It showed that this enclave seemed to have no need for a prison. No locks or barriers blocked her on her way out and So-ree followed the corridors and stairs until she was outside in the main ravine again. She’d heard a commotion from the prison but paid it no mind. Hopefully, Tawen wasn’t talking to them but So-ree felt she hadn’t given anything important away anyway.

During her rest and imprisonment, the storm had calmed down. It was only overcast with some light snowfall as she emerged into the outside. Accordingly, the area was busier as well. She saw groups walking towards the far end of the ravine, carrying picks and pulling carts. Her home enclave had been a mining community as well, on the one hand to gather material and on the other hand to free up space for their mushroom farms. Mining seemed to be one of the main occupations here as well. However, there were also others carrying large knives and wearing some sort of metal clothing among the groups on their way to the back half of the enclave. So-ree had no idea what that equipment was for.

“The intruder has escaped!”, a voice called out to her left. A young girl was running through the street, wearing a fur mantle with red fur trimmings, holding her hood with one hand to keep it from dropping as she dodged her way through the crowd. “Keep your eyes out for an outsider, a young girl close to my age! The intruder has escaped!”

So-ree instinctively pulled back and reinforced the wrapping of power keeping her hidden. How was there already someone yelling about her escape? She was the first to get out of that improvised dungeon and there had been no other paths on her way up.

With her escape already public, she couldn’t linger. Already people were looking around and that would do her no good. She had to come up with a plan. First, something to eat.

A few people headed towards her to block off the tunnel while others spread out through the side alleys and up the stairs around the exit where she’d left the tunnel. It was easy to dodge around them with the wrapping keeping her unnoticed and head towards a place where no one was. That ended up being towards the end of the ravine where most people had been heading before. The street had practically cleared out, only one group with picks and carts continued on their way. So-ree decided to follow them.

While strolling behind the miners, she examined what she had swiped off the table on her way out of the cell room. It was a belt which was looped multiple times around an earthen tube. There was still enough belt left to tie it to her waist and the buckle and notches to do so. The tube itself was made of two equal parts which were sealed together with some sort of white glue. So-ree scratched it with her nail, but stopped when she confirmed that she could open it. If there really was an eye of an immortal inside, she didn’t want to open it with no way to seal it closed again. It might be decaying. Smell was one of the harder factors to cover up with Fenner’s power. Which reminded her to keep an eye out for a bath and a change of clothes. She probably stank.

Throw it into a hole, Fenner commented. So-ree refrained from answering as she didn’t want to waste power concealing her voice but she ignored his advice and instead belted it tight over her furs. She had no intention of letting anyone else get their hands on the immortal’s eye. They’d have to mutilate her more if they wanted another piece.

The ravine had narrowed and the group slowed down as they seemed to arrive at their destination. So-ree slowed down to keep a healthy distance and observed as they walked through a large cavern at the end of the ravine and entered a tunnel system. She was about to follow them, when she noticed a few tables and benches and a side cavern to her right. Someone was already busy preparing food in there, judging by the smell. That was enough for So-ree to pivot away from the miners and towards what seemed to be a community kitchen. Maybe someone was getting lunch ready for the workers once they had finished.

Her prediction turned out to be right. Two people, an older man only wearing a shirt and beige pants, his head shaved and a girl of a similar age to So-ree were busy preparing a lot of food. The girl’s skin was noticeably darker than the mans and her black hair was tied in a tight bun. She was wearing a red fur coat but had tied it around her waist, exposing a white shirt underneath and was busy dicing a large root vegetable while the man stirred a large pot over an open flame. The heat in the small cavern was an uncomfortable contrast to the cold outside and So-ree hurried to the table where the raw ingredients were laid out. After a quick glance, she grabbed a bundle of purple roots, similar to the ones the girl was cutting up, judging them safe to eat raw and then settled down against the wall outside the entrance. The heat of the fire was radiating out, keeping the spot at a bearable temperature. Sitting there, she devoured the vegetables she had scrounged up.

While she was eating, another group showed up, the people carrying long knives and wearing metal clothes. They lined up in the open space, a woman wearing red furs walking back and forth in front of them, calling out names. Each time, someone responded by bringing the hand with the knife to their chest with the blade pointing downwards. So-ree started to suspect that the people in red furs had some command position in this enclave. At first she had thought only Odhar, the immortal, wore them, but there were too many of them around. It seemed strange that the girl in the kitchen had one as well then. The man seemed to be in charge in there. At least that was her experience in kitchens. The one stirring the pot was always in charge. Now that she thought about it, the people in red furs also looked different from the other people, their skin was usually of a darker shade. They were similar to the immortals she had seen up until now. Salessa, Odhar and Tawen all had darker skin than other people in the enclaves. But it would be silly to think that all of the people in red furs she had seen were immortals. Immortals didn’t work in kitchens.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

After the people with knives finished their roll call, they started to strike out with their blades every time the woman called out a word. They stabbed high, low, left and right on her command. That went on until So-ree finished her roots, but she stayed sitting down and watched them in fascination.

“Do you have any idea what they are doing?”, she whispered, addressing Fenner in a while. He had given up talking to her after she ignored his last command but with the work in the kitchen behind her and the yells and grunting in front of her she didn’t think her whispers would draw any attention and threaten her wrapping.

They are doing drills. I have only read about this. In old times, they had large scale conflicts and people were trained to wield these weapons called swords to kill each other. It requires a lot of training to get humans to coordinate with each other at any appreciable level, the spirit answered. I have only read about this. Very strange. This Odhar must have larger plans than staying in this enclave if they are getting ready for combat. That would only be necessary if they wanted to attack another place.

“Attacking another enclave? Why? They seem to have everything they need here, a way to grow food, protection from the storm, they even have a mine to make a lot of useful things. It seems a waste to use up all this metal to make oversized knives if they could make tools instead. Besides, what would they do against other immortals?”

I would agree, but not everyone is satisfied with being left alone. But considering the captured immortal in the basement, they must have other aspirations. Besides, you should know better than everyone that immortals can still be fought. Aionwe showed you that.

“I guess you are right”, So-ree whispered, her eyes still trained on the sword wielders going through their motions in perfect symmetry. “While we are on that, you still haven’t actually told me how to kill an immortal. You were supposed to when we got here, but then I got caught and all that and we never got around to it.”

I have found that it is best to reveal my power bit by bit. But you already have all the pieces, so might as well tell you now, Fenner responded. Spirits can repair most damage done to their bodies given time and they do not suffer from damage. As long as the body is capable of it, spirits can move it. But we can only grow so large. Most spirits focus themselves tightly around their body and only expand towards the sky to replenish. So separating a part of the body and taking it away allows you to slowly whittle away at them until there is no body left to control. That is how you kill an immortal.

So-ree mulled the spirit’s words over for a bit. Was it really that easy? Cut them up and toss them in different holes? How had no one tried that?

“Couldn’t they just take the limb back?”, she asked.

Of course a spirit would fight to get their body parts back and most humans do not have the ability to face a practically invulnerable foe that is both stronger than them and has some various abilities on top of it. But my powers help with that.

“Oh, I can just stay unnoticed and disappear the limb, once I cut it off… and with that inverse ability you showed me, I can cut it off pretty easily as well”, So-ree realized, her eyes growing wide. “That’s pretty smart? But why don’t I just make them disappear whole?”

The wrapping for that would be much too large, Fenner responded. My powers can’t be used like that.

“Makes sense. How did someone cut up your old body then? Does someone have the same abilities as you?”

Fenner was quiet for a while and So-ree worried that she had upset the spirit. She was still getting used to talking to a voice in her head and the way the spirit spoke devoid of any inflection and emotion made her sometimes forget that they still had them, they just had no way to show them.

No, all spirits are different in that. You could say we all interpret our wishes differently, even if they are similar. But that is a story for another time, the spirit finally responded after a while. Unfortunately this Odhar can circumvent my powers to a degree. All spirits naturally have the ability to see each other but most never use due to our solitary nature. But with their aspirations for war, they must have gotten in the habit of keeping an eye out for other spirits. You will have to be quick when taking them apart and maybe we will have to leave with a partial victory.

“Why not just leave now? They already know we are here.”

That would go against my sense of pride. We can’t leave without at least proving that we are a danger to this spirit, Fenner answered.

Listening to half a conversation is really exhausting, a voice said in So-ree’s head. But I think I have connected with you now, so you can tell me your spirit’s answers.

“Wait, what?`”, So-ree blurted out.

This might get confusing. This is Tawen speaking. I decided to take my chances with you and hitch a ride as well. Tell your spirit thank you for doing all the leg work, connecting with you was much easier than with others. It’s like sharing my power with one of Odhar’s underlings that had already carried me around.

With a growing sense of horror, So-ree looked at the earthen tube at her waist.

“Are you kidding me?”

What are you talking about, So-ree?

No, you got another spirit in your head. I can’t wait to learn how your spirit gets on without a body.