A Light in the Darkness
an excerpt

The woods were full of laughter. It bounced among the trees, startling birds and scattering chipmunks among the fallen leaves. The bubbling, joyful sound made its way among the great oaks down toward the water’s edge. It echoed among the giant stones which lay half hidden along the hillside above the lake. The source was a giggle wrapped in a cascade of glistening curls and smooth ivory skin. She wore a long gown of linen that rested at her ankles, her feet bare upon the green moss of the wood. She grinned widely as her companion continued to dig, grumbling and complaining loudly over his shoulder.

“Curse this mud! The foul stuff is replenishing itself, I swear!” His scowl deepened as she giggled loudly behind him. “What do you need this stuff for again?”

A potion, remember?” she laughed as mud splattered the side of his face and he smiled despite himself.

“What’s it called?” he asked as he pulled at the elusive object beneath the mud.

“What? The potion?”

“No, this!” he said as he whirled around revealing a muddy lump in the palm of his hand.

She gasped in surprise, then began clapping and cheering wildly for him. “You did it! Oh, you did it!” Thank you, Justen.” She leaped at him then, nearly causing him to tumble with her into the mud. Carefully, she picked up the muddy lump, turning it over and over in her hands to inspect it. “Botcher root,” she said with a smile.

“Well, are you going to tell me what it’s for, or not?” he teased her.

“I told you, it’s for a potion.”

He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. “I know! What’s the potion do?”

“Oh!” she pretended sudden comprehension. “It relieves constipation and painful bowels.”

She laughed at the look on his face then carefully wrapped the botcher root in a linen cloth and put it in her satchel. They left the spring and followed the trickling stream down the hillside to the edge of the lake where they stopped to wash the mud from their hands and feet.

Suddenly, they heard a whiz, like the sound of an arrow in the air, followed by a sharp cry of pain. They looked sharply at one another then began running toward the shouts. Half way around the lake they came to a man lying on his back beside the trail. Out of his side they could see the white shaft of an arrow. His eyes were closed tightly and he moaned in pain as they neared him. She knelt beside him and began speaking softly to him as her eyes and hands assessed the damage.

“Sir, I am Merrilyn, an apprentice to Aileena, the Master Healer of Nomar. I would like to help you if I may.”

The man opened his eyes and nodded weakly. She grasped the end of the shaft and with a quick tug, pulled it free from his side. His shout was the last they heard from him and honestly she was relieved that he had fainted. She stuffed the bleeding wound with linen then looked around her. Justen was standing behind her, his face ashen in fear and disgust.

“Quick! Run to the stream and fetch some water. It will be cleaner there than in the lake.” He nodded silently and then turned running into the forest. It took him some time to find a way to carry the water, but he was clever and soon he was rounding the end of the lake with the fresh spring water balanced carefully in a hollowed log. He had been concentrating on each step so as not to spill the water, but as he neared the clearing he realized he could hear a man’s voice speaking excitedly. He came upon a most astonishing scene. Merrilyn was there as he had left her, kneeling over the injured man – except that he was no longer injured! They both looked up at him in surprise and he could see tears on her face. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking. He dropped the log and ran to her. He could feel her trembling and she turned to hide her face in his arms.

He looked again at the man who was now inspecting his side. The hole was gone. It was clean and smooth as though it had never happened, except his tunic was torn in that spot. Then, the man picked up the arrow. It still had blood on it.

“What does this mean?” the prince whispered. The man looked up at him, eyes wide.

“It means I’m The Alaith,” came the whispered reply. Then, she began to cry.