Always Walk Forward

by Billy Wong

  Sam and Vincent exchanged looks. "Well, it does make sense to have more protection knowing we'll likely have to fight," he acknowledged.

  "That's true. And walking with an extra load might help us get even stronger." She slipped the thing on, finding it more flexible than she'd feared though still not a perfect fit. Maybe she'd get used to it after a while. At a time like this, feeling the aches of her travels along with the chafing of her new gear, she had to admit she missed the painlessness that came with Drugamor's blessing a bit.

  Chapter 11

  They headed into the wastes again, but this time with a clear sense of their destination. During breaks Cordy gave Sam and Vincent pointers on how to refine their fighting technique, as well as lightly sparring with them. Turned out, she actually could go quite easy when the situation called for it. As the days passed, Sam noticed the armor less and less. It wasn't so much different from wearing an additional layer of clothes, albeit heavier and hotter, but compared to some of the things she'd been through the hardship wasn't much. Because they couldn't track the Paladins who had taken Eli north—going to the base to find their trail would be a detour that wasted far too much time, and it was no doubt gone by now anyway—they made a beeline straight for the capital. If they had luck, they might spot Eli's group before reaching it. But that would be a long shot given the head start their quarry had.

  The month and a week Cordy predicted for their trip seemed to flow along quicker than Sam expected. They were attacked by daimons a few times, but none as large as those Drea and Cordy had slain before, and the smaller ones they did meet were dispatched or driven off with fair ease. Sam felt more comfortable wielding her axe now, as comfortable as one could be in life and death battle where her pulse still pounded through her veins mercilessly as long as it lasted. It had become... routine enough that she could put it behind her once it was over, anyway. She noticed that Vincent seemed increasingly the same way, which surprised her considering he hadn't gone through the same lone trials she had. He was quite solid, admirably so. But when they sparred, although he put decent opposition with his new longsword, Sam had the upper hand. It seemed her experience fighting to survive gave her more of an edge than his couple months of extra training under Cordy.

  "What's it like to kill a person?" Sam asked Cordy one time. "Do you know, have you killed people before?"

  "Of course. The enemies of good aren't only outside city walls."

  "Is it much different from killing a daimon?"

  She shrugged. "A little harder to stomach at first, unless they're utter scum you're happy to rid the world of. But you get used to it."

  Sam swallowed. The cheerful girl they learned from was a hardened killer, who would probably have had no issue executing the men she'd hobbled instead if it suited her goals. She supposed it shouldn't be too much of a surprise regarding a veteran warrior who struck fear even into experienced Paladins. She wondered how much it took for one to become inured to bloodshed, and if she might be by the end of this should she not have the luxury of sparing the enemy.

  Before they got to the capital, the mostly barren terrain gave way to lightly wooded hills crisscrossed by beautiful streams and lakes. Sam would have thought it on the strange side if the heart of society had been built in a wasteland. Their fortune didn't prove miraculous enough for them to meet Eli before the great city of Kaltabong came into view. The dome that covered it was immense, enough to fit three Berilims inside with space left over and much higher than Berilim's as well. Sam's imagination wavered between picturing wondrous giant buildings within, and picturing one giant tenement stacked to the bursting point with residences on top of residences in an attempt to keep up with a rising population.

  Cordy strode to the gate and knocked on the dome in front of it. "What is your business here?" a guard barked.

  "It's me, Lady Cordy! I'm back early hunting down some uh, criminals."

  "Oh, sorry I hadn't recognized you yet through the barrier." A opening appeared in the dome, and they stepped in.

  "So you're a bit of a celebrity here?" Vincent asked with a smile.

  "She doesn't need to be a celebrity for the guards to know her if she often comes and goes," Sam pointed out.

  Cordy said, "True, but I am also pretty well known."

  The city seemed a denser version of Berilim and Patuta, many more people squeezing past each other on the crowded streets, a lot of the buildings standing five stories high or more. Sam's "giant tenement" thought seemed like it might not be that far off. But gargantuan structures also loomed in the distance, which they couldn't yet see well in the evening light. As they walked, citizens often sent greetings their way with enthusiastic shouts of "Lady Cordy!"

  Sam looked curiously at Cordy. "Are you a prominent officer here?"

  "My rank's not so important. It's more that I'm a minor war hero."

  "Welcome back, Lady Rockguts!" somebody called.

  "Rockguts?" Vincent asked.

  "I think I mentioned before how I got run through and refused to say my last words after because I refused to believe I would die, yes? After that happened to me in the process of killing one of the strongest daimon generals in the last war, I wrapped some bandages around myself and continued to fight on. People were inspired by that and commented on my guts being made of rock for me to keep going after being impaled through them, hence the nickname."

  "Damn. You must barely feel pain."

  Cordy laughed, but brittly as at an unpleasant memory being stirred up. "Not really. For a while I spent most of my waking hours not fighting or walking curled up in a ball, crying my heart out from the agony. A few times I even pissed myself. And it wasn't because of pride that I kept going. I was worried the men would be demoralized seeing big strong me bedridden, so..."

  "You're not that big," Sam said. "You're slightly big for a girl, but a lot of men are bigger."

  "Well... they say I have a big presence."

  "I wouldn't argue with that."

  The knight's gaze fell, and her voice grew somber. "The wound still hurts me badly at times—really bad sometimes. He doesn't say anything due to not wanting to scare me, but I get a sense Daddy fears I'll die young. So maybe me helping you out against the Paladins will be the last good deed of an old warrior before riding off to the next life."

  Sam stared, mouth going dry at the emotions the tough girl had laid bare. She draped a comforting arm over Cordy's shoulders. "Don't say that, just because you have pains doesn't mean it's the sign of a death sentence especially when you're so amazingly strong. You're not old at all, I doubt your life will be near its end anytime soon. You're probably not even a third of the way through it."

  "Yeah," Vincent added, "you're such a brute, no way you'd power through it like that years ago only for it to kill you now. You'll be just fine, you young beast you."

  "I hope you two are right, since I don't want to die either. But just in case the end is coming, I'll continue living each day to the fullest as if it's my last."

  Sam viewed Cordy differently now. What she had taken for an odd immaturity before, she came to sympathize with. The knight should enjoy herself as best she could. Sam really hoped nothing happened to her, though. "You can and should keep living your life fully, but I want you to believe you'll be all right like you did when you originally got hurt, okay? You're so strong, and will be just fine."

  She touched her stomach over where the scar must be and managed a smile. "Maybe you're right. I mean, it's not as if I'm the only person who's ever survived a wound like this." They went on, Cordy's playful attitude reasserting itself like nothing had happened. Worry lingered in Sam's mind, though. Besides Cordy being a friend and not wanting to lose her, if their most competent ally fell... they needed to get Eli back soon, and put this conflict behind them more urgently than ever.

  Cordy led them into a rare park, in the midst of which towered a steep hill. "A park?" Vincent said doubtfully while they trudged up steps cut into its side after her. "Is
this the right way, shouldn't we be going to recruit help from your allies?"

  "Relax, we're on track. I just want a good vantage point to show you a couple of important locations first, it won't take more than an extra minute or two."

  At the summit of the hill, Sam now spotted a massive rectangular building, wide yet far taller and covered with speck-like windows, in the eastern third of town. "Like that one?"

  Cordy looked. "Actually, that isn't one of those I was thinking of. But since you're already interested, that's the House of Trades. It holds the offices of a score of guilds serving various types of craftsmen, merchants and service professions, which make policy, settle disputes and negotiate deals with one another inside its walls."

  "What about that one?" Vincent pointed at another huge, but shorter and wider with a domed roof, building in the center of the city.

  "That I was going to mention at least in passing. The Chambers of the Council, the heart of law and government. We could go there to try and get them to order Eli's release if we can't get him ourselves, but since they tend to be slow to act, we should give demanding him back directly a shot first." She turned towards a white fortress looming to the west where they headed. Despite its imposing pointed spires and foreboding battlements, its soothing color conveyed a feeling of sereneness. "The White Citadel, the greatest stronghold of my order. No, there aren't as many of us as the size of the place might make you think. It may seem a little undermanned when we go inside, but that's because the citadel was designed to be able to shelter a good portion of the city's populace if needed back when it was built."

  Now she shifted her gaze to a roughed-walled tower tucked away in the far north of Kaltabong, much thinner than the other mighty structures they had seen but reaching nearly to the magical barrier above. Tapering slightly as it went up, it almost resembled part of a living thing, perhaps a horn or spine on some monumental titan. "And that is the Tower of Justice, the headquarters of our enemy."

  "Justice?" Vincent spat. "What a joke."

  "Yes, it is. But hopefully we'll bring some justice there with Eli's freedom."

  They descended the other side of the hill and carried on towards the White Citadel. As they neared it became clearer how colossal it was, its facade dwarfing the buildings around it like a giant among children. Guards in brilliant armor, tiny before the towering gates, greeted Cordy. The iron doors yawned open, making Sam's awe grow further as the vast lobby was revealed. It alone could have fit Cordy's manor inside it, if not for the pillars like ancient trees which held up the vaulted ceiling high above. Dazzling arches ran between them, huge and covered with carvings of events Sam wished she had time to take in.

  "Yeah, I know it looks kind of empty," Cordy said. "But I think it should be around dinnertime now, so we know where to find everyone." They would have been so lost here without her, Sam thought as she dragged them to the left side of the lobby and down a long adjoined hall. She turned towards a door, opened it and entered a large dining room. Men and a few women in armor lined long tables, most in the process of quickly clearing the plates and bowls before them. A life of peril taught one to finish their food while they had the chance, as Sam had learned hastily downing her meals in order to spend less time distracted on her trip back from the Paladin base.

  "Lady Cordy is back!" Cordy declared, causing all to look her way.

  A young man with a small face and shoulder-length curly hair rose from his bench, stepped over to clasp her shoulders. "I didn't think you would return so soon," he said with a delighted grin.

  "Well, Monty, that's because something special came up. The Paladins are up to their kidnapping ways again, and this time we have witnesses willing to step up and call them on it. But first we need to rescue their friend who's the victim in question, and for that I'll need some backup. Chad, Rich!" Two lean youths stood up, one a slightly taller brunet, the other a shorter blond. "Lester, Jessica!" Now rose a stubbly, powerfully built man in his late twenties and a slim braided woman a few years younger. "Geoffrey, Don!" Finally a plump moon faced kid no more than fifteen years old and a gangly middle aged man with a shaved head and full beard came to their feet. "You six and Monty, finish your food and come with me. We're going to pay the Paladins a visit to retrieve an undeserving prisoner."

  Vincent regarded Cordy dubiously. "You're only bringing seven people with us to the Tower?"

  "Everybody I picked, besides Monty who would want to come anyway, is the son, daughter, or brother of some important noble. Since I'm not planning to take Eli back by force from the Paladins' lair, I figure half a dozen extra nobility should be enough to dissuade them from attacking us first."

  "We're not taking him by force?" Sam asked. "So you want to persuade them to give him up... you think that'll work?"

  "It'll be a battle of words and wits. But don't worry, I'm not completed unequipped for that."

  "Um, one other thing... even if you're not looking to start a fight, isn't there some type of procedure or chain of command you're supposed to follow besides just taking whoever you want like this?"

  Cordy giggled. "Without Daddy around, I do just about as I please. We can deal with the formalities later." Sam didn't know how good it was for a military organization to have an impulsive twenty-something year old running amok calling the shots, but it wasn't much her business. Besides, Cordy was a war hero and probably had some clout with the higher ups.

  They set out for the tower, the younger Chad, Rich and Geoffrey questioning whether they should be rushing into this so quickly. The others told them to relax, probably more used to Cordy's ways and maybe having done similar before. Monty chatted energetically with Cordy, no doubt catching up with an old friend. Sam overheard talk of grand adventures she wished she'd been on, until she realized she had. Cordy just slightly exaggerated the details of their journey. "Just as the forty foot stone daimon was about to squash Vincent under its foot, I used the bent sapling to launch myself at its face. Getting too close before I was ready, I knocked it back on its heels with a punch, then cleaved its head apart." Sam didn't quite remember it that way, but didn't see a need to call her out on her added flair.

  Arriving before the stark tower, Sam was surprised to see just one guard at the door. They probably didn't expect to be attacked here in the city and in their seat of power, she supposed. Just seeing the Paladin's flat gray mask made ire rise in her.

  "Cordelia? What are you doing here?" the guard demanded, standing stiff with wariness.

  She fixed him with a cold look. "I need to see the Lord Paladin."

  "He is not here!"

  "Then I need to see whoever is acting commander at this time."

  "For what purpose?"

  "I've become aware your order is holding an innocent boy against his will, trying to force him to serve you." She patted the halberd on her back. "I'm going up, one way or another."

  Vincent touched Sam's elbow. "Didn't she say she was going to avoid violence?"

  "She's probably trying to intimidate him."

  It seemed to work as the Paladin stepped aside. "Major Fractus is overseeing things until he returns. You'll find him in the office on the top floor."

  Cordy set her jaw. "Major Fractus, huh?"

  "Is something wrong?" Sam asked.

  "Not really. Just the man's a little unnerving, but I would still handle him in a fight." It seemed uncertain whether she actually believed that, though.

  They entered and went down a dimly lit, cramped hall, a fitting interior for the headquarters of such a shady organization. Paladins gazed at them from the rooms they passed, helmetless faces suspicious. Reaching the spiraling staircase that wound up the tower, they climbed past floor after floor as they sought the peak. Chubby Geoffrey soon complained, "Why do I have to do this? Couldn't you have picked someone with stronger legs?"

  Grizzled Lester glanced disapprovingly back at him. "I'm not sure weak legs are the issue. Besides, don't you want to get fitter so you can be a worthy knight?"
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  "But I don't even want to be a knight, it was my parents' idea!"

  "If you really don't like climbing," Cordy said, "you can wait here alone among the Paladins for us."

  "N-never mind, I'm coming..."

  The ascent was admittedly tiring even for Sam who had honed her body so, and two of the three younger knights were bent over with exhaustion by the time the stairs ended. Did the Paladins mean to throw visitors off by making them climb so high to meet their leader? Fortunately, Cordy didn't seem the least bit fatigued, though she opened and closed a fist nervously as they approached the big double doors before which two guards stood. They grudgingly opened the portal to reveal a spacious office lined with shelves packed with documents. At the back of it sat a man, strangely wearing his armor and helm even here. It took Sam a moment to realize he was enormous, seeming wider than the desk before him, his huge chair sized specifically for him. His head must be twice as big as hers, if not more. She wondered how much thicker his armor was than the norm—twice, three times?

  Fractus looked up, but Sam couldn't really see his eyes, hidden by the darkness inside his great helmet... perhaps. "Cordelia, the one who throws her weight around thinking others will fear her." He stood casting his shadow over them, and Sam was shocked to find him even larger than she'd thought. Maybe nine feet? Possibly taller. The other knights Cordy had brought stood on edge, as did Vincent and Sam herself. "Do you believe I am afraid of you?"

  "I don't care about whether you're scared of me. All I need from you is a certain person's release."

  Seeing that Cordy was occupied, Sam whispered to Monty, "What's with the giant? I didn't even know a man could grow that big."

  The knight said quietly, "I am unaware there is a single other person that size in the world. Some rumors say he may not be fully human, that his mother was raped by a daimon before conceiving him."

  "A half-daimon member of the Paladins?" Vincent asked. "I guess they'll take 'talent' anywhere they can find it."