Bloodless

by Roberto Vecchi

  Soliana saw the beginning of tears, "Was?" she asked.

  "Yes, m'lady, 'was'," he answered.

  "What happened?" she asked him as she rested her chin on her folded arms across her knees.

  "We were young and alive with all the possibilities of life. But what we never thought, what I never thought, was that those possibilities could be taken away without a remorseful thought given afterwards," he said perhaps in the preparation of retelling a story he kept far from his memory. "It was a summer evening and we were about our town attending the local selection festival. It was nothing grand like those offered by the larger towns and cities, but it was ours and we loved it. Our daughter always favored the animal pens," he paused to chuckle. "You should have seen her trying to ride one of the sheep. She was much too small to mount it herself, but she would not allow anyone to help her. She was so much like her mother; like a river of life that could not be denied its passage. Her energy, much like her mother's, formed tributaries into the hearts of everyone they came in contact with," he paused long to allow himself control over the emotions now a fluid presence in his normally emotionless aspect. "They killed them," he said suddenly with a deep and tear ridden inhalation. "But they did more than that. They only killed them after they were done with them," he continued as a deep fire of pain burned within his eyes.

  "Who was it?" she asked as her eyes began to fill with tears, more for the pain he was feeling than sympathy for those she never knew.

  "I never saw who it was. I was too busy with my own dealings and business," he spat the word as if it was the plague. "I had been pulled away by one of my business partners to discuss the next phase in our development. We were already successful and were presented with a rare opportunity to expand our business holdings into the neighboring province."

  "I am sorry for your loss, Jaro," she said compassionately as she reached out and placed her hand on his arm.

  "They violated their bodies," he hissed. "Even my little girl. They violated them and left them to die like rabid animals!"

  "What did you do?" she asked as she tightened her grip hoping to offer him a measure of solace that time could not.

  Looking down, and then up to the sky, he answered when his eyes returned to meet hers, "I did what any man would have done. I renounced all of my ties to life and began my quest for vengeance."

  "Did you ever find who was responsible?"

  "No. But one cannot sustain life on only a vengeance bent existence. So, I began to reflect what life had given me. Because life had taken so much from me, I decided to take it back from other people."

  "So, you became a thief," she said without any accusation in her words.

  "Yes, I became a thief," he said with no remorse. "Why should I not? Life had taken everything from me because without them, nothing else mattered. And because I never found who was responsible, I blamed the condition of life itself. There is no justice in life. There is only action. And our actions are the only things granting us what we think is justice."

  "I once believed as you did. I once blamed my path on an individual just like you," she said as she withdrew her hand.

  "Were you fortunate enough to find him?" he said as he leaned backward, propping himself with his elbows.

  "I was indeed," she said.

  "And did you return to him what he stole from you?" he asked.

  "Yes, I returned to him the death he had given me," she answered,

  "And how did it feel. Tell me so that I may feel that satisfaction though you," he said with a set of purposed focus in his eyes.

  "At first, it felt delivering. As if a decade long drought had finally been ended by the purest and most refreshing rainstorm there had ever been," she said as she closed her eyes, feeding on the memory of a splendid meal. "And then, after time passed, only a few hours as a matter of fact, I felt less and less full."

  "What do you mean?"

  She tilted her head in consideration, "I do not know, really. In the act, it felt glorious to finally be rid of the man who broke me, but after the meal had been served and all dishes cleaned, I found myself still empty. And then," she trailed off without finishing the statement.

  "And then what?" he asked with expectation for her explanation.

  How could she tell him the very man responsible for the fulfillment of her vengeance was now alive? He already questioned her sanity, or at the very least, her judgment. No doubt he would question her even more if she told him the truth. So, she decided to amend the truth to fit the circumstance and responded, "And then I found out that the death I dealt out was not a permanent balm for the burning vengeance I carried."

  "Is there ever a permanent balm for that?" he asked.

  "None that I have found yet," she said as she leaned back on her elbows.

  "Then it appears as though we are doomed," he said as he looked into the distance.

  "Perhaps, but perhaps not. There may be hope for us yet," she said.

  "Perhaps," he echoed. "But it is late and I am in desperate need of relieving myself. With your pardon," he said as he stood up.

  "Of course," she said and watched him walk into the darkness beyond her hearing. He was much more than she thought he would be. Jaro the thief was more than the fingers he used to collect the purses he stole. He was much more than the schemes and stealth he employed as trades of his chosen craft. And he was certainly more than the vengeance he once sought. He was a good man forced into a bad vocation. But who could blame him? Life had given him pain, more pain than he was capable of handling while maintaining the belief system he had once believed. It had changed him, warped him and forged him into the reflection of what it was to him - take because it will be taken from you. And she could not say that he was wrong.

  Soliana was accustomed to rising well before the sun peaked its golden, warming rays over the horizon, so when she was the first to do so, she was not surprised. She enjoyed this peaceful time before everything static began to move. It allowed her the freedom to plan unhindered by the opinions of others. Not that she did not value them, because she did, but with so many people, sometimes they did drown out her well-educated judgment.

  Walking through their camp, she saw things had become more worn down than when they had started their journey three weeks ago. Fabrics used for tents were stained with dirt and watermarks. Some seams were showing holes as well. The ropes used to support things like drying lines were showing marginally frayed portions. They were not in any danger of breaking; however, without being equipped to make the necessary repairs, she doubted if they would last another three weeks. While much of their material supplies were running thin, the food and water provided by the land seemed to sufficiently meet their needs. There were times when rations were necessarily limited, but those were neither frequent nor severe.

  When she reached the far end of the camp, completing her examination, she saw three separate lights approaching from the distance. They were not approaching quickly, as one might expect if an alarm had been raised; but they were coming closer at a slightly elevated rate. She estimated the time it would take for them to reach the camp and judged she had enough time to and wake both Jaro and Dregor, the two men whose council she had come to value.

  The two of them were comprised of what she called contrasting similarities. Each man was good and dedicated, but the object of their dedication was very different. Dregor, still possessing a wife and child, weighed all of his decisions based on the well-being of a family unit, whereas Jaro, the quintessential lone thief was concerned with only the health of himself. And so long as the two of them were aligned, Dregor’s family and Jaro’s independence, they were not at odds. But when their opinions were different, neither of them would yield their respective positions, often times requiring Soliana to provide a calmer and more unifying position. She respected both men for what they were. And though Jaro was a thief, she saw many similarities between he and Dregor, though neither man would admit to them openly. She doubted if they would ev
en do so in secret.

  She had little difficulty finding them amongst the other refugees. One of her directions was that for ease of identification, the pattern of their camp be consistent from site to site, as much as was possible given the landscape of the terrain. This meant she would know right where to go to find both of them if potential trouble arose. And the approach of three riders bearing no identifiable banner presented a potential trouble. She approached Dregor’s tent first, sticking her head inside the flap. He was not a very sound sleeper, unlike his wife and daughter.

  “Dregor. Dregor,” she whispered. Seeing him open his eyes and return to a conscious state of understanding quickly, she continued, “There are three riders approaching from the North. I believe they wish to speak with us.”

  “Very well, m’lady. I will be there shortly,” he said as he stoically but slowly sat up in bed attempting not to wake his daughter or wife.

  “I will meet you at the northern edge of our camp. They are not riding hard, but they are approaching more quickly than a causal purpose would indicate,” she said as she closed the tent flap and began walking in the direction of Jaro’s tent. When she did find it, in rather short order, she did not approach it as she did with Dregor’s. Instead of opening the tent flap and jutting her head inside, she stood just outside of the fabric door and called his name, “Jaro. Jaro,” she whispered. But he did not return any sound of acknowledgement. The only noise she heard was a rather faint snore followed by the sound of him instinctively shifting his position. Had it been her first time rousing him from sleep, she would have opened the tent flap and walked right in. But it was not her first time, and because of that, she had learned her lesson. The first time, about three days into their journey, she had inadvertently interrupted he and two young women clearly enjoying each other’s company. When all she could do was stare in shock, he had asked, “Well, do you wish to join us?” She turned and immediately exited his tent hopefully before her face had time to flush showing her embarrassment. From that moment on, she never entered his tent unannounced.

  “Jaro!” she said more forcefully. “For the sake of all that is good, wake up! We have riders approaching from the north.”

  “Riders?” he asked through a groggy yawn.

  “Yes, riders,” she said. “Get dressed and meet me at the northern border of our camp,” she said waiting for his acknowledgement.

  “I will be there shortly,” he said releasing her to return to their designated meeting spot. As she turned to walk away, she was certain she heard a rather feminine giggle accompanied by a rather pouting voice say, “Do you have to go now?”

  As Dregor and Soliana waited for Jaro to join them, they saw that the riders were only about a minute away. In the early morning hours before the sun had fully risen, had it not been for the reflective, metallic quality of their armor, Soliana would not have been able to see that the two riders behind the lead rider were, in fact, city guards. She and Dregor looked to each other both thinking it was strange to see guards this far away from the city of Tatherton.

  “Well, is that not strange?” said Jaro as he approached, a slight grin on his face.

  “I am glad you were not too occupied to join us this morning,” said Soliana with an edged quality to her voice.

  In response, Jaro remained silent, but had a very large grin on his face. Soliana simply shook her head. “Well,” said Jaro, “what exactly is the reason I was,” he paused, “interrupted?” Now it was Dregor’s turn to shake his head.

  “We will find out in a moment,” said Soliana as she inclined her head to the three approaching riders.

  As she had initially deduced, the two in the rear were city guards, but not the guards of common rank. Rather, they must have been higher up in the ranks because of the cloaks they wore. The leading rider was not a guard at all. He wore a large billowing cloak with a deep hood that he allowed to drop off his shoulders. His hair was long and as dark as the material of his cloak. He wore a white tunic and a pair of black trousers. His tunic was tied up the middle with black lacing ending at the top in a rather complex bow. His face was angular and severe. When they had ridden close enough to see, Soliana saw that his eyes were of the lightest shade of blue she had ever seen. When they rode up to the three of them, the lead rider dismounted smoothly and addressed Jaro, “I am Gridder De Lu Montage, lord of these land and Lord of Tatherton.”

  Without hesitation, Soliana accepted his introduction and followed with one of her own, “I am the Lady (though she did not enjoy using the term, she thought it better considering the formality with which they were just addressed) Soliana Solaris. I am the current representative for the refugees from the Stone Keep.”

  “Ah, yes,” said De Lu Montage, “the refugees from The Stone Keep. I heard it was taken?”

  “Yes, it was attacked and conquered by a dark army,” responded Soliana. “Some of us were able to escape and are seeking refuge within your lands.”

  “My scouts did tell me there was a large progression of people heading in our direction,” he said. “But my scouts have also told me that there had been nothing ill done to those of the Stone Keep who chose to remain there. In fact, I was informed of the rather benevolent nature of the coup. Apparently this Jesolin Kahl has said his endeavor will do nothing more than to give his people freedom from the nobles.”

  “I can assure you, Lord Montage, that regardless of what appearances he may be portraying, this Lord Jesolin Kahl is altogether evil,” said Soliana.

  “Perhaps, perhaps not. But to the point. We are not prepared to sustain a pilgrimage of this size at this hour,” said Lord Montage.

  “My Lord?” asked Soliana confused at his statement.

  “Refuge. You cannot seek refuge within our City. That is why you have come this far north is it not?” asked Lord Montage.

  “I am sorry, m’lord, but we are only passing through on our way to the mountain pass,” she said.

  “The mountain pass?” he asked as he and his guards exchanged glances.

  “Yes. That is why we have come this far north. To seek refuge within the lands beyond,” said Soliana.

  “The mountain pass has been closed off by a huge landfall during the last rains. It remains impassible to this day,” he said apologetically.

  “What?” asked Jaro.

  “The rains were so severe this past season that it wore away at its foundation causing a landfall to completely block the pass. We have sent several of our best scouts in search for a possible opening, but none have been found.”

  “What are we to do?” asked Dregor. “We cannot go back. Not now.”

  “You are right. We cannot,” affirmed Soliana.

  “We should head west, m’lady, to the coastal cities,” interjected Jaro, “like I suggested in the beginning.”

  “Coastal Cities? You would have a better chance digging through the land fall than traveling across the whole empire with winter coming,” said Lord Montage. Seeing the deflation in Soliana’s eyes, he continued, “Take heart, all is not lost. As I was saying, while we cannot sustain you and your people within our walls right now, perhaps after the winter we will be able too.”

  “We are a strong people, m’lord. We can work.” he said.

  “I am sure that you are, and I am sure that you can, but that does not change our material restrictions. We do not have the houses available for you at present. Nor do we have the grain and food stores reserved to provide for you this coming winter. We here in the North experience a much different winter than what you do in the south,” responded the Mayor.

  “So, you will not allow us residence within your lands?” interjected Jaro.

  “I did not indicate that. Slow your assumptions, my good man. We will be able to allow you to stay, but we do not yet have room within our city borders to house you properly. However, if you can last the winter providing mostly for yourselves, we should be able to start the process of expansion to include all of you within our city proper. But until
then, you will have to stay in the valley,” he said.

  “Where exactly is this valley?” asked Soliana.

  “It is on the southern border of our lands, not more than a day or two’s ride from where we now stand. It is uniquely situated far enough away from our main cities so you will not disrupt the rhythms of life that my inhabitants have come to know. At least, not before we have made the necessary preparations for you to do so,” he said.

  “What of the surrounding land? Is it able to sustain our health throughout the winter?” asked Jaro.

  “I can assure you, that if you are wise, you will find the supplies you need. You may even choose to remain there once your roots are down and watered.

  “Are we able to discuss this before we let you know our decision?” asked Soliana.

  “Certainly. I will be here again tomorrow morning at the same time to hear your answer. But if you wish to remain in my lands, you will have to build your camp in the valley,” said Lord De Lu Montage.

  “Thank you, your Grace. Your offer is very generous. We will spend the night deliberating and will have your answer tomorrow morning. Thank you again,” said Soliana.

  Gridder mounted his horse, nodded, and turned to ride back to the city of Tatherton with his guards behind. As Jaro watched him go, he waited until they were out of hearing range when he said, “What was that about?”

  “What do you mean?” asked Dregor.

  “Did you not find it strange that he knew of our request even before we requested it. Before we knew we had to request it?” asked Jaro again.

  “Perhaps he is just a very straight forward and prepared man,” added Soliana.

  “There is something that does not seem right to me. Almost as if this was a show,” said Jaro as he began walking back toward the center of their camp.

  “Where are you going?” asked Soliana. “I think this would be a good time to discuss our options.”