Hydrablood Chapter 9

May 29, 775

Kiln trudged down the hill towards the road. The skies were overhead roiled with heavy gray clouds, the remnants of the storm that had left him stranded on a hilltop and surrounded by huge flowing torrents of water that had come rolling down out of the mountains. For over two days he had huddled in a small outcropping watching the rain and wondering if his friends had gotten to shelter before the rains hit. Now that the rain had stopped, he found himself wandering the length of the road looking for some sign of his missing companions.

It was mid afternoon when he heard the sound of two horses clomping slowly down the muddy road. Kiln turned and saw two mounted soldiers leisurely making their way up the road towards him, each of them wearing a green and gold uniform with two insignias.. One of the insignias was the crest of the Kingdom of the Silver Hills, the other crest was unfamiliar. It was most likely the crest of whatever lord they served. The two called out when they saw Kiln’s cloaked form making its way up the road towards them.

“Ho traveler, would you by chance have seen an elf wandering the road? Goes by the name of Kiln.”

Kiln sighed in relief. His friends were fine.

* * *

Kiln stared down at his unconscious friend. Beside him, Crystal Asten, the daughter of Lord Cian Asten was talking.

“After the fight the remaining soldiers bandaged him up and brought him up here. He hasn’t woken up since then. We had a soldier trained in medicine, but they were killed in the fighting. We sent word back to my father but we probably won’t have any help for another day or so.”

Kiln glanced at the stump of Dan’s right hand in shock. The whole experience did not seem real. His friend had been hurt and He had not been here to help.

“He will be alright, won’t he?”

The girl hesitated.

“We think so. The wound was cauterized, so blood loss isn’t really the issue. We are more concerned about an infection. If we can avoid that, then he should survive.”

Kiln nodded. A feeling of numbness was spreading throughout his body.

“I hate to ask, but we could really use your help with one of your other friends. He is being a little unreasonable and we don’t want to hurt him, but…”

Crystal let her trail off. Kiln nodded in acknowledgement. If he could help one of the others maybe it would help.

“Take me to them.”

Crystal led him out of the small room on the second floor of the watchtower and into another on the ground floor. The room stank of blood and Kiln saw two figures inside. Hydrozeno sat despondently on the stone floor of the bare room, his head bowed and eyes closed. Crystal whispered quietly.

“He hasn’t left since we moved them in there. He won’t eat and snarls at us if we get too close.”

“I will see if I can help.”

Kiln cautiously approached Hydrozeno. As he got closer the second form became easier to see. Icepaw’s eyes were closed. His face was the only thing visible. The rest of his body was covered by a sheet. Icepaw might have been sleeping if the once white sheet was not dyed red. Hydrozeno looked up as Kiln drew in a sharp breath. The golden eyes locked onto Kiln’s. For a moment Hydrozeno’s face contorted with rage, then he sagged.

“Are you here to take my friend from me or is this about the hand?”

Kiln sat next to him.

“They told me about the hand. It wasn’t your fault.”

Hydrozeno nodded.

“I didn’t know what else to do.”

The pair sat in silence for several minutes. Then Kiln sighed heavily.

“You can’t stay here with him forever, Hydrozeno.”

The hydrablood hung his head. Tears began to form in his eyes.

“He is my only friend. What am I supposed to do without him? When I first left the master’s cave he was the first person I met. He watched out for me. Made sure that others didn’t try to lock me up again. He saved me so many times. Then that night… I was out of regeneration.”

Kiln looked at the still form again.

“He saved you again.”

“That thing was taking out seasoned soldiers with a single blow. He knew that. But he…”

“He charged it anyway. For you, his best friend.”

Hydrozeno hunched down farther. Kiln just sat there. He studied the face of Icepaw and knew he had misjudged him. Kiln had been so sure that Icepaw had been manipulating the simpleminded hydrablood for his own ends. The fox had been secretive and at times deceptive, Kiln was sure, but his friendship with the strange elf had been true. Kiln closed his eyes. Perhaps the shady hints and doubletalk had been the real illusion to hide the fact that he actually cared for something.

“Hydrozeno, it’s time to let him rest.”

Kiln just placed a hand on the other young man’s shoulder as he sobbed.

* * *

Kiln let his thoughts drift as he waited. Hydrozeno had buried his friend yesterday and was now training in the yard with the surviving soldiers. He did not talk much, but that was normal for the taciturn hydrablood. Instead he had gone out this morning and wordlessly joined the ranks of soldiers. He was far from the most skilled swordsman but his grit was undeniable. There had been fifty soldiers in the outpost when the creature had appeared. Twenty-eight had engaged the creature. Sixteen had been outright killed. Three had died later from their wounds, including the garrison commander. Six others had been injured. Only three had escaped untouched.

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Out of Kiln’s group of four, Icepaw was dead, Dan was badly injured, and Hydrozeno was still recovering. It would be a quick recovery for him. Kiln had been the only one untouched. Because he had not been there. Kiln had left his friends to explore and as a result he had not been there for his friends when they had needed him most. Kiln had assumed the role of group leader in his mind, but when push came to shove, he had run off and abandoned his group to play explorer and scout. Icepaw had stepped into the role in his absence. Or perhaps Icepaw had actually been the one holding them all together to begin with. Kiln had just been deluding himself into thinking he was the one in charge.

Kiln looked up when he heard someone open the door to the room. Crystal Asten entered the room and came to stand next to the bed, staring down at Dan’s unconscious body. She was young, only 16 and just received her Gifts a couple of months ago. Her father, Lord Cian Asten, had sent her to this outpost to learn the military life as was custom for all children of minor nobility in the Kingdom of the Silver Hills. She was short and rather plain looking but seemed decent enough. Kiln had heard that human nobility could be a pain to deal with most of the time. Maybe it was because she was from one of the lower ranking houses.

She stood there staring at Dan. She was not wearing armor. Apparently her side was badly hurt in the attack and had been wrapped up. The only evidence was the stiffness in the way she moved. The bandages were just not visible from beneath the freshly washed green uniform and its gold trim. After a moment she spoke.

“He saved my life, you know.”

Kiln furrowed his brows.

“Who? Icepaw?”

Crystal shook her head.

“No, your friend Dan. He dragged me away, after whatever that thing was, cut me with its tail. I probably should have died. But your friend here, Dan, grabbed me and dragged me away from the fighting. He bandaged me up. I can only vaguely remember it.”

“That kind of surprises me.”

“Why?”

Kiln hesitated before answering.

“Dan doesn’t like to fight. I think he is scared of fighting. He only came on this trip because he knew I wanted to.”

“I am glad he did. By all accounts, he is the one who wounded the creature so that your other friend could finish it off. He ate its heart apparently.”

“Yeah, it sounds kind of gruesome when you put it that way.”

Crystal shrugged.

“It worked and I won’t complain about it too much. I am sorry about your other friend.”

Kiln closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair.

“I didn’t really know him very long.”

Kiln trailed off, unsure what to say to this relative stranger. After a minute of awkward silence she stood up and headed for the door.

“Let me know when he wakes up. I want to thank him for what he did.”

Then she was gone and Kiln was left sitting there in his chair and waiting for Dan, his best friend, to wake up. In the bed beside Kiln’s seat, Dan slept on. It was another two days before he woke.

* * *

Kiln was relieved when Dan finally woke. His friend moaned and clutched at the stump on his right hand. Kiln stood up.

“Don’t try to get up Dan, I will get the healer.”

Kiln hurried out calling for the healer who had arrived yesterday. He found the man with one of the wounded soldiers, but the older gentleman with a well trimmed white mustache got up and hurried to Dan’s room. He had Kiln wait outside.

“These kinds of things can be difficult and I find it's better if there aren’t people who the injured are intimately familiar with aren’t around. It helps them sort out their thoughts.”

After an hour of waiting in the hall the door opened and the elderly man waved for Kiln to enter. Dan was sitting up in bed with the help of several lumpy pillows and blankets. He looked terrible. His eyes were red and had dark shadows underneath them. His lips were cracked. The jug of water and bowl of thin soup that had been sitting on a table near the bed were both empty. The doctor closed the door as Kiln entered, but didn’t leave. Kiln smiled in relief.

“Hey, it’s good to see you awake.”

Dan stared back at the elf.

* * *

Kiln and Hydrozeno both trudged away from the watchtower in the early morning sun. Their steps were slow, regret weighing them both down. Each of those steps took them each a little farther away from a friend they had been forced to leave behind. Hydrozeno glanced at the figure next to him. It unsettled him to see the other elf standing next to him instead of Icepaw. Another quick glance back at the hill they had just descended showed a small pile of stones near the top. The hydrablood closed his eyes and held back the bitter tears. Kiln did not cry. He was still in shock. He could still see the accusatory stare of his best friend in his mind. The only words Dan had said to him still rang in the elf’s ears.

“You weren’t there. Why weren’t you there?”

The human refused to speak to Kiln after that. He just stared blankly into the distance. Eventually Kiln had left the room. He wasn’t allowed back in. Apparently Dan did not want to talk. It had hurt. Not just the refusal, but the knowledge that Dan was not wrong. Kiln had not been there for his friend. Kiln had not been certain what to do next. After a day of staring across the landscape from the top of the tower, Kiln had noticed a lone figure still in the courtyard. Night had fallen, but Hydrozeno had still been practicing. Kiln realized that the other elf was alone. His only friend was dead. Kiln had failed to be there for Dan. He thought maybe he could be there for the other elf.

So the two had started talking. Hydrozeno told Kiln stories about the unusual schemes Icepaw would cook up. Most of the time, they ended with the pair running from someone. Kiln shared his and Dan’s dream to run away from home to become famous mercenaries in Friedmark. Hydrozeno seemed taken with the idea of being a mercenary and asked if he could join them. Kiln said yes. Hydrozeno had gone to talk with Dan since Kiln was not allowed. Dan had refused to join them. Kiln did not ask Hydrozeno if he knew why.

* * *

Dan watched the two figures walking away. He felt empty, like something was missing. His blade was leaning against the bed. The sheath’s blue dyed leather was clean once more. Or at least half of it was. The other half was slowly turning black, rotting as the now blackened portion of the blade, that had been exposed to the corrupted substance from the gem, now slowly ate away at the sheath.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Gerald, the kindly old healer that had been dispatched by Lord Asten, poked his head in.

“Dan, you have a visitor. Are you okay with talking with someone?”

Dan deliberately turned from the window and nodded at the man.

“Sure.”

Gerald ducked his head back out and said something inaudible to someone outside in the hallway. The door opened again and the young woman Dan had pulled from the battle entered. She looked around uncertainly.

“Sorry to bother you, I was just wondering if it was okay for us to talk. We never got the chance. I’m Crystal Asten.”

Dan’s heart skipped a beat. He extended his hand.

“Hello, I’m Dan Del Torre. What’s your name?”

The woman blinked. Dan kicked himself mentally. The rehearsed line had just popped out. Then Dan realized he had made it even more awkward by offering the girl, Crystal, his now non existent right hand.

It was one of the most awkward moments of his life.