by R D Blake
He was dropping his dishes into the basin to wash them when Erick heard No One enter the room in her shuffling manner coming from the outside bearing several small bundles of flowers. She stopped when she saw him but then carried on to the table where she unbound the stalks and clipped and arranged them in several waiting vases. Taking the opportunity, Erick brought her a bowl of stew though he left it for her some distance away from where she sat. Not wishing to observe if she would acknowledge it or not, he cast his eyes to look again about the room and discovered that though it had not been there earlier, his lute was now upon the mantle above the hearth.
Other than the snipping of the flowers, the enduring silence became a heavy weight bearing down upon him. Sensing that she would not countenance him looking at her, Erick took the instrument down and played some idle notes upon it. With no resultant sound of protest from No One, he began a simple song — one he had played for her almost back at the beginning, more than a year and a half ago when she had first listened in. Playing it through several times, he decided to risk adding a few others. Sometime later, in between his selections, he heard the sound of the spoon working away in the bowl and that served to buoy up his flagging and grey spirits.
Then by some miracle, she had come to sit beside him while he had played on. Being caught unawares, he missed a few notes which seemed to bring a movement from her that Erick felt through the bench. Was she laughing in her own way at his mistakes? Despite all that had happened yesterday, it was proving so hard to understand her. And when he had finished, she touched his arm lightly and ever so briefly.
“For what you did yesterday, Nobody, when you should have let them kill me, I will reward your lack of any common sense and your foolishness and bear this ring and its pain. For since you left me midday, I have wandered the fields considering your words and those who dwell here also. But I say this also to you — for after you leave this vale, despite what my guardians say and what I promised them before the past winter reached this vale, I will endure no more.”
Erick understood what No One was implying in those few words, but he seized on her permission. “I must place it on your finger, No One. This is what the Pure One said must be done.” Erick drew out the ring from its case. “If you would, my lady, if you would permit it, uncover your hands.”
This she did reluctantly, and Erick saw anew the black talons and the warty and blemished, scaly skin. He had intended to place the ring over the second last finger of her left hand, but she recoiled at that. “Do not! There is only so much I can endure. Do not make a new mockery of me!”
So with resignation, Erick took her right hand. He felt her trembling — whether from his touch or from the feel of the ring or from whatever else moved inside her concerning this foolish hope she deemed he had for this circle of gold, it mattered not; for nothing happened once the ring had come to rest snug upon her knobby finger. They gazed upon her hand for several agonizing minutes, but neither saw any change. None. The silent tension only grew between them, as a blackness tightened about Erick’s heart, and fear darkened his thoughts — perhaps she was right and he had been an idiot, duped by the Pure One. Abruptly, No One stood up pulling at the ring. “Now you know, fool!” she spat out at him.
“Wait, my lady! Wait, I beg you! I was told not how soon it would be until the ring worked its power. All I was made to understand was that the curse upon you is a most cruel one. Please, No One, please wait!”
Nevertheless she continued to tug at the ring, but it would not release its hold on her. Giving up, she left him to flee back to her own chambers, abandoning Erick to the echoes of her black mutterings and her own curses.
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Yanking, pulling, squeezing with all her might — no matter how she struggled and hurt herself with her efforts, this wretched ring stayed fixed upon her finger. In her dark thoughts, Ilena even contemplated cutting off her clawed digit. She wanted this thing off! She could not live with its falseness. She could not! During most of the afternoon, she had wandered outside about the far fields, fighting against the hope that Nobody’s words had engendered within her. But no matter her arguments, she had not been able to put aside how he had fought for her against that giant, who in some strange fashion had proved to be someone from Nobody’s own past life, and whom she could not deny loved this man who was driving her to madness. Though she had fallen into her own darkness as Nobody had carried her back to this, her only home, Ilena had felt the strength and purpose in him. And how, oh how could she deny the fact that he had come back! Against all hope and all her wild imaginings?
But now, when she had needed to be strong, how could she have been so weak?! The animals and the birds had pled, had pled more than at any other time, counselling and begging her to take this chance, to risk her crushed and battered hopes — one more dreadful time! In her weakness Ilena had, and now what had it earned her? More pain than she could bear. Long did she weep into the darkest night of her life.
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Erick cried too. He had retreated to his old chamber, found the old straw mattress and fallen down onto it and wept at the loss of the hope that been behind all his efforts and sacrifices over the past year. But he cried far less for himself than for her: she whom he had failed.
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Chapter Fourteen
Ilena woke rueing that she had not somehow died during the night. She had prayed in her last waking hours that God would finally release her from this life. How could He allow any to live in such misery and sorrow? As her thoughts lifted from their dreamy state she felt the ring again on her finger and with her other horny hand tried once again to pull it off but — but something felt different, strange, like some long ago memory. Ilena sat up straighter and looked down at her hand and saw something white, smooth, pink.
She lifted her right hand up to the light filtering in through her high window. What was this? Ilena stared and then stared again in disbelief. When she tried to speak in words what she perceived she was seeing, only odd sounds came out. It could not be! It could not! Ilena stood up on her bed and straightened herself so that her finger stood in the pure sunlight inches from her eyes. Her finger — her finger — it was — oh, how could this be? It was — it was — it was as before. Her finger — hers! — hers! — hers!
Unmindful that her face was uncovered Ilena ran off as fast as her bent form and limbs would grant her.
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Ilena felt she had searched everywhere. Had he taken her at her word and left already? Not in the kitchen, not in the hallways leading to the outside, not out among the battlements, or about in the fields as she scanned out over them from the parapets. No sign of him! She had even searched his old quarters seeing evidence that he had slept there but now he was gone!
Finally, Ilena found a thrush and asked, trembling and with fear, where Nobody was. The bird warbled at her and flew to far side of the uppermost ruins and dropped down its other side. Ilena followed it, narrowly avoiding tripping over the rough pavement. Peering over the end of a crumbling rock wall, she found Nobody down below immersed in a tub of water. Just what was he doing? But she gave his actions no further thought glancing down at the miracle at the end of her hand.
She was out of breath by the time she turned the corner to the former ground level room that was now exposed fully to the elements. “Look! Oh, look!” she cried out, thrusting her finger up for Nobody to see. “Oh, oh! I was so wrong! Look what has happened!”
At first Ilena did not understand why Nobody ducked down deeper into the steaming water with some strange emotions flitting upon his face. Nor did she notice his shorn hair or the fact that his jaw was now bare of his beard. “Oh, forgive me, Nobody, for not believing you! All of what you said was true! Oh, look! Look at my finger!”
Ilena shoved it right in front of his face. She saw comprehension cross his features and he almost leapt out of the tub. It was only then that she realized he was unclothed. But she had seen all o
f him when she had been forced to nurse him back to health almost two year ago. In this moment of her elation she cared not at all for his state of undress, but he did, and though he kept the upper part of himself within her sight he bent down to hide the rest of his body. Yet he grasped her hand in his and looked in wonder at the sight of her perfect finger and he shouted out with as much joy as Ilena felt inside her.
For a brief moment, it appeared as if he was going to kiss it, but he suddenly stopped and forbade himself. Ilena suddenly felt ashamed. She would have almost welcomed that touch. Then she realized she was uncovered and he saw her once more in all of her horribleness. Her heart felt squeezed within a mighty fist. How could she imagine such a thing?
But Nobody must have seen into her and shouted out in denial: “No, no! It is not what you think! Please, please, my lady. Forgive me, my impertinence in my joy. For my doubt ends! And now, please let me finish bathing and meet with me — meet me by the orchard, for there is yet more to tell you that I could not — I was unable to say to you yesterday.”
Ilena left Nobody, unsure, elated, afraid — oh! — oh, so mixed up! About what had happened. About herself. About Nobody! And then Ilena thought of all those terrible scars she had seen all over his body. Those, she knew had not been there when he had left her last.
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The witch felt a sudden spasm jolt through her. And what followed was far worse. Her masters had experienced it too and the pain they were suffering they ensured she shared in. The curse had been attacked! Even now, she felt the tendrils of an opposing force reach to batter the curse and defeat it. Though she knew not the power the curse was now facing, she comprehended that it one capable of vanquishing it. And now those whom she served were demanding that she end this threat to them. For each curse contained part of their essence, and if truth be told, her own. Goaded to action, she called to her own servant, who had thus far failed her, sending the black raven north. North to a place few of her kindred did not fear to tread.
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A strange sensation rose up within Marta and she felt the need to sit down and rest until it passed. Was there ever to be no relief given her? The last night had been filled with restless nightmares — dreams again of her sister, caught in a battle that warred all about her. Rising from her sleep, Marta had been driven to pray for Ilena. When she had finished, she had been consumed with a sense of foolishness. Her sister had died years ago. That was the hard truth Marta had always forced herself to have faith in. For if she was to believe otherwise, how could she ever endure the horror she had called down on one of her own family?
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Nobody joined her quicker than she imagined, donned in some old clothes she had left in the chest in his chambers. Ilena could barely look away from her finger and it seemed to her that the pure skin was now reaching below the ring to touch the edges of her palm. Oh! Could this miracle really, truly be happening? She used her finger to touch herself, feeling sensations that had been lost to her gradually over the years since this sickness — this curse? — had taken her. Now, it seemed she had understood so little. But Nobody was now by her side, seemingly indifferent to her features though his eyes eventually drifted to her finger as well.
But he cleared his throat and she understood that he still considered their old game still in effect. “Tell me all. Now — oh now, I am so ready to hear it.”
“The Pure One told me that would be the first effect of the ring, my lady.”
“And — and it will spread? Soon I will be as I once was?” Ilena asked, hardly able to contain her excitement.
Nobody shook his head. “No, not unless you accept what else I must say and allow me a privilege with you that you may find hard to grant to me.”
Ilena did not understand what he meant. “Just tell me. It cannot be that difficult. This ring has power, as you said.”
She saw Nobody grapple with some inner struggle and she began to worry what it might be. “Then know the truth of me, my lady,” and for some unknown he went to his knees before her and bowed his head, so that it almost rested upon her lap. All this was too much. Ilena had never allowed such familiarity from him before and an uneasy feeling grew in her. “It is not only pity that moved me to search for this ring.”
“But — but what else could it be?” and what remained of her eyebrows lifted in perplexity.
“There — there are other feelings. Other sentiments,” he said, in a near whisper.
“What else could there but pity or revulsion?”
Then she saw his face grow paler despite his brown-faced countenance. He swallowed hard. “Oh, No One, this is the difficult part. For if you do not accept it, then the power of the ring will fail. I fear these words will cause you more harm than any I have ever said to you or have done by my mindless and careless acts in the past, but know this — I — I have come to love you.” He sagged after this admission and his head filled her lap.
Ilena wanted to run from him. He could not! He could not feel such things for her! He was mocking her and all she had borne. How could any man or woman say such things to her? Ilena moved to cast him away from her, but she saw the white of her finger again: its perfect shape, its smoothness, its wholesome colour.
“Even what has happened would not have occurred if I did not hold you in such regard. Oh, lady, do not let your pain and suffering prevent you from accepting this truth. For you must, if the ring is to do all that it can do and lift this curse from you.”
Nobody wrapped his arms about her legs and wept into her robes. Ilena remained as if frozen, her hands tight into Nobody’s hair. So they remained in silence, unmoving; but at some time, Ilena knew not when, she began to stroke his head as she did so often with her pets when one of them would have some need of her love. The sun had moved into its last quarter in the dome of the sky above them by the time Nobody had recovered sufficiently to confess to her the last of his words, and then Ilena had no choice but to flee to her own chambers.
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Teton threw himself off the sweat-covered horse he had paid twice its value for and raced from the courtyard to the steps leading into the castle. The pennants above the gates indicated his father was in attendance and not out far afield managing the duchy. He ignored the cries of welcome and questions of his unexpected early return. Despite Erick’s command not to betray his existence, Teton had decided that did not apply to his father; for time was short if anything was to be done. For if news of his friend’s continued life was spread, all the plans and treachery of the house of Westhaven might still come to naught.
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She had not slept at all through the slow turning of the night. Now outside her room, she could hear the song of the larks, the sparrows and other meadow birds welcome the new day. Ilena’s anguish, despite the long hours, had hardly lessened. Why must it be this way? By his words, Nobody demanded that she let down all of the last walls she had built to hide herself away from all of the pain, all of the loss and all of the deep unending sorrow. And how could what he had said about his feelings for her be true? What kind of man could love a creature such as her? Cursed or claimed by illness, it mattered not. All her feelings of elation of yesterday felt like dry ashes in her mouth.
Ilena only wished to hide inside this room and never, never come out, but soon the animals within the confines of the fortress sought her out; the puppies bounding in and up on her bed, cuddling in for their first caresses of the day; the rabbits nudging her looking to eat some sweet grasses or flower petals she was willing to release to them; and mice and others that wished only to play their endless games with her. Their seemingly endless affection lifted her up and away from the worst of her black mood. Stroking the back of one of the squirming puppies, Ilena stopped to study her hand, twisting it about, and then shuddering at her discovery. Already the smooth flesh on her finger was returning to what it had been. The ring was failing!
She wanted to cry, to shout out,
to scream and shriek. Not now! Not so soon! She cast aside the puppies and kittens and all the rest from her bed and ignoring their frightened cries as they all fled her room, she cast her self down upon her blankets and wept once more at the final loss of all her hopes.
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Connor had had enough. This hunt had lost all its enjoyment and its purpose was frayed and ripped like some pennant flapping in the wind. He could see what his confrontation with Teton had done. There were far too many whispers and silent looks exchanged between those who still remained here with him. More than a few had made excuses and had already left. And Connor was ready to leave too. Events were so close to completion that he needed to return to the earldom and inform his father of all of what had transpired here. Too much was at risk otherwise.
And Connor was troubled. Something had gone on between Teton and that woodsman. Connor was as certain as the solidness of the ground beneath his feet that Teton had lost that fight on purpose. He could not be bested by someone near two-thirds his size and far less than that in strength. There had been words exchanged between both men while they had fought and Connor had not missed the hand signals passed after the fight was over. They knew each other. But who was this woodsman? And that last unanswered question spurred Connor to shout out his orders to break camp.
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Erick had given up waiting for No One in the kitchen by the time the sun had climbed to its apex. She had rejected both him and his offer. Now he feared for her, perhaps more than at any other time. Would the power of the ring fail as the Pure One had said? During all of the past night, he had not returned to his own chambers, instead choosing to pace the battlements, and later going to his knees, praying to God for No One; but Erick hardly knew how to pray for one such as her. Doubt had been growing inside him ever since their time alone in the orchard. Perhaps God’s Will for No One was not what he wished — or what he thought she wished.