20. Plans

"What do you mean, he has a grudge against you and mother?" asked Maria.

Eva fidgeted and drew squiggles on the ground.

"Aunty!" said Maria sounding more like her mother when she was unhappy.

"All right." Eva nearly shouted. "A long time before we got you, I sort of stopped one of his more elaborate jokes, or what he considered funny, and he tried to get me banished for interfering with a God. Your mother, of course, intervened and said that banishing me would break the contract she had made all those years ago. Since the contract states that I am to be her companion and my death at the hands of mortals is the only way I can be removed and not break the contract, I therefore could not be banished."

"Are you saying you got out of trouble because of a loophole?" asked Jenny.

"Yeah." said Eva wearing a big grin. "My sister is one smart cookie, which is probably why she speaks so quietly."

"But what did you stop him from doing?" asked Maria.

"He was having a fight with Feyer who was belittling him over the fact that Weivo could not create anything on his own. Feyer had a small forest area filled with his most valued creations, and they had erected what the others, at the time, considered to be a very beautiful shrine to him. None had seen such a show of devotion and Feyer was very proud of himself and strutted around like a peacock. Weivo of course was jealous as usual."

"And Feyer played on that, didn’t he?" said Maria.

"Oh yes he did." said Eva. "That only made Weivo retreat into himself and brood. And that is where he came up with the plan to cause a little accident that would destroy his shrine. Unfortunately it would destroy a lot of the people along with it. I caught wind of his plans through some of my animal friends and went to see if I could do anything to stop it. Just because the Gods are having a tiff does not mean innocent people have to suffer for it, if I can help it."

"So he tried to have you banished and failed in that as well." said Maria. "No wonder he is upset. Losing twice in one day to the same person would be a little aggravating, especially to Weivo."

"It didn’t help that Feyer took payment out on Weivo for his attempted aggression." finished Eva.

"So then Weivo told Isling about this place." said Harold thinking out loud. "But are you implying that he knew that you would be here and that we would be sent here?"

"He would have, if it was Weivo who told him the story of the two swords creating a key. Then he would know that Isling would have to steal the one from the Unnameable, and then find Maria to get the other." said Eva.

"He probably planted the idea of sending her here to get her out of the way, and Isling would have done that, not knowing that I would be here. Which is something Weivo would find amusing. Either watching me die or watching me suffer for having killed Maria."

"It seems a convoluted and roundabout way to go about getting revenge on you." said Maria.

"That is exactly how he likes it." said Eva. "He likes to play games and comes up with plans that rely on his ability to manipulate and read people. Any point along the way, the plan can derail and that gives him the thrill he seeks. Which makes me wonder about something else."

"What’s that?" asked Maria.

"It’s not like him to let anyone get something out of one of his schemes, other than himself." she answered. "And this treasure this Isling fellow seeks sounds a little too good a reward to be given out by Weivo. It would make Isling very powerful and very rich. Seeing others happy is not something Weivo likes."

"So it is just more lies on the part of Weivo?" said Maria. "And that there is nothing to the story?"

"That, or there is something there but not what our friend is expecting to be there. Either way I think we probably don’t want Isling to open whatever that thing opens." said Eva.

"So what do we do?" said Maria, "We’re stuck here and we don’t even know where Isling is going."

"Well, the first part I can help you with." said Eva. "Unlike you I don’t have a limitation on who and how many I can take travelling with me, so I can get you anywhere you need to go. As for the second thing, We have to talk to someone who may have heard this story or one like it and may be able to give us more details as to where our friend is going."

"That is if the story is true." said Maria.

"Yes, but Weivo likes to weave truths in with his lies, so you can’t completely distrust him, and yet you can’t completely trust him either."

"You have someone in mind, don’t you?’ said Maria.

Her aunt smiled at her. "Yep."

She turned to all of them.

"So, do you guys want to go home or are we all seeing this through to the end?" she asked them.

"That’s a dumb question aunty." answered Maria for all of them.

"I thought as much, but I had to ask." answered Eva.

She turned away from them and opened a portal.

"All right everyone." she said. "Stick close together. We have a man to see about a story."

They thanked the Dryads, who wished them luck, and together they stepped into the portal.

They stepped out on a path that wound its way through a small crop of trees. in the distance.

Eva checked to make sure everyone was present and said, pointing up the path, "Just up that way is the house of an old friend of mine. If there is a story out there about anything, he has heard it. If any part of Isling’s story is true he can tell us, and may be able to point us in the right direction."

They began to walk up the path. Maria felt that something wasn’t right, but could not put her finger on it. But as she followed her aunt it dawned on her.

"Aunty. Isn’t it oddly quiet?" she asked.

Eva stopped walking as did the others. She stood there listening.

"You’re right. Good catch there. Now the big question is why?"

Harold pointed back up the path.

"That would be why."

They all turned to where he pointed and standing at the edge of the crop of trees, were three of the largest and ugliest creatures Maria had ever seen.

"Athachs." said Eva. "Why did it have to be Athachs."