Savants of Humanity (The Scholar's Legacy Book 2)

by Joshua Buller

  Hawke stepped forward and put a hand on Char's shoulder. His eyes had returned to normal, and they regarded Anonce with cool contempt. “I've known Char for a long time, Anonce, and if there's one thing I know he isn't, it's a liar,” he said. Char choked back a sob.

  “Then you're more a fool than I thought,” said Anonce. He started struggling to his feet, but every movement looked as if it took colossal effort. I was astonished he could move at all, after having his soul injured and being in such close proximity to Char's final blow. “You claim to fight against the grinel, yet you continue to defend this monster time and again.”

  The knight managed to find his cane with a trembling hand, and with its aid he rose to his feet. Only its support kept him from collapsing again, so badly were his legs shaking.

  “He killed my fellow Disciple. Jerem was a fool for believing he could be friends with something with demon's blood flowing through it, but he did anyways. He even taught the monster the secrets of our people.” Anger clouded Anonce's expression. “And death was what he got for his compassion. Death is all that awaits anyone who sympathizes with these devils.”

  Hawke stepped away from Char and drew Symphony with a flourish. His own essence hummed down the blade, and though his was unseen by the naked eye, there was enough terrible power there to shear through stone and steel and flesh in a single stroke.

  “The grinel may be demons,” he said, “and I can't deny that I wouldn't be sorry to see every last one of them drop from the face of the world. But I would never condone the death of a good man like Char, and make no mistake - he's a good man.”

  Symphony was almost vibrating with the disgust and malice Hawke was feeding through it. “You, on the other hand, are a mad dog without a leash. If I leave you alone, it's only a matter of time before you kill an innocent in the name of your 'justice.' I can't risk that.”

  Hawke's sword pulsated with hate as he advanced on Anonce. His face may have still been calm, but I knew that, as good as he was at hiding his feelings outwardly, his emotions ran clearly in his soul. Each step he took thrummed with barely-contained rage. The knight, still fighting just to stay on his feet, could only watch with heavy-lidded eyes as his death approached.

  Suddenly, my guardian was stopped in his tracks by a titanic form that crossed his path.

  “Move, Char,” Hawke said. He refused to meet our friend's eye. “It's my job as a king to keep people safe from monsters like him.”

  “Bullshit,” Char said, and he gave Hawke a small shove with a single hand. A push like that from me would have been less than nothing, but with his outrageous girth, Char forced Hawke back a couple of steps. Now he was willing to meet Char's eye, his eyes confused behind his false lenses.

  “The man just tried to kill you. Micasa and I saw him kill other people that didn't warrant it. Why do you defend him after all this?” he asked.

  Char snorted. “Aye, those people he killed in Hafwei were saints, ah'm sure. Face it, Hawke, if ya'd been in Hafwei another time, ya might've been th' one ta kill 'em. Thing is, Anonce is muh problem, and ah'm the one who gets ta pass judgment, if any.”

  He looked over his shoulder at the injured knight. “So, listen up. Ya get back on tha road, an' keep goin' til we can't see ya. Not ta th' capital, either. Ah figure Hawke'll be headin' that way soon enough.”

  Anonce looked at him, his jaw dropping a little. “This is some trick. You're just trying to toy with me before you kill me.”

  “Shaddup with that!” Char snapped. “Ya really don't know meh if ya think ah'd do such a thing! 'Sides, ya might die even without mah help.” He prodded Anonce with a single finger, a tap even lighter than the shove he gave Hawke, but it was enough to make the knight almost keel over in pain. “Yer soul's not broken, but it is cracked. Takes a long time fer sumtin' like that ta heal. If th' pain don't get ya, any bandit or grinel ya come across would make quick work of ya.”

  Anonce continued to stare dumbfounded at Char. His eyes flicked towards the trees a few times, like he was considering making a run for it but afraid he'd be struck down, regardless of what his foe said. Ever so cautiously, he started to shuffle off. Each step made his face screw up, but he managed to haul himself slowly with liberal help from his cane.

  “Wait,” said Hawke. He moved towards Anonce, and this time when Char reached out to stop him, he knocked the hand aside with a casual swipe of his own.

  “It's okay, Char, I'll let him go,” he said. He sheathed Symphony to emphasize his promise. “I don't like it, but I will. However, he has something he has no right to.”

  Anonce eyed him warily, but Hawke stopped a safe distance away and held out his hand.

  “The nullstone,” Hawke said sharply. “We need people with strong minds as well as bodies to face the grinel. In your state, it would be useless.”

  Anonce scowled, or maybe winced, and dug through his travel-stained tunic. He ripped the dirty stone from its depths and flung it at Hawke with all the strength he could muster. In his condition, it flew just far enough for Hawke to snatch it out of the air.

  “For all the good it'll do you,” muttered Anonce. “The demons are poised to take over everything, and you're all but ready to hand it to them on a platter.”

  Hawke, to his credit, chose not to retort. Both of us and Char watched as the Vagrant Knight hobbled into the trees, step by painful step, until the night sky and foliage enveloped him, and he vanished from sight.

  “Aye, is that what ah think it is?” Char said. Hawke turned and held up the stone for his inspection. Char clicked his tongue.

  “So, this is what's got both of ya runnin' all over tha place.” Char leaned in and examined the nullstone in uneasy wonder, like it was an exotic snake that might decide to bite him at any moment.

  “We've been through hell and highwater to track these down,” said Hawke. He appraised the nullstone for a bit, casually tossing it in his hand as if it were some coin he'd just found lying about. His eyes drifted towards Char, and he nodded.

  “Catch,” said Hawke. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the nullstone at Char. More from reflex, our giant friend caught it. Realizing what he did, he almost dropped it on the spot.

  “No, Hawke, ya can't be serious—” The weight of Hawke's implication seemed to be pressing down on Char. It was as if he was shrinking before my eyes, the way he cowed away from the relic.

  “I'm afraid this is quite serious. Do you think I'd be going back to Grankul if it wasn't?” said Hawke. Char hefted the nullstone in his hand. For as light as it was, he still looked like he could barely stand to keep his grip.

  “That's true,” he said slowly. “Ah dun really wanna go back, muhself.” He swallowed hard. “But why meh, anyway?”

  “Why not? You know more about that place than I do. Plus, your half-grinel heritage would make them less likely to be hostile to you.”

  “Aye, or more hostile, dependin',” argued Char. His eyes unfocused, and suddenly he looked a thousand miles away, in another life altogether.

  “Please, Char,” I said. He looked at me, shocked and perhaps a bit hurt. I didn't know what Grankul held for Char, but it was true that he was as qualified as anyone we knew to make the trip. I knew we could trust him, and that alone was worth as much as his strength or knowledge. Plus, I'd feel better with a friendly face there besides Hawke.

  He weighed the nullstone again, and sighed. “Yer askin' a lot,” he said to Hawke, though his eyes met mine for a second. “Dammit, fine.”

  Hawke smiled and patted Char on the arm. “Thank you. I know we're asking a lot.”

  Char snorted again. “If ever there was an undahstatement…” He shook his head and stuffed the nullstone in his poncho. “Well, if we're gonna do this, ah suppose ah need ta get caught up ta speed.” He turned and waddled back to his meager camp, trying to navigate without tugging on his wounds too much.

  “Not gettin' much sleep tonight, so ya both get ta keep me company with a story,” he called over his shoulder
with a grin. “Now get muh fire started again, Hawke. Ah need a cup o' coffee or three if ah'm gonna deal with whatever yer about ta lay on me.”

  * * *

  It's amazing how much a good fire and something hot in your belly can wash away the stress of a friend almost being killed. With Hawke's attendance, we had a bonfire roaring with far more energy than the wood should have allowed, fighting against the dim moonlight for dominance, and winning.

  We took some time to cook up an early breakfast and fill ourselves to bursting. Char kept a steady flow of boiling coffee at the ready, filling Hawke's mug regularly and his own constantly. I even took a cup, despite how tepid I was to the beverage. After all the stress of the last couple of days, it was the first bitter taste I welcomed.

  We ate in companionable silence, leaving the talking for after we were full and recharged. When we couldn't put if off any longer, Hawke launched into the story of how we had ended up there, starting all the way from Uraj's letter. Char was the perfect audience, gasping at the tense moments like our meeting with Bojangles, and laughing at the lighter ones such as Uraj's bizarre midnight escape with us.

  When Hawke got to the part about the destruction of Liturgy, Char's face grew taut and pale.

  “By tha Lord Ordained, ah had no idea,” he said. His swear seemed inappropriately funny to me, after seeing just what Silvia was actually like. “Jess visited Luke and Winter a few months ago. Heh, she was already blowin' up like a balloon.” He smiled, but it was strained. “Yer sure they're alrigh'?”

  “We saw them off with Uraj personally. By now they're in Damkarei, probably staying in the castle as guests. They're as safe as can be.” Hawke said it with an air of assuredness that even made me feel better. With all the death and destruction we'd seen in just the last month, I wasn't sure anywhere was truly safe these days.

  “Well, that's a load off muh mind,” Char said. A bit of the tension drained from him, as he drained the last dregs of his fourth cup of coffee. “It'll be nice ta see them when we get there, then.”

  We lapsed into silence, watching the bonfire dance and twist. There was a question that had been buzzing in my mind for a while, and I saw there wasn't likely going to be a better time to bring it up. I took a sip of what remained of my cold coffee to steel my nerves.

  “Char,” I said, “could I ask you who Jerem was?”

  “Hmm? Ah…” Char slumped a bit.

  “You don't have to tell me if you don't want!” I hurriedly added. He waved it off with a hand large enough to fit around my head.

  “Nah, might be good fer meh ta talk about it. Been a long time since 'e died.” His gaze drifted around restlessly. “Ah met him a few years after ah came 'ere from Grankul.”

  “You used to live there?”

  “Aye,” he said, nodding. “Pop owned a li'l plot o' land he tended to with a bunch o' slaves.”

  He must have noticed the horrified look on his face, because he sputtered a bit in his haste to explain. “Mebbe slaves is the wrong way ta put it. In Grankul, most humans work fer grinel in exchange fer food and shelter. 'Smore like servitude than slavery.”

  “They're forced to work with no hope of freedom,” Hawke said harshly. “If that isn't slavery, I don't know what is.”

  “Ya'd think so, but ah tell ya, it's better'n what those who dun have an owner have.” He shook his head. “Free humans in Grankul 'ave a harder life than most slaves, ah promise ya that.”

  He turned back to me. “Mum was one o' pop's workers. Pop always treated his servants well, an' mum better'n the rest put tagether. She ended up takin' a likin' ta him, too, and ah was tha result.”

  Char took a shuddering breath. For a man so large and imposing, I never saw someone look so vulnerable as he did in that moment.

  “She had problems when ah was born, though.” His words were thick. “No wonduh, really, seein' how big ah am. She lived, but she couldn't work anymore. Pop took care of us as best he could, but the other workers didn't like how we were treated special. Course, muh dad coulda killed 'em all and nobody'd throw a fuss, but he wasn't that kind o' grinel.”

  “By tha time ah was old enough ta understand what was goin' on, ah started takin' on work around tha place. With mum bedridden, ah had her share o' chores as well as muh own. Ah could do twice as much as any other servant when ah was jess six years old.” Char chuckled at some well-aged memory.

  “Mum passed on eventually, when ah was about yer age, Micasa. It near ta killed me, but it hit pop a lot harder. He really loved her. Ah expected him ta hold it against me, but instead he did somethin' unexpected: he set meh free.”

  “Well, good!” I said. Hawke looked dubious.

  “I thought you weren't a slave to him,” he said.

  “Aye, mebbe free's the wrong word,” said Char. “He helped meh set of on muh own. No, tha slavery came after.” I didn't think it was possible for him to grow any more despondent, but he managed. “In a way, I kinda wish he had wanted me ta stay. Ah know he was tryin' ta give meh a better life, but he couldn't have known what would happen.

  “Ah'll save ya tha dirty details. Let's jess say, a free half-grinel ain't seen in much better light than a free human in Grankul. First city ah showed up in, ah got cold-clocked in broad daylight and dragged away. When ah came to, ah was already chained up on a boat headin' ta Astra.”

  The fire had died down, casting long sullen shadows over the camp. In the distance, an owl cried out for someone it didn't know.

  “As it turns out, half-demons pass fer a higher price than human slaves.” He tried to make it sound amusing, but it came off more bitter than his drink. “Stronger workers that can double as freaks ta entertain guests. Ah was bought right away. That's when ah got mah new name, Nazval - garbage. Spent tha next twenny years o' muh life toilin' fields in tha Fertile Lands as a piece o' trash.”

  “Twenty years!” I blurted out. “How old are you!?”

  His eyes shifted as he wiggled his fingers, trying to calculate in his head. “Dunno, seventy-something ah'd guess. 'Sbeen a while since ah got free.”

  I gaped. Char was very unusual looking, but he didn't look old in any sense to me. His face was singular, but unmarred by wrinkles, and his auburn hair didn't have a single silver strand hiding amongst the unruly mop.

  “Ah, ya dun believe me, do ya?” Char said, noticing my stare. “Ah'm actually older'n Hawke, if ya dun count him cheatin' and all!” He managed a genuine chortle, and even Hawke smiled a bit.

  “So, was Jerem the one that set you free?” I asked.

  His good humor grew a bit somber. “Yeah, well, him an' Hawke both.” He smiled appreciatively at our mutual friend. “If not fer them, ah might've still been plowin' them damn fields.”

  “What?” Hawke shook his head a little. “There was no Jerem there.”

  Char chuckled. “Of course he was there. That's where ah met ya both.”

  Hawke's brow furrowed. He seemed to be trying hard to remember, which struck me as off. He could rattle the most inane things off the top of his head at a moment's notice. Char took it as a joke and continued on.

  “Hawke had run off shortly after ah woke up, but Jerem stuck around ta help me find supplies so ah could make it on mah own. Problem was, ah had no idea what ta do with freedom. Mah first time free, ah was made a slave within a week. Ah mean, ah was pretty big back then too, but ah was too timid ta make use o' that strength. Ah was afraid ta be hurt. Jerem an' Hawke were was so scrawny, yet they'd killed all tha overseers and masters by themselves. Ah could barely believe it could be done. That's prolly why ah ended up followin' him.

  “He didn't care much fer me tailin' him, but after some time he started talkin' ta me. Thankfully, ah was as much a curiosity ta him as he was ta me. When he realized ah wasn't any good at defendin' meself, he started teachin' me a few fightin' tricks. We kept movin', and he kept teachin', and pretty soon it became jess the way things were.”

  Char's eyes lingered off towards the forest, and one spot in parti
cular. “Then Anonce showed up one day, though he was still Matthas back then. That's when ah learned Jerem was a Disciple, and apparently hadn't been back home in a long time. Anonce wanted him ta return, but Jerem didn't wanna go. They argued and fought, and Jerem got his way in tha end. Ah thought that was tha end o' that.

  “We travelled fer a few more years tagether. Ah met Hawke again durin' that time, an' got ta know him then.” Hawke's brow knitted even tighter, but Char paid it no mind. “It was sometime after that time when tha…accident happened.”

  “Did you really kill him?” The words spilled from my mouth before I thought about them. Cursing myself an idiot, I rushed to apologize a dozen times over, but he put a finger over my mouth halfway through.

  “No, it's alright. Ah did, an' ah dun think ah'll ever be able ta live it down.” He sighed heavily enough to stir the air. “Happened durin' a trainin' bout. Y'know, type o' thing where we spar without actually makin' contact. Ah was tryin' out a new move he'd just taught me, an'…shit, maybe ah put too much power into it.” He ruffled his hair in agitation. “Ah still can't figger out how ah managed ta hit him. Ah thought ah was bein' careful.”

  I didn't know what to say to that. What could I say? I couldn't even begin to imagine what it'd feel like to be in a situation where a misstep on my part cost someone I cared about their life. With Hawke, that wasn't even a concern; I was uncertain if he could even die. Maybe I'd just come to take it for granted, that my actions could endanger someone close to me.

  “Anonce showed up shortly after ah buried him,” Char said, breaking me from my thoughts. “Ah get the feelin' he'd been tailin' us fer some time, hopin' ta convince Jerem ta come back still. He didn't wanna listen ta my excuses, and tried ta kill me on tha spot. Basically been runnin' from him ever since.”

  “I'm surprised he never found you before tonight,” said Hawke. “You've lived on the Ururu for as long as I've known you.”

  “Sure, but ah don't stay there all tha time. Every time ah went out ta help ya or Luke with somethin', it was usually cuz Anonce was sniffin' around muh home.”