Apart from the clearing around the pool and the cliff over which water cascaded, trees surrounded the area. All around her, Tasha observed pines with needles of rich burgundy, oaks bearing silver leaves, and myriad other flora she’d never before encountered.
“Crow Queen, you’ve returned!” A high-pitched voice cheered from a nearby shrub. The leaves rustled, and a crimson vixen emerged.
“Returned?” Tasha pointed at the fox. “Did you just speak to me?”
“Of course I did. There’s no one else here.” The vixen bounded toward her, then sniffed her foot. It regarded Tasha, blinking its green eyes slowly. “You smell different.”
“I don’t think I’m who you think I am.” Despite remaining unsure of the wisdom in admitting ignorance to strange talking animals, Tasha felt honesty might serve her well in this case. “What is this place?”
“I know it’s been a while since you’ve visited, but surely you haven’t forgotten. Terath Balénor.” The vixen huffed. “The Fey Realm?”
Tasha gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. “The Fey Realm?” She gazed at the strange trees all around and at the alien sky.
She knelt before the fox, who sat on her haunches peering at her. “I am a new Crow Queen. I’m still learning what all this means. This is my first time here. My name is Tasha.” She held out her hand.
The fox sniffed it. “I knew you smelled different. My name is Tika. You… the other you, used to come here to bathe in our pond. It’s been a long time since she visited, though. What happened to her?”
Tasha withdrew her hand. “She was killed. The mantle was lost for a very long time.”
“That’s too bad. She used to bring me fish from the mortal world.” Tika snapped her jaws, licking her lips. “They were juicy sweet.” Leaping in circles around Tasha, she yipped. “Welcome, welcome, welcome, new Crow Queen!”
Tika bounded into the underbrush. Tasha waited for a few moments. When the vixen’s return seemed unlikely, she approached the pond. The earth beneath her feet felt soft and loamy. Crouching at the edge of the pond, Tasha dipped her fingers into it. The water felt warm against her skin, a perfect bath beneath magical skies. She shrugged off her clothes before slipping into the pool.
The warmth she learned long ago to associate with Gaia; however, here in the Fey Realm, it required little effort for her to experience the goddess’s presence. Closing her eyes, she floated, allowing the current to carry her. The warm waters of the pond eased the cramping in her abdomen. When she opened her eyes, she found herself near the center of the pond, gently turning in a circle. The dull roar of the waterfall provided a droning background chorus against which unseen birds sang lyrical tunes.
She dove underwater, kicking to propel herself toward the shore. When she surfaced, she faced pale, sky-blue legs. Yelping, Tasha submerged to her neck as she swam away from the intruder. Following the pair of legs up the ragged edge of a diaphanous gown to a face framed by a cascade of ginger locks, her gaze met smiling, cerulean eyes. The Crow Queen knew the face, although she had not seen it in over a decade.
“It’s good to see you again, Tasha.”
Chapter 42
The next morning, Aveline awoke to the realization she had overslept. Cursing, she rolled out of bed and set to work. She stole bites of bread and cheese while she wrangled hair made unruly by pillows and blankets. When she finished, she pulled on clean clothes and donned her armor. She set out into the streets of Curton to do her duty keeping people safe and dispensing justice.
At her first stop, Miners’ Gate, she viewed a steady flow of people exiting the city. Chattering as they waited their turn to consult with a Crow Queen apparently holding court, their excitement was palpable. Aveline followed them all the way to the hut, to ensure they did not become unruly.
People crowded in the clearing in which the hut sat. Dim orange light shone in the window, and a thin stream of smoke wafted from the chimney. People called for the Crow Queen to show herself.
“What’s going on here?” Aveline pushed her way through the crowd.
“She won’t come out!”
“We’ve been waiting all morning!”
Aveline banged a mailed fist against her shield until the crowd fell silent. “The Crow Queen isn’t at your beck and call. Maybe she went to the market, maybe she went to visit a friend in town, maybe someone in town needed her help, you don’t know. Instead of waiting around, stomping all over the forest, I suggest you go back to your lives.”
A man pointed at his foot. “But I have a painful bunion.”
Another man pointed at his head. “I’m affected by a bald patch.”
A woman patted her pregnant belly. “I need her to bless my child so he doesn’t look like his father who isn’t my husband.”
“Go.” Aveline shooed the people away. “Go to a fortune-teller or soothsayer in the market. You’ll get the same results, and you won’t disturb a woman who’s trying to do important things, like… keep another plague from killing half the town.”
Of course, Aveline knew full well Tasha’s labor involved nothing of the sort. The townsfolk were none the wiser, though. She repeated her commands for the people to disperse.
“Here, you just want her to yourself!”
“Everyone knows you two are lovers!”
Aveline spun on the woman. “So what? If we are, don’t we deserve some time alone? I don’t come around banging on your door when you’re with your husband. Now get out of here!”
Glaring until the woman left in a huff, she turned her gaze on the remaining townsfolk. Aveline waited until they disbursed before she shifted her focus to the door of the hut, high above the forest floor.
“Tasha?” Aveline called to her friend, but she received no response. The knight-captain shrugged. “I guess she went off to Muncifer already.”
She hummed a bawdy drinking song as she returned to town. Stopping at the gate, she beckoned the sergeant over to her. “Discourage people from going to see the Crow Queen, please. She’s not receiving visitors right now, and we wouldn’t want anyone turned into frogs.” Aveline stopped short of telling the guard Tasha wasn’t home; she didn’t want people holding days-long vigils awaiting her return.
The sergeant saluted. “Yes, m’lady.”
On her way to the citadel, Aveline passed through the market, purchasing a freshly cooked sausage to slake her hunger. She had the merchant thread a skewer through it so she could eat it while walking.
“Ah, our lovely lady knight.” Ra-Jareez’s voice cut across the crowd. “Perhaps you would not have to eat such messy foods if you had one of these wonderful cooking vessels in your home.”
Wiping grease off her chin, Aveline approached the faelix. He stood alone in Imrus’s booth. “Where’s Imrus? And your sister?”
“Master Imrus is in his workshop, making more excellent wares.” Raj tapped his claw against the side of a gleaming copper pot. “Jazeera is taking a cart of seconds through Drakton.”
Chewing her way through a piece of gristle that hadn’t been ground finely enough in the sausage-making process, Aveline nodded. “You seem to be settling in well.”
“We are nothing if not adaptable.” Raj bowed to a passing customer. The man moved on without stopping.
“Good. Stay out of trouble.”
“Wait, Lady Aveline.” Raj reached toward her but withdrew his hand when she stopped to face him. “Perhaps you could tell me… Tasha, this bird princess woman…”
“Crow Queen.”
“Yes, I understand she had a home here in town, yes? Ruined in the flood?” Raj pressed his hands together as his ears twitched. “What are her plans for it now that she has this marvelous hut that is the talk of town?”
News travels fast. “You’ll have to ask her about that. It needs to be gutted and have all the mold scraped from the interior. Why?”
“Jazeera and I, perhaps Yun, too, cannot stay in inns our whole lives.” He rubbed his ear. “We are no strangers to har
d work. Perhaps we could make the necessary cleanings.”
“That’s between you and her. She might have a way to send you home, though.” Aveline assumed people other than Tasha could use the portal in the hut.
“Home? To Nakambe?” Chuckling, Raj scratched under his chin. “We… we left to trade, and I’ve only just begun… I was hoping we would be welcome to stay here a bit.”
Aveline patted the faelix’s shoulder. “Stay as long as you like. I’ll let Tasha know you want to talk to her.”
“You are most kind.” Raj bowed, then smiled at a young woman who picked up a nearby kettle. “Ah, fine lady, that is a most excellent choice…”
She left Raj to his business as she continued to the citadel. Finishing her sausage, she tossed the skewer into the gutter before entering the building. To her dismay, Maxim sat behind her desk, poring over maps covering the surface. She slammed the door, startling him.
“My seat. Move.” Aveline loomed over him until he gathered the papers and slid out of her chair. After stowing her shield and mace in the weapon rack, she sat behind her desk and put her feet up. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to Dawnwatch?”
“I’ve already been there.” He struggled with the maps as he backed away from her. “I was looking over the original construction documents. Your Lieutenant Valon was kind enough to help me retrieve them.”
“That was nice of him. Make a list of what you need, and I’ll see what we can spare.” Aveline crossed her arms over her chest.
“I need about twenty strong men to get started on the cleanup.”
Aveline pointed at the door. “I can’t spare any of the city watch. Recruit townsfolk. I assume Princess Valene is sending funds, because you are not to conscript anyone.”
“Certainly not.” Maxim thrust his chin upward, sniffing. “The garrison funds…”
“Were depleted twenty years ago. I will not steal money from the town for a rundown old keep. If it’s so damned important, the princess can answer our requests for supplies and funds for workers.”
Maxim threw the maps on her desk, snatching one that threatened to roll off. “You are not being reasonable.”
Aveline poked him in the chest. “Reasonable stopped when you barged in here yesterday making demands. Check your attitude, put together a list, and maybe I’ll see if I can get some volunteers to go with you. It’s unlikely many will be available for free, however. Their families are going to need them on their farms.”
Leaving him, she headed to the larder to retrieve a bottle of stout. Fortunately, this bottle avoided the muddy aftertaste she’d encountered while at the mine. When she returned, Maxim had nearly finished straightening the documents.
A guard opened the door, pushing a bloody-faced mudder in front of him. The man weaved and staggered. “He looks worse than he is. Lost a fight in the Den and tried to drink away his shame, but then started breaking the furniture.”
Aveline gestured toward the cellblock. “Have him sleep it off. I assume you have a list of damages?”
“Danica said she’d bring it by.”
Maxim finished rolling the final map before setting it on her desk. “Lady Aveline, perhaps you could lend me a woodworker and a stonemason. Surely folk with such skills serve on the watch?”
“Lend?”
“The keep needs much work, but I am not knowledgeable enough to give a full accounting. I will take them there, spend a few days making your list, then return.” Maxim clasped his hands in front of him as he spoke.
“We may have some craftsfolk serving on the watch.” Aveline knew full well they did, although she couldn’t recall names offhand. “I’ll speak to Lieutenant Valon about it.”
“Thank you.”
“In the meantime, I suggest you write to the princess and explain the situation here. I’m sure I can find a courier to hasten the letter. Perhaps we’ll receive funds to rebuild the garrison before winter.”
“Winter?” He shook his head. “It cannot remain unstaffed that long.”
“What’s the rush?” Aveline pulled her chair over to her desk and sat. “It’s been unstaffed for decades. There’s nothing between here and Cliffport but farms.”
“Oroqs and draks from the hills—”
“Have never been a problem. Oroqs from the mountains haven’t been a problem in decades, and I hear they’re moving west now on some crusade in the Western Wastes. Dawnwatch is out of the way and pointless. It was out of the way and pointless even when a garrison occupied it.” She recalled from her time living there that mostly trade caravans heading inland from Cliffport used Dawnwatch as an overnight shelter, and she didn’t see much other use for it. “Put that in your letter.”
“The princess feels we should inspect trade goods coming in from Cliffport, particularly those from Hoseki and Nakambe. Perhaps even levy taxes on such goods.”
To keep from rolling her eyes, Aveline gritted her teeth. She pulled open a drawer, removed a sheaf of parchment, an inkwell, and a quill, and thrust them at him. “You can use a table in the dining room or your quarters.”
Maxim took the writing implements, then stalked away to write his letter. Aveline leaned back, propping her feet on her desk. “Save me from greedy nobles.”
* * *
Gaining a foothold in the pond, Tasha wiped the water off her face. “It can’t be… Lorelei, you died… I saw you…” She felt her legs give way. Lorelei darted into the pond, catching Tasha under the arms and holding her head above the water.
Wrapping her arms around the elf, Tasha buried her head in her ginger hair. The perfume… her scent smelled just as she remembered it. Choking back a sob, she squeezed her lover tight.
Lorelei unwrapped Tasha’s arms and stepped backward, keeping hold of her until she was certain Tasha would not collapse into the water. “It’s been a long time.”
“How is this possible?”
The elf released Tasha. Moving through the water with the fluid comfort of one who spent years near the sea, Lorelei rested against a rock. “When I died, my mortal body on Calliome died. My spirit came to rest at the side of Gaia. When you came here, she released me into Terath Balénor.”
“Resurrected?” Hinted at in legends, resurrection magic was largely regarded as impossible. Tasha swam toward Lorelei.
“No. Fey are immortal here, in the Fey Realm. Only my mortal body died.”
“There’s still a Fey Nexus in Raven’s Forest. You could go there.” Surely the elves there would not deny the hut of the Crow Queen, a servant of Gaia. “I can meet you—”
“Tasha…” Lorelei held a finger to the Crow Queen’s lips. “My mortal body died. I cannot return to Calliome. I remember you. I remember how I felt about you. But that part of me is dead.”
Tears welled in Tasha’s eyes. “What are you saying? It’s been so long, Lori…”
“I know. I’d hoped that, by now, you’d have moved on.”
Tasha wiped her face. “I thought I had. But seeing you again…”
Over Lorelei’s shoulder, Tasha saw a family of foxes chasing shimmering butterflies. Lowering her eyes, the elf shook her head. “I had concerns about appearing before you like this, but when the Earth Mother asks of one a favor, one obeys.”
“What favor?”
“The Mantle of the Crow Queen is passed down, usually from mother to child. A childless Crow Queen finds a suitable surrogate. When they take the mantle, they already know that which they need. The Earth Mother is incredibly pleased you found your way here by yourself, and so quickly. But she wants me to pass on to you the knowledge you need to carry out her will on Calliome.”
So, she’s not here because she wanted to see me again but to teach me. “Why me? I’m no one special. I’m just an herbalist now.”
“We could spend years talking about the history of the Crow Queen. You are a trained sorceress. You have learned the mysticism of Gaia—Abarron sends his regards, by the way—The Crow Queen is the embodiment of more than just Gaia. But also
, of Cybele, Artume, and, to a lesser extent, even Selene, Aita, Nethuns, and Tinian. The way the Bonelords represent Aita and death as the natural end to life, the Crow Queen represents the natural world and how the people live within her.”
Lorelei spread her arms. “Calliome is Gaia. But so is the Fey Realm. The Fey Realm is within Gaia but lies apart from Calliome, although they are connected in ways.”
Tasha’s mind reeled. “I don’t understand.”
“You will, when you move on to the next life.” Lorelei took Tasha’s hands. “It’s difficult to explain all this in a way you’ll understand and won’t take all of the time we have.”
“Well, just start with what it means to be Crow Queen.” Tasha would have been more than happy to spend the rest of her life with Lorelei if that’s how long it took for her to understand.
“The gods cannot interact with the world directly. They act through agents.” Lorelei counted them on her fingers. “The Bonelords. The Crow Queen. The Athantoi…”
“Who? I’ve never heard of the Athantoi.”
“Immortals. Physical manifestations of the divine.” Lorelei rubbed her chin. “I don’t know them all. The Keeper of Mysteries, The Grim Shepherd, Nightblade, Forgemaster… it doesn’t matter. They wander, keep to themselves. You’re unlikely to ever meet one, although perhaps Harvestwife will seek you out. She—it’s usually a she—is Gaia’s avatar. The Athantoi are the eyes and ears of the gods; the gods hear prayers, of course, but contrary to popular belief, they can’t focus on the entire world at once.”
“What do they have to do with me?” Tasha brushed her wet hair away from her face.
“Like them, you are an agent of Gaia now. And Cybele, Artume, and the others I mentioned to a lesser extent. You bring their bounty to the people you serve. You help, in their names. It’s that simple.”
Summer of Crows Page 30
