Arrow of Justice

by R W Caron

  “Yes, I can tell you how to get there.” Dylinin replied.

  “Do tell.” The king said sitting forward on his horse.

  “Yes, do tell.” Shatina, the king’s mistress, hissed. Dylinin explained how to exactly get to the village of the tribe and knelt before the king.

  “I pledge myself to you.”

  The king slid off his horse and grabbed his sword from the saddle bag. “Stay kneeling as I wish to knight you into my serve.” Dylinin did as he was instructed and the king tapped his one shoulder then his second shoulder and rested the blade on the man’s head. “Arise, my knight.” Dylinin rose to his feet and smiled at the king. The smile was quickly turned to shock as the king plunged his blade into Dylinin’s midsection, driving the blade through his stomach and out of his lower back causing blood to squirt from the wound. The king, within inches of Dylinin’s face, spit at him “Your people should have died back then. Did you really think I would have you in my service? Foolish boy… Thank you for the information though. You may rest in peace knowing that I will reap your revenge for you.” The king pulled his blade free and Dylinin fell to the ground grasping the wound. “Your little tribe will be dead soon enough thanks to you, then you will have your revenge.” The king smirked. “Unfortunately, you will not be there to see it.” The king mounted his horse, spurring it to trample over Dylinin. The knight behind him followed his lead also having his horse trample over him. The other dozen men, looked on, and followed in suit, marching over the now battered body of Dylinin. High in the trees, Alina stared on with horror in her eyes. She quickly headed off into the forest. Her brother had told her to keep Nahan safe and that’s what she intended to do.

  Chapter 4

  Flowers of Blood

  Alina rushed away from the camp and toward the city of Debec. With the king and his small force far behind her, she hurried on through the night calling upon her superior hunting skills, and what her brother called her gift. Alina had an uncharacteristic ability to see in the dark as if it were light. This was only ever rumored by the ancestors of the Nipawin, that great warriors were granted this ability in order to protect the tribe, to see the enemy coming before they could see them. Alina had worked every day with Nahan when they were children, teaching him to follow her lead and feel the forest around him. Nahan was special to her and even though he could not see in the dark, he defeated her in every race they had as kids. Secretly, she had let him because she had feelings for him and could not stand to see him fail. As the memory flooded her mind, her body took over rushing along limbs of trees. She didn’t need her eyes right now as she was at peace with the forest, it would not let her fall. She trusted her body to know what to do.

  As she continued on for what seemed like a matter of minutes, but was in actuality hours, she finally came to the place she intended to be. She landed swiftly on a low hanging moss covered branch and focused herself back into reality. Her heart hammered in her chest and beads of sweat slid down the back of her neck as she squatted down and examined the swamp she was in, looking for her prey.

  “Where are you?” She said quietly to herself. She looked from left to right slowly, the swamp itself had a light green and blue glow to it. In the moonlight the flowers around the swamp opened to full bloom and had a distinct glow of light blue which reflected off the moss covered plants and water, creating the green glow. As she looked around still frozen in position she saw several vines hanging low, like snakes hanging from the trees and then finally, she saw what she had come for.

  A smile crossed her lips and she slowly moved out across a long branch. She hopped to a second and lowered herself down to the soft mud of the swamp. She slowly moved to the far left of the water and stared out at three lily pads with bright red flowers growing on them. “Fire flowers.” She said with a smile. She knelt on the boulders that were surrounding the side of the small pond. “I only need one or two of you, a bit of the moonflowers, and those armies won’t go anywhere for months.” She said more to herself then to anyone, trying to play her plan over and over again, convincing herself it would work. She reached out for the flowers and her finger tips touched it trying to pull it towards her but the lily pad just spun on the water. “Come on,” she growled.

  She stretched out for it a second time and missed hitting the water. She punched the boulder in frustration and took a breath to settle herself. She knew the dangers of the whiles and that at any minute something could be behind her without her knowledge. She unhooked her bow from her back and sat it down beside her as she stretched out a third time. The stretch forced her face to look down deep into the water mere inches from the surface, while looking down into the water for the first time, her fingers finally touched the flower and she started to pull it towards herself disturbing the water. Without warning six bright red eyes popped open right in front of her face and a giant fur covered hand grabbed her arm yanking her down under the water before she had time to yell or react.

  Alina immediately kicked her legs out catching the swamp troll in the chest, pushing off of it with a quickness rivaling that of a cobra strike. It’s strong muscular hand stayed clammed on her and held tight to her arm. The troll lunged at her with his mouth full of dagger like teeth coming extremely close to her slender torso. She barely managed to kick out and get just outside the range of its teeth as they slammed shut. She used her free hand and yanked the skinning knife in her boot out and stabbed the troll rapidly in the hand that held her captive. The hand that held her abruptly released with one more stab, and she swam the few feet to shore.

  She crawled onto the bank and rolled to her side quickly as the huge beast gave chase, slamming its fists into the ground where she had just been laying. The troll pulled itself up from the swamp and stood between Alina and her bow now. The enraged Troll shot its arms to the side and let out a defiant howl as he stared down at the little intruder. Alina crouched and stared at the beast standing in front of her, surveying the creature. She had never seen a swamp troll before, but had hear the legends of them. This one did not disappoint. It stood about seven-foot-tall, six saucer sized eyes staring back at her. Its head looked attached to his shoulder almost like a minor hump between the two thick muscled shoulders. Its arms hung almost past its knees and she could see the muscles flexing on it, even under the thick covering of jet black hair. Its legs looked very powerful, but Alina had heard they were only dangerous over short distances as their bodies were too heavy for them to sprint long distances. She looked around and realized that there were no real long distances for her to go. She shook her head at her own stupidity and heard Nahan’s voice in her head reminding her to always check her surrounding before going forward.

  The troll gnashed its teeth at her and let out a loud territorial screech. Alina covered her ears and fell backwards in pain as the beast rushed forward at her, her instincts took over and she rolled backwards over her shoulders narrowly escaping another club like fist that smashed into the ground. She then rolled to her feet and attempted to rush past it. The troll sidestepped and kicked its leg out catching her in the chest and sending her flying backwards, treating her as if she was a ball that could be kicked around like a toy. Alina managed to arch her back and attempt to roll through the kick but she slammed hard into a low hanging branch. The wind fled her lungs and she clawed at the branch but to no avail as she lost her grip. Air rushed past her as she fell, her feet catching a second branch, tilt-a-whirling her through the air and slamming her back first into the mossy floor of the swamp. Alina groaned and tried to push herself up, the troll quickly closed the gap and swung his fist like a club. Alina ducked and the troll connected hard with the tree. The tree groaned in protest but held his own. The troll screeched in pain, its eyes shooting to Alina, who had rolled and staggered past it, rushing with all her might to the bow that lay on the boulders.

  The troll dashed at her and quickly closed in using its powerful legs to propel it quickly forward. Alina dove, grabbed the bow, and twisted in mid-air
splashing shoulder and back first into the water as the troll rushed in after her making the water murky as it splashed in in through the mud. She turned under the water, notched an arrow, and shot into the murkiness of the water. The Troll just so happened to be in the right place as the arrow slammed hard into flesh, catching it in the bottom left eye. The troll grasped at its wound as blackish purple blood oozed from the eye. Alina swam as hard as she could back toward shore, flying out of the water, she notched another arrow as she wiped the moss from her face. The troll erupted from the water splashing onto the shore. She leveled her shot and fired again catching it in the arm. The troll whipped its large form toward her and its red eyes started to show signs of the black blood flooding them. She didn’t hesitate taking aim and driving another arrow into the beast’s chest.

  It sprinted at her and she took off running with a new-found energy, she quickly ran up a moss covered, downed tree, and fired another shot at it, catching it again in the chest. The troll slammed its fist into the downed tree and Alina flew high into the air. She back flipped and landed on another branch, notching another arrow, she fired down at the beast catching it in the back of the head.

  The arrow grazed off.

  Alina gritted her teeth in frustration and squeezed her bow tighter. She looked up and a slight smile crossed her lips as she had a plan. She Steadied herself and took three large steps on the branch before pushing off and soaring through the sky. Her hands found what she had been aiming for as she grabbed ahold of one of the vines that hung from the tree. She used her momentum and body weight to swing with the vine twisting and kicking up with her legs she promptly let go propelling herself forward and grabbing a second vine, this one she used to swing herself around the tree to the ground below. She landed on the ground and rolled quickly as the troll had read her move and hammered the tree she was just in front of. She spun through its legs, grabbed her skinning knife with her right hand and drove it into the monster’s calf muscle.

  The troll screamed in pain and turned quickly as Alina got to her feet and smiled back at it. She reached for another arrow and realized that in her backflip her quiver had come undone and now hung from a tree branch above the troll.

  “Really?” she yelled at herself.

  The troll screeched again and she whipped her skinning knife at it catching the beast just under the lower jaw where the throat would be and yelled “Shut up already”.

  The screech stopped but the monster still stood and now all five of its eyes focused in on her as its legs flexed and it started towards her. Even with a wounded calf the monster was gaining on her. Alina took off running and seen her chance about half way around the swamp. “This is gonna be a long run.” She whispered to herself. As she rushed on, the troll closed in on her quickly and she dove to the right narrowly escaping a huge clawed hand. She skirted back around it and quickly made her way forward. She was almost there as the troll cuffed her, driving its claws across her back and causing huge red lines to form across it. The pain was excruciation and she vowed to never ‘play’ with a creature like this again. The impact of the blow sent her sprawling to the moss covered ground on her hands and knees. She scurried forward under the low handing vines she had seen and been running for. Her hope was that troll would get tangled in them and she could get back to her bow, however a giant tree blocked her path. The troll closed on her trying to push its way through the vines. A devilish vine caught around its throat, and in its rage, it hadn’t noticed, it was driving the skinning knife deeper into its throat. Suddenly the Troll growled at her, mouth wide, and teeth inches from her as she pushed her back hard into the tree that blocked her path trying desperately to become one with the tree. She turned her face to the side and hoped the creature could not reach her. With the creature final thrust forward he collapsed, the pupils of his eyes rolling into its skull and the tongue of the beast falling out its mouth.

  The skinning knife was buried past the hilt with only the decorative gem on the end of it being the only visible part of the hilt and blood gushing from the monster’s throat and the gurgling sound of the creature’s final breaths allowed Alina a moments peace. She had come so close to dying that she had to chuckle to herself.

  Alina’s breath returned as she sighed a sigh of relief and fell back into the moss. The sudden sting in her back remined her of just how close she had come to the deadly creature’s claws. The stories she had been told of these creatures make them out to be less intelligent, but as she thought about it the stories she had heard most definitely did not take place in the creature’s residence. Never once had she heard a story of Nipawin man going to a swamp and fighting off one of these creatures. She was sure some had tried but the reason there where no stories was because they never returned to tell them.

  “Too close.” She said to herself. She looked at the creature for a minute as a smile graced her lips. “No more need for the flowers.” She said as she slid off her outer tunic. She pulled her knife free and knelt carefully beside the troll, taking care while soaking her tunic in the creatures blood not to get any in her wounds as troll blood was extremely toxic.

  After she had soaked her tunic in troll blood she found her bow and attempted to retrieve her quiver. The pain in her back would heal soon enough but she knew that she was hurt. She used a low hanging tree to look at her back in the water. It felt worse then it was she could tell but she also knew that it needed to be cleaned. She let go of the tree branch falling backward into a dive. Trolls lived alone and never welcomed any other creatures so she felt safe.

  The cold water rushed through the wounds and took most of the sting away. As she exited the moss clung to the wounds forming a makeshift bandage to cover it.

  Alina moved a lot slower through the woods as she made her way towards Debec. She had her once light brown tunic now blackened with the ooze of troll blood, wrapped and fastened to her side. A pungent smell wafting up from it and it was enough to turn any man or woman’s stomach. Her quiver rested gently on her back, causing her pain every time she moved, as it brushed against the three large scrapes, but with the troll blood tunic sitting where her quiver would be with and injury such as the one she had she had little choice in the matter. The morning light had started to erupt from beside the settlement of Debec and the Citadel could be seen in all its splendor. Alina had never seen the Citadel before and paused for a few moments to marvel in its exquisiteness. She allowed the sun to warm her face and ran her hands over the dew covered grass before dropping into a crouch. Once again Nahan flooded her mind. He had once mentioned the Citadel, told about its beauty and how it was nothing compared to hers, but since he was to be chief, she answered him with a cold bitterness. She remembered him telling her to enjoy the little things that the world offers because life could take us any day.

  She had laughed it aside and told him he was living in the clouds but now she could see what he had meant. It hurt her to know that Nahan would never be able to see the little things in the world again and it was her fault. She now finally understood him. After almost being killed by the troll, she seen the world in a different light. That is why her mission was now more important than ever. If she could delay the army, she could return to Nahan, she could tell him everything and help him prepare, she could buy him time to fight or get away. She moved quickly through the tall grass and made her way to the wooden wheel that was being turned slowly by the water.

  One guard stood with his back to her and she could not see any others. She slowly leveled her bow as she pulled back an arrow, aiming it at his throat. She paused and then shook her head. She could not become them; this man had not done anything to her. She started to make her way around the guard to the stream heading into the walls of the settlement. She slowly took the troll hide off her hip and started to soak her now black tunic in the water, letting the poisoned blood flow off of it and into the colony’s water supply.

  “HALT!” came a yell from behind her and she turned quickly, in one smooth motion, level
ing her bow at the guard that had come down from the wooden lookout.

  “Bad move” she replied natively, and let fly with her bow. The arrow caught the man in the throat and his hand instinctively went to his now gushing wound as he dropped to his knees. Suddenly a swarm of twenty or more guards stormed forward at her and she notched another arrow. “I like these odds.” She whispered and smiled to herself.

  cHAPTER 5

  Bitter Sweet

  Andrew in his three months as the new leader had made some progress and through that time had acquired a large following. People listened to him, worked with him as he was one of the first people to get his hands dirty in the farms and would assist his people with their daily labors. Others would consider such work unfit for a man of his status. In those few months he had managed to make people believe in a brighter future under him. Andrew was sitting on the steps of his father’s house that was now his. Suddenly the crack of a whip rang out in the distance and Andrew turned his ear to the sky listening as a second snap was heard. The streets were eerily bare and he instantly knew something was wrong. Andrew rushed down the two steps and quickly grabbed the reins of his horse that were tied just in front of the shoulder of the horse. He tightened his legs onto the muscular animal and gently shifted his heels into her ribs. Her muscles tightened and she took off like a streak of lightning. Andrew listened and heard a third crack even over the pounding of hooves. He turned his horse quickly and spurred her on towards the city center. The people stood in a circle with guards and the guard captain in the middle with three people tied to three separate posts. The two men and one woman had lacerations across their backs and the woman was tied back first to the post and had a laceration across her breast and stomach with her shirt hanging as it had been cut with whatever caused her wound. Andrew rode into the circle and slid off his horse. His leg, still not healed from his encounter, screamed in protest but he ignored it and walked strong and proudly toward the guard captain who had a smug look on his face. The guard captain bowed with an over exaggerated bow and smirked at Andrew. “What are you doing?” Andrew asked loud enough for all to hear.