by James Wymore
"Not me," she said. "You. They will believe you."
"Vince already said I'm a stranger."
"Macey'll fix Vince for that one," Jewel said.
"They can't be made to fight," Elwood said. He wished for anybody else to take over and lead this battle. "It has to be their choice."
"Did Macey tell you we saw your battle?"
Elwood looked away. He didn't know why that upset him.
"We didn't watch the actual killing," Jewel said, "but we saw your group coming in wagons and marching on foot. We saw the fishmen rise up out of the water to meet you at the dam. From a distance, we saw the fire and water clash, sending up all shades of black smoke and white steam. When the smoke stopped, the reservoir was gone.
"The fishmen killed everybody they could reach. The town of Southwall was destroyed, every man and child gone. Some of the women they carried off back to the sea. Before that, even before the dam, Southwall was too far for the fishmen to reach. They thought they were safe up the side, but now they are dead. I had friends there. We had one cousin there."
"I'm sorry we couldn't hold the dam," Elwood said.
"You all but died protecting it," Jewel said. "And the rest of them did die. Nobody could say you did anything but your best."
"Yet it wasn't enough."
"Do you know why the fishmen are attacking us now? Why did they destroy Southwall? They can't live there. There's nothing to gain. Are they so evil, they kill just for the killing? Why do they hate us so?"
"I don't know," Elwood said. "I don't think I ever knew."
"But you can save us," Jewel said.
"I don't know that either."
"I do." She reached out one hand and gently touched the side of his face. "I know you can save us. God sent you. Otherwise, we would have no hope."
He couldn't think until she moved her hand away. "I'm just one man."
"No, you are a Selene soldier, come to the mountain town just in time. We have men. What we didn't have was somebody to conduct the fight and teach them how."
"You have a lot of confidence in me, Jewel."
"I place my very life in your hands. I will do anything you ask." Her eyes said she meant it.
Elwood wanted nothing more than for her to prove it. But the dark gloom, which welled up whenever tried to think of any strong connection to her, kept him from saying anything more.
Before she turned away to sleep she said, "You are the savior of Winigh."
Chapter Seven
Jewel was already up and gone when Elwood woke up. He caught himself wishing to look in her eyes again. Then the cloud of emotions came back and confused everything. Bowen found him awake first. "Seems you've gotten this place into quite a frenzy. I've never seen them this agitated in all the years since I married in to this family."
"That's better than if they didn't take it seriously," Elwood said. "I've never heard you speak of your family, though."
Bowen took a deep breath. "I hail from Southwall."
"I'm so sorry." He never realized how much his failure on the battlefield had cost Bowen. It also explained why Macey lived so far from her family. They had settled halfway between the two towns.
"You did all you could," he said. "I'm just glad you made it through to help us all now."
"I'll die before I see Winigh destroyed by Hyzoi." He made the oath easily, deep down knowing he must already be bound by similar oaths now forgotten.
"I don't think we need another person to die for us," Bowen said as he scratched his salt and pepper beard. "Way I see it, we need somebody who can live for us."
"That would be my first choice, too." Elwood smiled.
"I don't think you're taking my meaning."
"You're talking about Jewel. Did Macey put you up to this?"
"No. Well, maybe a little. She never said anything straight out, but as we talked it through, I came to see some sense in it."
"You don't think she used her magic to influence you?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Bowen smiled and rearranged his purple hat. "But, as concerns your intent to protect Winigh, maybe the two would go together."
Elwood applied his powers of social and military strategic analysis, still unable to guess the conclusion of Bowen's wisdom. "Are we still talking about Jewel?"
"Take Vince," Bowen said, sitting in Elwood's chair, since Elwood was still propped against the wood wall with a blanket over his legs. "He doesn't doubt what you say. But he doubts your dedication to the cause. People here have made a hard life, scratching holes in the rock to plant grapes, and chasing goats all over barren cliffs. They don't trust easy, because it's so easy to lose everything.
"Maybe it's best to say it like this. They aren't soldiers. They have no oaths to king and country. The ties that bind them are blood."
Elwood nodded. "You think if I married Jewel they would listen to me?"
"It's not what I think. It's what it is. Even if the women here convince this family to join, the rest of Winigh has never met you. Most of those families don't hold their women in high regard. And this family isn't enough to fight the fishmen."
A marriage for political alliance? The very thought sickened Elwood to his core. Jewel was the best woman he'd ever met, but that amounted to a dozen that he could remember. Even if he wanted to marry her, he would not want it to be under these circumstances. The whole idea filled him with horror, which showed on his face.
"I'm not suggesting you do anything rash," Bowen said. "I'm only saying, if you did like her or any other woman, acting on your feelings sooner would be better than later."
Elwood reached his left hand over and wrapped his fingertips around his right ring finger. This was a nervous habit. He was sure of it. It was the only clue he had to his past.
"I'll leave you to your thoughts, then," Bowen said.
"Wait." Elwood sat up. People around them were starting to take an interest in this conversation. From the kitchen, Jewel sent a young boy to stoke the fire. "Do you think you could get another sleigh?"
"There are a few around. Vince offered us a ride home in his. Even if we come back, I need to get food to the animals."
"Can you get somebody to take me to the battle site? I need to go back there."
"Now? In the middle of all this?"
"Yes. I just need to look for something. I'm not sure, but I may have a bit of a memory."
"Okay. I'll ask around."
"This isn't exactly what I had in mind," Elwood said as Bowen harnessed two goats to a wooden yoke.
"It's her sleigh," Bowen said, tipping his head at Jewel. "When she heard me asking around, she offered to come. Macey already agreed before I could say anything about it."
Elwood watched Macey tucking Jewel's hair into a fur-lined hood. "Can they at least wait at the cottage while we go on to the river?"
"You are welcome to suggest it," Bowen said with a smile.
Elwood wagged his head as the two women boarded the sleigh. Macey wore her tied red coat with a quilted purple hood. Jewel had a long goatwool coat with a fur-lined hood. Both of them tucked their knees under a fur blanket, chattering in the fast manner of sisters who never run out of things to say. Bowen mounted the driver's seat and tipped the brake. Elwood slid into the vehicle as the skis began to crunch across the packed snow in front of the houses.
"Do you think the family will be upset that you postponed the vote?" Elwood asked Jewel once they were underway. He was facing backward, pulling a light hood up over his ears.
"No," she answered. "They'll be glad for more time to talk about it."
"They'll be spreading the word all over Winigh, no doubt," Macey said.
"So where are we going?" Jewel asked.
"To Macey and Bowen's house," Elwood said.
"What could you need there?" Macey wondered aloud.
"Nothing. It's on the way to where I'm headed, and Bowen said he wanted to feed the animals."
"There's nothing further on but the frozen dead,"
Macey said.
"Or what the wolves and vultures have left of them," Jewel added.
Bowen put everything he had into coaxing the goats. Once, he even reached out a worn boot and kicked one of them.
Elwood felt uncomfortable riding backward. He couldn't watch the land. Remembering the mountain lion, he asked, "Would one of you mind trading with me?"
Jewel shied to one side with a shrug. Macey beamed an approving smile and offered her seat. Elwood rolled his eyes. "I just mean to keep an eye on the surrounding terrain."
"Of course," Macey said. She patted his knee as she sat next to him. Elwood moved over next to Jewel. He began scanning the trees. The warm distraction next to him made the task much more difficult.
They rode in quiet for several minutes. Elwood tried to keep busy with his watch, but there was no ignoring the awkward situation. He weighed the pros and cons of telling them his ultimate plan. He finally said, "I need to see the place where you found me."
Macey nodded. "I think my sister and I can feed the animals just fine. You'll want Bowen along if you're going that far. Nobody else can keep these shaggy beasts in line long enough."
Jewel nodded her agreement. "Is there some information you hope to find there which might help against their invasion?"
Elwood considered her words carefully. It was a good cover. He could easily let them believe it. Yet he decided against it. "I'm looking for a ring."
Macey rewarded him with an approving smile before her eyebrows turned down and she tipped her head in confusion. "Not a wedding ring," Elwood said. "I think I may have had a ring before that battle. If I can find it, I might learn something about myself. Maybe it will jog some memories."
"That's good," Macey said. She didn't look like she really thought so.
Jewel didn't try to hide her surprise. "With everything going on, do you really think it's that important?"
"Battles are won and lost by the information of the generals," Elwood said. It was an automatic response, drilled in as deep as if he were repeating the alphabet. Yet he could not recall when he had learned it. "There may be other clues there, as well. I need to find out why the Hyzoi were able to travel all the way up to the reservoir to attack it when, before, it was out of their reach. Hopefully, among the rubble, there will be something to help explain."
"It will all be covered in feet of snow now," Macey said.
"Not by the river," Jewel pointed out. "And that's where you found him, right? Next to the river?"
"Yes. A few feet out on the north. You had one hand under your neck and the other up above your head."
"Wouldn't it be better to wait for spring?" Macey asked.
"We can't wait for spring," Elwood said. "Before then, we have an army to train."
It was brighter and colder the next day when the sleigh came to a stop next to the river. "I think it was about here," Bowen said. He pulled the brake so a long pole stuck down into the snow.
Elwood stepped out of the cab and sunk halfway to his knees in the accumulated snow. He slogged through to the river. A clear layer of hard ice covered the whole length of the river. There was no snow on it, though. So he worked his way to the gravelly beach, where the snow seemed to stop at the edge of the water.
Around the river, the whole world was white, with dark trees and a few rocks sticking up. The unbroken field went all the way down the side of the mountain to the river. Elwood could see a few posts and broken beams sticking up, where the dam used to be partway down the trail to the sea.
He closed his eyes, as if it might help him hear something in the quiet winter. Except the faint trickle of water still running beneath the frozen top of the stream, silence reigned. He aligned himself with his first memory. When he felt like it was right, he swept the snow away with his goatskin mittens until he was dusting off the ground. He found a groove in the frozen mud. Working out from there, he cleared the area until he could see where he'd been left for dead. A clear print showed above where his head had lain. He blew steamy breath out to remove or melt a few large flakes still clinging to the imprint.
He pulled the knife from his waist and began probing the grooves with the hilt. The frozen sand resisted before giving way to the force. He dug in several times, all under where his hands and fingers would have been, before hitting something hard. He unearthed a rock. More probing, working out from the first spot, yielded more rocks. Eventually, a few feet away from his hand print, he found a glove buried in the frozen mud. He pulled it out and shook the frozen leather. A small object fell to the ground. Elwood saw a ring.
He sheathed the knife and wiped away the mud, in order to see the ring better.
"Did you find it?" Bowen asked. He was rubbing the goats and feeding them raisins.
"Yes," Elwood said. Once he rubbed it mostly clean, he saw it was a silver metal, holding a yellow-brown gem. Centered in the flat cut on the top was a small metal sun with wavy lines of fire.
He stared at it a long time, turning it in the diffuse sunlight and polishing it in turns. He willed his mind to dredge up any memory of this object. He searched his heart for feelings it evoked. Nothing came of it. The topaz stone didn't suggest any rank to him. The sun on the top was the same design every tunic and hilt bore.
He didn't let himself be disappointed. Instead, he turned his attention to the greater task. Methodically, he worked his way down the hill, checking the few bodies close enough to the river to be still exposed to air. Most of their weapons and cloaks were gone, of course, but Elwood didn't need those things. Somewhere in his past, he had become calloused to the sight of dead bodies. It came even easier when the faces remained unknown.
These bodies were in bad condition. Carrion had pecked at their skin. Some had their bowels eaten by wolves. All were frozen, with pained looks on their faces.
The fallen monsters, hulking creatures with broad shoulders that seemed to be covered with sandy plates, were less desecrated. Their sea-star like armor plates prevented the animals from eating them. Their large eyes, however, had all been consumed by hungry vermin.
As he neared the dam, Elwood ran his fingers in long smooth lines pressed into the wet mud before it froze for the winter. They seemed to twist like a long snake. Wide as a man's leg, the strange markings went on for as many as fifty feet at a time. He didn't let himself imagine what kind of machine or beast had formed the aberrant shapes. He only analyzed the evidence.
Bowen moved the sleigh down the hill to the broken dam. To break the quiet, Bowen asked, "Find anything?"
Elwood looked up slowly, tracing a long squiggly line up the length of the bank with his eyes. "I don't know what it is, but I know we are in serious trouble."
Chapter Eight
Elwood measured the strange markings in the icy earth several times, making a mental map of every single one. They weren't deep enough to be wheels, or corrugated enough to be something that had been dragged. They clearly moved side to side, leaving long round impressions. It seemed organic, like a tentacle, but without any suction cup markings.
As the afternoon waned, Bowen found some tree bark for the goats to eat. Later, he found a place where the ice looked thin. From high above his head, he dropped a large rock. It made only a dull thud, leaving only a small white dent in the clear surface. He lifted the rock again.
"Wait," Elwood called. Bowen heard him too late and the rock came down. This time, the surface cracked like a spider-web. Bowen stepped back, looking at Elwood. Suddenly the rock sunk in and the jagged ice pieces bobbed in a puddle of murky water.
"Get back!" Elwood yelled. He began running toward the spot while Bowen backed up to where the goats were tethered.
Suddenly the water began splashing out of the hole. Pieces of cracked ice rode small waves as something reached out. The appendage looked like wet sand stuck to a man's clawed hand. Failing to find a victim, the hand retracted and began pushing up on the edge of the hole.
Elwood felt a moment of fear and dread, when he saw the enemy sti
ll alive under the ice. His mind snapped into fight mode as adrenaline filled his veins. All emotions drained and his heart turned to the cold calculations of war.
Elwood drew his knife and positioned himself between Bowen and the thrashing. "Do you have any weapons?" Elwood asked without turning around.
"Just this knife," Bowen said. He drew a long stiletto, like the one Macey used for cooking, from his waist and offered it to Elwood. Elwood snatched the blade at the handle and turned back to the hole.
"Move the goats away. Get them ready to run. If I run for the sleigh, start them up before I get there." Bowen nodded and rushed to harness the animals again.
Elwood held Bowen's thin knife so it stuck down from his left hand. His own barbed knife he kept like a sword in the other. As the monster's claw worked on the hole, pieces of ice broke off. The hand tossed larger pieces aside, ignoring the smaller pieces as they bobbed in the growing hold. Elwood saw the river was too shallow at this place for the creature to break out. However, it wouldn't be long before the hole expanded over the deeper water, where the monster's body lay wedged between the hard cap and the ground. Once when the ice cleared, Elwood saw the large, clear eyes of Hyzoi glaring at him from beneath a protruding brow.
Elwood moved close enough to tempt the monster's reach. When the claw shot forward, the head of the beast wedged against the ice, cracking it more.
With surgical precision, Elwood thrust his knife in, just past the wrist, until the barb lodged below the crusty skin. Before the creature could pull back, he twisted the knife to pry the unseen plate below up half an inch. He plunged Bowen's stiletto deep in the creature's forearm, yanking back in a quick motion to sever as much of the soft white muscle tissue as possible.
The beast retracted the arm, leaving Elwood holding two knives dripping with clear oily fish-blood.
Elwood stepped back as the monster exercised its strength, pushing up against the ice it had wedged under and breaking several large sheets loose. Like a crocodile, the Hyzoi flew from the river with one good hand of claws and bared teeth, angling for Elwood's face and neck.
