The Tale of Onora: The Boy and the Peddler of Death

by Dylan Saccoccio

  Amori Village was built in perfect harmony with nature. Wooden rope bridges connected tree houses to each other. Smoke from hearth fires gently rose out of the chimneys. It was not quite lunchtime, but most of the forest folk’s daily chores and tasks were done, so the square was filled with recreational energy. The sound of harps and wind instruments drifted with the breeze. Gentle voices singing and playing in the late morning echoed throughout the village.

  Dani was flooded with an overwhelming appreciation for the Amori. Each one of them risked his or her life to cross The Great Barrier. It was a relatively new settlement that culminated from an astonishingly dangerous expedition. They were pioneers that left everything to start anew. Aside from Chako and those that served him, the camaraderie of the Amori was much deeper than anything Dani had ever known in the Shade. There was some kind of gathering going on in the village square, but Dani had more important things to tend to. She would, however, certainly be keeping an eye on that unnatural bastard Chako. Nothing but trouble, eh? If only the Amori knew what she really was. Dani smiled at the irony.

  ______________________________

  THE CLAP OF HOOVES colliding with cobblestone grew louder and louder. Aithein squinted hard as he tried to focus through the rain, but it was wrought with fog. A white mass galloped towards him through the billowing smoke. As it approached he could see it was a steed carrying two passengers, a woman and a child.

  The horsewoman was a type of being Aithein had never seen. Her eyes emitted a silver-purple glow. Her hair was silky white, and although it was soaking wet, it danced with the wind. Her features were elfin. She wore midnight-blue armor that was protected by a white breastplate with a symbol of an eye shedding a red tear in the center. Aithein didn’t know what the red tear meant, but the design was encrusted with jewels and had an uncanny effect on him.

  The child clinging to the horsewoman was a little girl who appeared to be the same age as Aithein. Her hair was partially braided. It escaped her hooded cloak like sunglow and flailed in the wind. A gold diadem, crafted in the shape of laurel leaves, rested upon her head. A crown jewel was embedded in its center.

  Aithein was not familiar with the caste structure of Caliphweald. He spent his whole life with the Amori. Even though he had never been subjected to the governance of the Royal Family, his instincts told him that this little girl was important.

  By the time Aithein realized the white horse was on a collision course with him, it was too late. He dove out of the way to avoid being crushed. His body slid in the field. The mud squished between his fingers while trying to break his fall. The wake of his hands doused his face in thick, earthy water. He gagged as it rushed into his nose and mouth.

  As the horse galloped by, the little girl locked eyes with Aithein. The fabric of time unraveled and stood still. All of his senses heightened. Each sound was magnified and accompanied by a fluttering echo. He could hear her blink. He could hear her breathe. Her solar eyes were unlike anything he’d ever seen. The beauty of the entire universe culminated inside of them.

  A vacuum in Aithein’s vision released the galaxies and solar systems from her eyes in a Fibonacci spiral that enveloped the air around him. The echoes of chaos slowly brought him back to reality as time weaved itself back to normal.

  Aithein felt his soul tear apart as the girl broke her gaze with him and turned away. A bittersweet feeling flooded his heart and sunk deep into the marrow of his bones as he watched the horse disappear into the mist. She would live a beautiful life. He was left behind. He wished he were someone else. He wished he were far away.

  ______________________________

  AS DANI EXPLORED THE village, her solo flight gathered all sorts of looks. Some of the Amori discreetly displayed their solidarity with her because they knew what her arrival meant. Others observed her in dismay.

  A small Amori boy clapped his hands excitedly. His smile beamed across his face. He waved at Dani. “’Ello, fairy! ‘Ello!”

  Dani glided down to greet him.

  “Hello, there,” she said. “Who might you be?”

  He giggled innocently. “I might be Baelwyn.”

  The name meant Guardian of Music in Dani’s native language.

  Baelwyn continued, “But when I grows up you won’t be able to tell me apart from my brothers. This is Koehari. She is my fairy.”

  “Earthspring?” Dani wondered.

  Koehari gave a proud nod. “Xas. Welcome to Caliphweald,” she thought to Dani. “Baelwyn is the youngest of the Bannitlarn Brothers.”

  “Holders of Mysteries?” Dani found humor in this. She studied Baelwyn. “He can barely hold his pants up.”

  “They would fight to the death for the one you seek,” Koehari warned. “Heed them.”

  “A friend to Aithein is a friend to me,” Dani thought back. “Thank you.”

  “Are you come for him?” Baelwyn asked. He pointed to a tree house at the other end of the village.

  “Is that where Aithein lives?” Dani asked.

  “Xas,” Baelwyn replied. “He’s a sleepies head. Hurry! He has nightmaries like I do. But I don’t sleep.”

  “You don’t sleep?” Dani asked.

  “Nau,” Baelwyn replied. “He’s ugly.”

  Dani felt like she was talking to a madman.

  “Who is ugly?” she asked.

  “The man in our nightmaries,” he said.

  Koehari interrupted with her thoughts. “Some of the Amori have been suffering the same dreams. The forest is unbalanced as of late. I suspect that’s why you were summoned.”

  Dani found that odd. She had only been in this realm for a short time, yet she kept receiving these troubling clues. She did her best to conceal the gears of her mind. “Thank you, Baelwyn. Hurry I shall.”

  Dani started to fly away. Baelwyn’s urgent tone stopped her.

  “Wait!” he called. “What is your name, fairy?” The look on his face seemed like the answer to this question was the most important thing in the world.

  Dani flew back to him. “I’m Dani.”

  Baelwyn gave a nod of approval. “Good. Now I command you. Be nice to him, Dani. He’s my feravan.”

  “Did that little bastard just do that to me?” Dani thought.

  “He’s a wily bugger,” Koehari thought back. “He’ll win the game before you even know you’re playing.”

  “Is that so?” Dani thought. She flew close to Baelwyn’s face. “You speak Shadean, no?”

  “Huh?” Baelwyn looked confused.

  Dani’s irises changed in color from amethyst to dark plum. “Why play the part of village idiot now? Words are everything, which is why you tricked me into giving you my name.”

  Baelwyn feigned a grin.

  Dani’s voice grew as hard as oak and as cold as steel on a damp night. “You may wield power over unwitting Caliphians. Their minds fear what they cannot explain. I, on the other hand, am familiar with your schemes so let me assure you, my soul is darker than a moonless, starless night. Caliphians fear “demons” from the Shade, but you know better than they do. You know that demons do not exist. I exist.”

  Baelwyn beheld the terror of what true evil looked like.

  Dani smiled wildly. “If you so much as entertain a single thought of using my name against me, I swear upon my life that you will beg the gods to unleash hordes of demons upon you rather than face what I shall unleash upon you.”

  Wide-eyed Baelwyn turned white. He gulped his words. “I’m sowie.”

  Dani’s irises returned to their amethyst color. “It pleases me to know that the Amori did not let their native language die. Feravan did not originate in this forest, or even this world. It came from the Shade. Just like you and me. Recognize that I understand you, Baelwyn. We’re in Caliphweald now. Aithein is my champion of the forest as well, so before you attempt to command me or threaten me again, here’s another word from the Shade that shall make you reconsider. Maibrar. That’s what I am. As the Guardian of Music, you had better know
which notes I move to before you speak to me again.” Dani winked at him. She politely curtsied and flew away.

  “What does maibrar mean?” Baelwyn asked Koehari.

  Koehari liked Dani. So she did her a favor when she paused for dramatic effect. Baelwyn stared wide-eyed in anticipation.

  “Crafter of Death,” Koehari said. “Deathsmith.”

  ______________________________

  DANI LANDED ON THE windowsill. The smell of fear was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. She heard the shivering of a child. A young boy, no older than twelve, lay asleep in a messy bed. He was drenched in his own sweat. There was no fairy around the Amori boy besides Dani. This was her assignment.

  To startle an Amori could have a disastrous outcome. Dani gently approached the sleeping boy. She let the syllables of his name float upon the gentle gust of breeze from the window.

  “Aithein?” she asked. “Aithein, I’ve come for you. Awaken.”

  ______________________________

  THE MOST DESTURBING, DEMONIC sound Aithein had ever heard made the hair on his body stand up. The beast’s hot exhale of mucus and saliva sprayed on the back of his neck amidst the cold dampness of the rain. He felt its grunts as it sniffed down to his inner thighs. He saw next his hand in the muck, a multi-colored flower watching him. It had whites and blues mixed with reds and violets in its petals. It was the only thing he could grab onto and so he took it by the stem and squeezed tight.

  Aithein heard the reins crack, followed by commands in a foreign language. He heard hooves unearthing the ground as the beast retreated. He slowly turned to see what was behind him.

  The glowing red eyes of a monstrous horse peered down at him. A muscular man with wildfire hair and leathery reptilian skin sat upon the steed. He calmly observed Aithein, his face the emissary of fear. A gnarled scar covered his left eye socket and extended down across his lips. His left ear was severed. Web-like scars deformed the nub in its place.

  The man raised his right clenched fist and displayed the back of it to Aithein. The glowing insignia of The Trivium emanated from his flesh. The surrounding air grew darker and darker. The crackling sound of its magic drew the light out of the aether.

  The darkness was so bright that only the man’s right eye and the glowing insignia were visible. The Trivium of Volition sat atop the base helixes of The Trivium of Logic and The Trivium of Valor. It glowed brighter than the other two shards.

  Though The Trivium consists of three helixes, two at the base and one at the top, its powers may be divided into three or combined to sum a triangular infinite.

  Aithein felt the surge of its magic pulling at everything around him. The pressure grew unbearable. He felt his life force being sucked out of his body. The pain drew a deep scream of agony from the bowels of his gut.

  ______________________________

  A GUT-WRENCHING SCREAM ECHOED across Amori Village. Flocks of birds scattered away from Aithein’s tree house. At the village square, the Amori who waited in line to surrender their weapons feared the worst, but no one dared to speak. Their frightened expressions said it all. Those who were carrying about their daily business stopped what they were doing and looked on helplessly.

  Inside Aithein’s house, Dani illuminated herself. She called upon the power of the gods, but it was not a prayer. It was healing ward.

  “Fisonna,” she commanded. “Drive the darkness out of this child’s mind.”

  Aithein’s contorted body struggled until it stiffened into stillness. His screaming ceased. After a moment, the tension fled his body and he collapsed into a relaxed position. The pace of his breath slowed and returned to normal. His eyes moved rapidly beneath their closed lids. Then they opened.

  Aithein raised his hand to diffuse Dani’s aura. His autumn irises shimmered as they adjusted to the light. The sight of a fairy surprised him. “W-who are you?”

  “I am Dani,” she replied. She calmly dimmed her aura.

  Aithein grew nervous. “Are you a Hlaetho?”

  “I do not see the truth lest it reveals itself to me,” Dani replied.

  Her voice assured him, but disappointment crept over Aithein’s face. “Then you cannot see him?”

  Dani was not sure if he wanted privacy or company. She remembered that brevity was golden. “No.”

  Aithein’s eyes filled with tears. His bottom lip quivered. He felt ashamed and helpless. “Every night I see her. Then she is gone. Every night he kills me in my sleep.”

  “I do not know the representations of your dreams,” Dani replied. “For that I apologize. But I can help you.”

  “How?” Aithein asked.

  “The faelen tree summons you,” Dani responded. “There are others who share your nightmares.”

  ______________________________

  AITHEIN STEPPED ONTO HIS porch. The shades of light had drifted to early afternoon. He leaned on the log railing and looked down at the village. The jingle of light chimed with the breeze, followed by a manifestation.

  Ellia exploded out of the manifestation, already running towards Aithein’s house. “Namus!”

  “I’m fine,” Aithein responded.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  Aithein sighed. “Nightmares again.”

  Ellia saw Dani hovering around him. Her head cocked slightly as she noticed something different about the fairy. Ellia extended her open hand invitingly.

  Dani trusted the magnetic draw she felt from Ellia, and so she gently floated down and landed on Ellia’s open palm.

  Ellia looked into Dani’s amethyst eyes and stared in wonder. “You are the prettiest fairy I have ever seen.”

  “Thank you,” Dani replied.

  Ellia was protective. Her brow was skeptical. “What’s your business with Aithein?”

  Dani, although honest, was unsure. “He has been summoned by the Faelen Tree.”

  Ellia looked at Aithein. “To be summoned is a great honor, Namus. If Dani was sent to join you, it marks a new chapter of your life.”

  Dani was jolted into alertness. “How did you know my name?”

  Ellia calmly asserted her ability with a triumphant posture. “You look just like her.”

  ______________________________

  DANI TRAILED AITHEIN AS he walked through the village. He was a quiet observer always taking in his surroundings. Sometimes his expression was wistful. Other than that, the masks he wore were good at concealing his emotions.

  Aithein could not dematerialize like the other Amori. He was slower and slightly skittish. He’d never crossed The Great Barrier and didn’t know what it meant to be from the Shade. Dani tried to figure out how it was possible for Aithein to have Shadean blood. No matter how she dissected it, all paths led to the same place. It had something to do with the perverse power of The Trivium and the deeds of Woden Caliph.

  Dani wondered what Aithein was thinking about. He kept to himself, but she knew there was an ocean of thoughts forming in his mind. She caught herself thinking of him as a half-breed stripling fraught with limited abilities and poor genetics.

  She was disgusted with herself. She didn’t know whose prejudice thoughts she was thinking or how she could lose control of her mind so easily. Merely being in Caliphweald warped her views. She quickly adjusted and searched for the good in Aithein.

  “Who is the man in your sleep?” Dani asked.

  Aithein struggled quietly in frustration. “I don’t know.”

  The sound of hard labor demanded their attention. An Amori boy with ebony skin and fluffy caramel hair struggled to move broken bedrock from a garden in front of Chako’s house. His fairy was as exhausted as he was.

  He was a scrappy little fellow. “Toad warts!”

  Aithein approached him. “Korlith?”

  Korlith removed his cap and brushed the hair off of his sweaty brow. His amber eyes stood out from his dark mahogany skin. Dani thought of him as a twilight elf. It was another racist thought she had to chase away.

  K
orlith’s fairy flew up to Dani. “I’m Zylihn,” he thought to her. “Have you finally come for the Amori without a fairy?”

  “I’m not sure,” Dani thought back.

  Zylihn prodded Dani with a mischievous grin. “That he’s Amori or that you’ve come for him?”

  Dani couldn’t mask her smirk. “Both.” She liked Zylihn. She could tell he had good character.

  Korlith’s eyes opened wide as he saw Dani. He gasped. “Oh my! Is that? It is! It is! It bloody is!”

  “She’s come to collect me,” Aithein said.

  Korlith beamed. “We must celebrate!” But his excitement drained as he looked down at the broken bedrock. “But, not yet. I can’t right now.”

  “Why are you toiling in Chako’s garden?” Aithein asked.

  “He’s demanded that I move the stones out of it,” Korlith replied. His hands bled as he dropped a stone. “Argh, I cannot bear this abuse. I don’t understand why the faelen tree chose him. On top of that, he won’t let anyone in the meadow unless they have a sword and a shield. What Amori uses a sword and a shield?”

  This was the third time Dani felt unsettled. To be warned about Chako was enough to raise her concern. She was willing to accept that social structures may be different in Caliphweald, but for a faelen tree to appoint such an unnatural person to be patriarch, it was completely uncharacteristic of Shadean nature.

  Aithein picked up a medium-sized slab.

  “What are you doing?” Korlith asked.

  Aithein let his momentum help sling the slab at Chako’s house. It smashed against the wall and broke into pieces. Aithein flashed a grin at Korlith. “I’m moving the stones.”

  Korlith clasped his head with both hands. “You’ll make Chako angry!”

  Aithein grew fierce. “Tell that harvest-colored imp that it was me, that if he has anything to say, to voice his displeasure to the Bannitlarn Brothers. They’ll not be so kind as I.” He started to walk away. “Finish the job, Korlith, but let him know that if he does this to you again I shall burn his house down.”