Read Online Enchanted Forests by Katharine Kerr - Free Book Online
Authors: Katharine Kerr
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have died? How
could you?"
Everyone looked at Gawaine. "I didn't stay dead," he ex-
plained, grinning hugely, "but that's another story, one I think I'll
save for next Easter in case we have another such wait for our
feast."
Out or me ^ooas
by Lawrence Watt Evans
Lawrence Watt Evans is the author of some two dozen nov-
els and four score short stories in the fields of fantasy, sci-
ence fiction, and horror. His best-known work is The
Misenchanted Sword, and his latest is In the Empire of
Shadow, the second volume of the Three Worlds trilogy. He
lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington with his wife,
two kids, two cats, and a parakeet named Robin.
Jenny slammed on the brakes and prayed the car would stop in
time. The man who had stumbled onto the road in front of her
showed no sign of moving out of the way, he was just standing
there.
The tires squealed, and the car slewed sideways and came to
a stop—and the man wasn't there- Jenny kept her hands locked
on the steering wheel as she turned her head and stared out the
passenger-side window.
She saw only empty road, huge dark trees, and drifting wisps
of mist.
Had she imagined it? These English roads were narrow and
winding and made her nervous, and the thick surrounding woods
were spooky, but she hadn't thought she was far enough gone to
be hallucinating.
Getting out of London for at least a few days of her month in
Britain had seemed like a good idea, but right now she wasn't at
all sure it hadn't been a major mistake.
The rental car had stalled, and Jenny decided against trying to
start it right away. Instead, she turned off the ignition and got
50 Lawrence Watt Evana
out. pocketing the key. She looked around. There was forest on
either side, with the empty road curving out of sight in either di-
rection.
And then a muddy shape rose up out of the roadside ditch, not
a dozen feet away. She almost screamed, but at the last moment
managed to turn it into a gasp. It was the man, the man she had
almost run down—he must have flung himself into the ditch at
the last instant.
"Are you all right?" she called once she'd caught her breath.
"Aye," he said.
Jenny grimaced. Only in rural Britain would anyone who
spoke English say "aye" instead of "yeah."
"I'm sorry I didn't see you sooner," she said. "Do you need a
lift somewhere?" The rental car company wouldn't like it if she
got their upholstery all muddy, but she was paying enough that
they could afford to clean it, and she had almost run the fellow
down—a lift seemed like the least she could do.
"How do you say, lady?" the man replied—or at least, that
was her best guess at his words. It might almost have been "lad"
instead of "lady," but she gave him the benefit of the doubt.
His accent was one she'd never heard before—British, cer-
tainly, but an unfamiliar variant; she couldn't even be sure it was
English. For all she knew, it was Welsh, or Scottish, or even
Australian or South African.
And apparently her American accent was giving him a little
trouble, too.
"Do you want a ride?" she said, speaking slowly and loudly
and, she hoped, clearly.
The man eyed the rental car, then looked Jenny over. "Aye,"
he said at last. "And my thanks to you, lady."
This time it was definitely "lady."
"Get in, then," she said. She climbed in on the driver's side—
the right, that is, a fact she still wasn't entirely used to.
The man approached the passenger side hesitantly and stood,
looking down at the door. Impatiently, Jenny leaned over and
opened it for him. He made an odd little noise that she took for
a sign of relief, then carefully climbed into the car and settled on
the seat.
Jenny looked at him, puzzled; she hadn't really noticed when
she first saw him in the road, or standing in the ditch covered
with mud, but he was dressed oddly—his pants were more like
baggy tights, with crude garters just above the knees, and he
wore a
could you?"
Everyone looked at Gawaine. "I didn't stay dead," he ex-
plained, grinning hugely, "but that's another story, one I think I'll
save for next Easter in case we have another such wait for our
feast."
Out or me ^ooas
by Lawrence Watt Evans
Lawrence Watt Evans is the author of some two dozen nov-
els and four score short stories in the fields of fantasy, sci-
ence fiction, and horror. His best-known work is The
Misenchanted Sword, and his latest is In the Empire of
Shadow, the second volume of the Three Worlds trilogy. He
lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington with his wife,
two kids, two cats, and a parakeet named Robin.
Jenny slammed on the brakes and prayed the car would stop in
time. The man who had stumbled onto the road in front of her
showed no sign of moving out of the way, he was just standing
there.
The tires squealed, and the car slewed sideways and came to
a stop—and the man wasn't there- Jenny kept her hands locked
on the steering wheel as she turned her head and stared out the
passenger-side window.
She saw only empty road, huge dark trees, and drifting wisps
of mist.
Had she imagined it? These English roads were narrow and
winding and made her nervous, and the thick surrounding woods
were spooky, but she hadn't thought she was far enough gone to
be hallucinating.
Getting out of London for at least a few days of her month in
Britain had seemed like a good idea, but right now she wasn't at
all sure it hadn't been a major mistake.
The rental car had stalled, and Jenny decided against trying to
start it right away. Instead, she turned off the ignition and got
50 Lawrence Watt Evana
out. pocketing the key. She looked around. There was forest on
either side, with the empty road curving out of sight in either di-
rection.
And then a muddy shape rose up out of the roadside ditch, not
a dozen feet away. She almost screamed, but at the last moment
managed to turn it into a gasp. It was the man, the man she had
almost run down—he must have flung himself into the ditch at
the last instant.
"Are you all right?" she called once she'd caught her breath.
"Aye," he said.
Jenny grimaced. Only in rural Britain would anyone who
spoke English say "aye" instead of "yeah."
"I'm sorry I didn't see you sooner," she said. "Do you need a
lift somewhere?" The rental car company wouldn't like it if she
got their upholstery all muddy, but she was paying enough that
they could afford to clean it, and she had almost run the fellow
down—a lift seemed like the least she could do.
"How do you say, lady?" the man replied—or at least, that
was her best guess at his words. It might almost have been "lad"
instead of "lady," but she gave him the benefit of the doubt.
His accent was one she'd never heard before—British, cer-
tainly, but an unfamiliar variant; she couldn't even be sure it was
English. For all she knew, it was Welsh, or Scottish, or even
Australian or South African.
And apparently her American accent was giving him a little
trouble, too.
"Do you want a ride?" she said, speaking slowly and loudly
and, she hoped, clearly.
The man eyed the rental car, then looked Jenny over. "Aye,"
he said at last. "And my thanks to you, lady."
This time it was definitely "lady."
"Get in, then," she said. She climbed in on the driver's side—
the right, that is, a fact she still wasn't entirely used to.
The man approached the passenger side hesitantly and stood,
looking down at the door. Impatiently, Jenny leaned over and
opened it for him. He made an odd little noise that she took for
a sign of relief, then carefully climbed into the car and settled on
the seat.
Jenny looked at him, puzzled; she hadn't really noticed when
she first saw him in the road, or standing in the ditch covered
with mud, but he was dressed oddly—his pants were more like
baggy tights, with crude garters just above the knees, and he
wore a
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