“The Eifen, according to grandfather, have been in Eifynar for many of our generations, and even more of yours.” Haidrea gauged Lydria’s expression and nodded. “We live a span of years greater than your people – not a huge span, but it is not uncommon for Eifynar to have a dozen or more who have seen six score of years or more. Many of the Eifen live very long lives compared to our neighbors. Still, grandfather says the lost cities of our forebears far to the west, held many times the numbers residing in Eifynar and many more of these had seen more than seven score years. During their years, the Eifen of the west built great buildings of stone and buried their hands deep in the earth, as Eigrae shared her secrets with them.”
Haidrea paused, looking at a handful of dirt she seemed to have collected without noticing, pulling small stones from the pile until it was just dirt which she lovingly sifted through her fingers. She brought her hand to her face and inhaled deeply before turning back to Lydria.
“I can smell Eigrae and from that smell, I know she is trying to heal from her recent wounds at the crater. I can also smell the Farn’Nethyn, but only rarely do I get a hint of its presence.”
“What is Farn’Nethyn?” Lydria asked before Haidrea could continue. Haidrea seemed sad as if she had lost a friend, but her spirit picked up somewhat as Kimi rolled in the dirt she had recently turned over in front of her. Haidrea rubbed the cat and smiled as Kimi licked her fingers.
“Farn’Nethyn is the darkstone. It is a very rare stone and the reason Eifynar exists. The blade my father gave to Nethyal represented all we could find in a handful of Eifen life-times of searching. Many generations ago, well before grandfather’s time, a small group of Eifen set off east from the great city in the west, spurred on by a graetongue’s vision. In that vision, a wall of warriors with spears of Farn’Nethyn filled a valley as the last defense against a great power. The lost city, grandfather says, is in a faraway place where there are no mountains, and so the graetongue looked for those who would search to the east among the fabled mountains and valleys and build the army of spears that would protect Eigrae from this danger.
“But no Farn’Nethyn was ever found. Father believes we are the last Eifen, and that the city of the west must have long ago fallen to the danger the graetongue foresaw.”
“Has no one gone west to look?” Lydria leaned forward, hoping for more.
“The woods to the west are vast and wild. The Haustis believe we belong here between the great lake and the great sea of the east. The spirits tell grandfather the same, yet no longer do we search for Farn’Nethyn. Sometimes, I can smell a trace of it on the wind, but never have we been able to find it.”
“You are the last of the Eifen?” Lydria asked as she stroked the small space between Kimi’s ears. She had moved to sit beside Haidrea, hoping that by her closeness she could learn more of her people. All the time they had spent in Eifynar, Drae Ghern had never mentioned the darkstone, or their ancestors’ cities.
“There are many people who are not of your people, nor of mine, but who dwell in the forests. Many roam from place to place as the herds move. Some stay in small groups, hoping to one day grow to a hamlet; very few grow into anything larger. These people are not always friendly with the Eifen and to go west would be to court war as we traveled through their lands.
“The stories we share tell us the Eifen of the west are gone, and only we remain. We have grown, and continue to do so,” Haidrea explained. “We stay remote and stray not into the world of Wesolk and the southern princes.
Haidrea paused and held her toes which were each under the opposite leg as she sat near the fire. Reaching for a small stick, she stirred the flames sending up bits of ash, reminding Lydria of the ash that was falling when they met.
“I am not convinced that Haustis exists, and I feel I betray my Grandfather even as I say it,” Haidrea declared, her head hung lower than Lydria had ever seen, in the dusk, only the whites of her eyes giving her position away. Her voice cracked, as one who has come to grips with the truth in her own mind. “It has been many generations of my people since the Eifen traveled east. No one can live so long. I have asked my father many times if he met Haustis when he was made chief, as the stories say must happen, but he does not answer plainly. He tells me Haustis is a legend from which we can take comfort. He says the legend of Haustis helps us find a place for the power we wish we had but do not; and in that person we can look for guidance. In the end, he says, we find the answers ourselves.”
The words hung drying and drifting away in the flames of the fire with neither woman eager to dispel the silence that remained. Kimi stopped purring and looked at Haidrea with his chin rested across Lydria’s knee, his paws extended and hanging limply on either side of her leg. “Say something,” he prompted.
“Having such a person does not seem like such a bad thing,” Lydria said, hesitatingly at first, but more forcefully as she made connections in her head. “The kingdom people have gods whom they say have powers above mortal men. No one is faulted for not seeing these gods, or for the gods not responding to a summons.”
“But, don’t you see, Lydria,” Haidrea’s eyes were wide and her voice thin in the still night air. “Haustis is said to have these powers, your gods are said to have these powers. But you…you do. You have these powers and more.”
“I can’t call upon the wind and rain.” Lydria’s voice did not carry the conviction it should have and Haidrea stared at her friend, unconvinced of her dismissal. “At least, I don’t think I can. But still, what does it matter? Drae Ghern believes Haustis exists and he asks us to find her for the sake of your people.” Gently and with a dip in her voice that told Haidrea she was honest in her desire to honor the wishes of Drae Ghern. “Should that not be our concern right now?”
Haidrea reached toward Lydria’s knee to scratch Kimi’s ears and put her other hand reassuringly on Lydria’s shoulder. “You are right, friend Lydria. We must honor our Grandfather. And when we find Haustis, we will get our answers. Sleep well. Kimi has first watch.”
“What? What just happened?”
“You heard the woman, you have first watch. Don’t go hunting – you’re looking a little too well fed as it is. Good night Kimi.”
“Good night, Lydria.”
THIRTEEN
Haidrea recovered the trail the next morning and they continued to follow it west, where it joined the road leading to Steven’s Folly. Lydria remembered the border outpost as not much more than a small collection of shacks that had built itself into something resembling a small community with farmers and others who wanted to live away from Bayside.
Families had moved to the community as part of King Ahlric’s plan to grow the outpost into a proper town before pushing the kingdom’s borders west into the deep forest and onto the western bank of the Great Lake. Trade was scarce but evident and farms were starting to take shape as men and women worked the fields, gathering their seemingly endless crop of stones to use for buildings, field fences, and as the foundations of a large gatehouse keep and fortified walls.
Kimi went into the woods at the first sign of people, pledging to circle the town to see what he could learn from a walk around the settlement. He believed it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, but it was hours before Lydria heard his voice again.
“Have any of Haidrea’s people come into this part of the forest? I swear I could smell them in the woods far south of the fort.” Kimi sounded as if he was sure the answer would be no.
Lydria relayed the information to Haidrea, who was curious. “I thought the woman we followed was heading here. I have heard stories of people who live in the western forests, but Grandfather says they are recluses from Wesolk or the desert kingdoms of the south”
Lydria and Haidrea continued to Steven’s Folly to find a place to rest there and visit the commander to confirm the deaths of Cargile, Josen, Bracknell and the others. Tomorrow, they would follow Kimi’s nose to the south.
As they walked toward the fort
the smells of spring were running toward summer and the air was thick with pollen that gathered in the rough fibers of their clothing. The wind also brought the smell of sweet red clover and wildflowers which grew unchecked in fields outside the burgeoning walls and along the dry, grassless, and caked earth that passed as a road.
Among the women and children of the fort, Haidrea and Lydria were a curiosity worth staring at. A tall Eifen warrior with skin that glowed like midnight and strange ears and a kingdom woman with what looked like a vibrant piece of blue jewelry around her neck. They were not farmers, nor were they among the king’s court for their shoes and clothes were dirty and spotted with sweat from long on the road. Lydria knew they would be the subject of conversation at every pub and table that evening. People stared but they didn’t let their eyes linger.
Through the wall gate, which still stood somewhat higher than the actual wall, they passed hovels with roofs of thatched reeds and grass, a section of rickety stalls that served as a market, and just beyond those was the guarded door of the fort itself, an unimposing wooden structure surrounded by sharpened stakes and a wide, shallow ditch whose sole purpose was to delay an attacker just long enough so that they could be cut down by the archers who manned posts along the top of the fort’s inner walls. Lydria stifled a laugh as she took in the defenses. Of more use than the stakes or ditch for stalling attackers were the people of the village who would be plundered by invaders, giving the soldiers far more time to cut them down.
The soldier at the gate was young and officious, trying to do his duty and not stare openly at the exotic Eifen. Lydria smiled, knowing Haidrea was oblivious to the lecherous intent in the man’s eyes. She felt almost sorry for the boy; if he tried anything with Haidrea he would be apologizing though a mouth full of blood and loose teeth. Sizing up his undersized arms, poor posture, and weak legs, the outcome wouldn’t even be in doubt.
“I’d like to speak to the captain of the garrison,” Lydria said. “Tell him Lydria, daughter of Cargile, has news.”
The boy seemed startled to find Lydria standing there, her long, straight and unkempt hair clinging to the sides of her square, almost masculine face. He glanced quickly at her face and when his eyes started to go down they quickly stopped at the blue collar around her neck before returning to meet her own eyes. “Lydria, daughter of Cargile to speak with your captain,” Lydria repeated. The soldier was young, but he wasn’t stupid, at least; the name Cargile had opened his eyes, and something registered in his head when he finally recognized her – perhaps because of her eyes.
Cargile was liked and well respected among the soldiers and his daughter with two-colored eyes was a minor legend among the barracks. Once, when she was much younger, a soldier like the one before her now thought he would come see the little girl with the blue and green eyes. Cargile beat him like an unbroken horse. As the soldier turned to find the garrison captain, Lydria smiled at the memory of her father and his loving, overly-protective nature.
“I think he likes you,” Lydria teased her friend. “He seemed very interested in your… clothing.”
“Boys are the same, even among my people,” Haidrea said. “They carry a weapon and think all women should believe them courageous and worthy because of it. I’ve met very few who are – and certainly not that boy who could not tell you even now what color my eyes are.”
The two women laughed easily and passed the time waiting for the commander by Lydria explaining how life was lived in a kingdom village; from the distribution of chores, to feeding, cleaning, and raising children.
“Each family eats its own food and does not share with the rest of the village? What happens then if one family has a poor hunt, or sickness? How do the children eat?” Haidrea’s questions flew at Lydria as she tried to answer each casually, finally understanding that for all the benefits of defense and education and training that her society prided itself on, it was not, perhaps, the most humane system. Lydria tried to explain that people did help others and that there was a measure of charity within the system, but even as she said it, the words sounded hollow and insufficient. She let the conversation lapse into silence.
Finally, the guard came racing back toward them with another man following at a brisk but unhurried pace. Lydria thought it was nice that the commander came at once, but she could tell he did not hurry for her. He merely walked like he had somewhere to be, and she doubted his stride changed much for anything.
“Welcome to Steven’s Folly,” he said when he reached the women, stepping in front of the guard who had positioned himself in front of Haidrea. “Please excuse Driscol,” he said directly to Haidrea. “He’s a good lad, but not … not very comfortable where women are concerned. I am Captain Edgar Branch, and I’m commander of the Folly.”
Captain Branch was cordial and friendly, not at all like what Lydria remembered the last captain of Steven’s Folly to be. He excused himself from the women and took a step back, tasking Driscol with seeing to lunch for him and his guests. “We’ll take food outside by the unfinished walls – I assume that would be more comfortable for you both?” Haidrea nodded her assent, and over the course of the next two hours they ate and spoke about the message Lydria brought regarding her father and the wagons, and the event in the forest that had brought ruin upon them. As to Wynter, they told Captain Branch only that a bandit killed Josen and was taken prisoner just before disaster struck, and who had, apparently, Lydria added, also perished in the wreckage. By good fortune, Lydria had been at a stream nearby and down a hill and was spared the full effect of the devastation. Haidrea had found her and brought her to her Eifynar where she was made well before arriving at Steven’s Folly. The captain, though he undoubtedly noticed it, was kind enough not to ask questions of Lydria’s exceptional neckwear.
“Well, that answers many questions,” Captain Branch said. “Now, I take it you are home with us and will return to Bayside?”
The women paused but did not answer right away.
“I think,” Lydria said, “I must help my friend find a member of her people who is also missing since the event. We have reason to believe she may have passed this way and we seek her to the west.
Captain Branch raised an eyebrow ever so slightly at the word ‘west’ and crossed his arms in front of him as he appraised each of the women. Lydria knew he was not inspecting them in the same way as had Driscol; he was providing himself a professional appraisal. Finally, after staring at Haidrea’s eyes for several long minutes, he clapped his palms to his knees. “I would like to help and hope I may be of assistance in your search, but first, I would ask a favor of you.” He spoke to Haidrea directly, and Lydria could feel more than see, the tension within her friend.
“I have seen many men in the king’s service over the years,” Captain Branch said, never taking his eyes from Haidrea’s; “I like to think I can tell a soldier when I see one. I believe I see one now.”
“And…”
“And I would like you to spend a day of your time and show my men your skill with a bow and how you fight. You must realize most of these men have never seen combat before, much less an Eifen. Many believe your people are just a story they heard from their mothers or grandmothers. Certainly, there has been trade and some interaction between our people, but it is scarce and such instances are far between. The skill the Eifen are said to possess with a bow is legend. It is something we would all benefit from seeing.”
“Legend?” Haidrea was obviously flattered, and Lydria could tell by her voice that she was interested in the proposition, but she didn’t entirely trust the captain. The captain could see it as well and so he told her a story.
“When I was a boy I lived far away. My parents and I were separated in a winter storm, and I was found nearly dead by an Eifen woman named Haustis, who brought me to a house where I was cared for. I lived among the people there and learned from them, and one day the old woman returned and sat with me and we smoked a pipe. When I awoke, Haustis was introducing me to a fami
ly in Stillwater, an independent town on the western shore of the Great Lake, far to the south of here. The people I lived with there could tell me nothing of where I had come from, and I remember little of it.” He stared at Haidrea again and his eyes darted past hers to the tip of the bow strapped to her back.
“And you did not try to find your way back?” The surprise at hearing Haustis’ name from the man was quickly overcome with curiosity and Haidrea hoped to learn more about this legend suddenly made real.
“Where would I start?” Branch laughed easily. It was apparent he had thought many times about searching for this place again. “Alas, that was where I was then, and this is where I am now. To my question, however, there are many within Steven’s Folly, and even in Bayside, who know nothing of the Eifen. I’ve found that this kind of ignorance generally begets a certain belligerent attitude at worst, and misgivings, at best. I was hoping that by meeting with some of my men, they might see for themselves what is real and what is legend.”
“You do not believe our people can shoot well, then, Captain Branch?” Haidrea was smiling, almost flirting, with the captain, but Lydria could tell she was eager to accept his offer and show the skill of her people.
Lydria, reached out to Kimi who seemed far away and relayed the discussion as the two women were shown to lodging for the evening.
“We may have an ally, my hungry friend.”
“You may. Or you may have someone who hopes to learn how Haidrea’s people fight to better fend off the Eifen on his doorstep.”
The next day Lydria watched from a wooden bench near the gatehouse as Haidrea spoke with Captain Branch in front of an assembled company of perhaps two dozen soldiers. They were young like Driscol mostly, with several older men with white hair and soft bellies. Their equipment was worn but well kept, and they had obviously been in each other’s company for many years. Lydria could see very little outward sign of the bearing that normally marked groups of soldiers. They were not in ranks, but in a cluster, talking amongst each other, and occasionally one would laugh loud enough so that those on the outskirts of the circle turned to his direction.
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