Bloodless

by Roberto Vecchi

  “That is why I am here,” said the raven-haired woman.

  “Where is she,” said Jaro, his hand moving threateningly to the pommel of his razor thin sword.

  “We do not know,” said the woman.

  “What do you mean ‘we do not know’? Did she not ride off with your people?” he said stepping toward her.

  “Yes, she did. But she is not with us now,” she said as she dismounted.

  “What happened? If you harmed even a single hair on her head,” Jaro began his threat.

  “You will do what exactly? Kill me? Is that what you would do?” she said allowing her question to hang in the silence of his emotional threat. “Because if you do end my life here and now, you will lose any chance you have for finding her.”

  “Jaro?” said a voice behind him. Both he and the woman turned to see Dregor walking up to them. “Is everything alright?”

  “No, it is not, Dregor. The barbarians with whom Soliana rode off with have apparently lost her,” he said, accusation lacing his voice.

  “Lost her? How can that be?” asked Dregor as he stood next to Jaro.

  “If you would both be silent for a few moments, I will tell you everything I know. But the longer we wait here, the less chance we have of finding her. I am afraid time is not our ally. Now, if you will both follow me, we need your help,” she said as she turned around and prepared to mount her horse.

  “We will not go further unless you tell us what has happened,” said Jaro. He looked to Dregor who had crossed his arms in front of his chest as a sign of agreement.

  “Can we at least agree that I can tell you on our way? We have not much time!” said the woman now showing her impatience. The two men looked at each other, a rare silent agreement passing between them. Hearing no protestations, the woman continued, “Good. Get your horses quickly and meet me back here.”

  “Dregor, you should stay back and oversee the others,” said Jaro.

  “I am not about to trust you alone with them,” Dregor replied.

  “Listen, we could stand here and shout at each other about how much we do not trust each other until the sun fully rises, sets, and then rises again; but it will do no good. You will always distrust me and I will always dislike you,” said Jaro. “But neither of those things is required for helping Soliana. The people are more likely to listen to you should something happen than to me,” he finished. Dregor stood momentarily silent, but based upon his lack of immediate response, Jaro surmised he had agreed, but could not bring himself to verbally acknowledge the logic behind a thief’s words. Jaro continued, “Very well. I will need your horse.”

  “My horse? Does your thievery have no bounds? You will not take my horse lest you steal it and ride away!” stated Dregor emphatically.

  “We are losing time we do not have!” interrupted the woman.

  “I will need your horse unless you want me to run all the way. Regardless of how far away it is, it will take more time for me to run than to ride,” added Jaro seizing on the shortage of time to add weight to his request.

  After a moment more, Dregor reluctantly agreed saying, “So be it. But know this: it is not for you I lend my horse, but for Soliana.”

  “Yes, yes,” said Jaro, “neither is it for me that I go riding off to an unknown place with an unknown woman to save another woman at an unknown location.”

  “I told you we can find her,” interjected the dark-haired woman.

  Turning to her, Jaro asked, “What is your name?”

  “I am called many names, but the one you are referring to is Rhashana,” she answered.

  “Thank you Rhashana. I am Jaro,” he replied as Dregor jogged quickly to retrieve his horse.

  “Yes, I know,” she said leaving Jaro to wonder how exactly she knew who he was.

  “How exactly do you know?”

  “We will have time to discuss that when we arrive,” she said as she looked up to the sun and then to the horizon from the direction she came.

  “You still have not told me what happened to Soliana,” he said as he, too, looked toward the sun.

  “Well, we are not exactly sure what happened to her,” she said.

  “How can you not be sure?” he asked, growing in his exasperation.

  “It is quite complicated.”

  “Complicated? I thought barbarians were known for their simplicity,” he said sarcastically.

  “We are. But such simplicity fades whenever outsiders are involved,” she said with equal sarcasm.

  Jaro was about to reply, probably with another sarcastic remark about barbarians, but was interrupted before he could begin by the rapid hoof beats of Dregor and his horse. “See that she is returned, Jaro. She is all I have left to rebuild my family after we arrived at a new home,” Dregor said as he dismounted.

  Jaro reached for the reigns, but Dregor paused him, “Before I had you Lissa, you must give me your word you will do everything you can to see her returned to us. Soliana believed in your honor. So shall I.”

  “You have my word, Dregor. Such that it is,” he said.

  “That is enough for me,” he said as he handed the reigns over to the thief.

  “So, there is honor amongst thieves,” said Rhashana. “But you had better be swift as you ride, or your honor will matter not. Now, let us go,” she said and did not wait for Jaro to fully mount Lissa before she sped off, galloping with the urgency of a chase.

  Jaro had heard rumors of how nimble and fleet of hoof the barbarian horses were but had no first-hand knowledge himself. So, when he had difficulty matching her fluidity of riding, even over smooth terrain, he was surprised. About two hours into their ride, they had to slow their horses because they were becoming tired. This enabled Jaro to lessen the distance between them enough to where he was able ask, “How much farther?”

  “Not much farther. Only over this hill,” she said.

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  “Home.”

  Instead of seeing a small and organized barbarian village, Jaro saw what looked like the aftermath of a battlefield. Yes, there were signs that it had once been a village with all the normal aspects of barbarian life. But what was left over were just its remnants. The roughly constructed tents and huts were nothing more than ragged pieces of fabrics hanging from the skeletal frames the way cleaved skin hangs off bone. He could tell the battle had been over for a time because there was a sense of order returning from what must have been a very chaotic scene. Bodies were being carried and organized on the eastern side of the village. The damaged structures were being torn down in an effort to prepare them for reconstruction. And the wounded were being taken to a large central structure that had escaped damage, unlike most of the other roughly constructed buildings and tents.

  When they entered the boundaries of the village, they slowed enough for Jaro to ask without straining his voice, “What happened here?”

  “We were attacked,” replied Rhashana.

  “Yes, I can see that, but why?”

  “Revenge,” she said as she looked around.

  “Revenge? For what?”

  Rhashana slowed her horse, halting it. She turned to look at Jaro, who also stopped his horse, “For Soliana.” Without proceeding further, she began retelling the events concerning Soliana from the time she arrived at the camp to the battle with their barbarian rivals. When she spoke about the power of Soliana’s voice, she apologized for not having first-hand knowledge but told him it was like nothing their chief had ever seen nor heard. Jaro was content to listen quietly until she told him that the chief returned to the camp without her.

  “He left her there!” he said, almost shouting, causing some of the closer barbarians to look their way.

  “You must understand,” she said and was about to explain when Jaro interrupted her again.

  “Understand? Understand? There is nothing that would make me understand how your chief chose to leave her there after she saved his daughter!”

  “Do not ra
ise your voice to me like that,” she said standing up to his anger. “We went back and retrieved her at great peril to our people. And because we did that, we suffered more when they descended upon our village with their full strength causing the destruction you see now. We were given the choice to avoid such disaster by giving her back, but our chief, the one whom you cannot understand, decided to battle them and protect her. We have paid a great price protecting her.”

  “Wait,” he said, her words disarming the majority of Jaro’s anger, “you went back and retrieved her? Then how is it you do not know where she is?” he asked, thoroughly confused. “Did you lose her in the battle?”

  “If you are talking about her body as the only qualifying element defining her location, then yes, we know exactly where she is. But there is much more to presence that geographical definitions. One can be present physically, yet be far away otherwise,” she said. When she saw confusion on Jaro’s face, she continued, “Come, I will show you.”

  They trotted to the interior of the camp and dismounted before the single, untouched central structure. As they approached the entrance, they were met by a large man, dried blood still smeared on his bare chest and right shoulder. “Rhashana, have you brought him? The man named Jaro?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Please, follow me then. It may be too late already,” he said as he held the tent flaps open for Rhashana and Jaro.

  “Why is it everyone seems to know who I am yet I have no idea who any of you are?” he asked before he entered the tent.

  “All will be made clear once we are inside,” she said as she used her hand to gently direct him inside.

  When he entered the tent, he saw several barbarians standing against the walls, each holding a small torch barely larger than a candle. They did not shift their attentions to he and Rhashana when they entered as one would expect. Instead, they kept their collective focuses centered on a naked woman laying on a roughly constructed, raised bed in the center. At each of its corners, there was a tall votive holding burning incense filling the room with a robust scent of sage, cinnamon and vanilla. It did not take more than a few seconds for him to collect his bearings and identify the naked woman as Soliana, her blond hair streaming off the bed like a river of light. While Jaro was still just inside the entrance, Rhashana walked over to an older member of those gathered and asked, “Has there been any change?”

  “None,” replied the elder barbarian without taking his eyes from Soliana.

  “None at all?” she asked more out of hope than clarification.

  “None,” he replied.

  “Very well. We need to begin,” said Rhashana as she turned and walked back over to Jaro.

  “I do not understand,” he said. The whole scene projected something otherworldly to him. Being a thief, he was concerned with only things he could manipulate into deception. As such, he recognized only the physical, tangible, and solid. While he could not magically walk through walls, he could manipulate their locks to allow him passage. While he could not create illusions from nothing, he could replace an original with a replica, something he has done many times, thereby creating the illusion of continuance and safety. But here, inside this building, surrounded by barbarians and standing before Soliana’s naked and unconscious body, he could not imagine a scenario where his particular set of skills would be of benefit.

  “We do not need the comprehension of your mind, Jaro,” said Rhashana as she gently guided him to a second bed right next to Soliana’s.

  “Then what do you need of me?” he asked.

  “The emotions of your heart,” the woman said with a warm smile.

  “My heart? What can a heart as cold and black as mine offer you or her?” he said as his eyes instinctively fell to Soliana’s peaceful body.

  “Its long dormant warmth, Jaro. It is time for it to awaken,” Rhashana said reaching for three separate vials of liquid on a small table next to the bed meant for Jaro.

  “What are those for?” he asked.

  “They will help your transition,” she said.

  “Transition? Transition to where?” he asked as he took the first two vials from her extended hand, examining them.

  “Your transition to her,” she answered. “Now drink.”

  He did as she instructed, drinking the first vials as they were handed to him. They were similar in their bitterness, however, very different in their unique viscosities. They went down easy and smoothly enough. He was used to the fermented liquids and enjoyed them, sometimes a little more than suggested, so he had no trouble detecting the hint of alcohol. However, which specific kind, he could not say as its taste was hidden by a bitter herb that blended to a sweet after taste.

  “What is the alcohol you use?” he asked as he handed her back the first two vials.

  Ignoring him with a small smile, she replied, “Now, please take off your clothing.”

  “My clothing?” he asked and sat down on the bed. He was beginning to feel a little light headed, as if he had just woken up from a deep slumber.

  “Yes, Jaro, your clothing. It has an inhibiting effect to the depth of your trance,” she said as she began helping him with his boots.” In short order, she was able to assist him until he was wearing only his undergarments.

  “My trance?” he asked clearly feeling the effects of the first vial of liquid.

  “Yes. You will need to enter a deep dream trance to find Soliana,” she said as she handed him the last of the three vials of liquid. This one twice the size of the first two.

  “Soliana,” he said smiling. “I would very much like to find her.”

  “And you shall, but not unless you drink that third vial of potion,” she said as she folded his clothes and set them down at the foot of his bed.

  “Oh, this one!” he said proud of himself for correctly identifying it. “Rhashana, why am I getting sleepy?”

  “It is one of the effects of the first potion. You need to be relaxed and,” she paused searching for the right word, “pliable to my direction.”

  “Oh, I guess I can do that,” he said as he lifted the third vial to his lips drinking it fully. If he had the ability to describe its taste, he would have said a mixture of jasmine and herbs with a heavy focus on cinnamon and chocolate. It was thicker than the first potion, but not as thick as the second.

  “There you go,” said Rhashana. “Careful, we do not want you to hurt yourself,” she said as she had to catch him before he fell forward onto the floor. “That is it. Easy now. Just lean back and let my arms guide you,” she said as she leaned him back and eased him to lay on the mattress.

  “What is happening?” he asked.

  “Only that which should, brave Jaro,” she said. “When you wake, you will not see me, but you will hear my voice.”

  “What will I see?” he asked.

  “With hope, her.”

  “Yes. Yes, I would like that. She is so pretty,” he said as he lazily turned his head trying to see her. But he could not. In fact, he was unable to move at all. However, before he could ask Rhashana why he could not move, he was floating on the gentle breeze of slumber. He was floating and everything dissolved away.

  “Jaro, is that you?” asked Jonsia. “Can you come here and help me?”

  “Certainly. I just want to wipe my hands clean. I was learning how to smelt today and my hands are particularly grimy from the soot. It always surprises me how clean the master is able to stay,” he said as he walked into their small room.

  “Well, that is because he has people like you to do the dirty work,” she said with a smile.

  “You are right!” he said as he finished cleaning his hands. He walked over to her and scooped her up into a large hug from behind. “Do you ever miss your life before you met me?”

  “I could have a thousand servants at my bidding and still only long for you,” she said as she turned her head to kiss him. “But since I do not have anyone but you, you will just have to do my bidding,” she continued playful
ly.

  “My dear Jonsia, I would gladly do whatever bidding you would have from me,” he said.

  “Good. Then I need you to go to Lady Osin’s estate and help with their landscaping. Apparently, their rose bushes have grown wild and are beginning to block the entrance to their lands,” she said, turning in his embrace.

  “The Lady Osin’s? You know I do not enjoy going over to help them. She is always asking me to do other favors for her. Favors that always lead to her bedroom. I am running out of excuses to leave when I can,” he said looking in her deep blue eyes.

  “She is harmless, Jaro,” she said smiling. “Besides, she knows we are in love and would do nothing to interrupt that.”

  “I know. She is probably just looking for the attention of a young and attractive young man.”

  “Then perhaps I should send another,” she said playfully kissing him on his cheek.

  “Oh, you are funny today. We both know you are only with me for my good looks.”

  “It was not your looks at all, my love,” he said.

  “Oh, really now? Then what was it?” he asked, pulling her in more tightly.

  “Is it not obvious?” she asked.

  “Should it be?” he asked back.

  “I would think so,” she said turning in his arms to look at him.

  “What could I possibly possess to draw your attentions?” he said, staring at her eyes in return.

  “Your fortune!” she said pulling away from him leaving him to laugh. “Now you have to go. If you do not get over there soon, she will ask someone else for help and we will lose out on the extra coins. We will need those this winter,” she said as she rubbed her obviously pregnant belly.

  “Have you had a visit from the physician lately?” he asked as he reached his hand to join hers.

  “I have not. But he said he was going to visit later this week.”

  “What do you think we will have?” he asked.

  “The physician said he thinks it will be a boy because of how high he is sitting in my belly. But the midwife says he is full of nonsense and believes it to be a girl.”