All Hallow's Eve (12 page)

As she nodded,
the motion of the curls hanging about Elizabeth’s graceful neck, several tendrils having broken loose from her plait during their match, hypnotized
him
.
She spoke again,
“
I
had been in training for five months before
I witnessed my grandmother
performing
the
true
Sanun
.
W
hat
would
take place
had been described to me in detail
,
and yet
,
I had a similar reaction
to what you have described
when I
actually
had seen
it
for the first time
.
I cannot imagine what I would have thought had I not been prepared!
”

R
ealiz
ing that
he
had
not
truly
answer
ed
her question,
he
said
,
“
My parents
came to me to explain, but
they
did not have
the opportunity
to tell me much since they needed to speak to me about other matters—of which you and I must speak
before I return to Netherfield
later today
.
I must say that I
remain
with many questions about this
hidden
society
to which
I have
only just
been introduced
.
”

“
If you should have any questions, feel free to ask them
anytime
.
I will answer if I can
, or if you feel
more
comfortable
,
you may ask my father
,
”
Elizabeth
replied
.

William examined her expression. Deciding that she was being perfectly serious, he asked, “Why is it that you perform the
Sanun
only one night per year?”

“T
here
i
s a barrier between this world and the Otherworld
. P
arts of the barrier
a
re thinner
at some places than
at
other
places
. On
ly on
All Hallow’s Eve, at the
Thin Places,
does
the border between the worlds bec
o
me
s
porous enough for
me
to act as a portal, allowing the souls of the dead to penetrate the barrier by passing through
me. It is a great honour to be the vessel that
allow
s
the souls who have passed on to interact with the living
, even if it is only one night a year.”

“
I always thought the stories of the final night of October were
superstitions
.
”

She nodded,
“
Through the centuries, the ritual
has been perfected.
In current times, the possibility of evil ghosts roaming the Earth
is a
myth
, but many years ago, w
hen the High Priestess performed the ceremony,
all
souls crossed into this world, including the ‘harmful.’
The words
I
sing serve as a sieve to allow only the
‘
harmless
’
to cross
the portal
into the living world.
”

Elizabeth had clearly had enough of discussion at present and changed the subject as she
mov
ed
into position to
fight
.
“
You did very well learning fr
om what you experienced earlier.
I
f you prefer
,
we can continue our match, or
I can show you
our methods in a more formal manner.
I leave the decision to you.
”

“
I think I would rather continue our match.
I will pay close attention to your movements and attempt to duplicate them when I think they
would
be appropriate to use.
”

~%~

About mid-day, Mrs. Bennet’s
presence
was announced when she called out to her husband that luncheon was ready to be served, surprising the young
er
gentlemen.
So intent were they in their training that they had not noticed her arrival
, nor that she had spread several blankets on the ground,
making
it obvious they would have a picnic
.

The ladies far outstripped the
gentlemen
.
T
he
young men
seemed to be walking quite a bit more slowly than
was
usual
for them
,
save Colonel Fitzwilliam,
though he slowed his pace to match his friends
.
W
hil
st
they
gathered
and feigned a casual stroll
to
the place
where luncheon was laid out
, trying their hardest not to show fatigue before the ladies
, they were, in fact, more than
just
a little
weary
.
Even though they
had often
engaged in
gentlemen’s
sport
s,
they
were not used to
such
vigorous training for
such
long
periods
of time.

Bingley
t
oo
k hold of
William’s
arm to slow him even further
.
“
The
younger
ladies
…
”
the gentleman
seemed to struggle for the correct words,
“
today they have
behave
d
in a
manner
different
from the way
they have in public
,
”
Bingley observed.

William c
huckled.
“
Yes,
yesterday
I noticed the same
.
You will be surprised when you speak to Mrs. Bennet as well, Bingley.
”

“
Will they act like
this
in public from now on, or
similar to how
they have in the past?
”

“
I am not certain, but since I have heard the mention of a façade
several times, I would think they will continue in the same manner as they always have in public.
Perhaps one day soon we will discover why
they feel
this is necessary.
”

After luncheon, the ladies went off into the woods towards the stream to refresh themselves, and the gentlemen sat
down together
to
discuss
the plan of action for the next two weeks.
Mr. Bennet caught
William
’s eye, silently requesting to speak to him alone
. T
hey moved away from the group when th
at subject came to an end
.

William
began
, “I
ha
ve
not yet found an opportunity to
tell
Miss
Elizabeth
of the threat
,
but I have requested that we speak
of a serious matter
before the day
i
s out.
” He hesitated a moment before continuing, “
Mr. Bennet,
the others
have questions that I have
not
answer
ed
since the Otherworlders did not inform them of it directly.
What can I share with them?”

“
If you are asking my opinion, I feel that a
s Elizabeth’s guards, they
should be told of
what to expect
,
and
of
the consequences
which
would result should they
fail
,
”
Mr. Bennet
answered, “
Whatever you feel is necessary to reveal to convince them of the
gravity
of the situation, you
should
divulge
.
Perhaps you do not realize that
as Soul Mate of the High Priestess,
you are her principal protector,
superior
even to me, Lead
Immun
.
Destiny has declared this,
and I will not question it. O
f course,
I trust your
judgment
.
”

Surprised by
t
his declaration, several moments passed before William could speak again.
“Thank you, sir.”

~%~

As the group
gathered again in the field, Mr. Bennet called for attention.
“
My daughters are well aware of the
T
ribal
rules of engagement, and now, before we recommence
our
lessons, it is time that you gentlemen are told as well.

“
Keep in mind that
everything
I teach should be used only in
defence
.
Your goal is to
protect
your charge
, or yourself as the case may be—not rid the entire world of evil.

“
Ideally, you should strive to discuss rather than intimidate, intimidate subtly rather than threaten, threaten rather than engage, avoid impact rather than
initiate direct contact, redirect blows rather than block them, strike to injure rather than maim, and maim rather than kill.
Mortal wounds should be inflicted
only
as a last resort, when
all else
has failed and lives are most definitely at stake.
If you use the least amount of force necessary, but are prepared for the worst extreme, in my experience, you will
be successful in most cases.
”

Mr. Bennet allowed his words to hang in the air for a minute before saying,
“
As Colonel Fitzwilliam most likely has witnessed
in the army
, it is
natural
to become consumed by the passions invoked during a hostile engagement, causing
the level of
violence to
rise above
what
was
required.
Never forget
who you are!

“
Of course, most conflicts will not unfold in an ideal manner.
Your adversary may make every attempt to anger you so that you lose control and become careless.
Match your opponent’s level of coercion, but whenever possible, attempt to bring the encounter down a level instead of escalating it by giving in to your emotions.
When effective, one may be able to end a conflict without an excess of violence.

“
I
am
thank
ful
that
I
ha
ve been
provided with intelligent students who are willing
and
able to accomplish this when called upon.
”

~%~

A while later, when they took a few minutes to rest and take some water, William asked,
“
Miss Elizabeth?
I understood from your father that tomorrow we would not meet to train until
the
after
noon
, but
I am uncomfortable with wasting an entire morning
.
He
has given
me
permission
t
o
request
that
you and I
meet
in the morning
.
”