“War, again, it would seem. And, I’ve found our Emerys Stone.” I gave him a sidelong look.
Volant took a moment to register what I’d said, then burst up, fully awake. He tossed on his gear and opened the flap for me to lead the way. “Where is it?”
“Well, I’m not sure how, but Xylex ended up with it after all.” I paused, still trying to wrap my head around it. “He’s sent a Learner with it. She arrived this morning.”
Our Misfits were waiting for us, Jepp now carrying a belt quiver full of short arrows. Otherwise, everyone seemed about the same as the day before, if a little more worn than previously. Strange enough, there were none of Dioden’s men near the Misfits, nor any lined up further out than they were.
An island of people on the burned field, with a few hundred or so soldiers creating a line further back. And across the field from the Misfits, a few thousand mottled green shapes were marching, converging on the island. There was no way I’d manage as much expenditure as yesterday, but I told myself if I rationed my Skill, I’d probably make it through. The more honest part of myself said it didn’t matter how much any of us could muster, we were going to die either way before the sun set tonight.
“Glad to see everyone made it up for round two.” I clapped Xen on his armless shoulder, trying to smile at the group. The strange Soft Stepper was still with him, but we no longer had the pair of Guards who’d followed Alisandra.
“Looks a smidge weighted in their favor,” Lori piped in. Udan nodded in agreement with his wife, neither of them looking thrilled about the oncoming army. And as cocky as most of us Learners are in the face of Naturals, there were far too many this time around.
To my right, Volant had stuck out a gloved fist. I bumped it with my own. A quote from a book I’d read came to mind all of the sudden. If you’re to die, let it be said that going into the unknown with a friend is far better than alone. I laughed suddenly, which Volant took with a raised eyebrow. “I just realized, I actually have a greater fear than dying.” I said, amused.
“Oh?” Volant grunted.
“Aye. It’s dying alone.” I winked at him mischievously. “Good thing I won’t have to worry about that though.”
I received no response beyond a very expressive roll of his eyes.
“Glad we can agree, oh wielder of toothpicks.” I punched my friend on the shoulder.
“You call my sword a toothpick again, I will pick your teeth with it.” He returned my wink before turning to look across the burned-out field.
Jepp, unknown to us, took this opportunity to try out his new arrow launching trick. A high-pitched yelp brought our attention to him as his projectile soared out high into the sky towards the Equals.
“Oh no,” Alisandra groaned.
Thirty-six
We all watched as the shaft arced against the cloudy sky. If any Equals had noticed, none did anything to indicate it. Gravity took hold, pulling it back down towards the ground.
Against all odds, it struck home, right into the chest of an Equal. The man dropped to his knees, face too far to see his expression. Those around him froze in disbelief.
“Left hand of god,” Volant swore.
“Eh, just a premature start to what was coming anyways,” I said sadly. “Now they’re just angrier.”
Sure enough, angry shouts were now coming across the field at us. What had seemed a determined but placid army had turned itself into a bloodthirsty riot with nearly no cohesion in the space of a breath. A few archers launched arrows in our direction, but Volant easily displaced the shots with a wave of his hand.
“Wonder why they weren’t already mad?” Xen pondered. “It’s not like we didn’t kill a bunch of their friends yesterday, ya ken?”
“That’s a fair point,” I said. Skill was once again making its way to my hands. And yet, I found myself wishing for just one toron stone to help turn the tide, though I wouldn’t mind that one being the Emerys’ Rock if wishes were being granted. “Maybe the front line is the reinforcements. If so, maybe they didn’t know anyone from yesterday’s scuffle.”
“Or,” Alisandra interrupted, “Jepp just killed their messiah guy.”
“King?” I prompted.
“I thought they didn’t like kings,” Alisandra replied.
“Guess we could ask when they get here,” Volant chimed in.
They seemed to be building up the nerve to attack when Patricia showed up. Like an avenging god, the girl descended from the clouds. Dark red light glowed in her hand, bright enough to catch the eye and illuminate the girl, but not enough to obscure her in the glow. She only began slowing when everyone’s eyes looked up to her. She came to a hover above the ground, staring down at the Equals across from her. The glow dimmed a bit, and she landed lightly on the charred ground. Words were exchanged. I strained trying to hear, but they were too soft for us with her facing the other direction.
I’d tried to fly once. Skill expenditure literally almost killed me. If I’d not been passed out and limp as a rag, the fall probably would have done me in as well.
Just as Jepp had done, someone loosed an arrow at her, probably sensing this was not good for their side. Or maybe they thought it was a god, and wanted some fame and glory. But there’s a reason you don’t hear about gods being killed very often. And in this case, there wasn’t much difference in what would happen if she actually was a god, and not just a Learner with a huge toron stone.
The girl flicked her hand lazily. A wave of Skill rose from her, intersecting the projectile and disintegrating it into dust. The mostly invisible wave traveled towards the front line, until blasting handfuls of Equals head over heels into their comrades behind them. Ash and dust settled in the waves wake.
She shook her head side to side, almost in what looked like disappointment. More words were exchanged. We didn’t move. Neither did she. A knot of Naturals chose this lull to also make their final mistake.
First one, then a few more, and finally an impressive barrage of uncounted numbers unleashed their best shot at Patricia. It was an impressively coordinated and terrifying attack. Still, she didn’t move beyond raising her hand before her, palm facing out. Fire and wind and earth and mundane arrows all crashed into an invisible wall. Using only one hand to shield herself, a feat I couldn’t even begin to comprehend, her other swung in wide arcs before her.
With each wave of the hand, scores of Equals died. Yesterday’s carnage seemed nothing in comparison to this wanton killing. Some ducked and avoided dismemberment. A fair number were far enough back that they escaped the first few waves of destruction. Some turned and ran. Many still died.
Someone from our ranks, an Equal sympathizer or horrified soldier, let fly a pair of arrows at her. I watched them soar by as if in slow motion. I gathered Skill and began to reach out, intending to deflect them. Volant, doing the thinking for both of us, gently blocked my arm, preventing me from stopping the arrows flight. It was a day of improbabilities.
A very long shot, yet both shafts somehow found their mark. Not killing blows. But enough to end Patricia’s massacre and preventing a full genocide. Equal’s corpses were mangled in countless droves. The lucky ones merely writhed on the ground, missing limbs or bleeding out from enormous gashes caused by her Skill fueled attack. Past the killing zone, hundreds were fleeing, not bothering to look back. They didn’t even stop at their camp.
Lori and Udan were the first to react, or at least the closest. At nearly a dead sprint, they were off to Patricia’s side where she knelt before the slain, twin arrows in her shoulder.
I couldn’t blame them for going to help her. Nor could I really blame Patricia entirely either. She did save our lives, even if it was to further Xylex’s agenda. Torn between trying to steal Emerys’ Rock or helping the girl, I merely stood frozen with a stony Volant still grasping my forearm.
As more of Elites rushed to help their fallen savior, scores of Equals began to jump up from the ground, and run away as well. Apparently not quite as many ha
d been killed as it first seemed. A few Guard gave chase, but nothing spurs a man faster than fear. Large, tanned hands grabbed my shoulders spinning me out of Volant’s grip and to face yet another white haired cloudling.
“Andreska told me to find you both,” the man said. “She said you need to leave here immediately. She’s waiting for you at the boat.”
“Thanks Nathaniel, we’re right behind you.” Volant looked grim. Then again, we’d just watched more lives than people I personally knew snuffed out in a matter of minutes. He was more than justified in being unhappy. We turned away from the shortest battle the world would probably ever see, and at Volant’s urging, began to run quickly.
“Is this necessary?” I complained a mere dozen paces into the run. My body was in rebellion, and the last thing I felt like doing was running for no reason with a chef’s worth of knives strapped to my body while still recovering from the day before.
“It was Nathaniel.” He didn’t break stride as he spoke, eyes never letting Thran’s leaf out of his sight.
“And that matters why?” I puffed in reply.
“He’s my mother’s harbinger. If she sent him, it’s serious. Life or death kind of serious.” Noticing me flagging behind, he slowed a bit.
I caught up next to him, our laughably short distance taking a heavy toll. “Need to eat more. Next time.” I got out as we closed on the ship.
“And probably less fighting,” Volant added. “You were impressive yesterday. Didn’t realize you had that in you, by the way.”
I grunted my thanks, burning lungs refusing to put any words out.
Only a few minutes of running, and we were there. Volant unruffled. I, however, was nearly on the ground ready to sleep for the rest of my life.
Waiting for us was one of the rope platforms and Qaewin next to it. I flopped onto it, twisting until I was sitting with an arm wrapped around one of the corner ropes.
Volant and Qaewin embraces, whispering a quick conversation before a far too long kiss. She waved goodbye to me, only slightly embarrassed. Tears were in her eyes, knowing something I didn’t that made her think this was the last she’d see Volant and I.
The lift began to rise before Volant had climbed up himself. Hurriedly, he scrambled until he was seated too. Steadily we rose, both of us lost in silence as we gazed out over the blackened killing field below. Volant was eerily quiet the whole ride up.
The twins were waiting in the loading bay, along with another two men I didn’t recognize. Everyone glistened with sweat from what was probably a whole lot of work getting the entire crew back on board with such short notice.
Finn waved a tired, yet friendly hello, which Volant pointedly ignored. The smaller one, Brawn, glared at us. More hate in that one look than half of the Equals could probably have managed towards us. The other two nodded in greeting, but otherwise went back to the business of lowering the lift. Volant resolutely ignored them all as we headed to the ship’s upper deck to find a bit more information on what was going on.
“There she is,” Volant said, pointing not at the command deck, but over to one side where she was hauling at a pack.
I gestured him forward. “After you.”
Captain Andreska saw us coming, and looped some slack rope around the railing. She strode towards us, face serious. In the biggest display of affection from her yet, she squeezed her son’s shoulder in what was very close to a hug.
The deck was noisy with people yelling back and forth, occasional attempts at singing, and the general tumult of sailors happy to be alive in a small space. With a nod towards the main cabin, Volant indicated his desire to have a private conversation. Andreska agreed, and took us that way and shut the door behind us.
“You sent Nathaniel,” Volant said, not quite a question.
“Dioden’s dead,” she said. “So was that girl, his second in command. A couple of his Guard, too.”
My eyes widened with surprise. “Yillan and Dioden are dead? How? When?”
“Just before the massacre,” Andreska replied. “Story that will be circulated is it was an assassination by the Equals. Patricia ‘found’ them before heading out to vanquish the Equals.”
“Patricia?” Volant echoed.
“Our very own dues-ex machina. The girl with Emerys Stone.” Finally some emotion showed on Andreska’s face when she said this. Not quite anger. But very close. “In reality, it looks like she killed the whole chain of command, effectively taking over the army with her display.”
“Oh.” I said, barely audible.
“My guess is you were both to be incarcerated about now, probably labeled as the assassins,” she said. “Since this seems to be a habit the two of you can’t break, I intervened and will be yet again ferrying you to safety.
“And I’d guess that means our deal is off on the clemency front?” My insides turned as I said it.
Volant gave me a look that would have withered a flower. It screamed “I told you so,” even while he remained silent.
Andreska just shook her head. “Amnesty will definitely not be in the books for you with her. Suffice to say, neither of you is going back on the ground until we hit Erset.”
“Home?” I asked, a spark of excitement flaring in my chest.
“Yours, yes. Wydvis is too far. And too dangerous, I think.” She took a deep breath. “Hopefully, your family can do a better job than I did, or they did the first time around.”
I started to say something, but she held up a hand. “Please, I’ve already heard how you two were grabbed just below their residence. There’s not much in the way of excuses for them not trying to prevent this.” Andreska opened back up the door, letting in the sunshine. “Go help get the fallpacks stored. As soon as they’re all out of the way, and the last of the crew is found and brought up, we are leaving.”
“How long is that going to be?” I asked Volant as we walked out.
“Quite soon, I’d guess,” he said.
No exaggeration there. It took almost no time at all before everything was stowed, and everyone on board. The sails were opened up to catch the east wind and we were off yet again.
Some leftover smoked meat was passed around while we let the wind current carry us towards the forest city. Each mouthful tasted exactly like cold, week-old meat would. Like chewing on a piece of wood that had been burned in a fire and then dipped in the sea. Of course, none of us cared one bit. So much adrenaline, so little sleep, and a healthy amount of gratitude at not being dead made each and every one of us quite delighted by the meal.
Not even at sword point could Andreska stop me from finding sleep after eating a solid meal. Volant too, seemed about ready to collapse. Our tiny, cubby-hole room still had the pair of hammocks swinging invitingly. I doubt the dead would be sleeping as hard as I’d be after today. Dreams haunted me this time, but I guess that’s the price you pay.
I woke up to a muscle soreness so deep, movement seemed impossible. My eyes opened as a flare of pain shot through the muscles of my left arm as it moved involuntarily. There stood Jameson with his spiraling scars, moving my arm like a lever with a certain smirk that said he knew just how much pain this was causing me.
“Left handed, grass munching, god spawned little....” I gasped as he made my arm bend and wave an awkward hello.
“You were saying?” Jameson asked demurely.
“Let go,” I hissed.
He gave me a lopsided grin while dropping my arm. This elicited a sharp pain as well, and I in turn grimaced.
“Slept for almost a whole day,” he chuckled. “You’re going to be on pins and needles with those over taxed muscles. You need to find a good deal of water and slurp it all down.” He turned to leave, opening up the door.
I grunted my understanding as I tried to sit up.
“Oh, and we’ll hit Erset in under a day. Caught a mother of a wind current.” He shut the door behind him with a solid push.
Volant was gone from his hammock, probably being useful somewhere. His rapier
and Cralil’s knife resting on a barrel next to where he’d slept. I gingerly got out of my hammock, feeling muscles twitch in protest. A few horribly painful stretches later and I was almost ready to face the world. Almost. My legs still refused to cooperate properly. After some sad attempts at getting them to be normal, my pride was overruled by nature and I waddled out of the room to find a secluded and safe spot to relieve myself.
Volant and a couple of the crew were playing some game just outside of our room. It was Liar’s Dice, but with coin. Seeing me stiff legged and noting the grimace on my face when my attempt at stealth failed, Volant started rolling with laughter. The others turned, and joined in when I tried to take another bow-legged step.
I resolutely ignored the laughs, hobbling past with all the dignity I could muster. But deep down, I smiled. As embarrassing as it was, it was good to see Volant handling the past few days much better than he had the assassin back in Tryst.
Plenty of walking up and down the deck brought some relief to my weakened body. Since being woken, no rowing had been needed with the current providing us plenty of speed as long as the sails were maintained. A minor blessing, as I doubted I could row right now.
Erset citizens were never the happiest to see a Wydvis airship floating above their tree tops, but as long as Andreska anchored low enough, and far enough away from the forest’s edge, everything would be all right I hoped. Without much for anyone to do the last bit of the ride, and nothing being left to eat, a giant game of two card pick me was played.
Out of the deck, each player was dealt a pair after throwing in whatever the current ante was. Once everyone had bought their cards, we went round in a circle revealing our hand. Whoever had the best matched cards won the hand. Whoever had the worst pair would then have to collect the money up and present it to the winner. They were then removed from the game. It was pure luck and far too much fun.
I’d never seen such voracious gamblers as those from Wydvis. Must be all that high altitude air and sun. When not cheating, I had no chance of winning. Since I figured it was bad form to chest the people who’d just saved your life yet again, I was one of the first people out, much to Volant’s amusement when I got suckered into a round.
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