» 06 – The Hero «

MARCHLANDS. WÙDĂO VILLAGE.

Kyra lets June ascend the stone staircase into the shrine first, following a few steps behind her. Ewan trails in last, Meilin moving to stand beside him. She’s glad at least one of them puts her at ease. It’s a position Kyra can sympathise with wanting, given none of this is putting her at ease.

Don’t get me wrong, Kyra tells herself, I’m glad I’m not crazy. But if I had to not be crazy, I’d rather not have been thrown in the deep end like this.

The inside of the shrine glows a golden brown, the soft light coming in through opaque glass windows giving it a quiet sense of wonder. Kyra had never been particularly religious—her grandparents had been forced to move to New Albion decades ago because of it—but even she appreciates the quiet awe the shrine had obviously been designed to evoke.

A statue of an Asian-style dragon fashioned from black jade is housed in a cabinet at the centre of the shrine, three slit windows placed at angles seemingly so at every time of day it glows with a dark purple light. The dragon’s serpentine body twists through the air, fierce wisdom in its carved eyes, a perfect pearl clutched between four-fingered claws. Incense fills the room with a soothing aroma, burning at the dragon’s feet.

A woman in her forties or fifties—Meilin’s mother, Kyra guesses—waits for them beside the statue. Dressed in flowing amber robes and a black shawl, her face is unreadable. There’s something wrong with her eyes too, flecks of gold amidst their dark colour.

June bows, and after a quick exchange of looks, Kyra and Ewan do the same. The woman bows in return, though hers is slighter.

“It has been a long time since I have been in the presence of one Titled, let alone three.” The woman glances at Meilin, who closes the shrine doors behind them.

“Thank you for taking an audience with us, Teacher,” June says. “My name is June Winters, and these are my charges, Kyra and Ewan.”

Kyra stifles a quiet laugh at being called someone’s ‘charge’.

“The Hero and The Squire,” the woman muses. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Winters. My name is Lin, Wise Woman of Wùdăo. Do you come upon me as a courtesy, or in petition?”

“Ah, we came to the Marchlands in a hurry, to rescue Ewan here.” June gesture at the young man, who grins sheepishly. “He arrived rather unintentionally.”

“Yes.” Lin turns to regard Ewan. “You’re the boy my daughter found?”

He nods. “Uh, yes ma’am. Your daughter saved me from barrow geists.”

“That was brave, if foolish, of her.”

Ewan doesn’t seem to have a response, so June continues, “We are seeking passage back to our world. We were hoping you could direct us to the nearest gateway.”

“Of course,” Lin says, turning back to June. “Though I would ask something in return.”

Kyra notices June’s mouth tighten. “Of course.”

“I would speak with you and the Hero alone then, if you do not mind.”

June and Kyra exchange a look, then turn to Ewan, who looks back uncertainly. “Ah, yeah, I can leave you guys to it. I’ll wait outside with Meilin?”

Meilin herself frowns, but doesn’t fight her mother on it. Instead, she opens the shrine doors for Ewan and follows him out. Silence lingers for a long moment in the absence. A small ember at the point of the incense glows in the shadow, filling the room with a layer of smoke that makes Kyra feel as if she never left the misty moors behind.

Finally, Lin asks: “How long have you been the Hero, child?”

Child? Kyra looks to June for guidance, but she just inclines her head slightly. “Ah, unofficially? Couple of weeks. Officially, like, less than a day. This is all pretty new, to be honest.”

The old woman makes a silent motion that could be a laugh, then answers, “I appreciate your honesty. It would do this world and yours little good for you to be otherwise.”

Kyra nods uncertainly, wondering if she just passed some sort of test.

Lin regards her for a long moment, smoke from the incense almost seeming to wrap around her, before she continues: “Nonetheless, despite your inexperience, I would beseech you to perform a Heroic duty.”

“On behalf of the cunning folk?” June interjects.

“Indeed,” Lin confirms. “We have been talking amongst ourselves for weeks now, and I believe your arrival is no coincidence. Do you know how long it has been since barrow geists roamed the Glainmoor?”

Kyra shakes her head.

“Five years,” the woman answers. “Something has to have woken them. A cynic would blame you, my dear, but I suspect the opposite is true.”

“Kyra isn’t ready to fight a barrow geist; you should see that,” June says, then adds, “Teacher.”

“It is not the barrow geists themselves I wish for her to deal with. The task would be to uncover what—or who—woke them.” Lin folds her hands together. “After that, have the Marcher Lord of Marigolds deal with them, send a sortie of knights perhaps. I’ve heard the two of you have a history.”

“Once,” June replies listlessly.

“Regardless, that is the task I would ask of you. In exchange for your pledge, I will shelter you until tomorrow, then help you return home. I will even offer my daughter’s service to guide you.” Lin offers a hand, a black dragon wrapped around her ring finger. “Do we have an agreement?”

Kyra looks from Lin to June. “Should I?”

“It’s up to you, Kyra. I’m only your Guide.” She sighs, takes Kyra aside. “I didn’t want you to be put in this sort of position so soon. But this is the sort of thing people will expect of you, as the Hero. This and far worse.”

“Well, that’s why I was chosen right? Because someone has to.”

June gives her a small smile. “Destiny might think otherwise, but in my mind, there’s always a choice.”

Behind the weariness and the cynicism, there’s a real sincerity in June's eyes that helps put Kyra at ease. As they stand there now, Kyra realises how grateful she is to have June there. It seems silly to feel that way about someone she’d only just met, but the two had shared a day together unlike anything most people would or could experience. She thinks of Ewan, arriving here all alone, monsters nipping at his heels. This was all moving too fast, she knew that, but perhaps that’s what made it so important to her needing someone to grab hold of.

Kyra turns back to Lin. “Then I’ll do it. Especially if it means we can stop anyone being hurt by these monsters. I was willing to rush here to save Ewan, right? I can’t brush my hands of it now.”

Lin’s lips quirk into a smile and they shake hands, a sensation chilling Kyra’s spine like a biting wind. She tastes copper on her tongue.

“By the Charter, see that our agreement is sealed.”

~***~