by M. D. Grimm
I glanced at a small group of children, of varying species, having a snowball fight of their own. I shook my head.
They’d be frozen by the time they grew some brains and retreated indoors.
We had barely entered the village when Aishe was soon swarmed by admirers. They literally came out of their warm homes, where they probably sat next to glowing fires, huddled under soft blankets, to brave the cold and get another look at the dialen who had magickally healed a flayn from one of Kayl’s fire blasts. And who had left with the villainous mage who resided in the Black Castle (or so they had named Geheimnis -- they were nothing if not imaginative). They all gathered around Aishe, standing in the middle of the cobblestone street. The image was serene – snow-covered streets and buildings, everyone shivering in their thickest winter coats with excitement dancing in their eyes.
I stayed back, amused at how Aishe handled them. He wasn’t overwhelmed at all, and he spoke to them calmly and politely. I would have just blasted them away. But that was why Aishe was the diplomatic one. He laughed with them and shook hands and petted heads. The crowd kept growing, and I was half-worried my lover would be swallowed up by them. Aishe suddenly glanced up and met my eyes. He smiled and shrugged. I shrugged back. I’d expected this. Aishe was bombarded with questions, and he was brisk, but polite, with his answers. For some strange reason, warmth flooded through me as my village happily welcomed Aishe into their arms and hearts. I didn’t want their attention or their gratitude, but I realized then that Aishe did. He needed a sense of community, having grown up in a tribe and then having that tribe taken away from him so suddenly and horrendously.
Now I knew why he wanted to come here today. I sighed and looked around. I then noticed a couple of seela merchants standing outside one of the local pubs and walked over to them. They didn’t notice me, and I managed to station myself close beside them -- close enough to hear any gossip they might have.
“I just came from Klener,” said a broad man with a bushy beard and layered with several thick coats, making him appear even bulkier. He had a heavy accent, and it was all I could do to understand him.
“In the west?” asked another man, who was blond and slender. He looked like a stiff wind would blow him over.
“Aye,” said Bushy Beard. “Had some strange weather over there not too long ago,”
My interest perked, and I listened closer, keeping my head bowed.
“Is that so? What sort?” asked Blondie.
“Well, fer one there were hail storms during the middle of summer,” Bushy Beard said.
Blondie gasped.
“That’s right,” Bushy said, taking a large swig from his tankard. “And the local volcano, which’s been asleep fer lifetimes, up an’ decided to explode!”
“By the Mother!” Blondie said, his eyes widening comically.
“Aye,” Bushy said. “I heard that animals were also acting strange, rabid and such. It’s her wicked sense of humor.
Sometimes she’s just got to mess with her children.”
I immediately disagreed with their assumption that it was the Mother. This disparity of nature was most likely caused by Kayl’s use of the ruby during that time. The Stones of Power created imbalance -- they subverted the Will of the Mother, who was the only reason these two merchants or I existed. It didn’t matter where the stone was used; it was guaranteed that somewhere on Karishian, nature would unravel.
Someone suddenly brushed passed me, and I turned. A strange scent hit my nose, and I focused in on a young seela female. She walked with determined strides away from me, down the main road. She walked past the group around Aishe without even looking at them. Her coat was red, and her hood was up, hiding her face.
I was intrigued for some strange reason, and I began to follow her. Her scent, her air seemed to beckon me, like fingers tugging on my sleeves, pulling me forward. The town was nearly vacant, and we passed no one as I turned a corner after the seela. She turned down a few side streets before leaving the main part of the village completely, continuing on to the outskirts and toward a small hill to the east. I thought a word and became invisible. I stepped carefully, the invisibility not hiding any noise I made.
Should I keep following her? Despite my curiosity, I wondered. Aishe would be looking for me, wouldn’t he?
She was probably going to meet a lover or something... but then why had she triggered my curiosity? What was it about her scent and walk that intrigued me? I could almost feel her determination not to be seen or noticed, despite her garish choice of cloak. Why hadn’t she just worn yellow and shown how truly inept she was?
I kept following her, but I felt doubt once more. What was I expecting to find if I followed her? What was she going to show me? Why should I care? But even as I began to turn back, I paused. Why the sudden doubt? Why the extreme back and forth argument in my head? I have never been this indecisive in my life. I stood there, my eyes narrowed and on the seela as she climbed slowly up the shallow hill. I called my magick, and it rose up gently, my senses becoming sharper.
That was when I felt it. It wasn’t obvious, but I could now detect a subtle force that was almost politely pushing me away. It was influencing my desires -- not in a harmful way, more in a gentle, persuasive way. My curiosity managed to trump that subtle influence, and I continued following the seela. Where was that magick coming from?
Why hadn’t I detected it before? I looked around and realized I had never been around this area. I usually spent all my time in the village itself. And that subtle magick would have kept me away, triggering my subconscious, influencing my actions.
I climbed up the hill and knelt on the top. The seela wasn’t far from me. She had suddenly stopped walking and was just standing in the middle of the vacant, snowy field.
I noticed she was staring at the ground, and as I looked where she did, a most unexpected feeling washed over me.
By the Mother -- I was standing in the presence of a Stone of Power. But how? Why? Why hadn’t I noticed before...
The subtle magick was coming from the stone. Well, hell! I scowled. I’d never felt a stone quite like this one before. The others I’d come into contact with were always screaming at me, pleading or crooning, begging me to take them up, to use them. They wanted to be used; they wanted to fulfill their function. They were tempting, seductive things, and if I had my choice, I wouldn’t have anything to do with them.
But here was one, right inside my borders. I felt like a moron. All those years of trying to find out the source of Happy Valley’s prosperity and bountifulness, and I only find it when I stumble over it.
Figures.
From this distance, however, I didn’t know what the stone’s name was or its function. I didn’t want to know.
Who knew how long that stone had actually been there?
I eyed the female seela and figured she was the stone’s keeper.
My decision to leave the stone alone was made quickly.
If I took it away, I suspected that Happy Valley would fail.
And, besides, what right did I have to it? And no one else knew it was here besides me and this female. Anyone else would be influenced to stay away.
I left the seela and walked back into the heart of the village, just in time to see Aishe disconnect with his admirers and look for me.
“Aishe.”
He turned. Smiled. I walked over to him.
“Where are your admirers?” I asked.
“I told them I had pressing business,” Aishe said. “And that I hoped they would not hinder me.”
I snorted. “Always so polite. ‘Get lost’ would have worked just as well.”
Aishe rolled his eyes. “That is what you would say, my love.”
I smiled, and my insides warmed. I glanced behind Aishe at the small group of devotees still standing huddled together in the street. They were staring at Aishe like he was the Hunter come to bestow blessings of good hunts on them.
“Let’s go inside?” Aishe sai
d, gesturing to the pub.
Most of the crowd who had ambushed Aishe had migrated into the pub, and the rest had gone into their homes.
No one lasted long outside in weather like this, and the two merchants I’d been eavesdropping on had already continued their conversation inside.
“Sounds good.” I held the door open for him, and he walked in ahead of me. It was a tossup between the noise or the smells that hit me the hardest as I stepped inside. The smell of beer, sweat, and pipe smoke threatened to choke me. I coughed and my nose burned, but there was nothing to be done about it. Aishe took my arm and led me around the crowded tables whose patrons were in varying degrees of drunkenness. My ears were bombarded with guffaws, off-key singing, and yelling.
I cringed, but the heat of the bodies warmed me up sufficiently. I actually began to sweat and had to take off my coat. I then began to notice that Aishe was being hailed by patrons and seemed to enjoy it immensely. Aishe waved back but managed to avoid getting caught up in a conversation. I let him drag me along, and while I got some curious glances, the villagers had the mentality to leave each to his own. They had no reason to do otherwise -- their village was peaceful and bountiful.
They didn’t even lock their fucking doors at night.
Aishe found a small, unoccupied table in the back, and I sat down with a sigh of relief. The pub was good-sized and square with a thatched roof, but it seemed they still managed to pack half the village inside. Which was impressive since a good portion of the citizens walked on all fours and couldn’t sit in chairs. Tables were set up to cater to all species along with the drinking vessels. A few children ran around making nuisances of themselves, and I grimaced as they screamed. Since most species lived an extended life -- over one hundred in some cases -- children weren’t a big priority. But they were still always there, being seen and heard whether you wanted to notice them or not.“I’ll get us drinks!” Aishe had to shout. But he looked way too happy to be in such a place. He had a big grin on his face and moved easily around the swaying patrons. I watched him with a mixture of envy and admiration. I liked watching him move -- he was elegant like a cat. He was all sleek muscle, but he also possessed a calm and patience that I would never have.
Though, I had to admit, he needed that calm and patience when dealing with me. I knew how I was. I smiled to think of the way he dealt with me -- we’d usually end up on the floor, naked and sweaty. As my thoughts strayed to those moments, I slowly realized that the volume of the crowd began to lower. I looked around as Aishe came back and set a large tankard of amber liquid in front of me. He also set a large plate down that was loaded with a rather ridiculously sized sandwich. It looked like they threw everything in it except the tool shed.
I gave Aishe a look. He chuckled. “We’ll split it. You need to eat, and I’m hungry. Getting run over by a gigantic snowball will do that.”
I laughed. “I suppose it would. How did you sneak up on me that well?”
Aishe gave me a secretive smile. “Dialen secret. Can’t tell you. I will just say that I was trained very well by my own mentors.”
I nodded. “I have to agree with that. Not many can sneak up on me.”
“I’ll have to do it more often,” Aishe whispered close to my ear. His lips brushed my ear, and it sent a delicious shiver down my spine. “When you least expect it, I’ll have to attack you.”
I swallowed with difficulty. “Not if I attack you first.”
Aishe chuckled again and slipped his hand down to my inner thigh. My heart bumped against my ribs and my trousers were suddenly very tight.
“I think I’d like that.”
Oh. His voice had turned all silky. I took a deep gulp from the liquid in my tankard. Aishe straightened in his seat and used a large knife to cut the sandwich in two. He offered one half to me with an easy smile. I took it with narrowed eyes. How did he do that? Flick that lust switch on and off? Get me riled all-the-hell-up and then just act as casual as if nothing happened? Just one more thing that was incredibly annoying about him. As well as arousing. Damn.
I had it so bad.
“What’s happening?” Aishe asked a few minutes later.
“Don’t know,” I answered. We had both noticed a petite dialen, a female, walking up with a hodgepodge of creatures behind her holding instruments. I smiled. “I think we’re about to be entertained.” Aishe followed my gaze, and his eyes lit up.
There was no stage or any room really, to set up or have her be seen by everyone. So, she simply stood up on a table near the center, and the patrons smiled up at her. It seemed that she was a regular. The ones with the instruments set up around her, either on the floor or on their own tables.
It was so informal and good-natured that I found myself anxious to hear what she would sing. There were many traveling bards that often had to cross through Vorgoroth, and I usually made them sing to me (while I was hidden, of course) before I would let them pass.
“Can you all hear me?” she shouted. There were shouts back and some whistles and jeering. She giggled and took all with the air of someone too used to such antics to care anymore. Her hair was straight and an unyielding black.
She wore a simple grey dress with fur at the collar and cuffs. Her eyes were a pale blue that burned out of her round face.
“Then I will not keep you all in suspense!” she said, and there were chuckles. She nodded toward her musicians, and they struck up a tune I knew well. It was a song that had often been sung at Master Ulezander’s hall. Although, there were many versions of that song -- same tune but different words -- and often completely different verses were used. I loved them all.
I took another sip of beer and propped my chin on my hand, eager to just sit and listen. The song was titled the “Reign of the Mother”. The version the dialen sung was the common one in these parts. Myth said that she was never born, she just came to be. Who knew if that was true? Only the Mother did.
I often wondered if the Mother traveled here from another dimension, since there were countless ones out there in the vast multi-verse. I’ve even traveled to a strange dimension that housed an interesting world called Earth.
It was a strange place, but the humans did have their redeeming qualities: their weapons, imagination, and swear words. I used their words often and found great satisfaction in saying them -- especially when no one understood me.
Though, Aishe had started using some of them, himself.
He had particular affection for “fuck.” There was one other thing about humans: sex was their god. I got all my lube from there.
The first couple of verses of the song were about creatures called the formoryans. Not much was known about them, except that they existed before the Mother Created. They didn’t really live or die, they just were. They inhabited the Darkness that existed before the Light, so it really couldn’t be called darkness. It was the Forever Night.
There were so many names for it.
I enjoyed the tune and the bard’s voice, but I really became entranced when the verses finally turned toward the Mother.
“She came with a trumpet of Light; She came with blood to fight;
She pushed them back with Her yellow gold, and threw open the Night;
She smote them before her, and locked them up in a cage, Then She began to Create, She was the first to Create, She started to Create, despite the First Ones’ Rage.”
The dialen’s voice was perfect for this song. Her inflections, her holding notes, the gentle femininity of her tone... it was made for this song. I wasn’t the only one entranced. Even the screaming children had silenced and were focused on the bard who sung with easy confidence of one who’d performed this song many times.
“She named Her planet Karishian, and from it all Life sprang forth;
Mountains and streams and oceans -- south, west, east, and north;
She formed them all with beauty, Her voice spoke forth to say:
‘Now there will be no resistance, Because of my persistence, Wi
th my due diligence, all will be as I say.’ “
At the name of our planet, a resounding cheer was taken up that Aishe and I participated in heartily. The dialen grinned and paused before continuing.
I sipped more of the beer and looked around the pub.
Nearly everyone was riveted, even though most, if not all, of them knew the song and the story by heart, like I did.
This song was often performed in Master Ulezander’s hall, and I would end up humming it days after the performance.
I only half-listened toward the end of the song, however. It was about the creation of the mages and their subsequent creation of the Stones of Power. I didn’t like that story in the least. I hated the stones, hated the first seven mages for creating them. What the hell had they been thinking?
Even if those stones had been created to help the Mother against the formoryans -- as this song contests -- why were they stupid enough to create something that couldn’t be destroyed? Those stones were a menace, and I had always dearly wished that the Mother had destroyed them after they’d served their purpose.
But thoughts of the Mother, of her struggle to create all that we had, made my mind shift to my past. I usually kept those cursed memories in a locked box in my brain, but this time I let them come to the forefront.
***
I was a child, before puberty, locked in my parent’s basement. I was tied up on my bed, tied up like a criminal, though the only crime I had committed was to be born.
I was cold and shivering, cursing my blood relations for the torment they put me through. But it was that night, in the darkness and cold, that she came to me. The Mother.
I had my eyes closed and was singing the same song the dialen was singing in the pub, having heard my birth mother sing it under her breath when my father wasn’t around.
Light hit my eyelids, and I blinked them open, confused and scared. I didn’t hear the door open, so I knew it couldn’t be my father. It wasn’t fire either, since I didn’t feel searing heat. Instead, I felt warmth, a gentle, soothing warmth that reached my freezing bones and wrapped around them with care.