Into the Deep Wood

Val and Avgusta descended the narrow wooden stairs.

The air had grown so chilled that Val shivered and wrapped her arms around herself to shield at least a bit from the draft.

They’d gone quite a ways down without seeing a cellar full of food or wine. It seemed never to end.

“What has your hunter told you of the Nothing, my dear?” Avgusta asked as the stairs began to even out into a wooden walkway among roughly chiseled away stone.

“Not much, Mother.” Val lied. After the river and the girl, she did not trust the All-Mother.

“Hunters see things as black and white. I was troubled to see that you had chosen him as your companion.” The All-Mother waited for Val to catch up so they could walk shoulder to shoulder instead of one ahead of the other. The passage echoed, and it was difficult to hear. “But, you have proven that your mind is your own.”

It smelled of earth and dampness, sounds of dripping water all around them. The lamp burned bright, but each corner outside its radiance was pitch black.

“What do you know of the All-Father, my dear?” Avgusta asked her suddenly.

“Only what I heard on the road, I know of templars, and I know of the godchildren being pieces of the All-Father himself,” Val answered honestly.

“It is so like man to trust in the unseen when the obvious is in front of their eyes.” The All-Mother said. “Tell me, girl, do you see the All-Father? Do you see his works, good, and influence in the world?”

“No,” Val admitted. “Only in Elena’s son have I seen what was said to be the All-Father. But I cannot be sure.”

“And yet, have you seen the Nothing?”

Val thought quietly. She felt the Nothing, been swallowed up by it, pursued by it, hurt by it. She saw the Nothing.

“Yes.”

“And so, which would you think to be more real? Wield power, make the earth alive? Which of them grants mankind both blessing and curse?”

“I’ve only seen curse, Mother.” Val stood firm.

“And yet, I bet the hunter has shown you trinkets. Trinkets that gift, trinkets that bless, and ones that bring wonder into the lives of man.” The old woman reminded her. “They are Nothing-touched as well.”

“I…” Val thought of the silver stag. Of how the legends spoke of its beauty, its grace. The good luck it brought with it. Yet, it had been of the Nothing as well. “Have not thought of it that way…”

“No one in this world is good, nor evil, not fully. Including the Nothing.” Avgusta said, grunting as her prior step had hurt her and leaning a bit harder on the cane. “And we are blessed as our community has understood that from the start.”

As they turned the corner, Val saw light. Avgusta stopped.

“Remember, sweet girl, not a word.” She reminded Val.

The sun had almost set, its light caressing the hills. Marat lit candles, the oven blazing and far too hot. He opened the door so the cottage could air out and scanned the streets.

People were out and about, but he saw no sign of Valeria. It was too late to be at the apothecary, but he dared not leave the home with so many flames unsupervised. He stepped into the street, holding his hand to shield his eyes from the rays of light, hoping to see if she was possibly coming up the hill.

But he saw something else.

The ridge above the valley had a dark ring around it, illuminated by the setting sun. It looked like a row of trees had stepped forward to encircle the pass. He lowered his hand, instead squinting against the light. Like ants, several forms separated from it.

“Shit.”

They were horses.

An army stood at the border of Chelkalka, the bulk of it atop the hill - not yet crossing the boundary. It was five or six, it was hard to tell, that had descended from it and toward the town.

“Shit!” Marat hissed through his teeth, taking off into the house. He blew the candles out and slammed shut the oven’s iron gate. He had to find Val.

Grabbing his knife and longbow, he rushed out of the house and up the hill. He ran past people strolling on the steps, nearly knocking some over as he did. They looked after him as if he was crazed and shook their heads.

Nadia blocked his path.

“Follow me, you foolish boy.” She said, her tone hushed.

“Valeria–”

“I said, follow me. She is with the All-Mother. She will keep her safe and out of sight.” She said quickly, pushing him ahead of her up the hill.

She guided him to Avgusta’s home, where once in the doors, she latched them closed.

“Out back, there is a shed. In it, a well - for frozen winters.” She instructed. “It has been dry for many years. Go there, into the well. Do not come out until I tell you.”

“You swear to me she will be alright.” He demanded, his tone uncooperative and rushed.

“We will guard her far closer than we would you.” She pushed him toward the back door. “You can be sure of that.”

They entered a canyon filled with evening light as they walked out of the tunnel. The greenery here was plenty and stood very still - not a bit of a breeze touched the leaves. Tall trees, shrubs, wildflowers. They all surrounded the continuing wooden path made of slightly raised slats.

“Here, my dear girl, is the Heart of Chelkalka.” The All-Mother said. “Or, as those outside would call it, the Wound.”

Val’s breath caught as she realized where they were.

The origin.

Avgusta took her hand gently as if seeing the girl’s hesitation.

“Remember, it is not as the world sees. They think it blind, but it is they who are blind to it.”

She led her forward. Although she could see the sky, the air here felt heavy and closed in, as if a room filled with heavy steam, but not unpleasantly.

“Why do you think, my dear, that so many Golden come from the River Cities?” Avgusta said. But Val shook her head - she did not know. “It is because of this, here, the gift that we have received and built around. The power of it is strongest, its tie to the outside world binding it to the godchildren with the strings that exist outside our realm.”

The old woman stopped, looking ahead.

A shrill screech broke the air. Val winced; it was like someone had scraped glass against glass; it rattled your bones and teeth, as if a chicken had grown to be the size of a cow and was in a heated scuffle with another.

“What is that??” Val glanced around. This was not a noise she could ever imagine coming from a living being. Without a word, her steps irregular and heavy, Avgusta led her on to a turn in the path. Ahead, Val saw a large chicken coop built off the side.

The old woman approached, lifted the wooden latch, and disappeared in the low doorway.

The strong odor of poultry, feed, and straw - overwhelmed with the smell of feces hit her immediately. The soft and squishy sawdust on the floor gave way under each step.

Avgusta stood in the middle, cooing softly to something in front of her. A mild, softer screech went up again.

Val thought, what an ugly sound.

No chicken had this ugly of a voice anywhere she had ever been.

As the old woman stood aside, she saw the bird. Like a small hen, it strolled the ground, picking at feathers in its wing. Its long skinny legs were firmly planted on the ground, small talons awkwardly sitting at the tips of the feet. It had a long tail with bright red feathers stuck together with black and white droppings, looking rather disheveled.

Something was vaguely familiar about this bird, but Val could not imagine how.

As its head turned to Val, forgetting its prior hygienic endeavors, Val saw that it, too, had no eyes. The bird listened but returned to its task, deciding that Val was of no threat. Avgusta smiled as if the bird had been a grandchild and cooed more soft words that were inaudible to Val.

She looked closely at it; it was brightly colored but insignificant in any other way. Yet, clearly, this was not an ordinary bird. Something was just… a little… off.

With sudden clarity, Val saw it. At first, misled by the griminess and size, she had not noticed the bird's unique feathers. In waves, they varied from red, gold, and to the orange of a sunsetting sky. Each looked like a tongue of flame.

It was a phoenix, a Bird of Fire. That from which the firestarter feathers came. Va’s first thought was that she could not wait to tell Marat. Her second was realizing she could not.

Avgusta must have guessed this.

“I see you know of our little bird.” She said. “I see the memory wash over your face. Yet, I am sure you never would have thought you would see one - that they were all dead?”

Val nodded, unable to take her eyes off the legendary creature as it walked one leg at a time, pecking at the ground as if it saw something besides straw and sawdust. Its head would raise, listen for a second and then go back to wandering around. There was no grace in its movements, no majesty. It was but a very brightly colored chicken at best.

“I expected…” Val made a face that felt rude, “for it to be bigger?”

“The legends grow it day by day, decade to decade, and century and on. It grew in the minds of men a long time, my dear.” The All-Mother answered, lovingly considering the bird.

“How can this be?” Val asked, turning to her. “I thought they were all extinct?”

“And had we allowed hunters on our lands, they would be,” Avgusta said knowingly and opened the door to exit. “Come.”

He heard the soldiers. Their horses were loud, as were their booming voices. Not far off, they approached Nadia in the yard. It was difficult to hear the words, but her calm and collected tone had sounded convincing - not a hint of guilt or a hidden lie.

She was far too good at it.

He shifted, it had been very cramped and stuffy in the well. It was so tight that he became nervous that his shoulders would get stuck on the way out. The stones seemed to touch him on every side and felt tighter with every moment he thought of it.

When he heard them move on to another home, Nadia’s distinctive steps sounded above.

“Come to the house. They will not be back.”

“How can you be sure?” He asked, with effort pulling himself out, a deep breath of relief escaping his lungs. “And that no one else will tell?”

“You think so much of yourself, Marat.” She chuckled. “As if they would be here solely for you.”

“Were they not?”

“Well…” She shrugged, some semblance of being caught in the gesture. “They were, for strangers that may have come through. But, the River Cities keep their secrets well.”

“Where is Valeria?”

She looked back at him, annoyed, and swung the door open to the home.

“She is still with the All-Mother. And will be until they leave. They are not permitted any more than anyone else to stay past dark and will be gone soon.” She said. “And, there are only four. A general and three men. They are lucky that they made their way across at all, this late. Had it not been someone flying the King’s flag, they would have been shot dead on sight.”

Johannes was here.

“Which king…”

“What does it matter?” Nadia might as well have rolled her eyes. By the All-Father, he could not stand that woman.

“A man looks for Valeria. A man who might think…”

“Ah.” She stopped him. “They did not ask enough questions to make me believe they actually think you are here. This is but a fleeting thought on their journey forward. You could say they were only in the neighborhood. Now eat and wait.”

He looked at the bread, a plate of meats and cut cucumbers on the table. He hadn’t eaten since that morning, waiting for Val to return home.

Begrudgingly, he sat.

They emerged from the cellar when the night had already fallen.

A young woman stood in the room, she helped the All-Mother out of the latch and lowered it for them.

“Korschey’s soldiers came.” She told Avgusta calmly. “They have gone now. No one lurks in the woods, and we saw them to their camps on the bluffs above the valley.”

Val felt panic shoot through her chest. Marat…

Avgusta only nodded.

“What did they seek?”

The woman’s eyes briefly landed on Val and immediately returned to the All-Mother.

“They asked of strangers, a man and a woman, who would seek shelter here.” She said.

Val went to speak, but the All-Mother beat her to it.

“What of the hunter?” She continued.

“He is safe at your homestead.” The woman nodded at Val.

“He waits for you.”