by Unknown
Moll looked at the old one in the gathering dark. “So there is nothing you can do for him. All the years I have known you. I never asked for a thing. Now you refuse the only thing I ask. My heart is breaking.”
“I can promise you this, when the time is right, what little I can do I will do”.
“Will I ever see him again?”
“That is yet to be written Molly. You must give him over to the power that shapes all destinies”. The Hag placed her withered hand on Moll’s stomach. “You will have your own concerns very shortly. There is new life in you”.
Moll stared at the Hag, crushed with sorrow, dizzy with joy in the space of heartbeats.“McGinty is a goat after all”. The old lady cackled. Moll left the Hag on the rock as the old one gazed down on her land. Moll was out of sight when the old lady called her back. She handed Moll a glass bottle and bid her drink.
“Do not practice Magic while you are with child. All your power is now going to the baby. Demons like nothing better than to trouble a pregnant woman. Give this to the boy and tell him to wear it .It will give him some protection” . It was an amulet of a bird in front of the moon. “Don’t forget me, craythur” She called as Moll left her on the mountain.
It was pitch by the time she came through the front door. McGinty had the fire ablaze and the stew bubbling on the crane above it. Moll took down plates from the dresser. She wanted to shout her news but decided to wait. This was a moment for herself and her husband . Cutting slices of bread she covered then with butter and poured glasses of milk. They sat at table in silence, each wrapped in their thoughts.
McGinty knew Moll had gone on the mountain to meet the Hag . She did this every Beltane. Moll would ask if there was anything that could be done to change what was to come. He knew the answer she would get.
Witch’s Keep
The whisper of surf, his face in the moonlight, the touch of skin…. On the mornings when she had passed a dreamless night, grief, like a sombre friend was waiting when she opened her eyes. The sisters had potions for sleep and others to make her forget. She wanted neither. If the price of her memories was to keep what followed, she would pay it
Chapel bells broke the silence calling the sisters from their narrow cots Her rooms stood next to Matriarch’s , linked with a common balcony. The citadel looked east where the sun rose above the Sarmatians. Pushing back the covers she placed her feet on a cold floor. Wrapping a heavy robe she opened her closet. Winter would come before she saw the towers of the Royal City. Every stitch would have to keep her warm. Clearing her desk, she swept bits of parchment from the floor. Maps were rolled and replaced in leather tubes. Books were stacked to be returned to the shelves..
At the end of her first year she went the library. Still tired in body and broken in spirit her daily walks were getting longer. She wandered through the shelves nodding to the sisters. In the back a door stood open. Stepping inside to be welcomed by tobacco smoke, she wondered who would smoke in a library.
The place was quiet; the rustle of paper, whispered conversation. At the rear stood a worktop cluttered with strips of leathers, vellum and bottles of glue. Someone had left a pile of books. Sitting, she drew the topmost into her lap. A Study of The Science and Artefacts of The Ancients by Hattim al Jiddah, was a large volume, heavy bound and traced with Runic script. She traced the cover with the tips of her fingers. The work was very fine.
“What are you doing here?” It was Parras, the chief librarian. She was one of the older witches. .
Mira rose. “I was looking through the books”
“The main library is outside, you passed through it. This is Special Collections. You are not allowed here.”
When the sisters’ rudeness reached the ears of the Matriarch Parras was instructed to provide every assistance. She was to do this in person, not instruct one of the novices…. From that time Mira read her way through Politics, Geography, Warfare, Comparative Magic, Astrology and Astronomy She read everything she could find on the history of the land she would rule one day .
Mist lingered over the Old Forest... Wrapping herself in a tweed shawl she stepped out on the balcony. The valley between the castle and the mountains was fertile, providing food to a vegetarian community. The lower slopes were lined with orchards and vineyards. Sisters crossed the yard in pairs Parras glared up at her. Sister Lucy brought up the rear, hurrying to catch up before the choir door swung shut.
The community took girls from sixteen. Married women were accepted if widowed. Women who had contracted marriage in religious ceremonies could join if the marriage had been annulled. It was an expensive process but the bishop at the Royal City was known to be sympathetic on receipt of a suitable donation. On acceptance the sisters made vows of Service, Obedience and Stability. Service to the Land, Obedience to the Matriarch and whomever she placed in authority over them. Stability was an oath to remain at the Keep for the remainder of their lives.
Boxes were stacked to the left. She unlatched one, removing a telescope. Fitted it to an iron tripod, she placed an orange filter to protect her eyes and pointed it towards the sun .... They looked like pustules on the face of an aging courtesan. . She had known a few in her time. Her father had married one .A door opened and the head of the order stepped out.” Good morning, Mira.”
“Good morning ,Kerris” In the years Mira had spent at Witch’s Keep she had never addressed the other woman by her rank. Kerris leaned on the parapet gazing to the hills. “You sent a note. It said that you had found something and requested to meet with me. You also mentioned that you would be leaving today.”Mira nodded.
“May I?” Kerris pointed at the glass.
Mira stood back allowing the Matriarch to view the sun. Kerris had been Abbess at Witch’s Keep for ten years. For the last five she had been Matriarch of the Order of the Golden Dawn. Her hair was black except for a white blaze at the forehead. She ate fish but avoided red meat. She drank wine when entertaining guests.. Kings asked for her advice and heeded it.
She watched as long filaments reached from the star. According to astronomers they would destroy the Land. The dwarves in their caves, the world of men, the Elves in the Greenwood the Vampires in the Icelands; nothing would survive. The Land had felt the Dragon’s Breath three times in a hundred thousand years, each time worse than the last. Replacing the lens cap she peered over her spectacles.“ You have caused your family severe embarrassment. “
“You mean I have embarrassed my stepmother…. “
“The King is our patron…”
“The King is a dotard, manipulated by a promiscuous and conniving woman.” Kerris raised her eyebrows.
“Kerris, I am not one of your novices. This place has been a place of safety and healing for which I will always be grateful. Now I must return to the world”.
“My dear child, if I have troubled you on your last morning with us I am sorry. I brought up the matter of your family in the hope that you might be reconciled with your father. I took the liberty of telling him of your plans to leave the Keep…” Mira stared at her.
”Be calm. I told him that you wished to engage on a period of travel. I asked him to tell no one… especially not the Queen.” Sitting in a wicker chair the Matriarch drew her cloak against the chill of the morning.
“We speak plainly to each other and I will do so now. It was natural that you would seek a refuge to heal from what happened to you. The consequence was that you gave your step mother a clear field and I have to tell you that she has not been idle. She has accomplished great harm. She tolerates no power she does not control. To all intents and purposes the army is disbanded. The Rangers continue to operate as do we, but the Realm is in grave peril. She has done more to bring this to pass than anyone. If I didn’t know better I would say she is an agent of the Enemy. Where before she moved in secret now she works openly.
Yesterday we had a courier from the Royal City. She brought this.” Kerris handed her a travel bag. Inside was a pouch heavy with gold and a folde
r of documents.
“These are travel passes. As far as the court of Tsubodai, should you be minded. “ Kerris rose to her feet. “ I have much to attend to. Can we discuss this further before you leave?”
“I have something you need to see.” Mira stepped into her rooms. Kerris followed closing the door. Taking a key she unlocked a bureau from which she removed a volume.
“This is the library’s copy of al Jiddah’s ,Study of The Science and Artefacts of The Ancients.Six copies are known to exist . We know the location of five. One is with the Elves, one is held by the Dwarves and one, as you know is in my father’s library at the Royal City. Witch’s Keep has two”
Mira opened the volume at the last page. On the inside of the rear cover was an indented hollow from which something had been removed. Mira held up a leatherbound notebook “I found this hidden in the cover of the book in Special Collections.” It is a supplement written by al Jiddah before he died. There is a period of thirty eight years between the book and the supplement. He claims to have located a site containing machines built by the Elder Races.”
Kerris examined the smaller book… “Rumours were common with Arcanists. Pottering about looking for artefacts of the Old Science and then hiding the evidence.” Kerris went to the door. “I want to bring Celestine to see this.. “
“I think this is best kept to ourselves.”
Kerris returned and sat . “Explain.”
“There are revelations here”. Mira indicated the notebook, “that could either save untold lives or lead to the most destructive wars the Land has ever known. Simply being in possession of it is deadly”
“Then we must be rid of it. I take it you are familiar with its contents?”
“Only the foreword”.
“Read the rest and destroy it.”
“That is impossible. The foreword is in Common Tongue. The rest is in an Elvish Script that no one in the Keep is familiar with .Al Jiddah must have stood high in their counsels to learn a script known only to their senior magicians”.
“Then take it to the Elves”.
“That would be a problem. I have read the foreword. He has placed an enchantment on it so that the first person to read it is protected. That person can read it as many times as they wish and not draw the attention of Sorcery. It seems that he was not only an Arcanist but a competent magician.”
“I repeat, take it to the Elves.”
“I must go to Elfhome. I will tell them of the supplement. I will not hand it over”.
“You said that they are the only ones who might be able to translate it”.
“They are, but it seems for all his friendship with the noble elves, al Jiddah did not trust them. I will read part of the foreword. You can take notes if you wish. After that no one must see it. It must remain hidden. There is a section describing his quest. I have copied the full paper so that you can study it later “ Kerris shook her head. “The Elves are friends and allies. It goes hard to treat them with so little respect.”
“They are a noble race but the stronger the light the greater the darkness.” al Jiddah understood that. …” Kerris gazed at the younger woman. At times it was easy to forget that here stood the Princess Royal and future Queen...
“If your family had survived the assassins would you be taking on this quest?”
Mira turned, gazing through a narrow embrasure …“Honestly? I don’t know. It would be nice to think that in some other world I am sitting across from him holding my child,, laughing at his jokes. Your sisters have made vows. They have dedicated themselves to obedience and stability. I have struggled with both all my life. The only thing I have ever loved as much as those I have lost is the Land . I love every river and mountain of it. Every rock and pebble. If there is a way of saving it I will try or die trying”.
What a Matriarch she would have been. Kerris thought.
“There is a caravan in from the South. We will talk after breakfast. Taking the notes she had made Mira began to read…
Leavetaking.
The Old Forest would take six weeks. Four to the Inland Sea. A week to cross, depending on winds. It could be skirted but there were things in the Outlands best avoided, The Pass of the Winds two weeks later… The Royal City in a week and depending on how long it took to get through she would reach the Choke in fifteen days. Beyond that she had no plans. The worms were moving in great numbers. No one had suspected there were that many in the deep desert. She had word that some caravans were getting through.
Kerris returned an hour before lunch. She peered over Mira’s shoulder …“Those figures are optimistic. Cavalry might do it. A woman alone in the wilderness with Winter approaching?”
“An armed escort would attract notice”
“At least you would be alive…When you get to the city ask Leona about crossing the Choke. Some caravans have gone out. Most of them have not returned. If she says it can’t be done, listen to her”
“It will mean a year’s journey around the Continent”
“Better that than being digested by a worm…I have some items for you.”.She handed Mira a silver disc. “Give this one to Per Lindstrom at Havalfjord..”
“And if Lindstrom is away?”
“He won’t, unless he’s dead. If you have to buy passage don’t show the gold. I will convert some of it before you leave. The travel papers from your father will be useful. Kerris lifted a grey cape. .”This is a cloak of concealment. It will not protect you from anyone using magic. But no one else will see you while you are wrapped in it.. And this”. Kerris was holding a miniature crossbow. It had grooves for two bolts. It was unloaded Kerris pointed it at the door. Something flew, burying itself in the oak. Mira opened the door . A slim metal bolt had punched its way through to the other side. Kerris looked at Mira.” It is a favourite of our assassins. Have you ever killed anyone?”
“No”
“Do you think you could kill a man? There is a difference between hitting straw and human flesh.”Mira thought back to the night in the dunes… Her husband, drowning in his own blood…
“Yes, I could.”
“Here are letters of introduction to the heads of our houses. They will see to your requirements. Give me the map; I will have their locations marked on it.” Kerris untied the velvet bag. She held up a copper disc inlaid with markings.” When you get to the city look for the home of Elmund Dwarfdale. Present this”.
They stood in the courtyard while her horses were prepared. She had chosen a tough little Steppe pony. Bred for war by the horsemen of the Khanate, its name was Posy. “You can trust the Rangers, should you meet any. Others you will have to decide for yourself”.
Mira mounted her pony. Kerris looked up at her ,arms folded in the sleeves of her habit.
It is like watching a daughter leave home….No mother ever sent a child into a world like this.
Kerris stood close, taking the reins of the pony. “Mira you are not the girl you were three years past... Do not expect to find the man you lost. He will be different….” Kerris stood back” May the Spirit of Life watch over and protect you.”
A mile from the castle one of the horses started to limp.
McGinty Tells a Story.
“I met her once”. Said McGinty
Moll stared at him.“The Hag?”
McGinty shook his head. “The one at Poulnafulla.” Moll put down her cup.“Paddy McGinty, you never said a word”.McGinty shrugged.
“T’was years ago”.
“Where, what did she say?” Moll asked.
“There was a ould witchy woman on her death bed the other side of the Glen. She had neither family nor friends. All her life up to mischief, settin’ Pishroges,… putting curses on people.. Back in the Famine days she cursed a man who refused to marry her. He died.
I went across in the evening to see if there was anything I could do for her. To be honest I was never sure if it was Christian charity or pure divilment that sent me. There were a few good for nothings hanging abou
t outside, waitin’ to ransack the house as soon as she died. I hunted them.
As I was going in I met the Parish priest coming out. He was shaking like a leaf. He told me she had refused the Last Sacrament. I commended him for his bravery in offering it... He considered himself strong in the faith but not strong enough for Black Biddy.”
She had a nephew; lived over in Ballycotton. The most useless man you could meet in a day’s journey. I caught him pulling out drawers in the sitting room. .I hunted him with a kick in the arse.To annoy her I shouted: “God Bless all here”. A screech came from the bedroom. I opened the door and the smell nearly knocked me . “Ah, Paddy McGinty , is it yourself”, she says lifting her hand to beckon me in.
“What way are you Biddy?.The smell of piss and vomit would knock a bullock. “
“As you see Pat ,as you see. Not long now” She lifted herself up out of the covers and I was shocked at the sight of her. She was nothing but skin and bone.
“It’s only a bag, I’ll have a new one soon…Tell me Paddy” she says, “How is that in all the years we lived across from each other we never had a cross word?”.
“I don’t know Biddy, maybe because we stayed out of each other’s way. Or maybe because in all the mischief you brought on people you never did anything to the McGinty’s “
“That’s true, I did not” She said
“I s’pose it was just as well. If you had caused us trouble my father would be over and he would have pulled the house down around your ears”.
Biddy hooted. “He would, and he was one man that could have done it….. Or maybe it was because I was told to leave you and your family alone and not bother you”.
“What do you mean by that Biddy?”