Hodge
stared down into the valley and the pale blue lights of the village.
His mouth hung open so wide a moth might have flown in and out again
without his knowledge. The Atrasilva was not a place anything such as
a village that size should be. He shook his head and blinked, assured
that his eyes were playing tricks but the village remained in sight
as his vision settled.
How
could a village exist where there was no trade nor road to bring it?
Hodge had seen a few maps in his time and the Silent Woods were
always marked as empty of settlements. Surely he must be dreaming it
up, but a pinch at his shoulder proved him awake. Awake and hungry,
he realized as his stomach gave a ponderous rumble and his thoughts
turned to food.
He
wandered absently if the village would have food and with that in
mind his feet started down the slope of the valley. A part of his
mind warned him away from the eerie place, but through the fog of
hunger and confusion it was not heeded. The closer to the gates of
the village he came the more his fingers seemed to twitch with the
prospect of other things the village might have.
A
stone's throw away from the gates Hodge's steps did slow to the sound
of people inside the village. For all the night he'd only had his own
footfalls for company in the silence of the woods, that now the
bustle of the village sounded foreign to him. Though this shock was
great his want for food and rest spurred him on yet and the gates of
the village were looming over him now.
Two
figures watched Hodge from the space between the open gates. The
figures were unmoving and this gave him pause. He stopped just
before entering the lighted area and his chest tightened with a
sudden fear. A man in a cursed forest that makes no sound finds his
way to a village where none should exist, two shadowy figures
watching him from beyond a gate filled with light.
Before
the scene could play itself out in his head a voice rang out in the
night.
“Welcome
stranger,” it was a man's voice, “to Nocturne – City of Eternal
Twilight.” The man's voice was resonant and friendly which stopped
Hodge's nerves from racing. “Come closer,” one of the figures
beckoned to him now. He crept carefully closer until he could see
both figures clearly.
Both
of men were of middling age with dark hair. The one speaking was
slightly taller and wore the robes of the clergy, but Hodge could not
place what religion he served. The other man wore a vest and jacket
which made him look quite dignified. As Hodge approached he was
greeted with smiles and offered hands which he carefully shook. The
taller of the two began to speak once more.
“I
am Father Tobias Vict and I serve the Lunar Temple here in the
village.” He then gestured to the other man, “This is my brother
Bartholomew who serves as mayor of Nocturne.” Bartholomew simply
nodded. Hodge took a breath, ready to introduce himself, but his
stomach stole the moment from him with a ponderous growl causing the
brothers to erupt with hearty laughter.
After
the moment passed he tried again. “I am called Hodge, a vagrant by
nature and something of a rogue by trade.” His mouth snapped shut
and he soon felt his hand on his neck, ready to grab the little
dagger at his back. He had not intended to be so candid with his
introduction. Few villages openly welcomed vagrants and none suffered
rogues with mercy.
But
the two men smiled still and Father Vict said, “Come then young
Hodge and we will find you something to eat.” As the brothers led
hem to food and rest they spoke quietly to one another, leaving him
to gaze about the surroundings.
The
gates opened into a plaza surrounded by various shops, all open for
business despite the late hour. Buildings in the plaza were made of
wood with stone foundations. People walked about the shops bathed in
the pale blue light which Hodge could now see came from strange lamps
that lined the streets. Each of these lamps burned brighter than any
torch or candle he had ever seen.
“Moonfire,”
the answer to his unasked question made him jump, looking around to
see Mayor Vict walking alongside of him casually. Hodge let out the
breath he'd been holding and dropped his hand back to his side from
where it had been clutching his chest.
“I've
never seen the like of it before,” he said, watching each lamp
intently as they walked. For all of his scrutiny he could not tell
what created the blue glow from within the lamp.
“I
shouldn't expect you have,” Mayor Vict said in return, “Here is
the only place in this world where it exists.” Before Hodge could
question him further Father Vict called to them from up ahead. He was
standing at the entrance to a tavern, the sign above depicting a mug
with a heady foam running over the rim and down the side.
“Come
Hodge,” Mayor Vict said, “We will take a meal with you at Stein's
place and speak of what brings you to our village.”
A
bell rang as they entered the tavern and quite a few heads turned to
watch them as they walked in and found an open table. A pretty young
barmaid was with them shortly thereafter. She was dressed simply but
Hodge could not keep himself from staring. She took the orders
tugging at one of her blonde pigtails and looked directly at him
afterward.
“And
who is this?” she asked.
“A
visitor to our village Miss Penelope,” Father Vict replied. “I
suspect that our new friend will have a brief stay here, but for that
time we will accommodate him.” Penelope pouted a little at that,
but bobbed away to give their orders to the cook with a smile all the
same. Then Father Vict turned back to him and folded his hands on the
table. “So tell us Hodge,” he said, “What were you doing out in
the Atrasilva? As I understand it most people don't enter the woods
for fear of curses and fell creatures.”
Hodge
took a slow breath and thought hard about how to explain his reason
for passing through the valley.
Copyright Kevin Franks 2014
