Death of the Body

  My dwelling wasn’t far from the gates, but we did have to go through the town square. Most of the damage was contained here, surrounded by pristine walls of marble. We walked briskly, but I couldn’t stop myself from hesitating at the trellis in the center of the courtyard where a charred rosebush slumped lifelessly over an archway of iron. This bush, only hours ago, had roots that interconnected in a massive underground network to those of Mother Tree, a tree whose unknowing sacrifice I would not soon forget. I found myself aware of an unmarred pocket that miraculously still contained the acorn I had plucked from her. I would care for her last child until I found the perfect spot to plant it.

  Ralph and Hailey hadn’t gotten far from me during my few quiet moments of reflection. They had stopped in the courtyard to gawk at a smoldering building.

  “Parliament?” Hailey’s voice cracked.

  The white marble building normally stood with a stately grandeur against the pale black sky. At night its pillars would shine bright and warm. Now, one corner was completely collapsed, embers glowing like hundreds of pairs of flaming red eyes. The smoke had stained the marble the same color as the swirling billows that filled the air.

  “It’s where the Elders would have been,” Ralph whispered.

  “Are they… dead?”

  I interrupted before any of us could consider the question fully. “Joshua said he was gathering the others. He wouldn’t have said that unless there were others to gather. We need to keep going. I’m sure Joshua will sort this all out for us.”

  “But why would he send us into the town instead of sending us to wherever the others are?” Ralph asked, his eyes still fixed on the parliament building, not looking at me.

  “Maybe they already left. Maybe he’s looking for the other mages who weren’t in town or who ran away.”

  “But…”

  “You trust him, don’t you?”

  “He’s an Elder,” Hailey said, her voice filled with as much conviction as she was able to muster. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get Ralph to stop asking questions.

  His eyes slid to meet mine. “Okay. Let’s go then.”

  So we continued. I picked up my pace as an inky blue mingled with florescent pink in the sky. I didn’t imagine we had much time before the sunlight was completely gone, and if Joshua was going to come for us I hoped he would come before the men got back to our town.

  My house was small and simple—our people weren’t used to staying long indoors. Two rooms and a cellar was all that were needed for my mother, father, and me. The dwelling was used more as a storage area for our family’s possessions rather than a living space. The room we entered had an old wooden table in the center surrounded by three chairs, a sink in one corner, and a cooking pit in the other.

  Ralph pumped the sink for me while I rinsed the ash from my skin. The water stung a little on the blisters that had formed. Hailey disappeared into the next room and returned with clean clothes. She had found a pair of my pants but could only find a shirt that belonged to my father and looked like it might drown me. I dressed quickly, putting the shirt on anyway and tucking it in so that I wouldn’t look like I was wearing one of my mom’s nightgowns.

  The fresh material was harsh on my burned skin, but I found if I walked carefully the chafing was bearable.

  Ralph stared out the window at the dwindling light, half of his face pulled tightly in his expression of doubt. The other side seemed smooth but worried. When his eyes met mine, he spoke out of the doubtful side of his mouth, “To the cellar then?”

  We were met by the smell of damp earth, which was heightened by the stacks of potatoes, beets, and other earth-grown edible roots stored here. The cellar was carved down and back, so it was larger than the house that sat on top of it. Even with its size, there wasn’t much room. Navigating around the stacks of vegetables was something I could never do too easily.

  We made our way to the back where the dim light that shined through the cracks of the wooden floor above us couldn’t reach. I heard Hailey mutter a spell, followed by the same electric crackling that buzzed in Ralph’s fingers when he had snapped them at me earlier this afternoon. We were bathed in light. Hailey had found one of the candles my mom had stashed down here for when she needed to go into the cellar at night.

  When we reached the back wall, we could hear the pounding of horses’ hooves above us. It started out as a gentle rumble but grew into a roar forceful enough to shake dust loose with the vibration. My heart beat rapidly as I realized how many men were filling our city, yet Joshua still hadn’t come for us. Hailey’s face looked ghostly white in the candlelight, her blank expression disheartening.

  “Keep the light toward the back,” I commanded in a whisper. “We don’t want it shining up through the floorboards and giving us away.”

  Her eyes weren’t full of fear. Instead they were vacant.

  Ralph, on the other hand, looked furious. His eyes were large black disks and his hands were balled into fists. His red hair appeared redder against the packed clay of the wall behind him, the fiery glow of the candle emphasizing every out-of-place hair on his head. He looked disheveled and wild.

  I jumped at the sound of heavy boots on the floorboards above us. I was surprised and tensed with fear. The hooves and sounds of wagons outside continued to roar, and now there was somebody in my house.

  I hoped it was Joshua coming to get us but I didn’t see how that could be possible with all the clamor going on outside. Did Joshua get caught?

  Hailey gasped and Ralph shot her a look that cut her off in the middle of the noisy breath. She put her hands to her mouth and her gaze shot to the entrance to the cellar.

  We all listened as the footsteps moved around above us. I lost all hope that it was Joshua coming to get us when they didn’t head directly toward the cellar door.

  I tried to keep my breath deep and regular as a second set of steps echoed across the boards.

  “So this is where they are going to have us held up?” a deep voice grumbled.

  The first man answered, “Just until we can rebuild some of the larger houses.”

  “They’ll have us spread all over the city at this rate.”

  Hailey’s reaction to the voices was to push her back against the dirt wall as far as she could. Ralph had moved so close to her that it looked like he might have been holding her to keep her from collapsing. I was paralyzed.

  There was an unusual sound, like someone dropping nails on the boards above us followed by the echo of heavy breathing. I could tell it was coming from above but I had never realized how sound echoed around the cellar. Rational thought also made me think the heightened senses from the adrenaline running through my body weren’t helping.

  Whatever was now in my house, in addition to the two men, moved with exceptional speed.

  “Ag… get down!” I heard one of the men command. “Clayton! Where can I put your mutt?”

  “I think this place has a cellar.”

  Now it was my back against the wall. I had no idea what a “mutt” was, but more importantly, these men knew about the cellar. I saw Ralph and Hailey duck behind a pile of potatoes as footsteps approached the cellar door. Ralph whispered, “Apage!” and we were plunged into darkness.

  My eyes didn’t immediately adjust, but I could see thin strips of light shining through the floorboards above as I looked at the approximate position of the cellar door. I watched intensely and tried to keep my focus when light flooded down to the dirt floor as the cellar door was opened. I saw one heavy boot on the top step, and then a large object flashed down the stairs, through the light, and disappeared into the shadows before I could make out anything more than a black blur.

  Everything was pitch black and silent when the cellar door closed. I held my breath. Hailey and Ralph did the same. They must have felt as I did—that the darkness around us had come alive. The atmosphere had an electric feel to it, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up so straight that it felt like someone was
pulling it, like the darkness had hidden hands threatening to capture me.

  I heard myself let out a breath and I drew in the next one with caution. I could hear Ralph and Hailey move from their hiding spots, inching toward me. As they grew closer I could hear Ralph’s uneven breaths, ragged in the charged air.

  “Ralph,” I whispered, “be quiet.”

  But it wasn’t the voice of a person that answered. Instead, a deep-throated growl rumbled in response. My eyes darted toward the sound as a bolt of fear raced down my spine. The eyes that met mine were glowing in the dim light, yellow and angry.

  I heard a jaw lined with sharp teeth snap and I suddenly knew exactly what a “mutt” was. This dog was unlike any I had encountered. Normal dogs were friendly. I had seen this kind of reaction, but only when threatened by an outsider. Even then, a simple bit of communication would usually reassure and calm the creature. But this animal didn’t seem interested in discussing who I was or what it wanted, even when I tried to communicate using expressions the dogs I had known would have understood. Instead, it practically screamed of protection, of anger, of hate.

  The low rumble turned into a snarl and the animal’s intentions became clear.

  My feet started inching me away from the dog before my mind knew what they were doing. Logically I wasn’t sure whether it was a good idea to move at all, but self-preservation asserted itself.

  The animal’s eyes were wild and focused on my fear-stricken face. The snarls coming from between its fangs grew louder, interrupted occasionally by an intimidating bark. The dog was forcing me toward the entrance of the cellar. Faint strips of light from between the upstairs floorboards illuminated the raised hair on the dog’s back. The sinews in his giant paws tensed and I could tell he was poised to attack.

  When the cellar door swung wide open, I was bathed in light. A strong voice commanded, “Calm!”

  The dog sat. His bright eyes grew round and gentle. A floppy tongue fell out of one side of his mouth. The relief I felt was fleeting, however, as I now had a large man staring inquisitively in my direction.

  “Sorry about the scare, kid,” the man said. “He’s trained to be protective. He didn’t rough you up any, did he?”

  The man made his way down the stairs and stood in front of me. He was easily twice my height and three times my width. He was a warrior, with big heavy boots and pieces of armor that hadn’t yet been fully removed. His black hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, his large questioning eyes had a hardness to them that could only have come from seeing too many horrors that a man shouldn’t have to see.

  “You all right, kid?”

  I searched the man over, looking for any weapons. His hands were both clearly visible, and while he didn’t have any weapon that I could see, between his muscular arms and giant hands, I knew he wouldn’t need any if he wanted to kill me.

  “Kid?”

  I realized I hadn’t answered his question, but I was too scared to speak. I fought against my tensed neck muscles to shake my head but I wasn’t sure if I made enough motion for the man to notice.

  His gaze softened and he let out a half-laugh, half-snort. “You must be from the orphanage. They said they were going to send someone over to take care of Max here,” he motioned toward the dog. “I didn’t expect them to be that quick, though. Why are you down in the cellar anyway?”

  He started to walk up the stairs, no doubt expecting me to follow. I shot a quick glance to where Ralph and Hailey were last hiding but I couldn’t make out their shapes in the swirling darkness.

  “Just exploring, sir,” I finally found my voice.

  “Well, don’t make a habit of it. If you are going to be working for me I can’t have you constantly running off.”

  Working for him? I didn’t think so, but I saw no choice but to pretend I was human until I had a chance to escape. I had visions of Joshua coming to my rescue and murdering these men, who no doubt had a hand in murdering my people.

  When we got back to the kitchen, the two men in the house continued to pry armor off their bodies.

  “We’ve a meeting in what’s left of that parliament building so that should afford you some time to satisfy that curiosity of yours.”

  How did they know about the parliament building and what it was called?

  “Take Max with you, though. He needs a long walk. Get to know your new town, but don’t be too late. I expect us to be a few hours. I’d like something to eat when we get back.”

  They were going to leave me alone? That would make my escape easy. And who exactly did this man think I was, a cook? First I was supposed to work for him and now he had the audacity to treat me like his servant?

  “Do you really think you should let him wander around alone?” the second man spoke for the first time. “Could be dangerous.”

  “The dangers have all been eliminated.”

  The inflection in his voice made me cringe.

  “Just…” he seemed to consider exactly what he was going to say before finally settling on “there is no need for you to go inside any of the buildings. Understand, boy?”

  I nodded.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Edmund,” I responded, instantly regretting giving my real name.

  “I’m Clayton. Don’t stay out too late.”

  Both men stood. They looked smaller without their armor, even thin, but they carried themselves with such a sense of pride that I still felt the need to fear them. Even after the door was latched behind them I refused to move.

  I wish I could say things were quiet once the men had gone, but the rumble of wagons and clump of horses’ hooves rattled my small house with a never-ending chorus of noise. I could hear people chattering and see the occasional lamplight swinging past my windows.

  The oddest noise, however, was my own breathing. It wasn’t frantic or ragged, but slow and calm. It sounded strange to me because I felt anything but calm. I realized how much control I had to exert over myself to keep my emotions in check. Control was something I had been taught all my life. Control ensured a complete openness to Mother Earth and all of her resources. She never lost control. She was never ruled by emotion.

  My meditation was cut short when something unexpected bumped into the back of my hand. My stomach lurched so high out of fright that the rest of my body followed. On the way back down I lost my balance and fell awkwardly to the floor. When I opened my eyes, Max was towering over me, his large tongue flopping around, threatening to drip drool onto my face. So much for emotional control, I thought.

  The dog stared at me. I need to pee, his expression said.

  “Now you decide to talk,” I snorted, pushing him aside to regain my footing.

  I’ve never known anyone to listen, he said, trotting by my side with childlike excitement.

  “Well don’t get used to it.” I opened the door so the dog could get outside. “Make it quick while I go find my friends, and wait for me at the door to let you back in.”

  Once the dog was outside I returned to the cellar. I cried out for Ralph and Hailey before I was halfway down the stairs.

  “Have they gone?” Ralph responded.

  “I was terrified for you. Are you okay?” Hailey added.

  I ignored their questions. “I think it is obvious Joshua isn’t coming for us. We need to get out of here before we’re discovered.”

  “Where will we go?” Ralph asked, panic obvious in his tone.

  “We’ll head for the ancestral ruins to the north. There are caves for shelter and plenty of rivers for water and plants for food. It is far from the kingdom of men; they probably don’t know it exists yet. If any of our people have survived, I’d imagine they would go there.”

  “Survived?” Hailey repeated.

  I turned back up the stairs before I let my expression reflect my feelings to Hailey’s question. I didn’t answer.

  “Edmund,” Hailey stated in a thoughtful whisper, “it will take us weeks to get to the ruins by horse.” br />
  “Longer by foot.”

  “We’re walking?” Ralph shrieked.

  “We don’t have a choice. I don’t know why those men thought I was one of their children, but I think three kids on horses riding out of the city instead of into it would be suspicious. We are going to have a hard enough time walking out of here.”

  The gold flecks in Ralph’s eyes caught fire in the dim light, but his face was exasperated. “And what if no one is at the ancestral ruins?”

  “Then we will summon someone to us,” I answered.

  Hailey’s face turned from fear into sour disbelief. “We aren’t powerful enough to perform such a spell.”

  “Then we will practice until we are!”

  The comment came across a little harsher than I had anticipated. Hailey’s resulting grimace was enough for Ralph to take action, “It’s the best plan we’ve got. Unless you can think of something better. We’re all scared.”

  “What if they’re all dead?” Hailey asked. Her question was innocent enough but it brought to the surface the fear that each of us had been trying not to think about.

  “I refuse to believe that,” I answered, not to reassure Ralph or Hailey, but myself. “And we can stand here all night and bicker over it until those two men that have taken over my house return, or we can gather what we can now, and leave.”

  It looked like it took all the resolve that he had, but Ralph started packing.

  Hailey stood still for a moment, her eyes studying my own. Unexpectedly, she flung her arms around me and held me in a tight embrace.

  “You don’t have any better ideas, do you?” I asked honestly.

  She pulled back, her eyes worried. “I just pray you are right.”

  Three

  Max’s long black hair blended in with the town’s dark cobblestone streets. He didn’t appear to be much more than a shadow moving rhythmically next to me. The thick pads under his paws made his gait stealthy. His eyes, however, were bright and excited. They caught the light so intensely that the humans we encountered looked at him with fear. He was a bit too curious for my taste; he wouldn’t just walk next to me, but had to swerve back and forth down the street putting his nose down as often as possible. I had to call to him a few times to stop him from venturing too far away from us.