Chapter 7, Fireside and Starlight 

***

"It truly amazes me, the things we can do. The ability you put into our bones. The potential, the raw possibility. I never understood, why do you grant us such things? Are you truly the Great Father? I've never really paid that much attention until lately. Maybe Mother is right about you. I ask you, please. Grant us yet another day..."

***

Year of Wrath 1231, Season of Harvest, D.23 

     "Gods fucking damnit!" My thumb started throbbing from the hammer strike I just forced it to endure. 

     "Ilgor! Your language please." Celeb had winched as he watched my bad hammer placement. He had been teaching me some basic metal working. I was trying to shape a hinge he told me to practice making. It was fresh from the fire and I wasn't paying attention, I was off in my own thoughts. He took my hand and held it above my head, told me it would help a little. He then brought out a small rune covered stone. "Now why weren't you using the long tongs to hold that metal?"

     "What is that?" I asked him trying to not focus on the pain " It's covered in frost now."

     He looked at me a little funny, "You don't?" He shook his head "Its called a frost stone yes, they are given away at just about every healer in any city you can think of. I had forgotten that your people are not tolerated well. I apologize." He handed me the rock, and it was indeed cold, cold enough to numb my thumb pretty quickly. He wrapped my thumb and stone in a cloth and reminded me to keep my hand above my head. 

     He came back with a thick heavy looking brown bottle, and swirled it around. "Ah good, there's still quite a bit left in it."

     "What, are you going to disinfect it now?" 

     "No, we are going to drink, I think you've had enough teaching for the day. Besides it's going to be a day or two before you can work effectively again." He pulled up one of the roughed out chairs for me to sit on. "Hold on a moment" He went back in the wagon house and came back with a small foot stool and a cushion. He paced the stool in front of the chair and put the cushion on it. 

     I smiled graciously at him as he pulled up his own chair "Thank you Caleb, that was very kind of you" I climbed up onto the chair and sat heavily. He wheeled over an old log section and righted it to serve as a small table for us. 

     "Think nothing of it, it is my duty to be a gracious host as well as teacher." He handed me a small glass and poured a caramel smelling spirit in it. He had already slugged down his glass.

     "What is this?" I asked him getting the strong smell of alcohol off it as I put my nose over the glass.

     "Zybtine Moon Brandy, I have few bottles left from my travels from my homeland."

     I took a tentative sip from it, and fire filled my mouth. Coughing I asked "What is your homeland like?"

     He sat back in his chair and gazed longingly at the sky. He sighed out "Ilgor, I'm a bit of closed off person, I don't really like talking about myself much."

     "I didn't mean to bring up bad" I started, but he raised his hand and smiled.

     "No no no, I like you enough. Its a beautiful place. My old home was a river valley, with a field of red poppies off to the side. I liked to spend some time each day with my wife just watching the sun rise over the field and watch the flowers open up." 

     "It sounds wonderful"

     "It truly was, The soft breeze off the sea, ah I can feel it again." He closed his eyes and lifted his head to the sky, appreciating the moment. "My son would always go running through them when they were in bloom." He chuckled "Damn boy came back one time crying and screaming his head off when a bee bit him in the backside. Couldn't stop laughing as my wife pulled the stinger out."

     He smiled and looked down at his glass. I took another drink of mine, didn't feel like fire this time, it was lightly sweet and oaky. Though it still had quite a bit of bite, it was nice though. "What of your home, my friend? I haven't been allowed to be near the village."

     "It's nothing special, we live in the caves just south of here along the bluffs." 

     "A home is a home, what do you like about it?" he asked me leaning his elbows on his knees, glass clasped between his large leathery hands. 

     "Well I do like the breeze off the bay, it swirls gently in the caves so that it's never too hot in there. I also like that the fires from the caves never really leave much light, so watching the stars is always nice." I paused a moment, and tilted my head looking up at the sky. I watched as a wispy cloud drifted past the sun and shaded the workshop, "It feels like a home. I just don't know, it doesn't seem as scenic as yours." I looked back over at him to see him smiling and nodding.

     "It sounds also wonderful, I bet the bay is sight to behold when the sun rises. To see the brilliant reds and orange dancing on the waves, like graceful a ballet." He had a point, I didn't think about that.

     "Why isn't your wife here with you?" I asked him. But, regretted it immediately as the sad look that ripped across his face made me ache. He was quiet for a very long time as he watched the dirt between his boots.

     "Gone" he finally said in raspy voice. He had bunched up his brow, and rested a hand on his face for a moment.

     "I'm sorry, I didn't know" I rested my hand on his but he flinched and I pulled away. "If you don't want to talk about it, I understand." 

     "Thank you, my friend." 

     I poured him another drink, to which he drank with gratuity. "I've been thinking of a woman lately as well." He looked over at me, eye brow raised as soon as he regained his composure once more. "Oh not like that, there was an... incident."

     "What happened?" I told him about the family we killed on the roadway after they shot at us. Told him how that woman's face haunted my dreams like a specter of hate. He didn't look too surprised, though he did express some shock when I told him I gave the order to kill her. But, he let me continue. 

     "After that, Ghet found me in the stream, and we had a good talk about it. You know the guy has really grown on me, he has a way of talking about things that really puts me at ease. He told me that everyone goes through it, that we never really forget about it. He was really sweet about it." I sipped at the last of the amber liquid in the glass and poured another.

     "He sounds like a good man, a good friend. Don't let that go to waste." I looked over at him quizzically, he chuckled "He doesn't seem like someone you should loose, Ilgor. He seems genuinely compassionate to you, to your leadership. He took the time to help you work through something when he didn't have to. He could have just let you do it your way, but he didn't. You shouldn't forget that." He finished, as he took another drink. 

     "Where is your son, I know you gave me an old fighting jacket, probably when he was quite young, it fits me well." 

     "He's off doing his own thing." He sighed heavily, as if this was a conversation he had with himself many times before, "The last I heard of him, he made a big name for himself as a fencer in Huron. He always said he wanted to be the greatest knight that ever lived. I bought him that jacket many years ago when he begged me to learn how to fight with a sword." He stopped suddenly as he saw motion over my shoulder, in the direction of the fenced gate. 

     I looked over to Ghet, Yvet, and Til at the gate. "Well speak of the devils and they shall appear" I laughed. "What are you doing here?"

     Yvet answered, "We wanted to see who your new friend is, seems like you're quite comfortable." He eyeballed the bottle and glasses in our hands "We wouldn't be imposing if we asked to join you, would we?" He directed his question at Caleb. His common had been getting much better over the last few weeks, after having practiced with him a few times.

     Caleb paused and thought for a moment, but waved his hand "Come on in, I wouldn't mind a little more company." 

     The three came bounding in with a small green bag clinking on Ghet's side. They had pulled over a few few more of the rough chairs Caleb had been making, and sat with us at the log table. To my surprise Ghet had pulled out a few more bottles, I eyed him suspiciously. He only leaned over and whispered in my ear "I'm sorry, I was kinda watching over you and saw this, I thought it would be appropriate." He grinned at me, his eyes squinting from his enthusiasm. You could barely see the yellow of his pupils in his large purple eyes.

     Caleb had found three more glass for them and even brought back a small plate with some kind of dried meat. "What are your names? I have only met the Chief and Ilgor so far. The others that came and dropped that armor off didn't offer their names."

     Yvet spoke up first, he sat a little straighter "My name is Yvet, I am one of Ilgor's raiders, and one of the hunters of the Clan" He waved to his right, "This is Til he is also one of Ilgor's raiders, and he helps the Clan make the baskets and preserves our food during the cold months." Waving to his left, "This is Ghet, again, one of Ilgor's raiders, and one of our teachers for the Clan. He's damn scary in a knife fight!" He chucked as he finished his introductions.

     Caleb had looked over at Ghet with a seemed to be peering deep within his mind for a moment. Ghet had nodded at this attention "Have you two met before?" I asked them. 

     Both just looked at me, Ghet answered "No, we haven't, just two old men doing old man things."

     Caleb laughed, "I suppose we do that often then! I had thought the goblins were only raiders, I did not know that your people even had other tasks."

     Til began talking after he had finished his glass, "Oh, once the roads get quiet with travelers, we have to keep ourselves busy some how. I learned the basket weaving after the Chief before our current one had taken an interest in fishing. He had us all go down to the deepest pools along the tidal basins and try and catch everything with hook and line." He started giggling as he continued with the story, "Old bastard got so angry when I showed up one day with a loose basket and caught fifty or sixty more fish than him by the end of the day. Either way, after that, he had me help make a lot more of them. Then the women in Clan said they would be nice to have in the caves for storage so that happened."

     "I didn't know you were that old Til!" I told him, genuinely shocked.

     "Look good for my age, huh?" He grinned wide enough that his teeth were showing, he raised a glass to me. Caleb had a smile on his face but didn't say anything.

     "You're not talking about those pools on the tidal flats out on the opposite side of the Finger are you?" Yvet asked Til.

     "Yeah, we had to give them a rest after we found out that we shouldn't have caught all the crabs in there. They got infested with urchins after they were gone. Besides all the pretty fish left a while ago, I haven't been back there in quite a while... I think it was a year or two after you were born, Ilgor." 

     "No has touched them since that long? Might be a nice place to fish again after so much time." Ghet said to him.

     "Maybe, the Chief now had tried once, but the place was covered in a field of razor shells, about a nine or ten years ago. It might be better now, might be worth a look back out there. Those pools kept the Clan happy for a good three or four winters. Well, as long as the storms weren't bad anyway. Always had to keep an eye on the clouds." He spoke through sips of his liquor. 

     "What was the old Chief like?" Caleb asked the group.

     Ghet shrugged his shoulders, and glanced at us all. "He was like all our Chiefs. He was a strong warrior, he had a few good ideas that kept the family happy. Like that fishing idea, he also got in his head that we should be making a greater effort to prepare dry stock for the slow season."

     "He was the kind you could joke with, he always had a good temper. Gave as good as he took when you wanted to play ball with him. He liked bad jokes though, the duller the better to him." Til chuckled out.

     "I was too young to remember him that well. I just remember he had a wrinkled face and his eyes were faded. Though I never really thought he was going blind. He was always like a grandpa to everyone, I remember he dotted all the young ones." He thought for a split second, then said "Well at least that's what I remember the women of the Clan tell me when I happened to asked many years ago." He poured himself another drink.

     "What happened to him?" Caleb asked, folding his hands together, his glass left on the log. 

     "What happens to all Chiefs eventually. Whether is young or old, incompetent or masterful. The Raid Leaders chose a candidate and he bested the Chief. So now we have our current Chief. Then Mother gave her blessing to the new Chief." Yvet said, slugging down another round.

     Caleb nodded his head, then asked "Mother?"

     "Oh that is what we sometimes call our High Priestess. You see our people are lead by two. Our Father, our Chief. Then our Mother, our High Priestess. It's always been that way, they balance each other out, one can overrule the other, and so on." Ghet said to Caleb, his face was beginning to get flushed from the liquor.  

     Caleb asked many questions about our Clan. We were all happy to answer him, we had never really talked much about our culture with outsiders.  We talked the day away, laughing and enjoying the drink. When sun began to set, Caleb lit his forge and moved our group around it, and continued talking. The stars above twinkled without a care in the world, as a slight cool breeze made it's way through the dense scrub brush around the workshop. 

     "But why are you not allowed to leave the village until you become a raider? Couldn't anyone just get up and leave if they wanted?" He asked me.

     "I suppose, though you's don't really get it, my friend. It isn't that we can just leave, it's the family that would miss us. We can't just do that to them, we can't make them hurt." I slurred some of my words, but I think it sounded coherent. 

     "Maybe, but there's a whole world to see. Don't you four see that is somewhat limiting?" 

     "Speaking of a whole world, Caleb. Why don't you's tell us about your's home?" Ghet asked him with a mug to his lips, he had accidentally broken the glass. They spent well over a half an hour trying to find all the shards, while we laughed from the fire side. 

     "Zybtine is a wonderful place. Its on the other side of the Great Desert to the east of the Huron. Almost everyone lives on the coastal region where the climate is quite nice. Big green fields of around the Caliphate's cities, beautiful waterfalls coming out the aqueducts from the mountains to the east. Oh there were the poppy, and orchid farms too, a million colors going on at all times. The Cities always had great awnings around the city walls to protect them from the heat. I still remember the patterns they spent years putting on them." He reminisced while gesturing with his hands. 

     "Waterfalls making the clouds jealous. Interweaving patterns of the great trees on guard to defend the earth. Ah I miss my home."

     "Why'd you leave and end up here?" Til asked him.

     Caleb sat back in his chair, ran his fingers through his rough beard. He had a distant look in his eyes, like he was thinking back to an almost forgotten memory. Then he suddenly said, "Til, would like to work with me in the workshop? How about you two as well? Think of the things we could make to make the Clan proud."

     "I wouldn't mind learning some more things to make for the Clan, baskets do get old after a while. As long as Ilgor gives it the okay, I can be here when we aren't raiding." He said.

     "Shouldn't that be up to the Chief?" I asked them, a brief sense of sobriety coming to mind.

     "We are yours to command, if you have a task for us, we will do it." Ghet said, his eyes starkly sober but for a moment.

     "Vher well."

     "Oh great hunter" Caleb indicated back Yvet.

     He raised his glass in acknowledgment. "What lives out here? What beast stalk this place, I haven't really left the safety of the fence much. Other than when I need supplies." Caleb asked.

     "Well, there are the Serpent Beasts, you have Basilisks, there are a few Griffons closer to the mountains. There are plenty of elk and rabbits. Quite a few foxes, the mice and voles have been good in the last few years." He sat back and rubbed the stubble on his chin. "There are also the Giant Elk, nasty little monsters they are. There are some Harpies we tried to quell last year, they live in the deep forest just west of here. They mostly stick to their patch of woods, as long as you don't try and have a conversation with them, they aren't so bad. We kept hearing the humans on the road talk about the Gishells far to the south of here. Apparently they are worth quite a bit, according to your people Caleb."

     "My people do not live here, are you referring to to humans in general?"

     "Yeah, hunting anything here is mostly the same for us small folk. We usually find what ever we are stalking, find its trail, and wait. For the bigger stuff we climb in the trees and drop down on them and slit their throats. Quick, the way we'd want to go."

     "The way you'd want to go." He said the words slowly, thinking them over. "What do you do with the hides and bones?"

     "Well, most of it, we shave the hair off and use that for our bedrolls. Well for the things with hair, anyway. The actual hides, we burn the hair away and eat it with the rest of the meat. Makes a great fatty and crispy treat when we make a lot of it. The bones? Why ask, we never really have a use for them. We just have a big pile of them out on the rocks near the tidal basin. Lure the bigger sea birds with them." Yvet continued.

     "What a waste" Caleb sighed out. "Us humans would pay a handsome sum for a lot of that. But, who am I to judge your culture." 

     "What do you mean?" I asked him, "Why do people want hair, and bones?"

     "Another time, my friend. Til could you describe those tidal pools again?" He asked.

     "Well the big ones were always the most interesting if you ask me. Great shoals of colorful fish. Octopus under every crack in the rocks, tentacles snapping up to grab the small fry swimming everywhere. There were a few red corals starting to grow in them too, those ones with the little whiskers coming out to the sides. A wonderful symphony of life in those pools. The tide would come in, dump them in at high tide and leave them there at low tide. It's a wonderful place." He quickly amended "Well it was a wonderful place until all those little blue crabs got taken out. Then the urchins over ran the place. Who wants urchins anyway? 

     We continued talking about the various places we all found interesting, as the moon climbed ever higher in the brilliant night sky. Millions of points of light over shadowed by the nebulas of surreal greens and yellows, their own stellar clouds back lit by the magnificent stars. My focus coming back to the words I was hearing as Ghet talked about the stream we frequented, and how its clear emerald waters had always fascinated him. 

     Til continued talking about the various pools out on the tidal flats. Describing them as their own little islands unique from each other. Brilliantly accented by the colorful corals and the bizarre patterns on the fish. He liked that it always felt like he was watching a little world like the gods on high, watching life do it's own thing. 

     Yvet talked of the great trees in the forests. With their moss hanging in great curtains due to the morning mists that swept through each day. He felt like he could just enjoy the quiet and get lost in the fog. Watching it as it gently swirled in endless circles, flowing around him.

     "Could you all stop that?" Caleb asked. The conversation halted dead in it's tracks.

     "Stop what?" I asked him.

     "That subtle magic you are using. That one that keeps grabbing my focus, I don't mind when you do that when only one of your talking, but when you all stumble over each others words telling your wonderful stories, it becomes difficult." he said as he rubbed his temples. 

     "We... don't use magic." Yvet said slowly. Caleb only cocked his head.

     "I see, you all are not aware of what you are doing then. One moment if you will." He got up and went inside the wagon and we heard him rummage through something. He came back out with a brass looking instrument that had a gauge on the front with a color wheel around it.

     "This is an ambient magic resonator. You see I am also what we humans call an artificer. I am able to place magic inside of inanimate objects, and have them do various things. But, that is somewhat unimportant, other than I am able to tell when magic is being used. Now" He raised his hand and a small flame lit on the end of his finger. We were all rather impressed by that.

     "See here, the resonator is slowly moving toward red. As I continue to keep the fire alive, the more ambient energy from the plane of fire I bring in the area. Now I would like you to speak normally for a moment and watch the gauge." He extinguished the flame and the resonators indicator stopped moving. 

     "Caleb, how come you never told us you could use magic?" I asked him. As I watched the gauge slowly move to a different part of the color wheel. "So your little device here is saying that I'm using magic, but I don't know I'm using it?" The arrow had stopped moving when it got a clear glass section of the wheel. 

     "So it's tonal in nature. Hmm, well that would mean to mean that whatever ability you are using, drowns out all noise except your own voice. At least that's how I am experiencing it. It doesn't feel manipulative though, more so that it's just giving your voice more weight than the other noises around it. Interesting."

     "Well, I suppose the other question is why are we just doing it, and is there a way to stop doing it?" Ghet asked.

     "Well for one, since you are not reacting to it the same way I am, I can assume you are immune to your own ability. It must be a racial ability, all of us have various talents. Your whole species must just be born with the same talent, odd. Either way magic is based off intent and knowledge. The fact that you are aware of it now, should be better. I want you all to visual your own voice, try and feel the magic. As with all magic it should feel slight, a small pressure you can feel in your mind. Now, since this seems to be an inborn talent, you should be able to effortlessly stop it. Only view your voice now without that pressure." 

     We all closed our eyes, and focused on what he had asked. When we opened our eyes, he had the flame on his finger tip again, readjusting the instrument he said. He wanted to test his hypothesis. "Now lets see if I am right about his, and I'm not just drunk." He laughed softly.

     "Now that I think about it, Ilgor. Have you ever noticed how peoples attention snaps to you when you talk to them? I always thought it was just the uh... situations we put them in. But now" Ghet pointed at the gauge and it hadn't moved. 

     "This could be very useful, thank you Caleb. We just learned something very interesting tonight." I told him.

     Caleb smiled at us, and went to put his resonator away. When he came back we all started talking at once, and I finally noticed he could ignore us. When he got back within speaking distance, he said "I have learned quite a bit about all of you, your people, this has been a very eye opening experience for me. Forgive me, but Ilgor, I finally feel as if your people are not the monsters humanity seems to believe you are."

     We all smiled at him, and continued on with our night, as we all pour another round.

***

     The two sat under the stars, darkness shrouding their forms as they sat on the sun warmed rocks. "She has gained much influence."

     "I know, Mother, more and more of the raiders in the Clan wish to join her. Mother I am scared."

     "Why, Father? What do you need to fearful of?" 

     "I am unsure, just that she may wish to lead the clan."

     "So you are afraid for your own life then"

     "I suppose I am. I am getting older Mother, I am not in the prime of my life anymore. She is quick, smart. I do not know if I could beat her If she challenged me."

     "Do you really wish to kill one of the daughters of the Clan, Father?"

     "No I do not."

     "Bhal will guide as he sees fit, if he sees fit that you are no longer worthy to lead the Clan, then so be it. You may join him in his struggles. You should find peace in that, that you have done your job as best you could. Until Bhal calls your name, you should not be afraid of death."

     "And what has Bhal revealed to you, Mother?"

     "That I wish to take her under my wing. I wish to see her as the new priestess of the village."

     "Do you now. Should we go hunt for it? For the ceremony to begin, she needs to see, correct?"

     "She will not have a good time of it, but yes. She must see it, as all the Mothers before me have seen it. It must be inevitable, and as Bhal wills, she will learn."

     "She will be a good Mother after you. She is compassionate for her people. She wants to see the Clan grow, she wants to see everyone get better."

     "In my opinion, Father. She will lead our Clan to greatness that hasn't been seen in generations."

     "Did you have a vision of her?"

     "No, call it intuition. Though you, Father. You need to improve as well, maybe actually take Ilgor's practices to heart. I think she may have a point about keeping the City away from us, while we can still preserve our way of life."

     The sound of the waves crashing on the shore was the only thing that could be heard as the two continued to sit and contemplate, they continued speaking to each other softly. The soft breeze making her hair sway in time with the waves, as time marched inexorably on. The stars above uncaring in their gaze upon the world. 

***