Bertan`s quest - Michelle Tarynne (best beach reads of all time txt) 📗

heavens as he strode outside into the night full of brightly glowing stars.

Hunn turned into one of the unlit back ways. Genes tried to follow his stride, but again had to run to keep the pace.

"We have no other choice," The Wicked One sighed quietly, "It seems, we need to make a Summoning Call now if we are to gather and eave quickly. I know you have never done it before, and that you are still young in age, body, and mind, but it's the only way for everyone to get here as soon as possible. Do you agree?" Hunn bent and stared intently into boy's eyes, suddenly filled with excitement and eagerness.

Genes couldn't believe his own luck when he heard those words aimed at him.

"Master Hunn! I'm old enough by the Lore rules!" he tried to sound affronted, but his excitement made him giggle. Nothing could ever land a Seekinglander boy like him right on the way to maturity more, than this. Performing the making of the Summoning Call was reserved for the adults only. To have such a great first time Inductor was a highest honor. This Cycle was becoming the best Cycle of his entire life.

"You are so young, so you had no chance to learn about the ways of the Calling and we have no time to get you all settled up, hopefully what I tell you now will be enough,” Hunn quietly explained, “Two Summoners are able to make a Clear Call, for every Seekinglander native in the wide area to receive. Though three participants or more would be more effective. Luckily, this brutal castle is no home of ours so any Call, even a weak one, will be heeded closely. We all can feel the danger all around us ever since we have entered this land with Vlad." Hunn coughed and scratched his neck. "The ability to make and receive the Calling is regarded both as a craft and a gift reserved for our tribe only. It's attributed to a fallen God by some, and to the long lost Other Homeland Stronghold by others. We don't really know to be honest. We don't know how it happened that our vocal cords evolved into being able to carry out a specific pitch line that's imperceptible to others. Even we can't hear it, but we are able to receive this vibration and feel it deep within with our secondary inner heart of thymus gland that vibrates at certain intervals." Hunn coughed again taking cover in an unlit entryway. It was important not to draw any unwanted attention at that point. He bowed his head like in a prayer, and carried out the inaudible Calling Song.

Genes' excitement for Hunn to induce the right pitch could not be confined. Without Master Inductor to carry out the vibration, he would never find the right tone by himself. After a moment of hesitation, he followed the Wicked One's lead, with the happiness of a newfound home swirling up in his own chest. If his young inner core could sing in colors, it would have been pink and baby blue, not pure adult male colors yet. It didn't matter right then for he was glad he has finally found it, for the first time in his life.

His happiness froze momentarily when he realized that he was the only one singing. Hunn staggered and fell on his side, still gently enough to protect the Haxe bird in his arms from harm.

"Don't stop the Call now!" the Wicked One hissed through the haze of mind-erasing pain.

Genes tried so hard not to panic. He had to make the Call all on his own for only a few more moments, so he focused internally on checking if it was still right and tried to hold tears at the sight of the tiny pricks of blood marring Hunn's unnaturally relaxed body.

The Haxe bird never roused either, sleeping soundly. That was so eerily wrong, the Northerner birds were known for their ferocity and awareness at all times, even when just chicks, like this one.

The boy's attempts to move the giant weight forward failed. Dark shadows seeped in around getting closer than ever. Genes' fear could not be contained any longer. It devoured all of him.

 

2

 

Sleep refused to arrive for Bertan. Her mind was still speeding and over thinking every single detail of the past, unable to shut down. As the only spy of the Third Line to the Throne back home, she was carrying out the scouting mission of the inner Axe stronghold castle for the last three months.

There was no other way for her to be useful, for her own unbent nature to never take part in any conflict went straight against its rules of blood. That Blood-Spirit was trained and ingrained into every man, woman, and child of her Kingdom. Therefore, as useless as she was to her own kind, she had been sent away at an early age, to the Southern Daughters tribe, to learn something that could be of use someday. Not that they had ever had a use for spies in the past. Though, in the recent Great Cycles it was noted by those in power that the times and their neighbors changed wee too fast for the Royal Line House’ liking.

However, at the time she had chosen to learn espionage, it was still deemed a humiliating and lowly profession. To add a bit of urgency to the matter of her trade choice, it had been rather a choice between becoming a cowering, cowardly spy, or a quick beheading at her mother's hand. So, it wasn't really a choice at all, but a prolonged death sentence, stating, she might live just a bit longer to prove her usefulness.

The merciful Fates had it that her fierce mother had developed a soft heart for her weak daughter. The Fates had it too that Bertan was still quite young and literally smallest of her kind, so she could join and blend into the southern vagabond tribe unnoticed. Her small size was her biggest advantage, so that she even had the chance to learn the newfound trade of her redemption, but it never occurred to Bertan that it was any real choice for her.

The Southern Daughters tribe was made not of fighters or men. They never had to wear any protective armor, never had to strike any killing blow either. The ladies made cunning spies and liars instead. The legendary show-acting glorious artists of illusion shadowed the truth with their subtle beauty.

Bertan had been forced by the invisible Fates to follow and learn the tribe's ways for so many Great Cycles of darkness that she stopped counting. It appeared like the only way to survive and live through. The only truth she discovered while living with the southern tribe was that no yearning to go back home ever strung at her core, and the good day, was the one that bore no reminders of her native origins. And still, she wouldn't go as far as to admit finding happiness at the seemingly peaceful profession, or that she was closer of finding her purpose anywhere outside of her Kingdom.

By the last unbearable heat cycle of darkness an unfamiliar merchant of her kind had approached her to buy some of the services she offered. She was to source the information, supply the targeted drawings, and collect the general gossip mill from the inside of the Axe Inner Block. It's not like she could ever decline that offer while being blood-bound to her kind at birth, but being approached this way raised many red flags and questions in her mind. They have always gone directly for the kill with all of their might, and had never bothered with scouting any sort of information before. This change of strategy was alarming in a way that made her scared for the first time since she had left the Court.

Bertan nosed around the Inner Block for the last two weeks, blending within the Last Diner by the Eastern Tracks with her fiery twin team. By the Fates! One more friendly pat on her butt by the hazed Axe troops that stationed just by the Inner Block gates, and she might snap, cursing the day she let herself be bought for that assignment.

She got out of her sleeping bag on the floor and nervously paced to the window. The floorboards squeaked mercilessly causing the Great Matron to peek into the room.

"Can't sleep, eh? Would you take the next shift in the Cantine on the Inner Block instead of pacing and destroying still good floorboards? Eh?" The aged Matron smiled sincerely. "I know you are always in need of the money dear, this lazy family of yours must put a great strain on you."

She had undoubtedly meant the two partners Bertan arrived with. For their unforgettable beauty, they had to work deeper within the shadows, not to be noticed and remembered by anyone, unlike her. Bertan had no beauty on her side, but that meant she had the gift of blending herself into any circumstances. No man would ever remember her much. No woman would ever look at her twice, that is, unless she wanted them to.

"Yes, M'Lady. I can't seem to sleep when the castle lights are blinking constantly. They are so bright, and I'm still new here," Bertan quickly admitted, expressing just the right amount of embarrassment, careful not to overplay it.

"No worries my child. It's normal for the foreigners to need a longer time in adjusting. Maybe it could be profitable for you too" older woman chuckled, "The High Council still has a meeting in the highest block, they always have a coin or a gem to spare," the Matron looked at Bertan expectantly.

"Really M'Lady? Maybe I could persuade my sisters to come with me. They could at least try to help me," Bertan looked pleadingly into the older woman's eyes, searching for the permission she badly needed that night.

"But of course!" Old Matron was obviously pleased with the way she was able to talk this girl into an extra shift. More so, she would even have three maids up in the Inner Block, where in truth, not one really shed a coin unless it was to buy flesh, which she was pretty sure, the younglings would never agree to. Maybe life has just started to be tough on the three sisters. They still had this aura of being fresh, truthful, and pure. Not many maids of the Inner Block could claim that if any at all.

"Here you go, child," the Matron gave Bertan three pass-coins into the Inner Block, "Have a good duty-shift."

"Thank you, Matron," Bertan quickly curtsied, quickly readjusted her clothing and ran towards the shed her partners stayed.

 

"Get up ladies, we are officially going to the Inner Block!" she whispered sharply.

"No way sister, how did that even happen?" the quick and sharp beast of beauty that went by the name Si'Waters asked.

"No time to tell, we are going to the inner Cantine for a shift. Matron was way too gleeful to get us there, so something must be up." Bertan muttered quietly. Everything in the area seemed to be on a watch-duty. It was unnerving enough for her to be on the highest