I got lost in his eyes. They hadn’t been flat brown as I had always assumed. By the light of the fire I could see the flecks and streaks of sunshine within them, as if a cloud had broken free to stretch the light across a wooden forest. I inched in closer as well, the side of my body now pressed against his. This was the closest we had ever gotten, the close quarters of the travel still allowing for medieval social rules that Haf made sure we followed, but now, she was nowhere in sight.
Bowen finally seemed to be comfortable next to me, until his eyes darted to my clavicle and slightly cringed in guilt. I could see our breaths intertwine in the air, the puffs of clouds dissipating when they got too near the fire. “Is it so bad being here?” he asked.
My body went hot, the fires’ flames reaching higher.
“Not at this moment…” I whispered truthfully.
“What are you two doing?” Tristan asked with playful interest, chewing on a piece of bucellatum.
I had forgotten that we had an audience. Tristan sat on the other side of the pit, his face scrunched up as if he were a little boy seeing his parents kissing for the first time. Not that Bowen and I had even gotten that close. I pulled away from him and wrapped the blanket tightly around me.
“I was getting a crumb out of his beard,” I quickly made up. “Tristan, don’t you have patrol or something?”
“Dak is out watching so I have all the time in the world to sit here and watch you two,” he grinned in between bites of his own meal.
Disgusted at myself I stood. “I’ll go check the fires.”
“Jade–” Bowen called, but before he could convince me to sit back down, I was already halfway up to the next pyre.
XXIII.
The journey had taken us longer than expected as the roads were treacherous with ice and snow. Three horses had already been lost to the weather and we were running low on provisions. It was only on our arrival did Master Lewis finally tell us where we would be staying in Saint Davids.
“Saint Davids is the smallest town in Wales, you know?” This was probably the millionth time he had told me, my attention waning at its mention. “Many crusaders, pilgrims, and sinners alike have passed through looking for retribution from God. It houses some of the greatest wizards of our time, including, but not excluding, Holden the Dragon Tamer and Andra the Warrior Mage, as well as the High Elders–”
“Wait.” My attention was now back on his words, my face pale. “What do you mean High Elders?” I knew I was going to have to meet with them in the coming weeks (the three month grace period was quickly coming to a close) but this was too soon. Were they already expecting me to have excelled in magic? I could barely close the wound on Tristan’s head let alone tame seas or whatever they wanted me to do.
“The High Elders have resided in Saint Davids since the group’s creation in 285 ante christum natum—though the cathedral is not nearly as old. It is even cloaked in one of their most ancient and powerful protection spells.” He sounded as giddy as a school boy. “We would not want just anyone knowing where the The Forest resides.”
“The Forest?” I asked.
“It is one of a few places, geographically, that falls on one, out of the many, Meridian Roots. As such we are then able to house some of the most powerful documents—some of the oldest—without there being a fuss.”
I looked to Elian who was holding on to every word the master uttered. “What’s he talking about?” I whispered in confusion. “He’s never mentioned this before.”
“It’s not really a forest,” Elian was more than happy to explain, “but a library of sorts. It is actually called the Library of Enchanted Rooms, but everyone just shortens it to ‘The Forest’. Those who serve under it are part of The Order of the Forest, such as Master Lewis and the High Elders. Beneath the ground, just as trees take their roots in the soil, so does all magic. Saint Davids sits on one of the most prominent clusters of energy. It is why we can store large quantities of magical artifacts and documents there together without them reacting negatively to each other.”
“Oh,” was all I could say. It was a lot of information to have sprung upon you, but I was trying to take the journey in small strides, dealing with new struggles as they arose.
We continued the last leg of our journey when finally, I was presented with the small town of Saint Davids. It took my breath away as we walked down High Street, and despite the cold weather, the street was filled with vendors and merchants selling their goods to those who passed by. One guy was trying to push an older gentleman into buying a love potion, though the man wasn’t entirely convinced.
The air was clean. Cleaner than any other town we had passed through on the way here. The houses and pubs that lined the way would have been considered ancient in modern standards, yet they stood tall, looking brand new with no crumbling bricks or gray stones. All had color that radiated from the brightest of pinks to the darkest of ivories.
With as big as our traveling party was, it took some time to weave through the streets to reach the central part of town where the cathedral sat. His Lordship and Her Ladyship, as well as Anwen, had remained behind. The Lord of the land was not expected to follow his ward’s every move and after months of living with them, it was surprisingly hard to say goodbye to my second adoptive family. They had assured me that we would meet again, though whether it would be in this life or the next was not up to me.
I just kept getting surprised. All we knew about the Dark Ages was wrong. But why? The question slipped my mind when the cathedral came into view. My eyes went wide and my mouth broke into one of the biggest smiles I had worn since coming to the past.
“Holy shit!”
Master Lewis and Bowen looked at me with annoyance and both made the sign of the cross. They probably thought I had finally flipped my lid, but the building right in front of me could have legitimately come out of the wizarding world. The cathedral was of soft limestone with spires and a clock tower which dominated the airspace of its structure, while what looked like a separate castle stood at its back. A small graveyard of past High Elders (as Master Lewis informed me) stood at the front.
“It’s gorgeous!” I was on the brink of tears. The clash of my modern knowledge and the medieval world were too much.
Master Lewis pushed us along. “Come now. We must settle in before we meet the High Elders.”
We took the short path down and passed over a bridge to get to the castle in the back. We were greeted by some guards and only after a heated dispute about our undocumented arrival, and that the bishop and High Elders would have to first be informed of our presence, were we allowed to proceed into the building.
“Damn fools. As if they do not recognize a fellow Elder,” Master Lewis was livid at the fact no one knew who he was. “It has only been…” He started to count on his fingers. “Oh, thirty years. I guess my absence has been longer than I remembered.”
We were escorted to our respective places of rest in the castle, me in the top east wing along with Haf and Elian, while the men were situated closer to the barracks.
“I will arrive later in the evening and escort you to the High Elders,” Master Lewis announced. His scholarly robes were already replaced with more ornate ones of green and gold, their embroidery of leaves stitched into the surplice that was draped religiously over his shoulders while a white smock poked out from the collar and wrists.
“We will make sure–” Tristan began.
“It will just be Lady Jade and me, I am afraid,” Master Lewis hastily added, cutting him off.
“But surely they would want us there? We need to be debriefed.” Bowen was all too serious about the predicament. He hadn’t left my side the whole trip here and even now, having him stationed more than a five-minutes’ walk away filled me with unease.
“You,” Master Lewis bluntly stated, “are to not step foot anywhere near the High Elders, do you understand?
You are in enough trouble as it is for torturing Lady Jade.”
Bowen’s eyes went wide, guilt and—for the first time I had seen—fear, lathered his features.
“Do you not think they have their eyes and ears everywhere? Of course they know of your dealings,” Master Lewis answered unapologetically. “And as I am inclined to rule in their favor, I suggest you stay as far away from the High Elders as possible.”
I almost laughed. Master Lewis’s reprimanding tone sounded like that of a principle scolding a pupil, but I knew, this was no laughing matter, and though perhaps months ago I wouldn’t have minded seeing Bowen knocked down a peg, now… Now I couldn’t even fathom the idea of letting anyone hurt him, especially not for my benefit.
We dropped the subject, everyone acknowledging that it would be best if I were to only be accompanied by Master Lewis, but when the agreed time to meet passed, I couldn’t help but pace the space in my room.
“Why hasn’t he come yet?” The freshly clean dress I had put on just an hour ago was now seeped with my nervous perspiration. “You don’t think he went without me?”
Haf made me stop and sit on the edge of the bed before I could ruin the dress further. “Of course not. You are the reason for this meeting. He would not exclude you from it.”
That didn’t calm my nerves.
“Maybe he has eaten something that did not agree with him? He should be here any moment,” Elian chimed nervously.
A sharp knock came from the door and I quickly rushed for it. “Master Lewis. Thank God.” He stood in the doorway. “Is everything alright? Can we go see the High Elders now?”
He continued to stand there in silence.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
He let out a breath, my own now hitched into the back of my throat. “They cannot see you at this moment.”
“What do you mean they can’t see me? They asked to see me.” My annoyance was not lost on anyone there.
“I understand that, but things have changed and they are unable to meet with you at the present time.” Something was wrong. I knew Master Lewis wasn’t the most emotional of people, but his voice had never sounded this detached.
“What’s changed?”
“I am sorry, but at the present time, I cannot divulge that.”
With each second I could feel my chances of getting out of this time slipping away. I was about to press him for more information, but the look in his eyes told me that it would be a grave mistake.
“When will they see me then?” I asked.
“They have not said; only to be on standby for their call.” He turned and left without another word while I stood there, not knowing what to do.
XXIV.
Master Lewis
Master Lewis sat in front of the residing High Elders. He remembered the last time he had been there as a younger man. The once strong physiques of the men and women in front of him had now become just as wrinkled as himself over the years. They wore the same ornate robes, though instead of the green that marked the lower class of mages, they were garbed in purple, the gold detailing radiant against the color.
They all congregated in the clock tower, its long winding staircase to the top making it one of the best defended positions in the town. If an enemy were to ever attack, they would risk being bottled in from the bottom. The room itself was extremely grand, the stone ceilings painted with pilgrims making their way to Saint Davids, but it wasn’t their vibrant pigments that kept a person’s attention, it was the carved tree suspended in the middle of it all, as if it had been planted upside-down, its branches reaching those who ogled at it below with gold leaves rustling gently in a phantom wind, their clinking like angelic music.
“What is the meaning of this?” Master Lewis asked, his temper thin. His whole evening had been spent being passed along from person to person until finally he had been granted an audience with the High Elders.
“Do not be a fool, Lewis,” High Elder Mason spat back at him, “as you have reported, the girl can barely even conjure a strong wind, let alone defeat the Brotherhood. And why should she, I haven’t seen anything in my visions of late.” The sandy-haired man sat with the arrogance of his title. He was the best seer still living and he never forgot to let everyone know.
Master Lewis was stationed in the middle of the room, a lone chair positioned in the center ring of the others, though it could be plainly seen what sides were being taken. The High Elders had been divided since the organization of the Brotherhood. Those who were against the existence of the group sat on one side, while those for sat on the other. The few who were split between the two sat in the middle, acting as intermediaries.
“Now, now, Mason. We agreed coming in to this meeting that we would hear the master’s words without interruption,” High Elder Emer interposed. “Please resume, Master Lewis.”
Emer was regal in how she presided over the meeting, acting as secretary to Bishop Gower. She was long-necked, her mocha skin velvety against her curly chocolate hair that was set loose about her face. She wore the uniform of a High Elder, the only difference in her secretarial status was an addition of the quill pinned into her collar.
“Thank you, Emer. As I have said, her magic at the moment is not strong. I have tried every shortcut I can think to help her, but there is not much else I am able to do.” He twiddled his thumbs and pressed on. “She has even been training with our best fighter and seems to be excelling more in that area than my own.” Master Lewis started to perspire, and quite noticeably as he dabbed at his forehead with his handkerchief.
“Does she know about her slow progress?” one of the High Elders asked and got a stern look from Emer for interrupting.
“Of course not. People have been constantly building up her confidence. It would only take one utterance for it all to be ripped away.”
Half the room nodded in agreement, while the other half, Mason’s half, grunted with disapproval.
“She only requires more time,” he pleaded. “The Brotherhood has been present for almost two years now, I see no reason as to why their actions would change any time soon.”
“But did you not just report about the events that happened at Llansteffan?” High Elder Mason replied. “They want her. They believe she holds a great deal of power. I would say their actions have quickened and they will most likely attack within the month.”
“Have you foreseen this, Mason?” High Elder Ronan, a man of few words, asked.
“No, but I can feel it. Something big is going to happen and she will be at its center. Whether it be at the Brotherhood’s behest or not.”
The room stayed quiet, each person weighing their options in how to get out of this mess, not only without insulting their fellow colleagues, but also alive.
It was Emer who finally spoke up. “I think then the only option right now is to wait. We have no idea the extent of Lady Jade’s capabilities, be they less or more. We need to allow her an extended amount of time to study.”
“And what, pray tell, will happen to her if she is not the person that has been prophesied?” Mason, as always, was the negative voice among them. “She could just as easily be an imposter.”
It was Bishop Gower, the oldest member going on one hundred and three, and chairman of the group, who answered, “Then we will discard of her if necessary.” His rickety bones creaked as he shifted his position, his mouth puckering in pain.
The room fell silent again except for Master Lewis whose shouts could probably be heard among the town’s limits. “Why? If she is not our savior knight, what is the harm? She has done nothing to incur this type of sentence!” He was on his feet, his face heated with a ready defense.
“I know you have become fond of this girl, Lewis,” Bishop Gower began, “but she is from the future. She knows too much of the outcome of our world.”
Master Lewis tried to get his argument o
ut in a rush. “But she does not. She has told us as much, that the magical world is not common–”
“Did she really say this?” Mason interjected with delight.
“Yes. That is why we–”
“Then it is true. The Brotherhood will find a way to reduce, if not eradicate, the art of magic…” Mason sounded jubilant in the realization. “This is what we have been working towards.”
The room erupted into arguments, the shouts swimming about until they were indistinguishable. High Elder Ronan and Mason had their magic ready, one with ice magic, the other with poison, ready to throw them at each other.
“Enough!” Gower bellowed, the golden leaves of the tree roughly clinking together as the room quieted.
“She speaks falsities,” Emer stated. “In what world would magic not exist?”
Bishop Gower held up his hand for silence.
“It is as Emer says. Magic cannot be erased from the world, as much as the Brotherhood hopes,” he glanced in Mason’s direction, “for it resides deep within the earth.”
“You cannot stick to that way of thinking forever,” Mason spat viciously. Gower continued as if no one had spoken.
“And because the girl has indicated to this future, we will now forever be working towards a path with which we might never have taken.”
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, their outbursts calmed as they took their seats; all except Master Lewis who still stood, too stunned to even breathe.
“Go to her Lewis. Continue her training and do not say a word about this meeting. We will notify you when we wish to meet Lady Jade in person.”
Master Lewis could all but bow and leave the room, his steps quickening as he proceeded to Bowen’s quarter. He didn’t even knock on his door, just barged right in. He never wanted to see it come to this, especially for Jade. “You need to protect her!” he shouted at Bowen, interrupting his private prayers.
Bowen rushed to the frantic master and persuaded him to take a seat which he did after some argument. “You need to slow down and tell me what has brought on this madness. Of course I am protecting Jade.”
To Those Who Never Knew (A Monksblood Bible Novel Book 1) Page 17