VOX

Ch 2

The visitors came not with a whisper, but a bang.

As the sun began to rise on the morning of the ceremony, the shrine was already mutely buzzing with activity. Spare units were being readied for the few quests that traveled for several days and would require a few hours of rest. The kitchen was furiously churning out rolls of bread, plates of cheese, and bowls of fruit for the larger number of guests joining that morning's breakfast. The sound of feet pattering across wood floors told Davina that even the children were lending a hand to cleaning the Big House. Sisters traipsed back and forth from building to building, laying out spare candles, sheets, worship booklets, and toiletries.

Davina's arms were laden with cloth that would serve as an extra layer of protection to guard against the famous Bridlo weather. Sister Verbena, one of the older children, was helping her lay the spare garments across the beds meant for their guests. They made their way from unit to unit, each of the twelve buildings identical both inside and out. They shared the same white brick exterior that all of the other buildings on the property had, and small windows that brought in a surprising amount of sunlight. Four beds were placed into each one, two stacked upon the other, and the only other piece of furniture in the rooms were two chests that held spare tunics and a veil.

Davina wasn't very fond of Verbena. The fifteen year old was in this fun stage where she thought she knew everything and others were beneath her. It wasn't hard maintaining silence around her. The maneats often joked that the girl looked exactly like she had when she was around that age, and she was hoping that was where the similarities ended. Verbena had the same golden skin, curly hair, and face full of freckles, but she was too rude for Davina to enjoy the jokes that they could actually be sisters. She'd rather be likened to Sister Sedum, who was the same age as Verbena but different in every way that counted. Only a year away from her pre-vows, Sedum was determined to make a good impression on the maneats and the matrem she was respectful, calm, and always willing to help. Davina was quietly wishing Sedum were the one neatly folding clothing with her instead of having to refold everything Verbena messely flung onto begs as she dragged her feet.

And then there it was, a knock at the front entrance. Well, not so much a knock as it was three impressively heavy slams against the weathered gate.

The startling knocks surprised not only Davina, but Verbena who froze, her hands still in the middle of shutting the door to the unit they had just left. Even Sister Sage, whose involuntary gasp of shock knocked the spare candles out of her hands as she left the unit across from them. Davina had not once heard the small and ropy sister utter a sound.

Noticing that none of the sisters scattered throughout the community had yet to move towards the door, Davina saw her chance. The curiosity to see who in sweet sun would dare make that much noise at a shrine had overridden the desire to be perfect Sister Myrtle. The spare cloth forgotten in a heap she heaved into the startled arms of Verbena, Davina's bare and callused feet dashed towards the gate. If any of the sisters had tried to stop her from opening it, well, she didn't hear any objections.

The units were spread out on either side of the main path that led from the gate all the way up to the main house. She was almost glad now that she had been sent to distribute the spare garments, even if it was with Verbena, for she wouldn't have been the one to answer the door had she been elsewhere in the complex.

The aged door groaned deeply as Davina flung it open. It was seldom opened, when the occasional locals entered their community for choir or prayer, they came in through a side door that led directly to the worship hall. The last time the main gate had been opened was a few months ago when Sister Scaevola and sister Cleome became part of their family. She was almost giddy that she was getting to pry open the only thing that separated the sisters from the outside world.