Rhapsody

by Elizabeth Haydon

  They did a quick reconnaissance of the island, but it was hardly necessary; the utter absence of any other living presence was obvious. Achmed looked carefully at the chimney, examining the bricks, which were still held in place by the ancient, crumbling mortar. He nodded toward the door of the cottage, and Rhapsody followed him inside.

  The odor of lost time was heavy inside the place, the scent of mold and musty fabric, stale air and decay. Rhapsody drew her sword and held it like a torch in front of her, her eyes sparkling in wonder.

  The parlor opened to the right, with a small staircase leading upstairs on the left across from the front door. Achmed let her pass ahead of him with the glowing sword, his eyes scanning the architecture. It bore many of the hallmarks of the Lost Island, as did some of the furniture. It was from the Cymrian era, though that had been obvious from the beginning—the Bolg certainly had never set foot here. He opened the front door as wide as it could be opened and added stale air to the dank place.

  The parlor contained a fireplace on its outside wall, a beautifully carved mantel above it thick with dust. It probably had once been a cozy room, and it led into a kitchen area that spanned the entire back of the house.

  Achmed examined the enormous hearth and food-storage areas with interest. The sophistication of the design was higher than was commonly in use in this land now, indeed, even more than in Canrif, with multiple depths in the hearth for different kinds of food preparation, and a dredge dug from the lake to cool the brick storage areas and pump water into the house. Pipes fashioned from copper ran through the ceiling into the area upstairs.

  Rhapsody had circled around the back of the staircase and found herself in the dining room, furnished with a small oak table, still in beautiful condition, and four chairs. A huge window wall was fashioned out of blocks of glass, clear in the central panes, but the exterior ones had been carved like prisms.

  This side of the house faced the waterfall, and doubtless the view was the reason for the window wall. It was also a western exposure, and Rhapsody speculated that light must come through at the junction of the rock crag and the dome of the firmament. No doubt the filtered light of the setting sun added to the atmosphere of an evening meal here, accentuated by the rainbows that the prisms must have cast around the room. She wished she could have seen it in its glory.

  She walked through the doorway that led back into the front hall to find Achmed there, starting up the stairs. Rhapsody followed carefully, pulling the cobwebs away from the ceiling above the steps.

  Once upstairs he had gone to the left and she stood in the doorway behind him. It was a small empty room, its only interesting feature the turret from a small tower she had failed to notice from outside, with a curved bank of windows and window seat. The fabric on the window seat had rotted beyond recognition, but the glass of the windows was intact. It was Rhapsody’s impression that it had been a study, though there was no furnishing to confirm that belief.

  Across the hall on the other side of the staircase was a larger room, its nature made obvious by the large bed against the staircase wall. The headboard was carved in dark wood, and even the years of dust could not obscure the masterly craftsmanship and beauty of it.

  A fireplace took up the wall opposite it, sharing a chimney with the hearth in the parlor, the mantel a smaller version of the one downstairs. It had a window that looked out onto the lake, caked with grime and mildew. The floorboards had begun to rot, and Rhapsody walked carefully, fearful of crashing through the ceiling of the room below.

  There were two additional doors in this room, one on the same wall as the headboard, leading to an area over the stairs, the other over the kitchen. The area over the stairs turned out to be a cedar closet with nothing in it but a small chest of carved mahogany. In it Rhapsody found a tiny gown of white lace and colorful embroidery, sized to fit a very young infant. She returned it carefully to the chest and left the closet.

  Achmed had already opened the other door and was leaning on the frame. She came up behind him and peeked into the room beyond.

  It was an indoor bathroom like the ones in the Cauldron, with a large tub, beautiful despite its centuries of tarnish and dust. The floor was made of marble tiles, and the copper pipes she had seen downstairs ran to the privy and the sink as well. Both the tub and sink had pumps beside them, and the basin and tub floor had discolored where the water had dripped for years.

  “Seen enough?” Achmed’s voice broke the age-old stillness, causing Rhapsody to jump.

  “I guess so,” she answered, reluctant to leave the fascinating house. She followed him down the stairs and out the front door, casting one last wistful glance around before closing the door again.

  The small gardens had apparently gone largely untended even before they had been allowed to die, Rhapsody determined. The stains on the house and the ground suggested climbing roses in at least two places, vines that had been allowed to spread, unchecked and unpruned.

  It seemed a shame to her; in her mind she was already imagining what the place could look like, covered in plantings, tended lovingly, with an eye toward balance and the strange light conditions beneath the ground. But even as she fantasized about the quintessential gardens, she knew that nothing could grow here now, anyway. There was something fundamentally wrong with the place, a disturbance in the very nature of it that would counteract anything growing or blooming, an anger that had penetrated the soil.

  Achmed was already approaching the gazebo. It was situated on a small rise on the other end of the island, strategically placed, no doubt, but for what strategy he could not tell.

  He walked around it, examining its placement on the ground. He determined it was probably carved on the spot where it stood, a fact that fascinated him. Its sculptor had been a master, with an eye for stone. Even an untrained eye could see that the original marble block had been positioned perfectly to allow for the accentuation of the stone’s best features. It was smoothly hewn and polished, with delicate engravings along its roof and six columns supporting the dome.

  Rhapsody wandered up one of the two sets of marble steps leading into the gazebo. Within it there were two semicircular benches facing one another in opposition, forming an S shape in the center of the rotunda. They were carved from the same stone as the gazebo itself; in fact, she thought perhaps they had been carved as part of it.

  At the far end of the building was a battered birdcage lying on the gazebo floor, its door broken off, next to what must have been its stand. Both pieces were remarkable in design, and wrought from what looked like gold.

  The stand was taller than Rhapsody herself, and the birdcage was big enough to hold a small child. It was black with tarnish and soot from whatever fire had coated the gazebo itself, but seemed more or less intact. She marveled at the craftsmanship of the cage, so strangely out of place in the Bolglands. Rhapsody reached over and touched the tiny door.

  As she did she was blown backward by the force of the vision that overtook her. Time slowed to a torturous pace, and she saw the gazebo as it had been long ago, its columns gleaming white in the darkness of the garden.

  Before her stood a man, human and full-bodied, with a thick gray beard and heavy, dark eyebrows. He wore robes of linen painted with gold, and his face was contorted with a rage that made his eyes smoke.

  Slowly, second by second, she watched as he drew his arm back and swung, a powerful, grievous blow aimed squarely at her face. She felt the air around her shatter and pain wash over her, the force of which left her face stinging, as the columns of the gazebo swirled around her and tilted. And then the darkness of the vision dissipated and she was staring up at the cloudy firmament, her head in Achmed’s hands.

  A deep groan escaped her as Achmed helped her stand. He led her to one of the stone benches and she sat down, trying to make her world stop spinning. It took a long time for that to happen. Finally she spoke.

  “Well, now I know why this place feels so angry.”

  “What did yo
u see?”

  She rubbed her temples. “I got the wonderful opportunity to see Gwylliam through what must have been Anwyn’s eyes at the moment he struck her. Remember how Llauron said he had hit her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that’s putting it nicely. He must have done some serious damage; my ears are still ringing.”

  “No wonder she tried to destroy him.”

  “Well, as bad as it was, I still think her reaction was a little extreme. I mean, I’d be furious too, but I don’t think I’d lead an army of tens of thousands to their deaths over it. I probably would have just poisoned his porridge.”

  “Well, from what I’ve read, the First and Third Fleet Cymrians were looking for an excuse to beat on each other anyway. The Third Wave had the attitude that they had sacrificed the most, had stayed behind and held the beachhead while the others made a speedy retreat. They had a rough time when they landed, had to fight their way in while the First Fleet found no resistance and an easy life in the woods. Of course, what I’ve been reading is from his point of view. I’d say Gwylliam and Anwyn’s little sparring match was just the spark that lit the conflict.”

  Rhapsody stood and looked around. “So this is where the war began. Right here on this island, in this gazebo. No wonder the place is haunted.”

  Achmed chuckled; it was a strange sound, and her eyes went immediately to his face. “Are you afraid of ghosts, too, Rhapsody?”

  “Certainly not,” she said, offended. “If anything, I’ll bet they’re afraid of me.”

  “Well, I can certainly see why they would be,” the Firbolg king said sarcastically. “You are so very frightening, after all.”

  Rhapsody smiled knowingly and took out her flute again. She sat back on one of the benches and closed her eyes, listening to the listless wind over water.

  She took in the sounds and vibrations of the grotto, searching for the discordant notes, and found them almost immediately. Rhapsody raised her flute to her lips and played a sweet note. It filled the air at once and amplified forth from the gazebo, echoing off the walls of the grotto and filling the cavern with its sound, hanging in the slow air until it dissipated a few moments later. She turned to Achmed in excitement.

  “It all makes sense now!” she exclaimed, leaping to her feet. “The reason we couldn’t find this place is that it is naturally hidden by layers of vibrations—the bowl of the canyon that the field lies within and the wind that rips around it, the water beneath the ground and the churning of the waterfall make a rising mist that shields the cavern.

  “And the gazebo is like a megaphone of sorts. Sounds here are amplified because of where it is placed and what it is made from; it’s like a natural podium if you want to have what you say heard everywhere. So the hatred that is ingrained in this place is being transmitted out through those layers, which is what scares the Firbolg, and why the ground feels so awful in the glen.”

  Achmed nodded but said nothing. It was also the reason he disliked the place. Water had always been his enemy when trying to find a vibrational path. The only place anyone had been able to hide from him in the old world was on, in, or near the sea.

  “Well, now that your mystery is solved, let’s go back.”

  “Wait; I have to try something else.” Rhapsody ignored the ugly look he gave her and began to play the flute again. She concentrated on the painful notes, the dirge that the cavern contained, and matched each sorrowful tone with a brighter one, weaving a song of atonement and peace. The effect was not permanent, but she could feel a slight improvement when she was finished.

  “Can I have this place for my own? Please?” She ignored his incredulous stare and pushed on. “I can restore the house; it just needs a little carpentry and a lot of cleaning. And I can work on the song of the place, make it healthy again, drive away the memories that Gwylliam and Anwyn left here to fester. Can this be my, well, my—”

  “Your duchy?”

  “My what?”

  “Your duchy. Grunthor’s always calling you Duchess or Your Ladyship; it seems appropriate that we make you one. Congratulations. You will be Firbolg royalty.”

  Rhapsody ignored the sarcasm. “Well, good. That way I can act as your ambassador and have a title to make me legitimate.” She laughed as Achmed smirked. “Be that way. I’ve never had a place that was all mine; it was always owned by someone else.”

  “I will deed it to you in perpetuity, as long as we can leave now.”

  “Bargain.” They shook hands, and Rhapsody ran for the boat.

  So what are you going to call this place?” Achmed asked as he rowed back across the lake. Her excitement had sustained itself; they were moving much faster than they had on the voyage across.

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “Let’s name it something from the old world, something powerful and royal, so it takes on some of the traits. That seems appropriate, doesn’t it?”

  He sighed. “Whatever you want. It’s your duchy. You will owe me taxes, by the way, on whatever goods you produce.”

  She knew he was joking, but she regarded him seriously. “Fair enough. I think you will have to take it in trade, however. I don’t intend to sell it, it’s better if it’s just given to someone you love.”

  Achmed’s eyebrows shot into his hairline. “Excuse me? I thought you had decided to be celibate.”

  Rhapsody glared at him. “Not that. Spices, herbs; maybe flowers. You can be a real pig, you know.”

  “It was a joke.”

  “I know. It’s always a joke.” She stared off into the distance at the disappearing waterfall, its music ebbing with her spirits.

  Achmed regarded her sharply. “I’m sorry.” She waved a dismissive hand at him. “Rhapsody, what’s the matter?”

  She didn’t look at him, but continued to watch the island as it faded into the mists of the cave. “I don’t know. Jealousy, probably. That’s not exactly it, but I don’t have a word that describes it better.”

  “You’re jealous?” Achmed’s brows furrowed. “Why?”

  Finally the green eyes turned on him, absent their former sparkle. “All right, I’m not jealous, I’m lost. You have no regrets that keep you awake at night, Achmed, no losses in the old world to mourn. Here you have a reason for being, a place that needs you, and people who do, too; an opportunity to do something good on a historic scale. You have a new life.”

  He swallowed; he was not good at this. “You’re a part of that life. You have a contribution to make to the same goal; it’s your opportunity as well.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t misunderstand, please. I want to help you, to help the Bolg, especially the children. But it’s not my reason for being.”

  “So what is?”

  Rhapsody shook her head sadly. “If I knew, I wouldn’t feel lost.” She took the oar from him and began to row.

  “You know, my mother was always chiding me about leaving the door open. We lived on a wide-open plain, and the winds that tore through the rolling hills could be violent. I can still hear her—‘Please close the door.’ I never learned. And it’s ironic; my past is a corridor of doors I left open, never meaning to close them. Except now, the house is gone, too, blown away by the wind.

  “I guess I’ve never really accepted what I’ve lost. I don’t know why; I try, but it keeps coming back to me, night after night, even after all this time. So now I have to come to terms with my loss and figure out what to do next.

  “I need the things you have—a home, and a goal, and a chance to do something good of my own. And someone who needs me—Jo, my grandchildren, the Bolg, to a small degree, and maybe even you and Grunthor. Maybe having this place, this duchy of my own, is a start toward finding those things.”

  Achmed exhaled. The light was returning to her eyes a little, banishing the desolation he had felt a moment before, against his will, on her behalf. What is this strange power the fire gave her? he mused. It was even beginning to affect him.

 
“So what is the name of this new farm?” he asked.

  She thought of the castle of the Seren high king, perched on a rocky face above the crashing sea.

  “I think I’ll call it Elysian,” she said. It was a place she had never seen.

  Three weeks later it was announced throughout the Bolglands that the new warlord king was making a trip to the demons in Kraldurge to offer sacrifice. An enormous wagon was loaded with gifts to the evil gods, tied with cloth to keep the sacrifice from the prying eyes of the Bolg, though none showed up to wish the king well. The gifts had been bought in Bethe Corbair and Sorbold from a list carefully prepared by the Singer, known throughout the Bolglands to be the king’s First Woman.

  Rhapsody had grown used to the necessity of the reference, though it still amused and annoyed her. Anything to keep us safe here, she had told Jo, herself known as the king’s Second Woman. The Bolg would only bother those women who belonged to leaders they wanted to challenge, and thus far that meant no one came near either of them. She did not tell Jo about Elysian, keeping it a surprise for when the renovations were finished.

  The enormous Cart of the Sacrifice set forth in the night toward the Inner Teeth, where it was swallowed up by darkness. The king and the Sergeant Major returned the next day, slightly tired from their meeting with the demons but none the worse for wear.

  The demons had acknowledged the rulership of the king, the Sergeant had announced. They would not eat any more of his people on the condition that the Bolg continue to keep away from their lands. If the Bolg violated the agreement, however, the horrors of the tales of old would seem as nothing compared to the fate the intruders would suffer. Achmed smiled as he detected the collective shiver that ran through the assemblage as Grunthor finished.

  Rhapsody remained in Elysian, delighted by her new furnishings. She had been thrilled when Achmed and Grunthor delivered her furniture and the material for her to make drapes and bedspreads, serving them dinner to express her thanks from the stores they had laid in the freshly scrubbed kitchen.