Nine: The May Queen's Gift
Gripping the reins of his weary, mud-splattered saddle horse, the Piper kept his eyes firmly fixed on the road winding through the heath ahead, guiding his mount and the mare at his side by instinct alone. Refusing to look at his charge, he turned his stoic face to the western sky, which remained churning with stormy gray clouds sodden with the rain to come. As if there had not been rain enough!
Wiping his dripping cheeks, he finally glanced at Red Riding Hood, perched sidesaddle on the mare, her back stiff and her beautiful face set with stern haughtiness. Now she was the one ignoring him, like some petty servant beneath her notice. How insufferable! Nevermind that her hands were now tied in front of her with thick hemp rope—she sat in the saddle as if this were only a pleasant jaunt into the countryside, wearing her scarlet doeskin riding clothes and fur-lined velvet hood as if they were the finest regal robes and she was the leader of the mission.
And what a mission it was turning out to be! On the one hand, when he had decided to accompany Virginia and Wolf on their journey to the Sixth Kingdom and beyond, Colin had known it would be dangerous and trying, and he had even relished it as a chance to escape the boredom and nonentity of his life. But on the other hand, he had not counted on such developments as had occurred—not only their unexpected capture by soldiers of the House of Red and imprisonment in the queen's dungeons, but the abduction of the queen from her own palace!
His thoughts trailed back over the tense, nerve-wracking escape the three of them and their prisoner had made from Incarnadine, what seemed but a few short hours ago but was in fact two days. Following Carmine's hurried exchange of nightclothes for riding clothes, the three of them had escorted her none too gently down the halls and stairwells of the palace. Not until they achieved the third floor did they encounter any resistance, so that their uncertainty and worry were keyed at a fever pitch when the first soldier spied them. Wolf had not even given the man a chance to sound the alarm, leaping forward to slash his throat from ear to ear, and the guard had collapsed in a gurgle of blood.
Several more soldiers had been felled in a similar manner before they had met a contingent of sentries too numerous to attack. At that point Wolf had changed tactics, menacing Red Riding Hood's throat instead with the knife as he dragged her along the corridor. Weapons bristling, the guards had only been able to stand by helplessly as Virginia and the Piper had followed, disappearing backwards down another staircase.
In the early morning hours just before dawn the company had passed through the deserted throne room and the vast royal kitchens, startling a sleepy cook just stoking up the fires on the massive hearths and rolling out bread dough for the morning meal. Then they had slipped out the servants' entrance and crossed the courtyard to the stables. There a frightened ostler had been compelled to procure and outfit four saddle horses with tack and provisions for the journey west. It was at this point that the scarf and curtain ties had been traded for ropes.
Once outside the palace, it had been relatively easy to trot through the city streets to the western gate, and beyond the wall they had burst into a gallop, much to the queen's annoyance. But before they had even cleared the first hill, they had heard the raucous clanging of a bell somewhere in Incarnadine and the roar of angry voices as the garrison began to gather for pursuit. As one they had streaked ahead with the crescent disk of the rising sun shining from behind them to light the way, unwilling to count on the danger to the queen's life to keep arrows from being fired at their unprotected backs.
For the next two days they had ridden pell-mell across the countryside, through hamlets and villages, across winding streams, under ancient stone arches of crumbling ruins, choosing roads what seemed at random to the Piper, who was soon hopelessly lost. But Wolf chose the way without pause, angling them ever northwestward, dodging them off the path again and again, doubling back and moving in circles to throw off their trackers.
Finally they had plunged through a thick expanse of forest and emerged on a lonely stretch of heath with a single narrow road. Only then had Wolf slowed them to a walk, allowing them to catch their breath. The Piper had been grateful, since he had been tired of eating on the run and only catching a few short hours of sleep.
One thing he was not grateful for, however, was that through all of the harrowing flight, into the reaches of the Red Riding Hood Forest, at the campfire the previous night, he had been given the queen as his ward and expected to keep her under close guard. He had been expected to check her bonds, keep her secure on the back of her horse, and otherwise maintain her well-being—a chore he did not relish at all.
But although he was offended at being demoted to the role of jailor, and did not at all appreciate the threatening manner in which he had been ordered about—he could still feel Wolf's hot breath on his face and see the gleam of light on his fangs—the Piper could not blame Wolf and Virginia for their actions. After what Carmine had done to them, they would naturally not wish to be in close quarters with her, and it would be too tempting to harm her if she was under their care. Moreover, foisting the queen off on him would cause him to keep his distance as well—something both of his companions desired.
Colin sighed. He knew why Wolf avoided him—trying to steal away his mate had not been the best of circumstances for a first meeting, and Wolf also seemed to feel contempt toward any and all members of the aristocracy. As for Virginia, that momentary lapse of judgment in their cell that had led to such intimacy had created a wall between them. Virginia was taking no chances, and in her self-loathing and discomfort she kept herself sealed away from him throughout their travels by silence and warning glances.
But far more unbearable was another wall that had been erected—one between Wolf and Virginia. Flicking his eyes surreptitiously, the Piper could see them riding along the road, focused only on the route ahead, not speaking, barely acknowledging one another. It had been like that for all of the last two days, the division between them palpable, almost visible. To be sure they had not maintained complete separation. There were moments when they conferred about what lay in store for them all in the Sixth Kingdom and which way they should go, moments when they exchanged tidbits of food almost shyly, moments—such as at the campfire the previous evening—when they even held hands and caressed each other's cheeks.
Yet somehow the magic, the spark, the undeniable love they shared, seemed stale and empty now, as if the hearts that had fueled it had run dry. When they touched each other, the charge seemed grounded, and it was as if two people were kept apart by a layer of glass, thin yet unbreakable, unable to truly touch. There was a barrier against their love.
And he knew the source of that barrier, or at least a major cause. Colin bowed his head and engrossed himself in following the swirls and loops of the intricate leather designs of his saddle horn. It was he. He was the reason Wolf and Virginia were no longer as close as they had once been. Wolf's sudden bloodlust and thirst for vengeance had most likely contributed to it, seeing as Virginia was normally a peaceful, loving woman who would be confused and dismayed by his current attitude. But the initial reason, the main thrust of the wedge grinding into their love, was the Piper and the kiss Virginia had almost given him.
Or rather, the lie of omission concerning it. For the kiss itself was meaningless, it represented no true emotions, and considering how lustful wolves were thought to be, Wolf would most likely understand unwanted desires and the temptation to give in to them. At least Colin hoped so; he also knew wolves mated for life, and he had no idea how difficult Wolf and Virginia's courtship had been, whether loyalty was an issue for them.
The bards had glossed over such things when they told the tale of the Four Who Saved the Nine Kingdoms; perhaps no one knew such private details. In any case, what Colin was certain would bother and distress Wolf was the lie itself, the fact that Virginia had not been honest with him. It suggested perhaps the kiss did mean something after all, and signified Virginia still lacked trust in him. And from the broken words Virginia had uttered in their cell when she opened her heart and soul to the Piper, he knew she had trouble trusting—herself or others. The fact that she was lying to Wolf must be eating away at her acutely.
Biting his lip, the Piper fought back tears. He had never meant for such a thing to happen. While a small part of him—the selfish, arrogant part that felt he was entitled to whatever his heart desired—had secretly held out hope that his pipe had indeed called his true mate, and that if he simply spent enough time with her she would fall in love with him, the rest of Colin knew Virginia and Wolf belonged together. His duty as a prince and as a moral man insisted upon preserving their love.
They were heroes, their love was ordained by destiny, the beginning of a new Golden Age, and their child needed a happy, stable family. And he had jeopardized that. Yet he had no idea how to rectify the situation, to undo the evil he had caused—particularly when he could not approach the matter without revealing Virginia's lie. He felt like tearing his hair out at the roots. How could he have embroiled himself in such a quandary? What sort of man was he to allow such a turn of events?
"Piper!" The imperious, superior tone of voice that broke into his tortured thoughts could be noneother than Riding Hood's. Gritting his teeth, he turned and looked at the auburn-haired monarch, who was pointedly holding out her bound hands. "My wrists are being rubbed raw, and my bloodflow is being cut off; I am feeling faint. The ropes are too tight, you must loosen them."
He gave her a withering stare. Did she think he was that naive? He was not about to give her such a chance to escape. And this was but one in a long line of complaints with which the queen had accosted him. Carmine's food was too cold or too hot, too spicy or not properly cut. The air was too chilly, the ground too uneven, her horse's back was too bony, its saddle did not have the elegance befitting a queen. With this newest grievance, the Piper was on the verge of losing his temper and striking Red Riding Hood himself.
Yet he caught himself just in time. She may have committed acts of cruelty and selfishness that betrayed her rank, and she might be deeply annoying at present, but she was still a queen and deserved respect. A similar motive lay behind his hesitance to go along with Virginia and Wolf's plan to kidnap Carmine in the first place—he feared not only harm to their company, but also harm to the queen. If something were to happen to her, they would all be in even more dire straits. And if they treated her more kindly, perhaps she would be amenable to their demands and would see reason.
Therefore, although it rankled him, the Piper forced a smile and adjusted the captive's ropes, relaxing them just a trifle. "There. Better now, Your Majesty?"
She sniffed. "Barely adequate. But I suppose that is the best I can expect."
Colin agreed wholeheartedly, but did not voice his contempt. "You would receive more gentility and respect if you showed them towards us in turn."
One auburn eyebrow arched sardonically. "I am to believe this from a witch, a wolf, and an enchanted piper? A company that has threatened my life, stolen me away from my palace, and placed me in mortal danger? After how you have treated me, I have no reason to believe a word you say."
The Piper regarded her coolly. "How we have treated you? And what of how you have treated us? Imprisoning us, calling us liars and traitors, planning our executions? This is not conducive to obtaining our respect, Your Majesty."
Red Riding Hood snorted, rather unladylike, and turned away. "I rather think your actions have proven you to be the danger and threat I presumed you to be. In any case, Wolf certainly deserves this, even if the rest of you do not."
Sighing, Colin narrowed his eyes reproachfully. "That again. You still insist he is to blame for your sister's death. As if he would do anything to harm his own mother, or would not act if he could have saved her."
Back stiff with outrage, the queen snapped her head back and glared at him. It was all the Piper could do not to cringe before her fury, but he managed to retain his composure, meeting her gaze with equal boldness and determination. After a long minute, Carmine finally shifted in the saddle and looked away. "I would not put anything past a wolf. Besides, it is much more than that. You do not understand."
"No, I do not." The Piper paused thoughtfully, considering. Perhaps if he heard things from her point of view, he might be able to approach matters differently and sway her thinking. And anything was better than dwelling on the strain he had placed on Wolf and Virginia's relationship. "But I would like to. Why don't you explain it to me, Your Majesty? I can be objective and listen with a willing ear. You are not alone...there is another royal here who can understand your plight." That was a stretching of the truth, since he could never condone murder, but he had to make a concession if he were to convince her his offer was genuine.
It seemed he had chosen wisely, because Red Riding Hood was looking at him with a new eye—a touch of skepticism and doubt remained, but relief and gratitude took prevalence now. Relaxing and lowering her eyes, the queen managed a small smile. "That is...most noble of you, your Highness. Perhaps I misjudged you." She rested her hands upon the saddle horn and frowned. "But I do not know where to begin."
Colin spoke softly. "Perhaps you can begin with your sister."
Carmine froze, her eyes still downcast, and for a moment the Piper thought that he had gone too far. Then she looked up, and he was startled by the naked pain and grief in her azure eyes. It was as if a little girl sat there in the saddle, frightened and alone. Then the connection was broken, as her eyes shifted and she looked past him. Following her gaze, he watched Virginia and Wolf as they consulted a map the ostler back at the palace had given them. They were now coming upon another forest, the leaves and branches dripping with moisture as the trees leaned over the trail, and his companions were apparently uncertain of their way.
When the queen seemed satisfied that no one was listening, she answered him in a low, equally soft voice. "Cerise was...she was an angel. So sweet and innocent...I loved her deeply, although it was difficult for me to show her how I felt. Our mother Scarlett insisted upon training and teaching me constantly for my future role. She was quite sensitive to the fact that our lineage was flawed, that true royalty did not flow in our veins—she was only one generation removed from the first Red Riding Hood, who had been chosen by the people. She wanted to ensure that the House of Red would be caparisoned in glory, that the throne would be honored despite our humble origins. And so she focused nearly all her attention on me." Carmine paused thoughtfully. "It is no wonder my sister became so independent and reckless."
She turned again to look into the Piper's eyes. "But we did love her, you must understand that! You simply must!" Desperation saturated her every syllable. "I know how it must seem, that we were too arrogant, wrapped up in our own world of elitism...but we did love her. I loved her. I only wish I could be certain Cerise knew this. After what occurred..." She broke off, biting her lip. "After she..." Again she stopped, as if she could not say the words, as if they would make what happened real in a way nothing else could. Finally, slowly, tears began streaming down her fine-boned cheeks.
The Piper was watching her, simultaneously stunned and moved by the vulnerability and emotion she evinced. This did not seem the same woman who had confronted them with such vindictiveness and hatred in her throne room, the queen who had hissed such venomous words and struggled with them in her boudoir. But then he knew, perhaps better than anyone—certainly better than Virginia or Wolf—how a royal is often indeed two people, the facade he or she must present to the court, to the people...and the real human being inside who must remain hidden from most, perhaps even all.
This would especially be true of a queen whose heritage had often been demeaned and disparaged as not worthy when compared with the grandeur inherent in the House of White or Cinderella's line. She would always be on guard, careful never to compromise her authority by dwelling on her emotions. Never would she wish to endanger the respect of the other Kingdoms that her family had worked so hard to earn.
He knew, however, that emotions were in fact what made a ruler fair and just, that Carmine's humanity was critical if she were to refrain from being a cold, bitter tyrant. Gently he placed a hand on her shoulder, and when she flinched instinctively, he murmured, "When she died, you mean."
The tears began to flow faster, and Red Riding Hood's throat constricted visibly. A soft, muted moan passed through her parted lips, and then she nodded weakly before lifting her bound hands and burying her face in them.
After a few minutes she recovered and looked up. This time there was a defensive accusation in her gaze. "That is why I acted as I did. I did it out of love. I was only trying to protect her! I was only attempting to shield her from the danger posed by those murderous wolves. She was so blind, she could not see it, but I could, and I had to do something to save her, even if she would not. I never dreamed..." Her tears came again, but she ignored them as a smoldering fury began to blaze in her visage.
"How anyone could dare to blame me for Cerise's death I shall never know...Lady Virginia says I have no heart? She is the heartless one...I did everything possible to spare my sister any suffering. I fought to keep those beasts away from her...I fought to make her see reason...and I would do anything, anything to have her alive today!" Carmine shuddered with the force of her emotion. "Do you have any idea what it is like to watch your own sister burn to death before your eyes and know there is no time to prevent it, that there is nothing you can do? Do you know what it is like to witness the rising of the smoke, hear the crackling of the flames, smell the burning of flesh, and know it is that of your own flesh and blood?"
There was absolutely nothing the Piper could say to that. To note that Wolf had suffered the same as she, had witnessed the burning of not only his mother but his father as well, would only enrage her and grind the knife deeper into her breast. So would the observation that, since she refused to change her policy toward wolves, she would not truly do anything to see her sister live again.
He shook his head, and in spite of himself he felt sympathy welling up in his heart. It had been easy for him to dismiss Red Riding Hood as a cruel and selfish woman when he had not met her, when he had heard only Wolf's side of the story. But as with everything, there were always two sides. Hearing hers, he could not deny that the pain and grief the queen of the Second Kingdom had suffered was also great—which made the entire interwoven tale of wolves and Hoods even more tragic.
Carmine, meanwhile, had been galvanized by her growing anger, and as she continued her voice became louder and more vehement. "That is why I shall never forgive Wolf, and why I refuse to show any leniency toward his kind! It is his fault, their fault. If not for him, she would have come back to me. If not for his father, she would never have left. I must punish them, I must protect other young girls from ever meeting the same fate as my sister."
Tightening his grip on his reins, Colin struggled to find the words to respond. On the one hand, he could not dismiss the queen's point of view, and he had to acknowledge that she had a right to be upset after the way she had lost her sister. But on the other hand, he knew her course of action was not only a disservice to the wolves that were nothing like Old Grey and his son, it was a disservice to Carmine herself.
Her mistaken belief that Duncan and Wolf were responsible for Cerise's death would destroy not only Wolf, but her own happiness. As long as she carried out this vendetta, she would never truly release the burden of her sister's death from her heart. Her life would be haunted until her final days, unless she could accept the truth about the past, or unless she could eliminate every wolf that lived—and that was both impossible and unjust.
"Your Majesty." He waited until she had ceased glaring about the mossy roadway and once more looked at him before continuing. "Keep your voice down and listen to me very carefully. I understand how you feel. No one is suggesting you did not love your sister, or that it is wrong for you to wish to protect her. But did you ever pause to consider that she might resent your protection? Cerise was her own person, Queen Riding Hood. She had a mind, and heart, of her own as well. Did you not realize that in making the demands that you did, in forcing her to follow your will, in dictating to her how to live and love, that you only drove her even further into the arms of Wolf's father? From what I have been able to ascertain, your sister was a very independent and rebellious woman. Even acting as you were in what you felt was her best interest, you should have known how she would likely react to your pronouncements.
"I am not saying you caused her death; I am saying you could have been more supportive and understanding. You did not acknowledge her love, you belittled how she was feeling. You did not even take the time to meet Duncan and assess his character. I know your opinion of wolves—but did you not owe it to Cerise to learn what was different about this one, that she could love him?"
Even before he had reached the end of his impassioned plea, the Piper knew Red Riding Hood was furious with him, that she was preparing to lash out yet again at someone whom she deemed presumptuous and impertinent. Yet he could also see a swirl of other emotions in her eyes—guilt, despair, horror, recognition of truth. As she began to assault him, he knew her words came not so much from the possibility he might be right, but from the certainty of it.
"Supportive and understanding? Of her futile and destructive infatuation? Her attraction to the exotic and unbridled? You are correct, Piper, my sister was indeed quite rebellious. And that is how I know what she felt was not true love, but a passing fancy. Her very nature screamed it out to me! She chose a wolf as her lover for the novelty of it, to be willful, nothing more. And even if, by some miracle, her love was genuine, his was not. Wolves are not capable of real love! He was only using her to appease his basest desires at best—and at worst, she was to him a pawn to give him access to my family so he could avenge his grandfather's death on our unsullied bodies!"
By now she was shouting, and Wolf and Virginia were both glaring in her direction, but she seemed not to care. In fact she sat up straighter in the saddle and peered disdainfully down at them. "And no, I shall not be quiet! I wish everyone to know how my family has been wronged! My sister's naiveté was taken advantage of, and when I tried to protect her, it was the selfish possessiveness of that monster that led to her death. Wolves do not love, and the only reason Cerise found Duncan to be different was because he was better at concealing his motives and affecting emotion than most of his kind. I will not rest until all wolves suffer for my loss, until no human is ever again led astray, stripped of their dignity, and betrayed as my sister was."
The Piper reached out to touch her once more, but she pulled away. Before he could try to soothe her and explain how truly wrong she was, Wolf was there, pulling alongside on his horse and snatching the reins of Riding Hood's mare from his hands. "That's quite enough out of you, Red," he snarled. "We don't want to hear more of your lies! So if you know what's good for you, you'll stay silent and out of the way. Otherwise I might have to become angry..." His eyes became the golden hue of wolves, and Carmine complied, shrinking back down in the saddle, although she still quivered in indignation. Wolf then turned to Colin. "And as for you, Piper-boy, stop fraternizing with the enemy."
Colin glared at Wolf's retreating back as he directed the queen's mare to ride between him and Virginia. Although he knew Red Riding Hood was wrong about Wolf, his present attitude and actions were not very admirable, and the Piper in fact did not blame Carmine for distrusting and hating him. It would be a very rough path, showing her the truth about wolves with Wolf as an example.
Sighing, the Piper guided his horse back to follow the others. As he raised his eyes to see where they were now, he beheld yet another patch of forest, this one gloomy and filled with shadow, the trunks crowding close together and encroaching upon the road. He shivered, wrapping his cloak around his lean frame to ward away the chill and dampness, rather thinking that the woods were not much improvement over the heath they had previously been traveling; only the thick canopy that might block away the worst of the rain when it came seemed to bring favor to the change in landscape.
A rustle in the nearby brush attracted the Piper's attention, and he turned that way, frowning. Before he could catch more than a glimpse of motion, the air was split by a sharp whistle. Something long and slim streaked across his mount's withers and shot through the loose, flowing sleeve of his tunic, and he gasped, pulling back on the reins. A cry of dismay and fright came from Virginia, and he snapped his head in time to see her staring at her suddenly empty hands. The map she had been holding was now pinned to the tree beyond her, pierced by the trembling shaft of an arrow.
"Halt!" The deep, booming voice came from the brush where the arrow had first emerged. Colin began rummaging in his satchel for his pipe even as he reluctantly looked back to see the mysterious bowman. He was only a massive silhouette at first, rising from concealment beneath a rocky overhang, but as he approached and became clearer, Colin gulped and let his hands fall free from his satchel.
The man was enormous, almost seven feet tall and heavily muscled, dressed in the leather and rough linen that was the usual garb of a forest peasant, dyed in shades of brown and green. A rich, full, black beard flowed over his deep chest, while his onyx eyes glittered with the threat of violence. Over one cloaked shoulder was slung a quiver, and in his gnarled hands he held an ash bow almost as tall as himself, fitted with another arrow.
"I could hear you coming a mile away," the man growled. "Who are you, and what business brings you into the forest of Benjamin Tell?"
The bowstring pulled taut in the man's hand, and suddenly the iron tip of the arrow was trained unwaveringly on the company.
Moving slowly, making no sudden movements, the Piper lifted his hands above his head in a gesture of surrender. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Virginia doing the same, while Wolf growled and scratched at his temple viciously, his lip curling in a fearsome snarl with which Colin was quite familiar, and which he would rather not have seen again. Red Riding Hood, in a rare moment of unguardedness, was absolutely pale with fear. As she caught him looking, however, the queen quickly retreated behind her mask of arrogance, sniffed disdainfully, and sat as calm and sedate in the saddle as a person could who was bound hand and foot.
After a tableau of several minutes, Benjamin Tell snapped another question. "Well? Are you going to speak, or would you like to find out how well I can skewer your head when I'm not aiming for an apple?" His arrow tip jerked suggestively, and the arms of his bow creaked.
Finally Virginia found her voice. "We...we're just harmless travelers, good sir. Heading west into the Sixth Kingdom."
That had been an unfortunate blunder. The bowman frowned, his thick bushy eyebrows coming together like mating caterpillars, and then he shook his head and snorted derisively. "No one goes into the Sixth Kingdom, not if they ever want to come out again. You'll have to do better than that."
"Well, we're going there anyway." Virginia swallowed hard, her wide blue eyes focused to a pinpoint on the rigid arrow. "We have a quest of utmost importance that must be completed, and it can only be completed there."
"Now why should I believe you?" Benjamin Tell glared belligerently at her. "You may be a party of thieves, come to rob my family."
Virginia looked helplessly and uncertainly at the rest of them. Clearly she was unwilling to reveal who they really were, but she had no idea what else she could say to assuage the man's suspicions. And Wolf was too busy keeping his knife tucked unobtrusively behind Red Riding Hood, the blade set against the small of her back to prevent her from crying out her identity, to muster a reply of his own—even assuming he had been able to lower his hackles and regard Benjamin with anything other than distrust and feral intent. So it was up to the Piper to do something.
Clearing his throat diffidently, Colin attracted the archer's attention, gulping as those dark angry eyes rested upon him. "You should believe us because of who we are. I am Prince Colin of the Fourth Kingdom, this is the Lady—" He paused for the briefest of seconds to snatch onto a plausible name and hoped this Tell fellow didn't catch on. "—Carmen, and they are Virginia the Fair and the noble Wolf...two of the Four Who Saved the Nine Kingdoms."
As the words passed through his lips he could hear Virginia muffle a curse and hiss under her breath at him about the danger he was putting them in, but he was rather more concerned about the danger he could get them out of. And it seemed to have worked. Benjamin was frowning still, but in puzzlement and wariness now. Slowly he lowered the arrow a few centimeters and considered them again. "You speak truly?"
Sighing in resignation, Virginia nodded. "Yes, he does. We didn't want to say who we were because we're traveling incognito, and we've already run into jealousy and distrust from others when we admitted who we were." She narrowed her eyes at Red Riding Hood suggestively.
Benjamin Tell's expression became even more unthreatening, and his arrow lowered another notch, but he was still unconvinced. "Anyone could say they are the Lady Virginia, the tale is well known across the lands and I know not her countenance. And any worthless wolf could put on airs and pretend to be the great Wolf who saved all the royals." He lifted his bow again to aim his arrow at Wolf, who growled. Wonderful, Colin thought, another wolf-hater. But at least he acknowledged Wolf's heroism. Now if only he believed they were who they said...
Virginia looked crestfallen and let her shoulders slump, and the Piper realized she no longer had the signet ring she had tried to use as proof of identity back at the palace. It must have been left behind somewhere in the queen's chambers. But that didn't matter; he had something just as compelling.
Extending one hand toward their antagonist, Colin displayed the ring bearing his crest with pride and confidence. "I trust you can see that is a royal emblem. And royals never lie. If I tell you this is Virginia and Wolf, then you must believe me."
Nodding slowly, Benjamin relaxed the rest of the way. "Indeed...and you have the bearing of a noble, so you could not have stolen that ring." Lowering his bow to his side, he smiled for the first time, broad and unassuming, showing surprisingly white teeth. "Forgive me, milady, for questioning you so brusquely. You can't be too careful out here in the hinterlands."
As the forester strode to Virginia's horse, which he towered over, and reached up to take and kiss her hand, the Piper heaved a quiet sigh and felt like falling back against his saddlebags. It had worked. Bless his pipe, it had worked! And a good thing, for he had no idea what in the fairying forest he would have done if it hadn't.
Virginia, meanwhile, was blushing, while Wolf managed a quick, tight grin at the now effusive Benjamin. "I understand. No harm was done, so it's all right. But...could you do something with your bow...?" She pointed shakily at the weapon, which he still gripped in one hand and from which his arrow still dangled.
"Oh!" Looking a trifle embarrassed, the big man slung his bow over his shoulder beside the quiver, where he replaced the arrow. "Sometimes I forget I have it in my hand; it's become second nature to us Tells. After what happened to my grandfather William, our family has made it a point to be well-trained archers." He winked and then puffed out his barrel chest. "Now the Tells are the best archers in all the Kingdoms."
"That's nice." Virginia smiled somewhat distractedly, then looked past him along the forest road. "Um...I don't mean to be rude but, now that you know who we are, can we go on?"
Benjamin looked shocked and shook his head firmly. "Why, heavens no! You must come to my house, meet the missus and children, rest, join us for lunch!" He gestured back into the deep woods.
A small cry came from Red Riding Hood, and Colin quickly glanced at her. She was biting her lip and Wolf had his knife tip pressed even closer to her back, most likely drawing blood. He knew at once she had been about to eagerly accept the invitation, and in turn divined why Wolf had prevented her from speaking. So far Benjamin had not shown any sign he recognized the queen, but that could change if he spent enough time around her. In any case, they could not chance the discovery that "Lady Carmen" was not their willing companion, and it would not take long for Benjamin or one of his curious children to notice the bonds. They had to move on, and soon.
Even as the forester was raising an eyebrow curiously at Carmine, and she was returning a look of feigned innocence, Virginia smiled charmingly and replied. "I'm so sorry...Goodman Tell." She seemed to search for the proper title. "But we really must be moving on, our quest is urgent. Once again the Kingdoms are in danger, and we're the only ones who can save them. Otherwise we would gladly pause to visit your home." She used just the right mixture of worry, higher purpose, and regret.
Benjamin looked deeply disappointed, but he nodded in understanding. "Very well...but if you are certain...?"
"Quite certain, quite certain, yes!" Wolf sidled closer to Riding Hood, on the surface appearing to be calming her mount and solicitously looking after her welfare, but in truth shifting his grip on the knife and covering her bound hands with the loose hem of her riding skirt.
Tell sighed and nodded again. "In that case, I must warn you of the path ahead. If the Sixth Kingdom truly is where you must go, then you are in great danger."
"We know, we know," Wolf muttered. "The poisonous thorns at the border."
"Not only that." Benjamin's face seemed to close, his eyes becoming more sunken and dark with genuine concern. "Unless you are careful, and follow my directions exactly, your path will take you through the realm of the May Queen."
The Piper froze, an icy chill creeping down his spine. He knew of the May Queen, and the tales he had heard made him long to ride away in the opposite direction. But Virginia, he noticed, did not seem at all concerned. In fact she looked both confused and amused. "The who?"
"The May Queen," Tell repeated insistently. "She is...a nature spirit, a magical being who has power over springtime. Without her life-giving touch, the Kingdoms would remain in perpetual winter." His voice was both reverent and frightened at the same time, and when he spoke again the fear was prominent, making his words come out husky and whispered. "But what she can give...she can also take away."
Virginia wasn't smiling anymore. Her skin was as white as chalk. "What do you mean?"
Benjamin glanced back over his shoulder in a furtive manner that made the Piper very nervous, as if someone might be listening to his every word. "It is said that she can see right into your souls, see what is truly in your heart. And if you trespass on her hedgerows, she will take something away from you. She will make a part of you hers forever. And sometimes more than just a part."
Colin swallowed hard as he heard the legends of his childhood repeated, and glanced at the others. Virginia had a hand to her heart, as if she could somehow clutch to her by that vain motion whatever the May Queen would take. Wolf seemed a human, or lupine, manifestation of a coiled spring, overflowing with tension and ready to leap into action at any moment. Red Riding Hood's face was an imperious mask, but her eyes were darting about in horror.
Virginia let out a shaky breath and wrapped her fingers around her reins. "Ohhhh...kaaay...then we'll make sure to avoid her hedgerows. You were about to tell us how to do that...?"
Before Benjamin could begin giving them directions, Wolf suddenly shook himself, growled, and jerked on the reins of his horse, swinging it in a wide circle around the bowman and proceeding onward down the trail. Carmine, against her will, was drawn along. Virginia stared after Wolf in consternation. "Wolf! What do you think you're doing?"
Wolf looked back over his shoulder and gritted his teeth. "I don't need any woodsman's helpful hints to find my way around a forest, Virginia. Especially not this one! Remember, I lived here for years. Unless the landmarks have changed a great deal, I don't think I'll have any trouble guiding us to safety." He paused and looked at Benjamin as if only then recalling he was there. "No offense meant, Goodman. But nothing can beat the nose of a wolfie."
Crossing his arms over his broad chest, Tell frowned anew, his brows jutting out over his eyes like a thundercloud. "None taken. Very well, if you insist. But don't say I didn't warn you. Good luck on your journey. You will need it."
With those ominous words, the man turned and disappeared back into the overhanging boughs, brushing aside leaves and undergrowth until he had vanished from view. Only the crunching and swishing sounds of his passage remained, and soon even that was gone.
As soon as Benjamin Tell was out of earshot, Red Riding Hood twisted in her saddle to confront Wolf. "Have you gone mad? Oh, I had forgotten, you are a wolf, wolves are already savagely insane! Only a wolf would dismiss a skilled tracker and guide, in hostile territory, in close proximity to a capricious being that could destroy him, all for the sake of adhering to his vaunted sense of smell!"
Wolf snarled so venomously that Carmine flinched, and then he snapped his jaws at her, making her jerk back yet further. "Let me tell you something, Red. You don't know wolves half as well as you think you do. Not even that. So why don't you close those crimson lips of yours before I gag them again!" Tying the reins of her mare to his saddle horn (much tighter than necessary, Colin thought), he set his face forward again and once more turned toward the west.
But before moving on, he growled another reply, this one much softer. "I don't need him, I don't need anybody to tell me how to find the path, I know where we're going and how to get there. And if we'd stayed much longer with Goodman Tell, he would have noticed those lovely bracelets you're wearing, and huff-puff, we couldn't have that!"
And that was the final word on the matter, as far as Wolf was concerned. Red Riding Hood apparently decided arguing was useless and would only earn her a blow, and Virginia followed along as meek and timid as a mouse, to Colin's chagrin. She was much stronger than this, he knew. But in the face of such anger and stubbornness, she seemed helpless...and even more distant from Wolf. The rift between them had grown wider.
Groaning under his breath, the Piper tremulously trailed along after the others, keeping his eyes on the muddy track beneath his horse's hooves. He only hoped Wolf was right and did indeed know where he was going...or they would all be in much greater peril than simple emotional distress.
It was hours later. Late afternoon sunlight streamed down through the branches of the forest canopy, casting small pools of wan illumination on the path like accusing fingers, highlighting the castoff pine needles and rotted leaves of past seasons strewn amongst the roots and broken limbs. The rain had come and gone, leaving everything soaked and pungent with the smells of life and death, and everywhere the Piper looked, there was fungus—mushrooms and toadstools in hollows and atop logs, their caps bobbing solemnly in the breeze, bracket fungi sticking out like shelves from the leaning tree trunks, lichen clinging to residual boulders. The scenery was quite dull and monotonous, and he only resorted to studying it because he was tired of running through the same thoughts.
Long ago he had forced himself to stop agonizing over the May Queen and what would happen if they met her. He had turned then to morosely contemplating poor Virginia's plight, as he listened in on her half-hearted attempts to speak to Wolf and make some headway with him—on their direction, on Red Riding Hood, on the quest, on any emotional level at all. But Wolf remained silent and noncommittal, only occasionally grunting or muttering a reply, and at last Virginia had given up. Colin hoped it was only temporarily.
After that he had taken to watching Carmine's narrow back ahead of him on the road as he replayed the words of their poignant conversation through his mind. He was still determined to break through her will, find the way to her heart and help her to see the error of her ways. But he was at a loss how to approach it. He had already concluded that the only way the queen might change her mind about wolves was if she spent enough time around one to see her prejudices were unfounded.
Unfortunately Wolf was not currently in the mood to display the more altruistic and honorable side of his kind, and would not be acting differently any time soon. The only other method the Piper thought might work with Red Riding Hood was to convince her that her sister truly had loved Duncan, that she was not simply a frivolous girl but a woman with desires, emotional depth, and willpower.
The problem there was, he knew nothing about Cerise except what Wolf had told them, which wasn't nearly enough and was in any case only half of who his mother had been. To know more, he must either draw out Carmine or Wolf to talk about Cerise, to give him the information he needed. But the queen was just as reticent as her nephew, and neither was likely to discuss their memories of the woman they had both loved in the presence of each other.
Feeling an onset of melancholy, Colin sighed and returned his gaze to what lay ahead. The view was not encouraging. The trees were now even closer together, and looming farther out over the road, as if they were drawing together for warmth and enclosing the roadway in an attempt to hold the travelers back from their folly. The canopy was so interwoven as to virtually block out all light, and to top it off, a thick, pervasive mist now filled the forest, curling and winding among the trees and creeping across the path on fog-feet to surround the horses' legs, until it seemed as if they floated upon the current of a grayish river.
With every passing minute the mist thickened, concealing more and more of the forest, then latching onto the horses and climbing their tack, streaming between the riders until Colin could only see their vague silhouettes. The horses nickered and snorted nervously, clearly upset by the haze, and the Piper was inclined to agree with them.
Something did not feel right. There was magic in the air.
"Um...Wolf." That was Virginia's voice, sounding even more frightened and uncertain than she must be, now that it was only a thin cry in the mist, divorced from its owner.
"Yes, my creamy darling?" Somehow the familiar term of endearment lacked its usual warmth, replaced now not only by indifference but fear.
"I can't see the path anymore. Can you?" The casualness she tried to put into her voice sounded quite forced to Colin.
Wolf took a long time in answering. "Of course I can."
Next came Carmine's voice, taunting and snide. "Oh, thank goodness. Be still, my quaking heart. For a moment there I thought your all-powerful sense of direction had failed you."
"Shut up, Red."
Colin barely managed to stifle a chuckle. In spite of, or perhaps because of, the growing sense of danger, he found that exchange incredibly funny.
No one said anything else for several eternally long minutes, as the mysterious mist roiled and swelled like a building cloud, and the Piper had to keep a firm control on his imagination to refrain from seeing amorphous shapes and figures within it. At least he hoped they were just his imagination. After a while, Wolf called a halt and leaned down from his horse's back—to get a better scent, he said, but privately Colin thought it was so he could actually see the road.
"This way," he pronounced at last, turning his mount to the right, following a fork in the road no one else could see.
For once no one questioned him or argued with him, perhaps because they, like Colin, were afraid for their lives and knew Wolf was their only hope, uncertain or not, for getting out of this forest.
Then the whispering began.
It came from behind Colin first, at what seemed a great distance, so faint he at first thought his distraught mind had manufactured it. But then it came again from ahead of them, and again from the side, and each time it came it was louder. Soon it swirled all about them, always moving, never staying in one place for more than a second. It spoke no words, at least none that Colin could understand. At times the voice was harsh and grating, at others soft and seductive, at still others wise and introspective.
"Wolf?"
"I hear it."
"What do we do?"
For several heart-stopping minutes there was only the sound of ragged breathing. Then, without warning, there came the sound of bootheels thunking into furred flesh, and the cry, "Ride!"
With a lurch that echoed his heart, the Piper too kicked the sides of his horse. Startled and spooked, it reared and then came down with a jolt, leaping forward at once along the path.
The wind was suddenly bitterly cold against his face as he raced after his companions, almost as if tiny icicles were being driven into his skin. The whispering now became a roar of outrage, and the wind increased, tossing the branches of the trees.
Claw-like twigs and limbs danced and shook, reaching out for him as he galloped unseeing into the murk, and in his dazed fright he could not tell whether it was only the wind or if the trees had actually come to life to snatch him from his saddle. The road became rougher, filled with ruts and holes, and his horse's gait became even more uneven. Somewhere ahead he could hear Virginia shrieking and Red Riding Hood cursing, though whether at Wolf or the spirits in the mist he could not fathom. A boulder loomed from the left and he swerved to avoid it, his horse slipping in the mud, and then a tree angled down from the right.
"Left! No, wait, right!"
Following Wolf's directions blindly, Colin jerked the reins. His horse's breath heaved, and he could hear the foam of its saliva spraying through the air. Something flitted across his line of sight and he screamed in spite of himself. Another unseen apparition tugged at his hat, at his cloak, and he shied away, making his horse dance sideways down the path.
But then Wolf was there, coming out of nowhere, grabbing his reins, and guiding him down the proper path. He heard Virginia call his name, then they were all together again in a tight-knit group, thundering along the new road without any thought for what might lie in their way.
Ahead, the path narrowed to cross a steep, jagged ravine that descended from a rocky cliff to split the forest apart. Spanning the ravine was a weathered wooden bridge, little more than a series of rotted planks supported by massive poles at frequent intervals.
For a moment Wolf hesitated, slowing his horse, but then another eerie wraith danced around him, and he shook his head. "We're trying it anyway!"
"What?" Virginia's shout was whipped away by the wind as once again they were off, hurtling forward at ever greater speeds, most likely the fastest these packhorses had ever gone, and still it did not seem fast enough to Wolf, who urged them on with kicks and snarls. Goaded by the canine sounds that ignited primal instincts within them, the horses tapped some well of strength and dodged gnarled roots that rose to trip them, and then they were galloping onto the bridge. Before they had even gone one third of the way across, Colin could hear the timbers protesting and groaning, and the bridge began to sway and shake beneath them.
"Wolf!" he screamed.
"Forget it, Piper-boy, too late now!"
He was going to get them all killed.
Then there was no time for further thought. Wolf snarled more viciously and savagely then he had ever heard before, and as one his horse and the queen's leaped forward. Virginia's was only a pace behind, and then Colin's. Ominous cracks and shudders ran through the structure beneath them, but all of them ignored the sounds as they galloped onwards.
Colin almost didn't notice when they were on solid ground again, but he soon registered a series of crashes, thuds, and groans, and when he looked back he was in time to see the entire bridge tumble into the ravine. And then a flurry of phantasms were raging after them, drawing ever closer, and he quickly averted his eyes.
Faster, faster they plunged along the road, careening around turns, hurdling gullies, crashing through the now-unavoidable clutches of tree branches attempting to hold them back. Finally, at long last, light began to appear through the trunks, and the trees began to thin. Heartened, the Piper leaned forward over his mount's withers and urged it on with confident words he wished he could believe. Daring to look back, he could see no more of the wispy shapes, but the whispering was still with them, desperate and determined.
"We're almost there!" Wolf howled. "Almost...oh, cripes!"
The last stand of trees fell past them, and suddenly they were all sliding to a stop at the crest of a high hill, overlooking a serene valley. A path led down the hillside but disappeared somewhere within the valley. As Colin scanned the ridgeline, he saw no other roads, and the edge of the forest came directly up to the near drop-off everywhere he could see. But as he panted and shivered and looked around for another avenue of escape, he discovered it was not needed.
The whispers had stopped.
Wiping away tears of frustration and gulping in huge mouthfuls of fresh air, Virginia was unable to speak for several minutes. When she finally could, she glared at Wolf. "What the hell was that?"
Wolf had the grace to look apologetic and mollified. "Those were some of the May Queen's sprites. We have strayed a bit into her realm."
"A bit?" Virginia growled. "How much is 'a bit'?"
"Not too much." Wolf scratched self-consciously at his temple and looked away. "I...may have made a mistake once or twice in our path. But I know where we are now."
Virginia snorted. "Well that's very comforting now!"
Colin would have voiced his agreement, except he was still winded from his run and trembling in terror. He kept glancing back at the forest, expecting to see another misty shadow. His eyes were probably as wide and displaying their whites as his horse's, he surmised.
After they had all had a chance to recover, Wolf finally took stock of their surroundings. As soon as he saw the road and the valley below, he stiffened, but quickly relaxed. No one else noticed, the Piper believed. "Down to the valley we go."
"Wait a minute!" Virginia snapped. "You idiot! How dare you do something so stupid, so harebrained, so reckless, and then think you can just brush it off like that? Hello, I'm pregnant with your cub, remember? I could've had a miscarriage with all that jostling and galloping!"
As Wolf turned back, the Piper was pleased to see intense contrition and pain on his face. Maybe he was finally becoming his old self again. "Oh, Virginia, I'm so sorry!" Hurriedly he dismounted and came to her side, reaching up to take her hands in his, but she stared at him coldly and pulled away. Tears appeared in his eyes and he gnashed his teeth. "I didn't mean it, lambchop, I truly didn't! I didn't think—"
"Obviously." Virginia crossed her arms.
"It's just, I had to save you from what was chasing us..."
"By putting me and our child in even more danger? Yeah, that was a smooth move, Wolf."
He scratched at his temple and clutched his hair with both hands, moaning softly. "No no no, Virginia, you don't understand! You weren't in any danger, wolf cubs are very hardy little chaps, it takes a lot to make a mother lose one. She can hunt until the sixth month, and even after that if her pack is in danger she can run like the wind to escape and protect the lives of her little ones. There may have been a risk, but it was a small one. Do you really think I would do anything to put the life of our cub in jeopardy, love?" Wolf whimpered.
"I don't know. You haven't done much to show you care about me lately," Virginia said quietly. "And it would have been nice if you'd told me about all the quirks of being mother to a wolf cub long ago, so I'd have known what to expect."
Wolf's face crumpled, and he whined so pitifully that even Colin began to feel sorry for him. Green eyes brimming over with tears, he peered up at Virginia. "I never thought it would come up, I thought you would be safe at home in my arms the whole time you were with cub. Please, Virginia...please don't hate me! You can't really mean what you said, you can't think I'd hurt you or the cub, or let you be hurt, you just can't!"
At last Virginia relented, her expression softening as she reached out to take Wolf's hand. "No. I don't. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, I was just mad...just, be more careful next time, Wolf." This time she let him reach up and lift her down from the saddle, where he held her in his arms and caressed her stomach protectively.
Kissing her cheek, he nodded and smiled through his tears. "No worries, Virginia, I'll be a very careful wolfie, I'll be so careful you'll think you're riding on the softest, plumpest pillow in all the Kingdoms!"
Virginia laughed and cradled his chin in her hand as she rested her forehead against his. Colin breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps this was a sign that the wall between them would be coming down soon.
But of course at that moment Red Riding Hood, still seated on her mare, had to make a scathing remark. "How touching. Is there trouble in the House of Wolves? How dreadful!"
Slowly, very slowly, Wolf turned around to face her, and she blanched. Colin, off to the side, could see his expression in profile and even he was stunned. The emotions surging and swirling in Wolf's eyes and twitching in his cheeks were so powerful, out-of-control, ravaging his features. Tears still trickled down, but beyond his sorrow, his worry, his distress, even his fury, there was something else—an undeniable sense of loss, of torment, as if somehow those few words from his aunt had hurt him more than anything else she or anyone else in his life had done. Carmine's eyes widened as she took this all in, as if in turn she were realizing for the first time he had feelings that could be hurt.
"Shut up, Red." The words came out in a growl, but lacked the force and anger they had before, instead being choked out thickly, regretfully. "If you know what's good for you, just...shut up."
For the first time since he'd met her, Carmine seemed speechless. After several long minutes, her gaze faltered and she looked away.
When he felt enough time had passed, Colin tentatively asked, "Shouldn't we be moving on? If the May Queen is nearby..."
Wolf nodded morosely, sniffing and wiping his nose. "Yes. We must move quickly before we attract her attention."
Suiting actions to words, he took the reins of his horse and Virginia's and led the way down the road off the windswept hill, Carmine's mare in turn following docilely. Sighing, Colin once more brought up the rear, wishing he had the words that would compel people as easily as the notes of his pipe did.
By the time they reached the foot of the hill and entered the valley, it was almost twilight. However, there was still enough light to see their surroundings, and what he saw did not inspire much hope in the Piper. The valley was about an acre in size, filled with soft, gentle blades of verdant grass, but the susurration begun by the wind was disturbingly reminiscent of the whispering in the forest.
Worse, the entire perimeter of the valley was lined with hawthorn bushes, adorned with pristine white blossoms, which he knew were imbued with the power of the May Queen. Each hawthorn bush's branches were intertwined with its two neighbors, forming an impenetrable wall of vegetation around the valley, sealing them in. And now, as he gazed around, he saw the mist that had filled the forest permeated the valley too, and was growing thicker.
"Wolf...?" Virginia bit her lip and pointed. Colin followed her finger and saw that, just within the ring of hawthorn bushes, there was another concentric circle, this one of mushrooms sparkling with dew. A fairy-ring...another source of power.
"I see it." Wolf's reply was curt as he peered around guardedly. "She is close...very near..."
Virginia giggled weakly and began half-singing, half-speaking to herself, her voice rather shaky and disjointed. "If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now, it's just a spring clean for the May Queen..."
There was a stirring in the air, and then a disembodied voice echoed around them—deep, booming, bell-like, resembling the waves crashing upon a seashore. "Did someone summon me?"
Mesmerized, the four of them watched raptly as the mist within the vale billowed and churned like a vast cauldron of witch's brew, never rising higher than their horses' barrels but causing the animals to prance and whicker in fear anyway. Then a pillar of mist rose directly in front of them all, beginning to shape itself to a human form. A wind rose, gentle but constant, and suddenly a flurry of leaves, petals, branches, and twigs sailed through the air, whirling around the misty figure. In and out, up and down, the wind wove its cargo, gradually building a framework of hazel, a head of rowan, a body of hawthorn boughs and blossoms—he could recognize each tree's offering by its fragrance, the mixture of sweetness, bitterness, and headiness overpowering.
In short order, a massive construct hovered before them, half again as high as a man, shaped into the gentle curves of a woman's body, its numerous branches and leaves held together by the swirling mist that still darted about and within the mysterious, silent image. Dark hazelnut eyes seemed to regard them with a wisdom and knowledge that stabbed deep into Colin's very marrow. He could sense the power inherent in her, more power than anything or anyone he had ever encountered. Thunder and storms and the deluge of floods were there, roots that plunged deep into the core of magic. She was outside time, boundless, ageless, beyond any line drawn between good and evil. She simply was.
"I am the May Queen," she said unnecessarily. She had no mouth, nor did she need one; the sound simply emanated from her being and quivered in the air like a mountain stream. "You have trespassed on my domains, and thus are bound by my laws."
"No, wait, please!" Virginia pleaded, hands outstretched imploringly. Colin wished he could explain to her it was too late, that there was nothing she could say or do to change their fate, but he was too paralyzed with fear to intervene. "We're on a quest, of grave importance—"
"Your quest, no matter how crucial, is superseded by my laws." A strange sense of pity seemed to tremble in the nature spirit's voice, and the sweet scent of hawthorn grew even stronger. "All that remains is to carry them out." A slender twig-hand fashioned of hawthorn extended to point at the group.
"Each of you has lost an integral part of yourselves, and to regain it you must in turn give up something to me...something ingrained and indelible, something that makes you who you are. And you shall give it up willingly." She paused, then indicated Colin. "Except for you. You are free of my bequest...what you require shall not be given to you by me, but by another."
The Piper did not know whether to feel offended or relieved at this declaration, but before he could hazard a reply, Red Riding Hood interrupted. "No! No, I forbid it!" She set her mouth in a prim line and glared at the May Queen with all the power of her rank, somehow managing to overcome her fear. "I am the ruler of the Second Kingdom, and I am not beholden to your laws. Begone, foul spirit!"
Colin closed his eyes and waited in anticipation of the worst, but nothing happened. There was no explosion of fury, no blast of lightning or gale of wind. Venturing to open his eyes, he saw the May Queen had not moved, although her branch-hand now pointed at Carmine. When she spoke, it was in a sad, almost sympathetic tone. "No...I am afraid you can forbid nothing. And contrary to your belief, you are just as enmeshed within my magic as these others. In fact...it is you who is in need of it most of all."
As Red Riding Hood stared at the spirit, flabbergasted, Virginia made one last attempt for understanding. "Your Majesty, please, don't do this! Let us go!"
A dark chuckle made the swirls of mist shiver. "Oh, you shall be freed...after you have freed yourselves. After you have found your way back to yourselves, and to each other. After you have given me what I demand as payment. All of which shall begin...now."
The ground began to rumble and quake as the last word echoed in their minds, and the sweat-soaked horses began whinnying and pawing the earth restlessly. The shaking grew more pronounced, and then with a violent upheaval the field split open beneath their feet, cracking and roiling like waves on the sea.
As one all of the horses began rearing and neighing and jerking at their bits, and it was all Colin could do to stay on the back of his. Red Riding Hood, without her hands or feet free, could not hold on at all and promptly tumbled out of her saddle, just missing being kicked by flailing hooves. Luckily for her, her horse did not linger to pummel her, tearing free of Wolf's grip instead and galloping back the way they had come, dragging along Wolf's horse, to which its reins were still tied.
The Piper went next, flying backwards as his horse bucked and shied away from the jutting angles of crumbling earth. Shaking his head to clear it of the ringing, he looked up in time to see Virginia's horse following the others, leaving behind only a single rucksack as they were abruptly abandoned by their mounts. Wolf yelled futilely after them, but the horses were already scaling the hill, and in minutes they had disappeared back into the forest. Wolf flexed his hands and whimpered helplessly.
"Quit standing there, you fool!" Red Riding Hood screamed from the ground. "Get us out of here!"
Snarling, Wolf grabbed Virginia and lifted her in his arms, one hand cradling her stomach. "Get Red!" he shouted at Colin.
Stumbling to his feet as the ground shook with renewed tremors, the Piper scooped up the fallen queen and raced after Wolf as he ran fleetly toward the valley rim. But it was too late, he saw, for even as they neared the opening between the hawthorns, enormous brambles sprang up like hands outthrust from a grave, their thorns deadly and gleaming. Not even breaking his stride, Wolf turned and sprinted along the hawthorns, searching for another exit.
Another mass of plant growth wrenched itself free of the earth, growing with astonishing speed, stems and leaves bursting forth and swelling to head height, then higher. In moments it was intertwining to form a blocky, box-like expanse of evergreen hedge—yew to be precise. In either direction the hedge grew, forming a wall to block their path that only lengthened the longer they watched. Again Wolf wheeled to the side, dashing along the hedgerow.
But it was useless, Colin saw, for between the magically-enhanced plant growth and the instability of the ground, none of them could manage to get ahead of the hedge. And then others began sprouting at right angles, partitioning off the valley, and abruptly their flight became a struggle to keep from being surrounded.
When a particularly violent tremor ran through the ground, the Piper tripped and went sprawling in the dirt. Red Riding Hood rolled several yards away, shrieking in anger, before coming to a stop against a rock, where she lay kicking and squirming. But before he could rise, or call out to Wolf to stop, a hedge grew to tower over him and cut off all access to the queen.
"Your Majesty!" he yelled, clutching at the prickly leaves and crimson berries of the yew. He heard a scream, but it was soon drowned out by the rumbling of the ground.
Realizing he was wasting valuable time, Colin rose and raced along the new hedge, searching for a turning or an opening that would grant him access to Carmine once more, but there were none. The only turns he found seemed bent on keeping him away from his charge. Before he knew it, he was near the edge of the valley, cornered in a twisting labyrinth of hedges, and although he could hear distant screams and snarls, he could not see Virginia or Wolf either, let alone find them. He was entirely alone.
Suddenly an opening materialized ahead of him—perhaps literally, for he could swear there had been nothing but impenetrable vegetation there a moment before he had glanced away. Putting on a burst of speed he hadn't known he possessed, the Piper hurdled forward and streaked through the exit. Even as he fell to the ground and fetched up against one of the hawthorn bushes, he heard a rustling behind him and knew the exit had closed for good. Wheezing, he righted himself and began following the hedges yet again, this time trying to find an end to it, a way to reenter the valley and find his companions.
His search was in vain. He reached one corner of the hedgerow, only to find another row extending what seemed endlessly into the distance. Groaning, he fought against the stitch developing in his side and ran onward, heading for the next corner, if one existed. After fifteen minutes he found it, but when he gazed in dismay at the equally daunting extent of hedge that awaited him, he slowed to a stop, swore, and collapsed against the nearest yew, pounding his fists against its unyielding branches.
This was more than mere hardiness, it was the May Queen's magic. He would never be able to penetrate the hedges. And it was useless to continue searching for any way inside, for he knew instinctively that there were none. Now he knew what the May Queen had meant. In exempting him from her laws, she had separated him from his companions, literally.
Bowing his head in defeat, the Piper grasped at the hedge until he felt berries crushing between his fingers, staining his palms with juice that resembled blood. Not an auspicious omen. He also knew now the true magnitude of the spell. The yews had grown to form a maze, one Virginia and Wolf and Red Riding Hood would have to navigate without him, without each other, in order to "find their way back".
Shivering as much from this realization as from the cold tendrils of mist that surrounded him in a maelstrom of motion, he slowly sank down into the sea of fog and buried his face in his hands. They were well and truly trapped.
(Just a quick note: to anyone wondering, yes the look of the May Queen was inspired by the Greenwitch from Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising Sequence. The bit with the hedge maze was written before I ever read the fourth Harry Potter book or saw the film, but I can see why some might think this is also a homage. R/R!)