Tearing The Shroud (14 page)

Jolie eased her tone and touched the woman’s hand. ‘My thanks, Senior.’ She looked back at the Matriarch. ‘You did what no one in our order ever has. It was...remarkable, truly a wonder to behold.’

‘We reached him?’

Jolie nodded, ‘Yes, you did; let’s try sitting up and I’ll tell you more.’ Jolie supported her as she sat. ‘Better?’

‘Much, thank you. Now, you were saying?’

‘Yes, you reached him. You communicated with him by writing on some sort of Divine window with your finger.’ She shook her head. ‘I...am not explaining it well.’

The Matriarch patted her hand, ‘Don’t worry, dear. The memories will arrive shortly, and if they don’t, we’ll chat about it until the words reveal things. So, I wrote, and did the young man write back?’

‘No, he spoke,’ Jolie answered.

‘Dear, you must be mistaken. To speak through the Shroud would require a tremendous amount of power. It would be impossible.’

‘But Matriarch, he did; I heard him as plainly as I hear you now. The voice came from far off but filled the room. He said, “Wait. I don’t know what you mean. What do I do?”’

The woman’s brow furrowed. ‘It seems he is even more unique than we had anticipated.’

‘Matriarch,’ Jolie paused. ‘You did so, as well.’

‘Did I now? What did I say?’ She raised her eyebrows.

‘Choose wisely.’

‘Hmm. I am sure that will make more sense once the memories fill in the gaps. And what was the result of my effort?’

Jolie smiled slightly, tilting her head to the right. ‘You passed out.’

The Matriarch laughed softly. ‘I, the Great Seer of the Known Realm, speak two words and pass out. But our Companion rattles off sentences.’ She shook her head. ‘Perhaps unique doesn’t do him justice. Come now, let’s walk back to my quarters and see what I remember.’ She nodded at Jolie. ‘The first thing tomorrow morning you need to pay a visit to our guest, Coleman. Since he is nearly recovered, it’s time that he knows what brought him here.’

The Acolytes had waited respectfully as the two women spoke, but as they stood, all of them rushed over, each wanting to make sure for herself that their beloved Seer was well.

A Walk

‘If I stay abed much longer, I’m going to start throwing things at people.’ The idea of tossing a glass at the kindly Elder woman who brought his food prompted a rueful smile. It would be like attacking his auntie. Without Jolie’s regular visits, he’d have left long ago. He’d grown very close to her during his recovery. His thoughts wandered to her; she was so intriguing and beautiful, with a quick wit and sharp mind —

‘I’m glad to see you’re still enjoying your stay.’ She stood in the doorway, and brought sunlight with her.

‘Do they teach you to move silently here?’ As she stepped to the bed, he smiled, basking in her nearness.

‘They do. But you have only your dulled perceptions to blame; I was clomping around like a horse.’

He shook his head. ‘Nay...never a horse.’

She rolled her eyes and approached his bedside.

He continued, ‘A calf maybe. With cute eyes.’

‘A cow is it? You’re calling me a cow?’ She swatted his arm and proceeded to check his wounds.

‘A calf...a shapely, svelte calf?’

‘Too late to make amends now. You’re paying the price.’ Jolie crossed her arms, which emphasized another of her attractive attributes. ‘Up here.’ She smiled. ‘My eyes are up here.’

‘I know where your eyes are.’ He proved it by looking at them.

‘Yes, I could tell.’

‘So, this price you mentioned. What might it be?’

‘Twice around the grounds, with a shapely, svelte calf on your arm.’

‘Really?’ His smile matched hers.

‘Yes, really. It’s time you started moving your muscles. We don’t want you withering away. Up you come. No time like the present.’

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, eager to comply. ‘Where are my clothes?’

‘The sleep gown will have to do. Your leathers were ruined, and we must make new ones. Now that you’re up, we can fit you properly.’

‘In my gown? What if the wind blows? I mean — ’

Jolie took his arm and pulled him from the bed. ‘If I see anything I haven’t seen before, I’ll let you know.’

It took Coleman off guard. ‘What?’

‘Who do you think applied the herb poultice?’ She batted her eyes at him. ‘Come now, let’s be off.’

They made their way slowly down the hall, making several turns along the way, finally coming to a door. She opened it for them, and a pleasant floral scent rode in on the morning air.

‘This is the ground floor?’

‘Yes, it’s easier to get patients in and out.’ She guided him into the sunlight. ‘These are the gardens.’

They were like nothing he’d ever seen. A gravel path led away from the door. Dark gray stones on one side and a knee-high planter on the other bordered it. The path wandered its way among a glorious jumble of plants. He saw blossoms of every shape and color, greens of every hue, full trees swaying in the light breeze. Everywhere he looked, it was something new. He heard the babble of a brook and stopped at the entrance of the path.

‘Are you well?’ Jolie asked.

‘Yes. The gardens, they are just so beautiful.’

She smiled. ‘They are, aren’t they? The makers designed them to bring contentment. That’s why we came this way.’ She caught his eye. ‘I hope you find your time here beneficial.’

‘I am happy just to be out of the room, but this...is...’

‘Good, let’s be off.’

Their walk followed the meandering path, passing several small ponds and fountains. At the edge of the gardens, there was a field of plants cultivated for food. They turned left as they reached it, skirting the edge, and entered the stable yard. Women of various ages kept the area, but it appeared the younger ones did the less desirable jobs. He supposed it was a way to start them off in the Cloister, and burn off youthful energy. He leaned on her arm as they walked in companionable silence.

As they passed the last barn, he saw the practice field. An archery range was active, with women shooting at hay bales from different distances. ‘I see you train in archery. That was never my strong suit,’ Coleman mentioned.

‘We’re known for it. Ah good, it looks like you’ll see an example.’

He wondered at that because he could plainly see the women training. She led him around a large willow tree. A few dozen strides away, three women readied their bows. This range didn’t face the hay bales used by the others.

‘Of course you know Sari.’ She nodded at the attractive blonde.

‘Yes, we’ve had several long talks.’

‘About what?’

‘Various things, mainly about how we were trained and what my duties are with the Warriors of the Oaks. I enjoy spending time with her.’

‘Well...good.’

‘Do I detect a bit of rivalry?’ He gave her a sideways grin.

‘Not at all. We’ve been inseparable friends since childhood and I’m glad the two of you have connected.’ She nodded. ‘When we found you, Coleen and Khari were there.’ She indicated a redhead of middle years and a younger brunette. They walked forward, and the women turned at their approach.

‘The dead has risen.’ Sari smiled. ‘Nice outfit.’

He looked down to make sure his gown hadn’t blown up. ‘Yes, though maybe not for long; Jolie is going to walk me to death.’

‘Men.’ Jolie smiled. ‘Lazy, every last one of them. Here, let’s give you a rest.’ She indicated a small bench near the women and helped him sit.

Coleen nodded. ‘It is good to see you out. We wondered about the results of our rescue.’

Sari spoke to Jolie, ‘We were about to train some distance shooting; care to join us?’

Jolie turned to him. ‘Do you feel well enough? It would be nice to get in some practice.’

‘Certainly. If I start feeling weak, I’ll just sprawl out on the bench, like a lazy man.’ He winked at her.

‘Great, I’ll get my gear and be right back.’ She darted off around the tree.

Sari came and sat on the bench next to him. ‘We’re helping Khari develop her bow work. If you have any questions, please ask.’

‘I wouldn’t want to interrupt.’

‘Don’t worry about that.’ She patted his knee and smiled. ‘This is an informal setting, and she’s the only student. You might ask something she hadn’t thought of.’

‘In that case, I’ll be sure to do so.’ He smiled back at her. With another pat, she stood, as Jolie returned.

Jolie strung her bow and leaned her quiver into a row of stands while the other women chatted. Coleman looked for the target they would shoot at, but couldn’t find it. ‘Pardon me, ladies. I do have a question after all.’

‘Yes?’ Sari asked.

‘What are you shooting at?’

They smiled and Coleen stepped to one side. ‘Sorry, I was in your line of sight.’

He looked, but only saw a long open area with tall trees on either side. A small flag hung limp on a wooden pole over two hundred paces away, but nothing else. He shrugged, still baffled. ‘All I see is the wind flag.’

Jolie said, ‘That
is
the target.’

Coleman shook his head. ‘So...closest to the flag?’

Jolie appeared amused at his confusion. ‘Of course not...’

He smiled in satisfaction as he leaned back. ‘I knew it.’

‘...we aim for the pole.’

His smile faded. ‘You can’t be serious.’

‘Watch and see then, good Sire.’ She grinned and sauntered to the quiver. In one smooth motion Jolie pulled an arrow, nocked it and paused momentarily before releasing the shaft. It traveled in a long arc and landed with a thud, buried in the wood below the flag.

‘Ah, I missed.’

‘Missed? That’s perhaps the best shot I’ve ever seen. Right into the pole! How did you miss?’

‘I was aiming to pin the flag to it,’ she said with an impish grin.

The four women giggled good-naturedly at his expression. ‘Didn’t I tell you we’re known for our archery?’

‘Amazing. Simply amazing.’ He leaned forward, unable to believe what he had seen.

Sari set her hand on his shoulder. ‘Prepare to be amazed a bit more.’

Over the next hour, the women shot shaft after shaft into the pole. Khari missed the most, but even she hit four of ten, with the rest missing by inches or glancing off the pole. The three other women adjusted her form minutely and spoke of her breathing and imagery. Coleman watched them, Jolie in particular, as they practiced. Her muscles were firm and well formed, but still feminine, and he could see how she used her entire body to pull the bow. She smiled and laughed, glowing with life, and glistened with a light sheen of sweat. Every aspect of her displayed another facet of her beauty.

Afterward, as they continued their circuit of the grounds, Coleman said, ‘Thank you for letting me join you in that.’

‘You’re welcome.’ Jolie wiped her brow. ‘Sorry I’m so sweaty.’

‘I don’t mind.’

‘Well, it’s...that’s...kind of you.’ She dropped her chin slightly and her face reddened. ‘I must smell atrocious.’

They made their way back around the grounds and were inside the gardens; he paused in the shade of an oak tree and turned to her.

He leaned closer, inhaling. She smelled lightly of spice and salt. ‘You look lovely and smell...wonderful.’ With his finger beneath her chin, he lifted her face towards him and kissed her gently. He felt her stiffen slightly then soften and her full lips met his with equal ardor. The glowing moment of bliss felt both endless and too brief. As if by mutual agreement, they pulled their lips apart and smiled at one another.

‘Oh, my,’ she said.

‘I agree completely.’

His mind raced. ‘I...ah, hope I’ve not gotten you into trouble.’

‘Whatever do you mean?’

‘Well, you called this a Cloister, and there are only women about. Have I, you know, caused you to break a vow or something?’

She chuckled. ‘Not at all. We call ourselves Maidens and this is a Cloister, but many of the women are Bound. They live with their spouses on adjoining parcels of land. In fact, the land around us is set aside for that purpose. Not that I am...ah...implying...well...’

He smiled, ‘Don’t worry, one kiss does not a Binding make, but it’s a good start.’

She looked up into his eyes and threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely.

‘Ouch. Wounds,’ he gasped.

She let go immediately. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. I got caught up in the moment.’

‘It was worth it.’ He gave her a crooked grin and she kissed him again, briefly, but passionately.

‘I know I said twice around the grounds, but I think you’ve had entirely enough exercise, and excitement, for one morning.’

He looked at her, grinning, ‘It certainly has been exciting, but you’re the Healer; I’m at your command. If you say back to the room, it’s back to the room we go.’

‘I do say so.’

‘Want to tuck me in?’

She laughed throatily and helped him toward the building. As they reached his room she said, ‘Perhaps you’ve been wondering how we found you and why we were there.’

‘Actually, I was thinking about that last eve.’

‘Good.’ She patted his chest on the unwounded side ‘Let’s meet after lunch with Sari and the Matriarch and fill in the details.’

‘Lunch. Might I take that somewhere besides this room?’