Page 14 of Secrets of the Lore Keepers
“What does this mean?” I pointed to the circle, with the stars on the outside of it and the moon within.
“I don’t know,” Maraini whispered, as though there was a spirit who would hear our words.
Forgetting about my desire to mix potions, I sat down as Maraini opened the book.
A faint breeze blew across the room as though the book were relieved to be open, and the tingling of silver bells hung in the air. I stared at the ink, the vibrant colors pulsing on the page as though it would come alive. A lady filled the page, with a dress as green as ivy and black hair tumbling down her slender shoulders. She was beautiful, powerful, with an oval pace and piercing, sharp eyes, enchanting as though she could see us between the pages.
“Turn the page,” I whispered, both desiring and fearing to touch the book.
The page was so thin it was almost translucent as Maraini turned it, and together we read, my heart thudding in my throat. It was an account of the first Lore Keepers. I knew the legend and yet, reading it once again, as though I were reading the pages of someone’s diary, made my life seem real and important. And as I read, the clues and mysteries of my life came together. The way Mama tended the animals, the rituals I thought nothing of during every festival. It was our way of life, as easy as rolling out of bed and pulling on clothes.
Maraini and I read in sync, turning page after page, skipping some of the rudimentary spells, but paying close attention the tales of how to bless each festival. They were all various ways to keep the goddess from rising, an instructional book for the next generation of Lore Keepers. It wasn’t until the light was dim and darkness crept around the house that I realized we’d spent the entire afternoon reading.
Rubbing my eyes, I pulled back and met Maraini’s solemn face, my thoughts whirling as I attempted to decipher everything we’d read.
Maraini’s fingers lingered on the pages before she met my eyes. “Rae, we haven’t done everything we were supposed to do. We did not conduct the rituals of blessing on the eve of each festival, when magic is strongest. Do you think our lack of knowledge is why the magic that surrounds this place is weakening? Perhaps something has changed, and because we didn’t know to be careful, to keep up the rituals, we’ve inadvertently caused a dark power to rise?”
I pressed my lips together and shook my head venomously. “No, we haven’t allowed anything to happen. We didn’t know, Maraini. And if we were supposed to, why didn’t Mama and Papa tell us? Why was the book hidden in the cellar?”
“But they did tell us,” Maraini insisted. “They taught us the rituals, and we carried them out every year of our lives without knowing why. It’s just that I’ve been distracted and we’ve both been overwhelmed by the farm. It’s too much for us. I don’t think our parents meant to leave us with this much work for so long. They meant us to marry and have children and keep this land safe.”
I crossed my arms and rose. Bound to the land. I didn’t like it, but I saw no way out.
“Midsummer night comes in seven days. In the book it’s called the Festival of Litha. A night to celebrate light overcoming darkness. I think that was the night the ancient goddess was overcome and buried.”
I couldn’t deny the sensibility of her words, nor what I’d read for myself in the book. Festival of Litha. I touched a finger to my lips. “Then Kian appeared to warn us that we will be attacked, likely near Litha. It is close. But which night will the creatures of the wildwood try to break the magic? Are they powerful enough? And if we find the buried goddess and stab her with the spelled knife, will we save ourselves?”
Maraini shrugged. “I wish I had more answers, but I don’t like the idea of hunting for a corpse.”
I hugged myself tighter, my body going cold with dread. “Me either.” A knot of dread twisted in my gut. “But we have to, don’t we?”
“Oh.” Maraini stood. “It’s late. Let me prepare a meal. Go see Kian and invite him back to the house to eat. He must sleep inside too. I don’t want to chance it.”
Sleep inside. I smiled at the thought. Had he really said he’d like to court me?
“You like him, don’t you?” Maraini interrupted my thoughts.
I weaved between baskets and books as I made my way to the door. Pausing with my hand on the latch to glance back at my sister, I couldn’t help the grin that split my face. “He’s the most interesting person I’ve ever met.”
Maraini grunted, but I caught the sly smile on her face as I slipped out the door.
Chapter Nine
The last lightof sunset still hung in the sky, but shadows covered the farmland. On the porch I noticed a pile of rocks, a quiver of arrows, a sharpening tool, and a bow. Kian was preparing. But where was he?
A shadow moved beside the barn, tall and stealthy. I bent, picking up a rock and holding it in my hands.No ill will can cross this land.I thought to myself.
“Something is out there,” Kian’s voice floated to me from somewhere beyond the dusky sky.
I stiffened, fingers tightening around the rock as I watched him glide out of the shadows, his movements silent and stealthy. He could be a hunter, he could be anyone, and if he attacked, I’d be dead where I stood. Relieved to see him and distraught by the news, I dropped the rock back into the pile.
“Who?”
He joined me on the porch, sat down on the steps and picked up one of the arrows. “I did not get a good look. Perhaps nothing at all, although I think it was someone sent to watch the house. Learn your habits. That’s what my tribe did in the wildwood. Before an attack we would study our enemy, attack when they were weakest or most distracted.”
I sat down on the steps beside him, momentarily resting my head in my hands. “So, you’re a warrior and a hunter?”
“The wildwood requires nothing less,” he agreed, a wistfulness to his tone. “Many fear it. Although it is dangerous, beauty is often hidden within the wildwood, there for those who seek it. Much like you feel about your land, you love it, protect it, and would not leave it.”
