The Scouts

Eil, Bite-Sized, and Cautious went back to the shore to find where the caravans tracks began, and where they would end. The rest of their motley crew were advised to gather food and prepare for the worst. Sami did not budge from her place. If she had any concern about starving, it was quickly subdued when her quadrupedal owl returned with a rabbit in mouth.

“You know Cautious, I didn’t expect anyone from Andora to pass the exam,” Eil said to break the eternal silence of their amateur hunting. Cautious didn’t say anything. Bite-Sized pretended to be deaf. “I imagined luck wouldn’t have been on your side. That the few capable might have died.”

“My luck supercedes most," Cautious said.

Eil chuckled, carefully and under his breath. “Luck’s not something I’d use to describe how you passed the exam. Nor is it something I would use to describe how I’ve passed it. At least not without a great deal of elaboration on the nature of fortune.”

“You think I had the same advantages you did?” He cast a glance towards Bite-Sized, but Bite-Sized pretended at blindness and did not acknowledge it. “Wouldn’t Kasai have been repelled if so?”

“The animist visited our village first, you know.”

“And mine the last.”

“Bite-Sized got around to joining us fairly early. Bite-Sized, of all the people to pass the exam, who would you say had the easiest time?”

“Don’t involve me,” she spoke flatly.

Eil grinned. “There were only two people who did nearly as well as you. One of them is dead. The rest of the caravan called her Silent but in our village she was Zara. She was so desperate to leave the village, she cheated to pass the exam. She was the last to go in our village. She saw how the animist struck, timed it, memorized it, and by the time it was her turn to go, she avoided it entirely. It was brilliant. I couldn’t have done it if I'd been in her position. Of course, I’m assuming that’s what she did, because I can’t imagine the alternative. It’s unfortunate she died. You don’t meet a lot of people like that.”

“You saw her die?” Cautious questioned, genuinely curious.

“No. Nor did I take my time to check every dead body.”

“People like that, they find ways to live.”

“Some things you can’t anticipate. I won’t hold my breath.”

“Were you friends?” Cautious asked.

“Not at all. I don’t think I ever spoke a word to her. But in all fairness, I didn’t speak much of a word to the rest of the village either.”

“So, I suppose, you were the other one who did the exam as well as I did.”

“Precisely. Actually, I had two tries. The animist must’ve realized my advantage so she tried to sabotage me the first time around. Fortunately, by divine interference, I was given a second try; on the second attempt I met her fist with my own.” He flexed his hands, barely. “It wasn’t a great idea.”

“You still think you’ll kill their giant.”

“Who else could? But that’s beside the point. You, Cautious, did as well as a cheater, and a boy of, if we’re being honest, immense privilege. What was your tri-”

“Watch out!” Bite-Sized yelled.

She shoved him out of the way. He stumbled away from, what he then noticed, was a snare in the ground. Bite-Sized yelled again, reaching desperately for her neck, hung from a tree, from the very same snare. She clawed at it fruitlessly, and he could already see the blood beginning to ooze around the wire. He gazed around hurriedly for Cautious, and could not find him. He had vanished entirely. Eil held his spear tightly, and crouched, gazing across the forest. A spear from within the trees flew from behind him, but he easily saw it coming and dodged out of the way. Compared to Sami’s strike, it was a great deal easier. He thanked his uncle, and whatever god allowed him to be born in his family.

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“You won’t kill me like that,” he warned.

He kept gazing at Bite-Sized. Blood now coated her fingers and her neck. She couldn’t get out of it. Eil held his spear firmly in his off-hand. He wasn’t great with a spear, and a bum hand wouldn’t help. He missed his machete, but he couldn’t bring one along for the journey, and he'd never seen his uncle do anything besides summon a spear. He needed to free her, before it was too late, and he had no idea when it would become too late.

“Come on. Don’t be cowards. One little kid.” He held the spear in his one hand, slowly turning around. Still, nothing. On one of his endless painful gazes up at Bite-Sized, he finally realized that the wire which held her by her neck went into the forest.

Once again, he was reminded that it had been an idiotic decision to sacrifice his hand. At least with his good hand, he’d have been able to throw the spear. He didn’t hold similar confidence for his offhand.

“Fuck it,” he said in a low grunt.

He charged towards the spear that had lodged itself into a tree. Two spears flew from opposite sides of the forest. He twisted in time and both spears flew past him. This, at least, he could handle. He heard a pained yelp but did not look to see where it came from. He pulled the spear out with the ease his privilege afforded him though not without the pain of having used it in the test, and ducked under the lunge of the first man to exit the tree’s camouflage. He raised his strong arm up to block a second swing and his newly acquired spear dropped out of his hands. Eil kicked at the man’s chest and as soon as he tried to regain his balance, lodged the spear in his off-hand into his ribs. He did not make sure the man was dead, and instead pulled it out in a hurry. Without taking a moment to see what the others, of which he knew not how many there were, were doing, he sprinted towards the source of the wire.

His eyes widened as soon as he saw the woman holding the wire. Anger he’d rarely felt flared up. She let go of the wire and he heard the not-too-distant thud of Bite-Sized dropping to the ground. The woman turned around and took two-and-a-half steps before his spear pierced through back and abdomen in an inefficient angle. He pulled the spear out, and with the mindlessness that had guided him in every one of Kasai’s assaults on other villages, he lunged with his spear many times after it would have been necessary. The screams stopped suddenly, and the mess was worse than anything he and Nala had done with their knives before.

He could barely contain his breath before he remembered why he’d done it. He turned around to run back into the expanse where they had been.

“No,” he muttered. He remembered Kilo’s insistence that Nala take care of herself. His assessment that Eil wouldn’t be good enough to keep her safe. Deep within him, he was grateful that he did not have a bond to protect here, he wasn’t sure how he’d react losing someone he cared about. He snarled. How would he explain both Bite-Sized and Cautious dying. He’d have to drag one of the bandits there as proof or else he’d look plenty the murderer the way he was bloodied. They had taken the spears too, at least if he’d managed to get those, he’d have something to go back with.

“Magic Boy, I don’t think you want to waste your time crying.”

“What the shit?” Eil said, wiping tears he hadn’t noticed amidst his rampid overthinking, and sniffing back the snot making its way onto his lips.

“Nor do I think we have time to waste on questions.” Cautious held three spears in his arms. “Funny thing, they were so afraid of you they left these behind.” He moved towards a spot in the expanse and crouched down. “But I think they’re counting on you following them. That’s why they grabbed her.”

“She’s still alive?”

“She was when they took her. But you must have heard her scream, she’s not going to be the same.”

He had heard the scream, but he hadn’t registered it. It was broken, and not nearly as loud as it must have been intended to be, though he couldn’t say if that was because he’d been caught in his frenzy, or not.

“Do you want to follow after her?” Cautious asked.

“We don’t have a choice.”

“Not we. I saw where the camp is, it’s not far from here. I can show you where it is, but you’ll be on your own if you try to help her.”

“Again.” Eil let out a deep breath. “You’re pissing me off, Cautious. Careful.”

“If that’s what you want to do, then we shouldn’t waste time. But I think you’re smart enough to know better.”

“I’ve been told how to live for a very long time. Advising me to make the smarter decision won’t endear you to me.”

“I won’t appeal to your sensibilities to try to convince you. I’m confident I can make it to the institution on my own, but I know you’re their only hope of surviving this ordeal. Besides, if you wanted to make the emotional decision here, you’d already be gone. I suggest we head back now; they might decide to come looking for us instead of waiting for us.” He did not wait for Eil, and began walking back to the group. All Eil wanted to do was kill him. He’d never wanted to kill anyone before.

“Where did you go?” Eil asked.

“Nowhere.”

“Don’t be stupid, Cautious.”

“Don’t get angry, Magic Boy. You’ll figure it out eventually.”