After the Fire (After the Fire: Book the First) (5 page)

“You're
not the only one,” said Fin.

“The
only what?” said Eleni. “What am I?”

He
hesitated. “I know someone that can explain it better. Someone
you would believe. Will you come with me?”

Eleni
sat back on her heels. “Come with you?” she said. “Away
from the village?”

“Yes,”
said Fin. “There's a world out there. Much is still recovering,
but there are sights that you wouldn't believe. The world is
resilient. There are people that would treat you...well, they
wouldn't lock you in a box, that much is certain.”

“I
cannot leave,” said Eleni.

Fin
stared at her. “Why not?” he said after a moment.

“Cosmin,”
Eleni said. “He keeps my mother in the village. He says if I
leave he will kill her.”

“Your
mother?” said Fin, sounding even more confused.

“Yes,”
said Eleni. “I will take her, of course. But I do not know if
she could survive the winter in the open.”

“Have
you seen her?” said Fin. “Your...mother?”

Eleni
frowned at him. He was acting strangely. “Not of late,”
she said.

“How
long?” he said.

“Five
winters ago,” said Eleni.

Fin
looked down at the raven. Eleni could swear they were sharing a look.
Fin shook his head at the creature, then looked back at Eleni. “How
do you know she's still in the village?”

“She
would not leave me, even if Cosmin let her,” said Eleni. She
sat back on the rock. “I suppose she could have died, but I do
not think so.”

“She's
not dead,” said Fin. “I promise you that.”

“How
do you know?” said Eleni, her voice suddenly cold.

“I
know,” he said. “So you will not go?”

“I
will not go,” said Eleni. “Not yet.”

“I
can go with you,” he said. “We can take her before they
even know we're there. It's your choice what happens to this Cosmin.
I will not interfere.”

“She
cannot survive the winter, I told you.”

“Eleni,”
said Fin, “this person you call your mother, she can survive
anything.” He rose and sat down on his stone again. “But
if you are worried, we can take her to our camp. She will be
protected there.”

“I
do not even know you,” said Eleni. She appraised him for a
moment. “No, I must wait. You could be tricking me. Maybe you
are a Reiver,
a clever one. You are trying to get me to lead you into the village.
I will not do it. Not while my mother is inside.”

Fin
sighed, exasperated. But a moment later he smiled at her. “I'm
not leaving, Eleni. I'll stay here until I change your mind. I won't
go anywhere until you come with me. That is a promise.”

“Why?”
said Eleni.

“Why
will I wait for you?” said Fin. Eleni nodded. “Because
you're important. And I think you could be in danger.”

Eleni
snorted. “Cosmin cannot hurt me.”

“Not
from them,” said Fin. “From other things. The people from
your village are gnats. You do not have to live this way. You should
be worshiped.”

Eleni
stood and handed the horn back. The wolf stood with her. “Keep
it,” said Fin. “A gift.”

“I
do not want your gifts,” said Eleni. “They seem to have a
price.”

“No
price,” said Fin mildly. “Only the truth.”

Eleni
narrowed her eyes at him, but held the horn pressed against her
anyway. She walked backward, away from the stranger.

“I'll
see you tomorrow,” he called to her, waving jovially. “Happy
hunting.”

Eleni
turned and ran, almost surprised to feel the earth beneath her feet.
She felt lightheaded, though not dizzy. As if the ideas of the
traveler made her lighter, as if she were made of sky instead of
woman. She ran until the feeling dissipated, until the wolf frothed
and panted beside her, until she reached the snow. She pulled up her
skirt and let her feet sink into a mound of snow, the crust crunching
under her, steam rising from beneath her. She saw something move out
of the corner of her eye and her hand shot out, the fire leaving her
before she even realized what she was doing. A rabbit, its fur once
as white as the snow, lay blackened and dead in a puddle of melted
snow.

Eleni
didn't understand why Fin had upset her so much. All he had done was
ask her to come with him. But it was his proclamation that he would
wait for her that had really upset her. She couldn't explain that,
even to herself. Perhaps after so long being alone, Eleni didn't want
someone waiting for her, someone to feel responsible for. Her mother
was no doubt waiting for her to come, to rescue her. But the time
just wasn't right. Eleni was positive about that. A regular person
could not survive a winter traveling through the mountains. And with
mountains on all sides, surrounding the forest and the village, they
would have to take the mountains to get anywhere.

The
wolf growled at her and Eleni sighed. She jumped when a great flash
of lightning lit up the sky above her. She'd never seen it so close.
It was usually in the distance. It startled her
out of her thoughts. She stood and walked to the burned rabbit. She
stripped the crackling skin off and ate the cooked meat inside. She
was surprised at how hungry she was. When she finished, she was
calmer. She looked at the horn slung over her shoulder. She wiggled
the cork until it popped out and sniffed the contents.

“Gah!”
Eleni exclaimed, turning her head away. The smell burned her
nostrils. She looked at the horn for a moment before, very slowly,
putting her lips to the opening and tipping the horn up ever so
slightly. The liquid rolled across her tongue and down her throat,
the taste on her tongue bitter and pungent. Eleni made a face,
wrinkling her nose. She replaced the cork.

The
wolf was staring at her reproachfully from a tree stump away from the
snow. Eleni kicked snow on the rabbit bones and organs. She stepped
out of the snow. The wolf still stared at her, its golden eyes the
only thing that would be visible from a distance. Her black fur
blended into the shadows of the night perfectly.

“I
want to go,” said Eleni, “but I have to stay.”

The
wolf turned away from her and stepped off the stump and into the
darkness of the forest. Eleni sighed. She wouldn't see the animal
again tonight. She knew by the look it had given her. She looked up
at the moon. It was time to hunt.

Chapter
Four

Magda
blinked and shook her head. These days seeing through the raven's
eyes made her dizzy and made her seeing eye throb. She took in her
surroundings. She was in her tent, the thick leather painted red for
respect, flapping in the frigid breeze. Someone had come in while she
was unaware and placed a quilt over her shoulders. Probably Iren. The
girl fussed over Magda so. She rose, nearly falling back again as the
feeling returned to her legs. She'd been sitting cross-legged on the
floor for quite a while, judging from the pitch darkness. Her bones
ached and her muscles were stiff. Magda frowned as she shuffled
outside, clutching the blanket around her. She had always been old,
since the beginning of time. But until recently she had never
felt
old.

She
sat on a log by the fire. It was a puny, small flame that gave off
little heat. They had to keep the fires small to avoid detection.
Magda held her hands close to the tiny flame trying to warm herself.
She couldn't quite wrap her mind around what she had just seen and
heard. Through Mati, the raven, she had seen the girl. It was hard to
believe that such a small, pretty thing held such power. But that
wasn't what confused Magda. The girl, Eleni, said that her mother was
in the village. She must be speaking of Anja. No other
would
have been strong enough to carry such a dangerous burden, to give
birth to Eleni. No regular woman would have survived. And just before
she had disappeared, Anja had alluded to being a vessel. But Magda
hadn't listened. Anja had tried to tell her everything, and she
hadn't listened. What was happening was Magda's fault just as much as
Anja's. Perhaps more.

Magda
couldn't believe Anja was so close. She wouldn't. Not until she had
seen it with her own eyes. Mati had flown over the village in the
daylight, but Magda had not seen her sister. Only miserable men and
women. Men and women that would keep a child in a metal box. It made
Magda's stomach churn to think of it. If they only knew who Eleni
was, they would never dare. And the poor thing had been on her own
for so long that it had turned her wild, almost feral. But she had
seen a deep intelligence blazing behind the girl's eyes, even through
the distorted eyes of a bird. She would be a crafty one. Magda wanted
to pray that Eleni was on her side, but she didn't know who to pray
to any more. A shiver went up her spine. What if Anja was close, and
Magda could no longer feel her? What if their power was gone for
good, turned to dust by long winters and unhappiness?

A
warm hand touched Magda's arm. Katalin, Elek's wife, smiled at Magda.
“You are chilled, Grandmother,” she said. “I will
bring you a drink.”

“Why
don't you sit with me instead?” said Magda. The woman sat down,
looking almost as stiff as Magda felt. “Have you eaten today,
Katalin?” said Magda.

“Of
course,” said Katalin, avoiding Magda's eyes. She looked away,
into the fire.

“Elek
should take better care of his family,” said Magda. “When
Alaunus returns he can teach you to hunt, to find food in the forest.
You do not have to depend on men for your food.”

Katalin
smiled weakly. “It is not our way, Grandmother. I have faith in
my husband. He will provide for us when he can.”

“As
you say,” said Magda.

“I
must check on the children,” said Katalin. “Are you sure
you do not want a drink? It will warm you.”

“I
believe,” said Magda, “that I need to speak with your
husband.”

“No,
Grandmother,” said Katalin.

“Don't
worry yourself, it isn't about you. Any of you. I have somewhere I
need him to go. He and all the others. It's a full moon.” Magda
knew she didn't have to tell this poor woman what phase the moon was
in. She knew all too well. She seemed to relax. Whether because
Magda wouldn't tell Elek that his wife was starving, or because Magda
would be sending Elek away when he was his most violent, Magda didn't
know.

“I
will fetch him now,” said Katalin. She hurried off towards the
direction of her tent. After a few moments of muted voices, one a
growl and one higher-pitched, Elek came out and shambled toward her.
Magda knew that it pained him to stay human, especially during the
full moon. As much as she hated the way his people treated women and
children, she admired his ability to withstand the agony.

“Grandmother,”
he growled. He made an attempt to bow and flinched. Magda held up her
hand and motioned for him to sit next to her. “Do you have a
task?” he said. Magda could see the yellow flashing in his dark
eyes. He was barely containing it.

“There
is a village on the other side of the wood. Do you know it?”
said Magda.

“Yes,”
said Elek. Magda thought that ordinarily he may have lied to her, but
he hadn't the energy. “We took some sheep on the last moon.”

“Why
only the sheep?” said Magda. “That is not your way.”

“There
was a girl,” he said. “We saw her kill a dark beast with
fire from her hand.”

Magda
sighed. Under her nose the whole time. And the idiot didn't have the
sense to tell her. No matter. Nothing to be done about it now. “I
want you to go to that village again,” said Magda. “The
girl sleeps in an iron box set into the wall. Do you remember the
wall?”

Elek
nodded. “Yes.”

“If
you secure her in the box, she cannot hurt you. I am sorry to have
you do this, but it will free her in the long run.”

“What
do you want from the village?” said Elek.

“My
sister,” said Magda. “Find her if she is there, and bring
her back.

“And
the rest of the village?” said Elek, his eyes wide, his pain
forgotten, replaced by a hungry look.

Magda
pulled the quilt tighter around herself. She looked into the fire.
“Do as you will,” she said. Elek rose and looked like he
was restraining himself from running to tell the men.

“Wait,”
said Magda. Elek turned, trepidation on his face. He thought she
would take it back. Magda knew how long the men had waited,
repressing their natural function. “Don't look so worried,”
said Magda. “There is one man. An old man. The girl is fond of
him, I think. Spare him. And get out as soon as you can. If the girl
gets out of her box before you are gone, she will be the end of you
all.”

Elek
nodded eagerly. “Yes, Grandmother.”

Magda
sighed when he had gone. She wanted to have hope that Anja had been
taken prisoner, but someone like Anja didn't get into such
situations. Not at the hands of a tiny village of humans, at any
rate. But she had to know. And Eleni. If the girl knew who she was,
not one of those humans would be alive. No one imprisoned a goddess
without incurring her wrath.

Chapter
Five

“What
has happened to the monsters?” Eleni said the next evening. “I
have not seen a dark creature since you came.” It was the next
evening and Eleni had been up before the sun had even gone down. The
wolf had not yet joined her. But she couldn't stay away from Fin.
Just the knowledge that there was another person in the wild, and one
that would talk to her no less, she found irresistible.

“I'm
afraid they don't much like having me around,” said Fin.
“They've most likely just migrated higher into the mountains.”

“That
creature you were chasing. Was that a dark creature?” said
Eleni. “I've never seen anything like it.”

“
Strago
,”
said Fin. “I'm afraid that was from the West. Not a dark
creature, but a dangerous one all the same. I used to come across
them occasionally back home, but I haven't seen one since the fire. I
think they were all hiding underground. The one that attacked you
tried to get me first, just over that ridge. It found
me...distasteful, I suppose. I chased it here. I don't know what I
would have done if I caught up to it, but I was sure I'd think of
something.” He smiled, his features softening. Eleni liked to
look at him. She was fascinated by the way he spoke to her without
cringing. She could never tire of anyone smiling at her. She found
herself smiling back, though the expression felt strange.