The Shadow's Heart

by K J Taylor

  ‘Followers are always useful,’ said Senneck. ‘They gave us protection on our journey, and made us look more legitimate to the Eyries. By now we have travelled with all of them for a long time, and they have been faithful and obedient.’

  ‘They believe in me,’ said Kullervo. ‘They all want to believe. How could I take that away from them?’

  ‘By not bein’ soft,’ said Laela, but she looked much calmer now. ‘I see, then. So my little brother’s got himself some offsiders. Fair enough. But I’m expectin’ you to keep them in line. Any trouble out of any of ’em, anything at all, an’ it’ll be your neck on the block. Got it? If they’re as loyal as yeh say they are, they can stay. Otherwise, they’re goin’ right back where they came from.’

  ‘Understood,’ said Kullervo. ‘I trust them.’

  ‘Yeah, well, you ain’t that good at not trustin’ people,’ said Laela, mollified. ‘Now tell me about yer journey. What did yeh see? What happened?’

  Kullervo told her. His story took some time, of course, as he outlined his journey and then went into more detail about anything he thought might be important, such as his failure in Withypool.

  ‘Shouldn’t be a problem,’ said Laela. ‘As long as they ain’t openly hostile. Once all the other Eyries have signed treaties with us, they’ll see more reasons t’do the same. Won’t want to miss out on all the trade opportunities an’ whatnot. So then what happened?’

  Kullervo went on with his story, and finally reached the end.

  ‘Sounds like yeh had an adventure an’ a half,’ said Laela. ‘Yeh got that scar in Eagleholm, then?’

  ‘Yes. I wish I could have brought Roland back here; you would have loved to meet him.’

  ‘Probably would’ve,’ Laela said sadly. ‘But that’s how these things go. Death stops us meetin’ everybody in the end. It’s a shame what happened to Eagleholm. I wish I coulda seen it when it was in one piece.’

  ‘So do I,’ said Kullervo. ‘But tell me about what’s been happening here!’ He looked down at her bulging middle. ‘Either you’ve been eating too many pies, or I’m going to be an uncle.’

  Laela punched him playfully. ‘Shut it, you. Yeah, you’re gonna be an uncle. Inva’s expecting too. Her an’ Vander got married. In the Moon Temple, no less. I bullied the High Priestess into it. Bet the Night God was thrilled.’

  Kullervo laughed. ‘Ah, who cares about what she thinks?’

  Laela didn’t join in his laugh. ‘I do, because Saeddryn does, an’ she’s no laughing matter.’

  ‘She’s still around, then?’

  ‘Yeah. There’s been no word of Caedmon in about a year, but Saeddryn ain’t gone anywhere. She’s like a bloody fly yeh can’t swat. Keeps poppin’ up in different places an’ killin’ people. Sometimes important people, sometimes just at random. I think she’s gettin’ frustrated and takin’ it out on anyone what gets in her way.’

  ‘Have you been safe?’ asked Kullervo.

  ‘Just about, but there’s been some close calls. She caught up with me twice while you were gone. Nearly did for me the second time, but Skandar came to the rescue again. It’s like he knows where she is, like they’re linked in the mind or somethin’.’

  Kullervo shivered. ‘I wish I’d been there to help you.’

  ‘You were helpin’ me where you were,’ Laela said firmly. ‘But I’m glad yer back now, because I need yeh for somethin’ else. With someone else I might’ve waited a while before I told yeh, but I know you don’t like sittin’ around at home.’

  ‘What is it?’ said Kullervo. ‘You know I’ll do whatever you need me to.’

  ‘Yeah, I do.’ Laela smiled. ‘You’re the most valuable ally I got, yeh know. Even more valuable than Skandar, ’cause unlike him you do what I tell you.’

  ‘Mighty Skandar not follower,’ Skandar growled. ‘Do what want to, not what human say.’

  ‘Yeah, right,’ said Laela. ‘Exactly. Oeka’s still keepin’ me safe here in Malvern, but I can’t stay cooped up here forever.’

  Kullervo chuckled. ‘All right, Laela, enough suspense. What do you want me to do?’

  Laela became serious. ‘It’s time to get rid of Saeddryn. An’ I need you to help me.’

  Kullervo leaned forward. ‘How? What are we going to do?’

  ‘We’re gonna catch her,’ said Laela. ‘We’re gonna catch a shadow. An’ you’re the only one we have who can do that. An’ you’re also gonna be the bait. You an’ Senneck.’ She looked over at the brown griffin. ‘You especially, Senneck. Saeddryn wants me an’ Kullervo dead because the Night God told her to kill us. But she hates you. You’re the one what killed her, an’ that gives you power over her.’

  ‘I understand,’ said Senneck. ‘And I am more than willing to use this to lure her. Her destruction will benefit us all.’

  ‘You bet it will,’ Laela said grimly. ‘So both of you will bring her in, an’ then you’ll use yer little gift to catch her, Kullervo. I’m thinkin’ after that those friends of yours will come in handy. I’m sure they’ll be more’n happy to bring in the Shadow That Walks. Southerners are her natural enemies, even more than us filthy half-breeds.’

  ‘And then?’ said Kullervo.

  ‘An’ then you’ll tell me,’ said Laela. ‘Akhane’s worked out a plan. You an’ I both know the Shadow That Walks can’t go into holy places. Not if they’re holy to Gryphus or Xanathus. She probably can’t go into any place that’s holy to a god who ain’t the Night God, but that’s neither here nor there. Our dad wrote that when he went into the old Sun Temple here in Malvern, he lost his powers an’ got so weak an’ sick he couldn’t fight or even walk properly. An’ I know that’s true because I saw the same thing happen to him in Amoran. He nearly died from it.’

  ‘But how does that help us?’ asked Kullervo. ‘There are no sun temples here any more.’

  ‘No,’ said Laela. ‘So we’re gonna make one. Akhane’s priest friends are gonna bless a room. Make it holy to Gryphus. We’ll take Saeddryn in there, an’ if it works she’ll be powerless. Then we can kill her, for good this time.’

  Kullervo sat there in silence as he thought it over. At first, as he imagined what the outcome of this plan would be, he felt revolted. To drag someone into a place that hurt them, and then to murder them there …

  But then he remembered. Saeddryn was not human, not alive. She was a heartless murderer, the slave of the Night God Kullervo hated. She was …

  … exactly what his father had been.

  Kullervo banished that thought, and felt the unaccustomed, icy burn of hatred in his heart. ‘We’ll do it,’ he said. ‘I’ll do it. Saeddryn has to be stopped. I won’t allow her to hurt you, or Senneck. And the Night God has to be stopped as well. With Skandar on our side now, she won’t be able to make a new Shadow That Walks easily.’

  ‘You’re right,’ said Laela. ‘Once this is done, we’ll be safe. If anyone else decides to rebel afterwards, they won’t stand a chance without Saeddryn or someone like her to help. We can get old here together, an’ one day my child will be king, or queen.’

  ‘And we can work on our alliance with the South,’ said Kullervo. ‘I’ve decided to spend my life making peace between our peoples. Once Saeddryn is dead the Southerners will know they have nothing more to fear from us. Maybe I’ll even live to see the day when we can open the borders again, and form a united Cymria.’

  Laela looked a little surprised at this declaration. ‘Maybe. After all, we don’t know how long you’re gonna live for. With our father’s power in you, yeh could be immortal for all we can tell.’

  ‘I hope not,’ said Kullervo. ‘I don’t want to live forever.’

  ‘Nah, don’t worry about it,’ said Laela. ‘You got a heartbeat, so that probably means you’re mortal like the rest of us.’

  ‘I hope so,’ said Kullervo. ‘So when are we going to start our plan?’

  ‘Soon as possible,’ said Laela. ‘Here’s an idea for yeh. How about you an’ some of yer new friends get
together an’ head out to, say, Warwick? Yeh can tell everyone yer takin’ them out to show them the sights while we sort out the treaty here. We’ll send word ahead that you’re comin’, make sure everybody an’ their nosehair knows about it, an’ that’s where we’ll make the Sun Temple. Stay there a few days, an’ make a big deal about it. But I don’t reckon you’ll need to. Saeddryn has a weird way of knowin’ everything that’s goin’ on around here. Knowin’ that not only you an’ Senneck but also a gang of Southerners are about will be too big a temptation for her to resist. Then when she does come, you catch her an’ lock her up in chains — for gods’ sakes, don’t let her disappear again — an’ send word back here. We’ll be along in a jiffy.’

  ‘It sounds like a good plan to me,’ said Kullervo. ‘Actually, Resling and some others were already saying they would like it if I could show them some of the cities around here. So I’ll tell them that’s what I’m doing. Only Senneck and I will know the real plan.’

  ‘Heh, you ain’t as slow as yeh look.’ Laela grinned. ‘I was just gonna tell yeh that part.’

  Kullervo grinned back, flattered. ‘Thanks! I’ll give them a day or two to rest, then ask them if any of them are interested. They probably won’t want to stay around here too long.’

  ‘Settled, then,’ said Laela. ‘An’ meanwhile, you go get some rest too! Can’t have my best man too worn out for a little hunting trip, can I?’

  ‘No, no, understood,’ said Kullervo. ‘And you’re right: I’m exhausted.’

  He and Laela parted ways, both cheerful and a little excited, and Kullervo went back to his old rooms with Senneck, leaving Laela to go in search of her beloved Akhane.

  Neither of them was aware, or could be aware, of the presence that had hovered in the room all that while, taking in every word.

  So they do take after me, Arenadd thought. Lucky them. But cunning and cruelty won’t save them now.

  Then he drifted away, flying back unhurriedly to find Saeddryn and tell her everything she had to know.

  TWENTY-NINE

  OUT OF THE SHADOWS

  ‘He did what?’ Saeddryn roared.

  Arenadd drifted anxiously around her. I’m just telling you what I saw.

  ‘Southerners? In Malvern? In our land?’

  Here to make a peace treaty, yes, said Arenadd. About twenty of them. They’re from all the different cities. But it looked to me like they were more interested in following my — in following Kullervo.

  Saeddryn’s sickly pale face was beginning to turn red. ‘That son of a bitch! Comin’ back here with a band of those sun-worshippin’ scum, lettin’ them live in my Eyrie, tryin’ to make a peace treaty?’

  That’s what they’re aiming for, said Arenadd. And that’s what Kullervo thinks. But you know what those Southerners are thinking, don’t you? You know what they really came here for.

  ‘To try an’ take the North back,’ said Saeddryn. She was actually quivering with rage.

  Exactly. That damn fool Kullervo just gave them the opportunity they needed. Now they’re in the Eyrie, imagine the trouble they could cause.

  Saeddryn took a few deep breaths. ‘They can’t take over like this. Not with only twenty of them.’

  They can if they use Kullervo as a puppet, said Arenadd. He’s Laela’s heir, remember. What if they found a way to persuade him into helping them? He’s stupid enough for it.

  Saeddryn reached up and took hold of a branch that jutted out above her head. It was thicker than her arm, but she snapped it off with ease. ‘Well I ain’t givin’ them that chance,’ she snarled. ‘The winged freak dies.’

  As I said before, you’ll have your chance soon, said Arenadd. He’s going to Warwick. And some of his new friends will be with him. But —

  ‘Then Warwick’s where we’re goin’,’ said Saeddryn. ‘I’ll have his ugly head on a spear.’

  Of course, but —

  ‘But nothin’!’ Saeddryn spat. ‘When’s he leaving?’

  Tomorrow.

  ‘Good. Then that gives me time for Caedmon’s manhood ceremony. We’ll leave the moment it’s over.’

  Arenadd’s vague, smoky shape gave a shrug. Just as you say, beloved. I’ll come along too and watch.

  Saeddryn took some time to compose herself, and as her fury retreated back inside her she managed a smile. ‘I can’t believe it. My son, finally gettin’ his tattoos! Hope I remember how t’do them.’

  Don’t worry, said Arenadd rather sourly. You still have all your memories.

  ‘Eh?’ said Saeddryn. ‘What’s that?’

  Never mind. Yes, it’s a proud day for you, isn’t it?

  ‘For us,’ Saeddryn corrected. ‘Caedmon’s as good as a son to ye.’

  Oh yes. Always was.

  ‘An’ Myfina too. I had my doubts about her, but she’s got t’be a fine young woman.’

  I think Caedmon helped with that, Arenadd said with a cackle. Eh, Saeddryn? Makes you wish you were young again, doesn’t it?

  ‘It does, aye,’ said Saeddryn. She smiled to herself. ‘Myfina will make a fine queen when the time’s right.’

  Just as you would have, said Arenadd. And the time will be right soon, I think. Yes, very soon. He laughed again, softly this time.

  ‘I reckon so,’ said Saeddryn. ‘Now, we’d better get goin’.’

  Shouldn’t you meditate first? asked Arenadd. Get yourself closer to the Night God or whatever it is?

  ‘Once upon a time I would’ve needed to,’ said Saeddryn. ‘But nobody could be closer to her than I am now.’

  Speak for yourself, Arenadd muttered.

  Saeddryn didn’t meditate, but she did take a moment to neaten herself up. She had spent a good chunk of time during Caedmon’s training roaming the country in search of people to kill, but she had spent plenty of time on the island too, and had begun dressing in furs the way the tribespeople did.

  The tribe were still cautious around her, but she had won their respect once she cared enough to try. Her powers meant she could bring back any animal she wanted to, even from the mainland; it had certainly helped whenever food became scarce. She hadn’t planned to show them her powers, but Llygad had stumbled across her once as she emerged from the shadows. From then on she had become the most revered person on the island. Clearly she had great powers, and because she was a one-eyed woman she must therefore be holy as well.

  Thanks to that, it had taken no effort at all to persuade them that she should be the one to conduct the adulthood ceremonies for both Caedmon and Myfina, and the handful of young tribespeople who would be joining them in the ritual. In fact, Llygad had all but begged her to do it.

  The work of a wise woman for the lost tribe was very different from being High Priestess at Malvern, but the more Saeddryn had learned the more she had seen the similarities between the two. Nearly every ritual the lost tribe practised had a counterpoint in the Temple, and Saeddryn had seen the roots of her own ceremonies in every one.

  But the ritual of adulthood was one she had known when she was still a child herself. Her mother Arddryn had taught it to her in secret, and when the time came she had performed it for her daughter’s own entry into womanhood. Later on, Saeddryn had performed it many times in the Temple, albeit in a stylised fashion, without the same trials as she had gone through.

  Here on the island, all those trials were still in place. That morning, Caedmon had set out on his ceremonial hunt. Myfina and the other young people had gone with him. Each of them had to bring back something they had killed. Failure meant having to wait until next year.

  Now night was coming, and Saeddryn walked unhurriedly through the forest and to the coast of the island, Arenadd following behind her. There, she stepped into the sea and swam out to the other of the two smaller islands. The adults of the tribe would cross to it on rafts, but Caedmon and the others would have to swim as well, and they would have to do it naked.

  The water was deep and icy. As she swam, Saeddryn imagined she was mortal again, and cou
ld almost feel the pain biting into her, crushing her lungs and making her heart patter with panic.

  But the sensation was only a memory from long ago, when she was young and afraid, and had only thrown herself into the frozen pool when she thought of how angry her mother would be if she showed fear.

  Never show fear. Never show pain. That was the true Northern way.

  Saeddryn stepped onto the shore of the island and moved inland. This island wasn’t the one she had swum to on that first day. It was smaller and flatter, and no griffins lived on it because there were no good nesting places.

  What it did have was something that brought a smile to Saeddryn’s face: a stone circle, rising proudly against the horizon up ahead. Thirteen stones, like those that made up Taranis Throne, but smaller and thinner. It was incredible to think that the lost tribe had managed to cut them and stand them upright like this when they didn’t seem to have any metal tools or even much concept of proper rope. But nobody, not even the tribespeople themselves, remembered how their ancestors had made the stones. Some people even said the Night God herself had done it.

  Of course not, Arenadd said when Saeddryn mentioned this to him. Don’t be daft. She can’t touch the physical world. That’s why she needs us. Give the poor mortals a bit more credit than that!

  Saeddryn chuckled. ‘I s’pose if humans can build something like an Eyrie, they can build this.’

  Exactly. Hmm, I smell warm blood up ahead.

  Saeddryn went on to the circle, and sure enough, she found some people already there. Gwladus and Llygad and several other adults, all wearing simple fur kilts and nothing else, despite the cold wind. But they had lit a fire in the middle of the circle, at least.

  Saeddryn nodded to Llygad. ‘Is it time to begin?’

  He nodded back. ‘When the moon rises, they will come to the circle. It will not be long.’

  ‘Then we’ll pray while we wait,’ said Saeddryn.

  ‘We have a song that we sing on this night, wise woman,’ Gwladus put in. She was fierce enough to remind Saeddryn of her own mother, but now she sounded almost timid.