Out of the Faold (Whilst Old Legends Fade Synchronicles) (12 page)

“Pearly, you saved us!” Glory told her with great pride in her voice. “You saved us from them.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

“How did you do it?” Karl asked, lo
osening her grip on the girl to look
down at her. “You could move.”

“In the well. They taught me. They taught me how to do a lot of things. They said I needed to know to help everyone.”

Karl thought back to her time in the pool of blue water. The images she saw of the women the girls would become were fresh in her mind. Krisa in uniform dashing through the trees was happy and safe. Pearl had been dressed in long blue robes adorned with white symbols down the front, like those the gods had worn when they came to each of them at the well. She had people around her, the sick or impoverished, royalty and common alike. She was a warrior of the people, she fought for them
all
.

“You did a marvelous job,” she told Pearl, kissing her on the forehead.

The men all came to her with their thanks and
words of encouragement, gave her hugs and tickles. They ate a meal then got back on the road at a more relaxed pace, though the scouts were sent back to monitor whether they were being followed. They would now have to be prepared in case the Sister
s tried to get the girls again.

Brother Karl couldn’t help but contemplate what the events of the day could mean. Why had Sisters come out of cloister? The gods had mentioned that they were dabbling in sorcery
, which now had become evident. And they’d entrusted Pearl with the ability to stop them, at least for a short time. Who else had they touched with such instructions? Selfishly, she wondered why they hadn’t given that power to her or one of the men, so they could protect the little ones. After thinking about it for a short time Karl realized the little ones had to be able to protect themselves and that’s precisely why they would have blessed Pearl. Krisa was infinitely resourceful alre
ady.

Later in the night Amias asked around, told his men that he knew most of them had been told to keep some of their new knowledge to themselves, but if they had new skills to let him or Kel know. None of them came forward. Brother Karl sat in a huddle with Amias and Kel long into the night, the three of them speculating about whether the Sisters would come for the
girls again or what to expect.

“I felt so helpless,” she told them. “They told me I have to protect them and I was useless.”

They both nodded, obviously having felt the same way. Kel said, “Brother Karl, I’ve never seen Sisters out like this.”

“It is highly unusual,” she replied. “I’ve been around Sanctuaries for years. Sisters just don’t come out to town squares.”

“Is that why they hide their faces? So they can?” Amias asked.

She shook her head, not knowing the answer but didn’t think that was the explanation.

“We are going to have to be very careful with the girls, maybe stay away from the larger towns,” the Captain said, making a plan
with Kel to change their route.

When Karl finally lay down on her bedroll, weary and worried, the man who lay beside her wasn’t
the foremost thing on her mind.

Villages further north would not let them stop. Farmhouses had signs planted at the roadside with large X marked on them. It became a symbol to stay away, they reasoned, as most of the homesteads were using it and people waved them aw
ay if they stopped on the road.

The land became more rocky, the road less traveled.
Amias explained that before sunset, if they carried on northwest, they’d reach an outpost the King had set up to monitor the forest, the Siri and the passage between
Danycia
and lands to the north through the forest. It was strictly a military facility but they’d be welcome. The road they took went through forest for maybe an hour. It was cool and
quiet with
fresh smells of plant life and soil. The leaves above rustled in the breeze and tiny animals scurried under bru
sh and hopped from tree to tree. Sunbeams cut through the canopy highlighting the leaf l
itter and mosses on the ground.

“It’s so beautiful,” Krisa sighed, resting her cheek on Pat’s back. “My mother told my father stories of forests. I wasn’t sure if he remembered all the details to tell me though.”

“Is it what you imagined?” he asked.

“Better.”

They emerged from the trees sometime later to find themselves within eyesight of the tower of the outpost.
Two men rode ahead at a faster pace. Guards at the top of the tower spotted them and sent two riders of their own to meet the incoming party. They returned with the Marshalls.

“Greetings,” one of them called from a safe distance. “Do you carry any ill?”

“No, sir,” Doran replied, starting a salute with his fist to his chest. “Captain Amias Natan Filbar Doran, King’s Marshall requesting lodging and passage.”

“Lieutenant Fren Pol Kir Dennon,” the man answered, completing the salute first. “Welcome. We have room for everyone. Even the ladies.”

“Thank you,” Amias told him. “We’ve been riding hard.”

“Understood. Please follow.”

The outpost was a large square stone building of one level with a
wooden
tower rising from one corner and a barn set apart along one side. It had no wall so couldn’t be considered a keep, but it seemed sound and well protected. Guards manned the tower and patrolled the grounds. Inside was a large meeting and dining hall in the middle with barracks along two of its
inner walls. Offices and a kitc
hen were along the other walls.

Amias met with the commanding officer in his office after exchanging salutes.
Another
showed Karl and the girls to an empty barracks room with bunks. It looked like they’d have to share with the men, but they were used to close
quarters with them on the road.

“This is nice,” Karl said to the girls as they practiced gettin
g up and down from their bunks.

“Is there a latrine?” Glory asked, practicall
y dancing in her urgency to go.

“Let’s go find out,” Karl said quickly taking the girl’s hand. They were directed to a small outbuilding at the edge of the trees, where Karl sto
od waiting for Glory to finish.

The smell of fir trees filled her senses, reminding her of boughs her father would bring in from the woods that bordered their property to the west. He’d hang them on the inside of the door so when you entered the house the smell would engulf you. She wondered if he still did those things. She wondered how he was fairing now that Ruby was gone. She worried about her mother, who had spent so much time with Ruby preparing her for life as a wife and mother with a large estate to run someday.

One of the guards walked by
so
Karl called to him. “My family is from
close to Wickton
, we’ve been traveling an awfully long way but I’ve no idea how
close
I am.”

He smiled and pointed to the north and east slightly. “Only three days I would say. The roa
d northeast takes you to Danyc
but you pick up a crossroad due west
at another outpost
that will take you to
Wickton
.”

Karl’s heartbeat raced as she realized how close she was to home. “Oh, thank you!” she told him w
ith a big smile.

He tipped his hat at her and continued his
patrol around the building.
Glo
ry emerged looking relieved. T
hey returned to the dining hall, where a quick cold snack of bread and cheese was placed on a table for them while the cooks started a full dinner preparation in the kitchen. They were told they had fresh boar caught in the forest the day before to serve for dinner. The men looked ravenous as they all
picked at the bread and cheese.

Amias waved her over to him when he came out of the barrack room. His face was damp from just having washed up and his unruly hair dripped on his collar. Her eyes lingered on his neck, where his scruffy jaw made way to smooth muscle.
A tingle of longing swept through her belly
forcing her to start
reciting her prayer to herself.
Gods give me guidance and strength.

“I am sending a messenger to the next post. It is east of here along the road
that goes directly to the King’s seat. If you need to send a message home or to the city we can add it to mine.”

“I just learned that we are not far from my father’s lands. It will only be a few days. I will send a note to prepare them for our arrival. Mother will get the guest quarters ready. There is enough room for all. I’d love to show you the lake and …”

He looked at her so strangely she stopped, mid-sentence. For a moment she felt fear, thinking something was wrong. She looked around to make sure everyone was safe.

“Please, get your letter ready. The messenger leaves soon.” Amias walked away from her
toward the door
. He
stepped
outside
.

Amias cursed over and over to himself as he
marched away from the outpost buildings. He walked south along the forest edge then back north again, spun and went back south. He was furious at himself, at the gods, at the world, at Karl, at the Sisters. He was simply furious. And he thought he had everything under control. He picked up a stick and hurled it angrily at the trees, taking pleasure in the cracki
ng sound of something breaking.

He had everything under control. He got them here safely. They escaped with the help of that precious little Pearl. He was mad the gods hadn’t given him the power to protect them all. All he was was a pack mule. He was being used because it was convenient. Now they were getting closer to their destination and he had to …

And he realized why he was truly angry. He almost allowed himself to sob when he thought of being only a few days out from Karl’s home. That meant he had to give them all up. The sweet girls who wanted nothing from him but his smile and strength, who made him laugh and feel of more use than he’d ever felt doing any job for the King. And Karl. That damn woman.
She was the most fun, smart, careless, infuriating, loving, selfless, bothersome, kind woman he’d ever known.
He longed for her more than anything else, yet he couldn’t act on it. He knew she felt the same, the way she watched him, look
ed away when he sought her eye, the way her breath caught when he moved next to her in the dark. She practically shuddered when he put a hand on her arm.

As soon as they were in the safety of Karl’s homeland he’d turn his back on them and head home. He was a servant of the King and of his own family. The gods told him he couldn’t break those ties or change his destiny when it came to his family. He must go home, marry the daughter of some rich landowner and not see them for a very long time. He knew what was to become of the girls, he had the visions, he would know them in years to come, but Karl…he didn’t see Karl. He feared the worst. He dared not satisfy himself with her, to fall in love only to hav
e to walk away or have her die.

Amias squatted down, racked with troubling thoughts. He shook his head repeatedly trying to rid himself of the doubt, fear, anger and love. He stood and roared into the sky in pain and guilt. A small animal darted in fear through the trees.

To his surprise, two tall and slender
men
, slipped from the trees and simply looked at him.

Two guards on horseback met them as Amias and the two Siri walked toward the outpost. They were almost a foot taller than Amias, very slim and wore plain brown clothes. The guards greeted them with honest smiles and friendly words, having met the two men before. Amias was told they came to the post a few times per month to do some trading of goods and news from
either side of the forest line.

Amias, the two guards and the two Siri entered the outpost. All heads turned toward them. One small figure with the same dark hair, slender build and watchful eyes stepped
forward. A single tear rolled down Krisa’s cheek
.

The Siri stayed during the meal of roasted boar the cooks had prepared. The Marshalls devoured their food declaring it was the best they’d eaten in almost a year. Krisa and Pat sat with the Siri the entire evening, talking and sharing stories. It turned out that Krisa’s mother was
indeed
Sir
i and the two men knew her clan.

One of the outpost guards produced a mouth pipe and another held a small wooden box with tight strings
stretched
over an opening. When he pulled or flicked a string it made beautiful tones. Each string sounded different. They played well-known tunes and Glory sang along, teaching Pearl the words.