Chapter 18

KASSIE AND LAURA MADE THEIR way down to the kitchen and stopped at the doorway, peering through. Kassie couldn't spot anything at first, distracted by the workers who rushed around the crowded room while pots and pans steamed and sizzled on an excessively wide stove that took up most of one wall.

'Ah, there she is,' Loi pointed and Kassie could see Cat at a table, wedged in at the end of the room, enjoying her breakfast with her eyes closed in bliss. Kassie's stomach growled and they made their way to the table, sitting opposite Cat.

'Morning, kitty Cat,' Loi teased. 'Enjoying your breakfast?'

Cat's eyes snapped open and she stared for an instant then reverently said, 'Real cream.'

Kassie twisted, looking for the pot of porridge.

'Hello girls, you're awake now.' A kitchen maid with strands of pale blonde hair escaping her white cap smiled at them. 'Would you like some porridge?' She chuckled at their enthusiastic responses and turned. 'Oh look! Another one. Well, have a seat and I'll bring the porridge over in a moment.'

SIAN NODDED BLEARILY AND SLID onto the bench beside me. Letting loose an enormous yawn she plunked her head onto her arms on the table.

'Do you think they have coffee?' she whispered hopefully.

I smothered a laugh. 'I'm thinking not, otherwise you would have smelled it out by now.'

She groaned. 'How long does it take for the cravings to go away?'

Kassie reached over and patted her head. 'Three weeks, sweetie,' she chirped.

Sian lifted her head to glare at Kassie.

The maid maneuvered her way back to the table with three enormous bowls of porridge and set them in front of the others, then turned to me. 'Would you like a hot drink?'

'Do you have anything to wake you up?'

'Just the thing,' she said, and turned away to fetch it.

'I'll have one too!' bellowed Sian, making everyone wince at the noise level and startling the kitchen staff. They turned to stare at Sian who blushed. 'I'm so sorry, I'm really not conscious.'

We chuckled and the maid placed a mug of something hot in front of us. It didn't give the zing that caffeine did but tasted great, thick and soothing. I savoured mine while the others finished eating. After breakfast we made our way into the main area of the Inn looking for Henja and found her occupied with customers at the front door. After she saw them off, she turned with a smile. 'Girls, did you sleep well?'

We nodded.

'Excellent. Now let's get those food parcels sorted. I have asked Mentan and Lenol to come and give you instructions as to where to go,' she said reassuringly. 'With all that I'm sure you'll be fine.' Henja spun on her heel and walked to the kitchen.

We looked at each other and I shrugged sitting down at one of the tables. I hope the men don't take too long, I thought, I'd really like to get going so we can practice with the weapons. Loi drummed her fingers on the table while we waited.

A short while later Henja came out with two big bundles wrapped in rough sacking and the maid following had another two. It didn't look like we'd be going hungry any time soon. When they placed the parcels on the table the door to the Inn opened and two men stepped through, their eyes uncertain until they spotted Henja.

She waved them over and gestured at us. 'Mentan, Lenol, these are the four women the town is buzzing about. Sian, Catherine, Laura and Kassandra. They would like to know how to reach the castle.'

Mentan sat on the spare seat at the table and Lenol dragged another over.

'Right,' began Mentan. 'It's an easy trail from the village to the forest and I recommend you don't deviate from it.' His face looked serious, heavy furred brows drawn close. Lenol cleared his throat.

'The forest can be a little misleading as there are often animal tracks which look similar to trails, do you know what I mean?'

'Yes, I've seen that before,' I said.

LOI RELAXED WHEN CAT SPOKE up. Cat frequently stayed at her family's cabin back home, always ducking off for the last weekend of the month. Loi and the girls occasionally went with her. The cabin sat tucked away in the mountains, the perfect place to relax.

Then it hit.

Oh- will we ever see it again?

Loi's heart pounded at the thought and the realization. That awful realization. For a moment the Inn felt tiny; sounds, heat and smells pressed down on her while her head spun.

Never? Will we never see it again?

A strange feeling of guilt rose. Mike and Grant will be so disappointed, I promised them I'd take them next time.

Loi had bragged so much about the last couple of trips she'd made with Cat, Sian and Kassie, that her older brothers had begged to come along next time. A horrible sensation of tears swelled in her chest. Loi pressed her lips together tightly, frowning, trying to resist the desire. Just the thought of everyone seeing her cry made her want to cry more and she clenched her hands under the table.

A hand squeezed over hers and Loi twisted, meeting Sian's sympathetic gaze.

'All good, Loiloi, ' Sian whispered under her breath, squeezing her hand again. 'We can do this. '

Loi wrinkled her nose at Sian, attempting a smile. Her friends were what she imagined sisters would be like to have; so close and alike in thoughts, always able to bolster one another through tough spots.

'Least we're here together,' Sian whispered and Loi forced a grin, nodding. The current anxiety and fear lifted a little, making it feel more like an adventure for the moment. Loi turned back to listening to the men as they talked with Cat.

LENOL AND MENTAN WERE HARD to judge in age. Both had weathered faces that could have been anything from a hard aged thirty-five, to a fair looking fifty. Lenol gestured while explaining, almost acting out his words as he described some animals to watch out for. Mentan provided a sense of calm to Lenol's rather graphic warnings, not contradicting them but pointing out basic, straight forward solutions. It did feel really weird to know that the forest had things which could be a threat to us, such a vast difference to New Zealand with no real predators. Kassie and I listened hard, exchanging glances while Loi and Sian murmured together.

After the descriptions they explained the track and Mentan said, 'You will pass a total of seven villages before you reach the castle. They should all be welcoming, though I don't recommend bringing the elgrids this time.'

Lenol sniggered.

'We'll be more careful,' Sian promised.

The men described several landmarks we should watch for and they recommended a few camping spots. After that half hour of intense conversation with them, we were done. The men finished their drinks, calling out to Henja who walked to our table.

I couldn't help the almost panicked look I gave both men when I realized then that this was it, we were on our own.

Lenol smiled warmly at me and said in a reassuring voice, 'You girls should be fine. Your kind always is.'

After that perplexing statement, they stood, wishing us luck on our journey, and walked out of the Inn. No one said anything for a moment and I could feel my head bobbing while I ran through all the information again, lips mouthing the words.

Kassie spoke from beside me. 'Our kind? What does he mean by that?'

'He means people from the North,' Henja said and I turned to her. She lifted an eyebrow, turning her head to see if anyone else listened in before leaning closer and continued in a loud whisper. 'After hearing so many legends about your kind, most people here are excited to be able to say they have seen and met some of you in the flesh.'

We stared at her for a moment, our expressions a mix of confusion and amusement, unsure of how to respond before Loi, with a straight face, said, 'Well, being from the North we wouldn't have heard them.'

Henja laughed. 'No, I guess not.'

We each took a parcel, loading them into our packs then, after thanking Henja, headed out of the Inn.

Walking through the village gates, we paused to look back at the sound of them clanging shut and the bolt sliding across. I shivered at the ominous sound.

Kassie met my eyes and smiled. 'Don't worry, Cat, you know we'll be fine. They did say practically nothing was in the forest at the moment, so even if we do meet something, we'll be able to deal with it. No sweat.'

I sighed. 'Ten years jujitsu counts for something, right?'

'Exactly! Let's get going. The sooner we get there the sooner we can practice.'

Loi winked at me. 'Besides apparently our kind will be fine no matter what.'

I rolled my eyes. 'I'm glad to hear it. Now I won't panic.'