Kethril

by Carroll, John H.

  Anilyia thought she knew what he meant, but didn’t say anything. Tathan smacked himself in the back of the head again. She tried to contain a smirk and covered her mouth with a hand. He smacked himself in the back of the head a few times in rapid succession before he saw the mirth in her eyes.

  Tathan stopped hitting himself and put his hands on his hips. “Gazee?” he asked. Anilyia burst into laughter, but it only lasted long enough to relieve a little of the stress.

  “Felina hit you in the back of the head with a spell, right?” she said. A thought occurred. “Wait . . . why didn’t it affect me? Was it only aimed at you?” He shook his head, tapped her necklace and then pointed at her head. It took her a moment before she realized what he was communicating. “The necklace protected my mind! I remember it getting hot briefly when we were riding away, but I was too busy trying to escape.” That elicited another nod from Tathan.

  She wrapped him up in a desperate hug. “I was so frightened.” They stayed like that for a minute before both of their stomachs growled at the same time. They laughed and separated. The food was still warm and they finished it off in no time at all.

  When they were done, she asked, “Can you travel? We’re still in a lot of danger I think.”

  He nodded. “Mabibble honk to the wibble.”

  “I’m guessing when you say ‘mabibble honk to the wibble’, it means yes,” Anilyia said.

  Tathan barked out a laugh. “Grr alsal woff? La mmm zoy ouli.”

  “Right. Whatever you said,” Anilyia replied. “I didn’t take very good care of the horses by the way. I think they were lathered and I left their saddles and stuff on.” She didn’t care what the technical terms were at that moment.

  Tathan nodded and then leaned over to kiss her. It was heavenly and she felt her muscles relax. She liked it when he kissed her. She also liked it when his hands found their way underneath her clothes as he pushed her back onto the bedrolls. Whatever the spell had done to his head didn’t affect his lovemaking abilities and they spent the next hour relieving the stress of the last couple of days.

  They dozed off for a short time before getting dressed. Tathan doused the fire with a bucket of water he had brought in. When he was certain the fire was out, he rolled up the top bedroll and pointed at the other one for her to take care of. Anilyia smirked. “What’s that? I don’t understand you?” He lowered his eyebrows in a playful glare. They both laughed and Anilyia rolled up the other bedroll the best she could.

  He led her into the main part of the church and to the horses. At some point, he had taken care of them. The saddles and gear were sitting on one of the pews. He had her help put everything on. She did so reluctantly, but without complaint.

  A steady drizzle was falling through the holes in the roof and trickling down her back. Worse than that, it was dark outside with scant moonlight illuminating the clouds. It gave the sky an eerie glow and made it hard to see anything.

  When they were done, Tathan gave her another long kiss that took her mind off the miserable conditions. They led their horses outside and mounted. When they were on the road again, Tathan turned east. Anilyia paused and asked, “Don’t we want to go back to the highway?”

  He stopped and answered, “Gif duul owie rararara.” Realizing she couldn’t understand a word, he shook his head no and pointed east. Anilyia opened her mouth to protest, then realized he was better at this sort of thing and there were probably more bounty hunters waiting in the direction they had come anyway.

  It didn’t take long for Anilyia to dislike the journey. The woolen travel outfit kept a lot of the moisture out after she put the hood up. Part of the problem was that the clouds had come down to the ground and turned into fog. She had no clue where they were or whether they were headed in the right direction.

  To make matters worse, the few times Tathan did speak, it was unintelligible. Anilyia had felt very much alone the previous evening when he was dazed. He was awake and . . . she examined him through the haze . . . mostly alert, but she still didn’t have anyone to talk to.

  Anilyia sighed. It looked as though it would be a long ride.

  ***

  Morning was beginning to burn off some of the fog and they could see for about a hundred feet in every direction. Shapes appeared ahead, forming into three figures sitting on horseback at an intersection.

  Fear gripped Anilyia’s heart again. She was certain there were no black-clothed figures or guards to save them this time. “Tathan, bounty hunters were trying to get us last night. I think that’s who these people are,” she whispered hoarsely.

  Tathan nodded at her and smiled. “Mabibble honk to the wibble.” He gestured for her to stay back while he rode ahead. Anilyia knew he was still weak and worried about whether or not he could handle bounty hunters.

  “Stay where you are, Tathan of the Shadows,” the lead hunter said in voice powerful enough to pierce the fog that muffled all other sound. “You and the princess are going to fetch us a pretty price. Now drop your weapons and surrender. I happen to know for a fact that you’re injured and weak. We don’t want to make this difficult, now do we?” The other two chuckled maliciously.

  Anilyia got the impression he was lying. She also got the impression that they wanted to make things especially difficult for her. The fact that all three men were leering at her instead of paying attention to Tathan drove that fact home.

  Tathan ignored the order to stay where he was and continued riding slowly. “Hesh ury gu ury,” he responded to them. They looked at him in confusion. Tathan pointed at the princess and wiggled his fingers. “Eeky wolambangerdo.”

  The men looked back at Anilyia, their leers turning into looks of confusion. That’s when the three bounty hunters and the princess learned how little an injury mattered to Tathan when life was on the line.

  He was almost at the lead rider when he kicked the sides of his horse and drew his sword. All three of the men reacted by drawing their weapons, but Tathan was already leaping into the air from the back of his mount to the first bounty hunter. He landed on the neck of the man’s horse and rammed Lifedrinker down into the bounty hunter’s shoulder.

  Tathan yanked his sword out and somersaulted to the next bounty hunter who was dashing forward to help his friend. Anilyia watched their swords meet in the air. Tathan’s drove the hunter’s blade back as the momentum of spinning in the air gave him extra force. He landed with one foot on the horse’s neck and his other on the man’s shoulder, driving the bounty hunter over the hindquarters. Lifedrinker slashed back across the hunter’s neck causing blood to spray upward in a fan. The horse reared, and Tathan tumbled as he hit the ground.

  As the second bounty hunter’s horse ran forward past Anilyia, its rider fell with a thud next to her. She held onto her reins tightly as her horse pranced nervously away from the body.

  Tathan stumbled, his injured leg buckling under him. Anilyia gasped in alarm.

  The last bounty hunter eagerly sprang forward with his sword in the air for a killing blow. The blade missed Tathan, who leapt to grab the man and pull him down to the ground. The horse jerked as the hunter’s foot caught in the stirrup. Muffled snaps from his leg made Anilyia’s stomach turn.

  He screamed in agony, dropping the sword and reaching for the leg with his free hand. Tathan had hold of the other arm, keeping the hunter suspended in midair, though the horse was dragging him forward. It was over when Lifedrinker stabbed in and out of the man’s heart, drawing more blood with it. Tathan let go and the horse ran off, dragging the dying bounty hunter with it.

  Anilyia then realized why her lover was so feared. He had moved faster and more decisively than she had ever seen anyone move. He killed without hesitation, but there was a style to it, a gruesome style to be sure, but style nonetheless.

  She heard a gurgling sound. The first bounty hunter was leaning in his saddle, with limp arms hanging at his sides. Blood was flowing down the front of his shirt and pouring from the side of his mouth. She looked at his
eyes and saw the life leave them. The body collapsed to the ground. His horse took a few more steps then stopped.

  “Jungy walla poo?” Tathan asked as he limped back to her, leading his horse. Anilyia stared at him blankly. “Jungy walla poo?” he asked again. He was covered in blood spatter again and still held the dripping sword in his hand.

  Anilyia had sat by her grandmother’s side when the old woman died. She had also lost a few friends and acquaintances to death, so she wasn’t a stranger to it. But this chaotic business of slashing at things with swords was unpleasant to say the least. The worst part was the number of ways blood came out of a body. It disturbed her and she let Tathan know that by screaming in horror at the top of her lungs.

  Tathan took it well. He gave the reins of his horse to her to hold. Then he went over to the bounty hunter that had just fallen. His blade was the first thing Tathan tended to, wiping it on the dead body in a gesture Anilyia hated. It seemed disrespectful to the person he had just killed.

  Then Tathan went to the man’s horse and searched through the bags, further offending her. He took a shirt, sniffed it and then proceeded to use it to wipe the blood off his face and clothes after deciding it was clean enough. He dug through the bags some more then bent over the body, grabbed the man’s money pouch and began rifling through his things.

  “Tathan! Don’t you dare!” Anilyia shrieked in outrage. He looked up in surprise. She yelled at him, her voice cracking. “I will not have you looting bodies! We have enough money. We’re not poor! Get away from him and put that purse back now!”

  He looked down at the body, then at her. It was clear he wanted to continue the looting.

  “Tathan, if you love me, you won’t loot those bodies,” Anilyia threatened. She hated using those words and hoped he loved her enough to stop.

  Relief filled her heart when he dropped the purse and immediately limped back to her. Tathan took the reins she held out to him and mounted the horse.

  They turned south at the new road. Anilyia took off at a gallop to get away from the nightmare she had just witnessed.

  ***

  Tathan led them around the next two towns they passed, miming that there might be more bounty hunters in them. Anilyia agreed reluctantly. She wanted to take a bath and rest in a real bed, but also wanted to avoid having to watch any more killing.

  Life had become much more precious in the last few days. Her mortality was in question unlike it had ever been before. Even in the Rojuun caverns, she hadn’t thought they were going to kill her until the very end. That had been more like a surreal nightmare.

  Out of all the dangerous people who had tried to kill or capture her, none were more frightening than the man she was in love with. He had killed five men back at the castle, should have killed Steve and Felina, and had killed three more at the intersection. The people he killed weren’t pushovers either. Each one was an extremely dangerous individual to a greater or lesser degree.

  She stared at him while they rode. He had his hood up and stared ahead in thought. Rain continued to make the ride miserable as the horses plodded through the mud. The good thing was that it rinsed most of the blood off him.

  The grey of the day had turned into darkness when the sun set a few hours earlier. The moons weren’t doing a very good job of creating light through the cloud cover and it was hard to see. Anilyia had never realized how dark it could be when a person was away from any trace of civilization.

  Tathan’s horse shook its head and whinnied in protest at having to keep walking. Tathan patted its neck in encouragement. Both horses were tired as were their riders. Anilyia sighed and continued on, lost in her thoughts.

  A short while later they saw the lights of a village through the rain. Anilyia stared at Tathan expectantly. There was no way she was going to go around and was pretty sure she could convince the horses to take her side. Thankfully, he nodded and they rode toward it.

  The inn was small but the lights from within welcomed them. Tathan rode to the stables first and woke a stableman sleeping in a cot just inside the door. He grumbled about the hour until Tathan put a silver piece in his hand. The man clutched it and took the reins while calling for a boy to help. When the man grumbled at the wet gear and condition of the horses, Tathan put his hand on the hilt of his sword and narrowed his eyes. The stableman took in the gesture and Tathan’s stance. There were no more complaints after that.

  Anilyia helped Tathan grab their saddlebags and carry them inside. She had become fit from all the traveling and work that had to be done, so it took little effort. It had taken her a while to decide that the muscle tone she had gained was worth it, but only because she had to do the stupid chores whether it was worth it or not. She missed having soft hands and skin.

  A fireplace and candles on the tables lit the inside. It was quiet except for rain pattering on the shutters, the crackling pop of the fire and a low murmur of voices from people at two tables. The common room smelled of wet wood, stale beer and unwashed people. Anilyia noticed that the four men at one table looked like travelers, possibly even bounty hunters, while the three men at the other table were old farmers swapping lies about their pasts.

  Tathan led her to the bar where a skinny man with thin black hair and a pockmarked face had fallen asleep. His snores were the loudest noise in the place. Tathan hit the bar a couple of times with the palm of his hand to get the man’s attention. The bartender rubbed his eyes and looked around before he saw them. “Oh, yeah. Watcha want?”

  “Giffle wabble gurk ma boob,” Tathan answered.

  The bartender shook his head and rubbed his face to get rid of the remaining sleep. “Huh?”

  Anilyia sighed. “He said we need food and a room for the night. Our horses are being cared for by your stableman. I’d also like a bath, please.”

  The bartender shook his head. “Dinner’s done with a long time ago. It’ll be a silver for the room and a silver for the horses. We got no baths, but you can step outside if you want to get wet.” The farmers guffawed at the remark. The others in the far corner chuckled in low tones.

  Tathan put a hand on the hilt of his sword and narrowed his eyes. Anilyia was angry too, but didn’t think it was wise to let him kill everyone in the room, so she put a calming hand on his arm. “We’ll take the room,” she told the bartender. “If you have any bread and cheese I’d like that as well.”

  “I got no bread and cheese and you’ll not have a room until I see the silver,” the man said with a sneer.

  Anilyia gripped Tathan’s arm tighter and took two silver pieces out of a small purse Tathan had given her for expenses. While riding that day, he had shown her how to hide the larger purse with the gold King Cranwer had given them.

  The bartender grabbed the coins off the bar, still sneering. “Up the stairs, third door on your right. If you want it locked, you’ll have to use your own.”

  “You don’t want to lock your door, pretty lady,” one of the men at the far corner told her. “Me and my friends need some entertainment for the night. Your manservant can join if you like.” The others jeered and banged their fists on the rough table.

  Anilyia paled and tried to hold on to Tathan’s arm, but he slipped her grip and limped over to the men. They stood as one, hands on their weapons and grins of anticipation on their faces. The older men stood as well, backing up against the grimy wall to avoid the violence that was about to happen. They watched in anticipation, as did the bartender.

  Tathan drew his sword and held it in front of him. The men began to draw theirs too. Only one pulled his entirely out of its sheath. The other three slammed theirs home and held their empty hands out to make it clear they weren’t going to challenge. All of them stared at the blade that drank in the light from the candles nearby. Anilyia could swear the candles were emitting tiny wails of agony.

  Too much drink had muddled the senses of the men. It was clear in the way they swayed. The one that had drawn his sword all the way was in the worst shape. He didn’t a
ttack, but hadn’t gotten around to putting his sword away.

  She didn’t know whether it was safe to use his name, but figured the sword was a dead giveaway. “Tathan, please don’t kill anyone else. You’re always so messy and I don’t want to wash all that blood off again,” Anilyia whined, holding onto his left arm.

  The remaining man put his blade back in its sheath surprisingly quick for someone without all his faculties. All four sat down and put their palms on the table. Anilyia guessed that it was a gesture of surrender. Tathan’s own blade slid back into its sheath with a spine-chilling hiss. He allowed the princess to take him up the stairs.

  Chapter 20

  Tathan had a complicated lock with runes on it, another item he had ‘acquired’ from a wizard. After lighting the lone lantern in the room, Tathan locked the door, but also put a trip wire attached to two tiny bells near the floor in case anyone bypassed the lock. He put another wire across the shuttered window in case anyone tried to come in that way.

  They ate some rations to fill their bellies, but not for taste. Tathan chewed angrily while glaring at the door. She wondered what he would have done if she hadn’t been there. When she moved toward the bed, he stopped her. Pulling the covers back from the straw mattress, he pointed out numerous tiny bugs crawling around on it. “Eww,” she exclaimed as any proper princess would. Tathan laid out their bedrolls on the floor in the opposite corner.

  Much too early in the morning, he woke her. She put on her clothes and gathered their things while Tathan, who had already dressed, recovered his traps and lock before heading downstairs. An innkeeper of average build and balding head was tending the bar while a lone waitress took bowls of unappetizing gruel to the patrons. The innkeeper waved them over. “I was told you came in late last night. Didn’t expect you down so soon. There better not be any trouble.”