber to stare at Guthren and Siegrid. "Now, unless my aging eyes deceive me, I do believe I am witnessing the wondrous rebirth of the much-lamented Guthren of Emmerlingen and Lady Siegrid of Oldenburg."
"Quite. 'Tis us, Mistress Kriemhild," Siegrid said drolly - Guthren just nodded.
Kriemhild eyed the two women cautiously like she was expecting them to shed their human skin and reveal their true Underworld visages at any moment. When nothing happened, she let out a most puzzled grunt. "Guthren, the gift of the gab has always been your greatest Skill, but I dare say even you would be hard pressed to negotiate such a wondrous return. Perhaps you would care to provide a few details on what in fact took place that morn when the fire consumed you and most of your chamber?"
"Ack! No, Mistress Kriemhild, we were never harmed by fire or indeed any of the elements!" Guthren said and shook her head vehemently. "I studied hard for my exams. I read my textbook attempting to learn the ancient art of controlling the magic mirror when the dreadful accident occurred. I cannot say what caused it, perhaps an imperfection in the practice mirror, but it simply refused to return to its dormant state after I had cast the appropriate spell instructing it to do so."
"Mirror, mirror, I thank thee?"
"Yes indeed, Mistress Kriemhild! 'Tis the one I used. Do I not speaketh the truth, dear Lady Siegrid?"
Siegrid nodded. " 'Tis true, Mistress Kriemhild. The practice mirror suffered a malfunction that caused it to explode. Perhaps implode would be a better word. Everything not bolted down in the chamber was, ah… how shall I put it… sucked into it and sent through a black void. Guthren and I were among the items that were unable to escape the implosion and subsequent, ah…"
"Say no more," Kriemhild said with a chuckle.
"Yes!" Guthren said in an excited voice, "But we soon arrived in the strangest of all worlds. I tell no lie when I say Lady Siegrid and I discovered parchment strong enough to carry our weight and horseless carriages driving back and forth on the road! We did indeed! The people there were exactly like us… well, apart from the curious fact that all the womenfolk wore britches… but that tidbit aside, they were in our image. Why, we could even understand what they said! They were rather rude and suffered from a severe lack of moral standards, but we understood them as plainly as we understand each other now, Mistress Kriemhild."
A strong and rather patronizing "Pah!" originating behind Captain Waltherius' desk made Guthren clam up and glare at the bearded man. "Horseless carriages traveling on the streets, you say? Parchment carrying your weight? Bluff and humbug! Utter drivel created by an overimaginative child who clearly has a guilty conscience for causing such devastation in her chamber. And not for the first time, I might add!"
"Why, Captain, that claim is prepos-"
"Worse, she chose to scurry away from the terrible mess she had made like a fleeing rat. Child, do you not understand how your cowardly act left others devastated and mourning your loss?"
"I beg for forgiv-"
"You shall not have it!" The captain boomed; he thumped his fist onto his desk to underscore his words. "Perhaps we shall make an example out of you to give others of your ilk some food for thought. Mistress Kriemhild, if you command it, I shall gladly demonstrate the strength of the metal bars in our dungeon to this petulant apprentice!"
All color drained from Guthren's face and she would have keeled over in shock if it had not been for Siegrid supporting her. Gulping, she turned to face her mentor who could at times be surprisingly stern.
Kriemhild pulled the warm cloak a little closer around her body as she looked at Captain Waltherius and then at Guthren. "I am humbly grateful for your suggestion, Captain, but such a severe punishment shall not be necessary this time. I am sure young Lady Guthren has learned her lesson. Has she not?"
"Sh- she has… I mean, I have," Guthren said and nodded rapidly. "But Mistress Kriemhild, may the Holy Mother truly call me home if I do not speaketh the honest-to-goodness truth. The practice mirror would not obey my commands after a certain point. Why, it even seemed to gain a mind of its own. I had no influence over it t'all."
"Such blather!" the watch commander barked as he shot up from his chair to quickly close the distance between himself and the young sorceress.
The outburst and the aggressive approach caused Siegrid to step forward and shoot blue fire at him with her intense eyes. "Captain Waltherius," she said in a low, dangerous voice. " 'Tis all too obvious our return gives you a horrendous case of heartburn when you should in fact be relieved to see us safe. May I perchance enquire why?"
"You ask why, Lady Siegrid? I shall tell you why!" Captain Waltherius said as he moved to face the tall woman. "Because your supposed deaths caused no end of disruption to my carefully-laid watch plans! The entire castle was a right old mess upon learning of the accident, but it grew from a mere mess into outright tearful hysteria when our beloved Queen Irmgard issued a decree for a ten-day mourning period in your honor. My men and I were forced to work from dawn to dusk and beyond for the entire period, yet now it turns out it was all to no avail as you and the child have returned… and in fine fettle, too!"
An awkward silence spread among the people in the office - if looks could kill, Captain Waltherius would soon have dropped dead from the blue rays that shone from Siegrid's eyes. "So your boundless ire against Lady Guthren was borne of nothing more than scuppered plans and the need for working longer days than usual? Captain, I demand you treat the Lady with the respect she deserves! Though she is less than half your age, her knowledge and wisdom already exceed yours by leagues… Sir!"
The captain's face gained such an unhealthy shade of red that it appeared he was about to be carried out boots-first, but he simply spun around and stomped back to his desk instead. Unfurling a map of the area with far more force than needed, he soon pretended to concentrate on tracking the flow of one of the rivers that cris-crossed the kingdom.
Mistress Kriemhild looked from one combatant to the other before she rolled her eyes at the knee-deep level of nonsense that seemed to have flooded Captain Waltherius' chamber. "Come, let us find a quiet spot where we can examine everything in great detail. Guthren, I am most intrigued by your observations."
Still beaming from Siegrid's unequivocal words of praise, Guthren followed Kriemhild through the wooden door and out into the corridor beyond it. If it had not been for Siegrid walking closely behind her, she would have stopped to thumb her nose at the overly discourteous watch commander.
---
Guthren's state of elation of having been liberated from the perennially foul-tempered Captain Waltherius of Riedzburg lasted shorter than she would have preferred. The moment of truth came not long after she and Siegrid had been ushered into Mistress Kriemhild's personal quarters atop the castle keep - there, they had been seated on simple chairs across from a desk heavily laden with ancient scrolls and various remedies for producing healing potions like mortars, scales and vials containing dried herbs.
Although the brightly burning logs in the fireplace did what they could to create heat and coziness, the chamber suddenly seemed to lose its warmth and life. For the second time in a very short while, Guthren's face lost all color, and not even the countless hefty, leather-bound tomes on spellcasting collected by Kriemhild herself during her journeys around the known world could restore it.
"Failed the exam?" she said in a voice that carried a mix of utter disbelief and mounting sadness. "But Mistress Kriemhild… I fear I do not understand… I have studied so hard… and I have yet to be examined by your good self and Master Torklith! How can I possibly have failed?!"
Siegrid reached over at once to take Guthren's hand in her own. She gave the dainty-looking - but powerful - fingers a fair-sized squeeze to show her support.
Kriemhild sat behind her desk across from the younger women. She observed them and their intimate touch for a moment before she put down the quill she had used to sign her name on a piece of parchment. After letting out a long sigh, she said: "Guthren, I do not doubt the lifeblood you pour into your studies. I also do not doubt your Skills. You are among my best students, but even after all this time, you remain unable to harness your powers. How often have you not stumbled into drastic situations that required even more drastic remedies to be untangled? Too often by far."
"Ack, I… I cannot deny being somewhat accident-prone… but Mistress Kriemhild-"
"Child, I would rather not hear any half-baked excuses. You claim your practice mirror might have had an imperfection that caused it to rebel against you. That may be the truth, but I cannot verify it without inspecting the mirror. Alas, 'tis beyond even my Skills given the fact the mirror has vanished."
Guthren opened her mouth to offer her side of the events, but soon closed it again - there was little point as Mistress Kriemhild was known to never, or at least hardly ever, change her mind after making a decision. "Yes, Mistress Kriemhild," she said after a short delay. "I shall bury myself in my new textbooks. Perchance I shall be more successful next year…"
"The seasons will pass swiftly and we shall soon reconvene here for your final examinations," Kriemhild said and got up - the gesture signaled the end of the seance, and Guthren and Siegrid rose at once to show the proper respect. "Very well. Guthren, I shall grant you a day off from most of your duties to recover from your experiences in the Otherworld. However, you should not squander your time as I wish to read a detailed report of your discoveries and observations," she continued as she crossed the floor to open the wooden door that led to the sweeping staircase.
"Yes, Mistress Kriemhild…"
"Once the dinner bell is struck, I shall expect to see you in the hall monitoring the apprentices eating their evening meal. The past fortnight has seen little drama, but be warned, Guthren… I am sure they shall bombard you with questions."
"Ack, that shall undoubtedly be the case… farewell for now, Mistress Kriemhild," Guthren said and performed a deep curtsey - Siegrid settled for clicking her heels and nodding at the esteemed sorceress before they left for Guthren's own chamber further down the castle keep.
---
Once Siegrid had the fire going well, she arranged the bucket of water hanging on the hook above the fireplace so it would heat up as rapidly as possible.
Various supplies had been brought to the chamber: A tearful but ecstatic Isolde had provided ink, a quill and several pieces of parchment for Siegrid so a note could be written and taken to her home, Oldenburg Castle, by a fast dispatch rider - the House of Holsteinia had already been informed of her supposed death so she needed to move swiftly to rectify the error before the ramifications would grow too large to contain.
One of the kitchenmaids had delivered a reed basket filled to the brim with fresh buns, loaves of bread and even a half-pound block of butter. Guthren kept herself occupied spreading the dark-yellow butter onto a pair of halved buns, but it was clear by the somber look upon her face that her heart simply was not in the mood for any of it.
A long sigh escaped her as she lowered the butter knife. Although the bun she had worked on was ready to be eaten, all she did was to stare at it. "Ack… behold yet another fine mess I find myself submerged in. And worse, I have brought thee, my sweet Lady Siegrid, to the brink of drowning in a pool of despair and-"
"Hush, my dearest. A fine mess it surely was, I agree, but this calamity was not of your doing. The practice mirror was faulty, of that I have no doubt," Siegrid said quietly as she strode across the stone floor to pick up one of the buns Guthren had already put butter on. "I have every faith in you and your Skills. After all, please do not forget it was you who saved us… and not once but twice. First by activating the mirror we found in the carpenter's workshop and then while we were mired in the blackness. No, Guthren, please do not despair. I sense your spellcasting abilities are greater than even you can fathom."
"I am grateful for your precious words, Lady Siegrid," Guthren said and broke out in a relieved smile. It did not stay on her lips for too long, but at least a certain sense of normality was restored when she reached for a buttered bun and took a big bite of it.
She glanced at a wooden chest that stood up against the far wall. Although scorched by the fire that had swept through the chamber upon the violent implosion of the practice mirror, the chest was sturdy enough to have withstood the heat and the licking flames. It contained the pair of rugged leather boots made for her by a master cobbler; she had yet to wear them beyond trying them on for size. They were purposely kept pristine for when she would become a travelling sorceress who would trek through Queen Irmgard's realm from border to border to visit the countless villages and assist those seeking her help.
The entire career hinged on passing the final exams, however, and that simple task had looked rather bleak for several years now through very little fault of her own. A sigh escaped her.
She had been orphaned at a young age when the dreaded fever had claimed her parents. The orphanage she had lived in had had their hands full trying to contain her until a travelling sorcerer had discovered the cause of her abundance of energy: even at a tender age of five, her Skills were so well-developed - but completely out of control - that she was sent to Kranichburg Castle to begin her life-long studies of the ancient art of casting spells that dipped into the mysterious realm known as Magic.
Another sigh escaped her before she finished off the first bun. Wiping her fingers on a rag, she reached for her inkwell and the brand new quill intending to begin writing a new set of notes to replace those that had been lost when the practice mirror had imploded. "Ack, I fear I cannot put it off any long- gaaahhhhhh!"
Through a butter-fingered fumble, the inkwell fell from her grip and hit the corner of the desk at an unfortunate angle. The liquid splashed out of the small neck and promptly painted her right forearm bluish-black from the wrist and halfway up to her elbow. "By the Holy Mother…" she croaked as she stared at the colorful tone to her skin.
Siegrid let out a somewhat amused "Hmmm…" before she began searching the chamber for a clean rag to mop up the worst of the spillage.
"Ack… 'tis not my day," Guthren mumbled as she discovered the splashing ink had made it as far west as the stack of brand new, blank parchment that had suddenly gained an unfortunate shade of blue. "At least the buttered buns were unharmed…"
"Thank the Holy Mother for little wonders," Siegrid said as she leaned down to run the rag over Guthren's arm. After a few moments, she winked at her dearest friend; then she closed the distance between them even further and placed a long, loving kiss on the young sorceress' cute, pink and slightly parted lips. "Sit still. I shall deal with this," she whispered once they separated.
"I am so grateful I cannot express it in words," Guthren of Emmerlingen said and returned the wink. A contented sigh escaped her as Siegrid of Oldenburg worked her own brand of magic by way of a new kiss that was no less loving than the first one - then the warrior from the House of Holsteinia turned her attention to mopping up the ink on Guthren's arm before it would dry out and create another fine mess…
*
*
THE END.