REALM'S END (BOOK OF FEY 1) (29 page)

Of Returns and Gods

James, Gwenth and Briok were out cold their bodies lay crumpled where they had landed. Reval, Hectain, Meredith and the child sat nearby in the warm sand, but it had taken only moments for them to realize they were all trapped in their crow form. Singly and collectively they had tried to break through the spell, but apparently the magic here was so strong and ran so true to the original magic their magic had no resemblance or power over this reality.

Cawing and clicking at one another, they paced back and forth on the warm sand, which by any crows standard was just a little too warm for their comfort. All knew they dare not fly outside the Cavern, for if crows were not already here, it would alert the tribes of this world to their presence and while that might not be a bad thing, they agreed that someone from this world had tried come to earth and tried to kill Gwenth and Briok.

Meredith watched over her daughter. Here in Briok’s world, the young babe was just out of the newly feathered stage and was making attempts at flying. The life cycle of the crow was speeded up compared to its human counterpart, and so Meredith used the time to try and teach the child what she would need to know to fly. If they couldn’t shift bodies or protect themselves with magic, the knowledge might save her child’s life.

Reval and Hectain stood watching over the unconscious as they lay sprawled out in the sand. Sifting through the sands with their black beaks they were able to locate the Dembys that James had freed, and lifting it carefully with her beak, Hectain carried it over to where Meredith sat watching the child’s first attempts at flight.

Reval hopped up onto Gwenth and using her beak she pulled carefully on the cord that held the other piece of the Dembys. Patiently she worked the stone free from where it had caught in the girl’s hair. Leaning down Reval bit through the cord and then catching the two strands in her beak flew it also across to the other stone.

Reval laid out the stone near one another and as she let go of the stone’s cord, the cord simply dissolved away into nothing, as if it had never been, and the Demby’s lay free next to one another. Reval didn’t know if the stone would help them, or even if the stone could help them regain at least some of their lost powers.

Alerted by their keen sense of hearing, the crows turned. The three adults purred and clicked at one another as something moved their way. Taking up positions they readied themselves to defend and protect the unconscious and the young child of their own.

“Well I see you made it across,” Pit said, as he rolled down the steep incline and into the warm sand. “Ah that feels good on my old body,” he said, looking up at the three crows.

“So I see you know magic. Smart idea bringing the Dembys together like that too, though it would not have worked, but still it was a good idea,” he said, shrugging as he worked his body deeper into the warm sands. “Now will you be so kind to tell me about yourselves? Then we will see if you are friend or foe and what help I should give you,” he said gruffly.

Hectain was already arching her wings, having decided she didn’t like this creature, which looked like a stone, but moved like an old man.

“Ah, ah, ah, now, none of that.” He waved a very short hand at Hectain. “If you try to harm me the Dembys will fight you, and you may well be killed, so just you sit back and answer my questions please.”

The crows looked at one another and decided to play along for the moment. They too had no idea if this thing was friend or foe, but if they could convince him to help them gain their magic it would not matter much. They all started cawing at once. The sound reverberated off the crystal walls and deafened even themselves. They fell silent.

“Well now that is something I can help with,” he said motioning to the box near the entrance. “In that there box is a pitcher full of sacred water. One sip will allow you each to speak to me in the language of this world,” he said wiggling free of the sand. Pit rolled himself slowly across the sand floor and stopped in front of the light weight box. He leaned down and lifted the cover. Stepping back he turned and motioned to the crows.

Meredith flew forward first and cautiously landed on the lip of the box. She cawed menacingly at the stone man. Lowering her head she placed her beak in the narrow pitcher and used her long thin tongue to sip the water. Surprised by the instantaneous response, her feet slipped from the narrow lip of the water pitcher and she fell landing hard onto the sand.

Reval and Hectain rose up on wings and dove hard toward the stone man, ready to murder him or be murdered.

“Sisters no, stop!”

At the sound of Meredith’s voice both the winged sisters tried to abort their attack. Hectain being the nearer to Pit wasn’t quite able to stop herself in time and rather then hit the stone man directly she turned and allowed herself to crash into a stalactite hanging down from the ceiling. Hectain’s feathered body slid down the length of stalactite and then tumbled wing over foot and landing hard upon the sand.

Reval seeing Hectain’s fate winged about and flew low enough to quickly sip from the pitcher as she flew past it. She too tumbled wing over foot, landing in the soft sand and rising up in the shape of a human.

Both the women hurried to where Hectain’s body lay still in the sand. Meredith and Reval fell to their knees and looked upon their sister. It was clear that Hectain had been badly injured. One wing lay twisted underneath her and her eyes were glazed over in shock. They could see it was bad, shock often killed birds. Meredith turned to the stone man. “Help her please, she is dear to us.”

Pit who had witnessed Hectain’s heroic effort to avoid hurting him though it clearly would cause her great sorrow, took pity on them. Pulling himself upright he rolled over and taking up the pitcher in his own short arms he made his way across the sand taking the slow mincing steps, using his legs only so as to keep the pitcher upright.

“Can I help you to hurry? I would pick you up if you would allow it,” Meredith asked?

Pit laughed, “Child would that you could. I doubt you can though. I weigh nearly 10 thousand pounds.”

Meredith’s mouth gaped open. “Well then master stone, you are right I cannot lift you without magic and it appears I have none here.”

Pit closed the distance between them as quickly as he could. Kneeling down in the sand he looked at the blue black feathers of the wounded bird. His breath caught as he saw the great beauty in its kind. Gently he tipped out the water letting the drops fall upon the crows limp tongue. Then he sat back and waited. If the magic would work it would be fast.

Meredith and Reval watched, as first the glaze left their sister’s eyes, then they saw the pupil contract and just as suddenly the crow sister stood up, pulling out its damaged wing from behind its back and she shook herself all over. The wing was fine; it seemed to mend itself even as it was being opened up by Hectain. Just as suddenly the crow was transformed and Hectain stood before them in the flesh.

“I must admit I think I prefer your crow body,” Pit said, leaning back to look up at the tall naked woman standing before him.

Reval took off her cape and pressed it around the naked Hectain and hugged her close. “Sister we thought we had lost you.”

Hectain pulled the garmet better around herself. “You did sister, you did. I saw the great universe unfolding and had begun the long journey, but now I find myself back, if a bit naked,” she said, laughing. “How did you get your magic back?”

Meredith reached out and hugged her sister close. “We didn’t get our magic back. The stone man saved you.”

Hectain turned and pursing her lips, stared down at the stone man. “It seems I owe you much,” she said.

“Well let’s just call it even then shall we. I saw what you did to avoid trying to hurt me, and well I should have reminded you of the water’s side effects,” his voice rang out huskily.

“In our tradition, our whole tribe owes a debt to the one who saves one of us,” Hectain said soberly to the stone man. “What are you called amongst your people, so that my tribe can sing a song of thanks for you.”

Pit’s laughter rang out. “Well now, in the language of my people, my name cannot be pronounced. The people here just call me Pit, and you may as well too.”

“What happened to finding out if we are friend or foe,” Meredith asked?

“Well no foe that I know of would throw herself at a stone wall to avoid hurting an enemy. So I guess you’ve passed the test!”

Meredith turned towards the others still out cold. “Will your sacred water revive them,” she asked?

“Aye it will and we best get about it, for the true enemy are already on their way. If you will do the honors,” he said lifting the pitcher. “I have another matter to attend to.”

Meredith reached down and took the pitcher from Pit’s grip. She and the sisters hurried first to the young Corvine child sitting in the sand. Reval lifted her gently and opened her tender beak. Meredith tipped one tiny drop of water into the child’s mouth. Instantly she was once again just a human baby wrapped up in her bunting, lying quietly within her Aunt’s arms. Meredith took the child from Reval, and gave the pitcher over to her. Hectain went off with Reval to awaken the others, while Meredith searched the baby’s things to find a cloth for a clean diaper.

Reval opened James’ jaw and Hectain tipped the water easily into his mouth. Without waiting longer they gave water to both Gwenth and Briok. Then they carefully returned the pitcher to the box and put the lid back over it. Just as the lid closed down over the box it seemed to disappear. Now the only thing standing before them was a rock. Hectain was intrigued. Did the box disappear or was it something else. She leaned down and touched the stone, instantly it was once again the box. As she took her hand away the rock reformed. She turned ready to congratulate Pit on his stone magic, but her voice caught in her throat. There across the open sand Pit stood lifting the last remaining of the two Dembys from the sand and was pushing it within his solid stone body.

“What are you doing,” she yelled as she rushed across the room. Meredith and Reval turned to see what the matter was, and saw Hectain trying to wrestle the Dembys from Pit’s strong grip.

Meredith handed the baby to the still groggy Gwenth and rushed to Hectain’s aid.

“Give me that you traitorous imp.” Hectain shouted, pulling hard to keep the Dembys from being engulfed within Pit’s body.

“Stop it,” he said. “You don’t understand! I have to do this or we all will be lost! Letting himself fall back off his short legs, he pulled free of Hectain’s grasp just long enough to push the Dembys all the way into his body, sealing the access behind it as it went.

Hectain fell hard against the meteorite, bruising her cheek.

The sisters reached her and pulled her away from Pit. Hectain sputtered and kicked out even as she was being lifted off him. Her toe connected, but it only caused her to cry out in more pain as her toe was no match for the meteorite’s body. “Ouch, oh God, I think I broke my toe. Let go of me! I will personally kill him. Without the Dembys we can’t go home,” she yelled, as she wrestled against her sisters.

Pit stood up and brushed himself off. He felt a strange lightness of being from his encounter with the shape shifting witch. “My lady, please forgive me, yet again.” He bowed low to Hectain and her two sisters. “I’m afraid I’m so use to keeping my own council all these eons I didn’t realize you would misunderstand my intentions. The Dembys are safe, all of them are where they belong now and you will have a way home I promise you that.”

Hectain looked murderously at Pit. “Oh really and how will that happen? Will you magically take us there yourself?”

Pit laughed. “Yes dear lady, if you will share your name with me, I will gladly see you all home when this is done. In fact it has always been my plan to do so.”

Hectain hated him. She wanted to skewer this stone man with his accent and his laugh on a pungent Gabon stick and send him flying out into the universe for a good long while. Instead as she had no magic, she did what was left to her, she spit on him.

Pit felt the wet glob of spittle settle upon his head, and just as suddenly his voice boiled up and spilled over in laughter.

The sisters watched as the stone man fell to the ground and rolled about all the while his laughter rang out filling the great cavern with its sound. Finally exhausting himself, he stood and faced Hectain. “I for one can hardly wait till you are returned to the fair land from whence you came. In your own element you must be quite a force. I would meet you in battle gladly my lady and he bowed with a flourish.

Hectain stood stunned into silence.

Reval’s own laughter began to bubble up. “Looks like you have an admirer sister.”

Hectain turned to her sister and reaching over she pinched Reval’s arm hard.             

“Ouch,” Reval yelled. “That was very nasty of you sister.” She rubbed the raised red welt. “Very nasty indeed,” she said, moving off a safe distance towards where Gwenth and Briok sat quietly with the baby. She stopped and looked at James, where he lay, “Why do you suppose James or whatever God he really is hasn’t woken,” she asked?

Hectain and Meredith turned to see that indeed James still lay in a crumpled heap upon the sand.

“Allow me,” Pit said as he tipped himself into the sand and rolled towards the fallen man.