by B N Miles
“We’re taught that the body is just flesh and the spirit is one with the Ur. That each of us, once encased in the body, becomes individual, becomes trapped away from what we truly are. But in death, the body releases the spirit, and the spirit returns to the great mass of Humanity that is the Urspirit, our god and the source of everything that makes us what we are.
“We can see that truth in how we spend our short time in this world. Each and every one of us spends our lives yearning for close contact with those around us. We all yearn to be closer with our families, our friends, our loved ones. We live, we breathe, we eat and fuck and pray, and every day we wish we could touch the minds of those we love, just for a moment. Just for a moment, we wish we could escape the trap of who we are and be something else.
“We yearn to be a part of the great collective once again.
“And still, even as individuals, forever separate from the world outside of our bodies, we still strive for closeness. We form families, friendships, villages, countries. We form bonds with each other, because deep inside, we know what it was once like to be a part of the Urspirit. Before we were born, before we were broken off from the great mass of what we are and came to this world, we were locked together in perfection.”
He clasped his hands behind his back and turned to face the crowd. His back was straight and his face was turned slightly upward toward the sky. Cam felt a strange chill run down his spine as Kraed surveyed them all. The man had once been a great preacher, a great priest of the Ur before he’d come to the village. That was why he was chosen as an Elder, how he’d been given so much responsibility despite the drink. Kraed was educated, intelligent, and understood the worldly and the divine.
And just then, standing in front of the assembled village, Kraed gave them all a glimpse of the man that he used to be.
Cam would have liked to know him back then.
“Grieve for what you’ve lost,” he said, his voice was soft but it still projected over the assembled people. “Grieve for those that fell, but always remember, in the dark night when you reach across your bed skins and your fingers find nothing but empty space where your love once slept, remember that we all return to the Ur, we all return to the One. When you slip from your skin and pass from this world, you’ll be reunited in the Urspirit, as sure as we have bodies. This is all a passing shadow, just a moment of experience outside the great passing godhood from which we all come. Grieve, but do not fall victim to that grief. Enjoy your time as an individual, but do not forget what you truly are, and what you will become once again. Home awaits us all, sure as anything else in this world.”
He turned then and gestured at the men holding their torches. They walked to the pyre as Kraed fell to his knees. The villagers slowly got down and mirrored Kraed’s posture. Cam could feel the cold earth underneath him. He hung his head and stared at the churned mud as the men brought over their torches and pressed them against the pyre.
The lamp oil caught and fire roared to life. Kraed lifted his hands in prayer. “Urspirit take them, receive them, and bless them. Return us to the godhood’s embrace and make right the missing parts of our selves. From many comes one and to many go all.”
“Urspirit bless them,” Cam murmured with the rest of the assembled village. “From many comes one and to many go all.”
They stayed on their knees for a long moment, watching as the fire crawled across the pyre. The thick smell of burning wood and bodies wafted over the collected people, and Cam had to force away his revulsion. It smelled so much like the wolves he had burned just hours before. The sun broke up over the trees, casting long columns of light across the burning bodies. It was the second time that smoke had hung above the forest trees, but this time Cam could see the future.
This time, Cam saw the souls of his fellow villagers departing this world for something better.
As he watched, there was a sound from further out into the field. Cam and most of the others turned and slowly stood. Assembled in the middle of the field, standing in two perfect lines, were the Elves. The sound Cam had heard was the slick of steel against sheath as they drew their swords, and for one insane moment, he thought the Elves might attack and slaughter them at the funeral for their fallen.
Instead, Cam heard Haesar bark something sharp and guttural. The Elves held their swords out in two hands, the weapon lying flat across their palms. None of them smiled, not even Miuri. Cam saw Gwedi toward the front, and was surprised at the serious expression on her face as she held her sword up in front of her face. The whole Elven cohort made that gesture, like they were offering up their weapons to the assembled village.
Haesar was the only one that did not raise his sword. Instead, he stood straight, to the side and ahead of the main body of Elves, his hands behind his back. He stood and stared for a long moment as the Elves saluted the fallen.
After some long seconds, Haesar barked another command, and the Elves brought their weapons down and sheathed them in one easy, fluid motion, almost in perfect sync with each other. Cam saw more than a few villagers staring in awe and respect, and he couldn’t blame them. The Elves moved like liquid lightning, smooth and deadly and beautiful.
The Elves turned on their heels and marched back to their camp.
Cam turned away from them, a swell of pride in his chest as the funeral pyre began to burn brighter.
“For some reason, I think we might make it now,” Theus said, his voice low.
Cam smiled at his friend. “We will,” he said.
“You’re going to make sure we do, aren’t you?” Theus gave him an odd look and sighed, shaking his head. “Someone needs to, anyway.” He let out another breath. “I just wish we had gotten to do this for your father.”
“He didn’t need it,” Cam said. “He’s with the Ur now, like everyone else.”
“I hope so.” Theus stared at the fire, the flames casting flickering light across his face.
Cam put an arm across his friend’s shoulders and they stood there together, watching the bodies burn, throwing smoke in thick plumes up into the air.
29
The village prepared to leave several hours after the sun had risen. The pyre was burned down to smoldering cinders, and normally they’d dig out the ashes of the fallen, drop those ashes into large intricately carved clay urns, and bury the urns in the mass village grave. But since they weren’t near the village, and there was no time to fill so many urns, Dagan made the difficult decision to leave them as they were.
Kraed only nodded his approval. He’d already taken up his position on the lead cart, jug of alcohol under one arm. Cam wondered where the man kept getting the stuff, but he decided not to ask. Better he didn’t know.
The carts were brought around and a path was cleared through the wolf meat. The horses were skittish of the dead wolves, but they were coaxed through, and after an hour of agonizingly slow movement, they were back on the cart path.
The Elves had packed up their tent, buried their dead, and were waiting for them in silence. They didn’t offer to help, but they also didn’t rush their progress. Cam caught Miuri watching him, a little smile on her lips, and he even gave her a small nod, which only made her smile broader.
Once the carts were on the path again and moving freely, Dagan walked up front with three Human warriors, three Elven warriors, Haesar, and Miuri. The rest of the Human and Elven warriors were spread out along the column, guarding the flanks and the rear. Most of the Humans stayed close to the carts while most of the Elves went out into the forest to scout ahead and keep an eye out for the wolves.
“Our people are better in the forest,” Haesar explained when Dagan objected. “They can move faster and further than a Human.”
“Even still. I should have my own people out there.”
“Save their strength, Elder Dagan.” Haesar stared ahead as they walked, his hands behind his back like he was out for a morning stroll. “You will need them close if the wolves come. Those shields of yours will prove v
ery useful indeed.”
Dagan looked like he wanted to argue but kept his mouth shut.
Cam walked near the front group but stayed a few people back. He didn’t want to start taking responsibility away from Dagan. Although the Elder didn’t seem to resent him for it, he’d done enough already, and he knew he’d need his strength for the coming fights if they were to get through them.
As they continued along the path, the relatively flat and easy traveling gave way to more rocky footing. The path began to move uphill, slowly at first, just barely perceptible as they reached the foothill ahead of the great mountains. The forest began to thin, shifting from big, thickly packed oaks to prickly evergreens with heavy, green needles pluming their bodies. It was colder the closer they got to the Mansion, but fortunately it was still late summer and the temperature wouldn’t drop to freezing at night.
Cam spotted Key weaving her way through the walking villagers around midday. She sidled up next to him and smiled, clutching her spear and using it as a walking stick.
“How come you’re not up there with the Elf Lord?” she asked. “Sorry, should I call him your father-in-law, or is that too soon?”
Cam glared at her. “Don’t start.”
“Oh, come on. You get to sleep with an Elf Princess and I don’t even get to tease you about it?”
He frowned and looked away. “If that’s what you need.”
She groaned. “You seriously don’t make this fun.”
“Sorry.”
“You’re too serious. And stop apologizing. I told you, I’m not mad.”
“Right.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “So I was talking to Miuri this morning actually, and learned that I’m technically an Elf Lord now that I’ve been with her.”
She blinked and straightened. “Wait. Really?”
“Nope.” He grinned at her.
She laughed and bumped up against him. “There he is. That’s my loveable asshole.”
“How are your parents?” he asked, changing the subject away from Miuri and the Elves. There was only so much he could handle talking about that with Key.
“Father’s recovering from his wounds,” she said. Cam knew he’d taken some wolf claws along his side, but didn’t know how bad they were. “And Mother’s just shaken.”
“You’re lucky to have strong parents, you know.”
“I guess so,” she said, shrugging. “They’re always trying to get me to stay away from the fighting though.”
“They might as well save their breath. Like asking a fish to stay away from water.”
“That’s what I tell them, but maybe they’ll listen to our new shaman.”
Cam laughed softly. “It’s weird, isn’t it? I mean, I don’t feel any different.”
“Come on. You have to feel a little different. I mean… can you use it? Like, right now?”
Cam tilted his head and frowned. He looked up toward the tops of the trees and tried to slip down into that meditative state. His eyes unfocused and he felt a small calm descend over him as his heart rate stilled and his breathing deepened. He thought he could sense the power, still there and just out of reach. He wasn’t sure if he could touch it or not, but he didn’t want to find out.
“I think so,” he said. “Not easily, though. I still need a lot of practice.”
She made a face and leaned against him. “Will you feel that… thing?” she asked. “Every time you use magic, I mean.”
Cam tensed a bit as the memory of the Need came back to him. The clawing, screaming, horrible buzzing Need made him want to never touch magic again, although he knew that wasn’t possible. “I think so, but I’m not sure.”
“Even if you’re just practicing?”
“Miuri said it happens because of all the leftover magic still in my body. So I guess the more I use, the worse it gets, but I really don’t know.”
“Hmm,” she said then her expression changed and she nodded forward. “Speaking of Miuri.”
Cam looked up and slowed his pace. Miuri had turned and was coming toward them. His heart rate spiked and any semblance of his calm drifted away in the wind and shattered. Dagan and Haesar were deep in conversation, and Gwedi was off harassing her warriors, so nobody was paying any attention to the Elven Princess. Even still, he felt himself start to sweat. Key was right next to him, and Miuri was coming toward them with a big smile on her face.
He had to admit she was alluring. She seemed to float above the ground as she slipped between the villagers and fell into step next to Cam on his other side. Several men and a few women stared at the Elf openly. She was shorter than Key, slimmer, with long golden hair and stunning crystal green eyes.
Key was more muscular, her legs were thicker and stronger, but Cam had to admit that Key at least matched Miuri in beauty. She didn’t float or glide, but she had her own kind of grace. Key’s hair was pulled back into a single braid, and her top two tunic buttons were left undone, showing just a hint of her breasts. Cam wondered if she did that on purpose until Miuri drew his attention back to her.
“Hello, Cam,” Miuri said. “Or do I call you shaman now?” She gave him a playful smile.
Cam winced and shook his head. “Please, don’t. Just call me Cam.”
“Good. So long as you keep calling me Miuri and don’t start calling me Princess or something like that.” She laughed and leaned forward, looking at Key. “Hello, I’m Miuri.”
“I’m Key,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Are you friends with Cam here? Did you know that he saved my life?”
“He told me,” she said, grinning at Cam, who felt like he wanted to burn himself to cinders. “He said you taught him a little about his magic.”
“Oh,” Miuri said, smiling in surprise. “He told you that we had sex? I thought you two might be—”
“Uh,” Cam said before she could finish that thought. “Miuri, you can’t just… come out and say that.”
“Really?” She frowned. “I forgot you Humans were weird about sex.”
Key was bright red but she managed to push forward. “I meant that you taught him what the Need was, but… he did mention that, uh, the other thing.”
“Sex,” Miuri said. “The best way to cure the Need is through physical release. I believe it’s the orgasm that flushes the priori from the body, or at least that’s what the shaman told me.”
Cam looked up at the trees again and let out a long, low sigh. “Thank you, Miuri.”
“Oh, my pleasure,” she said sincerely. “Did Cam also tell you that I owe him my blade and my body?”
He looked back at her, shock on his face. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah, uh, you owe him what now?” Key asked.
She tilted her head. “My blade and my body. Well, I think the words I used were life and knife, but blade and body is the same general thing. He saved my life during combat and risked himself in the process, and now I’m pledged to him.” She said it like she was telling something incredibly obvious to a couple of children, but Cam couldn’t help but stare at her.
He knew she thought she owed him something. And he remembered her using that phrase, her knife and her life, but he hadn’t really thought much about it after that. Now though, he was beginning to realize it had meant a great deal more than he realized.
“Well that’s, uh… that’s good,” Key said. “That’s good, right, Cam? This gorgeous Elven Princess owes you her blade and her… body.”
“Gorgeous?” Miuri sounded delighted. “Thank you so much, Key. I think you’re really pretty too. Would you show me how you do that braid some time?”
Key stared at her in barely suppressed surprise and uncertainty and Cam couldn’t help but smile. “Come on, Key,” he said. “Be nice and show the Princess how to do your braid. I bet she’d look nice with it. And she thinks you’re attractive.”
“I’d be happy to show you some Elven braids in exchange, Key,” Miuri offered.
“That would be
nice,” Key said finally, her cheeks turning pink. “But maybe you can show me some of that Elven fighting style you all use instead. Does it have a name? I have to admit, it was really impressive.”
Miuri smiled big and nodded. “Tael,” she said. “It mostly focuses on two-handed sword and sometimes sword with short blade, but there’s a spear subset I could show you.”
“That’d be amazing.” Key gushed and leaned toward Miuri, looking past Cam. “I don’t think I’d be as graceful as you all are, but watching your people fight was amazing.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” she said, laughing. “Tael can be very… physical sometimes. I’d be happy to show you.”
“Physical?” Key blinked at Miuri. “What do you mean, physical?”
Miuri laughed lightly. “I mean, some of the techniques require a stronger body than mine,” she said. “That’s all. I wasn’t trying to reference my little encounter with Cam.”
Key pulled back a bit. “Oh. Right. Of course.” She laughed nervously then kept talking in a rush. “Sorry if I’m being rude. I just didn’t expect this. I mean, I know he said you two slept together, but he didn’t mention the whole… pledged to him thing.”
“Oh no,” Miuri said. “Are you two… together? I know Humans sometimes mate for life, I just didn’t know Cam had already chosen his partner.”
“No,” Key said quickly.
“Maybe,” Cam said at the same moment.
Key stared at him and Cam looked back. He shrugged and tilted his head. The moment lingered between them, and Cam wished he could crack into her skull and read her mind. He knew he’d just given something up to her, though he wasn’t ashamed of it at all.
“Interesting,” Miuri mused. “Very interesting. Well, I should return to my father before he says something stupid to your Elder. I just wanted to come and say hello.” She leaned toward Cam and he got a whiff of her smell, like roses and fresh cut meadow grass. Her voice was low and her breath tickled his ear. “Elves don’t pair for life, and they don’t mind sharing. Just so you know. We can be very… accommodating. And flexible.”
