8
Kala
Kala arrived at the Council hall at dawn, as requested. It was good that it was so early because it ensured that only the most invested villagers would be there. She stood for a moment before the heavy doors, breathed deeply, and pushed them open. A few people were already milling about inside, even though the proceedings wouldn’t start for some time.
Lily crushed Kala in a hug the moment she stepped inside. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying, but she tried to hold it together for Kala’s sake. Cera and Calix joined in the hug and Kala did her best not to burst into tears. She felt the desperation in their touch. They murmured their support, and she thanked them. Kala detached herself and looked around to get her bearings.
Councilor’s Sayer’s scribe approached and asked her to surrender her weapons for the duration of the trial. She handed him her bow, quiver, and knife. Having collected them, he motioned for her to sit at a table to the right of the Council’s table. She walked over and sat down. Three of the five Council members were already present and talking among themselves. Councilor Sayer was conferring with Councilors Janus and Eilidh. Sayer loved procedure and was completely indifferent to the outcome. His vote would likely be swayed toward the majority position.
Councilor Janus oversaw the community’s hunting and farming. Kala had hoped that her worth as a hunter might sway him to her side, but his opinion on women hunters was widely known, and Kala could tell that he was still incensed by the fire. He wanted someone to pay, and the only candidate in the offing was Kala. His vote would likely be toward banishment.
Councilor Eilidh was a superstitious old woman, probably from a lifetime of telling tales at the Sewers’ Guild, and while she could at times be kindly, Kala did not count her vote on her side. Eilidh gestured expansively, and it looked as though she were recounting fantastic stories that Kala sadly believed she somehow figured in.
Missing at the moment were Councilors Fayre and Claudius. Both were wildcards. Fayre looked after the school, what passed for a library, and the apprenticeships of the youth. She was the closest thing to a soul that the village had. She looked askance at superstition, and hers would likely be the only vote cast for reason.
Claudius was also a wildcard only because he could be counted on to do whatever was best for himself. If appearing firm bought him more credit, he’d vote for banishment; if the appearance of clemency increased the esteem in which the village held him, he’d lean toward lenience. Sadly, his personality tended toward firmness, so Kala strongly doubted that he’d intercede on her behalf.
There it was, simple math… two votes likely against her and another probably against her, one vote possibly for her, and one de facto abstention. Her fate seemed settled. She looked around the room while her friends took their seats. There was no sign yet of Skye or her grandfather, but as born outsiders, their voices held no weight in these proceedings. The villagers present chatted among themselves, and they were disproportionately gossips, busybodies, and gawkers come to see the show. The crowd wouldn’t be sympathetic to Kala’s cause, and while they had no vote, Claudius’s penchant for giving the masses what they wanted worsened her odds. Still, she sat resignedly and tried to retain her pride.
Claudius and Fayre entered together conversing between themselves. Kala didn’t like seeing Fayre with Claudius as she regarded him as a taint and was relying on Fayre’s incorruptibility. Sayer noted their entrance and gestured for everyone to take their seats. Kala saw her grandfather slip in and take a place in the back. He was wearing his walking clothes, and it made Kala wonder where he’d gone. She couldn’t think about it too long because Sayer received the go-ahead from Claudius that all was ready to begin. Claudius liked to pretend to defer to Sayer because it ingratiated him with him, and it was Claudius who gained in the exchange. Sayer straightened his papers, raised his hand, and announced that the proceedings had begun.
“We’re here today,” he intoned, “to decide what is to be done about young Kala, currently undeclared as an apprentice.”
It annoyed Kala that her lack of a declared profession made her sound so useless. She was a hunter in all but name, and it wasn’t her fault that the official hunters weren’t particularly supportive of her solo excursions.
“She is accused of disrupting village safety,” Sayer continued.
“Isn’t it customary for the accuser to be identified, Councilor Sayer?” Fayre politely interjected before Sayer could proceed.
Sayer looked unhappy at being called out for a breach of protocol. “It’s common knowledge, but if it pleases the Council, let the record show that Councilor Claudius called this to our attention.” Sayer looked to Claudius for confirmation and Claudius nodded his assent magnanimously, giving him tacit approval to proceed.
Sayer consulted his notes and collected his thoughts. “The evidence of the case is as follows. Kala is survived of her parents by virtue of her unusual recovery from the fever that claimed their lives…”
“I don’t recall Kala being the only person to have caught the fever and survived, esteemed Councilor Sayer,” Fayre again interjected.
“That may be true, but most people who took ill perished, so it’s not inappropriate to deem her survival ‘unusual.’ Moreover, it’s part of a developing pattern. But, if it again pleases the Council, the word ‘unusual’ may be struck from the record.”
Fayre nodded her approval; not that it mattered, the record was irrelevant. This was a trial by verbal testimony, and Sayer’s words could not be struck from the Council’s ears. Was Fayre only painting the proceedings with the appearance of balance? Kala wondered.
“Kala was then raised by her grandfather, an outsider to our village,” Sayer continued. This was true, but Sayer said it with innuendo.
“Kala’s grandfather’s status as an outsider is not material,” Fayre pointed out.
“As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined,” Sayer defended himself vaguely.
His answer was too vague for Fayre to pursue the matter, so she let it drop.
Sayer continued, “From her youth, Kala has sortied alone into the woods, something no other villager does or would do, including our most capable hunters.” He paused for effect and waited for the murmuring of the audience to subside before continuing.
“Recently, Kala went off into the woods and was gone so long that she was presumed dead. When she returned, she had in her possession the skins of three dire wolves, proof of her miraculous survival, and if it pleases the Council…,” Sayer looked pointedly at Fayre as he said this, “I believe that ‘miraculous’ is an appropriate word to use by way of description.”
Fayre nodded emphatically, “I think we would all agree with that assessment, Councilor Sayer.”
“Further, two of the skins were unblemished with wounds of any kind. Most unusual to kill without leaving a physical mark.” Sayer raised his hand to wave off any objection from Fayre. “I am told that the explanation for this was that Kala killed those wolves with arrows through an eye and an open mouth. Is this a correct interpretation of the events, Kala?” Sayer asked.
She nodded meekly, but clearly. It wouldn’t help her cause now to mention the stranger she’d met in the woods. After not having mentioned him before, the Council would assume she was lying if she deviated from the accepted version of events.
“Let the record show that Kala has responded in the affirmative,” Sayer said to his scribe. “Also, the skin of the third wolf showed mutilation that implied melee combat. Would this be your assessment, Torin?”
Torin, who stood behind the Council, replied, “That’s what it looked like to me.”
“And yet, Kala appeared completely unscathed upon her return. Is it true that you sustained no grave injury from your encounter with the wolves, Kala?”
“That’s true, yes.”
“And Kala has offered no explanation for this oddity.”
Kala didn’t offer one now.
“You either have a phenomenal t
alent for killing, Kala, or you are exceedingly lucky. Some might even say that you lead a ‘charmed’ life. And again, before there are any objections to the word ‘charmed’, I feel it’s important to note that I am not declaring her life a charmed life, I am merely saying that many would classify it as such.”
Weasel, thought Kala.
Fayre raised no objection after Sayer’s clarification.
“Then, yesterday, our village was attacked by dire wolves in broad daylight, or at least one of our kin was set upon by them. Were it not for the quick thinking of young guardsman Orien, Cashel would surely have lost his life.”
Sayer’s casting the fire-starter as a hero didn’t help her case, Kala thought.
“Has it been confirmed that the wolves in question were actually dire wolves?” Fayre asked. “I have a hard time believing that poor Cashel would be alive today if he’d indeed been set upon by a pair of dire wolves.” Fayre continued sparring with the old man.
Kala thought to herself, And I have a hard time believing that Orien would have raced out to face a pair of dire wolves wielding only a torch.
“That is Cashel and Orien’s assessment, esteemed Councilor Fayre,” Sayer responded.
The word of two respected villagers, even two superstitious and frightened villagers, was not something that Fayre could call into question.
“In any event, wolves seem to be drawn to you, Kala,” Sayer added sarcastically.
“That’s wildly speculative, Councilor Sayer,” a mildly irritated Fayre added.
“Is it, though?” Sayer countered. “Just the other night, a sculpture surrounded by markings that smack of witchcraft appeared in the village square. While no one has come forward claiming that Kala was responsible, these aren’t simply a collection of coincidences, they are a string of absolutely unprecedented occurrences, and the common theme seems to be young Kala.”
The hall erupted into a cacophony of agreement and challenge, but mostly agreement. Sayer brought them to order with a few raps of his cane on the council table.
“If it pleases the Council…” a timid voice called out from the back of the room. All heads turned. It was Kira, escorted by Skye. They’d slipped in unnoticed.
Great, thought Kala. What’s that serpent doing here, and why’s Skye with her?
“The sculpture in the square wasn’t Kala’s doing,” Kira continued. “I was on my way to the privy that night, and I saw children running from the square.”
That bitch built it. Why the hell would she say otherwise now? Kala wondered. Kala was probably the only one that noticed Skye’s hand on Kira’s lower back. Gods-damn it. He sold his soul to buy that testimony!
“Thank you, Kira,” Councilor Sayer said to his granddaughter. “There will be time for people to speak for or against Kala after the presentation of the facts, but I guess we can make an exception now that you’ve brought this to our attention. Can you identify the children you saw?”
“No, sir, I mean, Councilor Sayer… it was dark.”
“That’s okay, young lady,” Sayer smiled. “Did you see the children build the sculpture?”
“No, not specifically, Councilor Sayer, but I also didn’t see Kala do it.”
“We can’t really take into account what you didn’t see Kala do, but the Council thanks you for having the courage to speak up.”
Kira’s attempt to set the record straight without implicating herself had Skye’s obvious hand in it, but Sayer had easily deflected it.
“It remains that these are all suppositions, Councilor Sayer,” Fayre concluded.
“Be that as it may, these are dark events and the safety of the village is our paramount trust. It behooves us to look past suppositions and protect the village,” Sayer concluded.
“Well said, Councilor Sayer,” Claudius chimed in.
I guess that answers the question of which way Claudius is leaning, Kala thought disappointedly.
“Are there any who wish to add to the record?” Sayer asked the hall.
A string of villagers took turns recounting strange happenings and unexplained illnesses. A young boy, claiming to have seen a pair of dogs chasing a rabbit around Cashel the day of the fire, was drowned out in the sea of ‘damning’ evidence submitted by those assembled.
Each of Kala’s friends spoke eloquent words about her character, and she was touched. The Council even made a show of listening intently, but a blind man could see that their minds were made up, and they were itching to end the trial. Kala’s grandfather said nothing as they both knew that anything he said as a relative and an outsider, even after all these years, would be disregarded.
Claudius stood and declared, “I believe that the Council has heard enough. Thank you all for bringing important information to our attention.” He met everyone’s eyes in turn as he surveyed the room, even Kala’s, to her surprise. “The duty now falls to the Council to decide how best to protect the village. We’ll confer and cast ballots.”
The Council rose as one and retired to an adjacent chamber to discuss matters in private. Calix offered Kala an apple, but she politely refused as her stomach was tied in knots. Several moments stretched by before the door reopened and the Council returned.
On the table behind the Council’s, guarded by Torin to the right and one of his henchmen to the left, lay a pencil, paper, a collection of small stones, and two fluted jars. As was the custom, each Councilor would rise in turn, write their judgment on a piece of paper, fold it around a stone and deposit it into one of the jars, the right one for innocence and the left one for guilt. What they wrote and which jar they deposited their stone into was hidden from view by a thin screen that Sayer’s scribe placed on the table.
The Councilors indeed took turns, from right to left, retreating behind the screen, writing their thoughts, and depositing their stones.
When they were all done, Sayer gave his scribe an impatient look that said, “Get on with it,” and the scribe rose and approached the screen. Behind it, he upended each jar, unwrapped each paper, and transcribed the judgment of each Councilor into the record. When he finished, he returned the jars to their upright position and herded the stones into a tidy pile. He carried the scraps of paper over to a brazier into which he placed them, and witnessed their destruction. He turned and carried the record to the Council table and placed it before the rightmost Councilor. The Councilor read it silently and passed it to the Councilor on their left. The last Councilor to whom it was passed was Claudius. He read it, collected his thoughts, and rose slowly to his feet.
“The ballots have been recorded, and the majority of the Council has found Kala guilty of disturbing the village’s security,” he announced imperiously.
Lily gasped, and Cera put an arm around her. Claudius glanced disgustedly at his daughter. Calix stood and exited. Kala’s grandfather hung his head, and Kala stared blankly while the import of the judgment rattled about in her head. All of this occurred in the space of a single heartbeat.
Claudius motioned for silence so that he could move on to the announcement of punishment. “Typically, the appropriate punishment would be permanent banishment, but given the girl’s youth and the lack of unanimity in the Council’s decision…”
Hope wormed its way into Kala’s heart.
“If the Council accepts, Kala’s punishment shall be banishment for the passage of three moons.”
Hope died. Each Councilor nodded his or her assent.
Cleverly played, Kala thought bitterly. Claudius gets to appear firm and merciful at the same time. Never mind that banishment always resulted in death, and so clemency was a sham. It occurred to her that there would be those who would fear angering a ‘witch,’ and Claudius was attempting to pacify their fears with his judgment.
“On the night of the third full moon from today, if nothing untoward has befallen the village, Kala will be welcomed back,” Claudius announced to the room. He then turned to Kala. “You are to proceed to the nearest gate. You may say a few words to your
loved ones, and then you are to leave the village and its surroundings and not set foot on its lands until the third full moon. Is this understood?”
“It is,” Kala replied. Claudius hadn’t expected an honorific, but she’d been polite in her response, so he simply bristled.
Kala rose to her feet numbly and collected her possessions. The scribe brought over her weapons and handed them back to her while Torin hovered nearby in case she decided to use them against the Council. Kala strapped her knife to her thigh, tied her quiver to her back, and slung her bow over her shoulder. She mustered her courage and left the Council hall. She glanced over her shoulder to see Torin and a compatriot of his escorting her, hands on the hilt of their blade.
At the gate, she was met first by Lily, who had only a hug and a wail for her. Cera approached and comforted Lily while saying to Kala, “Come back to us, okay?”
Kala hugged them both fiercely and told them that so long as there was breath in her body, nothing could stop her from returning to them.
Kala looked over and noticed Calix standing off to the side. He slid his cloak aside to reveal the pommel of a rusty sword and looked to her for guidance. Kala shook her head, walked straight up to him, and hugged him. “Thank you for always being there for me,” she said into his ear. He reddened, and she held him by his shoulders and stared deep into his eyes a final time.
A tap on her shoulder revealed Skye. He held out his hand, and she took it. “It has been a brief but memorable pleasure,” he said and shook her hand. She felt the note he slipped into her palm, and she deposited it into her pocket. He stepped back and rejoined Kira.
Kala turned full circle, scanning the crowd for her grandfather, and found him at last behind her, leaning against the gate. He was still dressed in his walking clothes and shouldered a small sack. Kala approached him and looked questioningly at his attire.
“You don’t think I’d let you go off on another adventure without me, did you?” he asked.
Kala’s heart caught in her throat. “You can’t,” she croaked.
Raven's Wings Page 7
