The Inner Circle: The Gates of Hae'Evun

by Cael McIntosh

  'Are you quite sure?' Noah growled, once again coming very close. 'Because I'm going to start hurting you. I'm going to wound you in increasingly horrible ways. Perhaps doing so will freshen your memory. Sooner or later, you will die, and then I'll eat the meat off your bones, rendering you far too dead to resurrect.' Noah paused for a moment, allowing the thought to sink in. 'Or you could make this so much easier on yourself. See?' He removed his pistol and put it against Ilgrin's head. 'Tell me her weakness and I will allow you a peaceful death. I've been told it's like going to sleep, only quicker.'

  'I don't know what to tell you.'

  'That is a shame.' Noah sighed. 'But I am so very hungry.' He leaned in to take a bite.

  The people of Elmsville scattered and disappeared as El-i-miir and the others hurried across town and into the outskirts of Narvon Wood. 'There's an overgrown farmhouse a little way south of here,' Teah babbled, her expression one near to panic. 'You should wait for me there.' She turned to El-i-miir and Jakob. 'I'll fly ahead to make sure he's okay. By the time you get there, I'll be on my way back.'

  'No way,' El-i-miir snapped. 'You can't expect me to sit around while Ilgrin is in danger.'

  'She's right.' Jakob frowned. 'We should stick together.'

  'I won't take long.' Teah ran her hands through her hair and paced anxiously. 'You're too slow. Where is he?' She grasped Jakob's shoulders and shook him. 'Tell me where he is.'

  'There's a small cliff deeper into the woods,' Jakob replied nervously. 'That's where I was supposed to take him.'

  'I'm going.' Teah spun around, but El-i-miir grabbed her arm.

  'Wait,' she cried. 'I can't stop you, but please, I'm begging you not to do anything stupid. Come back for us and we'll go for him together.'

  Teah wrung her hands. 'The overgrown house is--'

  'I know where it is,' El-i-miir murmured, the unstable structure holding an all too familiar place in her memories.

  'I'll come back.' Teah spread her wings. 'Believe it or not, I want this to go as well as you do.' Without waiting for a reply, Teah vanished through the canopy and disappeared from view.

  'Come on,' El-i-miir mumbled, picking her way forward through the woods. Some time later, she and Jakob arrived at the dilapidated old house where she and Far-a-mael had originally held Seteal captive.

  'I wonder what happened here,' Jakob mused, examining the gaping hole in the side of the house where they'd first met Seeol.

  'You don't want to know,' El-i-miir whispered as she entered the house. The place was an even greater mess than it'd been when she'd last seen it. Half of the ceiling had caved in and plants had broken through every crevice or window. 'Get some rest while you can,' she advised the Sa'Tanist. 'I doubt Teah will be much longer.'

  'What about you?' Jakob asked as he sat on a rickety old chair near the broken table.

  'Don't be silly,' El-i-miir reprimanded him. 'How could I possibly?'

  'You really love him, don't you?' Jakob raised his eyebrows.

  'I don't need to explain myself to you,' El-i-miir replied, pacing about the room.

  'I suppose we're not so different.' Jakob sat back, stretching his legs.

  'Don't fool yourself,' El-i-miir replied curtly. 'You obey them like a dog.'

  'You're chasing after your demon with the dedication of a dog.'

  'You're a coward. You obey out of fear,' El-i-miir sneered. 'Ilgrin would never ask this of me. I'm doing it because I love him.'

  'I wonder . . . does he feel the same way?' Jakob leaned forward attentively but El-i-miir remained silent, confused as to how she should answer the question. 'Of course, it'll never work out. You must see that.'

  'Are you trying to get me to slap you?' El-i-miir stared at him irritably.

  'Not at all,' Jakob replied. 'Yours is just not a relationship one often comes upon.'

  'I can't stand to be in here,' El-i-miir grumbled, turning to leave. 'I'm going for a walk.'

  'I'll come,' Jakob stood.

  'No, you won't,' El-i-miir replied, but soon found Jakob following anyway. 'What is that?' She winced after they'd been walking a while. The air surrounding them seemed to be putting more pressure on her than usual.

  'What is what?' Jakob replied as they trampled deeper into the woods.

  'Are you being funny?'

  'Not at all.' Jakob stared at her as though she were crazy.

  'How strange,' El-i-miir muttered as she examined the trees' auras to find them slanting away into the woods, even though the trees themselves leaned back toward Jakob and her. The colours twisted and flickered as though they were being drained. 'Come on.'

  'I don't like this,' Jakob said softly. 'Are you sensing something?'

  'I think so.' El-i-miir gazed in wonder as they continued on, the trees coming to lean increasingly northward as though they were trying to escape something. 'We'll have to go back soon.' She sighed dejectedly. 'I have a terrible headache.'

  'You're not the only one,' Jakob said, rubbing his temples. 'It's so quiet. Have you noticed?' There were no birds chirping and not a breeze could be felt.

  'We should go back.' Jakob swallowed nervously, the complete silence allowing El-i-miir to hear him do so. Even the crunching of the leaf litter beneath their feet had somehow become muted.

  El-i-miir ignored him, having spotted a clearing up ahead. She wove through the remaining trees and stepped out into the open. Her headache got worse, but she took another step toward a black shadow at the centre of the clearing. It took a moment, but then El-i-miir realised that it was a tree.

  'Is that a tree?' Jakob asked, his voice strained.

  'I've never seen anything like it,' El-i-miir whispered. So dark was the tree that it sucked up the surrounding light. The temperature became chilling and the Ways felt as though they were mourning something terrible. El-i-miir had never come across a place so entirely radiating with misery. She reached out and pulled off a freezing cold black leaf which immediately dissolved like ash between her fingers.

  'Let's go,' El-i-miir backed away, but Jakob had already left the clearing.

  The pair hurried toward the overgrown farmhouse and as they did the pressure lifted, the darkness becoming less. The sorrow fled their hearts and the ache their heads.

  'Where were you,' Teah demanded, jumping down from a tree.

  'Oh, no.' El-i-miir clapped a hand over her mouth. 'You're back already. We're wasting time.'

  'What were you doing in the woods?' Teah said irritably. 'I've been waiting here for over an hour.'

  'An hour?' Jakob shook his head. 'That can't be right . . . oh, wait.' A look of confusion crossed his features. 'How long did we stand by that tree?'

  The words sent chills down El-i-miir's spine. Her memory of the event was dull, but she might've been standing there for a very long time. 'Did you find him?' She turned to Teah, desiring to forget the horrible experience.

  'He's where Jakob said he'd be,' Teah replied, turning to lead the way. 'He's alive. I wanted to free him but there were too many soldiers. I wouldn't have been strong enough. We're going to need your affiliation.'

  'How is he?' El-i-miir asked, fearful of the answer. 'Teah? How is he?' She repeated when the woman failed to respond.

  'We should hurry,' was the only answer she gave.

 

  CHAPTER Twenty-Four

  refuge

  The fabric of this particular dress had somehow managed to maintain the fresh white colour of a perfectly new garment. Seteal couldn't say how. It wasn't particularly new, but it was one of her favourites. She slid into the comfortable, modest garment. It was a flowing, dignified dress that stayed true to her class, without airs or graces. She didn't want to look the fool. Some considered the lack of sleeves a little immodest, but Seteal wrote those people off as prudish.

  Never having been one to wear much makeup, Seteal straightened her dress and headed downstairs. She fixed herself a glass of water in the kitchen and cast a look of concern at the sky. The clouds were heavier
than usual. Seteal had heard of whisp rain and doubted very much that she'd like it. She wiped her hand on a cloth and slid into her best shoes before making her way across town.

  Elmsville didn't have a church or town hall. It was two small to have one of each. Instead, the two were merged into a single building with a small steeple and bell. Seteal allowed for such distracting thoughts as they served a purpose in keeping her from dwelling on the task at hand.

  The bell had been rung shortly after El-i-miir and the others left. It indicated an emergency meeting. Most of the town would be there. They'd probably decided to evacuate for themselves, but Seteal had to be certain. She pushed open the door and made her way inside. The mayor stopped speaking and the congregation turned to stare. So complete was the silence, that Seteal could hear the clock ticking against the wall.

  'I don't mean to intrude,' Seteal said apologetically. She took in the stunned expressions surrounding her and suddenly felt uncertain as to how she should proceed. 'I wanted to warn you . . . to suggest that you all leave Elmsville. More silts will come. It's no longer safe here.' The silence continued to the point of awkwardness. 'I'll have to leave, too.' Seteal fidgeted.

  The mayor finally spoke up from his place at the podium. 'Half of our homes have been burned to the ground or otherwise destroyed. Look around you, Miss Eltari.'

  As if his words had lifted a blindfold, Seteal looked about to find piles of blankets and personal possessions lining the walls beside uncomfortable-looking cots. There hadn't been a meeting in session. The town hall had been converted into a refuge for the homeless and the injured. 'There must be somewhere you can go,' Seteal stepped forward, but stopped when people squirmed in fear. 'They won't stop until we're dead.'

  'We don't need you to tell us that,' the mayor replied, making his way down the aisle. 'We'll be packed up and gone by tomorrow.'

  'Where will you go?'

  'You needn't concern yourself with that,' the mayor said softly, his eyes piercing into Seteal's.

  'But of course I . . .' She began to reply before trailing off at the realisation of his meaning. They didn't want her to know. They didn't trust her. 'Of course.' Seteal nodded. 'Well, please hurry. I'm afraid you have less time than you think.'

  'Well, thank you for your concern, Miss Eltari,' the mayor replied without a glimmer of thanks in his voice. He raised his hand, indicating that she should leave.

  'If there's anything I can do to help, you know where to find me,' Seteal said as he ushered her out.

  'You've done quite enough,' the mayor replied shortly. Seteal turned around to reply, but the door came to a close a handswidth from her nose. She stepped back, removed her white gloves and threw them in the dirt, grimacing at the black cracks crisscrossing her arms.

  On the way home, Seteal found herself looking at the sky more often than where she was putting her feet. She felt like there was some urgency in finding Seeol--or perhaps she just missed him--but she supposed he could wait one more day. Shirking her responsibilities to the people of Elmsville in their darkest hour would just be wrong.

  *

  Seeol had been awake most of the night, finding it terribly difficult to sleep at such a time. He couldn't sleep during the day, as the bright sun and horse's trotting made doing so impossible. The men ate breakfast and Marin forced a chunk of cooked meat through the bars. Seeol hated cooked meat but chewed on it nevertheless.

  The feathers covering the floor were not enough to disguise the growing pile of excrement and pellets beneath Seeol's perch. He'd caught his reflection the day before. There were feathers missing across his body, the most striking being a bald patch on the left side of his head. For Seeol, losing his plumage was mortifying, perhaps even more so than losing of his toes.

  Marin rolled up his bedding and packed it atop his horse. He hooked up Seeol's cage and clambered onto his mount. The animal snorted and stomped its foot, sparing an irritable eye for Seeol. 'Wait,' Phil called, dismounting and hurrying over. 'Wait just a minute.' He snatched at Marin's reins and stared at the bird cage. Seeol watched as his eyes slid over the leather strap woven between the bars, a cruel smile working its way across his features. 'Did you think I wouldn't notice?'

  'What isn't you noticed?' Seeol tilted his head, hoping that playing dumb might distract the man from what he'd discovered.

  'This,' Phil snatched at the leather strap and rubbed his thumb back and forth over the badly frayed surface. 'You should've noticed.' He slapped Marin on the back a little too aggressively for it to have been in fun.

  'Is not Marin's fault,' Seeol croaked. 'He's just a silly man.'

  'Excuse me?' Marin grumbled.

  'Never mind,' Phil snarled. 'It's easily fixed.' He turned toward his horse, perhaps to find some stronger cord.

  Seeol leapt upside-down and clung to the bars while rapidly biting at the remainder of the strap. 'Hey,' Marin warned. 'Stop that,' he ordered, slapping at the cage, which only served in putting more pressure against the leather.

  The strap snapped and the cage fell. Phil shouted something as the cage hit the earth and Seeol was thrown about within. The rusted door broke where it was hinged and Seeol dove for freedom. Marin leapt off his horse and accidentally landed on Phil who'd been hurrying to the scene. Seeol squeezed his head through the opening and scrabbled against the bars with his foot. He exhaled in an attempt to shrink himself. He flapped his wings and pushed and finally his keel bone popped through.

  A giant hand slammed against the door but Seeol was ready and with a victorious cry he bit hard at the pink flesh. Phil snatched back his hand and with it came Seeol. He threw open his wings and launched into the air. Phil flailed his arms and clipped Seeol's wing. He dipped out of control and hit the dirt. Phil thrust out his boot in an attempt to crush Seeol, who rapidly fluttered his wings. But it was too late. When Seeol was but a handswidth from the ground Phil kicked out and the blow so stunned him that he toppled onto his back and stayed fixed in place, the sun burning into his eyes.

  A hand wrapped around Seeol so tight that he couldn't breathe. A moment later he'd been lifted up to Phil's red sweating face. 'I could snap your neck,' he said in a spray of saliva delivered through gritted teeth. 'Oh I'd love it,' he snarled, taking a hold of Seeol's head between his finger and thumb. He pulled back so hard that Seeol feared his neck would indeed break.

  'Don't kills me,' Seeol shrieked at last. 'Please! Is sorry!' Phil released his head with a dissatisfied grunt. 'Is sorry, Seteal,' he said too softly to be heard.

  'The satisfaction of killing you,' Phil said a handswidth from Seeol's face, 'is so close to being worth missing out on the king's reward. You're fortunate that my family need a roof over their heads.'

  'You is such a horrible man,' Seeol wailed emotionally.

  'Well,' Phil shrugged, 'at least I am a man. You're just a miserable, whisp-mutated bird. What've you got? Who cares about you?' Phil thrust out his hand at a rather stunned-looking Marin. 'Put it back in the cage and make sure you fix the damn door.'

  Marin obeyed, all the while keeping a concerned eye on Phil as he made his way back to his horse to get a new strap. He put him inside the cage and bent the door into place. Seeol huddled down on the cleanest available part of the floor and puffed out the feathers he had left. Phil double strapped the cage into place. Seeol's whole body ached, his heart not the least.

  'Seteal cares,' he comforted himself, rubbing his beak back and forth on the tray in reflection of the affectionate gesture he'd often shown his friend. 'She'll come. Seteal will come for me.'

  CHAPTER Twenty-Five

  as all of us

  Murky grey had faded to dismal black. Night had fallen in Narvon Wood. The trees became increasingly tightly packed as the group of three wove tiredly onward. It was as though the trees were huddling together for support, their tops never far from each other with their branches intertwined.

  El-i-miir was worried about Ilgrin. Even if he didn't feel the same way anymore, to deny her feelings t
oward the demon was impossible. She rested her hand against a tree and came to a complete stop. Tendrils of light wove through the forest vibrating a warning for the Elgair eye to interpret.

  After getting Teah's attention by tapping her on the shoulder, El-i-miir put a finger to her lips and pointed through the trees where a number of demons were sleeping in the branches. Teah nodded and passed on the message to Jakob before continuing on with greater caution. El-i-miir embraced the Ways, pulling them into herself in preparation of their use.

  During the twenty or so minutes that followed, El-i-miir remained silent but became increasingly uneasy. The sky was too dark, even for night beneath the otherworldly cloud. She was beginning to fear that a storm was brewing. 'It's around here,' Teah whispered, leading El-i-miir by hand.

  The remainder of the journey was exhausting and almost entirely uphill. Several times the slope became such that El-i-miir had to use her hands on the rocks for fear of falling. Occasionally the climb became such that no human could overcome it and Teah had to fly each of them up individually. When the slope levelled out somewhat, El-i-miir found herself feeling grateful that it was so dark. If she were able to make out the distance they'd climbed she felt certain she'd be terrified.

  'Oh,' El-i-miir murmured when a strand as subtle as a familiar scent penetrated her aura. 'He's close. He's alive.' She exhaled on a shuddering breath, not previously having realised just how much she'd been fearing the alternative. 'This way.'

  'Slow.' Teah put out her hand to stop El-i-miir. 'We don't know how many we're up against.'

  'We have to use what we've got,' Jakob intoned. 'I mean . . . tactically speaking, the element of surprise is all we've got.'

  'That doesn't mean we should rush in without a plan,' Teah replied curtly. 'When I was here earlier, Noah was interrogating Ilgrin. I should warn you, he's been hurt pretty badly. I don't suspect he'll be of much use to us once freed.'