by Sarah Thomie
The First Son sat up before I did and just looked at me. “Why did you save me?“ he asked quietly.
I looked up at him from where I laid on the ground. I shrugged, not being able to give him a good answer.
“Even after all I said to you, and all of the insults I flung at you, you still saved me.” He leaned over me, “Thank you, Silent Snow.”
I gave him a thumbs up, before I felt good enough to sit up myself.
I looked at the river, trying to figure out how to cross it. I looked at the tree and thought about how strong it had been. It could hold the weight of two of us, and it spanned the width of the river. I grabbed my spear from next to me and walked to the tree. I got on it and bounced on it a couple more times. The wood bent, but just as strong as before. I whistled to the other Candidates and walked across, carefully keeping my steps from leaning me one way of another. I reached the other side and waved to them. I waited until they all were across and then took off on my own again.
Night fell and I sat in the tree above the other Candidates, not letting them out of my sight.
The First Son came over to where I was sitting, holding a bowl up to me. “You do not have to stay away from us. We are not going to hurt you.”
I looked down at the First Son, debating if I believed him. I hopped out of the tree, deciding that since he owed me his life, he would not try to take mine. I landed next to him, taking the bowl from him as a gesture of good faith. We walked back to the fire, and everyone was silent from what had happened earlier.
I took off the leathers from under the red linens and let them dry above the fire with the First Son’s clothes. After a while, they talked amongst themselves about the training they had received to prepare for this. I listened as they talked about the jokes and games had they played on each other. They brought up memories, laughing as they told stories about each other.
Soon, they yawned, and one by one they fell asleep. Only the First Son, and I were still awake.
“I am sorry for everything I said and put you through. You did not deserve it. I guess I was just worried that if a City Elf female could finish the Gauntlet, then it would not be worth as much as I thought it was.” He looked me in the eyes, and I saw the guilt in them.
I lightly punched him in the shoulder as I smiled.
He returned a sad one. “We should keep watch.”
I motioned that I would take the first watch and would wake him for the second one.
He yawned and stretched out.
I watched the fire, listening for sounds that did not belong in the forest. All was quiet and soon, I yawned myself. I stood up and stretched, which helped] me stay awake. When it was time to switch, I tapped the First Son on the shoulder, and he took over. I debated if I should go into the trees, but he explained that he would not let anything harm me or his friends. With that promise, I curled up and fell asleep next to the fire.
It was day five of the Gauntlet, and we were now working together as a team. The group had designated me as scout and second-in-command, since I had proven myself to them. I went into the trees to see if I could find the next dangers that lay in wait for us. We came across a clearing of tall grass, where we saw a camp set up. I did not like the feeling the camp site gave me. I told them to wait in the forest while I investigated. They had learned what each of my whistles meant, so they would come if I needed help or deemed it safe.
I walked to the campsite, scanning the area. There were five tents set up, but there were only three packs. The other Candidates were good at hunting and fishing, so I did not worry about having to eat. The lack of two packs bothered me a little. Where were they? I searched around, trying to see if I could find them, when whooping and hollering emerged from the forest.
I dove into the grass, as three men bring out two of the Candidates, except the First Son and three others. I watched as the three invaders brought them into the tall grass clearing. I whistled a bird song, letting the other Candidates know I was there. The three invaders looked around for the source of the sound.
I laid in the tall grass until nightfall, letting the Snow Cat take over my vision with her blue tinged night vision. I went back into the forest, finding the other four Candidates in the trees.
“They snuck up on them as we were trying to get into the trees. What do we do?” the First Son asked.
Besides an all-out assault? I had no idea. The clearing was not large, so we could surround it easily enough. I mimed them shooting arrows, and they agreed that they would be able to. I told them my plan, and they agreed that it could go wrong in so many ways, but it was the best I had. They went to their designated spots.
The First Son stayed near me. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, worried about his friends.
I shrugged but nodded as well.
“Just give us the sign when you are ready.” He climbed into the tree next to me.
I waited until I got signals that everyone was ready. I grabbed my spear and walked into the clearing.
“What is this?” One of the invaders asked his friends.
“Looks like a City Elf,” another mumbled.
The third stood up to face me. “But look at that hair! City Elves don’t have silver hair!”
I pulled my hair behind my ears, showing them the delicate points of them.
“She is a City Elf!” I came into the area of their fire, my eyes blue. “She has got pretty eyes, too!” I looked to the two captured Candidates. The invaders caught my looks. “You came to see what we have?”
I nodded once, closing my eyes, letting my hearing take over.
The invaders came up closer to me, looking at the clothes I wore and just my overall look. “I bet she could fetch us a lot of money in the cities if we sold her.”
I opened my eyes, and in one smooth motion, grabbed my dagger and threw it into the ground. I whistled sharply and arrows came from around them, striking into the dirt near the invaders. I whistled again, and they stopped.
The three invaders looked at me. “What in the Seven Hells?”
I kept my eyes on them but was able to see the other two Candidates in the background, cutting their bindings with the knife I threw to the ground. Once they were free, I whistled again. Arrows plunged into the shoulders of the invaders, dropping them to the ground. I grabbed my dagger and the other two Candidates to run. I knew the other four were keeping an eye so that we could escape without issue.
We met with the rest of the group near the river. They all talked about what just happened. “So, you were bait?” one of the captured Candidates asked.
I smiled and nodded.
“You are insane, Snow; they could have killed you,” the other replied.
“It was the only plan we had. She knew that they would want to try to capture her to sell, so we used that,” the First Son explained. “Trust us, we did not like the plan either, but it worked.” We followed the river downstream, trying to see if we could see the village in the distance. We were still too far away, so we set up camp for the night.
Chapter 08
It has been a week since the Gauntlet began, and I was starting to wear down. The other Candidates were just as weary from the constant walking.
How far away were we from the village? I kept asking myself.
We ended up stopping early, hoping the break would revive our spirits and strength. We fell asleep, not realizing that another danger was just on the horizon.
We woke up to a splash of water to the face. I jumped up, the blue tint covering my vision. We were surrounded. I glared at the Candidate who was supposed to keep watch, seeing the water drip from his face and nose.
The people laughed at me as I glared at them. There must have been twenty of them against the seven of us. “Well, look at this. The City Elf thinks she is tough.”
I spat on the ground at him. The other Candidates looked between the leader and I.
“See, boss? I knew that we would have a good hunting trip this time.” A lacky smiled.
I reached for my dagger, still hidden under my clothes.
“Oh, she wants to fight?” The leader and his posse laughed. “Then come at me, City Elf. Let us see what you got.” He grabbed a knife from one of his people, while I grabbed my dagger from its sheath.
I motioned for the other Candidates to stand up. They did as I asked, waiting for my signal.
“Oh, she is the boss bitch.” The leader grinned. “It will be fun to break you.”
We circled each other, before he was in front of the other Candidates, and I was in front of his posse. I whistled and the other Candidates grabbed the leader, holding his own knife to his throat. The lackeys grabbed me, but I fought back, tossing the dagger in the air, and caught it hilt up. I slammed the blade behind me, slashing at anyone who got near me. I watched as the other Candidates subdued the leader, but I was overpowered.
Someone slashed my arm. “Let him go, and we might let your bitch live.” The lacky who gave the leader his knife held one to my throat.
I shook my head and mouthed for them to run and get help. I would rather they leave me behind than get trapped with me.
The other Candidates looked at me, and their emotions warred on their faces. It would have been easier if they still hated me, because then they would not have hesitated to leave me behind. They followed my lead, tying up the leader, before grabbing their weapons to leave.
The lackey pushed me forward onto the ground, my silver hair glinting in the sunlight. “It is her! It is the Kinkiller!”
I saw my dagger on the ground and grabbed it. I made a come at me motion to them. Without the other Candidates being in the crossfire, I let the Snow Cat take over. I dodged around different attacks, before slashing and stabbing. It took some time, but only the slaver leader was left.
Bodies and blood littered the area around me. Some had arrows sticking from their chests and bodies. I wondered why when a twig snapped behind me, and I threw my dagger.
Howling Wolf deflected it into the ground.
I saw the other Candidates’ wide eyes and the look of fear in their faces. The warriors with them looked at the slaughter around me, understanding what I was. Howling Wolf stepped toward me, as the Snow Cat went into her den. I glared at the people dead on the ground around me and felt no remorse for them.
“What is this, Snow?”
I gave him a blank stare; he looked away first.
“What is going on, Howling Wolf?” the First Son asked.
“We had reports of slavers in the area, so we decided to check on it. I see that you found some.” His voice held a bit of approval, until he looked at me. “Your life is not worthless, so you need to stop trying to throw it away, even if it is to save others.”
“With all due respect, Howling Wolf, her life was never truly at stake.” First Son stood up for me. “She may be reckless, but she always knew that she could count on us to protect her, just as she has done for us.”
“Would you be saying that if you knew that the lackey was going to slit her throat?” Howling Wolf asked harshly. “Or what if the blade she was cut with was poisoned?” He looked at my bleeding arm. “You act like she is a leader, when you should be the one who bosses them around.”
“We share leadership,” the First Son snapped back. “We know how to survive in the forest by hunting and fishing. She knows how to fight better than we can when it comes to close range maneuvers. Therefore, we defer to her when it comes to her matter of expertise. A true leader does not boss people around. They are willing to step up and protect their people at all costs.”
Howling Wolf looked to the two of us. “I guess something good came from this.” He turned back to the other warriors and asked, “Is the First Son right in what he says leadership is?”
The humor in his voice was evident now. The warriors raised their voices in approval.
“I am glad that you have finally grown in your role as a leader, First Son. Your father would be proud, as would your mother. She had a strength that your father lacked. She believed in protecting her people at all costs, even laying her life down for those ideals.” He set his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “You all have passed the Gauntlet. ” Howling Wolf turned at me. “Do you want me to take a look at it?”
I pulled my lips back into a hiss, before walking away from all of them. Then I grabbed my dagger from the ground and wiped my own blood off it, stomping into the forest. I needed to get away from them, away from the anger that stayed with me. Slavers were in the area… That would explain the people we kept running into, but why were they this far away from the cities? I went to the river and cleaned the dagger in it.
“Snow?” Howling Wolf asked. He came up next to me, and I turned away from him, still pissed that he used a sleep poison on me. “I am sorry, Snow. I did not know that you had it used on you before. I did not know what was done to you while under its influence.”
I shot a glare at him, but he put his hands up in front of him defensively.
“Grandfather told me in confidence after I saw your reaction to it. He told me about what you told him and the Elder.”
I stood up and stalked away from him, my feelings too raw to deal with people at that moment. The memories washed over me, the sleep poison, the rapes, the tortures, all of it. I killed my previous masters because of what they did to me and other slaves. Humans have short memories and lives, so I was able to kill them without being found out. But those deaths did not erase the pain that came from those wounds. Then when someone I trusted used it on me… It reopened those old wounds. I shuddered, and a sob escaped from me. I tried to stop myself, but the tears would not stop. I ran away from the humans, but I was forever tainted by them.
Howling Wolf and the other warriors and Candidates gave me my space, as they interrogated the leader of the slavers who were in the area. I was empty and numb as I walked back to them. The slaver looked at me, before I saw his eyes widen.
“I knew I recognized you! You are 13-87-22! There is a bounty on your head to return you to your masters.” He looked to the other Wood Elves. “If you return her, my employer can make it worth your while.”
I took my dagger and slashed him across the throat, giving my anger and rage give force to the cut. He gagged on his own blood, as I walked away, toward where I knew the village was. No one stopped me or came near me. My eyes were clear, so they knew that it was not the Snow Cat spirit that killed the slaver. I wanted to hunt down every slaver in the forest and kill them, but I did not know if Howling Wolf would let me, much less allow me out of his sight.
They followed me toward the village, but night came before we reached it. I climbed into a tree away from everyone, letting myself stew in my misery. I leaned back against the trunk, while the warriors’ voices drifted from below me. The Candidates were telling them about everything that had happened.
I ignored them, instead, pulling inwards to see three thousand years of memories. I was barely a third of the way through my long life, and I already wanted to die. Maybe that is why I kept putting my life on the line? If something killed me, then at least I would not have to deal with the pain of the past any longer.
The tree shook as Howling Wolf climbed up to the branch behind me, “We need to talk.” I did not answer him, so he continued. “I told you that you could trust Sparrow and I with everything and that we would not judge you for your past. Today, that past and the present collided. We watched as you killed that slaver in cold blood. I did not think you could have that kind of blankness in you, but what we saw scared us.” He looked around the trunk of the tree “Silent Snow, are we able to trust you?”
I was not expecting that kind of question, so I did not answer. I wanted to nod and let him know that they were all safe from me, but was that not what I was running from all day? The memories of those I killed? Did I worry that I would lose control and kill those closest to me? Is that why I needed to be alone? I turned around the trunk of the tree, so he could see my movements. I shrugged.
He climbed over to the branch I was sitting on and asked, “What did the slaver mean about you having a bounty on you?”
I spoke with my hands, moving slowly so he could keep up. I told him that I had killed many of my human masters before I ran away. I did not give him an exact number, but he understood that it was a high body count. I grabbed my braided hair and held it to the moonlight, reminding him that it was not normal for a City Elf to have silver hair. As far as I knew, I was the only one.
“Are you going to run away again, or come back to the village with us?” He grabbed my hands in his. “Please say that you will come back to the village.”
I had nowhere else to go, so I told him I would go back to the village. Something changed between us, as he saw how cold I could be and how easily I would kill. Question was on how much it bothered him, knowing that much about me.
We reached the village the next mid-day. The entire rest of the walk, everyone stayed away from me, except the First Son and Howling Wolf. They both tried to talk to me, but after rebuffing them several times, they too left me alone. I was not riding the hatred as I was yesterday, but I still pushed them away from me. We came back as new warriors, so a celebration was to happen that night.
Sparrow and Xerinae tried to rope me into wearing whatever they were originally planning, but Howling Wolf stopped them.
I went to see Grandfather, because even though he told Howling Wolf about me, I trusted him the most. “You should be celebrating with the other Candidates.” He then saw my face and sat me down in a chair. “What seems to be the issue, Silent Snow?” he asked as he gave me a cup of warm tea.
I set the cup down and told him what happened with the slavers in the forest. He just waited until I finished before saying anything.
“You are worried that they do not see you as a warrior, but instead as a murderer? And I think you also are worried about how Howling Wolf sees you now?”
I nodded and sipped on the tea he gave me, letting its flavor stay on my tongue.
“Have they explained to you how Howling Wolf became the Enforcer?”