Death Flag

by Richard Haygood

  You might it find it had to believe now, but I was actually incredibly shy when I was a small child.”

  Alaynna paused and glanced at Madison to make sure he was still listening, so he smiled to encourage her to continue. This wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when he wanted to get some quiet reflection, but it wasn’t’ bad either. It was helping him learn about her past, why she was the way she was, and it was giving him a glimpse into the life of someone from this world—even if it was slanted from the eyes of a nobleman’s daughter.

  “When she was satisfied that he was paying attention, she continued. “I was always shy. I guess it was destiny, in a way, since Darrius was so outspoken and easygoing. He never seemed to have any trouble at all filling the role that he was expected to play. He would shake hands with adults and introduce himself without ever batting an eye, and he was always popular with both boys and girls alike. He just seemed to gather people around him as naturally as a pond gathers stones: it was like he attracted them and pulled them along in his wake.

  “Me, on the other hand, I became so unbearably nervous when trying to introduce myself to anyone. It was endearing when I was a very small child, but I’m sure that it was embarrassing to my family after that. I’d turn bright red, and it felt like the world was closing in on me until I couldn’t see anything. I’d feel my stomach churn, my breath freeze, and everything would go black. I would literally squeeze my eyes shut and block out the world until I couldn’t take it anymore and ran off crying. I never managed to choke out more than a few stuttered words on my best day. I can only imagine how awful it would be. I could hear them remark after I left how disappointed in me they were.

  “But then my brother would come and give me a hug and tell me not to worry about it. No matter where I hid, he always seemed to find me somehow. He would wrap me up in a hug or sneak me a piece of candle and comfort me until I calmed down, and then we just went on about our business as if nothing had happened. No matter how many times it happened or how old I was, he was always just supportive.”

  Alyanna paused again and finished off the rest of her glass of wine. She stared off into the darkness with Madison, neither of them saying anything for several minutes, before getting up and coming back with the bottle she opened originally and a second glass of wine. She poured the remaining contents of the bottle into his glass, despite the fact that he hadn’t finished his first, and then returned the bottle inside. Her silky nightdress fluttered around, brushing past Madison as she moved back and forth, and he had to fight the temptation to stare for too long. He was certain that he wouldn’t have seen anything in the dark, but the temptation was real. She settled back into her chair at last, pulling her legs up underneath her again.

  Taking another sip of her new glass, she picked up right where she had left off. “Things got worse after my ability manifested itself. It’s not unusual for special talents to show up at an early age, but most people are either trained from childhood or it comes about naturally while they’re a teenager. I think, to some extent, my latent abilities were always there, even from birth. I remember having dreams as a child that were so vivid I’d wake up and not know where I was. Sometimes they were good, sometimes they were bad, but I just remember being so disoriented afterward that I couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t.

  “I was maybe seven or eight years old when people started to believe me that they were real. I woke up in a sweat one night screaming because I had been dreaming about being trapped in a fire. I watched a young girl working in the fields and men came. She dropped her things and tried to run, but they caught up with her. They asked her a bunch of questions, and they beat her when she didn’t give the answers that they wanted to hear. When they were finished, they set the fields on fire using old, oily rags and tar. I had felt the heat from the fire even in my dream, and I hadn’t been able to escape or run away. I felt the thick, black smoke fill my lungs and choke me until I couldn’t breathe. And that was how I woke up—still feeling the heat of the blaze against my skin and thick, black smoke in my lungs. People were dismissive as always. ‘It’s nothing but a dream. Go back to sleep and stop causing so much trouble,’ they said. When morning came and reports of fields in the south being burned by bandits came in, they started to get a little suspicious and a few started to believe me. My power changed a little as I got older, and I learned to control it a bit. I no longer have the dreams as frequently, and I can control it when I do, and it has grown until I can also read people and their fortunes.

  “Well, as you can imagine, this scared quite a few people. It made me an outcast and a freak. There are magic users everywhere, of course, but they are the ones with abilities you can expect. They help with the harvest or around the province: they can control fire or earth or water magic. No one had ever heard of someone with the ability to see what was going on in another part of the world or in the future. They were afraid of it and what it might mean. I was already a shy child to begin with, and then everyone started ostracizing me and giving me a wide berth. You can only imagine how that felt as a child.

  “Whenever we would visit another lord’s estate, the other children would tease me. They were afraid of me. They’d throw stones at me and call me names. They labeled me a witch. They chased me with sticks when we were young and knives or short swords on a few occasions when we were younger. Darrius was the only one who ever stood up for me. Time and time again, no matter how bad it got, he was always there to save me. He was the prince of the realm and my father’s heir, and no one dared to stand up against him once he showed up. He would fight them off, pick me up, and carry me somewhere safe. That was what my brother was to me, I think: somewhere safe.

  “I was innocent and naïve then like children are. I never understood why everyone treated me like they did. I couldn’t understand why they were afraid of me or why they teased me like they did. I always wanted to communicate with them, I just didn’t know how. I didn’t know how to make them understand that was all I wanted: to play and make friends and have fun like every child does.

  “Things got better in a way as I got older and learned to control the magic, but they also got worse. Children are mean because they don’t know any better. It hurts to be bullied and abused, but at least it’s usually limited to something physical when you’re a child. As a teenager . . . that was awful. Young girls who saw me as a rival were cold and catty. They spread rumors about me and gossip like it was the most common thing in the world. The circle of people you run in as the daughter of a lord is wide in size but small in number. Even after I stopped touring around with my father and took to my studies with tutors, there were still stories circulating about me years later. They claimed I had been locked away out of embarrassment, sent to a convent where I’d taken vows and remained hidden from the world, or traded to another lord in a far-off-land where I couldn’t embarrass my family—usually in exchange for something like two donkeys and a chicken.

  “Little did any of them know that the men were just as repulsed by me as their sisters and cousins were. I attended a ball once with my brother when I was fourteen. I hadn’t seen anyone in years at that point, and I had gotten over my shyness a bit, and I was so looking forward to it. There was supposed to be elegant food and dancing and fireworks at the end of the night. Can you imagine how endearing all of that was to my young teenage self? It was like a dream come true when my father told me that I was finally going to attend a gala again. Sadly, I learned very quickly that nothing had changed in all my years away. The girls pretended not to know who I was while openly fawning over my brother. They weren’t cold—you couldn’t be rude to Lord Fox’s daughter, of course—but they didn’t even acknowledge my presence.

  “The young men . . . Well, a few of them got too drunk off some sort of booze that one of them had stolen from his father, and they finally worked up the courage to openly tease me. They would ask me to dance, only to insult me when I agreed. They would ‘accidently’ spill some type of foo
d or drink on me as they brushed past and then mock me about being unclean. Finally, when I had enough and tried to leave, they wouldn’t even let me do that. Then hemmed me in, kept me surrounded, and refused to let me go. My dress was completely ripped by one of them as I tried to escape, and then they teased me about that.

  “I’m sure the entire thing looked like nothing was going on to any casual observer. Most of the adults indulged themselves too much at those functions, and by that point, no one was constantly fawning over the young lord and ladies. They were expected to exhibit exemplary social graces by that age, so they didn’t need constant attention. The girls kept my brother occupied on the dance floor for most of the night while everything went on, so even Darrius didn’t come to my rescue until it was too late. By the time he came looking for me, I was practically in tears.

  “I didn’t attend many balls after that. My father pushed me to, of course, since it was only proper that a young lady represent her house and show herself to potential suitors and join in on their little games, but Darrius put his foot down. He threatened to stop showing up himself if my father made me go against my will, and that alone was enough to make my father back off. It might have been embarrassing to him for his daughter not to attend along with him, but it would have been unspeakable for his son and heir to not show up. They got into a huge fight about it, of course, but Darrius wouldn’t budge, and my father eventually backed off. The few times I made appearances after that, Darrius kept me with him at his side the entire time. All I had to do was hang onto his arm, and he made sure that no one came near me. No matter how brave or drunk they got, no one would dare risk offending Darrius by attacking me.”

  Madison nodded along in understanding. It was a story that he had heard a dozen times before with different players. No matter what world he was in or what the circumstance, someone was always going to be bullied. There were a dozen different reasons and catalysts, and each one was about as useless as the last.

  He didn’t say anything, but he understood now why Lord Fox had been so willing to sacrifice his daughter. If Lord Fox was as willing to put his people first as Alyanna made him out to be, then Fox was only doing the right and natural thing as far as he was concerned. Alyanna had been useless to him in the political arena her entire life, and she had even been a liability at certain points. In the game of political chess, he was throwing away a piece that he couldn’t use in exchange for protecting his entire kingdom. Further, when she became his rightful heir, she became a huge political risk as well. She had no ties to any other houses or families, most of their members were completely afraid of her and had spent years spreading rumors about her and ostracizing her, and as a result, she had more than enough reason to be a danger to them all. If Alyanna took over House Fox and ruled Stargrave, it meant endangering every alliance and every pact and every trade deal that Lord Fox had worked his entire life to build up—and that meant endangering his people as well. That’s why he had been willing to let his only daughter and heir die for his cause: K’yer Utane would have been irreparably in his debt.

  “I think I understand now why your brother meant so much to you,” Madison said at last. There were a dozen new things he wanted to ask and confront her about, mainly the future and what she planned for it, but he knew that was tactless and tasteless. Instead, he said, “He sounds like someone that I would have gotten along with if I had the chance to meet him. I’m sorry that he was taken away before that happened, but I’m glad that you had someone to look after you.”

  Alyanna spoke quietly and plainly, but her voice carried a world of hidden meaning when she answered. “I know what you’re thinking, Madison. You haven’t said it, but I can hear it unspoken behind your words and platitudes. You understand why my father abandoned me, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” he answered simply. “And I also meant what I said. It wasn’t just empty words. I also understand what it means that he did so, and I understand what it means that you’re going to be here for as long as you are. I also understand what it might mean for your people if something happened to Lord Fox before he returned home safely and began the work of naming you as his successor. Given your personal history, there would be complete anarchy. No one would believe that it wasn’t you who killed your brother and your father. There will be a fight for power within Stargrave amongst the lesser families and neighboring lords, and both powers in the east who are currently locked into a war will use that to their advantage. By the time they’re done fighting, there likely won’t be a Stargrave left, and your life will be on the line if you manage to live that long. Everyone is going to paint a target on your head if something happens to Lord Fox, and your people are the ones who will suffer for it.”

  Alyanna studied him as he spoke, and there was just enough light for Madison to make out the look of appraisal and thoughtfulness that grew on her face as he spoke. By the time he finished, she was eyeing him with open curiosity as if seeing him for the first time. “You amaze me once again. I know that I shouldn’t be surprised by you at this point, but you somehow keep doing it. How are you so keen on the inner workings of politics and kingdoms? Where do you come from that you can surmise that much? A merchant’s family, maybe, but no common laborer or farmer would be so insightful.” She wasn’t accusatory or suspicious at all, just inquisitive.

  “I don’t want to downplay anything by stating that it seems obvious, but . . .” Madison shrugged and turned silent again, taking another sip of his wine to buy some time. He had been educated for twenty years, and he was well read on various topics, but there was no way for him to explain any of that to her. She wouldn’t have believed him regardless. Even if he told her that he actually had been working in a warehouse for the past few years moving boxes and crates around, she probably wouldn’t believe that either.

  “Do you understand what it meant to claim my life as your own?”

  “Hmm?” He was somewhat caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. “What? You mean when I demanded that your father allow you to remain here? I was just—”

  “I know what you were doing at the time,” she said patiently, interrupting him. “But do you understand what it means now? Moving forward? Do you understand what it means for someone who follows the way to claim their life?”

  Madison swallowed hard. The conversation had been serious from the beginning, but now it had an entirely different impact because it was directly related to him. Thankfully, he didn’t have to answer her. Alyanna untangled herself from the chair and stood up slowly before finishing the rest of her glass of wine. She stepped in front of him and leaned over until she was inches from his face, and he was staring into her frozen blue eyes. The world seemed to stop as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, eventually cradling the back of his head just as she had when she read him. There was no strange, uneasy feeling this time, and there was no magic to make his hairs stand on end or to prick his goose pimples. But he felt his heart race and his breathing quicken nonetheless. It was an intimate gesture filled with emotion and meaning, and he couldn’t ignore it. Then she leaned forward and kissed him. Her soft lips pressed against his, and he tasted sweet red wine and something metallic. It lasted only a second, but it felt like an eternity. Part of his being had called out to her ever since she had infused him with her magic, refusing to believe that she ever meant to harm him, and it rejoiced now at being reunited with her. Then it was over, and she slowly pulled away, standing upright once again.

  In a voice that was tender and sweet and filled with emotions, she said, “It is against the way to own another human being, but a debt must also be paid. I will honor your terms. For three months, I belong to you.”

  She left him sitting there and went inside, her long gown flowing past him suggestively as she went.

  CHAPTER 15

  Dawn came way too early for Madison. He was on his feet and out of the bed before his brain ever realized that his body was moving, and he instinctively stumbled around as he h
eaded for the coffee pot before he remembered where he was and that there wasn’t one. He had only managed to grab a few hours of sleep after talking with Alyanna for a while, and they were the first that he could remember actually taking on his own in even longer. Most of his time resting had been while under the influence of medicinal healing magic, and he knew now that it just wasn’t the same as the good old-fashioned kind.

  Madison was the first to wake up, and a quick glance out the window at a grey-tinted predawn sky told him that he hadn’t nabbed more than a few hours and that it wouldn’t be long before the sun was up and everyone else along with it. How they were supposed to leave wasn’t something that they had discussed with Burke, but Madison didn’t think the Guardian intended for them to make it obvious and broadcast it to the rest of K’yer Utane either. He already knew that it was unusual for people to venture outside the valley unless it was for training, reconnaissance, or on a mission, and none of those tasks would have ever been delegated to anyone in their group except Warren. So, Madison started banging on doors to the bedrooms and waking people up. His experience hiking taught him that it was always better to start before the sun came up to avoid as much of the day’s heat as possible, and that fact together with his desire to leave spurred him on.

  Madison looked around the living room and then checked outside the door, and true to Burke’s word, there were four pre-arranged bags of gear and several large baskets of food. He quickly pulled them inside and set them up in a row beside the door and then started going through the rations. Most of it was repetitive and ubiquitous, containing dried fruits, meats, oats and breads with a few different spreads, but one of the large picnic-style baskets also contained a heaping feast of breakfast foods. Madison took that one to the large table that they had eaten on the night before and was in the process of setting out everything when everyone else finally started emerging from their rooms.