Read The Crystal Keepers, An Overseers Novel Page 12
Morten wasn’t outside so Loki stepped into the cottage. She saw him lying on a mat in the main room, with his back to the front door. He must be asleep, she thought. She tip-toed a few steps to see if his eyes were closed but then she thought of how uncomfortable she’d feel if he woke to see her peering over him. She considered making a sound to wake him but then decided against it. Quietly, she stepped back outside and closed the door.
She sat on the ground and leaned against the outside wall of the house. The sun was directly overhead now, providing light and warmth to the whole canyon. Almost too much warmth, thought Loki. Such a contradiction to the chill she felt earlier in the morning. The rock wall was absorbing the heat and the uninterrupted rays from the sun were intense.
She rested her head against the wall and had just closed her eyes when she heard horses. As they came into sight, she saw her mother and Adele, joined by two other riders. They dismounted next to the stream and tethered their horses in the shade.
Loki stood as they approached. Adele walked hurriedly and led the two neophytes toward the cottage. Gwynn stayed back with the horses.
Adele stopped in front of Loki and made the introductions as she motioned with her hand first to the girl. “Loki, this is Waysu an’ this is Kado.” For their benefit, she pointed her thumb and said, “Loki.” She turned back to Loki and asked, “Where is Morten?”
Loki had just opened her mouth to explain that he was inside sleeping when the door flung open.
“Welcome,” cried Morten. “Kado, Waysu, come inside.” He smiled and glanced sideways at Loki and then looked at her mother, who was adjusting the saddle of her horse. As if he knew Loki and her mother needed to talk, Morten addressed her. “Come in when you’re ready.”
Seeing the smug grin on his face, Loki couldn’t help wondering whether Morten already knew her answer and whether he had pretended to be sleeping when she went inside to talk with him. She couldn’t pinpoint it but something was different about Morten. She studied him through squinted eyes as he waved the others inside and closed the door and she had the sense that he knew more about her than he let on.
Loki turned on her heels and walked to where her mother was tightening the strap on one of the stirrups. She was certain her mother heard her approach and so she remained quiet, waiting for Gwynn to say something…but she didn’t.
“Mother.”
Gwynn glanced up at her. “Yes, Loki?” Then she returned her focus to the stirrup.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me about the Overseers?”
Gwynn let go of the strap and turned to face her. “It’s a secret order. Besides, I didn’t want to influence you. This has to be your decision.” She turned back to her horse and pretended to make other adjustments.
She truly didn’t want to influence her daughter. If Loki joined, there were risks and it could get dangerous. She was also concerned about what to do if Loki didn’t join. Gwynn felt a responsibility to the Overseers and had resolved that she would do her part to help prevent the crystal from falling into the wrong hands. She knew, with all of her being, that she must do all she could this time. The forces of dark and light wouldn’t be getting close to the crystal now if she had destroyed the journal when she had the chance. She had it in her very hands, although she didn’t know at the time what it was but she still felt responsible.
She didn’t know what she would do with Loki if she decided not to join the Overseers. Sending Loki back home wasn’t an option. Perhaps she could stay with Adele for a short time but even that might be risky, depending on how this played out.
She glanced back at her daughter and noticed her looking at the ground, a lopsided grin spread across her face.
“What’s so funny?” asked Gwynn.
Loki popped her head up, her concentration broken by Gwynn’s question, and gave a full smile.
“You are good at keeping secrets. When I think back to conversations we’ve had over the years and growing up with you and father, I never, ever, would have suspected you were part of something like this!” Loki glanced back at the ground and her eyes shifted as though she were watching childhood memories play out in the dirt. “And, you know how to use a sword!” Her head shook back and forth to emphasize her disbelief.
Gwynn turned back to her horse and checked the straps once again. “Well, we’ll see how good I am after all this time.”
“He didn’t know, did he?”
“Who?”
“Father.”
Her voice was so soft when she responded that Loki had to strain to hear her. “No.”
Loki’s expression turned somber. “You owe me an explanation, Mother. You’ve obviously kept many things from me.”
This was the part that Gwynn didn’t relish. Now that her true identity had been revealed, she couldn’t help but feel the weight of living a less-than-truthful life with her daughter. It didn’t bother her that her husband didn’t know that she was part of a secret order or that Elwyn and Tannis didn’t know. For some reason, it felt different with Loki and it bothered her.
“I’m sorry, Loki. I had no choice. Sometimes we make decisions but don’t realize, until much farther down the road, the situation we’ve created. I do owe you an explanation but it’s going to have to wait.”
Loki wasn’t surprised by her answer. With Adele’s hurried movements and, since Morten wasn’t giving her much time to make a decision, she knew there wasn’t time for a heart-to-heart talk with her mother.
“You are a mystery, Mother, but I guess there will be time to figure it out since I’m joining the Overseers!”
Gwynn stepped forward to face Loki and put her hands on her shoulders, her face drawn with concern. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
Thinking back to the nauseated scrubbing performed by the ‘tweenlings, she replied, “Apparently I am.”
Gwynn hugged her daughter. With her arm around Loki’s shoulders, they went inside the house to join the others.