Akatika's Legacy Read online

  Gabby could hear the ascent in the mumbling of the townsfolk. Many knew Lafe from working with him at the mill, some were here for the free food. There were always people to come for these things because of the promise of a good meal. No matter why they were here it was nice to hear so many in support of Lafe.

  “Few know that he had purchased lands to raise a family of his own with young Gabriella. All that was left was for the harvest to confirm their marriage. Surely Maerryth could not want for a better servant at her hearth.” Sef Brewer Continued.

  Sef Brewer continued his eulogizing for several more minutes. Once finished, it was time for Gabby and Lafe’s family to do their part. As the surviving members of Lafe’s family, they were to start the feast. They would each give a toast to Lafe and fill their plate. After they had taken their share the rest of the attendants would be allowed to come up. Once the feast ended if there was any food was left over it would be given to the needy.

  Gabby filled she plate and started to give a toast.

  “To Lafe…” she said stifling back sobs. Then she was overcome with the pain of it all and cried openly for a moment before regaining her voice. She lifter her glass of wine and looked up at the ceiling.

  “You could have stopped it from happening. You could have helped. But you did nothing.” Gabby said, voice raised to a shout at the end.

  She drank the wine in one gulp and dropped her plate and ran out the nearest exit. The pain and everyone looking at her with pity was too much. She needed to escape, and she had made it all the way to the stable before Ivy caught up to her.

  Gabby collapsed into Ivy’s arms and cried. “It hurts so much.”

  “I know it does Gabby, I Know.” Ivy said wiping tears from her own eyes.

  They stayed in the stable until the feast was over and the townsfolk started to leave. A Susef had found them and informed them they would have to take Lafe to his final resting place and the blessing would be given to him. Gabby was wanted in attendance by Lafe’s family.

  Lafe would have the honor of being in the mausoleum as he was now part of the third caste. His father would lay his son to rest in a place that he himself could not be buried due to his station. Lafe’s family would only be permitted to be buried in the crypts below the mausoleum because they didn’t own land.

  Gabby and the Souters followed the Sef and two Susefs out and behind Maerryth’s Kitchen. It was a carved stone building built into the side of a hill. The inside of the building was carved out of the hill proper, the stone that removed provided what was needed for the building front facade. The amount of black soot on the ceiling meant the only light came from oil lamps and torches.

  As they approached the stone slab where Lafe was laying everyone began to cry. They had done the best they could at covering his throat where most of the damage was, but the carnage was clear. Gabby wailed again seeing what had happened to him. She understood the rage that was so clear on Henry’s face. Henry put his hand on Lafe and shook as he wept. The girls clung to their mother who had a hand resting on each of their heads.

  “Oh, my son.” Henry said looking at his son.

  “Why? Oh, I miss you so much. I’d give anything to trade places with you.” Henry was now hunched over Lafe and almost shouting into his chest.

  Geneve tried to coax her daughters into saying a final goodbye but they would not budge. Gabby couldn’t blame them. If they said goodbye, he would really be gone. Gabby took the girls and let Geneve have her time with Lafe. She whispered something to him that Gabby couldn’t hear and walked back to the girls. It was her turn and she had no idea what she was supposed to do.

  She walked to his head and kiss the top of it. Tears were streaming down her face on to his. He looked so pale yet almost like he was still alive, and that was the hardest part about it. Even seeing what had happened to his throat he looked otherwise fine. It was tearing her apart.

  Between sobs, she whispered; “I love you. Lafe.”

  Gabby’s knees gave out and she fell to the floor. The Sef helped her up and held her as she wept. The two Susefs began wrapping his body in the ceremonial cloth and anointed him with oils. Henry came and took Gabby from the Sef and held her, so he was free to do the blessings.

  The Sef finished the anointings and drew a few runes on the cloth for protection and guidance. They waited a few moments for everyone to compose themselves and took Lafe to his final resting place. His status afforded him a wooden coffin in one of the back rooms of the mausoleum. He could be moved to a private room later when and if his family wanted to pay for one. Most families were interred in the mausoleum wanted a private chamber for the family, but they had to pay for one to be dug out.

  The Susefs placed Lafe on a wheeled cart and everyone followed as they moved him to the chamber where he would stay. It had a number written over the top of it so they would be able to find him should they ever visit. They watched as he was placed into the coffin and the lid closed. It was over, Gabby had made it through, she was drained and weak again, but she had made it through.

  Chapter 13

  Gabby was slowly able to emerge from the crippling depression she felt at the death of Lafe. The three turnings that had passed dulled the pain a little, enough for her to return to help her father. The emptiness inside of her had started to be replaced with darkness, and when she admitted it scared her. She longed to see the death of the wolves. They took Lafe and needed to pay the ultimate price.

  There been too many Last Feasts those first few weeks after the hunting party had been found. Each one had tormented her bringing the pain back again and again. Every speech about how Maerryth was going to welcome them into her hearth as blessed workers sounded like cheap words to her. More and more she wanted action and the town guards were no help.

  Lord Clint sent out a team after the incident, but they found nothing. They had ultimately failed at finding the murderous animals. Gabby felt they were wholly incompetent; how could so many trained men fail so fantastically at finding a group of beasts large enough to reap so much carnage.

  Gabby determined if the menace was still out there, she was the one to deal with it. In her mind the town guards were either too cautious or lazy to do it right. She had the coin to hire a small band and hunt them down. The coin Lafe left her would pay for his revenge. There was however a lack of willing men in town. Most she talking to thought she was mad with grief and dismissed her. But she had one last person to try.

  It wasn’t until she had exhausted all other options that she remembered there was a mage living in town. She failed twice trying to track him down on her own. Gertrude hadn’t seen him recently but promised to give him a note if she saw him again. The note had worked and now she was on her way to him.

  The note she left for him read;

  “Last time I saws you was at the apothecary; I was the one with the book you were staring at. If you are interested in it and want to see it, leave a note with the assistant Ivy. I need to talk to you. ~ Gabby”

  His reply;

  “Ask for me at the Red Rave Inn, bring the book. ~ Kairos Kynigos Siliras”

  The moment that Ivy had given her the note they took off to find him. Ivy had insisted to come, and Gabby couldn’t say no to Ivy. Ivy had done too much to help her. They retrieved the book and went on their way to the inn.

  The streets were a mess of people near the Red Wave Inn. Most of the wealthy merchants and ship commanders would stay there on their visits to town. The inn was the most popular in town; located right off the market.

  The market itself was a maze of carts, tents and stands set up in it. It had originally been a practice field for the town guard, but they outgrew it and moved to a larger field. Now the field was filled with masses of people, going in every which way. The smells of exotic spices, fresh foods, smoke, and body odor filled the area for blocks around the market.

  They wove their way through the throng and found a wooden sign, painted with a bright red wave and a small lighthouse on
it, peaking over the heads of the crowd. The smoke-filled common room of the inn bustled with business. Merchants spoke to other merchants or ship crews organizing their business and making contracts. Women with trays laden with drinks went to tables and dropped off their cargo only to go back to the bar and do it again.

  Gabby had never seen a place so busy. She stopped a girl with a tray and asked after Siliras, but she hadn’t known the name. She pointed to the counter and said to ask Iver, the innkeeper.

  After a few minutes, they had managed to make their way through the crowd of businessmen and women, dodging the tray wielding staff, to find the innkeeper at a counter looking over a ledger. The innkeeper was a portly bald man, who was head and shoulders taller than them both. As they approached him, he closed the ledger and turned to face them, his stained apron barely hiding his massive frame.

  “Welcome to the Red Wave, what can I do for you young ladies?” Iver asked.

  “We are here to see Siliras and were told to ask after him here.” Gabby answered.

  “I see.” Iver said, then promptly left through a door behind the counter.

  “That was strange, are we supposed to follow him?” Ivy asked.

  “How am I supposed to know?” Gabby replied.

  A few moments later Iver appeared again from out of the same door. He smiled at them and lifted a hinged part of the counter. He looked around at the crowd of people and waved the girls over.

  “Sorry about that, I had to check if he was expecting you. He pays me very well for his privacy.” Iver pointed down the hallway; “The back of the hall and down the stairs. He rents out the cellar.”

  Gabby and Ivy both nodded thanking Iver and proceeded the indicated door. They reached the end of the hall and came to the stairwell. It was dark no, sconces or candles were hung to light their way. The only light for them was coming from under a doorway at the bottom of the stairs.

  It was eerie walking down the stairs in the dark to meet a man neither of the really knew. Each step made Gabby’s heart beat harder until it felt like a thunder cloud was in her chest. This was her last hope to find justice for Lafe.

  Gabby took a deep breath trying to get her anxiety under control. As she knocked, she noticed that the door seemed to be made of metal or at least the part that she knocked on was. A few moments past but there was no answer. Ivy tried knocking again. There was a click and the door opened with a slow creek exposing the two girls to the bright light inside.

  Out of nowhere Siliras appeared and gave a small bow, causing both girls to jump. He smiled amused at startling the girls then gestured them inside. He watched the girls as they in turn watched the door close of its own accord.

  “Theatrics for a good first impression, my dears.” Siliras said still grinning. “I do my business and research here, so I need to be as flashy as possible.”

  Gabby and Ivy stared at him mouths agape.

  “I can see it still works. You must be the girl that sent me the note, Ginger was it. You wanted to meet and talk about something; did you bring the book?” Siliras asked.

  Gabby blinked a few times and then started to fumble with the laces on the shoulder pack she wore. A minute later she pulled the mysterious book from out of her pack.

  Before Gabby could say anything, Ivy blurted; “That was amazing.” Then recognizing the lack of decorum that she normally showed, she blushed.

  “Thank you.” He said to Ivy, then turning to look at the book in Gabby’s hand he asked; “May I see that?”

  Gabby still in shock handed the book to Siliras.

  “My names Gabby not Ginger. I would like to hire you.” She said as Siliras flipped through the book.

  Siliras nodded and continued through the pages. Every few pages he would stop and tilt his head examining them. He flipped through a few more pages and stopped and tapped on the image in it.

  “What would you like me to do? Some charm or glamour?” Siliras said dismissively.

  “I want you to hunt down wolves that killed the lumberjacks a few turnings back.” Gabby deadpanned.

  Siliras paused for a moment considering the proposal. “I understand the wolves killed an entire party of the lumberjacks. This is a considerable quest that you are asking me to embark on.”

  “Can you do it or not?” Gabby said her tone showed no part of the awe from a few moments ago.

  Ivy cleared her throat and placed a hand on Gabby’s shoulder. “I believe she means, are you able to do this for us and if so, what do you want as payment.”

  “I assume that you lost someone in the attack?” Siliras questioned.

  “My friend; her betrothed.” Ivy explained.

  “I recognize the anger; you are not the first over the years to ask my help for such tasks.” Siliras said as he walked to a small writing desk. Sitting down he added; “To answer your question, yes I can. You would be hard pressed to find any creature in this part of Thoamira I couldn’t handle. As for my rate; I require this book and two aluminum marks.”

  Gabby laughed a sharp humorless laugh. “Two aluminum marks, I could hire out the garrison and sweep every living thing out of the forest.”

  “You asked my price and that is it.” Siliras responded.

  Gabby strode up to him and looked him dead in the eyes and grabbed the book from off the desk. “I’ll give you this book, and two gold marks.”

  Siliras was surprised, he wasn’t used to people being so abrupt with him. He had thought he had the upper hand here. He would have if this was the Gabby of a few turnings ago, but she was harder now, less innocent.

  “And another thing, I want to be there when it happens.” Gabby added.

  Siliras smiled, all too often some noble would come down wanting him to take care of their problems. There were unwilling to get their own hands dirty with it. This was revenge, after all, it was supposed to be dirty. He liked her spunk and willingness to dive in.

  “Agreed, give me a few days to prepare.” Siliras said holding his hand out toward Gabby.

  Gabby placed the book back down on the desk and took Siliras’s hand firmly shaking it. She was going to avenge Lafe and the thought excited her. There was some poetic beauty knowing Lafe’s own money was paying for his revenge.

  Chapter 14

  A few questions and a couple of copper coins led Siliras to the spot where the bodies had been found. The accounts told that the group left to hunt down the wolves and after two days of no one returning scouts were sent out. They were found next to a stone ring with ash from a long dead fire. Some said they were all set upon at the same time others said the lumberjacks fought, but no one really knew. No one was alive to tell about what happened.

  It was hard to tell what had happened because of the time that had past, but there were piles of forest debris around the area. The Lumberjacks didn’t seem to be careless, Siliras thought as he inspected the area. The stone ring was still there, charred bones mixed with the remains of a few logs from whatever they had eaten that night. They were supposed to send word back each night so; they must have been set upon during the night’s meal before the runner could go back. At least that was the conclusion he came up with.

  A few moments later he found a blood-stained bedroll under some branches. He looked around but couldn’t find any tracks through normal means. He needed to find some fur or blood from one of the wolves so that he could track them through a spell. If they were still alive, he could find them with it. A couple more hours of searching revealed nothing useable.

  Siliras cut a small patch from the bedroll and put it in an alcohol-filled vial. The blood needed to be in a liquid for the spell to be effective. If the spell did anything then he had found the wolves. The spell would act as a compass, the material in the liquid pointing toward them.

  Siliras held the vial up toward the sun to see if any of the blood was coming off the cloth. He saw a few specks floating, encouraged he shook the vial vigorously. The alcohol had a few more flecks in it but only a few. He didn’t know
if it was enough to make a link, but he also didn’t want to wait out in the forest either.

  Siliras began his walk back to town. He would have to wait and do the spell from his workshop. He could begin unlocking the magical locks on the book while he waited, after all, he still had two days before the girls would come back expecting answers.

  “Nitens lucidus.” Siliras said as he opened the door. The workshop burst with light as Siliras walked through. The shining stones enchantment responding to his command. It was an extravagance for most, but practitioners of magic could make them easy enough. All it required was an agate of appropriate size and some soul essence.

  Siliras used to hire himself out as protection to ship crews while studying at the university in Thoam. It was easy coin, provide a few gusts of wind now and again or the occasional light show when pirates came near.

  To earn some extra coin on the side he had made shinning stones. Rats had very little energy in their small bodies, but enough to make a shining stone if he drained it all out of them. The crew either didn’t care, notice, or were so uncomfortable with it they chose to believe the cats were exceptional at dispatching the vermin.