Episode 2 – A Way Marked By Willows
Abraxas woke to the sound of birdsong and wondered when he would see his family again. He emerged from his bed and put on his clothes. If someone had asked him, he wouldn’t have been able to describe even the color of his clothing. He then sat at a small writing desk tucked in the corner of a room. A folded letter rested haphazardly off the edge of the table. Beside it was a small clay pot. Lambs ear, one of the softest plants Abraxas had encountered, lay within it. He ran his fingers across its downy leaves. Then he placed a piece of paper in front of him and took out a quill.
Each other week he sent a letter to his family in Dordel, the village farthest from Verdant. He missed them, to be sure. But he hadn’t realized how much until the flow of messengers had stopped. Word from Caespen Ru, Penomier, and Aersede had ceased in the previous week. But there had been no courier to Dordel in the two weeks since he had last written a letter. And already it was time to compose another. Abraxas had the terrifying notion that he would neither see nor hear from his family for quite a while if the deer was any indication. He wondered how bad things would get.
He penned a letter going over the seeds he was planting in his garden, among other things. Abraxas only briefly touched on the deer. Even though they might not receive the letter for a while, he didn’t want to worry them.
Abraxas composed himself before leaving his room. It took a moment, but soon he was ready. Upon entering the main room, he was surprised to see a light breakfast of bread and cheese already sitting out and his master, Eris Illoc, waiting for him.
Master Illoc was an empathetic, if severe, person. Smile lines creased her face, even while she furrowed her brow. But she had a way of staring at people that made them feel as if they had fallen short.
“I hear your excursion yesterday ended in disappointment. I’m sorry about that.”
Abraxas nodded as he took a bite from the slice of bread.
“You may be glad to hear your reports about the deer have been confirmed. The group the Magistrate sent out last night returned early this morning. Although, they fared less well than you did. A herd has settled only a small distance from Verdant.” She shook her head as if wanting to disbelieve.
“Do you know what’s caused this?” Abraxas doubted she did. But he also knew she would be the person most likely to know.
“No. And to worry about that is to miss the more important question. What are we going to do about it?” Abraxas thought her voice took on a solemn tone. He nodded, agreeing with the presumably wise thing she’d said.
“What are you going to do about it?” She stared at him until he met her gaze.
Abraxas mumbled something, exactly what, he wasn’t sure.
“I gave you four days off for your excursion, and I’ll stick by that, even if your mission was ultimately unfruitful.” Abraxas stared at her, shocked. Firstly was because of her abrupt change of subject. And the second was because Illoc was always loath to allow him time off.
“I expect you to use this freedom to attend the meeting the Magistrate is holding. You could do some good there.”
Abraxas stopped. He shook his head. He twines the straps of his satchel around his finger.
“We’re heading for some tough times and you’ll need to step up. Verdant will need a healer,” she said
Abraxas didn’t want to admit the truth of those things. He thought of himself as a gardener or a florist. He wasn’t quite sure he was ready for people to depend on him, that he’d be able to meet their expectations. He’d seen how the expectations placed upon Valeria weighed upon her. But, Illoc was right. Abraxas, for only a moment, thought about how tough the times ahead might be. He decided he wanted to help if he could.
There was an uncomfortable silence before Abraxas conceded.
The first floor of the Magistrate’s house was filled with the most important people in Verant. There were notable businessmen, the Magistrate’s subordinates, as well as Valeria and her parents. Being Illoc’s protege technically granted him access to these events. Even so, the previous day was the first time he had been inside the Magistrate’s house.
He cracked each of his knuckles in turn. This helped distract him from the stifling atmosphere, the constant chattering, the press of warm bodies. He turned and looked back at Eris Illoc, making sure she was there.
Then the Magistrate stepped into the room, and the council meeting began.
“Welcome,” said the Magistrate. Any hint of his customary levity was absent. It gave Abraxas a greater sense of unease, and he shifted his weight to his other foot, feeling off balance.
“We have discovered the reason for our loss in contact with the other settlements.”
The Magistrate explained what was going on with the monsters, finishing by saying, “Contact ceased with other settlements a week ago, yet we’re only now seeing these creatures. Our remoteness spared us. But, even in the span of a day, monsters drew closer and appeared in greater numbers. It’s our turn. We must start preparing now while we can.”
After a moment of waiting, the room burst into conversation. Abraxas stood toward the back and stared intently at a painting of the sea at night. The deep blues stood out starkly against the otherwise green wallpaper. If he gazed at it he could begin to tune everything else out. He stood steadier.
A man cleared his throat. The Magistrate inclined his head and sat in an ornate chair that Abraxas had only just noticed. “Galba,” the Magistrate prompted.
“We need to prepare for shortages by consolidating resources and rationing food. There have been occasions before where storms and weather events stopped us from sending supplies to other settlements.” Abraxas was too young to remember such times.
“One winter, blizzards ensured that we didn’t receive any traders for over three months. Many people had run out of food by the end of the second month. Many died. Without shipments from Aersede and with the forests unsafe to hunt in, starvation will occur long before the fall harvest. We need to ration our supplies and send hunting parties while we can.” Abraxas thought of his small garden, of the meager number of edible things growing in it. They wouldn’t amount to much.
Around him came scattered murmurs of assent. People talked about starting hunting parties while they were able. Some of the merchants talked about their food supplies, already colluding. Although, many seemed skeptical that the settlements would remain separated from each other for that long. Abraxas kept his eyes focused on the painting.
Valeria spoke. “The Hamlet of Willowbrook is three miles east. I think of foremost importance should be informing those people and evacuating it.”
Galba replied and Abraxas thought he detected a hint of condescension in his tone. “Willowbrook is the only source of food production left. Without its harvest, we’ll die. For now, it should remain as is. We can increase its defenses but should do little else. Food production is our foremost priority.”
Valeria glared at him, her brown eyes like molton amber. Perhaps Galba was looking for a way to defuse her, for he gestured to one of the merchants and said, “Merc, you’ve been embroiled in discussion. How long can you and the other merchants feed the 700-odd members of Verdant?”
Merc, a merchant notable for his burning red hair and beard, stared for a second as if considering whether to answer. “At the rate we consume food, our stock will be gone before the end of four months. We might be able to extend it to seven months if we stretch it. But there’d be rioting long before then.”
Galba nodded. “Many of Willowbrook’s crops are harvested relatively early, mid to late summer. We will need those crops if we are to survive.”
Valeria was undeterred by Galba’s efforts. “Are you suggesting we leave the people of Willowbrook in their hamlet? It’s indefensible. If we do that we cosign their deaths…” She stopped when her dad put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Valeria’s right. We can’t abandon them.” Abraxas was surprised to hear himself speak. “They’re part of Verdant, if somewhat removed. We should make the trip and ensure their safety. From there… they can make their own choice.” He wondered if this was the kind of thing people regretted later.
Galba turned toward him. “Do what you must if the Magistrate wills it. But ensure those fields continue to be worked. Food is scant enough as is.” Abraxas shivered.
“We really don’t have much food,” Merc said.
Then the Magistrate spoke once again. “I think it would be useful to send an advance team to Willowbrook. This has escalated, even today. It is imperative we find out how they are doing.” Abraxas wondered if he was being intentionally ambiguous. “I think we should let Valeria lead this excursion.”
Galba insisted on being taken along as well.
And a number of others, including Abraxas, volunteered for the mission.
They were to set off within the hour. The hamlet wasn’t far off and would take at most a few hour’s travel. One didn’t need to prepare the same way one would when heading to the other major settlements. But worries about the monsters abounded. Their group consisted of five people; each was armed. And someone had procured gambeson armor, cheap armor made of woven linens. Abraxas wasn’t sure how effective it would be. Although, Valeria wore a suit of it.
Abraxas rubbed at the gemstones embedded into his arms as he waited. They had been saturated with spirit-dust, a gift from Valeria. This exchanging of Spirits was customary before engaging in potentially dangerous activities. Spirit locked in the expirus did no one any good.
Then he spotted Crescent. He was surprised, having expected that her recovery would take longer. Abraxas glanced at her right leg, noting it was now only slightly out of place. He supposed the Tivour didn’t need her leg to be fully healed or secured to be mobile.
“Salutations,” she said waving at him.
“I trust you’ve healed well.”
Crescent moved her right leg as if experimentally. Abraxas watched as the vines wrapped around it loosened or pulled taut. “Very well, indeed. I’d noticed you guys were heading to Willowbrook. Informing them of the threat?”
There was a moment’s pause. “Yes. How did you-?”
Crescent smiled. “People are talking. You can’t have secretive meetings and not expect everyone to learn about them by the afternoon.”
“Ah.” He didn’t quite understand. The Tivour were all… eccentric. The two that lived in Verdant were recluses, and the ones that had passed through Verdant had been mired in oddities.
“I was thinking, perhaps I could help out, learn about what’s going on since I’m stuck here. I can’t let it fall to pieces with me in it can I?”
“We’d appreciate the help.”
“I was thinking, Willowbrook, we don’t know what state it will be in. We probably will need to evacuate it. It’ll be dangerous. They’re all suiting up.” Here she gestured to the few people wearing old, torn gambison. “And a bit of Spirit would go a long way. What d’you say?”
Crescent’s expirus glowed dimly purple, and Abraxas had always felt more adept with spirit-smoke. “Well, I suppose so.”
Abraxas placed his hand on the gemstones embedded in Crescent’s arm. He was surprised at how cold her arm was. A vine had needed to be moved to make the gemstones visible. He poured the spirit-dust into her arm, and watch as the gemstones, still frigid, saturated with a pulsing yellow light.
She returned the favor. And his arm saturated somewhat with spirit-smoke.
“Thanks, I’m sure this will safeguard the both of us.”
She then nodded to him and then walked off, talking to some other member of the party. He rubbed the gemstones embedded in his arm and looked down at them. There wasn’t much smoke contained within. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been shortchanged.
Their short journey was surprisingly uneventful. They had seen shapes moving in the forest around them, but there had been no direct confrontation. And soon, there was a break in the trees revealing five wooden houses, walls covered in creeping moss. Pin oaks provided shade, under which some people were sitting and laughing. Dandelions blanketed the ground. Willowbrook was doing alright. Knowing that provided some solace.
Abraxas prodded Valeria in the back. “I haven’t seen any willows yet.”
She grinned. “Perhaps they’re by the village’s absentee brook. There isn’t so much as a stream between us and the ocean.”
Abraxas shook his head in mock disappointment. “I’d gotten my hopes up.”
Valeria laughed. “Maybe the founders were just optimists. If they named the town that, eventually some willows would appear.”
Abraxas made a ‘poof’ gesture. “Still not seeing anything.”
The group continued further, past the houses, to the freshly tilled fields. They were rich with new life, and Abraxas knew they would soon be planted. But the fields weren’t expansive, and he didn’t know for how long they would feed even the people of Willowbrook. Then he wondered how many people would be left when it came time for the harvest.
People paused in their work and stared at their group. Abraxas shifted further into the center, glad Valeria was part of the outside section. Willowbrook was small. While there were five major settlements, numerous hamlets dotted the land, none containing more than 150 people. Willowbrook was inhabited by less than fifty-five.
Valeria led the six of them, a position she almost always defaulted to. Whenever Abraxas stopped to consider this fact, he would note how odd it was for the 18-year-old girl, not even a year younger than himself, to so readily assume command. But, it had been the way of things.
Valeria walked over to the nearest adult, a young woman holding the hand of what looked to be a five-year-old. They exchanged quick words.
“Hello! We carry news from Verdant about the state of… things. Is there any person who could speak as representative?”
The woman cast her eyes downward. She stood silent for a moment, before saying in a hushed tone “Miss Hamartia is the one who you should have liked to talk to. But, she’s fallen ill.”
Abraxas spoke. “What happened? What are her symptoms?” To his master Illoc’s dismay, Abraxas’s knowledge of medicine beyond herblore was lacking, but he would still be better able to help than anyone else in the group.
The woman bent down to the child and whispered something in her ear. The child then nodded and scampered off somewhere. Once the child was out of earshot, the woman said, “She isn’t able to speak at all. Or, when she does speak, the words don’t come out right, we haven’t been able to make sense of it. We’ve given her paper but the results are the same. And, well, we don’t think she can understand us either. We realized that she hasn’t reacted to any of the content of our words.”
“When did these symptoms first appear?”
There was a moment’s pause. And when the woman started her voice was shaky and hesitant. “She was bitten by something. It could best be described as a fox. But it didn’t look like any fox I’d seen before. It had… strange markings. It wasn’t rabid—I know what that looks like. But it looked like something was consuming it from the inside out. It- it tried to drag Miss Hamartia away. We drove it away. But-” the woman trembled.
“It’s ok, we’re going to do all we can to help her. I know a great healer in Verdant, and I’ll be able to help her here. Take a deep breath for me ok.”
The woman paused as she started to take some breaths. Slowly her breathing became less labored. Internally, Abraxas was screaming.
The fox most likely was the cause of Harmatia’s illness, but that left so much still in question. He had no idea what the fox might have done. He recalled his previous encounter with the deer, their unnatural look, their unnerving movements, the way starlight seemed to shimmer across their spine. These things were too otherworldly, too unknown. He had no idea how he would diagnose anything.
“Walk with us,” Valeria said, command clear in her tone, though it wasn’t unkind. “We’ll go see Hamartia. Abraxas, you’ll come with me.” She glanced at Galba and gave an annoyed sigh. “Galba can come too. The rest of you, stay near here; make sure nothing follows us in.” Valeria turned back toward the woman. “Please show us the way.”
Abraxas, Valeria, and Galba started making their way to one of the five houses. Crescent also followed. Valeria looked as if she wanted to object, but just shook her head and sighed.
“Alright, you ready?” Abraxas asked the woman. There were still things he could do, perhaps some treatment would still be possible. And Illoc would likely be able to create some remedies.
The woman nodded.
“Ok,” He took a breath himself “Are there any underlying physical symptoms? Is there anything wrong with her leg, her head?”
“Well, that was one of the surprising things. Her leg seemed to hurt, just as it would for any bite. But it healed normally enough. And her head seems to be fine. It might be slightly warmer, but I couldn’t really tell.”
That obfuscated things further. There wasn’t much for him to go off of.
“How have you treated her?”
“We bandaged the wound at first and later washed it with wine. As said, the leg didn’t become diseased, so we knew we did at least one thing right.”
“Was there any reaction?”
“None whatsoever. We also made sure to give her lots of water, freshly drawn from our well. But we eventually stopped giving her such treatments. She was distressed. I think our efforts began to do more harm than good. I’m unsure if she was able to recognize us at all.” She paused for a moment. “It must be lonely.”
They were at the house’s door.
Before entering the house, Abraxas looked at the fields and did a double-take.
The things stood amidst the freshly tilled soil completely motionless, like carved statues. But as their group moved, the deer turned their heads to watch them. An entire herd was staring at him. Abraxas counted at least nine of them. Two had antlers. Three were fawns. He prodded Valeria and pointed at them.
For a moment she stood still, her every muscle tensing. Then she nodded and pointed out the deer to the rest of her group.
“I think,” Valeria said, in a tone of forced calmness, “we should rejoin the rest of the group. Let’s not make any sudden moves for the time being. And I think we’d better take Hamartia with us. She won’t be safe by herself. I’ll get the others. Crescent, Galba, why don’t you two try and gather everyone together? I don’t think Willowbrook is safe anymore.”
Galba looked as though he wanted to protest, but settled for saying. “As you will, but they will return eventually.”
Valeria sighed, “If you say so. Abraxas you have some spirit-smoke, could you send off a plume of smoke? That should begin to alert the people. I can trust you, at least, to listen to me.”
“Will do.”
He raised his hand, extending it towards the sky as wispy black tendrils coiled up from the gemstones on his forearm. Slowly, the dark shape thickened into a column of twisting smoke. It should be able to be seen throughout all of Willow. Not long afterward, the gemstones on his wrist flickered and lost their vibrancy. The pillar of smoke began to drift away, dispersed by the wind.
“I should check on Hamartia now.”
“That would be a wise course of action, Abraxas.”
Abraxas, and the woman whose name he still didn’t know entered the room. Hamartia was there, sitting on a bed, gazing off into space. She turned to the two of them as they entered the room. She looked wary, edging slightly backward. Abraxas spoke. Perhaps, even if his words couldn’t reach her, his tone and sentiments could.
“It’s going to be alright. We’re going to get you out of here, some things are going on. We’ll get you to Verdant, get you some treatment.”
He smiled and gave an awkward thumbs-up.
And then, slowly so as not to startle her, he walked up to Hamartia. “I just want to check on your leg; I’m not going to hurt you at all.”
Gingerly, he peeled away the bandage which looked as though it had been well-crafted. Even so, it would have been time to change it. The skin beneath showed signs of a faint wound, now mostly healed. Perhaps that meant that the psychological effects would fade soon as well, but he couldn’t count on that.
He spread a salve across her leg before applying a clean bandage. In his estimation, the injury wouldn’t prevent her from walking, but he couldn’t be sure that there wasn’t any pain in her muscles. Still, they needed to get going.
Slowly, he stood and extended his hand in exaggerated motion. Hamartia was still frighted and wary but nodded and took his hand. While his footsteps seemed to be unsteady, it looked to be mostly due to nervousness and not injury. She walked towards the entrance when directed. Both Abraxas and the woman helped escort her outside. Already, a large contingent of people was gathered. By his rough estimates, there couldn’t be many people yet to be gathered. The deer was still watching them.
The people were gathered, each accounted for, and they began to leave Willowbrook. A lot of the would-be evacuated. Everyone had agreed with this course of action after catching sight of the deer. No one wanted to linger near them alone and exposed.
They left the village, emerging into the woods. The entire time, someone kept near Hamartia. She could walk fine on her own and had stayed with the group. But she still looked wary of those around her.
The procession was nervous, but Valeria stood at its head, resolute, always a few aces ahead of everyone. She never looked back. Many others did and noted the deer had begun to follow them, walking at an almost leisurely pace. Abraxas tried to keep his eyes ahead, avoiding looking at the creatures. Their pace quickened.
Whilst looking ahead, Abraxas noticed something skittering in the underbrush, barely ahead of the group. Twisting patterns of red and white arced across the fox’s back. Its snout was burnt crimson, its paws white as bone. The thing hissed, revealing teeth gleaming white. It edged closer to Valeria, who was a few paces ahead of the main body of the group.
Abraxas yelled at her, and Valeria jumped back, too late. The fox closed its jaw around one of her ankles, pulling at it. She lost balance; something snapped. She screamed in terror and pain.
People rushed back to her, and the fox darted back into the underbrush. And the people reached Valeria, who lay sprawled across the ground, shaking.
She rose, patted her clothing, and dusted herself off. Abraxas watched as a look of terror played across her face. Valeria’s eyes were wide, and she turned about the circle of people gathered around him. Her arms flailed.
Abraxas stood next to her and supported her, helping her stand. Even if she wouldn’t be able to recognize him, perhaps he could be the rock she had been to him. He watched Valeria take a deep breath before straightening herself fully and continuing onward as if embarrassed by her perceived weakness. Abraxas tried to say something reassuring, but Valeria only looked pained. She stared ahead and continued forward, somehow still leading. Abraxas watched as she was spooked by the people around her. He wished he could say something but knew nothing would reach her.
Behind them came the sound of hoofbeats.
The creatures were relentless, eyes glowing with unearthly hunger as they chased the group through the forest. The group was exhausted and knew they couldn’t keep running forever.
They made their way into a clearing. He surveyed the area, eyes scanning for any pungent herbs or wildflowers; he remembered a story Illoc had told him about using smoke and fumes to drive away wild animals. But Abraxas heard the deer quickly approaching and he didn’t have any spirit-smoke left in his gemstones.
“Can any smoke scions give me support? I have an idea” Abraxas said, running his hands though his hair and tugging on loose strands. He did his best to channel Valeria, to take charge.
After a moment, with the group continuing onward, still too slow, still not heading him, Galba spoke up. Command rang clear in his voice. “Abraxas and I are going to cause a diversion. You two,” he gestured towards Crescent and that woman from the village, “Take everyone to Verdant; make sure to keep Hamartia and Valeria safe. Soldiers, defend them if we are unsuccessful.”
Abraxas turned to Galba, grateful, as the main group was sent off. Crescent had exchanged places with Abraxas, supporting Valeria as she traveled resolutely onward. Galba and Abraxas traveled through the forest slightly away from the main group. Galba’s firm hand on his forearm pressed spirit-smoke into his gemstones. He could feel the power.
As his eyes scanned about the forest, Abraxas could hear the deer getting closer. He looked around for any particularly pungent plants. It seemed as though the whole forest were laid out before him. There was sagebrush, onion grass, a few faint pieces of lavender. He raised his hand and drew forth smoke. This was not like the smoke that he had conjured earlier nor like the smoke from the wood-burning stoves that littered Verdant.
A person could characterize an essence with aspects from their environment if they were aware enough and concentrated. The average person and especially the average citizen of Verdant, would have created woodsmoke. But for Abraxas could see the things of the earth; every green shoot vied for his attention. He drew the scents and tastes of the herbs into his smoke, wielding just as Valeria wielded her command.
The smoke filled the air and the smell of sage was almost overwhelming.
Abraxas could hear the deer coming closer, their hooves pounding against the ground, their snorts and grunts growing louder. He extended his right arm, slowly raising it, turning his palm to face upwards. The smoke followed the motions of his fingertips, rising. He clenched that hand into a fist, and the smoke thickened and blackened. The gemstones on his arm desaturated slightly, spirit-smoke being expended to maintain the effect.
The deer came into view. They stopped, quickly, almost gracefully, and they stared at the smoke. Abraxas flicked his wrist and pushed the smoke toward the deer. Through the thick haze, he could see the deers’ nostrils flair as the smoke reached them. The smell of burning sagebrush and the presence of acrid smoke caused them to retreat. They moved slowly at first.
Abraxas extended his arms causing the smoke to billow out in wide plumes. He felt the spirit-smoke contained within his gemstones fading as the first of the gemstones winked out. He would have to drive the deer off within the next few minutes. His arm shot forward, and the tendrils of smoke reached out clawing at the eyes of the deer. Even the bucks with their antlers looked nervous. They snorted and backed up still further out of the clearing.
The deer turned and bounded back into the woods, away from Verdant, back toward Willowbrook. The last of the spirit-smoke in Abraxas’s gemstones dissipated. The smoke he had been manipulating was released from his grasp and the smoke began twisting, reaching toward the sky, vanishing into the nothing above.
Abraxas and Galba met up with the main group about half a mile from Verdant, just when some of the shopfronts could barely be seen through the trees. There were unhindered and unharmed, reported no more altercations with either the fox or the deer. Abraxas took over from Crescent, who had still been supporting Valeria. He told Valeria what had happened, even though he knew she wouldn’t be able to understand him. He hoped that maybe she would feel less alone.
And then, a Sculos, broken and battered, staggered out of the forest and collapsed on the road in front of them. Blue Sculos blood stained every piece of clothing he had, and cracks ran all across his body. He collapsed in a sprawled heap, muttering.
Thanks for reading so far. If you haven’t, subscribe so that you don’t miss the chapters which will come out each week. I also read and appreciate every comment.
’till next time, have fun.
