A Song of Snow and Ashes by S.J. Drew

there. He was in his early forties but looked older, with gray-streaked dirty blond hair and light brown eyes, and he was carrying a bowl of stew. "My name is Jomei. May I come in, my Lady?" he asked in the Light language.

  She nodded.

  "Hialmar has decided that it would be better to meet with you tomorrow to discuss plans."

  "Good."

  He placed the bowl of stew on the low table next to her. "You should eat."

  She cautiously took a bite. "This is odd."

  "You'll get used to this kind of food."

  Surprised to find it tasted pretty good, she finished up the bowl quickly.

  "I will be teaching you the human language of this area."

  "Thank god," she replied.

  "But Aidan will have to serve as your translator outside of classes."

  "Why?"

  "I have other duties I must attend to, I'm afraid."

  "Can't you find someone else?" she pleaded.

  "I'm sorry, my Lady. I was in the meeting with the Council, which broke up upon hearing of your abrupt departure from the dining hall. Aidan will be made to apologize. I suggest you forgive him. We will want you to learn to fight, and someone has to be able to explain the instructions to you."

  "Fight?"

  He nodded. "More will be explained tomorrow. If what Aidan told us about what you said is true, you probably need your rest."

  "What did he say?"

  "That you apparently weren't given a choice to come here," the priest answered mildly.

  "No, I wasn't. I was told to go by the head of the Order there." Quickly she debated opening up to him. "Priest or not, I don't trust these people. I'm not sure priests are so trustworthy anyway," she thought bitterly. She turned her attention back to him and said, "I really wasn't given much time to discuss the matter with them."

  "Why did they send you here?"

  "They said they had found out that the Dark Avatar was in this part of the world, north from here. They said that the demians could help me." She decided not to mention that they didn't want her to bring trouble to her home. She didn't want any more hostility directed at her.

  "They found the Dark Avatar?" he asked, looking surprised. "Your Order must be powerful. So they just said the demians would help?"

  She nodded.

  "Well, that's interesting. The demians aren't really fighters."

  "Hanae has told me. I don't think the head of the Order told me everything before I was sent away."

  "That's also interesting. The demians are not going to be a great help, although I think that the Dark clerics will have a difficult time finding you here. The demians have an odd magic, but it protects them from magical spying. Maybe that's why your Order sent you here."

  "Could be," she agreed, but without much enthusiasm. With her anger and grief spent for the moment, she was starting to feel very tired.

  "Do you have any questions about the humans here?"

  "Why are there so few women?" she asked immediately. "And how come I'm dressed differently?"

  "Most people who came here did so to protect the demians, although some of the older men are here because they have tired of human society in general. The majority are from the farming communities to the west of this forest. Women in that sort of society don't do much fighting. Neither do the men, really. But for young men who want a different sort of life for themselves, defending the demians has a certain appeal. The clothes the women wear aren't exactly suitable for fighting, so you've been given more practical clothes. Don't worry, women can choose to dress in the same manner as men, but usually they don't."

  "Do you ever have to actually fight?"

  "Sometimes. There are groups of bandits that will come through, thinking that the demians would be easy to rob because they do have a reputation for peace and non-violence. It only happens once in about five years, but that's often enough to draw those who wish to fight. Sometimes older men come with their families if their home has been destroyed. That happens through natural disasters or through bandits."

  She struggled to remember her education about the rest of the world. "To the west of us is a plains area and a country named Trevelan. Mulago is the capitol city, and home to an Arcane Academy. North west of this area are the city-states, who are in a state of peace right now. And there are also isolated communities scattered through the woods. I think there's a lake even farther west, and I know there are mountains to the north, but I'm afraid I'm too tired now to remember much else."

  "It's better than I would have expected."

  "My job included an extensive eduction on politics and geography."

  "That may be useful, depending on what the Council decides," the priest replied.

  "Do I get any say in any of this?" she asked.

  "Of course."

  "Then why were you going to meet while I was having dinner?"

  He sighed. "Honestly? You are not what we expected, and there is, as you've apparently noticed, some hostility toward you. I, at least, was planning to talk the others out of their prejudices as best I could."

  "I'm guessing that my behavior tonight will not help matters?"

  "On the contrary, I think the fact that you were willing to stand up for yourself will go over well with some of the Council."

  She sighed. "That's a small comfort. I'm tired. I'd like to go to bed now."

  He stood up and took the bowl. "Sleep well, my Lady. You'll be woken early by Hanae.”

  “Wait. Why Hanae if there are other women here? I need to learn the customs of women here,” she said, choosing her words delicately, “and I thought at first that there were no human women. But there are, so wouldn’t they be better to help me out than a demian?”

  “The women all have extensive duties, not to mention their own families to tend to. Even if you are the LightBearer, they must tend to their other duties first. Hanae is one of the few demians who speaks the Light language. But if you wish to know more about us, please feel free to ask me.”

  She felt Jomei’s explanation was incomplete, and wondered if the other women had feelings that reflected Aidan’s and probably the Council’s – that they shouldn’t have to be bothered to babysit some stranger. She nodded. "I appreciate that," she replied.

  He bowed slightly, then left her.

  She locked the door and went to bed. Exhausted and grief-stricken, she fell into a fitful sleep.

  Donnan woke up early enough to go to work. "I don't feel different," he thought. "But I still don't know what to do about this." Out of habit and lack of a better plan for the day, he dressed, got breakfast, and went to work.

  "Where in darkness were you yesterday?" Darris demanded, bustling into the kitchen as he was putting on his apron.

  "I was sick. Couldn't get out of bed."

  "Well, you look much better today for having been so sick."

  He shrugged. "Gods honest truth. I was sick."

  "Fine, but if it happens again, I'm going to have to fire you. Gods honest truth," he said with a self-satisfied smile.

  He shrugged again. He could feel the Dark power move within his soul, like a large, lazy river; mostly quiet, but unmistakably present. It gave him a odd sense of confidence, if not reassurance. "Whatever," he replied, and turned his attention back to his work.

  The man's ruddy face turned a deeper shade of red. "Listen here. I won't put up with that kind of disrespect. I can replace you at any time, you know that."

  "Sure. Which is why you still haven't replaced my brother," he muttered.

  Darris sputtered a moment. "Just remember, I can fire you anytime. And you're going to have to work extra hard to make up for missing a day."

  "Yeah, I was plannin' on it."

  "Well, then," he replied, relaxing a bit. "Glad you remember your place." He turned to walk away.

  "I'm still leavin' early today," he stated, washing out a mug.

  "What?" he exclaimed.

/>   "My brother is graduatin' from the guard. I promised I'd go."

  "You can't leave early. Did you just hear me? You have to work extra to make up for missin' a day."

  He shrugged again. "Yeah, and I'll do that. Startin' tomorrow."

  "I just said that you can't go."

  "I'm goin'. It's up to you whether you want me to come back tomorrow," Donnan replied.

  The older man looked quite taken aback. "Well, well, I never had anyone talk to me in such a fashion."

  "What? Honestly?" he retorted, casually washing dishes.

  "What is wrong with you, takin' that kind of attitude with your boss?"

  "Nothin's wrong. I'm doin' my job." Another dish clacked in the sink.

  "You might not have a job if you keep up that attitude."

  "So fire me."

  "I should."

  Donnan's attention was fully on the sink and he just kept washing dishes.

  Darris turned redder and redder, waiting for a response. "Well?" he blurted.

  "Well what?"

  "Do you want me to fire you?" he demanded.

  "Isn't it obvious that I don't really care?"

  "Why, you little whelp," he roared. "I ought to take you outside and teach you some respect."

  At this, Donnan started to laugh. He put down the dishes and just laughed.

  Darris gave him an odd look. "I don't see what's so funny."

  "You are. This is. Honestly, why am I wastin' my life here, workin' for some blowhard like you? And workin' over time no less 'cause you're too cheap to hire someone else. Darris, you can take this job and shove it where the sun don't shine. I've got better things to do." With that, he took off his apron, folded it, set it down on the counter, and walked out the back door.

  Darris just stood there, stunned. "Wait a minute!" he called.

  Donnan didn't stop walking.

  Darris jogged to catch up with him, panting hard. "Wait a minute, my lad."

  He raised an eyebrow.

  "I may have been a bit harsh. I'll give you the afternoon off, like you asked. But someone's got to wash the dishes before we get too backed up and can't serve the lunch crowd. Now come on, lad."

  "For three years I've been workin' for you, holdin' my tongue, doin' what you told me, and gettin' treated like dirt for it. Now I tell you off, and suddenly you're my best friend? Amazin'." He started to walk away again.

  "Wait a minute, wait, wait," he said, puffing up beside him. "Look, I guess I've been a bit cheap. But I really need someone to take care of those dishes. Got a bit behind yesterday, see, and really need to catch up."

  "Give me a raise."

  "A raise? A raise?" he blurted. "Alright. A raise. Five percent."

  "Fifteen."

  "Ten," the large man countered, sweating even in the early morning cool.

  "Ten. And no more overtime."

  "Oh, come on, now, lad. I don't have anyone else," he protested.

  "Pay me time and a half for overtime, and actually try to hire another worker."

  "Time and a half?" he repeated, his voice almost squeaking. "Sounds fair. And I'll hire someone else. What do you say?"

  Donnan just started to laugh again. "I say clearly I've wasted a lot of time tryin' to be nice. 'Bye Darris. Maybe you should wash those dishes. A bit of physical labor would really help work off that big belly of yours." He turned away again.

  "You're fired! I'll make sure you never work again," Darris shouted. "You hear me?"

  He stopped and shook his head. Then he smiled, an ugly smile. Suddenly, a chill wind came up.

  Darris shivered violently, and clapped his arms to his chest. "Never work again," he repeated, but the cold wind had taken away much of his bluster.

  Donnan's smile got broader, and he walked quickly back to his apartment. There he dug out his books on the history of the Mage Wars and re-read them, trying to relax.

  Eliora woke the next morning to the sound of someone knocking at her door. She almost jumped in surprise when she opened her eyes, but quickly remembered where she was and how she had gotten there. "So yesterday was real. All of it. And that means I really can't go home again," she thought. Fighting back tears, she got up and opened the door a crack.

  Hanae was standing there with a smile. "Good morning, my Lady."

  "Hello, Hanae. What are you doing here?"

  "Making sure you don't miss breakfast. Do you need any help?"

  "No, I think I can manage. Thanks anyway."

  "You know where the meeting hall is. Aidan will meet you there." She bowed slightly, then left.

  She closed the door with a sigh. Her heart heavy with sorrow for her missing family, she dressed and went to the meeting hall.

  Aidan was standing outside the door, looking bored. "I'm sorry," he said sullenly.

  Anger flashed briefly, and then faded. "Apology accepted," she replied.

  He gave her a sharp look to determine if she was being sincere.

  "What's after breakfast?" she asked.

  "You get to meet with Council," he answered. "Come on."

  Breakfast was oatmeal, something Eliora had never seen before, but she ate it anyway. When she was done, Aidan lead her to another cottage.

  "Alright, that's enough mourning for now," she told herself. "These people don't seem to like me or trust me, and I have no choice but to rely on their guidance about how this part of the world works. I am the LightBearer. I can cry later. Right now, I have a job to do, and I had better do it well. It will be alright again. At least, I hope so."

  In the living room of the cottage were the same seven men she had seen at dinner the previous night, including the priest. They were seated in a circle. Hialmar gestured for her to sit, then spoke to Aidan. He turned and left, looking irritated.

  "Good morning, Eliora," said Jomei. "I hope you are feeling better today."

  "As well as can be expected," she replied.

  "We, as you may have guessed, are the governing body for the humans who live here. You mentioned that your Order found the Dark Avatar. Did they tell you exactly where?"

  She shook her head. "They said north of this place."

  He relayed this to the Council. "Very well. We shall try to find him. Rather, I will have to try to find him. In the meantime, we think it would be best if you learn to fight."

  "Fight? With weapons, or with magic?"

  "Both, but weapons first."

  "Why? I'm not a fighter. Wouldn't it be better to teach me how to use this magic?"

  "You need to learn control, certainly. But you control fire and ground. Have you thought about how dangerous that is? How many people you could hurt if you used that kind of magic?" the priest asked.

  She shook her head. "No. I didn't even think of that."

  "We were afraid of that. If the Dark Avatar doesn't know who you are, or where you are, he'll probably have to use people to find out. People will probably use weapons to attack you. You need to know how to defend yourself."

  "But the Armor of Obsidian will protect me from mortal weapons."

  He consulted with the group. "We still feel it's in your best interest to learn to fight. What if the Dark Avatar draws a weapon against you?"

  "Maybe you're right. But I'm warning you, I have no experience fighting."

  He relayed that to the group. "That's probably for the best. The weapons are different from the ones in your home land. You're going to spend at least a couple of hours every morning with me to learn the language. The rest of the day you're going to spend learning to fight."

  "What about learning magic?" she asked. She didn't like the idea that she had to learn to fight, but she could understand the reasons why she needed to learn.

  "That's going to be more difficult. We already have to teach you our language. Then we have to find someone to teach you Arcana, because none of us know it."

  "I already know Arcana."
/>
  "What?" he blurted, surprised.

  "I already know Arcana," she repeated patiently, with some satisfaction that at least in one area she had exceeded the Council's expectations of her. "My government deals with the Arcane Circle, so people with my job are taught to read and write Arcana. I can't speak it very well, but as I understand it, magic is actually written out in runes and glyphs."

  He relayed this to the Council, and they seemed surprised but pleased. After a few minutes of discussion, Jomei spoke again. "That's very good news. We'll give you a month to learn our language and to fight, and then we'll work on finding you a mage tutor."

  "What about the Dark Avatar?"

  "We're going to ask our friends and family, and try to get in touch with local authorities, but I'm afraid we're just going to wait. If he wants to make his power obvious, he'll know it very soon. If not, we're going to have to find him."

  Hialmar said something, and Jomei nodded. "We're dismissed. It's time for your language lessons."

  Jomei took her to his large cottage, which was located right behind the temple. There were no signs anyone else lived there. He lead her to a study, pulled out a few books, and she started her lessons. The morning passed.

  "Alright, it's about lunch time," Jomei said.

  "Good. I'm hungry."

  "Say it in Northern."

  She repeated the phrase in his language.

  "Now, have you ever had a chance to read the Book of Sol?"

  She shook her head. "But I know it's the holy text of the Order of Light."

  "Well, this is a good chance for you to do so. I think everyone should read it. I happen to have a copy written in both the Light language and Northern. I want you to take these and study them at night. Understand?"

  She nodded.

  "These are the same books I used as study aids when I was learning the Light language. I'll see you tomorrow."

  She dropped the books off at her cottage, and found Aidan waiting for her at the meeting hall. After lunch, he took her to an area near the southern edge of the city. It appeared to have been long used to train people to fight. The grass was well worn in jogging paths and fencing strips, some trees had targets painted on them, and there was a small gym. Two dozen men were there already practicing.

  "Who's going to be my instructor?" she asked.

  "I am," Aidan answered.

  "You? Why?"

  "Because I know how to fight, and I'm the only person who can talk to you, that's why," he retorted, sounding insulted.

  "I'm sorry. I meant no offense."

  "Whatever. I guess the first thing we have to do is teach you basic self-defense. Punches, kicks, and things like that. That will build up your strength and endurance. But first, we stretch out and then we jog."

  "This sounds like what my little brothers do before they go out and play," she thought. She stretched out her muscles and followed Aidan. Her side started to hurt and she was finding it hard to draw breath, but didn't say anything. They ran laps around the trees in a well worn path for what she guessed must have been three miles. When he stopped, she almost fell to the ground, her legs hurt so much.

  "How are you doing?" he asked with a smirk.

  "Just fine. Can I have some water?" she asked, gasping for air.

  "Follow me." He took her to a small well in the training area. "You get to draw the water. You do know how, don't you?"

  She held her temper and her tongue, and drew up some water. There was a ladle attached to the bucket, which he used to dip out the water. Then she took a long drink.

  "Back to work," he said with a smile.

  "He's barely