The Song and the Serpent

Adan had expected to find a large crowd standing outside the gatehouse, but the sight that met his eyes when they stepped out into the open nearly made him stop in surprise.

A large host of people stood outside, lining a track that ran straight toward the center of the fortress. Adan looked in the faces of those assembled and saw many things. Flint faced men, standing straight and erect, worried wives, clutching the hands of little children whose eyes were filled with wonder and curiosity. Old men, bent under heavy loads of age and experience and old ladies standing beside them with hands full of helpful things.

And all eyes in this city of refugees were resting on one man. No one came to see the bards, or the leaders that had led them to this place. All eyes were on Kian.

As they crossed the open space between the gatehouse and the citadel, Adan watched as Kian stood up straighter and threw his shoulders back, despite his fatigue. He entered the city with his head held high as the setting sun shed red and orange rays across the cloud ridden sky.

“We were able to bring enough of our crops to have food for a short time,” Fagus explained, “and we’ve been planting new ones while we still can. The harvest will be lean, but we think we will make enough to survive. The hunters and trappers have also been able to catch and kill enough game to supply many of our needs, but things are still difficult. We have enough to spare meals for you two, for certain. Everyone is pitching in to help. Many of us had to leave countless valuables and tools back home, which has made things even more difficult…”

Adan barely listened to the governor as he described their situation.

How can they hope to stay safe here, he thought, or hold out against Hugo for such a long time?

He looked at the crumbling walls and the feeble faces staring at them.

They’re desperate, he thought. They’re desperate and they don’t know what to do.

As the silhouette of the citadel became more visible, Adan could see the same age and disrepair he had seen in the walls. Time and the elements had worn the stones down in many places, and several parts of the circular structure had collapsed long ago. But enough of the old building stood for them to pass through an empty doorway into what must’ve been a large hall a long time ago. With the roof gone, and the red sky visible above, the hall felt more like a high walled courtyard. Adan’s feet splashed through puddles where rain had slowly worn the flagstones down and formed low spots in the floor.

New tables had been constructed recently and placed in the old hall, probably in hopes of restoring this room to its original purpose. Empty doorways lined both sides of the room leading to unknown passages and chambers.

The crowd of watching people remained outside the citadel as the village governors led Kian and Adan into the ancient hall.

As soon as they entered the chamber, a tall middle aged woman with dark hair approached them from one of the side doorways. The woman was tall with skin darker than usual, and wore a fine dress of sage green, paired with gold jewelry.

“I’ve had one of the old rooms prepared,” she said, and she came to stand before Hurst. “One of the chambers that would have been for the lord of this place. I’ve had straw bales and linens brought to make beds, two meals with freshly cooked beef, and a washbasin and oils for bathing.”

“Thank you, Helena,” the chief bard replied. “I’m sure you’ve made the place fit for a king.”

The woman gave a small, elegant bow and then turned to lead the way.

“We will leave you in Helena’s care,” Fagus said. “We wish you good night, and we will expect your company here tomorrow morning, to hear the details of your journey.”

Kian shook the governor's hand. “Thank you, Fagus. This is more than we would have asked for.”

“Goodnight,” Fagus said. Many of the other leaders repeated the phrase before turning and walking back toward the arched doorway.

Adan turned to see Helena standing next to a doorway, waiting for them to follow her. Layla had not let go of Adan’s hand, and Adan did not mind in the least.

The three of them followed the lady through the doorway which led into a dark passage that ran left before ascending a flight of stairs.

“When did you get here?” Adan asked Layla.

“Three days ago,” she said. “We’ve only just begun to try to settle.”

“And your Aunt Matilda?”

For the briefest instant, Adan saw a shadow passed over Layla’s face at the mention of her aunt, but she nodded. “She’s here. The journey was difficult on her and I don’t think she likes it here, but she’s safe.”

They had reached the top of the stairs and came to another passage that ran parallel to the outside walls. Slotted windows allowed the light dusk outside to penetrate the darkness and illuminate a long hallway with many doors opposite the windows.

Many of the door in the places were rotted, broken, or completely missing, but some remained intact.

Helena led them down the hall until she came to the last door on the right. Adan could see the hinges had rusted away long ago, but the door was still whole, leaning against the stone archway behind it.

Helena grabbed the sides of the door and lifted the wood out of the way, showing a measure of strength that Adan had not expected from a lady in wealthy attire.

“I hope this is to your satisfaction,” she said, gesturing into the room.

“Are you able to join us for our meal?” Adan asked Layla.

“I can’t,” she said, shaking her head. ”I ran off on my aunt when I heard you were here and I really should get back to her. I shouldn’t have left her, really, but I needed to see you and know you were alive.”

“I’m glad you did,” Adan said, embracing her again. She held him tightly, despite his filthy clothes and his stench and Adan belt his heart rate increased as they held each other.

When she finally pulled away, it was too soon for him.

”I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Layla said as she embraced Kian. She curtsied to Helena turning and running back down the passage.

Adan watched her leave before turning and entering the room, which was exactly how Helena had described it.

Bales of hay were piled in two places on either side of the room, and a linen sheet draped over them to make two beds. A large, copper basin sat in the middle of the floor full of steaming water, a trencher of food sat on each bed, next to a set of fresh clothes. A bright fire blazed in a hearth across from the door, bathing the room in warm light.

“This is perfect,” Kian said, turning to Helena. “Thank you very much for preparing this.”

The lady nodded.

“Where are you originally from?” Kian asked.

”From here,” she replied. “I’ve lived near this place with my husband for more than twenty five years. Our farm is east of here, just beyond the ridge.”

“I see,” Kian replied, and Adan heard the surprise in his voice. “I did not know there were inhabitants this far east into the forest. Are there others like you and your husband?”

She shook her head. “I am aware of no others who live this far. We have been able to make an excellent living here in the forest, but it is not for the faint of heart.”

“I imagine not. Well, we thank you again for the hospitality. You’ve made us fell very welcome.”

She nodded again before lifting the old, wooden door and replacing it against the entrance to the room. Adan heard her footsteps receding down the hall as she left them.

Adan removed his belt, unsheathing the curved blade and leaning it against the mattress on the right. Then he and Kian sat down for the first proper meal they had eaten since their stay on Enys Island.

The fatty meal was juicy and warm, flavored with salt and rosemary, and he wolfed it down like an animal. Then he enjoyed the warm bread, string peas, and cucumbers that lay on the plate.

When both of their trenchers were finally empty, Adan let out a contented sigh.

“It’s about time we had a proper meal,” he said.

Kian nodded, sitting on his mattress with his back to the wall. They sat silently, gratefully enjoying the feeling of full bellies, before Adan stirred.

“You bathe first,” Adan said. “I’ll go after.”

“Why?” Kian asked. “Because I’m ‘Lord Kian?’”

“No,” Adan replied. “Because I can’t stand the smell of you any longer.”

Kian chuckled.

The sound of Kian expressing even the slightest mirth made Adan grin. How long had it been since Kian laughed?

“Very well,” Kian said, standing and removing his Undelman robes. Adan shed his robes as well, both of them eager to be rid of the brightly colored garments.

Two pottery vessels lay on the floor by the basin, one empty to help rinse and the other full of a fragrant oil.

Adan waited patiently while Kian washed the grime and filth away. He noted the scars from the wounds Kian had received during the battle at sea had mostly healed with no sign of infection. Once Kian had washed himself and picked up the oil vessel, Adan stepped into the basin of warm water and followed suit.

He felt like a new man once he had finished washing, and Kian handed him the oil. Once he had coated himself in the musky fluid, he examined the new set of clothes on the bed. A black tunic sat folded on a pair of leather trousers. He donned them both, revealing a green coat underneath. He set the coat aside to examine for the morning, before collapsing into bed and allowing his exhaustion to overwhelm him.

When morning light began to glow through the cracks outlining of the old door that leaned against the room’s entrance, Adan sat up in his cot. His mind swam with the images from his dreams, images that had jolted him awake more than three times in the night: raging fires that burned the people loved, giant serpents with wide mouths full of rending teeth, and a tall, broad shouldered man with a shaved head and a hooked nose staring at him with rage and determination.

Hugo.

Adan shivered in the morning cold. The fire in the hearth had gone out during the night and a chill had crept into the room.

When he turned to look at the bed on the other side of the room, he saw an empty cot. Kian was gone.

Adan got to his feet and grabbed the green coat he had discharged the day before. As he donned the garment, he walked to the door that partitioned their room and the passage beyond. He removed the door from its resting place and leaned it against the passage wall before looking down the corridor.

Gray light filtered through the windows that lined the passage.

Standing by the nearest window, Kian stood still and straight, staring outside. He turned when he heard the door knock against the wall and nodded when he saw Adan. Then he resumed staring out the opening in the wall. He had dressed in his new garments as well, a set very similar to Adan’s except for the color of Kian’s coat, which was black with silver threads.

Adan rubbed his eyes and walked over to where Kian stood.

“Morning,” he said as he came to stand beside Kian.

Kian grunted a reply.

They stood in silence as Adan admired the view from the window.

The southern part of the fortress was visible from their vantage point, and Adan was surprised to see a small lake or a large pond sitting at the base of the hill that rose even with the outer wall. The stream that flowed through the fortress fed into the large body of water before leaving the fortress under a culvert drain. A handful of boats sat on the bank opposite the hillside, and a fine cloud of mist rose from the water.

Adan saw an occasional man or woman making their way across the grassy expanse between the inner and outer wall, preparing to begin the day’s work.

“Trouble sleeping?” Adan asked Kian.

Kian nodded next to him.

“I didn’t sleep very deeply myself,” Adan added.

Silence.

“They can’t hold out here,” Kian said at length.

Adan looked at him. “What do you mean?”

”The villagers. They can’t hold out here, not for long. Hugo will eventually find this place, if he isn’t stopped before, and when he does, it won’t be difficult for him to crush it like he crushed Farel.”

Adan looked out the window at the crumbling walls and makeshift huts. He knew Kian was right.

“All they’ve done by coming here is buy some time in the hopes that it will help them survive,” Kian continued.

“You don’t think it will help, in the end?” Adan asked.

Kian sighed. “I’m not interested in survival. I want to fight back, to stop Hugo or to die trying.”

Adan remained thoughtfully silent. He felt the same desire to go find Hugo and his army, to have the opportunity to cross blades with the Undelmans in battle instead of arriving to find the battle over and their home destroyed. If they failed while fighting back, at least they could die like men.

“I don’t want to flee and hide anymore,” Kian said, breaking the silence.

Adan looked at him. “What do you plan to do?”

A long pause.

“I don’t know.”

Adan looked back out the window and the two of them stood silently, watching the sky grow brighter as the sun began its climb into the heavens. When bright rays of light began to crest the rim of the basin and shine into the fortress, Kian sighed again.

“We should go downstairs,” he said. “I suspect they’ll be waiting for us.”

Adan nodded and together walked back the way they had come the night before, down the passage and descending the steps until they came to the roofless hall, where a large crowd had been waiting for them.