Empeddigo

By A. F. Grappin

The empeddigo is highly contagious and fatal. The king claims the disease is under control, and his guards regularly patrol the towns and villages to keep the peace. But their effectiveness is thrust into doubt when they fail to protect Selinde's village from a strange beast. Now, Selinde doubts that her village really has to pay taxes for the king's protection. She leaves her village to go to the palace and finds far more than she expected.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. F. Grappin
• Release date: Dec 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311244420

A. F. Grappin

I live in Tennessee and spend most of my time either writing, reading, or running.

Book preview

For Erin and Dr. Linton

Empeddigo

Published by A. F. Grappin at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 A. F. Grappin

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Chapter One

The madman was running into the village, his bare feet spattering mud. It had rained in the night, and now the early summer morning heat was turning the wetness into a thick mist that blanketed the land. The fog was so thick that Selinde could look straight at the sun without shielding her eyes. The sun hung there like a giant coin, its edges bright and distinct, but not blinding. All around her, the village of Ruskraa was already awake. Her brother Nien was at his carpentry, her parents in their fields. The tub in her arms was heavy with vegetables to be washed.

A small cry came from some of the others in the road. They too could see the figure hurrying to the village, heavily obscured by the mist. The madman was easily identified by the outline of his heavily mussed brown hair and clothes in need of mending. Selinde had never heard the man’s name or actually seen where he lived– some of the elders in Ruskraa said it was a cave up in the mountains somewhere– but she knew of him. He came by sometimes, ranting and raving and smelling awful, upsetting everyone and causing trouble, then ran off with no warning, just as he came.

He was shouting, babbling and running from one person to the next, his words too garbled for Selinde to make them out at first. He ran to every person in sight, shouting gibberish in their faces before stumbling and running to someone else. She clutched her tub as he staggered toward her, his wide-open dark eyes glinting dangerously. That was different. He had always struck her as harmless, but something in his face had changed. He grabbed her arms with filthy hands she couldn’t help but notice were surprisingly soft and shouted at her.

It’s coming! A monster! Don’t you see it! Coming! It's coming! He cried, his words fading into a garbled mess as he pulled one hand away and pointed to the sky. The haze from last night’s rain still hung on, but the persistent summer sun was already clearing away the highest bits of it in its efforts to peek out and truly shine.

The madman was gone, grasping someone else and pointing at the sky. He seemed so fervent about it, but there was nothing Selinde could see in the sky that shouldn’t be there. Monster, indeed. She hefted the tub of washing and moved on towards the well to clean the vegetables. The people she passed were all scanning the sky, looking for signs of the monster the madman was warning them about. Selinde didn’t even bother to look up again. Nothing was coming. The deranged hermit was just spreading craziness; it was what he did. There was no reason to worry; it was all a delusion of a warped mind.

A quick, cold gust of wind made her shiver. A woman screamed. Then another. Soon, the whole road was full of people crying out in terror and pointing to the sky to the northwest. Selinde let her eyes follow their fingers. For a moment, she saw nothing but sky, but then… something. She thought it was an outline, something black, not quite like a bird or a bat, far off and approaching quickly. She froze, staring, trying to make out what it was, but all she could see was a dark blur against the grey-blue sky.

Hurrying footsteps approached. Selinde, what are you…

Do you see it? She knew it was Nien, her brother, without looking; the sound of his step, his voice, and the earthy smell of his sweat identified him as easily as looking at him would.

See… it? She knew his eyebrows were furrowing deeply and his jaw was jutting out a little in confusion and thought. His facial expressions were easily predictable, at least to her. What is… it?

She nodded towards the shape, not taking her eyes from it. There.

More footsteps, and suddenly the mad hermit was in front of the crowd that had gathered, all staring at the sky. A monster! See it? Wings, so many wings, claws, talons, teeth!

He was right. The blur was becoming more distinct as it came closer. It had great wings– four that she could see– that looked leathery like a bat's. Great bird’s feet with long black talons reached out, stretching, straining towards prey, prey that she knew wasn’t deer or sheep or cattle. Something inside her mind shouted that the prey this thing wanted was human.

Are those horns? Someone shouted. Voices rose in a sudden cacophony, shouts overlapping and making a din that made the ground seem to shake beneath her feet. The teeth! What is it? How horrible! Those teeth! Fangs! Spines! That tail! The whole village was shouting, pointing, and frozen in place, too terrified to move as the monster came ever closer.

Selinde’s blood ran cold. She could see it well now, a long wolfish snout sprouting from a great horned head shaped like a serpent’s, a lengthy back lined with pointed black spines, crests of purple feathers at the shoulders, the tail tipped with a purple stinger. There was poison in the stinger, she was sure. It looked too much like the sharp barbed end of a scorpion’s body for it not to be deadly. But even if it wasn’t poison, a slash from that stinger could no doubt rip a child into pieces. It could probably tear a grown man to pieces, for that matter.

You see it! You see it! The madman’s voice broke through the screams to send icy chills up and down Selinde’s spine. All of us, dead! Kill us! Kill us! It kills us! Monster! Beast! All of us! You hear it! You hear it! He was still running about, the only moving body in the crowd, flitting about like a bee among flowers, stopping here and there for only a moment, to point and shout, sometimes speaking in gibberish, sometimes understandable, saying things Selinde wished he wouldn’t. No one made a move to stop him. He collapsed at the moment a great all-too-human cry filled the air. The monster had opened its muzzle, showing rows of jagged, white teeth. It was enough to shake Selinde down to the core; she saw some people fall to the ground from the sheer force of the roar.

Selinde, go home now! Nien tried to push his way in front of her, to force her backward toward the house they shared with their parents. A hammer was in his hand, held up as if he would dare defend her from the monster with it. She didn’t move a step. Part of her stayed because she couldn’t move for fear, part because she wanted to see what was going to happen. And part of her stayed rooted on the spot because if Nien was going to risk his life against a thing like that, why couldn’t she? She was far from weak.

The monster was nearly on top of them now. The people who had fallen to the ground stayed there, curling themselves into little balls, hoping that would save them. The others were beginning to regain control of their feet and legs, and the crowd broke into chaos, each man and woman fleeing in the direction their feet happened to take them, a dozen dozen different ways. Selinde stayed rooted where she was, still staring, watching. Nien didn’t move either, still holding up his hammer. The beast swooped low, its talons not quite brushing the thatched rooftops, its wings held to soar so not a breath of wind came through the roads. It passed by the village, flapped its wings to gain height, and began to turn for another pass.

A trumpet’s call filled the air. Coming up the northeast road was a troop of men on horseback, each dressed in white and blue, carrying bows and swords and banners: palace guardsmen. The madman was the first one to them, long before Selinde and Nien and a few others who still had control of themselves approached. The captain of the guards motioned the hermit away before the others reached him.

All will be taken care of, the captain said, his eyes watching the skies rather than the villagers. Have a care to stay out of the way. We will take out the beast.

The horsemen spread out through the village, each nocking an arrow into his bow to wait for the monster to make its next pass. Twenty bows pointed at the sky as the monster came again, letting out another roar like a woman in agony. Not a single man among them seemed the least bit afraid as the creature who could easily devour any of them sped their way. Twenty arrows shot up, up, up, all aimed to be a killing blow.

He’s been struck! The captain’s voice rang out like a trumpet. Fire at will, men, fire!

Each man drew and loosed as quickly as he could– notch, draw, loose. Arrows flew up at the monster in torrents, like a strange rain that fell up instead of down. More hits! Strike home! Keep firing, men! He flees! He flees!

With another cry– this one more like a wounded animal than a human scream– the beast finished its pass and flew on, back the way it came, over the forest and toward the mountains.

Gone! the madman shouted, dancing among the people. Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone! It flees, flees, no killing! No killing today! It's beaten, beaten, beaten! No one dies today! No killing! No kills! He trailed off into gibberish and ran, zigzagging down the road the way he came, almost looking like he was chasing the monster away himself. It wasn’t long before he was out of sight.

Slowly, the villagers came out of their hiding places and gathered around the guards who were forming up in the commons. The villagers were tense and silent, their faces still showing their terror, their eyes still darting up to the sky, uncertain that the monster wasn’t making another turn and another pass.

Selinde allowed her eyes one last scan of the suddenly-clear sky before turning her attention to the guards. The crowd was pressed in tight around them, everyone talking at once, some describing the beast and its approach and the attack, some demanding to know what the beast was, others begging for guards to remain should the monster come again. The captain spoke softly, comforting some, answering others, shaking his head at some as if he didn’t have the answers they wanted. The crowd parted bit as the elders– representatives of the village’s liege lord– came up to speak. There were thanks Selinde could barely hear over the still-murmuring villagers, and a reply from the captain she could hear all too well: his request for the village’s defense taxes.

Defense taxes! she burst out; all eyes in the crowd around the guards turned to her. You ask for our defense taxes?

Ruskraa’s taxes are due, girl, the captain replied smoothly. And since we are here, why not collect them and be on our way?

Selinde bristled. The defense taxes were paid out every year, a portion of stored food and other supplies, in return for the palace guards themselves coming to the village’s protection should such protection be needed, be it from wild dogs, monsters, or Unsettled bandits. It had been over a year since Selinde last remembered seeing them. And now they come and demand the taxes? Those taxes are for those who protect the village, but it’s been months since we’ve seen you here! When that pack of wolves terrorized our livestock and threatened our homes last winter, where was the palace guard? Protection means you actually protect us, not that you pick and choose when you come! We’ve been taking care of ourselves! Why should we pay you taxes when you don’t deserve them?

The captain’s eyes went stony. And I suppose you could have taken care of that beast yourselves? You could have defended yourselves from that?

We’re still in danger! The beast isn’t dead, just gone. It could come back at any time, and who’s to say the palace guard would come back again when it’s been so long since we last saw you? She felt a pinch on her leg; Nien was warning her to stay quiet, but she wouldn't keep silent about this. This was unjust.

For a few long moments, the villagers were silent while Selinde and the captain stared at each other. She refused to back down, and he looked almost murderous behind those cold eyes. It was someone else, the miller, who broke the silence.

Selinde is right. They didn’t kill the monster. We’re still in danger.

Our taxes should pay someone who will kill it! the midwife agreed.

The blacksmith added in his heavy voice, The guards won’t get a single grain of wheat unless they finish the job themselves!

The villagers began agreeing, their shouts turning angry and accusing, all aimed at the guards. The captain stuck up his chin and shouted something Selinde couldn’t hear above the din. Finally he reared his horse, the great brown stallion’s hooves threatening to crush whoever found his way under them. The crowd fell silent, but their anger was still palpable. An opening formed in the mass before the captain. Chin still up, he urged his horse forward, but rather than just going out the way the crowd opened for him, he cut his own path through them towards Selinde. He reined the stallion in next to her.

You wish to not pay your taxes, then? You’re welcome to bring your case before His Majesty at the palace.

Nien gave her a worried look as she passed her tub of vegetables to him. Selinde, please… apologize. This isn’t a fight we should start.

The rights of our villagers aren’t worth fighting for? Is that what you’re saying, Nien? Our safety is not worth fighting for?

Her brother looked taken aback. You’ll never win. Behind him, the milling villagers were urging her on, cheering her quietly.

I’m not letting this rest, Nien, she replied as one of the guards pulled her up on his horse in front of him. The captain gave her a knowing look. She had to work to keep from grimacing at him. What did he think he knew? That this was a hopeless fight she couldn’t win? Or was there something else?

The horse began to move under her. She sat up as straight as she