The Heretic's Song (The Song's Of Aarda Book 1)

by K Schultz

  “There are similar tradeoffs with hard or soft metals. Hard metal will hold an edge well, but it may chip or shatter. Soft metal will not shatter but it will not hold an edge. It is always a balancing act. More carbon means harder steel, but harder steel may chip when struck.”

  “What is carbon? And how does it get into steel?”

  As he was speaking, he noticed Laakea working up another long explanation. “Never mind, don’t even bother trying to explain it. I used to think we spoke the same language, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “I may have to work both metals separately, before I can work them together.”

  “You know,” responded Rehaak; “I was just thinking similar thoughts about you and me.”

  “What d’you mean?”

  “Before we met, The Creator shaped us separately through our experiences. The Creator has welded us together through our work. It was just one of many stray notions.”

  Laakea let the comment slide since he was preoccupied with the forging, and had long since given up expecting a straightforward answer, when Rehaak was in a philosophical mood.

  Laakea’s optimism faded, as his renewed efforts didn’t produce results. The strange metal remained spectacularly stubborn as it resisted his will again. In moments, he went from exuberance to despair as the obstinate stuff mocked his efforts. In a fit of loathing, he picked up the hot metal with his tongs and threw it into a corner. The moisture in the dirt floor steamed as the metal lay there cooling. He threw down his tools, muttering, “That’s it. I quit.”

  As Laakea spoke, they heard noises outside the forge house. They reached for the weapons available to them. Rehaak grasped a stout piece of wood as a club, while Laakea picked up heavy steel tongs in one hand and his hammer in the other. They took positions on either side of the smithy’s open door. Shirtless and sweating they stood waiting, ready to face whatever came through the open doorway.

  Only the sound of a gravelly voice entered the building.

  “What is dat horrible stench I smells from in dere? Peeeeuw! Smells like a barrel chock full o’ unwashed arseholes tuh me!”

  “Isil? Is that you out there?” Rehaak grinned at Laakea and dropped his makeshift club.

  “Yup. Come out here and air yerself out, so’s we ken talk proper. Cause dere ain’t no way I’m comin in dere. Dat place smells wors’n a stink-cats backside. Don’t yuh bathe?”

  Rehaak stepped into the bright sunlight with Laakea. Isil assessed them both.

  “I sees yuh got yerself a new hairdo huh? Have yuh bin working out? And who be dis strappin lad with yuh?” Isil grinned at the young giant beside him, feasting her eyes on the rippling, sweat soaked muscles of his chest and arms.

  “I sees yuh has gained a lot o’ muscle Rehaak. Yuh are no longer duh scrawny scholar I met on duh road. Yuh has taken tuh shavin too I sees. If I never read your note, tuh come here I might have passed yuh by on duh street and not known yuh.”

  “Isil, allow me to introduce my protector and savior Laakea.”

  Laakea bowed to the older woman and said. “Pleased to make your acquaintance Ma’am. Rehaak has told me stories of your adventures.”

  Isil acknowledged his greeting, by flashing her famous smile at him.

  “We have the formalities concluded; let us get better acquainted. I think a meal is in order, do you not agree?” Rehaak looked at Laakea with a look somewhere between hope and desperation.

  Laakea shrugged; there was no point arguing with Rehaak, besides he was tired and hungry too. It was impolite to continue working in the forge with Isil just arrived and Shelhera had taught him better manners than that.

  He was ready to abandon the project anyway. Why should he torture himself any longer? They made their way over to the house where Isil and Rehaak worked together preparing food. Laakea protested that since it was his house, as a proper host, he should prepare the meal.

  Rehaak laughed and said, “If you want to be a proper host, you had best not poison the guests with the stuff you cook.”

  “You’re lucky I am a proper host, or I’d part your hair with a blade, like your six friends did that night.”

  Isil laughed at the easy banter that passed between the two men. The bond between them was obvious and she envied their closeness.

  “Yuh two sound like an old married couple, but never mind dat. What happened since I wuz last at yer hut Rehaak? Who gave yuh duh new hairstyle, not dat I find it unattractive,” she teased.

  Rehaak started by telling her what happened to the miller’s son, and followed with the story of his second battle with the knife-wielding assassins. Laakea filled in the blanks where necessary, adding his own comments along the way. Once Rehaak had finished his story, Laakea took up the narrative, where Rehaak’s memory gapped. Laakea ended with his conclusions on the origin and purpose of the attacks.

  “Yuh see? I’m not duh only one what thinks yer duh target o’ dis nonsense.”

  “Good,” Laakea grinned. “Maybe two of us can get the idea through his thick skull, since he won’t listen to me.”

  “Well, I still don’t see why anyone wants to spend so much energy —to pay someone to kill me —” Rehaak countered.

  “Neither do I — yet. Are you sure you haven’t forgotten something?’

  “Yup, be dere somethin you ain’t tellin us bout yer past den? I got my own ideas bout duh source o’ dis trouble but we best learn everythin, just in case.”

  “What do you mean? Your own ideas?” asked Rehaak.

  “I’ll be tellin yuh directly, but answer duh question first.”

  “I have scoured my memory. In spite of my misdeeds and failures, I can think of nothing that should provoke these attacks.”

  “No jealous husbands, nor cheated business partners? Stuff o’ that sort’ll earn yuh grief fer sure.”

  “Yes, if you want our help, Rehaak you must tell us your whole story, so we know what we’re up against and can prepare for it.”

  Rehaak felt trapped and outnumbered. One part of him wanted transparency with his friends, but another part feared it. His nightmare of being naked and hiding had become real. He got up to leave.

  Rehaak wanted to run far and fast as he headed for the doorway and fresh air to clear his head, at least that is what he wanted to believe. Rehaak recognized that it was a convenient lie, but he would not stay, in spite of that knowledge.

  “Stop where you are,” Laakea commanded, in a voice ringing with irresistible authority.

  Rehaak stopped, compelled by the power of that voice, unable to move any farther towards the door. He looked at Isil, and found her similarly paralyzed. He managed to turn his head far enough to see Laakea. The boy looked as stunned as he and Isil. Once the compulsion wore off, they stood looking at one another without speaking.

  Laakea spoke first. “What just happened?”

  “I dunno. You did it, whatever it was.”

  “Yes. It was your voice Laakea, but there was power in it that stopped me, as if I had run headlong into the wall. Are you sure your parents never mentioned this ability to you?”

  “No! I’m sure I’d remember if they had.”

  “I think we be needin tuh just sit a spell and talk dis over,” said Isil. “We gotta lay everythin out in duh open. Dere’s too much goin on dat we don’t know ‘bout.”

  “Fine. I’ll go first,” said Laakea, still emboldened by the aftereffects of the power that had surged up within him moments ago. He felt he could face any peril or hazard and overcome it.

  The uncharacteristic boldness the lad displayed astonished Rehaak and he envied him his courage. “No,” he said guiltily. “I should go first since I kept things from both of you.”

  “Yuh got no monopoly on secrets dere, friend, but yuh can go first if yuh likes. But, I believes I should be duh first so’s I can splain what I think is happenin, and yuh can be next. Duh lad can go last, as he’s likely not tuh have accumulated duh history we has.”

  “It’s fine by me,” said
Laakea. “As long as we get it done. Rehaak already knows everything about me anyway.”

  Laakea looked at both Rehaak and Isil as he spoke, “So, no more secrets then.”

  Chapter 24

  “Yuh mightn’t like what yer bout tuh hear, but before I says anythin else, I’m cummin with yuh on yer quest. If’n yuh’ll have me. Dat’s why I’m here. I be done with the freight business cause I gave up my monopoly from duh King.”

  “What did you do with your wagon and mithun? You told me they wouldn’t go anywhere without you,” Rehaak interrupted.

  “I sold duh wagon and doh it about broke muh heart tuh let em go, I put duh beasts out tuh roam and fend fer demselves. Found a beautiful pasture fer em too. Dey wuz duh best team I ever had, but dey wuz almost past duh age where dey could pull fer much longer anyway. I would’a needed tuh replace em in a year or two, so I retired em early.”

  “You mean you have given up everything to come on this fool’s errand with us? Why?”

  “I reckon yuh’d best listen tuh my story den, and stop interruptin me every couple o’ sentences.”

  “Yes, please go on Isil. Just ignore him. It’s what I always do.” Laakea grinned impishly at Rehaak.

  Rehaak slapped the back of the youngster’s head with his open hand, as the boy looked at Isil, with feigned impatience.

  “Yer both impossible! I got a good mind tuh thrash yuh both and leave now. Dis is too serious fer such foolishness.”

  “We’re sorry Isil,” Rehaak said, looking contrite. Laakea nodded, and they both fell silent.

  Isil took a deep breath, as if preparing for heavy lifting, before beginning.

  “When I wuz a youngster I had duh usual upbringin, I s’pose, My Ma and Pa taught me tuh raise draft mithun. Dey wuz herdsmen demselves. I s’pose dat explains why I ended up with four of ‘em and duh wagon. But dat’s only duh beginning and duh end of duh story. In between is where muh real story lies.”

  When I wuz your age Laakea, I got tuh feelin like I wuz missing too much o’ life, livin out dere in duh back o’ beyond with muh family. Many o’ duh folk what used tuh live round our parts had either died or moved on tuh better things, so we wuz out dere alone. I wuz restless and I fretted about what I should be doin with muh life. Believe it or not, I wuz quite a looker when I wuz younger,” she said, and smiled again.

  Laakea nodded solemnly and whispered to Rehaak, “I can identify with her isolation, but I’m having a little trouble imagining Isil as either beautiful or young.”

  Rehaak nodded but remained silent.”

  Isil continued, ignoring the byplay. “Well, when I wuz ready tuh climb out o’ my skin from boredom, dis handsome fella came ridin by on a big animal, a horse, he called it. I never seen such a beast afore.”

  “I have read they were once numerous in Aarda in ancient times. If any still exist, they are in Baradon. I imagine because they used them in combat, they perished in the wars,” interjected Rehaak.

  Isil ignored the interruption, and continued, “Muh parents always tol’ me dey hoped I would have a better life dan dey did. Duh life of a herdsmen ain’t much of a life. I would’a thought dey’d be right happy about muh prospects with dis young fella, but fer some reason, dey jus didn’ like him. Yuh could tell he had money and saw things I never dreamed of. It wuz like heaven, just listenin tuh his tales.”

  “Muh parents didn’ want me tuh have nothin tuh do with him, but tuh me he wuz a dream come true. When he asked me tuh come with him, I threw muh clothes in a sack, and snuck off with him, once muh parents wuz sleepin. Dis fella promised tuh take me away from dat life, and he did, right enough, but it didn’t turn out at all duh way I expected.”

  “We traveled around a lot in duh beginnin. He had meetins with odd folk all over Khel Braah an he took me along. We ended up at his big beautiful home in Narragansett. It wuz a palace fer a country girl like me. I wuz living a dream with fancy people, fancy clothes, and parties all day and night. He wuz a good man den, or leastways I thought he wuz.”

  “He wuz involved in a lot o’ business ventures. I found out later dat some wuz above board, and some wuzn’t, but I never knew duh difference, jus’ bein a stupid farm girl. In duh beginnin, he treated me jus’ like a princess outen a storybook. Den I got pregnant with our child and things began tuh go off track.

  He seemed tuh grow tired o’ me, called me coarse and unrefined, cause I didn’t talk and behave like duh big city folks. Duh little farm girl didn’t fit with his image as a mover and shaker among duh high and mighty of Narragansett. I tried tuh change tuh please him but it wuz never enough fer him.”

  “He started disappearin fer days at a time, an I never knew when, or if he would show up. I wuz lonesome and scared when I wuz by myself, but I wuz more lonesome and scared when he wuz dere with little Eyhan our son and me. He had changed intuh someone I didn’ recognize any more. I wanted tuh go home but he tol’ me dat he would never allow it. Duh boy wuz his, he said, and he would never let me leave with him.”

  “I didn’ realize it at duh time but he wuz in with a real bad bunch o’ sick fellas. Anyhow, things began tuh go downhill from dat point. He tol’ me bout his friends,” her accent disappeared as she mimicked her former husband’s voice:

  “These men have powerful friends. They can help us get what we want and make life comfortable for us. Don’t you want more for our son?”

  “He tol’ me dis more dan once, so I went along with it hopin fer duh best, but fearin duh worst. No woman wants tuh believe her man is bad.”

  “After dat, I realized he was goin to duh temple late at night. I hoped dat it would do him some good an mebbe religion might turn him ‘round. I didn’t know it den, but duh temple in Narragansett is not for worshipin duh Creator. He took me along with him one night.”

  “Dey wuz not worshipin duh Creator like muh Ma and Pa and muh Granthers. Dey wuz doin evil things in duh dark o’ night. Killin and torturin animals as blood sacrifices to duh Dark Ones. It made me sick, tuh see creatures bein treated like dat, and it wuz even worse when duh Dark Ones started appearin in duh middle of dese ceremonies. Dey wuz enough tuh make a body crawl right outta dere skin.”

  “Den things took an even worse turn, when he began tuh ask me tuh do things dat wuz jus not right. Dey wanted tuh use my blood for dere offerings at duh temple. When I refused, muh husband began tuh beat on me, tuh try tuh make me do worse things dan bleedin.”

  Rehaak resisted the urge to speak.

  Laakea, engrossed in the story ignored Rehaak.

  “When I couldn’t take no more; I packed up young Eyhan and ran back tuh muh folks. Leastways, I tried tuh do it. By duh time I wuz most of duh way home, muh man and his friends caught up with me on duh trail. I figured dey would fetch me back to duh city, or jes’ take Eyhan away from me and leave me alone, but dey had other plans.”

  “Dey came with me to duh farm where muh parents still wuz livin. Dey tied me to a tree in front of duh house and left me dere, while dey dragged my poor Ma and Pa outside.”

  Isil paused for a moment, as tears rolled down her leathery cheeks. Rehaak and Laakea waited for her to begin again, although it looked like she might not continue her story.

  She rallied and began again.

  “Muh husband wuz holding our little’un, while his friends wuz pullin muh folks out of duh house. I watched him, hopin he would put a stop to what wuz goin on. He turned his head tuh look at me. I can’t rightly explain what I saw in his eyes right den, but I could see dere wuz no hope o’ any rescue in dem.”

  “I hope tuh never see nuthin like dat again. His eyes wuz all dark an angry. It wuz pure evil wickedness. Den he smiled at me. It wuz duh smile he use tuh give me when we first met. It wuz duh smile dat won my heart, leastways dat’s how it looked on duh outside, but when yuh saw duh eyes, yuh knew duh smile wuz evil too. I had tuh turn away cause I thought I wuz gonna get sick tuh my stomach. When I did, I heard muh son scream. I had tuh look back in dat direction. He wuz twistin Eyhan’s a
rm, tuh hurt him so he would yell and get me lookin his way again.”

  “By dis time, his partners had driven stakes in duh ground and tied muh parents nekid and spread-eagled between dem.”

  She paused again, as if to gather strength.

  “You need not go on,” Rehaak murmured. “I think we can see where this is going.”

  “No! I need tuh tell someone. Besides dis is important. I couldn’t seem tuh remember most of it before, but now it’s come back tuh me and dere is somethin yuh got tuh understand,” she stated.

  Laakea sat silent at Rehaak’s side.

  “Alright, go on then,” Rehaak said. Laakea agreed.

  “Anyway, like I wuz sayin, dey had muh folks staked out on duh ground. They started chantin some kind o’ ritual, and dey danced around wavin long knives,” her voice trailed off.

  “Wait,” Laakea interrupted. “Were the knives like the ones carried by Rehaak’s attackers?”

  “Exactly duh same.”

  Rehaak blanched at her reply but said nothing.

  “So your husband, what was his name?” Laakea asked.

  “I vowed never tuh say his name again, but he wuz called Voerkett.” She spat on the floor after saying the name, as if it had brought a vile taste to her mouth.

  “So your husband, Voerkett,” Laakea continued. “He was part of a group of people following the Dark Ones, and these knives are part of their religious ceremonies.”

  “Dey use em tuh make sacrifices tuh duh Dark Ones. From what muh husband tol’ me, duh sacrifices give power tuh duh Dark Ones. When dey is strong enough, dey’ll take physical form an walk among men again. Muh husband tol’ me dat when dis happens, dey would give dere followers power tuh rule Aarda with em. Dat’s what him and his friends wuz after from duh beginnin, and dey claimed tuh be gettin closer tuh it wit’ every sacrifice. Dey called the Dark One dey served Ashd’eravaak. Dey said when he came with his army, dat dey would take back all duh lands from duh Eniila, and make dem pay fer what dey done tuh duh Abrhaani.”

  She looked apologetically at Laakea, waiting for any sign of offense.