Chapter 21: An Answer I Don’t Want to Hear

***

Sometimes, it doesn’t matter

Sometimes we don’t get the choice

No matter our power

No matter our station

***

Year of Wrath 1231, Season of Waiting, D.15, Yorm

     Ilgor trotted along after them, trying to catch up. Yelling at the Chief to bring Mother back to the cave as she tried to drag along another soft blanket to wrap Kari up. Yorm had gently lifted her off the cot at her request, causing quite the commotion as the others in the family called for Ilgor. 

     “I haven’t been carried like this since Folt was alive.” She smiled up at him. “Though getting up does feel nice on my joints.” Her statement was accentuated as her neck popped as she turned to look back at Ilgor. 

     “I am still sorry about Folt. He wasn’t supposed to die, he was supposed to stay back and keep the others away.” He lamented, his face shifting from his usual stoicism to a hint of sadness. 

     “I still miss him, you know, It wasn’t your fault, things got out of hand quickly.” She whispered back. 

     Mother Kari had asked to see the night sky after hearing about the cloudless evening. Wanting to hear the sound of the waves against the shore. “Why do you feel so small these days, Yorm? I can hear it in your voice. I never heard that proud voice sound so cowed.” She said after a moment. 

     He started slowly, closing his words. “I suppose it’s because I only feel strong when I fight these days. The thrill of battle brings peace to my mind, I just can’t describe it very well. I see Bhal in my dreams these days. I wish to seek his graces and earn my place by his side in his battles.” He finished, looking down at Kari, somewhere in the back of his mind he supposed he was seeking her approval as well.

     “You shouldn’t look toward the end that way, Child. Bhal wishes us to be glorious in his name, but he wouldn’t want you to put the rest of the family at risk for your own glory. Shame on you for thinking of only yourself.” The cough that she ended the statement with, caught Ilgor’s attention, despite the many dozen paces away she was.

     She came running up, only to be stopped by Kari holding her hand out. “Please, darling. Let your Mother speak to the Father. His spiritual well being is just as important as everyone else's. Let us speak privately.” She thought for a moment, then added. “Darling, could you give me that blanket afterall?”

     Set her down, Yorm steadying her with a strong hand. Ilgor wrapped the blanket around her like a shawl, saying “Mother, this is foolish. Come back to the cave, you shouldn’t be wandering out in the cold like this. The first snows will be coming soon.”

     “Child, can I not enjoy the few sensations I can while awaiting the inevitable?” She chided her.

     “Mother, you’re slowly getting better though.” She spoke her words in kindness, but it was a lie, the two of them knew it. 

     Kari smiled sweetly back at her, motioning for Yorm to pick her back up. Turning to Ilgor again, she gestured for her to wait there until they got back. They continued to walk down the cold sandy beach, Kari commenting idly on the various constellations she could still see, her eyes cloudy with age.

     Yorm was happy to see her like this, not some bedridden soul. Though he knew it would upset her, he still asked. “Her prayers are not as strong as yours. The protections she puts around the raiders never seem to hold the same weight as yours. If her prayers were stronger, that last rout wouldn’t have been so bad. Why is her Blessing not as powerful?”

     “Do not dare try and put her down like that, that last raid was more so your doing that anything she” She began coughing again, trying to continue. “Did, don’t you.” She couldn’t finish until the fit had passed. 

     A few moments later, regaining her voice, a fire in her eyes. “That raid was bungled by you, boy. While her prayers are not especially powerful as mine and Misry’s had been, her voice is something else. I have lived to see her do things I have only ever been told about in the holy book. Her control of Bhal’s power lies not in her heartfelt professions, but the way she speaks to the world. She demands the will of Bhal be her ambition, and you will respect that, Boy. Her control is born of something else.” She crossed her arms, turning her face away from the Chief. The canyons in her face deepened with her frown.

     “But, why is her blessing less potent?” Yorm asked, used to the chastising as of late. 

     “We’ve talked about her nightmares. She has been sleeping easier recently, at least when she’s in the caves… I sense something around her, but I can’t place it. She still says those foreign names in her sleep too.” She began.

     “I haven’t heard these names, can you tell me them?” Yorm questioned, as he began the ascent up the hill to follow the treeline along the coast. 

     “I hear two names the most frequently, Vilorlith, and Syn. I have no idea what they are, I think she is making up names in her nightmares. Regardless I still see her use magic I never have dreamed of Yorm. She conjures little galaxies of light around her, freezing the floor for but a moment to become a pleasant warmth. I’ve felt her shift the winds through the cave, all while she isn’t conscious of what she’s doing.” She cleared her throat, continuing.

     “Yorm, I cannot stress how much talent she has yet to see in herself. Do not speak down to her like you did before, I’m worried about you more than I am her. Whoever she is speaking with as she sneaks out to, is certainly teaching her something. She never knew how to heal like that until you brought back the family in such a state.” 

     “So you think her magic is keeping her blessing suppressed?” Yorm asked, watching the sky through the trees. Sitting down, Kari still held in his arms. 

     “No, not necessarily. She mentioned during her ceremony seeing some kind of demon, at least that’s what I think it was. Bhal had struck it down in her dream, I’m unsure. I think maybe that this demon stalks her dreams, is holding back her blessing from blooming fully.” She snuggled deeper into the blanket as a cold wind tousled Yorms hair. 

     “For a beginner, she’s a phenomenal fighter. She is still willing to fight, still fit and able. I have also seen her control over magic get better, I didn’t know you could silence someone like you can a spell, she did that to me. I am noticing quite a few felled trees these days, though none of the logs are anywhere to be seen. Tracks covered, I suspect it is Hob speaking with Ilgor about something. You wouldn’t happen to have overheard my raiders speaking about anything, have you?” He sounded defensive, ready to jump on anything she might have to say on the matter.

“I feel like she’s still trying to be a raid leader. She’s not out right opposing me, but. I have a suspicion she has Hob wrapped around her finger. I took her out of that role because I thought she would be a better priestess.” He added. 

     She was quiet for a very long time, her eyes slowly flicking from star to star as she sang a soft song to herself. Thinking she was intentionally leaving him out of some loop, he started fidgeting. That got her attention, looking back at him, a stare only a mother could make. “I am unaware of any of that. Though I hear when, she slinks her way back into the cave late in the night, talking about things. Things I have never heard about, she also reads some human books to Ghet and the others.”

     “She talks about the history of the City, you’d be surprised how little it talks about us. Actually, it never mentioned us.” She said, turning back to the slowly turning night sky.

     “Why is she reading books to them? What else is she talking about?” Yorm pressed.

     “Such a nosy boy.” She coughed again, Yorm could hear the pain in her chest as she tried to clear her lungs again. “She talks about gardens, how the humans have trades, she talks about some kind of machines. If you really wanted to know, ask her.” She shifted the blanket over her head. 

     “Mother, is my crew still loyal to me? Am I still favored by Bhal?” He leaned his head down to speak softer. 

     “I am not going to check. Child, I am too tired, I am also not as connected to my blessing after passing it to Ilgor. If you are so insecure in your ability, let me repeat the same lesson to you that I had on the day you took Roland’s life. The Great Father favors those who can prove their worth, power and combat are meaningless without ambition. Perhaps you should prove the leader you are, show the Father that you are still worthy of being respected. Not some slavish follower.” She spoke under her breath, he barely caught it, “Illy has ambition, I see it in her voice. She has power, he should be proud of her.”

***

Year of Wrath 1231, Season of Waiting, D.16, Ilgor

     The cold air swirled in a great gust in the valley between the two hills The Sorcerer had pitched the wagon in. Though she could only see him turn his head at her, his full mask back on his face, she knew what he wanted. She hummed a soft sound, calming the wind around them, changing her pitch, she kept it from interrupting the small pocket of calm air she was now controlling. 

     He turned back to his book reading, as she perused one of the Galus history texts he handed her. He was growing more pensive these last few days, he was unlikely to mix his lessons. The day before he had put her through an intense lesson in swordsmanship, correcting all her mistakes with a cut. He eventually ended the lesson when he cut a bit too deep, she had to heal her own leg that had a clean laceration through her artery. 

     She bitterly huffed at the memory of him walking away, waving as if nothing happened, as she lay in a pool of her own blood. “Something bothering you, Priestess?” He broke the silence, setting his book down on the small table. 

     “How come you never ask me any questions, about myself, or my people?” She deflected, not wanting to talk about the other day. 

     “I prefer to observe. I find it gives me more genuine information than directly asking. Besides…” He pulled the bottom half of his mask away.

     “Besides, what?” She asked. Thinking back to the tavern, and their long discussion about the clan’s future. 

     “Nothing, I am simply aware of many aspects of you and your people already.” He stated, reaching inside of a small bag he had at his side. Did he know? Is this why he hasn’t been himself lately? What would he really do if he found out? He has every opportunity to kill me, he could do it easily. Would I even stand a chance, maybe if I ran. But, does he even know?

     He turned to her, an odd sneer on his face. A slight change in his face though, shifted it to a small epiphany in his body language. “Ask your questions. I’m sure you have many.” 

     She thought for a few moments, topics already discussed, some she still didn’t understand as much. Settling on a question. “Could you tell me how the Zybtine Caliphate rose to power?” She asked, it was a question that had been plaguing her ever since she had a similar discussion with Caleb. He had become uncomfortable with the topic and refused to continue, instead they talked more of his garden again. 

     “Messy affair that is. The Zybtine Caliphate like the Ramac are followers of Bhal and his teachings. Though the Zybtine are much more interested in his ambition rather than his wrath. The Ramac eventually was undone in the last war by the Federation propping up a rebellion inside the Song of Bhal led by the Zybtine after the Battle of Huron. The Ramac military was nearly eradicated, leading to a power vacuum in the city. The Zybtine simply seized the opportunity to strike.” He explained, pulling out a crystal glass and a decanter from his bag. 

     “Do you always drink at all times, or is it just with me?” Ilgor asked, idly watching as he poured himself a drink. She was somewhat surprised to hear a genuine laugh out of him.

     “For one, alcohol does not particularly affect me in the way you’d expect. Beyond that, it is more about… you know what?” He remained silent as he sipped his drink. 

     “Next question then. I know we have lived here for as long as anyone can remember. But, can you tell me about the sea life around here? I mean the peninsula, at least that’s what I’ve heard it called. I’ve only ever seen one map of Galus and it didn’t tell me much.” I began, trying to explain my question as best I could. 

     He pulled a map from out of nowhere, filled with strange markings. He explained it as an elevation map, depicting the rise and fall of the lands as they appear in actuality. Lines closer together meant that there was steeper rise or fall, the part he said no map in modern times depicted though was the sea bed. 

     He told me that someone named Taneth the Navigator was meticulous in his mapping of the world. Very few of his original maps remained, and this was one of them. Trying to ask him about who the Navigator was, led Ilgor nowhere as he rolled over the question. The map showed a reef system following the eastern shores of the Peninsula, he explained where the breaks in the reef were and how the shipping channels passed through them.

     He pointed out where the continent actually extended out underwater, connecting the Island of Estile to the Bay of Swallows. There was a basin and submerged isthmus where most of the commercial fishing was for the city. With this in mind, he told me to look around the bluffs where we lived and notice the similarities. There were really quite a few spots where fish and other creatures were expected to congregate. He went on to explain the tides a bit more, after Ilgor told him of the pools they used. Where better harvesting could be had, were to avoid, the goblins had indeed been picking the area clean. 

     “So you should be looking to the south of the bluffs more, those tide pools are deeper, and have better exit channels for sea life to come and go as they please. Bigger game can be harvested here as the water is too shallow for commercial vessels to safely navigate. It has been ignored for so long, the ecology of that region should be ripe for the picking.” He finished, rolling up the map and putting it away. 

     Ilgor wondered again, did he know? The way he said it… He had to know by now. “I’ll have to take a look over there, the clan hasn’t been there for many years. The last time we were there, the flats were covered in razor clams.” 

     “A quick enough infestation, though in case you didn’t know. Those razor clams are quickly eaten by sea birds, those shells should be gone by now. The nudibranch genus of Gishells are ravenous for calcium, they live on that eastern side of the bluffs just north of Willowbrook.” He pulled another bottle out, and poured himself yet another drink. “Shame really, razor clams have a penchant for creating pearls at a higher rate than the oysters in the Bay of Swallows.”

     Ilgor rummaged through her bag at her hip, pulling out a small vial with a rune etched into the glass. “A friend of mine is familiar with runes, this just happened to be the only material he had on hand. He said it was a rune of sound, can you explain more about the magic in sound?” 

     “For one, your friend has a rudimentary understanding of rune structures. That rune is specifically for a sound of sorrow. In effect, when used it will depress the overall effect of a given material. That glass is now very brittle.” He spoke, side eyeing the vial. “I thought I had explained Tonal Magic enough to you while we were in Estile.”

     “You explained how to use it, not what it is. I’m curious about that.” She spoke, pulling a small notebook out.

     He watched her pull out a charcoal pencil, seeing that the pages were already full. She had filled it with all the information and lessons she received from him, every page and margins full to brim. Sighing, he pulled a new notebook out of nowhere. Handing it to her “For the sake of knowledge, you put one more note in that old book and I’ll scream. Fine, you want a lesson in magic genealogy and technicalities. I’ll begin with some world history first.” He sat up, and adjusted himself to face her. 

     “I want to make something clear, what I am going to speak of, stays here. There are very few individuals that know this information, and those who don’t would quite literally kill you for it. Am I clear Ilgor of the Skullbrood Clan?” His voice was stern, nothing but iron and force.

     “I already made a deal with you about your teachings.” She responded, not phased by his warning. 

     “To not share my knowledge until a great calamity, this is different. This stays here.” He cautioned. “So let us begin then. The Domain of air is born of the plane or concept of air. Not just encompassing its physical properties, but the very concept itself. A domain is to toy with reality, those who can manipulate are particularly powerful because of it. The idea of fluid properties, atmospheres, the chemical makeup of gasses of any materials that are capable of vaporizing. These are only a few examples that fall under the concept of air.” 

“Sound or tones have an additional unique effect on the world. There is a song to this world, and that song created the branches on which we exist.” He stopped for a brief moment, with a ponderous chuckle. His vile teeth showing, the air briefly feeling suffocating. “Well song is the wrong word. Either way, sound is a bridge of sorts between domains. Sound is the energy in which air controls, so the frequency in which you command dictates which domain it can access.” He paused, taking a sip from his glass.

     “What do you mean by bridge, so my voice can command stone or fire? How can that happen, I thought you had to have a talent in that plane of magic to really even touch it.” Ilgor asked, jotting her notes down.

     “Ordinarily, yes. But, domains are all encompassing, think of it this way. A Domain of fire is able to manipulate temperature, and combustion. Well, someone can heat the air enough to make it burn, so can you. You command every aspect of the air, logically you can heat the air to do the same thing. Sound is the fabric of our reality, that being said, the talent of tones is able to push that blurred line between domains further. Let me demonstrate” He pointed at a rock on top of the ridge that edged the small valley. 

     He began to hum softly, slowly changing his pitch until the rock crumbled to dust. “By finding the frequency the rock existed in, you can shape it further. Shape being a poor word in this language, command properties would be better, but wordier.” He pondered his quandary while Ilgor sat open-mouthed at him. 

     She shook her head, clearing her shock. “You can use the same magic as me?”

     “No, what I’m doing is different. It’s… I’m not going to tell you. It works in the same way however.” He stated, folding his arms. “That sound needs to be practiced. The more you use your voice the easier it becomes. You humming while you spar with me, is a subconscious effort as you learn more. That humming, mechanically speaking, is your magic manipulating the air to become more useful to your body. If you focus on it while you are doing it, you will notice what I commented on at the time.” 

     “Is that what you meant by training me to focus on more than one thing at a time?” She asked, taking the moment to put the edge back on her charcoal pencil. 

     “One of the many things that statement could mean.” He seemed to like doing that, answering with broad statements that were also specific. Ilgor looked over at him, annoyed returning to her notes. 

“Back to the topic at hand. Air is related to sound. Sound is related to many things. There are a few instances where air will be unavailable to you, however. I am going to tell you something you might find interesting.” He had her attention again, she looked up from her notebook, waiting. 

“The world is made of all the same material. Matter is matter after all. So if you know what something is made of, you can utilize that information. For instance, the rocks on which we stand, the dirt, and sand, all the decaying material around us is all made of the same base components. That being said, if something contains a gas in its construction, you can take it.” He smiled viciously, his sharp teeth sticking out from beneath his lips.

“For example, the granite bedrock that the Peninsula of Galus sits on, contains a substance known as Potassium Oxide. The oxide part is the one that is relevant to this. That is oxygen, a gas we need to breathe, but in a pure form it is also extremely flammable. Do with that information what you will, I will tell you though that finding that delicate sound to do that will be very difficult though.” He said cryptically. 

     “I can take air from rocks.” She set her writing materials down. “Why is everything made of sound, why is everything made of the same materials?” 

     He stayed quiet, she was somewhat expecting what happened next. His mouth disappeared, a moment later he spoke again. “A story for a later time.” 

     She thought to what he said before, there were somethings that couldn’t be spoken of in this world. She wondered if there was another they could talk about it in, maybe in dreams. That was likely going to be something that would also make his mouth disappear. “What keeps happening to you? Why does your mouth vanish when you try to speak about certain things?”

     “An ancient curse, laid on the world during the Dawn of Truths. Colloquially it is known as Silenced Tongues. They say it's a rare curse, but it actually exists for everyone currently alive, dead or otherwise. Quite literally the most common curse to ever have existed. As you can see what it manifests as, the name fits.” He said with a flip of his hand.

     “I suppose asking what put that curse on the world is a pointless question then?” She jotted more notes down into the notebook again. Adding a note to herself to see if she couldn’t find some more information on it on her own time. Scribbling a note about needing to find some garlic bulbs to plant before the ground froze.

     “You are correct. For now.” He said. She closed her notebook, and got up to leave. She needed to go speak to Hob and Til about seeing if they could go find those bulbs. She thanked the Sorcerer for his lesson today, adding that she would keep her lesson in magic to herself. Thinking about how she could practice that trick with the rocks. 

     “I just feel silly asking about some things. I feel like we should know about how to garden and forage better. Thinking about some of the lessons in our holy book, I’d like to think we’d be a more prosperous people. I’m just not sure though, it feels like we have forgotten how to get along with the humans over time.” She commented as she began to walk away.

     “I already know, Shadow changed soul. I already know the reasons for all of this” She whipped her head back to him, but he was gone. His empty chair sitting there, her chair was gone, as well as the bottles he had been nursing. 

     “That's new, why’d he leave? What did he mean by "Shadow changed soul”?” The empty air around her offered no answer. The cold breeze picked back up after she lost her concentration, shivering slightly she started to walk back to the clan. 

***

     The Sorcerer sat on the top of the Citadel, dangling his legs off the edge. He enjoyed the view of the desert city from the rooftop. Watching the people as they scurried to and fro from their tasks, a wonderful choreography of daily needs. He sighed heavily as he felt a familiar presence. 

     “Have you enjoyed toying with her? I don’t like you interfering.” The deep voice spoke. A great burly warrior, thin horns protruding from dark black hair. He had it pulled in a tight bun on the back of his head today.

     “You know, I think back to a conversation with her. She spoke of a demon in her nightmares, it had first appeared after she received the blessing. At first I thought she was speaking about you.” He replied, laying down on the copper plates of the rooftop.

     “What made you think that? I appear in all their dreams for the blessing.” He said. 

     “Well, she has been commenting on how tired she is all time. She also mentioned that this demon in her dreams is always watching. Sometimes it’s kind to her, sometimes it's only a shadowed figure. She also comments that it’s sometimes only a pair of burning empty eyes.” He glanced over to the horned man. 

     “Do you think it’s her? They are the same root species.” He commented.

     “It may certainly be one of them. The one that escaped, or one of the other three.” The Sorcerer’s eyes began to burn as he slipped his mask off. “I told her that it may be a memory of Mothers past. Something lingering in the mind.”

     “You need to stop trying to give her that information. But, why give her such a close answer, she might figure it out.” He said, his eyes beginning to smolder as well. 

     “My reasons are my own.” The Sorcerer answered. “I think I might need to test this, maybe tip the scales.”

     “You will stop. I forbid you from interacting with her anymore!” He shouted, the inferno from his eyes warping the copper plates. 

     “Oh Bhal, you can’t tell me what to do.” He laughed.