Out of the Faold (Whilst Old Legends Fade Synchronicles) (9 page)

“Krisa,” she called to the child in the tree. “I
’m going over to that hill. You see it?” Krisa nodde
d then looked back to the road.

In the five minutes it took her to reach the bottom of the hill she’d seen a few more flashes of
coloured
lights.
An
overgrown
,
gently sloping
path spiraled up to the top.
She heard
tiny bells or chimes.
Near
the crest
she slowed. Karl peeked
through the trees
wondering
if the hill was occupied, perhaps by a cottage. A small clearing appeared before her. From a tree dangled a mobile of pieces of coloured glass and metal tubes that struck each other in the wind, producing reflections of light and the
ringing of chimes. At the far end of the clearing was a squared arch made of a strange white stone engraved with symbols. It stood over a pool of the clearest blue water that seemed to sink into great depths of the
richest
blue. Around it, in a perfect circle was the same white stone with symbols. Drawn to the pool, she reached down to remove her traveling boots a
nd wiggle out of her stockings.

As her bare foot touched the stone the world tilted violently and
Karl
lost her balance.
T
he
other foot moved of
its own accord and she no longer h
ad control of her limbs, yet they
moved.
Her body stood still on the edge
of the pool as the world moved around
her, shifted into shades of grey. O
paque figures
stretched
around her and then
suddenly everything slid back into place
yet
remained colourless.
Brother Karl could b
reathe, barely. Her heart raced.
H
er eyes
saw
around her, but she cou
ld not move away from the pool.

“Welcome,”
said a voice to her left
as a female figure stepped forward. Karl’s face must have shown the level of panic she felt, for the woman continued, “Don’t be afraid.”

Her eyes scanned the others, the ones she could see. Two stood behind her. In total there were nine
. Five were female and four
male. All wore the same long
grey-
blue robes with white symbols down the front imitating those that were on the stone. All looked on her with interest, none with animosity.
An electric sensation rushed through her spine and settled in her belly when she recognized the
congregation around her.

The woman smiled and nodded. “Yes, we are they,” she confirmed moving closer then walking around the pool. “We need to speak to you. There are many things we must share and we are sorry we must do so but we must impress upon you the necessity of this intrusion into your life.”

Karl was unable to speak
.
She calmed and felt her body relax a little further into her control. She was able to wiggle her toes and take a deeper breath.

“Until now you have not been the most pious of Brothers,” the woman started but when Karl balked in shame the woman laughed and said, “No apologies necessary. With the state of the
Faold
I wouldn’t blame you. The Brothers and Sisters have corrupted the true faith beyond all recognition. They dabble in politics and sorcery, doing their own bidding, not ours.
As you suspected, you were ordained as a political move.
You have become much more important than they could have imagined.

“In your charge are three girls, all of different backgrounds, temperaments, skills and talents. Their safety is of utmost importance. They are NOT to be Sisters.
In the waters of the W
ell you will see the fates of your three girls. You must not share this information with anyone else unless they have been chosen by us and we permit you to speak of it.
You will take them north to your homelands and you will train them, not in the ways of the
Faold
but in the ways you see fit. We will give you guidance. You will not be alone.

“Soon there will be changes, momentous changes that will engulf you. A wave has started of pain and sorrow. It is out of our control. We need
you to protect the children. You will face struggles and danger but you will not be alone.
Be true to your heart and to your family responsibilities. You must follow the path a
lready laid out for you.

“
The grey robes of the Brothers are no longer suitable. You will
renounce your ties to the Faold
as it is a false faith. The girls will no longer wear t
he yellow robes of the Sisters.

“When you step into the well time will no longer exist. The outside world will no longer be there and you will not have form. When it is time for you to emerge you will know. Bring the others here. All of them. Have them step into the well one at a time. Wait until all are done then leave this place
as you found it.

“Do you accept our will as your own and promise to do as we ask?”

Brother Karl
inhaled shakily
and nodded with wide eyes of uncertainty. The feel of warm hands on her back pushed her forward into the pool and she sank into its depths into darkness.

Alternately
Krisa watched the road and the hill where Brother Karl had gone
.
Glory got anxious and called up a few times to find out if she could see anything. When Karl hadn’t returned after an hour or more
Krisa
jumped down from the tree and got help from Pearl to climb up on Horse.
At t
he hill
,
after tying
Horse to a tree at the base of the path
,
she
wound her way up to the top. She found a crumbling
old arch, worn down by years and rain. Leaves and debris littered a broken stone pool with fetid water. Brother Karl’s boots and stockings
were placed neatly to the side.

Panic filled Krisa as she looked around her, scanning the trees for any sign of their guardian. Where would she go without her boots? She started to call for her. Horse whinnied when he heard her voice but Karl didn’t call back.
T
here was no sign the leaves or scummy vines had been disturbed
in the pool. It wasn’t likely she’d fallen in
.
She left
Karl’s
boots where they were and raced down the path to Horse.
A
fallen tree
was
used to hoist herself onto his back. They galloped around the perimeter of the hill
with
Krisa scanning the fields and calling for Brother Karl. There was no sign of her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She knew the Brother would not have left them alone. Back at the camp she found the
other girls waiting anxiously.

“Pearl,” she told her friend, “I’m going back to find the Marshalls. I can’t find Brother Karl. Her boots are still there.”

Glory began to cry.
“What do you mean?”

“I need you to watch for her,” she told Pearl, pointing to the climbing tree. “Watch all the time. I’ll bring the Marshalls.”

“Are we alone now?” Pearl asked. “We don’t know how to get to Mount Sestra.”

“I’m taki
ng
Horse. Make sure Glory is okay. S
tay off the road.”

Both girls nodded with tears in their eyes as Krisa galloped off, back
to the
south, a full day’s ride at least to the city an
d help. Pearl climbed to watch.

Karl emerged from the well dry and fine, standing on the edge in her bare feet, just as she had been standing before being pushed. She looked around her and found the world back to normal in full colour though the sky had darkened
throwing
strong shadows into the clearing. The chimes once again tinkled in the breeze. After pulling on her stockings and boots Karl sat down on
the ground to get her bearings.

She squeezed her knees and ankles with her hands, making sure she was whole again. Did she imagine it all? Was she hallucinating? Did she fall and hit her head? But she found no injuries or sore spots on her scalp. The pool, so blue and clear, contained no water. She had fallen in, felt not cold wetness but warmth and sweetness. It told her so much. She saw the women the girls would become…the girls!

Brother Karl jumped up realizing the darkening sky meant she’d been
gone almost the entire day. T
hey had to be worried they had lost her. As she stepped beyond the chimes Karl met a racket of noises, of crying girls, of male voices calling out her name. She spun and found she wasn’t alone after
all. All three girls stood in the clearing, tears running down their red faces as two of the Marsha
lls searched through the trees.

She felt guilty for causing them such distress but couldn’t help but call out, “Am I missing?”

Glory screamed and the men faced her in shock. One whistled sharply br
inging forth Kel from
the path. They all j
ust stared at her in disbelief.

“I can’t explain where I have been,” she told them honestly. “But I have to show you.”

“You were gone,” Krisa sobbed. “I couldn’t find you. I went to get them.”

“You did the right thing, Krisa,” she told the girl. “Come with me. I will show you. Kel, I will take you next. Don’t fret. We will be right back. Krisa, take off your shoes and stockings.”

She did as she was told. She
held
Karl’s hand. When they crossed in front of the tree with the wind
chi
mes that only Karl could see or
hear they disappeared. The
men jumped in surprise and Pearl and Glory both squealed in fear. They
had to wait
only moments before the two returned to visibility
.
Krisa had a big smile o
n her face.

“Oh, it’s marvelous,” she announced, giddy. “Go, Kel.”

They all took turns going with Karl, beyond what
they could see. Each stepped on
to the rim of the well, received their instructions and fell into the depths only to emerge dry and happy.
In silence, for none of them knew what to say or how to express what they felt, they returned to their camp and prepared to settle in for the night. Pat took up Krisa’s position in the tree, relieving her of her duties.

“Doran and t
he others will join us soon,” Kel
told her when the girls finally fell asleep. “When we got word that you were leaving he tried to finish our work but he was delayed.”

“I’m glad Krisa was able to reach you.”

“That one is part Siri, I think,” he nodded at Krisa’s sleeping form.

Karl stared at him in disbelief. The Siri were a forest people of the far northwest, from so far they claimed not to be part of
Danycia
at all. They had such a natural talent for disappearing among the trees, of stealth and cunning that nations of the past had used them as spies or assassins. They mostly kept to themselves preferring the cover of forests to open land. Karl had to admit to herself that Krisa had uncanny abilities at observation and could escape notice when she wanted to. But Siri?

“Why do you say that?” she asked him.

“Do you know how she got a message to Pat?”

“No.”

“He found her…no, she found him inside the Keep. She had passed four sets of Keep guards and countless other occupants. Our quarters were along a busy corridor. He arrived to find her sitting in a chair polishing the buttons on his overcoat that he’d left behind but needed for a meeting with the local lord. The child sees things others don’t.
I’d say she’d be a better scout than those two over there and that’s an impressive charge.”

Karl nodded in contemplation. The gods had shown her in the Well
images of the adult Krisa. She wore a uniform proudly. She ran, not in fear but for pleasure. She ran through trees and brush, fading in and out of visibility as though she melted into the scenery. She laughed as someone chased her. It was a game. She’d stand still and disappear. She’d run and flicker in and out of sight among the trees. He would finally catch her and they’d fall together in laughter and love.

“You may be right,” she agreed.

“With your permission can she train with us?”

She knew. His trip into the well told him what he had to do in regard to the girls. He was a teacher and protector selected by the gods, as she was. She nodded her permission and he seemed satisfied.

It wasn’t until late the next evening that the others arrived. Pearl ran down the road jumping and calling to them, her short hair bouncing. Doran’s strong arm reached down to swing her up to sit in front of him in the saddle. She half turned to excitedly tell him what had happened to them the last few days. When they arrived to the camp she had just finished explaining how they’d left the city.
While h
eartfelt greetings and food was passed
around
, P
earl waited impatiently to finish her story. Kel gave her a look reminding her it would be best if she kept their adventure to herself for now.