Tiger's Quest (35 page)

The three Silvanae women fussed and primped over me for several more minutes and then declared me presentable. We started back to the village. Just before we reached the banquet area, Deiopea handed me a fragrant bunch of flowers to carry.

“Uh . . . I’m not getting married or anything like that, right?”

“Married? Why no.”

Phiale said, “Do you want to get married?”

I waved my hand. “Oh no, I just asked because of the beautiful dress and the bouquet of flowers.”

“Those are the marriage customs of your land?”

“Yes.”

Deiopea tittered, “Well, if you did want to marry, your man does look very handsome.”

The three ladies fell into giggles again and pointed to the banquet table where Kishan sat, obviously frustrated. They bounced to the table before disappearing into the silver-haired group. I had to admit, Deiopea was right. Kishan did look very handsome. They’d dressed him in white pants and a blue gossamer shirt made of the same material as mine. He had bathed too. I laughed out loud as he looked uneasily around at the Silvanae, obviously feeling out of place.

He must have heard me because he looked up and scanned the crowd. His eyes lit on me and flew past, still searching. Kishan didn’t recognize me! I laughed again. This time, his eyes darted back to me and stayed. Slowly rising, he made his way to me. He looked me up and down with a big grin on his face and let out a whoop of laughter.

Annoyed, I asked, “What are you laughing at?”

He took both of my hands in his and looked in my eyes. “Nothing at all, Kelsey. You are the most enchanting creature I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Oh. Thank you. But why did you laugh?”

“I
laughed
because I’m the lucky one who gets to see you like this, to be with you in this paradise while
Ren
had to be chased by monkeys and fight needle trees. Obviously, I got the better quest.”

“Undeniably you did, at least, so far. But, I forbid you to tease him about this.”

“Are you kidding? I plan on taking your picture and explaining everything to him in
great
detail. In fact, stay right there.” Kishan disappeared and came back with a camera.

I frowned. “
Kishan
.”

“Ren would want a picture. Believe me. Now smile and hold your flowers.” He took several shots then slipped the small camera in his pocket and took my hand. “You’re beautiful, Kelsey.”

I blushed at the compliment, but a feeling of melancholy stole over me. I thought about Ren. He would have loved this place. It was a scene right out of
Midsummer Night’s Dream
. He would have been the handsome Oberon to my Titania.

Kishan touched my face. “The sadness is back again. It breaks my heart, Kells.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek softly. “Will you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner,
apsaras rajkumari
?”

I tried to snap out of it and smiled. “Yes, if you tell me what you just called me.”

His golden eyes twinkled. “I called you ‘princess,’ ‘fairy princess’ to be exact.”

I laughed. “Then what would you call yourself?”

“I am the handsome prince, naturally.” He tucked my arm through his and helped me sit. Faunus took a chair across from us, sitting next to a lovely Silvanae.

“May I introduce our sovereign?”

“Of course,” I said.

“Kelsey and Kishan, meet Dryope, titular queen of the Silvanae.”

She nodded delicately and smiled, then announced, “It is time for the feasting! Enjoy!”

I didn’t know where to begin. Plates of delicate lace cookies and honey cakes were placed next to fluffy lemon meringue tarts, platters of stewed fruits in sugary syrups, baby quiches, and cinnamon crepes. I scooped up a helping of dandelion salad with dried fruits and lime dressing and a portion of an apple, onion, and mushroom galette with baked stilton cheese. Other dishes of sugar plum pudding, blueberry scones, pumpkin cups with cream-cheese filling, soft rolls with creamy butter, and fruited jams and jellies were also brought out.

We drank honeyed flower nectar and watermelon spritzes. Kishan handed me a fruit appetizer. It was a tiny nutty pastry cup filled with raspberries and topped with fresh cream. All the food was small except for the final pastry—a gigantic strawberry shortcake. Red glaze dripped down the sides of the white cake, which was filled with sweet red berries and fluffy custard. It was topped with mounds of whipped cream, had a dusting of sugar on top, and was served with milk.

When we were finished, I leaned over to Kishan and said, “I had no idea vegetarians ate this well.”

He laughed and scooped up another helping of the shortcake.

I dabbed my lips with my napkin. “Faunus, may I ask you a question?”

He nodded.

“We found the ruins of the ark. Do you know about Noah and the animals here?”

“Oh! Do you mean the boat? Yes, we saw the boat settle in the hills, and all manner of creatures emerged. Many of them left our realm and entered your world, including the people who were in it. Some of the creatures decided to stay. Others had generations of descendents and then returned to us. We agreed to let all of them remain if they followed the law of our land—that no one creature may hurt another.”

“That’s . . . amazing.”

“Yes, it’s wonderful to have had so many of the animals return to us. They find peace here.”

“So do we. Faunus . . . we are here seeking something called the omphalos stone or the navel stone. Have you ever seen it?”

All the Silvanae shook their heads as Faunus answered, “No. I’m afraid we don’t know of such a stone.”

“What about a giant tree thousands of feet tall?”

He considered for a moment, and then shook his head. “No. If there is such a tree or such a stone, they reside outside of our realm.”

“You mean back in my world?”

“Not necessarily. There are other parts of this world that we have no control over. As long as you walk our lands beneath our trees you are safe, but once you leave their shelter we can no longer protect you.”

“I see.” I sank back in disappointment.

He brightened, “However, you may find your answer if you sleep in the Grove of Dreams. It’s a special place to us. If we have a difficult question that needs to be answered or if we need direction, we sleep there and can find the answer or see a dream of the future and realize the question wasn’t so important after all.”

“Could we please give it a try?”

“Of course! We will take you.”

A group of excited Silvanae began chattering at the other end of the table.

“How momentous that you came at this time! One of the trees is splitting!” Faunus explained. “Come and see, Kelsey and Kishan. Come and see the birth of a tree nymph.”

Kishan held my hand while Faunus guided us behind one of the cottages to the tree behind it. The whole town waited, humming quietly, at the base of the tree.

Faunus whispered, “These trees were here before your Noah and his boat of animals landed. They have given birth to many generations of Silvanae. Each cottage that you see is set before a family tree. This means that all who live in the cottage were born from the mother tree behind it. It’s getting close to time. Look up. See how the other trees offer their support?”

I glanced up at the leafy bower overhead, and it did look as if the branches were squeezing the leafy fingers of the tree that was straining nearby. It made wooden groaning and popping sounds as the leaves trembled above us.

The tree nymphs seemed to be focused on a large, knobby mound that bulged near a low branch. The tree shuddered as the long branch quivered. After several intense moments of listening to the deep rumbles of the tree and watching the trunk expand and contract, so slowly that I wouldn’t have noticed if I wasn’t paying attention, the bottom branch broke off from the enormous trunk with a terrible crack.

A hush fell over the assembly. The branch hung loosely, touching the ground near us, held on by only the bark of the tree. Tucked in the space where the base of the branch met the trunk was a small silver head.

A group of Silvanae approached and cooed, speaking softly to the small being resting in the tree. They gently lifted it out and wrapped it in a blanket. One member of the group lifted the small Silvanae baby in the air and announced, “It’s a boy!” They disappeared into the cottage while everyone cheered. Another group of Silvanae carefully removed the quivering limb from the tree and spread a creamy salve over the broken oval in the trunk where the branch had been.

Silvanae began to dance around the tree, and tiny fairies flew up into the top and lit up all the branches with their fluttering wings. When the celebration was over, it was late.

As Faunus walked us to the Grove of Dreams, I asked him, “So now we know where the Silvanae come from, but what about the fairies? Are they born from trees too?”

He laughed. “No. Fairies are born of roses. When the bloom is spent, we leave it to seed. A bud swells, and when the time is right, a fairy is born with wings the color of the bloom.”

“Do you live forever?”

“No. We’re not immortal, but we do live a long time. When a Silvanae dies, his body is laid to rest in the roots of the mother tree, and his memories become a part of future generations. Fairies die only if their rose plant does, so they can live a long time, but they are awake only in the evenings. During the day, they find a flower to rest on and their bodies change into morning dew. At night, they turn back into fairies again. Ah, here we are, the Grove of Dreams.”

He’d led us into a secluded area. It looked like a fairy honeymoon suite. Tall trees supported a leafy bed that hung from vines. Baskets of fragrant flowers hung from each corner of the grove. Gossamer pillows and bedding were embroidered with swirling vines and leaves. A group of fairies who had followed us in took their places in the lanterns.

“The four large trees that support the bower stand one in each direction—north, south, east, and west. The best dreams are had when the head points west so you wake with the sun in the east. Good luck to you and sweet dreams.” He smiled and was off, taking two fairies with him.

I shifted uncomfortably. “Umm, this is a little awkward.”

Kishan was staring at the bed like it was a mortal enemy. He turned to me and gallantly bowed. “Not to worry, Kelsey. I will be sleeping on the ground.”

“Right. But, uh, what if you’re the one who has the dream?”

“Do you think it matters if I’m in the bed or not?”

“I have no idea, but just in case, I think you better join me.”

He stiffened. “Fine. But we’re sleeping back to back.”

“Deal.”

I climbed in first and sank into the soft feather bed and pillow. The bed shifted back and forth like a hammock. Kishan muttered as he stowed the backpack. I caught snippets of phrases. There was something about
fairy princesses
, and
how does she expect me to sleep
, and
Ren better appreciate
, etc., etc. I stifled a laugh and rolled onto my side. He pulled the gossamer cover over me, and then I felt the bed sway as he lay next to me.

As a breeze softly stirred my hair, I heard Kishan sputter, “Keep your hair on your side, Kells. It tickles.”

I laughed. “Sorry.”

I pulled my hair over my shoulder. He muttered some more, something about
more than a man can bear
and shifted quietly. I fell asleep quickly and had vivid dreams of Ren.

In one dream, he didn’t know me and turned away from me. In another he was laughing and happy. We were together again, and he held me close and whispered that he loved me. I dreamed of a long rope lit with fire and a black pearl necklace. In another dream, I was underwater swimming alongside Ren, while we were surrounded by schools of colorful fish.

Despite dreaming very clearly, there was no hint of the omphalos stone. I woke disappointed and found I was sleeping nose to nose with Kishan. He had his arm draped over me, and his head was pillowed on my hair, pinning me to the bed.

I shoved him. “Kishan. Kishan! Wake up!”

He woke only halfway and pulled me closer. “Shh, go back to sleep. It’s not morning yet.”

“Yes, it
is
morning.” I pushed against his ribs. “Time to wake up. Come on!”

“Okay, honey, but how about a kiss first? A man needs some motivation to get out of bed.”

“That kind of motivation keeps a man
in
bed. I’m not kissing you. Now get up.”

He woke with a start. Confused, he groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Kelsey?”

“Yes, Kelsey. Who’ve you been dreaming about? Durga?”

He froze and blinked a couple of times. “That is none of your business. But, for your information, I did have a dream about the omphalos stone.”

“You did? Where is it?”

“I can’t really describe it. I’ll have to show you.”

“Okay.” I hopped out of the bed and adjusted my dress.

Kishan watched me and commented, “You’re prettier now than you were last night.”

I laughed. “Yeah, right. I wonder why you dreamed of the omphalos stone, and I didn’t.”

“Perhaps you went to bed last night with different questions in your mind.”

My mouth fell open. He was right. I hadn’t thought about the stone at all before I slept. My thoughts were entirely focused on Ren.

He watched me curiously. “And what did
you
dream about last night, Kells?”

“That’s none of your business either.”

He narrowed his eyes and scowled. “Forget it. I think I can figure it out on my own.”

Kishan took the lead in walking back to the Silvanae village. A short distance away, he stopped and ran back to the Grove of Dreams. “Be right back. I forgot something,” he hollered over his shoulder.

When he returned, Kishan was grinning from ear to ear, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get him to tell me what had made him so happy.

W
e breakfasted with the Silvanae again and were gifted with new clothing. Both of us were given lightweight shirts, khaki pants with a subtle sheen, and plush-lined boots. I asked if they were leather, and the peaceful creatures didn’t know what I was talking about. When I explained, they seemed shocked and said that no animals were ever harmed in Silvanae. They said that the fairies wove all their cloth and that there was no material on Earth as fine or as soft and beautiful.