A River of Orange Read online

  Meav became increasingly uneasy with his scrutiny, and pulled her foot away. She quickly retrieved the shoe and slipped it on. After removing the stocking from the left leg and replacing the shoe, she boldly met his gaze. “'Tis done, now let us be on our way."

  Rule stood and extended a helping hand to Meav.

  Meav placed her tiny hand in the center of Rule's large palm, looking up into his eyes. Her anger suddenly faded.

  His gaze traveled over her face and searched her eyes. Who was this beautiful woman and why did he feel such a connection with her?

  Nervously Meav cleared her throat. “I am ready when you are."

  Rule nodded, retrieved the discarded garments, and after placing them into the trunk, hoisted it upon a shoulder. Once again he led the way.

  Meav followed in silence, watching the muscles beneath his tight breeches work with each step he took. Her cheeks burned in remembrance of the way his maleness hung between his legs, the way it grew, and the smooth flesh of his bare bottom. Up until now, Meav had only seen male babies naked. Oh how much more there was to the grown man. An artist's sculpture did little to depict the real thing. The more Meav thought of Rule without his clothes, the more it pleased her.

  If her grandmamma knew her thoughts ... “Ah, me,” she softly moaned.

  Rule turned around. “Is there something more that ails you, lass?"

  "Nay,” she answered quickly, her cheeks reddening. Even though she was learning from Wysteria that the body's needs were natural and not shameful, Meav still worried her bold thoughts might have her headed for hell.

  * * * *

  Wysteria sat on the cottage step, weeping. Her Meav ... Meridith's Meav, had been claimed by Loreli and taken down to the bottom of the sea. Rule had jumped from the tree, and to Meav's rescue, but Wysteria had not seen him surface either. He probably drowned as well. Wysteria was now without them both ... the boy she had once cared for and the girl she had hoped would save him from Devora's curse. All was lost.

  "Wysteria,” a soft voice called.

  Wysteria hung her head and blocked her ears with her hands. Now she would suffer the haunting of sweet Meav. She could hear the young girl's call from her watery grave.

  "Wysteria, I am home,” the voice called again.

  Wysteria looked up to see Meav and Rule walking up the path to her cottage. Without hesitation she sprang from the step and ran to meet them. First she hugged and kissed Meav, and then she reached up and planted a kiss upon Rule's cheek. “Thank our Devine Maker for your lives."

  "'Twas Rule who saved me,” Meav said, looking over at him and smiling.

  Rule grunted and walked past the two women, who were still hugging and crying. He walked into the cottage and dropped the trunk next to the fireplace. When he returned to the path, Meav and Wysteria were still commiserating over what had happened. He walked past them and to the end of the path.

  "Wait,” Wysteria called out to him. “Will you take no rest before you leave?"

  "Nay,” he called back. He looked up at the noon sky ... time for some quin furena ... good hunting.

  Meav followed his gaze. “'Tis time for the mid-day meal. Your journey home will go better on a full stomach.” She walked toward him. “Stay and eat with us."

  Rule wished it were possible to accept the invite, but he could only eat in privacy. “Nay, I cannot.” He inclined his head politely to Meav. “Namakria," he said, then turned to walk down the path.

  "Farewell to you as well, Rule,” Wysteria called after him. “And thank you."

  * * * *

  Meav watched the sun set from Wysteria's cobblestone terrace. It was here that she first met Rule. He was angry then, as he was several times today. But why was he so angry? Obviously he had great powers, could change himself into a panther at will, truly he must be proud of that. She supposed that was how he protected the jungle. And he was the king, he should be proud of that as well.

  Meav frowned. But Rule did not dress or live like a king. He dwelled in a cold, damp cave instead of a royal palace. Somehow his ability to change into a cat had something to do with him not being able to sit on the throne ... but what?

  Wysteria made her way out to where Meav stood. “You are in deep thought, child. Care to share with me?"

  Meav turned to look into the kind, smoky eyes of the woman who was now her only family. “I saw Rule change...” She bit her tongue. Rule had asked her never to speak of his ability.

  Wysteria sat down on a bench. “...into a panther,” she finished the sentence.

  Meav's eye widened. “You know his secret?"

  "Aye.” Wysteria tilted her head sideways. “You must have been very frightened."

  Meav sat down beside her. “I was ... and then I realized if he wanted to harm me he had already had the chance."

  "Aye, that he did."

  "He cautioned me not to speak of it,” Meav said.

  Wysteria's eyes saddened. “'Tis not something Rule is proud of."

  "Why not? Obviously he has been gifted."

  "Nay,” Wysteria said sadly. “'Tis not a gift."

  "What then ... and who else knows?” Meav probed.

  Wysteria sighed. “All on the island know his plight."

  "And he is still respected and liked?"

  "Aye, lass, he is,” Wysteria said.

  Meav frowned. “Then what stops him from sitting on the throne?"

  "Devora,” Wysteria muttered.

  Meav's frown deepened. “Who is Devora?"

  Wysteria sighed again. “Devora is my sister, the evil sorceress who put a spell on Rule. Whenever he hungers he is transformed into a panther, to stalk and kill his prey."

  "Is that why he declined my invite to share a meal?"

  Wysteria nodded in agreement. “And if he leaves the jungle he will die.” Wysteria pushed a gray tendril off her forehead. “Devora did this so Rule could never harm her in the castle."

  Meav frowned. “What is she doing in the castle?"

  "Devora posed as a concerned maiden, willing to nurse Rule's mother when she fell ill. After the Queen died, Devora married the king."

  Meav's eyes narrowed. “And so now she is queen."

  Wysteria nodded sadly. “After the king's death, Devora became soul ruler, to all Keronia's displeasure. And when Rule tried to reclaim the throne, she cast the spell on him."

  Meav shifted uneasily in her seat. “Is this why I am to be a hero, Wysteria ... to help Rule be king?"

  "Aye lass, ‘tis."

  Meav stood and went to the stone wall, looking up at the pink clouds in the sky. “But how ... how can I help him?"

  Wysteria stood. “Come into the cottage, child, and I will explain it all."

  Meav followed.

  Wysteria lit the lamps and reached for her grandfather's medicine book. She made her way to the table and sat down before opening the worn cover made of cornhusk and palm leaves. “In this book lie recipes and spells, and the Prophecy of Keronia."

  Meav sat down on a stool beside her, staring at the foreign hand scrawled across a page. “What does it say?"

  Wysteria read the Prophecy aloud to Meav.

  Meav frowned. “I do not understand what any of this has to do with me. The one to help Rule and Keronia must have the same blood as the evil one to break her spell.” She chuckled nervously. “And both of us know I do not."

  Wysteria looked deep into Meav's eyes. “Oh, but lass, you do."

  Meav brought her hand to her throat. “That is impossible! I am from Dublin ... never known Keronia existed until the Sea Dragon crashed upon her shores."

  Wysteria sat back in her chair. “Your mother, Meridith, was my sister."

  Meav felt the blood drain from her head. “How can that be?"

  Wysteria gently reached for Meav's hand. “Your Mama was only your age when she was banished from Keronia."

  "Banished ... banished for what ... why ... by whom?"

  Wysteria held up a finger. “Have patience, Meav, and
I will tell you all."

  Meav nodded, her heart beating rapidly.

  Wysteria gently stroked Meav's hair. “Looking at you right now makes me think I am looking at Meridith. The resemblance is so striking, so wonderful for these old eyes of mine to finally see again."

  Meav shifted anxiously in her seat. “Please, Wysteria; keep me in suspense no longer,” she begged.

  Wysteria cleared her throat. “Your Mama worked for Queen Oneida, she was her handmaiden. After the Queen gave birth to Rule she was left weak and took to her bed more than not. I was called by King Stefan to care for Rule.” Wysteria's eyes grew moist with her memories. “I had just given birth to my own son. Morgan, my dear, loving husband, and I were so happy. But our happiness was short lived. Within a month of his coming, my precious boy baby died in his sleep, and I was left carrying the milk in my breast. When Queen Oneida could no longer feed her son, I was summoned to do the job."

  Meav curled her legs beneath her. “Then you were Rule's wet nurse and nanny?"

  Wysteria nodded. “And your Mama tended the queen.” She paused, wiping a tear that slipped down her cheek. “Both of my parents died within the same year. Since I was the eldest child, married and a responsible adult, ‘twas my duty to take my two younger sisters in and gave them a home. But when Meridith and I were called to serve the crown, Devora was left home to do all the chores herself. This irked her, and she became resentful and jealous ... especially of Meridith. Because Queen Oneida needed constant care, Meridith lived at the castle.” Wysteria sighed heavily. “As Rule grew, he became a handful, and my hours at the castle were long. Many nights I stayed as well. Morgan and I had less and less time together."

  Wysteria closed the medicine book and rose to pour two cups of tea. Returning to her seat she handed a cup to Meav. “By the time Rule had turned a decade old, I was permanently living in the palace."

  Meav took a sip of her tea. “Morgan too?"

  "He would come now and then to spend a night with me, but we had a chicken farm and he was needed to stay on the property to run it. ‘Twas during that time that Devora began to feel as though she was Morgan's wife, and in many ways she was; doing all the cooking, cleaning, and mending for him."

  "Did he feel the same?” Meav probed.

  "Nay, Morgan was true to our vows.” Wysteria took a long sip of her tea. “But one day ... ‘twas a very hot day as I remember, Meridith arrived home for a visit unannounced. When she walked into the cottage, she found Devora preparing Morgan's mid-day meal, stark naked."

  Meav gasped. “She was hoping for your husband's attention."

  Wysteria nodded. “That she was."

  "What did Mama do?"

  "Meridith argued with Devora, slapped her across the face and called her some names I would rather not repeat. Then Meridith marched out to the barn and told Morgan what had happened."

  Meav leaned forward in her chair. “What did Morgan do?"

  "He gave Devora two days to find somewhere else to live. In the meantime, the queen was becoming worse, barely able to open her eyes. Meridith was at her beck and call, feeding her and washing her like an infant ... even sleeping nights at the foot of Oneida's bed."

  "Poor woman."

  Wysteria nodded. “Oneida was a good woman too, did not deserve such suffering.” She took another sip of tea before continuing. “Devora was desperate now for a place to live, and came to the castle ... begging for my forgiveness."

  Meav frowned. “I hope you sent her on her way for good."

  "Ah, if only I had everything would have been different. But I felt sorry for her; she is my sister, of my flesh and blood.” Wysteria shook her head regretfully. “And ‘twas then all of our hell began.” She folded her hands in her lap. “Devora posed as a medicine woman to the king, promising him the queen would do better if she cared for her instead of Meridith. She convinced King Stefan that Meridith was evil, and that she had cast a death spell on the queen. Then Devora spread the rumor that Meridith and Morgan were carrying on behind my back."

  Meav's lips thinned with anger.

  Wysteria arched a brow. “No one really realized then what Devora was capable of."

  Meav almost dreaded what Wysteria's next words would be.

  "King Stefan feared for his wife's life and dismissed Meridith from her duties, then he imprisoned her in the dungeon."

  Meav inhaled sharply.

  "I was beside myself with grief, knowing full well none of Devora's accusations were true. I tried to go to the king with the real facts, but Devora's charms had bewitched him, blinded him to the truth.” Wysteria shuddered at what followed. “Meridith was stripped and beaten for her sins, and set afloat upon a raft.” Tears again welled in her eyes. “Meridith sat on that raft with her face twisted in agony and humiliation, trying to cover her nakedness with her hands. She cried out in pain and sorrow, her red, swollen eyes meeting mine for one last time. I watched her form grow smaller and smaller as the raft drifted out to sea.” Wysteria hung her head. “I never saw her again."

  Meav felt her stomach tighten. “Me poor Mama."

  Wysteria raised her gaze to Meav. “And my Morgan was found dead in the barn, a spear pierced through his heart."

  Meav brushed a tear from her eye. “Wysteria, I am so sorry."

  "'Twasn't long after that Queen Oneida died and King Stefan took a new wife."

  "Devora,” Meav muttered.

  Wysteria nodded. “She then convinced the king his son no longer needed a nurse maid now that he had a mother who could care for him. The king heeded all of her words and I was ousted from the castle. Rule protested wildly, and was sent away to a boy's school in the mountains where he learned to be a soldier under Tobiah's skills. ‘Twas then Devora had free reign to devise her plan. Rule was twenty and one when King Stefan fell suddenly ill and died. When Rule heard of his father's death, he returned to the island to claim his rightful place on the throne. But Devora would not be defeated. She cast a spell on Rule, cursing him to forever be a savage animal, and Devora has continued to rule Keronia."

  Meav sat silent, a mixture of sadness and hate coursing through her veins.

  Wysteria searched the young woman's face. “I am so happy Meridith found her way to another land, and did not die sick and alone on the water. I am blessed to finally learn she made a new life, found love, had a family, and knew happiness again."

  Meav stood and looked out the window at the last shards of light sinking beneath the horizon. “And you believe I have been sent here to avenge me Mama and undo what has been done?"

  "Aye. ‘Twas your destiny, child,” Wysteria said. “And has been prophesied."

  Meav turned around to face Wysteria. “I am sick to think I have the same blood in my veins as that evil woman."

  "You have the good blood as well, lass ... that of your Mama and of me."

  Meav smiled warmly. “Aye, ‘tis true ... and to know you are my aunt ... that I still have family."

  Wysteria rose from her chair and embraced Meav. “I will always be here for you, child."

  Meav pulled back to look deep into Wysteria's smoky eyes. “How ... how do I undo what has been done?"

  "Soon I will take you to the Temple of Silah. ‘Tis there you will find the answer written upon the walls ... in a vision quest,” Wysteria explained. “'Tis then you will know what has to be done."

  Chapter Nine

  Zailia wore her best dress, and carried a plate of homemade raspberry tarts to Wysteria's cottage. Any other time the thought of such a visit would have been fun. To meet a new friend and enjoy an afternoon over tea and sweets would have been heaven, under normal conditions. But there was nothing normal about this circumstance, nor was it an ordinary call welcoming someone to the island.

  Zailia bit her bottom lip and nervously smoothed back the tendrils escaping the bun she wore high atop her head. She wanted to run back home and gather her father, leave Keronia and the evil Devora. To hell with the land! ‘Tis but a patch of worn ou
t dirt anyway. Ah, to live free and far from fear. Zailia knew by staying on the island, and doing what Devora asked, she would then be just as evil as the one she despised.

  "Nay, I choose not to be evil,” she whispered and turned away from Wysteria's path. But Zailia thought again. Knowing Devora the way she did, the witch probably had her spies out watching Zailia's every move. How then would she be able to leave Keronia? She looked down at the plate of tarts she held ... then back at Wysteria's cottage and swallowed hard. With reluctant steps Zailia made her way back up the path. It was essential for her to look as though she was following through as planned, not to spark any suspicion Devora's way. She had not the slightest idea what her own plan of action would be, but for now it had to appear as though she was making friends with the young maiden.

  "Take each step as it comes,” Zailia whispered to herself, then squared her shoulders and knocked on Wysteria's door.

  Wysteria welcomed Zailia warmly, motioning for her to come in. “My, my, what a pleasant surprise.” She hugged Zailia and led her to the terrace. “You are just in time for tea."

  Zailia forced a smile. “I had hoped I was, ‘tis why I have brought the tarts."

  "Blueberry?” Wysteria probed, taking the plate.

  "Raspberry,” Zailia corrected.

  Wysteria shrugged. “Just as good."

  Zailia stepped onto the cobblestone and stopped short. A beautiful young woman sat at the table by the garden wall. Her copper curls hung to her waist and her large, blue eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled. Zailia smiled back.

  Wysteria introduced the two. “Zailia, this is Meav."

  Meav stood and made her way to greet Zailia. “I am so happy to meet you."

  "And I you,” Zailia said, dipping into a tiny curtsey.

  Meav did the same and they both giggled. Taking Zailia by the hand, Meav led her to the table. “We were just about to have afternoon tea.” She looked deep into Zailia's eyes. “You do like tea, I hope?"