The Sword Maiden

Visiting the Village

The next day I was more than a little tired, but determined to go through with visiting my burned village. Redwar had never returned to the house, and Ladine was gone. Valeria assured me he would return.

"He often leaves like this when he's troubled. He says Ladine understands." She sat the pot of oatmeal in front of me. "They came out of it together," she added softly.

I didn't comment on that odd sentence. She'd said several like that and each time I tried to worm it out of her she smiled and said, "He'll tell you."

So instead I grabbed the spoon and dished up some oatmeal. It smelled heavenly. Most of the time I just ate a piece of bread and butter for breakfast. Redwar wasn't much of a cook.

"Are you still going after the thief?" I asked.

"Yes. Redwar wouldn't want me not to. I'll leave after breakfast. What're you going to do?"

"I'll probably run through my sword exercises. If I forgot them, I'd be in so much trouble. Then I think I'll ride Axe down to my village." I kept my face down towards my bowl so she wouldn't see the flinch that crossed it.

She paused in cutting the butter. "Are you sure that's wise?"

I nodded. "No one will be there. Why should they? It's abandoned."

She nodded. "I guess you have a point there."

Later, as she was tightening her belt she said to me, "You know where the town of Ladris is?"

"Yes, I've been there a few times."

"Well, I'm heading to the south of it. If I don't return by evening, that's where to look. Redwar should be back by then."

I nodded. I hadn't considered that Valeria might get into any trouble. She carried herself with air of a confident fighter.

With that she shouldered her pack and smiled at me. "Well, bye for now."

"Bye, see you later."

With that she turned and left the clearing. I went inside and grabbed my wooden practice sword. I needed to go through my fighting forms before leaving, else I'd get in trouble with Redwar. He insisted that I practice every day, rain or shine, peace or war.

As I flowed through them my mind cleared and for the first time since last night I felt more at peace. Here I was in control, here I had power, here I could do something.

The world around me faded. It was just me and the sword, against an imaginary opponent named Corban. Each time I beat him back with precise thrusts and quick parries.

Finally I pointed the sword at the ground. I was heaving and covered in a light sheen of sweat. I wiped my brow and went to the water bucket.

I scooped up a huge ladle of water and gulped it down, coughing a little at the end. The water soothed my hot body and I sighed with relief. I placed the ladle back in the water and looked up at the trees. I didn't know how long I'd been training. I did know that I wished I could train longer.

Now it was time to go. To my village.

I took as long as I could to get ready. I dilly-dallied over things that didn't matter. But I couldn't put it off forever.

So now I was on Axe's back, sliding easily with his walk. I could trot, even canter if I wanted to. But I didn't want to. I wanted to take my time. So I could puzzle through my emotions and thoughts.

I knew going back to my village was going to be hard. It was the place I grew up in, the place I knew like the back of my hand. And now it was in ashes.

As I rolled around in my head Axe suddenly stopped stiff. I tilted forward, thrown off balance by his sudden halt and grabbed a piece of mane in case he decided to bolt. That'd happened a few times before.

But he didn't bolt. He stood stock still, staring straight ahead. I tensed, and scanned the trees, looking for what he'd heard or saw. But to my frustration I saw nothing.

"What is it boy? What do you see?" I asked. He lifted his head even higher, if that were possible. I felt his back hollow underneath me and grabbed a bigger piece of mane.

I thought I heard a crunching of leaves and strained to hear more. But I heard nothing. We stood that way for about a minute before Axe blew through his nose and lowered his head, deciding the danger was past.

He stepped out again, but I didn't relinquish my hold on the mane. If he bolted, I wasn't going to be left behind.

We made our way to the village without further incident. I recognized the place where Derrek and I had ran from the Ravager. "Oh Derrek, where are you? Why did you run?"

I dismounted and walked around the houses, remembering who lived where and why. I wept as I walked around the charred remains, knowing I used to play in many of them. Weeds and grass had begun to poke through the soil and I grieved that there was no one left but me to pull up the weeds.

I finally came to my house. Weeds had begun to sprout up around it. I knelt down and plucked them up, then stood and threw them. I couldn't walk through the remains, for I had no place to tie Axe and he could seriously hurt himself if I took him through there. So I stood at the edge and remembered. Remembered. It was a word I was using a lot nowadays.

My childhood had been spent in this house. I used to know its walls better than my own soul. And now it lay in ashes because of one man's lust for power.

Corban himself used to play in that house, used to smile and laugh. I wondered how many times he'd reveled in the thought of it being destroyed. A traitor within our midst. How did we not know?

I knelt down and wailed, wrapping my arms around myself and rocking. Axe stood nearby, a silent witness to my grief.

"I promise. I promise I'll bring them back," I gasped out. "And we'll build a new home, untainted by Corban's presence."

I stayed that way for a half hour. My nose ran, and my eyes seemed to have no end of tears. But finally I brushed my tears away and stood. "Good-bye. When I come back, I'll bring them," I promised.

So immersed was I in my grief and mourning that I had not noticed Axe's anxiety, his rolling eyes and frantic pawing. Finally with a squeal he ripped the reins out of my hands.

"Axe!" I cried and turned. Then it was my turn to scream.

Ravagers. Three of them. All coming for me.

Axe lashed out, solidly landing a kick to one Ravager's chest who had dared to get too near to him. Well, okay, now it was down to two.

I yanked out my sword, which wasn't actually mine but one Redwar had let me borrow, insisting I carry it with me at all times. I brought it up just in time to counter the Ravager's first strike.

I ducked out the side, determined not to get backed into the burnt remains of my family's house. To do so would be asking to be tripped.

The Ravager followed me, chopping at me with fierce blows. But they were blunt and sloppy. His strategy was to overwhelm me with the strength and amount of the strokes.

I knew it would work, if I didn't act fast. I blocked another one, and raised my blade up, catching his blade in the cross guard of my sword. I twisted, forcing the tip of his blade downward and away from me, pushing forward. It wasn't much but it threw him off balance.

I heard a whirring and instinct grabbed me. I ducked, narrowly avoiding the blade of the second Ravager. I was in over my head and I knew it. There was no way I could take on two of them, much less three if the third somehow revived.

I blocked a stroke from the second without looking and then ran. Actually, I stumbled for a few steps before gaining my footing. But I knew I had no chance. Ravagers were known for their extreme and almost inhuman ability for speed.

Sure enough, they caught up to me easily enough. I turned, blocked one stroke and then another, then backpedaled. I needed to run, to get to the trees, but I didn't dare turn for them to stick a sword through my back.

Trapped was an understatement for my situation.