The Sword Maiden

A Worm's Help

The lighted lantern revealed the boy's face had not been washed in awhile. He sat there with an easy smirk on his face, confident despite being sat up against Axe's stable door and surrounded by three sword bearers.

I found that distinctly irritating.

"What's your name?" Asked Redwar.

He cocked his head. "Daxton SwordCleaver, old timer."

Redwar raised an eyebrow. "It's Redwar Volan to you." He nodded his head towards us. "The one who captured you is named Ravine, and her companion is Valeria. Both of them are SwordCleavers."

Daxton squinted one eye, just one, not the other. "Volan. That's not a Betretorian or Thathian name."

Redwar didn't miss a beat. "No. It isn't. And Daxton isn't a very Bretorian or Thathain name either."

He knelt down, staring the lad full in the face. "Do we have an understanding, Daxton?"

Daxton's smirky face grew a little more serious. He glowered at Redwar. "I guess we do, Volan."

Valeria and I glanced at each other, sensing there was something more going on here.

"Good." Redwar stood. "Now, to our questions. Why did you come here to us, in the middle of the night? Obviously not to steal."

That smirk returned. "You've got somethin' I want, but it ain't somethin' I can steal, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. I've got somethin' you want, and I'm willin' to make a trade."

"Then why didn't you wake us up and talk civilly to us?" I asked, annoyed.

He sneered at me. "That ain't the way we do business here in Baradom. That civility nonsense don't exist here."

"What do you want?" Asked Valeria.

He jerked his head towards the dagger in my hand. "I want that dagger."

My fist clenched around the handle and I sheathed it protectively. This dagger happened to be my father's, it was the one he'd given me, the one Corban had not taken from him. It was all that I had left of my parents.

"No." My voice was harder than granite. "It was my father's. I will not trade it for anything."

"Don't be so hasty," Daxton growled at me. "You ain't heard my offer yet."

"I-" Before I could say nothing in the whole world would make me change my mind, Redwar held up his hand.

"What is your offer, Daxton?"

He leaned back against the stall door. "I know where Derrek Acantha SwordCleaver is."

I gasped and stepped back. Finally, someone had seen Derrek! The next minute I was determined to throttle this creep, seeing red at the fact he had waited to tell us. Angry that he would exact payment for his service in finding a lost loved one.

Valeria managed to grab me before I reached the worm. "Ravine!" She yanked me backwards.

"How dare you! How dare you keep this from us, and then demand a price for it! How dare you! Do you know what it feels like to loose everything you have, and to scramble to try to recover a piece of it, only to always be one step behind?"

I flung these words in his face. At my last sentence he flinched a little, but it wasn't enough to appease me. I strained against Valeria's hold. "So help me, if I don't-"

"Ravine!" Redwar closed the gap between us in three quick strides and grabbed my shoulders, blocking my view of Daxton.

"Stop!" He shook me. "Enough, control yourself." He hissed, low enough that Daxton could not hear. "Will you jeopardize your one chance to find your brother?"

I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head, then ripping myself out of Valeria's grasp and stomping to the far side of stable.

I was trembling with emotion, something that I hadn't felt but a few times in my life.  I  couldn't think but in snatches that made no logical sense.  Emotionally, however, they did.  

I had been so close to Derrek.  So close.  And once again he was gone. 

In a fit of rage I unsheathed Bound.  I needed to do something, stab something, anything but just stand here!  

There was a saddle stand on the wall in front of me.  With a hair-raising shriek I swung Bound in a fully unbalanced but powerful blow.  

Bound ripped into the stand, sending a chunk of wood flying and leaving a very deep gash.  I reared back to another strike, but before I could, a hand reached out and caught my wrist from behind.

Reacting on fury-fed instinct, I unsheathed my dagger and spun to stab.   

Redwar caught my other wrist way before the dagger reached him.  

We stared at each other for a moment, me wild-eyed, Redwar calm but deadly stern.  

"Ravine.  Stop.  Get a grip on yourself.  Don't let emotion be the tyrant that rules you.  You cannot let it."  

HIs calm face gave me something to focus on in a sea of turmoil.  

I tried to stab Redwar.  

At that realization, the dagger slipped from my hand and hit the ground with a thud.  

"I'm... I'm so sorry Redwar.  I'll try.  I'll try."  

Slowly he let my wrists go.  I lowered my hands, Bound's tip touching the ground.  

Now I wanted to cry but I would not.  I would get a handle on myself and force my emotions back to where they belonged. 

Suddenly Valeria let out a cry.  "Hey!  Come back!"  

Daxton the worm was running like his pants were on fire, the moon lighting his way.  Valeria swung her bow off her back, but before she could do anything, Redwar took off after him.

Up to now, I hadn't really seen Redwar run.  I'd seen his lightening sword skills, and reflexes, but not his Ravagerian speed.  He was so fast, I was certain he could have kept up with a cantering horse.  

Within seconds he had caught up with Daxton.  He grabbed him by the collar, like I had, and flipped him on the ground.  Daxton had been going to yell, but Redwar had effectively choked him down.  

Redwar was livid.  He got right up in Daxton's face and had a chat with him, which I could not hear.  Then he yanked him off the ground and dragged him stumbling back to the stable.  

"Daxton is going to lead us to your brother, Ravine.  Grab your things, and prepare to leave."  

I was eager to accept help from a worm, but I didn't have much choice.  

As Valeria and I gathered our stuff and bridle our horses, Redwar talked further with Daxton.  I could never quite hear what they were saying.  Daxton seemed angry with him, and I sensed there was more going on, but I didn't know what.  

AN: An interesting not about this chapter. I had written about half of it on Friday and was going to finish it today, but before I could get to that I had to go somewhere. I couldn't very well bring my laptop in the car, but I wanted to write, so for the first time in quite literally years I grabbed a notebook and a pen.

About 455 words of this chapter was written on paper in the car, it took up 5 pages of my notebook. I claimed to never like writing on paper because I felt it limited it me mentally. But, it's not as bad as I remembered it being, although my handwriting is nowhere near as neat it is on here XD

Anyhow, thanks for reading!