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Well rested, freshly washed and clothed, and with a strong, healed foot, Blaze strode into town in her secure new leather boots and hooded cloak. Obrae’s sword swayed under her skirt; one of the pockets sacrificed for easy access. For the first time since before the trial, she felt confident in defeating anything that threatened her.
Wrapping the cloak around her to shield against the evening chill and curious eyes, Blaze headed to the pub as the elevated torches lit her way. Krute was more alive than the previous evening. Men and women traded the day’s news as youths traded passionate displays of affection. A few girls giggled near the stables of the Thundrum Pass, swishing their loose dresses for all of those wanting to enjoy.
“Get off of him!” came a high voice from the stables, and Blaze recognized it as Cody’s. “Let him go or else!”
“Or else what, little girl? You gonna go run and tell Daddy?” the squawking voice antagonized. Blaze turned past the giggly advertising pleasures into the stables.
“LET HIM GO!” Cody hollered while Joeseef’s cries rang from the last stall where Lily had stayed.
“What is going on here?” She let the sharp edge of her voice silence the stable, save for Joeseef’s crying. Arriving at the stall, she was appalled to see Darla’s boys pinned down by three thugs about her age. Two of the bullies each held one of the small boys while the third faced Joeseef. Memories of Bark’s taunting boiled inside of her. “Let. The boys. Go.” Her low voice oozed with threat as she fought the desire to jump in and destroy the foul brutes.
“Hey hey! Your babysitter’s come to save you,” the dark-haired weasel of a leader turned to snide. Cody jerked to free himself from the red-headed ox planting him in place. The bullies chuckled at the joke.
“I mean it,” Blaze warned. “Let the boys go and be on your way.”
“Ooo, demanding babysitter,” the bald turtle who held Joeseef cackled.
Blaze smiled; she warned them. “That’s right, but I also tell great stories,” walking further into the stall, she stared the leader down. Stopping just in front of him, she enjoyed the stiff unease he portrayed at her proximity. He was only as tough as his size difference.
“One is about two lion cubs who were trapped in a pit of thorns. Another is about three foolish bulls who thought that they could do whatever they wished.” She stalked around him. “And the last is about the Great Thundrum Monster. I think that is the boys’ favorite.” She was now behind him, and he stood looking out of the stall, nerves making his finger tips twitch. “Now, boys, why don’t you show our friends what happened to that monster?” and she winked at Cody from over the bully’s shoulder.
With all of his might, Cody smashed his heel into his captor’s sandaled foot. As the man cried out in pain, Blaze whirled around into a crouch, grabbing hold of Joeseef under each arm and pulled him towards her. The motion drew Turtle forward, right into Weasel’s punch intended for her. Freeing the small boy from Turtle’s fleeting grip, Blaze spun to the right and hurled the boy out of the stable into his brother’s arms.
Weasel came flying toward her with his fist cocked back and anger projecting forward. As she stood up, she half-blocked his punch with her forearm, grabbing hold of the thrown appendage and helping his head slam into the stall’s wall. Weasel fell into a stunned heap. Turning to Ox, she accepted his raised-hand surrender. “You’re the smart one of the bunch,” she congratulated and left him to tend to his groaning friends.
“Well done, Cody.” She smiled as she met the boys halfway through the stables. “I think the Thundrum monster would have definitely cried had he received that kick.” The boy’s large smile practically jumped off of his face with the praise.
“How’d ya do that?” he asked in amazement. “I wanta learn ta fight like that!”
“Me too! Me too!” Joeseef bounced as they headed to the pub.
Blaze laughed at the Cody’s spirit. She recognized the same desire she had so many cycles ago when Obrae offered to teach her. “Well, did you ever figure out how I knew that the monster was crying in the water?”
Cody became thoughtful, and Joeseef waved his hand in the air. “I know I know,” he sang.
“And what do you know?” she asked.
“He said, ‘boo hoo!’”
“No, Joeseef, that’s not it,” Cody corrected. “His eye squished up and turned red.”
“Nu hu!”
“Ya hu!”
“Alright. What if I said you were both right? Are you ready for your secret?” The boys paused their argument as they stopped at the stable’s door, nodding in anticipation. She knelt down so they could lean in. “Okay, here it is. My mentor taught me this when I was your age, Cody. Cleverness is the key.”
“What’s cleverness?” Joeseef asked.
Cody jumped at the question. “It’s thinkin’ about what other people miss.”
She nodded, impressed with his answer. “You can be the strongest man in the kingdom,” and she flexed her arms in to act strong, “But it won’t do you a spit of good without cleverness and strategy. You have to know how to use that strength. Now,” she straightened up. “If those buffoons give you any more trouble, Cody, just be clever. You’re smarter than those empty skulls.” The large smile was back on his face as they exited the stables and headed to the inn.
The pub was roaring. Songs, shouts, and laughs bombarded the trio as they entered. Blaze felt a tug on her cloak, and she bent down to hear Cody. “How’d ya foot heal so fast?” She laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
“Another secret for another time,” she said and rushed the boys to go play. Walking to the bar, her back became tighter with every step. Along with the merchants, fishermen, and farmers, Urlificans littered the building. She lifted the hood for added disguise. Blaze walked straight to the bar where her back would be to her enemies but the cloak could be recognized by the right person. As she sat down, a living boulder filled her vision on the other side of the blackened bar, and a bubbling beverage slid in front of her. “Thundrum Monster, on the ‘ouse,” came the grunting voice of Everett.
“Oh! Well...” She leaned back to take in his full form. “Thank you.” She picked up the bubbling drink, slightly appalled. Not wanting to reject his creation in front of him, Blaze tried a small mouthful. Biting, burning, bitter, sour flavors attacked her mouth and throat as she quickly swallowed the sip before she could spit it out. A shiver ran through her as the abomination burned its way to her core. “Gah! That is...oh...that is...how did you make it?”
Everett leaned down to her. “‘As the Thundrum monster saved yer lately?”
“Yes, Sirrah knows what he is talking about,” she finished the code. Her stomach quaked beyond the drink’s influence.
His voice was barely audible with the den behind her. “Too many of ‘em red folk fer Nathan ta come here. ‘Arris tol me ta tell yer that Nathan’s a good man, good Traitor, an’ will take care o’ yer. Yer needa go like ta ‘Arris’s, but turn lef’ at the lake, ta the docks. ‘Is boat is the las’ one.”
Blaze nodded. “Thank you.” She turned to head out the door, sweat dripping down her back, but Everett grabbed her arm.
“Not so sudden. Me wife’ll come an’ act like yer friens and walk yer out. But please, tell ‘er a word of me brother, Evan?” Loss softened his wide face. Blaze froze as she connected the familial resemblance. “‘Ow is ‘e doin’? Is ‘e still against the faith?” She nodded and settled back down, wrapping her hands around the mug of disgust. Everett smiled and straightened back up, leaving to tend to other customers.
She didn’t have to wait long for Darla to appear. “Ah! Blaina. How nice to see you again. I never showed you where the baths were. Why don’t you come with me?” She invited, grabbing hold of Blaze’s left arm and leading toward the door.
“I was about to get upset, Darla.” she played along. “I was looking forward to it all day.”
“My two little monsters stole my memory in my sleep, and t
hey just gave it back to me.”
The two left the pub and trudged along the less populated road. “Rose really does bake the best pies,” Darla filled their journey with conversation as they passed the shops. “It is a shame that you arrived just after the winterfruit’s season. That pie is the whole town’s favorite. And if you ever need a leather thing, Phil was born tanning.”
Blaze couldn’t pay much attention to her details; nerves and excitement distracted her. More than anything, she wanted to leave Darla and bolt to Nathan’s vessel. Darla fell silent as they passed out of town onto Thundrum’s shore. “I really appreciate all you and your family have done,” Blaze said ready to part ways. She could see the silhouette of the docks just to her left.
Darla pressed onward to the left, toward the docks. “I believe there is a way for you to repay us. Everett had some questions about our dear Evan?”
Could the woman not walk faster? However, Blaze tempered her haste. Letting Evan’s family know how he was doing was the least she could do for their troubles. “Evan is the owner of The Bear Pub and Inn in Srift and is doing well. He’s been a close friend to me for cycles and was there when I needed him the most...” Blaze paused, realizing the risky situation she had left the man in the last time she saw him. What had happened after she ran? “As to your faith, I think he has accepted it. On the last night that we talked, he expressed an understanding of why you believe what you believe.”
The locked arm squeezing hers relax a bit at the news of the distant brother. “It is calming to hear such news,” Darla breathed.
They passed docks full of boats boasting Urlifican red sails. Guards paced onboard but never bothered the strolling women. Standing on shore in front of the last extending dock was a man holding a torch. He was slightly under an average stature but of a strong build. “Has the Thundrum Monster saved you lately?” he whispered as they approached. Finally, the time to leave had arrived.
“Yes, Sirrah knows what he is talking about,” Blaze replied. The man nodded and started to make his way down the dock.
Darla turned to Blaze. “May your travels be safe, but something puzzles me as we part. ‘My faith and what I believe’, you walk a path that doesn’t exist, Blaina. Just as you are either alive or dead, awake or asleep, you must be for someone, either Urlifec or the True King. I must caution you: if you aren’t for one, then you are for the other. To live any other way is to not live at all.”
Blaze tried to hide the contempt in her voice. “You needn’t concern yourself any longer about me. And thank you again,” She pulled away from the mother and followed the man to the end of the dock, where a small river boat tugged at its ropes. From stern to bow, the low-riding vessel was long enough to carry seven horses in a line and wide enough for five. A large cabin took up majority of the boat’s center.
“If you’ll forgive my briskness, I’d like ta cover formalities away from town. Your horse is inside the cabin,” he apologized and bustled around the boat, lighting a secured torch on each wall of the cabin and loosening the ropes. Blaze made her way to the front of the boat, where she figured she was most out of the way but could see the birth of Thundrum River.
As she became free, the boat fell under the river’s spell and followed the quickening waters. Nathan took his place at the wheel just behind Blaze. “Getting inta the river’s the trickiest part, but not ta worry, I make my living off of a successful launch,” he assured her.
The boat picked up speed, and the water began to churn with a river’s energy. Nathan pulled the wheel and turned the vessel toward the lake, preparing to dive into the river’s writhing start. The bridge she had crossed just days before glowed with torches and stood as an arch into her freedom. Turning the wheel back around, Nathan aimed his boat down the middle of the rushing waters now pulling the vessel at a gallop’s pace.
The thrill of the entry quickened Blaze’s heart as the bridge came closer and closer. She saw the shape of a person leaned against the side of the bridge, and her excitement made her consider waving at him. They raced under the bridge, but it was just enough time for her and the man to make eye contact. Blaze spun around in fear just as he bolted to the opposite side of the bridge.
“Blaze!!!” Burdock’s enraged cry faded against the vivacious waters. She watched as the large bridge became a glowing line within moments. Upon the unbridled Thundrum River, she was carried onward.
Chapter 12
Blaze woke up thrashing. Drenched in sweat, she searched for the Urlifican attacking her. Dark masses of all sizes crowded around her while she frantically prepared to fight her way out of the dim room; pale light filtered in from horizontal slits in the walls. Heart still hammering, she whirled around at a nicker, spotting Lily’s pale form. She breathed a sigh of comprehension. There were no Urlificans; she was on a boat heading toward Beccrah by way of the Thundrum River. She fastened Obrae’s sword to her waist and walked down the center of the crowded cabin to a thick rug hanging in the doorway.
“Well, that wasn’t very long,” the captain greeted as he leaned against the wheel. She didn’t trust her voice yet, the nightmare still reverberating in her consciousness, so she grunted acknowledgement of the captain and walked to the bow of the vessel. A soft breeze nipped at her moist face and bare arms while the calm Thundrum waters twinkled in the moonlight. A few frogs and crickets still serenaded the night, a mouse squeaked its last as an owl gathered her chicks’ dinner, and in the background of all the night’s noise was the whispering of the river.
She closed her eyes and breathed in the crisp air. On shore were her struggles, pains, and ever seeking enemies, but on the water, she could glide by as a silent spectator. The river was always flowing, always seeing new sights, and always going where it desired. No one could control or threaten these waters. She released her breath; this was freedom.
“Think you’ll sleep anymore?”
She looked back at him. In the bright torchlight, she was surprised to find that he couldn’t be much older than herself. She had pictured a friend of Harris’ to be much more along in cycles. “Not at the moment, why?”
“Well, I’m beat. We can either anchor in the cove just beyond the bend up ahead, or you can steer while I snore up a storm.”
Blaze smiled. “You trust me that much? This is my first time on a boat, and we haven’t even officially met yet.”
“My apologies, then.” he replied and a smile as bright as the moon became his face’s main feature. He held out his hand while still leaning on the wheel. “Name’s Nathan.”
“Blaina,” and she grasped his hand, feeling the strength behind it. Squeezing her hand, but not twisting, Nathan looked at her with what she guessed to be a smirk.
“If you wish ta get ta Beccrah as fast as possible, perhaps we should start with your real name. Can’t have a stranger steering good ole Wisp, here.” He patted the wheel like a fellow mate. Blaze pulled her hand and crossed her arms, trying to find the trap. He chuckled. “If you don’t trust me enough with your name, how can you trust me ta get you all the way ta Beccrah. Besides, that’s not the name your lover shouted back there.”
Blaze fumed indignantly, “HE is NOT my lover, nor friend, nor any relationship in which both of us stay alive!” She quickly checked herself, worried about her lost of control. Nathan stepped away from the wheel with hands raised but still smirking.
“Whoa, okay. I know which thread not ta pull. Tell you what, Blaina’s a great name. In fact, I’ve known several Blainas and all marvelous people. The Urlificans’ll never suspect what kind of Blaina I’ve got here.”
Hearing the humor in his tone, Blaze relaxed a bit more. Feigning as if she was studying him, she said, “You’re lying also; you don’t know any Blainas.”
“Well, I did lie, but twas that all Blainas are marvelous people. They’re actually vicious beasts, so maybe that name’s believable for you after all.” He smiled at her. “At least, people will know what ta expect.”
Blaze laughed and d
ecided that Nathan was going to be alright. She extended her hand. “Blaze.”
He took her hand with the biggest smile, and they twisted right and then left. “I’m still sticking with Nathan.” He leaned against the wheel and asked, “Do you know how the handshake came ta be?”
She scoffed. “Well, no. Guess I never gave it much thought. A handshake is just what you are expected to do when meeting someone.”
“Ah! But where did the expectations come from? Who did the first handshake? And who set the rules for it? We live in a society that’s either constantly complaining about how things are done or mindlessly follows orders, but it seems that no one ever thought about where the rules came from, why they were created.”
“And I suppose you are the scholar who knows all of the answers?” She asked.
Nathan laughed. “Hardly, but traveling this river will give anyone time ta think. I swear, us waterfolk may seem coarse on the outside...” Blaze snickered, and he flashed a glare at her. “...May seem coarse, but we can be quite the philosophers. Plus, our cargo can be educational as well. I once ferried a man who claimed ta be one of the last Roving Historians.”
“The who? Raving Historians, sounds like a very scary bunch,” she interjected sarcastically.
Nathan threw his hands in the air, “What?...You’ve never...Seriously? Did the Zantar Cliffs fall on top of Srift ta make it so under a rock?”
Blaze tensed up at the mention of Srift, all of her momentarily forgotten troubles hitting her like the falling Cliffs themselves. Her vision blurred. In a matter of one breath, she relived Jonathan’s cabin collapsing on top of her mentors followed by Kent’s shocked face as she killed him. Sorrow and rage converged to turn her heart into lead. She turned to lean against the side of the boat, trying to regain control of herself.
“I...I’m sorry if I said the wrong thing,” Nathan apologized.
She wanted to be strong, had to be strong. There was no time for her to succumb to what threatened to tear her apart. Focusing on the river, she hid the quiver in her voice, “It is alright, Nathan. You made no offense. So, who’re the Raving Historians?” She turned back around with a smile on her face. Nathan became excited again, but not as enthusiastic as before.
Traitors (The Traitor King Saga Book 1) Page 18