There's a kingdom many days travel from here which is constantly warring with all three of its neighbours. The fighting stops for snow season, with promises and rumours of peace negotiations come blossom season, but the fighting always resumes instead. This constant state of war leads the nobility to keep their women and children confined to estates well away from the borders. It's these estates, with their carefully managed farmlands which keep the kingdom self-sufficient and without need of trade partners instead of enemies. But to be born a child of the nobility there is to be sentenced to life in a gilded cage. Perhaps the cage extends to the next nearest estates, but it's still a cage. There is no travel beyond these central estates. There is no word of life beyond them either. The whole world is the estates which keep the kingdom running well enough to perpetuate the war.
Curiosity is a curse in a child so born. The curious are silenced and punished until they fall into line with the demands of their elders. Well, in most cases. The few who persist in their curiosity eventually find some means of escape and the tales told of their fates, true or not, provide material for crushing the spirits of the next generation. I was a curious child, but in the care of a wise woman who recognized it early and took care to channel my energy into seemingly appropriate pastimes. To all others, I appeared to be a complacent, dutiful young girl. The means by which my curiosity was kept hidden were as secret as the trait itself. I didn't know then, who the allies of my nurse were. Who kept her supplied with the books which introduced me to a world beyond both the estates and the eternal fighting on the borders. I was taught, in secret, real world history and geography, natural sciences, self defence and wildland survival skills. I learned to recognize accents, weapons, and plants. To properly identify animals and their tracks. To count and name all the kingdoms of the known world. It seems it very suddenly occurred to my father that his daughter had grown into a woman. For one day I was treated as a child and the very next my marriage to the son of the nearest neighbour was announced. I knew the young man in question well enough to know marriage to him would be torture of the highest order. He was as ignorant as a pupil of his tutors could remain and viciously cruel to every living being around him. These traits were concealed, if poorly, from his elders, but all too obvious to those his own age. Our wedding was to be held early in the next blossom season, although arrangements began the day of the announcement, which was made in the midst of the elder season. Before the first elder moon phase had passed, my nurse procured for me the clothes of a common boy. My woman's shape was concealed by means of tight, body altering garments which could be concealed beneath the shirt and trousers. There was an old all-purpose knife such as a common boy would own and a pack which held a second set of clothes and some food and water. My hair was cut after the fashion of a common boy and I was instructed in the proper accent of the local common folk. In this disguise, I was smuggled from the estate in the back of a cooper's wagon. I was aware both my parents and my intended would seek me out. The cooper's cart carried me across three estates, but nowhere near far enough from my home. I had to walk cross country, across freshly harvested fields to reach the outer edge of those central estates. Even then, my parents had guards who were capable of seeking me out so long as I remained inside the kingdom's borders. My nurse suggested I seek employment at an inn for a time until I could find a traveller I could convince to smuggle me out of the country. Being less convinced of my own powers of persuasion, I changed my disguise for the garments of a poor county undertaker's daughter and enlisted in the army in a shield maid corps.
0 Comments
One hundred and sixty-five years ago, the monsters came together to perform the Darkening, a curse ritual on the forbidden scale. The sky turned dark with thick, unyielding clouds and all celestial lights were extinguished. However, mankind is nothing if not adaptable and quickly found ways to survive without those natural lights. What they couldn't escape was the predators, the beasts and blood-thirsty who now hunted without restriction.
And now it's all come down to me, the last human to walk their world. In the beginning, there was mankind. We walked the world, masters of all we surveyed. We created and destroyed, we loved and hated, we procreated and died. Then came the question: What happens after death? And no one had a satisfactory answer. Some suggested this life was all there was. Others developed unprovable theories about various after lifes. But without a concrete answer, death came to be feared. Those who believed this life was all there was created the Deathbed Ritual and became the blood-thirsty. Their spirits remained in this world for eternity and they were strong or weak depending on their willingness to consume the blood of the living. Those who believed in an afterlife created the Blood and Skin Ritual and became the beasts. They remained mortal, but with the ability to shapeshift into one animal of their choosing. They were strong or weak depending whether they preferred their human form or their animal form. But some chose to carry on living as if the question had never been asked. We remained human and lived out our lives as we saw fit. However, we were the minority and preyed upon by both the blood-thirsty and the beasts. Still, we thrived for a time, being more willing to live in the full light of the sun, moon and stars. The beasts and blood-thirsty shunned the celestial lights almost as if afraid of something up there, watching them. And then they came together and performed the Darkening, cutting off the celestial lights. The minority became the hunted and dwindled rapidly. Some chose to undergo the rituals and become monsters themselves. More were hunted and killed for the appetites of the blood-thirsty and the sport of the beasts. A few of us learned to protect ourselves even in the darkness and built a hidden community where we were safe for a time. We discovered the weaknesses of those who hunted us and used them for protection. But our supplies, although carefully preserved, were not enough to last indefinitely and none escape old age. When our suppliers stopped returning and my father succumbed to disease, I didn't care to remain in that place. So I gathered everything I could and made a new place for myself. I have everything I need to survive and protect myself for the rest of my life. Unfortunately staying sane all alone could prove more difficult. But now Ben's gone and Amy isn't acting like herself and our native guide is getting scared. We're in the middle of nowhere, on the wrong side of the lines in a war zone. It doesn't matter how many thousand people know where we are. None of them can reach us right now. No official in this country is going to spare time for a few foolish tourists. I almost wish I had taken my parents' advice to go back to school.
Almost, but not quite. I know we have to be getting close to our destination. And we were warned the area is dangerous. This isn't the first highly dangerous place we've survived. Maybe it's the first time things have been quite this bad. I'm not ready to give up. Definitely not ready to curl up and die. We'll find Ben, whatever his condition now, and we'll find what we came for. I turn to the frightened looking native guide, "Keep her here. Sit on her if you have to, but both of you stay here." He swallows hard, but nods and moves closer to Amy. I walk back over to the ledge and study what I can see below. It's mostly green... lots of heavy vegetation, but I can hear running water. We have climbing gear with us, which I use to rappel down the nearly sheer stone below the ledge. The foliage below isn't as deep or thick as I had expected. Once I'm through the top layer of tree branches, I can see quite the picturesque little canyon. There is very little for undergrowth and a good sized river running from a small falls at one end and draining into the ground at the other. Ben is laying on his back not far from where I land. His eyes are wide open, unblinking, but his chest is moving. He's breathing and doesn't appear to be bleeding. I can't tell anything more until I make a closer examination. Before I can do more than look around, there's a cry from above me. It sounds more like the guide than Amy, but seconds later, a body comes crashing through the tree branches above me. All I can do is watch, stunned, as Amy lands on her back neatly beside Ben. Like him, her eyes are wide open and not blinking. Her chest is moving. Neither of them seems aware of anything. I unhook the climbing harness from the rope and go over to examine both more closely. They seem to be uninjured despite the long fall. Pulses are strong and breathing is even. They just don't seem to register my presence at all. Sitting back on my heels, I take a long look at my surroundings. The only things moving are a slight breeze, the water, and me. I doubt anything in the first aid kit in my pack would help my friends. I don't know enough about the area to even consider making use of local plants. There are no signs of local wildlife. I have no idea if there just aren't any down here or they've been scared into hiding by the noise. To be continued... maybe I'd had what I would consider my first successful show. The exhibit of my paintings had been set up in a small community hall near my parents' home. I'd done as much before, but this time strangers and people from out of town had come. Several paintings had sold even, one for significantly above the marked price because two prospective buyers had bid each other up. Needless to say, I was higher than a kite without having ingested any foreign or illicit substances.
Amy was just as high. Both she and Ben were happy for me, but she gets exuberant, he stays calmer. We were sprawled across the battered furniture in the basement rec room of my parents' home. A table between us was strewn with the remains of a fast food supper and a few snacks, but we'd long ago stopped eating. Now we were settled in to talk and just hang out. "Did you hear what they were saying about your work?" Amy grins broadly. "Some of it anyway," I turn my head to her, "I got stuck listening to Aunt Bea for a while. She wasn't praising my work." Amy rolls her eyes, "Why does she even come?" I shrug, not having an answer. Ben speaks up, "Have you decided what to do about that letter?" I frown for a second before remembering which letter he's talking about. He means the response to my application to the best fine arts school in the country. They'd accepted, but also enclosed were some terms for students and a full listing of their sky high tuition and supplies costs. Makes me uncertain about actually enrolling there. It's my parents who think I should go back to school anyway. "Not yet," I make a face. "You don't need to go back to school," Amy shakes her head, "You don't need a degree to prove how good your paintings are. 'Sides, if you go back to school, it'll break up the company and we'd have to go back to school or something too." "You've heard my parents on the subject of the company," I sigh, "Not a long term career prospect... whatever that means." Amy makes a face, "It means they're stuck in a long past decade. But we all know a degree doesn't guarantee a good job anymore," She snorts, "Seems like nothing guarantees a 'good' job anymore. Everything's all part-time or temporary or outsourced." Ben nods his agreement, "We've all looked into it before. The company's grown with every year we keep at it. My dad looked at the latest numbers and said he wishes he could do as well." Amy nods, her grin returning as she looks at me, "Bet your parents wouldn't believe it." "They don't," I can't help a sour expression, "But just one of the paintings sold today will pay off the last of what I owe them for our start up funding. That's in four years, not the ten they said I could take to pay it back." "So we're officially out of debt?" Ben looks a little surprised. "Well, as soon as I pay them," I nod in confirmation, "And I haven't had a chance to tell you, but there was a message came through just before the showing. We're wanted to visit and review several of Exotic Haven's resorts." "Sounds like a nice, quiet break." Ben nods to himself. "Sounds boring," Amy makes a face, "Do we have to?" "The proposal is for ten resorts over the next five years," I inform her, "Even you need a break from the more exciting trips occasionally." She continues to make a face. Ben queries, "Are their terms in line with ours?" "Slightly better than. But you know I don't accept contracts without you two." "Good." Amy still looks unimpressed. "I think this one's worth taking," I point out, "And it should be easy enough to fit in between other things." Ben nods his agreement, "I'd say accept. Besides, I'm pretty sure we still have a long list of other requests and proposals." "Not good ones," Amy retorts, "All these people and companies just want our stamp of approval on their safe, boring, little projects. Not what I signed on for." "Maybe not," Ben shakes his head, "But they do pay us directly, and more than we get from hits on our site." Amy snorts, "Long as there's enough to fund the next trip, we don't need to worry about them. 'Tween my novels and your photography and Elsa's paintings, pretty soon we won't even need the company." I shake my head, "The company was formed around the things we wanted to do: Go on trips and share our experiences, write, create art. Reviews are the side thing for when we have time. 'Sides, some of those resorts and whatever aren't very good places. Remember the so called four star resort last year?" Ben does a full body shudder. Amy turns just a little green. "Honesty before money," I remind them, "Plus it might be the best time for the mountain trip we've been talking about." "You've been talking about," Amy wrinkles her nose, "There's nothing exciting about thousands of years old ice and rock." "Just glacial melt and avalanche risk and whatever might be contained in said ice and rock." Ben looks undisturbed by her skepticism. There's no change to Amy's expression, but I've yet to see Ben convince her of anything. I glance over her, "So what do you think we should do next?" "I want to see if there's any truth behind the celestial tribe tale we heard last winter." Ben shakes his head, "It's in a war zone. We'd never get across the border." "I bet we could," Amy's eyes meet his in a challenge, "The border isn't closed... not completely. Or are you two too scared to try." Ben and I exchange a glance. We both know Amy's dares get us into trouble. And yet we go for it every time.
Until Ben threw himself over the ledge, we hadn't so much as suspected anything was wrong. Ben was the last person we'd have thought would harm himself. Quiet, caring, warm, supportive. The voice of reason every time I landed us in another of these messes.
Worse, after Ben, we noticed Amy acting strangely too. Both my closest friends in one day? Seems weird to me. But with Ben gone, Amy began to space out, wander away, even not recognize me. Usually, she's Ben's opposite in almost every way. She cares in her own way, but she's outgoing and likes to dare me into things. I'll admit, we're in a mess of epic proportions this time. As usual, it began with a dare from Amy. |
AuthorAlexandra A. 'Lexa' Cheshire is the author of numerous novels and short stories published through Howling Wolf Books. Lexa is a wife, mother, cat owner, and music lover. Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|