Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 8: The Showdown in the Dunes - Part 2

With three much larger stone spikes sailing through the sky, Mordecai wouldn't pursue them this time. Instead, he retreats toward the barrier of spikes surrounding the outpost. Allowing the lizard steed to run straight, Mordecai took his crossbow from his back and lay on his belly over the top of the cage, loading a bolt with a hide satchel and fuse attached. Lighting the fuse with a flint tool, he aims at one of the spikes as it descends toward the ground. 

Once the spikes land, gigantic hekoska like the one from earlier leap from the sand, their maws gaping wide, their roars ferocious and filled with rage. As soon as one reaches the peak of its jump, Mordecai fires his bolt right into the beast's throat, causing an explosion that made it roar and crash to the ground, shaking the ground and sending sand bursting up like a brief wave from the impact. With Aurea delivering several ice rods along its body, the other two chase after the sled. 

Mordecai loads another bolt while Tessa sends another volley of stone spikes at the remaining two. The hekoska leap once more as the sled slides between two spikes. One of them was close enough to almost clear the barrier, but its tail is snagged by the spike, stopping it. It's front and maw slam against the ground, causing another tremor. The other dives back into the sand just before the barrier but slams into the stone buried underground out of sight, nearby palms shaking from the impact.

Aurea slays the hekoska caught in the spikes with more ice rods, but they could see the mound in the sand as the other backed up to gain more ground and build up speed for another attempt to clear the barrier. The maws of the larger hekoska have reinforced scales that made the tips of their noses quite durable, so everyone guessed it intended to charge the spot it rammed before to break through and continue advancing. Tessa sent more spikes toward the hekoska; its speed was faster than before and made it difficult to stop its charge, indicating its intention to attack.

Mordecai positions himself to aim at the area of the barrier that it rammed into before. Marlina saw Aurea, 'riding' down a slide of ice formed from the pillar she had stood upon. Gliding down the ice toward the area Mordecai was targeting, she holds two large buckets of water. Once she clears the wall, she leaps off the slide and tosses the water towards the ground in front of the approaching hekoska, thrusting her hands forward to make the water form into a broad, thick incline of ice that sank hard and fast into the sand. With her momentum from the slide leading from the pillar, she clears the beast's warpath to the side and uses the sand to cushion her landing.

When the hekoska reaches the barrier, the ice ramp forces it out of the sand and leaps above it. Mordecai fires another explosive bolt at its maw as it was about to pass over their heads. However, given its fast charging, the hulking beast is about to ram into the walls and demolish the courtyard. Marlina was sure it would destroy the wall when the creature's nose started to turn to glass. As the glass began to form, it quickly spread across the maw and face of the beast until its top half became transparent glass. It's now decorative head smashes into the outpost wall, shattering into thousands of pieces with a loud crash. The impact causes a large crack in the wall, and its blood splatters all over the wall and sand, while its lifeless flesh bottom half lies on the ground. What in the world was that?!

While Marlina looks utterly dumbfounded by what she witnessed, Mordecai stands atop the cage to gain a higher vantage point, sensing that the battle might not be over. Now that Marlina is closer, she looks up at Elek and Tessa and can see Elek leaning against the tall railing of the high balcony where they stood, his hand over his eye beneath his hair. With Tessa's hand over his eye beneath his monocle, she waves to the others to signal that the fight was over.

Mordecai relaxes and places his crossbow back into the holster on his back. He jumps down from the top of the cage, takes the reins, and leads the sled toward Aurea. She didn't seem very pleased from her expression, having realized long ago that Marlina was in the cage. Nevertheless, Mordecai approaches and allows her a moment to step onto the edge of the sled, supporting herself with the cage while he took the three of them back toward the outpost. He brings them to a stop near the fountain, then the two of them untie the ropes that secured the cage to the sled to release Marlina.

"Mordecai." Aurea's tone was icy and stern, causing Marlina to freeze in place. "I remember telling you not to bring her into the battle. You went against my decision." When Elek took Marlina to see Tessa, Mordecai suggested the same idea to her. Still, she declined, even visiting the infirmary to reassure Marlina that she had no obligation to help by sheltering her.

Mordecai kneels, bowing his head in apology as he explained himself, his tone calm. "It was for the safety of the outpost. They were after her, and I used that information to our advantage. I promised her safety and let her make the choice herself."

Aurea's cold stare shows her dismay as she turns to Marlina. "Is this the truth?"

Seeing Mordecai kneel, she lowers herself to her knees and bows her head. "Yes, Your Highness." Since Marlina was unsure of Aurea's official status in the hierarchy, she could only use that form of address to show her respect for Aurea's higher authority without inadvertently belittling her position. "He clearly explained the risks to me, and I decided to help however I could because I am grateful for your kindness and hospitality. Please do not be upset with him; he did not coerce me."

Aurea's brow furrows. When Marlina spoke, fear laced her tone, suggesting that Mordecai might face punishment, which made Aurea's glare soften upon hearing it. One does not plead with such a tone unless they have been around those who inflict pain upon others. "Chief, if you please, Marlina. My people are not a monarchy. What you decided to do was courageous, especially in the hands of a reckless daredevil like Mordecai."

Mordecai chuckles at her comment as he stands from his kneeling. If anyone happened to notice, it was so cold that one could see his breath when he spoke. "But I always get the job done."

With Mordecai easing around her, Marlina slowly raises her head and gets up. "I am grateful for your help, young Marlina. Nevertheless, heed me when I say I want you to stay out of danger and under our care until you recover from..." As Aurea looks down at Marlina's body and the still-lingering gaps in her frame, she sees frost forming around the edges of the gaps in her body and wrists. Moments later, the gaps widen, and more of her body turns brown and deteriorated.

Mordecai notices and pulls Marlina away from Aurea, who, in turn, takes quick steps back to create some distance from Marlina. 

"What? Is something wrong?" Marlina asks, confused about why they suddenly moved.

"Your holes are getting worse..." Mordecai replies. He could feel that Marlina was now very cold to the touch. When he first saw her, Mordecai knew she certainly wasn't human. But this is the first time he has touched her, and she felt like an ice-cold, oddly shaped suit of armor. She wasn't even that hard to pull, either.

Marlina looks down at the gaps and becomes panicked once more. "Why does this keep happening?!"

Right now, Aurea has no idea what is happening to her. When she took Tessa to prepare the defenses, she explained everything she and Elek had discovered about Marlina, most likely an animated humanoid construct with memory and intelligence. Aurea didn't know much about such things, her race being humble people, but it's clear her presence is harming Marlina. "Take her to the barracks."