The Godseeker Duet
Page 43
“Probably.”
She didn’t move.
“You don’t want to?”
“He deserves the pain.”
“Wow,” Mykel said, shaking his head.
“I’m still angry.”
“I can see that.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Of course I am. But these aren’t the men who attacked Dimmitt. Once I got that through my head, it was easier. And if you talk to them, they don’t seem like monsters. They’re just men. Maybe you’re right about evil and selfishness. I don’t see evil here.”
“Mykel, they’ve done terrible things, and they are every bit as bad as those who killed Sammy. You know they are.”
“And they know it too. Trust me. They are down there, hating themselves just as much as you hate them from up here.”
A breeze picked up, not a warm one, but it wasn’t cold, either. Snows were still melting, and the cool wind was a reminder that summer wasn’t here. Not yet. But it was coming. Time marched on, and there was much to do. Although they now carried stolen coins from the bank and two dozen men to start their push against Fairmont, it didn’t seem as if they were making enough progress. Nor fast enough. And now they were being delayed by a slow entourage and a wounded man who should have stayed behind.
Nara’s hair fluttered in the breeze as she considered healing the soldier. He shouldn’t be traveling at all, but letting him sit in the back of the wagon, bumping with each jolt, that wasn’t good either. It must have been torture, and she was allowing it. It wasn’t like her. Not at all. Punishing that man would do nothing to reverse the pain Kayna was bringing, wouldn’t bring back Sammy, and said more about Nara’s character than it did about that of the soldier.
“I’m horrible,” she said. “What’s his name?”
“Derik. He’s Jahmai’s nephew.”
“Okay.”
She stood and walked down to the wagon where the soldier rested. Not tall enough to see over the side, she climbed up into the bed. Standing over him, she spoke. “Derik, right?”
“Yes, miss.” His eyes were wide, fearful, but she didn’t blame him. She had been caught up the fervor of battle and must have looked fearsome when she tried to kill this man. She had very nearly done so. Without further care, he might still die.
“You tired of the pain?”
He nodded, but his eyes widened further and he seemed to draw back as she crouched in front of him.
“Relax, I’m not going to put you out of your misery. I would like to fix your leg.”
“Oh. You, uh, you can do that?”
“If you want.”
He nodded again, smiling, and his eyes grew teary. “Would you?” he asked, his voice cracking. “Please?”
Nara felt terrible, the man’s tears melting her heart. Despite the things he had been part of, his pain defied reason. Pain she should have stopped. Maybe he had deserved the wound, but this ongoing suffering was her responsibility. It would have horrified Bylo to see his little girl acting this way.
“Don’t move,” she ordered. “This will take a moment and I’m no expert, but if it’s as bad as I think, I can’t make it any worse.”
Nara turned to two nearby soldiers. “Hold him down. This will hurt.”
As the soldiers climbed into the wagon and grabbed Derik by each shoulder, she dropped to one knee and placed her left hand low on his leg, the other hand higher. Moving her right hand along the femur, she closed her eyes, summoning both the knitting rune and the sight rune. With sight, she didn’t need to memorize the biology, the organs, the structures—she could see them. In fact, Anne said sight would make her a supreme knitter in a short time if she practiced.
She visualized the skin under the bandage. It was intact, so this was not a compound fracture. The muscle was almost completely healed, but the fracture itself was a mess. The impact of the arrow had done terrible damage, shattering the lower part of the bone. Marrow leaked and blood pooled around the injury, deep inside. Nara flared the knitting rune, and, ever so slowly, the pieces of bone came together. Derik screamed.
“Stop moving,” Nara ordered. “Not a muscle!”
Again, she flared the knitting rune, and the chips fused further, the fracture healed, and the femur became a single bone once again. She lifted her hands from the leg and opened her eyes.
Derik had passed out. Good. She turned to see that the other soldiers had gathered around to watch. All of them, even Jahmai. Mykel was behind, standing on the side of the hill and grinning.
“It’s not done,” Nara said. “Blood has pooled inside, so it’ll bruise and swell yet. Probably for a long time. I doubt he’ll be able to walk for a week, but the bone is whole.”
They still stared at her, wide-eyed.
Jahmai moved to the side of the wagon and reached in and placed his hand affectionately on Derik’s head. He looked at Nara. “Thank you.”
“You’re an angel straight from Dei,” another soldier said.
“Hardly,” Nara said, then hopped down from the wagon and started walking back toward Mykel. “I’m no better than the rest of you.”
19
The Grand Square
The Grand Square of Fairmont was a beautiful, open area between the Chancery and Fairmont’s central park district. The square was constructed from thousands of stone tiles, a beautiful checkered pattern of granite and slate that must have looked interesting to the ravens that passed above, flying back and forth as they searched for food among the throngs of people below.
Kayna looked upon the attendees from her throne atop a tall stage that rolled along behind eight horses. Purple velvet covered the stage, and two stone gargoyles guarded the front corners. She wore a fine white gown, a modest silver circlet on her head and carried an ornate scepter in her left hand.
A ring of soldiers made their way forward, covered in polished plate armor, directing the many citizens back to allow for the Queen’s entry to the square. From behind Kayna, a blaring of trumpets made her arrival official, the noise so loud that she almost covered her ears to shield them from the noise.
The entourage came to a halt, and the trumpets ended their painful tribute.
“Behold, Queen Kayna, liberator of the Great Land. Champion over the barbarian hordes, and bringer of justice,” the royal crier announced. With his strong voice, the people could surely hear his well-articulated words across much of the square. “We revere her above all. She is our light and our salvation, blessed by Dei to protect her people.”
She wished he would get on with it. There were things to do.
“She comes among us to show her love. To shower you with gifts of her affection and to declare undying loyalty to our nation.”
Many servants came forward into the square at that moment, each bearing baskets full of bread that they distributed among the people in the crowd. Kayna stood and smiled, arms out wide, scepter held high in a gesture of generosity.
“Thank you, my Queen,” she heard from not too far away. “Thank you, Majesty,” from someone over to her left. “Bless you, milady,” from another.
But handing out bread and showing off her wealth would not be enough. They would forget this within a week and be grumbling again. More was required, and more would be done. She proceeded according to the plan, placing the scepter on the throne, and leaped into the air over the crowd. The air caught her and propelled her higher as she directed herself over the middle of the square.
“This is your Queen,” said the crier.
Kayna flared the light rune, becoming a blinding, scintillating beacon rising ever higher above the crowd, now fifty feet.
“Behold,” yelled the crier, “an angel of Dei!”
With that, Kayna extinguished the light rune, summoned fire, and shot it out to the sides, turning as she did, the flames heating the air in a circle around her. The crowd below her gasped in awe. Some ran away. Others were transfixed. She held there for a long time, sending the fire, then flaring light again, turnin
g, basking in the air and the heat and the colors.
She imagined what it must be like for those below. Hungry, misbehaving people who sought only their own comfort. They now saw a deity above them; pure power they could never comprehend. Scriptures talked about miraculous healings and signs of wonder, but simple people rarely witnessed such acts. What stood as an annoying interruption in her schedule would be, for many of these, the most memorable event of their lives. The contrast was interesting and further showed that she was in her rightful place above them.
She extinguished the flames and the light, then commanded the air to lower her to the square. The crowd moved back in response, leaving a wide, open area where she landed gracefully, her long black hair and dress billowing in the breeze that lingered.
The people fell to their knees and gushed with exclamations and prayers, overwhelmed by the display.
“Praise Dei,” said one.
“Our angel,” said another. “Thank you, Lord.”
“Dei bless the Great Land.”
Some were prone, babbling in shock, while others were silent. Staring.
It was time for her to speak. “I am the hand that feeds you,” she said, hands held out, palms up. She took two gentle steps toward them. “I am the flame that guides you.”
She licked her lips, which were now dry from the wind and the heat.
“I am the dawn. I am the way. Follow me, and my light will take you into Dei’s favor.” She looked up at the sky. “Into Dei’s love.”
Kayna then looked down, cleared her throat, intending to deepen her voice. She narrowed her eyes as she delivered the next words. “Never cross me.” She lifted a hand and pointed at the crowd, her brow furrowing and a scowl appearing. She turned slowly, her finger directed at all as she completed a circle. “For I will hand my enemies over to darkness. My foes will taste pain and torment. I will deliver their souls to Kai and they will never be seen again!”
Her hands fell to her sides as she held the pose, brow still furrowed. After a moment, she erased the scowl from her face, replacing it with a bright smile. She lifted her hands in a gesture of blessing. “I bless you, my people. May your crops grow rich, your children healthy, and your hearts full.” She stepped toward them again, hands still raised. “I love you all. With all my strength. From the depths of my gentle heart. Now until the end of the age.”
With that, she flared the light rune, blinding the crowd again, then flared strength, launching herself with a great leap into the air, where the wind took her into the sky and far from the Grand Square.
Several hours after the display in the square, the minister of lands knelt before Kayna in the middle of the throne room.
“That should help your efforts, Jayho,” she said. “Don’t you think?”
“Yes, Majesty.” He wasn’t displaying any of his former frustration, instead shaking in place like a child caught stealing a cookie. She almost expected him to wet himself. Hopefully, the rest of today’s attendees were experiencing similar emotions.
“I will hear no more about unpaid leases. You will solve your own problems or be punished.”
“Yes, Majesty.”
“On your way out, tell the page to send in the next one.”
He nodded, then scuttled out of the room. General Jordan Almit followed thereafter, then took a knee before her.
“Yes?” she asked.
“We have a problem,” he said, rising.
“And?”
“A caravan from Keetna, carrying prisoners back to Fairmont, was struck by two ruffians on the road. They took the prisoners.”
“Don’t you have gifted in every village detail?”
“Yes, Majesty, and few left for the army because of it.”
“Stop whining and state the problem.”
“One attacker moved like a racer and had other gifts. She had red hair, Majesty. Her companion used a staff. They killed one of our racers.”
Kayna’s heart skipped a beat. Nara was attacking? She had expected to have more time to prepare, to build cursed and then go looking for her sister. She needed months, or maybe even a year to do this right, but that little witch was on the offensive?
The man fidgeted with one of his sleeves as he cleared his throat. “Majesty, that’s not all.”
“What else?”
“We haven’t heard from our outpost in Junn.”
20
Pep Talk
Nara directed Jahmai and several others to resupply in Keetna, but she and Mykel never showed their faces in town, despite her desire to check in on Mimi and Nilly. Instead, they took the rest of the soldiers and one wagon to the nearby hills, where there was work to do.
Derik’s leg fared well, and when given the chance, he got to his feet, strutting awkwardly but with a smile on his face, saying thank you to Nara whenever he could. The enthusiasm was encouraging, as there was little to be found in the rest of the troops, many of whom were tired of travel and eager for action.
Nara directed the group to a wooded area replete with game trails. Mykel directed the others to cover the wagon with tree branches.
“I’d hate for some kids from Keetna to find this here and alert the rest of the village,” Derik said.
“They will know eventually,” Nara said, irritated. “But I’d like to have a defensible position before our enemy learns of our whereabouts.”
“We should fill our bellies and rest. It would be nice to have moose for dinner,” Mykel said as they finished covering the wagon. “There is plenty of game sign on these trails. While you build us some shelter, maybe others could go hunting. They’d enjoy the sport, I’m sure, and while Derik is laid up, Ferron can manage a bow just fine.”
“I hope you’re right, but he may prefer hunting humans.”
“They’re hungry, nothing more. We all are. Nobody is hunting humans today.”
Nara was surprised at her own negativity. These men had followed her, far from their homes, yet she still harbored dark thoughts where they were concerned. Maybe she should do something for them, as much for her own attitude as anything else. “I’m heading uphill. This slope would be perfect for a cave. Until I can make something more permanent.”
“I wish I knew more about soldiering,” Mykel said. “We’ll have to pick Jahmai’s brain. Combat. Fortresses.”
“For now, just a cave. I have enough on my mind.”
The snark in her voice prompted an odd look from Mykel, and he frowned before heading off to talk with the soldiers. Nara regretted her harshness. Maybe she needed a nap.
She wandered for a while before finding a stream that trickled down from the snowmelt above that would provide plenty of water for their needs. Close to the stream, she happened upon a level area that butted up against a cliff face rising almost a hundred feet. There was little evidence of a rockfall from above, and, with some massaging, it might provide a good area for staging supplies, sparring, or just milling about in the open daylight. Both the ground and the cliff were rocky, with little moss or foliage. Ideal for making a cave, as it would be far faster than trying to convert large amounts of soil.
She took her time, savoring how the earth magic moved with her thoughts. It took almost an hour for her to finish, but the cave was even larger than the first one she had made and more open, with room for many. She crafted three fire pits to accommodate them all. As she finished, she pictured the soldiers, absent their armor and weapons, eating a meal around the fires. Perhaps they would sing, and Mykel could join them. She’d heard him sing at church from time to time, long ago. A beautiful voice, deep, solid and happy. She’d like to hear that again.
She sat on one of the stone seats. Moving earth was getting easier with practice, and the joy of working with the magic eased a headache she hadn’t noticed was bothering her. She would have to apologize to Mykel.
Footsteps approached, and Mykel came into view. “Better now?”
“Yeah,” she said, motioning to the cave. “Making this helped.”
He lay down, hands behind his head on the dirt, and closed his eyes. “Derik saw Jahmai and the others. Way down in the valley, heading this way. Should be here soon.”
“Good. He can pick a more permanent spot for us. Hopefully not too far from here.”
“Yup.”
“Mykel?”
He didn’t move, still resting with eyes closed. “Yeah?”
“What are we doing?”
He didn’t answer right away, and the question hung there for a moment. He sat up and looked at Nara straight on. “I want to say we’re saving the world. Fighting for justice. But I’m not sure that’s it.”
“What is it, then?”
“She killed Sammy. We’re angry, and we don’t know what to do. So, we do the only thing we can. Maybe stop another kid from dying.”
“In Dimmitt, when I snuck into the church and filled the ceppit, I thought the same thing. I was sure it was the right thing to do, but it was foolishness. People died. You almost died. Now we attack soldiers. Rob banks. It’s out of control. What makes us any different? What makes fighting the right choice?”
“I don’t know. But I have no better ideas.”
“Me either.”
“You want to stop?”
“Is it that simple?”
“It’s very simple. Either we fight or we don’t. If we fight, we need help, and we are getting it. We have money. You’ll build us a place to gather. We get more help. It’s as simple as it gets.”
Nara bit her lip in frustration. Indecision was something she had left behind, or so she thought, but the cost to others would be profound in the days ahead.
“We’ll need more men.”
“Yes. There are places we can go.”
“Go? Do you mean raid? An outpost or two we can destroy, and some soldiers we can convince to join us or die. Like that?”
“It worked in Junn.”