Survivors of Corrica

by Courtney Bowen

  However, the teacher asked Paracleus to then display the human forms of the kitsune, male and female. This was more tricky and convoluted than Paracleus had bargained for, but he tried his best. While the male at least appeared semi-human, the female was a complete mess, and the teacher deducted even more points for trying out a maneuver he couldn’t fully employ.

  Paracleus grumbled as he transformed back into the kitsune fox and leapt off-stage while Rhona kept laughing at him, amused by his mistake. Then Fato was called forward, and he nervously approached the stage.

  When he was asked to exhibit his talent, he hesitated until he came up with the right form and figure he wanted to transfer into. He summoned his powers and concentrated, willing himself into the shape he so desired, wings for flight, a beak, talons, feathers, piercing eyes, a small, narrow body with a cresting head.

  Suddenly he winnowed down into the small figure, arms outspreading to their tips, his feet sharpening and lengthening like prongs, his mouth elongating out to a point. He opened his eyes, head darting around, and screeched as the others clapped.

  He took off in flight, testing his wings, and found himself soaring across the room, over the heads of everybody laughing and cheering for him, until he was called back to the stage. He circled around and landed before he changed back into his regular shape, slightly humanoid as the Fay had adapted to that figure whenever they interacted with humans, but a little more irregular, with a hint of their plant origins.

  The teacher glanced up from taking notes. “Fato, you can remove the wings now.”

  He blinked and the students chuckled as he nervously flapped the wings on his back, feeling the feathers on there until he managed to vanish the wings, with some reluctance. Rhona and Paracleus were called back onto the stage with the other students who’d gone through this test.

  They were graded, marked as passing or failing, and all three managed to pass the test, though Paracleus scored the lowest, barely managing to scrape by on the sheer audacity of his attempt to master a difficult form. With this success, however, the students were granted permission to visit the mainland as they wished, with the express permission of a guardian, parent, elder, superior, or anyone higher in rank than them.

  The students cheered or jeered, based on their scores, and were dismissed, free to leave the classroom and enjoy themselves. The Fay children frolicked outside, joking, laughing, and chatting amongst themselves, while Fato, Rhona, and Paracleus wandered off, discussing what just happened.

  “Did you see me? I was like, whoosh!” Fato cried, miming his flight.

  “Yeah, I saw, we all did. You flaunted those feathers in front of us like a peacock.” Paracleus said.

  “And what do you call that fanning of tails you did? Look at me, I’m not a fox, I’m a kitsune! See how glorious and fancy my tails are compared to yours.” Fato mocked Paracleus.

  “At least I had a tail. Yours were just a bunch of feathers stuck up your butt.”

  Paracleus and Fato fought with each other while Rhona rolled her eyes. “Why’d I get stuck with you two?”

  “Hey, we didn’t ask you to hang out with us.” Fato said. “You just did.”

  “I must admit you’re certainly a lot more fun and amusing than some of the others I study with.” Rhona remarked. “You’re not totally obnoxious, dumb, or stuck-up like some of the others. You know how to play.”

  “Speaking of stuck-up…” Paracleus said, glancing up.

  “Hey, I help you out more times than you can count. So you better not be talking about me.” Rhona said.

  They laughed and joked amongst each other before they retired to their homes and families.

  The next morning, they rushed out and met up with each other in the field just beyond their homes. They quickly looked over the forms their parents had signed, chatting with each other.

  “My mother was so excited, she said, ‘Of course you should go!’” Rhona remarked.

  “My father just told me to get out of the house and signed me up.” Paracleus said.

  “I had a long talk with both of my parents, and finally convinced them I’d be okay, and that it was safe enough for me to travel to the mainland.” Fato said.

  “Well, either way, you’re coming with us!” Paracleus grinned. “So, what’re we doing? Where are we going?”

  “Well, I had a talk with the teacher, and they said we can go anywhere we want, so long as we stay away from human settlements and conflict. They suggested remote mountains or forests as the best options for traveling to the mainland.” Rhona said.

  “Why can’t we talk to the humans?” Fato asked.

  “They’re more trouble than they’re worth, you know. The humans keep fighting each other and never settle down for long. They disturb nature, you know.” Paracleus rolled his eyes. “That’s what everybody says, anyway.”

  “Look, we don’t want to cause any trouble or create a disturbance amongst them, drawing attention to ourselves. That’d be bad, as we don’t want the elders to be upset with us, and cancel our mainland trips. Then everybody would be mad at us.” Rhona said.

  “Okay, I see your point. I won’t do anything.” Fato said.

  “Good. Then let’s pick a location, and go there.” Rhona summoned a map of the continent, and they examined it.

  They quickly sifted through a bunch of choices, narrowing it down to a few. Finally Fato cast the determining vote, picking a spot on the northwestern coast of the continent, close to Mila Forest. It was the farthest they could go from P’hula anyway, and they might as well go to the furthest corners in order to explore the whole continent.

  Rhona and Paracleus agreed, and they swiftly summoned a portal, passing through to the other side of the world. They marveled at their surroundings when they arrived, Mila Forest being so different to the rainforest that encompassed their home. They walked on through the forest, chatting to each other as they spotted different types of animals they normally didn’t see.

  “Look, a unicorn.” Rhona pointed it out.

  Paracleus and Fato swarmed around to get a glimpse of it. “Oh, yeah, that’s a beauty, a dapple one.” Paracleus said.

  “Look, a palomino!” Fato waved at it.

  They marveled over the small herd passing by, roan and bay amongst them, before they moved on. A couple gnomes trooped down the lane, and then scattered as a bobcat wandered through. They heard wings flapping and looked up at a flock of griffins passing overhead.

  “Any pegasi?” Rhona asked.

  “No, just griffins.” Paracleus said.

  They kept going, heading towards the coast, as Fato said, “I wonder if there are any kraken in the water?”

  “They do tend to drift north, though they live in deeper water in the middle of the ocean, not close to the coastline.” Rhona said.

  “Oh, yeah. Still, we might see some selkie.”

  “I’m going to steal a coat!” Paracleus shouted.

  “You can’t do that, that’d be rude.” Rhona said.

  “But it’d be funny. I’d give it right back afterwards, just to say I can.”

  Paracleus and Rhona argued over stealing a selkie’s coat as Fato went ahead, wondering if he might be able to spy anything on the shore. He snuck through the trees, not wanting to expose himself in case he accidentally came across some humans they weren’t supposed to encounter.

  The Fay were supposed to stay separated from them. Part of the reason why they had to learn how to transform into other creatures was so they could disguise themselves if they were to meet them. The Fay were powerful in their magic and could live longer than most creatures, including humans, but they were still vulnerable to harm.

  Their plant structures could break off if struck by sharp and powerful enough weapons, but regrow themselves if necessary and if they had enough strength. Yet humans were so conflict-prone, always fighting, and the Fay wanted to avoid such damage when it was a hassle to recover from.

  Plus humans could be tricky and deceptive
creatures, so the others said, and might try to take advantage of the Fay and use their magic for gain. But Fato wasn’t certain of everything he heard and wanted to find out if it was true, if the humans were so bad or if it was exaggerated.

  He reached the shore and gazed out across the water, the wind cold and bracing compared to the coastline of his home. Fato sighed and shivered, bracing himself as he jogged in place to warm up, waiting for the others to catch up.

  As he looked across the horizon, however, he spotted a sail flapping in the breeze and paused, staring as the form of a boat, more like a long ship, started to materialize out of the vapor. Fato gasped in shock and turned around, wondering if he should flee back into the forest and warn Rhona and Paracleus about what was coming.

  He retreated a little bit, taking shelter behind some rocks, yet at the same time, he curiously glanced back towards shore and watched as the long ship sailed nearer and nearer. It was powered not just by the wind, but also rows of oars with people rowing as quickly as they could. This ship was mammoth compared to most vessels Fato had heard of or seen, far more impressive than the typical human kind, so he wondered where this ship came from, if it wasn’t native to these shores.

  For it had come from someplace far away, he could tell by the wear and damage done to it, and how exhausted the people were. Aside from the unusual size and design, there was also some odd sheeting or plating, maybe metal, alongside the bow, underbelly, and sides of the boat. Could it be possible that humans had done such a thing, and what sort of iron or metal work was necessary to create it?

  For Fato knew very little about iron and metal work, as the Fay didn’t adopt such a craft when they depended upon the forest and their magic to provide most of their needs. But he was fairly certain the humans on this continent didn’t have such faculties yet. Were the people on board this ship more technologically advanced?

  As Fato contemplated this, the ship had beached itself as close as it could to the shore, dropping down an anchor for good measure. Rhona and Paracleus were also coming up alongside him, and they halted as they spotted what he was looking at and hid behind the rocks, too.

  “What’re these people doing here?” Rhona hissed.

  “Looks like a landing party is coming down from the vessel.” Paracleus nodded as a few people disembarked and waded through the surf onto the shore.

  “I’m not sure, but I think they’re travelers from far away.” Fato whispered. “Looks like this is their first time on this continent, too.”

  “Travelers from beyond these shores?” Paracleus laughed. “This is amazing, I didn’t think there was anything beyond here, except for some islands, and certainly nothing like this boat. Did you see--”

  “This is serious.” Rhona insisted, examining the boat and its people. “We’re dealing with an unknown variable here. We’ve got to tell someone about what’s going on. It’s unusual enough to warrant some further investigation.”

  Fato was also studying these people dressed in a strange manner, obviously frightened, worried, and soaked to the bone from their arduous journey. They certainly didn’t belong in this part of the world when the local people here dressed in a plainer style, with simpler clothing and materials to work with.

  Some of them wore armor made of a tough silver metal that shone in the light and clanked as they walked along, striding onto the shore. Most warriors in this area wore leather and hide for padding and wrapped around wooden shields. Occasionally they even had copper and bronze armor and shields if their smelters were good enough.

  But these people appeared to know how to cast a different type of metal, possibly a form of iron, which might be tougher than copper or bronze for fighting. Fato wondered what sort of weapons they possessed, if they were made of this metal, too. But he didn’t mention any of this to Paracleus and Rhona right now, and he certainly wasn’t going to talk with these humans either.

  These people were too afraid to take kindly to a stranger asking to see their weapons and armor, especially if they’d never seen a Fay like him and the others. He would surely be stabbed if he tried and it always hurt too much to bear, though he could survive such injuries.

  “Let’s get out of here, then.” Paracleus said, turning away reluctantly.

  Fato and Rhona retreated into the forest with him, and soon they were all talking about what they’d just seen.

  “I wonder what world they came from and how different it must be to our own.” Paracleus said.

  Rhona shook her head. “This is dangerous. We don’t know anything about these newcomers, where they came from, or why they’re here. If they’ve come to stay and live in peace among us or if they might harm us.”

  “I think they’d rather live here in peace than anything else, though they’re definitely armed.” Fato said.

  “What sort of weapons did you see?” Paracleus asked.

  “I didn’t see everything, but I think they’ve found a way to forge iron into armor and weapons, not just copper and bronze.” Fato said. “Did you notice their armor?”

  “Now that you mention it, I did see that. Iron’s definitely a stronger material than copper or bronze.” Rhona said. “This could be a tremendous fighting force with an advantage like that.”

  “I don’t think they’d harm us unless they were provoked to attack, especially us Fay. I don’t know about the humans in this area.” Fato said. “The newcomers don’t know anything about this territory where they’ve landed, after all, and they’re few in number.”

  “A small fighting force could still cause some damage.” Rhona insisted.

  “Maybe, yes, but at the moment I think they feel more vulnerable than anything else. They may only want to defend themselves instead of just randomly attacking and stealing things away from a settlement like bandits or a warlord’s thugs.” Fato said. “Plus, there were women and children amongst them on that boat, families, not just warriors.”

  “Families still need space for themselves, land that they might take. And the warriors might be more protective if their spouses and children are amongst them, liable to attack anyone or anything that might pose a threat, even pre-emptively.” Rhona said.

  “You’re right about that. Though that might be a sign that they don’t mean or intend to conquer and destroy everything in sight with their families present.” Paracleus said.

  “You think that’s a deterrent?” Rhona arched her eyebrows. “That ‘my family is present so I won’t do anything that will cause anyone else harm’ is a thought that goes through their heads?”

  “I would say they might take care not to do anything while their spouses and children are watching. Besides, who travels with their families unless out of absolute necessity?” Paracleus shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to travel with my father for anything in the world. They’re probably homeless and have nowhere to go until they came here.”

  “Homeless, vulnerable, but definitely armed. This will make for a great combination of events.” Rhona said.

  “But we don’t have to worry, do we?” Fato turned to her. “It’s just the humans that live on this continent that have to deal with them, right?”

  “But we travel, back and forth, a lot across this land.” Rhona said. “They’re bound to encounter the Fay sooner rather than later, and it might happen that they could be more aggressive and domineering than the other humans that live here, given time and the aptitude to spread. It could be a matter of time before they threaten the Fay.”

  “We’re talking years down the road here,” Fato raised his hands, “Centuries, maybe, and it’s a what-if scenario that could come to fruition if we don’t act now.”

  “What do you suggest?” Paracleus asked.

  Fato shrugged. “Maybe we should try talking with them, see what type of humans they are, if they’re aggressive or not. It could be the start of a new alliance or relationship, an intervention preventing the sort of trouble we fear might happen, or we could get ahead of this problem now and see what might
be done about it.”

  “That might work and it could be some sound advice.” Rhona said. “However, we should still talk to the council about what’s happened, and see what our elders have to say about it.”

  Fato agreed, and they summoned another portal, passing through to return to P’hula.

  Chapter Seven:

  The Landing Party

  When the miasma began to flash and flare with an otherworldly light, Porran and members of his crew attempted to turn the ship back around, concerned they were caught up in a storm that could damage the vessel. However, they couldn’t steer the boat around when the rudder and oars seemed to be locked up, and with a strange magnetism they were pulled farther into the vortex.

  The glare in the fog almost blinded them, confusing their sense of direction until they didn’t know which way was out or back where they came from. The wind returned and pushed them on, guiding their course as the glow faded away, allowing them to see once more.

  The air stirred the hair on Porran’s head, raising it up like a cloud. For a moment he thought his feet left the ground as the breeze buoyed him up, heaving him off of the deck of his ship, towards the sail and the sky.

  Porran smiled a moment, liking the weightless sensation and the joy of being in tune with the gale, but then he shook his head, thinking it was a fantasy. He wasn’t a bird, after all, and he landed hard on the deck, jarring his legs a little, as he wondered what happened to him.

  Then he noticed the merpeople and sea serpent, along with everyone else, and realized something truly strange was going on here. Maybe he’d actually flown or floated a little after all? It was crazy, but this place definitely wasn’t normal.

  Anya was overwhelmed, meanwhile, as she discerned the spirits of everyone surrounding her, and then noticed there were ghosts in the fog. For a moment it made her wonder if they’d crossed over into an afterlife of some sort, and she was almost thrilled at the prospect.