by Laura Abudo
The next two villages, though they offered shelter, had little else to give, not even a horse for Karl to purchase. She began to feel uneasy about being dependent on the Captain and his men. They had been kind, didn’t appear to mind their company but she knew they must be able to travel faster without them.
A farmer allowed them to stay in a barn he used to store grain that first night. It was off season so it was empty. Karl tried not to impose on the men. She offered to do chores, and thanked them often. She knew they must feel obligated to take care of them until she had transportation.
Kel was friendly. He made sure she and the girls were comfortable, piling up old sacks of grains and hay to sleep on. He strung a rope for them to hang their robes. The girls slept in their shifts tightly wrapped in blankets. Brother Karl caught the Captain watching her a few times as she cared for the girls but he’d look away to give orders or go back out into the rain for something.
When everyone was in for the night the men drew together to toss dice or play a few hands of cards. Kel and the Captain talked about their next stops and work while Karl sat silent politely.
Captain Doran turned to her and asked, “How is it, Brother Karl, that we meet you in the middle of the night riding alone then a few days later you have a row of ducklings following you?”
Kel chuckled. Karl smiled at the imagery. And that’s exactly what they must look like, three little girls following her in their yellow robes.
“I came to Brynntown to get them. They are to be Sisters.”
“Such a shame,” he said, gazing at them as they slept.
“Pardon?” she asked, insulted.
“No disrespect,” he said apologizing, “but none one of them seems to be the type to live in a hole in the ground.”
Karl looked to Kel, who avoided her eyes. The Captain didn’t. He watched her face, in a challenge for her to deny the truth of his statement. And she couldn’t. She would have lived cloistered if she had been ordered to, but the last place on earth she would want to live was in the underground Sister quarters. She was here to get them because that was her job. Angry, she retired to her pallet, partially because she hated to lose an argument, even a silent one, and partially out of guilt for what she was doing.
Captain Amias glanced at Kel in victory and both men continued their talk about the next leg of their journey. She turned her back to them in annoyance. Karl couldn’t help but be lulled to sleep by his voice that he kept low so as not to disturb the others. Their discussion finished, he lay down next to her on his bedroll. She turned her head toward him at his movement, barely opened her eyes and smiled. She was asleep again.
He watched her a few moments then forced himself to turn over the other way.
Kel looked between his Captain and the sleeping Brother. He whispered, “I don’t recall if the Brother snores.”
“Quacks,” Amias grunted.
On the road, Glory sometimes took to humming songs. One of the Marshalls would join in but Karl got the impression from Captain Doran’s scowl that it was not regular practice to sing while on duty. He lightened up though with encouragement from Glory’s friendly demeanor and it was a relaxing ride.
He’d explained to them on their second night, as they camped alongside the road that his unit was going far north into the King’s lands. He couldn’t tell the details of their journey but they’d been on the road more than half a year and it would be good to get home to see their families.
“Where are you taking the girls?” he asked Brother Karl while poking a stick into the fire to move a log.
“Mount Sestra,” she told him staring into the flames.
“Also north.”
She nodded. Glory leaned up against her right arm, half asleep. Krisa sat further away out of the full glare of the fire and Pearl played some sort of game of pebbles with one of Doran’s younger men.
“And they will be Sisters?”
“Yes.”
“Yet you aren’t.”
“No, I’m not.”
Glory opened her eyes slightly and told him, “She doesn’t like the yellow robes.”
Doran and a few of his men chuckled at Karl’s sake then he said, “To be honest neither do I.”
“Do you like blue?” she asked, hopefully.
“I do, very much,” he told her with a smile.
After several minutes of silence except for the crackle of the fire Brother Karl asked, “What will you do when you finish your mission?”
“Whatever is needed to be done,” he told her honestly. “My father is a cousin to the King a few times removed but because he’s been educated and served in the King’s army many years, he has gained favor as an advisor. I take on the more menial tasks given my father, such as this trek across the lands, while he then draws up the reports and adds the figures. After a good rest I may have another task.”
“As will I,” Brother Karl stated, nodding. She stared off into the flames again seeming lost in thought.
“Brother Karl,” Amias Doran said quietly, turning slightly toward her. He looked at her with his dark eyes.
“Yes?”
Glory had now fallen asleep and lay on the bedroll beside hers. No one else seemed to be invited to the conversation due to his low tone.
“You aren’t exactly like other Brothers I’ve met.”
She tried to hide a smile of amusement, which made him embarrassed.
“What I mean is, you aren’t praying or preaching, looking for wayward souls amongst my men.”
She didn’t know if this was a question or a statement. “True,” she agreed, leaving the subject without any more detail.
“I’ve seen your papers. I don’t want to put into question their validity or your honesty but you are rather unusual. I have never heard of a female Brother.”
She turned to him annoyed that he would be asking, again, to prove she was a Brother. He questioned her integrity. If she weren’t a Brother who would she be, a strange Brother-impersonating kidnapper who nabbed three girls for some evil purpose?
“Who do you think I am? Do you think the Sanctuary in Brynntown would have just opened their residence to anyone and let me wear a grey robe if I was not one of them? Do you think they would have given me custody of these three little girls if I was a criminal?”
“No, of course n-not,” he stammered, realizing he’d been somewhat foolish not to think of that line of reason.
“And maybe I pray silently?” she asked of him. “Maybe I pray all day long that if I get into some trouble, fall into a gulley or get trampled by wild horses I’ll be rescued by the King’s handsome rangers who now think I am a fraud.”
“Now, I didn’t say fraud. I just want to know…”
“I am used to people asking me to prove myself. I carry my papers for a reason. You’ve seen them. Why would any reasonable woman take on the Brothers robes unless it was her calling?”
“That’s an excellent question. Why would you?”
“Are you saying I’m unreasonable?”
He couldn’t answer, now confused at the twist she put to their conversation.
She stood quickly and walked away from the fire into the darkness. He watched as she left, unsure if he should follow or let her cool off for a few minutes. He had not meant to produce that kind of reaction, he was simply trying to open up questions of her past, and how she became a Brother, to learn more about her. It ended up all wrong.
Amias tossed his stick into the fire with a sigh and stood up. He followed the sound of her footsteps along the road in the blackness of night. She turned to face him when he was a dozen paces away.
“Come back, please. I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. It just came out wrong.”
She stood silently watching the dark shape of him against the campfire far off in the distance now. He didn’t move closer, just waited for her response.
“I am Brother Karl Nott Treen Crenville, ordained in a proper ceremony, sanctioned by the Sanctuary of Nott.”
“I just wanted to learn more about you. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Thank you for everything you have done for the girls,” she said coldly. “They have valued the friendship of your men. They are good, not a wayward soul among them.”
“I’m not so sure,” he said, trying to make light of the situation. When she didn’t respond he took a step closer. “Again, I’m sorry.”
He turned to walk away, back to the camp. She watched him go, his confident stride, the thickness of his legs and playfulness when he passed Pearl and ruffled her hair.
Brother Karl’s thoughts strayed from her annoyance to imaginations of her bedroll being too close to his, so close that she could press herself up against his chest in the dark and he would hold her, caress her. If she were being honest with herself she’d have to admit she dreamed of a lot more than that but she forced herself out of her lustful reverie by dropping suddenly and painfully to her knees in the middle of the road. With her palms flat against the ground she prayed hard.
“Please, please gods help me. Help me get these girls safely to our destination. Help me stay strong and wise, to control myself in the face of struggles, to control myself in the face of…that…man. Help me have power over my thoughts and words and…” she started to giggle at her prayer gone-awry. “…my knees when he looks at me from across the campfire or follows me into the dark. Oh, yes, help me then.”
She rose to her feet audibly laughing now at her new prayer. She still smiled as she returned to the fire. Pearl and Krisa were settling in, the camp was quieter. Captain Doran said nothing to her but seemed at ease, perhaps taking her smile as a sign of forgiveness.
She sat next to him and after long moments said quietly, “My family is from the north also. Large landowners with very distant ties to the crown. In my area there are not as many devotees, few Sanctuaries, no retreats at all for teaching.”
“Seddern?”
“Close,” she told him, impressed. “So when I was marked at birth it came as a shock to my parents. They were never followers but the Faold was spreading throughout the south and to the crown lands so my father was encouraged to support my destiny by the King’s advisors as a political move. If his own people began to follow the faith it would be helpful to have a daughter in the Faold.”
“But they didn’t raise you as a believer.”
She glanced at him then tilted her head in a partial nod of agreement. “I have been educated. I have studied the gods and their scriptures. I was ordained a true Brother.”
“I understand,” he told her. His dark eyes lingered on hers with intent. She blushed. “What is your real name?”
“Brother Karl,” she replied, standing to retreat to her bedroll.
“It doesn’t suit you.”
She pulled her pallet a few inches closer to Glory’s sleeping form and smiled again as she remembered her prayer from the road. “Gods please help me.”
No, she wasn’t a typical Brother, in more ways than one. She was female for one, a strange and quirky set of circumstances led to that peculiarity. She was not raised a believer so still struggled with a lot of the teachings of the Brotherhood but was so dedicated to her position for family reasons that she insisted on living as a true Brother. That meant no relations with the opposite sex. She sighed, thinking of the man sitting behind her. He wasn’t worth the trouble it would cause for her, her family and the girls, so she resigned herself to private thoughts of the handsome Captain. That’s all he could be to her.
Chapter 5
The Journey Together
The Marshalls were an unexpected blessing to them. The men, though road-toughened, were charming, thoughtful and helpful to the girls. Captain Doran expected them to be gentlemen and they were. The group was lighthearted and made the long hours in the saddle seem shorter. The girls often switched riders, getting to know each of them in turn. They shared jokes and stories and got into a routine of riding, cooking, and sleeping.
The dark nights in front of the campfire were special to Karl, listening to the men’s voices, knowing they reserved their more tasteless stories until after the girls were snuggled in asleep. She often just lay there pretending to sleep but watched him. He laughed easily with his sergeant, Kel, his dark eyes shining in the campfire. Glory had told her he was the most handsome man she knew, and Karl was beginning to agree. His ruggedness just added to his charm.
He was protective. If he heard any sound nearby he would send out a man with a quick motion of his hand to investigate. He kept the fire going until late, watching over her and the girls. She had been so thankful it had been him who had come along that muddy road.
It took three days to get to a town large enough to support an inn. The men were to lodge there and leave first thing in the morning so the girls said their sorrowful good-byes and expressed their thanks then sadly followed Karl further into town. They had enjoyed their companionship so much they didn’t want to leave them.
Brother Karl and the girls stayed at the local Sanctuary, the girls disappearing into the depths of the Sisters’ quarters. Brother Karl was given a private room along the Brothers’ corridor but snuck down to see Glory, Krisa and Pearl whenever she could. The girls were so unhappy at the Sanctuary she promised herself at the next town they’d stay at an inn instead.
While there Karl got a new wagon and a second horse with authorization from the Brothers. Enough food and water was placed in the back to last almost a week. The girls were bathed and their clothes laundered and mended. They were each handed a worn copy of teachings to study on their way north. Pearl had thumbed through hers then tossed it with little interest into Glory’s bag. Glory wrinkled her nose at the stories and did the same with her copy. Krisa simply stared at hers and looked off into the distance, thinking of her father.
That evening a messenger arrived for Brother Karl. He waited at the outer door of the Sanctuary while Karl read the note. It said simply, “His Majesty’s Marshall Unit offers to escort the party of Initiate Sisters Pearl, Krisa and Glory with their guardian Brother Karl of Crenville. Departure at dawn from North Gate.”
She felt relieved that their good-byes the day before hadn’t been final yet she believed this man was trouble for her and she knew she ought to stay away from him. She couldn’t dispute the safety of traveling with them though. And they were so kind to the girls. And he was much too distracting and handsome. The girls would be thrilled. She repeated her new prayer silently several times then said to the messenger, “We accept.” He bowed and rushed off.
It was still dark in the morning when Brother Karl tiptoed down to the Sisters’ quarters to find the girls asleep soundly. She shook each of them and got them dressed as they stretched and rubbed their eyes. Their sacks were already packed and in the back of the wagon.
The horse drawn cart rumbled its way down the road toward the north gate just as the first hint of orange lit the sky to the east. The quiet of the still-sleeping town was broken by the sound of many horses clopping toward them, the jangling of their tack and the creaking of leather saddles and gear.
The girls gasped in delight at seeing the Marshalls they’d grown so fond of and thought they’d lost forever. Glory clapped her hands and the men smiled, Amias Doran tipping his hat to the girls each in turn.
“Ladies,” he grinned. “We present ourselves as your Royal Escort, if you should accept.”
“Oh yes,” Glory beamed. “Thank you, sirs.”
Krisa bounded out of the back of the cart and took up her usual position behind her favorite new friend, Pat. He was one of the Scouts who had discovered Brother Karl on the road when she first encountered them. Karl had overheard Krisa tell Glory in whispers one night that she was going to ask him to marry her when she came of age at fifteen years old. She didn’t yet have an understanding of what being a Sister meant and it broke Karl’s heart to know what the girls were going to miss out on in life. An innocent crush would end in a tragically broken heart.
Denon and Kev, Wal and Wills were four archers who rode near the back with the pack horses. Pat and Stennor were the scouts. Fenran and Colt did most of the cooking while the rest; Roben, Teer, Finus, Erle, Roge and Dunph took care of all the other tasks like security, horses, provisions, and general comradery. Amias lingered as his men started up the road.
He said to her, “I hope you don’t mind. Since we are going the same way I thought we might accompany you.”
“In case of more mudslides.”
He smirked. “Yes, that too.”
His horse spun forward and took off to the front of the pack. The cart she drove took up the rear ahead of the two extra horses they’d brought for supplies. Their journey through the countryside was so pleasant Karl had forgotten about the miserable rain and mud of days before. The sun was warm, the breeze refreshing, farmlands to their east and forests to the west stretched on forever. The girls were happy and laughed often, even Krisa, who had been so somber most of the time. The men appeared to ride lighter and told marvelous stories to keep everyone entertained. She suspected they’d edited many of them to suit their audience, when she noticed Amias give someone a warning look when he started the story. She grinned to herself.
The sergeant, Kel, sat next to her one evening while the others took care of their duties. He told her, “It’s been lonely out here.”
“I’m sure it has,” she said unsure whether she should take the comment as a proposition or innocent observation. She couldn’t imagine he would be brazen enough to ask a Brother of Faold to bed down, even if the Brother was a woman.
“We have been to cities and stayed in nice villages,” and with a knowing look he added, “…not always been alone if you understand.”
“Yes,” she affirmed with a slight blush.