by TJ Reynolds
At first, they’d ridden through undulating hills covered in copses of trees or broad patches of brush. Further from the rebel encampment, the land had flattened out. Springs appeared from underground, softening large swaths of pasture. A few areas were practically marshland, and had it not been for the raised road, the horses would’ve needed to be walked.
And in the last hour, the landscape had become more rocky, entire hillsides of glittering quartz being exposed to the sunlight due to a recent rock slide.
All of it, though, every twig and blade of grass, had been beautiful.
Lovely as it may be, she told herself at last, I won’t care for any of it if Honor dies from fatigue.
Tela’s horse couldn’t be faring much better.
Rhona had slowly been growing more and more worried as time passed. Honor’s coat was in a full sweat. That much was fine. Run the wind from his lungs and he’d only act a little milder for the week to come.
When the sweat slowed, she knew his body was nearly spent.
“Tela! We must stop!” she cried at the ranger woman’s backside.
Tela didn’t so much as flinch.
The woman charged up the next hill as if Rhona had never spoken.
Rhona rode a little closer. “Tela! Can you hear me?” she tried. “We need to—” Her words were cut off as one of Honor’s hooves struck hard stone, jarring the two of them equally.
Frustration took over.
Angry at Royar for having lost to Hastings, angry at Tela for losing it, and angry at herself most of all, quite naturally taking the blame for the whole situation, Rhona reacted.
She spurred Honor into a faster gallop.
They crested the hill and dove down the other side.
Tela’s cloak battered the air between them, but Honor, tired as he was, had one more burst of speed in him.
Honor and Rhona sped along the gravel-strewn road in pursuit of the heart-broken ranger. What had begun as a chase to escape with their lives was now a chase to calm whatever private storm had taken Tela’s heart.
Thankfully, the stretch of road, narrow as it was, ran straight and true for a few hundred feet.
Coming up alongside Tela, Rhona glanced over. Rhona’s friend gripped the reins in white hands, staring ahead at something in the distance. The woman didn’t react when Rhona shouted at her once more. She didn’t react when Rhona galloped a little closer.
Knowing Tela was in real danger, Rhona took a risk. She urged Honor so close that her thigh bounced mere inches from Tela’s. Then as swiftly as she could, she reached over and tugged at the reins in the ranger’s hands.
Rather than release the leather straps, Tela gripped them tighter than ever.
She shot Rhona a look of such ferocity, the monk dropped the reins right away.
Tela’s eyes were bloodshot, her brow furious.
She seemed to question Rhona’s intentions and loyalties both in a split second before turning to face the open road ahead once more.
“Tela! If you keep riding, you’ll kill both our horses!”
Still, nothing.
Rhona took a second risk. “Have you given up all hope? If you don’t stop now, you won’t be able to make Hastings pay… Royar will have died for no good reason!”
In a flash, Tela’s short sword was in her hand.
The woman held the drawn blade out to her side, less than a foot from Rhona’s throat. She stared into Rhona’s eyes for a few moments, rage crackling across her features.
Then reason shattered the last of her resistance.
As if someone had plucked a sword that had been buried in her stomach, Tela deflated. No longer being spurred onward, the horse almost immediately flagged. Rhona veered off, reining Honor in as well, and the two riders slowed to a trot.
Taking the lead, Rhona snatched Tela’s reins again, this time brooking no resistance.
She led them a little further on until a cluster of trees appeared less than a half mile from the road.
Rhona led their horses off the road and across a wide field. And once under the relative cover of the grove of trees, she dismounted. Only after she’d found a nice patch of grass for the horses to graze on did she stop.
Tela refused to dismount. The ranger wore a broken expression on her face, and Rhona knew she’d need to be in charge for a time.
She busied herself with watering both horses. That was their primary need. Then she unsaddled Honor, rubbing the few areas on his back where the saddle had begun to chafe.
Moving on to Tela’s mount, Rhona held the watering skin over the horse’s snout. Though it wasn’t accustomed to the Brintoshi method of watering a horse in the field, the beast was no fool. It sniffed the water a few times and then indulged itself.
Rhona stole a glance at Tela’s face.
Only storm clouds brewed there, and she sensed the woman still wished for anything but clear and conscious thought.
She fished out a small flask of grain alcohol Copper had given her as a gift. Touching Tela on the thigh, she said, “Drink this. Come on, do it, Tela. If you don’t, I swear I’ll—” Rhona let her threat die when the Hintari woman snatched the flask and took a long swig.
Rhona replaced the flask with a waterskin, but moved on about her business instead of pressing her companion.
She can do the rest on her own. Now that she has a bit of fire in her gut, the rest won’t be so hard.
In less than ten minutes, Rhona had a camp assembled.
A few hours of daylight remained, but they couldn’t put rest off any longer.
Rhona had found them a suitable place for the night as well. She could see the road if she but ran a few dozen feet up the slope. As it was, their horses could graze in relative privacy. She would stake them soon, after they’d had a bite to eat, but for now they were safe.
Finding a grass-covered clearing, Rhona made use of what little equipment she had with her. Her oiled tarp and a spare blanket were about the extent of it, the rest of her baggage having been left at the rebels’ camp.
Thankfully, she kept most of her prized trinkets and necessities, like her fire-starting kit for example, in a small pack on her saddle at all times.
A replacement for her field tent, bedroll, and spare clothes could all be found easily enough.
Then she gathered wood and built a fire.
Finally, Rhona returned to see that Tela had dismounted on her own terms.
Good, that’s a start at least. I can work with that, Rhona told herself.
She approached the woman as she would any startled beast: slowly and with great care.
The woman held the waterskin Rhona had given her, clutching it to her chest as she stared mindlessly into the yellowing foliage. A few leaves pattered to the ground, and a gentle gust of wind sent them tumbling.
Rhona touched Tela’s arm, prepared to block or dodge an attack.
None came.
Taking that as a good sign, Rhona guided her friend to the fire. There, the two sat down on Honor’s saddle blanket.
Without speaking, Rhona prepared a special tea of her own. Tela had done so for Rhona when she’d needed perspective and safety. It was time to return the favor.
Though Rhona had a small amount of medicinal herbs in her bag, she relied on the boon that the Hintari countryside had given them.
She spotted the tiny, yellow blossoms that marked the Turnby’s Tryst herb. Most considered it a pesky weed, for it grew so aggressively that it would overtake nearly any garden. Yet in the wild, it usually grew in small clumps, unable to outcompete other weeds and grasses.
She tossed the blossoms but stripped the broad leaves, feeling their oil instantly coat her palm.
Then she boiled water, crushing the leaves inside.
While she waited, Rhona rubbed the Turnby’s Tryst sap into the opened blisters that had formed from the vigorous ride. Then she held her palms to her face, breathing in the fragrance.
Some mix of clove and sage, the herb had a spicy and ear
thy aroma so distinct Rhona could mark it blindfolded.
For an instant, she nearly moved to do the same for Tela.
It wasn’t time for any of that yet, though.
A terrific sunset was already burning the western sky by the time the tea was ready. Rhona suppressed the hot tears that threatened to pour out of her. Why the gods insisted that beauty and purpose remain even in the aftermath of tragedy, she didn’t know.
So she poured two cups of the hot brew and let it cool.
At last, she pressed the tin cup into Tela’s hands. She sat close to the woman. Their thighs touched as did their shoulders.
Rhona blew on her tea a few times and took a sip.
Then she nudged her companion gently.
Without remark, Tela took a drink.
The sobbing that followed had been anticipated. Rhona knew such an outburst was necessary, and she was glad for it.
But Rhona hadn’t been expecting her own response.
She refused to chastise herself for weeping. Royar and the Hintari rebels had been good and honorable allies. They’d been friends.
After a time, however, Rhona quashed her emotions, forcing her tears to dry up. This wasn’t the right time for her. Tela needed her dearly, and Rhona had no intention of letting the woman fall apart.
Getting up briefly, Rhona took a third risk.
She sat directly behind Tela and wrapped the woman in her arms and legs. It was an odd gesture as Tela stood more than half a foot taller, with broader hips and shoulders as well. But it didn’t seem to matter. Tela relaxed a little, sagging into Rhona’s embrace.
She wept until the sunset darkened, and a chill wind set in.
Then, as with any outburst in nature, Tela ceased her mourning.
“Thank you, Rhona,” she said at last. “I never expected to be the one to…”
Rhona’s mind finished the sentence Tela could not. She didn’t expect to be the one to kill Royar. And why would she? Few suffer such evil fates.
“Take some more tea?” Rhona offered numbly.
Tela half chuckled. The sound came out more like a grunt, but she threw back the warm dregs of the tea anyhow.
Rhona sensed it was time for more space, so she extracted herself from the woman’s limbs and found a place near the fire opposite from Tela. The sky faded ever-closer to the black of night, and only the fire spoke.
She added more fuel to the meager blaze before attempting conversation.
“Tela, I know not your plans. But I must head to the Sunken Keep. It’s somewhere in the mountains due west. I think I can make it there in a day or so. Ban and Kai… well, Hastings will be after them next. The bastard doesn’t even care for Hintar. He only wants more power.”
She knew her words were meandering, making little sense as a whole.
Rhona cleared her throat and focused her thoughts. “I know my plans, Tela. I do not know yours. I think it would be good for us both if you came with me. Ban will need all the help he can get, and Kai is a good—”
“I’ve business of my own, girl,” Tela snapped.
The woman’s eyes were like beads of cold amber. She watched the dancing flames before her, mouth twisted with bitter emotions.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Rhona responded mildly. “Do you mind telling me what you’re about?”
Tela sighed, grinding her teeth for a moment. “No, I’m sorry. Duty still holds me accountable though. Tembar must hear of… I’ll report to Tembar. He must know, must be warned that a feral tiger is loose in our country.”
Rhona swallowed, waiting a few seconds before asking, “And then?”
“Then I’ll make a call upon the woman I should have made my mother so many years ago. Raelle is a good woman, stalwart and brave. She must know of her son’s death. I… I will stay the winter with her as well,” Tela announced with more certainty than even she expected. Then she quickly added, “To ensure the woman has the support she needs in such a time as this.”
“Of course,” was all Rhona could reply with.
The monk busied herself by composing a hundred conversations. Each felt as pointless and ill-timed as the last, so eventually, she accepted the matter.
She and Tela would no longer be companions, not when tomorrow arrived at any rate. Tela needed to grieve, needed to expel the heartbreak and dishonor from her system. In fact, Rhona wasn’t sure if the ranger would ever return to duty.
The thought nearly made her chuckle.
What else would she do? Rhona realized. Tela’s been a soldier all her life. She won’t quit now.
When it was clear Tela would be silent the rest of the evening, Rhona prepared their bed. She’d fastened one end of the oiled tarp to the base of a tree. The other end she staked to the ground.
Stacking both horse blankets on top of one another, Rhona gestured for Tela to lie down.
The woman didn’t argue.
Then, as she’d done earlier, Rhona took the position behind the ranger.
She threw her only dry blanket over them, and clutched the broken woman to her chest.
Considering the moisture of the horse blankets and the cold of the ground beneath, Rhona knew they would need to rely on body heat. And as it was, their rest would be anything but refreshing.
Before she resigned herself to sleep, Rhona took one more pull from her flask and gave it over to Tela.
Tela drank, too deeply perhaps. Rhona wouldn’t stop her though, couldn’t blame her one bit. She drank, and the empty clank of the flask falling to the ground acted as a conclusion to this long and terrible day.
In minutes, Tela’s body had shut down.
Rhona felt the woman’s breathing even out as sleep, mercifully, took her.
Sweet Andag, Rhona prayed. Hold us in your arms this night. We are in need of your kindness.
She too, soon felt the pull of slumber. Even though her body hadn’t warmed up yet, and a pesky breeze kept zipping up the back of her shirt, Rhona’s eyes softened.
Resting her forehead against Tela’s back, Rhona wondered where her friends were. She wondered if they’d be ready for the storm that would follow her every step of the way to the Sunken Keep.
Not expecting any answers, she sighed, allowing a few more silent tears to leak from her burning eyes.
A distortion in the air gave her pause, and then she heard a very distinct and familiar voice speaking nearby in a whisper. “Rhona, are you there? Rhona.”
Turning around, she found herself face to face with Kai’s phantom projection. “Kai! Of all times cursed and terrible! What are you doing here?”
The dragon’s eyes widened as he seemed to take in her condition. “Sorry, are you well? Where are you? I would have reached out earlier, I… I was detained on some important business.”
“It doesn’t matter, Kai. None of it does,” Rhona replied, feeling an inexplicable gout of rage at the man. “I’m on my way to the Sunken Keep.”
“You are!” Kai said excitedly. “That is good news, I think. Wait, but what of Hastings and his men?”
Rhona knew her friend meant well. Surely, he’d been serious. He and Ban had no doubt been busy, doing everything they could to bolster their defenses.
She had to believe that.
From her perspective, though, even so much as softening her tone to appease this young fool was too much.
Rhona glared at the gray mist forming Kai’s likeness, trying to see into him as clearly as possible. “The rebels have fallen, Kai,” she said at last. She couldn’t think of any way to break the news more easily. Doing so would only diminish the sacrifice Royar and his ilk had made. “They’re all dead but Tela and I.”
Shock registered on Kai’s face, his mouth forming a near-perfect circle. Pleased he’d at least felt the gravity of her situation, Rhona added a warning. “The resistance has fallen, Kai, and Hastings is on his way. You and Ban had better do what you can to fortify the keep. In my estimation, you have less than three days.”
36
Ban
Having his one and only dragon arrive back safely from a long and fruitful journey had made Ban the happiest of Earth Cores.
He’d spent entirely too long preparing food for their reunion meal, but everything had been worthwhile. In fact, Kai had even mentioned how the food was some of the best he’d ever eaten in his entire life.
Such a compliment would be stored away indefinitely in Ban’s memory.
The additional surprise Kai had dropped in Ban’s lap, the fact that the dragon’s third Earth Core healing had gone smoothly, only improved his mood further.
Kai sat up on his bed, eyes closed as he prepared his Soul Projection spell. Considering how taxing it was, and disorienting if Kai’s groans could be trusted, it took considerable focus.
Ross was a strange name though.
Kai admitted the Earth Core had a longer name, but for some reason, refused to tell Ban about it. Perhaps he prefers short names, Ban supposed. It might even have been my doing, offering to shorten my own name the day we met.
When it boiled down to it, Ban couldn’t care less what he called his new little brother.
He’d already spent far too long brainstorming a fitting gift for the tiny core, which, by all estimates, must only be Crimson ascended.
Even now, Ban had Greg packing for a return trip to the Ruby Kobolds. The champion lacked the nimble hands that might help with such an exercise, but Ban didn’t mind if it took a little longer.
Besides, the contingent of faithful warriors the Ruby Kobolds had sent along with Kai as an honor guard were helping. Four minute spearmen and four axemen had marched in front of and behind Kai as he returned to the Sunken Keep.
The trip, apparently, took less than half a day when the tunnel was clear of monsters.
Ban felt it the height of privilege to have neighbors.
In fact, as soon as the warriors had arrived, Ban had insisted they join Kai in his first meal home. The meal hadn’t been without awkwardness, but such are the risks one must take to encounter new cultures.
Hosting the eight kobolds at the Sunken Keep was entertaining in more than a few ways. A few had discovered a rudimentary method of fishing, one that involved diving into the frigid waters and sinking their claws into anything that came close.