by Billy Wong
Mark punched him in the nose, staggering him, and fled. Despite the terrible pain in his shoulder, he made his legs move with fair speed, yet his hopes for escape died with the appearance of a cliff edge before him. Fingers brushed the back of his shirt as he slowed. He turned and landed a kick to a sturdy midsection, but lost his balance and fell while not even knocking his opponent down. Panting as he clutched his injured shoulder, he stared up at the man.
"No fight left in you, eh? Too bad. Looks like you'll have to take your beating lying down."
He reached down. Mark saw one last chance. He tucked his legs and thrust up, trying to flip his foe over him and off the cliff. Unfortunately, the man grabbed the sleeve of Mark's wounded arm and hung on. Falling over the edge as intended, he dragged Mark after him. Glimpsing the river that waited below them, Mark clung to a slim hope of surviving. But the pain of the heavy pull on his shoulder overwhelmed him, and he passed out long before he hit the water.
Chapter 10
Ann stared along the muddy riverbank, looking for any sign of where Mark might have washed up. She and Kyle had tracked him and his pursuer to the cliff off which they apparently fell, but found no trace of either after that.
"You shouldn't have left him behind," Kyle said at her groan of frustration. "There was an obvious possibility the first assault was a trap."
"Don't put all the blame on me! Why didn't you stay with him, if you're so smart?"
"My duty is to protect you, and you took off too quickly for me to stop you."
"Yeah, well, I hardly needed protection as much as him."
She felt quite like Mark must have upon finding out Brianna had left, actually. Why hadn't she told him of her interest in him? She had been worried to scare him off, and perhaps just a little wary of Kyle's critical eye when they were traveling. But she was definitely curious about how such a sweet, gentle boy would be in bed, and now she might never get the chance to find out.
"He did not do so poorly, you know," Kyle said. "He managed to disable that one in the woods."
Ann glared at him. "Yeah, and now he might be dead! Some end to a quest to find his mother that would be."
Kyle fell silent for a time, then said, "Maybe we should stop for now. We've already been searching for hours, and if he is still alive he probably washed up farther upstream and was found by someone."
"You might be right, but how's that a reason to stop looking? Let's check around for homes and see if anyone's found him!"
#
Mark floated up through darkness, heavy eyelids twitching as sensation returned to his body. With consciousness came awareness of having lacked it. It seemed like nothing had happened between the first time he had been knocked out for an extended period and now. Why was he so inadequate?
At the same time, he knew he was lucky to still be alive. Something, he concluded, must be watching over him.
His eyes finally agreed to open, and he took in the sight of a gray-jerkined young woman leaning over him. For an instant he thought she was Ann, then he realized she had a slightly older face and brown hair.
"Where am I?" he asked, taking in the log walls around them. A smell of smoked meat lent the place a homey feeling that comforted him. "How did you find me?"
"You're in my home. I saw you being dragged roughly out of the river by a suspicious man, and when I asked what he was doing he attacked. So I took care of him and brought you back here for treatment." So he had lost that fight, too. No surprise, really, by now. She held up a small, sharp dagger and looked him in the eye. "One thing, though—just because I saved you, don't think I'm not watching you. I won't hesitate to slit your throat if you turn out to be a bad guy too."
Despite being a little unnerved at her warning, Mark smiled. Was every woman he met destined to be a warrior? "I'll hope I'm not what you consider a bad guy, then." He glanced at the bandages and poultice on his left shoulder. "Is it broken?"
"No, only dislocated, and not anymore." Her speaking voice was quiet and sweet. "That's just to help with the swelling."
"Thank you. What's your name?"
The girl extended a hand. "Lindy, Shield Knight of Perfia. That means I help to keep order in the less tidy parts of the country."
Mark half sat before falling back from the pain of his wound. "Lindy? But Kyle said she was dead... and aren't you about twenty years too young to be her, even if she wasn't?"
Lindy chuckled and shook her head. "No, the Lindy Kyle told you about was my mom. I miss her a lot, though. Became a knight to honor her.
"Now, how did you end up nearly becoming fish food?"
He told her the story of his quest to find Brianna and the journey across the plains, in abbreviated form as she did not seem interested in all the details. "Does anyone know I'm here?" he asked afterwards. "You could be in danger if the Duke's men come again."
"Don't worry, nobody ever saw us together and I live alone. It should be fine, as long as the story you're telling me is true and you're not just a common criminal." Her voice, however, told him she did not believe he was.
"Ann and Kyle must be worried about me. How long have I been out?"
"A couple days, two. It shouldn't be hard to get word to them about you, considering who they are."
Mark frowned. "If they've gone back home. I bet Ann is still out looking for me now."
"We'll see after I send word to Perfia City. Now, get yourself some rest so you won't be in such a sorry shape when they see you."
He closed his eyes and fell readily asleep, his body not nearly recovered from exhaustion and injury. The next day, Lindy gave him bad news. "Your friends aren't in the capital. I guess they're still searching for you like you said. Should I go and help you find them?"
"Shouldn't I do it myself? I only had a separated shoulder. I should be able to go."
"Can you?"
Mark tried to rise, and found sitting up highly difficult. Rather embarrassing when he considered that such a wound would probably not slow Ann down one bit. He might yet have been able to stand, but when he swung his legs off the bed to try Lindy stopped him.
"Do you really think it's safe for you to go out in this condition? What will you do if you run into the Duke's men again? No, I'll go, and bring them back here if I find them."
Weak though he might be, he did have the good fortune to meet good people willing to help him. He liked Lindy a good deal already. "Thank you for doing all this. I know I must be a burden."
"It's no big deal. I know Kyle, and he'd do the same for me. Besides, I'm sure I'd get a nice reward for saving one of Princess Ann's friends."
Lindy tried to find information about Kyle and Ann's whereabouts while performing her duties, but was unable to find them right away. When she came back, Mark asked her about life in Perfia to pass the time. Listening to a more common perspective on growing up here than Ann's, he imagined what it would been like to be reared in a rugged country environment. Would he have turned out tougher than he was?
"So do you know Ann too?" he asked one time.
"Not really, no. But Kyle's told me a lot of stories about her. Why?"
"I was wondering what you thought of her. Most of the other people I've talked with about her were men, and I wanted to hear a woman's opinion on, well, her."
Lindy shrugged. "I'm not close enough to her to judge. But from what Kyle's told me, she sounds pretty interesting."
"Interesting?"
"I wouldn't want to be like her, but I can see why her personality would appeal to some. She's... free, isn't she?"
An appropriate word indeed. "Yes."
"Do you like her, then?" Lindy asked with an intrigued look. "From the way you are, I would've thought you more likely to be scared."
"I consider her a good friend. Don't know about anything else, yet."
"You'd have to accept her for who she is if you do decide you want to take the next step. Do you think you can?"
"She seems all right for the most part." He paused. "But w
ould she really not be able to give up sleeping with so many men?"
Lindy bit her lip. "Now that's something you should settle between the two of you."
She left, and during her patrols of the area continued to seek his friends' location for him. Not many shifts later, she returned wearing a big smile. "I know where they are," she said, still clad in her iron breastplate, "or at least were a short time ago. It wasn't too hard, Ann being the famous figure she is."
Mark's heart lightened with relief and joy. "Can I come with you? I feel a lot better now, really."
"Too excited to wait? All right, then, if you're all right."
He proved he was by practically jumping out of his bed, his shoulder still a little sore but not enough to incapacitate him now. Lindy nodded, and they headed for the door. Then there was a crash from the front of the cabin.
"What was that?" Mark asked.
They peeked out of his room to see a heavyset warrior in scale mail standing with warhammer in hand just inside the flattened front door, and at least eight more preparing to enter outside it.
"The duke's men?" Lindy breathed. "How many did he send?"
Mark had no idea, but supposed the duke had been smart to hold off on his plans until he was back in civilized land. His minions were probably quite hungry to catch Mark after all this waiting. "What do we do?"
"Out the window!" she said, and dragged him back into his room. Unfortunately, the hammer man had already spotted them and gave chase. Lindy met him at the door, blocking a blow with her sword that staggered her, then ducked and grazed his side with a thrust. He retaliated with a punch to her face. Driven to her back, she rolled aside from a downswing of the warhammer.
"How did you find us?" she asked when her opponent paused to consider his next move.
"We heard you were asking around for the boy's companions, and that you'd bought medicine for an injured person. As you live alone, we figured it would be worth checking out. We were correct."
He lowered his head and barreled forward, forcing Lindy back with a tackle. She slammed her hilt down on his back. He grunted, but a powerful shove in reply sent her reeling off balance. Then Mark smashed a drawer of the nearby dresser into his face, knocking him down, and they ran.
"After them!" the warrior cried on his back, and his companions stomped past in pursuit. Mark had gotten one leg out the window when the lead foe stopped and raised a heavy javelin. He all but froze, tucking his head in a gesture of futility while he spear flew. Cruel steel buried itself in a fragile back.
But that back was not his, for Lindy had interposed herself before him. The shaft stuck out between her shoulder blades like a flag of conquest. She sagged into his arms, mouth bloody.
Mark was aghast. "Why'd you take that hit?" he whispered. No way could she be attached enough to sacrifice herself for him! "Did you think you could handle it better than me?"
"No... well, yes. Thought my armor could save me. Guess not, huh? Looks like another... knight named Lindy gets to die in the line of duty."
"Don't say that! I'll save you!"
She looked to the pack of warriors standing poised to attack and sighed. "This is entirely the wrong time to say that. Run, Mark. Your friends are waiting at Mongrel Basin."
"But-"
"Just go!" she snapped, and spun out of his arms to throw herself at the enemy. Her dying ferocity surprised them, and she managed to slice one's throat and blind another. A sword rammed deep into her stomach. She clutched at the blade, then its wielder ripped it out, shredding her fingers and guts alike. She crumpled to the ground, planted a hand and tried still to rise. Half a dozen blades came up to prevent it.
Unable to watch any more, Mark averted his gaze and slipped out the window. But though he did not see it, his imagination provided a better view of Lindy's death than he would have ever wanted.
#
Mark stumbled into the village of Mongrel Basin, a tiny riverside settlement consisting mainly of straw huts, and fell on his face. Tasting dirt, he spat it out. The bitterness well reflected how he felt. He had thought himself fortunate to meet a helpful stranger like Lindy, but aiding him had doomed her. Was he, in fact, cursed instead?
"Get Princess Ann!" he rasped to those who stared at his shuddering form. "Tell her it's Mark."
She arrived quickly with Kyle on the scene, and ran to his side with wide eyes. "What happened?" she asked. "Where have you been? There's a ton of blood on you! Are you hurt?"
Not really, but his body wanted very much to faint. "T-they killed her!" he said, the fact filling him with guilt. For the first time, even if he had seen many enemies slain before, he understood truly that those who fought for right could die too. The brave young woman would never marry her true love or raise kids... Why did such people as the Duke, who would murder those who meant them no harm, have to exist in the world?
"Killed who?"
"Lindy. Kyle's master's daughter, Lindy!"
"What?!" the knight growled, baring his teeth in outrage. Mark had never seen him display such strong emotion. "I know her. Her mother was like a sister to me! Who did this?"
"I don't know. They were after me, I think—they must have been sent by the duke!"
Ann's eyes narrowed into deadly slits. "Him again? We have to do something about him."
Mark agreed completely, but what? Even Ann could not simply kill an important nobleman of Widalia without repercussions, and they had no proof of his evil deeds.
"I don't know what to do," he said. "If we act too rashly, it could destroy the relationship between our countries."
"But we can't let him get away with it! Come on, Kyle, isn't that right? It'll be just like when I killed Baron Tooric for trying to rape that woman. Justice must prevail."
"Yes. The Duke of Arrith must die."
Mark too was infuriated by Lindy's death at his men's hands, not to mention the many scares they had given him, but would not commit to action without careful consideration of the consequences. "We should find Brianna, and ask her what to do. I'm sure she has more experience in these kinds of matters than us."
"Your mother cannot solve every problem in the world," Kyle grumbled. "I respect her too, but sometimes one must rely on himself."
Maybe he just feared Brianna's advice would put them on a slower road towards vengeance. "It's not a bad idea," Ann said. "We'll have to go to Widalia anyway if we're to face the Duke, and that keeps us on the path Mark was taking to find his mom. I mean, I'm sure she'd want to help her son, and another strong helping hand never hurts."
Mark did not wish for Brianna to become directly involved in this conflict, and actually considered continuing to keep his identity a secret from her until it was done. As much as he wanted her to know, the situation seemed too dangerous for him to involve her in good conscience—even taking into account the great warrior she was.
#
They went back and buried Lindy's body, the men who had murdered her no longer there to Mark's slight disappointment. He'd wanted to see his companions kill them, and maybe even take part himself. Then they set out for Perfia City, Ann the most energetic of them in spite of all that had happened. It was natural for her to be least affected by Lindy's death, Mark supposed, not having known her well or been there to see it. Still, the cheerful enthusiasm with which she expressed her anticipation of beating up a duke felt rather inappropriate.
"We've been away a while, haven't we?" Ann mused close to the outskirts of her capital. "Everybody must miss me."
The town looked as it had before, characteristically quiet and slow compared to a major Widalian city, but pressed upon Mark a new wariness. How many of the scores they passed on the streets might be covert agents of the duke? He questioned if he could ever be at ease in Julpy again, considering how dangerous even a place like this seemed to his newly opened eyes.
Upon reaching the castle, they found Saul and asked him if Brianna was still there. "No," the prince said, frowning at their grim expressions, "she never
even came back. She had somebody send us a message, though, telling us about you helping her with the monster in the plains and how things should calm down now that it had been dealt with. What's wrong, though? You hardly look like happy people coming off a victory."
They told him of the renewed attacks following their return to Perfia, and how they had taken the life of Kyle's friend and almost cost Mark his. "Maybe you should go into hiding until the canal talks are over," Saul said. "They should be well underway by now, and hopefully the Duke will stop trying to kidnap you once they're done. I know you want justice for him, but that might be easier to pursue while his attention isn't so focused on you."
Mark shook his head. "I don't know. Shouldn't the talks already be done if they were on schedule? If that's what this is about, and he's still coming after me, then they must be delayed. There's no telling when they'll end in that case. Besides, can I actually hide? He found me when I was with Lindy."
"No more hiding," Kyle agreed. "Better to meet the foe than cower waiting for death."
"Yeah, brother. I want to help Mark kick the duke's ass, not sit around babysitting him."
Saul grinned. "Exactly what I expected from you two, and a pleasant surprise from Mark. I'll help you any way I can."
"Thanks for the offer," Mark said, "but I don't see much you can do from here."
"No? I think somebody should get busy preparing a defense for Ann before she kills the Duke. Try to gather some evidence against him while you're doing it, will you?"
Ann laughed; the others did not. Saul wished them well, and they set off once again.
#
"So your mother didn't even come back after completing her task for my dad? Is she in that much of a hurry to find you again, or does she always act like this?"
"I don't know," Mark said quietly in response to Ann's question. They and Kyle all wore hooded cloaks now, in hopes of at least diminishing their chances of being recognized. Not that such attire was exactly inconspicuous in the Widalian countryside, but better to look odd than have their faces in plain sight. "I don't know her that well. I've only talked to her for all of two minutes, after all."
