The Unworthy and The Damned

by Billy Wong

  "You carried him? Is he your boyfriend or something?"

  Shaking her head at Lina, she replied, "Definitely not! He's my... temporary bodyguard."

  "What is a nice girl like you doing with them anyway?" her mother asked Lina. "I mean, not that my daughter isn't nice, but you don't seem like the type to get involved in such rough business."

  "Lina is really brave—I'm not sure she isn't braver than me, considering she's not a fighter and still goes without flinching into danger. Guess you can't judge a book by its cover, or healer by her robes." Deciding she wouldn't exclusively flatter Lina, she added, "Smarter tongue than you'd expect, too."

  "Anyway," her father said, "we should continue this in my office." For the serious talk Ted didn't need to hear, no doubt. "You stay here too with Ted, Sheila. I'll fill you in later." Her mother nodded.

  Celia, Edge and Lina followed him into the tiny office where they barely had room to sit around his desk. "Are you sure the healer girl should be coming along?" Edge asked while Lina set her staff down slowly to lean it against her chair. "We don't know much about her or if she'll have anything to contribute."

  "Hmph! I saved your life, and I am your wise elder."

  Celia rolled her eyes. "Quit playing around and let Dad speak."

  "Ahem," her father said, "thank you. As you've probably guessed, I was attacked by an assassin too and that's why I had our family go into hiding. What has your experience been? Tell me everything, and especially if you have any clue who has been sending them."

  She told the story from the beginning, being truthful except to omit the fact Edge had very nearly killed her. Her father might not look as kindly at him if he knew about that. Edge corrected her on details she misremembered and added others she forgot, while Lina understandably didn't have much to say due to joining up so late. At last she concluded, "We don't know who hired the assassins. I actually thought it might be an enemy of yours, and hoped you would have an idea."

  "I do have suspicions of who may be responsible for this and why, but I dare not throw around accusations without evidence." He exhaled. "Now that you're here, you should go into hiding with your mom and brother, and be the last line of defense for them while I continue to investigate this."

  The part about defending her kin did make his request more palpable, as she wanted anything but for them to get hurt. It would make her anxious to leave them by themselves when neither had much fighting ability. Still, "You have other allies who could look after them. I want to help find out who's behind this, not just sit back and let you take on most of the risk. I'm an adult too and your partner as well as your daughter, right? I've killed six assassins already, and helped Edge kill another along with fighting a crazed giant and animated suits of armor. I can handle the danger just fine."

  He fell briefly silent, then said, "I don't doubt you can take care of yourself. But is there really that much you can do to help investigate? You're not experienced in that area. I don't see what you could add that my contacts can't."

  "I know I might not have anything special to offer. But another helping hand never hurts, and you could get other people to look out for Mom and Ted too. I guess since it's my family that's imperiled, I want to be active in stopping the threat, not wait around for it to go away. It's not that I don't trust you, I know you're very capable. I just want to help too."

  "I suppose if you truly wish to do this, I will not stop you."

  She bowed her head. "Thanks, Dad. I'll give it my best to protect us all. There is something else I need to mention. Edge wants... compensation for traveling with me, and I can't deny he's given me a lot of help. Would you please try to keep an open mind while discussing it with him?"

  He frowned. "I will, though I would caution him not to have unrealistic expectations."

  "Don't worry," Edge said with a grin, "I doubt my demands will be outrageous by your standards given I wasn't the highest paid assassin. I do also expect payment for my continued services as bodyguard, though."

  Celia stared. "Continued services—what?"

  "Haha, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out what I mean. I've cut ties with the person who got me work—aside from him being dead courtesy of you—on top of me not really wanting to be an assassin anymore. So I need a new job, and what more convenient one than to carry on as I have been guarding you."

  "Don't want to be an assassin anymore?" Lina asked. "I guess you really are the edgeless one."

  "Why does people keep making fun of my name? It's a great name."

  "I'm just kidding! It's always good to see somebody turn away from a life of murder."

  "Er... since when do I need a bodyguard?" Sure Celia had thought about wanting one before, but it wasn't something to mention in front of Dad.

  Edge raised his brow. "Is your memory that short? There were multiple times you probably would've died without my aid."

  Reluctantly she admitted, "That might be true. But these haven't exactly been normal circumstances for me, under which I don't need a bodyguard."

  "Who said anything about being a permanent bodyguard? For now, while you have assassins stalking you, you could use someone to watch your back. If that situation's resolved, then you can get rid of me and I'll look for other work. I won't charge too much to travel with you. A man needs enough money to eat, and I don't require much more than that—as long as I can eat well."

  She smiled and clapped his back. "You're not so bad. I'm sure you and Dad will be able to work it out. Another thing... Dad, if it's not too much right now, do you think you could have your people help Lina find work? She came with us in case we needed her help, but now that she's here, she could probably use something to do around town."

  "That won't be necessary," the healer said. "I'm staying with you too."

  Now it was Edge's turn to stare at her. "Come again? Why, and to do what?"

  "Don't act so shocked. If you're going to continue wandering around 'investigating' with killers on your tail, you might still need my healing and guidance. Besides, I also may have a lead for you."

  "You do?" Celia asked. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

  "I was too shy to."

  That was obviously not the reason, but she didn't have much choice other than to let it slide. "Well, what is it?"

  "One of the assassins pursuing you, who you haven't killed yet, is a manipulator of the dead called the Necromancer right? Back where I used to live, there was actually a sorcerer whispers said to be interested in such things. I haven't heard about him in a long time, but I figure there's a chance he could have become the Necromancer we know today."

  "How big of a chance? Is it that rare for magic users to express interest in working with the dead?"

  Lina paused in thought. "Nowhere close to a hundred percent. But, mages aren't that common in the first place so ones who like necromancy should be even less so. It's better than nothing."

  "And where is this place where you used to live?" Edge asked.

  "Pretty far to the south." Her voice grew quieter. "It seems like another life, back before the man I thought I loved died. It might be a little hard on me going there, but I'll do it for my young charges' sake." The man she thought she loved? Celia was curious about that, but Lina sounded upset and she decided to leave her alone. More would likely come out later, on the way or when they got there, anyway.

  Edge spoke to Celia's father in private about the payment he would receive, and seemed to get it settled to his satisfaction. They said their goodbyes to her family and set out for the south, hoping if they could get their hands on the Necromancer, they could come one step closer to finding the mastermind behind these attacks. As they crossed a meadow a short distance from town, Celia said to Edge, "I'm grateful you want to keep helping me. Whether or not it's because I look good."

  "It's not just that. Protecting someone who's already adequate at defending herself like you should make good practice for easing myself into my new profession."

  "I'm sur
e flattered to be used for a test run. Sounds logical, though."

  "What about me?" Lina asked. "Don't I get any thanks for my aid?"

  "I appreciate your help too, of course. But it's a bit strange—if you're supposed to be on a journey of healing, isn't helping us investigate apt to take a lot of time away from that?"

  She spread her hands in a noncommittal gesture. "There are no strict guidelines on how many I have to heal or who. I'm just supposed to go around lending my aid to the needy as I see fit for six months or so. I've already done some work as a sort-of town healer, now I'll see you through your adventure. Besides, we might also meet some people who need healing along the way."

  "It guess that makes fair sense. Are you going to abandon us if we haven't found out who's behind the assassins before your time is up?"

  "Maybe. Will you miss me when I'm gone?" Before Celia could answer, she finished, "But I didn't start out that long ago, so you needn't concern yourself with it for a while yet."

  Edge put an arm over Lina's shoulders. "Don't question so much Celia, savor her while she's here. We sure can use her skills."

  "Don't tell me you find her pretty too."

  "She's not bad looking, you must admit."

  "Hey, don't treat me like a piece of meat! I am your elder, remember."

  They walked on for a while, then Edge mused, "By the way, she sure is different around her folks. She always acts so hard and unshakable around outsiders, but the moment she sees her bro she's bawling like a baby."

  It took Celia a second to realize he was talking about her. "Well, you know, I was worried about them after finding them not home. Ted is my little merchant in training, I can't imagine if something were to happen to him."

  "It's understandable," Lina said. "Most people would react pretty strongly to their family being under threat of death, though it was a tad novel seeing Celia outside her hard shell."

  Edge averted his gaze. "I guess you're right. Maybe I just haven't had a family for so long, I don't remember what it feels like."

  They traveled for weeks over sweeping plains and rolling hills, until they passed the southern border of Eden and approached Lina's old city of Dominique. Though they weren't quite at the sea, the proximity to it already allowed them to detect a hint of saltiness in the air. Leading them through the low arched gate onto gravelly cobbles, Lina brought them before a wood stall just past the entrance complete with smoking grill. After looking away from the food he prepared towards them, the swarthy man behind the counter froze in recognition of the healer.

  "Lady Katalina!" he greeted her after a moment where Celia couldn't decide if he looked pleased or uneasy. "I didn't know if you would ever return to Dominique." Lady Katalina?

  "I didn't know if I would either," she replied. "Three of your signature wraps, please."

  He turned to the preparation table beside the grill, and sprinkled some chopped up meat, beans, and bits of vegetables onto some—sheets of dough?—he had spread out. He spread some sauce over them with a spoon, then rolled the sheets up into cylinders. Handing the "wraps" to Lina, he waved away the coins she extended towards him. "My treat, Miss Lina. I hope coming here means you have found closure, and will be able to fly freely wherever life takes you."

  "Thanks. Don't worry, I've long moved on from that past."

  "But it was only a few years..."

  She shook her head. "Another lifetime. I'm a new woman now, not bound to any man dead or living. Anyway, I wish you a good day, and more after it."

  The trio moved on, nibbling on the large wraps almost as big as a person's head. They headed deeper into the city of graceful houses with complex, often partially rounded facades. The predominantly stone structures looked made to last, probably to counteract the more volatile coastal weather. "This tasted great," Celia commented when she was almost done, the spicy sauce giving the ingredients a satisfying moisture inside the skin. "I was skeptical whether the meat would be good chopped up into such small bits like this, but it is."

  "That's how we do it down here. We make a lot of our food chopped up, quick to chew but no less savory for it."

  "By the way, are you a noble or something? Lady Katalina, is it?"

  Having stuffed the last big piece into her mouth, she swallowed it down with wide eyes before responding. "No, I have no noble blood. Used to be in love with one, though. Almost married him."

  Edge grinned at her. "So the mysterious Lina does have a past. What was he like? Not to be insensitive, but am I right to assume he's dead?"

  "Dead and buried. I don't mind you talking about him. It was a mistake for me to follow him as far as I did, and I'll own up to that."

  "What was he like?" Celia asked.

  They had reached the square, and passing by a bronze sculpture Lina waved a hand towards it. "Look up. This is him, or an approximation thereof." It was the towering statue of an armor-clad man brandishing a rounded axe, his face obscured by a oval mask with small horns. "You're taller than I remember you," she breathed.

  Edge's jaw dropped. "I've heard of him! That's Sergio the Reaper, the evil warlord whose blade bathed the southern coast in blood before he was killed in his home by a righteous assassin. You were in love with him? That's insane!"

  Lina hung her head. "I don't think he was completely evil, though many of the choices he made were wrong. He was a young man thrust into a position of power too early, and hotheaded besides. He didn't always start the disputes, but did often enough, and other times would drag them on past the point of reason. While how malevolent he was can be debated, he did carve a path of fire and blood across the land with his endless feuds. I was young then too, and fooled myself into thinking the peace he claimed to seek could be won in that manner. I even helped him govern, taking care of practical matters while he dealt in ideals." She stopped with her features tight, and although she didn't cry, Celia sensed she barely held back from doing so. Kind of sobering to know even the unflappable healer had her vulnerabilities. "In the end, he proved a mere mortal, and his dreams and desires were all undone at the point of a dagger."

  "Such a frightening figure brought low by a small knife," Edge said quietly. "It just goes to show the power of an assassin!"

  Celia slapped the back of his head. "Don't use the death of her lover to promote your former profession! Besides, were you even a real assassin? Usually one associates assassins with using stealth, you and your teacher seemed to just like walking up to people and challenging them to fight. More like hired killers than assassins per se."

  "There's more than one way to skin a bitch," he grumbled.

  "Did you just call me a bitch?"

  "At least he didn't hit you back," Lina pointed out.

  "That's true. Maybe he's becoming more gentlemanly over time." He punched her shoulder, and they scuffled for a bit in front of the statue before breaking apart with pouty looks.

  Lina sighed. "I guess they really are still kids after all."

  Carrying on, they soon discovered the wraps gave them quite a bit of gas. Edge let out burp after loud burp, while Celia tried to control her release so that it came out as soft hiccups. "What's your secret, Lina?" she asked, her tummy aching. She couldn't be sure if what wanted to come out down there was just gas, or...

  "I need a latrine," Edge moaned.

  "It's not that I don't understand," Lina said, "considering each of those wraps was a full two pounds of meat, beans and kicking sauce." Celia's stomach twisted to hear it, and she pinched her cheeks together. All that went down way too fast with the pieces being tiny. "But it doesn't bother me, cause I'm used to it."

  "You're used to it? Great. Now can you please take us somewhere where we can, you know, crouch down?"

  She showed them to the nearest restaurant, where they took turns inside the washroom. "Your shit stinks," Celia said, having been second. "Literally."

  Edge snorted. "It's not like yours probably isn't just as bad. Being a girl hardly puts perfume in your excrement."

&nbs
p; "Okay guys," Lina said, "calm down. Anybody want another wrap?"

  "No!" they answered at once.

  As they exited the restaurant, Edge asked, "Where are we going now, anyway? Do you have any idea where to actually look for this mage who was interested in necromancy?"

  "I have more than an idea. He used to work for Sergio, though I didn't have that much contact with him, but it shouldn't be too hard to ask the former employees of my fiance. I just hope enough of them are still around."

  "You were engaged to him?"

  "I did say we almost married. I'm practically a widow, if not technically."

  Lina had a lot more experience in life than her, Celia thought, if not in battle. Maybe she should take the "guidance" she offered more seriously, instead of writing her off for not being as much of a hardened brute. Wait, had she just thought of herself as a brute? Perhaps Lina's words already had more of an influence than she knew. Still, nothing wrong with that even if she was a girl. Better a brute that could defend herself, than a lady who was dead.

  They continued to the wide imposing mansion at the heart of the city, where Lina knocked on the gold-ringed double doors. A maid in her twenties with a narrow freckled face opened them. "Lady Katalina!" she said after a moment of stunned silence. "I'm glad to see you look well."

  "Happy to see you seem hale as well, Tania. How has life been around here when I was gone?"

  "They were rough to start, but the new ruler has done a fine job patching things up with our neighbors since then."

  She averted her gaze. "I'm sorry I ran away to leave you all to handle everything by yourselves, but after Sergio..."

  "I forgive you, Mistress. I know how hard it is lose a loved one, and after what you must've already been through when he was alive..."

  Lina clenched her jaw tensely, and Celia wondered if Sergio had hit her before. If she could, she would love a chance to punch him in the—but he was dead, and the past unchangeable. Whatever Lina had gone through, Celia admired that she had the strength to move on and still be the spirited girl she was. "In any case," Lina said, "I need to speak with whoever's in charge now about something. Can you take me to him?"