Let Slip The Princesses of War (4 page)

Cinderella woke us before sunup (I think she was getting lonely on watch).  Ben had moved up to sleep behind me.  I didn’t mind, the bed was plenty wide and his warm body felt nice against my back. 

“I told you no dogs.” She pouted.

“He’s fully house broken.” I pointed out.

“He’ll get hair everywhere!”

“It’s not like you’re doing the housekeeping.  I can’t understand how you can travel around with mice under your gown, but have a problem with my dog!”

She considered it for a moment.  I could see her wilting under the crushing grip of my logic.

She nodded.  “Well, OK then.”

We ate magic table food, packed up camp and started on the road.

After about an hour Cinderella came up alongside me.  “They’re magic mice, you know. Not just ordinary mice.”

“I know.”

“And there’s something odd about that dog of yours.”

I held back a comment about the ‘normal’ magic mice that lived in her gown, “Odd how?”

“Well, he never lets you out of his sight.  He’s always watching your ass.”

I shrugged.  “I’m his master.  All good dogs always watch their masters.”

“No.  I mean he’s always watching your ASS!  The thing you sit on.  You bend down and his eyes are fixed.  He doesn’t do it with Pea or me.”

“I can’t even see your ass.  I don’t know if you even have an ass under there.”

“Oh, I have an ass and it’s damn fine too!”

“Not as fine as mine!” Shouted Sweet Pea from behind us.

And, well, we talked asses for most of the morning. 

That may have been our last truly carefree time.  When we stopped to eat a quick lunch, a few hours later, the mood was decidedly darker.  We were getting ever closer to the forest and we could all feel it.  It showed in the countryside too.  The farms were shabbier, the fields less well tended.  The people we met on the road were wary and didn’t stop to talk.  Anyone who could afford it had moved on long ago.

By the next day, we had entered a landscape that was completely bare of human life. All the farms and villages were abandoned. 

Even the food from the magic table couldn’t cheer us up, even the warmth from the sunken bath (more like a pool) couldn’t chase away the chill we all felt.  I mean, we ate the food and drank the wine and soaked in the tub, we’re not idiots.  Only it was less enjoyable than before. The only thing that cheered us up was when Pea found Cindy’s giant makeup box and we had a good old time making fun of her.  Well, it cheered me and Pea up.

So, we were all more than a little surprised, when on our fourth day on the road, just at the edge of the Great Forest, we came on a charming little farm with a neat little farm house and a group of girls working in the field.

I pulled my horse to a stop and Pea and Cinderella stopped beside me. 

“Something is very weird about that.” Said Pea.

Cinderella nodded. 

“So, should we stop and talk to them or just keep moving?” I asked.

“Too late now.” Said Sweet Pea, loosening her guns and motioning with her head at the group of girls who were approaching. 

Cinderella checked her sword in its scabbard.

“They’re just girls.  Keep the weapons down.” I said. 

Ignoring me, Sweet Pea turned to Cinderella.  “There’s just 8 of them.  You watch the ones on the left and I’ll watch the right.” Cindy nodded. 

The girls stopped on the road a few feet in front of us and the oldest opened her mouth to speak when the littlest, maybe 5 or 6, ran in front “Hi!  I’m Emily!  Where are you from?  It’s been so long since we’ve had visitors.  I used to have lots of friends, but they all moved away.  Do you know how to play jacks?  I have a set, but nobody wants to play with me.  Are you going into the forest?  Ma says we can’t go into the forest ‘cause it’s too dangerous, but my brothers go in all the time and nothing ever happens to them.  Can I pet your horse?  We used to have a horse, but he got too old to pull the plow, and we had to sell him.  Oooh!  Your gown is really pretty.  Did you make it yourself? We make all our own clothes.  I hate sewing!”

“Emily!  Enough!” Shouted the oldest girl.  “I’m sure they don’t need to hear everything about you right this moment.  Out here on the road.” Then she turned back to face us. “Sorry, Emily is just excited to see new people.  We all are, actually.  I’m Andrea and these are my sisters.  Ma would skin us alive if we let you pass without offering you something to eat.   Supper is almost ready.  Ma always makes it about this time.  I know we’d all sure like to hear news of the world.  It’s been so lonely out here now that all the others have moved away.”

I looked at Pea and Cinderella.  They both shrugged.  I shrugged back.  “Ok.  We’d love to join you for supper.”  I mean, it was just eight girls and their mom and brothers.  There was something weird, but if we can’t handle this, we sure as hell can’t handle Mallory in the heart of her territory.  And it would be good to get some information about what we would face in the forest. 

Andrea clapped her hands and smiled.  “Elsa, run ahead and tell Ma that we’ll have three guests!” She almost squealed in excitement.  One of the girls ran off.  Emily ran forward to pet Pea’s horse and Pea caught her up in her arms and put her in the saddle and they rode together towards the farm house. 

Up close the house was just as charming as from the road.  Freshly painted with white lace-trimmed curtains in the windows.  It looked like the perfect kind of house to raise a family.  Elsa and a woman came out to greet us.  The woman looked just like a prosperous farm wife should look.  A neat little apron over her black dress and a bit of flour dust on her hands and sleeves. 

“Welcome ladies!  I’m Annette.  I see you’ve already meet my daughters.  Please come in and make yourselves comfortable.  Supper’ll be ready in 15 minutes.” She waved us inside.

“Is there any place we can wash up a little before supper?” Asked Cinderella.  She was always better about those kinds of things than Pea or I. 

“There’s a pump out back.  Esmeralda, show our guests the pump and, Angel, you get them some clean towels.” 

One of the girls led us out back to the pump and we took turns pumping water and washing our hands and faces.  And another of the girls brought us some clean rough towels and soon we were looking and feeling more civilized.

The table was set with plates and glasses and as soon as we sat down a stream of girls entered, carrying bowls of steaming food.  Everything looked good.  It was plain farm food.  Not fancy palace or magic table food, but a hell of a lot better than the stuff Pea and I ate on a regular basis.  Ben lay quietly by my feet and I slipped him scraps and he licked my fingers clean. 

For a long while there wasn’t much talking.  Riding and farm work are both hungry occupations and we all ate our fill. 

“Can we help wash up?” Asked Sweet Pea, to Cinderella’s horror. 

“Nah.  You just sit and digest your meal.  I didn’t have seven daughters for nothing.” 

“Eight mama.” Said little Emily. “Don’t forget about me!”

Annette laughed. “Oh, right.  Eight!  I would never forget about you, my darling baby girl!” She gave us a tired smile.  “It can be hard to keep track of so many children.”

A girl came round with some kind of sparkling cider and filled our cups.

“Now.” Began the mother, Annette.  “What are three princesses doing way out here?  Oh, don’t look so surprised.  It’s not like you’re doing much to hide it.  Hell, she’s wearing a ball gown and those are some pretty fancy horses you’re riding.  You’re Princess Company or I’m a gelding!”

Cinderella answered her with a question.  “What I’d like to know is what you and your daughters are doing out here.  Everyone else has left.  We rode through two days of empty farms, only to find you snuggled right up against the forest.”

The woman laughed.  “A suspicious one, ain’t ya.   Well, I can’t see that it matters anymore so I’ll tell you.  Life hasn’t always been easy with my big family.  Finding food to feed ‘um all was always a tricky business.  We don’t have much money, what with my husband dead and buried these past five years.  We lived inside the forest, where nobody else much cared to live, ate what we could find or catch. Until it became too dangerous.  But, as luck would have it, when the forest was too dangerous for us, the area outside the forest was too dangerous for everybody else.  Maybe we’ve always been a little bit braver than other people, or maybe just a little more desperate.  Anyway, we found this nice little farm abandoned and made it our new home.  It may not belong to us in the strict sense, but we keep it up, we work the fields, we care for the animals.  We aren’t taking anything anybody else wants.”

Cinderella nodded her agreement.  “As far as we’re concerned you can keep it.”  Little Emily had crawled up on Cinderella’s lap (a bit of a challenge with her ball gown) and Cinderella held her, looking surprisingly maternal. It gave me a little pang and I thought Pea looked a little jealous.

“Well, that’s very kind of you, seeing how it’s not any more of yours to give than it is ours.  Anyway, you’ve heard our story.  Now, what’s yours?  There ain’t anything out here but the forest, so I suppose that’s where you’re headed.”

“Yes.” I broke in just to make sure nobody said anything too revealing.  Not that it probably mattered.   What were they going to do?  Run off to tell Mallory?  “We’re going into the forest tomorrow.  We would appreciate any advice you can give us.  What can we expect to find?”

Annette broke into a smile.  “I can do better than that.  My boys hunt in the forest.  They practically live there still.  Ain’t nobody knows the forest better than my boys, at least this part of it.  They’ll be back in the morning.  You stay the night, we’ve got plenty of room, and tomorrow my boys will take you into the forest and show you the way.”

Cinderella and Pea and I all looked at each other and held a silent conference.  I think we all were a little wary and felt like something was just a little off, but they seemed friendly and it would be nice to have guides, at least part way through. “Well,” I finally said, “it would be nice to have guides, at least part way through.  Ok.  Thank you.”

“Then that’s settled”, said Annette getting to her feet, “it’s getting on towards dark.  We sleep early and wake early.  Andrea, Elsa, show our guests to their rooms and make sure they have everything they need.  I’ll say good night now and see you all in the morning.”

“Good night.” We all said.

We finished our cider and the girls led us to our rooms.  They must have belonged to the hunting boys, but, mine at least, was passably clean. 

I sank down on the bed and Ben jumped up beside me.  It’s wasn’t soft like a palace or magic pavilion bed, but it was comfortable enough.  I felt uneasy and I wasn’t sure why.  Finally I realized that I was alone for the first time in, maybe, years.  No Pea, no nobody.  I guess, I really hadn’t realized how much I relied on Pea.  Her constant presence, keeping me focused on the job, grounded in the now.  There was something different about being closed alone in this room.  It wasn’t like being on watch.  I felt unmoored, my thoughts drifting into an ugly past and an uncertain future.  Well, I had Ben, and I put my arms around him and tried to sleep. 

Here’s the funny thing about sleep and life on patrol; it makes you both a light sleeper and a heavy sleeper.  I’m a light sleeper in that I’ll wake up instantly to the sounds of hoof beats or a person walking nearby, but I’m a heavy sleeper in that things like wind, light rain, small animal sounds or bugs crawling over me don’t bother me at all. 

So, the spider crawling on my shoulder didn’t wake me, not until it bit my neck, and then, of course, it was too late.  

I was on my feet in an instant as the door burst open and two giant spiders came in.  I was on my feet, but unsteady on my feet.  The spider venom in my blood blurring my vision, making my movements sluggish.  I reached for my whip and missed. I reached again and grabbed it. But then the spiders were on me.  Ben launched, unsteadily, off the bed and grabbed one spider by the leg, but the spider simply shook him off like he was nothing.  Ben must have been bitten too.  The other spider took me in two arms and began to wrap me in its silk.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ben being likewise wrapped before I completely succumbed to the poison and passed out. 

When I woke the world was upside down and filled with giant spiders.  I, groggily, looked around and saw Sweet Pea and Ben wrapped up to the neck in spider silk and suspended from the rafters.  Some distance below were three giant spiders (giant for spiders, they were about the size of a person).  I tilted my head up and saw a fourth in the rafters. 

“Well, looks like one of our guests is awake.”  A spider pointed with a leg in my direction.  “Get her some water.  Mallory wants them alive.” The spiders talked!  People talk!  I thought about engaging them in conversation, trying to charm my way out of this.  I can be pretty fucking charming when I want.  But I decided to wait until I was clear headed.  No point pissing them off while trying to charm them.  Who even knows how you charm a spider?  Are they vain?  Do they like flattery?

One of the spiders left and returned in a few minutes with a bucket of water and a cup.  I was suddenly aware of a burning thirst.  Must’ve been a side effect of the spider poison.  As I watched in fascinated horror, the spider climbed the wall and then across the roof beam until it reached the cord of silk that I hung from.  Then it slowly descended along the cord to my feet.  Suddenly the giant spider was on my chest, clinging with 6 legs to the cords that wrapped me and holding the bucket and cup.  I can’t remember a more frightening moment.  It just sat there for a second, giving me a chance to realize how bad my situation was.  Its eight eyes spinning, its mandibles clattering.  And then it held out the cup for me.