move closer?”
Eluned struggled to her feet. “We must take care,” she said, moving slowly forward. Step by stealthy step we approached the house. It stood alone on this open, grass-covered plain. Long and low, it was only one storey high, with a door at one end and two windows along the side. In the window furthest from us we could see the bright light which had first attracted my attention.
Quickening our pace, we covered the short distance between us until we were crouched against the wall between the windows. Eluned slid sideways, passing under the window before raising herself to look in. She put her finger to her lips and beckoned me forward. I slid along and stood up so that I could see in.
On a table in the middle of the room, there was a lamp from which came the brightest light I think I had ever seen. It shone on a large, open book. Sat poring over the book was a young woman. She was so deeply engrossed in her reading that she had not heard our approach at all. It reminded me of how I had been when I was in school, ploughing through the Bible, struggling to comprehend every word. This young woman looked just as if she was a student in a Schola, not sat alone at a table in a house in the middle of nowhere.
Eluned caught my eye. “Who?” she mouthed. I shook my head.
“Guard?” she mouthed. I shrugged my shoulders. The woman seemed to be too old to be a student, but was she old enough to be a Guard? Left alone out here? Presumably very far from her Caster?
Eluned crouched down again, slid sideways beneath the window and ran, crouching, past me, towards the door. I turned back to look again through the window at the woman. Could this have been me, I thought. Had I stayed in my Caster, finished my schooling, would I have become a Guard like her? Would I have been able to sit, alone, in such a place, with nothing but the Bible for company? Maybe I would. After all, I had now seen far more than this woman could probably even imagine existed in the world around her.
Suddenly, as I watched, the door behind her opened. As she turned, Eluned appeared behind her. With swift movements she covered the woman’s mouth with one hand as she struck the side of her head with the other. The woman’s body sagged limply into Eluned’s arms. She dragged her off the chair and laid her on the floor next to the table.
Unable to stop myself, I screamed. Eluned rushed up to the window and pulled it open. Leaning out, she said, “Stop, my lady. Stop this noise.”
“You’ve killed her,” I wailed. “Why? What has she done to you?”
“She is not dead. Merely sleeping. Come inside. We will see what there is for us here. We will be gone before she wakes.”
Feeling only slightly relieved, I walked along the wall and entered the house. Just inside the door there was a small kitchen. A door led out of this into what was clearly a bedroom. There was one bed, neatly made up. There was also a large cupboard, built in to the side wall. A door from the bedroom led into the room we had seen from outside. As I entered it I nearly tripped over the young woman who lay sprawled on the floor. It was clear from her breathing that she was unconscious, not dead, for which I felt thankful.
“Is she a Guard?” Eluned asked as I came in.
“I think so,” I said. “She is wearing part of a uniform. It looks like a Guard’s uniform. The trousers. The blue shirt. She is not wearing the coat. Or the helmet.”
‘Why would she wear a coat or a helmet inside?’ I thought to myself.
“She will have other clothes?”
“Maybe. Perhaps another uniform. It’s hard to say. There only appears to be one bed here, so I think she must be alone. Other Guards must presumably pass by. There is a cupboard in the bedroom.”
Eluned went into the bedroom and I heard her pulling open the doors of the cupboard. Pushing the chair under the table – again, I noticed, there was only the one chair – I kneeled down beside the
Eluned struggled to her feet. “We must take care,” she said, moving slowly forward. Step by stealthy step we approached the house. It stood alone on this open, grass-covered plain. Long and low, it was only one storey high, with a door at one end and two windows along the side. In the window furthest from us we could see the bright light which had first attracted my attention.
Quickening our pace, we covered the short distance between us until we were crouched against the wall between the windows. Eluned slid sideways, passing under the window before raising herself to look in. She put her finger to her lips and beckoned me forward. I slid along and stood up so that I could see in.
On a table in the middle of the room, there was a lamp from which came the brightest light I think I had ever seen. It shone on a large, open book. Sat poring over the book was a young woman. She was so deeply engrossed in her reading that she had not heard our approach at all. It reminded me of how I had been when I was in school, ploughing through the Bible, struggling to comprehend every word. This young woman looked just as if she was a student in a Schola, not sat alone at a table in a house in the middle of nowhere.
Eluned caught my eye. “Who?” she mouthed. I shook my head.
“Guard?” she mouthed. I shrugged my shoulders. The woman seemed to be too old to be a student, but was she old enough to be a Guard? Left alone out here? Presumably very far from her Caster?
Eluned crouched down again, slid sideways beneath the window and ran, crouching, past me, towards the door. I turned back to look again through the window at the woman. Could this have been me, I thought. Had I stayed in my Caster, finished my schooling, would I have become a Guard like her? Would I have been able to sit, alone, in such a place, with nothing but the Bible for company? Maybe I would. After all, I had now seen far more than this woman could probably even imagine existed in the world around her.
Suddenly, as I watched, the door behind her opened. As she turned, Eluned appeared behind her. With swift movements she covered the woman’s mouth with one hand as she struck the side of her head with the other. The woman’s body sagged limply into Eluned’s arms. She dragged her off the chair and laid her on the floor next to the table.
Unable to stop myself, I screamed. Eluned rushed up to the window and pulled it open. Leaning out, she said, “Stop, my lady. Stop this noise.”
“You’ve killed her,” I wailed. “Why? What has she done to you?”
“She is not dead. Merely sleeping. Come inside. We will see what there is for us here. We will be gone before she wakes.”
Feeling only slightly relieved, I walked along the wall and entered the house. Just inside the door there was a small kitchen. A door led out of this into what was clearly a bedroom. There was one bed, neatly made up. There was also a large cupboard, built in to the side wall. A door from the bedroom led into the room we had seen from outside. As I entered it I nearly tripped over the young woman who lay sprawled on the floor. It was clear from her breathing that she was unconscious, not dead, for which I felt thankful.
“Is she a Guard?” Eluned asked as I came in.
“I think so,” I said. “She is wearing part of a uniform. It looks like a Guard’s uniform. The trousers. The blue shirt. She is not wearing the coat. Or the helmet.”
‘Why would she wear a coat or a helmet inside?’ I thought to myself.
“She will have other clothes?”
“Maybe. Perhaps another uniform. It’s hard to say. There only appears to be one bed here, so I think she must be alone. Other Guards must presumably pass by. There is a cupboard in the bedroom.”
Eluned went into the bedroom and I heard her pulling open the doors of the cupboard. Pushing the chair under the table – again, I noticed, there was only the one chair – I kneeled down beside the
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