Three of Wands

Chapter 6:

Three of Wands

"The aegis of Chaos in she's clad.
Friend of the lost and scout for the mad."

-(from) Our Lady Amongst the Stars

      As soon as the tower doors sealed behind them Kriss stopped in her tracks and sucked in a noisy gulp of air. The tower was literally humming with power and the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood straight up at attention. From the outside the tower was large, by far the biggest structure she had ever seen, but the inside was positively gargantuan. There was no doubt that powerful magic was at work here because the inside diameter was at least two times larger than it appeared to be from the outside. The floor she stood upon was a type of stone that she had never seen; it's ebony surface was polished and shiny, shot through with streaks and flecks of gold that almost seemed to squirm and move until you focused your eyes upon a particular location. The walls were granite and hung with ornate tapestries and large paintings of places and creatures that she had never even dreamed of. A set of stairs curved along the wall and up into a ceiling made of the same black stone that was under her feet. Torches that gave off no smoke sat in sconces along the walls but the massive hall was lit mostly by an enormous chandelier that hung in the center of the ceiling. It must have contained a hundred or more candles from which Kriss could see no wax melting.

      She looked down at her sister and found her grinning wildly, her bright green eyes shimmering like jewels in the torchlight. Kriss's excitement was mixed with concern as she looked at her sister standing strangely silent and still. She knelt down quickly and brushed the cowl of her robe back over her sister's slick, hairless head. The loss of those beautiful red tresses still shocked her a little when she saw them. She wrapped her arms around Elly who responded only with a slow, limp hug in return.

      Reluctantly, Kriss released her sister and rested her forehead softly against Elly's. Gently, she spoke, “You're going to be alright here. I promise you.”

      Elly just blinked slowly in return yet continued to smile.

      Like ants, two blue-robed people emerged from a set of stairs that led darkly down into the floor, approaching Elly in silence. They each rested a hand upon her shoulders.

      Kem gently guided Kriss to her feet. “She is in good hands, Kriss. Let me show you to your room.” Quickly, the two newcomers shuffled Elly down into depths below the tower. She did not look back.

      Kriss was struck by an observation that had been tugging at the corner of her mind ever since she woke up in this odd place. “Kem, are there no children here? I haven't seen anyone younger than us and not many of our age, either. These blasted robes make it hard to tell much about anyone, yet still...”

      “No, you are right. There are not many children here but keep in mind, also, that you have not seen everyone.” Kem paused momentarily. “Nor every thing for that matter. Time does not move in the same manner here as it does in the outside world. Magic tends to age a person. The more powerful the spell the more time one can lose, therefore this place must stand outside of time. Of course, there are always exceptions...”

      Kriss cocked her head to one side and studied Kem's face closely. Soft blonde strands of hair emerged from the hood of her robe and framed her pretty face. Her blue eyes, arched over by thin eyebrows, watched Kriss carefully with a hint of mirth. She had a small, slightly upturned nose that crinkled slightly as she smiled nervously at Kriss, obviously a bit uncomfortable at being studied so hard up close.

      Kriss spoke slowly, “Just how old are you, anyway?”

      Kem laughed. “I have not been here long.” Before Kriss could respond, she grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairway. “Come! Let's go see your room.”

      Quickly, Kem led Kriss up the broad, winding stairs. Along the way they passed several fellow blue robes heading down and Kriss began to notice subtle variations of their robes along the way. Some had darker blue borders around their sleeves and cowl and a few others were even lined with gold. One was even covered in dark blue moons and stars. Kriss could only assume these differences indicated different levels of study but for the most part all she saw were robes like the ones she and Kem wore. There were a few smiles and nods along the way but most people shuffled quickly by, paying them little notice. Kriss continued to wonder how she would ever feel at home here.

      At last Kem led them through a door off the stairs that put them in a hallway following the gentle curve of the perimeter of the tower. “This is the girl's floor,” Kem explained. “This floor houses mostly other girls our age.” Kem led them past several doors, many of which were open and empty, Kriss noticed.

      At last she stopped at a closed door. “This room is yours. I'm right next door.”

      Kriss pushed the door open and entered the first space that was entirely her own. While not huge, and a little spartan, she couldn't help but feel a little thrill of excitement looking at the first bed she didn't have to share with her sister, her own table with two chairs, and something she had never seen before: a full length mirror standing in one corner. There was also a door that stood open, looking into what seemed to be some sort of indoor bathing area, a concept completely foreign to the young girl that had lived her life until now in a small cabin in the woods. Kem led her across the room to another set of shuttered doors and pushed them open. They led out onto a little balcony. Kriss stepped outside with Kem and looked over the the granite wall. They were impossibly high up, far higher than the stairs they had climbed. Kriss's stomach felt funny, like little monsters were in there throwing a raucous party. She stepped back and looked at Kem who was grinning widely.

      “How...how can we be so far up?”

      Kem laughed. “If you are going to be so surprised at every mysterious thing you see here then you are in for a long couple of days.”

      Kriss just stared at her, not thinking things to be so funny.

      Kem softened her smile. “Magic, Kriss. There are so many things here that I couldn't explain to you if I wanted to. Quite frankly, I doubt that Nora, who is one of the smartest people I have ever known, could tell us why certain things work around here. We are at the epicenter of some very strong magic, Kriss. For now, that's all I can tell you...but we are here to learn and you will learn things here that will astound you.”

      Down below Kriss heard sounds of battle so she braved a look over the granite wall again to see Patawpha drilling students in various arts of combat. She wasn't sure about magic but what she saw down there looked like something she would enjoy. Patawpha stopped shouting at his students for a moment, looked up, and gave a quick wave. Kriss gave a slow, dumbfounded wave back in return.

      Kriss turned and gave Kem a puzzled look. “How did he know?” Kem only chuckled. “Ah yes,” Kriss continued. “Magic.”

     Together they walked back into Kriss's room and Kem said that there was one more thing she wanted to show her. She led her into the little bathing area and showed her how to used the facilities, including how to fill the tub with hot or cold water simply by waving a hand over two large red or green jewels. Kriss put her curiosity on hold and just nodded as if such things were commonplace to her. With the tub full, Kem indicated various soaps and oils and then excused herself so that she, too, could wash up.

      Kriss enjoyed the most wonderful bath of her life and did her best not to wonder too much where the water went when she was through. Afterward she dressed and pulled her soft leather boots on, one of the few things left to her from her past life. She stood before the long mirror and pulled an ivory comb through her long, black hair. She had never, truly had a good look at herself before other than in her mother's hand mirror or in ponds and streams. Her hair was as black as a raven's wing; the sort of deep, dark black that in sunlight appeared to reflect shades of blue. It fell straight past her shoulders without any hint of curl like in her sister's or her mother's hair. Her eyes were green but a darker hue than that of her sister's bright emeralds. Her father used to say they made her look “mysterious," whatever that meant. Her nose was long and straight, not like the cute little button of a thing that sat in the middle of Kem's face, and her lips were thin. Too thin, she began to think, the longer she looked at them.

      Perhaps this mirror wasn't as great as she first thought, she sighed to herself as she turned away. She had never thought of herself as a pretty girl although her father had always told her so, but isn't that what fathers are supposed to do, after all? However, during their last trip to the market she had observed a young man watching her and trying following them unobserved in his clumsy, city fashion. After a time Kriss had grown tired of his prying, slyly purchased an apple from a vendor, and without warning spun around quickly and sent it flying unerringly at his head. The poor boy did not even have time to react before it magnificently splattered in the middle of his forehead, sending him scrawling away, stumbling and half blind, the laughter of the market vendor's nipping at his heels the entire way. Her father was laughing the hardest of all and in between gasps for air told Kriss that he was going to have to hire mercenaries to keep the boys away soon. The whole idea made her feel uncomfortable but she could not help laughing now thinking about the poor boy.

      Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door followed by Kem entering with a tray of food. She started for a moment at the site of Kriss but quickly recovered. “It's nice to see you smiling. I thought you might be hungry.”

      Kriss detected something else in her voice and thought for a moment that Kem looked at her like the boy in the marketplace had. Kriss, however, felt no need to hurl an apple at her even though there were several readily available on the tray in Kem's hands. They ate together quickly, chatting of little things, trying in vain to overcome the awkwardness that had suddenly come between them.

      After Kem left Kriss felt quite relieved, extinguished the lights, and spent the first night of her life in her own bed. It felt like heaven. She briefly thought of her sister, hoping she was enjoying her own bed as much as she but quickly fell into an exhausted sleep. That night she dreamed of endlessly chasing her father through the marketplace until, at last, he disappeared from her view altogether.