The wind roared as she clung to the side of the building, making her way down from the roof. A few groans, mingled in with the sound of the wind and crashing waves, reached her ears, spurring her on, and she dropped to the ground, her feet sinking into the frozen slush. After retrieving her pack from her stag, Ihra trudged through the muck toward the wounded men.
The hunters had sprung into action as soon as the fight had ended. The dead bandits had been dragged into a pile where a number of the hunters were stripping the spoils off the corpses, while the rest had dragged their wounded into one of the better-preserved buildings in the sunken ruins. Ihra pulled her coat tighter around her, futilely trying to block out the icy blasts sweeping off the towering mountains. Jasper walked ahead, his shaggy hair whipping wildly back and forth, utterly unaffected by the cold. Lucky bastard.
When she stepped into the dank room, she gasped in relief as the icy winds fell away, and almost choked as the metallic scent of blood filled her nostrils. Six of the hunters were laying on the ground, their blood splattered across the frozen muck, and she quickly examined them. Most of them had minor wounds, but two were in need of immediate attention - one whose bowels had been torn open, the other having lost his leg below the knee. The hunter's shredded bowels were enough to make her lose her lunch but, steeling her nerves, Ihra set to work. A few months ago, she would have been powerless to do anything, but now? No one was going to do if she could help it.
The next two hours passed by in a blur of powders and potions. Ihra felt like she was racing against the clock the entire time. Runic magic was a marvel, but it was also as slow as hell compared to true healers. If she hadn't had Jasper there to cauterize the worst of the wounds, even the men with relatively minor wounds might have bled out before she could finish the formations. She traced them faster than she had ever done before, praying to Selene that she hadn't made any crucial mistakes.
Perhaps Selene had heard her or perhaps her many hours of practice in her tent had done the trick; in the end, Ihra sat back with a satisfied sigh. The six men - even the one who had lost a leg - were all on their feet again, very much alive. Closing her eyes, she finally let herself claim the sleep her body had been so desperately craving ever since she drank the potion, slipping into sweet oblivion.
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Jasper smiled as Ihra begin to snore, looking around the room with more than a touch of satisfaction. Their plan had been a rousing success. Thanks to the hunters, the bandits hadn't really even had a chance. Sellâ's vivacious eyes danced before him, and he suppressed the surge of guilt that sprung up. It was stupid, really; she was going to kill them, but somehow, dumb it was, it was a lot harder to kill a beautiful woman than the rest of her gang. She deserved it, though, he consoled himself.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Looking up, he saw Bā’er had joined them. The hunter bowed lightly as he addressed Jasper. “Everyone’s been patched up, my lord, thanks to your partner.” He paused, scratching his head. “We were just wondering what we're supposed to do next.” Unable to help himself, he rather unsubtly probed Jasper for information. “Did you find what you were looking for, my lord?”
Jasper rolled his shoulders, sighing with relief as his stiff neck finally cracked. “Were there any survivors, Bā’er?”
The burly man shook his head. “They all fought to the death.”
A sigh escaped his lips. “That’s too bad. The captain wasn't sure if this was just an isolated band of bandits, or if they belonged to some larger group.” He pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. “Your men already stripped the bodies, right?"
"Took anything that looked like it might sell."
"Have them look through the stuff; see if there's anything that might provide some clues about their group or the identities of the men. I’d like to know if we've put an end to this problem, or if we've stirred up a hornet's nest.”
Bā’er nodded, and turned to leave, but paused when Jasper spoke again. “Also, send someone back to town. We’ve got a lot to transport back to town.”
The grizzled hunter turned around slowly, an avaricious gleam in his eye. “Ah, so you did find something.”
Jasper studied him for a moment, trying to judge if he could trust the man not to turn on him. His faith in mankind had been swiftly shaken during his brief time in Corsythia. In the end, though, he decided he had to roll the dice. After all, there was no way Ihra and he could transport even a tenth of what they’d found on their own. Gold was shockingly heavy, even with enhanced strength. “Yes, we’ve retrieved an old storehouse of the Moon-kissed, including one of the lyres of Damqa herself.”
The man’s eyes widened, but Jasper continued on, seemingly oblivious. “The gold and weapons are ours to dispose of - if you and your fellow villagers help with the transport, I’ll give you a ten percent cut of the profits.” He paused slightly before pressing on with his ruse. In for a penny, in for a pound. “But the lyre belongs to the lord of Dūr-Yarha; he will be most glad to see me return successfully from our mission.”
Whatever fevered gold dreams might have tempted Bā’er’s mind were promptly crushed by the name of Jasper’s "backer." The hunter bowed with renewed respect. “I did not realize you were with the Moon-kissed.” Curiosity was evident in his eyes, though, as he scrutinized Jasper's skin. Moon-kissed were generally quite pale, after all.
Jasper saw the sliver of doubt on the hunter's face and scrambled for an explanation. “Obviously, I am only affiliated - it is the fire of the sun and not the light of the moon that burns within my heart. But as I told you before, one of my ancestors once lived in this village. My family has long ties with the devotees of Yarha.”
“Of course, my lord.” The hunter seemed satisfied. “Is the amount of gold we need to transport significant?”
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“I don’t know how much your beasts can carry, but, yes, I imagine quite a few horses and carts will be needed to move the loot. This will be no small task.”
Bā’er paused, his mind reeling with the thought of the village’s sudden windfall. A frigid gust of air beat against their faces, and the hunter licked his painfully dried lips. It would no doubt only make the chaffing worse later, but it brought temporary relief.
“May I suggest hiring a boat? One of our hunting vessels could transport the goods easier and faster than trying to get beasts of burden through the frozen bogs. You won’t be able to sell the merchandise in our village either - we should really head down the coast a little bit. Kār-Kuppû is the largest settlement in the area, and has a market often frequented by merchants from the cities”
Jasper glanced over at Ihra to get her opinion; she was still asleep, so he was forced to decide himself. “Fine, a boat sounds like a good idea.”
Bā’er smiled slyly. “Of course, for the cost of a boat, me and my men will need a larger share of the goods. I’m sure my lord will find twenty percent acceptable.”
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Jasper countered. “Thirteen.”
Bā’er shook his head, his tongue clucking in mock regret. “I’m afraid my men cannot possibly afford to do it for less than seventeen.” He lifted his hands helplessly. "All of our boats are already reserved to hunt the kalmû, and it will take much to convince their crew to abandon their hunt."
“Fifteen, and I will let each of the men here today select a weapon of their choice in addition.”
The hunter sighed dramatically. “Surely, my lord does not wish to take food from the mouths of our women and children? Sixteen percent-” Jasper’s amiable grin slipped into a frown, a storm gathering on his brow, and Bā’er hurriedly corrected himself. “Err, fifteen percent is more than fair.”
With the deal settled, the hunter quickly fled the room, not keen to annoy one in the good graces of a lord from one of the major factions. He immediately sent a messenger back to the village with the good news before making plans to set up camp for the night. A night out on the lake was also miserable, but this time it was more than worth it.
The next morning all of them labored to bring the loot up from below. The ancient ladder was not up to the task, the wood unable to bear the weight of the men burdened with gold, and they were forced to waste some time improvising a new one. When the boat arrived at the sunken harbor, its horn blaring over the wild winds, no more than half of the goods were waiting at the ruined docks.
The work continued throughout the day, and as the sun hid behind the mountain peaks, Jasper found himself by the shore, a dissatisfied look on his face. The boat sat low in the waters, its sides rising mere inches above the surface. Loot was piled high on the deck, but more still sat on the shore; there was simply no way it was all going to fit. Shaking his head, he complained to Ihra. “Damn it - we’re going to need a bigger boat.”
As it turned out, a bigger boat was not really an option. But the next morning, after reluctantly promising the hunters another percentage point of the spoils, another boat sailed up the coast from the village. After splitting the loot more equitably beneath the two vessels, they were finally ready to depart.
The day was fairer than most along the frozen lake. The sun shone brightly, in a sky largely bereft of the ever-present cloud cover, and the wind that brushed against his ears was cool rather than freezing. The two boats, each about thirty feet in length, bobbed back and forth among the waves, the breeze slowly pushing them westward toward Kār-Kuppu. Rows of oars lay ready, in case the boat was becalmed, but that was rarely the case on the storm-best lake.
Jasper wandered to the side of the boat, watching the waters rush past, small white caps forming on the crests of the waves. The floes of ice, crowded with the strange, tawny kalmû had been pushed deeper into the lake, barely in view of the ship. But the waters were full of kalmû, their brown heads regularly popping up between the waves, or even swimming over to examine the boat. They were large, closer in size to whales than the seals he had seen back home, but they sliced through the water with a speed and grace that belied their size. It was a delight to watch them, though, once, he could have sworn he saw an ominous fin breaching through the surface, trailing behind one of the kalmû.
His thoughts were disturbed when a presence loomed at his side. Jasper turned to find Bā’er standing beside him, his long, greasy hair somehow undisturbed by the relentless gusts buffering the ship. The man’s face was ruddy and wind-whipped, but a broad smile cracked his face. “It’s a beautiful sight, is it not? I enjoy my time on shore, but there’s nothing that compares to being cradled in the bosom of Lady Hurbas̆u, to watch her children slip beneath the waves, while her breath whispers against my ear.”
Jasper cocked an eyebrow at the gruff hunter. “That was oddly poetic.”
The man just grunted, his eyes fixed on the waves. “How else should one speak of one’s goddess? Lady Hurbas̆u provides all we need - water to drink, fish to eat, the kalmû that adorn our shoulders. Shamsha and Yarha may rule the heavens, but how often do they bother to look down from their celestial thrones? Lady Hurbas̆u tends to our every need, as a loving mother ought.”
He suddenly looked over at Jasper, unease on his face, as he remembered who he was speaking to. “I was forgettin’ my place, my lord; I meant no disrespect to the Moon-kissed’s Lady.”
Jasper shook his head, a smile on his lips. “I’m sure Lady Hurbas̆u is touched by your devotion.” He watched a kalmû dive beneath the waves, its great, brown flippers rising into the air before they sunk below the surface, leaving behind only a trail of bubbles.
The man shifted uncertainly. “I know you didn’t come here to hunt the kalmû, but are you sure you don’t want to give it a try? Folks come from every corner of the land to join the sacred hunt. Truthfully, most of them aren’t successful, but you?”
Bā’er looked him in the eyes, sincerity in his tone. “I think the Lady would grant you favor.”
Jasper watched the waves for a few minutes, pondering the offer. He had had more than a few wild adventures since arriving in Corsythia, but there hadn’t been much time for fun. For the most part, he’d been so busy trying to survive, he hadn’t found the time to live.
“How long would it take?”
The hunter chewed his chapped lips, a spray from the icy waves splashing across his lips. “A hunt can be a long ordeal, but that’s usually because the Lady hides her face. It should take no more than a few hours.”
“Then, why the hell not? Let’s do it.”
The burly man grinned, clapping Jasper on the shoulder. “As soon as I set eyes on you, I knew you were a man called to the hunt.” He shook him lightly, excitement brimming in his eyes. “I’ll make the preparations - make sure you and your lady are ready to start come nightfall.”
"We're hunting at night?" Jasper looked back at the waves, a kalmû's head swiftly slipping back beneath the surface as he made eye contact. "Can't we see them better now?"
Bā'er smiled. "I think you'll find, my lord, that this is not that kind of hunt." He looked up at the clouds which hung low overhead, the gloom gathering quickly. "You won't have long to wait - the night is coming quickly."