Daughters of Fire & Sea

by Holly Karlsson

  However, unlike Lyric, she’d always thought the gods weren’t interested in Erith anymore. That they’d abandoned them, had walked away, just like Elaina. But their mother had come back.

  Runa chewed on her lip, considering. What if the gods weren’t as far away as everyone thought? What if they lurked out of sight, like the Daughters in the Veil?

  “Do we follow the beach?” Lyric asked, drawing Runa back to the present.

  “Yes,” Elaina said. “There’s a well-traveled road west of us, on the other side of the marshlands, but unfortunately we can’t reach it.” She gestured at the bog, visible through a gap in the dunes. It looked like a maze of reed-spiked mounds, treacherous islands surrounded by black water. As Runa watched, the water rippled near a rise nearby, something long and scaled sliding into the inky slough.

  “We’ll have to keep to the sand,” their mother said. “Sleep under the stars. Yanessa can’t be more than a day or two.” She glanced at Kell, who nodded.

  “I don’t recognize exactly where we are,” he said, “but the water and beach are clean, free of the Taint, so we must be close to Thenda’s southern border.”

  “What does it look like?” Lyric asked. “The Taint?”

  “Green,” Elaina said. “It glows, pulsing like stars are trapped inside. There’s nothing natural about it. You’ll know it when you see it.”

  The Daughters of Valen came to Runa’s mind, and she recalled how their runes glinted green on their arms. Were they poisoned in some way? Like the Shore? Was that even possible? For an immortal being to be infected?

  “If you see it,” Kell said, “don’t touch it.” His eyes were serious, haunted. “Don’t touch the water or anything that’s come in contact with it.”

  “Thankfully we don’t have to worry about that,” Elaina said. “Once in Yanessa, we can join the Northern Road or sail north on Eleden’s ship.”

  She set down her pack and rummaged inside. Examining her water, their mother unwrapped the cheese and dried meat and removed a single apple from her bag. She dumped all three on the ground. “Everything is spoiled,” Elaina said. “Check your bags and dump any food you have left.”

  Curiously, Runa pulled her bag off her shoulder and opened it, looking at her untouched food. Everything was tinted purple. Her stomach flipped, the skin prickling on the back of her neck. Turning her bag out, she dropped it all without touching it. "Mine too," she said.

  “We’re out of food?” Lyric asked. “We’re also low on water.” She went silent, and Runa glanced at her. Lyric had stepped away from Kell and was staring west. Her lips moved, and she mumbled inaudibly, then nodded.

  Runa raised an eyebrow.

  “I think I can help,” Lyric said, smiling. “Gandara just told me a spell to strip salt from seawater.” Her brow furrowed as she looked at the ocean. “Are we sure the water's safe here? Free from the Taint, I mean?”

  “Yes,” Kell said, following Lyric’s gaze. “If the Taint were here you’d see and smell it. We should fish and try to catch crabs before we head south. We won’t be able to buy food until Yanessa.”

  “I agree,” Elaina said grudgingly.

  “Elenora?” Runa asked softly, looking around. If Lyric was being spoken to by their ancestor outside the Veil, then Elenora might be nearby too. She disliked the hawk-eyed woman’s apparent ability to appear unannounced and unwanted, but Runa wanted to ask her, no demand, what had happened with the fire rune. Had it been a test? A cruel trick? Had Elenora expected her to fail?

  “Elenora?” Runa repeated.

  Elenora didn’t answer or appear, and Runa, having nothing to direct her anger at, glared at the ocean.

  Kell set down his pack beside Elaina. They began debating the best way to fish in the shallow water off the beach.

  Lyric gathered up their waterskins and carried them to the ocean. She stopped just shy of the rolling sea and dropping them onto the sand, pulled off her boots and stockings, then tied up her dress to keep it from getting wet. Her ankles were pale in contrast to the black sand, and she stepped into the surf, gasping and giggling as the water rushed across her feet.

  “Ru! You’ve got to feel this!” Lyric called over her shoulder.

  Despite her mood, Runa had to admit her curiosity. She stripped off her boots, tying her dress up like her sister, then walked to the edge of the water. Hesitating for only a moment, she walked onto the wet sand, toward the approaching waves.

  Water rushed her, foaming and tumbling. Runa gasped as it hit her skin, insistent as it swirled around her feet and calves. The cold was exhilarating, refreshing. Arms lifting by her sides, she lifted her chin and let the sunlight warm her face. It felt wonderful.

  “Hold this?” Lyric asked.

  Runa opened her eyes, looking down, as Lyric shoved two waterskins into her hands. Her sister bent over, filling her own with water, then traded it for the others. Once she'd refilled them all, Lyric smiled at Runa and carried the waterskins back to the beach.

  Twisting at the waist, Runa watched her sister kneel on the sand, away from the tide's reach. She didn't want to leave the water. Not yet. She listened, feet sinking into the wet sand beneath her, as Lyric spoke several runes over the waterskins. Following her sister's words, a sensation brushed across Runa's skin, like the tickle from an unseen feather.

  Lyric held a waterskin to her mouth and sipped. "It's fresh!" she exclaimed, holding it up triumphantly. "We have water!"

  Kell cheered, and Elaina smiled, clapping her hands.

  Runa, feeling cold, turned back to the ocean. Why did magic work for Lyric, but not her? Was she doing something wrong? Jealousy soured her stomach, and Runa crossed her arms. She tried to ignore it and be happy for her sister's success. It was good what Lyric had done. It was amazing. And yet ...

  Scowling, Runa stepped out of the water. Maybe the magic didn't work because she'd been close to real death. What if returning her soul to her body had broken the connection, and it'd never work for her now.

  Trying to distract herself and hide her face from Lyric, Runa wandered towards Kell. He’d collected driftwood with their mother and fashioned several spears, sharpening them with a knife he’d procured from somewhere. He’d also woven a fishing pouch to tie to his waist, and started on a large basket.

  “Here,” Kell said, catching Runa’s eye as she drew close. He gave her a handful of rockweed ropes. “I was about to show Elaina how to weave crab baskets. Do you want to help?”

  Nodding curtly, Runa took the offered strips of rockweed and watched Kell as he demonstrated how to make the baskets. She was familiar with weaving, and Kell’s method was quite similar to hers. The rockweed was slicker than the dried reeds she’d used, but her fingers found the rhythm quickly.

  “Normally I’d bait the baskets with pieces of meat,” Kell said. He glanced at their discarded food. “Maybe we’ll be lucky, and something will wander into one.”

  He showed them how to attach floats, for marking the baskets’ locations, using the leathery, orb-shaped bladders from large fronds of seaweed washed up on the beach.

  Lyric came over, having set their waterskins down near their packs, and she helped them carry the baskets into the water. They waded out as far as they could and buried the baskets along a chain of submerged rocks.

  Kell waded back to the shore and tied a rockweed pouch to his belt then retrieved the spears. He offered one to Runa, who took it.

  She rubbed her fingers over the coarse wood. She'd never used a spear before, though she supposed it was like a pitchfork. She hefted it in one hand. There was no heavy end to unbalance it; the wooden spear was light and mobile. Runa expected that if she threw it, it’d sail far before hitting the ground.

  Runa watched Kell as he fished, studying how his body stilled as he stared into the water. He looked poised yet loose, like a cat waiting to pounce.

  Kell thrust suddenly with his spear, pulling it from the water with a silvery fish impaled on its end. Grinning, he held it up and
looked at Lyric, who smiled. Jubilant, Kell tucked the fish into his waist pouch. He stabbed his spear back into the water and caught another fish and another, quickly outpacing them all.

  Runa glanced at Lyric and Elaina. Compared to Kell, their movements were inelegant and clumsy. Kell was fluid and relaxed as though a childhood memory had returned, guiding him. Fascinated but also annoyed at his success, Runa looked at her feet. She could see her toes pale beneath the water, grains of dark sand pushing up between them. She looked for a flash of silver, a sign that a fish was nearby, but nothing swam close.

  “You must have fished this way hundreds of times as a child!” Lyric called out to Kell.

  Runa kept her eyes down, watching for fish, glaring at the empty water as it swirled cold and hungry around her knees. When one finally came, she was so surprised that she almost stabbed her foot. She cursed, splashing, and the fish darted away. Runa tried several more times without success. Luck, it seemed wouldn't favor her today.

  “Ru! Let’s go in,” Lyric called.

  Looking up, Runa saw the sun had sunk halfway into the ocean, delineating the horizon with a glowing line of orange. She hadn’t noticed the light slipping away.

  Lifting the spear onto her shoulder, Runa ground her teeth and followed Lyric and Kell back to the beach. Elaina must have given up a while ago since she was sitting next to a fire.

  Lyric bounded towards their mother, excitedly holding up a fish she’d caught. She turned to Kell, proud of his success and together they showed Elaina his filled pouch.

  “Look at this!” Lyric said as Runa walked up to the firelight. Lyric gestured as Kell emptied the fish into a basket beside Elaina. “Look how many Kell caught! It was like magic.”

  “No magic,” Kell said, laughing. “Just luck.”

  “No,” Lyric said, shaking her head. “You have your own magic.” She grinned at him, bright and foolish.

  Annoyed for some unclear reason, Runa stabbed her spear into the sand and sat down beside the fire. Her irritation grew as their mother gave her a thoughtful look. You don’t know what I’m thinking, Runa thought childishly.

  “Well done, Kell,” Elaina said. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We have food for our journey now.” She grabbed a piece of dried seaweed and chewed it, reaching for a stick to poke at the fire. “We can cook the fish on the spits,” she said, spreading out the hot coals and gesturing at several thin pieces of sharpened driftwood.

  “You’ve been busy!” Lyric said.

  “Yes, I admit fishing isn’t something I particularly enjoy,” Elaina said, smiling. “I’m quite good at carving though!” She held up a sharp stick. “Kell, maybe if you could —”

  “Sure,” Kell said. He held out his hand, and Elaina passed him her knife.

  Kneeling, Kell grabbed a fish and swiftly killed it with the butt of the knife. He gutted it, then passed the prepared fish to Lyric, who slid it onto a skewer.

  Runa, shoving aside her dark mood, held out a hand for another fish and mirrored Lyric’s movements. She glanced at Elaina, still chewing seaweed. Had their mother suddenly become squeamish about cooking meat? Runa remembered her killing and dressing rabbits, though Elaina had taught her and Lyric to do it themselves when they were quite small. Maybe her aversion had always been there, and Runa had never been aware of it.

  Was Runa too hard on their mother for leaving? She’d raised them to be strong and self-reliant and encouraged their independence. That was good, wasn’t it? Or had she sought to prepare them for eventual abandonment? Maybe Elaina never wanted children and resented being trapped in their little valley.

  Runa’s mood soured again, and she stabbed the fish-laden spit into the sand. She leaned forward, forearms across her knees, and drew in a heated breath from the fire.

  “Why are you chewing sea lettuce, Mama?” Lyric asked suddenly.

  “The seaweed will replenish my blood,” Elaina said. “Magic drains you, remember?” She sighed. “If you’re going to practice magic, I suggest drying some yourself and carrying it with you. Seaweed’s easier to get than red meat, especially here by the ocean. The stalk is tough; you’ll need to strip the leaves.”

  Runa glanced at Elaina. Something to remember, she thought. Despite her troubles with magic, she wasn’t ready to give up.

  Eventually, all the fish were gutted and cooking over the fire. Lyric passed around the waterskins, and everyone took a tentative sip of the purified water, marveling at the taste. Runa had tasted the sea when a wave splashed into her face, and she was relieved that Lyric's water was fresh and not brackish.

  “An invaluable spell,” Elaina said. “You can’t drink the sea. Too much salt.”

  “Have you used this spell before?” Lyric asked.

  Elaina shook her head. “I’ve never had need before. If I had to, I could cobble something together with the runes I know, but that’s always risky.” She paled as if she regretted what she’d said. Throat clearing, Elaina shifted one of the spits over the fire.

  Runa studied their mother curiously, thinking about her words. You could create your own spells? What else was possible? Irritation still crackled along her jaw like a toothache that wouldn’t go away, so despite her desire to know more, Runa kept her thoughts to herself.

  After a while, everyone lapsed into a comfortable silence, listening to the crackle of the fire and inhaling the scent of cooking meat. Elaina and Kell turned the spits, making sure both sides of the fish browned equally until finally, Kell declared them done and removed them from the coals. Together they separated the fish they'd prep for travel, then each took one fish for their evening meal.

  The sun had disappeared into the sea by the time they started eating and night unfurled, deep and dark overhead. Elaina added more driftwood to the fire, bringing it back to life and sending sparks up into the sky, drawing Runa's eyes up to the tiny stars appearing above.

  Runa, biting into her fish, stared upward. She’d always loved the night and how the world hushed as if in collective reverence for the evening’s beauty. Finding a familiar constellation, she followed the outline of a great bear with her eyes, smiling as she remembered the stories their mother had told her and Lyric as children.

  “You should sing for us!” Lyric said, pulling Runa from her memories.

  Regretfully Runa looked at Kell. He’d finished his fish and was leaning back on his elbows. His face glowed in the firelight and specks of light reflected in his eyes. “You wish a song?” he asked, beaming as if Lyric had just told him he was extraordinary.

  “I heard you humming songs while we were in the Veil,” Lyric said, smiling. She leaned next to him in a familiar way, skirted legs tucked to the side. “Come on. We have to know if you’re good or not. If you truly earned that emerald pin of yours.”

  Kell laughed and looked up, considering the stars.

  Finishing her fish, Runa wiped her hands, then wrapped her arms around her knees. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d listened to someone sing, apart from Lyric.

  “Hmm what should I tell you?” Kell asked. “A story of the stars? A story of a sea nymph who dreamed of land?”

  “Dragons,” Runa said. She clenched her teeth as everyone looked at her in surprise. She hadn't planned on speaking, but the idea had popped into her head unbidden.

  “Dragons,” Kell said. “Perhaps a song about the Three?”

  Clearing his throat, Kell started singing a scale, each tone clear and beautiful.

  Runa straightened, leaning towards him, drawn forward by his voice. Scenes arose in her mind with each entrancing note. She could see endless fields, castles of glass, towering mountains and birds soaring free in sun-lit skies. Runa's skin prickled, and she resisted the urge to run her hand down her arm.

  Lyric, eyes rapturous, leaned towards Kell, her hand mere inches from his leg in the sand. It was like she was caught in a tide like Runa.

  Kell’s voice trailed off, and Runa blinked, rocking back again as if a tether had been g
ently let go.

  Crossing his legs, Kell passed his eyes over each of them in turn. He seemed unaware of his effect on them. Drawing breath into his lungs, Kell began to sing:

  “Lords of sky, earth, and fire,

  Lords of wing and claw.

  Arbiters of Erith, holders of peace,

  The last of Mother’s blood.

  Pale as snow, black as night’s stone,

  Red like the fire that’ll cleanse all.

  Bloodied, challenged, scarred from battle,

  They hold back the poisoned tide.

  Binding and slaying our demon invaders

  Setting the world alight.

  Weary and fading, They pass us the mantle

  Trusting we’ll keep towards the light.

  Old grudges flare as They pass into slumber,

  War once more rolls across the land.

  No longer guarded by divine creators,

  We’re now free to inspire or fall.

  Eyes turned away; the Lords wait in shadow,

  Dreaming until called forth again.

  Though distant and sleeping,

  They’ll return to preserve us,

  Ever the guardians of Man.

  Lords of sky, earth, and fire,

  Lords of wing and claw.

  Eyes turned away; the Lords wait in shadow,

  Waiting to return to Erith’s light.”

  Runa took a deep, shuddering breath as Kell’s voice echoed and faded in the darkness. She hadn’t realized she’d stopped breathing. She stared at Kell, trying to reconcile the youthfulness of his face with the power and magic of his voice. There’d been a presence while he sang, as though something big and unknowable, something celestial, had turned its eye upon them to listen.

  The heavy awareness slipped away as Runa sucked another breath into her lungs, and she glanced over her shoulder, half expecting to see something there. All she saw were the dark waves, glinting with moonlight and lapping against the sand.