Severance

by Fergal F. Nally

  “They have developed a dark art form; necromancy, and have resurrected beasts from ancient times. These lizard beasts used to walk the Erthe when she was young. They have had their time and are passed into the memory of rock. Ossian, your own father saw their remains trapped in the cliffs of the bone fields when he was your age.

  “The drow and vampire allies plan to cross over into the Shiffante dimension and conquer their realm. There is treachery and peril at every step. What they have conceived is against every natural law of the Erthe and her spirit. They must be stopped. They cannot be allowed to succeed. Someone needs to confront them, to redress the balance. Not everyone can make this journey between dimensions.

  “You, Q’uaina carry a ghost within you from the Shiffante world. You can cross over. Ossian it seems that you too may cross over; you have no belonging to this world, you are in many ways now similar to Q’uaina, no ties, no family. Orphans or free agents essentially. This makes it possible for Erthe magic to convey your form between dimensions.”

  The more the Beekeeper spoke the more questions flooded Q’uaina’s mind. She studied Ossian’s face, he was looking intently at the old man and she could sense his tension.

  The Beekeeper continued. “If you choose the challenge and take the journey to confront the Shiffante, you will need to cross from this world to theirs. You will change. Certain traits can be enhanced, other traits lost. It is impossible to say how you will be affected. You, Q’uaina have a strong affinity to green Erthe power and her butterfly form, you Ossian your clan was of the bear. I know recently you slew a timber wolf; I can see both bear and wolf spirit energy within you.

  “You will both need to consider the risk and costs of such a journey, and ask yourselves whether you want to make the journey at all. One thing is certain, if the Shiffante have succeeded in their world, they will eventually look to conquer all dimensions. If the drow and vampires of our world succeed it will be only a matter of time before one or other of them corrupts the Erthe in all her forms.”

  Ossian suddenly interjected. “How do we cross over into the Shiffante realm?”

  The Beekeeper looked Ossian in the eyes. “I will need to bring you to the hall of mirrors, it is there that the transformation can take place. I will show you how to walk between dimensions. On this side, I can access the Shiffante realm through mirrors; there should be a similar portal on their side. I’ve not been there myself so I am unable to know for sure. That is something you will need to find out for yourselves.”

  The fire drew Q’uaina’s gaze. Outside, the birds chattered and she even heard the distant hum of the bees. She felt alone and afraid. “So I’m to deliver my ghost to the Shiffante realm, that’s it? How does this happen, what am I to expect, how do I communicate with this ghost? The Shiffante… won’t they know?”

  The Beekeeper levelled his gaze at her. “These are important questions, Q’uaina. I’m sorry but I don’t have the answers you seek.”

  Q’uaina’s head fell. She felt cold despite the fire.

  “But there is someone I do know who has crossed over into the Shiffante realm and returned to tell the tale.” The Beekeeper’s words hung like talismans in the air between them.

  Q’uaina looked up sharply. “What do you mean?”

  The Beekeeper smiled. “Follow me.”

  They went after him and departed the great hall. They left the white tower and walked through the area where they had met him the previous day. They continued in silence for a while until they came to a glade. There they saw a girl with a hawk on her arm. She removed a cover from the bird’s head and released the hunter into the sky. The bird flew up and circled the glade in a great arc. They watched its gracefulness as it crossed the sky above their heads, then it disappeared into the distance beyond the trees.

  “This is my daughter Agathe.”

  The girl turned and looked at them. She was slender, raven haired with soft brown eyes. Her face was open and she gave them a dazzling smile. “Well met, light and strength to you,” her voice was confident and clear.

  “Agathe has a way with birds you could say,” the Beekeeper said.

  Ossian took in Agathe, his breathing quickened. “This is Q’uaina and I am…”

  “Ossian, I know,” she finished for him. “Father has told me all about you both and what we must do. I’ll be your guide of sorts, to the Shiffante realm. It’s very different to here,” a shadow crossed her face as she spoke. She turned and produced a whistle suspended from a cord around her neck. She blew on the whistle; they heard nothing. Then, shortly after she took it from her lips, they saw a speck in the sky approach them. It was the hawk; a kill gripped in its talons.

  The hawk circled then swooped down to the ground in front of Agathe. It held a young rabbit. Agathe spoke some words to the hawk and put the hood back on its head before transferring the bird to her arm. “Looks like coney for the pot tonight,” she said. She bent down and produced a brace of rabbits from the long grass to her right.

  Ossian felt his face crack into a smile. Something warm entered his heart and it felt good.

  Chapter 10

  Shiffante

  “ I am the sand and fire in your head,

  I am the ache in your bones,

  I am the fear in your blood,

  I am the wind whispering in the night,

  I am the chill of sorrow,

  I am the ash in your veins,

  I am the viper’s tongue,

  I am the stain of your death,

  I am the cold light of the sun,

  Who knows the reach of the river?

  Who knows the sound of the moon?

  Who knows the stories of the sea?

  Who knows the heart of the mountain?

  We are the darkness

  We are the rain

  We are the storm

  We are the well of pain

  We are Shiffante.”

  The Shiffante lord lent forwards and touched the surface of the pool with bony fingers. The girl from the other dimension had used this mirrorpool. They had detected her incursion but had watched only, learning much. Burning scents filled the air, the water became smoky and its colour flickered. It congealed turning blood red.

  The Shiffante bowed its head and whispered the forbidden verses. The air frosted and became white with snow. Soon a haze of flakes started to settle on the leafless branches that stretched out forlornly across the water.

  “We will wait for you; we will wait for you all

  Our hunger is enough, is enough to consume you all

  The mirrorpool receives you, receives your blood

  Just like all those who have gone before

  Blood and bone, spirit and flesh

  All will be consumed, the Shiffante will prevail…”

  The Shiffante smiled. They had brought winter to their world. A winter that had not been seen for an age. A bone snapping winter, a winter that froze oceans. A winter that would defeat any threat from beyond the mirrorpools. Spring, summer and autumn would not be seen for a thousand years. The dark lore had worked and had encased their realm in an armour of ice. Let them come, let them come and see the power of the Shiffante.

  ~

  “Lightfoot and Feather, there you go…” Q’uaina had spent some time with their horses on their return to the white tower. She had groomed the mare and her foal. She found the time spent with the horses helped her think and contemplate what had happened in the last few days. The names had come to her from the silence. Lightfoot would be her name for the mare and Feather that of the foal. She was pleased, names were important to her people; they were a gift to be cherished in life. Names brought spirit, history and strength to those who bore them.

  The two horses responded to her ministrations, becoming still and calm. Feather bumped into Q’uaina putting a muzzle on her arm. Q’uaina lost herself in the contact for a short while and all the stresses and strains of recent days vanished. Being alone with animals did this for her. She smiled
and relaxed. She felt a fluttering on her skin, like a small breath, delicate and warm.

  She looked down and her heart skipped a beat. Her blue butterfly mark had reappeared on her right hand. It had changed becoming more defined. Before her eyes the detail intensified until the shape, colour and appearance was startling. She felt a tickle on her left wrist and saw a new butterfly likeness, this one red with the same incredible detail. She did not feel threatened or concerned in any way, if anything she felt curious.

  The Beekeeper approached her pointing at her markings. “I sent them to you Q’uaina, they are of the Erthe. So fragile, yet strong in their connection to Erthe power. They are of the mother, from her strength, formless and light as the air but free and as the wind. I do not have experience of their powers for I am of the hive and bees; it is for you to explore this Erthe gift.

  “You have an affinity for Erthe power, otherwise the butterfly would not have taken and it would have perished. If you choose to cross over to the Shiffante realm, your Erthe powers will undoubtedly quicken. Who knows how it will affect you? Have you reached a decision?”

  Q’uaina looked away for a moment then returned her gaze to the Beekeeper. “Yes I will go, I’ve always lived to protect the Erthe, she is my reason, she is my being. S’acryx taught me well.”

  The Beekeeper was silent in thought. “Very well, Q’uaina. I have news for you then. Ossian has also chosen to go with you. He and Agathe seemed to have formed an alliance. I must warn you there will be extreme danger, the Shiffante are a collective, like the hive. They are many and yet function as one. Destroy one and another appears in its place. If you get close enough, deep enough and have good fortune then you might be able to strike at the Shiffante heart. There has to be a core, a centre to coordinate the collective. It is your task to find the dark heart within the Shiffante and to bring green Erthe light to its centre, for only then can the corruption be healed.”

  “Yes, but how am I to do this? I don’t have the slightest idea where to start,” Q’uaina said.

  The Beekeeper took her hands and held them. “I don’t know…” his words trailed off leaving an empty space between them.

  Fear hovered in the air. Q’uaina’s chest tightened, she felt a tide arise within threatening to engulf her in panic. She closed her eyes and emptied her mind. Time slowed. Then it came to her.

  It is me, Carutha. I will end it all. I have sworn vengeance. Deliver me unto the Shiffante, I will unleash hell…

  Q’uaina’s hands trembled. Her breathing settled. She snapped her eyes open. Her pupils shone a golden hue. The Beekeeper kept hold of her, watching every sign. She came to; her eyes flickered and returned to their normal colour.

  Softly she spoke. “I don’t know how it’s to be done, but I carry a ghost within, Carutha. She is the key, the answer to this riddle. It’ll unfold once we’ve crossed over.”

  The Beekeeper nodded and released her hands. “Then it is settled, I shall take you to the hall of mirrors tomorrow. This evening we will eat and rest. You should speak to Agathe about her experience in the Shiffante realm. We will make sure you are well provisioned for your journey.” With that, the Beekeeper bowed slightly and returned to the white tower. Lightfoot and Feather stood nearby grazing the long grass and flicking their tails at the flies.

  Q’uaina spoke softly to herself. “I may yet join you soon, mother and brother of mine. I might be called through the doors of life to the peace and sanctuary of your arms,” her eyes moistened and a smile flickered across her mouth.

  The afternoon was spent preparing for the following day. Ossian, Q’uaina and Agathe packed what they would need for the journey. Later that evening they joined the Beekeeper in the great hall. Agathe was true to her word and had prepared a rich rabbit stew. They ate their fill and washed down the meal with sweet honey wine. They watched the fire in the hearth and let its warmth sooth their bones.

  Silence filled the air and then the Beekeeper spoke. “Tonight we rest in safety. Tomorrow night is yet to come. I wish to give each of you a gift for your journey. These gifts are special and may be of some use to you when you are away. Ossian, I give you gloves of light; when you don them, they will light your way.

  “Q’uaina, to you I give the gift of a healing crystal. This crystal has Erthe power inherent and will seal and close most wounds and if used early enough can heal internal damage. Agathe, my daughter, I give to you the gift of far sight and perception. This paint you put on your eyelids and ears, it will enable you to see and hear with clarity for great distances. Again from the Erthe’s bounty, she provides to those who serve her.”

  They each took their gifts and thanked the Beekeeper. In the darting shadows thrown by the fire, he seemed older than before. Q’uaina wondered at his true age.

  “There is one thing you should know. When you are in the Shiffante realm, access is possible to our dimension here. This is good as it allows you to return, but it also would allow the Shiffante or any others for that matter, access to our dimension on the point of your return. Care is needed to ensure that you are not followed.”

  His words sank in, they understood the implications. He had gone over in detail with them that afternoon the process of the dimensional transfer from the hall of mirrors to the mirrorpool on the Shiffante side. Agathe had explained to them what had happened on her previous crossing.

  She had gone to the Shiffante world some days before to test the portal and to see if the pool was being watched. She had found it free of spies and her transfer back had been uneventful. She had been able to do a cursory reconnoitre of the immediate area surrounding the pool on the Shiffante side.

  After a long discussion on some minor points they grew silent, the embers of the fire had grown dim. It was late.

  “I will take my leave of you now for sleep calls. We will reconvene tomorrow at first light. Goodnight one and all.” The Beekeeper stood up stiffly and retired to his rooms through the shadows. The others stayed a short time after before retiring to the fleeting comfort of their beds. The embers of the fire slowly winked out one by one and darkness took over the hall.

  ~

  LeSouris of the black raven coven had nothing and everything to prove. The alliance with S’Jukdara, the drow had been his idea. Months of tentative negotiations both internally within the vampire nation and externally with the hated drow had led to an understanding, a deal. Traditionally, mistrust and hatred lay just below the surface between both sides. What had united them was the dark knowledge they had both developed and now possessed in equal measure. Separately, they were powerful beyond anything that had gone before, but together they had a power never before seen on the Erthe.

  The Shiffante had caused ripples, had drawn attention to themselves, careless. Their power and sweeping genocide in their own dimension had upset the balance of things. Ripples had spread outwards through the fabric of time and had been detected both by the drow and vampire dark lore users.

  LeSouris and others had penetrated their lore to depths never before imagined. He remembered the first successes of bringing back the ancient lizards from the bone fields. They had been difficult to control at first but with patience and refining of the art of reanimation, they had conquered time and death. The terrible beasts frozen in their rocks had been brought back from the past. Their flesh had returned and their brute spirits had been conquered.

  The drow too had their successes within their deep underground kingdoms. They had also delved down into their dark lore and had brought back dread elemental beings; giant flayers and rock melters that came from the wild, dark side of the demoniae wellsprings. First came the understanding, then the truce and finally the alliance had followed.

  LeSouris the vampire and S’Jukdara the dark elf. Who would have thought? Sworn enemies until the rise of the Shiffante. Now allies. Politics favoured the bold thought LeSouris. He would choose his time. When Shiffante blood ran dry, there would no longer be need of an alliance with the drow and with S’Jukdara tak
en care of …well…

  LeSouris smiled.

  Chapter 11

  The Mirror Hall

  “I’ll go first,” Agathe said.

  The Beekeeper had brought them at first light to the hall of mirrors. It lay in a level of the white tower below ground, closer to the Erthe’s heart he had said. Q’uaina had not slept much and felt a heady mix of fatigue, elation and dread. She watched as Agathe approached the row of mirrors stretched out in parallel rows along the hall.

  Some were ornate, others plain. Some large, others small. They walked among them. Q’uaina had seen her reflection in all but one. The same happened to both Ossian and Agathe with different mirrors.

  “The mirror chooses its passenger, the one that does not reveal your reflection is the one that carries you to the next dimension. If you are ready, we’ll start. Agathe has said she will go first. Agathe…” the Beekeeper held out his arms and embraced his daughter tightly. “Be safe precious one,” he said. The moment passed.

  Agathe spoke. “I’m ready father.”

  The Beekeeper stood and closed his eyes. He started whispering words. The room grew cold. Other voices echoed eerily in the hall. The glass in some of the mirrors before them began to bend and bulge as if some force was trying to escape. Agathe slowly walked forwards drawn towards a small indistinct mirror. A cracking sound followed, then a bright flash and she was gone.

  Q’uaina felt the whispering room urge her onwards and she saw Ossian move forwards too. She was drawn to her mirror, which was surrounded by an ornate gilded frame. She saw Ossian move to his mirror further down the hall, a twisted black metal frame surrounded it. A noise filled her ears, a flash then silence.

  She was aware of a heaviness to her limbs, light-headedness then warmth. She opened her eyes and found herself floating in a shallow blood red pool. She turned and was able to stand. She found her clothes were dry and not affected by the water.