by Taylor Leigh
‘They use a kind of hypnotic suggestion. If you keep listening to what they say, the meaning starts to bleed through until you subconsciously believe it. In this case, the Daemons seem pretty clear that they want spores and violence to spread. The spores are probably a type of transmitter, to make the brain more in-tune to the message. Some people—not many—mind you, have brains that can actually hear the subconscious messages, as our friend here can.’
‘What are these Daemons? Are we in danger?’ Victoria asked.
‘They’re the evil power you all fear on Scrabia. Except they’re not some mystical god, they’re living creatures made of negative energy. A living, sentient species, just like you. Not as clever, mind you, but similar enough. They’re pure energy, and the darker and more miserable the Realm, like Scrabia for instance, the more prevalent they are. Wherever there are sentient beings you’ll find a population of Daemons as well. Just like plague rats.
‘Daemons are nasty little parasites. They’re not really physical beings, like you and I are, so you can’t touch them or fight them, and for the most part, they can’t do much physical harm to you. What they can do is feed off of you. Possess you. They like your emotions, bad emotions, and they will do whatever they can to make you feel those. And these spores are a lovely way to make that happen.
‘It’s hard for a big number of them to break through the boundaries Realms have to keep them out. They don’t have the genes to jump, but that’s getting a bit technical. But, if someone on this side were to open a door, well then, that would make things a hell of a lot easier. If people’s minds are open enough…the spores must act as a way to open people’s minds. It makes them complaisant, as you said, open to anything. That’s what can let them in. And then they’ll come streaming across, just like rats.’
‘What about Andrew,’ Victoria cast her friend a worried look. ‘Is he at risk?’
‘Nah,’ Tollin dismissed her worries a bit more nonchalant than she would have liked. ‘Andrew’s mind is stronger than most. He’s not easily swayed. It’s amazing, and must be due to his mental power that he was able to hear them. Only a very rare amount of people can hear them without being influenced, but Andrew managed to hear them without being influenced on his first try. Impressive!’ He narrowed his eyes as he turned to Andrew. ‘Tell me, have you ever heard voices before?’
Andrew glowered. ‘Of course not! I don’t believe in any of this spiritualistic poppycock! People are all so intrigued about it in the big cities, mediums and séances and the like; it’s all utter nonsense! Tricks!’
Tollin’s frown deepened. ‘I wouldn’t go dismissing the supernatural that fast.’ He held the notebook up. ‘This proves it. Whether you like it or not, Andrew, I believe you might be a medium, and a powerful one, at that. You’ve probably been hearing and seeing things longer than you’d like to admit and these spores probably helped increase your ability. Don’t be surprised if you start noticing more things around you others can’t see.’
Andrew huffed his breath. ‘I believe in the real world, Traveller, not a bunch of spirits and goblins that haunt lesser people’s dreams. If something does not have a logical explanation, then I have no use for it.’
Tollin gave a slight shrug. ‘Right. Makes no difference to me. Use or ignore your gifts however you like.’
‘You certainly know a lot about these Daemons,’ Victoria said suspiciously.
‘Yeah,’ Tollin said heavily. ‘I’m somewhat of an…expert.’
Andrew leant back with fingers pressed together. ‘I don’t trust things I can’t see. I don’t believe these Daemons are behind it, but…’ He frowned again at the notebook and picked it up, tracing one of his long, pale fingers over the Daemonic writing Tollin had just scribbled down. ‘I will not doubt something inexplicable is happening. Those spores, whatever they did to my mind, made me want to obey them. Whatever kind of suggestive power they have, it’s strong. Now that you’ve spelt it out, I know that I wanted to distribute the spores, and I can’t explain why. This all seems suspicious to me but I won’t discount the fact that these spores are somehow subconsciously suggesting to people to do things. Perhaps it is their way to propagate. Improbable is still probable, however unlikely it appears.’
Victoria pondered his words. ‘I’ll have to remember that. Rolls off the tongue nicely.’
‘Well,’ Tollin said darkly. ‘That explains why the spores are entering the streams. The Blaiden are probably being influenced to distribute them—by Daemons or by the spores themselves, whatever you want to believe. That’s also why the Denizens sent them in the first place. And why a few people in the village have been acting up. They’ve most likely been in contact with either water or spores from the south.’
‘I figured that much on my own,’ Andrew nodded. ‘Everyone in our village who has acted up has been down into Blaiden territory. Or in contact with the spores somehow. The question is how are the normal citizens getting them? They’re not travelling down to the south to trade with the Blaiden. They’re getting them from somewhere else.’
‘We’ll have to assume there’s a middle man, which is puzzling, since the Blaiden are not exactly on friendly terms with you Tartans,’ Tollin muttered. ‘Again, must be because of the spores.’
‘Even if we find these spores and manage to destroy them at the source, the Denizens will still send more up if they’re being told to!’ Victoria moaned.
‘Not necessarily,’ Tollin said. ‘My friend down there, with the help of your cousin, Victoria, should be on her way to solving that problem.’
‘What?’ Victoria gasped. ‘Reginald is actually helping? I can’t believe that!’
Tollin smiled. ‘It’s a year of impossible things, Victoria.’
Thedric and Molly burst into the room at that moment, effectively putting an end to their discussion.
‘Whoa,’ Molly froze. ‘Did we miss an important meeting?’
Andrew shut the notebook with a heavy thump! ‘No. Simply talking.’
Molly narrowed her eyes, unconvinced, but went on anyway. ‘Great. Guess what? You know how the village gathering is tomorrow?’
‘What village gathering?’ Victoria interrupted.
Molly gawked at Andrew, scandalised. ‘You didn’t tell her about the gathering! I told you about it weeks ago!’
Andrew rolled his eyes irritably. ‘Oh, do leave me alone! I’ve more important things to think about than your stupid little village get-together!’
Molly’s lips tightened. She turned to Victoria. ‘Well, every year at the end of summer all of the close villages get together for a few days of celebration and fellowship. We all bring our best achievements and sell things and eat a lot and it’s absolutely brilliant. This year it’s at Flotsen, which is only about a three hour ride away. Most of the village is going to be packing up and riding out later, but we’re going to the ocean today! We’re going to have a picnic and see how Andrew’s lighthouse construction is going on and then ride down the beach to Flotsen for the festival!’
Andrew let out an intolerant moan.
Victoria stood, excited. In the months she’d been here, she had never been to the ocean—besides her trip with Tollin—which she figured was completely unfair, since it was so close. She shoved Andrew.
‘Oh, don’t make a fuss, you’re coming!’ She grinned. ‘A trip to the beach may be just what you need.’
The beach was all that Victoria pictured. A splotchy grey sky was trying but failing to keep the sun away, the water was freezing and a persistent breeze was blowing, but Victoria couldn’t imagine it any better. The beach was deserted for the most part, save for a few fishermen who’d pulled their boats to shore to fix their nets and clean their catches and the workers whom were busy on the construction of Andrew’s lighthouse at the end of the pier.
It had taken her a moment to come to terms with the vast expanse of dark, fresh water that bled into the horizon, yet her fear of the crashing waves hadn’t lasted long and soon she,
Tollin, Molly and Thedric were running through the water, chasing seagulls and building sand sculptures.
Victoria spent her time exploring the pools and walking the beach, being blown about by the wind. Watching the ocean filled her with a sense of inexplicable longing for adventure. How far did the water go? What strange lands lay beyond the horizon? Coming to Scottorr had given her a desire for adventure Victoria didn’t know she was capable of. She glanced down the beach to Molly and Tollin walking hand in hand, laughing. A grim smile pulled at her lips. She wanted to explore and she didn’t want to be alone. The simple thought almost made her laugh.
She pulled her hair away from her face and decided it was high time to go in search of her skulking friend. He hadn’t shown his face since he’d made a quick walk down the pier to see his lighthouse. She wasn’t going to spend her entire day alone walking the dunes.
When Victoria found Andrew, he was lying on his stomach, lining up rocks. He already had an impressive track of the smooth, rounded stones from the ocean set before him. Each was set in order by size and he was completely engrossed with his work. She watched him for a moment, fascinated and dismayed. This was one of those moments in Andrew’s life when he wasn’t quite himself. The morning’s drama must still have been hanging round him. She didn’t blame him. Contacting Daemons would be enough to upset anyone.
‘You’ve stayed up here by yourself since we arrived,’ she said softly, sitting down a safe distance away from him, careful to not upset him over getting too close to his work. ‘That was hours ago!’
He had found a pleasant spot in a small dip in the dunes. It completely sheltered them from the wind, but still allowed enough sun to be comfortable and offered a good view of the ocean. Only a sharp-eyed loner like Andrew would have been able pick it out from all the other dunes.
Andrew made no reply. His cold eyes searched the rocks. He frowned, then inexplicably swapped two round that were different colours.
‘Andrew? Are you all right?’
It was a long moment before he finally tore himself away long enough to look at her. ‘What? Yes. Fine.’ He went back to his work.
‘I know you’re upset from what Tollin said. Do you want to talk about it?’
‘No. Please be quiet.’
Victoria watched him. His light hair was tossing in the gentle breeze across his forehead, wrinkled in concentration. Andrew’s sharp features were set against the falling sun on the horizon, lighting his pale skin in a golden halo. He was achingly beautiful to her then. She desperately wanted him to look at her, to acknowledge her in some way other than a talking textbook. As much as she liked Andrew for who he was, there were times, like this, when she wished he’d just be a normal human. It was agonising to think he was the first man she’d ever grown close to and he didn’t give a thought to love. Instead, he was fascinated with his damn rocks. ‘Why don’t you come down and join us?’
‘Pshaw!’ He scoffed at her words.
‘Well, it’s better than this, isn’t it?’ Victoria glanced down towards the water.
The others were still down on the beach, crashing through the waves. Their laughter carried above the dunes to where Andrew and Victoria were seated. Victoria wasn’t much for water, but she’d swallowed her fears at Tollin’s urging. Now her skirt was soaking and the sand stuck to it eagerly. She couldn’t be happier, she decided—if Andrew would just snap out of whatever gloom was clouding his mind.
‘Come on, just stop that for now. You’ll work your way down the beach if you don’t quit soon.’
Andrew rocked back and looked down at his work, as if seeing it for the first time. His brow lowered in consternation. She could tell he was upset he’d let himself get so carried away with it. Andrew needed a distraction. Victoria wasn’t sure what good it would do, but there wasn’t much harm in trying to get him to crawl out of his tight shell. She took a deep breath and then patted her thigh. ‘Come on, come over here.’
‘What?’ Andrew cocked his head to look at her.
‘Just come over here!’ she insisted.
Andrew looked annoyed, but obeyed.
‘Now lie down,’ she instructed.
Again, Andrew frowned. ‘Why?
Victoria gave him a pointed look and he gave in. He rested the back of his head in her lap, still frowning. She glanced down at him. ‘Better?’
‘Am I supposed to be?’
She ran her fingers through his hair. ‘You shouldn’t be so stressed today. It’s a good day for you! Think of all you’ve accomplished with the lighthouse. Just relax for once. If you keep stressing like this you’re going to work yourself up for nothing.’
Andrew obediently closed his eyes as she continued to stroke his windblown hair. After a bit, ‘Is this supposed to be enjoyable?’
Victoria let out a bitter laugh. ‘I don’t know, you tell me!’
One eye opened. ‘Do you like it?’
She bit her bottom lip. ‘Yeah.’
He thought about that for a moment, a glint in his eyes. ‘Why?’
She leant over him slightly. ‘Because I like you! Doesn’t that make sense?’
‘No. You like me? I thought I’m just a cold, heartless bastard.’
Victoria pulled her fingers through his hair. ‘Well, yes, you are. But I amazingly still like you. I like spending time with you. It’s nice just relaxing every now and then. We always seem like we’re running somewhere.’
His full lips twisted into a thoughtful pout. He closed his eyes again, inhaling deeply. ‘I have to keep running. I’m afraid what will happen if I stay still.’
She sighed. ‘Well, you can be still now. I’m here.’
‘Mmm.’ Andrew was drifting away from her sleepily. His fingers ran against the skin on her arm, more than likely subconsciously on his part. They were rough from burns and stained with ink. His breathing deepened.
‘Andrew?’ Victoria asked slowly, suddenly feeling pulled by a mad idea growing in her.
‘What?’ he asked drowsily.
She timidly sucked in her lips. ‘Will you allow me to try something?’
He opened his eyes, brows lowering.
Victoria, heart pounding, slowly leant forward, resting her hands gently on either side of his face. She could feel his jagged cheekbones and the carefully cut sideburns that lined them. Andrew’s sharp eyes locked with hers searchingly. She wondered what he was looking at. He saw so much more than others did. Could he guess what she wanted, or was it such an alien thought to him it wouldn’t even enter his mind?
Victoria’s lips hovered above his; she could feel his slow breath. The smell of his skin: ink and herbs. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned and Victoria could see the gentle muscles under his pale skin move with each inhale. She closed her eyes and gently, shyly, touched her lips to his.
He didn’t respond, but he didn’t pull away either, and for the briefest of seconds, Victoria felt a rush of emotion course through her. He started to react; his soft lips pulled at hers experimentally, sending a rush of overwhelming sensation and heat through her body. One of his hands tentatively reached for her face. She felt his fingers go stroking along her cheek, sending tantalising sparks across her skin. It wasn’t meant to last, for the moment was shattered as the voices of their friends echoed up to them and grew closer. Andrew lurched up out of her lap, pushing her off of him just before Thedric, Molly and Tollin raced into sight.
Thedric panted heavily and bent over. Victoria cursed their timing, knowing she’d not likely get another chance.
Andrew’s eyes darted over to her quickly, expression unfathomable, before he turned to look back at the group.
‘Running up dunes, not my favourite!’ Thedric confessed.
Molly gave Tollin a slight nudge. ‘Beat you!’
He snorted. ‘Oh, please!’
‘Oh, nice, good spot,’ Thedric said, slogging sand everywhere as he walked round. ‘I see Andrew’s already started with the decorations. Very linear!’
They spe
nt the remainder of the afternoon walking the sandy hills, guiding their horses and watching the waves as they made their way towards Flotsen.
The festival, Victoria learnt on their walk, was to celebrate the ending of summer—the shortest season of the year. It was so short it could hardly be called a season, autumn would have been a better term, since during the month most of the trees lost their leaves to the chilling air. Already Victoria had noticed it growing steadily colder, and leaves rapidly changing their colours. In the mornings lately she had seen, with dismay, frost crystalizing on her windows. The deep freeze was definitely coming.
The deep freeze was exactly what it sounded like: a cold that hit Scottorr almost overnight, sending everything from cool autumn temperatures to freezing snow and ice in the blink of an eye. When it arrived everything would become harder until the planets realigned and warmth and spring returned.
The coming of the cold brought with it the icy reminder that her time with Andrew was running short. She realised that the passing of the planets was only five months away, and her heart sank.
By the time they reached the city it was late evening. The sun had set but the sky was still glowing with dull light. From the sounds coming from beyond the port, Victoria could tell the festivities were already in full swing. Music, laughter and the braying of animals drifted down the road, and when they finally turned their horses up into the city, Victoria was completely overwhelmed.
Flotsen was much bigger than Miol Mor. It was a thriving metropolis of staggering size. The city was laid out like a gigantic wagon wheel, focusing round the centre, which housed all the official buildings. It was obviously a sailor’s town. Taverns were on every corner, shops and vendors sold every type of fishing supply needed and large sailing ships, much bigger than Victoria had envisioned possible, were berthed in the bay. Statues of fish and sea monsters decorated the buildings, looking below on the people-packed streets.
And the people! She could not have imagined so many. Victoria saw few familiar faces in the crushing crowd as people from every city within five-hundred kilometres navigated the streets. She couldn’t stop the grin on her face at the sight of people greeting each other joyously, laughing, trading.