Souls of Aredyrah 3 - The Taking of the Dawn (4 page)

Dayn closed his eyes in a brief rehearsal of
how to tell her. Then he said, “Before I left the Summer Fires,
Sheireadan threatened our family.”

“He
what
?”

“He said since our parents had harbored a
demon, his father would see to it our family was never allowed
around decent folk again.”

“Oh, Sheireadan’s just full of hot air.”

“His father is a member of the Vestry, and
you know his reputation. Besides, I did sort of go out of my way to
make Sheireadan think I was a demon.”

“But you’re not a demon, so it doesn’t matter
what he thinks.”

“Listen, Alicine, the truth doesn’t always
matter. Sometimes all that matters is who’s in power. And you know
that around these parts it’s Sheireadan’s father—Lorcan, ‘Lord
Almighty’ of the Vestry.”

“Well, he’s Falyn’s father, too. Maybe she
said something in your defense.”

“Do you really think it matters to him what
Falyn says? Why would she risk it, anyway? Lorcan’s a dangerous
man, even to his own children.” Dayn sighed heavily. “I always
thought I’d save her one day. Now it’s probably too late.”

“What are you talking about?” Alicine
asked.

Dayn cast her a bewildered look. “You don’t
know?”

“Know what?"

“That he, you know, hits her.”

Alicine gasped. “What?”

“God, where have you been? You’ve known her
practically your whole life. She never told you?”

“No, of course not. She told
you
?”

“She didn’t have to. I drank in the image of
her every chance I got, remember? Never missed a single detail if I
could help it. Besides, some bruises can’t be hidden, even with
long sleeves and high collars.”

“So that’s why…” Alicine’s voice trailed
off.

“Why what?”

“Why she never came to your defense when
Sheireadan—”

“I’m glad she didn’t. I would rather die than
have Falyn suffer on account of me.”

“I didn’t know, Dayn.”

“Don’t worry. I told you, I always wanted to
save her. Maybe there’s still a chance.”

“Of course you’ll save her,” Alicine said,
placing her hand on his arm. “And then you’ll both live—what’s the
term Reiv used—happily ever after?”

Dayn grinned. “Yeah, happily ever after.” He
turned his attention to the stairwell and stepped around his
sister. The boards creaked beneath his weight, but he continued up,
Alicine following at his back.

He paused at the top, scanning the large
attic room sprawled before him. Half the size of the house, it was
the sleeping quarters he had once shared with his sister. With
drapes pulled, they’d had plenty of privacy from one another, but
the room had also provided a place for long talks, peppery
arguments, and stories told with laughter. But as Dayn looked at
the room, the happy memories disappeared, replaced by his worst
fears. No longer was it a haven for rest and contemplation; now it
was a place transformed by sorcery and hate. There was no furniture
left in it except for the beds. Strangely, Dayn’s had been shoved
to the center of the room. Dozens of candles surrounded it, melted
into blobs on the floorboards. Incantations written with an unknown
substance were scrawled across the timber walls. A trail of
feathers led from the bed to a pile of bird carcasses in the
corner. A bowl stained brown sat nearby.

Dayn moved slowly toward his bed, staring at
the misshapen lump beneath the quilt. The once cheery patchworks
were now turned to depressing shades of brown, the same dark color
as the words scrawled across the walls. He reached his hand toward
it.

“Don’t touch it!” Alicine cried. “You don’t
know what’s under there and—”

“I think I know,” he said. He threw off the
quilt, then staggered back. It was an image of himself, fashioned
from wax and wood and feathers. Its hair was of pale straw, and its
eyes were bright blue river stones. His name was carved deep into
the face, and long splinters of wood were pressed into every
limb.

“Don’t look at it!” Alicine sobbed, covering
her face with her hands.

Dayn threw the quilt back over the image. “It
doesn’t mean anything, Alicine,” he said. But he knew that was a
lie, and was sure she did, too.

“What do you mean it doesn’t
mean
anything?” Alicine practically shouted. “Of course it means
something! It means—”

“It means we need to get out of here.”

Dayn grabbed his sister’s hand and headed
down the staircase. He pulled her out onto the porch, then marched
them both toward the horses waiting nearby.

“Where are we going?” Alicine asked,
struggling to keep pace.

“The closest place I can think of, and it’s
not all that close.”

“You mean Aunt Vania’s and Uncle Haskel’s?
But it will be dark before we get there.”

“Would you rather stay here?” Dayn asked.

“No, but you know they don’t like unexpected
company. Their place has been off limits ever since—”

“Eyan’s the least of our problems.” Dayn
lifted Alicine onto her horse, then took his place on the other.
“Besides, that’s the most logical place Mother and Father would
have gone.”

“But Dayn, you know what they say about
Eyan.”

“That he’s dangerous. I know. But as long as
Haskel’s around, what’s he going to do? Listen, there’s no time to
dicker about Eyan. We’re not going to make it there by nightfall as
it is.” He kicked in his heels and commanded the horse forward.

Alicine steered to his side. “I’m not
dickering. It’s just that the last time we saw Eyan we were only
children, and we only glimpsed him from a distance even then. He
must be what…nineteen years old now? And if he’s as big as his
father…”

“Stop worrying about it, Alicine. So Vania
and Haskel have a son who’s not right. They’ve done well to keep
him away from everyone haven’t they? I mean, the last few times we
visited, he wasn’t even around.”

Alicine pursed her lips, then nodded, but she
clearly wasn’t satisfied with Dayn’s reassurances.

It was nearly dark when they arrived at the
remote farmstead of their father’s brother, Haskel. Most of the
clouds had moved on, leaving a few feathery wisps to drift across a
cold evening sky. They advanced the horses slowly, watching the
cabin as it came into view.

“Look, smoke from the chimney,” Dayn said. He
smiled, but Alicine continued to look worried.

“They’re here. . .safe and sound. You’ll
see,” Dayn said. He nudged his horse ahead, then urged it to a
trot. He twisted around and grinned. “You’d better hurry up, or
I’ll tell them the whole story before you even get there!” He
flicked the reins and took off, Alicine galloping behind him.

They had barely reached the house when they
leaped off their horses, dashed to the door, and banged. “It’s us!
Mother…Father…open up—it’s us!”

Alicine was bouncing on tiptoes, giddy with
excitement. “Look Dayn…the rockers…they’re here.” She nodded toward
the two rockers their father had carved, both swaying to the rhythm
of the chimes that clanked along the eaves of the front porch.

Dayn knocked again. “Anybody home?” he called
more loudly.

“Just go in, Dayn,” Alicine said impatiently.
“We’re family.”

“I know,” he said in a hushed voice, “but you
know how Vania and Haskel have always been about their privacy.”
Alicine glanced over her shoulder at the shadowy yard behind them,
while Dayn leaned his ear against the door and listened. “I don’t
hear anything.” He pushed on the handle. “Come on,” he said. “We’re
going in.”

The door opened with a
creak
. Dayn and
Alicine stepped inside. A fire was crackling in the hearth, a pot
brimming with stew was on the spit, and candlelight was bathing the
walls in a flickering glow. Dayn walked toward the table that
dominated the center of the room, then scanned the rest of cabin.
Privacy drapes had been pulled back and tied, revealing the
contents of every area. He moved his focus to the sleeping
quarters. Three beds could be seen: one for Haskel and Vania, a
narrower one against the wall, probably for Eyan, and the
third—yes, Father’s and Mother’s bed! Relief swept over him, but it
quickly lapsed into trepidation when he realized his parents were
sleeping in the same room as crazy Eyan.

“Well, the bed proves they’re here,” he said,
“but I sure don’t see any of the rest of their furniture.”

“Probably in the barn,” Alicine said, but she
sounded distracted. She strolled into the kitchen area, her eyes in
contemplation of the chopped vegetables littering the countertop.
She cast a sideways look at the dining table. A single bowl, spoon,
and mug sat upon it. “Why is there only one place set?” she asked.
“Why not five?”

“I don’t know,” Dayn replied. “Listen, let’s
get the horses settled. Maybe everyone’s in the barn.” Alicine
moved toward him, but her attention lingered on the place
setting.

They exited the house and led the horses
toward the barn a short distance away. Large and two-storied, it
was three times the size of the cabin. When they reached it, they
realized its double doors were slightly ajar. Dayn shoved them open
and stepped inside. The interior was dark and musty and smelled of
hay mixed with manure. A lantern hung on a peg inside the doorway;
fire sticks were tucked into a box nailed to the wall next to it.
Dayn lifted the lantern and lit the wick. Holding it out before
him, he surveyed the shadowy room.

“They’ve gone somewhere,” he said. “The wagon
and horses are gone.”

“Then who’s fixing dinner?” Alicine whispered
nervously. “Maybe it’s Eyan.”

Dayn handed Alicine the lantern, then pulled
out the short sword he kept secured in the scabbard at his waist.
He’d had little use for it since leaving Tearia, but he was more
than grateful to have it now.

A sudden rustling in the hayloft above sent
Alicine clinging to his side. She held up the lantern with a
shaking hand. For a moment all was quiet, but then another rustling
sounded. Their horses whinnied and danced about. Dayn took a step
back with Alicine still glued to his hip.

“Who’s there?” Dayn asked, struggling to
sound brave. If it was Eyan, there was no telling what the boy
might do. They had been told their whole lives that Eyan was
dangerous. How he was dangerous, Dayn never understood; it was a
topic not spoken of freely. Nevertheless, Haskel and Vania had
worked hard to keep their son hidden from everyone, even family, so
their reasons must have been good ones.

“Eyan? If that’s you, we mean you no harm,”
Dayn said. “It’s us—Dayn and Alicine. You know—your cousins.”

Again they heard a rustling, but this time it
was accompanied by a moving shadow. Dayn and Alicine jumped and
backed away, inching closer to the exit.

“Eyan,” Alicine said in a quivery voice. “We
came looking for Mother and Father. Do—do you know where they
are?”

The shadow grew taller, then darted to the
side. Dayn lifted his sword. “We tire of your cat and mouse game.
Show yourself, or I’m coming in after you!”

Alicine’s eyes shot to Dayn’s. Clearly she
thought he had lost his mind.

“I’m tired and hungry,” Dayn said to her
defensively, “and I no longer have the patience to be kept from
bodily comforts by a shadow in a corner!”

He pried his sister from his side and took a
determined step forward, positioning himself between the shadow and
the doorway. “I said show yourself!”

The dark form suddenly ran in his direction,
but whether it was heading for Dayn or the doorway behind him was
hard to determine. But Dayn gave it no choice in the matter; he
threw himself upon it and knocked it down, pinning it to the ground
with the tip of his sword pointed at its throat.

The young man stared up at him, panting like
an animal caught in a snare. Dayn drew a sharp breath, then eased
the sword back. The young man was handsome enough, with dark hair
and skin the same coppery color of every other Kiradyn. But it was
the eyes that left Dayn very nearly stunned: they were blue, the
same forbidden blue as his own.

“Eyan?” Dayn said.

The young man did not respond. His eyes
darted around for rescue, or a quick escape.

“Eyan?” Dayn repeated. “It’s me, Dayn. I
won’t hurt you, honest. Don’t run…all right?”

The young man calmed somewhat, then said,
“Aye, I—I’m Eyan.”

Dayn eased the sword further back. “See? I’m
removing the weapon. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just…” Dayn felt
ashamed. This was his cousin, and he’d pressed a blade to his
throat. But then again, Reiv had done the same thing to him at
their first meeting. Dayn smiled at the recollection.

Dayn lifted his weight off of Eyan and stood
over him. He held out his hand. Eyan stared up at it, not sure
whether or not to take it. After a moment’s contemplation, he
reached up and allowed Dayn to pull him to his feet.

“Please don’t tell ‘em ye saw me,” Eyan said
anxiously. He glanced toward the doorway. “No one’s supposed to see
me. Father’d be furious if he knew.”

“But we’re family,” Dayn said. “Don’t you
remember us? I know it’s been a long time.”

“Aye, I remember ye. You’re the one everyone
thinks is a demon. That’s why I’m not allowed to see anyone.”

“What? Because of me?”

“Aye, and because of
me
.”

Alicine stepped toward Eyan, her attention
fully upon his eyes. “We were always told it was because you were
dangerous,” she said hesitantly.

“Oh, I
am
dangerous,” Eyan replied.
“If others saw me they might hurt my family, or me. Father says
Gorman was a fool to let people see ye. He said ye should never
have been allowed outside.” He backed toward the door. “I have to
go now. If they see me with anyone…”

Alicine followed, then reached out and placed
her hand on his arm. Eyan stopped in this tracks.