Protector (Little Death Bringer, #2)

by Banks, Catherine

  I climbed into my sleeping bag and hoped I could kill something tomorrow and take my mind off of this ridiculous relationship quandary. I turned away from Favian and closed my eyes, but sleep came much later and I was continually roused from sleep despite knowing what woke me. It wasn’t until the third time that I finally heard something while awake.

  I opened my eyes and staying very still scanned the area in front of me, but only saw Ice and Fire dozing together. I rolled over with my eyes closed, pretending that I was trying to get comfortable and once I was on my side again I opened my eyes. Ten feet behind Favian I saw a flash of a weapon. They were moving quietly, but apparently they were not quiet enough. I glanced at Favian and met his opened eyes. I jerked my chin in the direction behind him and grabbed my dagger from the ground in front of me. The attackers leapt out of the dark and grabbed for Favian, but he dodged them and tossed them to the ground. I leapt up and out of my sleeping bag and readied myself for another attack, but none came.

  One of the attackers ran off and the second was immobilized due to Favian sitting on top of him. “Why did you attack us?” he asked.

  I looked at his torn clothes and dull blade and said, “He’s a beggar.”

  “We just wanted your clothes and food,” he said, “Money if you had it. We didn’t realize that you are mercenaries.”

  Favian stood up and gave him a roll of bread. “Perhaps next time you should ask. Others will kill you before asking and I don’t think you would prefer dying.”

  “Thank you,” the man mumbled and then ran out into the woods after his friend.

  “That was unusually nice of you,” I said as I lay down again.

  “He was all bones and skin. One roll won’t matter to me, but it does to him.”

  I closed my eyes and was almost asleep when Favian asked, “Can’t we go back to how things were when we were in the Academy?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked him.

  “This awkwardness that is between us is troublesome and I don’t like it,” he said, “Can’t we just pretend for this mission that we are just fresh out of the Academy and none of the other things matter?”

  “I will try,” I said softly. I did not like this awkwardness any more than he did. I wished it could go back and I would not know of my love for him as well.

  I stood up and strapped my weapons on. There was no way that I was going back to sleep tonight. Fire walked over to me and I saddled her quickly, getting on her back and heading towards the rode. “I will scout ahead. I need a minute to clear my head.”

  I heard him say something, but Fire was galloping away and the wind was too loud for me to hear it. I rode for a while and then the sun rose and with it the smell of cooking meat and loud voices. I left the road and scouted ahead slowly. It was an army encampment of at least ten human soldiers. Ogres were nearby, but at least a mile or so away still. I dismounted and continued forward on foot to get close enough to hear their conversation. I hid up in the canopy of a tree right next to their camp and held very still as I listened.

  “Which mercenaries do you think Macon will end up sending to try to fight us?” one asked.

  “Probably that elf, Favian, since Macon thinks he is one of the strongest,” another said.

  I looked at them closer trying to figure out if I knew them, but they did not look familiar. I knew that we were well known, especially since Favian was prince of the elves, but why were these men talking like they knew Macon and our Academy.

  “They’ll definitely send Marin to fight the ogres, but I heard she and the elf had had a falling out,” said another.

  “A falling out? Over what?” asked the first who had spoken.

  Why the hell were they gossiping about us like women?

  “Well she took that one job in Grundio without him. She took it with a human man, a sorcerer.”

  “Perhaps elf men aren’t as good in the sack as so many say,” one said with a sneer.

  The men laughed and I felt my cheeks redden. I knew people assumed things about Favian and me, but hearing it like this was very embarrassing.

  “Well Marin will take out the ogres, but she doesn’t like fighting men so we should be safe. That leaves Favian to fight us, but they could send more. They might send the sorcerer.”

  “No, he quit after almost getting Marin killed,” one of them said.

  He had quit?! I would have to talk to him. What had happened had been out of his control. No one could have known how strong he was.

  “They would have to send more to fight us. There’s no way that the two of them could take out our entire army,” one of them said.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Favian said as he stepped into their camp.

  That idiot! What was he doing?!

  The humans stood up and pulled their swords. “If you are here than that means the Death Bringer is as well, right?” one asked.

  “You should be less worried about the Death Bringer’s whereabouts and more worried about your life,” Favian snarled. He was angry, so angry that his fists were clenched and shaking.

  “So we were right about you two having a falling out,” one sneered.

  “You know nothing about us and should not speak about things your small human minds can’t comprehend.”

  The comment stung even me. Just because we were human did not mean we were stupid.

  “Enough talk, kill him,” one of the humans said.

  Favian leapt into battle, wounding each man quickly and disarming them. He did not kill them though. What was he planning?

  “Where are you getting your information from?” he asked them as they lay on the ground writhing in pain.

  “As if we will tell you!” one snarled.

  Favian stabbed the man in the chest, ending his life and turned to another man. “Where are you getting your information from?”

  “We knew about you from our leader, who used to work at the Academy,” he said quickly. “And everyone knows about you and Marin. The stories of her battles with the ogres are becomes legends already. Her name Death Bringer is spreading across the land and becoming bedtime stories for children to feel safe with.”

  “If I let you live will you return to your home or report to your leader?” Favian asked.

  “We would never betray the rebellion!” they all shouted.

  Before I could get out of the tree Favian killed them all. I knew it was necessary, but they had been right, I tried not to take human lives if I could help it.

  “Are you done hiding in the tree now?” Favian asked without turning around.

  “I was listening to their conversation to find out helpful information,” I said defensively, “I was not hiding out of cowardice.”

  “Are there ogres nearby?” he asked me as he walked to Ice.

  “A mile or so away,” I answered him, mounting Fire.

  “Lead the way.”

  He was obviously angry about what the men had been saying, but that was no reason to take it out on me. I led the way back to the road and we continued down it. The ogres seemed to be directly south. Half a mile down the road suddenly ended in a huge boulder. My skin itched like crazy and I could sense ogres in almost every direction. “I think we are surrounded by ogres,” I whispered.

  “That must mean that their base is nearby,” he whispered back. He took the lead and we slowly and quietly made our way around the boulder.

  Unfortunately what lay around the boulder was a huge open space filled with tents and where an army stood waiting for us. Over two hundred ogres roared at the sight of me and the humans moved out of their way. I dismounted from Fire and pulled my swords from their sheaths and was about to attack the ogres, but Favian stepped in front of me.

  “You are in violation of the treaty. If you do not disband immediately we will be forced to disband you ourselves,” he said authoritatively.

  A man stepped forward and I felt my heart sink. It was Triston one of the men who had trained us at the Academy. “It’s
good to see you two again. Congratulations on becoming a Protector, Marin,” he said with a smile.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked him.

  “You’re both young so you do not understand. The human king is old and does not know how to take care of the land. He needs to be replaced,” he said as though lecturing us in class.

  “Your attack will kill hundreds of innocents, not just the king and his guard,” Favian said, “Why not assassinate him instead of this all out war?”

  “The people need to be made to understand that I am the rightful ruler. Assassinating him would only make me a bad person in their eyes. If I take it by force they will see me as being the stronger and rightful king.”

  “Or as the man who aligned himself with ogres to take over a human throne,” I said angrily.

  He smiled and said, “I was worried that you would come to slay my ogres, but I doubt that you will be able to defeat them once I use my trump card.”

  I did not like the sound of that at all. “I will kill every ogre who raises its hand against a human in this land.”

  “Will you do so if it means Favian’s dies?” he asked me.

  I glanced at Favian, but he was still standing next to me, uninjured and looking as confused as I felt.

  “We came here knowing the chances we had. And I think you will find that I am not as easy to kill as you would like,” Favian said.

  “You both have one weakness in common,” he said, “And that is your feelings towards each other.”

  Did everyone know that I loved him?!

  I heard the distinct twang of a bow as it released an arrow and my heart sank. I had a feeling it was going to be aimed at Favian and I was right. Thankfully Favian had heard it as well and stepped to the side, avoiding it. “Pathetic,” Favian said.

  Several more bows released arrows and then Favian was darting around and using his blade to block them.

  Ogres ran towards him and I released the hold on my power. Energy swelled inside me and I screamed to release some of it as I ran at the ogres. This was more power than I had felt yet and I knew it was because Favian’s life was in danger. I attacked the ogres, cutting them down like cattle in a pen and then began defending Favian from the humans who joined in to attack him. For once my power did not ebb as I attacked non-ogres. Favian cried out in pain and I turned to see an arrow shaft sticking out of his chest. He fell to the ground and stopped moving. “FAVIAN!” I screamed in panic. He did not move.

  I moved closer to his body, cutting down men and ogres as they attempted to harm Favian in his immobile state. I had to protect him. I could not let him die! I knew that he could be dead already, but I refused to believe that. Favian was strong and fast and one arrow could not kill him. It had to be a potion or spell or something else.

  I wanted to stop fighting and check on him, but that would only give my opponents an opening to kill me.

  Father, I don’t know if you can hear me and I don’t know if you even exist, but please help me keep Favian safe. I prayed.

  “You only had to ask and I would reveal myself,” a man’s voice whispered in my ear. “There are many who think you must make a journey to discover me, but you only need to ask and I would respond.”

  Help me. I pleaded. Is he dead?

  “Kill them all and I will keep him safe,” he whispered.

  I had yet to see what my father looked like, but knowing he could speak to me was enough. It in fact fueled me even more and I could feel the ground growing ever more slippery with blood as I killed the army around me.

  “You cannot win!” Triston said. “Even if you kill these men I will just gather more.”

  “Then you shall die,” I said in the voice of power that I had when in this state. I wondered if it was because I was a half-god, but now was not the time for thinking. Now was the time for killing. I sliced and diced and punched and stabbed my way through the entire army. I could feel wounds on my body, but it did not matter. I was finally down to just Triston.

  I walked towards him and he asked, “What are you?”

  “Your executioner,” I whispered.

  He tried to fight me, but he was no match thanks to my power staying activated. I decapitated him and turned away. What a shame. I closed off my power and rushed to Favian. “Favian,” I whispered, “Favian wake up.”

  “Pull the arrow from his chest and bind the wound,” my father whispered in my ear.

  “Why can’t I see you?” I asked him.

  “Soon enough. There is someone you must see first. A trip you must make before I fully reveal myself to you. You need to learn about your past so that you will make a better choice for your future. Once you make your decision there then I will come see you.”

  “What name do you go by?” I asked him. It sounded strange to ask, but he could be a magical being who was not in fact god or he could be something that our little mortals brains could not understand.

  “You must go on your journey first, my daughter, but you should focus on Favian for now.”

  I did as he asked, pulling the arrow out and then binding the wound. Bright white light radiated from the wound and then Favian opened his eyes. “What happened?”

  “You got shot in the chest by an arrow that was coated in a sleeping spell of some kind,” I whispered.

  He lifted his head and surveyed the carnage around us. I was trying to avoid looking at it myself. “You killed them all?”

  I nodded my head and then realized I was crying. “They were trying to kill you,” I whispered.

  He dropped his back to the ground and pulled me down so that I was pressing my face into the crook of his neck. “You did what you had to.”

  I knew he was right and hearing him say it made me feel better. “I spoke to my father,” I whispered. “He healed you just now.”

  Favian sat up and looked around. “Where is he?”

  “I’m here, but not visible yet,” the voice said so that Favian could hear him.

  Favian’s eyes widened and he looked at me. “So you are half-god.”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” I mumbled.

  “You are a demi-god, daughter.”

  “Can you stand up?” I asked Favian.

  He stood up and then removed the bandage I had put on. There was no sign of him ever having been injured. “I’m fine, but I should treat your wounds,” he said as he looked at the cuts on my arms.

  I sat down and let him clean and bandage my wounds. There were several and as he worked on them I felt very tired. “Where am I supposed to go for this journey you talked about?” I asked my father.

  “To where it all began,” he said, “To your mother’s home town.”

  “What’d he say?” Favian asked.

  I was actually glad Favian could not hear him. I would prefer to go on this journey alone. “He’s telling me where to go,” I answered Favian.

  “And where is that?” he asked.

  “Many questions about your past can be answered there,” my father said.

  “What name can I call you?” I asked, “So I don’t confuse you with my other father.”

  “You may call me father, I can tell which one you are talking about.”

  “So the sooner I do this journey the better?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You’re not an evil god, are you?” I asked him.

  He laughed and it sounded heavenly. “No, you do not need to worry about being evil. Even those nearest you can see your pure heart whether you believe it or not.”

  “Thank you for your assistance,” I said. “I guess I will speak to you more after the journey.”

  “Yes, I am looking forward to it, Marin.”

  “Where do I find out the name of the village?” I asked him.

  “You will find more information from a box Cesar has kept for you. Ask him for the box and keep an open mind,” he said. That did not sound good. “Stay safe.”

  I wasn’t sure how, but I could tell that he had left, or at le
ast wasn’t right with me anymore. It was strange. Very strange.

  “We should head to Macon and report,” Favian said as he stood up.

  “Yes and I need to speak with our Father about this journey my true father wants me to go on,” I said.

  “Are you going to try to ditch me for that journey?” he asked me. “Are you trying to slink off into the night like the human thieves in the towns?”

  “This has nothing to do with me being human!” I yelled at him, “But then again it could be since we humans have such small inferior brains!”

  He blinked and opened his mouth and then closed it. “I wasn’t referring to you when I was talking to them.”

  I mounted Fire and headed down the road. “Oh, so you meant the other type of humans.”

  “I was angry about their gossiping so I said cruel things. I did not mean that humans have inferior brains to elves,” he said as he caught up to me. “Besides you are not full human anyways.”

  I wasn’t truly angry with him, but all of the emotions I had just gone through seeing him injured and bleeding had thoroughly confused me.

  We reported to Macon who seemed a little shocked that we returned so quickly, but he did not make a comment to us about it. We took our payment and I debated traveling to Carn which was a half a day’s ride from the Academy and a town Favian and I had rarely visited to purchase a home for myself. It was time that I started looking for a home outside of the Kingdom now that I was a Protector and I had quite a bit of money saved up from missions. I would have to do it when Favian wasn’t around though so it would prove difficult.

  We returned to the Kingdom and I received a lecture from Mother and Father. I asked father for the box and he took me into the private keep where all of the most precious items to them were kept. The keep was shelves and chests of items they prized and there was a section for each child, including me. He lifted a plain brown box that had a lock on the front of it and handed it to me. “This was one of the items we saved for you from the items your parents had been carrying with them in the cart when we found you and you killed those ogres,” he said softly, “We never opened it since it did not belong to us, but kept it for when you were ready. We don’t have a key for it though.”