A Hollow Mountain (The Brightest Shadow Book 2), page 9
So far, the only one to make any true progress was Melal. Veron grew steadily more frustrated with the warriors, Laeri was too frightened to talk to anyone, and Tani had given up on them. Even Melal's connection was limited, focused mostly on arguing and drinking in the evenings. The Bloodskins were beginning to respect him, but they still held back.
Slaten had been focusing on his sein while they marched for some time, but reached his limits for effective training. Returning his focus to the world around him, he discovered that it was the same forested mountain as before. He noticed that Tani and Veron were talking to each other in low voices, so instead he went to find the others.
Near the head of the group, he found Laeri walking, leaning heavily on her staff. Their pace had grown quicker since they joined the Bloodskins, so despite the easier path, she was struggling. Worse, she had two Bloodskin raiders on either side of her.
"If you've only been with lowlander men," one of them was saying, "you've never known a real man."
Laeri blushed and tried to turn away, but there was only another raider on the other side. He didn't move any closer, just leered. "Just wait until we get to the clan village. You'll never want to go back."
Should he take action? Slaten knew that the Bloodskins were on average somewhat stronger than him, though violence wouldn't have been effective in any case. They were clearly bothering Laeri, but they weren't touching her and getting involved could make things worse.
"Oh, don't tease Laeri!" Melal moved down the path in the opposite direction, waving the two of them away. "She'll just blush and stammer anyway."
One of the raiders didn't move aside, instead stopping less than a pace from Melal and staring him down. "Why should I? Is she your woman?"
"Are you questioning me?" Melal put his hand on the hilt of his sword, a single breath from shedding blood. Then, without any apparent reason, the hard light in his gaze faded. He reached out and grabbed Laeri around the waist, pulling her against his side. "Keep your hands off."
"Lucky bastard." One of the Bloodskins moved away, but the second stayed, shaking his head.
"I never thought the Hero could be a lowlander..." With that statement, the second raider loped into the woods toward the front of the line.
That left Melal just standing there, still gripping the fiercely blushing Laeri. He glared after the Bloodskins warriors for a time, then turned back to the healer. "Are you alright, Laeri?"
"I... I'm fine, Melal. You can let go of me now."
"Nonsense! Your feet are getting all worn out on these paths... I need you fresh to heal me!" That declared, he scooped her up into his arms. Laeri yelped and flailed a bit, but she clung to him instead of struggling as he carried her forward along the trail.
Slaten watched the entire encounter and wondered what it should mean to him. He'd learned a little about how the Bloodskins thought. Laeri was safe for the time being. Perhaps that was all that mattered and no action had been necessary on his part.
Since he didn't want to pay attention to Laeri and Melal acting like that, Slaten receded back into himself. As he focused on the flow of his sein, part of him wanted to expand it in a meaningful way. Surely there was some way he could become more than he was.
Yet traveling with the Bloodskins was essentially the perfect experience to keep him on the same path. He could learn arts of strength and skill from them, but the art of casting force he'd learned from Graenin could not be found in their ideas of hot and cold sein. Among them, he couldn't improve his Futhik or learn any noncombat skills. For them, there seemed to be only one path.
He'd accomplished nothing but training when he heard calls and whoops. His hand automatically moved to the sword at his side before he realized it wasn't an attack: the Bloodskin scouts had found something. Several rushed to Gatoda at the head of the group, conversing in low tones, then the leader turned and called to the others.
"We've found the Deathspawn! From here, we need to strike like the night, so warriors only."
"We will join you." Melal stepped up beside him and Gatoda didn't challenge him. "You may know much of raiding, but I am master of killing Deathspawn."
"Just don't make so much noise they run from us!" Gatoda slapped him on the back, then gestured to all the others to form up and head into the mountains.
The Bloodskins' behavior changed, loud celebrations falling away as they prepared to hunt. Though they favored brutal weapons in direct combat, all carried two spears as well. There was some confusion where Veron and Tani were refused, but when they followed anyway the Bloodskins eventually stopped resisting.
Slaten drifted along with them, unsure about what was to take place. Clearly, they would sneak to this caravan and then kill the travelers. Though Slaten wondered who they were, he knew that he couldn't stop Melal and the Bloodskins. Probably not either alone, and certainly not united in one purpose. He could only hope that the caravan was a hostile mansthein force, though that was only an ineffective salve for his conscience.
Instead of running with sein flowing through their bodies, the Bloodskins seemed to throw themselves forward with simple physical force. Not only was it effective, they moved without rousing his awareness of sein. He felt certain that he missed a central piece of that puzzle, yet if it existed, it likely sat locked away with Oken elders.
They maintained their pace for some time and Slaten kept up, though his muscles burned. Eventually they reached the edge of a broad mountain pass and crept into position. Lacking a spear, Slaten wasn't sure how to participate, so he focused on keeping himself hidden as the caravan approached.
Eventually it came into sight, several wagons and a contingent of soldiers moving over the rough road. Slaten felt cool relief as he saw that all appeared to be combatants. Canvas covered the wagons, so it was difficult to know what they contained. Most were rough wains, yet in the center... it was less a wagon than an ornate box on wheels, large enough to contain people and with doors that suggested it was a form of transportation.
None of the Bloodskins seemed to find it worthy of note, they simply attacked. Their first volley of spears struck true, dropping many of the mansthein soldiers. Instead of panicking, the group pulled back, several raising shields in a unified formation. The second volley of spears mostly broke off against it, though one was thrown with such force that it sent the shield-bearer sprawling.
"Attack!" Melal was the one who called the command, though it was unnecessary: the Bloodskins were already rushing down at the caravan, letting out war cries.
The Bloodskins hit the shield wall before Slaten could properly follow. For a moment they struggled against it, several of them struck by spears thrust between the shields. Yet those injuries failed to stop them, and they pressed forward with raw strength. Against better trained opponents, Slaten thought that their charge might have failed, but they were warriors fighting against soldiers with little knowledge of sein.
Even so, two of the mansthein nearly turned the tide. One thrust his shield forward so forcefully that he pushed back the assault. The second caught a Bloodskin weapon with his shield, a complex flow of sein somehow binding the weapon in place. That left its wielder open, and the mansthein lunged forward, taking out an eye with a well-placed thrust.
At that moment Melal hit the group, shearing directly through a shield with an impossible blow. Added to the ferocity of Gatoda, their attack completely destroyed the group's discipline. From there it was a rout, some of the mansthein attempting to flee, others fighting and being cut down.
Slaten had drawn his sword and done nothing. Not because of the speed of the battle, but because he hadn't made a choice.
Though the Bloodskins had been deadly serious during the attack, once their opposition was crushed, their attitude changed. Some went after the remaining mansthein soldiers, laughing as they cut them apart. Others tore aside the canvas to loot the wagons, calling out to one another as they found valuable items. Gatoda and another raider went directly toward the box-like wagon, and Slaten followed them on instinct.
The door appeared to be locked, but after rattling the handle a few times, Gatoda simply tore it off its hinges. He barked out a laugh, reached into the wagon, and hurled a small figure to the ground.
"I've never seen a Deathspawn this small! Is it even a man or a woman?"
To Slaten's eyes, it looked like a terrified boy. He realized that he was moving forward with his sword still in hand but couldn't stop himself.
"Please..." When he spoke, the boy was even more obviously a child. His eyes darted between the raiders in terror. "My father will p-pay for my return. What... whatever you want..."
"We don't make deals with your kind." One of the other raiders reached out and grabbed the boy's arm, twisting it around behind him with a painful crack. The boy let out a cry and struggled, useless against the Bloodskin's superior strength.
"Wait." Slaten reached the group and spoke louder than he intended, immediately drawing their attention. "Don't kill him."
Gatoda stepped into his path, formless murder in his eyes. The Bloodskin man wasn't taller than Slaten, but his body was much thicker. "Why not? Why shouldn't we have a bit of fun with Deathspawn filth?"
"This child was carried in a special wagon and guarded by a large group of Deathspawn. I don't know who his father is, but that's proof that he's someone important. Killing him earns us nothing, but we might be able to learn something useful if we keep him alive."
Silence closed around them, the laughter and calls from the other raiders distant in his ears. Most of the Bloodskins looked surprised. The boy stared at him with a flicker of desperate hope. Gatoda took a step closer, their faces almost touching, and then bared his teeth in a smile.
"That's your idea of what to do with him." Gatoda shoved him in the chest, knocking him a step back. "But we can do what we want with him because we're stronger. You don't get to decide unless you have the stones to stake your claim."
There was no other choice. Slaten raised his sword-
He saw Gatoda move, but not fast enough to avoid the fist that struck his upper arm. Slaten felt the shock of fracturing pain before the force knocked him to the side, colliding with a rocky cliff face.
For an instant he was stunned, his face pressed against the jagged rock. Yet his instincts told him that the Bloodskin might be coming after him, so Slaten forced himself back. His right arm was definitely broken, so he raised his sword in his left and pointed it toward the group.
Gatoda stared at him, then took a lunging step and let out a piercing war cry. Slaten refused to flinch, even though he knew that he couldn't win the fight. To his surprise, instead of attacking, Gatoda instead stepped back and let out another laugh.
"You have some stones after all! Maybe you have a point. I won't deal with Deathspawn, but we could have some fun torturing information out of the boy first. Maybe he can lead us to even more treasure, eh?"
Though Gatoda turned to the other Bloodskins and they seemed to accept this conclusion, Slaten realized too late that it didn't matter. Melal had noticed the conflict and now approached, his eyes flashing angrily.
"These Deathspawn are only distractions, not our true enemy!" Before anyone could stop him, he sank his sword into the boy's chest. The child stared down at it, less in pain and more in shock as if he couldn't believe that the sword had impaled him. "You can meet your father in hell."
Melal twisted his sword, finally drawing loud cries of pain as the boy died. Some of the Bloodskins laughed and mocked his high-pitched voice, while Slaten found himself frozen. He didn't want to watch, but the boy's pained expression was already etched in his mind.
After that, it was essentially over. There was the killing of the injured soldiers and the looting of the wagons, but Slaten could barely focus on any of it. He simply stood with his broken arm hanging at his side, his sword still drawn and useless. When someone drew him aside, he didn't resist.
Only when they passed into the forest beside the path did he return to himself. It was only Tani, so his numb mind hadn't been concerned, but now he saw the expression on her face. Her eyes met his just briefly, instead sliding over the scene of victory in clear distaste.
"These people are savages." Tani pronounced her judgment with grim certainty. "Did you see how they enjoyed torturing the defeated?"
"I saw."
"This isn't acceptable. We had little choice but to work with the Coran resistance, but these raiders are worse. And this time we do have a choice."
Slaten only stared at her, wishing he felt more than numb. "What choice?"
"We can leave. Melal will survive and no doubt he'll be leading them soon enough. But the rest of us can go to Mount Tmil on our own and learn what the Sage knows. It wouldn't be easy, but with Veron and Laeri it would be possible. It would be better than participating in this butchery."
"I'm not sure," Slaten said. He hadn't been able to express his doubt even to himself until he spoke. "They'll go on butchering whether or not we're here."
Tani cast him an incredulous look. "I admit we can't stop them ourselves, but how can you stand by and let it happen?"
"I tried." Slaten gestured to his arm and saw Tani's expression immediately soften. Her anger still burned hot within her, however, so he did his best to explain further. "Do you want to leave Melal with them? Yes, they may accept him as the Hero. But what influence will they have on him?"
"That..." She trailed off, clearly accepting his argument though she didn't want to. "I will admit that a Hero who thought like these savages would be worse. But do you honestly think that you can influence them at all?"
"I don't know. It seems that they might respect my strength where they won't acknowledge yours. And at least Melal would have some connection to us. It's possible that they will change his mind and he'll go astray from Mount Tmil."
"Lately he's seemed much more driven, but... you may be right." Tani closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Then we split up. Hopefully we can all meet again at Mount Tmil."
Slaten worried for the three of them traveling in the mountains, given the evident strength of the raiding clans, yet didn't know how to put his concern into words. "Don't go if Veron doesn't agree."
"I'm not a fool, Slaten. I understand that we need strength to survive here, and Veron is the only one of us who has enough. But I think I can convince her if-"
"Don't bother." Veron emerged from the woods beside them, one side of her mouth slouching in a grimace. "I thought this might be like being a bandit again, but these Bloodskins... they're not going to really accept us. This is just going to get worse, so we might as well leave."
"Then let's go before they finish!" Tani smiled broadly at Veron, while the older woman just winced and took a long drink. Her eyes seemed to be wandering toward Melal, then jerking away again, but Slaten thought that her resolve wouldn't break.
Since Tani pulled on his healthy arm, Slaten went with her as they approached the victorious raiders. Some had dropped into small circles, eating and drinking the spoils from the wagons, while others were binding supplies in large canvas bundles for transport. Partway across the group, Laeri nervously hovered near Melal, though she turned when Tani called.
"Laeri! Can you see to Slaten's arm?"
"Oh!" Laeri hurried toward them, but Tani drew them away, forcing her to follow until they were further from the Bloodskins. Eventually Laeri pushed him down to sit and began to press her fingers against his arm, so gently that he didn't feel any pain.
"The bone is broken, but it's a minor fracture. Your defensive arts will make this easier to heal." Laeri smiled at him as she set to work, waves of warm sein passing into his arm. "I'm glad to be able to help. I offered with the raiders, but they all refused! Do you know why they'd do that? Why would they seem so insulted when I just wanted to help?"
Though Slaten opened his mouth to answer, Tani stepped in first. "I wanted you to heal Slaten's arm, Laeri, but I also wanted to talk to you. Veron and I are leaving. We'll reach the Sage first and meet up with Melal there."
"Oh my!" Laeri managed to keep her voice down, but just barely, her large eyes staring at Tani in surprise. "But... but isn't it safest to stay with them? Melal thinks they can help us get through the mountains. If we ran into an even worse group when we were alone..."
"Alone, we'll be able to travel faster and lighter." Tani leaned in, putting a hand on Laeri's arm. "Do you really feel safer here, Laeri? They won't accept your healing and they could..."
"No!" Laeri swung her head back and forth as if to cast off the idea. "Melal will protect me. They haven't bothered me since he... he's the Hero, Tani. I want to help him, even if it's only a little!"
"But will you be able to help him, here?"
"If he's mortally injured I might be the only one who could save him. I... I'll fight off all the raiders and force the healing on him if I have to!"
Both Slaten and Tani hesitated in the face of Laeri's surprising intensity. Part of Slaten had expected Tani to pressure the other woman into going, but it seemed that Laeri had found her spine at the wrong time. That left Tani with a group of only two. Judging from the grim set of her face, she considered the risk, but it didn't change her determination.
"Are you sure, Tani?" He had to ask the question, even if he couldn't argue with her. She nodded toward the mountains.
"It's the same dilemma we've spoken about before. This is too far for me. If I just follow the Hero now, I won't be doing anything to stop him." She managed a smile as she looked back at him, but it struggled to remain on her face. "We'll go ahead to Mount Tmil and see if there's a way to make the Legend work for us instead of against us. You can keep track of Melal and try to keep him from..."
She trailed off, so Slaten nodded. "I will do what I can."
"Thank you, Slaten. I hope to see you again soon."
Both of them knew how little that hope was worth. Slaten watched Tani as she met up with Veron and the two of them vanished into the trees. Beside him, Laeri had halted in her healing, watching after them with glistening eyes but managing to contain her emotions. Only after they had vanished did she return her attention to him.
