Kingdomturn

by Matthew Williams

  “I take it your leg feels better?” Halwen asked. Celina only nodded and studied the valley wall directly beneath them.

  “Path,” Celina said after a moment, pointing to the left of the overlook. Ryna stepped forward and saw where Celina was looking. It wasn’t much of a path, more like a long chain of boulders whose narrow tops were closely aligned, but it looked passable and it offered access to the floor of this new canyon.

  “What do you think, Halwen?” Ryna asked as she turned away from Celina.

  “I think we’re going down there if we want our group to stay intact,” Halwen replied with her head tilted so she could look past Ryna. Ryna turned back and found that Celina was already limping across the first boulder of the new path.

  “Celina! Wait for us!” Ryna called after her, but Celina didn’t slow. Ryna rushed to join Halwen who was already in position to collect Mainwright Stora. They caught up with Celina several boulders farther down the path.

  “You’re going to hurt your leg,” Halwen scolded Celina when they were finally close enough to speak.

  “I’ll manage,” Celina huffed, undeterred. The path, although narrow, was surprisingly easy to travel. A cool breeze stirred in the valley, shocking Ryna’s sunburned face yet soothing it at the same time. When they finally reached the floor of the canyon, Celina increased her reckless pace and ran awkwardly over to the strange plants. Ryna sighed, gripping the bone in her free hand tightly.

  “Just let her go,” Halwen said tiredly. “We’re going to end up redressing her leg anyway.” Ryna watched as Celina came to a stop at the nearest group of tall stalks, then immediately darted to the next group and the next.

  “It’s not here,” Celina rasped to herself as Ryna and Halwen approached. “It has to be here. This isn’t right!” Celina shook one of the pole plants.

  “What’s not here?” Halwen asked with growing concern.

  “Water!” Celina shouted as she shook the plant violently. Ryna looked down at the depression beneath the tall stalks and saw only a hint of dampness in the mud. She, too, had hoped they would find safe water here; although there was no sign of the mudcrawlers, it appeared the group would have to look elsewhere for water.

  Celina paused in her rant and slowly shook the plant stalk again. Her eyes grew large, then she suddenly gripped the plant with both hands and bent it as hard as she could. The trunk withstood the assault at first, but after a few seconds it snapped with an audible pop. Celina smiled victoriously as she knelt down and bent the broken section of the pole towards her. A clear liquid flowed out of the opening in the stalk and directly into Celina’s waiting mouth.

  “Celina, what…?” Ryna asked, mystified by what had just happened. As the last drops fell from the plant, Celina sighed contentedly and let the upper portion of the pole fall to the ground with a hollow thump.

  “Water,” Celina said with a satisfied grin.

  Incredulous, Ryna and Halwen hurriedly set the Mainwright down at the edge of the depression. Ryna gripped the lower section of the now-broken stalk and peered down into the segment that Celina had drained. Surely the rest of the plant has water in it too, Ryna thought excitedly. With no great effort, she broke off the drained portion and looked into the stalk again. A pocket of glistening water waited within the walls of this part of the pole as well. She snapped the segment loose and marveled at how closely it resembled a sort of wooden cup. The thought of cool water was enticing, but she resisted the temptation for the sake of her friends. If this was the only water source available, its contents should be dedicated to those who weren’t Unwoven.

  “See if the Mainwright will drink,” Ryna said as she passed the cup to Halwen. “Then you should drink too.”

  “You’ve traveled just as far as the rest of us,” Halwen replied sympathetically. “Don’t let your dedication to serve penance override good judgement.” Ryna knew that Halwen was right—besides, the punishment was to live in this world, not die of thirst after only a day. Turning back to the stalk, Ryna broke free another segment and drank its store of water in three large gulps. To finally relieve her thirst was a blissful feeling, but she also discovered an added soothing sensation where her lips had touched the plant. Before her lips were chapped and raw, now they felt cool and renewed. Looking down, Ryna could see thick sap dripping from the broken sections of her makeshift cup. It was an unbelievable gift, a luxury no Unwoven deserved; the others, however, had every right to enjoy this wonderful blessing. She turned back to Halwen, who had not yet succeeded in getting the Mainwright to take any water.

  “Halwen,” Ryna said, smiling. “Touch the sap to your lips.” Halwen paused in her efforts and looked up quizzically. She slowly ran her finger along the rim of her wooden cup and applied a small amount of the sap to her lips. Instantly, Halwen’s expression proved that she now shared the joy of Ryna’s discovery. Celina tried the sap, and she too reveled in the unexpected comfort that felt so out of place in this harsh land. Halwen applied the soothing gel to Stora’s lips as well; Ryna hoped the Mainwright could feel its healing touch in her current state.

  The three women broke off several more cups each, until their thirst was finally quenched. Celina idly placed the rims of two of the empty cups together and pressed firmly. One cup flexed and slid smoothly into the other, and this gave Ryna an idea. She broke off another segment full of water and slid one of the empty cups over it. As Halwen and Celina watched, Ryna flipped the cups end over end several times without a drop falling out.

  “Kingdom be found!” Halwen exclaimed. “Now we can take the water with us, wherever we go from here.” Ryna realized with alarm that a large portion of the day had already passed by; the shadows from the canyon walls had grown long and dark since the last time she took note of them.

  “Speaking of where we go next,” Ryna said. “We should look for someplace safe for the night. We need to be ready in case those things from the lake somehow followed us.”

  “Maybe they’re already here, just hiding out of sight,” Halwen muttered nervously as her eyes darted from one shadow to the next.

  “All the more reason to begin searching for a refuge now, while there’s still daylight,” Ryna replied as she fitted another set of cups together and placed them into one of her robe pockets. Halwen and Celina followed her lead and filled as many cups as they could comfortably carry before preparing to leave. After the Mainwright was in place, Ryna picked up the bone once more and glanced at it briefly. She considered leaving the revolting reminder behind along with her other memories of the lakeshore, but then the cold logic of survival took hold just as it had before. Whenever we find safety, then I will be rid of you, she silently promised the grim tool. As disturbing as the bone was, its effectiveness could not be denied.

  They followed the winding path beyond the pole plants, searching for high ground that offered some sort of covering as well. The side walls of this portion of the valley had a rounded, gentle slope that was comprised of mounded boulders and toppled columns, so alcoves and overhangs were a rarity. Finally, just as the stones dimmed in the light from deep crimson to dark grey, Ryna spotted a promising cluster of rocks halfway up the left wall. There, beneath a slab of stone five strides across at least, was a suitable recess that offered a clear view of the valley below. After a thankfully easy climb, the women settled the Mainwright against the back wall and stood looking out at the last whispers of daylight.

  “What do we do now?” Halwen asked as darkness flooded the valley. A cold night wind blew steadily now that the sun was gone.

  “We wait for dawn. Then we find a permanent source of safe water,” Ryna said with resolve. Celina snorted quietly as she took another sip from one of her cups.

  “You have a better plan, Celina?” Ryna demanded.

  “Not really,” Celina replied dismissively, “but the only ‘permanent source of safe water’ is the Great River in Locboran.”

  “They cast us out,” Halwen reminded her. “That includes you, too.”
<
br />   “The Fyrnraed cast you out. I was pushed into the water by accident, as were the Mainwright and Kiorla.” Celina’s voice only faltered slightly during the speaking of Kiorla’s name. Ryna and Halwen were silent for a moment; Celina’s words stung, but there was a strange note of reason to them.

  “Accident or not, there’s no way to get back up there now. That fall was final,” Halwen said quietly. Celina sniffed in disagreement.

  “We will discuss our plans in the morning. For now, you should both sleep,” Ryna said, trying to ease the tension that now threatened to fill their tiny refuge.

  “You mean we should all sleep,” Halwen corrected her.

  “Eventually, yes,” Ryna replied. “But someone has to watch for the mudcrawlers, and I am willing to do so for as long as I am able.” Halwen stared at Ryna with concern whereas Celina wasted no time before walking away to lay down beside Stora.

  “I know this is hard,” Halwen whispered. “More difficult than anything you’ve ever had to do before. I can’t begin to think what I would do in your place, but please, don’t let go of who you were—who you are—completely for the sake of your undeserved atonement. We need you, Ryna.”

  “That name—” Ryna began sadly.

  “Is still yours,” Halwen interrupted. “You can deny it all you want; it is still what I will call you when just you and I are speaking.” Ryna was stunned by Halwen’s bluntness, but moved by her kindness. Gratitude pushed itself into the forefront of Ryna’s mind and filled the rims of her eyes with tears

  “Thank you, Halwen,” was all that Ryna could say without crying outright.

  “It’s our secret for now,” Halwen said, then more quietly, “Peace find you, Ryna.”

  “And you,” Ryna replied. “Sleep well.” With that, Ryna was alone. She walked over to the wall of their alcove, hood raised to block some of the wind, and stared keenly out into the night. Tears fell in steady succession, but she blamed their presence on the cold.

  ---

  “Ryna,” Halwen said gravely. “Wake up. Celina is gone.” Ryna bolted awake and leapt to her feet.

  “What do you mean ‘gone’?” Ryna asked.

  “I…don’t know where she is,” Halwen said slowly. “I woke her up in the night after I couldn’t keep watch any longer. She seemed all right then, but now I can’t find her.” Ryna stared out at the valley, looking for some sign of where Celina might have gone. Then she realized the obvious answer.

  “Celina went back to the water plants,” Ryna said with great irritation. “I am certain of it. Though why she couldn’t wait to do so until we were all awake is what I don’t understand.” Halwen nodded in agreement.

  “We should go find her then,” Halwen sighed. The Mainwright still slept in the back of the alcove, and did not stir as Ryna and Halwen lifted her. Walking back to the plants felt much faster in the daylight than it had in the twilight of the day before, but there was no pressure to find shelter bearing down on them now. As soon as they rounded the curve in the valley that harbored the pole plants, Ryna immediately knew something was very wrong. Every stalk had been torn down and broken into sections; not a single plant was intact.

  “What did this?” Halwen asked breathlessly. Ryna had no answer, but she could see plainly that there wasn’t a drop of water left to be had.

  “I don’t know, and I don’t want to find out,” Ryna replied. “If it was Celina, we will ask her when she returns. If it was something else...well, let’s just hope its hunger doesn’t match its thirst.”

  “So what happens now?” Halwen asked uneasily. Ryna took a moment to think through their situation.

  “The only option we have is to wait at the alcove,” Ryna said. “That is where Celina will go first when she decides to come looking for us.” Halwen nodded slowly.

  “But Ryna,” Halwen said, staring at the broken pole plants, “we don’t have much water left now. How can we wait?”

  “The answer is that we can’t wait very long,” Ryna replied sadly. “When the water runs low, we’ll have to move on to search for another source. We will leave a trail that Aemetta—and if needed, Celina—can follow to find us.” Ryna did her best to avoid looking at the remains of the pole plants with panic as she and Halwen started the journey back to the alcove.

  The cool night breeze was notably absent in daylight, and Ryna found herself longing for its chill as the sun flooded the valley. All the beautiful hues of red and tan in the stones now resembled a bed of coals, both in color and in the heat they reflected. The shade of the alcove was a few degrees cooler at least, but Ryna could tell that their day of waiting would be oppressively hot.

  After hours of trying to ignore the heat, Ryna finally succumbed to her thirst and drank one of her remaining cups of water. She felt around the pockets of the old robe. Eight more, she realized with concern. That won’t even be enough to last a full day. She silently reprimanded herself for not gathering more water when she had the chance, more for Halwen and Stora’s sake than for her own. From the corner of her eye, Ryna noticed Halwen shudder suddenly and look as though she was going to cry.

  “Halwen, what is it?” Ryna asked caringly.

  “I can’t escape the…what happened to Kiorla,” Halwen said, her lower lip quivering slightly. “Those memories flashed through my mind a thousand times yesterday, then I couldn’t even escape them in my dreams. Now that I’m awake, I keep seeing her disappear over and over and over. I just want it to stop!”

  “I can’t escape it either,” Ryna lied. Surprisingly, this was the first time she had thought about Kiorla all day. Something had changed fundamentally within her mind after Kiorla died—somehow, Ryna’s focus and desire to survive had muted all thoughts that didn’t aid in achieving those goals. Just like Halwen, she had to endure the unwelcome memory of Kiorla’s death too, but it felt distant and was readily pushed aside. Ryna knew Halwen was susceptible to being driven solely by her emotions from time to time, so her confusion and vulnerability were understandable and expected. Ryna still did not like to lie, but she also wanted to comfort her friend.

  “There is no way to ignore those memories,” Ryna continued. “We have to face them, learn from them, and remember Kiorla’s sacrifice. By serving as a distraction for those things in the lake, she saved our lives, Halwen, and showed us the reality of the dangers lurking here. We can never forget that.” Halwen closed her eyes briefly and attempted to breathe normally, though the corners of her mouth were still pulled down sharply by sadness.

  “I know,” Halwen admitted quietly, staring out into the scorching valley. After taking a moment more to compose herself, she sighed and looked at Ryna with a burdened gaze. “I wish we could go back to Locboran,” she said sorrowfully.

  “There’s no going back now, only forward,” Ryna replied. It was as much a statement of encouragement as it was a solemn reminder of the real danger they now faced of running out of water. Neither woman spoke for hours after that, though they each knew the other was silently begging for Celina to return soon. As the sun sank lower and its heat receded, Ryna’s restlessness finally reached a point where it could no longer be ignored. She stood and stretched her aching legs.

  “I’m going to try to reach the top of this valley,” Ryna said as Halwen looked at her curiously. “Perhaps up there I can see something that will tell us where Celina went.” Halwen agreed to the plan, albeit reluctantly. Ryna exited their shelter and studied the mass of rubble that comprised the portion of the valley wall just above their alcove. She spotted a promising route up to the top and began scrabbling over the piled boulders that scalded her skin if she lingered on any one too long. Still clinging to the bone weapon, Ryna used its jagged end to gain purchase in the rocks as she progressed ever upward.

  When the highest boulder was at last underfoot, Ryna lifted her eyes to survey the area in the hopes of finding some trace of Celina or perhaps even a new water source. Though this was not the tallest ridge, it still offered an incredible view of the a
djacent peaks and fissures. To the north there was only a blinding field of white. Ryna didn’t know what to call the vast expanse, and she didn’t care. Definitely no water there, she thought as she turned away from its brightness. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the tallest mountain to the west; it soared above everything else nearby and had an unusually large, flat top. Then Ryna spotted a familiar structure in the center of this plateau—it was the Hall of the Fyrnraed.

  “Locboran,” Ryna whispered. Without seeing it for herself, she never would have believed that her former home rested atop such a high peak. Then again, that explained why nothing of the surrounding landscape had ever been visible above Locboran’s towering walls. Ryna unconsciously brushed back her loose strands of hair and rested her hand against her neck where the sima used to reside. When she realized what she was doing, Ryna jerked her hand down sharply and looked away from Locboran as she spun to face south. Shame burned brightly in her cheeks as she hastily suppressed the memories of her old life.

  Crevices scarred the land of the south for as far as Ryna could see and continued into parts of the east until they collided with a long chain of mountains. In several of the openings between mountains, Ryna could clearly see water glistening in the sunlight. The distance would be difficult to travel with the few full cups they had left, but it looked more promising than any of the other surrounding areas.

  As Ryna made her way back down to the alcove, she decided to keep the vision of Locboran to herself. Halwen was already longing to return to their former home, so mentioning the ability to see it—even from a distance—would be more than Halwen could resist. If she made the climb to see Locboran, what good would that serve? Ryna thought. She would be forced to remember all she had lost and the sadness would paralyze her. Not mentioning Locboran wasn’t lying; as Ryna saw it, she was protecting Halwen from further suffering.

  “Tell me you found something,” Halwen said expectantly when Ryna neared the mouth of the alcove.