Eden-South (5 page)

“I’m here to see the High Priest,” she said
in a clear voice.

The man nodded his head. “He is waiting for
you.” He led the way through the small hallways to the large wooden
door that she was familiar with. After knocking lightly three
times, she heard the High Priest beckon for her to enter, and she
thanked the man for his help. The cut on her arm still bled, so she
held a small handkerchief on it tightly.

“Good afternoon,” she said, bowing toward
the High Priest. Alistair was almost sixty now, but was still a
tall and regal man. He had been the best friend of the late High
King, and now continued to support Jameson as loyally as he had his
father. His hair was completely white, and a long beard reached
down almost to the middle of his chest. He wore the robes of the
priesthood, the dark blue bringing out the deep blue of his eyes.
His nose was long and crooked, a result of an accident from his
time in the army as a youth. Most men who became priests did so
because they weren’t cut out for the King’s army. Although that
could not be said of the High Priest—he was as great a warrior as
he was a spiritual leader—he insisted the church life had been
better suited for him than one of fighting. Elisa’s father had a
close relationship with him as well, so he had always been like
another father to her.

“Come sit down, my dear,” he said, gesturing
to a chair. “I have made tea and set up my chessboard. Let us have
a quick game.”

During her first year of training, she would
come here on a daily basis to play chess with Alistair. Back in the
days when she was still too young for the blood offerings, she
could come and go as she pleased. He told her that chess was a good
mind exercise, which would help her in her training. It would teach
her to think strategically, and always plan her moves ahead of
time, while still anticipating and watching those of her opponent.
He was right, of course.

Walking over to the small table that sat by
the window, she settled down for a long stay. Their games would
normally go a long time. His chamber was a large room, the walls a
warm beige stone. A large fireplace covered the west wall, which
was always filled with a comforting flame. The bed sat against the
opposite wall, with two chairs at the end, facing the hearth. Past
his bed was the large window, which looked out into the sanctuary’s
gardens. A small chess table sat there, made of glass, with the
pieces all carved from green marble. The set had been handcrafted
by the Sand People in the deserts, a gift to the High Priest.

The two of them began to play in silence,
Elisa waiting for him to bring up the subject that hung in the air
between them. Finally, after ten minutes of concentration, he
looked up at her and smiled.

“Won’t you ask me why you’re here?”

“I didn’t want to seem disrespectful,” she
shrugged back. “I figured you either wanted someone to play a game
of chess with, in which case there was nothing to talk about, or
you were waiting for the appropriate time, which I was leaving to
your discretion.”

“Why are you always so politically correct?”
he asked, sitting back with a smug look.

She smiled at him. “I had good teachers.” He
laughed out loud then, and nodded his head in agreement.

His face turned suddenly serious, and he
leaned closer to her. His voice was lower as he spoke. “I have a
job I need done, and your father and I have agreed that you are the
one to do it.”

Excitement began to build inside her, as
well as pride. It was not every day that her father or Alistair
would think to send a woman on a mission over a man. Especially
something that appeared to her to be important. He explained the
mission to her, and told her when she should go. After all the
details had been explained, they continued their game in silence.
He won, of course: after all the games they had played, she had yet
to win one.

“Go in peace, my dear.” He placed a hand on
her shoulder before she left.

“I will, Alistair.” She smiled, placing one
of her hands over his. The priest who waited outside for her, the
same one who had led her there when she arrived, sucked in his
breath, most likely in shock when she addressed the High Priest so
informally. Neither of them took notice.

“Be safe,” he said kindly. She nodded her
head, and left with the other man.

Now as she sat at the base of a tree, she
thought again about how lucky she was to have been given the task
she now carried out. Her father had been visibly nervous to let her
out of the city walls alone, but even he did not stop her. This was
a great step in her career as a member of the King’s army. Creeping
along the forest floor, she approached the small river that ran
through the forest. She was close now.

“Why would they send a girl out alone, in
the middle of the night?” Wolf was saying as they walked back
toward their room.

“Who knows?” Logan replied uninterestedly.
“I’m just glad it’s not me out there.”

“And Elisa, of all people,” he
continued.

“Are you concerned for her?” He laughed,
jabbing his elbow into his friend’s side. Wolf pushed him into a
wall in return, and shook his head.

“No, I’m not concerned. I’m just
curious.”

“Don’t lie! You’re worried about your dear
future wife,” he teased, laughing. Wolf was always sensitive about
their impending marriage, swearing it would never happen, but Logan
wondered sometimes if that was truly how he felt. In all honesty,
she was the most beautiful girl in town. She was a medium height
and thin, her long hair a lovely shade of gold. She had hazel eyes
that were rimmed by thick, dark lashes, and she had a full, pink
mouth. She would always wear the same riding pants as the boys did,
although they just looked so much better on her than they did on
any boy Logan knew. And her shirt was always tight, the arms cut
off, making it easier for her to move around with her bow. Not only
was she beautiful, but she was also talented, the most talented
archer they had. Really, Wolf was fortunate to be betrothed to such
a girl, but with as many options as he seemed to have, Logan could
understand why he didn’t want to accept it. Sometimes Logan
wondered if it wasn’t so much that he didn’t want to just settle on
one—girls threw themselves at him wherever he went—as it was that
she was the only one that
didn’t
throw herself at him. She
seemed to be completely impervious to his looks and charms. It was
actually quite funny to see him get frustrated whenever they left
her. Logan laughed out loud as he thought about it, causing Wolf to
look at him, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“What is so funny?” he asked, squinting his
eyes further.

Logan held up his hands in defence.
“Nothing.” He laughed again.

“I will beat you up,” he warned him,
probably guessing what Logan was thinking.

“If you can catch me!” he replied, taking
off at full speed. Wolf might be a better rider and swordsman than
he was, but if there was one thing Logan was better at, it was
running. He knew he was way faster than Wolf, and laughed out in a
high cackle as Wolf struggled to grab him, cursing at him the whole
time.

A small fawn stood beside the river, its
head lowered while it drank. Elisa crouched behind a tree, watching
it with appreciation. Something near to them moved, cracking a twig
under its feet. They both looked up in the direction the sound had
come from. The fawn stood motionless, ready to take off in a
moment’s notice. Out of a clearing in the woods came one of the
beasts. Its breath filled the air with smoke against the cold
night. His eyes glowed yellow in the darkness, and Elisa could hear
it growling low in the silence.

Moving as slowly as she could, without
bringing attention to her location, she began to string an arrow
into her bow. The beasts had impeccable hearing, so it wouldn’t
take much for the thing to notice her, if it hadn’t already.
Pulling it back, she closed one eye focusing on her target. The
large animal hadn’t moved, keeping his focus on the baby deer. She
wanted to yell at it to run, but the poor thing seemed to be stuck
in its spot. Breathing out slowly, she let her arrow fly, watching
with both eyes open as it sailed through the air and into the leg
of the large hog-looking animal. It growled in anger, turning his
head to look in the direction where she sat. With the attention off
it, the fawn took off into the woods, leaving Elisa alone by the
river with the fierce creature.

The beast stamped his hoof on the ground,
his eyes only mere slits now. Getting up from where she stood,
Elisa stepped out into the clearing beside the river, so that her
opponent might see her clearly. Just as she showed herself, the
ugly creature charged at her, snorting hard as he tried to tackle
her down. Anticipating his charge, Elisa was already swinging
herself up by a lower branch into the tree behind her. These beasts
couldn’t climb trees—this she knew. It circled the tree, visibly
getting slower from the loss of blood. She could see the wound she
had made soaking his black tangled fur, and knew it was only a
matter of time. Grabbing another arrow from her back, she pointed
it down toward the beast and let it fly. This time it found its way
into the creature’s head, killing it instantly. Waiting until his
limbs stopped moving, Elisa finally lowered herself back onto the
ground. She crouched by the dead body to retrieve her arrows, and
cleaned them quickly in the river before moving on.

There was smoke above the trees not far from
where she was, so she knew the cabin was close. Picking up her
pace, she began to speed through the forest, avoiding the branches
that hung low and threatened her with a serious head wound should
she run into one. It wasn’t long before the cabin came into view,
and she slowed her pace back down. She had never actually been to
this place, having only heard about it from others. It was feared
by most; the road that led to it was overgrown from the lack of
visitors. The woman who lived here never left, keeping to the
forest around her, and avoiding the Capital City altogether. Elisa
could feel her nervousness beginning to increase, but she did her
best to ignore it. There was nothing to be afraid of—Alistair had
assured her of that. Still, the darkness of the night, and the
wildness of the forest around her, made the cabin look that much
more frightening.

The trees that circled the house were so
tall, even if the moons had been out they would surely have been
covered. The light in the clearing must have always been in
perpetual darkness. The ground was uneven, filled with rocks
half-buried in the earth. A small pebble path led directly to the
front door, although it was hard to see amongst the weeds and wild
flowers. The building itself was a small wood cabin, which looked
like it could have only one room inside. There was a small arched
door in the front, painted a bright red, or at least it must have
been at one time. The paint was flaking in most parts, but some of
the original colour could still be seen. The roof was made of
straw, with a large chimney protruding through the middle of it,
where the clouds of smoke now escaped. There was only one window on
the front of the cabin, to the right of the door, where a tiny
light could be seen inside.

Taking a deep breath, Elisa began to walk up
the path toward the small red door. She reached out and knocked
three times, very lightly, and waited for the answer. It wasn’t
long before the door creaked open, and inside stood the woman she
had come to see, who was not at all what she had expected.

Elisa sat in a large purple chair that
smelled like mothballs, and had too many holes in the fabric to
count. She warmed herself by the large wood stove that was situated
in the middle of the room, while the woman bustled about the tiny
kitchen on the other side. It was indeed only one room inside the
cabin. When you entered there was a small kitchenette to the left,
the cupboards an old oak, and the counters made of rough natural
stone. Herbs were hanging all about the ceiling in there, and jars
of items Elisa could not recognize, nor did she want to. On the
other side was the small sitting area, which had the chair she now
sat on, and a small sofa made of the same material. A little table
sat between them. Behind the wood stove was a small bed with
curtains hanging around it. The space was so small, and crowded by
all the knick-knacks she appeared to have, Elisa couldn’t
understand how she could have stayed there as long as she had.

What surprised her most was the appearance
of the witch. Elisa had mentally prepared herself for an old lady,
with rags on her body and warts on her nose. What she got instead
was a young-looking girl, maybe around her late twenties, with long
blonde, almost white hair, and a beautiful white robe on her body.
The robe had embroidered symbols in it, stitched with a gold and
silver thread that seemed to shimmer wherever she walked. It looked
almost magical. The witch had wide, deep blue eyes and a friendly
smile when she greeted her. Elisa couldn’t understand why anyone
would be afraid of this place.

“People are always afraid of what they don’t
know,” the witch said from the kitchen, as if she were reading
Elisa’s mind. She walked back over to the sitting area, carrying a
tray with an old teapot and two cups on it. She smiled down at
Elisa as she placed the tray on the small table before taking a
seat on the sofa across from her. “Stories circulate of a witch
living here, and everyone thinks the worst. What most people don’t
know, is that the witch they knew died some years back now, and had
taken on a new apprentice before then. I have taken up her
teachings since she passed, and so now I have become the resident
freak.” She chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t correct any
of the rumours, finding the privacy preferable.”