‘Well, it wasn’t really Riley before.’
Karesh nodded gravely. ‘Everything was all wrong. The life was gone from her, she moved like a… a normal person. Now she is better, she is the Master again.’
Vann didn’t really know what he was talking about. Aside from the expressions, Riley’s body with Seta in it and Riley’s body with Riley in it had looked the same to him. Whatever Aerlid had done to make Riley look human to him was still working.
When Zap Zap returned nearly a week later Vann was sorry to say goodbye to him. He didn’t know when he would be by the ocean again, when he would be able to speak with him.
But Vann could no more join Zap Zap’s world than Zap Zap could join his.
And so they said their goodbyes.
Riley spoke with Zap Zap as well. Vann saw the death of Strong Swimmer still affected her.
And the very next day Adila returned with a sword for Riley.
When Adila handed the sword and parrying dagger to her Riley frowned. Vann couldn’t see what the problem was. The weapons were simply beautiful. The scabbards were just as glorious.
Riley looked the sword up and down, took a few swings with it.
‘What’s this?’ she said finally when she had finished. She was pointing at the large jewel that served as a pommel. It looked like a pearl.
‘I am not very familiar with swords.’
‘You don’t know what purpose it serves?’
‘No.’
‘Well, neither do I. This is all wrong.’
‘What do you mean?’ Adila asked, surprised. ‘Fearlid himself made these for you. No finer weapons could possibly be made for you by the valkar.’
‘It’s beautiful.’
Adila smiled.
‘It shouldn’t be.’
Her smile vanished.
‘This is a sword, Adila. It is a tool for violence, nothing more. See at how they look at it,’ she gestured at Vann and Karesh. ‘They think it’s beautiful. The beauty of this thing allows people to imagine it as something more than what it is. To pretend it can do more than merely hurt. It can’t.’
‘I… what do you want me to do? I… I don’t think Fearlid will be happy to change it. He is very proud of his work.’
Riley glared at the sword. Curving runes were carved into the blade of the sword. It shone and caught the light. It was a work of art. The parrying dagger was no better. ‘I’ll fix it myself then. Well, thank you for trying, Adila.’
‘Yes, alright.’ Adila’s eyes were still wide, her brows raised. Clearly, this wasn’t what she’d been expecting.
Riley sheathed the sword and dagger and looked back at Adila. ‘How will I contact you if I need you?’
‘What would you need me for?’ Adila asked.
‘I don’t know.’
Adila looked thoughtful for a moment. Then she sang a few notes. ‘Very well.’ she said when she was done. ‘If you really need me, merely ask it of the sun. She will tell me.’
‘I’m not a Sunsinger.’
‘I am aware of that.’ she said dryly. ‘I have asked the sun to listen if you say my name.’
‘What if I’m just talking about you?’
‘Do you often do that? Alright,’ she relented, and sang another song. ‘If you want me say my name three times very loudly, then say, ‘Glorious sun, I am not just talking about Adila behind her back, I wish to speak with her. When you have the time, please relay my message.’ Alright?’
‘All of that?’
‘Yes. All of that.’
‘Fine.’
‘Do you need anything else from me right now?’
‘Yes. Whatever you did to make Karesh and Vann understand each other, I need it to stop. They can never learn each other’s language this way.’
‘Alright.’ Again, Adila looked surprised. She sang again. ‘It is done. Is that all?’
‘Yes that’s all. Thank you.’
‘Very well then. Goodbye.’
Adila took a few steps. Each step she took she faded into the sunlight. Then she was gone.
Riley, looking a little grumpy, looked down at her new sword.
‘Riley, that was a little ungrateful don’t you think?’ Vann said, approaching her.
‘Hmm?’ she looked up at him.
‘Well, she did bring you a sword, a dagger and a scabbard and belt, even if you don’t like them.’
Riley shook her head. ‘I am tired of deception, Vann.’ she said wearily. ‘Go get ready,’ she suddenly ordered, ‘I want to leave this place today.’
Chapter 19
By nightfall they had made it to the valley where Karesh and the gemengs had spent their first night after the collapse of the mountain.
The day had been hard on Vann, but he had persevered without complaining.
That night a watch was set. Vann never saw Riley sleep.
And then day broke. No ehlkrid had bothered them. The day’s pace was as punishing as yesterday’s, but at least the environment was not so harsh.
And so not that day, but the next, they made it to the forests.
And finally, Riley calmed down. They set up camp early in the afternoon. Riley mentioned something about Karesh and Vann learning to speak to each other.
And then she wandered off with the excuse of hunting. Watches were set again that night, as every night.
Once again, Vann did not see her sleep.
The next day was actually pleasant. They headed further into the forests, but the pace was easy, and Riley allowed many stops.
The forest was cool and green. A light canopy was overhead. It was not dense as the trees were well spaced out, which also made for easier travelling. Ferns and smaller plants made up the undergrowth. The sounds of animals and birds were everywhere. Fresh water was plentiful, a stream never seemed to be far away.
Riley was walking ahead. Though the pace was relaxed, Riley doubled back and moved around so often she looked to be setting a fierce pace for herself.
‘Riley.’ Vann said as he caught up with her.
‘Hmm?’
‘When did you last sleep?’
‘I don’t know. What does it matter?’
‘If the ehlkrid attack us, will you be able to fight like this?’
‘Of course. And where are they, anyway?’
‘We’ve been moving pretty fast’
‘Perhaps we don’t smell nice enough to eat.’ Suddenly she stopped, looking around. Then she changed direction and gestured to everyone else to follow.
What she was doing was soon apparent. They came to a stream, larger and deeper than the others they had crossed.
She turned to look at the group and spoke in Plains speech. There was some talking, and then the gemengs headed towards the river.
Riley turned to Vann. ‘Go bathe. I’ll go after.’
Vann did not object.
When they were done and their clothes dry Riley was informed and she headed for the river. They moved some distance away and gave her some privacy.
She returned, still looking discontent. Then she suddenly decided Vann needed to be taught how to climb trees.
He didn’t have any say in the matter, but he didn’t mind.
That night camp was set not far from the river.
Vann was woken by the sound of shouting. He had no idea what was going on, he looked around in confusion. The gemengs were all jumping to their feet.
Then the shouting changed, ‘Vann!’ Riley was yelling, ‘stay where you are! The ehlkrid are attacking!’
She had been speaking Plain’s speech before, he realised. He looked around and saw the gemengs forming a circle around him. The fire was at his back. He heard noises, saw shadows. Where was Riley? He readied his SIGPEW and his lightning rod.
He heard a roar. There was the sound of metal clashing with something. Tough scales? Claws?
More roars.
Then from another direction, a crunch. He spun, the SIGPEW ready. Something launched itself out of the night at
the circle.
The gemengs were ready, they fought. The circle moved, he was not so protected.
Vann was not very concerned about that, and he moved out of the way of the gemengs to give them room to fight.
He heard what sounded like a scream. He looked in the direction of the noise, but heard nothing else. Then, a few seconds later, a shadow came pelting towards him from the darkness.
It was Riley. She was covered in blood, her sword and dagger were in her hands.
Their eyes met for a second. Then she spun. Her swords were raised, clashed with something. A shadowy ball went spinning off into the darkness. Then it came back. Riley fought. Behind him, the gemengs were still fighting the other ehlkrid.
And then Riley threw her swords down with another scream. Bewildered, Vann saw her pummel the creature with her bare hands. She spun back to face him, her swords back in her hands, her eyes wild. She ran past him to the ehlkrid the gemengs were fighting. Behind him he heard the sounds of fighting. Then it was silent. Then he heard another angry scream. He turned. Riley flung her weapons to the ground.
‘ADILA, ADILA, ADILA!’ she shouted. ‘GLORIOUS SUN, I AM NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT ADILA BEHIND HER BACK, I WISH TO SPEAK TO HER. PLEASE RELAY THE MESSAGE WHEN YOU HAVE THE TIME!’ and then in a rage she screamed, ‘ADILA! I NEED YOU RIGHT NOW!’
Vann stared at her in shock. She caught his gaze.
‘They’re broken!’ she yelled at him as she pointed wildly at her weapons. ‘Broken!’
‘What are you talking about?’ he slowly approached her, lowering the SIGPEW. The gemengs were cautiously drifting away from her.
Riley paced, her hands on her hips. She looked furious.
‘Riley, what happened?’ he asked.
She shot him another wild look. ‘Look!’ she said and pointed to her shoulder. Her shirt was torn, revealing five long, deep cuts in her shoulder. They were bleeding profusely.
‘Riley! Sit down, that needs to be bandaged!’ his voice was calm but firm.
She brushed him off.
‘Riley, you’re bleeding. I don’t know if this happens to you often, but I need to stop it. Aerlid isn’t here to fix you.’
That caught her attention. The look she shot him was livid. But she stopped pacing. Vann hurried to his pack and got out some medical supplies.
‘Can you come near the fire for me?’ he asked.
Glaring at him, she stalked over to the fire.
‘Please, sit.’ he said.
Giving him a hard look, she sat down heavily.
Vann knelt by her.
Karesh came over as he cleaned the wound. He spoke in Plain’s speech, which Vann could no longer understand.
Riley said something back. Vann couldn’t understand the words, but he could understand the tone. Karesh looked at Vann, he looked rattled. He made a gesture, as if to help, but Vann shook his head. Vann nodded over to the fire. Karesh seemed to understand and went over to wait, and be ready in case the ehlkrid returned.
When Vann finished bandaging her shoulder he leant back. ‘What do you mean broken?’ he asked.
The firelight reflected in her green eyes as she said, ‘I mean they stopped hurting the ehlkrid. They made it bleed, but when my strike should have killed it, nothing happened. I thought it was me at first. Then this happened.’ she gestured to her shoulder.
Vann let out a breath. He didn’t know how that could be. Maybe she was just over-tired. But what he did know was that she had to be in a lot of pain, and she needed to rest. ‘Riley, Adila will come and we’ll sort this out. But right now you need to get some rest.’
The set of her jaw became stubborn. ‘No.’
‘You’ve barely slept in days.’
‘I’m not a human, Vann.’
‘You still need sleep.’ He said. ‘Are you worried about the ehlkrid? Karesh and the others will keep watch.’
She glared at him. Then she stood. Vann quickly got to his feet with her.
He kept his voice gentle as he asked, ‘is there a reason you don’t want to sleep?’
She gazed at him a moment, then at the fire. She took a step closer to it. ‘My shoulder hurts too much to sleep.’
‘I’m sorry, I don’t have anything to help with that. Maybe if you lie down though you might be able to fall asleep.’
Riley didn’t respond.
‘Alright.’ he relented. ‘What are you going to do then?’
‘Keep watch.’
‘I’ll keep you company then.’
She shot him a surprised look. ‘You don’t have to do that.’
He flashed her a smile. ‘I’m used to you keeping me awake.’
Riley gazed at him a moment and then nodded. She sat then, her back to the fire.
Vann joined her, getting into a comfortable position on the ground.
They talked quietly in the night for some time. When her voice started getting softer, her responses slower, Vann stopped talking. Late into the night, she finally fell asleep.
Vann sighed, watching her sleep sitting up in front of the fire. Gently, and avoiding her shoulder, he got her to lie down. She made a muffled protest, but she didn’t wake.
Vann moved over to his bed of blankets. He was asleep soon as well.
Vann opened his eyes. The sky was still dark. He didn’t know what had woken him
He sat up, looked around. The fire was still bright, and he could see the dark shapes of gemengs on watch.
He looked over at Riley. Her head was moving back and forth and she was making low, muffled noises.
Vann crawled over to her and gently shook her. ‘Riley,’ he said softly, ‘Riley, wake up.’
Suddenly she sat up quickly. She brought her hands up as well, as if to defend herself. One of those hands connected with Vann’s face. He made a muffled cry and brought a hand to his face. Riley was looking around wildly. Her eyes were wide, her hair sticking to her damp skin.
‘W-what happened?’ she demanded in a strangely vulnerable voice.
‘I woke you up. You were having a bad dream.’
She was looking at him now. ‘I fell asleep.’
He nodded.
Riley’s expression crumpled. She turned around, looked at the fire, her hands tightly grabbing her knees.
‘Whatever it was, it was just a dream,’ Vann tried to say as gently as he could, considering how much his face was now hurting.
‘It doesn’t feel like it,’ she said, her voice watery, ‘it’s always the same, ever since I… I got my body back. It’s like I’m trapped again, in here, in Strong Swimmer.’
Vann dropped his hand from his face. He thought he was going to have an impressive black eye tomorrow. ‘It’s over now, Riley. You’re safe. You’re here.’
She nodded weakly, not looking convinced.
Vann was at a loss for what to say. ‘Do… do you want a hug?’ he asked lamely.
She looked over at him. Then she nodded.
Surprised, he moved over and somewhat awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. She responded instantly and grabbed him. She seemed to calm down almost instantly.
‘I couldn’t feel… not when that…m-monster had my body… I couldn’t feel anything…’ her words seemed partly, mostly for herself, as if trying to remind herself. ‘It was all wrong with S-strong Swimmer,’ as she said his name her voice caught. ‘B-but it’s right now. I can feel now. I’m ok.’ she said it as if convincing herself.
Vann nodded, said nothing.
Moments passed. They felt quite long to Vann. Riley didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go. It wasn’t that he minded, he just wasn’t quite sure what to do. As the seconds lengthened into minutes he suddenly relaxed. It wasn’t him, but she needed someone. The gemengs thought of her too much as their master, she couldn’t ask them and they couldn’t offer.
‘Do you want to try sleeping again?’
There was a pause. Then she nodded. He couldn’t quite see it but he could feel it.
Once they lay
back down she fell asleep quickly.
It took Vann longer.
When Riley awoke to daylight she was nearly sick with relief.
She shook off the lingering nightmares, forgot the unbearable pain in her shoulder and went and had another bath in the river and washed her clothes. She was covered in dried blood, her own and that of the ehlkrid. Beating something to death with your bare fists was messy.
When she came back she caught sight of Vann’s face. ‘What happened?’ she gasped.
‘You did.’ he said amiably as he prepared breakfast. He went on as he saw her stunned expression. ‘You know, most women rather like my face.’ he shrugged, ‘At least, they can restrain themselves from trying to rearrange it.’
‘I-I… when did this happen?’
His smile softened. ‘I startled you when I woke you up. It was an accident.’
‘I would never do that to you on purpose!’
The teasing smile came back, ‘well you don’t have to, you do it enough by mistake. Do you want to help me cook?’
Riley paused, halfway between horror and curiosity. One of Vann’s eyes was a dark purple colour and swollen shut.
‘As long as you promise not to put any dirt in it.’ he added.
Cautiously, Riley approached and sat down next to him. ‘I’m sorry about that.’ she said, looking at his eye.
‘Me too.’
She winced.
‘So, breakfast?’
She nodded.
‘No dirt?’
She paused. Then she nodded. She had given him that black eye. Some compromises were in order.
They did not move from their camp that day. They burnt the ehlkrid bodies, some distance from the camp. They hunted, Karesh and Vann tried to talk to each other and they more or less relaxed, doing no more than the basic chores that were necessary.
Riley did not wear her weapons. When she caught sight of them the anger of last night returned. But she pushed it away. She called Adila one more time. She would come, eventually. And it would be dealt with.
Later in the day she joined Karesh and Vann with the intention of helping them with the language. She felt a twinge of guilt whenever she saw Vann’s eye.
When they saw her approach they fell silent, though surely they could not have been saying much.
The Broken Kingdom Page 8