Chapter 60 – Missions
Hana combed the brush through her mother’s hair, its straw-made thistles straightening the motley gray curls. “Stay still, mama. You keep moving, we’ll be here all night.”
Her mother huffed. “And I bet you’ll be the one to explain to everyone why dinner wasn’t ready.”
She snorted. With a village of a dozen clans folk, they were tiny enough that Mama and her could be responsible for meals. “Maybe I’ll just tell them you were tired. I’m sure that’d go over well. Speaking of…” Hana glanced outside the tent flap as she brushed, making sure the cooking fire in the center of the village was lit.
She caught sight of flames, but the smoke was light and thin. Not nearly the blaze they’d need for the roast Jed had caught.
“Kaya! Add some more timber to the fire!” she shouted.
“Yes Ma’am!” replied a childish voice.
After several seconds of more brushing, it became apparent Kaya was in no hurry to oblige.
“Now!”
“Agh… Going!”
The sounds of small feet scampering on dirt sounded behind the cabin.
“You should be easier on her, darling,” said her Ma.
“You weren’t any easier on me.”
“Those were different times, dear. Different times,” she sighed.
For a while, neither spoke. Just the voices of the other clans folk, the crackle of the growing flames as Kaya threw more wood in, and the rustling of leaves. The wildlife had gotten far quieter this season. Quieter than any season, now that Hana really thought about it.
“Ma, anything seem off to you lately?”
“Hmm? You’ll have to be more specific, Han.”
She hesitated, considering if she wanted this battle. Thoughts of Kaya filling her head, she pushed on. “Well, the birds don’t chirp as much. Jed had to go further east to find that boar, and it was… skinnier than usual. Had that odd purple line going across it. Like something wicked tainted it. And I can’t remember the last rabbit I seen up here. Plus that purple light from—”
“Hana! What did I tell you about that nonsense?”
“But mama, you’ve heard what the passers been saying? The one from last week? Everyone’s headin’ east to The Wardens. Maybe we should too. I know you and Pa don’t like all them other clans getting together, but something’s wrong. I’ve felt it. Kaya has too.”
“Kaya’s said something?” Now her mom looked worried. She was a hard woman, but her heart had a real soft spot for her granddaughter.
“Yes Ma. She asked me last week why the ground was shaking. I told her something fanciful, but I didn’t mean it. I felt it too, you know. Shaking, like never before.”
“Perhaps it’s—” Before she could continue, a scream came from outside. Hana’s stomach dropped. It was Kaya.
“Baby!” she cried, dropping the brush and bolting out the cabin. Her Ma, old as she was, found her own feet and wasn’t far behind.
What she saw stopped her cold. In a pool of crimson blood, hunter Jed sat lifeless. A large spear jutted out of his torso.
“Joseph!” came another shriek. On the other side of the fire, Martha was in tears. She came out from behind their cabin, kitchen pan still in her grip. “Joseph’s.. He’s.. He’s gone…” She broke down, sobbing. Looking closer, Hana saw the stains of crimson on her palms.
Dread, sorrow, and confusion all warred in her mind. Sobbing, screaming, and wind were all that existed.
Then, like a spell breaking, the part of Hana’s mind that kept her alive all this time snapped into place.
She narrowed her eyes, survival instincts taking over.
Questions and grief later. Survival now.
First, she assessed their surroundings. If two or more of their camp were killed, more intruders could be outside. More enemies. She knelt, scampering in a crouched position to stay low. Quick steps brought her into the trees just beyond the fire, gaze flicking right to left.
Seeing nothing, she scaled the nearest oak, finding a better lookout. Her calloused hands found each branch easier than the next, making hoisting her body to the top easy doing.
From her perch, she spotted no enemies. No intruders. No beasts. But that spear was human. Someone, raiders, barbarians, a mad clan. Something had to bring that spear.
Staying still as could be, Hana gave a count of ten. Waiting and watching.
At zero, she was certain. Whatever had killed those men was either long gone, or staying still as she was.
Taking a deep breath, she slid down the tree.
“Kaya!” she barked.
“Mommy?”
“Get your clothes packed in the huntin’ bag. The one Jed kept behind the shed.” She turned, finding the other clans folk. “I’m not staying here. This… This ain’t good. I don’t know what did our clan boys in, but I’m not waiting to find out. I loved Jed, but he wouldn’t want us waiting here for whatever found him to find us too.”
The exiles were hard folk. Death wasn’t common, but survival was. It’s all they knew. And now more than ever, Hana’s survival instincts were screaming one thing.
RUN.
***
Hundreds of troops marched in front of the paladins, their boots working into the packed snow path. The trail today was headed downwards, great slabs of metal gray rock pressing the path in on either side. Soldiers at the front were just rounding a corner with a fork in it, coming onto an unprotected edge to the elements.
To one side, a sheer cliff dropped into the white below. The path above was barely wide enough for three men abreast. On the other side, unyielding rock. Crosswinds flung at the men from the side, tugging cloaks and pushing bodies towards the edge. It took each soldier a concerted effort to keep their balance as they went. This season, it seemed, was more severe than usual.
“They’re coming again!” bellowed a soldier.
Footmen looked around in confusion, their light armor shifting and sliding. “What?”
“Again? Like yesterday?” came a reply up the line. “You mean those beasts…”
“What are they?!”
“Shut up!”
“What the—” stuttered a South Valdren footman, his pike slung over his back, eyes going wide.
Before any sense of order could take place, six red blurs smashed into him and the men nearest his flank. Unprepared as they were, five men were driven from the precarious path. Their horrified screams echoed in the cavernous drop below.
“HELPPPPPPPP!”
Their pleas for rescue lasted only moments, the biting wind of The Spines carrying them away. All the while, the six red devils whirred, their small forms receding back from the path they came.
A shout that most the men couldn’t make out came from the little beasts.
“Did he say… asset recovery? What the fuck is that?” asked one soldier.
Instead of an answer, he only got more confused glances.
“Spears up! Spears up, damn you! Defensive formation!” cried a Valdren squad leader over the howling gusts. He raised his sword, wading into the front ranks on the exposed pathing. “Head up soldier, look forward, not down!” he barked, slapping a man on the back. Another got a hefty shove.
“I told you yesterday! Them were demons!” croaked an old veteran.
Demons. That got a response.
“Shut up old man! Those were tainted beasts. The Five saw to demons,” hissed the squad leader. “Don’t you let anyone else hear you saying otherwise!”
By now, the ranks of footmen behind had halted, order warring with confusion. Further to the rear, the paladins took note. Within minutes, new orders came from the Valdren’s command.
A runner was sent, chest heaving. “Halt! Halt! We make camp and assess! Make camp and assess! All men are to make camp, hold ground, and assess!”
***
Brexin stormed into the hastily erected command tent, a small fire already going. Its smoke wafting through the hole left in the peak of the tent. Despite its heavy burlap weight, the flaps ruffled in the wind.
“Who ordered to set camp?” he roared.
“Sir?” asked Lieutenant Vincent. Behind, several other Valdren officers, each representing the lord they served, took a step back.
“I did,” continued Vincent. “We had an attack at the front of—”
“Again?! Again?! What did I tell you? By The Five, did these beasts not pull the same tactics yesterday?”
“Sir, I hardly think that a fair assessment given the circumstances we—”
A golden glove chopped through the air, flinging a travel sack across the tent and nearly into the fire. “We’ve been making splendid time. Just splendid. We are perhaps two days from leaving these foul mountains, and you want to again make camp? To again delay us just like yesterday?! And I’ll tell you what digs at me more. We came here to cleanse the darkness from this land. You not only saw the wicked beasts, but came to blows. Yet I hear that they lived?!”
This time, it was a Valdren sergeant that spoke up. “Lord Paladin, we suggested that you position yourself further up the line. With the narrow paths, it takes nearly half an hour to get word back to you, and just as long to return. We can hardly be blamed for making a decision without your input. As for letting them live, they move like nothing we’ve ever seen. It’s like they’re meant for this terrain—”
“Soldier. That’s enough,” said Arnold. His furred form had come into the tent, frosty breath puffing into the air. He stood behind Brexin, arms behind his back. “See to your men. What’s done is done. Me and the Lord Paladin will give you instructions shortly.”
“But this tent is for all officers of rank, and…” he trailed off, seeing no support from his fellows. “Yes sir,” he muttered. Hastily, the trio of officers retreated from the tent, forms disappearing into the light flurries outside.
“By The Five, the fools let them live?! Unbelievable. Absolutely despicable. Some would call this a failure already, you know.”
“That hardly seems fair, lord paladin. We will be through the pass eventually, and then we can root any that remain out.”
“Bah. Speaking of being through this damned pass, what’s this going to cost us for our timeline,” muttered Brexin. “It’s past midday and camp’s been made. We could order the men to halt, but that’d be nearly another two hours lost.”
“Lord Paladin, if I may,” said Arnold.
“Stop using that word, Arnold. Just spit it out,” growled Brexin. “Or I may just lose my patience.”
“Of course, Lord paladin. I assume you still see it unwise to take position near the front of the contingent?”
“I do. This is a crusade, not a trading caravan. Darkness nips at our heels just as much as it does our hands,” intoned Brexin.
While the expression on Arnold’s face was stony, a close observer might have noticed the minute twitch of his brow. “I see. In that case, might I suggest that you allow myself and a few of the paladins to take rank near the front of the lines. Meanwhile, you can remain in the rear, seeing that no darkness finds our backs unprotected?”
“As Lord Paladin, I am as much a commander as I am a shepherd, Arnold,” corrected Brexin impatiently. “Do you understand? I must ensure that none fall from the path and that all find our way. You should know this.”
“Of course. That’s why I’m suggesting only me and a few men go forward. Like I said, you remain here.” Seeing the lord paladin hadn’t launched into another tirade, Arnold continued on. “Moreover, I advise we send a few forward scouts. That could prevent any more ambushes, especially as we approach the exposed cliffsides. We’ve lost a dozen men to this tactic. It will be thrice that by the time we make the forest at this rate. Plus, my presence at the front of the column should be sufficient to prevent the Valdren leadership from calling for a stop.”
Taking a golden goblet sat upon the travel table, Brexin snagged the waiting skin and poured himself some wine. Sipping, he nodded. “See to it. I don’t want any more delays.”
“Understood.”
“And Arnold. I don’t want a repeat of last time. If you see any more of the beasts, end them.”
Arnold bowed. “Of course, Lord Paladin. Of course.”
Around his neck, just like every other paladin, a gold signet throbbed. A reminder of from where they came, and of who Brexin himself answered to.