Tuck nodded. “Convents have always offered refuge and sanctuary to those crippled by life outside those stout walls. Some people are beyond our ability to heal. For them, it is best we keep them safe from the outside world, and keep the outside world safe from them.” He sighed and scrambled to his feet, appearing much younger than he had a few moments ago.
Hilde needed to know more about the old man before she could figure out how to help him.
“Once you found your way out of the convent, I knew you’d be an asset to the Woodwose. Finding the right place for people is part of maintaining the balance of life, of village and castle, of Church and everyday life.” He looked at each of the three roads, as if deciding which would take him where he needed to go.
“Nick, it is time for you to choose. Will you return Elena to her niche in the crypt to wait for another student to teach, and then join the Woodwose? Or will you return yourself to the abbey and make penance to Prefect Andrew for your absence?”
Nick drew the tiny, three-faced pitcher from his pocket and stared at it long and hard.
“For now, I think my place is at the abbey. I have much to learn. And I will be safe there until I can choose.” He tore his gaze away from the silver talisman of an ancient people and a nearly forgotten religion and looked up at Hilde. “I’m sorry, Hilde. Part of me wants to stay with you, protect you as Dom could not. Another part of me knows that I am one of the few people who can keep Prefect Andrew and Father Blaine in balance. Perhaps later, you will help me choose which path is right for me and for all the people in and around the forest.”
“Later, then.” Hilde offered a hand up to him. “I do not know which road to take today. So I will walk the wild with the others until I can learn where I truly belong.”
“We have choices,” Nick whispered to himself. Then aloud he proclaimed, “We have choices! What we do with this life is our choice.”
You are no longer a silly boy. Just a boy with much to learn.
About the Author
Rachel Atwood is the author of Walk the Wild with Me. She grew up enchanted with British History. Now she writes historical fiction with enchantments. Every time she visits the British Isles, she basks in the shadows of standing stones and glories in ancient crypts while drinking in the lush accents of the people she meets. She thinks driving on the left is natural and roundabouts are efficient as well as aesthetically pleasing.
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Walk the Wild With Me Page 25
