Book of Remembrance: The Forgotten Gods: Book One

by Tania Johansson

  We finally found the rest of our group. Brant, Seran and Tas had been busy with much the same as us, but Trissa seemed to be somewhat traumatised. She refused to leave Seran’s side and went around with large staring eyes. Seran saw me looking at her. “She was not able to handle this very well. The physician gave her some herbs to calm her and she has been like that ever since.” I nodded. We went to the nearest inn that was still standing. With dawn already lighting the horizon I fell into bed and the moment my head touched the pillow, I was asleep.

  CHAPTER 12 – Hunter

  I woke to find it was dark outside, which confused me for a moment before the events of the previous night came flooding back. I went to my window. I could see some people moving about. Evening then perhaps? I yawned. I could have slept another whole night, but I knew there would be much to do.

  As soon as I walked out of the door, the acrid smell hit me. It was thick and cloying and seemed to enter not just through my nose, but every pore of my skin. Smoke billowed up from where the village green was. I rounded the corner and was unsurprised to see a burning stack of dead bodies of the creatures. As they burned, the flames flickered to a dark shade of blue. “What are you using to burn those things?” I asked one of the men stacking more wood on the fire. He shrugged holding up the log in his hand. If not something strange they were using to burn them with, then…?

  I walked the short distance to the medica and immediately I could see that the number of bodies in the road had increased. Markai came up behind me just as I was about to enter. She had been keeping a watch outside the town. There was not much else she could do and I knew she felt frustrated by it. You must find the member. Remember that is what we are here for.

  I scrubbed a hand through my hair. “I know Markai, but there is so much to do. I feel responsible. I must help them first before moving on.”

  She looked at the bodies. I understand, but remember, if you do not succeed in what you must do, this town will be considered to have had a light escape. You have limited time. She turned and vanished as if made of smoke.

  Inside the physician’s house, it was hard to move around for the number of injured lying everywhere. Some lay moaning in pain, others deathly still, I was more worried about the latter. Finally, I found the physician in one of the upstairs rooms, changing a women’s bandage.

  He looked up as I entered. “We did not get a chance to be introduced yesterday.”

  He held out a hand. “I am Dener.” I went to shake his hand, but he gripped me firmly by the forearm so I did the same.

  “Kadin.” He gave my arm a shake. “May the sun warm your soul, Kadin.” Looking around the room, he shook his head and scratched absently at a day old beard. “There are too many. I will run out of supplies soon. I have already sent one of my apprentices to go to Kresda, a town north of here. I had to send six men with him for fear of him being murdered on the journey.” He was shaking his head, whether at his words or at the patient’s wound I was not sure. Maybe both. “Your lady friend has been here already. I believe she is in the house across the road, helping where she can. I spoke to young Malion. He seems to think this attack was orchestrated all for you.”

  Malion? I did not know who he was talking of, but guilt must have shown on my face for he continued, “Oh, do not worry. I do not blame you, but I am curious why those… things were after you. It seems an awful lot of trouble they went through to try and get you.”

  I realised I was chewing on my bottom lip and spat it out. “I think it was a lucky, or unlucky, depending on how you look at it, coincidence for them that they found me here. The attack was most certainly related to why I am here, but I do not think they came here thinking to find me.”

  He nodded thoughtfully. “He was angry at you at first. Thought his father gave up his life to give you what warning he could.”

  Realisation struck me. “The man who was across the green from us when we entered. His warning certainly helped us. I know that he died in the ensuing attack and I am deeply sorry that it cost his life.”

  He was finishing up with the bandage and was rinsing his hands in the bowl of water behind him. Looking at the water in the bowl, I was not entirely sure that he was getting his hands any cleaner. “Malion knows that in truth. You and your friends are the reason that some of us are still alive. Do you know then what those things were?”

  I shook my head. “I do not know what they are called, but I do know they are evil and serve evil purposes.”

  He sighed heavily. “I assume you have come here to make yourself useful, not regale a curious ear with stories, so be so kind as to fetch some fresh water from the well.” Holding up the bowl he had used to wash, he continued, “As you can see we are running low.” He clapped me on the shoulder and I went out, grabbing a bucket on my way.

  I hauled bucket after bucket of water and started a fire in Dener’s hearth to heat some of it up. On my last trip into the house carrying a heavy bucket, Alathaya came out of the opposite house. She smiled when she saw me and somehow it all seemed the better for it. Smiling back, I said, “Dener said you were around, helping out.”

  A small frown creased her brow. “There is so much to do. I fear we will lose some people for lack of hours in the day.” Her nose wrinkled as she looked at the bodies lining the street. “We will have to start arranging burials as well. Whole families have been lost and many of these are not being claimed.” Looking at the number of deceased, I could not help but wonder if I could somehow have prevented this happening.

  “I was about to have some dinner before turning in for the night. Would you like to join me?” She asked.

  I nodded wearily. “I just need to take this last bucket in and take the previous one off the hearth. I will meet you there.”

  Despite the circumstances, I enjoyed my dinner with Alathaya. We steered the conversation away from current events and spoke of small things. She told me of her childhood and games she used to play. I told her of my brothers and Lilana and growing up with them. Talking of my little sister made me miss her so I steered the conversation elsewhere. When we said good night, I packaged up some bread and cheese, took some wine and walked back to Dener’s house. He received the food gratefully. I doubted that he had eaten much since it all started. I resolved to bring him regular meals.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  The next day was bleak. Together with about six others, I dug graves. Before each unclaimed body went into a grave I sketched his or her face and added some notes on clothes, hair colour, and anything I could see that would help someone later identify them. I then meticulously drew the outlay of the graves and where each body went. The others grumbled at me for this, saying that I slowed down the work, but when I asked them if they knew where all their friends or relatives were, they quickly quietened down.

  It was physically tiring, emotionally draining work, but I reminded myself of what Moma always said, ‘If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well.’ I tried to convince myself that my dedication to this was not because I felt guilty, but the more I tried to convince myself of that, the more guilty I felt.

  With the sun setting, I hauled a bucket of water from the well with trembling arms. It felt as if every muscle in my body was hurting. It felt as if my very bones ached. I did not even bother to carry the water to the inn to heat; I stood by the side of the well and washed. I had to haul a second bucket, but by the end of it, I felt at least partially refreshed.

  The next morning I woke up as stiff as a plank. Every movement was painful. Wincing, I dragged on my shirt and breeches and stumbled down to the common room. I was surprised to smell fresh bread and something roasted.

  Seran and Trissa were at a table in the far corner of the room. I sat down with them and a moment later, the innkeeper came dancing in, setting a plate loaded with food in front of me. He smiled broadly at me. “Enjoy!” He whistled as he made his way back to the kitchen.

  I looked questioningly at Seran. “He found his wife in one of the
houses being used for the injured. He cannot stop smiling.” I sighed. I wished there were more stories like that.

  Brant joined us soon after followed by Alathaya and Tas. The joyful innkeeper brought out more food for everyone and Tas spoke between mouthfuls. “Have you found who we are looking for here?”

  I nodded and told them of the first day and the events after the battle. “Why haven’t you spoken to him since? Is he not still the reason for us being here?” There was not a trace of accusation in his voice, but his frown was thick.

  “There has been so much to do. I think he needed some time to recover from his loss as well.” I tried not to sound as if I was making excuses, but I did not think I succeeded. Part of my reluctance to seek him out stemmed from my guilt. I knew the attackers did not come here only for me, but I still felt I failed the townsfolk. Somehow, I should have done better.

  “It is time. The town will take a long time to recover. Much more time than we have to give. I know where he lives. I will take you to him.” I was surprised at Brant’s eagerness, but perhaps he was in a hurry to put all this behind us.

  While we had been talking a small group of men sat down a few tables over from us. I recognised some of them as the men who had been digging graves with me. They talked about the attack of course, and how many people had died. As they spoke, I realised though, that they were not speaking of Eranidin. I walked over to them. “I apologise for the interruption. I did not mean to eavesdrop, but are you talking of Eranidin?”

  Their faces were set in grim lines. The tall bald fellow spoke. “Nah, there has been another town sacked. Not two days’ travel west of here. Rumour has it that monsters attacked them. From the descriptions I have heard, much like the monsters that came here, right. Sounds like senseless killing. A slaughter.” Chills went down my back. Why would they attack another town? Have they found the next Alliance member already? Surely not. These families have been in hiding for thousands of years. They could not have found two in as many days. Surely not!

  Alathaya insisted on coming with to meet Malion and to be truthful I did not mind having her with me. I knocked at the door, but no answer came. After another knock and no response, we decided to try again later. We turned and walked back, but as we passed the corner of the house, movement from the back of the property caught my eye. I walked to the back with Brant and Alathaya following.

  He saw me as I rounded the corner and jumped. He was shorter than I had thought, but with a stocky build. His light hair was short and tightly curled on his head. “You should not sneak up on someone like that. Especially not in times like these.” His voice was gruff and his amber eyes rimmed red.

  “Sorry, I did not mean to scare you.” I apologised.

  He waved my words away. “You did not scare me. You just caught me unawares. It will not happen again.” He looked at me calculatingly. “Those things seemed to know you. Why?”

  No stepping carefully with small words then. I answered him in like. He listened attentively without questions as I told him the whole of my story. He looked at Alathaya speculatively when I spoke of her Talent. I had gone hoarse by the time I finished speaking. He had only one question and it was not for me. “Why did you not go back and warn of the attack on the town?”

  I thought that an unfair question and was about to say so when she answered. “For the simple reason that prior knowledge does not always mean the outcome can be altered. We had been travelling towards Eranidin in the days before this happened. Even if we had known they were coming here, we would not have been able to get here before them.”

  He mulled over her words a while before nodding curtly. “What do we do now?”

  I smiled grimly. “We move on. Find the last two Alliance members and then we will have to see where we go from there.”

  He looked around. “When do we leave?”

  When we walked away, I sighed in relief. That went much more smoothly than I could have hoped for. I had not admitted it, even to myself, but I had been a bit concerned that he may blame me. Now my only concern was that once again I did not know where I was to go next.

  We spent the rest of the day helping where we could and getting what supplies we could, which was to say not much. The town was running low on many things and I did not want us to be a drain on their resources. The day passed in a haze, but at least the town seemed to be getting back on its feet with a small market opening again to trade and the streets a bit busier with people going about normal business.

  I stood outside the inn. Markai came before I had even finished my thought about calling her. “Do you have any more information about where I need to go next?”

  No. I do not know yet. Maybe you should go to the town where they attacked. There may be a reason for that attack. Her frustration was palpable and fed my own. Have you considered Trissa’s brother?

  I showed her confusion. “Considered him for what?”

  An Alliance member. I have searched for their parentage. To make sure it matches. It has not been easy, but I think they are true siblings. You need to find him.

  When she put it that way I was a bit abashed that I had not thought of him. At all. Of course, it made sense. Tas and his grandfather was proof enough that more than one family member could have a Talent. If they were blood related, there was a good chance that he may have a Talent as well. That would mean an extra member for the team, but how for blood’s sake, were we meant to find him?

  I walked into Dener’s house. I found him in the front room talking with one of his apprentices. When I approached, he dismissed the boy and turned a grim face toward me. “Another town attacked and by the sounds of it, the same creatures. You know, not a month gone, we had rumours going around of a town to the south of here. Tales had it that strange beings attacked them. There was mention of some kind of wolf, but I completely dismissed it from my mind, thinking it impossible. Now,” he looked around and shook his head, “who knows what is out there?”

  I told him of the men in the inn’s tale and he nodded in confirmation. “Same thing I heard.”

  “I am sorry to have to admit now that we are leaving on the morrow. We need to be getting on. I do feel bad leaving you with all this still going on.”

  He waved my words away. “No need to apologise. You and your friends have helped more than most would have considering we are not kin. May blessings blow on your wind.”

  I appreciated the words, but despite what he said I still saw regret in his eyes. I started away, but turned around to ask. “Dener, do you know the name of the other town that was attacked now?”

  “It is a town called Ghydenea. It is roughly two days’ travel west of here. You only need to follow the main road westwards, but Malion knows this area as the back of his hand, he will guide you.”

  He raised a speculative eyebrow at me. I had not told him that Malion would be coming with us. Either word spread fast here, or he knew more than he let on. I smiled enigmatically. “Thank you. May the gods’ fortune find you.”

  When I got to my room, I took out the Book. I had been meaning to research these creatures, but with all that had been going on, I had not had the time. I paged through, quickly flicking past sketches depicting one despicable creature after another. There were quite a number of entries without any image though and these I read briefly. One such entry eventually caught my eye. I had been near to nodding off when I read about a screeching wail the creature made. My attention snapped back into focus. It described the creature perfectly, from its elongated head, the eyes, the claws, to the razor sharp teeth. It was called the Skell. It said that they emit a high frequency pulsating wavelength of sound that was beyond human ears, but it ‘disorientates and induces dizziness.’ Whatever had caused the apparent slowing down of events for me had certainly saved my life. It went on to say that exposure to this sound can result in a ringing in the ears, which may be permanent.

  I wondered why, if they had such an accurate description, was there no sketch. I took out my par
chment and charcoal and started working. I was so tired that I had to try three times before I was happy with the result. I added a note about the Skell’s ruthless appetite for killing.

  CHAPTER 13 - Another Piece To The Puzzle

  I awoke the next morning with the first rays of dawn slanting in through my window. I had my bags already packed and carried them down with me to breakfast. I was surprised to find I was the last to arrive. “Where are we going?” Malion asked before I had even pulled my chair in to the table.

  “We are travelling to Ghydenea. The Skell attacked there not two days after the attack on Eranidin and I reckon it must be worth looking into the why of it.” Not to mention I had no idea where I was going to find the next Alliance member.

  I caught Alathaya looking at me over the top of her mug. I would not have thought anything of it, except she dropped her eyes the instant I looked at her. Had I angered her? I was sure not, but then sometimes you could not tell with women.

  “We could be chasing our tails with that. You saw how they murdered here. It was indiscriminate slaughter. Maybe they just happened upon the village and thought to have themselves some killing.” Brant’s tone sounded almost flippant.

  Malion’s eyes flared with anger at Brant’s casual tone, but he kept his silence. I could see him grinding his teeth with the effort though.

  “Do we have to go there? I know what we are doing is dangerous, but do we have to go and chase it?” Trissa’s tone was dangerously close to whiney.

  “Yes.” Brant and my sharp answer blended together resulting in a harsh response. She sank back in her chair and her lip went pouty. If it had not been for the pouty lip, I would have tried to soften the effect, but that tipped me over the edge into grinding irritation. Alathaya sputtered into her mug. All eyes turned to her and she tried to disguise her chuckle as a cough. The attempt was not very successful and Trissa glared at her.