Hakaar - The next morning came and went the same as yesterday. Dull and gray with a constant drizzle punctuated by achingly intense boredom. In the warmer part of the cold day, I took Silah aside.
"We should practice," feeling awkward with the phrasing.
She raised an eyebrow, then gave a wicked look.
"Oh yeah?" She purred.
I blushed uncontrollably—likely turning an awkward mottled red-green, I was sure.
"I have no idea how we will work together in a fight." I stammered, breaking eye contact.
"I knew exactly what you meant." She smiled and stood, "Where to?"
Silah extended her hand, leaving it hanging in the air. I stood and took her hand leading her out back, opening the door for her.
We stepped out into the overcast. The rain had turned to a dense mist. It was better than the constant drizzle, but only slightly. I looked around the delivery path and small outbuilding. We were alone. I hadn't revealed her true nature to anyone outside of our small group. It would happen eventually, I was sure, but I felt that I would meet challengers with her revealed nature. Even with a short portion of a tour under my belt, I felt completely unprepared what would happen next when that did happen.
"So, how do we do this?"
I still hadn't held her as a weapon since we initially bonded. The whole idea of her magical nature was unnerving to me. Perhaps, it was what I didn't want to acknowledge? I let her wander around and engage at will, seeing her human nature, but always knowing she was much more than that.
"Let's start with the basics. Grab my arm and think of me as a weapon."
She stood still, looking me in the eye as I reached and held her arm. It was what I had done in the Poulterhaud mine. With the thought, she seemed to melt in a flash forming into the glittering greatsword. It took literally no time for the transition, yet watching her transition was unsettling.
Her satisfied sigh echoed in my head. She felt so … different. I recognized the feeling from earlier. Sig was right about her. She seemed to settle easily into either form. I shouldn't feel I was doing her a disservice.
"So, you understand?" she echoed. I could feel her gently nudging up against my thoughts pressing her influence in, like she was looking over my shoulder as I held her in my hands. She was a warm presence, but I could feel that she could exert her influence quite readily. This was going to be interesting.
I think I do. I thought. It's going to take some getting used to.
"It'll be second nature soon enough." She settled into my thoughts easily, "Now, bring me back."
I turned the blade toward the ground and thought of her returning to her human self. It took a moment longer, a couple of seconds as her womanly frame formed out of the blade, the etched scrollwork formed into tattoos and elongated with the length of her body, her purple dress was in place, but there was a moment where her form shown every line and every curve as it truly was.
I let go as she stood. Rubbing my sweating hands on my undershirt. I don't think I was going to get used to this very quickly, for a variety of reasons. I breathed deeply.
She smirked.
"You don't have to point me toward the ground. I know where the ground is."
"Like a … cat?" I mused, "You don't want me to drop you, do you?"
"Yes, it takes me little longer, but I can still land on my feet," she seemed a little exasperated, "Just trust me. I may seem delicate, but I'm pretty resilient."
I nodded.
"Let's try this," she moved a few paces away, "I'll run to you. Grab my hand and think of me as a sword and use my momentum for your backswing."
I nodded appreciatively and readied myself. She sped toward me and I reached for her hand, the transition was instantaneous, and I continued the motion smoothly into an upward strike. I was shocked at how smooth each stroke felt. I could feel her smiling as I practiced a few improvised forms.
I hadn't used a greatsword before. Yes, I've used my hand-and-a-half with great effectiveness. But this was different. I was used to working in tandem with a shield with a series of other soldiers. Tactics were very different in a battle. I'd be the only one on the frontline now and I felt unprepared.
"You've got a lot of doubts running around in here." She said, concerned.
Experience will fix that. This is a far less restrained approach to what I'm used to.
I continued my thought, So, could you adjust the balance between the blade and pommel? A little more weight toward the blade, perhaps?
"You chose me to be this way!" She echoed, incredulous, "Am I not to your liking?"
I felt her glowing warmth turn more fiery and press in causing my head to ache. Her anger was palpable and … painful.
I'm just exploring how this works. I'm used to a little more weight in the blade, is all.
"Weight in the blade? Wait. Are you comparing me to your old war sword?" There was a shimmering sensation as she outright laughed, "I should be offended, but you really have no idea what quality is."
I suppose I don't. You do feel wonderful. By far the best blade I've ever handled, even if that isn't saying much.
"It isn't saying much, but thank you."
The familiar warm feeling returned as well as that familiar warm embrace that I had experienced just days ago. I closed my eyes, enjoying the closeness.
I have a lot to learn.
"It's good to hear you say that. I don't think I've ever heard any of my previous owners even hint at being teachable."
You don't recall a lot about them.
"I suppose I don't." She mused absently.
I'd thought about it before, but this reminded me. I was another blip in her timeline that would slowly fade. I pushed the thought aside. Knowing it was something I'd have confront later, alone. I had never given much to the thought of surviving long enough to grow old, but now I wanted to. Unfortunately, being old or being dead; either was incompatible with Silah's purpose. Either way, it pained me to think I'd eventually be among her forgotten.
I became aware of her tracing up and down my arms gently.
"We have time, yet," She whispered closely, "I wouldn't worry yourself with such things."
"It's this damn weather," I said out loud, shaking off the gloom, "We need to get out of here. Where is Floki anyway?"
I felt Silah shrug and I smiled. Such a strange sensation, yet it felt perfectly natural. I swung the blade a few more times. There were a few things I knew about wielding a greatsword, but it still felt out of place to completely abandon defense.
"I wonder if the others would want to go and check in on him? Perhaps he's in trouble?" I mused, "It'd get us out of here. Plus, there are Orcs out there. There's bound to be something to fight."
A feeling coursed through the blade that could only be considered glee.
"I bet Bramm would do it!" She chimed in.
"Bromm. Yes, Bromm would go for it."
"And Dan! And Ziggy."
"Danin? Yes. Ziggy? Wait, are you serious?"
"What?" I swear I could see her, hands on hips, looking up at me stretching to her full height, challenging me.
"You haven't gotten a single one of their names right." I said through a smirk.
"What do you mean?" She pinched her eyebrows.
"Exactly what I said, not-a-one." I emphasized.
"I'm sure I said them right!" She was vehement.
"Oh yeah? What's my name?" I tossed it out there, bracing for the worst.
"Hacker?" She ventured a guess.
"Hah! You're likely going to offend someone."
It did hurt a little, yet I couldn't help but grin at this newly discovered artifact. Perfection had a price, afterall.
"What's in a name, anyway?"
"Well," I mock pondered, "A lot?"
"Maybe you could invite Brimm's, er, Bromm's mom, too? She looks feisty."
I nearly doubled over laughing, nearly losing grip mid-swing.
Never, ever say that to Robyn. She would hate you endlessly if she knew you'd said that.
"She's beautiful for a mom. I'm not sure why she would take offense?" She seemed confused.
She's not his mom, for one, and I'm not exactly sure that you two would get along. She's … unpredictable. I thought these words, making sure they would never touch the air. Hell, I have no idea what I'd do if you two got together.
"A challenge, then." She conspired quietly.
"Oh hell. Really? You're going to do this to me?" I bowed and shook my head.
I held out the sword and thought of her in human form, being a little less cautious, I let go before she finished, and she landed on her feet perfectly.
"Absolutely," She got on her tip toes and pulled my head down to give me a peck on the cheek, "Someone's got to. Why don't you ask your friends about finding … that other guy. The one near the Orcs?"
"Sure." I opened the back door to The Sea Witch and held the door for her. She pulled her lips into a subtle smile and bowed slightly as she passed.
Once inside, she moved right to the stool next to Robyn and I rubbed my forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
Sig and Danin were there. Bromm seemed to have been sent off to run an errand. The Sea Witch was starting to fill up for the evening. It had been at reasonable pace since the rains started. Fishermen hadn't gone out because of the chop, they had said. The town had largely shut down during this weather, so there was a constant crowd at The Sea Witch. And, as evening approached, many more showed up to unwind. Many of these faces were becoming familiar even if they had kept their distance from the beefy half-Orc who's smile looked like a toothy threat.
"We need to get out of here." I said to Sig and Danin as I sat heavily on a stool which groaned in protest, "Another day indoors and I might lose my mind."
The others nodded in agreement. Sig had put away the books, apparently whatever his grandfather had given him was complete. Something I hadn't really noticed before, a scorpion clung to his shoulder. He seemed to be aware of it or I'd have done something untoward.
"You've got a little something..." I looked at Sig and, a bit too emphatically, pointed at his shoulder.
"My little friend?" He smiled secretively.
"A pet scorpion?" A scrunched my face thinking of a million other pets I'd rather have, "Well, that's nice."
I let a few moments pass.
"We should go find Floki." I said, trying hard to smoothly introduce the idea.
From the sidelong look Sig gave me, it had failed.
"He said he'd meet us here tomorrow morning," he said plainly.
"But what if he's in trouble?" I pressed.
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow morning?" He pushed it aside artfully.
I sighed.
"In fact, I have some business at the city offices."
Sig pushed himself from the stool and I watched the scorpion secret itself in an inner pocket in his cloak.
"Danin? Would you like to join me?"
Danin obliged and stood creakily from the table.
Sig turned to me.
"We shouldn't be long," he looked around The Sea Witch, "Not like there's anything to do anyway."
I shrugged. They turned and walked out the door and I sat down at the bar again. I heard a fuss across the room. I turned and saw Robyn and Silah roaring with laughter. Heads back, slapping the table. I leaned against the bar, rubbing my forehead again. I could just imagine how much pain this was going to cause me.
"Barkeep? I think I'm going to need a couple and then a couple more."
I was going to have to eventually pay Bromm back; and Danin. I just didn't know how or when.
Picture Hakaar - Raid on the Ranch
There was a tap at the window. I awoke with a start, opening my eyes seeing the grainy black and white interior of the dark room. I reached up and put my hand to my greatsword. The crossguard and pommel had acted as an improvised headrest. Silah was there, now in my head.
After better understanding her nature in sword form, I realized that she could rest easily in either form. It was a little better than seeing her sit woodenly in a chair for the entire night.
We were on the second floor, using Bromm's room as a temporary landing place until I had decided I wanted a longer term residence here. Well, that, and being able to afford a longer term residence here.
I reached out to Silah in my mind. There's someone here.
"I don't sense anything malevolent." She whispered closely, she was there the whole time.
I'm going to look around.
"You have pretty interesting dreams." She seemed a little distant.
Uh, should I be worried with you poking around in my head while I'm sleeping?
She fell silent.
I stood, with Silah in my hands. Looking around cautiously.
Another tap at the window. I moved toward it and spotted Floki outside on the rain-soaked street, a dog was sitting next to him, looking uncomfortable in the rain. I moved over to a candle in the room and used a tindertwig to light it. I gently shook Bromm's foot.
"Floki is outside. I'm not sure what time it is." I stated, "I'm going to see what's happening."
Floki had come into town after Rana hadn't shown up. There had been a raid on the ranch where they they both took up time to learn their tradeskills. Many of the ranch hands had died and even the half-Orc that taught Floki and Rana's apprenticeships, Ekror, had perished right in front of him. It was a lot to take in.
"They were tracking refugees across the plains South, South-east. Rana must be with them. I've seen her arrows in more than a few Orc corpses." He recounted.
Good for her. I nodded.
I looked at the dog. Not a dog. It was a wolf. I eyed it warily. In town? Was Floki insane?
"She has got to be running out of arrows." Floki said in passing. His expression unreadable.
I wasn't sure if he was tired, but he seem to be unaffected by the situation beyond knowing his sister was in danger.
"People deal with grief differently." Silah echoed in the distance, "He may be preparing for the worst."
Bromm had joined us downstairs and listened in on part of our conversation. He groggily went back upstairs without saying a word. I followed up after him, finding my armor and putting it in place. I was able to get some of my clothes cleaned last night. It meant I had to be wrapped up in a blanket during the task. At least they looked slightly less grimy than they did before. I took Silah in my hand again after getting equipped.
"At least you're trying." I could feel Silah smirk and her presence coming more to the forefront now, "Where was I when you did all this?"
Not with me?
"Hah. Being coy. It will get you nowhere," she threatened breathlessly. A chuckle shimmered through the blade.
After getting equipped, we visited Danin and Sig, rousing them from their slumber. When we got to the gateway out of the city, the guards were starting to show. Apparently, Floki had warned them ahead of time and a larger contingent were going to attempt to secure the ranch. Floki had the wolf with him, apparently this creature was permanent. It made cautiously wide circles around everyone, but seemed to return to Floki's side readily.
There was a hum of passion coming from the greatsword. I smiled.
We're on our way to fight some Orcs and save the girl!
"I'm ecstatic!" She said with anticipation.
I had walked this road a lot now. I could almost say I was a veteran of the road from the distance between here and Kellas House, but that wasn't saying much for what little had actually happened.
The rain was miserable. It had tamped down my mood considerably. That, and the fact that I didn't know where Rana had ended up. We should have been there. She shouldn't have to face this alone.
I had my hand over my right shoulder, holding the hilt of Silah as I walked. She was in my old scabbard. A poor fit, but with a few lacings, it was adequate for now. I didn't want her walking with the rest of us. If there was anything out there, I didn't want to have to reveal her secret the the guards.
The scene at the ranch was grim. We had followed the path in with the guards leading the way. They began to take notes and the guard in charge called out orders. The bodies were ordered, identified, and put to rest. I had seen this many times before. Many, many times. It put a fiery anger in my gut.
They will pay.
My grip tightened on the hilt.
We were fervently engaged in the chase, moving rapidly to where Floki had last seen them and had to fall back.
"They were on the rocks up there. They shot Ekror with some sort of poison and he couldn't retreat. Then they filled him full of arrows." Floki knelt near the bodies.
I shuddered at the recounting. This was an organized group that came in numbers ready to wipe out the ranch. Apparently, Ekror's offenses against the Orcs had gone too far. I thought a step further and wondered about a potential assault on Kellas House. Duncan could be threatened as well. I felt the heat of rage rise in me again.
"They were led by an Orc with red hair. He seemed to be the one driving them on." Floki said.
Red hair? It was very uncharacteristic. Perhaps he used something alchemical to change it?
"He's mine. I'll make sure he pays." I seethed.
We crested the rocky slope and got a better look at what lay before us. Floki's wolf needed a little help with the climb. He went down and picked it up, and it growled at him the whole way. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for the wolf to deliver a killing blow to his throat as he set it down, but it calmed down, unruffled itself, and kept following him.
We approached a maze of dense trees in the plains. The tracks that Floki followed showed that Rana had moved through the center where two sets of Orcs came to a decision point. One set went through; the other, around.
We followed her tracks into the maze of tree roots and branches. Danin and the others didn't seem to have a problem, but I was in the thick tops of the scrub and it was slowing me down.
I heard a shout from Floki and I turned to see a large spider breaking through the roots, nearly as big as the wolf, rapidly moving toward me. I drew my blade and split it in half just as it bit my foot. I felt weak and woozy as the poison took hold.
"Yes!" Silah whispered.
There was a pause and something changed in the mood coming from the sword.
"Wait. What is it I'm feeling from you?"
The was an edge to her voice, almost accusatory. I furrowed my brow at her delivery.
Poison.
"Well? Kill them!" She urged, pressing in on my mind.
I've got this, just let me work.
Another spider sprung through a trapdoor of moss next to Floki and, a stones throw behind us, I heard Danin call out. I slashed at another one roosting in a tunnel just off the path and it popped and oozed. Another assaulted me from behind bit my right calf. I swung at it weakly, almost dropping the sword.
"You're not even trying! Don't let them get close to you!" She was heated, not making this any easier.
I growled audibly, grinding my teeth through the burning sensations that coursed through me.
What's gotten into you? Back off Silah!
Unexpectedly, Sig bent over and vomited a swarm of smaller spiders that proceeded to cover the larger spider. It twitched, stepping back, but clearly writhing in pain. I was horrified.
I swatted at another two. Another was able to sneak in and clamp on my foot sending another surge of poison into me. I brought the blade down hard and it crumpled.
Even with new death dripping from the blade, Silah seemed insatiable. An exasperated sound fizzled like burning ash over my my skin and I gritted my teeth against her displeasure.
"You could have taken them all. What were you waiting for?" Her anger was sharp and completely out of character for the sweet girl she had been for the past few days. After the first stroke, I could feel a bloodlust rising in her that threatened to engulf me. I swallowed hard, doing my best to ignore the throbbing coming from the blade.
Things calmed down as the last spider was felled. The spider's poison still coursed through me and I winced with each heartbeat. I waited for a minute, while the nauseousness passed. I took a step and stumbled briefly. I was incredibly weak.
I gripped one of the trees and breathed deeply. I turned to Sig.
"That, Sig, was the creepiest thing I've ever seen." Attempting to lighten my mood, but still, it really had been the creepiest thing I'd seen.
A half-smile flickered across Sig's face. At least he was on our side.
"Are you well?" Floki was looking at me. The rest of the group gathered.
"I feel weak, is all. Hopefully it wears off soon," I lied. I didn't expect it to wear off soon. The poison was still in there. If we got in a fight—well, I didn't know what I would do. I wasn't feeling very confident. Danin laid a hand on me that glowed briefly and I saw the bite wounds seal up from their angry red, but the healing went only so deep. I sighed.
"Thank you." I nodded gratefully to Danin.
"You didn't have to let them get to you," Silah seethed, and, in my mind's eye, I swear I could see glowing embers for her eyes.
Fed up, I sheathed her, giving myself some space. She had changed dramatically on the battlefield. An entirely different personality had taken hold. I hadn't expected this, not at all, but I was more angry than worried at the moment. Although, worry wasn't far behind.
We emerged from the tangled scrub forest and saw the tracks of two Orc groups converge. I had seen it from a distance, but what was on the horizon was increasingly obvious. A large set of stone pillars running in a half circle in front of us then just shy of a ridge-line.
"Tracks go that way." Floki said, then stopped. "As well as that way."
He was looking in two different directions. I could see what he was looking at, but couldn't tell what it meant. He pointed South.
"It looks like about a dozen of them split off before moving into the stones."
He looked up at the stones and pondered them.
"The ones that went South probably wanted nothing to do with those," he nodded toward the monoliths piercing the horizon.
As we approached the stone monoliths, it was immediately obvious that they were impossible creations. Whole stone pillars cut from a single source without any fractures of blemishes and dropped in a line. It was truly a magnificent sight. That is, if it also hadn't made me feel small and insignificant as well. That, and the fact that the air was rife with a smell of charged magic.
I had felt something like this during the battle of the titans. I saw the beast made of lightning blast the wooden hulk into burning chunks. That lightning seemed to hover in the air here. I swore that I could even see it dancing over my hand and between my fingers.
"This way." Floki beckoned.
The sensation between the stones wasn't much different than all around them. In a way, though, it made me feel more alive; more energized. Even with the poison and strangeness with Silah, I felt good. The stones themselves were carved with runes. Sig said that the stones weren't magic, but the runes were. Somehow, those runes had made the stones stretch that magic skyward. It was like a fence, like those at any pasture, but armed with lightning as crossbeams. I was wary while passing through it, but there seemed to be no smoking husks left over from those who passed through before us.
As we crested the hill, the lay of the land unfolded. There was a keep precariously clinging to a cliffside with a chasm dropping quickly out of sight. The cliff reminded me of the open quarry at the Poulterhaud mine. I couldn't tell from here, but it was likely far deeper.
Across a short valley running North along the cliffside from the keep was a dense cluster of trees that could almost be called a small forest.
"That paths diverge here." He pointed toward the keep, "Rana must be in there and the Orcs went into that forest. I'm going to try and sneak up to the keep and get Rana some arrows. If we can get out without being seen, we'll get back and make a plan for the Orcs."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"If you hear them attack. Come running!" He kept low and darted off toward the keep, it was mere moments before I couldn't see him anymore as he blended into the surroundings.
We had hunkered down, waiting for what was to come next. It was quiet, though. Floki, hopefully, had reached the keep. And, hopefully, Rana was alive and well, even if a bit rattled. Seeing the work she had done on the Orcs that had followed her, I was impressed with how far she'd come. Rana was much more than simply Floki's sister. Standing on her own, putting her neck out to save others; exemplary. I had seen far less honor rewarded greatly on the battlefield. I was going to be sure to tell her that.
Holding this position made my whole frame ache, reminding me of my condition. I looked at my hand and flexed it. I felt weak and I was angry about it. Silah had turned into a relentless demon. I was angry at her, too. Maybe we could work this out? Maybe. The others likely had no idea what had happened to this point.
I decided to step away from the rest of them and draw her out, but only to bring her to human form. The handle smouldered to the touch. I drew her out and immediately thought of her returning her human form giving the blade an indelicate toss in the process.
"Do you have something to say to me?" I hissed, holding a wide stance against her.
She completed her change. Her diminutive form was rigid, eyes locked to mine; wide and angry.
"Perhaps this bond wasn't right after all." She folded her arms and shot me a withering look, her face dangerously clouded.
"Then you shouldn't have given me the choice." I growled low.
This would send lesser men scrambling, but it rolled right off her thick skin. I swatted away the thought to reach out and throttle her.
We sat in a smoldering silence, facing off against each other. I was unsure where things were going but I waited for her acknowledgement. One that never came.
"Let's get through this," I said, through clenched teeth, "Then we'll find you a new master."
I rolled it off my tongue exactly as I hoped, a threat and an insult. I meant every inch of it. She was out of control and it was bleeding into me. I quaked with rage.
She put dropped arms to her sides and leaned at me, her hands balled them up into tight fists, and stomped her foot angrily. The ground trembled, far more than you'd expect such a small figure. I knew that her form belied her strength and I was in no position to test it. She stepped toward me in defiance, but she didn't say a word.
I turned my back on her and walked to the group hoping to calm myself before they could read my mood. I knew I wouldn't get any questions, though, as they already knew I wasn't feeling particularly chipper with this poison running through me.
The sun sank a little lower in the sky as we waited. Silah had tempered herself to mingle with the group, but I kept my distance. Whatever was coming next, I wanted to have a clear mind to engage.
Floki seemed to appear at the edge of our circle with a weathered Rana right behind him. I smiled, feeling reassured. She looked haggard and hungry, but not beaten. I stood and brought myself into the circle of conversation. Silah's dark mood was tempered by the company. She didn't stand close, as I had gotten used to, but still remained at the length of my arm's reach.
"Thank the gods you showed up when you did. It took you long enough! I was out of arrows and they seemed to be gearing up for another assault on the keep."
She looked back at the stone building and then again to us with a wide-eyed, haunted expression.
"There's something down there. Down in that chasm. I don't know what it is. It's kept me awake at night. I am now more afraid of it than I'm afraid of them. We have got to get out of here."
She shook herself and continued.
"There are some survivors still in the keep. But we can't get them with the Orcs in sight. We'll need to ambush them and take them out."
She looked down and took a moment to catch her breath, she looked exhausted. Running on the rush of fear and danger for so long, her exhaustion was clear.
"There are twelve of them," she continued, "And that red haired bastard is leading them."
The others nodded, but something in me clicked and Floki and Rana's voices dimmed. They continued to make plans. Sig and Floki scratching out a strategy in a bare patch of soil while Bromm, Danin, and Rana watched. I was only half there, feeling my pulse rising. All of this anger and frustration would be carved on my half-brothers and ... Red would be the first to fall.
He was mine.
"And, who is that?" Rana motioned toward Silah, bringing me back, looking slightly offended that there was another woman with her boys.
"Just someone we picked up along the way," Floki answered with a chuckle, "That's what happens when you go off on your own like that."
"We'll do introductions later," I asserted, perhaps a little too curtly.
I avoided Silah's gaze, though I knew she was still within arms reach beside me. I couldn't count on her, but she was all I had. We'd go our separate ways after this, me with a perpetual hole in my gut from my sacrifice to her as painful lesson. And she'd lose me—the only one, it seemed, that considered her an equal; not just a prize.
They led us to the forest's edge. We moved into the trees without being spotted and hunkered down. Floki and Rana took up positions at the mouth of the camp, where the trees had thinned allowing for visibility to the keep. Both of them had put their backs trees covering this exit. These trees were far different than the scrub that we had traversed earlier. They were taller and thicker providing more cover.
I stooped to the ground, peering across the field. Silah was behind me. Still in arms reach. I would have take her into battle, doing my best to ignore her stomping and scraping around in my head. I still felt weak, but I wasn't going to let that stop me.
Such a shame. I ground my teeth and spat. Disgusted with myself for being lured into caring for her. Frustrated that I took the chance bonding with her in the first place.
There was a thud and a grunt as arrows lanced through the air, burying themselves into a few of the Orcs with bows. There was a shout from the camp and a clatter of arms as they hurriedly prepared for the ambush.
Another round of arrows whispered through the air, and arrows began to return from the Orc nest. I heard Rana cry out. There was movement as they gained their bearings and bent to attack. I saw him, the red haired Orc, it was pulled into a topknot and was far from natural, as I suspected. He was leading the charge with the melee forces.
Sig raised his hands and a burst of light struck a group of Orcs right behind Red, leaving them rubbing at their eyes. More arrows sped through the air and I watched Red cast a menacing eye toward the Floki and Rana.
"Hakaar! What are you doing?" Sig shouted after me.
I was already running across the field. Focused, enraged. Silah was in my hand, already a sword as I sped across the battlefield. I brought the tip of my sword down hard across the front of him, cleaving through armor and skin. He flayed open, nicking ribs and nearly exposing his gut. I watched his wide eyes with a grim satisfaction as panic rippled across his face. He clutched at his stomach, attempting to keep everything in place.
I was about to attempt a second blow, when a shot rang out and Red's face and left shoulder burst into a red mist. I roared; angry that I didn't get to finish him off.
He was mine!
"Yes!" Silah smouldered gleefully, "But there are others!"
I began to turn to the next target, when three arrow plumes lanced into me. One had even penetrated my breastplate. I struggled to breathe. My awareness was no longer distant and the pain was very, very real.
"Get them!" Silah roared, her presence poured like lava through my head and coursed down my arms.
Sig's voice rose above the din, sounding both cross and concerned, "Come back! Danin can help!"
The lava poured on hotter as Silah pressed her influence on me.
"No, Silah," I said under my breath through gritted teeth, "You don't rule me."
I pressed back with my mind and the lava cooled, loosing the grip she had on me. I hobbled back to the forest edge where the rest of the group waited met with an incredulous Sig who immediately berated me.
"What happened to the plan?" He shouted.
The others looked at me.
"What plan?" I blurted without thinking.
He turned back to the battlefield, scowling, speaking quietly and making signs sending an Orc tumbling with his words..
Danin put his hands on me, and I felt a surge of energy, much more potent than before. The arrows dropped from me harmlessly, but the wounds hadn't entirely closed.
Then I had a strange realization. Silah was quiet and inert.
Peace and quiet for once. I gritted my teeth through a smile.
I moved to Sig's side, feeling a little fatigue from my initial rush, as Orcs descended on us. Shots rang out from Bromm's pistols interspersed with the whispers of arrows. Floki and Rana were bloodied, but still engaged. Floki had been fighting in close quarters, but he and his sister dispatched the foes who had assaulted them.
Others had descended on our position in the forest. Danin stood between us and let loose a call to his god that brought a wave of warmth over me and, it appeared, everyone else.
Feeling renewed, I stepped up to do the job I was meant to do. My military training came to bear, placing an even stance on both defense and offense. Stand with the others. Work as a team. Each blow I took, I dealt twice the damage in return. Two Orcs were felled at my feet in short order and I moved to an archer who shot me point blank, with little effect, as Danin and I closed in and decimated him.
Floki and Rana put down the remaining archers and, within moments, all fell quiet.
That is, with the exception of Sig, a spear point positioned at the neck of a prone enemy. The Orc seemed to be sleeping. We all watched and waited.
The others began to walk slowly to the scene. There was a tremor in my blade, perhaps Silah was waking up? I thought of her as a human and let her drop from my hand, indifferent. She took human form and almost raced over to his side.
"What are you waiting for?" Silah was manic, eyes wide from the kill, "Kill him!"
"I've never killed before," Sig said aloud.
I knew this feeling. I watched how it changed others. I had nothing to say that wasn't already going through his head, but I nodded with understanding.
The prone figure began to stir.
Making his decision, Sig pressed the point into the Orc's throat and leaned on it. The Orc thrashed and gurgled fervently until life ebbed from him. I watched, feeling every moment up until now. Wondering what war had done to me. How it made me think that death dealing was a common and good thing. I bowed my head with the weight of the thought.
Silah dropped to her knees near the body, soiling her new purple gown in the blood and dirt of the scene. She pined at the loss, getting nothing from the Orcs demise.
"You could have taken him," She sounded pathetic, turning to face me, almost on the verge of tears, "You could have taken him for me."
My anger was replaced by a tenuous pity. I touched her shoulder and thought of her in sword form then sheathed her immediately.
There was a series of awkward looks that ran through the party.
"I can't even begin to explain." I said with a sigh.
Sig turned to me, his face flushed. I could tell he was about to let loose on me, but I put up a hand.
"I know. It was an ignorant and risky thing I did." My shoulders slumped with the admission, "Can we talk about this back in town. I want nothing more than to get out of here."
He saw my contrition and let his hand drop.
"Tonight, we'll talk." Sig said sternly.
"Yes. I understand." I closed my eyes as I spoke.
Rana and looked at Floki with a wide expression that said everything, but kept silent.
"I guess we'll get the others?" Rana probed breaking the awkward silence.
Floki and her parted from the group to retrieve the others and Sig bent down over his first kill and harvested a knuckle. Was it a trophy or a reminder? I wasn't in the place to venture a guess.
I sat against one of the trees while the others checked what the Orcs had left behind. A warm bed and good weather, that's all I wanted now. I needed to understand my role in this new world. I wanted to fret about it right now, but decided I needed to let my mind be quiet. It had been a while since I was actually alone.
Oh, Silah, what am I going to do with you.
I sighed heavily and leaned my head backwards on the tree.
Picture Hakaar -I pressed into the tiny room I had just rented. The Inn was just down the street from The Sea Witch. I immediately tossed my scabbard containing Silah on the bed. I had been dreading this moment since we escorted Rana and the refugees back to Hlofreden through the unceasing drizzle. Standing there alone allowed me to recall every inch of anger and pain that I had experienced over the last miserable day.
I gritted my teeth and ran my hand over forehead and through my hair. If I wasn't able to keep calm, I was liable to break something. I clenched my fists and looked at them. I was still weak, I could feel it.
When we had gotten back into town, I had begged myself off from the rest. I couldn't rest on Bromm's kindness anymore. We had split what we had found among the Orcs, which didn't amount to much, but it was enough for me to partially pay Danin back, rent my own room, and maybe get the riding cloak I had been promising myself.
There wasn't much conversation on the return trip. It was mainly work; something I could get lost in, thankfully. I hadn't touched Silah the entire trip back, waiting for a time when we could be alone. She had been a pathetic creature at the end of the battle. I couldn't bear having anyone see her like that so I put her away and kept her away.
Now I was here. The grand plan of confronting her withered away with each passing minute. I stared down at the undersized bed almost filled by Silah's greatsword form. I stood there for a very long time. My heart ached on so many levels.
I removed the sheath and tossed it to the floor. I laid a finger on the flat of the blade and thought of her in human form and quickly withdrew. She began to take shape. My throat ached, unprepared for whatever I was going to say.
Silah lay there, in her new purple dress, filth from the battlefield saturating the front, sleeves, and hem. She didn't move, staring at the ceiling, unblinking.
"I'm going out. Don't follow me and stay in this room." I growled, louder and louder with each command.
My rage was just below the surface, easily called on. It was readily available even if mixed with so many other emotions. Anger was the easiest for me to express, especially when I was unprepared to express anything else.
She turned her face toward me, still laying on the bed.
"Yes, master." She said, a mocking edge lined her voice.
The way she said it was like a punch to the gut, threatening to choke the words in my mouth before I had a chance to speak my mind. I turned and strode quickly to the door, not giving her the chance to break my fury with her will. I heard her sit up and swing her legs to the floor and there was a creak as she stood, but I didn't look back. I slammed the door behind me and made my way through the Inn.
As I stepped through the front door of the Inn, I had to steady myself as a bout of nausea came and went. I looked down and felt the ache in my side, realizing that I had pressed the range of my bond with Silah. My body was still weak from the poison, so it hit doubly hard. Anger seethed through the pain and I pressed forward, pressing past the bond.
I was feeling dangerous, casting glares and bared tusks at the passer-bys. I ducked into an alley quickly and found a nice solid timber beam supporting a neighboring structure and slammed my fist into it repeatedly, gritting my teeth. I let out a deep breath, feeling the rage subside. I waited until I felt calm enough to mingle with the outside world again. I glanced at my knuckles, calluses kept them from too much damage, but blood still ran from them. I brushed them off and moved back out into the street feeling a little more capable of containing myself.
I perused the city for hours. At first, I spent time looking for a travel cloak. The provisioner had a black oiled canvas longcoat. He had called it a duster, which I thought was ironic—since there seemed to be nothing other than wet in Hlofreden. It fit well enough, though it left my forearms partially exposed to the elements. I spent a little more time finding some decent underclothes. Now I wouldn't have to wash my own while naked. It was time to have possessions again.
I could see Silah in my head, "You're not on the front line anymore. Soldier."
I bowed my head, swallowing the heartache of the memory.
While looking at clothes, I had found that the wound in my side from bonding with her didn't exactly bleed when I was away from Silah, but it would turn pulpy and become wet and painful to the touch. It also, from recollection, seemed to be the first place that began to burn when she…
I don't want to think about it.
I dropped a few coins on the table for the clothes and moved back out into the rain wearing my new duster. It worked like a charm, water beaded up and rolled off without soaking in. It was exactly what I was looking for.
I stepped into another shop with the placard showing a crossed sword and axe. It was a low cut door, which implied it was part of the older Dwarven construction. Inside it opened up enough to stand at my full height, but I still felt the walls closing in on me. Those walls were layered with sharp and pointy instruments that were perilously close skewering me if I wasn't careful.
I asked the shopkeep about scabbards. I explained that I wanted two. I measured the two different scabbards out with my hand, knowing the length, width, and breadth by the size my hands. A warrior knew his weapon completely, after all.
Well, apparently, this warrior didn't.
The purchase ended up being a bit more gold than I anticipated. I walked out of there with two scabbards and two silvers to rub together.
I hope Bromm's hospitality extends another night. I'm going to need to eat.
The sun had crested and began to fall. I was tired of avoiding Silah. My exploration, while interesting, was interrupted often by thoughts of what I was going to say to her. These interruptions made the exploration experience generally unpleasant. I approached the Inn and stared at the front door. She'd know I'd be coming because of our bond, but it didn't matter. Prepared or not, I had to figure this out.
I moved into the Inn and nodded to the Innkeep. He seemed a little dismayed that at my presence. When I first walked in, I paid, started shouting in my room, and stormed. It was out hours ago, but I somehow doubted her had another tenant. A small, scared smile bent his lips and he nodded and I strode through. A couple beads of sweat emerged from his forehead. I thought about taking the time to attempt to put him at ease, but it seemed like a very bad idea at the time. I afforded him a curt nod and continued. Our bond had asserted itself as I moved across the threshold. It was invigorating but also deepened the pit in my stomach.
I moved up the narrow stairs deliberately and pushed my way into the room. The room was small containing the bare necessities: bed, chair, wash basin, pitcher, and a free standing wooden closet. She stood woodenly, absolutely still. I suspected that she hadn't moved during the hours I had been gone.
I bustled around the room, tossing my gear into the wooden closet loudly. Attempting to keep my thoughts clear so I could engage properly.
"Have you moved since I left?" I spoke it loudly, with forced bravado.
"Why would I? You didn't really give me much of a choice." she said, an uncharacteristic furrowed brow marred her perfect face.
I stood, looking at her sternly, feeling appropriately intimidating. But I was also completely aware that not a whit of it worked on Silah. I felt a variety of emotions brewing below the surface that attempted to betray me. I dared not reveal too much.
Her eyes were unblinking. They flicked to mine, meeting my gaze. The light that was usually there was replaced by the chasm that divided us.
"I can't trust you." I spoke low and evenly, meeting her fathomless gaze with fire.
She waited, raising an eyebrow, seeming expectant.
"And?" She said, with a perfect delivery of reproach.
It wasn't that I had lost the words, I didn't have much more to begin with. I ached, knowing I was immediately outclassed. She had ages perfecting her social prowess, that is, if she wasn't simply created with it. I braced for the onslaught, I'd at least take it standing.
"I'm glad you took the time to think about what you were going to say. Fantastic delivery, if I'd say so myself." Her voice was thick with sarcasm, "You even got your tantrum worked out, I see."
She glanced at scuffed knuckles. I absently put my hand behind me as she said acknowledged it.
"So, you can't trust me?" She sat down on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs elegantly, looking deadly and refined in her blood-crusted purple dress.
I gulped.
"That was rhetorical." She bowed her head slightly, and looked up under her brow, "You do know what that means, right?"
Silah gave the room an extended silence then smirked.
"Enough with the shaming!" I shouted, feeling jumbled, rage blurring my vision.
"All right, all right." She put out a calming hand and then, when finished with the demeaning gesture, balled it up into a fist and tucked it under her chin looking calm and demur.
"So, you're ready to talk? I can see you have something to say." Then she tilted her head, "Or do you want to boss me around a bit more before we start? You look like you could use it."
I lost control. I felt myself move forward quickly, unconsciously. I sent a fist flying toward that precious face, suddenly feeling panic as I extended, unable to pull back. My hand crumpled with the impact and the shock raced up my arm and shook my body. She was unflinching during the impact and turned her head slightly taking some of the blow.
My fist throbbed. I had an inkling that it may be like that. Her soft appearance belied the steel lining just underneath. Silah looked perturbed. But I was more shocked at my violence than she was.
"Does that make you feel any better?" She ran fingers along her flawless jawline, not a mark to be seen. "Though, honestly, I'm impressed. That actually did hurt a little."
I felt even more ashamed. My arms hung by my sides, defeated. I had been completely disarmed. She saw me deflate and a look of empathy fluttered over her face.
"Pull up a chair," she nodded to the fragile chair that probably would fall apart if I even looked at it wrong. I sat heavily, testing its capabilities, sending a creak of protest from the its simple rough-hewn fittings.
"Now," she uncrossed her legs keeping them modestly close together and leaned forward, her face was placid and uncreased.
"I have never been with someone so common before, it's true."
I shot her a hurt look. She's said it before, but with all the other injury it was more poignant.
"That isn't to say that I don't see potential. I absolutely see potential." She extended a hand and patted my leg. It was a genuine gesture even if patronizing.
"I forget, though, that you're not," she paused delicately for emphasis, "exactly there yet."
"Can we be done with this?" I said, achingly rubbing my forehead.
"No, not yet. I do want to hear what you have to say." She leaned back into almost a recline, her arms propping her up on the bed, crossing her legs again. She looked at me expectantly and waited.
"I can wait here all day," Silah said flatly after a moment of silence, "I could wait here your entire lifetime, if you wish."
I ached at the reminder. I wet my lips, preparing to speak.
"I've treated you as an equal. And, out there, you treated me like a tool." I gulped at the admission. "Isn't being a tool the something you resented from your previous...?"
It was a weak challenge, but it was genuine. She remained expectant, her features didn't betray whatever her thoughts were.
"I have fought for my entire life to not be under someone else's control. And you, who I thought of as my friend, someone I trusted, sat on my shoulder demanding blood sacrifices at my expense."
She nodded, showing she was listening.
"First, it was the spiders, then it was the Orcs. You pushed—"
"Wait. Stop there. The Orcs? Did you assume that I made you charge out there?"
I stopped to look at her, Silah's eyes had a smoulder to them.
"You took hold of my mind!" I raised my voice.
"Not when you saw your red haired friend. That was entirely your doing, you had been planning it for, however long it was since you stopped letting me in on things." Her eyes narrowed.
"Not Red, no. But you immediately pushed me further into danger!" I shouted, sitting forward.
"Well, I saw it as opportunity," she said frankly, "Not necessarily death."
"If I didn't resist, I would have been dead!" I yelled.
"You may have been dead." She corrected.
"Stop that! What do you feel inside of me? Do even you know what is going on in here?" I motioned emphatically at my chest.
She is impossible to reason with!
"If I hadn't heard Sig, I would have continued blindly forward and you'd have yet another master to push around." My voice tapered off at the thought and I looked up at her, locking eyes, "Is that what you want?"
"Don't pretend this is all me." She said evenly, her face was a mask, "I followed your lead. You are a war veteran after all?"
My heart hurt with the recollection, and I ignored the question.
"Is this how you are on the battlefield? Should I be worried you're going to attempt to control me every time I touch you?"
She pursed her lips, but remained silent.
"This is entirely my fault, then? You see no wrongdoing on your part?"
"I never said that." She said, shaking her head.
"It's what you seem to be implying!" I put up my hands in exasperation, "I'm the fool charging into battle and you're screaming for blood. This can only end one way for me."
I waited for a moment.
"It's true that it had been a while since I had tasted death. I had forgotten how much need it evoked." She said, sitting forward on the bed, "I may have been… overzealous considering your inexperience."
Inexperienced. I involuntarily sneered at the word. Did she have to keep doing that?
I let go of what was left of my anger and leaned back in the chair, feeling it shudder under my weight. I ran my hands over my face rubbing away my frustration and shame. She looked me in the eye, remaining almost perfectly still.
"You're a good man." She nodded almost imperceptibly, "Misguided, but good."
I cracked a weak half-smile at the backhanded compliment then sighed, feeling sullen.
"Will you ever consider us equals?"
She shrugged, "Perhaps someday."
"So, for now, I'm just a plaything to you?"
"Oh, no. Not at all," I was waiting for the sarcasm, but it appeared she meant it, "I said it already, I see great potential."
"Yet, I still don't know if I can trust you." I said softly.
Silah shrugged. It was almost if she let slip that she didn't seem so sure herself. I grimaced, apparently, I wasn't the only one led by passion.
What a pair we make.
I waited for a moment then stood and moved toward the closet and retrieved the two scabbards. She looked up with a quizzical expression. I reached into the closet and pulled out my beaten sword from the war and drove it home into the smaller sheath.
"Oh, come now. What's this?" She looked disgusted. "You're going to wearing that?"
"So, I'll ask again. Can I trust you?" I said with a little more edge, tossing the challenge at her.
She leaned from side to side, "I'll learn your limitations and we'll make do. But, you're seriously going to resort to this?"
She suddenly looked very dangerous.
I held up the beaten sword in its sheath, "Does this blade yell at me while I'm trying to do my job?"
She was angry and folded her arms.
"This is not your decision." I said in response.
"Maybe you should be examining your own mettle, not mine?" She challenged, clipping her words neatly.
I busied myself with strapping everything into place. I tested my mobility, twisting from side to side, getting a feel for it.
She shook her head angrily.
"You're just going to ignore me?" She seethed.
"No. I'm not ignoring you."
"It feels like it."
"Can I not just have some time to think about this?" I gave her a pleading look.
She looked away, angrily.
"I also realized that you're always at hand and, up until now, I've had an empty sheath. What is a warrior without a weapon?" I said, trying to put a positive spin on things, but it didn't seem to make her feel any better.
I looked at my reflection in the window, I had the campaigner over my right shoulder and the sheath for Silah over the left.
"If you want me to reconsider, please be honest with me. What did you mean when you said that you'd forgotten what it was like to taste death?"
She paused, considering what to say.
"I didn't realize how hungry I was—how much I missed it—." She interrupted her own though, thinking better of continuing.
I sat down again, and waited in silence. She was still angry, but it seemed that it had turned inward.
"If it's any consolation, the others don't trust me." I stooped in my chair with the admission of fault, "I charged out there thinking I would demoralize them by offing their leader, but, nope, not a whit. They sent everything at me."
I shook my head at the memory.
"If you—" I stopped, letting the blame die on my lips, and continued with another, "If it wasn't for Danin, I'd have been dead."
She nodded, looking pained.
"I guess we're a pair after all?" I smirked with the self-deprecation.
Silah smiled slightly.
"Can we get past this?" I stood from the impossibly small chair.
"You're going to need to trust me eventually," she was annoyed, "or else, what's the point of us?"
I nodded. I completely understood. I just hoped that next time I wielded her, she wasn't as abrasive. I was apprehensive, but wanted so badly for it to work.
"Oh, and never hit me again." Silah said sternly, looking deadly serious, "I pushed you intentionally to see what you could do. It made me realize you don't see me as a lady, which concerns me. I doubt you'd ever hit a woman.Just remember, regardless of what you believe me to be, I am a lady and never hit me again. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I am very sorry." I looked down at her and walked over to her, "But you have got to stop pulling my strings to see how I dance."
I held out a hand to her and, looking at me curiously, she took it. I lifted her to her feet then pulled her gently into a bearhug. She hesitated for a moment then folded into me. I closed my eyes, feeling her warmth.
"Last time you danced, you danced very well." She looked up at me revealing her beautiful pearlescent smile.
I smiled.
There she is.
"You need to change into something else." I said, looking down at the blood crusted fabric, "Do you think any of that will come out?"
She shrugged with a grin.
"Perhaps our new friend at Monty Brooks could help us with that?"
