The Song and the Serpent

The road wound in and out of the stone huts with no discernable pattern, but generally heading deeper into the small valley that held Suncragg. As they rounded one of the bends, Adan caught sight of a collection of tables in a small courtyard. Adan counted nine tables with an assortment of vegetables, baked goods, fresh meat and wool products. Less than twenty villagers milled about the tables or stood next to them, and a group of children ran in and out of the buildings in some sort of game.

“Is this the market?” Adan asked, masking his disappointment.

“It is,” Layla answered. “Your timing was perfect, you caught us at a busy time.”

This is busy? Adan thought.

“Everyone!” Layla called out, surprising Adan and Kian. “The son of Lord Hathian and his entourage have paid us a visit from the city Farel. Let’s give them a proper Enys Island welcome!”

The change that took place in the courtyard was astonishing. There were several shouts of excitement, and before Adan knew what was happening, the three of them were thronged by the young and old of Suncrag Village.

Adan heard shouts of, “Welcome, m’lord!” “What brings you here?” and “Send a runner to Glenvik and Calasad! Tell them we have guests!”

“Bring cup and board for the son of Lord Hathian,” said a man wearing a brown cloak.

“Oh my.” Kian stood with his eyebrows raised for a moment before lifting his hands. “Really, there’s no need. Thank you all for the warm welcome, but we cannot stay for an extended time.”

His words were drowned out by more exclamations of, “Let’s have the news from Farel!” “Let’s have a drink to the good Lord’s health,” and “Let’s have a song for his lordship.”

The children had stopped their game and stood together, staring at the commotion with wide eyes.

Adan became aware of a short, balding man walking through the crowd to them. The people in the crowd made room for him as he approached and Adan noticed he was dressed in clothes much finer than the other villagers.

“Greetings and welcome, Lord Kian,” he said once he had reached them. “I am Fagus, the governor of Enys Island, and I welcome you to our humble home.”

The wiry man bowed very low to the two of them, and when he tried to lift himself back up again, he did so with obvious strain and difficulty.

“Well, thank you, Fagus, for this warm welcome.” replied Kian. “We were not expecting such a reception but it seems futile to refuse your hospitality.”

Governor Fagus laughed and held a hand out, gesturing toward a large stone building nearby. “We can move into the song house and have a proper party.”

Kian acquiesced and they made their way to the oversized hut. Layla remained by Adan’s side as they were ushered inside.

The song house was larger than any of the other huts. Adan reflected that it was almost the size of a common home in Farel. The inside was dark when they first entered, since the only light came from two large doorways. But several torches were lit by the enthusiastic islanders and Adan was able to make out two long tables that ran side by side down the length of the rectangular structure.

Adan and Kian were bustled over to the tables and placed in one of the benches.

“We’ve sent for the rest of your entourage and they should be joining us shortly,” the governor said as he eased into the bench across from the two of them. “We can see to the trading after you’ve had some nourishment.”

“Very well,” Kian said with an air of resignation. “Do what you wish.”

Someone passed a clay goblet to Fagus and he held it up before them. “The Welcome Cup,” he stated before taking a sip and passing it to Kian. Kian mimicked his action, drinking deeply from the mead cup before passing it back to Fagus who held it in the air.

“Our official welcome to Kian, son of Hathian, Lord of Farel,” he said in as loud a voice as his ancient vocal cords could manage. The people shouted their approval and sat down together in the remaining seats. Layla sat down next to Adan with the rest of the company.

“So tell us the news from your home,” Fagus said. “How’s your father?”

“Healthy and well,” Kian replied.

“Excellent. I haven’t seen him since he was a young lord. You weren’t even born at the time. I went to the mainland for the twenty-five-year games. You look much like he did then.”

Kian nodded. “So I’ve been told.”

Several platters of cheese, vegetables, and dried mutton were placed on the table before Kian and Adan, and Adan saw jugs full of mead and water placed at each table along with several clay mugs.

“Anything out of the ordinary in Farel?” said Fagus, reaching for a carrot. “Do you expect a good harvest this year and so forth?”

Adan and Kian began to partake of vituals.

“Yes, a good year. We seem to be exceeding the crop from our last two harvests, Creator permitting. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Nothing except your betrothal,” Adan added.

Layla perked up. “Betrothal? You didn’t mention you were betrothed.”

“Tell us about her,” said the governor. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Vallessa,” Kian answered. “She’s the daughter of one of my fathers battle chiefs.

“How did you two meet?” Layla asked.

“Well–” Kian cleared his throat and looked at Adan.

“Tell them,” Adan said with a grin.

“We were very young when we met,” Kian continued. “Vallessa’s father was visiting mine when we were about fourteen years old. I was young and uh– full of mischief.”

“That’s understating it a little,” Adan added.

“I decided to play a little joke on Vallessa’s father while he was visiting.”

“What was the joke?” governor Fagus asked.

Kian paused. He set the half eaten bread in his hand on the table. “It’s not important.”

“Tell us!” several voices chimed in.

“Yes, please tell them,” said Adan, barely stifling a chuckle.

Kian took a deep breath. “I switched the mead in his welcome cup for . . .” Richard paused again. “For something else.”

“For what?” several people shouted.

“For– cow urine.”

Gasps and exclamations of disgust erupted around the hall.

“How did he react?” asked Layla.

“He never drank it,” said Kian. “In their village, it is tradition for the whole family to drink from the Welcome Cup, starting with the youngest member.”

“And guess who the youngest member of the old chieftain's family was?” asked Adan, openly chuckling now.

A quiet pause ensued.

“No,” said Layla.

“Yes,” said Adan.

“She didn’t–”

“She didn’t know what hit her.”

More exclamations of disgust and horror filled the hall.

“Did Lord Hathian discover the young culprit?” asked Governor Fagus.

“After the uh– gagging and the retching had finally subsided,” said Kian, “they examined the cup and discovered the cause for her– reaction.”

Adan swallowed a piece of white cheese before leaning forward. “And everyone in the hall thought to themselves, ‘who would do such a thing?’” He looked meaningfully at Kian.

A ripple of laughter swept through the song house. Fagus reached for a mug and filled it with mead.

“It seemed a funny idea at the time,” said Kian. “Turns out it’s funnier now. It’s a miracle she agreed to marry me.”

Fagus raised the mug in the air, and several others followed his action. “To Kian and Vallessa, long life, health and happiness together.”

Shouts of approval echoed through the room and everyone drank. Adan noticed a handful of villagers smelling their drinks hesitantly before sipping them.

Fagus drained his cup and slapped it onto the table. “Well, we are very grateful that you chose to honor us with your presence on this trading venture.”

“Trading venture?” Kian asked. He looked at Adan with some confusion.

Adan looked back and realized that they had never mentioned the nature of their visit to anyone on Enys Island.

At that precise moment, Captain Ryland and several of the warriors on the ship entered the song house. Their faces were grim and the dim light gleamed on their weapons and armor.

“Your gratitude is very welcome, but also a little misplaced,” said Kian, turning back to Fagus. “We are here in part to trade with your people, but my presence has another reason behind it.”

Adan could see confusion in the governor’s eyes.

“Say on,” he said.

“I have undertaken a trust from my father. Rumors have reached us in Farel, rumors of sudden raids and attacks on our northern villages. I have been entrusted by my father to seek the source of these rumors and to . . . deal with the attackers.”

Governor Fagus breathed a tired sigh. “We’ve heard these rumors as well. We have dealings with some of the northern villages. We receive furs and dried meats from some of the hunters in exchange for wool goods, but several regular traders are months late. And those that have arrived have told us tales of ransacked villages with no living inhabitants.”

Captain Ryland and his men mingled with the villagers to find places where they could sit. Food and drink were passed to them and they received the fare gratefully.

“Raiders and brigands from Alvaro is my guess,” said Kian. “But we must discover the truth, and if we can, put a stop to them.”

Fagus shook his head. “I’ve never heard of raiders from Alvaro sacking entire villages and carrying off everyone who isn’t slain. Disorganized attacks and stolen goods are not uncommon, but the folk up north are hardy people. They can usually defend themselves against such attacks. Also, those raids usually come after the harvest, when there’s more to plunder, but we are only now entering the warmest season. Why attack now if they are after goods?”

“You have other ideas?”

Fagus shrugged. “I’m just an old mayor. I don’t know what the rumors mean. They are just rumors after all. But something isn’t right. If I had to guess, there’s something more sinister than just raiders and plunderers.”

“But what else could it be?” Adan broke in.

Fagus looked at him. “Who knows? A lord with a grudge against Esta, the precursor to an invasion, or even a dark warlock.”

Adan and Kian looked at each other with knotted brows. If anything Fagus said was true, the warriors and crewmen in their company may not be enough.

But that was absurd. Nothing so dramatic had happened for half a century.

Adan straightened on his bench. “They would be fools if they thought they could overthrow Esta, or raid our villages with impunity. History has proven our resilience to outside enemies.”

Adan thought he saw Fagus smirk before looking down at his plate. “History stretches back a great deal further than the founding of our little kingdom. Chapters and chapters are full of great nations rising and falling, and we are nothing but a page in one of those chapters. We have yet to outlive the great nations that came before us. I hope we do.”

“Well, do not fear for our safety,” said Kian. “Captain Ryland has had experience with raiders in the past, as has most of his crew. We are well equipped to handle whatever might be thrown at us.”

“That is good,” said Fagus, reaching for his mug again and raising it for another toast. “May your voyage be successful and swift, and may your ship bear all of you safely home again.”

Everyone drank in silence.

“A song!” someone called from the outer edges of the hall. The call was repeated by others. “A song! A song to speed Lord Kian on his way.”

“Where’s Ansel?” Fagus looked around the company. “Send for him.”

Adan shifted in his seat.

A bald, heavyset man wearing a brown cloak made his way to the table.

“This is Ansel, our bard,” Fagus said.

The bard bowed. “Pleasure to meet you, m’lord. May I sing a song for you?”

Kian assented and Adan leaned over to him.

“May I go check on the ship,” he whispered into Kian’s ear.

Kian gave him a knowing look before nodding.

Adan stood and made his way out of the crowded room just as the people were debating on whether Ansel should sing The Six Warriors or Luxes the Conqueror.

Once outside he stopped and felt the afternoon sun beat down on him. He breathed a deep sigh before starting his walk back to the pier.

“Adan?"

He looked back and saw Layla standing in the doorway of the song house.

“Where are you going?”

He turned toward her. “I need to check on the ship. I’ll be right back.”

The sound of a harp met their ears. Layla turned and looked back into the hall. Music began drifting out of the songhouse as Ansel began to play his harp.

At the sound of the harp, a flood of memories filled Adan's mind. He must have reacted to the music in a visible way because when Layla turned looked back at Adan he saw understanding dawn in her eyes and a shadow pass over her face.

“I remember his playing too,” she said.

They stood in silence for a moment before Layla took a step forward. “May I come with you.”

Adan smiled. “I would like nothing better.”

She smiled back at him, and this time Adan was certain he saw her blush before following him down the cobblestone road to the ship.