by Helen Church
“You should have become a Courtier, you have a tricky mind.”
Ilsa laughed herself, “I just think its unjust to force you to remain unmarried when you are unspent.”
He pondered the idea, “well, if we manage to survive Carbom, I will consider it. A peasant bride would be better than no bride at all.”
“Exactly.”
5
Two days later they reached the walls of Carbom. Ilsa had seen drawings of the citadel, but still couldn’t help but be surprised by its vast and imposing presence. It looked like a man made mountain, but she knew from her histories that it had been crafted by Magick’s, back when Seer’s still served the kingdom.
“How do we enter?” She could see no doorway in the city walls, which were as high as she could crane her neck to see.
“We have to declare ourselves before they will grant us entry,” Ellard explained. “We have to ride to the walls and speak.” He looked grim, and showed no sign of being willing to ride closer. “Remember what I told you Ilsa. Guard your thoughts.”
She frowned as she tried to imagine how to do that successfully. She understood what her father expected her to do, but her inexperience against the Seer’s suddenly seemed overwhelming. “I’ll do my best.”
As they walked with Glutar and Cetar towards the walls, Ilsa thought of the river they had followed yesterday, and the flow of the water, the fish that swam in it. As they neared the walls, she felt a pressure form in her mind, as if a weight was suddenly pressing against it.
“Do you feel it?”
“Yes,” she struggled to remain focused on the water, but both horses also started to whinny as they drew closer.
Her father had a deep scowl on his face as they reached the wall. He pressed his palm against it, “we are here for Seer Barey.”
The pressure she felt doubled in intensity and she gasped as the weight felt as if it had grown claws and was actually digging into her skull.
“Stop this! We are expected guests!”
“Master Ellard, it has been a long time since you visited the Magick city,” a male voice said unexpectedly.
Ilsa looked around and saw a doorway growing around her father’s palm where it pressed against the bare wall only moments ago. Simple in shape, the old wooden door opened once it had emerged, and a tall sickly looking old man smiled. Ilsa thought he looked far from pleased though, and the claws she could feel exerted more pressure.
Her father held himself rigid, “Seer Elmington, I would be grateful if you would stop trying to break into our minds. We were invited to come.”
Suddenly the pressure eased, and Ilsa almost sagged in relief, but followed her father’s lead and held herself rigid. She had no desire to enter the city, suddenly she was filled with dread at the very thought, but she also didn’t want Seer Elmington to know that she was frightened.
He smiled in her direction as if he knew her fear, and she realized her mistake, she had given him power over her.
“So this is your lovely daughter. I have heard so much about her.”
“We are here to see Seer Barey,” she said with as much authority as she could muster.
“So I hear.”
Ellard put his hand to his sword, “are you denying us entry?”
An elderly woman suddenly appeared beside Elmington. “Thank you for greeting my guests Seer,” she said, but she sounded angry.
Ilsa suddenly felt a warmth in her mind, and her feeling of dread diminished.
Elmington turned and vanished along with the last of her dread, and she wondered how much of her fear was real and how much was imposed upon her by Elmington.
“I am Barey, and you’re late.”
“Apologies Seer,” Ellard said, “our horses required rest.”
“And you were eager to delay coming to this place no doubt,” she sounded grumpy as she said this, but she smiled at them both. “Ellard, you look just like you’re mother.”
He looked slightly shocked at this, “thank you Seer.”
“And you, young lady, look like your Grandfather Danton.”
“So I have been told,” she smiled politely at the old woman.
“Follow me. You can bring your horses.”
Once they had crossed the threshold into the city proper, the doorway vanished behind them and they appeared to be in a street that was lined with stone cottages and crude wooden stables. A few faces appeared in the windows, apparently nobody could enter the city without drawing a crowd, because soon those people emerged onto the street to gaze in wonder at them.
Barey waved them all away, “you’ve seen outsiders before, get back in your homes!”
Ilsa didn’t know what to look at first. The buildings in the street seemed so small at first, but as they passed them, she realized that they were slowly ascending in elevation. As they rose higher and higher along the created mountain of stone, the buildings becoming taller and taller, until she felt so small she felt dizzy.
“You’ll get used to it,” Barey said as if she could sense Ilsa’s vertigo, which of course she probably could.
Her father put a hand to her shoulder, “it helps if you look down at your feet. The more you look up the dizzier you will feel.”
Ilsa followed his advice and forced her eyes down to her feet, and she immediately felt restored. She supposed the illusion was to disturb any unlawful entrants to the city.
As they walked on Ilsa began to hear fragments of whispers from all sides.
“…its her…”
“…bird child…”
“…Danton’s son…”
Ilsa glanced up at her father long enough to see that he was keeping his head down, but he could hear the whispers too, and obviously was not pleased that they had been identified so quickly.
Barey brought them to a plain looking old barn, “in here, put your horses in the stables, and go on through to the courtyard in the back.”
Ilsa entered the barn, and immediately saw that it appeared to be bigger on the inside than she believed was possible.
One lone horse appeared to be stabled here, but several stalls were empty and waiting for occupants. The rest of the space was filled with books, pots and pans, and a whole array of clutter that Ilsa couldn’t identify.
She walked Cetar into an empty stall, and the lonely resident immediately dropped his shiny black head over the dividing wall. She thought at first that the horse was interested in its new neighbor, but its only seemed intent on staring at her. “What a strange horse,” Ilsa said, intending the comment for her father, but it was Seer Barey who responded.
“That is no horse and you’d be wise to keep your hands away from him.” The old woman threw a large bale of hay into that stall, which appeared heavier than the woman herself, but she lifted it with ease. She then addressed the horse directly, “you behave yourself or I’ll have to gag you again!”
Ilsa gave her father a puzzled look as he rubbed down Glutar in the stall beside her, and he shrugged his shoulders to show he was as confused as she was.
Seer Barey bustled around them, providing hay and water for the horses, but saying little else. As she stepped out of the stall and left her horse happily drinking, Ilsa realized something unusual. Seer Barey’s white hair was darkening.
The old woman smiled at Ilsa with a genuine kindness, “no dear, I’m not as old as I seemed, but I’m also older than you think.”
Her father stepped up to join Ilsa, “Seer Barey, are these walls safe?”
Ilsa was confused by the question, but Barey just gave a nod. “These walls and no other, make sure you remember that.” She then spoke to Ilsa directly, “while you are here, you must not wander, and you must not trust anyone. This place is protected by old Magick’s that came long before Elmington, so you may relax and speak freely, but once outside this barn, guard your tongue and your mind. Understand?”
Ilsa felt some of her forgotten fear return and gave a nod of understanding.
“Many here aren’t
so pleased to allow Jocham or his blood back into the city, and there are those who would happily harm you to spite him for their imprisonment here.”
“Are all against us?”
“Maybe not all, but those who aren’t against you won’t lift a finger to help you if your life was in danger either.”
Ellard looked back at the strange horse, “and this fellow?”
Barey rolled her eyes in clear frustration. “That fellow can’t be trusted either, but his grudge doesn’t apply to you.”
Ilsa looked at the horse, who was still looking at her intently. “You speak as if he isn’t an animal.”
“Never you mind,” Barey gestured that they should follow her through to the other side of the barn, where a small courtyard and cottage were positioned. Ilsa thought she spotted a chicken coop behind the cottage, along with a small water well. “My home is small but you are welcome in it, rest for a while if you like. The chicken’s cluck but they’re mostly quiet at this time of day. I have to run a small errand,” Seer Barey’s hair was almost completely black now, and Ilsa wasn’t sure she was imagining the wrinkles smoothing out on her face too. The only features unchanged were the woman’s blue eyes, which were amused at Ilsa’s amazement. “Speak freely here as well, but be careful of the crow’s.”
Her father bowed, “we thank you lady.”
6
“So young lady, what did you think of Elmington?” Seer Barey asked.
Ilsa was surprised at the question. After refreshing themselves from their journey and taking a short rest, Barey had returned and summoned them immediately to the barn where she had laid out a large meal on a table that hadn’t been there earlier.
Ilsa was just swallowing a mouthful of bread while she considered Elmington. “I thought he was thoroughly unpleasant,” she replied truthfully.
Seer Barey smiled, “and can you pinpoint the cause of your dislike?”
Ilsa looked at her father as if he could provide her with the answer, but he was silent, leaving her to form her own reply. “He was trying to break into our minds and frighten us away.”
“And you know that it was him responsible for your fear?”
She frowned at the Seer, “wasn’t it?”
“Indeed it was him, but I want to know how strong your intuition is.”
“Well it felt as though a giant hand with claws was trying to squeeze my mind, and when he left, those feelings of dread left with him.”
Seer Barey nodded gently, “I see.”
The black horse leaned his head out of his stall and was clearly sniffing the food with interest, “I’ve never seen a horse so strange as that one.”
Seer Barey, who had her back to the creature turned around immediately. “Onur go to sleep!”
“Honor?” Ellard looked at the horse with interest.
“O-N-U-R, but it is pronounced the same. It’s ironic though, I suppose, as in his day there wasn’t a creature more dishonorable than him.”
“How can a horse be dishonorable?” Ilsa asked.
“He isn’t a horse,” Seer Barey turned back to her meal.
Ilsa continued to look at the horse, who was still sniffing after the food. “What is he if not a horse?”
“A criminal.”
Alarmed she looked at her father, who asked, “he was a man?”
“His punishment was to be cursed and to live out the rest of his days as that horse, but it didn’t work,” Barey laughed. “In fact, he is the perfect example of how Magick’s are not meant to be used.”
Ellard shook his head, “I don’t understand, how did it not work?”
“How long are horses meant to live Master Ellard?” Seer Barey asked as she returned her attention to her meal.
“I’ve heard of horses living to thirty.”
“That creature is eighty seven years old, plus his thirty human years before that. He refuses to die, and he retained the human tongue outside of the human form too, which has never been heard of before.”
Ilsa was shocked, “he can speak?”
“He does, but he won’t now if he knows what is good for him!”
Onur seemed bored of the conversation, and gave up his interest in the food. He turned in a small circle within his stall, and settled down for sleep.
Ilsa looked at Barey, who still had her head bowed over her soup. “What was his crime? Were you the one who cursed him?”
Seer Barey raised her head and gave Ilsa a stern look, “I do not deal in curses young lady. And his crime is his own burden to bear, I will not speak of it.”
“I apologise Seer,” she felt chastened and looked down at her own food.
“Curiosity isn’t always a bad thing Ilsa,” Ellard said kindly. “But true Seer’s do not perform curses. They believe that to manipulate the will of Magick itself is a crime against the natural order.”
“I see. Please accept my apologies Seer, I am unschooled in Magick’s.”
Seer Barey gave Ilsa a small smile. “I accept your apology. And I realize that there is much you do not know. Witches deal mainly in spells and curses, and it was once thought that a Seer wouldn’t be able to perform curses, because their power lay in their intuitions. Of course, Morden was thought to be just a Seer, and he performed the biggest curse ever known.”
“What is a Seer? I don’t mean to be rude but I thought Seer’s were Magick keepers?”
“To be a Seer, you must be able to see. But not just with your eyes. We are called Seer’s because we see with all of our being. We see Magick, and we respect it. We don’t try to bend it to our will, or use it to gain power. If we ever do use Magick it is only in the service of the will of Magick's. A witch thinks that Magick is a tool to be used as they wish, and they care little for the consequences.”
Ilsa thought she understood. “So it must have been a witch who caused my birth?”
“That is a good assumption.” Barey reached for a chicken leg, but pointed it at Ilsa before she took a bite. “But who or why, is something I don’t dare to guess about. While you are here there are some things I would like to try with you, but it will be dangerous.”
“How will it be dangerous?” Ellard looked alarmed.
“Relax Ellard, I do not mean either of you harm. But I will have to explore a few possibilities, and that may mean using Magick’s. As I do not know what caused Ilsa’s birth, or indeed what spell was cast, there may be counter curses or reactions I cannot guess at.”
Ilsa shook her head, “but you told Jocham that you knew the bird mark. That you had seen it once before.”
Barey took a bite out of the chicken leg and nodded, “I have.”
“When? On Whom?”
“Thirty nine years ago, on my daughter.”
Ellard abandoned his food and got to his feet. “Was your daughter Ilsa’s mother?”
“I do not know, she was taken from me by force when she was only one. I never saw her again.” Barey’s voice shook with sadness. “She had beautiful brown eyes and brown hair. I named her Lessa.”
“Did you ever find out who took her?” Ilsa asked.
Barey shook her head, “Elmington launched an investigation of course. Even here it is a crime to steal children, but nothing was ever uncovered.” She rolled her eyes as if it was no surprise, “of course with him running the investigation nothing would ever be uncovered.”
Ilsa felt so confused, “why is he in charge if he is so evil?”
“Because he is the most powerful,” Barey explained. “Power can get you many things. Those who are weak will cower, those who are stronger will not object because they do not want to lose what they have. Elmington draws power to him in the Magick world as well as the physical one. That is the reason my hair whitened around him, he draws my energy when I am near.”
Ilsa was too distracted to continue to eat.
Seer Barey continued to eat nonchalantly, but Ellard looked at Ilsa and asked pointedly, “do you want to leave here?”
“No,” she said almos
t immediately. “We have to find out what I am.”
Ellard didn’t look pleased, but he didn’t argue. “Will Elmington try to harm us?”
Barey shrugged, “if he were to try we would have fair warning. As I said this place is protected, we would have time to flee.”
“But surely he can control the barrier we passed through and trap us here?” Ilsa thought she could hear a trace of panic in her father’s voice, and wondered exactly how they would escape someone who could physically stop them from leaving.
Barey raised her hands in a placatory gesture, “please Ellard, trust me, nobody will harm you as long as you don’t stray from this place. My protection is old and strong, and I swear if it comes to it, I will get you outside the walls to flee.”
Ellard still did not look happy. “I don’t trust this place.”
Barey accepted that with a nod, “neither do I.”
7
Ilsa could find no trace of Barey or her father when she woke the following morning. After a difficult night’s sleep she felt unsettled, and once she confirmed that she was alone, she felt even more uneasy. The horses were chuffing contentedly, except for Onur, who watched her movements intently. “Why do you stare at me?”
Onur continued to stare.
“I know you can speak, so answer me.”
He blinked, but said nothing, and Ilsa immediately felt foolish for believing what Barey had said. This horse was strange but the thought that it was a man trapped inside a beast was ridiculous, and she turned away to head toward the courtyard. What she saw alarmed her.
Every inch of the courtyard was lined with crows, all staring into the barn. Some cocking their heads at her with interest, but all were in lined formation, like troops awaiting inspection.
“Don’t move,” a hushed voice whispered from the stalls, and she guessed it was Onur advising her, breaking his silence after all.
The birds all opened their wings to their full extent and let out a loud screech. Ilsa could feel the predatory threat in the gesture, but continued to hold her ground and returned the stare to the best of her ability. A pressure began to form at the front of her mind, similar to the violation she had felt yesterday at the wall, but this pressure had no claws, instead it blanketed her thoughts and made her feel sleepy.
