by Cory Huff
Liam looked at Sophronia who nodded. “Let’s make them guess a little bit more, search a bit longer. But let’s stay together. Aidan, stay close. You’re too fast for us to keep up.”
Aidan nodded and bolted down the alley a few feet away, failing to heed Sophronia’s request to stay together. The weeds growing between the cobblestones were nearly as high as his waist. They had displaced the crooked tiles, and he almost turned an ankle stepping on a loose stone. He slowed down a bit. More buildings of similar height flanked this alley. Perhaps they had been warehouses?
Thoughts flashed through Liam’s mind as he tried to keep up with Aidan. What had the people here been like? Did he need to be worried about the monsters they heard about or was that just at night? Would they be able to find their way out if they went deep into the city?
“Aidan!” Sophronia hissed, trying to remain quiet. Aidan stopped and responded, “I’m over here.” He stepped out of an alley. They saw him and jogged after him.
“There. That balcony. That house has a second floor. Perhaps we could hide in the house and defend ourselves if it comes to that,” he said. He ran for the house.
Liam and Sophronia emerged from the alley to watch as Aidan sprinted to the house. The door was locked. He nodded, backing up and looking at the balcony. The door there was open. He backed up the other side of the street and sprinted straight at the house, leaping up and stepping on the wall, using it to push his momentum to the side as he turned in the air and grabbed the bottom of the balcony. He muscled himself up and climbed over the balcony railing. He looked inside the open balcony door and then looked back. “Let’s hide in here! I’ll open the front door!” He went inside and shut the balcony door.
They ran to the house, Liam shaking his head at Aidan’s athleticism. Just as they got to the door, it opened, and Aidan was there, smiling. “Come on, hurry!”
The interior of the house looked like it had belonged to a someone with means, but not overly wealthy, thought Liam. The floors were hardwood, smooth and intact, covered with several woven rugs. There was a large, rectangular couch upholstered with luxurious, dark red fabric. The heavy white curtains covering the large front window were already down. The wallpapered walls held several paintings of the ocean. Perhaps a sea trader? Sophronia had told him that there used to be a vast empire across the sea with which Atanians did trade. It’s possible that Ghealdar had done the same.
Aidan locked the door behind them, “We should be as quiet as we can now. Hopefully, they will go by us and not find us.”
Liam nodded, and so did Sophronia. Liam pointed upstairs and said very quietly, “bedrooms in the back we can hide in.” They all nodded again.
They quietly walked up the stairs and filtered to the back of the house. There were three rooms up here, each with a bed and various furniture. One had been a child’s room. There were cloth dolls and a stuffed animal - perhaps a bear? Another place could have been for an older child or a teenager. The bed was bigger, and there was an elegant writing desk. It was untidy. The room in the back was the largest, with a big four-post, canopied bed. The curtains had been drawn back on the bed, but the window curtains were down. There was a picture frame on the ground. Sophronia picked it up, and broken glass tinkled out onto the floor. There was a small painting of a family: mother, father, and two children. They dressed in their best finery. He wore a strange blue vest with a pin in the shape of a ship on his left breast. Mother was in a finely wrought blue dress with expensive beadwork. The teenage girl and the little boy looked happy. This was a family that had been happy.
For some reason, the painting shook him. Ghealdar had such a negative reputation with everyone on the Thir, but Atanians knew nothing about it. The books in the Hidden Atania library had mentioned Ghealdar only in passing, as trading partners and as a separate kingdom. Whatever happened in Atania had happened here too, but much worse. Half of Atania had been destroyed in a war nobody remembered and then hidden from the survivors until Sophronia had discovered it. There had been tens of thousands of people, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people here in Ghealdar. Did the same war destroy them? Was there anyone left?
Aidan closed the door most of the way. Liam sat down on a straight-backed wooden chair in the corner. Sophronia sat down on the bed, staring at the family in the painting. They waited quietly to find out if they had gotten away.
"Search that house."
Aidan, Liam, and Sophronia clenched their weapons and tried to breathe quietly.
Several long minutes went by, punctuated by muffled talking.
Aidan started to edge towards the door. Sophronia grabbed his arm and shook her head no.
An hour went by, and they heard nothing.
Aidan sighed and started creeping toward the door. Sophronia grabbed his arm, and he shrugged it off. The door creaked ever so slightly as he opened it. Sheathing his sword and ax, he went to all fours and crept forward to the balcony doors. He pulled back a corner of the balcony door curtain and saw nothing. He crouched, reaching up to turn the door handle and cracked the door just enough to see out. No movement. He opened it a little more and duck-walked onto the balcony. There was nobody on the street.
He stood up and saw someone lying in the street — the shaman who had been leading the Black Raven warriors. There was a pool of blood underneath him. There were crows everywhere around his body. They hadn't started eating him, but they were investigating.
Aidan felt a surge of emotions. He felt a grim satisfaction at the death of the kin of the ones who killed his father. However, he was also shaken — one moment the Black Ravens were pursuing them, intent on murder. Now their leader was dead, and the warriors were gone. What was going on?
He crept back and told Liam and Sophronia. They looked at him, eyes wide.
Sophronia turned to Liam, "This is a plot twist. What do you think? Some trap?"
Liam shook his head. "With all of the crows out there like that? I doubt it. If there were people still nearby, the crows wouldn't be there. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm inclined not to go exploring anymore today. If we stay the night and they haven't returned in the morning, we can probably assume they're gone for good."
The next morning, they crept out of the house at first light. With nobody on the street except the half-eaten body of the shaman, it was quiet. The silence was unsettling after two weeks of traveling with the Bloodstones.
A loud caw escaped the beak of one of the gorged crows. It startled everyone, and they laughed nervously.
"Where should we look for the teacher Elder Kaufman mentioned?" asked Aidan. The crow took one hop towards them, cocking its head and watching them.
"I don't know," Liam replied absently. "I think we should get away from here though. Let's go that way." He pointed down the street. "If I were a mysterious Sidhe who was a master of the Ogham, I would live in the center of the city, wouldn't you?"
Sophronia smiled, "You take the lead. You seem to know the next chapter."
Aidan turned and walked up the street, trying to ignore the crow that hopped after them.
5. Not the Teacher
Liam walked through the streets of Ghealdar followed by his younger compatriots. It had once been a great city, the capital of some wealthy kingdom. Was it the same one as the one in the books, wondered Liam? They wandered for hours through the streets, taking in what they saw. The area they had hidden in last night had been full of a mix of houses and storage facilities. There were buildings of every kind and size. They discovered boxes and crates, but they ignored most of them. They weren’t here for treasure.
They eventually escaped the warehouses and moved into a neighborhood full of houses that looked similar to the homes they all occupied in Atania. Small, compact, and affordable for people who worked for a living. They walked through row after row of houses, moving toward the center of the city. Some streets were clear with just a few weeds growing out of cobblestones. Some roads had huge trees growing out of the center or even, in o
ne instance, out of a house.
At one point Sophronia had murmured, “Well, this place certainly sets a mood.” Aidan had barked out a surprised, nervous laugh and Liam had smiled.
There were occasional skeletons of animals and even people. They tried not to think too hard about whatever had killed the people. There were signs of violence. Claw marks. Sword marks. Cracked skulls and broken bones.
Suddenly, there were a lot more skeletons.
They rounded a bend in the street, and it opened up to a city square. The square was enormous, more than 100 yards across. There was a palace on one end, its gates broken, twisted, and shattered. The metal was partially melted. The palace itself bore the marks of massive fire and structural damage. Turrets were missing, presumably laying in the courtyard behind the palace walls. The front doors were open.
Beyond the palace, lining the courtyard, was a row of burned buildings, virtually nothing more than collapsed charcoal with trees and bushes growing out of them.
In front of the palace and the burned-out wreckage, filling the square, was a massive white boneyard. There were thousands of bodies, desiccated and bleached. No wonder there were so many crows here, thought Liam. The bones stuck up like the mass of brambles that surrounded the city. Thick and sharp, the bones seemed like ramparts and sharpened stakes set to defend the final resting place of the dead.
There had been some battle here. They could see armor, rusted and useless, among the bodies. Most of it bore the marks of destruction that betrayed the metal’s ultimate failure before its owner succumbed to death. There were swords, pikes, and hammers. They saw bows and the spent shafts of arrows. Most of the bodies had some semblance of uniforms. They were or had been a bleached green. There were symbols and sigils on the outfits. They saw chains, trees, and boats embroidered into the uniforms, all white stitching on that bleached green background.
Liam chest constricted with horror. This destruction was breathtaking. He thought for a moment that perhaps all the people of Atania could fit in this square. What could have caused this much death? What did this? Why?
Aidan wept and knelt on the ground, head down. His tears ran freely.
Sophronia nodded her head. “I think we know why nobody wrote down what happened.”
Liam looked at her in disbelief. “What?”
She gestured vaguely at the courtyard, “There was some war. Nobody wrote it down because they all died. It escalated very quickly, which is why there are no books about it and why the death count is so high. This is what we’re here to find out Liam!” She seemed to grow more excited the more she spoke, “How did Elder Kaufman know about this? Was the Ogham the power used to cause this destruction? This is it, Liam! This is the story I’m meant to tell!”
Aidan looked up, “By the Creator, what is wrong with you?”
Sophronia stopped and looked at him, blinking. “What?”
Aidan was shaking, “Look at this suffering Sophronia. Look at it!” He pointed a trembling finger at the boneyard, “These people suffered horribly. They died with swords in their guts, and all you can think about is the stories you’ll be able to tell?”
“Well, it is sad, sure, but it happened a long time ago Aidan,” She began.
“I don’t care how long ago it happened! Look. At. It.” Aidan was furious. “You look at this and think about how you are going to make your reputation from it, how everyone will love you and your songs. These are real people Sophronia!”
Sophronia looked at Liam. He shook his head, a sad, sorrowful look on his face. She took a breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset either of you. Yes, this is very sad. I’m sorry. It is unfortunate. I guess I have a different point of view. I’ve been singing about battles for all my life. Handed down songs that didn’t have any true meaning for me. This is the first time I’ve seen first-hand what those songs are describing. I … I guess I get it. What inspired those songs. This is … overwhelming.”
Aidan turned away, walking back the way they had come. He locked his fingers behind his head and breathed deeply. “I need a few minutes,” he said as he walked away.
Liam put his hand on Sophronia’s shoulder. “I think I understand where you’re coming from. I appreciate the explanation. I don’t agree with you, but I get it. I look at this, and I feel more like how young Aidan does. I weep for the cruelty of the people who made them kill each other like this.”
Sophronia thought for a moment, then responded quietly, “It is horrible. Truly.”
“It is indeed horrible. I’m glad you feel that way young one,” a deep woman’s voice spoke aloud. They whirled to the left of the courtyard and saw a woman approaching them from further down the street they were on. It was a woman with pale skin and long brown hair that practically shone in the sun. She wore reflective, lightweight plate armor. It was expertly crafted for her short, tiny frame, allowing maximum movement while still protecting her. She had a leather and metal scabbard with a sword whose brown, leather-wrapped pommel looked well used. There was nothing fancy about the sword. It was utilitarian, and Liam had no doubt she knew how to use it. She had round brown eyes. Surely this is the teacher that Elder Kaufman had sent them to find.
Her ears were pointed. Liam thought of Mindee, the deadly assassin, and flinched away, preparing to run. Sophronia seemed to have the same reflex. Her hands were going to her weapons.
“Easy young woman, I’m not going to hurt you.” The woman’s voice was slightly gravelly as if she had spent much time shouting. She stopped perhaps twenty feet away from them and rested her left hand on the pommel of her sword. “Welcome to Ghealdar. I’m sure you’ll regret coming here.”
Liam watched as Aidan heard the woman and whirled around. “Why would we regret coming here? Who are you?”
She looked at Aidan, eyeing him up and down as though appraising an opponent who might attack her but not fearing for her life. She spoke to Sophronia, “Whatever you came here for, it’s not here. You will not get the full story.”
She turned to Aidan, “I will not teach you to fight.”
She looked at Liam, “And whatever control you seek, whatever tutelage you desire, will come at a cost you may not be willing to pay. You will see things here that might drive you mad. You will not find the inspiration the lost soldiers from the Thir seek on their vision quests. There are no visions here. Only blindness and death. And Darkness.”
It was her: the voice from his dream. She was the voice of the crow. Liam felt dizzy.
She paused to watch her words land. “My name is Badb.”
Sophronia gasped. Then she clapped her hand over her mouth.
Badb blinked at Sophronia. “You know of me?”
“Yes. The Shapechanging General. You’re one of the Morrigan sisters.” Sophronia gulped, “I know snatches of stories about you. You’re a general, and a fierce warrior, leading from the front. Always the first to join combat.” Sophronia whirled around, looking at the boneyard. She looked back at Badb, hesitating and seeming to struggle with some decision or question.
Badb smiled grimly. It didn’t touch her eyes. “As I said, in Ghealdar, there is only death.”
Liam took a deep breath and spoke, hesitatingly, “Badb, we were told that you could help us learn the Ogham.”
Her eyes flashed with anger, “Who told you that ridiculous tale?”
Liam felt taken aback. “An elder of our community. His name is Kaufman.”
Badb suddenly closed the distance between them, grabbing Liam’s chin and looking in his eyes. She was short but powerful, and she wrenched Liam’s neck down to make him look at her. Aidan put his hands on his weapons and Badb spoke, “If you draw those weapons it will be the last thing you ever do child.”
Aidan didn’t argue. He froze. So did Sophronia.
Badb stared into Liam’s eyes, searching him. He resisted the urge to fight her, to resist. Her eyes bored into his soul. Her piercing gaze suddenly struck him as ancient. She had seen things that he couldn’t imagine.
He saw pain, anguish, and frustration. He also saw a capacity for joy and pleasure. She seemed tired. He felt sad for her. Alone here in Ghealdar for so long. If she was Sidhe, she had known a life long before this one, and something kept her trapped here.
“Stop!” she shouted and shoved him back. He stumbled backward and fell to the ground hard. “How dare you? Has no one taught you anything? You cannot look!” She drew a ragged breath. “Answer me!”
Liam opened his mouth. Nothing came out - he didn’t know what to say. He had never felt such depth of loneliness or such capacity for joy. Her mind…he realized he had been inside her mind. He had felt her feelings. How had he done that? The Ogham was getting him in trouble again.
“Badb, he doesn’t know the forms,” Sophronia said quietly.
“One more word out of you girl and you’ll join the boneyard,” Badb spat. Her delicate features were red with anger. She looked at Liam again. “You grew up outside of the Sidhe? Your parents did not teach you where you come from or any of our ways?”
Liam swallowed again. He was afraid to say the wrong thing, so he shook his head.
Badb looked him up and down again. “You are of the Sidhe, but also of this realm.”
Liam nodded even though he was unsure what that meant.
“Never do that again. Never look into my mind again. Do you promise?”
Liam nodded even though he had no idea how he’d done it in the first place.
“Come back here tomorrow in the mid-morning. I will teach you our ways. Leave your friends. Come alone. I will help you learn enough not to hurt yourself. I can’t promise more than that. Now leave. I don’t want to see these two again. Don’t tell me where you are going. Moreover, one more warning: wherever you are hiding, never leave or go outside at night. It will be your death.”
The three of them were holed up inside a house just to the West of the boneyard. They were taking the don’t go outside after dark rule seriously and had drawn the curtains shut to make sure nothing could see them inside.