Survivors of Corrica

by Courtney Bowen

  “He said he had a little bit of magic. I guess that’s how he could talk and we could understand each other. I’m sorry, but what do you mean that I’m the one? What am I not ready for? I can handle anything that comes my way, just like my brother Hasbas.”

  “You stood on the other side of the ship with him and his wife.” Wintha said. “You didn’t want to come here in the first place. None of you did.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t handle whatever we’re facing. The reason why I stood on the other side of the ship, why I wanted to protect my family and ensure that we were safe, was because I didn’t trust you. I didn’t trust where you were taking us, because I didn’t know anything about you and you weren’t telling us anything about where we were going. Maybe I was wrong to doubt you, and I’m sorry for that, because this is a wonderful, beautiful place where we ended up, full of magic and potential, and you guided us here. But I still don’t understand what you want and why you’re interested in me.”

  Wintha sighed. “Not everything’s about you, Corr, yet you do play an important role in what lies ahead. Everyone here has that potential and magic inside of them, for good or ill. You have some ability of your own, too, but you haven’t tapped into them yet.”

  “I could be a sorcerer?” Corr stared at his hands.

  “Since we crossed over through the mist, we’ve been absorbing the magic surrounding us and gaining in strength and aptitude, but we’re not ready to wield our powers yet. We’re not ready to face what lies ahead, but I hope we will be, soon, when it’s about to start.”

  “What’ll start?”

  “The beginning of our legends.” Wintha murmured and wandered off again.

  Corr shook his head, stunned, and walked back to camp, not wanting to confront her again any time soon.

  ℜℜℜ

  The next morning, as they got ready to leave, Anya, Geneva, and Lapida headed over to the river channel to fill up the group’s waterskins with Buzzbo accompanying them to help out and stand guard. Dahlia didn’t want to join them, too busy taking care of Jomo, apparently, and the others were also engaged as well.

  “How much attention does a baby need?” Lapida grumbled to herself, juggling a full load of empty waterskins and not looking forward to the walk back when they were full.

  “Quite a lot, but she should be able to hand off some of that responsibility onto others.” Geneva said, glancing back. “I helped take care of my nieces, nephews, and my cousins’ children, and my sisters, brothers, and cousins were happy for any support. She should be able to let others assist her as well.”

  “She’s quite protective.” Buzzbo remarked, nodding. “Jomo’s her sole concern and she takes care of him pretty well, but she won’t even let Marko hold him for more than a few minutes at a time. It’s like she’s afraid he’ll break in someone else’s arms.”

  “That’s not a good thing. A mother can be overprotective sometimes. Babies should be exposed to other people, especially when they’re old enough.” Anya said, looking over at Buzzbo. “I haven’t had much of a chance to see this child, but he’s definitely more than a few months old. Is he already six months old?”

  “Yes, he’s a couple months away from his first birthday, I think.” Buzzbo said.

  “He should be crawling around a bit more, not cradled all of the time.” Geneva said. “She clasps him too close to her, not wanting to lose him.”

  “Admittedly we’ve been on a boat most of the time for a couple of months, and we were escaping Corrica’s destruction.” Lapida said. “Perhaps it’s understandable that she wanted to watch out for him a bit more, when anything could’ve happened to him.”

  “Yes, but we could’ve helped her keep an eye on him. We could’ve protected him too.” Buzzbo sighed. “Marko’s complained about it. He wants to be with his son and protect him, but Dahlia won’t let him get close to the boy, or she shields herself from him with Jomo as her excuse.”

  “Wait a moment. I’ve seen her hand off Jomo to the girl sitting next to her on the boat.” Lapida said, remembering. “She can let go of him sometimes.”

  “Yes, but she was rowing during those times, and the girl was sitting right next to her. She could still keep an eye on Jomo while she was busy, and if the girl made a mistake in Dahlia’s eyes, she could take the baby away from her, too. She never lets Jomo out of her sight these days.” Buzzbo said.

  Anya turned to Buzzbo. “What about you and Dahlia? Do you two ever get along, or do you fight all of the time?”

  “It’s a complicated relationship. I came into Marko’s life a couple of months before he got married, but when there was still a negotiation going on between him and Dahlia’s family on a marriage contract. So technically Marko and I have been together longer, but Dahlia still holds precedence as his wife, in the eyes of Corrican law. I can’t claim to be his spouse or partner, but we’re lovers and Dahlia had to recognize that. We’ve been separated at times, not speaking to one another, but sharing Marko despite that. However, now that we’re together a lot more, tension has risen between us and we do have spats, but we’re committed to our ways. Marko’s been trying to quell things between us, I understand, but I’m not certain if we can get along without a parting between us.”

  “So either you or Dahlia would stay with Marko?” Geneva asked.

  “That’s what it’s shaping up to be, unless we can come to some sort of agreement between us, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.” Buzzbo said.

  As they chatted a bit more, with Lapida questioning such negotiated marriage alliances as occurred between Marko and Dahlia, they turned a corner approaching the river channel, and stopped a moment, gawking. For right there on the riverbank stood two youths, one a young man close to adulthood wearing a tunic, trousers, and leggings with a fur cloak and an ax slung across his back. The other was a girl a few years younger than him, probably close to Corr’s age, wearing similar clothes and a long bronze knife strapped to her belt.

  They gaped at the Corricans, shocked, while Buzzbo, Lapida, Geneva and Anya froze, not certain what to do. The boy and girl started speaking, talking to each other, but the others couldn’t understand what they were saying.

  “Do you think they’re going to attack us?” Buzzbo asked, pondering if he should grab his sword and charge at the pair.

  “They haven’t made a move. They would’ve done so before now, especially that kid, he’s armed.” Lapida said. “No, I don’t think they’re going to strike out at us.”

  “What’re they talking about?” Geneva asked, curious.

  “Now they seem to be chanting something.” Anya added, gazing at them.

  Indeed, the young man and woman had turned to face the others, and were reciting a few lines, almost like an incantation. Suddenly the words changed and shifted, morphing around so that as Buzzbo, Geneva, Lapida and Anya listened close, they could almost comprehend a couple of them, until it finally sounded like their own language.

  “…I hear you as you hear me, you speak with me as I speak with you, in a speech that we both share.” The pair chanted, getting clearer as the others’ eyes widened.

  “Are they speaking our language?” Lapida asked.

  “Is this the magic that bird supposedly spoke about?” Geneva said.

  “Okay, we hear you! We can understand you now!” Buzzbo waved at the pair, smiling as the young man and woman stopped their recital. “Hello there! I’m Buzzbo, this is Lapida, Geneva, and Anya.”

  “How did you do that? What did you just do?” Anya asked.

  “We performed a translation spell.” The girl said. “You were talking in a different language we didn’t understand, so we tried that to see if we could comprehend it.”

  “It’s unusual to say the least.” Buzzbo said.

  “Where did you come from?” The young man asked.

  “We arrived at your shore a couple days ago.” Lapida told them. “We’ve traveled a long way to get here.”

  The pa
ir glanced at each other as the girl said, “They come from across the ocean?”

  “Apparently so.” The young man stepped forward and said, “I’m Kozu, and this is my little sister Kiki. Welcome to our land. This area belongs to the people of Bahealfisaba.”

  “We’re honored to be here.” Geneva bowed her head. “We lost our home a while ago, it was destroyed, and we’re looking for a new place to go to. Do you know anywhere we can go?”

  “I don’t think we could tell you that.” Kiki shrugged. “We’re just here to get some water for the others at the fort. Do you want to come back with us to meet our leader?”

  “Kiki, I should be the one to tell them that. I’m the oldest one here.” Kozu said.

  “We’re also getting water for our group.” Anya nodded her head off to the distance. “We’re currently traveling with ten others. We have more people waiting for us at the beach.”

  Kozu and Kiki gaped at each other. “That’s a large party.” Kozu remarked, looking back at them. “Maybe we should go back to our groups, tell them about our meeting, and then come back here again to talk?”

  “Okay, that sounds fair enough. Thanks. Let’s go.” Buzzbo said, and they all retreated in opposite directions, keeping an eye on each other.

  “Why were things so tense then?” Lapida asked, eying Buzzbo.

  “Look, we’re in unknown territory, meeting a group of people for the first time. We don’t know who we’re dealing with, if they’re friendly or not, and they seem to have sorcery.” Buzzbo said. “We don’t have any magic like they do.”

  “They seemed nice enough.” Geneva said.

  “Yes, but they don’t know anything about us either.” Anya said. “They’re on guard like we are, too.”

  “Okay, that makes sense.” Lapida nodded and followed the others back to their camp.

  ℜℜℜ

  “Ten more people? And who knows how many others back at the beach?” Kozu shook his head. “This could be a disaster if we’re not careful.”

  “I’m sure everything will be okay.” Kiki looked back to where they met the strangers. “They seemed fine enough.”

  “Yes, but those were mostly women, and they had a guard with them. What if they have other warriors, too, or mages?” Kozu glanced back, checking that they weren’t being followed. “They could attack us and then head for the village.”

  “I don’t think they’re in any state to attack us. They’re travelers now, you heard them. They lost their home, and they’re looking for another.”

  “And they could claim ours instead. You need to grow up, Kiki, and be aware of the world around you. Have we taught you nothing?”

  “I understand there are risks here, but we can’t jump to conclusions either. We shouldn’t instigate anything if we could befriend them instead. What if they sided with us, and helped us out? We could be greater than we are now.”

  “That’s if they’re willing to help us out, and I doubt that’s likely when they’re probably most concerned about themselves.” Kozu frowned. “Why would they side with us when there are more powerful people in this world? We can’t offer them much help or assistance.”

  “But we could give them a chance.” Kiki said.

  Kozu didn’t say anything more and Kiki didn’t push as they came upon the way-post, a small stone roundhouse surrounded by a stockade, currently manned by a handful of others. When they heard the news from Kozu and Kiki, they were concerned as well.

  “Should we meet with them?” Rowena asked, pacing. She was their village’s head mage, who’d come along on this trip to accompany and guard their leader and help out in their chores.

  “We can’t afford not to, can we?” Demetrius asked. He was a mason and builder, working on refortifying the post, though he used his sorcery to help out.

  “They promised a meeting, too, so we’re obliged to do that much for them.” Huette said as Kiki and Kozu looked down. Huette was a hunter and trapper, hoping to catch enough animals to sell their fur. Sometimes she snared them with the help of her Bone magic.

  “All right, fine. I suppose we should go back to the river.” Oran grumbled to himself, grabbing a bow and quiver of arrows. Most of the time, though, Oran was a lumberjack who knocked over a couple trees while he was here, with some assistance from his Earth magic to uproot them.

  “Is it safe to meet with them, armed like that?” Cassandra asked, turning to Oran. She was a carpenter and carver, using the newly chopped lumber to create furniture and instruments. Her plant magic added to her abilities, manipulating the wood to shift and reshape itself.

  “We don’t have a choice.” Kalino, Kiki and Kozu’s father, said as he strapped on his own sword belt. “We either meet with them, or fight them. I’m prepared either way.”

  Kalino was also their village’s leader, though he’d come up here to fish as an angler and using a net. Kiki helped him out, weaving nets and assisting the others, while Kozu was a hauler, lifting heavy loads and sawing alongside Oran. Kozu also drove the wagon to and from the fort.

  Kalino, Kiki, and Kozu all shared a touch of water magic, too. They trooped out of the roundhouse, and stormed back to the riverbank.

  ℜℜℜ

  Porran groaned. “Oh, I can’t believe the trouble we’re in.”

  “Listen, if we just keep our heads clear and don’t disturb anyone, we might get out of this okay enough.” Hasbas said.

  “Okay? We’re going to meet a group of strangers we don’t know anything about, plus they might have magical powers and they’re probably just as nervous about us.” Marko said. “I doubt this situation will turn out well.”

  “Fato could be right, though.” Corr said. “They could be friendly.”

  “The girl seemed nice.” Lapida said. “Her brother was tense, but he’s young.”

  “I believe they’d be good allies to us.” Wintha said.

  “Even so, we don’t know who else they’re bringing here to the riverbank, what else they might be able to do.” Dahlia said, glancing around as she cradled Jomo close to her.

  “You could’ve stayed behind back at our camp.” Buzzbo remarked, glancing at her. “Maybe Zeldos or Mogame could’ve looked after you.”

  “No, I want to be here, no matter what happens.” Dahlia said, looking up at Marko. “I’m not leaving him.”

  “Why’d you volunteer us to look after her?” Zeldos frowned at Buzzbo.

  “Yeah, I want to be here, too, with the others and meeting the locals for the first time.” Mogame said.

  “Quiet, everyone!” Wilama hissed, frowning at them. “I think they’re coming.”

  Everyone looked up, staring as a group of eight people, including Kiki and Kozu, walked up to the riverbank on the other side of the river. They all gazed upon each other, the people of Bahealfisaba armed with various weapons, including Kiki with a knife, and though they were outnumbered by the Corricans, they appeared to be formidable adversaries if they were challenged.

  On the other side, though the Corricans varied a bit more, with barely half of them seeming to be capable of putting up a fight and one of their ladies carrying a baby, yet they still had the upper hand in terms of numbers. Neither side seemed to be hiding anything or concealing anyone in the foliage, yet they couldn’t be too careful here in these circumstances.

  Plus the Corricans could possess their own witchcraft, while the people of Bahealfisaba, though they wielded magic, weren’t all the strongest mages. The Corricans didn’t know of this potential magical advantage they might have, but they were aware that something was different about themselves, like they could just sense their bubbling powers hidden out of sight.

  “Do we need a mediator?” Wintha asked, standing up and facing everybody. “Can we understand each other?”

  A middle-aged man started speaking on the other side, but the Corricans couldn’t comprehend his words. “Kiki, Kozu,” Geneva said, turning to the brother and sister. “I think you’re going to have to use that translation spe
ll again.”

  “Right.” Kiki said, and some of the Corricans could grasp her words as she and her brother stood up and started chanting the magic spell that’d translate everyone’s speech so that they could understand each other.

  “Are you going to have to recite that incantation every time our peoples meet for the first time?” Anya asked, intrigued.

  “It’d be faster than everybody trying to learn each other’s languages.” Kozu said, and now everyone could comprehend what he was saying.

  “This is amazing!” Mogame gasped, turning to the others. “Hello there! I’m Mogame, a scholar! Do you know what I’m saying to you right now?”

  “Okay, Mogame the scholar, that’s enough. We can hear you perfectly fine now.” Rowena smiled at him.

  “Wow, I’ve never encountered anything like this before.” Mogame said. “It’s real, magic’s real, it does exist!”

  “What do you mean?” Oran frowned. “How do you not know magic exists?”

  “We come from a place where magic doesn’t exist, where people can’t create miracles, and where all the animals are ordinary, not like these flying fish people, lion-eagles, or one-horned horses.” Lapida said.

  “Those are merpeople, griffins, and unicorns.” Huette said while several of her compatriots stared at each other, surprised.

  “Okay then, so now that we have such a problem out of the way, I’m Marko.”

  “And I’m Porran.” The sailor frowned at the centurion, and the two of them faced the people of Bahealfisaba. “And we’re from a place called Corrica.”

  “I’m Kalino, father of Kozu and Kiki, and I’m currently the head of Bahealfisaba.” The middle-aged man who first spoke said. “Is there a leader in your group?”

  A couple of people, including Porran and Marko, started arguing about who was in charge, until finally Corr just blurted out, “There’s no leader here, okay? Porran was in charge of the boat, Marko was a commander of soldiers, Wilama was a priestess, Mogame was a scholar, Anya was a healer, Wintha sees the future, Geneva represents her family, Zeldos was a slave, but now he’s free and the only one in charge of himself, same with Buzzbo, and I’m Corr, Hasbas’s little brother, and that’s Lapida, Hasbas’s wife, and Dahlia is Marko’s wife with their son Jomo. That’s who we all are right now.”