Book TWO: the chyrons a choice of evils

 
Spies were watching Cai’s house. He and Acelyn left immediately after dark, using a little-known track. They stopped briefly at the first inn to hire horses, before travelling at speed along back roads and lanes to Moydica. 

Just as they reached the outskirts of the city, it began to rain heavily. Soon the wind reached storm speeds and thunder rolled overhead. Fearing a Chyron storm, they hurried as quickly as they could, going past the palace and down the steep hills surrounding the city to the flat, drained marshes of the delta, into which the city had spread in recent times. With difficulty, they went to a safe house near the port to wait out the storm.Night fell but the storm increased its power and Cai became concerned. From a lantern window above the top storey of the house, where formerly, merchants would have watched for the arrival of their ships, he saw lightning strike the beacon at the end of the harbour and as the constant flashes lit the sky, he could make out huge waves crashing over the walls into the surrounding streets.“Something is causing this storm,” he said to Acelyn, who was similarly troubled. “Chyrons are driving it but I have a strong premonition that something else is causing it. This disturbance does not have natural origins.”

"It is certainly wild and goes against the weather predictions for the next few days. Do you think either Belenus or Drystyn is behind it?”

“I don’t know. I have not heard that Giralt has done anything to upset either of them."

Cai paced up and down,“Look Acelyn,” he said awkwardly, “I have a very bad feeling about this that I cannot shake off. You can call it a premonition if you want to. As soon as it is light and the storm eases, I want to go down to the shore. I need to be there. Sorry, I can’t explain more.”

“Right, we will go, but we must change our appearance again. Too many people in the port know me.”

Next morning, the wind had dropped, although the waves were still high. With their hair dyed dark brown and wearing seamen’s knitted hats, several days’ growth of rough beard and dirty clothes, they dressed as labourers from the docks on their way to work, hurrying to inspect the damage done by the storm. They carried bags of tools and lanterns and water bottles hung from their belts. They walked into the port where many warehouses were flooded and along the road that followed the beach that ran up the river. This formed one branch of the great delta at the end of the Great River Yonne. Here there were many taverns, where people gathered and passed on news and they could mingle without being conspicuous. As they were crossing a small bridge, they saw people running towards them shouting and in the distance, they could make out a crowd gathered around something very large and black on the beach. Cai glanced at Acelyn, “Shall we go and look? It is as I feared.”

“Yes, it looks like something nasty has washed up. The water is retreating. What do you suspect?

”Cai shook his head, “Something … unnatural. Sorcery.”

Acelyn frowned. Cai was behaving oddly.

They approached slowly, being careful not to draw attention to themselves. People hurried past them in both directions, shouting and showing curiosity laced with fear. Suddenly there was a warning shout and a posse of guards rode past at a gallop. The crowds parted and they began to clear a space around whatever had come ashore. Cai and Acelyn pushed slowly through the crowd, many of whom, having seen what was there were moving quickly away, the looks on their faces expressing shock and terror. As they approached, a nauseating smell almost overcame them. Covering the lower part of their faces with neck cloths, Cai and Acelyn kept moving forward. Soon they were able to see the remains of a large sea creature, serpent-like, with long rows of spikes down its spine ending in a barbed snake-like tail. Cai calculated that it was about twenty feet long with large, dark green scales on its back and a pale yellowy-green, almost luminous, soft underbelly, now ripped open in jagged tears and through which its grey-green innards protruded. It had a long neck and a huge head with branched horns, wide jaws full of sharp jagged teeth and a long thin tongue covered in green slime that lolled out of the side of its mouth. Something had gouged out its eyes but it was not quite dead. Occasionally it twitched and made an unpleasant keening noise but the smell was mainly issuing from the base of its tail, as the weight of its unsupported body forced out its bodily fluids and intestinal gases. Cai nudged Acelyn and indicated their Chyron stones in their pockets. Grasping them tightly they continued, using mind communication.

“What is it?” Cai asked.“

Some kind of sea monster.”

“I didn’t realise they existed.”

“There are many strange creatures in the depths of this sea; some are from very ancient times. The sailors will tell you all kinds of tales.”

“You have spent most of your life sailing these seas. Have you ever seen one before?”

“I have seen unusual things but nothing like this, no.”

There was an unearthly groan from the creature. The guards and people standing on the beach backed away.“

I must get closer,” Cai said.

“That would be very unwise, I think,” Acelyn replied warily.

“No, I must. It is … drawing me Acelyn!” Cai began to run towards it.

Acelyn called after him sharply, “Cai, what is wrong?”

Cai began to walk around the stricken creature’s head. Acelyn called him back but he ignored him. The guards, shouted for him to go back but loud gurgling noises made them quickly move further away. Without warning, there was another eerie noise and the creature rolled over. The guards and crowd panicked and there was much shouting and screaming. 

Acelyn ran after Cai, who had reached the creature’s mouth. With a sharp click, the jaws sprung open showing rows of needle-sharp teeth. Cai could see something balanced on the back of the slimy tongue. As Acelyn shouted again to him to move back, the creature’s body convulsed and a black ball-like object shot out of its mouth and rolled to Cai’s feet. Close up, he recognised it as the Heart of Sulyan, regenerated and undamaged. Once again, the power of the Heart had drawn him and dictated his actions. He bent down to retrieve it but as his fingers closed around it the creature exploded.

Gore covered Cai, Acelyn and the other spectators who were nearby. Cai stuffed the Heart inside his shirt and ran from the beach, closely followed by Acelyn who, still concerned about his previous odd behaviour, was determined not to let him out of his sight. They disappeared into the crowd and made their way to their lodgings.

“We must clean ourselves up!” Acelyn said as they entered the house.Cai nodded. Being so near, he had taken the full force of the explosion. Slime, blood and entrails still clung to his head and body. Acelyn had fared little better. The smell was indescribable. Their eyes running, they parted, each going to a separate washroom.  

Cai placed the Heart carefully in a bowl on a table and covered it with a small cloth. He stripped and bundled his clothes into a pile by the door then spent the next hour trying to clean away the stinking mess from his hair and body, throwing the remains into the nearby privy. Returning to his room, he dressed and then sat on the bed, staring at the Heart. He felt again, the pull of its power and it took a great effort of will to decide what to do next. All he knew for sure was that he must get out of Moydica and hide the Heart somewhere safer. When his thoughts became clearer, he was also sure that he did not want Acelyn to know that he had found the Heart of Sulyan. He did not want him to be tempted and he certainly did not wish him to partake. He wrapped the Heart in the clean cloth that was covering the table and put it in the bottom of his travel-stained, leather bag.Carrying the bundle of ruined clothes, he returned downstairs and outside to find Acelyn in the process of building up a fire.

“We should burn these,” he said pointing to a similar bundle.

“Yes,” Cai agreed. “I wonder if we can ever be rid of the smell!”

Acelyn began to put the clothes on the fire. They burned with bright green and blue flames. “There is something not right about all this,” he said, pointing at the flames. “This smacks of sorcery and alchemy, as you predicted.”

“It was a very strange creature,” Cai murmured.

“It seemed to attract you, for some reason.”

Cai shook his head. “No, I was merely curious.”

“You bent down to pick something up. What was it?”

Cai looked at him oddly and shook his head. “I was curious. It was only a ball of regurgitated food. I did not pick it up. It fell out of its mouth.”

There was a long silence. Acelyn threw the last of the clothes into the flames. “Now what?” he said. 

“I want to leave here as soon as possible.”

“I agree. I think we should go to Carreg Din.”

“Doesn’t that belong to Drystyn? I’m sure he has a garrison there."

"Possibly, but I wish to go there.”

“What aren’t you telling me, Cai?”

“I’m not sure what is happening but something has changed. I do not feel safe here. Carreg Din feels safer. It is little more than a day’s ride.”

“Let us put on the disguises and leave now.”

“Yes, I have already packed. I will travel as an Initiate. What about you?”

“One of Drystyn’s guards. I found the uniform in the cupboard. Our friends have supplied disguises for every occasion!”

“And horses?”

“There are two in the stables out the back.”

“We should eat.”

“Bring what we can carry. I need some fresh air. I cannot eat while this stink persists.”

Cai grinned and slapped Acelyn on the shoulder. “Let’s go,” he said, suddenly relieved.

Review       A CHOICE OF EVILS   5.0 out of 5 stars Really loving the Saga of the Chyrons 

A fabulous sequel! Can't wait to read what happens next! ND
 

 Questions?  Email the Author thechyrons1.2020@gmail.com