Seven Sisters

Part 1: Chapter 2

  The next morning Juniper took all her sisters across the small creek and through some brambles to a large patch of wild raspberry bushes. They all gasped in delight and took baskets from Roselyn to start collecting the berries. 

"Oh, these are so good!" Adrianna moaned in delight.

The girls all nodded in agreement. Subtly, so that only Juniper noticed, Lily started whispering in her twin's ear. Lydia nodded, a sly smile slipping over her face. They both started to pick the berries, looking innocent and casual, but both edging over to Laurel. The other girls was in a passionate conversation with Diana, they seemed to be arguing over which berries tasted better. 

"I'm telling you!" Laurel said, "They taste better when they're actually ripe, not still pink."

"These are not pink! They are just a lighter red."

The twins were creeping closer, still picking berries. Neither of their older sisters noticed, but Juniper was watching intently.

"They are so pink. Just adm-" but Laurel never got to finish her sentence because the twins had reached their targets. Taking their full baskets, Lily and Lydia dumped all the fruit they had collected onto Diana and Laurel's heads.

Both victims gave outraged shrieks and began pelting the youngest girls with the berries they had gathered. Soon Roselyn and Adrianna had join in the all-out raspberry war.

Juniper smiled and quietly slipped away, towards the town. 

Only Roselyn noticed her leave. 

.......

Juniper quickly slipped along the path to the village, taking extra care to make sure she wasn't followed by any of her sisters. 

She reached the village at midday. The bustling crowds and the noisy marketplace made her feel vulnerable and exposed. This was not a small village; in fact, it was closer to the size of a city, which was the reason that Juniper and her sisters had stayed as long as they did. 

Her first stop was at the tanners. There she exchanged the hide of the deer she had caught for ten gold coins. 

But Juniper couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. The feeling had started when she had entered the market place and only grown more prominent. She looked all around her, as if taking in the view, scanning for anyone looking remotely suspicious. Her eyes took it all in. The group of giggling girls, followed by a bored looking chaperone. The jeweler hawking his wares. The baker yelling at the group of dirty boys. The Äramea tribesmen talking and laughing amongst themselves. Giving a small sigh, Juniper relaxed. 

I guess I'm just getting paranoid, She thought to herself before continuing on with her shopping.

Next was the food market: flour and sugar and such that couldn't be found in the wild. She put it all in her pack, with a muttered emarcesco spell so the supplies would all fit with room to spare.

 She gave a grin at the familiar rush of magic. Only Roselyn knew she had it, and she planned to keep it that way; which means she can't use magic at home. But she still loves the thrill of power that rushes through her veins. 

Glancing around to make sure no one saw her magic, Juniper headed to the crafter's section. Soon Juniper was pursing her lips as she considered the colors laid out in the stall before her.

Blue or red? She debated. She suddenly froze as a warm hand rested on the small of her back. 

"Good day, my Lady." 

A softly accented voice came from her right. There stood a Äramea tribesman. He was tall, standing at least a head over everyone else, but only a few inches over Juniper, and well built, with deep black hair. His face was open and calm. Juniper could see the smile lines around his eyes and mouth and the golden ring in his earlobe, symbolizing his rank as a tribe chief. Something about this man made her relax, if ever so slightly.

"Good day, kiongozi. And to what do I owe this pleasure?" Juniper's voice was still wary. Even with as much as the Äramea tribes had helped her and her sisters in the past, she had never fully trusted them.

"Not much of a pleasure, I am afraid, but more of a warning." The man's voice had taken on a sorrowful tone. "They are closing in. You must leave before you become trapped back into their webs."

The man might as well have poured ice water all over her. Juniper would have fallen over if it wasn't for his hand on her back. 

"What?" Her voice came out as a strangled gasp. The man looked pityingly at her pale face before repeating his message.

"You must leave now." He said. Juniper quickly slipped out of the village and into the woods, half running as she pulled out her scrying mirror, the cloth forgotten. 

"Ostende mihi." Juniper willed the mirror to show her her sisters. But her sudden panic seemed for nothing. They were still at the raspberry patch, laughing and eating and talking. Juniper felt herself smile, letting the tension leave her body. Juniper sat back as she watched her sisters play; she never had enough of these small moments. 

Suddenly her smile vanished. She could see, in the trees, the shadowy figure of a man. He was creeping around her sisters, watching. Juniper could see the dim outline of a sword at his waist. 

"Nifanye mahali nilipoona." The spell spilled out of her like venom, taking her energy with it, filling her sight with red and black. But when her vision cleared, she was standing next to the intruder. He didn't even have the chance to look up before Juniper slammed his head into a tree. With a grunt, she heaved his body into the clearing.

There were a few gasps as the stranger tumbled in. Roselyn stood up in alarm, drawing a long knife from her skirts. They stood frozen as Juniper stumbled in behind him. 

"Sorry about that. . . ." Juniper mumbled, her energy fading too fast for her to control. "I got the groceries." 

And then Juniper's world tumbled into blackness. 

.......

Juniper woke up to Roselyn wiping a cool cloth on her forehead. 

 "Hey Ro." Juniper gave a weak smile.     

 Roselyn slapped her in the face. Hard. 

" 'I got the groceries?!?' Is that all you have to say for yourself? You show up, use way to much magic, throw a freaking spy into the middle of the clearing, and pass out. And then you leave me to take care of five near hysterical girls and an enemy spy! Did I cover it all? Oh, wait! Noooo. You also leave me to explain how you went all the way to town and back in less than four hours. Without telling the girls that you have magic! Please tell me that I got any of that wrong. Did I?" 

Roselyn glared at her sister as Juniper struggled to find the words to calm her, but nothing came. 

Roselyn sighed. Juniper noticed the worry and fear etched onto her sister's regal face. A sudden, horrible thought came to her and she felt the blood drain from her face. 

"Is the spy -" Juniper cleared her throat, "Is he from Azon?" She said the name like a death curse, her voice full of dread. 

Roselyn flinched at the name, but nodded. Juniper's attitude flipped like a dime and she was up on her feet and packing before Roselyn could blink. 

"Get the girls." Juniper growled. "We're leaving." 

"What? No!" Roselyn rose to her feet as well. "Jun- You just woke up. You need to calm down; take a few deep breaths. We aren't going to tear up our lives just because of one stinking spy. It's just n-" 

 "Don't argue with me!" Juniper yelled. Roselyn actually took a step back. She could see the thin strings of control in Juniper's eyes and the fear and pain beneath. But after a few tense seconds, the younger girl slumped back to sit on the cot as she took a deep breath. "Get the girls. We're leaving in an hour."      

Roselyn took a sharp breath and nodded before leaving Juniper to her pain.  

A/N:  Hello! Another chapter out! Thank you for reading. Comments and such are much appreciated!