by A. C. Cobble
Mathias rose to his feet, started toward his pack, and then froze.
A whisper of steel against leather. Ben’s senses spiked with fear. Ben couldn’t see around Mathias in the dark, but he could sense the alarm in his friend’s stance.
Suddenly, Mathias dove toward his pack and the broadsword he had tucked under it. He shouted back to Ben and Amelie, “Run!”
A shadowy figure was revealed standing at the edge of the firelight. All Ben could see was a dark silhouette of a man. The light reflected along the edges of two blades. A long, slender rapier and a dagger. Before Ben could react, the figure charged toward Mathias.
Ben sprang up and yanked his own sword out of its battered leather sheath. Amelie was struggling to draw her saber.
The dark figure was on Mathias in a blink and stabbed down with the rapier.
Mathias, instead of pulling his sword free or scrambling away, surged forward and caught the assailant in the midsection with his shoulder. He propelled them both back onto the ground. The hilt of the rapier bounced harmlessly off Mathias’ back.
Mathias landed on top of the figure but the attacker continued the momentum and kept rolling, kicking with his feet and flipping Mathias up and over. The veteran somersaulted in the air before landing hard on the ground.
Ben charged forward, ignoring the twinge of pain in his still tender ankle. He tried to catch their attacker while he was still down, but the man sprung to his feet before Ben could get there.
Ben swung his longsword but his wild swing was expertly turned aside by the man’s dagger. The attacker’s rapier lashed forward and Ben scrambled back, narrowly avoiding being gutted. A thin burning cut blossomed across his stomach where the point nicked him.
Mathias clambered to his feet and drew his broadsword. He stood squarely behind their assailant. Ben and Amelie were in front. All three spread out to encircle the man.
“I don’t know why you are doing this or who you are…” started Ben.
“Enough, boy,” interrupted the man with a snarl. “You may not know me, but I know you, and your heads are the same price, dead or alive.”
The rapier flicked toward Amelie and she scrambled backward out of reach. Mathias and Ben both saw an opportunity and charged forward. The attacker responded by lunging toward Ben.
Ben stopped and set into a defensive posture while Mathias continued his charge at the man’s back. Instead of the expected attack at Ben though, the man spun around and crashed his rapier against Mathias’ broadsword. The heavy weapon was shunted aside and Mathias crashed inside the guard of the rapier. The grizzled veteran was startled by the attacker’s pivot and didn’t react in time to the dagger, which whipped around and slashed him.
Mathias yelled a strangled cry and flailed backward, clutching at his neck. A spray of blood arced out from a wound as he flopped onto his back.
Ben’s stomach churned with concern for his friend. He was also concerned for himself. The assailant was too quick and his fighting style was completely foreign. He used the two blades like they were extensions of his arms. There was no defense against both of them when he was able to block with one and counterattack with the other.
With Mathias out of the fight, the man slowly turned to face Ben. The firelight cast frightening shadows across his face. His wicked smirk gave him a nasty, demonic look.
Ben backed up to give himself room and time to think. Amelie circled behind the man’s back. She was hesitant to attack after what happened to Mathias.
“Amelie,” called Ben, thinking quickly. “See to Mathias. I will deal with this.”
The man smiled. “You’re awfully confident boy. You sure you don’t want help from the girl?”
“I don’t need it,” growled Ben.
The man cackled and stalked forward.
Ben stepped back and circled to what he hoped was the man’s offhand–if there was one. While the man slowly advanced, Ben kept backing up. He stayed in the circle of light from their fire and didn’t engage the man.
“Too scared to fight me, boy?” taunted the attacker.
Ben remained silent and continued to stay just out of reach.
“Very well,” snarled the man.
He surged forward and lashed out with his rapier. Ben parried and stepped back again. A momentary flash of frustration crossed the man’s face, giving Ben hope.
Again the rapier whipped out and Ben easily parried and continued his slow retreat. The man swung forward again, following it with a weak slash from his dagger. Ben kept out of reach of both.
The man started a series of ferocious swings and jabs, but Ben refused to engage. He kept meeting the attacks with minimal force and stepping away when he could. The thrusting attacks from the rapier became faster and wilder as the man grew angry.
“Fight me!” he yelled. Recklessly, he leapt forward, trying to catch up to Ben’s withdrawal.
It was what Ben had been waiting for. With both of the man’s blades extended and the man jumping in the air, Ben burst forward, ducking the sharp steel and thrusting his longsword deep into the man’s chest. The impact of their bodies colliding drove the longsword clean through the man. He collapsed lifeless into Ben.
Ben shoved the body off his weapon, panting heavily. He looked down at the dead man, still uncertain about whom he was.
“Ben!” cried Amelie.
She had been watching the fight, looking for an opportunity to assist, but now that it was over, she knelt next to Mathias.
Ben dropped his longsword and ran to Mathias.
The barkeep was lying on his back, his breath was coming in strained, wet gurgles. The flickering fire lit his blood slick hands. They were clasped around his neck and Ben could see in his eyes that it was over. When Ben drew close, Mathias tried to whisper something. Only blood bubbled out of his mouth. Crimson streaks leaked down his cheek.
Ben rocked back on his heels, struggling in vain to think of something they could do.
Amelie sobbed and gripped Mathias’ arm tightly. “Hold on,” she begged. “I can heal you.”
Mathias tried one more attempt at speaking, but couldn’t get out the words. He met Ben’s eye and withdrew his hands from his neck.
A splash of blood shot out with the release of pressure and Ben saw the gaping wound that went from just below Mathias’ ear to the front of his neck. He knew Amelie didn’t have the skill to heal that.
With each heartbeat, a progressively weaker spurt of blood pumped out. Within the space of a dozen breaths, Mathias was still.
They spent half the night burying their friend. Ben dug out a shallow grave using his hands and the veteran’s broadsword. Amelie kept watch, jumping at every little sound in the surrounding woods.
Ben said a few short words. Then they moved camp one hundred paces further up the side of the mountain. They tried to lie down and rest, but neither of them could sleep.
After a half bell, staring up at the stars, Ben broke the silence. “Who was that?”
“A hunter,” answered Amelie morosely. “Someone the Sanctuary sent after us. He said there was a price on our heads.”
“Do you think he was working alone?” asked Ben.
“I hope so. It’s not unusual for men like that to work alone.”
“If he wasn’t alone, he would have waited.” Ben sighed. “At least I think he would have waited. But if he could find us, then others might also find us.”
“You’re right,” said Amelie. “But what does it matter? What else can we do but keep moving? If we stay still or we try to hide, it will just make discovery quicker. If they capture us, we may as well be dead.”
Pick Up the Pieces
The next morning came early and both Ben and Amelie woke groggy.
Ben walked back to their previous campsite and used the daylight to quickly search their attacker. His body was cold to the touch and unpleasantly stiff, though, fortunately, it had not begun to smell.
The man must have dropped his supplies before attacking
them because he didn’t have much on him. He had a belt pouch with a handful of coins, a bloodstained handkerchief, a strange tiny copper bowl inscribed with miniature runes around the rim, and a set of flint and steel. He had a utilitarian knife on his belt, the rapier, and the dagger. Other than that, Ben found nothing worthwhile. Ben tried to remember what Rhys looked for when he searched bodies. The only thing Ben could recall was being disgusted by the concept. That hadn’t changed.
He took the bowl to show Amelie, and on a whim, he picked up and wiped off the man’s weapons.
He brought them back to where Amelie was preparing a quick breakfast they could eat on the move. Despite being exhausted from almost no sleep the night before, neither of them was interested in hanging around the area for long.
Amelie looked up. “Find anything?” She frowned at the two blades. “What are you doing with those?”
“They’re good quality and light weight. I thought…” Ben shrugged. “Well, I thought maybe you could use them. That man was pretty effective with them last night. If you can learn that, I think they’d be a better fit for you than the saber.”
She frowned. “Saala has been teaching me to use weapons like the saber. I don’t know how to use a stabbing weapon like that, much less two of them.”
“You’ll learn,” assured Ben. “We can start with the rapier. If you like it, we can see about adding the dagger. I don’t know much about fighting with two blades either, but after seeing what that man was able to do, I think it’s worth trying. He was able to keep three of us at bay. Anytime we struck at him, he could use one blade to defend and one to counterattack. That style relies on quickness and not strength.” Ben shrugged. “Maybe…”
He trailed off without completing his sentence. He was going to say maybe she wouldn’t end up like Mathias.
“I understand,” she finished for him.
He showed her the copper bowl the attacker had. “He was carrying this.”
She kept making breakfast and then looked at it. “It does look like a magical device, but I have no idea what its purpose could be. Did he have anything else strange?”
“Everything else was normal,” answered Ben.
Amelie stood up and handed Ben a chunk of bread stuffed with cheese. “Let’s walk and eat.”
They headed north toward Kirksbane. They stayed just below the tree line, in the light cover of the forest. This far into the mountains, the travel was quicker than they experienced below. Speed was their friend now. Ben opted to stay high and make use of the clearer ground instead of heading deeper into the thicker growth which would provide better concealment.
It was a hard day, but neither complained. They kept moving through lunch and only paused long enough to refill their water skins at a small stream. Barely speaking, they communicated by hand gestures and in whispers when necessary. Silence was wise if someone was nearby, but also, they just didn’t feel like talking.
By evening, they covered several leagues and felt comfortable stopping to rest. They slung their packs down on the ground. Amelie started digging through to find something they could eat. Earlier, they decided to forgo a fire that night. They weren’t sure how the hunter had tracked them, but a campfire was too obvious a giveaway to anyone nearby looking for them.
Ben sat, staring blankly while Amelie worked. Before long, she paused and glanced at him.
“I understand what it’s like, Ben.”
“What do you mean?” he responded.
“Losing a friend,” she answered solemnly. “It wasn’t that long ago I lost Meredith. I’d known her my entire life. When she died at Snowmar, for a while there, I didn’t know how I could continue.”
Ben sighed.
“I didn’t know him like you did,” she continued, “but when you needed help with an insane plan to break into the Sanctuary and sneak someone out, he’s the one you went to, and he actually did it. Friends like that don’t come along very often.”
Ben picked up a rock off the ground and rubbed his thumb over its rough surface. “You’re right. He was a good friend. Better than I deserved, and I got him killed. If I hadn’t gone to him, if I hadn’t asked him to help with that insane plan, then he would still be alive and tending bar at the Flying Swan.”
“Ben, you can’t think like that,” protested Amelie.
“But it’s true, Amelie,” replied Ben harshly. “I know you’re going to say that he knew the risks and he came along anyway. You’d be right, he did know, but it doesn’t absolve me of asking him in the first place.”
She rummaged in the pack and pulled out a paper wrapped packet of dried beef. She didn’t answer for several minutes.
Finally, she said, “I’ve realized since I left Issen that the world is a hard place. Meredith died. Reinhold died. Mathias died. I don’t know what the hell happened with Meghan, but as far as I’m concerned, we lost her too. To me, she may as well be dead. I’m going to be pretty damn tempted to make it official if I see her again.”
Unwrapping the package of dried meat, she continued talking, “Ferguson would have died if it wasn’t for Towaal. We’ve both gotten cut up, you were captured by thieves, we’ve been banged around, and barely escaped death ourselves a couple of times, but here is the thing Ben, it’s only going to get harder.”
Ben blinked at her, unsure of how to respond.
Amelie kept going, “If one hunter found us, then others will too. We’ve got a long way to Whitehall and it’s only the two of us now. We don’t have a mage, a blademaster, and whatever exactly Rhys is to protect us. It’s all on us, and if we do somehow make it to Whitehall, we still won’t be safe. Lord Jason slaughtered a hundred men and was going to come after me at the Sanctuary. We killed at least one man and maybe a mage when we escaped. King Argren and his tall walls won’t stop them. Ben, we may never stop running.”
Ben frowned at her. “Are you trying to cheer me up? It’s not working.”
“I’m trying to be realistic,” she replied. “If we lose focus, if we stop trying, if we stop moving, then we are as good as dead. If we’re not committed to doing anything necessary to get through this, then we might as well march back to the Sanctuary and give ourselves up. The easy part, if there ever was one, is over.”
Ben tossed the rock he was holding into the woods. “So what do we do?”
“We stay alive, we get to Whitehall, and we tell Argren what happened with Coalition and the Sanctuary. We warn the Alliance so they have time to prepare for what the Coalition is planning. Unless you want to go into hiding somewhere deep in these mountains and ignore what’s going on in the world, what else can we do?”
“I don’t know,” he answered morosely. “When you put it like that, there isn’t anything else.”
Free State
They slept hard and fast and were back on their feet at day break. Amelie was right. Losing Mathias left a hole in Ben’s heart, but what else was there but to push on? It’s what the veteran and barkeep would have wanted.
That didn’t mean they had to be foolish about it though.
“We can’t just keep running without thinking,” said Ben as they crested a low ridge and descended into a shallow ravine.
“What do you mean? We have to keep moving, right?” countered Amelie.
“Yeah,” agreed Ben, “but we can’t be stupid. That hunter found us somehow. It’s too big of a coincidence that he happened to be in such a random area of the mountains at the same time as us at night. How did he do it?”
Amelie shifted her pack and grimaced.
“I’ve been thinking about it, and I think it must be magical,” suggested Ben.
“He was a man,” muttered Amelie. “He couldn’t have any magic.”
Ben smiled for the first time since Mathias passed. “I think you mean he shouldn’t have any magic.”
Amelie stopped walking and looked at Ben.
“Think about it,” said Ben. “We were three days from the road. We’ve been in the middle of nowhere and recentl
y moving across pretty rocky ground that wouldn’t leave much of a track. I find it hard to believe that man just happened to be lurking way out here with no clue we’d be nearby. What other explanation is there? He somehow used magic to find us. That little copper bowl had runes on it, just like the wooden disc you’re carrying.”
Ben motioned ahead. “Let’s keep walking. You know magic better than I do. Is there any way someone could use it to track us?”
Amelie knitted her brows and thought. “I don’t know anything about that bowl. In theory, it could be possible to track someone if you have a strong enough attachment to them. A very strong attachment. If they’re family or you’ve had a sexual relationship with them, maybe.”
“I didn’t have sex with that guy, if that’s what you’re implying,” joked Ben.
“A strong and knowledgeable mage might be able to replicate that attachment,” continued Amelie, ignoring Ben’s comment. “I don’t know of it being done by anyone in the Sanctuary, but it’s conceivable. Blood or other bodily fluids could contain enough matter for someone to use. There is a force called cohesion where like particles attempt to stay united.”
“I don’t understand,” said Ben.
“If someone had fresh blood or another bodily fluid,” she supposed, “they might be able to amplify the cohesive force enough to draw the sample toward a person.”
Ben blanched. “My blood was all over the walls we climbed. It was probably scattered through the vineyard and the woods too.”
Amelie shook her head. “I’ve only studied cohesion in regards to simple things like drops of water. I’m not sure it’s even a possibility.” She shrugged in frustration. “It’s probably not possible with dried blood because the chemical change would disrupt the cohesive property. I don’t know enough about these things, but I can’t think of anything else.”
“I have no idea what you just said,” muttered Ben. “What I followed though, is that as long as we don’t leave fresh blood where a mage can find it, we should be okay?”