My intent is to post a new chapter once a week. I may be able to provide Verdurian snippets as well. This chapter is a rewrite of the first one I wrote; I've updated the text, and fixed some errors in there. If you see any, let me know. I'm not shy of criticism either.
Chapter 1
I give no thanks to Fidra, especially not for this storm. It hasn’t stopped snowing for a week. I have not been outside, either, since. I want to finish So Anelo with Aďia before I leave, but I doubt that’s going to happen. I cannot sleep. I wish I knew what hour it was. The snow isn’t going to stop falling. I look outside, and beneath my breath, I damn Calto for letting Fidra call the shots.
I run my fingers across my book, So Anelo. The binding has cracked terribly. Leaves are falling off. The cover’s been torn off. I’m missing several chapters, especially the chapter about the lion’s cave.
Lonsör is snoring in the bed next to mine, loudly. It’s probably the only thing I won’t miss, besides this weather of course: In the winter, the bottomless clouds bringing snow storms, and in the summer mudslides.
It’s dark. I reach under my bed and bring to the bed an old box. I open it up, and inside are a dozen or so smaller boxes. I open one up, and grab an elongated stick. I turn the box over, and I scrape the stick against it. The room is dim with the match-stick. I guide the match to the lamp next to me, and in a moment the room fills with light, spilling out beneath the door and through the gaps in the shutters.
I pick up a box and read it: the Sleeping Dragon Inn. I pick up another: Irumey Welcomes You! My father tells me, you can go anywhere and buy a box for half a silver piece.
So every time he leaves he takes a silver piece from his desk, and every time he returns he has a box of matches for me. I wish he were here.
My candle flickers and I’m fingering through the ancient So Anelo, finding my favorite parts and reading them to myself. I wish I knew what it time it was. I’ll know when the black sky turns to gray. That is when Calto will hide behind the clouds, and give all his warmth to Fidra. What about me?
I hear some movement coming outside the door. I know my mother didn’t get any sleep either. It’s not like it matters. I know I can sleep on the trip there.
It’s been making me anxious, though. This avisar thing. Okay, it’s better than getting married to Renár Corestei. Ugh. It’s Raheli who should be going to this avisar, not me. But she got married.
The candle flickers from me silently reading the words out of my book. This part of So Anelo, it’s right before the lion’s den. Glavric is heading to the old castle where Lady Elesea is trapped. He has the ring which he needs to get into the castle. One night, he gets tired and sleeps by a cave. He’s sleeping and in his dream, his campfire talks to him. He doesn’t know it’s a dream, and the campfire tells Glavric to go into the cave, and through there will he find a sword that bypasses the ktuvok swamp that’s right there, before the castle. He believes it, and—
The pages are missing. I sigh and close the book. I blow out my candle. Where is my father? Where are you, piro?
I close my eyes.
The door comes open. A bright light floats in the air. It stirs, and floats like a ghost. “Emia,” the flickering light says to me in my mother’s voice. “I want to talk to you before your aunt comes.”
I groggily rise. I mumble to myself and I don’t let go of the book. I follow the bouncing, bobbing light down through the darkness. I want to trust it, but I know it’s just a bad spirit leading me to the maw of a lion.
The light stops and sits itself down, flickering still. It led me to my mother’s room. I brace myself for it, reaching to my hip, fumbling as though there were a sword in its sheath. I draw it, lazily, and my words are shrunk and stuffed i the back of my throat. Everything becomes hazy.
“Emia?” the lion says. The lion sounds a lot like the light, and my mother too. Maybe they’re the same. I rub my eyes. “And will you stop acting like that. It’s no time to play. And put that book down.”
I can do nothing but fear this lion. I mean mother. I’m awake now, I think. She looks at me disapproving. “It’s early, I know,” and the lion kisses my forehead, and I sit down next to her. “You’re leaving today, and I know it’s going to be hard. You’re going to be gone for most of the year—Emia, please try to stay awake.” I was falling asleep sitting up. “Listen, I want to talk to you about this now. Once Raheli’s here, there’ll be no time. I’m sorry we didn’t talk about this at your redel. I know it was rushed, I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t expensive like Aďia’s, or even your sister’s...” She sighs. “It’s too early for this, I know. The sun’ll be up in an hour. Let’s make this quick.”
She hands me a long strip of cloth. “A bres?” I say. “But mira…”
“But what? You’ll need to wear it soon. I’ll show you how to put it on.”
“But…but… I have nothing!”
“It’s like haggling with Šustana with you.” She grabs my nightshirt ad pulls it off. I try to fight it, but leaves me standing in the room naked. She curses at me while trying to tighten the cloth around my chest. “I should have been to you like I was with Raheli, she already knew how to do this before she had her redel. Of course, you have to be such a boy, always playing outside. I should have raised you better.” I’m too busy fidgeting and shivering to really pay attention, since this strip of cloth is the only thing on me. I’m freezing.
“How does it feel?”
I gasp for air. “I can’t breathe in this thing. And it’s cold. Could I please put my shirt back on?”
She looks at me and gives me another sigh. “Take it off and put it on yourself. Emia, you’re not a little girl anymore. Get used to it. Now, did you pay attention? Did you see how I did it?”
The bres is choking me. I unwrap the cloth and try to tie it again. She clicks her tongue at me, telling me I’m wrapping it wrong. She unwraps it hastily and tells me to do it again. I’m freezing, and this isn’t easier.
I hear a voice behind me and I jump and shriek, turning red. “Emai, Emia. Emai, mira” the voice says. Raheli laughs at me. “Come on. It’s not hard.” She turns to my mother, taking her out of the room, “Sorry for being early, mira, but I heard that the snowstorm is letting up so I came here early.”
I quickly tie the cloth around me while my mother talks to Raheli and I put my nightshirt back on, still shivering. “Emia,” my mother turns back to me, “Take that off. Get cleaned up and get dressed in the clothes your aunt sent us. Raheli,” my mother turns to my sister, “Could you help me in the kitchen?”
I sulk, going into the bathroom and finding a bucket of warm water. I wash myself off, muttering curses. I dry myself, and I put the stupid bres back on. Mother hears me, and opens the door. “Stop sulking like that and put this on.” She hands me my clothes and I quickly dress myself.
By the time I stepped into the kitchen, mother starts fussing at me again. She doesn’t know which shoes I should wear, or whether to put my hair up or leave it down. I’m dreading the next two days. I wanted to greet Solial on his entrance, but now he’s up high above.
I sit down at the kitchen table, and mother hands me a cup of tea. I hear voices coming up to the entrance, and it sounds like my aunt with someone else. Maybe Renár, but I can’t hear his voice too well.
I’m hungry and I’m cold and I can’t breathe. I sip the tea.
Raheli greets them and leads them in. My aunt looks at me, and standing behind her are Renár and Aďia, beaming at me.
“Oh! You poor thing!” my aunt says. “You look so down. What’s the matter? Do you not want to leave all your friends behind? Your brother? Are you worried you might miss Raheli’s second child? Oh…you’re such a poor thing!” She smothers me with kisses and hugs. Between the snake around my chest, the lion looking disapproving down on me, and my aunt smothering me, I’m ready to pass out.
I mumble to her, “No, it’s not that. I really want to go.” Not really. “I think I might have a cold…” I fake a sniffle.
She gives another wail and my mother finally tried to put an end to it. “Don’t be so dramatic, Lesasha. She’ll be fine. I’ll just ask Lonsör to put an extra blanket in the carriage.” She turns around and screams loudly, “Lonsör! Get out of bed. Make sure there’s another blanket for your sister!”
I sink back and try to be less the center of attention but it doesn’t work.
Aďia and Renár try to hold back their laughter. I glare at them both. I turn to mother, “Could I play outside a little before we go?”
