The Red Abbey Chronicles by Maria Turtschaninoff Read Free Book Online Page A

over at Jai. “Look, there is the path that goes north to the valley where we grow our crops between our Abbey and White Lady. From there the path leads to the Solitary Temple, but we are following White Lady’s southern slope down to the south coast of the island. It is flat there and good for harvesting snails.”
    “Carry on with the story!” whined Ismi.
    “The Abbey did not have much silver in those days. The Sisters had not discovered the bloodsnail colony yet. They were too busy setting up the Abbey, building houses and gathering more knowledge. I do not think there were any novices here then, but I am not sure. I do not think rumours about the Abbey had spread yet.”
    “But a ship came anyway!” said Heo. “A big one!”
    “Yes, there came a big ship with a sharp bow and red and grey sails, a ship much like the Naondel . It does not say in any of the books I have read, but I think it might have come from the Eastern lands, like the First Sisters. There were bad men onthe ship. They wanted to get at the First Sisters’ knowledge. Maybe they wanted to get at the Sisters themselves.”
    Jai stumbled. I took her hand to help her up and kept hold awhile as she found her feet.
    “That was before the outer wall was built, so the Abbey was completely unprotected. The men sailed straight into the harbour one night while the Sisters were sleeping. But the island was not sleeping. When the men stepped on land all the birds on the island began to sing and woke the Sisters up. They ran to Knowledge House at once.”
    “Why did they go there, Maresi? Why didn’t they go up in the mountains?”
    “I don’t know, Heo. Maybe they wanted to protect the knowledge from the men?”
    “How can you protect knowledge?”
    “If it is contained in books, for example. Now stop interrupting. The Sisters rushed into Knowledge House and the men surrounded the building. There were a lot of men and the Sisters were far outnumbered. The men had sharp swords which gleamed in the moonlight. They tried to break into the house but they could not. When they tried to smash the window panes, it was as if the glass were made ofstone. Then they tried to set fire to the house, and at first it seemed as if they had succeeded. The wood of the door and roof began to smoulder and the men rejoiced. Soon the Sisters would burn inside, along with all their knowledge.
    “But then a man who had stayed behind on the ship came to join them and when he saw the fire he became mighty angry. He yelled that their master wanted them to take the women’s power and knowledge back to him. Their lives were of no consequence but the knowledge could not go up in smoke. The men had to quench the fire at once.”
    “I have seen the marks,” said Jai quietly, her eyes fixed on the path beneath her feet. “On the door to Knowledge House. The traces of the fire’s flames will be there for ever.”
    As she said this I realized that she was right. The bottom of the door is blackened with ancient soot.
    “Then the men said that they would wait them out. The women would have to come out when they ran out of food and water. So the men sat down, crossed their legs and got ready to wait for as long as necessary.”
    “But then they saw them!” Heo could not hold it in any longer. “The Moon women!”
    “That’s right. While the men were sitting there with their swords in their laps, ready to slay the Sisters if they dared come out, they felt the earth suddenly begin to quake. On the mountain above the Abbey they saw seven giant women walking with great strides. The women were silver-white and looked as though they were made of moonlight, but the ground trembled and quaked under their steps. Their long, loose hair lashed against the mountainside, ripping up flowers and small trees. Then they began to shine all the stronger and, though the men turned their faces away in fear, the women’s effulgence reflected in the shine of the men’s swords and blinded them. When