by D. E. Morris
For the first time since arriving, the haze that had been surrounding Lilia cleared enough for her to give the girl a queer look. “Gods?”
The girl smiled serenely. “Yes. Our purity is one of the sincerest gifts we can give if we are called to do so.” Their feet echoed over the hard floors, dampened only occasionally by rugs and tapestries of pure white. “This way, please.”
They were led into a room with two pale basins made out of the same marble as everything else around them, high curved edges with gold around the rims. Water already steamed within and the musky scent of lavender was easy to detect. Clothes were folded beside each basin, and towels waited atop, everything colorless as snow. Two little girls who looked too young to even be in double digits bowed as soon as they saw the group and hurried out in silence.
“I don't like lavender,” Rowan muttered wrinkling her nose.
“We can have another bath prepared for you,” one of her escorts offered. “Perhaps you would prefer cassia or orange?”
Lilia cast Rowan a dirty look, despite her being unable to see it. “Don't be silly. This is perfectly fine and welcoming. Thank you.” She let helpful hands start on the ties at the back of her traveling gown. “How are you so prepared?” Again, no answer was given. The three girls fell silent after that. When Rowan slapped a hand away that tried to help her undress, one of her escorts decided to aid Lilia, while the third left.
The water was warm, and despite the humid summer air, felt refreshing as Lilia submerged herself. When she was a girl and still living with her parents, there had been servants in her household to warm up baths. This was the first time she had ever been scrubbed by hands not her own. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but it didn't take long for the luxury of it all to take away her hesitation. Even a glance at Rowan, who sulked by herself in her tub as she washed, couldn't take away the feeling of sheer relaxation she felt.
Chapter Twelve
When they were clean and dried, they dressed in the same linen shifts as the girls, thin golden belts wrapped around their waists. Ribbons of gold were woven into Lilia's hair and she twirled when she was done, a smile on her face. “It's so simple, and yet, I don't think I've ever felt this lovely. Goodness, my arms are so exposed!”
“Come,” said one of the girls. “Surely your meal is prepared and waiting.”
They were not escorted this time, but led out of the room and through the echoing halls. With a serene smile on her lips, Lilia hooked her arm with one of Rowan's and looked over at the younger girl. “Cheer up, Rowan. It isn't all that bad.”
You wouldn't think so, would you? They've got you fooled, Lilia. Snap out of it!
The winged woman's demeanor didn't change at all. Maybe at first, but not totally. Did you hear what she said about gods and purity?
Yes. Nothing about this place feels right. I don't want to stay here.
The sun had taken its leave, casting shadows all across the valley as they walked back through the village. Fires had been lit in sporadic pits and were left untended as people, mostly women, walked to their own destinations or sat in conversation with one another. “It looks like we may be early yet. Everyone is still out and about.” Neither of the girls so much as looked over their shoulder at Lilia to acknowledge she'd spoken. They did glance at each other and share some sort of a secret smile, but that was it.
Stay close to me, Lilia instructed, tightening her grip on Rowan. She looked around as they walked, trying to get a sense of where Connor had been taken and wondering if he would be at this gathering, if there even was a gathering. Suddenly, she was cross with herself for getting so swept up in the mystery and beauty of the place. If she'd had any wits about her, she would have put up a fuss when Connor was led away. A small trickle of fear crept up her spine, an irrational worry over even seeing him again. She'd never even told him that she loved him. What if they never saw each other again and he never knew?
“This way.”
Lilia blinked away her dread and realized only the strawberry-blonde girl was leading them now. They turned away from the areas that were still active with women and moved in the direction of a modest house sitting under the shadow of the mountain at its back. There were lights burning inside the circular building and the door was wide open. The girl approached slowly and stopped just before the threshold, hands crossed before her and her head angled slightly down. She said something quietly in the odd language and a similar sounding reply came quickly. The girl bent her knee in a curtsy, then stepped back and swung to her right like a door opening. Rhiamon came to the threshold, her long dark hair uncovered and flowing down her back and over her shoulders.
“How lovely the two of you look. Please, come in.” She swept a hand out to invite Lilia and Rowan inside. It was simple and far less elegant than the House of Maidens. Lilia had been expecting something grand to celebrate Rhiamon's obvious station and importance in the village, but this place was little more than a peasant's home. A fire burned brightly in the pit dug into the wall on the far side of the small structure, and a bed was hidden behind a curtain near the back. Before the fire sat a small circular table with three stools. Lilia was far from subtle as she took in the surroundings, pausing when she saw the wall cut away near the bed to a smaller room where another bed could be made out in the dim light.
“You live here?” she asked, not bothering to hide the doubt in her voice.
“I do, as does my attendant.” Rhiamon linked her fingers together before her. “You sound surprised. After seeing the House of Maidens, I can hardly blame you.”
“Are you not the queen of your people? How can you live so simply?”
Rhiamon moved past the girls with a quiet laugh. “We have no need for such titles. I am the leader of my people for as long as the gods deem it so. I live to serve them and guide them. How can I do that from a throne? How would fine trappings and a home of wood, iron, and stone help me to be a part of them?” She nodded toward the table, smiling. “Please, sit.” As Lilia led Rowan to one of the stools, Rhiamon looked to the waiting girl and nodded. The girl bobbed her head in turn and disappeared.
“Where is my brother?”
Rowan's question did nothing to remove the smile from Rhiamon's lips. “No doubt enjoying the company of others his gender. Fear not, young one. Your brother is safe here, as are you...both of you.”
Lilia's eyes narrowed as she sat. “Is he not joining us? Is anyone else?”
“Would you like for some of the girls to join us? I thought it would be nice for just the three of us to get to know one another.” The girl had only been gone for a few moments, but soon others came in with plates of food: bread, cheese, fruit, and a smoked meat that dripped with juices. There was almost not enough room on the table for the wine, but the attending girls made space to leave the full jug before leaving. “Please,” said Rhiamon, “help yourselves.”
Despite all of her reservations, Lilia was hungry and couldn't stop herself from loading up a plate, first for Rowan, then for herself. The bread was soft and airy, and soaked up the drippings from the meat. It was as though it was her first meal in days, everything tasted so good. It was silent for a turn as she enjoyed her food, but when she noticed Rhiamon not eating, only watching them, Lilia paused with an apple slice halfway up to her mouth. “Are you not joining us?”
“I ate earlier and am not hungry, but please, do not let that stop you.” The older woman's dark eyes swept toward Rowan and she watched the girl eat with slow, deliberate movements. “It is not poisoned, Rowan,” she laughed. “You must be famished.”
“It is good,” Lilia promised, a touch of disappointment in her tone. She slowed her consumption, realizing she must have looked like such a glutton. When her mouth was empty, she glanced outside. “It is very pretty here.”
“Thank you. We pride ourselves on taking care of our land. After all, how can we expect it to meet our needs if we do not meet its needs?”
Lilia nodded as she swallowed a piece
of sharp cheese. “That is true.”
“Do you always invite strangers up here to your village?” Rowan asked, pale green eyes seemingly transfixed on the fire. Her lips were set into a thin line, a wrinkle of discontent on her forehead.
Rhiamon looked at her, unaffected by the girl's demeanor. “I do not make a habit of it, no.”
“Why us?”
She tilted her head like a curious bird, thoughtful. “I have no real answer for you, I suppose. The invitation formed on my lips before I thought about it. Perhaps it is the will of the gods that you be here. I have been prompted to bring others here before you, and it has always proved to be an enlightening experience.”
Rowan's expression darkened. “We do not believe in gods, but the one God: The Giver – the Great Dragon.”
“Many have your same beliefs when they arrive,” Rhiamon challenged, her own eyes narrowing slightly. “It is hardly your fault that you have been taught the religion of the masses. How can you know any different when you are not given the option of exploration?”
Rowan opened her mouth to respond, but Lilia touched her arm and interrupted. “Are you a recruiter of some sort, then?”
Rhiamon gave a small shrug. “Recruiter, teacher, provider, protector...I am called many things.”
She is a witch.
Lilia pulled her hand away from Rowan, the younger woman's hissed accusation still echoing through her head. She desperately wanted to speak with Connor, to make sure he was all right and to see what his experiences had been that evening. Was there a male leader of this village as well that he was speaking to? The way this place seemed to value the women over the men, she doubted it. With nothing left to say and a ball of anxious uncertainty forming in her stomach, Lilia said nothing more. She ate the little that was left on her plate in silence, trying to ignore the way Rhiamon watched her, but at the same time, perversely loving the attention.
“Thank you for sharing your evening with me,” Rhiamon said when the girls were finished with their meals. “It is so rare to have such enchanting company. Would you care to walk with me for a while?”
“I think we would like to find our beds.” Lilia forced a smile of regret onto her lips. “We have been traveling for some time and I feel as though I could drop.”
“Me, too,” Rowan added.
Rhiamon nodded. “Very well.” She spoke not a word, but lifted her chin to turn her attention to the open doorway. Once more, the girl with the strawberry-blonde hair seemed to appear from nowhere. “Please see to it that our guests are brought to their bed.” She looked at Lilia, regretful. “I hope you do not mind sharing a bed; we do not have as much room right now as we usually do.”
Lilia gave a small smile, genuine for the first time in a while. “Rowan and I are used to sharing a bed.”
“That is right.” The older woman's lips twitched as though she was suppressing a smile. “Your young man said you were ladies. You are of the age to be in the service of a queen.”
“Yes.” If anyone else had inquired, Lilia would not have hesitated to share exactly whose household she was a part of, but something told her to keep the information she offered as limited as she could. “Thank you for the delicious food.”
“We will break bread again in the morning,” Rhiamon promised, rising to her feet. “The morning meal allows all of us to eat together.” She cast an amused glance toward Rowan. “You will see then that we took care with your brother as we have of you.”
Lilia dipped her head. “Thank you again.”
“Rest well,” Rhiamon called as the girls left. All three of them were silent as they took the same route back through the village as the one they'd taken earlier. Once more, Lilia linked her arm with Rowan and walked close beside her.
Can you see anything?
No, everything is too dry. I can see the brook in the distance, but little else. In the morning, though...
Lilia glanced around in obvious curiosity. We're in the middle of a mountain range. Everything will be covered in mist and fog.
And I'll be able to see more than even you can see during the day.
Perfect.
At the House of Maidens, they were led farther back in the marble building to a room with multiple beds within. Across the hall was another room set up the exact same way. With two more doors just a little way down, Lilia wondered exactly how many girls slept there. In the room she and Rowan were shown into alone, there was space for at least sixteen girls if they doubled up, though some of the beds were wide enough to fit three across.
“You may sleep in the shifts you were given,” the girl told them, showing them to a bed by a window. “In the morning, should you require them, your clothes will be returned to you, clean and folded.”
Rowan's brows came together. “Why would we not require them?”
“Many choose to stay longer than one night. While in our village, we ask our guests to shed the adornments of the outside world and live simply, as we have chosen to do. No one need feel they must decorate themselves here. Natural beauty is what shines both from within as well as without.” She turned her smiling face to Lilia. “Do you need anything else?”
“When does everyone else sleep?” It was dark enough outside that she knew it had to be late.
“We sleep when our bodies tell us to and rise with the sun to begin our daily duties.”
Lilia forced a smile. “Lovely.”
“If that is all...”
She nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
“Rest well,” the girl said. She turned for the door but paused before rounding the corner and looked over her shoulder. “Please refrain from wandering.” With nothing more to say, she walked away.
Rowan snorted and felt around for the bed before falling down onto it. “What are we, children?”
“We're outsiders,” Lilia muttered. She hastened to the door and glanced out into the hallway to make sure the girl was truly leaving. Satisfied to see her retreating form already well down the hallway, she then turned back into the room and hurried to the window to look outside. “This place is full of secrets. Can't you feel it?”
“Not as well as you can, apparently.” Rowan sat up and turned her face in the direction from which she heard Lilia speaking. “I wondered for a little while if you'd been put under a spell.”
“I think for a little while I was.” Lilia returned to the bed and sat beside Rowan, a wrinkle in her brow. “Even Connor seemed more compliant than he normally would have been. Not you, though.” She glanced at Rowan and absently moved a red tendril from her face. “I wonder if sight has something to do with it.”
Rowan shrugged. “It depends on the magic.”
“Do you think it truly is magic?”
“What else could it be if not that? You said yourself that you felt under a spell.”
Lilia nodded but said nothing, her thoughts racing. She'd all but forgotten why they were there in the first place for a time. It seemed as though certain questions went unanswered, though there was no real clue as to which ones or why. Though Rhiamon seemed all too honest in her answers, whereas the girls just ignored her, she wondered if even mentioning Gaels and dragons was a good idea. “Let's try to sleep,” she said after awhile. Rowan helped her pull the ribbons from her hair, then braided it before they curled up together under the thin top blanket.
The mattress smelled of fresh cut straw and clean, sun dried cotton. Despite the summer heat, the air was cool in the marble house and comfortable. Both girls drifted in and out of slumber, one or both of them waking when someone else came in to do the same. It was impossible to tell how long they had been out or to even guess at the time of night, everything felt so jarring and disjointed. After being woken several times by voices and quiet laughter, Lilia found it hard to go back to sleep. She kept her eyes closed but listened as more voices sounded from within the room, and fewer could be heard on the other side of the open window.
Are you awake?
Lilia couldn't help
but smirk. Had she truly been asleep, the telepathic question surely would have woken her right up. Not at the moment.
I think you should go look around.
The winged woman lifted her head from her pillow just enough to scan the room without drawing attention. We were told not to wander, remember? How do you expect me to get out of here without someone seeing me?
Shift. Obviously.
Lilia frowned in the darkness and rested against the pillow once more. Of course. That makes much more sense given that I am surrounded by a bright ball of white light while I do that.
Rowan's giggle rippled through her subconscious.
I can shift, certainly, but I need to get outside and into the woods in order to do that.
Leave that to me. Throwing back the blanket, Rowan climbed over Lilia as she had done many times in the middle of the night. Several girls still awake turned to see what she was doing. When she held her hands out in front of her, waving them back and forth, a couple of them left their beds to go to her. “I have to relieve myself.”
“She's blind,” Lilia explained, seeing confusion on one of the girl's faces by the light of the moon. “She needs help.”
“Of course,” said the girl. “We can take you.” Each of the two girls slid an arm around Rowan's waist, leading her as though she were an invalid. They disappeared into the darkness of the hallway. Just as Lilia wondered what the younger woman's plan was, there came a crash, the sound of breaking pottery, and a loud yowl. The rest of the girls in the room jumped to their feet and hurried out to see what had happened. Lilia waited a split second after the last one was gone before getting up herself and climbing up and over the windowsill. She dropped outside with a soft thud and gathered the long skirt of her shift in her hands, racing for the cover of the forest that preceded the mountains. Fear kept making her look back over her shoulder, but no one was following her. Whatever Rowan had done was enough of a distraction to keep anyone from realizing where she'd gone so far.