by Franc Ingram
“Looks like it stretches forever,” Mason, leader of moon squad said. He looked like he could be a relative of Tycho’s. He was tall and broad, like a statue carved out of a mountain. His brown curls were sprinkled with gray, which only added to the brightness of his hazel eyes. Oleana judged his age as close to Nadir’s, so she wondered how she could have missed a man like him her first time around. The white line of a scar that bisected his chin said he’d been at the ranger game for a long time. Oleana felt safer with his experience at her side.
“Yes, and time is not on our side,” Oleana said. “Do we search for a camp site now and delay crossing until the morning, spending even more time exposed, or do we cross now and risk having nowhere safe to bed down once nightfall comes?”
“Sir,” someone said behind them. Oleana turned to see the young woman they’d sent out to scout for them. Bad news was written all over the pinched look of her face. “Captain, Failsea troops are moving in from the west. A compliment of thirty plus.”
“I guess that answers that,” Oleana said. She looked over the fifteen men and women around her. Her presence and their desire to protect her might get them killed, and she hated that reality. She wanted to stand and fight, but not at the risk of their lives. “We have to traverse the marsh.”
“They’ve been making raids from this area for years. They know it better than we do,” Mason reminded her.
“Yes, but they’re chasing. That makes it our game to play. Speed and agility trumps knowledge.”
“I hope so,” Mason said. He turned to his troops. “Form up into arrowhead, we march into the marsh.”
Oleana braced herself against the trek she knew was coming. The smell of the bog alone was enough to discourage her from wading into it. The fact that her horse fought her every step forward didn’t improve her opinion of the situation. She wasn’t one for horseback riding, Oleana preferred moving under her own power whenever possible.
Oleana was forced into the center of the arrowhead configuration with Mason in front of her, a man on each side of her, and men behind her. They moved so tightly together she could feel the hot, muscled flesh of the next man’s horse pressed against her legs. She was at the heart of a cage of moldy marsh, straining horseflesh, and unwashed human bodies. Oleana hoped she didn’t smell as bad as the others. She had to represent as a living legend. It would be undignified to die reeking of filth and sweat. Oleana wanted on the outside for at least a chance at fresh air. She felt like she would suffocate.
It didn’t take them long to reach a portion of the marsh that failed to support the heft of horse and rider. Manson stepped forward and sunk in so far the mud came up to the belly of his mount and he nearly lost his shoe in the thick sludge.
“Halt,” he cried, forcing a pileup behind Oleana as horses and men grunted their disapproval.
With help, Mason managed to back out of his hole. “Jax, Joel, spread out, see if you can find secure footing,” Mason ordered.
The men directly to Oleana’s right and left peeled away searching for a solid path. The one on the right made it four steps before sinking. Left made it a dozen steps before he met the same fate. Tension ripped through the group like a stiff wind would blow through tissue paper.
“We’re too heavy,” Oleana said. “Finding a path that would support us could take forever. If we leave the horses we can make a better way of it,” Oleana said to Mason. She kept her voice low. She didn’t need anyone thinking she was trying to undermine his authority. Mason nodded without looking at her as if he were thinking the same thing.
Oleana caught him stroking the horse's neck and she understood his hesitation. The horses didn’t complain about the closeness of the formation, didn’t object to sinking. They were more than just random mounts and Mason didn’t want to just abandon them to whatever fate awaited.
Oleana remembered the hollow feeling she got when she had to just up and leave her farm to follow Lorn. She’d tried so hard to resist getting attached to anything, but she’d raised her son amongst those animals, tending to that field. Attachment happened whether she wanted it to or not.
“There has to be a solid path somewhere, we just have to find it,” Oleana said.
“No, no. Time is not on our side. We leave the horses and anything else that might weigh us down.”
“We can at least leave them by the stream that leads into the marsh,” Oleana said.
Mason looked back at her and nodded. His gray eyes were soft. He would never have suggested it himself. Oleana was happy to take the burden off him.
“Okay all, we leave the mounts and extra gear streamside and move forward on foot. Five minutes,” Mason called to his people. The burst of movement startled Oleana, she’d expected some hesitation, maybe even complaining, but these were soldiers and they had no room in the ranks for that.
She was projecting Lorn onto them. The thought of him made her ache inside. She could hear him go on about how he just got the horse. How Nadir wouldn’t be happy they just let go of his prized property. Ever since she found him on the street Oleana hadn’t been away from him for longer than a day, and never under such trying circumstances.
Back at camp she wanted to chide Nadir for voicing his nervousness about letting his son go while inside she was screaming at herself for even suggesting the idea. She closed her eyes and pictured him smiling at her. That would have to be enough to sustain her for a while.
Oleana dismounted and lead her horse to the water where it lowered its massive head to the cool stream right away. She grabbed her familiar pack, leaving the extra sword and shield the rangers gave her. She wanted to leave behind the armor. It was the lightest she’d ever been in, but after days of hard riding it chafed something fierce. As soon as she reached for the first buckle, Mason cleared his throat.
“Just adjusting it,” Oleana assured him.
“Make sure it stays that way. I wouldn’t be able to go home if I let something happen to the guardian on my watch.”
“Well, Nadir will have my hide if something happens to one of his treasured squad leaders on my watch. Just remember that when you get the idea to do something heroic for my sake. I hate having Nadir yell at me. That vein in his forehead gets all throbby. It's not an attractive look.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, guardian.”
“Call me Oleana, please.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“You’re impossible,” Oleana shook her head.
“Yes ma’am.”
“I take that back about you being cautious. Just go ahead and live dangerously.”
Mason laughed. It was a deep barrel-chested noise that made Oleana smile. “You and Tycho are what?”
“Cousins. My mother and his father are siblings.”
“Explains the different last names. You look so much like him. Sound like him too.”
“Something we are reminded of all the time.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Oleana started.
“No it's not a problem. I love my cousin. Very proud of the man he is, and the family he’s built.”
“Sir,” Joel said coming up behind them, “we’re ready to move.”
Mason nodded. “Take point. Stay tight. Move swift.” His people grunted their acknowledgements.
Once again Oleana found herself in middle of a ball of flesh but this time Mason was beside her. They marched along and after a while straining to hear if the enemy had caught up was fraying on Oleana’s nerves. She needed more than just the endless march to keep her mind occupied. Normally Lorn took care of that with his obsessive chatter but he was somewhere else keeping another hapless individual entertained.
“So, Mason what about you. Do you have a family I need to return you to?”
He hesitated answering and Oleana feared she’d hit an old nerve. “Umm, wife, no kids. Both too married to the job to have kids.”
“She’s a ranger too? She isn’t out here in this mess is she?” Oleana said looking around then realized
she had no idea what his wife looked like, so looking for her was useless.
“Guarding the capitol. We were both supposed to retire this year. Looking forward to a time when we see each other for more than a week at a time between assignments. Yet the call of war came and we both jumped without a second thought. Not sure if either one of us know how to do anything else.”
“I’m sorry,” Oleana said. “Everywhere we go we end up disrupting other people’s lives. I try so hard to slip by unnoticed, and all I manage to do is bumble in and make a mess of things.”
“Like I said, we both jumped at the chance knowing the risk. You will make a real difference in this world and that is worth every risk. I think about Tycho’s grandbaby coming. This world is heading further into chaos. Without the hope that the Heirs offer that child, it will grow up in a world more violent than I have ever seen. If it takes sacrifice on my part to ensure that doesn't happen, then I’m happy to do it.”
“Me too,” Joel said, sparing a glance behind him.
“Yeah whatever it takes,” another guy said behind Oleana.
“Yeah for us too.”
Oleana didn’t know what to do when confronted with fourteen faces shining with earnest appreciation for her. “You shouldn’t umm,” Oleana stuttered, and nearly tripped and fell into the muck, not paying attention to the man in front of her. Only Mason’s hand on her arm kept her upright. “Thanks. Always suspected talking was hazardous to my health.”
“You started it,” Mason said.
“Yeah well,” Oleana started, but the sound of hoofbeats interrupted her. “Please tell me that's our horses who can’t stand to be without us.”
“Failsea forces are headed around the bend. They will hit the edge of the marsh soon,” one of the female squad members said. Oleana hated that she didn’t know everyone's name, but it wasn’t like they had time for formal introductions.
“They’ll be slowed by the marsh, just as we were. Still, it's time to pick up the pace moon squad. Show this marsh what you’re made of.”
Oleana had to suck in the humid, moldy air to get her aching muscles to move any faster. She regretted complaining about the horse ride. At least then only certain areas of her body took a beating. Now it was a head to toe pummeling that threatened to have her flat on her face.
The new pace forced them to take a few missteps but the sound of horses faded, as well as the sight of any Failsea warriors that had been on their tail. There was no more time for talking. It was all about putting one foot in front of the other and hoping the muck didn’t drag it down.
When they came across a clearing after an hour of jogging Oleana nearly collapsed with relief. They might actually make it to Evermore without a fight. They had maybe another hour of useable light. They had to get out of the wetland and find a safe place to bed down. The night would be hard, but solid ground would make things a little easier.
“Joel, scout ahead. Everyone else easy march,” Mason ordered. Sweat beaded across his forehead in thick globs. His graying hair was plastered to his forehead and mud and decaying green gunk clung to his clothing, yet his voice was as strong as when they started. Oleana wheezed and huffed, jealous that a man twice her age was able to out-stamina her. Life on the farm had made her soft.
“Incoming!” someone screamed.
Oleana had her weapons at the ready and her eyes scanned the horizon. She saw the men on horseback coming in from the east of the clearing. Their head start had been trumped by a shortcut. Oleana’s first instinct was to retreat, but they would be quickly caught by the enemy and would have to fight on the run.
“We stay here, in the wet, force them to expend themselves,” Mason said. “Circle up.”
The others formed a circle around Oleana and no matter how hard she tried to make a space in the outer line, they maneuvered her back inside.
“I know how to fight,” Oleana insisted.
“Back inside,” Mason ordered.
“But I can help!” Oleana shot back.
“If they get through us,” Mason said. “I made a promise to your son.”
Oleana let herself be swallowed up not knowing what she could say to that. When the sound of metal crashed against metal, Oleana was jostled and bumped by the press of people around her. The fighting became a blur. She held her weapons at the ready for a fight she hoped would never make it through to her, because that would mean too many people were dead or dying for her.
When Oleana saw an opening, she charged for it despite the warning. She couldn’t sit back while others fought. She dove under a padded elbow and came up in front of a chestnut mare and her sturdy front quarters. Oleana rolled to the left to keep from getting stomped on, to land against something hard.
She looked up to see Mason staring down at her. He knocked his opponent flat with a bone shaking blow with his forearm. Then he offered her a hand up. Oleana read the look of disappointment on his face clear as day, but he spared her a wordy reproof.
“I’ll split them,” Oleana offered.
Mason nodded. Oleana pushed her way through the line of Caledon soldiers and took off running with what strength was left in her legs. The adrenaline of battle and fear gave her a speed she hadn’t thought possible so late in the game, but Oleana didn’t question it, she just continued forward. Joel and Mason stayed by her side as the others limited the amount of Failsea troops that followed.
Oleana lead them out to a narrow strip of solid land, solid in comparison to the murky mess around it. Standing still in it caused Oleana to slowly sink, but it was sturdy and wide enough to let the three of them stand abreast. The first pursuers tried to follow them on horseback only to have their mounts complain, then sink. They were forced to come forward on foot.
“We do it in twos and rotate,” Mason said.
Oleana had to dig deep into her past life to remember the maneuver. Pulling it off took more than a basic understanding of the steps. It also required muscle memory, a sense of proper timing, and trust in your partners to step in when needed. Oleana didn’t have time to think about it.
The first Failsea trooper reached her. He was as tall as Mason but thin as a rail. He had a thick black beard that looked like it hadn’t been combed in weeks, and the look of desperation in his eyes almost unseated the anger. Oleana dug her heels into the muck and blocked his sword’s downswing, twisting it out and to the left.
With her other sai flat against her forearm she brought it up against his jaw. She heard his teeth crack. Felt his head jerk back. She kicked him hard in the middle. Before another could take his place she took two steps back. Mason filled the space she left. He and Joel faced the next two giving Oleana a second to breath and assess the situation around them.
Between the two groups Oleana saw five members of the enemy troop down. She didn’t detect any serious injuries on her side, but she couldn't get a good look at the other group. They were still significantly outnumbered, but they had the superior position and that mattered in cases like this.
Oleana heard a sharp thud and a splash, and knew it was her turn to step forward. Joel stepped back and Oleana slid in forced to duck low under a vicious axe swing. She stumbled onto her knees and managed to get both sais up in defense in time to save her head. Mason pushed his opponent into hers, sending them both off the solid ground. With the loss of anything solid to grip onto they sunk into the muck trying to swing away, but only wasting energy on open air. Oleana rolled left to face the next two, while Mason finished them off.
They went through nearly a dozen men that way before Oleana’s arms threatened to fall off. She knew her swings were getting wild, she had less energy and precision for blocking, yet the enemy kept coming. An axe came down at her face and she was a little slow reaching up to block. Joel shoved her, taking the blow to his side. Oleana landed on top of bodies left to be eaten by the mud.
The sense was knocked out of her, and the back of her head impacted something hard. She struggled to get up, having to paw at the stiff ch
est of the man under her, before her eyes refocused. Angrily, she lunged forward without thought.
Her sai met the shaft of an axe and she twisted with the momentum of her whole body, wrenching it from her enemy’s grasp, but now her back was against him. She swung back with her elbow, connecting hard enough to make her hand tingle. She twisted around, using the side of her sai against his face and he went down, blood pouring from the gash on his cheek.
Oleana didn't have time to worry about him. She knew Joel had to be hurt. He was kneeling, clutching the side of his neck, eyes staring off into nothing. Oleana skidded to him, clamping her fingers around his. The blood oozed out around them, sliding down her arm in rivulets.
“What do I do, Joel you idiot, what do I do?” Oleana said, not liking the panic in her voice.
Joel opened his mouth but only a bloody moan spilled out. Oleana knew her hands weren’t doing the job of closing the rip in his neck but she didn’t want to risk taking them away and searching for something else. Oleana thought about what she did for Lysander, using her own energy to heal him and wondered if it would work on Joel. She had to do something.
“Look out,” he croaked.
Oleana felt the blade puncture her side before she could turn. Anger burned through her more than the pain. She lashed out with all she had. Claws and fist pummeled the faceless thing that dared attack her. Her knuckles bloody and cracked, Oleana didn’t stop until she felt no resistance.
She turned back to Joel who was now slumped over in a pool of his own blood. Oleana put her fingers in his wound and closed her eyes listening for the bio signal that was distinct to him. It was faint, barely an echo trapped under a jar, but she heard it. Then she searched for the ones and zeros that made up that part of her that was more than human. The part that made her an Heir. Before when she used the trick to heal Leith she had a reserve of energy meant for a lifetime to spare. This time she only had the tendrils sustaining her now. She could give a little away. He just needed enough to tide him over until the others could stitch him up.
The transfer was painful from the start and Oleana recoiled from it at first. Instinct told her not to just give away something so precious but Oleana pressed on. Her body screamed but her mind felt free. She was part of Joel, part of Mason, part of the chaos and it felt electrifying. Oleana was overwhelmed.