“Mmmhmm…” Sonja had her arms folded, eyebrows raised and was tapping her foot, waiting for Vivian to take the hint.
Vivian rushed to catch up with Sonja, deciding it best not to test her patience. “Alright, let’s go talk with your commander.”
Chapter 3: Bunny-Bear
Everyone he saw, while Sonja guided him along the Holtur wall, appeared to have been born for battle. They were covered in Scars, bruises, and other wounds that would make any normal man want to hide his body and face. None of the men looked feeble either, even the smaller of them were shredded with lean muscle. They all seemed to share a similar look of disapproval with Vivian’s appearance.
They entered a bartisan, one that was doubling as an office. “Commander Maver, I have the visitor. Vivian Patressi from Silverton,” Sonja reported.
A chair which faced a solid timber desk slowly creaked around, revealing a middle-aged man wearing flimsy reading glasses. “And the grabion?” Fin Maver asked rhetorically.
“All three harvested, tails intact,” she confirmed with a nod.
“Excellent!” Fin propped his glasses up over his bald head, then approached the visitor. “So Vivian, what brings you to Holtur?” He reached out a hairy masculine arm from the animal fur coat he wore, offering his hand to shake.
“I work for Lord Stryjak of Silverton, and I have come to conscript assistance for its defence.” Vivian grabbed Fin’s hand, receiving a tight clasp that he felt might brake his bones. After a brief grimace, he shook his hand, which he realised was still fine.
“You wish to conscript our town’s slayers to defend another?” Fin raised an eyebrow, looked to his captain, then back to the foreigner. “Why exactly is that? Surely Silverton has the resources to protect itself.”
“It’s not about resources,” Vivian said, then cleared his throat. “Serpents, far worse than any you could imagine, have appeared far north in Cape Krone. They are rising in number, slowly moving south, consuming all human settlements along their path. Lord Stryjak has vowed to stop them as soon as possible, keep them far from Silverton, and allow humanity to remain safe.”
“HAHAHA!” Maver burst out with laughter, Sonja soon following her commander’s lead.
“Why is that funny?” Vivian snapped. “You think all those people falling, devoured by filthy serpents, is a joke? Where is your humanity?”
“No, that is not funny.” Fin shook his head. “Silverton has only ever offered us the most minimal assistance with the horrors we’ve faced. That place has always seemed much more focused on gold and power, rather than survival.”
“Silverton has always put humanity first!” Vivian snapped back.
“And I’m sure if I asked a commoner on the street, they would completely agree with you.” Fin’s light blue eyes widened. “I’ve visited Silverton. It was a long time ago now, but I know what the place is like.”
“What do you mean by that?” Vivian was not impressed to see a figure in authority so against his home.
“Look out over Holtur.” Fin led the outsider to a window that looked over the town. “Everyone here has the same quality of life. We all have similar housing, all eat the same food, we all participate in our great town, and share similar living conditions. Now think about Silverton, the rich live luxurious lives, whilst the poor work hard and struggle to get by on a sun by sun basis. I’m sorry to say this to you Vivian, but the powerful just try to become more powerful where you’re from. If you don’t notice this, you’re probably living off the backs of the poor.”
“I… ugh… I do what I can to support my family.” Vivian had never thought about it too much. Maver could be right, but that had nothing to do with the current situation. “Even so, if those serpents take Silverton, it would cause massive chaos throughout the lands.”
“Hmmm…” Fin rubbed his smooth chin. “Perhaps you are correct. However, if I was to lend you my slayers, Holtur would fall. I am not so fond of that happening.”
Vivian took in a deep breath, summoning the little bravado he had left, “If you don’t help, Lord Stryjak will come after you for abandoning humanity. It would be treason!”
Fin tried his hardest to keep a serious face, but the disgruntled expression and threats from the weak foreigner were too much for him. “Hahahaha!” Fin and Sonja broke out into hysterical laughter at the same time.
Vivian’s face grew red. “You laugh now, but wai—”
“Wait until what?” Fin laughed. “We don’t help you, so you chuck a temper tantrum?”
“You aren’t much of a threat if a few serpents wipe you out,” Sonja added her own commentary.
“Some lot of good coming here was!” Vivian burst out with anger. “The merchants I travelled with all died on the trip, as did the slayer they hired. My assistant was abducted by some, bunny-bear, and to top it off, you think this whole situation is a damn joke!”
“No…” Sonja slowly sighed, a glint of fear in her eye. “It can’t be…”
“Bunny-bear?” Fin’s laughter came to a swift halt. “What did this bunny-bear look like?”
Vivian was still angry with the two, but was curious why speaking of this creature gained their undivided attention. “I only got a brief glance at it, but it appeared white and fluffy from the back. When it turned around to face me, it appeared somewhat human in form, very masculine.”
“Do you remember what its face looked like?” Fin quickly followed up.
“Vaguely…” Vivian grew uneasy, watching the two strong warriors react to his words. “Its head was, sort of… rodent-like, long floppy white ears with blood red eyes.”
“Fuck…” Sonja cursed.
“And it just left you alone?” Fin’s eyes squinted.
“Our wagon was destroyed by that wyvern that attacked us.” Vivian closed his eyes while recounting the event. “It was only my assistant and I that survived. I don’t know why the wyvern left without us, but the bunny-bear took my assistant.”
Fin folded his arms. “Your assistant, she was female wasn’t she?”
“Yes.” Vivian watched the horror on his interrogator’s face. It was like they knew what he was going to say, but didn’t want to hear it. Vivian didn’t think the bunny-bear would be that big of a deal, but clearly it was. That, or they were playing some sick joke on him.
“It’s a bargetier,” Sonja spoke softly. “They were supposed to have been wiped out!”
“We don’t know that for certain,” Fin assured Sonja, “but just to be safe, I don’t want you outside the walls of Holtur. Not until we get to the bottom of all this.”
Sonja nodded. “Yes Commander.”
“What is so bad about this creature?” Vivian asked. He hoped not to offend, but was curious as to why Sonja displayed a hint of fear.
“Bargetiers are all male,” Fin moved close to Vivian, speaking in a whisper, “but they use humans to breed. I’m sure you can figure out the rest.”
“Oh…” Vivian understood. Sonja’s fear made sense, even though he couldn’t imagine a bunny-bear creature besting the female slayer in combat.
“Look, I appreciate your heroic journey to save your home,” Fin spoke sternly to the outsider, “but you must understand we are unable to provide men. Especially now, given the re-emergence of a bargetier. Even without it, Holtur is under constant threat and needs the protection of the slayers. I’ll make sure that you are on the next wagon travelling north, until then, you may stay here in Holtur.”
“Thank you Commander Maver.” Vivian hoped he could obtain at least some assistance before his departure. He also didn’t see why this small town required so many powerful slayers. “Surely you could spare a few men?”
“No, we will provide no slayers to Silverton. We need them here.” Fin wasn’t moving on his decision. “If you want help, talk with the scholars of the Bristrunstium, see if they can help devise methods to combat your serpents. Also, while in Holtur, if your assistance is required, please provide it. You’ll discover the wealt
hy aren’t cared for in the same manner as what you are accustomed to.”
“Yes Commander Maver…” Vivian accepted the fact he was to obtain little assistance from the slayers, but was curious as to what the Bristrunstium may be able to provide, “what of my assistant? Do you think you will be able to find her?”
“Consider her deceased,” Fin responded empathetically, “we will send scouts out to search for her, and her captor. Even if we do get to her before you leave, she may already be… impregnated.”
“Is it possible she could survive that?” Vivian couldn’t imagine a human giving birth to a bunny-bear creature, but if there was any hope for Donna, he wanted to know.
“Didn’t you listen to what Commander Maver just said?” Sonja spoke bluntly. “Your assistant is dead, deal with it.”
“Just leave it with us,” Fin sighed. “Sonja, how has Kallum been holding up lately?”
“He’s been really good,” Sonja responded, “why do you ask?”
“It’s late, take the moons off and introduce Vivian to him,” Fin commanded. “If anyone would be excited about the thought of these serpents, it would be him. The sighting of a bargetier might even arise his curiosity.”
“Excuse me sir,” Sonja scowled, “but how dare you think a bargetier could invoke anything but negativity from Kallum.”
“Of course, my apologies.” Fin looked as though he regretted his choice of words. “Still, I’d like you to introduce Vivian to him. Hopefully they can learn from each other.”
“Yes Commander.” Sonja nodded, then grabbed Vivian’s arm and pulled him to his feet. “Come on, let’s get you settled for the moons.”
Vivian couldn’t help worrying about the silent treatment that Sonja was giving him. She led him down from the wall, then through Holtur, keeping quiet the whole time. He thought that maybe she just wasn’t that big of a talker. Since he spoke of the bunny-bear creature—the bargetier—she gave off a completely different vibe. He decided he’d attempt to find out why. “Have you encountered one of them before?”
“Not myself, no,” she spoke softly, void of emotion. “There was a large outbreak of them nineteen years ago. I was only nine at the time, fortunately too young to be of interest to those things. They ravaged Holtur, took so many of our women; lovers, sisters, daughters… and mothers… I had never seen Holtur fall so low. Of all the monstrous threats to our town, they were by far the worst. Once the frozen suns that followed the devastation were over, our slayers set out to destroy the entirety of their species. Until now we thought they had succeeded.”
“By Silvaste!” Vivian didn’t realise how much devastation the bargetier could bring. He found it hard to believe such a tragic event had occurred, yet he had never heard anything about it. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It was a long time ago now,” Sonja continued speaking softly, “but when I think about what could happen… I just can’t let it happen, not again.”
“Of course,” Vivian said, “I’m sure you and the slayers will stop this thing before it has a chance to breed.”
“It has your assistant,” Sonja said, “who knows how many more women it already has…”
“Your commander seems like he knows how to handle a situation,” Vivian assured. “I’m sure he will send the right slayers to wipe it out, save any abductees, and avoid another catastrophe.”
“Sure…” Sonja appeared as though she was trying to remain distant from the topic. She stopped before a large wooden door that led into a stone building. “Listen, you can talk about those serpents all you want, but let me be the one to bring up the bargetier. I don’t want it coming up at the wrong time, it could be painful for him.”
Vivian had already figured this to be a topic he should avoid bringing up himself. “Of course.”
“Oh and one other thing.” Sonja cracked her knuckles. “If you make fun of, or upset my brother, I will hurt you.”
“Ok?” another thing that Vivian had figured out quickly, is that it really wasn’t wise to go against Sonja’s wishes. “I’ll make sure I’m incredibly polite to him.”
Sonja placed her hand around the heavy steel door knocker, knocked three times, then took a step back. The door opened releasing a blast of warmth from inside, and a fit old man stood there with a smile.
“Sonja, it is always a pleasure to see you come home early.” The old man stepped barefoot into the cold, embracing Sonja with a hug. He was just as tall, and solid as her too.
“It’s always good to see more of you too Dad.” Sonja wore a large grin on her face, then shoved her father back into the house. “But you shouldn’t be outside wearing so little clothes, you’ll get sick!”
“Oh, it will take more than a bit of cold to knock me out Sonja!” The old man gestured for the two to enter. “And who is your friend? Settling down with a man now are you?”
“Knock it off Dad!” Sonja playfully punched her father in the shoulder. “This here is Vivian, he is visiting from Silverton. Vivian, this is my father, Kaine Bluwahlt.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Kaine,” Vivian said, then reached his hand out.
“As it is to meet you too.” Kaine grinned, then gripped Vivian’s hand, just as hard as Commander Maver had earlier.
Sonja gave Vivian a weird look, watching him clench and unclench his fist after shaking her father’s hand. “Silverton is having some issues with serpents, and I was hoping Kallum might have some ideas to help the northerners. How is he doing this moon?”
“He’s doing fine.” Kaine nodded with a smile. “He’s not as strong as he may like to think he is, but it’s definitely one of his better moons, especially considering how cold it is!”
“What is with all this talking about me?” a voice called out as a boy made his way down the stairs, his eyes lit up upon seeing Sonja at the entrance. “Sonja!”
“You’re looking strong brother,” Sonja called out as he raced over to give her a big hug.
“What’s new with the slayers?” Kallum completely ignored Vivian, looking up to his sister with admiration.
“Well…” Sonja reached around to the back of her belt, then returned her hand to her brother, a busted up grabion claw in her grasp. “Got a spare grabion claw if you’d like it?”
“No way! At this time of year?” Kallum took the claw off his sister, then looked inside the hollow shell. “Awww… no meat. How did you get this? Come across some weak travellers or something?”
“Something like that!” Sonja couldn’t help but grin as she pointed at the northerner. “Meet Vivian, he travelled from Silverton to find assistance fending off some big bad serpents.”
“Silverton?” Kallum’s green eyes bulged as he looked to Vivian. “Dezuron! That’s what they call them, right? Those giant sea serpents that destroy entire ships!”
“No, well, maybe…” Vivian scratched at his thin chin. “No officials have ever documented seeing one, they are more of myth really.”
“Yeah right!” Kallum gave him that same glare that Sonja had given him earlier, indicating how stupid they thought he was. “Just because you haven’t seen one doesn’t mean they don’t exist!”
“You have a good point.” Vivian nodded, trying to figure out how exactly this over-excited monster fanatic was going to help him fight the serpents. “But the dezuron aren’t the serpents giving us trouble. It’s another creature, taking out settlements along the Krone Divi—”
“What are they called?” Kallum abruptly questioned.
“I don’t know, they haven’t been given a name. What they are doing, is posing a threat to human existence.” Vivian’s honesty seemed to disturb the monster fanatic.
“They don’t have a name?” Kallum repeated that look. “How can they be such a big threat if you haven’t even named them yet? How do you talk about them? I mean, ‘those serpents’ could mean anything!”
“Haha,” Kaine interrupted with a polite laugh. “How about we go sit down in the dining room? We have some stew
on the fire, and I’d love to share it with my daughter. You two can continue your conversation in the comfort of a warm room.”
“I’m starving!” Sonja released a big smile, then started to make her way through the house.
“Sounds good to me too,” Vivian acknowledged, unsure if he was going to get anything more than an argument out of Kallum.
“Just don’t forget to lock the door Dad.” Kallum was intently watching his father, waiting for him to lock the door before moving down the hall.
The dining room smelt hearty from the fire and the stew that had been cooking. Vivian was unsure what the meat was, but figured there must be lots of spices, herbs, and tomatoes from the aroma. Sonja sat down on a wooden bench seat, gesturing for Vivian to sit beside her.
“So tell me more about ‘those serpents’.” Kallum sat in what seemed like an awkward position on the opposite bench. He was leaning forwards and seemed to be showing an incredible amount of interest.
“We don’t really know all that much about them to be honest,” Vivian said, taking a moment to think about his family, and hoping they were safe. “What we do know is they have destroyed numerous human settlements along the Krone Divide. Cape Krone being the only major town so far, but they don’t seem to allow all that many survivors to flee.”
“So ‘those serpents’, are vicious serpents,” Kallum excitedly agreed. “What else?”
“Well, we have had accounts from a few shipmasters explaining their appearance.” Vivian took in a deep breath, he hated thinking about these creatures. The serpents that were slowly making their way down the Krone Divide, slowly approaching his wife and daughter. “They are fast and slender creatures, with claws that are sharp enough to tear a man in two with a single swipe. Their teeth are just as sharp, with the ability to bite through leather or iron as though it were paper.”
“Sounds a bit like a tall sailor’s story!” Kallum laughed for a moment, but it didn’t seem as though sarcasm was his sole intention. He closed his eyes and looked to be delving deep into thought.
The Holtur Enigma (The Holtur Trilogy) Page 3