by Laura Abudo
“You aren’t teaching us?” Pearl asked.
“Sister’s teach Sisters. I am simply taking you to them.”
“We can’t stay here?” Glory quietly pleaded.
Karl shook her head slowly. She knew the pain the little one was going through. She’d been taken from her family at the age of ten also, put into the hands of some very stern Sisters and told to grow up. She hadn’t wanted to leave her home but knew she was called upon.
“It will be fine,” she encouraged them. “Have you met with the Sisters already?”
Pearl and Glory shook their heads. Krisa had disappeared again. She led the two girls toward the door she’d come through. She looked back into the gardens and called out, “We are going down to the Sisters if you’d like to come but if you feel the need to stay and pray to the gods here that’s fine.” There was no response.
Two days later, after experiencing life at the Sanctuary, the three girls were anxious to get on their way with Brother Karl. The Sisters were glum. The rooms the Sisters occupied were dark and underground like a dungeon. To Glory’s dismay they never gathered to serve tea or tell stories. They looked at the girls with no emotion or interest at all but did answer questions and take care of their needs, such as food and preparing baths and clothes. And from the time they were donned in pale yellow, scratchy Sister robes the Brothers were no longer permitted to spend time with them. Only Brother Karl was allowed, so she made an effort to spend most of her time talking and sharing stories about the trip they’d take and the people they’d see. If they made good time she would take them to Danyc, the capital city and home of the King.
Krisa had disappeared completely twice. Brothers had been sent to get her at her father’s house each time. She refused to tell them how she had left. Her first attempt had been thwarted by the lady Brother arriving in the Gardens that first day. Krisa had been on top of the wall under the roof, one leg over the edge ready to drop to freedom when Brother Karl introduced herself. She’d been so intrigued by the lady Brother she decided to find out who she was and jumped back down. The next afternoon she made it home. And the next morning again. The Brothers told her father that they expected his full support in her calling and he’d have to leave his home if they felt it necessary. That scared Krisa into obedience so she agreed to stay in Brother Karl’s custody.
Glory’s dresses and fine things were returned to her mother. She was able to keep enough underclothes for several days, warm leggings, a sweater, a bonnet and a cloak. She shared extra items with the other girls and got a hug of approval from Brother Karl for her generosity. Glory even made Pearl some ribbons for her short hair, and even though Pearl feigned disinterest, she hid them away in a pocket and cherished them.
The morning of their departure they were thankful to be out of the dungeon of the Sanctuary. The sun shone and there was a bit of a chill to the air but it was not cold enough to wrap blankets around them in the small wagon the Brothers had given them. Even Krisa was in a decent mood as they slowly moved through the city. Karl noted that the girl’s eyes never stayed still. She looked at everyone and everything, her eyes flitting back and forth, pausing occasionally, maybe on someone she recognized. Perhaps she was taking it all in since she wouldn’t be back for a long time, if ever.
Pearl waved at shopkeepers and ladies of ill-repute as she passed. They seemed almost not to recognize her at first, all cleaned up, but they’d smile and wave back and a few blew her kisses. She barked at a dog in an alleyway, to Karl’s surprise, and its tail started wagging and it barked back.
“He’s very kind,” Pearl told Glory. “He once saved me from a ratten that got into our bed.” Glory blanched and stared at the other girl in horror. Pearl grinned at her, having got the exact reaction she’d hoped for.
Farmlands met them just beyond the city limits, stretched out over hills and off into the far distance. It reminded Karl of her home, swaying crops and stately homes, fruit trees and ponds to swim in. Glory grew up here, on one of these vast estates but Pearl had never seen the ocean of green before and she beamed in pleasure. Krisa sat on the seat with Brother Karl watching the passing vistas but appeared to be lost in thought.
She was most worried about Krisa. She was so quiet and had tried to run away twice. She didn’t want to favor any of the girls but wanted to make this one less miserable. Karl did understand how the girl felt, leaving her home, but it didn’t make it any easier to help her. Krisa looked at Karl then glanced away again.
“Everything okay?” the woman asked.
Krisa nodded then turned back to ask, “Who is visiting the city?”
“I don’t know that anyone is,” Brother Karl replied honestly. “I just arrived myself before I met you.”
“Everyone is…” she started, “different, edgy.”
“How do you mean?” Karl asked her. It was good that Krisa was talking and sharing. She didn’t know anything about the girl except that she lived with her father and had a knack for escaping a building that was practically a fortress.
“Someone important is visiting the Keep,” she told them all. The other girls were listening now. “They have increased the guard and the streets have been swept. The market square held the first of the week and the mid-week vendors. The ladies from the pubs have moved up closer to the Keep but they get shooed away by guards. And the shopkeepers within view are very interested to find out who it is because they’ve set their chairs out on their stoops.”
Brother Karl considered the girl beside her for several moments having no idea how any of that could have been noticed on a quick ride through the city streets. “And who do you think it is?”
The look of concentration on Krisa’s face was unmistakable. It was one of calculated problem solving at its best, like she was following a long string of scientific notations. Several minutes passed before a look of decision crossed her face.
“It is a single unit of his King’s army, but more important, not just soldiers. Maybe officers or…no, not the Duke’s kin but maybe…”
“Oh!” Brother Karl declared, “I think I know exactly who you mean. It didn’t occur to me when you mentioned it but I did pass some fellows in the road the other night.”
Krisa stared at her almost begging for more information. The girl had a desperation about her that drove her to prove she was correct about her deductions of the facts as she saw them.
“He introduced himself to me as a Marshall in the King’s army. His name was…oh, I was so tired. What was it again?”
Krisa almost bounced in excitement that she had been correct. She beamed back at Glory and Pearl who seemed impressed. “How many were there?” she asked.
“It was very dark when I arrived and barely sunrise when I left the camp. Maybe a dozen. No, wait. They had more horses than that.”
“I would say more than that but no more than eighteen,” Krisa told her. “They only opened one row of stalls at the Keep for the horses. Each row holds eighteen.”
“Doran, Amias something Doran.”
Krisa nodded, her eyes now not focused on anything but she’d turned inward again and her mind was churning. This time she had a peaceful smile on her lips.
“Was he handsome?” Glory asked, blushing at her own question.
Brother Karl looked off up the road and thought back to the man standing in the firelight, his head tilted slightly, his dark shaggy hair in his eyes and his strong features that she had paused to study while he slept the next morning before quietly leaving the camp.
“I’m not sure,” she fibbed with enthusiasm. “Brothers don’t notice that sort of thing about men.”
The three girls giggled and Karl laughed and winked at Glory, who was satisfied with that answer. Glory sat back with a little smile and imagined him a big strong man in uniform charging off on his horse to save her from imminent peril.
Chapter 4
Muddy Beginnings
Rain set in during the night as they all slept cramped in the back of
the cart. There was barely enough room for all four of them but body heat made for comfortable sleeping. Brother Karl felt the first mist turn to drizzle and got up to pull a thick blanket over the top of the cart trying to tie it down as a shelter. It worked somewhat until the rain soaked right through it. She brushed down Horse, as the girls had named him, as he stood tied to a tree and fed him some grain they’d brought with them. They had enough food and water to get to the next town later in the day. She reminded herself to seek out a waxed tarp to shelter them at night.
At the first hint of dawn, with enough light to see the road, she hooked the horse to the cart and they were off again after she checked to make sure all three girls were soundly sleeping and safe. The rain was miserable, chilled her to the bone and kept running into her eyes. Pearl was the first to rouse and poked her head from beneath their makeshift cover.
“Brother Karl, can we stop?”
The girls snuck off the road to relieve themselves behind some bushes one at a time then scampered back into the cart. Pearl came to sit with Karl at the front.
“We need one of those fancy carriages the Duke rides around in,” Glory called from under the blanket. “He came to see us one time in a shiny black one. He let me sit in it.”
“The Duke?” Pearl demanded.
“Yes, he is my father’s brother. We run his farmlands. He has beautiful hounds that ride around with him. You would love them, Pearly.”
“Does his carriage have a roof?” Pearl asked holding the hood of her cloak closer to her chin.
Glory nodded and said, “It’s like a big box on wheels. It has windows and a door you open and when you step down a gentleman holds your hand to help you. The seats inside are cushioned and soft. It’s marvelous.”
Brother Karl was envious of the cushioned seats. She was sure after sitting on this solid plank for the last day her backside was taking the same shape. The rain didn’t seem to be letting up, if anything it was steadily getting heavier. The road began to get muddy due to the run-off from the hillside to their right. A deep gulch to their left led down to a stream that had developed into a swiftly moving creek. She wanted to get them to some kind of shelter soon since the sky looked as though the cloud mass had settled in for a good long time. Ahead the road appeared to lead out into more open land. She was thankful they wouldn’t be stuck on this road between a hill and a steep descent.
No sooner had that thought crossed her mind than a sloughing of the hillside to their right spilled mud and saplings into the road, spooking the horse. He danced sideways and backward, making the cart turn at a strange angle. He lurched forward then to the side again as a bigger tree slid into the road.
Pearl had already jumped off the seat next to Karl and shouted at the girls to get out of the back. They fell out screaming into the road watching Karl try to gain control, but the wheels were now in mud and were slipping toward the steep slope to the creek.
“Jump!” Krisa yelled at her.
Karl did just that. She slid down into the road then rushed to the horse’s head to calm it but the cart was sliding off and dragging the panicked horse with it. She loosened the straps as fast as she could to untie him from the cart. Horse dashed away when he got free, only to stop twenty five steps down the road and stand there watching them. The cart continued to slide sideways down the hill until it fell braced against trees strong enough to hold it. It was tilted dangerously, their bags and food lying against its side, threatening to tip out into the rushing water downhill.
Brother Karl squatted at the edge of the road staring down at it as Krisa fetched Horse. Glory stood in the middle of the road covered in mud and crying, wiping muck from her face with the bottom edge of her cloak. Pearl stood next to Karl who looked up at her.
“So what do you think?” Brother Karl asked the girl.
“You see those trees?” she pointed out. “They are close enough together that we can hang on all the way to the cart. At least we can grab our things.”
“I don’t know,” Brother Karl told her shaking her head. “It’s awfully steep.”
“Can I try? I’ll start at this one and jump from tree to tree.”
After careful consideration Karl nodded waving for Krisa to bring her some of the thin saplings from the road. She broke a branch off one and handed it to Pearl as a support as she made her way across the slope. She made herself one also, giving directions to Krisa to tie the horse up further down the road where the hillside wasn’t as steep and to Glory to stay away from the edge.
Pearl was more nimble. She fairly easily moved from tree to tree toward the cart. The footing for Karl was unsure and she’d slipped a few times, catching her foot against the tree trunks just in time. She wondered how they would make it back up, convinced that it was much easier going down than up. When Pearl had reached the cart and grabbed one of the packs she tossed it up toward Krisa, who jabbed at it with a long splayed branch and dragged it up to the road. Each bag was tossed up in turn. They couldn’t detach the blanket she had used as a cover for fear of falling into the water below, so they left it. Going back up did prove to be much more of a challenge. Pearl caught up to Karl but didn’t pass her. She just gave encouragement and directions where to put her feet.
Glory remained in the middle of the road but stood on tiptoes to see over the edge at their progress. Karl noticed Glory turn to watch the direction they’d come then spun to say something to Krisa. They both stared down the road.
“Girls?” Brother Karl called out in a rising sense of panic that they saw something she couldn’t.
“Someone is coming, Brother,” Glory called. “Maybe they can help.”
Karl’s eyes met Krisa’s and without a word between them Krisa grabbed Glory’s arm and pulled her out of the road down into the mud of the steep slope toward the cart. She made Glory brace her body against the tree trunks Brother Karl was so desperately trying to reach to climb up to the road.
The sound of horses drew nearer. Their hooves on the road softened as they were engulfed in mud but she could still hear the metal rattles of the horses’ tack and men’s voices. The mudslide had practically washed out the entire road, forcing the horses to walk close to the edge.
Krisa gasped audibly in recognition and Glory cheered, “Oh, Brother, look, it’s your handsome Marshall!”
Brother Karl squinted in embarrassment at the girl’s declaration but sighed in relief it wasn’t a band of ruffians. The men looked down into the gulley in shock at seeing the children stranded against the trees. Several jumped off their mounts and swung into action pulling Glory and Krisa up over the slope and then formed a chain to rescue Pearl first then Brother Karl. When all four were safely on the road again, they assured the men they were not harmed and thanked them thoroughly. Only then did Captain Amias Doran approach them, still on horseback.
“The cart is a loss,” he told her staring down at it. “And your horse is not going to carry the four of you.”
“True,” she replied.
He removed the brimmed hat he wore, shaking it out while he contemplated what he was going to do with the lady Brother and three children. Karl noted the same shaggy hair hadn’t yet been cut. It stuck to his head in rivulets running off onto his scrubby chin. His eyes were dark, she noted. His jaw was set as he studied the four of them. Glory stared up at him in great admiration.
Brother Karl picked up a sack and helped Krisa put her arms through the straps to sling it on her back. Pearl did the same and Karl carried both her own and Glory’s for the time being. The four of them started off down the road toward the horse. She and Krisa would lead the horse while Pearl and Glory rode. They’d made some good time by starting out so early before dawn. They might make the next village by nightfall she concluded.
Horse had calmed. They didn’t have a saddle for him so the girls would have to be very careful and hang onto his harness that was still attached. She looked down the road and found the men arranging themselves into formation once again, ready to
ride. Captain Doran approached, leading his men.
“Where are you going, Brother Karl?” he asked looking up the road in the direction they were all traveling.
“The next village,” she told him. “The girls need to get out of this rain.”
“Agreed. But where are you ultimately going?”
“Much further north. I have a few stops to make,” she said. “I need to get us a new wagon and more supplies.”
He looked at each girl in turn, filthy, tired and soaked to the bone. Karl’s hair had come loose and hung in a tangled mess; her cloak was covered in mud and leaves, her grey robes torn. They clung to her body immodestly so she had to hold the cloak around her and try to manage two bags and the horse’s reigns with the other hand. The corner of his mouth turned up at the humor of her situation. She was still rather appealing as she stood in front of him, the posture and pride of a queen in a pig wallow. With a deep sigh Amias Doran reached over to the two girls on Horse and gently lifted Glory off and into the lap of his sergeant, Kel. Pearl and Krisa got their own riders as well. He raised an eyebrow at her in a mischievous smirk.
“Do you need a rider as well?”
She turned her back on him and contemplated how she was going to get onto Horse without a saddle or stirrups. One of the horses was brought forward from the end of the formation. It had been used to carry gear for them. It wore a saddle with bags hung from either side. One rider detached the bags and slung them over Horse, tying them securely, allowing her to use their horse to ride. She thanked him and climbed up, ready for them to get off this road and onward to the village.
Glory waved at her and she smiled back. As they rode against the rain Brother Karl thanked the gods for their safety. She repeated words of thanks for the men who stopped to help and for Captain Doran for his consideration in bringing them to shelter.
She opened her eyes and found his back, broad shouldered, straight and strong. He rode with confidence and ease. He clicked and his horse picked up the pace to a trot when they left the worst of the muddy road behind. The others followed suit, the entire group quickly making their way to a hot meal.
