Ravs Are Rarely Wrong: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol III Read online

  Lucy put her pack down by the door and removed her boots. The floor looked clean, and her hostess was barefoot. The butterfly lady smiled at her and motioned to the pool.

  “You may wash off the road dust there.”

  Lucy walked to the pool and dipped her hands in. It felt cool and refreshing. She splashed water on her face and felt better. She hadn’t realized how dirty she was until she enjoyed how good it felt to be clean. She finished washing, wishing she could take a full bath. It was then that she noticed the owl. Perched on a ledge between a candle and some moss was a small brown owl. He was six inches tall. He blended in perfectly with the cave. Lucy might not have noticed him, but she sensed she was being watched. Sure enough, when she turned her head there he was, peering at her with one eye.

  Chapter 4

  “This is Nut,” introduced the butterfly lady as she stirred the stew in the cauldron.

  “Hello, Nut. My name is Lucy,” said Lucy softly with a smile.

  “Hello, Lucy,” replied Nut, opening his other eye and tilting his head at her inquiringly.

  “You have a talking owl, and you call him Nut?” asked Gavin laughing.

  “Oh, I don’t own him,” clarified the lady. “We are friends. He chooses to live with me. I don’t call him anything. Nut is his name.”

  “My name is Nathanial Uther Talongen. Generally I prefer Nut, but I may make an exception for you,” Nut addressed Gavin, looking ruffled and offended.

  “Don’t mind Gavin,” whispered Lucy, trying to mollify him. “His sword is quicker than his wit. We make allowances,” she smiled.

  “You may call me Nut,” he told Lucy. He flew to her shoulder and cuddled into her cheek.

  Lucy smiled and introduced Justin and Taran to Nut. Gavin didn’t know what to make of the situation. It wasn’t often he had the occasion to offend a talking owl. He wasn’t sure how to make amends. He had had Kara, a talking fox, as a teacher at the school, and felt slightly ashamed of his behavior. Kara would never have approved. The butterfly lady carried the cauldron over to the table and spooned stew into everyone’s bowls. She motioned for them to sit as she began to slice large hunks of thick brown bread for each of them. Gavin smiled as he saw the steam rising from the still warm bread. He sat down and began to eat, determined not to make any more offensive comments to the owl.

  Lucy sat down and offered a piece of her bread to Nut. He clicked his beak at her, but didn’t seem offended.

  “I prefer to hunt,” he said.

  Lucy put the bread in her own mouth and chewed. It was warm, melt in your mouth bread with a slightly crisp crust. She enjoyed the feel of it in her mouth. She sipped a spoonful of stew. It was hot and filled with spices, complimenting the bread perfectly.

  “This is delicious,” Lucy said, in between bites. The others nodded in agreement.

  “Thank you. I like to cook, but I rarely get to share my cooking. I do not have many neighbors and not all of them consume their food cooked.”

  “It does seem remote here. I don’t mean to sound rude, but I think of you as the butterfly lady. What is your name?”

  She laughed again, “I’m sorry I did not introduce myself. Most things that come out of the mists know me. I forgot that you do not. I am Corealanna.”

  “Oh,” said Taran and Justin simultaneously and quietly from across the table. They grinned at each other.

  “I am one of the more powerful creatures in the mists. Most things aren’t stupid enough to bother me. I do as I please. Keep that in mind as you explain what you are doing here. I am curious.”

  The name Corealanna might not mean anything to Lucy, but it certainly meant something to Justin and Taran. Lucy later found out Corealanna was another one of those individuals who had many conflicting stories about them steeped in legend and layered with myth. The only person to know the truth was the person themselves. Since the myths sometimes served them just as well as the truth, they often don’t bother to set the record straight. Some said she was Ishalla’s sister and they were both part of creating Kinowenn and all the peoples living there. As Ishalla watched over the mainland, Corealanna watched the mists. Some said she was an oracle. Some said she was here when time began and would be here when it ends. Some said she was Death’s mistress. Some said she first appeared pale white and earned her colors by killing demons. Most stories agreed she was good, to a point. She was powerful and did not have problems killing, but she did not kill for enjoyment. When someone who might be a god asks you a question, it is best to answer it as completely as possible. Justin knew this. He also knew she would know if he was lying.

  Justin told Corealanna everything he could about their suspicions about things in the mists getting involved in Lerramorre and Fredamonn. He told her about their adventures and suspicions regarding Skelt. He stuck to the facts and added his interpretations where necessary.

  “Interesting,” she said when Justin finished. “I do not know of an army amassing or plans to invade over the mountains, but I have been concentrating on other things. You have my permission to explore the mists and see what you can find. I will look into this as well. It interests me. I warn you, you travel at your own risk. I will not keep you safe. But then, you knew this was risky when you started.”

  “Yes, we are aware of the possible dangers, but we think information is important and worth the risks,” replied Justin.

  She studied each of them in turn.

  “I’m along for the fun,” smiled Gavin as her gaze rested on him.

  “Yes, I’m sure you are. You, I am not worried about.”

  “Is it egocentric to assume you are talking about me?” asked Lucy.

  “Not at all,” laughed Corealanna. “I would say that implies growth and acceptance. I can see you need to work on balance. You are powerful and still discovering what you can do and what you should do.”

  “You did not seem to approve of the way I crossed the mountains,” commented Lucy.

  Corealanna shrugged. “Is it my place to approve or disapprove? I was merely stating it could attract the attention of things that might not otherwise notice your passing. If you don’t mind the dangers of the things you may attract, by all means carry on. You would have had to stop moving like that soon enough. It is dangerous to travel like that in the mists. You cannot see where you are going. You will need to use more caution.”

  “Thank you,” said Lucy, taking the warning to heart. Perhaps what she had done was reckless. It had saved them weeks of travel time, but at what possible cost? They were lucky it was Corealanna who found them. It could have been any number of more dangerous things. So many things came down to the conundrum of choices. You didn’t know if it was a good or bad choice until you experienced some of the consequences. A person could only think so far ahead. Also, Lucy could not predict things she did not even know about.

  “You can stay here tonight. You will be safe,” said Corealanna.

  “Thank you,” replied Justin earnestly.

  “Everyone deserves one safe night’s sleep before entering the mists,” stated Corealanna wryly.

  “Can you offer any advice on how we should proceed?” asked Taran.

  “I would recommend turning around and going back,” suggested Nut.

  “I agree the idea has merit,” Taran smiled at Nut, “But how would we know what is going on?”

  “Does it matter so very much?” wondered Nut.

  “Yes,” said Justin. “We need to know if we should be preparing for war.”

  “If you get killed in the mists, either before or after you find what you are looking for, what is the value of that information?”

  “Rather worthless,” agreed Taran. “That’s why we brought Lucy.”

  Everyone grinned, even Lucy. She found Taran’s confidence in her bolstering. Nut tilted his head, blinked, and tilted his head the other way.

  “What if she is captured?”

  “She won’t be,” said Justin flatly.

  “I appreciate your c
onfidence, and I see your group’s talents, but I don’t think you have much of a plan. There are powerful things here. Is information worth dying for?”

  “Perhaps not, but Kinowenn is worth fighting for,” said Gavin. “We can’t let her fall without warning.”

  “Admirable sentiment. Consider yourself warned,” said Nut.

  “Do you know something we should know?” Justin addressed Nut.

  “No, but I know that if I lived in Kinowenn, I’d be on constant alert for something from the mists to get frisky and invade.”

  “So, we should go back with no information, but let them know we were warned by a paranoid owl to be on alert at all times?” asked Gavin.

  Nut glared at him, ruffled his feathers in disgust, and flew out of the cave. Everyone glared at Gavin. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to eating his stew.

  “I’ll apologize in the morning,” promised Gavin. “He was probably going to hunt soon anyway.”

  “Nut does have a point,” said Corealanna. “Eventually, something from the mists will probably invade. It is inevitable for beings in power to want more power, wealth, land, or people to rule. Even relatively obsolete creatures could cause large amounts of trouble simply by looking for new feeding grounds.”

  “Yes, but if that is happening now, we have time to gather together, patch our differences, and unite to fight as one. We will have a better chance of winning together than if a mist army comes over the mountains and takes us out one by one,” said Taran.

  “Depending on what is coming for you and how big an army they have amassed, it might not matter,” said Corealanna, reasonably.

  “Depressing thought,” replied Justin. “If that’s the case, I’d rather know as well. People need to be warned, even if their only option is to flee or hide as they can.”

  Corealanna nodded her head. “In that case, I would recommend staying close to the mountains and heading straight north. If anything is amassing, you should be able to find it from there. Going any farther west into the mists is asking for trouble. Powerful things live there. You might be able to handle the dangers in the fringes, but deeper in, you might not survive.”

  Everyone nodded. What she said made sense. Corealanna continued.

  “Even things on the fringes can be lethal. Simply being in the mists can be dangerous. Sticky mud with a mind of its own can eat you in your sleep. Be careful, always. If you do not find anything after you have traveled as far north as the mists extend, return to the other side of the mountains, and report it. Do not go deeper into the mists.”

  “I’d hate to return with nothing to report,” mumbled Gavin.

  “You’d hate being dead even worse,” stated Corealanna. “Do not go deeper into the mists.”

  Gavin nodded, even though he didn’t look happy about it.

  “Having nothing to report might be a good thing,” said Taran bracingly. “Then, we know there’s no looming invasion composed of dark creatures from the mists. We can look for other nefarious plots on Kinowenn.”

  “What if we miss something?” asked Justin.

  Corealanna shrugged, “Set wards behind yourselves as you travel out of the mists. They will warn you if an army is coming over the mountains. It might not be the warning you are looking for, but it will be better than nothing.”

  Again, they nodded at what she had to say. They knew what they were doing was dangerous. Corealanna led them to another alcove. This one had beds laid out on rock shelves. There was a pool in the back of the room for bathing. They enjoyed being clean. Lucy was glad to lie down to sleep. She was exhausted. She was sure this was going to be one of the last safe nights of sleep for a while. They were lucky to find Corealanna. Lucy was worried. If they made it all the way north without finding anything, would the rest of the group be content to leave? Lucy didn’t think that idea would sit well with the others. She wanted information too, but at what cost? If Corealanna advised against going father west, she didn’t want to go that direction. Lucy trusted her even if they had only met that afternoon.

  Lucy was almost asleep, when she felt something fluffy rub up against her cheek.

  “Hello, Nut,” Lucy murmured.

  “Hello. Sleep well. Stay safe,” he replied.

  “Sounds like that’s hard to do in the mists,” Lucy smiled.

  “It is, but it is safe here and I believe in you.”

  “Thank you, Nut,” said Lucy as she fell asleep.

  “Good night, magic user,” said Nut.

  Chapter 5

  Maya took a deep breath and surveyed her students. Ten women and girls had showed up to learn what she had to teach. The youngest looked to be about nine years old. Maya could sense Dulcie had power, too. Maya made a mental note to talk to Justin about her. Dulcie seemed sweet and talented. Joss could use a mage on his staff permanently. If Justin and Lucy were always going to have wanderlust, Dulcie might be a dependable option. Justin and Lucy could teach her some things when they returned from the mists. Maya had already taught her to light the fire under the cauldron using magic. She had done so on her first try.

  The oldest student was almost seventy. Freya was the local herbalist. Maya was sure she was knowledgeable but curious to learn more. Freya was the one who brought Dulcie. Maya did not think they were related. She thought Freya was simply looking out for a little girl she felt affection for. Maya thought Freya was there as a validation as well. She was sure the other women here looked up to Freya and trusted her judgement. If Freya endorsed Maya, it would help immensely.

  The other students varied in age. They all looked eager to learn whatever Maya was willing to teach. She wasn’t sure how many people she had been expecting. Most seemed clean enough, with their hair combed and dresses modest but well-made. One girl had a large purple bruise on her temple. Maya wondered how many more bruises were hiding under her clothes. She looked to be about twenty. Probably her husband was responsible. The first thing they were going to do was make a salve for her face. Then, they could assess whoever was waiting for help.

  “The first thing we do, before helping anyone injured, is wash our hands,” said Maya. “Dirt and germs can lead to infection. Sometimes infection is more harmful than the initial wound. Also, always wash hands in-between treating people. You don’t want to spread one person’s problems to someone else.”

  The girls nodded. Maya thought Lerramorre was cleaner than some places, but reinforcing proper hygiene couldn’t hurt. She motioned to a wash basin and soap waiting in the corner. All the girls lined up to wash while Maya continued to talk.

  “We will assist the people who came here looking for help. We will take notes on what potions or salves can help them. We will mix the potions and give them to the individuals who need them. This will teach you how to identify ailments and afflictions, learn what can help them, and how to make and administer potions and salves. Some of you may already know some of what I will teach today, but I want us to start with a common base. I will teach more advanced skills in future classes.”

  Everyone listened to her words intently. Maya could tell they very much wanted to learn.

  “Before we see who has shown up for help, we will make a salve for your head. What’s your name?”

  “Alma.”

  “What happened?” asked Maya.

  “Accident,” mumbled Alma.

  Maya could tell she was lying. She noticed that the friend Alma had arrived with glared at her, too. She inferred that this was not the first ‘accident’ Alma had had; it was something she might have to look into. She might not be able to turn Alma’s husband into a frog, or make him a stop hurting her, but she could help Alma’s head feel better today.

  “Freya, find orpine leaves and mallow leaves and put them in a bowl. Laika, take a pestle and grind them up. It will be moist, but not moist enough for our purpose. Alma, add a drop of mint oil to the mixture. It won’t take long to get pasty. Then, gently apply it to the wound.” As Maya said the last part, she layered the paste o
ver Alma’s badly bruised temple.

  It was not long before Alma smiled.

  “It feels better already,” she said with some surprise.

  “Salves work quickly. There are other ways to enhance them. When mixing together anything to apply to another person, always think healing thoughts. It may sound silly, but it can help. Especially if you have latent magical ability. It will put added healing power into the salve. While you apply it, hum this tune.” Maya taught them a hum. “Many people think healers are silly anyways and won’t think anything of it if you hum. It is a healing hum. We will practice it on Alma.” The class turned towards her and hummed. Alma turned red with embarrassment. When she returned to normal color, her bruise had lightened.

  The class looked at each other and smiled. They had hoped, but had not expected, to see the results of their lesson so quickly. Maya knew this was an excellent way to start the class. She had bolstered their confidence and taught them something. Now, Maya was ready to start seeing the injured and sick people who had come, hoping for results, but expecting little. Some of them had already seen local healers and given up hope.

  “Everyone ready?” asked Maya, cheerfully.

  The class nodded. Maya motioned them through the door. She was sure that most of them were at least familiar with basic herbal remedies. Freya could have made the paste for Alma’s temple without Maya. She hoped starting with something familiar would help bridge the gap to new things like potions and healing songs. They would seem less magical and more practical. She wanted what she taught to take root and lead to daily usage, not be viewed with fear or suspicion.

  The first patient was an old man. His joints were so swollen that his hands were bent almost in half. Maya showed the girls how to make a warm poultice of chervil leaves. She had Dulcie apply the poultice and hum the healing hum while she worked. The man asked if he could stay for a while and watch them work. That way they could apply a fresh poultice before he went home. Maya nodded and had Freya make him some mint tea. It might help and certainly couldn’t do any harm. He looked like he could use a warm cup of tea.