Aiduels sin, p.16
Aiduel's Sin, page 16
As he walked back towards his home, Corin was able to reflect upon how much the village of Karn had been transformed in the months since he had become clan chief.
After repairing the fire damage from the Anath raid months earlier, the main subsequent improvement had been to the settlement’s fortifications. A palisade wall and external ditch now circled the entire village, broken only by two gates at the eastern and western edges. These gates were now guarded by day, and sealed and guarded by night. In addition, Corin had insisted on four watch-towers being built at points around the perimeter, and his next task was to have an internal wooden walkway constructed all the way around the palisade wall. Karn would never again be the easy target for raiding that it had presented in the past.
The Anath village was also close to completing these improvements, and Clan Chief Munnik had been tasked with overseeing these changes to the villages of the Borl, the Qari and now the Renni.
Corin often found that when he was on his own, his mind turned to what he could do to improve the villages. It was not enough for the people of the clans just to fear him, or to revere him as the Chosen. He knew that he also had to demonstrate to them that he could make their lives better. That started with ending the raids and the killing, but he felt that there was so much more that he could achieve. That they all could achieve.
When he arrived back at his home, Rilka was already waiting at the entrance. The elderly woman smiled when she saw him.
‘Thank the Gods, you’re back,’ she said. ‘I was just about to send someone to run for you. She’s ready for bed, and she’s awake.’
Corin hurried into the wooden building, immediately looking for Agbeth. She was lying down on her side on the bed, facing towards him. And in her eyes, recognition. Awareness. Intelligence.
‘Agbeth?’
He was lying beside her in moments, facing her, his hands clasping hers.
‘Corin. Have I been… away… for long?’
He raised her hands to his mouth, and kissed them. ‘Not too long, my love. I’ve been away from the village myself for a few days. And now I’m returned to you.’
‘I was dreaming,’ she said. Indeed, she still sounded sleepy.
‘I know you were. Was it a nice dream?’
‘I think so. I remember I was floating, like I was under water, far from the world. The surface seemed so very far away, and for so long I couldn’t reach it. I could only watch.’
‘Was something stopping you?’
‘I’m not sure. I think… he was. The boy. He was somewhere close. Holding onto me, and I could hear him sometimes. Whispering.’ There was a dreamlike quality to her voice, as she described this.
‘Please tell me about him, Agbeth. Who is he? What does he want?’
‘He doesn’t know, Corin,’ she replied. ‘But he’s scared.’
‘Scared about what?’
‘I don’t know. He doesn’t know.’ For a moment after saying this she frowned, but this expression was quickly replaced by a lopsided smile. ‘I just remembered something. I was with Rilka and Arex. And you. Did we sit beside the lake, together?’
Corin grinned in response, his heart swelling. ‘We did. We sat beside the lake together. Near our spot. And we talked.’
‘I think I remember you speaking to me. You won a battle, you said.’
‘That’s right! And now we have peace again, Agbeth. I can be with you again. We can live together, in peace.’
‘Thank you, Corin. I’m so proud of everything that you’re doing.’
‘Rilka and Menni have been looking after you, when you are dreaming,’ he said. ‘They both say that you’re getting so much better. So much stronger, now.’
‘That’s good.’
‘How do you feel?’
‘I feel… tired. Sleepy.’
Even as she said this, he could see that her eyelids were drooping and threatening to close. And he knew that if she slept, she would be unlikely to wake in this same state of awareness. She would in all likelihood return to wakefulness within her dream-state, staring past him into some unfathomable distance. Not recognising him, and not responding to him.
He blinked his eyes twice, trying to stop a tear from forming, and his lower lip was trembling.
‘I’m so glad to be here, just with you, Agbeth. You and me, together.’
‘Thank you, Corin. Thank you for looking after me. Despite… how I am.’ Was she also crying?
‘I love you, Agbeth. Please try to return to me. If there’s any way you can, please come back.’
‘And I love you, Corin. I wish I could stay with you, but I don’t know how…’
Just moments after saying the words, her eyelids shut, and a swift change in her breathing told Corin that she was asleep. He pulled her into an embrace on the bed beside him, and kissed her forehead.
‘Goodnight, my love.’
Then he lay there, holding her, and watching the dancing shadows cast by the candles in their room. Tonight, he did not intend to follow her into slumber, or to suffer from his own recurring dream. Instead, he would remain here in this bed for a while, with his arms wrapped around Agbeth.
Soon, he planned to close his eyes, and to make connection with her sleeping mind. And after that, he would try to speak with the ghost.
–
ARE YOU THERE?
The words were Corin’s first transmitted thoughts, after invisible tendrils had slipped softly from his mind and had entered his wife’s. No longer was there a great void within Agbeth’s soul, and Corin could sense her presence, somewhere distant.
However, she was out of reach. Something impenetrable was keeping him away from her, and he was sure that she could neither hear or respond to him. Wherever she resided now, Corin could not follow, and she was lost to him again.
But Corin’s words were not intended for his wife. They were a call to the ghost, which often seemed to surface after one of Agbeth’s infrequent bouts of awareness.
I’m here.
The voice which gave this answer was that of a boy. Its accent was peculiar, and the sound seemed like a distant whisper from the bottom of a deep well.
WHO ARE YOU? HAVE YOU REMEMBERED YOUR NAME?
In the silence after Corin asked this question, he could feel the unknown presence drawing closer towards him.
I don’t know. I can’t remember.
WHAT CAN YOU REMEMBER?
I died.
Corin willed himself to remain patient. These were the same confused responses that he had managed to elicit in the past.
HOW DID YOU DIE?
I don’t remember.
AGBETH SAID THAT SHE COULD HEAR YOU. CAN YOU REMEMBER AGBETH?
I do. She talks to me in her dreams. We…
The voice trailed off, without completing the sentence.
WHAT DO YOU TALK ABOUT?
I can’t remember. I feel… lost.
AGBETH SAYS THAT YOU ARE HOLDING ONTO HER?
I don’t want her to leave me in the darkness. Alone. She mustn’t leave me.
WHY ARE YOU HERE? HOW AM I ABLE TO SPEAK WITH YOU?
Because we heard you. And you told us that we must come back.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
You told me that I had to come here. I had to. And now I’m trapped and lost. I don’t know where I am.
In other circumstances, Corin might have felt some sympathy in response to the anxiety and confusion expressed in the childish voice. However, he had too much need for urgency; the previous encounters with this ghost had been fleeting.
HOW DO I HEAL AGBETH? ARE YOU DOING THIS TO HER?
I don’t know. Please don’t take her away from me!
HOW DO I SEND YOU BACK?
I don’t know! You must… find the Gate? Don’t hurt me. Please.
This was new. The presence had never mentioned that before.
THE GATE? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
I’m sorry. I don’t know what I mean. I don’t remember.
WHO ARE YOU?
I don’t know! I can’t remember!
DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING?
Corin snapped this thought at the other, and he immediately regretted the hostility and anger that was contained within it.
The ghost did not answer, and in the prolonged silence which followed, Corin could feel the presence receding from him, as if it was fleeing. Soon, it felt distant, and ready to disappear.
However, as their interaction ended, three final and murmured words drifted across the distance to Corin.
I was murdered…
–
The next morning, Corin awoke early, with Agbeth still sleeping beside him. Several hours of the night had passed as he had communicated with the ghost, although to Corin their contact had seemed brief.
He lay on his side, watching Agbeth as she slept, and for an hour he was able to pretend that everything had returned to normal. He could imagine that she would soon waken, and would greet him with a smile.
But when she opened her eyes in response to the blossoming light of dawn, it was apparent that she was staring past him, into the distance. She had returned to her dream-state.
‘I’m going to find a way to heal you, Agbeth,’ he whispered, as he stroked her hair. ‘I’m going to find a way. Before the Gods, I swear it.’
–
Later, Corin was walking across the village of Karn. He had left Agbeth in the company of her carers, because he intended to spend a day dealing with matters within the settlement.
A mid-morning meeting with his senior advisers had been convened in the restored Clan Hall. As Corin was walking there, with a returned Blackpaw at his side, he was intercepted by his brother Kernon.
‘Corin. How is Agbeth?’
Corin looked up at his older and taller brother, and grimaced forlornly. ‘Thank you for asking, Kernon. She’s… still struggling to recover.’
‘I’m truly sorry to hear that.’
Corin still found it unusual whenever he heard Kernon using Agbeth’s given name, rather than her insult name. However, he had noticed a remarkable change in his sibling over the last few months, ever since Corin had killed Rekmar and had claimed the chiefdom of the Anath clan. Kernon seemed to have accepted that Corin was his leader, and that the days of bullying his smaller brother were over. Kernon also appeared to be embracing the glory that Corin was bringing to their clan, and the enhanced status that he could enjoy as the Chosen’s brother. The old enmity between them was fading fast.
Corin nodded. ‘Again, thank you. How can I help you, Kernon?’
‘I hoped to get your permission for something, Corin. I’ll raise this to discuss at the Clan Hall today, as you’ve insisted. But I wanted to speak with you first.’
‘Permission for what?’
‘For me and some of our younger Karn and Anath warriors to approach the Qari. To get horses, and to learn how to ride. I watched the Qari leaders at the battle, on horseback, and I was amazed by them. I’d like to learn.’
Corin forced a smile. ‘That’s a wonderful idea, Kernon. I was just thinking that same thing, yesterday. That the Qari must teach this to all of the clans. Let’s talk about this at the meeting, but you’ll have my support.’
Kernon grinned in response. ‘Thank you, Corin. I won’t let you down.’
Corin had been dwelling upon the possibilities that the expertise of the differing clans offered, ever since the battle with the Renni. How the spears of the Borl, and the horse-riders of the Qari, offered different options in battle. He had not yet fleshed out these thoughts, but he intended to return to them when he had the time.
After a moment of consideration, Corin resolved that he would share something with Kernon. A plan had been forming inside Corin’s mind for weeks, and indeed he had been considering it further, that morning.
‘I’ve been thinking, Kernon,’ he said. ‘Of something which I need to do when winter has passed. And I’d like you to be a part of it.’
‘What’s that, Corin?’
‘I want to go north. Far north, further than Agbeth and I ever went. Perhaps as far as to the mountains at the edge of the world. Into the lands of the Gods. In a small party. Me, Blackpaw and a handful of others. And I want you to be one of that party, brother.’
Kernon’s eyes widened. ‘By the Gods! Yes, of course!’
‘Good.’
‘But why would you return there, Corin?’
Corin paused for a few seconds, considering an appropriate answer. ‘I went to the north, Kernon, and the Gods visited me in my sleep. They chose me, and they gave me these powers. I think at some point soon I must return, to honour them. And to find a way to enhance my powers, and to…’
He did not complete the sentence, but he knew what he had been about to say. And to save Agbeth. To find a way to free her from her dream-state.
Corin could not help but turn to look towards the far north as he thought this, and his eyes took in the vast line of distant peaks which covered the horizon. In the next few months, as winter came upon them, his business would be here in the lands of man. Acting for the good of the Chosen people of the five clans. Caring for his wife. Gathering his people.
Gather them. Open the Gate. And claim the power.
The ghost had mentioned the Gate during their interaction, and that had resolved Corin as to what he would have to do. It seemed possible that he could obtain further answers by seeking out the ethereal archway of his dreams. And, perhaps, might he also find the power to restore Agbeth?
Therefore, in spring, he had decided that his attention would return to the north, and to the lands of Gods and felrin. Somewhere in that place, he hoped to find the Gate, and a way to cure his wife.
–
A week later, Corin was in the Clan Hall when he heard a bustle of noise from the central area of the village. It was a commotion equivalent to the day when he and Agbeth had returned to Karn, and a crowd had assembled to watch them.
Interested to understand what was happening, he donned his fur cloak and headed outside, where he saw that a large number of people were gathering. The villagers were forming a circle, in the centre of which were four Karn warriors, who surrounded and appeared to be escorting a woman.
The warriors were all well-known to him, but the woman was not. She was of average height, with a gaunt face, and looked to be in her late-thirties in age. Her hair was straight and shoulder-length, with a few streaks of grey showing amidst the black. She was wearing long and dark robes, which were unfamiliar in style, and she wore a sizeable backpack. She appeared to bear the weight of this pack by leaning on the tall wooden staff which she held in her left-hand.
Corin stepped closer to the woman, and he could see her grey-blue eyes scrutinising him, and appearing to appraise him. He also took note of the wooden object hanging from her neck; a strange carving of a man who appeared to be wrapped around a tree, with sticks in his shoulders.
Corin was about to greet her, but the woman spoke first, in a manner which was both fast-paced and unusual.
‘And you must be Chief Corin of the Karn, the Chosen of the Gods.’ She bowed her head. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you, Chief Corin, and I’ve travelled long and hard to get to you before winter sets in. My name is Hellin of Condarron, and I’ve found you, and am delivered to you, by the Grace of The Lord Aiduel.’
Corin frowned as he regarded her, before he replied, ‘The Lord Aiduel? Who’s that?’
9
Leanna
–
Year of Our Lord,
After Ascension, 769AA
In the moments after the grey-bearded stranger had spoken, following his killing of the leather-clad assailants, Leanna was unable to summon a response. She was too stunned by the violence which had just taken place.
Amyss was standing upright, behind Leanna, and the priestess’s hand was still gripping Leanna’s as they stood in the corner of the cathedral chancel. However, Leanna could not sense any emotions from Amyss or from this burly stranger. Nothing at all. Her powers were still absent.
‘Why should I go with you?’ Leanna asked the man, as a noise which sounded like the chopping of axes came from the direction of the cathedral doors. ‘I don’t know you.’
‘As I said, I’m Caddin Sendromm, Priestess Leanna. And we don’t have time for this.’ The man’s voice was deep and rumbling. ‘If you stay here, you’ll die before this day is over. You must come with me.’
‘How do we know that you don’t mean us harm?’
In response, he looked at the bodies surrounding him and said, ‘Because if I meant to do you harm, Priestess, you’d already be dead. But if you stay here, Aiduel’s Guards will murder you before the day is out. I believe they’d been planning to get you out of this city peacefully, and then to kill you in secret on the return to Sen Aiduel. But now that this… assassination attempt… has led to dei Corsi’s death, they’ll cast off the shackles of pretence. They’re camped just miles away, and they’ll be attacking this city before night has fallen. If they find you, they’ll murder you. I can keep you alive. Come with me.’
He moved a pace towards Leanna, still holding his hefty mace.
Lord Aiduel, please give me the wisdom to know the truth of this man.
‘If they’re going to attack this city, then I must give myself up to them, as soon as possible,’ she said, glancing in the direction of the noise from the cathedral doors. ‘I’m not going to be the cause of more bloodshed.’
A grimace appeared within the grey beard. The man took another step forward, and said, ‘We don’t have time for this. Come with me.’
‘No. I must remain here.’
The man twisted his thick neck, looking annoyed. He then lifted the mace and pointed the chunky metal head towards Amyss, past Leanna’s shoulder.
