Sorry for not updating sooner, but you know…school.
Anyway, it's longer than usual and a little gory. Enjoy!
R and R!
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I awoke well before dawn, but I decided to let Caden rest a little while longer. I began by stretching my cramped muscles until I felt limber enough to practice with the wooden staff that Caden found, which would have to pass as my sword.
I took a careful stance in the middle of the diminutive clearing and began to turn with great speed. I lashed out in overhand and underhand strikes, then jumped and kicked aiming at imaginary joints and muscles.
I danced my way through my repertoire of exercises. When I ran out of that, I jogged in place until my legs gave out under me. I ended my routine with an advanced twist and thrust, parrying at the last second before slumping to the floor in exhaustion.
After my exercise, I woke Caden and told him be best be off. We gathered our meager possessions and trudged onward in the direction we hoped the pirates had gone.
Around midmorning, we reached a small village and Caden and I lost ourselves in the crowd trying to gain entrance. By the time it was our turn to go through the city gates, my stomach was growling with hunger. We stopped by a bakery and I bought a loaf to split with Caden. He consumed it in one bite, so I bought another one.
I was anxious to leave to trail the men, so I hurried Caden along and we headed in the general direction of the road. Then I remembered I had lost my bow and had no proper way to defend myself.
"Before we go, I need a weapon. Preferably a bow and some arrows."
Caden led me down the street and slithered through a narrow opening. After making numerous turns and backtracks, we arrived in front of a welcoming hut that shed light onto the road. I entered the hut and tried to look like I knew what I was doing. I approached the tiny man behind the counter and cleared my throat.
"I am looking for a sturdy bow." I made my voice sound composed and in control, knowing the man was sizing me up. "Do you have anything suitable?"
"If it's bows ya want, I've got 'em aplenty." He began to remove bows from their precariously perched positions on the shelves. I grasped a firm-looking one and pulled its string taunt, feeling the tension in its limbs. I selected a quiver and some supple arrows. After agreeing on a reasonable price, I paid and thanked the man benevolently. Beckoning to Caden, I left the store with a cheerful wave.
Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind and yanked me to the ground. Instinctively, I grabbed his arm and pinched between the web of his thumb and finger, forcing him to let go. I grabbed Caden's hand and began to run for the gate, but I was thrown down onto the road splattering myself and my attacker with mud and dung.
I yelled in indignation and narrowed my eyes angrily at the man who knocked me down. I rolled in the mud and leaped up, bracing myself for another punch. When it came, I was ready. I caught his hand in mine and twisted it behind his back. I felt him growl and swear, but he didn't dare move for fear of getting his arm yanked out of its socket.
A sharp pain in my back forced me to yelp and drop the man's arm. A woman had come up behind me and was throwing stones in my direction. I shielded my head with my arms, but then I was unable to fight. Once again the man threw me to the ground and put his foot on my chest pushing hard to prevent me from standing.
"Well, wha' have we here?" he growled and grinned. I struggled and dimly wondered where Caden was. I watched in horror as another man opened my pocket and felt inside. He pulled out the expensive dagger with a sapphire hilt and pommel—the one I had taken from a bandit.
"Well, missy, looks as if you gone and stole. Don' ya know thievery's a crime?"
They ignored my protests that I had taken it from a pirate and dragged my screaming body to the center of town. Fear gripped me tightly and I felt my mind go numb in response. Dread consumed my thoughts, and I almost missed the man's next words.
"You know th' punishment for stealin', girl?"
I could barely nod, I was already mentally preparing myself for the pain that I knew would come. The man saw me squirm and I felt him relish in my alarm. "Tha's righ'," he smirked, "we gonna chop off one of yer pretty fingers."
I went rigid, taut with fear.
Please, Mithros, no! I begged. Not now.
I was dragged brutally towards the center of town. I knew it was useless to struggle, so I smoothed my face and made it free of emotions, telling myself over and over that pain was inconsequential, that pain couldn't hurt me.
There was a crowd already gathered around the square. I glanced at them, wondering which one of them found out I had the dagger there, and then stared ahead, stony faced.
At the head of the crowd, there was a man with a mean looking blade. The man wielded it expertly, twirling it on his forefinger without drawing any blood. Beside him sat a frail looking man, a thick cowl over his delicate form. He stood and the crowd quieted.
"For years," he began in a feeble voice interspersed with wheezing and coughing, "our village has been a place of safety—a haven. No one dared sin, no one dared steal. Our village on the outskirts of the King's kingdom is one of the few well-governed villages in the whole kingdom. Thieves," he spat the word and I heard the crowd murmur in the background, "are—not—welcome." He pronounced each word carefully, throwing them out between his lips to be eaten up by the crowd. "In our village, thieves are punished by the removal of a finger." He motioned for me to be brought forward, and then spitefully addressed me, "And in public, to make an example of your behavior."
I tried kicking my captor, but when I realized it was useless, I decided to swallow my dignity and beg. "Please," I began, "I am Lady Knight Keladry. I took this dagger from some pirates who have kidnapped three young children. Right now, I am tailing them and I have to be released." I knew it sounded pathetic and I knew it wouldn't make a difference. Even when I felt the tears splash down my face, tracing patterns on my mud-streaked face, the immovable crowd didn't flinch.
I forced myself to remain calm and collected like stone.
My arm was held out in front of me, firmly held into place on a wooden ledge by two strong men. The man with the blade approached me, and I closed my eyes, determined not to faint, determined not to scream, determined not to cry. A knight doesn't cry from pain. They can take my finger, but they can't take my honor. That is mine, and mine alone.
I straitened my back and stopped struggling. The men were uneasy at my lack of fear, and I smiled at them, though it didn't reach my eyes. My eyes were cold and stood out clearly against my pale face. I wouldn't cry out. I would save my honor.
The man held the knife up and I refused to close my eyes as it swung down towards my hand. I didn't know which finger would be loped off, all I knew was that I was right, and they were wrong. Nothing they said could ever change the fact that I hadn't sinned. I held onto that thought and let it fill me—smother me in its truth.
I waited for the pain to come, but it never did.
"FIRE!" someone screamed racing to ring the bell to alert the people of the danger. "Fire in the chapel!"
The response was instantaneous. The crowd dispersed, uncannily fast, and I was all but forgotten. Or so I hoped. I sighed in relief and my knees buckled under me, giving way to the stress and confusion from the previous day.
I rose and was about to make a beeline for the city gates when someone grabbed me. "Not so fas'," a chilling voice penetrated my wistful thinking and brought me back to the cold, hard reality. "Didn' think we'd le' ya off so quick, did ya?" He grabbed my wrists and hobbled my ankles.
My heart was beating fast again. Fear pulsated through my body as I despairingly thought of my doomed fate. The man heaved me through the muddy alleyways and cesspits and stopped in front of a gray building. He yanked me through the door and deposited me on the gritty floor.
My hobble was removed, and I was thrown inside a dank cell that was empty except for the rats. Then the man ran out of the building, presumably to help fight the fire.
The fire was timed too perfectly to be a coincidence, I though sensibly. But I didn't want to dwell on the past. Now that I wasn't in any immediate danger, I had to figure a way out of here. The only thing in my cell was a bunch of rats, a barred window, a patched blanket, and me. As soon as I touched the retched cloth, it turned to dust and settled on the floor with all the other filth. I was alone with the vermin.
The window's bars crisscrossed the opening, leaving about two fingers breadth of space in between. I tried prying the bars apart, but they were firm and didn't give way under my tugging.
I was at a loss for what to do. There didn't seem to be a way out of my predicament, but I was determined to find one anyway. I started moving my hands along the walls, feeling for secret passageways. After spending the better part of an hour familiarizing myself with more stones, slime, and mold than I would like, I was no better off than when I began.
I decided the only solution to my quandary was to attack the guard as soon as he came and fetched me. Once that was settled, and I sat down in the minuscule patch of available sun and made myself as comfortable as possible.
I was cramping within a quarter of an hour. I stood up to pace, but that was no better. After what seemed like an eternity, a moldy loaf covered with lichen was thrust into the room. The door was hastily shut before I had even a second to react.
I threw the loaf away in disgust, and the rats greedily consumed the morsel. For the time being, they stayed a safe distance away from me.
My uncomfortable sleep from the previous days were beginning to show their toll on me. I felt myself smothering frequent yawns, and my lids felt heavy. To keep myself awake and alert, I began a complex pattern dance. Periodically throughout the next hours, I danced my way through my repertoire of exercises.
The sun had lowered behind the mountains, throwing my cell and the surrounding landscape into darkness, pooling the ground with shadows. With the darkness came sleep, despite my concern for my welfare.
Screech!
I awoke with a start and glanced groggily around the cell.
Screech!
I turned in terror to face the barred window, determined not to go down without a fight. Relief flooded through me as I saw familiar gray eyes through the bars.
"Caden!" I cried with relief. "And it's about time, too!" He motioned for me to be silent, and then continued hacking away at the bars. I looked worriedly at the door, convinced that the racket would awaken the whole village.
One bar fell to the floor with a noisy clatter. I scooped it up, and moved behind the door to fight whomever came to investigate the din. I heard lumbering steps and then fumbling and swearing as the guard inserted the key in the lock. The door opened in a sudden flurry of activity, sending the rats scurrying for their holes.
The brawny guard drew a wicked-looking baton and whacked in my general direction. I dodged the blow and, with an overhand cut, swept the baton from his grasp. He kicked me and the blow collided with my shins. I gasped in pain and drew a ragged breath into my empty lungs. The guard yanked me up by my hair and I felt fistfuls tear from their follicles. Then I was thrown abusively into the corner. I stood, stumbled foreword, catching my breath and disregarding my pain. I jumped back in surprise as the guard retrieved his baton and swept me off my feet. I went down like a stone, but I rolled over before he could hit me again.
The next few minutes were a flurry of movement. Overhand, underhand, strike, parry, dodge, lunge, underhand. I know I was slapped multiple times, but I also felt my rod slam into the guard's body, too.
Another guard had heard the commotion and came to investigate. He sized up the situation with one glance and immediately blew his whistle, calling for backup. While he was blowing, I jabbed my rod into the first guard's stomach and felt his breath leave him with a satisfying whoosh. I hastily cudgeled him on the head, and then pivoted to whack the second guard on his calf.
He blocked the swipe with his hands and yanked the bar from my grasp.
"Hurry, Caden!" I shouted in despair, "I can't keep them away much longer!" Even as I said this, I tackled the guard. He fell with me on top of him, and I punched him in the jaw and then nose. I felt it shatter and blood spurted from his nostrils. I blacked his eye with another punch, and managed to split his lip before someone grabbed me and threw me into the corner.
Five more men had arrived, all with drawn swords and menacing growls.
I stood, but suddenly an arm reached out and grabbed my shoulder.
I yelped and spun to defend myself, but there was no one there. The window bars were removed, nothing but jagged shards remained. I jumped for the window, tumbling through the gap and tearing my breeches on the fractions. Warm blood dripped down my calf, but I didn't dare look back.
Caden waited for me and hauled me up. Then we ran, faster than I've ever run before. I heard the thundering steps of the guards behind, and I put on an extra burst of speed.
Caden and I tore down the road and through the village, shouldering peasants out of the way. Dim shouts in the background told us that the guards hadn't given up. They pursued us vigorously and we dashed through the gates as the portcullis was being lowered.
I had a sudden hope that the guards would be trapped inside their own city walls, but I should have known life was never that easy. They darted through the gates, barely slowing.
There was nowhere to hide. Caden and I were doomed. The road ran straight and true. Flanked on either side of the road was a rushing estuary littered with pointed stones. An arrow whistled past my ear and lodged itself in a young sapling. I jumped and grabbed Caden's hand, ducking just in time as an arrow flew right where my head was moments before. Our only hope was to jump into the raving current and hope it wasn't too deep and swift.
Caden saw my intention and nodded.
"On three," I roared, "One, two, three!"
We jumped and immediately Caden was tugged from my grip. I was pulled under, and I felt myself swallow mouthfuls of water before I was pushed back up and slammed against a rock. I felt myself loosing consciousness, but I fought to stay awake.
The river was a beast, untamable, uncontrollable. It was its own master, and it would not be denied. It grabbed me again, and I gasped as I was submerged once more in the glacial water.
I was dragged downstream and brought half-a-league away before the current lessened. I grabbed onto a low branch and dragged myself onto the riverbed. Coughing and gasping, I heaved water out of my systems. When, finally, nothing came up, I straightened to look for Caden.
"Caden!" I shouted, but my voice was thrown to the winds. "Caden!"
I raced through the trees, stopping to cry Caden's name every few feet. I knew I shouldn't have been reckless, but Caden had just saved my life, and according to the laws of chivalry, I was in his debt. I still was a knight, despite the fact that nobody was willing to believe me.
"Caden!" I whispered, despair slowly sapping any hope I had managed to retain.
Quiet whimpering and then a yelp of pain answered my call, and I felt hope flair inside me once more, a small spark that was extinguished almost as soon as it was ignited. Another scream, and then silence.
I stealthily approached the noise, flanking it on the left. Peering through the thick leaves of the tall pines, I saw a bloodthirsty wolf with a haunted glaze in his eyes circling a huddling mass of rags. The behemoth snarled, bringing his muzzle back into a bloodcurdling growl of triumph and hunger. Then he charged the shivering form.
I don't remember reacting to the sudden movement; all I can recollect was jumping up from my hollow and intercepting the beast in his maddened charge. I collided solidly with the beasts shoulder and I felt the wolf stumble then rear, snapping and growling at its new prey.
I brought myself up to my full height, intimidating it with my size, plastering a pretext of command and authority on my face. The creature was undaunted. His hackles rose and he eyed me calculatingly, deciding how best to proceed.
I made a hasty gesture in the direction of the trees and I felt the human form rise uncertainly and then dash into the foliage, scaling a sturdy yew with ease. It was Caden.
The wolf took that moment to attack me, and I leaped out of the flailing claws reach, recoiling from the insatiable hunger that the beast projected. I dodged again, fumbled for a rock, and threw it towards the beast's breast.
It stunned the beast for about a moment, but then the animal leaped up and pounced towards my throat. I threw myself backwards, and landed hard on my back with the beast a pace from my body.
Suddenly, a slight movement overhead made me look up. It was Caden and he was lowering a very familiar object down to me. I grabbed my bow in triumph, noticing that it was strung and already had an arrow nocked in the string.
I aimed and fired once. It landed in the wolf's foreleg, burying itself deep into the rigid muscles in his powerful leg. He howled but determinedly crawled forward—bent on finishing me.
I had no such intention. Caden handed me another arrow and this time I aimed for the beast's chest. My aim was true and the beast fell, dead, into a rapidly increasing puddle of its own crimson blood.
I heaved a sigh of relief as the creature lay unmoving, and then I turned to Caden, a concerned expression on my usual indifferent, grief-stricken face. Caden dropped to the ground and then fell into my arms.
It took me a moment to recognize the feeling my fingers were touching. The wetness didn't register until I looked at Caden's pallid face. Carefully, I lowered Caden to the ground and moved his tunic aside. Four gash marks, bleeding profusely, marred his back.
"Kel," he whispered, "I'm scared."
"You are not going to die, Caden. You are not going to die!"
He whimpered in pain as I ripped off half my tunic and wadded it into a padded form. Then I pressed it into his back, pushing with a continuous pressure. I felt Caden tense and grimace in pain, but he didn't cry out again. Suddenly he stiffened and went limp.
"Caden!" I shrieked, "Stay with me, Caden! Stay with me!" I turned his emasculate form over, and felt for a pulse.
I felt a faint thump and I realized with considerable relief that he only fainted. I didn't want to risk dragging him into the trees, but I wanted to remain in this clearing even less. Discovery and the chance that a pack member would find us were considerably escalated by the daunting smell of blood.
I removed Caden's shirt and made a crude bandage out of the garment, binding it tightly around the furrows in his flesh. Then I dragged him into the trees, leaving deep grooves in the dirt floor. I stashed Caden's body between a few branches, glanced at him wistfully, and then hastened to the clearing to disguise our presence.
I was forced to leave the giant wolf as is. I did, however, remove the arrow shafts in its thick hide before scampering into the woods to where I had hid Caden.
His breathing was ragged and faint, but I was determined to help him survive. I found a hidden burrow nearby, and I half carried, half dragged Caden to the secreted place. I spent the rest of the day alternating between pressing on Caden's wounds and scouting the grounds for enemies, water, and edible berries.
After hours of my grueling routine, Caden had developed a fever, but his wound had stopped bleeding. I found a small pool of water a walk a way and filled a small rock naturally recessed with a slight decline with water. I filled the makeshift bowl and carried it back to Caden's side. I rotated between dribbling drips into his parched mouth and dabbling his forehead with the cooling liquid.
Night came early, and I was forced to stay guard, pinching myself to keep myself alert, and pacing nonstop to keep myself awake. At dawn, Caden's fever broke, but with it came uncontrollable shivers. I had no way to help him. I was watching him die before my eyes.
I knelt by his side and grabbed his hand, twining my fingers in his, humming to him placidly in an attempt to comfort him. He thrashed restlessly and fought me in his fevered state. Finally he stilled, until the shivering resumed.
I had no idea what was happening. Were his wounds infected from the berserk beast? I removed the bandage to find the gashes swelling and leaking puss. I gasped in horror and shrunk away from the disgusting sight. Still, I forced myself to look back, assessing how desperate the situation was.
He looked pretty bad, but I was counting on my ability to nurse him back to health. I estimated that he would be well in two days, if I was lucky.
I wasn't lucky.
Three days later, the fever was back, his wounds had reopened and now leaked blood and puss, and he continued to shiver inexorably. There was no other option. I resigned myself to what I knew I would have to do.
I was going to have to go back to town. Back to the people who thirsted for my blood. Back to the place that was Caden's only hope.