The Last Empath of Doctsland

by Leah Putz

  “Wait,” I said, stuck on his words. “Carthoc would have known… how would that knowledge get to Siglind? Was Carthoc not killed in the rescue?”

  Viktor grimaced, and I braced myself for whatever unhappy news he was about to break. “Alas, unfortunately he was not.”

  I ran through what little memories I had of that night. “I thought I heard you threatening him. I assumed…”

  “It’s my fault that he got away. I questioned him, asked where you were. As soon as he told me, I bolted off in your direction. I wasn’t thinking clearly, I should have killed him as soon as I got the information I needed. But instead, while I was focused on getting to you, he slipped away.”

  Horror rocked through my body. This entire time, I had thought my torturer dead, and had found at least some comfort in that fact. Now, though, the knowledge that he was still out there made me feel sick. I rushed out of Vik’s front door and emptied my stomach onto the ground beneath my feet.

  “Lisalya!” he exclaimed, racing to my aid and helping to pull my long hair away from my face. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

  “I-” I choked out, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “I had assumed he was dead. To know that he is still out there. That I could have to face him is…” I trailed off, wrestling with the terror that came with that thought.

  Viktor gathered me into a comforting hug. “I will do everything in my power to protect you from him. He won’t get his hands on you a second time.”

  I sniffled against his tunic and closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of his embrace. That is, until someone cleared their throat. “Am I interrupting something?” Siofra asked.

  Viktor and I broke apart, immediately putting distance between us. “No,” I said. “I just found out Carthoc escaped the raid, I was upset. Viktor was merely offering me a bit of comfort.”

  “Ahh,” Siofra said. “I understand. Well, I’m sorry to barge in unlooked for. But I’ve completed the calculations to find out when our fleet should be landing at Nul. They should be arriving next week.”

  Grimacing at the news, Viktor gestured for us to follow him inside. “Is Jion coming?”

  “Yes, he’s on his way. He was just finishing his breakfast when I left, so he should be arriving shortly.”

  “Good. I don’t want to make any plans without his input.”

  Siofra raised an eyebrow. “You know what his input will be.”

  “All the same,” he replied, shrugging, and just as he spoke there was a knock on the door, followed by a shout of ‘IT’S ME’ that made the three of us chuckle. “Come in!” Viktor hollered back.

  Once Jion entered the cabin, we all sat around Viktor’s small table and began planning. Well, they began planning. Knowing nothing about battle, warfare, espionage, or any of the like, I sat back and kept my mouth shut.

  Viktor began by rolling the map of Bushand out on the table and pointing toward Nul on the south western coast. “Siofra informs me that the fleet should be arriving in Nul next week. Jion, you know how to read a map and judge distance better than I, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe we are a five day’s march from the city.”

  Jion brushed his hair back out of his eyes and sighed. “Yeah, give or take a day. If we move quickly enough, and don’t run into any obstacles, we should be able to make it in five days.”

  “We can’t guarantee we won’t run into any obstacles. It’s best to assume it will take at least six days. In that case, Siofra, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid we just don’t have time to go on another rallying mission. If we don’t arrive in conjunction with our ships, it will put the entire fleet at risk. That’s not a risk I can afford to take. Without the fleet, we have no hope.”

  Siofra agreed solemnly. “I understand. And I agree, it’s not a risk we can afford. However, I do have a suggestion that may suit everyone.” We waited eagerly for her to continue. She pointed at the map. “Green Marsh is just along the route between us and Nul. We can still make one more attempt to gather more people to our banners, but we won’t be going terribly out of our way to do so. Perhaps only delaying ourselves a day, or even less.”

  Jion’s eyes widened. “I think that would work. We could afford a delay that slight, especially if it means growing our numbers. What do you think, Vik?”

  “I don’t want to force Lisalya to use her powers already. She’s still healing, and the march will be hard enough.”

  “Vik,” I said, effectively cutting him off. “I appreciate your concern. However, I can manage. I’ve gotten much better at controlling my abilities since I left Loch. Finding and locating one town while we’re on the move should not be too taxing, especially if it will be fairly near to us. I already know from past attempts that there is nothing within a day’s march of camp, so I will open my mind and make an attempt after our first day’s march.”

  “Are you sure?” His eyes searched my face, scanning for any sign of uncertainty. “I don’t want to push you.”

  “I’m positive.”

  He sighed. “Alright. We do need more men, we’re woefully behind on numbers. I had anticipated having many more opportunities to gather more to our cause than we were able to attempt due to the… unforeseen circumstances that occurred.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Siofra said, finality in her strong voice. “When will we be leaving? I suggest as soon as possible.”

  “Yes, absolutely. At first light, I’ll send out an order to pack up as quickly as possible. Hopefully we’ll be able to make off as early as tomorrow afternoon. Lis, are you going to be able to head out that soon?” Vik asked.

  “I’m feeling much better. My back feels stiff on occasion, but the wounds have healed thanks to your help, and the spell. I’m confident I can handle the journey, though it may be a bit more difficult than previous jaunts.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Jion said, grinning, repeating Siofra’s words. “We leave tomorrow.”

  Each one of us felt a bit lighter, a bit more at ease, now that we had a definitive plan that suited everyone. The rest of the evening was spent avoiding the heavy topic of the future, but rather enjoying each other’s company. We played a few card games, laughed, and tried to appreciate this time of relative peace before we began to march towards what could very well be our doom.

  ***

  The next morning was a scramble. Viktor had given the departure order at first light, saying “We leave as soon as we’re all packed and ready to depart. It is a long march, and I don’t know how much time we will have to stop and hunt, so try to bring as many food items as you can carry. King Siglind has most likely been made aware of our presence by now, so there’s no point in taking the time to dismantle the camp to hide our tracks. We will face him and will no longer be operating in secret. The time has come, we march to face our enemy, and to defeat him!” He raised his sword high in the air as he finished his speech, earning a resounding cheer from the camp.

  Shortly after he finished, everyone broke apart to begin frantically getting ready. I myself made my way to my small cabin. My hands shook as I folded each item of clothing (most of which had been purchased or gifted from new Bushanian members of our camp), placing them gently into my pack, and I realized how nervous I was. This would begin the last leg of our journey, arguably the most crucial leg. The options were simple, limited; if we did not succeed, we died. Faced with this reality, I took a seat on my bed and tried to steady my breathing. There was also the possibility of meeting Carthoc in battle. If he had made his way back to Nul, surely he would be fighting alongside Siglind’s troops. I felt torn, part of me wanted to face him and destroy him, getting revenge for my ill treatment. The other part of me wished to never see his face or hear his voice again, even to kill him.

  I took a few moments to myself, letting my mind breathe for a bit and reveling in the silence before I’d have to either have my walls up or feel everyone around me for the duration of the march and the battle. Once my hands had calmed, I resumed my packing. I didn’t
have much, so it didn’t take terribly long. Merely a few items of clothing, a blanket, my water skin, and Gaisgea, which I was now able to strap to my back. During my recovery, Jion had fashioned a strap for me to wear to hold the blade. My height made it difficult to wear on my hip without the sword bumping into the ground, so he devised a way for me to carry it on my back, where I could still easily reach it’s handle and pull it loose in a fight.

  Taking one last deep breath, I put my walls up, stretched my shoulders and my back, and strolled out the door. I said a small goodbye to the little cottage that had been my home for the past month and a half or so before heading back to the center of camp.

  The whole area buzzed with activity, people dashing to and fro trying to get ready to leave as quickly as possible. All apart from Jion, who sat perched on a log near the still blazing central fire. His nonchalance made me laugh as I approached. “Well you don’t seem too busy,” I said, taking a seat beside him.

  He glanced my way, raising an eyebrow, “Nor do you. Siofra’s giving orders, keeping everyone on track, in her element. I got myself ready so I’m set.”

  “And Viktor? Is he ready?”

  A knowing smirk grew on his face that made me blush, though I wasn’t sure why. “He’s in his cabin still, probably worrying over something or other. He tends to take a while to get ready, though I imagine he should be in a rush this morning. He certainly won’t want us to have to wait on his account. You can go assist him, if you’d like.”

  I turned away from his smile, “No, that’s alright. I’m sure he has everything under control.”

  At that moment, Siofra strolled up to the fire, just in time to change the subject to my relief. “We’re almost ready. Just a few more people need to finish packing up, but we should be able to make off within an hour. I take it the two of you are prepared to leave?”

  “We could head off at once. We’re the most prepared of the entire camp,” Jion answered.

  “Great. I’ve told everyone to rally here when they’re ready, I don’t imagine it will be terribly long. We might end up waiting on Vik, as usual.”

  “Come on, Siofra, give me some more credit,” Viktor said, approaching the fire with his pack slung on his back, and his sword at his hip. “I’ve left my old ways behind me, including the perpetual tardiness.”

  She grinned, “So you have.”

  “Are we all here? Ready to make off?” Viktor glanced up at the sky. “It’s not even noon yet, we’re ahead of schedule.”

  “We’re waiting on a few stragglers, they should be here soon” Siofra answered. Jion stood and grabbed a bucket of water, dousing the fire to snuff it out.

  Just as Siofra had predicted, we only had to wait about fifteen minutes before every one of our large party was grouped around the fire.

  Viktor raised his voice to address the crowd. “Thank you, everyone, for your haste in preparing to depart. We’re ahead of schedule, which means we’ll have some additional time to try to gather more people to our party, rather than rushing. Our plan is as follows: We will begin our journey now, heading steadily towards Nul, where we will meet a Doctsland fleet and combine forces to attack the city and, after capturing it, remove Siglind from his seat of power. Timing is of the utmost importance. We must arrive at the city at approximately the same time as the fleet. We have allowed a day in our marching schedule to rally more troops while we are on our way. Our plan is to approach Green Marsh, but if any of you know of another town or city along our route that is averse to Siglind’s rule and more likely to join us, please inform Siofra, Jion, or myself. We’ve only time for one stop, one raid, so we must choose wisely and select the location that will likely bring us the most volunteers. We will march from dawn til dusk each day, with only a stop to rest at midday and have lunch. Let the thought of victory drive you. We march towards freedom from the oppression that Siglind has bestowed on you, and wills to bestow on Doctsland.” A cheer rose up from the crowd, and Viktor finished his speech with one last announcement. “And now, we depart!”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Viktor

  We set out at once in the direction of the river. After spending a significant amount of time examining the map of Bushand, Jion and I agreed the smoothest path would be along Waterford River. We would keep the river on our right, staying close enough that we could hear the roaring water, but far enough in the woods that we could avoid being seen by any passing boats. I wanted to attempt to keep our journey secret, feeling it would be better to try to catch King Siglind unawares.

  “He knows there are a handful of us, and thinks the party consists of an envoy. He may know we’re here, but he doesn’t know why, nor does he know the extent of our plan. Even if the two spies reported our number after Cessam, they would not know of the fleet approaching Nul. I’d like to keep that under wraps until we arrive, if possible. We will need every advantage that we can possibly get.”

  Though we tried to move as quickly as possible, it was difficult to move swiftly through the forest with a large number of people. Our efforts had amassed six hundred soldiers to our cause, which meant the going was slow though steady.

  The core four of us that had initially set out lead the march. As we walked I took the time to admire the countryside of Bushand. I hadn’t been to another country; I hadn’t even spent much time out of Capital City, and though we’d been in Bushand for a long time at this point I hadn’t really taken the time to take note of the landscape. It was a tad warmer, and the small difference in the climate meant that the foliage varied to that at home in Doctsland. The forest was thick and poignantly green, and I felt a little sad that we were leading a force of six hundred men and women to stomp through it, wrecking any areas that Siglind had not yet gotten to. I could only hope we would not snuff out too much of the beauty of the landscape. I had hoped that we would see some wildlife, but animals had hidden themselves as soon as they could hear us coming, though I could hardly blame them. I worried it may be difficult for Jion and the others to find food to hunt, unless we managed to find a way to be a lot more quiet as we moved.

  We made it several hours before the sky grew dark around us. I pushed us to keep going until the night’s visibility made it impossible, then I called for a halt. “We’ll stop here. I don’t think we can go much further tonight without risking injuries we can’t afford- the ground is too unstable. Find a spot and try to get comfortable. We’ll leave at first light.”

  “Sir?” a voice rose from the crowd in question. “Can we risk fires?”

  I glanced at Lisalya, silently asking if there were any people nearby that could possibly see the flames. She met my eyes, giving me a small nod in response. I raised my voice in answer, addressing as much of the camp as possible. “Yes, we can afford fires tonight. I suggest making groups of ten or fifteen, possibly even less, and each group making a fire for dinner and for warmth overnight. We’ll be making our’s near this area,” I gestured to a flat area around me and smiled. “If you’re unsure what group to join, you’re welcome to join us.”

  As soon as I finished speaking the army began to break off into small groups. Shortly thereafter, flames began to spring up as far as the eye could see, indicating that they were following my instructions. Jion set to work at once and before long our fire was roaring as well. I pulled a blanket out of my pack and set it on the ground, as close to the flames as safely possible.

  Lisalya arranged her blanket nearby, laying her pack and Gaisgea by her side before laying herself down as well, stomach to the ground.

  “Are you alright?” I asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine. My back is a bit sore, that’s all,” she replied, laying her head in the crook of her arm, facing the fire. Orange flickers danced across her skin, which had grown pale during the confinement of her recovery.

  “Was it too much? Do you think you’ll fare okay tomorrow?” I asked, concern gnawing at me. I hope I didn’t push her too hard. Although, what choice did I have?

  She smiled re
assuringly, “Of course, I’ll be fine.”

  “If you feel like you’re being pushed too far, please let me know. I’ve carried you before. I don’t have a problem doing it again.”

  Her grin grew at my offer, “Thank you, truly. I believe I should be alright.” Her stomach growled audibly. “That is if I don’t starve to death before tomorrow’s march. I need some dinner.”

  I threw my head back, laughing. “Yes, of course. We all do. I was so excited to finally get on the road that I completely forgot to eat something for lunch. Now I’m famished. Let’s get some meat on the fire.”

  “Yes, please, before I fall asleep and miss another meal,” she joked, snuggling in under her blanket.

  Jion and I worked together to cook a small meal for us and the few others who had joined at our fire. By the time we were finished, I noticed Lisalya’s eyelids beginning to droop. “Don’t fall asleep just yet,” I said, making a plate for her. “Dinner is ready.”

  She sat up, reinvigorated at the prospect of eating. “Just in time,” she said, taking the plate from my hands “Many thanks.”

  I gave her a kind smile and a nod before dishing up a plate for myself and devouring my dinner rapidly. As soon as the food was gone, weariness crept into my eyes. I put my hand over my mouth as I yawned and laid back down, covering myself with a thin blanket. The last thing I saw before drifting off to sleep was Gaisgea glinting in the firelight beside Lis.

  ***

  When I awoke, it was to a gentle hand shaking my shoulder, and Siofra’s voice murmuring my name. I rubbed my eyes in confusion. “What’s going on?” I asked, sitting upright.

  “Sorry to wake you,” she said. “I was up for my guard shift when one of the women in the camp approached me. She confirmed Green Marsh’s location, and the possibility of them being easily swayed to our cause. She said they’re possibly only a half a day from our current location. She also confirmed that Lura is their leader.”

  My eyes widened at the mention of my step-sister’s name, “Lura? Is she sure?”