by Matt Wilk
“So, is this your initiation?”
“Yes, it hurt so badly. I could not move for the whole day. They took breaks, switching out and getting a bite to eat, but I could not.”
“Still, that is much better than mine.”
“You’re a grey skin, just grow a beard.”
“That is forbidden. Besides, I have seen that. The lack of hair in the middle only makes the mark more obvious.”
The wind blew so I curled up to hide behind Dooza’s wall. When I removed my hands Jyetta saw the claw marks on my gut. He gasped and pressed his ice cold hands over the wounds.
“Owie! Cold hands!”
“What happened to you? Are you still whole? What monster did this?”
“I am so cold Jyetta. I need to find my clothes.”
“They are clean and waiting atop your shell.”
He ran back into Dooza’s quarters. She yelled about closing the door, but he rushed back out first. The Chron had given him a heavy white robe that tucked into the boots and a matching cloak of white leather. He could have been vying for the position of Master Shaman with such robes. He was wrapped up tight while I still wore next to nothing, hopping from walking barefoot.
“Hey, now you can hide in the snow.”
“You mean stand out in the city. Uncle Malta had already sailed off to war so I dealt primarily with the Master Shaman. He demanded, before the entire council of elders, that I must have at least two children. Can you believe that?”
“Of course I can. He was very cunning for his age.”
“What?”
“He said nothing about a wife?”
“Oh, I see. You are quite right.”
“Did you even tell him?”
“I did not have to.”
He paused while I ran to my pile of clothes and threw the shining black vest over my head. I nearly asked how the Shaman could tell, but, his eyes never strayed from my body.
“You lost weight.”
“I lost blood- a lot of blood.”
“The Nanu Trap failed?”
“No, it worked exactly as planned.”
“What went wrong?”
“He got me first.”
“Wait. Did you actually slay the monster?”
His eyes opened wide and his jaw hung loose. I reached into my long unruly hair and revealed the lion’s tooth. Without untying it, he ran over and snatched it out.
“Now this is a mark of honor. I don’t understand?”
“Orders.”
“Why would the Lantos want that?”
“As with everything else they do, I won’t rightly know until I am drowning in my own blood. I swear, the last thing I ever do will be to slap my own face from having discovered their true plans.”
“Right, and then you die. Ugh. How are you not angry?”
“I’ve suffered worse for having done less. There never was going to be a future for me in the Union. With the mark of shame, I no longer get to lie to myself. It’s very...”
I shrugged again and Jyetta finished the thought.
“Freeing?”
“Exactly.”
He sighed and held out his hand, then decided against speaking his mind. I could tell he had once felt similarly, but, he had only the best things in life to look forward to in his future. He handed the long tooth back with a silent smile. I tied it to my hair while kicking around and shaking out the bed roll.
“Have you seen my flint stones?”
“Ugh. Those idiots tried to start a fire and failed hard.”
“Where is your guard?”
“Hiding in the stables for warmth.”
“What?”
“The air in Hi-yadora was hot and dry. They don’t have your gorgeous hair and bronze skin. Their bald heads burned and the heat turned them pink. Then, coming back turned them blue and made them sick as goats.”
“You know they can’t go back in that condition, right?”
“It will be fine. By the time we make it back, their sickness will be long gone.”
“And you will have only just begun to sneeze. I cannot allow it.”
“Is that so? Are you the Monster Hunter in charge?”
“Actually, yes. You can leave when Major Swiftblade returns and grants you permission.”
Jyetta huffed as though I had stomped on his toe. As much as he had wanted to leave the city before, he wanted to get back before the snow hit even more so. Luckily, the idiots had left my flint stones next to the fire block. Jyetta and I split up to gather the sick mercenaries and grab wood. Jimmy and Hoss were wrapped in the sloth pelts and leaning into each other for balance. They sat too close to the fire and inhaled enough smoke to choke a steed. The sickness had them coughing and sneezing so hard that they did not have the breath to speak, and for that, I was grateful. I made enough food for all of us, leaving Jyetta to stir while I fetched eggs from the hens. The clucks did not enjoy my cold hands, and, Princess acted as though she had never seen me before in her life. I risked not having a fresh breakfast, but, they needed to cycle through the sickness as fast as possible.
“Ugh. You grey skins are so nasty. Do you see this?”
“What’s the matter?”
“They do not cover their mouths or look away at all.”
“Th-the fire b-burns it up.”
“N-no it don’t.”
“T-t-t-too bad.”
Jyetta tried to get up and leave. I grabbed his arm.
“You will not be taking the sickness back to the capitol. Sit down. That is an order.”
“Excuse you, little soldier boy. I am Ambassador to the Chron.”
“When you sneeze on all the Lantos during your return brief, you will suddenly disappear from existence. Do not take yourself so seriously. Make any threat to Kane, and you will pay for it with your life. Even the mercs know that.”
Jyetta looked horrified at my words. The mercenaries were nodding in agreement. He was as reluctant as I to eat the tainted soup, gagging loudly with every sip. When he tossed his wooden bowl down I was reminded of his father’s glassware. However, he walked off when I went to retrieve the chest. As it turned out, he had run to tell Dooza. The Shaman was wise enough to agree with my point and came down to grab a share of the soup. Jim and Hoss fell asleep around the fire and I stayed up late to keep it burning. I propped the shell up against the heavy chest to block the wind. It kept us all from inhaling too much smoke. No matter, I still woke with a gurgling cough. The clouds blocked so much of the sunlight that all of us overslept.
The first snowfall blew in quickly and did not stop for two whole days. The clouds parted in time to show a dark night, blanketed in snow and shadow under the black new moon. However, the Ambassador’s convoy was incapacitated. My shell had blocked the snow so well that the first flakes to land on my face woke me up, and I let the others know that they had been buried. The sniffles hit, but I made a habit of blowing it out over the cliff and spitting up everything that coughed its way out of my lungs. The Lady Dooza took care of Jyetta and herself, leaving me with the mercenaries. Hoss moaned incessantly and complained about his joints. Jim became a whiny little tot. His body shriveled up and the wheezing prevented him from speaking. My fever broke during the first night. The collective white glare from the chest deep snow also healed my claw marks almost entirely on the second day. Everyone slept in on the fourth day, myself being the only exception.
My water proof boots cleared the serpentine during the morning exercise. The sunlight filled me with more energy than I had had in quite some time. I dug out a path for Dooza to visit her hens. They were not happy about the late cleaning and it was a struggle to dig deep enough to treat them each with some giant earthworms. I uncovered and cut the firewood. The axe was plenty loud, yet it disturbed absolutely no one. While the eggs baked over the fire, I stomped my way to the stables. Eso had not waited for the little human. He was out in the open field and grazing in the areas that had already been dug up by the bison. I woke up the Ambass
ador’s steed all of a sudden, causing him to skip away out of instinct. They had accrued quite the mess about their stalls and needed a fresh supply of water. Once I was good and tired, the others began to stir. Jyetta was first to brave the outside. I found him with arms spread wide, soaking in the sun.
“You stink.”
“You can use your nose again.”
“I am healed, no thanks to you.”
“You still haven’t forgiven me?”
“All that preaching you did about getting it out of the way. Look at you, not so much as a runny nose.”
“I was sick too- for a day.”
“Now, you have become the monster that refuses to die.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Don’t be so stoic.”
“You weighed the cost versus the benefits. You knew what you were getting into, and now, you are completely fine.”
“You see, there you go, blathering on about the greater good.”
“Always so peaceful and wise. I am glad you feel better, Master Ambassador.”
“I hate you so much right now.”
He stalked back to Dooza’s door and opened it up on her. She stepped aside and met my eye, unashamed of having been caught in the act of eavesdropping.
“You just do not understand women.”
Right after she slammed the door, the two of them started telling jokes at my expense. They yelled and laughed loud enough for me to hear, as if they expected me to listen. The Lady Dooza was spot on, I did not understand either of them one bit. I washed up in the healing pool and scrubbed all my scabs out, despite the inevitable burning from the hot salt. I was looking forward to a night without snores and coughs, but Major Swiftblade had other plans. While I was scrubbing my shells I heard his boots stomping up the serpentine. When he came back down, he had Jyetta with him.
“Welcome back sir.”
“Inspection failed.”
“What? My shells are spotless.”
“Your face has grown over.”
I threw down the worn brush and rubbed my chin.
“Damn.”
“Gentlemen, the real Monster Hunter was so kind as to find us some food.”
Major Swiftblade tossed a huge haunch of fresh bison on the ground next to the fire pit.
“That’s a fine round of loin there Major.”
“Right you are boss.”
“Get to cooking. We must leave before dark.”
“We? Are you leaving me again?”
“I will guard to the trees. You will continue unto Embraun.”
“Yes sir.”
“That’s right, Matthius. You’re all mine for the next week so you had better remember who’s in charge.”
“That would be me- wait.”
Major Swiftblade pointed at Jyetta, whose reaction was to plant his hands on his hips and raise his brows. The Swiftblade squinted and Jyetta chomped his teeth at the pointing finger.
“You are a freak?”
“Why, yes I am.”
I was minding my own business getting the fire lit when he turned his finger at me.
“I knew it.”
Jyetta and the mercenaries exploded with laughter. Major Swiftblade left me there to be the subject of his joke, which did not end until the whole party was bent over coughing. Jyetta saw fit to refer to me only as his lover. Hoss mocked me by telling Jim sweet nothings and acting out repulsive poetry. It was good to have everyone in such high spirits. I managed to convince Hoss to make Jim wash the dishes while I ran out to gather tall grass for the steeds. Before we left, I remembered to give back the chest of dishes from the House of Crow. Somehow, the gift blew back in my face. At the sight of the thing, Jyetta burst into tears and pounded on my chest.
“Oh, you bastard.”
“You must take it back, Jyetta. Slip gave his life to keep it safe.”
“That is because he knew nothing else. All Slip ever wanted was the finer things in life.”
“Don’t we all?”
“No, not like he did. This is exactly what I mean. The finer things, like silk pillows, expensive glassware and silver spoons.”
“He would have been killed in the ambush, no one could have escaped. This is a miracle. This is his parting gift.”
I slid the chest into the boxed wagon and helped Jyetta step inside. He tried to kick the box back out. The sound of glass breaking made him gasp. I had spent all that time cleaning the chest and everything inside, scrubbing the stains out with all my might, and had not so much as scratched a spoon. Jyetta opened the box to see what he had done. A single teacup had broken in half and, try as he might, he could not make it whole. I quietly closed the door so he could cry in private.
“Poor girl. The tea party is ruined.”
“Shut your face White Coal scum. Ambassador Crow was twice the man you will ever be.”
“Jim, the boy lost his father.”
“Right you are boss. So sorry, so out of line. Won’t happen again.”
I was glad to see them suddenly have a change of heart, however, it was the voice of Gojinus that had convinced them to show respect. Major Swiftblade had heard everything from his mount atop Eso, waiting just in front of the Ambassador’s steed.
“Why don’t you put all that anger to good use?”
“Doing what sir?”
“Pulling the wagon is going to cause that poor steed to collapse. Someone needs to help push from behind. Eso will lead from the front- as is his way.
I huffed in disbelief- the way Jyetta would have. Major Swiftblade did not bother with me any further. He pushed forward, consigned to suffer the cold spray of plodding through the fresh powder. Bringing up the rear, I discovered why. The Lantos had designed a hand and foot hold on either side of their upgraded boxed wagon. I was able to push from behind both sets of wheels and even in the dead center. Hopping on for a ride, my weight counter balanced the riders up front, preventing us from sliding sideways. Luckily, to start, the convoy rushed downhill. Immediately after, for every yard rolled, my back payed for it dearly.
Parts of the road had been cleared by the bison, meaning that all of the other creatures were on the road in large numbers. Steeds and raptors and furry elephants all followed behind the bison, as it was the path of least resistance. The massive necks of the bison dug up the snow to get at the grass and the raptors pecked at the many piles of dung. Eso was old and loud. His stomping and huffing convinced most of the beasts to move and Major Swiftblade dismounted to bully the stragglers. We rested at the tree line when it was all over.
“Not long until sunrise. Get some rest while you can.”
“Yes sir.”
“Have fun in town, it may be your last time.”
“My- my, so positive master.”
“You’re the one walking back alone.”
Eso was more aggravated then tired. The mighty horned steed was looking forward to the return trip, charging through the cleared road with increased speed. No other beast dared to block his path on the way back to base. I did not fully understand the coded message, but it would surely turn out to be a test. Isolation had finally become a friend of mine. The mercenaries were so untrustworthy that I took my nap on top of the wagon. Rightly so, because they woke me up by rolling out before first light. Tall trees blocked most of the snow from the road. I only had to push through the occasional ice coated stream and the heavy drift. We did not experience any trouble until the third day. I was pushing us uphill when the call went out.
“Bear.”
“What?”
“Bear- bear- bear!”
“Where?”
Jim screamed as though he had been bitten, but it was just a broken wrist. The old male was injured and hungry, risking it all for a bite of man flesh. The Ambassador’s steed was filled with adrenaline so we thwarted his charge by accident. The poor bear slammed the cart and took a sword through the shoulder, and then we ran him over. I stopped pushing and they sped off in case of any more surprises.
The frozen sword broke off at the hilt with the blade buried deep enough to immobilize the bear. Just as Gojinus had done for his bull, I ran to the beast’s side and plunged the tiny remainder of a blade into the back of his head. Knowing some other animal would only cut themselves and end up with an infection, I cut the blade out of the corpse. That’s when I saw the circular wounds. Only sharpened reeds could have left him covered in so many cuts, a telltale sign of the Scarlet Opa. I smiled deeply, and closed the bear’s eyes for the last time.
“Got ‘em running scared. You hear me, you idiots? I know you are afraid! I know what makes you flee so far east! One little turtle keeps you at bay? What will happen when we find your den? The Drakkah will burn you all!”
I stood on the bear and called out to the snow covered canopy. Few sloths would remain so far north to endure the harsh winter, and the eerie silence was not their style. The thought of fighting the Opa with a sword in the full light of day had me cackling with bloodlust. However, I did not smell the rotten eggs of death, so I trotted onward. Once the convoy made it into wolf territory, we were far enough south and east that I need not push from the rear. There were no further incidents, until we reached Broad Wolf Crossing. Not only were both shores frozen solid, but the small bit of exposed water was rushing past with a dangerous speed. Blood, fur, feathers, and arrows littered the pure white snow.
“Who done all of this?”
“These are not Sheek-tee arrows.”
“Is it an ambush?”
“We would be dead by now. Just in case, we push across first.”
“Well, get to it.”
“This will take all of us. Jyetta?”
I knocked on the wagon door. There was no answer. I knocked harder and faster until he threw the door open angrily.
“What?”
“Take my shell. Get on the roof. Lie down flat.”
He wanted to argue until he saw the mess in the snow. It was no easy task getting the wagon across. I had to go completely under to stop it floating away with the current. Jim was not very strong but we needed Hoss to weigh down the front. By the end, I was ready to turn into a statue made of ice.
