--Tibetan proverb
Things were quiet now. She stood at one of the windows looking out at the passing scenery. She wasn’t sure why, but a sense of unease had settled upon her. Everything was going according to plan, what there was of a plan. No one could possibly be following them. Tavik was still tied up. Why she felt something wasn’t right eluded her. Agatha stood at the wheel holding it steady. Mr. Squibbles slept on the witch's shoulder. Yula was dusting. Tavik still sat at the table. No one had replaced the mask, and he had not demanded it back, which was good because if he had, Naomi would have pitched it out the open door. She was considering blindfolding him though. His unblinking stare followed her wherever she moved.
She got up and paced the room. She wanted to talk about the plan, but Agatha had dropped cues not to reveal anything to him. She had no idea how this whole thing was going to play out once they reached the northern plateaus. The only thing she could figure was they would tie him to a tree and hide till a unicorn showed up. It seemed ridiculous and highly likely to fail. She wasn't sure why keeping him in the dark was important but played along.
“If you’re bored, there are some games in that cabinet,” Agatha said.
She stopped pacing to check out what sort of games the witch would have. An assortment of odd shaped objects lay nestled in the cabinet. She began drawing each out to take a look. She pulled out a stone board that had checker squares scratched into it. There was a small tied bag with the pieces for it. It looked like the game might be similar to checkers. She pulled out a stack of cards in another tied bag. She shuffled through them. Odd pictures were drawn on each of them. It looked like none of the cards repeated. She pulled out a bowl with small round stones piled inside. There were toys in the cabinet as well: a stuffed bear with a lopsided smile, a blocky wagon with fat wheels, hand carved animals. A child had obviously played with these. She wondered where the child was now. She put the toys back and only kept out the items she supposed were games. “Any suggestions? I don’t know how to play any of these.”
Agatha bounced the shoulder the mouse slept on. “Mr. Squibbles, hop down and show her how to play Cirrant.”
“I don’t want to play Cirrant,” he mumbled as he turned over and tucked his nose under his tail.
She looked over at Yula, but she was on her hands and knees with a wash bucket and rag and hadn’t even looked up when they spoke. By the time they reached the northern plateaus, the cottage would sparkle and gleam if Yula had anything to do about it. Unwillingly, her eyes landed on Tavik. He was still staring at her. Agatha’s eyes shifted to him as well. She arched an eyebrow to her as if to say if she wanted to ask him, ask him.
She did not like that idea. Feeding him had been fine, and while playing games with him when he was tied up wasn't necessarily cruel, it was pathetic. She decided she would amuse herself with a tried-and-true Earth past time. She took the stack of cards over to the table. Tavik arched an eyebrow at her. She didn't pay him any attention. She set the deck on the table and picked up the first two cards. She balanced them on their edge to make a T. She would build a house of cards. No need for instruction or other players and it could take up hours. She couldn't believe she was this bored. She should relish the break in action, but in actuality, it made her antsy. She focused on the house of cards and blocked out everything else.
The house of cards was now a card castle with four stories and a bridge. Tavik had sat there silently watching her at her idle pastime without ever saying a word. She appreciated this as it allowed her to utterly ignore him. Mr. Squibbles had finally finished his nap and had taken on the daring enterprise of sneaking through the castle’s foundations. She couldn't see where he was currently among the cards.
She carefully began the fifth story of her masterpiece. She had never built one this tall. She was kind of impressed with herself. She grinned as she laid down another layer of cards. She sat back to enjoy her success. Suddenly the table lurched, and the card castle tumbled.
“Ack! I'm buried alive,” Mr. Squibbles cried.
Her jaw dropped at the total destruction of her idle past time. Not a card was still standing. She looked at Tavik. There was an evil smirk on his face. He had caused the ‘table-quake’. She narrowed her eyes as she glared at him. She would get him back for that.
“Naomi, clear that mess away so I can start setting out lunch,” Yula said.
She began picking up the cards and dug out Mr. Squibbles, who quickly scurried away to avoid any further calamity.
Yula laid out a large spread for lunch. Naomi retook her seat from breakfast for Tavik-feeding.
“Don't give Lord Tavik any of the soup. I put carrots in it, and he can’t eat those,” Yula warned.
“Why, would they kill him?” Naomi asked.
Yula shook her head. “Oh no, they just give him an upset stomach.”
She chuckled. “Shoot, I was hoping we could kill him with a carrot. I bet that would be fun to watch.” Yula gave her a nervous look and moved the pot of soup out of her reach.
“Tell me Tavik, how long have you been in service to the god Errilol?” Agatha asked.
He stared at the witch silently. Naomi poked him in the ribs. “Answer her, politely.”
He didn't even turn his head to glare at her. He seemed to be locked in a staring contest with the witch. “Your family must be so proud,” she said her voice dripping with contempt.
“I have no family,” he replied flatly.
“Then Naomi’s motivations must seem completely foreign to you. You see this is all spurred by her fervent wish to return to her family. She misses them. I bet her parents are very proud of her.” Tavik swung his head to look at her.
She hunched her shoulders feeling like a pawn in the argument and not liking it. “I don’t know if they’re like really proud of me. I mean, I guess they are because I have my own place, an okay job, and no criminal record, but I’m probably more proud of them than they are of me. I mean they raised me, gave me a good home, helped me get through college, and they never made me feel like I owed them for it even though I know it was hard for them sometimes financially.” She shrugged her shoulders not feeling like she was saying it right. “I miss them. They make me happy, and I love them.” “You are a good girl,” Yula said softly.
“Damn, now I want to visit my mom,” Mr. Squibbles grumbled.
“Interesting because I still do not,” Tavik said. His face was unreadable. His eyes were again locked on Agatha, and she stared back with a grim look on her face.
“I miss my boys. They were good boys. Whenever I would go out to chop wood, one of them would pop up to do it for me, and the oldest didn't even live at home anymore. He was apprenticed to the blacksmith, but he still would come by to help around the house.”
“Do you know where Yula’s sons are?” Naomi asked.
He looked down at her for a moment. They stared at each other. She tried to keep her face blank, but she really wanted to give Yula something for helping her, and nothing would be better than knowledge of her sons. He stared back at her, and she thought for a moment she saw his eyes soften, but then he turned away, and she couldn’t be sure. Yula stared at him with an open face. Her hope was clearly stamped on it.
He grimaced and shook his head. “I could ask one of my captains to check into it for you. I can’t offer a guarantee that they'll discover where they are though.” Yula deflated at this less than hopeful news.
“I have asked at the different camps, but could never get information. No one knew them.”
“Do you still have something of theirs?” Agatha asked.
She mutely nodded.
“Give it to me; I may be able to help you.” Yula’s face broke into a true smile. She rushed to her small bag and retrieved the stuffed rabbit.
“They both played with it. Is this good enough?”
Agatha took the toy and smoothed its ears back. She smiled and nodded. “Yes, but I need to collect a few things before I can try the spell. We'll do it tonight.”
“Oh thank you, thank you,” Yula said clutching the witch’s hands. Naomi smiled for her. She had high hopes that Agatha would be able to help her. The witch had shown how formidable she was; after all they were flying through the air in her cottage.
“There’s no need to thank me. Family's important. It’s all most people have.”
Naomi noticed that Tavik clenched up at the witch’s statement. It took him a couple of seconds to loosen his jaw to take the beef off the fork she offered him.
“I never met any of your family or heard anyone talk about them. Are they still alive?” she whispered.
His eyes looked to her with a coldness that made her instantly regret her inquiry. “I have no family,” he said again.
She nodded and didn’t ask any further questions.
The flying house settled in a small field after lunch. Everyone except Tavik exited swiftly to walk around and stretch their legs. Yula looked back at the cottage with pity.
“We should let him come out and relieve himself. I would think he needs it.”
Naomi looked back at the house too. She frowned. “It would be too easy for him to escape. He could overpower us in a snap.”
“He will not escape,” Agatha said.
“You can’t be sure. It’s too much of a risk,” she argued.
“So he should just piddle on the floor? That’ll be nice,” Mr. Squibbles said from Agatha’s apron pocket.
“What will we do to keep him from escaping?” Naomi asked.
“We could put a leash on him,” Mr. Squibbles suggested.
Yula looked sickened by the idea.
Naomi though was okay with it. “It could work. Who's going to leash him?”
Everyone looked at her. She began backing away and shaking her head. “Oh, no. I am not holding the leash on Tavik. He already wants to kill me first.”
“Come on, Naomi. He’s your husband, so you’re the one who gets to walk him,” Mr. Squibbles said.
“Oh, sure. Use the old matrimony argument: To love, honor, and imprison.”
Yula crossed her arms. “It’s either let him outside to relieve himself or mop up after him, and I just spent all morning on my hands and knees cleaning that floor.”
“You know no one asked you to do that. I keep a very tidy home.”
Yula pressed her lips together and turned away. Agatha’s eyes narrowed.
“Naomi, go, before these two start scratching each other’s eyes out,” Mr. Squibbles said.
“I’m going. I’m going.” She did an about face and headed back to the cottage.
Tavik lifted his head when she entered. She suddenly realized she had no idea what to do. Leashing him just insured he couldn’t run away, but he could still run at her. She planted her fists on her hips and glared at him. Her frustration seemed to amuse him if the twitching at the corners of his mouth were any indication.
“I’m supposed to take you outside so you can relieve yourself.”
“Very kind of you.”
“You only have to pee, right?”
He couldn't hold back his grin. “Yes, I only have to pee.”
“Thank God.”
She found another long length of rope. She went over to him and put a hangman’s noose around his neck. “Stand up.”
He rose and stood straight with his shoulder’s back. He was still very large and intimidating. She was so dead. She tugged on the noose.
“Follow me, hop-along.”
He shuffled a couple of inches and stopped. “This is ridiculous.”
“Better ridiculous than dead.” She tugged on the rope. “Now come on.”
“Plan on holding it for me?”
“No, you can sit.”
“Untie my feet at least.”
She shook her head. “Uh, that's a big no. You could tackle me or something, and I would rather not find out what the something could be.”
“I give you my word of honor that I will not tackle you or something,” he said dully.
She shook her head again. “I don’t think I can trust you.”
“Have I ever broken my word to you?”
She tilted her head and contemplated his question. “You have kept it, but I don’t think you have any compunction to keep it now. We kidnapped you.”
“Naomi, I would never harm you. I gave you that oath and do not ever plan to break it.”
She gave him a speculative look. He seemed sincere, but she couldn’t believe him. If she were him, she'd be looking for any chance to escape. Wait. That had been her! And look, she'd escaped. He was bigger, stronger, and was from this world. His chances of escaping were much higher than hers. He wouldn't need a talking cat and mouse to help him. She looked at his bound feet. It would take them hours to get out of the cottage like this.
Knowing it was a bad idea, she went with it anyway. “Sit down.” He sat without another word. She knelt and untied his legs. She heaved a deep breath and placed her hands on his knees to push herself up. As she rose, he opened his legs, and she found herself pitched forward into his lap. Her face was level with his, and she froze.
“You promised,” she said.
He grinned. “What did I promise?”
She opened her mouth to answer, and suddenly she had Tavik’s tongue in it. She flailed back, but he followed her. He was merciless. His hands were tied behind his back, but she felt like the powerless one, and it didn't feel too bad. Damn, the man was a good kisser, but she knew she shouldn't indulge. He needed to stay chaste. She pushed him away and skipped back finally. She raised her hand and wiped her mouth.
“That definitely falls into the something category.”
He looked very pleased with himself. “Pity, I thought you might let that pass.”
She bent and picked up the rope. She gave it a good tug. “Come on.”
Mr. Squibbles sat on a rock near the door. “What took you two so long?” He noticed her flushed face and bruised lips. “Naomi,” the mouse scolded.
“It’s his fault,” she said pointing at Tavik.
“Humph, I think I will go with you two. Obviously, you two can’t be alone.”
“We’re married,” Tavik argued.
“Doesn’t matter,” Mr. Squibbles said. He crawled up Tavik and took up residence on his shoulder. “Well, let’s go pee,” the mouse said.
She led the way to a small copse of trees that would give Tavik some cover while he did his business. She wasn’t worried about him running off anymore. Her lips still tingled. Maybe she shouldn’t be the one holding his leash. He’d brought up their marriage like it mattered. She never really thought of them as husband and wife. More like prisoner and jailor. They were married, but were they something to each other? She’d been with him a good bit and was sort of okayish with him, but everything was so topsy-turvy here. Was she a wife?
Tavik came to stand in front of her. “I need my belt undone.” She meant to glance down at his waist to check his belt, but her eyes kept going down to stop a few inches below that article of clothing. Get a grip, she told herself. He was going to go to the bathroom, which eww, not sexy. She grabbed hold of the belt and tugged it loose. Instantly, the pants began to sag. Her eyes shot back up to his face. He smiled crookedly at her. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to help?”
She thought about hitting him, but she didn’t need to. Mr. Squibbles stood up on his hind legs and bit him on the earlobe.
“Ow!”
“Go do your business,” he ordered. She grinned wryly and turned around. She realized that she would hear every sound he made. She hummed to distract herself. After a few bars, she realized her subconscious liked a good joke. She was humming the wedding march.
“He’s done,” Mr. Squibbles announced.
She turned back around as he ducked out from among the trees. He’d pulled his pants back up. All she had to do was refasten his belt. As she reached to do that, he stepped back and weaved to the side playing keep away. She couldn’t help giggling.
“Keep still,” she laughed.
He had a grin on his face too as he continued to dance away from her reaching hands. His pants sat precariously on his hips.
“Enough children, we need to get back to the cottage,” Mr. Squibbles chastised. She giggled again and lunged for the belt. He hopped back, and his pants slipped. She quickly turned around to face the other direction. She wasn't sure if she'd seen anything, but there had definitely been skin, too much for there to have been any sort of underwear. Tavik went commando. “See, this is what happens when you don’t listen,” Mr. Squibbles scolded.
“I didn’t see,” she sputtered.
Tavik sighed. She could hear him struggling to pull his pants back up. He growled softly in frustration. Her shoulders slumped. She knew what that meant. She turned reluctantly back around. She kept her eyes firmly up on his face. He was leering at her again. She frowned. She walked up to him, closed her eyes, and bent down. She jerked the pants up none too gently.
“Careful, you might want to use that later,” he warned.
She glared at him. Mr. Squibbles bit him on the ear again.
“Will you stop that!” he thundered at the mouse.
“Yes, when you behave.”
Fun over, she refastened the buckle and tugged on the rope to take him back to the cottage. Yula and Agatha were already back preparing to leave. They must have resolved their brewing argument and had collected different plants.
“Are we ready to go?” Agatha asked. Naomi nodded. She sat on the love seat, and Tavik sat down beside her. She didn’t bother retying his feet nor did she move from her place beside him. Agatha pulled down the steering wheel, and the cottage lifted off. “Next stop the northern plateaus.”
Tavik’s eyebrows rose. They’d kept their destination a strict secret. Agatha must have thought it didn’t matter anymore. “You don’t look northern,” he said softly to her.
“I’m not,” she said. As the cottage flew through the afternoon, she began to yawn. She dozed off and didn’t wake up till the cottage touched down again. She raised her head from Tavik’s shoulder. She glanced at him apologetically and wiped at the drool spot she'd left.
“Sorry.”
He slanted his eyes to her and gave her a small smile. Feeling a little too close to him both emotionally and physically, she rose from the love seat and stretched. “What’s the plan?” she asked.
“We should scout out as much of the area as possible before nightfall then I’ll perform the finding spell for Yula.”
Naomi nodded. “Sounds good. What are we looking for?”
Agatha motioned them over so she could speak without Tavik listening. “Hoof marks that are cloven, gashes made by a single horn on rocks, fragrant feces.”
“Nice smelling poop?”
She nodded. “Highborn ladies pay a great deal for the excrement of a unicorn.” Naomi shook her head.
“Now I’ve heard everything.” She suddenly shot a look at Yula remembering the perfume she’d forced on her. “Did you dab me with poo?”
Yula shrugged her shoulders. “It smelled nice if it were.” Naomi shuddered. She was not wearing another drop of perfume while in this crazy world. Nothing could be trusted. “What should we do with Lord Tavik?” Yula asked.
“He will stay here with me and Mr. Squibbles. You two be careful out there. Stay quiet and alert for predators.” They nodded both remembering their brush with Umbreks.
They put on heavy cloaks, mittens, and caps to keep warm on their scouting expedition and slipped from the house. Tavik came to the door to watch them go. She heard Agatha tell him to go back to his seat. She felt a stab of worry. The witch seemed to truly dislike him. She hoped he was still in one piece and human shaped when she got back.
The Northern Plateaus was sparse country. There were no trees, and the ground was perpetually permafrost. They had arrived in the fall season for the area. A cold wind whipped across the plateau and stung their cheeks and noses telling them that the fall season would be very brief. “Let’s make this quick,” Naomi said. Since the space was so open, they could see for miles. She began walking and looking at the ground for possible unicorn signs. Yula trailed after her.
The plateau was immense. There was too much ground to cover in one day. She hoped they found something soon because combing the entire place was a daunting prospect.
The bleakness of the place brought her spirits down. Her feet were quickly numb from the cold, and the rest of her was not long off. The wind made them wince every time it blew. They crept across the plateau for a couple of hours. They found no signs of unicorns or of any other wildlife. She began to fear this whole expedition had been one very bad wild goose chase. As the sun began to dip, they turned back to the cottage which was a distant speck. They had covered a good amount of area, but it had been no use. They had found no cloven hoof prints, horn scratches, or aromatic feces.
“I wonder if Agatha knows of anywhere else to search,” she said with her head bent as she continued to search the area doggedly on the way back. She didn’t expect to find anything but wouldn’t give up.
“Milady,” Yula called.
She kept going too focused on the ground. “Obviously there are other plateaus, since this it's called the Northern Plateaus and not the Northern Plateau, but I wouldn't mind giving up here and going somewhere a little warmer and less likely to have unicorns. I hate the cold.”
“Milady, look over there!”
She finally turned to Yula. “Did you find something?” Yula was pointing at something. She followed her wavering finger. Standing not five yards away was a unicorn.
“Actually, I think he found us.”
Continue to Chapter 13.
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