The Light Bringer (Part 2)

The two men eyed each other, each daring the other to make the first move.

This was not a fight Idris could win, Eana knew that, Idris had to know it! But she couldn't do anything. When people got like this, the more she did to defend herself, the more she tried to change any of it, the worse it turned out.

Idris tightened his grip on his hammer.

At that moment Conrad took the opportunity to shake the stupor from Eana's spell off and stepped up to pat Idris on the shoulder, “I’m sure we’d all like to know what happened last night. Maybe we can do it with words and not weapons.”

Galvar noticed his own aggressive stance and slowly lowered his weapon back into a resting posture and gave Conrad a nod.

“Now we’ve all quit measuring our manhood,” Gendra said, golden light suffusing her hands and transferring to Galvar. The small injuries that remained from the fight vanished and he wiped the dried blood from his face. He gave Gendra an appreciative nod.

“Can the healers get back to the business of healing the injured?” Gendra said.

“A fine idea,” a new voice said, and the group turned to see Tomme stride up. Clothing clean, eyes well rested, he clearly had not taken part in the fight the night before.

He moved up next to Galvar before continuing, “But I think it’s best the ones who need it should take it from you, Healer,” he said, clearly indicating Gendra, “And not that one.”

Idris looked confused but also hesitant. Eana understood immediately the fight that must be raging in him.

On the one hand his older brother nature wanted him to step in and defend his sister, but on the other this same man had put him on the ground only yesterday. The excitement and confidence of the night before and all the other adventurers clapping him on the back had made him stand up to a Galvar, whose skills he didn’t really know or understand. But to stand up against Tomme?

Idris had to know how that would end.

“Why?” Idris said, dumbfounded, “That’s just…it could take hours and Eana has way more-”

“Not the place for it is it, Light Bringer?” Tomme said, sneering the nickname Idris had only just begun to claim as a title of respect, “Giving the little Chaos spawn a free pass to go home now, aren’t I?”

Galvar shook his head slowly, “No, we still need to know what happened la-”

“Oh yes, sir, we do,” Tomme said quickly, nodding vigorously and patting Galvar lightly on the shoulder, “Not the place. Not the time though, yeah?” he gestured around at all the gathered adventurers, “Healin’ first and maybe a more measured discussion later on?”

His tone was all reason and practicality but Eana knew there was something malicious beneath it. Everybody mistrusted her but it was only Tomme who didn’t bother hiding it. Healer or not, child or not, to Tomme she was the enemy.

“Aye” , Galvar said, seeming mollified.

“Excellent!” Tomme said with false cheer, “Off you go then, girl. The Healer has work to do. Can’t have you getting under foot.”

Sighing, Gendra put a hand on Eana’s shoulder, “Let’s not stir the pot. Head on home and we can discuss this later.”

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Eana, frustrated but also thankful to get away from these people turned and began walking back toward Irondale.

“Yahn!” Idris called out.

“It’s OK,” she called back over her shoulder, adding quietly to herself, “This is just how it is.”

She hurried away, eager to put distance between herself and what could easily have become a mob.

He was right. Tomme wasn’t afraid to say it to her face and in front of everybody, and she couldn’t help but keep saying it to herself. There was something wrong with her.

She didn’t know what it was or what to call it but at this point she couldn’t deny it even to herself. That day out in the Chaos Lands adventuring with Idris had been like a dream. She had purpose, she was useful, and nobody hated her for doing a good job. But it had only been a fantasy. That wasn’t the real world.

In the real world she couldn’t use magic without making people uncomfortable or attracting a Hive Soldier from out of the depths of the dungeon. Or luring a drone after her for miles, or causing a fight at the inn, or nearly getting her and her brother stabbed to death by a group of imps, and to top it all off, Chaos take it forever, tearing a hole in the Node of Order around Irondale and getting a man killed.

She hated Tomme, hated the adventurers and the townspeople and pretty much everybody but Idris but she couldn’t make herself disagree with any of them!

Eana looked down at herself, clothing ruined and once again running. Becoming a Warrior was supposed to be her way of changing things. She was supposed to be able to take care of herself. But all she did was run from one thing trying to kill her into another and then somehow make everything worse to the point that just having her around was becoming dangerous.

Whose death would she be responsible for next?

She was deep in her own brooding thoughts as she was passing the Inn. Suddenly, her father’s voice rang out, “Eana!”

He came running down the steps, face stricken with worry.

She felt suddenly terrified that if he came close to her something bad would happen. The ground would open up and swallow him. A monster would come from nowhere and tear him to pieces. She would attempt to heal him, but he would reach out and strangle her, his behavior as inexplicable out of character as the mood swings of everyone around her when she used magic.

But before she could do or say anything he was down on one knee in front of her, folding her into a tight hug.

“I was so worried!” he said. And he sounded it.

Eana didn’t know what to do. A moment before she was panicking, all the possibilities and certainty of destruction threatening to break the delicate house of cards that was her existence. And now her mind just… quit.

Her father pulled away briefly to look her over, “Where have you been? Are you hurt? What happened?” he said, gingerly checking over the bloodstained holes and tears in her clothing.

She shook her head. The last couple of days were too much to explain. And at the look of worry in his face and in response to how she felt about everything happening to seemingly everybody she came in contact with she had only one thing to say.

“I’m sorry,” she said, bursting into tears.

“Good,” he said, crushing her in another hug. He held her and let her cry until she took a deep, steadying breath.

He slowly, gently pulled away and said, “I haven’t slept and only came to check the inn when you and your brother still hadn’t come home this morning. But answer me, you’re a mess, Eana. You’re not hurt?”

She shook her head and wiped her nose with her already ruined shirtfront, “Not me.”

“Idris?!” Her father said, stiffening.

“No, no he’s OK,” she said, “He’s at the camp.”

Her father let out an enormous sigh of relief, then his face hardened and he stood, “I’m going to wring that work-ditching kid’s neck.”

Eana choked out a small chuckle and looked up at her father, “He’s way bigger than you.”

“You know what I mean,” he said, suppressing a small smile, “Will I be able to find you back at home later? You won’t be out all night again?”

She nodded and he gave her one final hug.

“I’ll see you back at home then,” he said and strode off toward the adventurer’s camp.

Eana still had her own thoughts and worries nagging at her, but a small part of her felt a little less alone in her agony.

Idris was going to have a hard time explaining to their father why a camp full of adventurers was chanting his name.