Cities of Power Ch. 04

Flint went to stoke the coals and bring the forge to roaring life as the two women cleared the table and cleaned the breakfast dishes. Opal said nothing as she considered how she would say what needed to be said to her daughter, and Trix felt the tension emanating from her mother, believing her still distressed by the events of the evening before.

Turning her worried look on Trix, Opal steeled herself to speak quietly and calmly, not wanting another scene like that of yesterday. It had taken a great time to explain away the extra mid-week bath they all enjoyed to her husband when water was a scarcity, even with the new well. Even the discussion of 'women's issues' had not taken his temper away.

"You must be vigilant now," Opal began, watching her daughter's face turning to a confused frown. "What happened yesterday and what we did after, it is not foolproof; you must tell me immediately if your breasts swell and ache even a little. You must tell me if you become queasy and cannot keep food down, in the mornings particularly. You must be aware and tell me of any changes. Do you understand?" Opal's voice had taken on a sense of urgency.

"Yes, Mother," the words from the tirade her mother had been on yesterday still rung in her ears.

"I am going to see Shaylee and Gaylan this morning; I want you to stay here with Flint and do some washing for me. I will tell him to heat some water to add to that still in the wash tub. I promised your father we would not waste it," Opal turned back to the dishes that she sponged clean before going to her room to gather the few small items she had for trade. She did not wish to barter with forged materials for what she wanted from the baker and her husband.

"My sweet girl," Opal hugged Trix to her before leaving the house, "I should have better prepared you for all of this, but how was I to know you would be taken in by a techno bandit." She sighed and released to the girl, "Now do as I have said, I won't be back for a while."

Trix gathered the pile of washing her mother had left for her and took it to the wash house. They were luckier than most of the poor village people. Having one of the few forges in the free villages meant that they were well stocked with soaps and cleaners, as well as food and other items needed for comfortable living. While Spar would have frowned at the term, they were, in comparison to other villagers, quite wealthy.

Washing was a hard physical task, but one that required no thought, and she let her mind drift to her love for Talon and her mother's assertion that he had gotten what he wanted from her that he would not return. Tears sprang to her eyes as she lost herself in dark warnings of her mother, to have a child and no husband would be the worse disgrace she could impose of her rigid father; she would be sent away, or worse. She swallowed hard, not wanting to imagine being married off to some fawning sycophant of her father's choosing who would punish her for having another man's child.

Flint came in with a boiling caldron and, yelling a warning, dumped it into the wash tub. Seeing her tear streaked face. Flint gathered her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "Hey, it's not as bad as all that. We all make mistakes; we have to, so we learn as father would say." Flint gave her a half smile.

"What if it's worse, what if..." she broke down and cried whole-heartedly then.

Flint loved his little sister immensely. The girls of the village only confused him with their giggles and games. Trix, he knew and understood. He was disappointed and, in a strange way, jealous that she had fallen for a techno bandit and had let him take advantage of her, but it was not the end of the world as she seemed to believe it was. He stroked her hair and let her cry into his chest, "The only thing that could be worse is if you had gone with him. I already miss Mica, I could not have borne losing you too."

It had always been Mica who had been her confidante and friend. Flint was the quiet brother whose strong presence was always there just hovering in the background, yet here he was comforting her as if they had always had a special closeness. Flint's twin, Emery, had so always overshadowed him with his gregarious nature and teasing ways that they had become one in the same in Trix's mind. As Flint was so quiet, he allowed Emery to speak for him more often than not. Her three oldest brothers had always seemed so inaccessible to Trix, but she had trailed around after Mica as much as he would let her, and, like Flint, she had to admit she missed him dearly.

"Why don't you finish the washing and come keep me company in the forge? You can tell me all about this guy who sweet talked you into making mistakes," Flint teased.

"Okay," She nodded; dashing away the tears that still clung to her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'll make us some lunch; it should take me that long to do it all."

"Good, I am starving," Flint grinned.

"But you just had breakfast!" Trix was aghast.

"What can I say, I am a growing boy. Probably more around the middle than anywhere else these days, but still..." he chuckled, and Trix burst out laughing. Happy to hear her laugh again, Flint went back to his forge and left her to her chores.

As Trix worked hard within the steamy wash house, Opal sat with five other village members in a small house that joined the bake house of Shaylee and her husband, Gaylan. Like her, each of the people within their small group had once belonged to the city of Pegasus. When Opal had met Spar, her husband, so many years ago, he had thought her a servant, a handmaid to the woman she was with. In fact, that wasn't quite the case, Opal had been a free woman of the Seers guild. Her gift was not strong and, as such, many of the stronger seers looked down upon her and treated her with indifference, and this is what Spar saw and made his assumption.

Gaylan, too, had been a Seer, but had fallen in love with a woman from the peasant class, Shaylee; they had to leave the city for their love to be allowed to bloom. Jace and his wife, Elita, sat quietly with their son, Jason, all three were healers, having left the city for their own reasons which they had not divulged.

"I have dreamed for weeks of a jewelled unicorn," Opal stated, "and a black hawk and a flame that licks at them as if to engulf them but seems to be held back by an unseen force." She tried to put her dream into words for the group.

"The mystics dream it too," Jason said softly, making his parents gasp. He turned to them then, "Have you truly never told any of these people what I am and that you left Pegasus so that I could be free rather than locked within the mystics enclave never to see you again?" He shook his head, "After all this time you must trust these people, I can help them for good or for ill."

Opal looked in shock at the young man who would have been not much older than Trix, and saw in him the maturity of one beyond his tender years. "The mystics have the dream?"

Gaylan held up his hands, "If you can know of them and what they think, do they not know of your thoughts too?"

"They do, but cannot pinpoint my whereabouts. I have learned to surround my mind in mist when I open it to them. As a child it was like a game of hide and seek, I have become very good at it," he grinned.

"It will not be a game if they come for you and, in turn, us," not given to bouts of rage, Gaylan instead let his disappointment show.

"I believe they like the glimpse of village life I afford them. It gives them an insight into the countryside and its peoples. Do not be alarmed, they have no means of getting here, even were they to locate us," Jason said with the cocky arrogance of youth.

"Tell us what you know of this dream, and be quick about it, we each now need to decide for ourselves whether to go or stay in this village," Gaylan muttered, and Shaylee let out a small cry at the thought of leaving this village and the life they had made here.

"They seek the black hawk of the air and the elusive jewelled unicorn he covets," Jason was rocked by the group's reaction, he had thought they would be happy that they had a great mystic with them. "It was prophesied some twenty years ago on the birth of a star that it would come to pass that the hawk and the unicorn would change the face of the world once more. They have located the black hawk, they believe. Now they seek his jewelled unicorn before he beds her and creates a child of Genesis."

"Charcoal and paper?" Opal asked Shaylee urgently. Given the materials she quickly sketched the brooch given to her daughter by Talon the night before and held it up to the boy. "This is my dream. Is this what they seek?"

The boy studied it, "I believe it could be, it has a filigree coat with red, blue, green and white jewels here and here, hence its name."

Opal paled dramatically. "I need the full prophecy. Can you find it for me, write it down?"

Jason was a little frightened by the wild look in the woman's eyes, but nodded, despite his parent's protests. His eyes went blank, and Opal turned to the others once he was gone from them into the midst of the mystics. "A storm is about to descend upon us, my friends," and she pointed to the drawing and then nodded, letting them know she knew who the unicorn was before closing her eyes in grief for her only daughter.

The catatonic Jason suddenly began to move his hands, and words were scrawled onto the paper, despite the unnerving stare that showed only the whites of his eyes. When he finally roused himself, he smiled and reported that he had encountered no other minds, as they were all busy seeking out the flight of the hawk's allies. The prophecy read:

Flight of hawks travel swift and true Flight of unicorn and peril ensue Flight of elements no equal share Fly four, fly three, water, earth, fire, air

Come roaring, goring, warring beasts Come set the stage for carrion feasts Come beat your chest and shout your ire Could fate but wait for one man's desire

Desire the moon, the stars at night Desire the comet radiant bright Desire the Unicorn by stars bejewelled Dancing elusive beast, so easily fooled

Break upon the walls of lowly man's power Break upon the stones of a crumbled tower Break upon the shores of crystal clear lake Big men march and the earth does quake

Son of the hammer, son of the jewel Son of the end will stand to rule Son of the people, son of the light Sovereign rule, by day, by night.

Opal was wide eyed. War was coming whether they liked it or not. The hawk had found his unicorn, and there was little anyone could do about that. She resolved to protect her daughter, no matter what, but a village meeting was needed immediately to put things in place against the coming of the darkness. The walls of lowly men had to be the walls Spar worked on now. 'How soon would they be finished?' she wondered, with all of the new arrivals and the workforce available, surely it would not be long. That would mean she had limited time to plan. She needed to plan. There had to be a way to protect Trix and her baby. The thought stopped her in her tracks. A baby... The girl was barely more than a baby herself.

Elita spoke into the silence nervously, "We thought it was our son and us. I am of the house unicorn, and Jason was born at the time of the prophecy. Jace is not a hawk though; we had thought the meaning might be hidden to us. Jason assures us though, that they have found the hawk they seek. So we do not believe this village is in danger any longer." She was looking directly at Opal, who sat pale and trembling.

"Of course, you're right," Opal said in a shaky voice. "The strongest of mystics will be able to read your mind, Jason, and while I cannot thank you enough for your help in answering my questions, I must ask you to guard yourself against the tingling feeling of your scalp in case they try to read your waking thoughts."

Understanding blossomed on his face, and he smiled, "Do I smell pastries out there, Shaylee? I am starving and might just sneak a peek at what you have on offer today." He stood and grinned at Shaylee, who flicked her apron at him.

"Come on then, rapscallion, let's get you a sweet treat then," She laughed and followed him out into the bakery.

Gaylan looked at Opal with serious eyes, "You need help, and Spar cares more for the community than his own family at the moment, it seems. He does it for his family as well, I understand, but he seems to be taking the role of father to us all lately."

"Yes, I need your help," Opal said softly. These people were her closest friends, and she trusted them. She had to trust someone, because she would have to think carefully about how best to protect her daughter. "The elusive unicorn lives within the village known to us all, but in another guise. I fear the child of prophecy already grows within her belly."

"Come then," Gaylan said quickly, taking Opal's hand, "We shall talk again tonight, Elita and Jace. It will take all of us to protect our world as we know it, here in this small village." He looked meaningfully toward the bakery and their son as he said it. Picking up the parchment the boy had written on, he walked with Opal out into the bakery to farewell Shaylee and then into the bright midday sun.

When she arrived home, Opal found Trix eating lunch in the forge with Flint. She smiled at Flint; her quiet child had always kept a watchful eye over his sister from the time she had been born. Amazed by the tiny squalling bundle, he had vowed at the age of six to love her forever and be her protector.

"I'm home, Trix, and I have brought Gaylan with me, come talk to me," Opal said lightly. Flint looked up at the doorway and furrowed his brow. He picked up his plate and made to follow his sister. "I don't suppose asking you to stay here wouldn't work any better than last time?" Opal sighed at her son who merely grinned at her.

Throwing her hands up into the air, she turned and left the forge expecting both her children to follow her. They sat at the kitchen table, and Gaylan reached out to hold both Trix and Opal's hands. He closed his eyes and focused on the pathways before him as Opal spoke to her daughter of futures and how a small drop of water in a pool can cause ripples that would expand out to the edges unless disturbed by a second drop that would distort the first.

Flint could see the confusion and anxiety fill his sister's face and reached under the table to take her other hand to let her know she wasn't alone. He found that she was clutching something hard within it though, and looking down he saw a beautiful broach in the shape of a unicorn. Puzzled, he looked at her, but she was focused on her mother's words.

They talked for what seemed to Trix to be a lifetime about how the men and women of Pegasus often sought to discover their future pathways and change them for the better. She explained she had been experiencing powerful dreams since the first letter from Mica arrived, and she sought to change her daughter's destiny.

Gaylan eventually spoke, he was exhausted by his seeking of pathways. "There are so many paths, but they all must meet at the same junctures in the future. War is coming, and the fates have ensured Spar is prepared. He is the puppet of the fates now. If Trix stays in the village, Spar's sense of righteousness will force him to hand her to the men of Justice, should they come for her," He made sure Opal understood this was not something they could change.

"She must leave then," Opal whispered, appalled at her own words.

"The hell she will!" Flint exploded.

"Calm down, boy!" Gaylan roared, "Show your mother the respect she is due!" Trix sat wide-eyed, saying nothing as those around her decided her fate. Gaylan turned to her then, and in a kind voice said, "You are a magical unicorn; your destiny cannot be that of a mundane village girl. I wish only to keep you safe from harm, the best way I know how. Do you understand?"

Prising her hand from Flint's, Trix lifted it to the table and slowly uncurled her fingers, revealing the unicorn. "I was given this by someone I love very much," she whispered.

"May I?" Gaylan asked, and at her nod he enclosed her hand with his, holding the brooch between their palms. Once again his mind flashed and raced down the pathways of the girl's life, searching for a peaceful end to the war he saw at the end of every pathway. Somehow this seemingly innocent girl would be the catalyst for war. Her best hope for a future of any kind was to leave the village with her brother, Flint. He studied the young man, tall and strong like his father, he had a temper and a keen sense of justice like him as well, but he was also thoughtful and loved his sister immensely. In truth, Gaylan liked the young man, and knew the village would suffer without him, but he felt after searching the pathways for so long that he was her best chance for survival.

Should she die the war would still inevitably come, as the fates had set the prophecy in motion. All he could do now was warn the village and try to protect the girl that seemed to be at the heart of the coming storm.

"You are with child," he said softly, "and though your lover may return for you in time, it will not be soon enough. You must leave the village if you want to protect your baby and the man who would be the father." Opal had begun to cry softly, and shocked to the core Trix sat in wide-eyed terror. "I will accompany her, Opal, though it breaks my heart to leave Shaylee," Gaylan said sadly. "I will let no harm come to her; you have my word."

"I'll take her. She can pretend to be my wife. One of the bandit villages will protect us because of my skill in the forge," Flint said, his mind slowly still working it out in his head. He did not want an old man trying to protect his sister, nor did he relish the idea of what his father would do when her belly began to swell with the baby if she stayed. He took his mother's hands and spoke softly, "It will not be for long, less than a year, and then we will return and say we found the baby and adopted it as our own. You will see us again, mother, and your grandchild." Flint spoke with the confidence of a young man who was sure of his strength and skills.

*****

It was in the small hours of the morning when Talon woke, the skin on his neck prickling with the sense that something was not right, and he peered into the room, the dying fire giving scant light. Sitting up, the men around him immediately came awake, but it was too late for most of the Techno warriors who found a blade at their throats. At the cries of alarm, the door burst open, and standing there was a black robed man dragging the unconscious body of a warrior behind him through the door.

"Cease, or I will make an example of that one!" The man said loudly, pointing at Sirrus. The fight that had broken out between Talon and his would be captor subsided as he saw his friends in peril. His captor kicked at the back of his knees, making him crumple to the floor with a groan.

"It would seem that the men and women of Phoenix have become quite adept at hiding particular memories from the Seers, so now it falls to the Martial to find what we need," he looked around at the small group. "Who will now betray the young hawk and tell us where the unicorn hides?" Most of the Techno warriors looked at the man blankly, not comprehending the reference to a mythical beast, "His love that he seeks but cannot catch?" He explained further.

"The woman he was to wed now resides in the tower of water," Briny offered, believing Clove to be the love that he could no longer have, earning her looks of disgust from Eddy and Bay.

"It is not Clove that now fills his heart, there is another who dances elusively out of his reach," the man watched them all, his words exacting to make them think of the girl so that the seers could seek her out. After a few moments he moved to the side, and a purple robed Mystic entered the room.