Chapter 8

The three women ushered her away across the hall toward a new door in the far wall, letting her through into a warm room that smelled faintly of freshly-baked bread and roasting meat… a kitchen, she realized as she looked around in the gloom, though something told her not to expect any automatic dishwashers or stainless steel cutlery. With the kitchen doors closed behind them, the woman with the curly blonde hair uttered a theatrical sigh and slumped melodramatically against the wall.

You chose the best possible time to arrive, Ivy. I mean it. Thank you.

Nancy, the taller of the three said reprovingly — Elena, then, by process of elimination. She was a tall, remote-looking woman with a dark red braid and a pair of soft gray eyes. Be sensitive. Ivy, how are you feeling? The transition can be… jarring.

Youre all American, Ivy said suspiciously, her eyes darting between the three of them. Or your accents are, anyway.

How much did Edward explain? Anna asked, pulling out a stool.

Ivy sat in it, grateful to take some weight off her feet, which were beginning to chafe in her wet boots.

And how much do you believe?

She couldnt help but smile a little at that, feeling caught out. Um.

Its okay, Nancy said warmly, leaning over to touch her hand. Thinking were all crazy is absolutely a standard part of the experience.

I try not to use that word, Ivy said, grimacing a little. I work in mental health.

Deluded, then, Elena said without missing a beat, and Ivy felt an odd glow of warmth at the accommodation. All of us — and were in the double digits now, I believe — experienced some degree of… well, disagreement with reality, I suppose.

It took me… at least a week solid of going to bed and waking up to fully shake the suspicion that I was dreaming, Nancy said frankly. So — dont rush yourself, alright?

I appreciate that. Ivy meant it.

Anna had stepped through a door on the other side of the kitchen — from here, Ivy could see her speaking in a low voice to a couple of women who were dressed for all the world like medieval servants. Something shifted strangely in her gut when she realized that the women werent wearing costumes… if all of this was to believed, anyway. Those were their clothes. She was still digesting this reflection when Anna rejoined them, flashing them a brief smile as she settled in.

Therell be a room ready for you soon, Ivy, the woman said warmly. And Ive arranged for some hot water for a bath, too — getting that lake water out of your hair will help you feel more at home, I promise. Now — you were telling us how much Edward had told you?

Right. Yeah. Um — he said were in Scotland, for a start. That the lake I came out of is Loch Ness. And… It felt ridiculous to recount the story … especially as when shed been listening to it, shed been working under the assumption that she was entertaining a deluded persons fairytale of reality. He said that its the sixteenth century. Oh, and that the travel was made possible by faeries. The rueful smile that spread across her face quickly faded at the way the other women were nodding quietly, exchanging glances.

Hes always been an efficient communicator, that Edward, Anna said with a faint smile. Thats the short version, yes. So on a scale of one to ten, how freaked out were or are you?

Then? Probably a three. I hear a lot of pretty fun stories from my clients. Right now, though… definitely getting toward an eight or nine.

Elena smiled faintly, though her grave expression told Ivy that the woman was taking her worry seriously. Sounds about right. We wont overburden you with too much information tonight, alright? Get a good nights rest — it will help. As will something to eat, if you feel you can stomach it?

Food had been the furthest thing from her mind, if she was honest… but after Nancy had rummaged through the kitchen for a few minutes and returned triumphantly with some crusty bread rolls and a hunk of cheese wrapped in cloth, Ivy was surprised to find that her stomach grumbled into life.

In the faerie stories, its generally a bad idea to accept food, she pointed out, half-smiling as she set a slice of cheese carefully atop a piece of bread and lifted it to her mouth. Once you eat something, youre there for good, right?

The women laughed… though Ivy caught a trace of sadness in Elenas smile as the slender woman spoke. Youre here for good already, she said softly. This bread is just bread, Im afraid.

Well, magical properties or not, the bread was delicious. It had clearly been baked just that day, and she found herself devouring not just one roll but two, and most of the wedge of cheese. Nancy kept her company with a nibble or two of her own roll, but it was clear that she was only being polite… and Ivy couldnt help but grin a little apologetically as she brushed the crumbs from her damp clothes. At least she was starting to dry out a little… the residual warmth of the kitchen had gone some way to drying her out, as well as bolstering her spirits.

She felt like she should ask her new friends questions about where she was, now that she was somewhat reinforced with a belly full of food… but no sooner had she opened her mouth to raise the subject, there was a soft cough from the doorway to the kitchen, where one of the young servants was waiting.

Well talk more soon, Anna promised her, taking her hands in both of hers and squeezing them. Youll process it all better on a good night of sleep.

Ivy couldnt argue with that — not knowing as much as she did about how the brain processed major events, anyway. Thank you all, she said quickly, before she could be hurried away again. For welcoming me. This is all — pretty wild — but it helps a lot to know Im not alone.

Youve got us, babe, Nancy said cheerfully, pulling her into quick hug that surprised a laugh out of her. The warmth was comforting. Well get you through it all.

Youre safe here, Elena said softly, her grave face touched by a soft smile. Youre safe within these walls, always. Rest as long as you need. Therell be ample time for talking.

As much as she was reluctant to leave her new friends behind, Ivy had to admit as she followed the servant through the dark halls of the castle that they were right about one thing — she could use a rest. Yawn upon yawn kept bubbling up, and she quickly gave up on stifling them. It wasnt long before the young woman stopped beside a half-open wooden door and gestured politely for Ivy to enter. Murmuring her thanks, Ivy stepped inside — and with that, the door clicked gently shut behind her, and she was alone.

Alone, in what was absolutely, definitely a medieval guest room. Ivy stared around at the stone walls that surrounded her, jaw hanging open just a little as she finally took the time to take in where she was. Black stone, a little rough to the touch, accenting rustic wooden furniture that she realized must have been hand-carved, likely from trees from the very forest shed been walking past earlier that evening… it already felt like years ago, that long walk beside the lake, though it couldnt have been more than an hour since she and Edward had come into the castle. Edward… she felt a burst of gratitude for the quiet guard whod brought her here. Shed have to find him tomorrow, thank him properly for what hed done for her, now that she had her wits a little more about her — another yawn interrupted that thought, and she shook herself from her reflections.

The neatly made bed by the wall was calling to her — from here, the soft quilt looked incredibly inviting, and the freshly-laid fire in the hearth hadnt quite chased the chill from the room yet. But first things first — she needed to extract herself from her wet clothes. Wrinkling her nose, she shed her half-dry layers, peeling the cloth from her skin and shivering a little as she finally stood naked on the stone floors. Grateful for the fire, but still shivering a little, she took up a cloth from the steaming basin of water that had been set on the table for her and gave herself a standing bath, wiping the lake water, silt, and the occasional piece of clinging reed from her skin. A flash of the Kelpies attempts to drag her into the water… she shivered a little, and moved more quickly, eager to purge herself of that particular memory.

Her hair was another matter altogether. After a moments hesitation, she settled for dipping her whole head into the basin and combed her fingers carefully through the mass. It wasnt exactly a salon job, but it got the worst of the sand and dirt out of her hair, and there was a coarse-toothed comb on the table that helped get the worst of the tangles out of it, too. Then she slipped a long, white cotton shift over her head, surprised by how soft the fabric was.

But what was to be done with her old clothes? After a moments hesitation, she lay them carefully on the back of the chair, resolving to figure out how to clean them tomorrow. They didnt fit in here at all, of course… but then again, neither did she. And she wasnt especially keen to give away what few possessions shed managed to bring along with her. Giving her lake water-soaked blazer one last little pat, she blew out the candle that stood on the table, plunging the room into a darkness lit only by the crackling fire in the hearth.

Tomorrow, she told her racing mind. All of these questions and thoughts and worries could wait for tomorrow. She slid carefully into the bed, feeling the soft mattress embracing her worn-out body… and she must have been asleep before her head had even hit the pillow, because that was all she remembered until the morning.