Towers [BOOK ONE]

Chapter Six

Channing grinned at Lily as we made camp three nights later. "It looks as if we've got a new friend to do dumb things with," he told me.

After we'd freed Lily from the tower, it wasn't long before we adopted her into our group and decided to bring her along. She had begged, pleaded to be allowed to come, and those round green eyes of hers were hard to argue with. Besides, I couldn't help but want to be friends with her. She had spunk--maybe even more than I did.

"Oh, please," said Lily, who was currently doing cartwheels over the campfire. She caught her footing after performing one that was a bit more wobbly than her others. "What's life without a dash of crazy to liven things up?"

"True," said Emmy, standing. Her blue eyes were full of curiosity. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

Lily and Emmy retreated a safe distance away to practice, and Channing turned to me. "We've been traveling for days. Almost a week now, I think. So where are we?"

I pressed a hand to my missing coat button to keep the cold air out. "I think we're getting close to the Sea of Sorrows."

"The Sea of Sorrows," Channing whispered under his breath, and the words made me shiver. "I've heard terrible things...that there's a boatman who can take you across, but that no one ever makes it. Some people say that the boatman drowns everyone once he reaches the middle of the lake. Other people say that the waters themselves rise up and swallow anyone who dares try to cross. And Caleb told me a story one night, years ago, a terrible horrible story, about how if you get on the boat, you'll become so overwhelmed with sadness that you'll just sink under the water and never come back up."

I nodded. "I've heard that last part, too. But I think the first two stories are nonsense." Then, in a softer voice, I went on slowly, "And yet, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe we really are going to our dooms."

There was a long, solemn silence, and the fire fluttered like a whispering ghost. I hugged my knees to my chest, dully fascinated by the swirling motion of the flames.

Lily's pure, honest, unashamed laugh cleared away the clouds of worry that hung over us. She had a nice laugh--loud and fearless, not holding anything back. "No, silly, you have to keep your elbows straight or you'll--" Emmy let out a shriek before collapsing, and Lily could scarcely speak through her giggles. "...fall flat on your face. Just like that."

I smiled softly. We're going to survive, I thought. We're going to save the kingdom.

~~~

"Summer sun,
Autumn sky,
Winter moon,
Springtime sigh.
Hear the robin singing, singing,
Hear the robin singing."

"I like listening to you," said Channing, his eyes on the horizon, where the Sea of Sorrows lurked like an ominous shadow. "Your voice is so pretty."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't flatter me."

"No, really, it is!"

Lily tossed her brown hair. "I don't sing. Where I come from, we'd rather dance."

"Oh," said Channing, suddenly interested, "then you're good at dancing?"

"Of course I am! I was the best in my whole village. Best at wrestling, too. I've beaten boys twice my size before. I'm a natural fighter, says my brother Rhys."

"Well," I said, shrugging, "I don't dance, but I do love to sing. I must know at least a hundred rhymes."

"Prove it," Lily said.

And so I sang until evening, when we reached the Sea of Sorrow's lonely shore.