Survivors of Corrica

by Courtney Bowen

  Lapida and Hasbas were surprised. They hadn’t noticed anything different about him and he’d seemed just fine, like he always did, but now he was going to be trained in this new capacity. Hasbas was annoyed when, without Corr, he was mostly working by himself and could only depend on sporadic aid from others, while Lapida had just assumed they weren’t interested in any assessment on such capabilities.

  She had nothing against magic, like Geneva and some members of her family did, but she was used to working with her hands, forging new items into being from raw material. She wasn’t used to the concept of creating something out of thin air, manipulating an invisible force and inventing an entirely different thing.

  It might seem analogous, but it wasn’t, to her at least. She could see the iron, shape it, mold it, but she couldn’t picture or imagine its like in magical talent. How could you summon rain, fire, or wind without something solid in front of you? Lapida couldn’t wrap her head around it now.

  She wanted to understand the concept better, though, for Corr’s sake. It must be lonely for him, breaking off from everything he knew and trying something different when he might struggle with his gift. Lapida had a hard time trying to become a blacksmith, when most would’ve rejected her, but at least she had support and her determination pushed her on to accomplish her goals.

  Corr might face some obstacles, but he had his opportunities, too, and Lapida wished him good luck in his endeavors. He needed to work and strive for his ambitions, and she needed to continue with her job as well. Hasbas should understand that, or else she’d make him see it that way, too.

  Lapida grinned, considering that Hasbas was a pretty good fellow, and he’d get used to things eventually. As Lapida labored on, Porran, Anya, Wilama and Mogame were also attending their own classes at an advanced stage, practicing using their different elements in different scenarios.

  Wilama blitzed through her trials, healing and mending bones with a cool dispassion, while Porran was stormier as he struggled to target a breeze through a pin-size hole from a distance. Anya was starting to heal people with her spirit magic, while Mogame concentrated on learning how to ward off shadows and shades with Rowena hurling them at him.

  Corr sat off to the side for now, waiting to attend his beginners’ class once their lessons were done, when he heard someone hissing at him. Corr turned around, and spotted Fato crouched on the ground, hiding in the tall grass.

  “What’re you doing here? Aren’t you afraid you’ll be spotted?” Corr asked, facing the falcon Fay.

  “Of course I am. I’m just wondering have you seen a kitsune or purple-eyed cat running around here? Might’ve introduced themselves as Paracleus and Rhona?” Fato asked him.

  “No, I haven’t seen anyone like that.” Corr said.

  “Blast, they must’ve gotten off-course somewhere, and wound up who knows where?” Fato shook his head. “I should go look for them, but I don’t know where to start.”

  “Are they friends of yours, like you?” Corr asked.

  “Yeah, they’re like me, but they’re not used to this place either. I was going to introduce you to them. They’ve never met any humans before either.” Fato ducked down as he saw someone walk by, and poked his head up when they were gone.

  “Wait, am I one of the first humans you’ve ever met?” Corr asked, stunned.

  “Yeah, the very first and only one, to be honest.” Fato said.

  “Wow. I didn’t know that before. Did I make a good impression? For a human, I mean?”

  “Yeah, I think you did, but what do I know? I’ve only met you.”

  Corr chuckled and glanced around to make sure they weren’t noticed. “A kitsune and a cat, you said? I’ll keep my eyes open for them. A cat wouldn’t be noticed much, there are a few wandering around here, protecting the granaries. The cat, Rhona I assume, she could be around here. As for the fox, Paracleus, he’d stand out more if he came to the village. Maybe he’s in the woods nearby, possibly closer to the Corrican settlement.”

  “Thanks, that’s a good idea.” Fato nodded. “I’ll fly over the village, looking for Rhona. If I don’t spot her, then I’ll head for the woods and search for Paracleus and Rhona that way.”

  “If you reunite and they still want to meet me, hang out in the woods close to the trail. I’ll head back home that way, once I’m done with my lessons here.”

  “Okay, we might do that.”

  However, before Fato could take off, they heard a scream in the distance. Corr and Fato turned their heads, wondering what was going on, and then they spotted flashes of light in the opposite direction.

  “More portals?” Fato asked, his eyes wide. “Oh, no, I hope the other Fay haven’t discovered that we left.”

  ℜℜℜ

  With Wilama and Anya preoccupied in their lessons, Wintha decided to sneak off into the forest and head for the oracle’s cave where she might be able to commune with the universe again. Wintha ran away from the village, waving at the children, Bahealfisaba and Corrican, playing together.

  She also noticed some of Porran’s sailors courting other ladies in the village, perhaps the beginning of a future where they’d all be united. Wintha looked forward to that, as she knew they couldn’t stay separate forever and survive like this. Someday this town would be their home, and they’d forget about Corrica.

  Wintha didn’t always know what her future would look like, afraid to peek ahead at times and discover what might happen to her, but she hoped that she might have some kind of future here. She liked Bahealfisaba and its people and she could see herself staying here a long time, with Wilama and Anya as her guardians, if only that was possible.

  Perhaps she might talk with the oracle about that, if it was a good idea for her to stay here and not wander so far away. Of course, the oracle had called her the Wanderer the other day, but maybe she just meant that metaphorically, like she’d be a wanderer in time and space through her predications and her trances into other realms.

  Wintha ambled along now, humming to herself, halfway between the village and the Corricans’ settlement when a portal opened up in front of her. Wintha stopped, astonished as a black cat with grey paws and purple eyes leapt through the opening, closing the passageway behind her.

  Rhona landed with aplomb, licking herself off, and then she strolled along, staring up at the young woman. “I seem to have emerged in the wrong place. Can you tell me if there’s a Corr near here? Possibly a falcon named Fato or a kitsune fox named Paracleus?” Rhona asked.

  Wintha, however, was unfocused as her eyes widened, seeing a bloodbath in the distance. “We’ve got to go.” She urged, grabbing the cat and picking her up, carrying her away as she raced along.

  “What’re you doing? Let go of me.” Rhona struggled in Wintha’s arms.

  “No, they’re coming, an army of warriors. I think they’re the Savorre.”

  “The Savorre? What’s that?” Rhona asked.

  “The Blood-Drinkers.” Wintha stopped a moment and then screamed, loud enough to be heard all over, before she kept running, heading towards the Corricans’ settlement.

  Meanwhile, more portals opened up just south of the village of Bahealfisaba as the Savorre fighters, with the Vanahatora leading the charge, streamed through the breaches. They stormed the fields, slashing and igniting the crops, while a few of their warlocks spoiled the vegetation or cracked the ground. Then they came across the first houses and buildings and some of the warlocks broke the stone or burned the thatch.

  When people emerged, they were captured by ropes and nets, or they were bound by shadows with their bones frozen, unable to move. They were taken away, back to Savorre by a few of their captors through a portal, but the rest of the warlocks and combatants moved on, heading towards the heart of the village.

  Rowena, Porran, Anya, Wilama and Mogame spilled out of their classroom as Fato ducked down behind Corr, still sitting on a bench. “It’s the Savorre. They’re raiding us again.” Rowena grimaced to herself.

>   “The Savorre? From the south?” Mogame asked, looking off in that direction.

  “Yes. We need all mages on hand to fight them off before they take too many prisoners, and that includes you four as well.” Rowena said, facing the Corrican students. “Do you think you can handle that?”

  “Yes, I’m ready for that.” Wilama grinned, excited.

  “Should I stay behind to tend to the injured?” Anya asked.

  “All right, you hang back, Anya, and assist Huette.” Rowena said as Huette ran up with Kozu, Kiki, Demetrius, Oran, Kalino and a few others.

  “That’s an excellent idea.” Huette said.

  “Will you keep an eye on my cousin, Huette?” Porran asked her.

  “I’ll do that.” She promised him as Huette and Porran kissed.

  “Kozu, Kiki, go help evacuate people, make sure they’re safe. Take them to the Corrican settlement.” Kalino turned to his children.

  “But father, we can stay and help fight.” Kiki said.

  “I insist upon it. Go.” Kalino said.

  “Okay. Corr, come with us.” Kozu ordered, spotting the boy as he tried to fade away into the background.

  “All right, I’m coming.” Corr told him, and then hissed over his shoulder at Fato, “You better go. It’s not safe.”

  “But what about Rhona and Paracleus?” Fato asked.

  “I’m not sure. They might be around. But surely they’d keep themselves safe, right?” Corr asked him.

  “Corr!” Kiki yelled at him.

  “I’m coming!” Corr shouted back and ran off, following Kozu and Kiki, not checking up on Fato. He hoped the falcon Fay would fly away from here.

  Fato groaned, not certain what to do as he watched the mages and warriors muster up, forming defensive perimeters while the other villagers surged out of there, fleeing into the forest, or heading towards the river and the Corrican settlement. He ought to take Corr’s advice, he knew, and search for Rhona and Paracleus instead when they’d probably keep out of this conflict.

  But he didn’t want to go then, he realized. He wanted to stay and see what an actual fight or battle might be like. He’d heard they were terrible encounters between humans that showed off their worst qualities, but at the same time he was terribly curious to see what might occur here. He was, perhaps, not the smartest Fay, but he wanted to be more involved.

  Chapter Thirteen:

  The Battle of Bahealfisaba

  At the same time, Lapida and the blacksmiths heard the uproar building, and they quickly grabbed iron weapons of any kind and passed them out to anyone capable of wielding them, while keeping a few to defend themselves with. Though they weren’t a match against magic, these iron and steel blades could hold up well against any copper or bronze armaments the Savorre might have.

  Lapida had learned how to fight as well, thanks to Hasbas and other teachers, and she was willing to stay behind, too, and defend the village she’d worked so hard for. However, she was worried about Corr until she spotted him heading off, accompanied by Kozu and Kiki.

  The brother and sister seemed like a good pair, and they’d take care of her brother-in-law, she was certain about that. Hopefully Hasbas and the other Corricans would shelter and protect them, too, if the village was destroyed.

  After arming and shielding themselves with whatever was on hand, Lapida and the blacksmiths rushed out of the forge, joining the defenders as the first Savorre forces reached the heart of the village. The warlocks attacked first, shaking the ground and launching fireballs at the buildings, trying to upset and startle their victims first.

  However, Oran and Demetrius solidified the earth and stone beneath their feet, making it as hard as they possibly could, while Kalino and Porran attempted to extinguish the flames with water and wind. Savorre warlocks hurled stones at their foes, attempting to knock them out, while others were sprouting up plants to ensnare villagers.

  Rowena and Mogame attempted to poison the plants with shades to free their quarries, and Lapida and others sawed through the vegetation to release them. Porran blew away stones and Demetrius cracked them into smaller, harmless pieces.

  Now the Vanahatora, the warriors, and the warlocks were upon them, and it turned into a bloodier, frenzied, face-to-face conflict. The Bahealfisaba mages were outnumbered, but Wilama led them for a short while as, once she came into contact with the enemy, she unleashed the full force of her magical powers.

  She cracked bones, squeezed them into a vice, pulled them out and tore through the Savorre with a fury the villagers had never seen before. Even when the Savorre died or were severely injured, Wilama could control their bodies for a brief spell to strike at their friends.

  Rowena and the other mages stared at Wilama in horror, realizing she was performing spells and feats they hadn’t taught her, picking up these skills on the fly, and she was absolutely brutal and ruthless in her methods, too. Huette had Bone magic like Wilama, but she was using her powers to heal the injured or strengthen the villagers on her side, like the mages had taught her, making them taller and stronger for battle. Anya was also helping Huette with her Spirit magic and trying to ignore Wilama’s horrendous conduct.

  They couldn’t have an uncontrollable mage like Wilama in their midst, if she showed a disregard for human life and wouldn’t assist others like Huette and Anya did. They feared Wilama might develop even more sadistic and cruel behavior.

  The Bahealfisaba mages knew that some of the Savorre warlocks used the same methods Wilama did when they employed the Bone element, and there were other warlocks skilled in the Death element, who could strike out and kill their foes with a blow. However, the Savorre were limiting their powers at this time, only toughening and shielding themselves, when they were looking to capture more people than they killed, but they were still capable of using these abilities.

  The Bahealfisaba mages knew they were in the middle of a battle to save themselves, their families, and friends from a fate that might be worse than death, if the Blood-Drinkers got ahold of them and drained them. So they weren’t in a position to correct and reprimand Wilama now, especially when Wilama was decimating the Savorre forces, defeating more of them than anyone else on their side. But the mages swore that after this was over, they’d have a conference to decide how to discipline and control Wilama’s behavior so that she wouldn’t turn evil like the Savorre.

  On the other side, Yagidehama glimpsed Wilama at her work and was surprised that the normally demure, compassionate villagers would employ such a vicious witch in their ranks, but then again, she wasn’t one of the regular villagers. She spotted a few people who didn’t look like they belonged or matched the rest of the villagers, and she noticed the nonmagical villagers were wielding new weapons with a different design.

  In fact, as some of these swords and axes clanged and clanked next to her, she got a second look at them, and her eyes widened. Iron? They were iron blades? It was definitely not like the copper or bronze weapons that most of the Savorre still brandished, and she realized their technology must’ve advanced in the last few months.

  Perhaps these strangers or newcomers had helped them unlock the secrets of iron forging, as not even the Savorre’s best smiths could get close to cracking the right variations to create the same results. Stone warlocks had tried, too, with help from Fire warlocks, but to carve iron ore into weapons was an intricate, grueling process for stone magic, while reaching and maintaining the right temperature to forge the blades was difficult for fire warlocks.

  Using such magic to create and replicate items on a mass scale was also taxing on the warlocks, and could completely drain them of their powers. Not even the Savorre would force their warlocks to suffer such a fate, so only regular forging would be adequate to create such iron weapons for their warriors. Maybe one of these people here, if questioned properly after they were captured, could tell Yagidehama and the Savorre how to forge iron.

  Yagidehama passed on this directive to one of her commanders, who turned around to es
cape the battle and return to Savorre, while she eyed the ferocious Bone witch of Bahealfisaba. Though she admired the other woman’s tenacity and inventive skills, she had to subdue her to stop this slaughter and take her back to Savorre.

  The mages distracted the warlocks so that the warlocks couldn’t capture average, unmagical people, but the rest of the ordinary Vanahatora and assorted fighters went around the magical clashes in an attempt to reach the villagers. Lapida and the village’s defenders met them and fought as hard as they could to save themselves.

  They had an advantage in terms of the stronger, sharper iron and steel blades that could cut through the ropes and nets the others employed. But they were tangling with seasoned fighters, skilled at capturing their foes, and they were being overwhelmed by sheer numbers and physical strength. Lapida prayed the rest of the Corricans might come soon before they were all dragged off, back to Savorre.

  ℜℜℜ

  “What was that noise?” Cassandra asked as she joined Zeldos and the kitsune Paracleus in the clearing.

  “I don’t know, but maybe we should gather the others?” Zeldos suggested.

  As some of the Corricans, who’d been busy with their own building and farming projects, deserted their tasks to find out what was going on, Wintha carrying Rhona rushed into the clearing. “The village is under attack! The village is under attack!” She shouted.

  “Who’s attacking?” Cassandra asked, focused on Wintha and not noticing as the purple-eyed cat jumped down from Wintha’s arms, and went across to the kitsune fox sitting next to Zeldos.

  “The Savorre, the Blood-Drinkers, I’m sure of it.” Wintha told Cassandra. “Why didn’t I see this beforehand?” She murmured to herself.

  “What are Blood-Drinkers?” Zeldos asked, gaping at them.

  “The Savorre have a group, the Vanahatora, infamous for capturing prisoners and draining magical powers and even blood from them.” Cassandra quickly told him.