The Secret Glade
Prologue to Chaos, Chapter 4, Scene 2
The Calm Before the Storm, Scene 2
Randia climbed to the top of the stones. They were flat, and had been placed along the back wall of the glade to form a set of makeshift stairs. A spring gushed next to them, a streaming rivulet that splashed noisily into the little pool from above. It was one of hundreds of tiny waterfalls that fell from the shoulders of Mount Cascade. Their courses meandered through the gaps and channels in the cliff-face, eventually making their way to the firth far below.
Stefan was lying on a blanket nearby. He watched her naked form with appreciation as she sprang nimbly to the top stone, and then, without a pause, dove headfirst into the pool. Her body knifed cleanly into the water, making barely a ripple in the calm surface.
She was under for a long time. He clapped and laughed when she finally reappeared.
“I’m glad I never had to compete with you at swimming,” he said. “Are you certain you’re not part merwoman? It would explain much.”
Randia shook her head, grinning. Her wet locks sprayed droplets in all directions.
“Bah,” she told him. “You’re impressed by that? It’s only ten feet. I need to bring you to the sea cliffs along the north side of the firth. The water’s deep enough there for a real dive.”
He shook his head. “I think I’m going to let you be the daredevil in the family. The pool here's more to my liking — cool, relaxing, private, and conspicuously lacking in hundred foot drops onto rock-laced surf.”
Randia swam across the lagoon. She climbed out of the water and lay next to him.
“Oh, you can trust that I’ll get you up there to dive the cliff with me,” she said, mischievously tracing her finger along the line of his arm. “I’m going to show you all sorts of things that’ll make your heart race, Stefan Arokkan — once we put our wedding behind us and have a chance to relax.”
She grinned and stuck out her tongue at the look of mock consternation that came over his face.
“I’m glad you like my little glade, though,” she continued. “We can come here more often if you like. There’s nowhere in the city we can go for this kind of privacy.” She snuggled toward him, and added, “I’m finding that I really like that.”
He slipped an arm around her and nodded.
“As do I. We can’t start disappearing too often, though, or for too long. People will notice, and we want to avoid suspicion. Does anyone else know about this place?”
Randia tilted her head upward. Her blue eyes flicked briefly toward the sky.
“Just Windheart. She’s been bringing me up here for years. And she’d never tell on us.”
Stefan smiled. “Your rapport with her is remarkable. Having a winged steed ready to carry you wherever you want to go must — well, save a lot of time, among other things.”
Randia shook her head.
“Not everywhere,” she said. “She’d fly into a storm of fire to rescue me if I ever needed it, but you do not take a pegasus for granted. I’m sure she’d leave me stranded on a mountain peak for a few days if I ever tried, just to teach me a lesson.”
“You’re obviously quite close, though. I almost feel a little jealous.”
“That’s just the way it is with us. We’ve been bonded since I was a child, and we’ve always been great friends.”
“I was glad to finally meet her. And the flight was … stimulating.”
She looked into his eyes and grinned again.
“She likes you, too. She’s being coy and trying not to let on about it, but she does. She would never have agreed to carry you up here if she didn’t.”
“Coy, eh? That sounds familiar.”
Randia nodded. “We’re actually very much alike.” She frowned. “Well, alike in spirit, anyway. As much as a winged horse and a half-elf can be.”
“You do both seem to have a bit of a mischievous streak.”
She laughed. “Oh. Do you mean the loop? She was just teasing you. I hope you weren’t frightened. She would never have let you fall.”
“I know. Tell me — is it true that you can sense each other’s thoughts?”
Randia nodded. “When we’re flying together, yes. It’s part of the magic that comes with a pegasus choosing you as her rider.”
She paused, looking thoughtful. “It’s not just your thoughts, though,” she said at last. “It’s kind of hard to describe. Your senses and … instincts merge, too. While we’re flying, I can feel the air under her wings, and she can feel the wind on my face. It’s almost like becoming two parts of one whole, thinking and feeling and reacting together like a single being.”
“That’s remarkable. I’ve heard of the pegasus bond, but we have few of them in the mountains of Thressa. Is it common here?”
“Occasionally a pegasus will bond with a human, but not often. It’s much more prevalent among the elves. Especially in southern Carlissa, where they live together among the peaks of the Nurian Mountains.”
“Where the Peregrine King rules,” Stefan said, nodding. “Your grandfather. I shouldn’t wonder that you have a pegasus friend. It probably runs in the family.”
Randia nodded. “It does. We’re all pegasus riders. Father, Aron, Gerard. Mother and Grandmother, of course. And Grandfather Killraven.”
Stefan chuckled.
“The Archmage. You do have a rather intimidating family tree. Is there anyone important in the eastern realms that you’re not related to?”
Randia rolled her eyes at him.
“Don’t remind me. And don’t get me wrong. I love them all dearly. But having the rulers of three different kingdoms for parents and grandparents … All I can say is thank the Divine I’m the youngest, and no one seems to be expecting me to help with that.”
She stood up, looking toward the sky above.
“We should have our picnic,” she said. “The morning’s wearing on, and Windheart will be back soon to pick us up.”
She stopped abruptly, her head turning toward the exit from the little glade. She squinted, shielding her eyes, looking more intently. Stefan rolled over to follow her gaze.
“What is it?” he asked.
Randia pointed. “There. Do you see that? It looks like a cloud rising over the city.”
Stefan frowned. “That doesn’t sound good. Could there be a fire?”
Next: Chapter 4, Scene 3 - Instructor Deneri
