equanimity.
“ Welcome, Kate ,” the voice of the trees whispered inside my ears.
Before me, a path opened between the low growth and the saplings. I slipped my hands free and followed it.
* * *
My mother, Nessa, was alone in the glade at the center of the Wood when I arrived. She was sitting on the soft, plushy grass, frowning at the cell phone in her hand.
“Good morning,” I said.
She looked up and smiled, putting the cell phone on her knee.
“Katie! It’s good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too.” I crossed the glade and sat down on the grass across from her. “New toy?”
She sighed, and held it out: a prepaid flip phone like Gregor sold.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it’s seeming less so, now.”
“Just takes practice,” I said, and glanced around the glade. It was unusual to find her completely alone; if Mr. Ignat’ had already left—for errands or to do maintenance on Keltic Knot, down in Fun Country—Arbalyr, his companion, should have still been in evidence among the branches, mounting guard—and a not inconsiderable guard, at that.
“Father had something to do, and his bird went with him,” my mother said, correctly reading my glance. “I’m fine, Katie. The Wood protects me.”
“It’s not that I doubt the Wood’s ability, especially after its recent . . . display. But I’d rather not have to be cleaning up any lifeless corpses.” I shook my head. “It’s high Season, down there in the town. Lifeless corpses can’t be good for business.”
She laughed, which made me smile. My mother had come back from the Land of the Flowers nothing more than a wraith, a thought of her former self that a careless breeze might shred. Her sojourn in-Wood had been good for her, if she had energy enough to laugh. In fact, I thought, looking at her as she glanced down to fiddle with the phone again—in fact, she looked not just well, but very well. Her pale skin glowed with an inner radiance, and her brown hair was lustrous and silky, the curls as heavy as grapes.
“But you didn’t come by to watch me fuss at my phone,” she said abruptly, putting the gadget facedown on the grass, and raising her head to smile at me again. “What can I do for you?”
“As it happens, I dropped by because people have been asking about Gran, and when they might see her again.”
“Which people?”
“Henry. Nerazi. Me. Possibly the Wise, real soon now.”
She shook her head, green eyes twinkling.
“Katie, what have you done?”
I sighed.
“Well, it’s more along the lines of what I didn’t do, if you want the truth. And what I didn’t do was stop a strong, old, and very sly Ozali from busting the prisoners out of the carousel. Worse, when I could have closed the Gate and prevented the escape of the Ozali and the surviving prisoners?
“I let them go.”
My mother nodded.
“Good. None of them belonged here.”
“Well, that’s three-quarters of the family happy, and Borgan, too, but I’m not sure the Wise are going to take that view. I’m not even sure Gran’s going to take that view.”
“Mother hated what they did to the carousel,” Gran’s daughter said, heatedly.
I blinked, then shrugged.
“So, okay, the family and Borgan are pleased. The smart money still says the Wise won’t be, and I’d really like to talk to Gran before they come down on me like a ton of bricks.”
“Have you talked with Father?”
I laughed.
“Not only have I talked to him, he stood by as moral support while I set up the decoy that was his idea. He said it might buy us some time. The word might here is making me a little nervous.”
“Well, but, Katie, Father’s idea of the abilities of most Ozali is rather . . . elevated. So, if what he said was that your decoy has a chance of succeeding, what he meant to say was that it has an extremely high chance of succeeding.”
“If these were just any old Ozali, that would be a comfort,” I admitted. “But the Wise?” I shook
“ Welcome, Kate ,” the voice of the trees whispered inside my ears.
Before me, a path opened between the low growth and the saplings. I slipped my hands free and followed it.
* * *
My mother, Nessa, was alone in the glade at the center of the Wood when I arrived. She was sitting on the soft, plushy grass, frowning at the cell phone in her hand.
“Good morning,” I said.
She looked up and smiled, putting the cell phone on her knee.
“Katie! It’s good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too.” I crossed the glade and sat down on the grass across from her. “New toy?”
She sighed, and held it out: a prepaid flip phone like Gregor sold.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it’s seeming less so, now.”
“Just takes practice,” I said, and glanced around the glade. It was unusual to find her completely alone; if Mr. Ignat’ had already left—for errands or to do maintenance on Keltic Knot, down in Fun Country—Arbalyr, his companion, should have still been in evidence among the branches, mounting guard—and a not inconsiderable guard, at that.
“Father had something to do, and his bird went with him,” my mother said, correctly reading my glance. “I’m fine, Katie. The Wood protects me.”
“It’s not that I doubt the Wood’s ability, especially after its recent . . . display. But I’d rather not have to be cleaning up any lifeless corpses.” I shook my head. “It’s high Season, down there in the town. Lifeless corpses can’t be good for business.”
She laughed, which made me smile. My mother had come back from the Land of the Flowers nothing more than a wraith, a thought of her former self that a careless breeze might shred. Her sojourn in-Wood had been good for her, if she had energy enough to laugh. In fact, I thought, looking at her as she glanced down to fiddle with the phone again—in fact, she looked not just well, but very well. Her pale skin glowed with an inner radiance, and her brown hair was lustrous and silky, the curls as heavy as grapes.
“But you didn’t come by to watch me fuss at my phone,” she said abruptly, putting the gadget facedown on the grass, and raising her head to smile at me again. “What can I do for you?”
“As it happens, I dropped by because people have been asking about Gran, and when they might see her again.”
“Which people?”
“Henry. Nerazi. Me. Possibly the Wise, real soon now.”
She shook her head, green eyes twinkling.
“Katie, what have you done?”
I sighed.
“Well, it’s more along the lines of what I didn’t do, if you want the truth. And what I didn’t do was stop a strong, old, and very sly Ozali from busting the prisoners out of the carousel. Worse, when I could have closed the Gate and prevented the escape of the Ozali and the surviving prisoners?
“I let them go.”
My mother nodded.
“Good. None of them belonged here.”
“Well, that’s three-quarters of the family happy, and Borgan, too, but I’m not sure the Wise are going to take that view. I’m not even sure Gran’s going to take that view.”
“Mother hated what they did to the carousel,” Gran’s daughter said, heatedly.
I blinked, then shrugged.
“So, okay, the family and Borgan are pleased. The smart money still says the Wise won’t be, and I’d really like to talk to Gran before they come down on me like a ton of bricks.”
“Have you talked with Father?”
I laughed.
“Not only have I talked to him, he stood by as moral support while I set up the decoy that was his idea. He said it might buy us some time. The word might here is making me a little nervous.”
“Well, but, Katie, Father’s idea of the abilities of most Ozali is rather . . . elevated. So, if what he said was that your decoy has a chance of succeeding, what he meant to say was that it has an extremely high chance of succeeding.”
“If these were just any old Ozali, that would be a comfort,” I admitted. “But the Wise?” I shook
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