Light and Dark Eternal Ch. 02

Larken shrugged and her mother said, "I figured as much. Let's head for the causeway then."

"Look at it Mom." Larken pointed to Frith and said, "Isn't it beautiful."

"It's about half a mile away, that's tough to judge," her mother said. "But from the photos, yes, it's beautiful." Her gaze shifted and her eyes took on a faraway look. Her mouth moved and Larken caught, the sentinel will stand, but that was it.

"What did you say" Larken asked.

Her mother looked at her and said, "Let's go."

The causeway was much wider than it looked from the top of the ridge. A railing separated the walkway from the road, giving pedestrians plenty of space. Two narrow lanes were used by shuttle busses and the gate was currently down, blocking the road. People were lined up alongside waiting for one of the red shuttles.

"Let's walk the causeway," Larken said.

Her mother shook her head and said, "We just walked from the train station, dragging our luggage behind the whole way. No thanks."

"If you'd like to walk the causeway ladies, we can take your luggage on the bus and have it delivered to whichever inn you're staying at."

They both looked at the smiling guide, one of three at the shuttle stop. Covered in freckles, her bright green eyes welcoming, she had a pad of tickets and pen in hand, ready to take their information. Larken smiled brightly and looked at her mother.

"Alright," her mother said, with a sigh. "But we aren't staying on the Sentinel. We're going to Frith."

The guide nodded and said, "We'll have your bags taken to the ferry Miss Simone. Will you be going directly there, or are you going to spend some time on the Sentinel?"

"We're going to the monastery," Larken replied. "To pay our respects."

She wrote out the tickets and attached them to the luggage. Darby and Larken Simone, were clearly visible, and Larken exchanged glances with her mother.

"Enjoy your time on the Sentinel ladies. Your bags will be at the ferry when you're ready to go to Frith. Welcome home."

"Thank you," Larken and her mother said together.

The causeway was packed with people, phones and cameras out. Larken leaned over the railing getting a closer look at the exposed seabed, marveling that where she stood would be completely underwater by sunset.

"It really does look like a hand scooped out a chuck of the coast," her mother said.

"It really does. It's hard to imagine Frith was once the coastline," she said, her eyes drawn to the old monastery.

An ancient keep halfway up the Sentinel, it was abandoned and falling into disrepair when an order of monks moved in. Over the years their numbers grew and so did the monastery. Buildings were added until it dominated the highest hills on the Sentinel. But when the power of the church and their various orders declined, the monks were forced out by the local lord and it was used as an outpost. The witch hunts turned it into a place of horror and death.

The walls surrounding the town seemed to tower over the causeway, sentinels in their own right. While there were docks for the ferries, they were shielded from the weather in an alcove on the north side of the island.

Once inside the walls, the street split. North was a paved road, leading to the few hotels on the island, and a park and gardens. To the south was a cobblestone street that ran a winding path through, shops, restaurants, art galleries, and historic sites. No vehicles allowed, the streets were too narrow.

They followed the signs for the monastery, keeping to the main thoroughfare, which was a slightly broader avenue than the side streets that zigzagged upward, disappearing into the maze of hills and buildings. The road suddenly opened up into a square filled with people enjoying the various street performers. Live music drifted out of the Wolf's Head Brew Pub, a tall, three story building overlooking the square.

Two Wolf's Head brew pubs were on the Sentinel, the Big Brew Pub, and the Little Brew Pub. Simple names, and profitable for merchandizing. The Big Brew Pub, serving seasonal previews of Wolf's Head beers, was packed. The second floor balcony overlooked the street, and the rooftop was filled with what looked like a private party. All the doors on the ground floor were open, and servers were moving among patio tables while two musicians played from a small stage inside. The bar was three deep, and every table full.

"How about some coffee?" Larken said, looking at the coffee shop across the street. "You slept most of the flight, I didn't."

"I offered you a sleeping pill," her mom said, crossing the road to the coffee window.

"I know, but they make me feel groggy."

They got two coffees and leaned against the wall listening to the music drifting out of the pub. The singer was gifted, her voice haunting and powerful. All of a sudden an itch manifested between her shoulder blades and she searched the street. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught it. A guy was staring at her from one of the balcony tables. She looked up, meeting his gaze unflinching, and he smiled. A split second later the older man to his left asked him a question and he turned his attention to their conversation. Larken got a good look at his profile, fair was fair. Sun kissed, loose brown curls framed a lean face, with thick eyebrows over light blue, almost grey, eyes. He had a creamy complexion with just a touch of a caramel, and the way he moved in his chair, with a fluid grace, kept drawing her gaze. He looked her age maybe a year or two older, and he seemed to be charming the four people sitting across from him and his older companion. They were all nods, smiles, and laughter. He caught her watching, and met her gaze this time.

"Touché," she said, hiding a smile behind her cup.

"Still sure about the monastery?" her mother asked.

"We should," Larken said. "It's part of our history, and if we don't do it now, we probably won't do it at all."

Her mother slipped an arm around hers and said, "Let's go then. I'm hungry and if I see one more meat pie we're grabbing a table at the pub."

"Aright," Larken said, glancing up at the balcony. But he was absorbed in his conversation and didn't see her walking away.