Summer of Crows

by Hans Cummings

  Smiling, Aveline squeezed the proprietor’s hand. “And isn’t it unfortunate I haven’t been having my men check the drainage gate by the river that leads into that old cistern under here?”

  The dwarf woman, gritting her teeth, snatched her hand from the watch captain’s grip. “Yeah, I guess it is too bad.” She cleared her throat. “They’re upstairs, room three. Don’t run them out, eh? Profits have been down lately, and they’re paying good coin for that room. Plus, what they lose at the tables helps too.”

  Pressing a clenched fist to her chest, Aveline bowed. “My primary concern is always for your financial well-being, Danica.”

  “Kragga nok.”

  Aveline ignored the Dwarvish insult as she headed toward the stairs. A wrought-iron spiral column led both up and down. Climbing, she took shallow breaths as she passed through the haze laced with the odor of pipeweed and burning meat. The roof pitch of the building provided space in the upper level for a few rooms, the one she sought being the farthest from the stairs.

  When she reached the door with a crooked numeral three on it, she paused to listen. Echoing laughter from downstairs drowned out any noises that might escape from the rooms in the hallway where she stood, so she knocked. Thumping and a crash from inside indicated she’d caught someone unawares. Biting her lip, Aveline maintained a neutral expression as the door jerked open.

  Therkla’s red eyes narrowed. “What do you want? We haven’t done anything. Even if we did, you can’t prove it.”

  “I was hoping you could give me information.” Aveline interposed her foot between the door and the jamb. “Help out your fellow citizens? Especially if you plan on staying in town much longer.”

  Therkla stepped backward, allowing the door to swing open. “Talk is free, I guess.”

  Aveline noted Aerik’s absence as she scanned the spartan room. Apart from the tied-log bed that occupied most of the chamber, a small table featuring a wooden washbasin and cracked water pitcher served as the only other furniture in the room. Therkla flopped onto the mattress. Sitting with her back against the headboard, she regarded the watch captain. Lacing her fingers behind her head, she flashed a jagged-toothed smile. “Start asking your questions.”

  Clasping her hands behind her back, Aveline paced. “You travel a lot, you and your friend, yes? Came up from the Four Watches through the Iron Gate mountains?”

  “What of it? It’s not illegal.” Therkla cleared her throat. “The watches aren’t at war with… whatever nation this mudhole town belongs to.”

  “People have been vanishing. Abducted.” Aveline stopped at the foot of the bed. “Loners at first, folk without families and the like. But the villains are getting bolder. Our scouts have evidence they’re being taken into the hills southeast of town, where the old abandoned mines are. Are you familiar with that area?”

  The oroq woman shrugged. “Yeah, I heard about the runaway whores. Me and Aerik came through there last year, but those old mines got nothing but a bunch of rotting timber, rocks, and vermin.”

  “Everyone has a right to earn a living however they see fit. If it’s not hurting someone, what does it matter? They’re not runaways.” Aveline scowled. The oldest abduction took place less than a year ago. “You haven’t been out that way since last year?”

  “What for? The gambling’s good here, and when things get too hot”—raising her brow, Therkla stared at Aveline—“Dwegerthon’s not too far in the other direction.”

  “Hey, what’s this? A party?” Aerik pushed his way past Aveline, arms laden with bread and cured meats. Dumping the load on the bed, he faced Aveline. His mane and beard appeared only slightly tamer than the night of his drunken say in Curton’s jail. “Hey, you’re the watch captain. What we done now?”

  Therkla picked up a boule of dark bread, then tore it in half. “Relax, she’s just asking about those missing whores.” She pointed at Aerik’s pouch. “Ale? Wine?”

  “Missing people.” Ignoring Aveline’s emphasis, Therkla and Aerik continued their banter.

  Grunting, Aerik withdrew a bottle from his pouch and tossed it to Therkla. She pulled out the stopper with her teeth, then spat it at Aerik. The cork bounced off his chest.

  “Shame, those missing whores—”

  “People. Women and men.” Aveline growled, the sound emanating from deep within her chest.

  “That one was my favorite. Oh, what was her name? Rose? Violet?” He snapped his fingers. “Iris!”

  Therkla washed down a hunk of bread with the ale. “Your favorite was whoever was cheapest. Which is stupid since you can have me for free.”

  Aveline held up her hands. “Look, I really don’t care—”

  “Free’s good”—Aerik retrieved a sausage from the bed—“but you won’t wear a wig.” He winked at Aveline. “I like them with flowing locks, like mine.” He flicked his hair before tearing into the sausage.

  “I don’t suppose you know anything?” Pinching the bridge of her nose, Aveline shut her eyes.

  “About the missing whores? Nah.” A mouthful of cured meat muffled Aerik’s reply.

  “The captain there said they think the abductees may have been brought to those old mines we explored last year. Remember those?”

  “Oh yeah.” Aerik laughed. “Remember the mine that smelled like a tribe of sick draks had been using it as a shithole?” He tossed the nub end of the sausage at Aveline. It momentarily clung to her breastplate, leaving a perfect circle of grease behind, before it fell to the floor. “Hey, is there a reward for finding them? We’re almost out of gambling money.”

  Aveline bit her tongue to keep a nasty retort from spilling forth, then shook her head. “That’s up to the families. Most of the missing were alone in town. I’m heading out that way tomorrow to check it out, but I don’t pay mercenaries. You want money, then go talk to the Lord Mayor at his estate outside of town.” A crooked smile crept across Aveline’s face. “He’s looking for help clearing out storm debris from his parlor. Ask for money upfront from him, though.”

  Leaving the pair to argue over the merits of paid labor, she returned to the jail. Several members of the city watch chatted inside, and Aveline noticed two people occupying cells. One of the sergeants assured her that they were just would-be looters—not worthy of the personal attention of the watch captain. Accepting their word, Aveline left coin for them to restock the larder before she headed out.

  * * *

  The crow followed Tasha from the jail all the way to the market. It fluttered from stall to stall as she replaced her ruined clothes. Stopping first to peruse the cobbler’s wares, she then studied her mud-caked feet. Shoes, a luxury not all in Curton enjoyed, protected her for many years from rocks, sharp sticks, and other trail hazards. Her thoughts turned to communing with the nature spirit of Gaia, and how much easier the connection came when she touched the earth with her bare skin. Satisfied she’d purchased all she needed, she left the cobbler’s stall. She headed for Aveline’s home, still accompanied by the crow. To her relief, the bird didn’t enter the watch captain’s house.

  Tasha stoked a fire in the stove to warm a water-filled kettle while she sought a washbasin. After locating a hammered copper one in a cabinet near the watch captain’s bed, Tasha stripped off her mud-caked garments and contemplated having them laundered. Shaking her head, Tasha opened the stove and shoved them inside, letting them burn with the wood. The basin accepted two full kettles of hot water before she had enough to clean herself. Next, she unwrapped the new jade-trimmed chestnut tunic and pleated wrap purchased in the market. The clothing fit her well. By the time she finished, Tasha felt refreshed.

  After dressing, Tasha used the embers from the stove to start a fire in Aveline’s hearth. While Summer in Curton enjoyed warm temperatures, her friend’s home stood in the shadows of the old city wall. Surrounded by stone and other buildings, the watch captain’s dwelling remained cooler throughout the year than Tasha’s house near the river. Once a fire crackled in the hearth, she sat
in the lone armchair and shut her eyes.

  She dozed in front of the fire, her dreams leading her on a flight over Curton. Wheeling and diving, she soared through the sky. Spotting the rotting carcass of a deer just at the edge of the woods, she dove, joining a flock of crows pecking at it. A bit of flesh dangled from her beak. Before she could react, she was airborne again.

  Deep in her mind, Tasha wondered why she dreamed of flying with crows—indeed, of being one—but those thoughts buried themselves beneath the exhilaration of unfettered flight. High in the air, she flew southward, seeing beyond the forested hills into the Four Watches. In the summer, shrubs and grasses grew on the gentle hills. She dove again, disappearing within a thicket.

  Her vision darkened. Within the blackness, Tasha perceived a dark shape flapping toward her. It enveloped her like a cloak. When her sight cleared, she saw a duplicate of herself, wearing an iridescent black mantle of feathers. Tasha’s doppelgänger smiled, pointing at her, then everything vanished.

  Tasha awoke with a start when the door opened. From the dimming light, she deduced she’d slept the day away in front of the now-dying fire. Aveline tromped inside, kicking the door shut behind herself. “Can you explain why my house is covered with birds?”

  Chapter 13

  The sorceress nearly fell out of the armchair at Aveline’s entrance. The watch captain dashed forward to catch her friend.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Tasha held onto Aveline’s arm as she dug her knuckles into her eyes. “I must have been dozing. I didn’t intend to sleep all afternoon.”

  “I imagine you’re exhausted.” Aveline released Tasha once she ascertained her friend was steady on her feet. “Do you know anything about the birds?”

  “I was dreaming…” Shaking her head, Tasha approached the door. She pulled it open, craning her neck toward the roof before stepping into the street. Aveline followed.

  A mass of black-feathered crows covered the roof, all watching the two women as they stared in slack-jawed wonder.

  “I have no problem with birds, but that’s a little creepy, Tasha.”

  The sorceress’s eyes widened. Shaking her head, Tasha took Aveline’s hand. “I… I had a dream about them, but I don’t know what this means.”

  “Are they going to attack?” Aveline had never heard of crows being aggressive toward people, but she’d also never encountered such a massive congregation in a single place like this before. “Maybe we should go in.”

  Once inside, Aveline locked the door and shuttered the windows while Tasha coaxed the fire in the hearth back to life. The watch captain peeled off her armor, tossing it on the bed, before lighting an oil lamp. She moved a chair from the table, placing it alongside the armchair Tasha had napped in.

  “What was this dream about? Birds?” Aveline sat, gesturing for Tasha to take the armchair.

  “I was flying with them. Maybe I was one, I’m not sure.” After taking her seat, the sorceress rubbed her eyes. “Crows—maybe it’s just one, I can’t tell. They’ve been following me the last couple of days.” Chuckling, she relaxed in the chair. “It sounds crazy, but I think one led me to the abandoned hut I spent the night in after the storm.”

  Clenching her jaw, Aveline crossed her arms. “I’d heard they were smart, but that seems… unusual.” Tasha’s story reminded Aveline of a tale she’d heard as a child, but she couldn’t quite place it.

  “You’ve been here longer than me.”

  The watch captain nodded. “Since I was a little girl.”

  “Did you ever hear about the Crow Queen?”

  Aveline snapped her fingers. “Yes. Yes, that’s it. She was a witch, lived in the woods. She’d help people who managed to find her, unless they insulted her, then she’d kill and eat them or feed them to her crows. Or something like that.”

  Tasha leaned forward. “They said she was connected to the land, like an elf mystic would be. Obviously, she wasn’t an elf, though. She had a hut that walked on bird legs.”

  “Right.” Aveline’s memories of the stories returned. “A hut shaped like a bird. Probably a crow if she was called the Crow Queen.”

  “I heard it just had legs like a bird.” Gasping, Tasha covered her mouth. “Bones. I found two huge bones stuck in the ground near the hut, like… like legs. The hut was on its side, like it fell over or off the legs.”

  “Maris take me…” Aveline regarded her friend. “That story was true… and you found the Crow Queen’s hut? She disappeared years ago, long before my parents and I arrived in Curton.”

  “Is there anyone left in town who remembers a time when the Crow Queen was alive?” Tasha tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

  “We can ask around, I guess.” Aveline gazed toward the ceiling. “Assuming those birds let us. Are they a warning or what?”

  Tasha paced before the hearth. “I feel like they want something from me, but it’s not malicious. I don’t know how I know that. It’s just a feeling I have.”

  “You’ve been trying to commune with Gaia, right? Move away from sorcery and Selene, to honor your fallen friend?” Aveline’s grasp of the intricacies of deific practices and rituals remained limited, despite attempts by her guardian to instill in her some measure of piety after her parents died.

  “I’ve had moderate success”—Tasha stopped pacing, proceeding to wring her hands—“but I don’t know that it has anything to do with all these crows. Lorelei had no particular affinity for animals”—she chuckled—“no matter what people around here think about elves.”

  Aveline retrieved a bottle of mead from the crate near her table. She removed the stopper, then poured mugs for herself and Tasha. “That reminds me… Abarron’s mate gave me some scrolls for you. Seems he bequeathed them to you.” She handed Tasha the mug of mead before she retrieved the drak’s documents for her friend.

  “He must have written all this out while he was sick.” Smiling, Tasha examined the parchments. “Even on his deathbed, he found a way to help me reach Gaia. There’s nothing in here about crows stalking people, though.”

  Aveline laughed. “Well, I’d love to help you get to the bottom of this, but I need to head out in the morning. The scouts returned with some useful information about the whereabouts of young Innya, and I’m heading for the old mines tomorrow.”

  Tasha rolled the scrolls, then sipped her mead. “You’re not expecting to find her alive, are you?”

  “Look, there’s nothing in those mines to dig up. After this much time, I can’t imagine they’re keeping anyone they’re taking there alive for long.” Aveline drained her mug. “Cybele’s tits, it’s probably just a clan of draks making it their home. The weather was too poor for the scouts to see clearly, but I have to check it out.”

  Tasha chewed her bottom lip. “I’ll go with you.”

  “Are you sure? We’ll be out there for three or four days, no bed, no shelter.” Although her friend traveled extensively before settling in Curton, Aveline wouldn’t blame Tasha for wanting to sleep in a proper bed for weeks before venturing out again after her recent dunk in the river.

  “Yes.” Tasha took a long drink of mead. “Yes, I’m sure. If there are draks, I can help. If there’s trouble, well”—she smiled—“it’s been a long time since I blasted evil doers with lightning.”

  Aveline stoppered the bottle of mead, then clapped Tasha’s shoulder. “Let’s see what the Bristled Boar has cooking, have a good, hot meal, and head out first thing in the morning.”

  * * *

  Aveline’s bed, cramped for two friends not used to sleeping intimately, nevertheless provided a good night’s sleep. Tasha awoke refreshed, in spite of having spent too much time reading Abarron’s scrolls by candlelight. The weariness in her bones from her misadventure gathering herbs lingered but a little, and the sorceress prepared to help her friend locate the missing girl. Hopefully, we’ll find them, and they’ll be alive.

  To her relief, only one bird remained from the previous e
vening’s flock. As before, it shadowed their journey, flying from rooftop to rooftop.

  “Birds have been following you for a couple of days now.” Aveline pointed at their feathered friend as they rounded the corner onto Market Street.

  Tasha regarded their feathered follower. “I first noticed them the night you sent me to speak to Koloman.”

  “Do you think he’s behind it?”

  A farmer tipped his hat to the two women as he passed. A drak carrying a sack of leafy greens ran behind him, his short legs pumping to keep up.

  “I doubt it.” Tasha chuckled, adjusting her pack. “Koloman would wet himself if presented with magic powerful enough to compel a bird to follow me around, let alone the scores that perched on your roof last night.”

  “Compelling a bird to follow someone doesn’t sound like it should take a particularly powerful charm.” Aveline’s rudimentary knowledge of magic, gained from tutors her guardian hired, did not provide an explanation for the strange crow-related goings-on.

  “It doesn’t.” Tasha held up her pinky finger. “But what Koloman knows about magic couldn’t fill a thimble.”

  Aveline snapped her fingers. “I figured out why he’s so enamored of you. He thinks you can enhance his prowess in bed.”

  Tasha laughed. “I could give him some herbs, maybe sea oak, but none of that stuff really works. He’d be better off talking to a woodcarver or sculptor.”

  “Woodcarver?” Aveline shuddered. “Ouch. Watch out for splinters.”

  “It doesn’t matter. He’s not my type. I prefer my lovers to be intelligent and kind.”

  The two friends agreed Koloman possessed neither attribute. They entered the northside livery located outside of Mudders’ Gate. As they saddled their mounts, Tasha spied Vasco’s horse, Pepper, in an adjacent stall. “Damn. I fell asleep yesterday, and I forgot to go look for him.”

  Aveline peered over her horse’s withers as she untangled a knot in the stallion’s mane. “I’ll take care of getting the horses ready. Why don’t you go look for him? It’s early enough he probably hasn’t broken his fast yet.”