The Book of Glass

Waters of Eden (10)

"Going on adventures and facing battles they never asked to be in." Emory couldn't help but smile.

The idea made Shay quiet though. The truth was, no one here had asked to be in this situation. No one sane enough would.

It wasn't long before Ingrid insisted the girls stop and tie their horses to the nearby trees. She had taken them off the path, further into the brush of the forest where most people wouldn't try to go. The horses put up a good fight, but eventually weren't able to go any further. "I'm going to go scout ahead, Emory," Ingrid said in a hushed tone as she slid off her horse. "I'd let you go, but I have a feeling that if Evander's men are there, they're more likely to suspect a young girl like you rather than someone like me."

    "You're not that old, Ingrid," Emory pointed out. Sometimes, she acted like she really was Ingrid the old woman rather than the woman she really was. Young and beautiful.

    "The point is, I at least look older than the prime age for the Prophet of Rosalind. You stay here and make sure you guys hide your things well. I don't want any raiders passing by and eyeing you two." Ingrid placed her hands on both of their shoulders, looking them in the eyes with a frightening look. "I will be back before sundown. If I'm not, just leave. Are we clear?"

    Both of the girls nodded their heads, and Ingrid nodded to herself, as if she needed to convince herself more than the others. Then, she headed back to the path that she had led them off of.

    It wasn't a long walk to the lake, but it was one she was terrified to take. There were no guards around, and by the time she got to the Arch of Eden, her nerves calmed. There was a man who stood in front of the arch, bowing his head in prayer. The arch was decorated with murals of Rosalind, and the script of her seven creeds, the stone itself shaped into intricate carnations.

    As Ingrid neared the entrance, he looked up from where he stood in front of the arch and smiled kindly. "You look in need of a wade in Lake Eden." He looked over his shoulder, revealing a large scar that went from his right eye to his jawline. "I'm afraid I can't let you in, though. The King's declaration says only women in labor are allowed to enter until the Prophet comes forward." The old man looked back to Ingrid, and noticed her confusion. "This must be news to you."

"It... I just forgot about it, actually. Most of the women in my village didn't have the privilege of visiting." She moved closer to the old man. "I'm traveling with two younger girls. A few of the guards were harassing their position in our old village, and on our way out, one of them was injured. She was injured..." Ingrid hesitated, trying to think of what would convince the man to allow them in. At this point, he seemed unphased, and Ingrid didn't want to resort to the dagger she had clutched in her hand beneath the robe. "One of the guards may have rendered her barren, but I'm hoping that if we get her into the waters soon enough, one day she may be able to carry children." There. A crack in his armor. Of all the sacred things among Eden, a woman's choice to have children was among the most important. A choice to share life, and a choice to not. He looked around, as if worried someone would see them. "Are there guards here now?"

"No... I... I just worry. Where is she now?"

"A little ways down the path. I didn't want to bring her here if guards were around. I don't think she could manage it at the moment. May we bring her into the Waters?" Ingrid put her dagger back into a hidden pocket and reached out for the man's hand as he nodded quickly.

"It's what Rosalind would want. Hurry, though, before someone else comes along." Ingrid thanked the man, bowing her head before returning to the woods. It wasn't ideal, but it spared her the blood and questions.

"Girls?" Ingrid hurried through the forest to where she knew she had left the Prophet and her friend. When she came was coming up to the spot they should have been, she saw no peek of them through the foliage of the trees. "Emory? Shay?" Moving faster, she pushed all of the brush aside and found no one. "Gir-!" Just as Ingrid was about to yell, someone clasped their hand over her mouth.