C8

A sudden gust of wind tore through the passageway like a giant fist smashing down the gates of a city, slamming doors shut with tremendous force as it swept through the narrow corridor with chilling violence. As the echoes of that wild cry died away in the stone passages that led deep beneath the earth, a dozen torches flared briefly as they were relit, then went out again in an instant as the wind caught them and flung them aside... as the shadows of those who held them were cast into deeper darkness. In the center of this circle of firelight stood three figures, bound hand and foot as if at the stake... though these victims were far stronger than most mortals, and showed no sign of pain or discomfort even in the face of such terrible adversity as they faced. The three prisoners stood erect before their tormentors, each holding aloft a single flaming brand while the others kept watch nearby, ready to rush forward at any signal to extinguish the fires before they burned through their captives' clothing, flesh, and bone. The wind whipped at their hair and robes with increasing ferocity, threatening to tear free the hoods worn by all three of them, which were secured at the neck by golden clasps shaped like the twin horns of a dragon. The women watched anxiously as their flames wavered dangerously close to going out altogether... and the man who stood closest to them shivered uncontrollably despite his efforts to hold them steady.

"Breathe, damn you! Breathe..."

The woman on the left turned her head and stared at him in astonishment. Her features were hidden by shadows, but she could see plainly enough that he was trembling from cold rather than fear... and he had been given no cloak to cover himself. She took pity on him and tried to soothe him in gentle tones, saying, "Don't worry about your flames, my love." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've done wonderfully well so far."

The other two women had both seen the gesture, and felt a faint flicker of warmth flow from the stranger's touch... a warmth that quickly faded when the wind blew it from reach once more. They exchanged glances. "I wonder if he can feel us," said one gently. "We're trying our best to comfort him."

"'Tis naught but madness to try," said another harshly. "If the fool could understand, we would not dare speak in such terms. We are afraid of hurting his feelings..."

"Bah! 'Twould serve him right if we gave him the slip without giving him a chance to make use of his tongue. Now, stand still, or I'll let the winds take you from me. I swear by the Mother, I won't be able to stop myself!" The first girl pulled out her dagger and sliced a thin line across her forearm, letting blood drip onto her arm and wrist as she raised her hands up high to catch the drops as they fell. She closed her eyes, willing the power to come rushing forth, feeling the magic flowing into her limbs as she spoke the words: "Blood for blood, bone for bone, flesh for flesh... I give thee life." With an audible pop, she opened her eyes again, staring intently at her companion across the small gap separating them. "See how strong I am?" she cried triumphantly, thrusting herself backward as if to demonstrate the newfound strength that pulsed through her body as a result of the spell. "Now try it yourself."

The second witch stepped back warily as she began to chant aloud, weaving the words together carefully as they flowed through her lips... "Fire for fire, water for water, air for air... I give thee life." Then, with a sudden flare of heat that set her robe ablaze, she added, "Go ahead, try it."

She did as commanded... and was rewarded by an almost audible sigh of relief when the flame came back into existence just as the first had. She grinned widely at her friend, stepping closer to peer down into her face. "See? I told you it worked!"

Her counterpart laughed gaily, slapping her on the shoulder. "That makes me feel better than anything else has since... ever!" Her grin faded abruptly. "But look at the poor fool! Look at his arms!" The flames danced wildly within their sleeves as he struggled futilely against his bonds, straining mightily to break loose, as if his muscles were trying desperately to burst through his skin. "'Tis madness to keep him alive!" she insisted angrily as he continued to writhe on the ground below her feet. "He'll burn himself up long before they get a chance to kill him... and then where will we be?"

"Perhaps it would be best if he perished," suggested a third voice suddenly from behind them, making the two other girls start violently as if they'd been caught stealing apples from a tree. One of them screamed shrilly as she spun around with knife drawn... only to find herself confronted by an empty hallway. All three of them peered nervously back down the passage, expecting the figure to materialize there at any moment... yet no one was visible anywhere along its length.

"Who goes there?" called one nervously.

"Show yourselves," demanded the other. "What's the matter with you?"

"Be calm... it may only be a trick," whispered the third softly as she edged closer to the two others and studied their faces intently. Their expressions were unreadable in the dim torchlight... but her senses told her that they were frightened in earnest, not merely feigning fright as part of some ruse. "Let us hear your story before we decide whether or not we must put you to death."

They glanced at each other nervously, but nodded slowly in agreement. Together they walked toward her until they were standing less than ten yards away, looking intently into her eyes as they explained their plight in halting, fearful voices:

"I am a seer," they told her evenly, "who saw many things in visions given unto me during the time when our people lived beneath the mountains, under the great shadow cast by the dark gods that ruled over us for generations."

"Yes... yes, I know of you," the woman acknowledged patiently, keeping her gaze steady on theirs lest she be taken in by their obvious deception. "Your name was revealed to me in my dreams after King Robert's victory at Riverrun. He asked my advice concerning what he should do next with regard to Lord Stannis Baratheon... and it seemed that he trusted the answer he received, for he chose to march north with an army to besiege Winterfell instead of marching south to confront Lord Stannis."

Their brows knit together in puzzlement as they considered what the old woman had said. It sounded plausible enough, and it matched what little they recalled from those troubled times in the distant past. But that did not mean it was true... or even possible. "The seer you speak of is a fraud," one of them whispered nervously. "He does not exist."

"He has been seen in the company of the king," hissed another. "When Robert's brother died in that battle at Riverrun, he came among us in the night. The next day he led an army to defeat Lord Stannis."

"He is no more than a tale told to frighten children," insisted the third, though she had not spoken aloud. "None of these things are true... none of this could be happening."

The first two exchanged wary glances. "Yet there was a prophecy," one of them muttered. "We have all heard it."

"We would have done well to heed its warning." The second spoke softly as he looked at her sadly. " 'Tis said that our blood will be spilled by fire..."

The third stared back into their faces intently, trying to make out more detail. Their words were so faint, they almost seemed to fade away as soon as she had heard them. There was only one seer who was supposed to know this prophecy. She knew it herself... yet even she was not certain of what the rest of the words might have been, except for the last part: "... and ours will burn." Yet these two appeared far too terrified to be the men responsible. And how could three of them have survived that terrible battle at Riverrun when Robert Baratheon and all those with him had perished? Unless... "If you have heard this prophecy, how could it be your blood?" she asked carefully. "You have the same blood as Robert Baratheon, I take it?"

They nodded slowly, though both of them kept staring at her intently as if they expected her to change her mind about them at any moment. "It was written in our forefathers' blood long ago," admitted the third man after a short pause. "In the language of old Valyria, the red tongue that we speak... and the tongues of the north as well. Our people are said to descend from dragons themselves." He shrugged awkwardly as he continued, "I cannot say whether that is true or not."

She nodded as she turned to her companions. "This man says he does not know the prophecy, and neither do you. If it is his blood upon the sword, then he would be the last to betray us..." She hesitated uncertainly, thinking it over, remembering something her mother had told her long ago: "A dragon's blood can never be washed away. When we spill it upon the ground, it stays there until the end of time."

"What shall we do?" asked the second woman anxiously, stepping forward once more so that they were all standing face-to-face as if in preparation for a fight. "We must act quickly if we are to take this man captive before he spills his blood upon the ground."

The third stepped back warily, looking into their eyes in turn. They were terrified... but she sensed no treachery behind it. She could sense nothing else save what they themselves chose to share. And that was something to consider... she herself was a seer, who claimed to see things in dreams... and yet she did not dare claim that those things she saw in her visions came to pass as she saw them, even when the events proved to be true. There were some things which simply did not come to pass, as surely as the sun rose each morning and the wind blew across the land. It was possible to dream of the future... even with a vision given by a dragon's blood, and then find the dream come to pass, only to learn afterward that it was not the actual event. That meant that sometimes one could believe what one dreamed of and have it prove true... but other times, the very same thing could be seen in a vision and yet prove to be false, or even merely a trick of the mind. Perhaps it would be best to play their part well enough so that they might find out for certain whether or not any of this was real.

"Do as I bid you," she told her companions, turning her back on them once again so that she could watch their actions from afar. "I will do my part, and you must do yours."

She had already spoken to them in Valyrian... though they appeared to have little grasp of the tongue as they repeated their answers back to her. Their replies came haltingly, as if they were translating their words into the tongue for the first time in years. As far as she could tell, none of them had any grasp whatsoever of Valyrian, despite what they claimed. That made it much easier to speak Valyrian without them realizing it, as she continued to speak in the same language. She watched intently, searching their faces for signs of deceit, but there was nothing but fear and uncertainty... and that was something else to consider. If she truly did see what came to pass in dreams... then these three had every reason to fear for themselves. She would have to be especially careful with them. "I will do as you say," she said firmly, "but I am only doing what my heart bids me. You must decide for yourselves."

The three exchanged nervous glances once more before nodding slowly. "We have a sword," declared one finally.

"And a sharpened stone," agreed his companion, raising her own knife as well. "We will strike him when he is asleep..."

"And then we shall drag him away to where we will keep him bound and blindfolded," finished the third man as he began to circle slowly around her so that he was now moving behind her and facing the other two again. He smiled reassuringly at them as his knife glinted in the dim light. "It shall all be done swiftly and painlessly."

"You cannot lie to us!" cried the second woman. "We can read your hearts and minds even though you try to hide it from us! You fear our magic as much as you do the magic of men!"

She was speaking aloud now, but not as loudly as before, for she dared not raise her voice in such close confines. "You are too foolish to learn anything from us," she went on, still circling in front of them as if she were leading them by the hand. "Yet you are brave enough to try. I know why you came here... and I understand why you wish to do what we ask, for it is what we wish as well."

There was no hiding anything from her as she continued to circle in front of them, studying them intently as they circled nervously behind her. The fear was written plain upon their faces. "It is a dangerous thing to trust one such as us," she told them gently. "If we were to harm you, there would be nothing you could do to stop us, no matter how clever you might be. It is only by accident that we have been allowed to live thus long. There is much that you would gain... and much you might lose as well."

"What you speak of is forbidden," whispered the third man as he circled behind her once more. "You are to be killed when we leave this place, for you bring the death of dragons into our lives." He paused, studying her intently. "We will be watching you."

The second woman stepped up beside him, looking anxiously from side to side in case someone else might overhear. "Who are these other men?" she whispered in a fearful voice. "How did you get into the city? Where have you been hiding all this time?"

"I have come alone," she said, keeping her answers brief and simple, "and I will go home the same way. As for where I have been, I have gone where you cannot follow."

She moved back slowly until she had put distance between herself and them again. "Go with your friends now," she told them gently. "Do as you must so that I may return to my own people without fear of being harmed or captured. I will not turn my back upon you even for a moment while we are apart. We will see each other no more, for I wish it." She paused thoughtfully as she continued, "As for you... what name did you give to them when you came to this city?"

"I gave them no names at all," he answered softly. "But my brothers and I knew them all by sight."

"You are lucky, indeed," she told him. "For they will do whatever needs to be done so that they can keep their faces hidden from us all. It would do you little good to tell them your name... it is too late for that." She stepped back again, leaving them standing in front of one another once more. They hesitated, unsure of what to do. "We will see each other no more," she said finally, before turning and walking away from them without looking back.

The third man turned to watch her go, then began to walk slowly after her. The other two were still uncertain, but they soon followed suit. She was careful not to look behind her for fear that she would lose any advantage she might have had as a result, yet she could feel them behind her as they walked... following her step for step just as if they truly had eyes for the very first time. She had not been wrong about them, she realized suddenly, for they were far more clever than she had suspected. She wondered why their names should frighten them so much, for it was not as if she would ever call them by their names aloud.

Her thoughts went back to what they had said... about the dragon's blood in their veins, and their forefathers' blood written upon their swords. Their words reminded her of what she had heard at the battle where the black prince was killed, though she had never spoken to the prince himself so she could hardly be sure that he had told her anything of import. Perhaps he had, for all she knew... though there seemed little reason to think so. The black prince was dead, along with his men and every last soldier who had fought beside them. It was unlikely that any of them survived the fighting to tell tales... or that anyone would even care. Yet perhaps the truth would be worth something someday. The black prince was one of those whose blood dripped from the sword which she carried on her back. That could make him worthy of honor or dishonor, depending on what the truth was... but whether it was true or not did not matter so long as it was believed. What mattered most was that those who heard the tale believed it... and that meant that it could become fact.

What is the truth of the legend of the black prince? I will find out for myself when the time comes, she thought as she moved deeper into the city. It would take years of study for her to know enough about this place, but it might also be possible that she would learn of things even before they happened. She might already know many things... yet still she might have more to learn, or she might discover that she had been mistaken in what she learned, just as she had been mistaken when she had spoken to the black prince. It might be best if she kept a few things to herself for now... at least until she was certain she had everything straight. If there was anything else she should know, it might come to her only after the fact.

She had to stop suddenly before she reached her destination, however, and she looked around her carefully to make sure that the others had not seen where she was going. The streets were empty... yet no longer quite so empty as she had thought. She could hear the footsteps of people moving through the buildings nearby, carrying things between them or gathering up refuse. They came and went in an organized way, but it seemed that each of the people in their group had chosen to do his own thing rather than work together as a group. She wondered if any of these people worked in groups of three, as they seemed to be doing... and if so, which of them was the leader. There was no point in looking back at them again, though. She was far too clever for that now. The sound of their footfalls had gone on for some time before they ceased, as if they had wandered off somewhere and left her alone. She had to wonder what had prompted them to leave, especially since she knew well that they were watching her very carefully. That made it all the more surprising, since if they did as she hoped she would be free once more. But they seemed to have vanished without a word of farewell. Why should they vanish now? It was not as if she were going to tell them her name or give them her name. "It is better if they do not stay with me," she muttered softly to herself as she stepped into the first street she could find... though she was careful to keep the sounds of her passage to a minimum. She would not take this opportunity to draw any more attention to herself than she already had. She turned the corner at the next intersection and then followed the signs on the nearest building, which led her down another long, dusty street where there was nothing at all but bare stone walls rising up around her. It was hard to imagine that anyone had ever lived here... even less so after seeing the way the buildings were constructed and lit by magic, and yet there seemed to be little doubt that this part of the city was older than any other. Perhaps this was one of those places where the people had fled in terror, fleeing from whatever terror lay ahead of them as they left behind their homes and families... only to return years later once it was over.

She passed an intersection without looking back, knowing that she would soon find her destination. At the second intersection, however, she paused to listen carefully to see if anyone were moving behind her... just in case there were others waiting at the far end of the next street. It seemed as if the city were full of life once again as people moved through the streets and alleyways, though perhaps not as full as it used to be when the people were still living inside the walls. There were still far more empty houses than occupied ones, and that meant that something must be keeping people away. Was it some evil magic that had driven them off... or something worse?

This place seems far stranger than I thought it would be, she told herself as she turned the next corner and began to move along the next street. This was not the first time she had come into this section of town, but it had been far too long since she had visited, for she was far more interested in what had happened outside of the city than within. She had always wondered what might lie ahead in this city... whether there would be anything at all to see after so many years of silence, yet she had never expected to find out. What lies beyond these walls... if there is anything to see at all... will make this city seem like a dream in comparison. I wish I had more time to look around. But there is no time to look now, she thought as she continued walking along the next street, passing a building every now and then that looked as if it had not been disturbed in years. It might have been that nothing had changed even before the city fell silent... or perhaps there was something hidden here that could not be seen from outside.