Although Dener told me that we should follow the main road to the west, Malion was insistent that he knew a shorter way and in the end I relented, agreeing to follow him. For most of the first day, we travelled through dense woods. There was a wide array of trees. From great black bark trees to the reedy gum trees. I even noticed some twine leaf trees. I picked some of their sweet fruits, stuffing any bags I had with space left, full of them. The terrain was quite rough and we made what felt to me like slow progress. When I asked Malion again if he was sure this would be the quicker way he simply gave me a blank stare before continuing on.
Late into the afternoon, Alathaya rode up next to me. She gestured for me to slow down with her and we were soon at the tail end of our progression. My palms were sweaty and I felt a bit jittery. For a moment I took this as a sign of imminent danger before I realised I was simply a bit nervous about what she might want to talk about.
Even though we were now quite out of earshot of anyone else, she still leaned over to me and whispered. “I need to talk to you about something.”
That much was clear, I thought, but waited for her to continue.
“You mustn’t think me crazy. I do not know if there may be something wrong with me. You will not tell any of the others?”
She was making me ever more nervous, but I kept my face smooth and simply nodded. “Swear.” I frowned at her, but she looked at me severely. I sighed, “I swear not to tell anyone of your secret until you release me from it.”
She smiled, satisfied and nodded once. “When we were fighting in Eranidin, something strange happened to me. It was as if I was immensely fast. To the point where I almost thought everyone else was fighting his or her way through treacle.” She shook her head, a perplexed frown creasing her brow, “I do not understand it. I have never before heard of a single person with two Talents. It just does not happen.” She looked at me anxiously. “Do you think there is something wrong with me?” After a moment’s pause, her eyes widened and she gave a small gasp. “You do, don’t you?” Anger replaced shock and her mouth pulled into a hard line. “I do not know why I thought I could talk to you about this!” She heeled her horse, but I managed to catch hold of her reins just in time.
“This expression on my face is not from judging you. It is astonishment at my own near sightedness. I had thought to ask you and the others about it, because I noticed it as well. Except, I did not think about it in terms of me speeding up, but thought that time slowed or else everyone else did, but I see now. Yes, your explanation makes more sense. That would be why it could be the same for all of us, yet we do not see each other moving in normal time,” I explained.
It was her turn to look astonished and it actually made me laugh aloud. The others turned round to look what all the fuss was about.
She sniffed. “So if it is happening to both of us and perhaps, everyone else too, what is it?”
That was the crux of it. “It certainly aided us during battle and far as I can see, it has not had any negative effect on me,” I looked a question at her and she shook her head, “therefore, I think we can safely assume it is coming from one of us. In fact, it has happened once before. It was just outside Mirtudale where I met Seran and Trissa. I think we should perhaps talk with them about this tonight.” For a wonder, she did not argue about that, but nodded in agreement.
It was not long before Malion called for us to stop for the night and make camp. We all set to and soon we had a fire going and Trissa was brewing some tea. Seran used some of our supplies to make soup. We all sat down around the fire and made idle conversation. I made sure to sit close to Malion. “There is someone else you should meet.” He frowned curiously.
Markai appeared behind us sitting on her haunches. I looked around and he followed my gaze. I was expecting him to react as everyone else had when they had first met her. He smiled. “Markai of the Qupari, it is an honour to meet you. My family fought alongside the Qupari. I believe one of my ancestors had the gift of charming and was bonded to one of your people.”
Markai was as surprised by his collected response as I was, but pleased at the same time. A deep rumble came from her as she started purring to show her approval.
Malion laughed in delight. “May I touch you?”
“She does not mind.” He did not take his eyes away from her as though he was afraid she might disappear if he did. He had to stretch to put his hand on her shoulder blade. He ran his hand down her thick coat. Again, I was surprised at his lack of response, but then I realised that the sensation I got when touching her, would not be the same for him. It had to be a result of the bond between us.
I noticed the rest of the group were watching with bated breath. Why, I could not fathom. Did they really believe that Markai was some animal, which might turn on you at a whim and bite your hand, or in her case, rip your head off?
I turned back to Malion. “Tell me of your history please, of what you have been taught. I need all the information that I can possibly get.”
He told me much the same as what I had heard from Alathaya and Seran. The only variation was that he knew of the Qupari and the bond that could form. It was good to have someone there who knew what I meant when I spoke of the bond between us, who knew who the Qupari were and therefore, did not fear her. I could feel that sentiment echoed by Markai. It had been increasingly annoying having everyone jump at the sight of her each time they saw her.
“How far to Ghydenea?”
Malion pursed his lips in consideration for a few moments before answering. “Four leagues or so. We should be there about midday tomorrow I would say.”
And then what, a small voice at the back of my mind asked. Where do we go then? Feeling lost at sea and blind to the stars was starting to get on my nerves now. We will find the way. Her comforting words would have been much more effective had I not known she had no idea either.
That night I noticed how quiet Brant was. I had not seen that much of him in the past few days, but even so, I thought that he had seemed withdrawn. Perhaps the recent events had shocked him more than I thought. I handed round the Book of Remembrance, open to the page on the Skell. I used the opportunity of handing the Book to Seran, to sit down next to them. Trissa hardly wanted to look at it and when she did, her face went pale. She did not want to hold the Book as though by doing so she might call the creatures to her. Seran studied it intently before handing it to Tas who sat rubbing his scar absently while squinting at the page.
“There is something I wanted to talk to you about,” I said, and Trissa’s expression immediately became guarded.
She looked at me through narrowed eyes. Seran’s lips, as usual, pulled up at the corners just enough to make you wonder if he was really smiling at you.
“Alathaya and I had noticed something during the fighting in Eranidin.” Her lips pulled into a tight line at my words, but I continued, “I think it may be something to do with one of you.”
Seran looked at Trissa. “Spit it out.” His defensiveness and the glance at her confirmed my suspicion.
“Trissa, I think I know what your Talent is. When we fought, everything slowed down for me, or perhaps I sped up, but whichever way round, it meant I had a lot more time to react to any attacks coming my way. I am sure this actually saved my life several times over. The same thing happened outside Medirea. That is what made me realise it must be one of you two doing it. Since we already know what your Talent is, Seran, it is clearly not you. Brant was there, but of course he is not of the Alliance, it stands to reason therefore, this one must be Trissa’s.” I was quite pleased with my presentation of the facts. They however, did not look impressed or even surprised at what I had told them. “You knew.”
“We suspected.” His voice was still a bit defensive. “She cannot control it, it just happens. That is the reason she was walking around as though in a daze afterward. It is as if she has to repay the speeding up of our perception. She walks around with things appearing to move faster than naturally possible an
d it overloads her senses. It was the same after Medirea.”
I purposefully turned my whole body towards Trissa. I wanted to ask her and he speaking for her seemed a bit patronising. “When did this first happen?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him open his mouth and I shot him a glare.
“Well… I… I guess it was the day he gave Dhillion, my brother, to those people. I did not even realise what was happening at first. I was trying to hold onto his hand. Nassarit was pulling me away and I did not want to let go. It all seemed to happen so slowly. He was screaming, saying he did not want to stay with them, that he wanted to stay with me. I struggled against them as hard as I could, but I could not break free. He locked me in the wagon and drove away. The next thing I can remember was waking up the next day, not even knowing how far we had driven, or in what direction. I had no way of finding Dhillion even then.” She finally said.
“And the next time it happened was outside Medirea?” I asked.
She nodded, rubbing her hands together. “That is why I did not really realise what I was doing. Seran asked me about it and it was only then that I thought about it and understood that I must be causing it. I don’t know what I do to make it happen though.”
“Trissa, do you realise that your ability has saved our lives several times over?” I could not help but glance at Alathaya. If it had not been for those extra few moments, I would not have been able to save her. My stomach clenched at the thought.
She blushed at my words. “I wish I could control it though.”
I smiled what I hope was a reassuring smile. “That will come in time. You will have to practice it. Try to remember what you felt at that moment, try to recreate those emotions and see what happens.”
She nodded solemnly, swallowing visibly. “I hate thinking about what happened, but if it means I can gain control over it, I am willing to try.”
Perhaps she was braver than I gave her credit for.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
I enjoyed my watch that evening. The woods were filled with night birds that I had heard of before, but never seen. Their calls rang through the trees, some high and shrill and others low and long. With Navitas I was able to see some of them as well. One had a wide yellow crest along its head, which it flattened as it called and then erected again. Another had three large eyes all pointing in different directions. I saw one dive and catch some minute insect - too small to see even for my Navitas enhanced eyes - in mid-air.
The rising sun chased these birds away, replaced by the more mundane morning callers. The others rose one by one. The mood was subdued during the morning’s travel. We all dreaded to see what state this town would be in. I feared not finding a single survivor. As Malion predicted it was midday that we first caught sight of the town.
We were on the top of a hill, looking down at it in the valley. We could see some burnt out buildings which were down to timbers, but some were at least still standing and from this distance seemed unscathed. I could also catch some movement from people in the village and my heart lightened at the sight. Survivors. As I stood watching, I focused my Navitas. We still did not truly know what to expect. Markai walked from the trees and sat down next to me. I can still smell them. At least, the wrong lack of smell. Maybe the scent lingers, maybe they are still there.
Malion had said not a word the whole morning, but he was now smiling, hope shining in his eyes. He signalled for us to follow. It was some way down and around before we finally entered the town. A woman stood with her back to us. She was peering into a window of the house. Her long black hair was in a tousled braid. Malion jumped from his horse and ran to her. “Karina! Karina!”
At the same instant, Markai growled and she swung around and crouched, a feral sneer curling her lips back.
Malion stopped on the spot. His back was to us now, but I could see his whole body stiffen at her reaction. Then I noticed. I looked again even though I was certain of what I had seen. Her eyes were those of the Skell, slits for a pupil. She has lost her scent. What had they done to her? She looked at Malion, but there was no recognition in her eyes. I heard Brant nock and draw an arrow. Malion looked back at him with an icy glare until he lowered the bow, although he kept the arrow nocked.
“Karina, it is me, Mal. You are safe now. You are well.”
An inhuman snarl ripped from her throat as he took a step closer.
He stopped again. “Karina, what have they done to you?” He echoed my thought as a pleading note crept into his voice. Her only answer was a soft rumbling growl. He glanced over his shoulder at Brant and in that second, she jumped off and ran away. Startled, he set off after her.
“Malion! No!” Seran heeled his horse after him, taking out one of his herding whips and with a quick flip of his wrist had it tangled around Malion’s waist. He pulled, forcing him to a stop. He fought like a caged animal against his bonds.
Seran took him by the shoulders and shook him. “Look at me. She is not your Karina anymore.” When he kept struggling, Seran gave him another shake. “Look at me. Calm down. Think about it. That was not her anymore. Whatever they have done, she is gone.”
Malion sagged in his grip, dry heaving sobs shaking his whole body. He was muttering in a low whisper. “No, no, no, no. Not my Karina. No!”
Seran uncoiled his whip and half carried him back to where we stood, his chestnut gelding following meekly.
Seran stayed with Malion as we searched the rest of the town. We only found one more person who, like Karina, had been Twisted. He scurried away as fast as he could when we approached and disappeared into the woods beyond the edge of town. I was sure we had seen more people moving about from the top of the hill, but perhaps they had seen us coming and had run away already.
We looked through every building still standing. Strangely, we did not find any bodies. Having seen these creatures killing, I could not see them restraining themselves to take hostages. For what purpose would they need hostages? And if not hostages? It simply did not bear thinking about what they might have done with the town’s dead.
I looked into the last house without any hope. The inside, as all the others, had been ransacked. Pots, pans, broken plates and mugs lay strewn everywhere. All of the chairs had been thrown about and some lay in pieces. I stepped over them and into the second room. It was in such disarray that it was hard to tell what it had been used for. There was only one bedroom leading off from this room. I stepped in. The occupant’s feather mattress had been torn open and feathers covered every surface. I heard my name outside. The window glass was broken and I leaned out. “Just finishing up in here. I will be out in a moment.”
Suddenly I heard a banging noise. It came three times and then stopped. Just as I thought I must have imagined it, it came again. I realised it was coming from underneath the floorboards. I walked to where it came from. The bed was in the way and I pushed it away. It revealed a trap door. When the room had been sacked, the bed must have been moved and by chance covered the hatch. I lifted it up to find six sets of eyes looking up at me.
“It is all right. They have left now. You can come out.” A hand reached up toward me and I helped them out one by one. They all looked weak and weary from what must have been over four days spent in that hole. I led them out and called to the others. The survivors were all covering their eyes and squinting in the harsh light of day. Alathaya was first to see and came over with her water skin. They all drank greedily and I was glad when Tas handed them his as well. The rest followed them over and Trissa handed out some of our food to them.
“Can you tell us what happened here?” I addressed the group as a whole, not knowing who would be the head. A bald man with a narrow, drawn face looked up after a deep drink of water. His voice was hoarse, his eyes haunted as he told the tale.
“I do not know how many days ago it was now. We had but a scant idea of days passing with no light down there. It was what I guess as about five days gone, early morning. The dogs went all funny. That was the first thing I noticed
anyhow. They were all quiet and nervous, lying down whimpering. Then we saw them coming.”
His eyes stared off into the distance, his face contorted in fear, as though he was seeing them arrive all over again. “They came from all directions. They had hands like claws, animal eyes and nasty teeth. It looked like they had a long head as well, but they were wearing these capes with hoods over their heads so I could not tell for sure. We had no way out. They stopped just inside the town and one of them started talking to us. It was not exactly screaming, but its voice carried to every corner of the town as clearly as if he was standing right next to you.” The memory made him shiver. “It said the high lord Raka-something or other…”
“Rakadamon, Juid.” A woman supplied from the back of their group. Her eyes were staring into the ground.
“Yes, that was it, Rakadamon,” he continued. “Well, it said that this fellow sent them. They asked us to swear our allegiance to him and have salvation or else we forfeit our lives. If it had not been for the way they looked, we probably would have laughed right in their faces with a threat like that. Well you can understand that we did not want to swear allegiance to someone like that, but then they carried out their threat. Some people gave in. Said they would serve this person as long as they were spared.”
“Karina would not have given up. She would not have promised to serve someone like that. You are lying!” Malion broke in angrily. He scowled darkly and was breathing heavily.
“Ah, Karina. No, she did not want to give in. She would have fought until her last breath, but they had Baher with a black blade to his throat. She gave up her freedom, begging them to only let her little brother go.” Tears stood in his eyes and realisation dawned on Malion’s. “They let him go... Just long enough to take her soul and then they cut his head off. He was only seven turnings old.”
Malion had tears running down his face and hatred for what they did to her written in every fibre of his body.
Book of Remembrance: The Forgotten Gods: Book One Page 26
