Oh great. “You have five seconds to move or I will move you.”
Stillwater’s diplomacy at work. I step forward. “So, do you know Stillwater here?” Delanna nods. “You know that you can trust her word?”
“Of course, but we have our orders.”
“Corporal Delanna, Zlata is currently charged with poisoning the Commander, attempted poisoning of our entire town and, worst of all, attempted assassination of the Duke. We are pursuing her from the courthouse. Please, let us through.”
“She poisoned the Commander?”
Stillwater lays a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Yes, and if we do not pursue her, there will be no one who can tell us whether a bigger threat is looming.”
Delanna calls out, “Raise the gate! Grab horses for these four.”
Great, a horse. As a black and white horse with feathered legs appears, it sees me and starts to buck. “WayWocket, is there something you can do?”
“Sure.” Hoping he will do something for the horse, but I feel a wet splash on my back, and Way starts to circle me, flinging liquid on me. “There you go. Now she will like you.”
The horse stops bucking and sniffs at the air, then trots over, rubbing me with its head “What was that?”
“Just some horse pheromone. She thinks you are part of the herd now.”
Great. Grabbing on to the saddle’s horn, I lift myself up on the seat. The rest of the Rejects do the same and the gate opens halfway. Stillwater kicks her horse and we are off.
Wondering where we are heading. About half an hour has passed and all we have been doing is following WayWocket’s finger. This is getting tedious: where is she going?
WayWocket grabs his reins and halts his pony. “She stopped moving.” Points over an open field, and there was a building in the distance. “She is there, and not moving.”
We got the ‘not moving’ the first time. On his horse, flanked by his two animals, Gunnar chimes in. “Should I send my companions around to see what is happening?”
Stillwater considers this. I think is it a great idea—have those mangy pets deal with Zlata!
“No, we need to head in ourselves. I need to end this.”
Cocking my head. “Um, Joan, there has a bit of fatalism to that statement. Are you going to be alright?”
“There is only her. Just spread out. Gunnar and Lone, you take the back, and Way and myself will take the front. Have your companions keep an eye on the sides.”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
Typical Gunnar, being a yes man. We start to move towards the manor, trying to keep our noise down. “Just make a run for the back. If she is paying attention she would have seen us already.”
Whatever, Stillwater. “Coming, Gunnar?” He grunts at me and digs in his heels, then takes off. “Take that as a yes.”
Splitting off to make sure there is no way she can head in another direction. Why are there five horses here? A little late now, as we are committed. We should have sent in Gunnar’s pets, but how do they communicate back to him?
I reach the back door first; should I go in or wait? Well, it is answered for me. Zlata, Roth and a few of his thugs come out the back door. “How did they find us, Zlata?” Roth growls.
“How would I know? They should have been held up by the Watch at the gate.” Then they notice me sitting on my horse. “You!”
She pulls two short swords out, pointing one at me. Nice to see you too, Zlata. Roth pulls his meat cleaver from his belt, testing the edge with his thumb. “Good, I wanted a rematch. Spread out, boys.”
I am staying on my horse, as that gives me an advantage, though drawing my sword while keeping my horse under control is a challenge. “Rematch? Not here for you, Roth. Walk away, as I am not alone.”
Yelling the last part, hoping everyone can hear that. No one comes. They are leaving me to die. Frick you, Rejects!
“I don’t see anyone, do you Zlata?”
Grinning at me, “No, I don’t, Roth. Let’s get rid of this distraction.”
“Gladly.”
Great, what should I do? I am better fighting on the ground, but the horse is trained, I hope, and I have height advantage. Roth motions the three thugs at me. I turn the horse and start to ride away. I hear Roth call out, “Coward!”
Hoping this works, I pull the reins to the side as well as using my knees to direct the horse to turn back. With a swift kick to the flanks, the horse launches into a gallop. One of the thugs is caught unawares by the quick move. An overhead chop and he is down. Next two in quick succession fall under my blade. Roth spits on his hands before rubbing them together, then takes his oversized meat cleaver in both hands. He is going for a horse leg chop.
Launching myself off the saddle toward Roth’s head, I hope he is concentrating on the horse more than me. He ducks and I roll back up to my feet; my old Sarge would be proud of that manoeuvre. I did feel something hit my side; looking down, the leather is cut and one of my plates underneath is exposed.
“Nearly had you, Truth-spawn!”
“Yeah, you did, but now it is just you and Zlata.”
He spits on the ground. “We’re enough to deal with you.”
Zlata is hanging back, more likely looking for escape. Roth starts to swing his cleaver in front of himself. No skill, just brute strength. Backing up, I need more room to dodge that monstrous weapon. My back hits the wall of the cottage, and while I am distracted I see Roth sending an overhand chop towards me. Jumping out of the way, I then feel something smash against my head. It was the flat side of the Cleaver. He must have known I would dodge right.
Shaking off the pain, I yell out. “Help me! Zlata and Roth are back here!”
Zlata watches, and asks me. “Who are you yelling for? Stillwater? Gunnar? WayWocket? They are a little busy. Roth, stop playing with him and finish this.”
Hearing an explosion inside the house, I know Way is still kicking and if he is, Joan is definitely alive. Roth starts to swing his weapon faster; in his frenzied swings there does not seem to be an opening, so I must make one.
Grabbing my dagger from my belt, I step back, keeping my distance from Roth. I wait until he begins in another swing, then I throw my dagger at his head. He flinches as the hilt strikes him in the face, staggering him, and I dive and roll in while his weapon is high, then thrust into his lower gut. He swings down and I leave my sword in him, rolling away, clumps of dirt spewing from the impact.
Rolling back over on to his cleaver, I pin it to the ground with my weight and retrieve my weapon with a spray of blood. I then stab upwards once, twice and three times in a row. Last one must have hit his lung as he spews blood all over me.
As Roth drops, I stand. “No one left, Zlata. Come quietly and you can have a fair trial.”
Then Stillwater bursts through the back door, and I see Gunnar and his pets come around the corner. Way is nowhere to be seen. No time for that. Stillwater calls out, “Give up, Zlata, you are surrounded.”
Her shoulders slump. Zlata looks around, then opens her mouth. “Stop her! She is taking her suicide pill!”
As I yell, a glass flask is thrown from inside and hits Zlata, freezing her to the spot. Ice encases her in a matter of moments, but not quickly enough to stop her.
Her body starts to liquefy, and she looks straight at me and says, “This is not the end!”
But my dear Zlata, you are dead, and it is.
Epilogue
Journal Entry Three continued …
After Zlata’s fall from grace, and her death, Gunnar healed up Roth and we took him back for justice. It is strange that after everything, Zlata would not come easily. Did not peg her for the suicide type. I was worried that we could not pin any of the crimes on her, but Roth spilled the beans and Inquisitor Dale believed that Zlata was guilty of everything, so that was it.
After all that, still no investigation. The whole thing was trumped-up as a random event. Bullshit! After these last two years, I will always remember Zlata and the Bloody S
words!
The Rejects, the Helpers, and the Travellers of the Road were commended for their involvement. We got drunk that night too. So many deaths, but no conclusion.
The Count rewarded us with seven hundred slips, which I used to pay for Pela’s apartment for the next two years, and she is letting me stay. I have to sleep in the second room, so I do not get any loving, but she was not my true love after all. She friend-zoned me after I moved in.
The Rejects received a few jobs because of our increased reputation after removing Zlata from life. Still do not understand why we had to save Roth, as that bit us on the arse more than once. Fricking Bloody Swords!
Went back and started my training with Kilroy, which was great. That year was the first time I entered the Champion of the Hall competition.
The important thing is, we continue asking questions about the whole incident as we hear further rumours about Zlata’s interfering, but most times we find out nothing. Just snippets, after Stillwater roughs up a few of the unsavoury types. We still hear that there is someone out there with the description of Zlata, but I saw her die. Yet I have felt her eyes on me a few times. Which is weird.
We have had a few jobs. We found the culprits responsible for the 'Great Spoon Theft'—so stupid. We started using Stillwater's house as our base of operations. She still complains about us messing up her tablecloths. Eventually Pela joined the Rejects as well.
I miss those early days. I regret so much; there is still a great deal to document before I leave for the front.
I wish I could have saved more, but you can only be the hero you can be.
J.Q.
Glossary
Abyssus: This is the dark underworld of Favinonia—all evil is born in these pits. The White Aspect of the Trinity warns of a time when Amordous and his devils and demons of the Abyssus will rise again and take this world. It is also a common swear word used by the crass.
Adventurer: A person specially registered to work within Favinonia's borders. The title carries many responsibilities, including permission to bear arms, the ability to take jobs from the Hall, and compulsory enlistment in times of crisis.
Amsul: The name of the world Favinonia resides in.
Amordous: The dark underlord of the Abyssus. The Orange have been searching for his secret cults for the last two hundred years.
Beast Races: Description of beast-like humanoids from Havanti. They are ruled by dragon-like Balauron.
Blue: Aspect of law and knowledge. This aspect controls the courts and oversees the libraries. People of an academic background follow this aspect of the Trinity. Saint Jenell—the incorruptible wordsmith and fact-finder—represents the Blue Aspect.
Charter: A group of Adventurers with a mission statement and guidelines for their group. An official record is kept at the Hall that outlines each Charter’s mission statement, history, and reputation.
College of Magi: An ancient order of Favinonian magic-users. All types of magic are learned here, except for necromancy, or ‘magic of the dead’. Their primary goal is to revitalise the knowledge of the arcane, which was lost during the Massacre of Magic.
Common swear words: In polite society, these words are not used (but from time to time, even the most civil tongue will slip). Standard swear words include: slip-sucker, copper-pincher, skinflint, tinker’s dam, Jara’s hammer, and son of a motherless goat. Some people may also invoke the saints (Jara, Mela, Jenell) or the Trinity.
Dwarf: Dwarves are the traders and merchants of Favinonia. Family is everything to the Dwarf, as only family can be trusted with commerce. They are open to customers, even friendly, but Dwarves have an underlying culture of profiteering.
Elf: Elves are an uncommon race in Favinonia. Their origins are rife with mystery. Most know that they originated from an overgrown jungle in the south. Most are primitive but have a knack to evolve and adapt to new environments. As they are not true citizens of the kingdom, many find work as scouts, hunters, and farmers in rural regions. However, because of their particular fertility period, a number end up as prostitutes; both male and female. At the Height of Truth, their hair turns the purest white, which indicates they are fertile; conception is guaranteed at that time.
FK: Foundation of Kingdom; how many years since the foundation of Favinonia.
Favinonia: The land of human origin, comprised of seven different states: The Core; Western Duchy; Southern Earldom; Northern Electorate; Eastern March; Northern Colonies; and the Eastern Expanse.
Folk: (also known as Lizardfolk) A scaly race from the great swamp of Favinonia's southern border. They are related to the Elf race, indicated by their similar features, such as their pointed ears and facial characteristics. Their mane of feathers, akin to hair, changes colour depending on their mood. Beware of a Folk with bright scarlet feathers!
Green: Aspect of agriculture and life/death. Toilers of the ground and healers of the sick. Saint Mela—the plague-ender, life-giver and first saint—represents the Green Aspect. People who follow this aspect give thanks to the first saint for bringing the Trinity to Favinonia.
Gnome: Once this race was connected to the mystical, but now they are enthralled with technology. They have a tremendous interest in how elements work together and react to one another; they are also very interested in what makes them explode.
Halfling: The Halflings are a nomad race. Some travel in small houses on wheels or barges that can traverse the many rivers in Favinonia. If you are drawn to discover what is on the other side of the next hill, you may begin to understand the need that drives all Halflings to keep moving.
Half-breed: The forgotten children of Elves and the good folk of Favinonia. These individuals have become one of the fastest-growing races in the land. As they are a constant reminder of the indiscretions of many citizens, they are despised by their parent race. Most half-breeds are wanderers, often seen in the poorest parts of society. Slurs include white-back, Truth-spawn, white-bred, and she-bop.
Hall: Established around 100 FK to cope with the bounty of the goblinoid races, the Hall has now become the administration headquarters for Charters, Adventurers, and the Job Board.
Havanti: The Eastern land; shrouded with mystery, ruled by ten clans, and the home of the Beast Races.
Lake Merrin: The largest freshwater lake in Favinonia. Also the name of the main town in the northern province of Western Duchy. The current ruler is Count Darel Isenhart.
The Massacre of Magic: A period of time in early Favinonian history that caused the indiscriminate slaughter of all magical creatures. The Massacre of Magic spanned over a century.
Months: There are 13 months with 28 days. The months are (in order): Founding; Peace; Builder; Sage; Orange; Iron; Blue; Invention; Green; Harvest; White; Trinity; and Truth.
Orange: Aspect of retribution and protection. This aspect oversees the protection of Favinonia's wellbeing and ensures swift punishment to those who hurt the innocent. Saint Jara—the hammer, demon-slayer, husband of Saint Mela, and protector of the innocent—represents the Orange Aspect. The law allows the Orange Holy Order to use whatever force necessary to protect Favinonia.
Order of the Shield: The Duke's Guard; named after the relics of the past. Most members also have positions as commanders in the Favinonian Army.
The Trinity: The one true God of Favinonia. Everyone worships one aspect of the Trinity: Blue, Green, or Orange.
Western Duchy: (also known as the Iron Dukedom) The land north-west of Favinonia. Its responsibility is to guard the country against the Wild Lands and the Great Wall to the north. Three words to describe the people of Western Duchy: honourable, stalwart, and duty-bound. The current ruler is Duke Trahern Isenhart III.
Western City States: An informal alliance of city-states to the west of the Wild Lands. Mainly a seafaring race, the Western City States are run by guilds, mercenary companies, and merchant princes. It has little land to grow food. For many years it was the only trade route to the eastern area of Havanti.
University of Engineers: The most learned place in Favinonia. The great minds of technology gather here to teach and research new and exciting ways to improve life, without the use of magic. Fields of study include medicine, biology, pharmacy, chemistry and physics. The newest innovation from the University of Engineers is steam and electricity.
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Lake Merrin Page 27
