Pyforial Games

by B. T. Narro

  Others asked their officers for permission to chase after the PCQs.

  “Save your emotion for something useful,” Jaymes announced.

  Silence followed. No one seemed any less angry, and Laney stormed off.

  Neeko stayed, too curious as to how so many people were slain without him hearing anything. Jaymes soon explained that he’d seen a group of his men fall in complete silence. Pyforial mages had led the coordinated attack by wrapping pyforial energy around their victims’ mouths before they were taken out by arrows.

  “We should’ve been better prepared for this!” Jaymes thundered, glaring at his officers.

  Neeko decided it was time to go. He looked around to find that Shara already had spotted him, waving him away from Jaymes. Cedri was behind her.

  Shara squeezed him fiercely when he came to her, as if he could slip away forever if she let go.

  “Shara, Cedri!” Jaymes yelled. “Come here. You, too, Neeko.”

  Shara looked as though she was considering running. Neeko put his hand on her back. “Jaymes said he would let me go.”

  She let out her breath, relieved. But as the three of them started toward Jaymes, she caught Neeko’s eye with a harsh glare. “We’ll be talking about that kiss later.”

  Neeko chuckled. “I care about Laney, but not in the same way I care about you.” He was a little embarrassed that Cedri was listening, but this needed to be said right now. “Laney was determined to have her first kiss in case something happened to her. Shara, there’s no pair of lips in the world that can make me feel the same way that yours do. Cedri can confirm I’m telling the truth.”

  The psychic grunted. “Maybe if I wasn’t too focused holding back my vomit.”

  Shara giggled as she slid her arms around his back and stepped in for a lingering kiss.

  “Oh my gods,” Cedri muttered. “If it’s going to be like this all the way to the Southern capital, I’ll stay with the army.”

  “No, we’ll behave,” Shara promised.

  They walked over to Jaymes standing amidst a throng of officers. He asked Cedri, “While you were with the PCQs, did you overhear anything that would give you insight as to whether they plan to return for another attack?”

  “The original plan was to come by river and retreat by boat after a single attack. I don’t believe they’ll come back.”

  “Do you have any thoughts as to where they’re going now?”

  “I believe they’ll separate. The group was composed of members from all over Sumar. Now they’ll probably return to where they came from.”

  Jaymes ran his tongue along his teeth as he glanced at his fallen men and women with a look of discontent. “Then we won’t waste food and time chasing after them.” He turned to face his officers. “Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” they chimed.

  “Now Neeko,” he said, “I want you to discuss the details of your plan and how intent you are on carrying it out. Cedri, use psyche to tell me if Neeko means everything he says.”

  Neeko recited the plan he and Shara had developed, making sure to use the word “kill” when bringing up Priest Elbick and King Marteph. He added Jaymes’ addendum to the plan, that the army would infiltrate the city of Tramberr and kill Priest Gamilt. Shara couldn’t seem to help herself from enthusiastically interrupting with how good of an idea that was. An awkward silence followed until Neeko picked up where he left off.

  “I fully intend to follow this plan.” He found himself talking more to Cedri, knowing she was listening for a hint of doubt. “I won’t lie and say that I have no fear, but nothing will stop me short of figuring out the plan is impossible.”

  Cedri yawned and closed her eyes, suddenly reminding Neeko how tired he was. “It’s true,” she said.

  “Do you wish to go with them?” Jaymes asked her.

  “I do. My psyche will be far more effective sneaking through our enemies than on a battlefield. I need more training before I can pain two people at once.”

  “Then train on them during your trip.” Jaymes pointed his chin at Neeko and Shara. “It’s an important skill.”

  “Are you serious?” Shara asked, her voice rising.

  “Yes.”

  Shara’s eyes darted back and forth as she looked to be thinking of an excuse.

  “Shara, you haven’t even experienced what it feels like,” Cedri realized.

  “And I don’t want to.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” Jaymes said in a peremptory tone. “And that’s enough about that. You three can stay with us for the night. But tomorrow, you’ll leave and help Cedri train whenever she feels able and willing.”

  Neeko had trained enough with Cedri to know he could handle it, but he wasn’t sure about Shara.

  She had an expression as if Jaymes had told her she would have to sleep with a rat in her blanket. With her enormous eyes, she looked too comical for Neeko to hold in his grin. Even Cedri began to snicker.

  Shara’s mouth dropped open as she pointed at their smiles. “You’re both sick to be enjoying this!”

  Cedri giggled as she stretched and yawned. “Better get some rest. I feel as if I might want to train all day tomorrow.”

  As Cedri walked off toward a campfire, Shara looked at Neeko. “That better have been a joke.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  NEEKO

  Neeko awoke to bright daylight and realized it was already well into the morning. The army was eating, sparring, and taking down tents. It amazed him he’d slept through the noise this long.

  I’ve been staying asleep better as the guilt about my mother and Eizle has diminished.

  He saw Shara speaking with Laney, but by the time he got himself together to approach them, Shara was already on her way back to him.

  “She was just apologizing,” Shara said. “For kissing you.”

  “And you forgave her?”

  “Yes. You should say goodbye. Then we’ll leave.”

  Laney took Neeko for a short walk around the campsite as they recalled training together and he spoke of the trip south. It was a comforting chat until Laney abruptly asked, “Do you ever feel like you should be afraid but you’re not?”

  To Neeko’s surprise, he couldn’t remember feeling that way. “Actually, no. I always feel the fear.”

  “Did you feel it last night when we were under attack?”

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t.” She turned her lips inward in a sad look. “I think I’m ready for death.” Her eyes glistened. “I think that’s why I’m not afraid much anymore.”

  What has Jaymes been telling this woman? “No one should feel the need to be ready for death, especially someone as young as you, Laney. There is danger in our future, but you’ll live through it.”

  “You’re not understanding,” she answered calmly. “I’m not scared of death anymore. I’m not even worried about it. I’m ready. But if for some reason I don’t die, then I’ll be scared.” She wiped her tears. “In front of Cedri, I asked Jaymes to tell me what would happen to me after this war, and he refused to discuss it. He’s going to put me back in prison. I can feel it, and I would rather die.”

  He could give her hope that this might not be the case, but what if it was? He thought it better to give her advice.

  “Then you run as soon as the battle is ending. Don’t stop, no matter what they yell or promise.”

  She shook her head. “I won’t be able to escape. I can’t lift myself with py like you. I’ve been trying to learn, but I’m convinced I’ll drop myself if I go too high or fast.”

  “Then keep a horse nearby during the battle.”

  “I doubt I could keep track of the animal.”

  “I’ll try to be there, like I promised. I’ll do everything I can to be at your side. We can escape together.”

  With her head down, she looked at him through the tops of her glistening eyes. “You’ll be halfway to the capital while we engage our enemies at Tramberr.” She put up her hands. “Neeko, it’s all
right. I wasn’t telling you to make you feel obligated. I was just curious if you felt the same way, but I can see that you don’t.”

  Neeko could think of nothing to say. He embraced her instead.

  “Is Shara nearby?” she murmured into his chest.

  He looked around. “I don’t see her. Why?”

  Laney glanced up. “I never do anything for myself. I live for the army and I’ll die for the army. I’m not going to ask you to fight beside me, because I know that’s unfair. But I am going to ask you for something else right now, and you must not refuse.” The tip of her tongue came out to moisten her lips, making Neeko well aware what she was about to ask.

  “The kiss last night was too quick. Every time I imagined it, it was nothing like that. I need a real kiss. You don’t have to tell Shara. It doesn’t have to mean anything to you.” She pulled on the collar of his shirt. “But it will mean something to me.”

  “You don’t want this,” he said. “This kiss you’ve dreamed about is clearly more than just the act of a man’s lips on yours. You want there to be feeling—that’s why the quick peck last night did nothing. This wouldn’t either because I care about someone else.”

  She released her grip on his collar. “Damn, you’re right.”

  An awkward silence followed. It felt wrong to tell her goodbye after that. Luckily a young warrior who Neeko hadn’t met approached them.

  “Good morning to you both,” the man said, brushing the long hair out of his eyes. “I’ve come here for two reasons. Neeko, I’d like to shake your hand. Kill that king for us.” Neeko gladly shook and promised he would do everything he could. “And two…” The man turned to Laney, again moving the hair out of his eyes. “It should be quite obvious I need a trim. I was hoping you could help.”

  She whipped her head back in confusion. “Me?” She used her one hand to gesture at her missing arm. “I can only use shears or a comb, not both.”

  “You won’t need a comb, it’s just the front.” He pinched his dangling hair. “I’d like this gone so I could see you better…and I suppose it would help to see my enemies as well.” He smiled at his quip.

  Laney didn’t smile. “Why are you acting so flirtatious all of a sudden?”

  The poor man frowned and grabbed the back of his neck. “Well, I don’t know, I guess.” He laughed awkwardly. “I’ll be going, then, I suppose…and finding someone else to do it. Neeko, good luck.”

  “Thank you.” Neeko glared at Laney as soon as the man left. “He’s obviously interested in you.”

  “No he’s not—the rules of the army prevent it.”

  “It seems that he cares about the rules as much as you do.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. He’s been friendly to me throughout our trip, but never flirtatious like that.”

  “Based on what happened last night, it would make sense to assume his fear of death has overridden his fear of rejection.”

  She gasped, then jumped up and kissed Neeko’s cheek. “You’re right! I’m going after him.”

  Laney didn’t even look back, running all the way to the young man.

  A sad thought crossed his mind as he walked back to Shara. That might be the last time I see Laney.

  At least it was a fond memory.

  *****

  The forest was bright with sunlight. After such a night, Neeko felt lucky to be alive. Jaymes had horses to spare now that nearly a thousand of his men and women had fallen, so he gave one each to Neeko, Shara, and Cedri, as well as a small bag of food.

  Shara removed her cloak, revealing a sleeveless tunic open around the collar. The sun added a shine to her creamy skin. The locks of her dark hair were a beautiful contrast, falling down to the center of her back and swaying with each step of her horse. She had on form-fitting leather pants that drew Neeko’s eyes to her luscious curves.

  As they rode throughout the day, Shara didn’t seem to notice her effect on Neeko. Instead, she mostly peered nervously at Cedri. In the afternoon, it finally occurred to Neeko that she must be expecting the psychic to request training at any moment. Jaymes had ordered Shara to obey Cedri’s request, but there would be no repercussions if Shara refused, as it was just the three of them now. Neeko didn’t understand. If Shara was so worried, why not simply refuse?

  When Cedri needed a moment alone to relieve herself, Neeko asked Shara about it.

  “For a couple reasons,” she explained. “I know Cedri does need to train—and that’s the most important reason. But even though Jaymes isn’t here, I still trust his judgment enough to follow any order he gives us.” Her voice fell to a whisper as she noticed Cedri coming back. “That doesn’t mean I can’t dread it.”

  Cedri returned and they remounted. After a few trots, she said, “Shara, you can stop worrying about it. I’m not going to need your help training until we’re out of the forest.”

  “I thought psychics couldn’t detect specific thoughts,” Shara said.

  “No, but I’ve felt your worry stronger than Neeko’s lust for you from the moment we left the army.”

  Neeko felt his cheeks flush from embarrassment. “Can’t you ignore it?”

  “Not when I’m riding right beside you and there isn’t much else to distract me. I would ask you to stop if you could. It’s annoying.”

  He snuck a peek at Shara to his other side. She was grinning with her teeth pressed down against her bottom lip, clearly holding back a laugh.

  Neeko quickly changed the subject. “Why wait until we’re out of the forest to train?”

  “Because we need to be somewhere where Shara’s screams won’t attract diymas or PCQs.”

  Shara’s smile flattened. “Isn’t there some way to help you train without being hurt enough to scream?”

  “You’ll learn to resist it in time.”

  “That didn’t answer my question.”

  Cedri shrugged.

  By evening, Shara pointed and announced, “I think that’s Sastien Village ahead.” She reached into her bag for the seescope.

  Squinting, Neeko could make out something between the trees. Thatch roofs rose above some sort of green wall. Sartious energy? he wondered, remembering what he’d read about the village.

  “Do you know what happened here?” Shara asked Cedri.

  “No, is it important to know before we get there?”

  “Somewhat.”

  “Then hurry and tell me. You waited this long for reasons I can’t understand.”

  “Well, it’s not extremely important. I did say ‘somewhat.’ ” Shara cleared her throat and continued quickly. “Days before the drought of 1425, it had been raining for a week and Sastien River was engorged. Religious historians believe this was the beginning of the anger of the gods. An unexplained enormous wave came from the ocean and hit Sumar’s eastern side. It was big enough for some of it to flow over the hills on the edge of our continent, especially the smaller hills between Nymre and Thalcea.”

  Neeko had read all of this during his stay in the castle. He wasn’t sure how much of it was true, but as they came closer to the village, he could see that there was indeed a wall of sartious energy around the village. The enormous wave wasn’t as difficult to believe as the formation of this wall, so perhaps the rest was true.

  “With the river already engorged,” Shara continued, “the excess of water from the ocean formed an even bigger wave, large enough to destroy the entire village. The people living there saw the wave coming a mile away with the forest disappearing beneath it. Everyone began to run, but one man stayed: a mage called Sastien Grailer. The village, the forest, the river, and the lake were all named after him when he died the morning after he saved them.”

  “How could a mage stop all that water?” Cedri asked.

  Shara extended her hand toward the fifteen-foot wall they were fast approaching, the translucent color like healthy grass. “He was a sartious mage.”

  “One man made that?”

  “According to the story.”

&n
bsp; “And you believe it?” There was some judgment in Cedri’s tone.

  “I’d like to think it was true,” Shara said, slightly irritated. “It’s not like I’m some hawker trying to sell you magic beans. There’s no harm to giving the story a chance.”

  “Fine.”

  Shara’s tone reverted to the smooth rhythm of her storyteller voice. “The people of the village soon grasped there was no higher ground they could seek in time. Looking around, a woman caught sight of Sastien staying within their village, drawing in clouds of sartious energy and then hardening them into walls. She told the others, and everyone returned. The water came—”

  “And the walls saved everyone,” Cedri interrupted. “I got it. So they named everything in the forest after him.”

  The corner of Shara’s mouth scrunched.

  “Sastien died the next morning,” Neeko said, wanting to tell the part of the story he found most interesting. “Apparently he had nightmares every night of being attacked by some monster, and when he awoke, he’d have fresh cuts on his torso. No one could figure out why.” Cedri stared at him with skeptical eyes, but he continued anyway. “When he awoke after saving the village, the cuts on his chest and stomach were too deep and he lost his life to infection.”

  “Even if all of that was true,” Cedri began, “it would take more than a day for his wounds to become infected and for him to die. I don’t believe it.”

  “Well, maybe he died a few days later,” Neeko said. “But it’s more poetic that he died the day after.”

  Cedri sighed loudly.

  “What is so annoying about this?” Shara asked in an acrid tone.

  “You two annoy me,” Cedri retorted. “I risked my life pretending to be a PCQ, then we manage to reunite among our allies, but there’s an attack. Many die. Finally it seems like we’re safe again. I feel like I can breathe and enjoy the fact that I’m going to live, and neither of you say anything about it. You don’t even ask me what happened with the PCQ. Neeko is too busy thinking about ripping your clothes off. And you’re too busy telling me ridiculous tales that don’t matter.”

  Neeko swallowed a lump in his throat. Although she was exaggerating, she was right.