5

Miraveh awoke from the dream with a start. It took her a few seconds before she realised she wasn't back in the Crucible of Fears, where Xirasir had taunted and tempted Kay, attempting to turn her friend to the Shade's side. Kay had won that particular battle, as he went on to win the war between the God of Despair and himself, but he had come close to collapsing. Close to becoming Xirasir's puppet. Kay had always said Miraveh's friendship had made him strong in the face of the attack upon his mind.

She looked around at her surroundings and could see why that particular event had returned to her. Xirasir had told Kay that he would spare Alsurna region from the worst of his ravages upon the world and the Shade had stayed true to his word. Alsurna, Donsa village and the other villages and towns of the region had remained, largely untouched after the initial assault to capture Kay. Miraveh had seen what the Shade's corruption had done to the other regions of the continent, to the north.

That corruption, however, she had thought had only stretched along the northern lands, where most of the struggle had occurred. She knew now that that was not the case. The further she and Sialira had travelled from Donsa, the more she found that even the southern regions had suffered from the corruption of the mad god. Now, almost six months later, the lands had only started to recover.

For over a week, Miraveh had continued to avoid villages and towns. In part, to annoy Sialira, but also to test the girl. She had lived a comfortable life, back in the city she knew. If the girl couldn't get used to the life of a traveller, she would only suffer. Another reason continued to pinch at Miraveh's mind, however. During the previous years, population centres held many a follower of Xirasir and, though defeated, she didn't doubt that some of those followers still lurked among the people. Miraveh had no wish to encounter those dark-hearted people ever again.

As the Sun began its slow, steady arc through the sky, Miraveh rubbed her eyes. Sialira's bed roll sat empty. She didn't feel too concerned. Every so often, she had caught the girl as she practised and frustrated herself, trying to cast magic that seemed beyond her capabilities. However, as they had passed beyond the verdant, lush landscape of Alsurna, into the grey, corrupted regions, Miraveh's concerns had grown.

Already, they had met several magical creatures. Mostly the small, mischievous types. The faeries and pixies in the near-leafless forests, gremlins and coblynae in the rocks and the hills. None proved malicious, but they were only the first. Miraveh didn't doubt they would soon encounter more malefic creatures before long. All awoken since the return of magic.

Sure enough, Sialira returned and Miraveh could feel the remnants of magic use about the girl. That was something that had increased the further they had travelled, too. Miraveh hated it. She could feel magic more and more. Feel it within those trickster creatures. Feel it whenever Sialira cast, or tried to cast, magic. Miraveh didn't want that ability any more now than she did before, but she could feel her sensitivity growing. She tried to hide the fact that it terrified her.

"You were moaning in your sleep. I thought I'd take a walk." The girl's eyes flickered away as she said that. Not having strength in magic embarrassed her, though Miraveh cared little. "You know I said I hated the wilderness? Well, I hate this more. There's no colour here. It's bleak and depressing."

"It's Xirasir's corruption." Miraveh saw the tightening of Sialira's shoulders at mention of the God of Despair. She didn't like hearing his name. "Give it a few years, hopefully less, and the green will return. What do you say we sleep in beds tonight?"

"Beds? Beds!" Sialira almost squealed in excitement at the thought and a broad grin erupted upon her face before the smile fell away and she scowled at Miraveh. "Are you teasing me again? Don't think for a second that I don't know you've been avoiding villages."

Of course she knew, Sialira, for whatever her faults, was not stupid. Not by a large margin, but she was naive and she needed to get used to living without comforts if she intended to accompany Miraveh. She was still here, so it certainly looked as though she was staying for the duration. For now, the girl had passed Miraveh's test and she deserved a reward.

In truth, Miraveh needed to restock their supplies. Trapping had proven fruitless since leaving the lush environs of Alsurna. Not a single rabbit had fallen victim to Miraveh's snares. No animals of any kind, truth told. The corruption had not yet passed enough for animal populations to grow to their once teeming levels, where a trapper could return home with a dozen conies upon their backs.

Even the rivers and streams held far fewer fish than they once had. Though Miraveh had never managed to quite come to grips with fishing, much to her embarrassment and dismay. Buying supplies was their only option, for now, and to buy supplies, they needed a place with a market and shops. Miraveh knew of just the place.

Nestled below a sharp drop in the landscape, huddled against cliffs and bluffs, Kubsa Falls was the furthest away from home that Miraveh had travelled before the fateful appearance of Yusuvur in her life. Built around a small lake, filled by the eponymous waterfall, Kubsa Falls had played the part of a trading hub for many years. Almost half-way between the main town of Tilsara, in Alsurna region, and the bustling city of Dunncara, in Gerefertus region to the east, Kubsa had the fortune of sitting along the great Spice Road that stretched all the way down to the Southern Lands, beyond the isthmus kingdom of Jukunashar.

Whatever Miraveh needed, she felt certain she could find it there. And Sialira could sample the delights of a bed and a hot meal for the first time in days. From there, also, Miraveh could come to a decision. For days, now, she had simply rode eastwards, with Sialira in tow, without any idea where she was going. She had no destination in mind, no place to aim for.

If she intended continuing this journey, she had to make a choice. Everything beyond Kubsa would be new to her. Unexplored territory. She could turn northwards, visit the ancient nation on Onsoo, that stretched along the entire eastern face of the Mountains of Ire. She had read about the complicated history of that place, back in the library of the Coven of Scales, and it sounded fascinating.

Or, she could continue eastwards and try to reach the coastal nation of Viratura and its dozens of ports, harbours and immense navy. Again, from what she had read, she could find no end of interesting encounters there. She had even heard tell that they sailed from Viratura to a great, secret continent beyond the ocean.

Her mind, however, continued to turn southwards, through the nation of Enshelivadid, past the lawless lands that held no name and no rulers that anyone knew of. On to the isthmus, the kingdom of Jukunashar and beyond. Beyond to unknown lands. And the unknown called to her. Beyond the reach of Yusuvur. Beyond the spread of the Shade of Xirasir's corruption, she hoped. It called and she needed to answer that call.

"Are you even listening to me?" Sialira's voice broke through Miraveh's thoughts. It felt as though the girl had spoken for some time. "Of course, I shall introduce myself to the local Coven. The Coven of Scales is known the world over as the supreme Coven. Witches will flock to help us, don't you worry. We'll have the very best lodgings, especially if any of these poor regional Witches can sense your potential."

"That's fine." A quick glance at the sky told Miraveh she had daydreamed for some time. They needed to mount their horses before too long, or they wouldn't reach Kubsa by nightfall. "Break camp, without talking, and pack everything away."

"I can do that and talk at the same time. There are things you need to know about visiting these regional Covens. They can be a little backward and parochial. You must ..." Sialira stopped as she caught Miraveh glaring at her. Her mouth closed and she blinked before reaching for her bed roll, muttering to herself. "I'm only trying to get her ready to meet other Witches, but, no, Sialira has to keep quiet or bulging eyes and entrenched foreheads come out to play. 'Without talking'! As though she's my Coven leader!"

Miraveh ignored the almost whispered protests of Sialira as the girl did as she was told. They soon had the camp cleared away, packs and bed rolls returned to the backs of the horses, fire kicked over and smothered by loose soil. The day's journey lay ahead and Miraveh's decision. She desperately wanted to visit Onsoo.

Why, then, did her mind constantly turn to the south?

-+-

The closer they came to Kubsa Falls, the more concerned Miraveh became. She had avoided the more common roads in order to torment and teach Sialira, but now, as they travelled along the rutted cart track that led directly to the town, they began to encounter people and those encounters worried Miraveh.

Alsurna region and Gerefertus region had long held a friendly, but competitive relationship. Citizens of each region maintained friendly relations, even though they both had similar industries. Farms, wool, a few mines. They shared more than they didn't, including a shared, but slightly differing language. In the few times she had come this way with her father, Miraveh had seen outright animosity on only the rarest occasions.

Now, every person they passed glared at both riders, lips curling, vicious whispers coming from their mouths. More than once, Miraveh called out a good day, only to see the travellers greeted by narrowed eyes and heads turning to spit at the ground.

"And here I thought your village was bad." Looking down her wrinkled nose, Sialira gave as much back to those that looked at her with undisguised hatred. She fished into a pouch at her belt as they rode. "I thought Southerners were supposed to be friendly, salt-of-the-world people?"

"So did I." With her hand resting upon the hilt of the sword, Miraveh caught a glimpse of something glinting in Sialira's hand. "What are you doing?"

"I'm preparing." Hesitating, Sialira released the reins of her horse and used both hands to attach the glinting thing to the chest of her leather clothing. "My sisters and brothers in the local Coven will need to see who I am. Who we are. That is if you want a room for the night that won't cost an arm and a leg?"

Miraveh had seen such pins before, many times. Back at the tower of the Coven of Scales, where every Witch wore such a pin with pride. A set of scales with three pans, instead of two. A symbol of their neutrality and need for balance in the world. It proclaimed to all that could look upon them that they were Witches. It demanded respect. Miraveh had an intense feeling that they would not receive that respect here.

"Put it away. Now!" Already, Miraveh had seen the eyes of one traveller fall upon the pin, their eyes widening as they moved to give them both a wide berth. "And don't perform any magic. Don't even talk about it."

"Why ever should you tell me that? I'm a Witch, or had you forgotten?" Despite her protest, Sialira was not stupid. She had seen that horrified glance from the traveller and she curled her hand around the pin, returning it to her pouch. "Fine. But it will be required to enter the local Coven."

Miraveh had stopped listening. It was enough that the girl had done as Miraveh told her, putting away the pin. Now Miraveh's eyes had fallen upon several somethings in the near distance. At first she had thought they were trees, leafless and ruined by Xirasir's corruption. As they drew nearer, she realised it was nothing of the sort.

She pulled her horse to a stop before the the horrific vision before her. They were not trees, but gallows. Four of them, two on each side of the road that led down the slope towards Kubsa Falls. And each gallows held a body, dangling by the neck, dirty rope holding them aloft. Miraveh recognised the creatures that had suffered the hanging. Bodies rotting, she could see the pointed ears and long, hooked noses. Elves. Other bodies, cut down and left to rot at the side of the road, looked even worse. Though those were human, Miraveh noticed.

"Beasts! Beasts! Beasts!" The voices of children, missed by Miraveh as she stared at the corpses, rang out and let fly with several, fist-sized rocks towards the bodies of the elves. "Kill the beasts and stop the rot, we don't want what beasts have got!"

Laughing, their song lingering in the air, the children ran away, back towards Kubsa Falls. Miraveh gaped as she watched them run, caked in mud and filth. Hair knotted and straggly. The other travellers they had seen along the road had looked little better. Kubsa Falls had fallen into decay and squalor, it seemed.

To the side, Sialira failed to disguise her horror at what she saw. Both her hands clasped over her mouth, her eyes wide and wet with tears, her head moving in a continuous, disbelieving shake. Miraveh wondered whether this was the first time the girl had ever seen dead bodies. She could have seen worse, but she, for certain, could have seen better. For her part, Miraveh had seen much in her years of travelling. These bodies, as awful as they looked, were not nearly the worst she had seen.

She looked down the sloping pathway towards Kubsa Falls. Even from here, she thought she should hear the noise of the water cascading into the pool that the town surrounded, but she could hear nothing. She could see much, however, and what she saw did not foster many good thoughts.

Though the full extent of the town lay beyond the curve of the cliffs, she could still see the outskirts. Outskirts that had expanded since last she came this way. Yet even she had not expected what she now saw. Houses, as expected, wood and stone and cob, but also line upon line of tents and lean-to's. And people. Far more people than Miraveh thought sustainable for a town of Kubsa's size. Hundreds. Thousands. All filthy and wretched looking.

"This was a mistake. I've made a foolish mistake." She wanted to turn the horse around, find a path to another town, to another village, but they did not have enough supplies to reach them. "Put on your cloak and draw up the hood. Tie your hair back, out of sight. I think strangers are no longer welcome here."

"What if we go somewhere else? If we can reach the Coven house we'll be safe, but we could just go around, can't we?" Sialira had turned in her saddle, reaching into her saddlebags, searching for her cloak. Her hands shook as searched. "You can set up those snares of yours. I'm certain you'll catch something soon. Or I could try using mag ..."

The girl's jaw clamped tight. She knew how to follow orders, even though she almost let the word slip out. The fact that she did as Miraveh told her could prove useful in the future. The last thing Miraveh needed was someone not listening to her and getting themselves killed. Not again. Whatever she decided to do now, she needed to make that decision fast.

She had already moved herself and her horse between Sialira and the other bodies. As Sialira had tied up her bright blonde hair, wrapping the cloak about her shoulders and pulling up the hood, Miraveh had noticed something else about the other bodies. The human bodies. They each wore pins similar to Sialira's. Witches.

Once Sialira had finished preparing herself, Miraveh began to lead the way down the slope and, as soon as they neared the spread of tents and makeshift lean-to's, she caught the smell. The smell of human waste, left where they had squatted. The smell of death, of rotting flesh. Several times as they rode past the masses of people, Miraveh noticed bodies mere inches away from where people sat, or lay. Rats skittered around without fear of any of the people.

As they entered the town proper, things only became a little less filthy. Every corner, every alley and yard held people, huddled together in their poverty. And then Miraveh saw why she had not heard the noise of Kubsa's famous waterfall. It was no longer there.

Only a tiny trickle fell from the cliffs above, falling into nothing but mud at the base of those cliffs, the pond that children once paddled and swam in had now dried up and become nothing but a quagmire. The buildings and houses of Kubsa had fared little better. Not a single building they passed hadn't fallen into some state of disrepair.

Wooden doors and walls and roofs had become rotten and broken. Stone walls chipped and slate roofs no longer held many shingles. Few windows had any shutters to close upon cold nights. The streets, once cobbled, were now nothing but mud and filth.

Hands reached out towards the two riders, begging, trying to steal from them, grasping for the comfort of other people. It felt suffocating and desperate and Miraveh began to realise that they would find no supplies in this place. They didn't have enough for themselves and anything that was for sale was probably available only for those with deep, heavy purses.

As they neared an inn where Miraveh and her father had once stayed, Miraveh caught sight of something else and her eyes flashed towards Sialira. She had spared the girl the sight of the dead Witches, near the gallows. She could not hide this from her.

"Animals. Nothing but filthy, evil animals!" Even in her anger, Sialira still held her voice low and Miraveh felt a swell of respect for the girl's self-control, but also a great pity. "Why? Why would they do such a thing? Why?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know." Miraveh reached over, trying to clasp a hand that Sialira snatched away.

The girl could not take her eyes from the building across the street. Burnt, collapsed, it had once stood tall and proud within the town, with its own delicately carved gates and a yard and a garden. Now those gates held only one thing adorned upon them. The body of a woman, the pin upon her bloodied chest proclaiming her a Witch.

Something very wrong had occurred here. Something vile.