Esra (35 page)

       She turned her head to look blandly at the dark, thick blood that was still flowing from her left shoulder.  She felt nothing, the horror of the event of death had reduced any physical injury to a mild irritation, like a Fly buzzing about a Horse’s mane.  Fynn cut the sleeves of her shirt and she barely flinched as he tenderly felt the wound.  He wiped the skin and placed a clean cloth over her arm, taking her hand and directing her to apply pressure to the bandage. 

       “It’s too bad he told us we couldn’t use magick.  We were all waiting te cast some fantastic spells.”

   “It wouldn’t have been fair,” she whispered distractedly.

       “Aye, well neither is a poisoned helmet.”

       “What?”

       “That helmet someone tried te give ye.  If ye would have put it on ye would be dead.  There were a few small thorns in the top covered in the juice from a Hethro Plant.  It would have made yer muscles weak, vision blurry, ye wouldn’t have been able te fight.  And if the Valkor didn’t finish the job the poison would have killed ye within minutes.  There is a cure, but not one easily found.  I doubt even with all my skills as a Keeper, a spell te slow its course and the fastest Skycatcher in the Kingdom, that I would have been able te save ye.  ”

       “Oh my,” Esra took a jagged breath, stunned by this revelation.  Yarmon was right.  She owed him her life.  The realization seemed to bring her halfway back to the present, and she winced in pain.  “Too bad I don’t have an Earring of Recovery.”

       “Aye,” Fynn nodded, absentmindedly touching the small silver hoop that was his fourth Gift.  “But remember, although I can heal from any physical wound and I am immune te disease, I can still be attacked by magick.  Now I know ye’ve had a rough day already, but I think it’s a perfect time fer yer first lesson in restoration magick.”

“Wait,” she grasped his hand before it touched her shoulder and lowered it slowly into his lap.  “Don’t heal me.”

       Fynn cocked his head to look at her with concern.  “The cut is deep, Es.  We must stop the flow of blood and repair the muscle, else ye may not be able te use it again.”

       She looked up at the sky for a long moment before replying in a low whisper.  “I have taken a life today.  Ye and the others may have done it before, but I have not.  I will remember what this foul deed has cost.  If I choose to heal this hurt without ever being submitted to the irreversible pain of battle, I fear it will make me cold.  Ye will do whatever healing is necessary using Plants, as any apothecary would, but no magick.”

       They both sat in silence as Fynn absorbed her request.  Then he reached over to snatch a small satchel from the ground beside them, dumping the contents on the ground.  He quickly began taking pinches from the small pouches, mixing the powders together in a bowl.  “I admire yer courage, Es.  And I realize that ye are feeling some things that are very foreign te ye.  Killing someone, no matter how justified, is not something te take lightly.  None of us do, and I respect ye fer it.  However, I have two requests.  One is that ye let me cast a simple spell to ward off infection, as that will be a most difficult thing fer me te cure later on, magick or no.  Infections are complex, wicked things that penetrate the entire body, and they can be fatal.  I promise that the spell will not lessen yer physical pain.  Two, after the wound has healed the best it could on its own, ye must let me use magick te repair the muscle.  Otherwise, ye may not be able te fight properly.”

       Esra contemplated the wisdom of his words before nodding weakly.  He rubbed some type of oil over her shoulder, numbing it slightly before starting to pack the wound with the mixture from the bowl.  Esra writhed in agony as he gently held her still and whispered the words of the spell to stave off infection.  “
Moro nuur trivia
.  There are two components te restoration magick; one is physical and the other mental.  The physical element is what ye see here, the Herbs and ointments, the various mixtures I use when healing someone.  It sounds simple, knowing which Plant te use fer what ailment, but the truth is that it depends on the person yer trying te heal.  And mixing different things together can prove te do more harm than good if ye don’t know what ye need.”

       He continued packing her wound as he spoke and she tried to focus all her attention on his words.  She had a feeling this was an attempt to distract her from the pain more than it was a lesson, knowing that she would probably remember little of what he told her. “The second element is the magickal side of healing.  This is also fairly complicated.  There are various spells that one can use te promote healing or cure an ill.  Although I’m afraid there’s no cure fer what ails me.  It seems all women are indisputably attracted te me.  Short of beating ‘em off with a stick, it’s a hopeless case.”

       He held his hands over his heart as he looked at Nadia, who had approached with a bucket of Water.  Esra laughed weakly as her Elf friend dropped the bucket on the ground, sloshing some Water over the side and onto Fynn’s pants.

       “That should cool ye off a bit,” Nadia scowled.  “Esra, how are ye feeling?  Ye look a little pale.”

       “I feel…awful, but not from the wound.  From something much deeper..  Fynn is trying to teach me a little about healing.”

       “Well, the bleeding’s stopped.  Still, no heavy fighting or lifting fer at least a week,” Fynn directed. 

       “No lifting?”  Nadia stared at him in confusion.  “Was there something that didn’t allow ye to heal the wound properly?”

       “Aye, miss Esra here wouldn’t allow it,” he said.  “I will explain her request te ye later.  Right now I think we need te put a little something on her face fer that cut, and then she should probably take a nice rest.”

       Esra nodded as Nadia unrolled a blanket and helped her to lie down.  She had always known there was a violent element in her being, that she may be capable of such a thing as killing.  But she still couldn’t accept that this aggression had become a part of her, even out of necessity.  She felt both empowered by this anger and appalled by it.  How strange that one could both fear and respect something at the same time.

Esra was barely aware of Fynn’s fingertips on her cheek as she closed her eyes to welcome the darkness of her eyelids.  She let her mind fill with it, until blackness covered everything, leaving no room for thoughts or visions of what had just transpired.  She had taken a life, and there was no going back, no matter how much she wished it were a dream. 

XXX

       Eventually Esra would fall asleep, bruised and aching and sick with grief but with the bitter sweet knowledge that she had successfully completed her first test.  As she rested, the Unni-se held a village commune where people could come speak their minds and be heard by their chief.  Her Assembly wanted to attend, but Zakai suggested that it may not be a good idea.

“Can we perhaps walk around Shadow Glenn?  I would love to see more of it,” Nadia asked hopefully.

“I think not.  Ye have caused quite an uproar here, and even with guards I can’t ensure yer safety while wandering about.  I hope my people would act with honor, but this is a long-standing feud and unfortunately I cannot predict some people’s actions.  As ye have already seen from the poisoned helmet.  Feel free te stay here and rest and eat, and I will post as many guards as possible around ye.”

By the time Esra awoke from a hot and restless sleep, she was disappointed to learn that they could not walk around Shadow Glenn.  She longed for a distraction from the reality of her situation, from the memory of her blade piercing the midsection of the Valkor.  But a hot throbbing in her shoulder reminded her of the dangerous nature of their visit, and she said no more.  Fynn tried to distract her by introducing all the herbs in his pack, and she focused on his words with a comforting intensity that blocked out all other thoughts.  She was grateful that her mind was disciplined enough to allow her a brief respite from her mental torture. 

Zakai returned to their camp at midday with a few other Unnis trailing close behind him.  “These are some of my most trusted commanders, and they will accompany us te The Gardens.  It’s as much fer yer protection as mine.  I find it hard te believe that ye haven’t encountered any Elites on the journey down here, so my guess is that we’ll find some on yer way back.”

       The Unni also rode Skycatchers, as they were the largest Horses in the Kingdom, and, Esra guessed, the only ones who could possibly support their weight.  She watched as Roja and the other Horses in her group greeted the Unni Skycatchers.  It was at this interval that Meshok trotted out of the forest and across the open field to Esra.

       “There ye are!”  She rubbed the Great Wolf’s head briskly.  “Ye missed all the excitement!  I battled a Valkor and completed my first test.”

       Meshok licked her hand in response before sauntering up to one of the Unni guards, who turned to look her with wide eyes.  “What’s this, a Great Wolf?’

       “Aye, that’s Meshok.”

       He bent down so that he could scratch behind the Wolf’s ears.  It was a comical sight, this massive Unni warrior petting her furry head with great care.  He appeared to be younger, at least by Unni standards, and the hair covering his body had a dark orange hue to it.  “We’ve not seen one of her kind in a very, very long time.  They were an ally in our fight against Rїvan all those years ago.  Brutal warriors, the Great Wolves are, but they don’t usually take te non-Wolves.  How did ye ever stumble upon one?”

       “Meshok was a gift from my parents.  I believe they’ve somehow befriended a pack of them.  She’s been with me since she was a pup.  And Fynn, the Keeper of Earth, can speak to them.”

       He nodded, impressed.  “I’m Hadvi.”

       “I’m Esra.  Pleased to meet ye.  Do ye know who else is coming with us?”

       “Two other commanders, Mox and a woman named Shova.”

       As if on cue the other two guards approached to introduce themselves.

“The name’s Shova, and this ‘ere is Mox,” a middle aged woman offered with a crooked smile.  “I’ll be keepin’ all these menfolk in line.  Nice bit with the Valkor, by the way.”

“Err, thanks.”  Esra was surprised that a woman here could be a commander.  There were no such women in the King’s Human army.  Seeing that Shova’s arms were as big around as any of the other Unni men, Esra in no way doubted her abilities as a fighter. 

Mox looked older, which Esra deduced from his long horns and the dotting of silver hair that peppered his body.  Although Shova seemed simultaneously as fierce as she was jovial, he seemed more stern and less talkative than the others, as he hardly acknowledged their introduction except with a terse nod of his head.  But after getting used to Baelin’s quietness, this did not overly disturb Esra.

By the time they had finished loading up the Horses it was dinner time, so the group ate a quick meal of flatbread and dried Vernok before mounting their Steeds.  Zakai and the others bid farewell to their families as they turned towards the darkness of Fira Nadim.  It surprised her to see that the Unni-se had three children and a beautiful wife, Kinci, although exactly what made her beautiful, Esra was unsure.  Only a short day ago she could not imagine thinking any Unni was more or less attractive than another.

It was much quicker riding out of the forest than it was walking into it, and after only an hour they were back into the sparse, flat fields north of Fira Nadim.  Without the massive Trees to wind around, their pace intensified and they rode hard through the night, stopping only once for a short rest. 

It looked as if they would maintain the same pattern of traveling at night and hiding for sleep during the day.  Esra had grown accustomed to the strange hours and found that the night air indeed made for more pleasant traveling than the burning Sun.  She also found that she was now able to doze lazily on Roja’s gently rocking back.  Over the next few days the flat terrain would become rocky, rolling hills and Esra found herself chatting comfortably with Hadvi and Shova while Mox sat quietly beside them. 

“So Hadvi, do ye have a family?”  Esra asked.

“I just had me first daughter with me new wife,” he beamed proudly.  “I’m young, only eighty.  Although by yer standards I’m already a dead man.  Heh.” 

“That’s true.  Congratulations!  I’m sorry ye have to be away from them now.”

“Aye, me too.  But I’ve dedicated myself te training young warriors in the hopes that one day I may be called upon te protect my people.”

“A noble calling.  What weapon do ye use?”

 “Twin axes, but only when absolutely necessary.  I prefer the use of me horns, which is considered one of the most difficult and highly respected battle skills of the Unni.”

“Bumbling Huckfly.  I certainly wouldn’t want to get skewered by ye.”

“I promise not te try,” Hadvi chuckled.

“Shova, do ye have any children?”  Esra turned towards the woman warrior.

“Aye, seven young boys.  I grew up with all brothers and alas, now I’m surrounded by men again.  Before I left I convinced em that if they didn’t listen to their father while I’m gone their horns would fall off.  Ha!  All them rowdy boys, it’s one of the reasons I’m so patient, I suppose, in training the warriors in Shadow Glenn.  Have done that fer almost all my life.  I love it, getting the young ones te find themselves, their strength.  It’s very rewarding”

“Soon ye’ll be training my daughter,”  Hadvi added.

“Ye jes can’t wait, eh,” Shova chuckled.  “I’ve hear ye’ve already commissioned a tiny axe fer Pixa at the blacksmith.”

“Aye, te the frustration of my wife.  She’ll be pleased when Pixa becomes a warrior, but it’s a bit too soon fer her, I think.  We hope that someday she’ll be as great a leader as ye, Shova.”