City Of Light

by Darren Deegan

  The priest greeted Gareth’s family and offered condolences. They were only fifteen paces from the pyre, when Selene looked behind the priest to see Gareth’s body in front of it, wrapped in a fine white cloth. The long precession fanned out from behind her, and formed a large circle around them, and the pyre.

  The priest spoke up, ‘on behalf of the family, I would like to thank you all for coming here tonight, to send this brave soul off to the afterlife.’

  Tears held back by sheer will, and strength, flowed down the faces of Gareth’s family. Selene wasn’t far behind, the entire day had felt so surreal, she couldn’t believe she was standing before the lifeless body of her only love, waiting to set him alight and send his soul off to the next life. Everything was about to change for her, that much she knew, but how it would change, and how she would deal with that change, that was beyond her still.

  She realised the priest had been speaking for a while, and she was yet to catch a word of it.

  ‘Gentlemen, if you would.’ The priest said, gesturing to the graveyard attendants to place the body atop the wooden frame.

  A gentle hand gripped her shoulder.

  ‘Be strong, child. Be strong for them.’

  Neesha was at her side, she had been lost in thought, and hadn’t noticed her arrival, not that she might have noticed it anyway, she thought. Neesha had a way of moving that alerted few.

  The body was set in place, and the attendants moved around to a small lit fire, within a metal basket. They each reached down next to it and removed two black metal torches, lighting them from the fire, and moved towards the priest.

  ‘If two members of the family would like to come forth and set the pyre a light.’ He said, as if burning the body of a fallen friend, and family member, was nothing more than lighting the kitchen stove. Gareth’s mother stepped forward and took both torches. She turned to Selene, hand stretched out. ‘Join me?’ She said to Selene.

  Selene took the torch, and they both stepped past the priest and walked to the edge of the pyre, standing perfectly still as they reached it. Neither moved a muscle to set the dried wood alight, instead they gazed out at Gareth’s body, his face now covered by the white cloth.

  ‘He loved you with an intensity I’ve rarely seen in people twice his age.’

  No words would come, she only managed a nod.

  ‘No one ever told him what to do, so don’t let me hear you blame yourself for this. He loved you, and would have followed you, even into death.’

  Gareth’s mother said nothing more, she leaned in and set the left of the pyre a light, while Selene followed suit on the right. They handed the torches back to the waiting attendants and returned to their positions within the circle of mourners. The fire grew, and grew, and before Selene took in what was happening, the entirety of the wood, and his body, were engulfed in flame. She heard Neesha say something over her shoulder, a language she’d never heard before. She looked up at her, a question.

  ‘It is a prayer for the dead, in our tongue. May the Goddess carry him safely to the shores of Tír na nÓg. May his soul live on forever in that place of glory.’

  She wasn’t sure what to say, so she smiled and returned her attention to the blazing pyre before her. Sobs came from all around, even the most hardened criminals had tear-filled eyes, as the fire burned bright, consuming Gareth as it went. Selene could take no more of it, she kissed Gareth’s mother on the cheek, and made her way through the crowd and out of the graveyard. Remembering him as he was, not as a body atop a pillar of fire, was what she wanted, and she feared staying any longer would sear that image into her mind forever.

  Once she reached the city walls, she slowed to a relaxed pace, and entered through the south entrance into the slums.

  ‘Give it time,’ a voice from just behind her.

  ‘Gods damn it, Neesha, can you not do that? I swear you glide on the air when you move.’

  Neesha had her usual emotionless face as she looked at Selene. ‘Before you know it, the happiest of memories will be all that remain, they will overshadow the rest. Trust me, I have lost more people than I ever care to remember.’

  She stepped closer to Selene, ‘believe me when I say, I hate to ask, at a time such as this, but time is something I do not have.’ She was cut off before she finished.

  ‘I’m coming with you.’

  Her face no longer emotionless, shock was the only thing that could describe it. ‘You are? Forgive me, but why? I was sure you would want nothing to do with us after what happened.’

  ‘I’ve tried to occupy my mind today,’ she began, pacing around in front of Neesha. ‘Tried everything, but Gareth was all I thought of. It's what I need, to get out of this city, I need time to heal, far away from here, far away from everything that reminds me of what I’ve lost.’

  And that was it, she had no more to say, and she could tell Neesha needed no more convincing or questions answered.

  ‘Pack light, I will meet you at the North-West gate an hour before dawn.’

  THIRTY SIX

  Howling winds filled Neesha’s ears, but still she could hear the cries of beasts from all around her. The trek to the peaks of the Iron Mountains was a long one. Ice and snow had all but coated her thick obsidian cloak that was now indistinguishable from her leather armour. Armour she wore because of the beasts that called those peaks home.

  While they mostly let her people be, beasts have a mind that no one can predict, and many a wandering child had been devoured whole by them.

  Every carefully placed step brought her closer to the horrid, demonic sounds. But that was good, that was what she wanted, for she knew her target would be at the centre of wherever those creatures swarmed.

  A soft voice caught her ear, carried down on the wind, it was singing. Neesha recognised the song, one of yearning and the suffering one felt after a great loss. The voice too was familiar, she would know it anywhere.

  ‘No one sings that song quite like you.’ She said, cresting the peak.

  Larisa turned, still singing, her face a little brighter at the sight of Neesha.

  ‘You hold more sadness than even I.’

  She stopped singing. ‘Our lives have been filled with great loss, Neesha, I’m not sure mine is worse than yours. Perhaps if you ever sang, we’d see it.’

  Neesha laughed, ‘if I sang? I would clear great halls if I unleashed my voice upon them.’

  They both broke into laughter then.

  Flurries rushed around them, dulling the thunder far above. No, not thunder, the beating of wings. Wings large enough to support the bodies of the great beasts that encircled them. Neesha never felt safe on the peaks of the Iron Mountains, but with Larisa there, it eased her anxiety.

  ‘Come down from here, it never helps your mood to be here anymore, Issy.’

  ‘I came to say goodbye. It may be awhile before I see them again.’

  Neesha paused then, unsure of what that meant.

  ‘I’ve met someone, Neesha.’ She trailed off. ‘I wasn’t quite sure how to tell you, but it’s something wonderful, something I need to explore.’

  ‘Explore? What are you talking about? Why would meeting someone stop you from coming here?’

  Wind howled, drowned out only by the ferocious roar of the beasts. There was pain there, even Neesha could sense it, as if they knew something was amiss with Larisa.

  ‘They know the pain of great loss, their numbers dwindle with each season. Much like our own. Who knows how many will still roam these mountains when I return.’ She said to Neesha, sharing off aimlessly.

  ‘Enough, Issy, tell me what’s on your mind. What are you going to do?’

  ‘A mortal. I’ve fallen in love with a mortal.’

  ‘This can not be. It is forbidden, Larisa, you know that. Why would you do such a thing?’ Neesha grabbed for Larisa’s arm, pulling her face to face with her.

  They stared each other down as if enemies on a field of battle. It was too long a moment, but she needed an answ
er, for their laws were set in stone. For over a century, the council of elders had banned the union of their races. After being cast out, banished from the mortal lands, they had no choice but to force their people to abandon all contact with Emeerians. Now Larisa had not only forsaken the laws of their people, but she spat on her oath as a member of the Tuath Dé, an oath to upload the laws of the Zin.

  ‘Answer me, Larisa. Why would you do this?’

  Her immortal sister, and friend of centuries past, could not bare to look at her. Larisa lowered her head and stared at the white blanket of snow beneath their feet.

  ‘I’m sorry, sister, I’ve broken our laws, forsaken my oath, and it would seem, hurt the only family I have left. You must know, I never intended to fall for anyone, let alone a mortal. I met him during a routine scouting mission in Eitane. He was kind and wise, far beyond his years. He cared for others more than himself and helped those less fortunate than he.’ She returned her gaze to Neesha.

  ‘How long has this been going on?’

  ‘A year almost. It’s why I requested the southern assignments. I’ve been slipping away when I can to see him. But I can’t do it anymore, I want to spend more time with him, and I can’t do that as Tuath Dé.’

  ‘You swore an oath. That wasn’t something to be taken lightly, you knew that. We almost killed ourselves to become Tuath Dé, it is a position of honour, one for life. You would throw all that away for the love of a mortal? One who may not see another fifty winters?’ Neesha cut off, struggling to fully comprehend the gravity of the situation.

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘You are the last of your house, Issy, please, do not do this, you would cast dishonour on the Saend name. Think of your family, who gave their lives for these lands, who died valiantly. Do not forsake their memory.’

  ‘I’ve made up my mind, sister, a letter has already been delivered to the council, I will be gone by dawn.’

  THIRTY SEVEN

  The sky was coated in that wonderful black, blue hue that signalled the time just before dawn. Soon it would fill with an array of beautiful purples, oranges, and reds, but that was still an hour away, and she would not be within the city walls to watch one more sunrise.

  Sleep had been tenuous at best that night, it wasn’t just the loss of her love, but the idea she may never return to Eitane, the only place she knew her entire life. Selene never did much travelling, Gareth could never take her on the tasks that Vin assigned him across Emeer, and the thought of travelling to another land, was frightening.

  Goodbyes were far too hard, she couldn’t bring herself to speak to any of her friends, least of all Molly. Selene had spent hours crafting farewell letters for each of them. The twins, Eric and Marisa, her dearest friend Rob, and even to Tom she wrote. She spoke of their shared loss, the good times they’d all had together with Gareth, and wished them all well, hoping to see them in some unknown future.

  The letter to Molly had taken twice as long, filled with thanks and love, for returning to Eitane for her, even if it had only been these past few years. By the end it had been dotted with droplets of tears.

  ‘That’s a fine leather satchel you’re carrying, is it new?’ Neesha, appearing as if from nowhere.

  ‘It was delivered yesterday, while I was out.’ She said, holding out the stained, brown leather satchel.

  ‘Fine work, you must have paid well for it.’

  ‘More so for its contents. Gareth’s birthday would have been in two days. Weeks ago, I hired the blacksmith to craft these for him, as a gift from me,’ she said, removing a dagger from within the satchel.

  Neesha examined the blade, then the hilt, as only a trained warrior or smith would. She smiled.

  ‘Toben's work,’ she implied more than asked.

  ‘How could you possibly know that?’

  ‘His great grandfather was Zin. His work was some of the finest I've ever seen, it would appear his grandson is just as skilled. These are fine weapons, befitting the Prince of Thieves.’ She handed the dagger back.

  Selene smiled at the title she had given Gareth. She knew it would have gone straight to his head, just like the ceremony in the graveyard the previous night. She didn't know what to do with the weapons, burying them with Gareth's ashes was her first thought, but she knew he would hate to see fine weapons go to waste.

  ‘I'm taking them with me. I think it's what he would have wanted.’ She was firm in her words.

  ‘As you should. They will serve you well in what I fear is to come.’

  She knew Neesha was speaking about the Magi threat, but she didn't want to know anymore, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear their name again for a long time.

  ‘Come, the camp is not far, and the others are expecting us.’

  Selene stowed the daggers away and threw the satchel over her shoulder. They set off through the city gate and headed north for the camp.

  * * *

  Hard days walking beneath the canopy of trees, it was taking its toll on her, but she knew her mood was because of the day that was in it, not the blisters on her feet. The furthest Selene had ever gone from Eitane, was the small fishing village a few hours south of the city. Even then, she had taken a horse, something she fell in love with. She used to deliver messages to the village whenever the opportunity struck, just so she could spend the day riding.

  When a scout at the head of their party gave the signal to stop for lunch, she welcomed the reprieve. Not so she could rest and eat, but because it gave her a chance to escape the surrounding group, if only for a while. If she had to hear one more story about the mighty Zin, or listen to the over eager children ask question after question, she would likely blow, and no one wanted to see that. Not after what happened in the sewers.

  It was worse at night, always worse at night, but even in her waking steps, it haunted her. Gareth in her arms, his last breath, the cruel smile of the Magi warrior, that laugh that went through her. Then a flash, she remembered the flash of light, blue and blinding, powerful. The power she felt in those few seconds just before it took her, was like nothing she could ever explain, at least not yet.

  Selene could feel that familiar hum from the sewer, it was all around her, in the air, the trees, the grass, the river beyond. She had never noticed it before, never before that night, and not since, it felt rhythmic, inviting, like the captivating music that only a master bard could play.

  ‘You feel it, do you not?’ Neesha said, taking up residence in the patch of grass next to her.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Magic.’ Neesha said with a smile, as if that explained everything. ‘It is all around us, in the trees, rivers, rolling fields, and the creatures who inhabit them. It is the energy that we all share, energy that connects us all.’

  ‘If magic is in everything and everyone, why are we the only ones who can use it.’ It seemed like the most logical question in Selene’s head.

  ‘No one knows for sure. They say our race was the first. Descended from the gods themselves, and granted with the gift to see, and feel the magic used to create the world. We each have a natural ability, with a limit on the power we can use, and most have an affinity for particular talents.’

  Selene raised an eyebrow, unsure of what Neesha meant.

  ‘You’ve seen it already. Those who walk through shadows, allowing short distance travel, and fire wielders who can command the flames to do their bidding. There are more to see, many more, some defy belief.’

  ‘And what about me? What can I do?’ She asked, hoping there was more to her powers than death and destruction.

  ‘You, Selene Saend, have inherited your family’s gift. Something that has been lost since your mother’s passing, a gift so rare that all will stand in awe at your coming. You, are a Storm Caller. The heavens will open at your will, lightning will strike your foes, ice to freeze them in place, and winds so strong, they will cleave men in two.’

  ‘So it’s true, my gift is death…’ Her head hung low, ashamed of who she wa
s, and what she had already done.

  Neesha moved closer, placed a hand on Selene’s shoulder and looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Forgive me, I am an old warrior who’s seen far too much war, my first instinct is how I can defeat my enemies. But that is not you. While you may use magic to do those things, like everything in life, there is another side to it.

  You may bring rains that grow crops in times of drought, create speedy winds that carry ships ladened with supplies to those in need, clear skies so that the warmth of the sun may comfort the weary traveller.’ She paused and looked out over the river beyond. ‘How we use our magic is up to us, Selene. Only we can decide the path we walk.’

  THIRTY EIGHT

  Trees ahead, trees behind, Selene had never seen so many trees, and if there was another day of walking through them, she was going to explode. The grass beneath her feet was soft, springy, lush and green, she was thankful for that much at least. The sound of the river rushing past, not too far off, felt comforting to her, it reminded her of home.

  'Three days, three gods damned days. How long does it take to get to your city? ' She asked Neesha, who remained close the entire journey.

  'Oh, we're not going to our city, at least not yet.'

  'What? I thought we were going to the Iron Mountains.'

  'We are. We will. First, we stop in Silvercrest, to meet with some of my scouts who travelled to the east in search of the gifted. Do not worry, we will stay only one night at Silvercrest, after that we head north, and home.'

  They continued through the trees that followed the course of the river. Selene wasn't sure why they had been following the river, and she didn't want to ask, for fear of sounding childish. But her questions were answered as the trees cleared, and she could see the silhouette of a large town, sitting on the shore of a lake.

  'Silvercrest?' She asked.