We dropped down through the tunnel, but not so far this time, and we did not appear in the Queen's reception -- that was an improvement. However, what I saw before us was not the place that I had imagined it would be. Instead of the majestic beauty of the most famous of all Elven cities, I saw something rather vague, and the shapes seemed to shift as I watched.
"That's not right," I said with a worried shake of my head.
"Where did you try to go?" Lord Snow asked.
"I wanted Rivendell --"
"Well, there's the problem," he replied. "You need to focus on a fictional place."
I looked at him, thinking he was joking. Not joking? That couldn't be right. "But -- Lord of the Rings -- Book -- Fantasy --"
"Oh, I suppose you would think that, wouldn't you? I forget you were raised, human. Did you think Tolkien actually invented that language? He was taught it and the lore. However, that still creates a problem for us, doesn't it?"
"Rivendell is real. Hobbits. Everything."
Lord Snow walked in front of me, turned around, and sat so that he stared up into my face. "Why wouldn't it be? Elsewhere is real."
"I --" I stopped and shook my head. "I grew up human. We had a definite line between real and pretend -- and even those of us who lived near the gate into Elsewhere only accepted it because we could experience it first hand. That's not the same as adventure stories from the books. It was real. We could touch it."
"Humans are strange, Snow," Edmond offered. He dropped to the ground and walked around a little, as though stretching his legs. "Maggie had a lot of the same problems. So we need to figure out where he can go, right?"
"We're looking at this wrong," Snow said. "All places are real to someone."
"That's not a help," I said. "Stay close, Edmond. I don't want to lose you."
He came back and rubbed against my legs.
"The edges of Elsewhere are places of unformed magic," Lord Snow said, and I thought he frowned. "Anything might be created there, and that's why Rivendell is trying to recreate ourselves here. We need to move on and let it go back to void. I don't want to find ourselves in trouble with that group."
"Move on?" I said. I didn't try to think of a new location, not yet. Honestly, it was starting to give me a headache. Also, there were worse places I might have chosen. "I think I need to sit down."
"Not here," Lord Snow said and in a tone I took seriously. "Think of some childhood story where we can go. Quickly."
"But I really want to go home --"
Of course, that caught hold of me. I grabbed Edmond, and Lord Snow threw himself closer to us as we dropped again. I hadn't really thought the words, had I?
There's no place like home...
We landed on the yellow-brick road.
I looked at Lord Snow.
"Oz," he said and nodded. "A bit real still, but there have been so many versions of it over the years, that I think we're safer here."
I just stared around the area in disbelief. At least I knew which ways not to go. That field of flowers, for instance, was not a good short cut toward the distant city. The apple trees behind us were watching with narrowed eyes. One of the first creatures I'd dealt with in Elsewhere had been annoyed trees, and I was rightfully careful of them now.
I looked around and saw nothing in sight, so I sat down on the road, right there on the yellow bricks. I felt as though I had no energy left at all. It occurred to me that maybe it was taking magic from me to go to these places, even if I didn't realize it. I was terrible at judging any sort of magic use still, but I thought these journies had made me weaker.
"We need a plan to get closer to the places in Elsewhere that we know," Lord Snow said. "Oz has a definite advantage there if we can find Glenda."
"Good witch. Get us home," I said and yawned. "Tired."
"Oh, of course. Maybe you should sleep for a while -- but only if you don't think you'll dream of other places."
That shocked me awake again. "That doesn't sound safe, then." I looked around with worry. "This is at least calm."
"And you trust it?" Edmond asked and crawled up into my lap. "Are you that far gone?"
He had a point, but my mind was swirling, and so was the world around me. I yawned again.
"You must sleep," Lord Snow decided. "If you trust me, I can help you sleep without dreams."
"Of course, I trust you," I said, surprised that he should say such a thing.
Lord Snow tilted his head. "I am neither human nor fae, you know."
"I suppose I should ask if that makes your magic dangerous to me," I admitted. "But that has nothing to do with trust."
"Yes, you are right," Lord Snow said. "Lay down. Think about something pleasant from your past. Something you can lock into."
"Maybe this isn't wise. What if danger comes --"
"I'll watch and wake you."
Trust.
I laid down and got as comfortable as I could there on the bricks. I was too tired to care about much, but I was glad when Edmond curled up on my chest, a familiar, though substantial, weight. He purred. That helped.
And I thought about home. Not my father's castle, but my mother's house. Her kitchen, in fact, and watching her bake oatmeal-raisin cookies, which I loved. Yes, that was the moment...
Awoke later. Edmond was already up. Lord Snow was looking up and hissing.
Yeah, I should have considered it.
The flying monkeys had arrived.
"That's not right," I said with a worried shake of my head.
"Where did you try to go?" Lord Snow asked.
"I wanted Rivendell --"
"Well, there's the problem," he replied. "You need to focus on a fictional place."
I looked at him, thinking he was joking. Not joking? That couldn't be right. "But -- Lord of the Rings -- Book -- Fantasy --"
"Oh, I suppose you would think that, wouldn't you? I forget you were raised, human. Did you think Tolkien actually invented that language? He was taught it and the lore. However, that still creates a problem for us, doesn't it?"
"Rivendell is real. Hobbits. Everything."
Lord Snow walked in front of me, turned around, and sat so that he stared up into my face. "Why wouldn't it be? Elsewhere is real."
"I --" I stopped and shook my head. "I grew up human. We had a definite line between real and pretend -- and even those of us who lived near the gate into Elsewhere only accepted it because we could experience it first hand. That's not the same as adventure stories from the books. It was real. We could touch it."
"Humans are strange, Snow," Edmond offered. He dropped to the ground and walked around a little, as though stretching his legs. "Maggie had a lot of the same problems. So we need to figure out where he can go, right?"
"We're looking at this wrong," Snow said. "All places are real to someone."
"That's not a help," I said. "Stay close, Edmond. I don't want to lose you."
He came back and rubbed against my legs.
"The edges of Elsewhere are places of unformed magic," Lord Snow said, and I thought he frowned. "Anything might be created there, and that's why Rivendell is trying to recreate ourselves here. We need to move on and let it go back to void. I don't want to find ourselves in trouble with that group."
"Move on?" I said. I didn't try to think of a new location, not yet. Honestly, it was starting to give me a headache. Also, there were worse places I might have chosen. "I think I need to sit down."
"Not here," Lord Snow said and in a tone I took seriously. "Think of some childhood story where we can go. Quickly."
"But I really want to go home --"
Of course, that caught hold of me. I grabbed Edmond, and Lord Snow threw himself closer to us as we dropped again. I hadn't really thought the words, had I?
There's no place like home...
We landed on the yellow-brick road.
I looked at Lord Snow.
"Oz," he said and nodded. "A bit real still, but there have been so many versions of it over the years, that I think we're safer here."
I just stared around the area in disbelief. At least I knew which ways not to go. That field of flowers, for instance, was not a good short cut toward the distant city. The apple trees behind us were watching with narrowed eyes. One of the first creatures I'd dealt with in Elsewhere had been annoyed trees, and I was rightfully careful of them now.
I looked around and saw nothing in sight, so I sat down on the road, right there on the yellow bricks. I felt as though I had no energy left at all. It occurred to me that maybe it was taking magic from me to go to these places, even if I didn't realize it. I was terrible at judging any sort of magic use still, but I thought these journies had made me weaker.
"We need a plan to get closer to the places in Elsewhere that we know," Lord Snow said. "Oz has a definite advantage there if we can find Glenda."
"Good witch. Get us home," I said and yawned. "Tired."
"Oh, of course. Maybe you should sleep for a while -- but only if you don't think you'll dream of other places."
That shocked me awake again. "That doesn't sound safe, then." I looked around with worry. "This is at least calm."
"And you trust it?" Edmond asked and crawled up into my lap. "Are you that far gone?"
He had a point, but my mind was swirling, and so was the world around me. I yawned again.
"You must sleep," Lord Snow decided. "If you trust me, I can help you sleep without dreams."
"Of course, I trust you," I said, surprised that he should say such a thing.
Lord Snow tilted his head. "I am neither human nor fae, you know."
"I suppose I should ask if that makes your magic dangerous to me," I admitted. "But that has nothing to do with trust."
"Yes, you are right," Lord Snow said. "Lay down. Think about something pleasant from your past. Something you can lock into."
"Maybe this isn't wise. What if danger comes --"
"I'll watch and wake you."
Trust.
I laid down and got as comfortable as I could there on the bricks. I was too tired to care about much, but I was glad when Edmond curled up on my chest, a familiar, though substantial, weight. He purred. That helped.
And I thought about home. Not my father's castle, but my mother's house. Her kitchen, in fact, and watching her bake oatmeal-raisin cookies, which I loved. Yes, that was the moment...
Awoke later. Edmond was already up. Lord Snow was looking up and hissing.
Yeah, I should have considered it.
The flying monkeys had arrived.
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