by Tora Moon
“How long before I can travel again?” she asked the healer. “I have to get to Strunven Keep soon.”
“It would be better if you stayed in bed for several more days.”
“Days! The first of Sandar is in thirteen days.”
“But, I know you fighters, unable to sit still for long,” Brachen continued as if Rizelya hadn’t interrupted her. “If the streaks are gone from your ankle and foot in the morning, then you’ll be out of danger and can leave.”
“Oh thank you!”
“I said, if. You’ll be able to ride if you take it easy. You will not—I repeat not—be able to fight for at least another four days. It would be better if you didn’t for at least a chedan. But,” the healer looked around the infirmary and the many patients it contained, then continued, “I’ve heard of these new control janacks. I’ve seen the devastation they, and the increase in the size of the nests, have caused. I know how active the nests have become. It will be a miracle if you are able to keep from fighting for four days, let alone a chedan.”
“It’s why I have to get to Strunven Keep, to teach them how to fight the new control janacks,” Rizelya said. “Otherwise, I would consider staying longer in your care. My heart-sister is a healer. I know how much you worry about your patients, even those who don’t listen well.”
Brachen laughed. “Especially those. I will help you as much as I can.” She stood over Rizelya’s leg.
Rizelya could see golden light stream from the healer’s hands and into her leg. It tingled where it touched. Soon she could feel the tingling inside her leg, ankle, and foot. When she looked at her leg again, it was glowing with the same golden-brown light. Brachen continued to work on her leg for almost half an octar. As Rizelya watched, some of the gray streaks faded away to nothing. Not all of them were gone when Brachen finally took a deep breath and let the light go.
“That is all I can do for now. I hope it is enough.”
“So do I,” Rizelya replied fervently.
“You can help by going to sleep and letting the healing energy continue to work.”
Rizelya obediently laid back down. Brachen covered her with the blankets and touched Rizelya’s forehead, murmuring, “Sleep, brave one. Sleep.”
Rizelya obeyed the command.
Chapter 11
“Hey, are you going to go with us?” Aistrun said as he sat down on Rizelya’s bed, making it bounce.
Keeping her eyes closed, Rizelya grumbled, “I can think of better ways to wake up.” She realized her leg didn’t hurt, even with all his jiggling. She sat up quickly and threw back the covers. A few gray streaks remained on her foot. She hoped she had healed enough for Brachen to allow her to leave.
“I think so,” she said happily. Her leg was stiff and a bit sore. It wouldn’t hold her weight yet, so Aistrun helped her to the necessary room and back. This time she wasn’t panting as badly. Brachen arrived soon after she settled back down on the bed.
“Let’s take a look at it, shall we?” Brachen examined Rizelya’s leg. “Hmm, better. These should go away today,” Brachen said as she lightly traced the few remaining gray streaks. The bandage was carefully cut away. This time there wasn’t the stink of rotting flesh. Brachen scrutinized the wound and stitches, applied an ointment, and then put a lighter bandage on it.
“Well, can I go?” Rizelya asked impatiently.
The healer gave a reluctant nod. “Remember what I said about fighting. And try to stay off it as much as possible.”
“Thank you,” Rizelya told her with feeling. “Without you, I might have lost my leg.”
Brachen smiled and patted Rizelya’s shoulder. “All in a day’s work, my dear.” She crossed the room to check on the other patients.
Rizelya sent Aistrun to get her clothes. A few milcrons later Leistral walked into the room with Rizelya’s pack slung over her shoulder.
“The others are still eating breakfast,” Leistral said, “and there are horses to saddle. Laynad’s going to be riding with us for a while today. She seems to be good people, takes this whole mess with the monsters seriously. She made us stay in the practice arena until everyone she sent to learn the shields could do them with their eyes closed. I think I can do the fire shield in my sleep now, I had to do it so many times yesterday.”
Leistral helped Rizelya to a small washroom where she assisted Rizelya in scrubbing down. Leistral talked the entire time, telling Rizelya about the training and the people they trained. Rizelya hadn’t realized what a chatterbox Leistral was. Then with shame, Rizelya remembered she had spent more time with Dehali and hadn’t gotten to know Leistral very well. That lack was being solved now. Riding with Eidstrun yesterday had allowed her to get to know him better. The only one in their little troupe she didn’t know well was Keandran. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know him much more than she did now.
Rizelya wore her split skirt again. Her leg was still too sore to pull her tight fighting leathers over her wound. In clean clothes, and with her hair clean and braided, Rizelya felt better than she had since the narhili attack.
She and Leistral made their way to the dining hall. Most of the keep would have eaten by now, but there should at least be porridge left for them. “Laynad is going to teach the small keep holders in this area the new technique.” Leistral informed her as they walked. “So we don’t have to. She changed our route so we won’t be stopping at any other keeps until we cross into Strunven Territory. She also knows of a hunter’s trail which will take us to Strunven Keep faster.”
“Is it safe?” Some of the trails the hunters used passed precariously close to the swamps.
“She thinks it is.” Leistral helped her to a table and then left to go fetch them some food. She came back with a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage, and toast.
When they were done eating, Leistral helped Rizelya outside. By the time they reached the porch, Rizelya was panting with the exertion. Aistrun saw them and strode up the stairs two at a time. She wasn’t sure which would be worse on her self-esteem: hopping down the stairs or having Aistrun carry her.
“Hey, Little Red, time to go.” Without asking her, he picked her up, taking the decision away from her. Leistral skipped down the stairs behind them and hurried to her own horse. Aistrun put Rizelya down in front of Kymaya.
Rizelya rubbed her horse’s nose, murmuring softly to her. Then she noticed the scab on Kymaya’s cheek. “She was hurt by the narhili?” she asked in horror. Until then, she hadn’t given much thought that Kymaya might have been injured in the attack.
“Only minor scratches,” Aistrun assured her. “Leistral took good care of her and a healer saw to the few wounds that were too deep for general cleaning.”
Rizelya looked for Leistral to thank her, but noticed Laynad was on her horse and was slapping her thigh with her riding crop impatiently. Rizelya and Aistrun were the only ones still not mounted on their horses.
Kymaya stood next to a mounting block. Rizelya frowned at it; it wasn’t often Rizelya needed help of any sort to mount her horse. Aistrun snickered as she leaned heavily on him to climb onto the mounting block. He continued smirking at her as he steadied her as she leaned against Kymaya’s side, threw her right leg over the saddle, and struggled to a sitting position. It wasn’t the most graceful mount she’d ever done, but at least she was on her own horse and not riding double in the awful invalid saddle.
Laynad led them out of the keep at a fast walk. Rizelya had been in so much pain when they arrived the day before she hadn’t paid much attention to the area surrounding the keep. It was in a wide, long valley with a river winding through it. The road followed the river’s path and was wide enough for two wagons to pass each other.
On this side of the river, large fields, separated and enclosed by the ever-present sheadash stone, were lush with spring growth. On the other side of the river, orchards of various fruit and nut trees marched as far as Rizelya could see.
“Our valley is fertile and abundant,” Laynad said to Rize
lya and Aistrun. “We grow enough food to feed most of Strunlair Province. Our prosperity seems to attract the monsters. We have more than our fair share of nests. I suspect we’ll be trying your new technique soon.”
“I hope it isn’t today,” Rizelya replied. “Brachen told me I couldn’t fight for four days.” Rizelya experienced a flash of fear, wondering if she would be able to keep the intelligence behind the control janack at bay if she wasn’t fighting. It—she—had certainly been able to enter Rizelya’s mind during the last battle where she wasn’t fighting.
“We have enough fighters. You won’t need to fight,” Laynad assured her. “If we come across a nest, your skill with the fire shield would be welcome in protecting the horses.”
“I can do that,” Rizelya agreed. It wouldn’t tax her strength too much or jar her injured leg. And it would give her something useful to do while the others risked their lives fighting the monsters. Laynad nodded and urged her horse forward.
The exercise of riding soon loosened up Rizelya’s tight muscles. She was pleased when her injured calf stopped aching after the first half octar or so of riding. They were still riding through the fields of the valley an octar after leaving the Keep. As she traveled through the lush valley, Rizelya wondered how much more abundant it could be if it wasn’t continually threatened by the monsters.
Wherever people lived—or had once lived—the Malvers monsters had a nest, but even so, people were still living—still surviving—as the verdant valley attested. Generations had fought the monsters, and as fearsome and devastating as they could be, her people had prevailed. Rizelya thought about the dangers her parents and their team had faced and the risks they took in an effort to control the monsters. And because of them, the monsters had been kept to their nests for the past thirty years. Tears pricked her eyes and she realized that for the first time she was proud of the accomplishments of her parents. She looked around at the fighters riding with her, at her own squad-pack, and realized they were continuing the long tradition of keeping the Posairs safe. Because of her visions, she believed someone had created the monsters to destroy her people. They hadn’t succeeded. And they wouldn’t with this new mode of attack. Her people were fighters and survivors.
Laynad fell back to ride next to Rizelya again and asked, “Can you handle a trot? We need to pick up the pace if we’re to cross the river before midday.”
Rizelya flexed her leg and then stood up in her stirrups. There was a twinge of aching muscles, nothing more. She nodded to Laynad. “I think I can, but not for long, though. We’ll fall back to the rear and follow you.”
“I’ll send young Laynal to ride with you, then. She knows the way to the river crossing.” Laynad rode back up to the front of the line. A few moments later, Laynal rode her horse back along the line to fall in with Rizelya’s group. As soon as she did, Laynad gave the signal to pick up speed and the troupe kicked their horses into a fast trot.
Rizelya was able to keep the pace for several measures, then her leg gave out, and she slowed Kymaya down to a fast walk. Her squad-pack kept pace with her. When she felt her leg had rested enough, she picked back up into a trot. They kept up this pattern for the next octar. The main force pulled ahead of them and disappeared, but Rizelya wasn’t too worried. The road only went one direction. They wouldn’t get lost.
***
Rizelya slowed her group to a walk. They were past the fields and the road wound through a field of wildflowers. Rizelya kicked out of her stirrups and stretched her legs. She dropped her reins over the pommel, then raised her arms. Her right shoulder was a bit stiff, but with slow movements she was able to lift it above her head. Breathing deeply, she inhaled the fresh spring air. Then she sat back on Kymaya, bringing her to a halt. Suddenly it wasn’t spring air she smelled.
“Do you smell that?” she asked quietly. Although if it was what she thought it was, it wasn’t sound that would lead them to her group but odor and heat.
Aistrun took a deep breath, his mouth slightly open to get a better flavor of the air, and then growled.
Eidstrun swore. “Holy Mother, how did they get here?”
“Monsters, then?” Rizelya blew out a breath. “So much for me not fighting for several days.”
Eidstrun nodded and inhaled again, turning in his saddle to get a whiff around them. His sense of smell was one of the sharpest Rizelya knew, even in his human form. He held up two fingers. “Two brechas.” He closed his eyes, then held up another finger. “And a janack. That way.” He pointed to the left of them, away from the river.
Even though the monster nests were always found near swamps, they didn’t like the fast moving water of rivers; they drowned in them.
Rizelya didn’t hear any humming, so this wasn’t a control janack, nor was one still in the nest.
“There’s a nest a few measures in that direction,” Laynal told them, her eyes wide in fear. It was one thing to fight a nest with a large group of fighters, and another to fight with a group as small as theirs. And Laynal was a new fighter. There were only seven of them, six really, since Rizelya couldn’t fight. “Laynad had someone check it yesterday afternoon. It was empty then.”
“Well, there’s something headed our way now,” Rizelya said a bit sharply to pull Laynal from her fear. “Laynal, you and Leistral will form the fire-rings around the monsters. Don’t allow them to get to the road; there are people in the fields. Dehali, you and Aistrun take down the janack. Eidstrun, you fight with Laynal.” She put her most fearsome fighter with her least experienced. She glanced at Keandran; if he turned wacky on her again she wouldn’t risk Laynal. Leistral was experienced enough to protect herself.
Laynal moved next to Eidstrun. Dehali and Aistrun looked at each other and grinned.
“That means Keandran you’re with me.” Leistral glared at him. “You better stay focused on the fight.”
Rizelya looked closely at Keandran. He seemed eager to fight. “You aren’t going to go crazy on me now, are you?”
“No, Alpha, I’ll be good. Just let me at those buggers,” he answered with a snarl. He was close to shifting.
“Give me your horses,” Rizelya told her pack. “I’ll guard them.” They dismounted and handed her their horses’ reins.
The women pulled out their helbraughts and the men moved off to shift into their warrior forms. Rizelya headed across the road toward the edge of the river. A crow cawed, and she turned to look back just in time to see a tentacle reach up into the air and snatch the crow, it’s caw breaking off into a squawk.
“Hurry, they’re here!” she yelled to her team. She kicked Kymaya into a trot to reach the river’s edge. The river was deep and wide and she wasn’t sure if the horses could swim across it if they had to escape the monsters. She had to trust her pack to kill them. She stayed on Kymaya’s back. She didn’t think she could get off—or back on—without help.
She saw Leistral and Laynal preparing to form the fire-ring. Rizelya grabbed her helbraught, lowered the tip to the ground, and chanted the spell to form the fire shield. It flared up around her and the horses as the monsters broke through the overgrowth.
Leistral’s fire flared to life, blocking the monsters from the road. Laynal’s came to life a few moments later, keeping them from returning the way they had come. Then a fire shield blazed up into a dome over the fighters and monsters. Laynal, it seemed, had turned her fear into excitement. The fire shield wasn’t needed with just a regular janack. It would, however, keep Keandran from leaving. When Rizelya realized this, she wondered if it hadn’t been Leistral who had created the fire shield rather than Laynal.
Rizelya was grateful all of the horses she held were plains-bred. They stood intently, watching the fight. Their eyes were a bit wild with the monsters so close, but they weren’t pulling against the reins trying to get away. Rizelya itched to be part of the fight rather than sitting with the horses. She hadn’t sat and watched a fight since she was thirteen and had joined a fighting-pack.
Dehali
swung her helbraught at one of the janack’s tentacles. It flew through the air and Rizelya expected to hear it thud to the ground, but she must be too far away. As she continued to watch, she realized she didn’t hear any sounds: no thuds or smacks, no yelps or grunts, no war cries or howls. The eeriness of the quiet fight made her shiver. Her view was also a bit distorted by the shield, but she could see her pack was fighting well, even Keandran.
It wasn’t long before Eidstrun and Laynal took down their brecha. Laynal jumped on the dead brecha and hacked it to pieces with the blade of her helbraught in her exuberant fury. Rizelya could see ichor flying in every direction; Laynal would have some acid burns.
Eidstrun raced to help Aistrun and Dehali attack the janack. A tentacle went flying across the glade, sizzling when it hit the fire shield. Another one dropped to the ground, wiggling futilely for a few moments, then stopped. Dehali was on one side of the janack and Laynal was on the other. They timed their strike just as the two warriors sliced through another set of tentacles. Their glowing helbraught blades slid into its body. The maw snapped once at them before the janack shuddered and collapsed, dead.
The sound of pounding hoofs caused Rizelya to turn away from the fight. Laynad and Laynar galloped down the road, a fighting force thundering behind them. Rizelya smiled and waved at them and then turned her attention back to the fight to find Leistral and Keandran had killed their brecha.
Laynad’s horse slid to such a short stop in front of Rizelya that it’s rump grazed the ground. “What for the love of the Mother happened?” Laynad cried, scrambling off her horse. “Is anyone hurt?”
“We’ll find out in a few milcrons, but I doubt it, at least not seriously. Laynal was a bit”—she paused, remembering the fury at which Laynar hacked at the brecha—“Ah … unrestrained and has some acid burns from brecha ichor. They came from over there.” Rizelya pointed to the swath of broken limbs and dying plants.
