The Acolyte: Magicians of the Beyond

by Victoria Murata

  Danica took in his round squat build. An assassin? Hard to believe.

  “How do you use your special power, Master Stefan?”

  “The cards have allowed me to know the future. That was a big help when I was an assassin. I learned to never ask if I would live or die—only how best to defeat my enemy.”

  “Did you have many enemies?”

  “Yes indeed, Danica, because of what I needed to protect.” They came to the end of a row and rounded to the next.

  Danica looked at him closely. “What did you need to protect?”

  He bent over and pulled at some carrot tops, releasing the orange vegetables from the dirt. He dusted the loose soil from them and placed them into the basket. He took his time answering her.

  “There are precious things in the world.”

  She raised her eyebrows, and he went on. “I’m not talking about money or jewels. I’m talking about things like ideals, beliefs, freedom, safety, and sometimes people. Then there are those who wish to destroy these things.”

  Danica pondered his words as they walked up a row of various squash, some ready to be harvested.

  “Are the ones who are the destroyers the people you needed to kill?”

  He looked at her sharply. “They are not people! They are simply evil disguised as people.”

  “Are you talking about the Others?”

  “The Others are the destroyers, yes. They look and act like people. They infiltrate themselves into the world and go about their sinister business. Wherever there is chaos or mass destruction, there you will find the Others.” He picked a few ripe zucchini squashes and put them in his basket.

  Danica shivered involuntarily. “How did you kill them?”

  “You can’t kill them—not really. You can get rid of them but eventually they’ll turn up somewhere else. Usually in another part of the world or in another world entirely. Once you get rid of them and the chaos settles down, they won’t return. There’s nothing for them to feed on, you see. And they know that you know about them.”

  They walked down a long row of lettuces.

  “So the, er, ones you killed when you were an assassin weren’t real people?”

  “That’s both true and false. They weren’t people, but they were all too real, and my life was in constant danger because they don’t behave the way people do. You have to study them, observe them, and learn their habits. You must learn what it is that feeds them. One will normally attach itself to a person of some power and then it influences him or her to do what it wants.”

  “Like Dumone influences the Count.”

  “That’s right. And you must remember to be very calm. They don’t like that. They want you to run and scream, to be frightened and to act impulsively. That’s when you are the most vulnerable. Remember that.”

  Master Stefan bent and picked a leafy head of lettuce. Danica changed the subject. “How did you come to the Beyond?”

  They rounded another corner. “In a most peculiar way. I went to a convention for seniors about traveling. I thought I’d like to see a little more of the world before I got too old, you see. Phil was at one of the booths—something about great architecture around the world. I was used to her popping up randomly and I thought she might have a job for me. The jobs were few and far between, and most didn’t require much physical activity at my age. Even though I’d known Phil for many years, she had never told me about the Beyond.”

  “Did she have to convince you to come here?”

  Master Stefan chuckled. “No, not really. I was ready to retire, and that’s what she was offering me.”

  Danica inhaled the scent of rosemary. She stopped by a bush and picked a small sprig and held it to her nose. “I love this smell!”

  Master Stefan watched her for a moment. “And it loves you. Plants don’t release their scents to just anyone. They reflect what they are given. When you love it, it surrounds you in its essence. You can feel it, can’t you?”

  Danica was taken aback. She had never thought of plants in that way, and then she realized she could feel the vitality of the rosemary plant—the subtle but unmistakable energy of love and life from its vibration.

  “Yes, I can feel it!”

  “Not all plants emit a scent. Some put their energy toward color or texture, and some have sounds.”

  “Sounds?”

  “Have you ever heard a wheat field?”

  Danica looked bemused for a moment and then she laughed. “Yes, I have!” She recalled being in the middle of a field of wheat and the soft susurration of the stalks as they moved with and against each other in the wind. “I never thought about plants in this way before.”

  “Everything is alive, Danica. Life forms abound everywhere, and they all express their spirits in different ways. You only must look and listen, and sometimes hear with your heart. I know that you are sensitive to energy. When you become aware of the life around you, you will be able to communicate with the living world in new ways.”

  He pulled a pair of pruners from his pocket and walked up to a rose bush. A blue-red rose was just beginning to open and he cut the stem carefully and gave the flower to Danica. She gazed at it in wonder, never having seen a rose in that particular shade before.

  “The rose bush loves this attention. The flower I cut will bloom fully if you put it in a little water, and now the mother can send its energy to new buds. It’s a cycle like everything in life. The old must make way for the new; that doesn’t mean the old isn’t useful and beautiful in its own right.”

  Danica smiled at this interesting man. “I love your garden, Master Stefan. Thank you for showing it to me, and for showing me the cards.”

  “The cards showed themselves to you. I’m only the dealer.” He looked thoughtful. “You can come back and visit. I don’t have many visitors—don’t want them! But you can come back. I would like that.”

  Their garden walk had led them around the cottage to the front where the lake shimmered in the sunlight. Star grazed on the lush grass nearby.

  “Master Stefan, how long did you know Phil before she told you about the Beyond?”

  He chuckled. “Long before. She was my boss for many years, and she always promised me a long and happy retirement. When I found her at the convention and she told me about the Beyond, I knew she had found a replacement for me, and I could retire.” He looked at Danica pointedly.

  “When did you retire?”

  “Oh, not that long ago, believe it or not.”

  Danica nudged Star’s mind and the horse walked up to them. She picked up the saddle and swung it onto Star’s back. She thought about Master Stefan working with Phil.

  As if reading her mind, he said, “I always knew Phil had my back. I never felt like I was working alone.” His eyes darkened. “You won’t be alone either, Danica. Jimmu and Emma will be with you, and the other Coverts will be close. Rely on them, and never think you have to do anything solo.”

  Danica tightened the cinch under the saddle and reached for the headstall.

  “Were you ever afraid?” she asked, not looking at him.

  He gave a short laugh. “I was always afraid. Fear is natural. It can work for you or against you. If you’re smart, you can turn it to your favor. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  She attached Star’s headstall, drawing the reins over her head. Danica thought of the fire walks with Wilder. She was terrified at first, but when she calmed herself, she gained much knowledge about fire.

  “Yes, I’ve learned that as long as I can keep my head, I’m tuned into the danger and I can learn from it. It’s almost like the danger is alive. It changes.” She struggled for the right words. “It grows with my fear, and if I can calm myself, it diminishes.”

  Master Stefan’s face softened. “Marcus Aurelius said, ‘You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.’”

  Danica smiled. I’ve read that in my Bartlett’s quotations book!

  She p
ut her foot in the stirrup and grabbed Star’s mane and swung herself up onto the saddle. “Thank you, Master Stefan. I’ll come back again soon.”

  He waved as she turned Star in the direction of the hotel. As she and Star made their way through the forest, she found it different from the one she had ridden through earlier on her way to meet Master Stefan. The deep green was lush and cool and comforting. She inhaled the aroma of the pine woods and smelled the rich damp earth with each step Star took. A frond from a reaching vine caressed her face. She looked up at the canopy above and marveled at the fingers of leaves that formed a lacy window to the blue sky. The trail ahead was a verdant tunnel inviting her inside. Green enveloped her, filling her senses. Everything is alive! she thought, and at that moment she was certain of the presence of a greater Power. A Power for good and beauty. God, or the Great Spirit, or Allah, by whatever name It is called lives here, and I am in Its great green heart!

  Twenty-Three

  When Danica and Star returned to the stable, she was approached by Keera.

  “Hi, Danica. Did you have a good ride?”

  “Beautiful!”

  “Marc and I are taking a couple of horses to Troad tomorrow morning. He thought you might like to come along.”

  Danica hadn’t been to Troad, one of the five communities in the Beyond, and she readily accepted.

  “Be here after breakfast and wear your riding clothes.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Keera. Sounds like fun!”

  Later, when she returned to her room, she found a glass and put her rose in it with a little water. She set it on her vanity and then went to the bathroom to shower and get ready for dinner. She turned the water on as hot as she could stand it and let it sluice over her body, and then she used a rough loufah to scrub her skin until it tingled.

  When she emerged from the bathroom with a thick towel wrapped around her, she made her way to the wardrobe. After careful perusal of the offerings, she chose her dress for dinner. The fabric of the dusty blue fitted lacy bodice crossed in front slightly off each shoulder before wrapping around to the back, leaving a pyramid of skin exposed above the wide-banded waistline. The rose-red tulle skirt flowed out in gentle folds to just below her knees.

  She piled her dark hair high on her head, and then she took Master Stefan’s rose from its glass and tucked it behind her ear.

  Damien served the beef tartar, and another waiter followed with buttered new potatoes in a creamy garlic sauce, and delicate lemony asparagus spears. Danica had a new appreciation for the vegetables now that she knew where they were from, and an image of the ordered gardens came to her mind.

  Phil asked, “How was your visit with Master Stefan?”

  Danica looked at Phil appreciatively. She wore an airy floor-length coral-colored sleeveless silk shift lightly cinched at the waist with a silver belt studded with emerald-green stones. The same stones were in the dangling silver earrings and choker necklace that accentuated her slender neck.

  “It was an interesting meeting. I learned a lot about Lymonia and what’s in store for me there.”

  Phil nodded sagely. “Master Stefan has remarkable talents.”

  “Did he use his cards?” Wilder asked. The deep turquoise shirt and bright orange tie she wore complemented her fiery red hair.

  “Yes. It was amazing!”

  “He’s kind of grouchy, isn’t he?” asked Neith.

  “At first I thought so, but he’s actually very sweet.”

  “Sweet?” Wilder said, laughing. “That’s the last word I would use to describe Master Stefan!”

  “He showed me his garden. I can tell how much he loves it. He’s passionate about his flowers and vegetables.” She took a bite of the asparagus, appreciating its bright flavor. “And he invited me back. I’ll visit him again soon.”

  “Wow! You made an impression. No one gets invited back to Master Stefan’s cottage,” Liam said. His eyes regarded Danica appraisingly.

  “I’ve never been invited back,” Neith said. The crimson red velvet gown that she wore hugged her curves and accentuated her dark skin. Her abundant hair was woven into a gold cloth headdress studded with deep red rubies.

  “I haven’t either,” said Wilder, “and the cards said nothing to me.”

  “That’s not true,” Phil said. “Jimmu has visited Master Stefan many times, right, Jimmu?”

  Danica looked at Jimmu, surprised at this revelation. He had been quietly listening to the exchange and now he said, “Master Stefan isn’t interested in socializing. He and I get along because we share similar interests. Gardening is one, and cards is another.”

  “I didn’t know you were interested in gardening, Jimmu,” Danica said, smiling at him.

  “Do you play with his special cards?” Wilder asked.

  The folds of Jimmu’s dark purple kimono glinted in the soft light of the overhead chandelier as he reached for his wine. “We play with the same cards Danica saw today, only they’re simply playing cards when we use them.” He looked at Danica. “In my former life I was apprenticed to a master gardener, so yes, I know a lot about gardening, and Master Stefan allows me to help him when I visit. In fact, I designed his Japanese garden.”

  “That’s a beautiful garden, Jimmu,” Phil said.

  Two young women were clearing the plates from the table. Damien served a delicate sponge cake for dessert topped with fresh strawberries and clotted cream.

  “Did Master Stefan grow these strawberries?” Neith asked.

  “All of our fruits and vegetables come from him,” Jimmu said.

  “His garden doesn’t feed the whole community, does it?” asked Danica.

  “It feeds the people who eat at the hotel and in the commons. Anything left over is sent to the other kitchens and supplemented with produce from Troad.”

  “I’m going to Troad tomorrow with Keera and Marc,” Danica volunteered.

  “That sounds like fun,” Liam said.

  “It’ll take all day, so I won’t be swimming,” She said, looking at Jimmu. He responded by nodding absently.

  “Have you and Marc gotten any closer?” Wilder asked, smiling coyly.

  “Closer?” Danica said, blushing.

  “He’s pretty charming. He seems to get what he puts his mind to.”

  “We’ve gotten to know each other better since I’ve been taking riding lessons from him.”

  “Uh-huh,” Neith said, and she and Wilder giggled.

  “Quit teasing, you two,” Liam said.

  Jimmu scowled, obviously not happy with the direction of the conversation.

  “I’m glad you’re taking lessons from the best,” Phil said.

  “These strawberries are delicious!” Wilder said.

  “And they love you, too,” Danica offered.

  Jimmu looked at her strangely, and as he watched, the blue-red rose tucked behind her ear came into full bloom.

  Twenty-Four

  The following morning after breakfast, Danica dressed in riding attire and headed to the stables. Marc and Keera were already there and the three of them spent a few minutes tacking up their horses. Star was feeling frisky, and Danica touched her mind and saw excitement and anticipation. She patted her neck. “I’m excited too. I’ve never been to Troad before except to pass through.”

  She led Star outside and joined Marc and Keera who were already mounted. Each was leading a large draft horse.

  “These two beauties are going to Troad. They’ll help with the farming,” Marc said. “We better get started. Troad is over twenty miles away so it will take us most of the morning to get there.”

  They set off at a brisk trot. The dirt road leading out of the Hotel Community was well-traveled. At first it was bordered by trees and after a few miles the trees became sporadic, eventually replaced by verdant green hills and valleys. Small lakes dotted the landscape here and there. At one point they crossed a wide bridge over a river. On the other side was a young fair-haired boy wielding a fishing rod. He had a half full bucket of
water with three or four fish wriggling inside.

  “Looks like you’re having some luck,” Marc said to the boy when they pulled their horses up and dismounted, leading them to the river to drink.

  The boy smiled and told them it would be dinner for his family.

  “What’s your name, boy, and where do you live?” Keera asked.

  “Name’s Tod and I live over the hill about a mile from here,” he said, pointing in the direction of his home. “Me mum raises chickens, and we sell the eggs to folks in Darkwood, mostly.”

  “What does your father do?”

  “Don’t have a dad. Just me, my sister Janet, and me mum. Janet works in Troad and makes good money, too.”

  “Selling eggs?”

  “Nay. She’s a lupa.”

  Danica caught the look between Marc and Keera.

  “We’re headed to Troad. Maybe we’ll see her there,” Keera said.

  “She works at the Arms,” Tod said.

  Soon the horses had drunk their fill and the three travelers said their goodbyes to Tod and were back on the road to Troad.

  “What’s a ‘lupa’?” Danica asked when they were out of earshot of the boy.

  “A prostitute,” Keera answered. “And it’s considered an honest profession in Troad.”

  “Really?”

  “Troadites are an interesting race. You’ll see. I like them. They’re up front and direct. There’s no mystery about them,” Marc said. “Prostitution is legal and appreciated by the men and, I think, their wives, too.”

  Soon the terrain flattened, and they passed colorful fields of crops: wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley, beans, and alfalfa as far as the eye could see.

  “Troadites trade their crops with other communities. All of the grain and much of the produce used in the Beyond comes from here,” Keera said.

  Soon they could see the village ahead. Low earth-colored buildings sparsely dotted the horizon, and stockyards full of cattle, pigs and fowl left the air heavy with odors. It wasn’t long before they were riding through the middle of Troad. Carts pulled by horses loaded with wood, bricks, crops, hay, and various commodities crowded the narrow city lanes paved with stone. Marc, Keera, and Danica maneuvered their way through streets where shopkeepers had set up tables outside to sell their wares. Half-naked children ran through the lanes chasing each other, and mongrel dogs chased after them. Women gossiped over clothes lines between buildings. Old men smoked pipes and sat on benches guffawing over shared jokes and stories.