Bellator: An Anthology of Warriors of Space & Magic

by A. L Butcher

  Then Mina shouted. Frederick and Diana turned and saw her rubbing her hair, which their brother Marcus had obviously pulled. “Leave her alone, Marcus,” Frederick said in warning.

  “Only playing.” He shrugged. Marcus’s deathly pallor and deep eyes lent to his sneaky bearing.

  Anguish filled Diana when she thought of how their mother used to speak to Marcus as a boy. She would place her hands on the sides of his face and look directly into his eyes. It was like she was trying to speak directly to whatever goodness was still within him. Now, Marcus smiled directly at Diana before yanking Mina’s black hair again. She charged at him, dagger in hand. Then their mother shouted.

  “Marcus! Come…I need you to help me, please?”

  “Aw, I have to go…” He turned and Diana grabbed his wrist, jerking him towards her.

  “If you so much as lay a finger on Mina…” she said through gritted teeth.

  “You’ll what…ah!” Marcus pulled his wrist from her grip, and he could see burn marks around it. Then his eyes narrowed and he said slowly, “You are a witch, and I am going to ruin you.”

  Diana never let her eyes leave his. She watched him walk away.

  “Come.” She felt Frederick’s hand on her shoulder. “We should go in.” Diana nodded and motioned for Mina to follow them. They entered the kitchen to see what chores their mother and father would give them.

  “Would you like me to butcher the goat you spoke of yesterday, Mother?” Frederick asked.

  “No, dear. I asked Marcus to do it.”

  “Why did you ask Marcus?” Frederick asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

  “Your father is busy in the village this afternoon. He is bringing a guest home for dinner, Master Aaron. I know what you think, but perhaps a bit of responsibility will bring out the better in Marcus.”

  Chickens clucked and cleared as Diana and Frederick ran towards the small hut they used for butchery. When he was not there, they went into the animal pens. There, tied to a post, was the goat. There was a coating over its eyes, as though it had a strange disease. It banged itself against the pen repeatedly, making guttural noises. Diana nearly vomited at the smell in the air. Marcus beamed at his handiwork. Then Frederick charged him, punched him in the face, threw him over his shoulder, and carried him to the butchery hut.

  Diana remained calm, but eased the animal’s suffering by cutting its throat. It still twitched and made unnatural noises. She was sure there was a small hissing noise coming from it. Carrying it to the slaughter hut, Diana was not surprised to see Frederick punching Marcus. Diana rolled her eyes. Marcus often got away with his behavior, because their mother hated to see how Frederick bloodied him for his antics.

  When she entered with the now dead animal to lay it on the wooden table, they both turned.

  Marcus, his nose bloodied and eye swollen, took a knife and sliced Frederick’s arm. Frederick cried out from the pain and turned to strike his brother again. But this time it was Diana’s blood that boiled hotter. She dropped the goat on the table, shoved Frederick aside, and rushed at Marcus. His eyes widened as she grabbed him and shoved him back, smashing his head against the table.

  For a second, she touched the goat. Screaming in Marcus’s face, she took out her knife. Her scream fused with a sound of hissing in the air.

  “Diana! Stop!” Next to them, the remains of the goat shriveled, like it was being burned in an invisible fire. She could no longer control herself, despite Frederick trying to pull her away. “Diana, please! What if someone knows of this!” Frederick pleaded with her, shielding his eyes from the dust remains blowing in the air.

  Then a cooling feeling came over everyone and time ceased. In the doorway stood their father, with Master Aaron. Their father was a large man, with a thick beard and lots of dark hair on his bulging forearms. Frederick took after their father very much. Master Aaron, their honored guest, in contrast was slender and tall, with short white hair. One thing Frederick noticed about him was that his left arm was missing below the elbow. He also walked with a limp.

  When they saw Master Aaron’s cool blue eyes, it was clear he was a gifted man. Aaron might have been one who conjured, but he didn’t have the same air as Marcus.

  Master Aaron’s eyes remained on Diana, who now stood with her head down, blood staining her dress, belt and braid.

  “Diana, you will wash yourself and help your mother to prepare an alternative meal for our guest.”

  Her eyes were wide as she looked up at her father, pleading for a chance to explain.

  “I’ll hear of nothing else,” her father said sternly.

  “Yes, Father.” With that, she walked out of the barn.

  Frederick

  Frederick shook his head. Diana hated kitchen duties. Then he heard Marcus spluttering ‘witch, witch, witch’ at Diana’s back. Diana stiffened, but carried on when their father shouted, ‘Marcus!’ Frederick glared at Marcus, who quieted.

  Master Aaron then said, “You have very powerful children, Benjamin.”

  “I know…Master Aaron.” Their father spoke wearily, then with another sigh, he said, “Really, they are all old enough, save Mina, to take their place in this world. But there is not as much for them as there was in my day.” Benjamin’s shoulders slumped before he continued speaking to Aaron. “I know… Frederick, you will clean up your brother, you will speak to him and make peace.”

  Frederick helped his brother off the table, past the two men, and took him around the back, where he tended his wounds. The entire time, Marcus only looked at Frederick. Then when it was time to go to dinner, he spoke.

  “You could help me to destroy Diana. You saw what she did. She is a danger to us all. I see in your heart, you hate her for her abilities. No woman should be able to best a man in a fight.”

  “She does not best me, Marcus,” Frederick said, feeling defensive. Truthfully, it was only sparring.

  “If her strike with the knife had been real, you wouldn’t be speaking to me now! Witches are an abomination, she will only get worse. As she gets older, she will turn psychotic. She might have speed and strength, but Diana does not have the emotional restraint necessary to be a proper warrior. If you think Father intends to marry her off to Master Aaron, you are wrong. She will be trained by him. Father is a fool. It is in our interest to put Diana in her place.”

  In truth, Frederick had not thought of either. He desired Master Aaron’s guidance, of course. But it was growing more and more evident that Diana needed to find a safer place. As far as any engagement was concerned, he knew his sister well enough to know she would make a very unhappy wife.

  Gathering himself, Frederick said, “Our sister has gifts neither you nor I possess. You’ve seen her move, Marcus.” He said the next words with duty. He couldn’t deny the jealousy in his heart, but greater still was his love for his family. “I don’t know what Master Aaron’s true intentions are with our eldest sister. But if she is to go with Master Aaron, for whatever reason, it will be for her protection.”

  Marcus shrugged, tilted his head back, and said, “Perhaps he will accept settling down with our freak of a sister, seeing as he never amounted to much himself.”

  Frederick squared up to Marcus, looking him directly in the eye.

  “Master Aaron was wounded, lost part of a limb, nearly died defeating a corrupted conjuror who liked dealing with wicked spirits. He is everything a man could hope to amount to, an example of stoutheartedness. We now know you conjure. I despise living under the same roof as you. And you are afraid of Diana, as you should be.”

  Before he knew what happened, Frederick was doubled over in pain. Marcus had punched him directly in the gut.

  His brother’s breath smelled foul as he whispered in his ear, “Hero worship…will get you nowhere.” Then Marcus strode into the house. Frederick spat and followed, vowing to keep an especially close eye on his brother.

  Diana

  Diana had washed herself at the trough, quickly changed
her soiled clothing, re-plaited her hair, and entered the house. Frederick and Marcus were sitting at opposite ends of the table. Master Aaron’s eyes followed her as she sat down, and Mina smiled at her.

  “Isn’t my sister beautiful?” Mina said triumphantly. Diana gave her a closed mouth smile and folded her hands in her lap.

  “Mina…tut, tut,’ their mother scolded.

  Mina merely shrugged. “He has kind eyes, don’t you think? Very calming…” She had a sweet voice, but spoke in a matter of fact manner.

  “Mina, please,” Benjamin indulgently said to his youngest daughter. She was nearly a woman now. Diana could not help but smile at Mina’s romantic notions. If Mina could put blooming flowers on every window sill, she would. There were whispers about Master Aaron coming into the village, looking for warriors to train. But some questioned whether he was simply looking to settle down with a wife, after his many years of service to their community.

  “Yes, Father,” she said.

  Diana admired Master Aaron, but the thought of being tied down and kept by any man filled her with sadness. It wasn’t what she wanted. There was a whole world out there that needed protecting. She had her bow and quiver, her knife, and Frederick had been helping her learn to use a sword.

  Lately something else inside her was growing. The incident with the goat proved it. As soon as she sliced the suffering animal’s throat, a natural sense of purpose filled her. She’d been focused. But when Marcus took a knife to Frederick, her blood turned to liquid fire within her veins.

  Staring at Marcus from across the table, it was as though he was trying to read her thoughts.

  Witch…

  She could hear him. She merely stared back at him, not breaking eye contact.

  After being lost in thought, Master Aaron’s words came to her ears. “Your sister is very beautiful, Mina. She is also very special. I’m not sure if she is quite as special as you, though,’ he said with a wink.

  Then Mina began to talk excitedly. “Have you seen her fight? She is nearly as strong as Frederick, and so fast! Her legs are so long. I wish I was as graceful and fierce as she.” Mina, with her shining brown eyes, spoke with admiration.

  But Diana did not wish to hear any more. It made her uncomfortable. Diana feared that perhaps her father felt the best course for her was to be married off to a distinguished warrior. It angered her to think that their father would dismiss her so. Mina’s desire for a loving husband and family were written all over her, but for Diana this wasn’t her path.

  Frederick ate and barely looked at her, only exchanging the odd glance at Marcus. If the adults and Mina were not here, I would have him dead. Diana could hear him. She said nothing.

  She looked at Master Aaron and thought, I have no wish to wed. I’ve no desire for children or ties. I keep myself plainly. If marriage is your intent, I beg you, please find another.

  Everyone at the table stopped and stared at Diana. It occurred to her that her thoughts were not her own, though they were not spoken aloud.

  In a panic, Diana leapt from the table and ran, ensuring she had her knife with her. She dashed around the house and down the dirt path that led out of their village.

  She found herself heading for the large, snow-capped mountains. Now, Diana ran through a field of tall grass, a clearing before the forest began. The blades whipped at her limbs. It felt like every blow was a stinging initiation into a new life.

  Diana… a voice came to her.

  “I’ve no wish to wed you.”

  It was Master Aaron. Her eyes widened when she pondered how he could have possibly found her so quickly. Even Frederick struggled to keep up with her after a distance. Then she just knew. There was something in him that she recognized within herself.

  “What is it you wanted, Master Aaron? My father never consulted me in this matter.”

  “I can train you. So that you can help your family, your community, your country. It would not be long before less tolerant members of your village noticed your abilities. Your family will need your help, Diana, and you will be best honing your skills, preparing for what will come.”

  Diana’s heart sank as the true meaning of his words came to her. “Will there be such a need for help?” Part of her did not truly wish to accept the necessity of deadly skills.

  “Yes.” The truth in his word erased all her doubts.

  In the years that followed, Master Aaron discovered every talent she possessed. Her father had taken her hunting along with Frederick. At first he did not allow it, only after witnessing how light of foot and silently she could run.

  After some time, Diana would track the animals ahead of them. Small pebbles for where the game animals were, and two chunky branches crossed for where the large animals were. She built a pile of earth whenever there was a predator. Her nimble limbs glided over grass, leaves and fallen branches. She left no trace of herself apart from that. Her sense of smell never let them down.

  Master Aaron had been a great friend of her father’s. They had fought together in the years before she and her siblings came along.

  “Your father told me he worried for you, that your gift could be abused in the wrong hands. It was him who came to me. He knew it would be necessary for you to be trained away from the eyes of your village. He also told me how you would complain of your brother Marcus, how you thought he needed to bathe?”

  “Yes.”

  “Your brother dabbles in forces far darker than himself. Our natural world revolts against the presences he summons. It causes a reaction in those who are one with our realm. Your very nose tells you how he seeks to revolt against all you hold dear.”

  “I should have killed him. The very air he was near smelled poisoned,” Diana said.

  “It is not for us to kill our own out of temper. So much of his evil is born from spite and jealousy. He is not as honorable as Frederick. Nor was Mina born with your talents. But she knows her strengths, and he should know his. In order to be in control of the strongest part of ourselves, we have to be in control of the weakest.”

  “I should go back and finish him.” She covered her mouth. “What if he hurts Mina?”

  “You have to continue on your path, Diana. Do you know how it feels to have those demons in your head?”

  Then Diana fell to her knees, a hissing sound in her ear. It was much stronger than the one coming from the goat. Twists of jealousy jostled in her gut. Anger tightened her chest, and she was violated by a need to commit violence against the cause of it. She saw Mina, older with her satin black hair and shining eyes, surrounded by many children and a handsome husband at her side. Spite built within her as she thought of all she would have to do to keep them safe so they could carry on in their joy.

  Diana shook her head and fell forward onto her hands. The tall grasses blew over her. She knew she could never own these feelings. She was nauseated by their unnatural presence.

  She saw Frederick, swinging an sword on horseback, slaying hordes of possessed ones. He was a leader of warriors. He refused to accept cowardice. He would receive glory and admiration for great deeds. Diana would have to remain in the shadows, unknown. As far as anyone in their community was concerned, she had gone away to be Master Aaron’s grateful wife.

  The willowy blades closed above, as though they could trap her in a tomb of bitterness. She sensed Master Aaron’s presence. He had an air of cleanliness. And despite his injuries, he held himself with ease.

  “You will never be a leader like your brother, Diana. But you are a powerful warrior. You are a witch, a huntress. Your strengths will be on the mountain side, in the forest, like a ghost. Remember how you helped them hunt in the forest?”

  Diana sat back on her knees, the grasses parting above, looking at him. Still shaking from the invasion of hateful feelings, tears came to her eyes. They welled from the realization that those innocent days were gone. It was not only the animals she helped them find. She would keep an eye out for danger.

  Her father tra
ined her with a bow as well as a knife. When he saw her aim, Benjamin gave his daughter a mixed look of pride and fear. From then on, she protected them from a distance. That was when she felt most at ease, out in the wild, seeking animals, predators or invaders.

  Diana pitied Marcus, how he’d surrendered himself to corrupt feelings. It would be dreadful to experience such hatred, at all times. She imagined Marcus’s hand on her shoulder, how it would be to have his confidence. To share a bond that could heal him. But the only thing Marcus would accept was her cooperation in destroying others, and that she could never give him.

  She’d stayed with Master Aaron in his home near the edge of the forest. During the day, he taught her to make good use of her sense of smell. She could tell that of different animals, male and female, different species, etc.

  Master Aaron picked up from where her father had left off. He taught her to live from the earth alone. Her skill with bow and knife were outstanding, but grew even better. Her limbs and lengthy torso acted as traps while she executed with the knife. The sword and sometimes axe were her brother’s specialty. But Master Aaron had refused to hear this.

  “You might find that all you have to defend yourself with one day is a stick or a rock. You must learn to use these as well. If the sword is a weak point, you must learn to use it more.”

  At night, when she fell onto the hay-stuffed linens, the hissing would begin. She had to push away the emotions that were not her own. Then, the tingling down her spine that melted into a sensation of peace brought images. She saw herself as a solitary but powerful woman, with lands far extending what she needed.

  Kill him… the voices would call. They meant Aaron.

  His home could be yours, take his things… Go to Marcus. Between the two of you, you can have everything. If you cooperate with Marcus, he will have no choice but to show mercy to Frederick and your father.