“Cor—Cordelia,” I choked in between sobs. “I’m Cordelia Wildheart.” At least I remembered that.
“What a beautiful name. And do you know what Cordelia means?” she asked.
I shook my heavy head.
“It meansheart. And you, sweet Delia, have a good and kind and wild heart. A broken heart that will heal in time. Wipe your face. Come, let’s go get you something to eat from the kitchen.”
I shuddered as she held my hand and walked us along the dim corridors and into the kitchen.
“Here you go,” she said, handing me a glass of water. “Don’t waste a drop. I’m afraid it’s desperate times we’re in.” I didn’t understand what she meant by that, but I agreed with her. I did feel desperate.
I struggled to drink while my breath was hitching, and so she sat me down. “You may drink once you calm down, otherwise you will end up swallowing it the wrong way.”
I nodded, soon after managing a small sip.
She went next to the kitchen counter and reached for the knife. Then returned with what looked like a huge piece of cake.
“What is it?” I asked, voice low and head lowered.
“It’s date-and-walnut cake. I’m sure you’ll like it very much.”
I brought the spoon closer to my face, until my forehead and my chin were no longer impossibly elongated in its reflection. My own image, the big brown eyes that stared back at me, felt odd, and I couldn’t quite place why. The spoon clunked as it hit the table. I shook my dizzy head, ignoring my gnawing belly.
The veiled woman went to cut a smaller piece for herself and took the chair next to mine. “Mmm,” she hummed, as she took her first bite. It encouraged me to take a small bite of my own. And she was right. I did like it. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate, what I had eaten.
“Delia, I know that what you’re feeling right now is not easy. I know that you may find it unfair to have lost your parents and lost your memory of them. And I know that you might not yet understand what happened to you, but I want you to know thatI will be right here with you, and I will be here until the day you feel better. Because I know that it will get better.”
I wasn’t sure what those words meant. I wasn’t aware of the value they held, but for some reason they made my head feel better. Yet I still couldn’t rid myself of those chest-tightening shudders.
I managed to ask her, “What’s…what’s your name?”
“Oh! How rude of me. I’m Sand Priestess Selmira. I am one of the Sand Priestesses here in the Orphanage of Dunes.”
“Orphanage?”
“Yes, an orphanage, in the west of Ramel. In Kalnar. It is home to many bright children, just like yourself. Come, let’s walk for a while.”
I wrapped the beige robe-like dress around my belly and shadowed the Sand Priestess.
I stood on straining toes while I peeked through a window on the top floor. The night held oddly still—it lacked the whispers of wind, its rustling echoes. The lit torches allowed me to glimpse shadows of the structures Sand Priestess Selmira pointed at.
“There, down there, next to those two distant flames, that is the stable. It is where we keep our horses. We have two, one black and one brown. Right up there is the playing field, you’ll see it better in the morning. And there, on the right, where the long torches are, that’s the arts and crafts area.” She leaned closer. “Look there, do you see that circle made of many torches? They surround a sandstone hut.”
“Mmhmm,” I replied, watching the circle of flickering fires.
“Thatis the most important place for us in this orphanage. It is the praying area. We pray to Amfir—to help us prosper, to bless us with many children, and bless us with Sand Wielders. We haven’t had any new Wielders in five years now, but pray we still. Now I will show you the other most important part of the orphanage. Can you guess which one it is?”
I shrugged.
“It is the teaching wing—the place where dedicated Sand Priestesses share all of their knowledge and education with young boys and girls, and you, my dear, will learnso much. It gets crowded with children during the day as all must attend the teachings. Crafts and playing come later.” It felt strange to think of this place as anything but still as night. “Come, let’s get you back to bed. Tomorrow morning I will have breakfast with you, and then I’ll show you the rest of the orphanage. But, young lady, the day after that, you will be attending the teachings.”
“Can we go see the horses?” I asked.
“You like horses?”
“Yes…I—I mean, I think so.”
“Very well, we’ll visit them tomorrow. I promise.”
