Judith Parrish Broadbent An Excerpt from The Wind Caller

An Excerpt from The Wind Caller

Judith Parrish Broadbent

The boy stumbled abruptly over a gnarled root whose twisted fingers inched across the narrow path. He had been deep in thought, concentrating on the girl’s auburn tresses as she moved lithely up the narrow path ahead of him. She had suddenly appeared one morning at the hacienda and impelled him to go with her to the ancient citadel. She had quoted an old adage about precluding eminent danger in her attempt to persuade him to collaborate with her on this expedition. Samueld had been thinking about the discordant arguments that had arisen from Jereo and Lunara when he had told them of his plans. He had wondered why the New Order’s decree that made everyone so servile had not been challenged by others. He recalled a time when he was quite young attending a celebration in the square of some large city. Such gatherings were now prohibited. His memories brought back vivid images of being jostled by a large churlish man dressed in black and blood-red. He remembered hearing many plaudits for his father’s heroism. He could not recall the act that had gotten the praise. It was as if an excerpt from his history had been removed.

“Be careful,” the girl admonished in a tone barely audible, “and don’t be a laggard; we have much ground to cover before the sun sets.” She turned and moved away quickly through the tangle of growth above them.

It was nearly dark when they reached the entrance of the cave. It was cleverly disguised, appearing to be part of the rubble that had fallen from the cliff edge above. They had to grope their way cautiously through the narrow slit that formed the opening to the inner chambers. Abruptly Andreanna vanished from sight and the boy’s throat tightened as a sense of eerie panic engulfed him. The silence hovered over him like a specter. He had to wrangle with his fear in order to go on any farther. This situation could evolve into a serious obstacle. In the velvety darkness he ran his fingers carefully along the cave wall and unexpectedly they were lost in open space. He edged his foot slowly towards the unknown abyss that he feared lay beyond this wall. His soft leather boots slid noiselessly across the smooth surface of

the stone floor, and this did not disappear as the wall had. He stepped cautiously around the corner and to his astonishment saw another opening ahead that was now filled with light.

Samueld walked quickly through the portal to find a bonanza of crystals lining the walls of a rather large and high-ceilinged room. The candles positioned on a flat stone in the center of the room cast rays in all directions that reflected from the facets of each crystal, making one feel that he was on the inside of a gigantic geode. He felt that he was reverting to a magical childhood dream that had filled his nights when he was very young.

Andreanna suddenly appeared from the other side of the grotto. The candlelight reflections shimmered on her auburn hair that she had wound closely around her head. A few rebellious tendrils had escaped and curled gently at the edge of her small but intense face. There was a warm glow about her cheeks, and her dark eyes fringed with long ebony lashes sparkled as if with sweet laughter. She seemed to be amused at his enchantment with the room. “It be quite late, and we still need a vigil to keep,” she said quietly. “This place is known to very few, but one can never be off one’s guard. I will watch first, so go to sleep. We must proceed at first dawn.” She seemed very calm and showed him a smooth, flat stone on which to rest and gave him a hand-woven quilt to wrap himself in. He soon drifted into a light sleep, dreaming of her face floating in the crystal light.