Replenished Cup Chapter Two

Chapter two: The chamber and the hunt1

As the four council members lead Annaliss and Shellee towards the round cottage Shellee asked her small friend, “I know what Soilsmasher is, but what of the other three?”2

“The brother and sister are Tree Dwellers, they live in the High Trees of Alba in central Elden. And Lady Sealeigha is a Water Dweller. As long as she wears that locket around her neck she’s able to walk and to talk on land. Each represents an element. Sir Soilsmasher and Sir Newleaf, the earth. Lady Autumnleaf is the air and Lady Sealeigha the water of course. We’ve never found a representative for fire. There’s got to be someone here, but as far as I know no one has ever met them. So that is why we have two earth elements.” Annaliss whispered.3

“But aren’t Sir Newleaf and Lady Autumnleaf brother and sister?” Shellee asked quietly.4

“Yes,” replied Annaliss. “But Autumnleaf has taking on traits of the birds and Newleaf chose to be more plantlike.”5

“They can do that?”6

Annaliss shrugged, “anything’s possible here. After all we are magical beings.”7

“That’s really neat.” Shellee replied.8

Sir Newleaf stepped in front of a wooden door craved with vines and flowers and in the middle a beautifully detailed chalice. He opened it and they all stomped into the dark chamber.9

The door shut plunging the small group into darkness, only the faint glow of Annaliss’ wings gave off light. A slight musty smell hung in the black nothingness and the thick walls muffled the outside world.10

“This is the chamber we keep the chalice,” came the twittering voice of Autumnleaf out of the dark.11

“Could I get some light? A candle or a torch maybe?” Shellee asked no one in particular. The four members gasped and Annaliss snickered somewhere beside her.12

“My dear human,” came Soilsmasher’s gruff voice, “the only light in this room came from the chalice itself.”13

“I’m sorry sir but how am I suppose to see any clues if I can’t see two inches in front of my nose?”14

A silent “well I never” came from the small gnome’s area as the sound of scratching and rustling was heard. Then a small flame appeared before Newleaf’s long face. Annaliss handed him a torch and the chamber was flooded with a dancing light.15

The chamber seemed to be round like the building. In the middle of the room sat a rectangular block, three and a half feet tall reaching Shellee in the chest. It was made of black obsidian rock, glossy and smooth. A small white satin pillow sat on top with the impression of the bottom of the chalice embedded in it.16

“Is the cup always kept here?” Shellee asked as she peered at the pillow.17

“Yes it is,” answered Soilsmasher briskly.18

Shellee tapped her index finger against her cheek and asked, “do you have anyone guarding the place?”19

“Why would we? No one would dare steal it.” Laughed Autumnleaf.20

“Excuse me ma’am but someone or something did steal it, didn’t they?” Smirked Shellee.21

Autumnleaf stopped laughing and looked embarrassed as she crossed her arms under her chest.22

“No one guards this chamber. There has never been a need before now,” said Newleaf giving his sister a hard look.23

“So anyone at anytime can come into this room?” She asked, studying the ground.24

“Yes, but most stay away until the festival.” Sealeigha responded.25

Shellee crouched down and examined the dusty floor. Small prints lead up to the pedestal and back out again. “So who or what would make these prints?”26

Being closest to the floor Annaliss and Soilsmasher hunkered down along side Shellee as the rest of the council members bent over the top of their heads.27

“A talking mouse?” Suggested Annaliss.28

“Maybe,” grunted Newleaf. “Or a brownie.”29

“Those look like the prints of the pixie,”
trilled Autumnleaf.30

Everyone murmured to themselves trying to figure out which it could be.31

“Are those the only creatures that could have made these?” Shellee asked after some minutes had past.32

“No,” Annaliss spoke, “a fairy could have also.”33

“Ok, the next step is to find out if any one of those creatures has been near this building.” Shellee led them out into bright sunshine. Once again Shellee’s skin was warmed by the sun and wind. She watched as a mother robin scolded her chick for some reason unknown to Shellee. She smiled and thought, “just like home.”34

“Yesterday I saw two talking mice,” said Soilsmasher.35

“As I was walking to get water from the well I saw that pink pixie, I think her name is Sweetpea or something like that.” Threw in Autumnleaf.36

“Do you know who the mice were?” Annaliss asked Sir Soilsmasher.37

“Of course, it was Roe and Scooter.”38

“Ok we’ll start with them. I suggest you continue with the preparation for the festival and I’ll go talk to these suspects.” She giggled, “I’ve always wanted to say suspects.”39

***40

After the four council members had departed Annaliss and Shellee trudged into market following the little prints. They passed many dwellings along the road of various sizes. Annaliss explained that the largest were for the centaurs and other large creatures. While the others were for brownies, gnomes, dwarves, all range of sizes. The houses were made of solid stone, perfectly squared by dwarves who had honed their skill for generations. It seemed the cottages had only one floor and one door with windows here and there. And like the Council Chamber the roofs were thatched. Each house came with a kitchen garden and a neatly picketed fence. Along side the road Ash trees shaded the well-packed road.41

As Annaliss went on with her explanation Shellee kept a close watch on the road ahead of her. The prints were crisscrossing other prints and soon she lost track of them in the confusion.42

“Annaliss?”43

“Yes?” She had stopped prattling about how skilled the dwarves were.44

“I’ve lost the tracks among these other
prints. Are we close to the market?” Shellee asked.45

“That’s it up ahead. I’m amazed you were able to see the tracks this long. Come on lets ask around.”46

Annaliss skipped ahead, leaving Shellee to catch up. As they neared the bustling crowd of creatures Annaliss would stop someone to ask if they had seen any of the three beings they wanted to question. One creature had the head of a bull with long heavy curling horns and the muscular body of a man, a minotaur, had said that he saw Roe near the bakers stall just a few minutes ago but had not seen the other two. Annaliss thanked the minotaur while Shellee stood staring opened mouth at him.47

Along the lane, covering both sides, wooden stalls mostly made of live trees stood offering all types of products. Shellee could hear all sorts of creatures hawking their wares. One stall sold herbs and in passing Shellee almost gagged on the smell only to come to a stall selling wool, which smelled like wet dog. She covered her mouth as she pushed past a group of giggling girls with very pointed ears. Each stall had a brightly colored cloth covering the ceiling. Green for vegetables, white for all types of cloth, red for armor, copper for post yellow for healing and brown for nails and lumber.48

Still Annaliss asked after the three wanted for questioning. Scooter and Sweetpea were nowhere to be found but again Roe had been seen near the bakers stall.49

Dazzling sights and sounds thundered around Shellee and Annaliss as they slipped around a crowd of colorful fairies flourishing colored ribbons through the sun kissed breeze, only to run smack into the broad side of a deep maroon horse. Shellee blinked as she backed away from the magnificent creature.50

The horse turned its velvety head, snorted and said in a rich voice, “Watch yourself young one.”
Shellee held up her shaking hands, “Oh excuse me.” She turned to see Annaliss grinning at her, trying to hide a smile. “What?” Shellee asked as they pushed between a stall where a very large man was arguing with another horse of an emerald color over some horseshoe nails and the live sapling wall that ran around Elden City.51

Stopping in the shade Annaliss laughed, “you should have seen your face when the horse spoke to you. Your eyes were wider than the moons that come up at night. And you could have caught flies with how wide your mouth was hanging open.” She threw her head back and howled with laughter, slapping her thigh hard.52

“Oh stop it!”53

Annaliss continued to laugh, turning her face purple and causing other creatures to stop and stare. One creature with hooves like a goat and a small goatee laughed with the group he was with. They moved on, only to be replaced with a group of small women carrying brooms.54

“Annaliss,” cried Shellee. “Annaliss please.”55

Annaliss stopped, wiped a tear off her pale cheek. She shrugged her slender shoulder and started to skip off in the direction of the baker’s stall.56

The sounds of the stall owners rang out from both sides of the dusty lane. Up and down Shellee saw creatures and beings looking and haggling loudly over items. Groups of giggling females dotted here and there pointing at the young males strutting past them. Squeals of delight assaulted her ears as a small brownie clasp something to her chest and then hugged a male brownie tightly. His face started turning red as they walked past him. Dust hung thick in the air as they marched by the stalls. 57

Not only did she get caught up in the sights and sounds but the smells were everywhere. Over near the middle of town the stalls were overflowing with vegetables and flowers. The smell of freshly turned dirt mingled with the heavy aroma of roses and other aromatic flowers. Onions and garlic hung in bunches near the entrance of the vegetables sellers.58

When she turned her head Annaliss slipped by a stall that held pots and pans. They reflected the sun that peeked it’s way through the leaves of the Ash trees to sparkle brightly causing temporary blindness to those who pass. At one point the stall owner turned one pot so that it blinded Shellee for an instance making her stumble into the side of an iron stall. Annaliss grabbed her hand and dragged her past the pans into a dimly lit alley. Shellee shook her head to clear her eyes of bright spots.59

On they went past more stalls, Annaliss said that they held non-talking animals ready for sale. They were needed to plow fields for vegetables and wheat. She said they mostly kept animals for cloth and milk, etc. As they moved past one stall Shellee picked out the smell of wet wool again and wrinkled her nose still not use to the awful smell. Finally they were past the animal’s stalls and a delicious smell of fresh baked bread and other desserts were blowing on the breeze. Annaliss lead the way past more vegetable and fruit stalls to come face to face with a tall, skinny human with extra long limbs. His arms hung down almost reaching the ground, but only stopping at his ankles. His long face broke out into a grin underneath a bristly walrus mustache, when he saw who had blundered into his stall.60

“Annaliss,” he called merrily. 61

Shellee stood in wonder as the flour flew out of his hair when he shook his head at Annaliss. “You should have told me you were coming I would have made those snicker doodles you love so much.”62

Annaliss stuck out her lip and pouted, “You mean you don’t have any?” She crossed her arms and waited.63

He looked around, checking to see if anyone else was listening and then turned back to her, put one hand close to his thin lips and whispered loudly, “only for you, of course.” Then he laughed and held out a pan of freshly baked cookies.64

“Oh goody.” She giggled and reached for the baked goods.65

“And who do you have with you today, Annaliss?” He asked looking at Shellee from under bushy brown eyebrows.66

“Oh this, this is Shellee Aimee Woods.”67

Surprised he looked at Shellee closely, “I’d say your human too. And from the looks of it you’re an American.”68

Shellee just nodded her head yes. “I’m from the west coast. Oregon, you know it?”69

“Sorry, I only know what I’ve read it books. Don’t get to go to the human world.” He turned back to Annaliss, “now what brings you two here?”70

“We’re looking for Roe. We were told he was here. Have you seen him this morning?”71

“Yes, he works for me from time to time. And you’re in luck he’s around back finishing up the cinnamon rolls and pans that need washing.” He pointed over his shoulders.72

“Thanks. How do I owe you for these?” Annaliss asked.73

“For you? Nothing.” He laughed as he went to help some other customers. Over his shoulder he called, “One more thing you two. You ain’t going to make any trouble are you?”74

“Not is he cooperates,” replied Shellee seriously.
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