The Orchard of Hope (11 page)

“I
’
m not sure that I really have
any abilities,” Nicholas said. “Just because I can see hands on the
clock ...
”

“Not everyone
can do that,
”
Megan replied.
“
The king suspected you had the
gift, but he
’
s
asked us to train you so that you can fully develop it. What you
have right now is more or less potential.
”

Nicholas looked
around at the group. He wasn
’
t sure what to believe, and he
wasn
’
t
convinced that he was a sorcerer. It sounded preposterous to him.
After all, if he had that kind of ability, wouldn
’
t he already know it? The
thought was overwhelming, so he decided to focus on the lesson and
worry about what it all meant later.

“What did I
just do with the clock?
”
Nicholas asked after some time had passed in
silence.

“You learned
something,
”
Moss answered.

“What?
”

“You learned to
be physically present.
”

“I was here all
along.
”

“Yes, but you
could be somewhere else also. The fact that you saw all those hands
on the clock shows that you have the ability to be present in a
number of situations at the same time. Moments
aren
’
t mutually
exclusive for you.
”

“Is it like
daydreaming?
”

“It
’
s more. You have the potential
to be present somewhere else when you
’
re not physically there. This
means that you may be able to learn to scry and
that
’
s a very
valuable skill.
”

“Scry?
”

“Foretell the
future or see things happening in other places in space or
time
,
”
Newton
replied.
“
Gargoyles are very good at it, but most of them
can
’
t do
anything with it because they haven
’
t been brought to life and
can
’
t talk.
Although … I did have a distant uncle who used the ability
to pick the winning lottery numbers. He bought a really cool Gothic
church with the money and the parties he threw on the roof were the
best.
”

“Enough, Newton!” Moss
scolded.

“I can
’
t tell the
future,
”
Nicholas said with conviction.

“You
can
’
t tell the
future yet,
”
Moss said with assurance.
“
Since you appear to be a natural
at being present when you
’
re not physically there,
let
’
s give this
a try. We
’
ll
begin by having you pick up objects in the next room while
you
’
re still
here.
”

Nicholas thought about the task,
which seemed ridiculous, so he glanced at Megan to see if this was
one of Moss' moments of insanity. However, when Megan agreed to
head into the next room and report on Nicholas' progress, he knew
that he was expected to do the impossible.

Chapter

seven

The Sea of Laughter

They spent the
night on the prairie as the group of reapers continued to follow
behind at a short distance. Although Roland had said they were
harmless, Kelsey woke up several times when she heard them
whispering excitedly to one another. Even across the field,
fragments of the whispers bounced over the tall grass and reached
Kelsey
’
s
vigilant ears. Perhaps it was her military training with the
king
’
s soldiers
or her naturally alert disposition, but she repeatedly woke up from
the noise and tried to discern what they were saying. Neither
Roland nor Maggie was affected by the sound. Because she
hadn
’
t slept
well, Kelsey felt unsettled as she walked through the remainder of
the prairie and headed toward the sea. Even the cool air from it
didn’t help her feel refreshed.

As the tall grass dissipated into a
mixture of mud and sand, they encountered a woman dressed in a pale
aquamarine satin dress that reminded Kelsey of ice. The woman was
holding a parasol to shield herself from the sun. The parasol
matched the color of her dress and shoes. A deep purple velvet bag
with a few coins inside of it sat open at her feet.

“Oh, no,
”
Kelsey moaned.

“What?
”
Maggie asked with concern.

“One of the
sisters,
”
said
Kelsey as she nodded her head toward the woman.

“They
’
re not so bad,
”
Roland said.

“They
’
re no trouble
for
you
,
”
Kelsey
replied.

“Your
experience with them depends upon how you treat them. Always show
respect. It helps.
”

“I did show
them respect and they treated me poorly.
”

“Not what you
think of as respect. They need to feel respected.
It
’
s all in
their perception.
”

“Easy for you
to say. They won
’
t argue with Death.
”

Kelsey
’
s previous experiences with the sisters had been
unpleasant, but she made up her mind to treat this sister with as
much respect as she could muster. They seemed to be everywhere and
had the potential to give advice that could help on the quest. Even
if the women were difficult, it was worth having the sisters on
your side.

“She
’s
beautiful
,
”
Maggie exclaimed loudly in admiration as they approached
the woman. The woman took the string of pearls around her neck and
played with them as she smiled with appreciation.

“Good morning,
”
the woman said, nodding at each
of them in turn.

“It
’
s always a radiant day when I
see you,
”
Roland replied with a slight bow. Kelsey felt inadequate in
the situation. Roland always knew what to say to the sisters, and
Maggie had been so charmed by this woman
’
s beauty, she had gotten on her
good side without trying. Kelsey didn
’
t know what to say in order to
be respectful and carry on a conversation
naturally.

“I love your
dress,
”
Maggie
said with awe in her voice.

“Aren
’
t you just the most precious
thing,
”
the
woman said, beaming at Maggie. She dropped her pearls and grabbed
the handle of the parasol with both hands as she leaned
forward.
“
You
have quite an eye for fine things, don
’
t you?
”

“I know what I
like,
”
said
Maggie.
“
And I
think I would like to have a dress like yours
someday.
”
Maggie abruptly turned to Kelsey.
“
Wouldn
’
t you just love a dress like
that one?
”
she
asked.

It was an
awkward moment. Kelsey didn
’
t like dresses on general
principle because they were very impractical during battles. Kelsey
took a step to the side and studied the dress for the first time.
She knew she could lie, but she also knew that the sister would
know if she was lying. She felt caught and didn
’
t know how to
respond.

“The fabric
doesn
’
t look
terribly durable,
”
Kelsey said aloud.

“Appearances
are deceiving
–
especially in this kingdom,
”
the sister replied flatly.
Kelsey immediately knew she had said the wrong thing. She struggled
for a way to save the situation.

“But the dress
fits you perfectly,
”
Kelsey said. The statement was true, and it also
didn
’
t require
Kelsey to state that she hated the dress.

“Thank you. But
you haven
’
t
answered the question.
”

Kelsey struggled
for something to say. She searched her memory of other
conversations she
’
d had, but her training didn
’
t include any lessons in
flattery. Then she remembered that the sisters were the Sisters of
Wisdom. So Kelsey decided to try a different
approach.

“Would this
dress be appropriate for me?
”
Kelsey asked the sister.

The woman removed one hand from the
parasol handle and stroked her slightly wavy blond hair. Kelsey
thought she saw the woman smiling discretely to herself.

“No,
”
the woman replied firmly.

“Since you do
not recommend the dress for me, I would do well to follow your
advice and not desire the dress for myself,
”
said Kelsey. She felt proud at
her response and tried to suppress a smile.

“The dress is
not appropriate for you because it
’
s woven from the fibers of
knowledge and sewn together with the threads of learning. The
parasol provides a shade of logic because it has a handle made from
sound judgment.
”

Kelsey
’
s spirit sank, and she immediately felt that she had been
outsmarted. She struggled with a way to respond that
wouldn
’
t be
offensive. Then it occurred to her that if the woman was dressed in
these things that perhaps the outfit was something like armor: it
provided the protection and appearance of what the person wearing
it was lacking.

“And do you
have all these things without your clothing and
accessories?
”
Kelsey asked.
“
Or does your clothing provide these things for
you?
”

“My clothing is
like your facial expression: It reflects what is inside of me. It
is
not
a
mask,
”
she
answered.

Kelsey felt deflated. Every time
she encountered one of the sisters, she left the conversation
feeling small. She glanced around helplessly and wished that
someone else would change the topic of discussion.

“Where are you
headed?
”
the
sister asked Roland.

“We
’
re crossing the sea. Do you have
any advice for us?
”
he asked.

“Laugh only
when necessary,
”
she replied.
“
But you usually do, anyway.
”