Eight 5.20: A History of Holes

I had to school the expression on my face while on walking back to camp, otherwise I would arrive with a goofy smile on my face.

The others were just about ready to go, so my timing was indeed good. I grabbed my pack, slung it over my shoulders, and got into formation.

Next to me, Fala had that look that told me she was focusing on the network.

Yuki popped up among my thoughts to let me know: ‘The Deer God and she are introducing themselves to each other.’

A smile threatened to spill out onto my face again. The family, the herd, was finally all on the same footing. Maybe the edges of my lips turned up a little. Even my authority couldn’t suppress the delight I felt in that moment.

###

You would think that I’d pester the Deer God for the secrets of the universe, but what I really wanted from him were stories of mis abuelos. And for whatever his reasons, he humored me.

The Deer God told me about how they first met via an introduction of a bruja aunt with a talent for matchmaking. How they fought at first, yet eventually came together to hunt a sorcerer plaguing the villages nearby. How they took pleasure in each other under a starry night on a hill known to be sacred to the Wolf God. They were unmarried at the time and also undeterred.

That last story was more than a little TMI, but the Deer God was on a roll by then. My grandparents came to life through his words, and I wasn’t going to say or do anything to stop him.

He told tale after tale, punctuated at times by his need to talk about how this leaf or that leaf was particularly tasty or to complain about having to pee yet again. At one point, he spent an hour exploring the urge to drive off the other bucks he encountered.

After two days of this, it occurred to me the Deer God might be chatterbox. By the fifth day, he’d calmed down, and I realized that he’d had no one to talk to for eight years. He was just pent up.

###

Fifteen days had passed since we’d left Bashtotwei, and we were about a week out from Maltra’s border. The number of lakes and waterways had increased as we’d traveled west. So did the size them. The mountains to the south receded and leaving in their place fertile plains and lakes like long fingers.

On day sixteen, we came across a granite outcropping vaguely in the shape of a hammer. Similar to the shield, it was old, old stone that felt weightier than the rest of the landscape around it.

Later that evening, an infestation of giant codra mites passed through the camp. Without having to be asked, Fala and I threw ourselves into the skirmish. The fight itself was straightforward, but there were a lot of the insects and their bites had to be treated immediately because the victims tended to immediately go into anaphylactic shock.

Here’s the thing about Healing Water, the spell didn’t work on severe allergic reactions, since that was the body’s own response to an allergen. So when Kana was stung, I had to cut a slit in his trachea so that he could continue breathing after his throat swelled shut.

Multiple rounds of Nature’s Spring supported him until the shock faded, his blood pressure returned to normal, and he regained consciousness. By then, the fighting had died around us, and I helped him lay out in a more comfortable position.

He stayed woozy for while after that, which left Tru waiting until nearly midnight. I watched with fascination as the concern for Kana’s wellbeing warred with the pressure building inside her. Her talent for Debauched Allegiance worked to contain her Simmering Rage, but the side effects were noticeable. Her spirit didn’t settle down until after they came back from having sex, at which point Kana conked out. The others let him sleep, splitting his watch shift between them.

###

We were two days out from Bashtencru when a sudden thunderstorm rolled through the area, the ground trembling as flickers of lightning touched the earth. The rain poured, and the threat of flooding sent us scrambling for shelter.

Alas, there were no caves at this point in the journey—they’d make a reappearance farther west—and Fala wasn’t willing to reveal her capacity to manipulate stone, so we settled into a pocket midway up between two small hills. The aim was to stay above any flooding but not so high up as to attract lightning.

We huddled in our cloaks and bore the storm as best we could. There was electricity in the air, such a furious energy, but it found no resonant spark within me. The excitement, the ecstasy of skyfire I’d once felt, was simply gone. I sat like the others to wait out the storm. At least, I wasn’t as cold and miserable. The rain comforted me, and through me, Fala was protected too.

The whole world drummed with the sound of the rain, and I felt the shaking of every leaf and twig around us. All the small things hid—the land and its residents becoming clearer to my senses as the water washed over and through it.

The storm lasted for hours, and I spent much of the time thinking about what I’d lost and what I’d gained. My authority had attempted to assert itself early on, but I willed it down, so that I could see myself clearly.

The was as saying in our lodge: “A hunter prized the truth above all else.”

###

The storm continued until nearly 10:30 in the evening, so we camped in place. The ground, the trees, the bushes—everything was drenched and soggy, which meant there was no fire that night. Normally, the lack of warmth would be dangerous, but none of us were normal. Still, we huddled in our little groups, because that was more comfortable than shivering in the cold by yourself.

And so the rest of the night passed quietly, the monsters in the world deciding for once that it was too much trouble to cause trouble.

###

The next morning, the sky was perfectly blue and innocent, as if the previous day’s storm had been a nightmare that had now passed. A few stray clouds painted the horizon in long, feathered strokes.

The best scent was the air after a thunderstorm, and I filled my lungs with it.

‘Donuts, bacon, and a cup of hot coffee would make it better,’ Fala sent. She stood beside me and stretched to work out the stiffness from huddling all night.

Nearby, Melwei’s team pulled apart from their own huddle. They grumbled as the moved, with Butrus sending a glare my way. Apparently, he didn’t appreciate how I was capable of appreciating the fine morning.

I raised an eyebrow at him, and he turned away.

A proper breakfast will have to wait until we’re on our own again, I thought.

‘We can sneak away for a bite,’ she sent. ‘Just the two of us.’

They’ll smell the coffee and the bacon, I replied.

‘A donut then,’ Fala pleaded. ‘One for each of us. Maybe two.’

The others seemed to be in their own little world. They ignored us as they’d dug out cakes of dried masa which they were now reconstituting into a cold gruel. Shaved slices of jerky were added on top. Kana came over to offer me a bowl, but I shook my head.

“Not hungry.”

He gestured with the bowl, offering it again. “We’ve a slog ahead of us, especially if we want to make up the lost time. You’ll need your strength.”

“I’ll eat on the go,” I said, politely declining.

“You know yourself best,” he said, shrugging, then went to join his teammates in discussing different paths for the day’s journey.

I signed to them that I was leaving the camp to go relieve myself, and Fala signaled she would be joining me. A nod from Melwei indicated he’d seen our messages, while Wilaeina made the gesture for “area clear, but be careful.”

My beloved nearly vibrated in anticipation. There were two dozen donuts stored in our Hoarder’s Pocket. I felt her attention on them even as we navigated the treacherous footing up the hill. The soil was thick and muddy under our feet. The view from the top should be worth it, though, plus we’d be out of sight once on the other side.

And I was right, the view was glorious—with everything green and alive after the rain had soaked into a land that felt sated. Ready, even, for the labors of the seasons ahead. It was heady.

Yuki joked, ‘We don’t need a roller coaster when we have Ollie/Eight’s emotions to ride.’

That surprised a laugh out of me. “I’ve always been this way.”

Their response was a loving smile, because of course they knew and accepted that aspect of myself. ‘At least life is never boring.’

“No, it never is,” Fala said, her head tilting as she chased a stray thought or observation.

“What is it?” I asked.

My beloved knelt to put her hands on the ground, then with a gesture, the cover of detritus and mud slid away to reveal a mass of granite underneath. More mud was quickly shifted aside, and I saw how the stone might look like the top of a… well, top. The children’s toy.

“It’s another of the outcroppings.” Fala’s eyes narrowed in concentration.

Now that it was visible, I could tell that was the case from the way the stone drew my eyes. Sinking into the land and opening my spirit eyes wider, I felt how the border between life and death was thin here. The tear in the veil was still in the process of healing, of thickening, from an injury. If I wanted to, with some effort, I could probably pierce it.

‘The feeling is the same as the outcropping in Slaughter’s Hollow,’ Fala sent.

The boundary was damaged in the past, and it’s clear now that some unknown zasha went around afterward to plug the holes and give them time to recover.

‘Who and how long ago?’ Yuki asked.

‘Hundreds of years,’ Fala sent.

I frowned in thought. Can you narrow the range? How many hundreds?

Fala went quiet as her concentration sharpened. The minutes ticked by as she lost herself in a meditation with the stone. I kept an eye on our surroundings as she did so, including on Melwei’s team in the distance. Occasionally, I felt their attention as they checked to make sure I was safe. To them, I must’ve looked like I was enjoying the view.

About twenty minutes passed before Fala roused from her trance. ‘A thousand years, more or less. The stone…’

Yes? I prompted.

‘Reminds me of Old Baxteiyel,’ Fala finished. ‘The scent, the flavor, the… I don’t know how to describe it.’

‘Your eighth sense,’ Yuki provided.

‘Or something like it, yes.’ Fala nodded.

Meanwhile, tension knotted in my belly. Anything having to do with Baxta was a sore spot. Is it the stone itself that reminds you of Old Baxteiyel or the hole it’s covering?

She shook her head, not knowing the answer. ‘After so many years, the stone’s essence has bled into its surroundings, and the surroundings have bled into it.’

The frown on my face returned deeper than before. I couldn’t escape the thought that if there’d been a zasha in the past who went around fixing these holes, then there had to be someone who’d made them in the first place. Unless they’re a natural phenomenon?

Off to the northwest, the Deer God changed directions to head this way. I felt his desire to investigate this outcropping. I knelt to touch the stone, and Fala stood to take over the watch.

The stone was old—I could tell that much—and like the trowel in Slaughter’s Hollow, it stood out against the background of the land. Perhaps not to the same degree, but the outcropping did draw the eye if you knew how and where to look.

There was also a sense of being muffled, like being swaddled in blankets of thick wool. It came to me then that the feeling reminded me of the overwhelming silence I’d experienced on the spirits journeys I’d undertaken.

Fala tapped me on the shoulder. ‘Not too deep. Our guides will come for us soon.’

I nodded to show I’d heard her, then extended about four points’ worth of spirit mana from my hand into the stone.

Was it dumb to tamper with things outside of my ken? Yes, absolutely.

Did that stop me? No, because I had to know more—a need arising from both my authority and my history. It was probably my imagination, but I could practically feel my ancestors climbing out of their graves to come deal with the sorcerer responsible.

‘That would never happen,’ the Deer God sent. ‘Your people never practiced the art of raising zombies.’

Which was a message distracting enough to knock me loose from my meditation on the stone. There were zombies in my previous life?

‘Not like the ones here, but yes. Or so I’m told—there were different earth spirits responsible for those parts of the world.’

And my people’s way was…?

‘If you’d listened to Catalina, she would’ve taught you how to beseech the spirits for help.’

Then it’s a good thing you’re here.

I felt the Deer God snort as he ran across the countryside. ‘Here, we are both learning.’

‘The guides are approaching,’ Fala sent.

The outcropping hadn’t rejected my offering, I noted. The spirit mana had pooled on its surface at first, but then sank into the stone as if accepted. There was one more thing to try, and I turned the full focus of my attention on the Uncanny Tracker talent inside me.

Every sense came alive as the land grew even more present. There was the earthiness of the mud, the fresh air, the green things all round, the heaviness of the stone, the hawks flying above searching for prey, and everything else beyond those things.

Magical. Life was magical. Dangerous and lovely.

And amidst all that, the outcropping gave up no clues as to who had left it behind nor where they might’ve gone. I was foolish to think there was even a chance my talent might work across such an incredible span of years. The veil of time was impervious to my efforts. The zasha from back then would remain unknown, it seemed.

I stood up and knocked the mud clinging to my pants away. With a gesture, Fala covered over the outcropping once more.

Up the hill came Wilaeina. “We’re heading out shortly,” she said, then turned to take in the view. The crankiness in her spirit faded as she stood alongside us for a time, enjoying the land after a rain storm.

When we all walked back down to the others, she had a half-smile on her face. But then, she was ignorant of the outcroppings’ true purpose.

Fala and I, on the other hand, carried the burden of that knowledge.

‘Is it really a burden, though?’ Yuki asked. ‘It was a thousand years ago.’

At first, I wasn’t sure how to articulate my worries, then the words came to me as if descending from the heavens. All it takes is one person to forge a path. Where they go, others may follow.

A moment later, I thought up at the sky, Hello? Is anyone there?

The answer appeared to be silence, but then I became aware of how the world was still fully present in my senses. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees, and in the distance a handful of birds squawked. Down below, Kana laughed at something Melwei said. Then Tru joined in, startling something in the bushes that fled.

I know it’s strange, but those sounds—I felt they were an answer to my call.

###

As the rest of us restarted our travels, the Deer God investigated the outcropping, saying that he found power in it. He didn’t eat any thankfully, but he did lick the stone, and the flavor was the same as the trowel in Slaughter’s Hollow. He must’ve snuck a taste back then.

What about the sword and shield? I asked.

A feeling of consternation came from him. ‘I didn’t know to check the sword more closely,’ he replied. ‘And the shield had gone… stale? Become faded? There was only the faint remnant of power left within it.’

Why didn’t you mention this before?

‘We couldn’t speak directly then,’ he said, his tone matter-of-fact.

Oh, right.

‘And also, there is nothing to do. It is enough for the moment to know that sorcerers exist and for us to watch for them.’

‘Maybe we won’t ever need to do anything,’ Yuki interjected.

But the Deer God and I both knew—people tended to flock toward the promise of easy power. It would only be a matter of time.