Chapter 1 – Part 2
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Crystal looked at the leaf again, her brow furrowed in concentration. The old woman held it patiently, a proud smile on her withered face. Crystal’s eyes flickered up to the other woman’s eyes and then guessed.
“Saffron?”
The old woman’s smile widened. “Very good, Crystal. “ She held up another leaf. Crystal hardly had to think about this one.
“Sage.” The woman smiled and then brought a small yellow flower out from the bag at her side.
“Last one for the day…” she said, but Crystal noted that her eyes weren’t focused on the petals in her hand, but on the riders coming in. Two men on horseback, Crystal noted, and a smaller pony.
“That one is St. John’s Wort.”
“Good child.” The old woman’s voice drew out the word, good, stressing her pleasure with Crystal’s progress. “And what can you do with it?” Crystal knew the old woman well enough to realize that although she was still talking with her, she was stalling until the riders arrived. Her attention divided, Crystal answered, pleased that the answer came almost instinctively.
“It’s similar to the all-heal. It works to make bruises heal faster, cuts to close, and when mixed as a tea, can stave off the despair of winter. It should be watched carefully when drunk though, since it can make people sick if they have too much.”
The old woman ruffled her hair and smiled before pointing to the riders. They were close now, their beasts slowing.
“Granny has to see who these fellows are. Why don’t you go and pick a few of the wild flowers for your hair before you go?” Crystal smiled, uncertainly but obediently raced off, leaving the old woman to talk to the men. ‘If someone is hurt, maybe she’ll take me along again…’ she thought excitedly as she thumped to the ground, reaching out to grab the flowers. Just before her chubby fingers reached them she pulled back slightly. With a reverence above her years, she pulled the flower stems carefully, trying to damage the surrounding plants as little as possible. The old woman had taught her that plants tugged out unkindly would likely never grow again. The idea of a world without herbs had terrified her and she had been cautious playing with them since then.
She picked the flowers until she heard her name called. Hearing a voice behind her, she turned and saw herself being waved closer. She ran back, surprised to realize that the two men were watching her. Their intensity unnerved her and she with more caution than she normally would have felt, she hid behind the old woman.
Grabbing at the womans dress, Crystal waited until she had her attention. Then she spoke softly, hoping the men would stop staring at her. “I know you like the pink ones, so I brought you some.” The men still hadn’t removed their gazes from her and she moved as if to hide herself further behind the old woman.
The old woman smiled compassionately and didn’t take her eyes away, “You remember my grandson, Illves, right?” Crystal nodded hesitantly before answering.
“You said he lived in Hartcliffe Keep now, with his wife, right?” The old woman nodded gesturing to the men who were still staring at her. Crystal was starting to feel annoyed with their inspection when the old woman spoke again.
“These are friends of his. They live in Hartcliffe as well. I told them about that new trick you showed me a few days ago. Can you show them?”
Crystal glared at the new comers for a moment, angry at the old woman for telling others about her secret. Finally she stepped out, taking a deep breath. Fear wouldn’t help her so she held up her hand and said clearly, “Light” hoping that once they had seen her ‘trick’ they would leave.
Without fail a small wavering ball of light appeared and rose from her palm, shining brightly before popping into a hundred smaller dots of light that faded away to nothing in a matter of seconds. The older man with a bald head spoke, his voice high pitched and querulous, dabbing his moist forehead with a cotton handkerchief. “Goodness Gracious. This can’t be. Wild Talents or Sorcerers may appear like this, but not Clerics!”
The younger man beside him put up a hand, stopping his comrade’s tirade. “Apparently they do. A new goddess can mean a changing of rules, can it not?”
“But tradition states…” The older man interjected.
“And in this case, tradition doesn’t matter. The girl has obviously been chosen.” Turning back to Crystal and the old woman he said, apologetically, “She will have to come with us.” Walking back over to the horse, he started untying the pony’s harness.
Crystal looked at the men, and her eyes widened as she realized that they were talking about her. She held on tighter to the old woman, her eyes begging for help. The old woman bent down and hugged Crystal close. Her heart sank, understanding in that sad embrace, that this was a path that could not be changed. When the man arrived with the pony, Crystal stepped away from her mentor, whispering, “Goodbye”. The old woman was the closest thing to family she could remember knowing. She hoped she would see her again one day.
Allowing the young man to help her, Crystal slid into the saddle. She told the man quietly, “I have never ridden before. Is it far?” He smiled kindly at her.
“Not as far as you’ll think it is, if you haven’t ridden before. Three days of riding and we should arrive.” She nodded. Asking one final question before he left her, she said, “What is waiting for me there?”
He answered her with a smile, “Books, m’lady. And knowledge beyond dreaming.”
© B.A. Matthews – 12/June/2010
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