taught her. Her head swam with the effort to remain standing. The strain of the last several days pulled at her. He cocked his head at her observation.
“Yes,” he told her. “We’re in another realm. One where she can’t detect us.”
"She?"
"The White Queen."
"I see."
And then Amelie sagged against Simon and he hooked his arm underneath her knees and drew her head to his chest. "Come," he had said as if she had free will over her now useless legs. "I'll take you to Henna. She waits for us."
Simon was an easy natured man, reminding Amelie of Talon in personality only. The two were vastly different in physical form. Talon's hair was straw colored while Simon's was on fire with strong red tints. Talon had dark eyes and Simon's were a lighter brown. And though Simon was seven years Talon's senior, he had a youthful appearance that age didn't touch. His eyes didn't wrinkle, his skin was cream white and smooth. But both men were kind, quick to issue a joke, and carried a deep concern for others' well-being.
Simon was a royal gatekeeper. The magic the White Queen used to hide the White Forest from humans existed on the strength of her gatekeepers. These mages had the power to move in and out of different realms. Thanks to Simon’s endless patience to her curiosity, Amelie was aware of three fundamental ones.
"The earthly realm is where we reside," Simon had told her soon after she had awoken in a warm room, littered with animal pelt rugs on the floor and jars of herbs in the windows. She had been in and out of consciousness for a few days but now had the strength to begin badgering him with questions. A week's worth of Henna's soups with stocks from fish and deer and brimming with forest foliage had restored the days of hunger she'd suffered in Rankor's makeshift camp. "Tangible life dwells here. There is also the realm beyond, a land of spirits. Where we met was the middle realm."
"What is that?" Amelie was enraptured.
"It's a decision. Spirits who are strong enough can decide to return to the earthly realm. Spirits who have given up or do not possess the strength are carried into the realm beyond. Sometimes death is so forcefully dealt that one passes with hardly a pause through the middle realm and is robbed of the chance to try." He paused uncertainly. “You were one of those rushing by, Amelie. Your mother grabbed hold of your soul. It was that sudden yank that pulled me unexpectedly into the middle realm. Jarring actions like that can pull a mage against his will.”
Amelie felt a stab of sorrow at his recollection. She chose to push on with another question for fear she may start crying if she lingered at the memory. "And you can go to these realms?"
"Aye. I can. We do, the gatekeepers and I. We have the power to pull from the middle realm to create pockets of realms within the earthly one. The first generation of gatekeepers pooled their power to create the White Forest. The current gatekeepers uphold it."
"And decide who gets in and who doesn't," Amelie finished.
Simon nodded. "Mages can leave, but not without the gatekeepers feeling it. And they can't get back in unless one of us answers their chant."
"The odd whispers," Amelie said, remembering the voices on the wind she heard as she ran towards the forest.
"Yes. The entrance chant creates the gateway. The gatekeepers open it. With you, I had to quickly create a gateway because you weren't creating your own. Gatekeepers just move between realms. It's their power. They don't need an opening. And almost all mages know the basic chant. We learn it in school as kids. So it'd been a long time since I've had to actually utter the words. You very nearly ran into a boulder or tree. And you were fast. "
Amelie pursed her lips. "It felt fast. I'd never felt anything like it before, not even on a horse."
"Henna said you wouldn't know much about being a mage. I found it hard to believe her. I see now."
Amelie flushed. She was even more embarrassed that
“Yes,” he told her. “We’re in another realm. One where she can’t detect us.”
"She?"
"The White Queen."
"I see."
And then Amelie sagged against Simon and he hooked his arm underneath her knees and drew her head to his chest. "Come," he had said as if she had free will over her now useless legs. "I'll take you to Henna. She waits for us."
Simon was an easy natured man, reminding Amelie of Talon in personality only. The two were vastly different in physical form. Talon's hair was straw colored while Simon's was on fire with strong red tints. Talon had dark eyes and Simon's were a lighter brown. And though Simon was seven years Talon's senior, he had a youthful appearance that age didn't touch. His eyes didn't wrinkle, his skin was cream white and smooth. But both men were kind, quick to issue a joke, and carried a deep concern for others' well-being.
Simon was a royal gatekeeper. The magic the White Queen used to hide the White Forest from humans existed on the strength of her gatekeepers. These mages had the power to move in and out of different realms. Thanks to Simon’s endless patience to her curiosity, Amelie was aware of three fundamental ones.
"The earthly realm is where we reside," Simon had told her soon after she had awoken in a warm room, littered with animal pelt rugs on the floor and jars of herbs in the windows. She had been in and out of consciousness for a few days but now had the strength to begin badgering him with questions. A week's worth of Henna's soups with stocks from fish and deer and brimming with forest foliage had restored the days of hunger she'd suffered in Rankor's makeshift camp. "Tangible life dwells here. There is also the realm beyond, a land of spirits. Where we met was the middle realm."
"What is that?" Amelie was enraptured.
"It's a decision. Spirits who are strong enough can decide to return to the earthly realm. Spirits who have given up or do not possess the strength are carried into the realm beyond. Sometimes death is so forcefully dealt that one passes with hardly a pause through the middle realm and is robbed of the chance to try." He paused uncertainly. “You were one of those rushing by, Amelie. Your mother grabbed hold of your soul. It was that sudden yank that pulled me unexpectedly into the middle realm. Jarring actions like that can pull a mage against his will.”
Amelie felt a stab of sorrow at his recollection. She chose to push on with another question for fear she may start crying if she lingered at the memory. "And you can go to these realms?"
"Aye. I can. We do, the gatekeepers and I. We have the power to pull from the middle realm to create pockets of realms within the earthly one. The first generation of gatekeepers pooled their power to create the White Forest. The current gatekeepers uphold it."
"And decide who gets in and who doesn't," Amelie finished.
Simon nodded. "Mages can leave, but not without the gatekeepers feeling it. And they can't get back in unless one of us answers their chant."
"The odd whispers," Amelie said, remembering the voices on the wind she heard as she ran towards the forest.
"Yes. The entrance chant creates the gateway. The gatekeepers open it. With you, I had to quickly create a gateway because you weren't creating your own. Gatekeepers just move between realms. It's their power. They don't need an opening. And almost all mages know the basic chant. We learn it in school as kids. So it'd been a long time since I've had to actually utter the words. You very nearly ran into a boulder or tree. And you were fast. "
Amelie pursed her lips. "It felt fast. I'd never felt anything like it before, not even on a horse."
"Henna said you wouldn't know much about being a mage. I found it hard to believe her. I see now."
Amelie flushed. She was even more embarrassed that
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