Shatter (The Children of Man)

by Elizabeth C. Mock

  He hugged Faela one final time and moved swiftly out of the room. Faela flopped back into her seat with an unreadable expression on her face.

  “So, you’re Rafaela Durante, the eldest daughter and heir to House Evensong.” Kade had an amused smile on his face. “Your family has quite the reputation even outside the Merchant Houses.”

  “Your name is Rafaela?” Jair’s face froze in a look of confusion.

  “Hush,” Faela said her voice low, “keep your voices down. Many of the merchants and traders in Dalwend are allied with Evensong. Now, I trust Nathan, which is the only reason I used those coins, but I’d like to avoid that happening again.”

  Kade nodded. “Fair enough. Though, this does answer quite a few questions that Caleb refused to discuss over the years.”

  “Caleb uses his mother’s name out of respect for our father. It's not well known that Darius Durante had a bastard.” Faela sighed. “We weren’t exploring my lineage though.” A haunted look ghosted across her face and was replaced by a look of resignation as she once more took up the tale. “Shortly after I violated my vows to the Orders,” she said touching her temple with her fingers, “I went to Ianos for guidance and sanctuary.”

  Unable to continue for a moment, Faela took several slow sips of her wine. Kade licked the stew off of his fingers and leaned back with his mug in hand waiting for her to continue.

  Blinking, Faela stared at the nicked table and resumed her tale. “It was then that he told me of a Tereskan named Gresham who was a redeemed Gray.”

  Kade’s grip on his mug faltered for a fleeting moment before regaining his composure. “That's not possible. There would be records, confirmation that the legends are true.”

  “Would you say that what you see sitting across from you is impossible as well? I'm learning to regard that word as relative these days. Any way, Ianos also told me that Gresham knew the location of the Shrine of Shattering and that I must find it.”

  Faela’s memories washed over her and the tavern retreated far from her mind. She closed her eyes trying to physically force away the pain they contained as she remembered the last time she had held her son in her arms.

  “It exists?” Kade asked skeptically once his mind slowed enough for him to speak.

  Wrenched away from her reminiscing, Faela stretched her legs, her heels scraping across the wooden floor. “That is what I intend to find out. Unfortunately, there are several complications. Gresham has no set circuit that he rides, because he technically is no longer a Brother of the Tereskan Order.”

  “I suppose there isn’t a way you could track him without his blood?” Kade inquired.

  “This isn’t common knowledge, even within the Tereskans, but almost like a chronicle of people, the Tereskan Scion maintains a vault containing vials of blood from anyone that has served in the Orders. I don’t know its extent, how long it’s been around, but Ianos did have Gresham’s and he allowed me contact with his blood.

  “However, I can only search for his signature at sunrise and part of him seems to have changed on a foundational level since the sample was taken. Because of this, I can’t pinpoint his location. I only get a vague sense of direction. Before I was injured, I believe I was only a day or two behind him, but now I don’t know. Now, you both know as much as I do about our destination.”

  “Wait. Hold on.” Jair held up his hands. “Let me get this straight.”

  Having presented them with an explanation straight from a Lusican’s fanciful legend, Faela waited and braced herself for his inevitable disbelief.

  “Your name is Rafaela?”

  Despite the pain the conversation had dredged to the surface, Faela laughed at Jair’s apparent fixation.

  “Yes, Jair, that is the name my parents gave me.”

  “But, your name is Rafaela,” Jair repeated again as if the repetition would somehow change its truth.

  “Of all the things you just learned, this is the one you have trouble accepting?” Faela chuckled as she swallowed a mouthful of stew and sucked on the back of her spoon.

  Kade sipped his wine and merely watched as he digested this new information. They were seeking a person who by all rights should not exist in the hopes of finding a mythic place from the oldest legends.

  *****

  Chapter Nine

  After having spent a dry and warm night at the Otter’s Tale, the three had returned to the road well before the sun rose to make up for lost time. They had stopped at dawn for Faela to confirm that they still headed in the right direction and Gresham’s pulse had turned further to the east, but still pointed unwaveringly north.

  Though the storm had passed, the countryside bore evidence of its presence. The Auchneid River had flooded in several places leaving piles of debris in its wake. Limbs had been torn from trees and several smaller trees had been uprooted entirely.

  As they walked in companionable silence along the muddy banks of the river, Faela began singing quietly under her breath. The faintest hint of golden light danced at her temples. As the simple melody rose, red light swept across her eyes. Jair bounced down the trail with a content smile on his face. As if a fresh breeze had blown back long-drawn curtains, Kade’s lungs felt open and free. Faela’s song seemed to draw each man’s feelings into a mood of hopefulness.

  “What are you singing, Faela?” Jair asked from behind her.

  Faela shook her head as if to clear it. “Oh, I didn’t even realize I was singing. It’s just habit, sorry.”

  With the absence of the song, the morning seemed to dim and the ache in Kade’s chest returned.

  “Aw, I didn’t want you to stop,” Jair said crestfallen. “I wanted you to sing louder so I could hear the words.”

  Kade sniffed at Jair’s complaint, but gave no voice to his own desire for Faela’s song to continue. Instead, he settled into an easy stride at her side hoping the sensation would return.

  Tucking her hair behind her left ear, Faela spotted a bend in the river. “We need to leave the river now and start following the road.”

  After several hours of continued hiking, Jair began to complain. “Can we stop for lunch, please? I’m begging you, I’m going to starve.”

  Faela snickered at Jair’s one obvious weakness. “We can in a little while, but we need to—”

  Looking up to see why Faela had paused, Kade realized that Jair and Faela stood still and stared at the path ahead. On the path stood a young woman, not yet out of adolescence. She wore flowing midnight blue robes that puddled on the ground, hiding her feet beneath the swathes of fabric. The breeze blew her hair back in a dark wild mass of curls. Her small delicate jaw was set with strength and determination. Her most striking feature, however, was the contrast of her dark skin with her eyes, a startling blue that covered even the pupil and seemed to flicker like unbound fire.

  The girl’s voice drifted on the wind. “Hail travelers, I greet thee in the name of the Light.” Suddenly, the girl went rigid and blue lines seared the back of her hands. Her light soprano resonated as it deepened weaving with the earthiness of an alto, the still depth of a tenor, and the thunderous vibration of a bass. It seemed to spin around the girl and race through the trees.

  “Seven shall come to undo what was done.

  From shadow revealed, three destinies sealed.

  Daughter of night shall succumb to dark sight.

  He who walks time out of fire must climb.

  Son of the earth shall steal from its birth.

  Speaker of Truth, guide you must be, trust in that which only you see.

  Keeper of Truth, watch and protect, never dismiss all you suspect.

  Twin branches extend, a choice here resolved,

  Either shall end betrayed or absolved.

  From death shall be life; a world formed anew.

  A promise was made; redemption pursue.”

  As the final word faded from the air, she pointed to Faela. “You are the one that I seek.” The girl took a step forward, got entangled in he
r robes, and fell flat on her face.

  Faela, Jair, and Kade stood staring at the tangled heap of dark hair and blue robes lying on the road before them, unable to speak or even move.

  A hideously high-pitched shriek came from the pile. “Dathien! Every time, every time, it doesn’t seem to matter how much I plan, or how careful I am. It always happens,” the girl muttered under her breath. She looked up her face scrunched in frustration. “Dathien, I tripped on my robes again.”

  A man of average height with dark hair and a ruddy complexion appeared on the road next to the pile. Placing a book back into his bag, he leaned on a staff, looked at the heap of fabric and smiled.

  “Don’t just stand there, Dathien.” She pouted. “Help me.”

  Dathien grasped the girl’s wrists, pulled her off of the ground, removed a twig that had gotten lodged into her thick hair, and kissed her on the forehead. The girl giggled and hugged the man.

  Kade cleared his throat. “Based on that rather dramatic entrance, it seems safe to assume that you’re a Nikelan. But might I inquire exactly who you are and why you’re here?”

  The girl looked back at the three travelers in surprise as though she had forgotten them. Looking at Faela, she asked, “Could you remove your hat please?”

  “Why?” Kade and Jair asked at the same time.

  “Humph, that’s none of your business,” the girl retorted. “If you could please, remove the hat.”

  Transfixed by the swirling of the girl’s blue eyes, Faela’s hand went to her hat and pulled it off, revealing her own eyes, the color of the moon.

  The girl let out a whoop of joy. “I found her! We found her, Dathien! And you doubted me when I told you to go through that briar patch.”

  Dathien chuckled. “Mireya, love, before you do a celebratory dance, we should give them an explanation. They look more than a bit lost.”

  The girl waved the man away absently, too pleased with herself to notice the puzzlement on the travelers’ faces. In the midst of her triumphal dance of joy, Mireya stopped, then looked back at Dathien. “Did I prophesy?”

  Dathien nodded.

  “Same as last time?”

  “Word for word.”

  “Good.” She plunked herself on the ground on a particularly soft and wet clump of moss. “You may proceed.”

  Turning back to the trio, Dathien shook his head. “You’ll have to excuse her. She’s always a little distracted after a prophecy. You may want to sit down, this is a little complicated.”

  Faela stumbled off the path and sank to the muddy ground, pulling her knees against her chest. She had not spoken a word since she had first laid eyes on Mireya. Jair walked over to Faela’s side and leaned against a tree. Kade hovered at the edge of the cluster, neither joining nor removing himself as he assessed the situation.

  “My name is Dathien Grier.” The man introduced himself. “And you’ve already met my wife, Mireya. Mireya, as you, ser, already figured out, is a Nikelan oracle. For the last year, since the first time she spoke the prophecy you just heard, we have been searching for someone. From her exclamations, I would assume she has found what was calling her. Namely you, miss,” he said addressing Faela.

  “Why would she be drawn to her?” Kade pointed to Faela with his chin.

  “That I cannot answer,” Dathien crouched on the ground next to Mireya, who blithely twirled a violet with her fingertips.

  “Wait a minute,” Jair said looking from Mireya to Dathien. “You two are married? She’s old enough to be married?”

  “Common practice with Nikelan oracles and their Griers,” Kade answered without thinking. “At least that’s what the legends say.”

  Dathien smiled and nodded confirming Kade’s explanation.

  “Ooh, did you hear that, Dathien? We’re legendary. I don't feel very legendary.”

  “Does that mean that the prophecy is about Faela?” Jair asked again.

  “In part,” Mireya chimed in, while still studying the flower. Discarding it, by throwing it over her shoulder, Mireya tilted forward, staring unabashedly at Faela. “So, your name is Faela.”

  Faela nodded without speaking.

  Mireya sighed. “There are many things you need to know and I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I’ll explain as much as I can and if you’re still confused, I’ll try again. Dathien says that sometimes my explanations aren't actually explanations. Words and I don't really get along.” Mireya looked at the clouds, her eyes glazed as if far away.

  “Mireya,” Dathien prompted.

  “A year ago,” she continued as if she had never stopped, “after the first time this prophecy came upon me, I felt the call to leave the Nikelan temple. And let me tell you, it is not fun to be minding your own business and bam! Suddenly, you're on the ground. I have a lot of weird bruises. So, Dathien and I left. We’ve been following that call ever since and it led us straight to you.”

  “Straight?” Dathien challenged.

  Mireya scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue. “Maybe not exactly straight to you.”

  “I seem to remember a jaunt around the entire continent that included a couple bogs where we lost our cart, a run in with a bear, and that briar patch a couple days back.”

  “Did I or did I not get us here?” Mireya demanded, ignoring the presence of the three travelers.

  Faela cleared her throat. “Why?”

  Mireya blinked like an owl thrust into direct sunlight at Faela’s query. “Why, what?”

  “Why were you called to me?”

  “Oh,” Mireya responded brightly, “because you’re the first Gray of the prophecy of course.”

  “Did you say the first Gray?” Jair assumed he had misheard the young oracle.

  “Yes,” she said, annoyed and turned to address Faela. “I’m here to help you find the Shrine of Shattering.”

  Kade tensed at her words, a shiver running across his skin. “That seems to be coming up a lot lately for a place that doesn’t exist.” His sardonic tone hid the hope growing in his heart.

  Faela blocked her vindicated smile behind her arms. “You know where it is?”

  “Well,” Mireya evaded wringing the extra fabric of her sleeve in her hands, “not the precisely exact whereabouts, if you want to get technical.”

  “What?” Jair exclaimed. “Then how do you propose to lead Faela?”

  “Well,” Mireya hedged, squirming uncomfortably, “I’ve never done this before, so I’m not exactly sure. But I’m sure it’ll come to me.”

  Kade’s face clouded at Mireya’s response and obvious lack of experience. Keeping his vow to Caleb was going to prove more complicated than he had imagined.

  “All that I know is that I have to help you in any way I can.” Mireya sighed. “As a Nikelan, the Light has sent me as your guide to help you down your path.”

  “Talk about the blindest leading the blind,” Jair said under his breath as he saw something fly at his head. “Ow!” The offending projectile lay at his feet. Picking up the small slipper, he turned to the fuming Mireya. “Does this belong to you?”

  “Look here, you, you tall person! I happen to be an oracle of the Light.” Mireya’s small hands clenched at her sides in fury. “Regardless of the fact that I might not understand the overall plan thingy, does not mean that I don’t know what I’m doing. So, there.”

  “Can’t argue with that,” Kade commented to no one in particular.

  “Ishi bah!” Mireya blurted in frustration.

  “I’m sorry, m’lady, was that gibberish?” Kade asked in a polite tone that would have put most diplomats to shame. “I must be rusty.”

  Mireya’s teetered torn between attacking Kade with her other shoe and the desire to not fall over in the process.

  Amused by the young woman’s reaction, Faela smiled then felt a wash of pity for the girl. “Kade?”

  He turned at the sound of his name and looked down at Faela. “Hmm?”

  “I know it’s your natural state of being, but
do try not to be a jackass.”

  Kade looked at her through his dense eyelashes.

  “Leave her alone.”

  He shrugged indifferently, but ceased his torment of the girl

  “If you don’t know where the Shrine is,” Faela asked, “how are you going to help me?”

  “I am here to advise you on your journey.” Mireya’s eyes glazed over as they lost their focus. “There are many choices ahead of you that will lead to different ends. For now, I am here as counsel. At least, until I start feeling nudges.”

  “Nudges?” Kade asked.

  “Um, well, that’s what I call them,” Mireya responded. “Call them hunches if you want. They’ve never led me wrong.”

  “Just through briar patches,” Dathien said with a crooked smile.

  Mireya glared at her spouse with a look that spoke of promised retribution.

  “If I start going off this path you’re talking about,” Faela suggested, “then you’ll get a nudge?”

  “That’s one way of looking at it.” Mireya scooted toward her, excited that someone seemed to be catching on.

  Faela chewed on her bottom lip, processing all she had heard. “All right, you can come accompany us. We’re heading north to find a redeemed Gray named Gresham.”

  “Excellent!” Mireya crowed with jubilation as she vaulted off the mucky ground to dance again.

  Faela blinked at the gyrating girl in front of her.

  Jair leaned over to Faela and whispered, “I mean, I know you’re a good cook, but why’s she that excited?”

  Mireya whirled manically on Jair. “Because I know where we’re going!”

  “Yeah,” said Jair, “she just told you — north.”

  “No, you ninny,” Mireya said as if she addressed a particularly dull rock. “She’s going in the right direction. I just got a nudge.”

  “You sure that wasn’t Jair poking you?” Kade asked skeptical.

  “I did no such thing!” Jair demanded, looking hurt at the accusation. “I would never invade the personal space of a lady.”