Norna fled along the
shadowy hall and returned to her cot.
Tears flowed down her cheeks.
What could she do? Twice
misbegotten. A drab she’d been
named. She couldn’t accept that
fate. She had to escape and find a
refuge. Would the Healwoman give shelter
to someone like her?
* * *
*
The soft chiming of
the night bells roused Norna. One. Two.
She slid to the edge of the cot.
She hadn’t meant to sleep. She
had to be far from the temple by morning.
Once she pulled the brown skirt and tunic over her shift, she reached
for her pack. Though her mother had
named her a drab, she wouldn’t accept the sentence of eternal servitude.
Norna hugged
herself. She must be gone before Ulrica
fastened the bonding bracelet on her wrist so the prongs pierced her skin. Removal left scars and anyone she met would
know what she had been.
She added the wooden
comb and the woolen stockings she’d washed to the pack. Near the door, she paused to examine the row
of boots. The soles of hers were thin. She wasn’t sure how far she had to
travel. With the winter lunars about to
begin, she needed sturdy footwear. One
pair was too small. A second, lined with
paca fleece, fit perfectly. Her brown
cloak hung with the others. The thin
wool provided little protection from the icy winds. She snatched the one that matched the
purloined boots and carried it over her arm.
Norna slipped
through the hall and crept down the stairs.
Before leaving the temple, she needed to stop in the chapel and study
the map.
When she entered the
triangular room, she dropped the cloak and her pack on one of the wooden
benches. Flickering lights on the altar
did little to brighten the gloom. She
saw the mosaic panel on one of the side walls.
After lifting a votive lamp, she moved closer. She found Keltoi and traced the road from the
megara to the temple. Then she looked
for Bethsada, home of the Healwomen and her chosen destination.
She sounded the
names of the places on the map. There,
she thought. She had to travel south and
west to the place of refuge for women.
The distance seemed great but she had no other choice.
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