The Cursed Lands

by Timothy L. Cerepaka

  “Yeah,” said Rothel as he and Helnia stopped to allow a horse-drawn carriage to cross the street before them. He shook his head. “I just can’t believe what happened, though. A Draymens in Ars? That’s never happened before.”

  “I know,” said Helnia as she and Rothel crossed the street and resumed heading toward the funeral. “But Sarzen saw it. He even showed me the bone sword that it used to kill the High Priest.”

  “I’ve heard rumors that the Elect Council is already increasing security around the city,” said Rothel. “They’re trying to find out how that Draymens got in.”

  “Sarzen also told me that the Draymens said that he was just the first of many Draymens that were going to invade the city,” said Helnia. She shivered as a strong, freezing gust of wind blew through. “That must mean that the assassin knows how to get them into the city under our noses.”

  “He could have just been lying,” said Rothel, stepping over a shallow puddle as they turned the corner and began walking down the next street, which would take them directly to the graveyard. “The Draymens are supposed to be master liars and deceivers, after all.”

  “I don’t think so,” said Helnia. “If he got in without being noticed like that, then it stands to reason that other Draymens could do the same thing. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the Draymens decided to try to conquer Ars and the other mountain cities; they’ve already basically got the plains, after all.”

  “I know,” said Rothel. He scowled. “Want to bet the odds of the Elect Council actually doing something to deal with the Draymens for a change, instead of getting into dumb political arguments with each other that get nowhere?”

  Helnia chuckled bitterly. “Expecting the Elect Council to give a damn about the people or the nation is like expecting water not to be wet. They will probably just ignore it and focus on business as usual.”

  “I don’t know,” said Rothel. “The mood in the city is anger and frustration at the Elect Council for allowing this to happen. In my neighborhood, there was a man going around trying to get people to sign a petition to get the Elect Council to do something. This Draymens attack might just be the straw that breaks the back.”

  “Really?” said Helnia. “Well, maybe there is hope for the nation after all. And here I was thinking that the people were just going to sit down and take it.”

  “Yeah,” said Rothel. He went silent for a few seconds as they walked before he said, “And the Raugus wells are draining pretty rapidly, too.”

  “Don’t remind me,” said Helnia, rubbing the beads around her neck, which were warm with the Raugus energy she had put inside them before leaving her apartment earlier today. “That’s all any of the other mages talk about nowadays. But the Elect Council is the only group that can approve of a search for new Raugus, and since they’re lazy and useless, I’m not sure that will happen anytime soon.”

  “Right,” said Rothel. “I heard from a friend in the Yoresian Army that we don’t have enough Raugus to defend Ars against a Draymens invasion of the mountains. Hardly a reassuring thought.”

  “I’ve heard the same and think it is true,” said Helnia. She sighed. “I doubt the Elect Council believes it, though. They will continue to believe that we can deal with the Draymens right up until the moment they knock down the gates, flood the city, and put their heads on pikes.”

  “The appearance of that Draymens in the Sanctuary would explain all the reports I’ve heard about increased Draymens activity near the foot of the mountains,” said Rothel. “Supposedly, large Draymens raiding parties have been clashing with the Army’s soldiers over the past couple of months. I’ve heard there have even been sightings of Draymens that use Raugus.”

  “You mean, like, Draymens mages?” said Helnia, looking at Rothel in astonishment. “That’s impossible. Draymens can’t use magic.”

  “That’s just what I’ve heard from other people,” said Rothel. “I haven’t actually seen it myself.”

  Helnia shook her head. “What is this world coming to?”

  “I ask myself that question every day,” said Rothel with a shrug. “And I still don’t have the answer to it.”

  ***

  Chapter Four

  Helnia and Rothel reached the Ars City Graveyard, which was a large, well tended to plot of land located on the west side of Ars. Here there stood rows upon rows of gravestones and tombs containing the corpses of the people who had died here long ago, with some of the older gravestones and tombs going back to the founding of Ars itself, all surrounded by a metal fence that separated the graveyard from the rest of the city. The graveyard was usually pretty empty, aside from the grave keeper or visitors who came to visit the graves of their beloved departed.

  But today, the graveyard had more people than usual. The entirety of the Warrior Priest Order was here, plus a handful of people that had followed the funeral procession in order to pay their respects to High Priest Renuk. Helnia could already see that Renuk’s coffin was placed over the grave, but it had not been lowered, probably because the funeral was not over yet.

  Helnia and Rothel reached the rest of the mourners very quickly. There weren’t any seats in which to sit, so everyone was standing, including the pallbearers, who had removed their helmets and stood around the grave with their heads bowed, perhaps praying to the Dragon Gods.

  Now Helnia could see Sarzen’s head. Not his face, since his head was bowed low, but she could see his messy brown hair, especially when the wind blew it. He didn’t look up or say anything; in fact, all of the mourners were silent at the moment.

  Helnia and Rothel took up a couple of spaces on the right side of the grave, but due to how thickly the people were gathered around it, they couldn’t see it as clearly as they would have liked. Or, at least, Helnia couldn’t, since she was rather short, but Rothel was about a head taller than her and so could see the grave pretty easily.

  That was when Helnia heard footsteps behind her. Thinking it was just another funeral guest, she looked over her shoulder to see who it was and was shocked at what she saw.

  Walking up to the people standing around the grave were two people she recognized but had not expected to see here. One was a tall and strapping middle-aged man with graying dark hair, a handsome smile on his face. He wore a fancy dark suit, in contrast to the simple robes worn by the other mourners, and seemed to be in a better mood than everyone else, based on the way he walked tall. Walking beside him was a woman in her thirties who wore clothes much more suitable to the occasion; a dark, fur dress that probably kept her warm.

  Helnia was shocked because she recognized the man as Agon Cyra, a member of the Elect Council, and the woman walking by his side as his secretary, Patia. Helnia had seen Agon Cyra a few times before, usually at public events or festivals in the city. She had not, however, expected him to show up to this funeral, because the Elect Council and the Warrior Priest Order had never been on particularly good terms with each other, especially recently.

  Agon and Patia took spots next to Helnia and Rothel, though Helnia wasn’t sure if she should say anything or not. She glanced at Rothel, but Rothel had bowed his head and folded his hands just like the Priests and didn’t seem to have noticed one of the members of the Elect Council just walk up to them without warning.

  That made Helnia wonder if she should say anything to Agon or not. It wasn’t like she knew him, after all, but at the same time she was wondering what a member of the Elect Council was doing here. Was he really here just to pay his respects to Renuk? Or did he have another reason to be here?

  As it turned out, however, Helnia did not have to broach the question, because Agon glanced at her and said, in a low voice, “Sad day, isn’t it?”

  Helnia blinked, but said, making her tone as low as his, “Yes, it is. Did you know Renuk?”

  Agon shook his head. “No. We spoke a few times, of course, but we never knew each other very well. I’m merely here as the Elect Council’s representative to the funeral.”

/>   “Oh,” said Helnia. “I didn’t know that.”

  “It’s just customary, that’s all,” said Agon. “The Elect Council has always sent a representative to the funeral of the High Priest. Even though not very many people believe in the Dragon Gods anymore, we still carry on this tradition due to cultural inertia. Right, Patia?”

  Patia nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “So you’re just here because it’s traditional, then,” said Helnia.

  “Yes,” said Agon. He glanced at Helnia again, this time with a more curious expression on his face. “Did you know him, per chance? You aren’t wearing a Warrior Priest’s robes of mourning, I see.”

  “No, but my brother is and he was the one who saw him die,” said Helnia. She gestured at Sarzen, who was just visible through a gap between the people in front of her. “I came to be here with him.”

  “Really?” said Agon. His eyes darted to the necklace around her neck. “And you are a mage, too. Most mages don’t think very highly of the Warrior Priests, but your brother became one anyway.”

  Helnia shrugged. “We’re twins, so Sarzen doesn’t have to listen to me. I never opposed or supported him in the matter. He probably wouldn’t have listened to me even if I told him not to join the Order.”

  “Indeed,” said Agon. “I don’t think the Order has much time left, to be honest. With the death of Renuk, the Order will likely never rise again, at least to its former levels of glory. He was its last, best chance for revival and he screwed it up.”

  Agon sounded genuinely sorry about that, which surprised Helnia. Then again, Agon seemed to be the only member of the Elect Council who had any real respect for the Order, so she shouldn’t have been surprised.

  Before Helnia could say anything else, she felt a nudge at her shoulder and looked at Rothel, who gestured with his head toward the coffin. That was when Helnia realized that the funeral ceremony was starting; a man in white robes—probably Renuk’s successor, though Helnia didn’t know enough about the Order to be able to identify the man—stood in front of the coffin, his hands folded over his waist and a look of sorrow on his middle-aged features that fit in perfectly with the grim expressions of the other Warrior Priests.

  “Gathered friends, we are here today in order to put to rest the body and soul of our great High Priest, Renuk Tekia,” said the man, his voice deep. “His murder came unexpectedly and without warning, but a Warrior Priest knows that death can always come that way. Still, that does not change the fact that his death has hit us all very hard or that it will be difficult to adjust to our new lives without him. All of us were mentored or trained by Renuk in some ways; and for a few of us, he was the father we never had.”

  Helnia glanced at Sarzen, who stood away from the coffin with the other pallbearers, his head still down. But she knew what he was thinking; he had been one of the Warrior Priests who had seen Renuk as a father, so he was probably taking this harder than most.

  The man in the white robes was still speaking. “Renuk was a great defender of the traditions of the Order and an even greater teacher who could explain the Order’s lore and teachings to anyone. Thanks to him, the Order—though small—has remained strong and faithful to the traditions handed down to us by our forefathers, traditions defended with their very lives in some cases. The Dragon Gods have no doubt created a good place for Renuk in the Secret Heavens, where he is likely already learning the secrets of the Dragon Gods that eluded him during his time on this world.”

  Tears ran down the faces of many of the Warrior Priests, but they were silent tears because they were men trained not to let their emotions get the best of them. Agon wasn’t crying, but he did have his head bowed like he, too, was praying to the Dragon Gods.

  “But his manner of death was not merely tragic,” the man in the white robes continued. “It was also a sign of things to come. Now that one Draymens has managed to enter Ars, it is likely that even more will follow. The coming months will be some of the darkest yet for the city and for the Order, a darkness not known since the foundation of Yores. Renuk would want us, the Warrior Priests, to remain strong, however, and not to lose faith, no matter how dark the future may be.”

  Helnia wondered if it was appropriate to use the occasion of someone’s funeral to talk about this stuff, but the other Warrior Priests weren’t saying anything, so she supposed it was not worth worrying about.

  “As members of the Warrior Priest Order, we will need to stand strong, not just for Renuk, but for all of Yores,” said the man in white robes. “That is what Renuk would have wanted. He would have told us to put our faith in the Dragon Gods and to continue to pray for their blessing to return to our lands, which is what we will need in order to survive.”

  Then the man in white robes spread his hands. “Now, it is time to lower the casket into the ground. pallbearers, come forward, please.”

  The four pallbearers, Sarzen included, walked back over to the coffin. They then gradually began to lower it into the ground using a series of pulleys and ropes, while the rest of the Order and the other guests watched them do it.

  Helnia sensed that this was the end of the funeral, which took her by surprise, because she hadn’t realized it would be so short. She glanced at Rothel, who was also staring at the lowering coffin, and then at Agon and Patia, who were now muttering among themselves about something she couldn’t hear.

  I should go talk to Sarzen, Helnia thought. He will need my comfort, I think.

  Before Helnia could go forward, however, she felt a tug on her left elbow and looked down to see that it was a young boy—no older than eight—standing behind her. He wore a flat hat on his head and clutched what looked like a letter in his right hand, but Helnia had no idea who he was or where he came from.

  “Sorry, miss,” said the young boy. “Are you Helnia Alnem?”

  “Yes, I am,” said Helnia. She frowned. “Who are you?”

  “A messenger,” the young boy replied. He held up the letter to her. “I was given this letter to deliver straight to you.”

  “A letter for me?” said Helnia in surprise as she took the folded paper. “Who sent it?”

  “I don’t know,” said the young boy with a shrug. “I was just told to deliver it to you by a man I didn’t recognize. Do you have a tip?”

  Helnia dug through her purse and gave the young boy a few copper coins. The boy took the coins, smiled at them, and then pocketed them in his coat before turning and running back toward the exit.

  Helnia would have thought that rude, but since the boy had already said that he didn’t know who had asked for the letter to be delivered, she didn’t get annoyed. She just unfolded the letter, looked at the name at the top, and covered her mouth with her hand:

  It was a letter from her parents.

  ***

  Chapter Five

  Sarzen walked through the Halls of the Elect, right behind the new High Priest, Carnus Suchan, and his second-in-command, Zomo Letka. This was the very first time that Sarzen had ever visited the Halls before; due to his status as a lowly Acolyte, Sarzen had never been able to go on these kinds of trips, even though he had always wanted to go on this trip. But Carnus had decided that, because Sarzen had nearly completed his Acolyte training already, he could come along to the meeting with the Council. That Sarzen had also been the last person to see High Priest Renuk and fight that Draymens assassin was another reason Sarzen had been brought along; that way, the Council could ask him about the assassin if they wanted.

  That was why Sarzen and the others were here today, a week after Renuk’s funeral. Carnus had been promoted to High Priest just a few days ago and was now going, along with Sarzen and Zomo, to meet with the Elect Council regarding the issue of a possible Draymens invasion of the mountains.

  Apparently, the news of the Draymens assassin’s attack on the Sanctuary had caused a sudden change in the attitude of the people of Ars toward the Draymens invasion. Now they were demanding action against the Draymens, a sentiment that Sarz
en shared, because he knew just how cruel and vicious the Draymens could be and he wanted something done about them before they invaded the city, too.

  Sarzen hoped that the Elect Council would actually listen to them this time, because so far the Elect Council had been more or less ignoring the problem of the Draymens invasion, even though many towns and villages in the plains had already fallen to the might of the Draymens.

  Something tells me they won’t, though, Sarzen thought, scowling as they walked past the statues of past Elect Council members that stood on both sides of the Halls. They’re too cowardly and selfish to do what is necessary to protect the mountains.

  Sarzen then found himself wishing that Helnia and Rothel were here with him. While he trusted Carnus and Zomo to handle the Elect Council well, he was still nervous about meeting them. He had seen Councilman Agon at the funeral, but Agon had left before Sarzen could speak with him. That was good; Sarzen always felt nervous around government figures, even if he hadn’t done anything wrong. It was just a flaw of his, something he struggled with often, but doubted would ever go away.

  At least Agon attended the funeral, Sarzen thought, following Carnus and Zomo up a short flight of stairs. Better than nothing, I suppose.

  Last week, Sarzen had stayed after the funeral to talk with Helnia and Rothel, who both offered their condolences for Renuk’s death. In particular, he had appreciated Helnia’s condolences, because he had not expected her to be so thoughtful, given how she didn’t like the Warrior Priests very much.

  But Sarzen had noticed Helnia holding a letter. He asked her about it, only for her to brush off his question with a dismissive, ‘Oh, it’s nothing. Just a letter from an old friend,’ but Sarzen knew Helnia well enough to know when she was lying. That letter was far more important than she let on, but Sarzen had been so distracted and busy over the last week that he hadn’t had time to spare it much thought. He decided that he would ask Helnia about it in better detail later, after the meeting with the Council.