The Unblessed Dead

by Rhiannon Frater

  I don’t know how to smile and carry on a conversation with my father and Carrie in the aftermath of what I’ve seen, but somehow I do. The bustle of the passengers coming and going is drowned out by my heartbeat thudding in my ears. It’s hard to concentrate when fear has a stranglehold on my body.

  I discreetly look over my shoulder searching for the stranger, but he’s gone.

  I’m not certain if I’m relieved or not.

  A part of me wants to confront him to ask if he’s connected to the Chantry. If he is, maybe he can tell me if I’m a necromancer like my mother. But the larger part of me wants to forget what I saw completely. I don’t want to share my mother’s fate. My life once seemed normal and my future prospects full of the promise of a good life until the Beloved Dead started to appear in the garden. I was foolish to believe I could escape. I must resign myself to my fate. I’m not like Angelina. I won’t risk scaling the wall and entering the Deadlands. Instead, like all the other girls who’ve turned eighteen, I’ll be presented at the Bridal Auction and will marry someone who will help my father advance his business. In the aftermath of my wedding, I’ll pray to the gods that none of the Beloved Dead will appear in my new garden. Otherwise, I’m doomed.

  The taste of chocolate turns bitter on my tongue. I save the rest of my share for Rennon. Carrie watches me from beneath her bonnet with concern, but my father doesn’t seem to notice. He claims the newly arrived package, and we start our journey home.

  I walk beside Carrie with my eyes averted from my surroundings. I’m certain I appear to be the picture of piety, but I’m actually too afraid to face the world. My gaze settles on my hands and I’m relieved that greenish flames aren’t encapsulating them. I want to believe I imagined what I saw at the station, but after encountering the Beloved Dead in my garden three times, I know I didn’t.

  Carrie nudges me with her shoulder, and I glance her way. She gives me a questioning look, her eyebrows drawn together, furrowing her brow. I subtly shake my head, my gaze flicking toward our father’s back.

  What happened?

  Her lips silently form the words with exaggerated emphasis.

  Nothing.

  I mouth the word and give her a warning glare.

  Annoyed, she shakes her head at me.

  I hate keeping secrets from her, but I don’t dare draw her into my problems. If I’m discovered, I want her to be able to tell the truth that I never confided in her. I don’t want her to endure the Necromancer Trial that drove Angelina from the settlement and haunts my nightmares.

  We leave the cool air of the station behind and walk down the incline to the street below. The flagstones are warm beneath my slippers. The brim of my bonnet shades my eyes from the blazing sun, but the glare hurts my eyes. I’m tired from our adventure the night before, but I won’t be able to sleep until bedtime. My father considers napping to be a sign of laziness.

  A loud clatter draws my attention. I see the same group of workmen from this morning performing maintenance on the shutters of a nearby shop. Bale is crouched, picking up a tool. When he catches my eye, he winks again. I pointedly look away. I suspect he dropped the tool to draw my attention, and I refuse to give it to him. I have enough to worry about. I don’t need him assuming I have any sort of interest in him.

  Carrie smirks when I look in her direction.

  I sigh with frustration. I don’t want to have to explain about Bale and his ridiculous flirtation, but Carrie will likely pester me. At least it’s a different topic to discuss other than the dead.

  The world pivots around me, and the ground tilts upward. Carrie catches me before I can fall face first onto the road. The air feels heavy, and my lungs gasp for oxygen. My vision blurs when I raise my eyes. My father hasn’t taken note of my near fainting spell, and continues strolling down the road.

  “What is it?” Carrie whispers.

  I can’t seem to catch my breath. My skin feels like a thousand hot needles are pricking at it. Something is terribly wrong. The world continues to swing wildly around me, and I struggle to stand upright.

  Then an image assaults my mind for one brief second. I see hundreds of the Unblessed Dead clustered around the high fence that protects the train tracks, their decayed hands gripping the metal mesh.

  “The Unblessed,” I gasp.

  I startle when the warning bells in the guard towers begin to clang from every direction. The piercing sound reverberates through the settlement, bouncing off the stone walls.

  “The Unblessed are attacking the walls!” a man shouts. “Seek shelter!”

  Every time the warning bells sound, dread fills me.

  It was during an attack that my mother’s powers were revealed.

  Will mine?

  In a panic, I search the faces of those around me, but no one appears to be paying attention to me. They’re all hurrying to find shelter.

  “Come on, Ilyse,” Carrie urges, pulling on my arm.

  The street clears, people flooding into the buildings around us. Father hurries toward the nearest shop expecting us to follow in his wake. I feel disoriented and it’s difficult to move my feet forward. Carrie slings her arm around me and props me up. Together, we hurry toward the spot where Father is waiting for us. We’re jostled about by the other pedestrians scurrying for shelter. The vertigo makes walking difficult, but Carrie keeps me upright. Our father holds open the door to the shop and waves people inside. Across the street, several shops are already full and close their doors.

  When we reach our father, he gestures for us to enter. “Hurry, girls!”

  We obey and Father stays behind, holding the heavy metal door for stragglers. He’s a voluntary steward, and it is part of his duties to make sure everyone is safe during attacks.

  As others squeeze in behind us, the shutters along the street slam shut with loud bangs. People cry out in fear while dashing for safety.

  The shop is long and narrow and smells of oil and leather. Boots line shelves and belts hang from hooks. Carrie clutches my hand and pulls me behind her into the limited space between a long counter and several tables covered in hats. I find myself pressed against a showcase housing an assortment of belt buckles.

  Nausea sweeps over me again.

  Another image of the Unblessed bombards my mind’s eye, and this time I even hear their moans of hunger.

  “Ilyse, are you okay?” my sister asks, worried.

  Carrie’s fingers are warm and sweaty against my palm. I squeeze her hand reassuringly as the bells continue to ring.

  “I’m okay. Just dizzy,” I answer.

  When the shutters close over the display window and the heavy metal door slams shut, the store is plunged into darkness. Cries of fear fill the small space and a child begins to cry.

  “Everyone calm down! It’s all right!” a man’s voice says. “Give me a moment to reach the switches for the lights!”

  The pitch-black room is terrifying. With the bells clanging loudly, it’s far too easy to imagine the rustling around me is the Unblessed coming to tear me apart. I close my eyes against the darkness, but only see the rotting faces of the Unblessed. I gasp, open my eyes, and look down, afraid I’ll see my hands glowing with unearthly green fire. Instead, all I see is blackness.

  “Please hurry with the lights!” a woman cries out.

  “Yes, please,” a man says, his voice strained.

  Murmurs of agreement come from all around me.

  Perhaps we’re all imagining the undead are among us in the dark. I take solace in the thought. Maybe I’m just afraid like everyone else. Then another wave of vertigo strikes me. Again, I see the Unblessed rattling the fence protecting the train tracks. This time I realize I’m standing among them, watching the humans on the other side scramble to kill invaders.

  I gasp, and the vision disappears, returning me to the absolute dark of the shop.

  A few seconds later, the shopkeeper turns on the oil lamps, and the dim light washes over the frightened faces of the townspeople. W
e’re crammed together and I press close to Carrie to avoid being touched by strangers. I see a few familiar faces, but the settlement is large so I don’t recognize everyone around us. People shift about, attempting to find a comfortable spot. Despite my bouts with vertigo, I dare to stand on my toes and crane my head to look for my father. I spot him in the corner near the door clutching the package of silk fabric for my wedding dress.

  Carrie holds me, her gaze watching my face worriedly. “What’s wrong, Ilyse?”

  “I got a little overheated. That’s all,” I lie. “Plus, I’m scared.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Of course,” I reply, forcing a smile.

  Several people press past me. From their garb I suspect they’re visitors to the settlement. The women aren’t wearing head coverings and the men are clean shaven. One of the men, dressed in a brightly colored suit and hat, brushes past us. His arm accidentally sweeps across our breasts and we both shirk from him. He doesn’t even seem to notice that he’s violated the laws of the settlement as he waves to one of his friends near the back of the store.

  “How dare he?” Carrie gasps.

  “They don’t know our ways,” a male voice says to me.

  I look over my shoulder to see Bale leaning against the counter just behind me. I didn’t even see him approach and I’m very uncomfortable with his nearness. I’ve never been this close to a man that’s not in my family. His blond hair is damp from his long day at work and I can feel the heat radiating off his skin. The reek of dirt and sweat wrinkles my nose and he grins. Realizing I’m staring at him, I turn away and rest my cheek against Carrie’s hair. She holds onto me protectively as we listen to the warning bells clanging and the murmur of voices around us.

  Despite my best efforts, I can feel Bale’s presence at my back. That he dared to talk to me is unsettling. Especially with my father nearby. My status is vitally important to the plans he and my aunt have made for my future. I must enter the Bridal Auction with my Pious Standing intact to garner a good husband. Interacting with Bale is a threat to my status.

  “Don’t be afraid,” Bale says. “We just checked the shutters and they’re secure.”

  “Is he talking to us?” Carrie whispers.

  “Ignore him,” I answer.

  “I know it’s scary when the Unblessed attack, but the settlement is safe,” Bale continues in a soft voice.

  Why he persists on speaking to me I don’t understand. I keep my back to him, my body pressed into my sister.

  “How long will it take for them to get it under control?” one of the women in garish clothing asks.

  It’s my father who answers. “Perhaps a few hours.”

  “A few hours?” the woman gasps. “Why so long?”

  “They don’t use modern weapons,” one of her companions answers. “They use bolt guns and fire.”

  Another woman from the same group exclaims, “We have to stay in here for hours? Listening to that noise!”

  My head is throbbing and the sound of the tolling bells matches each painful pulse. Again, I’m assailed by the sensation of my body being pricked my needles. I try not to squirm with discomfort.

  “They don’t believe in technology,” someone else says.

  “Ridiculous,” another person grunts.

  “Technology destroyed the world,” my father answers gruffly.

  “But you have gas lights,” the man who brushed past me and Carrie retorts.

  “We’re using the natural resources provided to us by the gods.” My father’s voice is resolute.

  “Then you should use gunpowder and make bullets!”

  “Bullets kill other people more than they do the Unblessed,” another man from the settlement responds. “Weapons of such deadliness are only used by the wardens in the direst of circumstances.”

  “Our ways are not up for debate. You are a guest in our settlement. I suggest you abide by our laws and be thankful for the shelter we’re providing.”

  My father’s proclamation is met with applause and the strangers to our settlement murmur among themselves.

  “Can you believe their rudeness?” Carrie shakes her head.

  “Like I said: they don’t know our ways,” Bale says.

  “And you know not to speak to me,” I respond before realizing it’s a foolhardy move.

  I can see Bale’s grin out of the corner of my eye, and I turn my back on him again.

  A loud explosion rattles the building, and the counter trembles against my hip.

  “What was that?”

  “Was that a bomb?”

  “I thought they used only bolt weapons?”

  “No, the man says they do have guns.”

  A frenzy of terrified voices overlap.

  Another loud detonation nearby draws gasps of fear and panic starts to ripple through the narrow shop.

  “What is that?” Carrie lifts her gaze as though she can see through the ceiling.

  Vertigo steals my balance completely and I slump to the floor. I feel my sister grabbing at me as I fall, but her fingers only grip my dress. I crash to the wood floor and the concerned faces around me spin as the world tilts dangerously side to side.

  And then I stand among the Unblessed again.

  I inhale sharply and gag on the stench of death. Fear washes over me like cold water. Trembling, I clench my hands at my side to keep from screaming. I can feel the press of the rotting bodies all around me. Their gnarled hands rise, the stiff rags they wear fluttering in the hot breeze around their emaciated arms. I wait for the horrific moment when they see me, but it doesn’t come.

  How can I be here? Why can’t they see me?

  Daring to look around, I see the desiccated faces of the dead staring upward. Though they’re standing outside the fence that protects the train tracks, they aren’t paying attention to the settlement wardens.

  Then I see why.

  Their gaze is riveted by the copters circling overhead. I’ve never seen one before, but I know what they are from my studies. They resemble insects with their squat bodies and extended rotors. Something falls from one of the copters and I watch the dark shape as it plummets. It disappears into the mass of the Unblessed.

  What was it?

  A second later there is a massive explosion and fire sweeps toward me, bright and deadly.

  I start to scream as it consumes me.

  You’re not there. Open your eyes. Break the connection.

  I hear a man’s voice speaking to me in my head, but the pain is unbearable. All around me the Unblessed are torches, their flesh and bones being consumed by the fire. Then, out of the flames, the man from the train station appears. His long coat flaring around him and his face in shadow beneath the brim of his hat, he remains untouched by the inferno.

  “Open your eyes,” he says.

  “I’m on fire!” I cry out.

  I’m shocked when he grips my arm with a hand enshrouded in green fire. I lift my gaze to see that his eyes are green with rings of gold and brown around the edge of the iris. They’re as pretty as the rest of him and my fear drains away into a pleasant numbness.

  Staring at me somberly, he says, “You’re not on fire. You’re safe in the shop. Now, open your eyes.”

  Somehow, I obey, and find myself on the floor of the shop surrounded by concerned looking people. Kneeling at my side is the same man from my vision. His hand is still holding my arm, and his unusual eyes gaze steadily into mine.

  Don’t let them know what you saw.

  “What happened?” My father reaches my side and kneels.

  The package he was holding falls to one side and comes to rest on Bale’s boot. The workman’s blue eyes are fastened on me and his expression is not easily read.

  “She fainted,” the stranger answers. k'1'2

  My father sees his hand on my arm and immediately shoves it away. “Do not touch her!”

  “I was trying to help. I apologize,” he answers with a slight nod of his head.

 
“We do not touch women we are not wedded to in this settlement. Do not sully her,” my father snaps.

  “Again, I apologize.” The stranger stands and takes a step back, his gaze holding mine.

  Tell them nothing.

  “Ilyse, what happened?” my father asks with concern.

  “I was overcome with fear,” I reply, still shaken from what I witnessed.

  Another explosion draws the bystanders’ attention away from me.

  “Did you hurt yourself when you fell?” My father helps me sit up and I lean against him.

  “No, Carrie caught me,” I say.

  “I tried to, but she fell so fast.” Carrie sits on the floor next to us.

  My father holds me close, placing his body between me and the stranger. I can tell he’s concerned with the fact I was touched by a man in front of so many. But from the looks on the faces of those around us, I don’t think they’re concerned at all with my status. They’re afraid of what is unfolding outside the settlement.

  I listen to the blasts destroying the Unblessed. I still feel queasy and my skin is crawling, but I don’t experience any more of the visions. I sense that the stranger is helping me hold them off. I still feel as though his hand is on me keeping me grounded and calm. I can’t explain what just happened, but I know he saved me. The stranger continues to linger close by and I feel his gaze on me. It doesn’t feel as intrusive as Bale’s. I dare to look toward him and he gives me the slightest nod.

  Don’t tell anyone what you saw. Stay focused, and don’t let your mind wander back to the dead.

  Not certain what I’m even doing, I try to direct my thoughts toward him.

  Can I really hear you? Or am I imagining this?

  Rubbing his chin, he grins and gives me the slightest nod.

  My name is Quade. I really am speaking to you. And you’re a quick learner.

  Bale steps between us. I suspect it’s deliberate. He probably saw me stealing a look toward Quade. I turn my attention away from both men and take comfort in my father’s embrace.

  Finally, the bells stop clanging.

  “At last,” my father says with relief.

  He helps Carrie and me to our feet, and reclaims the package from the floor. “Stay close to me.” He pushes through the crowd to the doorway and we follow in his wake.