The sweet scent of roasting nuts roused Cali. The aroma was strong and accompanied by cheerful whistling. Was it morning already? Cali’s eyes snapped open. A spreiban was crouched over a fire in the centre of the room. Cali sprang to her feet, sore ribs complaining at her alacrity.
Pain turned what ought to have been a silent movement into an audible one. The spreiban turned to regard her, revealing a familiar face, Aia. E said, “I wanted to check on you, make sure those wounds didn’t fester. Figured I’d make you a little breakfast while I was at it.”
Cali’s eyes flicked from the spreiban to the fire. A small pile of logs was burning merrily atop the wooden floor. A jaunty plume of smoke rose, before disappearing out the window. Judging from the smell of roasted nuts it had been burning for a while, yet the wooden floor appeared unscathed. Cali glanced back at the spreiban, who had resumed cooking. “Do you always cook like this, burning wood, on top of wood?” Last night’s festivities were a blur. She’d seen several bonfires, but couldn’t recall the source.
Without looking up from es pan, Aia chuckled. “But of course, cysug wood doesn’t burn.” E tapped a pair of wooden tongs against es leg. “It is said the cysug were a gift to us from the fheadhain, who blessed us with their bounty. However, we spreiban were greedy, and used them with abandon. Until the Vold awoke, bound us with oaths and we became the keepers of the cysug.”
An involuntary shudder ran up Cali’s spine, but without her translation spell active, nothing happened. The word could no more harm her, than she it.
With the tongs, Aia removed a multi-coloured wooden bowl from the embers and placed it at Cali’s feet. Next, she took the plate of roasting nuts from atop the fire and placed it beside the bowl. “‘Tis a legend, but there is truth to it; the Vold oaths bind us, and the cysug provide for us. This very enclave is hewn from living cysug, or crafted from deadfall. The meal before you is a gift from its branches, and even the much derided maisel is part of its bounty.” With a laugh, Aia gestured to the food. “I’ve blathered long enough; now eat, before it gets cold.”
With more caution than when she’d stood up, Cali sat back down into the nest of quilts; her ribs still complained, but only a little. She inclined her head to Aia, now eye level, and smiled. “Thanks, its been a long time since I’ve woken up to someone making me breakfast.”
The spreiban chuckled. “Eat,” es voice was gentle, but commanding, “the others will be here soon, and we’ve bandages to change.”
Cali’s stomach gurgled. The delicious aromas tempted her, but was it safe to eat? According to the mysterious black box, the salve last night had been toxic; would spreiban food be safe? Hadn’t she already eaten some during the celebration and been fine? Thinking of the granite-like ration bars that were her alternative, Cali had half a mind to throw caution to the wind.
Unconsciously, her eyes drifted towards where the black box often materialized. To her surprise, the box appeared. She wasn’t even looking past the veil, nor was she confident doing so around the spreiban was a good idea, and yet, Aia didn’t appear to have noticed the box.
What are you looking at me for, don’t you want to experiment?
...fine. Spare me the puppy dog eyes.
The food is safe.
After the last phrase materialized, the box vanished. The entire exchange had taken a few seconds and prompted no reaction from Aia, who was still staring at her expectantly. Why couldn’t e see the box? It was another mystery for her to investigate later; first, food.
Cali grinned, and plucked one of the fist sized nuts from the platter. The dark brown exterior was reminiscent of a chestnut, except it felt soft enough to bite through. She brought it to her mouth and blew on it; her nostrils filled with a sweet, heady aroma. Could she trust the box? Cali took a hesitant bite. Teeth pierced through the outer shell, and the piping hot insides oozed into her mouth. Initial contact burnt her tongue, but as it cooled, the pain subsided and she got a taste. The nut’s flesh had a mellow sweetness and a peculiar saltiness that, coupled with the semi-liquid state, was more like molten cheese than any nut she’d ever tasted. The exterior, on the other hand, tasted of caramelized sugars with just a hint of bitterness. It was a curious, and addictive, combination. Ignoring her earlier wariness, she ate two, before turning her attention to the bowl before her.
The bowl was filled with purple treacle-like liquid. Poking out from amidst the purple sea were rose-coloured chunks of fruit. No longer quite so hungry, Cali raised a trepidatious spoonful to her mouth and sniffed; the odour was pleasant. She sipped from the spoon; warm syrupy liquid coated her tongue, it was sweet, and... peppery? Taking a bite of the fruit chunk, she found it firm, with a floral, citrusy flavour and a sweet juice that gushed into her mouth with each bite. As she chewed, the juices from the fruit mixed with the peppery syrup; Cali found the combination delightful, and soon polished off the whole bowl.
With breakfast complete, Aia set about changing Cali’s bandages, and had just finished unwrapping the first one, when Fen and several wardens arrived.
Shock was painted across Fen’s face when e saw the state of the door. The emotion redoubled when e witnessed Cali’s condition. “What happened to ya?” E asked, voice low and strained.
Cali didn’t have a chance to reply before Aia responded. “Our guest was caught in the bachyn tån attack last night.”
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
The emotions on Fen’s face shifted, to anger and... shame? “I am truly sorry. That you were hurt within the confines of our enclave is... shameful.” Fen paused, looked to the door and then back to Cali. “We shall wait, once Aia is done tending your wounds we will bring you to the primeval ones.”
Cali considered posing a few of her questions, intended for the primeval ones, to the gathered spreiban, but Aia was hurriedly replacing bandages, and the other spreiban were staring at the floor, expressions grim. After several awkward minutes passed in silence, save for the sounds of Aia changing bandages, Aia finished and the group departed.
Cali was escorted through the enclave, towards the leisternig platform. Once they’d left the immediate proximity of her temporary abode, throngs of spreiban crowded the sides of the walkways. They stared in silence as she passed. This time, they did not fall in procession behind them. If she stayed in the enclave would they forever gawk at her, like some sort of zoological curiosity?
It didn’t take long for Cali and her escort to arrive at the leisternig platform. Where Passi stood, at the foot of the elder’s bridge, beneath the elaborate carvings. Would e delay her again?
As they got closer, Passi’s eyes fixated on Cali’s sling, and es expression turned from smug satisfaction to outrage. “Why is our honoured guest hurt?” Es accusing finger pointed towards the wardens. “Which of you is responsible for this travesty?”
Aia stepped to the fore of the group and bowed. “Elder Passi, there was bachyn tån attack on the enclave last night...”
Cali tuned the conversation out, as Aia recounted the events of the evening. Going through it had been painful enough, Cali had no desire to relive the experience. The kerfuffle over her injuries was unnecessary, and further delayed getting answers from the primeval ones. Answers were interesting, listening to spreiban argue about who was to blame for her injuries, not so much... until Passi said something that piqued Cali’s interest.
Bachyn tån attacks on the enclave were, it seemed, exceptionally rare, and tended to occur on the fringes of the enclave, not in more central locations, like where Cali had been housed. As Cali tuned back into the conversation, she heard Passi say, “Someone must have lured it there.” E was staring accusingly at Fen and the Wardens.
Glancing back at her escort, Cali was surprised to discover that none of them looked shocked by the accusations. Why had none of them had mentioned the possibility to her earlier? Could they truly be responsible for luring the serpent to her, and orchestrating the attack? After all, Aia and the rest of the wardens had already been present when she encountered the snake. But to what end? Aia had played the part of her benefactor, slain the serpent,tended to her wounds and even made her breakfast. Furthermore, no-one else had attempted to attack her while she was injured and vulnerable. And then there was Fen, he’d promised her safety in the enclave, and his shock this morning had felt genuine.
While Cali considered the tangled web of possibilities, Aia spoke again. “If that is your belief, esteemed elder, we shall begin investigating immediately.” Aia bowed once more, and e and the wardens turned and departed. After they left, Passi nodded to es attendants, and several trailed after the departing wardens, leaving Cali with Fen and Passi.
Passi was glaring at Fen, as if asking what e was still doing there. In response, Fen smiled. “Elder Passi, surely you heard that Elder Eori perished last evening during the bachyn tån attack. As the newest member of the elder council, I invoke my right to bear witness to the primeval’s moot.”
Passi’s bristles vibrated with fury. “I was... unaware.” E looked to the nearest of es followers, who scurried to off to confirm Fen’s declaration. Moments later the spreiban returned, tears rolling down es muzzle. “I’m afraid Elder Fen speaks the truth; Elder Eori was slain last night.”
Passi’s bristles drooped, and e exhaled abruptly. “We shall have to hold a hirœth for em at dusk. But your right is recognized, Elder Fen.” The word elder was spat out like an accusation. Passi then turned to Cali. “Honoured fheadhain, my apologies for the delay and the disgraceful occurrences of last eve. We shall tarry no longer; follow me.”
Passi began to walk across the elaborately decorated bridge, Fen and Cali trailing after em. On the other side of the bridge, a walkway led to the trunk of a cysug tree where a familiar set of stairs spiralled upwards. As they approached the steps, Passi incanted a formula, and a glowing platform similar to the one that had delivered Cali to the enclave came whirling downwards.
The trio mounted the platform, and it began to ascend. Passi glared daggers at Fen, who for es part, was staring off into the jungle pointedly ignoring em.With the revelation of an Elder’s death, the tension had skyrocketed. The theory that someone had lured the serpent to the enclave felt disturbingly accurate, only Cali hadn’t been its intended target. Had Fen been involved? After all, e benefited from the elder’s sudden demise, which allowed em to secure es presence for her audience with the primeval ones. Or, if not em, the auld? If so, her run in with the serpent would have been collateral damage to a plan to remove the elder. If that was the case, Fen’s surprise would have been genuine; her injuries being unintentional. Maybe it was a stretch, but the theory was starting to seem plausible. And if it at had been to ensure es presence at her meeting... then someone was dead because of her.
Cali’s stomach lurched. Thievery was one thing, but murder? Assassinations were unforgivable. As the thought crossed her mind, questions bubbled up. Had her thefts truly not resulted in any deaths? How many would die to misfortune, robbed of the luck she’d stolen. Hundreds? Millions? Cali suppressed those thoughts. It was different... it had to be different.
More importantly, if the situation in the enclave was so fraught that the auld would resort to murder, she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Today would be ideal, but she doubted she could brave the jungle with her current injuries.
The platform jerked to a halt at the top of the stairs, depositing them on a platform hewn into the living trunk of the cysug. A soft breeze played across Cali’s skin, as the leaves rustled. They were near the cysug’s pinnacle, the canopy. Before her, the trunk forked, framing an archway, before twining back together again overhead. The archway was covered with leafy vines, which bore long magenta flowers that hung like streamers and filled the air with their fragrant scent. At the far end of the passage, Cali caught a glimpse of dappled sunlight, a meadow, and wildflowers.
Passi gestured for her to enter the passageway. “As the seeker, you must be the first to enter. The primeval ones await you on the other side; do not worry, we shall be right behind you.”
Cali nodded her understanding and stepped into the passageway. As she did so, the breeze faded. It was replaced with a gentle warmth that emanated from the cysug’s trunk. As she continued to walk, she felt a gentle thrum from beneath her feet; the very bark was vibrating with life. Then a chill ran down Cali’s spine. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. The tree emanated a familiar hunger. She’d it experienced once before. The Vold.
Fear consumed her. She ran.
The echoes of Cali’s footsteps chased her down the tunnel. She sprinted down the passage, deaf to the shouts of the spreiban behind her, and blind to all else but the light at the end of the tunnel beckoning her.