“Dude! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“Well, pay more attention. Finish that and come here.”
He led Leon several paces away until he came to more small bodies. Leon looked down at them and noticed two of them looked familiar. “That one there is Haddie’s father! The guy next to him is one of the other leaders of the horde. I talked to them last night before we left.”
“I thought I recognized them, too.”
“But no sign of Haddie?”
Reed’s expression faltered, “None. But if this guy was their leader, we had better get back and let Sved know what’s happened.”
They turned when they both heard a sound nearby, like something scraping against wood. They froze. Even Merle froze where he stood. After a moment, they heard it again.
Leon spoke up, “Ughh…who’s there?” Reed thumped him in the shoulder. Merle growled, and Leon shushed him as well.
After a moment, there it was again, a thumping and scratching sound.
Leon walked toward it. It was close enough that if it was one of the Vin archers, he was done for anyhow. He couldn’t see anything at first, but the closer he got, the more he could distinguish an odd shape just up ahead. It was another one of the hippo barges. This one was a much tinier cart than many of the others they had seen. It was actually still lashed to a dead hippo. The hippo was also small in comparison to most he had seen the day before. When he sidled up beside it, he noticed another dead Otterkin man lying face down on top of the cart, his body was slumped over a large wooden crate on the back. Had the box just moved?
There it was again! It moved once more like there was something inside attempting to get out. Leon rushed over and respectfully lowered the man to the ground. There was nothing more they could do for him.
When he turned back to inspect the box, he couldn’t help himself from feeling a small thrill of excitement. The day before he had suspected the horde were transporting some animals on a few of the barges when he had seen the boxes with the air holes. Now he was going to get a peek at what sort of creature they might be carrying.
Merle walked up and sniffed the box before making a half-hearted effort to give it a low growl. Then he moved on to sniff around the hippo.
So, you don’t think it’s much of a threat do you, boy?
Leon quickly discovered the box was still locked from the top. He pulled out his new Blade from where he had it tucked in his belt and pried the nails off from one of the side panels.
Reed spoke up from behind, “Are you sure that's a good idea, Leon?”
“No, but aren’t you curious what’s in here?”
“Not really, no.”
Leon ignored the Debby Downer attitude. “Whatever it is, it’ll die if we don’t at least free it.”
“Let’s hope it’s thankful then. Let me get up there out of the way before you open that thing up! No telling what sort of creature they may have hoarded away in there.”
“I’m not going to let you live this down if it’s a giant chicken!”
“Haha… Okay, I’m clear, go ahead and open it up if you must.”
Leon pried the last nail away and pulled down the board, standing just off to the side in case anything came barreling his way.
When no rampaging creature came leaping out, he took his first look inside.
He was speechless. He tried but couldn’t form a word.
“Leon? Hey, man? Leon, what’s in there? Is it dangerous?” Reed could see Leon’s expression, and he could hear some soft chirping noises but still couldn’t see a thing. He shuffled around slowly until he had an angle where he could get a glimpse as well.
He froze.
Standing huddled together at the back of the box, on hay and broken eggshells, were two very odd-looking animals.
“Leon, you got any idea what these creatures are?”
Leon’s eyes sparkled with newly discovered fanatic obsession. “I don’t know for sure. I mean, I’ve only ever heard of them from storybooks when I was a kid, but these don’t exactly match up against any description I’ve ever heard.”
“Descriptions of what?”
“Bodies and back legs like Lion cubs with the heads, beaks, and front talons of large raptors? These aren’t supposed to be real, but this whole world is geared that way, isn't it?”
“What way? What are they?”
“They appear to be griffin chicks…err, cubs?”
# # #
“Leon, we seriously don’t have time for this.”
“Just give me five minutes with them. Somehow, and I don’t know how, I feel like I can make this work. I think I can get them to come along.”
Each of the two griffin cubs was about a quarter of Merle's size. They were coated in silky fine feathery fur colored white with a rich tan dappled mix of spots. Leon noted their coloring held an odd similarity to the coloring pattern on the hides of longhorn cattle from back home.
That, however, was where similarities ended. Their beaks and claws held a dull metallic sheen, with razor-sharp edges. The wings looked oddest of all. They were there, they just didn’t have any feathers on them. More like ungainly little stumps.
The griffin cubs were obviously brand new hatchlings. Their eggshells were broken into pieces at the back of the crate. Leon couldn't smell either of the cracked shells, which, if they were like any of the chickens he had ever seen hatch, meant they were fresh. He suspected they may have even hatched the previous night, during all the commotion.
He held a hand out to each of them. In each hand was a partially burnt slice of water pig from a nearby campfire.
They sniffed at the offering, each one making small chirping noises. Finally, the larger of the two took a cautious step forward and snatched the meat away. That was all it took to melt the ice. Soon the smaller one followed suit. While they distractedly picked at the chunks of meat, Leon slid his hands forward to pet them both.
Just as his hands met their fur, a warmth from within his chest bubbled outward. It was similar to the electric current he was used to, but this had a different taste. It wasn’t painful either. In fact, it felt great. The warmth spread out into his hands and onto the cubs. To Leon’s amazement, both cubs stopped what they were doing and nuzzled his hands affectionately.
“Um, Reed? What just happened?” Reed was nearby, going through whatever food stores were still lashed to the wagon.
“What do you mean?”
“When I reached out to touch these guys, I sort of felt that weird power thing push out from my chest. Only this time, it wasn’t that electric push, you know? It was more of a warm, soft push. If felt…more natural?”
Reed was by his side in a moment. “Can you do it again?”
“I don’t know, maybe?”
He reached out and touched them once more, when he did, he thought about that warm feeling. Out from his chest it pushed, and the cubs responded accordingly.
Reed reached up and rubbed his forehead. “You’ve found a gift, Leon. It’s not one I know, but there’s no doubt about it, your gift has something to do with animals.”
“A gift?”
“It’s from the Blade. The Blade doesn’t only stop the corruption from making you transition on moonless nights, it also unlocks and enhances unique gifts. Some gifts are more based on extensions of inherent tribal abilities. Others…well, others are unique to each person. Most folks spend years attempting to discover their gifts, many never realize all the gifts the Blade provides. Looks like you took the fast track…once again.” Leon could hear the dry disapproval in Reed's voice, but it didn't answer the questions floating in his mind.
“So, my gift is to make little cuddly creatures…cuddlier?”
“No, Leon, I suspect your gift is to make those mythical beasts somehow less apt to tear into us once you run out of water pig, but maybe it makes them cuddlier as well? The point is, the gift grows with the gifted, you just have to use it to strengthen it and better know its limitations.”
The new knowledge got Leon thinking. “So, everyone has at least one gift then?”
“Yeah. Pretty much.”
“Well, what’s one of your gifts?”
Reed was silent though Leon could still hear him working. He absentmindedly scratched the cubs up under their beaked chins, and they actually purred back at him in a cooing sort of way.
“Come on, Reed. It’s just us two here. I get so little information from any of you as it is, I’m just trying to learn how this all works.”
“Okay, I guess no one's given you much to go on."
"You think?"
"But since you opted to take a Blade as woefully unprepared as you are, I should probably try to teach you what I can. To start with, all Fayden Tribes once supposedly came from six or seven different families, with different attributes that manifest themselves in different forms.
"Before you ask, I have no idea what Tribe you come from. Your hair itself is odd enough, I don’t know of any tribe that has curly blond hair and darker-toned skin. Every Fayden person back home has a dark shade of hair color. But the redheaded folk in the horde we met yesterday kind of threw me for a loop too, so who knows, right?”
“Fair enough. But how about you just tell me about you. I think we’re past the point where it's not polite to ask, don’t you?” Reed nodded in agreement.
“I’ll tell you, but first I’ve got an idea for how we can put some distance between us and all of this without having to haul everything on our backs. Help me drag this cart over there. I’m thinking that if we can rip off all that extra wood on either end, the exposed frame may be light enough for us to maneuver around on our own.”
“Kind of like a hand cart or a rickshaw?"
"Yeah, that's the idea."
Turned out that Blades were useful for ripping up boards, too. No matter how hard Leon pried on a board, the edge of his new Blade never chipped, it didn’t even seem to grow dull. Half an hour of prying and pulling later, and they were in business. The wheelbase wasn’t but about three feet wide and removing all the extra wood really lightened the whole platform. The going wouldn’t be super-fast, but it would be maneuverable in the forest and at least they would be able to bring Sved and the cubs along now.
As they finished scavenging for gear and supplies, Leon found the pack he had been carrying for Ferschall. He was interested to see that Shana’s pack was missing. He was pretty sure Shana wouldn’t have come back for it, she hated having to lug that thing around. Which meant Ferschall likely made it out of there in time. The best part though was when he saw that the pack containing the remaining coffee rations was right there next to it. He wouldn’t have to worry about his caffeine fix for quite some time.
He considered abandoning the hefty mound of pottery, but for some reason, his feet just wouldn’t allow him to move along and leave all of Ferschall’s work to waste away beside the river. He scooped it up, then threw the pack, along with the coffee, on the cart.
It’s not like any of us are going to be going anywhere in a hurry, anyway.
When they were fully loaded, and Leon had fed the cubs once more, they started back toward the others. Leon pushed the cart while Reed walked behind, doing his best to wipe away any trace of their passing with a heavy fur blanket.
# # #
They fell into a slow plodding rhythm. It was then that Reed finally offered up some explanation, “You may be interested to know that Gus and his family are related to the Hootsi. Ironically, that’s probably what Shana is as well.
“Ethan traces his roots back to the Lupus or wolf Tribe. But here’s the catch, even though he’s my mother’s brother, I trace my bloodline through my father’s clan."
"What is your father?"
“My father was from a small and obscure clan in our world. In fact, I am considered by many to be one of the last of our kind. We’ve been called many things over the ages, but most know us as Fae folk.” Reed sounded so serious. Leon almost couldn’t swallow down his chuckle in time.
Instead, he turned back to Reed with a straight face and said, “So, basically, you’re telling me you’re the long-lost relative of…Tinkerbelle?” Reed even had to chuckle at that.
“Ah-ha! You do have a sense of humor!”
“Hey, man, of course, I’ve got a sense of humor, and I get it, the weirdness of all of this just keeps getting worse. But you have to remember, most of the fairy tales back at home are just made-up stories constructed around bits and pieces of truth that people have experienced.
“My tribe was never very large in our world. So, there’s just not as much information available about the types of gifting my people receive from the Blade.”
“So, you don’t know how you’re gifted yet?” It dawned on Leon how insensitive he had been regarding his gift earlier.
“No, I mean I know two basic gifts I have, but I haven’t discovered any personalized gifts yet.”
“You want to share?”
“Well, the first one is simple, I help things grow. Plants, for example. I can push to grow much more quickly than is natural. Animals are more nuanced, but I think I can do the same, I just haven’t had time to really experiment. Some of this is new to me as well.
“My other gift is endurance. Though I’m not as fast as some, I have incredible stamina and can keep going for much longer than other people, even other Fayden people. We are like the distance runners of the ancient Tribes.”
Leon considered what Reed had shared. He definitely could have used that endurance gift during track season last spring. But it made him consider something else nagging at him, “Okay, so we have this Blade that saves us from having twisted versions of powers we really don't understand, it gives us these awesome gifts in return, and it basically protects us from turning into monsters. What type of monster are you…without the Blade I mean?"
"The answer to that is likely not what you’re expecting. Unlike most of the other tribes, Fae folk don't change halfway into any particular beast. We are known to take on a different look, though" Reed shrugged. "It’s hard to explain, but you'd know if you saw."
"How come more people in this world don’t take up the Blade?”
“Good question. The best answer I have is that most folks don’t see their natural power as twisted, they simply see it as powerful and useful. Pound for pound, us Bladed don’t have the same strength at night as someone who is transitioned. The Unbladed also develop abilities, those abilities are simply twisted versions of the gifts we employ and can be extremely strong starting off. Many choose to use that power for their benefit.
“But the biggest problem for an Unbladed person is when that person pursues their natural power beyond the confines of the night, and they begin to ignore the painful effects of daylight on their body, it drives them insane.”
“Those people are the rogues you all keep talking about?”
“Exactly. It’s lunacy for Ben and his men to do what they’ve been doing. The first few times exposure to the sun may simply be painful, but over time the pain stops to be a deterrent and begins to create an addiction. That’s when the crazy starts.
"Rogues can become extremely strong with beastly agility. Though they prefer to hunt with at least a little light in the evening or early morning. They can, on rare occasions, be dangerous in daylight as well. For this reason, most rogues become most active and reckless on a full moon. Even other Unbladed work together to quickly put those individuals down.
“Back at home, in Fayden society, you don’t have to take up the Blade, but when Unbladed go rogue, we have specialized teams ready to eliminate them as quietly as possible.”
“That bad?”
“Let me put it this way, I don’t know for certain, but I suspect that every fairytale villain you’ve hea
rd of likely had a rogue it was based off because when they lose their sense of humanity, they become the stuff of nightmares.”
"What about our gifts? I just used mine a few minutes ago! Will daylight affect us as well?"
"Daylight doesn't affect our use of the Blade's gifts. I suspect if you tried to transition into your more twisted form, it could have an effect, but Bladed people have no need to ever do that type of thing."
Leon continued plodding along as he considered what Reed had shared. It helped to resolve so many puzzling observations, but it also brought up so many more questions. The questions would have to wait, however, because they were getting close to the rest of their party.
Angry voices shouted back and forth a little further up through the wood. The sheer size of the forest’s trees allowed them to maneuver their hand cart through the barren undergrowth, but they couldn’t quite see what was going on up ahead.
Chapter 16
Reed signaled for Leon to leave the cart. Leon called Merle to his side. Then, with the griffin cubs stashed securely in their wooden nest, Leon joined Reed to investigate the shouting.
When they were just a few dozen feet away from the commotion, they paused to listen.
“Please, believe me, I had nothing to do with that wound in his leg!”
“Get back! I said get back!” It was a familiar voice. Haddie’s voice!
Reed heard it, too, because he immediately broke cover and rushed out into the open.
“Oh, Reed!” As Leon followed behind, he saw Haddie latch on and cling tightly to Reed’s arm.
“What’s going on here? What’s happened to Sved?” Leon looked from her to Rezzin.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her. I think this man has an infection. I need to brew him some gristle tea to break the fever, but she’s been insistent that I stay away.”
“It’s okay, Haddie, Rezzin is with us now. I can explain while he works to get Sved fixed up.” Haddie squinted at Rezzin but didn't move to intercede either.
A Choice of Blades: The Blade Remnant, Book One Page 19