Silent Snow: Tales from Ancient Ieda 01

by Sarah Thomie

  “Silent Snow is closer by almost half an inch, Honorable Elder.”

  The spearman shook my hand, accepting her ruling.

  Halfway done. The axe man smiled as he picked up the axe. He threw three of them, hitting the targets with good accuracy. I threw mine, hitting just inside of his all three times. We shook hands, before he retrieved the axes.

  One weapon left and it was the one I was best at. I grabbed the dagger at my hip, before meeting with the next champion. We were each given one slash to cause the dummy to die of ‘blood loss’. He slashed the dummy’s throat, leaving a gaping gash on its neck. I stepped forward, seeing a slaver’s face on the dummy. I spun around, slashing with my dagger using my rage and hatred to fuel the weapon.

  When I finished facing away from the dummy, I glanced over at the champion. His eyes were wide, so I turned to look. The dummy’s head was hanging by a few threads. A flash of embarrassment wafted through me, until I saw the look of pride in Howling Wolf’s eyes.

  I put the dagger back into its sheath and gave it to Sparrow. She handed me the twin fake knives. This was close hand combat between the other warriors and I, before Howling Wolf and I would spar hand-to-hand. I stood in the center of all of them, as if I had gotten behind enemy lines and was surrounded. They each had versions of their weapons like I had, paint covered facsimiles of their favorite weapons. I took a deep breath and stood in my ready stance.

  “Begin!” the Elder commanded.

  The warriors came at me from all sides. The thrum of bow strings announced the flight of arrows. I ducked down, letting the arrows hit some of the other warriors. I knew that even as confident as I was in my daggers and myself, I would not have been able to defeat them without thinning their numbers a little. Those who were hit with what were considered killing blows left the field.

  I swung around, the fake knives’ hilts leaning against my arms, reinforcing them. I hit a few of them in the neck or face, calling them out. Then I ducked under someone using a spear and slashed up to call him out as well. I felt them hit me a few times, but nothing that would cause any real damage, even if they were real weapons. Someone grabbed me from behind, so I tossed one of the fake knives up, caught it blade down. I stabbed backward, hitting him in the stomach. He dropped me, and I swung up at the person who was going to kill me while the warrior held me.

  Soon, it was down to a few warriors and me, all of us out of breath. My muscles ached and burned, but I pushed the pain down, awakening the Snow Cat. I kept her ready but did not want her to come out yet. I waited for them to come at me, standing in a defensive position. When the bowstring thrummed, I blocked it, I knocked the arrow away from me with one of the fake knives. I threw one of the knives and tapped him in the chest.

  I was down to one knife, so the last three attacked. My foot touched a spear, so I put my foot under it to pop the spear up into my hands. I stabbed toward one of them and got him. But another warrior came to my side. I blocked his axe with the fake knife, then pulled the spear back to slam into his stomach. I cut him across the neck as he fell back, his breath knocked from him.

  It was down to one warrior and me. First Son and I circled one another. We each hoped our opponent would drop their guard. He had a pair of smaller axes, matching the fake knives that he saw me use together. I blinked, the familiar blue tint taking over. I hissed at him.

  He smiled before he attacked. He raised the first axe to come down on me, but I blocked it with the spear. He came around to slam the axe into my midsection, but I blocked it with my last knife. He pushed down and up at the same time with his two different axes. He was a lot stronger than me, and I bet that he had a lot more energy as well.

  I thought about a move one of the City Elves taught me a long time ago. It was a risk, but if I did not do something, he would overpower me. I dropped the guard on the spear, letting the axe come down, I moved out of the way just before it hit me. He lost his balance, dropping the attack on my knife. I used the knife to slash at his artery. He was out.

  I looked to make sure there was no one else, before Howling Wolf came for me. I dropped the weapons and stood ready for him. He stopped just in front of me, sending a testing kick. I blocked it with one arm, when I saw his fist heading toward me. I ducked, going under his arm to uppercut him. It was only a glancing blow, so he easily withstood it. He was right that my speed would have to be my advantage. He swept his foot, forcing me to jump, but he popped up and tackled me to the ground.

  “Play with me, Kitty Cat.” He punched me, splitting my lip open.

  I put my feet in his pelvis, kicking him over me. I tried to keep a hold of his arm, but the sweat from before made me slippery. I wondered if I could use that as an advantage. He slid to a stop, then launched himself back at me as I was standing back up. I touched his shoulders and leapfrogged over him as he passed under me. I landed on all fours, whipping around as he rolled and kicked himself back to standing.

  We circled, both trying to find that one weak spot that would end the fight. He came at me, a flurry of punches. I blocked them as fast as I could. I just needed one weakness to get through to him. I slammed my heel into his toes, and as he fell back, I elbowed him in the face. Blood hit the two of us, as he backed away. He looked either impressed or pissed, but I was not sure which.

  Once his vision cleared, he grabbed me, pulling me into his arms, wrapping his other arm around my neck. Blood dripped on my shoulder, and I remembered that I was slippery from sweat. I pulled my arm from his hand and used both elbows to aim for his ribs. I threw everything I had into it, knowing that if he did not let go, I would lose consciousness. He dropped me, the pain in his ribs too much to hold me. I whipped around to face him. I grabbed his head and helped him to become acquainted with my knee. He fell back, so I grabbed him and threw him forward.

  I dropped to the ground; my energy completely gone. The Snow Cat fell back into her den, tired from the fight. I glanced to Howling Wolf, staring at the blood on his face. I did not mean to hit him that hard.

  “The test is complete! Silent Snow has passed!” the Elder announced.

  I looked around to see that I was still in the arena. I forgot that Howling Wolf and I were not just sparring normally. I grimaced as he sat up, pressing his hand to his face.

  Sparrow came running over and put a cold cloth to his face. She worked on the blood splatter. I reached forward to touch him, but Sparrow whacked my hand away. “Do not touch him. Not until you are cleaned up. We do not want to introduce more germs to his wound.”

  Howling Wolf grabbed my hand in his. “It is all right, Snow.” He sounded like he was in pain, and it hurt me to know that I was the one who caused it.

  Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, mad at myself for hurting him, mad at him for letting me.

  First Son came over to help me stand, “Why is she crying? Are you hurt?”

  I shook my head, because physically, I was all right. I then pointed to Howling Wolf and said hurt with my hands.

  “You are crying because you hurt him?”

  I nodded.

  “You did not cry for hurting me,” he mumbled to himself.

  “You are not on the ground bleeding. That is why she did not cry over you,” Sparrow said matter-of-factly. “Now, be careful, because it’s just a quick patch job.” She faced me. “I need to fix your lip.”

  I shook my head, putting my hand in front of it. I made Howling Wolf bleed, so it only made sense that I bled as well.

  “Sometimes I hate that all of my friends are warriors.”

  “Two of them are Enforcers,” First Son pointed out.

  “I know,” she snapped. “That is even worse than regular warriors.” She helped Howling Wolf stand up. “Now I have double the work when something happens.”

  The warriors came around us, now that Howling Wolf was back to on his feet. They kept touching my shoulders and head, since I was shorter than all of them. They said their congratulations to me, and then a few teased Howling Wolf abou
t how I broke his face.

  He just told them in a solemn voice, “I forgot that she is wily. But if any of you want to see how hard she hits, I will let her spar you one on one.”

  I wiped the blood from my lip, feeling the burning of the sweat getting into it. They kept talking, while I escaped toward the river and its spring.

  I made it to the spring with no one following me. I took off the last of my clothes and dove into the cool water. It felt great on my skin as I splashed in the water. I cleaned the binding wrap and underwear, setting them on a rock to dry. I scrubbed my skin with the sand and cleaned the cut on my lip.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  I glanced up to see Howling Wolf sitting on the shore.

  I splashed him in answer.

  He took off his own underwater, set down the clothes he was holding, and dove into next to me. He popped back out of the water, splashing me back. This began a water war between us. He grabbed me and tossed me into the air, where I hit the water with a big splash. After a while, we both pulled ourselves back into the shoreline. His face did not look as bad as I thought it was going to, since he cleaned the blood off.

  He turned to face me, while I stared at the stars coming out. “You should really let Sparrow take care of your lip. I did not think you would not move to block me when I punched you.”

  I looked at him, then shook my head. I lightly touched his skin where I split his cheek.

  “You are refusing help with your lip because you made me bleed?”

  I nodded.

  “Yet, I am the one who hurt you first.”

  I shrugged.

  He moved closer to me, our heads close, bodies pointed opposite ways. “I know it is not polite to ask, but is there anyone who is missing you in the cities?”

  I asked him if he meant a family.

  “Family, friends, a lover?”

  I laughed silently, as I shook my head. Then I used my hands to explain that other City Elves feared me because they all thought I was cursed.

  “Cursed? How so?”

  I told him that it was because I constantly rebelled where I could. The other City Elves did not want anything to do with me, because they worried that they would be punished for my wrongdoing. None of them realized that I chose to be punished for theirs.

  He stayed silent for a time, and we stared at the stars above. “Since you missed it the past two years because you were training with me, the after the planting season is considered the season when eligible males and females try to see if they can catch the eye of the Elf they want to be with.”

  I made a bird with my hands, asking about Sparrow.

  “She is one of those eligible women.”

  I asked about First Son.

  “He is also eligible. Why do you ask?”

  I made a bird, crossed my fingers, then for First Son.

  Howling Wolf coughed. “You think they would be good together?”

  I nodded.

  “Who would you set up with me?” He asked coyly.

  I thought about it and made the symbol for Xerinae.

  He choked. “Please, tell me you are kidding.”

  I shook my head. I told him about the gossip girls and how they keep talking about him and how they want to… I stopped signing, trying to figure out a way to say that they wanted his babies. I just gave him the symbol for children and hoped he understood.

  He smacked his hand to his forehead. “Oh, Goddess Above.” I pat his upper arm sympathetically. “What about you? Whose eye are you going to try to catch?” He leaned over me as I made a face and laughed. “What is that face for?”

  I explained how the gossip girls kept trying to get eligible warriors to be with me by encouraging any interest someone showed of me.

  “I did not know about that. None of the warriors said anything about that.”

  I shrugged. I told him that I was not trying to catch anyone’s eye, and I just wanted to enjoy my freedom.

  “Well, I think there is someone out there who is bound to get your attention.” He laid back down.

  I looked over at him, before sitting up. I asked him why he was asking me about this.

  “Because you are something different than the rest of us. More than just your silver hair, scars, and the fact that you are a City Elf. So, I wondered if you had thought about having someone to spend your life with.” He sat up and put his back to mine. “Elves live for almost ten thousand years, so it can become a lonely existence sometimes. Since you are not able to communicate clearly, I wonder if it is worse for you.” He turned his head up towards the sky, leaning back on my shoulder. “I just want you to have the kind of life you want to have.”

  I held my hands over his sightline. I told him that I already had the life I have been dreaming about. Truthfully, the only thing that would make it better was if we could liberate all the City Elves from their slavery. But that was beyond a hopeless dream.

  “That reminds me!” He stood up and grabbed something from the pile of clothes. He came back over to me and helped me stand up. “I owe you something.” He handed me the two daggers, mine, and its partner. “For beating me.” He also handed me a new sheath that would hold each dagger on both sides of my hips.

  My fingertips felt something embroidered on the sheath, but I could not see it in the dying light. I tried to shift it in the light to see it better, but he lowered my hands, looking a little bit embarrassed.

  “Do not look at the designs until later.”

  I nodded, holding the sheaths and daggers close to me.

  “We should probably get back to the village now.”

  I grabbed my now dry binding wrap and underwear and put them on. I dressed in the black linen dress that he handed me, covering the bruises from the test.

  He walked me back to Sparrow’s house since I still did not have one of my own. I stepped inside and faced him. I touched his uninjured cheek, mouthing ‘thank you.’

  He kissed my palm and walked away.

  In the light from the candles, I looked at the shining thread on the sheaths. On one of them was an image of a Snow Cat; on the other sheath was the image of a Wolf. I smiled to myself, wondering if he had been trying to catch my eye, and I just did not know it.

  Chapter 11

  First Son knocked on the door, waking me up. He had a different kind of knock that Howling Wolf or any of the gossip girls. Letting Sparrow sleep some more, I walked over and opened the door. “The Elder needs to see us.”

  I looked past him to see Howling Wolf running toward the house. I yawned, before telling them one minute. I went back inside and changed into my black linen gear, matching what Howling Wolf wore. I placed the daggers in their sheaths on my hips, then put on the black boots Xerinae made me after my test. Then I quietly stepped out from the house to face them and gave them a thumbs up.

  “Did the Elder day why he needed to see us?” Howling Wolf asked as he walked toward the large building where he and Grandfather lived.

  Since my Enforcer test, First Son had become the highest-ranking warrior, moving quickly through the ranks. “No, he did not. I know that a messenger came before dawn and dropped a letter at the message stone.” The message stones were a way for the different Clans to communicate without stepping into each other’s lands. Sometimes those stones were the only way that peace was kept between the Clans. I wondered what this one could say that would require the three of us. I concluded that nothing good comes from things that happen before dawn.

  We entered the large building to see the Elder and Grandfather sitting in front of the fire.

  “Honorable Elder, how can we be of assistance?” Howling Wolf asked, the three of us bowing our heads.

  “First Son told you that there was a message left on the message stone?” he asked, handing the letter to Howling Wolf.

  I tried to read their faces, but all I saw was anger. I waited until the two tall males were done reading, before they handed the letter to me.

  It was a challe
nge to our Clan. It demanded that we send our best fighter to fight their own in a battle to the death. The fighter was to come alone. If we refused, they would attack our village. If we sent a fighter and they died, they would not attack us. I narrowed my eyes at the letter, knowing that Howling Wolf or First Son would try to go to face this battle. First Son and Sparrow were just now learning they wanted to catch each other’s eyes and hearts. Howling Wolf would try to go, but Sparrow would be sad if he did not make it back. I handed the letter back to the Elder, watching him put it in an easily accessible pocket.

  “Who sent it?” First Son asked the Elder.

  “The Star Clan.” Grandfather pulled out a map of the Clans, pointing to where their village was.

  “Why would they challenge us?” First Son asked.

  “We should be under the assumption that it is a challenge for dominance in the region.” The Elder looked at me. “Silent Snow, when you first came here, you told Grandfather and I that the Moon Clan is known to the City Elves. Have you heard of the Star Clan?”

  I shook my head, only the Moon Clan being the threat to City Elves if we tried to escape into the forests.

  “My guess would be that they want to be feared as we are.”

  “How are we going to respond?” Howling Wolf asked. “If we ignore it, they will attack the village. If we send someone, they will probably kill them, since this could just be a trap to kill one of our warriors.”

  I kept my eyes on the map, memorizing it.

  Grandfather caught me staring and rolled up the map. “What do you think, Silent Snow?”

  I used my hands to tell them that I agreed with Howling Wolf’s assessment. What kind of a Clan would let an enemy walk right in, kill their top fighter, then let them leave? If it is a trap, then would we be willing to sacrifice one of our own to save the rest of the Clan? I asked them how many they thought Star Clan had in warriors.