Chapter 19 Finale
Resolve Unbreakable
After a moment of enjoying the warmth of the fire in comfortable silence, Lucas said;
“Thank you. Thank you for helping me.”
“We are fighting for the same goal,” Korah said with a shrug.
“I know. But I feel grateful anyway, to have you with me.”
Korah smiled as she poked the fire with a stick, her Aura letting off a soft glow.
“The battle comes tomorrow. Do you feel ready?”
“No. I feel nervous even thinking about it.” Lucas replied.
“I have to do something before then, down at the river. Will you come with me?”
“What are you going to do?” He asked.
“I need to meet with my Sisters in the Water. And I am curious to see what they think of you.”
“Ok, I'll come.”
When Lucas left the campsite, his Arach’s went into escort mode. The Scouts immediately fanned out and the Combat Spiders formed a vanguard, venturing into the dark forest ahead of Korah and himself. Even the Infiltrators followed at the edge of his Scouting range. The glare during the day was frustrating, but otherwise Lucas enjoyed his night adjusted vision. The night forest was shimmering in silver starlight as they walked down to the river. Once there, Korah went to sit on a rock that the current was flowing around, putting only her feet in the water.
She looked at Lucas, so he sat beside her with his feet in the water. Sitting so close caused her Aura to overlap with his. He was suddenly aware that he had never been this close to her. He hadn't been close to anyone for what felt like forever. Her Aura felt so warm and protective that he wanted to lean into her, to rest his head on her shoulder. He didn’t, it already felt so intimate and he was afraid he would ruin it and she would move away. Instead he stayed very still, and looked into the water that ran between their feet.
“Will I hear them? Can they see me?” He asked.
“No. No man can hear them, but they will know a lot about you from your Aura.” She replied.
“Can you hear them? Are they talking to you?”
“I can hear them, but they are more interested in you than me right now.” Korah replied with a slight smile.
Lucas continued to gaze at the shimmering water, looking for anything unusual. The starlight was reflecting off ripples as the water flowed around their ankles. It was hard to be sure, but he thought he could make out ultra diffuse Mana gathering around their feet.
“Who are these sisters in the water?” Lucas asked.
Korah blinked at him for a second, as if distracted.
“I don't know. They are all women, all of them are dead, but their spirits live on in the water. Some of them died recently, some of them are ancient. The very old ones speak rarely, or not at all. None can remember how it started or who was the first, at least none who still speak. They are very wise but they also argue with each other a lot. They are arguing about you right now.”
“What are they saying?” Asked Lucas.
“Some of them say I should kill you.”
That was alarming, but Korah’s Aura had not changed, so Lucas didn’t worry.
“Some of them say I should protect and guide you. You have created quite a stir, even very old sisters are waking up with something to say.”
After a moment more, Korah shook her head and stood up on the rock.
“It’s my decision in the end. I will protect you.”
“There is one more thing I have to do,” Korah said as she started stripping off her armour. That was followed, to Lucas’ shock, by her clothes. Lucas looked away as she strode naked into the water. It didn't take long for his curiosity to win over his shock. She had not shown any hesitancy or shame at being naked, so he turned back to look. She stood waist deep in the water, one hand outstretched to her side and a knife held in the other. She drew the knife along her outstretched forearm, resulting in blood flowing freely into the water. As she did, she spoke in a quiet voice with an air of gravity and ritual.
“By my blood am I bound, by my oath unbroken. In death will I join those who came before, in duty will I guide those who come after.”
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She let the blood continue to flow as she bathed in the water, scrubbing her skin with sand from the riverbed. Her form was strong and athletic. Light tufts of fair hair could be seen under her arms and between her legs. Every part of her skin that Lucas could see was covered in scars small or large. After staring for a moment Lucas realised he was getting affected by her nakedness. She looked over and he immediately averted his eyes, feeling his face flush. He didn't look at her as she made her way out of the river towards him. His shame only multiplied when he realised that everything he was feeling would be broadcast by his Aura.
She put on her shirt and sat close to him in silence. When he finally looked up he saw no trace of mockery or laughter in her Aura. It made him realise that being mocked was what he was truly afraid of.
“You do not need to be ashamed,” She said. “It is not strange that you should see me that way, but I can not be with a man. It was part of the vow that I made for the Nyx’s power.”
“A vow of celibacy? Like a Nun. That seems like a strange thing to force on someone.” Lucas said, surprised at his own annoyance.
“I do not know what a Nun is. But yes, a vow of celibacy. And no, it is not strange, it is very wise. Any woman who accepts the Nyx’s power forfeits their lives. How then does it make sense to have children? A warrior on the battlefield heavy with a child? A mother with a sword in one hand and a babe in another? Doomed to die?”
Lucas realised that he had not considered that this world might not have contraception. That did change things a lot.
“It is more than just pregnancy.” Korah continued, having guessed his thoughts.
“Sex and love are two sides of the same coin. What good is it to love someone set to die in battle?” Lucas wasn't sure about that last part. But instead of saying anything, he simply nodded.
“We don’t need to fight Caleb, not if you don't want to,” Korah said “My oath does not bind me to that anymore.”
“What changed?” Lucas asked.
“You. I was here in this forest hunting Caleb and his men because no greater purpose was given to me. My Sisters in the Water are still arguing about whether it's for good or ill, but they all agree that you will bring great change to our world, If you survive long enough to grow strong. I think, if you are given the chance, you would use your power to help us. I intend to make sure you survive, and to guide you while there are so many things you do not understand.”
She paused for a moment, frowning.
“They warn me that your soul has been wounded with hate and anger. It is true, I can see it, but this world is full of cruelty so that could hardly be avoided for someone so innocent as yourself. I will prove to you that there is more to my world. One day, if we all rest on your judgement, there will have been at least one who kept faith to the end, one who held fast to protect a friend and never once let their honour slip. How can they expect you to believe in us if there is nobody who believes in you? Well I know you better than they do, and I choose to believe, I will bet my life on it.”
Lucas felt tears welling in his eyes but he didn't say anything, afraid it would be something stupid.
Korah spoke again;
“Do you still want to kill Caleb and the Slavers?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Good.”
They fell into a comfortable silence again, each in their own thoughts. Lucas watched the reflection of the stars, shimmering in the ripples of the water. Warmth and light from Korah continued to glow in her Aura. Before her, his own seemed cold and desperate, like a moon with no true light of its own. He suddenly felt like he could not live without her, that without her light darkness would close in from the void to swallow him forever.
He shuffled closer so their Aura’s would overlap and rested his head on her shoulder. She believed in him, more than he believed in himself. She was committed, and would stay with him to the end, whatever it might be. Her loyalty unquestionable, her resolve unbreakable.
As his Aura soaked in hers he could feel that something was changing. The confidence and resolve that came so naturally to Korah was leaking over their connection. He believed in her, trusted and respected her. And so the way she saw him was changing the way he saw himself.
The tension and anxiety that had kept him awake for two days straight began losing its cold grip, and he felt ready to melt like butter before a warm fire. Soon he was slumped over, softly snoring. Korah shook his shoulder at some point, then walked him half-asleep back to the fire.
Dawn broke, shining brightly through the canopy in hues of pink and violet. The vibrant colours woke Lucas though his eyelids. If he really was coming, Caleb could reach them any time today. In theory it would be easy to set up an ambush, since to reach the Steel Seed the slavers would need to march into whatever situation Lucas felt like setting up for them. The Scouts should give them advanced warning of their approach, but Lucas hoped they would get enough time to set up the ambush perfectly. The remaining three Infiltrators he would send in the moment they were spotted. If the slavers got wind of the main ambush and decided to retreat, he wanted them to be taking the Infiltrators back with them.
His Arachs, on seeing him wake, clustered around to get their orders. They all smelt like greasy meat and mint. He kept them close, knowing all of them would be needed if the fight broke out early. The time for hunting was done. Korah was already awake, finishing some repairs on her armour. She frowned as she held it up to the light, poking a finger through the holes left by the Rockbone Bear’s teeth.
“Good enough,” She announced, and started pulling it over her head.
“I think I know a good place to set up our ambush,” Lucas began.
“Do you remember the Ruins we walked through before we fought the Rockbone Bear?
Within half an hour they reached the Ruins and Lucas began organising his troops. He had spent the last couple of days thinking about how he was going to organise his forces, and finally felt ready to put his plans into action.