WnW 13.a – Pathos

2 Years After the Breaking

The truck rattled noisily down the road, weaving erratically to avoid potholes that had only gotten worse over the last two years. There would come a point where it would be easier to drive beside the highway instead of on it. Our town didn’t have access to the machinery that would let us build a replacement. Not that Mom would choose to waste precious fuel on a project like that anyway.

I leaned over the side of the truck bed and let the wind wick the sweat off my forehead.

“Careful,” Kade said without looking up from his tinkering with a broken radio. “Any day now your hair is going to be long enough to get you pulled under the wheels.”

Dinesh leaned forward and the patterns on his face shifted. “Alis has such a hard head they probably wouldn’t even get a headache.” A stick figure moved across Dinesh’s skin, down his neck and onto a map of the area displayed on his shirtless chest, complete with topography. The stick figure was driven over by a miniature vehicle.

“Don’t mess with the map yet, Dinesh,” Princess said, frowning. “I want you to add where we saw those tracks.”

Dinesh smiled and put his hands behind his head. He flexed his pecs. “Come add it yourself.”

Princess slammed her boot into his shin and Dinesh hunched over, waves of spiky formations crawling across his skin.

I self-consciously gathered my hair and began to braid it as best I could while the truck weaved back and forth.

“Yes!” Kade suddenly exclaimed, twisting the volume knob on the radio. A red light on the front lit up and a voice became audible,

“-for that excellent information. Being proactive will always net better results than reacting to issues as they arise. And always remember to take care of your mental health. Humans aren’t solitary creatures, even if you don’t like it, talk to people. You’ll be doing yourself a favour. Reminder that our hotline for reporting information on dark zones is open 24/7. Dark zones are places where all modes of communication are down, please don’t contact us with unverifiable information, we will not be airing the hallucinations of your mother-in-law after too many drinks.”

Mom hit a bump and the four of us sitting in the truck bed became airborne for a moment. Kade fell and smushed his face against the top of the wheel well, choosing to hold the radio aloft rather than save himself from a bruise.

“We will now repeat a list of currently known world events that you should know about: In Canada, everything west of the Rocky Mountains has literally gone dark. Reports from those that left early say that strange mists swept in from the ocean, knocking out the power grids and blocking out the sun. It’s been 54 days since we’ve heard of anyone making it out of there.”

I gazed up at our own mountains. My heart beat quickly thinking about what could be hidden on those peaks that were capped with glistening white snow even in the summer.

Dinesh groaned, massaging his shin and his butt. “Can you switch to a different station, Kade? Who cares what happens halfway across the world when we can’t even get there?”

Princess sat down, being the only one of us who had somehow reacted and landed on her feet with perfect balance. “Dinesh just wants to travel and go sight-seeing.”

“Damn right I do. Italy sounds nice.”

“The Bird King, Garuda, still controls much of India from its nest in Mumbai. People there are pitted against their neighbours in search of worms to gain Garuda’s favour. The worms are parasites and are known to influence their host’s mental state. We recommend surgical removal in a sterile environment as opposed to the alternative.”

A flock of black birds erupted from a nearby tree as we passed, making me flinch.

“New land masses emerged from the Caribbean Sea last month, carrying strange new life to nearby shores, out competing existing flora and fauna. Those ecosystems have been irreparably changed.”

“In the southern states of the United States, the water has been poisoned by what is believed to be a self-propagating strain of Dice. It’s turning people into Aberrants at a much higher rate than the old strain. Be sure to isolate water sources that are safe to drink from. Boiling water before consumption is a wise practice, but it does not remove the risk of ingesting active Dice.”

We crested a hill and headed into the valley. Home was in sight, a town of only a few hundred people beside a river that ran with ice-cold mountain runoff.

“Last year, an incredibly dangerous Witch seized power in Burkina Faso. They continue to expand their territory throughout western Africa. Be cautious at all times, the very ground has been terraformed by them, it carries vibrations over long distances, alerting them to many things beyond their eyes and ears.”

“Attacks from the Cult of Dead Words are on the rise in Europe. Their stated goal is to bring the world back to the Dark Ages. Common targets for their attacks are libraries, computer servers, and phone lines. Please be on the lookout for followers in other parts of the world as well.”

Kade sighed. “Don’t have to worry about that around here. We’re basically in the dark ages already.”

“That’s why you’re working on the dam right?” Princess asked. “That way we don’t have to worry about running out of gas for the generators.”

Kade gave her a pained smile. “That’s the hope. But I only have so much knowledge I’m working with and the rest is trial and error. If I’d known the internet would go down, I’d have downloaded everything…”

“Update from the civil war in Russia. There are confirmed reports that the northern faction is being led by an Aberrant. We don’t know much more about it, other than that it is spoken about in hushed, reverent tones by supporters. The Snegurochka still leads the opposing faction, claiming that she can bring the country into a new era of prosperity.”

“A reminder as always to be cautious about unfamiliar plant-life. You may have found yourself in a Grove, that’s with a capital G. There are many miraculous plants that can aid our lives within Groves, but we must be aware that there are also countless dangers as well, most notably the Flower-Heads that often tend and prune these Groves. While the Lacunae may be gone, their spawn remain on Earth. Be careful speaking with Flower-Heads, they imitate humanity, but they are not a part of it and can act unpredictably.”

We’d just come back from a Grove. There was one near the Fruch family’s place just a few kilometres away. They’d needed help paring back the encroaching vines that seemed attracted to their generator. Kade had taken a sample and found quickly that the vines seemed to conduct electricity quite well. That’s what he’d used to repair the radio. 

Citlalli Fruch had given me a jar of jam which was now tucked away in my bag. I loved how it sparkled when I held up to the sun.

“That concludes world events. If you or a loved one begins to notice changes to your body, be aware that you may be experiencing ‘Slow Casting’. Scientists believe this to be a fallout consequence of the Lacunae. People’s bodies may display alterations over long periods of time, whether or not they were a Shaper previously. Seek the help of a trusted Witch or be aware that you may have to adjust your daily life to adapt to these changes.”

I twisted the last of my hair into the braid and ran my fingers across it, feeling the crystalline granules that were embedded into the strands.

“Alis, how old are you now?” Princess asked.

“Seven and three quarters.”

“Do you remember the Lacunae?”

I shivered. Green and red light shone through our broken windows. Dad was screaming. Mom had locked him in the bedroom. He begged for us to let him out. But Mom just shook her head, eyes full of hurt and rage, blood running from a gash above her eyebrow. Dad had taken something sharp and-

I squeezed my eyes shut and blocked out the memory. We’d arrived in town and a man was waving us down. Mom slowed the car and rolled down the window to talk to him.

“Keep it quick, you know I don’t like idling the truck.”

“There’s something hanging around the outskirts of town. We’ve had a few people spot it today alone. Black and feathery. We think it’s an Aberrant but it’s slippery, we keep losing track of it. Faivre thinks he heard it speak a few nights ago. And you know how the children keep finding those little piles of neatly stacked animal bones? I’m starting to think…”

Mom chewed her lip and nodded. “I don’t like the sound of that. Could be an intelligent one. And we spent our last fucking bullet on a Flower-Head that was getting too friendly today. We aren’t going to get more until the next trading journey.”

Mom met my eyes. “Alis, go find Sage for me. She somehow got us out of that bind with the child-stealing Aberrant last winter. Maybe she has some ideas of what to do.”

I nodded and threw on my backpack before jumping out of the truck. Taking the most direct route, I slipped in and out of people’s gardens, jumping over a rusted old car that had tall grass growing up around it. I waved at Niko who was sitting on his porch, whittling a long willow branch into a fishing pole. Passing a pen of goats, I gave each of them a pat on the head while wrinkling my nose at the farm smell.

At this time of day, Sage was usually either gardening by the river or hanging out at Princess’ house. They had become fast friends, back when Sage had first shown up. Princess, as her nickname suggested, was interested in collecting jewelry and makeup even though most people didn’t care much for it these days. She always wanted someone to try new looks on and Sage was happy to oblige.

But Princess had come with us to the Grove today, so that left the riverside gardens.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long before I heard Sage humming a song in a deep voice. The river was high today and I kept a wide berth. I didn’t know how to swim and had almost drowned a few years back. That was before Sage had come to town and started to tame the wilds around the river.

I spotted her kneeling in the soil, a look of intense concentration on her face. She didn’t even react as I approached.

“What’re you doing?” I asked, fiddling with my backpack straps.

Sage looked up, her eyes fluttering rapidly as if she had just woken from a dream.

Princess had been given her moniker back before Sage had shown up, but there was something strange and fae about Sage that made me think she was more fitting of being called some sort of woodland royalty.

Aiding to that impression was her arms, which were made of ivory and wood of a deep red hue. The segmented pieces clacked gently together as she shakily lifted a hand to her face to clumsily brush the hair that had escaped her ponytail. She smiled at me.

“Hi Alister. It’s rare for you to come over to talk to me.”

I shuffled my feet, looking down. “Mom wants to talk to you.”

“Okay. I’m almost done here. By the way, your hair is getting so long! It’s beautiful.”

“Wish I could cut it,” I mumbled.

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out. And I remember you saying you wanted to make the cuttings into armour.”

I shrugged, keeping my head down. “If it’s that hard to cut, I feel like it could protect people.”

“That’s true. It also would look hella cool.”

I looked up and Sage was grinning slyly.

“I bet you want some sick knight armour, eh?” she asked before covering up her mouth like she’d just said something inappropriate.

“Why do you call me Alister?” I blurted out.

“That’s what you wanted, right?”

“Everyone else still calls me Alis.”

“Have you asked them not to?”

I kicked a pebble, sending it rolling down to the river. “I feel dumb.”

“Why?”

“Everyone is working so hard to keep us fed and safe and I’m making things complicated for no reason.”

Sage nodded thoughtfully. Then she gestured at the soil with a sheepish expression. “Can you help me make a hole? My hands aren’t cooperating today.” 

I went over and picked up the trowel that sat by her wooden legs, then I started to scoop out the soil. Sage crawled over to a bagged sapling and dragged it over with difficulty. I watched her as I dug.

“Do you ever wish you were more normal?” I asked.

Sage twisted around to stare at me with a dangerous look in her eyes.

“I- I didn’t mean-” I stuttered.

Sage burst into a peal of laughter. “I’m just messing with you. But you should be more careful with your words if you’re talking to strangers, they may not be so kind. You know I used to have regular old arms and legs.”

“What happened?”

“Eaten.” She raised her hands and tried to wiggle her fingers at me, to minimal success.

My mouth hung open. “By what? A lion? An Aberrant?”

“Hmm. People.”

“Cannibals?!” I cried, my voice squeaking in a way that I hated.

Sage laughed again, deeply and genuinely. “No, no. Well, technically I guess.”

“I thought those were your Shape,” I said, pointing to her legs.

“They are. I needed something to replace what I lost.”

“You mean you got to choose your Shape?” I chewed my lip, frowning. “That’s not fair. I never got to choose mine.”

Her gaze grew distant. “There’s a lot in life we don’t get to choose, we only get to adapt ourselves to.”

She tugged at the sapling and I helped her lower it into the hole. We scooped dirt with our hands to cover up the roots.

“Have you heard of the Fortingall Yew?” Sage asked.

“No. A tree?”

“A very old one, in Scotland. I wonder if it’s still intact… It’s a rare type of tree that has divided sex characteristics. This yew was male. It’s lived that way for five thousand years. But one day, people noticed that one of its branches had berries.”

Sage met my eyes with a crooked smile. “That’s a female trait. What do you think that means?”

I looked away. “I don’t know.”

The rushing water of the river seemed to grow quieter as Sage spoke, “I don’t know either. But I think it’s reassuring to know that something could live for thousands of years and then decide to try something different and new.”

The sapling seemed to straighten at Sage’s words and I swore a few new green buds appeared on its branches. 

“Make life as complicated as you want, Alister. That’s what it’s for. If you have the opportunity to grow and experiment, I say take full advantage.”

I sank my fingers into the cool dirt.

“Give me a second to rest and then we can go see your mom. Sound good?”

I nodded. Sage patted my head and then pushed herself up onto shaking legs that sank a bit into the dirt. She hobbled over to where her cane was leaning up against a stool.

I gathered up a few rocks from the garden and went a little closer to the river. Squinting against the sun, I hurled the first stone high into the air and waited for the satisfying kerplunk. Droplets of icy water hit my face.

Was it really okay to take up space with something so meaningless as insisting on a name that felt right for me? I hoped I would grow up soon. It felt like Kade and Dinesh and Princess all had goals that would eventually mean leaving the town. I didn’t want to be left behind. I wanted to climb the mountains with them and see what lay on the other side.

I mustered up my nerve and took a big step towards the river as I slung the next stone as high as I could. Blinking away the sun spots in my eyes, I waited. My gaze settled on what stood on the other side of the river, watching me.

A single massive eye sat within a mass of black feathers. Beaks large enough to close around my head snapped open, filled with multiple tongues. Bird’s feet, all twisted up into each other, forming larger limbs that ended in talons.

My skin ran cold as the creature stood up on two feet. Wings spread out, joints unfolding from to stretch out the wings like a massive canopy, revealing pulsating red organs beneath, like hatchlings still stuck inside their embryonic sacs. The sky seemed to darken as the creature began to make keening noises like a hundred cicadas.

Someone stepped in front of me, pushing me back with their wooden arm.

Kerplunk. The stone landed between Sage and the crow creature.

My eyes widened. Sage’s legs had turned to pointed tips that she balanced on flawlessly. She had moved in less than a second to protect me.

Something bulged inside of the giant eye. It burst free, emerging from the pupil. It was the face of a man, his skin was in the midst of molting into feathers.

“I knew it.”

I shuddered as the man spoke with a voice that somehow felt like a raven mockingly imitating human speech.

“The farewell exodus was faked. You never left.”

Sage remained silent.

The crow-man sneered at her. “Which means the Lacunae aren’t really gone, are they? You just hid them.”

“Yes,” Sage said. She held up her hand, which had morphed into a white sickle. “I divided its power, gave my flesh to others, so even if I was found, any would-be usurpers wouldn’t get full control.”

The beaks snapped open and shut like they were laughing silently. “And you didn’t think I would keep hunting you? I don’t care if you gave away your power. I promised you suffering equal to my own. That promise is engraved on my bones, on my very heart. Nick will not escape my vengeance.”

Sage grinned and it was like she’d become a different person, baring her teeth like a wild animal. For just the smallest fraction of time, something flickered in the sky, too big to comprehend in such a small window, something that pressed against the fabric of reality.

“Don’t you dare make a move against the child or I’ll show you just how much power I still possess.”

“You still fail to grasp the nature of my curse. My patience is immeasurable. Your doom is always just around the corner. I could spread the word far and wide to your enemies. Their prize pig still walks the Earth.”

There was the sound of dirt shifting and I glanced behind us and shrieked. A Flower-Head had emerged from the dirt, its pink and white streaked petals curling like it was snarling.

Sage gave it a sidelong look. “For the record, Amaryllis, this is exactly the kind of problem I wanted advance warning about.”

The Flower-Head shook its head, spreading pollen dust into the wind as it spoke in a voice like brittle wood cracking, “He told me he wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“He lied.”

“Oh.”

The crow beast stretched out a wing towards the river and Sage pushed me further behind her.

“Shaping is not what it once was and I have been on its true path for longer than most. We are past the stages of sharp implements and bony bits. Shaping was never simple flesh-bending, it is sorcery, subtle yet more powerful than ever. I wonder if you truly have kept up with the times.”

Sage responded calmly, “I seem to recall your promise was to watch me until my demise, correct?”

“Forever. A curse that has prolonged my life.”

Sage nodded. “Okay then. Why not join us?”

The crow beast was silent.

“I know you’re not an Aberrant. Despite this scary get-up, you’re still human. You could come live with us, if you’d like.”

I stared at Sage, not understanding how she could say that to such a monstrous creature.

She cocked her head and asked gently, “When was the last time you slept in a warm bed? Or ate good food? I’m talking fresh bread and honey, stew with potatoes and fish.”

She grinned cheekily. “Your mouths are watering, I know it.”

“My own misery is barely felt. And it makes my Shaping stronger.”

“Yeah, yeah, suffering and power. Boring! You seriously are lecturing me on the nature of Shaping when you’ve lost the plot entirely?” She tapped her forehead. “Shaping is about change, dumbass. There’s nothing powerful about steeping in your own stagnant resentments.”

Wings flared out in every direction like an ancient biblical threat and the red organs pressed forward, stretching the flesh, writhing. “I have become the curse! It is written on every cell. Every crow’s tongue for a thousand leagues speaks of your downfall. That is power.”

“Your curse means nothing. Nick died a long time ago.” She stuck out her hand across the river. “Now come meet Sage and the rest of the village. There’s always time to change.”

The wings curled back as the man’s face twisted in fury. He was about to strike. I crouched down behind Sage, cowering. But then I looked up and Sage hadn’t even flinched. She waited with open arms as the crow-beast hesitated.

Finally the man snarled and the wings flapped once, scattering into a hundred smaller bodies. The murder of crows flew away, cawing madly.

“Your words didn’t work,” Amaryllis said.

“Nope. Wrong again,” Sage said, closing her eyes and smiling. “I moved his heart, even if he doesn’t want to admit it just yet. We’ll have plenty of time to convince him that it was his idea. In the meantime…”

Sage turned to me. I stared at her, stunned at how beautiful she looked with the sun sparkling in her eyes. She leaned onto my shoulder.

“Can you help me walk over to your Mom? I’m feeling a little faint.”

Speechless at what I had just witnessed, I helped Sage walk back down the path towards our home. Her hair tickled my ear as she leaned in.

“I’d appreciate it if you kept all that stuff a secret. I’ve gotten pretty attached to all of you.”

I nodded.

“Oh! That wasn’t a threat. I just wouldn’t want anyone to be scared of me.”

“You’re not scary,” the words fell out of my mouth. “You’re really pretty.”

She laughed and it sounded like the river. “Awww. Thanks Alister.”

We got to my house and she stepped inside to talk to Mom. I remained in the doorway, wondering what sort of sorceress Sage was to be able to speak so calmly to something so clearly evil. What other secrets was she hiding?

Suddenly, staying in the town didn’t sound so bad.

“‘Sup Ali.”

Kade flicked my forehead, then looked over my head to see what I was looking at. Mom had brought a chair so Sage could sit as they talked.

He clucked his tongue sympathetically. “It must really suck to be her.”

“Why?” I asked.

Kade shrugged. “Shaping doesn’t favour us all equally. I know you don’t like your Shape but at least you can walk normally. She got really unlucky.”

Sage somehow heard us and turned. Her smile scrunched up her eyes.

“What are you talking about? I think I’m the luckiest person ever.”