Michael Foster - She Who Has No Name

Every day she wore new or varied forms of costume and Samuel could find no order or pattern to it. From his few brief conversations with the Koians,they seemed like sophisticated people, yet it puzzled him that they could adhere to such a primitive and pointless practice.

Several times, the surly Koian men, ambling along on their horses, noted Samuel gazing towards their god and frowned back towards him.

‘She’s not what she seems,’ he said to Goodfellow.

Goodfellow seemed startled out of a daydream. ‘Oh? What do you mean?’

‘I found the Koian crone when she was lost, but she’s not an old hag at all.’

‘Oh?’ the sandy-haired magician asked. He was obviously still trying to blink away his previous thoughts.

‘I found her up amongst the rocks. She’s a girl-at least, she’s not a girl, she’s a woman, about the same age as us.’

Goodfellow laughed as if the thought was preposterous. ‘You can’t mean it? Really? That thing is a woman?’

‘Indeed.’

‘Sorry, Samuel. I’m gullible, but not that gullible. I’m not falling for it.’

‘I’m not trying to fool you,’ Samuel declared. ‘It’s true.’

‘Well, I still don’t believe you and, even ifshe is, it’s the Koians’ business. We are magicians, after all. Ladies should not interest us. We need to focus on returning the Empress and the heir.’

‘Eric, let me tell you something. I was distrustful of their god before but,now I have seen hertrue nature, I am even more so. There is something disturbing about her. I have felt unsettled since that day we found her on the ship and now I know why. I felt some awful thing aboard that boat, something like I have never felt before-a wordless,dreadful fear. It is her. Strangely, I felt it long before that day, rising in my blood like poisonous bile. When I opened the door and found her, I thought my heart would stop. I don’t know what she is, but I have never been so afraid of any living thing. Seeing her true form only doubles my concern.’

‘I admit she is strange, Samuel, in appearance and nature, but I do not feel the same trepidation. Perhaps it’s some inkling into our future you can feel?’

‘I haven’t looked to the future since the first time with Master Celios, when I envisioned the destruction of Cintar. I am wary of trying to discern such things,and perhaps rightfully so. Look at what it has done to our seer.’

‘It could be a useful ability, Samuel, if only you use it sparingly. Master Celios has been under constant pressure to foresee the Empire’s way out of this predicament. Perhaps it is that which has worn him into his current state, rather than the ability itself.’

‘I would not readily look into the future,’ Samuel revealed. ‘Who can even say if we can change what we can foresee?’

‘We could prepare ourselves,’ Goodfellow said, but Samuel shook his head.

‘I want no more worry or woe than I already possess, Eric. Even without welcoming these abilities, they come to me readily. Sometimes, when I awake from my deepest dreams, the memories of people and voices are just fading away. I cannot recall their words, but I know they are not part of my dream.’

‘Perhaps you could learn to recall these things?’ Goodfellow suggested.

‘That is the last thing I would want. Better to be deaf and dumb than stricken with such madness.’

Goodfellow seemed to sense that Samuel had fallen into a dark mood and left the conversation at that, leaving him to ride quietly in his saddle.

Up ahead, Eric was riding beside Ambassador Canyon and in open conversation with the man. Eric seemed to have befriended everyone in the column, including a fair portion of Orrell’s fighting men, while Samuel had not spoken to any. Somehow, Eric managed to do everything incredibly well and it was infuriating. Samuel still judged himself to be the greater magician, but he was reliant on the Argum Stone and a cripple of a magician without it. Eric was naturally gifted and would one day rival the magicians of history without need for any such magical device. His magic was pure and strong and efficient,and Samuel longed to learn his friend’s secrets, as he knew that Eric had been hiding much of his power from everyone. Most of all, it annoyed Samuel that Eric had been right, for he knew that if he had been in the same position at Rampeny and had the opportunity to journey to safety, he would had done it in a flash. Still, he refused to be the first one to give in.

The party was delayed at a shallow stream crossing and they were forced to wait for some time while some of the heavier load from the wagons was carted across by hand. Orrell’s men worked quickly and efficiently, with barely a grumble. The magicians could have spelled the items across in a jiffy, but older magicians scorned the use of magic for such trivial work and seemed happy to let the men see to the chore. Celios, their timekeeper and adviser on such matters, also seemed happy to sit and wait for the job to be done.

Samuel and Goodfellow waited beside the Koian wagon. Quitesurprisingly, the men had left their ladies while they went to inspect the stream crossing. Despite Orrell’s best efforts, the Koians would not be convinced it was a safe place to cross until they had performed acloseexamination for themselves.

‘How much further to this citadel, Magician Goodfellow?’ Lady Wind barked at Goodfellow, who was nearest to the wagon.

‘I don’t know, Lady Wind,’ he replied politely, for even they had spoken briefly on the journey and had learnt something of each other’s titles.

To that, the woman only shifted impatiently in her seat.

‘Are you enjoying the journey?’ Samuel asked of the god-woman, but young Lady River beside mistook the questionas being directed ather.

‘Yes, I am,’ she replied, appearing quite startled that Samuel had spoken to her.

‘Actually, I meant the question for her,’ Samuel corrected, gesturing towards the costumed woman.

The plumed god-woman turned her head towards Samuel with a rustling of feathers, but said nothing, while Lady River looked away nervously.

‘You should not address our god, Magician,’ Lady Wind instructed, swivelling around in her seat. ‘She is above us mortals. We reply to her when beckoned or as the rituals demand. That is all.’

‘Is she not a god in a woman’s body?’ Samuel asked, probing. ‘I have seen you take her meals and water, so she has mortal needs like the rest of us.’

‘Of course,’ the stern Lady Leaf replied from beside hercompanionon the front seat. ‘We have stated as such already.’

‘Then why does she dress like this? It seems very…primitive,’ he said, for lack of a better word.

‘We do not expect you to understand our ways, Magician,’ Lady Wind responded. ‘We do nothing without reason and we do not question when you behave in a way that even inbreds would consider disgraceful in our land. Even your existence is an affront to us and our ways. We are grateful for your hospitality, nevertheless,’ she added with a formal nod of her head.

‘Still,’ Samuel continued, ‘she did nearly lose herself. Despite being a god, I can see she depends on you for everything. If we are to continue on our mission, that will be a liability. We could be entering hostile territory. Dressed like this, she willdrawattention from the enemy. I’m sure you must have considered it?’

The two matronly ladies seemed to contemplate this.

‘I see your point, Magician,’ Lady Wind finally said. ‘We will discuss it at length.’

With that,they each facedforwards againand the god-woman swivelled her head back to the front, never having shown any hint of expression or emotion all the while. Samuel wondered if the sight of her beneath her regalia had actually been a dream.