by H. A. Harvey
The pain in his leg made progress slow, but it was probably just as well. Nian’s eyes had adjusted to the dark somewhat, but the dark, broken stone at their feet was impossible for him to pick out. He found himself relying entirely on the little Goblin who, for her part, seemed to diligently be selecting a path for him that wound more than the two shadows ahead, but kept a somewhat level and hazard-free walkway. When he resolved that his eyes were not really helping at all, he ventured a glance over his shoulder at Kaesa. The majority of her form was swathed in the wild fur of her cloak, while starlight shone over the smooth, rounded form of her Njordic-styled helm, making it appear to be the exposed skull of some terrible creature glaring with malicious, sunken eyes.
“What?” The beast asked gruffly.
Nian turned back to the front, in part from embarrassment at being caught staring, the other motive was admittedly intimidation. Appearances aside, the girl who stood slightly shorter than himself even with her helm on could shatter bone and send men heavier than he sailing through the air with casual blows. He’d seen it and still found it hard to believe.
“Nothing, I guess.” Nian answered without looking back again, “I just, always thought there would be more clanking.”
“De secund skin is not yust from constant wearing of de armur.” Kaesa answered plainly, “As ye grow, ye learn how differing pieces fit, where dey ride. Und part of de training is to forge und repair de armur. When ye reach full stature, de last rite is to create yer own secund skin. It is fit and weighted to ye so it is part of de body’s form. Plates clank when made poorly, fitted wrong, or worn sloppily. Dat is not how my fadder taught me.”
“If your father was an Ironbender, why . . .” Nian trailed off, unsure how to phrase his question.
“Why raise me as his datter, radder dan kill me?” The Njord finished for him. “Dere is no rule widout exception. If ye say ‘all Dwarves do dis’ or ‘all men dink dat’ ye ar a fool.”
“But wouldn’t it-“ Nian started but didn’t finish as the Njord suddenly quickened her pace and scooped him up.
“We ar falling behind wid yer leg and chatter.”
Nian wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or embarrassed that Kaesa seemed to bear him along with about as much effort as carrying an infant would take. The ride was far from comfortable, but they were definitely faster. In short order, they drew up on the falls cascading into the black valley below. Beside them, the broad head of a path sloped down into the shadows of the valley. Nian looked over his shoulder and saw the bobbing lights of several torches moving down the river bank towards them.
“I think they have a tracker.” Nian observed, pointing back the way they’d come.
Kaesa set Nian on his feet and drew her axe. Autumn drew the blade she had helped Nian purchase at Deepwood, and Nian heard the others ready weapons as well.
“Xian,” Autumn muttered determinedly, “You can’t crank that behemoth of yours with your arm like that. Take Nian and get him down the path into the valley. We can hold here and buy some time.”
“No.” Nian replied firmly. “We all go. They can’t see to shoot, so as long as we stay ahead of them, we can get to the trees. In there, we have a chance. Maybe Rowan will even see us coming and help.”
“They’re too close behind us, Nian.” Autumn responded levelly, “We can’t risk them catching us on the slope with the high ground favoring the archers.”
“Then we stand here.” Nian shook Xain off his arm and drew his sword. The ancient blade sang through the night so loudly it echoed across the valley below. Nian wondered if the sword was trying to help punctuate his words, or just eager for blood. Either way, he mentally thanked the sword.
“I like heem.” Kaesa stated.
Autumn stared at Nian in silence. Her pale complexion made her easier to see in the starlight, but her eyes were hidden in shadow. All he could make out was her expressionless mask. Slowly, her lips parted, but for a moment nothing came out. Suddenly, she snatched the shield from his arm roughly and Nian was too occupied keeping the relic blade from twisting toward her to resist.
“Xian, use your pack.” Autumn ordered evenly. “The three of us will back down with me at the center while Thea takes Nian down as quick as he can go.”
Nian couldn’t argue with her plan, so they started working their way down. Nian silently resolved to turn around when he heard fighting, but went along with Amalthea for the time being. Before long, they had moved far enough ahead of the others that Nian could no longer hear the metallic scraping of Kaesa’s armor.
“She’s jealous.” Amalthea stated softly.
“What?”
“Stoneface.” The Goblin clarified, still speaking softly enough to avoid being overheard, but not really whispering. “It’s why she was acting like that. It looked like you were clueless, so I figured I’d help out.”
“There’s nothing to be jealous of,” Nian stated simply, “And it’s not like she likes me that much.”
“No? So I didn’t find her curled up next to you yesterday?”
“Nothing happened, it was for warmth. Besides, she straight told me she doesn’t like having me around. I throw her off balance.”
“People that don’t matter to you don’t throw you off balance.” Amalthea retorted, “As for warmth, you do know a Dryad’s skin is like the bark of a tree right? Anywhere a tree can live, they can. They might get uncomfortable, but they’ll live. You know, I’ve followed the Longstriders for two years. In all that time, nobody except Adair ever touched Stoneface without getting something broken.”
Nian limped on quietly for a while. His mind drifted back to huddling against Autumn a little over a day ago.
“You can’t really blame her for being jealous.” Amalthea rambled on when it was clear Nian wasn’t going to reply. “I mean, what’s probably got your attention? She’s dangerous, pretty, exotic, and knows this world you’re diving into well enough to be a natural guide. Then this Njord . . . or whatever she is shows up. She’s gorgeous and exotic but looks more like you than Stoneface does. She’s unbelievable, I’d even say close to unstoppable in a fight. Oh, and then there’s the fact that the immortals sent her to find you, giving the two of you something in common she can’t hope to match. A girl can’t be blamed for feeling like she’s being replaced.”
“That’s stupid.” Nian answered quickly, “None of that’s why . . . nevermind, it just doesn’t change anything.”
Amalthea didn’t say anything back. Nian hobbled on for a while in silence as well. Finally, he decided the silence was more than he could stand.
“Two years, huh?”
“Yep. I was probably gonna make wolf on the next moot anyway, but I figured this’d be more fun. I was right.”
“Well, do me a favor. I think I’ll be alright as long as you don’t start flirting with me. I’m not really into pain, or whatever.”
Amalthea laughed, “Fair enough, but you don’t have anything to worry about. You’re not my type.”
“Girls?” Nian thought for a second and chuckled, “Maybe you should take care of Kaesa for Autumn.”
“You know, that’s about where I start stabbing guys. You’re lucky I just fixed you up.” Amalthea growled a little, but Nian heard a touch of her normal good humor left. “No, I’m not into girls.”
“What then?”
Amalthea walked on without answering. Nian hobbled along next to her. He stared down at the silhouette of her face. He couldn’t see anything really, but she could and he knew it was working. Unfortunately, his plan derailed when his foot hit a patch of loose gravel and sent him sprawling on the path. The Goblin was on top of him before he really realized he’d fallen.
“Ruin’s name, watch where you’re going!” Amalthea snapped. “If you go over, I don’t have the leverage to catch you.”
Nian decided to capitalize on the moment. “We
ll, tell me and maybe I can focus.”
“Alright! But you laugh or tell anyone and I will stab you right in the eye.” Amalthea sighed as she helped Nian to his feet. “Artists. I’ve got a thing for guys that make beautiful things.”
Nian smiled.
“I can see in the dark, and I will stab you.”
“I’m not laughing.” Nian answered earnestly, “I think it’s nice. You may want to find a different line of work though if you want to meet any.”
“Who says I’m looki-“ The Goblin went stiff, “They’re coming, fast.”
Nian looked up the path to see two shadows looming. He could tell from the silhouette and the metallic scraping that one of the approaching figures was the Njord. As the two drew up on them they slowed to a walk, then stopped in front of Nian and Amalthea. It wasn’t until Autumn hopped down from Xian’s shoulders that he recognized them.
“They stopped.” Autumn stated flatly.
“Is true.” Xian grumbled, sounding wary. “Stopped dead at top of trail. Fired a few arrows down trail into dark, but just sit there.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” Amalthea argued. “They were right on top of us. Stopping now just means we will be well out of sight by dawn and likely slip away.”
“Perhaps dey weren’t eager to meet us on de ledge in de night.” Kaesa offered, “Bows are of little use if ye cannot see far enough to fight at range, und on dis ledge, no more dan two could fight abreast. Deir numbers would be good for only relief.”
Xain did not look convinced. Nian watched curiously as he stepped against the face of the cliff, even his silhouette becoming swallowed by the deep shadows. The other two who could see in the dark seemed to be watching the Dwarf intently. Nian felt a bit left out, and looked over at Autumn, wondering if she had any idea what was going on. Suddenly, Xain erupted from the shadows toward Autumn.
“Half-breed! Take Nian!” He cried, “We move now!”
Xian held out a hand to Autumn and she quickly hopped up to perch on his broad pack. Before she had even settled, Nian’s vision was blocked as Kaesa stepped before him and scooped him up. As the oddly mounted group started running at a sprint down the path, Nian became aware of a rumbling behind them. As the rumble grew rapidly louder, the crack of stone added to the cacophony.
Nian looked back over Kaesa’s shoulder at the point where the trail curved back along the cliff, vanishing from sight on its path toward the head of the falls. Suddenly, something burst around the corner. Nian saw no silhouette or shadow that could be a mortal or beast he knew of, but the earth sprang to life, rumbling and flinging stones high into the air. He watched in horror as a section of rock shelf at least a dozen meters in length broke free and tumbled into the star-lit canopy below. Whatever force travelled down the path towards them, the shock of its passing broke pieces of cliff loose above and below, creating an unpredictable shower of deadly projectiles. Kaesa pulled up short from her run and lifted her shield high just soon enough to deflect a shower of rock from the two of them. Even with her incredible strength, the force drove the Njord to her knees and Nian felt sure they would have been crushed without the woman’s uncanny might.
Though Kaesa regained her feet quickly, the pause placed them last in the order of flight. Nian felt a powerful shockwave wash through the earth below and beside them as a fissure opened between Kaesa’s feet. The Njord pivoted and shoved Nian against the face of the cliff as the ground split off a chunk of the path from an arm’s length behind them to several feet past Amalthea. Nian’s hand moved almost instinctively to a crevice in the rock where he grabbed hold for all he was worth. He shot his other hand out to Kaesa, but the Njord batted his hand away. Nian watched helplessly as the broken section of stone tumbled into the shadows beneath the forest canopy, carrying Kaesa and Amalthea with it.
Silence followed. Nian clung to the cliff face upon the narrow band of ledge that was left. All around, the echoes of the ledge’s destruction faded and seemed to take the sounds of the night with them. It was some time before Nian could similarly quiet the racing heartbeat pounding in his ears. In the dark night, the only sound he could hear was the wind drifting through the trees. The night wind sounded afraid and a bit sorrowful, it even seemed to call his name as though it bore witness to his friends being torn away into the darkness and offered what comfort it could. The wind repeated its call, and Nian shook his head to clear the fog left by the thunderous racket.
“Nian!” His ears started to recover from the shock and he recognized Autumn’s voice coming from the darkness down the trail. Nian checked himself over as best he could in the dark. His arm was throbbing and the slowly spreading warmth in his sleeve told him he’d pulled it open again. His fingers still worked though. Nian inched his way along the shattered ledge, clinging to the cliff wall for support. He finally reached the end of the broken section and stepped out onto the broader ledge with a sigh of relief.
“Nian, is that you?”
Nian heard Autumn call out quietly from nearby. The cliff leaned out over the path here, blocking out any starlight and veiling the walkway in deep, black shadows. He shuffled forward awkwardly, blind in the darkness. Across his back, Mitchell’s aged sword vibrated softly. Curious, Nian drew the blade somewhat awkwardly with one hand. Slowly, the length of the blade emitted a soft, shimmering glow of blue-white light that Nian imagined might come from a star shimmering deep beneath a crystalline pool of water. The soft glow lit the walkway and the woods beyond. A few yards away, he saw a pile of rubble along the inside of the path. It looked like a section of rock had broken from the wall directly onto the trail. The dust shifted slightly at the edge of the rubble and Nian could make out a slender arm rise up as if shielding one of the stones from the sudden light.
“Autumn!” Nian rushed to the Dryad’s side. She was buried face down up to the middle of her back by the rubble. He gave Autumn’s hand a quick squeeze before gently brushing dust back from her cheek. Autumn gave a cough and pulled her head back as best she could.
“Ah!” She moaned softly, “Careful, you’re knocking dust in my eyes. I can’t get up. There’s something across my legs.”
Nian nodded and moved down a bit. He started to pull at the rocks with his free hand, but the arrow wound in his bicep tightened and he couldn’t put any strength into his fingers. Nian set his sword to the side, but the glow faded as soon as his hand left the handle. He cursed under his breath as he recovered the blade. The glow obligingly returned. He took a sharp breath and tried to think. Nian’s eyes were drawn to the gentle glow of the blade. It truly was as though some radiant pool of water rippled below the surface of the blade. The light drifted beneath the black pock marks scattered along the ancient blade, making it seem like he was some bird, staring down at a star-lit sea as it flowed beneath the inky black of islands in the night.
Finally, a thought occurred to Nian as he turned the blade in his hands. He marveled how the thick blade, at least four feet in length, held little more heft than Kolel’s rapier. Experimentally, Nian shifted the blade over his shoulder and eased its pommel into the palm of his injured arm. The weight bore down painfully, and the near edge of the blade slid against the side of his throat. Nian winced and swept his good hand up to push the blade back, but he couldn’t find a scratch. The blade’s weight slowly seemed to dissipate, until it felt like he held a large tin coin in his palm.
Nian busied himself shifting stones and earth from Autumn’s back until he reached her upper thighs. A small boulder lay across both legs, pinning them down. The scabbard of her sword lay crunched between the boulder and two smaller stones. It looked like the blade’s sacrifice was all that had kept the stone from crushing through her thighs entirely. Nian felt along the underside of the heavy stone until he found a jagged section where he could grab hold. No amount of straining against the boulder would lift it off Autumn’s legs. Nian abandoned the attempt when the slightest shift
in the stone went the wrong direction, evoking a painful whimper from Autumn. He eyed the blade nervously.
“Okay . . . I know this isn’t really your job.” Nian whispered, lifting the blade with his good hand again. “But I can’t think of anything else.”
“What are you talking about?” Autumn sounded close to panic, “Don’t give up!”
“I’m not giving up . . . I was talking to the blade.” Nian explained, realizing just how ridiculous he had to sound, as he slid the blade into the slight space between her legs and prayed the blade knew he didn’t want to cut her. “Okay, get ready to slide forward.”
Nian bent his knees and grasped hold of the sword by its hilt. He hauled upon the sword for all his worth. Nothing moved. Nian felt the gash in his thigh tear painfully as he strained. He looked down at Autumn, still lit by the diminished glow of the doused blade. His gaze shifted to glare at the blade. Nian set his jaw against the pain and curled the fingers of his second hand around the sword hilt and hauled again. An agonizing lance of fire shot through his arm, but he ignored it and continued to strain.
The relic blade emitted a soft hum, and Nian felt a cool sensation flow from the weapon’s handle into his hands and up his arms. It felt like the water within the blade were trickling up the length of him, just beneath his skin. The sensation reached the hole in his arm, and the feeling shifted from a cool sensation to a burning. The smoldering sensation seemed to absorb the pain in his arm and leg, transforming itself and becoming magnified as it did so. Nian felt his muscles coil and solidify, pushing his wounds closed and stretching his skin tight over them.
Slowly, Nian felt the sword lever its way upward. Progress still moved slowly, but Nian found himself marveling at the sensation coursing through him. He still felt his wounds, but instead of hurting, they sent a heat through him. The feeling was at once intoxicating and focusing. The stone at last lifted high enough to release Autumn’s legs and she quickly pulled herself free of the rubble pile. She swayed shakily to her feet, and Nian grabbed her to help keep her upright. Without really thinking, he pulled the Dryad close and leaned down to kiss her. Autumn looked up at him, but pulled back.