City of Shades

The witches are again building the City of Shades, Nubia thought, moaning softly. He watched Sekani give her dark red skirts a quick tug. She turned her head sharply, causing her curly red hair to fly limply in the rain.

“Bloody Iskur,” Sekani muttered in her guttural language. Nubia understood her through their link, the one she established when she captured him all those years ago. “He could have held the storms back long enough for us to finish.”

The rains and storms no longer bothered him, hadn’t since he’d become a shade. It was funny what death did to a person, what it made them reevaluate. A sharp snap of fingers brought his attention back to Sekani and the frown marring her face.

“Etana,” she barked. “That is not where we’re going.”

Nubia crouched down as Etana turned back from the south.

“It’s where I should be going,” Etana whispered. “Neti is waiting to let me in.”

“Irkalla holds nothing for you,” Sekani scoffed. “We build this place for you.”

Nubia listened to them both, felt Etana’s longing, Sekani’s indifference towards them.

“What need do us shades have of buildings?” Etana asked. “Neti will allow me through the seven gates to go down to Irkalla.”

Nubia knew that many believed as Etana did, that they, the shades, should be in Irkalla. It’s where all souls are supposed to go, no matter what they did in life. He remembered believing that when he had been alive, even for a few years after Sekani claimed him. He had gotten to know her though. He refused to leave her.

“Enough,” Sekani snapped. “Concentrate. Both of you.”

Nubia stood and floated closer to Sekani. Etana stayed where he was but Nubia felt their energies merge. Sekani’s vision was strong in her mind. With Etana’s help, mud came out, away from the woods. They pushed it behind them as they dried out the huge circular hole.

“Enki,” Sekani said in the high language of the witches, “Grant us our blessing and wisdom in creating this building.”

Her voice lilted in singsong. It still amazed him that she could have two different voices. Nubia enjoyed listening to her no matter which voice she was using.

Sekani raised her arms, palms out, and green jasper began to rise from the ground, rising higher and higher. When it was towering over the trees and the buildings next to it, Sekani stopped, allowing him and Etana to rest.

“Etana,” Sekani snapped. He had gone back to gazing south.

“Is there a problem?” a witch asked.

Nubia rolled backwards slightly. It was one of the Witches Elders.

“No,” Sekani said. “We were just finishing here.”

“I assume this will be our meeting place?”

“Yes,” Sekani said with a tug at her skirts.

“Where are your other ten shades?”

“Resting. They are not as strong and I will need them later.”

The Witches Elder nodded. “I will let you get back to work than.”

Nubia floated closer to Sekani as the Witches Elder left.

“Let me go,” Etana demanded after she was out of hearing range.

“No.”

“I was King of Kish once. I ruled. I never followed.”

“Come,” Sekani said.

An hour later Nubia floated next to Sekani as she used their energies to help sculpt the inside of the Witches Elders building. She had managed to carve out a doorway and part of what was to become the main room. Nubia didn’t know where the jasper went that Sekani sculpted away. As she pushed forward with clearing the room to create a platform, Nubia felt a longing. He glanced at Etana, but the shade was focused on Sekani.

“Nubia,” Sekani huffed. “Focus.”

“Sorry, mistress,” he said.

He turned his attention back to Sekani giving her what energy he had. A platform formed at the back of the room, facing the door. Seven chairs rose up on the platform. A chair for each of the Witches Elders. They were the ones who passed judgment and upheld the laws of the City. The City had a leader but she didn’t interfere with the Witches Elder and was subject to them.

Nubia turned his thoughts away from the Witches Elders and watched Sekani create stairs that curved on either side of the platform. The longing swelled and Nubia realised that it was coming from Sekani. What was she longing for?

Nubia stood next to the kneeling Sekani. Stepping forwards, he stretched a hand to the Witches Elders, pleading.

“What is it, shade?” one demanded.

“I beg your forgiveness for being so bold,” Nubia said. “I wish to speak on Sekani’s behalf.”

“There is nothing to be said,” a Witch Elder spoke slowly. “She killed her own mother for releasing two shades and then Sekani releases one of her own.”

“Yes,” Nubia said. “But Etana did not want to be here and couldn’t come to terms with being linked with a witch and other shades. There is no bringing her mother back. Sekani has come to realise why her mother did what she did and that she overreacted about it.”

“Yes, but we follow Enki’s law. Her mother should have been brought to us.”

“True,” Nubia moaned and asked. “But does taking a life balance the loss of a life?”

The Witches Elders leaned back. Nubia could not tell what they were thinking or feeling for he was not linked to them as he was to Sekani. He could still read people. The

Witches Elders were contemplating his questions. Tears streamed down Sekani’s face. The once proud woman, who had controlled the City of Shades, and made sure that it was rebuilt, was now a trembling mess.

“What do you suggest, shade?” a Witch Elder asked.

“Make her release all of her shades, all but me,” he said. “Then banish her from the City.”

“Releasing that many at once will do irreparable harm to her and perhaps to you as well. She will not be able to take on other shades if she survives,” one Elder said.

“She will survive. I will see to it.”

“Why ask this of us?”

“Because I love her and my place is with her.”

Night had fallen and he had used his energy to create a fire for Sekani. The City of Shades was silhouetted against a back drop of stars. Iskur had deemed for there to be a break in the storms at last. Looking back at Sekani, he crouched next to her. Her pain washed through him and he knew in time it would diminish. The loss of the other ten shades all at once hurt her. The loss of power stung her pride. Now though, they were truly together and they had a new purpose: travel the wilds to the villages in search of witches to send to the City of Shades.