Page 27 of Chivalry in the Meadow
Her grandmother sat by the fire, combing Mia’s long red hair with slow, gentle fingers.
“You have the gift, little one,” she whispered. “Dreams will chase you. But you must learn to chase them back.”
Mia blinked. Her younger self spoke with a child’s clarity. “You talk to birds, Nana.”
“Only the wise ones,” her grandmother replied.
The fire suddenly flared blue. From the corner of the room, with a low screech, the owl statue turned its head. It blinked, suddenly alive with brown and white feathers, and intense golden eyes which looked at her steadily.
It flew up and landed before Mia, then pressed a single feather into her palm.
“You will know him by the blade he does not show,” the owl says.
“And the one youmustnot trust will offer roses without roots.”
Mia woke gasping. When she looked down, a brown and white striped feather lay on her pillow. She reached out to touch it with her finger.
It was warm. As if the owl had just left it. Real.
Not her imagination, not just a dream. Real.
And beside it on her cot lay the red rose. No longer on the ground.
Saturday morning, Finn stepped inside the tent, carrying a trash bag.
Mia sat up on her cot and yawned.
Lilly was already awake, playing on her phone.
“Careful not to wear the battery down,” Finn warned.
“Is there nowhere to charge it?” Lilly asked.
“There’s a charging station, but you have to leave your phone there, and wait your turn,” he said.
“Oh,” Lilly said, turning her phone off. “I was just waiting for Mia to wake up.”
“Sorry,” Mia said. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because I heard you tossing and turning last night,” Lilly said. “But I was about to. Mia,” Lilly paused, looking down at something. “When you were reading last night, did you tear a page out of your book?”
“No, I would never do that,” Mia said. “Why?”
Lilly held up a page which hung down in strips. “Because this was next to my cot when I woke up.”
Mia frowned and held out her hand. “Let me see it.”
Lilly handed it to her.
“That’s the missing page,” Mia said. “But why is it shredded?”
“I don’t know,” Lilly said.
“Let me see,” Finn came over to look at the page and Mia held it out. He let it fall on his hand and looked closely at it. “Looks like mice got hold of it. Probably wanted the paper, to pad their nests.”
“Eww,” Mia said, wanting to pull her hand away.
“I can take that for you,” he said.
