Bane clapped me on the back and smiled. “What will be good news is that you are alive and well when the right ear catches wind of it. Too long it’s been. Praise be to the Superiors.” He crunched mightily on a piece of apple. “I’m glad men like you are given, this time, lad. Soldiers need rest more than any of us. You best go and see your mother then. Your return will lift her spirits, no doubt. I’ll tell Kato to stop by sometime tomorrow. And don’t be afraid to come by and see us at home. You were like a son to us, Darwin. My wife would be glad to see you well also.”
A last clap on the shoulder sent me on my way.
Perturbed groans soughed above the market just several feet Bane’s cart. Curses and complaints wafted in the air. At the heart of it was a small, disruptive person running and knocking into the marketgoers. A girl.
“Excuse you, child!”
“—Pardon me!”
“Some manners! Where is her father?”
“Again, I apologize.”
“Bump me again, and I’ll wring your little neck!”
“Yikes!”
She shot toward Bane and me, shoving us apart. I stepped back, dodging the frenzy just in time. Bane, unfortunately, staggered and fell into his tomato-crate, red juice gushing over the back of his shirt. With a reaching hand, the merchant gripped the girl’s arm like a slender pole and brought her locomotive rampage to an end. “What do you think you’re doing, girly?”
She wore ruby-red. A small vest and ballooning trousers tucked into laced sandals formed her young ensemble. Her dark, scarlet waved hair fell in bosom-length ponytails and draped with ribbons. A coil of gold wrapped her left shoulder. Her summer-tanned face became pale. “I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to—” Suddenly as she realized whose pinching grip held her arm, she turned up a lip and snatched away. “Bane let go of me.”
The merchant growled. “Nova!”
She smacked her lips and impaled me with hawk eyes. “Darwin?”
“Nova?” I barely recognized her. She was to my chest now. Her youthful face had matured, though it still gleamed with the glaze of one on the verge of a teenager. She was fourteen this year.
She crashed into me with a hug, squeezing a long while. I spat an oomph. “You’re alive. You’re truly alive!”
“Looks that way. I’ve missed you too.”
“Did you get any of my letters? I’m so glad you’ve finally made it. Traveling from the east is treacherous, I’ve heard. I’ve been praying for so long that you’d come home soon—thank the Superiors. Momma’s gonna’ be so happy to see you.” She talked with zipping speed, moving in wild gestures.
I pat her on the back, calming her, “All is well.”
She grinned.
Bane cleared his throat. “I hate to break up the little family reunion, but look what you’ve done, Nova.” She’d knocked over his tomato crate. The ripe veggies rolled into the crowded market—kicked and squashed beneath boots and sandals.
The butcher sneered. “And to think, your mother and I were just discussing how beautiful a union you and one o’ my boys would make. Humph. You are an ill-mannered brat. It’s a good thing your brother is here to teach you a thing or two.”
Nova wore a bashful smirk, but there was a mischievous glint in her eye when she glanced up at me. She pulled me toward the crowd. “Let’s amscray,” she whispered. “Oh, and, Bane, I would never want to marry either of your sons anyway.”
Bane, who rummaged beneath his table, failed to catch the insult in time. By the time he’d realized what she’d said, we’d disappeared in the market.
“Blasted Valkyrie girl!” we heard him shout.
The chaotic sway of the market dwellers agreed with the path of our escape. We’d gone northward up the broadest of streets, often turning down alleyways where scaffolding sided tight buildings. Spans of houses stayed at our flanks, women out in yards sculpting pottery or knitting linen, their children laboring through their daily chores.
I grinned at them, remembering my housekeeping duties as a boy—the days when the world seemed full of adventure; the days when I hoped to protect the people of Lucreris. Some dream. As my thoughts meandered down the dark path my life had taken, Nova spoke.
“Three years.”
“I know. I tried to return as soon as I could, but things...”
“I understand,” she muttered. “You’re well. That’s all I ever asked. I’m glad. But you came alone again this time. How are your friends?”
“They’re... well,” I answered, my voice full of emotion—avoidance, and discomfort. I didn’t want to talk about it, like most other official business. I had to safeguard her from the unsettling dangers of martial affairs. It was part of my duties as her older brother.
She let my off-put demeanor be. “The journey home good?” she said, an avoiding tactic she’d learned from me. Usually, she pushed me about things always teeming with excitement for answers. Though I was a naturally conscious person and trained to mind as many details of my surroundings as my job demanded, I taught my awareness a little harder than usual on my way home. It was the only way I could best prepare for her harsh line of questions. I enjoyed when she’d ask about my travels, though I would never say or show it outright. It allowed me to reflect on things I’d seen and people I’d spoken with; resources that, overall, would help me in returning to the Militia.
“I was in Daryak when I was finally able to take leave,” I began. “The Militia had set out southward toward the City of Tala’Lieh and I, north to the Cronian shore.”
Nova’s eyes glittered and widened. “You’ve visited the Northern Kingdom?”
“Hardly. I’ve traveled through it. Three cities and a port town and then, finally, across the sea to Memoria’s northern shore.”
“Three cities? That’s amazing. I’ve read that Cronia gleams of diamonds because the walls of ice and snow covering the Chrysaor Mountains shines like blinding light. Is it true? Have you seen it? What about the floating hills of Crusadia? Have you seen them? Tell me.”
“Well, I spent several cold, long days crossing the Arinor Plains. The Northern Kingdom’s shining capital was too far north, I mean, leagues upon leagues away, on the other side of Lake Endom. And Crusadia—the city would’ve put me a thousand leagues in the opposite direction. But, I’ve traveled to many places and encountered more races since last, we spoke. The eastern forests are teeming with goblins and trolls, and it’s true what they say of sprites and their healing abilities. The Militia employed them to tend to the soldiers’ wounds.”
Nova leaned back and looked at the sky. “What I wouldn’t give to travel the world, to see the things that you’ve seen and do the things you’ve done.” she sighed. “I fear I’ll never leave Lucreris—never get to see anything more... You’re lucky, Darwin. I guess the Superiors have their favorites.”
Of all the things, anyone had ever called me, ‘lucky’ was never one. It was an absurd idea, one I laughed about as my mind went over hazy memories. ‘Lucky?’ Lucreris is the safest place you can be at the moment. And the Superiors. Humph. “How’s everything been since last I visited?”
Nova looked down at her feet. “The city isn’t safe anymore, Darwin. At night, I can hear their cries, shrieking; screaming. Sometimes, when Momma’s awake, she pretends not to hear them. Even the King’s Guard abandon the outskirts at night. It’s only a matter of time before we’re... The Superiors have sheltered us, but I don’t think it’ll last forever.” Nova shuddered. The fear in her voice drove me to horrid memories.
So many corpses came into vision; my internal wounds stung as if someone had ripped their scabs asunder. Somewhere tucked in a blackened corner in my mind was a memory that always dealt a devastating blow. On a freezing day, nine years ago, I saw my first Abyssian. I remember it like yesterday. The first time I held my sword to a nasracan’s neck and pierced it was both fearful and exhilarating. I knew then that I was a man fated to destroy them. I was only fifteen.
It was only a matter of
time before the Abyssians came snapping their jaws after Lucreris, especially after the half-suspected run-in with the pack of sifters I laid to waste at old LeGarrison. But how long have they been here? The city and its grandeur were nestled in the Valtec Mountains, isolated from the world, and protected by the mountain ridge off Memoria’s northern shore. But to adversaries willing enough to venture across the vast Endless Desert, this didn’t apply. Soon though, and very soon, those mountains would no longer matter. The age of Men was headlong for an inexorable end.
“Darwin?”
Where were the Superiors when all those people’s lives were stripped from them, their souls taken captive within the pits of demons’ stomachs?
“Darwin?” she called a little louder, a third or fourth time. She looked at me as we set our first steps off the dirt trail and onto the long meadow of a familiar acre.
“You know, you’ve changed again,” she said.
I’ve just seen a lot of things over the years.
She groaned, “Always nothing to say, huh?”
“How’s Mom?”
“She misses you,” she answered matter-of-factly. “Not a day goes by that she doesn’t pray for you. She hasn’t been feeling well lately, though—been sleeping a lot, barely eating, staring off into the distance; odd things. Sometimes she doesn’t even have the energy to make it through the day. I take what remains of her chores mostly.”
I winced. “Mom’s never sick.”
“I know,” Nova agreed, letting the details alone. A sentimental feeling came over me as we walked the path.
The sight of beautiful, healthy trees caught my eyes. The smell of warm honeysuckle enthralled me. Sunflowers and lilies surrounded the area. The dirt path across the meadow brought us alongside the wooden fence bordering a row of houses of dark shingled rooftops. We went along the bend, passing the barnyards and homes of people we’d known from way back when. We loitered about various old hangouts, laughing, and piecing together each other’s stories. On our third stop, we fed a horse named Ruth that had grown old from the sweet and spry foal with whom we once played. “She’s on her last leg,” said the cloaked farmer, Markus.
“I’ll be sad to see her go,” said Nova.
At the end of the road, beyond an old well and a bleached tree, stood our home. Three years was entirely too long a while between visits. I’d starved myself of home’s tranquil nostalgia.
The aroma of a delicious meal wandered to me as we went into a courtyard of growing vegetables in the soil. Nova knocked on the door. An earnest voice answered from the other side.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Momma. And I’ve got quite the surprise for you,” said Nova anxiously. The door crept open, and I grew nervous. When it swung back, there she was, still the same radiant angel I’d always known. She hadn’t aged since last I ‘d seen her. She was like a woman immortalized in her late twenties—slender with a head of vibrant, raven hair. She shook her head as if in denial, trapping her gasp in her mouth with a hand. Her fair skin had paled, and black spots circled her glazing eyes. She winced.
“Darwin,” she whispered. She cried as she looked at me, soon pulling me into her firm embrace, the gentlest hold yet, and brushing her hands along my face.
“It’s been a while, Mother.”
“Too long,” she concurred as she wiped tears from her cheeks and sniffled. “My son, my beautiful child. The Superiors have heard my prayers.” She took a long moment to collect herself. “Come. Come in here at once. You’ve arrived just in time for dinner. I’ve already set the table.”
The house was dark as a cave, spotless and well organized. Tapestries hung over the windows like curtains; the hardwood floor buffed to a pristine shine. Candlelight lit the living room. Three sofas curved around a rug and a cold mantel in the right wall.
The smell of hot chicken stew and steamed vegetables swam out of the kitchen, watering my mouth. I had used all my provisions just as I had arrived at Lucreris and was dying for a hearty meal. I sat across from Nova, gazing at the dishes arranged for a royal feast as if Mother had prepared to cater to the king.
Mother, who sat at the head of the table, looked refreshed and less pale. A relieving sight.
“Oh, Darwin,” she said after an elated breath. “It’s always so good to have my beautiful family together again, rare as it is these days. In these dark times, togetherness is more important than anything. Close your eyes.” She cleared her throat. “O Superiors hear our prayers, gods, and rulers of the rims of Ezilum, the world of souls. We gather together in your names to send our gratitude and love for your grace. Thank you for this blessed meal you’ve bestowed unto us. Thank you for our wealth as a family, and for breathing life into us evermore. We pray, Requios a Vaché....”
After the prayer, Mother met her hands together and extended her arms as if pointing to the ceiling. In one smooth motion, she slid her left hand down the palm of her right, until her fingertips touched her wrist, and she turned her head down. It was the pure salute of obeisance to the Superions, declaring undoubting faith and gratefulness to them. In unison, Nova had done the same. “Let us eat,” said Mother.
Requios a Vaché. The words meant: Let it be unto me what the Superiors have decreed. They carried no significance. I felt no need for deference to them. The Superion creed was foolish. Never could I close my eyes and pray as Abyssians came upon me, and neither would I tell my loved ones to do so. It was ludicrous. I would kill as long as they came to kill me. No more. No less. Nova had always known my struggle to conform to the religion. Frequent arguments we’d had in our letters back and forth. Before she bit into the tender roast, she stung me with a glare.
“It’s wonderful to have my son and daughter here once again,” said Mother. “It is a blessing. Son, you look healthy and vigorous. I can see you’ve been taking diligent care of yourself. And you’re aging well. I dare say, a mother’s job may nearly be over,” she chuckled.
“Nah. Just because he’s taller and has facial hair doesn’t mean anything. Besides, he looks the same as he did three years ago,” Nova teased. “Wait—” She leaned to examine me, her tongue poking, and head rocking as she peered. “Yep,” she said, “those eyebrows have gotten thicker.” She prattled on about my face, chuckling to herself. I beamed at her amused expression, noticing that her once profound lisp had matured and softened.
“Nova, you’ve grown over the years.”
“Yes, but she still has quite a way to go,” said Mother. Nova hissed and grimaced defiantly. “Tell me, son, what news is there of the east?”
Hardship and sorrow came to mind in an instant. “The world is dark and menacing in the private corners of the east. It’s troubled land. More death and plague fill the Vanik Isles than anywhere else. The blood of Men seeps through Vail every second of every minute. Every passing moment, someone screams as their soul is rent from their flesh. The world is doomed. Abyssians are moving to everyone’s demise.” I glared at the table and spoke as calmly as I could.
“I’m sure Men will find a way to make peace with them,” Mother spoke.
“Peace? These are not people, Mother. These are not deranged heathens. There is no making peace with demons,” I vented irritably.
“Darwin, there’s always a purpose in what the Superiors ordain. Of this, we can be certain.”
“Their purpose is to butcher us like cattle,” I retorted scornfully.
“Maybe it is,” said Mother, bringing a cold momentary silence to the table. “But death is merely just another part of life. Perhaps the age of Men is ending, but who knows this truly? Suffering and pain will only last as long as we allow it, but the hills of Ezilum are eternal. It may finally be our time to meet the Superiors, just the same as the Angels have.”
“Are you mad, Mother? These Superiors didn’t create us for annihilation. What sense is there in that? I refuse to believe we were born for the slaughterhouse.”
“Mind your words, Darwin. I won’t have these foul pr
ofanities in this house. The Superiors would not take it lightly. Your blasphemy calls for repentance. Tomorrow you will go to the cathedral and atone for those confessions,” she snapped as she shot upright.
I stood, my chair dragging back. “I’ve already been to the cathedral to fill it with the Black Salt of those ram-heads. Tell me, where are your Superiors if not in their own house? The death and the bloodshed I’ve seen would drive a mortal man to insanity. Dozens of innocent people begged for death, surrendering their hope when the Superiors would not save them. They’ve forsaken us, Mother. Only in peoples’ heads do these Superiors seem to exist. But, everyday people are dying!”
She looked away, her hand cringing in anger.
Nova’s raging voice eased us back into our seats. “Both of you, stop it!”
Mother kept looking away, outside into the coming dusk.
“Abyssians are headed for Memoria. I came back to take you and Nova with me, back to the Militia. You won’t be safe here. Not in Lucreris. Not anywhere.”
The sizeable request elicited a long moment of silence. Nova leaned with excitement, her eyes wide. For her, I knew the answer was instant. But Mother was a strong woman of Lucreris, stubborn and full of pride—sometimes too much. We sat.
“I know you love us, my son, and—” She coughed. As she cleared her throat and tried to speak, she coughed again and then nonstop until her chair screeched with movement, and she fell to the floor, crashing down on her knees. Her face tightened, and she gripped her throat with both hands.
Nova darted from her chair just as fast and dove to her side. “Momma!”
Black Salt spat from Mother’s mouth. She supported herself on trembling arms. I froze, skin crawling in alarm. “I’m all right,” she said. But she wasn’t. Her arms bent weakly, and she fell unconscious, her head landing in Nova’s lap.
“Darwin, help me!”
What have I done? In two smooth, quick steps, I stooped down, lifting Mother in my arms. She was light as a feather and looked sound asleep. I carried her to her room and gently laid her on a bed of disheveled linens. Nova followed soon after with a cold towel she used to dab her head.
Enigma: Awakening Page 3