by N E Riggs
Anur moved beside him, carrying two full glasses of wine. “Should we talk to them?” he asked her softly.
“It might be better to leave them alone.” Anur sighed. “They miss Conal too much to be happy for him right now.”
David grimaced. Bantonan funerals were mad, almost offensive. Other than the short ceremony, the rest of the funeral would be given up to drinking and sharing anecdotes of happier times. Strangest of all, the living would plan what they’d do first upon seeing the deceased again in the afterlife. He’d quietly ducked out early from the last few, since he hadn’t known those Sword Priests anyway. He couldn’t leave Conal’s funeral early.
He glanced towards the coffins. Lugh leaned heavily against Percy’s coffin, loudly telling some other Sword Priests about the time he and Percy had fought some fierce but lovely women and then had sex with a hideous monster. David wondered if Lugh was so drunk he couldn’t keep his facts straight or if that had really happened that way. This was Bantong – David wouldn’t be surprised either way.
“What are the Yesterlords?” he asked, taking another small sip of wine. He didn’t want to get drunk. He knew his own moods, and knew he’d end up curled in a corner, sobbing.
Anur snorted into her wine glass. “You really know nothing, do you? And you couldn’t have asked at an earlier funeral?”
“Yeah, I know. I suck.” He scowled as he swirled the wine around in the glass. “So what are they?”
“Ask who, not what,” Anur said, leaning against the wall beside him. She kept her eyes on Niam, even though Niam gave no sign having noticed them – she was on her sixth drink by now, David noticed as he counted the empty glasses beside her. “The Yesterlords are Aeons’s people. There are six of them, not including Aeons. They used to live, but then the Nephilim appeared. Even together, Aeons and the Yesterlords couldn’t defeat the Nephilim and their king, who could control the dead. The Yesterlords chose to die, fighting the Nephilim in the next world, leaving Aeons alone to watch over this world. That was millenia ago, before the founding of the Eternist religion. The Yesterlords now rule the lands of the dead. Priests who served Aeons in life serve the Yesterlords in death.”
David snorted. “Doesn’t sound like much of an afterlife.”
“Shut up, traveler.” Anur stepped heavily on his foot. “Serving is an honor, and they are given much glory and power. In death, regular people merely exist, but priests live on.”
Nodding, David looked away. Didn’t sound very appealing to him, but he supposed it was better than what some people believed came after death. “Who do they fight in the afterlife?”
“The dead Nephilim, of course.” Anur finished off her second glass of wine in one long gulp and swayed a bit. David took the empty glass from her, wondering if she was already drunk.
“I think you should stop drinking now.”
Anur pushed him aside. “I’ll drink as much as I want. Damn Conal anyway, for reaching the Yesterlords before me.” She marched over to the table for another drink. David sighed but didn’t stop her. Drunk and angry was better than sobbing, he supposed. He looked at Niam again, but she still hadn’t moved. Conal’s parents didn’t reach out to her. He wondered if they were simply too devastated to comfort her or if they didn’t like her. He thought he saw tears running down Niam’s face even as her forced smile never faltered. He had to look away.
He finished his wine off and wondered what the hell he was supposed to do next.
7
The Yeti on Tikal
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay for this mission?” Anur said, holding Niam’s arm as they waited near the gateway. “You can take some time off, you know.”
Niam stared straight ahead, her eyes dull. The buttons on her jacket didn’t match up, and her hair was uncombed. David hovered on her other side, trying not to be worried. “I’m fine,” Niam said, not looking at either of them.
Anur and David shared a look behind her back. “We’re going off world,” David said. “We might be away for a long time.” He didn’t think Niam had read the briefing for the mission. She’d barely said anything since Conal’s funeral yesterday.
“That’s fine,” Niam said. Slowly she straightened her shoulders and pulled away from them, standing near the front of the division. The others looked at her in worry too but left her alone.
“She’s in no shape to be hunting yeti,” David said, shaking his head. According to Hue, there was probably only one yeti on Tikal, so the mission should be less dangerous than most. They had no idea where the creature lived, so hunting it down was likely to take a long time. “We should stick close to her, make sure she stays in the center of the group.” She’d be safest there. Bigfoot could be right next to her and she wouldn’t care right now, he thought grimly.
“Maybe not,” Anur said, staring at Niam’s back. “Maybe some action would snap her out of it.” David raised an eyebrow, and Anur winced, wrapping her arms around herself. “I know it’s not a good idea, but I’m worried. I’m afraid she might be falling into desolation.”
David considered Niam. “If she does leave the priesthood over this, is that really such a bad thing?” he asked, thinking about what Bellon had said about Conal. “She’d be alive.”
Anur rubbed a hand across her eyes. “It’s not that easy for Niam. I don’t think she has any family. She mentioned her father dying a few years ago. And we were the only ones with her yesterday at the funeral.”
“So, you think if she leaves the priesthood she might kill herself or something?” He shivered at the thought. Grief could do strange things to a person. He didn’t know what he’d have done after his parents’ deaths if not for John.
“It’s happened to other priests affected by the desolation,” Anur said softly. “Better she stays close to friends.”
David sighed. “Maybe,” he finally said. “But we definitely need to keep close to her on Tikal.”
“Agreed,” Anur said. “But let’s try and be subtle about it.” She ran her fingers through her black hair, pulling at knots that weren’t there. “Then again, maybe if she gets mad at us for cosseting her she’ll snap out of it. I just don’t know. She needs a Beloved Priest but—”
The last few Sword Priests arrived. They all wore snow boots and heavy coats over their uniform jackets. David pulled on gloves as they trooped through the gateway. In Valal, he’d been sweating under his layers, but now he was glad of them. A sharp, freezing gust of wind speared through him as soon as he set foot in Tikal. He buried his nose in his scarf as he clomped through snow drifts. It had to be well below zero, not even counting the wind chill. Shouldn’t be surprised. We are hunting the abominable snowman.
Fortunately, the gateway stood in the middle of town, and the buildings stood close enough together to ward off some of the wind. David was too cold to pay much attention to his surroundings; he was just glad it was a short walk before they were back inside. He kicked the snow off his boots as he looked around.
They were in a large room with wood-paneled walls and the heads of dead animals sticking out everywhere. Large fireplaces roared along the edges of the room. David stepped closer to one and twitched his fingers as feeling returned. A group of people sat clustered together the center of the room, each in heavy, fur-lined coats. They wore lots of gold jewelry too: necklaces and rings and circlets. A middle-aged woman sat in the center, her grayed hair in a short, thick braid.
Rolan stepped forward and inclined his head to the woman. “Honored Hilda,” he said, “we are here to help you hunt down the yeti.” He said more, but David wasn’t listening. He saw Niam staring off into space and pulled her closer to the fireplace with him. She hadn’t bothered to put gloves on, and her hands were like ice. David rubbed her hands briskly while Niam blinked slowly.
She stiffened suddenly, turning towards the center of the room. “What is it?” David asked softly. Anur came over too, her face creased in worry.
“That’s—” Niam shook her head, staring
at the woman in the center. “That’s my mother!”
Her voice echoed around the small room, and everyone turned to look at them. Hilda rose from her chair. “Niam?”
“Mother!” Niam cried. She pulled away from David and Anur and raced across the room. Hilda met her halfway, pulling Niam into a tight embrace. Niam started crying.
“Oh, my sweet girl,” her mother said, running her fingers through Niam’s messy hair. “What’s happened to you?” Niam continued to cry, burying her face in the fur of Hilda’s coat. Hilda turned to Rolan. “Steward Duran, my daughter is one of your priests?”
David thought Rolan looked surprised for a moment, but he covered it up quickly. “So it would seem,” he said carefully. He glanced sadly at Niam. “She’s had a hard time of it lately. Two days ago, her fiancé was killed.”
Hilda gasped and clutched Niam closer to her. “I never should have left you on Bantong. Now look what’s happened to you.”
Abruptly Niam pulled back. Her face was streaked with tears, but her voice was steady as she said, “I’m glad you left me with Father. I love Bantong. I was happy with Father. If I’d grown up here, I’d have never become a Sword Priest.” More quietly, she added, “And I’d have never met Conal.”
“I’m glad you were happy. Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” Hilda looked past Niam to Rolan. “I would have time alone with my daughter. Make yourselves at home here. We will discuss the yeti tonight.”
Rolan nodded. “Thank you.” Hilda took Niam, and they left the room together. Three of the other people left with them also. The Sword Priests spread out through the room, shedding their coats and settling down near the fireplaces.
David and Anur sat together a short distance from Bellon. “Did you know that Niam’s mother is an off worlder?” Anur asked.
“No, but I never asked. Is that a problem?” David frowned. “Does that make Niam a traveler?” Alosh was considered a traveler even though he’d moved to Bantong when he was a child.
Anur ran a hand through her hair, still damp from the snow outside. “If you go back far enough, we’re all travelers. Only Aeons is a native to Bantong. And, no, it’s not a problem, but she never said anything about it to me. She mentioned her father passing away, so I just assumed her mother was dead too.” She kicked at the floor. “I thought we were friends.”
“You are friends. Niam’s just private.” David glanced towards the door through which Niam and Hilda had vanished. “Anyway, we should be happy for her. She’s with her mother now. That’s a good thing.”
“Is it?” Anur asked darkly. David gave her an odd look, but she didn’t elaborate. David glanced over at Bellon and thought he looked troubled too. He shook his head. Crazy Bantonans. Niam had been devastated by Conal’s death – she still was. They’d stayed up late at the funeral with her and helped her back to room since she’d been too drunk to walk by herself. David wished they could do more, but he didn’t know what would help. There were psychiatrists attached to Valal. Earlier today, while Tain cured Niam of her hangover, Anur said Niam should talk to a psychiatrist later, after the mission to Tikal. They still hoped some action would help her right now.
David still thought what Niam most needed was family. Friends were good, and so were shrinks, but family was best at times like this. Hilda had seemed kind, and she clearly adored Niam. Even if they never found the yeti, David would still think of this mission as a success if Niam found comfort.
He watched Rolan and Hue speak with one of the locals, who pulled out maps and started pointing things out. David wondered if they’d go out hunting for the yeti before Niam returned. He and Anur had promised themselves not to leave her alone, but if she was with Hilda, they couldn’t just go barging in.
The afternoon dragged on. David and Anur talked little, each lost in their own thoughts. The sun set early, and the locals pushed long, wooden tables into the center of the room. Then they started piling the tables high with food. David’s stomach rumbled as he watch meat, cheese, and bread placed on the tables.
Hilda returned when dinner was set, and Niam was with her. “Please, eat,” she said. She sat at the head of the table, Niam to her right. She had Rolan sit to her left. David and Anur managed to get seats not too far from Niam. Niam glanced up briefly and offered them a wan smile before staring back down at her plate. “We have seen signs of the yeti throughout the mountains just northwest of here,” Hilda said to Rolan. “There have been very few sightings – we find camps that show signs of being attacked by a yeti. Sometimes we find human remains.” Her face darkened.
“Yes, so I’ve been told,” Rolan said, leaning closer. “Has anyone seen the yeti and survived?”
“One man saw it from a distance,” Hilda said. “He said it was over eight feet tall, with teeth as long as his arm.” She shrugged, chewing on a piece of meat. “He was far from it and ran away immediately. We believe its lair is somewhere in the easternmost part of the mountain range. Recently, we discovered a new gold depository near there. Ever since, people have been exploring the mountains, looking for more. We think they may have disturbed the yeti, entered its land and made it angry.”
Rolan nodded. “Have you searched for it yet?”
“A few hunters have tried. None have returned.” Hilda scowled fiercely. “I ordered them to stop hunting it. It’s been a few days since anyone showed up dead, but I worry that the yeti will attack the new mine. As long as it’s around, we can’t search for more gold, and we have to protect the one we have.”
“In the morning, if some of your hunters can show us to the mine, we’ll start looking for the yeti,” Rolan said. “I’ll leave some people at the mine too.”
Hilda relaxed into her chair. “Thank you, Steward. That’s very reassuring. I’ll send my best hunter with you. If there’s anything else you need, let me know. May Aeons bless your hunt.” She held out three fingers on each hand and moved them up and down.
“I’m sure he will.” Rolan glanced at Niam. “Will you be joining us, Niam?” Hilda stiffened but said nothing.
Niam didn’t look up from her food. “I would like to come with if I may, sir,” she said so softly that David could barely hear.
“We will be glad of your assistance.” Rolan turned to Hilda. “Your daughter is a fine Sword Priest.”
Hilda nodded, but her face was strangely blank. Looking down the table at her, David wondered what Hilda thought of Niam being a Sword Priest. Hearing that her daughter was talented hadn’t made her happy. He sighed into his drink. Maybe running into her mother at this time maybe hadn’t been good for Niam, not if Hilda started pressuring her. He hoped whatever happened would be good for Niam.
They left early in the morning, at dawn. Anur and David kept Niam between them as they hiked up the mountains, but Niam seemed more alert today. She looked ahead of her and didn’t have to be led around. David was so relieved he almost didn’t notice how cold his toes were. Fierce gusts blew down from the mountains, cutting right through him. Coated with pink and red, the frozen mountains were beautiful. The snow reflected the sunrise, almost blinding David at times. If he had sunglasses – and wasn’t so fucking cold – he’d enjoy the sight more. He buried his face in his scarf and fantasized about sitting in front of a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate.
The few times he managed to pull his face out of his scarf, he saw holes in the snow. They riddled both sides of the path. At first David couldn’t imagine what the holes were, until he saw a creature poke its head out of one. It had a rabbit’s ears and nose, but was the size of a small dog. All white, he could barely see it against the snow that covered everything. As if sensing his regard, the creature leapt down into one of the holes and didn’t re-emerge.
By noon they reached the new gold mine. A camp stood near the mine – simple wooden huts with low roofs and chimneys constantly churning out smoke. The hunters who guided them led them inside for lunch. David could almost feel his extremities by the time they left. Half the
division, including Alosh and Tain, stayed behind at the mine, led by Hue. One of the local hunters, a dark-haired man called Bil, guided the group further into the mountains. David had nearly laughed aloud when he’d heard that someone on another world had such a normal name. That was the same name as John’s dad, and David immediately missed the man and his wife, Mary. They had been like parents to him since his own died.
Anur, as the best tracker in the division, stayed at the head of the party with Bil. They stopped frequently to point out things in the snow – David heard quiet conversations about animal tracks. He and Niam walked near the back of the group. The wind finally died down enough for David to enjoy the way the snow sparkled beneath the clear blue sky. He squinted up at the craggy mountaintops and wondered if he should be paranoid about avalanches. He got so caught up in staring up the cliffs that he tripped over a tree branch.
Niam giggled softly as he pulled himself out of the snow bank. David had to laugh too, watching her muffle her grin in her scarf. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed Niam’s smile.
They found nothing the first day, not even tracks. Shortly before nightfall, Bil took them to a large cave. An old fire pit sat inside, and David wondered if this cave had been used by some of the yeti’s victims. The temperature fell quickly, and he hunched further inside his coat. All the Sword Priests had thermal blankets and heaters with them, so they were able to make the cave cozy, but David still dreamed of being in his soft, warm bed back in Bantong.
They started out again around dawn. Soon, Bil and Anur stop to exclaim over something. “What did you find?” Rolan asked, joining them.
