Soldiers appeared through the trees, moving with remarkable speed across the uneven ground. Kaori saw them as if in a dream, aware that she needed to leave this place but unwilling to go without Osrik. “Buldan, please,” she grabbed for Osrik’s arm, desperate to get him onto the horse as another arrow flew through the air to lodge firmly into his leg.
Upon impact he fell to the ground, slipping from Kaori’s grasp to kneel at the horse’s feet where it danced along the fallen leaves and branches. Panicked, Kaori nearly toppled from the saddle in her attempts to lift him back up, moisture building in the corners of her eyes at the thought of losing him. “Kaori, go,” he pushed her hands away, waving her toward the east. “Get out of here while you can.”
“I won’t leave you here…”
“I’m not giving you a choice,” he argued, slapping the horse’s haunch to signal it into motion. It gave a loud whinny of confusion as Kaori contradicted the command by pulling back on the reins, extending her hand toward Osrik again.
“We can get you help. I’m not letting you die here.”
Eyes locked on hers, Osrik held her gaze steady, firm, steely in their solemnity. “If you don’t leave now, I will die whether you like it or not, and it will be for nothing.”
Her blood ran cold to consider the truth of his statement. The soldiers were coming. Nearly upon them already. Osrik was injured badly, beyond Kaori’s ability to tend even if she got him away from the men. If she took him with her, he would die, much the same as he would if he remained here. At least in the hands of the soldiers, his body might be returned to his family for a proper burial instead of left to rot in the miserable heat of the desert.
Lip quivering, she gave a reluctant nod, fighting back tears as she gave in to the movement of the horse, allowing it to carry her forward into the thick of the trees. She prayed Osrik could see the gratitude in her eyes as she rode away, unable to tear her gaze from him, her soft cries resounding through the woods to see the soldiers descend upon him while he remained stiff and proud. He gave no sign of pain where he knelt, chin held high despite the rough grasp of the men struggling to force him onto the ground. She was almost grateful when the branches obscured her vision to block the horrendous sight from her eyes. Maybe they won’t kill him. If they get him back to Eykanua, maybe Sulel will spare his life…
Tears spilled over her lashes at the absurdity of the thought. Sulel wasn’t known for mercy. He would take pleasure in watching Osrik executed if he wasn’t already dead by the time his body was returned to the city. All she could do now was keep her eyes on the path ahead. Osrik gave his life so she could escape. The least she could do to honor his sacrifice was to make sure she reached Gavir. And once she was safely on the shores of Namorea, she would think of a way to defeat Sulel and Deliao once and for all, in the name of those who had fallen in their quest for freedom from the Emperor’s tyranny.
The next few days passed in a blur of sand. Kaori’s face burned from the intensity of the sun. Particles of dirt filled her nostrils, making it difficult to breathe, her throat scratched and parched. She didn’t want to slow her pace but she was left with little choice for the sake of the poor animal that had been dragged into this mess with her. When forced to stop, she tried not to pause for more than a few minutes though exhaustion caused her to occasionally drift into a restless sleep.
Water was a challenge to come by in the desert. While traversing the seemingly endless expanse of dirt she was fortunate enough to take note of an area of sand which was darker than the rest, tucked into the shade under a small outcropping. Desperate for hydration for herself and the horse, she climbed to the ground to dig at the dirt, praising the gods above to discover a small spring deep under the surface. Enough to replenish the small container in her possession and provide a sufficient drink for the horse. Food, however, posed a different challenge. Most of the provisions Osrik brought for the journey were left behind with him. She couldn’t think about eating without being reminded of his face when the arrow struck him. Although she knew it wasn’t entirely her fault, she couldn’t help the guilt which plagued her, knowing he would still be alive if not for her. But he assured her his actions were of his own accord. A desire to help at whatever cost. Osrik was another unfortunate loss to the cause. Supporting the goals she set out with in the beginning with no one other than Liurn and Davian at her side.
Returning to her horse, she tried to focus on the path ahead, too discouraged to think on the fate of Osrik. Fatigue and hunger hindered her progress. Stumbling along on the horse for hours before realizing she was still moving. The sun was her only guide, leaving her riding blind throughout the night until its light returned in the morning. By the time she crossed out of the desert into the more mountainous eastern region, she wasn’t convinced she would be able to complete the journey she had embarked upon. Death was more welcoming now than while locked in that miserable cell. The only thing that kept her pressing onward was the thought of her friends waiting for her in Gavir. Any chance that Therek would be there. Or Pehrona. It had been so long since she’d seen any of them. Part of her feared the soldiers may have already reached the port and she would arrive only to discover their slain bodies. But Therek wouldn’t let that happen. If he was there, the soldiers wouldn’t stand a chance. And even if he wasn’t with the others, he was smart enough not to send a defenseless group of innocent Vor’shai to their deaths. There would be fighters in their midst to protect against an ambush.
As time dragged on, she couldn’t be sure how close she was getting to her destination. The map she found in the small pack attached to the saddle was nothing more than a rough sketch of an area so foreign to Kaori that it may as well have been another country. Nearly a week passed before she began to see signs of civilization again. Battered pieces of wood set up outside of towns to denote the name of each location. Based on the map, she could tell her path had veered further north than intended, but not so far that she couldn’t correct the error. A few extra hours on the road and she would finally be at the end of this damnable journey.
The ache in her stomach had progressed beyond simple hunger. By now she was convinced the injuries on her back were infected. Covered in sweat and sand. Throughout her ride there hadn’t been time to stop and properly clean the skin. While locked away in her prison she suffered numerous lacerations and puncture wounds at Deliao’s hands which had since begun to fester. Her friends would barely recognize her, if she made it to them at all. The skin on her face was swollen and bruised, blood soaked through her tattered clothes, scratches and cuts all over her withered body. She wondered whether she would fully recover from what those soldiers had done.
Slumped over the reins, unable to muster the strength to lift her posture, she pressed her heels into the horse’s sides to force it to move faster. It resisted, slowing its pace with an agitated shake of its head. Kaori didn’t have the patience to fight it. Fingers nearly losing their grip on the reins, she exhaled a sigh of frustration, easing the pressure of her legs against the animal to let it resume its casual pace.
Night was beginning to fall when she caught sight of a small town taking shape in the distance. Squinting to get a better look, she worried it was nothing more than a mirage. A cruel trick played by her starved mind. Her head bobbed up and down with every step the horse took, struggling to keep herself upright while her eyes started to roll back into her skull. Just a little further. She refused to come all this way only to die at the finish line. But she had nothing left. No fuel to keep her body going. It had been days since she last consumed anything other than the water she found in the desert. Bread did little to provide sustenance. Lacking the nutrients necessary to survive. Yet she was so close! If the map was correct, she was nearly to Gavir. Her friends would be able to get her food. Water. Cleanse her wounds. And sleep! Finally, she would be able to lay down and let her eyes stay closed to rest her weary mind. It was almost too good to be true.
Fading in and out of consciousness, she
was vaguely aware of her horse crossing into the main streets of what looked to be a port town. She couldn’t read the signs posted along the road to know if it was in fact Gavir, but she didn’t want to believe it wasn’t. Not after how far she’d come. After everything she had been through. What Osrik had sacrificed. No. This had to be Gavir. She refused to accept any different.
The streets were less chaotic than Eykanua, boasting a much smaller population. Most of the people who stared at Kaori from the storefronts looked to be men, though that was to be expected at this late hour. Human women tended to avoid the nightlife. Choosing to remain at home with the children while the men enjoyed a few drinks with their friends after a long day of work. She could see the people whispering. Nudging each other to try and subtly point in Kaori’s direction. Oh, what a sight she must be! Next to death, riding atop a horse that looked almost as bad as herself. If she had the strength to speak, she might have asked one of the humans how to reach the port, though it was unlikely her friends would be there now. It was too late in the evening. They would have retired to wherever they chose to make their beds. She died a little inside to think she’d come all this way only to be forced to wait until morning to be reunited with her friends. She wasn’t convinced she would make it that long.
Several moments passed before she realized that she blacked out. When her eyes fluttered open she was painfully aware of the fact that she was no longer on her horse, the twinkling lights of the stars overhead blurring across her vision. Voices could be heard around her though she couldn’t make out what they were saying. Something about water. Food. Someone get some soup. She needs a doctor. Help me get her off the street. Was she in the road? And her horse. She needed to get back to her horse.
“Lie still,” a male voice stated, stern and unyielding as a hand reached out to press Kaori back down onto the ground against her pitiful attempts to stand. She gave little resistance, sinking easily into the cool gravel of the street where she had fallen. It felt so good to lie down! Sleep was so close. Closing in on her. Blanketing her consciousness. She’d almost completely given in to the pull of the darkness when the sensation of hands sliding under her body jarred her awake, back lifted off the ground by a pair of muscular arms. People were still talking around her. Calling out orders to others in the street. Dazed, she let her head roll back to catch a glimpse of the man who carried her. He was human. Middle-aged. Tan. His eyes looked dark though she couldn’t be certain of their color in the dim light. What she could see in them was fear. He was worried about her. Frightened by her condition. She wanted to comfort him and tell him she would be alright but she wasn’t confident enough in that fact to console herself, let alone a complete stranger.
Another figure ran along in front of them, pushing open the door to a small tavern to allow the man inside. At their entrance all eyes turned to them, gasps and uttered curses audible across the room at the sight of Kaori in the man’s arms. Somewhere in the distance Kaori heard a masculine voice, though she couldn’t be sure if it was real or if she was hallucinating. Liurn? It was too good to be true. Far too great a coincidence. She didn’t dare get her hopes up at the possibility that her friend was actually there, in the flesh, making his way across the room to where the man now laid her out across a table near the back of the bar.
The establishment was in a buzz, people moving from one end of the room to the other, rushing to get food, water, towels. A barmaid was at Kaori’s side, thumb gently pressed against her eyelids to lift them up, examining her pupils to check her level of consciousness. She didn’t look anything like the barmaids Kaori had come to expect from the human towns around Eykanua. Though her corset was cut low to reveal more of her chest than Kaori considered appropriate, she carried herself with class and poise, speaking with proper diction and intelligent speech, like a proper woman, educated and self-sufficient. It was this woman who gave orders now, commanding the men to prepare a bowl of water so she could tend the wounds on Kaori’s head. Another familiar face appeared in Kaori’s peripheral vision, climbing hastily into the booth to sit on the table next to her, clasping her shackled left hand in his. The azure glow of the man’s eyes brought a peaceful feeling over her heart. As if she was finally safe. Free of the torture she had withstood for so long.
Water splashed over her arms as one of the men dropped a ceramic bowl onto the table, tossing a tattered towel beside it. The woman picked it up quickly, wrapping it around her hand to cover the tip of her index finger as she dipped it into the water, utilizing the moistened fabric to gently wipe away the dirt from under Kaori’s eyes. A pressure around her right hand told her that someone else was there, clinging to her, though she couldn’t see who it was. Liurn’s voice continued to ring through her head, speaking her name as if to try and keep her from falling asleep. But why? All she wanted to do was sleep. After all the miles she travelled, it was the one thing she desired more than anything. She doubted whether she would have the strength to eat if food was given to her.
She barely felt the towel as it moved across her skin, lightly swiping down to her neck and along her collarbone. The woman’s long auburn hair tickled Kaori’s face where it dangled over her shoulders while she worked so diligently to clean the blood from Kaori’s wounds. A strong, herbal scent filled the air, meeting Kaori’s nostrils like some heady perfume. Her stomach ached. Rumbling noisily to think of food being so close. To her left she felt a hand slide under her back, lifting her shoulders off the table to prop her in a seated position. The woman moved out of the way to sit behind Kaori, the pressure of the towel against the wounds left from Deliao’s whip causing her to cry out in pain. From her current position she could see the room more clearly despite the dizziness which overwhelmed her. Therek was to her left, seated on the table to remain close, helping to hold her up so the woman could continue her work. Liurn was positioned at her other side, extending his arms toward her to reveal a small bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, hot steam wafting from the liquid inside.
At her feet she recognized the feminine figure of Pehrona, her eyes downturned where she focused on washing the dirt from Kaori’s legs. Her heart swelled to see her friends, grateful beyond anything she could imagine. They were here. Alive. Safe. There was so much she wanted to tell them! They needed to know about Osrik. Why had they not asked her about his absence? Or did they simply assume? The mission he set out to do was fraught with danger. For him not to be by Kaori’s side upon her arrival to Gavir made it obvious that he wasn’t going to be meeting them there. He wasn’t going to be meeting them anywhere.
The sting of salty tears burned the corners of her eyes. Osrik was dead. She may not have seen him take his final breath, but something told her that he hadn’t lived to see the darkened cells in Eykanua. The arrow in his back was solid. Unforgiving. Had he received only the injury to his leg there may have been a chance for him to live but the first wound had already done too much damage for him to be spared. It didn’t seem fair that a good man like him would meet such a gruesome death. He deserved better. He deserved life.
“Come on, Kaori. You need to eat,” Liurn’s voice drifted faintly to Kaori’s ears, a slight warmth heating the skin where he tried to press the spoon into her mouth. Slowly she let her lips part, grateful for the pleasant taste of the broth on her tongue. It was heavenly. The mixture of flavors danced over her taste-buds. So good that she found her fear returning that she had fallen asleep and her friends, the food – everything – might be a figment of her imagination. But the warmth of the soup was real. The pressure of Therek’s hand wrapped around hers… it couldn’t be a dream.
Somewhat frenzied at the thought of eating Kaori swallowed the broth quickly, her mouth opening hungrily for the next spoonful Liurn already had prepared. Her joy at finally being presented with a real meal was broken only slightly by the sting of the towel at her back where the barmaid attempted to cleanse Kaori’s wounds. It felt less painful than she remembered. Almost numb after days of suffering in the d
esert. She was becoming accustomed to the discomfort.
“You know this girl?” the barmaid questioned from somewhere near Kaori’s ear. Curious. Concerned.
It was Therek who responded first, swift and precise with his answer. “We have been awaiting her arrival for a few days. She is to sail with us to Namorea.”
“Did you expect her to arrive in this condition?”
“We hoped it would not be the case.”
“But it was possible?” The woman leaned forward accusingly. “Do you know who has done this to her?”
Therek’s chin lifted, the creases around his mouth deepening with discontent. “I am not at liberty to disclose such information, miss. I appreciate your assistance, but you must forgive the necessity of my silence.”
Wrinkling her nose the woman cast a contemptuous glance at Therek before returning to her work. She gave a few more gentle swipes of the towel along Kaori’s skin before speaking again, directing her statement to anyone other than Therek. “The girl is in no condition to make the journey to Namorea. These wounds are infected and she is nearly starved to death. She should remain under constant watch until a physician can be summoned in the morning.”
“You don’t understand,” Liurn stared at the woman, horrified by what she was suggesting. “She has to be on that boat. There is no time to sit around waiting for a doctor to awaken.”
“If you want her to live, then you do not have a choice.”
“She is at equal risk of death here as she is on the boat.” Pehrona’s soft voice was like music to Kaori’s ears. So brave despite the obvious tremble noticeable with every word she spoke. Struggling to remain calm and act as a voice of reason. “I can provide the same care as any human physician, if not better.”
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Four: In the Beginning Page 64