It's been a busy week and I've still got people wanting my time over the weekend, so I may have to declare a moratorium next weekend. By which I mean that everyone will be told that I, like Jesus, will be dead for three days.
The legacy The sky above was blue, and mostly cloudless; the land below was yellow and stony. Here and there grasses rallied and created patches of green; further apart trees grew solitarily or in tiny stands of two or three. They landed twice to rest the Byakhee, and while they fed and watered the bird-creatures they also looked around. They found dark caves that might have been worth exploring if they'd had lights and climbing gear, and they found weathered stones that might have been carved once, but whatever they might have been they were now just lumps of crumbling stone. There were no rivers or rivers beds that they saw, though Samual made a particular effort to look out for them. When a group of low, blocky structures finally appeared on the horizon Lord Derby felt a sense of dread rather than relief. As they got closer they could see that there were actually three groups of buildings arranged roughly at the vertices of a triangle. In the middle there was more green than was entirely normal, signs perhaps of an attempt at agriculture. As they flew lower, coming in to land, Lord Derby saw metal supports and beams, and rocky paths and carved-out gullies. There was no sign of wood or cloth, and definitely no sign of people or Byakhee. They landed with a scratching and clatter of Byakhee claw on stone, the birds skidding to slow down and then walking pigeon-like to a haltering bar that was a crude metal pole stretched over stone support pillars. Leather straps were still tied to it, and Lord Derby was so surprised by this that Tomasz noticed his head-twitch as he took a second, confirmatory look at them. "It's like for horses," he said, his voice clearly suggesting that he thought Lord Derby knew this. "Nothing else looks like it's been lived in for a decade," said Lord Derby. He looked around him. "I thought maybe the colonists had packed up and gone home." "This is their home," said Tomasz. He jumped down from the Byakhee, ignoring Lord Derby's curious gaze and started tying the Byakhee up. On the other side of him Samual did the same. Lord Derby gazed off into the distance for a moment. "Who died?" Tomasz started sorted out food and water for the birds with a lot of energy, but even kicking the stone walls and scuffing the ground didn't really create enough noise, and finally he stopped what he was doing and looked up at Ernest. His eyes were bright with tears. "Everyone," he said. He dragged his sleeve across his face, wiping his eyes and nose. "You either came through or you were killed. The whole village either came here or died there." Samual dropped the bag of biscuits he was carrying. Lord Derby rubbed his forehead with one hand as though he had a bad headache and slipped lightly down from the Byakhee as though he'd been riding them all his life. "I'm sorry," he said, and his voice was so hollow and sincere that Tomasz had to turn away. Tomasz's shoulders shook for a a few seconds before he turned back, his eyes reddening now but his face composed. "Why?" Lord Derby sighed again, and then a second time. "I think everyone's dead here too," he said. "You don't have to come with us. You can get the Byak-" "No!" When the echoes of Tomasz's cry died away there was silence. "No. They can't have done that again. I... I'll have to see it." Samual shivered and picked the bag of biscuits up. "An ill legacy begets an ill future," he said.
"One of the Lords Martial," said Lord Derby immediately. "I forget which one though. During the Second Mexican Empire, perhaps?" "That's right," said Samual. The Byakhee nudged him, reminding him that he was supposed to be feeding it. Tomasz also got back to work, glad of something to occupy his mind. "Lord Martial Tetramagistus was discussing the Wa'li's idea to send a flotilla of elephants to support the King in closing down the Austrian interests." "From Africa?!" Lord Derby's tone was a mixture of horrified and fascinated. "Three hundred elephants drowned," said Samual. "It was a tragedy. Shortly after that the Wa'li was strangled by two of his own servants." "An ill future indeed." "It wasn't all ill," said Tomasz. He finished up with the Byakhee. "The Wa'li's son went on to be known as Ismail the Magnificent." "Small mercies," murmured Lord Derby. He looked around, sadness creeping into his face. "Where were they mining here?" "How did you know...?" Tomasz's words died away as he saw the look on Ernest's face. He pointed to the closest apex of the triangle. "There's a quarry that way, it's about fifteen minutes." "No talking statues this time?" Samual smiled, but it was forced. No-one smiled back. "No. Just... rocks and scrub trees."
As they walked they were initially silent, but that became oppressive. Finally Tomasz, his fists clenching at his sides and his footsteps practically a military march, the muscles in his neck so constricted that his voice sounded tight, said, "How did you know about the mining?" "I didn't," said Lord Derby. His gaze scanned the ground in front of him, almost hoping to see something different there. "But I know that many spells use minerals in their casting. You'd have to get a mage to explain to it you; all I understand is that the minerals somehow bend the Power and -- maybe -- make it vibrate in certain ways." "So... you think there was a spell cast here?" "I'd rather no-" "Yes, but there's nothing else to do till we get there, and all I can think about is what we're going to find! What do you think is going on?" Their footsteps crunched on the gritty stone for long seconds. "I think Grace is here specifically to turn people in demons," said Lord Derby. "Something she learned in the Temple of the King."
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It's been a busy week and I've still got people wanting my time over the weekend, so I may have to declare a moratorium next weekend. By which I mean that everyone will be told that I, like Jesus, will be dead for three days.
The legacy
The sky above was blue, and mostly cloudless; the land below was yellow and stony. Here and there grasses rallied and created patches of green; further apart trees grew solitarily or in tiny stands of two or three. They landed twice to rest the Byakhee, and while they fed and watered the bird-creatures they also looked around. They found dark caves that might have been worth exploring if they'd had lights and climbing gear, and they found weathered stones that might have been carved once, but whatever they might have been they were now just lumps of crumbling stone. There were no rivers or rivers beds that they saw, though Samual made a particular effort to look out for them. When a group of low, blocky structures finally appeared on the horizon Lord Derby felt a sense of dread rather than relief.
As they got closer they could see that there were actually three groups of buildings arranged roughly at the vertices of a triangle. In the middle there was more green than was entirely normal, signs perhaps of an attempt at agriculture. As they flew lower, coming in to land, Lord Derby saw metal supports and beams, and rocky paths and carved-out gullies. There was no sign of wood or cloth, and definitely no sign of people or Byakhee.
They landed with a scratching and clatter of Byakhee claw on stone, the birds skidding to slow down and then walking pigeon-like to a haltering bar that was a crude metal pole stretched over stone support pillars. Leather straps were still tied to it, and Lord Derby was so surprised by this that Tomasz noticed his head-twitch as he took a second, confirmatory look at them.
"It's like for horses," he said, his voice clearly suggesting that he thought Lord Derby knew this.
"Nothing else looks like it's been lived in for a decade," said Lord Derby. He looked around him. "I thought maybe the colonists had packed up and gone home."
"This is their home," said Tomasz. He jumped down from the Byakhee, ignoring Lord Derby's curious gaze and started tying the Byakhee up. On the other side of him Samual did the same. Lord Derby gazed off into the distance for a moment.
"Who died?"
Tomasz started sorted out food and water for the birds with a lot of energy, but even kicking the stone walls and scuffing the ground didn't really create enough noise, and finally he stopped what he was doing and looked up at Ernest. His eyes were bright with tears.
"Everyone," he said. He dragged his sleeve across his face, wiping his eyes and nose. "You either came through or you were killed. The whole village either came here or died there."
Samual dropped the bag of biscuits he was carrying. Lord Derby rubbed his forehead with one hand as though he had a bad headache and slipped lightly down from the Byakhee as though he'd been riding them all his life.
"I'm sorry," he said, and his voice was so hollow and sincere that Tomasz had to turn away. Tomasz's shoulders shook for a a few seconds before he turned back, his eyes reddening now but his face composed.
"Why?"
Lord Derby sighed again, and then a second time. "I think everyone's dead here too," he said. "You don't have to come with us. You can get the Byak-"
"No!"
When the echoes of Tomasz's cry died away there was silence.
"No. They can't have done that again. I... I'll have to see it."
Samual shivered and picked the bag of biscuits up. "An ill legacy begets an ill future," he said.
"One of the Lords Martial," said Lord Derby immediately. "I forget which one though. During the Second Mexican Empire, perhaps?"
"That's right," said Samual. The Byakhee nudged him, reminding him that he was supposed to be feeding it. Tomasz also got back to work, glad of something to occupy his mind. "Lord Martial Tetramagistus was discussing the Wa'li's idea to send a flotilla of elephants to support the King in closing down the Austrian interests."
"From Africa?!" Lord Derby's tone was a mixture of horrified and fascinated.
"Three hundred elephants drowned," said Samual. "It was a tragedy. Shortly after that the Wa'li was strangled by two of his own servants."
"An ill future indeed."
"It wasn't all ill," said Tomasz. He finished up with the Byakhee. "The Wa'li's son went on to be known as Ismail the Magnificent."
"Small mercies," murmured Lord Derby. He looked around, sadness creeping into his face. "Where were they mining here?"
"How did you know...?" Tomasz's words died away as he saw the look on Ernest's face. He pointed to the closest apex of the triangle. "There's a quarry that way, it's about fifteen minutes."
"No talking statues this time?" Samual smiled, but it was forced. No-one smiled back.
"No. Just... rocks and scrub trees."
As they walked they were initially silent, but that became oppressive. Finally Tomasz, his fists clenching at his sides and his footsteps practically a military march, the muscles in his neck so constricted that his voice sounded tight, said, "How did you know about the mining?"
"I didn't," said Lord Derby. His gaze scanned the ground in front of him, almost hoping to see something different there. "But I know that many spells use minerals in their casting. You'd have to get a mage to explain to it you; all I understand is that the minerals somehow bend the Power and -- maybe -- make it vibrate in certain ways."
"So... you think there was a spell cast here?"
"I'd rather no-"
"Yes, but there's nothing else to do till we get there, and all I can think about is what we're going to find! What do you think is going on?"
Their footsteps crunched on the gritty stone for long seconds.
"I think Grace is here specifically to turn people in demons," said Lord Derby. "Something she learned in the Temple of the King."
Greg - being dead for three days sounds like a pretty good deal, actually...
Woo, that ending. You built to it beautifully too.
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