WOLVERINE'S WORLD - THE RECKONING
The food the Folk women had given back at Cats Kill would be going bad soon, so Rahne made a large breakfast. The fried apples were excellent.
Emma didn't join us.
"Let's stay here for another day," Emma suggested distantly. It was obvious that she was deeply distracted. While Rahne and I ate, she simply stared at her food.
I nodded in agreement. Emma and I had much to consider. We had devoted our lives to higher powers. In the aftermath of actually encountering those powers, we had to consider what that meant.
*It seemed to mean a lot of grunting and groaning,* Emma mind-spoke to me.
*Woman, stop reading my mind,* I ordered - but my words were empty of any real anger. At the moment, her presence was actually comforting.
Emma gave me a crooked smile. Then she found a perch on some exposed rocks and knelt. Closing her eyes, she gracefully lifted her face and arms up to the sky, as if embracing it. After holding that pose for a long moment, she slowly lowered her arms, allowing her hands to come to rest on her knees. However, her face remained turned upward.
She gradually relaxed into immobility. Her breathing was steady, but very slow.
"She'll be like that for some time," I told Rahne. "Don't worry. And leave her alone."
"What's she doing?" Rahne asked. She was obviously concerned.
"Meditating," I answered.
Rahne's gaze shifted from Emma to me. "What's wrong?"
There was so much I couldn't tell Rahne. "Something happened that she has to think about."
Rahne gave me a long, careful, look. "It was last night, wasn't it?"
I just nodded.
Rahne thought about that. "Did you two do something... uhm... something that was really, really strange?"
"Yes," I said as I got to my feet. I stripped off my jacket and shirt. And I left my staff leaning against an outcrop of rock.
"Wait! What happened? Are you all right?"
"We're just... bemused. Stay in camp. And keep an eye on Emma," I said as I walked away.
"Bemused? What does that mean? And where are you going!?" Rahne shouted after me.
"I won't be far," I replied. Then I entered the trees and was gone.
Emma and I meditate in drastically different ways.
A day spent running the woods was good for me. It cleared my head. It gave me the opportunity to put what had happened the night before in some kind of perspective. I came to no conclusions. Instead, I simply accepted the events of the previous evening. There are things that must be treated that way.
The sun was near the horizon by the time I returned. My hunt had been succesful. I had a young white-tailed buck slung over my shoulders.
Rahne was obviously relieved to see that I was back. She quickly unburdened me of my kill.
Emma was in the same position as when I'd left. I watched her for a while. It was difficult to tell if she was even breathing.
Rahne was in the midst of stringing up the deer from a handy tree-limb when she noticed where I was looking.
"She hasn't moved," she reported.
I nodded. Rahne matter-of-factly opened one of her claws and began dressing the deer.
Then Rahne paused in mid-cut. "Whatever you two did last night? Maybe you shouldn't do it again."
Rahne was actually quite concerned about us. I reached out and ruffled her wild shock of red hair.
"We'll keep that in mind," I promised her.
Rahne smiled uncertainly and then went back to work.
"Oh - one more thing..." she said distractedly. "There are two people down by the river. They're burying the Green Bastard."
The body of the Green Bastard had washed up about a half-mile south of our camp. I tracked the location down by the scent.
The amount of effort it must have taken to give such a massive creature a burial was impressive, but it had been done. There was a large mound of fresh earth piled just above the flood line. A crude cross of the Folk faith had been pounded into the inland end of the grave.
A large canoe was grounded in the mud of the river-bank and carefully tied off to an overhanging tree branch. As I approached, a man was tossing a small camp shovel into the boat. A woman was with him. They both appeared to be Folk. They were covered with dust and sweat, and there was a veil-like tracery in the dirt under the woman's eyes. She'd been crying.
I made no effort to hide my approach and they spotted me very quickly. I crossed my arms over my chest to signal my peaceful intent.
The man eyed me thoughtfully. He was of medium height, but whipcord-lean and tightly muscular. His hair and eyes were brown. His features were mildly handsome - more a function of youth and vigor than anything else. He looked to be in his early twenties. He was dressed in drab homespun cotton and wool. There were some cloth wrappings around his feet. I recognized the style.
The woman kept to the background, but she was also eyeing me carefully as she play-acted at being a properly quiet Folk female. She was tall and slender and perhaps a bit plain, although her features had a strong sense of character. Her hair was fully concealed by a scarf. The rest of her clothing consisted of a loose dress that left her arms and calves bare, and a pair of scuffed and well-worn leather sandals. She was the kind of woman whose age was difficult to judge. Perhaps she was in her twenties. Perhaps in her thirties.
Neither of them seemed particular alarmed at encountering a strange Blood in the wilderness. But then again, they didn't have as much to fear as ordinary Folk might.
I knew what they really were.
"I'm James," I said.
The man nodded, his eyes were taking in my staff and necklace - the obvious symbols of my station. He obviously knew what they meant.
"I'm Benjamin and this is Faye," he responded.
"My companions and I are camped not far from here," I continued. "We had good hunting and have more than we need. I offer you our hospitality."
Benjamin hesitated and then glanced at Faye. She didn't seem enthused about the idea.
I nodded towards the grave. "We were there when he died. I think you might want to hear about it."
Faye's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think we care about that?"
"You care," I replied with a shrug. "There's no point in pretending otherwise."
Faye and Benjamin took a moment to consider that.
"We accept your kind offer," Faye said slowly.
Benjamin tried not to react, but I could tell that he was worried.
The sun was setting as Benjamin and Faye dragged their canoe ashore and concealed it under some brush. Then we walked to the camp. Benjamin had no problem moving in the dark. Faye carefully followed in his footsteps.
Rahne had built up the fire and was roasting chunks of venison on sharpened sticks. She'd sensed we were approaching - of course - and was already preparing two more spits as we entered the clearing in front of the overhang.
The deer's offal had been disposed of away from the camp. The hide was spread out on some rocks to dry, and the head was lodged in the crook of a nearby tree - Rahne would need it later for brain-tanning the hide. The remainder of the meat had been cut into strips and was hanging from a line that Rahne had rigged. A linear fire-pit had been built underneath it. The meat would be smoked overnight into jerky.
Emma was down from her perch. She was kneeling next to the central fire, keeping an eye on our dinner while Rahne dealt with other housekeeping matters.
I made introductions. Rahne smiled a polite greeting, but she was being cautious - as she bustled about the camp, she never quite turned her back on the newcomers. Emma, back in her role as a Folk servant, humbly gave a kneeling bow towards our guests. Then she went back to tending the cooking.
*Those two aren't what they seem,* Emma sent to me.
*I know,* I responded, *but we have a problem with them that needs to be settled. Otherwise, there will be a fight - and it will be a bad one.*
*This is dangerous,* Emma warned me.
*It will be even more dangerous if they gather some friends and come for us later on.*
Emma considered that.
*If they attack us, I'll deal with the woman,* she said eventually. *You and Rahne kill the man.*
Rahne gave two spits of meat to our guests, then one to me. She and Emma would eat when the next two spits were done. Rahne had been well-reared in the ways of the Blood. Her years without a family hadn't taken that from her.
"Our thanks," Benjamin said politely. Faye was distantly silent.
Our two guests ate without words. Benjamin finished before me. Faye just picked at her food. Her eyes were locked on me.
"You said you saw the Green man die?" Benjamin said. He had courteously waited until I was done with my meal. Faye tried to pretend that she was only mildly interested in the conversation.
"Yes," I replied.
"What happened?" asked Benjamin.
"A Grimm named Abraham was pursuing your friend," I began. "He was aboard the same riverboat as us. A few nights ago, your friend attacked the boat and was killed in the fight. Abraham died as well."
Benjamin took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he let out the breath in a long hiss.
"Abraham killed him?" Faye asked suddenly. She still hadn't moved, but the toxic scent of anger and danger was about her.
"No," Rahne said suddenly. "I did."
The camp suddenly became very quiet.
In the flickering firelight, I could see the first signs of change in Faye. Her eyes glittered like fire-lit emeralds as she examined Rahne. She seemed bulkier and her shoulders were broad enough to strain at the simple dress she wore. She had kicked off her sandals - her feet were a bit too big for them now. Then, with a yank, she pulled the scarf from her head.
Her hair was trimmed short, like a skullcap, in order to better hide it. And it was bright green.
"What was your brother's name?" I asked her. Now that she was partially transformed, the resemblance was clear.
Faye glanced at me, but said nothing.
"Richard," Benjamin said. His voice seemed very tired. "He was known as Rick."
Rahne looked away. It's better when those you've killed don't have a name. Or a family that mourns them.
"Rahne, tell them what happened," I ordered.
Rahne took a moment to gather her thoughts.
"We were on a river-boat," she began. "It was night and we were asleep. Then there was a loud crash. The whole boat rocked. I didn't figure out until later on that... Rick... had jumped onto the boat from the shore."
"I woke up and... and... Rick was there. He was yelling that he was going to kill Abraham. Rick was fighting the sailors, but he batted them away. I saw a badly injured Folk thrown into the river. I saw Abraham running towards Rick. Then he and Abraham began fighting. They were both incredible powerful, but Rick was stronger."
Rahne nodded towards me. "My master began fighting Rick. I followed. Some sailors helped us. But the fight was still between Abraham and Rick. And Rick was winning. Even with all of us fighting him, he was winning."
"I was knocked into the river. By the time I crawled out, Abraham was badly hurt. My master was injured. Many of the Blood sailors were down. Some of the Folk sailors were dead or badly injured."
There was a snikt as Rahne extended one of the two claws of her right hand. She paused to consider it.
"While Rick was hurt and distracted, I snuck up next to him and put a claw into his ear. It penetrated his brain."
"Then I just - stirred." Rahne added as she twisted and rotated her wrist. The tip of her claw described a figure-eight pattern.
Rahne retracted her claw and fell silent. She crossed her arms and put her hands on her shoulders. Rahne didn't look much like a triumphant Blood warrior recounting the glorious ferocity of her first kill. She just seemed very young and more than a little ashamed.
"How many died?" Benjamin asked. His voice seemed hollow and distant.
"Richard, Abraham, and three Folk boatmen," I said.
Faye buried her face in her now normal-sized hands. She obviously wasn't angry any longer.
Benjamin nodded sadly. "Was Abraham properly buried?"
I paused before answering. "Yes. I can tell you how to find his grave. Was he a friend of yours?"
"We grew up together."
I nodded. "I buried him under the six-pointed star. Was that correct?"
"Yes," Benjamin said quietly. "Yes, it was."
That night, Rahne slept poorly. She was riding nightmares and she whimpered more than once in her sleep.
Faye spent the night in Benjamin's arms. She cried for her brother until she finally cried herself out.
The next morning, everyone tensed as Faye confronted Rahne.
"Rick wasn't always bad," Faye told Rahne.
Rahne didn't say anything. She just looked at Faye, waiting for the fight to start.
"There is a thing we call it the green-madness," Faye continued. "It takes our kind and turns them into killers. When Rick was young, before the madness took him... he was kind. He liked to help others. He was a good big-brother. I want you to understand that."
Rahne's gave Faye a slow and wretched nod.
"I wanted to help Rick, but now I see that it wasn't to be," Faye added softly.
Then Faye took a deep breath and went on. "I already knew that I might have to kill Rick myself."
"Rahne - you saved me from that," Faye finished.
So in the end, there was no fight. Nobody else had to die.
I saw our guests off.
"What now?" I asked Benjamin and Faye. We were down by the river.
With a grunt, Faye picked up their canoe from where it was grounded and carried it out into the water. The boat looked absurdly large as it balanced precariously in her arms. She set it down carefully in waist-deep water and then expertly climbed inside.
"We'll find Abraham's grave and pay our respects," Benjamin said. "Then we'll go home to the Towers."
'The Towers' is what Benjamin's people call the part of Nyack in which they live. They control the high-upper floors of the old skyscrapers. The suggestion that Faye lived among Benjamin's people was interesting. By now, it was obvious that Benjamin and Faye were together. Many of the Scatter and Folk clans of Nyack didn't approve of that kind of mixing. Benjamin's clan was apparently quite tolerant.
"What about you?" Benjamin asked.
"We'll head downstream again," I said. "We don't have as good a view of the river as I'd like, and I hope to reconnect with our river-boat. I know a good spot with a better view. We can wait for them there."
Benjamin offered me his hand. "Goodbye, James the Seeker."
I shook his hand. "Farewell, Benjamin of the Towers."
"Ben!" Faye called. The current had caught their boat and she was now a good ten yards from shore.
Benjamin nodded to me. Then he turned and made a mighty leap.
Faye caught him in mid-air. The brief smile that flickered across her face as she held Benjamin in her arms gave me a glimpse of what Faye was like under better circumstanes. I hoped she would find that part of herself soon.
Once Benjamin was settled, they pivoted the boat and began rowing upriver.
*That could have ended badly,* Emma 'said' to me as I walked back to camp.
*Yes,* I answered.
*I was certain that somebody would die,* Emma sighed. *A Green Bastard and a Wallcrawler make for a bad pair of enemies. And Faye was in a dangerous frame of mind.*
*We prevented that,* I shrugged.
*So is the Old One pleased?* Emma asked. *Or did he want a bloody battle?*
*There are no signs either way,* I told Emma.
*Perhaps he's too busy to be sending you signs,* Emma suggested archly.
I smile tugged at my lips. *Do you think he's currently engaged with a fiery lady?*
Emma just laughed.