Freamhaigh

by Donald D. Allan

  “What are you?”

  “That is too difficult a concept for you to understand.”

  “Try me.”

  “I think not. I am what I am. How are you and Dog? You seem to have recovered, but I can no longer sense either of you.”

  “That was horrible! It still is a horror! We can sense nothing of the world around us! I feel blind. Nothing is right. It tears at me. I reach for something, anything, and can grasp nothing. Do you understand? This is horrible, horrible!”

  I do not want this anymore, make it go back.

  Katherine knelt down beside Dog and hugged him. “I can’t, Dog! Gaea? Can you reverse this? Bring us back?”

  Gaea looked down at the ground. “No, I cannot. It is too late.”

  “Cannot? Or will not?”

  Gaea didn’t respond.

  “What did you do? This is not what we expected! How is this going to help?”

  “You must find Erebus. Find him and confront him. You can drain power from the land. You will need to discover how. This power will and can be used to defeat Erebus. Can you not sense it?”

  Katherine reached out to find the power as she used to as a draoi and felt nothing. She felt her mind slipping again and Dog pulled on their bond and she felt herself firm herself back to the present. She then felt Dog reach out in a strange way with his mind. He reached out into the world and felt his elation of discovery. She felt Dog strengthen. He was drawing power from around him. She closed her eyes and felt through the bond too see what he was doing. She saw what he did and mimicked him and suddenly, like dropping a hand in a bucket of cold water, she felt the world around her sharpen in focus. But it still felt like it was under a thick blanket, but it was there, pulsing with life. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest and tears spilled down her cheeks unnoticed. “There! There it is!” she cried out.

  “What? What do you see?” asked Gaea.

  “The world! The world!” Katherine pulled on the power she felt and healed the bruised and torn muscles in her body. Dog watched how she did it and in moments copied her. They drew power until it seemed they could hold no more.

  The power they held was formidable and threatened to pull them apart. Before, as a draoi, the power they drew was limited in ways she never understood. Now it was all around her and raw. She had to merely take it for her own. Katherine felt she was losing control of it. There is so much, she thought. I have to use it!

  Dog was whining and rubbing his snout hard on the ground. Katherine felt his mind spinning. Together they reached for one another and spun around and around in their heads, holding on to their bond and pulling each other close. Katherine felt solid and ethereal at the same time. Her mind recoiled from her senses and she sought balance and refuge, but there was none.

  Katherine looked hard at Gaea. Her eyes flashed when she realised just how small Gaea was. She could now see where she was and perhaps a little of what she was. She was touching something different in the world. Katherine thought for a moment and then saw the truth. Katherine was touching the true world. “You’re not of this world, are you?” A laugh escaped her lips and she closed them firmly to shut it off.

  Gaea shook her head sadly. “No, and neither is Erebus. You must defeat him. Now that you have found your power you can. Head to Munsten. Find him and wipe him from this world.”

  Kamal Sherwami stopped pacing in his chambers and then threw back his head in a rage. He felt the surge of power up in the northwest of Belkin. He felt Gaea use her powers to do something that should not be possible. He threw off his body and travelled to the disturbance as Erebus.

  He stood outside a clearing peering through the trees. He stood as a blackness against the brightness of the day. He watched Katherine and Dog collapse on the ground and writhe in great agony. Gaea stood nearby and watched them. Erebus scowled. He could sense nothing of the girl and dog. Gaea had removed them from the world. He wanted to strike down Katherine and Dog where they lay, but with Gaea present, he could not interfere. He glowered at Gaea. He knew she knew he was there, but she ignored him.

  He remained and watched. Night fell, and stars filled the night sky. He remained unmoving. Soon Katherine and Dog stirred and rose from the ground. They swayed and grabbed one another, and he listened to them talking to Gaea. He watched as first Dog and then Katherine reached out to the world and pulled its power to them. To his sight, they burned as bright as a star.

  Erebus growled when he heard Gaea’s words: “Find him and wipe him from this world.”

  He didn’t understand what she had done or how it was possible. Katherine and Dog reminded him of Seth and the Archbishop, but they were far less removed from the world than those two. This should not be possible. It would mean…

  Erebus thought to move forward then and strike them down despite the cost but he hesitated. I’ve spent too many years getting to where I am now. My mission is almost completed. Erebus thought for a moment and then disappeared from the edge of the clearing.

  In moments, he appeared in the alleyway outside a pub in Cala. He waited a moment and then saw two drunk men stagger past the entrance to the alley. He moved in behind them and followed them. The one on the right was Sergeant Ethan Hanson, and the other was Sergeant William Carrigan. Both had been exiled here by General Ben Miller once General Gillespie had been killed. Erebus had known there would come a time he could use these men and now he had a purpose for them.

  He would send them after Katherine and Dog to capture them and bring them to him in Munsten. Once in the Chamber he could learn what Gaea did and undo them.

  Two

  Rigby Farm, October 901 A.C.

  "KATHERINE!” I SCREAMED and fell to my knees at the sudden, inexplicable, severing of her bond. I felt Dog flash out of existence at the same time. Both losses staggered my senses, and I felt the other draoi in the farm cry out as one. I reached out desperately for the bonds between the draoi and Katherine and Dog. They were gone. I had felt no warning, no pain, and no anguish. They were just gone.

  I heard a wailing rise from the draoi. The farmhands looked about in confusion and tried to help those who had fallen to their knees. I reached for Nadine and found her inside the farmhouse on her hands and knees. I raced toward her and felt her rise to do the same. She burst out of the front door, tears streaming down her face, and she thundered into my embrace.

  “Will! Will! What happened?” she sobbed into my shoulder.

  “I do not understand. They disappeared from us. Gone! What could do that?”

  “Gaea!” shouted Nadine. She looked around for her and cried out again. “Gaea! Where are you?”

  We looked for her, but she did not appear. We hadn’t seen her since the Crossroads. Having our draoi powers meant she lived, but we feared her hurt in some manner. It was all that explained her failure to reveal herself to us. Around the farm, the draoi came back to their feet and staggered over to join us. Soon we formed a tight group, holding hands and searched for the bond back to Katherine and Dog. All we knew was that she had been near Cala to the north. We searched and found no sign. Nadine called out repeatedly for Gaea but she refused to answer.

  After an hour we gave up searching. We had no answers and knew only that Katherine and Dog were gone. Nadine continued to hold me and refused to let go. She leaned back and looked up at me with eyes rimmed red from crying. Her freckles seemed dull and lost in the colour of her cheeks. Her grief had aged her years. “Will? Are they gone? Please tell me they’re not gone!”

  I opened my mouth to speak but found I could not voice the words I knew to be true. Sorrow gripped my throat tight and stole my ability to speak. I fought the grief and choked the words I knew my draoi feared to hear. “They are gone.”

  I heard a gasp and looked over to see Franky holding Steve tight. Brent, Vicar Martin, standing nearby with Edward Hitchens looking uncertain. The crew and farm hands stood around them and were whispering to one another. To them it must have looked terrible: the draoi suddenly crying
out in terror and sobbing. Steve let go of Franky and he looked right at me. Guilt struck me hard. Katherine is—was—Steve’s daughter. He shouldn’t have found out like this. I could see the anger in Franky’s eyes. I beckoned them over and they joined with the draoi, looking grateful to be included. Steve and Franky stood apart from us. I couldn’t blame them.

  “I’m sorry, folks. We forget. You can’t know. Steve, I’m so sorry. Katherine, she’s gone.”

  Franky looked furious. “Gone? What does that mean? Gone as in dead?”

  A few draoi cried out at the words. I found I could not speak again and merely nodded.

  “How do you know this?”

  “We draoi, we can sense each other. We are connected. Her bond with us and that of Dog are gone. They both disappeared in a heartbeat.”

  “And that means they are dead?”

  “Yes.”

  “What does Gaea say?”

  I looked at Nadine and she shook her head in the negative. “Nothing, I’m afraid. She isn’t responding.”

  “What does that mean?”

  I looked out at the faces of my draoi, all looking to me for answers. “I have no idea.”

  Two days later we had a ceremony for Katherine and Dog at our cemetery. We had far too many grave markers under the trees. Fallen leaves rustled and shifted in the gentle autumn breeze and the air was sweet with the smell of fall. It was a quiet affair and not much was said. Nadine had insisted on it despite my reservations. I wanted proof before we buried her. Proof that she was dead. Nadine overruled me and so we left markers beside those of Katherine’s parents and Vicar Martin said words. In time, everyone moved away to seek solace in their thoughts and memories. I shook my head in sorrow. We are burying too many people.

  Nadine continued to try to raise Gaea, but she refused to answer. Nadine’s emotions ranged from anger to sorrow and many kept clear of her. Steve stood nearby and demanded my attention, but I told him to leave me alone for a time. Grudgingly, he agreed and gave me space.

  We grieved for our lost draoi. Katherine and Dog were our first losses, and we felt it so very deeply. Our bond is a boon and a curse: like a knife with a double edge. We sought comfort in our family and kept each other strong. I think had I been alone I might not have survived the loss of Katherine and Dog. As a family, we survived.

  That evening, long after the ceremony, I stood looking down at the markers for Katherine and Dog. Nadine stood in front of me, pressed back against me and wrapped in my arms, and we stood in silence. I felt her chest rise and fall with her gentle breathing and was thankful for her warmth in the chill evening air. I felt and heard Steve and Franky approach from the house and stop next to us. Franky looked at us for a moment and then eyed Steve and I could sense a momentary flash of jealousy from her.

  “Can we have a word?” asked Steve.

  “I suppose,” I murmured. Nadine leaned her head back against my breastbone. I kissed the top of her head.

  “In the house? Martin, Brent and even Edward want to discuss some matters. Will you join us? Dempster and Anne prepared some lentil and pea soup. He says soup is good for the soul, whatever that means. Anyway, it’s good, I’ll give them that. At least come in and get something to eat. You’ve been out here all day.”

  I felt Nadine stir and slip around in my arms to look up at me. I leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. Her eyes were still red-rimmed and puffy and her nose wet with the chill and grief. She looked terrible, but I loved her all the more for it.

  She leaned her weight against me. “Come on, young man,” she said softly. “Inside before you catch your death of cold.”

  “After you, old woman. You’ll need a head start.”

  Nadine pinched my bottom and slipped away toward the house. “Come on,” she called out over her shoulder. “No time like the present!”

  I watched her saunter away and rubbed my pinched bottom. “I guess we talk, lead on Steve. Franky.”

  We settled down at the large dining table. We all seemed to have our favourite seats, and we exchanged pleasant conversation about the weather and our stores for winter while Dempster and Anne brought in a huge tureen of soup and freshly baked bread. They filled our bowls, and we broke bread and exclaimed at the steam rising hot from inside. Bread, heavily slathered with butter, was dipped in our soup bowls and soon all that could be heard was the slurping and exclamations of delight. Dempster was certainly a marvellous cook and Anne seemed to be learning fast from him.

  In moments, the soup and bread were gone and sitting happily in our stomachs. Dempster brought in fresh tea and we mixed our cups with milk and honey. The tea blend was my night-time mix. It helped soothe nerves and calm the heart. Its intent was not lost on me and I winked at Anne who blushed and ran off saying something about her baby.

  We looked around at each other. Waiting for someone to start the conversation. As I opened my mouth to say something, Edward beat me to it.

  “This bond of yours is fascinating, Will. I would love to hear more about it when you get the chance.”

  Brent scowled at Edward.

  Edward blinked and then stammered an apology. “I-I mean when you are up for it. Not now, of course! That would be unthinking. Rude, even. I…”

  “I would just stop talking if I were you,” murmured Franky.

  “Y-yes, well, yes. Good idea, I’ll just…”

  “Now.”

  Edward closed his mouth.

  Nadine stirred and turned her teacup on its saucer. “We’ll talk later, Edward. For now, what is it you want, Brent? I assume it was you who wanted to talk?”

  Brent cleared his throat. “Yes, it was my request. We’ve all lost people. I understand your grief. It’s hardest when it’s your own. I’ve been faced with it far too many times in my life. All I can say is that in time it will be easier. And I don’t expect you to hear the wisdom in those words yet. You will. In time.

  “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about. It’s been too many days. I would like to speak about your plans—our plans. We sit here on this farm and do little. Since we seem content to remain here doing nothing I was hoping to have a frank and honest discussion with you, Will and Nadine. I don’t fully understand what your powers are or what you are capable of, and so I have no idea how to best make use of them. No insult intended. I mean that in the best possible way.”

  I watched Brent struggle to make apologies and chuckled a little. “No insult is taken. I know what you mean, Brent. I’ll try to answer as best I can. What questions do you have?”

  Brent looked at Vicar Martin first. They had been inseparable over the past few days. We had only returned to the farm a little over a week ago. During that time, they talked in hushed conversation in the living room. I had caught wind of the import—they were discussing where the draoi fell out in their view of their god’s world. I left them alone with it, not interested in theological discussions. Mostly because I knew so little of the subject. Daukyns, so very long ago in Jaipers, had only truly taught me about the Word. When he had spoken about the church it had never been positive. He had offered little information other than to avoid it. Now, sitting at the farmhouse, I could see Brent was looking to Vicar Martin for some kind of permission to broach a subject I was certain I had no interest in pursuing. I felt anger simmer inside me. We had only just buried Katherine and Dog.

  Vicar Martin looked over at me and tried to smile. It was a tight smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and for once I saw perhaps the man he was. He was lost in his search for faith and was now confronted with something beyond his ken. I felt sorry for the man. Nadine must have sensed my thoughts for she reached under the table and squeezed my knee once. I covered her hand with mine and we stayed that way.

  Brent coughed a little and drew my attention back to him. Edward at the end of the table was writing in his journal with his tight narrow script. He took meticulous notes when I discussed the way of my draoi. Nadine told me to leave him be and so I did. Brent look
ed like he was searching for the right words. “President Healy is not sitting in Munsten quietly biding his time. He will be planning moves upon moves. His new general, Ben Miller, is a crafty officer. He studied tactics under my brother for years and mastered them. My brother often bragged he was his best student. He is not to be underestimated. At least academically.

  “He won’t be happy we escaped the Crossroads so easily. Steve harried him in an unorthodox and unexpected way and then we escaped with a minimum loss of life. The point I am trying to get at is that our army is now holed up in Jergen. They are safe there for now only because the Admiral holds the seaways and approaches. Shipping continues and feeds the city. Meanwhile, Miller is likely pulling all soldiers back to the capital. He will move as soon as the spring thaw allows it. I suspect we will see his army in early April. Maybe as early as mid-March if the winter breaks early. Jergen will be his goal, be certain of that. He will lay siege and not let go until every man, woman and child in Jergen is starved out. He can stay for months if need be until it is done.

  “If we are to counter Miller, we need to understand our own strengths and weaknesses. To win wars, you need to understand yourself and your enemy. Fail to know one of the two and you lose. Simple as that. Will, I fear we do not understand ourselves. So, help me understand. You and your druids have strengths I cannot begin to fathom. You saved us at the Crossroads. You struck down Erebus when my faith failed me. Teach me what you know. What can we expect?”

  The room grew silent. I looked at Nadine and pleaded with her to intervene. She was so much better at this than I. I saw the mirth there and knew at once she was throwing me to the wolves and would thoroughly enjoy it. Traitor, I mouthed to her. I heard Franky snort down the table.

  “We are draoi, not druids, Brent. A minor point, but words are power. We are a long line of mystical people given powers by a mystical being. We harness the power of nature and manipulate the life that surrounds us.” I looked as seriously as I could at Brent and then smiled and laughed a little. “Truth, but not really. We are people, Brent, just like you and Vicar Martin here. And prone to making mistakes. Normal, yes, except Gaea saw fit to give us powers that allow us to control nature. With limitations, mind you. We can do no harm using our powers. It reflects directly back on us when we do.