THE SAGA OF BOY: BOOK ONE
Chapter 15: Charring Choices
"You won't kill me so easily."
"You've said that before, bastard child, and I've beaten you!"
"That was many years ago."
"You stand there before me bleeding, and still think yourself a challenge? Look at you, you can barely stand!"
"Then I will fight on my knees."
"You think you are somehow brave? You are a bastard to the family name you have taken, a traitor to the people who have treated you better than you deserved."
"My dear sister, you talk... far too much for your age."
"Do not call me that, I will have no half-blood bastard brother!"
"I promise...not to...hold it...against you."
"Weakening, bastard child? I will have mercy on you. Tell me where father is hiding and I will make it painless for you."
"You...assume...I know..."
"Damn you, traitor! And damn him for creating you and your kind."
"I am...already damned...you cannot...send me further... into hell."
"No? But I can speed you on your journey. Get up! Take up your sword, if you can. Die on your feet or knees, I care not either way, Marcus."
Nathanial dreamed uneasy dreams of Whisper's undead corpse lurching after him with cold, tattered skin and a mouth of maggots. He moaned and kicked in his sleep to fight off the black-eyed zombie whose wooden fingers closed around his arm and pulled him to her as if to kiss. No amount of struggling could break her iron grip. She leaned down to speak with her lips inches from his own. "Come" she muttered wetly, insects streaming from her mouth and the putrid stench robbing him of breath, "join me, Nathanial, you will find death your lover." In the dream he shrieked, only to have her press her lips to his, the decay filling his mouth. He gagged and wrenched himself away, passing from the dreaming state to waking
"Hey Boy, you're having a nightmare, wake up!"
Nathanial peeked up cautiously and saw Whisper shaking him by the arm. He closed his eyes again with a whimper, then exploded in a shriek and scrambled away from the dead girl.
Whisper yelped in surprise as she lost her balance and fell backwards onto the floor. There was a flurry of noise and activity as people scrambled for weapons in reaction to the alarm, then mutterings as they determined the cause.
"Do you MIND, Boy?" Whisper grumbled as she dusted off her leather armor, "you almost gave me a heart attack!"
Nathanial struggled with the irony of Whisper standing before him making a joke about death and fell back with a strangled groan. Leto and Lira exchanged grins.
"Too many responses to choose from," Leto said with a sigh, "I'll never be able to pick."
Whisper gave him an evil glare, then noticed Nathanial frozen grimace as he stared at her.
"What, Boy?"
His mouth opened and closed without actual words. When she turned away in disgust he secretly made the sign against the evil eye at the back of her head.
"The wizards, or whatever they are, have explained what happened to me," she continued impatiently, "I'm not entirely sure I believe them yet, but at any rate the result is the same. What I don't know is how long we're supposed to wait for Marcus."
She fixed Nathanial with a steady stare, but it was Yadros who answered.
"I believe he mentioned the morning of the second day. Which was, of course, yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Whisper exclaimed, "what are we still doing here then?"
"Well Whisper," chimed in Lira, "Some of us were waiting for you to finish rising from the dead"
Nathanial let out a strangled gurgle. The others looked at him with expressions of amusement, sympathy and scorn. Whisper nodded decisively and knelt to roll up her bedding and tie it closed. He watched nervously as she checked her weapons and began attaching them to her belt or her horse's saddle.
"Where are you going?" Nathanial demanded.
She straightened in confusion, "I thought Marcus asked us not to wait for him?" She waited while Nathanial nodded hesitantly. "Then I think we should do as he asks. Ramses is buried; we have finished what we came here for."
"But..." he protested, "You're just going to leave him? What if he's in trouble? What if he's hurt and can't get away to meet us? He risked everything to go after you, to get you back from the bounty hunter, and when the roles are reversed you're just going to leave?"
Her expression softened and for once she seemed uncertain.
"Nathanial, I.."
"And he has some ITEMS he got from Ramses...have you forgotten?"
She blinked at the transition from emotional appeal to duty. Nathanial cast around for some other excuse that might change her mind. He was choosing words for a plea to her warrior ethic when he was thankfully interrupted.
"Master, riders are approaching, two approaching!" called Gamaliel's raven as he soared in through a gap in the roof. He came to a light landing on his master's shoulder, who gave an approving nod.
"Excellent Hugin, thank you."
It seemed forever before the sound of hooves on the cobblestones began to echo into the room. Everyone inside was pressed against the walls, weapons readied for any attack. The sharp note of the hooves seemed ghostly over the harsh breathing of the ready fighters, and the tension built steadily as the minutes passed by. The hooves paused as they drew closer, and the muffled impact of feet told them the riders had dismounted. Nathanial strained his ears and caught the sound of a weapon drawn, then the soft scrap of booted feet near the door.
"Come out with weapons sheathed, in the name of Kalidine."
"Kiss me'arse!" Ta'arnkap shouted cheerfully, "Ye come in wi'weapon unshaythed an' see how long ye'last!"
Whisper hissed at him to be quiet. When there was no response, Nathanial grew nervous. Two fighters were challenging a dozen; were they so certain of their abilities? Was the invoking of Kalidine an indication that they were neither robbers nor agents of Khezrial, as he feared? He looked around at those he considered friends and wondered who was to be killed this time, if they fought. Or perhaps them all? He remembered the deaths he'd seen in the last few weeks, and the thought of battle made him weary beyond measure. He knew he had to speak if more bloodshed was to be avoided.
"Why don't you sheath your weapon and step back from the door," he shouted, "then we'll send some of us out with their weapon sheathed to talk."
"That is acceptable," the voice responded after only a short moment of deliberation.
Whisper and Leto began a frantic protest under their breath as Nathanial clipped his morningstar to his belt and moved towards the doorway. Both moved immediately to follow him. He stopped at the door and peered cautiously out at the two men. Their weapons were safely sheathed and they had moved some distance from the entryway in accordance with the deal. The one was a hulking brute that reminded him of the drawings of orcs in childrens' picture books. Jagged scars lined his misshapen face and his eyes were small beneath a bristling black browline. The other was a slim, tall creature with lizardlike skin and eyes and a slight reptilian cast to his features. They would fit the highway robber mold to perfection if not for the armor emblazoned with the holy symbol of a Paladin of Kalidine. It was the same as that which Ramses wore, and Nathanial put a cautious bet on the fair-mindedness of the creature in it, regardless of its form. He looked at the crowd that had formed up near the doorway, and realized with shock that they were waiting for him to give some sort of signal, as if they were deferring to his decision. He tried to control a rising stutter in his voice and sound calm.
"I'll go, with Whisper and Leto. I'm the least threatening and they can get me out if it gets ugly. But he is wearing Paladin armor."
Ta'arnkap snorted, "so th'git has a pretty bit o'brass, dinna mean he's wot he appears."
Nathanial nodded his understanding and took a deep breath before stepping warily out into the sunlight. He felt Whisper and Leto flanking him to either side and hoped she had remembered to put away her sword. He saw the Paladin's eyes narrow as he surveyed the three, taking note of their weapons. They advanced to within fifteen feet of the newcomers and stopped.
"What do you want?" Nathanial asked simply.
The Paladin studied him for a moment, and Nathanial could feel the doubt in his mind at being questioned by one so young.
"You are in possession of stolen items, which I have been charged to retrieve. I must also take you into custody for charges against you for holding these stolen items."
Nathanial tried to keep his face neutral, but could tell the Paladin had already read the truth on it.
"We have stolen nothing."
"The person charged with the theft is a man named Monk. We have been hired by the owners of the items to retrieve them."
"Who hired you?" Whisper asked aggressively, "and how exactly is she going to prove they were stolen?" Her hand twitched towards her sword sheath and the Paladin eyed her warily.
"The woman who hired us gave a description of you and the items themselves. She will have to prove to a magistrate that she owns them, but in the meantime I have been charged with their safe-keeping."
Nathanial could tell the man was telling the truth, at least as far as he knew it. He had the same look Ramses took on when a wrong was being righted. But as to how to convince the Paladin he'd been lied to was beyond him, especially when he'd been so skillfully mislead. Something was nagging at him to tell the whole story as honestly as possible, but if he was mistaken he could be revealing valuable information to an agent of Khezrial. He snuck a glance to his companions, but they were only looking at him expectantly, waiting to follow his lead. Hysterical trains of thought came to him, wondering why the people who dismissed him so easily would suddenly throw him out front now that the stakes were so high.
"No one threw you anywhere Nate me mate," he told himself sternly, "You stepped up to the lead on this one all by yourself. You've got the reins, so do something with them."
He sighed and felt himself deflate, giving in to his instinct. He looked levelly at the Paladin, who showed a flicker of surprise at the frank expression.
"Why don't you and I sit down and talk about what really happened?"
He felt Whisper and Leto stiffen in protest, but they remained thankfully silent. The Paladin gave him a slow nod and gestured to a broken piece of column nearby where they could sit. His companion tapped him on the shoulder, gesturing with a slim glass tube.
"Want I should send the message to her now?"
The Paladin shook his head, "Not just yet, let us first consider the situation in its entirety."
The man shrugged and stuck the tube back into a belt pouch. Nathanial glanced towards the dark doorway and saw Ta'arnkap's eyes gleam. The Halfling began making his way stealthily towards the orcish creature.
Nathanial perched on the broken column and organized his thoughts. He glanced up at the Paladin at one point and gave a ghost of a smile, remembering Ramses.
"Did you hear that we had one of your order with us?"
The Paladin looked taken aback at this unexpected opening.
"No, I had not."
"Ramses. We were separated and came here to look for him, but he was dead before we managed. We buried him over there, by the Kaldeshian temple."
The Paladin's eyes followed his gesture and stared eagerly at the building with the newly broken windows.
"I would hear of how he fell, and pay my respects to him before we depart. But first tell me how a Paladin of Kalidine fell into your company."
He told their story, from the first encounter with Monk until the moment of the riders' approach. He left out some details, but avoided any embellishments. He saw Whisper pacing impatiently out of ear shot. The Paladin listened carefully, asking many questions to clarify one point or another, but Nathanial felt his resistance to what he said drop away as he spoke. At the end, his listener shook his head in sorrow.
"It isn't often that I am deceived, but it appears that it is possible. My apologies to you and your people," he offered a small bow to Nathanial, who experienced a wave of relief. "So what do you do now? This woman Khezrial sounds a considerable opponent."
Nathanial shook his head, "I have no ideas. Marcus may be captive or dead, and I cannot bring myself to leave him behind, but I cannot begin to know how to find him."
The Paladin nodded and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder for a moment.
"I would go to see the temple, and Ramses' grave. There are rites to be performed for him that you would not know of. When I return, perhaps I may be of help to you in finding your brother."
Nathanial looked up in surprise at the offer and stuttered out thanks. The Paladin rose to his feet in a single fluid motion and headed in the direction he'd pointed. Nathanial considered things for a moment, reluctant to return to the agony of decision over whether to go or stay. When he felt he could no longer delay, he returned to his companions.
"Well!" Whisper exclaimed the moment he entered, "What's happening?"
Nathanial looked around at who was with them.
"Where's Yadros?"
"Watering the bushes I believe," answered Leto, "he also said something about a cookfire."
Nathanial nodded. Whisper cleared her throat and Nathanial considered the phrasing of his answer.
"I told him everything, and he wants to help us."
"What do you mean you told him everything?"
He gave Whisper a level stare and glanced at the newcomers who did not yet know their true mission.
"I told him everything."
She drew herself up at his tone and looked incensed.
"What gives you the right to.."
"Master, woman is approaching on foot, one approaching!" called Hugin from his rooftop perch.
The group froze and looked at each other in amazement.
"It couldn't be..." Whisper began with some doubt.
Nathanial thought as quickly as possible and drew his morningstar as he followed the rush out the door. He stopped Whisper at the entryway.
"We can't take the items out there!"
She huffed with impatience and looked longingly out into the courtyard. Her fingers gripped the hilt of her sword.
"Whisper," he continued, "if you stay here with the items, we can tell her you died and throw her off. She can't know otherwise and it may give us an advantage."
He could see the acceptance of his logic struggle with her desire for violence. The victory was by a narrow margin and she gave a curt nod. Leto and Nathanial handed her their pouches and she began to pace along an inner wall with her sword ready.
Leto quirked a smile at the sight and followed Nathanial out, ready to meet another agent of Khezrial.
To their surprise, they had already met. The tall woman in the elegant red robe was the one who had tried to trick Ta'arnkap into stealing the items, then set her minions upon them. At the memory of that battle's outcome Nathanial tightened his grip on the morningstar, hoping that despite the woman's apparent lack of heart, she could still be made to bleed. She was deep in conversation with Yadros when they approached which made Nathanial stiffen warily. She gave him a malicious smile veiled in complete sweetness when she caught his eye.
"Nathanial dear boy, how nice of you to join us. Yadros here was telling me all sorts of things about your adventures. So sorry to hear about Ramses."
He gritted his teeth and forced himself to relax, remembering an old adage about angry fools.
"I understand you have one of your own now," he replied with equal calm, "or at least you did."
Her expression tightened almost imperceptibly, but she kept the smile.
"Wherever is Whisper? I was looking forward to meeting her. Especially now as she's famous."
The woman held out a familiar reward poster, and Nathanial thanked the powers that be that Whisper had stayed behind.
"Hadn't you heard?" he said in a steady voice, "She was killed in the fight to retrieve Ramses' body."
He'd scored a hit, but again the change was almost imperceptible.
"So sorry to hear that." She said casually, tossing the poster to the ground.
Yadros looked puzzled, and Nathanial could feel himself start to sweat. He searched his mind for some way, other than physically assaulting the man, to prevent the words about to come.
"That's quite misleading of you Nathanial," he said, flipping through his notes and missing the frantic signals around him, "Yes she was killed, but now that she's been resurrected she should be quite all right. So you see my dear," he addressed the triumphant woman, "there is no need to mourn."
For a fleeting moment, she looked ready to walk towards the building where Whisper lay waiting. She took no more than a step, however, before she hesitated. Nathanial moved to stand in her path and one eyebrow rose in amusement.
"Little boy, you will soon learn better than to stand in my way."
The sound of steel on leather broke their locked eyes. She turned to find the Paladin standing with his sword drawn.
"My dear Arturo, so glad to see you. I thought I would come by and see how you're getting along. "
"Madam, I would not be so glad. Deceiving a Paladin of Kalidine is a grave thing; using one to attempt evil even more so."
She turned back to Nathanial without an answer.
"Come now," she purred, "we're all civilized. I need the trinkets you carry. There must be something you need in return. Perhaps we could strike a deal."
Nathanial shook his head, tired of the verbal sparring. He could tell the others were growing restless waiting for an attack, but he wanted her to move first.
"You have nothing," he replied impatiently, "that I would trade my honor for."
The woman's eyes gleamed with malice as she held out an item in her hand. She held an ornate silver clasp that had once secured Marcus's cloak. Nathanial felt dizzy when he recognized it, and a cry of despair struggled up from somewhere inside him. His world began to spin slightly as the woman held his gaze.
Her voice dripped with honeyed venom, knowing the struggle that went on inside Nathanial.
"Not even," she asked sweetly, "for him?"