Black Crystal

by R A Oakes

  “Who’s there?” an older woman asked.

  Chen said nothing.

  “Don’t be frightened, young lady, we won’t hurt you,” the woman said reassuringly.

  Chen’s hand tightened on her sword.

  “I have a nice stew simmering, come inside and have a bowl,” she coaxed.

  Chen turned grim inside. Sincerity was an unpredictable emotion, and she hated it. Therefore, she froze out the older woman. A mild depression coated by a layer of silent anger shielded Chen. Confident now in her armor, she spoke up. “How did you know I was a woman?”

  “Why honey, the lightness of your boots upon the grass was like a calling card.”

  “How did you know I was young?”

  “Who else but a young person would be out alone at night?”

  “Are you saying that older people have more common sense?”

  “No, nothing like that. The young are more restless, that’s all,” the woman said in her soothing tone of voice. “You sound quite tired. Have you traveled a long way today?”

  “Not too far, but I sort of had a race over the mountain.”

  “Then let’s tend to your horse,” the older woman said. Turning to the farmhouse front door, she shouted, “Pa! Pa! There’s a young woman’s horse that needs tending out here in the yard.”

  When a huge silhouette appeared in the doorway, Chen’s sword inched out of its scabbard. Light from the fireplace inside the farmhouse glinted off the polished metal.

  “Now, now, none of that, my dear,” the farmwife gently chided her. “Pa, keep a polite distance from this young woman and give her some elbow room, but tend to her horse, please.”

  The man quietly did as he was told. Chen liked that.

  Striding over to the farmhouse, the black leather panther leapt up two steps onto the porch. Placing a firm hand against the open front door, she held it in place until she could check behind it. Then, she performed a quick inspection walking throughout the house. Lastly, she opened the backdoor and looked outside. Satisfied, Chen returned to the main room.

  The older woman acted as if having her home searched by a total stranger was an everyday occurrence. She patted a chair indicating for Chen to sit there, so naturally Chen sat in one of the other chairs. One with her back against the wall.

  “A little cramped there behind the table, honey, don’t you think?”

  “It’ll do,” Chen said crisply.

  After setting a bowl in front of Chen, the farmwife brought a pot of stew over to the table. The older woman was about to ladle some stew into it when Chen stopped her.

  “I’ll do that, thank you,” Chen said wondering where the “thank you” had come from. The black leather panther couldn’t recall the last time she’d thanked anyone for anything. This farmwife was starting to frighten Chen, and she thought, I could run an enemy through with my sword and that will stop him, but how do I keep this woman’s kindness from touching me?

  Unconsciously, Chen reached for the knife in her boot.

  “Oh, sweetheart, maybe you’d like one of ours, we don’t really use them,” the older woman said going into the next room and coming back with an apron full of sheathed knives.

  Chen was up out of her chair in an instant, her sword in one hand and knife in the other. Her chest was heaving, and she was breathing deeply, hyperventilating, gulping air, almost gasping.

  The farmwife had known the young warrior woman would respond in this manner. She’d gone for the knives as a way of bringing her visitor’s fears to the surface where they could be dealt with openly.

  Well, the one thing Chen was very open about was violence. The black leather panther was very sharing and giving in that capacity, and she’d almost leapt at the older woman.

  Totally confused, Chen’s brain shrieked!

  “What’s going on here?” Chen screamed, genuinely frightened for the first time she could remember in years. “Stew and knives! Where did you get the recipe for that?”

  The black leather panther thought, What’s wrong with me? Just kill this woman and get out of here! But instead, Chen remained standing with her back against the wall and a weapon in each hand gaping at the farmwife.

  The older woman almost laughed, but chastised herself thinking, Stop your foolish pranks. Yet, she couldn’t hold back from teasing Chen further. “What’s the matter? Don’t you like the knives? I assure you, they’re all well crafted.”

  Finally, Chen ripped herself back to reality and said, “You’re really pushing it, you know?”

  “I’m aware of that, honey. I was wielding a sword decades before you were even born. You’d be Chen, right? Daegal’s little niece, right?” she asked. “Honey, you’d better sit down and eat before your stew gets cold.”

  Chen obeyed. Her obedience stunned her.

  The older woman wisely stayed clear of the table. Chen was near snapping. Anyone else, anyone Chen had ever known in her entire life, would be dead by now if they did this to her. As it was, the young guest was quietly eating her dinner. The farmwife struggled not to enjoy all of this too much.

  “How is your stew, Chen?”

  Chen felt refreshed, and it was great having a warm meal in her stomach. But she said nothing. The young warrior had accidentally thanked the farmwife once already, and she wasn’t going to give this woman a compliment on the food no matter how tasty it was.

  “It’s really good!” Chen found herself saying in spite of what she’d been thinking.

  The farmwife ladled more stew into Chen’s bowl and gave the young woman a reassuring pat on the back. Chen liked it. She felt like she was losing her mind.

  In a shower of red-hot embers, a log fell from the fireplace and rolled onto the floor. The older woman quickly took a step back, then lifted her skirt and brushed it with her hand.

  The black leather panther noticed a scar running the length of the woman’s right calf muscle and another on the back of her left leg as the farmwife turned while continuing to brush her skirt. Chen also saw several scars on the older woman’s left forearm and a small one below her right ear.

  “I see you’ve had several farm accidents. Don’t you have adult children to help with difficult tasks?”

  Before the farmwife could answer, the front door opened and the woman’s husband entered the room. “That poor stallion’s pretty beaten up, and it’s going to take me about a week to get him rested and fit. If you think you’ll be heading back this way anytime soon, maybe you’d like to borrow one of ours?”

  Looking at the man’s kind eyes, Chen saw they were filled with concern for a horse the farmer had never even seen before. Speaking with a gentle, polite tone of voice, the farmer added, “Why not come out to the barn and see if you like any of our ponies?”

  Getting up from the table, Chen shook her head imagining the sad-looking bunch of animals these old folks must have. Smiling good naturedly, the farmer lit a torch and headed outside with Chen reluctantly tagging along feeling skeptical.

  Ponies? Who raises ponies anymore? And I’m not going to be seen riding on a tiny horse, Chen thought adamantly, the mere idea making her feel embarrassed.

  But after they entered the barn, Chen was shocked to be looking at some of the best horseflesh she’d ever seen. After patting each of the “ponies” on their rumps, the farmer said, “Go ahead, pick yourself out a horse.”

  Running her hands over one of the animals, and with her voice filled with awe, Chen said, “These are incredible warhorses, but why do you raise them?”

  “Oh, it’s sort of one of my wife’s hobbies.”

  “Raising warhorses for a hobby?”

  “Well, some old habits die hard. And my wife says having a good horse can be more important than a sword.”

  Then, in the flickering torchlight, Chen got a further surprise. Across from the horse stalls, an entire wall was covered with weapons. There were broad axes, swords, bows, quivers of arrows and a collection of knives.

  Chen thought, I don’t believ
e it, more knives, as if they don’t have enough of them already.

  Reading Chen’s mind, the farmer said, “Andrina is partial to knives, never having used a shield. She’d block with her sword and deliver the deathblow with a knife.”

  “Your wife can fight, and she’s been in battles?”

  “Andrina has seen plenty of action. Years ago, when civil war broke out after his father’s death, my wife and I both fought on Lord Daegal’s side.”

  “I’ve no great respect for my uncle,” Chen said firmly and coldly.

  “Well, in those days, we believed in him. Back then, Lord Daegal was a fearless leader and treated his warriors well. As a reward for our service, he bestowed this farm upon us.”

  “What did you do to deserve that?”

  “Me? Not a whole lot. I mostly guarded my wife’s back. But Andrina was one of the best natural-born fighters anyone had ever seen. And make no mistake about it, young lady, that’s one dangerous woman in there. Even at her age, she has a quick temper, muscles as hard as rock and excellent reflexes. Oh, she can’t strike with lightning speed like she used to, but if you ever get Andrina upset, even you would have your hands full.”

  Thrilled by the farmer’s description of his wife, the black leather panther’s eyes were sparkling. And she was wearing a big, wide grin while radiating a sense of excitement and enthusiasm.

  Looking at Chen, the farmer smiled realizing she and his wife were a lot alike. Even while walking back to the house, Chen felt deeply moved by what she’d learned about Andrina. Somehow, knowing the older woman was an accomplished warrior made Chen feel more secure. The black leather panther no longer felt so alone.

  When Chen entered the house, she took one look at Andrina and started tearing up. The older warrior woman spread her arms wide, and Chen ran to her burying her head in the farmwife’s bosom and sobbing.

  “My father left me when I was 14, and I’ve been alone since then. I’ve been so frightened for so long,” Chen said weeping.

  And then it all spilled out. The dam came tumbling down. She cried for the loss of her father and for all the years she’d lived feeling vulnerable and abandoned. She cried over the loss of the safety and security she’d known as a child. And most of all, she cried for the warrior women who’d died earlier this evening fighting Lord Daegal’s men.

  Chen cried for the loss of her innocence and for what she’d turned into. She knew she was mean and spiteful. The young warrior woman knew she hurt other people but didn’t know how to stop herself. Everything always seemed so out of control. Chen had started killing as a way of keeping her fears from overwhelming her, and she just didn’t know what else to do!

  “I’ve killed a lot of people,” Chen sobbed. “You’d hate me if you knew how many people I’ve killed. It’s all I know how to do. It’s all I am good at.”

  “I know, sweetheart, I know all about it,” the older warrior woman said as she rocked Chen in her arms like a baby. “I know all too well about it.”

  “How would you know about me?”

  “I’m the one who suggested to Lord Daegal about surrounding you with 100 women your own age. I even helped select some of them,” she told a surprised Chen. “Have they been good to you?”

  “Oh, yes, very good!”

  “There was one girl I was particularly impressed with, a big girl who could be really vicious, if provoked.”

  “Corson!” Chen said smiling.

  “Yes,” the woman laughed as Chen’s tears began to dry. “Corson! What ever happened to that tough little girl?”

  “Well, she grew into a tough big girl. She can almost outfight me!”

  “And that’s saying something.”

  “Yes, it is,” Chen agreed feeling proud of Corson. “She’s over at Crystal Castle, or at least she’s heading back there now.”

  The older woman froze. “Corson’s living with Glenitant?”

  “No, Glenitant’s dead.”

  The farmer rose and looked at his wife with all seriousness.

  “What happened to her sword? Who has Crystal now?” Andrina asked cautiously.

  “No one really,” Chen said as she wiped her face and rubbed her eyes. “Well, I do, sort of. But Crystal is all tied up. Some other sword arrived with a blond girl and took Crystal prisoner.”

  “So what’s the status of Crystal Castle?” Andrina asked.

  “It’s mine now, I guess. At least that’s what everyone seems to think, including Crystal.”

  “What’s happening over there?” the farmwife asked.

  “Well, I have around 25 of my warrior women at Crystal Castle, but the rest are back at The Rock. I plan on getting them and taking them to my castle.”

  Chen liked the sound of the words “my castle.”

  “About 20 nobles from the western lands are at Crystal Castle, and Corson said more will be arriving at some point. But for now, there aren’t many of us at all,” Chen said. “However, I don’t understand about the blond girl’s sword everyone’s so impressed with. Why aren’t they counting on that sword to help out more? I’ve heard Baelfire’s powerful.”

  “Along with the sword and girl, is there a horse? A white horse wearing a large necklace inset with rare jewels?”

  “Yes, a white warhorse named Zorya, and she looks powerful, too.”

  “My understanding of it is that the three of them must go through some sort of ritual or initiation before the girl can come into her own. And Baelfire will be restricted by the girl’s own limitations until that time.”

  “I’m not allowed to use my sword,” Chen frowned. “Even Corson says I shouldn’t lay a hand on Crystal, not even to pick her up. Corson also says I should listen to some wizard named Eldwyn.”

  “Eldwyn’s there?”

  “I guess. That’s what they call him anyway.”

  “What does Lord Daegal know about all of this?”

  Andrina asked.

  “Nothing yet, but my girls and I killed a bunch of my uncle’s men earlier this evening after dark. I’m here now because we chased down one who had tried to get away. Now I’m on my way to The Rock to get the rest of my warrior women out.”

  “How about if you head back to Crystal Castle and I go visit your girls?” the farmwife asked.

  “I don’t know. I want to be sure I get all of them out.”

  “Yes, of course, I understand you want them all. And Lord Daegal will probably allow me to see them, but we have got to remove your warrior women from the castle in such a way as to avoid suspicion. We can’t just go in there and take them all out in one group. That would be like waving a red flag right in front of your uncle’s eyes.”

  “How would you go about it?”

  “I would prefer to have them leave a few at a time,” the farmwife counseled Chen. “And to buy us more time, the rest of the young women can stay confined to your chambers.”

  “Why?”

  “I want people living at The Rock to get used to not seeing them around the castle for a while. That way we can gradually slip your warrior women out without being so obvious, and people will be less likely to know how many are gone. Also, even after they are all out, their absence may not be noticed for a while.”

  Chen looked at the farmer. “So Andrina’s the brains of the family, is she?”

  “You won’t find a better battle tactician anywhere in the realm,” the farmer said proudly.

  “Well, how about if we get a good night’s sleep and start out fresh tomorrow morning?” the farmwife asked.

  Andrina’s farmhouse was spacious, with three extra bedrooms. Chen was snuggled deeply into the covers on a large, soft mattress that smelled of fresh sheets. Chen smiled as she fell into a deep, restful slumber.

  “That girl needs a mother,” Andrina said.

  The farmer smiled and thought, It looks to me like she’s found one.

  The husky woman with the many battle scars went into her bedroom. She put on sturdy breeches and a loose-fitting, heavy cotton shirt a
nd headed out to the barn with her husband in tow.

  Andrina put on a wide belt with a scabbard hanging from it. She hefted her favorite sword, admired its balance once more and stuck it into the scabbard. In addition to that, she put a knife in her belt, a knife in each of her boots and one in a sheath hanging down her back.

  Feeling sufficiently armed, Andrina mounted a massive warhorse that had been bred for both strength and speed. She kissed her husband, rode out of the barn and headed down a trail leading west to The Rock.

  As the farmer watched his wife riding off into the darkness, he felt an old, familiar fear. He wondered if he’d ever see his wife alive again. Then he forced the idea from his mind. She’d been in countless battles and always survived. But the farmer had always been with her guarding her back, and he thought, Who will protect her back now?

  The farmer had pleaded with his wife to let him go with her, but she wanted him to watch over the young woman sleeping in their home. Chen was now very important to the farmer and his wife for the older warrior woman and her husband were a childless couple.

  Andrina hadn’t seen Chen in years, and they’d never actually been formally introduced. The black leather panther had changed in appearance growing into an incredibly beautiful and strong woman. Yet when Chen entered her home, the older warrior woman recognized her immediately. Andrina took one look at Chen and realized that standing before her was the daughter she’d always wanted.

  The farmer and his wife had tried to have children for years but had experienced disappointment and frustration. Finally, they’d gotten pregnant, but the baby had been a casualty of war.

  Those were tumultuous times. Lord Daegal’s father had died, and civil war had broken out. Andrina and her husband fought on the side loyal to Lord Daegal. One day, there was a surprise attack on their encampment, and they’d been surrounded with no chance for escape. The farmer had tried to get his pregnant wife to safety, but it was hopeless. The battle was raging around them on all sides.

  He remembered how, during the battle, Andrina had gone into labor. She’d been fighting desperately, killing any enemy who came near her and the baby. However, his wife’s labor pains had gotten so great that she could no longer withstand the agony and finally lay down. Andrina had struggled to stay on her feet, but the baby was insistent and was coming, war or no war.