The Wise Women

Chapter 11

'It's a rare gift, you know. I'm the only Shifter in the whole of Skaliff,' Ada continued, her eyes wide with pride.

'Well, yesterday, I went into the forest behind Leonia's house to call the unicorn and ask him to help us get to the Village. He disguised himself as an ordinary horse - they can do that, you know – and I Shifted into his form.'

'You Shifted into his form? How did you do that?' Arm in arm with Ada, Nesta fizzed with her companion's happiness. She couldn't keep the grin off her face.

'Oh, I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I used to run off into the forest, turn myself into a squirrel and play chase in the treetops with all the other squirrels. Squirrels are so much fun. It was the squirrels who first led me here, to the Village. It's thanks to them I met the Burned One and discovered what I truly am.'

'But how? How do you do it?'

'First of all, I close my eyes and make my mind calm and quiet.' Ada stopped still bringing Nesta to a halt beside her. She shut her eyes and reached out her hands. 'Then I touch the animal and imagine myself into its form. If it's a bird, I try to feel as if I have its wings, its feathers, its beak and then when the identification is complete, my body changes. I shrink down small,' Ada crouched low. 'Wings grow,' She spread her arms out, 'Feathers sprout and next thing I know, I'm completely transformed into a bird.

'Nowadays, I don't even need to touch the animal itself. I can just use a feather or some cat hair. After working in the library, I sometimes Shifted into a cat and then Ginger and Snowy and I would have some marvellous adventures across the rooftops of Chesterley – I even touched a snail shell once and Shifted into a snail,' Ada scrunched up her forehead and shook her head, 'but I have to admit it's not much fun being a snail,' She linked her arm through Nesta's again.

'Oh, but being a unicorn is best of all! A magical creature's energy is so powerful you hardly need to concentrate at all, you just open your heart to it and before you know it you've Shifted. And the feeling! Oh, it's like liquid sunlight is running through your veins,' She spun a giggling Nesta round in a circle and released her. Nesta careered into a tree while her messy-haired friend lifted her arms up to the heavens. 'Every organ, every muscle, every cell of your body pulses with light and joy and power and you feel like you could run and run for ever and ever . . .'

She was running now, arms stretched out wide. Nesta was reminded of a goose about to take off. The path they were on led to a little wooden jetty that jutted out into the river. Ada ran along it, the wooden planks clattering under her feet, and leapt fully clothed into the dark water.

'Ada!' Nesta shouted, alarmed.

'Don't worry,' one of the green-cloaked acolytes chuckled and set her lantern down at the water's edge. 'She does this every time she comes here. The water isn't deep and the current's not strong. She'll be fine.'

After they'd bathed in the cool river water – the rest of them sensibly stripping down to their undershirts beforehand – the acolytes led them to their huts. Ada explained the two rules of Shifting on the way,

'Firstly, one Shift can only last as long as the day or night it happens in. If I'm not back in my human body by the time the sun rises or sets, I would have to stay as that animal for the rest of my life and much as I love animals, I don't want that. I'm quite attached to being a human. Secondly, only one Shift in twenty four hours – if I Shift in the day, I can't Shift again that night. I have to wait till the following day to Shift again. The same applies if I Shift in the night. Oh, this is my hut. See you at dinner!' She leaned her head towards Nesta's and lowered her voice, eyes twinkling. 'Wise Women make the best food!'

Nesta and Theresa's hut was simple and cosy – a wooden table, two chairs, a fire in the grate with a kettle over it, and two pallet beds.

They'd just finished unpacking their things and changing their clothes when the gong sounded and Margery and Elaine appeared to take them to the feast.

The dining hall was the only rectangular hut in the village. Inside was a long walnut table lit with beeswax candles and laden with all sorts of dishes – bright green soups, hunks of roasted pumpkin, parsnips, new potatoes, green beans, grains cooked with dried fruits and nuts, soft white cheeses, freshly baked bread, butter, seedcake, berries, honeycomb and cream. Nesta gaped in amazement, she'd never seen so much food on one table before. The Wise Women gathered around the table and stood behind their chairs, eager-eyed, chatting excitedly.

When the Burned One entered, they all fell silent and closed their eyes. In the hush, Nesta heard the night animals calling to each other: owls, foxes, frogs. And then, very softly, the Burned One started to sing. One low, sustained note at first, gradually increasing in volume. Then the sound shaped itself into words - mysterious, ancient words – the melody now rising, now falling, in a haunting, rhythmic chant.

Another voice joined, then another and soon all the women were singing. High and low harmonies wound around the central melody, weaving together to create a heavenly soundscape. The music vibrated through Nesta's being, filling her with delight. The Wise Women's song carried her away, transported her to a plane of transcendent beauty. Finally the polyphony's many and varied strands wandered back towards each other. All the voices converged on the same long sustained note that had begun it, before fading into silence again. A silence which was somehow charged with energy and full of peace at the same time.

Nesta was roused from her reverie by the sound of chairs scraping backwards as the Wise Women sat down and started tucking into the feast. It was the most delicious food she'd ever tasted, but as she ate, a melancholy feeling crept over her. She looked around the table and saw bright faces shining with happiness, she felt the camaraderie between them, the overarching feeling of safety and protection.

But when she thought of what life was like back in Chesterley - the proclamations, the Imperial Guard, the looming shadow of war. The contrast was jarring. And as sadness enveloped her, her mind inevitably took her back to the darkness, the silence, the blood. She shook herself back to the present and noticed that, sitting next to her, Theresa seemed to be feeling the same way. Her face was cast down and a tear brimmed in her eye.

'Sisters!' The Burned One's deep voice interrupted Nesta's brooding. 'Let us retire for the night. We'll meet tomorrow at dawn in the Stone Circle. May the Goddess protect us all.'
The women filed out of the dining hall unhurriedly. Nesta and Theresa were the last to leave and when they reached the exit, they found the Burned One standing in the doorway, her deep brown eyes full of concern.

'Your young hearts are overburdened, dear ones,' she said. 'Stay with us a while and let me teach you. With Wise Woman training you can learn to control the Tiny Ones, Theresa, and Nesta you can learn to keep your form when the morphing comes over you. If you don't want to train for the Cloak, you don't have to. Just give us a chance. Stay with us a while.' She reached up and brushed away Theresa's tear, with an expression of such fondness. 'You have such treasures inside you, my dears. Let me help you discover them. Goodnight.'

She turned her eyes on Nesta. Mesmerised, Nesta stared back, lost in the depths of the Burned One's silent gaze. There are galaxies within those eyes.

The Chief Wise Woman stepped aside and Nesta and Theresa walked out into the cool night air.

Thank you for reading The Wise Women 😊 If you enjoyed this chapter, I'd really appreciate a vote ⭐️

Any comments, critiques or observations always gratefully received. I love hearing your reactions to the story 💬

Stay safe and well.

✨💫🌿⭐️🌺💛🌺⭐️🌿💫✨