Chapter 5 – Vulnerable
Authors Note – Sorry about the previous state of this chapter. I put it up really late and was extremely tired when I checked through it. Hopefully the glaring errors have been cleared up now. Thanks.
470 The Realm of Tortall
The snow fell heavily on their meeting. They complained, trying to huddle under the thin canopy of trees. Spidrens didn't like getting wet. They had waited hours for this, some voicing their annoyance loudly. A youngster turned to leave but was stopped in his tracks by a voice.
"You would leave without even seeing me?" it called mockingly. The silver spidren stepped into the waning daylight. He was old, very old but had an air of throbbing power about him. Two females flanked him. He raised a long leg and before any of the creatures could move the youngster who had turned his back was writhing on the ground, covered in pink webbing.
"Let that be a lesson to those who would leave before seeing their sire. Now to business"
The rest of Ebony's lessons till Midwinter were not so interesting. Or dangerous. After three weeks she was back to her physical training, although her right arm was still weak. It meant she began to work with her left arm frequently and it to began to strengthen.
Justard and Ebony became inseparable. They were always together, the closest friends in the group of Taylor, Rickad, Justard, Hadrick and Ebony. Shannonia was a frequent hanger-on, and Ebony began to feel quite sorry for her.
Shannonia wasn't intelligent. She wasn't even that good of a fighter. She did have amazing balance and flexibility though, a skill Ebony began to admire and hate in Lord Padriags classes.
Ebony and Justard shared many lengthy discussions on Shannonia's exact reasoning for becoming a Knight and it always came down to the same thing - marriage. Justard said who in their right mind would want to marry her, and although Ebony secretly agreed, she did think it was mean of them. And not strictly true. You never knew where love would strike, and whom it would hit.
Ebony had just finished wrapping her friends Midwinter gifts. She had thought long and hard about each of them, and had taken care over them all. Her Father had been sent into Corus with a long list and hadn't disappointed. Ebony had wrapped them all in pieces of silk and left them in a basket near the door for Chandra to deliver the following day.
At the moment she was putting on the fussy tunic for that evening. It was the first time she would be serving, well not exactly serving more passing the dishes onto the Squires. It was the first banquet of Midwinter that evening and she felt slightly ill. She didn't want to drop anything. It had been months since her accident but her shoulder still ached sometimes. It was only last week that she had dropped her sword while performing a one-handed swing. She had managed to convince everyone she'd had her hand placed wrong but Justard had still looked at her suspiciously. She knew he hadn't believed her.
"I'm coming in," he shouted before barging through the door. Hadrick followed him, his face the picture of unhappiness.
"I hate this costume," he muttered, flinging himself onto the rocking chair.
"Don't slouch" called Ebony, "You'll crease"
"I'll more than crease in a minute" he answered, "I look like a court jester or something"
"Well I think you look handsome," drawled a familiar voice. Ebony rolled her eyes. Shannonia entered the room, her head stuck in the air.
"Oh don't you both just look so handsome" she gushed, trotting over to where Hadrick sat. "Just let me fix you" She began to fiddle with his tunic, smoothing it out. Once she had realised all her best efforts were wasted on Taylor she had moved on to Hadrick. He wasn't pleased though.
"Get off" he near shouted, pushing her hands away. She put on a hurt look and went over to the mirror Ebony had had hung for the occasion.
Next Taylor sailed in, looking the definition of handsome.
"The tunic would come in your colours," muttered Hadrick from his corner. Taylor's hair was swept to the side, a lock delicately falling over his left eye. His eyes shone, and he looked taller and more tanned then ever.
He smiled at the appreciative stares from the girls, and the jealous ones from the boys. "You never know what Ladies of the Court you will bump into," he said. Shannonia's look faded immediately.
"Yeah. I'm sure the kitchen will be full of young Ladies," said Justard.
"In fact" Ebony carried on, "They're beginning to queue there to catch a glimpse of you now. They think you look so handsome covered in grease"
"And carrying umpteen plates" Justard finished as they both burst out laughing. Taylor grabbed two cushions from under Hadrick, who nearly fell off the chair and launched them at Ebony. She ducked, letting them both hit Justard who stood behind her.
"It's always me" he moaned, launching one back.
The night really wasn't that bad. Ebony managed to keep all plates a safe distance from the floor and there where no extreme mishaps. The entire first year had to take the plates from the kitchen, to the second years in the corridors outside. Taylor made sure he got all his plates from Ebony so he could inform her of all the Ladies he spied before the plates crossed over to the Squires. He confided in her that he couldn't wait until someone picked him, although he was scared no one would want him for a Squire.
She knew someone would. Although he was flirty and cocky he was a brilliant, brilliant person. He was loyal, kind and thoughtful. He looked after his friends. He was protective to, but not as bad as Hadrick. Hadrick had the worst temper of anyone she knew, even her Father. And her Mother had told her some stories. After Ebony had first hurt her arm Hadrick had refused to let her carry her sword for any length of time, and had spent mornings with two swords slung over his shoulder. He refused to let her wander the palace at night alone too, and she now had a bodyguard from the early evening. Actually he had just walked her back to her quarters and she had just left him.
471 The Realm of Tortall
"The humans have had it their way for far to long. We follow their rules. We are forbidden to kill them yet they are allowed to run free and slay us at will. It will stop. It will stop with my clan. They were murdered, slaughtered by a human, a human child at that. She and all her kind will pay for that. There will be an uprising, an attack, and a war. We will win. Spidrens from all corners of this realm will rise up and defeat these humans. They don't stand a chance, just like my clan didn't. We will kill them when they least expect it, and kill them all. But first there is a more pressing matter at hand, I want that girl"
That girl was currently on her first year Page trip. Lord Padriag said he was taking them deep into the Royal Forest then giving command over to them. He wanted to see how they coped. Ebony was enjoying the ride although her thoughts weren't entirely on it. They knew Taylor and Hadrick had passed the big examinations, but Ebony really wanted to be there when they got Knight masters and became true Squires. She didn't want them to be taken off before she could say a proper goodbye.
"Call me sentimental" she thought, "But I love them all"
Justard, who was riding next to her, got a beaming smile. He smiled back, slightly confused but didn't speak. As they had gotten closer they often didn't need to. They could sit together silently and it would feel like the best conversation ever.
Rickad had grown closer to her as well; and although he seemed shy he was just quiet. He was really kind though, always willing to help out.
Lord Padriag, up ahead, called a halt. Darkness was looming and they needed the light to make camp. Ebony pulled up Erone and jumped down. She jogged over to where Yarold and Qurlock, two of her year mates, where struggling with a heavy tent. She grabbled with one corner of it and after a struggle they got it put up. She felt the usual twinge in her arm and rub her shoulder gently.
"How many times have I told you to take it easy with that shoulder" a friendly voice whispered in her ear. She bumped her arm into Justards stomach lightly.
"I don't need babying," she muttered, jogging off to help another group.
Justard grinned and shook his head.
472 The Realm of Tortall
"So, she will be vulnerable on this trip. Almost unprotected. That will work to my advantage. We will attack to maim, not kill. I only want her for now. The others will all suffer in due course. When the war comes they will fight, unsuccessfully. We must prepare. I want the best, the swiftest, the strongest warriors in the Royal forest. And myself of course. I want to be the first to taste her"
Ebony slept fitfully. She swore she could hear rustling in the bushes around her, and it wasn't the wind. Rolling onto her side she watched Shannonia's sleeping form. She sighed and let her gaze travel upwards. It was all she could do not to scream.
The shape barrelled into the side of the tent. Shannonia disappeared screaming under the cloth. The shape tore through the fabric, a clawed leg struck Ebony's face. She was flung sideward, landing a few feet clear of her axe.
"I really don't have a good relationship with that weapon," she thought, grabbing it quickly. But the tent roof fell in around her and the cloth pressed down on her, cutting off all movement. She struggled, but the shape above had found her. Clawed legs tore through the fabric around her, ripping into her skin. She let out a scream and then another. She felt the bloods trail across her skin. The creature stopped tearing suddenly, it's weight lifted slightly from her back. She seized the opportunity.
Twisting her arm out from underneath herself, Ebony stretched it out. She still held the axe. Shifting its position so the blade faced upwards she swung her arm blindly.
And connected. She felt the axe as it seared through flesh. Something light landed on her back and there was a high-pitched shriek. All the weight lifted from her. She struggled upward, and finding a tear in the cloth she stuck her head out of it. A spidren lay writhing a few feet from the tent. Lord Padriag stood above it, sword held high. He brought down a heavy blow and all movement stopped.
Ebony forced her arms through the tear and wriggled her body from the material. She felt hands come to help her and looked into the face of Justard. He was ashen.
He said nothing as she lay down and let him examine her cuts. She could feel the bloods path on her skin but couldn't see how bad they really were. She felt warmth as Justard began to heal them.
"They're not too bad" he said, wiping some sweat from his brow, "But there are a lot. This thing really wanted to scar you"
Ebony whimpered from where she lay.
"Stinging?"
She nodded.
"Sorry"
She bit her lip as he continued.
"Done" he was motionless as she sat up. She knelt to face him.
"I've never been so worried" he admitted, "When I stuck my head out of the tent and saw that thing, that thing ravaging your tent, I was nearly sick" he nodded to the axe, which she still clutched. "That thing help out this time?"
She nodded slowly, and then threw herself at him. He hugged her back, as tightly as he could without hurting her new scars.
Justard wanted her to turn back, to go home. Ebony refused.
"You've healed them, there not sore, I'm not going back" was her answer.
"But-"
"No buts"
Lord Padriag agreed. He said if she felt she could carry on then she should do. But she knew he was carefully watching her. It got even worse when the next attack came.
"She is responsible for this. Lalk was one of my most trusted subjects. He was a loyal killer. She will pay. This time I won't just send one; I'll send an army. Well not quite. I will send enough to get her and to bring her to me. Bring me Aldershot, Barickulas, Mortander, Ralkus and their clan. I will send them this time"
The Pages were deep into the forest by now. You could hardly tell day from night. There was no warning, no sounds, no war trumpet. They weren't exactly prepared to fight. But the spidrens didn't seem to want a kill. They flooded over the Pages, knocking them from their steeds. Those who got weapons out in time were flung into bushes. Some even got the chance to tackle a spidren, getting in a few stabs before they were thrown.
Ebony and Justard both unsheathed their swords in time, although their fates were much different. Both jumped from their horses at the same spidren, strength in numbers. Ebony hacked at its legs, dodging those claws and striking swiftly, while Justard stabbed deeply and dodged, aiming higher.
"Behind you" called Ebony breathlessly. Justard used a swinging turn on the spidren and began to hack at it. Rickad ran to help him, away from a jerking spidren on the forest floor.
"You kill that" called Justard; from underneath a leg he dodged.
"Me and a few others" grunted Rickad as he chopped into a flailing leg.
Ebony saw Lord Padriag out of the corner of her eye. He was charging toward her, cutting down spidrens left right and centre. She turned to her own, determined to prove she could fight. At that moment her opponent decided to give her just what she thought she needed. It charged head-on, aiming directly for her and her sword. She waited, motionless but instead of the jar of a connecting sword, she felt her feet leave the ground. At the last moment the spidren had shifted its weight and swept her up. She kicked and struggled, hacking away at any limb that came into view. It took seconds for Justard and Rickad to come into her view hacking away also. Slowly, between the three of them they brought the spidren down. It finally fell and released its grip on Ebony. She rolled away into a bush and was violently sick.
Justard knelt next to her and Rickad gently rubbed her back.
"It all out?" Justard said when she finished.
She nodded. "I feel stupid now," she said taking the water Rickad offered her.
"Don't" said Justard, "You know when I said I was nearly sick last night" she nodded, "Well I really was. I was worried," he said shrugging.
"Thank you. Thank you for being worried"
"Again, again. She will pay. This time, I am going to catch her"
"That's two spidren attacks in two days. We are turning back"
Silently Ebony now agreed with Lord Padriag. She could see that every time they had attacked the spidrens hadn't wanted to kill; they wanted to get at someone. And she secretly thought it was her.
Justard agreed, vocally. He described how most of the spidrens had kept the others busy, luring them away from Ebony, tossing them into bushes so they got caught in branches. He said if a spidren had found themselves free, they ran for Ebony.
She believed him and she knew why. But all those years ago, who would remember. She hoped they weren't after Hattie too. There wasn't much protection at the Convent.
The spidrens attacked again though, just as Justard predicted. He had secretly told the whole camp his theory and as spidrens washed over them they formed a tight circle round Ebony. She could of screamed. But it didn't last long.
The spidrens seemed angrier now, and there was more bloodshed. They grabbed the Pages, most tore at vital limbs with their claws. Justard, Rickad and Ebony fell to protecting ten of the boys who couldn't stand any longer. The spidrens didn't seem interested in them though. They just came at Ebony, who fought hard, or tried to maim Rickad and Justard, her protectors. But one spidren managed to place itself between them.
Justard panicked, and in it lost control. The spidren caught him a hefty blow across the face and he fell from his horse. Blood poured out onto the grass, startling red on green. Rickad continued to fight, hacking angrily at the spidrens legs. He cut through one and the spidren toppled giving him a clear blow. He struck, bringing the creature down.
Ebony, on the other hand, stopped. Everything stopped. She saw Justard fall in slow motion. She watched the blood form on the grass in slow motion. She didn't notice the shadow until it barrelled into her. She was carried far into the trees with the power. She landed hard, the wind knocked out of her. But the shadow wasted no time. She was picked up and she felt herself flying again. Her back hit the tree first and cracked loudly. She slumped to the ground, darkness overtaking her senses.