“Why?”
“I just think it best not to show it off yet. We have enough explaining to do.”
“Fine,” Alicine said with irritation. She removed the jewel and tucked it inside her collar, where it slid down her chest and settled at her waistband. She gave Dayn a smirk. “What about that thing on your ear?”
“It’s only bronze and a bit of stone. Not worth much.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
The wagon came into view, and Dayn and Alicine stepped slowly toward it. They heard a startled cry, followed by the wagon lurching to a halt. A woman was struggling to leap off the side, but a man up front had twisted around to hold her back. He managed to stay her attempt, then he hopped down from his seat and lifted her off. The moment her feet hit the dirt, she limped in Dayn’s and Alicine’s direction, her arms extended. “My children…my children!” she cried.
In an instant Dayn and his sister were in their mother’s arms. She smothered them with kisses and hugged them until the breath was nearly squeezed out of them.
“Where have you been, where have you been?” she sobbed.
Haskel and Vania rushed toward them, the ashen hue of their faces obvious even in the darkness.
“My god—Dayn—Alicine!” Vania exclaimed as she joined the reunion. But Haskel stood back, his expression stiff.
Dayn felt the muscles of his own happy expression droop; Haskel was obviously not thrilled about their unexpected arrival. Dayn’s eyes met his uncle’s, but the man turned away. “Vania, get everyone into the house and out of the cold,” Haskel said over his shoulder. “I’ll tend to the horses.”
“Shall I help you, uncle?” Dayn asked.
“No need,” Haskel replied gruffly, and headed for the wagon.
The rest of them moved toward the house. As they walked, Dayn noticed how thin and sickly his mother looked. Even the smile gracing her lips could not disguise the gloomy circles under her eyes. She hugged his waist, but it was as if she had placed her arm there for support rather than affection. At her other side, Alicine walked hand-in-hand with her, chattering about how happy she was to be home and how nice a warm, clean frock sounded. But Dayn could only think one thing at the moment: Where was Father?
They entered the house and were greeted by a cozy fire, the tantalizing aroma of stew, and a long plank table now set for dinner. Eyan was nowhere to be seen, and neither was their father. Dayn thought to ask, but decided against it. Eyan was a touchy subject, he knew, and he wasn’t keen on bringing Gorman into the conversation just yet. His father was probably off on some errand, a blessed relief, at least in Dayn’s opinion. He wasn’t looking forward to the altercation that was sure to explode between them.
Vania helped Morna remove her coat and hung it, along with her own, on a row of pegs by the door. She then ushered Morna to a bench at the table and helped her sit. Alicine settled next to her mother, hugging her close. “Oh, Mother,” she said. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Here, Dayn,” Vania said, “let me take your coat.” He pulled it off and handed it to her without a word. She looked him up and down. “Goodness, child,” she said. “What a state you’re in. And this coat…” She frowned and shook her head. “I’d best give it a wash.”
Dayn nodded, but remained silent, his eyes scanning the room for a sign of Gorman. Strange how no mention of him had been made. He turned his attention to the place-settings. He counted five. Surely Eyan wouldn’t have included him and Alicine in the count. That would have given away the fact that he knew they were there and had possibly met up with them. No, five would be the right number without them, but including Father. Seven would have meant that Eyan—
“Sit Dayn,” Vania said, breaking his concentration. But he remained standing.
“Alicine…shawl,” Vania said, holding out her hand. Alicine pulled it off and handed it to her without a glance, chatting on happily with her mother.
Vania tossed the coat and grubby shawl on top of a basket piled with laundry. “Missed my wash day because o’ the rain,” she said to Dayn. “Maybe tomorrow if the sun’s out. We’ll need to give those clothes o’ yours a good scrubbin’.” She waddled her chubby body over to the hearth and gave the stew a stir. “And baths…ye’ll both be gettin’ ‘em, no arguments. I’ll heat ye some water after dinner. I’ll bet you’re both starved, poor dears.” She chattered on about baths and empty stomachs as she grabbed a towel, wrapped it around the handle of the stew pot, and lifted it to the table.
“Sit Dayn,” she repeated. “Haskel’ll be in in a bit. No need for formalities.”
Dayn took his place on the bench across the table from his mother. She turned her attention to him. “Words cannot express my joy at the sight of you,” she said, then she cocked her head. “What’s that on your ear?”
Dayn reached to his ear, fingering the small bronze earring that dangled there. Body mutilations such as this were forbidden in Kirador, but he refused to remove it. It was a symbol of his bravery in the battle against the King. Though the war paint he had drawn on his face that day had only been temporary, as far as he was concerned, the earring was permanent.
“Have you been well, Mother?” he asked, changing the subject. “You look—”
Morna continued to study the earring, then smiled. “I’m well, now that my children are home,” she said. Recognizing Dayn’s expression of doubt, she patted his hand. “Just had a bit of the cold in my bones, dear, that’s all. Haskel and Vania have been taking me to the hot springs. It helps ease my aches. I’ll be fine.”
“To Marvel Springs? But that’s so far.”
“Oh, no. We can’t go there anymore.”
“Why not?” Alicine asked.
Morna hesitated, then said, “We tried making the trip, at night, but it was too hard on me. Besides, the last time we went, Lorcan’s children showed up and—”
Dayn perked up. “Falyn and Sheireadan?”
“Yes, and we knew only too well what that meant: their father would soon find out about us being there.”
“So what if he did?” Alicine said.
“A lot has happened since you left.” Morna shifted her gaze, as if contemplating whether or not to continue.
“Mother,” Dayn said. “We went by the house before we came here. The place was a mess. And we found something while we were there: a spell-curse—of me. Is that what this is about?”
Anxiety creased Morna’s brow. “Dayn,” she said quietly. “The day you disappeared, word spread that you’d revealed yourself as a demon. The Vestry met that very afternoon to discuss what to do with you.”
“Do with me?”
“I suppose it’s a good thing you did leave, because they intended to bring you to judgment—and your father.”
Dayn rose slowly from the bench. “Where is Father?” he asked.
Alicine blinked. “He’s on errand. Right, Mother?”
Morna remained silent.
Vania turned and hustled toward the door. “I’ll fetch us some more wood,” she muttered. But before she could open it, Haskel blew in and met her head-on.
“Where are ye goin’ without your coat, woman?” he bellowed.
“To fetch some wood,” she said, eyebrows raised. “Maybe ye should come with me.”
“What’s wrong with the stack I brung in earlier? Have ye lost your senses?”
“I’m sure we have plenty, uncle,” Dayn said, annoyed at the interruption. “Mother. Where’s Father?”
The room went quiet. Dayn accessed everyone’s expressions: Morna looked grave, and Vania and Alicine were as pale as mist. But Haskel—was the red rising from his neck that of embarrassment or fury?
“Well, someone say something!” Dayn demanded.
Alicine rose from the bench, her uneasiness now matching his. “What is it?” she asked. “Mother?”
“Children, I—” Morna buried her face in her hands.
Alicine looked at Dayn, then at her mother. “Please. We have to know.”
Morna pulled Alicine into her arms. “Oh my dear child, I don’t know how to tell you.” She kissed the top of Alicine’s head and held her close, then held out her hand to Dayn. “Son.”
But Dayn did not take her hand. He knew he was about to learn some unhappy news, but there was one thing he already knew: this woman was not his real mother and the man in question was not his real father. They had stolen him, and just as bad, they had lied to him.
Morna lowered her hand, her eyes recognizing the look of hesitation staring back at her. “Your father loved you very much, Dayn,” she said. “When you and Alicine went missing, he set out to find you. He never came back.”
Suddenly the past and all its implications seemed irrelevant. Fear for the man that Dayn had called Father for sixteen years was all that mattered to him now. “What do you mean, never came back?” he sputtered. “He just disappeared?”
“Aye. That’s right,” Haskel said, marching toward him. “My brother left without a word to any of us because o’ you. And we haven’t seen him since.”
“But you went looking for him, didn’t you?” Dayn asked, already knowing the answer.
“Of course we went lookin’ for him!”
Dayn felt his legs itching for the door. “Where did you go? Did you follow the river? What about the cave? We left the horse there. Did you find it? ”
“Forty clansmen scoured the mountainside from Kiradyn to the mouth of the cave and back,” Haskel said. “We found nothin’.”
“You went inside the cave, right? Inside—not just to the mouth.”
Haskel took a threatening step and moved his face inches from Dayn’s. “The cave’s forbidden, boy. Ye know that. If your father went inside it, there’s not a thing any of us could have done for him. The demons would’ve had him for sure.”
“There aren’t any demons!” Dayn said. “You should have gone in. You should have looked!”
“Who are you to judge, boy? While you were off on some ridiculous folly, your father was out searchin’ for ye. Did ye give a single thought to his well-bein’ when ye left, or anyone else’s for that matter? No, and ye never did!”
Dayn felt his blood begin to boil. His uncle was acting like the whole thing was his fault, like Alicine wasn’t involved at all, like Father’s deceptions were irrelevant. “What do you know about me?” Dayn blurted. “You were never around! You were hiding out here with your own blue-eyed son!”
Haskel’s face went gray. “What are ye sayin’?” he said.
“I’m saying that I know about Eyan, and that you’ve kept him hidden away like you’re ashamed of him!”
“I am ashamed of him!” Haskel practically shouted.
“Eyan’s not the one you should be ashamed of, uncle—you should be ashamed of yourself!”
“Dayn!” Morna said, rising.
“No!” Dayn said. “It’s true!”
“What would ye have preferred I do, boy?” Haskel growled. “Prance him around for all to see?”
“Why not?” Dayn retorted. “He is who he is.”
“And what is that?”
“A boy like any other.”
“He’s not like any other. He has the demon blood in him! Just as you do!”
“I’m not a demon—I’m Jecta!”
“What nonsense are ye talkin’, boy?”
“My real parents are from the other side of the mountains. I know because I’ve been there and I’ve met them. Alicine will tell you; she’s met them, too. My mother is Brina, and my father was Mahon, and they’re people just like you—only better! There are no demons, you fool. They’re just a myth fabricated by superstitious Kiradyns.”
“How dare you speak to me in such a tone!”
“I’ll speak to you however I wish,” Dayn said, though he couldn’t believe he was actually saying it.
“Dayn!” Morna said sternly. “You’ll not show disrespect in this house.”
“Disrespect? Let’s talk about disrespect, shall we?” Dayn forced a laugh. “How about the fact that neither you nor Father respected me enough to tell me the truth? How about the fact that you stole me from my real mother and lied to me!”
Morna collapsed back onto the bench. “Dayn,” she whispered.
“Dayn—ha!” he continued. “That’s not even my real name! My name is Keefe! It means cherished. My real mother told me.”
Dayn knew he should show the woman before him some sympathy; she had raised him, after all. But the gate was finally open, and years of pent-up emotion were flooding through. “Did Father even ask what my real name was?” he ranted on. “Did he even care? No, sounds to me like—”
“Stop it!” It was Alicine now, standing in front of him, tears streaming down her face. The sight of her made him realize how cruel his words had been, how horrible a person he had become.
“I—I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I—”
“It’s too late for sorry,” Haskel said. “It won’t bring your father back.”
“Haskel, enough,” Vania said. “It’s not the boy’s fault.”
“Of course it’s his fault. Who else’s could it be?”
“Maybe the brother who was too afraid to go into the cave,” Dayn said.
“Ye’ll apologize this instant for that remark,” Haskel said.
“I won’t!” Dayn shot back. He wheeled toward the door.
“If ye walk out that door, don’t bother comin’ back!” Haskel said.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
“I mean it, boy. And don’t expect anyone to go after ye either.”
“Fine!”
Dayn swung open the door. The last thing he heard before he slammed it behind him was his mother shouting, “Dayn, no,” and his uncle declaring, “No one’s to leave this house to go after him.” But Dayn didn’t care. He hated them all. Even Alicine. She hadn’t defended him one whit. She’d just stood there. Fine, he would leave and never come back. He’d only returned to Kirador for her sake. Well, she was back; he hoped she was happy. Now he could go back to Tearia where his real family was.
But then he realized, there was still Falyn to consider; his love for her hadn’t changed. Maybe if he found her and confessed his feelings. Yes, that’s what he would do. He’d always been afraid to talk to her before, but no longer. He was a man now, not a child. He had, after all, killed a guard in Tearia. True he hadn’t meant to, but what about his leading an army to rescue Reiv? That meant something, didn’t it? And what about standing up to his uncle just now? He would never have been able to do that before.
Dayn set his teeth with determination. He would find Falyn and proclaim his love for her. He would prove to her that he was brave and strong. He’d face her father to prove it if he had to, even Sheireadan. Maybe then she would love him back. Maybe then she’d agree to go to Tearia with him. Yes, he had a plan now. And the girl of his dreams was about to learn of it.
Back to ToC
Chapter 5: Hope Springs Eternal
Dayn crunched through the forest clearing, steam puffing from his nostrils and dissipating into the cold night air. He thrust his hands into his pockets and hunched his neck into his collar, then noticed a thick coppice of trees up ahead, just the sort of place a demon would hide. Dayn’s feet slowed, but he scolded his own stupidity and picked up his pace. He had enough problems without succumbing to the whims of an overactive imagination. There was no such thing as demons, at least not the kind he had been raised to fear. He would do better to set his worries on a predator of a more human nature.
He turned his thoughts inward, focusing on that which was utmost on his mind: the argument he had had with his uncle. It stoked the fire still burning in his belly, the only warmth he could feel at the moment, but it was just the fuel he needed if he was to continue his reckless quest.
He had detoured from the main road early on, determined not to be met by friend or by foe. If Haskel came looking for him, not that he would, he’d expect Dayn to have taken the more-traveled r
oute. But there was only one path Dayn had his sites on at the moment, and that was the one that would lead him to Falyn. Haskel would never suspect his destination; he couldn’t possibly understand the longings of a young man’s heart. If his uncle had ever felt such a thing for a woman, and Dayn could not even imagine it, he surely would have forgotten it by now. Why, Haskel had to be at least forty years—far too old for a man to think of such things. Only Alicine would have a clue as to where Dayn was heading and why, but she wasn’t likely to reveal it. She wouldn’t risk placing new worries on their mother’s frail shoulders. Guilt trickled into Dayn’s belly, threatening to extinguish the flames that burned there. Had he really spoken to his mother so cruelly?
A gust of air whipped around him, sending chill bumps across his skin. He hugged his arms, no longer able to fight the cold with anger alone. His muscles tensed. His stomach rumbled. But what was he to do? The home he had grown up in was gone; his father was missing and probably dead; his own sister had not defended him; and his uncle thought him a demon—a demon! Then there was the issue of Falyn. Was it wrong to feel about her the way he did? Surely it was no sin, though a few thoughts in her regard might be classified as such. But he loved her, and wasn’t love the greatest gift of all? That was what the Written Word said, and though Dayn now knew that words set to parchment were not always true, he was confident that at least that much was.
He marched on, the springs couldn’t be much further, and if fortune smiled on him, Falyn would be there when he arrived. It wasn’t likely, of course, but his mother had said she’d seen Falyn at the springs with Sheireadan and… Dayn felt his insides wrench. Sheireadan—the very thought of him sent Dayn’s teeth to grinding. The boy had tormented him for as long as he could remember. And for what? Because Dayn looked different? Or was there more to it? Dayn twisted his mouth as he contemplated past events. Yes, why had Sheireadan always taken such issue with him?
Dayn glanced ahead. A blanket of fog could be seen hovering along the forest floor, a sure sign of the springs, but it was the pungent smell of sulfur that assured him he had arrived. Dayn turned his icy thoughts from Sheireadan. The waters would be hot and steamy, and his feet were in need of a good soak.
Souls of Aredyrah 3 - The Taking of the Dawn Page 4
