Chatoyant College Book 7: Upon What Soil

Chapter 48: Following the Path

Dawn's friends took her hands and lined themselves up behind her. She turned to the path, shaking her head—was the glamour on it so strong deliberately, or was it a different kind than they were used to, so that their usual methods didn't work? Maybe they would find out when they reached wherever it led.

"Jeez," said Roe from the back of the line after they'd walked a few feet. "You can really see where you're going, Dawn?"

"I really can," she said. "And it's totally straight, at least from here. Just keep following me. You know, this probably isn't a good idea."

"We could still turn back," said Annie.

"I really don't think we should," said Corrie. "I mean... we have to do something."

"You don't think this is scary?" Dawn asked. "I know I'd be freaked out."

"Yeah, it's kind of freaky, but why should that stop us?"

Dawn didn't really have an answer for that. "So what does it look like to you guys? Is it like you're walking through the trees?"

"No," said Rico. "It's more like every time I think I see a tree or a bush right in front of me, it turns out to be farther away than I thought, or slightly off to the side, or something. At least that's the way it is for me."

"Me too," agreed Corrie.

"That's what it seems like to me," said Edie. "It's like the trees are getting out of our way. That's why I think this is okay—it's just meant to discourage us, not to physically keep us out. It would be harder if it looked like we were walking into the trees all the time."

"But maybe it does that so it's less obvious that it's an illusion," said Dawn. "Most people don't have friends with the Sight to tell them it's a glamour."

"I think it's a test," said Roe. "You know, whenever there's no tree directly in front of me, it just looks like blackness. And it's not even that dark yet. It's like a tunnel."

"Yeah, it is," said Corrie.

"So maybe it's meant to only keep out the people who aren't brave enough to keep going forward."

Dawn smiled. "I hope that's true. But then we'll all look way braver than we really are."

"I for one am fine with looking braver than I really am," said Corrie.

A few moments later, Dawn saw movement again. She took another couple of steps, then slowed down even from the slower pace she'd been using to let her friends keep up without stumbling. "I think we're reaching it," she said in a soft voice. "Can any of you see the clearing up ahead?"

"No," said Rico.

"I don't see anything," said Corrie. Dawn could feel her moving to the right, so she wasn't directly behind Dawn. "No, still just trees and blackness."

"Okay, well, let's bunch up as much as we can. I don't really know what's up there so we should stick together." Dawn squinted, trying to see what it was. There seemed to be lots of lights, small round ones, strung on several different strings across the front of the path. She glanced back at her friends, who were slightly closer together than they had been—but of course they couldn't see each other. Then she started walking again.

She halted when she reached the very end of the path they were on. It opened up into a wide clearing—so wide she couldn't see the other end. It all seemed to be festooned with the little round lights. There were tables, filled with goods of various kinds; she could see lots of fruit, a table full of bread, and lots of jewelry, shining in the light. And there were people, standing still or walking around, talking to each other, haggling. No, not people.

The whole clearing was filled with faeries.

She turned her head to face Corrie. "Can you see all this?" she whispered. No one had noticed her or her friends yet, and she didn't want them to.

Corrie nodded slowly, her eyes wide. "Yeah... I sure can."

Dawn let go of Corrie's hand, relieved that she didn't have to lead her friends around anymore, but not quite secure enough that she wanted to let go of Rico's hand. The others all crowded up around her. She stumbled forward a half step.

Almost immediately, a faerie, thin as a stick but taller than Corrie, with skin an allover brown approached them. "Why, hello! We're so happy to have you here! Why don't you take a look around? We're willing to trade for almost everything."

Dawn turned to the faerie, whose pinched-looking face was nevertheless smiling and eager. "Trade? What do you mean?"

The faerie gestured expansively at the clearing full of tables. "Welcome to the market!"