The Sword

by Bryan M. Litfin

  Ana awoke with a start. What was that strange noise? She listened, but the night was still. Outside her window, a full moon shone in the sky. No wind blew. Dawn was still an hour away.

  Earlier that night, Lina had arrived with urgent news about the mare. Ana’s parents rushed to help, leaving Ana alone in the chalet. Normally she wouldn’t have minded, but this night had an eerie feel she didn’t like. It’s strange, she thought. I felt safer sleeping in the wilderness with Teo by my side than here in my own house. She burrowed under her comforter, but it didn’t provide any comfort.

  As she lay in bed, Ana’s thoughts drifted to Teo. “What am I going to do about him?” she whispered to the dark. They had hardly spoken since the incident at the waterfall pool, though that had been several weeks ago. Teo wasn’t actually being rude to her. In fact, he wasn’t even avoiding her. He was just there. While she was moving ahead, he was standing still.

  Ana had asked her mother about it. Helena advised, “Take your time; don’t throw yourself at him. Just give him space and wait.” Stratetix’s counsel was the opposite: “Don’t be foolish, Little Sweet! Go kiss and make up right away. He’ll make a fine husband for some lucky girl, and I’d like it to be you!” Ana had scolded her father for that comment, but secretly she wondered if he might be right.

  “I should talk to Master Maurice about it,” Ana decided. “He knows Teo better than anyone. And he’s very wise.”

  There’s that sound again!

  Ana held her breath and listened but heard nothing more. It had sounded like digging, like a spade scraping against a stone. The noise seemed to come from the rear of the house at its base, but her window didn’t face that direction, so she wouldn’t be able to see from her room. Ana threw aside her covers and went downstairs, her bare feet padding on the wooden steps. She pulled on some boots and stepped onto the front porch in her night shift. The door creaked shut behind her. Everything looked normal in the pale moonlight.

  Should I take a peek around back? Ana resolved to be brave. She crept along the side of the house, feeling ridiculous in boots and a short chemise. At the corner, she took a deep breath and poked her head around. The chalet’s eaves and the overhanging trees shrouded the rear wall in darkness. Though she couldn’t see much, Ana saw nothing to give her alarm.

  It was probably just an animal rooting around. The night air was cold against her skin. She shivered and hurried inside.

  In her bedroom, Ana dressed quickly and combed through her hair. It would be dawn soon, and by now she was too awake to go back to bed. She wanted to greet the new day in the presence of Deu, and she knew the perfect place to do it. Not far from the house, a rock ledge provided a lovely view of the mountains to the west. Although she couldn’t see the eastern horizon from there, she enjoyed watching the morning alpenglow paint the snowcapped peaks across the valley. The ledge had become her favorite refuge when she needed to be alone.

  Ana entered her parents’ room and knelt in front of the chest at the foot of the bed. She had always loved this chest because of its clever secret compartment. As a girl, she used to hide her childish treasures inside, never imagining that one day she would have something of real value to keep in it. She slid open a panel and removed the leather satchel in which Stratetix kept the scrolls Shaphan had copied.

  Show me which one you want me to read this morning, she prayed as she carried the satchel downstairs. With a warm cloak around her shoulders, Ana stepped outside into the half-light and hiked up the rise toward her secret place.

  Seated on the rocks, Ana watched the first hint of color touch the highest peak to the southwest. Far below, in the Maiden’s Valley, Ana could see the milky white waterfall tumbling into the pool where she had argued with Teo. She inhaled deeply and put that unpleasant thought from her mind. With her eyes closed, she prayed aloud. “O Deu, here I am, your handmaiden. I await you like I await the new day.”

  In the trees, the birds began to sing their morning songs. The tinkling of cowbells wafted up from the valley. Soon it became light enough to read. Ana reached for the satchel with the scrolls in it.

  KABOOM!

  The ear-splitting concussion rammed Ana so hard, she tumbled from the rocks like a rag doll. Never had she heard anything like it, the thunder of the sky assailing her on earth! Ana’s ears pounded, and her heart seemed to jump out of her chest. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t think—all she could do was cower on the ground. Violent echoes reverberated around her. An enemy rang bells inside her head. The sky itself turned cruel, raining down clods of earth and chunks of wood. A piece of debris clubbed Ana on the head, making the world spin out of control. She put her hand to the ache, and her fingers came away moist and red, but in her stupor she couldn’t comprehend what it meant. White smoke billowed around her, rank with the stench of Astrebril. It choked and smothered her. She stumbled. Dizziness engulfed her. Deu! Help me!

  The distant boom roused Teo from a dead sleep to an instant state of readiness. He sprang from his bed and grabbed his knife in a single motion, lowering the blade only when he realized he wasn’t in imminent danger.

  What was THAT?

  Immediately he knew. Astrebril’s Curse.

  Teo pulled on his breeches and buckled his sword around his waist. As he tucked his ax into his belt, more explosions shattered the sky. He ran to the balcony. Above the saddleback ridge between Pon’s and Elzebul’s Heights, colorful fires thundered in the morning twilight. Red, gold, and green sparks blasted in every direction, showering the mountains with flame. Teo didn’t know what was going on, but he intended to find out.

  He had just inserted his key to lock his door when Shaphan called to him from the University’s courtyard. “Professor Teofil! Come look! There’s smoke coming from Vingin!”

  Teo’s blood turned cold. Astrebril’s Curse at Vingin? That might mean . . .

  He ran to where Shaphan was standing and looked up toward the mountain terrace, gauging the smoke’s location. No! He started to run, but Shaphan grabbed his arm.

  “Wait! I’m coming with you! I want to check on Lina!”

  Teo yanked his elbow from Shaphan’s hand. “I don’t have time to wait for you!” he yelled as he sprinted to the stable. An Elzebulian priest was leading a saddled horse, but Teo shoved him aside, mounted, and galloped out of the University’s gate.

  On the trail to Vingin, Teo passed many terrified villagers evacuating their homes. He ignored them as he sped past. The closer he got to Ana’s house, the tighter the knot in his stomach grew. He tried to tell himself that the smoke wasn’t rising from her home, but it was becoming increasingly hard to deny. Desperation took hold of him. He kicked his heels into his horse’s flanks, urging it to greater speed.

  At the chalet, Teo reined in and leaped from the saddle before the horse stopped moving. The building was a smoldering ruin, a complete devastation. Nothing remained but a pile of charred debris. Teo circled the house, calling Ana’s name, looking for signs of life, but in his heart he knew no one could have survived such an intense fire. Amid the rubble, he noticed something purple and shiny. He picked it up. It was one of Ana’s amethyst earrings. Teo fell to his knees and gripped his head in his hands. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  “Teo! You came to me!”

  “Ana!” Teo ran to her as she stumbled out of the woods. Blood caked the side of her face and matted her hair. “Are you hurt? Ana! Are you hurt?” He supported her in his arms.

  “I think I’m okay. Just scared. What happened?”

  “The evil of Astrebril. The High Priestess has cursed your home. Where are your parents?”

  “They weren’t at home. Oh, praise Deu! They were at Aunt Rosetta’s!”

  “Let’s get you there and figure out what to do next.” He helped Ana into the saddle and swung up behind her.

  As they started up the trail, Ana reclined against Teo’s chest. “Here we go again,” she said over her shoulder. Teo shook his head and marveled at the woman’s gr
it.

  Stratetix and Helena burst from Rosetta’s chalet when they arrived. Both were covered in soot.

  “Ana! For the second time, you’ve come back to us from the dead!” Stratetix threw his arms around his daughter and embraced her with his eyes closed.

  Helena’s voice quivered with anguish. “We searched for you, but nothing was left! When we couldn’t find you, we feared the worst!” Although her face was joyful, tears had left their trails on her blackened cheeks.

  “I ran into the village for help,” Ana said. “I called for men to come with buckets, but they looked at me as if I were accursed.”

  Stratetix held his daughter’s shoulders in his two hands and gazed into her face. “The fire consumed everything! How are you alive?”

  “Deu led me outside! He preserved me—and also this!” Ana lifted the leather satchel containing the scrolls.

  “Deu is good.” Helena joined her husband in hugging Ana.

  “Stratetix?” Teo reluctantly interrupted the family’s rejoicing. “We need to get you and Helena out of sight. Then we need a plan. Let’s go inside.”

  As they entered the chalet, Rosetta gasped. “Child, you’re hurt!”

  “Something hit me. It bled a lot, but I think it looks worse than it really is.”

  “Come here and let me wash that blood off you!” Rosetta moistened a rag and made Ana sit on a low stool so she could dab at her head. Lina sat down beside Ana.

  “How’s the foal?” Ana whispered.

  “He died. It was a colt.”

  “I’m sorry.” Ana patted Lina’s arm.

  Stratetix raised his palm. “Sh! Listen! Someone’s coming!”

  Teo crossed to the window and peered out. “It’s okay. It’s Shaphan.” He opened the door and let the young man slip inside. Lina greeted him in an awkward embrace.

  “Listen up, everyone,” Teo said. “Here’s what we’re going to do. The High Priestess has obviously gotten wind of our meetings, or at least she suspects Stratetix of heresy. Stratetix, did you or Helena enter Vingin today? Has anyone seen you alive?”

  “No. We only ran to the chalet, looked for Ana, then returned here. We saw no one. The curse kept them away.”

  “Good. That’s to our advantage. Ana, what about you? I think you said you’ve been seen?”

  “Yes, I went into town.”

  “Okay, then. You’re now playing the role of the grieving orphan. You’ll have to act as if your parents are dead.”

  “What are we supposed to do?” Stratetix asked. “Helena and I can’t live in hiding forever.”

  “Not forever, but for now that’s exactly what you’re going to do. We need to see how the situation plays itself out. You two have to disappear for the time being.”

  “Where?” Helena asked.

  “I know a place. A hunting cabin on a lake at the back of the Maiden’s Valley. No one uses it anymore because most of the ibex are gone now. It’s a real wilderness up there. You should be safe until I can sort things out. Let’s get some things packed.”

  “Anything you find in the house is yours to have,” Rosetta said. “Take what you need.”

  When the supplies were ready, Teo loaded them on his horse. He also packed heavy rucksacks for Stratetix and himself and a lighter one for Helena.

  Shaphan tapped Teo on the arm. “Professor Teofil, I could carry a load, too. I could accompany you on the mission.”

  “No, this is something I need to do alone. You stay here and take care of things.”

  “What things?”

  “I don’t know. Whatever you think needs doing.”

  “Sure,” Shaphan said, dropping his chin.

  Teo turned to Stratetix and Helena. “Here, wear these cloaks. I’m taking you by the back trails, but if we run into any herders or dairymen up there, just put up your hood and don’t speak to them.”

  “Teo, what should I do with this?” Ana held up the satchel containing the scrolls of Deu.

  “Take it to my teaching theater and hide it in the cottage. No one will bother it there. The key is under the flat rock by the nearest tree.” He looked at Stratetix and Helena. “Ready?”

  Tearful hugs were exchanged as the family said their good-byes. Teo watched Ana as she embraced her parents. So many things in her life were uncertain. He wished he could think of something to say to her, but the day was wearing on, and they needed to get going if they were to make it to the cabin before dark. “It’s time to leave,” he said. “Let’s move out.”

  “Could we pray together before you go?” Ana asked.

  “There’s really no time for that,” Teo answered.

  She accepted it. “Deu be with you all.”

  Rosetta, Lina, Shaphan, and Ana waved from the porch as Teo and the two fugitives left the chalet with their packhorse. Ana bolted from the porch and caught up to them, putting her hand on Teo’s arm.

  “Take care of them, Teo,” she said earnestly. “And take care of yourself.”

  “Ana, I—”

  She remained silent, her eyes wide, waiting.

  “—will take care of your parents,” he finished.

  Ana nodded and lifted her hand as they walked away.

  The trail entered the forest. An eerie wind, abnormally hot, had begun to stir through the trees as the travelers left Vingin behind.

  “What’s the name of this place you’re taking us to?” Stratetix asked.

  “It’s called Obirhorn Lake,” Teo called over his shoulder. “It’s a little lake way up in the mountains. Very remote.”

  “When you get back, I want you to check on Ana. She’s all we have, you know.”

  “We’re trusting you to protect our daughter while we’re gone,” Helena added. “She means everything to us. We need you to keep her safe from harm.”

  Teo nodded. “Don’t worry. I always will.”

  CHAPTER

  11

  When the trio arrived in the evening, Obirhorn Lake lay quiet, its turquoise depths shimmering against a background of dark green. Teo was tired, and he knew Helena and Stratetix must be exhausted from the trip. The hot foehn wind had continued to blow all day, fatiguing the travelers and making them jittery. They had journeyed far from Vingin, descending to the floor of the Maiden’s Valley, then climbing into the wild hinterlands at its head. Two hours earlier, they had left the trees behind and emerged into alpine meadows. Still they continued to ascend until finally they attained the upper reaches of the valley, where scrubby tundra and gray stone predominated in place of grassy pastures. The great peaks of Chiveis, normally viewed from the villages as a pleasant backdrop, now towered over the travelers like an enclosing fortress. The valley was a dead end, and they had arrived at its limit—the natural rear wall of the safe little world behind the Citadel’s ramparts. Atop the summits, the crumbled glaciers created a barrier no man could pass. Teo didn’t know what lay on the other side of that bluish white ice. He only knew it was the Beyond.

  Helena slumped against Stratetix as he supported her. “We made it,” she sighed.

  “What are you cooking us for dinner tonight?” he asked with a grin. She smiled wearily and thumped his chest with her palm.

  The hunting cabin was unlocked, and Teo went inside first, opening a window to let in light and fresh air. Two cots lined the walls, and a potbellied stove sat in the corner, its supply of firewood adequate for late springtime. A few stools, a small wooden table, and an archery cabinet rounded out the furnishings.

  Helena entered the cabin and set down her rucksack, taking stock of the place. “It’s not home, but it’ll do,” she said with an air of resignation. She unfurled a bedroll and flopped onto the bed.

  Stratetix came to Helena and removed her boots. “Take your rest, love. I’ll make something to eat.”

  “Both of you can rest.” Teo rummaged in his pack and pulled out two wheels of cheese and a flask of white wine from the vineyards along the Tooner Sea. “I’ll get a fire going and make us something filling.”


  The three travelers shared a meal of bread dipped in melted cheese. After supper, the conversation gradually settled into a pleasant silence. The fire crackled in the stove with reassuring warmth. Helena yawned on her cot.

  “Would you say the prayers tonight, my husband?” she asked. Stratetix nodded and gazed heavenward, his palms up. He invoked Deu’s protection and guidance for Ana, Teo, the house community, his wife, and himself. Although Stratetix wasn’t an eloquent man, his prayers were wise and heartfelt. Helena was asleep before he even said, “So be it.”

  Teo wrapped himself in a blanket on the floor, thinking about Stratetix’s prayers. What must it be like to be a religious man like that? he wondered.

  The next morning, Teo rose early. He opened the archery cabinet and removed the lone excuse for a bow. It was misshapen, and the string was brittle. The arrows weren’t much better, but they would have to do.

  “Going hunting?” Stratetix asked from his bed. Helena was still asleep.

  “With this bow, I’m probably just going shooting.”

  Stratetix laughed. “If you can hit a falling apple, Captain, you can hit anything.”

  “We’ll see. Don’t expect me back right away.”

  “You know where to find us.”

  The air was warm when Teo left the cabin. A wall of puffy clouds loomed over the summits at the rear of the hanging valley, and white patches still dotted the tundra despite the work of the snow-eating wind. Teo squatted and looked at his reflection in the still waters of Obirhorn Lake. His face was tanned by the sun, with a strong square jaw and clear eyes. Many women had called him handsome; some had even called him more than that. What had Sucula whispered in his ear when he had given her the cloak? “A sexy man like you would keep me warm.” It was a strange joke for a married woman to make. He tossed a pebble into the lake and stood up.

  As Teo ascended through the tundra onto the rocky escarpments at the base of the summits, his eyes searched for the movements of a cliff-dwelling ibex, but his mind searched for a solution to yesterday’s events. Stratetix had been cursed by a powerful god. When Astrebril was invoked by the High Priestess, he visited his wrath on the patriarchs of Chiveisian families by destroying their homes at dawn. Though Ana was in no immediate danger of further reprisals, Stratetix might be cursed again if the High Priestess learned he was still alive. Teo couldn’t think of a way to reintegrate the family into Chiveisian society. Perhaps they could simply return to distant Edgeton and keep a low profile. He was unsure what the next steps should be.