The Brightest Shadow, page 27
"We've been letting some oaf called Goffoel lead us around?"
Veron swayed over to him, looking straight into his eyes. "You really gonna say he was just an oaf after he led ya around by the nose? Yer kidding yourself if ya think there was nothing to it. No, seems to me that something about the Legend is true. He just might not have been the real Hero."
That got more attention from the group. Melal actually jumped to his feet. "How can you say that? You saw how good and pure he was... he should have led us to victory!"
"Didn't, though. The guy before Goffoel seemed pretty impressive, but he didn't do the job either. I was kinda hoping that someone here would step up, but it doesn't look like it."
Slaten sat numbly, the chill of the evening warm compared to his thoughts. Veron had seen more than one hero as well. Could she have met the hero he had seen before? Was it possible that there were many of them, destroying wherever they went? It would be a bitter truth, but he was ready to believe it.
Not everyone was so ready. One of the Coran men got up to spit at Veron's feet. "Bullshit. You're drunk and you're just vomiting lies."
"Believe me. Don't." Veron shrugged. "I don't give a fuck." It seemed almost like their conflict might come to blows. Before he knew what he was doing, Slaten heard himself speaking.
"She's right. I've seen another hero too."
Everyone's gaze swung to him. Celivia's eyes widened in one of the few expressions of surprise he'd seen from her, while Tani gave him a thoughtful look as if she'd almost suspected. Plenty of the others looked angry, so he pushed himself to speak. He should have stood up, but here in the darkness around the flickering fire, just talking was difficult enough.
"Over a year ago, I met another man who called himself a hero. He was-" A smiling horror, an abomination of purity, a blade untouched by blood. "-like the one we knew. Strong, inspiring. I never met him again, but I'm sure this wasn't the same man."
"But what does that mean?" Tani asked. "The Legend says there's only one Hero. Does this have nothing to do with the stories? Are there just... a lot of heroes running around the Chorhan Expanse? Eraes, have you heard of anything like this on Eltar Trathe?"
Eraes shook her head and the rest of Tani's questions went unanswered. It meant something that she'd been able to voice them, though, at least to Slaten. When the Hero - Goffoel - had been nearby, Slaten had struggled even to think such things. Now his head was clearer, but that didn't mean the puzzle of it all was any more obvious.
"That's why I said we're fucked." Veron sat down heavily. "Maybe the stories got it wrong. Maybe the Hero is a damn ghost or something. Maybe we're all out of our fucking minds. But I can tell you that with no Hero, we're not getting out of the Expanse alive."
"I disagree." Eraes spoke up clearly and everyone turned toward her. Since she always stayed back from the fighting, the Corans didn't respect her much, but they all listened now. "I was consulting maps with Efeinas and considering what we know. I think we have a chance of surviving this. On our own."
She received no answer for a time. Slaten didn't see much hope in the eyes of most, likely still dwelling on the Hero. Pushing that thought out of his mind, he managed to speak up. "What's the plan?"
"Veron was right, they'll probably catch us eventually. But their forces will be more scattered than ours, and their ability to react will be limited. We can survive if we head east and make sure we only face them once and survive that conflict. After we encounter them, we break straight south instead of east. Far enough south of here, there are more places to hide... allegedly."
"The Expanse isn't all grasslands," Efeinas said. "There's a broken region with crevices and even some caves. If we make it there before the rains begin, we might be able to avoid our pursuers."
"Exactly. Remember that they can't afford to look for us forever - they have other problems. By my count, they had two Catai and several dozen warriors remaining after the battle. To be safe, we should assume they'll add another two Catai and several hundred searching for us. Unless they get forces from Aryabaus, they can't afford to keep them searching for us very long."
"Huh." Veron rubbed her face roughly for a while, then nodded. "Maybe. And what do we do if we make it to the south?"
"I understand the long rains last for a hundred days here - by the time they end, interest in us will have diminished even further. From there, we can head east, then split up. We wouldn't be so far from Bundlin, if anyone wants to go there. Also close to Talalt, which is the next best place to catch a ship. That's where I'll be going."
It was a better plan than anything they'd come up with so far, and it gave them something to focus on, so Slaten gave Eraes a respectful nod. Some of the Corans seemed skeptical, or just still in despair. When he glanced to his allies, Tani looked thoughtful and Celivia gave a small shrug.
After a time, Tani spoke up. "Are you looking for a ship in order to go home?"
"Of course I am." Eraes huddled down next to the fire and began massaging her forehead. "After what we just lived through, anyone who stays here is at least a little insane."
Slaten sat in silence and felt more than a little insane.
~ ~ ~
After several days of travel, Tani felt human again. The memory of the Hero killing the mansthein woman was still clear in her mind, as was the chaos that followed, but she felt as though she could step back and consider the memories carefully. There was no question that their current situation was dire. Yet somehow she could preserve hope that they could find a way through it.
One thing was clear to her: nothing was truly over. She had seen the Hero die and was sure no one could come back from such a sein blow. Goffoel was dead, everyone seemed to agree on that. But Veron's matter-of-fact comments and Slaten's haunted statements left her certain that this wasn't the end. Others disagreed, most of the older Coran warriors slipping away during the night.
They might not survive, but she was able to think about the future again. It seemed clear that this confusion surrounding the Legend was something she needed to unravel. This was more important than her Farwalk. One day she hoped to return to the Nelee and to her master, to become the Rhen warrior she wanted to be. It just couldn't be now, not in a world that was nothing like she had believed.
If the Hero was just a man who could be killed, that was one thing. But if there was really a Legend then that was laughably futile...
That morning, she felt enough herself to wake up early and cut her hair. It would have been difficult, except Eraes let her borrow a mirror she carried - instead of burnished bronze, it reflected almost like real life. When she finished and washed her face and neck, Tani stared at herself. She looked tired and grim, but she felt like herself again.
"Do... do you think they're following us?"
The shy voice was Laeri. Tani blinked to see the healer standing behind her, large eyes staring uncertainly. Laeri seemed to have no violent bones in her body and she was usually quiet, so it was easy to forget about her. They'd barely spoken in all their time traveling together. Tani decided she had no reason to be unfriendly and smiled at the other woman.
"They aren't right now, or we would probably know. Our best defense is not being found in all this space. Once... if they do spot us, they'll probably send a Catai to sprint after us and things will move very quickly."
"Oh." Laeri paled, which Tani wouldn't have thought was possible with her complexion. "I... was hoping we might make it east without running into any trouble. I know Eraes said it wasn't likely. Do you think it's possible?"
Tani wondered if it was a real question, or if Laeri wanted comfort. Unfortunately, to give comfort now would feel like a lie. "I would be very surprised if we weren't spotted at least once. Our hope is that we can misdirect them after that and hide."
Laeri didn't respond to that, just lingered nearby until the others awoke and they started walking again. The other woman moved forward morosely, thumping her staff against the ground with each step. She didn't seem to be moving to walk with anyone else, however. Tani considered her for a while, then decided to approach another issue.
"I'm sorry that all this has happened to you. Did you leave home wanting to join the Hero?"
"I don't want to talk about him." For the first time, Laeri's high voice had a bit of an edge to it. Her fingers squeezed very tight around her staff. A moment later she cast Tani an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have raised my voice. It's just... all very confusing."
"Yes, I know." Tani considered pushing, but it seemed like the poor woman might snap. Better to keep to a safe conversation. "You came here from Estronn, right?"
"That's right. We had a big caravan, going to trade with Tur-Nol. I've never been there before, have you? This is actually my first time leaving Estronn. My teachers said that I was talented, but I've never had to heal so many real injuries before. Is it bad of me to complain? You never complain, but you seem so used to this..."
At first Tani was taken aback by the questions, but Laeri didn't seem to want answers. After a while, Tani accepted that she could just listen and let the other woman speak. Laeri seemed to need to talk, her thoughts tumbling out in scattered fragments. Between them, Tani could catch a glimpse of an ordered society, an institution where Laeri had been sheltered.
"We mostly didn't interact outside the caravan, but even we heard the stories. I thought the stories sounded so... so wonderful." Laeri bit her lip and paused, then shook her head. "I had to leave because... I had to. I don't want to talk about it, is that okay? Anyway, I know things are dangerous right now, but I actually feel safer now that there aren't so many Coran men around. I'm sure many of them are nice, they're just so gruff, you know?"
That night they made camp, though with limited supplies it wasn't much of a process. Laeri seemed to have latched onto Tani, following her and doing her best to help. Once they had flattened an area of grass for them to sleep, Tani paused and looked over the group.
Slaten and Celivia were already beginning another sein exercise, talking in low voices. Eraes was out scouting their path. Efeinas was nowhere to be seen, and she realized that she hadn't seen him in a while. Napenel sat with his arms around his knees, rocking back and forth and staring at nothing. He had not been well for some time, his seinshock returning in force.
Most of that was normal enough. What stuck out was Melal jabbing at the dirt with his sword, trying to dig a pit, with Veron beside him. Tani moved closer to them. "Are we really going to make a fire?"
"I'm starving," Melal growled. "We have the flour to make bread, but it will go bad soon. Better to eat it now and keep the rations we have left for later."
"Is that safe?" Tani glanced to Veron, who shrugged.
"This is all a huge gamble anyway. And he's right about our supplies, we might run out. Maybe they'll catch us, but if they do we'll all be dead and then it doesn't fucking matter, does it?"
Though Tani didn't agree with that perspective, she knew better than to argue. To her surprise, Laeri moved in close, eyes bright. "You can make bread here? I didn't know Corans could bake bread!"
Veron eyed her skeptically. "You've been in the Chorhan Expanse for how long?"
"I mostly ate Estronese food with the caravan, and then rations with all of you. I didn't know there was bread here!" Laeri clapped her hands together and moved away in a joyous mood.
That lasted until it was time for them to eat. Laeri held out her cracked plate eagerly, then froze as Veron slapped a chunk of bread down on it. The young woman looked so crestfallen that Tani almost smiled. After a pause, Laeri hesitantly poked it, tore off a piece, and stuck it in her mouth. She very slowly lowered her plate.
"This is not bread."
"Course it's bread." Melal spoke around a mouthful of his own, then shoved another piece into his mouth. "You think we don't know bread?"
"But... it isn't supposed to... I..." Laeri stared down at the Coran bread in defeat. "This isn't bread."
Veron shrugged. "Seems to me there's a whole bunch of us who disagree with you."
Laeri slowly shuffled off, sat down, and stared at her plate mournfully. Tani accepted her share of the food and joined Laeri. The others all got their own servings and they clustered around the fire, though Efeinas remained missing. After a deep breath, Laeri took another bite and chewed it extremely slowly. She looked so depressed that Tani had to say something.
"Corans love it, but most of us aren't fond of their bread either."
"Really?" Laeri looked up at her, smiling a little. She looked aside to Eraes, who nodded.
"It's diseased garbage on a plate. A war crime against the concept of baking." That made Laeri laugh, though she immediately covered her mouth like she was ashamed.
Melal brandished a piece of the bread in their direction. "You take that back!" Eraes rolled her eyes at him. Laeri looked between them uncertainly, so Tani touched her hand and gave her another smile.
"It's fine for them to like it, but it's okay if you don't. Like I said, most of us share your opinion." Tani glanced toward the others sharply, pushing them to speak.
"I wouldn't choose it," Celivia said. Laeri looked to Slaten next, and he just shrugged.
"It's food. It will keep us moving, isn't that what matters?"
Laeri shook her head sharply. "No! Food is suppose to be about making something delicious! Not just... just... something you put into your mouth! You can't say that you really like this, can you?"
"It's food."
This seemed to befuddle Laeri. She still looked quite troubled, not even noticing that Melal was glaring at her. After a while, she looked to Veron, who was eagerly tearing into her lump of bread, and watched her for a while as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. "Do... do you really like this?"
"I love it, sure. Never feels like a real meal without bread. But..." Veron stopped to take a drink of water, twisted her face in disgust, then continued. "But maybe they're right. I can tell you that when you try to feed bread to kids, the little fuckers cry a lot before they accept it."
Melal snorted. "Children haven't learned what good food is. Who cares what children think?"
"I don't. Was just saying."
Eventually Laeri did eat some more, though her face held nothing back and made it obvious how much she disliked every bite. Instead of trying to continue that conversation, Tani just ate her bread as quickly as possible.
If she had grown up Coran, would she enjoy bread just as much as Veron and Melal? She and Slaten had discussed that before without coming to any conclusion. Slaten thought that they probably would, but she had a hard time believing it. Even growing up somewhere else, surely she would still be the same person on the inside.
Though she didn't enjoy it, Tani did feel better with some food inside her. She stood up and stretched, looking over the grasslands. The sunset painted them crimson and the sky was beautifully torn between light and dark. It was beautiful...
And there was something on the horizon.
Tani focused on it, did her best to draw sein to her eyes but couldn't focus. Instead she moved to Veron, tapping on her shoulder and pointing. "Is that something?"
"Oh, shit."
Eraes leapt to her feet. "It's the Deathspawn?"
"Looks like a Catai, at least." Veron shoved the rest of her bread into her mouth and tossed the plate aside. Everyone scrambled to their feet while Laeri gave a panicked whimper and clutched her staff. They had talked about this, but hadn't really expected it to happen. Most had their hands on weapons, unsure how to use them. Eraes was the one to step forward first, addressing them all in a clear voice.
"We run east, just like we planned. Leave the plates and blankets, take the food. Someone put those logs into the driest grass you can find. Don't head south until everyone within sight of us is dead."
Having a clear goal helped them focus. Tani had been wearing her knives and essential supplies on her body at all times, so there was little to do there, but she helped Melal pull food into his pack. Veron reached into the fire with her bare hands and tossed the burning logs in several directions. They mostly smoked, but some of the grass seemed to be catching fire. Even Laeri managed to help, though her eyes frequently darted toward the figure on the horizon.
He was far closer now, the speck having become a powerful figure. Either his skin was red or it was just made so by the sunset, not that it mattered. Tani forced herself to focus and began moving with the others. They didn't have a chance of outrunning the Catai's sprinting speed, especially not with Eraes and Laeri with them. But they could increase the distance between them and form a clear path east.
When she glanced back again, Tani noticed that Napenel was sitting on the ground, staring at the growing fires.
"Veron!" She called out and gestured. The other woman saw, cursed, and ran back to him.
"Napenel! Get up, you lazy bastard!" Veron kicked at him, managing to drive him to his feet. But he didn't run, just stumbled away from her blows. His eyes stared at nothing and his fingernails scratched at his arms hard enough to draw blood.
Melal turned back and scowled. "Just leave him!"
Laeri gasped and it looked like it might become an argument, but Eraes stepped up, her voice brooking no argument. "We've already delayed too much for it to matter. Spread out and get ready. It looks like he's alone, but remember this is a Catai we're talking about. Don't fight fair."
When they had discussed plans, Tani had said she would hide in the grass and wait for a good time to strike. That was more difficult, now that so many of the grasses around them were catching fire. The crimson sun was disappearing over the horizon, leaving the sky darker, yet everything around them was illuminated in flame.
Soon after Tani had found a place to hide, the Catai caught up to them. It wasn't someone she had seen before, but he was as tall and muscular as most of his kind. His skin appeared to be red-gold, rendered nightmarish by the sunset and the fires. He didn't hesitate to charge through the fires in his way, but did skid to a halt as he got close, sending up a cloud of dust lit by the flames.
