Mirror Of The Forgotten Gods

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Haven

Present day

Beyond the Veil

Haven pulled free the fish she had caught that morning and unwrapped it from the butcher paper she had laid it in. She pulled the knife from her boot and slit the belly of the fish from the nape of its neck down to the tail. She fished out its innards and slipped them into a small bowl she pulled from her pack. After she pulled the innards free she slid the backside of the knife's cerated edge up and down the outside of the fish. Scales flittered into the air casting rainbow refractions as the wind took them away.

Her original plan had been to sneak into The View in the evening but it didn't seem possible without Halex or her brother attending the gate. She wished she could be a man in moments like these, free to come and go as they pleased, to join the army, and even expected to hunt for their food without so much as needing a license or special permissions from the Chief of the Waterkin.

Haven shook her head and set her mind to the tasks at hand. She picked up the moss she had pulled from the aspen tree and placed it in the bowl with fish innards. She ground down the moss and innards with the back of her knife handle until they blended into a fine paste that smelled of the earth. She used the paste to mask the smell of the fresh fish covering the fillet in it and using every part of her kill. The moss would protect the food from spoilage and some said consuming it brought you closer to the Gods.

She turned to the deep pit she had dug out years before with her father, a traditional pit smoking method used by the Waterkin to cook their foods in the wilderness. The pit was lined with stones and kept in the fire so that it could be left unattended. The earth absorbed the heat and kept a warm steady temperature when insulated properly. Earlier that morning she had filled it with branches which she had lit. She knew by the time she returned the pit would be ready to smoke her catch. She kicked the large stone that covered most of the pit, and watched as embers scattered into the air. She made quick work placing her filet in the convex hole dug at the center of the pit placing the filet there. After it settled she kicked the warm rock back into place.

The Waterkin had passed down the pit smoking method for generations. It lessened the chance of being found in the woods, whether by brown bears, or worse.

After Haven finished her meal she watched the sun set from within her tent. She begin to nod off her eyes heavy from the warmth of her tent and the cool air. The woods were quiet, the birds were slowing down their chirping and the warm sun was beginning to cool. The soft breeze soothed her to sleep."Papa..." She found herself saying as she drifted. She felt dizzy as the warmth of her pelt drew her into sleep. It was as if she could see him behind her closed lids. The image was so piercing that it startled her. It was like she was standing beside him staring at her.

"Haven." He whispered.

Then she was overlooking the city from the clouds. She had never been fearful of heights but hovering above the entire world she felt as if she might fall. She screamed for her father to come save her from where she flew in the sky. "Haven..." She heard him whisper once more.

The image shifted, her father hovering over a fresh kill. "See the deer there?" He asked her.

She nodded looking down at the blood on her hands. Had she killed the deer? "Drink for the Gods." Her father whispered shoving the deer's heart towards her mouth. She didn't have the option as he pushed the flesh into her open mouth. She screamed as he held her head in place and she sucked at the iron tasting blood of the deer.

Haven shot awake lurching forward. She looked down at her hands in the darkness. She felt as if she was being watched. At the foot of her roll was an owl, peering at her in the darkness.