Aeron is just outside the door, but I’m too worried about the Golden Army to worry about them just now. “What do you mean the Golden Army is still here?” I say, leaning forward towards Agaton. Kalix eyes me warily, no doubt knowing what I’ve done. Agaton, however, isn’t concerned and simply barks a harsh laugh.
“You never fulfilled your prophecy! Of course they’re still here. What, do you think a violent religious cult just disappears when you kill their priest and die in the process?” Agaton scoffs, waving his hand at me dismissively. That old fox-flame snarls to life in me, but I smother it just as quickly. Pride and arrogance got me nowhere last time, it certainly won’t get me anywhere this time. I lean back, flexing my hands into fists, then relaxing them. Kalix still has his eyes on me, but is starting to lean back too.
“And now you have a Merrirrem,” he says. “Do you know what they can do just yet? No one has seen one for… gods. Thousands of years, if ever.” I shake my head, pushing my hair out of my eyes. It’d be good to braid it, but I don’t have the time or patience right now.
“I don’t think there’s ever been one. Merri is… fair. She doesn’t bring people back,” I say, my leg bouncing now. My anxiety is spiraling out of control now that the kid isn’t here.
“She brought them back,” Agaton says, his eyes closed. “There has to be a reason. They had Pennep magic too. Faint, but it was there. But Pen is the one who steals from his sister, she doesn’t usually steal from him.”
I frown. If Aeron has a blessing from the god of life and the goddess of death, then they’d be the most powerful tchiakci ever. But if the blessing from Pen is faint… then they’d either been dead for a while, like me, or they’d been created expressly for Pen’s blessing, but the foolish god had forgotten his new toy and his sister had claimed the child’s power for her own uses. Either could be true, but one would result in Aeron quite possibly being murdered for their power. Not that a blessing could be transferred, but some out there still thought it possible.
“We’ll go to Wishlight. How far are we?” I say, looking up. Kalix has a somewhat neutral expression, a small frown his only sign of disapproval. Agaton, however, smiles. He pulls out a scroll, placing it on the table he sits at with Kalix. It unrolls, showing the continent. I lean in as he points to a small town to the south of Wishlight, across the mountains and the river.
“This is where we are. It should take you a week’s walk if you stop every night to sleep,” Agaton says, looking back towards me. I study the roads and markings. I point to a symbol.
“A Tresic shrine? This far south?”
Kalix nods confirmation. “When the death priests came after the droughts and famine, they brought stories of him. And you,” he says. Ah. So he did know what I could do. I glance at him and offer a sharp smile. He shifts in his seat uncomfortably before gesturing back to the map. “There should also be a Merri temple somewhere on the way. I haven’t heard anything from them for a year, but they’d be happy to take care of the child and train them.”
I bristle at the implication. “If Merri brought me back, she did it for a reason. I’ll stay as Aeron’s guardian, thank you, tchiakok,” I spit. Kalix bristles in return, baring his teeth. Agaton uses his staff to keep Kalix from jumping for me and I smirk, leaning back.
“That word hasn’t been used that way for a century,” Agaton says, glaring at the two of us. Me, for using foul language, and Kalix for rising to the bait. “It does not refer to being shunned by the gods anymore, Oswin. People call the Golden Army that. They are traitors of the gods.” I glance away, not willing to admit that I feel bad for saying that Kalix is the same as god-traitors.
“Ah. My apologies. I allowed my anger to get the best of me,” I say. Rolling my shoulders, I stand. “The fact of the matter is, however, that Merri chose me to watch over her tchiakci. I won’t fail her. I won’t fail again.”
Agaton studies me before nodding. “I know,” he says. “Your heart has always been good. As long as you keep hold of your pride, you will succeed,” he says. I nod. Zaharirahazs aren’t prophets, but they’re good at reading the future based on events in the past, so even if Kalix doesn’t think I can take care of Aeron, I’m inclined to trust Agaton more, the older of the two.
In the silence, there’s screams from outside. Kalix is on his feet by the time I reach the door, slamming it open. There, Aeron stands, staring down in horror at the person at his feet. Already their body is starting to decay, the flower crown adorning their hair falling off as their skin withers. Parents are shielding their children, their children sobbing. I run to Aeron, pulling their hand from the other child. They’re shaking, tears rolling down their cheeks as they look up at me.
By now, the body has collapsed into itself and I can smell the reek of weeks of decomposition. I ignore it to wipe Aeron’s cheeks, gently shushing them. They cling to my shirt, crying softly. For the first time, I wonder how old they are. Not very. At the oldest, maybe 15, but they’d have to be small for their age. A hand lands on my shoulder and I whip around, teeth bared like the feral animal I am.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Kalix raises his hands defensively, cloth wraps in his hands. “I have something for them,” he says, nodding to Aeron. They stare blankly up at Kalix, those golden eyes staring into him. I hesitate before moving slightly for Kalix to approach Aeron. He kneels in front of them, holding out the cloth wraps. “Here. Use these. Merri is the goddess of death, and she’s passed the blessing to bring death to you. It’s a strong power, one that will only grow with time, but it can bring misery if used wrong.”
Aeron carefully takes the wraps, fingering the cloth. They nod and look at what remains of the body. By now, it is yellowing bones. They swallow, hard, and kneel next to the skull. Even the birds are silent as Aeron traces Merri’s symbol on the skull with the ash from the fire. They begin to pray in a language I don't recognize, but as I listen, I start to understand the words a little. It's a language from the south, but with a strange accent, one I haven’t heard before. Some words are similar to my native tongue, but I’m sure they mean something else in this context.
Aeron pushes themself up, still trembling slightly. I look at Kalix as I wrap my arm around their shoulders. “We need supplies, but we’ll be gone before sun drown,” I say. Kalix nods, face grave.
“Stay with Agaton, I’ll get what you need,” he says, grasping my arm. I hesitate, eyes narrowing before nodding. Kalix smiles, a tight, sad thing, before disappearing into the crowd. There’s still sobbing and stares, but it’s not horrified or angry. It’s almost awed, and I can’t blame these people for that awe. Anyone who worships Merri has come in contact with death, whether it be a close call or the death of their family, but one who is directly blessed by Merri and has clearly come back from death is worthy of respect, no matter what sort of power they have. And from what I can tell, Aeron had no idea what they could do.
I shield Aeron as best I can as I lead them back into the building. Agaton watches us intently, narrowing his eyes in thought. Aeron sinks into the chair I sat in, gazing into nothing as they rock slightly. Only the fire crackles behind us, lighting up the room.
“Here, child. Do you know how to wrap your arms?” Agaton says, voice soft and kind. Aeron looks up, holding their arms closer to their chest but shaking their head anyway. Agaton smiles gently, holding his hands out. He wears leather gloves and I understand - Aeron can only kill someone if they touch the person’s skin. Aeron hesitates before holding their arms out to Agaton.
The old man shows them how to wrap the cloth around their arms, quietly instructing them as he goes. The cloth is light enough to not be too hot and loose enough not to restrict blood flow, but I can’t help but stay tense.
“I just wanted to dance,” Aeron says, suddenly. Tears roll down their cheeks. “I… I didn’t mean to.”
Agaton and I pause, looking at each other. I close my eyes, sigh, and hug Aeron gently. “I know, skhliseng, I know. I’m sure they know too. You didn’t know what you could do, but we know now and we can prevent it, okay?” I say, smoothing their hair back. They glance up at me, eyes focused now.
“...they… aren’t angry?”
I smile a little. “I think, right now, everyone is just a little shocked. But we’re still leaving before sun drown.”
Aeron nods, looking down at their wrapped hands. Merri’s symbol is gone, tucked away beneath the neat lines of the cloth wraps. I wonder, almost absently, if any part of their skin can kill or if it’s just their hands, but I push that thought away as the door opens again. Kalix stands there with two bags, one only slightly smaller. He tosses the larger one to me and sets the small bag next to Aeron, then scoops up the map from the table.
“Here. I made sure to pack some clothes and some food for you both, and wraps for the child,” he says, handing the map off to me. “Sleeping rolls, some cookware. Things you’ll need.” He takes an ax off the wall, passing it to me and moves to the other side of the room. I watch him, his movements tickling something in the far back of my mind.
“You’re a child of the wolves,” I say, tilting my head. No wonder he hadn’t liked me; Jeyy and Horn weren’t overfond of Tresic’s sneaky nature. Kalix glances over his shoulder as he grabs a bow off a shelf. A quiver of arrows is swung down with it.
“Hm. Smarter than I thought,” he says as he hands me the bow. I fasten the ax to one side of my thigh before taking the bow and quiver, leaning them against the table. “But yes. After I reached 18, I met Zahari at one of his temples. My parents gave me their blessing to leave their pack and become one of Zahari’s priests, then I came down here. Not much else to it.” He shrugs, grabbing two cloaks off side hooks.
I glance back at Agaton to see if he’ll object to us taking this much. He simply smiles at us. “We always have extra sets of things on hand,” he says dismissively. I nod and accept one of the cloaks, flipping it on with ease. This feels far more comfortable than just one layer of clothes, but I find myself faintly wishing for my old cloak. By now, it’s rotted away with me into the earth, lost forever to Merri’s realm.
Aeron stares at the cloak in their hands, then awkwardly swings it around. I huff a little out of amusement and exasperation, then carefully adjust it, tying it in the front. “When I have time, I’ll show you how to make clasps for it,” I say, then pick up my bag. It takes a second to pull the strap through the slits in the cloak, then tie it to the other side. Aeron watches me before doing the same thing, frowning in concentration. These certain bags can be difficult, but it’s worth it to be able to carry something on your back rather than your side, especially without horses.
Kalix grabs my arm as I turn. He hesitates before hugging me, one pound of his fist on my back. A brother’s hug, one I haven’t had in a long time. I return the gesture before we pull apart.
“Keep them safe. I think… a lot of things are in your future,” he says, glancing between me and Aeron. The kid looks confused, but I nod. Kalix looks a little relieved and opens the door for us.
By now, the area has been cleared, the bones collected. We should have a straight path out of town without being stopped or watched, so I urge Aeron towards the road. I wave goodbye to Kalix and Agaton before following Aeron down the street. The sun is high above, just past noon. There’s a few hours before sun drown, so we should be able to make good time. Right now, though, I’m just focused on getting us as far from the town as possible. No matter how much a Merrirrem is worthy of respect, that won’t stop a desperate and angry parent from going after the person who killed their child.