Sybil of the Sands Ch. 01-02

Chapter 1

"Go into the woods, Anissa."

Mother shoved the basket into my hands, almost harshly. She'd been acting strangely for days, tense and looking up the path that led to our cottage whenever she thought I wasn't looking. It wasn't the first time she'd sent me foraging for something under the ruse of needing a particular herb or berry. Her nervousness always gave away whether it was truly a food-stocking task or just a ruse to get me out of the house. If it was a ruse, she was invariably flushed and agitated when I walked through the door; if it was because she actually wanted the berries for a pie, she'd be waiting impatiently with a finished crust, gently chiding me for taking so long.

I could tell today she wanted me gone. I'd tried asking her about it before, but she only dismissed my questions as nonsense. For all that there were only two of us living in the cottage, in close proximity always, she could still be quite mysterious when she chose to.

"Blackberries for pie, and lavender for sachets, and don't come back before sunset, you hear?"

"Yes, Mother."

"I mean it, not a minute before sunset." She briefly pulled me into her arms and kissed my forehead. I was startled by her sudden display of affection – she wasn't usually given over to physical demonstrations of her love.

"Is everything all right?" I asked, a seed of worry taking root.

"Yes, of course! I'm just – worried that we won't have enough sachets and poultices to sell at the market next week. That's why it's so important you do a proper job gathering them today."

We made our living selling homemade goods at a stall in town on market day – pies, poultices, sachets, little sewn things, and took in some mending on the side, as well. It was the highlight of my otherwise dull existence, living alone in the woods with only my mother. When I was younger I'd begged her to move us into town, so I could be near other girls my own age – other people in general. She'd only sighed and said it wasn't safe, so I'd had to content myself with the glimpse of a different life I caught on market days, and make the forest creatures my friends. There were many activities Mother deemed too dangerous. Though she warned me off of the activities – making friends with the village girls and boys, going into town without her, dressing in anything but the extremely conservative frocks she made us – she would never elaborate on what the danger was. "What will happen?" I used to ask her, but she'd only shake her head and say I was too young to know.

Even now, at twenty, she still she said I was too young. Other girls my age were getting married off in the village, but she gave any boy who came near me such stern looks that they were soon scared off. I was barely allowed to talk to the other girls in town. I'd been saving up some money of my own, taking in mending and selling my preserves separately from Mother's at the market stall. She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow whenever she saw me slip a coin into the belt tied at my waist, but she shook her head and said nothing. I think she knew I was too old to stay under her wing much longer. I loved my mother, but I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life living with her in our one room cottage. As soon as I had a little more put aside, I was going to look for a place of my own – even just a room in the town inn, and live off my savings till I found employment. I wasn't afraid of hard work, especially if it meant a little more freedom.

For today, though, I'd do as I was bid. Perhaps Mother needed her time alone in the cottage as much as I enjoyed my time alone in the woods. I took the basket in hand and headed out the door into the woods. She'd chosen her quarries well for today – the lavender was waning and the blackberries were just barely coming on at this time of year. It would be a full-day's pursuit to find a sufficient quality amount of either. I took the worn trail I'd beaten into the grassy forest floor over years of treading and followed it to a favorite clearing of mine. A quick glance around told me I'd find neither berries nor lavender here – nothing worth the harvest, anyway. Still, it was a good spot to rest and daydream, and clearly I couldn't head back to the cottage any time soon. I set the basket aside and laid down to stare up at the sky, watching the fluffy clouds drifting lazily by. I'd have to move on before too long, but for now, it was just peaceful to relax and be alone...

**

The sun had changed positions when I woke up, though it was not yet sunset. Mid-afternoon, I'd guess. I blessed whatever particle of sense I'd had that had told me to lie in the shade and not the sun, or I'd be a burned mess right now. I paused as I was picking grass out of my hair. There was a sound -a strange sound, something not at home in the woods. The birds had gone silent. I strained hard to hear and was rewarded with the distinctive clopping of a horse's hooves. Perhaps two or three of them. Or – more? There was a jingling sound, too, that might have been bits of bridle metal or saddle straps. Who on earth would be in the woods? There was nothing this far from town except our cottage. We never had visitors, yet it sounded as if that's where they were headed. Was this why Mother had sent me away today? Was she expecting someone? If so, why was in necessary for me to be gone?

I had to see who it was. I could hide in the woods and watch. She'd never know I was there. I slipped down the path quickly, keeping my steps light so as not to give my position away. I'd grown up in these woods, and I knew them like the back of my hand. To tread swift and unseen was child's play for me. I could hear men's voices in the distance, and my curiosity grew. Who were they? As I neared the cottage, I slowed my pace and crept carefully forward. There was no mistaking the men's destination now. I didn't know what they wanted with my mother, but they wanted something. The voices grew clearer.

"Leonore. It's been a long time," said a man's voice.

"Alvidus. I might have known it would be you," replied my mother. I crawled forward till I was behind the giant boulder that stood uphill from the cottage and peeked over the edge.

"I guess you know why we've come," said a tall, pale man on a white horse.

"She knows," confirmed the first man – Alvidus. There were ten of them that I could see, four on horseback and six on foot. More horses were saddled and tied to a tree branch near the cottage. The men were all armored and wielding weapons. My heart caught in my throat. What was happening?

"I wouldn't bother putting up a fight," said a giant of a man – the hulking brute must have been seven feet tall, and built like a prize bull. "Or do – I like that too." He grinned nastily and stepped forward. My mother didn't flinch, but stood tall and proud. The pale man waved a hand at the giant, a silent order to back down.

"Leonore, I am Captain Laurent. I need you to come with us," said the pale man.

"And if I refuse?" My mother asked.

"Then we will take you with us against your will," said the captain. "Though I wish you would make it easy on yourself and come the peaceful way."

"This was always against my will, and there has never been anything peaceful about it," retorted Mother. "You'll have to drag me in, kicking and screaming."

"Screaming can be arranged," sneered the giant man.

"Easy, Tuluk," the captain said to him. "We need her in one piece."

"All I need is one piece," said Tuluk, smiling evilly. He took a step toward Mother again. She unfolded her arms and revealed the dagger she'd been hiding in her right hand. For years, she'd insisted we train and practice with them. I could feel the ankle holster of my matching dagger pressing into my leg as I crouched down. She never let me leave home without it. I'd thought she was afraid of bears or rabid animals in the woods. Who were these men, and what could they want with Mother?

"I will not go," said Mother, "without a fight. And should I perish from my efforts, so much the better. At least I die my own woman."

"King Xentos requires your presence," said Captain Laurent, but sadly, as if the whole task wearied him. "One way or another, you will come with us, and you will live through it, though I can guarantee it will be far more pleasant for you to lay down your weapon and come with me now."

"No." She dropped down into her fighting stance. This was crazy. We sparred a little for defense together, but she was no match for one of these trained men, let alone ten, and she had to know that. Was I about to witness my own mother's death or abduction?

Not today, I decided. I unsheathed the dagger. It seemed so small and pitiful, barely as long as my hand, and the men below armed with swords and axes. Still. I wouldn't leave her to fight alone.

Tuluk and Mother were circling each other, looking for an easy opening. All the men were watching the pair, and I knew this was the only chance I might get. Light-footed, I sped toward the nearest soldier, throwing my dagger arm over his chest and holding the weapon up to his throat before he had a chance to move.

"Let her go." I stared at the captain, who seemed to be in charge. "Let her go, or your man dies."

"Anissa, no!" my mother cried, a note of panic in her voice.

"Hello," said Captain Laurent, calmly. "I don't believe we've met. I am Captain Laurent."

"I don't care a fig who you are. Let my mother go." I pressed my knife more firmly against the man's throat.

"Nooo..." Mother went slack, her shoulders caving inwards.

"Your mother?" said Alvidus. "Well, that does make things interesting. Two birds for one stone, I'd say, Captain."

"She doesn't have it! She doesn't have the gift!" my mother dropped the dagger, and ran to Captain Laurent, clutching at his leg. "Please, she's only a girl, and she doesn't have the gift. If you let her be, I'll come with you. I'll come peacefully and quietly, and never once try to escape, if you just leave my daughter alone."

Gift? What was she talking about?

Alvidus looked at the captain. "We have to know for sure," he said. The captain seemed to consider for a moment, then nodded.

"She must be tested. I'll not destroy two lives today without reason." Captain Laurent nodded to the soldier I was holding, and before I could adjust my stance, the man had twisted my own arm against me and forced me to the ground, pressing my arm backwards so hard I thought it would break.

"Drop the knife, girl," ordered the man I thought I'd had at my mercy. He twisted my arm further, and with a whimper of pain I complied, the dagger falling from my fingers to lay harmlessly on the ground. "I respect you for trying, but don't make that mistake again," said the soldier, bending my fingers backwards.

"I won't!" I cried, disgusted with my own lack of strength, but desperate for the pain to stop. I could hear my mother still begging the captain for my safety, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. With a nod and a snap, the captain summoned two men to hold my mother, then he looked my way.

"Bring the girl," said Captain Laurent. "We'll have to test her." I was hauled to my feet and dragged forward, to the captain. "Not here, by the gods, not right in front of her mother. Take her inside." The soldier pulled me along inside, my head reeling. My mother was screaming, calling my name and fighting against her captors. Alvidus, the Captain, Tuluk, and the man who was holding me all crowded inside our tiny cottage, trapping me in a circle between them.

"This will be my privilege," said Tuluk. He grabbed my arm, hard.

"Don't be a fool," hissed Laurent, "She's doubtless a virgin, the king will want to take it himself. Would you deny your King that pleasure?"

Tuluk's face darkened, like a child whose toy has been taken from him. "I was promised an opportunity for this, for myself. To know what the gods have in store for me. It's owed me, Laurent." He drew the name out slowly. La-rawwnt.

"The mother, then." Laurent waved a hand toward the door. Dear gods, what were they going to do to my mother and me? "If you are a loyal soldier the king may favor you with guiding this one to prophecy later. If she indeed has the gift."

"Fine." Tuluk was purple with rage. "Fine, but I'll remember this. And my brother will have a go with the old whore as well." He pointed out the door.

"Very well, your brother may have his opportunity for his future as well. But this one-" He removed Tuluk's hand from my arm, "- you leave untouched until the king invites you."

"As you say, Captain," growled Tuluk, and left the cottage, slamming the door behind him.

Oh gods, what was he going to do to my mother?

"Anissa, is it?" the captain asked me. I nodded dumbly. "Anissa, this may be hard for you, and for that I am sorry, but we are duty bound, as servants of the king, to test you and to take your mother with us to serve the king."

"What does the king want with my mother? Please, let us go, we have nothing, we are nothing important!"

"The table, sir?" Alvidus indicated the sturdy kitchen table behind him. It was long and stout, heaped at one end with bushels of dried herbs.

"Clear it." The captain nodded to Alvidus and the soldier. They shoved the herbs to the floor in one sweep, and I stared at the pile, my head spinning. "Lie down on the table, Anissa," ordered Laurent.

I stared at him, confused, enraged, and helpless. Alvidus gently but firmly forced me to turn and bump up against the table edge, continuing to apply force until I reached the tipping point and fell backward onto the table, my back pressed against the hard wood while my legs dangled, toes barely touching the floor.

"Let me up," I cried, "My mother..."

"Shh..." soothed Alvidus. "There's nothing you can do for her right now." His hand against my chest kept me from sitting up. He looked to the captain. "Will you have the honor, sir?"

"I- no." He shook his head. "You, Alvidus, you're the only one who's been with one before. You know the signs."

Alvidus chuckled. "There's no mistaking the signs, sir. If she does have the seer blood of her mother, you'll know. I've heard that Ragear is rather, well, skilled at this. Shall I have him come in?"

Seer blood? I'd never seen a vision before in my life.

"You're wrong," I said, pleading. "I don't have any special blood. I'm sure my mother doesn't either. You've mistaken us for someone else!"

"We'll know soon enough." The captain nodded to Alvidus. "Fetch Ragear."

"Now girl, I won't hurt you. If you've got the blood in you, you'll likely even enjoy it," said Alvidus to me. He gave me a half bow and then left the cottage, returning moments later with the soldier I'd held my dagger to. "Hold her arms," he instructed the other soldier, who complied, pinning my arms to the table above my head.

"Wait, please, no!"

Ragear was pulling my skirts up, deftly flipping them up onto my torso so my entire lower half was laid bare except for my undergarments. It was indecent. I kicked my legs and squirmed to no avail, trying to escape, trying to pull my dress back down. Ragear held my legs apart, standing between them. A quick flash of the knife at his belt and my undergarments sprang free, leaving me completely exposed below the waist. I screamed, a wordless rage and cry for help. He dropped to his knees, holding a thigh in each hand and leaned into the core of me and –

-licked me.

I was so shocked, I almost forgot to be furious. I knew a bit about sex, just from the farm and forest creatures, and the brief lecture my mother had given me when I wouldn't stop pestering her with questions, but my entire knowledge was based around the male putting his organ into the female. I'd never heard of this. The moment of shock ended, and I began fighting again to get away. How dare he touch me in my most private areas!

"Let me go!" I screamed, thrashing my arms beneath the soldier. He only held my legs apart and leaned in further. His tongue was wet and warm.

"Stop," I pleaded. I looked at the captain, but he turned away. Between my thighs, Ragear continued his ministrations. Gods, this stranger was touching me, touching me as only a man should touch a wife. He licked slowly up, up, up, over the core of my center, and tingle passed through me. "Stop," I said again, but not as loudly as before. The tingling was very distracting. I couldn't believe this was happening. I was sprawled out on the kitchen table while a strange man had his face buried in me.

Ragear's tongue seemed not to tire. His pace increased, and the pattern changed. He was hitting some nerve, something deeply hidden there, that made me not quite able to catch my breath or cry for help. I realized I was no longer straining against his hands on my thighs, and he must have realized it too, for he moved his right hand off my thigh and slowly slid a finger inside me.

"Noo..." I moaned, but I no longer meant it. My body was utterly betraying me. I'd never experienced such an overpowering need. I no longer cared that this man was a stranger or that he'd held me down against my will. I just wanted him to keep doing it. His finger slid slowly out and slowly back in, and my hips strained toward his hand and his warm, wet mouth.

"She seems to be responding well," said Alvidus. The captain mumbled a reply, but I didn't hear it.

Ragear slipped a second finger inside me, and I cried out. He increased the pace of his tongue, the quick flicks of it against my core filling me with an even greater need. We were working toward something, I could feel it on the horizon. I had to get there, had to see what was on the other side. My hands were entwining in my skirts, making fists of the fabric before I even noticed they were no longer pinned down. The slickness of my folds had increased, Ragear sliding his fingers in and out of me with more speed and ease. He timed the thrusts of his hand with his tongue and I arched into it, nearly cresting the peak of the high I was chasing. In another minute, I would fall over the edge.

Then, I reached it. I was soaring high, blinded in ecstasy, the room around me faded completely. The blackness dissipated and I saw a woman, in the front of the house, her clothes torn and her eye swollen, scrambling to escape from one of the soldiers that surrounded her. She was crawling through the grass when she found a dagger, and taking it in her hand, she whirled onto her back, slashing at the form above her. He took a cut across his face, through the eye. Enraged, he clapped a hand to his eye and brought his blade down across the woman. Once, twice, thrice. The woman moved no more. I felt a compulsion to share what I had seen. The woman, who was she?

"The seer," I said. Yes, that's right, she was the seer. I felt better already for getting those words out. The rest of what I'd seen pressed heavily in my mouth, trying to escape. "The seer will fall to one who is the first son in birthright only, but overshadowed by his younger brother in all else. The second son becomes the first son."

My vision went black again, and I sagged against the table, relieved, sated.

I bolted upright. "Mother!" The seer, the woman in the vision, was Mother. I was off the table and running out the door before anyone could stop me, my skirts tumbling back down around my ankles.

My vision – it was happening before me. Mother was crawling away from one of the soldiers, battered with torn clothing. Her hands closed around the knife I'd dropped earlier and she was swinging it upwards, at the soldier.

"No," I cried, trying to halt her, but it was too late. The soldier bellowed in pain, clasping his eye, and his sword flashed, catching the rays of the afternoon sun. Mother did not stir again.

"She does have the gift," said Alvidus behind me.