The Crystal Tree (Song Magic Book 1)

by Imogen Elvis

  Hana led her through the village. The music throbbed in the air as they wove their way through the colourful dancers and Briar breathed a silent sigh of relief as they reached relative calm of the bonfire in the middle of the village.

  “You must be hungry. Let’s get something to eat, shall we?” Hana didn’t wait for an answer but guided Briar to the food tables set up in a loose ring around the fire.

  The smell of roasting meat did make Briar’s stomach rumble. She took a plate and gazed along the long line of foods. There was a mountain of roast lamb, savoury scones packed with cheese and thyme, candied peach slices, and bless the Tree, was that a honeyed nut pie? Her mouth watered. The bakers in Osman didn’t make those. Briar piled her plate high.

  “We can sit over here.” Hana retook Briar’s arm and led the way to an abandoned cart near the bonfire. Briar scrambled up to sit on the open back, looking out over the square. Her feet dangled a good few inches above the ground, swinging freely. From here she could see everything. Balancing her plate carefully on her knees, Briar tucked into her meal. So good. So… homey.

  “Now, we can talk in comfort. It’s been so long since I saw you. Not since the fire.” Hana’s voice was far too casual to be merely curious. “After everything that happened that night you just… disappeared. Where did you go?”

  The sweet taste of honey turned to ash in Briar’s mouth. She laid her plate aside, her fingers automatically lifting to twist around her medallion. “Ava and I went to Osman.” She chose her words cautiously.

  Hana lifted an eyebrow. “Osman. I would never have guessed. But how did you manage on your own?”

  “We survived.” Briar shrugged. Six months of starvation, living hand to mouth in the streets. But they survived.

  “I see you joined the magicians.” Hana gestured to Briar’s habit. “I thought your family disapproved of them?”

  “Things change.” Briar’s finger tapped nervously against the medallion. “So, you came to live Nestin?”

  “Yes, I did.” Hana was not distracted at all by the sudden subject change. “You know, I never imagined you as a magician. Then again, it’s probably for the best. After your mother-”

  “That was an accident.” Briar’s lips tightened. “She never meant for any of that to happen.”

  “Oh, I don’t doubt it.” There was an edge to Hana’s voice now. “But don’t you ever wonder, what it would have been like if she hadn’t had her ‘accident’? If she’d learned to control her magic instead of being so stubborn and proud?”

  Anger flared in Briar’s chest. How dare Hana presume to know anything about Mama? No one knew, or at least, no one who was still alive. Except her. Briar swallowed hard, fighting to hold back a flood of angry words in Mama’s defence. After a moment’s pause, she said carefully, “It’s a bit late to think about that now.” There was so much she wanted to say, but now wasn’t the time. “Anyway, you seem well settled in Nestin.”

  Hana smiled slightly, and the tension eased a little. “I love it here. I missed Astar at first, I still do some days, but now I wouldn’t leave Nestin for the world.” Her eyes flitted over the crowd. “Oh, here’s someone you simply must meet.” She waved.

  A young man with curly black hair strode over to the cart. His dark eyes were grave, though he smiled welcomingly enough. He looked like the sort of person who took life very seriously. Briar managed a small smile in response, though it felt stiff with the resentment that still bubbled inside her.

  Hanna slid her arm around his waist. “Cor, this is Briar. She’s from Astar, like me. Briar, this is my husband, Corin.”

  Husband? Briar’s eyes widened. Why, she was only what, a year older than Briar? Two at the very most. Not even twenty yet. When Hana said Nestin was her home, Briar hadn’t quite expected this. She scrambled to find her words. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.” Hana rested her head on Corin’s shoulder as if showing off how well she had rebuilt her life. “Cor dear, Briar and her friend are going to be staying with us tonight.”

  “They’re very welcome.” Corin pulled away to look into Hana’s face with an even more serious expression. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Mari is hysterical. She wants you right away.” He sounded frustrated.

  “Again?” Hana sighed. “What is it this time?”

  Corin shrugged. “I didn’t stay long enough to find out.”

  “Why anyone left her in charge of the food is beyond me.” Hana dropped her arm from around Corin’s waist and turned to Briar. “I’m really sorry. I must go sort this out. We’ll have to continue this later.”

  “Of course, you must go. Don’t worry about me.” Please, just go.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Hana linked her arm through Corin’s, and they disappeared in the direction of the food tables.

  Briar let the fake smile fade. With any luck, Mari’s hysteria would keep Hana busy all evening. She never expected it to be this hard, meeting people from Astar after all this time. The harsh judgement on her family, especially Mama, left a strange, bitter taste in her mouth, though she could understand Hana’s anger. But the contrast between Hana’s happy life, her new home and handsome husband, and the ruin of everything Briar tried so hard to build for herself in Osman was like a kick in the gut, showing Briar just how much she had failed.

  A strange, hollow feeling grew inside her chest, a sense that even though dozens of people surrounded her, she stood on the outside, looking in at something she could never have. Despite the happy music and the glowing lights, Briar couldn’t stop the sadness from welling up inside. They all moved on. People like Hana, they found new homes, new lives, they settled down and were happy. They were part of something. And Briar had nothing.

  In Osman, she’d almost found it with the Order. A new family, a new purpose. Friends. Magic. And she had Ava of course. Osman might not be Astar, but it was a life. A life she had put together through her own hard work, starving and poor as they were. And now all that was gone again, and this time she was alone.

  Kade pushed his way through the celebrating crowd, jarringly out of place with his snapping cloak and his hood pulled down too far for the time of night. Briar was pretty sure he was watching the crowd closely, keenly aware of everything around him. Though he’d apparently had time to check out the food tables as well, judging by the overflowing plate he carried. She lifted a hand in a half-wave, and Kade changed direction to join her at the cart.

  “What happened to Hana?” he asked.

  “She had to take care of something.” Briar shuffled over, making space for Kade to settle next to her. He leaned on the edge of the cart, digging into his pile of food with one eye still warily on the crowd as if expecting trouble. Briar glanced at her own abandoned meal and her stomach twisted. Maybe later.

  The music died away for the first time since they’d arrived and the mesmerising movement of the dancers came to rest. Applause rippled through the crowd, followed almost immediately by laughter and the chatter of voices. People rushed towards the food tables or split off into little groups of friends, families, and neighbours, their faces flushed with dancing and high spirits.

  And then everything stilled, like the breath before a song. A path opened through the assembly, through which an old man shuffled slowly towards the fire. His face was weather-beaten, lined by too many winters and browned by too much sun. The flickering firelight turned it into a map of shadows.

  Someone set a small, three-legged stool by the fire, and the old man settled himself on it, folding his hands around one knee as he stared into the heart of the flames. The silence stretched out in breathless anticipation until, finally, he spoke.

  “Far to the north stands the sacred mountain, veiled in mist. Few have ever walked its paths, and fewer yet return to tell of their journey. At its peak, hidden from the eyes of the world, stands the mighty Crystal Tree.”

  Briar’s hand crept up to the medallion around her neck, which held a wrought image of the Tree. Thes
e tales were where she had first learned of the Crystal Tree and the magic that poured from it over the whole land, long before she ever dreamed of joining the Order.

  “The Tree watches over this land, guarding us, its people. The winds that blow through its branches bring warmth and rain. From it come the good harvests, health, wealth, and good fortune. Its song breathes life into the world.”

  Briar closed her eyes and let the familiar speech wash around her. Even in the order house, she rarely saw such hope and fervent belief as she did from the villagers in these hills. A little pride swelled in her heart, pride at being both a magician and a hill girl.

  “The Crystal Tree is our torch of hope, our promise of help. It brings spring after winter, light after darkness. Tonight, at this festival of spring, we honour its gift of a new season, a new beginning.” The old man placed a fist over his heart and Briar and the other villagers copied his movement. After some hesitation, even Kade made a fist, bowing his head in the silence that followed.

  Someone coughed, and the spell was broken. The old man sat back, a toothless smile spreading across his wrinkled face as someone bent to speak in his ear. The music swelled, and the dancers spun back into motion, as if carried away on the sound. Briar yawned and brushed crumbs off her habit.

  “Is that speech normal?” Kade asked.

  “Oh, yes.” For a moment Briar forgot there were people who didn’t know these rituals, passed down from generation to generation. “It happens every year. Some people think that if we forget to offer thanks, terrible things will happen, though I don’t know if I believe that.”

  “Why not?”

  Briar shrugged. “I guess I liked to think of the Tree as being merciful. Besides, people ignore the Tree all the time, and it’s not like any worse things happen to them.” She paused. “What do you think?”

  Now it was Kade’s turn to shrug. “It’s a tree. It’s magic. Beyond that, I don’t really know. I don’t have any strong beliefs about it being a protector and all that. That’s more of a country thing.”

  “What do you mean?” Briar frowned.

  “I guess… I mean, in country villages like this, people hold onto traditions for a long time. You must have seen for yourself in Osman. People don’t hold these sorts of beliefs much anymore.”

  “So it’s like an outdated fairy tale.”

  Kade shrugged. “I believe the Crystal Tree is real. I just don’t think that it does all the things you say it does. It’s a source of magic, not a weather vane.”

  “Interesting.” Briar pressed her lips together. Belief in the Tree was as natural as breathing. How could people not see its power in everything around them?

  Kade stood abruptly, cutting off any further conversation. “If you’re finished eating, we should get some rest.”

  Briar slid off the cart in silence and followed close behind Kade as he wound his way out of the main heart of the festival, towards the far end of the village. The music faded a little until it was no longer throbbing inside Briar's head, leaving her with the dull ache of exhaustion and a strange, flat feeling inside.

  Hana’s house was as easy to find as she’d said it would be. The cottage sat at the very edge of the village, sheltered under the spreading branches of a green ash tree. It backed right up to the wooden wall surrounding the village, squeezed into the very corner. After the overwhelming noise and brightness of the festival, the squat little cottage with its sturdy log walls and painted shutters seemed like a haven to hide away in, even for just one night.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “Hey, wake up.”

  Briar’s eyes snapped open. “I’m awake. I’m awake.” She blinked hard and stared up into Hana’s face, which hovered uncomfortably close. Hana, not Rayna, like her sleep-fogged mind expected. “What is it?”

  “There are soldiers in the village. They’re asking about you.”

  “Me?” Briar sat up, suddenly very awake.

  “Unless you know of any other young female magician travelling with a male companion, probably heading north.” Hana sat back on her heels, arms folded. “What in the name of the Tree did you do?”

  “Nothing.”

  Hana shook her head. “I don’t believe that. Soldiers don’t pursue people who ‘did nothing’.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Kade reached for his pack. “We need to leave.”

  Hana snatched his bag and dragged it out of reach. “No one’s going anywhere until you explain what happened. Why are they looking for you?”

  Briar tried to catch Kade’s eye. What was she supposed to say? But he avoided her gaze, looking instead towards the door. Well, a great help he was. Briar took a deep breath and opted for the truth. “Three days ago, Osman was attacked. Some rogue magicians burned the place to the ground and killed a lot of people. Afterwards, the soldiers locked down the town. Kade and I got out, but we were seen leaving. That’s the only thing I can think of.” Surely that wasn’t enough for the soldiers to have pursued them this far though?

  “Maybe they have good reason to be cautious about you.” Hana gave Briar an almost accusing look.

  Briar met her gaze. “I know enough about fire not to play with it.”

  “Well, it just funny how places tend to burn down when your family is around.”

  “We had nothing to do with the attack.” Briar’s fingers curled into fists. They didn’t have time for this. “Please Hana, we haven’t done anything.”

  “Nothing at all?”

  “Nothing.” Briar held Hana’s eye. “Please, just let us leave. We won’t cause any more problems, I promise.”

  “Or I could call the soldiers right now. Then the problem would be sorted and you could all go.”

  “But you won’t.” Briar prayed her hunch was right.

  “No, I won’t,” Hana said at last. “To be honest, I don’t care what the story is. I just want you gone. I’ve seen enough of what your family can do. I don’t need to lose another home.”

  Hana’s words were sharp with accusation and an uncomfortable amount of truth. It took Briar a moment to push them aside enough to ask, “Is there any way we can get out of the village without the soldiers seeing?”

  “The only real way out is the front gate,” Hana said. “But the soldiers are guarding it.”

  Not an option then. “Is there anywhere we can hide?”

  Hana shook her head.

  “So we’re trapped.” Kade’s voice was flat. “And all this argument was for nothing.”

  “Not quite.” Hana rose, shaking out her skirts. “There might be another way. Follow me.”

  Briar slung her satchel over her shoulder, and she and Kade followed Hana out of the cottage. The music from the festival had stopped, and now the only sound was that of raised, angry voices. Had the villagers told the soldiers about her and Kade yet? Actually, the real question was, how had the soldiers found them in the first place? No one could have known they were coming here. She hadn’t known. So how had the soldiers found them? Perhaps a wind singer helped, informed by one of the friendly little breezes that blew over the hills.

  “Over here.” Hana slipped around the side of the house and squeezed into the small gap between the back of the cottage and the boundary wall. “There’s a loose log back here. The children use it to slip out of the village sometimes. You remember how we used to do that, Briar?” Hana’s voice was thick with memory. Then, more firmly, “You might be able to squeeze out that way. Just give me a moment to find it.”

  Briar clutched Mistress Rhosmari’s chain through her habit. The little chunk of stone lay heavy as dread on her chest. “Please hurry,” she breathed.

  “They’re coming this way.” Kade’s voice cracked.

  “Hang on.”

  The voices grew louder and louder, so close now that Briar could almost catch the words. Her fingers twisted through the double chains around her neck. Hurry, hurry, hurry.

  “Hana…” Kade said.

  “Just a moment. It’s her
e somewhere-Aha. There it is.” Wood scraped on wood. “See, I told you.”

  In the dim light from the glowing lanterns outside, Briar could just make out a small gap between the large logs. She eyed it in dismay. It was so narrow even she would have trouble squeezing through. How was Kade going to fit? But there was no other option. He was just going to have to manage.

  “You first, Briar. Quickly.” Kade glanced back over his shoulder. Somewhere nearby, a woman’s voice rose, shrill with anger.

  Briar squeezed past him. “Thank you, Hana.”

  “Just try not to bring any more trouble here,” Hana said seriously.

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  “Is this the house?” The gruff voice came from right outside the cottage. Briar shoved her bag through the gap in the logs and hurled herself after it. The space was narrower even than it looked and her shoulders scraped on the way through. Briar hit the ground on the other side of the wall and rolled out of the way.

  “I’m through.”

  “Is there any way you can delay them?” Kade asked Hana. “Please?”

  To Briar’s surprise, Hana shrugged and said, “I can try.” She disappeared from view.

  “Here. Take this” Kade pushed his pack through the gap and Briar lugged it out of the way. Kade followed, forcing his head and one shoulder through the hole. Bit by bit he eased himself through the tiny gap. Then he came to a stop. “I’m stuck.”

  “What do we do now?” The soldiers would be here any moment.

  “Help me shift this log.” Kade set his shoulder against the loose log and pushed. Briar grabbed it from her side and heaved with all her strength. If they could just get another inch… In the background, Hana’s calm voice cut through the gruff, impatient tones of the soldiers. Briar silently thanked her. If she could hold them off a little longer maybe, just maybe they had a chance. Briar threw her whole weight against the log, and it shifted, just a tiny bit. Kade burst through the gap, stumbling out the other side.