Mortal Banshee

by Jonathon Magnus

  Liefer sighed and stroked his head. “Maybe we could take down both before they reach us. I could take the plated one—you two on the leather-clad. Or we could draw them into the tunnel and surround them at the fire room.”

  Thorsius said, “Use their size against them.”

  Visor said, “We’d need a trap in the main entry.”

  Thorsius pointed. “Look.”

  Two more ogres were further away, also searching the area. Damn.

  Liefer said, “We could pay them off. Some of the instruments are brass.”

  Thorsius said, “Nah, you can’t bribe an ogre. They’re basically animals.”

  Visor said, “They’ve been known to kill sirens.”

  Liefer sighed and dropped his head.

  Visor said, “If some of us make a break for it, and head straight down the steep slope, we might be able to keep ahead of them for a few minutes. I think I could slide down—lead them off long enough. Then the rest of you run down the path and head straight to Alafos.”

  Sorana said, “No, you would die.”

  Visor said, “Well, yes Sorana, but some of you could escape. I need you to get Rapture to Xandria, and then maybe to Mercy.”

  Sorana said, “No.”

  Visor said, “What do you suggest?”

  Sorana said, “Kill the ogres.”

  Liefer guffawed.

  Thorsius shook his head, mumbling something unkind.

  Visor asked, “What do you mean?”

  Sorana said, “It would be best to kill them.”

  Liefer wrinkled his face. “Are you saying you can kill them?”

  Sorana looked at them. “There is some risk.”

  Liefer squinted. “Are you saying you've killed ogres before? By yourself?”

  Sorana said, “Few in the field. They are rarely the targeted asset.”

  Liefer said, “Field? What are you talking about?”

  Visor said, “Assassination—she’s talking about assassination. Sorana, do you think you can kill these ogres?”

  Sorana slipped off the perch, landing softly below. She crouched and made her way to the slope opposite the cave entrance. She turned and signed, I will tell you when to fire.

  Visor translated for the other two. “Stay here and don't shoot until I say.” Thorsius cocked his crossbow. Liefer and Visor knocked arrows.

  Liefer said, “What if they shoot back.”

  Thorsius said, “Doubt we’ll get that lucky.”

  Visor said, “The best tactic against ogres is range combat. They’re bigger targets, and not particularly accurate with range weapons. Longbows are best if you’re behind fortifications or protected by infantry. Ideally, you use horse archers in the open field.”

  Sorana crested the slope and started across the clearing to the closer pair of ogres, who were just inside a thin tree line. When she got close to them, she began lurching and holding her right arm awkwardly.

  The plated ogre noticed her first. “What are you doing here? Stop! Who are you?”

  Sorana gestured to the ogre as she approached and said something. Visor could hear her voice but couldn't decipher her words with the wind noise and the ogre grunts. As she closed with the plated ogre, she waved him closer, as if to show him something. As he closed, she tripped and stumbled toward him. She threw a handful of dirt in his face.

  He covered his face and grasped blindly for her.

  She dodged his wild reaching and stepped in close. She shoved her dagger up under the ogre's belt and twisted.

  He doubled over with a horrible groan.

  Sorana spun away from his uncoordinated back hand slap. She ran behind him and drug her dagger across the neutered ogre's heal. He fell to a knee and then on his arse.

  Sorana hurled a throwing star at the second ogre. It didn’t seem to do any damage, but it distracted him momentarily. She moved behind the plate ogre's body, using it as cover against the leather ogre's sweeping club attack.

  The leather ogre stepped over the plate ogre’s body and swung his club again.

  Sorana side-stepped the attack and fired a dart at the ogre's head.

  The leather ogre grunted and grasped its face.

  Sorana drew the monkey’s fist spun it up to speed. Visor couldn’t actually see the weapon from the distance, but could infer its use from her dancing movement. She smacked the ogre in the head then turned and sprinted toward the perch. She glanced back and slowed, allowing the ogre to remain temptingly close.

  Sorana signed to Visor then jumped down the slope.

  Visor Translated. “Fire.” The three men fired.

  Visor’s arrow stuck in a hardened section of the ogre's armor, and Liefer's impaled its thigh. It was enough to cause the ogre to stumble down the slope and fall to a knee near the cave entrance.

  Sorana bounded off the cave wall, changing direction and staying just out of the ogre's reach. The archers fired again, sinking two arrows into the ogre's back. It fell flat.

  Sorana ran over the ogre’s back, kneeling as she passed to make an efficient cut just below the base of his skull. She jogged back into the clearing as the second pair of ogres reached the tree line.

  One of the ogres—a female—wore thick skins but no visible armor; the other wore a mail vest and wielded an axe and shield.

  Sorana signed for the archers to concentrate on the female ogre. Sorana got the ogres’ attention and then ran along the tree line, further down the clearing.

  They pursued.

  Visor said, “Target just the female.”

  The three humans fired, at least one of them hitting the female ogre. She turned and ran at them. One arrow of the second volley sunk into the ogre's chest, slowing but not felling her. Thorsius dropped his crossbow in favor of his war hammer. He stood up on the edge of the perch.

  The ogre swung a club at him.

  Thorsius dogged it and jumped off the edge of the perch. The club impacted the perch, vibrating the stone and sending stone shards flying.

  The ogre thrust the handle end of her club down at Thorsius, out of Visor’s line of sight.

  Visor stepped forward to the edge of the perch and sunk an arrow into the ogre's lower back. Liefer shot it in the neck, and it fell.

  Visor lowered himself off the perch and checked Thorsius. The ogre had crushed his leg and possibly a hip. Visor pointed at Liefer. “Get Rap! Help Thor.” Visor climbed up the slope and made his way to the tree line.

  Sorana was kiting the mailed ogre through trees, staying ahead of him but remaining teasingly close. She ran under a low branch and made a sharp turn to get behind two close trees she could use as cover. She hurled her monkey fist, which bounced harmlessly off the ogre’s thick metal helmet. She followed that with a throwing dagger that stuck in his bicep. She sprinted off.

  The frustrated ogre pulled out the dagger and chased her.

  Visor concealed himself behind a bush.

  Soon, as Visor expected, Sorana led the ogre past him.

  Visor sunk an arrow into the ogre's shoulder, right through the loose mesh mail.

  He snarled and stopped to look for Visor. Turning his back on Sorana proved quickly fatal.

  Sorana pounced behind the ogre and made some swift attacks.

  The ogre collapsed forward, paralyzed.

  Sorana walked up the ogre’s back and knelt on his shoulder. “Go to Thorsius.” She slid her dagger across the ogre’s neck. “I will finish here.”

  Chapter 15

  Aura

  “Four of them?” Liefer’s uncle asked.

  Liefer said, “We did. Well, mostly she did.” He gestured at Sorana, sitting off alone, cleaning her weapons and eating nuts. “They were huge! And they were loaded—gold coins and two skins of vardal spirits. It may be weak when we water it down, but it’s better than melted snow!”

  Visor sat leaning against the wall. “Weak for
some of us”.

  Rapture lay comfortably against his chest. “You can kiss my little white patooey. You know, just because you can drink nasty gut rot that makes you stupid …”

  He stroked her hair. “It’s not a competition. I'm just saying—you got the healing and the wind pipes. We get the immune system and, you know, the brains.”

  Rapture smacked his leg. “Oh! You just keep going! Anything else? Cause I'm—”

  “It's ready! Vardal spirits for all!” Athian walked in carrying mugs that sloshed over with liquid. “Warmed and tested for poison—or lack thereof!” He passed out the drinks.

  Rapture snatched one of the larger mugs.

  Liefer held his hand out in front of Rapture's cat, letting the cat sniff him. “Nice cat. Does he have a name?”

  Rapture took a sip of spirits. “I haven't gotten to that yet.” She handed the mug to Visor.

  Liefer's uncle said, “I thought his name was 'cat'.” He smiled broadly.

  Athian said, “There's always Snowflake.”

  Kaytla joined them. “Snowflake is so blah. It should be something like ... Razer.” She held up her hands, crooking her fingers like claws.

  Athian waved his hand. “Oh I know, sis. I was just kidding.” He took a drink and hugged Kaytla.

  Liefer said, “Snow ball, snow cat, white stuff -”

  Rapture said, “Not 'white stuff'.” Several giggled.

  Visor said, “I kind of like the sound of Natalia.”

  Rapture gasped loudly. “Oh, you did not!”

  Visor held out his hands in confusion. “What? I didn't say it was your name.”

  Rapture gasped loudly again. “Oh you—” She slapped at his chest a few times, mostly hitting his arms as he defended himself. Her cat growled and bared his teeth until she stopped attacking. “I don't know, I kind of like the sound of Burke!”

  Visor stared off a few moments, then chuckled softly and said, “Nattie.”

  Rapture elbowed Visor in the stomach.

  Kaytla asked, “Do you want me to smack him for you?”

  Rapture said, “No, that's okay. I’ll have Cat get him tonight after he goes to sleep.”

  Kaytla said, “I hadn’t heard that name before. Well, ‘Natalie’ I have.”

  Visor said, “It’s not originally sirenic. It is adopted from, gosh, I can’t remember, vampiric? Anyway, it’s usually given to sirens born in Xandria on a certain holiday.”

  Rapture said, “The Blue Moon.”

  Kaytla said, “I think it’s pretty.”

  Rapture said, “Natalia—yes; Nattie—no; and Natalia-a, ug.”

  “What’s that ‘ah’?”

  “I was the first one born that day.”

  Visor said, “The first Godiva. They get letter designation for birth order, starting separately with each strain.”

  “We’re all Natalias—all the strains.”

  Visor said, “But the different-strain Natalias of the same birth order can still be uniquely identified because they get strain-specific titles.”

  Rapture turned around to meet his eyes. Don’t you dare!

  Athian jumped up and pointed at the cat. “I know! Blue Snow.” He broke into a song of the same name.

  One of the musicians began playing a flute. Some of the other musicians wandered off to get their instruments.

  Athian didn't finish the song because his relatively small mug emptied before it was over. He went for a refill.

  Liefer's uncle picked a thin, still-burning stick out of the fire and swung the firebrand like a conductor’s baton.

  The orchestra played clips to warm up. It was slightly intoxicated, but then so was the audience.

  Athian returned with his lyre. “Siren of Jortal! Siren of Jortal!” Athian was too near to the conductor, and almost got a fire brand in the face. He fell down trying to duck away from it.

  Kaytla covered her mouth and let out a screech.

  The orchestra started Siren of Jortal. Athian held up both hands and cheered. He skipped around the fire once during the musical intro. He bowed deeply before Rapture, took her hand and kissed it. He helped her up.

  Visor ran his hands along Rapture’s body as she stood.

  The low ceiling, smoothness of the cold, hard stone and the lack of room furnishings provided good acoustics for the fast tempo of Siren of Jortal. Rapture and Athian performed a simple dance, modified for Rapture’s limp, as the intro completed.

  Athian started his part of the duet. “Enduring beauty, can you remember our first ...” His voice was good, considering the spirits and fatigue. Still, the horns of the orchestra almost drowned him out.

  Then it was Rap's turn. “Adoring beast, of course I remember ...” She almost drowned out the orchestra in her first stanza. Then she warmed up and ramped up the volume. Her cat pinned back its ears and backed up against a wall. One of the children covered his ears. As Rapture reached the higher pitch portion of her second stanza, her volume approached the threshold of pain. She did that when tipsy.

  After Athian’s second turn, Rap began again. She was so loud ... graceful ... serene. Her voice echoed off the walls and through his body.

  During an instrumental break, the two singers danced a bit more. Sorana declined Athian’s invitation to join, but Kaytla joined enthusiastically. The rest of the song consisted of instrumentals with the female lead’s humming of melodic chords. Rapture proved the strongest instrument—more powerful than the horns and more passionate than the strings.

  Athian said. “Sinking of Twelve Angels!”

  The conductor gave the signal and the orchestra began.

  Sorana hesitantly accepted Rapture’s invitation to join the singers. Sorana was herself an impressive singer, quickly matching Rapture's tone and pitch. Of course she couldn't match the volume, but as she learned the words, she began improvising harmonies off of Rapture's melody.

  By the end of the first movement, Rapture had passed the chorus lead to Sorana, allowing Rapture to sing a meta-chorus. Rapture slowly worked her way through a single line of a chorus as Sorana sang the entire stanza.

  Visor said, “Magic Lute—queen’s devotion aura!”

  Rapture said, “What? Now? Here?”

  “Yeah, if you could. You know it's my favorite!”

  Rapture regarded him oddly. Of course she knew it wasn't his favorite. It did, however, have the most technically complex vocals of any commonly known song. Rapture shrugged. “Whatever.” She whirled her finger in the air and the orchestra started.

  Athian and Sorana sang the intro.

  Rapture then began wailing the sirenic rifts, so-called due to notes of different octaves in quick succession.

  After the first run-through was complete, Sorana sang with Rapture.

  Visor moved near Sorana to hear her. She was good—exceptionally good. Standing behind her, he pretended to slow-dance with her, placing hand on her diaphragm to feel her muscles tense as she sang. The song broke into more complex triplet rifts that included major volume and pitch changes within triplets.

  Only sirens could hit the notes, so Sorana did not. But she did blend through the triplets the way a thoroughly trained and deeply talented human singer would. Assassination and singing? That was an interesting combination of skills.

  ***************

 

  A clanging of metal woke Visor. Sorana was removing weapons and armor after her watch.

  Rapture was still passed out from the vardal spirits.

  Sorana sat on her knees and took a drink of water.

  He held up the blanket and she scooted up next to him, using his arm as a pillow. Her body was still cold. She lay next to him for a time. Her body warmed, but her breathing remained timid and her heartbeat erratic. She turned onto her back and folded her hands under her head. “Touch me.”

  Chapter 16

  Poisonr />
  “Maybe twenty of them ... vardal and ogres. I can’t tell. It’s blurry. He doesn’t see the same way we do, or something.” Rapture cradled her cat’s head, concentrating.

  Liefer said, “The storm is letting up. They're back on the search.”

  Visor said, “I'm sorry. We brought these ogres upon you.

  Liefer said, “Maybe. It could be Talon’s Gauntlet. We couldn't stay here forever, either way.” He looked at Rapture. “I’m just glad you showed up when you did.”

  Visor said, “We have to go. Even Sorana's not going to kill a vardal platoon—organized soldiers with plate armor, melodic weapons, and possibly cavalry.”

  Liefer said, “With the snow melting, the ogre bodies will soon be exposed. The smoke from our fires will be seen for miles.”

  Visor said, “We head south. We go to Alafos first and drop the children there. The orchestra can do as they wish. We need to warn Xandria—at least Krafer's Garrison. I still need to return Sorana home. Rap, can you really understand that cat?”

  “You mean Burke?” She smiled. “I don't know how it works. When I touch him, it's like we share pictures.”

  Liefer said, “I thought all sirens could talk to animals.”

  Rapture said, “No, just the druids. And they can only sense the feelings of animals, and kind of share feelings back. They can get the animals to do things, but they don’t see images. At least I’ve never heard of it.”

  Visor said, “I think the druids mostly use scent. You’re more like a telepath, but with animals. Can you give him instructions?”

  “I think so.” Rapture stroked Burke’s coat. “Oh, those are called ‘practical druids’—the ones that can communicate with animals. There are also ‘council druids’ that are the Xandrian council members. They don’t do anything—I mean, with animals. They are just leaders.”

  Visor said, “This is going to be helpful.”

  Liefer said, “Cat recon.”

  ***************

  Thorsius held his hands up to the fire. “Two days down, two weeks to go.”

  Rapture said, “When we get to Raykez, maybe we could stop by and see Revan!”

  Thorsius asked, “Who’s Revan?”

  Visor said, “That's Rap's sister Evan and her friend, Ranie.”