In the days when people were owned by the land, two young girls found their power by becoming ghosts, then spirit guides.

This is their origin-story...

Their parents were serfs, and belonged to two different dukedoms. Falling in love endangered them both. Becoming pregnant with twins made this even worse.

Their Dad had to raise them by himself, as Mother died shortly after birthing them. But as a spirit, she remained on Earth to watch over them. Sal and Jude could see her, and knew their Dad could feel her presence.

The King's soldiers have visited the forest and found their hut, only to be chased away by a specter.

In Spring, they returned, forcing nearby villagers to make a crossing into the ravine that will enable wagons to bring a hunting party.

Their Dad starts training Sal and Jude to hide themselves in the forest as they hunt and forage for food. What they find in their training is unexpected...

Excerpt:

Da returned one cold morning and was worried. He had been near the ravine and saw that some workers were improving the road. There was a seldom used trail that led to the one crossing horses could take their riders across. These workers were widening this road so that a wagon could travel it.

He told us that he had seen them bring tools in their carts so that they could bring gravel and small rocks up from the bottom of the ravine to make the road solid. They wanted it passable and keep wagons from getting mired in mud during wet weather.

Da said he saw the captain and some soldiers nearby. They were all mounted on horses and looked to be arguing with the men who were getting rocks out of the ravines. At any loud noise, even a crow's caw, the men would run up the side of the ravine and then have to be forced back to their work of getting the rock and gravel. Everyone's faces were white with strain.

Da's face was coated with mud and clay so that it couldn't be seen by them. So he watched for a good while and then crept quietly away.

He came back to our hut and got us ready. But today we didn't need our packs. We each got a small bag of the meat-berry-fat mix instead.

Da again said we were going to practice being ghosts. We were going to make no sound and leave no trace of our passing. "Like Ma?" we both asked at once.

Da cocked his head to the side, and smiled. "You've felt her too?"

"Yes," we both replied as one. And started to tell him our stories of seeing her, but he held his finger up to his lips.

"We must first learn to be quiet inside our little hut," he said. "You'll be able to tell me later, and I want to hear all about it. But right now, we must practice being as good as your mother in being able to disappear anytime we need to. No one can ever be allowed to follow us back to this hut, or anywhere we go. Our family staying together depends on us being able to vanish whenever we need to."

That day, we never said another word until we returned to the hut and had closed the door again...

© 2018 Midwest Journal Press (eBook): 9781387778270

Data wydania

eBook: 29 kwietnia 2018