Elf Doubt

by Bryant Reil

  Hajar dropped to her knees. “I’ll train her up! You’ll see. She can serve you better than I have.”

  There was a burbling tremor from Mokosh’s throat. He turned his head and spat a wad of gray ichor onto the ground. “You seek a replacement? You have nowhere else to go. Perhaps she will serve better than you, but do not think you will be freed. Yet perhaps she can be of use, as I tire of your conversation. You may keep her, but you will feed her, and see to it she behaves, or I’ll beat the entrails from both of you.”

  Hajar prostrated herself on the ground, sobs bursting. “Oh, thank you, Mokosh! Thank you.”

  ***

  Bremnos scanned the eyes of the rebels. Eyes could tell him much. These folks were motivated by fury and fear. They had spirit but lacked organization and training. They were, as he expected, an angry mob of youth. Justly angry, perhaps, to discover that their King had lied to them about Erebus, but driven by inexperience, they over-estimated their ability to affect change through violence. Any one of the King’s soldiers could defeat a score of them while having his tea.

  A couple of them, hidden in the crowd, lobbed rocks, but the stones fell short and to the side. Bremnos stopped walking as soon as he was comfortably in earshot, though far enough he wouldn’t be caught by surprise if someone charged at him.

  “I am Bremnos of Kulgoth, friend of the Ophilim of Osmaris. I seek to parley on behalf of King Oberon, Ruler of the World of Order.”

  There were jeers as he spoke, and a few more rocks. This time one nearly hit him in the shoulder. No one, however, replied to his request for parley.

  “I understand you are upset and seek answers. What really happened to Erebus? I believe we can work together to find the truth. Work with the King. He seeks only to protect you and preserve the World of Order. Stop fighting your local leaders. They have done nothing but report what information they have been given.”

  There was a lot of hissing and writhing, and a few more stones, but this time one of the Ophilim youth, a small female, slithered forward just ahead of the front line.

  “Our leaders are pets to High Haven and shall be replaced by those who place greater value in the people of Dassidin. We reject rule of a King who would consort with the children of Chaos.”

  “Please!” Bremnos raised his hands as the hissing from the crowd rose in volume. “I have not heard any such rumors, but I assure you, King Oberon has had no consultation with any of Chaos’ forces. The Royal Army fought against the Avowed of Erebus and spilled much of their blood. We should be celebrating this victory together!”

  There was another round of hissing and stone-throwing. The young woman seemed about to reply when a larger male slithered forward and told her something Bremnos couldn’t make out. The male escorted her back into the crowd, and then addressed the crowd in a booming voice.

  “The minotaur works for Oberon and is filled with lies. We should not speak with him. The words in his mouth poison us. We will wait for night, and if he and his camp are not gone, he shall taste the venom of the New Order of the Ophilim.”

  There was a loud cheer, and the rock-hurling became so heavy he was forced to back away. He didn’t look back, for he was afraid to imprint on his memory the faces of these young fools whose blood might soon be wetting his axe.

  ***

  “Get off me!” Kyla shrieked and kicked at Mokosh, and he threw her to the ground.

  “Get the chains,” he growled to Hajar.

  “She won't need those, Mokosh. I'm sure she'll—”

  Mokosh raised his hand as though to strike Hajar, and she fell and crawled away before opening a chest against the wall. She heaved out a length of chain and dropped it on the floor. Kyla tried to get up and run but Mokosh swatted her and she fell again. This time her arm twisted, and she heard a pop as pain shot through her shoulder. She screamed and tried to crawl forward on her good arm.

  “Don't worry!” Hajar said as she slapped the manacles around Kyla's ankles. “Mokosh has healing magic.”

  Once Kyla's feet were in chains Mokosh pulled her along the ground to the far end of the room. Then he leaned down with his finger extended. Kyla tried to wriggle away but Mokosh held her fast. He touched her arm, and she could feel it slide back into place. It hurt terribly, and Kyla screamed again.

  “I heal the wound so you can work. I leave the pain so you will learn.” He turned to Hajar. “I’m leaving. She is yours to care for. If she causes trouble, you will both pay for it.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Mokosh grabbed a bag from beside his great bed and left the hut. As soon as he was gone Hajar knelt beside Kyla.

  “If you work hard and do what he says, he'll let me take off the chains. He's gone most of the day, so it will just be the two of us doing chores together. It will be wonderful!”

  Not even when Kyla had faced off against Erebus had she felt such a surge of fear and rage.

  “At least we aren’t alone.” Hajar placed her hands on Kyla’s shoulders. “If you behave, I’ll get him to take the chains off. I promise.”

  Kyla screamed and punched Hajar in the nose.

  ***

  Eunoe propped the exoskeleton on the bed and stepped back. The color was a bit off. Aias was grumbling, too, that the lower arms were too short, and the antennae too far forward. She assured him, as best she could with her limited knowledge of his language, that this was only a first draft.

  She jumped as Aspen burst in the room. The dryad felt anxious.

  “Vock already has a new girlfriend.”

  “So?”

  “It’s only been four days! How could he move on so quickly? What if I wanted him back? He didn’t even ask me!”

  Eunoe nodded, her eyes glued to the body as Aias impressed her mind with a close-up of how the thorax should connect to the legs.

  Aspen put her hands on her hips. “You aren’t listening to my woes.”

  Eunoe turned and looked at the dryad. “Fine. Do you want him back? Go take him back.”

  “I didn’t say I want him back. He didn’t know I didn’t want him back, and he just moved on!”

  “Good. Then you have time to help me with this.”

  “With what? You aren’t even finished. There’s no guts inside.”

  “Well, yes, I’m just trying to get the size, shape, and color right. I can comfort you another time.”

  “Never mind. I can tell you don’t care. I bet I could fit in that exoskeleton. Like a suit of armor.”

  Eunoe pursed her lips as she mentally gauged the size of the legs and torso. “Maybe. Go find a saw.”

  ***

  Kyla sat on the ground with her arms crossed. Her anger was suppressing her fear, and while she didn’t like the violent thoughts flooding her mind, it was better than being terrified.

  Hajar, her eyes red and hair frazzled, and a rag stuffed up her nostril to clot the bleeding, clapped her hands together in a plea. “We need to clean these before he gets back. Please?”

  “How dare you!” Kyla spat. “You stole my ring and lured me here to be a slave!”

  “What? No! Not a slave. A friend. See, it’s not so much work with two of us. And we both have someone to talk to.”

  “I already had people to talk to! You know I’m going to escape first chance I get.”

  “No! No. Please. He’ll catch you. Anywhere you go he can find you. Please. I’ve tried. But with two of us, we can make this into a happy place. He’s gone most of the time, you see. We just need to keep house, and we have a place to live. And food.”

  Kyla couldn’t hold her words behind her clenched teeth. “You rotten sack of crab-apples!” she screamed. She unfolded her arms and stood back up, pressing her face against Hajar’s. “You think you can go around making me miserable just so you can have a little company in your horrible little life? I have friends, you know. They’ll find me, and you and Mokosh are going to be sorry!”

  Hajar slunk to the ground. Her voice came as a whimper. “Friends? No. No, th
ey can’t find you. No one found me. They won’t find you.” She forced a smile. “Make the most of it. You’ll learn, in time. We can be happy here, with two of us. But we must do his laundry, or he’ll beat us when he gets back.”

  “I’ll kill him, then,” Kyla seethed. “He has to sleep.”

  Hajar rubbed what looked like an old burn across her forearm. “I tried that once. It was a savage mistake. I would have died from the beating, only he wouldn’t let me.”

  “Fine.” Kyla stomped her foot and grabbed an armful of grungy clothing. She didn’t want to receive a beating, and despite her hatred for Hajar, didn’t want her to receive one either.

  “Thank you!” Hajar smiled through her tears. “He'll be awfully angry if we don't get this done. We need to hurry. There's a wash-barrel out back.”

  “I could hurry more if I didn't have these chains on my legs,” Kyla growled. “And don’t bother being nice to me.”

  “You’ll try and escape, if I take them off. It won't be so bad. I'll sing for you.”

  As Hajar led Kyla to a rain barrel of water, and they drenched the clothes and scraped them with lye, Hajar sang. Her voice was a chorus of nature, and though Kyla couldn’t understand the words, it evoked images of birds, and trees, and running springs. Peace filled her, starting at her head and dripping down her body to her feet. Time blurred, until it was difficult to know how long they had been sitting here, scouring and beating the pile of filthy fabric. It wasn’t until they were hanging the clothes on the line, which stretched from the hut to a lone tree in the clearing, that Hajar took a break from singing and Kyla’s mind returned to awareness of her enslavement. Fear and anger rushed back, and her eyes darted to the edges of a clearing to make her escape.

  Hajar seemed to realize her intentions. “You can't escape,” she sighed. “I've tried many times. He marked you when he healed you, and he always knows where you are. No matter how far you go, he can find you, and travel there in an instant. But I can make your stay pleasant with my songs. You only need to endure the times when I must rest my voice.”

  Kyla looked down and bit her lip. “I'll find a way out. What kind of magic did you use on me?”

  Hajar sat quietly a moment and then smiled. “It's so much fun with two of us here, isn't it? Imagine having to do all this by yourself. I haven't talked to anyone in ages. Mokosh only yells at me. If you learn to obey, you know, he'll take off the manacles. He's not worried about you escaping. He just wants you to be obedient.”

  The work continued with Hajar trying to make small talk and Kyla refusing to engage. After only a few hours, this enslavement was worse than Dunkin's ferocity, or Linkin's madness, or Erebus' crushing darkness.

  Another song brought another bout of enchantment as they used the remaining water to wash their hands and faces. There was a crash in the trees, and Hajar shrieked as a thunderous voice boomed from across the clearing. Mokosh charged toward them, teeth bared and fists clenched.

  “I told you not to sing!” He jumped at Hajar with a great fist that leveled her to the ground, her nose and mouth bloodied. He raised his fist for another blow and Kyla stepped in front.

  “Stop!” she shouted. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Mokosh glared at Kyla with bloodied eyes. He swatted her aside and hit Hajar again. She gasped and went limp, though Kyla could see she was still conscious.

  Kyla waddled up to Mokosh in her manacles and kicked him in the ankle. “Leave her alone!”

  Mokosh cast Hajar to the side. Kyla fought the impulse to back away. She tried to stand tall, in her chains.

  “This is your first day, but in the future you both get a beating.”

  Kyla turned her head to see Hajar lying quietly, broken and bleeding. She didn’t want to be beaten herself, of course, but didn’t want to be an instrument in Hajar’s abuse, either.

  So, this was her life now. Enslaved, trapped, working for nothing, and beaten without warning.

  No. Kyla had captured Erebus. She could beat Mokosh. But she needed a plan. She looked at the enraged leshy and bowed her head. “I am sorry. Please. Just heal her and I will be obedient.”

  “You don't make demands of me.” Mokosh scowled but he picked up Hajar and stroked her injuries. The wounds closed, though the blood stayed as a reminder of her disobedience, and her groans indicated she was still in pain.

  It was too dark to see, so it took Kyla a long time to work her way to the hut door. The manacles binding her ankles wanted to clink at every step, so she had to guide the links with her hands to prevent any noise. It was going to be tricky to open the door. She leaned with her back against it and reached up for the latch. As she pulled it open, she pressed her bum against the wood and slowly moved backward.

  The door creaked, and Mokosh snorted in response. Kyla’s heart pounded as she waited, half expecting him to leap out of bed and hit her, but he didn’t move. She inched backward until she had enough of an opening to squeeze outside.

  The moon was nearly full, so she could see the part of the clearing where she had first arrived. Even if she didn’t know exactly where she had left Heff, she would eventually hit the trail if she headed in that direction. If Heff was still in the area, she hoped he might be nearby.

  But what of Hajar? She would be punished for Kyla’s escape. Kyla would send help as soon as she was able.

  She moved more briskly, now that she was outside, but didn't start running until she was halfway across the clearing. If it could be called running - with her chains, it was more of a speed-waddle. She neared the edge and was about to start shouting for help when a hit from behind threw her forward. She fell on her stomach but rolled onto her back, her arms over her face. She clenched her teeth, expecting a blow from Mokosh, but it was Hajar who had tackled her and now pinned her to the ground.

  “You can't go!” she whispered. “Come back before he wakes up!”

  “Get off me!” Kyla hissed as loud as she dared.

  “If you go he'll find you, and he'll beat both of us. Do you want that?”

  “We can fight him if we just get out of here. I have a friend looking for me in the forest.” At least, Kyla hoped Heff was looking for her. “He can take care of Mokosh. Come with me.”

  “No. I can't. I told you, I tried to escape many times. He always finds me, no matter where I go. Now I obey, and he lets me go where I like, so long as I obey his commands. You can, too. You'll see. It's not so bad, if you learn to listen to him.”

  “I'm not going to live like this! I have friends, and a family! They'll come looking for me.”

  Hajar looked around, though for what Kyla couldn't tell. “Ah, it would be nice, to have that hope. You can only hope for so long. No one came for me. I am forgotten.” She looked Kyla in the eyes. “Your hope is why you're trying to run away. But you can never escape Mokosh. Trying will only cause more trouble.”

  Kyla realized she wasn't going to be able to reason with Hajar. She lay still and silent, waiting, until Hajar loosened her grip. Then Kyla thrust up her hip, sending Hajar toppling over, and leaped to her feet and hobbled as quickly as she could for the trees. As soon as she reached the boundary she screamed.

  “Heff! Help! I've been kidnapped! I'm—”

  She was interrupted by a hand from behind covering her mouth. Hajar pressed against her and started to shout. “Mokosh! She's escaping!”

  It took only a few seconds for the leshy to burst from the hut, cross the clearing in long strides, and begin beating them both.

  Chapter Six

  Desperate Measures

  Kyla rubbed the bruises on her arms and abdomen. They served to remind her how much Mokosh hated sass.

  Daily the cruel leshy escorted her and Hajar to and from the river to collect water for washing, and mud and moss to pack into the holes of the hut walls. Kyla now kept her head down and mouth shut. Hajar continued to try befriending her, though she seldom spoke around Mokosh and never sang.

  On the fourth day Mokosh gave orders for the
girls to collect firewood before he headed north-west from the clearing. He didn’t take any snares or other hunting equipment, so she wondered where he was going, but of course didn’t dare ask. Hajar, visibly relieved at his departure, hummed as she tied a rope around her waist, then around Kyla’s.

  “Finally!” she beamed. “We can talk again. He'll leave more often the more he trusts you. He usually only eats and sleeps here. He spends a lot of his time skulking about the town of giants, or at the cave of the Grootslang. Now let me get you out of those manacles. I need you to push the wheelbarrow.”

  Hajar fished a key from a drawer and stooped to insert it in the lock at Kyla’s feet. Kyla clenched her fist and thought of bashing her over the head but restrained herself. Better to appear subdued until she saw an opportunity for escape.

  She grabbed the wheelbarrow from behind the hut and followed Hajar through the south side of the clearing. There had been a light snowfall, and as they passed into the trees she looked for signs that Heff had been by, but other than a few rabbit tracks saw nothing.

  Hajar tugged at the rope. “I wish I could sing for you, to make you feel better, but I can't risk it. My singing hurts Mokosh because he is wicked. It grants you peace because you have a good heart.”

  Kyla wanted to retort that her 'good heart' wanted to stab Hajar in the eyes, but she held her tongue.

  “Why were you traveling with that minotaur?” Hajar asked.

  Kyla looked at Hajar, looked away, and once again didn't respond.

  “I know you're still angry, but you'll get used to it. It's not so bad, when you aren't alone. It's so much better to have you around. Even if you do hate me, you're better than Mokosh.”

  Kyla said nothing, but her darting eyes betrayed her intent. Hajar gripped the rope that tied them together. “Please don't run away.” Her voice was meek and shaking. “I don't want to be alone.”

  “I will help you escape, too,” Kyla promised through clenched teeth. “If I find my friend, he can take care of Mokosh.” She didn’t want to bring Hajar with her, but escape would be far easier if they worked together.