Alex could think about was protecting Elli. “If you twy to make Ewi die, I wiw stop you!” Alex blurted out.
Elli gripped Alex’s knee with one hand while she fingered the key through her shirt with the other. She knew the woman had complete control of the beast. “We will not answer those questions, Ma’am,” Elli said firmly, “and thank you for the hospitality, but it is now time for us to leave.”
Elli rose to her feet slowly, but without hesitation, and the others began then to get up as well. The growling of the animal increased immediately and markedly, as if before an attack.
“Wait. Please. Sit down again, dear children,” the woman said, more warmly than even her initial invitation, as if she were suddenly someone who knew them as family for a very long time. Ever so slowly, and with the deliberateness of having chosen to do so, rather than having been coerced, Elli and her friends sat down.
“I know who you are, Elli, and where you come from, and where you are intending to go, and what you are trying to do,” the woman said, with an attempt at reassurance in her voice.
But Elli broke in, demandingly, “Then why did you deceive us?”
“I cannot apologize, for that would mean being sorry for doing what I did; yet, I do feel terribly bad for having scared you so. But,” she added quickly and with emphasis, “I needed to be absolutely certain of who you are and that you would be able to withstand the awful—and what will most certainly be the continual—pressure to answer those questions or otherwise to tell the story about which you’ve been sworn to secrecy. Had you answered me, the mission would have been lost before it had barely begun.” She then added, but only after pausing to give weight to what followed, “Did I deceive you? Under ordinary circumstances, the answer would be an unqualified yes. But since I did so not for my sake, but for yours, the answer is no.”
As soon as the woman had begun to speak, the animal became silent. While speaking, the woman raised her right hand, and the beast retreated, hind legs first, back into the concealing shadows at the edge of the clearing. “Elli,” the woman said, “my name is Hannah, and you are now in the land of Bairnmoor, once ruled by Queen Taralina. It is ruled now by the one who deposed the Queen—Sutante Bliss, under the control of the Evil One.” Hannah then went on to tell her own version of the secret story, all of which was consistent with everything Peterwinkle had told the children.
“The source of all things, the Good, has chosen you for this incomprehensibly difficult and uncertain mission through the mouth of a messenger situated between the world you left and the world in which you now find yourselves. As with Peterwinkle, I do not know how you are to release the Queen. You will need the greatest of powers to undertake such a mission, and from where those powers will come, the Good only knows.
“But, among other valuable items, I have something to give you that could assist you on your journey. It is an amulet, Elli, to protect your hand in battle; but it is also something that will help you know the truth. If, for example, you want to know whether something being said is true, whether by you or another, the amulet will begin to glow. If the bracelet does not glow, then what has been said is either false or ambiguous. Ambiguity would exist whenever there is a combination of truth and falsehood presenting itself to you. But a word of caution: The amulet will only respond if you want it to, and the answer it provides may be other than what you had thought or hoped; in addition, the answer provided by the bracelet will not direct any decisions you make regarding the answer. There may be times, then, when you will not want to know the truth, if for no other reason than because the answer will make no difference regarding either what you should do or what you otherwise may already have decided to do.”
Hannah reached out a hand containing a wide silver bracelet. Elli went to Hannah and took the bracelet and then sat down again, placing the plain but elegant item on her wrist.
“Look now at the amulet, Elli. Ask it in your heart, whether aloud or in silence, whether the words that I have spoken are true.”
Elli looked at the bracelet and asked out loud: “Are the words spoken by Hannah all true?” Immediately, the amulet began to glow softly.
“The amulet is glowing, is it not?” asked Hannah.
“Yes, it is,” replied Elli.
“You can trust the bracelet, Elli. But remember: it will respond only when you want it to.” She paused, then said, “Remember also on your journey that all things ugly are not bad and all things beautiful are not good. And, finally, do not under any circumstances tell your story to anyone.” Hannah paused again. “I will give each of you a knife. It will assist you in many ways yet unforeseen, and it can be used also as a powerful weapon—and with extraordinary power on any one occasion you desire. However, you may use your knife as a weapon with extraordinary powers on one occasion only, so you must take great care to not squander its efficacy prematurely on lesser moments when greater moments of need may be yet to come. In that moment of extraordinary need, you will simply use it with the words, ‘in the will of the Good.’ Otherwise, it will still assist you immensely in battle and in other ways. Remember, however,” Hannah said with particular emphasis, “success in battle, large or small, may not necessarily be of benefit to you. The knife will not give you the wisdom of when to use it or not in its extraordinary capacity.”
Speaking as if she had just remembered a crucial piece of information, she said, “You must do all you can to avoid being seen by those who are the enemy, because your mere presence will alert them to a great anomaly they believe will threaten their power and so raise alarm throughout the kingdom. They may not know, at least at the outset, what your mission happens to be, but they will know you are not from this land simply because you are children; there have been no children in Bairnmoor since the ascent of Sutante Bliss. Indeed, since all children and any evidence of childnessness have been destroyed at the instance of Sutante’s rule, he will want to destroy you as soon as possible, and especially so since what he considers to be only legend nevertheless refers to the prophetic coming of a child to restore the kingdom to Taralina. Regardless of whether he believes the prophecy or not, he will take no chances, and will do anything and everything in his power to bring about your destruction as quickly as possible.
“All of us must now go our separate ways, for there are forces of evil approaching nearby from the west, and they may already be aware of your presence, so prevalent are there spies serving Sutante in all parts of the country. There are a few, like me, who will assist you on your journey. Nevertheless, regardless of their friendly questioning, you must not answer the questions I have posed to you or otherwise tell your story. If they are friends who have been set apart to assist you, they will know that part of the story they require to assist you, and they will insist on no more. But, be prepared for them to test you.
“Before you depart, I want you to put on clothes I have for you, and to hide your knives behind your backs; it will be best if all whom you encounter along the way see, first, that you anticipate peace.” While saying these words, Hannah brought out from the dark interior of the hut an outfit for each child, including a knife and sheath. There were short, dark brown leather skirts for the girls and loose leather trousers for the boys, all of which to the children seemed surprisingly lightweight. She gave to each a thick, long-sleeve linen shirt the color of toasted bread and a pair of knee-high boots made from water snake skin. In addition, Hannah provided each of the girls with leggings that were both lightweight and durable, designed to keep their legs warm, even in extreme cold, and cool in the heat.
The children put on their new clothes that would blend more easily into their surroundings, sequestered their knives, and at Hannah’s request hesitantly cast their old clothes into the fire. The fire flamed brightly for a few minutes before becoming only glowing embers once more.
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