Nénuphar - 4

She was awakened in the late afternoon by the hand of Silencieuse on her shoulder. She jumped to her feet and gave her a big hug.

“How are you?” asked Silencieuse.

“Surviving.” replied Nénuphar.

“How goes the water project?” asked Silencieuse.

“It is going very slowly, but…” at this point Nénuphar led her to the other side of the pond. “…but I have met a woman from deep in the earth.” she said indicating the leaves where she had been sleeping.

“She can’t survive in the sun, so we cover her in leaves during the day.”

“How did she get here? I don’t know of any caves in this area.” puzzled Silencieuse.

“She just popped out of the sand, right over there.” Nénuphar pointed to the center of the pond. “She says that she has a spell that lets her move through rocks, that she has
been traveling toward the surface for many days, and that her people need to find a new home.”

“Hmmm.” said Silencieuse, “Well lets go see about the river.”

As they walked toward the river Nénuphar repeated Yetta’s story, and how the water would actually block her passage back to her people. Silencieuse pondered this predicament as they walked.

Reaching the river, they could see that the beavers were making good progress on their dam, but it looked like it would be several days before the full force of the river would be diverted to the original course.

“It is looking good…” said Silencieuse indicating the frames of the dam. “but it looks like the beavers are going to need some help finding wood. We should head up river and send down some materials for them to use.”

“But what about Yetta?” asked Nénuphar.

“I am afraid we may not be able to help her.” said Silencieuse sadly. “Every day we delay, more of the riverbed dies.”

They both pondered for a few minutes as they watched the beavers work then Silencieuse spoke up softly, “Come. Lets find some food, and we will talk to Yetta about it.”
Nénuphar agreed, and they went off into the woods to collect some dinner.

When they returned to the spot where Yetta lay buried under the leaves the sun had slipped behind the distant mountains, and Yetta was already awake.

“Is that you Lily?” Asked a voice from under the leaves.

“Yes,” answered Nénuphar, ” and I have my mentor, Silencieuse, with me. She is a master druid, and wants to help as well.”

“Has the sun gone?” asked Yetta.

“It has, but it is still pretty bright out. You may want to wait a little longer.” said Nénuphar hesitantly.

Despite the warning Yetta began slowing digging her way out of the leaves. When she surfaces, she had her eyes buried in the crook of her elbow. She slowly pulled her arm away and opened her eyes. The sky was still fairly bright, and Yetta squinted and shielded her eyes from the brightest of it, but she found that she could endure it.
Still shielding her eyes from the light above the horizon, Yetta greeted Silencieuse. “Greetings, I am Yetta of the Sansen.”

“And I am Silencieuse Ébène, Head of the Master Druids of the Fey Wood. I am honored to meet you.” replied Silencieuse. “Nénuphar has told me your story, and I hope that we can help you and your people.” Then in a much lighter tone she offered Yetta some food, “But for now, lets offer thanks to the bounty of the forrest.”

As they ate, the light faded quickly, and Yetta relaxed and talked with Silencieuse. They discussed the river, and Yetta came to understand why the water stopped flowing for a time each year. Silencieuse and Nénuphar learned that not only were they saving the true riverbed by turning the river back into its proper course, but they were sending water to that Sansen people as well.

After eating, they all went to consider the dam, and watch the beavers work. Before long the beavers retired for the night leaving the women alone to talk about how to proceed. Finally, Yetta turned to her new friends with tears in her eyes, and said: “Lets turn the river.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes and continued, “My people need the water, and so does the true river bed.”

Silencieuse responded softly, “That means you will be trapped here.”

“Yes, I know.” said Yetta. “But perhaps when the water stops again next year, I can return and tell my people about the surface world.”

Tears flowed down Yetta’s cheeks again, but her face remained resolute.

“So what do we do?” she asked firmly.

“I’ll show you.” said Silencieuse standing and leading them into the woods.

All that night they gathered fallen branches and dead wood into piles long the edge of the river. As dawn approached, they paused to discuss how to help Yetta through the daylight hours. They knew that even under the heavy shade of the trees, Yetta would be tortured by the light of the sun.

“I have an idea.” said Silencieuse. “You can spend the days in the bear cave. It is quite a ways from here, but the forest will help us cover the distance.”

She then turned to Nénuphar, “You will have to wait here, but I won’t be gone long.”

Nénuphar nodded, and sat down at the foot of a tree nearby.

Silencieuse turned back to Yetta. “I will have to carry you. Will that be alright.”

Shyly Yetta agreed. Silencieuse then lifter her inter her arms like a large baby, and walked right into a tree. There was a shimmering in the tree as they passed through, but that quickly faded, and the tree showed no signs of their passage.

Nénuphar was quite surprised. She had expected Silencieuse to transform and run off with Yetta on her back, but this was something she had never seen. She went over to the tree, but could detect no signs of magic. It was just a tree. Puzzled she returned to her spot and waited.

It was nearly an hour later when Silencieuse returned, and the sky was growing brighter by the minute. She returned in the same way that she had left, and Nénuphar greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

“Now.” said Silencieuse, “lets get the beavers ready and send the wood down to them. Then we should rest.”

They returned to the dam the beavers had begun, and they were already hard at work. Silencieuse spoke to them and told them about the wood that would be coming down the river. They seemed to understand, and lined up on the shore watching the river.

It only took a couple hours for Nénuphar and Silencieuse to dump all the wood they had gathered into the river, and then they laid down to sleep.

Nénuphar was startled awake to Yetta’s voice; “Wow! that is an amazing way to travel.” she said as they appear from a nearby tree.

The sky was almost completely dark, and Yetta seemed to be having no trouble with the extra light.

“Lily, did you see that?” said Yetta.

Nénuphar was still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, and didn’t respond.

“We walk right into that tree, and right out of a tree somewhere else. Is that the way you always travel?” she asked, her eyes darting from Nénuphar to Silencieuse and back.

Silencieuse smiled and set her on her feet. “No, that is a fairly advanced spell, and unnecessary most of the time. But lets go see how the beavers are doing.”

To their astonishment, the beavers has nearly completed their dam, and most of the river was already flowing down the original path. They hurried down the river to the pond, and found that had been cleared of sand. The river swirled through the pond and out the other side, dissolving away the sand along the banks and whisking it away.

Seeing the pond filled with water brought a finality to Yetta’s decision, a lump filled her throat, she couldn’t speak, and tears trickled down her cheeks. She did not regret her decision, but she did not know what lay ahead for her either. At least she had met some friends that she could lean on.

That night the three swam in the pond and rested along its bank. The moon was waning, and Yetta didn’t seem to have an trouble with the light in showered down on them. Griffe didn’t like the water at all, and stayed out of splashing range.

When the moon finally disappeared, Silencieuse suggested they begin heading back to the forest so Yetta could be in the bear cave before dawn. Reluctantly Nénuphar and Yetta climbed out of the pond and sat on some rocks to dry and catch their breath.

“So, what is the bear cave?” asked Nénuphar to no one in particular.

Yetta took up the question, “Well, it seems to be just what it sounds like. A cave where bears live.”

Nénuphar was taken aback, “You mean you sleep there WITH the bears?”

“Yup.” replied Yetta, “Silencieuse seems to be pretty good friends with them, and after she explained to them that I am a friend too, they let me in. They seem to out and about at night, and sleep through the daylight hours like me, so it is kind of a good match.”

Nénuphar thought about the mischievous bear cubs, and wondered how anyone could sleep right next to them.

Silencieuse came and sat by the two younger women with a ponderous look on her face. “We are going to need travel down the river to make sure everything is back in order, but I am concerned about Yetta. We can travel at night, but still there is only so much shade, and during the day we would pretty much be exposed to the full light of the sun.”
Hesitantly Yetta spoke up. “I have been getting used to the light. Maybe I could keep my eyes covered during the day?”

“Maybe.” said Silencieuse hesitantly.

“Or,” said Nénuphar, “Maybe we could tie something around your eyes. Something thick.”

“Perfect.” said Silencieuse. “I have just the thing. Lets get you back to the cave for tonight, and I’ll see what I can make.”

The next evening, Silencieuse found Yetta sitting out in front of the bear cave at dusk when she went to pick her up.

“I had to wait until the sun started to go dow,” she said to a surprised Silencieuse, “but was able to look at the trees while the sun was shining on them. I think I am getting used to the light.”

“Good.” replied Silencieuse, “…and I brought you this.”

Yetta accepted a strange black strip of cloth. It was about eight feet long, and looked like a scarf except that it had a very thick section at the center.

Silencieuse took it back began to wrap it around Yetta’s head.

“You see, the thick section goes across your eyes, and the the rest of the scarf wraps around your head twice, and ties in the back like this.” she said.

“That works really well. Thank you.” said Yetta unwinding the scarf and tying it around her waist.

The trip to the coast took most of four days. The days were difficult for Yetta; even with the scarf it was hotter than she had ever experienced, and the dryness made her skin itch incessantly. She kept her eyes uncovered as much as she could, and by the time they reached the coast, she could stand in the full light of day, and while squinting painfully, she could make her way around.

The coast was much like the desert. Waves of sand formed large shifting sandbars that in turn all combined into a massive delta of twisting streams well out into the ocean itself. Nénuphar and Yetta got their first taste of salt water, and Silencieuse laughed deeply as they spat and snorted and tried to get the taste out of their mouths.

The river had all returned normal, and plants were beginning to peek out of the sand along the banks. Frogs and crickets could be heard all night, and birds were returning the trees. At the coast, the herd of elephants was still hanging about and playing in the water.

They spent most of one night playing in the waves, and sand. Silencieuse was able to introduce them to some of the nixies and mermaids that lived off the shore. They saw crabs, rays, octopi, and all kinds of sea birds. The leaned about many of the sea plants, and the various flora and fauna were reliant on both the salt and fresh water.

As they travelled back up the river, they discussed plans for the coming year while they waited for winter winds to bury the pond again. Yetta was becoming quite attached to the bears, and decided to make her home with them. As the cave was only a few miles from the southern end of the lake, Silencieuse felt that would be a good staging ground for Nénuphar’s instructions as well.

Nénuphar was not as comfortable in a cave so she settled into a hollow between two great trees that had failed some years before. It was heavily covered in moss and grass, and felt like a new home.

Through the summer and into the winter both Nénuphar and Yetta learned from the druids, and grew in their mastery of knowledge and magic. They learned to care for the animals and plants of the forest, and the lake, and made frequent trips to visit Nénuphar’s mother and friends back on the north east shore of the lake where she had grown up.