Kethril

by Carroll, John H.

  “I’m sorry for everything I did wrong. I know that’s a lot to be sorry for, but it put you and everyone in a terrible position and I’m sorry.”

  Anilyia didn’t respond. She stared straight ahead, digesting his words as the horses walked down the empty street. He gave her some time before saying anything else. “I don’t know what else you’ve been told about me. A lot of it is probably true though.” He paused, not sure how to say the next thing. “The part about me being a seducer of women . . .” Anilyia turned to him, waiting. The motion let him know it was the thing she was most upset about. “. . . I’ve been with a lot of women, like I told you. I’ve even loved one or two . . .” She waited without expression. “. . . whatever else I may have done, or who I’ve been with . . . I love you.”

  Anilyia looked in his eyes, searching for any hint of a lie. It took no effort to hold the gaze because he was telling the truth. Tathan did love her and would die or kill for her. She saw the truth there and leaned over, throwing herself in his arms. Their horses weren’t quite close enough, so he had to catch her and they both came close to falling off.

  “I love you too, Tathan,” Anilyia whispered into his ear. “I was so scared.”

  He held her tight. “I know. I was too.”

  “You were?” she asked, straightening.

  Tathan nodded. “Being in jail has always scared me more than anything until I saw those men holding you. The thought that you might die or be kidnapped again made my heart grow cold.” His jaw was set in anger. Anilyia put a comforting hand on his.

  “How did you escape?” She narrowed her eyes. “And don’t try to sidestep the question. It’s late and I’m still cross with you.

  “Me? Sidestep?” Tathan asked with the innocence of a cherub. Her eyes narrowed further. He laughed and told her how he had found the secret tunnels and his equipment. She shook her head in disbelief at his incredible luck.

  “So I continued down the passage and a number of others. There were rooms that hadn’t felt the presence of a person in centuries, but I didn’t take the time to explore. I wanted to get to you and get out of the city as fast as possible if you would go with me.”

  “I kept waking up, expecting you to be lying next to me,” she said. “Of course I was going to go with you. You told me about the other women you’ve been with, so I wasn’t surprised when that was said.” Anilyia encouraged him to continue the story. “That must have been exciting to explore those tunnels!”

  Tathan grinned. “It was. I may have to come back here some day just to do it, though the king knows about them now and his people will probably clean them out.” A small squad of royal guards looking for any sign of trouble passed by and gave them a quick looking over, but didn’t stop them.

  “How does he know?” she asked with a frown.

  “He said he had his wizards find out how I escaped,” Tathan answered. Anilyia nodded in remembrance. Tathan continued the story. “After a while, newer sections of the castle blocked the passages. One opening led to a little-used basement filled with dusty crates. I had to pick a few locks to get to populated areas.”

  “You used the ring of invisibility to avoid being seen, right?” Anilyia guessed.

  “Not right away. I found some kitchens for the servants. It was empty except for one of the cooks drinking his dinner.”

  “Drinking his dinner? He had soup then?” Anilyia asked.

  Tathan barked out a laugh. “No, drinking your dinner means having ale or wine instead of food. It’s what drunkards do.” A well dressed, but disheveled man burped while staggering along the side of the street as if to lay emphasis on Tathan’s words. Tathan glanced at him with twitchy fingers. The idiot was an excellent mark for any thief with the slightest talent.

  “Oh! I’ve known a few people like that. Some nobles have more money than sense and drink their fortunes away, but I’ve never heard the expression. I like it,” she replied.

  “It’s a good one,” Tathan agreed. “Because he was drunk, he didn’t know who I was or have the good sense to keep his mouth shut. I was able to get the location of your quarters, the habits of the guards, the location of the treasury . . .”

  Anilyia cut him off. “The treasury?”

  “Well yeah. It’s good information. Just in case, you know?” Tathan said innocently.

  “I’m sure,” she responded flatly. “Go on.”

  “Once I got to more populated areas, I used the ring. It wasn’t difficult to get past anyone.”

  “Maybe that’s how the kidnappers got in?” she suggested.

  He shook his head. “No. They got past some other way. I know for a fact they killed some of the guards. When I saw the bodies, I ran at full speed for your room.” Anilyia paled at the knowledge that more people had died in another attempt to kidnap her. Tathan saw the reaction. “There wasn’t anything you could do. You were born a princess and have to deal with all that comes with it. Those men didn’t die because of you, they died because of how people act. It’s crazy sometimes and doesn’t make any sense.”

  “That actually helps a lot, Tathan. Thank you.” She smiled gratefully.

  “No problem. I think that people can only be responsible for so much. Trying to save the world will only lead a person to failure after failure.”

  “Did you try to save the world? It sounds personal.”

  Tathan didn’t respond right away. He didn’t know why he had phrased it like that. “I’ve seen a lot and tried to make a difference, but nothing ever went right. People don’t change easily and they’re always hurting each other. Instead of making people change, I’ve ended up killing a lot of them.” Tathan sighed deeply. “I don’t like killing the way Sir Danth does, but it seems easier when people won’t change.”

  “I think there’s a lot more to you than you’re telling, Tathan. Things happen around you that don’t make sense.” Anilyia started putting her hair in a ponytail. “You were put in jail, escaped through a secret passage that no one had seen in centuries, found a man to tell you everything you needed to know, happened upon the bodies in time to rush after me and showed up just in time to kill my attackers. As a result, you were given your freedom and we’re on the road to join the others.”

  She finished with the hair as they reached the outer wall and rode through. The guards saluted her as she passed. There were three times as many as when they had ridden in. It looked like the king had mobilized all the soldiers in the city. “There is something extraordinary about you, Tathan. I won’t hold your past against you. I think it’s an important part of who you are, and I love who you are.”

  He returned the smile. “I love you too. I’m so glad I met you, Anilyia.”

  They reached out and held hands until they reached the intersection to the highway going south. Tathan enjoyed the cool night air and wished he had time to go exploring the city. Tillg seemed like a fun place with lots of adventure for a rogue to find. The upper city appeared tame, but he was certain the lower city would have all sorts of characters to match wits with.

  Something made the hairs on the back of his neck tingle after they had ridden a short distance along the highway. He turned to see a rider coming hard around the corner of the intersection. The main roads of Tillg were well lit by lanterns hanging from poles, but the figure was dressed in a dark cloak and Tathan couldn’t make out details.

  Right behind the figure came another small horse . . . or . . . a giant squirrel. Tathan realized who was following them. “Ride hard!” he shouted at Anilyia, smacking her horse’s rump. The steed jumped forward and Anilyia leaned over its neck, holding on for dear life. Tathan dug heels into his own horse and pulled on the packhorse’s lead to get it to follow.

  Tathan was afraid of the green-eyed bounty hunter and Steve the Squirrel. The fact that they had been the only ones to physically hurt him in a long time contributed to that, but he also believed that they were insane and willing to do anything to hurt him. Crazy people were best left alone no matter how c
apable Tathan might be.

  Felina had cast some sort of spell to boost her and Steve’s speed and they were catching up fast. Without Liselle, he and Anilyia didn’t have any way to compensate. “Ride!” he yelled to Anilyia as he slowed down and reached in his jacket for a way to stop the bounty hunter.

  Anilyia looked over her shoulder to see him slow and began pulling up too. “Ride!” he shouted again. She kicked the horse’s flanks and continued at full speed. However, it was enough of a distraction to put Tathan at a disadvantage. He managed to get the runeball he wanted into his hand and speak the activation word.

  Air screamed in agony as it was ripped apart by a spell Felina cast. Tathan threw the runeball into the sky behind him as hard as he could. The wizard he had stolen it from years ago called them ‘runeballs of magical misdirection’.

  The runeball attracted the spell, but the spell remained at full force, knocking Tathan’s mount and the packhorse to the ground from the concussion. Sticky green fire spread forward in a fan shape for two hundred feet after hitting the runeball. It went over Tathan’s head to hit the road and nearby buildings on the right side of the highway.

  Sticky fire would burn and spread until extinguished by magic. It cast an eerie green glow upon the street and everything that was happening. Luckily, none of it had hit him. Unluckily, both the packhorse and his mount were screaming in pain after hitting the ground. He knew they would be no good to him anymore.

  Tathan rolled to the side, coming up with sword in hand just in time to avoid Steve’s sharp talons by a fraction of an inch. The squirrel slid five feet after hitting the road where Tathan had been an instant before.

  Before Tathan could leap to kill it, he heard Felina’s voice speaking more words of magic. She had reined in her horse forty feet away and was gesturing with her hands to cast another spell. Magical wind bit at her face and Tathan began to wonder if she was capable of small spells. He grabbed another runeball and threw it at her the same instant she cast. He only had one more and that concerned him. Steve leapt away from Tathan, knowing a spell was going to hit. Tathan followed the squirrel in a move that might catch it off guard.

  The spell hit the runeball, enveloping it in webs that would have trapped Tathan had they hit him instead. The bounty hunter screamed in frustration, echoed by Steve.

  Steve hit a wall on the other side of the street and used it as leverage to propel back towards Tathan. Tathan flung his body to the side and rolled, causing the squirrel to miss yet again. Steve screamed in anger and Felina echoed him with the exact same animalistic sound. It was eerie the way the two were connected.

  Tathan threw a dagger at Felina. The throw was perfect, but the wizardess was ready for it, using magic to flick it away over her shoulder. It was so casual that he truly began to fear for his life. She had never mentioned whether she was required to return him alive for the bounties or if dead would be good enough. Steve leapt at him again. Tathan was timing the leaps. They were fast, but the squirrel had no reaction time in midair.

  Felina cast another spell as the squirrel flew over Tathan, slashing with a claw at the rolling rogue. Tathan didn’t have time to throw another runeball and didn’t want to use the last one anyway, regardless of the situation. From out of Felina’s fingers came a dagger aimed at Tathan. Another one followed it and three more. Tathan dodged all of them.

  On instinct, he watched to see where they would land and make sure they dissolved after missing. Instead of dissolving, they turned around and flew towards him again. He avoided two and parried two with his sword, which drew the magic within itself. The fifth dagger changed direction at the last minute and sliced into Tathan’s left thigh. He grunted in pain and tapped it with the sword to make it disappear. The other two daggers came back and he hit them with the sword too. Felina screamed in pain as the sword pulled her magic away. He realized she had been guiding the daggers with her mind and when the Lightdrinker soaked them in, it physically hurt her.

  Steve was next to him, swinging a claw. Tathan ducked it, but his mobility was limited. Instead of tumbling away, he dodged into the squirrel and stabbed it in the right shoulder.

  Steve recoiled in pain, as did Felina. Both screamed, and where Tathan had stabbed Steve, blood appeared on Felina. Tathan raised his sword to kill Steve, who was lying on the ground in shock, but Felina screamed “NO!” and held out an arm in a silent plea.

  Tathan stopped Lifedrinker an inch above Steve’s neck. Something within Tathan didn’t want to kill them. Steve seemed interesting for a large, man-killing squirrel and Felina was beautiful. Her eyes, as she stretched out to him, were gorgeous in their depth and complexity. The green sticky fire behind him heightened the effect, as did the tears of sadness and pain filling them. Tathan felt an urge to comfort her.

  Anilyia rode up to him and reached a hand out, breaking the spell. He grabbed it and tried to swing his right leg over, but the left one buckled and he yelled out in pain. Only Anilyia’s grip prevented him from falling over.

  The bounty hunter was busy trying to keep the blood in her shoulder and Steve was limping back to her on three legs. Tathan put his sword away and grabbed the saddle with his free hand. With Anilyia’s help, he managed to make it. She turned west toward a side street.

  Tathan held his leg to keep the blood from flowing. He was starting to get dizzy and the pain was overwhelming. As they entered the side street, he looked back and saw Felina whispering words and gesturing. “Spell!” Tathan yelled. He didn’t have enough time to pull out the last runeball.

  Anilyia kicked the horse’s sides. Tathan hung on for dear life as they jumped forward. The spell whooshed through the air. Anilyia ducked down over the horse and Tathan covered her with his body, willing to sacrifice his life for the one he loved.

  The spell hit him in the head and scrambled his brains. Anilyia looked over her shoulder at him and spurred the horse faster. Tathan knew something was wrong, but couldn’t tell what. Nothing seemed to be in the right place within his mind. They turned south on the next street and rode hard. Neither Felina nor Steve followed.

  Chapter 18

  “Stay with me!” Anilyia yelled back to Tathan, turning on the next street to shake any pursuit. He was struggling to stay conscious, but his eyes kept closing and she knew he was fading. It was vital she get him to a healer as fast as possible.

  There was a group of men outside a rough looking inn a short distance ahead and she rode up to them. “I need a healer, now!”

  “Come on down, pretty lady! I’ll make you feel all better,” one of the men said, eliciting guffaws from the others.

  She didn’t have time for stupid peasants. “I am Princess Anilyia of Mayncal under the protection of King Cranwer!” she snapped. It got the men’s attention and they sobered up. “The king is very cranky about the way things have been going tonight and is looking for heads to roll!” she yelled, grinding her teeth in anger. One of the men ran away, the others looked on the verge of joining him. Apparently news had traveled. They weren’t giving her an answer, so she continued with the threat. “The person who needs a healer is Tathan of the Shadows. He’s capable of killing all of you even in a weakened state, so I recommend you tell me where to find a healer now!” It was a boast she half believed.

  At the mention of Tathan’s name, one of the men moved forward for a closer look. He was a large man with a ruddy complexion and greasy brown hair. Anilyia was suddenly afraid he might be interested in a bounty too. He stepped back after verifying. “I know where a healer is, follow me!” The man ran ahead.

  It could be a trap, but Anilyia didn’t know for sure. She looked at the other men and when they nodded, she followed. It was a complete change in attitude from when she had first ridden up.

  After turning down another street and running past numerous intersections, the stocky guide turned up a smaller street and ran past two more intersections. Anilyia grew more and more worried as she followed. Tathan was starting to slide and she had to hold him
to prevent him from falling off.

  When they stopped in front of an alley and two hooded individuals came out, Anilyia’s guide spoke briefly. “Tathan of the Shadows needs healing at the temple.” The others exchanged glances and came over. Their eyes widened and they nodded.

  One held his hands out for the reins. “Let them carry him to the temple,” he said, pointing to the man who had escorted her and the second man from the alley. “I’ll care for the horse.”

  “You expect me to go with you down that alley?” Anilyia asked. The two men were already pulling Tathan off the back of the horse. He groaned in pain.

  “I understand, but I promise you’re safe here. Tathan is a friend and he’ll be cared for,” the hooded man said. Before she could protest anymore, they were carrying Tathan away.

  Fearing for his life more than hers, Anilyia dismounted and followed. They hustled him up the alley, one man on each side with their arms clasped under his back and legs. The alley opened up into a large courtyard with flowers all around. In the middle was a low building with steps surrounding it that looked out of place with the rest of the city.

  A woman wearing black robes with silver filigree came out of the building to see what was happening. An aura of power surrounded her. Red hair framed an alabaster face and green eyes assessed the situation. The eyes reminded Anilyia of the bounty hunter, but this woman’s green was much lighter. The men carried Tathan up the steps to her and she waved them in. Anilyia followed, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

  Inside was a large room with a fountain in the middle and smaller rooms around the edges. Pedestals with plants on them were spaced at intervals against wooden walls. Anilyia gasped when she realized they were plants whose leaves could be crushed to make poison. The men carried Tathan across the tiled floor into one of the rooms to the left and placed him on a bed inside. The ruddy guide told the red headed woman that her patient was Tathan of the Shadows. She looked at Tathan with wide eyes and immediately began to tend to the leg. The two men left while another woman rushed in with bandages and water to assist.