by Nefarious
Despite being crusted with lead, his eyelids sprung open. He escaped his nightmare and lay there gasping for his sanity. His body was under pain but it didn’t even occur to him – his mind was busy recoiling from illusory demons.
However, as with everything, time proved to be the best remedy as the material world overcame his imaginary one, flinging him from the pangs of his heart to the throbbing of his wounds. His chest ached with every heave and his limbs stung as if rubbed with salt, then dumped in vats of lemon-water.
He raised his head and peered at his arms, only to smell saline. He would have been nude was it not for the layers of bandages covering him. Someone had treated him, and the only face that came into mind bore a myriad of emotions.
“About time you woke,” she said.
By the stained concrete skyview, Orion could tell he was still in the Korshi’s lair. The stench had either dulled, or his nose had completely given up. From her voice, Orion knew Kora was sitting by the walls. Nevertheless, he had no intention of facing her, instead, he wanted to dig a hole, jump in, then cover it over.
He shouldn’t have let the Korshi use magic. He shouldn’t have attacked her. He shouldn’t have given her time to transform. He should have killed her.
“You can’t curl in anymore, at least not with your condition.” She laughed.
He didn’t reply.
“Jax, are you actually turtling up now?” She sounded shocked.
He gulped, then realised how dry his throat was. How long had it been?
The tension between them grew.
“I’m done with you,” she said sounding helpless. It sounded faux.
The awkwardness became palpable.
“Are… Were you lying when you said you knew…” he choked out, stopping just as the nightmare reappeared.
“Knew why your family got killed? No, I wasn’t,”
His eyes began to water, so he closed them and steeled himself. He couldn’t show weakness in front of her.
“You were screaming and sobbing before, you know? Definitely not sharing a room with you again,”
Shit.
“Why? Why?” he asked.
“Why I wouldn’t share a room with you? Pfft. Why you were crying? I dunno, probably a sob story on repeat. Or why your family got slaughtered? That’s a bit more complicated,” she said while her voice got louder.
She stood over him and gazed down with pity. Perhaps contempt. She was back in her human form, and there were no signs of the battle on her except for a few faint scratches.
Orion tensed his arm and lifted it so he could stroke his neck. He felt three sets of love bites; the skin was ruptured and the holes were deep, so maybe more hate than love. No wonder he felt so weak and she looked flawless.
“Why did the Empire do it?” he said.
The emotion drained out of her face. “They had to,”
“Why, Kora? WHY?!”
“There’s a war brewing. The monster attacks have gone down, but the casualties per one have gone up.”
“They’re becoming organised,” he said.
“No, something is organising them. Something which the countless races respect and act as thralls for. They call him, it, the Yhaoli. It contacted us, wanted us to help destroy the Empire but we were fine. We liked it the way it was,”
“So were we. We were already the strongest; why would we want to hurt ourselves?!” he yelled.
“Only the Zakari thought the Zakari were the strongest,”
He snorted.
“We might have edged around your House, but that was only because everyone noticed how power hungry your House was,” she said.
“Besides,” she continued, “the House of Zakari wanted the throne. All they needed was an opportunity,”
He sneered and used Giah, his eyes pale as energy coursed in.
She didn’t help him, nor did she scold him for overexerting himself for a mere performance.
“We were the strongest, and all of you knew it in your hearts. You feared us while we lived peacefully. You killed us for the power we held, not for any fictional danger we posed.” He was tearing up by the end, his face flushed, his fists clenched.
She blankly entertained his pride and watched as he stumbled towards his clothes.
“Why did you let me live?” he asked as he slowly dressed, his anger cooling.
“Too many reasons to count, Jax. Why would I kill the last Zakari? I’m a Fullhorn, not a Piros. Besides, you’re too good for me to lose,” Despite facing away from her, she could the sides of his face blush. Sweet Asarte, was he snivelling again? “as a blood-source,”
He blushed even brighter.
Kora smiled. “What are you going to do now, anyway?”
He considered her words, then looked at the layers of bandages – she had been thorough. “I need to get to the Seeker’s Summit,”
She laughed. “What a coincidence, so do I. I guess we can go together.” She worded it as a statement, but it was actually a question. She hoped he’d stay with her for many reasons, not least because he was a great travel companion, but she was doubtful.
He stopped dressing. He was confused at her question, confused at his lack of response, confused at the answers tumbling around his head. I need to become a 5-star Seeker, and she’s strong enough to help me, he eventually told himself. It had nothing to do with liking her, purely a working relationship. Besides, now that she had a taste of his blood, escape was essentially impossible, especially if she went and told her family.
“Yeah,” he said. He was now dressed and equipped, ready to leave when he felt a tight hold on his shoulders, making him cringe and swivel around.
“Are you going out like that?” She pointed at his pale eyes. “Stop using Giah and rest. I’ll wake you up if you get tangled in another nightmare,”
He blushed for the third time but also conceded to her point. Having pale eyes with his Western features would attract too much attention and breaking Giah in public would probably make him collapse again.
He took off his maroon bag and sat by the wall. The white diffused from his iris and pupil as his head fell and banged against the concrete. It took mere seconds before he was back in dreamland.
17. Family Trees
* * *
Orion woke up in a fit of sweat, feeling fear but not knowing why. He scanned his surroundings and calmed as he realised he was still in the Korshi’s base, Kora dosing off beside him, a streak of red coming off her pink lips. He had a sneaking suspicion and felt around his neck, finding a new set of shallow bitemarks. Rising to his feet, he told himself he wouldn’t sleep in her “protection” ever again.
After rummaging dry rations from his bag, he spent the following minutes reflecting on what she had said without his volatile pride interrupting. Was it possible? Had his House actually been planning a coup? But these thoughts faded without foundation as he thought of his family: none of them had craved the Empire. While his dad hadn’t been the head of the House, he had still been the brother of the head, with enough power to stop idiocy in its tracks. Besides, his uncle hadn’t lusted the Empire either.
On the other hand, he knew the monster Kora had mentioned was somehow involved in the House’s doom. Yhaoli, she had called it. It was impossible for an influential upstart to keep its grubby claws off such an apocalyptic event. There was no doubt the Tribes to the west had heard of their demise, and there was similarly no doubt an invasion was around the corner.
Orion swallowed the last dried prune and rubbed his palms together, before clapping.
“Come on, let’s go,” he said as he wiped his bag and wore it.
“What? I thought you’d abuse the opportunity…” she mocked as she broke out of her fake sleep.
“I’ll soon kill you if you keep sucking my blood,” he growled.
She giggled, but he wasn’t amused.
They swept through the rats and climbed out of the sewers a few minutes later, taking a taxi to Aaron’s home.
Aaron swiftly let them in and prepared coffee, arranging the second bout.
“Must have been a hard fight,” he said as he placed Orion’s opponent onto the table.
“Yeah, this idiot got caught by the Korshi,” Kora said.
“Yeah, the vampire was a real bitch,” he said while dipping a finger into his bitter foe, testing the waters.
“But you won, unlike the two you sent back. They left for Visgamar a few hours ago. They told me they just magically realised their boundaries, but I’ve got a hunch you kids aided them with that,” Aaron said, before downing his cup. “Ahh. But let’s forget that, why don’t you pop the head up here,”
Kora complied and lifted the roped head by its cord. The oval eyes stared at Orion while Aaron inspected it. The finger-long teeth protruded out, stained by dirt and blood. Its skin was cracked like dry clay and its features seemed sculpted out of the material now. However, the worst was the smell which still carried the sewer’s spirit.
“Big nose, brown hair, tanned skin. It would have perfectly fit in Lesan in just a few days,” Aaron noted, “Also, almost no cuts. You killed it cleanly, very cleanly,”
“I’m sure you want your reward now, so I’m sorry to say it’s a no-go.” He continued, “The council will take a few weeks to pay up, even after seeing the head. But don’t worry, I’ll write you guys a note so you can withdraw the reward from Visgamar,”
The minutes breezed by as Orion sucker-punched his coffee to oblivion and finally saw the appeal of the bitter drink. They left with Aaron’s note and bought rations, a new set of clothes for Orion, coffee grains, and a pack of cigarettes after Kora explained to him what Sophie had meant by her husband going out for “a smoke” when the Korshi had attacked him. This came to 40 silvers, mainly from the cigarettes, and totalled at 2 golds when they bought horses.
While they could have found another merchant to bunker with, they realised, as a Fullhorn and Zakari, it was both safer and quicker to travel by themselves.
* * *
Bullets of rain thundered against the forest floor, drowning out any cries from the outside world. The air was cold but still. Orion and Kora hid below a dome-shaped canopy while the invasive wetness flooded dry ground. Their horses grazed on dry grass by the edge of the canopy.
In between them, a fire crackled, fruitlessly erupting sparks against the dampness outside. Orion sat perched on a thin boulder, joining the campfire by puffing smoke into the muted-blue night sky. He had smoked once since leaving Lesan four days ago: it had tasted like shit and its ash had scorched his skin. Now, his second experience with the chill blasting in his face and the blaze at his back was much better.
“The water’s ready,” Kora called out while lying on the ground, staring up at the leaves stitched together.
He had figured ever since their fight that her senses were good, as in scarily good. He flicked the cigarette out his fingers to under his feet, twisting his foot over it – still tasted like shit. Sighing, he walked over to the metal canteen and lifted it from the flames. Having practised several times now, he made two coffees in less than a minute and handed one to Kora.
“Hey, you know how you Zakari mark your serfs and vassals with Szu, why are you marked?” she said after a few seconds of quiet.
Orion’s mood soured, and he almost spit out his mouthful at her mentioning the scars on his face. “It was my brother’s cruel joke. He got punished,”
“It felt so weird,” she continued. “Your mark, it felt so… ughh. Though, I guess that’s the reason I thought you weren’t a Zakari even when you gave away so many clues. Like, a Zakari owning a Zakari? That’s just mad!”
“You know there was no need to fondle me while I slept; you could have just stroked the mark I gave you. Instead, you got rid of it without even telling me,” he teased. “Besid-”
“You’re such a joker! Let me at least catch my breath,”
“Besides, we don’t own them; they’re marked for their own protection. Although, I guess that doesn’t matter anymore,” he replied cheerlessly.
“My gods, don’t talk about it if you’re just going to get mopey again,”
“What about you then? Why did you leave your House’s lands?”
“I had my reasons. They basically own all the Western Empire so I had to come East, and the capital was a no-go with the Piros there, so I came to the second biggest city instead,”
“Yeah, but what are those reasons?” he repeated.
She remained silent.
“Is it do with Yhaoli?”
“Maybe,”
He eventually gave up after realising she was stubborn about the matter.
“Hey, isn’t your real name Krarem or something?” he said once his flask was empty.
“Cruorem,” she said, stressing the first syllable. “Fullhorn works better for humans; alcoholics are preferable to vampires.”
“Interesting, Cruora,” he said, stressing the first syllable.
“Are you serious? You’d be a hilarious jester with your wit, you would be.” She paused. “Also, do you think I actually used my name?”
“What is it then?”
“Pfft. As if I’d tell you,”
“Alright,” he said, before rummaging through his bag and taking out the cloth cover to sleep on.
She got a feeling he was hiding something. It was easy to beat him, but not this easy – he’d usually at least put up some resistance.
“Wait, are you using a fake name as well?” she asked incredulously.
“Of course,”
“I thought you’d be too dumb to think that far ahead. What is it? I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,”
Her trade fell flat as he turned away from her. Her persistence didn’t help either, as mere minutes later, he was lost in his dreamland.
18. Rumours
* * *
Orion urged his horse into the lane leading to the gate. Unlike Lesan’s guards, Visgamar’s guards didn’t demand a toll but they did constantly scan the crowd, searching for rugged men and children to boot.
The roads had been fair to them and Nyrtia, the Western God of fortune, had blessed them with a safe passage. They hadn’t come across Wes or Rover, meaning those two had likely taken a detour. In total, the journey had taken them a week, four days quicker than before.
As the two of them entered Hexham’s road, they dismounted under the guards’ watchful eyes and led their mounts to a clean-looking stable. While their horses were relatively weak and slow, they were still worth a gold and 60 silvers. So, they left them in under a stable boy’s care for 20 silvers, enough for a month.
Afterwards, Orion bought cheap dishes from the market and showed off his pragmatic knowledge. Kora guessed someone had toured him around the city, claiming he and his dragon-egg-refined tongue wouldn’t risk common food just to find the tastier sort. All the truly delicious dishes were too expensive to buy though, due to the Mages having a monopoly on fatty ingredients.
They then went to the Seeker’s guild. On the way, Kora glanced at him weirdly. When he questioned her, she reminded him about Maya’s naughty reward. In response, he brushed away his emotion and replaced it with his deadpan expression – he was inwardly hopeful, but there was no way he would admit it to Kora.
When they entered, Maya had her back to the door. She was leaning on her curved marble table and was engrossed in what seemed to be a book. The beams of sunlight from above highlighted her hazel hair, which was tied up in a ponytail today, and she wore her typical dark tunic and beige trousers.
A tightness knotted his feet, crippling him to the spot. He could feel his heart beating, and each breath seemed harder th
an the last. However, instead of succumbing to the tension, he relaxed and forced himself to walk. He was a Zakari: his inborn charm would grant him many more naughty rewards in the future. Freezing in front of each one would sully their great name. Moreover, the thought of granting Kora anymore quips thawed his legs and froze his heart.
Maya heard their resounding footsteps and spun around, a grin creeping onto her face.
“Whytie! and Kora. I guess you killed the monster?”
Kora nodded and passed over Aaron’s note, while Orion blankly watched on.
Maya skimmed it. “Wow, high praise. Well, either way, you’re both 3-star Seekers now, only 2 more to get the shiny badge and come to the great meeting,”
When she saw the sparkle in their eyes, she chortled and flapped her hand. “I’m just kidding, the meeting is so dead. Worst thing ever, I’d recommend staying at 4-stars,”
Orion’s eyes momentarily widened, before he straightened his face. Maya was a 5-star Seeker? What!?
“I saw that,” she replied, scrunching up her face and shaking it in disappointment. “I thought you were better than this, Whytie. Not like all the rest, and yet you thought so low of me?”
He cleared his throat but otherwise didn’t respond.
Maya rolled her eyes and rummaged under the marble table, eventually dropping a clinking pouch onto the table.
“20 gold coins for the contract,”
But before either of them could check it, she pointed at Orion and raised her eyebrows. “Don’t think I forgot your reward, naughty boy,” She pointed at Kora. “You too,”
Orion’s heart sank.
“Smith’s got it upstairs. Go and talk to him,” Maya finished, bobbing her eyebrows at them.
Orion’s heart shattered and his poker face chipped. He had known it was a trap, and yet he had still hoped.
Kora smiled and nodded at Maya while Orion rushed up the stairs, certain his face had bloomed as bright as roses. Despite his speed, their laughter still caught up to him. He sat by the contract board until Kora came, tousling his black hair before sitting beside him.