When Gwynn and Loki stepped into the cottage, they found the others sitting around the table, talking. Morten glanced up and smiled that knowing smile that could also pass for being smug.
“She’s joining us,” offered Gwynn.
Morten grabbed the back of the chair and pulled himself upright. “Yes. Yes, I know.
“I came inside to ask you some questions but you were sleeping,” Loki said, wondering whether this would prompt a confession.
Morten waved his hand through the air. “Baah! Questions! They only lead to more questions.” He stepped toward Loki and gazed at her with those deep blue eyes. “But you got past your questions, didn’t you?” He lightly tapped the side of her head with the tip of his index finger. “You went beyond your questions to where you knew.”
“Well, I did have some help.” She stared into his blue eyes, looking for some acknowledgement that he was aware of what she was speaking about but it wasn’t there.
He smiled and rested the palm of his hand on top of her head. Then he said, “Sometimes we just need to stop thinking in order to let what we really want to reveal itself to us.”
Where his hand rested on her head, Loki felt heat and a jolt of energy. All of a sudden, she and Morten were connected, telepathically. She felt him in her mind again but it wasn’t as intrusive as before. The energy flowed openly and willingly between them. Any resistance she previously had was gone.
She looked into his eyes and held his gaze. She felt the essence of who he was - a simple man but strong in spirit. There was no need to speak. Any words she could think to utter seemed insignificant at the moment, compared to the deep sense of knowingness that suddenly filled her being. There was no question in her mind that she made the right choice to join the Overseers.
Morten pulled his hand back but the warmth on her head remained and her scalp tingled. She almost reached up to touch it but didn’t want it to stop.
“Thank you,” he said as he held her gaze a moment longer. Loki felt his sincerity. She gave a slight nod to acknowledge his gratitude.
Morten turned back to the others at the table. Loki glanced at Kado and Waysu and wondered if Morten had touched their heads as well. Waysu was staring at the table but from the glazed, dreamy look in her eyes, she seemed to be someplace far away. Loki looked at Kado and studied his face.
He had a rugged jaw with a hint of a beard. His lips parted to reveal perfectly white teeth. She noticed he was smiling and moved her gaze upward, to his eyes. He was looking right at her. She wasn’t sure why but she suddenly felt self-conscious. She grinned slightly and quickly averted her gaze.
Morten loudly clasped his hands together. “Okay. Let’s go.”
The clap abruptly broke the tranquil atmosphere in the house. Waysu visibly flinched as she was snapped out of her daydream.
Loki stepped back, out of the way of the front door, expecting Morten to exit the house and lead the way. Instead, he walked in the opposite direction, toward the back of the house. Loki frowned. She knew there were only two small bedrooms back there, so where could he be taking them?
Gwynn approached Adele and gave her a hug. “May the wind guide your way, sister.
“An’ may ya’ be receptive to the truth,” Adele said.
Waysu and Kado followed Morten. Gwynn motioned for her daughter to do the same and then followed behind. When Morten reached the back wall, between the two bedrooms, he stopped.
The stone wall looked like normal rock, with grooves and uneven surfaces. Morten slid his hand over the surface, apparently searching for a particular spot. Then his hand stopped and he slid his finger into a depression and lightly pressed.
Without warning, the ground beneath their feet started vibrating. Loki, Kado and Waysu all startled at the sensation and looked around at each other. The vibration wasn’t strong but Waysu reached for the wall behind her and picked up her feet, one at a time, as if the feeling was uncomfortable. Loki noticed Kado sniffing the air, like he smelled something. She took a whiff but didn’t detect any odor. She glanced between her mother and Morten and saw unconcerned faces watching the wall. So she watched it, too.
The huge rock slab pivoted and quietly swung open to reveal steps carved into stone, leading upward. As soon as the rock door was open, the vibration stopped. The uneven steps were crudely shaped and the stairwell was dimly lit. From where Loki stood, the rock ceiling blocked her view of the top of the stairs so she couldn’t tell how far they climbed.
Morten stepped through the opening and, one by one, the others followed and climbed upward. Gwynn, following at the tail end, pressed another spot on the wall above the first step. The ground vibrated as the door closed behind them, leaving Adele alone on the other side.
They climbed slowly. The passage was narrow, forcing them to go in a single file. Loki was behind Kado and noticed how his wide shoulders took up most of the space, with only a few inches to spare on either side before brushing against the craggy surface. The air was a bit stale, with no movement. In fact it was so still, the sounds of their footsteps were slightly muffled. Occasionally, Loki heard Kado sniffling and wondered whether he had a cold.
The lighting was soft, with a yellowish hue, and Loki assumed that there were candles in the stairwell but when she raised her head to look up the wall, she saw something different. At regular intervals, there were small golden objects that spun between two pieces of metal fixed to the wall. The spinning objects were the source of light.
She climbed a few more steps to the next light when her curiosity got the best of her. She reached up to touch the object. Her fingers interrupted its spin, causing it to wobble and fall out of its orbit. Loki barely caught it in her hand as they were thrown into semi-darkness.
“What happened?” asked Waysu. “Ow.”
“Oh, excuse me,” replied Kado. “I couldn’t see where you were.”
“It’s okay, everyone. Give your eyes a moment to adjust to the light up ahead. I’ll send Garmund down to replace that one,” Morten explained.
Gwynn reached for Loki from behind and felt for the crystal in her hand. “I’ll take that.”
She reached past Loki and felt along the wall until she found the metal. She placed the crystal between the two brackets and released it. Immediately, it started turning, slowly. Sporadic bursts of faint light emitted from the object at first but as it increased in momentum, the light grew steady.
Loki noticed that the spinning crystal didn’t actually touch the metal brackets but was suspended between them, in mid air.
“Oh, that’s better,” replied Morten. “Let’s continue.”
“Sorry,” Loki said.
“Curiosity gets us all at one time or another,” Morten said. “Although, these crystals do burn out occasionally and have to be recharged.”
They continued in silence, only the muffled sound of their footsteps and exerted breathing carried through the narrow space. Loki tried to peer around Kado and past Waysu and Morten to see how close they were to the top but it appeared the steps went on forever. After awhile, she quit looking ahead and became mesmerized by the cadence of their march.
Without warning, they reached the top and the area opened into a large cavern. They all panted from the climb but after a moment, their breathing returned to normal and Loki looked around. She saw more of the spinning crystals spaced around the perimeter of the cavern. It felt like there was slight movement in the air and it smelled fresher but Loki couldn’t see any openings to the outside. She heard Kado sniff the air again.
Morten motioned to a stone table at the edge of the cave. “Help yourselves to a snack. We’ll rest here for a moment.”
Gwynn walked over, picked up a pitcher and poured them each a glass of water. In the center of the table was a large platter full of flatbread, fruit and nuts. They helped themselves to the food and sat on stone benches to rest.
Morten pointed to a rack across the cavern from
where they sat, which contained thick woolen capes. “Help yourselves to a wrap. It gets chilly in here.”
They nibbled on the food in silence and after a short time Morten stood and helped himself to a cape. The others took this to mean that the rest period was over so they selected their own wraps.
“Let’s continue,” Morten said.
There was an interesting play of light in the cavern that made all the walls appear solid, as if they were at a dead end. As Morten led them closer to a particular spot, the distinct shape of an archway became visible. They passed through it and found themselves in a tunnel, lit by the same spinning gems. At the end of the tunnel were two sets of coarsely carved stairs, one leading up and the other leading down.
Morten stopped in between the stairways and faced Gwynn. He pointed up. “You go on ahead. We’ll catch up with you later.” Then referring to the three new members, he added, “They must first come to know who and what they are protecting.”
ELEVEN
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