Sacrifice

by Christopher Mitchell

  ‘You could write a book or something,’ Bedig said. ‘Your biography.’

  ‘Autobiography,’ Dyam said.

  ‘Who on earth would want to read that?’

  ‘Me, for one,’ Dyam said.

  ‘I’m too bitter to write. It would come out all twisted.’

  ‘I’ll see about getting you paper and pencils,’ Dyam said, ‘in case you change your mind.’

  Laodoc said nothing.

  Bedig stretched his arms. ‘We should go in for breakfast.’

  ‘Do you think Keira will be there?’ Laodoc said.

  ‘I spoke to the owner last night,’ Dyam said. ‘After apologising, she told me that Keira doesn’t usually get up before noon. Spends her nights drinking, either in the tavern, or in her room. ’

  Laodoc shook his head. ‘So this is how the world’s most powerful mage spends her time? The great Keira, a violent drunk.’

  Bedig shrugged. ‘So what’s new? She’s always been like that, when she’s not fighting some war.’

  He opened the door, and they went back into the tavern. A large fire was blazing in a hearth to their left, and they sat at a table close to its warmth.

  Kendrie walked over. ‘Porridge?’

  ‘Aye, please,’ Dyam said. ‘Plenty of salt on mine.’

  ‘Can I get an extra portion for Bridget?’ Bedig said.

  Kendrie nodded and walked off to the kitchens, while a bar-girl put a jug of ale and some mugs on the table. Bedig muttered a thank you and poured himself an ale.

  ‘Nice,’ he said. ‘Good ale, good whisky, good food. I can see why Keira stayed.’

  ‘It’s just ordinary Domm stuff,’ Dyam said.

  ‘Maybe, but after years of Rahain and Holdings food, it tastes like the best thing ever.’

  A bar-boy came over with a tray, and unloaded four large bowls of steaming porridge, a salt cellar and a pot of honey.

  ‘Thanks,’ Dyam said.

  Laodoc spooned a large helping of honey into his bowl, while Bedig downed his ale and stood. He picked up two bowls.

  ‘I’ll see if Bridget’s hungry,’ he said.

  ‘See you later,’ Dyam said, as the tall Brig walked away. She turned to Laodoc, and eyed him as she put salt on her porridge.

  ‘You’re depressed,’ she said.

  He said nothing.

  ‘It’ll pass,’ she said. ‘Might take ages, who knows, but it will pass. And until it does, we’re here for you. If ever you want to talk about anything, I’ll be happy to listen.’

  Laodoc stirred his porridge, his appetite fading. He felt so worthless, he didn’t deserve their help.

  ‘I know you mean well,’ he said, ‘but I’m fine. ’

  Dyam nodded as she ate her porridge, her eyes unconvinced.

  Laodoc pushed his bowl away and gazed out of the window at the clouds racing across the sky. He heard the main doors of the tavern open, and watched as a small group of uniformed Kellach entered. He glanced at Dyam, and nodded at the doors.

  She turned.

  The group approached the bar, and spoke to Kendrie, who pointed over at their table.

  Dyam put down her spoon.

  ‘Can I help you?’

  The group walked over and stopped in front of Dyam. A woman stepped forward.

  ‘We’re looking for the leadership of the Severed Clan.’

  ‘I’m the herald. What do you want?’

  ‘Apologies for disturbing your breakfast, ma’am, but we have been sent by the Domm Council at Threeways Junction,’ the woman said. ‘They have delivered their verdict regarding the legal status of the clan.’

  Dyam nodded. ‘Then we’ll need to get Chief Bridget.’ She gazed over at the bar. ‘Kendrie, could we please have somewhere private?’

  ‘The back room should be free,’ Kendrie said. ‘Give me ten minutes to get it ready.’

  Dyam turned back to the uniformed group. ‘Take a seat,’ she said. ‘I’ll go and find the chief.’ She started to walk for the door, then stopped.

  ‘This is Laodoc,’ she said. ‘I know he’s Rahain, but he’s a benefactor and friend of the Severed Clan. Please treat him with courtesy.’

  The group took seats next to him at the table.

  ‘Nice to meet you, Laodoc,’ said one.

  The old man said nothing, and turned to gaze out of the window.

  Ten minutes later, Kendrie emerged from a side door, and beckoned towards the group of uniformed Kellach. They stood, and walked in his direction. Laodoc got to his feet, and followed them. They passed through the door and into a large, windowless chamber, with a long table and rows of seats.

  ‘I’ll have drinks brought through for you in a moment,’ Kendrie said as he left.

  Laodoc took a seat at the end of the table, while the other Kellach stood waiting. After a few minutes, the door opened, and several bar-boys and girls came in with trays of ale and food. As they were laying them out on the table, the door opened again, and Bridget walked in.

  Her left eye was swollen and a greenish-purple bruise covered her temple. She looked tired, but wore a determined expression on her face. Behind her entered Dyam, Draewyn, Brodie, Liam and Brynt, the members of her clan leadership council.

  ‘This is Chief Bridget of the Severed Clan,’ Dyam said.

  ‘Greetings,’ said the uniformed woman who had spoken before. ‘We are representatives of the Domm Council.’

  Bridget nodded. ‘I understand that you bring news?’

  ‘We do.’

  ‘Please, have a drink, make yourselves comfortable.’

  They sat round the table, the clan on one side, and the council representatives on the other, with Laodoc at one end. No one paid him any attention, so he remained where he was, listening.

  ‘The council have thought long and hard about the Severed Clan,’ the woman said, ‘and their position within Domm society. On the one hand, we wish to be fair to you, and understand that you have suffered together, in slavery, and under the oppression of foreign regimes. However, it is intolerable that any one group is ruled by a different set of laws, with different leaders. Here in Domm, we are all equal under the same law.’

  ‘Excuse me for interrupting,’ Dyam said, ‘but what about the Domm Highlands? Isn’t it the case that they rule themselves?’

  The woman frowned. ‘It is true,’ she said, ‘that in certain highland glens, renegade Domm live outwith the control of the council. The folk up there refuse to accept any incomers from Brig, Lach or Kell, and do not recognise the council’s authority. It is for precisely that reason that we cannot tolerate another separate enclave. Believe me, one is bad enough.’

  ‘So,’ Dyam said, ‘in practical terms, what does this ruling mean for us?’

  ‘We want it to mean as little as possible,’ the woman said. ‘We encourage you to hold onto your cultural cohesion. Set up your own villages, your own schools and temples, and carry on with your traditions. You can continue to call yourselves the Severed Clan,’ she paused as she gazed around the table, ‘but understand that none of it has any legal standing. The law, the courts, the militia, taxation, all of it, is under the authority of the Domm Council.’

  Laodoc coughed. ‘May I ask a question?’

  The woman looked at him. ‘Sure.’

  ‘The Domm Council,’ he said, ‘does it have people on it from the other clans?’

  ‘You mean Brig and so on?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Aye,’ the woman said, ‘a man and a woman from each, making up eight altogether on the council.’

  ‘And how are these members chosen?’

  ‘They were selected three years ago, after we came down from the Highlands.’ She took a drink. ‘The lizards had evacuated Brig, and for the first time we felt safe enough to venture down to the High Threeways Pass. All the village elders got together and picked the eight members of the council.’

  ‘Are they members for life, then?’ said Laodoc, ignoring the ‘lizards’ comment.


  The woman frowned.

  ‘Laodoc is something of a constitutional scholar,’ Bridget said, a weak smile on her lips.

  He glanced at her. ‘I’m just trying to establish what kind of governmental structure has been implemented. I’m guessing that their arrangements were probably drawn up under considerable stress, and I think it quite remarkable that they have created such stability. The Domm Pass seems much more civilised than I’d been led to expect.’

  ‘Thank you,’ the woman said. ‘It’s not quite the same down in the lowlands. Our militia can only do so much, and the settlements down there are spread far and wide. You may have to look to your own security at times.’

  ‘We can handle ourselves,’ said Dyam.

  ‘I’ve no doubt you can.’ The woman finished her drink. ‘I think we’re finished here. I’d love to stay, and catch the fire mage speak, but we’re wanted back at Threeways Junction by nightfall.’ She stood. ‘Any questions? Is everything understood?’

  Bridget looked at the tabletop. ‘It is.’

  ‘Then we’ll be leaving.’ She opened a purse, and passed over a handful of coins to Kendrie, who had been lurking by the doorway. She nodded to Bridget, and they trooped out of the chamber. Kendrie followed them out, closing the door behind him.

  Bridget broke down in tears.

  The others glanced at each other. Dyam put her arm over Bridget’s shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

  Brodie poured himself an ale. He took a sip, and nodded. ‘That’s it then. The clan’s done.’

  ‘No, it’s not,’ Dyam said. ‘You heard what she said. We can form our own settlements and farm our own land. We can keep on being the Severed Clan.’

  ‘What’s the point?’ Brodie said. ‘If given the choice, I’d rather go back to Brig. I heard that more villages are being repopulated there, just beyond the eastern end of the Domm Pass.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Draewyn said. ‘We should stick together. I’m looking forward to setting up a village with a few of the lassies that I knew at Slateford.’

  ‘But you’re Domm,’ Brodie said. ‘This is your home.’ He pointed to the east. ‘My home’s that way, over the pass to Brig.’

  ‘We’re all Kellach Brigdomin now,’ said Dyam.

  Brodie shook his head. ‘What a surprise, you’re Domm as well. Of course you’re saying that, because it’s like we’re all guests in your home. We all know that the majority of folk that survived are Domm, you just want the rest of us to become Domm as well.’

  ‘That’s not true,’ said Dyam.

  ‘We wouldnae have ye anyway,’ Draewyn chuckled.

  ‘I know what he means,’ said Liam, the old sparker, ‘but at least settlers are starting to return to Brig. Lach is a wasteland.’

  ‘Aye,’ said Dyam. ‘It’ll be a while before anyone lives there again, but one day they will, Liam. One day.’

  The pale blonde woman paused, and glanced at Bridget, who was sitting with her head in her hands.

  ‘You’ll always be chief to me, Bridget,’ she said, ‘no matter what anyone says.’

  ‘Ye did a grand job,’ Draewyn said. ‘Ye should be proud.’

  Bridget looked up, and dried her tears.

  ‘How soon can we get out of here?’

  ‘The clan’s already moving down the road into the lowlands,’ Dyam said, pulling a map from her cloak and unfolding it onto the table. ‘We can be on our way first thing tomorrow morning. I’m for taking what the council said literally, and forming our own settlement area. Now, Draewyn’s old village is here, aye?’

  Draewyn nodded.

  ‘And we agreed to re-settle this area,’ Dyam said, tracing out a region of the map. ‘So we stick to our plan, and send the clansfolk to assemble here.’ She glanced at Bridget. ‘That’s what I think, anyway.’

  ‘And that’s what we’ll do,’ Bridget said. ‘You and Draewyn know the geography, and you know what we’re looking for.’

  ‘You can see the ocean from here,’ Draewyn said, pointing at the map.

  ‘So it’ll be fucking windy, then,’ Brodie said. ‘Does the wind ever stop in this fucking place?’

  Bridget frowned at him. ‘You don’t have to come. Go back to Brig if you want. Personally, I’d rather you stayed with us. I’ve got plans for a great big clan brewery and distillers, see if we can make gin and ale like we did at Slateford, then maybe we can sell it to the other settlers.’

  Brodie narrowed his eyes.

  ‘And how would we afford to build such a facility?’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Bridget said, ‘I have the gold for it, and for all the houses and schools we’ll need.’

  ‘You have gold?’ Draewyn said.

  ‘I do,’ Bridget said, ‘and I apologise for telling no one except Dyam about it until now, but I wanted to ensure it remained intact, to fund our settlement.’

  The others glanced at each other.

  ‘Where did you get it?’ asked Draewyn.

  Bridget smiled, for the first time in many days. ‘Let’s just say that Daphne wasn’t a poor woman.’

  Laodoc leaned against the fence, watching the vast sunset unfold before him. He was standing in the same spot as he had that morning. It was a good spot, he reflected, away from the prying eyes of most.

  He looked down the sheer slope, and considering jumping. Today had been a good day. He had felt a flicker of interest in the workings of the Domm Council, and it was a rare day when he was interested in anything. And Bridget had smiled, also a rarity. Leading the clan while it had journeyed from Rahain to Domm had borne down upon her shoulders with the weight of a mountain. He wondered if she would feel relieved once it dawned on her that she was now without any legal responsibility for anyone else, but he doubted it. She cared too much, like he once had.

  No, he wasn’t going to jump today.

  He frowned as he remembered that they were leaving in the morning. He would quite like the chance to see if he felt like jumping every day.

  ‘Hello,’ a voice said .

  Laodoc’s frown remained. ‘I came out here for some quiet, thank you very much.’

  ‘Do you not remember me?’ the voice said.

  Laodoc turned to glance at the stranger, and his tongue flickered in surprise.

  ‘Agang,’ he said.

  ‘May we talk?’

  Laodoc sighed. ‘Very well.’

  ‘Dyam told me I’d find you out here.’

  ‘And so you have. Well done.’

  ‘I thought you’d want to talk.’

  Laodoc snorted. ‘Really? Just because we are two failed rulers of our respective countries, you think we share a bond?’

  ‘Why are you being so rude?’

  ‘Let’s just call it my revenge for the way you treated me during the alliance invasion of Rahain,’ Laodoc spat. ‘Do you think I have forgotten your behaviour? You were insufferable.’

  Agang bowed his head. ‘You’re right. I apologise. I’ve changed.’

  Laodoc laughed. ‘Strange how humiliation does that to people. I see that you are now a friend of the woman who overthrew you. You must have wallowed deep in the pit of shame and self-loathing, how else would you be able to look at her without breaking?’

  ‘You know nothing,’ cried Agang, his face turning red. ‘You haven’t the faintest idea of what happened to the Emperor, of what he’s now capable of doing. I saw him use the powers of many different mage lines: fire, water, stone, vision.’

  Laodoc frowned. ‘What?’

  ‘The Emperor is now like a god.’

  Laodoc shook his head. ‘We did hear some fanciful rumours when we were entering the Kellach Littoral a couple of thirds back. Are you saying you were there?’

  Agang nodded. ‘You need to hear Keira speak.’

  Laodoc’s tongue flickered again. ‘No, thank you.’

  ‘Look,’ Agang said, ‘I’m sorry for getting angry. I know you’ve been through a lot, but I need to explain to you what’s been happening. You’re one
of the few people here who will grasp the full significance of the events in Plateau City that we witnessed.’

  Laodoc shrugged. ‘I don’t care. Now, if you would kindly leave me alone.’

  He stared back out at the sunset, its red hues spanning the vast sky.

  ‘Then I have to apologise again,’ said Agang.

  ‘For what?’

  ‘For this.’

  Agang reached out with his hand and took Laodoc’s arm in a tight grasp. Laodoc opened his mouth to protest, but he began to feel a powerful surge of energy grow within his body. He arched his back, as every strain and sprain disappeared in a golden glow of well-being. All the old aches that he had lived with for years, vanished in an instant. He felt the surge pass into his head, and he nearly passed out, and would have fallen had Agang let go of his arm. He felt euphoric as the power passed through his mind, and a feeling of pity and love flooded him.

  He broke down, and began to sob, and Agang put his arm round his shoulder.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I must have used too much power, you’re not supposed to be weeping.’

  ‘It’s all my fault,’ Laodoc cried. ‘Killop would never have left if I hadn’t bullied Daphne into looking for Douanna. It’s my fault he’s not here with his sister, all because of my blindness, my selfish stupidity. I cared more about Douanna’s death than the lives of my friends.’

  ‘It’s alright,’ Agang said. ‘It is what it is.’

  Laodoc glanced at the Sanang man. ‘You’re a mage?’

  Agang nodded. ‘I’ve been hiding it for years.’

  ‘You healed me.’

  ‘How do you feel?’

  ‘Amazing,’ Laodoc said. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Dyam told me you were feeling…’

  ‘And I’m healed?’

  ‘No,’ Agang said. ‘The mind doesn’t work like that. I’ve corrected the balance within your brain, but if there’s something else that’s making you depressed, then it might come back. Your memories, for example. My power doesn’t reach them.’

  ‘I still feel wonderful,’ he said. ‘The pain and grief haven’t gone, but I feel as if I’m capable of hope again.’ He smiled. ‘I also feel like hearing your tale of what happened to the Emperor, but unfortunately, the Severed Clan is due to leave in the morning.’