The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence (7 page)

Galdra was due to arrive within the hour to conduct them to the site of the phenomenon. The Gelaming sat in the main salon, along with their scant luggage, while Eyra and Velaxis questioned Raven about what he’d seen.

‘What did you think of it?’ Cal asked Loki.

‘I didn’t see it really,’ Loki replied, ‘but I heard Raven call me to go to him while he was looking at it. Only he didn’t. The thing must have done that.’

‘Called you,’ Eyra said, pondering. ‘Hmm.’

‘Perhaps it calls to harlings,’ Terez said. ‘It was discovered by one, who has suffered ill effects. To me, that seems sinister.’

‘I agree,’ Eyra said. ‘Well, soon we shall see for ourselves.’

‘The Freyhellans should close off the area,’ Raven said. ‘I think they’re lucky they haven’t had more unpleasant consequences, leaving it open to all like that.’

‘You got a bad feeling from it, then?’ Velaxis asked.

Raven shrugged. ‘Not bad particularly, but I didn’t understand it or recognise it. Fire is dangerous, in the hands of a har who does not know about burning. I think it’s the same.’

A sharp knock came upon the door, and without waiting for a response a Freyhellan walked in to announce he was Fyala, their housekeeper. ‘I prepare breakfast, and keep the place in order,’ he said, in thickly accented Almagabran. ‘I don’t do lunch or evening meals. Tonight, I believe you are the guests of our archon for dinner, in any case. If you stay longer than tomorrow, the inn ‘Fair Winds’ does good meals.’

‘Thank you,’ Eyra said icily.

Fyala ducked his head and withdrew.

‘Wait!’ Eyra called.

After a moment’s hesitation, the Freyhellan reappeared.

‘Do your duties extend to coffee?’ Eyra asked icily. ‘If so, please bring some here.’

Fyala grimaced. ‘I’ll have to go and buy milk.’

‘Then do.’

Fyala closed the door.

Eyra shook his head. ‘Our friends are going to great effort to make us feel welcome.’

Cal laughed. ‘Yeah.’

They were sitting down and had only just begun to drink the coffee, which it took Fyala over half an hour to prepare, when the door opened again, this time without the forewarning knock. Galdra har Freyhella marched into the room, accompanied by two armed hara. For a moment, Loki was frightened, wondering if the Freyhellans were going to turn on them now, lock them up or attack them. They were tall and dressed in tailored animal skins and leathers. Their necks were hung with protective fetishes of horsehair and shells. Their appearance contrasted strongly with the well-groomed Gelaming, whose flowing garments were of jewel-colored velvet and soft linen. There was a wild dangerous edge to the Freyhellans that the Gelaming did not have. Galdra’s expression was far from warm. ‘Are you ready?’ he asked abruptly.

‘Indeed,’ said Eyra fastidiously. ‘Remember we are here at your request, tiahaar. A little more courtesy would not go amiss.’

‘I am courteous to you, tiahaar Fiumara,’ Galdra said. For a moment, his eyes rested on Loki, who wanted to squirm back into his seat. ‘My feelings for Gelaming have never changed. However, I appreciate you have at your disposal resources that we do not. That is why I asked you here.’

‘Then let’s get on with our business,’ Velaxis said, rising fluidly to his feet.

Loki had noticed that Galdra’s gaze never wavered from Eyra or himself. It was as if he couldn’t bear having to look at the other hara in the room. What was the hidden history between Freyhella and Gelaming? Loki knew in his gut it was more than tribal politics.

‘It seems you look upon this visit as a holiday,’ Galdra said, as the Gelaming put their coats back on. ‘Bringing harlings here.’

‘This is the son of the Tigrons,’ Eyra said, indicating Loki. ‘It’s part of his education to visit other tribes, hardly a holiday.’

‘What is your name?’ Galdra asked Loki.

Loki told him, in a small voice he was powerless to make louder.

Galdra raised his eyebrows and almost smiled, but his eyes were dark and furious. ‘That name comes from this land,’ he said.

‘I know,’ Loki said. ‘It’s the name of a god.’

‘Then it’s fitting your family brought you here, to see where you came from.’

Cal came up behind Loki’s chair and put a hand on his son’s shoulder. ‘Stay here,’ he said. ‘We don’t know how dangerous this phenomenon is.’ He glanced at Raven. ‘Would you…?’

Raven raised his hands. ‘Harling-minder again. No problem. We’ll explore the house.’

Loki didn’t think he needed a minder, but he was glad Raven was staying behind with him. He was confused and upset, feelings he rarely encountered. In just a few exchanges, Galdra had unsettled him greatly. He felt responsible for something, almost guilty. He couldn’t understand it. Was Galdra angry because the Gelaming had used a Freyhellan name?

After the party had left the house, in a cloud of emotional energy that felt positively infected, Loki started talking before Raven could say anything. ‘That Galdra hates me,’ he said. ‘He makes me feel bad. I don’t like these hara. They’re so… so
angry
all the time! It’s because of my name, isn’t it?’

Raven stared at Loki for a few moments. ‘Partly,’ he said. He shook his head.

‘Tell me,’ Loki said. ‘Please. What happened between the Gelaming and the Freyhellans?’

Raven appeared troubled.

‘I’m nearly adult,’ Loki said. ‘I’m supposed to be Aralisian, a politician. Aren’t I? I should know the truth.’

Raven smiled, and it seemed directed inwards on a memory. ‘Sometimes we forget,’ he said. ‘We forget how quickly our harlings grow.’ He sighed. ‘All right, I’ll speak to you as an adult, but only if you react like an adult and keep it to yourself. It’s best you hear from me anyway I suppose, rather than from some har who just wants to gossip.’

Loki swallowed. He felt apprehensive, wondering if he’d asked for more than he could cope with.

‘Your hostling was once close to Galdra har Freyhella,’ Raven said. ‘Pell and your father were parted for a while, and in that time, we went to war. Galdra worked with Pell intensively during that time, very...
intimately
. Everyhar knew he fell in love with Pell. Some say he acted opportunistically, taking advantage of Pell when he was vulnerable. Some say he had designs to take Cal’s place as Tigron. Personally, I don’t think he had any real agenda; he was just besotted.

‘But whatever plans he might or might not have had, he was cast aside when Cal returned. Cal made sure of it. I hope you can understand now why Galdra seems a bit prickly around you. You were conceived almost immediately after Cal came back to us. And then, for whatever reason, Cal named you for an ancient Freyhellan deity. Galdra must see that as a mordant joke. Knowing Cal, it was meant that way. I’m sorry. It’s best you should know. In the future, you’ll have to deal with this tribe.’

Loki actually felt relieved. He had thought it would be worse than that. ‘It makes sense to me,’ he said. ‘Cal wasn’t pleased about what Galdra did. He stole a name, because Galdra tried to steal something important from him.’

Raven put his head to one side. ‘Astute,’ he said. ‘He took the name because he could. Galdra could never take what he wanted.’

‘Pell became close to Galdra because he looks like Cal, and Cal wasn’t there.’

Raven laughed. ‘Already you are learning about more than one form of politics. Relationships can sometimes be more complex than any inter-tribal dealings.’

Loki felt very pleased with himself, proud of his conclusions. It all made perfect sense. Perhaps, in his dealings with the Freyhellans, he should be more accommodating. Galdra had been hurt. Now he had to endure Cal’s presence here. It must burn his skin like acid.
And I am living proof of a love he couldn’t have,
Loki thought. The cells of his body had reacted to Galdra, because once Pellaz had been close to him. Pell’s memories were inside him in some way. ‘Did my hostling ever love Galdra?’ Loki asked.

Raven frowned. ‘I can’t answer that. How can I?’

Dinner was held in the Hall of Assembly, where long tables had been laid out to accommodate around sixty guests. Galdra, perhaps grudgingly, invited the Gelaming to share his table. Eyra sat on one side of him, Cal on the other. Loki sat next to his father, one side of his body freezing cold, owing to the invisible pane of ice that separated Cal from Galdra, the effects of which crackled far. Amazingly, they were able to converse in stilted fashion. Cal was on his best behavior and didn’t mention Pellaz once, Loki noticed. Eyra kept up a professional stream of conversation – a hardened diplomat. Terez and Raven, sitting on Loki’s other side, appeared to befriend the hara near to them. The flowing mead and wine might have had something to do with that.

‘I’ll send some of my Listeners to Freygard,’ Eyra was saying. ‘The phenomenon should be monitored constantly. It might be best if you cordoned off the area.’

Galdra nodded shortly. ‘I’ll see to that now.’ He glanced at Cal. ‘Previously, a word from the Assembly was enough to keep our hara away.’

‘It might be nothing to worry about,’ Cal said. ‘I’ll take another look tomorrow, open a portal next to it.’

‘Is that wise?’ Galdra asked.

Loki could almost hear Cal’s unspoken response:
As if you care!

‘Probably not,’ Cal replied, ‘but it might produce results.’

‘I don’t want to put my hara in danger.’

Cal smiled politely. ‘Trust me, tiahaar. I
do
know what I’m doing.’ He stood up. ‘Please excuse me for a moment.’

As he left the table, Eyra turned to speak with Velaxis. Loki became excruciatingly aware that he and Galdra were sitting next to one another, with nohar else to talk to. He felt he wanted to say something, but had no idea what. Eventually, inspiration struck. He cleared his throat. ‘Tiahaar…?’

Galdra turned to him and Loki’s confidence nearly fled. He grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and plunged on.

‘It is my wish…. I will be part of the Hegemony in a few years. It is my wish for there to be no bad feeling between us.’

Galdra raised his brows, smiled. ‘Tiahaar, there is no bad feeling between us. Of that, be assured.’

‘I understand the history,’ Loki said gravely.

Galdra laughed. ‘Do you?’

Loki glanced at the Freyhellan, and realised that perhaps he didn’t understand at all. Raven didn’t know everything, clearly. ‘I wish only to build bridges between our tribes.’

Galdra reached out and briefly touched Loki’s cheek. When he spoke, his speech was formal. ‘My dear harling, you already are a bridge.’ He stood up. ‘I think perhaps you were brought here as a spear, but it does not wound me. Far from it. Your hara speak of courtesy, yet they do me the greatest discourtesy. Perhaps it is done in ignorance. I have no way of knowing.’

‘Tiahaar…’ Loki felt strangely helpless; the situation was spiraling beyond his control.

Galdra raised a hand. ‘Please. Enough. With those words, I should perhaps excuse myself also.’ He bowed his head respectfully and left the table.

Loki watched him go. There was a quiet dignity in Galdra’s posture that spoke of great pain. Loki’s face was flaming. He was a symbol of all Galdra had lost, brought here to pour bitter salt into a wound. That must be why he’d felt ashamed in Galdra’s presence. He wasn’t sure what feeling gripped his body, and for a brief moment wondered whether it was some kind of adult thing. But no, it didn’t feel like that. It was something else.

Chapter Five

Shortly after their founder, Tyr, wrested power from what was left of humanity in the area, the Freyhellans devised their own alphabet, a new set of runes, imbued with symbolism that embraced their androgynous condition. These runes were called the Harrark, and they were used to write down the history of the tribe. On the day the Gelaming came to Freygard, the historian of Freyhella began to record recent events. He wrote it in a beautiful hand, on the thick creamy pages of a book crafted by local hara. Within the words, as subtle as a faint scent borne on a soft breeze, twined the story of Pellaz har Aralis and Galdra, archon of Freygard. Its specter still haunted the soul of the tribe.

The Gelaming Hegemony had never paid an official visit to Freygard. Before the second war with Fulminir, this was because Tyr, who was then still archon of Freyhella, had had a great mistrust of any tribe setting themselves up to be superior to all others. Then Tyr was murdered in a mysterious fashion and Galdra became archon. Tyr’s death had been the catalyst that forced Galdra to contact Immanion, albeit with the greatest of misgivings. And during the following conclave of tribes in Immanion, as Wraeththu attempted to consolidate to ensure a safe future, Galdra had fallen in love. It had been a love doomed to tragedy.

After the war, the distance between the Gelaming and Freyhella increased. Hara might have spoken about it together, safe in their dwellings, but no official statement came from the Hall of Assembly. Everyhar was aware of some of what had transpired, and felt that Galdra had been used. Tigron Pellaz was a hard and ruthless creature. Although Galdra did not show it, many believed his spirit was, if not broken, then cracked and bleeding. He had wrapped part of himself in the banner of his pride. He had put it into a secret chest and locked it away. The light of Freyhella had dimmed, if only slightly, and the hara of the tribe could not forgive the Gelaming for that. Many waited for the day of retribution, for they felt that it would come.

Their historian recorded the events of the first official visit. He wrote of how Calanthe har Aralis went to the site of the spirit window and had there used his ability to open an otherlanes portal. Cal quickly discovered that the phenomenon, whatever it was, was not a gateway to the otherlanes. It was something else entirely, a different kind of portal. It would not allow him to enter it, even though he was brave and foolish enough to try. He learned only one thing. It was an exit, not an entrance. But whatever might squeeze from it, he could not say. It was beyond his experience.

The Freyhellans dreamed strange dreams. They saw shadows from their windows. They heard whispers in the rustling of leaves, in the song of the wind through the fishing nets strung out to dry. They were haunted.