by Jeff Gunzel
“I’ve already told you, dear, burns are different,” said Nima softly. “They are not like other wounds, and Eric’s are so extreme.” She softened her voice even more. “I’m afraid there’s nothing anyone can do. You must...prepare.”
“I will not,” she hissed, eyes bloodshot and tears streaking down her face. “I will not let him—”
A gentle hand touched her shoulder. “Please, dear,” said Nima. “Will you at least go outside and get some air? I don’t think you should just sit here and—”
“If you want to go, then go,” Jade growled. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Nima squeezed her shoulder lightly and shook her head. “Very well, dear. Amoshi and I will be just outside the door. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to get us.” Jade sat there in silence, eyes fixated on Eric. Nima gave her a subtle shake. “Don’t hesitate.” She turned to leave, followed closely by Amoshi.
Once outside, Nima spun and threw her back against the door in frustration. Smacking the back of her hand against her forehead, she said, “That poor girl. The love of her life has hours to live, yet she still hangs on, trying to convince herself there is still hope. I suppose love goes hand in hand with denial. I tell you, it breaks my heart.”
Amoshi looked at her with disgust. “Breaks your heart,” he scoffed. “That man is no more the Shantie Rhoe than I am. He failed the test, and now you shed tears for a false god. What if—”
“What if that was me lying there?” Nima snapped. She spun away, then softened her voice. “What if it were you? Would I accept the horrible reality any easier, if it turned out you were something different than what others claimed you were? Would that make you any less of a man?” She looked back to the door, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Does it make him any less of a man?”
She gasped when his strong arms slipped around her waist; quivered as his lips kissed up the side of her neck, stopping at her ear. “No, Nima,” he whispered softly. “It doesn’t make him any less of a man, yet it still means he cannot help us. It means...all is lost.” He lightly squeezed her one last time, before turning away and leaving.
She stood there breathless, unable to move, her heart racing with passion, forbidden passion she would never be allowed to taste. Finally able to summon just enough air, she said, “He’s not dead yet.”
* * *
Zhou lay sprawled across his bed, legs spread out and fingers locked behind his head. He yawned loudly, stretching his massive arms out to his side. He had no idea what time it was, nor did he care. With no real reason to get up, laying here all day seemed as good a plan as any.
His opened one eye when the door creaked opened. Morita walked in, followed by Hashiki, limping along behind her. Zhou snarled at the little creature before refocusing his attention on Morita. “Ah, dear sister, have you decided to come to join me at last?” He pushed a rather fresh corpse from his bed. The girl fell lifelessly to the floor, her head twisted, facing her back. He patted the damp, but now empty space next to him, a large grin on his face. “As you see, there is plenty of room. My other guest was forced to leave.”
It took a total effort to force back the swelling rage, white-hot anger threatening to ruin her plans if she lost control. Patience, Morita. Play his ego; you’re the one in control here. “We’ve no time for your games, dear brother. You will want to thank me when you hear the news,” she said, fighting to keep her voice cheerful.
“I was hoping to thank you now,” he said, patting the same spot on his bed.
Patience. I must show patience. “This is no laughing matter, Zhou.” Must stay calm. “I’ve found your little pet, the same one that escaped you the first time, but it seems her luck has run out.”
Zhou’s forehead crinkled, looking a bit confused. “The beast master?” he guessed.
“Yes,” she said, feigning excitement, shaking her fists in the air. “We have her exact location, and better still, she is alone. Now is your chance, Brother.” She moved close to the bed and rubbed her hand across his chest, then purred in his ear, “Show that savage what a real man can do.”
He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, still looking confused. “If you’ve got her cornered, then just send a team after that thing.” He thought for a second. “A large team. She is surprisingly dangerous, after all.”
Hashiki began to snicker, cooing and popping while looking up to Morita. Zhou growled, moving toward him with malice etched all over his face, but the redhead sidestepped, cutting off his path. “Well, do you blame him?” she said, rolling her eyes and throwing her hands in the air. “The two of us could hardly wait to tell you the good news, and yet you pass up a golden opportunity to unleash your revenge. To finish what you started before being interrupted by...him.”
Zhou took a step back with a growing look of concern he was unable to hide. “We have several beasts who earn their keep by taking care of these menial tasks, eliminating the minor pests so we can—”
“So you can what?” Morita cut in. “Lay around in bed, ignoring the enemy as she nearly roams free? I thought the mighty Zhou would cut off his own arm for a second opportunity to get revenge on the only person to ever defeat him on the battlefield. The one who traded claws with the mighty Zhou, yet walked away without a scratch.”
He roared with anger, flexing his huge muscles as veins popped out across his neck and shoulders. “That inferior pest did no such thing. That insect never stood a chance against me, nor would it now.”
Morita turned away to hide her grin. “That’s not what the men are saying.” Silence hung thick in the air, interrupted only by Zhou’s heavy breathing. Knowing she had the upper hand now, Morita decided to push it further. “Many believe the woman would prove more that a match for you.” Her smile widened even further. “Others say you have no chance at all.”
He roared again, “Who...who would dare? Why were the traitors not brought to me immediately? I’ll skin them alive and wear their flesh for all to see. I’ll—”
“You’ll what? Wear your wounded pride like a badge of shame? Oh, that should improve your standing with the men.” Hashiki snickered once more, doing his part to help antagonize the narcissistic beast. “I’ve already done what I can to calm their private jokes, more than I should have to, in fact. As we speak, word is already spreading than we’ve found the girl and that their mighty leader is going to finish her off in grand fashion, bringing the remains back for all to see.”
The redhead looked down to Hashiki, a look of disgust plastered across her face. “We shall go ahead and assemble a team, I suppose. I’ll try and have them ready within the hour.” He chirped and gurgled in response. “I have no idea what to tell the men, and I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore.” Her gaze shifted to her enraged brother, who looked as if he would explode. “Go back to sleep, or whatever it was you were doing. I’ll lead them myself just to be sure the job gets done, but I can no longer protect your reputation. Of course they will ask where you are, but I will not provide any answers. Let them make up their own minds, I’m finished defending your cowardice.”
“You will do no such thing!” He marched across the room, snatching his white robe from the corner of the bed, throwing it over his broad shoulders. He picked up a double-sheathed leather belt from the bedpost, and snapped it tightly around his slim waist. With a sharp hiss, he unleashed the two long swords. One would have required two hands for any normal human, but the monster wielded two as if the heavy steel were made of air. With inhuman speed and power, he turned his dresser into a storm of splinters as his arms pumped and slashed in a fierce, whirling dance, then turned back to Morita, breathing heavily with blades in hand. “She is mine and mine alone, send no one else.” Wiry black hair began to sprout from his ears, the burning anger triggering a partial transformation.
“Are you sure?” she muttered meekly. “I can still have them ready, just in case she proves to be a problem. Yes, that’s it. I’ll have a team on standby and tell them to go
in, you know, only if the job proves to be too big.”
He sheathed his blades and dropped down to all fours, growling and snarling. “You will do nothing until I return with her head, then I will hang it on the wall for all to see. If anyone doubts my authority after that, their head will hang next to hers.”
He dashed toward the closed door, knocking it off its hinges with a heavy shoulder, then galloped down the hall on all fours like a raging tiger. The room was now quiet, save for Hashiki’s legitimate snickering. He looked to Morita, cooing and popping his usual nonsense. “It doesn’t matter now,” she said. “Even if he finishes the task, that’s one less enemy to worry about.” She smiled down at the little creature, her bright-yellow, yet seductive eyes twinkling with satisfaction. “A leader must always use every situation to their advantage, then continue to adapt from there—a worldly lesson lost on my predictable brother.” She looked to the broken door, hanging diagonally from a twisted hinge. “Whether today, or ten years from now, revenge will still be mine.” Patience, dear...patience.
Chapter 13
After putting several miles between herself and the village, Athel decided to stop for the night. She found an open area that was at least semi dry. With plenty of damp wood lying around, and the vial of oil she had in one of her bags, making a small fire would be easy enough. A click or two from her flint and steel, and the fire was going in no time.
She settled down on a pile of damp leaves and watched as the small flames licked the cool night air. It popped and hissed as some of the damper pieces began to release their moisture. Once she felt settled in, Athel pulled one of the bags to her lap and began to rummage through it. An apple and some jerky would be supper for tonight; there was no telling how long she would be traveling, or where she would find more food.
Athel gnawed away on the jerky, trying to deny what she had known for some time. Finally, it became too much, she couldn’t handle the guilt anymore. He must be cold and hungry by now. I just can’t pretend any longer. “Jacob, come out. I know you’re there,” she shouted.
A far-off bush began to rustle about before Jacob peeked out from his distant hiding place. He was still so far away, all he could see was the feint light from her cracking fire. He sighed and began to drag his way toward her camp. I was a fool to think I could track her. He walked right up near the fire, vigorously rubbing his arms and shoulders to help get some feeling back. For a time, they didn’t even look at each other. The popping and hissing of the fire resonated loudly against the silence. Jacob felt stupid for ever believing he could fool this remarkable girl. “How long have you known?” he said, subtle shadows dancing across his face from the flickering fire.
She shrugged. “Most of the time, I suppose. I had only just left the village when I caught your scent.” She grinned, somewhat breaking the tension, then looked at him for the first time. “It was all I could do not to laugh, watching you crawl on the ground like a critter.”
He snickered to himself, visualizing for the first time just how foolish he must have looked. He felt his face grow warm as spots of color slowly emerged on his cheeks. I hope the light from the fire is hiding this. However, her widening grin proved otherwise. His smile began to fade, and he was now feeling both stupid and irritated. “If you knew all this time, how long were you planning to let this go on? I don’t have any food or supplies. I could have frozen out there.”
Athel hung her head at the stinging truth of his words. “Because I’m greedy, that’s why.”
Jacob approached her, touching her cheek and wiping a tear with his thumb. “No, you’re not, Athel, not even close. Here you are in a strange land, far from your home. No one forced you to join us, yet here you are, fighting for our cause.”
She turned away from his hand, ashamed to look him in the eye. “Yes I am, Jacob. You don’t understand.” She stood and walked closer to the fire, watching as drops of water sizzled against the wood. Wrapping herself in a hug, Athel shivered as her beaded hair rattled away. “I had to leave, Jacob. I’m a danger to everyone, and can’t be trusted. This curse...the seed within me—”
“I’ve heard enough about this,” he said angrily. “You’ve already beaten it, remember? This is over, and I don’t want to hear—”
“No it’s not,” she shrieked, fists trembling as the rain began to fall harder. “I’ve subdued it once, but it will resurface again and again. Each time, the urges will grow, until sooner or later, it will overtake me. The Circle told me so.”
“Then you will beat it again. You’re a warrior Athel, you can’t be stopped by some—” Jacob stuttered, his shaky voice sounding desperate now. He knew in his heart what she was saying, but just couldn’t accept it.
“Oh, Jacob,” she said, tears mixing with rain. “How long do you think we can go on like that? How many times can I resist before it destroys me, my memories, everything that makes me who I am?”
“As many times as it takes,” Jacob sputtered, his wall of denial crumbling at the weight of her logic. “The–the Circle–yes, they can do something, right? Eric...he can—” She slowly shook her head side to side. “No. No! There has to be a way. I can— We can try to—” He fell to his knees, trembling hands gripping his hair as the cold reality of all this pierced his heart like an arrow. There was nothing he could do. The woman he loved had no future with him, no future at all.
He felt her hands rub across his shoulders. “Don’t you dare shed a single tear for me,” she whispered. “I knew you were following me, yet I said nothing. Part of me wanted nothing more than to have you come with me, even if that put you in grave danger. Like I said, it was a final act of greed that deserves no forgiveness. I just–I just didn’t want to be alone. Now please, just go back. Tell the others I love them and that I’m sorry. Tell them there was no other way.”
“You speak of greed as if it were a bad thing,” he mumbled weakly, still kneeling on the cold ground. “I would kill a hundred men to make this all go away. Is that not greed? You punish yourself by mistaking passion for greed, when the gods have already punished you enough.” He crept over to her on his knees like a wounded animal, then wrapped her legs with both arms. “Please, tell me there is something I can do.” His voice was so weak, even she could barely hear him.
Gripping his shoulders, she hoisted him to his feet. They embraced for several minutes before Athel spoke. “I do have one final, greedy request. Stay with me tonight, then go back in the morning. That’s all I ask.”
* * *
The morning sun hung low on the horizon. Even at this early hour, children ran through the dirt paths of Chiveran, a tiny village to the east. They scampered about in circles, playing their usual game. One child would purposely touch another, turning him into the chaser. He would then chase the other children with the single goal of touching another one, thus turning that child into the new chaser. On and on it went, with no real winner to the endless game, yet they still played every morning.
Men marched along with large sacks of rice slung over their shoulders. Most of it would be put into storage, but a little would be cooked with vegetables, and served that evening with their families. Women were returning home from the nearby stream with colorful baskets of freshly washed clothes balanced sideways on their hips. The low sun was bright this morning, bringing on the promise of yet another warm day.
Aruki, a young boy with dark eyes, a long black ponytail, and a flashy smile ran from his hut. “Don’t play too long,” his mother called after him. “We’re going to eat soon.”
“Just for a little while, Mom. I’ll be back soon,” he called over his shoulder.
He ran toward the other children, who were now huddled in a tight circle, apparently taking a break from their game. “So who is it?” he asked, looking around the circle.
The other children looked at him with mischievous grins. “You are,” said the girl with pink ribbons and a blue tunic before smacking him in the chest. He hesitated a moment as they all scattered in differen
t directions, laughing as they ran. After whipping his head this way and that, he decided to chase the girl that touched him in the first place.
The girl sprinted down the uneven path before taking a hard right down a narrow alleyway. She laughed as she ran, constantly looking back over her shoulder at the boy. The girl was fast, and stopped now and then just to make faces at him, taunting him to try and keep up.
She sprinted from the alley and dashed down the trail that led to the nearby stream. Aruki began to slow down, remembering what his mother had said. He’d never meant to go this far from the village. “Sari,” he called out. “Don’t go too far.”
From a dead sprint, she reached out and grabbed a small tree, then used it to spin back, now facing her tired pursuer. “Now, why is that?” she said, leaning at a slant while still holding the tree trunk. “Are you afraid, Aruki?” she sneered, making a scared face with her eyes enlarged. “I hear there are monsters in the woods, that they catch children and drag them back to their caves.”
“Nonsense,” he said breathlessly, trotting along slowly. He stopped and bent over before placing his hands on his knees. “I just don’t want my mom to worry, that’s all. She didn’t know I was going to run off this far.”
“Go back if you’re afraid. Tell the others you weren’t able to catch a girl,” she said with a wink, then took off running again. He took the bait, taking a deep breath before giving chase once more.
Even as she approached the creek, Sari never even slowed down. With a running leap, both feet splashed into the shallow water. She glanced back with a squeal as Aruki splashed in right behind her, just missing her shoulder with a stretched-out hand. “You almost got me that time,” she said, advancing through the water, then scampering out the other side.
Disgruntled at the near miss, he slowed down again. Lethargically sloshing after her, he called out, “We really can’t go any farther. I need to go back.” He emerged from the other side of the creek and sat down on a large rock.