A Warrior's Knowledge

by Davis Ashura

  Chak-Soon was miserable. “How trust Her judgment?” he asked, feeling as if he stood at the apex of a bridge. On the far side was an untamed, unruly world where nothing was certain but hidden truths could be life altering. On the near shore was the safe existence he’d always known: unquestioning obeisance to Mother. Which way to go when so much of what he believed to be true was actually wrong?

  Li-Choke sighed. “Now that is a question which has troubled the Baels for centuries. If you arrive at an answer, let me know.” His broad lips split into a grin. “For now, we hunt Hume, remember? In Hammer. The Bone Place.”

  “We still go.”

  “We are ordered to do so,” Choke replied. “But maybe we need not go into Hammer, just to the city.”

  The Bael moved on, leaving Chak-Soon to walk alone. There had been something to Li-Choke’s final words. He hadn’t been entirely truthful. It wasn’t as the commander had said. The Baels had come to a decision regarding Mother. They didn’t trust Her, which meant they had disobeyed Her. They had been traitors just as She had claimed. But their treason had been rooted in Mother’s own incomprehensible actions and orders. Her current commands, for instance.

  She couldn’t tell reality apart from untruth.

  Chak-Soon gasped. He had crossed the bridge, going over to the far side where nothing was certain. It felt like thunder should have rolled, lightning smashed, but the world was the same, gray and overcast, cold and silent.

  Chapter 22: Hunted

  The plowed fields of coal-black loam, the deep forests of emerald stillness, and the wild sea of sapphire grandeur. Or a quiet library, the soft air crowded with the aromas of walnut oil, pipe smoke, and old paper All are places of sentimental longing.

  -Reap the Harvest by Chulet, AF 441

  In all her life, Jessira had never expected — nor wanted — to visit the dead city of Hammer. The idea was silly, no better than wanting to sail the raging seas. She had many better uses of her time.

  And yet, here she was, all because of some book that Rukh’s nanna insisted was important enough to risk their lives over.

  Crumbled buildings stood in melancholy postures of slump and decay, their lovely friezes and carvings worn away by wind and time. The roads, whether paved with brick or crushed stone, were rutted and torn asunder by roots from bushes and shrubs forcing desperate toeholds. Vegetation choked off the medians as ivy slithered to all sides of the streets and up the surrounding buildings. A small thicket of trees, forming a young forest, had reclaimed several blocks of the city, and from it came the furtive animal movements of raccoons, rabbits, and even deer. Jessira had to step carefully around piles of scat, some of it fresh.

  “Wolves,” Rukh said, breaking her reverie as she studied a still-steaming dropping.

  In response, Jessira uncased her bow, nocking it. “Can’t you Fireball them?” she asked.

  “I could but the Chims might hear.”

  Jessira scowled. The damnable Braids. If not for the snake-like Chims, she could have been warm and asleep in her bedroll — or at least warm, depending on how long she and Rukh decided to kiss. Instead, she was trekking through Hammer’s boulevards in the frigid cold near midnight. Her breath steamed before her. At least there wasn’t any snow or rain. Being cold was bad enough, but it was doubly worse when she was wet.

  “Do you think they still have our scent?” Rukh asked.

  Outside the city, the hissing Braids had dogged their footsteps, nipping at their heels. But once Jessira and Rukh had entered the ruined streets of Hammer, the snake-like Chims seemed to have lost the taste for the hunt.

  “I think we left them behind,” Jessira said.

  “Then let’s stop and find some shelter,” Rukh said with a shiver.

  They cast about, studying the nearby buildings for a likely candidate.

  “There,” Jessira pointed out a nearby building, one of the few that was close at hand and nearly intact. The structure was narrow and long, rising three stories and standing on a corner. It looked like it might have once housed a series of flats, or perhaps had been a single-family home.

  Rukh nodded. “It should do.”

  “Good. Let’s get inside. It’s freezing,” Jessira said, cold and frustration making her irritable.

  “I thought you Strongholders were tougher than us soft Purebloods,” Rukh said in bewilderment.

  “Shut it.”

  The building’s front door was in place, but many of the windows had long since been shattered with shards strewn across the floor. Inside, the furniture lay broken into kindling, and the walls were gutted, exposing broad swatches of laths. Plaster dust covered everything in a film of white, and to the left of the entrance, a narrow staircase, only wide enough for single file, led upstairs. The balusters were cracked and broken. A hall led deeper into the building, and the damage continued, but at least the walls were upright. A safe spot was found in the rear of the structure, likely a kitchen, and — for a wonder — the windows were intact. A door led to an alley, a handy exit if they needed to make a quick escape.

  “Probably best to leave the packs on the horse,” Rukh said, leading the gelding into the small space in the back.

  “We’ll have to go without a fire and wrap up in blankets,” Jessira commented.

  Rukh smirked. “I think you just want to snuggle with me.”

  Jessira snorted. “I’d snuggle with the horse if I didn’t think he’d step on me.”

  “I smell better.”

  “Barely.”

  Nevertheless, once they were settled on the ground, their backs to a wall, she pressed close to Rukh, resting her head on his shoulder. Even through the worry of being hunted by Chims, the feel of his warmth next to her caused her to blush. Why couldn’t the fragging Chims have waited just an hour? She looked up, staring up into his eyes, wondering if he was thinking what she was thinking.

  “I can think of warmer places,” he said.

  “I can think of softer places,” she responded.

  “Less dangerous.”

  “We really shouldn’t,” she said, wanting nothing more than to do exactly what they were dancing around.

  She traced the outline of his jaw, stroking his face as she stared into his dark eyes. Her heart beat quicker when he bent his head, kissing her. She breathed deep, her body rising, pressing closer to his. She was falling. It was the softness of his lips, the stubble of his beard, and the feel of his fingers gliding through her hair. The kiss deepened.

  Rukh broke off. “We really shouldn’t be doing this,” he said, sounding breathless. “We have to stop.”

  “I don’t want to stop,” Jessira growled in frustration, clutching his shirt. After a moment, she leaned her face away from his and rested her head against his shoulder, still pressed close. “You’re right,” she said, sighing in disappointment.

  A wolf howled, sounding close. Another answered, even closer.

  Rukh smiled. “It’s a good thing we stopped when we did.”

  Jessira chuckled. “Could you imagine how embarrassing it would have been if they caught us while we were naked?”

  Rukh laughed with her. “Let’s hope the wolves don’t find us at all. I’d hate to have to fight them and the Chims.”

  “Weren’t you the one who wanted to come here and find some book?”

  “That was before I knew there were wolves here or that we’d be hunted by Chims.”

  “I’ll remind you of your idiocy when we get back to Stronghold.”

  Just then a hooting cry came to them, high pitched and desperate, cut off all of a sudden.

  Jessira stiffened. “What was that?”

  Rukh rose to his feet, hand poised on his sword. Jessira stood as well, readying her bow. “It sounded like a Balant,” Rukh said.

  More cries came, roars and hissing screams. The Chims. Someone was attacking them.

  *****

  Li-Choke was quickly learning why Hammer was called the Bone Place. A day out from the city, a Balant had b
een killed by a herd of elk. The males had attacked the Balant without mercy, taking mortal blows from the Tigons to bring down the elephant-sized Chimera. Later the same day, a tiger had mauled a trap of Braids. Several of the snakes had died, and others were so severely injured, they had to be put down. The closer Li-Choke and the Chimeras came to the city, the more frequent such attacks became. The worst was when a Braid was attacked by a swarming colony of rabbits. Rabbits! The little monsters had attacked a fully armed Chimera with nothing but teeth and a mindless savagery. The mingled screams from the Braid and the dying rabbits was one Li-Choke knew would haunt his dreams for years to come — assuming he lived that long.

  The Bone Place might see an end to him and his command. He already hated this city. The only reason he still pressed forward was because Mother might know if he didn’t explore the city’s environs. Legends told how Mother could find Her children no matter where they were. Until She had discovered Li-Choke in the Hunters Flats, he had always assumed such stories to be an exaggeration, if not an outright fable. He now knew the truth. He had to complete his mission or risk the death of his western brothers.

  Still, he had never actually intended on entering the city, but, unfortunately, the remaining Braids had caught the scent of something. Like brainless fools, they’d raced off, crying out their discovery and quickly outdistancing the other Chimeras. By the time Choke and the rest of his command had caught up with the snakes, they were all dead. A bear had awoken from its slumber and killed them.

  At that point, Choke was ready to lead his Chimeras out of the Bone Place and take them somewhere safe, but a pack of wolves had ended his incipient plan. The four-legged bastards had chased them into Hammer itself. Once inside, two more Tigons, Chak-Trum and Chak-Vimm, had both quickly died. It had been a tiger, dying even as it took down the Tigons. Then the pack of wolves had caught up with them again.

  The final Balant had given up its life so Choke and the two remaining Tigons could escape. He was just glad Chak-Soon was amongst the survivors. If the young ordinate died, it would be a tragedy. Choke had to find a place to hole up for the night. He and the others could escape this death trap of a city in the morning.

  As they walked down a rubble-strewn street, Chak-Soon sniffed the air. “Humans.”

  Chak-Tine lifted his snout as well. “Near. Kill them?”

  Li-Choke wondered who the Humans were. Were they planning on reclaiming the city? The Chims avoided the Bone Place, but that didn’t mean it was safe for Humanity. Hammer still lacked an Oasis, and without one, Mother could kill them without any effort.

  His musings ended when a wolf rounded a corner. The animal howled, calling its pack to the hunt.

  “Run!” Choke shouted.

  They sprinted along a wide boulevard, dodging rocks, refuse, fallen tree limbs, and ivy thick as rope. All the while, Choke scanned for a defensible spot. “There,” he said, pointing to a nearby building. It was nearly intact. The front door was in place. They might be able to defend it.

  Tine, the first to tumble inside, was immediately cut down by arrow through the throat. He gurgled out his death. Chak-Soon, close behind on Tine’s heels, took a sword thrust to the chest. He slumped to the ground, keening in anguish. Choke stared at his dead and dying Tigons, trying to figure out what was going on.

  Before he could, a hammer-blow to his wrist forced him to drop his trident. His whip was ripped from his waist. A vice-like grip squeezed his throat and slammed him against a wall.

  “You should have chosen a different building,” a hard voice growled.

  Choke grasped the hand, trying to overcome his shock. He knew that voice. “Rukh Shektan?”

  *****

  An electric jolt went through Rukh. That voice. It was impossible. He should be in the Hunters Flats. “Li-Choke?” A garbled answer sounding like a ‘yes’ was his only response. Rukh dropped the Bael. “What are you doing here?”

  The Bael rose shakily to his feet, rubbing his throat. “I am hunting Hume,” he said with a quavering laugh.

  “You know this Bael?” Jessira asked, stepping out from behind a large chunk of the fallen ceiling. She had been the one to fire the arrow that had cut down one of the Tigons. The other one still lived, curled up in a ball and gasping out his life.

  “You know him, too,” Rukh said. “Li-Choke. The Bael who carried you away after the Kesarin attack in the Hunters Flats.” He walked over to the still-living Tigon. Blood pooled beneath and around the Chim, freezing quickly in the cold air. The creature lay on his side, curdled around the ruin of his torn chest and mewling in pain. Tigons were filthy brutes, but no creature deserved such torture. It was time to end this one’s suffering.

  “Don’t kill him,” Li-Choke cried out.

  Rukh withheld the lethal blow. He turned to the Bael. “Why?”

  “He is not what you think,” Li-Choke said.

  Wolves howled outside, sounding as if they were closing in on their building.

  Rukh glanced to the open door. “Better explain quickly,” he said. “Sounds like the wolves are hungry.”

  “They aren’t hungry,” Choke said with a grimace.

  Rukh quirked an eyebrow.

  “Since Hume’s death, the animals around Hammer make life dangerous for Chimeras,” Choke said. “We call it the Bone Place.”

  “And what about the Tigon? Why’s he so special?” Rukh asked.

  “Can you Heal him?” Choke asked, sounding desperate.

  “Why should we?” Jessira challenged.

  “He understands the truth about Mother. He is the first Tigon to do so. He needs to live.”

  Rukh considered Choke’s request and shared a questioning glance with Jessira. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “My initial judgment about the Chims, or at least the Baels, may no longer be trustworthy.”

  Rukh stared down at the Tigon. “He’s not even Human,” he said after a moment of thought. “Who knows whether Healing him would even work?”

  “Please,” Choke pleaded. “My brothers, the ones you saved in the caverns, were all murdered by the Queen. Afterward, I wondered at my purpose in this world, but Devesh took my tragedy and gave me an opportunity: teach the Tigons. It can be done. They can become as the Baels, great leaders like Li-Dirge. Please, Rukh Shektan. Save this one if you can.”

  It was the ‘please’ that convinced Rukh. It was important to the young Bael. Besides, even if Choke was wrong, they could always kill the Tigon later. “Can you Heal him?” Rukh asked Jessira.

  “I can try,” she said. “I only hope you know what you’re doing,” she muttered softly, low enough so only he could hear her. “Hold him down,” she ordered Choke. “Once I’ve got him Healed, I don’t want him roaring to his feet trying to kill us.”

  Choke helped roll the Tigon over, kneeling at the ordinate’s head and pinning down his hands and arms. “I have him.”

  A single thrust had been all Rukh had needed, straight into the right side of the Tigon’s chest. Blood bubbled as it pumped out of the scalpel-straight incision.

  Jessira’s hands glowed golden as her eyes narrowed in concentration. “Hemothorax,” she said. “Blood is filling up the space between his chest wall and his collapsed lung. It won’t be easy to fix.” Once more, from beyond the building came the howl of wolves, closer than before. Jessira glanced outside. “And I don’t have time to be gentle.” The light from her hands flowed down into the Tigon, eliciting a harsh growl.

  Another howl came from outside, even closer. Rukh rose to his feet, unlimbering his bow as he paced to the front door. He stared out into the night, searching. The wolves were coming. That much was obvious. He set an arrow to string. “Hurry,” Rukh urged, sensing movement in the street.

  “Almost done.” Jessira said. More light poured from her hands.

  The Tigon drew a shuddering breath even as the large gash knitted shut. His eyes snapped open in terror and briefly, he lifted his head off the ground bef
ore it thumped back down. His tongue lolled out.

  “What happened?” Choke asked.

  “He’s asleep,” Jessira said, looking nearly done for.

  “Get him upstairs. I’ll cover.” Rukh said. “We’ll have a better chance holding them off if they only have one way to reach us,” Rukh said.

  Choke loaded the unconscious Tigon onto his shoulders and made for the single set of stairs to the left.

  “Jessira goes first,” Rukh ordered. He knew how much Healing took out of a person, and as tired as Jessira probably was right now, she wouldn’t even be able to lift her sword. Besides, he wanted as many warriors as possible between her and the wolves.

  Choke started up the stairs after Jessira. Rukh readied his bow and followed, walking backward. He’d probably be able to get off two shots, and then it would be his sword. Fireballs couldn’t be used here. It looked like a single spark might set the entire building ablaze.

  Rukh conducted Jivatma, strengthening his bones, muscles, and sinews.

  “Do you require assistance?” It was Li-Choke.

  “No,” Rukh answered. “Just see to your Tigon and make sure Jessira is safe.”

  “I’m not made of porcelain,” Jessira said. “And my place should be at your shoulder. Two bows are better than one.”

  “You sure you’re up to it?”

  His answer was unhappy stomps down the stairs followed by a thump to his head.

  “I think you should keep your hands to yourself,” Rukh said with a grimace. It had been a hard thump. “Didn’t anyone teach you OutCastes proper manners?”

  Another thump, softer followed by a gentle kiss against his cheek.

  Rukh glanced up at her, wishing they could have … He shook off the thoughts. “Just a few hours,” he muttered.

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” Rukh said. He had heard movement just outside the front door. “Here they come.”

  A wolf barreled through an open window. Jessira’s arrow took it through the chest, slamming the beast into a wall. Three more followed. Two were quickly felled but not before another four were inside. They raced for the stairs.