Delmos wiped the streaming water from his face, cursing the foul weather that had followed them here. “Do you see them up there?” He squinted through the heavy rain and low light at the face of a large hill. “I’m sure they’re out there somewhere.”

Katrina sighed, sitting back against one of the trees their dwindling group was using for cover. Over the course of the last week, after they were attacked. More than half the fleeing group had decided to give themselves up to the pursuing Volsung warriors. Most of them were just civilian’s trying to flee to safety, but as the threat of attack increased, and the lack of rest pushed them past their limits, they began to leave and surrender.

“Who cares at this point Delmos…” Katrina’s eyes closed, and she mumbled “Wake me up if they attack.”

“Of course everything’s left up to me.” Delmos said, irritation in his voice. “By the Spirits, I wish Daniel were still alive to see this. I’m sure he would be telling me I deserve it.”

“Deserve what?” Katrina’s left eye popped open to glare at him.

“To be pestered and cold shouldered to death by a scornful human woman. Nothing worth mentioning to the likes of you.” He squinted again.

Katrina grunted and turned to face away from him.

“Just because I suggested we kill the girl, you have been treating me like a monster ever since.”

She turned to face him abruptly. “Because you ARE a monster. Malla was injured, and even after I healed her you wanted to kill her.”

He pointed out into the darkness. “Because I knew if we let her go, she would tell her clansmen where we are! Now look, we’re surrounded, starving, and haven’t slept in days.”

Katrina sighed and rested her head on her forearms across her knees.

Delmos fumed at her, wondering why he allowed this naïve human girl to overrule his decision. There were several shouts in the distance, and his eyes flashed to the darkened hillside again. They were searching for them, but with Katrina’s Dunamis they had managed to erase all tracks, and even mask their position to any Dae-Voh who went looking. He let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

“I’m sorry Delmos. I know we’re suffering for it, but I don’t regret my decision.” Katrina said, still resting her head. “I don’t want to murder anyone.”

Delmos didn’t say anything more. He just continued his vigilance, all through the night.

When Katrina awoke, several hours later. She groaned at the bitter cold that bit at her. Delmos yawned, his tired mind barely recognizing her emergence from slumber.

“What I wouldn’t give for some coffee.” She croaked

“Hmmm…” He responded unenthusiastically.

Katrina rolled on her knees to sit upright; wincing at the feeling of her soaked cloak pressing against her bare skin. She stood, cupping her hands to her mouth and blowing into them. She walked over to Delmos, who’s eyes blinked dryly while looking over the hillside.

“Thank you Delmos.” She said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I really needed some sleep. “I’ll take watch tonight. Maybe some of the others will-”

“There aren’t any.” He said, interrupting her.

She paused, processing the information. “Aren’t any, what?”

“Last night, the rest of our party surrendered to the Volsung.” He said coldly. “They swore that they were the last, and all the warriors had left them long ago, along with you, the spirit-sent.” He pointed to four bodies that laid prostrate on the muddied hillside. “They didn’t believe them.”

Katrina gasped at the sight. Her mind racing at ways this could have been avoided. “Why would they surrender like that!?”

“They couldn’t handle it, Kat.” Delmos said, using her nickname. “The cold, the stress. Those four remaining warriors gave their lives so the thirty civilians could be captured and live.” He looked at her finally. “But again, we’re alone out here.”

Katrina hung her head and held back tears. “This whole damn situation… Fucking Robert and his bullshit.”

“Yeah.” Delmos grunted while he stood. “Your mate deserves to die a traitor’s death for what he’s responsible for.”

“He isn’t my mate.” Katrina’s eyes were filled with fury. “And if I ever come across him again, he’s a dead man.”

~

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Delmos and Katrina were able to continue their trek, now with much more speed, and less of a headache dealing with the constant groaning of the civilians. Katrina was now able to use her Dunamis to mask the miniscule tremors each step made while walking on the ground. With a group of nearly a hundred, it made the task of masking them nearly impossible. The Volsung had Dae-Voh scanning for such things, and could easily determine the location of groups of people. This was why they could never seem to escape the various raiding parties. With this new found flexibility they were able to work their way East. They spent several nights hiding in small hovels, dug out by Katrina’s Dunamis so they could sleep in relative comfort and safety, but as they moved, it became clear they needed to find a village and have a true night’s sleep.

Delmos lifted his hand to shade his eyes from the sun above. “There’s a village… or something ahead.”

Katrina walked beside him and squinted. “Don’t you know which one?”

Delmos gave her an irritated look. “I don’t know every backwater village in Lokkadonia, Kat, I’m sorry I don’t have a damn map with me.”

Katrina rolled her eyes and started to walk forward.

“Wait a second.” He said, folding his arms. “We can’t go waltzing in there looking like we are. You’re a human and are easily recognizable.”

She groaned and flung her hands in the air. “Okay, then what do we do? Because I don’t know about you, but I am in desperate need of a bath.”

“I’ve noticed.” He wrinkled his nose.

She glared at him. “Do you have a plan or something? Or are you just stating the obvious and waiting for me to think of it.”

“I was hoping, but alas, these tedious details usually fall to me.” Delmos brought his hand up to his chin and thought. “Perhaps you could stay on the outskirts of the village, and I secure a room. Then we could sneak you in and-”

“No.” She folded her arms. “I’m not sitting out here in the cold again.”

He bit his tongue. “We’re in enemy territory. There is a good chance there are several raiding parties taking refuge there. So that probably wouldn’t work anyway, seeing as how a warrior like myself and a human would be immediately caught and thrown in chains.”

Katrina let out an exasperated sigh, and slumped to sit on the ground. “If only there was some way I could disguise myself. Maybe a really big cloak?”

“That would be difficult, seeing as how in villages, the people all know each other.” Delmos tilted his head to the side. “Though there are plenty of newcomers arriving every day as refugees.” He bent down to look closely at her face. “Damn, if only you could use the same technique as Robert. Mask us in some shroud or illusion.”

Katrina paused for a moment. “Yeah…” She looked up to the sky, in deep thought. “We might have to just move on, until we get out of enemy territory… I guess I will have to go without a nice hot bath.”

Delmos suddenly began looking around. His expression one of anticipation. “Maybe… hmm…” He grabbed her arm and hauled her up. “Can you perhaps try to manipulate your spiritual energy again?”

“What?” She asked.

“Like you did when you healed the Volsung girl. You know what I mean, instead of willing your energy to heal, perhaps you could use it to… I don’t know, alter your body or something.”

“I don’t know how to do that.” She protested, shaking her head.

“Well I didn’t think it was possible to heal someone without any practice or knowledge! But you managed to do it! Your power has been growing stronger everyday, and as a human, maybe you can figure it out.”

“Delmos, I don’t think that’s how it works.” Katrina paused for a few moments.

“It won’t hurt to try at least.” Delmos stood back and crossed his arms. “Go for it.”

Katrina grumbled and closed her eyes. She knew it was a good idea, but was more irritated that Delmos thought of it first. She had grown to like the eccentric Dae, but still he annoyed her to no end. “Fine, I’ll give it a shot.” After several long moments of concentration into the Dunam Dae Espea state. The transition was becoming something she was able to do more and more easily each time she entered.

She opened her eyes in the beautiful plain again. Still the flowers danced around her, and the stream surged past. “Hmmm.” She pondered at how to pull this off. It could not be done with spiritual energy the way Delmos was imagining. She was no expert to be sure, but it seemed like spiritual energy in its raw form here was far too wild to manipulate for something like this. When she healed Malla’s body, she merely willed her body to return to its perfect form. That was done through the girls soul, or the core of her Dunamis. Katrina had no idea how to do something like that to herself. A doctor can’t perform heart surgery on themselves either. She thought.

She lifted her hand, and a pillar of stone rose from the soft grass below. She examined it, and used her fingers to sculpt it into a person. She cursed as she realized she was no sculptor, and it looked like a fat monkey. Then she remembered Avria’s display of art when she first became her squire. The images and movements of her electricity came from her mind, she didn’t physically move her fingers to create the shapes. She focused then on the pillar and closed her eyes. She imagined the first person that came to mind, Daniel. A pang of sorrow lanced through her as she remembered his face. His light brown hair that hung, nearly parted to the right side. She smiled, even when they were out for days or weeks at a time, his hair would maintain its shape. She then imagined his eyes; brown and interesting. He always squinted though… like he didn’t trust anyone. She thought. Who could blame him? His lined cheeks and squared jawline. More pain surged in her stomach as she remembered. She saw his face in her mind now, perfectly formed. He had been there for her, even after Robert had left. And now he was dead, another victim of this world.

She opened her eyes to see the pillar had transformed into a life-sized image of Daniel. Tears flowed from her eyes as she reached out and touched his face. “Wow…” she said, “That is amazing.” The earth had not only taken on his form, with every detail and hair on his head, but also had changed color. “I wonder if…” She willed the pillar to move to her, and she felt the stone separate into individual grains of sand. They flowed over her body and she walked toward the stream. Looking into the water, she gasped at her reflection.

When her eyes opened back in the real world. She looked to see a dumbfounded Delmos.

“By the Spirits…” He said, his hand on his forehead. “How…?”

She took a step forward and cocked her head. “So? Did it work?”

“Yes!” Delmos cheered. “You humans are truly amazing creatures. “Though I would suggest using another image for your disguise. Not only are you another human, which seems counterproductive, but your voice coming from Daniel’s likeness is just unnerving.”

Katrina nodded, closing her eyes again to concentrate.