The Ascension Trial

by CJ Embers

  “Well we can’t just live out in the wilds,” she said.

  “Why not?” Maia questioned. “We could make our own settlement. A settlement where a woman runs things,” she said, nodding towards me.

  I wanted to tell her I had no interest in leading after the first disaster, but I didn’t have a chance before they continued talking.

  “I actually really like that idea,” Sida responded. “No Tehji, no horrible rules, no being jailed for wanting a choice.”

  The hope and excitement in her eyes made something spark within me.

  “We could go to Shekri,” I spoke up.

  All eyes turned to me again.

  “That’s the village you came from,” she pointed out. “The one that betrayed you.”

  I shrugged. “We kick out the ones who don’t agree. They can’t betray us if they’re gone.”

  “Until they go to Marnori and get another army to capture you again.”

  I shook my head. “That won’t happen again.”

  “How do you know?” Ary asked.

  “It just won’t. Last time, I wasn’t prepared, and I won’t let myself be unprepared again. Besides, how would the seven of us start up our own settlement when three are critically injured and the rest of us are bone-tired? Shekri already has proper shelter, warmth, and medicine. If we can drive the roaches out, we’d be set.”

  They looked more interested in the idea now, but still a little bit unsure.

  “How would we drive them out, though?” Sida asked. “You’re the only one who actually knows how to fight. And don’t say we fought off the guards in the valley, because I still can barely believe we managed to hold out as long as we did.”

  Ary said, “Even with Kain, that’s still way too many people for you to take on alone.”

  “I’ll figure something out, but I really do think that’s our best option.”

  Sida nodded. “Okay then. We’ll trust your judgement.”

  I gave a small smile and lowered my gaze as the women continued talking amongst themselves. Last time, my judgement had ended up in most of the women being slaughtered in cold blood. For the survivors to still say they trusted me felt… wrong.

  About half an hour later, we got ready to go. My muscles had loosened up a bit by moving around, but my entire body still ached. I dreaded the idea of carrying one of the injured again, so I mentioned quickly crafting something to help with the burden.

  Ary had an idea, and she dashed into the forest, returning a few minutes later with two thick branches about six feet in length. She placed them down about three feet apart, then instructed us to give her whatever fabric we could do without.

  I bent down to tear my pants halfway up my thighs, then removed my entire shirt, leaving myself in some ratty shorts and a bra.

  All the women tossed their fabric to Ary and she got to work tying it all to both branches to connect them both. When she was done, we helped carry Avani and placed her on top of it.

  “There,” Ary said. “Now, you grab both ends here, lift, and off you go.”

  She demonstrated, then Maia spoke up. “Maybe we can somehow attach it to the horse? It would be a lot easier than pulling it ourselves.”

  Ary glanced over at the horse, then back to the contraption she made, then shook her head. “I don’t think so. Without a saddle to attach it to, we would need to build a lot of rope by hand, and we don’t have enough fabric left or the time to build it, unfortunately. It was a good idea though,” she added with a smile at the teen.

  I took up the contraption and mentioned getting on our way. On our way out from the camp, I called for Kain, desperately hoping he would hear. I knew he would be able to follow us by our scent, but that was only if he hadn’t been captured or incapacitated.

  We walked for hours, with still no sign of him. The makeshift stretcher helped a lot with the weight of Avani, and even allowed some of the others to help as well. Sometimes, to make it even easier, two people helped, one grasping each branch.

  When the sun was high in the sky, we took a break to search for food and water. We were all feeling the effects of dehydration, since we hadn’t had anything to drink besides the juices within the berries since we had escaped from Marnori.

  While the Sida and Ary looked for water, Maia guarded the injured while I went looking for food. Because I was a lot more used to the wilderness, I found some wild fruits, vegetables, and greens fairly quickly. Every time Maia saw me come back with another load, she smiled, looking happier than I had seen her yet.

  It would be good to get a source of protein, but with us being on the run, I doubted I would have time to craft tools, lay traps, and hunt.

  When I managed to find a few medicinal herbs as well, I sent up a silent prayer of thanks to Helis. With those, the chances of the injured surviving would increase.

  I was finally done gathering a sizeable amount of food and was waiting with Maia when the other two women returned. Seeing the pile of produce, relief crossed their faces.

  “We found water,” Ary said. “There’s a small creek about a quarter of a mile the way we came. We should set up camp there.”

  Everyone agreed, and we all helped gather the food. At the creek, I took big gulps of water beside the horse who was doing the same. My lips had become chapped from the heat and the dehydration, and they stung as I drank.

  After we had all had our fill, the others settled down to eat, and I worked on taking care of the injured after ground tying the horse near a patch of thick grass for him to eat.

  “Do you want help?” Maia asked, crunching into an apple.

  “No, it’s fine. Just eat, rest, and regain some energy,” I said.

  I stepped over to the creek and snapped a large leaf from a tree near me. Dipping it into the water, I shaped the leaf like a bowl and brought it over to Nala. Gently trickling the water into her mouth, I saw her swallow.

  Maia came up to me and gingerly knelt. “Well as I’m the youngest, I arguably have more energy to expend than you and the others. You don’t have to carry the weight of all this by yourself, Kena.”

  “I’m not,” I said, moving onto Zaila. “Besides, you may be the youngest, but you’re clearly still in pain. You need to take it easy.” When I saw the injured woman’s wounds looked more inflamed than the other two’s, my heart sunk.

  Maia followed. “Yes, you are,” she said, ignoring my comment about her discomfort. “You’re gathering the most food, tending to the injured the most, carrying Avani the most often. Every time you look out into the forest for Kain, I can tell you’re on the verge of breaking down, but you still insist on doing the most work. Why?”

  Her mentioning Kain struck a nerve and my eyes snapped to hers. “Because I’m the one who killed all those women in the valley! It was my idea to leave the group alone to go back for a traitor and an animal, and look at what happened!”

  My chest was tight and tears stung my eyes. Feeling ashamed for snapping, I focused on continuing to give water to the injured. Maia gently grasped my arm, forcing me to stop for a moment while Sida and Ary came over.

  “It’s not your fault, Kena,” she said, her blue eyes staring into mine. “You couldn’t have known Oren had turned his back on you, and no one is blaming you for going back for Kain.” Her caring nature was a surprise given her age.

  Sida lay a hand on my shoulder. “You couldn’t have known the guards would come after the group, either. Everything you did, you did with the information you had available to you. You’re not at fault for not knowing the future.”

  Ary said, “I had been in the jail for a long time and came to know most of the women there. I’m quite confident when I say that if they were able to do it all over again knowing the outcome of either side, whether it was to stay in the cell or to follow you even though they knew they would die, they would choose the latter again, Kena. I know they would have been okay with dying so that others may have lived.”

  “Come on,” Maia said. “Let us help you.
Please? It will be done faster, and then we can relax together.”

  I wiped my cheeks and agreed. I continued to provide water while Maia ground up food and Sida fed them. Ary tended to their wounds, and since I was done my job first, I helped her clean the injuries, make a poultice from the herbs, and put new dressings on with what little extra fabric we had now.

  Maia’s wounds were the last to be treated, and she grimaced when I pulled away the old dressings. Her injuries looked bad, but so far, they didn’t appear to be infected. Ary and I helped her to the creek and cleaned the wounds before gently covering them with the last of the poultice and adding new dressings.

  After, we sat around resting and eating. The other women were chatting, and although they tried to get me to join in, I had no mental energy. Kain had still not returned, and it was killing me inside.

  I felt horrible and questioned my choice in leaving him behind without even looking for him. I could have tried following his tracks, but instead, I just left. The women were my priority right now, but Kain was still my family. If I never saw him again, I would never forgive myself.

  After eating our fill, we set off again. I was thankful we hadn’t encountered any more Marnorian men, but I was also surprised and confused about that. It was possible our tracks had gotten lost amongst the grassy forest ground, but it still didn’t seem right. At night, we once again looked for food and water and tended to the three injured. As soon as I lay down for sleep, I was out.

  The next morning, I stirred and gingerly stretched my sore muscles. When my arm hit something soft, my eyes flew open.

  “Kain?” I demanded, seeing my wolf lying beside me.

  I patted him, almost unsure I wasn’t dreaming. When he nuzzled and licked my hand, I burst into tears. Nudging myself closer to him, I wrapped my arms around him and burrowed my face in the thick grey fur on his neck.

  “You stupid boy,” I cried, my voice muffled. “Shame on you.”

  When I finally looked up, face plastered in tears and fur, I saw the other women were awake and grinning. Wiping the fur off my face, I asked if I woke them.

  Sida smiled and said, “I was the only one still sleeping, and I’m okay being woken by a reunion.”

  “Can I pet him?” Maia asked, eyes wide.

  The other two chimed in, wanting to give Kain rubs as well.

  “I think so…” I said, a little uncertainly at first. “I don’t really know how much of the wild is still in him, so just be careful. Come up one at a time.”

  The teen went first, and she calmly came up to us. She gingerly reached out to Kain, and when her fingers disappeared into his fur, I could tell she was holding back a squeal.

  Sida and Ary both had the exact same reactions, and I fought to hold back laughter. Seeing the joy on their faces made me feel happier than I had since getting captured by the Marnori army.

  “My gosh, he’s the sweetest,” Ary cooed. “I would love to hear the story of how you two became friends.”

  I chuckled. “Well, it started with him biting me in the shoulder and almost killing me from the infection,” I said, pointing out the tooth-mark scar.

  Their jaws dropped and Sida jokingly scolded him. I said I would tell them the story once we were on the move again, so everyone rushed to pack up.

  * * *

  A couple of days later, it was confirmed that Zaila’s wounds were infected despite the regular cleaning and treatments of medicinal herbs. She was feverish and still not conscious whereas Nala and Avani were beginning to stir.

  My heart felt heavy seeing Zaila’s suffering, knowing there was nothing more I could do. If she was able to hold on until we overtook the village, there was a chance the doctor could help her.

  By the time we were a day out from Shekri, she had taken a turn for the worst, and it was clear everyone had been mentally preparing to say goodbye.

  I wanted to be positive, especially since we were so close to our goal, but I didn’t even know if she would make it through the night.

  We had decided to not get any closer to the village until we had thought of a plan. I wasn’t fully sure how long we had been travelling, as I had lost track of the days. But based on the fact that it took a week to get to Marnori by horse, I had to assume it was at least two or three weeks.

  Nala and Avani had both recovered from their injuries enough to walk on their own, and Kain had not taken off again like he had before. Maia’s wounds were healing as well, but they would leave big, nasty scars. Helis had not shown himself since the last time, and I found myself dreaming of him regularly to make up for his absence.

  The night he had comforted me remained on my mind every time the moon rose in the sky during the journey. I had no idea what his embrace meant, but I knew one thing for sure… that I craved his touch again.

  Many times, I found myself sleeping away from the campfire, just to find a semblance of comfort in the cold. I would ask him to come to me, but every time, the disappointment of his absence was a bitter taste in my mouth.

  We were currently all sitting around the small fire discussing our options as the sun lazily drifted towards the horizon.

  Maia had enthusiastically suggested the six of us simply running in to attack and catching them off guard, but I shot down that idea quickly. Although I had been giving them small training sessions during our journey, it was only enough for the basics of defense and offense; certainly not enough to actually launch an attack and survive the ensuing battle.

  “I still vote for myself going in,” I said, bringing attention back to one of the first suggestions I had given at the beginning of this conversation.

  Everyone protested immediately, just as they had they first time, and I sighed.

  Once the noise had died down, Ary waved my idea off and suggested us just showing ourselves at the main gate.

  We all gave her a confused look.

  “Think about it,” she said. “Kena was the leader. Yes, she got betrayed, but surely not by everyone. I’m positive there are a bunch of people in Shekri who agreed with her taking over. Showing ourselves would let the villagers know she’s still alive and willing to take back control, and if they rally to her side, we could easily drive the bad ones out.”

  “Those are a lot of big ‘ifs’,” I pointed out. “If they rally to my side, if there are more villagers on my side than the patriarchy’s, if they’re willing to push the others out, if they’re willing to risk their lives to do so.”

  Sida gave a small shrug. “It’s not an inherently bad idea, though. I actually think that would be a great Plan A. If it doesn’t work, we would fall back onto Plan B.”

  “And what would Plan B be?” Maia asked.

  We talked for a while longer, bouncing more ideas back and forth. When we finally got a plan together, we packed up and got moving again.

  It was quiet the whole way there, not wanting to risk being heard by the villagers. About a quarter mile out, we stopped. It was night now, and we would go to the village when it was light out.

  We decided against lighting a fire and spent the rest of the time resting and taking turns keeping watch. When morning came, I asked Maia to stay back with Zaila and she immediately bristled.

  Putting a hand on her shoulder, I said, “I know you want to fight, but we need someone to watch Zaila. We can’t just leave her laying here in the woods when there are predators around.”

  The teen deflated somewhat, then nodded.

  I turned to Nala and Avani. “The two of you need to be careful. Leave me, Sida, and Ary to do the brunt of the attacking if it comes to that. Your wounds are still healing and if you exert yourselves too much, it could end badly.”

  They both nodded in agreement, and I was thankful they didn’t put up a fight.

  We all quickly went over the fallback plan, then we set off with myself leading with Kain beside me. The horse stayed behind with Maia for the time being, as we figured he would get in the way more than anything.

  Sometime later,
I could see Shekri peeking through the trees. My pulse quickened, but I kept my face expressionless. The guards by the entrance saw us before we stepped from the forest. When we came into full view, they recognized me immediately and unsheathed their swords.

  When I pulled out the jagged sword of the Trial deity, uncertainty flickered in their eyes at the sight of the familiar blade.

  “We’re not here to fight, if it’s not necessary,” I said. “But make no mistake, we are here to overtake this village.”

  “You have no right to Shekri,” one of the guards said, his expression hardening.

  “On the contrary, I have every right to it. Disregarding the fact that this is my home, I am still its leader.”

  “No, you’re not. The Tehji are.”

  “Last time I checked, I burnt them at the stake.”

  “New ones have arrived and have reinstated their rightful rule.”

  “Oh? There are new Tehji in town?” I chuckled. “More cockroaches to dispose of. Step aside.”

  The guards moved to block the path instead.

  I looked down at my wolf and rubbed his ear. “Kain.”

  He looked up at me with his golden eyes.

  “Attack!”

  My wolf was on one of the guards a split second later, ripping into his abdomen as the man screamed in agony.

  The other guard was about to lunge and strike Kain down, but I shoved my weapon through his side. His ribs cracked sickeningly and I tore the blade back out. Blood poured out of the huge wound as he dropped to the ground. Calling Kain back to my side, I stepped over the bodies and moved into the village with the women by my side.

  Three guards who were close enough to hear the commotion came into view. When they saw us, they were quick to ready their weapons. But then recognition flashed through their eyes, and two of them dropped to their knees, bowing their heads.

  The remaining guard looked angry at their show of fealty and came for me by himself. A moment later, he was on the ground with a gaping wound in his belly.

  I went up to the two guards as crimson dripped from my sword. “Is it true there are more Tehji?”