The Crystal Keepers, An Overseers Novel

by Mary Coffin

Loki stood in line for the mid-day meal, listening to the din in the dining hall created by the chatter. When she reached the pot of stew, she picked up the ladle and poured some into her bowl. It smelled delicious but her appetite wasn’t very strong; she was just going through the motions. She grabbed a piece of bread and turned to look for Waysu or Kado.

  She noticed Kado waiting in line to get his food. Another guy was talking to him but it appeared he wasn’t into the conversation. She couldn’t help but notice the strong presence he carried or maybe it was the full head of black curls against his browned skin that drew her attention. She observed from a distance and thought back to her mother’s implication that there was an attraction between them but she didn’t know what to think. It’s not like she had a lot of experience in that area. In fact, she had none. Why was it so easy for her to detect that something was going on between her mother and Silas but so hard to figure out her own feelings?

  As she gazed at Kado, she noticed an odd sensation in the pit of her belly. Warmth spread through her, topped with a sensation of butterflies in her gut. What were these feelings? They were unsettling and she didn’t understand.

  She wasn’t too enamored with the idea of becoming romantically involved. The only relationship she had ever observed was her parents’ and, if that’s what it’s like, she wasn’t interested.

  Besides, she was concerned about her mother. She overheard Silas tell Gwynn that he believed she was up to something. She and her mother hadn’t had much time to talk, but since then, she had the impression that her mother was avoiding her. Then, to top it all off, she had a disturbing dream where her mother was in danger and no one was around to help.

  Kado glanced in her direction and their eyes locked. Loki felt her face get hot. She grinned at him and quickly turned away to look for a seat. Fortunately, she saw Waysu taking a seat at a table and the seat next to her was empty. Loki walked quickly to claim it when, without any warning, a considerable group of fairies buzzed past so close that she had to duck to prevent a collision with her head.

  She walked to the space beside Waysu and sat as she observed the fairies fly straight for Morten. Their erratic movements reminded Loki of a beehive that had just been disturbed. They were agitated and Morten’s face looked from one to another to another, as though he had numerous people trying to converse with him all at once.

  He held up his hands to stop them. Then the fairies did something strange. They created a shape in the air in front of Morten, similar to an oval. Some fairies flew at the top of the oval and their wings turned solid black. Two fairies flew inside the oval and also turned their wings black. The rest of the fairies flew inside it, near the bottom, creating a distinct black pattern.

  Loki whispered to Waysu. “Are you watching this?”

  The conversations in the cave stopped, as all eyes were on the fairies.

  “Uh huh. Looks like a man with a beard and mustache.”

  Then the fairies formed an amazing shape of a horse, running.

  Morten nodded to them and they left the dining cave. He leaned over to Silas and said something. Then he stood and left the cave. Afterwards, Overseers began chatting in hushed voices.

  Loki and Waysu ate in silence. Loki took a couple bites but then set her spoon down as Kado arrived and sat opposite them.

  “Did you see that?” he asked.

  “The fairies?” asked Loki.

  “Yes. I think they were telling Morten that the Brethren of Darkness are on the move.”

  “How do you know that?” asked Waysu.

  “The leader of the Brethren has dark hair and a mustache and beard. It looked like the fairies were referring to him. Plus I saw him one time when I was a kid and it reminded me of him.”

  Loki looked at him in astonishment. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. When I was young, I lived with my uncle in a village in the desert. The Lord of the Brethren and some of his men came to recruit kids. Actually, he wasn’t giving them much choice. My uncle hid me before he came to our house. I remember smelling a strange scent before they showed up and it lingered for awhile after they left. It smelled like something was burning but not like anything I’ve smelled before. But I snuck a look at him as he was leaving.” Kado gazed at an empty spot on the table as he recalled the memory. “Everything about him was dark. The smell was dark. He wore a black cape and dark clothes underneath. His hair, his beard and mustache, even his eyes were dark. Afterwards, I asked my uncle if he smelled the burning smell. He didn’t know what I was talking about but he didn’t want to stay in that village any longer. We packed up and headed to a village near the sea, to stay with my aunt and her husband.”

  Loki stared at him as he talked; absorbing the heaviness of what the experience must have been like for him. After a few moments of silence, Kado raised his gaze and looked into her eyes. Loki wanted to look away but found that she couldn’t. Waysu noticed them staring at each other and they didn’t look like they were going to stop any time soon. Finally, Waysu loudly cleared her throat and broke their concentration.