Vulture (11 page)
Authors: Rhiannon Paille
Tags: #juvenile fiction, #Legends; Myths; Fables, #Norse
She knocked her shoulder against his playfully. Eating together felt more like home. “Will there be music?”
Pux smiled wistfully. “And dancing.”
Her mouth watered. “Is it like a Fire Festival every night?” When moons went by in the Elmare Castle, Kaliel ate in the mess hall with Hernadette and the other servants. Orlondir was lonely without Fire Festivals.
Pux shrugged. “Something like that.” He stopped and faced her, his expression serious. “Have the witches left yet?”
Kaliel felt a brief sear of panic in her chest. She shook her head slowly. “I don’t know.”
Pux made a harrumph sound. “It’ll be easier when they leave. People want to get back to normal around here.” They reached the gate. Kaliel didn’t say anything. It was so weird for Pux to talk about being normal and acting like an integral part of the village. It was great that the villagers didn’t think he was an invalid.
Kaliel glanced at Krishani who waited on the other side of the fence as Pux opened the latch and swung the gate open. He nodded to Krishani, and Kaliel watched them curiously. They had a secret unspoken language between them that she couldn’t understand. She began to follow Pux when Krishani edged towards her, his fingers wrapping around her upper arm.
“I need to check on something if we’re going to go to Avristar,” he whispered in her ear. He pulled away and let his eyes linger over her for a moment before sliding his hand out of hers, swiftly heading towards the castle.
Pux grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m never going to understand him.”
Kaliel looped her arm through his and continued up the road. “I wouldn’t worry about it.” She was happy to be alive and with both Krishani and her best friend. Whatever miniscule imperfections existed didn’t matter. She’d get used to life on Terra, even if it wasn’t anything like Avristar. Pux became silent again, counting eggs in the basket and leading her to the backside of the castle. They passed the stables and the smithy and headed towards an area dominated by bushes and more trees.
“What does everyone do here?” she asked.
Pux neared a small wooden door down a half flight of stone stairs indented in the land. She waited at the top while he knocked. A heavyset woman opened the door a second later. She had a babushka on her head, an apron, and a handmaid wool dress underneath. Sweat slicked her round face and ran across her rosy cheeks. It seemed like she had been working for hours. She took the basket without a word, mumbled something about the pigs, and closed the door again. Pux joined Kaliel and they began walking through the short grass in the spaces between the unkempt hedges of bushes.
“They work. There are a lot of things to do because they don’t have any magic or elders to do it for them,” Pux explained gently. They neared a tree and Kaliel pressed her back against it thoughtfully. Terra was a peculiar place.
“When is Beltane?” She glanced at the green leaves above her and frowned. Wind rustled the trees but it was too strong and it whipped her hair into a frenzy. She pressed her hands behind her back and against the tree, which was comforting, but she couldn’t feel its voice at all. That was something else that unnerved her. She couldn’t feel the beating pulse of the land. On Avristar a heartbeat coursed through everything.
Pux sat and hunched his knees to his chest. “They don’t celebrate it, but summer solstice is almost here.”
Kaliel’s eyes widened and she slunk down the tree, copying Pux. “What do you mean?”
“I asked Elwen about it. They celebrate the summer and winter solstices, and the spring and fall equinoxes, whatever those are. No Beltane or Samhain. And then there’s something called Lammas where all the men go out to hunt down the stag.”
Kaliel brightened at the mention of the stag. “At least they hunt the stag.”
Pux shot her a reproving glare. “They eat it afterwards.”
Kaliel felt faint. She pushed her arms over her knees and turned her head sideways. All she could see were the bushes. “I want to go home.” She closed her eyes and sat straighter, aligning her spine with the trunk of the tree. There had to be a pulse in the land. She felt with her mind and put her hand on the base of the tree trunk, pressing in, sharing her energy with it. The Flame inside of her burst but when she opened her eyes nothing happened. No little purple flower sprouted at the tree’s feet. There was nothing. The tree didn’t speak, like it wasn’t born with a voice.
Pux sighed. “There’s no point in trying, Kaliel.”
She huffed and stood, turning to face the tree. She crossed her arms and glared at it. Pux pulled at her arms. “Come on. There are some people I want you to meet,” he pleaded.
She let him pull her back past the spaced out trees, the stables, and the smithy. He led her back into the barn. The smell of manure and animal made her choke. She waited in the middle while Pux ducked into one of the stalls and startled a woman working on what Kaliel assumed was a goat. She didn’t want to know how liquid came from goats and why they thought it was a proper drink. The aftertaste of it coated her throat. Once the woman emerged she was joined by a boy and a man. The woman wore a colorless tunic to her ankles and an apron tied around her waist. She too had a babushka around her head. She was short for a human, with worn hands, a tanned thin face, and brown beady eyes. The tall, stocky man had a blaze of orange hair and a paunch of a stomach, wearing a matching tunic and breeches. His feet were clad in leather sandals that didn’t look comfortable. His son was dressed in a similar manner with the same shock of orange hair and a crooked smile on his face. The woman curtsied to Kaliel, and Kaliel frowned, running her hands down her dress, feeling dressed improperly.
“I want you to meet Bethula, Hyatt, and Jack,” Pux said. He pointed to the woman when he said Bethula, the man when he said Hyatt, and the boy when he said Jack. Kaliel followed, even though they stared at her with curious faces.
“Jack’s really good at coaxing the chickens to stay in the fences and not go wandering around the village,” Pux explained, beaming when he looked at Jack. Kaliel shifted foot-to-foot, not sure what to say. “You have to introduce yourself,” Pux muttered, his mouth close to her ear.
Kaliel shrugged. “I’m Kaliel of Evennses,” she said and then clapped hands over her mouth. She didn’t mean to say that, especially after Krishani warned her. Bethula and Hyatt exchanged a look while Jack bounced towards her and gave her a hug.
“I like it when the Children of Avristar come to our village,” he said, letting go. He seemed a couple summers younger than Pux, with the innocence of a child only a few summers old. She ruffled his hair and he beamed. “Can you do things?” he asked eagerly, glancing at Pux who was cupping the back of his neck.
Kaliel smacked his chest with the back of her hand. “You didn’t tell him about Avristar, did you?” She almost shrieked.
“I only told him a few things,” Pux said sheepishly. Bethula nodded and turned back to the stall without saying anything. Hyatt drifted towards another stall. He tapped Jack’s shoulder as if to tell him to follow but Jack stayed put, still staring at Kaliel and Pux.
Kaliel tried to hide her smile, but it was so peculiar to see humans reacting to her this way. She never thought of her abilities as anything spectacular, but Jack looked at her and Pux like they were his heroes. She tilted her head to the side. “We used to be able to do things back home, but we can’t do that stuff here,” she explained.
Jack’s face fell and his shoulders hunched with the rest of his scrawny body. He was about a foot shorter than Pux, and even though he had some muscle, he was small and bird-like. “I should get back to work,” he said. “Pux, were you going to take the hay to the stables?” Pux gave Kaliel an apologetic look and followed Jack to the ladder in the middle of the barn. Kaliel’s eyes followed the ladder to a loft with bales of hay perched on the ledge.
“I’ll come find you later, okay?” Pux said, glancing over his shoulder.
Kaliel nodded. “Don’t forget our lesson with Klavotesi.” Her voice sounded hollow. She tried not to feel left out but she didn’t know how she could be useful to them. She left the barn, hoping she could find Krishani. Maybe he found a way for them to go home. Every part of her ached with longing to return.
* * *
12 - A Way Home
More dancing happened after sunset fell, and this time it was louder and wilder and it involved a lot more clapping. Krishani sat at a wooden table on the far side of the mess hall near the door. Really, it was just a big barn with a high roof and a bunch of tables stretched out along either side. The musicians set up in the corner with their flutes, drums, and a harp that seemed hard to move around. Krishani didn’t care to ask where the strings came from. It was no secret that some of the Children of Avristar came to Terra bearing gifts from the island.
Kaliel was busy jigging with some of the villagers after moving her food around. Krishani glanced at his own plate, a slab of wood, and poked at the berries. It wasn’t the like the feasts Elwen brought: yellow and orange vegetables, chicken, and swine. This evening it was all sorts of blue, red, and black berries, helpings of some kind of soupy mush, and slabs of leftover meat. He didn’t try the meat because it was thick with gristle and sopping with grease. The berries were sour and the mush was tasteless. He ate as much of it as he could, but he missed apple sauce and sparkling water, ripe fruit and slim pheasants.
He got up and sauntered towards the dancers. There hadn’t been a lot of activity that day. He avoided Elwen, caught the witches taking a swim in the lake behind the castle, and showed Kaliel around the village. They seemed to like her. She spun and her green eyes met his, leaving him flustered. She had a white flower nestled in her black locks, making her glow. Everyone seemed so happy, peaceful, barricaded from the horrendous lands on the other side of the village walls.
Kaliel flounced towards him, glancing at something behind him. There were no doors to the mess hall, just a big, empty space creating a rigid archway on either side. Light trickled in from outside, faded sunset light that shaded her pale face with a tinge of orange. She tilted her head up to his and like a siren’s song he was lured, dropping his head to meet her eyes. “I think I found a way,” he whispered, twining his hands with hers. He pulled back only to see her beam with excitement and satisfaction. She bounced on the balls of her feet and wrung her hands out, unable to stay still.
“When can we go?” she asked.
Krishani smiled. This was the girl he missed–the girl eager to meet him at the waterfall, the girl who swam with merfolk and talked to trees. He glanced at the hoards of villagers and noticed Pux jigging with young boys and girls. Klavotesi and Clamose sat on the sidelines, and the witches were nowhere to be seen. He led Kaliel out of the mess hall and through the gaps in the trees and low cut grass. He glanced at the sky only to see it nestled in shades of orange and light blue, growing deeper and darker as night enveloped the sky.
“We need to leave before nightfall,” he said quietly. He searched her face for any hint that she would change her mind, but she didn’t. Determination flickered across her expression, and she took her hand out of his, hiked up her dress, and started stalking across the village to their watchtower. Before she had gone a few steps he caught her by the arm and pulled her back. She had that look on her face that said not to mess with her, and he sighed. “Are you sure you want to go?”
“I know it won’t change anything, but I need to see it for myself.” She didn’t wait for his answer as she hurried across the village, Krishani on her heels. He didn’t want to tell her he stole from the witches to make it possible, but they weren’t going to leave for awhile, so he had time. The Flames were safe, the Horsemen weren’t killing anyone. One day wouldn’t hurt. They passed the castle steps and Krishani glanced at the orange light coming out of the open doors. Inside, Elwen met with the other Tavesins in the village. He disregarded it and followed Kaliel.
She was in the small, stuffy cabin. She threw herself on the bed for a minute, giggled, and rolled over so she was facing him. He pressed his side against the doorjamb, watching her with speculation. “How did you do it?” she asked, her eyes shining. She sat, her legs splaying out under her as she gripped the bed sheets in her hands. They hadn’t bothered to make the bed in the morning. Krishani crossed the floor and grabbed the traveling bags he took when he was with Mallorn.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said quietly as he stuffed his cloak into the empty bag. He felt Kaliel’s eyes on him as he slipped one of the tunics and a pair of breeches inside. “Do you want to take your dress with you?” he asked, pointing at it. It was slung over the wicker chair. She glanced at the little box containing the birthstone. Krishani frowned. “You want to take that?”
Kaliel shook her head. “No, it’s not important.” She took the green dress in her hands, folding it meticulously, and handed it to him. She had a sad look in her eyes. “I wonder if it’s different there, too,” she mumbled, hugging her arms to her chest.
Krishani pulled the drawstrings together. He gave her a soft look. “I guess we’ll find out. Come on.” He clambered down the stairs and she joined him, jumping off the second step. He cinched the bag across his midsection and walked with purpose, avoiding the castle. They found themselves in the midst of the cabins, walking up rows of dirt roads and tripping over barrels and crates. When they neared the wall Krishani took a left and crept past the guard towers. He pushed the big double doors open and made a crack big enough for them to slip through. Once they were on the other side Kaliel let out a wail.
“You didn’t tell Elwen, did you?” she whispered. Disgust painted her features. The fields looked devastating. Krishani flinched at the fresh memories of the battle. On the left lay a heap of black bodies turned to ash and soot by funeral pyres. The stench of blood stung the air. Between the rocks jutting out of the field were black birds. They clung to everything dead and fleshy. Krishani neared her.
“Time works differently here. Elwen won’t know we’re gone until we’re back.” He pulled her down the road in the center of the field. She had to jog to keep up as he broke through the trees. By the time they reached the mound she was huffing and puffing. She took a deep breath as he traced the outline of the purple mountains, back-dropped by the setting sun.
“What’s out there?” She pointed.
Krishani grimaced; there were a lot of bad things out there. He glanced sideways at her. “I found Tiki in those mountains.”
Kaliel brushed her hands along her dress and rubbed her shoulders like she was cold. “I remember Tiki.”
Krishani gave her a knowing nod and descended the mound, turning into the thicker forests. He tried to take the same route Mallorn took during his first day on Terra but it proved harder to navigate than Mallorn had made it seem. Eventually he stopped, ferns littering the ground. Night crept across the horizon. He thought about calling the boat and the rule about the gargoyles. They needed to do it before dawn, or it would be impossible to go home. He turned in circles as Kaliel glanced at him furtively, crossing her arms.
“Which way are we supposed to go?”
Krishani sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking about the three paths to the Great Oak, the only other time he was ever lost in a forest. “We need to get to the shores. They were in the same direction as the sunset, but …” He meant to say it was too dark and shook his head. He went to set off in any direction when Kaliel stepped in front of him and lifted a hand to his cheek. She closed her eyes and, even though her brow creased and she hummed incoherently, she seemed pleased when she opened her eyes, a faint violet hue streaking through her irises.
“Follow me.” She wended through the remainder of trees. Krishani heard it moments later–rushing water. They neared the banks. Krishani smiled wide and pulled her into a hug, his cheek brushing against the flower in her hair.
“Gott’s River,” he said, gesturing to the water. Kaliel stared at its whorls and tufts of white. Krishani stepped into the river, water circling his shins. He took her hand, preparing to lead her safely across when she laughed.
“I’m not afraid of water, Krishani. I’m just worried about getting my dress wet.”
Krishani shot her a wicked grin. “I don’t mind if you strip naked, but it’s really not that deep.”
Kaliel turned so red that even her ears were on fire and she scoffed, bunching up her skirts in her hands. “I don’t need your help crossing.” She feigned a frown. Krishani dropped his hand and set out before her, making sure there weren’t any unexpected depths to the river. The water never reached past his knees and for Kaliel it never went higher than her thighs. She dropped her dress before reaching the banks, water splattering the bottom of it as she tottered on the edge, almost losing her balance. Krishani pivoted and caught her, shooting her another mocking smile.
“Careful, you don’t want to fall prey to the fish.” He grinned as he put her on the firm ground.
She brushed herself off and gave him a playful glare. “If you paid any attention to Istar we could have levitated over the river.”
Krishani narrowed his eyes. She didn’t know Istar was an enemy now. “Come on, it’s not much further.” He ignored her, stalking towards the shore. They didn’t talk much as they wound through trees, crested shallow hills and eventually found the exact spot the boat docked when Krishani arrived with Mallorn and Pux.
Kaliel fixed him with a look that said she was anxious to see what he would do. He pulled the seashell out of his pocket and fit the two pieces together, holding them in his left hand as he raised his arms to the sky and chanted under his breath. His senses unfurled, roiling like the clouds hanging lazily over the sea, gray lines across the sky. It wasn’t long before the mists surrounded the shores and shrouded them in a thick, white smoke. Krishani watched Kaliel out of the corner of his eye as she brushed herself off, her face full of wonder. He didn’t know how to feel. She was so disappointed with everything Terra had to offer and so bent on going home. He couldn’t deny her the things she wanted. Whatever the Ferryman had to do, it could wait. Despite exile he missed the simple things about Avristar that made Terra seem destitute in comparison: spring waters, warm breezes, apple trees, the waterfall. The true wonder on Avristar wasn’t its landscape. It was her, the girl he would die for, the girl who had died for him. He was afraid of going there because of all the things that had happened that he couldn’t take back. He feared the stains of destruction wouldn’t wash away.
Water rumbled as the boat rose out of it, a giant lady carved in stone glaring at them with a gargoyle perched at the bow. Krishani helped Kaliel down the hill, and this time she didn’t make a fuss about getting wet. She sloshed in the knee deep water, climbing into the boat. Krishani followed, nudging the gargoyle before sitting beside her. The gargoyle pushed away from the rocks and the boat drifted seamlessly into the ocean.
Kaliel stared at him intently, her knees bouncing, teeth chattering, nerves popping. She watched the mists as they drifted by, seeming distrait. Krishani took her hands in his.
“What’s wrong?” he asked gently. He wanted to know if she was thinking the same things he was, that facing their past wouldn’t be as easy as she made it seem.
“I wasn’t old enough to know the incantation,” she admitted, her voice low.
It wasn’t the answer Krishani expected. He stood, pulling Kaliel with him, cradling her in his arms. Water tossed the boat tumultuously as he leaned in and began whispering the incantation into her ear in the ancient Avristar tongue. “I call upon the Gatekeeper, open the arms of Avristar. I call upon the Gatekeeper, open the arms of Avristar. I call upon the Gatekeeper, Child of Avristar.”
She pressed her forehead to his shoulder, and they stood like that for a long time. “Is that it?” she asked. Krishani nodded.
“But we aren’t Children of Avristar anymore.” There was melancholy in her tone as the mists began to clear. The boat slid through the glassy waters unerringly, the bow hitting the shore. It was near dawn, a faint haze of morning taking over the sky. Krishani stepped off the boat and Kaliel followed, tripping over herself as she hit the soft deep green grass. Krishani gripped her elbow and helped her to her feet as the gargoyle scampered to the cave. Kaliel glanced at the lake, the familiar sky of their childhood above them. Krishani held her against him. “Welcome home,” he whispered.
* * *