by Jordan Baker
Ehlena had felt like she should apologize for the intrusion, but the woman just smiled at her then stood, turning to look at her. There was something full-bodied and at the same time delicate about the woman. She was not typically beautiful in the overly-taut or voluptuously vulgar way that would attract men's eyes on the city streets but she was somehow much more beautiful than that, her body drawing the eye along every curve. The woman held the knife out to Ehlena, her fingers holding it by the blade, offering her the handle and she smiled at her as the young girl took a tentative step forward. Ehlena took the knife and then joined the woman as she crouched down and demonstrated what she had been doing. Ehlena quickly became engrossed in the task and even forgot that she was in a temple. After a while, she heard several voices approach and she looked up to see several women she recognized from the city. They had come to make their offerings to the lady.
Ehlena watched as they each walked up to the fountain and plucked several petals from the flowers that grew along the vines and tossed them into the water, each with a determined look on her face as though concentrating on a wish. As quickly as they came, with hushed whispers, they departed again and Ehlena wondered what it had been for which each of the women had wished. She thought about asking the woman and turned to find that she was gone. In her own hand, Ehlena found she still had the silver blade the woman had given her.
Upon closer inspection, she realized that the blade was of exquisite crafting, its edge razor sharp and its surfaces decorated with the most subtle tracings of flowers and vines not unlike those that grew by the fountain. She recognized the flowers from somewhere else too and remembered the pendant she wore under her blouse, a gift from her mother just before she had died. Ehlena took out the pendant and recognized the flower and noticed that it was made of the same metal as the knife she held in her hand. Her mother had told her the pendant had been a gift from the Lady and that it was made of silvergold, a blessed metal that only the gods could make.
Realizing that the knife was probably very valuable and determined to return it to its rightful owner, Ehlena searched the entire garden and even went outside to the temple grounds to see if she could find someone who knew where to find the woman, but Ehlena was the only one there. She did not want to leave the knife in the temple for anyone to take so she decided she would keep care of it and come back the following day.
The next day, when she returned, she found the temple empty again and noticed that the flowers and vines had grown quite a bit overnight and that some of them needed tending. Resolving to wait, she used the knife to trim the leaves and vines, cutting away some of the old growth to make room for the new. She watered the cuttings the woman had made the day before and saw that they were already beginning to take root. At some point, she looked up and noticed the woman standing by the fountain, watching her. Her first thought was that she should return the knife, but the woman smiled at her so warmly and nodded in approval of the work she had been doing and, for some reason, Ehlena felt she should finish her task first. By the time she had finished, the woman was gone again.
The following day, she returned once more, this time determined to give the knife to the woman without getting distracted. She waited by the fountain, endeavoring not to get caught up in the task of gardening, even though she noticed little things that needed doing and it pained her to ignore them. It seemed like she had waited an eternity and the woman had not yet returned so Ehlena finally broke her resolve and began tending to the garden once again. It was then that the Lady spoke to her.
"Why did you wait?" asked a voice that was soft and gentle yet at the same time deep and resounding. Ehlena looked up to see the woman sitting at the edge of the fountain, tentatively touching her toes in the water. Ehlena rose from where she had been working and approached the woman.
"You are here," Ehlena said. The woman smiled.
"I am always here," she said.
"I came looking for you."
"And have you found what it is that you seek?"
"What I seek? I seek nothing. I just wanted to give your knife back."
The woman's eyes shifted to the knife in Ehlena's hand. Ehlena looked at it as well and noticed that her fingers were clean and fresh as though she had just bathed, not covered in dirt as though she had moments ago been working in a garden.
"It is yours now," the woman told her. "You may keep it until it is needed by another."
"But, it belongs to you," Ehlena said. "What will you use when you come to tend the garden?"
"It is my garden. It is for you," the woman said as though the meaning of her words made perfect sense.
Ehlena stared at the woman for a moment as she touched her toes in the water at the fountain's edge, making little ripples that quickly disappeared across the surface of the pool. She watched as flower petals gently fell to land in the water and trailed around like tiny boats on a calm sea.
"Sit with me, Ehlena," the woman said. "There is much we might share."
Ehlena did not know how she had known her name, but she began to understand that she was not just the woman who tended to the garden. She was not some priestess of the temple. Ehlena soon came to learn that this was the Lady herself, or at least some part of the goddess who had chosen to speak with her. Upon making this realization, Ehlena was filled with joy and love in a way that she had not felt since her mother had died. She felt contented here, at peace.
Nearly every day for many months, Ehlena had visited the temple. There was always some work to be done in the garden and some days she would work alone while on other days the Lady would accompany her. On those days they would sometimes talk and Ehlena discovered that the Lady knew a lot about her. She had known her mother as well and shared stories with her about the prayers her mother had said on Ehlena's behalf, when she was but a young girl. Much time passed and Ehlena found as many excuses as she could to delay her departure from Aghlar, not wanting to leave for Maramyr, especially considering the religious ban Cerric had decreed. As the day neared when she was to leave Aghlar, Ehlena thought about simply refusing to go, but the Lady told her that she could not, that she had important things to do in the world, and that she would have to return to Maramyr to help when the darkness came.
It was grudgingly she had left and now, after traveling a great distance and seeing the horrors of battle up close, Ehlena had found herself in Maramyr, the ward of her aunt Elaine. The first thing Elaine had done after her arrival was to send her out to her country estate where Ehlena was to recover from the ordeals of her trip. However, Lady Valamyr quickly learned that Ehlena had weathered that experience without any trouble and requested that she be permitted to return to the city. Shortly after her return to Maramyr, Ehlena had visited the temple of the Lady and discovered that it, like the temples of the other gods had fallen into sad disrepair. It angered her that the Regent-King Cerric had given such preference to the Priesthood and she vowed to do what she could to tend to the temple of the Lady even if all she could do was visit from time to time.
Satisfied that she remained unseen, Ehlena ducked out of the side street and through the door of an empty building that had been abandoned when the temples had been closed. It had been a flower shop of some kind and various tables still held remnants of dried plants and flowers. Ehlena found her way to a back room and pressed on an empty bookshelf and a door swung open. Behind it was a set of stairs that led to a passage that ran under the square to the temple of the Lady. It was dark in the tunnel but Ehlena did not need a torch to see. The roots and vines that poked through the walls gave off a faint light that allowed her to find her way.
After a short distance, another staircase led up to a heavy stone panel with a small slit at its side. Ehlena took out the ornate silver knife she carried and slid it inside. There was a faint but audible sound and with a low rumbling, the stone panel slid outward revealing the interior of the temple. Ehlena walked over to the fountain and touched one of the stones that made up the short wall surrounding
the pool and the secret passage closed again. While closing the door would cut off her exit if anyone discovered her here, she decided it would be better if she just told them she had wandered in through the front door.
She looked around, saddened by the desolation of the vast chamber, seeing the lifeless stalks of plants and flowers that had once flourished here. The afternoon sun shone in through the many glass windows placed high upon the walls of the temple. Ehlena sat by the empty fountain and wondered what Aaron was doing in the temple of the Lady. She hoped he was happ here in the city. Lord Carlis, who had become a friend and something of an ally of hers when dealing with her aunt, had given her updates saying that Aaron was applying himself to his training and had quickly earned the respect of his teachers. For that, she was glad, but she longed to spend some time with him.
Growing up in Aghlar, Ehlena had met plenty of boys and none of them affected her in the way Aaron had. He was different, simpler perhaps than the young men she had met, but in a way that was no less intelligent. Something about him was so honest and genuine and she saw a nobility in him that did not come from being nobly born or any amount of grooming or training in etiquette. Her aunt Elaine was already talking of introducing Ehlena to the many young men who might make for good suitors, and Ehlena was doing her best to humor the woman, but her thoughts always returned to Aaron. She did not care that he was a commoner. She cared instead that he might be of a true heart and kind and wished that she could have spent more time getting to know him.
Ehlena sighed and said a prayer to the Lady for Aaron, for her aunt, Elaine and for Lord Carlis as well as some of the other good people she had met or become reacquainted with at Maramyr. Finally, she said a prayer for her both mother and father who were both dead and for Matthius who had given his life to protect her. She asked the Lady to look after them all, that those who lived might find good fortune and that those who were gone would find peace wherever their spirits might travel.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Aaron and Borrican’s training division, led by Captain Nathas, was assigned to the woodland area to the northeast, not far from where Aaron had lived not that long ago. The forests they were to patrol belonged to the crown and covered a vast expanse that ran into the holdings of Baron Manfred. Aaron hoped that none of the Baron’s men were travelling the other way along their route, especially any who might remember him from Ashford, or worse, any he might remember. He figured that along the main road, Ashford itself was little more than three days hard ride.
The Captains had been tasked to survey the area and determine possible attack strategies an invading force might use against Maramyr, both the lands and the crown city. They had thought it would be a perfect opportunity for the Academy trainees to practice their ranger skills and had set up a series of exercises they would conduct once they were deeper in the forest. While many of the other Academy trainees complained at the prospect of having to camp out among the trees, Aaron had looked forward to it, realizing how much he had missed the quiet of the forest. Despite the regular training, he felt as though city life had numbed him in some way. It was good to leave the comforts of civilization for a time.
By the second day, Aaron began to recognize the look of the land, the way the trees grew thick among the moss-covered rocks and dense underbrush. He was not sure of how he felt about returning to the place where he had left so abruptly only a season before and he wondered whether he would see his friend Brian, whether he had been conscripted like so many young men throughout the land. As if sensing Aaron’s thoughts, Nathas reined his horse back and came to ride beside him.
“You know these lands,” he said. Aaron nodded.
“I lived very close to Ashford. It's not too far from here.”
“We’ll be stopping there to resupply before we drop in on Baron Manfred.” Nathas told him. Aaron remembered the last time he had been at Ashford, when he had fought Manfred’s men. He wondered whether he should tell the Captain about the fight with Mandred's men, that it was Manfred’s men who had killed Tarnath. “Once we’re done with that dirty bit of business then we’ll move ourselves out to the forest.”
“Dirty business?” Aaron asked. Nathas chuckled.
“Manfred is one of Cerric’s most annoying lackeys, pompous, officious, ass of a man if ever I did meet one. And, apparently he’s been having troubles with some men in the forests further to the east of White Falls. Cerric has asked me to discipline Manfred for not solving this problem.” Nathas said this last word with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “We will be joined by another group by morning and I am giving you a special assignment once they arrive. Since you know the ways of these woods better than any of us here, you’re the man for the job. Do you think you’re up to it?” he asked.
“What’s the assignment?” Aaron asked. Nathas shook his head.
“I’m not saying. Do you want the job?” he persisted, giving Aaron a look that made it clear that he was not being asked so much as told. Aaron nodded.
“Yes sir!" Aaron said. They were in the field now and the formalities of battle were now to be strictly enforced.
“Much better. I'll let you know when the time comes.” Nathas smiled then kicked his heels, pushing his horse ahead up to the front of the line of riders.
*****
The following morning before they broke camp, Aaron was sipping some tea by the fire when he saw a group of green cloaked riders approach the encampment. Nathas signaled to his men to stand down and allow the riders to approach and went out to greet them personally. Before long, the call was sounded to saddle up. As he readied his mount, Aaron saw the riders split into two groups. One group rode ahead and the others filed in with the rest of the riders from the Academy.
Within a short time, they were again underway. Aaron guessed that they would make it to Ashford by midday. He saw Borrican riding alongside one of the cloaked riders and cantered his horse up to join his friend.
“Borrican,” Aaron called out a greeting as he approached and the cloaked rider to his friend’s other side turned away, hidden by the deep green hood.
“Aaron. Good day to you,” the Kandaran Prince greeted him in return. The cloaked rider glanced at Aaron for a moment then reached up a thin hand and pulled back the hood a little, revealing a face Aaron recognized. Aaron was surprised to see Princess Ariana smiling from underneath the thick cowl. Aaron smiled back.
“I see we are riding with friend,” he commented. Ariana winked at him then let her hood fall back over her face.
“Indeed we are. Indeed we are.” Borrican laughed.
Ashford was much more quiet than the lively place Aaron had remembered. He realized that he had mostly seen the town during festival times but had also visited a few times when he and Tarnath would venture into town to resupply and deliver some completed smithing work and he knew there should be more people there. As they rode toward the center of town, he saw where several houses had burned. Aaron hoped that the houses had burned accidentally and had nothing to do with the fight with Baron Manfred's men. As they approached the inn, he recognized the innkeeper who had ventured out to the yard to greet the large group of riders from Maramyr.
“Innkeep,” Nathas called. “We've come from the capital and need supplies. My man has a list and enough gold to pay.” One of the other trainees from the Academy dismounted and presented the innkeeper with the list of requirements. In his other hand, he held a bag of coins. The innkeeper smiled wanly, his normal enthusiasm now replaced by apprehension and the kind of weariness that happened from not having slept properly for a long time.
“I appreciate the business good sir and will do everything I can to satisfy your needs,” he told Nathas, perking up as he looked over the list. “Give me a few moments to rouse my man and we will set about gathering these items. Would you care for a cask of beer for you and your men while you wait?”
“Thank you for the offer but, no. We’re about the King’s business today. Another will be the day fo
r drinking.” The innkeeper nodded and walked back into the inn.
Aaron looked at the empty street and wondered that there was no one else out of doors. He looked for any sign of life through the tiny windows of the houses and buildings but all of them had their curtains drawn shut. Trails of smoke from the chimneys told him that the people were still there, but they were staying in their homes. This was not the Ashford he knew.
After a short time and some hefting by several of the trainees and the innkeeper’s man, a wagon was loaded with supplies good for nearly a fortnight. Satisfied with the price, Nathas instructed the trainee to pay the innkeeper an extra gold sovereign and the train of riders departed the quiet town of Ashford. Aaron noticed that they had taken a road that did not lead to White Falls, where Baron Manfred occupied the keep that used to belong to Lord Kaleb. He rode up next to Captain Nathas and asked him where they were going.
“Change of plans. Someone else is going onward to deal with Manfred. This way we can spend more time training, which is what we came to do anyhow,” Nathas told him. “By the way, are you ready for that assignment?” Aaron nodded. “Good.”
Nathas motioned for Aaron to follow him off to the side of the road where they could stop and talk quietly.
“Since you know these parts, I want you to be a shadow. I saw you riding with young Borrican earlier,” Nathas said. “And the rider he was with?”
“Yes, I know who you mean.” Aaron told him.
“I will put them together as a unit for our field exercises. Our guest wishes to train with us but I’m not about to leave off taking extra precautions where necessary. Your challenge will be to shadow them both without either of them knowing. You think you can do it?” Nathas looked him in the eye the way Tarnath used to.