Age of Valor: Blood Purge

by D. E. Morris

  When she was deep enough into the dark cover of the trees that the lights from the village looked like faraway pinpricks of flame, she lowered herself to the ground, making herself as flat as possible, and shifted. The bright white light gathered around her in a concentrated energy before it swallowed her whole and disappeared in a final, quick burst. Where a woman had been was now a small bird that immediately jumped into the air to find a high tree branch on which to pause. She waited, knowing if anyone had seen the light that there was a high chance they would come to investigate.

  When no sounds of alarm came after a few minutes, she jumped from the branch and fanned her little wings out, flapping them rapidly to keep herself in the air as she made her way toward the edge of the forest. There, she rested again and waited, listening. Occasionally a female would walk by. There was no rush or urgency as they moved, nothing to make Lilia worry about being found missing. Surely it wouldn't be much longer before she was noticed to be gone. She had best make the most of her freedom before her time ran out. Though Rowan told her to explore, she wanted to find Connor before she did anything else.

  Taking flight, she made sure to stick close to the trees. Bats raced overhead every now and then, squeaking in their flight paths. No one paid them any mind, but something told her that she would not be so lucky. Though it was dark, if she got too close to any of the fires, her plumage would certainly catch someone's eye, and it was rare for many smaller birds to be out this late. There were also larger carrion birds to worry about, those who tended to hunt at night. She was a colorful target to their eyes so well suited for the shadows.

  She made her way down the length of the village, pausing every now and then to watch as people passed. Though the Volarim also only slept when they were tired, it seemed most of Rhiamon's people turned in around the same time, which was helpful. Rising with the sun each day probably left little room for night owls.

  She was so used to seeing the white or pale linen shifts that when someone passed by in a sage green robe, she stopped to watch. It was a man, that much was clear from his clothing. Maybe if she followed him, she'd find Connor. She waited until he was a fair distance ahead before flitting behind, still keeping to the cover of trees. The village was much bigger than she'd expected if the men were housed so far away. Then again, if a woman's virginity was so precious to their gods, it made sense to keep the males and females as far apart as possible.

  Like a river, the open valley curved around a mountainous bend, narrowing as it did so before opening up again to another area filled with small homes. It was here she found only men moving about. It seemed they could visit the women, but the opposite was not allowed. Far more robed men wandered about here on their side of the village than the women on theirs. Was it possible that they didn't have to wake as early? Perhaps whatever their duties were had been saved for the night. She darted from house to house in the cover of the shadows.

  The door to the house she was flying to next opened and someone came out in a gray robe with a brown belt looped around his waist. Red hair caught her eye and she landed quickly on the roof, chirping as she did so. The young man heard the sound before getting too far away and turned. She hopped on the roof and flapped her wings in excitement. Once she knew Connor had seen her, she shot into the woods like an arrow. Connor looked around to make sure no one was watching him, then followed her in, led by the sound of her call. When they were as far back as Lilia thought she had been before, she dropped to the ground and began to shift.

  “Wait!” Connor's quiet exclamation made him look around. When he was satisfied that he'd drawn no attention, he pulled his belt loose, then slid his robe up and over his head. He held it out like a tent, dropping the bottom hem over her and covering her completely. “Okay.”

  A bright light gathered within the robe, though Connor was quick to drop the hood down over the neck to contain it. As Lilia resumed her human form, she stooped and slipped her fingers under the hem to lift it and free herself. She threw her arms around him with a quiet gasp. “I was so worried I'd never see you again.”

  He embraced her for a moment, but quickly held her at arm's length. “Are you okay? Where's Rowan?”

  “We're both fine.” She came to the sudden realization that Connor wore nothing more than his under pants and took a giant step back. She scooped up his robe and offered it to him, looking away in embarrassment. “Rowan is back at the maiden house. She caused a bit of a distraction so I could get out and have a look around.”

  “And you just so happened to end up where all the men are?” There was laughter in his voice. “You can look at me now.” When she did, he was fully robed again and wore a smirk. “Why am I not surprised?”

  She swatted at him, her bottom lip sticking out. “I was looking for you!”

  “Sure you were.” He encircled her waist and pulled her close to kiss her nose before looking her over. “Are you really all right?”

  “Yes,” she answered quietly. “Connor, this place...”

  “I know. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

  Taking her hand, Connor pulled Lilia down to sit beside him. “Tell me what happened after we got separated.” She filled him in on every moment, recounting how it felt as though she had become enchanted by the village and was slipping further and further into it as the time passed, then told him of what had snapped her out of it. His own story was fairly similar. He'd been given a bath and clean clothes, and had supped in a great hall with all of the men there. They were ranked by the colors of their robes: gray for the uninitiated, sage for those in training, and brown for those who answered to none but Rhiamon.

  “Uninitiated?” Lilia repeated. “What does that mean?”

  Connor shook his head. “They have some sort of ritual that every man must go through, as well as every woman who has not pledged herself to the gods.”

  “That's another thing; who are these gods?”

  “I don't know. It seems they are giving us enough information to make us curious, but not enough to answer our questions.”

  Lilia scowled. “Because they don't want us to leave. One of the girls said something about newcomers often staying longer than they planned upon arrival.”

  “Maybe for the women,” Connor scoffed. “I was all but told that I will be leaving after breakfast.”

  “I don't want to ask Rhiamon about the Gaels or dragons. It doesn't feel safe.”

  “I agree.” He sighed and ran his thumb over the palm of Lilia's hand. “I'm afraid to let you go, but I'm also afraid to keep you any longer.”

  Leaning over, she kissed his lips. “I need to get back to Rowan, but I want to have a bit of a peek around first. Now that I know you're safe, I feel a little better.”

  “Same.” He took her chin between his thumb and finger, pinching playfully. “Be safe.”

  “I will. Connor...”

  He narrowed one eye at her. “Don't you dare. Don't say it now.”

  She frowned, confused. “Why not?”

  “You're only doing it because you're scared. That's not fair. I want it when neither of us is in danger or the world isn't about to end.”

  “You may never hear it, then,” she chuckled. She kissed the hand still holding hers. “You go first, then I'll shift. I think it'll be all right.”

  Letting go of her, he stood and brushed himself off. “We leave right after we eat in the morning.”

  “Without question.” She watched him fade into the darkness and waited until she couldn't hear him walking anymore. Holding her breath, she paused to try to hear the voice of any that might have caught Connor coming from the woods, but all was quiet. Once more, she lowered herself to the ground and shifted to fly back through the woods to return to the women's area. She landed on the windowsill and peeked inside to see no movement. Rowan's hair was clearly seen blanketing her pillow, and it looked like she had rolled something up under the single cover to make it look like there was someone else in the bed with her. Satisf
ied with Rowan's safety, Lilia took to the air once more.

  There were even fewer people out than before, giving her confidence to fly more out in the open. Rhiamon's door was now closed and all of the lights off, letting Lilia know that she had finally turned in as well. She took in as much as she could, making note of interesting or odd areas and structures. There were stone statues throughout the village, men and women, as well as creatures the likes of which she had never seen. One statue was encircled with trees that formed a small grotto around it, accessible from only the front. There was another area with curved stone benches that had been arranged into the side of a hill to form stadium seating that faced a small dais.

  Music came to her on the wind, tearing her attention from her explorations. It was a sound she felt she'd heard before, something akin to a harp, yet not quite as soft. She followed the sound well past the outskirts of the village, leaving behind the safety of the light from the fires and what little she knew of her surroundings. Her flight took her down yet another winding path that narrowed before opening. This time there were no houses to greet her, but wide-open spaces where the mountains fell back to create tall walls of impenetrable rock around massive hills. At the crest of one of the hills near the middle of this new area was a ring of tall stones, each of them carved with runes and uneven in height and width. It looked like a crown that had been crookedly placed atop a head too big to wear it. The music Lilia heard was coming from a group that was gathered within.

  A voice, loud and crisp, sang a song in a language she did not recognize. It sounded like elvish, a language she had a basic understanding of, but none of the words were familiar. Curious, Lilia flew closer, landing in the safety of the shadow of one of the tall ring stones. Several girls looking to be anywhere from six or seven to older teens sat around the circle. The one who appeared to be the eldest played an instrument of strings that Lilia had never seen before. It was strung like a harp, but it lay flat in her lap and the notes were brought forth from the small hammers she used to hit the strings. Wanting a closer look, Lilia flew up to the top of the ring stone the girl sat before and peered down at her, mesmerized as she played.

  “'Of wind and fire, sun and rain,” sang the girl, “the magic ebbs and flows. Our silent mothers have suffered long, their anguish only grows.”

  “And now the time has come at last,” continued the only woman on her feet, her back to Lilia, “to purge the land with blood and bones.” The woman danced as she sang. She twirled and moved in ways that would have made Lilia blush, had she been in her human form. She too, however, was mesmerizing, and Lilia found herself swaying to the music unbidden. It wasn't until the woman turned around that Lilia recognized the woman to be Rhiamon. She snapped back to her senses so quickly that her little feathered body jumped. The flash of color was caught by the flames of the tall fire Rhiamon danced before and made her look up.

  “Well, hello there.” All of the girls followed the older woman's gaze, even the girl playing, though she never paused. “What a pretty little thing you are.”

  There was something odd about the way Rhiamon looked at her, in that strange hungry way she had when they'd met in the village. Fear threatened to paralyze Lilia, but she forced her feet to spring and her wings to beat, flying away from the ring stones and whatever she had stumbled upon, praying she had not been recognized.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lilia was groggy the next morning, having only gotten a few hours of sleep before the other girls awoke. She'd tried to be quiet as she got back into bed so as not to disturb Rowan, but the younger woman was awake and waiting for her. She pulled the rolled-up blanket she'd used for Lilia's body away and let Lilia slide in beside her, immediately taking her hand and assaulting her with questions. Her brain was addled and she had a hard time remembering everything with the buzz of telepathy running through her head. She didn't know how long she and Rowan talked, only that morning came much too early for both of them.

  As promised, their original clothes waited for them, clean and smelling fresh. Rowan was quick to change, but Lilia moved sluggishly, feeling as though she'd drunk too much the night before. “I'll be fine once we're well away from here,” she promised when Rowan expressed her concern. “Let's go have breakfast so we can go back to the town below.” Unlike the night before, breakfast was served outside where men and women sat in mixed groups at several long tables lined in rows. Seeing Connor perked Lilia instantly. He sat in between her and Rowan, taking both of their hands in his. Though he couldn't telepathically check in with Lilia the way he could with his sister, his eyes asked questions she answered with a tired nod. Yes, she was all right. Yes, she still wanted to leave.

  No one spoke a word as they filled their plates with cooked eggs, fruit, meat, and sweet bread. A young man in a gray robe poured milk into goblets, an unexpected treat for the summer. As Lilia took a sip and closed her eyes to relish the taste, Rhiamon, sitting diagonally from her at the head of the table, watched her with a satisfied smile. Feeling eyes on her, Lilia looked about and blushed in embarrassment when she met Rhiamon's gaze.

  “Do not feel ashamed, child,” Rhiamon told her evenly. She took a sip of her own milk and swallowed with a smirk. “There is nothing wrong in reveling in the things that bring you pleasure.” The others around the table looked at Rhiamon with surprise, some of them looking to Lilia in clear annoyance. Picking up on it, Rhiamon waved a hand in dismissal. “Our morning meals are usually spent in silent contemplation. I have broken my own rule.”

  Lilia glanced around, confused. In a quiet voice, she asked, “In contemplation of what?”

  “Our dreams, of course. It is one of the many ways our ancestors speak to us.”

  The winged woman looked down at her full plate, her expression carefully blank. “Oh.”

  Rhiamon observed those who filled the seats at her table, then scanned the others. “Sometimes we are given a portend. Sometimes, it is a message of hope or of dreadful things to come. Has anyone had such a message?” No one looked up, and no one spoke a word. “Has not one of you had anything revealed during the sleeping hours?” When everyone was once again silent, Rhiamon turned her attention to Lilia, the smallest on smirk of her lips. “And you, my winged lovely? Was there anything interesting that you learned last night?”

  She glanced at Rhiamon, but otherwise kept her eyes down at her plate as she shook her head. “I rarely remember my dreams.”

  “Such the pity.”

  Seeing Lilia shift uncomfortably beside him, Connor cleared his throat and fixed Rhiamon with a steady gaze. “I thank you for your hospitality, but we will be leaving after we've had our fill this morning.”

  Unaffected, Rhiamon cut the meat on her plate. “Do not feel that you have to go so quickly. The beds you occupied last night are yours if you wish to stay, for however long you would like that to be.”

  Cordial, Connor offered her a smile of thanks. “That is very kind of you, but we are on a mission and perhaps have lingered too long as it is.”

  If his words were meant to make her understand why they had to go, they failed. Her eyes lit up instead, and she beamed at him. “Then you can carry on that mission. I will look after your beloved and your sister until you have completed whatever tasks you have to do.”

  “I'll not stay in a place that tells me where I can and cannot go,” Rowan growled, “when I can and cannot speak, and where I can't see my own brother when I want to.”

  Rhiamon laughed lightly. “My dear Rowan...such a spirit you have. You would do well here. What you lack in sight can be made up for in other ways. Perhaps your inability to see the physical world would aid you in seeing the spiritual world. Often, those who lack something are able to compensate in other areas.” Rowan's face reddened in anger, but Rhiamon was once more nonplussed. “I know you believe in the Great Dragon and all the bland teachings of the scriptures. I am not saying that they are not true, my dear, only that they are slanted and incomplete.”

  “And h
ow-”

  Stop. Connor's telepathic command rang through her head. She's baiting you. Stop talking and eat so we can get out of here.

  Savage, Rowan picked up a hunk of the meat someone had put on her plate and tore at it with her teeth like a feral animal. This only made Rhiamon laugh before the rest of the meal carried on in silence.

  When it was time for the trio to leave, Rhiamon walked behind them at a slow gait, a brown robed young man at her side with the hood of his cowl pulled up and his head down. “Are you certain you will not stay?” she asked as they approached the beginning of the long road down the mountain.

  “Thank you for your kindness,” Connor offered, positioning himself between the girls and the older woman. He turned around to look at her, walking backward as he did so, with a boyish half grin on his face. “You have been more than generous.”

  Her dark eyes traveled over him, but not in the same way they had with Lilia. There was cold regard that was unaffected by his charm. She looked at him as though he was a blight on the otherwise spotless scenery, that he had to be tolerated but she certainly wasn't going to like it. It was perhaps the first time his grin had never worked on a woman, and he didn't know what to do with that.

  “Will you at least let me arrange a carriage for you?” Her gaze slid to Lilia beyond him. “Surely you remember how long of a walk it is.”

  “Thank you,” answered Lilia, “but we will be fine.”

  “If you both will spare me but a moment longer.” Rowan didn't even pause at the request, only kept on walking as though she hadn't heard anything. Lilia, however, gave a soft sigh and turned, letting Connor pass her to catch up to Rowan so the two women could have a moment to speak. “She does not understand what benefits would befall her if she stayed here.”