Adremedian Prince 26 Ponderosa

'We need to find shelter. A storm is coming,' Lilly said.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the alcove and away from the beach. The wind was stronger outside the alcove and beat their clothes against their bodies. They hurried into a grove of trees, but Lilly kept them moving. Now the wind was a harsh whistle that seemed to come at them from different places.

'Lilly where are we going?!' James asked.

She let go of his hand and moved some foliage. Then she pulled up a hidden door. 'Get in!'

'After you!'

Lilly pulled him closer and forced him in before her. The door was closed and he heard something sc.r.a.pe across the top. Her hand found his and she led him further into the darkness. It was silent down here. The moment the door had closed, James hated it. It was like being blind again. He heard a soft snap and a torch lit the room where they now stood. Several jars of stuff lined the walls. It all looked new.

'Rosae Lilly, is that you?' an old, creaky voice asked.

'It is Ponderosa,' Lilly responded.

'And who have you brought with you?'

'James, my husband.'

'Bad storm, eh?'

'You could say that. Do you have spare clothes, by chance?'

'I do. They're back in the storage room.'

Lilly started for the back room, but James grabbed her sleeve. 'I don't like this place.'

'You're not supposed to. Have a seat; I'll be back in a moment.'

'But..'

'Ponderosa won't bother you.' She moved down a small pa.s.sageway.

James refused to sit.

'A little paranoid isn't he, Rosae Lilly?'

'Too many new things all at once,' she replied. She found dry clothes that would fit James and brought them back. 'Change; you'll be warmer.'

He just looked at her like she was crazy. She shook her head and moved into a darkened corner. There was some laughing followed by hard coughing. The coughing subsided and a soft conversation began. Still somewhat self-conscious James changed. The cloth was soft, but thick, and warmed him considerably.

'You best make yourself comfortable, James. We're going to be here for a while.'

'Lilly, where are you?'

'Helping Ponderosa. I'll be out in a little bit.'

'Can't we go somewhere else?'

He was answered with a cry of pain, and he couldn't tell if it was Ponderosa or Lilly.

'No James, we can't go somewhere else. We're here until the storm pa.s.ses.'

'Quite a picky one you caught, Rosae Lilly. Much like your father I'd say.'

'True, but he was picky in a different way.'

'True words, dear one.'

'Ponderosa knew your father, Lilly?' James asked, finally sitting.

'Only from stories,' Ponderosa replied. She coughed more, but it didn't sound as hard.

James looked at the floor until he heard a loud crack and the whole cave seemed to shake. 'Lilly!'

'It's all right. Just a tree falling.'

'Yeah, falling to collapse the hole we're in.'

His remark was ignored and Lilly soon came out of the dark. She looked worn out and the torchlight cast darker shadows across her face. The grooves looked like they had a red tint to them. Her gaze moved from shelf to shelf. Her eyes moved back and forth slightly as if she were scanning text for information. Moving from one shelf to the next she finally picked up a jar and went back into the dark.

After she left, James read the labels on the jars. Each label was written in three dialects. He recognized one as Human, and could read the one on the bottom as it was a language he had been made to study since he was younger, but he didn't know where the language had come from, nor did he recognize the third. Laughter floated from the darkness, but there was no cough. Lilly returned a short time later and put the jar back then looked for more.

'What are the other two writings on the labels?' James asked.

'Adremedian and Gerrabella dialects.'

'Which is which?'

'Adremedian on top, Gerrabella on bottom.' She picked up a few more jars and disappeared from sight.

James intently studied the lettering of the Adremedian text. Some of the letters looked similar to Human, but was very different overall. So, the other language he knew was Gerrabellan. Made sense since Periculae Marigold was his ancestor. He looked through the names on the jars until he found one that looked familiar. Picking up the jar he looked closer at the contents. They were little teal crystals.

'Poison?'

'Yep,' Lilly said behind him, startling him.

He put it back. 'Sorry.'

'Don't be.' She put the jars back and picked one up from the darkest corner of the shelf. 'You can keep looking James, I'm almost done.'

Slowly he turned back to the shelves and kept looking. All the other poisons he had read about were on the shelf. Nothing else looked familiar. The room brightened further. James turned. The dark corner where Lilly had gone to help Ponderosa was lit up in flames.

'Lilly!'

'Be still, James.'

'No!…Lilly!'

'Sit. I'm fine.'

The flames in the dark corner went out, as well as the torch in the main room. A child's wail filled the darkness. Gradually the cry softened until everything was silent once more. The torch re-lit and James looked up. Lilly came out of the dark corner with a bundle in one arm. She replaced the jar and moved down the hall she had first walked down to get him dry clothes. There was no mistaking it that time, blood was running down six of the eight grooves on her face. James tried to get to his feet, but couldn't get up from his knees. Try as he might he couldn't move, couldn't speak. What was happening to him?

'James, I need you to lie down.' Lilly's voice was soft.
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Initially he resisted, trying to speak. Then he felt a force push him over so he lay on his side. Shaking his head, he relaxed and closed his eyes. He heard steps moving towards him in the dirt, but when he looked up there was nothing. The steps moved closer and the torch went out.

'Rosae Lilly, thank you,' a voice much younger, said as the steps shuffled back into the darkened corner.

'It's been my pleasure, Ponderosa.'