Elyon's Hunters, page 20
At Sábria’s withering look of annoyance and disbelief, Xyda flinched, “Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but if she thinks you’re holding me captive, I’m not sure she wouldn’t kill all of you and worry about the consequences later. She’s been beaten four times, My Lady. Four times, and I think it’s done something to her head. She’s not quite a loose cannon, but her anger is constantly bubbling just below the surface.”
To prove her point, Xyda walked to the nearest tree, picked up a leaf about the size of her palm, and casually held it against the tree’s trunk. Within seconds, an arrow pinned it to the tree.
Standing and brushing dirt from her tunic and trews, Sábria studied the forest, scrutinizing each tree’s canopy, hoping to see some sign of a tree walker. Unfortunately, in this instance, anyway, tree walking and concealment were talents the Hunters practiced with a fervent dedication to their craft. “I know Maida. She’s always been the wild one of the Hunters. Actually, she was wild even as a Blade, and I had to discipline her more than once for doing something reckless or just plain stupid. Compared to the rest of you, she’s young, around thirty-one, if I remember correctly, and while her life can be chaotic at times, there are deep waters flowing beneath that wild, impetuous façade she wears on her sleeve like a badge of honor.” Her gaze roamed from where the treeline ended at the stream to their left to the boundless forest on their right, hoping to catch a glimpse of the three women waiting in the canopy, ready to do whatever it took to rescue their fellow Hunter.
“Shift left.” That came from Geller. Both she and Shirin stepped left to give more of a cover from that direction. “And who are th’ other two? What can ya tell me about them?” Geller was their tactical expert and needed all the information she could get to deploy and protect her people.
“The one in the middle is Harda, and to the right, Cladine. We don’t only pay people to watch when we go into a Temple, we also pay them to deliver messages. Before she went to speak to you, my wife must have known where to send someone to tell these three I’d been taken captive. My guess is they’ve ridden hard to get to Sarlogne to rescue me. Let me go speak with them, My Lady, and explain what’s happening.”
Sábria shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She whistled the standard Blade order for “report,” using her personal identifying signal all Blades were taught to recognize from the time they were shivs. When nothing happened, she spoke without taking her attention from the trees. “Tell them their Arch Priestess says to get in here, now.”
Xyda’s brows descended. “Other than the fact that the best I could manage would be a simple whistle meaning, ‘come,’ I’m absolutely certain they wouldn’t obey that order until they know what’s happening. If it were only Harda and Cladine, they might meet us on neutral ground, and I emphasize the word ‘might.’ With Maida out there, Goddess only knows what she’ll do. Please let me go out and talk to them. It’s the only way.”
Sábria turned to look directly into Xyda’s worried eyes. “It may very well be your only way, Xyda, but it’s not mine.” The Arch Priestess cocked her head slightly. “Whose way do you think wins?” At the simultaneous, frustrated growls from Xyda and Shirin, Sábria continued. “If they won’t come in, then you and I are going out to find them.”
“I can’t guarantee your safety, My Lady.”
Insulted at the implication that she needed Xyda’s protection, Sábria stiffened, stepped close to the Hunter, and jammed her fists onto her hips. “You can’t guarantee my safety from three of my own Blades? Is that what you’re telling me? That I need protection from any woman in my service? Because if I can’t trust them not to hurt me, then they no longer belong in the Daughters of Elyon. If that’s the case, I might as well summarily remove them from the Blades here and now.”
Xyda scratched the side of her head and pointedly looked into the forest. “Could you maybe not look as though you’re threatening me, My Lady?”
Sábria intentionally relaxed her shoulders, dropped her hands to her sides and took a step back. “I personally know Maida and Cladine, and I’ve read reports about Harda. I don’t believe any one of them would harm me.” She glanced at the trees. “It seems you Hunters have devised your own set of whistles separate from what we use in the Blades, correct?”
“We had no choice, My Lady.”
“Those initial three whistles sounded the same to me, so how do you know what three Hunters are out there?”
“They weren’t the same if you know what to listen for.”
“All right, you can teach me later. Right now, signal them to come in. If they won’t, then signal them that we’re coming into the forest to speak to them.”
After a telling pause, Xyda signaled the three Hunters.
The only response was a second arrow splitting the one stuck in the tree down the middle of its shaft.
Sábria muttered to herself, “Fine.” She pushed through Shirin and Geller and started towards the forest. She hadn’t gone five steps before an arrow embedded itself in the ground at her feet. With a contemptuous kick, she sent it flying and kept walking.
Shirin quickly caught up to her. “Are you insane?”
“Insane? No. Incensed? Absolutely. I can’t believe it’s gotten to this point.” Another arrow struck just in front of her left foot, followed quickly by a second in front of her right. Sábria jerked both out of the ground, put them together, and while staring daggers at the trees, broke them over her knee.
Laughter sounded from Maida’s position, and Xyda muttered, “The Lady may be insane, Commander, but that’s the first time I’ve heard Maida laugh in the last turn.”
Shirin, Geller, and Jenx hurried to get in front of Sábria, who motioned with an irritated wave of her hand. “Stay behind me. In fact, all of you stay behind me.”
They’d all worked with her long enough to know that at times like these, Sábria brooked no argument from anyone, including her second-in-command. They fell back, the only frustrated, incoherent growl coming from Shirin, who slowed but stayed resolutely by Sábria’s side. Sábria had only to stop and glare to have Shirin step back one more pace.
Enough light seeped through the upper canopies to allow them to see when two figures stepped out from behind a pair of trees—one straight ahead and the other to their right. Both Hunters had their blades drawn with their tips pointed at the ground. Even though the one on the left stared at Sábria with hate-filled loathing in her eyes, she bowed low, straightened, and held up a hand. “Please stop where you are, Lady Sábria.”
Since the woman had asked nicely, Sábria stopped.
The second woman bowed but not quite as low as the first.
Sábria tilted her head. “Care to try that again, Cladine?” Sábria was well acquainted with this Hunter as they’d served together in Rúsola’s squad. Cladine and another senior Blade, Marne, were two peas in a pod, both excellent at what they did but surly and difficult to handle.
“Not really.”
Xyda walked to where Cladine stood in an aggressive stance, left side forward, ready for anything. Without preamble, the Senior Hunter grabbed Cladine by the back of the tunic, punched her none too lightly in the stomach, and bent her into a deep bow. When she was sure the proper respect had been rendered, she jerked her upright again. “You’ll show the Arch Priestess the proper respect, Cladine, or I’ll know the reason why.”
Pointing to the sword, she released Cladine’s collar and stepped back a pace. “Now, both of you put those away. I’m fine. I’m not being held captive, but thank you for coming so quickly.”
The two Hunters looked at one another, and while Harda’s compliance was begrudgingly prompt, Cladine, on the other hand, glowered at Sábria and her companions before she, too, reluctantly sheathed her sword.
Xyda looked left and called out, “Show yourself, Maida.”
Everyone looked in the general direction of where the first whistle had originated. When Maida didn’t appear, Sábria surprised them by walking past several trees and finally jumping up and grabbing a branch on a wide-spreading oak tree. Using her considerable upper body strength, she pulled herself up until she lay on her belly, then kicked one leg over so she straddled the branch. She hooked the top of one boot over it and pushed up until she was standing on a wide expanse of bark and solid wood. Holding onto a smaller overhead bough, she walked towards the trunk, keeping her eyes riveted on one specific spot.
Finally, Maida moved from a perpendicular branch jutting to the rear of the tree and stepped onto the branch Sábria had chosen. She still held an arrow knocked in her bow but grasped it in a single hand resting low on her thigh. Maida’s entire body held such tension that she appeared to be enveloped by roiling, turbulent waves of fury. But as Sábria relentlessly moved toward her, Maida’s features reflected an array of emotions, morphing from a darkly seething tempest to wary to cautiously suspicious and finally landing on blank confusion.
Sábria shocked everyone, including Maida, when she moved in close enough to put her arm around the Hunter’s shoulders. Shifting so that her weight was evenly balanced between two branches, she released her overhead grip, put her second hand behind Maida’s neck, and brought the younger woman’s head down until it rested on her shoulder.
Shirin and Geller, who’d moved in close to the trunk as a precaution against Maida either attacking Sábria or throwing her from the tree, heard Sábria speaking quietly into her ear.
The Hunter’s black, unkempt hair fell over her eyes, and the only visible parts of her face—a short, crooked nose, most definitely displaced in a fight, and her pale, dry lips, gave evidence of a stressful existence wracked by tension and strife.
After a tense interval where the only sound in the surrounding forest was Sábria’s soft voice carrying on a one-sided, gentle murmuring, Maida dropped the bow and arrow, and they fell harmlessly to the ground. She leaned against the tree’s trunk and, in what looked like an act of desperation, wrapped her arms around Sábria in a frantic embrace. What began as a slow, low keening quickly turned into gut-wrenching sobs as Maida buried her face in the crook of Sábria’s neck and, through her tears, cried out a full turn of pent-up stress, pain, and grief.
They remained like that for so long that Xyda put her arms around Harda and Cladine and escorted them back to the camp. Wanting to give Sábria and the Hunter as much privacy as possible, Jenx also motioned for Ailith to follow her back to where they’d left the fish sizzling over the fire.
Shirin, who was quite a bit taller than Geller, leaned over and spoke in her ear. “Follow them and keep an eye on the Hunters.”
Never one to question Shirin’s orders, Geller simply nodded and trailed the others back to camp.
Picking up the bow and arrow, Shirin walked a short distance away but remained close enough to intervene if something drastic were to happen.
As the crying eased, Sábria continued to whisper in Maida’s ear. “I’m here, Little One. I once told you I’d always be here for you and that hasn’t changed. If I’d known what you were going through, I would have come to you immediately. I would have ridden the length of the Empire to get to you.”
While it didn’t seem possible, Maida desperately pulled Sábria into an even tighter embrace. Her fingers turned white with the force of her grip on Sábria’s tunic. When she spoke, her voice was raw and filled with pent-up pain and frustration. “I needed you, but you never came, and I thought that meant…some of the other Hunters said—” Her throat closed, and she couldn’t continue speaking.
“I’m here now, Maida, and I’ll take care of you. You’re coming back to Sarlogne with me, and we’ll work things out together.”
Maida pushed Sábria back but held onto her shoulders so she wouldn’t fall. She swallowed a lump in her throat, and her lips trembled as she struggled to find her voice. “No. I don’t go anywhere near the Temples anymore. I don’t hunt. Something’s broken—” she touched her temple, “—in here. I don’t talk to Blades. I just….” Now her lips pulled into a hard line, and she spoke through gritted teeth, “…I just survive.”
Sábria put her hands on either side of Maida’s face and pulled her in close enough that her lips brushed her forehead. She shook her head, refusing to accept that surviving was all that was left for this Blade, who’d been such a vibrant spark of irrepressible energy. “Surviving isn’t good enough for you, Maida. You bring such unique qualities to the Blades, and I won’t give that up easily.”
Just as she was wont to do as a shiv and as a young Blade, Maida’s mood changed as rapidly as a rattlesnake striking its foe. The storm clouds returned, lightning flashed in her eyes, and Maida angrily poked her in the chest with a stiff finger. “Don’t call me that. Don’t ever fucking call me that.”
Anticipating the mood swing, Sábria grabbed the finger, twisted Maida’s arm behind her back, and jammed the Hunter’s face into the tree. She spoke in a measured tone, ensuring the frustration that had been building inside her since this fiasco had come to her attention didn’t bleed through. “If you remember, Maida, I don’t allow my people to challenge me. Nothing has changed as far as the two of us are concerned. You’re my Blade as much as you were when you went off to train as a Hunter.”
Maida’s guttural snarl was quickly snuffed out when Sábria wrenched the arm further up the Hunter’s back.
Shirin edged closer, never taking her eyes off the two women perched so high up in the tree. Watching Sábria so skillfully handle Maida had Shirin wondering why she ever doubted her Arch Priestess’s ability to handle even the most volatile Blade.
Even though she was standing on solid footing, Sábria leaned into Maida. “As I was saying, you’re my Blade, and you’re coming back to camp with me where we can all discuss what’s been happening to you and the other Hunters. When Maida didn’t respond, Sábria released her arm, spun her around, and placed her hands on Maida’s cheeks.
Maida tried to shake her head free and look down, but Sábria forced her face up and made her look her in the eyes. “You’ve always trusted me. I need you more than ever to trust me now.” Despite Sábria’s firm grip on her head, Maida wrenched her head back and forth, but Sábria stilled her. “Listen to me. It sounds like you no longer want to be a Hunter, and that’s fine with me. You’ll be one of my Blades again here in Sarlogne. I promise I’ll protect you, but right now, you’re coming back to the camp. Will you do that for me?”
“I won’t go to the Temple. It’s not safe, and I can’t…I won’t take any more beatings. I just won’t. I’ll kill anyone, any Blade who lays a hand on me.”
Closing her eyes tightly, Sábria pulled Maida back into an embrace. “Maida, you’ve trusted me for many turns. I lost track of you when you joined the Hunters, and now I see what a grave mistake that was. But you’re with me now, and I need you to trust me. I need you to come to the Temple in the morning. All four of you Hunters can stay with me in my rooms if that’s what you need to feel safe.”
All Blades knew Sábria would never lie. Her reputation as a fair and honest ruler, both of the Temple and of the Empire, had been established long ago. Her stubborn determination and tendency toward swift and decisive punishment when crossed was also a well-known fact. Maida pulled in a shaking breath. “I’ll go with you back to your camp. But that’s all.”
Sábria pushed back far enough that she could look directly into her face. “It’s a start, and I’ll take it.” She put all her love, acceptance, and regret into her gaze and stared deeply into Maida’s troubled eyes. After a moment, she stepped back and motioned for Maida to jump down.
Maida reached back and pulled down a quiver of arrows hidden in the branches. She reflexively lifted the strap over her head and, without thought, settled the arrows down the middle of her back. Then, like all true climbers, she simply stepped out into thin air and dropped to the ground.
Sábria, on the other hand, lowered herself onto the branch, rolled onto her belly, and then hung down. Even though her descent wasn’t as athletic as Maida’s, she still dropped the remaining distance with the grace of a descending panther.
The forest remained still and silent, with the only exceptions being the chirping calls of the grey treefrogs and the noisy cicadas, which were known for their incessant buzzing unless the skies opened up and drenched them in rain. The birds were notably silent, as were the red foxes and chittering raccoons.
Maida, who had her eyes trained on the ground as they made their way through the ferns and downed logs of the forest floor, glanced at Sábria’s boots when the Arch Priestess ran her arm around her tense shoulders.
Shirin caught up to them and held out the bow and arrow. Despite locking horns with Maida on more than one occasion, she’d always liked her. It was disconcerting to see the changes in the younger woman. She had the feeling that a bit of normalcy might go a long way toward helping Maida regain her lost equilibrium. “You’re still as accurate with this as I remember. I hope you might consider giving our younger shivs and Blades lessons like you did when you lived with us. Some of the older Blades still talk about you, you know. You’re something of a legend when it comes to archery.”
“I won’t be going back to the Temple, Commander. I don’t intend to have anything to do with the Blades ever again.” She took the bow and arrow from Shirin, expertly settled the arrow into the quiver and the bow across her back, and then detoured to the remains of the arrows Sábria had broken. With a half-amused huff, she picked up all four pieces and held them out on her palms. “You couldn’t have just stepped around them?”
The third arrow lay half in and half out of a leafy fern. Sábria retrieved it and admired the workmanship that had gone into producing such a fine weapon. The ornately painted shaft felt smooth to the touch as she used her thumb and forefinger to roll it back and forth, wanting to see the entire design. Satisfied the artwork was as fine a quality as the construction, she ran the fletching through her fingers as she looked up at her Blade. “You couldn’t have just come down out of the tree to talk to me like any normal person?”
