The Brightest Shadow, page 22
"The Hero isn't here, but we're gonna attack anyway. He said to march and attack, so that's what we'll do. What could go wrong, right?"
Since it seemed the argument was already over, there wasn't much they could do. The group got moving again slowly, now changing their angle toward their final destination. Slaten saw Tani at one edge of the group and Melal talking to Veron in the center, but they were far away and Eraes was still beside him.
"Have any of the other ruins been translated?" he asked.
She shook her head. "None. Well, there was one scholar who was convinced he understood and published a bunch of translations, but from what I understand he was probably a fraud. These buildings are old, much older than anything else we have. It's a miracle that any have survived."
It reminded him of the ancient stones on the Chorhan Expanse, survivors from a time long past. Especially the rare dark stones that seemed even older, but he struggled to put any of that into words that Eraes would understand. Better to go with something easier. "I wonder who left them."
"More than one group, I've read. The writing and the styles of the buildings are very different. Probably just the remnants of old civilizations - and apparently you had them on Breilin too. Doesn't mean anything."
"Maybe. There's a story that the first humans to climb from the mud wanted to escape the place from which they came, so they built towers as high as they could. When those collapsed, the humans that followed them built grand houses of stone. And when those fell, we were left with the buildings of today."
"That's an Oken legend, huh? Do you believe it?"
"I believe that it's a story."
Eraes laughed at that, though he hadn't meant anything clever by it. She waved a hand back toward the ruins, still chuckling. "Since we don't know the truth, that's as good an answer as any. For all we know, the world really does sit on the back of an adaman. Or made out of a giant's body, or a gemstone torn out of the sun."
"It's possible."
That got a sharp look from Eraes. "Do you truly mean that?"
"I'm... not saying I believe those stories are likely. But I don't know where the world came from, so I don't have any answers. And over my life I've been surprised many times. I heard a lot of things about Corans before I met them, and only some were true."
"You'd get along with some scholars I know. That way of thinking isn't for me, but it has its merits." Eraes walked in silence for a while, then smiled at him. "Before I was sent to Breilin, I really did think it was a bunch of savages living in mud huts. I'd still rather go home, but it hasn't turned out so bad here."
"Many things aren't as bad as they seem," Slaten agreed. "We all heard about the Deathspawn... the mansthein..."
His words trailed off into the unspoken and the unspeakable. The sun shone bright in his eyes and for a moment the world didn't make any sense. It was like he had been walking forever with no purpose, just wandering into endless grasslands.
But he did have a purpose. They were going to attack the outpost of Keval and kill all the Deathspawn inside.
That thought kept them silent until the outpost came into view. As had been suggested, it was nothing special. The wooden walls looked rough and pathetically small compared to the walls of Bundlin. A stone building was visible over the top of them, a square structure that was probably the original outpost where the prisoners would be found.
But as they drew closer, Slaten saw that Keval wasn't so poorly defended. Through the gate he could see wooden boards set up in defensive formations. No doubt there would be Deathspawn with spears behind them, and archers further back. While he could run up or jump over the defensive boards, with so many nearby that would be making himself a target. Perhaps a Catai could charge in, but a group like theirs would face heavy losses.
Was there any way to take the outpost without so many deaths? The area around it was mostly desolate, so though he currently didn't see any defenders, that would change by the time they arrived. Slaten couldn't think of a solution, then realized he had Eraes beside him.
"How would you handle this, as a tactician?"
She was looking at the outpost thoughtfully, chewing on her thumb. "I'm not sure. This is where a Bastion would come in handy, but we don't have one. Siege equipment could knock it all down, of course, but that's obviously not an option. Given that they're probably trained, it's likely to be bloody..."
A low sound rumbled around them, almost like thunder. Slaten frowned and looked for the source, immediately focusing on a growing dust cloud. Beneath it surged a strange mass, like an animal twisting over the grasses. But it wasn't one animal, it was an entire herd of duusha. Charging straight toward them.
He stared at the wall of horn and muscle as the duusha thundered in their direction. From what he knew of the beasts, they rarely formed stampedes like this. Then why...?
His answer came a moment later as he saw the Hero running alongside the herd. Before the duusha moved too close to their group, he let out a whoop. The duusha nearest him jerked away in terror and the others followed, flowing like a living stream.
Directly toward the outpost.
The beasts shifted to the side at the last moment, but the stampede still smashed through half of the wooden fortifications. Some of the defenders scattered and many were trampled under the sharp hooves. When Slaten looked back, the line of the herd seemed to extend to the horizon, all of it charging madly and only now beginning to scatter. Soon they would be everywhere, chaos consuming the outpost entirely.
"Now is our moment!" The Hero rushed past them, his sword drawn. "Seize the outpost while I draw them away!"
The stampede seemed to have done that job well enough... but then Slaten saw a Deathspawn Catai emerge on the roof. He was as massive as any Slaten had seen and carried an iron cudgel over one shoulder. After staring down at the charging animals and their forces contemptuously, he vaulted over the side of the roof, directly into the stampede.
As he landed he let out a shout, and to Slaten's surprise the duusha veered away from him. Though they were still charging in a frenzy, the herd parted before him, leaving an empty space within the mass of frenzied animals. The Catai began to walk forward, parting the stampede with his presence alone.
With a loud wordless battlecry, the Hero charged out to face him. The animals all flinched away from him as he ran to meet the enemy in combat. Soon the two of them faced off in an oval of trampled grass, walls of charging beasts surrounding them as the stampede continued. The two warriors didn't even seem to notice, entirely focused on their opponent.
"Slaten..." He returned to himself sharply to find that Tani stood beside them. There was no time to watch that fight, they needed to get into the outpost. Especially now that the scattering duusha were throwing everything into greater chaos.
Eraes shook her head and backed away. "This was insane before... it's suicide now. I'm staying back - you two go and help."
They nodded to her, then they were off. Though he'd had less time to run with Tani recently due to being watched at all times, they'd sparred together enough that they easily matched paces. Many of the Coran warriors were running with them, shouting and hollering, though the sounds were lost in the constant rumble of hooves on the earth.
As they drew closer, Slaten saw that many of the defenders had retreated to a tight knot against one wall of the stone part of the outpost. Some of the others who had gone first were already crashing into them, forming a bloody melee. He spotted Melal crying out and throwing himself into combat, surviving only because he had so many warriors alongside him.
"Let's not waste time there." Efeinas appeared beside them, matching their pace without any apparent trouble. Though Slaten did not trust the man, he seemed focused at the moment. "If you have more than brute force, follow me around the side. We'll break in and free the prisoners in time to join the fight."
That seemed like a reasonable plan and he didn't have much ability to refuse. The three of them avoided the main battle and found another door into the stone building. A Deathspawn guard saw them rushing in and began fumbling with a key, but it was too late.
Efeinas swept forward and seemed to lightly push him to the side. The Deathspawn slumped to the wall without any great force, yet coughed up a bloody spray before collapsing.
Suddenly they were inside, nearly blinded as the bright grasslands outside gave way to a poorly lit corridor. The building was as small as it looked from the outside, just a squat corridor of cells on the ground level and rough stairs to the second floor.
His view of the building was interrupted when a Deathspawn came down those stairs. Efeinas hit first, crushing the enemy's windpipe with a deceptively gentle touch. But there were several more coming, hastily raising arms. One was struck by a knife from Tani and tumbled to the side, clutching it, while one more got past them.
Slaten struck, a low slash aiming to take out his opponent's leg. The Deathspawn moved too quickly, deflecting the slash and striking back. Backing away, Slaten dodged another blow and parried the next, letting his mind catch up to his body and focus.
Then he lunged with the thrust that he'd practiced so much. His opponent tried to deflect it, but too late: the power of the blow plunged through his chest and out the other side. Though the Deathspawn grimaced and tried to swing at Slaten again, he was losing a lot of blood. Slaten pulled the sword out and kicked his opponent over.
The rest of the battle had ended. Tani was moving to collect her knives from a fallen Deathspawn, while three corpses lay around Efeinas. He was already bending down to take something from one of them - a ring of keys. After looking at it for a moment, he tossed it toward Slaten's chest.
"You can figure that out. I'll take a look at the main cells, you two split up to cover both floors. They probably have a few important cells on the second level."
With that he moved away, leaving Slaten and Tani still reeling from the battle. Slaten had caught the keys on instinct and now looked over them. Though they were rough and rusted, they did seem to be labeled with Futhik letters and numbers. He wasn't sure about the system, but the numbers seemed obvious enough, so he started unhooking them.
"I can probably cover the second floor faster," Tani said. Slaten nodded agreement and handed her the keys with that label.
"Call if there are any more Deathspawn up there."
"I will. Make sure Efeinas..." Tani trailed off, glanced toward the departing warrior, then just headed up the stairs. Slaten stood in silence, then wiped the blood off his sword, gathered the keys, and went to follow.
Efeinas was already entering one of the cells, apparently having broken open the door somehow. Slaten hurried to catch up, observing that another door had been broken open as well, though that one seemed to be a storeroom. He noted the weapons within but ignored it for now, peering into the next room.
The cell held several women, blindfolded and chained to the walls. They looked battered and their clothes were torn, but they hadn't been seriously injured. While Slaten looked through the keys, Efeinas wandered in. He gripped the chin of one woman and gave her an admiring look, ignoring how she flinched away from his touch.
"Not bad. Looks like the Deathspawn didn't mistreat them too much. Probably just because they find us disgusting. No accounting for taste, I suppose..."
"The others will die outside unless we support them from this side," Slaten said. "Where are the warriors kept?"
Efeinas sighed, but seemed to accept the logic and moved past him back to the corridor. "If it's like most Coran prisons, further back. Depending on the strength, you need different kinds of cells."
"Then let's go." Slaten fumbled through keys until he found one that fit. The woman seemed surprised when her hands were free and immediately tugged at her blindfold. As soon as it was off, her eyes wide and frightened, Slaten shoved the key into her hand. "Free the others and get out of the way. There's fighting outside."
She seemed to understand, so Slaten hurried to catch up to Efeinas. He was currently setting his palm against the side of a wooden door... then he wrenched it open with one smooth movement, snapping the lock. After a brief look inside, he sighed.
"Bunch of men. Might be worth something in the fight."
There weren't very many cells at the end of the corridor, so Slaten was able to catch up. He tossed some of the keys at Efeinas, forcing him to help, and took the other side of the corridor. Many of the rooms were empty, and the men in some of them seemed to have been tortured. A few looked able to fight and eagerly scrambled to get weapons.
Midway down the corridor, Slaten opened one of the smaller doors... and froze in surprise.
A woman hung on the opposite wall, staring directly at him. Her gaze hit him so intensely that he was only vaguely aware of what she looked like, noting that she didn't have a weapon but was dressed in blue combat robes.
There was an intense focus in her murky brown eyes that he could only compare to his own. But where he felt doubt, uncertain where to apply his focus, this woman had no hesitation. She knew her purpose. And there was hatred there, a glimpse of a flame that disappeared a second later to be replaced by cool analysis.
"Not bad," Efeinas said from behind him. "If you're going to fuck her, I really recommend you check those bonds are tight. Looks like they could only get ropes on her."
At those words, the hatred returned, now focused entirely on him. Efeinas chuckled at her rage and moved away, leaving Slaten stunned and unable to find words. He noticed that Efeinas was right - the woman's wrists were bound together only by ropes, which had been affixed to a hook. Slaten felt shame for letting her gaze distract him, so he stepped into the room and tried to think of how to explain.
The woman's entire body flexed and she tore her bonds straight through the hook, the ropes snapping like she had been weakening them for a long time. In the same movement, she kicked at something on the ground and a rock with a jagged edge flipped up into her hands.
Slaten's instincts returned and he drew his sword before she could lunge at him. No time for technique, he just stopped her attack edge on edge. When she hit he was forced to take a step back, her charge surprisingly powerful for someone who had been hanging in a cell like that.
"I'm not here to fight you."
His instincts told him to fight back, take her down before she could kill him, but he didn't think that would go well. She had been moving to attack again, but paused at his words, eyes considering him. Her gaze flickered to the corridor.
"I'm not saying you should trust him. You shouldn't. But Keval is under attack and your best chance of getting out safely is to work with us."
After staring at him for a long moment, the woman pulled back and lowered the rock. Slaten didn't resheath his sword, but did lower it and try to look less threatening.
"Uh... I'm Slaten. Things are hard to explain right now."
"You don't say." The woman sawed through the rest of her bonds with the rock, still watching him. After a pause, she finally relaxed slightly. She remained alert and focused, but she let him see a bit of pain as she rubbed her arms. He could guess how it must have felt to hang like that, and he was impressed that she was getting herself back into shape so quickly. "I need weapons."
"It looked like most of the things they took, they kept in a room beside the cells."
She nodded to him and left without another word. Slaten kept up with her, checking for Efeinas or any more Deathspawn who might have hidden, but the corridor was mostly empty now. The others seemed to have fled to side rooms or gone out to join the battle.
As they walked, Slaten was actually able to look at her. She had the lightest blond hair he'd ever seen, currently loose around her shoulders. Her skin was tan, of a shade that struck him as different than anyone he'd seen in Bundlin, leaving him uncertain of her origin. It looked like she had been captured in the clothes she'd fought in, fitted pants and shirt loose enough to move in but not loose enough to get in the way, tied by a belt with long tails.
When he directed her into the room, she moved inside and rapidly chose from among the weapons. Many had already been taken by warriors rushing to join the battle, but some remained. She chose three knives of varying lengths, but seemed to be looking around the room for something else.
Before he could ask, she moved over to a heavy chest in the corner of the room. She kicked at it and the wood splintered a little, but failed to break. Frowning, the woman glanced at him.
"My things must be in there, but I'm not up to breaking it. Can you?"
"I can try." The latch on the chest was iron, but thin and battered. He raised his sword overhead in both hands, focused his sein, and cut down. Fortunately, he managed to break through - if it had been steel or a better chest, he would have ruined his sword.
As he drew his sword back, he caught her looking at him. Her cool gaze was definitely that of a warrior, observing his movements. Though she did seem weakened, he wondered if she'd asked so that she could evaluate him. In any case, she bent down and pulled open the chest without saying another word.
Though the chest was filled with a number of items that looked valuable, including some simple jewelry, she wasn't interested in any of those. The first thing she picked up was a strange coil of metal with curved blades attached - clearly a weapon, but not one that he knew. She also took a pair of duusha horn knives, which wrapped around her hands perfectly when she tested the grips.
Finally, she picked up a silver necklace with a large yellow stone set at the end. Slaten knew little about jewelry, but it struck him as strangely bulky, more garish than he would expect her to wear. Yet she hurried to put it around her neck and dropped the stone underneath her shirt where it would lie over her heart. Perhaps it was valuable, or was personally important. For all he knew, it was some kind of mystical artifact that would protect her in battle, if such things existed.
"Thank you."
After so long in brusque silence, her words almost surprised him. The woman was pulling her hair back, binding it into a tail. And she was smiling at him. She had a smile like a knife, a flash of white teeth. Not the friendliest of smiles, but it struck him as sincere.
