The Silencing of Esteria

Chapter 18

The walls went up within three weeks, with towers built at strategic intervals and a respectably sized gatehouse facing the mountain pass. They encircled all of the houses and the sheep pens, however, there was one house on the north side of the village too distant to effectively incorporate.

Rin, Herdru, Kinic, Toland and Katrina stood on the edge on top of the new wall, looking at the solitary home.

"Who's going to go ask here to come inside the walls?" Herdru asked.

There was silence as they looked at each other.

"Who's house is it?" Katrina asked.

"Ir Veiga's" Rin said, scratching his beard nervously.

"Are they so terrible that you won't invite them within the walls?"

"No, its not that," Herdru said.

"Its just that they probably won't want to," Rin finished.

"Why not?" Katrina asked.

"Because she's a crotchety old witch, who insists her life force is linked to that old hovel," Rin said, "She will say the spirits will protect her and if we try and move her she'll put a curse on us.

"Shall we draw straws for it?" Kinic asked.

"Do you have some?"

"No..."

"Rocks in a bag?"

The men sighed and Kinic pulled out one of his ingredients pouches and into it he placed 3 white stones and one darker one. Herdru went first and pulled out a white one. Then Toland went and pulled out the darker one.

Rin put a comforting hand on his son's shoulder, "I'll walk with you, see you there safely."

"If you will," Katrina put in, "I would like to accompany you. I have never met a witch that communed with spirits and managed to tie her spirit to a place."

"I don't think she actually managed to tie her spirit to the place..." Rin said, "I think she's just really old."

"Nevertheless, it still begs inquiry."

"Suit yourself, but ye been warned."

Toland, looking up from his rock, met the gaze of the men around him, all of whom nodded at him encouragingly, but made no move to relieve him of the task.

He sighed and headed off towards the witch's house.

It was a small, single story house made of timber. It had no windows that might be looked through or any external feature that might mark it as extraordinary.

Toland took a deep breath and stepped up to the door ready to knock when it swung open by itself. He looked back at his father who only made an encouraging gesture.

Katrina stepped up next to him in the doorway, peering into the dark space.

Although there were several candles dotted about in seemingly random and mostly dangerous places, it was still difficult to see what was inside.

There were tables, shelves and bookcases dotted about, forming a maze of arcane-looking apparel adorned with strange plants and crystals.

"Hello?" Toland asked the gloom.

"Come in, Toland," said a scratchy, ancient voice from deep within.

Toland carefully made his way through the maze towards the source of the voice, Katrina following close behind him.

Something hissed at him and jerked around to see a lizard, about a foot in length, emerging from beneath a pile of books.

He swallowed down his nerves and pressed forward. Katrina took a moment to examine the lizard then followed behind him.

Ir Veiga sat in a rocking chair in front of a fire blazing in a hearth. She turned and looked at Toland, her gaunt features turning her eyes two shadowy pits as the firelight framed her face.

"I suppose," she said, her voice hoarse and strained, "You have come to take me behind those ugly walls."

Toland nodded.

"Well the answer is no. I know what's out there, don't you worry, but until I absolutely have to move, I shall not. The spirits will give me ample warning."

"Wouldn't it be better if you came with us now?" Toland asked, hesitantly, "What if the spirits don't tell you in time, or at all?"

"The spirits will never lead me astray, boy, their ways are mysterious, but they know what they are doing."

"How do you commune with the spirits?" Kat blurted out.

"Simple. I listen."

"To what?" she asked.

"Come here."

Katrina stepped closer and Ir Veiga put a skeletal hand on her forehead.

"Listen," she whispered, like the creaking of dead trees in a slow wind.

Katrina froze, her eyes darting about.

Ir Veiga leaned closer, her grey eyes becoming visible.

"What are you?" Ir Veiga asked slowly, "The spirits cry out to you, but you cannot hear, so many voices."

Katrina bit her lip.

"Ah, I see... Well, we shall have to keep that a secret, won't we? Kinic and Rin chose wisely, I think."

Katrina frowned, but before she could ask what she meant, her head turned to regard Toland.

"You, boy, have been using too much magic."

"I have?"

"Yes. Go to the forest and make an offering before using it again. Here, I'll give you these runes, leave them as a note of apology. Every day for three weeks, lifting logs to the point of exhaustion. I will have a word with your teacher when I see him."

Toland considered the old lady storming into his house and climbing the ladder to the attic to give Jaran an earful and he had to suppress a laugh.

She pulled a piece of parchment and a stick of charcoal from a nearby desk and drew out a set of runes.

"There," she said, "Runes and an offering of food. You can pick some berries on the way there or leave a quarter loaf of bread. No more magic until you do, got it?"

Toland nodded emphatically, suddenly not having to suppress a grin.

"Now, go on then, out of my house, before Origi thinks you might be worth eating."

Toland frowned and looked around, only to find the lizard had silently moved to the desk behind him and was regarding him hungrily, its tongue flickering in and out of its drooling mouth.

Toland thanked her and they made a swift exit.

Emerging into the sun again was almost blinding for Toland and he had to squint to see his father still stood waiting for him.

"So? How did it go?" Rin asked.

"She says she will come inside the walls when the spirits tell her to."

"Excellent!" Rin said and clapped him on the back, "Well done. Let's go have lunch."

"But Dad! What if the spirits don't tell her or don't tell her in time."

"Then it's the spirit's fault, not ours. I'm sure she would understand if it came to that. If the spirits have decided that she is destined to meet her end this winter, then there is little we can do about it."

Toland frowned, but he also wanted to get as far away from the witch as possible.

He turned back to see Katrina lost in thought.

"Are you okay?" Toland asked.

She startled and looked up at him, then nodded.

With that, they headed off to lunch.