Raulin's Oath

The herd had finally reached the outskirts of Waterhaven. The crisp morning air had morphed into a warm, breezy day. The town came to life with merchants selling goods that were brought in from Belamoris. There was a bazaar with every color of the rainbow represented in clothing. Turning the corner, Arietta could see shops of every size and shape all along the street. Citizens moved with a purpose whether they were shopping, selling or heading to work. Gustoff took the lead, as he was the only one from the group who had been there before. He was looking for a certain inn that was along the shores of the great ocean. The inn served as a central hub for traders from both the north in Casparnia and the island traders from Belamoris. Arietta had never seen a city as busy as Waterhaven.

Gustoff entered the establishment known as the Wayward Pelican. He quickly made his way to the barkeep and asked for Gilly. The barkeep lifted a hand and pointed out the door. “He is at the docks securing his boat. He will be in shortly. In the meantime, would you like something to eat or drink before he arrives?”

Gustoff nodded and took a cup of warm ale to drink. He watched as Arietta and Jerry found a place to sit and wondered how close they have grown over the journey. Many a day, the two gravitated towards one another. He downed the remainder of his ale and headed for the door so that he could touch base with Gilly to see if he could arrange for passage to the island for the group. After some haggling, the two reached a price that was acceptable to each. Gilly would be leaving at dawn for Belamoris.

Gustoff then made his way back to the Wayward Pelican to procure a place for the group to sleep. That would give them the better part of the day to explore the city. Arietta would really enjoy the bustling city as traders entered the harbor delivering goods to be sold in the mainland. There were a few places that people would go to for entertainment. He remembered jugglers and dancers as well as the trainers of the Yabis, the deadliest serpent save a dragon in all of Palidonaya.

Gustoff had the rooms paid for and then took the children on a tour of the city. They ate baked Chani along with biscuits for lunch and enjoyed watching the entertainers as they performed exotic dances, juggled knives that were on fire, and acted out intense dramas to the cheers and jeers of the crowd. This had quickly become Ari’s favorite place in all of Palidonaya. By suppertime, the children were ready to eat and head off to bed to get a good night’s sleep before the ride in Gilly’s ship.

Dimitri and the herd again stayed on the outskirts of town and awaited word from Gustoff that he had arranged for transportation to Belamoris. From that point, Dimitri really didn’t know where they would go. Why the herd didn’t just stay in Waterhaven, he did not know. There was plenty of shelter, and once one left the city limits, there was also plenty to graze on. The longer Dimitri considered his options, the more certain he was that they would remain in Waterhaven. He would touch base with Gustoff later before he retired for the night.

“Hey,” Jerry intruded into her mind.

“What are you doing in my head?”

Jerry externally winced at the irritation in her voice.

“Sorry… I was wondering if you’d like to sneak off, see if we can find anything interesting in the town,” he offered, and Arietta looked nervously at her grandpa, whose steady eyes bored into the ship they would soon take. “Oh, don’t mind him. He’s focused, you know, trying to figure out our plans. He could use a break from the two of us.” At the hesitation he sensed within her, he prompted again, “Come on, Ari, it’ll be fun!” Begrudgingly she agreed. She was curious as to how the pair would sneak off, yet didn’t have time to question Jerry before finding her answer.

“Hey, um, Mr. Gus?” Jerry’s voice sounded tired, and when she looked over, his posture hinted at exhaustion.

“Yes, Jerry?”

“Look, Ari and I are pretty tired. We were wondering if you would escort us to the inn?”

She tried masking her confusion, but when Gus turned his back after agreeing, Jerry lifted the intention he had over himself and looked as lively as he was moments before.

“Okay, I’ll see you kids to bed. I will retire along with you soon, I just have some loose ends I need to tie up before tomorrow’s voyage,” Grandpa Gus said. His walking staff clicking down the cobblestone road, he led them to the modest inn in which they’d be sleeping. After the kids were tucked safely into their separate beds, Gus wished them goodnight, murmuring that he’d be back in around two hours. Nearly ten minutes after that, they executed their plan.

“It’s clear.” Jerry threw off his blankets, jumping to his feet. “Two hours of freedom in the town! Are you ready for some fun?” he said enthusiastically.

“Not to be cheesy, but I was born ready.”

Jerry chuckled, and Ari’s wry smirk turned to a grin. They walked down the hall, and Jerry cast his intention over the pair. Neither looked to be themselves, and that was exactly what they needed.

“So, I heard that there was this amazing place in this town that no tourist would want to miss…”

“I’m listening.” Arietta felt a stir of excitement.

“It’s called the Wishing Well,” he said in a hushed whisper.

“What’s so special about that? We have those on Earth.” She knitted her brows in confusion. Jerry’s grin softened into a sweet, excited smile.

“It is supposed to actually work, but only for the purest of wishes.” His tone was filled with awe, and Ari’s eyes lit with stars at the words.

“Really?” she breathed, trying to imagine such a thing. Her heart fluttered, and suddenly, sneaking out was more than worth it.

“Really. What do you say we go try it out for ourselves?”

In order to catch a wagon, Arietta sang a song to the wagon puller, a horse by the name of Eduardo. When singing, she willed a single gold coin into existence, and to her delight, it worked.

“Thankee’, ma’am, that’ll do, that’ll do.” The horse nickered. “T’was a lovely little ditty you did there.”

“Thank you very much, sir.” A rosy blush came over her cheeks at the praise.

“Sir,” the horse said thoughtfully, “why, no one has called me that in quite some time. Working horses like myself don’t get no respect in these parts. Your words are kind, ma’am, very kind indeed.” Arietta lifted her brows at that, shock written across her features.

Arietta said, “Well, sir, where I’m from, everyone’s equal, and everyone deserves respect.” Eduardo, the respectable working horse, swished his tail.

“Had I a horn they’d treat me like royalty, ya know, but no simple horse from here that does a lowly job has the pleasure of being called sir on the average day. Where are you from, girl?”

Jerry pursed his lips, bouncing as the wagon traveled down the uneven road.

“Earth, it’s… not around here,” she offered. And Eduardo whipped his tail at a fly that had landed on his rump. The coin pouch attached to his wagon jingled delightedly.

“No, I suppose it wouldn’t be, never heard it before.”

“Are you sure you should be telling him that?” Jerry questioned her privately, a sense of urgency in his tone.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Haven’t you noticed that people, well, unicorns, are calling us the Chosen Ones? We have these amazing abilities here. Look, I just think remaining as unnoticed as possible, giving out as few details as possible while we’re at it, would be the smart thing to do.”

Arietta shifted on the wooden bench, considering his words.

“Alright.” Jerry released a heavy sigh. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to keep to ourselves.”

Eduardo seemed to notice the long silence from the pair and decided not to prompt them with any more questions. They were likely done talking with him, he assumed, and that was mighty alright with him. All he needed to do was earn a good coin and return to his family once their trip was through.

“Was my coin enough for a round trip, or should I find another?”

“No, m’lady, I told ya, the coin was far more than I usually get in a whole week. I just don’t have that much change, if I’m being honest,” Eduardo replied.

“No, no, keep it, that’s fine. I don’t need it anyway,” Arietta said nonchalantly, and the horse whinnied gleefully. Arietta’s breath was stolen from her as she finally saw the Well. The wagon rolled to a stop, and Arietta took in every detail of the Well. The sun had set; Jerry and Arietta figured it’d been about half an hour since they’d left, and the milky moon was high in the sky.

The Well seemed to glow in the moonlight, and Arietta’s mouth was still agape when she hopped from the carriage. Jerry, the same awestruck look on his face, followed her footsteps. The pair stood at the mouth of the well, staring into the abyss. It was so deep that even when they strained their eyes, they couldn’t see the water at the bottom. Once more, Arietta began to sing, and the sound swelled and echoed back at her from the mouth of the Well. This time, two beautiful gold coins floated in the air. She took one for herself, and handed the other to the impatient Jerry.

“Remember, the wish has to be pure. Nothing produced from greed or spite or selfish intent, not that I’d think that you’d do that,” Jerry whispered. He kissed his coin and flipped it off of his finger.

“What did you wish for?”

“I can’t tell you that or it won’t come true,” he said, and he hoped desperately that his wish would work. He had wished for his mom to be happy, despite whatever physical condition he was in on Earth; he had wished for her to not worry as much, and for her to know that he was safe and being taken care of.

Worlds away, Jerry’s mother sat up abruptly. She gasped and heard the words from who could be none other than her son. Tell my mom that I’m okay. Tell her that I’m coming back, and to keep hope. Tell her to be happy. Her hand reached to her plump face, and she wiped the tears that had steadily leaked from her for nearly a month now.

Arietta followed suit, kissing the coin, and then she tilted her hand, letting it slide off. She had wished for her pain to disappear back on Earth, but as soon as the wish was made and the coin left her hand, it defied gravity, cementing itself to her skin.

“I guess that was selfish,” she said with a tone of despair. She kissed the coin once more, and it unglued itself, sliding off her hand and disappeared for good. They got back onto the wagon, both staring longingly at the Well, then disappeared into the night. The stars glittered like the dust of angel wings, and Arietta rested her head on Jerry’s shoulder. “I hope our wishes actually come true,” Arietta whispered at a volume only he could hear.

“I have this feeling in my gut that they did. Can you feel it too?” His eyes never left the stars.

“Yeah, I do.” The road rocked them back and forth, but there was not a moment that their stares left the stars. They had never seen this many in their lifetime. The sky was a landscape of diamonds, and they burned into the children’s eyes.

***

Nova had finally found the missing ingredient and made the trip to Palidonaya. There were two treasures she’d uncovered upon arriving. The first was the amazingly impossible fact that she could transform into a wolf when she was in this world. Her first transformation from her human form to her wolf form was terribly painful. The jolt of all her limbs tensing and her entire body turning malleable nearly sent her into shock. The high she rode after completing her transformation made it more than worth it.

The second treasure she’d uncovered came in the form of heightened senses. There was a familiar scent in the air that she had begun to follow. The two that she had seen in the hospital left a scent behind that was familiar. She decided that they would be her family. Destiny whispered into her fluffy ears, and she was off to find them.

The two that she had followed here were close; she could smell their scents mingling in the air. She paused, listening to the flutter of a moth as it flew across her path and landed on a blade of prairie grass. The heat signatures of every living being made the night as visible to her as the day. Her paws met the cool cobblestone that led into the seaside town. She trotted evenly through the streets and was surprised by how many vendors were open so late. Once she hit the square, Nova’s mind bounced from booth to booth, anticipation thrumming through her veins.

The wolf form had impacted her much more than she’d realized. In one booth, a squirrel was selling candied nuts, and a surge of predatory delight flooded through her. Her eyes dilated, nostrils flaring obnoxiously. That squirrel was a jerk. She fought the urge to hurtle herself through his stupid candied nut booth and make him pay for his squirrely sins.

“Nova, no.” The sound came out as a growl. She’d seen a talking owl, and the squirrels were chatty, so she wasn’t sure why she couldn’t talk. She prowled the streets, and the others’ scent stretched thinner. Where were they? Green eyes met her own, and another growl escaped from her. That man smelled bad. His eyebrows were missing from his face, and the moon reflected from his hairless head. Those horrible green eyes bore into her own, and the sudden urge to protect those that she followed ran through her.

Meeting her eyes, the man smirked at her and turned on his heel, marching down a narrow alleyway. Her hunt had changed; she would need to find her pack later. She flung herself through the night, running faster than she ever had before. There was a building at the end of the alleyway; she had him trapped. She panted heavily after screeching to a stop, and for once the man looked scared. That smug grin had vanished into the shadows. A sly hand slipped up the arm of his robe, and she let out a low snarl.

“Little wolf, I would advise that you leave now. I’m going to kill you and your Chosen friends, and when I’m done, I’m peeling that pretty coat of yours off and wearing it as a new cloak. One Chosen is far less dangerous than three; you will never amount to anything without your friends.” Rage filled her vision, and her claws lengthened. The hair along her back bristled, and the human half of her backed down, surrendering to the waves of anger that pushed her forward.

Her vision went out for a moment, but after waking up, her snout and teeth were stained with blood, and she stood over ribbons of the man. He was a bad man who was endangering her pack, and he needed to die. Her grin looked more like a snarl, but she was the victor. She had protected her pack, and she had lived to protect them another day.