Cori Brynor
All I could do was stare. The light in the house was dim, only being provided by the fire that gently danced on top of the candles in the room. The sun had set long ago, but none of us were going to sleep. Both of them stayed with me, Ailisa clinging onto me, trying to give me comfort, and Baird leaning against the open door frame, looking out into the freezing cold. I didn’t feel the draft that blew in, causing Ailisa to shiver as she cried. There wasn’t any room left in my head for the cold.
The walls seemed to warp as my eyes bored into them, causing my temples to throb in pain, so I looked down to the floor instead. On the ground, at the base of the stairs and leading out the door, was a streak of blood. Ailisa would wash it tomorrow, or perhaps the next day, I knew, but those stains would remain. Nothing would fully take them away. Not from the floor, not from the stairs, not from my bedroom, and not from my son. He was covered in those stains, left to sit in them for hours before me and Ailisa came home.
“Why,” I said, but I knew the answer before even asking. It was no mystery to me why this had happened. In fact, it always felt inevitable. Ever since that day, Aaron had come back a changed man, and I wasn’t oblivious. This had been right under my nose the whole time, but I never pushed to stop it out of fear. I didn’t think it would come this soon, or be this bad.
My stomach lurched and I brought my hand to my mouth, trying to stop myself. It didn’t work. I turned to the side, trying to avoid Ailisa as best I could, and vomited. Everything seemed to come out at once. My tears, my cries, my wails, all of it erupted out of me. I begged, pleaded, and yelled out to God, but I never heard anything back. They were all gone now. All three of them, taken from me. The Brynors were gone, leaving us behind.
“I need to go,” I mumbled, cleaning my mouth with the towel Ailisa handed me. “I need to go home.”
“You are home,” Ailisa’s voice sounded muffled, “This will always be you home.” Baird simply nodded in agreement, not turning to look at us.
“No. I can’t stay. I can’t stay here. I need to go home.”
“Honey, this is your home.”
“No!” I yelled, standing to my feet and shaking Ailisa off. I felt like a child as she stared up at me in obvious hurt, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t stay here, not where he did what he did. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I just wanted to get away. “My parents. We can go to them.”
“Cori,” Ailisa said softly, “They tossed you away. They… they won’t take you in.”
“Aaron’s gone,” I said, the finality of the statement drilling into my heart. It was one thing to know it, and another to say it aloud. It only made me want to get away faster. “They will take me and Sean in. They have to.”
Baird and Ailisa exchanged glances with one another. “We can talk about this in the morning. We're all tired. You can have our room. Baird and I will sleep out here.”
I didn’t want to stand, let alone move, but I allowed Ailisa to lead me into their room and put me on the bed. I couldn’t sleep, even hours after she left me. The last few months kept replaying in my mind, over and over again. Aaron holding Sean in his arms when they came home that day. The faces of the priests and doctors I begged to come see my ailing son, hoping anyone of them could help. The anger I felt at my husband that blinded me, not letting me see what he was going through as well. All of it kept me awake, and none of it was pleasant. I wondered if anything would ever truly be pleasant again.
*****
The outer city’s market was dense with people from all over the northern province of Vistaria, despite it being the least populated of the four. Most of these people were either not allowed or had no reason to enter the inner city, where I spent most of my time. Markets like these, so close to the outer walls where almost anyone could get into, were not very safe. None of that mattered right now, however. This was exactly where I would find the people I needed. Almost every one of them had come from somewhere else, and would be leaving sometime soon. When they did, my son and I would go with them.
Baird turned side to side, looking around at everyone nervously. He was taller than me, but not by much, so he could barely see past the crowd, which seemed to bother him. I was glad he had come with me, though I never thought he would let me go alone. I would miss having people like that in my life.
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Aaron’s funeral was a bit over a week ago. Not many had showed up, only a few friends from his time as a guard. None of that bothered me, though. It only mattered that the people he cared about were there, so it stung when Sean refused to come out and join me. He still had trouble walking, but his cane made it possible to get around. He just wouldn’t leave his room anymore. It was like we were back in Corvin, when he refused to go outside. I missed those days. They were safer, and easier.
“This way Cori! I can see a few lisyfes!” Baird shouted over the crowd.
We pushed our way through the crowd, arriving near the outer wall where a stable was. Inside were several of the fast beasts, their carts having been moved somewhere else where the merchandise could get unloaded. A few men and women were grooming them, while others were being fed. Near one was a thin man with jet black hair wearing a large overcoat. I recognized him.
“Rhys!’ I called out, hoping I was right.
The man turned, scanning the people around me trying to find where the voice came from. When his eyes landed on me, he squinted, then continued searching the crowd. I waved to him, which only seemed to confuse him more. “Do I know you?” he asked, clearly not happy to be bothered.
“No,” I said, “Not really.” Years ago you helped me and my… family get here from a small village called Corvin in the Bloodied Plains.”
He thought for a moment, but his face revealed the moment he remembered. “Ah, of course I remember you! Hard to forget a man like that, and his son. Cori, right? You know I still tell people about the five year old that could do magic. Nobody believes me.”
I gave him a chuckle, but then looked up at him seriously. “Do you mind me asking when you're leaving Dousin?”
“In a few days,” he seemed confused, “With so many of the guards gone from the city because of that little lord leaving, the laws have seemed to get a bit more lax when it comes to visitors, so I want to enjoy myself in this frozen hell hole for a little while. Why do you ask?”
“My son and I are in need of transportation. Are you headed south? Near the City of Marble?”
“We are, actually.” He considered for a moment, then asked, “What about your husband? Trouble in paradise?”
It was meant to be a joke. I knew that, but it still hurt when he said it. Rhys wasn’t a bad man from what I remember. He was a simple merchant, just looking to make money. His prices were far from outrageous as well. None of that mattered though. What he said was too much. I tried to answer, but nothing came out of my mouth.
Baird wrapped his arm around me. It was a nice gesture, but it didn’t help much. “Are you willing to transport them?” Baird asked.
Rhys seemed to be shocked out of something when Baird spoke. “Of course!” he said. “We can discuss payment later. I’m sorry if I said anything rude.”
“It’s fine,” I managed to muster, and Baird pulled me away after Rhys told us where we could find him.
“Are you going to be okay? Are you sure this is the right decision?”
I looked up at my longtime friend, worry clear on his face even though half of it was covered by a graying beard. “I just don’t know what else to do.”
Baird nodded, and we walked through the crowd, trying to get back home. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to call it that anymore.
A thundering roar echoed throughout the square, my eardrums feeling like they were about to burst. I fell to my knees in pain, putting my hands on my head to try and mitigate the noise. Nothing helped, and the pain only went away when the roar stopped. Underneath was the screams of the crowd, and a loud banging noise from the main gate. I saw guards loose arrows down at something from the top of the outer wall, and people ran further into the city as fast as they could.
“What’s happening!” I screamed.
“I don’t know!” someone yelled.
Another roar erupted around the plaza, then a loud crack that drowned everything else out. I didn't think any other noise could be louder than that roar. I turned in the direction of the noise and watched as the outer gate fell. Behind it was a monster. A giant beast with fur of pure white stood there, its paws filled with massive icicles for claws. Arrows stuck out of the beasts back, but each of them were only half the size of the fangs that hung down from its mouth. It was so similar to a beast I knew. Fyrbera’s were common in the southern forests, but they mostly kept to themselves, leaving people alone. This beast was twice that one's size. The beast limbs made jolting motions as it marched into the city, like it wasn’t in control of them.
“My God, there’s more!” someone yelled, and my attention was moved behind the mathear.
Out on the path, just behind the rampaging giant entering the city, were several other beasts. Each of them made the same jolting movements as the mathear while they feasted on the remains of the guards at the gate. “Aaron used to work out there,” I thought.
“A fiend,” Baird whispered to my left, and I was finally taken out of my own head. “Cori, we need to run!”
He grabbed my arm and pulled me away, further into the city. I didn’t look behind me, afraid that a wild beast would jump on top of me at any time. I didn’t want to see the jaws that would end my life. I kept yelling as we ran, not sure if my voice was even coming out. “Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!” I screamed, as we rounded a corner and ran towards our home.