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| Iannic |
An Iannic is a
creature from the lore of the Celtic Bretons. Bretons live in an area of France
called Brittany, which means "little Britain," and were ancient
British who fled their native land and settled along the northern coast of
France to escape the invading Anglo-Saxons. As such, they had their own native
language, distinct from French and still spoken today, and a unique culture,
though in many ways their culture has become "Frenchified." Still,
they exist as a distinct minority; their language, one of the few Celtic
languages that has survived to modern times, can boast near to a quarter of a
million native speakers.
My story,
"The Iannic," centers around a Celtic bard named Renfew. Of late, he
has done well for himself, having been hired by many nobles to perform at
banquets and parties. With the extra money he has accrued, he hires Cordelia, a
local whore, to spend three days with him. He likes Cordelia and has it in mind
to marry her. She has only plied her trade for about two years. As they are
lying together, she asleep, he reflecting on the good fortune that has recently descended upon him, Roman soldiers kick down the door of his house and compel him
and Cordelia to get dressed and come with them. "They're going to crucify
us," Cordelia laments in despair; but they assure the two no harm
will come to them, and Renfew cannot think of anything they might have done to bring
about retribution.
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| Renfew |
The Romans march them toward their camp. When they stop, Cordelia recognizes two of the soldiers who are her regular customers. They tell her and Renfew they have been brought to the camp because their Proconsul, Attius, has been taken captive by some sort of supernatural creature. The creature also killed three of their soldiers. They think Renfew, who knows the lore of the Celts so well, might help them to find out what the creature was that attacked them, why it is hostile, and how they might free their Proconsul. (A Proconsul was an official in Roman government who also commanded a military until; as such, the army had a political connection with the government and was less likely to rebel).
Hearing the
creature's behavior, Renfew and Cordelia immediately know it is an Iannic—the spirit
of a person who had drowned and was not given proper burial. The Iannic, they
say, will call lou, lou, lou; if answered, it will leap half the distance
to the person answering; if the person says more, it will leap to within a
foot of them; if it hears another response, the Iannic breaks the person's neck. Cordelia
is puzzled that the Iannic took Attius captive. Usually, they simply kill those they encountere. The Romans take them to the shore where the killing of
the three soldiers and the kidnapping of Attius occurred.
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| Cordelia |
The creature soon appears.
They call to it and soon it has its hand on Renfew's neck. But despite its
ghoulish, half-rotted form, Cordelia recognizes it as the ghost of Donella, who
had worked with Cordelia as a prostitute, often servicing Roman soldiers. She
appeals to her. Donella lets go of Renfew and tells the story of how she became
an Iannic and why she kidnapped Attius rather than killing him.
Attius asked her
to go a near-by island and service the Roman garrison there. She agreed, but
during her time there, the Picts attacked. She fled into the wood but was
intercepted by two soldiers, who raped and then drowned her. The Romans returned to
bury their dead, but her body has drifted out to sea. It cames ashore after
they left. Donella says, "For
months my corpse has rotted, unburied, in the sun and rain. I walk the earth as
rotting, loathsome fiend and will until I am given burial."
Cordelia and
Renfew promise they will give her burial if she will return Attius. She
doubts that she can ever rest because she is an Iannic, but they point out to
her that she spared Attius and did not kill him, so she cannot be entirely
doomed to an Iannic's fate. Iannics do not spare those they encounter. She
returns Attius to his soldiers. The next day all of them take a ship to the
island, find Donella's remains, and give her a proper burial. They return
assured she has found rest.
The Romans pay
Renfew well and the Proconsul promises him support and
sponsorship. Renfew rides back with Cordelia, both on horses given as gifts. He
will marry her if she will agree to his proposal; and he senses she already
knows this and will accept his offer.
The story appeared
in Dark Edifice and was reprinted in Danes
Macabre. You can read it here.
For additional stories, check out my Writer's Page.
I would love to hear your comments.
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