by Joe Jackson
The road ahead was going to be a long one.
Chapter XVI – Run Like Hell
Danilynn had taken the pre-dawn watch, and she used the time to gather up the ashes of their slain friend in the urn Sonja had conjured. Kari woke up well before dawn, and she began rousing Sonja and Se’sasha. She had little doubt that they’d be followed the minute the sun came up, so her plan was to leave the campfire burning and hasten their journey west before the day began. Se’sasha was groggy and weak, but Sonja concentrated on her masking spell and hefted the lithe syrinthian across her shoulders. The women left the road. There was forest to the west of them, not terribly deep or dark, but good enough to help mask their egress.
They had put a couple of miles behind them by the time the sun fully crested the horizon, and Sonja let Se’sasha down to do some walking. The syrinthian girl didn’t speak a word of the Citarian common tongue, elvish, rir, infernal, or even czarikk, so there was no way for Kari and her companions to speak with her. Se’sasha walked as long as she could before she found a shady spot and sat down to rest. She gestured for food and drink, and Danilynn decided that what she could summon might suffice better than the rations and water the friends had. Se’sasha bowed her head thankfully and began to eat and drink exactly like Kari expected from someone who’d been in a dungeon for years.
Kari stared at the syrinthian priestess while she ate, and with the filthy rags the girl was wearing, it wasn’t hard to see just how badly malnourished she was. Just as with Triela when Kari rescued her on Tsalbrin, Se’sasha’s ribs were showing, and though her belly wasn’t swollen with starvation, instead it was incredibly thin, more so than looked proper even for the lithe snake-folk. Kari glanced at Danilynn and saw her concerns reflected.
“Sonja can’t carry Se’sasha all day,” Kari commented, and Danilynn nodded. “And she’s too weak to walk for more than an hour or so. We’re going to need to find a horse or some other kind of mount to carry Se’sasha, or it’s going to take us far too long to escape.”
“Agreed, but stopping in a town may just advertise where we are, and make it easier for them to capture us,” the priestess returned. “Maybe we can find someone outside the cities and towns who’ll lend us a horse? This is supposed to be their high priestess.”
“These people are all terrified of King Sekassus, though,” Sonja said, staring off into the distance. “They may want to help us, but they’re probably going to be afraid to.”
“Yea, the ones we have back on the campus said that their families would be killed if they betrayed Sekassus,” Kari agreed. “Anyone who helped us wouldn’t just be risking their own life.”
Once she finished eating, Se’sasha curled up and started to drift off to sleep. Kari was going to rouse her or ask Sonja to carry her, but Danilynn drew one of her axes and handed the other to Kari. The demonhunter nodded silently, understanding the priestess’ intentions. They went out together and found suitable branches on nearby trees to make the frame of a litter. When they returned to camp, Kari and Sonja started tying the frame together while Danilynn shredded one of their tents to craft a bed. Kari smiled at Danilynn while they worked, though the priestess didn’t see; Kari was so thankful to have someone who was adept at so many small but important tasks with her. And that was to say nothing of Danilynn’s divine magic or combat prowess, which had yet to really be called upon.
Once the litter was complete, they set off through the forest again. The woods opened up after a couple of hours onto open farmland, and Kari cursed their luck. The last thing she wanted to do was move among the syrinthian people, many of whom might turn them in just to try to buy the favor of their king. A road wound through the farmland from south to north, and Kari figured they might be best served shadowing the road but avoiding it, depending on Sonja’s masking spell to keep them hidden while they towed Se’sasha on the litter.
Kari’s heart nearly stopped when a figure emerged from the woods just yards away from them, and stopped close enough to Kari to touch. All three of the rir women froze, staring at the half-syrinthian, half-succubus woman – Danilynn and Sonja for the first time. Kari had no doubts anymore: it was Turillia, right down to the hair, the armor, the weapons, and the cloak. She had no idea how the half-succubus had survived or been reborn, and she only wondered why Turillia hadn’t attacked her in Rulaj; had she been afraid of the consequences of assaulting someone in Emanitar’s city?
Turillia looked around briefly, then she sniffed the air a few times with those thin, slitted nostrils. Kari hoped the woman didn’t come closer and notice the tracks from the litter. Almost as if she’d read Kari’s mind, Turillia turned and stared right at her, but it was as though the half-succubus was looking through Kari; Sonja’s masking spell seemed to be holding. After a brief pause, the half-succubus sniffed again before she turned and moved off toward the south. Kari let out the breath she’d been holding in a nearly-silent hiss. With luck, Turillia’s decision to head south meant that even if people were pursuing them, the assumption would be that Kari was trying to head toward Anthraxis, and not north.
Once Turillia was well away from them, Kari motioned northward and they began to follow the edge of the woods. They were able to cover a good amount of ground over the next couple of hours, but they ran out of woods to follow long before then. They began traveling through the fields, but once they were hedged in on all sides by farmland, Kari decided they would need to risk walking the road. It would require a lot of vigilance to make sure they didn’t drag the litter past other travelers, but Kari could see no other choice besides dragging Se’sasha right through crops and past farm hands. Danilynn and Sonja agreed with her logic, and they made their way along a fence toward the road.
There had been no other sightings of Turillia, for which Kari was glad. She hoped that Sekassus and Amnastru would aim their efforts mostly to the south and east, leaving Kari’s planned escape route relatively unguarded. Walking into Arku’s realm would be a risk, but a more calculated one than trying to slip past Amnastru and whatever else Sekassus tried to put in their way. If they could skirt the border between Si’Dorra and Sorelizar, and use the pine forest to their advantage, they might be able to reach Tess’Vorg or Pataria without trouble. And while it was possible either Emanitar or Morduri would take exception to their return, Kari was sure it would still be far preferable to being captured by Sekassus or Arku.
Traffic along the road was very light, and when another party passed, the companions had only to get off the road to avoid notice. Occasionally, the tracks of the litter got the attention of another traveler, but only for a few moments while they continued on their way. No one left the road to look for Kari and her friends, and there was no sign of Turillia or any other pursuit from King Sekassus. Thankfully, Se’sasha was very light, and by taking turns dragging the litter, the three women were able to transport their syrinthian guest a good distance before twilight and fatigue arrived together.
“We need to be careful about choosing a campsite,” Sonja said when Kari decided to stop for the night. “I can’t maintain my masking spell when I’m asleep, and I need to make sure I get a good amount of sleep so I don’t lose my grip on the power.”
“Danilynn and I will take care of it in shifts, then,” Kari said. “You get as much rest as you need. Let’s see if we can find some trees to hide among while we’re going to be exposed. I guess a campfire is out of the question. We’d better give Se’sasha some extra blankets to make sure she stays warm.”
“She can have my cloak and blanket; it’s not like I get cold,” Danilynn said. That drew Sonja’s interest, and the half-guardian woman actually managed a bit of a smile at the fures-rir priestess’ joke. Kari was glad to see something lift Sonja’s spirits, even just a little.
They continued a little farther along another border fence that led from the road to more forested hills to the west. Sonja carried Se’sasha, and Danilynn strapped the folded litter to her pack, which allowed Kari to mask their tracks as
much as possible. Kari led them a short distance into the woods, just far enough that the trees formed a fairly solid wall between them and any passers-by. Se’sasha had woken up finally, and Danilynn fed her with more of the divinely-provided food and drink. It was always amazing to Kari to see things conjured; she had always wondered where the things came from, especially in the case of food and drink.
Kari and her companions took their fill of trail rations, but when Kari took stock of what they had, she understood pretty quickly that they’d all be eating Danilynn’s provided food before they got anywhere near Anthraxis. There had been no opportunity to resupply in Sorelizar. In Kari’s mind, that was just as well: she wasn’t sure she would have trusted anything they could have gotten in Sekassus’ home city. It was possible they might find a village in Si’Dorra where they could resupply, but doing so there might be just as much of a risk. Stopping in a town or village here in Sorelizar was, of course, out of the question.
“Why don’t you let me take the first watch?” Danilynn asked. “You seem to like being up before dawn anyway.”
Kari nodded and bedded down near Sonja and Se’sasha. Sorelizar stayed warm at night, but not as much as down in the arid center. Here, the humidity was higher but still pleasant, the air was full of the calls of night insects, and for the briefest moment, Kari was almost able to trick herself into thinking she was camping out back home. She thought about her mate and her son, and how much she’d like to get back home to them. Despite the feelings of longing, she lulled herself to sleep.
She was shocked awake by a sharp scream, and had pulled her scimitars from their sheaths beside her before she was even conscious of what was happening. When her eyes took in what was before her, she saw Danilynn holding Sonja, who was sitting up and crying. Kari moved over to Sonja and put her hand on her sister-in-law’s shoulder, merely lending a touch of comfort until Sonja finally got herself back under control. Danilynn asked what frightened her, and Kari echoed the question while Sonja rocked lightly back and forth, her breathing coming in short, quick gasps.
“I’m empathic,” Sonja answered after a couple of silent minutes. Kari and Danilynn exchanged a glance, and then Sonja added, “I…I felt Uldriana’s terror when she was killed. It feels like it’s burned into my mind, along with her scream and the image of her being torn apart. I don’t know if I’m ever going to sleep well again.”
Se’sasha was watching the exchange with those wide, golden eyes, but there was no indication she could understand a word that was being said, and she offered none herself. Kari motioned for her to go back to sleep, and surprisingly, the syrinthian girl was able to do just that. Kari patted Sonja’s shoulder, at a loss for words. She rose and walked to the edge of the woods, scanning over the farmland to the east with her night vision under the light of the moon, trying to gauge if anyone had heard Sonja’s scream and was coming to investigate. After nearly a quarter of an hour, Kari was satisfied that they had attracted no attention, and she returned to the camp.
Sonja was already asleep again, and Danilynn gestured toward Kari’s bedroll. “You’ve still got a couple of hours before your watch,” she said.
“She feeling better?” Kari asked, staring at Sonja with concern. Kari was worried most because Sonja was her sister and her friend, but the practical side of her reminded her that Sonja was also the only thing keeping them hidden while they walked. If Sonja couldn’t get enough sleep and couldn’t maintain the masking spell, they would have to stay off of the farms and open fields completely, and their trip would take that much longer.
“Not really, but I soothed her with a subtle bit of divine power from the Night Runner,” the priestess said. “She settled down right quick, and hopefully her sleep will stay dreamless until it’s time to get up anyway. How are you feeling?”
“Hurt. Angry. Scared.”
“Well, if it helps you sleep at all, you can consider that Sekassus feels the same way about now,” Danilynn said. Kari was surprised, but the priestess managed a half-smile and went back to watching and listening to the woods around them.
It felt as though Kari had barely closed her eyes before Danilynn woke her back up to take a watch. Kari yawned and stretched, and moved to sit where Danilynn had been keeping her vigil. Her endurance was being tested to its limits between the constant walking, carrying Se’sasha now and then, dragging the litter, and staying up half the night on watch – all while pregnant. When she added in the thought of eating rations that were really only enough to sustain herself while on the road, Kari simply hoped she was taking enough care of the little child growing inside of her.
Dawn came quietly, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Danilynn ended up rousing herself, and she came to join Kari near the edge of the woods. Sonja followed soon after, and the women beheld the scene before them with no small amount of alarm. Two armored erestram were questioning the syrinthian farmers nearby quite roughly, and before long, one of them grew frustrated and struck a syrinthian with the haft of its war scythe. The other syrinthian fell over the prone form defensively, but the erestram walked past them and split up, approaching the woods where Kari and her companions took cover.
“You really did beat one of those in combat, right?” Danilynn asked, half-jokingly.
“Yea, but not quite the way everyone thinks,” Kari returned. “We do not want to get into a fight with two of them. Let’s get packed up and move; we don’t want them to smell us and find us even through Sonja’s masking spell.”
“Gods, I hadn’t even considered that,” Sonja said. “Did Turillia not smell us, then? I’ll see if I can modify my spell to keep scents from escaping it.”
“Get packed up, and fast,” Kari said. They returned to the campsite, and after gathering up their things, Kari hefted Se’sasha across her shoulders and headed back east. Danilynn and Sonja both hesitated. “We’re not going to outpace them; you remember what walking with King Morduri was like. Our best bet is to go past them the other way and hope it’s a while before they double back or we run into more of them.”
There was little time for debate, so Danilynn and Sonja fell into step behind Kari. They made their way cautiously out of the forest, and Kari picked along a path that would avoid taking them right past the erestram or disturbing the surrounding vegetation that might give away their position. They skirted around the erestram at a good distance, and stayed downwind just to be on the safe side. The two massive wolf-demons – or wolf-people, whatever the case may have been – passed by quickly and made their way into the woods.
“Should we stop and help the syrinthians?” Danilynn whispered once the erestram were out of earshot.
“Better not,” Sonja answered before Kari could. “He’s alive, just hurt, and not too badly. If we try to help them, the erestram might come back and decide to finish the job.”
“This is bad,” Kari said. “We’re still days away from the border, and they’re already getting close to finding us. The next time Sonja has to sleep, we might be out of luck.”
“Worry about that when I have to bed down,” Sonja said evenly, and she strode past with a determination Kari had never seen from her sister-in-law before.
Kari called after Sonja quietly, and she passed off the syrinthian girl. They made their way to the road, but things looked clear for a couple of miles in either direction, so they decided to chance using the litter again. Surprisingly, Se’sasha stood on her own and waved away the offer to ride on the litter. Her steps were slow but much surer now, and she was able to keep up a halfway decent pace. She set their speed throughout the morning, which wasn’t optimal, but thankfully, they didn’t run into any more erestram patrols before lunch.
They found a grassy spot to sit down and have a quick meal, and to let Se’sasha stretch out her legs, which probably hadn’t gotten very much exercise in the last decade or so. When they finished, Kari gestured toward the litter again, and though she was obviously ashamed to do so, Se’sasha nodded and climbed on it. Danilynn an
d Sonja took the bulk of the time dragging their syrinthian companion, but Kari took turns now and then as well to stretch out their stamina and traveling time. They encountered another patrol of erestram, but Sonja’s modifications to the masking spell seemed to work well: the erestram looked around when they found the litter’s tracks, but they headed westward toward farmhouses, and Kari and her friends were long past them by then.
When twilight came, Kari was dismayed to see that there were no forested areas nearby for them to hide in for the night. Traffic had remained light along the road, with few travelers out besides the erestram patrols. Still, Kari was sure the erestram would have figured out by now that the women were headed north, and things were bound to get much more difficult in these last few days of travel. She wasn’t sure if they would actually assault or accost Kari and her friends in some way, or if they would just try to delay them somehow. With Sekassus, it was hard for Kari to know what to expect.
The most important thing at the moment, though, was finding a spot where Sonja could get enough sleep to make sure she could maintain her masking spell when they got underway again. With no hope of reaching a forested area, Kari turned to the next best option: a barn or stable. Most of the farmland consisted of crops, but there was the occasional one with livestock, so Kari pushed her friends into the deepening twilight until they found another of those.
They crept down near a fair-sized barn under Sonja’s masking spell, and waited tensely while the syrinthian farmers did the last of their evening chores feeding and bedding down the animals. Once the snake-folk left the area, Kari helped Se’sasha climb up into a cramped hay loft, followed by Sonja and Danilynn. To Kari, it was strange to find the syrinthians raising cows and goats, but she suspected the snake-folk might be purely carnivorous. The chickens and geese lent a false sense of normalcy to the farm scene, but Kari had a hard time forgetting that it was run by syrinthians and located in Sorelizar.
