The Brightest Shadow, page 25
A young woman stood in the road ahead of them. Completely alone, carrying nothing but a wooden staff taller than she was. She stood on one of the rare crossroads in the Chorhan Expanse, just standing there doing nothing.
"Think it's a trap?" one of the Coran men asked. The others grumbled, but at that moment the Hero swept up from behind them, striding forward.
"Nonsense! Let us go out and meet her!"
Once he said it, of course they were all going to obey. Tani followed as well, curious about who it could be. Her first thought had been that the young woman must be a powerful warrior, to travel alone, yet she didn't get that impression. The young woman stood idly, swinging her staff a little and scuffing her shoes in the dirt, almost like a child.
"Hello there!" The Hero raised a hand to greet her and she turned, eyes wide for a moment before her face lit up with joy.
"Oh, hello! You look so noble... can you be the Hero I was waiting for?"
"Indeed I am! Welcome!"
As they got closer, Tani stared at the young woman, wondering just who she was. She wore blue robes with white markings, had pale skin, and bright blond hair - she could not have looked more Estronese if she'd tried.
But what struck Tani most were her eyes. She'd grown used to the wider eyes of Corans, or Eraes, but this woman's eyes were huge. Large blue pools that made her look like an innocent child - Tani tried to imagine eyes like that on a more skeptical face and failed. They were a soft, sky blue, very different than the sharp blue of Slaten's eyes.
"That's so wonderful!" And the woman really did sound happy, like she had been given a gift. "I felt led to come here and wait for you, but I was starting to wonder if you would actually arrive. Is that bad of me? It's just so very hot out here and I was wondering how long I would have to wait..."
The Hero smiled at her, as if this was all perfectly normal. "And what is your name, child?"
"Oh, I'm sorry! My name is Laeri!" She moved her staff into horizontal position and bent low at the waist in a stiff bow. "I am only an apprentice healer, but I would be happy to assist you, Hero! Is there anyone with you who might need my abilities?"
"As it happens, we have many. Clearly, you have been led to us in our time of need."
Tani wanted to ask what she had been doing wandering around the Chorhan Expanse, but Laeri was already being led to meet the others. It was hard to speak with the Hero beaming in vindication. And this was a great benefit to them. If Laeri did have a healer's skills, she could mend Slaten's leg, not to mention saving the lives of some of the other warriors.
As she watched and saw that Laeri did seem to have some skill, Tani started to smile. Maybe things would work out alright after all. The Hero might be strange, but he had been able to back up everything he'd said so far. Maybe this was just another example of it and all would be well.
"I don't like this." Eraes appeared beside her, glowering at the new arrival. "I don't know your continent, but I've seen nothing that makes me believe untrained women can just travel alone like that."
At first Tani felt annoyance, wanting to contradict Eraes and talk about how she'd gone alone on her Farwalk. But she took a moment and the reaction cooled, leaving her with just an uncomfortable twisting in her stomach. "With sein training, you could travel alone if you avoid the dangerous areas. We don't know if she has any skills beyond healing."
"Well, it's damn convenient that she showed up now."
"That's true. But... a lot of things around the Hero seem very convenient. Do you think this could be... something like that?"
"I don't know."
Eraes didn't say anything else, just stayed beside her. It seemed as though they were stopping for the day, so they should make camp, but Tani stayed where she was. Watching and trying to keep hold of her thoughts before they slipped away.
Chapter 16
-
"Master Omunelor, old friend, I believe that you will find the answers you seek if you stick your head up your own bottom."
- letter signed by Yanumi
-
Melal stared in awe as Laeri moved down the line of men. He knew that it was just another application of inner strength, yet it still seemed miraculous. Wounds closed before his eyes. Men who had been weak and half-conscious returned to strength. What would it feel like when she healed him?
The young woman was beautiful. It was difficult to tell much about her body in those shapeless robes, but from the hints he thought it wasn't anything special. But her face was incredible, delicate features that managed to be cute and alluring at the same time. And her eyes were like pools of pure water. Melal had never been much for eyes, but he wanted to see them staring up at him...
She was doing an amazing job, too. There was a bit of sweat rolling down her face as she worked, yet she kept at it, moving another man closer to him. Definitely a lot better than the Deathspawn bitch in Bundlin who had always refused to heal him or insulted him in the process.
Surprisingly quickly, she arrived beside him. Melal thrust his chest forward so she could see his shoulder. Laeri's blue eyes stared at his injury compassionately and her fingers lightly traced over the muscle of his shoulder.
"Oh dear, does that hurt? It looks like it would be hard to move your arm..."
"It's nothing much."
"Then... I will try to heal it tomorrow. Is it okay to wait until then?"
Laeri was already starting to move away when Melal realized she would actually leave him. "Hey! I can't swing a sword with this arm unless you heal it!"
"I'm sorry!" She flinched at his yell and came back a bit, lowering her gaze. "It's just... there are other men with very serious injuries, you know? I'm running out of sein, so I can't heal for much longer. But I'll help you tomorrow after I'm rested, I promise! Is that okay?"
"It is not okay." Melal grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer easily - she seemed to weigh nothing. "I need to help fight. Heal it now."
"I... okay." Laeri lowered her head and shuffled closer to him. She set her staff firmly against the ground, closed her eyes, and extended her other hand to caress his shoulder.
He could feel her sein flowing into his body. The pain of the cut vanished and aches in the rest of his shoulder that he had forgotten existed faded as well. When she pulled off the bandage, he stifled a grunt of pain. But the injury was gone. There were a few bloodstains, but fresh skin lay where there had once been a nasty cut.
Melal moved his arm as he started to thank her, but cut off with a wince. The injury was gone, but his shoulder ached far deeper than before. When he tried to move his arm it felt heavy and lifeless, like it was made of wood. He scowled at the girl.
"What's this? Why does it still hurt?"
"I'm sorry, that's how the technique works!" She shuffled away from him, not meeting his gaze. "Your injury is gone, but your body had to work hard during the healing too. So you can use it, but it needs time to recover before the pain will go away, okay?"
Though the ache was more annoying than the injury had been, when Melal looked at the other fighters he saw a few of them stifling grimaces as well. So it was the same for all of them, they just bit back the pain like real men. It irritated him to deal with it, but he'd do the same rather than look weak in front of them. Melal grunted at Laeri and she moved on to check the next man.
Annoying as the pain was, he was able to get to his feet and stretch his arms overhead for the first time in days. He drew his sword and found that she was right, he really could use his arm again. Laeri was exactly who they needed and he marveled at the Hero's ability to find her.
That night they made camp early, being sure to give Laeri plenty of food and rest so she could work again in the morning. Melal slept in much longer than he expected and found that most of the others were already awake and ready to go.
His shoulder felt much better, though. A few of the men who had taken serious gut injuries were still weak and in pain, but even they looked healthier than before. The skills of a healer and a good night of rest clearly did wonders. Now that they had Laeri with them, he could only imagine how well they could fight the Deathspawn.
The whole day while they traveled, he tried to get a chance to talk to Laeri. But she spent most of the time riding in their only wagon. Once he actually found her asleep, her head pillowed on one arm. Despite her exhaustion, she looked beautiful when sleeping like that. Melal smiled and decided to let her rest for now.
He ended up bored for the next several days, mostly walking alone and staring at the endless grass. The Hero seemed untouchable, striding out ahead of the rest. Veron was usually near him or some of the other strongest Corans, who glared at him if he got close. Laeri was busy healing more minor injuries. Occasionally he talked to Napenel, but the other man had little to say, just walked and stared ahead.
That left the others, the three warriors always meditating while Eraes lingered nearby. Melal wouldn't have minded talking to Eraes, and the new woman looked good too, if she didn't scowl all the time. But something about the way they stayed together rubbed him the wrong way. And of course Slaten just sat there like the dead-eyed bastard he was, not brave enough to act on any of them even though they were probably receptive.
Multiple times Melal told himself that he'd try something different, but every day ended the same way. Eventually a village appeared on the horizon and he realized that the monotony was over.
The village was absolutely nothing, just a couple rings of houses. It looked like there was a pit that probably filled during rainy season, otherwise there was no reason for it to exist. Still, he could hear a few capra and saw some cockatrices scratching in the dirt. Perhaps they could buy them and get some meat for once. Sleeping on a real bed wouldn't be bad either.
"Hold." The Hero extended his hand to the side, his commanding tone bringing all of them to an instant halt. "There is something amiss here. Approach cautiously."
Visions of meat and mattresses fading, Melal kept a hand on his sword and advanced carefully. They didn't need to get far before it became clear that something was wrong. All the people of the village looked tense and afraid. The source of their fear seemed to be a large covered wagon at the edge of the village, which seemed a strange thing to fear.
Until he saw the Deathspawn.
Melal almost drew his sword at the sight, but held back as he saw there was no attack. It wasn't a warrior, just a Deathspawn worker tending to the aurochs. He cast suspicious glances toward the village - either they were extorting support from the village people, or they weren't strong enough and were just using it as a place to rest. Either way, the source of the tension was obvious.
"This may be a nameless village, but we should liberate it." The Hero drew his sword with a ringing sound that seemed to chime in his heart, and Melal nearly drew his sword as well, but Efeinas appeared beside the Hero, speaking in a low voice.
"The men need more time to recover. Plus, do we really want to cause more trouble now? They have to be searching for us, after Keval."
"And those Deathspawn could report our location!" The Hero did lower his sword, however, white eyes flashing. "You suggest we leave them be?"
Veron shifted up beside him. "I can stay awake tonight and kill any that try to run off or send a message. Let's not cause any trouble for now."
"You may be fine," Efeinas said, "but the men are weary. They may be healed, but Laeri can't heal exhaustion."
After a long pause, the Hero eventually returned his sword to its sheath. "For your sake, I will stay my sword. But we must be sure that the Deathspawn are not planning an attack in the night."
If the Hero thought that was reasonable, it seemed good to Melal. He went back to thinking about a real meal and bed, though he kept an eye on the wagon. It seemed like there were more people inside, likely warriors. Their group was much larger, so he wasn't concerned. If the Deathspawn tried anything, they'd be cut down.
When they got closer to town, an old man hobbled out to meet them. "Please, lord warriors, we don't want any trouble. We have little here, though you are welcome to it."
"Don't be afraid." The Hero smiled at the old man and swept his gaze over the other villagers hiding between or within the houses. "We are not here to harm anyone. But my companions would like to rest in real beds, and purchase some meat."
"Beds we have, but meat.." The old man's gaze shifted nervously to the remaining animals. "We need those that remain for eggs and to breed new livestock. Those we could spare we already sold... to..." His gaze turned in fear toward the Deathspawn wagon and Melal felt a growl build in his throat.
"Then we will go and speak with them." With that, the Hero brushed past the old man and the rest of them followed, moving toward the wagon. Melal wiped his sweaty hand on his trousers and then gripped the hilt of his sword again.
"That's far enough, hum-"
When they reached the wagon, a Deathspawn warrior climbed out, snarling in fury. He caught a glimpse of the Hero, of Veron and Efeinas standing casually beside him, of the large group of warriors behind... his arrogant anger quickly vanished. Though he foolishly kept a hand on his axe, the Deathspawn made no move to draw it.
"What do you want?" he demanded in a brutish growl.
"What do you have in the wagon?" The Hero stepped forward and the Deathspawn moved into his path. He took a step back when he met those pure white eyes, but then stood his ground.
"This has nothing to do with you. We're just passing through, not hurting anyone."
"I'll be the judge of that."
This time when the Hero moved forward, the Deathspawn drew his axe to try to block his path. A single shining swing decapitated him, the Hero barely even looking at the corpse as he jumped up into the wagon. Melal drew his sword, wanting to help, but it was already over. The Hero threw two more corpses out the back of the wagon, then let out a cry.
"This is what they were hiding! Look upon this and behold the enemy!"
A Deathspawn tumbled out into the dirt, but something was different about this one. Melal realized that it was a woman, though if not for her tits he wouldn't have been able to tell from the misshapen and hairless head.
But what struck him was how repulsively bloated she was. Her stomach swelled hideously, not like a pregnancy but like some sort of horrible disease. Every part of her was distended, as if several large sacks on her stomach, sides, and thighs had swelled up. The skin stretched thin, even uglier than the usual mottled Deathspawn colors.
She hissed in wordless anger, as if she would fight them if she could. It seemed as though she couldn't even stand, and when the Hero dropped down beside her he effortlessly cuffed her to the ground.
"This is our enemy! They do not give birth, they spawn! Legions of new enemies growing within her, soon to be unleashed on the world. It cannot be allowed!"
The Hero raised his sword over the bloated thing in front of him, its blade gleaming in the light. Everyone's gaze fixed on him, from their group to the villagers. Melal felt his revulsion giving way to a sense of hope. Though the enemy might be terrible, they could still be victorious.
Victory would start with the shining blade flashing down.
~ ~ ~
Slaten watched the blade come down, his body frozen in place. He wanted to act, yet didn't know what to do. Part of him screamed that this was justice while a quiet part of him insisted that it could never be that.
He didn't look away when the sword cut down and ended the Deathspawn's life... the mansthein's... the woman's... the Deathspawn... Slaten clutched his head and had to look away, anywhere but at the act of shining violence in front of him.
Melal and the others cheered. Efeinas simply appeared slightly disgusted. Veron had no expression, but she looked away. Celivia watched every moment with a stony gaze. Eraes' eyes had widened in shock. Tani stared in horror.
Distracted by the faces of the others, he didn't notice when the next blow fell.
~ ~ ~
Tani's hand came to her mouth, yet she didn't look away. She hadn't been able to move when he raised his sword overhead, hadn't thought he would really do it. And yet he did, bringing his sword down and ending the life of the mansthein woman. As strange and bloated as her form seemed, she was just a civilian woman.
And yet Tani had hoped that was the end. When the Hero - when the man with the shining sword raised it again, she thought it must be in victory. He couldn't possibly... even he wouldn't...
It came down a second time, puncturing one of the sacs. The blade came up again, shedding blood and green ooze yet somehow untouched by them. A small body fell from the broken sac. Tani finally wrenched herself away, dropping to the ground and heaving everything in her stomach onto the road.
~ ~ ~
He was too late.
The information about their movements had proved of little use, so it was simpler to just estimate the humans' movements from Keval. Once his men had determined the direction, it was obvious the humans would pass through the village. Their forces had departed that morning, thinking they would arrive in more than enough time to set a trap and wait.
When he had seen the movement from far away, something had struck him as wrong. He'd run forward, seen the figures move, seen the blade. Too late. After rushing with such speed, when he reached the edge of the village he halted and just looked upon the tragedy he should have been able to prevent.
Whatever the woman's story had been, it was over now. He didn't understand why she would have been here, but she should have been taken safely to Bundlin. Somehow she had become pregnant, perhaps from abuse or perhaps from a love affair. Whether her story had been bitter or joyful, now it had ended in the bloody edge of that sword.
Kolanin let his hands fall to his sides and stepped into the village.
Chapter 17
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"As the Red Warrior's hands became covered in blood, he grew both strong and weak. His eyes could see beyond the horizon, yet he was unable to see himself. He proclaimed many creeds while following none, seeking only strength and riches for himself. And he found them, for true masters did not walk his lowly path."
