by Billy Wong
Chapter 3
Brianna stayed with Helrish for the better part of half a year, improving her skills as a fighter and woodsman. Many times she felt a longing to leave, but Helrish always convinced her she was not good enough to go off on her own yet. Over the course of her stay, Mark said his first word; Brianna was very disappointed that it was "Hell." Her host was far too fond of saying his own name.
Winter had fallen by the time Brianna, checking the snares and pits for captured animals, heard the man's screams for help. She ran to the edge of the pit from which the cries rose and looked down. At the bottom, his leg impaled by a wooden stake, was a pudgy young man. Studying his face, Brianna recognized Cedric's cousin Drake.
"Drake! What are you doing here? Hang on, I'll get you out of there."
She climbed down into the pit, working the stake free of the ground though leaving it inside his leg. When he had recovered enough from the pain to talk, she asked, "Can you move your arms?"
"Yes, they're fine."
"Hold on to me, I'll carry you out."
Though a fleshy man, Drake was short and not extremely heavy. As strong as she had become living with Helrish, Brianna had little trouble climbing up with him on her back.
"Damn, you're strong," he said.
"Can you walk if I support you?"
"I think so."
She set him down and began to lead him towards the cave. "Why are you here?" she asked. "To look for me?"
"Yes. Everyone said you were dead, but since we never found your bodies I never gave up hope for you and Mark. So I kept looking..."
"But how did you know to come here? I've barely seen any people since I got here."
"What about that monster you killed? There was a survivor among that traveling band, but he didn't show himself because he wasn't sure you and the giant weren't also enemies. When he got back, he couldn't stop talking about it. The wild woman who tackled a monster with no fear.
"I knew it was you. You handled those eight Ruwinds well enough."
"I had plenty of help for that. I'm glad to see you again, though. Sorry about the leg."
"How's Mark doing?"
"He's well. He's grown like crazy."
"Why are you still living out here? Come back with me."
Brianna wanted to. But she still worried the Vorhen would target Mark again, and that she would not be enough to stop them alone. "Will I be safe?"
"I'll protect you."
From the day they'd met, Brianna had known Drake to have something of a attraction to her. A harmless thing. "You couldn't protect yourself from a pit."
"Hey, trained cavalrymen get brought low by pits and stakes." He paused, regarding her with a frown. "The Brianna I knew never had such a sharp tongue."
"I've been living with a man whose tongue you wouldn't believe. It's contagious."
"The giant, right? Who is this mysterious benefactor of yours?"
"He calls himself Helrish Deathsface. Thinks he knows everything."
"That's some name."
Back at the cave, Brianna helped Drake onto a bed and pulled the stake from his leg. He screamed, tearful eyes clamping closed in agony.
She had almost finishing dressing his wound when Helrish walked in, two dead rabbits in hand. "You didn't finish checking the traps."
"This is my husband's cousin Drake. He was injured by one of your traps."
"Don't use that tone with me. It was our trap."
"I'm sorry. Let me finish with him, please?"
Helrish stood and watched until she was done. By then, Drake was asleep. "Good work," he said. Then, "He cannot stay here."
Brianna's eyes widened. "He's hurt because of us! You can't expect him to travel home through the wilderness like this."
"He is hurt because he was foolish enough to come here. He would not be alive if I found him."
The words shattered Brianna's world. She had heard Helrish tell her some might consider him evil, but had not allowed herself to think on what that might mean. It was unfathomable to her that he would let an innocent man die simply for making a misstep. "What?! Why?"
Helrish calmly met her livid gaze. "I would not want anyone knowing about this place besides the two of us. If the Vorhen knew we were here, they would surely send their demons—and for us, it might be more than their usual Ruwinds."
"But why couldn't you just bind his wound and leave the rest to his own strength?"
"If he lived, he might grow curious as to who rescued him. Or he might talk, and draw the attention of others."
"So what are you going to do now, kill him?"
"You would not let me."
"No, I wouldn't. What will we do?"
"You care about him?"
"Yes."
"You can escort him home, if you like. But if your son dies for your mercy, you will only have yourself to blame."
Though fear ate at Brianna's heart, it only served to strengthen her growing anger. "Don't say such things!"
"I speak truly."
She made her choice then. "He asked me to leave with him, you know. I think I will. I'd rather have his company than yours."
"This is a mistake. You are not ready to leave yet."
"You've been telling me that for months now. When will I be, then? I can't stay here forever."
"You could lose everything."
"I'll take that risk."
Helrish held her gaze, and slowly a grin spread across his face. It was more disturbing than if he had acted angry. "Good luck, then. I fear you will come to find that I was right."
#
Though she stayed until Drake had awakened, Brianna exchanged few words with Helrish after that. Though she did not expect violence from him, she made Drake leave with her immediately despite his painful wound.
"You're leaving him?" he asked as they walked through the forest, Mark in her arms.
"He is a heartless beast. I do not need him."
"Where will you go?"
"I don't know."
"You can stay with me."
"I can't think of anywhere else I need to be," she said at last. "I can't be Brianna anymore, though."
Drake stared at her. "What do you mean? Oh, right. Your name."
"What do you think I should call myself now? And Mark?"
"I don't know about you, but Mark can be Cedric. It would be fitting."
"No! Do you want it to be obvious?"
"Cedric isn't an uncommon name."
"Yes, but for mother and child to disappear, and then another mother to appear with a son of that name—I don't want anything connecting me and my past life."
Together, they returned to Drake's hometown of Bachfeld. Brianna finally settled on the name of Ellen for herself, and Hugo for Mark. More than once, Drake asked that Brianna either marry him or bed him, and sometimes while he was intoxicated. She refused each time. Though touched by his journey to find her, she didn't love him. Besides, after being disappointed by Helrish she was reluctant to open herself up to another man. But in public, they pretended to be romantically involved. It would have been odd for him to shelter a strange woman, otherwise.
For a year they lived peacefully, becoming friends though ever retaining a slight awkwardness. While Drake wasn't the brightest man, he was kind and brave, and Brianna appreciated him for what he was. She had just come home from chopping wood when she walked inside and saw the trail of blood leading upstairs.
"Mark!" she cried, and pulled her battleaxe from above the fireplace before running upstairs. The bedroom door had been smashed open. She rushed inside to see Drake sprawled on the ground, bleeding profusely. Surrounding him were a pack of Ruwinds, tearing apart her room. Of Mark there was no sign.
Brianna threw the woodcutting axe first, sinking it home in a monster's chest. The nearest Ruwind turned to face her, and she gripped her battleaxe two-handed and severed its arm. Its blood sprayed over her, thin and foul-smelling. Now there were two against her, and as she parried a sword slice at he
r throat the other foe's dagger ripped into her upper chest.
She cried out in pain and rage, grabbed the sword-wielder's face tentacles in her hand and pulled it into its partner's way. Then she struck past its body, swinging her axe into the dagger-wielder's side. Wounded, it flailed its knife wildly, and Brianna shoved the other Ruwind at it. They fell in a tangled heap, the knife nicking the top creature's back.
But the monsters recovered faster than Brianna expected, the swordsman lunging on its knees to stab her just above the hip. It seemed surprised when she only grunted, brought her axe down and split its head.
Brianna heard the one whose arm she'd severed struggle up behind her, throwing itself at her back. Damn, it was tenacious. She ducked so that it slid over her back, landing on the floor before her. Her axe came down again, cleaving its spine. But the Ruwind with the knife tackled her now, driving her against the wall. She sagged against the wood, struggling for breath, and the monster stabbed at her throat.
She brought her axe up just in time, catching the crossguard of the dagger against the upper tips of the butterfly blades. She pushed up and forward, driving those pointed tips into the Ruwind's face. It stumbled back, keening. Brianna chopped into the side of its neck, nearly decapitating it.
"Mark!" she yelled as she turned Drake over. There was only a single stab wound in his chest, but it would be the end of him. "Where is Mark?!"
"In my... money chest. I hid him."
For a moment, Brianna felt aghast at the idea. If she hadn't come home, or he hadn't been alive to tell her, Mark might have suffocated. But he would already be dead if Drake hadn't hidden him, and the plump man had run upstairs with a mortal wound to do it.
"Thank you," she said.
Drake did not reply. He was dead.
#
Brianna fled again, frightful now that Mark could never escape the monsters who wanted him dead. The second group of Ruwinds attacked as expected, but Helrish had taught her well and she slew them all in an ambush. Even so, she doubted she would be able to protect Mark forever. But another's misfortune proved her blessing. She had been wandering the wilderness, struggling to provide for herself and her son, for two weeks when she was approached in camp by a solidly built, strong-featured young man. He was apparently a tracker sent by Owen Kanwick, a former employer of her husband's, and he had a message.
"The earl's youngest son just died."
Brianna stared. "What does that have to do with me?"
"He was about the same age as your son, who now has a chance at a new life. Give me the babe, and claim that he has died. No one else knows yet that Ashley is dead; Mark can take his place."
Shocked, she asked, "Why would Owen do this?"
"There's more than one reason. He was great friends with Cedric, and wishes to aid his widow. He also respects you, lady Ruwind slayer, and does not want to see you or your innocent child die. And, his wife wants a second son. She had great difficulty getting pregnant this time, and may not be able to again. So you see, she is desperate and eager to adopt. Don't worry, she adores children."
Cedric had always said good things about the earl and his wife. She had met Owen once, and though they had not spoken much he seemed nice enough. He was famous for being an exemplary leader among the Widalian nobility. Brianna would have agreed, but for one question.
"You said no one else would know of this. What about you? Would you betray me?"
"I am Owen's son Clint," the young man said with a smile. "I would not betray him."
Brianna went to the tent and took Mark in her arms, sat down and cried. "My son, I am so sorry. I must leave you now, for I am weak and cannot protect you. Your new father is a good man, and I'm sure he will raise you well. But I wish I could have done it myself. Don't worry, though—I still believe. Your life will be the stuff of legend."
She walked outside and handed Mark over, tears streaming down her face. Clint regarded her with sympathy in his eyes and said, "You can visit him."
"No, I can't. For it would give him away."
There was nothing more to say, and Clint turned away. But as she sat tortured by thoughts of the son's childhood she would miss, a wild conviction filled her mind. She would be able to visit Mark again, when the Vorhen were crushed and their sorcerers no longer a threat. Her only goal now would be to see that day come to pass.
#
Helrish found her near the northern border of Widalia a month later, his massive shadow falling over her while she crouched waiting to ambush a Vorhen raiding party. She had taken to wearing trophies like him, crowned now by a headdress of dried Ruwind tentacles.
"This is the extent of your hatred?" he asked, taunting.
"What do you want? I'm doing what I can—just as you've been doing."
His expression remained impassive. "I would have thought that the passion of a woman forced to give up her only child, would rage brightly enough to sunder nations."
"I would do anything to be able to hold my son again."
Helrish smiled. "Then do it. Your people are there, waiting for you to lead them. Wield them as your axe, and make your enemies dust and ashes."
"My people? You can't be speaking of the Widalians. The nation would never follow a common woman like me."
"There have been nations where birth is everything, and nations where it means almost nothing. Yet I have never seen one where actions could not make rank meaningless. It only matters that your actions speak loudly enough."
Brianna's hope surged within her, striving to match her loathing of the Vorhen. "You will help me?"
"Of course. Who else would teach you greatness?"
"What do we do?"
"We'll start small. Let's allow these Vorhen to come within sight of their victims. Then we'll give your countrymen a show."
"Helrish, you are too good to me. Why do you insist on helping?"
He laughed. "Despite my evil, I care for you. I want to see you reunite with your son—I want to see you happy. And more than that, I want to change the world again!"
"We will smash them into nothing," she whispered.
"Indeed."
#
Within the week they were local heroes, and many young men and women from the region answered their call to arms. Their company came to be known as Brianna's Braves (a name chosen of course by Helrish), and wore for their uniform a blue surcoat bearing a lioness' head. Two months later they numbered over a hundred, and turned the tide in a major battle between a Vorhen force and the Widalian army.
"Your countrymen fight with courage and spirit," Helrish observed, "but they know little of formation fighting. Long pikes, shortswords and shields. These are the weapons against which the barbaric Vorhen will break."
"Shortswords and pikes? Why teach me the use of a battleaxe, then? Wouldn't it have been better if I fought the same way my men do?"
"They are the rank and file, whose strength lies in unity. You are a leader, who by nature must be set apart. Both are necessary in war, but not suited to being the same."
And so, he taught them. From there on, Brianna's life was one of battle and grueling travel in the cold from battlefield to battlefield. The more she killed, the less she cared.
The Braves were soon integrated into the main Widalian army, with Helrish taking control—through her—of every battle they entered irregardless of the official commander's wishes. Brianna often felt like nothing more than a symbol for her cause, a tool to inspire her allies to victory. Helrish let her take credit for everything, though strategy and policy were indisputably his domain. But then, he had taught her how important a symbol could be, and in battle she was the equal of most any man save him. Thus she was content to ride the storm with him.
One day, she and Helrish were coming back from a rallying talk with a discouraged unit when a young soldier pointed her out to his friends. "That's Brianna the Brave," he said. "The first time she fought, she killed eight demons protecting her babe. Her skills with the axe have no peer!"
>
Helrish wheeled on them. "Yes, and that was before she learned to fight. But though she is a great warrior, she is nothing you all cannot be! All that holds you back is fear. Throw away your doubts, and you will assure our final victory."
As they walked away, Brianna protested, "Eight? But I didn't-"
"Let it be. There is no harm in men thinking their heroes are greater than they are. It will lead them to aspire to greater deeds."
The next battle marked the first time the Widalians attempted to take back one of their occupied cities. Ironically, what had contributed to its defenders' earlier downfall now helped its liberators drive out the Vorhen. As was typical of Widalian cities, Logien had not been designed with defense in mind, neither ringed by strong walls nor built on high ground. Brianna's victory march through the streets of her old home was bittersweet; Cedric could not be here to share in her victory.
"Lady Brianna," the grizzled Widalian General Borden asked with a sneer in his voice, "what do you think we should do with the prisoners? Let them go, or execute them?"
"I would kill them," Helrish said.
Brianna shook her head. "But if we kill everyone who surrenders, wouldn't that encourage future enemies to fight to the bitter end? The battles would cost us more resources then."
"I have heard both sides of this argument many times. What you say is true, but enemies who we set free may also come against us again. And by showing no mercy, we would spark more fear in the enemy. Personally, I prefer my enemies to be afraid of me."
"They're already afraid of you, Helrish. And I am not you. General, I would prefer that you relieve them of their weapons and allow them to leave."
The hostile undertone vanished from Borden's voice. "As I hoped you would say. Very well, lady."
"That was a foolish thing," Helrish said when Borden was out of hearing range.
Brianna shrugged. "You didn't try very hard to stop me."
