Summer of Crows

by Hans Cummings

  Aveline raised her hand. “I can’t speak for the Lord Mayor, but I will speak to him on your behalf and strongly encourage he allow it. The town has abandoned the mine. I can’t imagine why he’d refuse.” And if he does, I’m sure Tasha and I can figure out some way to convince him otherwise.

  “This Crow Queen is a servant of Gaia, as I understand. As she was the mate of Rannos Dragonsire, I would like to speak to her before I make a decision.” Klatt turned to Gral. “Take the others back to our camp. I will follow shortly.”

  “Yes, High Elder.” Gral bowed his head, then sprinted toward his kin. Gesturing for them to follow him, he headed into the forest.

  “I’ll go see what’s keeping her.” Aveline glanced over her shoulder toward the hut, most of which lay obscured by a hill.

  “I will walk with you.”

  Together, they left the graveyard. She heard him suck in his breath as they crested the hill. The hut came into full view, legs and all. He continued forward, however, and Aveline decided not to volunteer further information.

  Acolyte Dumitra, a short distance away from the hut, jumped up and down, waving her arms.

  “Have you tried shouting?” Aveline called across the field to her. Gathering her robes, Dumitra jogged to join her and the drak.

  “I didn’t want to cause a scene. Her door is closed.” Several workers on break joined Aveline, watching Dumitra do just that.

  Aveline cupped her hands around her mouth. “Tasha! I need you.”

  After a moment, the door opened. The earth roiled and churned, forming stairs. The gathered workers shuffled backward, but they kept their eyes on the hut with legs. Aveline gestured for them to disperse. They ignored her.

  Tasha descended. “It’s going to take me a long time to find information about dreams with people shouting at me.”

  Noticing the elder drak, she bowed her head. “Good to see you again, High Elder. I’m happy you’ve come.”

  “You are the Crow Queen.” Klatt rubbed his chin with his claw. “Strange that you came to us so humbly the other day, Tasha the Apothecary.”

  “Not so strange. Tasha has a soft spot for your people.” Aveline chuckled and tapped Acolyte Dumitra on the shoulder. “You can return to your duties if you wish.”

  Dumitra curtsied. “Thank you, m’lady. Crow Queen.”

  Tasha’s cheeks grew rosy at the deference shown by Dumitra. “What can I do for you?”

  “High Elder Klatt wanted to speak to the Crow Queen before he decided if the clan was going to help us in exchange for living space in the mine.” Aveline spread her arms. “So here we are.”

  Eyeing the hut, the old drak craned his neck to examine it.

  “I’ll leave you two alone, then.” Aveline winked at Tasha. “I’m sure Lieutenant Valon needs me.” Tasha raised her eyebrows.

  * * *

  “Thanks, Aveline.” Tasha pursed her lips as her friend abandoned her to the elderly drak. He continued to alternate his gaze between her hut and her. He reached for her cloak, but he paused. Tasha noticed his clawed hand trembling.

  “May I?”

  Shrugging, Tasha held out the hem of her cloak. He rubbed it between his fingers and ran his hand down the hem, smoothing the feathers.

  “Your connection is strong. The Earth Mother, mate of Rannos Dragonsire, indeed speaks through you.” Klatt withdrew his hand, bowing his head “Strange that I did not feel it at our first encounter.”

  Tasha chewed her lip before responding. “I think perhaps that is because I had not fully accepted the mantle at that point. I felt a calling. To this mine.” She gestured toward the entrance. “I found the… my predecessor in there, and I claimed the mantle at that time. It was not long after that we met.”

  Klatt clicked his teeth together. “You claimed the mantle, or the mantle claimed you?”

  Ever since Tasha first felt drawn to find the cloak, she wondered how much choice she had truly had in the matter. She chuckled. “Maybe a little of both.”

  “The Earth Mother’s power is not taken, but it is given.” Klatt drew himself up. “We will help your people. Then, we will wait to see if your leader will let us make this old mine into a home.”

  Tasha knelt to put her hand on the old drak’s shoulder. “He will agree. Or I will convince him. I can promise you that.”

  Klatt shook his head. “We do not wish to live where we are not welcome.”

  She offered him a smile she hoped appeared reassuring. “He is one man. The people of Curton will welcome you.”

  “Hm. We shall see.” Klatt brushed her hand off his shoulder. “I will tell our hunters to bring you some game. The rest of us will wait in the forest until you are finished honoring your dead.”

  Without waiting for Tasha to respond, he left her and returned to the forest. She started after him, but she paused, facing the hut. As if reading her mind, the door shut of its own accord. The stairs collapsed, melting into the earth. Does it know, or am I actually controlling it? Despite her growing familiarity, many questions remained.

  After a quick glance around the camp in search of Aveline, Tasha informed Lieutenant Valon the draks would bring fresh game soon. She returned to the hut and continued scouring Annika’s library, searching for any reference to dreams.

  While the history and geography texts provided no help, Tasha found a reference in one of the scrolls. By now, the sun sat near the horizon, dimming her available light. After she lit a triple-candle sconce, she continued reading. The scroll offered a brief overview of oneiromancy, a discipline closely related to divination and enchantment. It did not, however, provide Tasha with any instructions.

  She glanced at the basin of water. If I can use that to scry, then maybe I can use it to scry into dreams. I suppose it’s worth a shot. Of course, I’d have to know Koloman was sleeping first. Otherwise, I’d just be spying on him, and Selene knows there are some mysteries I don’t want the answers to.

  The thought brought other questions to Tasha’s mind. That the hut possessed powerful magic was obvious even to the layperson, and it was more than just the mystical power of Gaia. Selene, goddess of magic and secrets must have had a hand in its creation. Tasha scrunched her face, disappointed she didn’t pay closer attention during classes on the history of magic at the Arcane University. It would have helped if some of those instructors were interesting.

  Putting aside her reminiscences, she skimmed through the diary, searching for the pages on which Annika wrote about using the basin for scrying. The instructions seemed frustratingly vague—Look into the still waters while calling upon your power, then concentrate on the subject.

  In Tasha’s experience, divinations were never as easy as that, nor were they particularly accurate. She had no experience with direct scrying, however. While other types of divination focused on predicting future events or uncovering forgotten lore, scrying simply involved viewing current events as a bystander.

  She decided to start small, locally. Placing her hands on the stump, Tasha leaned forward, peering at the pool. Clearing her mind, she focused her energies on the water. Verdant wisps of aether flowed into the basin swirling the liquid within. She redoubled her efforts, allowing the wisps of arcane energy to calm the whirlpool and flow into it with as gentle a motion as possible.

  When the water stilled, Tasha dared to allow her attention to lapse enough to think of Aveline. She called her friend’s face to mind. Shimmering, the water in the basin formed a misty scene beneath the surface. At the head of a grave, the knight-captain helped workers inter a body into the hole. An acolyte spoke an incantation—silent to Tasha’s ears—then stepped aside, allowing the others to cover the grave with dirt.

  Continuing to observe until they filled the hole, Tasha kept her focus on Aveline until the mist cleared and the scene came into sharp focus. Via the basin, she heard the metallic clang of shovels piercing mounds of soil, the twang of earth sliding off steel, and the wet thud of mud falling into the grave. The workers made small t
alk and macabre jokes—days of digging and scores of bodies required some measure of levity.

  She watched until they finished. Aveline hammered a marker into the ground at the head of the grave, then clapped one of the workers on the back. “I think that’s all for tonight. The draks brought some deer. Time for venison and ale!”

  Venison, nice. Tasha’s stomach grumbled. The distraction caused the scene to vanish into the basin with a splash. She jerked backward, her heart racing.

  She flung open the door. After stepping through the threshold, she pulled the door shut behind her, waited for the rising staircase to meet her, and descended the steps. It collapsed after she reached the bottom. Tasha jogged over to her friend. While holding a mug of ale, Aveline ushered dirty, sweaty workers through the line. Two larger fires crackled behind the regular cooking fires, and men Tasha recognized from the city watch alternated turning deer on spits.

  “Tasha, the draks came through. It’s a veritable feast tonight.” Aveline clicked her fingers at Silvie. “Ale for the Crow Queen.”

  The dark-haired woman bowed her head as she presented Tasha with a foaming mug. Tasting it, she grimaced. She took pains to replace the grimace with a smile before anyone noticed.

  “I know, this batch is a bit muddy.” Aveline chuckled.

  I guess I wasn’t fast enough.

  “It was too much to expect that someone would donate a few barrels of the good ale.” Aveline took Tasha aside. “With all we’ve seen and smelled the last few days, no one cares if the ale is a bit muddy, to be honest. How goes the research?”

  Tasha drank from her mug. Small sips seemed less offensive. “I figured out how to scry through the basin. I think I can use that to access dreams.”

  Aveline furrowed her brow. “So, scrying lets you basically spy on people, right? You can see and hear them from afar?”

  “Right.”

  “Dare I ask who you practiced on?”

  Tasha felt her cheeks grow hot, and she lowered her eyes. “You. I watched you and the others bury that last body.”

  “Funny.” Aveline rubbed the back of her neck. “As we were finishing up, I had the distinct feeling someone was watching us. Obviously, people could see us, we were standing right there in the open, but this was different, you know?”

  Tasha had heard that sometimes especially perceptive subjects sensed someone scrying upon them. The revelation from Aveline, one of the least magically adept people Tasha had ever met, surprised her.

  “It’s not impossible that you felt me. I’m not very good at it yet.” Tasha shrugged. “Anyway, oneiromancy, that is, magic dealing with dreams, is supposedly related to divination. They don’t teach it in the Arcane University.”

  “Why’s that?” Aveline glanced at the food line, gesturing they should make their way toward it.

  “I don’t know. At least, they didn’t teach it in Muncifer. It’s supposed to be big up north, especially in Nakambe. In Muncifer, the only person we knew of who practiced it was this creepy old man. Everyone said he used it to watch young lovers dream… and, sometimes, watch them when they weren’t dreaming.”

  Aveline scowled. “Ugh. I don’t suppose there’s any way to prevent wizards from doing that to us?”

  They shuffled to the end of the line. Magda slopped spoonfuls of porridge into bowls, thrusting them toward people passing by. Another man Tasha recognized as an infrequent customer, Radu, offered workers plates with piles of sliced venison. Tasha took one of each.

  “There are fetishes and charms one can hang in their homes that can prevent such casual scrying.” Tasha carried her plate to one of the tables. People scooted over to make room for her and Aveline. “I could make you one if you like. It takes a lot of effort, the scrying, I mean. I’ve never known a wizard who performed it casually. It requires total concentration, so you’re really vulnerable. You can lose yourself in what you’re watching.”

  “Well, I trust you not to do that.” Aveline raised her mug. “Not sure I’d say the same for Vasco, Aita take him. Hopefully, he’s resting peacefully.”

  Nodding, Tasha raised her mug, tapping it against Aveline’s. “He’s with Selene now, or maybe Dolios. Of course, he seemed like the type to revere Pacha, as well.” She laughed. “Wherever he is, I’m sure there are women and wine.”

  Aveline smiled. “Wine, women, and song. That’s a Pacha party.” She climbed on the table. The dining workers hushed, fixing their attention on her. “To Vasco Dragonblade! He gave his life trying to give these people some measure of justice. May his afterlife be a never-ending party with Pacha!”

  Chapter 34

  Once they finished eating, Aveline and Tasha returned to the hut. Aveline stared at the closed door. Dim orange light flickered in the windows. “So, how do you get in when it’s like this?”

  Tasha caught up to her. “Oh, it just opens when I want to go up.”

  Stairs erupted from the earth, showering pebbles, sticks, and grass into the air as they rose to meet the door.

  “See?”

  “That’s never going to get old.” Aveline followed her friend up the stairs, closing the door behind them once they entered the hut.

  “You could stay here until I leave, you know.” Tasha patted the footboard of the bed as she passed it. “It’s big enough and a damn sight more comfortable than sleeping on the ground.”

  Aveline rubbed her lower back. “I’m not going to argue with that, but the way I see it, the discomfort is part of my penance for failing all those folks we’re putting in the ground.”

  Selecting an iron kettle from the hearth, Tasha then filled it with water from the basin and hung it above the crackling fire. “Isn’t there a sect of Anetha that believes suffering, particularly self-inflicted, is the only way to cleanse the soul of sin?”

  “Probably.” Aside from having memorized the pantheon, Aveline lacked extensive knowledge of theological practices. “I don’t know anyone who follows that. Of course, we don’t have many worshipers of Anetha in Curton anyway.”

  “Isn’t there a shrine to her in the citadel?” Tasha stepped over to the apothecary cabinet to rummage through the drawers.

  “It wouldn’t be a hall of justice without it. We keep it clean and sanctified. Even the full-time guards have families with farms, though. You’re going to be a big hit when you get to town.” Aveline hoped the town wouldn’t expect Tasha to deliver a miraculous reversal of fortune.

  “Tea?” Tasha held up a pouch containing blackened leaves.

  Aveline shook her head. “No thanks. I don’t want to drink too much before turning in for the night. It’s dark out here without at least one full moon, and I don’t want to stumble around outside this late.” She laughed. “I hope you don’t have to wait on those steps if you ever have an emergency.”

  Tasha paused, mid-measure. “I never considered that. I wonder if the former Crow Queen kept a chamber pot around here somewhere.”

  “You can buy one in town.”

  The Crow Queen finished measuring her tea into a sachet, then dropped it into the now-steaming kettle. “I’m sure Raj knows just the pot I could buy from Imrus for that purpose.”

  Envisioning the redsmith’s indignation upon learning of the defilement of one of his prized copper pots, Aveline stifled a snort. “Aren’t you fancy now? Buying a solid copper pot to piss in.”

  “Nothing but the finest for the Crow Queen.” Laughing, Tasha flipped the bottom of her cloak outward. Aveline traced her hand around the doorframe opposite the entrance. She noticed it possessed neither a handle nor knob.

  “Where does this door go?” She glanced at the nearby ladder. “I’m guessing that goes to the roof, but this is a door, right? This hut doesn’t look big enough for another room.”

  Tasha rummaged through the cabinet for a cup. “I don’t know where that goes. I opened it when I first found the hut. It was a doorway of light. Rainbow light. I decided I could investigate that some other time. For all I know, it’ll suck me into th
e Fae Realm and leave me there.”

  Aveline had heard stories of the ancestral home of Calliome’s faeries. She thought all the talk of purple skies and talking animals sounded a bit daft. Elves rarely passed through Curton, so, with no one who might have firsthand knowledge to ask, it remained a subject of mystery to her.

  She regarded the basin. “But that water there, it worked for scrying?”

  “Quite well, once I got the hang of it. I’m going to try again tonight. Maybe see if I can scry out farther than the camp. I thought I’d see if I could look in on Curton.” Tasha poured her tea. “I don’t suppose you’d let me try to view your dreams tonight? I don’t want to try Koloman unless I’m sure he’s sleeping, lest I see something I’d rather not.”

  Aveline laughed, despite her discomfort at the request. “I can understand that. You know, if anyone other than you were asking, I’d tell them to sit on Maris’s spear.”

  Sitting at the table, Tasha cupped her tea in her hands. “I don’t think I’ll be able to manipulate your dreams, or even communicate with you in them. I certainly have no intention of trying.”

  The knight-captain joined her friend at the table. “I’ll help any way I can, Tasha. Maybe give me an hour or so after I leave here? I plan on turning in straightaway, but it’s been hard to get to sleep.”

  Tasha nodded at her bed. “The offer still stands. You’ll be more comfortable here.”

  “Don’t tempt me.” Aveline gazed at the bed with a longing she previously reserved for her late husband. “I’m trying to be properly penitent.”

  The Crow Queen smiled. “All right, it’s your choice. I’m not going to stand in the way of your self-flagellation.”

  “Ugh, it’s not as bad as all that.” Aveline stifled a belch, the legacy of several mugs of ale. “Maybe having that venison in my belly will help. It’s been nothing but porridge for days, and bread, cheese, and jerky before that.”

  “I can give you something to help you sleep. The drawers are constantly stocked with everything I need. It’s amazing. Whatever magic imbues this building, it’s beyond anything I’ve ever encountered.”