Chapter 11
Winnie didn’t realize how exhausted she was until the queen suggested it. She plodded up the staircase behind Kip, ready for a shower and rest. They climbed dozens and dozens of shiny marble steps.
The colorful murals on the walls and the fancy curlicue carvings on the banister could only distract her so long. After three landings they had to be close, but Kip led her through a wide corridor to another staircase.
“Where are you taking me? To the attic?”
“Nearly there.” He sounded way too cheerful.
They reached a landing with royal-blue carpeting. From there, they entered a wide room with the same color carpeting.
Upholstered benches built into the inside wall faced three wooden tables, and a pair of potted ferns, at the opposite side of the room. The first table held a crystal goblet and a clear glass bottle filled with cranberry-colored juice. A plate of orange cheese and a sliced baguette had been laid out on the second table. The third held a bowl, overflowing with red and green grapes. At the fruit table, Winnie plucked one from the bunch.
“Don’t eat the green ones.”
Too late. Sour juice splashed over her tongue. She spat it into the nearest plant pot. She hacked and thumped her chest.
“The red ones aren’t nearly so bad, but they still take some getting used to. If you like sharp cheese, you’ll love theirs. And the bread is divine.”
Her stomach lurched at the thought of sharp cheese. Divine bread sounded promising. She grabbed a slice. The outer crust held just the right amount of crunch. The moist inside was still warm. She groaned in ecstasy.
“You do know your bread,” she said with her mouth full. “I’ll give you that.”
The smell of freshly mown grass wafted through the arched windows that lined the room’s outer wall. She followed the scent to the nearest window. Rolling green lawns lay beyond the castle’s stone walls. Far beyond a band of trees stood a mountain range.
“This is amazing. I see everything!”
“Everything but the sea,” Kip said.
Just remembering the ocean’s putrid smell made her nose twitch.
“Bed and bath are in there.” He nodded toward the open doorway on his right.
She peeked into the next room. The deep-red paneling made the room as dark as a cave. Only a hint of light shone through the stained glass french doors on her left.
He eased past her to a column in the middle of the room. Sconces with unlit candles encircled the column. “Interesting thing about this place,” he said.
A casual wave of his wand made a flame appear at the end. “They’ve got electricity from solar and water power.” He held the wand, which she assumed was a lighter, to the wicks, flaring them to life. “Oddly, they seem to prefer using candles to light their rooms.”
A gentle glow from the lit candles fell over a platform supporting a king-sized, four-poster bed. Gold-and-blue curtains had been tied back to expose a comforter and wide mattress.
“I don’t mind.” She joined him in the enchanting room. “This place is amazing!”
“It is. I’ve a similar suite in the north wing.”
She ran back to the front room for more bread so she could eat while exploring her suite. Two doors opened into deep walk-in closets. A third housed a bathroom with a toilet. Instead of a sink, the top of a cabinet held a pitcher with mint-smelling liquid and a washbasin.
Back in the bedroom, french doors opened onto a little white balcony with a table and two chairs, facing the mountains.
She gasped in delight. “It’s like my own hotel room in the alps, minus the snow.” She gripped the balcony railing and breathed in the cooling air.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” spoke the Cockney voice from behind her. “Where did you learn about General Whatzit? I mean Takka?”
She glanced back at him. “My dad married his mom. It’s Mikey.”
“That’s who everybody’s been going on about? Little Mikey is a general?”
“Kind of.” She returned her attention to the balcony’s view. “I don’t completely get it myself. Takka’s mind or something is inside Mikey’s body. If you can put yourself into a trance, you can ask him about it. The oracle helped me talk to him when I was in the dungeon.”
“Unbelievable. You go from prisoner to general, and you get to speak with the oracle. I’ve been in this place three weeks now, and all I got—”
“Three weeks?” Winnie faced him. “I just saw you yesterday.”
Kip frowned. “No, you didn’t.”
“Oh, right. Time acts funny here. When did you step into the time tear? I mean what time?”
He shrugged. “Middle of the night. I didn’t exactly step in, though. I pitched me tent over the place where Mikey said it would rise.”
“You came here on purpose?”
“So did you.”
“That’s because I’m a—” She stopped herself, unwilling to admit her warrior status. “It’s because Mikey needed somebody to lead his army.”
“Mikey asked for a wizard as well.”
“He never said anything about a wiz—” She cut herself off again, eyes narrowing. “Are you here because of your magic tricks?”
“They’re not tricks anymore. I’ve got me own lab now and books. I’m learning incantations that actually work. Good thing too. I needed to use the convincement spell on the queen after you tried to get me nicked for being an impostor.”
She shook her head. “I hate to tell you this, but you are an imposter.”
“I hate to tell you this, but you’re not a real general.” He stalked from the room.
“Whatever,” she muttered.
From the balcony she watched the evening sky turn from pale blue to purple and pink. The colors softened her mood. Wispy clouds parted, exposing Frama-12’s rising moon. Instead of a man in the moon, the craters formed the shape of a lady in profile, sitting on a rocker. The image wore a dress and a cowboy hat. Whistler’s Mother in a Stetson.
The odd moon proved just how far from home she was. A deep ache throbbed in her throat. She’d felt that same pang her first night at sleep away camp after her mom died.
“You have to be a kid,” Dad had told her. “Going to camp is what kids do.”
Before he drove away, he’d given her one last hug. “Look to the moon,” he’d said. “Each night, just before bed, blow it a kiss. It’ll bounce off and come right to me. I’ll be standing outside, waiting to catch it.”
She blinked through tears at Frama-12’s lady in the moon. She kissed her palm and blew it toward the alien moon. After a quick washup in her miniature bathroom, Winnie dropped onto the fluffy mattress. She didn’t even undress.