I was on loan to them for a calendar year. From November 1st to November 1st. A son of the community was a friend of mine, and he had been called back to return to the enclave. But his talents were vital, and our employer worked out an agreement between the beloved son and the community calling him back.
One more year.
One more year while he put certain things to rights. One more year while his small village deals with the loss of manpower. They only number 105 men and women. On the census. Of that, only 43 men were considered able-bodied. He was needed home.
Our employer offered to send an able-bodied worker to them, along with financial grants and any physical items they need for the winter. Effectively buying another year of the beloved son by providing for the village. He was that important to the task.
They agreed.
They got me.
They were not happy to have been sent a woman.
“They will see you and think you an insult. You are not white. You are not male. They will see you and pour spite on you, but you’re the only one I can trust to keep a level head around my kin. You understand the Friend way of life more than anyone else I know. I have confidence you will be the pair of hands they need.”
“The Friend way of life excludes magic and spiritwork. You’re asking me to put 90% of what I am in a little box and hide it.”
“I’m asking you to find a different way of expressing yourself. Hiding it would be the worst thing possible, to you and to them. But you don’t have to tell it to everyone, either.”
“Tell me again, why me?”
“Because you’re a chameleon, and everyone else suggested by Corporate is a rampaging bull.”
“Challenge accepted. I will need to make a covenant bond with the Elder of the Friends.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have to tell him everything I am upfront.”
“Yes.”
“If he is willing to accept me in lieu of you for the year, I’ll do it. But I will not force him to accept nor reject.”
“Then may God place you where He wills for the betterment of those He loves.” I winced at the benediction, and he did after he spoke it. It’s always been a touchy topic between us. He knows I don’t take benedictions that erase my will, well.
I took my friend’s hands. “Your god knows me better than that. At least he better.” I smiled to display my lack of anger. “Besides, I’ve done contract work for him before. He knows to stay out of my way if he wants credit for it later.” My friend looked at me in askance, but decided against asking for related stories. My life is a challenge to his faith at times.
The day I arrived, November 1st of last year, the community of Friends was eager to greet their temporary brother. Seeing me was a great shock. I was dressed in the garb of a courier, and declared I had to speak with the Elder, alone, at once. My audience was not granted with the privacy I wanted. I was an unescorted woman. The Elder decided that his wife would attend our meeting, and we spoke in a private office in the Meeting Hall building.
“He sent… a woman?”
“Yes, Elder.”
“But… why? I am not doubting your physical skills, Miss. But in this community, such skills would not be allowed to be placed to use as we have a strict division of labor. And we need our son’s hands as much as his mind.” Behind him, his wife nodded with a barely perceptible motion.
“I understand Elder, and so does your son. It is because I was sent in his stead, that Corporate sent so much physical goods to assist with the winter and spring. Your son requested I come, because I am able to cross cultures. Yes, I am headstrong, authority challenging, no where near humble, brash, and wantonly brazen. But that is not needed here, so that will not be seen.”
“What will be seen, then?”
“Quiet. Reserved. Helpful. Able to take insults and even slaps to the face without responding.”
“Are you saying you fear physical reprisals from us?” Behind him, his wife raised an eyebrow a millimeter in movement, and her lips tensed but a flicker.
“I’m saying I’m an outsider in a closed environment. I’m saying I am visually different from your expectations to the point where I will always be suspect. I’m saying humans are humans across time and space. There is not much that will surprise me now.” I looked down. “However, there is one thing about me that no one else in this community will know. Your son knows, and in spite of that, he still sent me. But I am required to make sure you know. And to write a covenant bond with you should you require it.”
The Elder waited for me to continue speaking, but I remained quiet. Him, I trusted. Her, I did not. The idea of me enduring physical rebuke made her smile. No, I did not trust that woman.
After a silent and heavy minute, he understood. He bid his wife to stand without the door in the hall, which made her blink in sudden confusion. “Go on. God is watching over us both. At the slightest sound, you will come to my aid, I am sure.” She gathered herself up and stormed past me in silent offense. I bowed slightly as she did, which only offended her more.
Once I heard the door close, I took some paper from my satchel and wrote in clear lettering, “I do not honor your god, nor any others. I work magic, and work with spirits. If I am to remain in your community, your son has requested I sign a covenant bond with you that I will not partake in any activity forbidden by your covenant with your god.”. I passed him the paper and waited for the inevitable explosion.
He read it and sighed deeply. His age fully written in his face, he nodded. “Yes. I know. He has written me of this already. He told me to expect one such as you, but he did not tell me you are a woman.” He furrowed his brow. “If I reject you, I reject the supplies that came with you. And they are needed. If I accept you, I am placing the community’s covenant with God at risk. That is, if I accept you without this covenant between us.” He drew a folded paper from his vest and handed it to me without comment.
It was a list of bylaws and restrictions. It was not as hobbling as I feared it would be. It granted me much leeway in dealing with the Friends community at large. There were explicit restrictions on drugs, curfews, and being unescorted around any male. But of religion, the restrictions were few. Few and tolerable. No worshiping of outside gods. No worshiping of spirits, demons, or angels. No summoning. No talking of witchcraft or magic to anyone in the community. No spell work or explicit magic. His draft did take into account my inherent abilities. I could not turn off my Sight after all, so it only forbid me from using it for “undue” advantage. It also did explicitly forbid the “taking on of non-human forms”. Unfortunately, the ban was “even should life be at stake”. That phrase never makes for happy endings.
When I looked up at the Elder, I caught a glimpse of insecurity on his face. He really didn’t want to do this, to accept me. But it’s been a hard year already, winter was forecast to be especially vicious, and the supplies were desperately needed.
I signed. “Well, I need to mark my calendar, Elder. After all I’ve endured in life, I am willingly putting myself under your thumb. I am bound by this covenant and restricted by it.”
I folded it and held it out to him. He took it in surprise. I don’t think he expected me to sign it. “Very well, friend. I shall place you under the wisdom of my wife.” As soon as he said those words, his wife burst into the room with purpose.
“Come, friend. We must get you properly attired.” It was clear she did not like the idea of me here. I made a mental note to strangle my friend in a year.
Some of the community was interested in me. Some were not. Some tried to verbally bait me and insult me every chance they got. Some did not. Some challenged my “womanly” skill sets, and where I was ignorant, I admitted, and where I was knowledgeable, I proceeded, but none of the challengers were able to make me say I was less a woman than they for the differences.
Word somehow got out about a covenant bond between me and the Elder. Gossip is as gossip does, and I had to call out a few of the more vocal busybodies for insinuating the Elder was disgracing his marriage bed. That I called them out just as the Elder’s wife turned the corner to hear me do so, was probably happenstance. Probably. However, hearing me come to her husband’s defense actually put me in her favor.
Humans are humans across time and space, I tell ya.
The very cold winters penetrated the buildings. When water froze inside one of the family units, the decision was made to bring in the separate families into a communal barracks. Strictly divided by gender, I wound up being bunked in the heart of the women’s side. There was no way I was going to be able to tiptoe anywhere without the whole chicken coop clucking. Also meant I got stink eye for any fart that was smelled, regardless if I did it or not. Whatever.
The use of fire had to be carefully monitored. It was vital to keep light and warmth in these cold, dark days. But carelessness could burn down the building. Which almost happened. One of the younger women (still more a child than an adult) had been caught trying to sneak a look at her new husband. In her haste to flee from the older women that caught her, she dropped her candle onto a blanket. It caught at once. She shrieked an alarm and fled out the room. The two other women in the room with me also ran out. I ran as well, but not for the exit.
The covenant said ‘no explicit magic’, but the covenant also took into account my inherent abilities. Runaway fire? Not on my watch.
I grabbed the inflamed blanket and pulled it off the bed onto the floor. I made sure my hand had gripped the source of the flame, the melted candle wax. The wool blanket had soaked up the liquid wax, preventing it from seeping through to the layers below. To anyone rushing in, it looked like I was beating out the inflamed portion of the blanket with the unlit portion. Really, I was calling the fire into my hand, absorbing it.
By the time help arrived in the room, with buckets of very cold water, the fire was put out. The blanket was half destroyed. And my hand was covered in what appeared to be burns and scorches. As soon as the first bucket arrived, I snatched it to “cool off my hand”. The others verified the fire was completely out. I was chastised for remaining in the room until the Elder’s wife arrived and coolly noted I had singlehandedly put the fire out.
“Our friend is trained to respond to many incidents without the aid of stronger men. I am sure she did as her training taught her to do. Better to have a scorched hand than risk the loss of the building.” She quickly pulled my “burnt” hand from the water and wrapped it in a towel. Throwing my outer robe over my shoulders, she announced she was taking me to the infirmary while someone cleans up the mess. Cradling my arm as if it were made of eggshell, she gave a particularly nasty stink-eye to the new wife that spilled the candle.
Once in the infirmary, she called for the Elder. I asked if there was a doctor. “We are all taught how to care for simple wounds, and how to keep the more grievous ones stable until a doctor can arrive. However, my husband said to make sure no one sees your wounds should you acquire any. And I want to see why.”
She pulled off the towel suddenly, and what little soot and dirt was pulled off with it. She looked over my undamaged hand with surprise. “I saw you grab the flame…” Shit. Busted.
The Elder entered, alone. “Are you in pain… friend?” He stared at my hand and looked up at me in angry askance.
“I did not break the covenant, Sir. It’s just I have a very high melting point. Fire can not harm me. And no, I’m not in pain. But I will fake being so for a day or two if that will keep the peace.” A moment of awkward silence. “The blanket, Sir. There was no beating this out, it would have splattered burning candle wax everywhere, and the blanket was burning through. If I had ran with the others…”
The Elder hushed me with a glare, looked at my hand, and placed a roll of bandages on the table. “Do you bear pain in silence or with expression?”
“In silence, usually. No need to make others miserable because I am.”
“Good. I do not ask you to mimic pain. I ask that you display the same level of concern that moved you to do this.” He started wrapping my hand in the bandages.
“Her hand.”
“Yes, wife.”
“She is untouched!”
“Yes, wife.”
“Is this sorcery?”
“No, wife. The Good Lord has seen fit to grace her with a unheard of high tolerance to heat. But this knowledge will test those not ready for such miracles.”
“She’s a witch.” She said flatly. “I saw the covenant she signed.”
The Elder stopped wrapping my hand but didn’t look up at her. “Then you saw she is bound. She has placed herself under the rule of the community. As long as she abides by that rule, she is not a witch, for we have no witches here.” He resumed wrapping my hand. “Out of respect for our friend and son, she has lowered herself. I am sure she is used to being a person of high position, and she has made herself low. Do not abuse this information, wife. Lest you find out as well what it is to be considered nothing for the simple reason that you are.”
He finished tying the bandage. “Hold your hand close to your chest. Say as little as possible. In a few hours, my wife will redress it in private. Your hand should be bound for at least a day. If you can bruise it afterward, that would be well.”
“Why are you teaching me to speak falsehood, Elder? I do not want to put you in this position.”
“You are not speaking falsehoods. You’re just not telling the whole of the truth.” He smiled again, but it was an aged and tired smile. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, even if the crown is but felt and paper.
The rest of the day, I endure my “injury” in patient silence. The young wife that dropped the candle is assigned to be my surrogate hands until the bandages are removed. It is now that the other women realize how physical I am, and how unfair their demands on me were.
Tend these animals, alone. Carry these burdens, alone. Kitchen prep. Kitchen clean. Tool maintenance. Laundry assistance. Textile repair. Kitchen prep. Kitchen clean.
Many of these tasks are often shared by at least three workers. But in an attempt to show me my place in the community, the usual help was withdrawn. So now the new wife was carrying the workload of three women.
The Elder’s wife knew of this, but said nothing at first because she approved of the attempts to drive me out. But on seeing just how much work had been poured onto me, yet completed without a complaint, her conscious pricked her severely. She ordered the women that would have normally helped me to help the new wife. And reminded them that my endurance did not give them leave to withdraw from their assigned duties. So in the eyes of the wife of the Elder, I was a good witch. In the eyes of the women that had their impromptu vacation cut short, I was the worst kind of bitch. I was one that made them look bad.
After a few days, my hand was declared healed “by the Good Lord’s attention”. The new wife remained my assistant. Things settled back down and the cold winter passed without spectacular incident.
Spring appeared, and as the ground woke from cold slumber, so did the local spirits. I had noted them moving along already, but they did not seem to mind the humanity, and the humanity was blind to them so there was nothing for me to intervene in. There were a great number of local spirits, much more than I expected even if there were no Friend community here. As I watched the humans, I realized why.
The Friend community was in balance with the land. They wasted nothing. They limited the use of poisonous substances. They took only what was needed and did not over harvest wild sources. Kitchen debris was turned back into fallow fields to decompose and enrich the soil. And to my surprise, the Friends did not claim dominion over the land, either. They taught that man was part of the land and it was arrogance to claim superiority to it simply because the Good Lord favored them over the animals. After all, man or animal, everything dies.
A spirit noticed I was aware of them, and now I have a different problem on my hand. They are all trying to talk to me! Sentience is as sentience does and seems there are gossipers where there is language. I couldn’t scream at them to be silent. Just give them subtle stink-eye.
The Elder’s wife caught some of those instances and pulled me aside to inquire. I was honest with her, just worded things differently than I would have normally said it. “There are land spirits about. Because of how the community has abided by your bond with your god, their hand is kept from harm. The winter would have been even worse than what it was, except the land spirits kept the worst away. They are at peace here, and at peace with the community. Most people can’t see them, but I can. And the reason I am scrunching my face at them, is because now they realize I can see them, and they are chatting at me non-stop like a toddler that learned how to talk!”
She immediately took me to the Elder, and bid me to repeat all I said. Which I did. The Elder asked if the spirits would turn against the people. “Only if the people turn against the covenant. It is your very way of life that has brought peace.” Would the spirits try to turn the hearts of the people, he asked. “No. The Friends of the community are to them, as they are to you. There is no interaction there. Besides, why speak ill to those that help?” How long has the spirits been here, he asked. “How old is the land? They were here when your ancestors first walked here, and they will be here long after your grandchildren’s grandchildren.” The Elder stood still long in thought.
“Then, there is no difference between them before you arrived, and them now you are here.” “Precisely.”
“Then in peace they abide, and in peace I will leave them. Will you require magic to speak back to them?” “No.”
“Then when you can, inform them that they should treat you as they treat us. In quiet peace.” “I shall.” I did not tell him that the spirits were in no way bound by the community’s covenant. The best I could do was point out if they keep nagging me I’ll be taken away and then there will be no one at all. Fortunately, that worked. Mostly. But those Folk in the blackberry bushes need to stop picking on the strawberry Folk. I mean, seriously. That’s mean.
Spring smoothed into summer. Waves of rain followed by horrid humidity. The day after the Summer Solstice, I noted a sudden sharp drop in spirits. Most of those gone were from the family of slyphs and other airy Folk. The other spirits that remained were hushed and concerned. And none of them wanted to whisper in my ear about it. Not one.
The day after that, I noticed a strange heavy air over the land. Something was wrong. The Elder’s wife suggested we take a long walk while she expounded on the virtues of being a womanly woman. It was code for “Let’s get you away from everyone else so you can do non-witchy witchy stuff.” Far enough away and out of sight, I asked the wild blackberry bush (the most gossipy spirits ever) what happened.
“So, this isn’t your doing?” “What’s not my doing?” “You’re the only one that can see or hear us, we were told.” “Does it look like I’m doing anything? What the hell happened?” “There is another human that has magic then. And that other human has captured the spirits of the air! I think he is going to try to capture the spirits of the earth, next. The ground around our roots suddenly feel ill.”
I could only stand there with my mouth agape. That’s hard magic. Not a silly cantrip to sweet talk hens into laying more eggs, but hardcore, covenant breaking, sorcery. The Elder’s wife nudged me fiercely, her curiosity at my paling face overcoming her fear of spirits. “Well? What did it… he… the spirits say?”
I only told her that I needed to talk to the Elder as soon as possible. I told the blackberry bush this was not my doing, but I would investigate and see if I could bring it to a stop. I didn’t wait for either bush nor woman to answer me, but began a brisk walk back to the compound. I tried to remain stoic, but my jaw was set harder than usual, prompting human gossip to race around the compound.
By the time the Elder sat with me in the office with his wife, the scuttlebutt said I had been caught trying to make a pass at one of the few single men in the community. I didn’t care. I was equal parts pissed and concerned.
“What is this trouble, friend? That you appear ready to burst into flame?”
“Remember when you asked about the spirits? And I said they would do no harm as long as the community held to the covenant?” The Elder nodded. “I am not the only magic user here, Elder. There is another, that is suddenly not shy about using their magic. They have made war against the spirits of the air, which is why the summer heat is suddenly unusually oppressive. And there are signs the magic user is going to wage war against the spirits of the earth. The spirits said the ground feels suddenly ill.”
The Elder nodded slowly, taking in this information. “It will require magic to confront this magic, I suppose? And are you sure the spirits are not lying to you? Our holy text is filled with reminders to be wary of this.”
“Hopefully, no, Elder. Do not release me from my covenant with you. Not yet. It is still a community issue, and it would be better if it is solved the Friend community way. And yes, I’m sure, these spirits are not lying. They fear for their home.”
“Do not release you? Why? How can we keep this magic down?”
“Because of your covenant to your god. You have foresworn magic. And because of that, your god protects you. If you release me from my covenant to you, you are saying your god can not intervene with those sworn to him. That I have to be the one to save you. See how that works? Believe me, I would like nothing better than to pour out some corrective action on the knucklehead that is upsetting hundreds of years of stability. But it is not my time to act. I am only the observer… for now. But now that you know, you can deal with this properly and within the covenant.”
The Elder’s wife leaned in. “My husband, the others will have to be told.”
“Be careful who you tell, Elder. Unless I am nearby when he, assuming the oathbreaker is a he, works his magic, I won’t see it. The other spirits have hidden themselves or have turned away from me thinking I am helping him. It will take human effort to tease out who the oathbreaker is.”
“You seem quite confident the oathbreaker will be found. Why?”
“He swore to abide by the rules of the community, he has broken those vows. He has decided he is greater than his god, and has broken his oath of fealty to him. He has made himself a stench to the very land itself. Oh yes, he will be discovered. There are some things you just don’t do without consequence.”
The Elder nodded slowly again and sat in deep thought. “What do you think is his goal?”
“What is the goal for anyone willing to break oaths? Power. He succeeded in capturing spirits of the air. That won’t keep him, he’s already working on capturing spirits of the earth. And then what? He can’t tell anyone. He has to keep it hidden. Why should he? Look what he can do! Why grovel and toil when his servants can to the work for him? There’s only one way to work his magic openly. He has to take over the community. He has to depose you.”
The Elder closed his eyes and sat in painful thought. As if a rejected realization kept asserting itself time and time again. “The paper you signed… it has no actual power over you, does it.” “No.” “It is your word and your honor that withholds you.” “Yes.” “I shall burn that paper this very evening, then. But I do not release you. Go to your dorm, and busy yourself with inside chores. I must speak with my wife, and speak with my god in prayer, and from that I shall decide what to do.”
I stood and curtsied. It was the first time I had done so. He smiled faintly at the gesture and quietly teased me about respecting authority. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown, even if it be but felt and paper.” He nodded and I left.
~scene fades~
And that is where the dream left off just before the alarm sounded. I think I know where I’m going to wind up tonight. And I fear this is going to get much more messy before it starts to get better.