Entry #419941, added on 04-16-06 @ 8:22 pm EDT
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| Scent of Memories - Chapter One - Viy's Trinket | Entry #419941 |
The wind brought the scent of memories and the sound of lost hope. It had a forlorn lilt to it, a heartbreaking moan that tore at the heart as it spun its way out through the dark alleys of the city. These alleys were always dark. The walls of the surrounding buildings were too tall and the paths too narrow for the sun to send its warming rays of life. Nothing good reached these areas. No sun, no healthy water, not a single full meal or a solid blanket. These were the forgotten areas of the city; the areas that people blocked from their minds and were sure to avoid. No one went here.
Miwa was a no one. She knew of little outside these dark rat infested paths. To her this was life. The shadows were her best friends, the small foreboding looking holes that pocked the neglected parts of the city were solace, and the other no ones, the people that the some ones pretended not to see, the people that lived off the fringes of life that the actual living no longer wanted, those were her family.
She padded her way through the alleys, picking her way over refuse and the broken bits of the path only slowing if she thought she saw something that could be of value. There rarely was. Her ears remained perked, listening for anything out of sorts, and she allowed her ragged cloak to flow freely behind her despite the chill that the moaning wind brought. It would get worse later and it was better to wait for then before employing the extra warmth. She would want it much more then.
Several turns were made and soon another patter of feet joined hers. It had a soft yet certain sound about it which identified the person as someone else who was used to walking these paths. A quick glance to the side revealed to Mina a young man only a year older than her twenty with short sandy hair that contrasted with her long and green eyes different from her blue. He had a thin white scar behind his right ear, but his lopsided smile and hawkish nose were the same as hers making the family resemblance hard to miss.
That lopsided smile widened as his eyes met hers. “I thought you had better things to do today.”
Miwa shook her head as she turned yet another bend. “I do, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t do something stupid and get yourself arrested.”
“Me? Get myself arrested? When have I ever done that?”
She snorted and shot him a look. “Too many times. They won’t always let you back out, Viy.”
Her brother laughed. He laughed entirely too much. “If they don’t I’ll find another way out or you’ll come get me. Won’t you, Miwa? You’d come rescue your favorite brother from the dark drippy dungeons.”
Before she could dodge it he had leapt up and looped an arm around her neck. She hated it when he did this and he knew that she hated it. She threw her arms to push at the fist already grinding against her hair while thrusting a foot back to stomp on one of his. “Back off!”
Viy continued to laugh. She grit her teeth and stomped again. He knew she didn’t like it when he did this. He knew they had somewhere to go and shouldn’t be wrestling in the alley like two unsupervised urchins. “You’d get me out before anyone sliced off my head, wouldn’t you? You love your older brother!”
“Stop it! This isn’t funny.” Miwa jerked down in an attempt to pull her head out of his hold but he only tightened the opening and ground his fist harder.
“Of course not. Imprisonment is serious business as is devoted love to family. Tell me you’ll save me.”
“I will not! I’ll let you rot there! I’ll come to your beheading and laugh! Get off!” She managed to twist around to plant her hands on his chest and give him a firm shove. They both stumbled back away from each other and her teeth slammed over her tongue as her body crashed against the side of a building. Viy’s arms flew in spinning circles as he tried unsuccessfully to remain standing and ended up collapsing on the floor. His green eyes looked up at her with disappointment, all of the mirth gone as if it hadn’t been there at all. How dare he give her a look like that. It was his fault he fell. He shouldn’t have been acting like a child.
Miwa pushed herself away from the wall and turned from him. She could feel those disappointed eyes on her back as she continued down the narrow alley and she tried to ignore the sound of him getting up to follow and the louder sound of the silence that hung between them. She didn’t even want to be here today. She was doing this as a favor and yet he decided to act like some dumb child. They should just get this done. The time they had was limited and she wanted to be back in time to join the others on the refuse walk. Missing that meant getting the trash that was even passed up by those who lived off of it. He knew that was more important. He knew she would rather be doing something far more useful than walking with him here.
The acrid smell of herbs, spices, animals and unnatural mixtures told her that they were getting close. She scrunched her face and lifted a sleeve to cover her nose from the stench. It was disgusting. Viy’s pace lightened and she saw him once again at her side, the disappointment from before already fading behind a look of excitement. “This is going to be great. I think I finally figured out how to use the trinkets. I can amplify what I’ve been doing with that.”
“Good for you.”
“It’s great! With just one of those trinkets I could do much more. I might be able to make the stones move further from my hand. Maybe I could control them without seeing them!” She winced and rubbed at her arm as he jabbed his elbow against her. “Wouldn’t that be great? No one would be able to link it to me!”
He snickered and she frowned. What use was his stupid game? It didn’t feed anyone. It didn’t keep them warm or heal sickness. All he could do was move a few tiny rocks around and not very far. There were so many other things he should be doing and instead he decided to be obsessed with an annoying parlor trick. He should be focusing on helping out the others survive instead of leaving it to Miwa to pull the weight for both of them. Because of all the time he spent on this foolishness she had to find twice as much food, spend twice as much time looking for places to sleep and gathering what scraps they could to remain comfortable. This game of his was nothing but a hindrance, and a very serious one at that. She wished he would just drop it and focus all of that attention on something that was actually useful.
So why was she here, standing by the boarded up window in the back of the enormous building that was the source of most of the trouble? The place he kept going to in order to acquire more toys to play around with? Why was she ducking under the planks as Viy held them up so that she would get snagged while slipping through?
Hell if she knew. Most of the time she thought it was just to keep him from getting in worse trouble than he already tended to get in, but she knew that wasn’t true. He did have a knack of talking his way out of the prisons. His stays there were often more beneficial than not because it was warmer than the streets and he got food. He also brought out a little for Miwa, usually part of a loaf of bread and once he even managed to smuggle out a bowl of soup. Certainly the soup was much cooler than it had been when it was served, but he had cradled it under is cloak so that it wasn’t entirely cold. He wasn’t always a complete fool and she knew that he cared for her. But why couldn’t he see how pointless this activity was and how much it annoyed her?
She paused and leaned over a crate. It was open and something was inside. When she reached in and pressed a hand against the bottom she felt something scratchy but warm. As she fingered the fabric she smiled. Wool. “We should take this out with us when we leave.”
Her brother nodded absently, only giving the wool a half interested glance. “Sure, whatever you want, Miwa.”
She frowned at him and pulled her hand away from the cloth as she looked around the dark room. Only a few slits of light found their way in, casting dusty rays through the handful of boarded windows in the corner. More crates were piled in an organized fashion and a pile of brooms, mops and buckets were leaning against one wall. This was one of the buildings storage rooms and Miwa was grateful that it only stored basic supplies and not the acrid stuff that the inhabitants of this building used for their creations. That stuff could still be smelled from here and that was bad enough. She didn’t want to experience the smell any closer.
As she looked around the room to see if there was anything else that would be easy to take and not likely to be missed, Viy made his way to the door. He leaned against it, pressing his ear against the frame. After a short while he slipped a hand down to the handle and slowly pushed it open. He poked his head out, looked back and forth, and then waved her over. “Come on, Miwa. Hall is clear.” Without waiting to ensure she was following, he stepped out.
Miwa gripped one hand into a fist and did her own check before following him out into the candlelit hall. He was going too quickly. As much as she wished to get this done and get back to doing more useful things she would prefer to go a little slower to ensure they were not caught. This wasn’t an ordinary building that they were breaking into, and she did not care how many times they came here they should always use the same amount of caution. It was too dangerous to risk being caught here.
Viy, of course, seemed oblivious to this. All he could think about was the precious trinket that he had come here to get. All he could think about were his little tricks. She wanted to shout out every time he came to an intersection and poked his head around the corner. He should wait for both of them to be at the corner. They should both stop and listen for sounds. He was moving too quickly and too carelessly.
She didn’t like the shadows of this building either. They were not like the shadows outside. There were no windows in these inner halls and all light came from an odd green light that leaked out of small caged holes on the ceiling. Those lights weren’t natural. They made her think of horror stories whispered on the darkest nights, of people who died but whose souls remained trapped in this plane. Those lights looked like the twisted, writhing things that sprang from somewhere cold. Like fire that had no warmth.
Just being around the things made her shiver. She rubbed at her arms as if she could rub away the unnatural undulating green glow surrounding her. She wanted to be out of here.
Viy had no such reservations. He grinned as he counted doors then leaned up against one and pressed his ear to it. Satisfied with what he heard he lifted a fist and knocked a short rhythm then took a step back from the door. It was only a moment before the door swung inward and a petite girl in green robes opened it. The same green light shone within her room, giving an odd glow to the girl’s black hair which was tied back into a loose braid. It also gave her flawless pale skin a sickly glow even as her dark eyes glinted with amusement as she looked up at Viy. “Hello,” she whispered, the sound barely coming out of her fragile throat. “I was getting worried you would be late.”
“Of course not,” Viy whispered back. He dropped into a playful bow, bending at his hip but keeping his eyes on the tiny woman as he scooped up her hand. He quickly brushed his lips against it then tilted his head at Miwa. “I just needed to wait for Miwa. You remember my sister.”
Miwa could see the other woman stiffen visibly, only just now becoming aware of her presence. Her name was Rella and she was an acolyte in this giant foul-smelling building. They had met several times before on other trips she had taken here with Viy. The younger woman always had plenty of time for him and would go to any lengths to get what he wanted. Her patience with Miwa, however, was very thin and the dislike between them was often tangible but for her brother’s sake she forced a dry smile for the robed woman.
“Of course I do,” Rella whispered. Miwa thought that she was trying to return the smile but her thin lips turned into something more akin to a grimace. “How could I forget?”
Viy tugged lightly at the acolyte’s arm, drawing her from the room and to his side. “I don’t know. Do you have the key?”
A faint blush colored Rella’s cheeks, visible even in this strange light. Her lips parted slightly as she gazed up at Viy and her eyelids slowly opened and closed as she processed his words. Miwa rolled her eyes and fought back a snort. This play of theirs annoyed her every time she had to see it. There had to be a quicker way for them to get what Viy wanted.
As the seconds dragged by and the stupid girl kept gazing up at her brother Miwa cleared her throat and reminded them of what they were supposed to be doing. “The key.”
The blush on Rella’s cheeks deepened and she shot Miwa a spiteful look as she nodded and moved an arm into the folds of her robe. “It’s right here. You will return it to me right away, won’t you, Viy?”
He smiled as the bronze key was placed into his hand and moved his lips close to Rella’s ears even though he still spoke loud enough for Miwa to hear as well. “I will slip it back under your door as soon as we are done.”
The disappointment that flickered across Rella’s face made it hard for Miwa not to bark out a laugh at the tiny girl. Did she honestly expect her brother to pay her another visit today? To return to her room… and what? Even Viy wasn’t stupid enough for that. Better to just leave the key and get out of there and back into the safety of the alleys as soon as possible.
Rella’s tiny lip jutted out into a small out and she turned her eyes back up to Viy. “You will come again soon, won’t you?”
“Of course I will.” He lifted a hand and patted her head. “For now, stay safe.” He then bent to kiss the top of her head and push her lightly back into the room.
Miwa could see the girl beginning to open her mouth and protest as Viy was shutting the door and decided to say something before that protest could be voiced. She forced her smile to widen and wiggled a few fingers at the acolyte to wave. “As soon as he needs something else. Thank you.”
Indignation flared on the girl’s face but the door was already shut and the pathetic creature was smart enough not to go barging back into the hall to shout a comment as they were already walking away. Certainly there was a chance that if they were all caught together the girl would be spared since she actually lived there, but there was also a chance she could get into trouble as well. Besides, Miwa knew she wouldn’t want to endanger Viy.
Her brother shook his head at her as they slowly made their way to a staircase and descended. “You don’t have to be so mean to her,” he whispered.
“And you don’t have to lead her on like that. What is she, thirteen?”
“What? No, I think she’s at least seventeen. Only a few years younger than you?”
“And that makes it better?” She paused to make sure she was controlling her voice and not losing touch with their surroundings. They must not run into anyone. “And what about her being an acolyte?”
“She’s old enough to at least make her own decisions. Rella knows it’s all just in fun.”
Just in fun. Is that what everything was to him? Miwa bit at her tongue to keep herself from voicing those words. They were almost to their destination now. He would get his trinket and they could get out of here.
The door to their destination was at the bottom of the stairs. There were no hallways leading to the sides, only that stark black iron door with an undulating green light above it, trapped in a grate. Miwa turned to watch behind them, one hand sliding down to the knife at her side. According to Viy no one would disturb them. She knew he had gotten his information from Rella and that it had been reliable in all the other times they had come here but she still found it difficult to keep her back from stiffening and her heart from beating faster. The only way out was back up that staircase. It wouldn’t take very much to trap someone in this small area.
The feeling eased just a little when Viy slipped the key into the lock and opened the door. The hinges were well oiled so there was little sound. He glanced back at her with an expression that reminded her of a child who has just been presented something new and wonderful. His grin was open and his eyes shown with excitement. He looked so happy that she couldn’t help giving him a small smile back. She nodded and he ducked inside the room.
Miwa backed up and stood in the doorway, watching the staircase for any indication that someone was coming. She heard Viy walking quickly about the room behind her, giving little gasps of delight at everything he encountered. At one point she looked back, expecting to see a large room filled with sparkling treasures but what she actually saw was disappointing. It was just another storage room, this one smaller than the one they entered and with absolutely nothing useful. She didn’t spot a single glint of gold, not even a flash of silver or the dull brown of copper. There were just more boxes and crates with a few ugly statues and a dusty mirror. Thinking that maybe it was the items inside the boxes that were exciting her brother, she leaned back and craned her neck to look, but there was still nothing exciting to be seen. Perhaps these were valuable to the people here, but anyone outside would see nothing but old little bobbles, useless for anything other than throwing at someone or weighing down paper.
Viy continued opening box after box, taking delight on whatever he thought he was seeing and Miwa began to grow anxious. “Could you just get the trinket already? We need to get out of here.”
Her brother sighed softly but nodded. “Yes, I’ll get it. But look at all these, Miwa! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know what they all did?”
“If they did anything that was all that special they wouldn’t be locked down here, would they? People would actually use them.”
“Rella says they use these all the time. At least the wizards do. They’re kept here to keep people who don’t know how to use them out of trouble.” He snickered and picked up a thick piece of glass. When he put it over his eye it made his pupil look five times bigger than it was.
“Viy! Find what you’re looking for.”
“All right, all right. She said the simple trinkets were over here. I can take one of these without causing too much trouble.” He stretched his arms to reach for a small box then paused.
“Viy!”
“I know, I know! I’m just trying to remember which one. This one.” He gave a nod and lifted a small box down to another crate so he could open it. He did and began sifting through the contents.
“Just grab one.”
“Wow, these are so much nicer than I thought they’d be!”
“Take one! You can admire it later.” She glanced furtively back at the staircase. Why did he have to be so careless?
“I want to make sure I have the right one.”
“You don’t know how to tell if it’s right. Just grab one and come now.”
He frowned then shrugged. She was right. He needed to just take one so that they could get out of there. She wished he would hurry up with it. He wiggled his finger around in the box, giving yet another look at whatever the contents were. Miwa glanced again at the stairs and started to tell him again to hurry it up when he finally palmed one of the trinkets and slipped it into a pocket. He shut the box and trotted over to her. “Got it. Thanks for your help.” His hand darted up to rub her head and she slapped it away, glaring at his impudent smile. They were done here. When the door was shut and the key removed they returned to Rella’s room to deposit the key as promised and slipped away. Viy had his toy and Miwa could get back to doing more important things.
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© Copyright 2006 Trintara (UN: trintara at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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