Sacrifice

by Underwood, Patrick

  “Of course, she did, but are you sure she did that? Or are you just projecting on her what you hope? This isn't a romance novel, Tyla.”

  “I'm sure. Doesn't seem attracted to women, which is disappointing, but I think it's more about not having any men her age anymore. She said that the few younger men in town left north with the army months ago. She has only been nineteen for a few months.”

  “Why is nineteen important here? Is that the age of adulthood?”

  “Sort of, it is when the choosing stone can be used with guaranteed results. While it sometimes works on those that are younger, at nineteen, it has never failed to be accurate, and each stone can only work on a single person once. So that is the age of majority for both men and women, in the human lands at least.”

  “You have mentioned this choosing stone before. What is it?”

  “A matriarch will imbue an object, usually a precious stone, with power. It must be a matriarch because it takes such a massive amount of power and control that only a woman on that level can do it. It is the last test before achieving the rank, if not the position that goes with it.

  “The type of power does not matter, but the object then becomes sensitive to other types of magic so that it glows when contacting someone who has it. It's the only method, besides you, to know for sure that someone is Chosen or not.”

  “Interesting. So, the titles are like the ancient nobility on Earth. You can be a matriarch, but you may not be a landowner like your mom was. Now it's making more sense to me. Alright, I am going to go get clean now. Come get me if you need me.”

  She rose from the bed and came and kissed me. Pressing the pile of clothes against my chest as we did.

  “See you soon, Master. I will sort our stuff so we can sell it later.”

  “Good.” I left the room, heading down to the bathing area.

  I sank slowly into the steaming water with a combination of pain and joy. Almost too hot, but I did not care. I could feel the tension bleed away as I sank up to my neck in the copper tub.

  “Fuck, I missed this.”

  The room smelled of summer flowers if I was to place it, the soaps much nicer than those I found in my bag when I arrived in this world.

  I reached up and pulled the cord above the tub. A bell rang in another room somewhere. I was guessing the front counter.

  I closed my eyes and just relaxed. Trying to let all the worry and tension that had built up over the last few weeks leave my body.

  “Sir?” a voice called, along with the knock at the door.

  “Yes, come in.”

  I could hear the door open but could not see Tasnia enter. The privacy screen blocked the tub I was in from the entryway and laundry station.

  “I will clean ya clothes while ya soak and we have a robe if ya did not bring an extra set. We do not offer any… extra services to bathers at our inn.”

  “Thank you… for the clothes and I will take the robe. I was not planning on inquiring about anything else,” I said, as I noticed that her accent had reduced from earlier. Just the slightest hint of an Irish accent on just a few words now. This world magic translation thing was weird.

  I sat back in the water and let my mind drift again. Tuning out the sounds of Tasnia washing my clothes.

  “Is… is what my father said true?” Tasnia said after a few minutes.

  I hesitated before answering. “What did he tell you?”

  “That I might be Chosen and that ya can get me to safety?”

  “Uh… I can't really promise that, Tasnia. I can promise we will try, though. If you come with us, I will say that you are Chosen. Don't ask me how I know, but I do.”

  I heard a sniffle on the other side of the cloth screen.

  “It's kind of funny,” she said. “I always wanted to be one since I was a little girl, before mom died. To be important and noble and all that. Now with the Demigods turning them… us, into their slaves, I find that it scares me out of my mind.”

  “I…” I said and stopped. “It's fine to be scared, Tas. I don't know what you're feeling, not exactly anyway, but Tyla and I are going through something similar. We can't predict tomorrow, but I can promise that should you decide to come with us, I will do all that I can to both protect you and teach you to protect yourself.”

  “But ya can't teach me to use these powers, can ya?”

  “It's... complicated, but I think Tyla can. Or at least start you on the path.”

  She did not respond and instead hung my clothes up on the string to dry. “Your clothes are as clean as I can get them. Some will never be clean again, though.”

  “It's been a rough couple of weeks. Going to sell most of them if we can and get some new ones,” I said with a chuckle. Standing to get up out of the bath and move over to the rinsing station to finish washing off.

  “Here is yer robe—” she cut off as she placed it over the divider. I looked up to see her eyes peeking at me through the slit. Her face suddenly red when I spotted her. “Sorry, I’ll go now.”

  She turned and sped out the door, slamming it shut.

  Oops.

  21

  Normalcy

  I used the water and rag someone left at the door to our room to clean myself off as Tyla finished getting dressed. After a week on the ground, the bed we slept in last felt like magic, even if it was not the best bed I had ever slept in. It was also nice to conduct our more intimate activities with something soft underneath us.

  “Stop staring,” Tyla said as she looked over her shoulder at me.

  Caught.

  “Sorry… No, I am not. You’re gorgeous… But I do need to finish so we’re not late,” I realized I had stopped wiping myself at some point.

  “Tas said she will meet us in the dining room at breakfast. Her father suggested she spend time with us the next few days to get to know us better.”

  “That's good, you know it’s scary times when a father has to trust strangers to take care of his daughter. Did I ever tell you about my kid back on Earth?”

  Tyla stopped with the last strap. Staring up at me in shock. “You… had children already?”

  “Just one, technically, but I was a horrible father. I… met this girl when I was twenty-two and her name was Angela. She got pregnant and had a boy while I was on deployment. I did all the responsible things, sent money and such, but we were only together for a night, fueled by too much drink and poor decisions. Never meant for a long-term commitment. I was just working on building that relationship with my son before the end of the world.” A pang of regret hit me at the thought.

  Tyla walked over to me and sat on my lap. The feel of her leather shorts was almost uncomfortable on my exposed skin. “I am sorry, Derk.” she said as she hugged me.

  “I lived a pretty normal life in those days to be honest. It just so happened that normal was full of regret for most people. Like I said, I was not a good father, and regretted that when I got a little older. I visited a few times as my son was growing up, but really did not commit to it till I got released from the colony project. If we… ever have children, I will not make that mistake again.”

  Tyla smiled and kissed me on the lips. Pulling away, she got an evil smile on her face. “You make me happier every day. Now, let’s go seduce the innkeeper’s daughter!”

  I snickered. “Nymph. Do not push her into this. I said I was open to it, but if I think she is being pressured, then no deal. Understood?”

  “Yes, master!”

  She got off my lap and swished her hips as she moved over to hand me my clothes.

  “What happened to the pretty and passive girl I met?”

  “She became happy,” Tyla said. “Though I still feel a little anxious around strangers.”

  “I noticed that last night when we ate in the main hall. I want you to be who you are, Tyla, don’t try to be someone you're not.”

  “Thank you,” she said, “You do not know how much that means to me to hear you say that. My whole life was the opposite.
”

  I finished putting on my clothes, not wearing any of the armor as we wanted to sell it but strapped on one dagger. “Okay, let’s go eat.”

  I ate the breakfast that was in front of me. The same porridge as yesterday, topped with a few local fruits that looked like raspberries but tasted more like strawberries. The fresh baked bread, honey, and butter were a good balance to the otherwise bland oatmeal like bowl.

  “The bread is fantastic,” I said, complimenting Tasnia who had joined us.

  “It’s simple, but we only do grand breakfast when we have visiting nobles… which hasn’t happened in some time… oh sorry, Tyla, I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s fine, Tas, I am not a noble anymore. I am probably closer to an outlaw now.”

  “Which is why we are going to be leaving soon. Are you still thinking you want to come with us?” I asked, looking at Tas.

  “Father wants me too, and I really enjoy hanging out with Tyla. In fact, you both seem so nice… I just… I don't know what the future will hold, and it scares me.”

  Tyla reached over and placed her hand on Tasnia’s. “I know, I am scared too, we will make the best of it.”

  Roman came up to the table and interrupted our conversation. “Morning to you three.”

  “Good morning, Roman,” I said. “The dinner last night was excellent.”

  “Just steaks and potatoes, all locally available. Our cook has been with us for ten years now, she is getting older, but I was just about to hire some new kids to help… since I may lose my best employee soon.”

  “I can stay if ya need me father.”

  “No, I worry too much about you, and my gut says I can trust them. It breaks my heart, but your safety is paramount. Are you still planning on getting supplies today?”

  We all nodded in response.

  “I have something I would like to show you Derk, it is the sword we talked about yesterday. Would you like to let the women go out and we can let you test it out in the back?”

  I gazed at Tyla and Tas to get their opinions. They both nodded.

  “I think that would be fine,” Tyla said when I raised my eyebrow at her.

  “That sounds good, my experience is with knives, spears, and… ranged weapons, so I could use some time to get used to it.”

  “You never learned the sword?” Roman asked.

  “It's… complicated, but it was never a part of what I trained on.”

  He nodded. “In that case, you and I will spend a lot of time together. I will teach you as much as I can.”

  “That works. Can we borrow something to measure with so Tyla can get clothes that fit me?”

  “Sure, I have some string at the counter. Tas, go get Becky to man the front for us today?”

  “Yes, father. She might not be happy about being up so early.”

  “I warned her you would be busy the next few days, she agreed to be available as needed and I would pay her extra.”

  “Yes, father,” Tas said and got up from the table, picking up all our dishes then going to the kitchen.

  “Is that the woman who sang last night?”

  “Yes, she has also been working here for years. We are not rich, but we treat the staff like family and let them live here. That's why most of them do not care that I am a man running the place.”

  “Her voice was delightful,” I said.

  I needed to remember to ask Tyla how the words seemed in perfect pitch to the music, even though we were not singing the same language. Though I was fairly sure the response would just be a shrug and her telling me it was magic.

  I smiled at my internal joke as I got up and followed Roman up to his office. I looked over my shoulder. “Be safe Tyla, you know where I will be.”

  “We will be back soon, my love.”

  “Roman, while I appreciate this, I was picturing more of a one-handed model. This thing is huge,” I said as I held the two-handed beast up in front of me.

  We had gone to the back of the inn, two old wooden posts with a crossbeam halfway through sat away from the building. They looked unused with the amount of dirt still on them, but the many cuts in each showed that they had seen plenty of practice in the past.

  “You showed me your knife skills and they are… good, but a one-handed short sword will not protect my daughter from men or Chosen in every situation. This sword will protect you from spear and other swords much better. Only way a short sword is better is in a shield wall.”

  The sword was a great sword, which was about as much as I knew. The handle was about sixteen inches long and the blade about four feet if I were to guess. It was only a few inches shorter than me.

  “I don’t even know how I would carry something like this.”

  “Practice,” he deadpanned. “This isn’t even the largest I could have given you. It’s a balance between two-handed brute strength and portability. But you can one hand it if you have need. You also don’t seem the type to want a shield getting in the way, so two hands.”

  I nodded but still wasn’t sure. “I can try it. I never studied HEMA, so I don’t know.”

  “Studied what?”

  “A… Ancient martial art about great swords where I was… trained.”

  “Look, Derk, I figured out you were not part of the Matriarch’s guard, but you have skills… and my gut tells me I can trust you. I won’t ask about your past but tell me the truth when you do.”

  “Thank you, it’s probably better if you don’t know. Let’s just say my training focused on hand-to-hand knives, two handed weapons, and a type of projectile weapon that you don’t have.”

  “Which is why we are going to focus on a weapon that will complement your close quarters fighting with some range. A short sword won’t give you anything more than a long knife. So, we will get you a good knife as a backup and focus you on the long sword for the next few days.”

  “That makes sense,” I said, then sighed.

  “I warn you kid, if I only have a few days to get you to where you can protect my daughter, every day you will hate your life.”

  “I have never been afraid of hard work.”

  “You will be when I am done. First, we go over the stances and grips,” he said as he brought up his own version of a great sword. “Your grips are good, but a sword differs from a knife. You have to be able to move the sword fluidly and account for its weight while still being relaxed.”

  He showed me, gripping the handle so that his weak hand was at the bottom grip above the pommel, and his dominant hand was at the top, near the tang, in an open grip.

  “Fast, loose, and flexible is the key to any sword. Do not grab the pommel or you will lose control.” He moved the sword around in his hands. “With this first grip, you can be two handed and move the sword wherever you need it to be easily and still have the power to strike.”

  He launched forward and hit at the rightmost of the two targets on the field. A solid strike reverberated through the wooden post, making all the dirt and dust fly off it.

  “Now, you grip just like I showed you, and we will go over just those forms today. Then work on the next tomorrow and start blending them together. I can’t teach you everything, of course, but I think I can get you a solid foundation in a few days with a little sweat and blood.”

  “Oorah,” I said with a smile, thinking back to days gone by.

  “Another thing I do not understand.”

  “Oh, something the soldiers of where I came from used to say as a motivator.”

  “Oh, we have something similar, yes. Now, first stance. Hold your grip just like this with your feet slightly more than shoulder length apart and at an angle like this.”

  I followed along, studying and mimicking each of his forms. Each were simple in their way, just like every other form of fighting I had ever learned.

  Simple but efficient beat complicated and flashy most days, so I settled in to learn what I could.

  “Holy shit, you feel amazing,” I said, followed by a deep moan of plea
sure. “I know I could really just do this myself, but you doing it really feels so much better.”

  “Wait till later tonight,” Tyla purred into my ear as she massaged the muscles in my back, applying just enough of her power to heal the damage from today’s training.

  “That man has put me through hell today. Pretty sure I would be dead in my old world.”

  Tyla leaned forward and nibbled my ear. “You will love my training later… just wait. Tas is also coming along with her training, we worked on it all day after we ordered what we needed. Fairly sure she is asleep. Thank you for letting me teach her.”

  “She’ll need it and no reason not to. I noticed she is getting along with you, and I find I enjoy her. But I have spent no real time with her yet. I don’t honestly know if what you hope… will end up happening.”

  “My plan,” Tyla said, “has been to not to push anything. If I judged her worthy of joining us, then I will tell you and you two can make the final decision together. I have spent all day with her now, and I think we will become close friends regardless of if she joins our bed. She is infatuated with you though. She denies it to me, but she constantly volunteered to bring you water today.”

  “In my old world, a woman in your position would be quite jealous.”

  “I… may have been before our bond. Not now though, it’s an imperative in me to increase your power, even if I did not also have an attraction for her.”

  “Wonder if it’s another suggestion the gods wrote into their mind-fuck matrix thing. Another reason I am against adding more women.”

  “Even if you are right, master, I can’t change the will of the gods, nor would I want to, based on how I feel right now. I think you should spend some time with Tas and decide for yourself if you want to tell her the truth. Then see if she is interested. I am done by the way.” She said as she finished rubbing my back and turned away.