a struck flint. It grew, a fleck of vivid crimson against russet. The stain spread, its tendrils seeping across the land, and into others. As it moved further, it flowed more rapidly. Whole segments of the terrain were coloured by it; regions, countries, continents.
The tide was red, like blood, or perhaps it was light. The qualities of both resided in it. Strands probed, joined with others, filled in to engulf another patch of brown or green. Its very progress seemed to add to its own momentum, as though a pillar supporting a temple roof had toppled and caused an entire row to fall, each one upon the next. But this was no temple. It was a world. A world being swallowed by blood and light.
Perhaps he should have felt bad about it.
He didn’t.
10
‘You saw the world drowning in blood and it seemed benevolent?’
‘That’s not exactly what I said.’
‘It’s near enough, Reeth. But the way you explain it, it doesn’t sound particularly benign.’
‘I didn’t say I understood what I saw. You asked me how I felt about it, and I told you.’
Serrah snuggled deeper into the warmth of their bed. The window was ajar and the dawn’s feeble, wintry light coloured the sky.
At last she said, ‘It has to be Zerreiss, doesn’t it? The man in your dream.’
‘He didn’t wear a label round his neck.’
‘But it’s logical, isn’t it? Everything you’ve described indicates it was the warlord you saw.’
‘You wouldn’t have taken him for that. I never set eyes on a man so…ordinary before. Not handsome, but not ugly. Not tall, not short; not thin or fat; neither old nor young. He was like a pot taken out of the kiln too soon. Just completely…commonplace.’
‘He doesn’t sound the way you expect a warlord to look.’
‘But that’s it. Despite his appearance, there was something…I don’t know, something about him that meant I didn’t doubt he was a leader. I can’t explain.’
‘And he saw you?’
‘It felt that way.’
‘How common is it to have people in your dreams recognise you, Reeth?’
‘I wouldn’t say he recognised me. He was aware of me, I think. And no, it never used to happen until these recent dreams, or visions, or whatever they are. In fact, these new ones are taking over. I hardly ever have the old visions anymore; the ones that seem to be about me as a child.’
‘Poor darling. Something new to torment you.’ Serrah rested her head against his chest. His arm came up to enfold her. ‘Could it be his doing? Zerreiss’s?’ she wondered. ‘Is he making it happen?’
Caldason shrugged. ‘Who knows what he’s capable of? But why should he?’
‘That’s anybody’s guess.’ She sat up again and stretched a hand to the clutter on a small table by the bed.
‘You’re restless.’
‘I’m surprised you’re not. If I had the sort of experiences you’re having I’d be in a complete state.’ She hefted a water bottle and drank. ‘Like some?’
He took it and quenched his own thirst. ‘I’m used to them. Though the new ones are a puzzle laid on a mystery.’
‘Right.’ Serrah straightened, business-like. ‘Let’s go through it.’
He sighed. ‘You think I haven’t, a thousand times?’
‘Two heads and all that. Humour me on this. You’ve been having these…let’s settle on visions, shall we, for want of a better word? You’ve been having them how long?’
‘Long as I can remember.’
‘And we’re agreed that what they show is you? Scenes from your early days, so to speak?’
He nodded. ‘It took me a long time to figure that out. Which makes me feel pretty stupid, frankly.’
‘You’re not stupid, Reeth.’ She leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. ‘Anybody would be thrown by something like that.’
‘It was the last thing that occurred to me. That they were about me, I mean. Too close to it, I suppose.’
‘All right. I don’t imagine we’re going to get to the bottom of how these visions come to you. But maybe we could think about some of the things in them.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Who was the old man you kept seeing? Who was it that came close to killing you when your people were massacred, and how did that lead to your present part-immortal state?’
‘Yes, well, again I’ve thought about that a lot.’
‘And your birth, Reeth; the vision you had about coming into this world and your mother dying. Though I think you punish yourself about that unnecessarily. It’s not the child’s fault if their mother dies birthing them, you know.’
‘Perhaps.’
‘There’s no perhaps about it, my love. You can’t blame yourself for something that isn’t your doing. Believe me, I know. It’s a lesson I think I’ve learned about Eithne, though it’s taken me long enough.’ Caldason didn’t answer, so she carried on. ‘The old man was obviously a guardian of some sort. He risked himself to protect you. But why?’
‘That’s a bigger question than the how, isn’t it? Why am I being shown these things? What’s their purpose?’
‘Does there have to be a purpose? Is there a reason the sun comes up every day or the birds sing? Maybe it just is.’
‘A lot of people believe these things happen because the gods will it. It’s what Tanalvah would say, isn’t it?’
‘Is that what you’re saying? You think the gods are responsible for what’s happening to you?’
‘An honest answer would be I don’t know. I’m not even sure what I think about the idea of gods.’
‘Hmm. So, you got one set of visions that plagued you for years, and they have to do with chunks of your life history. And they tie in somehow with the fits of rage you suffer. Right?’
‘They’re often connected. Though not always. The berserk I had during the last pirate raid, for instance. No visions that time.’
‘Now there are new visions, but they’re different, and they have something to do with Zerreiss.’
‘We don’t know that.’
‘It’s a good bet. And you’re still getting the rages with these new visions, and-’
‘Where’s this getting us?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe nowhere. But I like getting things straight in my mind. As I said, the visions have changed but you’re still berserking. And now you’re perhaps being noticed by somebody in them.’
‘Can you draw any conclusions from all that?’
‘No. Beyond the obvious fact.’
‘Which is?’
‘Magic. That has to be the link.’
‘I always assumed I was under some kind of hex, so that comes as no big surprise.’
‘Pretty powerful magic though, don’t you think? Unlike anything I’ve come across. Not to mention that whoever’s responsible hasn’t lifted the charm on you in over seventy years. That seems an awfully long time to pursue a vendetta without some kind of payoff to it.’
‘The curse, or whatever it is, is a payoff in itself. Whoever was responsible for my state had the satisfaction of knowing I’d suffer for a very long time.’
‘It doesn’t make sense, Reeth. No ordinary human would live long enough to savour your pain. Unless you’ve been cursed by successive generations of wizards. Or else…’
