Crimson Warrior

by Amanda McLaren

  “If you do we’ll start carrying water.”

  “…I said I wouldn’t get drunk!”

  Satisfied, she put it back. Since I couldn’t see things very well, I left them to pack the staples while I headed up to pack the things we’d need…and stumbled across the feel of my old leather journals. Sanquility came up to see me run my hand down the familiar feel of them. San watched me with a sadness I didn’t understand at first.

  Then it hit me that she was sad for me.

  “It isn’t all that bad,” I told her quietly.

  “I know you loved to sit and sort things out by writing. It was your few minutes to yourself.” She told me gently.

  I didn’t have anything to say to that.

  Suddenly Sanquility took them from me.

  “Hey!” I reached for them, but was knocked gently away.

  “Oh, common. Slip into my mind and use me to write.”

  “No way.” I giggled. “It isn’t the same.”

  “I won’t read it. Just use me like that reed-thing.”

  “How?”

  She tightened our link, then guided me to the mechanical part of her brain.

  //There. Now just think and my hand will write. //

  “This is too weird.”

  //No it isn’t. Just write. //

  “Okay…”

  Late-Autumn, Year of the Bear, 200 ATF

  A lot has happened since my last entry. I have been blinded by my own sword. Sanquility will be writing for me in my stead. A seal was broken that permitted the memories of my past lives to flow into my current one. I have learned that I am a guardian of the Seven Gods. There are seven of us, and we were the first souls. Once a part of the gods, we became their warriors and saviors. I guess we’re needed again.

  I cannot sleep from all the dreams. The memories. They haunt me. In some of my past lives, I was…horrible. Blood thirsty. The only person I cared about was Fay. I don’t want to see the faces of those I killed. I don’t want to see my constant search for love always ending in pain. I don’t want to remember, but they don’t stop.

  It feels like it’s been years since I wrote about Anshumali stating she loved me. I didn’t want to feel the same way for her as I did for Lyrea. It seemed too much; too complicated. Now…it’s so different. It’s nothing like what Lyrea and I shared. Although I know it’s the bond, I love her. She is very important to me.

  Speaking of Lyrea, San and I killed her. As well as Quinn. They opened a portal to the Abyss and destroyed most of the City of the Seven Gods. We’re rebuilding it while searching for a means to kill the Fallen before he can swallow the world whole and enslave us.

  I hate this. I want to be left to my simple life. With San and my kin. I don’t want to be a guardian anymore. Gods be damned, this isn’t right. First, they take her away from me. Now they want me to relive all this horrible shit. If I should ever forget my life again, I want Sanquility to read this and to know that I want to return to the Outlands with my son. To take up a life in the sands where I belong.

  I don’t belong here.

  I don’t want bloodshed.

  I belong with her, and with my family.

  I returned our link to normal.

  “Anshumali, if I shall ever lose my memories again for any reason I command you to read my journal and give it to me. Do you understand?” I told her very quietly.

  A terrible, stabbing pain struck my heart. “Yes.” She hoarsely managed. I could hear the pain in her voice.

  “Tell me to read this entry first.”

  “I hear and obey, Kariken.” Anshumali whispered weakly through gritted teeth. “Please, no more.”

  Instantly I relaxed again. After the pain settled, I muttered “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have,”

  “It’s…I understand.” The Azhi rumbled.

  Clearing my throat, I said “I-I’ll finish up here, San. I’m sorry,”

  “What’s done is done.” Sanquility told me quietly. “I’ve commanded you, Kari. I know it must be very important if you gave me that order.”

  She left me to think and pack up alone.

  “No, absolutely not.” Callie stated, foot tapping on the ground and arms across her chest.

  “What’s up?” I asked as I lugged the last of our personal supplies downstairs.

  “Vortix wants to go.”

  “Are you crazy?? No!”

  “But I want to help!”

  “You can help by protecting your town! You’re nearly an adult, and you want to leave your post?!”

  “My post?” He asked with wide eyes.

  “What, Fay didn’t tell you?”

  He shook his head.

  “They’re looking for Templar apprentices now that the militia has been transferred over to the temple as Templars.”

  “R-really?”

  “Yes, really. Callie, why didn’t you tell him that you’re going to be the princess’s body guard?”

  “I was going to when he announced he was taking Mi’roc and following you.”

  “I-I can be a Templar?”

  “Yes, you can. But you can’t do that if you’re wondering the world with a retired warrior. Leaving your post is the last thing a Templar’s apprentice will do. In fact, Sybel was asking me when you were going to sign up. She seems impatient to have an apprentice.”

  His eyes gleamed in awe. “Sybel wants to train me?”

  “Of course she does!”

  “I gotta go!” He darted out the door, making me smile proudly.

  “That’s my boy.” I said with a grin. I gave Callie a huge hug. “Good luck. I’m glad they’re adding a wall; this place needs one.”

  “I agree entirely. You know, the town’s growing even after that disaster.”

  “I knew it would. It’ll be as big as Taiyuan one day.”

  “Good; we need more than one large city in Sunset Plains.” She pressed her lips to mine sensually; I leaned into her with a sigh of pleasure, wrapping my arms around her. I felt Sanquility watching us as my hand slipped to her ass.

  “Xia,” Sanquility’s voice was full of hunger herself. “If you don’t stop we’ll have to leave in the morning.”

  Callie was the one who had to pull away. “Sorry, love, but you’ve work to do.”

  “I could get you off in five minutes,”

  “Yeah, and then we’d fuck again.” Callie laughed. “We can fuck when you back.”

  Giving a heavy sigh, I forced myself to follow Sanquility out. Redemption met us at the door. There were two white Gryphons waiting near-by. They clacked their beaks at me in greeting. I sent them an image of following the unicorn.

  “They’ll follow us. Let’s distribute the weight between them.”

  Vortix came running and jumping up to me. “I’m Sybel’s apprentice!”

  “That’s wonderful! When do you start?”

  “Tomorrow. She said that she didn’t have a plan and wasn’t ready because she thought you’d never tell me. She thought you didn’t want me to be a Templar!”

  “I didn’t, but you do. Stay safe, son.” I gave him a hug. “I love you. Go play while you can; you’ll be too busy from now on.”

  “I’m a man now!” He skipped off. “Hey Yinn! I’m a man now!”

  Yinn blinked at him. “Oh really?”

  “Yinn!” I called.

  She looked up.

  “Come here!”

  She came right up to me. “Yes?”

  “No flirting with my son.”

  “I wouldn’t even consider it.” She said. The tone of her voice put me on edge. “I like older people.”

  “Good. Now go find your father and tell him San and I are going to eliminate the Winter Bear.”

  “Good luck and gods’ speed.” She replied somberly. “Toc and I are training the militia to be Templars while Sybel organizes the palace guard and Ryeger protects Fay.”

  “Why isn’t Chrono organizing the guard?”

  “He left to escort the princess here. The pal
ace will be done about the time they get here, and Callie isn’t qualified yet to escort her.”

  “Keep an eye on him. He’s been acting strange.”

  “I noticed.” Yinn muttered thoughtfully. “I wonder what’s up.”

  “Maybe he’s just worried about quitting the palace to resume being a guardian.” Sanquility replied thoughtfully. “Chrono’s the type to overthink this kind of decision.”

  Yinn said her good-byes and left to her business. We loaded up our supplies and mounted Redemption. I relaxed completely the very moment San’s arms were around me. She nibbled on my neck as I gave the Unicorn the image of our first stop for the day; the river by the fruit tree where Anshumali freed me from Lyrea’s spell.

  “We have at least four months of traveling.” San sounded like she was almost in a daydream. “No more worrying about Chrono or Sybel popping in to ask about this or that. No more Yinn or Vortix bugging us about one little thing or another. And especially no more Callie fussing over your health.”

  “So you noticed she’s been doing that too, have you?” I snickered as the unicorn headed out of town, avoiding the migration of people in and out of the city, then the people working on the wall. It was mainly just an outline of mortared stone right now, with gaps where the gates would be.

  “Oh, yes. She chewed me out earlier because I apparently allowed you to go all day without eating.”

  “What? Since when do you allow me to go without eating?” I scoffed, shooting her a glare. “You’ve been trying to shove food down my throat since dawn!”

  Sanquility was quiet for a few minutes. “Kariken, you’ve barely touched food for the past week.”

  “…I’m too tired to eat. My stomach’s sick.”

  “My love, I know the nightmares are hard, but even Fay’s noticed, and it’s not like you’ve been spending much time at the temple.”

  I shook my head, making Redemption snort in protest. I did, however, nibble a little on the food. “I’ve just not been able to sleep much, that’s all. I’ve been too busy to eat.”

  “You keep yourself too busy to eat. Sybel said it wasn’t even your job to worry about the people in Taiyuan when you were a Templar. It was to fight the Azhi.” She replied unhappily. “I don’t understand why you took so much of the burden off the people who were supposed to do it.”

  “They needed my help. The temple was shorthanded and a lot of people were injured or died.”

  “You have to sleep sometime love.” Sanquility whispered into my ear. “In fact, sleep now. I’ll hold you. When Redemption needs guidance, I’ll wake you to show him the way. He’s got at least eight hours of travel in his mind.”

  “I don’t know…”

  //Kariken, I command you to sleep for eight hours. //

  “Damn you.” I hissed. Instantly, a wave of staggering fatigue swept over me. The need for rest was overbearing. It seemed like my eyes closed of their own will, and sleep slammed into me like a rolling tide.

  ~*~

  The sight of the foreboding yet familiar cliffs of the northern Mist Peak Mountains sent a wave of mixed feelings. Their red and white cliffs dominated by shrubs and pines were nearly overwhelming. Anshumali heard a pack of wolf Azhi hunting in the hills, and for the first time since being with Kariken, the black wolf longed for to join them.

  No, I can’t. She’d turn from me again…she’d hate me. She protects the innocent. She wouldn’t even kill a wolf until it attacked her.

  She shook her head clear of them before Kariken could notice. She was grooming Redemption before we left him with oats and hay in case bad weather struck.

  “Are you sure we just can’t be careful with him?” Kariken demanded angrily.

  “Yes.” Anshumali had to reel in her temper, causing the human glanced back at her with a confused frown.

  “What the fuck is your problem today? First you bitch at me for flirting with you, and now you’re pissed because I’m attached to Redemption? What in Alatek’s name did I do?”

  “Nothing, alright? So just leave me alone!” She shouted back.

  “Fuck you too!” Kariken retorted angrily, nearly frightening off the gryphons. She struggled onto one as her eyes lit up.

  Redemption snorted, and then trotted off to graze on a pocket of grass.

  “He’ll be waiting here for us when we get back – if you don’t have a gods-damned problem with that, anyway.”

  “I didn’t say I did. I just don’t want him hurt.” She used the most even tone she could manage.

  “What the fuck ever, bitch. Just fly next to me and read the damn map because I can’t.” Kariken jerked the link so far back it was as weak as the day they’d met.

  Anshumali became a wolf. The Gryphons weren’t as weighed down now that the horse fodder was off, but they didn’t need her weight.

  //Follow me. //

  “How can read a map as a wolf?”

  //I don’t need the fucking map! //

  “Oh, so you’re a genius now?”

  //I know the damn way, Kariken. I was raised in these gods-forsaken mountains, so lay off! //

  She took off into the sky. The gryphons jetted after her so fast Kariken almost fell out of the saddle.

  “Whoa!” Kariken’s anger melded into fear, then slowly into a feeling of displacement and unease. Her stomach rolled from too much sudden motion.

  What’s wrong with me? Kariken doesn’t deserve this. But all I want is a little space to be myself! If she’d just give it to me, I wouldn’t snap!

  //I’m sorry, //

  “What have I said about apologizing after yelling at me, Anshumali? Whatever your problem is, there’s no reason to be a bitch! Tell me what I did to piss you off or get the fuck over it!”

  //You didn’t do anything. It’s – it’s this place, Kari. This place has…a lot of memories. //

  As they flew upward, Anshumali did her best to ignore the wolf Azhi pack below calling her down to join her in their kill.

  Resist. Resist. It’s not your life anymore.

  Anshumali focused on finding the place she’d abandoned so long ago, just below the mountains they were flying beyond.

  ~*~

  I nearly kissed the ground with relief as Anshumali helped me down from the Gryphon in the tiny little village. I could hear dogs barking, the baying of farm animals and the milling of footsteps. The array of colors was far easier to adjust to than flying through the sky.

  “So where are we?” I demanded as Al’re jumped down from the Gryphon I’d rode.

  “Wolf Skull Village, near Bone Forest.” Anshumali replied quietly. “Just let me do the talking around here, though; things are different past Mist Peaks.”

  “How so?”

  “Please, Xia?” Her change in confidence just made me sigh.

  What the fuck ever. By Azen, if I ever figure her out!

  “Fine.”

  Sanquility gave me a gentle kiss on the lips I didn’t respond to. “Don’t be like that. I’m sorry about earlier, really.”

  “Somebody approaches.” I told her, nodding toward a tall yellow aurora.

  “Fair lady, mistress of the night, how may this humble village of humans serve you?” It was young man’s voice.

  My jaw literally dropped.

  “What in the name of the Seven was that?”

  “You will house and provide for me, my mate and our beasts until our business is done here. Is that understood, human?”

  “San, what is going on?”

  //Later. //

  Anger rolled through me as the Azhi brushed me off.

  The man bowed low. “As you wish my lady. Allow me to show you to where you will stay.”

  We followed this stranger to a rather large hut with a lean-to. “A humble servant shall serve you within. Her name is Alexis. She will apply to all your physical needs and whims, whatever they may be.”

  “…Is he saying what I think he’s saying?”

  //Yes. //

  “And you’ll not
tell me why?”

  //Not right now. //

  He took the reins to the Gryphons and reached for my dog’s collar. Al’re lunged forward; the only reason the man kept his fingers was because he had quick reflexes.

  “The dog isn’t friendly.” I replied smoothly, patting his head. “I wouldn’t try that again.”

  Clearing his throat, he replied “Milady, if you would tell him to follow me…”

  “He’s my guide. As you can see, I’m kind of blind.”

  He just stood there as if waiting for me to oblige him. Out of nowhere Anshumali socked the man in the face. I sucked in a breath; half of me expected to see the villagers arm themselves to strike back.

  All their eyes faced us, but they were on the man.

  “Do your job, human, or you’ll regret ever meeting us.” San’s voice was deadpan. It sent shivers down my spine – more by her emotionless response than the action itself.

  “O-o-of course! F-f-forgive me!”

  “If you stop staring at my mate and do as I command, I might consider it!” She shouted, waving her arms angrily.

  He rushed off with the Gryphons; Al’re barked crossly after him until I gently hushed the dog. Anshumali’s eyes found the gawking villagers. They averted their gazes and went back to their seemingly mindless tasks. Then my guardian wife opened the door for me to wave me in. Heart in my throat, I listened before she was forced to repeat herself.

  Whatever has gotten into her, I’m not going to get in the way.

  “Greetings.” A silver and light blue aurora greeted us at the door. Sanquility sent me a mental image of a short woman around my age. She had long blond hair, a big bust and very nice curves. “I presume you’ll be staying here?”

  “Yes.” San’s voice was curt. “Now we’re hungry, thirsty and exhausted. Think you could do something about that?”

  “Would you enjoy a bath as well, Milady?”

  She turned to me, her voice gentler. “Love, would you like a bath?”

  “Know what I want, San?” I finally lost my patience and let my anger explode through our link as I threw my arms at her angrily. “I’d like a damn explanation for the past couple of days, a bowl of hot food and some sleep. Now, if we’re sleeping here, I suggest we start with a room so you can start explaining what in the Abyss’s name is going on!”