Daughters of Fire & Sea

by Holly Karlsson

  Kell stood up and helped Lyric to her feet.

  "What just happened?" Lyric asked, eyes wide and horrified. Her head jerked between the red smudge and Elaina's fierce expression. "You … you burned …"

  “She wasn’t human,” Elaina said. She sounded tired and drained. Shoving a hand through her hair, their mother bent over and picked up her pack.

  “A Flesh Eater,” Runa said, as she watched the tiny glow until it disappeared. Her voice sounded hollow. She could still hear the woman’s, no, the thing’s screams, echoing inside her skull.

  “A what?” Lyric asked.

  Kell, his face white, put an arm around Lyric’s shoulders, and she leaned into him.

  “A demon,” Runa said. She looked down at her hand, flexing her fingers. Why hadn’t it worked? Had Elenora lied to her? Had she told her the wrong rune on purpose? Runa had felt something though. She hadn’t completely failed.

  “How do you know that?” Elaina asked her voice sharp.

  Runa dropped her hand and looked up, giving her mother a blank look. “Someone told me,” she said.

  “Someone … told you?” Lyric echoed.

  Runa looked at Lyric who’d pushed away from Kell. Her sister walked up to her and reached for her hand, gripping it tightly. Lyric’s skin was cold and clammy.

  I shouldn’t feel that, Runa thought.

  “Have you seen someone?” her sister asked softly.

  “Seen?” Elaina asked. She sounded horrified.

  Ignoring her, Runa stared into Lyric’s searching eyes. “Someone talked to me when we first came to the Veil. She said her name was Elenora. I wasn’t sure who she was at first, but now I think she’s our ancestor.”

  “Is she Sireni?” Lyric asked.

  Their mother swore.

  “No,” Runa said. “Raendasharan.”

  “Oh.” Lyric chewed on her lip. “I saw someone too while I was dreaming in the waystation. Gandara, that’s her name. She wants to teach me magic.”

  “Elenora claims the same thing,” Runa said.

  “Ancestors,” Elaina said flatly.

  Runa and Lyric looked at her.

  Their mother’s fingers were pressed against her temples, digging into the skin. “They must have sensed you when we came to the Veil. I don’t know why,” she said, answering their unspoken question. “It seems no matter what I do, we are all pulled back into this war, cycling again and again. Perhaps I was arrogant to think I could protect you from this; that I could keep you from them. We all return, one way or another.

  “It seems if I don't teach you magic, it will be whispered into your ears. Please, daughters,” Elaina begged. “When we leave here, let me take you somewhere safe. Somewhere away from the war. Somewhere no one will find you.”

  Lyric moved away from Runa and took their mother’s hand. “I want to go to Raendashar, Mama,” she said, her voice soft and reassuring.

  Elaina groaned and gripped Lyric’s hand tightly in both of hers. “No, Lyric. No. If you go there, you might be unable to leave.”

  “You have to go to Raendashar anyway, Mama,” Lyric said. “You promised Kell you’d help him. I understand why you want to protect us …”

  Runa grunted.

  “But you’re in danger too,” Lyric said, ignoring her. “The Sireni won’t stop chasing us. Not now. And I don’t think Grandfather will let us disappear, not if he knows we’re alive. I want to meet him, Mama. I want to understand where you came from and what we are.

  “You taught us to help people and to save lives. Is it truly a surprise that we want to stop the war and help you? You haven’t told us what you’ve been doing since you left, but I think you’ve been fighting. We won’t let you do this alone.” Lyric looked back at Runa. Her eyes were bright and determined.

  Sighing, Runa nodded. “Where you go, I go,” she said to her sister. “Someone has to keep you from killing yourself while you try to save everyone.”

  Lyric smiled, eyes affectionate. “To the end and beyond,” she said.

  “To the end,” Runa echoed.

  Elaina gave Runa a tortured look, but Runa merely stared back, her jaw set.

  “We should move on,” Elaina said finally. She released Lyric’s hand and pulled her pack over her shoulders. “The Flesh Eater may come back, or another.”

  “Yes,” Lyric agreed. Her enthusiasm seemed to dim, and she looked nervously into the darkness. “Are there many demons here?”

  Their mother paused, mouth twisting. “There shouldn’t be,” she said.

  Runa watched as the others gathered their things. She hadn’t removed her pack when they’d stopped, so she had no preparations to make. She focused again on the pull from the Soulworm, ignoring the echo of the failed magic. “This way,” she said.

  Back straight and mind filled with frustration, Runa led them away from the grove back into the endless dark.

  8

  Lyric

  A statue rose from the darkness, drawing Lyric’s eye. “Look!” she said, pointing.

  Ahead of her, Elaina and Runa had already spotted it, but she noticed Kell’s attention shift beside her, drawing him from his thoughts.

  The statue was remarkably visible despite the distance and darkness, and as they approached it, Lyric saw it’d been chiseled from pale stone. It was a woman, robed and crowned, with arms outstretched as if in welcome. Her hair was long, reaching her ankles, and her face was beautiful but cold, a hint of displeasure in the downturn of her mouth and her unpainted eyes. Perhaps her posture was not entirely welcoming.

  The woman stood atop a dais, the stone weathered by time. There were words beneath her feet, but they were illegible, nearly worn away. Sitting on the base and ringed by deep purple petals from a flower Lyric didn't recognize, were candle nubs, melted down and unlit. Silver necklaces curled around them, each strung with small charms and onyx beads.

  Walking around the statue’s base, Lyric studied the stone. She bent down, peering at a relief carved into the side. “I think this is a statue of Hel,” she said, eyeing the twisting forms carved into the stone. The old stories said Hel was the mother of the Underworld, the goddess who had created Valen, its caretaker, and his sister Velaine, the fallen god who’d caused the Demon War.

  “Didn’t she also create the Daughters of Valen?” Lyric asked aloud, thinking back to the beautiful and intimidating women they’d met earlier.

  “Yes, that’s what we believe,” Kell said, looking away from the front of the statue.

  “What’s it doing here?” Runa asked. She turned in a circle, looking around them. “There’s nothing but this.”

  Their mother, sipping from her waterskin, shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve only been to the Veil a few times. Things change, move around. Maybe there was once more here? Or maybe this is a reflection of something in the living world.”

  Lyric tentatively touched the stone. “Feels solid to me,” she said.

  “I also feel solid here,” Runa said. Her lips quirked as Lyric looked at her, then her face changed, contorting, and she pressed a hand to her stomach. “Something’s different,” she said.

  Their mother shoved her waterskin back into her pack and stepped up beside Runa. “What is it?” she asked, concerned. “What do you feel? Is it your body? Are we close?”

  “Yes, but …” Runa paused, cocking her head to the side. “It’s almost like it’s … behind something. Like it’s on the other side of …” She made a reaching gesture, her fingers flaring.

  Lyric blinked, and when she opened her eyes, they were somewhere else. She staggered, reaching out, her hand finding Kell’s who’d moved towards her at the same moment. They grabbed onto each other, eyes meeting. Relief rushed through her.

  It was strange to think that only a few days ago she hadn’t known Kell existed. She hadn’t expected to feel this way about someone, especially a man she didn’t really know.

  Abruptly Kell leaned away from her, looking uncomfortable, and dropp
ed her hand. He turned, his attention purposefully shifting to their surroundings.

  Lyric knew she didn’t imagine Kell’s interest or their connection. Why then, did he pull away from her? Why did he look afraid? Focus, Lyric told herself. She pulled her eyes off him.

  They were standing in a long, dark hallway that seemed to stretch endlessly in both directions. It was wide enough that two of them could stand shoulder to shoulder without being pressed against the walls, which meant Kell, despite moving away, was still close enough to touch.

  “That was disconcerting,” Runa said.

  For a moment Lyric thought her sister meant her and Kell. She blushed, her face growing hot before she realized Runa was looking at the walls and not at her.

  Of course she didn’t mean me and Kell, stupid.

  “No wonder it felt like we were getting nowhere,” their mother said. “The Sireni left your body in a reflection, like an image caught in a mirror. It follows you, but you never actually reach it.”

  Lyric studied the hallway, trying to understand what their mother was talking about. There were doors on either side, each a different color and material, and the handles varied as well. Some doors were stone, some wood, and some didn’t even seem solid.

  “Where do they all go?” she asked gesturing at a random door. “Do we open one? All of them?”

  “That one,” Runa said immediately. She pointed down the hall to a worn, wooden door.

  Lyric shifted to stare past her sister. Green paint peeled off the wood, and the door was scoured in places as if once subjected to a harsh, sand-filled wind.

  “They’ll be waiting for us, won’t they?” Lyric asked. “The Sireni? We can’t just walk in.”

  Their mother nodded, her hand toying with her belt. “They know we’re coming. They’ll have someone guarding her.”

  “Can they feel us out here?” Kell asked. “In the hall?”

  “I don’t know,” Elaina said. “Maybe, but I don’t think so. This place is … in-between.”

  Lyric flexed her hand, wishing she’d thought to break off one of the spindly branches from the trees she’d seen. Maybe she’d feel better if she had a club to hold on to. How would they protect themselves? Would the guards have knives? Would they use magic?

  “They don’t know me,” Kell said. “I can go through the door first and try to distract them until you come in with Runa.”

  Elaina looked thoughtful. “Yes, that might work,” she said. “You can act disoriented. Rush in like something is chasing you. Sometimes people dream themselves here, to the Veil.”

  “So after Kell goes in, we run in and I … just touch my body?” Runa asked. “Will myself back together? It seems too simple.”

  “Your soul will want to return,” their mother said.

  “And this?” Runa asked, touching her chest where the runes were. “Will it prevent me from … reuniting?”

  “No,” Elaina said.

  Runa narrowed her eyes. “You know what these are, don’t you?” she asked. “You started asking if I’d learned how to do something. Did I do this to myself?”

  Their mother swallowed. She seemed resigned. “You must have unconsciously cast a spell when the Sireni tried to take you,” she said. “You tried to flee, to go home or someplace safe, but you ended up shifting your soul away instead. I think you tried to go to Lyric.” Her smile was proud but sad. “She’s home to you.”

  “Are you saying we’ve been bound together?” Lyric asked.

  “Yes. Runa’s soul fled to you. I don’t know how she did it,” Elaina said. “Without training, without knowing the words …”

  Runa frowned, her lips thin. “If it’s a spell that did this to me then don’t I need to know how to unravel it? Reverse it?”

  “I’m not sure,” Elaina said. “I don’t think it’ll be a barrier. Like I said, your soul wants to reunite with your body.” Their mother scratched the back of her head. “However in case it’s not that simple, I’ll teach you the word for unraveling.” Elaina spoke a rune word. It was a throaty sound, rough but also resonant, as though there was a sweeter tone caught within her voice as she spoke.

  Lyric thought she could hear something echo, just on the edge of hearing, and she tilted her head to the side.

  Runa repeated the word, a touch rougher than their mother had. She repeated it again, sounding clearer, more confident.

  Elaina nodded, lips pressed together.

  “What do we do after we follow Kell inside?” Lyric asked. She glanced at him, eyeing the staff in his hand. Could he defend himself? He didn’t seem like a fighter, not like some of the men in Elae’s Hollow.

  Kell looked at her, maybe sensing her concern. His easy smile returned and Lyric, despite her frustration, smiled back. Why couldn’t he make up his mind about her?

  Lyric looked away, not wanting him to see her annoyance and confusion.

  “Can you move us? Like before?” Runa asked. “If we jump in and then jump back out when we’re done …”

  “Ru!” Lyric said. “The last time Mama tried that, her arm caught fire!”

  “To jump to us, yes,” Runa said, “but it didn’t seem as difficult when we came to the Veil.”

  "I can't," their mother said. "It’s complicated to move like that, and using it consumed my prepared spell. I would have traveled on foot if I hadn’t feared for your lives. I’d do anything for you, Runa, and Lyric. You're my world, the reason I'm fighting.”

  Runa gave their mother a flat look. “How did you bring us here then?”

  “Sheer luck,” Elaina said. “Our house is in an in-between place, like the Veil, existing on the edge of the prairie and the forest. Our realm, the living plane, is thinner there, allowing a person to slip across if they know what to look for.”

  Lyric wanted to ask their mother more about living in an in-between place, if Elaina had purposefully chosen their house, but she knew now was not the best time to indulge her curiosity. Later, when we’re safe, she thought.

  “What will we do after Runa gets her body back?” Lyric asked instead. Would they flee back into this strange hallway? Was there a thin spot somewhere where they could step out of the Veil?

  Their mother rubbed the bridge of her nose. “It’s easier to leave than it is to get inside the Veil,” she said. “We have to open a window. Not a real one, more like a hole. It’s not a difficult spell to return. I just need time to cast.”

  “Where will the window open?” Lyric asked. “Back in Kaliz?”

  “No,” Elaina said, shaking her head. “I can’t control where we step out. We have to be ready. We may trade one fight for another.”

  Their mother glanced at Kell, who nodded.

  “I’ll be ready,” Kell said.

  “You know how to fight?” Lyric asked, looking at him.

  Kell nodded, lips curving up at one corner. “My old master was a bit of a brawler. He insisted I make myself useful should a bar fight break out.”

  Lyric smiled, trying to imagine Kell scuffling with drunken men, then looked at Elaina. "And me?" she asked. “What should I do?” She had no weapon, and even if she did, she'd only ever used a knife for hunting and healing, never to kill a person. Lyric swallowed, worry souring her stomach.

  Their mother looked at her consideringly, then smiled. “Lyric, remember how you elbowed Ilana Greenwich out of the way while playing hogsball at the Fall Harvest?”

  Kell glanced at her, teeth flashing as he grinned wide, and Lyric flushed. “I was eight!” she said.

  “If anyone gets close, use your elbows and feet,” Elaina said. Despite her serious expression, her eyes twinkled with the memory. “But if they’re using blades, don’t fight. Run if you can, let them chase you. If they catch us, we can always escape, but I can’t bring you back from the dead.” Her hazel eyes flicked to Runa. “Not usually, anyway.”

  Lyric nodded and looked at her sister. Runa looked fierce, determined. Lyric doubted she’d let anything get in her way, and unlike th
e rest of them, Runa didn’t have to fear injury.

  “What if there’s a lot of them?” Lyric asked. “What if that door opens onto the deck of a ship?”

  “I think I can see what’s inside without opening it,” Elaina said. She walked up to the door and put her hand on the scoured wood. Closing her eyes, she raised her other hand, palm up, and began to softly speak in runes. A ghostly image appeared, growing stronger as their mother chanted until Lyric could see all four walls of a room. Appearing within the filmy, blue lines, were two pinpricks of light, one stationery beside the door, and another, moving around the opposite edge.

  Elaina, sweat beading on her brow, stopped speaking and opened her eyes, studying the hovering image. The room’s outline lingered for several breaths, then faded entirely from view. Their mother stepped back, putting distance between her and the door.

  “That’s incredible,” Runa said. Her eyes had lightened, curiosity softening her face.

  “Two people are in the room?” Lyric asked, hazarding a guess about the pinpricks of light. “Could you tell where Runa’s body is? Was it the dot beside the door?”

  “No,” Elaina said, “that’s likely a Sireni guarding the entrance. I’d guess they’ve placed her somewhere away from the door, against the far wall.”

  “Do you think there’s another entrance or exit?” Runa asked. “It makes sense to have an escape route if someone comes through the front door.”

  “Maybe they don’t want to flee,” Lyric said.

  “I think they’ll try to trap us as quickly as possible,” Elaina said. She looked down at her belt, examining the round bottles. “They’re unlikely to attack Kell until they know who he is. That gives us time to surprise them.”

  “What are those?” Runa asked, pointing at their mother’s belt.

  Elaina glanced up, her fingers stilling atop one pale green orb. “Captured spells,” she said. Her reticence returned, humming through her voice.