The Diviner, part two
Einar takes Maya to meet Karmen, the woman of Spektor Forest
The Great Fire is designed to be read in any order but you can catch up on the previous stories here:
Make sure you don’t miss anything and subscribe to verse. New fiction is sent out every week.
The Diviner
Part Two
Teron was a labyrinth of streets around the tower in the centre that loomed tall over the city, always watching. It was designed to be a maze but to Einar, it was a playground.
He knew the fastest routes between the lines and which houses were built just far enough apart for him to take a shortcut between them. Usually it was fun for him to race through Teron, hiding in plain sight. But since the Reika incident, he couldn’t be sure that someone wasn’t going to jump out and grab him. The woman of Spektor Forest had ordered Reika never to talk about that night. Her words were binding so she wouldn’t be able to turn him in.
But still, he had his doubts.
He hadn’t been back to Spektor in the days since, which was torture. Now that he knew that music like that existed, he craved it. And he still had questions for the woman. He wanted to know more about the magic of the forest and her power that created it.
He had just turned onto the second line when he spied a stack of crates out of the corner of his eye. In this part of Teron they were often stacked next to merchants’ homes but when he walked past he saw the three lines etched into the stone next to them – this was Maya’s doing.
She had taken up residence in the house.
Einar checked that no one was watching before he continued on. He had to be sure that he wasn’t being followed. There was a thorough fare that cut from the second line through to the city square. He took it right to the centre. It was the most dangerous part of Teron for him to be because it was constantly thrumming with people.
But because it was crowded it was easy to get lost.
Einar did a lap of the tower before he made his way to the alley that cut through to the eighth line. When he was sure that no one was watching, he ducked inside.
He waited just inside and planned a different route back to the house on the second line. He decided he would take the long way round. There were more shortcuts that way, even if it did mean that he had to double back to the house on the east side. He realised that the path began on the other side of the tower, so he pulled his hood down low over his face and slipped back out into the city square.
He was about to begin his journey when he saw a poster nailed to the wall of the tower.
WANTED. DEAD OR ALIVE.
Einar couldn’t believe what he saw. The base of the entire tower had been covered with the same wanted posters: a drawing of a man with shaved hair, and eyes that had been painted blue amongst the black ink. Einar was staring at a drawing of himself.
Einar sat in a chair opposite Maya, dripping wet and fuming with anger. The image of the poster was clear in his mind. He was a wanted man. He preferred it when he wasn’t supposed to exist. At least then he could pretend like it was all a game. Now it felt like the walls were closing in and there was nowhere to hide.
And Maya was making tea for them as if none of it mattered.
‘It’s been a week,’ he said.
‘It’s only been a few days,’ said Maya, pouring the tea.
‘I thought something had happened.’
‘No, but I do have other things to do than meet with you Einar. Things are … changing. I’m trying to work out what that means.’
‘Things are changing,’ he snapped. ‘They have posters of me all around the city, everyone’s looking for me. All because I went to Spektor Forest – I should be allowed to go.’
‘I know, I saw them. Give it time, it’ll pass.’
‘Pass? I’ve always been in hiding. Always running. You’re one of five people that even know that I exist. I just want to know why. This must be for something. It can’t just be this.’
‘I’m sorry, Einar, I understand what you’re going through. I’ve been in hiding myself for many years. I wish I could tell you that it gets easier, but it doesn’t… But if we’re successful, then you’ll never have to hide again.’
‘If you say so,’ he said. He didn’t know what to believe but their plan seemed more hopeless by the day.
‘What were you doing in Spektor Forest?’ She asked.
‘I go there to listen to the music at night.’
‘Music?’
‘The forest, it’s filled with music - it’s this magic made by the woman who lives there.’
‘What woman?’ said Maya, pausing mid-sip. Einar sighed, it was the question he had himself.
‘I don’t know, she won’t tell me her name.’
‘What did she look like?’
‘The most beautiful person I’ve ever seen – ’ Maya scoffed, which made Einar feel like a child. But he was telling the truth, there was something ethereal about her. If he was asked to describe what a goddess looked like, he would begin describing her. But Maya had dismissed the subject.
‘What about the music, what is it? Is it in the common tongue?’
‘No, she said it was Neeran. Bound by truth or something.’
‘Karmen,’ she said and sprang into action. She went to the corner of the room and began removing the floorboards.
‘Uhhhh, what’s going on?’ He said as he followed her to the corner. The floorboards were covering a manhole that descended into the dark underneath the house with a ladder haphazardly nailed into the side.
‘Quickly.’ Said Maya as she pointed at the ladder. Einar leaned over the hole and peered down, curiously. The ladder was old and worn and even though he trusted Maya, he still tested the first rung to see if it would hold his weight. ‘Quickly, Einar!’ She hissed and Einar carefully began his climb.
He dropped the last few feet onto the dirt floor, there was a torch stuck in the wall where a low flame was burning but it wasn’t enough to fully illuminate where he was. The tunnel extended in both directions and seemed to stretch in the shadows.
Above him Maya had started to follow. She pulled the floorboards back into place after her, sealing them inside. When she dropped down next to Einar she pulled the torch from the wall and began to stalk down the tunnel.
‘This way,’ she called over her shoulder and Einar hurried to keep up or else be lost in the dark.
‘Are these beneath the whole city?’
‘All the way up to the castle. No one knows about them anymore, so we’ll be safe.’ They came to a fork in the path but Maya walked without hesitation. In spite of her age, Einar struggled to keep up.
‘Where are we going?’
‘To see the woman, to see Karmen,’ she said curtly as if that should have been wildly obvious. Einar whispered the name to himself, tasting it. Karmen. The woman of Spektor Forest had a name and it suited her. Now he was excited to see her again. He wanted to call her by her name like she had named him.
‘Tell me more about the music,’ she said. ‘Did she say anything?’
‘Just that she was listening to the music when she heard my name.’
‘She’s making prophecies again.’
They travelled the rest of the way in silence but Einar could feel Maya thinking. Her silence was louder than their steps as they raced through the tunnels. He didn’t understand what Karmen had to do with their quest. She had only raised more questions for him than answers. So what did Maya expect to gain from talking to her? They came to a rusted metal door when she stopped,
‘Wait, you said that she heard your name in the music?’
‘Yeah, she knew it was me before I arrived.’ Maya stood thinking, scrutinizing Einar as if she was searching for a lie. He had learned to leave her to her thoughts instead of asking too many questions.
She went to explain what she thought but decided otherwise and wrenched the door open and they had to slide through on an angle before they stepped out onto the other side of the wall of Teron near the fringe of Spektor Forest.
Maya stretched back around the corner to close the door. Einar couldn’t believe it. From where they stood you couldn’t see the door or the tunnel, it was just another curve in the wall. If he hadn’t had walked through it himself he wouldn’t have believed Maya that it existed.
He had so many questions but Maya was already walking towards the forest. She didn’t care that it was broad daylight and that she may have been spotted by one of the guards. She walked with purpose without looking back and it was all Einar could do to run and catch up.
When they came to trees, she turned back to Einar.
‘Well,’ she said. ‘Lead the way.’
Einar entered the forest and was met with the familiar music that erupted around him. He had never been into Spektor Forest during the day. The music was the same, with Karmen’s voice filling the trees, but it felt different. It didn’t feel like it was sung just for him anymore but like a secret that he had stumbled upon. He was crossing into a place that didn’t belong to him. But that may not have been the time of day but because Maya was close behind him.
She didn’t jump at the music like he or Reika had done, she was expecting it. In fact, she almost unimpressed.
‘Karmen,’ she said, confirming her suspicions. Einar closed his eyes, listening to the music – waiting for it to warm him to the bone like it always did. But Maya cut through his thoughts. ‘How do we find her?’
‘We wait for the light,’ he said, trying to listen to the songs. It wasn’t long before Maya nudged him in the ribs.
‘There.’ Einar opened his eyes to find the light. As soon as he locked onto it, he began to run, filled with the same desperate urge to find the source. Maya followed, somehow undeterred by the light. She kept a distance between them as Einar weaved his way through the trees until he burst into the glade.
Einar had barely landed on the stones before Karmen broke his trance by calling his name. He looked up from the light of the pool to find her sitting on the broken branch next to it, waiting for him to compose himself.
‘I wasn’t sure if you’d come back,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry it took so long,’ he said, ‘Karmen.’ She smiled at her name and climbed down from the branch.
‘Another secret unfurled,’ she said.
‘It’s nice to meet you,’ he said with a bow and she nodded in reply. ‘I should tell you, I’m not alone.’
‘Another trap?’ She said, stepping back.
‘No, no. A friend.’ On cue, Maya stepped into the glade.
‘I thought you were dead,’ said Maya, stepping towards her while Karmen stepped away. ‘It’s alright, you know me.’
‘No I don’t,’ said Karmen as she retreated further.
‘We were friends,’ said Maya. ‘We are friends.’ Karmen studied her for a moment, trying to remember whether or not she knew Maya. But when she couldn’t, she threw her arms up in the air with frustration.
‘I don’t know you,’ she snapped. ‘Einar, why would you bring her here? She needs to leave.’
‘Listen – ’
‘No,’ said Karmen. ‘Go.’
Maya didn’t move and Karmen’s face dropped; the magic should have worked. She should have obeyed her word and left the forest but she didn’t.
‘Please, let me explain.’
‘Leave me.’
‘Karmen, you can’t control me,’ said Maya but all that did was make her more determined. She set her stance and looked deep into Maya’s eyes.
‘Look into the water.’ Maya didn’t budge.
‘Whether you remember it or not, you swore that your word would have no power over me. We both made that commitment to each other.’
‘LIES!’ She shouted and started pacing across the glade, her stare locked onto Maya like an animal stalking its prey.
‘I promised that I would never lie to you.’ She stopped pacing and turned to Einar who shrank beneath her gaze.
‘Why did you bring her here, Einar? To kill me?’
‘No!’ said Einar. ‘Nothing like that – she wanted to meet you, we just have some questions.’
‘Liar.’
‘It’s the truth, I swear it.’
‘Look into the water.’ Einar whirled towards the pool.
‘No,’ he said but he couldn’t stop himself from following her words. His feet slid across the stones as the magic pulled him towards the water. He struggled against it but the power of her words was too much. It forced him to his knees as if invisible ropes were strung around them.
Karmen relaxed, satisfied that she wasn’t entirely powerless as she watched Einar being dragged to the water.
‘Karmen, wait.’ Said Maya but she ignored her. ‘I know where you can find Orel.’ The music of the forest stopped as Karmen’s attention snapped to Maya. It was eerily quiet; the glade was nearly silent except for Einar’s struggle.
Karmen stared down Maya. For a moment she was worried that she said the wrong thing, that Karmen would explode with anger before she helped Einar.
‘What?’ She spat.
‘You daughter, Orel,’ said Maya. ‘I know where she is. Let Einar go and I’ll tell you.’ Einar was at the water’s edge. He clenched his eyes shut, hoping that if he didn’t look into the water that he’ll be able to save himself. But he’s pushed closer to the pool by an invisible force, his face a hands length from the water.
‘My daughter is dead,’ said Karmen as her magic pulled Einar’s eyes open.
‘That’s a lie,’ said Maya.
Her words slowed to a drawl in Einar’s ears as he looked into the pool. At first he saw his own reflection but it quickly became Karmen’s face. She stared out to him from the water, scared and hurt. He didn’t want to see her like this but he didn’t have a choice. The water rose up towards him, stretching out like fingers before they grabbed at his face,
‘Karmen – enough!’
But it was too late.
Karmen stood in front of the tower in the centre of Teron, only it looked different to what Einar remembered. It wasn’t a watch tower. It was shorter than he knew and had large windows on each side where he could see that the walls were filled with books – it was a library. He had never seen a library before but he had heard his mother tell stories about them. Memories from before the fire.
He was witnessing the past but Karmen stood before him, exactly the same. Maya broke through the ranks of soldiers that surrounded her.
Karmen hadn’t aged since this memory but Maya looked only slightly older than Einar – maybe his brother’s age, he thought. The scars on her cheek and neck were gone and she wore the armour of the soldiers around her. Only the torch emblem across her chest was larger than anyone else’s - she was in charge.
Einar realised that he wasn’t looking at his friend, Maya, but the Queen of Teron.
‘Karmen,’ she said, her voice commanding across the space between them. ‘I said that’s enough.’
‘Something has to be done,’ said Karmen.
‘Not like this, you’ll hurt everyone and he’ll survive. It’s not meant to be you, Karmen. You can’t kill him.’ Around them soldiers started to climb to the rooftops and take aim at Karmen. She looked from Maya to the soldiers and a twitch of flames sparked at her fingers before dying off, quickly becoming smoke.
‘Karmen, please, this won’t stop him. And I need your help to make sure the right person can.’
‘You’ll be safe,’ she said, her eyes not leaving the soldiers. ‘I made a vow to that.’
‘I’m not worried about me, Karmen, please.’ She looked like she was considering it. Her hands fell to her sides and her entire body seemed to relax with exhaustion. Maya breathed a sigh of relief.
She was going to stop.
But the soldiers only saw a moment to strike. A rogue arrow flew from across the square, perfectly aimed to strike her in the heart but it disintegrated into ash before it could land.
Karmen’s eyes snapped to the soldier, full of rage. Any sign that she was going to surrender is gone – the battle had begun. A whistle cut through the ranks and the soldiers aimed their bows.
‘No,’ said Maya, shocked. ‘Hold! Do not attack!’ But it was too late. Karmen had ignited the fire in her palm, creating it out of nothing. A second whistle was blown; arrows fired down all around her and Karmen disintegrated them with her fire. The arrows fell to the ground as ash with Karmen at the centre, ready for more. Soldiers hopelessly restrung their bows but Maya stepped forward.
‘Karmen, please don’t do this,’ she begged.
But she didn’t listen.
In a single moment, her skin drained of colour and revealed black veins just beneath the surface. The ash whirled around her as her force created a storm of power. She cried out a guttural scream and unleashed her magic that blasted the soldiers around her, turning them to ash like the arrows they tried to fire.
When the smoke was blown away, only Karmen and Maya remained.
‘I won’t save you from the fire, Maya. The curse will make this end. You should go.’ She hesitated but as Karmen ignited the fire in her palm once more and turned to the houses around her, Maya took off down the streets. Einar stood watching in horror as Karmen threw balls of fire again and again, setting the city square alight and letting it rage.
He coughed out a breath of shock and saw it as a bubble in front of him. He must have been holding his breath without realising but now that he remembered that he was underwater, he was desperate to breathe.
He dropped to his knees and clutched at his throat, bubbles bursting from his mouth while Karmen’s fire raged around him in the memory he was trapped inside. Black spots appeared in his vision and he realised: he was going to die in here.
His body grew limp as stopped fighting for air. It was useless. He didn’t feel the hand that grabbed him by the shoulder or the other that grabbed his arm and hauled him up through the air.
The fire was spreading quickly throughout the city. The people of Teron were screaming and running away from the flames as Einar was floating up through water above them. He was being pulled to safety while they were running to theirs. Only he knew how their story ended; half of the city was going to burn.
He was watching their final moments alive.
Maya pulled Einar from the water and he rolled onto the stones; he made it.
‘It’s okay,’ said Maya. ‘You’re okay.’ Einar coughed up all the water and gasped for air. The light from the pool burned brighter than he remembered, trying to tempt him to return to its depths.
Einar tried to get to his feet but fell over, still dizzy and sick from the water. Maya walked around the Glade searching for Karmen who had disappeared into the depths of the forest.
‘You’re behaving like a child,’ said Maya to the dark. ‘I promised you that I would never force you to do something – but I refuse to be treated like this, Karmen!’
‘I saw what she did,’ said Einar. ‘She killed all those people, made the fire –’
‘Karmen! I order you to come and speak to me.’ At her order, Karmen was dragged into the glade by the same invisible bonds that had forced Einar to the water.
‘Who are you?’ said Karmen.
‘I think you know who I am. I think you’re refusing to remember. But I don’t have time for that. My name is Mayathrel Kahpaeem and I am the sole heir and rightful Queen of Teron.’ Karmen spat on the ground at but Maya ignored her. ‘Do you remember Teron?’ Karmen didn’t respond. ‘Answer me.’
‘I remember the city,’ she said. ‘The palace inside the mountain.‘ Her voice turned dark. ‘I remember the King.’
‘That’s why I’m here. He’s still alive and your curse is fading. He’s beginning to remember his fate but we can change it.’
‘No, his fate is set.’
‘No, Karmen, it isn’t.’ Maya pulled out the book that she went to Molinos to collect. ‘I went a long way to get this but it’s the key. We could change his fate.’ Maya passed the book to Karmen who took it and gently leafed through the pages. Maya put her hand on Karmens.
‘We could change it,’ she said. ‘She never named someone in Favian’s fate. We could change it.’
‘Maybe not,’ said Karmen. ‘But I did.’
‘What?’ Karmen handed the book back to Maya.
‘I heard his name in the music, it is done,’ Karmen looked to Einar on the ground and smiled kindly. ‘His sword will be the one to end King Favian’s reign. Einar Killer of Kings, Breaker of Curses and Saviour of Eremos.’ Einar watched them both look to him expectantly, but the Glade would not stop spinning. Before he could say a word, he passed out onto the stone floor.
Einar woke back in Teron in a room that wasn’t his own. He didn’t recognise the room but his sword stood against the end of the bed, cleaned and sharpened. The red stone on the hilt catching the light of the candle by his bedside. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and spied Maya on a chair in the corner,
‘Where am I?’ He said.
‘Safe. But you’ve been out all day, they’ve already closed the gate.’
‘I have to go home.’
‘I’ll take you but you need rest.’
‘My family will be worried – I should go home.’
‘Einar, did you remember what she said?’ He did and it was enough to send his head ringing all over again. Einar Killer of Kings, Breaker of Curses and Saviour of Eremos.
‘I don’t want it,’ he said finally. ‘It’s too big.’
‘I’m sorry but you don’t have a choice,’ she said. ‘You won’t have to do any of this alone but something has to be done.’ Her words reminded him of what he saw in the water and the part that she played in the fire.
‘I saw how she started the fire. She cursed us – Karmen’s the reason why no one remembers.’
‘I wish it were that simple,’ she said. ‘Come, I’ll make us some tea before I take you home. It’s time you learned about the fire.’
The final story from The Great Fire is released next week. Make sure that you’re subscribed so that you don’t miss a sentence.