Book of Remembrance: The Forgotten Gods: Book One

by Tania Johansson

  “Just after dawn they came. It was exactly as in the dream. I heard the attack. Her screams have stayed with me ever since. I rushed back as quickly as I could, but by the time I got there, the house was burning. The Twisted Ones were gone already. I fought to get into the house, but the flames had taken hold and I could not get past the front door. I called out to them, but got no answer. I searched outside, but it was clear that they did not get out. I took Tas away to get him to safety. The next day I went back to the house. At least to what remained of it. After that, I took Tas and we left. Made a new life for ourselves here.”

  It was a terrible story. It again made it clear that the Alliance members had been hunted. “So the Talent manifested in you, because Rakadamon’s followers were coming for you. Because you were threatened by them.” He nodded.

  Tas was standing at the window staring out, his arms folded across his chest. These events had shaped his life, much as they had mine. I turned back to Master Hollis. “Can only one member of a family receive a Talent?”

  He looked over to Tas and slowly shook his head. “No. At least with us, it was endowed to both Tas and myself. Whether it can happen across the same generation, I do not know. Perhaps siblings could each receive one. I cannot see why not. Surely, the more people we have the better chance we stand.” He shrugged. “My boy, would you like to show our guests your Talent.” He raised his voice and Tas turned around.

  I looked over at him and nearly swallowed my tongue with a gasp that was echoed by Alathaya. So she had not known either.

  I snapped my eyes back to Master Hollis, but he had not moved and he was wearing a smile that never touched his eyes. I stood up and walked over to Tas who now looked identical to his grandfather. Alathaya sat with eyes the size of plates and her mouth half open. I could not believe my eyes and I kept looking from one to the other. There was no telling them apart. Tas laughed harshly. “You like my little Talent? Grandfather was the first I copied. It was an accident and I think I scared myself more than him. I was so angry about their murders and I blamed him. Not because of the viewing, I was too young to understand that, but because he survived and they did not. I was asking him one day why he had not helped them. I held him by his arms and started shaking him. I thought that if only I had been as big as he was or as strong as him, or if I had had the viewing, I would have saved them myself. A futile thought… for most people. In me, it awakened my gift and I got my wish, except that it was still too late and they were still dead. I did not even know how to make myself go back to being me, it simply happened.”

  I did not know what to say, what could you say to someone who had been through such a tragedy? “And could you? I mean could you see the future as well?” Her soft voice cut through the silence of the room.

  He grinned showing more teeth than was pleasant. “Not that first time, I was so scared I stayed in my room for three days until I changed back. The next time though, yes, I also had a viewing.”

  She nodded as if he had confirmed something she had already known. “Does that also mean that when you change back, you do not retain his gift?” He simply nodded. I looked back at Master Hollis. He was listening solemnly to his grandson. I looked back at Tas. He seemed to shimmer for a moment and then I was seeing Tas again. I wondered how that worked. Whether it was an actual physical transformation or whether he was simply somehow tricking your mind into seeing him differently. I supposed that it must be physical, if he could take on another person’s gift as well…

  Master Hollis’ racking cough broke into my musing thoughts. When his coughing stopped, he sipped at his tea again. “I think my gift was triggered because of the danger our family was in. I just wished I had used it better then; I have always blamed myself for their deaths. Tas, do not let something like that happen to you. Do not be afraid to use your gift in whatever way you can to further the purposes of the Resistance.”

  “Yes Grandfather,” Tas replied obediently.

  “Can we not convince you to come with us, Master Hollis?” I asked without much hope.

  He sighed heavily. “Had it been but ten years ago, I would have jumped at the chance to fight back, but now…” he shook his head, “I would hinder more than help. I will however, swear to help anywhere I feel I can.”

  It was all I could really expect and ask for. I turned to Tas. “Are you coming with us now, or will you meet us at the Handsome Knight when we leave?”

  He looked around the house. “I have a few things I need to do before I go. I will meet you. When are you planning on going?”

  Alathaya looked to me. “I don’t know yet. There is someone I need to speak to before we can leave. Can we send you another pigeon the day before we are to leave?” He nodded.

  When I greeted Master Hollis, he gripped me by the forearm with a surprisingly firm hand. “You, my boy, will need to be strong. I do not simply mean physically. You will need to lead many people in very bad times. Make sure they know their best option is to follow you. There is greatness in you. Never doubt that.” I shook his hand and murmured thanks before leaving.

  The moment we were far enough away from the house to be sure not to be overheard, Alathaya nearly burst with excitement. “I cannot believe what my eyes saw today. I have met Tas several times before, but they never said anything about a gift.”

  I smiled at her. “And you? I suppose you told them all about your gift?”

  She smiled ruefully. “You have a point there. It is amazing though is it not? Can you imagine the possibilities? He can be anyone he chooses and have their attributes to boot.” She went on chattering and I only half listened.

  Suddenly Balder started getting skittish. She danced to the side and snorted. I reached for Navitas and Markai appeared snarling by my side. With sheepish grins plastered on their slender faces, Luan and Pharis came walking out of the woods, their hands held up as if in surrender.

  “You certainly are improving. I think a couple of weeks ago we would have been able to track you for days before you took any notice.”

  I grimaced inwardly at their appearance. The last encounter had been anything but pleasant. Alathaya looked at me uncertainly and I realised that she had not had the, uh, pleasure to meet these two. I waved a hand towards one then the other. “Alathaya, this is Luan and Pharis. They are part of the Guardians.” Luan flicked his long black hair back over his shoulder at the mention of his name while Pharis gave a small stiff nod and sniffed.

  Her face lit up. She held out a hand to them as if to shake theirs with a broad smile on her face. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Alathaya of the Almeida Alliance family. I have heard so much about the Guardians, but have never had the honour of meeting anyone.” They looked down at her hand with identical disdainful looks on their faces and they both held their hands behind their backs as though scared she might grab a hand if she could. The smile slipped from her face and she dropped her hand down.

  Luan looked up at me with his cold green eyes. “As you must be aware, we are not simply here for a chat. We want an update on your progress. We know you have found two more since we last spoke.” He looked Alathaya up and down with distaste and I saw her frown deepen. “Are these humans as prepared as they should be?” I laughed at him.

  “What do you mean are they as prepared as they should be? I am hardly prepared. I am learning as I go along and most of what I am learning is coming from the Alliance members themselves. So yes, compared to me, these humans are perfectly ready for the Great Threat, even if it should strike tomorrow.” I could not keep the scorn out of my voice. How dare they question the Alliance and me when all that they have done was watch, criticise, and doubt? I saw my anger echoed in Alathaya’s face, but judging from the smug smiles still in place on theirs, it was lost on them.

  “I can see that you enjoy our little encounters as much as we do, so I will keep this brief. We have been looking for the others that you seek. North-West of here, there is a small town caller Eranidin. We believe there is an Alli
ance family there. If we find more detail, we will inform you.” Pharis sniffed and looked away as if bored.

  I was taken aback by the fact they were actually helping. “Thank you. How did you find this out?”

  Luan raised his dark brows at the question. ”We are well connected. That is all you need to know.” They walked away back the way they had come.

  Alathaya was frowning heavily. As we rode away she spluttered, “Are they all like that? I mean the Fae. Are they all so superior and insufferably rude?”

  I had to fight the smile that wanted to form on my lips at her indignation. “No, I have only met a few of the Fae, but they are the only two who are like that.” I had tried to keep the smile from my voice as well, but her head still snapped to me angrily.

  She shook her head and muttered under her breath. After a while, she spoke again. “Who is it that you need to speak with before we leave?”

  I had forgotten about that. “Oh, well, actually now I do not need to speak to her anymore. I was going to try to contact Quiniewa to ask if she has managed to find out anything more, but now that Pharis and Luan has come to us with this information, we will not need to speak with her yet.”

  She nodded. “I will send a pigeon to Tasolin then so that we can leave on the morrow.”

  Alathaya left me to go to Ami to send the pigeon and when I arrived at the Handsome Knight inn, I found the rest of them in the common room. Brant looked relieved to see me, although I suspected it had more to do with spending time alone with Trissa and Seran than with seeing me. He was smiling broadly. “So what have the day brought us? Another fish in the net?”

  I looked at his glass of ale and wondered how many he’d had. I smiled back though, “Tas will be joining us tomorrow when we set out again.” Trissa made a clicking noise with her tongue. I looked a question at her.

  “Do we have to leave again tomorrow? It feels like we have been travelling for months. It would be nice to stay in one place for a while, just to catch our breath.” I shook my head. What was she thinking? That we were on some leisurely tour of the countryside?

  “What do you suggest? We dawdle for so long that the Dark Master’s followers catch up with the next Alliance member before we do?” I knew my tone was harsh, but talking with Tas and his grandfather had brought the reality and urgency of the Threat into sharp focus and she was talking as if we had no need for haste whatsoever. She was visibly offended and Seran frowned and pulled his mouth into a tight angry line.

  “Kadin, perhaps you need to watch your tone a bit.” Her face softened at his words.

  I sighed heavily and sat down. “I apologise. The reality of our situation is just starting to stare me in the face now.” I told them of Tas and his grandfather and how his family had been hunted, his parents murdered.

  “So we set out towards this Eranidin tomorrow morning then?” Brant sounded pleased with the plan.

  I nodded. “Alathaya has already gone to send a pigeon to let him know we are leaving. He will meet us here at dawn.”

  “There is actually something I wanted to discuss with both of you.” I looked from Seran to Trissa. “When Quiniewa spoke of the seven I seek, I did not realise that they would all be Alliance family members. It was only after I spoke with Master Almeida that I put the two together.” Trissa was staring with a blank face at the table and Seran leaned back on his chair. “I did not know I came from an Alliance family, because I was not raised by them, but I wondered why you two did not say anything about your own background?”

  Seran looked at her, but when she just continued to stare at the table, he spoke. “For myself, I perhaps did not reveal all the details. I did grow up with the Knowledge and warnings of a future that seemed impossibly far away drilled into me every day. I knew that one day, one of the family would receive a gift and be called to fight in the Resistance. I never thought that person would be me. When I excelled in my training with the whips, I thought I was just talented. To be honest I never thought much of it.”

  “That was until the war, until my first encounter in battle. That left no doubt in my mind about what I am. I was so happy when everyone was cheering me on in battle; using my skills and Talent for the good of our people. I was looking forward to getting home and telling Father of it all.” He shook his head, a sad smile playing across his lips. “I have told you how well that all went. Of course, Father knew what it meant, but if he supported me against the wishes of the council, it would have raised suspicions. It would have risked exposing us to Rakadamon and his followers. To keep the town quiet about it, we decided it was best that I left.”

  I nodded slowly. “I understand that, but why did you not tell me this right from the start?”

  He shrugged. “I was not certain you were who you said you were. You come to me out of the blue and pronounce yourself the Protector and Preserver, the soon to be leader of the Resistance. As far as I knew, you could have been a Twisted One sent to lull me into a false confidence. Make me reveal myself and my family.”

  I took a slow sip from my mug. “Why did you not tell me later? After we found Alathaya, you could not still have doubted me?”

  He pursed his lips together. “Truthfully, I did not even think about it after that. Besides, it does not actually change anything.”

  I disagreed. Any piece of additional information may be useful, even if I do not see that use right away. There was no point in arguing about it though. I looked expectantly at Trissa and was startled to see tears rolling down her cheeks. “All is right, Trissa. I am not angry that you did not tell me. I just need all the information that I can get.” I tried to make my voice soothing, but she just sat shaking her head. Seran put a comforting arm around her shoulders and rubbed her arm.

  “I have been trying not to think on it too much. I did not grow up knowing all these terrible things. Ma and Da were ordinary people. Da died when I was about ten turnings. As you know, Ma died not long before that dog came and took us away. They never said anything. When I was nine, some girl of the village started telling tales about me. She said that I had been left there one day and that Ma had had to beg Da to keep me. Said I was not really their baby. I went crying to Ma and begged her to tell me it was not true and she did. She told me all these stories of when she was expecting and how she had always known that I was going to be a girl.”

  She shook her head and cleared her throat. “Now I think that she had been lying. I do not think I was theirs. On top of it all, my brother may not even be my brother. Ma fell pregnant when I was four. Early on, she became unwell though. Da could not take time off work to look after her so we travelled to her sister in another town.”

  She pulled her brows together in frustration. “I can’t even remember what the town was called. She stayed there for the duration of her pregnancy. At least, that is what they told everyone. We only went to pick her and the baby up once he had been born.” She shook her head. “I have been lied to my entire life, no wonder I fell for Nassarit’s nonsense.”

  “You cannot blame yourself for that man’s evil. If your parents were trying to convince everyone, including you, that you were theirs, they may have been trying to protect you. We know that Rakadamon has been searching for the Alliance members. If they knew of that, then what better way to keep you safe than by making everyone believe you were theirs?” Seran pacified her.

  She looked at him with eyes bleary with tears and nodded sadly. “You are probably right. I just wonder what happened to my real parents then. Do you think they have been killed?” Her voice had started to shake again and her chin trembled.

  “I don’t have the answers, but don’t upset yourself over things that we cannot know. Maybe they are in hiding somewhere. They could even have been planning to go back for you when it was safe to do so,” he postulated.

  She looked doubtful, but her chin went still.

  Alathaya walked in and sat down on the rickety chair between Trissa and me. She saw that the other woman was upset and shot a glare at
us. Seran gave his head a small shake to warn her not to ask and thankfully, she did not. “It is done. He will be here tomorrow morning.” We were all set then for the next leg of our journey.

  Soon after that, we went to bed. I had some wash water sent up and stretched out what may be my last proper wash for at least a few days. I carefully shaved my beard and this time managed only to leave a couple of nicks. I thought I would have trouble falling asleep that night, but the moment my head touched the pillow, blissful sleep took me.

  I woke shortly before dawn and hurriedly stashed my few belongings in the chest before going down to the common room. The smell of fresh bread drifted up to me. The common room was deserted, but as soon as I walked in the innkeeper, Edalet came out from one of the back rooms. “Well, aren’t we up early? We have some fresh baked bread that is ready and freshly delivered churned butter. I think they have just put some eggs on the boil so that should only be a few minutes.”

  I nodded. “That sounds delicious.” She smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.

  I sat down by a small window and was soon joined by first Alathaya and the rest not long after. Edalet came bustling back out when they sat down and they ordered much the same as I did, apart from Alathaya who ordered something called a balut. After the kitchen door closed behind Edalet, I asked, “What is that?”

  She smiled. “It is a speciality of the Handsome Knight inn actually. It is a fertilised duck egg that they boil.”

  I was certain that I must have misheard her. “What do you mean fertilised? So there is a chick inside?”

  She laughed merrily. “That is generally what is meant by fertilisation or were you not taught basic biology.”