The girls looked at each other in shock.

‘I heard your voices. I think you woke me. Please bring your light.’

‘Who are you?’ said Camryn, nervously.

There was a pause. ‘My name is Rosa, I think. It’s been such a long time since anyone used it. Please bring the light.’

Bria picked up one of the lanterns and Adelyn picked up the other and the three girls cautiously went down the steps to where Nia was frozen in terror. ‘I’m not sure I want to be a knight anymore’ she whimpered.

‘What is this talk of knights?’ came the voice. ‘Only men can be knights. You are rightly called Valkyrs. Or at least, you will be if you ever find any courage.’

Bria punched Nia’s shoulder ‘Come on, stop grizzling, we knew it was going to be different and exciting.’ She held the lantern higher and started walking through the dust towards the voice. When Adelyn started to follow, Nia and Camryn kept up, rather than be left alone in the darkness.

‘I see your lights. Come, come.’

After fifty or sixty paces, they could see an assortment of furniture, bookcases arranged in a square around a table with a dozen plain chairs tucked under it down each side on the northern side of the hall. At the head of the table with its back toward the wall was an oak chair with a high back and wide arms. The woman sitting on the chair was ancient with grey straggly hair and deep creases in her face, but even in the dim light of the lanterns they could see that she had blue eyes, not the least faded by age.

‘Welcome, welcome. I am Rosa and you are?

‘I am Princess Bria, and these are my friends, Camryn, Adelyn and Nia. May I ask you what you are?’ she paused and blushed. ‘Forgive me, that was not how I meant it to sound. I mean what is your role and how long have you been here?’

The old lady nodded. ‘Apology asked, forgiveness received. I am Rosa, or did I tell you that already? I have been asleep, I think. For so long, so long.’ She lapsed into silence.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Nia shuffled her feet and the old lady’s gaze focussed on her. ‘Ah yes, now it is I who must seek pardon. I was chasing my wits I think.’

‘Apology asked, forgiveness received’ said Camryn and the old lady burst out laughing. ‘Now child, you have a wit. Sit, sit, but carefully. Perhaps the chairs will hold, perhaps they won’t. They are very old. Put the lanterns on the top of the bookcases that we might have light and we will talk.’

‘Will we always have to have lanterns in here, Rosa?’ asked Nia.

‘Bless you child. no. When the sun rises, rock crystal pipes will bring light. Well, they used to. Perhaps they are broken. I have been asleep for so long. The light gems will work too, in time, but we must be careful with them.’

‘Speaking of sleeping’ said Adelyn ‘Would you be very offended if we brought our bedrolls and slept. We have training in the morning and it’s already been a long day. We can continue this when the Preceptor gives us some free time.’

Camryn twitched a bit at Adelyn’s words. ‘We know nothing about her. She could be a lich or a ghoul and feast on our brains while we sleep. We should leave and find the Preceptor.’

Rosa pealed with laughter. ‘Old tales and you have an imagination child, liches and ghouls have never walked the land that I knew. I am sure four brave girls can defeat one old woman who is too weak even to stand up’

Adelyn shrugged and said ‘The Preceptor can’t enter and neither can anyone else. We’re a bit lacking in heroines who could sort this out for us. We need to be the heroines’

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

The old lady nodded again. ‘You speak sense child. Yes, yes, you must sleep. It has been so long, a few more hours will not be measured. Leave one lantern lit that I may have light and write and that you will too if you wake. If it grows dim, I will light the other. In the morning we will talk more.’

The girls retraced their steps and picked up their bedrolls. When they got back to Rosa, they did as she suggested and put both lanterns on the top of one of the bookcases leaving one lit and put the other out to save its fuel.

When Bria woke, Rosa was still in her chair, but the other lantern was now lit. Bria looked at it in sleep-muddled confusion. The old lady was too small to have reached down the lantern and lit it and surely not spry enough to have dragged a chair over and climbed on it. Rosa saw her looking and said ‘we all have our secrets, my dear. Now, I judge that the sun is rising and that the crystal pipes have been covered outside. A night’s thinking has brought clarity if not daylight in here. Wake your friends and we will talk a little and then you must go and greet the outside world.’

Bria prodded Camryn and the others awake, and they sat up somewhat confused.

‘Well, my little valkyrs. It seems that you have survived the night with no brains eaten. Such as you have” Rosa smiled a wry smile at Camryn and she smiled back a little nervously. ‘I have written a letter for your Preceptor. I think it best if you don’t mention me to anyone else just yet. If I know military men, I suspect he is organising an army of cleaners and lady carpenters to make the place habitable, but I’ve suggested that he doesn’t.’ Rosa indicated the letter. ‘Instead, I’ve asked that he has the pools in the glades of the queen dredged and cleaned so that some light may filter in – the crystal pipes came up under pools of water, I now remember – I drew him a map. He may have many questions; answer him honestly but out of earshot of any other. Now, go and refresh yourselves, train and bring me back news of the world.’

Bria took the letter and looked at it and then at Rosa. ‘Are you the Lore Mistress?’

Rosa cackled with delight ‘You could describe me so, Oh indeed! Still, best you do not mention me to anyone, least of all that sly old rogue that you call the Lore Master. Him I must think upon.’

‘Before we go, Lore Mistress,’ asked Nia nervously ‘are there any other surprises down here?’

‘Just Rosa’ replied the Lore Mistress.

Adelyn wrinkled her forehead thinking about this. ‘Do you mean we are to call you Rosa, or do you mean that you are the only surprising thing in the women’s barracks?’

Rosa’s eyes twinkled. ‘Both. There is certainly no-one more surprising or surprised than me here at the moment. And this part of the complex is rightly called the Lady’s Hall. There are bunks and training rooms on the other side as well as an armoury. The armour should be in good repair but most likely the rest has been ravaged by time.’

Camryn’s face fell ‘So no lost Jewel of the Isles or piles of golden tears or magic swords then?’

‘And why would you be wanting to find such things. Making magic swords was the craft of the forest weavers and an unreliable lot they were; you can’t eat gold and finding the Jewel of the Isles would only bring you sorrow. No children, leave such treasures to idiots and dreamers. You master the lore and yourselves and your names will be legend soon enough. Now go out and learn what you may from this Preceptor. If one of you could sneak back with more lamp oil or candles so that I may have a little light, I will be grateful.’

‘Should we bring you food and drink too?’ asked Bria.

‘Thoughtful, child, but no. I seem not to need it and I divine that care is taken to keep it away from the Lore Master. He and I seem similar so I shall avoid it for now.’

Bria bowed to the old woman and turned away. ‘Nia, would you see to lights for Rosa. Adelyn, would you see if we can find some beds that we can carry between us. Camryn and I will find brushes and shovels and see if we can spend some time fighting the dust.’

A few minutes later, the girls found themselves in the Southern Hall. Yesterday it had seemed gloomy but after a night in the darkness, it seemed well lit by the light coming in through the narrow windows in the top half of the southern and eastern walls.

Sir Henrik was standing by the doors into the throne room. ‘Good morning ladies, you survived the night then. The Preceptor is in the refectory. He will give you duties for the day. Please tell him that I have gone to roust the sluggards from their pits.’ Adelyn looked at him blankly. ‘I’m going to wake those sleepy-headed boys and make them get up’ explained Sir Henrik. ‘Oh’ said Adelyn, ‘I thought it was some knightly duty that we would have to learn.’ Sir Henrik pulled a face, ‘More of a daily chore, but not one you’ll be faced with.’

As he turned his back and started towards the eastern doors, Nia lifted a couple of unlit lanterns from their hooks in the pillar alcoves and skipped back through the western doors. Within two minutes she was back with a grin on her face. ‘Hark at you with your new-found courage.’ said Camryn. ‘Pilfered the lights and fled into the darkness on your own.’

Nia reddened a little. ‘Come on, we don’t want to keep the Preceptor waiting.’

They trooped into the refectory and once they were inside, Bria turned and shut the door.

‘Now, why would you do that?’ mused the Preceptor, ‘unless you had something to discuss for my ears only?’