Whispers From Below

Chapter 2

The weekend was full of me doing chores and more stupid lessons throughout the day.

Sister Nan was there tapping her foot in aggravation while staring at a map of Ernaline.

Walking over to her and looking up at it, staring at Blagden. Her eyes seemed dull, and she seemed worried or lost in thought, a bandage was wrapped around her hand tightly, "the winds are changing Lily."

Studying the map with her, "what do you mean Sister Nan?"

She turned to me and leaned down speaking in a whisper, "something in the forests are different. If a hooded man ever comes to you, do not ever go with him." I crinkled my brows together, "why?"

She shook her head, "take your seat no more of this talk." The nuns did seem off today, but I did not really think much of it. "What is Blagden like Sister Nan?"

I sat down into my seat still looking up at the map, "a horrid place where no sun shines through. It is nothing but darkness and vial creatures. Even the trees are evil enough to attack and eat you."

As she spoke it sent some shivers down my back, how could anyone live there.

She plopped a huge book in front of me. The title was in runes I still could not understand, but it had the Sutara star with each point circled embedded on the leather cover. "Read out loud."

She commanded, and I obeyed. Opening the cover to the front page. A stupid book on the Sutara and what they expect from people's duties.

"Themis created us to maintain order between the people. Themis saw the issue between men overpowering others with curses from the other Gods. Unable to come to us in our time of need, she has given us gifts and strength to be able to fight back with our own creations, ones that can out-power the curses of the traiter Gods."

A quick tapping knock came at the door that had me stopping, "do not stop, keep reading until I say otherwise." She got up and left the room.

I kept reading out loud for about a half hour until I got over it. Sneaking out of the room and looking down the hall to the priest's quarters. I could see feet pacing around the room from the crack at the bottom of the door. Needing to fulfill my curiosity I went and investigated what was happening. Tiptoeing to the door I crouched down and peaked through the keyhole.

A man sat in front of a desk, his feet propped up on it. The wrinkly priest stood before him. The man was in black robes matching Sutara, with a hood pulled over his head. "No signs of anything at all?" The hooded man asked.

"no nothing my lord." The priest looked tense and sweaty, I had never seen him like this before.

"Good. Keep it that way. That is all for the day." Ugh I got here right at the end of it, so not fair. I sprinted back to the room, skipped a page and started reading out loud again pretending I had been the whole time.

Sister Nan opened the door, I looked up to her and saw the hooded man walk by. Was this the man she was talking about earlier? He glanced at me slightly, his face covered in shadows, then she gripped the top of my head and forced me to look down at the book. "I told you to keep reading."

She had me doing this until I was to go down and help prepare dinner.

June came into the kitchen dancing around and giggling. "Be careful June, you don't want to be banging into anything." One of the nuns warned her as she sliced bread, she also had a bandage over her hand. Maybe she and Nan got hurt making breakfast this morning.

"I am I am!" She spun right into me, "did you have dancing lessons today June?"

She nodded up to me smiling, "yes, Sister Kai said I dance just like a princess!"

Chuckling at her, "yes you sure do." The nun cleared her throat, "well while she's here June how about you help Lily set up the dining room."

June pouted and hung her head back, "fineeeee."

I smiled at her and handed her some things to take upstairs.

Later that evening I helped the nuns with the kids, they would put the newborns away and I would read stories to the others. Their room was huge with bunks lining the walls, some of them had to even share beds like June and Henry.

Helping them all get into bed and tucked in before sitting on the floor in front of the beds, it was hard to make up stories for them. One time I made up a story of a star falling from the sky that ended up being a girl who saved the world from other worldly beings. Though the kids loved it, I ended up having my tongue clamped for a few hours they did not really tell me why or what I said wrong.

"Once upon a time there lived a beautiful Princess that ruled over the world. She adored everyone within it and did everything she possibly could to keep them safe and protected. The princess was lonely, alone in her castle so she set out to look for someone to be her Prince.

She searched years every day for someone who loves the people just as much as she did. Once she started to give up hope she realized the only other thing in the world that makes people happy and loves them just as much as she does was the sun itself. She began worshiping the sun, painting it on everything, everyday. She fell in love with the sun, sitting out in its rays every moment it was out. Saying good morning as it rose and good night as it laid.

One day the Princess fell terribly ill and was unable to paint the sun or sit outside in its beams. She stayed in bed for days, unable to move, though she was not scared of passing away. She knew she lived a beautiful life. She was sad that she would never meet the sun.

Until one morning the most beautiful man draped in gold visited her in her room. She looked at him in awe, the man so beautiful and radiant smiling at her. 'You have loved me for so many days and I loved you back for just as long. I have been waiting for you to sit out in my rays and yet you stay in bed.'

The princess was too sick to speak, the man walked to her and leaned into her face kissing her forehead. When she blinked she saw the man who he was, the sun god himself and with that simple kiss he healed her illness."

Finishing up my story and the kids were all drooling and snoring in their beds. I fixed those who were falling out of bed before going to bed myself.

~~~

Sitting in the dark night mirror room, a man of beaming light walked up to me smiling. He bent down and cupped my cheek to have me look up to him then kissed my forehead. The kiss made me feel so light and warm, comfortable.