by Billy Wong
Derrick glanced at the corpse. His gaze drifted to the ground, and he sniffed without shame. Finally, he said, "He was brave." He knew it to be true, and for more than the obvious reasons. Being a bard, Mick must have realized a good number of Rose and Finn's companions wound up dead, and decided to seek them out anyway.
"Thank you," the girl said. She climbed onto the wagon and drove away.
Watching her vehicle recede into the sickly colored sunset, Derrick continued to softly cry. Brave or not, it hadn't mattered for Mick in the end. All he'd wound up being was another innocent life taken by a vicious fiend. Derrick hoped that decent people like Rose and Finn would prove to have the strength to make such a man die.
#
Victor's head hung as he rode back into camp, disappointed at his failure, body weary and wracked with pain. Instead of capturing Sierra like he set out to, he'd lost his Ulir and many of his other allies. He thought things couldn't get much worse, at least until he stepped into his tent. Clearsky was missing. A powerful suspicion filled his mind, and he hurried to find Prince Wilner. When he arrived at the black tent, he heard the ruler of Cobland arguing with his captain over the female Ulir prisoner's fate.
"You cannot kill her!" Loreen said. "She's done nothing but try to tell the truth to her people, and they don't even believe her over your lies. There's no reason for her to die."
"What reason is there to keep her alive? She's a giant waste of food and drink, and you can't think to keep her captive forever. Besides, who knows if her arguments will sway the other Ulir in time?"
Victor interrupted them angrily. "The Ulir are dead, so she won't convince them. Now, what are you doing with Clearsky?"
Wilner fingered the trident on his back and shrugged. "You weren't using it. Why shouldn't I?"
"Give it back."
"You aren't worthy of it. Look at how it was damaged in your hand. I'll take better care. But take it, if you dare."
He didn't, knowing Wilner would be more formidable than ever now. He realized his future was in grave jeopardy. Even if Wilner hadn't planned to betray him and take over everything before, he would certainly be encouraged to do so by Clearsky. The trident had pushed him towards someday doing the same to Wilner. "I don't need it, anyway. You were discussing the female Ulir? Why don't you just let her go? She won't harm anyone alone. I doubt she'd bring her people to rescue the dead members of her race, and we can probably afford to let the useless children go with her."
"That's not what we're worried about. We sent the Ulir who stayed behind to ask her tribe for help, to avenge their dead king."
"Who killed him?"
Wilner smiled. "I did. But that's not what they'll think. His daughter doesn't know who did it either. But I'm just worried that together, they might get the right idea."
"So you want to kill her so she'll have no chance to spread the knowledge of your wrongdoing."
"Why, of course."
Victor looked at Loreen, and saw the expected disapproval on her face. "It's wrong, Wilner," he said. "Hers is innocent blood, she never even got a chance to fight."
"She's a grown woman, and our enemy. Clearsky says she should die."
"Please," Loreen said, "don't kill Thraga. You've never been partial to murdering women and children. Have you changed?"
Wilner scowled. "She's not a human being."
"She thinks and feels just as much."
He seemed unable to deny that. "I'll consider the matter. I suppose by the time the others come, I will have to decide." Without another word, he strode outside.
Loreen did not follow, and standing there she and Victor exchanged uncomfortable looks. Finally, she said, "So you don't want Thraga to die. Could you help free her, then? I don't think Wilner will let her go. It's only a matter of time before her tribe comes and he decides to silence her permanently."
He wasn't happy about the giantess' plight, but asked, "What does it matter if one more Ulir loses her life? We've already destroyed half her race."
"Even small deeds count for something—especially when there's so few left of her people."
Victor nodded slowly. "You're right. But if we're caught..."
"Who guards Thraga at night?"
"Two of my men and two of your prince's." He paused. "It shouldn't be hard to kill his, and I'm sure I can keep mine silent about the thing."
"Thank you, Victor... we're going to be in real trouble if we do get caught."
"I'm still his equal in military power, if not personal. As long as he doesn't kill me quickly, we might have a new civil war among the Western allies."
The one-armed woman clutched her head. "I can't believe this is happening. But you're not that bad."
"I like to think so. Not compared to a multiple-time traitor like yourself, anyway."
"We're not friends, you know. You ought to hold your tongue with the smart comments."
He waved dismissively. "Fine."
That night, they went together to the great tent where Thraga was being held. Upon taking a peek inside, Victor saw a big problem. The giantess looked parched from thirst almost to the point of death, and he realized the captive hadn't been treated well. Even if they freed her, he doubted she would have the strength to go far. "This won't work," he said to Loreen. "She's just going to get caught and killed if we try to set her free."
The woman's face drooped with disappointment. "You're right. And to think, I thought I would get to do a good deed. Haven't done one for too long."
"At least you won't have to kill any of your countrymen," Victor replied with a meaningful nod at the unsuspecting Coblanders guarding the giantess.
"So is she doomed, then?"
Victor thought about it. He would have to confront Wilner sooner or later. Thraga's life wasn't that important to him, but the prince of Coblan grew to be a detestable partner anyway. "If I get rid of Wilner for you, will you become leader of his armies?"
Loreen frowned, her eyes conflicted. "I suppose I would have a good chance to take the reins, especially with outside support. You wish to kill him? Without his might to inspire us, our country's spirit might dwindle away."
"Don't you have any confidence in your own abilities?" She didn't reply, and he sighed. "I'll help you save your country, if we defeat him and survive. We don't need legends to guide us through life, when we can do it ourselves. What am I saying, I'm a legend too! But... I don't really feel that way." He was just one strong man out of many, who would never give up on getting what he was due—and had admittedly been rather lucky. Now that his luck seemingly ran low, he might have to rely on his own merits to see him to his goal.
"So when are we going to kill him?"
"We?"
The lines on her face stood out with strain, yet her eyes were resolute. "I won't let you do it alone, when you were willing to help me and risk your life."
"I'll give him the end of the truce he wants. He's so eager to shed blood again? We'll see how good he is at avoiding his blood being shed by a blade from behind."
"I'm sorry things didn't work out for you."
Victor smiled. "They still might. Fate has a way of bending over backwards for me when you least expect it, after all."
#
Wilner looked up at the sound of the man's entry. The stranger was of moderate height and lean, yet radiated a power that brought a slight chill even to him. His black body paint seemed to mark him as living death in human shape. "Who are you?" Wilner asked warily.
"I am called the Dream Killer, and I've come to offer my aid."
"You are a warrior," he concluded without much difficulty.
"A warrior god. The only victims who've ever eluded me are among your enemies. But they can only escape so many times."
"Who do you seek?"
"Rose and Finn, the couple who won't die... though their friend Alicia also holds a place in the graveyard of my mind." He turned around, revealing a fresh scar down his back.
Wilner nodded. "I'd be glad for your he
lp. But my stupid partner is still clinging to a truce between the two sides. Hopefully I'll soon persuade him to change his mind."
"I want them now. I would see them drown in their blood, begging for their lives."
"They're not even nearby, though they'll probably be back soon. Until then, we can wait."
"No, no wait. Help me track them down, and we can finish it already!" All of a sudden, two curved swords filled his hands.
Wilner's fingers closed around Clearsky. "Don't push me. Wait, and your time will come. But attack me and you will never leave this place."
To his relief, the Dream Killer sheathed his blades. "Fine. But when they come back, I expect you to be ready."
Wilner nodded, but grinned as the man walked away. Offering him help? He didn't really need it, though he would be glad for any given freely. He was quite invincible already with Clearsky. But he would wait just a little while to strike. He did look forward to the devastation that would be wreaked by his new Ulir allies.
#
As Kayland's forces readied themselves to take the initiative and break the truce, Rose prayed the coming battle would finish this war. Which of the rulers would die, and who would take their place? If Victor fell, she was sure it would end the Western Alliance. He didn't have anyone suitable to take his place, and she doubted his soldiers would fight under Wilner's banner should he die. He'd be her first target, then. But what had happened to Clearsky?
Sierra's call to arms came, and Derrick wished his friends good luck. While the scholar had done well in previous battles, he had no stomach for this war. Clearly, Brandon's death affected him strongly. He hadn't been close to the count, but the loss of anyone you knew was hard to bear. But though Rose was likely sadder for Brandon than her friend, nothing could keep her from the front lines of the good fight.
The Kayland army gathered to attack the enemy camp, and Finn commented with a smile, "This must be the first time our army actually went on offense against the unsuspecting enemy."
"They don't seem that unsuspecting. Looks like they're getting ready to break the truce, with those preparations."
"True, but we'll still be attacking first."
Alicia popped up at Rose's side, not really to anybody's surprise. "Victor's still mine."
Rose rolled her eyes. "Didn't you already beat him off one time? You've already proven you can hang with anyone, just concentrate on keeping yourself alive."
"And what do you plan to do, Iron Flower?"
"Crush Victor, and Wilner if I meet him along the way."
The duchess' voice took on a nostalgic air. "You guys... I just wish Count Brandon were still here."
"You hardly knew him, so why talk like you did?"
"I know he was a good man. I could tell from what I heard of him."
"That he was," Finn admitted. "He would do anything for Rose's sake, and I think he'd have made a good father for his child. Now they'll never get to know him. I hope I can strangle that Dream Killer with his own intestines today."
The women gazed at him with a bit of puzzlement, and Rose said, "He's not even among the enemy, unless something's changed. Though I wouldn't really be surprised."
"Nothing surprises us much anymore, eh?" Alicia asked.
"How could it? We've been through everything in our young age. What are you, twenty-nine?"
"Thirty. You're still the youngest of us, Rose, and yet the one who's suffered the most pain. Even my callous heart aches for you."
Finn shook his head. "I've been through most of the same—she's just a sensitive girly girl." Rose looked at him, and he added, "And I love you for it. Your gentle heart's my light."
"Where's Kestrel when you need him?" Alicia mused. She referred to her sometime lover from her duchy, with whom she'd recently had a fight. They hadn't made up yet, to the best of Rose's knowledge.
"Do you love him?" Rose asked.
"No, not really. He's good under the blankets, but I don't think I've found my one true love like you guys. I'm still looking... hope I'll live long enough to meet him. I know he's out there somewhere."
"This must be the final battle," Finn put in, "if we're talking like this."
Rose bit her lip. "I hope so, anyway."
His voice grew soft. "Hey... how are your wounds healing up, anyway?"
"I held up to Victor last time," she said evasively.
"That's not what I asked. How bad is the pain?"
"Still pretty bad. But has that ever been my undoing? I can fight."
Rose spotted Sierra nearby, and walked over to her with a warning in her mind. "Rose?" the regent greeted her. "What the matter?"
"I've been thinking about the plan, and it's a little concerning to me because this isn't like you. I mean, I'm not saying it's a bad idea to attack, but don't forget you aren't the only person whose life is on the line. Keep a clear head, please—don't let your anger at Max cloud your mind. I'm not sure he's the person who killed your father, anyway."
"He said it himself."
"He looks really young. Even for a Volstonian fighter, it doesn't seem likely he would have gotten the chance to finish off someone important when others must have helped."
Sierra nodded. "Maybe you're right. But I hope Max is the one. I'd like to know my father's been avenged."
"Having justice is a comforting feeling, yes. And he does seem quite a bastard. Just don't forget the big picture, though."
"I understand. By the way, you know they saw an Ulir leaving the enemy camp?"
Yes, the last adult remaining apparently. "And?"
"I'm afraid she goes to fetch allies."
Rose realized she meant the tribe up north. But Thonng would bring them to help their side—unless something had happened to the king. If that was so, Clearsky would no doubt try to shift the blame to Rose's side. She really didn't want the last Ulir tribe to join the fight against them and force their own deaths. "I guess we do have to end this."
Seeing her frown, Sierra patted her shoulder comfortingly. "We will. Good luck hunting princes today."
Rose managed a smile. "You too." She toasted the regent with an imaginary cup. "To brighter days!"
"To brighter days."
She returned to her husband's side, and they brought the battle to their enemies.
Chapter 12
Rose, Finn, and Alicia fought on foot into the enemy camp at the front of their army, weaving between the stakes that surrounded it and occasionally hacking them down when pressed for space. The advance was slow and difficult, and many Kaylanders died before they could even pass the barricade. But the trio helped keep the slaughter of their allies from being too much, carving a path through anything that stood in their way. Soon they cleared the outer perimeter, and as the two armed masses pitted their full force against each other beyond the ring of spikes, the battle for the Western Alliance's camp began in earnest.
While they did not slay the hundreds they did unscathed, all three of them were used to fighting through injury. They had hardly slowed when they came upon Victor and Wilner, though their armor bore many rents. The smell of Finn and Alicia's blood and sweat actually reassured Rose, for it was a reminder that strong allies stood with her. But her heart nearly leapt up her throat when she saw the weapon in Wilner's right hand. Clearsky. The prince already possessed unsurpassed skill without the magic trident augmenting his mind, and with it she imagined him nigh invincible.
"Rose," he said with a smile. "Have you come to finally die?"
"You haven't killed me yet," she replied while she met his charge. Alicia blocked Victor's attempt to interfere in their duel, and Finn met Conrad the Slave. The white trident flicked out like a snake's tongue, jarring Rose's shield arm over and over again. Each contact sent a powerful current through her body, and she wobbled struggling not to faint. Between and during strikes with the trident, his huge axe flashed through the air faster than a crossbow bolt. But she defended the physical attacks well for now, fairly used to his speed; it was the mag
ical shocks she couldn't ward that threatened to rob her of her strength.
She hooked his axe under the head with her sword and twisted sideways, wrenching him off balance. But he leaned away from her followup swipe with her shield rim and tines punctured her shoulder, the electricity making her muscles spasm. She kicked at his knee; he jumped back, avoiding it easily. Now Clearsky stabbed into her thigh, and she hobbled backwards struggling to stave off his assault.
Wilner caught her sword on one of her few return blows between his tines, jerked her to the side. As she turned involuntarily, his axe buried itself between her shoulder blades. She heard bone give and fell hard on her knees, limbs going weak. Unbelievable pain shot up her spine to cloud her vision, and she barely saw smiling royal teeth gleam in the sunlight.
Even now, Rose would not allow herself to die easily, and forced her arm to move so the axe descending towards her face smashed instead against her raised shield. The impact knocked her to her back, and she shrieked as pain shot all through her body. His axe came down; again she blocked with her shield. Her forearm throbbed like to break. In desperation, she kicked at Wilner's legs. His trident plunged down, pinning her calf to the ground. Shit! It might really be time for her to die...
Still unwilling to give up, she threw a fireball at his face, and he pulled Clearsky up to ward it. The explosion of the magical projectile bent away from its haft, but Rose sat up to stab at his gut. His axe swept down, knocking her blade aside. Then Clearsky was in her shoulder again. Her shield arm dropped to her side, nearly useless with the damage to the joint. Rose grew lightheaded with blood loss from the numerous holes in her flesh; damn trident with its two points! Wilner rained a torrent of blows down at her, axe clipping her head to crack her skull and rip a long gash in her scalp before she rolled away. She tried to stand, fell back on her butt with dizziness, and tried again.
Wilner stopped to watch her raise herself shakily to her feet, unmistakable admiration in his eyes for her refusal to die. "You know, you've given me the best battles I've had. But today's will be the last."
"Best battles?" she asked harshly. "Wouldn't your best be the ones where you butchered the most hapless young men?"