The Ways of War

Chapter 11

I wasn't looking through my eyes anymore, but I was. It was as if I was watching two scenes that had been overlaid. I could see the Tsoro in front of me, its desperate eyes holding hope, but I could also see a small child.

I thought the little girl was beautiful, no, I didn't think that, the Tsoro did. He loved her so much, his daughter, who had lost her mother before she had had a chance to meet her. He was worried she would be mad at him. He couldn't tell her that he had no choice but to go fight those who rode the dragons. He had been summoned. He was a medical Tsoro, he knew more about their bodies than many others could ever hope to know, and now he had to go stich up the idiots who thought themselves brave for fighting the Riders.

Calling to his little one he told her the news and I watched as the tears fell down her pale cheeks, and I felt the Tsoro's pain at making her cry. He knew how she looked up to the Riders. She thought they were beautiful. She wanted to understand them, she didn't realize that understanding had been irradiated between the two races long, long ago.

I blinked and the image changed, I was kneeling beside a Tsoro who was screaming in pain. A large gash was cut through this torso. I could feel that helping him was worthless, yet the Tsoro still tried, he tried desperately. He didn't know this fallen man, but he knew that no one deserved to die without saying goodbye. I flashed again, the Tsoro was running towards a fallen comrade when he was suddenly grabbed. Rough cloth gripped his arm and was followed by a metal clamp. Before he could turn his other arm was clamped as well as his neck. A rough wooden sack was pulled over his head and jabbering voices started yelling at him. He was terrified, he wanted nothing more to see his baby girl.

The image flashed one more time, and I saw myself standing across the clearing. The Tsoro was scared but then he heard me speaking his language, it was rough, like a baby just learning, but it was his language none the less. Immediately he tried to ask for help, to explain that he never wanted to fight this war, that he was just a medic, but he knew that I wasn't understanding him. When he saw my scarred hand though he gained hope. He had heard rumors of the Riders who survived the poison being able to connect with the Tsoro, to understand them as they hadn't been understood in a long time.

That was what why he allowed me to touch him, he had hopped and he had been right, he could see me experiencing his memories. He just hopped that he had guessed right in me being willing to help him.

Like a rubber band snapping back, I was able to see out of my own eyes once more. I gasped in shock and took a stumbling step back, nearly landing on my butt had I not been caught by Nico. "Royse are you alright?" He asked me as he started to drag me away from the Tsoro.

Stuck in a trance, it took me a second or two before I shook out of it. "No, stop I'm fine!" I called out, struggling out of Nico's arms. My experience with the Tsoro must have been a bit more than I expected as my legs were effectively Jell-O.

Hitting the ground, I noted the loud slap my palms made in the total silence that had enveloped the area around me. Struggling to my feet I moved towards the Tsoro, he was standing completely still, I think he was in just as much shock as I was.

"He didn't hurt me; he doesn't want to hurt any of us." I said as I turned to look over my shoulder. I could see the concerned, skeptical, and downright horrified faces around me. I didn't know how to make them see, they wouldn't be able to touch the Tsoro, and to them he was nothing more than a monster. They didn't know he was a father; he was a doctor. "Please, I don't know how to help you," I said, hoping that I was indeed speaking Tsoro. I don't know how to explain it, but after seeing the Tsoro's memories, I felt as if I had been speaking the language my whole life, and I didn't bother trying to question it, doing so would probably serve only to give me a headache.

The Tsoro's lips twisted into, what I assumed was, a smile. It was horrifying, and I heard many of the Riders behind me gasp and draw weapons, but none attacked. "You want to help, that is truly all I ask. Tell them I intend no harm; I simply wish to return to my daughter." He said, and I quickly nodded.

Looking towards the guards I noticed the dark glares that they were sending me through their hoods and had to steal my nerves before I turned and faced the large crowd behind me. Glancing towards Lucas I saw him give me a slight nod and took a bit of encouragement from it. That encouragement left when I saw the Admiral glowering at me darkly.

Looking away from that man I was quickly realizing hated me only for the sake of hating me I addressed the crowd of Riders. "He doesn't want to hurt us! He isn't even a soldier. He's a medic, he didn't sign up for the war, he only wants to see his daughter." I could see looks of disbelief on the riders' faces and I knew that they didn't understand. "He can be helpful!" I said changing tactics and imploring to Nico, Kelly, Lucas, and the Admiral. "He could teach me more about the Tsoro, look at how much of the language I learned simply from touching him! It's against the ways of war to kill a medic!" I said, hoping that I could at the least save him.

The Admiral did not say anything although I could see he was thinking over, and I took heart from that. He seemed to realize that we were surrounded by other riders and he resumed his hard face. "We will discuss this more elsewhere. Guards, take him to the holding cells. Royse, Kelly, Nico, and Lucas. Report to my office immediately. Everyone else, dismissed." With that, the Admiral turned and strode away.

The rest of the riders hesitated for a second before they all slowly meandered away, all seeming to try and get glances at me as they went.

Eventually the area was clear except for my friends, my dragon, and myself. Kelly gave a bright smile and chirped, "Well, let's go face the music!"