Revelation: The Todor Trilogy, Book One

by Jenna Newell Hiott

  “I’m happy too,” Soman said in tone of bewilderment.

  “I’ve just asked Keeper Stout for permission to marry Numa,” Gemynd explained, once again feeling Joy bubbling up inside him until he wasn’t sure if he would laugh or cry.

  “What?” Soman asked and then began jumping up and down as though his legs had a mind of their own. “Joy to you! Joy to you! Does Numa know?”

  “Not yet,” Gemynd said, shaking his head. “I want to tell my mother first.”

  “Joyous day, indeed,” Soman said, patting Gemynd on the back. “You finally came to your senses.”

  Keeper Stout approached them carrying three wooden goblets. “I know it is only dawn, but this calls for a toast,” he said.

  Gemynd took a cup and sniffed the contents. Ale with a trace of morningbell juice. Sure to induce a giddy head.

  Keeper Stout lifted his goblet in the air. “A toast,” he began. “Not as a Keeper and not as your teacher, but as your friend, I wish you and Numa eternal Joy. May you live forever or die together so that you may never know a moment apart. May you find Joy with each other in work and in play, in laughter and in sorrow, in lean times and in plenty, in toil and in rest, and especially and always, in your marriage bed. May she always be warm, willing and waiting.”

  “Hear him! Hear him!” Soman cheered. The three of them knocked their goblets together then took a swallow of the drink.

  “And may you never again know the loneliness and stench of a night spent in the Wishing Hut,” Soman added with a laugh. “But treasure every smile on that lady’s face. I love you both!”

  Again, they hit their goblets and took another swallow of its contents.

  “One more,” said Keeper Stout, holding his goblet aloft. “May your prick never grow tired of standing!”

  The three of them laughed and drained their goblets. Gemynd was already feeling the effects as a warmth crept across his skin, beginning at his stomach and working its way out. Time seemed to slow down and he felt a strange sense of safety that, somewhere in his mind, he reasoned had come from the morningbell juice. He sighed and smiled at his friends, feeling more love for them than he’d ever known.

  “Ah, Soman, there you are,” said Bronty as he passed through the doorway. “You weren’t at the bell post when I arrived and I was concerned.”

  “Yes,” Soman replied, lifting a finger in the air and then studying it for several moments. Then he looked around, startled, as though he was unsure of where he was. “I left to tell the Keepers that the people are gathering at the meeting house.”

  Bronty narrowed his eyes at Soman, then yanked his goblet from his hand, taking a deep whiff. “Morningbell juice?” he asked and glared at the three men in turns. “Whose bally idea was this? Well, I reckon you’re not to go after news this morning. Scitte for brains.”

  Bronty threw the goblet on the floor and stormed out of the Wishing Hut.

  “Scitte for brains,” Gemynd mimicked, sounding just like Bronty, and the three men howled with laughter.

  “Just a moment,” Keeper Stout said as he caught his breath. “Did you say the people are gathering at the Meeting House?”

  “Oh...yes,” Soman answered between fits.

  “Do you know the reason for it?” Keeper Stout asked, suddenly becoming serious.

  Soman gulped air several times, trying to keep himself from bursting into laughter again, which only made Gemynd want to laugh even more. Gemynd closed his eyes and tried to think of something unfunny.

  “Ruddy Tom came back with news,” Soman managed.

  “Right. I shall gather the Keepers,” Keeper Stout said, straightening his shoulders and lifting his chin in an obvious effort to look as though he had his bearings. “Joy to you, again, Gemynd. We will see you at the Meeting House.”

  Gemynd watched Keeper Stout make his way down the stairs until he was out of view, then he turned to Soman. “Meeting House,” he said simply and walked toward the doorway, though the ground seemed to sway and tilt a bit with every step.

  “We will help each other get there,” Soman announced and put his arm around Gemynd’s shoulders. Gemynd nodded and looped his arm around Soman’s waist and together they made it outside. The fresh air seemed to steady the world some and Gemynd breathed it in deeply.

  They crossed the pathway separating the Wishing Hut from the Meeting House and saw that the people had gathered in the yard as was customary during these warm times of the year.

  “Let’s stand in the back so we don’t draw attention,” Gemynd suggested, not relishing the idea of any others witnessing his current stupor. Soman agreed and they found a post in the back to lean against.

  “I feel back to normal already,” Soman said and Gemynd looked at him. Indeed, his eyes had cleared and he did seem to be standing straight.

  Gemynd willed the fuzziness from his mind and put his attention on the crowd before him. It was then that he noticed a general feeling of discontent that seemed to spread through the people. The expressions on their faces were cross. They spoke in harsh tones, but Gemynd could not make out what they were saying.

  “The Keepers have arrived,” Soman said, narrating events as they transpired.

  As the Keepers took their places at the front of the crowd and Elder Keeper Clary was helped into a chair, Ruddy Tom raised his arm to indicate it was time for the crowd to be silent. Without question, they complied.

  “I have news, my fellow Aerites,” Tom began. “To begin, I have heard several times throughout the region of Terrenes, that there is talk of war. Many have said that it has been confirmed that the bridge which killed Queen Helen and Prince Maargden had been tampered with; that their deaths were not accidental. The Terrenes believe that glinters are behind it and that they want to take the throne and rule Todor. The Terrenes will fight to prevent this and are fortifying the walls around Tolnick and the borders with the other regions. The castle has been sealed.”

  “We cannot fight alongside the Terrenes,” Overseer Marta interjected. “To fight is to disrupt Joy.”

  “But we cannot just allow glinters to take charge. They will demand our wealth and we’ll have no way to stop them,” a man shouted in response.

  “Please hold your comments,” Keeper Bland shouted across the crowd in a firm voice. “Let Tom finish.”

  Tom nodded. “There is good news too,” he continued. “On my outing, I received word that my son, Brighton, had finished his training. He wishes to come home to Aerie.”

  The crowd cheered at once at the good news. Brighton had been missed.

  Gemynd saw that the Keepers had huddled together, clearly discussing the matters Ruddy Tom had announced. He looked out at the crowd and, once again, sensed the underlying restlessness among them. Would the Keepers come up with a plan to satisfy them all this time? How could Joy be maintained when it already felt as though the divisions from outside of Aerie were creeping in?

  After several moments, Keeper Bland raised his arm, silencing the crowd once again.

  “We will not fight,” Keeper Clary began. “Aerites do not kill other humans, whether they are Terrenes or glinters.”

  Gemynd heard Keeper Clary’s words and felt as though he was saying them directly to Gemynd. Visions of Lumon and his men danced before Gemynd’s eyes. “Sometimes Aerites must kill,” Soman whispered as though he could read Gemynd’s thoughts.

  Gemynd suddenly felt the need to be sick. He turned and ran several steps from the crowd before falling to his knees and retching up his stomach contents. Almost immediately afterward, he felt more steady, more clearheaded than he had since the toasting.

  “But we will support the Terrenes if they choose to fight,” Gemynd heard Keeper Clary continue. “We will supply them with money and materials as we can. However, it is more important than ever that Aerie remain completely isolated. And, because of this, we cannot allow Brighton to return at this time. We are sorry, Tom.”

  A collective gasp rushed through the crowd.

&nbs
p; “We must hold fast to the rule that no one but the bellmen be allowed to enter or leave Aerie,” Keeper Bland added. “We must keep Aerie safe.”

  “But Brighton is one of our own,” Gemynd heard a woman cry out in a desperate tone.

  “But allowing him to return now will only open the door for other former members of Aerie to return. And we would surely be overrun,” Keeper Clary answered.

  Gemynd watched the crowd and saw Overseer Marta climb up on a chair near the cluster of Keepers. “This is terrible news about Brighton and we can pray that our isolation time ends quickly so that he may return home,” she said. “And we can also find Joy in the fact that, because no one is allowed to enter or leave Aerie, if any of our children become glinters during this time, they will not be sent away for training.”

  Gemynd glanced at Soman who raised his eyebrows in response.

  “Joyous day!” the crowd shouted, but Gemynd saw the cluster of Keepers speaking rapidly at one another.

  Then Keeper Bland raised his arm once again. “I’m sorry, Marta,” he said. “But, as always, we must obey the laws of Todor. If anyone becomes a glinter, he or she will be sent for training as always. This will be the other exception to isolation.”

  The crowd erupted in shouts. Everyone spoke at the same time and Gemynd wondered if the Keepers would be able to maintain order much longer. Then, a familiar voice came out of the crowd. “With no one on the throne, there is no law of Todor. You told us that yourselves,” Gemynd’s mother, Molly, said to the Keepers. Gemynd was shocked. He’d never known his mother to address the people before. “If the world outside Aerie is so dangerous that we must be completely isolated; if it is too dangerous out there to even allow Brighton to come home, then why would we ever send our children out there? You would have us cast our children into the heart of that danger?”

  “I must think of the welfare of Aerie as a whole. It is my duty,” Keeper Clary replied. “And while it would sadden me to have to send a child out into Todor at this time, to allow an untrained glinter to remain in Aerie would put our village in more peril than even a direct attack. I cannot allow it.”

  “To put even one of our children in harm’s way is to disrupt Oneness,” Overseer Marta protested and numerous voices shouted their agreement.

  “Keeper Clary is wise,” Briggen the foodstock handler shouted. “During hard times such as this, we may have to make sacrifices to ensure the safety of the majority. We cannot let Aerie fall. The Deis have given us this Joyous place. We must protect it.”

  “You have no children of your own, Briggen,” Gemynd’s mother hissed. “Do not speak to me of sacrifice!”

  “All of Aerie’s children belong to all of Aerie,” Keeper Clary said as a reminder.

  Suddenly Ruddy Tom raised his arm. “I can speak of sacrifice,” he began. “It has just been said that my son is not to return to Aerie. He has finished his training and now has no place to go. He has no home out there. I’ve seen what it’s like out there. He will have to fend for himself and I know that his chances of survival are next to nothing. And even so, I agree with Keeper Clary. We must protect Aerie at all costs!”

  “It is done,” Keeper Clary said before anyone else had a chance to protest. Then he rose from his seat and slowly hobbled back to the Wishing Hut.

  Gemynd found his mother as the crowd dispersed. Her mouth was set in a firm line and her jaw muscles worked tirelessly. “Joyous day, mother,” he said quietly, though he knew she wasn’t feeling that the day was Joyous at all.

  “Hmm,” she replied in a grunt.

  “May I speak with you for a moment?” he asked, knowing it probably wasn’t the best time. His mother would most likely not feel like celebrating, but he didn’t want to wait a moment longer to tell her the news.

  “Of course,” she said. “Let us talk at the Eating House for I am in dire need of a cup of horsetail tea.”

  Gemynd smiled and followed her into the Eating House, which was mostly empty except for a few workers who arrived early to begin preparing breakfast. He took a seat on a bench in a corner as his mother went into the kitchen for her tea.

  “I brought you a cup as well,” she said as she joined him at the table. She lifted the wooden cup to her lips, took a small sip and smiled. “Is this about the dagger? I know you took it. I’ve known since the day you did it.”

  Gemynd sucked in his breath. “I did take it,” he said and swallowed. “I’d like to say that I’m sorry for taking it from you, but, truthfully, I don’t think that I am. I know that it was your connection to Father and I am sorry that I took that from you. But I wanted that connection too. And I thought the dagger helped to explain why I always felt so different from other Aerites. I always believed that having the dagger was what set me apart. But now I think it may not have been the dagger after all.”

  Gemynd’s mother narrowed her eyes and frowned. “Don’t tell me anything that might have dire consequences for you,” she said and Gemynd wondered if she might suspect him of being a glinter.

  “No. I came to tell you good news, Mother,” he replied and couldn’t help but grin.

  “I could use some good news,” she said and took another sip of her tea.

  “I’m taking Numa as a wife,” he blurted.

  Gemynd’s mother very slowly put her cup on the table and looked up at Gemynd. “You chose the path of a Keeper,” she said.

  “I changed my mind,” Gemynd replied, feeling defensive now that he had not gotten the reaction he’d expected. “I never took any vows.”

  Gemynd’s mother sighed. “I suppose it was inevitable,” she said.

  Gemynd clenched his jaw and squeezed his cup tightly. “I thought you’d be happy about this.”

  “If you really care about Numa, the best thing you can do is stay away from her. Stick to being a Keeper and just let her be.”

  “She loves me as I love her,” Gemynd growled. “Being with me brings her Joy. I stayed away from her for too long already!”

  “You are so much like your father,” she spat and Gemynd felt his anger boil dangerously close to the surface.

  “But I am not him!” he shouted and in the back of his mind, he hoped others weren’t watching him. “I will not hurt Numa. Not ever. I cannot help that I look like him, but I won’t do to Numa whatever it is he did to you.”

  “Sit down!” Gemynd’s mother hissed and Gemynd reluctantly complied. “That is what I needed to hear, my son. You are like your father not only in your looks, but also in your need to study, to learn. I saw it as a madness in him that only became worse over time. It would be hard enough for me to watch you lose your mind as he did, but it would be downright unbearable to have to see Numa caught in the middle of it.”

  “Mother, I felt the same way for years. I always kept her away because I didn’t want to inflict my madness on her. And because I thought focused study was the only way to find peace. But I discovered something truly amazing. Numa’s very presence gives me more peace than study ever could.”

  A slow grin spread across Gemynd’s mother’s face. She reached across the table and took his hands in hers. “It fills my heart with Joy to know that you’ve found peace,” she said. “Now give me your vow that you will never hurt Numa.”

  “I vow it,” Gemynd replied and squeezed his mother’s hands in return.

  Gemynd’s mother sighed deeply. “You were meant to be together. Everyone knows that. You have a love for each other that most of us only dream of. Joy to you both!”

  Numa

  “I certainly don’t have to ask if you’re Joyful,” Felyse said as she approached Numa. “You are the very picture of it.”

  Numa smiled, still finding it hard to believe it was all happening. Today she was getting married. To Gemynd, the man she’d loved her whole life. Only a week ago, she’d resigned herself to being in Gemynd’s life as merely a friend. And now, here she was, about to become his wife. She closed her eyes, imagining what he was doing at that very moment. Was he bath
ing? Was he being fussed over by the Keepers or Soman? Whatever it was, Numa knew he was just as happy as she. She had no doubt of his love for her. She’d seen it in his eyes.

  “We have your bedsack ready,” Gracewyn said, holding up the large piece of cloth. It was dyed in a spectacular spiraling pattern of yellow, red and blue and looked especially grand as they stood under the Baldaquin tree and the morning light filtered in through its leaves. Numa had never seen anything like it.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said.

  “Not as beautiful as you,” Gracewyn said and patted Numa’s cheek. “Look at you. It’s as though you’re filled with stardust.”

  Felyse took one end of the bedsack from Gracewyn and together they began tearing it into narrow strips. It was an Aerie tradition that the bride’s family dye a bed-sack in beautiful colors and patterns to represent the family’s Joy. The bedsack would then be torn into strips and wound around the bride to make her wedding garment. After the wedding, the groom is responsible for sewing the strips back together to make the marriage bed.

  “We are going to make sure Gemynd has to work to have his bride tonight,” Felyse said. “He’ll be unwinding you for hours.”

  Numa giggled. She couldn’t wait to have Gemynd alone. They hadn’t had a moment alone together since the mantle grove and she ached for him. Knowing that she would soon be spending every night of her life with him made her flush with Joy.

  “Our grandchildren will be the prettiest in the world,” Gracewyn said to Felyse as they continued tearing the bedsack.

  “Oh my,” Felyse agreed. “With Gemynd and Numa as parents, they’ll be as gorgeous as the moon herself.”

  “We are almost done, Numa. It is time for you to dip into the lake,” Gracewyn said.

  Every Aerie woman goes through a ritual of submerging herself in the lake three times in her life. Each time represents a new birth. The first time is when she comes into the world, and symbolizes her creation. The second time is upon her marriage and symbolizes her birth into the life of a wife. The final time happens when the woman becomes too old to work and represents her birth into a life of rest and reflection.