Daily Flash Fiction

“I can’t be saying I know, Selmy.”

“It’s easy work, it don’t interfere with your undertaking, and it’s damn good money.”

“Aye, I can see that. But I don’t know about going up to that old tower there in the woods. There’s unnatural things abroad.”

“Everything’s unnatural. What, do you think houses just spring up out of the ground, or that corpses bury themselves?”

“Well of course not. I buries them.”

“Precisely. And if you buries them, why can’t you un-bury them?”

“They’s been consigned to the earth by the local druids, we ain’t supposed to dig ‘em up after.”

“If we didn’t do all the things we ain’t supposed to we’d not breed or smoke or drink or live, we’d all be livin’ in the trees naked. An’ it’s awful hard to keep from breedin’ if you’re naked.”

“I dunno, not if you’re cold enough.”

“That’s not my point. You live in a house and wear woolens on your back and dig the earth with a shovel, and nowt about this is natural. Besides, with the bread prices going up after that war in the south what choice do we have?”

“What if the Life priests take the town back, they’re moving north you know.”

“Then they’ll kill us. But if we run out of money then we’ll starve an’ so will our families. The life priests would only kill us for our crimes, while famine will just kill us all.”

Selmy’s eyes narrowed. Then he nodded.

The night air was chill as he and his friend walked out under a pale moon. Harsh shadows, so strong they seemed almost like they could carry an edge, lay on the ground from buildings or leafless trees.

They walked to the temple grounds, and ducked over the hedge onto consecrated ground – which squelched underfoot just as the vulgar ground on the other side.

They found the grave Selmy had dug that morning, closest to the hedge, and set to digging. When they opened the casket the aroma of fresh herbs washed over them, and Selmy pulled what was once young Camomile Westrop out of the casket, putting her corpse in the sack. Then he closed the casket, put it back in the grave and buried it, continuously glancing back at the temple, its lights extinguished.

He finished and stood up straight, stretching his back, and looked back to the temple.

A thin shaft of light stretched out from the open doorway, and a lantern bobbed in the distance.

Selmy tried not to panic as they gathered their tools and ran to the hedge. He heard a shout behind just as he ducked over and ran out over the hills and dales.

The woods were dark even with the moonlight, and they kept to tracks as much as they could – but the tower was not on any of the tracks, and they soon had to strike out into the blackness, moving slowly to avoid tripping over roots or bears.

But the tower loomed out of the night as Selmy knew it would, and when he knocked on the door it swung open almost immediately. The windows above were black, and yet the inside blazed with white light unlike that of any candle. They entered and deposited the sack, and the old man looked in and made an odd strangled noise, before starting to giggle. Then he looked up and seemed to remember why they were there.

He took from a casket a little bag and handed it to Selmy and another to his friend. They were heavy and they chinked in a satisfying way. They turned to the door just in time to see it shatter, and a man in white plate armour enter.

“Sinful warlock! I have come to end your days.” the knight stepped in and saw the body of Camomile laid out the slab, stopping suddenly. “Oh sweet maiden ended before your time, What deeds hath this foul warlock wrought.” he whipped around seeing the two men by the door, slowly finding their feet. “Henchmen to this dark lord! Did you kill this maid?”

“She was no maid if the rumors I’m told of are true. but no we didn’t kill her. Hell, my wife midwifed the little girl.”

“Oh speak your lies as much as you will. I know the truth and the light guides my blade!” he raised the sword and dropped it on Selmy’s friend, cutting the man from shoulder to groin

“Pah! The wretch’s blood is all over my armour, now I will have to-”

Selmy felt the cry erupt from his throat as he lunged forwards, knocking the knight to the ground and slamming his head against the flagstones.

“That man was my friend! I had known him for five and a score years, seen his children grow and get strong. All he wanted to do – all I want to do – is look after my family!” he tore the helmet off the knight and saw his face and stopped. No more than a boy, no older than camomile, tears in his eyes and snot down his face. then Selmy saw a flash and fell backwards, and looking up he saw the knight’s limbs stand out straight before crumpling in like a dead spider, and black smoke coiling from the joints, and a blackened skull where his head should be.

The warlock made an odd tittering sound.

“You have done well! Now you may serve me.”

He shook his head. “I’ll have no more part in this.” he turned around and walked away, and then felt a pain in his back, and he fell into darkness. He heard the warlock.

“Wrong answer.” and a titter, and then that was it.