After the Fire (After the Fire: Book the First)

by J. L. Murray

  “Your mother?” said Fin, sounding even more confused.

  “Yes,” said Eleni. “I will take her, of course. But I do not know if she could survive the winter in the open.”

  “Have you seen her?” said Fin. “Your...mother?”

  Eleni frowned at him. He was acting strangely. “Not of late,” she said.

  “How long?” he said.

  “Five winters ago,” said Eleni.

  Fin looked down at the raven. Eleni could swear they were sharing a look. Fin shook his head at the creature, then looked back at Eleni. “How do you know she's still in the village?”

  “She would not leave me, even if Cosmin let her,” said Eleni. She sat back on the rock. “I suppose she could have died, but I do not think so.”

  “She's not dead,” said Fin. “I promise you that.”

  “How do you know?” said Eleni, her voice suddenly cold.

  “I know,” he said. “So you will not go?”

  “I will not go,” said Eleni. “Not yet.”

  “I can go with you,” he said. “We can take her before they even know we're there. It's your choice what happens to this Cosmin. I will not interfere.”

  “She cannot survive the winter, I told you.”

  “Eleni,” said Fin, “this person you call your mother, she can survive anything.” He rose and sat down on his stone again. “But if you are worried, we can take her to our camp. She will be protected there.”

  “I do not even know you,” said Eleni. She appraised him for a moment. “No, I must wait. You could be tricking me. Maybe you are a Reiver, a clever one. You are trying to get me to lead you into the village. I will not do it. Not while my mother is inside.”

  Fin sighed, exasperated. But a moment later he smiled at her. “I'm not leaving, Eleni. I'll stay here until I change your mind. I won't go anywhere until you come with me. That is a promise.”

  “Why?” said Eleni.

  “Why will I wait for you?” said Fin. Eleni nodded. “Because you're important. And I think you could be in danger.”

  Eleni snorted. “Cosmin cannot hurt me.”

  “Not from them,” said Fin. “From other things. The people from your village are gnats. You do not have to live this way. You should be worshiped.”

  Eleni stood and handed the horn back. The wolf stood with her. “Keep it,” said Fin. “A gift.”

  “I do not want your gifts,” said Eleni. “They seem to have a price.”

  “No price,” said Fin mildly. “Only the truth.”

  Eleni narrowed her eyes at him, but held the horn pressed against her anyway. She walked backward, away from the stranger.

  “I'll see you tomorrow,” he called to her, waving jovially. “Happy hunting.”

  Eleni turned and ran, almost surprised to feel the earth beneath her feet. She felt lightheaded, though not dizzy. As if the ideas of the traveler made her lighter, as if she were made of sky instead of woman. She ran until the feeling dissipated, until the wolf frothed and panted beside her, until she reached the snow. She pulled up her skirt and let her feet sink into a mound of snow, the crust crunching under her, steam rising from beneath her. She saw something move out of the corner of her eye and her hand shot out, the fire leaving her before she even realized what she was doing. A rabbit, its fur once as white as the snow, lay blackened and dead in a puddle of melted snow.

  Eleni didn't understand why Fin had upset her so much. All he had done was ask her to come with him. But it was his proclamation that he would wait for her that had really upset her. She couldn't explain that, even to herself. Perhaps after so long being alone, Eleni didn't want someone waiting for her, someone to feel responsible for. Her mother was no doubt waiting for her to come, to rescue her. But the time just wasn't right. Eleni was positive about that. A regular person could not survive a winter traveling through the mountains. And with mountains on all sides, surrounding the forest and the village, they would have to take the mountains to get anywhere.

  The wolf growled at her and Eleni sighed. She jumped when a great flash of lightning lit up the sky above her. She'd never seen it so close. It was usually in the distance. It startled her out of her thoughts. She stood and walked to the burned rabbit. She stripped the crackling skin off and ate the cooked meat inside. She was surprised at how hungry she was. When she finished, she was calmer. She looked at the horn slung over her shoulder. She wiggled the cork until it popped out and sniffed the contents.

  “Gah!” Eleni exclaimed, turning her head away. The smell burned her nostrils. She looked at the horn for a moment before, very slowly, putting her lips to the opening and tipping the horn up ever so slightly. The liquid rolled across her tongue and down her throat, the taste on her tongue bitter and pungent. Eleni made a face, wrinkling her nose. She replaced the cork.

  The wolf was staring at her reproachfully from a tree stump away from the snow. Eleni kicked snow on the rabbit bones and organs. She stepped out of the snow. The wolf still stared at her, its golden eyes the only thing that would be visible from a distance. Her black fur blended into the shadows of the night perfectly.

  “I want to go,” said Eleni, “but I have to stay.”

  The wolf turned away from her and stepped off the stump and into the darkness of the forest. Eleni sighed. She wouldn't see the animal again tonight. She knew by the look it had given her. She looked up at the moon. It was time to hunt.

  Chapter Four

  Magda blinked and shook her head. These days seeing through the raven's eyes made her dizzy and made her seeing eye throb. She took in her surroundings. She was in her tent, the thick leather painted red for respect, flapping in the frigid breeze. Someone had come in while she was unaware and placed a quilt over her shoulders. Probably Iren. The girl fussed over Magda so. She rose, nearly falling back again as the feeling returned to her legs. She'd been sitting cross-legged on the floor for quite a while, judging from the pitch darkness. Her bones ached and her muscles were stiff. Magda frowned as she shuffled outside, clutching the blanket around her. She had always been old, since the beginning of time. But until recently she had never felt old.

  She sat on a log by the fire. It was a puny, small flame that gave off little heat. They had to keep the fires small to avoid detection. Magda held her hands close to the tiny flame trying to warm herself. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around what she had just seen and heard. Through Mati, the raven, she had seen the girl. It was hard to believe that such a small, pretty thing held such power. But that wasn't what confused Magda. The girl, Eleni, said that her mother was in the village. She must be speaking of Anja. No other would have been strong enough to carry such a dangerous burden, to give birth to Eleni. No regular woman would have survived. And just before she had disappeared, Anja had alluded to being a vessel. But Magda hadn't listened. Anja had tried to tell her everything, and she hadn't listened. What was happening was Magda's fault just as much as Anja's. Perhaps more.

  Magda couldn't believe Anja was so close. She wouldn't. Not until she had seen it with her own eyes. Mati had flown over the village in the daylight, but Magda had not seen her sister. Only miserable men and women. Men and women that would keep a child in a metal box. It made Magda's stomach churn to think of it. If they only knew who Eleni was, they would never dare. And the poor thing had been on her own for so long that it had turned her wild, almost feral. But she had seen a deep intelligence blazing behind the girl's eyes, even through the distorted eyes of a bird. She would be a crafty one. Magda wanted to pray that Eleni was on her side, but she didn't know who to pray to any more. A shiver went up her spine. What if Anja was close, and Magda could no longer feel her? What if their power was gone for good, turned to dust by long winters and unhappiness?

  A warm hand touched Magda's arm. Katalin, Elek's wife, smiled at Magda. “You are chilled, Grandmother,” she said. “I will bring you a drink.”

  “Why don't you sit with me instead?” said Magda. The woman sat down, looking almost as stiff as M
agda felt. “Have you eaten today, Katalin?” said Magda.

  “Of course,” said Katalin, avoiding Magda's eyes. She looked away, into the fire.

  “Elek should take better care of his family,” said Magda. “When Alaunus returns he can teach you to hunt, to find food in the forest. You do not have to depend on men for your food.”

  Katalin smiled weakly. “It is not our way, Grandmother. I have faith in my husband. He will provide for us when he can.”

  “As you say,” said Magda.

  “I must check on the children,” said Katalin. “Are you sure you do not want a drink? It will warm you.”

  “I believe,” said Magda, “that I need to speak with your husband.”

  “No, Grandmother,” said Katalin.

  “Don't worry yourself, it isn't about you. Any of you. I have somewhere I need him to go. He and all the others. It's a full moon.” Magda knew she didn't have to tell this poor woman what phase the moon was in. She knew all too well. She seemed to relax. Whether because Magda wouldn't tell Elek that his wife was starving, or because Magda would be sending Elek away when he was his most violent, Magda didn't know.

  “I will fetch him now,” said Katalin. She hurried off towards the direction of her tent. After a few moments of muted voices, one a growl and one higher-pitched, Elek came out and shambled toward her. Magda knew that it pained him to stay human, especially during the full moon. As much as she hated the way his people treated women and children, she admired his ability to withstand the agony.

  “Grandmother,” he growled. He made an attempt to bow and flinched. Magda held up her hand and motioned for him to sit next to her. “Do you have a task?” he said. Magda could see the yellow flashing in his dark eyes. He was barely containing it.

  “There is a village on the other side of the wood. Do you know it?” said Magda.

  “Yes,” said Elek. Magda thought that ordinarily he may have lied to her, but he hadn't the energy. “We took some sheep on the last moon.”

  “Why only the sheep?” said Magda. “That is not your way.”

  “There was a girl,” he said. “We saw her kill a dark beast with fire from her hand.”

  Magda sighed. Under her nose the whole time. And the idiot didn't have the sense to tell her. No matter. Nothing to be done about it now. “I want you to go to that village again,” said Magda. “The girl sleeps in an iron box set into the wall. Do you remember the wall?”

  Elek nodded. “Yes.”

  “If you secure her in the box, she cannot hurt you. I am sorry to have you do this, but it will free her in the long run.”

  “What do you want from the village?” said Elek.

  “My sister,” said Magda. “Find her if she is there, and bring her back.

  “And the rest of the village?” said Elek, his eyes wide, his pain forgotten, replaced by a hungry look.

  Magda pulled the quilt tighter around herself. She looked into the fire. “Do as you will,” she said. Elek rose and looked like he was restraining himself from running to tell the men.

  “Wait,” said Magda. Elek turned, trepidation on his face. He thought she would take it back. Magda knew how long the men had waited, repressing their natural function. “Don't look so worried,” said Magda. “There is one man. An old man. The girl is fond of him, I think. Spare him. And get out as soon as you can. If the girl gets out of her box before you are gone, she will be the end of you all.”

  Elek nodded eagerly. “Yes, Grandmother.”

  Magda sighed when he had gone. She wanted to have hope that Anja had been taken prisoner, but someone like Anja didn't get into such situations. Not at the hands of a tiny village of humans, at any rate. But she had to know. And Eleni. If the girl knew who she was, not one of those humans would be alive. No one imprisoned a goddess without incurring her wrath.

  Chapter Five

  “What has happened to the monsters?” Eleni said the next evening. “I have not seen a dark creature since you came.” It was the next evening and Eleni had been up before the sun had even gone down. The wolf had not yet joined her. But she couldn't stay away from Fin. Just the knowledge that there was another person in the wild, and one that would talk to her no less, she found irresistible.

  “I'm afraid they don't much like having me around,” said Fin. “They've most likely just migrated higher into the mountains.”

  “That creature you were chasing. Was that a dark creature?” said Eleni. “I've never seen anything like it.”

  “Strago,” said Fin. “I'm afraid that was from the West. Not a dark creature, but a dangerous one all the same. I used to come across them occasionally back home, but I haven't seen one since the fire. I think they were all hiding underground. The one that attacked you tried to get me first, just over that ridge. It found me...distasteful, I suppose. I chased it here. I don't know what I would have done if I caught up to it, but I was sure I'd think of something.” He smiled, his features softening. Eleni liked to look at him. She was fascinated by the way he spoke to her without cringing. She could never tire of anyone smiling at her. She found herself smiling back, though the expression felt strange.

  “Your name,” said Fin, looking at her. “It's not Daci, you know.”

  Eleni nodded. “My mother told me. It is from the South. From her homeland. She struggled with the women of the village when I was born. They wanted me to have a Daci name. My mother refused, she said they treated us like outsiders, so she would name me anything she pleased.” Eleni frowned, her eyes losing focus.

  “You miss her,” said Fin.

  “Yes,” said Eleni. “She was very kind. She used to come to see me after they forced me out of the village. She would comb my hair every day and tell me I was...” Eleni looked away, her voice trailing.

  “Tell you that you were what?” said Fin. “Special? Amazing? Beautiful?”

  Eleni smiled. “Capable of great things,” she said.

  “How do you know she's still in there?” said Fin, pointing to the village with a piece of grass he'd been nibbling.

  “Are you cold?” said Eleni. “I could start a fire.”

  “Don't change the subject.”

  Eleni looked at him. The raven had gotten bored and flown nearby and was digging at something in the ground with its beak. “I do not know,” said Eleni. “I only hope.”

  “Good answer,” said Fin. “Hope is a powerful thing. I don't envy your predicament.” He looked down at his boots and furrowed his brow. “What if someone could get her out, to bring her to safety? What if she's not who you think she is, and she could survive the winter? Survive anything, really.”

  “I do not want to speak of this any more,” said Eleni. “She is a woman, and she will not survive. You would say anything to get me to go with you.”

  “That's not true,” he said quietly. “I wouldn't lie to you.”

  “My mother used to tell me to never trust the words of a man who wants something. That advice has always served me well with the Daci men, and it will serve me well with you.”

  “You can't live like this, Eleni,” Fin said, his voice so low it was almost a whisper. “No one should live like this, let alone you. You're better than this. You deserve to be worshiped.”

  Eleni stood up. “I do not wish to be worshiped,” she said coolly. “I wish to be treated like a normal woman.”

  “Eleni,” said Fin. “You will never be normal. You were born to be extraordinary.”

  “You know nothing about me,” she said. “I must hunt now.”

  “It's only just sunset,” said Fin. “Stay a little longer. I'm sorry.”

  Eleni turned away. “I have to go.”

  “Eleni,” Fin was up and touching her shoulder. She looked at him. Most were afraid to touch her. Like they would catch whatever made her unique. “Sometimes...” said Fin, seeming to be having a hard time finding the words. “Sometimes we can't control the way things happen.”

  “What are you trying to say?” she said angrily. “Are
you going to try to force me to go?”

  Fin smiled. “As if I could.”

  “It would be very difficult,” she agreed.

  “I hope you will come with me willingly. That you'll change your mind.”

  “How long will you wait?” said Eleni. “A night? A fortnight?”

  “Yes,” said Fin.

  “A winter?” said Eleni. She nodded at the look on his face. “You see? You just want what you want.”

  “I just don't think your mother is in that village,” said Fin. He glanced back at the raven, which was now watching them with a keen interest. “I think it's wonderful that you have such hope, but I wouldn't want to be around if you found out otherwise. I have a friend that wants to meet you. Someone that knew your mother.”

  “Who?” said Eleni, studying him. He pursed his lips.

  “You won't believe me,” he said finally.

  “I may.”

  “She is something of a relation to you. Some call her the Crone.”

  Eleni narrowed her eyes. “Why has my mother never spoken of this crone?”

  Fin breathed out heavily through his nose. “She asked me not to say. You won't believe it anyway. You think your mother is a mortal.”

  “The crone asked you not to say,” said Eleni. “The old woman that is a secret relation to me. Immortals who cannot die. Do you think me stupid?”

  “She is...ow!” Fin exclaimed as the white raven alighted and nipped at his ear before flying back to the ground again and surveying them. Fin touched his hand to his ear and looked at the drops of blood on his fingers. He scowled at the bird who squawked at him loudly.

  Eleni stared at him. He shrugged, as if he didn't know what else to say. Eleni snorted. “My mother was right. Men will say anything.”

  She had hunted all she could carry by the time the moon was directly above her. It was full and hung round and heavy in the sky. She thought about going back and trying to talk to Fin again, but she was still angry. She didn't really understand the argument that they had had, but she knew that he had tried to tell her absurd things. He thought her a fool. Perhaps he was a Reiver after all. Luring her away so his friends could attack the village. As she walked across the field toward the village, the wolf growled at her.