Tragedy (Forsaken Lands)

by Cooper, Sydney M.

  Aia smoothed the wrinkles in her dress, drawing a purple cloak over her shoulders that set off her eyes. Fortunately the bloodstains from her inept attempts at sewing were all on the back. Satisfied and reasonably presentable, Aia tucked her glowing kelspar necklace into her pocket for the dark ride home and set off on her horse for the town below.

  * * *

  The trail to the city was steep and ended at Nivenea's Wall ofonnea's Wf Protection. The Wall was a remnant of years past, when the inhabitants of the south side of the continent known as the Kaldari were a threat to Elseth's Lands. In the hundred or so years since the conflict, the Kaldari lagged behind the Lands of Elseth in technology. Only the border villages saw combat any longer, and even then the fighting was sporadic.

  Aia approached the stable situated at Nivenea's southern entrance. Civilian horses were not permitted in the city to maintain the cleanliness of the streets. Paying her quartz to the stable master, Aia patted Chloe's ebon-black flank and promised to return soon.

  As the sun's light disappeared and Torvid's moon rose in the sky, the kelspar lamp posts increased in luminosity. The streets were designed in the shape of a wagon wheel, with all spokes leading to the University at the center. The residential, tradesman, market and political districts were all in their own distinct quarters, making navigation in the city simple for traveling delegates.

  Nivenea was far larger and more advanced than the tiny village Aia grew up in. Although she called Nivenea home for close to 9 years, she was still struck by its magnificence. The structures were tall and made of whitestone from the Northsea Mountains, glistening with tiny flecks of silver ore. Solitary trees stood outside the buildings, a mix of apartments and single-dominion residences. Unlike Aia's home village, every dwelling in Nivenea had internal plumbing and sewage. It was unspeakable luxury.

  The lights became brighter and the stream of people thicker as she neared the University. People were packed in shoulder-to-shoulder, reminding her of the many reasons why she chose to live outside of the bustle of the city.

  Easily the largest building in Nivenea, the University was twice the size of Seldat and contained far more people. The University trained healers, farmers, engineers, clergy and leaders, and housed them all within its walls. It was the central location of all history and knowledge in Elseth's Lands. The upper floors were reserved for those training, but the lowest and largest floor was open for the public. The governor and governess resided in the highest floor.

  The entrance to the ball was humming with activity when she finally squeezed her way to the door. Chefs were running to and fro, noblemen and women were disrupting traffic as they stopped to talk with people they knew. Aia ducked and weaved through the crowd to enter the building, the great expanse of the ballroom laid out before her. She recognized several officials immediately - Telani, baron of the healer's guild, Heshi the print master, and Nixx, busy chatting up the governess of Nivenea with her husband.

  Aia's cheeks flushed. Her simple but elegant gown did not compare to the bejeweled costumes of the most powerful people in Nivenea. Most of the passers-by chose to ignore her, and those who spared her a glance seemed chiefly unimpressed.

  The experience was already living down to her expectations.

  One of the University orderlies was in the process of welcoming her to the event when she saw a very familiar face heading towards her. Tall, dark and perpetually cheerful, Kyren dodged through the crowd to reach her. A smile blossomed on Aia's lips.

  "Aia!" Kyren clasped a hand on her shoulder, ushering her to the periphery of the room. "Thank the skies you came! I didn't know you had an invitation. Where have you been?"

  An orderly came by with a sweet, fizzy drink, which Aia grabbed with quickness. She leaned against the wall, instantly at ease. "All the vaginas in Nivenea are filled with the suppurative malady. I've been busy."

  Kyren guffawed, "No need to be vulgar. People in high society don't appreciate it."

  "I always found it entertaining."

  "Well of course you did. Look at them," He glanced in the direction of a gaggle of young women, all of them conspicuously dressed in apprentice healing robes, gaping at Kyren and Aia. "You're still their favorite person."

  Kyren was an apprentice in the trade district's asylum, nearing his final year. He was the only person she still spoke with from her time at the University.

  "Work must be scarce if they've nothing to wear but healing robes," Aia remarked.

  "Is that really how you want to spend the evening?"

  The touch of alcohol and the company of a good friend warmed her soul as she sipped on her drink. "We'll see."

  A band of strings and wind began to play in the background, and orderlies with plates of food began to appear. Fire danced along the walls of the pyramid's core, which could be seen on all levels of the University, the central support for the spire.

  Kyren and Aia found a less-congested corner to talk in, catching each other up on their respective lives. Kyren rattled on about his clinic where he treated blight-touched children. He was alive with the newness of his experiences. Aia absorbed the knowledge he imparted through his stories just as eagerly. Lacking an apprenticeship herself, she had to work harder to gather her fund of knowledge.

  "And what have you been doing to keep busy? Surely there is more to life than vaginas." Kyren asked. They had finally claimed a table barely large enough to hold their drinks. The nobles were on the floor beginning their ritual dances.

  "My life is much the same as always." She shrugged. "A bit busier what with the droughts. Farmer's children move into the city when the crops go bad, they start whoring. It's the same story over and over."

  Kyren nodded solemnly. His drink was running low. "The Greens say that the next growing season will be better."

  "More hope? They've been talking that nonsense for three cycles now. Do you really think they mean it?"

  "I don't know." He paused, his dark eyes shifting away from her gaze. "There has been talk about whole cities collapsing. Conflicts, threats… They say Nivenea is the only city that’s holding together."

  "I've heard that too." She didn't know what else to say. The cheerfulness of the music drew a sharp contrast with their somber conversation. "But what can we do? We keep going. Let the clergy sort out the rest."

  He smiled, just a little, and lifted his beverage. "To whoring."

  Aia laughed, touching her glass to his. "Whoring indeed." They drained their glasses as if to drown out the negative talk swirling around them. The droughts and the political climate were on everyone's minds and in everyone's conversations. Despite the grim reality of the decline, they still got up every day, did their jobs, and celebrated the passage of time in public rituals. It was how they fought the gods' war.

  Their conversation died and they took to watching the dancers in silence. Aia was almost happy to see Nixx approaching their table.

  Short, spry and light-complexioned, Nixx had an overwhelming personality when she wasn't passed out on Aia's sickbed. She wore an elaborate green velvet shift trailed by a gold cloak. The full getup would cost as much as Aia made in a year.

  "Madame Aia!" With a wide smile and a large, loud voice, everything about Nixx was bigger than her tiny body. "So good to see you here!" Aia rose for Nixx's embrace, forcing a politely pleased look.

  "I wouldn't miss it. This is Kyren, an old friend of mine from the University. He's an apprentice healer. I'm sure you've heard of Baroness Nixx from the resident's quarter."

  Kyren bowed his head in deference to the baroness. "I'm honored to meet you."

  Nixx clapped her hands together. "Just wonderful, wonderful! I love to see young people learning and getting on with life. Your friend here is an amazing woman, Kyren. I don't know what I'd do without her."

  The amusement in Kyren's eyes made Aia blush. She could already imagine the jokes he would make later. "Don't I know it."

  "Well I'm sorry to take her away from you but there is someone s
he just has to see." Nixx took Aia by the arm and lead her out towards the crowd. "It's been lovely meeting you."

  Aia tossed Kyren an apologetic wave. He looked as if he was about to burst with laughter.

  "How have you been, Baroness?" Aia asked, struggling to keep up with Nixx. Though she was small, Nixx had the agility of a rabbit.

  "I’m fantastic, Aia."

  Aia probed the Baroness' mind and found no evidence of further tincture abuse. She couldn't imagine why Nixx would ever need more energy than she already had. It was no wonder she passed out after a week of using the brew.

  "Aah, yes, Lenna. There you are."

  Aia went dizzy at the sound of the woman's name. When she pushed past the last few humans standing in her wady ng in hy, her knees nearly gave way. Lenna stood beside her husband Alteas, who was talking with some other dignitary. Both of them were dressed in clothes studded with beads and precious stones. Lenna's long, dark hair was pulled back modestly, eyes a piercing crystal blue. A bright white dress set off her rich, dark skin.

  "Gov'ness." Aia was breathless. She had seen the governor and governess from afar many times over the years, but had never dreamt of speaking to them. She felt like a peasant in her makeshift garb and working shoes, greeting the most powerful leaders in Elseth's Lands. She hesitated even as Lenna reached out to take her hand.

  "You must be Aiasjia, Dolores's granddaughter, correct?" Lenna spoke more smoothly than anyone Aia had ever met, a tribute to her skills in domestic affairs.

  "Yes," Aia cleared her throat. "I didn't know you were acquainted with my grandmother."

  "Mm." Lenna's jewels flashed as she shifted her weight. "My mother grew up in the same district as your grandmother. They attended ritual together even when I was a young girl."

  "I see." Aia looked at Nixx, unable to shield her discomfort. It was all she could do to keep herself from screaming into Nixx's mind, why did you bring me here?

  "Nixx tells me you're a healer." Lenna continued as if she didn't notice Aia's social terror.

  "I… wouldn't say that. I just… I do what I can to help the people up in the god's hills. I'm not even a member-"

  "Aia here is being too modest. She's gifted. Just like I told you! I'd trust her before any of these University brats and that's the truth." Nixx beamed.

  Why are you doing this? Treating lower officials and barons was well enough, but Aia had made a concerted effort to avoid the attention of governors or clergy. While her business was not precisely illegal, it was not something that was considered moral, either.

  For the first time, Alteas turned his attention to Aia. His chestnut hair framed his face perfect as a painting. "You enjoy what you do, Aia?"

  "Yes." Her voice was low and quiet.

  Lenna and Alteas exchanged glances. Counter to her personal ethics, Aia rummaged through their thoughts.

  A flood of complex shared memories came at her too quickly to categorize. There was too much noise in the room to parse what was going on, but whatever it was, they were trying to keep it a secret. There was suspicion, anger, fear in their minds; the uncertainty did not inspire confidence.

  "Good." Alteas spared a smile for Nixx, "Your reputation precedes you, Madame Aia. You're as humble as a mouse."

  "I… thank you…"

  "Now, you'll understand that we have many friends to greet here. We wouot;here. Wld like you to meet us on the second floor once the ball concludes.” He took his wife's hand and gave Aia a curt nod. "I'm sure we will speak again, healer."

  Nixx's hand was on Aia's shoulder. It felt like that hand was holding her up as the leaders walked away.

  "I don't understand," Aia murmured.

  Nixx handed Aia another glass of sweet fizz. "When they asked me how I got better after being so sick I told them about you. They were very impressed and I was so pleased that they wanted to meet you."

  "Why…?"

  "Darling! It's hard to find a real healer in this town, one who knows how to keep her lips sealed. I knew you weren't doing what you could for yourself so I told them you would be here."

  "And what could they do for me?"

  "Find you a place in the University of course!"

  Aia stopped walking in tandem with a lull in the music. The chatter of hundreds of guests filled the air. "The University?"

  "I know it's what you want. It's what you've always wanted, I can see it! And you deserve it." Her loud voice quieted for once, "Really, I am grateful for all you've done. I want to help you."

  Aia tightened the control of her words, "Nixx, I'm glad you're happy. I'm glad you're thankful. But really, I mean it; I'm doing what I want to do. All of this?" She motioned around the hall, "I had it once. It's in my past."

  She could feel a certain sorrow in Nixx's spirit, quickly overcome with her forceful optimism. "You never know what the future might hold."

  "I suppose you don't." Aia smirked. Though she had little faith in the gods, she still remembered the most emphatic teachings of the clergy. They said that life was composed of three stages: tragedy, suffering, and redemption. In her short life, Aia had seen all three stages in excess. The time for adventure was long past. She knew her future, and from

  what she could imagine, it would never take her beyond Layvin's Embrace.

  Chapter 2

  Aia spent the rest of the evening dancing and talking with Kyren, falling into the comfortable give and take of their long friendship. Aside from her unexpected introductions to the rulers of all Elseth's Lands, Aia enjoyed her excursion. It had been too long since she had seen Kyren, so she had agreed to visit him in the following days to trade some healer's books.

  As guests began to filter outside the halls, Aia waved goodbye to Kyren and ascended the winding stairs to the second floor lobby. The th lobby was far simpler than the ballroom below, set up to function as something between a study space and a casual eating place. Hallways darted off from every corner of the moderately sized room. Aia selected a set of couches with a low-lying table, happy to be seated in the plush embrace of a sofa. The lights had dimmed throughout the University, making it difficult for Aia to keep her eyes open. She crossed her legs inelegantly and pulled out a book to read while she waited.

  It was some time before she felt the leaders coming upon her position. She hid her book behind a pillow and resisted listening in on their thoughts out of a sense of decorum. She was unable to stymie the flood of anxiousness that they brought with them. Anxious around me? Why?

  Lenna smiled at her, her heeled shoes echoing through the empty lobby. The governess sat beside her, the governor across from them. Aia’s first instinct was to lean out of reach. She suppressed the urge and returned the smile.

  “Did you enjoy your evening, Aiasjia?” Lenna asked.

  “Yes ma’am. Very much so.”

  The governor settled his elbows on his knees. Leaning over with an improper posture cast the man in a totally different light, making him look younger. He cleared his throat. “I’m sure you want to know what this is about, so I’ll get right to the matter. There is a patient which we would like you to see.”

  Her interest piqued, Aia cocked her head to one side. “Oh?” Be restrained. Be dignified. Don’t offer anything you don’t have to.

  “He’s a young man, around your age,” Lenna offered. “The son of our friend.”

  “Why not your personal physician?" Aia asked. "Paige is a more capable healer than I am.”

  “He's been involved in some legal allegations. He lost his family in one of the raids. Followers of Shelm.”

  Startled, Aia instinctively listened in on Alteas’s stream of consciousness to make sure he was not lying. It was almost worse that he was telling the truth. Followers of Shelm represented the unrest of the country people. As the land suffered, the gods appeared further away. While most frustrated citizens turned to Agnosticism or Atheism, a small population placed their faith with the god of the southern Kaldari land. As harsh and unforgiving as the Kaldari god was,
Kaldari had not suffered a decline in the previous 2 decades. The radicals believed that if they could take over the temples of Elseth’s Lands they could bring the Kaldari god north and restore balance to the world. Their perceived divine imperative made them foolhardy bold - and dangerous.

  Aia wanted no part of their business. She stammered out the best response she could come up with: “And they want him why?”

  “His father was the high priest of Ilvan. He sat on the divine council.”

  “They killed a councilmember? Why doesn’t anyone know?” She gave up on the decorum, her voice a pitch higher from the muscles clenching in her throat.

  “I expect you know why news has been kept qui">Aeen kepet,” Lenna said softly, patting Aia’s hand in a most motherly fashion. “And I’m sure you know why it must stay that way.”

  “Of course. But…”

  “The son of Ilvan’s high priest - the patient in question - has been accused of his family's murder. The council suspects that he may be a Follower of Shelm himself,” said Alteas.

  “Oh,” Aia replied numbly. “And you want me to heal a Follower of Shelm now.”

  “He is most certainly not one of them. The council would like to hang the first man they find connected to Dayle’s murder, never mind that it’s Dayle’s son. Dayle would never forgive me if I let them… if I gave them…” Alteas took a long breath to compose himself. Aia could do nothing but stare at him, stricken. “I have to perform my own investigation before he is presented to them. It is my prerogative as governor to treat prisoners as I see fit, and right now I do not believe that turning him over to the priesthood would constitute justice. Not for him and surely not for Dayle.”