by Billy Wong
Looks of alarm surrounded the table. A lot of the wild God Soldiers had been destroyed, but many still existed. If they became a unified force again, humanity as it stood now would have great trouble standing against them. "Where are these Rings?" she asked. "We should go and destroy them completely to the point there's no chance of being fixed."
"I think 'rebuild' may have been a poor choice of word on my part," Scott said. "The Rings was said to be destroyed at the end of the war, so the original may already be beyond repair. It's just as likely the enemy is looking to create a new one—either scenario is possible, I suppose."
"Darn, if they're making a new one, we have no idea where that might be... do you know what else the original was made of, being an engineer? If so, we might be able to anticipate where they'll go to find what they need."
"I wasn't there and the whole world wasn't privy to the empire's secrets, so no, I don't know what the materials were. But if I saw the original, maybe I could identify them. Granted I usually work with mundane things rather than magical, but I could do some reading up on it."
Cart-Dragger felt a glimmer of hope despite herself. "We should go soon, and not let them get any more of a lead on us than we have to."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Russ asked. "You lost your best friend, and you're gravely hurt. To just keep going like this..."
"I'll manage." Actually she felt all broken inside mentally and physically, but that was in part why she had to keep moving forward. If she stopped and let the weight of all that had happened rest solidly on her, she imagined she would be crushed under it and fall apart. "I can ride in the cart and rest while somebody else pulls it, until we get there or have to fight."
Mindy said softly, "What about the funeral?"
"We'll have it tomorrow morning. It doesn't need to be a big affair when there are more pressing things to deal with." Her voice quivered. "I-I know I sound cold. I loved her... more than anyone else in the world. But those who care about her the most know how they feel. A ceremony won't change anything. Maybe we can take a day when this is over to commemorate her life—she would probably appreciate it more than time spent mourning her death. Before that, I want to make sure her death won't have been in vain." Well, more than it already was. She wanted to punch herself for thinking that, but refrained from doing so as to not look insane.
"You're such a solid girl," Gene said patting her back. "Without you as duchess, I don't know how this place would manage."
"We all have our talents. Things would be a lot different without any of you around too. They'll be a lot different without Jen..." Russ hugged her while she choked back tears, and Scott and Mindy joined in.
After the group embrace, Lars asked, "Where exactly is the original Rings of Rulership, anyway? I don't think that was actually mentioned."
"It stood at the heart of the Red Empire," Scott replied, "inside their ultimate fortress. It should still be there unless they already somehow moved it."
Allen looked at him. "Somehow? It was very big?"
"Yes, a massive structure hundreds of feet tall, standing higher than almost any building. I'm not sure if it needed to be that big to control all the God Soldiers, or for some other reason."
Cart-Dragger bit her lip. "If it's that big it might not be easy to completely destroy it... but if they do turn out to be trying to repair the original we could catch and defeat them right there. I hope I'll have time to heal up enough before we arrive."
"The heart of the empire is quite far away, so you should have plenty."
"How far?"
"Even at your pace, assuming you weren't injured, it would be a month's trip."
A month just getting there, never mind coming back! She felt like time was rushing away like water through a broken dam. And all that time would be a head start for Maximilian and his allies considering they already knew what they were after... She shrugged. "It can't be helped. I just hope the journey to the next location we have to visit will be shorter than that. So Lars and Allen, you're okay with coming along right?"
"No problem here," Lars said. "Your wish is our command."
Allen added, "I hate how he murdered nice Jen with cheap magic. I want to help you get payback."
"I appreciate it. The three of us and Scott should be good, then."
Mindy asked, "Should I come too? To lend a strong arm in a fight and you know, in case you need someone to talk to..."
"What do you mean? Scott, Lars, and Allen are plenty to talk to. I think the rest of you should stay and keep the city in order. Having me and Scott gone will be troublesome enough."
"All right. I hope you'll take good care of yourself." She and Russ wore a similar worried frown.
"I'll look after the little duchess," Scott reassured them.
#
Scott spent the evening presumably reading up on magical engineering, while Cart-Dragger laid in her bed. She'd wanted to help the others wrap up the funeral arrangements, but they insisted she rest and she had to admit she was exhausted. Her body hurt all over so bad, even after many days, and every movement made it worse. She could scarcely imagine how it would be if she had to fight in this state. But when she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, she couldn't, her guilt over Jen flaring up to a high point with the imminent burial of her body. There were multiple ways she could have saved her—not brought her along, warned her earlier not to get close to the fight, tried to get up more quickly after Maximilian blew her up, or just fought better and killed the bastard—and she'd failed to do any of them. She thought about Jen's mother, whose daughter had been her only living family after her older sons died in the war. How could she bear it, would she be able to withstand another soulcrushing blow like this? If she hated Cart-Dragger for the rest of her life, which was likely to be the case, she wouldn't blame her.
She flashed back to when she'd informed Jen's mom earlier in the day. "I-I don't know how to tell you this," she said after the frail thin woman, older than most with a daughter that age, opened the door of their house. "Jen... we were fighting and... she's gone."
Her friend's mother showed no sympathy for the wetness in Cart-Dragger's eyes, which wouldn't be deserved anyway. No doubt fighting back tears of her own, she fixed a withering glare on her. "So the day I never wanted, but always feared would come has at last. Why did you even come here, do you think I want to see your face? You were always so cocky, so assured in your savage strength. 'I'll protect her,' right? How many times did you speak those words? What do you have to say now?"
Cart-Dragger had thought to show her respect by personally telling her the news, but saw now how empty the gesture was and couldn't form a response. "I used to act polite and welcoming to you because you were the duchess," she continued, "but I never liked you. I always thought your friendship might lead her down a doomed path, but I knew I couldn't stop you. Even if you weren't the duchess, she came to like you more than me. I don't care anymore, so I'll tell you what I really think. Screw your friendship! What did it ever amount to, other than poison to Jen in the end?"
"I'm sorry!" she choked out at last. "Once I come back from this trip, I'll let you do anything to me you want."
Her iron-hard gaze didn't waver. "You think I'll kill you, or even hurt you? I'm not a brute like you. I want you to live knowing you failed in all your arrogance, and can never fix it."
"I d-don't know if it matters, but I loved her."
"You're right. It doesn't matter, and neither does your sadness or guilt. Because no feeling you have changes what you're responsible for. Understand that."
Unable to take any more, Cart-Dragger ran away. Contrary to what she said, Jen's mother did hurt her, for the words flayed her soul. But it was right. That meeting had been what finally made her listen to the others' advice to rest. Now she walked over to the window and looked solemnly out it. "You called me a goddess," she said for all those who had made that mistake, "but you were wrong. Turns out I'm just a stupid girl-child gifted with too
much strength after all."
It had already turned dark, and she thought she should drink something to sleep. Even if she deserved the suffering she endured every moment she stayed awake, she didn't want to burden everybody else by showing up nonfunctional. Before she could reach the small keg she had brought just in case, someone knocked. "Who is it?"
"It's Ruth, the mercenary."
She wiped her eyes before opening it. "What do you want?"
The taller woman clearly noticed her red nose and puffy eyes, but didn't comment. "I was talking to Lars and Allen and heard about where you're going. I want to come too."
"And why is that?"
"There's something I want to see." She hesitated. "Since I figure you might pass by my hometown."
"Wait, you're an imperial?"
Ruth looked unnerved. "I, uh, I just used to live there..."
Cart-Dragger rolled her eyes. "No need to be so skittish. I understand. We can't help where we're born. People should work together to survive in the world that exists now, former imperials or not... as long as you don't support the empire rising anew."
"Our leaders ruined the world. Just because I grew up under them doesn't blind me so much I want to see that happen again."
"Did you fight for them?"
"I, well, I was a soldier-"
"Calm down. I'm not going to harm you because the answer's yes. I was just asking a question. If you were a well-traveled soldier, I'm thinking you might be useful for guiding us through the former lands of the empire."
She nodded bashfully. "I was going to offer to help with that."
"Then we'll be glad to have you... assuming no one else has any objections. Any friends you want to bring along?"
"Even though he's a great fighter, Stan has a bad leg, and Dustin's a little older. I doubt they could keep the pace you prefer, and the others probably aren't up to this either."
"Can you keep it?"
"I'm pretty stubborn, and if Lars and Allen can do it, I don't believe I can't."
She managed a thin smile. "I like that answer. See you tomorrow, then."
"That's it, I can go?"
"Yeah. I'm not in much of a mood for small talk."
Ruth left, and Cart-Dragger went to fill her mug with whiskey. Oblivion beckoned...
#
The next morning they held Jen's funeral, a small service attended by her friends and mother. Though the latter gave Cart-Dragger many a disdainful look, she thankfully didn't confront her. They all recounted fond memories of Jen, expressed how much they would miss her, and reconnected in their shared grief over her loss. "I once stole Jen's boyfriend," she recalled tearfully at one point. "I didn't mean to, it was just that well, I'm me and some guys like a girl with unusual confidence. And even so, she still forgave me and stayed friends with me... because she was a true, true friend." Jen's mom really glared at her then.
"I don't know if that was best story to tell," Allen said when they got a moment to themselves.
Lars disagreed. "It's fine. It was from the heart."
She glanced towards where Scott sat alone slumped over in his chair. "I hope he got enough reading in last night. He looks even more tired than me."
When they met outside the manor just before departure in the afternoon, Scott showed up bent with the weight of a large sack over his shoulder. "You wouldn't mind me putting these in your cart, would you? I couldn't finish reading everything that might be of value, so I figured I could do it on the road. My tools are in there too."
"I won't be dragging it, so fine by me." At her words, Lars and Allen exchanged unhappy looks.
"So should we go?" Lars asked after a moment.
"Not yet. I'm waiting for one more person." A couple minutes later, Ruth appeared. "I don't believe you and Scott have met," Cart-Dragger said. "This is Ruthless Ruth, one of the mercenaries we recruited."
"What she doing here?" Allen demanded.
Ruth looked dubiously at him. "Don't tell me you're still holding a grudge over a little tussle months ago. That'd be quite petty and unmanly of you."
"You kneed my balls over and over for no reason!"
"It was only twice. And I was in a bad mood, alright? I admit I overreacted. But didn't you get your revenge enough by punching me probably ten times after Lars knocked me senseless?"
Cart-Dragger glared at Allen. "You kept hitting a downed girl who had been beaten up by somebody else?" She shifted her gaze to Lars. "And you let him? You two aren't my friends anymore. Go away now." Lars and Allen recoiled, and even Ruth stared in disbelief.
"Just kidding," she said before Scott failed to hold back his laughter. "I know people's tempers can get carried away, especially in these times. It isn't that big a deal, if you all can still work together."
"Wait, did I agree to work with her?" Allen asked.
She smiled. "Oh please. You're hardly going to walk away just because of Ruth. Besides, didn't you fight together before against the flying cats? And you already both work under me."
"It's hard to argue with that logic," Scott said.
Lars nodded appreciatively at her. "I don't mind Ruth being along, and she'd be useful in a battle considering she can almost match me"—Ruth sneered at that—"but is there any specific reason for bringing her along besides being an okay fighter?"
"She used to live in the empire. So if we run into an impasse and have to find a way around or something, she might be able to help."
"We have maps for that no?" Allen asked. Under his breath, he muttered, "Imperial whore."
"Hey I heard that!"
Cart-Dragger shook her head. "There's no need to prejudge people because of where they come from. I've made friends with more offputting backgrounds than her. I wonder where you are, Abaddon."
"Abaddon?" Lars blinked. "Isn't that name... you can't be serious!"
"Heh. Anyway, there's something Ruth wants to see in the empire too and I don't know of a reason to deny her. Maybe you'll like her more once you get familiar with each other."
Allen averted his gaze. "Doubt it. But since you the boss, I suppose I have to put up with her."
They set out, Cart-Dragger riding with the bag of books and tools and a barrel of food while Lars and Allen pulled them along, switching sides periodically to rest their arms. Being similar in physical strength to Allen, Ruth took turns relieving him too, while Scott got a pass by virtue of not having traveled for a while and thus having the most trouble keeping up.
"What's wrong," Cart-Dragger asked playfully, "aren't you rather young to already not be able to walk with me anymore?"
"You're not even walking," Scott protested between pants for breath. "Glad to see you're feeling better, though."
She hugged herself, chin resting heavily on her chest. "I'm not really. I don't know if I'll ever stop despising myself for letting that happen to Jen. But I guess, I can push that to the back of my mind in order to keep my eye on the goal at hand. As angry as I make myself, Maximilian Rouge—he takes my rage to a whole other level. The next time I see him, I'll rip his balls off, stuff them down his throat, and ask him how the heirs of the empire taste now."
"That doesn't make sense..." Ruth said. "Actually now that I think about it, it sort of does."
#
Cody ducked his head and half closed his eyes to shield them from the blowing desert sand, for his hands were occupied with the handles of the cart he pulled. His shoulders felt like they would pop from their sockets after only a few weeks. How did that little girl manage this all year round? Still, despite her physical supremacy he had gotten one over on her. Having crept around into the mine while everyone else was busy fighting winged cats, he'd snuck a couple sacks of condutin out, hidden them among some rocks and retrieved them after the others left. Who needed godlike strength when you could achieve the same goals with less effort using smarts? Better endurance would have helped right now, though. Just a little farther, he told himself. He neared that spot on the map, and after so long would finally
get paid soon.
He wondered what the metal would be used for, but it probably didn't matter too much.
Chapter 8
The group passed by the pond which led to the underground lake where they'd found Leviathan. Battling her would have been an important memory to Cart-Dragger anyway, but the fact she'd saved Jen doing so made her treasure it even more. She hoped she would never forget Jen's optimistic face upon her arrival. Even against a being people thought a near god during the war, her friend had trusted her to protect her. But she also felt anger boiling up at herself again, for not living up to that trust.
They hadn't even made it to nightfall before Allen asked, "You guys notice that? Sounds behind us."
"Yeah, it's been obvious for a while." Cart-Dragger sighed. "Somebody's following us."
Lars looked back. "Think it might be another late would-be joiner like Ruth here?"
"No. If it was, I'd imagine they would have made themselves known by now."
"Shouldn't we call them out?" Scott asked. "Even if we know there is someone following, it would be dangerous to let them attack us at night or otherwise at their leisure."
"I wanted to wait a little longer to see what they would do. But since you want to be so careful Mister Engineer, fine, let's call them out and see how they react. We know you're there, stalkers! Declare yourselves if you have the guts!"
"But we don't even know if they mean harm yet," Ruth said.
She shrugged. "It's not like I insulted them strongly."
Cluttered footsteps were heard as over a dozen armed men emerged from the roadside brush. "We were getting tired of keeping up with your pace anyway!" a heavyset man wearing plate with a greatsword on his back gasped, putting hands on his knees. "Emperor Maximilian will reward us handsomely once we bring back your head."
"Well, Allen, it looks like you're not the only one who enjoys beating injured girls."
Lars protested, "Hey, that's not fair."
Scott bit his nails nervously. "This means there might already be imperial sympathizers inside the city..."