The Diviner, part one
Einar meets the mysterious woman of Spektor forest
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The Diviner
Part One
The third time the bell tolled, the guards changed over and the city gate began to close. Once the bell only rang when there was a death in the city, now it marked the end of the day. Einar watched it shut from his hiding place; wedged between two homes under the shadow of the eaves opposite the bastion. It would take merely minutes for them to close the gate, sealing everyone inside for the night, and he witnessed every second of it.
Only a few workers were permitted to work outside the city wall and even less were permitted to work the streets at night. Otherwise the curfew was set and everyone returned to their houses. Einar’s mother once talked about nights before the curfew began but then she scoffed at the idea and dismissed it as a dream. After all, the curfew was in place for as long as Einar had been alive and who would let something like that run for sixteen years without question? Even his brother, Saben, was born after the curfew was set.
It was all they had ever known.
Einar watched the gates close every day because he wanted to see the guards return from the sweeps and know that the grounds outside the wall were clear. Tonight was no different except that Saben was one of the guards on patrol.
When his brother had found out that Einar was roaming the night on the other side of the wall, Saben had volunteered to do the evening sweeps. He had to be sure that it was safe and there were no hidden lookouts that Einar didn’t know about.
As the bell rang for the second time, Saben and his comrade, Reika, rode inside. They dismounted their horses and told the soldiers at the gate that it was clear for the night. By the time the bell rang again they were walking the horses through the streets as the city gate closed behind them.
Einar waited until the gates were closed and they were several houses away from him before he slipped out onto the streets himself and began following his brother through Teron. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself so he kept a casual distance behind them.
It wasn’t until he saw Saben leave his horse at the stables that he picked up his pace and bumped into him. Saben peered over his shoulder, ready to apologise, when he recognised Einar. His eyes turned wide, and he frantically glanced around to see if others had noticed before he dragged Einar away.
‘Are you insane?’ Hissed Saben, as he pulled Einar further around the corner of the stables just out of sight from the station of soldiers. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
‘You told me to come find you before I left,’ said Einar.
‘Not here. Do you know what will happen if anyone sees you?’ Einar couldn’t help but smile.
‘You didn’t see me until I walked into you.’
‘That’s not the point,’ said Saben but Einar didn’t care – there was a reason why he wanted to see his brother.
‘Did you go to Spektor Forest? Did you step inside?’
‘I didn’t need to. There’s something not right about that place, Einar. I don’t want you going near it.’
‘If you just went in, even one step past the edge of the forest, you’d understand.’
‘I understand what I felt – like I should have run far away as quickly as I could.’
‘If you went inside and just listened – ’
‘Enough. Einar, please. Just stay away from it.’ Saben checked around the corner again, making sure that he couldn’t be overheard. ‘Listen, beyond this forest and all that nonsense. Now is not the time. They’re tightening the sweeps, there’s more patrols out. They’re looking for anyone to prove guilty. Now is not the time to go roaming through the night.’
‘Easy for you to say, you can go wherever you please.’
‘Einar, I mean it. Just stay hidden.’ Said Saben and with that he drew the hood of Einar’s cloak down over his head. ‘I’ll meet you at home.’ Over his shoulder, Einar spied a woman watching them a few houses down the street. Even at this distance he could tell that it was Maya. As soon as she saw Einar notice her, she retreated into the alley and out of sight.
‘Einar, are you listening to me?’ Einar snapped his attention back to Saben.
‘Yes,’ said Einar. ‘I know. I know. Stay out of sight.’
‘Stay safe.’
‘Got it.’ Saben pointed to the sword at Einar’s waist.
‘And please, leave that thing at home – it just draws attention.’
‘I will when you do.’
‘Einar…’ Einar slipped back into the street and there was nothing Saben could do to stop him. If he called out after him or ran to catch up, he’d only draw attention to them both. If Einar was caught, it would mean the end of his life. If Saben was caught harbouring a fugitive, it would mean the end of their bloodline.
‘To whatever god is listening,’ he whispered. ‘watch over him.’
When Einar first entered the alley he thought that he had made a mistake. Perhaps Maya had turned down into the passage to the fourth line not the ninth. He hesitated at the opening, ready for someone to jump out and attack him, or worse, drag him to see the King.
But there was nothing.
‘Maya?’ He whispered into the dark. A shadow drew tall in front of him and he realised that she had been crouching just ahead. He had never understood how he always felt like she was towering over him. They were roughly the same height, even though she was nearly fifty years older than him.
If he didn’t know her history, he would have guessed that she was someone important. Maybe he would have even concluded that she was the forgotten Queen herself. Although her scattered scars and old clothes that were hanging together by the threads would have made him question that. Still, she had a presence that made him stand up straight to attention.
When she stepped closer he saw that her nose had been broken, another wound to add to her collection. At her age, she should be more careful. But he knew that she wouldn’t have survived this long if she wasn’t.
‘I thought you were dead,’ said Einar.
‘Not yet,’ she said.
‘Did you get the book?’ Maya nodded.
‘But the house I had has been filled. Keep an eye out on the first line, maybe the second, I’ll find somewhere else for us to meet.’ With that she turned away.
‘Maya?’ She paused at the end of the alley, ‘I’m glad you’re not dead.’
‘Me too.’
That night just before the bell marked the mid-night change of the guards, Einar waited at the base of the wall. It was an alley in the first line on the west side of the city. He had observed the alley for weeks to make sure that there were no patrols that came by when he wanted to climb. But the west of the first line was the poorest part of the city which apparently meant it didn’t deserve attention.
Still, Einar was cautious.
He chose an alley that was just wide enough for him to reach the wall. From there he was able to use the houses as footholds to climb to the top. The first time he had done this he collapsed onto the top of the wall, struggling to catch his breath. Now his muscles had learned the movements and he scampered up with ease.
There were several watch towers along the wall that looked out onto the kingdom as well as the city itself. But in a swift, practised movement, Einar secured his rope by its hook and rolled over the edge - ready for the rope to catch him.
It winded him as the rope wrenched at his belly before he hit the grass but it worked and in less than five minutes, he had escaped.
He untied the rope and left it hanging at the wall while he took in his surrounds. The wall of Teron stretched away from him; with Losian Mountain in one direction and the city gate in the other.
Then there was Spektor Forest.
If Teron was the heart of the Kingdom, Spektor was the virus waiting to destroy it. It loomed over the city from across the open plane, stretching as far as the eye could see to the west, dwarfing Teron. Einar understood why Saben felt the way he did. The Forest was sinister. It warned travellers to stay away or be lost in the dark of the woods forever.
But Einar was no stranger to Spektor and he was determined to enter again.
With his back against the wall he waited for the bell to mark the changing of the guards. The guards were distracted when the bell rang as they changed stations and resumed watch. By the torches light, they could only see so far but it was still several yards to the protection of the forest. The distance was deceiving. At a walk it would take ten minutes but he would need to cross in less than one. Otherwise, the guards would see him and it would all be over. It was a risk but one he had to take. He needed to get back to the forest.
He needed to hear the music again.
At mid-night, the bell rang. Einar heard the clank of armour above him - the guards were changing. Without looking back he sprinted to Spektor, his legs burned as he ran but he pushed himself faster until he made it to the edge of the forest.
He looked back to Teron, and saw the firelight from the torches dancing atop the wall. The bell rang again; no alarm had been raised.
He’d made it.
Einar caught his breath and prepared himself to enter the forest. The trees grew tall and close together, so there were only a few places that Einar could easily. He came to one of the entrances he had found and took a deep breath, ready to cross inside.
The moment he passed the first line of trees, music erupted around him. It was a choir of voices that filled the air with songs but somehow it sounded like only a single voice was creating them. He couldn’t understand what they were about, the language was not the common tongue, but he was sure that they sung about beautiful things.
Since the first time that he had heard the music, it was all he could think about. He dreamed about the songs and now as he held his arms wide to take it all in, he knew that he never wanted to leave.
The music began to lull like the ending of a verse and he opened his eyes to find something he hadn’t seen before.
A light.
A bright, white light was shining in the distant trees and when he saw it, he became transfixed by it. It wasn’t enough to hear the music anymore. He had to find the light.
Without looking back, Einar sprinted towards the light. He stumbled over pulled roots and the uneven forest floor to press forward as if his life depended on it. As if reaching the light was his greatest desire.
Now there was nothing else. No thoughts of Teron, or Maya and her fire. There was only the light that became brighter as it pulled him closer. The trees grew less dense, clearing the path to the light, until he burst past the final tree into the glade where the light waited for him.
The dirt of the forest became stones, unnaturally white, which bounced the light all around him. Einar shielded his eyes against the glare but continued on towards the source.
The light was coming from a small pool of water that was surrounded by a large tree with heavy broken branches that reached down to the ground as if holding the pool out towards him, waiting for him to take it.
Einar dropped to his knees at the water’s edge and went to look into the pool, the wisp of his reflection beginning on the surface when a voice cut through the forest:
‘Einar?’ Said the voice. Einar snapped out of his reverie. He looked around him with wild eyes – he’d never been this deep in Spektor Forest before. The light was no longer calling him - he was caught.
‘Who’s there!’ He called and cursed himself for leaving his sword at home. There was a pause in the music, like the voices had taken a breath all at once, before the woman stepped into the light of the Glade.
‘That is your name, isn’t it? Einar?’ He recognised her voice as the one from the music of the forest. He struggled to his feet and she stepped back, hesitantly. ‘Answer me.’
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘My name is Einar.’
‘I was hoping you’d come, Einar, that I would get a chance to meet you before…’
‘Before what?’ She held up a hand, breaking his thoughts.
‘Why are you here?’ she said. He had so many questions for her but her words forced him to hold his tongue against them and only answer hers.
‘For the music,’ he said.
‘It’s Neeran, do you like it?’
‘More than anything.’ She smiled.
‘Every word you hear is bound by truth. It’s how I learn about the world; how I learned your name.’
‘Who are you?’ The bell of Teron rang throughout the forest, unnaturally loud, amplified by the magic of the Glade. The woman noticed it as if it were merely a whisper but it pulsed through Einar’s head.
‘There’s no time,’ she said.
‘Please –’ said Einar, flooded with desperation.
‘Not tonight.’
‘WAIT!’ Einar ran toward her as the light of the Glade grew brighter, blinding him. He didn’t know what else to do so he jumped towards her, throwing himself at her feet. But when he landed he was back home in the first line, where he thumped to the attic floor.
Before Einar was fully awake, the trap door to the attic opened with a bang. He grabbed his sword and aimed it at the intruder.
‘Put that away before you hurt yourself,’ said Saben as he hauled himself up into the roof and closed the door behind him. Einar dropped his sword to the ground and went to curl back up under the covers but Saben stopped him.
‘Einar,’ He said. ‘I saw you come home.’
‘What? How?’
‘I wasn’t the only one, either. Reika was with me. We were just lucky that she doesn’t know the first line like I do – she couldn’t work out which house you were going to.’
‘I don’t understand.’ He couldn’t remember how he had come home from the forest the night before, but magic or not, he would never had taken a direct route back to his house. He was always careful.
‘Do you know how serious this is?’
‘Yes.’
‘They’re looking for you. They know someone was outside the wall last night and they’re asking why. What were you doing?’
‘I went back to the forest.’
‘Einar, I told you. ’
‘I know but you won’t believe what happened to me – ’
‘Einar, this isn’t a game. I don’t want to lose you. You can’t go back there, it’s too dangerous. You need to stay hidden. Promise me that you’ll stay away from Spektor, from the wall, the gate – all of it.’
‘I can’t, it’s all I have.’
‘Einar. Promise.’
‘Fine, I promise,’ he said as he made plans to go back to the forest that night.
He didn’t like lying to Saben but if he let him explain why he wanted to go to Spektor Forest maybe he’d understand. But he was never allowed. He wanted to share the experience with his brother, to tell him about the music and the light and the woman whose magic created it all. Instead, he just became another person he had to hide from.
After what Saben told him, he decided to go to the other side of Teron to climb the wall. He figured that the soldiers would be watching the western wall, waiting for him to climb it. They wouldn’t be watching the East.
Once he dropped to the other side, he kept low and close to the wall. At every outpost on top of the wall he could see a soldier looking out but they didn’t notice him directly beneath them. He past the eastern wall and city gate with ease and then slowly made his way around the west to his usual starting point.
It was almost too easy.
He waited for the bell to toll like he always did and when the guards changed over, he ran. He crossed the distance faster than he had before as if the broken promise was chasing him. When he made it to the forest all he could do was stare up at the trees and try and catch his breath.
He was just about to step through the first line of trees when he was grabbed from behind and hauled to the ground.
‘Gotcha!’ said Reika, as she stood over him. It all came crashing down around him. It hadn’t been easy to get to the forest.
It was a trap.
Reika drew her sword but before she had time to swing Einar scrambled to his feet. She tried to catch him but he evaded her grasp and ran into the forest.
‘I can see you!’ She shouted as she stalked after him. Einar refused to look back but searched for the light that would lead him to the Glade.
The woman would help him.
Reika stepped inside and was confronted by the music. She looked around her, as if she could spy the singer hanging in the trees. ‘What is this!’ She shouted at Einar, forgetting for a moment that he was the enemy. Einar ignored her as he searched for the light.
‘Come on,’ he breathed. ‘Please.’
A smudge of light appeared in the distance, answering his call. Einar’s eyes locked onto it at once and he fell into the dream-like stance. He felt Reika’s hand grab his shoulder but he didn’t care, all he wanted was the light.
Reika followed his gaze and saw the light herself and her hand fell from his shoulder,
‘What is that?’ She said but Einar was already sprinting towards it.
Einar burst into the glade, not bothering to shield his eyes from the glare of the light bouncing off the stones.
‘Einar?’ Said the woman, breaking his trance as she came out to meet him. Einar snapped back to himself - there were only seconds to explain.
‘There’s someone following me – she wants to turn me in. Help!’ She took his hand and guided him just out of the glade. They watched as Reika burst into the clearing searching for the light. Einar shrank closer to the woman for protection as Reika dropped to her knees at the pool just had Einar had done the night before.
‘What happens when she looks in the water?’ Said Einar.
‘She’ll drown.’
‘What!’ The woman hushed Einar, not looking away from Reika. ‘No, I don’t want her to die!’
‘You wanted my help.’
‘I wanted her to stop chasing me.’
‘This will stop her.’
‘No.’ Einar ran back into the glade and tried to pull Reika away from the water but she pushed him off and scrambled to the pool, desperate to look inside.
‘Please, make her stop,’ he cried. ‘Please, if we do this then we’re no better than them.’ The woman considered him for a moment, Einar thought that she might turn on him as well and send them both to drown in the pool. Reika had finally pushed Einar off her and grabbed at the water’s edge when she made her decision.
‘Stop,’ she said, almost bored. Reika jolted back to herself. On instinct, she drew her sword and pointed it at them both.
‘What in all hells have you done to me!’ She shouted. The woman held up a hand,
‘Enough,’ she said and Reika fell quiet. The woman chose her words carefully, never taking her eyes from Reika’s.
‘You will return to Teron and never speak of this again. If you ever see Einar you will walk the other way. You will protect his life faster than you protect your own. Go.’
‘Thank you,’ said Einar. The woman refused to meet his eye. She called over her shoulder as she left the clearing:
‘Leave me. Don’t speak of tonight.’
‘Wait, please.’ But there was no use. With a wave of her hand, Einar was blinded by the light. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the attic more determined to discover who she was than ever before.
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