by M. D. Grimm
Grekel nodded but looked disappointed. So did the rest of his pack, behind him, hidden among the dark trees, their eyes shining like Night Fires.
The wichtln disappeared, and I looked up to see fasion staring beadily at me. I glared and flicked my hand at them.
They launched into the air as a lance of pure force barreled toward them. Cawing and cursing, they flew away, a black horde in the sky.
A feeling of intense helplessness washed over me, sapping my strength and making me stagger. I hadn’t felt such a heavy, black cloud in too many years to count, but I never forgot the memory of how it felt. It tried to swallow me once again -- it was the same feeling that had held me captive until the Mother had visited me as a child. The first true feeling I ever knew and recognized, though I didn’t know what it was at the time. I leaned against a tree, and it quivered at my touch but for once, didn’t swat at me. Snow fell on me from the branches above, and it chilled my skin, snapping me awake.
My hands clenched into fists, and I pushed away. No way in hell were they going to win -- I would win or die trying.
I started walking again and eventually ended up on the hill that overlooked Happy Valley. It was now midday, and I was thinking about how Aishe was going to be very pissed at me for staying out so long when I noticed that something was wrong with my village.
The rainbow was gone. For as long as I’d lived here, the rainbow had always been arched over the village. So where was it?
Snow buried the village, and several roofs had caved in. My heart began to pound in my ears, and my stomach churned. Citizens were digging through the layers of snow and arguing as they did so. The arguments soon turned into fights, and the white snow soon turned red with blood.
There seemed to be less color in the village as well, as if all the life and happiness had been sucked out of it.
What did they do to my village?
Seething, feeling pressure build up in my chest, I ran down the hill, my hands and arms flaming with red fire. The snow melted wherever I put my feet, and I could literally feel the difference in the atmosphere as I approached the cottages, the stunned citizens. The fighting stopped, and creatures of all species stared at me with fear and dread.
“Morgorth!”
I swung around and gaped. “Aishe, what the fuck--”
“Calm down!” Aishe put up a hand to stop my tirade. “I was not going to stay in that castle a second longer. I had to find you. Especially after Nanna paid me a visit.”
I gripped his shoulders and felt him flinch at the flames.
Fear flickered in his eyes, but his muscles slowly relaxed when the flames didn’t burn him. His fear, however, made my blood run hotter and my magick build painfully inside me. The pressure began to build behind my eyes.
“When?”
“Not long ago,” Aishe said. We both ignored the staring Happy Valley citizens.
“What did she want?”
“To warn me,” Aishe said angrily. “To warn you. I stayed in the castle, but I spoke to her as I stood by a window.” I swallowed some of my anger. Aishe wasn’t stupid -- I needed to remember that. He had a sense of self-preservation. “She told me to tell you that everything you care about, everything you own, will be taken from you or destroyed until you give the Council Rambujek.”
I cursed foully and let Aishe go, just in case I lost control of the flames. I called her and Dyrc every filthy name in the book and still found no relief. The helplessness tried to consume me again, but I stamped it down. I knew I had options; I just had to think. I just needed time to think. But how could I when I felt like I was suffocating? When it felt like I was standing on a precipice, staring into a dark abyss that would lead me to the toxic underworld while behind me payshtha’s fire was a wall ready to consume me body and soul?
There was no Mother to give me strength this time. This time I was truly on my own. Why the fuck had Master Ulezander been unavailable for the vote? What the fuck was the Council up to?
“I knew I’d find you here,” Aishe said from behind me.
“That’s why I came. I didn’t know when you were coming home, and I had to tell you.”
“She must have come to you after leaving me,” I said to myself. “But when did she come here? What did she do?”
I stood there, silent, staring at my village as it began to tear itself apart. Then, for an instant, the mist seemed to clear, and my mind focused on one obvious truth -- one I couldn’t believe I hadn’t realized sooner.
“The Council does want a war.”
“What?” Aishe stepped beside me, but I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t.
“By the Mother and the Hunter,” I said softly, unable to raise my voice. “They are deliberately provoking me. It isn’t about Rambujek. It never was. This is the Council’s chance to make war on me.”
“Morgorth, what are you saying?” I heard the panic in Aishe’s voice, the way it trembled and raised an octave.
“Whether Dyrc and Nanna were ordered to provoke me into war doesn’t matter, it’s what the Council wants to happen. They knew that by trying to take Rambujek away from me, a stone I had won, they were violating their own rules. But because of what I am--”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, the muscles in my stomach knotted tightly, causing pain.
“They want me to make the first move. They expect it.
Their actions would seem justified because of what I am and what I have. If I don’t give them the stone, they can declare war if I don’t do it first, and if I do give them the stone...”
“You lose power because you lose fear.”
I nodded. “The Council and I have been in a stalemate because I haven’t made a move or done anything to provoke their involvement in my life. I’ve kept my nose clean, and they don’t like it. They’re tired of waiting, and now they see this as their opportunity. Bastards. Filthy hypocritical fucking bastards.”
A lance of fire shot out of my hand and streaked through the air after I bellowed a word of magick. It burst like a firework in the sky, and everyone ducked in fear except Aishe and I. But when I looked at Aishe, his face was pale and his eyes were shadowed. He looked at me. I saw the fear and realized he was trembling.
“What?” I snapped. “You think I’m going to hurt you or anyone else here just because I’m pissed? You’re no better than them!” I swung around and paced away, dragging my fingers through my hair. “I’m not a monster. I’m not a monster. I don’t fucking deserve this. Neither do they.”
I looked at my village once more and pulled at my hair, pain radiating through my head.
“Morgorth, we have to help them,” Aishe said determinedly. I looked at him, and his mouth was pulled into a firm line. He held his bow gripped in his hand. The sun glinted off his hair and shined in his eyes, which were no longer fearful but hard, shielded. I stared into those eyes; they reminded me of the deep greens of forests and rolling fields in the begsumer when life came back to the land after the harsh winter. They calmed me. I had spoken cruelly to him, but he was still there, standing up, looking me in the eye.
While the rage still boiled and bubbled inside, I felt my shoulders slump, my muscles loosen. The knots in my stomach released some tension as well, giving me some relief.
I kept my voice low. “You put up with a lot, being my mate. I know I’m not easy.”
“I never expected it to be easy,” Aishe said. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. I watched his elegant chest rise and fall. Then I was captured by those eyes again.
“We do this together, Morgorth.” Aishe walked to me and gripped my hand, which was still engulfed in a fireball.
My eyes widened as his hand reached into the fire without hesitation. He showed more trust than I felt that I deserved.
He held my eyes. “Or we don’t do this at all.”
I gave a hard nod. Then I looked at those who still stared at us. It seemed the entire village had been watching us silently. All the species that called
this place home were now wondering if I was just one more burden on their already over-flowing plate. I realized that none of them would survive the winter if I didn’t do something. Most of the homes were demolished by the heavy snow, and their grain building was near collapse, which would destroy all the food they’d gathered.
“Fucking-A.” I shook back my sleeves, exposing my thin, scarred hands and arms, and flexed my fingers. I stretched them toward the buildings of the village, and since Aishe had allowed me to calm my mind, I managed to focus my thoughts, calm the chaos inside enough to murmur a word to activate my spell. My magick was unleashed.
The spell was subtle but effective. I heated the air rapidly around the snow on the roofs and on the ground, causing it to melt. It didn’t take very long, and I wasn’t even winded by the time I was done. I looked at the creatures around me, all still gaping at me.
“Well?” I barked. They all jerked and scrambled around each other. “Get to work! The houses won’t rebuild themselves!” They scampered off like mice before a cat.
“Idiots,” I murmured, hearing the affection in my own voice.
By the Mother -- did I actually like these simpletons?
Well, I certainly didn’t want them to die because some mages were pissed at me. I also wanted to protect this village because it was mine. It was on my land, in my territory, and it burned my ass that Dyrc and Nanna and the damn bloodthirsty idiots at the Council would attack it just to get to me.
“What did they do to this place?” Aishe asked as he stood beside me.
I hadn’t told Aishe about the stone in the field. “I don’t know,” I growled. “But I’m going to find out.” But before I do... “Heal those who’ve been injured,” I said. “I’m going to look around.”
“Right.” Aishe walked over to those who had had their houses collapse onto them and spoke gently. He also healed those who had been in petty scuffles. I left him to what he did best and walked around the outskirts of the village, scanning the area. I didn’t feel the subtle push anymore.
Damn it, Nanna!
As I continued out of the village, the sounds of hammering, yelling, thumping, and cursing that echoed from the village faded, replaced by the sound of weeping. I focused my mind, thought a word, and became invisible. I had melted the snow on the ground, allowing my footsteps to be hidden from sight. But I still walked cautiously, my invisibility not hiding any sound I might make.
I climbed a small hill on the eastern part of the village, and once I reached the top, I knelt. There was that young seela female I’d seen only a few days before, kneeling by what looked like a hole in the ground. She was crying. Her golden hair was long and fell to the ground, covering most of her body from view. Her hands were covering her face, and she was sobbing hard.
Fucking toxic underworld in a hand basket.
Then she lifted her head, her delicate features ravaged by her tears. She reached out and touched a small box that lay beside the hole. I was too far away to see what was carved on it but I could make an educated guess. The seela maiden slowly closed the box, set it gently inside the hole and covered it with dirt, weeping all the while.
She staggered to her feet, pulled up a fur-lined hood, and began to walk toward me. I moved slightly but didn’t leave.
She climbed up the hill, stood at the top for a moment, her sobs now clear and heart-wrenching, and then continued down the other side. She looked so defeated, her shoulders slumped, her head bowed. Her pain wasn’t very different from my own, and I actually felt my eyes burn.
I waited until she disappeared into the village before springing over the hill and flinging off my invisibility. I clawed through the dirt and yanked out the box. My own hands trembled as I gazed at the neatly carved wood, the gold-lined edges, the ancient language. I didn’t open it; I didn’t need to. I knew what had been in there.
On the lid of the box, there were carved seven outlines of people, each having a gold ring over their heads. The symbol of a mage. They all had their hands up as if warding off something, but I knew it to be the act of throwing a spell. At the lower right corner of the carving, there was another circle, but this one was painted silver and the symbol for light was carved above it.
The carving depicted the first seven mages creating a stone of power.
I was going to blast Nanna and Dyrc to the moon. And the rest of the Council if they kept at me. If they wanted a war, I might just be inclined to give them one.
***
I stood on the landing outside the front doors to Geheimnis and amplified my voice so it could be heard for kirons.
“DYRC! NANNA! SHOW YOURSELVES!”
Aishe stood behind me, covering his ears with his hands. He stayed near the doors; I knew nothing less than physically pushing him inside would cause him to leave me. I wasn’t going to waste my energy. He was smart; he would know if he needed to hide.
I waited, the harsh wind picking up strength and battering against me. The tail of my winter coat flapped around my legs, and my hair flew crazily around my head. I looked once behind me to see Aishe protected by the lintels around Geheimnis’ doors. I nodded to him before turning back to stare ahead.
Two black shapes suddenly appeared over the tops of the trees, becoming steadily larger as they sped through the air.
Their speed slowed gradually until they gracefully touched down on my landing, their coats flapping around them. The wind was particularly vicious today. I wanted it to be; I was used to it -- these intruders weren’t. It was one of the advantages (or disadvantages) of living so high up. It also matched the storm raging inside me.
“You had no right to invade my village!” I shouted at them, my voice carrying over the howling tumult.
“So you noticed?” Dyrc grinned.
I seethed. I turned to Nanna. “The village is mine, Nanna. You haven’t declared war, and yet you act war-like.
I demand you give back what was taken. It was not yours to take!”
“And neither was it theirs to keep,” Nanna said, her eyes bright and her hair loosening from its tight bun. Her coat was threatening to fly off without her, and I could see her struggling to keep her balance.
I watched as she untied a small pouch from her belt that tightened her coat around her small waist. She held up the pouch, and that was when I felt it. I now knew which stone had been hidden inside Happy Valley.
“You see, Morgorth? Finders keepers. It was buried after all,” she said smugly.
I stared at the pouch. No wonder I had never thought to blast Happy Valley away. I was probably influenced by that damn stone. It hadn’t been completely mercy on my part... well, maybe mostly mercy. Hell, this was not the time and place to try and understand my reasons for sparing the stupid village. This stone was minor, and even this close, it wasn’t calling me, it wasn’t begging me to take it up, to use it. It wasn’t giving me promises or offering to make my dreams come true. It just -- was.
But I knew its name as soon as I felt its energy. Such was the way with mages when they were shown a stone of power. The number of the stones in existence was unknown, and so were their names and purposes; but every mage could recognize a stone immediately upon seeing it.
This was a peridot. Its name was Puejuek.
“I was surprised when I visited your little village and found this gem,” Nanna said, her voice far too smug and triumphant. “I was also surprised that you had not detected it sooner and captured it for yourself. For surely, this stone could help you immensely.”
“How did you find it?” I asked, my voice low.
Nanna just smiled.
“How did you find it?” I shouted, unwilling to let that remain unanswered.
“From experience, Morgorth. I am older than you.”
I wanted to smack that smug smile right off her narrow face.
Puejuek bestowed the blessings of the Mother on a person or place, depending on the user’s desires. That was why Happy Valley had survived and prospered for so long -- why na
ture itself seemed to favor it, and armies had never destroyed it. Basically, Puejuek gave the user incredible luck and prosperity, and as long as Nanna and Dyrc had ahold of it, I didn’t dare touch them. I had no idea if they had activated Puejuek or not. If they had, and I tried to blast them away, it could rebound on me.
Damn it to the underworld! I detested those stones. Why did the first seven mages ever create them? Fear rose like a cold blast, and all the heat was sapped from my body. I struggled to battle it back. I couldn’t give in now, but -- what about Happy Valley? Damn it, I cared about the little idiots. And who knew how long they had actually had the stone buried within their borders?
Even if I didn’t make the trade, the Council wouldn’t give up this easily. Did Nanna and Dyrc know about the Council’s plans? Or were they just charged with capturing Rambujek -- using whatever means necessary?
“You had no right to take that,” I said. “We have no knowledge of how long that stone lay underneath Happy Valley. It belongs to them.” I stared at Nanna. “That stone is the reason Happy Valley still exists. Those creatures need it.” I looked at Dyrc. “You would sacrifice innocent lives for Rambujek? Lives you profess to protect? You would use living, breathing creatures as bait? And you call me a villain?”
“Desperate times,” Nanna said softly.
I gaped. I couldn’t help it.
“You can’t have all the power,” Nanna continued. “For all we know, you put Puejuek in your village, to protect them. To protect what you see as yours.”
“Puejuek was never mine,” I said forcefully. “Happy Valley was here before I came. The stone belongs to them, Nanna. Finders keepers as you said.”
“Don’t mock us, Morgorth!” Dyrc yelled. “The stones do not belong to a village that caters to a hodgepodge of creatures with unknown reputation. The mages created the stones. Therefore, they belong to the mages.”
“But not just any mages, right, Dyrc?” I shouted back.
“Only those who lick the Council’s ass?”
Dyrc roared and unleashed a lance of fire at my face. I created a shield with my left arm, and the flames hit the shield in a glancing blow. The fire flew up into the dark sky and dissipated, but the force of the blow surprised me and rocked me back a step. Dyrc readied another lance, and I began to form a ball of pure force.
