by Hicks, Aaron
She cursed herself for a coward. She sheathed her sword and climbed over a boulder. She saw a path to freedom, and she took it. She ran as fast as she could, as fast as a lifetime of running had made her, and ran away. She felt something wet on her cheek and looked up expecting clouds, but the sky was clear, she realized then that she was crying.
Go back! She tried to will her body, Basam, Repus, Pamfilo, and six of Basam’s kids need your help! She skidded to a halt. Her breath came fast. You need to protect your own family, you can’t worry about others. She took another step away from the fight. They are your family! You were there for Repus and Pamifilo’s weddings, you were there when Basam was told to propose to Lana. You even have come to like the twice-damned twins! As the tears flowed down her cheeks she put a hand to her stomach. What kind of example would I set for him if I ran? He’d at leave be alive to know that example.
The dragon’s thoughts cut into her own. I will help you, but I know you, you have to go back.
I’m a pregnant sixteen year old cripple! What can I do?
She said it--well thought it--but she’d never before admitted ever to herself that she was a cripple. Sure, she’d lost her arm, but she’d never thought of herself as less than the same girl she’d been before the bolt stole her arm.
Are you done with your pity party?
Tell me honestly against the Imperial army what can I do? I’m just one person.
You can fight, and a damn site better than those who are taking a beating from those who took your arm! Those people, just over the rise, they took Uktesh! They invaded our lands not once, but now twice! They killed Leilani and Esolc!
She felt herself grow cold at the reminder and only had one thought, someone should show them we’re not to be trifled with!
She Walked back and found the battle well underway as the Beletarians had cut into the Imperials from the side. Laurilli grabbed the trumpet boy and said, “Sound the attack right flank signal!” With the Imperial army turned to fight the Beletarians, they left their right flank open to the Sinain army. The boy sounded the trumpet and Laurilli Walked to the front of the line with a massive tower shield held before her. The dragon enhanced her strength and she charged the enemy by herself as bolt after bolt slammed into the shield and the grass near her feet.
They’re going for your feet, be careful! She felt her shield crash into someone and before they could push her back, she dropped her shield and unsheathed her rapier. They couldn’t attack her with their crossbows anymore as she was in their midst. As she cut a swath deeper into their ranks she was able to kill by surprise attack more often than not.
She heard a crash behind her and risked a glance to see that the path she’d cut had been widened by her troops as they followed her into the depth of the enemy ranks. She stabbed, and kept stabbing almost too fast to control, until she felt her sword parried in a familiar way. She shouted, “Sorry!” as she had attacked a Beletarian. She planted her feet and stabbed the Imperial troops around her as her men caught up to her and surrounded her. She warily wiped her blade clean as the combined forces of the Sinian reserve and the Beletarian strike force killed the enemy almost to a man, but she tackled one of the Imperials that looked like a leader before he could be killed. She hit him with the hilt of her sword and dragged him into the ranks of her men.
Once the battle was over, she found Tylor and told him to tally the confirmed dead and get back to her. Then, she threw water onto the leader and said, “Where were you heading! How did you get past the main force?”
The man said, “I don’t know!”
Laurilli stabbed him in his leg, “Liar! Try again!”
The man said, “We just walked here, we didn’t get around anyone!”
Laurilli said, “Where were you going?”
The man said, “I don’t know!”
Laurilli stabbed him again his time higher up on the leg. She place the tip of her sword against his crotch, “Where were you going?”
The man swallowed and said, “Some place called Manori. The Storm lord’s brother lost his eye to a resident of that place.”
Laurilli say the twins, thankfully still alive, and said, “Tie him up, I’ll need to ask him more questions later. Make sure he doesn’t die of any injuries.”
She found the Beletarian leader, who was surprisingly young to be leading so many troops. There’s a pot calling a kettle black! She grinned as she walked up to him, held out her hand, and said, “My name is Laurilli. I’m the leader of the reserves. I thank you for your timely save back there. We would’ve been routed if you hadn’t saved us.”
He took her hand and said, “You’re pregnant! Are the Sinians that hard up for soldier that they would send crippled whales to fight in their wars?”
Laurilli ignored the insult, she said, “It’s a strange situation where I wasn’t really showing until about a month ago, but when I found out we couldn’t change the leadership easily. I was supposed to hang back during the fighting. That wasn’t possible due to the ambush.”
One of the Beletarians said, “Belario, I saw her fight; she’s skilled. To insult this one only brings shame on us.”
The young leader Belario scratched his chin, and then nodded once in acquiescence, “If you say so Belial, then I’ll believe it to be true.”
Laurilli recognized both of the names as people Uktesh grew up with, and Belial as a friend of Uktesh’s. “Belario we have actionable intel that the main invading army is heading to a Sinain town called Manori. My people are heading there now and we’d appreciate it if you and your men,” she saw some of those in the Beletarian army glare at her, “and women, would come with us.”
Belario said, “Why would they attack a no-named town in Sinai?”
Laurilli said, “That’s where Uktesh used to live,” Belario and Belial glanced at each other. Laurilli continued, “And yes, I know who you two are. Belial you were his friend; well as much as your people have friends; and Belario you were never able to beat him in a spar.”
Belario laughed and said, “Is that what the coward told you? That I never beat him? I’m afraid it’s the other way around.”
Laurilli didn’t need to defend Uktesh. She was secure in who he was, and besides she needed these people to help stop an army from capturing her mother. Basam, however, was not so forgiving. Basam marched to stand, all six feet and one inch of him, over Belario, “Basam believes you are a liar! Basam has seen Uktesh fight, or rather Basam has seen that path of destruction that Uktesh creates when he fights. Basam saw no such warrior in your group.”
Laurilli put her hand on his arm and forced him back. She gave him a warning glance and said, “Forgive him, he’s defensive of his grand master. In truth most of us owe our lives to Uktesh. It was his actions that sank eleven of the twelve ships that arrived on our shores during the last invasion. He mastered the perfect form and had achieved the legendary god form before he was captured. If you insult my husband again, you won’t live long enough for him to return and prove you aren’t his match.”
The dragon scoffed, way to hold your temper.
I know, but his arrogant grin is begging for me to wipe it away.
Belario asked, “You think you could?”
Laurilli smiled and said, “I think his stories hold more truth than yours. Did you end up marrying that slut Essra? You know she’d drop you in a second for Uktesh.”
Belario screamed in rage and charged her, he attacked in balanced, which she blocked, then imperfect, which she also blocked, and then in perfect. Then, instead of blocking she Stepped behind him and poked him in the butt with her rapier. He spun and attacked where she had been only to be poked in the butt again. He spun, then spun again and stabbed where Laurilli might have been if she hadn’t expected that. She had stayed where she was, and stabbed him in the butt harder. She said, “Are we done? I could’ve killed you three times already. Four if I was really trying.” He spun around and she Stepped directly in front of him, trapped his hands, and
greeted him with the imperfect Ram’s Hello head butt to his nose.
He staggered back and Belial bravely stepped between the fighters, “Okay! We are getting off track here. Laurilli, we’d be happy to assist you because that’s why we’re here. Belario could it be that you might be remembering a different person and not Uktesh.”
Belario, nodded and sheathed his sword, “I apologize if he trained you. If you’re this skilled he must not be the person I was remembering.”
A beautiful woman stepped forward and shouted at Belario, “You’re just going to let her call your fiancée a slut?”
Belario rubbed his ass and said, “I didn’t let anything happen, if you want to defend your honor go for it.”
Tylor returned and said, “We lost about four hundred for sure, definitely more under the rocks that we can’t count, including Rasam.” He put a hand on Basam’s shoulder, “I’m sorry my friend. We have a total of six hundred on this side of the boulders. With our Beletarian friends here we’ll have double that. Where are we heading?”
Laurilli said, “We’re heading home, the Imperial troops are heading to Manori.”
Basam turned to her, with tears streaming down his cheeks, and said, “Basam has lost Basam’s eldest son today! Basam has three children there and Lana! Basam must hurry!”
Laurilli said, “I agree, we’ll hurry. My mom’s there too.” Just then there was a commotion and she heard Enan yell, “Ahm gunna ask ya one more time, den ahm gunna stomp ya.” Laurilli headed toward the sound and found Enan alive and well!
She shouted, “Enan!” She flung herself into his arms and said, “You lived! Is Anan alive?”
Enan nodded and said, “He’s lead’in dem slowpokes over da boulders! He’ll be here in maybe ten more minutes.”
She responded, “Good. Once they get here there won’t be any rest for the wicked. We have to get to Manori quickly. The Imperial army is heading that way.”
Enan said, “Well, we could go by the road, or we could try through da moun’ain. I hain’t ever dun it bafare, but I heard dere’s a tunnel dat goes straight through da whole t’ing. It’s a risk, but if it’s dere it’ll cut about a week off the trip.”
Laurilli nodded and said, “If we try that and there’s no path we’ll get there behind the invaders. If we go via the road we’ll get there behind the invaders. It’s only if we can use the shortcut that we have a chance to catch up to them. Basam, break the news about Rasam to your family. Tylor, gather the troops and start them up the hill toward the mountain. Belario, are you coming with us or not?”
Belario nodded and said, “If nothing else, we’ll learn a path for when we eventually conquer your lands.”
Laurilli shrugged and said, “Not my problem today, get your men and women headed up that hill. Enan, wait for Anan, then once you get his force following us, catch up to me and show us where you think this short cut might be.”
She hugged Basam before he walked away and said, “I’m so sorry.”
Basam smiled sadly and said, “Basam knows if you hadn’t led that charge Basam would have lost all of his children here.
The force slowly started to move out. Laurilli jogged to the prisoner, ordered him tied to a horse, and Walked to the front of the troops. “Men! We have to find a tunnel that goes from this side of the mountain through to the other side. It’s only if we find this tunnel will we have a chance to protect our countrymen. So now’s the time to run!” She turned and ran up the hill as twelve hundred soldiers followed her.
As she ran harder and faster than she ever had before, tears blurred her vision. She cursed herself for a fool, and an idiot, of course they would have a bone to pick with Uktesh! She prayed she could get to Heathyr and Lana and the kids in time to save them from the army heading toward their home.
She ran for as long and she could, not looking back, not wanting to see how few had been able to keep up with her. The day which had started out so well, had now turned to dusk, and she had a brief moment of wonder about how she’d run as hard and as long as she had. She realized that she was getting tired, and so she slowed down to a walk and started to look for the tunnel before night fell and complete obscured her vision.
Belial said, “You run as well as any Beletarian, probably better considering none of us are, what six or seven months pregnant?”
She smiled her thanks for the compliment and said, “Seven.”
Belial smiled and said, “If all the women in your country are like you, our own war against your people may have been destined to fail.”
Several Beletarians ran passed them and she asked, “If Uktesh was here would Belario have tried to kill him?”
Belial smiled and said, “You caught that, huh? Dangerous indeed. If you ever get tired of Uktesh and wish to switch husbands just let me know. It’s complicated between Belario and Uktesh. Belario never beat him, not once, but now he’s a grand master and able to use the perfect form one hundred percent of the time. Then you tell us that the ultimate achievement of mastering all the forms isn’t the pinnacle, and what’s more Uktesh, his rival, has already ascended to stand above him once again.”
Laurilli said, “If I know Uktesh, and I do, by the time we see him again, he’ll have ascended to yet another level.” She found a cave hidden by some trees, she said, “This might be it. I’ll check it out. You gather the troops,” and then walked into the cave. She smelled and heard a horse, or horses. The next thing she knew, she could feel a knife held at her throat. A wave of sadness overwhelmed her. I just let my back up walk away! And now I’m going to be killed, by a thief or a mugger, or maybe a bandit.
Courage tempered by caution rose up inside her. Yes, I’m scared and I don’t want to die, but I damned well am not going to die without a fight, even if it’s a quick one. I can’t wait for Belial to return as that could be in a minute or fifteen. Her training with Uktesh in unarmed combat against armed opponents had not been stressed, and half the time when he was behind her with a knife to her throat they’d ended up wrestling in a completely different way. Laurilli had been learning how to fight for nearly two years and knew the value of her own body as a weapon.
With her right hand she stabbed up blocking and disengaging the knife from her neck. Next she held one arm at bay as she sank her teeth into the other arm and bit as hard as she could. With a quick twist of her waist, a repositioning of her feet, and force applied to the arm she held, she had the knife hand and arm in a submission hold. Her forearm was bleeding shallowly where she’d blocked the knife, but other than that she was fine.
She kicked the back of her attacker’s legs, forcing him to kneel, then twisted and wrenched his arm behind his back and tied his arm to his neck with his belt, so that if he tried to move his arm he’d choke himself. Laurilli grabbed his other arm and forced the man to lay on it.
Her would be mugger said, “If you’re going to kill me, you Beletarian garbage, then do it, and be done with it.”
With a shock Laurilli recognized the voice, “Three? Is that you?”
She could hear Three’s sneer in the darkness, “So my reputation precedes me.”
She sighed and said, “No, idiot it’s me, Laurilli.” She let him go and he untied the belt.
He sighed, “So it is. I had been cursing myself that after I had gotten the drop on you, you not only got out of my attack, but to reverse it. Now, however, I have to say your true training is coming to the front. Please untie me. I can’t get this with one hand.”
Laurilli lifted her eyebrow and said, “I tied it while subduing you; figure it out. And what do you mean true training?”
Three said, “You’re either from Beletaria, or you’ve trained there. Don’t deny it, anyone who had ever watched you fight could tell that.”
Laurilli said, “Yet you let me join the training. No. You made me.”
Three said, “I knew as soon as I saw you. Why do you think I had a one-armed girl far too young to be there forced into a sword fight? Though why your father be
at the crap out of me is still beyond me.”
Laurilli said, “Because he didn’t want me to have to fight that boy. That boy had basically sexually assaulted me a few months earlier while we fought in the tournament.”
Three said, “Oh. Now I understand.”
Laurilli asked, “Why did you let me join?”
Three said, “A one-arm girl barely into womanhood? I knew that you’d improve all of the recruits skills, just by constantly beating on them. I never guessed that you’d want to actually train them as well.”
Laurilli said, “So when the training was over, why did you leave them under my command?”
Three said, “I thought that you did a really outstanding job and that you frankly were deserving of the rank. Now, the truth comes out. You were a spy all along.”
“What? No I wasn’t. We were ambushed. I killed several before, wait, an Imperial spy or a Beletarian spy? I need to know what you’re accusing me of.”
Three said, “A Beletarian spy!”
Laurilli said, “They came with us after we won the skirmish. We got intel from a captured Imperial trooper that they were attacking Manori.”
Three shouted, “Liar! I was there! I saw you run!”
Laurilli felt her face flush from anger and embarrassment, “Did you see me kill them with my knives? Did you hear me tell the company to stop and reverse? What about the other leaders, who didn’t follow up with their scouts? Are they spies too? I was specifically told not to do anything, which is why I didn’t, until I realized that we were walking into a trap.”
Three asked, “Then why did you have a spare horse ready?”
Laurilli didn’t know what he was talking about and replied, “What spare horse?”
