by Dave Higgins
Still scared by the rage he’d displayed when he’d fought, she went out onto the raft and sat with her back to the wall. Images boiled up of Orped staggering back, Orped with her knife in his eye. Followed by the remains of her supper.
Pitching forward, she reached the edge of the raft just in time. She’d felt nothing in the moment, but now it weighed on her. It filled every crevice of her thoughts.
This wasn’t heroic. Adventurers didn’t throw up after a fight. No matter how often she told herself Orped had been about to kill her, her stomach wasn’t in the mood for excuses. She knew how it felt. She’d give anything to vomit out whatever made her kill him. But she couldn’t, because it was part of her.
She collapsed back against wall, sobs shaking her body. Her face contorted and she let the pain come out in heaving gasps. When the spasms ended, she felt better.
She scrubbed her eyes with her hands and considered the river banks on either side. They were further away. And ahead, in the distance, the banks disappeared, leaving an expanse of water. They’d nearly reached the sea. She hurried back into the house.
In almost a mirror of her previous pose, Rauger was slumped with his back to the wall. However, instead of tears, his eyes glared, hard and dry from beneath scrunched brows.
“The sea,” she said. “The river exits into the sea. If we don’t get off the raft, we’ll be adrift in the middle of the ocean with no way back.”
“So?” He glanced at her before returning to his scowl.
She pulled a pack from the pile of things he’d found and shoved everything else into it.
“That was my town,” Rauger said. “They abandoned me to die.”
“And you want to let them succeed? Because the sea will kill you as quickly as a man with a pipe.”
“What’s the point? I’m a hunter for Rockpoint. Without that, what do I have?”
“We don’t have time for this.” She hurried over to him. Putting her hands under his armpits, she heaved. She wasn’t strong enough to lift him, but she had to do something.
If anything his brows drew lower. However, he clambered to his feet and let her lead him outside.
She studied the banks. The one on the right was a little closer. Yanking on Rauger’s arm, she tripped him into the water and hoped he could swim.
Not sure what she’d do if he couldn’t, she rearranged the pack on her back and dived in after him. The river grabbed her hard. Mouth clamped shut, she spun and thrashed, seeking the surface.
Damp air brushed her face. She gulped a breath, then kicked for the bank. The current shoved at her, seeming to push her downriver much faster than the raft had travelled. And with each metre it pushed her, the bank receded. She’d be driven out to sea before she reached it.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself to swim faster. Even keeping her head high, the spray half-choked her; and each gasp seemed both sharper and sooner than the last. As the pain in her side grew, she cursed her father and his idiotic choice of skill points. When a pain in her neck followed, she sent that against her mother for agreeing to the ludicrous decision. Dredging up every time her parents hadn’t prepared her for real life, she clawed her way through the burning in her limbs and the chill in her body. Until her foot caught on something below her.
Swallowing a gulp of water but not sinking further, she realised she was in her own depth. She braced her legs against the current and struggled upright.
Behind her, the raft had picked up speed, heading for the sea. Close by, Rauger forged his way to the shore.
She waded to shore and crawled up the red dirt to sit on a hillock. Digging her fingers into her side, she tried to massage the tight feeling away.
A short while later, Rauger collapsed on the ground nearby.
“You’re just going to give up?” she asked. “Your town throws you out and you roll over and die? You know how many towns my father got thrown out of?”
“Your father the king?” Rauger kept his eyes closed. “I’m sure it was a lot.”
She stared at him. “He wasn’t always a king. What do you think you know?”
“I know enough. They discussed it before they put you in that house. You’re Princess Peony of Green Moss. Your father is the one they meant to take, King Edmond. He’s the scholar. They only realised their mistake when they brought you back here. I’m guessing they hoped you’d placate Orped.”
“Well, Orped’s dead. So they don’t need to placate him any more, do they?”
“One of his copies is dead.” Rauger pushed himself up onto his elbows. “A new one will arrive from the east when this one doesn’t report back. Imperatis has a stronghold there, so he’ll send another Orped, and this time he’ll bring enough soldiers to destroy Rockpoint.”
“I’m confused. That was a copy?”
Rauger nodded. “It’s how Imperatis works. He sucks knowledge from people while they’re unconscious or asleep. It leaves a shell behind that he can fill with whatever he likes.”
“Why doesn’t he fill it back up the way it was?”
Rauger smiled mirthlessly. “I doubt that’s even occurred to him.”
“Your home town will be destroyed?”
“Not if they catch up with us and take you back. Even then they might be punished.”
Peony struggled to her feet. “We have to get out of here. I can’t go back.”
Rauger shrugged. “There’s a fishing village to the west. You might find a captain there to take you back.”
She growled in frustration at the man. He had no interest in survival any more. “My father will reward you if you take me home.”
“I don’t need money.” He looked back the way they’d come. “Especially from the likes of him.”
“Then a home. I’d never even heard of Imperatis. You could live in any of the towns in Green Moss. There’s always a need for hunters.”
He got to his feet. “Fine. Let’s go.”
“Wait. You’re going to go now?”
“I was always going to go.” He winked. “I just decided to wind you up, while I caught my breath.”
She stared at him. He’d pretended to want to stay to annoy her. He was the most infuriating person she’d ever met. Even more annoying than her father.
He strolled past her. “What are you waiting for? We don’t want them catching up with us.”
She stalked after him, ready to punch him in the arm, but he seemed to sense it and sped up his pace. She broke into a run and he dashed away from her, leaping over clumps of grass and bushes. After a moment, she had to slow down and walk; she hadn’t recovered from her swim.
Ahead of her, he turned around and grinned, sending a new wave of fury through her. She resolve to wait until he least expected it and hit him. It might not hurt, but it would give her a lot of satisfaction.
“We should make for high ground,” he said. “Try to see our pursuers. We don’t want to blunder into them if they’ve spread out.”
She nodded, not willing to talk to him yet.
“We need water first, though. We should keep to the coast for a while. There’ll be another river or stream.”
She frowned. “What about the river we climbed out of?”
“It’s tidal. Full of salt.”
She glared at his back. He said it as if it was so obvious. She wondered how he’d gotten through life without someone strangling him. Perhaps that was why he was such a fast runner. Maybe that was why they’d put him on the raft. Not that he deserved it, but…
They walked in silence for a while. She wondered if her parents had heard about her abduction yet. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been unconscious. She had a vague image of being in a forest while someone forced something bitter into her mouth, but she wasn’t sure if that was real or a nightmare. “Where is this place? How far is it to Green Moss?”
Rauger chuckled. “You haven’t realised yet? Why do you think we’re going to take a boat?”
She wondered if her legs were recovered eno
ugh to kick him in the arse without falling over. “Why can’t you answer a question?”
“You’re on Oteon.”
“Oteon?” She stumbled to a halt, minor violence forgotten. She was on another continent. Oteon was at least a week’s travel from Green Moss.
He tutted. “We won’t get there with you standing still.”
She ignored him and started walking. If they’d travelled that far, how would her parents ever find her? She had to make it home on her own. Part of her mind suggested she hadn’t wanted an adventure after all. She tried to ignore it, but it was right. Faced with adversity, she longed for her nice warm chamber in the castle and Stephanie to talk to. Not some annoying fool with a stupid moustache and muscles instead of manners.
Rauger paused beside a small stream gurgling toward the sea. Sauntering back to her, he spun her around with one hand and rummaged in her pack. After fishing out two water-skins, he returned to the stream and filled them.
Peony walked a little upstream and knelt, dipping her hands in and cupping water out. When the first cold slurp hit her mouth, she shivered in appreciation. She hadn’t realised how thirsty she’d been. She drank until her stomach felt fit to burst, then got back to her feet.
“You shouldn’t have drunk so much,” Rauger said, after watching her do it. “It’ll make you slower.”
She nodded submissively and reached for her water-skin, then punched him in the arm as hard as she could.
“Ow.” He stepped back and rubbed his arm. “What was that for?”
“Would it hurt to be a little nicer? I’ve been kidnapped, drugged, dragged a continent away from my home, sacrificed to a mind mage, and subjected to you.”
He stared at her for a moment. “And you killed your first man.”
“And I—” She stared back. “How do you know that?”
“The way you didn’t look straight at the bodies. And how you’ve been acting ever since. As if you’re trying not to think of something. Let’s keep walking.”
He handed her one of the water-skins and leapt across the stream. Knowing she wouldn’t make the jump, she chose to wade through rather than fall. As she climbed out, she shook her head at him. “That’s what I’m talking about. You’re arrogant, you know that?”
“It’s not arrogance if you’re right.”
“Aargh. Have you even considered the possibility you might be wrong?”
“About what?”
“About me… whatever you think of me. Why you’re being so nasty.”
“Nasty?” he said. “I’m saving you, you spoilt brat. Without me, you’d be back in their hands by sunset.”
“Spoilt brat? I’ve never met anyone as childish as you. You’re the brat.”
“Shh.”
From the look on his face, the way he listened to the wind, she knew he’d heard something. After a long moment of listening, she couldn’t stand it any more. “What is it? The townspeople?”
“No.” He resumed walking. “I wanted a minute without your prattling.”
She felt the rage building inside her and forced it down with a breath. “Fine. Let’s walk in silence for a while.”
She tied the water-skin to her belt and followed him inland. As they walked, her clothes dried and chafed against her skin. She wasn’t used to the rough fabrics and longed for her comfortable outfits back home. Not that she wanted a gown, but she had her adventuring clothes, made of linen and leather. If only her kidnappers had given her time to put them on.
She chuckled to herself, earning a glance from Rauger. At least her kidnappers had put clothes on her; she’d have felt even less a hero wandering around in next to nothing.
The ground rose, becoming steeper the further they walked. Ahead, the land swelled into hills, some of them covered in scree. Rauger didn’t slow as the going got tougher, striding ahead with his long muscular legs, as if the climb didn’t trouble him in the slightest.
She refused to fall behind, but soon she was panting with the effort of keeping pace. She looked around as they climbed higher. The land seemed far flatter than around Green Moss, but she’d always had a good night’s rest and a decent meal when she went adventuring before. Apart from a small village to the south, the area seemed empty.
Rauger stopped, shielding his eyes with one hand. After a moment, he nodded. “There.”
She tried to follow his gaze, but couldn’t see anything. Rather than admit her ignorance, she nodded. “Then we’d better go in the other direction.”
He glanced at her, mirth twisting the edges of his mouth. For a dread-filled moment, she thought he’d fooled her again. Instead, he nodded. “If we keep going to the fishing village I mentioned, we’ll reach it by nightfall.”
His feet skidding a little on the scree of the hill, he set off again. She followed, her own feet threatening to slip out from under her.
They moved down the other side of the hill and into a wood. Rauger slipped between the shadows of the trees with admirable quiet. Peony couldn’t help herself, though; she found every piece of dead wood and trod on it, filling the wood with snaps and cracks. At each one, Rauger shot her a grin she wanted to wipe off his face.
Hoping for something to distract her, she unfocused her eyes on his back. His skill points showed up quickly:
Level 1
Strength: 6
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 4
Charisma: 5
Wisdom: 3
Willpower: 3
Perception: 5
Luck: 3
Unknown: 3
The last, hidden statistic showed three. If she had her own child, that might be the way she’d have gone herself: spreading the skills out to give the child the choice of direction. Which raised a question. “Why did you choose to be a hunter?”
“Choose to be a hunter?” He shook his head. “My father died when I was nine. It was hunt or starve.”
“Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Sure you are.”
She watched him continue to slip through the forest as if he were born to it. Would she ever get that comfortable with the trees? Feel like she was one of them? Perhaps his father dying was the best thing that could have happened to him?
Chapter 10
Turning the Earth
Edmond woke before dawn. He didn’t remember falling asleep; he didn’t even remember going to bed. But somehow, he’d managed a few hours. When he reached the feast hall, Daffodil and Hapbert were already there, locked in discussion. He left them to it and grabbed cold porridge from a pot. The oaty mass tasted of nothing, but he couldn’t face a proper meal; and waiting for the kitchens to cook something would feel like betraying Peony anyway.
Stephanie entered, face flushed, and knelt in front of Edmond. “Your Majesty, I came to apologise.”
“There’s no need.” Edmond poked his breakfast with his spoon. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I could have been there. Peony invited Hapbert because I like him, and I got distracted. I should have been at her side.”
“Then you’d be dead. How would that help?”
“There might have been something I could have done.”
Edmond put down his spoon and waved for her to sit beside him. “You feel guilty because you wanted to spend time with a man you like?”
She perched on the edge of the bench. “My duty is to the princess, at all times.”
“Not all the time. You’re entitled to spend some time doing what you want. I’ve never thanked you for taking such good care of Peony over the years.”
“I was happy to do it.”
He forced himself to smile. “It wasn’t an easy job, but you steered her away from trouble more often than not. I feared I’d hired a conspirator, but if you’d been stricter, she’d have rejected you. Like she rejected me.”
“Peony cares for you.”
“I know. But she doesn’t share my passion for books and study. If we get her back, I won’t force those
on her any more.”
“When you get her back.” Stephanie’s eyes almost glowed. “You and Queen Daffodil are legendary. You rid the land of more monsters than anyone else and completed countless quests. I heard you can’t even level up any more.”
“That’s true—or at least it seems to be. We haven’t levelled up in years. What about you, Stephanie? Do you want to go questing like Peony?”
Stephanie shook her head. “No. I’m no adventurer. I want a quiet life… and several children. All I ever wanted is to be a mother.”
“You might discover that’s not such a quiet life. I hope you find it, though. Everyone’s entitled to their own path in life.”
Stephanie glanced at Daffodil and cleared her throat.
“What?” Nothing looked odd to Edmond—apart from everything being wrong. “There’s something else you want to say?”
“Forgive me. It’s not my place.”
“Today’s a day for moving past our places. What is it?”
“It’s just… the queen. Has she found her path?”
Edmond frowned. “What do you mean?”
She rose. “Forget what I said. Is there anything else, Your Majesty?”
“No.” He watched her hurry from the room and pondered her words. Things between Daffodil and him had been strained, but he’d assumed they were both just under pressure.
Grew strode into hall and over to Edmond. “Ready?”
“ You’re not going to eat breakfast?”
Grew shook his head. “It interferes with the dance; makes it more difficult to move.”
“Then let’s go.” Edmond dropped the mostly full bowl of porridge on the table and leapt to his feet. Catching Daffodil’s eye, he motioned for her to follow them.
A groom waited in the courtyard with fresh horses. Dozens of other people stood watching, trying to hide in doorways and alcoves. Edmond managed a real smile. No one would risk missing Pettigrew the Glorious performing a spell. The name had seemed ridiculous when a teenage Grew had come up with it, but now…?
Grew found a free space in the courtyard and shook his arms out while rolling his head. When he was ready, he began to move. His arms and legs swung, flowing in complex patterns. The movements grew faster, until his arms and legs were almost a blur. Then, he sprang into the air, twisting and landing on his hands. Spinning more smoothly on his palms than most people could manage on their feet, he kicked his legs through the air above him.