The Embroidered Serpent (The Crystalline Source Book 1)

by M. Woodruff

  “There she is,” Josiah said. “Not much to look at, either. That fog always seems to be present, even on a day like today.”

  Nels noticed that the water between the two isles wasn’t a crystal-clear blue like on the other side of the isle. The water was a churning gray that seemed infused with the very fog that hovered above its whitecaps.

  “I wouldn’t want to go swimming in that,” Nels said, imagining being dashed to pieces on the black rocks. “Or even take a small boat for that matter.”

  “No, most don’t. But there have been a few in years past that risked it to get across and see the trees for themselves. There may have been more who died trying to get across that I’m not aware of. Of course, the ones who did actually make it—they faired no better.”

  Just then Nels saw a figure in a gray-hooded robe emerge from one of the buildings. Behind him a man trailed wearing a chain leash and collar. The robed man had hold of the leash, but the following man was coming along tamely. He wondered why the man was chained so, he seemed docile enough.

  The pair came to the edge of the cliff right into an apex of sunlight that shone down on the black rock as fire in a forge. As the robed figure removed the collar from the other man’s neck, he looked to the sun, seemed to speak a few words Nels couldn’t hear, then turned and abruptly pushed the other man over the side of the cliff. The man didn’t utter a sound as he fell. All was quiet until the sound of a sickening thud followed by crashing waves reached Nels’ hollow ears.

  His mouth gaped open at what he’d just seen—murder! Done right out in the open. Nels turned to Josiah, who was watching just as intently. “That guy just killed someone! Just like that! What do we do? Do you have some kind of watch here or something?”

  “That was the watch,” Josiah said drily. “That was one of the Justicars carrying out an execution. That’s how they usually do it—just throw people off the Sun God’s rock.”

  “But the prisoner didn’t even fight. He seemed to go almost willingly. He was a fairly large man, I’m sure he could’ve taken that Justicar down with just a punch.” Nels shook his head bewildered. They didn’t have executions like that in The Kingdom, but even the most dejected of men or women would surely at least try to put up a little fight. Maybe the man had been drugged.

  “The people know the law. It’s been ingrained in them from infancy. His fight was in breaking it. So now that he’d been caught doing whatever crime he committed his fight was over. There was nothing left for him to live for. Better just to get the consequences over with.”

  “But, he’s dead,” Nels protested, wondering how anyone could just want to get those kinds of consequences over with.

  “So he is,” Josiah said matter-of-factly.

  “Do you have a lot of crime in Justice?”

  Josiah shrugged. “I don’t really have any comparison point to say for sure. But, what I do know is that it seems to go in cycles that usually depend upon what the Justicars decide to call a crime or not. It changes depending on the Sun God’s or Moon Goddess’s mood, so they say.”

  “Who says what?” Nels asked incredulously. “And are you saying that that prisoner may have just been murdered on a Justicar’s whim?”

  “Not necessarily, usually an execution would only be carried out if the man had killed someone with intent, but even then, who can always judge intent. The frivolity mostly comes in with various infractions that involve only fines. For example, fruit vendors must place their fruit in an orderly fashion on tables, no bins, and especially no mixed fruit or else they face a very hefty fine. Apparently, the Sun God took offense to a vendor’s messy display.” Josiah barked a laugh. “I don’t believe any of that, of course. I think it’s the Justicar’s way of collecting more coin. Once, they even had the gall to say that the Moon Goddess was upset women weren’t properly styling their hair at night before bed. Husbands were supposed to report their wives for going to bed without brushing their hair at least fifty strokes. It worked well enough until some fool men started turning their wives in and then found out they were the ones that had to pay the fines. The Moon Goddess seemed appeased after that.”

  Thinking of Sandrid, Nels asked, “So the sun and moon are your gods? Do you have any more?”

  “They’re not my gods, no. But they are the only two gods of Justice, and everyone that I know of is very devoted to them. Not only are they indoctrinated from birth as well as having all their very laws hinge on the two, but they present quite a visible reminder day and night of their powerful presence. Yes, no one in Justice would dare deny the existence of the Sun God and Moon Goddess,” Josiah said as he picked up a smooth black pebble and hurled it towards the sun with a sly grin.

  “But you did,” Nels said, picking up his own pebble and throwing it just as Josiah had, though not as far.

  “I did,” Josiah said with a curt nod. “But only after the Gift awakened in me and I moved out here to act as Guardian of the Trees. I don’t do much guarding though; they seem to be able to take care of themselves. I’m more of an observer, really. But, this is where the Tiph’arah wants me, so this is where I’ll stay. It sure beats living over there.”

  “What trees?” Nels asked, looking around. He hadn’t seen a tree since he’d been here—not that they’d walked far.

  “Just over the rise,” Josiah said, pointing northwards. “I’m sure you’ve never seen anything like this forest before, woodsman.”

  When they crested the rocks, Nels looked down upon a scene of unreality. All that he had recently seen still hadn’t prepared him for this. It was a forest, just as Josiah had said, but it was made up of wire trees—sculpted and twisted wire trunks and limbs decorated not with leaves, but with beads and gemstones, and even some with feathers or small fluttering pieces of silk. Hundreds of them, maybe more, of varying sizes and colors, but fresh and bright as if the elements never touched them.

  In front of the forest stood a high wall that seemed to have been made from the isle itself, but so smooth as to be polished. Along the top ran a thin, crackling line of blue light that danced wickedly even in the light of day. There was a gate placed in the center of the wall, of a design that reminded Nels of the wrought iron ones made in Black’s Hand, but he could tell, even from this distance, that it was obsidian stone wrapped in that same pulsing blue beam.

  “What is it?” Nels asked. “Did you make this?”

  Josiah shook his head. “No, not all of them. I did make one tree, though, and so did you.” Josiah paused, looking at Nels, who stared back quizzically, light not dawning in his eyes yet.

  Sudden understanding snuck up in that brief moment. “It’s like the Hall of Awakening. All of those statues representing a single person, now these trees. They do the same thing. Each person Awakened made a tree,” Nels said, nodding to himself as his mind tried to sort it out.

  “Each tree represents an Awakened soul’s thoughts and desires. What they choose to create with their gifts. It’s the physical representation of the sum total of all each person chooses to think about and do each and every day.”

  “But they’re so beautiful,” Nels said, thinking about his own thoughts. He couldn’t imagine what went on his head would create such a work of art. “Are they alive? Do they grow?”

  “They’re alive in their own form. Not like trees we know, no. But, they do grow and expand. Change shape, color, design—even the beads and gemstones will manifest differently at times, sometimes to go back to the way they were before, or take on new combinations. A few haven’t changed, I don’t believe—it’s hard to keep track of all of them—but they still thrive, never showing wear.”

  “Can I go in there?” Nels asked, wanting to find his own tree, but feeling a bit wary at what looked to be heavy security.

  “Yes, it’ll be safe for you to enter. Only those not Awakened or possibly those with evil intent would be prevented—I’m not sure about the latter. The only people who’ve been stopped from entering are sneak thieves from Justice who w
anted to steal the gemstones. That’s all I’m aware of, anyway. And that’s all ceased once I left a few reminders and word got out,” Josiah finished with a smirk.

  “Does the wall go all the way around?” Nels asked as they approached it. The wall was at least twice his height and he felt a strange tingling on his skin the closer they got.

  “No, it only borders this flat part of land, the rest is protected by the sea itself. I really think this front wall is mainly just for show—a warning, mayhap, so someone wouldn’t accidently stumble in. No one could accidently stumble up from those rocky cliffs. Plus, as the Isle keeps growing I don’t see how a wall would work. It would have to keep expanding and I imagine it would be more trouble than it’s worth—the forest really does do an excellent job of protecting its own. I’ve seen men—“ Josiah stopped and shook his head. “Well, you’ll see.”

  Nels was about to ask exactly how the forest protected its own. He felt he had a right to know if he was planning to enter into its depths.

  “Ah, there’s my girl!” Josiah exclaimed, his eyes looking behind Nels.

  Nels turned, expecting to see Aimil; instead he saw a waist-high monster of a dog approaching at a trot. He had a sudden desire to try and climb the black wall, electric-blue light notwithstanding, or whatever else the trees might have to throw at him. He wasn’t normally afraid of dogs, but he had never seen one such as this. One side of the dog was midnight in color, the other side a snowy white. The eye on the black side was pure white and the reverse was true for the other—a black eye surrounded by white fur. Even the dog’s nails followed the same pattern—black on white, white on black—very, very long nails, Nels noticed woefully. If the dog’s nails were that long he couldn’t imagine that the teeth would be much shorter.

  “Nels, this is my guard dog, Niki,” Josiah said as the dog came and sat beside him wagging her tail, and eyeing Nels thoughtfully. Or else, Nels thought it was thoughtfully—it was hard to tell with those mismatched solid-color eyes.

  “Hi Niki,” Nels said, careful not to make any sudden movements. He also thought it was a good idea not to even offer his hand to sniff at this juncture.

  Niki immediately began barking her greeting, still staring at him; she continued to bark and bark and bark without moving for what seemed an eternity to Nels. It wasn’t a warning bark—she didn’t seem incensed in any way—it was more of a bossy-woman kind of bark. Nels had the distinct impression she was giving him multiple instructions he should follow to the letter, even though he had no idea what they entailed. That would not be her problem, of course, and he would still be responsible for the consequences. Eventually, the barking turned into more of a human talking sound, as if recognizing his own lack in the canine tongue, she was trying to help him out by simplifying things down to his limited level of understanding. It didn’t help, but Nels just smiled and nodded as if he knew exactly what Niki expected of him.

  “That’s good she likes you,” Josiah said after Niki finished her diatribe. “She isn’t exposed to many people, except for the family. And those she has encountered…well, they got theirs one way or another.”

  “I’ve never seen a dog like that. She really is something. Where’d you get her?” Nels asked, still not moving—not an inch.

  “Ha!” Josiah shook his head. “It was the funniest thing. One morning I opened the front door and there she was, sleeping all curled up in a wire basket. Just a small puppy. I imagine she was a gift from the Tiph’arah. She followed me through the trees from day one. Now, that’s where she spends most of her time—patrolling. Except for meals. Strange thing about her…she’ll only eat fish, and only two at a time. She won’t even let me create them for her. No sir, I have to cast a net out three times a day. She will let me create a fire with the Power to cook them, at least. It’s really become our special time together, so I don’t mind. She always sits on the shore with me while I fish and cook, then I wait while she eats till she goes back on her rounds.” Josiah looked down at Niki fondly and the dog seemed to return the sentiment as if she’d understood every word spoken.

  “You can create fire using the Power?” Nels asked. That would be a very useful skill to have, especially for a woodsman.

  In demonstration, Josiah pointed to the rocky space between them and a small orange flame appeared.

  “How did you learn to do that?” Nels asked eagerly. “Can you teach me?”

  “I learned mostly because of need. The first time I caught fish for Niki, it was as if she was telling me exactly what she wanted. I saw pictures in my mind of the whole process beforehand. The net, the fire, everything. So once the fish were caught I sat down, stared at the ground and imagined the perfect-sized cooking fire. It took some time, but having already seen it in my mind helped, and having Niki there too—there’s something special about her.

  “Until you get what you want so centered in your mind, focus is the key. Now, I can just point, and with barely a thought fire pops up.”

  The fire suddenly winked out, only to be replaced by another small flame. “Yes, intent then focus. I don’t think any physical action or words are necessary, but they may help solidify your thoughts enough to bring them to pass as you so desire.

  “When Aimil created the house she laid out strands of wire all along what she wanted to be the perimeter of the walls. Satisfied, she had stood in the center and lifted her hands in the air, as she did that the wire walls grew straight from the ground. I did see her mouth moving, but I never asked her what she had said.” Josiah shrugged. “Grayson always said it works differently for every person. Each has to find his or her own way to access the Gift of Tiph’arah. That’s all I can tell you about creating a fire, Nels.”

  The fire winked out again and Nels squatted down staring at the ground, hoping Niki wouldn’t mind, but fixing all of his concentration on a small spark of flame. His mind pictured the small flame that Josiah had just made and it was almost as if he could still see the afterimage burning in the empty space. The air seemed to move about that void, as if it was alive with tiny pinpricks of energy, crackling almost. He stopped focusing on the movement of the air and instead saw beyond it, to the raging furnace of the fire element itself.

  In that moment a huge conflagration burst up from the very ground, sending rocks spraying in all directions. Nels fell back, rolling head over heels, to keep from being burned alive.

  Through the inferno, Nels could see both Josiah and Niki. Luckily, they hadn’t been roasted. They were walking warily around the blaze making their way towards him, Niki already barking her displeasure.

  “Sorry about that,” Nels said, still sitting on the ground talking over the dog. “Any idea how I can get rid of it?” The fire seemed to have a life of its own. He’d thought he’d have to maintain some kind of concentration to keep it going, but apparently not.

  Josiah shook his head looking mystified. “I’m not sure where you pulled that from,” he said while gazing intently at the fire. “That’s no simple flame. It came springing up from deep within the ground. It’s probably best you put it back where it came from.”

  Nels was about to ask—uh, how?—when he realized that Josiah wouldn’t be able to tell him. He had done this and he was going to have to be the one to release it back to its source. He thought Josiah was right; the inferno did seem to leap from underground, so he imagined a huge sucking wind pulling the blaze back down from whenst it came. And, just like that, the inferno slipped beneath the obsidian crust pulling all of the strewn rocks back into place as if they had never been disturbed.

  Satisfied, Nels got back on his feet and Niki stopped barking.

  “Huh, that was a close one,” he said, scratching his beard, trying to make light of the situation.

  “You could say that,” Josiah responded, still staring at the ground. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen the Power used in a way that could have led to real danger.” He absently waved a hand towards the wall. “The trees, you know…do things. But, that
’s for protection. They use the Power precisely, on purpose. You, though…that could’ve led to a real tragedy…on accident. There’s got to be some kind of safeguard—there has to be. The Tiph’arah surely wouldn’t allow for destruction like that.”

  “But there was no destruction,” Nels found himself arguing. “Yes, it was a larger fire than I expected, but no harm was done.” He inexplicably felt defensive—part of him was terrified at what had just happened and at the harm it could have caused, but it didn’t; another part of him felt exhilaration at what he’d just done. He had been focused more on creating the flame, but underneath that, there had been a slight rush of energy. A quiet surge of possibilities, he now recognized, had been flowing through his veins. He wasn’t ready to see any danger in a feeling he’d never experienced before, especially one that made him feel so…alive.

  “Grayson told me she felt the Tiph’arah would protect us from any kind of danger like that. And it did, as far as I’m concerned,” he told Josiah with a slight taste of venom in his voice.

  Josiah stared at him for a moment with flat eyes then nodded. “You’re right, no harm was done. I guess I owe you congratulations for your first Tiph’arah-inspired fire. It was a grand one at that,” he added congenially.

  The two entered through the tall gate, Nels sedately with the hairs on the back of his neck wavering. Niki ran through then bounded off, quickly hidden in the maze of wire trunks and decorated limbs.

  Up close, he studied the first tree they came to. It was made of tightly bound black wire. Shining silver garlands threaded through its branches, and crystal teardrops hung from fine black wires that were almost invisible to the eye. His first thought was that if a regular tree from Black’s Hand had been decorated with baubles this would be it. And he stepped back on the brink of reaching out to touch it, imagining a large spider hidden in its branches waiting to pounce.