December

by Karen Lofgren

The compound was gorgeous. Just inside the gates stretched a large, rectangular garden covered in green, with grass and mosses and strange trees of all sizes—no flowers or anything else of another color. Pristine white stone walls enclosed the garden, keeping it secret from the outside world. A waterfall trickled from a grated hole in the west wall, feeding a stream that ran lengthwise across the rectangle.

  The train let them off at a platform inside the Keep, which was the last stop on the line. It seemed to be the public access into the site, but no one else was there. The only sounds that could be heard were the birds chirping in the trees and the wind rustling through the leaves.

  “The garden is beautiful,” Ted commented.

  Alana nodded. “Yes, it is. It’s one of the most famous on the planet, and certainly one of the most aesthetically pleasing.”

  “We’re so far north. Doesn’t it snow and ruin the garden?” Ted asked.

  Trell shook his head. “No, it doesn’t snow on Kolea except at the poles. I guess we have a warmer climate than you do.”

  As Ted tried to wrap his head around that piece of information, Alana said, “We’ll go inside and introduce ourselves but it might be a while before she’s ready to see us.”

  The interior of the building reminded Ted of an exotic temple in the jungles of Asia where few dared to tread. It had a high ceiling and white stone walls with ancient mural paintings depicting battles and other epic scenes. One showed a woman facing hundreds of snake-like monsters with nothing but a sword and a brave look on her face. Another depicted a woman in the arms of a man, while a second man in the background looked enviously at the happy couple, as if he were about to drown them in their own blood.

  “All classic Kolean stories,” Alana explained proudly to her guest. “The woman warrior was Anuah. She fought off a thousand monsters by herself to defend her village. The one with the man and the woman is from a tragic love story. Yutet fell in love with the beautiful maiden Armory and they planned to be Bonded. But a jealous prince wanted her hand instead, so he killed Yutet in an unfair duel. His plan backfired, however, because Armory couldn’t live without Yutet and killed herself as well. I personally always thought she was an idiot, though.”

  “Why?” Ted asked. He had to admit he thought so too, since the story reminded him of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, a play of which he had never thought highly.

  “Because killing yourself like that is rash and stupid. Not romantic. If Trell were to die, he would want me to be happy and find a new mate.”

  “And what about Anuah?”

  Alana seemed mildly surprised by the question, but answered, “Well, as you know, our traditional belief is that the sky is a mirror, and within that mirror is the reflection of our world. Supposedly, monsters from the mirror were breaking through the sky and descending upon Kolea. So Anuah alone rose up to defend her village and slaughtered the monsters.”

  As Ted stared at the painting in awe, absorbing every detail, a man dressed in a brown robe came up to them. “Excuse me, may I ask the nature of your visit?”

  “He’s a monk here who serves the Wren,” Trell told Ted as Alana spoke to the man.

  The newcomer seemed to figure it out as soon as he noticed Ted, but the monk allowed Alana to speak. “My name is Alana Teinn, and this is Trell Sirrin. Ted Anderson is a human, and our companion. I believe the Wren is expecting him?”

  “Of course. She’s deep in meditation right now, but I will bring her to you as soon as she is done. Please, enjoy the Keep in the meantime.”

  “Thank you,” Alana said, bowing graciously as the monk walked away and vanished behind a pair of doors.

  “He’s going to get the Wren, but we might have to wait a while,” Alana said. She glanced around, trying to get her bearings. “I could show you around the Keep, if you’d like.”

  “You’ve been here before?” Trell asked in surprise.

  “I came a few times when I was younger thanks to Tykiah. Supposedly, your mind is clearer when you meditate here because it’s the Wren’s temple, but I never noticed much difference,” Alana admitted. “And I barely remember most of it. I think there’s more art if we go down that way and private meditation rooms this way.”

  Ted glanced down the one hallway, where he could see several sliding wooden doors. Some were closed tight, while others were wide open, inviting guests in. The rooms themselves were small, elevated, and paneled in rich-looking wood. With the sliding doors, the rooms looked vaguely Asian to Ted. However, he thought he’d rather explore the art instead.

  “Let’s go that way,” Ted said, pointing down the other hallway.

  There weren’t so many wall murals down the way Ted had chosen, but there were plenty of sculptures, placed perfectly near windows in alcoves to allow natural light to illuminate them. Ted recognized a few statues of Anuah, her sword raised high in triumph, but most of the sculptures looked like odd, indefinite shapes. At one point there was a row of sculptures of men and women in distinctive yellow and brown robes, fancier than the one he’d seen the monk wearing. Ted assumed these to be past Wrens.

  “Oh my, look at this,” Trell said, stopping in front of a glass box that held a pretty, golden thing that looked like a cross between a vase and a goblet. He looked like a tourist in a museum, and Ted couldn’t stop himself from grinning. He took a look at it, but had no idea what it was or what its significance might be because both Alana and Trell were too busy reading the label for themselves to translate it into English for him.

  Ted waited but Alana and Trell started speaking to each other in Kolean, obviously discussing the artifact. He decided to move on, figuring it would be easy enough for Alana and Trell to find him in the next room when they were finished. The room was magnificent, with an even higher ceiling than the rest of the temple. Its walls were sandstone-colored and on the far wall was a huge painting. The painting reminded Ted of the wall murals painted by Earth’s greatest Renaissance artists.

  The painting itself was simple. It was of the sun, shining down onto a green, paradise-like Kolea. There were no Koleans in the picture—it was a landscape with trees, rolling hills, and a stream trickling through it. Ted vaguely wondered if the area depicted was real. In an odd, out of place fashion, stars shone in the blue, daytime sky.

  “I see you have a taste for the big and important,” a female voice came from behind him, startling him when he realized it wasn’t Alana.

  Ted turned to see a woman approaching him. She was dressed in a brown and yellow robe like the ones the statues had had on, and she wore a headdress adorned with countless black-and-white feathers. She looked older than Millika, though Ted couldn’t guess a year range. He still had no idea how Koleans measured their age, not to mention how long their lifespan was.

  “I’m sorry for startling you. I just finished meditating and I was informed you had arrived. Welcome. My name is Fjala Mahr. I am the Wren of Kolea.”

  “I’m Ted Anderson,” he said. He stood there awkwardly, having no idea how to address someone of her stature, before he realized that she was speaking English, and he had understood her perfectly. “How did you...?”

  She was prepared for his question. “When we first learned of the existence of your race, I taught myself English with documents and recordings I had Millika Firal forward to me. Languages are something of a hobby of mine. I am completely fluent in the ten Kolea has left, as well as the two most common Drevi dialects. I hope my pronunciation and conjugation aren’t that dreadful.”

  “No, actually your English is excellent.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. It’s good to know my hard work has paid off.”

  At that moment, Alana and Trell entered the room, looking for Ted, but screeched to a halt when they saw to whom the human was speaking. Faster than Ted could breathe, they dipped into a deep bow, not quite touching the floor with their heads.

  “Thank you. At ease, as I believe they say in English,” Fjala said. Like a spell had been broken, Ted’s companion
s righted themselves. “I hear the Parliament voted in favor of assisting Earth. I was so glad to receive the news.” A pause. “I commend you, Alana, and your mother, Millika, for your work.”

  Alana looked flattered. “Thank you, Wren.”

  “May I speak to Mr. Anderson alone for a while, please?” requested Fjala.

  “Oh please, call me Ted,” Ted insisted.

  Alana, having expected a private meeting, bowed gracefully once more and said, “Of course.”

  “We’ll meet you by the front entrance,” Trell said to Ted. With that, Ted’s two Kolean companions exited the room and went back the way they all had come.

  As soon as they were gone Ted felt his heart rate speed up. For the first time since landing on Kolea he was without his guides, and with one of the most powerful Koleans on the planet to boot. All the confidence he had a few minutes ago evaporated, and he felt smaller than ever.

  “As Wren, I officially want to welcome you to Kolea. I hope everyone you’ve met has been hospitable to you.”

  “They have. It’s a beautiful planet, Wren.”

  “Please call me Fjala. If you’ll come with me, I can show you around and we may speak some more?”

  Ted bowed his head and allowed the woman to lead him deeper into the Keep.

  Fjala asked many questions as they walked slowly through beautiful rooms and halls. Ted listened intently to the Wren’s questions and answered them as best he could. Mostly she inquired about human culture and certain physiologic differences she found noteworthy. For example, apparently Koleans hatched from eggs. Ted thought this wasn’t that surprising, but interesting nonetheless. In return, Ted told her about Earth’s history and the state the planet had been in before the Drevi invasion. He told her Earth’s landmasses had been divided into over a hundred different countries, and now there were only a few unions consisting of those countries, most geographically contained by continents. They had also narrowly avoided climate catastrophe thanks to new, greener energy sources and the use of technologies that could suck the excess greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere. Fjala sympathized; apparently Kolea had had similar problems in its past.

  The corridors seemed to circle the Keep. When they got to the very back, a pair of double doors awaited them on the left.

  “This is the observatory,” Fjala said. “Only Wrens are allowed in traditionally, but we are permitted to bring in guests we would like to read.”

  “Read?” Ted asked, his mind automatically thinking of tarot and astrology.

  “There isn’t much science to back it, that is true,” Fjala said. “But I wouldn’t be Wren if I wasn’t born with some kind of innate... perception might be the proper word. If you will allow me, I would like to put myself in the right frame of mind and read you. You may decline at any time if you are uncomfortable.”

  Declining wasn’t something Ted wanted to do. He’d always been somewhat of a skeptic, but all of a sudden saying “no” seemed unfathomable. “I’ll do it.”

  She nodded. “Ted, may I welcome you to the Star Keep Observatory.” The doors swung open, revealing a dark room that was almost completely circular. Everything in it was blue or navy or black, and there was an enormous telescope in the center.

  Ted was aghast. Even on Earth, when he had gone to observatories on field trips in grade school, there was nothing like this. This was beautiful—a perfect blend of science and spiritual come to life.

  “It’s... beautiful, Fjala.”

  “I think so too. If you’d please kneel on the mat over there, we can begin.”

  Ted glanced over and saw a mat covered in a dark blue fabric with little stars painted on it that looked like the most comfortable thing he’d ever seen. He knelt, and discovered it was like the mat back at Trell’s home. He felt himself lulled to the point of sleep after the exhausting day he’d had. Looking up, he saw that the ceiling was glass, clear and thick to protect the room and allow the telescope to see into the heavens. Night had fallen, and he could see thousands of stars in the sky.

  “We’re away from the cities, so the stars are much brighter here,” Fjala, now wearing what looked like a purple shawl over her shoulders, said as she stepped over to him. “That’s part of the reason this Keep is so special. Now, I want you to close your eyes and relax. All I’m going to do is place my hands on your head, so please don’t be alarmed.”

  Ted closed his eyes, nervous at the intimate contact, as Fjala placed her delicate feather-covered hands on either side of his head, just above his ears. He held his breath.

  It was all over in a few seconds, and Fjala pulled her hands away from Ted’s skull. The second she removed them, his eyes shot open and he knelt there, feeling as if nothing had changed.

  Fjala, on the other hand, was breathing harder than she’d been a moment ago. She looked old and tired all of a sudden. “In all my years as Wren...” she finally whispered.

  Ted watched her, feeling his anxiety inexplicably rising. No, no, no. There is no way I’m some kind of ‘hero’ or ‘chosen one’ or any of that bullshit. This all happened by pure accident. I can’t. We’ll lose!

  “Ted,” she said gravely, finally regaining herself. “In all my years as Wren, I have never seen a star as bright as yours. It will shine as a hope to others for a long time.”

  “What are you talking about?” he said, trying to keep his voice level, suddenly feeling a bit nauseous.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted at last. “I just know what I felt.”

  Ted took a deep breath. “I think I need to leave. I’m not feeling well.”

  She averted her eyes, making no move to stop him as he got up and walked to the door. “I just know not everything in this world, in this universe, is as it seems, Ted Anderson. And you are certainly not what you appear.”

  “Honestly, Wren,” he said, turning to look over his shoulder at her, “I think most people are more than they appear. If you’ll excuse me.” With that, he walked out of the room.

  He met back up with Alana and Trell in the entrance lobby, and immediately he was bombarded with requests for more information of what he did with the Wren, but Ted waved them off. “I’ll tell you later.”

  At that, Alana said, “We need to go back to the capital to meet up with Mother.”

  VI