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The afternoon sun had begun to set by the time the party had made it to the shores of Moosehead Lake. Keira and company had hiked four hours, far longer than she had expected the journey to take. Thankful for the extra rest, she did feel hungry but kept that to herself, not wanting to have to hear or deal with Luza and her ongoing desire for food.
Riley and Luza had separated from each other after the earlier incident. Riley stayed back with his head down most of the time, while Luza eventually made her way to the front with Keira and Birchard. All three teens and the loon arrived to see a similar sight. There was a vast body of water directly in front of them with no boats or anything to navigate the lake with.
“How does this work exactly?” Keira put her hands in the forty degree water. “I’m not really into the whole swimming thing.”
“You were fine in Manning,” Luza reminded her.
“We didn’t have a choice. It was warmer than this water.”
“Ladies, you don’t have to swim,” Birchard interrupted.
“Are you flying us over?” Keira laughed.
“Ask Bucky. He knows what to do,” Luza looked back at the boy.
Riley ignored the name, but still commented. “I was here in the middle of the night. Even then there’s only one way in and off the island.”
“Wait who said anything about an island?” Keira peered out onto the lake, not seeing anything but shoreline and trees.
“What else did you think we were going to?” Luza said.
“I don’t know. It’s not like anyone here is telling me much of anything. I just assumed we would be going to some great loon nest on the edge of the lake.”
“We don’t have great loon nests. Even the Great Loon might be an exaggeration.”
“How am I not surprised? Are we going to build a raft and row out to a few rocks?”
“Yeah Princess, since last time we were rowed to some rocks —” Luza playfully replied.
Riley stepped away back to the tree line. He looked carefully at the ground for several long moments. Scanning, he leaned down and picked up a small oval shaped stone.
“Skipping stones sounds like a great idea,” Keira was not amused.
“Be patient Princess,” Birchard flew down from Keira’s arm and stood on the small isolated beach.
“Do you want me to do it?” Luza asked.
Riley smirked. “No I don’t. Have you even skipped a stone before?”
“There’s always a first.”
“Maybe later I can teach you.”
“Enough already,” Keira rested her hands on her hips.
Ignoring Keira’s comment, Riley gave Luza a final look before he threw the stone in a side arm motion.
The little stone skipped not once, or twice, or three times, but twenty. Small circular ripples formed in the water, in a perfectly aligned row.
“What did that accomplish?” Keira asked Birchard.
“Now the real fun begins.”
Bubbles, lots of bubbles, formed along the surface. The ripples disappeared completely and from the bubbles a large wooden boat rose to the water level.
It floated one hundred feet off the shoreline.
“Amazing,” Luza said.
“Great so time to get wet,” Keira shrugged.
Birchard shook his head “no.” He waddled a few steps into the water. As he did so the water separated from his webbed feet. With each step, the water vanished and gave him a dry path to the awaiting boat.
“Come we must hurry.”
Luza and Riley immediately walked into the water. They followed the bird to the awaiting boat. Keira was more skeptical. She hesitated with each step.
Looking around she saw the pristine clear water of Moosehead. There were fish an arm’s length away.
“How long does this stay?”
“Not long enough I fear,” Birchard said from the safety of the boat.
The teen glanced behind her to see the clear path already covered with water. She quickened her pace and joined the others in the boat. Just as she climbed in the dry path was gone entirely.
“That’s a cool party trick,” Keira looked back at the distant beach they had walked from.
“You’ve seen nothing yet,” Riley added. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Keira sat down on the dry cushioned seat. She looked at the fifteen foot long oversized canoe and marveled first at the eight rows of seating. There were two cushions to every row.
Sitting closer to the bow of the boat, Luza plopped herself down next to Riley. She sat crossed legged. Without a word, she opened her backpack and took out a bag of Cheez-Its.
Keira chuckled at the white haired teen. She watched Riley lean against Luza and then shift slightly to look at the water.
Birchard took to the air.
“Where are you going?” Keira asked.
“Oh bother, I’ll see you when you get there.”
“But how?” Keira looked at the oar-less boat. Birchard didn’t stay to answer her final question. He glided away and went higher and higher into the sky.
Around the time Keira could no longer make out the loon, the boat began to move.
She reached for the sides, afraid the craft was going to flip.
“How?”
Riley smiled from the other end of the boat. “Don’t lean out too far if you really need to know.”
His response piqued her interest as the boat began to pick up speed. It wasn’t necessarily zooming across the water, but neither was the canoe meandering across the surface. There was a distinct wake, one that Keira had only seen back on Manning Lake when she would go water skiing with the Tearels.
There was a breeze rushing across her face. Keira’s hair flew aimlessly obstructing her vision. She grabbed onto what she could and with her head turned against the wind, the teen quickly put her hair into a bun.
Unable to resist, she peered over the side of the boat. A series of distinct shadows caught the princess’s eye. She couldn’t tell what they were, but something, someone was pushing this boat. Shifting to the other side it was more of the same.
“Should I be worried?”
“Unless you’re afraid of turtles,” Luza replied.
“Turtles?”
She nodded to Keira. “Lots of them.”
Riley shouted, “It depends on the size of the boat they need. There’s probably twenty under us right now.”
Keira peered back over the side and then she noticed the hard painted shell and a set of muscular legs. These weren’t normal turtles.
The teen had no idea how long they had already traveled as the shoreline was not even a faint reminder when she turned around. The lake itself continued to expand. There was water everywhere and waves. White crests from a northern wind had caused the moderately calm water they had left to become downright dangerous. For some unknown reason, their boat was immune to the menacing waves the teens could see developing around them.
Keira shifted herself to the middle of the bench. Whether it was flashbacks from a few days earlier rowing on Manning, the speed of the boat, or the closeness of the waves; Keira’s fingers were white from grasping onto her seat. The others were smiling and laughing. She didn’t bother to inquire. With Birchard now gone, that lingering feel of a “third wheel” became more evident.
Luza glanced across the boat at Keira and waved. She had finished her first bag of Cheez-Its and was thankful for the treat. Looking at Riley she wanted him to be closer to her, but thought better of it in their current location.
Curious, she tapped the teen on his leg.
“What?” Riley said.
“Did you come this way before?”
“When I was younger my parents insisted.”
“Not with Bilal?”
Riley shook his head “no.” “He had a motor boat waiting. I still don’t know how as it was so confusing, but there were others waiting for us.”
“Others?”
“It was dark. They even had me blind folded at one point. Bilal made a big deal that I didn’t know what they were doing. I still don’t understand as we had already greeted the Great Loon upon arrival.”
“Wouldn’t they know you were leaving?”
Riley was careful with his words. “That’s just it. We left in the middle of the night, right under the nose of the Great Loon. There was a lot of moving, noise, and then the sound of the engines from the boat. I didn’t see anything as we drove away.”
Luza looked back at Keira. She leaned closer to Riley’s ear and said, “Something doesn’t seem right. How would Bilal have known how to leave without the blessing?”
Riley shrugged and peered back out at the approaching fog.
“Bilal never took me as one that wanted blessings. I don’t think that was on his mind.”
“Still,” Luza remembered the mighty hunter and how he had chased her through the countryside.
“Someone helped him get through this. But what’s weird is that it’s not like the Great Loon takes sides. Clearly we know that. Yet my guess is Sohon didn’t want the bird in all of his business. It’s not like they would ban you from coming back to the island just because you left in the dead of the night, right?” Luza said more to herself than to Riley.
Riley’s face became more crossed and concerned at her words. “I hope not. That would complicate things just a bit.”
* * *
Keira saw the approaching fog. With each second, the canoe got closer and the fog got wider and thicker. Concurrently, the canoe slowed to a more moderate speed and the wake behind them diminished. The crashing waves from the wind became more distant and the water around them lost all current and motion.
“We’re not going in that are we?” Keira yelled.
“Nothing to worry about Princess,” Luza replied.
She disagreed almost immediately with the former Arctic fox. Not only did the fog appear out of nowhere, but it was growing at an alarming rate. The teen might have overlooked the fog, had there not been gigantic boulders lurking in the mist. Thoughts of shipwrecks, overturned boats, and her body scraping against the rocks twisted the teen’s stomach into a knot.
The turtles continued to guide the canoe forward and in they went to the thickening white mass.
“Are you two still there? I can’t even see my hands.” Keira looked down, unable to see anything in front of her, save the few strands of black hair she was unable to tie back earlier. The fog covered everything.
Riley and Luza sat closer together as the boat crept along. Luza nuzzled her head against the boy’s neck. She had removed the hair tie. Her long white hair with what looked like black highlights had fallen naturally over her shoulders and down her back.
“What are you doing?” He tried to push her away.
“Stop it. Humor me my prince.”
She put her hands around his long neck and brought his face down, closer to her own.
He could feel her hair against the side of his face. While he couldn’t see more than an inch in front of him, the same as Keira on the other end of the boat, Riley felt the longing look of Luza’s bluish amber eyes staring into his soul.
Leaning in closer, Riley felt the soft lips of his Arctic friend meeting his own awaiting lips.
* * *
As the canoe cleared the fog the large rocky lined island came into view. Covered with pines, evergreens, and balsams, the island appeared untouched by modern civilization. There were no docks, rafts, or boats of any kind.
Keira looked cautiously at the series of granite pillars shooting out of the water. The massive boulders were directly on their path. Nevertheless, the canoe didn’t waver. Down below, the turtles knew the route well. If they deviated at all the three teens would likely be tossed into the clear water and lost in the depths of a misleading nasty undercurrent.
Riley moved to the bow of the boat. He rested his hands on the front tip of the red oak constructed craft.
“Not much farther,” he said while looking back at both of the ladies.
Luza ran her tongue across her lips and then tightened the straps of her bag. She took a deep breath and glanced over at Keira.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. They clearly don’t want outsiders to know about this place.” Keira watched the wall of fog form a clear protective coat around the boundary of the island.
“Would you?”
“That remains to be seen Luza.”
Keira balanced herself on the edge of her seat and examined the water. Gone were the turtles, as though they had given one final push and the boat glided between the two rock pillars, onto an arrow shaped granite platform.
The boat came to a halt.
“We don’t have much time before they take it.” Riley leapt out of the boat and then offered his hand to Luza who was quick to follow.
He continued to stand on the platform, waiting for Keira who carefully climbed over each bench.
“Who’s going to take it? There’s no one here,” Keira said. It was misleading at how deep the water went. She glanced at the varying colors, hues, and layers of blue covering up what appeared to be shards of sharpened rocks.
Stepping off the boat, she felt secure being back on solid land.
“Step back kiddies,” Birchard’s familiar voice shouted from above.
Only Luza looked up to spot Birchard on a teetering elm.
Mesmerized by the boat, Riley had to grab onto the strap of Keira’s bag to get her to step off the platform. It was just in time, as the granite platform and the boat collapsed in the water. Both had vanished and left no trace.
Falling, Keira couldn’t balance herself and landed on her butt directly at Riley and Luza’s feet.
“He did warn you,” Luza laughed.
Embarrassed, Keira frowned and wiped the pine needles off her legs. She caught a look at the loon.
“I didn’t know it would be that fast.”
“How could you?” Birchard replied. “Was that another question? You hate questions, right Princess?”
“Haha Red-Eye,” Keira waved sarcastically at the bird.
Riley motioned to Luza and Keira to follow.
“Follow the boy, unless you want to see what other surprises are waiting for you out here.”
Birchard’s lingering comment didn’t fit well with Keira, but she went along regardless. Trusting Riley knew what he was doing, the three teens walked up a series of rocks towards a cluster of trees.
One would have thought they had walked uphill for minutes, but the steep rocks were navigated with ease. Near the top, Keira marveled at the water now one hundred feet below.
“Were these rocks even here when we landed? I don’t remember them or the trees being this high.”
“It’s always changing Princess,” Luza said. “Just don’t head out alone in the dark, right Riley?”
He ignored the teen and kept walking. He slid through a hedge of vibrant green Balsam firs.
Keira and Luza followed.
* * *
It might have been November on the other side of the lake with crisp air and cloud covered skies to match, but on the island life was different. True the sun had all but set from view and only a few remaining rays were getting onto the open path the teens now found themselves on. Keira, Luza, and Riley wouldn’t have known the difference.
Crossing through the row of Christmas trees they now traversed a crushed red stone trail. Trees had been cut back allowing rows of Peruvians lilies to grow and flourish. The vibrant colors with varying shades of purple, pink, and orange in their butterfly shapes caught even Riley’s attention.
Behind the lilies, blue balloon flowers, goldenrods, and beautyberries flourished.
“How did the loons do this?” Keira called out to Birchard.
“Oh child we didn’t.”
“Then who did?”
“Faeries,” Luza interrupted.
Riley stopped mid-step. “Let’s not get into that now.” He motioned with his hands to move onto a different topic.
“Why not?” Keira leaned down to smell several of the different flowers.
Birchard landed softly next to the princess and whispered, “It’s an old story. I’m not sure why the deer cares.”
“At least tell me how long your kind has been here.”
“Oh well that’s easy dear, over five hundred years.”
Keira fixated on the number of years. She decided she would ask Birchard later or maybe even the Great Loon.
Looking at all the beautiful flowers and feeling the warmer temperatures, the island felt and looked like a faerie refuge. The air was much warmer than Corky’s, so much so that Keira rolled up the sleeves to her turtleneck. Luza kept her scarf wrapped around her neck, but took a second to make it looser.
“So now what do we do?”
“We?” Birchard nibbled on the end of a goldenrod.
Keira knelt down and pointed at the old loon.
“I can come and go as I please. You should probably tag along with them at least to the center of the garden.”
“Is the Great Loon there waiting for us?”
“Not exactly, but it’s a good place to start.”
Before Keira could ask another question, Birchard shuffled deeper into the flowers. His mouth was busy taking little morsels from each stem.
She stood up and fell in behind the others, who yet again decided to push forward. It took Keira some extra effort to catch up, as Riley had decided to rush the pace.
“Is there a reason why we’re speed walking?”
“We are a bit behind so I didn’t want to insult the Great Loon anymore than we already have.”
“Insult? He’s just another loon. It’s not like he’s going anywhere.” Luza paused and then looked at the young prince. “Perhaps this has less to do with Keira and myself and more on your last time through.”
“Shut up.”
“Did you even leave a note?” Luza laughed.
“I don’t miss being on the receiving end,” Keira shared.
“Just stop. You know I didn’t do anything of the sort.”
“So what are you going to tell him? I still don’t understand why it matters anyway. It’s not like he’s going to refuse us entry into the gates.”
“There’s that word again. Anyone want to shed some light on gates as though it’s common knowledge?”
Keira thought maybe by playing nice, they might be more candid on the whole thing. Corky had filled her in with most of the details, but she still wanted more.
“Captain Secrets won’t tell you anything.” Luza pointed at Riley. Then she took several steps back and waited for Keira to match her pace.
“I’ve noticed.”
Pushing her hair out of her face, Luza leaned in to the taller teen and said coyly, “He’s a bit of a highborn. Aside from being a little stiff, he seems to think there’s a protocol the loons follow. I don’t remember anything of the sorts. I went through the gate by myself. It’s not like the thing is guarded. Anyway I appeared over here, and then caught the boat to the mainland.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Keira rubbed the side of her head.
“It’s not always that cut and dry,” Riley mumbled.
“It can be.”
“You’re coming from the middle of nowhere. Hmmm, what do you have some frozen tundra, snow, the occasional wolf? Is there anything of value in the Northern Wood?”
Luza pushed Riley gently. “We share one moment and this is what I get in return. You’re mean.”
Riley reached for her hand.
“Don’t touch me. It’s like you don’t even know me.”
“Luza? Do you have to do this now?” Keira felt uncomfortable. She pulled her arms close to her body and steered clear of the two teens.
“Come back Keira. It’s fine. I’ll deal with him later. No wonder you were hesitant to act.”
“Luza,” Keira shot an icy stare at the girl’s direction.
“Fine! Let Mr. Grumpy think his part of the world is so much better than all the others. It’s not like his mother’s not from up there. I wonder what she would think.”
“So there’s more than one gate?” Keira cut off the seething teen.
Riley nodded. “There are five gates, all placed together on the far side of the island. They don’t all go to her wasteland,” he laughed, “but different areas of Europe, one even farther.”
“My dad and his troop would have used one of them.”
“For sure, there’s no quicker way to get back.”
“So what’s the problem? Are these used daily?” Keira looked at Riley and then at Luza expecting an answer.
“That’s where it gets more complicated,” Riley bit his lip gently, trying to figure out the words he wanted to use. “Some are guarded at the entrance on the other side, by those loyal to Sohon. It’s not really one ticket in, one ticket out. You need permission.”
“What about here?”
“Uh, the gates are always shifting. The faeries in their infinite wisdom designed the contraption. Just because you walk through the first gate on one day, doesn’t mean you’re going to arrive at the same destination.”
“The Great Loon is the only one that knows how it all works,” Luza added.
Keira didn’t understand what the big deal was. “So the problem is with leaving not arriving? And why is that complicated?”
Before she could get an answer, the last rays of sunlight disappeared.
The darkness didn’t stay for long as though a switch was flipped on. Before the trees, but behind the goldenrods, lilies, and other flowers, fire plants illuminated the trail.
“That’s a nice touch,” Keira said.
“Don’t get too close. They are called fire plants for a reason,” Riley lectured.
“Like I was going to go over there and pick the thing,” Luza flipped her wrist at the boy and kept walking.
Letting Luza go ahead, Riley stayed back and waited for Keira to walk back out onto the main trail.
“It’s complicated because I have to apologize first to the Great Loon.”
“What did you do that merits an apology?”
“I didn’t really do it, Bilal did.” Ashamed he looked away from the slender teen.
“Certainly he would have to forgive you if it was coercion.”
“But it was my idea and I took him there.”
“Riley if you don’t want to share, fine. I can’t guess what you did or did not do. It can’t be that bad. It’s not like you were struck down once we stepped onto this island.”
“About that,” Riley looked around. He peered into the woods, searching the trees for glimpses of life. “I might not have told anyone this yet, not even Luza.”
“So why are you telling me now?”
“Because I need you to trust me. Things aren’t going to get easier. Don’t think that boom we get through the gate and there’s your father.”
“You didn’t even tell Luza? Should I call her back over here? Shouldn’t we all know what you did?”
“It’s embarrassing, downright shameful and I have had regrets over the events since.”
“Luza! Get back here right now,” Keira pointed at the teen.
“I’m not in the mood Princess,” Luza quipped.
“Neither am I, but you’re going to anyway.”
“I think I like this assertive Princess better.”
“Shut up Foxy. Riley has something important to say about what happened last time he was here.”
“He told me already.”
“Not exactly,” Riley shuddered.
“Spit it out then Bucky,” Luza said.
“Have you noticed there are no other birds flying around?”
“Now that you mention it, yes I have noticed only Birchard has graced our presence. But granted that’s what it was like when we arrived at the faerie garden near Manning.”
“No Princess this is different. He means there are no birds, don’t you?” Luza said.
“What did you have Bilal do, Riley?”