The Orchard of Hope (33 page)

“It was a spell,” Kelsey
explained. “When my knife cut into your skin it also cut through
the magic and the spell lost its hold on you.”

“That’s a fine tool to have,”
Bardou said with a hint of awe in his voice.

“It’s been very useful,” Kelsey
agreed.

“Will the wolves understand that
they’re under a spell?” Maggie asked.

“Some will, but I could’t see that
it was a spell until it was broken. While the other wolves are
still under the enchantment, I don’t think they will see clearly,”
Bardou answered.

“Then we should build on the trust
you already have with them,” Maggie said firmly, “and begin
creating a relationship of trust with us and with the residents of
the abby.”

“Wolves are loyal,” Bardou
responded. “But they’re also loyal to their convictions. They’ll
want to see everything with their eyes.”

“If that’s what it will take, then
that’s what we’ll do,” Kelsey announced.

“I don’t see another choice,”
Bardou responded.

He led the two girls over to the
pack, moving slowly but keeping his head high and his stance tall.
He paused before speaking to make sure that all the wolves were
looking directly at him. Once he was assured of their attention, he
began to address the group.

“Trust must begin somewhere,”
Bardou announced. “we wolves are a noble breed and will begin this
process by listening.” He then motioned for Maggie to begin
speaking.

“I understand why you don’t trust
the residents of the abby,” Maggie said. “I don’t blame you. There
has been much misunderstanding on both sides of this issue.
However, you have no reason not to trust us. Kelsey and I are
working to help you. We’re going to have the brothers make cuttings
from these trees while you observe them. Then you’ll carry those
same cuttings home with you. The cuttings will never be out of your
sight during the entire process so there’s no danger of anyone
switching them for other plants.”

“What if the cuttings die? What if
the abby residents don’t help us to grow them?” one of the wolves
shouted. “What then?”

“Then you’re no worse off then you
are right now, and you will have taken the more noble path of
giving us a chance. You know where the source of hope is located,
and if the abby doesn’t hold up their end of the deal, then your
attacks on it will be more justified than they are now,” Kelsey
answered. “As it is, you’re currently stealing what was never
promised to you.” She paused for them to silently consider her
words for a moment, and then she continued, “Talk among yourselves
and give us an answer.”

When she finished speaking the last
sentence, Kelsey turned to walk away. Although she was moving
slowly, she had to pause and regain her balance several times
because of her fatigue. She eventually made it back to the tree
where she and Maggie had been sitting earlier, and she leaned
against the sturdy trunk as she waited. For another ten minutes the
wolves spoke in low tones so that they could not be overheard, but
it appeared that Kelsey’s statement had swayed them. Bardou
returned to deliver the news that the wolves were accepting the
terms.

“That was brilliant of you to
appeal to their sense of nobility,” Bardou said with
admiration.

“There’s not much that can’t be
accomplished when we work together,” Maggie replied. They started
the process of making cuttings from the trees and placing them
within full view of the wolves, who watched everything with
interest.

It took almost a full day for the
bird Roland sent to reach the castle and deliver the message.
However, as soon as he had received it, Nicholas was present with
them.

“What’s going on?” Nicholas asked.
“Is everyone OK?”

“We’re fine,” Kelsey
said.

“You’re not fine,” Nicholas
replied. “I can tell. Something is wrong.”

“I’m injured, but we can worry
about that later. Right now we have a problem to solve, and we
think you can help.’

“The hawk only told me that you
were negotiating with the wolves and needed me. I’m not sure what I
can do.”

Maggie quickly explained the terms
of the negotiation and asked Nicholas if he could start the
cuttings growing. Nicholas turned to Moss, who had joined him
scrying, and asked if he was capable of doing what Maggie was
requesting.

“Of course you can do this. I was
just talking about paths and growth. This is the perfect
lesson!”

“Who is that?” Kelsey
asked.

“This is Moss, my instructor,”
Nicholas said. “He arrived at the castle after you
left.”

“We need to create a path of trust
and growth,” Moss explained. He shouted instructions to the
Brothers of Discipline about how to arrange the cuttings so that
they were near Maggie and Kelsey, the two people Nicholas knew
best.

The brothers arranged the cuttings
in a tight circle around the girls, who were still sitting on the
ground leaning against a tree.

“You’re exhausted,” Nicholas said.
“I can feel it.”

“Yes, I am,” Kelsey agreed. “We’ll
get some rest before we make the journey back to the castle. Right
now, though, we need to solve the issue at hand.”

“There are four hands,” Moss said.
“Nicholas has two, and I have two. We’re going to work
together.”

Moss gave Nicholas instructions,
and the two of them began to work on growing the cuttings into
small trees with roots. Kelsey could feel the energy flowing around
her, and it made her feel thirsty for healing. She wanted some of
that energy to flow through herself and take away the pain she was
feeling.

“It’s like healing,” Moss
explained. “We’re creating a condition of health and advancement.
It’s a natural state for the trees, but we’re speeding it
up.”

Moss gave Nicholas a few more
instructions, and Kelsey watched the cuttings slowly sprout tiny
nubs of roots that branched out and continued to extend and grow
into a network of spaghetti-like strands. The tops of the cuttings
grew branches that eventually sprouted leaves. She noticed that the
tree she was leaning against also grew slightly with the cuttings,
and when it was over, the trunk was thicker than when they started.
However, her hand was untouched. It still hurt terribly. The spell
had affected only the trees in the orchard.

The entire process took about an
hour, but the wolves continued to watch carefully. They were
captivated by the rapid growth of the cuttings.

Once Nicholas and Moss had finished
growing the cuttings, Bardou lined up the wolves. They each took a
sapling in their mouths, as if the tree were a large stick, and
carried it off with their chests held high, like a graduate
receiving a diploma. It was an orderly process. When the last of
the saplings had been taken away, Bardou paused to say
goodbye.

“Most of them don’t understand
what just happened,” he said to Maggie, who stood up to say
goodbye.

“They don’t need to understand.
They only need to believe that their needs will be met,” she
replied.

“I’ll work with them for now,”
Bardou assured her, “but eventually we’ll need to find a way to
break the spell; otherwise, they may begin fighting again. They
don’t know any better.”

“The sorcerer has been tricking
them,” Nicholas interjected. “He goes by the name of Mr.
Crane.”

“I often have dreams about a
crane,” Bardou said. “All the wolves have a dream about this
bird.”

“Does that dream involve the crane
saving your life?”

“Yes!” Bardou exclaimed. “Do you
have this dream, also?”

“No, but I’ve heard the sorcerer
tell the story. It’s about a wolf who has a bone stuck in his
throat and a crane uses his long beak to remove the bone. The
sorcerer always stops telling the story at this point and adds that
the wolf is in debt to the crane for saving his life. Your dream
isn’t real. The sorcerer planted it there through his stories and
made it look real.”

“This is an example of a pathway
that leads away,” Moss interjected. “The story is a powerful spell
that obscures the truth.”

“What is he talking about?” Maggie
asked.

“It’s part of my lessons,”
Nicholas answered and then turned to Moss. “Can we break
it?”

“Of course,” Moss replied. “But it
will take time. Based on what we’ve seen of the crane’s operation,
this will take some careful planning. We may need additional
help.”

“In the meantime, Bardou,”
Nicholas said, “Remember that Mr. Crane is telling only a part of
the story to try to convince you of what he wants you to think. He
didn’t save all of you; the story is about another wolf at another
time. In the full story, the wolf also spared the crane’s life and
didn’t eat the bird once the bone was removed. That was how the
wolf repaid the favor.”

“How ungrateful,” Bardou
replied.

“Yes,” Nicholas agreed.
“Nevertheless, the truth is that the sorcerer has convinced you
that this story is about you, when it is not.”

“Clever,” Bardou
replied.

“You don’t owe him anything.
However, convincing your pack of this will take some time. We’re
going to work on breaking that spell, but it’s going to be
difficult and will take us some time.”

“I appreciate your
assistance.”

“You’ve already paid quite a bit
for a debt that you never owed. One day you’ll be completely free
from the sorcerer’s spell. We all will be.”

“I hope so,” Bardou
replied.

“But for now, you have all the
hope you need,” Maggie added.

“You can continue to hope until
those cuttings make that hope a reality,” Kelsey said as she
abruptly stood up. She was about to walk over to Bardou and shake
his paw when she felt dizzy and staggered a few steps. Then she
fell over, unconscious.

Chapter

24

Going Home

Kelsey woke up in a bed inside the
abbey. She felt feverish. The Sisters of Mercy had given her some
medicine, but it wasn’t strong enough for whatever was ailing her.
The sisters only worked with herbs and didn’t have the more
powerful ones on hand. Kelsey looked around the room and saw Maggie
sitting next to her bed.

“How long have I been asleep?”
Kelsey asked.

“Two days,” Maggie
replied.

“Did Bardou leave?”

“Yes. We’ve been busy since then.
Nicholas asked me to find the weed you stepped on during the
battle. So I searched the orchard, and I found one – or one like it
– to bring home to him so that he can examine it. We’ve also
cleaned up the orchard, and we’ve already buried the dead,
also.”

“Good,” Kelsey replied. She
disliked taking care of such loose ends after a battle. The
Brothers of Discipline were an organized and efficient group, and
Kelsey respected this quality in them.

Kelsey looked around the room. Her
throat was parched, and she saw a glass of water sitting on the
table next to her. As she reached for it, Maggie came forward and
supported her head as she drank. Kelsey realized how weak she had
become, and it made her afraid. This was the first time since she
had been an infant that she couldn’t take care of herself, and she
had almost no memories of that time in her life. She reclined again
on her soft bed, feeling the warmth of the covers as she did
so.

“Maggie, I didn’t think the king
knew what he was doing when he sent you on this trip. I thought he
was sending me to save hope, to fight for it. I thought you were
joining me on my journey. Now I know that this was really your
mission. The king sent me to escort you here so that you could
restore hope for everyone.”

“I didn’t restore hope. I simply
negotiated so that everyone could have some hope.”

“It really was the better
solution. I’m sorry that I almost got in the way.” Kelsey thought
about Sister Clementine. She had gotten in the way from the other
side of the argument, and it had cost her her life. If Kelsey had
proceeded with the battle, it’s possible that she might have died
also. She knew this.