The Shadow Roads

Four

They sat in bent-willow chairs beneath the spreadingbranches of a massive beech. Colored lanterns cast light upon the sombergathering of Fael and men. Tam still felt fatigue deep in the core of his body,a slight buzzing in his exhausted mind. They had eaten, but there had been notime for sleep before they were called to a council of elders. The lightheartedFael were somber that night: Cynddl, Nann, and several others. The outsiderswere battered and tired looking: the Vale-men, an unnaturally pale Alaan,Theason, Prince Michael-and to everyone’s surprise and relief-Rabal Crowheart,who had wandered into camp an hour before. Even the camp itself was subdued,the murmur of voices and the crackle of fires being all that was heard. Therewas no music or laughter, as though the appearance of the strangers had broughtgrief into the wanderers’ joyous world.

When everyone had settled, Nann nodded to Tuath. The visionweaver held a large, covered hoop, her white hair and skin, and pale ice-blueeyes stood out here among the dark-colored Fael, as though she were of someother race-a people that lived among the ice and snows of the distant north.

Tam thought Tuath was reluctant as she removed the cover ofher embroidery hoop, revealing her vision. Tam, and everyone else, recoiled atthe sight. The light exposed a partially completed creature, with ivory chestand belly like a snake, skin faintly scaled and somewhat blue, a serpent’stail, and, upon its four-fingered hands, dark claws. No hair could be seen uponthis thing, and its face was malevolently demonlike-though Tam would have toadmit that it was also quite human. It was muscled like an animal of the wild,lean and hard.

“What is that!?” Cynddl demanded, sounding like a man who’dhad the breath knocked from him. Tam could see the story finder’s eyes flick tothe thing, then away, as though he couldn’t bear to gaze at it too long.

“I don’t know,” Tuath answered, pale lips curling back in revulsionfor what she’d created. “We were hoping that Alaan might tell us.”

Alaan stared at this terrible portrait and seemed suddenlymore ashen, his lips tinged with blue, as though a nagar lay just beneath thesurface.

“Alaan …?” Nann prompted.

The traveler took a deep breath and leaned back in hischair. “A soul eater,” he whispered, then closed his eyes. “A monster. Only onehas ever walked the surface of the earth, created by a sorcerer from a spellgiven to him by Death-or so the tales say.”

“Why has this thing appeared to Tuath now?” Cynddl asked. Heslouched in his chair, and though he had eaten and bathed and wore freshclothes, water had not washed away his fatigue, nor had his clothes covered it.

“Because one will appear, I would imagine,” Alaan said. “Isn’tthat what a vision weaver does-sees things that might be?”

Tuath nodded, uncertainly, Tam thought. “It might already exist,”she said softly.

“Hafydd has made a bargain with Death,” Fynnol said, surprisingeveryone. “I–I saw it … in the tunnels. Hafydd found me and held a sword tomy throat, trying to find out what I knew about Elise Wills and her allies.” Helooked around at the others defensively. “Samul Renne appeared, and Hafyddspoke to him as though they were allies. I thought it was all up for me, but ashadow appeared … Not really a shadow but a darkness that seemed to pressback the light. Out of this darkness came a voice claiming to be the Hand ofDeath. Even Hafydd fell to his knees before it. The shadow offered Hafydd abargain. He could live for many lives of men if he would deliver two sorcerersto him.”

“Sianon and Sainth,” Alaan said.

But Fynnol shook his head. “Wyrr and Aillyn,” the littleVale-man said, causing Alaan to become very still and alert.

“These two are already dead-if they ever lived at all,” oneof the Fael elders said.

“That is not quite true,” said Eber son of Eiresit. “Theysleep, but they are not dead.”

“Nor are they alive,” Alaan answered. “Not in any way thatwe understand.” The traveler stared down at the ground a moment, his mannerstiff and grave. “Let me tell you a tale. A very ancient tale that even thestory finders do not know.” He pressed the fingers of his hands together andtouched them to his dark-bearded chin. “It began with a swan, a black swan whobecame known as Meer, and a sorcerer who was called Tusival. ‘Tusival FirstBorn,’ he was sometimes called. Like many creatures of that distant age, timehad little sway over them, and they lived on and on, year after uncounted year.

“But one day Meer was wounded by hunters and only just managedto escape. Luck was with her, however, for Tusival found her and nursed herback to health. Ever after, the swan stayed near the sorcerer, watching him.

“One night, Death came to Meer out of a rainstorm. 7 seeyou watching Tusival,’ Death whispered, ‘Tusival who saved youfrom me. But you are a creature of the water and air, and he is a manand a sorcerer. You shall never know him as you are. But I can offer the giftyou desire. I can make you a human-as beautiful as you are now.But by night you will become a swan again-an evenswan’

“‘ You have come to tempt me, but I know you, Death,’Meer said. ‘What is the price you will ask for this?’

“‘Your children will be born from a clutch of eggs-thosehatched by day will take human form, like their father, those born by nightwill be evenswans, as their mother will be’ Death paused, staring at herfrom his dark cloud. ‘And they will all be mortal, coming at last into mykingdom, where they will serve me!

“‘Aiye! You are cruel and heartless!’ Meer lamented.7 will not give my children to you. No, they will live as I do, untouched byage!

“Death retreated then, a hissing whisper reaching her. ‘Weshall see!

“And Meer continued to watch Tusival, something stirringwithin her that she did not understand. In time, Death came to her again. Andagain he offered to grant her deepest desire. ‘You shall know thelove of men,’ he whispered. ‘You shall know the depths of it andbear you children out of that love! But again Meer refused him, though notso quickly.

“Finally, Death came to her, saying her mortal childrenwould live many spans of common men, and finally she agreed, for her love forTusival was great, and the yearning she felt had become a torment.

“By moonlight Death performed his magic, and where the swanhad been a woman swam in the waters, her mass of black hair afloat on thesurface. She walked out onto the bank, and Death could not bear it. He who washeartless and cold was bewitched by the sight of her, heartbreakingly beautifulas she was. He poured out his heart to her, saying that he had never felt suchpassion stirring within before. That he was like a man awakened after a lifetimeof sleep.

“‘And what would become of our children?’ Meer asked.‘They would come to me,’ Death said. ‘You would all come to me anddwell in my kingdom!

“And Meer spurned him then, saying, ‘You shall have themsoon enough! She went then to Tusival, who lost his heart to her, for hehad never known a woman so captivating, and yet, despite her dark beauty, hefelt he knew her.

“Soon she was with child, and it was then that she toldTusival who she was and of her bargain with Death, and Tusival cursed Death andvowed to thwart him or to have revenge upon him.

“Three eggs the evenswan laid, and watched over them in bothher forms. ‘Those born by day shall take human form,’ Death had said. ‘Thoseborn by night shall be as their mother!

“Two eggs hatched before sunset-boy children, both-but thethird was hatched by night, and from that egg came a dark-feathered swan, achangeling who, by morning, became a girl child, as human as her brothers. Butthe joy of the parents was tempered by their bitterness, for one child was achangeling, and all three would be mortal.

“But Death had not done with them, yet. Spurned by Meer, hiswound festered in his dark kingdom. One night he ranged out into the kingdom ofthe living, and, finding the swan child, Sianon, aswim on the river, he drewher down into the waters to drown and carried her back to his kingdom. Butothers had seen this act of treachery and told Tusival, who wept bitterly.

“Saying that Death had broken his word, Tusival vowed thathe would have his daughter back. Twice he led armies to the gate of Death’skingdom, but both times his army broke upon that cold stone. Bitter and angry,the sorcerer swore that Death would never have his sons, whom he named Wyrr andAillyn.To this end a great spell was made to wall Death into his kingdom, andDeath never again walked beyond the borders of his dark land.” Alaan looked upat the others. “When he had made his great spell, Tusival collapsed from theeffort, saying, ‘There … never again will Death set foot in thekingdom of the living, nor see its light nor feel the warmth of humankind.’But an old man, Tusival’s servant in the arcane arts, was touched with thesight, and he was troubled and stared off into the dark distance. ‘No,’said the old man, ‘Death will escape in time, and when he does thekingdom of the living will fall.’”

There was silence among the Fael elders and their guests.They shared glances, despairing and brief. The whole camp had fallen quiet, sothat only the river could be heard, whispering as it wandered south toward thesea.

Nann leaned forward, her chair creaking. A skein of hair hadescaped a tight braid and stood out from one side of her face, adding to theappearance of fear. “Cynddl told us that servants of Death were abroad in thehidden lands, snatching living men into the darkness.” She paused as though tocatch her breath. “Has it begun already? Has Death escaped into our world?”

Alaan was drawn back to the conversation from some distantplace. He gave his handsome head a little shake. “No, Nann, not yet, but thereis some breach in the spell that isolates the kingdom of Death from the kingdomof the living. There can be no other explanation. The spell is breaking down orDeath has learned to defeat it. If Tuath’s vision is true, Death will have asorcerer create a soul eater, almost certainly to destroy Aillyn and Wyrr. Howa soul eater can destroy Wyrr, who joined his spirit to the river, I don’tunderstand.”

Llya sat forward in his father’s lap and began to move hishands.

“What is it?” Nann asked nervously. “What does the childsay?”

“He says that ‘he knows where Wyrr sleeps,” Eberanswered, his voice soft and filled with sadness.

“Who knows?” one of the elders asked.

“Death knows,” Alaan said, gazing thoughtfully at the child.“And now Hafydd will know as well.”

“Why does this matter if Aillyn and Wyrr passed from thisworld an age ago?”

Alaan rubbed his fingers to his brow. “If it matters toDeath, there is a reason. Only Aillyn and Wyrr might have the knowledge torestore the spell that walls Death into his shadow kingdom.” He looked over atEber. “Does Llya speak to Wyrr, good Eber?”

Eber shook his head. “Llya hears only the mutterings of thesleeper. Bits of dream and nightmare, nothing more.” The man drew his soncloser, within the circle of his arms, as though he would protect him.

Llya must have understood the question, for he began to movehis hands. Eber watched a moment, then translated. “He says the sleeper doesnot hear. He is like Llya, in this.”

The gathering was silent a moment as everyone was drawn intotheir own thoughts.

“Where doesWyrr sleep?” Cynddl asked.

“I don’t know,” Alaan replied. He looked to Llya, but theboy shook his head.

“Then there is only one person who might answer that,” Alaansaid, “if she still lives.” He rose to his feet. “I have rested long enough.”He bobbed his head to Nann in a small bow. “I must make a journey now, beforeHafydd can unleash the soul eater-a dangerous journey.”

“But what can this thing do?” Tam asked. He pointed a fingeratTuath’s disturbing creation. “If it seeks sorcerers who have long passed fromthis world, why should we fear it?”

“Death has not sent this thing after Aillyn andWyrr for noreason. He means to escape his prison and tear down the world we know.” Alaandrew himself up, and Tam could sense his resolve. “You don’t understand thedanger. Only once before was a soul eater created, and it slew the greatTusival and dragged his carcass back through Death’s gate. This thing ismonstrous. As pitiless as a viper. It is a bringer of death. If I can’t stopit, if I can’t find the places where Wyrr and Aillyn have been laid to rest,then it will have them, and there will be no hope of repairing the spell thatwalls Death into his kingdom.”

“But how can Wyrr and Aillyn be any threat to Death?” Cynddlasked.

“I don’t know,” Alaan said, and he looked thoughtfully atLlya. “Keep that child safe at all costs. I will be gone at least a fortnight.Perhaps longer.”

“Will you go alone?” Crowheart asked, speaking for the firsttime that night.

“It will be a dangerous journey,” Alaan said. “The most perilousI have undertaken, but I will ask no one to accompany me, for I won’t havetheir fates on my conscience.”

“I will go, all the same,” Rabal said with finality. He satback in his chair, as at ease as a man who’d just volunteered to walk to town.

“I’ll go,” Cynddl offered. “You’ll need an archer if the wayis so perilous.”

“I’ll bring my bow as well,” Tam said. “There is no goingnorth for me now, not with what I’ve learned.” He turned and looked at hisfellow Valemen. “I’m sorry, but there is no choice for me.”

“Well, I won’t be left behind because I’m the only one withcommon sense,” Fynnol said, but his manner belied his words. He looked hauntedand frightened.

“I’ll stay here,” Baore said, “for I have offered my serviceto Lady Elise Wills.”

Prince Michael stood. “If they will have me, I will go withAlaan and the others.”

“I would gladly take you, Prince Michael,” Alaan said. “Butif you truly oppose Hafydd, then your knowledge will be needed by the Renne.Youmust stay and offer your service to LordToren, or whoever commands the Renneforces.”

“Against my own father …?” the Prince said softly.

“He has allied himself with Hafydd,” Alaan answered. “Howcan you choose otherwise?”

The Prince nodded and hung his head.

“We must go into Westbrook, this night,” Alaan said,clapping his hands together. “We’ll need to find almost everything for ourjourney-horses, weapons. I leave at first light.”