by Kody Boye
“I told you not to mess with my stuff!” a woman cried.
“Ey,” Ignatius finished.
Something shattered as it struck the wall. Carmen heard the telltale tinkle of glass as the object scattered about the floor.
“I’m sorry!” a male’s voice replied. “I was just looking for something I thought I’d misplaced.”
“You were looking for spare coin again, weren’t you? Don’t lie to me Adrian. I know you like to visit those whores when we’re back in town.”
“They’re not whores, sister. They’re called companions.”
“Who fuck the other half for money!”
Ignatius cleared his throat before he and Carmen stepped onto the nearby landing. The twins—both red-headed with slim noses and complexions far darker than Carmen’s—looked up as they approached.
“Eh hem,” Ignatius said.
The male straightened, while his sister merely seethed. “I swear to the gods, Ignatius. If I catch him in my stuff one more time—”
“I was just looking for—”
The woman raised a mug. Adrian grimaced and covered his face.
“That’s enough now,” Ignatius said, raising his hand and then lowering it to gesture the woman to set her makeshift weapon down. “Adrian—what did Anna and I tell you about spending your coin on the companions?”
“That I’m going to end up catching something I’d rather not,” the man mumbled.
“You remember what happened last time? What the healer had to do to make you better?”
“I—”
“He had to nearly burn your dick off,” the sister growled. “Go on. Say it. Tell the new girl that you like to stick your pecker in places where it shouldn’t be.”
“That’s quite all right,” Carmen said, taking a step forward. She reached out to shake the sister’s hand, then thought better of it in her current mood. Instead, she simply said, “My name’s Carmen Delarosa. Of Ehknac.”
“The drake slayer finally joins our midst,” Anna replied. “I wasn’t sure if you were real or just a figment of some bard’s imagination.”
“Oh, she’s real all right,” Adrian said.
This time, Anna threw the mug. It hit Adrian upside the head and knocked him out instantly—sending both him, and the empty ale mug, to the ground.
“You’ll have to excuse my brother,” Anna then said. “He’s a bit of a womanizer. Friendly note: don’t sleep with him. He hates commitment as much as he hates me throwing things at him.”
“So long as you clean the mess up, everything will be fine,” Ignatius sighed. He stepped forward and set his hands on Anna’s shoulders. “Anna. I know he’s your brother, but you have to remember: you can still go to jail for assaulting him.”
“I’ll do worst than assault him if he goes through my things again,” the woman sighed. “But yes, Ignatius. I understand. I’ll try to keep myself under control next time.”
“Save your anger for the Taengwa. I know how much you love to shoot them.”
“That I do,” Anna laughed, then turned and made her way toward Carmen. She expelled a long exhale, closed her eyes, then extended her hand. “My name’s Anna Benneview. That idiot over there is my brother, Adrian.”
“Nice to meet you again,” Carmen said, shaking the woman’s hand.
“As you can probably already tell, I’m the brains, he’s the brawn—and dumb at it. He’ll smack anything he can with a hammer, but let him get his dick out and—”
“Anna,” Ignatius said.
The woman turned to glare at the officer. “Sir,” she said, swallowing, then turned to Carmen. “So… I heard one of the people in your guard troop died before you all had the chance to get here.”
“Bandits,” Carmen said. “After my… well… what I’d been carrying before we left Xandau.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. And I’m sorry to hear about your knee. Would you fancy a massage?”
“Really, that isn’t—”
“Sit down, kick your feet up. It’ll only take a moment.”
Carmen looked over at Ignatius, who simply shrugged and said, “She swears by them.”
With a sigh, Carmen strode over to the simple furniture arranged at the end of the first landing and settled down atop it. Anna then knelt down, took hold of Carmen’s knee, and began to rub it with thick, meaty thumbs.
“Dear gods that feels good,” Carmen said, her eyes rolling into the back of her head.
“Told you,” Ignatius said.
The woman laughed and continued to massage her fingers along Carmen’s knee.
Within moments it was over. By the time Anna pulled her hand away, Carmen’s knee had stopped throbbing and Adrian was just beginning to sit up.
“Thank you,” Carmen said, looking down at the sister. “It feels so much better already.”
“Did you hit me?” Adrian asked his sister.
“Yes, idiot, because you were being rude. Maybe this time you can try being a gentlemen and actually say hello?”
“I’m sorry,” Adrian said, standing, then making his way over to where Carmen sat. He fell to a knee, took her hand, and made a move to kiss her fingertips before Anna shot him a nasty look. “My name’s Adrian Beneview. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet… you… too,” Carmen said, eyeing Anna out the corner of her eye.
“We should be seeing Colby and Stella by tomorrow,” Ignatius said. “Colby’s our machinist, who will make sure Anna’s rifles are maintained and that our gadgets remain in working order. Stella, as I said, is our swordswoman, while the twins are—”
“Sharpshooter,” Anna said.
“And hammer-man,” Adrian added.
Ignatius nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “I would suggest finishing up any business you have left here in the city before tomorrow morning,” the man said. “There’s a chest on the second landing where you can store and lock your goods, coin, personal affects, or whatever else you like. And you’re welcome to stay there if you’d rather leave the inn.”
“I’ll stay at the inn one last night,” Carmen said, standing. “I want to tell my companions goodbye. They brought me here.”
“I understand,” Ignatius said, standing. “Would you like me to escort you, or will you be all right on your own?”
“I should be fine,” Carmen replied. “Especially after that massage Anna gave me.”
“Isn’t she the best?” Adrian smiled.
Anna, though still obviously angry at her brother, also smiled.
“Definitely the best,” Carmen said, then turned and descended the stairs.
- - -
“This is it then,” Timon said that night at dinner. “Tomorrow you’ll be leaving us for the Watch.”
“Yup,” Carmen said, looking around at Timon, Lindsey and Arrick, all of whom wore somber expressions. “I’m sorry I can’t go back with you.”
“We don’t expect you to go back, lass,” Arrick said, taking a swig of ale. “It’s just like losing a friend, is all.”
“You’re not losing me, Arrick.”
“Not now,” Lindsey said. “But in the morning we will be.”
“I’ll go back to Ehknac eventually,” Carmen said. “It’s my home. I could never truly abandon it.”
“But once you start living in one of these big cities,” Timon said.
Carmen turned her attention on the young man and sighed. “I know,” she said, reaching out to take his, then Lindsey’s hands. “Thank you, all of you, for everything you’ve done for me.”
“No need to thank us, lass. If anyone’s to thank, it’s you for getting us out of that mess outside Xandau.”
“I only did what I thought was right.”
“And that, right there, is the kind of attitude you want to take to the watch.”
“You’ll be doing a lot of people and the kingdom good,” Lindsey said. “You sure you’re ready for this?”
“I’m sure,” Carmen said.
&nb
sp; And she meant it, too. Because it didn’t matter that she’d already signed on the dotted line—that she had already committed, by will and under law, to the five years of military service. She was ready to do something with her life. And by Gods, she would do something that would make her, and her dearly-departed family, proud.
Chapter 6
She woke the following morning to the beginning of a new life and the end of an old one. Exhilarated beyond belief but also terrified, she rose from bed and began to make her way about the room in preparation for what would be her last day with the Ehknacian guard troop. She brushed her hair, scrubbed her teeth, bathed, then dressed in the uniform that had been delivered last night before admiring herself in the lengthy mirror.
It was just as Agna and Rana had said: she did look stunning in red and gold.
My eyes, she thought. My skin, my face, my mousey, straw-colored hair.
She smiled as she took note of her beautiful features and handsome appearance and looked up only when she felt a disturbance in the opposite side of the room. “Lindsey?” Carmen asked.
“It’s just me,” the woman replied, peeking around the corner after a moment’s hesitation. “I was just waiting for you to finish before I peeked in.”
“So what do you think?” Carmen asked, spreading her arms.
“Just… wow, Carmen. Just… wow.”
“That’s all you can come up with?” she laughed as she stepped forward to hug the other woman, who smelled of nightsweat and lavender lotions.
“It’s all I can manage when I’m looking at one of the greatest heroes of our time.”
“Stop that,” Carmen smiled, playfully smacking the woman as she reached down to clip her mace at her side. “I’m not one of the greatest heroes of our time.”
“Well, you’re one of mine.”
“And you’re one of mine,” Carmen said, taking hold of Lindsey’s hands. “We girls’ve got to stick together, right?”
“Right.”
“To protect and Serve,” Carmen said. “To Honor and Obey.”
“And Let Live the Peoples of the Free Kingdom,” Lindsey finished.
Carmen leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the woman. “Would you think I was weak if I told you how utterly terrified I am right now?”
“No,” Lindsey said. “I’d think you Dwarf—nothing more, nothing less. We’re all meant to be afraid at some points in our lives, especially when great change comes. This, Carmen… this is, undoubtedly, one of the biggest changes you will ever have to experience. I think the only bigger one will be once you’re finally relieved of the watch.”
“If I ever leave,” she laughed. “I may love it too much to actually break away.”
“Regardless, I wish you luck in your endeavor, and protection as you wander through the Far Roads.”
“Thank you, Lindsey.”
Leaning forward, Carmen pressed a single kiss to her friend’s cheek, then broke away and started toward the doorway.
“Write to me, will you?” Lindsey asked before Carmen could open the door. “Let me know how things are going, what adventures you go on… what trouble you get into.”
“I definitely will,” Carmen smiled, then exited the door to make her way toward her new life.
- - -
The single guard tower was ominous in the distance, and given the attention she’d received because of her new uniform, even more intimidating. She tried her hardest to maintain her composure as she walked throughout the streets—saying hello, bidding farewell and interacting with those who wished to wish her well—but she knew she looked like a nervous wreck. She could feel it in the way she walked, the way she moved, the way her facial features felt like a contortionist attempting to make his way out of an impossible angle.
You’re going to be fine, Carmen thought as she drew nearer. You know Ignatius. He has faith in you.
So what more did she have to worry over? She’d only have to meet two new people. It wasn’t as if they would bite her heads off. Right?
She tried to dispel the image of another individual hating her based solely on her background from her mind as she approached the tower, nodded at the guard as he took note of the crest upon her breast, then as she began to make her way upon the tower’s spiral staircase. The first landing—where she’d met Anna and her brother Adrian—was empty, as was the second. When she came upon the third, however, and the top of the tower, she was greeted with the sight of five individuals—including Ignatius, the twins, and two new people whom she had never met before.
“Ah,” Ignatius said as he turned to face her. “Our drake slayer arrives.”
“Hello,” Carmen said, lifting a hand to acknowledge the man and the woman whom she had never met. “My name is Carmen.”
“Colby Melvin,” the mousy man said, stepping forward and giving her a brief nod. “I’m the Battalion’s machinist.”
“And my name’s Stella Fryer,” the brawny woman replied, taking Carmen’s hand in a strong grip as she extended it to shake. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Miss Delarosa. I admire your courage.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s not easy looking hell in the eyes, much less facing it head-on.”
“I did what I had to do,” Carmen said, nodding as she stepped away from the woman. The scar that ran along her clean-shaven skull and down the side of her face was hard to look at, but at least Stella had the use of both eyes. Considering the scar had cut through one eyebrow, it was amazing she hadn’t gone blind.
Good bones, Carmen thought as she looked upon the woman’s strong features.
Stella nodded as Colby stepped forward to shake her hand. Though he was obviously not a fighter, given his lack of arms, the number of gadgets littered across his belt and the straps of his armor proved he had at least something to contribute.
“So,” Carmen said, dispelling the silence of the room as she approached the only unopened chest in the tower and began to haul out her armor. “Where are we headed next?”
“There’s a number of farms outside the city that have been plagued by corpse bugs,” Ignatius said. “It’s our job to figure out where they’re coming from and eliminate the problem at its source.”
Corpse bugs? Carmen thought. But I thought—
She shivered.
It was customary for Dwarves to be buried in one of three fashions: within heavy caskets, inside locked mausoleums, or to be cremated before being interred within their chosen location. This was to prevent attracting predators not only to one’s personal dwellings, but also to burial grounds—including, but not limited to: Hornblarin Angels, Skitters, and, most gruesomely, the Corpse Bugs. The latter were known to pilfer the bodies of the dead and then reanimate them through a process that scientists could only deem as magic, as no natural art could have allowed such heavily-decayed specimens to return to life. The fact that the farmers on the outskirts of town were dealing with these monstrous entities likely meant that someone was not disposing of their dead legally, but regardless, that didn’t matter. Carmen didn’t look forward to facing the creatures in armed combat, much less putting them down.
Nodding, Carmen lifted her breastplate over her shoulders and accepted the help of Anna and Stella as they came forward to help her strap herself in. Her greaves were easily stepped into, her fauld attached at the waist with little more than a few straps and carefully-aligned rivets.
By the time she was finished, she felt stiff as a board, but adequately-protected regardless of the fact that it was somewhat difficult to move.
“You’ll get used to it,” Ignatius said as Carmen tested the extension of her arms, the movement of her legs and the seriously-hindered twist of her torso. “It’ll keep you safe on the battlefield, especially if we run into any trouble.”
“You don’t think we’ll run into anything beside the reanimated dead,” Carmen said. “Do you?”
“You never know,” Ignatius said. “Better to be safe than sorry.”
No ki
dding, Carmen thought.
She took the impressive tower shield in hand—which covered her entire body and even curved slightly to protect the top of her head—and began to follow the fifth battalion out of the tower.
Outside, a series of pages and squires worked to ensure that the battalions’ mounts were prepared. The pigs—desperate to be freed of their posts—squealed and tossed their heads to and fro, but otherwise behaved. The knight who was supervising them raised his hand to regard the battalion as they approached and smiled from beneath his helm. “Aye,” he said. “Watchmen.”
“Knight,” Ignatius said, stepping forward and shaking the man’s hand. “How goes our preparations?”
“Almost done sir!” a young Dwarf woman said, peeking her head out from the side of a stable.
Women as squires, Carmen thought with a smile. If only I’d been born into royalty.
She dispelled the thought from her mind and turned to face the knight as he and Ignatius continued to banter—explaining, in layman’s terms, their route: which would begin upon the road and then cut off the cobblestone path and onto the fine blue-grey stone the Far Roads were known for. It was there, after a day’s worth of travel, that they would come across the farmlands, as well as the man who tended them.
“You’ll want to be careful while on the roads,” the knight said, leading the watchmen along the stables as the first boar was led from its stall. “Though we haven’t seen any bandits this close to the wall, we know they’re out there. The fourth Battalion just reported further sightings of habitation between here and Xandau.”
“Illegally?” Carmen asked, though already knew the answer before the man could provide it. When he nodded, she sighed, bit her lower lip, and startled as the young squire who had originally spoken tapped her shoulder with her fist. “Miss,” she said, “your mount.”
The boar—ugly as hell—nuzzled her hand with its snout and butted her body with its head.
“I’ve… never ridden,” Carmen said, rounding the creature and taking hold of its reigns. “Do I just… uh… step up, or… tell it to do something, or… uh…” She paused to look at the people around her. “Some help, please?”
