The Wise Women

Chapter 18

Nesta came to, her head full of fog. She was lying in a dimly lit room under a thick woollen blanket. A soft bubbling sound reached her ears and her nostrils filled with the aroma of bitter herbs.

Groggily, she pushed herself up to a seated position. Her head swum, she clutched her hand to her mouth as a wave of nausea rolled through her. When her vision stilled, she saw she was in the infirmary. In the middle of the hut, Mildred hunched over a boiling cauldron adding herbs, pinch by pinch. The amber sunlight slanting in through the window told Nesta it was early evening already.

Nesta closed her eyes and reached out to her friend.

Knock, knock.

There was no response.

Knock, knock. Tess! Are you alright? Where are you?

Silence was the only answer.

Tess, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Come back, please!

Mildred shuffled over to her bedside and laid a clammy hand on Nesta's forehead. 'How are you feeling, dear?'

'Where's Theresa?' Nesta croaked clasping the old woman's sleeve. 'Did Leonia find her?'

The healer's crestfallen expression and silent head shake gave her the answer.

'Leonia and the Burned One are in the Temple. They said you could join them when you woke up.' Nesta threw back the covers and swung her legs out of the bed.

'Careful, dear!' Mildred caught her arm as her knees buckled. 'I gave you a draught to help you sleep. You'll still be a bit woozy.' But Nesta had already shaken herself free and staggered to the door.

Outside the evening sun seared her eyeballs. She blinked away the pain. Several Wise Women were bent over, sifting through the sawdust remains of the Burned One's hut. The metal tripod which had once straddled the fireplace was the only structure still standing. The women silently pulled out bottles, shells and crystals and dusted them off before laying them in baskets and carrying them to Leonia's hut next door. Nesta turned her face away, a sick feeling in her stomach.

The Temple roof was closed now and inside the torches had been lit. Leonia and the Burned One sat on the floor staring into the crystal. Nesta knelt down beside them, heart aching. In the crystal she could just make out the indistinct figure of a girl. She knew straightaway that it was Theresa, but it felt like she was seeing her from very far away. The figure wasn't shrouded in smoke like Sapphira when the Burned One conjured her. Instead it was vaporous, almost transparent, as if made out of the wisps of morning mist and a gust of wind might blow it away at any moment. In the centre of its chest a faint light shone like a lantern viewed through mist.

'The crystal only shows us the essence of a person so we can send them light,' the Burned One's voice was hollow, her face dusty and streaked with dried tears. 'It doesn't show us where she is or what she's doing. But as you can see, the image is very faint. She's gone far away from us.'

'I tried calling her with my mind,' Nesta swallowed the tears rising in her throat, 'but she doesn't answer.'

'Keep trying, Nesta,' the Burned One laid a soft hand on her knee and the dam in Nesta's heart broke. She sobbed, letting the tears run down her neck and soak into her tunic.

'Losing control of the Tiny Ones was always her greatest fear.' There were dark circles under Leonia's red-rimmed eyes. 'Outwardly she's run away and shut down. But inwardly she's still connected to us. You can see her heart-flame is still burning so there's hope.' The corners of her mouth twitched upwards in an attempt at a reassuring smile. 'If the heart-flame goes out completely, it's very hard to reignite. We'll just have to pray to the Goddess and hope she comes back to us again.'

The three of them gazed at the ghostly figure in the crystal which rippled now like a reflection on wind-blown water - breaking up and coming together again.

The peaceful atmosphere of the Temple calmed Nesta. Her sobs grew quieter. She breathed in time with the Burned One -- long inhales, even longer exhales — tapping into the older woman's long-cultivated poise.

Then the Burned One sang one long low note. It resonated in Nesta's heart and through her body. In seconds, she felt the whole temple vibrating with the sound. The note diverged into a melody. Leonia added her powerful alto and Nesta recognised the song of protection that Theresa had sung for Ralf the night before. Was it only last night? It seemed like a lifetime ago.

As she watched, hundreds of tiny lights like fireflies appeared in the crystal and began dancing in circles around Theresa's shimmering figure, round and round, surrounding her in a halo of warm light.

Be safe, my dear friend. The tears flowed again, silently this time.

When the voices converged on the final note, the figure faded into nothingness. Lamplight reflected off three tear-wet faces.

*****

The rest of the Wise Women straggled into the Temple one by one, eyes downcast. Nesta sensed sadness in each of them. It pressed on her heart like a weight.

At the usual time, Raven-Ada flew in with the latest news.
'The Empress has appointed Lord Alaric as Commander in Chief of Skaliff's army.'

Nesta's pulse quickened, a prickling sensation spiked her stomach as the mood in the room changed from sorrow to worry. An anxious murmur rippled through the assembly.

'King Otto doesn't stand a chance against an army headed by a black magician with a powerful Shade at his command,' Leonia knelt up and turned to face the Burned One. 'The summit meeting is in four days. With the Empress under Alaric's control, King Otto will never be able to persuade her to abandon the invasion and Frailing will be decimated. We have to prevent this war!'

'I know, sister.' A muscle twitched in the Burned One's wrinkled cheek. 'We'll send light to Sapph. . .'

'Sending light isn't working!' Leonia's voice cut like a knife.

'Leonia, please!' the Burned One snapped. The hairs on the back of Nesta's neck stood on end. She had never heard the Chief Wise Woman raise her voice before. The silence that followed was charged with tension. The irritation and impatience bristling off Leonia jabbed Nesta's skin like needles.

After what seemed like an age, the Burned One cleared her throat. Her brow was furrowed, the muscles in her neck taut. With a crack in her voice, she began the chanting.

*****

The mood was sombre as they filed out of the Temple that night after their attempt to send heart-energy to Sapphira had failed once again. Nesta hung back until all the others had left. Her heart was sore and she wanted to be alone.

As she trudged miserably past Leonia's hut, voices reached her from within.

'. . . but what if she can't do it?' the Burned One whispered loudly. 'It can take years of training. . .'

'She will be able to, Clarice. She'll just need some guidance. We'll get Ada to help us . . .'

'Sh!' the Burned One cut her off. In a low voice, she began repeating the familiar words of the obscuring spell and Nesta heard no more.

Tears soaked into Nesta's pillow again that night as she lay looking at Theresa's empty bed.

Knock, knock. She tried again.

But heard only silence.

Take good care, everyone 😊

Thank you for reading this chapter. Please vote if you liked it and comment if you have questions or suggestions ⭐️ 💬 I'd be very grateful.

Stay safe and well.

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