Nua passed the night in peace, humming tunes she’d only begun to recall from a childhood that drifted into a life of chains with a race she despised. The comfortable breeze that blew through the dark and carried away the remnants of the smoke also carried her away to memories of her own. ‘Father, why didn’t I try to find you? If only to ask why you let them take me away….’ She recalled the tiny patch of a farm, a cottage, the smokey flavor of bear meat in stew just like this very evening, ‘Was that how he prepared it?’ Nua wondered. The flavor was as she recalled it. The faint chirping and glow of bugs in the woods reminded her of the same thoughts, ‘A world away, and now here I am reminded of something else a world away.’ Nua took out her knife and played with the edge, picking some dirt out from under her nails.
The feel of the bone was hard, smooth, and comforting. The faint grooves etched into it for her fingers were a nice touch. She glanced over at the sleeping Sobella, the demon-elf lay curled up like a baby within her bedroll, she slept soundly, but made little moans now and then. ‘With that little smile, she’s probably dreaming about the Prince again. She’s a wanton one.’ Nua chuckled. “Who are you kidding, Nua. You envy their happiness, or what happiness they had, and you envy their sex life. How long has it been now?” She rolled her eyes at her own self imposed celibacy, ‘Even your slaves are having fun. Maybe when Raymond…’ She stopped that line of thought immediately, imagined watching his lungs expand as he was restored to life. She tried to imagine holding him, the feel of skin as she would help him rise.
She tried to imagine a sensual moment… and then… stopped. “Is that really what you want? Are you really in love with a dead man after all? A dead human, no less? Ugh,” Nua rubbed her temple with her thumb and forefinger, “you really have to get over yourself on this. It’s ridiculous, nobody is going to dare to touch you unless you let them, not anymore.”
‘You’re all over the place tonight, aren’t you, partner?’ Yersin asked glibly within her mind. She turned her palm up and looked down at the gem in the false hand.
‘Maybe. What of it?’ Nua asked with a caustic tone.
‘I’m about to put on some tea, would you like any?’ Yersin asked with the same courtesy he always used.
‘Thank you, but no… I want to enjoy the night here, I’ll join you tomorrow.’ She replied to the magic item.
‘As you like, you know how to find me, and of course, you’re always welcome.’ He answered with such politeness that she could easily picture him bowing in front of her at that moment.
She chose not to answer, and turned her mind to other matters, more quiet things, and watched the night pass in silence until the sun began to rise.
When it did, she went over to where Sobella slept, and shook her at the shoulder. “Mpfgh, what time is it?” Sobella yawned and rubbed her solid red eyes.
“The sun is up, that’s what time, so we’re going. I want to hit the next waypoint before nightfall.” Nua spoke perfunctorily and waited while Sobella prepared her bedroll for travel.
“I don’t usually get moving this early…” Sobella said reluctantly as she shoved her bedroll back into place on the horse, she didn’t really meet Nua’s eyes, then trailed off when Nua said nothing in response.
Sobella hung her head and with slow reluctance when Nua extended her hand from atop the horse, she took it and allowed the wood elf assassin to pull her up.
They rode in silence until Nua broke the moment, “Sorry. I know this isn’t fun for you. I shouldn’t let my poor temperament make things worse. It’s just… usually when I’m killing someone, it’s not someone I like, and it’s not this slow. This is different than anything I’ve ever done.” Nua kept her eyes on the road ahead, the horse trotted along at a comfortable but clipped pace and Sobella clung tightly to Nua from behind.
“It’s OK, honestly.” Sobella said with a wry smile to the back of Nua’s head, “This is frankly the safest I’ve felt in a long time. Not that time with Rasgen was ever bad, I was never happier. But there are always court intrigues and plots and it was always possible I might not wake up because of someone with your profession coming along. None of this is how I saw things ending, but while I’m with you… bear killer, it’s hard not to feel safe.”
Nua felt herself easing into the praise, and she said a simple, “Thank you. I mean that.” And went quiet.
They reached the ruined village before the sun rose much higher. Blackened beams and tumbled walls of stone and wood, the roofs of thatch had obviously been burned away to nothing. A few bones lay scattered about, no skeleton was evidently complete, but nonetheless the place was full of life.
Before they reached the central well, Nua’s ears twitched to the sound of birdsong. She turned to it, and heard the faint rustle of cloth when Sobella did the same. A bird’s nest of twigs was visible in the beams of a ruined house, nor was it the only one. Another was visible in the farthest remains of a place that stood well back and was nothing more than a single blackened wall with gray ash staining it, and a pair of crossbeams where the rest had once stood.
“Komestran raiders?” Nua asked glibly.
“Yes.” Sobella’s eye caught the remnants of a garden that was growing wild, a rabbit darted out and away from the clip clop sound of the horse that disturbed what was left of it. “A desperate plan of Onimeus, the chief of staff, he launched a series of raids against our nearest villages, hoping to draw us back from Komestra. If Prince Rasgen had been a lesser man, it might have even worked.” A hint of pride filled her voice even amidst the ruins.
“He was too wise for that however, and pressed the fight home, it forced the raiders to abandon the plan and go home, Pasenian cavalry ambushed and destroyed them before they could.” Sobella explained, “The loss of the villages was unfortunate, but war is full of unfortunate things…” She hung her head in pity, pride briefly abandoned, when they passed a very small human skull near a fire-blackened well that was somehow still intact except for a few broken stones.
“Yes, it is. Toss me your waterskin, we might as well top it off if the bucket is intact.” Nua hopped off the horse and went to the well, she caught the brown, half empty container without looking and dropped it at her feet while she worked the wheel.
The wood of the wheel itself was charred and stained her gloves, but it worked well enough, grinding and groaning as it drew up the full bucket. When it rose up within reach Nua took the handle and pulled it out. “Take a good look, Sobella.” Nua told her as she opened up the lady’s waterskin and slowly poured in cool well water to fill it up again.
To Sobella’s surprise, the clipped and professional voice of the Duchessa was gone, and it was not replaced with the cold indifference or calculation she expected either. Instead, as the wood elf filled their water supplies, the paramour of Prince Rasgen heard a kind of reflective sympathy. “Preventing this is why you’re going out there. I’ve seen a lot of people die over the years, some for good reasons, some for bad ones. Out of all the reasons I’ve seen people die though, only three ever made sense to me.”
“What three?” Sobella asked, breaking her eyes away from the distantly thoughtful escort.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Dying to save a life. Dying to make a life. Dying for love. It’s why I’m a death worshipper.” Nua replied, a faint haunted look passed over her eyes before she closed them and cut the look off as she got up and tossed the skin up to the demon-elf on the horse.
“Strange reasons.” Sobella remarked as the horse got moving again when Nua remounted and they rode out past the edge and put the ruin at their backs.
Nua gave a grim and embittered laugh, slowing the horse down to take their time. “Maybe so. The irony isn’t lost on me. Living for all those things is better than dying for them. Who wouldn’t rather save a life and see it grow? Who wouldn’t want to see their work complete and live the life that work made for them? Who wouldn’t want to grow old with their lover or see their children become adults? But it’s just that those things are worth living for, which also makes them worth dying for. And that is the irony of my ‘why’, Sobella. Not many who follow the one god do so in his incarnation as the master of death. I’m rare that way.”
“You’re rare in a lot of ways.” Sobella hugged a little tighter than keeping her place on the horse required, “It’s part of your charm.”
Nua’s next laugh was lilting and pleasant in spite of herself, “You’re the real charmer, no wonder you and Prince Rasgen were a popular pair.” Nua took a deep breath and savored the open air, her mood began to steadily improve, and as her mood improved, Sobella’s seemed to as well.
It was past noon when Nua began to sing, her lilting voice soared with the grace of a bird through the air, the lyrics, a ballad of parted lovers and their reunion before a dreadful foe. Sobella listened to it from start to finish, and when it was done, her deep red eyes had to be wiped and her heart soared with the final line, it was all she could do to let go of Nua long enough to applaud.
“You sing beautifully… if you hadn’t gone down the path you did, you might have been a wonderful performer.” The demon-elf woman inclined her head in deep praise.
“Thank you, that one is one of my favorites, I’ve never been one for big cities, I prefer the freedom of the open air, sky above, earth below, endless horizons abound. So when I get out from behind walls, I can’t help but sing. So many were made during the difficult times. Blood seems to make them grow like flowers in spring.” Nua sat up a little straighter, and though she couldn’t see them, she even felt her eyes brighten a bit.
“Terrible times, but some things burned bright, that was one of them, the Dark Savior and her lover marrying on the wall under the aegis of a god while their enemies closed in around them is one of the most famous moments of the whole war. Supposedly they even sent a bottle of wine out to the enemy generals, treating them as ‘wedding guests’ before the fighting started. It always reminds me that even the darkest things and the most dreaded hours can have bright moments in them.” Nua’s voice was bittersweet.
Sobella could think of nothing better to say but, “Could I ask you to sing something else? Please?”
“Sobella, that would be my pleasure.” Nua replied, and that was how they spent the rest of the day, until reaching their next waypoint that evening.
It was a village like any of a thousand Nua had seen over her years of travel. Minotaurs, humans, elves, most settled people that she’d seen, when they were poor, relied on the same cheap and available materials. As a result, homes didn’t vary much. A central common well ringed by houses, and fields beyond where crops were harvested. The most unique aspect about it in Nua’s mind was how close it was in proximity to the forest.
Meeting with the village elder that evening, she chose to ask about it. He was a fairly young man, robust stock, strong, tan skin, faint almond shape to his eyes speaking to his further eastern heritage and the faint point to his ears hinted at some elf within his blood as well. As if to solidify her opinion of his likely heritage, he was beardless as well, and seemed naturally so. His wife, a simple looking woman, somewhat plump with short brown hair, was dressed like anyone else. They had simple peasant clothing, different from what Nua knew only in that the colors were bright and garish, or would have been, if not for the layer of dust on them.
She sat at the unfinished, rough wooden table in the plain rectangular house. They had benches rather than chairs, a log sawed lengthways to create a flat surface and a series of crude wooden pegs that thrust out to create angled legs. The wife ladled some simple stew out while the husband poured tea out of a crude, cheap iron kettle into wooden cups.
“Forgive my ignorance, chief, but why don’t you cut back some of the forest? You’re extremely close to it, wouldn’t it be easy to convert it to farmland, or to at least be easier to not have to cut it back from encroaching on you all the time?” Nua asked after she took a polite sip of tea.
“Maybe so.” The middle aged man’s deep voice grumbled, “But we’re close to the Tlalmok border here. It’s only a day on foot, they don’t have much on their side close to us, but if they cross, we need somewhere to run and hide.” It clearly got to him, but the fear was palpable as his wife shuddered and sat down opposite Nua and Sobella.
“Well… they won’t come this year.” Sobella replied, trying very hard to sound confident.
“You’re… you’re a tribute?” The chief’s wife went pale in the face and her hand came up to cover her mouth as if to capture the words before they could reach Sobella’s ears.
“I am.” Sobella nodded with slow affirmation. “I’m Prince Rasgen’s consort so… I’m the price their god-emperor demanded.”
“Then you’re stopping here for the things you’ll need for safe passage?” The chief said as understanding dawned. “Right… I should have figured it out immediately, it isn’t often we see demon-elves in these parts, let alone ones escorted by someone…” He looked at the finely armored and equipped Nua, and when she nodded in return, he said no more.
“You can stay the night, we’ll give you the map you’ll need, and there’s a special cloak, the Tlalmok will know not to attack you.” His head hung in defeat, “We don’t have much, but anything you want is yours, this includes anyone you want.”
“I’m sorry, what do you mean ‘anyone’?” Nua asked with a tiny twitch to her eye.
“Just what it says… people who go out there, they don’t come back. It’s a land of slaughter for us all. So anyone… anyone brave enough to go out there, it’s our tradition to make this the most comfortable night we can. No woman or man in this village would deny a last night of passion to someone giving up their life for us. This applies to both the sacrifice, and the escort.” He took up a piece of crude bread and dipped it into his stew, eating it with the sad casualness of someone fresh from a funeral.
“Escort, but I’m not part of the tribute.” Nua said with a raised eyebrow.
“Do you think the Tlalmok will care? They’ve been known to harvest escorts sometimes too. Maybe it hasn’t happened every time, but we’ve heard from travelers about it going on. What is the Prince going to do? Make a formal objection?” The chief snorted derisively and took a hearty bite of his stew soaked bread.
“Fair enough.” Nua said and looked over to Sobella, “Did you… of course you knew, and Rasgen knew…” Her blue eyes became very narrow, but the surprised and open mouthed look on her face told her plenty.
“Of course, didn’t you? General Leaman was… supposed… to… oh no…” Sobella looked to be on the verge of tears.
“He was supposed to what exactly?” Nua set down her bread and clenched her fist, she spoke through gritted teeth.
“Nua… I’m so sorry… he was supposed to tell you the risks, he’s the commander of the army of Pas’en. It’s tradition for the general to brief the escorts on everything, including your part in the rituals and things that are meant to keep the escorts safe along the way. That briefing would include the risk of being harvested yourself if you make a mistake… he didn’t come see you, he didn’t call for you… nothing?” Sobella’s wide red eyes stared emptily at her escort.
Nua stared down into her bowl and spoke through a tight jaw. “I see.” Nua seethed. “I see. So he’s against me too.”
“I’m sure he was just worried you would refuse if you knew… nobody in Pas’en refuses the order of the Starwatchers declarations, maybe he didn’t want me to go alone…” Sobella couldn’t keep looking at her escort and stared down at her own bowl in the same way.
“Since I got to your city,” Nua said in a condemnatory voice of ice, “I’ve had people hoping I would fail, I’m no fool, Sobella, I know there are objections to my rise and to the prince’s favor. I am not the least bit shocked by this, though perhaps I should be.”
Sobella raised a hand, it was slow, hesitating several times, she put it on Nua’s shoulder. It took a moment for Nua to turn her eyes to face the woman, “You can leave me.” Sobella whispered. “Leave your horse, and let me go alone. You didn’t know what was being asked of you… I don’t have the right to ask you to risk yourself now that you know. What was done to you… it’s wrong. Politics is politics, but you shouldn’t have to die like that because of a jealous game played by old men at court…”
For a moment, Nua considered it, ‘How dare they… I thought Ulmin was acting alone with the Starwatcher priests… screw it, go back… go back and kill Leaman.’ Vengeful thoughts turned over in her mind, but it was the shaking hand of the demon elf on her shoulder that drew her back from her resolve to return to Pas’en.
“No… no, I won’t do that.” Nua shook her head, “I’ll finish what I began. But I will not let this pass either.” Nua darted her eyes to the wide eyed chief and his wife. “I need paper, and a quill.”
“What for?” Sobella asked with a doubtful look.
Nua took Sobella’s hand in a gentle hold, “I want you to write all that should have happened, and didn’t, in a letter, a letter I want put directly in Prince Rasgen’s hand.”
Nua snapped her head toward the village chief and his wife, “Can we ask that of your village? Or are your only services lewd ones?”
They looked back with stunned expressions, “Ah, yes, if the tribute asks that of one of us, we’ll ride back to the city with whatever you tell us to…”
Sobella closed her eyes and hung her head. “He crossed a line, but if Prince Rasgen knows about this…”
Nua held Sobella’s hand and drew closer to her, she touched the dark hair of the demon-elf woman, “Sobella… this isn’t just crossing the line. I don’t believe this was some unintended oversight, and neither do you. He tried to use your death, to get me killed. This was an assassination attempt. Are you going to let him just get away with it? I’m still going to go with you, I’ll stay with you till the end. If I don’t come back, if you don’t write this, nobody will know. He’ll have succeeded and paid no penalty for it. I’m not asking that you demand his head, I’m just saying make sure the Prince knows. Let Prince Rasgen decide what to do from there.”
“But I’ve known him for years… he’s a friend…” Sobella implored.
“A friend who was willing to use you to get to me. Ask the Prince to grant him mercy if you like… if the Prince shows him mercy… I promise you, I will not seek revenge. The Prince’s justice is good enough for me. I swear it, in the name of my god.”
“Alright… I’ll write that letter… and General Leaman will answer for what he has done.” Sobella wiped her nose and reached for the quill as soon as it and the paper were slid over to her.
“Yes. Yes he will.” Nua said, and crossed her arms while Sobella wrote one last letter to her lover.