Iduna

by Maya Michaels

  She surveyed the pile of objects she'd dropped. She had to travel all the way back to Lawan, and this was everything she had — some dishes, the clothes on her back, and her knives.

  She staggered to her feet and began running.

  Chapter 20

  Freya quietly despaired over the food they'd just served Vilir. She and Unger stood in Vilir's tent, with heads bent and hands clasped humbly behind them. Her husband was a good cook, but there just wasn’t much food left in the area that anyone would want to eat. Vilir had already fired Unger once before, and she hoped it wouldn’t happen again. Vilir and Senbo were sitting at the table, with Vilir in the center, his dog at his feet waiting for scraps, and Senbo positioned at the end of the table.

  Vilir ate his first spoonful of the stew placed in front of him quickly and with loud slurps. He stopped and looked at the bowl with disgust. Picking it up, he hurled the bowl across the tent.

  “This is horrible. Bring me something better,” he demanded.

  Freya and Unger hurried out of the tent, responding automatically to the command. Back at the cooking area, they grabbed the wiry rabbits that had been roasting for the lower ranks. They wouldn't care. No one cared much about anything today. Fortunately the camp was packing up and would be moving tomorrow.

  “Where did Iduna go?” Unger asked her.

  “You keep asking that. I don't know.” She went about placing the rabbit on the serving dish. Thinking of Iduna abandoning them made her sadder, and she was already despondent with a haunting emptiness. She would think of their daughter Edda and couldn’t even cry.

  They went back to Vilir's tent and put the food in front of Vilir. Senbo was still eating the stew, his mind elsewhere. Vilir quickly saw that the meat was thin and stringy.

  “Senbo, why is the food horrible?” Vilir asked.

  “It's time to move. Our camp has exhausted the local food supplies.”

  “Yes, but last night's dinner was good.”

  Senbo saw his point and narrowed his eyes at the two servants. Senbo addressed them. “Where is the cook from last night?”

  “I'm sorry, but we don't know,” Freya answered. The loss of Iduna on top of everything else was too much for her. Her head fell further with despair, beyond caring what happened to her.

  “Vilir, no one should have been able to leave the camp,” Senbo said, then turned to her. “Was the cook a good friend of yours? Tell me about her.”

  The warmth in his voice comforted her, and, sensing a friend, she shared her thoughts with him.

  “Yes, she was. Her name was Iduna. We had just met her, but she was a good friend. She was always helping out, and she had such a nice way about her.”

  “Was there anything unusual about her?”

  “She knew a lot about cooking and spices.”

  “Anything else?”

  “She was always calm,” Unger volunteered.

  Senbo popped out of his chair, paced back and forth, gesturing sporadically as he held an internal conversation. Finally he swung around and pointed a finger at the two servants. Freya hated to see him upset.

  “Did she meditate?”

  “I'm sorry, sir, but what is ‘meditate’?”

  “Did she ever seem very still? Breathe slowly? Clasp her hands at her chest?” Senbo mimed the gesture, bringing his palms together in front of his chest, his head arched forward, tense and expectant.

  Freya smiled. “Oh, yes. Sometimes she was as still as a resting cat.” It was so nice to think of something pleasant. Something niggled in the back of her mind about discussing Iduna, but she grasped at the fond memory even while it faded like a sun being blocked by dark clouds.

  “I knew it! Those Lawanians are trying to stop us. But they can't.” Senbo turned to their leader. “Vilir, we're going to need to find this cook Iduna and bring her back. She shouldn't have been able to leave, and she is a loose end we can't afford.”

  “The cook was a young fighter and Ull. Why didn’t you notice her and take care of her like the others?” Vilir said, his jaw working the tough meat.

  Freya felt the question was odd. What others? How did Senbo take care of them?

  “She was Ull, but she was a little older than the others. Besides, she was clearly trained in the Path by the Lawanians. She knew how to hide her propensities,” Senbo said.

  “How are you going to fix your oversight?” Vilir asked.

  “You can change your spell on them, and we will send one of these two after her.”

  “Why not both?”

  “The one left behind will serve as motivation for the other.” Turning his attention back to the two servants, Senbo asked, “What is your relation to each other?”

  “We are husband and wife,” replied Freya.

  “Perfect.” Senbo turned back to Vilir. “We'll send the woman. She was clearly close to the girl, and I can see these two care deeply for each other.”

  Vilir nodded, his mouth grim. “Come here,” he ordered Freya. She walked to him mutely, coming around the table to stand right next to him. He looked into her blue eyes and stared quietly. His breathing changed, slowed. On one of his exhales, he hummed quietly, so only she could hear. Her eyes widened, and her pulse raced. Her palms fisted at her side, and she looked furtively between Senbo and Vilir.

  “That should be enough," Vilir said to Senbo. Looking back at Freya, he ordered her, “You are to find your cook friend and bring her back to me.” He let that sink in. “If you don't bring her to me before the next full moon, then I will kill your husband.”

  Freya was panicked. That only gave her a month.

  “This woman is no tracker. Where do you think this Iduna has gone?” Vilir asked his advisor.

  “She's on her way to report to her masters at Lawan. Go to Lawan. We will be behind you,” Senbo said. “Bring her or her head back in time, or your husband dies.”

  Freya’s world tilted and dipped.

  Vilir snapped his fingers, drawing her attention. She felt numb. She couldn’t believe this was happening. “Say good-bye to your husband, then go.”

  Freya backed away from Vilir and inched around the table to Unger, trying not to look at Senbo because his sharp gaze sent thrills of terror down her spine.

  She went to Unger and hugged him. He didn't hug her back; he seemed in a state of despair beyond comfort. His head lolled listlessly to her shoulder, his arms hanging by his side. She stepped back and tried to look him in the face. He ducked his head and wouldn't make eye contact.

  Her hand flew to her mouth to choke back a sob.

  “You heard Leder Vilir. Be back by the next full moon,” Senbo said with stone-faced conviction. He addressed one of the guards at the door. “Give her only the basics. She will take my dagger.”

  Freya left the tent reeling.

  Chapter 21

  Ten grueling days after leaving the camp, Iduna rode the stolen horse to the school's large stable. She passed the reins to the girl there. “Treat him well. He's done his duty plus some.”

  She was covered in mud from the road and hadn’t changed clothes since her dunk in the stream, but she wouldn’t wait to change. Her mind kept racing with the ramifications of Vilir’s dark power and what the Lawanians could do to stop it. She needed to talk to Sensei Angko immediately. As she strode quickly through the halls, the Institute looked a little different to her now, a little cold in spite of the spring sunshine.

  She went straight to Sensei Angko's office. His steward noticed her state and encouraged her to come another time.

  “He'll want to meet with me now,” she said.

  He acquiesced with a bow. Iduna walked by him and knocked softly on Sensei Angko's door.

  “Come in,” Angko called.

  She entered his office which only looked larger due to its emptiness and simplicity. Angko sat between two desks; one desk faced the large window, and the other faced the door. Angko turned from the one pointed toward the window and swiveled to face Iduna. He leaned back and steepl
ed his fingers, tapping his chin with them.

  “So you decided to return.” Regarding Iduna with a humorous gaze, he peered over his half-moon spectacles at her. “And you brought dirt.”

  “You'll find I brought more than that,” Iduna said.

  “Excellent. What did you bring?” Angko asked.

  “I've been living with the Ull in their grand camp in the valleys of Gaelen,” she said.

  “Indeed.” His single word and lack of reaction told her that he hadn't forgotten that she'd heard the council decide not to make contact with the Ull for fear that doing so would draw attention to and endanger their land. Angko hadn't espoused the opinion, but it had been the majority decision.

  She continued. “I know the council didn't want to get involved, but the situation is as we had suspected, very dire. The Ull have defeated Gaelen, destroying their kingdom. King Gaelen is dead.”

  “We know this.”

  “The Ull are now led by Vilir who is determined to control the entire continent. Though he is Ull, Vilir is using some dark magic that I have never seen before. He is being advised by someone named Senbo, who isn’t Ull and is focused on defeating the houses of magic in Lawan especially. They also seem to have some kind of plague running through the ranks of their young fighters. It seems connected to the dark magic Vilir is using.”

  Angko listened to her statements and looked away when she finished. “You're very excited,” Angko said.

  “Yes, I'm sorry.” She ran through her calming sequence and felt an unsettling awareness of the hollowness within her. She closed her eyes briefly and exhaled through her nose with an echoing sigh. Opening her eyes, she quickly focused on Angko. “The situation is not good, and I don't know how we can overcome his magic.”

  “What did he do while working the magic?”

  “He hummed and then he sang.”

  “You mentioned that it was 'dark magic.' What makes you say this?” Angko asked.

  “It put some kind of spell on me, made me feel angry and discontent. A fall in cold water shook me from the spell. This happened when I was outside the camp. When I tried to get near the camp, I failed.”

  “Why?”

  “I don't know. I tried to walk back to the camp, but I physically couldn't, even though I could see no wall or physical obstacle. It made me wretch.”

  “Indeed.”

  She was used to Sensei Angko being quiet, but she had expected more of a response than this.

  Now he was tapping his fingers, his open palm hovering over his desk, one finger tapping at a time in sequence; baby finger, ring finger, middle, pointer, thumb, thumb, pointer, middle, ring, baby, baby, ring …

  It was going to drive her mad. She shook herself. The Ull matter was urgent, but getting riled up wouldn't help.

  “Do you have any physical evidence?” Angko asked.

  “No, but I am a witness.”

  “That is unfortunate. In this world what has mass has weight,” he reminded her. She didn’t know what physical evidence she could have brought. There were no letters or maps with an X marking where they would invade next.

  “Nonetheless we'll call together the council tomorrow,” Angko replied at last.

  “But, Sensei Angko surely you’ll want to meet immediately,” Iduna said.

  Angko put up a single flat palm. “You know our ways. You should go to the meditation hall for the remainder of the day and practice silence. I'll call on you tomorrow.”

  Her stomach knotted with frustration. She bowed and left the room. She was tempted to speak with Tinh but thought of her accumulated acts of defiance and decided she should go meditate as requested.

  It almost killed her.

  She went to the meditation hall and found a spot among the rows of practitioners. As she sat on her heels, she sought calm. Honestly she did. But every time her long, studied exhale ended, she would think of Freya and Unger, and all the warm, loving Ull rotting from within. Would it be permanent for them? She didn’t tell Freya about Senbo being connected to the deaths of the young fighters. Why was he killing them and passing it off as a sickness? Freya had said that Edda had acted differently before she died. What was going on?

  A small gong rang, and they all started chanting. Her lips moved automatically, but her mind replayed Vilir stepping up on the stump to sing his song again and again while the echoes seemed to reverberate in her hollow chest.

  Chapter 22

  Three mornings later, after two days full of meditative walks, meditative meals, meditative cleaning—name it, and she'd meditated while doing it—Sensei Angko appeared in the dining room while Iduna was clearing away plates, meditatively.

  “Iduna, it is time for us to discuss your actions.”

  Vastly relieved, Iduna followed him to the courtyard, still wearing an apron. Finally they would discuss how they would tell the council and craft a plan of action. Perhaps they could evacuate the city until they found a way to overcome Vilir's magic.

  “The council met and considered your words,” Angko said.

  “Sensei Angko, I thought I would be there.” She tried not to show her shock.

  “There's no need for that.” Angko looked particularly serene. They walked counterclockwise around the courtyard.

  “What did they say?” she asked.

  Angko sighed as if giving up trying to get a cat to fetch. “They were glad you were back and no longer intruding on the Ull. The council requested a change in duties for you since you showed poor judgment. You are to work in the kitchens full time for a few months.”

  Her eyes went wide, then narrowed.

  “Why don't they believe me?”

  “Iduna, though you are mature and no one questions your mastery of books, you lack experience. You could have been inebriated. We know the Ull drink a hard liquor, and you have no tolerance since we don't drink spirits here.” Angko continued. “We wouldn't want inebriated acolytes causing fires or floods, would we?”

  “No, no, of course. But I wasn't drunk. I know what I saw.”

  “The council has decided. Welcome back. My suggestion is to embrace your new duties. Nothing is permanent.” He was facing her and reached out his hands to hold hers between his. They felt warm and reassuring. “Peace be with you,” he said, and, with a last squeeze of her hands, he let them go and left quietly.

  “And also with you,” she whispered after his retreating figure, trying to figure out what had just happened.

  In her clasped hands was a necklace she’d never seen before.

  Chapter 23

  Freya galloped through the shady woods of Gaelen. They'd given her a horse, a map, and a dagger. It was one of Senbo's own blades. His hate of Lawanians must be enormous if he wanted his own blade to kill Iduna, if it came to that.

  Her mind felt numb, and she couldn’t seem to think straight. They had Unger. She couldn’t lose him. She didn’t want to hurt Iduna. Why had Iduna left?

  When Freya finally arrived at the gates of Cha, she copied what the others did. She handed her horse over to the city stable. Walking into the city, she immediately felt conspicuous among the quiet dark-haired people. She rubbed her throat and wished Unger were here with her. These people moved through the squares of the city as if they were walking in a monastery, heads bowed and arms tucked in the sleeves of their robes.

  Freya felt a sharp jab of hate for them.

  Their peaceful demeanor struck her as pretentious and annoying. The buildings were beautiful but in a stark, hard way. It was a city of overwhelming simplicity. It struck her as cold, despite the warmer latitude.

  She felt some relief seeing a shop with some local clothes in the window. She walked inside, but it appeared empty. She cleared her throat. Nothing. Walking around she saw a woman sitting on a cushion with her eyes closed. What kind of place was this? In frustration, she grabbed a tunic, robe, and soft sandals and went to a corner to change. She watched the meditating woman while she pulled off her leather pants and fur boots. Part of her wante
d the woman to protest, to act normal. Tying the sandals and settling the robe over her shoulders, she emerged to see the woman still sitting. The woman hadn’t moved even once. Ridiculous. She left as a bell chimed. “Can I help you?” a woman’s soft voice called after her.

  Garbed like them and with a scarf covering her hair, Freya moved around the enormous city freely. Thinking of Iduna's talents with cooking, she concentrated on the food market.

  She felt powerless. All she could do was hope to see Iduna. It was pathetic.

  On the fifth day, she saw a youthful blonde woman weaving through the orderly group in the market. Freya followed her, growing more certain that it was Iduna though she looked very different here — her hair was smooth, practically glowing with cleanliness. Freya felt a stab of bitterness at Iduna's betrayal and lies. Seeing Iduna in this different world made Freya feel a distance grow between the person she had had an affection for and the woman who Iduna must truly be to inhabit such a cold world.

  The Lawanians walked through the city, over smooth cobblestones, and Freya wondered where this woman lived. She hoped she would be able to get Iduna alone, knock her out, and find a way to cart her out the gates.

  The young woman turned a corner. Freya hung back and peered around the building's hard edge. She watched the woman enter a small door. Now she knew where to find Iduna. As Freya considered what her next moves would be, her gaze expanded to include a broader picture of her surroundings. She slumped against the wall as she took in the grand edifice. This building was the largest within the capital. She was already leery of entering such buildings; their hard flat exteriors were intimidating. She was barely managing to blend in outside with people milling about. What hope would she have inside one of these stark monoliths? The building was enormous. She railed silently at Iduna for putting her through this.

  She would have to wait for Iduna to come outside again.