BRIGHT SUNLIGHT AWAITED JUST outside the mouth of the tunnel, tall green grass sprouting from the ground just beyond, with a small path of shorter grass cutting through the middle. It was too bright for Eldred to see much at first, and he shielded his eyes as Ness took them out of the tunnel, the final torches extinguishing as Ardghal’s hooves cleared the stone floor and stepped onto soft grass. Eldred payed no attention to either of his travelling companions, looking around him in every direction, twisting on the horse to try and make sense of what his eyes were telling him. They had emerged from the side of a medium-sized hill, grassy green slope rising up behind the door and ending a little ways up, rounding off far, far sooner than it should have if it was supposed to contain the entire tunnel they had just traversed. The sky above was a brilliant blue, cloudless in the afternoon sun. The air seemed colder than it should have been- as though the blinding sun above them was giving off no heat- but it stirred with wind that rustled the branches of nearby trees, setting the grass off swaying and sweeping through the emerald green meadows that seemed to stretch out before them. Everything seemed so bright and vibrant, leaving the world they had seemingly just left behind feeling dull and grey in comparison. The red and yellow of the autumn leaves that were carried by the wind seemed like gems, coming to rest on rich brown earth. The terrain before them spread out, hills rising taller than Eldred had ever seen, intermixed with the flatter, rolling meadows that stretched toward the horizon. He saw, off to one side, the beginnings of a huge forest, trees giants against even the hills they backed up onto. He swore, farther beyond, pale blue in the distance, he could see huge shapes moving, floating above the ground. They lacked the ethereal, insubstantial outline of clouds, instead ending in hard lines that suggested something solid.

Closer to them, further down a slope just a short ways from where they stood, Eldred saw the beginnings of a lake, waters blue and clear, glittering in the light of the sun. Snaking from it and tumbling over rocks and twisting between the hills, he saw a river. He was speechless, taking in everything at once and yet taking in none of it. He caught himself wondering what Cal and May would think of this view- which landmark they would want to explore first, where they would want to visit and see more of. Then, he thought about what his mother might have said. Would she have been anxious and wary? Would she have warned him not to go too far? Or would she too have been caught up in the beauty of the landscape.

His wonder fell away with the advance of darker thoughts, and he returned his attention to his immediate surroundings, looking back at the tunnel behind them.

“This place is my home,” Ness said into the silence. She was still holding onto the reins, turned toward the horse and the boy.

“What’s it called?” Eldred asked after a moment, looking back toward her. “Are we still in England?”

“We call it Telthame,” she said, “but no, we are no longer in England. We are somewhere else, both distant and close to your homeland.”

He frowned at the cryptic words, but he had started to become accustomed to the odd things Ness would say, and had come to accept what she wouldn’t tell him, as well. “Is the doctor near? Why couldn’t we go to one before?”

“I know little of healers in your lands, and what I do know does not fill me with comfort. This doctor is one I have known for a number of years- I know that at least she can see to your wounds and give adequate treatment. I am sorry that you had to travel so far.”

He lifted a hand to his face, brushing over the wound that marked his cheek. One question still remained, the answer to which was arguably the most important to him. “Who are you?” It was a question he’d asked Ness before- revealing to him both her name, and a connection to his father, but he remained unsatisfied with both answers. He watched her intently, staring up into the visor of her helmet, hoping he might catch even a glimpse of the face within, some indication of an expression or some emotion.

A moment passed as Ness contemplated the question, and she turned a little more toward him. “I am Ness,” she said, “I was born in this land- Telthame- and I… work for its monarchs.” She spoke of her apparent employers with an undertone of bitterness. “My work takes me across the realms, both this one, your England, and others that are not too far from yours. I met your father when he too was in service of the Courts, and we became friends. I gave him my word that I would ensure no harm came to you- a promise that…” she hesitated, and Eldred was surprised to hear regret in her voice. “A promise that I have thus far failed to keep. If I had been there sooner on that night, you would still have your mother.” Her voice got quieter as she spoke, trailing off into silence again.

Eldred shifted uncomfortably, unsure if he should give her some reassurance. He was a about to speak when she continued with an intensity that caught him off guard.

“I will not fall short again,” she said with conviction, and even though he could not see her eyes, he was sure that she was looking directly at him. He squirmed a little under the scrutiny, fingers tightening around the saddle that he sat upon. After a moment, she returned her attention to the horse, and gave the reins a short tug, signalling the end to the conversation as they resumed the steady walk toward their destination.

Ness did not remount as they travelled, instead remaining a few steps in front, leading Ardghal onwards. They moved from the narrow dirt path onto a wider, more established road. There were very few fields in this place- the roads seemed to cut through near pristine terrain, bordering onto the meadows and forests of this place with no barrier between them. There were no fences, no hedges, nothing to stop a traveller from stepping off of the road and into what Eldred could only assume was wilderness.

It was two hours before he saw the first signs of life- a small cottage set just a short ways from the road, nestled in the outskirts of a forest. Between them and the cottage was a swath of tall, swaying grass dotted with the occasional tree. The path meandered around the uneven terrain, and they followed it as they moved closer to the house.

It reappeared from behind a hill, and Eldred straightened on the back of the horse, straining to see more of the structure. They weren’t very far from it now, and Eldred was a little disappointed that it looked like a fairly typical house. The architecture seemed familiar and cosy, with uneven stone walls topped with a dark thatch roof. Trellises covered the house’s immediate vicinity, branching from the house and standing alone beside it, covered in climbing plants that snaked and wound along masonry and wood alike.

They reached the small house’s path, and Eldred was surprised as Ness turned to start leading them down. Was this their destination?

Late afternoon sun left the house mostly in the shadow of the trees, and as they got closer Eldred could see how small the house really was. It was wide and short, seeming to sag under its own weight. The windows were set unevenly in the walls, each seeming to be of a slightly different size. The frames of both windows and door were painted in bright colours, impossibly vibrant even in shadow.

They entered what could best be described as the house’s garden- there were no fences or hedges, but there was a trench dug around the patch of land the house sat on, the side nearest to the house cut sharp and blunt, and the side farthest forming a smooth curve down to the bottom. It went down at least as far as Eldred was tall, and the boy peered down as they crossed it, a small wooden bridge forming the entrance to the garden proper. A trellis stretched from the front door to the bridge, vines cloaking the entire structure so that Eldred could barely see the wooden frame holding them up. Even in autumn as they were, the leaves bright yellows and oranges, there were at least as many leaves on the vines as there were on the ground. Archways opened up on either side of them as they passed through the tunnel of vegetation, revealing winding paths that passed a number of plants- a few Eldred recognised as herbs, and others that were unfamiliar to the boy.

Ardghal came to a stop, and Eldred looked up to see that they had reached the door. Ness offered him a hand, and he took it as he slid off the horse, stumbling a little as his feet hit the ground. Suddenly he felt nervous, the prospect of meeting someone new no longer enticing him as it might once have. The cottage, which had seemed quaint and cosy from a distance, had resolved into something a little run down and unfamiliar the closer they had come. Either side of the door was a large planter, the plants within little more than twigs in the face of the coming winter. Their dead leaves cluttered the paved path, already reducing to mush in the damp and continuous cold. The door before them was covered in a bright green paint, and in the corners and crevices he could see the paint starting to peel, spider webbing cracks spreading across its surface. He hesitated as Ness stepped up to it, standing upon the wide, flat step that marked the end of the path. He didn’t want to get any closer, he decided.

Ness’s knocked three times, leaving a short pause between each. Her fist was loud on the old wood, and the door creaked in protest. Eldred took in an anticipatory breath, reaching up toward the horse for some comfort. Ardghal, for his part, moved his head to look down at the boy who stood at his shoulder, seemingly unconcerned by the proceedings.

There were sounds of movement from inside- a rustling that got louder as the maker of the noise moved closer to the door. There was a moment of silence as whatever it was stopped at the door, before the door started to swing inward, revealing a dim hallway and a hunched old woman.

She was dressed simply, clad in a shapeless green dress, white apron tied around her waist. Her face was old and lined, crows feet at the corners of her eyes suggesting a mirthful life. Her hair, long and white, was tied loosely behind her head, coming down in curtains either side of her face before lifting back up to join the tail there. Eldred let out the breath, relieved to see a normal person not wearing a suit of armour. Her eyes were bright and dark, peering out from deep eye sockets with suspicion and curiosity. One white eyebrow lifted as the old woman took in the armoured figure that stood before her- Ness towering in the doorway. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you here again,” she said after looking her up and down. She stepped forward, peering up at the visor. The corner of her lip quirked in amusement, before the old woman’s attention turned to Eldred.

He shrank back, startled by the woman’s apparent fascination.

“Who’s this one?” she asked with some excitement, talking to herself as she closed the distance between them before Eldred could react. She reached toward his face, scrutinising the wound on his cheek as she took his chin into her hand, turning his face away from her. She tutted, looking back at Ness reproachfully. “What have you dragged this poor boy through?” she asked, releasing her grip on his chin and patting his head reassuringly. He looked between the two, unsure how to react. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder, and she stood beside him as she addressed the armoured figure.

Ness didn’t seem uncomfortable, remaining still where she had been standing for the duration of the interaction. “We have come far, Leola, could you tend to his wounds?”

The old woman seemed almost offended as she answered, “Of course I’ll tend to his wounds. Are you staying?” This last question she asked as she started to guide Eldred into the house, steering the boy up the step and through the door, taking him into the dim corridor beyond.

Ness didn’t need to answer, her footsteps loud on the wooden boards inside the cottage.

The corridor was long, with stairs on the left side beside the door, indented into the wall and disappearing up ahead of them. Paintings, drawings, and other decorations covered the walls over dark grey paint, giving the space an enclosed feeling. Three doors led off from the room, one at the far end of the corridor, one to the left, beneath the stairs, and the final one going off to the right. It was to this rightmost door that Leola steered him, reaching out to turn the handle, revealing a much brighter sitting room. Where the corridor had smelled of herbs, strangely clinical in scent with earthy undertones, this room smelled musty and disused, the earthiness overtaking the fresher smell.

He stepped inside, shoes sinking into a soft rug, and Leola released him. She shuffled around him, clearing an assortment of strange objects from the bench resting beneath the windows, and gestured for him to sit. He hesitated, glancing behind him at Ness, who had stooped to squeeze into the small space. As ever, the metal visor gave him no direction, so he took the last few steps and sat down upon one of the cushions.

This room was cluttered, with shelves and surfaces covered in small knick knacks and odd crafts- carved figures of animals and humanoid shapes, pieces of bone and skulls, things in glass jars, pots of green plants, and odd ornaments fashioned from twine and wood. She had lifted a stack of books and trays filled with small carved shapes, intricate symbols etched into their surfaces, from the bench, turning to add them to a teetering pile that rested upon a small end table off to the side of the room.