by Pirateaba
Some more faeries flew down to fly next to Ryoka. The first one shook her head.
“Some rules can be broken. Others cannot. What you ask is too much, mortal. Leave it be.”
They’d stopped smiling for some reason. Ryoka wondered if she were treading on dangerous ground; she was certainly squishing through something.
“Is gossip really that important? I’m just asking about things of this world, not the secrets of faerie mounds or anything. What about Teriarch—I mean, the Dragon? Do you bother him at all?”
Ryoka grinned as she imagined Teriarch trying to keep his dignity intact while the Frost Faeries pestered him. No wonder he’d flamed them. She chuckled to herself, trying to keep her balance as she ran.
She was still laughing when she saw the first body.
At first, it just looked like an odd shape in the snow, a dash of color in the white landscape. Then, as Ryoka jogged nearer she saw the dark green scales covered with frost and the dried blood. And then she realized what she was seeing and stopped.
It was a corpse. Ryoka had never seen one before. Well, of course she’d seen cadavers and she’d gone to a few open-casket funerals, but a corpse? Never.
This person—no, this Drake hadn’t just died in the snow. Someone had killed him. Ryoka didn’t want to, but her feet took her closer, until she was about ten feet away. There they stopped. She couldn’t move forwards. And she couldn’t look away.
Death. The Drake had been killed, yes, but now the gristly details had emerged. He—or she, Ryoka thought the body size and shape belonged to a he—was lying face-down in the snow. The leather armor on his back had been split open by a powerful thrust; Ryoka could look into frozen insides from here. She didn’t want to.
Her stomach trembled. Her heart beat faster. Ryoka stared at the dead body for a long time, trying to make sense of it. And failing.
He was dead. Someone had killed him. Of course. It only made sense. This was a dangerous world…people killed each other. Or things killed people. Either way, it was normal. Even in Ryoka’s ‘safe’ world, people got shot and stabbed all the time. It made sense.
That’s what she kept telling herself. But Ryoka just couldn’t accept the fact of the dead Drake lying in the snow on this bright, crisp clear day, in the middle of nowhere.
She had to look away. She had to go. If there was a monster nearby—but the Frost Faeries would warn her, wouldn’t they? Or wouldn’t they?
Ryoka took a look around, and stepped backwards uncertainty. She had to go forwards, though, right?
She took a step to take her well around the Drake’s body, and felt something else squish slightly under her boot. The young woman froze.
Just something on the ground. But now a horrible premonition stole over Ryoka, the leaping of her subconscious to a conclusion her brain didn’t want to accept. No. It couldn’t be.
Slowly, Ryoka looked around. This place was very deeply buried in snow. You could barely see anything, but she’d started landing on something that tore and burst underfoot, hadn’t she?
Ryoka stared at the ground, and then at her boots. Slowly, she lifted them up and stared at the bottom. There was snow stuck to the bottom of her soles, but a piece of something else as well. Ryoka’s gloves picked out a fragment of fur and grey flesh. The hair was dusky blonde; the flesh was rotted from decomposition and frozen. The girl stared at it.
Then she threw up. And ran.
“Slow down, mortal.”
A faerie appeared in Ryoka’s vision as she dashed through the snow, slipping, running, pumping her legs as fast as possible to get away from the buried corpses. Each time her foot stepped on something that wasn’t snow Ryoka tried to vomit again, but she kept running.
“Human, slow down!”
The faerie was in front of Ryoka, speaking urgently. But the girl’s panicked, horrified mind was unable to listen to the words. She only stopped when the massive gust of wind blew her backwards so hard she crashed into the snow with a thump.
Ryoka hit something hard and she panicked, thrashing about. Was it another body? But no, it was just the ground. She tried to get back up, but a blue face was in front of her.
“Human!”
“W-what? What is…?”
Ryoka stood up, shaking, but she stopped running. The faerie hovered in front of her, serious now, face no longer lit by mischief.
“You are in danger. Do not blunder around like the fool ye are or you too will be dead.”
What did that mean? Ryoka stared at the faerie and tried to force moisture into a suddenly-dry mouth.
“They’re dead. It’s—the corpses. How many died? What happened?”
The faerie looked at Ryoka.
“What do ye think? We are close, now. Follow. And slowly.”
She flew off, ahead of Ryoka with the others. The young woman hesitated, but then stumbled after her. The smile she’d worn just a few minutes earlier was gone, and now there was a pit of fear and horror in her stomach.
The faeries pushed uphill a bit further, until they were at the crest. There they floated in the air, looking out at something below. Ryoka hesitated, and then climbed the last few steps and stopped as she saw what lay below.
…
Her mind was blank for a while. When it slowly returned, Ryoka stared on in silence. She’d heard the word of course, heard it quite often in her world. And she’d thought she’d known the meaning, but it was one thing to know, and another to see it before her eyes. Such a simple word. She breathed it into the cold air.
“War.”
Below her and far away, miles away, Ryoka could see people in the snow. Fighting. Drakes in armor and tall Gnolls struggled with each other, cutting each other with swords and axes and other weapons, bashing each other, fighting, bleeding, dying.
Red blood spurted from a Gnoll’s chest far below, and he fell back, mouth open. Ryoka heard her pulse roaring in her ears as she saw the Drake raise a spear and drive it through his chest.
How long she watched she didn’t know. Long enough for her frantic heartbeat to slow ever so slightly. And then she heard the horn calls in the distance, the sound of drums, the faint clash of metal and the thump of explosions.
And the screaming.
On her hilltop, the Human girl stumbled backwards, and one of the faeries looked at her. The fey were all floating in the air, silently watching the battle without a hint of the glee they normally exhibited.
“They fight fiercely down below, do they not? The children of Dragons and the hunting dogs?”
The faerie looked at Ryoka; the girl could only stare back. Her eyes travelled back to the battle below, caught by the carnage. She tried to speak. Her voice was shaky when it finally emerged.
“I—”
—-
I can’t believe what I’m seeing. No. It’s because I can believe it that everything is so horrible.
War.
They’re killing each other down below. Blood and guts spill onto the ground as a Gnoll rips a Drake apart with an axe. I can’t even—
My stomach wants to heave, but I try to contain it. No. Don’t throw up. Look at the faerie. I turn my gaze, and try to focus on the wondrous being. It helps, a tiny bit. But I still hear the screaming.
“You are pale. Have ye never seen war before, Human?”
The faerie points at the battlefield and my eyes follow unwillingly. It doesn’t seem real. But I know it is. I can’t even speak, but somehow the words still come out.
“No. Never.”
The Frost Faerie shrugs.
“It is just another battle. It is natural.”
The faeries eye me as I shake my head.
“It’s not.”
I can’t even look away. The battle is a ways away, but now I can make out the details of what’s happening as the shock fades ever so slightly. There are sides, yes. Two sides. One seems to be made of organized soldiers wearing livery with purple—the other seems far more ragtag.
And the
other side is being slaughtered.
Maybe it’s a skill. Or maybe this is just how this world fights. But I can see the soldiers in livery starting to tear right through the ranks of the other side. One Drake runs another through with a sword and yanks it out as he cuts another Drake down and charges forwards with his friends. The lines were never that even, but now they bend and break as the soldiers on the other side turn and run.
And they’re cut down from behind.
Magic spells—fire and flashes of lightning strike warriors in the back, and arrows rain down from a group of archers on a hill. I can see a Drake standing there, sword unsheathed as he points down at the battle.
Some of the fleeing warriors are tossing down their weapons and raising their hands up. They get ignored, but everyone who doesn’t get shacked to pieces, staining the white ground red.
I want to vomit. I want to run. But I can’t do either. I’m transfixed, and a thought floats above the revulsion and horror in my head. Just when I think I understand this world, I realize how alien it truly is.
The battle’s over, or close enough. The few who got to the trees keep running as archers fire after them, and only now can I take in the bloody scene in its entirety. My knees are shaking.
“A problem, is it not?”
The voice in my ear makes me start. I look around and see the faerie.
“What…what is?”
The small creature points ahead, nearly directly past the sight of the battle.
“Yonder lies your destination.”
My destination…? I’d nearly forgotten about the Necromancer. I swallow. Oh god. How am I supposed to get past all that?
Running? They’ve got arrows and magic. This—this isn’t the same as the Lich. That was a monster, but this is a battle. What can I do if the army decides I’m a threat. Could the faeries—?
I look at them, and they seem to read my mind. One of the faeries fixes me with a serious look.
“We do not interfere in the quarrels of mortals. Remember that, Human.”
Oh. I don’t know what to say, but I open my mouth and I’m terribly afraid I’m going to beg them to help me. To—I don’t know—bury the army in an avalanche or something? Maybe I can just get around them. If I run west and then north for ten—no, twenty miles, maybe I can get—
“Look out! Duck, fool!”
A faerie shouts and points. I whirl, and see some of the archers and soldiers down below facing my way. They’re pointing, and I realize they’ve spotted my obvious position on the hill. I hear a shout, and suddenly they’re raising bows!
“God!”
I dive into the snow just as the distant figures loose. Something whistles overhead, and I look up just in time to see black blurs shoot past where my head had been.
Oh no. This is bad. How could I have been so stupid? Who stands on a hill and gives away their position like that? I wasn’t thinking and now I’m dead.
I crawl towards the edge of the hill, back the way I’ve come. Get below their line of fire. But already I can hear shouting, growing louder.
“Damn it. Hey, can you—?”
I look up, and the faeries are gone. I’m alone.
Oh no.
I try to crawl faster, but the snow is so deep around me I can barely move, and if I stand up, I’m sure I’ll be shot. But now I can hear voices, angry ones, and a female voice roaring commands.
“Spread out! Don’t let the Human escape!”
I have to run. I brace my knees to get up and dash. How fast can I go in this deep snow? It’s knee-deep in places and nearly up to my waist where it piles up. If I slip—I can’t outrun people with bows and spells! But I have to.
A thought strikes me. Hold on, hold on. What if I…?
The shouting is getting nearer. I look around, and then take a chance. I dig into the snow around me. It’s deep. If I lie down, what then? I push snow up over my head, my body. Just pretend you’re a dead body. Hide. Don’t run; that’s what they expect.
I worm my way into the snow, trying to bury myself without making it seem like I’ve dug myself in. All the while I can hear sounds getting louder, but they’re practically drowned out by the thunder of my heart.
This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.
The snow buries my head, and all I see is white. The cold is around me, but I’m so panicked I can’t even feel it. I try to breathe slowly, and dig myself deeper while making no sound. The shouting is all around me now.
“Oh my god. fucking…shit, shit, shit—”
A dim part of me feels outraged that in a time of crisis, I don’t have the vocabulary to express myself. What am I, a middle-schooler? Even they know how to swear. But I’m scared out of my mind. I don’t even believe in a god*, but if I could pray—
*By that, I mean I don’t believe in worshiping one. That gods exist, or existed, well…that’s pretty definite in this world.
What do I do if they find me? I can hear snow crunching, and I wonder if they accept Human prisoners. If I have to fight—
Potions. The cloth bags. They’re my only weapons; I haven’t had to use any against monsters yet, but people—
I’ve got only a few of the ones Octavia gave me. Three potions, two bags. Which one was…?
I feel at my belt and then freeze as I hear someone speaking only a few feet away.
“Any sightings?”
“None, milady.”
“Then the Human is still here. Have the others set up a net and look for traps. The rest of you, with me.”
I hear snow crunching, and then the voice grows louder. They’re right on top of me! I hold my breath. I am invisible, unseen—
But a terrible thought strikes me. This would work in my world, but here they have mages. And then the voice seems like its right overhead.
“We know you’re here, Human. If you don’t come out right now we’ll blast this entire hill with magic!”
No. No, no, no…
“Come forward! Now!”
The tone in her voice makes it clear she’s a second away from ordering a strike. I have to move.
Slowly, I sit up out of the snow, raising my hands. I’m nearly blinded by the light. I blink, look around—
And see the soldiers.
There are eight of them, all Drakes except for a single Gnoll with a bow. And they’re armed, wearing chainmail, heavy leather, and holding weapons still covered in blood. And…they’re not looking at me.
Nope. Not at all. The Drake leading them is surveying the landscape below the hill with the other Drakes. They’re looking the other way…and they’re standing about ten feet downhill from me. One of the Drakes turns around as he hears me sit up, and shouts. The others turn, and raise their weapons as they react with obvious surprise.
Oh my god.
It was a bluff. And I fell for it!
Their leader is the first to react. She unsheathes her sword and points it at me as she shouts.
“Do not move! Soldiers on me!”
Her voice rings out and I hear shouting. I keep my hands raised, mind racing.
Ryoka, you damn idiot…! What can I do? The Gnoll had his bow trained on me. I’m not going to be able to grab a potion, but what about a spell? If I could buy a second, I could use Teriarch’s potion. It’s my last resort, but—
I have two spells. [Light] and [Sound]. I could use either one with my hands, but what could would it do? The arrow is pointed at my face. I’ve got an idea for one spell—but no.
No. I stare down the shaft and eye the arrow tip. I…I’m too afraid to try. The soldiers are encircling me, and now more charge up the hill.
The Drake captain or commander or whatever points at me with her sword. She seems cautious of me, but all I’m in danger of doing is turning the snow yellow.
“On your feet, Human. Slowly. Make no sudden moves.”
This isn’t my first arrest, although it is the first one in this world and the first one where I’m being held up at sword point. I m
ove with exaggerated care, making no moves that would alarm the soldiers. The Drake eyes me from head to snowy toe.
“Who are you? Are you a soldier from the Trisstral Alliance? Or a mercenary? An adventurer? Speak!”
Trisstral Alliance? I have no idea what she’s talking about—probably all those soldiers her army just slaughtered. I shake my head slowly.
“I’m a Runner.”
The Drake Captain blinks, but her eyes narrow.
“A Runner? Prove it.”
Thankfully, I can. Runners use Seals, but we also get one of our own to show to suspicious people…mainly like her. I’ve got one that lists my designation as City Runner; it’s spelled so the seal would break if it left my possession for longer than five minutes.
“I’ve got a Seal in my belt pouch.”
She looks at one of the Drakes.
“Find it.”
The Drake approaches me warily. She’s smaller than I am by a few inches, but she eyes me as if she’d like nothing more than to stab me in the eye. I don’t move, but I have to speak.
“It’s in the third pouch from your left. Don’t touch the other ones.”
That might not be the best thing to say, but it’s a valid damn concern. Teriarch’s ring and letter is in the second pouch, and he warned me what would happen if someone else touched it.
The soldier certainly doesn’t like hearing that. Her movements slow and I can sense the arrows and weapons around me as she slowly reaches into the pouch and fishes around. She pulls out the seal, and backs away quickly as she hands it to the Captain.
The Drake studies the seal and nods reluctantly.
“It’s real. Here.”
She tosses it back at me. I catch it unthinking, and I sense the soldiers lowering their weapons. Looks like Runner status means I do qualify as a non-combatant, but then, they’re not sheathing their blades either.