Warbringer

by Aaron Hodges

  The tiniest of squeaks came from the girl as Erika stepped closer, bathing Cara in the light of her gauntlet, determined to see her pain, to drink upon her agony. Blood began to run from the girl’s nose and her eyes bulged. Romaine stood nearby, but the axeman made no move stop Erika, only watched on, eyes dark even in the light of the gauntlet.

  Then a hand grabbed Erika by the arm and pulled her back. The light from her gauntlet went out. She spun, snarling as she found Lukys standing behind her. A sob came from the corner as Cara collapsed against the dirt.

  “Why did you stop me?” Erika snarled, raising her fist. She kept it clenched, the power controlled, though it would be so easy…

  “I will not see her tortured,” Lukys said, eyes shining.

  “She betrayed us, doomed us all!” Erika shot back. “She deserves it.”

  “Maybe,” Lukys said. His shoulders slumped and for a second, he seemed to hesitate. Then he shook his head. “No, I won’t become like them.”

  “We should kill her,” Romaine murmured.

  Erika glanced at the warrior, surprised by the suggestion. The man stood over Cara, staring down at her. A knife had appeared in his hand.

  “Romaine, don’t…” Lukys murmured.

  The Calafe warrior glanced at the recruit, then back at Cara. “She’s dangerous.”

  “She may be our only bargaining chip,” the recruit replied. “If we cannot evade the Tangata. And she has information. We need to know more about…what she is.”

  For a long moment, it seemed the Calafe wouldn’t listen. But finally he nodded. Retreating to the side of the cottage, he slumped to the ground and leaned against the wall. Silence fell once more between them, though soft sobs still came from the corner. Erika clenched and unclenched her fist, still feeling the need to unleash her anger, her rage. But she found no support in the eyes of Dale or Romaine; it seemed Lukys had won the argument for now. Slowly she relaxed, and a wave of exhaustion swept over her.

  “Why do you hate them so much?”

  Erika started as Cara’s voice whispered through the cottage. The four of them turned to stare at the captive, but Cara had eyes only for Romaine. At first, it seemed the warrior had not heard her words, but finally his head lifted, blue eyes glinting as they fixed on the creature who had betrayed them.

  “You took everything from me,” Romaine whispered.

  Erika glanced at the others, but no one moved to silence the traitor, and voice breaking, Cara spoke again:

  “I’m sorry they took Calafe from you.”

  “Calafe?” Romaine asked, his voice growing bitter. “What do I care for Calafe? Our kingdoms are a falsehood, a lie created to unite us against one another, so the people will not question their rulers. No, I hated you long before our king fell in the south.”

  Erika flinched at the mention of that first, terrible battle ten years before. How long had it been…?

  “Then why?” Cara interrupted her thoughts.

  The room was silent now, all eyes fixed on the Calafe. Erika found herself holding her breath as she watched the broken man, and it seemed the room grew a little darker, as though the moon itself hid from his pain.

  “I had a cottage like this once,” Romaine murmured. His eyes had a distant look; he didn’t seem to be talking to anyone now. “In the southern forests. Small, far from the city, safe. A peaceful place built by my wife and I, to raise our son.” His eyes flickered, focusing on Cara. “Until you took them from me.”

  The moment stretched out as they watched the man that had carried them so far. Then Lukys stepped forward and crouched beside him. “I never knew,” the recruit murmured, placing a hand on the warrior’s shoulder. “Romaine, I’m so sorry.”

  “Now you understand,” the Calafe whispered, eyes flickering back to where Cara lay. “What is a kingdom, beside family, beside friends, beside the people we love?” He trailed off, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “When the Tangata broke the truce, when they first invaded southern Calafe…” His eyes closed, the lines on his face growing deeper. “They took everything, left me with nothing but a hole, a void in my soul that I can never fill.”

  Erika shivered. His story sounded all too familiar, though for her…it had been her father the Tangata had slain. Left with nothing, her mother had fled back to her homeland, before the true war came.

  Romaine’s voice broke as he continued: “I would do anything for another day with them—one more hour,” he continued, “but that can never be, not until the end comes.” His eyes passed around the room, and Erika shivered as his gaze touched her. “And so I fight, seeking death.” He lifted his ruined hand. “But still it evades me.”

  “You can’t die.” To Erika’s surprise, it was Cara who spoke.

  Romaine’s eyes showed no emotion as he looked at her. “Why not?” he whispered, voice bitter. “Your kind have left me with nothing else.”

  “All life is precious,” Cara whispered.

  The axeman stared at her until she lowered her gaze, then shook his head. “Wise words, from a traitor.” He turned towards Lukys. “In the morning, you will leave me here. I have nothing left to give this world.”

  “No,” Lukys replied, still crouched beside the axeman. He held up a finger when the Calafe looked set to argue. “We’re not leaving anyone behind, end of story.” He hesitated. “And you still have us, Romaine. You saved me, helped me when no one else would. Let me do the same for you.”

  The warrior stared at the Perfugian for a long while, but finally he nodded. A tear streaked down his bearded cheek but otherwise he said nothing. Drawing in a breath, Lukys rose and faced the rest of the room.

  “Anyone else have something to add?” he murmured. No one spoke, and after a moment he nodded. “Then tomorrow we march for the Illmoor. And pray to the Gods that we find Travis and the Gods already there.”

  30

  The Recruit

  Lukys sat in the middle of old mining town, staring into the distance, remembering his first night in this haunted land. Just a few short days ago, and yet everything had changed. Back then, his biggest concern had been ensuring there wasn’t a mutiny amongst the other recruits.

  Now those recruits were dead or gone, his mentor broken, and his friend…a traitor.

  Cara.

  A cold breeze blew through the empty window frames and he shuddered. How many nights now since they’d last had a fire, since he’d been warm? The night they’d slept in this abandoned place? They didn’t dare light one now, not with the Tangata likely close. Besides, he didn’t want to see what the fire would reveal—the faces of the dead, still lying where they had fallen.

  They’re not all gone.

  Travis and the others were still out there, they had to be, surely…but there was no way to know, no time to search for them. The Tangata were close, he could feel it. They could not remain on this side of the Illmoor much longer without being detected.

  Then there was Cara. Dale had volunteered to take the first shift guarding her, saying he wouldn’t sleep anyway. Lukys was little different. Would any of them ever have a full night’s sleep again, after what they’d seen down in the darkness. Just the memory of those…things sent shivers down his spine.

  And Cara had fought them, killed them. Had she truly done so only to save herself, to avenge the Tangata the monsters had killed, or…

  To save her friends?

  No, no, no.

  Lukys shook his head, banishing the thought. He had seen the grey eyes, seen the terrible, animalistic rage. There was no questioning it—Cara was one of them.

  The enemy.

  He shivered, remembering how she’d looked as the Archivist unleashed her magic, hearing again her scream. Despite her betrayal, he could not bear to see such pain in the eyes of someone who’d been his friend.

  Lukys cursed. Sleep wasn’t going to come. Letting out a sigh, he rose. Picking up the spear he’d taken from one of the fallen recruits, he moved outside. The night was clear, the moon nearly full n
ow. Using its silver light, he made his way through the village, averting his gaze from the bodies still lying in the streets. He’d wanted to move them, to do something to honour his fallen comrades, but doing so would give them away should the Tangata return to this place. And they were still a full day’s march from the Illmoor.

  Finally he found himself approaching the building they’d placed Cara in for the night. It was the smallest of the cottages, little larger than a woodshed, but with only one entrance and no windows, it made an adequate prison.

  Movement came from the doorway and Lukys nodded a greeting as Dale stepped into the moonlight.

  “Lukys,” his former rival said, then glanced at the sky and frowned. “It’s not your shift yet.”

  Lukys shrugged. “Can’t sleep either.” He leaned against the wall of the building.

  Dale watched him for a moment, but soon resumed his post in the doorway. They stood like that for a while, their breaths misting in the darkness, listening to the wind as it whistled through the broken roofs.

  “Why?” Lukys said suddenly, stepping back into the street and facing Dale.

  “Why what?” Dale asked quietly.

  “Why did we fight, Dale?” he replied after a time, struggling to focus on just a single mystery in his life. “I never did anything to you.”

  For a long while, Dale said nothing, only stood staring at the moon. “It seems like an age ago now, doesn’t it?” he said finally. “The games of children.” Then he shook his head. “You never had to do anything but be who you are.”

  “What?”

  “You’re a better man than me, Lukys,” came the reply. When Lukys only frowned, Dale chuckled. “You don’t know what it’s like, to be the son of someone important. I was expected to be great, to become a knight, or a politician.”

  “What has that got to do with me?”

  “Because I failed,” Dale said, as though that explained everything. “I thought the frontier would be the making of me.” He snorted. “What a lie that turned out to be. And then, in the moment of our greatest shame, it was you who stepped up. You, the son of a peasant, a nobody, who proved we might yet make something of ourselves.”

  Lukys started, then snorted. “You mean during that first attack? I didn’t prove anything. I was so terrified I could barely hold my spear straight.”

  “You led us, Lukys,” Dale murmured. “Just as you’ve been leading us ever since we crossed the Illmoor.”

  “I…” Lukys trailed off, frowning.

  Had he truly become their leader? He’d tried to be brave, to stand strong as Romaine had told him. But…it had only been an act, hadn’t it? Surely Dale and the others had seen through his charade?

  “It’s okay,” Dale said, a wry grin twisting his lips. “I’ve accepted my place. If not for you, I think we would have all died down in those caverns. I’m glad to call you my officer, Lukys.”

  Lukys opened his mouth, then closed it, struggling to swallow the emotion that welled in his throat.

  “Thank you,” he managed at last. “And for what it’s worth, you’re not a failure, Dale. You saved my life, that night in the mountains. And you did not flee when those…creatures attacked.”

  Dale laughed. “Maybe you’re rubbing off on me.”

  Lukys smiled, but his joy was fleeting. Dale was but one of many concerns. His eyes were drawn to the darkness beyond the doorway. “I need to talk to her.”

  Glancing inside, Dale shuddered. “I know.” He looked back at Lukys. “She saved us. Why?”

  “It’s time I asked her.”

  Dale watched him for a long moment, as though judging whether Lukys was ready for that confrontation. Finally, he nodded. “Then I’ll stretch my legs.” He walked away without looking back, leaving the entrance to Cara’s prison unguarded.

  Letting out a breath Lukys hadn’t realised he’d been holding, he stepped inside before his nerves betrayed him. The floor of this cottage was dirt, but hard and dry beneath his boots. At first, he could see nothing in the dark, but as his eyes resolved, he found a pair of amber globes staring back at him. Cara took shape as she awkwardly pushed herself up off the ground, putting her back to the wall. They had stoppered her mouth again, but her eyes said everything.

  Friend…

  Her amber gaze bore into Lukys’s soul, until finally he strode forward and pulled down the strip of cloth they’d used to silence her.

  “The creatures you killed,” he said, stepping back. “Why did you do it? To avenge your brethren?”

  “No,” Cara whispered, her voice hoarse.

  “Then why?”

  “To save you,” she replied, “to save my friends.”

  Lukys choked, a lump lodging in his throat. He struggled on.

  “How can we be friends?” he hissed. “You lied to us!”

  “I never lied.”

  “I saw your eyes. They changed. You were…are a monster.”

  Cara flinched at the word. “Is that what you see me as now?” she asked, and he could hear the pain in her voice. “A monster?”

  “You’re one of them.”

  “Maybe the Tangata are not the monsters you think.”

  “Why do you still insist you’re not one of them?” Lukys asked.

  “Because I’m not,” Cara whispered.

  Truth, lies. Truth, lies.

  Lukys shook his head, struggling to think. “It doesn’t matter what you say.” He looked away. “We saw the truth. No human could do what you did.” Letting out a breath, he faced her once more. “They’re going to kill you, if we ever we reach Flumeer. But not before they make you talk.”

  “Yes, I know what…your people are capable of.” She shuddered, not meeting Lukys’s eyes. “I thought…I thought you were better than them.”

  “Than who?”

  “Please, Lukys,” Cara whispered, ignoring his question. Her amber eyes caught his. “I never wanted to hurt anyone. Please, you have to help me…”

  “I wish I could,” he murmured, surprised to find he meant it.

  Help, help, help.

  Pain shone from Cara’s eyes as he rose, but she said not a word. Nor did she turn away, and he forced his eyes closed, unable to look into those terrible depths any longer. Silently he hardened his heart.

  “But I can’t.” Stepping forward, he shoved the gag back into place. “You are my enemy.”

  With that, he turned and walked away.

  31

  The Archivist

  Standing on the banks of the Illmoor, Erika wondered if she had ever experienced such a bittersweet moment. Somehow, they had made it. Despite signs of the Tangata all through the forest, despite Romaine’s injuries and their treacherous prisoner in tow, they had reached the border of Flumeer.

  There had been no sign of the other Perfugians on they way but…Erika had little hope any still survived.

  No, all that left to be seen now was whether the cursed general would send the ship.

  Lukys stood alongside her, a red flag hanging from his spear tip, waving in what she presumed was some predetermined signal for the watchers on the other side. They weren’t at the rendezvous point and were a day late, but with forts placed at regular intervals along the Illmoor and regular patrols on the opposite banks, surely someone would spot them.

  Thankfully the day was clear, and though the light was fading fast, Erika could just make out the distant shapes on the opposite banks. So close, even a simple rowboat would have been enough to carry them safely across. But all such vessels had been taken or destroyed long ago, when northern Calafe had been evacuated.

  So far, there’d been no visible response. She flashed a nervous glance at the trees. In the forest, she’d at least felt protected, concealed by the dense vegetation. It didn’t feel safe, standing out here on the riverbanks, exposed. She wondered if that was the Calafe in her.

  No, Erika had left that part of herself behind long ago. This past week had proven it. These endless forests, the jagged mountains
—they were no longer her home. Perhaps they never had been, though many times as an adolescent, she’d longed to return.

  Facing the waters once more, another realisation struck her. Despite its vast wealth and luxuries, despite all her work to climb the echelons of its society, Flumeer was not her home either.

  So where did that leave her?

  “What was that?” Lukys gasped beside her.

  Blinking, Erika looked from him then back to the distant banks. Light flashed, once, twice, three times. From such a distance, it was difficult to identify the source, but she thought there might be something…

  “Three means yes!” Lukys exclaimed, dragging her into a hug in his excitement. After his sombre mood of the last few days, she was surprised to see his sudden levity. “We’re almost saved!”

  Erika swallowed, wishing she could share in his joy. So close to salvation, and yet Flumeer offered her no true freedom. The queen’s words rang in her mind, their threat, and Erika suppressed a shudder.

  For the first time in weeks, she thought again of the stranger that had accosted her camp, to the offer from the King of Gemaho. She still had the map. There were other sites that had not yet been explored, even…even that remote site in the Mountains of the Gods.

  But could she trust the Gemaho, after what they’d done?

  Did she have a choice?

  Movement came from the shadows as Lukys waved to the others. Cara appeared first, struggling to walk with her bindings, followed by Dale, then Romaine bringing up the rear. The axeman seemed to have stirred from his grief now, though he still walked with his head down, bandaged arm clutched to his chest. No doubt it would take time for him to come to terms with the injury.

  So few.

  A shiver ran down Erika’s spine at the thought, and guilt twisted at her heart. So many souls lost, all because of her ambition.

  No, because of her! She thought, glaring at Cara.

  Her anger flared, though it was short-lived. Treachery might have brought about the failure of her expedition, but it had always been madness to come here. The Perfugians deserved better than what the general had given them, than where she’d led them.