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She stopped again, wondering what to do In her rim Inn The spindles did not ain Taketext shiainst the surface of the orb The pointers did not change Though confused, she decided to trust it Was Colvin at the Abbey? Had he ed to escape the sheriff soan to churn inside her It was not built like a fortress, with battle froht she had witnessed all of her life, yet she looked at it afresh with new eyes The stone structure was enor oaks The ere all veiled with lass, so thick that it was impossible to see inside, and even if that were not so, there were heavy curtains within

Wretcheds never went inside Only learners who had co a shirt of chaen beneath their clothes She had no idea what happened, how it happened, or what ht inside It hispered that those who entered had to demonstrate their mastery of the Medium in order to receive their chaen shirt Since it took four years of intense learning to acquire the skills necessary even to enter, the trials experienced within rounds since she was old enough to get into mischief She had run her hand across each surface and crevice around the entire structure Soined what it looked like inside What gruesos decorated the entire façade, with repeating themes like arches that overlapped The front end of the Abbey was shorter than the rear side, two levels high compared to three and four further back as it rose like a mountain Lia had already passed the main doors, which were always locked No one ever entered through thethe lower levels, there were several other entry points that had been carved into the design

The pointers of the orb shifted as she approached, directing her along the north face of the Abbey In fact, the orb directed her to a beautifully crafted doorway It was made of three connected archways, each one fit within the one before it, shrinking slowly to the door itself which wasfeeling in her sto seethed inside her soul Wretcheds were not allowed in the sanctuary It was totally, absolutely, strictly forbidden Why was the orb showing her the door?

She stopped at the threshold, shivering Sweat popped up on her forehead The pointers on the orb did not change – it pointed directly to the doors What if she were caught? What if the Aldermaston found out? Did that reallythe orb that he would cast her out of the abbey forever anyway? If that was so, then this would be her last chance to see the inside Maybe her only chance

She took a step forward and the foreboding darkened her thoughts even ely i Then she noticed the eyes staring at her There were ss carved into base of the arches One a man One a woman One a lion One a sun She realized that they were all exuding their poarning her to back away If they were Leerings, she ht, she silenced the vanished The oppression and heavy feeling fled, leaving her gasping with relief So her

It was only the Medius were not real

Liaout, she gripped the huge door-pull and tugged It opened sh as the outside air was sucked in

Holding her breath, she entered

When the door shut behind her, all was dark until the Cruciger orb flared alive, shining like a laht The scene took her breath away A sharp ceiling rose up, supporting by giant stone buttresses The walls were adorned with colorful tapestries Small tables stood here and there, the bases of solid onyx or s, and on the tabletops were pots of flowers in blooht fed the a step in wonderment, she stopped as soon as her toe left the woven mat and touched the polished, perfect, square tiles Her shoes were dirty and wet, and not only would they leave ht to be wearing the, she removed her shoes and wiped her feet on the he the shoes, she stepped onto the cool tiles and followed the direction the pointers led her