“I wonder,” someone said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “They’re identical twins, ya fool.”
“Eat up, now!” Kader ordered. “We need tuh keep movin’.”
For the next few minutes, the sisters sat in silence, listening to the men complain of the stew, their sore muscles, their tiredness of traveling, and their desire to return home.
“Then back to Chiran, right?” Borka asked.
“An’ quickly,” Kader said. “I don’ wanna be responsible for ’em any longer ’an necess’ry. We let Zarek deal with ’em.”
“Still, we could have some fun ’long the way,” Nibal said with a hint of laughter, of disdain, of menace even, in his voice.
“Ya’ll not touch ’em,” Kader growled.
“I suppose you’re savin’ ’em for yourself?” Borka asked.
The sounds of a chair scraping against the floor, then the ring of steel, carried in the air.
Kader, now on his feet, held his sword. He glared at his men. “If any of ya touch ’em, I’ll kill ya.”
“Wasn’t serious. Whew.”
“Lighten up, Kader,” Nibal said. “We can’t afford tuh lose no one. It’ll take all of us tuh do this. That’s why Platon wasn’t able to get ’em when he was there earlier, scoutin’.”
One of the men, who’d remained silent throughout, threw his fork down. “Let’s go then,” he growled.
The men slowly stood and gathered their belongings, and then to the sound of creaking leather, made their way to the door.
Silently, the twins watched. They counted eight men in the contingent.
“Thank the Good One they didn’t see our faces,” Eden said when they were gone. “There are not all that many twins, you know.”
“Hmmm.” Reigna pushed her dinner plate away. “They’re headed for the compound.”
“They’re headed to get us.”
“We should go back to warn the others. If any harm comes to them, it’ll be all our fault.”
“I don’t think so.”
“But they’ll be in danger!”
Eden shook her head. “Always the warrior.”
“Come on. They might need our help.”
“There are enough people—guards and others trained for such events—at the compound to head those men off. In the meantime, the farther we get from here—from the compound—the better.”
“What do you think they want us for?” Reigna asked.
“You heard them. For Zarek.”
“But for what?”
Eden shook her head. “I’ve no idea.”
“You know, I thought we had to leave the compound because there’s something more for us. Something we’re to do. Something only we can do. But . . . Well, maybe there’s something else going on here. Maybe there’s another plan in play—one that’s made it possible to keep us from being captured by the likes of those thugs.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Well, don’t you wonder? So, here we are—safe. Meanwhile, those we left behind are in danger—and all because of us.” Her voice had risen in volume.
“Shhh,” her sister scolded. “We need to be careful.”
“Of course. I guess I’m just having doubts about all of this. So, now what do we do?”
Eden grinned. “You’re asking me? You must be desperate.”
Despite her concerns, her twin chuckled.
“Now,” Eden said, “I suppose, since we know they’re going toward the compound, we keep moving away—just like we planned—going in the opposite direction. And we move on as quickly as possible. We need to put as much distance between us and them as we can.”
“Do we go right now?”
“I don’t think so,” Eden said. “We stay here tonight. We both could use some rest.”
“Have you got any idea what we’re supposed to do to get our powers, Eden? I mean, do you ever wonder if this has all just been some big mistake?”
“Let’s go get some sleep, Reigna.” Eden pushed back her chair, and stood. “Tomorrow we keep riding. Maybe we’ll find answers.”
“But you’re sure we shouldn’t go back to warn everyone at the compound.”
“Of that, I’m certain.
Hazy heat filled the air as the two young Select made their way out from a wooded area wherein they’d watered their horses. All morning they’d kept silent company, each lost in her own thoughts. As usual, they seemed to anticipate one another’s questions, needs, even intentions, without the need to speak.
They directed their mounts, Ira and Mingo, around a bend in the road. Ahead stretched fields now void of their summer oats and wheat. In the distance, farmhands carted away their earlier harvest of grain stalks for threshing. Clouds of chaff billowed in the air.
“Have you given any thought to what it is that we’re eventually supposed to do?” Reigna asked, finally breaking the silence.
Eden shrugged. “I was rather hoping you had some answers.”
“I guess we’re identical in more ways than one,” Reigna said with a chuckle.
“Yes . . . but we are also quite different in other ways.”
“True.” Reigna pulled on Ira’s reins, directing the animal’s attention away from some tall, lush greenery that had momentarily distracted it. “Are you still sure that it was right of us not to return to the compound?”
“Yes. Whatever else happens, and whatever they’ve done at the compound in response to our having left there, I think they’ll be glad to know that we’re gone when that trouble arrives.”
“How do you suppose Zarek’s men found and infiltrated the compound in the first place?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. From what those men said, Zarek has been looking for us since our birth. I suppose he was bound to find the compound sooner or later.” Eden bit her lip. “Remember that storm months ago that left areas unprotected when the crystals blew down? Maybe that explains how he located us. And I think Dixon was right when he surmised that the intruders stepped up their incursions from the north so as to take attention from other areas.”
“Hmmm, yes,” Reigna said. “From what those hoodlums said, someone made it to the compound center earlier.”
“It seems so.”
“Are you worried?”
“For those at the compound?” Eden asked. “No. And I think you might be right—as you surmised earlier—that this adventure of ours is Creovita’s way of . . . keeping us safe.”
“Maybe.”
“Still, I would have liked to have put an arrow into that Nibal creep.”
Reigna chuckled. “Agreed.” She looked at her sister. “But only after I put a sword through Borka’s middle.”
They directed their horses around another bend in the pathway. Soon they came upon a village. Laughing children and barking dogs ran about. Nearby, laborers pulled a grain-filled wagon into a barn. Its open doors revealed a threshing room floor where several people stood about, brushing chaff from their clothing.
The twins passed through without incident.
“Do we even know where we’re going?” Reigna asked.
Eden grinned. “Do you remember when we went to the City of Light that time? I recall a little girl who spoke to Mara that day at sanctuary. She told Mara that she might want to be an Oathtaker when she grew up. She asked if that was a good decision. Mara told her that while she was young, she should try doing many and varied things. She said that sometimes, when someone is young, it’s just as important for her to learn what she doesn’t want to do for the rest of her life, as to determine what it is that she does want to do.”
Reigna glanced her sister’s way. “Hmmm. What made you think of that?”
“I was just thinking that for now we don’t know where we’re headed or where we want to go. All we know is where we don’t want to go. To the compound.”
Reigna relaxed her grip on her reins. “Do you suppose we’d know more if our mother . . .”
“I know what you’re thinking. If
our mother hadn’t died, maybe she’d have told us more about what to expect.”
“Maybe.”
Eden pursed her lips in thought. “I know it sounds crazy, but I love Mara so much. I can’t imagine life without her. I know Lilith was wrong to have caused our mother’s death and yet . . . somehow . . . I also know that it was right for us to . . . you know . . . to have had Mara.”
“I know what you mean. Dixon would have been with us either way, but Mara . . .”
“I hope she’s better.”
“Me too,” Reigna said, directing her horse around a boulder that jutted into the pathway.
They rode quietly for several minutes.
“What are you thinking?” Reigna finally broke the silence.
Her sister shrugged. “Actually, I’m thinking that maybe Mara didn’t regain her memory because . . . Well, maybe she’s tired of all the responsibility, of all the trouble. Maybe subconsciously . . . she wants to be set free.”
Reigna pulled her horse to a sudden stop.
Eden, realizing her sister no longer rode at her side, turned back. “Are you all right? Is something wrong?” she asked, her voice quivering.
“I’m all right. I just never thought about . . . I never thought we might be a burden to her.”
“Me either. I mean, I’d never thought about it before. But it stands to reason. She’s spent years cooped up at the compound with us. Maybe she’s just grown weary of it all.”
“You think she wants us to release her?”
“Oh no! She’d never—” Eden’s brow furrowed. “Do you think?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, no sense concerning ourselves with that now. For the moment, the thing most important to figure out is: what is it we’re to do?” Eden started out again, her sister at her side.
“You mean, what’s our mission? How are we to find favor with the Good One so that we’ll get our powers?”
This time, Eden pulled on her reins, bringing her mount to a stop.
Her twin turned back. “What is it?”
“Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe we’ve been spending so much time, so much thought, on what our mission might be, that we’ve gotten it all wrong.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, like I said before, we’re identical, but we’re also quite different. Maybe we’ve spent too much time trying to figure out what our way is to be because— Well, our way may not be my way or your way.”
Reigna turned and looked out at the countryside, contemplating. The tall, dry meadow grasses waved gently in the breeze. Something moved, catching her eye.
In the distance, stood a doe and two spotted fawns. A second later, out from the surrounding brush, sprang a coyote.
Eyes wide, Reigna pointed to the commotion.
After standing frozen for a moment, the doe leaped. The air filled with its sudden and deep inward breathing. The bawling sound resulting, suggested that the animal struggled to breathe. It caught her fawns’ attention, warning them of danger. Then the doe rushed the coyote while her fawns skittered about wildly—first dashing one way, then the other. Moments later, they ran off, each in a different direction.
The doe came down on the coyote with her front legs. Over and over, she pulled back, then landed another blow, her legs kicking hard and fast. So quickly did she move that the coyote couldn’t extricate itself from her reach. A minute later, the intended predator lay bloody and unmoving before her. Once again, the air carried her renewed heaving bawl.
Reigna looked toward her sister. “Did you see that?”
Biting her lip, Eden nodded.
“Is that what you mean? That when . . . if . . . danger comes, we’re to separate? Go different ways?”
“Oh no! Not that we should separate.”
Reigna let out a deep breath as though she’d been holding it in for a long time.
“At least not now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just saying that maybe we need to be willing to do so, that we should be prepared to do so, and that for so long as we’re together, we each should think about what to do for our own personal safety and future—and for that of Oosa. We should think less about what we’re to do together.”
“I think I get it,” Reigna said.
“You see, there’s an essence to each of us that’s different from that of the other. Maybe somewhere within that difference, is the key to what each of us is to do that’s unique from what the other is to do.”
“That makes sense. But we stay together. Right?”
Eden reached for her twin’s hand. “Yes,” she said.
They looked back toward the bawling doe. Gradually, her cries quieted as one fawn, then the other, returned to her side.
“Together, but separate,” Eden said.
Chapter Thirteen
“No, Nina, you know I did not.”
“Why? Why didn’t you? They could have gone anywhere!” Nina, standing outside Lucy’s door, glared at the woman, tears pooled in her eyes. “You don’t care what happens to them just like you never cared about what happened to Carlie!”
“That’s not true.”
“Oh? And that’s why you’ve sent no one after them? Lucy, I don’t understand you.”
“Nina, there are some things you just don’t know, that you can’t fully appreciate.”
“Try me.”
“Look,” Lucy sighed, “Fidel and Leala are here now. We’ve things to discuss.”
Nina shook with rage. “Stop it, Lucy! I want to know what you’re up to.”
“Nina,” Jules interrupted, “maybe we should—”
“Never mind, Jules,” Lucy said. “Why don’t you two come on in?”
Lucy’s latest guests entered the cabin to find Fidel and Leala sitting at the table, upon which sat a pile of books and scrolls, their musty scent filling the air. Taking the empty chairs next to them, they each acknowledged the oldtimers with a nod.
“All right, then,” Lucy said as she sat, “tell me more about what you’ve found, Fidel.”
“I want to know what you intend to do to find the girls!” Nina exclaimed.
“Listen, Nina, the information Fidel and Leala have uncovered has some bearing on my decisions. If you can remain quiet, I’ll allow you to stay. If not . . .” Lucy left her sentence unfinished.
Nina folded her arms and leaned back, her glare never waning.
Lucy turned to her side, where the great sword leaned against the wall. She placed it over her lap and then commenced cleaning it. Then, “Go on, Fidel,” she said.
Cautiously, he opened a scroll, his fingers trembling. Of great age, bits from its edges broke away. “This scroll,” he said, “is very old—likely the oldest we have here at the compound.”
“Yes, I remember,” Lucy said. “I brought it with me when I first came here.”
“Well,” he continued, “I believe it speaks to current events. Remember that night at our meeting shortly after Mara and Dixon left? When I mentioned something about the moons?”
“I remember.”
“Listen to this.” He unrolled the scroll further. “It’s a most unusual prophecy. I can’t make much of parts of it, but others seem clear.”
He glanced at the others, then read: “‘Should those intended survive, watch for when the ladies look prepared to align. Then shall Ehyeh call for a testing. Through thirst, hunger, and division, they shall journey to face three challenges. A single misstep may bring ruin; perseverance, glory. Even then, they would labor long days, seeking restoration and revival.’” He cleared his throat. “I’ve never heard this prophecy before.”
“I know of it,” Lucy said.
“You know?” Leala asked. “What do you know? Is it about the twins? This part about ‘those intended.’ Is it referring to them?”
Lucy pursed her lips, remaining silent.
“I believe it is,” Fidel said. “The moons are . . . strange. I’ve never seen this befor
e. It’s as though their paths are changing, as though—”
“Knock knock!” someone called out at the door, interrupting the conversation. Then Broden peeked inside. “May I come in?” he asked, looking at Lucy. “Oh, you’re cleaning the great sword.” He chuckled. “It’s good to see you take it out of hiding every so often.”
She put the weapon down. “Yes, I like to keep it clean and sharp. Come on in. What can I do for you?”
He glanced at Jules, then at Nina, and finally, at the oldtimers. “I see you’re busy,” he said. “Maybe I should come back later.”
“Now is fine,” Lucy said.
“Ahhhh . . . well . . .”
Jules rushed to his feet. “Did someone find her? Is Carlie all right? Where was she? How is she?”
Broden put his hand on his arm. “No, I’m sorry. We haven’t found her.” He glanced Lucy’s way again. “I’ll come back later.”
“What is it, Broden?” she snapped. “I haven’t time for games.”
“Very well, then. I’m sorry, Jules, Nina,” he tipped his head to each of them in turn, “we didn’t find Carlie, but we did find some of her belongings.”
Nina sprang to her feet. “What is it? What did you find? Is she—”
“We don’t know anything for certain,” Broden said, holding his hand up. “We found one of her saddlebags near the river . . . empty. She’s been missing too long now for us to conclude anything from the evidence.”
“But you didn’t find her . . . body.”
“No, we didn’t. So there’s still hope.”
Jules headed for the door. “I’ll send another contingent out that way to search the area.”
“I’ll go out with them,” Broden said, following.
“Jules, please let Broden take care of things,” Lucy said. “Now that you’re here, you should hear the rest of what Fidel found.”
He turned back, his eyes narrowed. “Very well, then.”
“I’ll handle it,” Broden said as he stepped out.
“Well?” Nina asked. “What’s this all about, Lucy?”
The woman sighed. “I found that scroll years ago in the library at sanctuary in Polesk. The oldest tomes and scrolls are still kept there. I took it.”
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