“Me too,” Tristan confessed.
My head shot up. “What do you have to be scared about?”
“That the Brotherhood will really succeed in their plans. That you will be taken away and I won’t ever be able to see you again.” He looked out onto the field we had been using for practice, the forest beyond swaying gently in the breeze.
“Tristan, I–”
“I know. You like Bowen.” My face flushed, but he hadn’t said it as if he was interested, more as the protective brother wanting to warn away the man entering my life. “He likes you too.”
Oh! What? My face couldn’t conceal my joy at the news. The hug Bowen had given me in The Forest replayed in my head, his warmth radiating into my body. If this had been my regular life, in my regular time, I would have texted Jackie straight away and we would go pig-out on ice cream as we gossiped all night long. I yearned for those easier days.
My attention diverted back to Tristan, his eyes slightly squinted in the afternoon light, his mouth faintly turned down.
“Guess that just leaves Anwen for the taking,” I nudged him.
The thunderous laughter that erupted out of him scared a flock of birds sitting in the trees beyond, their wings flapping fast with fright. “I doubt His Lordship would want me as a son-in-law.”
“You would be the best son-in-law,” I countered playfully. We both sat there and watched the sun as gray clouds started their game of hide-and-seek with it, and when finally gone, the air went chill and damp.
“Don’t accept their limitations.” He was back to talking about my training, how to impress the High Elders, his brows foreboding. “They will try and tell you, you are nothing. Do not let them. Show them what you can do.”
“I will.”
Finch had secured a place just outside Saint Davids near Whitesands Bay. It was nothing impressive; the small sea-beaten shack was big enough to act as a relay point for the Brotherhood, its close quarters accommodating the three of them well.
“Any news?” Finch asked.
Misty shook her head. “Kolby’s watch will end in the coming hour and when it does, we will know where to move.” In some small circles Misty had been known as The Breaker. There wasn’t a spell she couldn’t decipher, nor one she couldn’t break. Her small stature made it easy for those pompous enough to overlook her as a child, though she was already eighteen years of age. Others were used to her meek demeanor, but it was her albino nature of bleached hair and skin that pegged her as an outcast.
When they had first arrived in Saint Davids, the news of the savior’s delayed meeting with the High Elders rang throughout the town. It was a small town and news traveled fast, so it took no time for them to hear of it as well.
“Keep your ear to the ground. Something will happen.” Finch turned to grab his cup of mead, only to find Kolby in its place. “Jesus Kolby, you are too silent,” his tone one of annoyance more than anything.
“There is no such thing as being too silent,” Kolby defended with a serious face. He rarely ever smiled, whether this was out of some macabre sense of his outlook on the world or just the way his face was, Finch could never tell. His lanky form towered over them as they sat, his movements fluid.
Finch reached around him to collect his cup. “Anything new?” he asked, wanting to be out of the shackle of their base and doing something to hurry events along their course.
“Actually, yes.”
Finch almost spat out his drink in surprise. They had been waiting for over a month now for the chance to act. Stalking Jade’s every movement they had figured out her day-to-day pattern. It was only a matter of time before something were to happen.
“What? What happened?”
“It seems the savior’s powers have awoken as an Exalted Witch.” Kolby flicked at a loose thread on his cuff while the others in the room soaked in the information.
Finch was the first to move. “How?” He went to the storage room and collected potion bags and stuffed them into any available pocket on his person. Next, he strapped on his fighting gear and a small dagger.
“No one knows the details exactly. She will be meeting with the High Elders tomorrow. The rumor so far is that she came up from The Forest changed.”
Misty moved next to Finch, also procuring provisions. She had always been adept with long range fighting and chose those potions that configured best for that position.
“She is ready. We must take her. Now!” Finch donned his cloak and grabbed Misty’s for her as well, Kolby already by the door. “Kolby, inform the rest of the Brotherhood, anyone who can get here within the next hour. We will need backup if we are going to take on the High Elders.”
“You cannot go wearing that!”
Bowen, Tristan, and Master Lewis had arrived too early and I was only now preparing for the coming fight.
“Haf, this is the only thing I’m going to be able to move around in. I know most people would love to see me save the world in a dress and heels, but that’s not happening.” Not caring about who was in the room I stripped my clothes and replaced them with the more masculine ones; time was of the essence. And really, if Bowen got a small peek I didn’t mind that either.
Haf was livid, huffing and fuming as the men refused her demands to excuse themselves from the room, the adrenaline of the coming event making them too paranoid to let me out of their sights.
I tucked an off-white linen shirt into the black trousers that now sat around my waist. I had gotten it a size smaller—a no-no for what the fashion of the time dictated but what was needed at this point. I didn’t even have time to look at myself. The last thing I grabbed was the necklace Haf had given me on my birthday night. The small golden disk with the Gruffydd’s coat of arms acted like a talisman of sorts, the cold metal quickly heating as it sat under my shirt between my breasts, hoping it would provide some protection.
“Ready?” I called to my other combatants. I shot out the door and to the armory before any could answer, the bounce in my step too prominent to hide my excitement. I should have been scared. I mean, I was scared, but I was also ready.
“Lady Jade, I do not think it wise to meet with the High Elders armed,” Master Lewis panted, his old legs trying to keep up with my fast pace.
“It may not be the smartest thing, but I want to be prepared for any situation.” I took a turn down at the end of the hall into the weapons room. Slipping into my leathers and chainmail I chose my weapons, going for my sword.
“You will not resort to violence!” Master Lewis was adamant about the fact, borderline insulted that I even wanted to show up to the meeting sword-in-hand.
“No, but if they do, I will have no choice but to retaliate.” I had finished strapping everything in place, unconscious of the fact that Bowen and Tristan had done the same.
“Here.” Bowen handed me a thick leather belt. “As a contingency.”
The black belt was cunningly deceiving. It had slits in the interior of the fabric where small blades had been placed, concealing them from an enemy’s view.
I took it and strapped it horizontally across my chest, the black leather constricting uncomfortably against my torso. Tristan saw my struggle and loosed the strap at the end, my twins finally free.
“You are all insane.” Master Lewis had stayed outside the armory to shout at us. He only moved further in when it was clear we weren’t listening. “There is no way the High Elders will let you enter like this.”
“Did you forget? I am the Exalted Witch. No one can stand against me,” I answered tautly.
The master was almost frantic in his pursuit to find a way to stop us from entering the gladiator’s pit. “Who will speak on your behalf?”
“You will.” I passed Tristan his quiver of arrows and he slung them effortlessly across his back.
“Me?” Although Master Lewis didn’t believe in ghosts he was
doing a good job of impersonating one.
“Yes, you. I consider you a friend Master Lewis, if not one of the best teachers I’ve ever had,” his hunched back straightening at the compliment, “and you are one of the few who actually know me.”
“Think of it as a court of law,” Tristan added. “You will defend Jade’s side while the High Elders act as the arbiter.”
We had him hook, line, and sinker.
“As you wish,” he finally caved and we all exhaled in relief. “But I will not lift a finger against them. I have pledged my loyalty to The Order of The Forest and will do so until the day I die.”
“Agreed,” Bowen chimed.
Now that all of us were on the same page, we made our way to the High Elders’ chambers. The walk through the castle and into the cathedral was short, our progress only temporarily halted by a pair of priests insistent that weapons were not allowed within the hallowed walls. Praying they wouldn’t smite us down, we pushed our way through them, leaving their shouts and calls to echo throughout the church.
We crossed the nave to the south side and into the abandoned corridor that lead up to the High Elders’ chambers. It was only when we got to the bottom entrance were we stopped again, this time by guards.
“Halt!” The boy couldn’t have been much younger than I was, his scrawny arms and even scrawnier excuse for a spell, held up high.
“Put your magic away boy, I am here to speak to Bishop Henry Gower. He is expecting me and my company.” Master Lewis was trying to be kind and confident in his lie, a band of miscreants trying to look as if we were supposed to be there.
“Bishop Gower is in council with the others at this time.”
“Yes I know. Again, that is why we have come.”
The guard gave us a dubious look, but let us through anyway.
“Wow, they really let us in, even looking like this?” I whispered to Tristan. All he did in return was give me a wink.
We made our way up the stoned steps. As with any fortification, we moved cautiously, making sure we didn’t stumble and fall the length of the ways down. Passing by the few slit-cut windows, I saw the bright dusk sky of orange and pink slowly blend into the deeper colors of sapphire and onyx. I could already tell it was going to be a long night.
“Alright, here we are.” At the top of the steps I paused to catch my breath, Master Lewis straggling behind. If I were any closer to him I could probably hear the clicking of his hip as he hobbled up the last of the stairs.
The double doors that towered in front of us sat closed.
Bowen grabbed my hand. “Ready?”
I squeezed his back. “As I’ll ever be.”
Master Lewis knocked loudly on the door.
XXIX.
Master Lewis just about broke his hand with the force of his continued knocks, the door refusing to open.
They better open this door or so help me…
Tristan was about to try and kick the thing down when it strenuously creaked open, a pageboy standing on the other side, unenthusiastically welcoming us in. We walked in to find the High Elders in the middle of their council, but that wasn’t what stole my attention. It was the room itself.
It was gorgeous inside.
Its high-vaulted ceilings were painted with the works of Puccio di Simone, his realistic brush strokes making the religious deities and pilgrims come alive. I had remembered seeing a documentary on him, his use of flaked gold unchallenged by any other painter of his time. In the center of it all, a silver tree with golden leaves was inverted which took precedence over the rest. It had only been a week since I saw its original, yet it felt like a lifetime ago. The walls of the room were surprisingly modern for the era. Glass-pained windows with black framing ran along the perimeter only interrupted by the clock, allowing us to see the expanse of the whole town of Saint Davids, and beyond it, the ocean. The fresh smell of Angelica and St. John’s Wort wafted throughout the room, the herbs imbedded within the wax candles that hung and hovered around.
My attention was guided back to the middle of the floor where the High Elders sat. They hadn’t noticed our entrance, except for one who couldn’t keep his eyes from me. Master Lewis made a winded remark that only we were able to hear, his body relaxing with optimism.
“Only half the council is here. And it is the good half… All except one,” his eyes landing on the man who wouldn’t stop looking at me.
I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but if the odds balanced towards our side, then I would take them. Finally, one of the High Elders spoke.
“What is the meaning of this? Lewis, justify yourself.” The High Elder who addressed us had translucently paper-thin skin. The only thing that seemed to hold him upright was a gold staff with a curled serpent at its top, like the kind you would see bishops use. His cassock matched the rest of the council’s and Master Lewis’s wear, but the fabric was of a finer quality and the red zucchetto-like hat on his head pinpointed him as the one in charge.
“Bishop Gower, Lady Jade needs to have an audience with the council,” he said respectfully.
“She was not summoned. Leave!” The others in the room nodded their heads in agreement, all but one: The man who kept staring at me. With a wave of his hand he called over his pageboy and whispered something to him, placing in his hand a piece of folded paper. No sooner had he done it did the pageboy bolt from the room.
Master Lewis thought it best to just jump right in.
“She has escalated to being an Exalted Witch.”
“We have heard. She has been flaunting her power all week. The village is talking nonstop about her.” The bishop was as uninterested in the whole situation as much as a student would be in retaking a test.
“I wasn’t flaunting, just practicing!” I blurted out.
“Either way,” Bishop Gower began, “you have been noticed.”
At that moment I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. By the tone of his voice I guessed the latter.
“Then you believe that I am the savior?”
“No.” I was taken back by his answer. “Few in the past have achieved Exalted ranking and each time the High Elders of that time referred back to the prophecy, believing that person was the one to save us during periods of strife.”
Before any of us could act, Bowen stepped forward, his head held high towards the members.
“My name is Roderic Bowen ap Evans.” It was the first time I had ever heard his full name, the sound ringing around the expanse of the room. “I stand before you to defend Lady Jade’s claim of being our savior.”
“Bowen? Bowen, Bowen, Bowen…” All attention was directed to the elderly blonde-haired male who had previously been ogling me. He looked to be a few years younger than Master Lewis, the lines around his eyes yet to reach his hairline. He took in a quizzical breath. “Is your brother not Finch ap Evans, leader of the Welsh Division of the Brotherhood?” His smile was sadistic as he saw Bowen’s eyes flash with anger. Bowen was making an effort to calm himself, but the man was not having it. “I have heard a rumor that it was your own brother that set fire to your home, killing your family?”
“Mason!” Gower shouted.
He was goading him, trying to get a response out of Bowen who now had his sword half drawn, Tristan restraining him as well as he could as I stood there in stunned silence. I had known that Bowen’s wife and children had been killed by the Brotherhood, but I never would have imagined his own brother had a hand in it.
My blood boiled at the news, understanding now what I had actually cost Bowen that day in the storm. His revenge.
Without thinking, my hands set on fire. The whole congregation stood, outraged and in fear, at the show. Mason took it as a personal attack and brought out his own magic.
“Sit down, Mason!” Gower commanded.
He did so, but only out of respect for the one who
reprimanded him, his teeth bashing together in a constant state of anger. “You might want to invest in a leash for that bitch,” High Elder Mason directed at Bowen, nodding towards me.
Mother fucker!
This time not only did Bowen draw his sword, but Tristan as well.
“Enough!” Gower brought his staff down and the whole room vibrated, the hall unwinding as a calming spell ran through to quell the hostile environment. “Bowen is not the one we are questioning at the moment,” he said shortly, his eyes landing on us. “I am sorry that a High Elder has acted in such a way. As a way of apology, please forgive us and continue.”
Both men sheathed their swords, though their tempers were still on full display—as well as my own. Struggling, my flames finally dispelled. Bowen cleared his throat and stepped forward again to address the council.
“While in The Forest last week, Lady Jade and I were researching some information when she ran off in frustration,”—thankfully he left out the part where I assaulted him—“and when I pursued her, I found her in a different state to when I left her.” He never wavered in his words, making them ring out with the truth he witnessed. “Lady Jade had found the Forgotten Room.”
The High Elders engaged in hushed whispers to each other. Bowen spoke over them.
“As many of you know, the First Room does not show itself to just anyone, and though I did not exactly see Lady Jade’s transformation, I can say with the utmost certainty that when she exited, her right hand and eye were engulfed in green, while her respective left side was engulfed in red—as you saw just now.”
“You say you did not see the transformation?” a woman ask quizzically. The woman who spoke sat regally, her browned skin and thick black hair puffed up in curls around her head. She reminded me of how Jackie may look in twenty years.
Bowen looked her dead in the eye. “That is correct.”
Master Lewis swooped in before the conversation could take any bad turns. “If you would allow Lady Jade to retell her tale, I am sure the council would then be able to make an informed decision on the matter, High Elder Emer?”
To Those Who Never Knew (A Monksblood Bible Novel Book 1) Page 21