Page 42 of The Rake OR The Orca Who Met His Match in a Selkie Desiring Revenge
“Yes, I suppose I can’t just give up. I can’t allow him to go through that just because he’s been bound. I hope it doesn’t offend you if I say that binding isn’t the end of the world. And it’s not as if my mother died when my father did, profound as her grief may be. While what Iwent through was terrible, I can’t help but think about Feann. He’s been captive much longer than I was—I imagine he has been through a lot. I never pictured myself as a vengeful soul. Frankly, the idea that I would kill anyone is preposterous. And yet, if that is the only way to liberate him, I will see it done." The longer she spoke, the greater the conviction she felt until she sat straight up, still bouncing slowly to match Aegir's movements, but she had taken on a confident seat.
“I’m not offended in the least. I hope you agree when I say that accidental though it may be, that is the only thing our bond shares.Even if you decide to sever it, that is if we find a way, I will still regard it as positive.”
Ifshedecided. Did that mean Aegir didn’t want to sever the bond? Perhaps he simply wanted to make sure she knew she had the power to decide. Such a typically Aegir thing to do.
As they traveled, the lush green forests that had surrounded Cedartowne gave away to sparse, twisted trees with yellowing leaves and needles, and bulbous, sickly protrusions that clung to the trees like sores. The underbrush at the sides of the road became sparser until it looked so crisp that it appeared it would go up in flames in an instant. Everything gave such a strong impression of being sickly and bedraggled that Elspeth couldn’t see how it might support a community as large as Aegir had implied Berggeheimnis to be.
“Are we getting close?" she asked.
“Are you getting worried about how it looks?” Aegir chuckled.
“Perhaps," she said. “It hardly looks like anyone at all could live here.”
“That’s the idea,” he said, looking back over his shoulder at her with a smirk. "It’s going to get worse before it gets better, but the dwarves have perfected the art of appearing weak before the Empire."2
Aegir was right, it got so much worse. As they continued, they encountered a stringof broken-down houses and destroyed farms. Derelict abandoned buildings were all that seemed to populate the countryside. Eventually, they arrived at the fringe of what was perhaps the creepiest place Elspeth had ever been. The mountains which had been in the distance were quite close now, casting a massive shadow over the entire area.
The trees overhead no longer provided a cheery canopy. Instead, they loomed over the road, chilling the air and her soul. Instead of the ramshackle houses that had dotted the countryside, they transitioned onto a main street that could have been inhabited by ghosts. On one house they passed, a porch swing swayed lazily in the breeze, on another, an unsecured shutter rapped against the house. Every house they passed gave the impression that someone had left suddenly, with the intent to return only moments later, but had never done so. A butter churn wafted the sour scent of curdled milk their way, and a bucket of feed spilled grain across the ground for chickens that were nowhere in sight.
Elspeth shivered. “It’s going to get better, you say??
“Yes, I promise. Genius, though, isn’t it? You should see it when everyone is here.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is the Berggeheimnis the Pathian Empire knows. A small town at the base of the mountain, barely hanging on. When the Empire comes to call, the dwarves slap on some makeup, making themselves look as ill-fed and mangy as possible to sell the illusion.”
As they neared the edge of town, and consequently the base of the mountain, they approached a barn built flush against it. An elderly man, shorter than her, sat out front whittling at a stick. Propped against the wall of the barn sat a long gun and next to him was the most pathetic goat she had ever seen. It chewed a mouth full of hay, its strange pupils staring lazily at her.
“I’m going to assume that you know what you’re doing bringing her, Aegir." The old man didn’t look up from his whittling as he spoke, though he did raise his eyebrows, and tilted his chin towards Elspeth.
“You’d be correct in your assumption, Heinrich.”
“Well, come on then." The stocky man stood, opening the door to the barn, and waving them through. Once inside, Aegir prompted Elspeth to dismount, and shifted back to his humanoid shape. He returned his orca markings and pointed ears, she noted.
Aegir dressed quickly, and the dwarf led them to a door in the back of the darkened barn. Inside, Elspeth was swept up in the atmosphere of the barn. Smells of hay anddust surrounded her, and though it was generally dark, cracks of light peeked through holes in the boards. Heinrich led them deep inside, until he stood between them and the wall. He faced away, his hands flying over the wall, until it cracked open with a groan.
The slotted wood of the siding opened like a door toward them to reveal a slab of stone sliding to the side, unearthing a dark stone passageway. A cool breeze wafted out at them and chilled the sweat on Elspeth’s brow. Aegir slipped his hand into hers, the warm, calloused feeling of him calling her from her stupor. With a thud, the door closed behind them, and Aegir pulled her deeper into the passage.
Elspeth was grateful she could see in low light, because there were no lanterns or wall sconces to speak of.3 From somewhere ahead of them, she could see a gentle, ambient light. Aegir led her through a series of passages, the way eventually being softly lit by gently glowing mushrooms.
Around the final bend appeared a cage. Aegir opened the door and waved her inside. She stepped backward, but Aegir waved her forward with a smile.
“It’s alright, I promise. Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” As she spoke it, shefound it to be true. Somehow, over the course of the last few weeks, shehadgrown to trust him. She took a deep breath and approached.
It was quite large, could hold several more people, at least, but when Elspeth stepped inside, she was startled to find that the cage shook. Aegir stepped in after her, closing the door with a smile. Reaching up, he pulled on a rope that dangled from the ceiling twice, waited a few seconds and pulled it one final time. Each pull sounded a distant bell, which was shortly answered by a cheery jangling near her own head.
“Hold on,” Aegir said. He grasped one of the support beams of what Elspeth now realized was not a cage, but some sort of basket, and placed the other firmly on her hip. Elspeth clung to him and her own support beam, gasping as the basket descended into the floor. In moments, they were surrounded by solid stone walls, and Elspeth’s pulse quickened. Aegir pulled her flush against him, circling his hand on the small of her back, and she was glad she only seemed bothered by certain touches, as this one was so reassuring.
“Nearly there now.” He whispered into her hair.
Elspeth squeezed her eyes shut before taking a deep breath and noddingup at him.
True to his words, they were free from the rock in moments, and the sight that opened up before her made Elspeth gasp in wonder. They hung in the air over a vast chamber. The walls and ceiling of the cavern were littered with glowing crystals and luminous mushrooms that must be as large as her house back home. They glowed, warm yellow, blues, pinks, and green, casting the entire place in a gentle light. As they got closer, Elspeth could see that a city covered the floor of the cavern.
Placing his hands on her hips, Aegir spun Elspeth around, so she was looking out over the cavern.