by A. G. Henley
So I was right; Conda has feelings for Frost. I find his arm. “I’ll tell her. Try not to worry.”
“You’re a nice person, Fenn,” he says. “I didn’t really think about what I was doing to you—before. We were following Adder’s and then Thistle’s orders. I wouldn’t have hurt Eland, you know. And I’m sorry about setting the fire in the cave.”
I tense at the mention of my brother. It hasn’t been so long since Conda followed him around with a sharp hunting knife, an attempt by Adder to intimidate Aloe. And I’d almost forgotten that Conda set the fire that trapped me in the caves, a warning that could’ve turned deadly. I push the resentments away and hug him. Things are different now.
While I spoke with Conda, I could hear Derain having a long, whispered conversation with Amarina.
“Give this to Kora if you can.” He pushes Bega into my hand. Her small body is easy to recognize now. “Tell my children that their mother and I love them, both of them, so very much. Thank you for doing this, Mirii.”
Lumps that rival the doll’s grow in my throat. I push her back into his hand. “No, Derain. If the Sisters… I think you should keep her.”
I embrace him, minding his ribs. “I’ll do everything I can to free them.”
Finally, Peree cups my face with his hands. I breathe him in, letting time slow, cherishing every moment we have left.
“Remember your promise,” he says.
My fingers skim his features—eyebrows, cheekbones, lips, jaw—a familiar landscape that I never get enough time to explore.
“I will.”
His breath is uneven, his hands firm against my back. “I’m not going to lie—letting you go right now is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Come back to me, Fenn.”
Our lips touch once, twice. His fingers brush the bird at my throat as I turn away. I pray that I’m not throwing away everything we’ve worked so hard to create together. I want to believe I’m not. I want to believe in myself, in my decisions. But I’ve failed so many times.
We give the men a good head start on their way to the platform, and then we push through the dense trees toward the gate in the wall of the Cloister. Terror nips at my heels as we walk.
Clutching my mother’s cane, I absorb strength from it. I want it to be very visible as we approach the wall. I want the Sisters to see that I’m Sightless. It always seems to put the sighted at their ease. These women seem especially sensitive about potential threats.
I remind myself with every step that I’m doing this for Kora, for Frost, for Darel, Thrush, Ellin, and the other children. I’m doing this for Eland. I fantasize, for a moment, that he’s inside the Cloister, too. Waiting for me. The thought infuses me with power and purpose.
From the growing light, I can tell we’re nearing the tree line. We slow. I shift closer to Amarina.
“For the children,” I say.
“For the guru,” she responds.
Kai says nothing.
We step out of the trees and approach the Cloister.
Chapter Sixteen
Smoke from the Eternal Flames forces itself down my throat. My eyes flood, and I cough. I don’t want to look like I’m crying, but it can’t be helped.
When Amarina stops moving, I know we must be in view of the guards. Sure enough, there’s a shout from overhead. A woman’s voice.
“Hold there!”
We stop. My heart flip-flops in my chest, leaving me breathless, but I do my best to sound confident.
“The Fire Sisters came to our village and took our children. We know they are here. If you will release them, allow one of us to bring them home, we will join you as Sisters. We offer ourselves in our children’s places.”
My voice echoes in the stillness. I wait, holding my breath amidst the smoke and anticipation. Time gathers and expands, stretching like dough in my hands. I expect an arrow, a spear, a terrible jolt of pain. Or, if we’re lucky, questions. What I don’t expect is such profound silence. Did the woman hear us? What is she doing? I try to conceal my trembling.
A second guard calls out. “Wait there.”
We wait. Amarina’s arm, still crossed with mine, is small boned and feels fragile, like the thin appendage of a bird. It shouldn’t engender much faith… only I know she’s far from weak. Things aren’t always as they seem, Nerang once reminded me. I don’t dare to hope it might be true of the Sisters, too.
“What’s going on?” I whisper to Amarina.
“Women are gathering at the top of the wall, talking together, gesturing at us.”
I hear their low voices. “Any idea what they’ll do?”
“Open the gate.” She pauses. “Or kill us.”
Kai and I chuckle. It’s not like Amarina to joke around.
A terrible thought comes to mind. “Kai, what if they recognize you from… before? Or recognize your name?”
“I was a young girl when they took me; I’ve changed. And they never knew my name. At least, I never told them. They gave me one of their names when I arrived, said it would help me fit in.” The bitterness is back in her voice.
A furious noise rents the air. Half convinced that death hurtles toward us, I duck and prepare to push Amarina and Kai out of the way, until I realize it’s the sound of the Cloister gate trundling open.
Light footsteps run to us, surround us. I hunch, expecting the sharp nip of the Sisters’ sting. It doesn’t come. Instead, Aloe’s cane is pulled out of my hand, the pack is ripped off my back, my hands are yanked behind me and secured, and I’m rushed forward. The gate shuts behind us with a crash. In a matter of seconds, we’re sealed inside the Cloister with the Fire Sisters.
Hands grip my arms, unyielding but not painful, as people smelling powerfully of the Eternal Flames push me forward. A spear tip hovers right behind my back; I sense it more than feel it. I can’t tell where the Sisters are taking us, only that we’re heading up a hill. Other people shuffle in front of and behind me; hopefully, it’s Amarina and Kai.
We go up a steep hill. Small rocks roll unstably under my feet, but the Sisters keep me upright. The air tastes of brimstone. Smoke and fear choke me.
Women begin to gather around us, muttering together—female voices of all tones and ranges. That surprises me. For some stupid reason, I imagined they’d all sound the same, with rough, warrior-like voices. Their words do have the same odd, snipped quality I heard in the accent of the Sister who stung me.
A breeze meets us at the top of the hill, coming from the side of the Cloister that Peree said ran parallel to the Shivering Sea. I taste something familiar on my lips—salt.
As we move across a flat expanse of ground, a buzzing sound begins to grow, like a great swarm of insects. I freeze, trying to get a fix on the noise, but the Sisters drag me on. The sound seems contained in one spot. I want to ask what it is, but I don’t dare speak yet. I don’t want to risk being stung by a Sister before I have a chance to plead our case. My guards turn me away from the noise.
After a short walk, they lead me up a set of stairs. I stumble on the first and yelp as the point at my back nearly pierces my flesh. We pause at the top, and something that sounds like heavy wood doors scrape open. I’m led forward.
The sunlight dims, and the smothering scent of the Eternal Flames clears a bit, hinting that I’m now inside some kind of shelter. A crowd is gathered; women mutter on all sides. From the echoes, the place sounds expansive, perhaps with a high ceiling. It also sounds a little like being inside the caves… could the building be made of stone, like the Cloister walls? The floor under my feet seems more solid than earth or wood. A great fire is lit on the side of the room, belching light and smoke and causing sweat to prickle on my forehead. Don't the Sisters have enough smoke and fire outdoors?
My guards stop me, but stay close, hands on my arms. I try not to shake visibly, although I’m sure the women have no trouble feeling my frequent shudders. Others are beside me.
“Amarina?” I whisper.
“I am here,” she sa
ys.
Women encircle us, talking about us in voices they don’t bother to lower. There are more than I had thought, and this probably isn’t all. At least some must have been left to protect the walls. I hear no men or children.
I swallow hard, bunching and unbunching the hem of my dress with fidgety fingers. My pulse is prey, running for its life. I breathe, trying to calm myself and remember why we’re here, why we’re doing this.
Kora. The children. We need to find a way to set them free. But as I listen to the Sisters around me, my confidence wilts. If voices were objects, theirs would be weapons: strong, sharp-tipped, and deadly. Suspicious and severe. Finally, after what seems like a very long time, the voices die. A moment later, I hear why.
“My Sisters,” a woman says from in front of us, as if in greeting. The women all around us murmur Adar. “We pray Mother Asis blesses us with wisdom and courage in all things.”
She begins to lead the others in some sort of chant that I fuzzily determine has to do with the fire of the sun and how it gives unending life, safety, and strength. Adar’s voice is as high as Amarina’s, as if she might be a small person, but it’s even flintier than the other Sisters. It has Aloe’s steel… and none of her warmth.
The chant finishes, and the voices die down.
“Sisters,” Adar says. “These women have come asking to exchange themselves for their recently Gathered daughters.”
Surprised muttering rises from around the circle. More than one woman laughs, as if they’ve never heard such an absurd proposal. I lick my lips again, as warmth spreads across my chest and back.
“They are not your daughters,” a woman from our right side says. “You are too young.”
“My daughter is here,” Amarina says, an edge to her voice.
“And my niece and nephew,” Kai says.
“The children are from our village. They belong to us,” I say.
“Brandi, how many daughters were Gathered?” Adar asks.
“Five,” a woman answers, “and an older girl who is with child.” Why don’t they mention the boys? Are they here?
“Six, maybe even seven, daughters in all. In exchange for one grown woman and two who are barely out of girlhood. Is this a fair trade?” Adar’s tone is light, yet I hear a note of skepticism behind it.
“We’re strong. Hard workers. We’ll commit ourselves to the Sisters,” I say.
“Or you will stab us in the back and run away,” a woman says, as if that happened before. All the Sisters sound so suspicious, mistrustful. What’s happened to these women to make them this way?
“We will not,” Amarina says. She lies well.
“We’ve heard promises before,” the woman responds.
“You were traveling with a group of men,” a familiar voice says. “Where are they now?”
With a start, I recognize the woman who stung me in the forest. The sound of her voice gives me chills. At the word men, unhappy mutters ripple through the group surrounding us.
“They brought men to the Cloister?” a woman asks.
I shake my head. “We were traveling with men, but they’ve gone. We’ve come of our own volition to trade ourselves for our children.”
“Brandi, search the woods,” Adar orders.
A woman with a deep voice calls a few others to her, and I hear them jog from the room. I hope Peree and the men are long gone, hiding in the forest. I pray we didn’t send death straight to their sides.
“We cannot trust these women,” a Sister says. A number of voices around the room rise to agree.
“You can.” Desperation drives Amarina’s words. “Let our guru go, and we will join you. We will work hard for you.”
Her voice is drowned out by shouts. My stomach clenches. What can we say to persuade them to let us stay?
“If these women are not to join us,” Adar asks, “what shall I do with them?”
I get the sense that this is some kind of process the Sisters go through. Adar asks a question, and she judges the Sisters’ answers. But I have a feeling she’ll be the one who ultimately decides our fate.
“Trade them to the ants!” a woman says.
Ants?
“Put them out!” another yells.
“They came this far. If we put them out, they will not give up. They will threaten the safety of the Cloister. We will kill them.”
Silence greets this new woman’s flat, dangerous words. At the word threaten, the tension in the room seemed to grow and pulsate. The Sisters begin to bang rhythmically on the floor. It sounds like it could be the butts of their spears. I feel the sharp impacts in my feet. There are so many.
My chest tightens, and I feel lightheaded. Will they kill us here, now? With no more discussion?
I try to speak, to say anything that might delay or derail them, but the echo of their spears in the stone room is deafening. The thudding draws closer, a noose tightening around us.
“Amarina, Kai…” I struggle, but my hands are cinched tightly behind my back.
As abruptly as it began, the banging stops.
“What’s all this, Golnar?” a woman asks from behind us. In her voice, I finally detect the warmth that’s been missing from the other Sisters’ voices. I release the breath I was holding.
“These women brought men to our gate. They are a danger, Alev.” Golnar sounds like she doesn't appreciate being questioned.
Someone—Kai, I think—sucks in a breath, as if shocked or in pain.
The new woman laughs. “They do not look so dangerous now. Let us not be hasty.”
“What do you propose we do with them, Sister?” Adar asks. The word sister seems to hold more weight when Adar addresses Alev. I cock my head. Could they actually be sisters?
“Hmm… Their daughters are here, are they not?” Alev asks. “Keep them all. We will have the girls and gain three new Initiates. The women will work hard to remain near their daughters in the Cloister. It is a compromise, Sisters, but one that benefits all. Grimma, are you willing to take them on?”
“I am.” This woman sounds older, with a gravelly, no-nonsense voice. “For the future of the Cloister.”
There’s a silence as the group—and Adar, I hope—consider Alev’s words. From the more settled murmurs around us, they hear wisdom in them. My heart slows a bit. At least they’re not talking about killing us right now.
“If you remain,” Alev says, her voice coming from a few paces in front of us, “you will become Initiates of the Cloister. The training is strenuous. Total commitment is expected. As for your daughters, we entrust them to the Teachers to raise. The girls do not join the community until they are old enough to become Initiates themselves. But you will see for yourselves that they are healthy and well, valued daughters of the Cloister. You will know they are safe. You, too, will be protected. In time, you may be allowed to join us as Fire Sisters.”
I’m heartened by Alev’s assurances that the children will be cared for, but she only mentioned their daughters. What about Thrush and Darel?
“If we suspect you plan to take your daughters by force, or you mean harm to us or to the Cloister, you will be killed,” Golnar says, still from her place somewhere in front of us. “The Sisters do not tolerate disloyalty or betrayal.”
Kai makes a small scoffing noise. I don’t know anyone else heard it.
What Alev proposed is exactly what Peree said might happen, and what I suspected myself. If the Sisters won’t release the children, this is the best possible option for us. We’ll have to find some other way to get the children out of the Cloister. I never said this would be easy or safe.
I answer before courage fails me. “I understand your terms. I will stay.”
Amarina and Kai agree.
“Very well,” Adar says. “Grimma, I offer you three new Initiates. If they don't please you, I give you leave to kill them. Now take them away.”
Chapter Seventeen
Our guards march us out the doors and down the stairs. Suffocating smoke re
places the cloying heat of the fire inside, reminding me we've only scrambled out of the pot and into the fire.
“You may go,” Grimma says. I assume she’s talking to the guards. “I will take the Initiates from here.”
The hands drop off my arms, and my bonds are severed with a quick slice. I hear ropes being cut on either side of me, then footsteps moving back toward the building, where the rest of the Sisters remain. I’m a little surprised this woman, who sounds of middle years, would dismiss the guards so quickly—for all she knows we’re trained assassins. She must be confident in her ability to defend herself.
“I am Grimma, your trainer. Let me have a look at you, then.” Her steps circle us. She stops behind me, lifting the back of my hair up. “Could do with a good washing, but no vermin.” She comes back around to the front and squeezes my bicep and thigh as if feeling the muscle there, or lack of it. Then she pokes me lightly in the stomach. “Need to build some bulk… and I’m not sure you’ll be much use to us as a fighter with those Sightless eyes.”
Somewhere to my left, Kai snorts. My teeth clench, but I say nothing. I refuse to let her irritate and distract me now, not when we’re so much closer to our goal of rescuing the children. I think.
Grimma moves on. “Tall, strong, good solid stock. Are you trained with any weapons?”
“No,” Kai says.
My eyebrows knit. Kai’s a hunter; she must be at least passable with a spear and knife. Peree’s been training her with the bow and arrow. And she told us the Sisters themselves trained her to use weapons when she was Gathered.
“Pity,” Grimma says. “We’ll see how you go tomorrow in training.”
Her feet move again, to my other side. Amarina is up for inspection. “A few years on from the others, but young enough yet to be an asset. I see some confidence and strength of will.” She walks in front of us. “What are your names?”
We tell her.
“As Alev said, if you are dedicated—and you don’t do anything foolish—you have the chance to be initiated as Fire Sisters. A great honor. The Sisters are respected and feared across the land.”