Bastial Energy (21 page)

He pointed it at his opponent, who took a step back. “You should be scared,” Zoke muttered, more confident than ever as only a dagger stood in his way. He used the opportunity to glance behind him. Vithos was not there, yet another Krepp was, dashing at Zoke with a sword in hand.
Better finish this fight quick.

Turning back, he found the Krepp with the dagger to be running. Zoke chased after him, but Zoke’s legs proved to be too short. He was much slower than needed to catch up, so he turned to engage the Krepp behind him instead.

He deflected an overhead swing and retaliated with his own, which was blocked at the last moment. The force must have been a shock to the Krepp because he stumbled backward. Zoke used his momentum to stay on the offensive, delivering constant powerful blows. His enemy blocked or moved out of range of each one, never gaining position to attack back.

Zoke continued to swing, putting more power into every advance. The Krepp soon backed into a belt-high rock and fell onto it, so Zoke shifted his grip to stab the blade into the Krepp’s chest, but the Krepp rolled out of the way, and Zoke’s weapon was driven into solid rock. His sword snapped in half, and a shooting pain flew from Zoke’s palm to his shoulder.
Of course, they were given cheap weapons,
he thought. Doe and Haemon never gave more than they felt was necessary.
Then they too have underestimated me.

Zoke held the half-sword as confidently as he could and faced his enemy. In the distance behind the Krepp in front of him was Vithos, who held his hand over two debilitated Krepps, each on his knees. With his free hand, Vithos stuck a sword into the chest of one and then the other. Meanwhile, a sword came at Zoke from his attacker, so he dodged sideways just as he’d practiced thousands of times, pushing the weapon away from his body with his broken sword. He then jabbed it toward the Krepp, but it lacked the distance to make contact. He had no training with a weapon so short, so he would have to improvise. The Krepp easily sidestepped Zoke’s advance and clawed him across the face, following with a swing of his sword from the hip. Zoke leaped backward, feeling only wind against his stomach. Unfortunately, it was not the same for his face, which burned wet with blood.

Like other Krepps after a small taste of victory, his opponent predictably lunged straight at him. Zoke was ready for it this time. He moved aside and whacked the handle of his broken sword down onto the steel of the advancing weapon, then jabbed the jagged end of his sword into his enemy’s chest. He released his grip and his sword remained within his enemy’s body. The Krepp staggered back and then fell forward.

Before his attacker’s body came to a stop on the dirt, Zoke noticed the sound of another Krepp coming from behind. He turned to find that the one who had the dagger was wielding a sword now.

Unarmed, Zoke was now the one retreating. The Krepp ran for him. The blood-hungry look on his enemy’s face made Zoke feel like an ambushed Slugari—there was nowhere to hide, and he already knew he would be unable to outrun his opponent. Just as the Krepp’s sword advanced into range, it stopped and fell to the ground with a
clink
. Zoke had never heard such a relieving sound. The disoriented Krepp lost his footing and crashed into the hard dirt near where his sword had fallen.

“This is the last one,” Vithos said, approaching with his palm extended. He stopped over the fallen Krepp. “And he’s going to tell us what we need to know or he’ll feel a pain worse than the shedding of his
pra durren
.” The Krepp curled into a ball and screamed loudly. It pained Zoke just hear it. “That’s just an example of what’s to come unless you answer honestly,” Vithos threatened. He glared at the scar around the Krepp’s wrist. “You think a burning from Doe is bad? I can make your blood feel like it’s on fire.”

This was the wicked attitude Zoke had expected from the Elf when they’d first set out, but he hadn’t seen it until now. “Stop! Show some mercy!” he blurted without thinking.

“Get away from here!” Vithos screamed. “Leave! If you can’t handle it…leave.” The last word was a regrettable whisper.

Zoke took another look at the Krepp whimpering at his feet before leaving to search the bodies of the others.

While making his rounds, he periodically heard the Krepp scream and moan. Zoke knew Vithos was trying to get all the information he could before killing him. It hurt to let it happen, but Zoke was unable come up with a better alternative. They couldn’t allow the Krepp to live.

Chapter 26: Dark Dreams and Howls

ZOKE

Around the corpses Zoke found bows, swords, and daggers, each lower quality than the rest. He equipped himself the best he could from among the array of worn weapons. Soon, though, he found the extra weight was too much to bear for the long walks he knew lay ahead.

He removed half the arrows from his quiver.
Still quite heavy, but I’ll manage.
By then, Vithos had finished with the captive and executed him by piercing his heart with a sword.

The night was cold and dark, as usual. The howls of what Zoke assumed to be wolves began growing louder. He was resting against a smooth tree when Vithos approached.

“Let’s go south,” Vithos muttered, “away from this stench so I can focus.”

Zoke walked next to him, the Elf’s order of
“leave”
still fresh in his mind. Zoke tried to ignore it, asking instead, “What did he tell you?”

“Everything he knew.” Vithos’ tone was without solace, deep with regret. “Doe sent them here. He expected me to come to this village instead of following his orders. I should’ve realized he would do that. They killed a deer five days ago to produce the rotting smell. They were to take back my head to Lake Lensa, where an escort would meet them and bring them to the new location of the camp. Doe was smart not to reveal it to them before they left.” Vithos stopped to lean on a nearby tree. He held his forehead.

“Are you not well?” Zoke asked.

“My head is screaming. I’ve spent too much energy without enough food or rest. It’s nothing sleep can’t cure.” He continued walking, even slower than before. “I don’t like what happened back there. I regret what I said to you, though not what I did to that Krepp.”

Zoke glanced up but couldn’t see Vithos’ face clearly enough to read his expression; night had become too thick. “I understand your actions. There’s no need to discuss it further.”

“It pained you to watch another suffer. Compassion is important for any good leader, which I see you being one day.”

“I’m not in the mood for flattery,” Zoke replied. Sycophants were regarded as worse than beggars within the tribe, and it sickened Zoke to think Vithos would resort to fawning when he was out of energy.

“I’m not making this up.” The Elf spoke louder now. “I see you as a leader. I always have, but there was no opportunity for you within the tribe. Why else would I make you the lead Krepp of the disciplinary committee? You’re compassionate, responsible, yet tough and fair, all rare qualities for a Krepp.”

“I’ve never thought about it, and I see no reason to now.” It was the last thing Zoke cared about, and it still seemed like Vithos was just trying to make him feel better with false compliments. He changed the subject. “Did you find out more about what happened in this village from that Krepp?”

“All of the Krepps sent to kill us were too young to have lived during that time, and Doe told them nothing of it.” He stopped next to a house, brushing his hand against the charred lines on one wall. “I may never know exactly what happened, but there’s enough evidence to demonstrate that Doe and Haemon cared no more for this village than they did for me.” He opened the door to the house, and Zoke followed him inside.

There were three bed stands, one smaller than the rest, as if for a child. Everything was burned or looked ready to collapse, so they found space on the wood floor to lie down.

As Zoke was removing his weapons to sleep more comfortably, the loudest howl yet startled him. “Vithos?” he asked. The Elf’s eyes did not have a faint yellow glow like a Krepp, so he couldn’t tell if they were open. “Are we far enough from the smell that you can use your psyche?”

“Yes. There’s a pack of wolves nearby.” His voice was grumbly, as if he’d been asleep already somehow. “They’re hungry, but the corpses we produced will suffice. They’ve picked up the scent of blood, I presume. If you’re worried, we can sleep in shifts, but I need to rest now. Wake me later if you stay up.”

Zoke didn’t have it in him to stay awake much longer, either. He noticed the two large windows, though. Their huts back home were built without windows, so it was a strange concept to find them in each house here.
What did the Elves do when the weather was bad?
He had endured colder nights then this one, but the holes in the wall let in an unrelenting breeze that was likely to wake him as the night got colder. There was nothing he could see that could be used to block them.

He ventured outside and found a rock not five steps away. It was heavy and lopsided. He tried to balance it within the window, but the bottom of the window was too thin, so the rock wouldn’t stay on its own. While he was fiddling with it, a claw brushed against something above the window. It felt like a hinge for a door, and above it was an extra layer of wood. He set down the rock to investigate it closer with both hands. Atop the extra wood was a sliding lock. Suddenly, he realized what he was looking at.
Those smart Elves,
he thought.
There’s a cover for the windows
.

Zoke braced the slab of wood above the window and unhooked the lock atop it. The weight of the wood fell into his hand. He slowly let it come down so that it rested against the wall, completely covering the window. He did the same for the other window, then went back inside with some satisfaction.

His dream proved to be eerie that night. He was back with the tribe, gathered with many others in the judgment chambers. Zeti was there as well. There was lively chatter. Soon, he found his mother, Junni. She was dead, he knew, killed by Doe when he was just six—
pra durren
, but she talked with the others as if she were still alive. He noticed other Krepps suddenly appearing who’d been killed during his lifetime, specifically the two who’d come at him with swords last year when he’d tried to take them in for judgment.

Soon, Zoke and the other Krepps were escorted out of the room by Doe. He found himself on a game board as a piece. He could cast magic—something no Krepp could do. While everyone attacked each other, he aimed his finger along their feet and a trail of fire emerged where he pointed. They burned, but without pain. As their lives came to an end, they faded, disappearing from the game board.

Back in the room from before, everyone was seated on a separate rock. They were singing a rhythmic yet ominous song that sounded familiar. As he looked at each of them, he noticed their skin was sickly pale, there were holes in their faces and chests, and many had bloody wounds across their necks.
They’re dead, all of them
, he understood. Then Zoke noticed that he was the only Krepp standing and that he faced them, and they faced him.
They’re singing background and expect me to sing the melody
, he realized. But he didn’t know the song.

When he awoke, night had ended, yet the backbeat to the song looped continuously in his mind.
How do I know this song?
He tried to remember the melody but couldn’t.

Vithos must’ve left the house where they’d slept and closed the door behind him because he was gone. Light crawled in from underneath the door and around the edges of the windows. Dirt was caked around Zoke’s eyes and ears, so he used a claw to scrape it out. The hair on his head was thin and short, like most other male Krepps, yet soot still clung to it. He brushed his hand to and fro to clean off the dark flakes. The course skin on his palm scratching against his scalp was refreshing. He opened the door and stepped out.

The sun on his face immediately melted last night’s chill. He buried the claws on his feet into the dirt and squatted to dig the claws on his hands underneath as well. He squeezed the dirt between each finger and yawned like a wolf howling.

“You’re up,” Vithos said. His face and clothes were covered in soot. “This place is breathtaking. It’s a waste that no one lives here.”

“These houses are far superior to our huts. Why didn’t our tribe stay if they took it over?”

“More important than living comfortably is finding the Slugari. Doe and Haemon must’ve known the underground colony was farther south, especially because the only thing north of here is the ocean.”

Zoke nodded. “How much water do you have?”

“Enough to make it back to the stream we found two days back.”

“Then are you ready to leave this place?” Zoke was eager to return to the Krepp encampment he’d left. Even with everything that had happened, he still hoped others would be there, especially Zeti. She could be waiting for him, perhaps hiding.

Vithos rubbed dirt from his hand. “Not quite.”

Zoke didn’t push the Elf to leave before he was ready, so he nodded and followed. Zoke wasn’t too enthusiastic about walking back on his own, and they had come all this way.

The deeper they went into the village, the more Zoke was amazed by what they found. There were metal pipes sprouting from the ground with a lever that produced water when pumped. Neat squares of dead gardens were fenced off with sturdy pickets of wood.