Valentin awoke to a dead fire. The pile of corpses had not moved during the night; showing their spirit’s benevolence or tolerance towards the boy. He hoped that he had helped, in some way, to stave off the blight that the unattended could have caused. He gave one last apologetic look towards the pile before departing the longhouse.
Under Ortus’ light, Valentin reinvestigated the area and identified some scraps of dried meat and another potato. The dried meat was more difficult for him to stomach than the raw potato was. It tasted fine but there was an inescapable recollection of the smells that he had chased the day before. This meager breakfast would have to suffice.
As he walked towards the outskirts of the village, he spotted a trail heading up the coastline. With the hopes that he would reach a surviving village soon, Valentin followed a trail into the forest and left the misfortunate souls behind, hopefully to rest for good.
Without the deafening thunder of the storm, the sounds of birds accompanied the roaring anger of the ocean to the west. However, far away over the water, gray clouds released streaks of water beneath it. Rain would likely come again soon. For now, he would have to make pace while it was still dry.
Throughout the day, strips of rain would pass over from the ocean and onto the land. A few minutes of deluging water followed by a few minutes of peace. It felt as though a being from the higher plane was filling a bucket of water up and dumping the contents onto the ground below before going back and repeating the process almost endlessly.
The meandering trail led him to a shallow creek. A family of deer lapped up the cold water with extended tongues. Their ears perked up upon hearing Valentin rustling through the bushes causing them to flee into the woods. He drank greedily from the creek. Instead of quenching his parched mouth, his body revealed how dehydrated it was and demanded more. Once he finally felt satisfied, he rinsed his face and hair in the cold water and shook in refreshment.
He continued along the path, trying to find footprints in the wet mud. He found no recent prints, filling him with equal parts relief and weariness. Looking over his shoulder, he realized that he was creating prominent footprints in the mud. It would not take much effort for anyone who stumbled upon these prints would be able to easily track him down.
He quickly walked back and forth along the trail, making his footsteps go every which way. Hopefully, this would be enough to confuse anyone that followed him.
Around midday, Valentin reached another clearing along the coastline. It was here that he learned that the grim remains of the village was not an isolated tragedy. This new village was almost unrecognizable to Valentin; the destruction had been nearly complete and the following storms almost dissolved the hovels fully into the mud.
The stubborn skeleton of the longhouse partially stood, catching his eye. A brief, hopeless scouring of the area yielded no morsels. Whatever wasn’t picked clean by the attackers was now burned away or scavenged by animals.
At the edge of the village, Valentin stumbled upon a well-used foot trail. It strayed from the coast and led inland slightly. Valentin chose to use the path. He believed that, in the worst case, he could always double back if it didn’t go anywhere useful.
With that, he set off in a new direction. The underbrush had been deliberately cut away but plants had already begun encroaching upon the trail. Their branches reached ambitiously towards the unclaimed soil. Scattered footprints survived the storm under the cover of the trees. Many of these prints were quite small. They boy felt more confident that perhaps none of the attackers ventured this far up the trail.
A javelin lay in the path, partially buried by the mud. Valentin crouched down and inspected it, wondering who left it behind. He inspected the area around him but found nothing that could help him. The rain obliterated any footprints and nearby clues, leaving him confident that the owner did not linger in the area.
After more walking, Valentin spotted two legs jutting out onto the trail. They were riddled with bite marks from passing animals, revealing streaks of bone beneath the red strings of muscle. It reeked of rot and curse, causing him to retch several times on his deflated stomach. He gingerly stepped around the obstacle. The boy offered a brief bow of respect to the abandoned body before hurrying away from the poisoned area.
He found himself moving more quickly even though he had long cleared the cursed land. The idea of doubling back past the corpse seemed more dangerous. He vigilantly checked the forest around him for any other cursed bodies but fortunately didn’t find any.
Now that Killicia was several days behind him, Ortus shone on the land considerably less. Light had already begun fading and cold crept in. Valentin knew that he would be making less and less progress every day and he was out of food. So he ran. Up the trail he went, without consideration for what was around him. Things would only get more desperate if he did not make progress. However, his running did not possess much vigor. Days on foot with little food had sapped him of his normal energy. Instead, he moved at a labored pace only slightly above his walking speed.
Light dimmed and the lone traveler staggered along the path. Through the trees, he saw a structure. The muddy path arced towards the building and the boy dutifully followed it. At the very least it could serve as a shelter until the next day. As he approached, he saw smoke coming from the building.
He froze in place. Was it the raiders or was it a different group? What if his pursuers were staying inside and he was delivering himself straight to them?
Valentin considered circling around and passing the cabin entirely. However, night was falling and the scent of cooking food made his stomach rasp and rumble. The past few days after the pies were eaten had been torture to him and ebbed his caution.
Valentin approached the cabin indirectly. He left the trail and went through the underbrush slowly, crouching near the ground in the hopes that he could spot the inhabitants. He got closer and could hear voices but none of them sounded like Bothair’s. He left his cover of foliage and into the clearing. There were no windows to peep through so, against better judgment, he snuck a peek into the doorway.
Eyes peered around the corner to see three warriors sitting or standing around an iron pot and talking. The waning light made it difficult to make out their faces or expressions. A boy sat near the wall of the cabin, staring at the ground. Could these be the raiders? At the very least none of them looked like Valentin’s own pursuers.
“Hey,” a powerful hand clasped Valentin’s narrow shoulder from behind causing him to wince in pain.
Valentin turned to see a bald-headed, bushy bearded man staring him down. The bridge of his nose, broken through numerous brawls, ran down his face like a ridgeline. Hands that felt like they were made of iron clamped down on Valentin’s body. His surprised eyes narrowed as he inspected the intruder before escorting him forward.
“Who are you?” The warrior asked.
Valentin did not respond, he was stunned into a stammered silence. Valentin realized just how dulled all of his senses truly were. The surprise caused his mind to panic. He tried to form words, but his mind discarded every answer that materialized. He stuttered nonsensical syllables to little avail.
“I-I-uh-um-uh-ah,” Valentin choked out.
The three warriors inside ceased their conversation as Valentin was led inside by the arresting warrior.
Valentin was forced to sit in front of the three warriors. The flanking warriors watched Valentin with unsettling curiosity. He shied away from the gazes. What was it that they saw that was so interesting? His ratty appearance and rancid body should not have betrayed any ideas of value to these people.
“What did you find there, Gervin?” The warrior in the center rested her chin on her hand and tilted her head slightly.
“A gaunt weasel, Vice Deggan Morna. I went out to shit and saw him peeking in when I returned.” Gervin responded and brought Valentin directly to the assumed leader of the group.
Morna moved to allow Valentin to sit beside her. She leaned over and inspected the boy. Rough fingers tenderly brushed his unkempt hair out of his eyes and looked into his face. An odor of sweat filled Valentin’s nostrils and he tried his best not to make a face in response. There was little doubt that he smelled far worse than she did.
Valentin found her to be uncomfortably close. Morna was a beautiful woman. At least she was the kind of woman that Valentin heard others call beautiful. She had the soft features and pristine skin of someone that would be the subject of paintings that hang in noble’s estates. Her hair was slightly long for a fighter, draping down over her shoulders in various braids. She gave off a playful air similar to Euna but her calloused hands created a roughness that the troubadour did not possess. Her eyes were especially disconcerting to Valentin. An animal-like impassivity dwelled deep within them.
He heard the warrior to his right mutter under his breath at his leader’s attitude towards Valentin. A shock of black hair sat atop his scratched and scarred head. Part of his left ear was cleaved off his head and he delivered a venomous scowl Valentin’s way. The warrior to the left, the youngest and smallest of the four warriors, watched without much interest.
“Who are you, boy?” The woman cooed in a sweet voice to Valentin that surprised him and calmed him in equal measure.
However, the tone seemed to perturb the other warriors. It was as though her gentle demeanor was not a tool that she had to employ often. Perhaps they were all witnesses a rare dimension of this woman’s character. For Valentin, this was a visage that he had missed immensely. How fortunate he felt that the first person he met on this side of the world appeared kind.
“My name is Valentin,” Valentin introduce himself weakly, his eyes clearly showing his exhaustion. He broke eye contact with Morna to peer at the simmering pot of stew and prayed that he could have some as well.
“Oh,” Morna said with excitement. “What a nice name. I’m Morna. The mean one here is Charlon, the baby is Robert, and the ugly one behind you is Gervin.” She pulled Valentin closer and inspected the emblem on the coat. “Where are you from, Valentin?”
Despite Morna’s kind demeanor, Valentin still was uncertain how much information he should tell the warriors. After all, only one of these people seemed friendly. In fact, the proximity he was sharing with Morna only seemed to nurture the frustration in the other two. He could not rightly say for the man who stood behind him as he could not subtly crane his neck to gauge his expression. If his pursuers had already met this group and said they were hunting a boy from Roucotte, it might be the end of him, regardless of Morna’s kindness. Perhaps it was too late to withhold information but at the very least he wouldn’t tell them that he cracked the Bloodstone.
“Who’s that over there then?” Valentin asked, diverting the question by pointing towards the unnamed person slumped against the wall.
The downcast boy slowly turned his head to look towards Valentin. Cold eyes buried in sunken sockets stared towards him with an accusatory stare. He silently condemned Valentin for putting attention upon him, giving Valentin a sense of unease.
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“That’s Bassett,” Morna introduced. “He’s been our guide recently. Please don’t mind him too much, he’s been in a dreary mood since his clan perished recently.”
“How horrible,” Valentin responded as he offered Bassett an apologetic look.
“That’s how life is,” Morna replied nonchalantly. Any sympathy within her voice seemed fully reserved for Valentin. She tapped on the jacket’s emblem a few more times. “Now, why don’t you tell me what it is that brought you all the way out here? I know that you didn’t come from anywhere nearby.”
“W-well.” Valentin started before cutting himself off. He was still unsure of what he should say.
He tried to concoct some sort of story that would be believable. However, his exhausted mind and body inhibited his thoughts. The best that he could was continue his noncommittal answers until he could spin a suitable tale.
“Why are we bothering with this?” Charlon spat into the ground. “I don’t know why you are being so indirect with this, Vice Deggan. There’s no need for you to show such courtesy to some lost whelp. He’s just taking advantage of you.”
“It doesn’t matter why he’s here,” Robert added. “Let’s just take him back with us.”
Valentin receded away from the warrior’s threatening words. He eyed his avenues for escape, but found nothing he could use. Even if he wanted to run, he couldn’t. Gervin’s imposing frame fully sealed the doorway. His heartrate began to pick up as his mind worried that he was in danger, regardless of Morna’s kind words.
“Are you questioning me?” Morna demanded with a voice that chilled Valentin further. Both Charlon and Robert quieted and turned their heads away. “Don’t mind them. We’ve been on a mission for a few days and we were only allowed to bring weak ale.”
“I see,” Valentin answered, doubting that it was only that reason.
His eyes followed his nose back to the stew simmering in the center of the room. Every time he breathed in, the scent of the food seized control of his attention. His stomach made plea after plea to start ladling the food into his mouth. He wanted to ask, but didn’t want to come across as impolite. Morna was kind, she would allow it.
Morna’s eyes seemed to track his. They were serious compared to the attitude that she sported on the rest of her face. She was looking at the boy from quite a close distance, still trying to appraise him.
She softly patted Valentin’s head. “Are you hungry? We brought a little extra. I can pour you a bowl if you want.”
“I-if you have enough. I don’t want to make you miss a meal for me,” Valentin replied as courteously as he could.
Morna ignored Valentin’s babbling. She reached for the ladle and scooped it out into her wooden bowl. She extended the food to him. “You can have this.”
“Thank you,” Valentin took the bowl and sampled the broth. It had a rich familiar taste, unlike the food that he had in the gate town. He felt his insides warm up and his body come to life more. He scarfed down his meal and placed the bowl down, satisfied.
“Now,” Morna picked up the line of questioning from where it had left off. “Would you tell me what it is that has you wandering around this place? Maybe we could help you with it.”
“I’m looking for Ferron Martelle,” Valentin answered as briefly as possible. “Do you know him?”
The room tensed up and the woman’s smile briefly turned to surprise before returning to its jovial state. “We serve under Ferron. How is it that you know about Ferron Martelle and how to find him during Faur?”
“My uncle used to serve under Ferron and had been to his Faur retreat before,” Valentin answered.
Valentin attempted to be clever and tell the truth without oversharing. Without Gilles around he did not know who to trust within Ferron’s group. However, this woman had fed him and it would be improper to refuse.
“Where is your uncle now?” Charlon asked. “If he really knew the way, you wouldn’t look this terrible.”
“We got separated days ago. I’ve been traveling by myself since.” Worry crossed Valentin’s face and he looked outside.
“Have two men visited you at all?” Valentin asked sheepishly.
Morna smiled. “Nope, you’re the first one that we’ve seen for days.”
Valentin sighed in conflicted relief. While the lack of his pursuer’s presence made him feel safe, his uncle would have likely been seen by this group. Valentin knew that he took an indirect path to this path. It would not have been difficult for him to be overtaken by either Gilles or Bothair.
Morna followed the boy’s eyes yet again and then nodded knowingly. “I think I understand what’s going on. Are you seeking Ferron Martelle’s protection?”
“That’s right, Uncle Gilles was supposed to negotiate a price with Ferron…” The boy’s voice trailed off as his thoughts drifted back towards his missing uncle. “I will have to negotiate with him myself.”
“I cannot make any deals on Ferron’s behalf.” Morna put a hand on Valentin’s shoulder and gave him a look of sympathy. She placed a finger to her lip and looked to be in contemplation before returning to a smile. “How about you and I make a deal for protection until we get you an audience with Ferron? You’ll need to have someone look out for you in case those people come back for you.”
“You’d do that?” Valentin replied hopefully. Finally he had reached safety. He gave an apologetic face. “I’m not sure how much you’d need, but I have a few coins-.”
“How adorable,” Morna interrupted before she waved her gloved hand dismissively. She patted the boy’s shoulder with reassurance with her other hand. “But, that won’t be an issue. I won’t even ask you for money. Does that sound good to you?”
“It does sound good,” Valentin agreed.
He felt comforted by the affection. He thought of Jeanne when he was met with this kindness and he felt that he could finally relax the tension that he felt inside of him. The release was more than the boy expected. Muscles uncoiled, his mind lowered from a heightened sense and thoughts wandered slowly through. He leaned forward and was caught by Morna.
“Wonderful,” she cooed into the boy’s ear before allowing him to rest against her. “Gervin, you stand watch to make sure our uninvited guests are given the welcome they deserve. We are cutting our scouting short. We will return tomorrow.”
“Why me?” Gervin grunted. He grabbed a spear from against the wall and donned an iron helmet. “I stood guard yesterday.”
“You’re the strongest one I brought. Besides-” Morna’s words turned unintelligible to Valentin who had drifted into a comfortable sleep.
Valentin was strongly shaken awake. He rubbed his eyes and saw Morna looking down at him. He had not slept long as Gervin was still outside and darkness had still not fully fallen on the land. He lifted himself back up into a sitting position.
“Forgive me, but it is not yet time for you to rest. There is more that needs to be done before we can retire.” Morna spoke in a gently chastising voice.
“Do you need me to help? It’s the least I can do to repay your kindness.” Valentin sat up and looked around.
Charlon and Robert had moved to the wall to flank Bassett. They offered Valentin expectant looks and made some space to allow him to sit between them. However, Morna shifted closer to Valentin, only further confusing the pair.
“That’s not exactly what I had in mind. When we get back there are a few jobs that I’d like you to do for me. There is a job I’d like you to do for me right now.”
“What would that be?” Valentin tilted his head in confusion.
Morna stood up and grabbed one of Valentin’s hands. “Everything you say has such an adorable innocence to it.”
She pulled him closer to her. Valentin slightly resisted in surprise but was easily overpowered. His head was pressed into her chest. “You know, it’s something that I rarely get to see. Everyone out here is always cold and hardened by the time I meet them.” Her hand passed through his hair. “It’s so boring. What joy is there to derive from such hard-heartedness?”
He looked up and saw that she was staring down at him. Their eyes met and she smiled. It wasn’t the same kind smile that had invited the boy closer to her. It was the smile that made Valentin feel incredibly small like a rabbit before a wolf. He tried to pull away but his feeble wrist was firmly shackled by Morna’s hand. He squirmed like an animal caught in a trap but it was no use.
“Even now, you have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” She used her free hand to caress Valentin’s cheek and force him to look at her again. “I want that innocence all for myself. Now that I’ve seen it, I cannot allow anyone else to have it.”
“What do you-”
Before Valentin could finish his question, Morna had descended upon him. She forced their mouths together. He wasn’t able to pull away from the vice grip around his waist and the gloved hand that gripped the back of head. She opened her mouth but Valentin refused to reciprocate. His thoughts were scattered with confusion and surprise. He felt a foreign tongue break through his lips and lick his closed teeth. The sensation made the boy itch all over.
The interaction quickly ended and Morna whispered in his ear. “Open your mouth or I’ll be upset.”
Morna tried again and got her way this time. Valentin stood there passively as the warrior wriggled around in his mouth. His eyes were open and he looked towards the warriors near the wall. They both glared and scowled at him. Why were they so angry? The boy between them gave him a sympathetic smile.
“Now, isn’t that more passionate than just meeting lips?” Morna wiped her mouth with her glove. “It gets your heart racing.”
“Why did you want to do that?” Valentin had a look of pained confusion across his face.
Morna’s face was bestial and the boy crawled on his hands backwards out of trepidation. “How can someone like you exist? Even that didn’t make you realize what was going on. What is it that you think I want from you?”
She moved closer while Valentin scurried away until he bumped into the wall behind him. An arm shot over his shoulder and into the wall behind him. She leaned in close to him so that he could feel her breath on his face.
“I don’t know.”
Her face transformed to one of awe. “What sort of sheltered type are you?” She stared into his eyes and Valentin tried to avert his gaze. “Are you some sort of beautiful spirit given human form that has appeared here to torment me? Why are things playing out this way?”
She placed a strong hand into the boy’s chest and pressed him into the ground. He writhed on the ground in an attempt to escape but was pressed down upon harder.
“That settles it.” An exploratory hand reached down and grasped at the buttons of Valentin’s breeches. She leaned closer into the boy. “This is not something that I can wait upon. I was going to drag this out for the next few days but you were not what I expected at all.”
“With that rancid stray?” Valentin heard one of the warriors nearby spit.
“Lucky bastard,” the other commented enviously.
He felt the glares of the other two warriors bear down on him. Why didn’t they act to help him? What were they so jealous of?
All his buttons were undone and the fabric was roughly grabbed and pulled down. The boy was exposed in front of the woman. She smiled and brushed her fingers over his exposed skin. He reached for his pants and tried to pull them back up but he was stopped.
“Now, now. After I gave you food, shelter, and protection, you’re going to be disobedient? You’re going to hurt my feelings.” Morna pouted and took Valentin’s hand. She brought it up and brought the boy’s hand to her chest. “Doesn’t that feel nice?”
“I don’t like this,” the boy whimpered. What had he done to deserve this?
“Unbelievable,” one of the warriors got up from his seat and stepped towards the struggling boy.
“You ungrateful little shit,” The tip of a boot swiftly impacted Valentin’s ribs. He swore he heard them crack. The boy gasped for air and his side throbbed with white hot pain. “Don’t you understand how fucking lucky you are? What a blessing you are receiving?”
Another kick was loaded and Valentin braced himself for the strike. The pressure on his chest released and he opened his eyes to see a boot right next to his face restrained by a clenched hand.
“Were you about to damage his face? Did you dare just try to destroy everything that I was enjoying?” Morna raged while she squeezed the leg in her grasp. The warrior groaned in pain. “If you had landed that kick, I would have killed you.”
“But Vice Deggan, he’s being disrespectful towards you!”
“If you can’t understand my fun, then get the fuck out. Actually, get out of my sight, Charlon. You get out too, Robert. I don’t want to see a single one of you until I’m done.”
“What the fuck did I do?” Robert complained.
“Your glare was killing my mood. If you don’t like it, take it up with Charlon who doesn’t know how to behave. Now get out.”
The other warrior got up. He looked down at the boy next to him. “Get up, Bassett, we’re heading out.”
“Bassett stays. If you wanted to have fun with him, you should have been having fun instead of glaring at mine.”
Robert stormed out of the building after Charlon, grumbling under his breath. From outside, Valentin heard one of them shout, “Shut the fuck up, Gervin.”
Now that the two warriors had left, Morna sighed, “Those fools almost spoiled my fun.” She brushed her hand on his face and smiled. With the other, she pressed her fingers on the spot where Valentin had been kicked. The boy winced in pain. “I want you to know that I’m much stronger than he is. Will you behave for me?”
Her words were sickly sweet when delivered but Valentin could no longer feel anything. He was not so naive as to not know where all of this was heading. He withheld hope that he had been mistaken or that he was even just being teased quite cruelly but it only continued to worsen. Jeanne was wrong, she was just as unaware as Valentin had been. Euna wasn’t a dangerous woman, Morna was.
He felt a hand on him. Internally he recoiled but on the surface he was trying to remain calm. He turned his head away and he met eyes with Bassett who was slouched along the wall. The other boy looked at him sympathetically but did not dare rise to Valentin’s aid. Valentin could not begrudge the decision. He didn’t know if he would have stood up for Bassett if their roles had been reversed.
“It seems that even the most innocent of people cannot change their animal instinct.” He heard the sound of cloth rustling but was still looking elsewhere. “Your body betrays your feelings, Valentin.” She grabbed his face and turned it so that it met hers. “That’s alright though, I wouldn’t have had any fun if it was any different.”
Valentin felt sickened by this rebellious piece of his body and mind that went along with this. He disavowed its treachery. The betrayal within hurting him as much as the damage to his ribs. It was an unfamiliar underlying emotion that flew in the face of the thoughts that took the forefront of his brain. Was this the animal instinct that he could not change? Was this the traitor that made this situation even more difficult to manage? He tried to suppress those feelings deep down inside him.
“Good boy. Let’s see just how long we can have fun for.”