by Matthew Roys
Kai pushed himself to his feet only for a spray of bullets to mow him down. Before KT even registered what she had seen, goblins began to jump onto him, engulfing him in a writhing pile of beasts. KT roared a guttural cry and scrambled towards her brother, taking shaky potshots at the creatures with her remaining pistol. She half rammed, half fell into the goblin swarm, swinging the double-sword from her back clumsily to hack at anything that threatened Kai.
He was still breathing. His shotgun was clenched in his arms tightly. KT collapsed beside him as he blasted a goblin that tried to lunge at her with a crude knife. He passed her his axe then clubbed another goblin away with the butt of his gun. KT took it and swung in wide arcs to keep the creatures away.
Then Déaþscúa was there, his sword drawn and glowing in the silvery moonlight and amber flames. His movements were a constant blur; his every swing brought death in arcs of crimson. One attack became another then another in a constant fatal dance, limbs flying away and blood soaking the snowflakes mid descent. Men and goblins fell to his blade with equal ease. His eyes showed no hint of emotion. They shone with the same chaotic light as his sword.
There was a series of battle-cries and the MacFeelans ran at the breaking enemies, their voices howling and their steel flashing. They fired a final round from their rifles then slung them aside, barrelling into the enemy ranks like missiles. The goblins and remaining men shattered before their might, hammers and blades reducing them to slithers of flesh and crushed bone.
Hands grabbed KT’s shoulders and her blurry eyes flickered to look into Déaþscúa’s face. Blue light bathed her skin while warmth pooled through her cold limbs but the world was still growing dark.
* * *
KT’s eyes shot open and she lurched to sit up. Pain tore through her body. She looked around with jittery eyes. She remembered being shot. Remembered Kai falling…
“Kai!” she called out frantically. She turned her head and saw him lying in a bed beside her. They were in a long wooden room filled with beds, several of which were occupied by ginger haired men and a few women and even children. A single women stood in the room. She was tall with curly ginger hair and freckles and looked to be only a few years older than KT.
“Hush, child,” she said softly to KT. “He’s as well as anyone has a right te be. That coat of his protected him from the worst o’ the damage. Ye took more of a beating than he.”
It was then that KT finally took note of the numbness in her left leg. She slid the cover that was draped over her away and looked down to a small frayed patch of her jeans. There was no hole. She checked her shoulder and chest too. The crop-top showed no sign of damage while her jacket bore little more than a faded circle.
“H-how?” she gasped. No clothing could be that strong.
“Ye had ye a good tailor. Ye’d have been dead withoot them fancy threads. All the fighting folk have similar. Bullets are nae so good against them but a good blade’ll still do the trick. Cuts an’ bruises are yer lot for the time.”
KT groaned, stretched out tentatively, then forced herself out of the bed. A fire burned nearby that filled the room with warmth. She double checked on Kai and was relieved to find the woman’s words to be true. Glancing over the room’s other occupants she could see that nobody looked to be badly hurt.
“Was anybody…”
The woman shook her head. “Luckily nae. A few came close but the lady luck was with us. Some will nae be walkin’ for a good while all the same.”
“Where’s Déaþscúa?”
“The hunter meets with the family council. Ye’ll find them in the hut flying the bear banner. Ye had an invite should ye be up in time.”
KT left the building and stepped out into the predawn twilight. Only a few hours must have passed since the battle. The fires had all been doused but wood was strewn everywhere and great gouges of earth were missing. Goblin bodies lay everywhere. The inhabitants of the camp were already dotted around, gathering the bodies into a pile and rebuilding the defences.
Finding the right hut was easy as the banner was visible from anywhere in the camp. She knocked and the door instantly opened. She stepped in and several men and women sat around a circular wooden table. She recognised Déaþscúa, Niall and a few other MacFeelans but there were many new faces. The one that drew her attention was a powerful looking grey haired man who was seated beside Niall. Déaþscúa nodded to her and she moved to lean against the wall to his side.
It was Niall who was speaking. “What ye are askin’ is damn near suicide. We cannae storm the place as things stand. We’re bein’ worn thin.”
“Keeping that fort free of evil is your family's ancient task. Would you wait out here as more forces gather there, suffering attack after attack until you truly are worn too thin to strike back?” Déaþscúa stated blandly. “The longer we wait then the harder the fight will be.”
“He’s right,” put in the older man. His voice was deep and coarse but he spoke with a slow certainty. “It is our task te cleanse the taint upon those stones and te keep the land safe of its corruption. Our task, our responsibility, our punishment. If we can kill the witch Annis in the process then it is a job well done.”
“Athair, we do nae have the forces te take the offensive. We cannae remove the taint yet so we risk everythin’ for nae lastin’ effect,” Niall countered. “Our current job is te keep threats contained. We can kill more by staying here than attacking their stronghold. With Annis in charge we cannae ken what traps will be waitin’ for us.”
The grey haired man ran a gnarled but powerful hand through his thick beard. His eyes stared intently into Niall’s. They were not angry but almost sad.
“We have waited fer te long already. How many years has our family defended this place? Fer countless generations we have sat here with the intention of rightin’ the wrongs of Ciaran MacFeelan. Where has that got us? We still have nae idea how to stop it. I fear we have grown complacent over the years. Maybe a bit of risk will git our arses in gear te finally fix things.”
Maridia placed a hand on Niall’s arm. “I ken better than most how heavily this burden has weighed on ye. Ye try to balance MacFeelan honour wi’ MacFeelan lives. MacFeelan ancestors wi’ MacFeelan descendants. We're fading. I ken ye ken this. It is nae in our blood te be conservative. Every last one of us stands behind ye whatever ye decide.”
Niall’s eyes softened as he stared into his wife’s face. He nodded then cocked his head back and laughed. “Ye could convince the most stubborn of bastards te yer cause, Déaþscúa. I always wonder if persuasion is one of yer many abilities.”
The old man raised his hand before Déaþscúa could respond. “I approached Déaþscúa with this plan. It has plagued my thoughts these past few years. I am old and have achieved nothin’. If I am te die, it will be in a blaze of glory in the heart of battle like me forefathers before me.”
“Aye!” Friseal exclaimed enthusiastically. “We act like rocks in a river standing against the water’s flow when we should be the rocks o’ an avalanche rushin’ te crush our foes beneath our might.” There were a few cheers at that statement.
Niall looked around at the faces of his family. He nodded slowly. “I will nae be known as a coward or have it be said that the MacFeelans were held back under my leadership. Déaþscúa, ye will have yer way. We will live upte the MacFeelan legend and fight until the fort is free or we all lay dead on its floor!”
This time the cheer was deafening. Mugs and weapons were raised in excited celebration. KT had never seen anyone so overjoyed with the prospect of dying. Bloody crazy, the lot of them, she thought to herself. She’d be happy if she never had to fight again in her life.
It was during that thought that Déaþscúa turned to her. “Are you in?”
“Always,” she answered instantly. She laughed bitterly at herself within the confines of her own head. She wanted to save her family but had seen enough blood to last a lifetime. She was sure that Déaþscúa could free them without her h
elp, probably easier, but something about the man made it impossible to say no to. Niall was right; persuasion came as naturally as breathing to Déaþscúa.
But then, maybe there was something more than that. Ever since her confrontation with Christie she had felt different. Back there she had suffered true helplessness and it was something she never wanted to experience again. The thought of it made her sick. She couldn’t rely on Déaþscúa always being there to save her and those she loved. She wanted to be strong so that maybe, just maybe, she could make a difference in the world.
“The fort’s main door is sturdy. Swords and axes will have a hard time gettin’ through,” Niall told them, bringing KT’s attention back to the here and now.
“Don’t you worry about the front door. Me and the runts will deal with that. I have other plans for you wonderful people.” Déaþscúa said jovially.
“Oh aye. And how do ye plan to get in that way, pray tell?”
Déaþscúa splayed his hands and shrugged. “Approach the door and knock politely. How else?”
A feral grin spread across Niall’s face. It was mirrored by many of the other MacFeelans. “Ye crazy bastard are gonna give us a show. I’ve missed fighting beside ye.”
The crazed smile found its way to Déaþscúa’s face. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Chapter 11.
KT walked through the small settlement alone. It was either very late or very early. Her muscles aches but none of the little pains really registered in her mind. Men and women still moved around her with torches that cut through the heavy darkness. Even with the damage that had been caused during the night’s battle, the camp was already starting to return to normal.
Teams of men were busy replacing the damaged spikes while a group of women were working to move torn sandbags and shattered wood. It seemed that despite the size of the place, it was designed to be dismantled and rebuilt in a hurry.
She avoided the workers as she wandered around the buildings without any clear purpose in mind. She had been given a small room in one of the buildings but didn’t feel like resting yet. Kai was still in the main hall drinking with the bulk of the MacFeelans and Déaþscúa had disappeared into another building with Niall and a few others to discuss their plans for the assault.
At the edge of the camp she stopped to stare out into the forest. It was a cloudy night and she couldn’t see more than a few feet into the trees but her eyes weren’t focussed anyway. Her mind was replaying the battle again and again. She was trying to rationalise her actions, her emotions, but she couldn’t shrug off the little voice that constantly reminded her how exhilarating it had been.
When it had just been goblins she could compartmentalise it in her mind. They were monsters trying to kill her and she was just defending herself against ugly creatures of evil. It wasn’t so easy to rationalise the killing of fellow humans even if the circumstances were still the same. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine shooting at living humans.
The battle had been a blur. She couldn’t say for sure that she had killed anyone, but then she couldn’t say she hadn’t. The thought had barely even crossed her mind until after it was all over. She had been prepared to kill goblins again and then the men had just appeared. She hadn’t had time to revaluate the situation. She had blood on her hands now. How could she ever return to a normal life?
“Ye look troubled, girl,” said a woman’s voice behind her.
She turned to see Niall’s wife, Maridia, walking towards her. The woman walked with a softness that belied her size. She was not exactly fat but had a stout build and a more masculine frame that stood at odds to her flowing blonde hair. Her face was plain and her hands were coarse.
“Ye did well last night. Déaþscúa tells me that it was only yer third battle. He has a knack fer finding fighters.”
“I wouldn’t call the first two battles. I didn’t do much any of the times we had to fight.” KT answered absently. “Déaþscúa saved us every single time we’ve been in danger.”
Maridia laughed. It was a rich sound. “If ye were te worry about being no good in a fight because Déaþscúa saved ye then nobody in this world would feel confident in their skills. There are two types of people for the most part; those that owe their lives te Déaþscúa and those whose lives he reaped.”
The words didn’t comfort KT. “How are we supposed to keep fighting when everyone else is so much stronger. I gave it my all but it still felt like I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s because ye didn’t,” Maridia answered bluntly. She only smiled when KT looked up at her. “Ye ken that ye are weak. That is nae why ye wander the camp alone. I saw ye during the battle. Weakness was nae a concern then. Quite the opposite in fact.”
KT looked away from her now. She cast her eyes across the forest for something to distract herself with but found nothing.
“Do nae be afraid of that fire, girl. Do nae let it consume ye either. It is a careful balance te be sure but it is one we all walk. Ye see, the MacFeelans love te fight. It is in their blood. They see it as a big game with the ultimate gamble resting on it. That is what battle means te them.
“Fer myself, my family were slaves. We fought fer our freedom. Fer us, battle is a tool. A tool fer free lives and a tool fer revenge. I like te fight because I choose my battles so that the world is always a better place once the dust settles.
“Others despise death yet fight because they believe in a cause or want te protect something. It isnae what runs through yer head in the heat of battle that decides yer character but the reasons ye continue te fight in the battles. So girl, why is it that ye continue te fight?”
KT stared at the older woman in silence. She felt strangely stupid beside the woman, like a schoolgirl who hadn’t done her homework standing next to a teacher. “I… don’t know. I thought that it was to save my family but really I am just dead weight on Déaþscúa’s shoulders. I just can’t sit and do nothing. I fight because I am too selfish to sit back and go mad with worry about what is happening. What does that say about my character?”
She could feel tears in her eyes. She tried to calm herself but was finding it hard to under the woman’s soft smile.
“Tell me,” Maridia began. “Do ye ken why Déaþscúa fights? He fights because it is all he kens. It is his only skill. He doesnae enjoy it and he doesnae fight for any greater cause. He fights because it gives his life purpose. What then does that say about his character?”
KT didn’t have the chance to answer though when there was a crash behind a nearby building. A pile of wood clattered to the ground with Friseal sprawled in the centre of them.
“Stop ye nosying, Friseal MacFeelan. What would yer poor mum think, eh?” Maridia announced sternly. Despite her firm tone of voice she offered KT an amused look.
“Sorry, Mari.” he rumbled as he tried to recollect the wood. “I wasnae nosying, honest. Niall sent me te find ye. Lizzy has come te visit. She hasnae been in years. Niall thought ye should ken.”
“Thank ye, Friseal. I suppose we’d better go and greet her.” She turned her attention to KT. “Ye are coming too. Nae point ye standing ‘round here moping.”
Meeting yet more people didn’t sound appealing to KT but when compared to standing outside getting frostbite or going to bed to be alone with her thoughts, it didn’t sound quite so bad. She nodded and followed behind them.
News must have spread fast because MacFeelans clustered around the building that Friseal was leading them to. The crowd parted around Maridia without her having to even raise a hand.
They stepped inside but KT froze in the doorway. Déaþscúa and Niall were stood either side of a women who had fixed KT with a frosty glare the moment she had entered. Déaþscúa moved between the two women hastily.
“Now, I know that when you were last together things may have gotten a little...heated, but we're all friends here, okay?” Déaþscúa said in his best mediator voice.
“Friends?” She tried to drug us a
nd make us forget everything,” KT shouted.
Elizabeth sniffed indignantly. “Sticks and stones. I didn’t raise a hand yet you resorted straight to violence.”
“Sticks and stones? Try drugs and magic! I’d say that warrants self-defence.”
“Ladies, ladies, let’s all calm down,” Déaþscúa interjected.
KT glared at him. “You left us with her knowing that she was going to make us forget. Don’t think for a moment that this had slipped my mind.”
“Well, yes…”
“And you left me to deal with them after inviting them into my house. You know how I hate young people,” Elizabeth added. Déaþscúa stepped back with a defeated sigh. She then turned her attention back to KT.
“You might see it as a betrayal but we were only doing what was in your best interest. I know you know this, but like all Powerless, you are too pigheaded to accept it. Consider yourself a dog being force fed medicine to cure an infection. You may fight and bite but at the end of the day it is the owner who's in the right.”
KT shook her head. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Your go to explanation is to compare me to a dog? Really?” She took a moment to collect herself. “I know that I’m putting myself in danger here. I’m many things but an idiot isn’t one. It’s my choice to make, not yours.”
“Different world, different opinions,” Elizabeth added. “It is better to be a clued-in idiot than a naive scholar but that doesn’t matter anymore. You're here and I’ll waste no more of my time trying to protect you from your own stubbornness. Now, Niall, what was it that you wished to discuss?”
At a motion from Niall, the crowd began to disperse. KT left with them, choosing to find Kai rather than spending more time in the woman’s presence. She found him where she had left him, sat in the drinking hall surrounded by drunken Scotsmen and women. He was looking worse for wear now but was flirting with a young MacFeelan woman with his usual charisma.
