by James Wymore
She stopped organizing dishes. As she looked at him, he wanted her to see him as a friend and not a stranger. "Winigh is a small place. When I was twelve, I counted up all the boys old enough to marry me. Not counting old men, it was just six. There were nine girls about my age, too. I didn't fancy any of the widowers."
"So that's why Macey brought me to her house," Elwood said aloud.
"No," Jewel turned on him. The glint in her eye had turned to fire. "Macey would have done the same for any living person."
"Don't take me wrong," Elwood held up his hands. "I owe her my life. I think she's the best person alive. But once she gets an idea…"
Jewel nodded, as if accepting his apology. She took a new measure of the man before her. He didn't know what she hoped to see. "All the women in my family are the same way."
"Bowen says you have magic." He smiled when he said it.
"You don't believe in magic?" It was only barely a question.
"I don't know what I believe."
She wagged her head. "No, that's an excuse. You may not remember what you used to believe, but you know what you believe now."
Elwood nodded. "I don't know about magic. I think Macey uses medicine. And there's no doubting she cares. Bowen obviously believes."
"It's because of Bowen that Macey's so strong," Jewel said as she looked down at her feet. "He believes, and that makes her magic more effective."
"Do you have magic?" Elwood asked.
"Not like Macey. Most of us need somebody to believe to make it work. Our older sister never did. I can work it when my sisters are around. But Aunt Lanny can work it all on her own."
Elwood was sure he didn't understand half of her explanation. "So what does this magic look like? Is it only women who use it?"
"No. I've heard of men using it in other places, but it's just the women in our family. It doesn't look like anything. If you believe, it makes things happen for you."
"What kind of things?"
"Like you. You were cold and half-dead when she found you. But she believed she could bring you back, and Bowen believed she could, too. So she did."
"How's that different than anything anybody does all the time?" Was her magic the reason he kept getting concerned every time he tried to think about getting closer to her?
"Because it's stronger."
"Then why couldn't Macey have any children? Couldn't she use magic to fix herself?"
"That would take powerful magic, indeed. We all tried together to help her. But some things just can't be changed." Her eyes showed real sadness. Whether she had magic or not, that empathy for other people touched him.
That afternoon, with every other man and boy gone, Elwood found a good moment to slip away. The women got together for a gossip fest, which definitely did not interest him. The sun just broke through the clouds, enough to make the temperature bearable. Before another night on the hard floor, he wanted to go for a walk. From the porch of the large, central building, he surveyed the land around them. He didn't want to follow the roads north or south. The steeper, higher mountains to the east rose to two peaks. A smaller crest to the west offered a less strenuous climb. He chose that way.
He followed a worn trail until it turned to the right. Then he worked his way along a rocky edge, where the snow had blown away and he wouldn't have to trudge through deep drifts. He kept his pace slow. His ribs would ache if he let his heart beat too hard. Even a squirrel darting across his path could not disturb the silence.
When he was ready to turn back, Elwood saw sky through the next row of trees. He decided to get that far before stopping. When he arrived, the world fell away beneath his feet and he stood atop a high cliff. Far below the gray rocks, a steep hill slowly wound its way. Mountain ridges below him rose to either side. Beginning at the canyon below, he saw a path all the way to the sea. Reflecting the afternoon sun, the ocean water looked like gold.
The glimpse of ocean brought a spectrum of feelings, from longing to hatred. He feared the crusty denizens of that forbidden territory. He didn't remember the training or the battles. But the skill for killing them was keen in his mind. Just like the cougar, he knew their weaknesses. He could use any weapon to pry at their sandy plates of natural armor. He possessed the knowledge of where to slice into their guts to drop them instantly. And though he couldn't remember killing a single one, he knew he must have taken many of their lives. At the same time, he knew their deaths never appeased his loathing, only fed it like fuel on a fire.
Why did he hate them so completely? It could not be only the prejudice born of battle. Such would engender a begrudging respect. They must have taken something from him. The answer was in the other half of his feelings. The longing remained keen.
He wished to go to the ocean without fear. He wanted to see water, the nectar of life, without thinking of monsters. Freedom. He wanted to drink without looking over his back. Every river was a road the Hyzoi could use to invade; every lake a potential way station for them. He resented them dogging one of the very elements he needed for life.
These feelings were old. So much of his being revolved around them, that even his loss of memory could not deny them. He would live and die under the shadow of haunted water.
He let the old rivalry simmer down. He found a much more appealing thought waiting to take its place in his mind. Jewel.
She liked him, he knew. Macey understood people well. The whole situation fit neatly together, like a puzzle. Here was a sister advancing in age with no suitable men around and suddenly a perfect match shows up, seemingly out of nowhere. In the simple, utility world of vineyards and goat herding, there could not be a simpler equation.
Jewel's perfection as a match for him went far deeper than Macey could possibly know. More than her overwhelming kindness, her intellectual command attracted him. She had a way of leading, which spoke volumes. Macey probably wouldn't even consider such things in the weighing of future spouses. Animal husbandry didn't admit such traits for consideration.
Why would it even matter? Elwood couldn't say what drew him to the subtle dominance of Jewel's manner. He didn't know of any circumstance in his future where it might be necessary to employ such a skill. Yet it held his attention. If he formed an alliance with any woman, it would have to be someone like Jewel.
The very consideration brought something dark up inside him. As much as he enjoyed the idea of getting to know Jewel better, he felt trapped whenever he thought of it. Without concrete memories to stake his ideas to, he had only his enigmatic feelings to navigate by. He felt bound. Something at his core believed he was not free to give his love.
He couldn't feel anything toward a former spouse. He held a reasonable assurance he wasn't already married. Yet his age implied he should have been. A widower, maybe?
He crossed his hands and through the mittens he felt his left thumb and forefinger reach instinctively for the ring finger on his right hand. Without a single memory, he knew he used to wear a ring there. On his right hand? Why would he wear a ring there? Yet the nerves in his fingers had gone there. It was a nervous habit. He was sure he used to play with a ring he wore there.
Who wears a ring on their right hand? Messengers for the king, treasurers, and captains. He understood a great deal about the structure of life in the castle. He remembered the duties of servants and nobles. He understood the function of many levels of society as well. Nothing in his clothing when they found him suggested he had been anything more than a soldier. His uniform would have some special chevron or insignia if he'd been a captain. Treasurers would never be soldiers. Perhaps he had been a messenger once? That would require him to understand the complexities of the kingdom's social structure and carry some kind of sigil as proof of his appointment from the highest levels. If he was a messenger, how did he end up in a battle?
This mental game didn't spark any memories, but it held a clue. None of it explained why, whenever he tried to think of moving into some kind of relationship with Jewel, a dark cloud
settled in his mind. Shouldn't the thought of a loving wife and children fill him with anticipation and happiness?
As the sun began to drop, Elwood knew he would need to start back soon. He had no interest in walking back after dark. Before he turned, he watched the golden hue of the water begin to flush slightly pink. With so many clouds up, it promised to be a spectacular sunset.
Something moved on the water. For him to see it from this distance, it must be large. This looked almost like an almond shaped island. The tiny disturbance on the water drifted slowly toward the shore. It was coming this way.
There must be a river between the two peaks he looked between. And that must be some kind of Hyzoi transport.
Chapter Six
From his perch atop the cliff, Elwood watched the small triangle of ocean visible between two peaks until the sky was red with sunset fire. The vessel far below reached the shore. He moved along the ridge to get a better angle. He didn't see a stream bisecting the beach where the vessel landed, yet he knew there had to be one responsible for carving the canyon between the peaks. The fact he could see the ocean at all proved some erosive force must exist.
He knew he looked on a Hyzoi ship. He just didn't understand the timing. All the streams were empty or frozen. It would be spring before the runoff filled them again.
A black horror seized his mind. From the instant of realization, the sunset could offer no beauty or peace. All the snow around him morphed into an enemy. When the thaw of spring arrived, the run-off would fill the channels. The Hyzoi had sent reinforcements. They were planning to hold the pass. The town of Winigh lay truly cut off from Sel.
Elwood wagged his head and began slowly making his way back. He didn't hurry, despite the rapid drop in temperature. He waited to gather more information. He caught himself grinding his teeth. Only forgotten training kept him from sprinting back and raising the alarm. This was a time for calculations, not rashness.
When he emerged from the trees, the small group of cottages surrounding the main house looked the same as when he left. Fresh prints told the tale of men dragging home some wild game after the hunt. But with the cold of night, they had all wisely taken refuge inside.
It took a few seconds for a young boy to answer after Elwood knocked at the heavy wood door. As yellow light heralded heat escaping the big room, the boy stood silent before him. Elwood didn't know what to say, so he just nodded and the boy stepped aside to let him in. A few seconds later, Jewel looked up. From the kitchen she waved and rushed over to him. "We were getting worried about you," she said.
Macey stepped in behind her. "Worried you didn't have the sense to get in before the cold took you. Where were you?"
"I just needed a little walk," Elwood said.
"He does hate staying indoors too long," Macey confirmed to her younger sister. She began pulling off his mittens and coat.
Jewel said, "Something wrong?" Having known him so short a time, she could already detect the darkness in his countenance.
Macey took his outerwear off to some great pile of similar clothes. Elwood could think of no reason to keep it from her, so he told her what he saw. Her face began to drop. Before he could elaborate as to the longterm consequences of the situation, she clapped three times.
The frightful sounds echoed through the room and silenced the men, who were talking endlessly of their recent success on the hunt. "Elwood has news," she said without apology. Then she turned back to him and took his elbow. She gently directed him toward the fireplace.
Stepping up to speak in front of these strangers who had taken him in should have filled him with some dread, but it felt natural. Whatever memories remained lost in his head, he was sure he'd often addressed large groups in the past. Captains would do so, of course. Messengers? Not really.
He knew to take his time. He knew to stand unashamed and let them look at him. He held his head high, letting them take in the three-day beard. Most of them had beards much longer, having given up the arduous, and often pointless, task of shaving. He smoothed his hair with one hand. With each step, he let them believe he was nervous. It would humanize him to them. Why did he know all of this?
"Just now, as the sun went down and you returned from a glorious hunt," he began, "I saw something very large move across the ocean."
They turned to each other. The men knew immediately the place he spoke of, and only glanced at each other to confirm nobody had more to add. The children knew to keep quiet at a time like this.
"From this distance, it could not have been a boat or even a large ship I saw. It was nearly as large as an island, and shaped to move through water efficiently. I watched it land on the shore far below. I did not see a river because two mountain peaks blocked my view of the beach. Can anybody say where the river reaches the sea?"
"Aye," said one of the larger men, named Vince. He held a glass of celebratory wine in one hand. "The water from that canyon turns north, to join the larger river from the saddle."
"It's reinforcements," the man next to him said clearly. "The fishmen are planning to hold the road. We're cut off from Sel."
"We knew that already," Bowen said.
"How near this place does the river run?" Elwood asked.
"It's not close," Bowen said. "The water here mostly fills ponds. The west streams form below the cliff, and the north river is almost a league away. Winigh has always been higher than the fishmen could reach." Everybody in the room nodded with pride. The one good thing about their hard life in the mountains was being well beyond the reach of their enemies.
"Something has changed," Elwood said in a medium voice. Everybody grew silent. Only the sound of logs popping in the great fireplace filled the pause. "The transport I saw would hold a company, at least. Possibly a battalion."
"Even if it's a whole army, they can't get to us," Vince said again.
"Something changed," Elwood repeated.
"That could be to hold the saddle, and the high road against Sel," the second man said. These two were clearly high up in the family order.
"No," Elwood said. "If they only wanted to hold the pass, they would have landed north of the river, or gone as far up as their craft would take them. They already took the dam to the south and destroyed Southwall. Landing between the two rivers can only mean one thing."
"They are coming against Winigh," Bowen said. Bowen's lower lip quivered. Suddenly, Elwood knew Bowen had lost friends or family when the Hyzoi destroyed Southwall. Elwood saw the burden in Bowen's face and wished he hadn't been the one to make it worse.
"How?" the oldest man demanded. "They can't come up the cliff, and they can't go an hour without water."
"I don't know," Elwood said. "But I think we should prepare for war. How many men and strong women are in all of Winigh?"
Everybody started whispering at once. Macey was pointing in every direction, naming families and numbers as Bowen counted on his fingers. The men leaning against the wall finished their wine in big gulps. Aunt Lanny ran off to the kitchen.
"Eighty-seven," Jewel finally called out. "There are a hundred and twenty, if you count children and old women."
"We need to raise the alarm," Elwood said.
"This is crazy," Vince said, leaning on the wine for courage. "The rivers are dry until spring. Even then, they can't get to us. Winigh isn't going to get ready for a war on the word of one stranger who probably didn't even know what he saw. If the devil himself came out of the sea he calls home, he couldn't reach us here."
"You ain't lived in Winigh, you don't know our ways," said another man.
"Fools!" Macey screeched. "Not a one of you has an ounce of understanding in you. Have you ever been a soldier? Here, God has delivered a military man just in time to help us and you want to bicker about whether he knows what he saw?"
"It is okay, Macey," Elwood said. "It's up to them to decide. I tell you all; when spring comes, there will be war. You will have to decide whether you prepare for battle, or wait and see if I'm wrong. You alr
eady know there will be no help from Sel City."
For the next few hours, Elwood told his story repeatedly to many different groups. They served dinner buffet style; a last minute arrangement by Jewel. The family circulated around the great hall forming small groups and talking constantly. Skeptics tended to congregate around Vince. Elwood remained near his chair. This process felt natural to him. He knew it would take time for them to unify. It was not his family. It wasn't really his war, except everybody he knew in the world was in this room, and they had no chance of surviving the next summer without him.
An official vote was set for the next morning. Over time, married couples broke off and young children began to fall asleep around the edges of the floor. Elwood claimed the same patch of ground by his chair. He sat under the blanket, still talking to anybody who had questions or just wanted to get his opinion.
When he finally laid his head down, he was shocked to see Jewel there again. In her eyes, he saw she believed him. It made the moment more comfortable. After a long evening of talking, he didn't feel the need to speak immediately. For the second time today, he felt his mind shift from war to love. In other circumstances, he wanted to think about why it kept happening this way.
"What will I need to do to protect my home?" Jewel finally asked.
"Don't you need to wait for them to make a decision?" Elwood asked back.
"They will vote to support you," she said. "They have to."
He believed she would know. "In that case, we will need to rally all of Winigh. We will set up our defenses half a quarter league from the river. If the battle ever comes to these houses, it will already have been lost."
"So the first step is to send people out to every house in the town."
"You should go with them." He recognized a leader when he saw one.