Nerutal peered up at the sky. The sun was higher than when Acquila had left. The soldier had been away from the camp for some time. Nerutal wasn't worried about him surviving the woods--Acquila was a born outdoorsman. If he came across a flood of villagers, however, he might find more trouble than he could handle.
"Ha!" Darian yelled.
Nerutal turned toward the makeshift fire pit and watched as smoke rose from the bits of moss and leaves. "Good job, Darian."
"Sir." Darian blew on the coals, coaxing the fire into existence.
Nerutal turned toward the woman. She was still quiet, still asleep, or feigning it well. Her eyes were moving beneath her lids again. Ellistan cried out in his sleep.
He walked to her and kicked one of her feet. Her eyes flew open. Nerutal jumped back and then relaxed. Her eyes had seemed to glow. But just for an instant. He let out a slow breath.
The woman glared at him.
"Do you understand me?"
The woman said nothing.
"Fire's ready," Darian called.
Nerutal leaned forward, his nose inches from hers. "If you hurt my men, I'll murder you in your sleep."
He rose from his haunches and headed to the fire-pit. The smell of wood-smoke filled his nostrils. "You need more wood."
"Aye," Darian said with a smile.
A branch broke behind them. Both Nerutal and Darian turned, swords pointed toward the sound.
Acquila walked into camp, a thin smile on his face. Two hairy animals were draped over his shoulder, their hind legs in his hands. "Sorry, sir. Guess I should have warned you."
"I sometimes forget just how quiet you can be." Nerutal's stomach rumbled at the sight of the animals. "Pigs?"
"Something like a pig," Acquila said. He dropped the two carcasses onto the grass near the fire. "I'll skin them and then Darian can cook."
"Aye. We'll need more wood too."
Nerutal nodded. Acquila stared at the woman still bound to the tree. He smiled at her.
"Get to work. I'm hungry, soldier."
"Sir," Acquila said.
While the young soldier readied the meat for the spit, Nerutal walked to his pack. He reached in and pulled out the strange book. The book seemed heavier than the day before. He held it up in the sparse light, looking for water damage--there was none. The book had been spared the rain, although nothing else in the pack had.
Clutching it in one hand, he faced the woman. Instead of a glare, she looked expectant. Nerutal walked toward her and sat on his haunches. He lifted the book to her eyes.
"Do you know what this is?"
Her lips trembled. She looked up from the book to his eyes. They seemed to glow again. Nerutal fought the urge to jump back from her, knowing it had to be a trick of the light. She clenched her teeth, her glare returning.
He opened the book, turning the pages until he found the one he sought. He turned the book to her, the strange crimson spiral staring her in the face.
"And you know what this is?"
Her lips pursed. A flood of guttural syllables flowed out in her beautiful voice.
"She speaks?" Acquila asked from behind.
The woman looked past Nerutal and the book, focusing on something over his shoulder.
"Back to work Acquila," Nerutal said without turning.
"Sir."
Nerutal snapped his fingers in front of the woman's face. Her eyes returned to his.
"What is it? What is this?" He tapped the symbol with his index finger.
The woman spoke again, spittle flying with each word.
Nerutal closed the book and waved it.
"This is what you were looking for, isn't it? Why you found us?"
"Sir?" Acquila called from the fire-pit. "She's just a lost girl."
Nerutal turned around and glared at the young soldier. "She is not a lost girl, Acquila. Get back to work and shut up."
Acquila lowered his head and resumed skinning the pigs.
When Nerutal turned again, he caught another flash of crimson from her eyes. He rose from his haunches. "Are you marked?" he asked. The woman said nothing. He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled down her tattered shirt. There were no marks on her soft, warm skin.
"What are you?" he whispered.
The woman made no response, her face set in a hateful grin.
"Sir? You shouldn't touch her."
Nerutal swung his head and glared at Acquila, his cheeks flushed with anger. "Soldier? Remember your place," he barked.
Acquila lowered his eyes back to the skinning. Nerutal could see the young man's lips quivering.
From behind, he heard the woman whisper. It sounded like the same word the villagers had chanted: "Garaaga."
Nerutal slipped and fell twice as he and Darian descended the hillside. The forest canopy kept most sunlight from reaching the ground, ensuring there was little undergrowth to shore up the ground. The previous night's rain had turned the fertile soil into a muddy bog.
The two men trudged toward the river-bank.
They heard the roaring river long before they could see it. A number of trees had fallen from the heavy winds and lightning strikes, but the forest was still too thick to provide a clear view. The river had jumped its banks. Where before there had been a wide divide between the forest and the green water, the river covered the treeline.
"Gods," Darian whispered.
"I don't think we'll be walking any today."
"Aye. Unless we're going to cut a trail through the forest."
Nerutal found a gap in the trees and stared at the sky. "I think another storm is coming for us as well."
"Even if it's not, the water'll keep rising."
"Agreed. I think we stay in camp today."
Darian clucked his tongue. "Excuse me for saying so, sir, but I think we might have a problem with the lad."
"Speak."
"Thank you, sir. I think he's taken too much of a shine to the girl."
After Darian had cooked the strips of swine for their breakfast, the three men had eaten. Nerutal had tried to wake Ellistan, but to no avail-- the fever's grip had become too strong. It was the same sickness that had killed two of his other scouts and the sleep that had taken them was its last stage.
Acquila had eaten his breakfast in great gulps, barely chewing the tough, sinewy meat. When he finished, he'd walked to the woman and begun untying her hands.
"What are you doing?"
"She should be able to feed and water herself, sir?"
Nerutal had ground his teeth. "No, soldier. We don't know who she is or what she'll do. You feed her. You water her. But do not untie her. Understood?"
Through clenched teeth, Acquila had acknowledged the order. It was the first time Nerutal had ever seen any sign of insubordination from the scout.
Acquila had returned to the fire, pulled a spit of meat, and fed the woman. Nerutal had watched her eat the tough meat from the spit with ease. As the woman downed the food, she made little sounds of pleasure, smiling at the young soldier. The grin on Acquila's face had filled him with disquiet.
Against his better judgement, he'd left the boy alone with the woman, taking Darian to the river instead. Nerutal was afraid if he stayed in camp, he'd do something rash.
"Have you seen anything...strange?"
Darian kept his eyes on the swollen, rushing river. "Dreams. Just dreams."
"The woman."
"Aye. That and something else."
"What?"
The old soldier paused. "Eyes, sir." He turned to Nerutal, his face set in a grimace. "I thought-- I thought I saw her eyes change."
Nerutal's pulse quickened. "To what?"
"Red. Silver. Several colors. They looked dead to me."
"What dreams, Darian? What dreams have you had?"
"Laying with her and then dying in a beast's embrace."
"Without control of yourself."
"Aye." Darian spat. "Same dream?"
"Yes."
"Thing from the altar.
"
"Yes."
They were silent for a moment. The river's endless growl obliterated any birdsong or insect sound the forest might have held.
"We should kill her, sir."
Nerutal nodded. "I saw her in the river the night before we went into the village." Darian turned and blinked. "She was near the boulder. It's how I found the path."
"Naiad."
Nerutal nodded. "Something like that. She was singing."
"Singing what?"
"I don't know. It was--" Nerutal pursed his lips. "It was beautiful."
"Siren."
Nerutal laughed. "You spent too much time with Alexander's tutor."
"Perhaps." Darian looked up into the forest canopy. "We never dreamed we'd be in a place like this. Strange animals. Strange weather. New gods. New monsters." Darian clucked his tongue. "Pardon me, sir, but what do you plan to do about Acquila."
"I don't know. But we should get back."
"Aye."
The pair turned from the roaring river and made their way back along the mud-strewn path.
Nerutal blinked at the silent campsite. "Check Ellistan."
Darian stepped toward the tree the ill soldier was slumped against. Nerutal turned around in a slow circle, trying to make out breaks in the branches. He saw none.
"He still lives," Darian said.
Two coils of rope sat at the base of a tree. Nerutal picked them up and placed them in his pack. The woman and Acquila were gone.
"Sir?"
"Thank you, Darian. He still burns?"
"Aye. More so than ever."
Nerutal nodded.
"How much more pig do we have?"
"There's none left, sir."
"None left," Nerutal echoed. "We'll hole up here until Ellistan passes."
"Sir. Do we bother searching?"
The boy had betrayed him. Of all the soldiers, Acquila and Darian had been the most loyal, never questioning orders, always respectful, and quick to act. Now Acquila was armed and somewhere in the forest with the woman.
"He'll only be found if he wants to be." Nerutal turned and sighed. "Wish I knew what he was thinking."
"Aye. Perhaps he thought you'd hurt her?"
"Perhaps he knew I would kill her."
Darian nodded. "This is a bad place to hole up, sir. It's on a hill, which is good, but we're vulnerable from all sides."
"The only other choice is to leave Ellistan to die alone. I'll not do that."
"I can scout for better, and we can move him."
Nerutal clucked his tongue. "If the boy attacks, can you take him?"
The old soldier chuckled. "Not as well as you, but if I can't, you'll certainly hear about it."
Nerutal glanced at Ellistan and then back at Darian. "We both go. We take Ellistan with us."
"Who's going to carry him?"
"I will. I need your sword ready."
"Sir," Darian smiled.
"I'll need your help with my pack."
"Aye."
Nerutal looked up through the space in the canopy. Dark clouds, swollen with rain, had filled the sky. "We're going to get wet again and soon."
"Aye. The king's ill will follows us."
Nerutal removed his pack and handed it to Ellistan. "Whatever happens, soldier, do not lose that pack. It has the book. If we lose that, we lose our chance to return to the kingdom."
Darian nodded. He took the offered pack and slung it over his shoulder along with his own. "What about Ellistan's?"
"Leave it. I fear he won't be needing it by tomorrow."
"Aye."
The going was slow. Nerutal had lifted Ellistan and thrown the man over his shoulder like a bale of wheat. He'd expected the man to weigh him down, but Ellistan had wasted away in the last few days, becoming nothing more than a breathing, flesh covered shell.
Nerutal and Darian walked through the mud, doing their best to be silent. The old soldier was on point, carefully choosing each step. Nerutal's eyes were on the ground, trying to match Darian footprints with his own. If for some reason Acquila decided to hunt them down, it would be best for him to think he was tracking one man instead of two. Nerutal doubted the young man would be fooled by the trick, but regardless, it was worth trying.
Frigid raindrops fell through the trees in fits and starts. The exertion of carrying Ellistan and walking were the only things keeping him warm. His tattered tunic was soaked and clinging to his body.
Darian slipped in the mud and nearly fell. The old soldier let out a quiet curse and kept marching forward. Nerutal stepped carefully through the muddy footprint, his eyes still cast down.
He almost bumped into Darian when the man stopped. Nerutal looked up. Darian's head was cocked to one side. Nerutal slowed his breathing and listened. He heard a moan. It sounded like Acquila.
Darian looked back at his tired leader and nodded his head toward the sound. Nerutal nodded in return.
The old soldier scanned the forest, found what he was looking for, and stepped through a small space in the trees. Nerutal followed, although it was difficult swinging Ellistan's body through the gap. Darian walked on his toes, dodging brambles and branches.
The moans became louder. Nerutal fought the urge to call out to Acquila, to ask if he was okay. The boy had betrayed him, but he was still a scout. Nerutal's scout.
Darian crept further through the brush. Nerutal lifted Ellistan from his shoulder with a wince and propped the unconscious man against a small tree. Without the extra weight and bulk, he moved to follow Darian and then stopped.
Everything around him smelled like a woman in heat. A tickle in his loins turned into a pull. His manhood hardened in response. Darian had stopped as well, his head raised to the trees. Nerutal fought the urge to touch himself and release the sudden need, instead reaching forward and tapping Darian on the shoulder.
The old soldier stiffened and then turned around. He shook his head as if trying to clear it. He touched a finger to his temple and then cast his eyes downward. Nerutal twirled his finger and Darian turned around. Nerutal helped him out of the packs, laying them next to Ellistan. Once they were on the ground, he tapped Darian on the shoulder and they resumed walking through the brush.
Every snap of a branch or swish of leaves made him wince, but the sounds of coupling were louder. Nerutal hoped Acquila was too distracted to hear their approach.
Another sound joined Acquila's moans--those of a woman's. The smell of sex, the pull on his loins, was still palpable. Nerutal struggled to keep the need at bay. His mind filled with visions of the woman's naked body splayed on the boulder inviting his entry. He clenched his teeth and continued following Darian.
After more than a dozen steps, Darian crouched. Nerutal followed suit, peering over Darian's shoulder. Through a break in the brush, he saw the couple.
The woman lay on Acquila's tunic. The boy was on her, his buttocks moving with each thrust. Moans of pleasure escaped him. Then Nerutal heard it--whispering.
The woman was speaking in that strange language, soft and coaxing. Her body glowed with a strange light. Her nails dragged down Acquila's back, leaving red marks on his naked skin.
Darian sighed.
The woman raised her head and stared over Acquila's shoulder at them. The look of pleasure on her face dissolved into a malevolent grin. Her eyes turned from a dark brown to blood-red. One of her hands lengthened, the nails turning into talons. They flicked against Acquila's back, tearing off shreds and leaving tracks of blood. Acquila groaned but continued thrusting.
The dream filled Nerutal's mind. The thing clamping around him, suffocating him and crushing his penis. "No!" he yelled.
Acquila turned his head and Nerutal's breath hitched. The young man had aged. Wrinkles and lines marred his face. His eyes were deep set and glossy.
"Acquila," Nerutal whispered.
The former scout screamed and leaped off the woman, staggering, his bloody, ruined penis erect. The woman slowly stood, her teeth elongating.
"Run!" Darian yelled.
Nerutal crashed through the brush, Darian on his heels. Acquila howled something. When they reached Ellistan, Nerutal knelt. Darian flipped the man onto Nerutal's shoulder and grabbed the pack.
Brambles and branches scraped his skin and removed chunks of flesh from his face and legs, but Nerutal barely noticed. The river. They had to get to the river.
Nerutal struggled to keep upright. Ellistan's body was throwing him off balance, but he wasn't about to let the man go, not if it meant leaving him at the thing's mercy.
Somewhere in the forest, Acquila howled again. Nerutal fought the urge to turn and ensure Darian was behind him. The rain was still falling and between its rush through the trees and moving through the brush, he couldn't hear anything else.
He spied the hill up ahead. Breathing heard, his feet pumping, he made the ascent. His lungs burned, breath coming in gasps, but he kept moving.
On the other side of the hill, he slipped and slid down on to the muddy path to the river. Darian slid beside him, his sword in one hand. He held out his free hand to Nerutal. As he reached for it, a scream filled the forest.
Acquila sprang from the trees lining the path. He crashed into Darian and knocked him into the mud beside Nerutal and Ellistan. Nerutal tried to rise but slipped again. Darian flipped over and managed to raise himself using a small tree. Acquila, naked and covered in mud, stood and growled.
Acquila swung his sword, aiming for Nerutal's head. Darian's xiphos slid beneath and deflected the blow. Sparks flew from the scraping metal. Acquila leapt backwards, his sword pointed toward Darian.
The old soldier wiped mud from his face and smiled. "Sorry we made you leave your whore," he panted.
Acquila screamed and attacked. His blade swished through the air in short diagonals. Darian countered each one, stepping forward and forcing his assailant to step back. He bobbed his head and feinted.
Nerutal scrabbled with his hands, desperately trying to get to his feet. He slipped and fell to one knee just as Acquila's sword carved the air above his head. Darian pushed forward, putting himself between Nerutal and the crazed soldier.
Acquila's sword scraped off Darian's and slashed against his side. A rope of blood jetted from the wound spattering Nerutal's face. Darian grunted in response and kicked. His sandaled foot connected with Acquila's sword arm, knocking him back.
Legends of Garaaga Page 9