A Gathering of Mourners

(Swords with Souls)

Fantasy Fiction

By Dan Watt

(Author of BARD: Bearer of the Gemstone)

Cover by Darren Joy

(Author of the Plagueborn series)

– Adult content –

A Gathering of Mourners

Lara sits atop Aminah in front of the house watching the guests arrive. When she sees Ippakness’s sad face, her heart aches. The poor man. His wife came from the same land as Sir Ganbold. Their parting must have been so hard on both of them and his wife would have fled with their two children. Lara gently feels for the small glass bells Ippakness had made for her.  She sighs as she feels their contours safely wrapped for her journey. According to the section of the book ETERNAL, that she and her sister had read, the bells were essential for the delivery to work.

The book by Melampus and Mary both enthralls and terrifies her. Until lately, she was only allowed to look at the book with her grandmother, or her grandfather–when he was alive. The depictions of the constellations on the cover seem alive. It’s what’s inside that is terrifying. Complete explanations of all the different minerals. And the six elements: metal, earth, wood, fire, water, and air. Credit is given to visiting inventors from every known land. Her favourite passage is by Mary: with time anything is possible but time is limited so we pass on our knowledge to later generations. She still contemplates Melampus’s passage on souls: with the correct mixture, heat, and waves of sound, essence can be captured and transported.

“Hello Lara,” she hears Sir Afamefuna call.

She shakes her head to clear her thoughts. “Sorry, Sir Afamefuna,” she apologizes with a bow of her head. “And Lady Marigold. And your amazing rides.” So far these are the people she wants at her grandfather’s funeral. It will be interesting to see if any of the faie come. She feels an ache for her father and mother. Her grandmother and sister have prepared an alcoholic drink with mushrooms to help the guests question what they see later in the evening. Most propers have never met a faie, knowingly.

A few years ago, when their grandmother doted over Ganesha to give Gwen a break, her sister had taken her into the hidden underground library, under the centre of the house. Their grandparents had purposely built the centre section of the house over an ancient ruin with a downward spiraling stone staircase. Whoever the original builders were, they also carved ledges out of the stone walls. This is where their grandparents kept their most precious books. She and Gwen were only shown the secret passage a few years ago. Gwen lit some candles and took out a large paper tome with an aged leather cover. On the cover was the image of a man and woman wearing sashes. However, the man’s head was that of a toad and the woman’s of a frog. They wore sandals on their webbed feet with curling roots growing out of their toenails upon which white peddled flowers grew. Inside the book was written A Translation of Arvio’s Faie Observations by Melampus and Mary. On the next page it said: Faie are the children of two to three kingdoms: spiritus, plantae, and animalia. Most must stay near their host, whether rock, tree, pond, desert, river, lake, sea, or air current. They are the oldest known beings, with a mating season that is beyond my lifespan. Their demise can bring about terrible effects to the surrounding land.

“Lara, dear,” Lady Marigold says, “Where do we go.”

“Oh,” she says quickly. There’s quite a gathering in front of her now. She’s so tired that she’s drifting. She raises her right arm to the side. “Follow the old path to the pond. You’ll see grandpa’s rowboat there.”

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