Sothoo had been combing the forest for herbs and berries since dawn and had found most of what she had wanted but was still looking for a few essential items. She had told the others what she was looking for and described everything in detail but they kept bringing back everything but what she wanted and it was beginning to tire her so she decided to try to find the final few things herself and so sent them off to find food and wood for the fire.
Lolo was safely wrapped up in Sothoo's woollen shawl and had only taken a few drops of water since they had found her in the forest. Sothoo was concerned that she had not eaten for a while but however much they tried it was impossible to push the little morsels of worms and caterpillars they had found down the bird's gullet.
Sothoo's stomach growled painfully and she realised that she had not eaten anything since the previous day's supper having gone out to find foraging before breakfast. She bundled up everything she had picked and stored it away in a leather bag then turned for the camp, looking all the time for the missing items on her list. She arrived back at the camp to find Raru'iti skinning some rabbits that he had snared with a little pile of wood pigeons ready to be dressed by his feet. The boys were sat, as usual. by the fire, chatting together. Sothoo thought it an unusual friendship, the little priest and the burly hunter but it seemed to work and gods know, how did they find so many things to talk about? She smiled as she sat down beside her bags and the little bundle that was Lolo. She unwrapped the bird and peered inside her heart sank as she saw there seemed to be no improvement. Lolo lay motionless her head lolled lifelessly as Sothoo picked her up to check the herbs pressed into the arrow wound. She lifted the bandage she had made from her underclothes and peered inside. The herbs were meant to draw the poison but without knowing what poison, she was working in the dark, and without the few things she still had to find things would be even more difficult. She placed Lolo back on the shawl and took the cork out of a small bottle and using a short reed dropped some of the contents into the bird's open beak. She closed her eyes and concentrated deep inside she felt Lolo but faintly. She latched onto the bird and with all her strength sought a healing spell. When Lolo was healthy she only had to think of something and together they would find the spell necessary but now Sothoo had to do most of the work hoping Lolo would somehow find the strength to guide her.
At last, she felt herself latch onto the spell she needed as she eased herself from Lolo so she might use all her strength to use the spell to heal the bird. Inside Sothoo shook as she laid her hands on the bird and muttered the spell under her breath. A warmth grew inside her that she knew would help but was inadequate because Lolo could not connect her to the realm of magik and so the power of the spell came from Sothoo only. Sothoo pushed the warmth inside her into her hands and Lolo heaved slightly as the power of the spell drove into her body and for a while, the bird opened its eyes and stared at Sothoo but as the spell wore off Lolo closed her eyes and sank back down into the shawl. Sothoo cradled the bird and stroked its head wishing there was more she could do. She thought back to Lolontoo's murder back in the caves and how she had been unable to prevent it. She thought about how she had longed to find the culprit and make them pay for what they had done but that Lolo had made her understand there would be a reckoning. She looked at her magikal companion and it worried her that she might be about to lose her friend for the second time and this time it would be for good.
After their evening meal Raru'iti warned Sothoo that they had spent a day too many at this camp and they must leave tomorrow. Sothoo begged him to stay a while longer until she had found the things she was looking for or at least until Lolo had recovered a little.
'We cannot stay here a day longer. We are in grave danger from the war-band that sent out the scouts to follow us. We must leave or we will be attacked and taken. You will have ample opportunity to find the things you need from the forest and path edges as we walk homewards. I'm sorry, Sothoo. Prepare yourself and Lolo, we leave tomorrow.'
Sothoo stood and went to her sleeping place and sat with her back to them all. Rathu'i stood to go over to her but his friend grabbed his arm and shook his head pulling him back down beside him.
'She is better left alone.' said Raru'iti.
They sat together as the fire crackled and spat until Rathu'i poked it with a stick.
'You can scryer the future by looking into a fire you know? he said.
'I have looked into many fires but have never seen the future.' said Segar'iti.
'A fire is a fire, somewhere to cook your food and to get warm and to keep off wild animals, nothing more.' said Raru'iti.
'You are both wrong. Here, look deep into the fire and tell me what you see?' said Rathu'i.
Segar'iti got up to his knees and stared intensely into the fire.
'I see a fire.' he said.
Rathu'i was exasperated.
'Concentrate. Look into the fire and let your mind go blank. Try to think of nothing.'
Segar'iti stared again then gave up and lay on his back.
'Bah, Looking into the future with a fire is nonsense.' he decided.
Just then Sothoo began to play her bone flute. The music was beautiful and very sad. They listened for a while in silence.
'I know this tune but cannot place it.' said Segar'iti.
'It's a lullaby, I think, I'm sure my sisters sang it to my younger brother.' said Rathu'i
Raru'iti sat quietly for a while.
'You are wrong, Rathu'i it is a sad song. A very sad song called "Hathoo's Lament" that my hopeless mother sang when she had drunk too much korek. I have not heard it since I was young.'
Raru'iti sat thinking of the times he would come home with his brothers and find his mother drunk with no food prepared singing this sad song with tears on her cheeks. They would lay her down and make a meal before their father returned from the men's huts and beat her with the flat of his sword or worse. He felt sick inside hearing the song but the words came flooding back to him and he suddenly found himself singing.
'...and Hathoo saw her sweetheart's corpse.
pierced with an arrow through the heart.
so she jumped on her lover's horse.
and from the village did depart.
Standing on the cliff edge weeping.
Looking at the moon above.
She threw herself into the void.
and to the otherworld to join her love.'
Sothoo had stopped playing as soon as Raru'iti had started, everyone surprised by the beauty of his singing voice.
'That was beautiful, Raru'iti.' said Sothoo.
'At home, I will often sing when working in my fields or setting traps. I sang a drinking song I learned from my brothers to my pigs once; they seemed to enjoy it.'
The next morning Raru'iti was up before everyone else and had brought Borek up from the pasture where she had been grazing. He placed the panniers over her back for the first time in a few days and she turned her head and bit his side in protest but he insisted so after a while she grew accustomed to them again and settled down to quietly munching on the grass below her. He loaded a few things then turned to the fire, throwing on a few logs and giving it a poke to get it going ready to boil water for Sothoo's tea. He reached over to the boys and gave them a gentle prod and waited until he was sure they were waking then went back to the fire and started to boil some water and prepare Sothoo's tea. Sothoo was always up and ready for her tea without Raru'iti waking her so it was just a case of pouring the water into a beaker of leaves then placing it to one side before she turned up to drink it.
'Thank you, Raru'iti.'
'You're very welcome. How is Lolo?'
'Much the same. I do not seem to be able to pinpoint the poison. But the wound is healing nicely.'
She sat by the fire and Raru'iti passed her some food but she sat staring into the fire and would not eat it. After a while, Raru'iti put down his food and picked up Sothoo's.
'You must eat something, Sothoo. You must stay strong for Lolo's sake.'
She pushed the food away and carried on staring into the fire.
By now Segar'iti and Rathu'i were awake and eating their morning meal together. They saw the concern on Raru'iti's face and tried to help.
Rathu'i touched Sothoo's arm and placed her food in front of her.
'Eat something Sothoo, you will feel better for it.'
But Sothoo did not respond she was fixed on the fire, staring deep into the embers. Rathu'i took her arm and shook it but there was no response. He looked at Raru'iti a look of concern on his face.
'What is wrong with her, Raru'iti?'
Raru'iti touched Sothoo's arm and pushed it a few times as if trying to wake her but nothing happened. He placed his hand on her chest and to his relief found she was still breathing though ever so slowly. He looked at her face and waved his hand in front of her eyes. There was no response. Raru'iti began to panic his mind spun as he tried to think of what to do. He reached out to pick her up thinking he would lay her down somewhere when her eyes flickered and blinked several times. She took in a massive breath her breathing becoming more normal. She shook her head and turned to Raru'iti. He took her face in his hands relieved she was back to normal but unclear what had occurred.
'What had just happened to you?'
Sothoo stared into Raru'iti's eyes with a look of dread.
'It was the fire. I stared into the fire and I saw the future. I saw us in the future.' her voice was full of fear.
'I saw our future as if in a dream and it was a future full of menace. I saw us on a road and I saw us confronted by a mighty threat. It was a threat of magikal power and one that overpowered me. One that led to our destruction.'
Raru'iti's eyes were full of fear, his stomach lurched at Sothoo's revelation.
'Who is it that you saw that has caused you such fear, Sothoo?'
'I saw....Dolreen!'
Dolreen was sat next to the driver on Shurell's carriage as the warrior came down the line. The carriage creaked to a halt and Dolreen leaned over.
'What is it?'
'Master, there's a scout come down from the north. He has news and wishes to talk.'
'I have leaders of my war-bands who are supposed to deal with messages from the scouts, why are you bothering me with this?' Dolreen's voice was full of anger.
'He says this information is for you alone, master.' the warrior's voice was trembling.
'Very well, send him down, but if he's wasting my time I'll have his eyes.' There was a pause. 'And yours' he shouted at the departing man.
He didn't have to wait long before the scout appeared and fell to one knee in front of the carriage. Dolreen stared at him his eyes full of malice.
'Well, what is it you have to say to me?'
'Barthaan and I have been far in the north and have been watching Sothoo and her companions. It was clear, after watching her that she had a familiar with her and that was something that she did not have when she was a prisoner in Coreet.'
Dolreen face changed, he leaned over and narrowed his eyes.
'Really, that's interesting. What kind of familiar?'
'A Jackdaw, master. The bird and Sothoo are a magikal pair, there is no doubt.'
Dolreen smiled and raised his hand about to dismiss the scout when he interrupted.
'There's more, master and this will make you very happy. We found the bird flying away from their camp feeding and we were able to shoot it dead with an arrow!'
Dolreen's smile widened 'Are you sure you killed it?'
'Yes. master. It fell from the sky, shot with a poison arrow. It is dead.'
'And which of you killed it?'
'I did, master.' The scout looked up into Dolreen's face and smiled.
'How far away are they?
'It took me four days to reach you so it will probably take seven days for you to reach them; if they stay where they are. There are no turnings on the road they are on which means they are walking towards us if they don't realise it. If they are walking towards us it will shorten the time to perhaps five days. Whatever they do Barthaan is watching them and will be able to alert us to what they are doing.'
Dolreen was ecstatic.
'Good, go to the leaders of the war bands and tell them what you have told me and order them to make any adjustment to our course to catch them up as soon as possible. You will be richly rewarded for your deed.'
The scout raised himself and turned with the warrior back up the line. Dolreen nodded to himself, thinking about Sothoo and her lost familiar. Dolreen jumped down from his seat and opened the carriage door. Shurell was awake her dark eyes seeking Dolreen's face.
'Did you hear all that sweetling?'
Shurell nodded and held out her hands, a huge smile on her face.
'If Sothoo has lost her familiar I will be able to overwhelm her with my magik and I will be able to force the secrets of the circlet from her. Then we will see whose power will dominate Agartha.'
As usual Shurell's face was full of love for Dolreen. Her dark, dreamy eyes gazed into his, her beautiful mouth pouted her desire. Her soft, tiny hands held his and pulled them close to her heart.
'Yes, I know, sweetling. Together we will destroy our enemies and rule the world.'
He pulled his hands free from hers and brought one hand to his lips and blew her a kiss. She mimed catching it then placed it on her lips then closed her eyes briefly in a look of pure ecstasy.
'Soon, sweetling, soon.
He closed the door and climbed back onto the carriage seat, waiting for the war bands to be ready to start again.
'Soon, soon.' he mumbled to himself.
Raru'iti hobbled Borek and walked back to see how Lolo was. To be honest he was more concerned about Sothoo but he dare not say anything to her as she had become very short-tempered over the past few days so he would ask about the bird and leave it at that.
'An improvement, she is a little better. I managed to get a little food into her earlier. Some bread soaked in water, just a few bits but it's more than I got into her yesterday.'
'And how is the wound and the poison?'
'The wound is healing well but I'm still struggling with the poison. I just don't seem to be able to find the right herb to cure it, the problem is still that I cannot identify the poison.'
'Segar'iti and Rathu'i are still looking for the things you need I believe, have they had no luck?'
'None yet, but they are looking everywhere. They will find the things I need; I know it.'
'Well, we must stay here for a while as I need to hunt for our evening meal. I will look for what you need while I am out. I will speak to you later.'
Raru'iti took up his bow and a quiver of arrows and headed for the forest leaving Sothoo on her own with Lolo. Segar'iti and Rathu'i had gone out earlier to find wood to make a fire then had gone out together to look for the herbs Sothoo needed. Sothoo poked the fire with her knife and put a pot on to boil some water. She would make herself some tea and with the rest seep some herbs she had collected to make a remedy for Lolo. She poured the water onto the bunch of leaves and placed it near the fire. She brewed her tea and took a few sips then went back to the herbal potion. The wilted leaves were a soggy mess at the bottom of the jar, she shook it a little then took out the leaves squeezing them to get out as much of the juice as possible then threw what was left onto the fire which consumed the leaves in a bright, blue-green burst of flame. Sothoo held the jar up to her nose and took a deep breath then with her little finger, dipped into the liquid and placed a few drops onto her tongue. She rolled the liquid around her mouth a little and narrowed her eyes in thought then took up the cork bung and firmly stoppered the jar placing it in front of her next to her tea. She sent up a prayer to all the gods she could think of that the potion would be a success against the poison but deep down she did not hold out much hope because she had done the same this last four days with no success, why would she think today would be any different?
She let all that go to the back of her mind however as she thought about the morning she had looked into the fire and saw into the future. She had spoken to Raru'iti alone about the prophecy as she did not wish to frighten Segar'iti and Rathu'i. She told him of the magikal battle with Dolreen and how she had been defeated easily because of the lack of help by Lolo. She told him of their capture into slavery and Dolreen's rise to power. It was a chilling story but one that Sothoo said was only the hint of what might happen however the images had left Sothoo shaken and desperate for a cure for Lolo's poison and over the days she had slept little as she searched for a way to cure her familiar.
Segar'iti returned and threw down an armful of forest flowers in front of Sothoo then sat down in front of the fire. Sothoo picked up the bundle and began to search through it. She pulled out most of the plants and threw them to one side.
'You keep bringing these plants. None of them have any therapeutic value. Look at them and memorise them and do not bother with them again.'
She sounded irritated but was not. She was tired and her tiredness was making her short-tempered. She picked up the remaining plants and examined them closely especially the leaves which she rubbed and smelled.
'These two are new to me so I will have to investigate them before I know whether they are of any use or not but thank you for bringing them. Remember though I still need the plants that I described to you, the ones that I know will help Lolo.'
'Do not worry, Sothoo. We have the plants you desire firmly fixed in our minds. If we see it we will bring it to you of that you can depend.'
Segar'iti reached over for a waterskin and took several large gulps the replaced it and stood up. He put his arm on Sothoo's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
'Do not worry, Sothoo. All will be well. The gods are looking kindly on us, I feel it.'
He turned away and headed off towards the forest. Sothoo watched him disappear into the edge of the trees then sighed.
'I'm glad you feel that because I do not. I think the gods are looking elsewhere now. They seem to have other things on their minds.'
Raru'iti threw down three wood pigeons and two brightly coloured pheasant and propped his bow and quiver against the tree then sat himself down with a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes and laid himself out briefly.
'I'm so tired I could sleep for days but I have these birds to prepare for tonight...so.'
'I will deal with them. You stay where you are and get some sleep you will need it if you are to stay up tonight standing watch over us. Pass them over to me.'
Raru'iti sat up and passed the birds over to Sothoo. He wanted to argue with her but he was so tired he gave in and did as he was told. He placed a few logs on the fire and poked it with his tang'i knife then passed it across to Sothoo so she could prepare the birds then he laid out and curled his arms under his head and fell asleep.
Sothoo made sure Lolo was secure then took the birds down to a small, nearby lake and plucked and dressed them, washing them out in the lake water and bringing them back to the fire where she skewered them all and slotted them into the metal rack over the fire. She sat herself down and busied herself turning the birds to stop them burning and keep them cooking evenly. Rathu'i returned and dropped a bundle of plants beside Sothoo and sat beside the fire. He reached out to touch one of the birds but Sothoo noticed what he was about to do and smacked his hand away and hissed at him angrily.
'Where is Segar'iti? he asked.
'He will be back soon. If you wish to have a conversation, you can do so with me. What would you talk to Segar'iti about?'
'He is very interested in the gods and spirits. He likes to talk about that. I like him to talk about his adventures when he goes out hunting and fishing. Did you know he once saw a horse that was covered in black and white stripes?'
'That's interesting. I did not know that. Segar'iti should tell us one of these stories after our evening meal. It will be a fine way to end the evening.'
'I've always wanted Raru'iti to tell us some stories.'
Sothoo looked over to the snoring hunter laying close by and chuckled.
'Do not ask him, I do believe if we started him off he would not stop!'
Sothoo laughed and turned the birds the fat dripping from them into the fire, sending up a sizzling smoke which billowed up around them.
'What about you, Sothoo? Do you have any stories?'
'Oh yes, I have stories but not stories about me. They are stories about old Agartha. About the early times and the First Men. About the world of magik and the struggle between The First Men and the gods at the creation of the world. At one time every child used to know these stories but recently they have become forgotten. Peretatoo, the spirit guide I was an apprentice to, knew all these stories and told them to me as I grew up with her. In those times the world of magik was all but forgotten except for a few shaman and mages who practiced their art at the farthest corners of the world. Yes, I have stories and if you want, I will tell you one.'
Segar'iti sat captivated, a look of intense concentration on his face.
'Yes, Sothoo. I would love to hear one of those stories. Do you think you can tell us one after our meal tonight?'
'If everyone wishes it, of course, I will tell you a story of the First Men.'
Rathu'i arrived and threw down a bundle of flowers, berries, and leaves and sat beside his friend and was soon deep in conversation. Sothoo moved the bundle away from the fire and gave it a cursory look over. Too many of the same things again, never mind, she thought, they mean well.
She got up and went to the panniers and took out some bread and a little cheese and then went back to the fire and took down the birds she had been cooking.
'Give Raru'iti a shake and tell him his meal is ready.'
She took the birds off the spits and divided the meat between them and added some bread and cheese then passed the food around.
'Sothoo's going to tell us a story about the First Men after our meal, Raru'iti.'
Raru'iti had a mouth full of food but slowly chewed it all then replied.
'The First Men eh, that sounds interesting. I can't wait.'
Sothoo stopped eating and looked at Raru'iti with narrowed eyes.
'What?'
'If you do not wish to listen to my story you only have to say there is no need for sarcasm.'
He stared at Sothoo grease dribbling down his beard with a baffled look on his face.
'What have I said?'
Sothoo shot him a look that said, Do not take this any further, and turned back to her meal.
'Sothoo I swear to all the gods I will never understand you.'
After their meal, they all got comfortable around the fire and Sothoo began her tale.
'Once there was nothing but the gods. Nothing. They lived their lives and played games together and enjoyed each other's company. This continued for more time than we could possibly comprehend. Then the gods began to become bored with their lives and wished for something else to do other than play games and musical instruments and the like. They were bored. Berant'iti, the king of the gods decided to take things into his own hands and using the soil below his feet fashioned a large disc full of lumps and bumps much like a summer pudding forming the world we live on now. He took his water jug and dropped the liquid onto the disc forming the rivers and the seas and the three continents of Agartha, Pamerul, and Vederec. Then he threw the disc high into the stars and all the gods watched the world and they all agreed that the world would mean nothing without life and so Berant'iti and the gods threw all the animals and plants from their world onto the new world they had created and they watched it and they saw that it had improved but that would mean nothing without men. So Berant'iti took some soil and some water and made a lump of clay and from this, he fashioned a man and when he had made the man he blew onto it and the man came to life. He placed the man on the world he had created but the first man was lonely so Berant'iti took some more clay and created a mate for the man. The man and the woman lived for a while on their own but were soon lonely themselves and so Berant'iti took hold of them both, one in each, and brought them together with a mighty crash. The man turned into a hundred times, a hundred times a hundred men and the woman the same and so the world was covered with men and women who coupled together and brought children into the world and so the population grew higher and higher. The First Men, made in the magik of Berant'iti's hands, were magik themselves. A magik based in the nature of the world; in the birds and the animals, the trees and the rivers and the clouds and the rain; a magik the First Men used in the everyday search for food and the daily search for meaning in the world because by now Petatoo, Berant'iti's wife had jumped on her silver horse to escape him and was galloping around the world he had created. He donned his golden mask and jumped into his boat and his wolfish rowers took off after her in their never-ending chase to try to catch her thereby creating day and night. By now all of the gods had become interested in the world Berant'iti had created and were using their powers to influence the First Men who would go into the deepest caves and using earth colours, would paint upon the wall their world and the realm of the gods. They painted their hunts and the animals they chased; the bear, the boar, the deer, and the horse, and the mighty Auroch. They painted themselves round their fires in their hunting cloaks with a hood made from an animal skull showing them stalking the animal and shooting it dead with their bows and arrows and their spears. They loved most of all when they had finished painting their sacred things, to use up their colours by placing a hand on the cave wall and spitting paint from their mouths around their hand thereby creating an outline. The children especially loved to do this. And so they left images of themselves on the cave walls showing themselves at their sacred work communing with the spirits and with the gods. But there was a dark magik growing. Some of the First Men had discovered that the realm of the gods had a dark land on the other side of the river Cawch using a bridge called the Ennin. These dark mages grew in strength and threatened to take over the world and so Berant'iti caused a mighty storm to form which blackened the sky, blotted out the sun, and caused a mighty rain to fall for a year and a day causing the seas to rise and for the land to be overwhelmed. There was not a high place left in the world where a flea could perch and the water stayed like this for a year and a day until slowly the water drained away leaving the world devoid of life. Berant'iti decided to start again and so he did only this time he made sure that the people he created had no memory of the world of magik and no ability to use it. He populated the world with animals and plants and everything else and this time, all was well. The gods were worshiped and feared and the world of men knew nothing of the world of magik. But slowly people began to discover the light side of the world of magik and began to practice magik and to look for the help of familiars in contacting the light side of magik and finding light side spells. And that is where we find ourselves now. The world of light side magik is still slowly being revealed to light side shaman and mages while dark side mages hide from us while they plot and plan to destroy the light side of magik.'
Sothoo took a deep breath and straightened herself; she pushed both hands out in front of her and stretched her shoulders.
'That was an amazing story, Sothoo. I have heard many versions of the creation but that is the best I've heard so far.' said Raru'iti.
'I've never heard a creation story before.' said Segar'iti, a hint of sadness in his voice.
'Rarantu'i has told me the creation myths of many cultures, Sothoo. Most are very like ours, some are bizarre others make no sense whatsoever.' said Rathu'i.
'I was told of a creation story by Peretatoo, my old mistress but nothing of the First Men. When I was first connected to the world of magik by Lolo. I was opened up to the possibilities of everything magikal that was known and so became aware of the creation myths of the First Men and the beginning of the world. I thought it a wonderful tale.' replied Sothoo.
'Well, that was a wonderful end to this evening's meal and a great start to this evening's watch. I will start followed by Rathu'i then Segar'iti then Sothoo.' said Raru'iti. He took a few logs and chopped them smaller with his tang'i knife then gave the embers a poke to bring the fire back to life. Everyone settled down to sleep while Raru'iti leaned against the pile of travelling bags and took out a small knife from his tunic pocket. He gave it a sharpen on a whetstone then picked up the thing he had been working on for the past four nights. He had carved a beautiful Jackdaw from a short piece of apple branch he found. He had roughed out the shape of the bird squatted down with its wings slightly out and its tail up. He was making it as a gift for Sothoo for he knew, even though they might not bother with it, that it would be Sothoo's birthday in the next few days. He was determined to have it finished and though they were far from home, would try to make it a time to celebrate if only because they needed to have something to be happy about. He held it up and turned it around.
'Yes, my little friend. You are going to make my good friend most happy.'
Well, there we are, that's the end of chapter fourteen. What do you think of it so far? How's the pace? The Dialogue? Let me know by leaving comments about things you like and dislike, as long as you're polite you can say whatever you like.
And don't forget to vote as well as this helps to promote my work and place it in front of people likely to enjoy it like you are doing.