Thursday, November 12, 2020

Thursday's Fifth Scene Healwoman #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Epic fantasy #Healing

 

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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