The Tower 38

“I’ve been waiting for you,” she said softly rocking the child and humming quietly.

Her eyes met mine and she smiled. The effect took my breath away. She was so beautiful and I was just a plain, ordinary person.

Her smile widened. “I’m glad you found me. I’ve been hoping you would break through the enchantments and come.”

“What enchantments?”

“You felt them each time,” she replied matter-of-factly.

I stared at her in confusion, not really understanding. “You are Sareanne?” I finally blurted out.

“Yes and this this Antheus,” she said holding the baby up so I could see.

His eyes were the same piercing blue I had recognized from the paintings and my encounters, but this didn’t make any sense.

“But I met Antheus, he was an adult…” I muttered. “But you…you…” I couldn’t finish.

“Ahh, I see,” she said. She looked at the baby thoughtfully for a few moments. “The change must have happened. Mehean warned it might. What did Antheus look like?”

Her statements ran together in my head and she stared at me for at least a full minute before I realized she had asked a question.

“Normal,” I replied quickly.

She let her breath out with a sigh of relief. “Good. That’s very good. What did he tell you?”

“Everything,” I said carefully, “well, almost everything. He didn’t finish. Sareanne, what happened to all of the people, the village?” I looked around me. “Where am I?”

“The tower,” she said simply.

I looked around the room and suddenly it looked familiar. The fireplace and the stone staircase were right where I had found them the first time. I hadn’t taken much time to explore the main room of the tower when I first arrived in Anderosea.

“But it took me three days to walk from the tower to Perdeen and only a few hours to get here again.” I was now thoroughly confused.

Sareanne looked at me and I could see the wheels turning in her head trying to understand what I was saying.

“You have been to Perdeen?” she finally asked.

I nodded.

“Who have you spoken with? My father?”

“Only Antheus. I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do.”

“You were in Perdeen and you didn’t speak with my father?” She seemed shocked at the idea.

“There was no one else there!” I shouted in frustration.

Her expression was one of amazement that slowly turned to fear. “No one?”

“Not that I could see. The whole country of Anderosea seems to have vanished leaving a silent land with lots of mysterious happenings.”

“The monsters?”

            “I only saw one of them. Antheus said there were two and…” I looked at her carefully, “and you.”