The Orchard of Hope

by Amy Neftzger

  “You’re sending a grim reaper to deal with the wolves? Is he going to reap their souls to get rid of them?” Maggie asked the king.

  “No,” the king replied. “It isn’t that simple.”

  “So he’s going to negotiate with them?”

  “Death does not negotiate,” Kelsey announced with a small amount of pride in her voice.

  “Kelsey is correct,” the king agreed in a more patient tone. “Death doesn't negotiate. It only teaches.”

  “What will it teach the wolves? Or us?” Maggie asked with interest.

  “I don’t have the answer to that yet. I’m not sure that Roland does, either. It’s something that you’ll figure out on the way there. Every journey is far more than simply getting to a destination. It’s also a time of discovery.”

  “How will we know what to do when we get there?” Maggie asked. She wasn’t familiar with the king and his ways, and she found the lack of specific instruction frustrating.

  “I’ve told you all you need to know for the moment,” the king answered in a tone of authority. “I’m sending death to restore hope.”

  Chapter

  Three

  The Departure

  They left at dawn because anyone who wants to go anywhere usually wants to get there sooner rather than later, and an early departure almost always means an early arrival. That’s why the group left at the first light of day. Kelsey was awake first, and, although she had already packed the day before, she checked all the supplies and reweighed each pack to ensure that everyone was carrying the same amount of weight.

  There were no long goodbyes. In fact, the king refused to say the word “goodbye” because he insisted they would begin talking again within a few hours. He viewed the departure as a momentary lapse in conversation. Instead, he wished them a safe and successful journey through the forest. Megan and Nicholas followed the king’s example, but Nicholas wasn’t used to not saying goodbye, and the whole situation felt awkward to him. Regardless, the departure was early and swift, and before the sun had fully risen, the three were making their way deep into the forest.

  “So, do you know where we’re going?” Kelsey asked as she looked at the thick covering of trees overhead. Through the overhead canopy, she could see that the sky was sunny, but the branches shielded them from most of the morning sunlight and the air in the shadows still felt cool.

  “The orchard,” Roland replied.

  “Do you have a map?”

  “No. I’ve been there so many times, I don’t need one. Even if I got lost – which never happens, by the way – I would still be able to find my way there by smell.”

  Kelsey had forgotten about Roland’s incredible sense of smell. He could smell things that no one could see or touch, such as the end of an event or the beginning of something new. His vision was acute, and he could see time, including the measure of a person’s span left on earth and how many moments the person had left until they died.

  “Are you talking to your imaginary friend?” Maggie asked.

  “He’s not imaginary,” Kelsey replied in a biting tone.

  “I’m imaginary to her,” said Roland. “I will never be real to her until it is her time to meet me.” He walked quietly through the forest for a few moments, his cloak brushing over the tops of the ferns as he moved. “She’s very perceptive, you know. She understands that you’re upset with having her along on the journey.” He stepped over a few decomposing logs that were blocking the path as he was thinking. “Perhaps you should engage Maggie in some conversation so that she feels included. Try making friends with her.”

  Kelsey kicked at a spindly low branch as she followed Roland down the path. Making friends was easy for some people, but Kelsey knew that her talent was in fighting, which was sort of the opposite of friendship. She knew about camaraderie on a battlefield, but she didn’t know how to talk about things that weren’t related to killing and avoiding being killed. Talking with regular people she didn’t know felt awkward. Interrogation was much easier, but usually didn’t help in making friends. In fact, it often had the opposite effect. She felt frustrated and irritated at the whole situation.

  She wondered if Roland knew how she felt and wanted to ask him if he could smell feelings, but she didn’t want to ask the question in front of Maggie. After all, Maggie might think the question was even stranger than talking to an invisible image of death.

  As she walked, Kelsey reached out to touch a few low branches that extended over the path. The bark was rough, but felt good against her palms. With each step she took, she could also smell the rich earth as her feet stirred the soil beneath her. It felt good to be out in the forest, and it kindled her sense of adventure.

  Maggie was keeping up without any difficulty. She hadn’t been slow or complained about anything – at least not yet. Kelsey took a deep breath and finally turned to Maggie. She had to begin a conversation about something, so she decided to ask a question and see if she could get Maggie to do most of the talking.

  “Do you like studying at the Academy of Miracles?” Kelsey asked politely. Kelsey knew it was a generic question, but at least it was an effort.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know how to make miracles yet?”

  “No.”

  “Are they teaching you anything of value?”

  “Yes.”

  “So they have classes in sword fighting and combat?”

  “No.”

  Kelsey took in another deep breath and inhaled the damp air that smelled like the trees. She didn’t know what kind of trees they were, but she knew they were hardwood because they had leaves that dropped in the fall and sprouted anew again in the spring. During her time at the castle, she had watched the trees change with the seasons. Sometimes they had done training exercises at the edge of the forest, and because she was very thin, Kelsey could easily hide behind the thick tree trunks. Sometimes she would even climb up into the overhead limbs to surprise her opponents.

  The group moved deeper into the forest and it was getting darker as the foliage became more dense. Maggie tripped a few times over tree roots that were difficult to see in the darkness, and everyone could feel the air becoming thicker with moisture. They moved quietly for several minutes before Roland broke the silence.

  “She knows you don’t like her. You’ll have to do more than simply ask questions,” he said.

  Kelsey struggled to think of a topic to discuss with Maggie. She wanted to like her, but it seemed as if they had nothing in common. They were just too different. All the subjects that Kelsey thought were interesting, such as battle strategies or knife sharpening techniques, would be boring to Maggie. As Kelsey continued to think about possible topics of conversation, a gentle rain started to fall. At first she could only hear the drops hitting the leaves overhead, but after a few minutes, they broke through the canopy of leaves, and she started to feel the rain dripping onto her head. Without thinking, she reached back behind her neck and pulled up the hood of her cloak to cover her head.

  “I love the rain,” Maggie said with a sigh. She was walking with her face turned upwards, squinting into the gentle droplets as they fell. She opened her mouth and caught a few on her tongue before turning to look at Kelsey again. All Kelsey could think about was how Maggie could get sick from not keeping herself warm and dry. If that happened, it could really slow down their journey.

  “Try to keep up,” snapped Kelsey, as she continued to march forward with strong, deliberate steps.

  “I’m keeping up.”

  That was the end of the conversation for a while because the rain was now starting to come down so heavily that the noise of the drops on the leaves became too loud for anything else to be heard. It sounded like a rushing river pouring vertically over them.

  “Is this normal?” Kelsey shouted above the noise.

  “Yes,” Roland answered, but he seemed unaffected by the water. He was walking in front and didn’t look backwards when he spoke. The two girls followed
single file down the narrow path behind him.

  “How should I know?” Maggie asked in annoyance. “I’ve never been here before.”

  Kelsey wanted to ask how long the rain would last, but she decided not to attempt any more conversation while the rain was so loud. She also wanted to figure out a way to talk to Roland without Maggie asking about her invisible friend or assuming that Kelsey’s conversation was directed at her.

  The rain showed no sign of letting up, and the path quickly became muddy and slippery as a stream of water washed over it. Roland didn’t have any trouble on the slick ground. His footing was solid even when the path wasn’t. Kelsey and Maggie, however, both struggled and occasionally slipped, especially when they were trying to go uphill. Kelsey wondered if Roland had special boots that gripped the earth through the mud.

  The wind gusted and whipped Kelsey’s hood off her head, and her hair was soaked almost immediately. Both of the girls were covered in mud that the torrential rain washed off them, only to be replaced by another layer of mud when they stumbled again moments later. As she tripped, Kelsey could have sworn that the group had gotten turned around and was now headed in the wrong direction. It was difficult to tell with all the rain. Everything looked similar, and even though the veil of drops coming down obscured her vision, it appeared as if they had somehow changed direction. She was afraid that if they kept going, they would be back at the castle and lose valuable time on their journey. She wanted to alert Roland, but he seemed to be certain of the route, so she kept silent. She continued following him despite her doubts. It would be difficult for him to hear her over the downpour, anyway.

  The rain was making it difficult to talk as well as grueling to climb the path. Kelsey resorted to holding onto any branches within reach that were sturdy enough to support her. It didn’t matter if they were hardwood branches or the occasional pine branches with needles sticking into her palms and scratching her skin. Very soon Maggie started imitating Kelsey’s actions and following her example of grasping the branches.

  At first Kelsey was angry with Maggie for copying her behavior. However, as she was struggling to stay on her feet, Kelsey realized that Maggie was right to imitate her so that she could stay on her feet, as well, and keep up with the journey. Kelsey was also flattered that Maggie had quickly recognized Kelsey’s expertise in the situation.

  After a short period of groping their way along the path, both of the girls were getting cuts in the palms of their hands. The wounds burned as they continued to hold the tree limbs and steady themselves along the path. As she felt the pain from the cuts, Kelsey remembered what Megan had said about everyone needing to learn some healing. At the time it seemed foolish, but now the comment made sense. Her hands would be tender for at least a week, and it could affect her ability to use a sword effectively.

  Although it had been raining heavily, thunder and lightning weren’t noticeable until a sudden flash was followed immediately by a cracking sound. It sounded like two angry siblings fighting for the travelers’ attention. Each time the thunder struck, it shook the earth so much that Kelsey forgot her name and had to concentrate to remember who she was and where she was going. The rain, the loud noise, and the flashes of light were disorienting. She had never been in a storm like this before.

  Kelsey turned to look at Maggie and briefly forgot what to call her also. Names were like clouds drifting just beyond the reach of her memory. As Kelsey shook her head, she felt her wet hair slapping against her cheeks. This revived her long enough to begin focusing on her own name again. As soon as she recalled it, she concentrated on spelling it over and over. This seemed to help her to remember who she was and why she was on the soggy mountain path. She recited the letters in her name and then reached down to feel her favorite knife resting securely in the hilt at her side. Perhaps she was getting a fever from the cold rain, but touching her knife had a temporary calming effect until another round of thunder and lightning startled her again.

  Nevertheless, Kelsey moved forward, and most of the time she managed to keep herself from falling. As she reached the top of a hill, she paused for a moment to catch her breath as she assessed the slick path underneath her feet by grinding one heel into the mud. She knew from experience that the descent would be more treacherous than the climb had been. With gravity to pull her down in the direction she was heading, falling would be much easier. She knew she had to be more careful on this section of the road, so she extended her arm and grabbed a pine bough tightly to guide herself along, moving even more slowly than she had been. Just as her hand grasped another branch, her feet slipped out from underneath her and she skidded forward several feet. She held onto the tree limb as well as she could, feeling the sharp edges digging deeper into her skin as her feet gave out. The pain was burning her hands, but she would not let go because the water was rushing down the path so quickly that it could easily sweep her down the mountain, causing serious injuries.

  Kelsey glanced over her shoulder as she struggled in the mud and saw Maggie fighting to stay on her feet, as well. Kelsey felt all her anger and frustration toward the girl going away. They were both engaged in the same struggle, and it was exhausting. At this point, Kelsey didn’t have time to be cross or upset. Fighting against the flooding rains was fatiguing, and it felt as if everything within her was being drained by the struggle. Kelsey watched Maggie having the same unpleasant experience and it was difficult for her to hate someone who shared something with her, even if that something was trouble.

  The situation felt hopeless, and Kelsey didn’t know if they would make it without being injured or losing their way in the downpour. She had never experienced rain like this, and she still wasn’t sure they were headed in the right direction. In a rare moment of empathy, Kelsey reached out a hand for Maggie, who was sliding down the wet path despite her scrambling efforts to hold onto a limb. Kelsey yelled Roland’s name as loudly as she could, screaming above the sound of the thunder. She and Maggie needed help, while Roland didn’t appear to be struggling at all.

  Roland slowly turned around, but he didn’t reach out a hand. Instead, he calmly took his small staff and tapped the ground three times without speaking a word. The rain abruptly stopped. More than that, the ground was dry as if the storm had never happened.

  Kelsey dropped Maggie’s hand as well as the branch she was clinging onto. She slumped down to the hard, dry earth. As she hugged her arms across her chest, she felt her clothes. They were dry, and there were no mud stains on her anywhere. She quickly glanced over at Maggie, who was now sitting on the path dumbfounded and staring at the cuts in her own hands. She was dry also. There was nothing wet anywhere. The trees showed no signs of dripping water, and the bits of sky visible through the overhead branches were clear. Now Kelsey felt even more confused.

  Maggie stared down at her hands, looking over the scratches and cuts she had gotten from pulling herself along the path. The blood was real. Kelsey’s own palms felt raw and sore, and her whole body ached.

  “What happened?” Kelsey asked with a baffled expression.

  “I don’t know,” Maggie replied. She appeared to be even more confused than Kelsey.

  “You’re away from the castle,” Roland said. “The sorcerer’s spell overwhelmed you all at once with a storm of confusion. It’s because you were protected from the spell at the castle and weren’t used to having to discern reality. Even small spells can appear much larger when you’re not used to protecting yourself from them.”

  Kelsey thought about this. It had been almost two years since she had traveled through the kingdom. She could scarcely remember what her life was like before she had begun training. She had been out in the world her whole life, but it seemed like a very different place after having been away from it.

  “That looked like a regular storm,” Kelsey mused. “It was intense, but there was nothing supernatural about it. Why didn’t the sorcerer make the trees come alive or something more dramatic?”

  “I don’t
know,” Maggie answered with annoyance in her voice. “And what makes you think it was the sorcerer, anyway?”

  “I’m talking to Roland,” Kelsey responded to Maggie with equal annoyance in her tone. She turned to look at the fox. “There are better ways to confuse people than with rain and thunder.”

  “Other methods can be obvious, and you might see that something outside yourself was causing the confusion," he explained. “Because a rainstorm is a common incident, it makes the deception more effective.”

  Kelsey reflected on this information. It did make sense. After all, she had no idea that the storm wasn’t real. It had fooled her and left her disoriented. She looked up at Roland and noticed how calm he was.

  “The sorcerer’s spell didn’t have any effect on you, did it?” Kelsey asked.

  “No, it didn’t,” Roland answered.

  “Is your conversation interesting?” Maggie asked. “Because it’s pretty boring from my perspective.”

  “Do you always see reality?” Kelsey asked Roland, ignoring Maggie’s question.

  “It’s very difficult for anyone to fool death – even a sorcerer,” he said. At this remark, Kelsey suddenly understood the value of having Roland on the quest, and she knew that the king was looking out for her.

  “This is tougher than the experiences I remember,” Kelsey confessed.

  “Memories are not always the best measure of things, especially in this kingdom,” Roland replied.

  Kelsey paused to consider his words. It was now easier to think than it had been during the storm, but it was still difficult. She had not expected this type of complication, but she now realized that she should have. She had been isolated and protected in the castle and had forgotten what it was like in the outside world. She had thought the quest would be mostly fighting battles and physical adventure. Fighting unreality was a different sort of problem than she had anticipated. She knew that Roland was competent, but she had just seen how quickly she and Maggie had both fallen into the storm of confusion. She felt a sudden wave of discouragement as she understood her limitations and the size of the task ahead of them.