As the woman drew the damp cloth up my leg, following the cut but mostly wiping the skin beside it, Tara bumped the woman's shoulder.
"Oh, sorry," Tara said.
I caught her glancing at me, apparently checking my reaction. I shook my head at her.
"It's alright," the woman said without looking away from my leg until she'd finished cleaning it.
I'd been distracted by the one attending to my wound and by Tara…being Tara, so I didn't see what the second woman and the boy had been doing up to then. What I did see as the boy stepped back from the poultice puzzled me. He fanned his fingers over the poultice, and maybe it was the sweat from the fight still bothering my eyes, but I thought I saw faintly glowing smoke drift across the herbal paste. When he withdrew his hand, the smoke dissipated. I looked to see if he had a match or something of the sort in his hand, but he held nothing.
The woman who had cleaned my wounds stepped aside to let the other woman near. Tara and Nithia sat again. The second woman was more homely than the first. The fact that Tara and Nithia sat confirmed my suspicion of their jealousy with the other one. As the less comely woman approached with the herbal liniment, I nodded toward the boy, who was leaving the room. "What was that he was doing to it?"
She froze and stared at me, which surprised me. My question seemed innocent enough. I waited for her to answer. After a few seconds, she glanced down at the ointment in her hand, then back to the doorway through which the boy had departed.
"I'm not sure what you mean," she said.
Huh. I didn't believe her. "With his hand over that." I looked at the metal tin in her hand.
She slowly shook her head.
I knew I hadn't imagined it, but her reaction made no sense to me.
"It doesn't hurt, Den," Mettin said. "Stop giving her a hard time."
I shifted my gaze to him. The woman who'd cleaned my wounds was now doing the same to his. He was grinning at me.
"I wasn't," I said. I glanced at the tin of liniment, which the more homely woman was now scooping from with two of her fingers, then I looked at Nithia and Tara, hoping one of them had seen the boy do…whatever it was he did. Alara had been seated with only a view of the boy's back.
Nithia smiled at me and Tara shrugged her shoulders.
"Okay if I?" The woman had a large dab of the herbal paste on her fingers.
"Yeah," I said. "Go ahead." I felt a little embarrassed. The boy couldn't have been more than ten years old. Maybe he was just goofing off, I thought.
But the smoke?
I decided it wasn't important. Maybe it was a little magic trick he'd learned, I conjectured, putting my mind at ease until the woman started wiping the herbal paste onto my cuts. She glanced at me. I immediately stopped wincing, then rolled my eyes and shrugged.
"I hope you got your fill of swordplay," Nithia said to me. "No more of that anytime soon."
"Nonsense." Mettin turned his head to look at her, keeping the rest of his body still, since the younger woman was still wiping clean his wounds. "That was the most fun I've had in a while."
Fun?
I had to admit to myself, despite the injuries, I enjoyed the practice too. Maybe it was knowing my life wasn't really in danger that made me appreciate the exercise. "Once we heal up a little. I'd like to get a handle on some of those techniques you used."
Mettin chuckled. "Perhaps you're stronger, but skill can hold its own."
"I'll be needing both in the days to come," I said, before looking down at the herbal paste packed into each of my wounds. I had enjoyed the week of respite from the dangers of Galderia, but I felt my destiny calling me...no matter how much I sometimes wanted to ignore it.
"That'll do the job," Mettin said. "Nothing like it."
"What's in it?" Nithia asked. She stood and walked over to me to take a closer look.
The young woman who had been cleaning Mettin's wound finished and nodded to him, then left the room. The one with the herbal paste, which was smelly—the paste, not the woman—started packing it into his cut.
"You'll have to ask her," Mettin said, nodding to the woman tending to him.
She stopped putting the herbal mixture on Mettin and looked at Nithia. "Mint, calendula, achiote, a few other herbs, and…some elements gathered from the sea."
I wanted to ask about the boy's hand in the mixture, but the woman pressed a small bit more into Mettin's wound, then said, "That should do it. I'll be going now. I have more important things to do than tend to a couple of foolish men."
Tara giggled.
"I know what you mean," Alara said as she stood. "But he's my handful." She grinned at me.
The woman left and Nithia took my hand. "Don't you think you've done enough fighting for a while?"
I wanted to agree with her. I looked into her eyes. She appeared a little worried. "Believe me, I'd like to kick back and lounge by the pool-"
"Huh?" she said.
I realized the expression was an Earth thing, but I figured she'd get what I meant if I kept going. "But we have to keep going."
"Cross the sea," Alara said.
I glanced at her. "Right." Turning back to Nithia, I said, "There are others out there who'll need our help." Every night I spend with my women increasingly served to remind me of the others who were out there somewhere, probably in trouble, certainly confused, likely scared.
Tara sighed. "And Kurg. Don't forget about him."
I hadn't forgotten. Knowing it was my destiny to face Thautus Kurg was the main reason I wanted to train with Mettin. I knew I had to do that, and take every other opportunity to make myself more formidable before the day came to face him.
"You know that's a death wish." Mettin sounded all too serious.
I looked at him and nodded. "Maybe, but…" I turned to Alara for reassurance. "But it's why I'm here."
Mettin walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "I'll teach you everything I know. I don't know if it'll be enough, but every year Kurg's reach grows and more people suffer at his hand. It's about time someone did something."
And that has to be me for some reason. Luck of the draw.
Part of me wanted to stay in Yedia for months and continue training with Mettin, to become as good a fighter as him, or better, but I knew I'd hidden from Kurg long enough. Who knows where his minions would next strike, killing innocent people again. Seeing first-hand what happened to a large and well fortified town, and attending the funeral for the Yedians who fell in battle, it was time to move on, to cross the sea and head into the belly of the beast. And yet, I was still entertaining the idea of staying in Yedia longer.
Nithia leaned onto my shoulder and I put my arm around her. I could feel her chest move as she sighed.
"It's not going to happen anytime soon," I said. "The long road ahead gives me time to prepare." I leaned over and kissed her head. "And we're going to stay together no matter what happens. I won't allow anything else."
I hoped my words were true, but actually, I felt confused.
Chapter 2
Nithia coaxed me day and night to stay in Yedia—doing so especially well at night. Despite knowing I needed to leave town and begin tracking down the other Earth women, I agreed to her highly persuasive pleas for a little more time in town. She made me promise to wait at least four or five more days. She had made some friends and I couldn't fault her for wanting to enjoy some normalcy while she had the chance. I suspected if she had her way, we'd buy a house in town and settle down. I secretly entertained the same thought.
Still, I wasn't entirely convinced I was ready to be domesticated, but I realized leaving town before my wounds healed more would be foolish, so I agreed to stay a little longer. To be honest, I was conflicted. But the herbal remedy applied to my injuries did the trick much sooner than I expected, and Mettin and I got back into our practice sessions. I felt restless, knowing the world across the sea awaited. But part of me wondered if the restlessness was really more anxiety about my future. Part of me, t
hough I felt uncomfortable admitting it to myself, didn't want to be the hero destined to take down Galderia's biggest foe. The two minds inside my head left me feeling confused more often than not.
Training again was not only prudent, but a good distraction. It helped me stay outside my head, aside from focusing on how to keep Mettin's sword from cutting me. He showed me maneuvers and tactics I'd never seen before. With his instruction, and putting everything to use in the time we had, I picked up the new moves easier than any recruit he'd worked with, according to what he told me. No major wounds since the one on my side.
Alara, Nithia, and Tara during that time busied themselves helping the people of Yedia recover from the assault on the city—sometimes lending a hand with the actual labor of reconstruction, other times doing what they could to ease the day-to-day burdens of townspeople who had lost someone when the dragons and other monsters had attacked. That's how Nithia made her new friends in town. Alara and Tara fell in with them soon after.
Nithia made Mettin and me promise not to injure one another as severely as before. No argument there. She couldn't bring herself to stand by watching he and I go at it with our swords. So, rather than come by the training grounds like they had initially, she, along with Alara and Tara, spent time with some of the local women. It was probably for the best. Not having my three women as bystanders made concentrating on the matter at hand a little easier, which made it safer for me.
After a few more days, Mettin told me it was time for him to return to captaining his men. Most of the immediate recovery work in the town had been done. I had helped after our daily sessions, despite being worn out. The heavier large-scale efforts required new timbers and stone masonry. Those endeavors would take weeks more—time to fell trees and quarry stone. No home improvement stores in Galderia. Mettin needed to get back to training and coordinating more distant patrols and scouting missions. Something, he admitted, he regretfully had been lax with leading up to the attack on Yedia. He spoke of duty, and what it meant, and I could tell he would long carry the guilt of allowing the attack to come unexpectedly, but I reminded him of the supernatural nature of it.
"You can't be expected to see something coming when it just magically appears on your doorstep," I said.
That's been my experience. It's how I got here in the first place.
He heard me, but I could tell he felt responsible still. "I'm Captain of the Guard. Duty doesn't abide excuses," he said.
He stared at me after saying that, and I stared back, thinking how true his words rang in my ears. I wondered if he meant the words for himself, just as much as for me. I had, after all, spoken to him a couple of times about the possibility of setting aside the journey to face Kurg. And I hadn't put that option off the table.
He turned to look at the arena. Nodding, he spoke softly, "Duty. It falls to those of us who are capable enough."
Duty. I'm Guardian of Carnera. Didn't ask for it. Am I capable? Capable enough? Time will tell. No excuses.
But my resolute thoughts were quickly followed with the same persistent doubt about the mission hoisted upon me.
Mettin wiped the dust and dirt from his hands and forearms as he faced me again. "There's a shortage of able-bodied and willing men for the town's guard. Too many who had once served have abandoned the cause in favor of more lucrative work as a merchant, or as a goods runner whose job it is to venture south to other towns and settlements and transport supplies and wares back to Yedia."
I nodded slightly, but said nothing. I suspected he was merely testing my resolve—making me face the question of my destiny with Kurg...again. I didn't want to be called out for turning from that destiny, but maybe, I thought, he sees how unfair it is.
"Yedia could use a man like you," he said.
Stay? To be a guard?
I hadn't thought seriously about what my role would be if I stayed, despite Nithia hinting about settling down in Yedia. I liked Mettin, and thought about his suggestion. Yedia had a lot to offer.
"I can see you're considering it." He stepped up to me. "There will be another attack."
"There will?"
He nodded. "I don't know when, but yes."
Of course. He's just being a good Captain of the Guard. Recruiting for the defenses of the city. Can't blame him.
"Yeah, I guess danger is always out there somewhere." I glanced toward the distant city wall, which still had large sections badly damaged.
"True," he said, and I looked back at him. His gaze felt intense. "But I mean Kurg," he said.
I felt a chill. "Kurg?"
But he's across the sea.
"The way I see it, he's responsible for the assault on Yedia."
"But it was the sorcerer and Ms. Thompson." He gave me a funny look when I said her name. "His…acolyte." I felt proud I had pulled that term up on the fly. "We had a run-in with her before."
"And yet you survived then too. You see? Yedia would do well to have a man like you."
"Thanks, but…"
"Kurg must've sent them here. The old man, the sorcerer, he's done Kurg's bidding before."
I had no particular reason to doubt Mettin, but I didn't see how he could be sure. "I thought Kurg's dominion was across the sea." That's one of the reasons staying in Yedia was so appealing to me.
"It is, but his ambition reaches much farther. And Yedia…Yedia is a stronghold in this land. We are a strong people. He knows if he is to expand his dark hand over this land, he must tear down our walls and scatter us…or slaughter us." Mettin's expression turned darker. "Lest we sever his dark hand and feed him to the storms of the north sea."
There's no getting away from Kurg, then. Go. Stay. Does it actually matter?
"We fought some of his Dark Riders," I said, "a couple of times, actually."
"It used to be only across the waters of Ronak. This side of the sea was a refuge from him and his minions. But for many years now, he's been reaching across, taking peace from all of us. The town of Woltdel to the far south has been completely overrun, from what I have heard."
I nodded, remembering the news of Woltdel's fall. "We fought his men in Pertlass and Darguna. And in the plains north of Pertlass."
Mettin looked more troubled. He nodded slowly. "There was a time when travel to Tiern, across the sea, was safe. They were a good trading partner for us for many years."
His mention of Tiern made me feel guilty. I had let it slip my mind that some, if not all, of the other women from my Earth—however many they were—might be in Tiern or some other part of Kurg's land across the sea, and that they were lost...possibly worse.
No one else is coming to save them.
"I appreciate the offer to stay," I said, "but I have something I must do. I need to cross the waters. There are others, people from the place I call home, far away, who are on the other side, probably in danger, or will be before too long, because of Kurg."
Mettin nodded, and I could see the respect for my words in his eyes. "Then you must go."
It felt good having his respect…probably because he had mine.
"Yes." I touched the grip of my sword and thought about how much he'd improved my fighting technique in the short time we trained together. "I have my task. One that might prove to be the end of me."
"Kurg is formidable beyond any foe."
Yeah, he would be, wouldn't he?
I nodded and glanced toward the center of town for a moment. "Alara tells me it's my destiny to defeat him."
Mettin raised his eyebrows.
"The order she was raised in," I said. "That's what she learned from them...from the last priestess, her mother."
Mettin's eyes narrowed and he seemed to be considering my words. After a few moments he said, "And what do you think? Is it possible?"
I thought about destiny, and whether we have a choice. I really didn't know what the answer was, but I knew I had to do what I was capable of doing, or die trying. If Kurg had been spreading his tyranny for years and no one had stood against
him—except my dead predecessor—I couldn't stay in Yedia, as comfortable as that might be. It wouldn't last anyway, like he said.
"Maybe," I said. "Where I come from, destiny is mostly forgotten."
Probably partly why I'm still wrestling with this.
Mettin nodded.
"But," I said, "It's my duty."
He moved his hand, clasped in a fist, in front of him and lightly struck his chest as he tipped his brow down a little. "There's nothing else to say on the matter, then."
He has it all worked out. Why is it so hard for me? Oh yeah, I'm the one who has to face the Dark Lord.
I mirrored the gesture he made, taking it as a sign of respect and wanting to show him the feeling was mutual.
I dusted myself off a little more and wiped the sweat from my brow, catching a bead just before it spilled into my eye. "It's been great spending some time in Yedia."
"You mean other than the monsters, dragons, and sorcerers attacking the city?"
I froze for a second, wondering if I'd offended him by glossing over that event. He chuckled and I relaxed, chuckling a little too.
"Other than that part," I said.
I told him how grateful I was for what he'd taught me, and I meant it. Before our training, I'd survived using my raw strength and an array of moves which might have been adequate for the less skilled enemies I faced, but now I felt better prepared for whatever foes were yet to come…and, after talking with him, I knew that would eventually include Kurg.
Would it be enough?
I felt the cold evening wind blow in from the sea to the north of town and an unpleasant chill settled into me. Mettin seemed unfazed by it, and I wondered if it was only the cold wind hitting me. My thoughts drifted back to Kurg for a moment. I wondered what he looked like and how I would actually fair against him in a fight.
Mettin stepped forward and slapped the side of my shoulder. "You look a worn out, my friend. I hope Yedia hasn't treated you too harshly."
"No," I said, shaking my head. "It's been a hell of a vacation."
Deep Into Destiny Page 2