To Claim the Elvin Princess: Apprentice (28 page)

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Rasten had elected to be part of the force which would attack on foot, rather than be safer, but stuck on a terranak. Their intent was to drop close, and move up, and only attack when the low flying ones had managed to create enough of an engagement to bring all the Eridians out of their buildings, and into the open. Seeing a small group of Elvin awing was thought likely to temp the Eridians to come out, eager to use their bows.

This village was close to a large wooded area, through which the Elvin might pass unseen. When Rasten and his men were well positioned, they signaled by shooting an arrow straight up above their tree cover, this being affixed with a long white cloth streamer, to allow it to be sighed by the flyers, who were also concealed, but at a more distant vantage point.

“Be ready!” Rasten softly called, passing the word from warrior to warrior. He gripped his sword, his stomach knotted, a mixture of tension and worry plaguing him. When he heard the beating of the terranaks’ wings, he readied himself, and waited. A dozen arrows from above took down two guards, with loud screams, sounding the alarm as they had hoped. Doors soon slammed open, the emerging Eridians shocked to find their men cut down, with no sign of any attackers visible. The Elvin had flown handily past, and swiftly turned, coming back fast, and unleashed another barrage of arrows. These were less deadly, the sight of the approaching terranaks giving the Eridians motive to move and not stand still; only one was taken in this sweep.

The Eridians now gave full attention to grabbing their own bows, and taking what cover they might, preparing to unleash a response, should the Elvin be foolish enough to return so low. They waited, tense and nervous, facing the direction the Elvin flyers had gone, but their enemy circled wide and well hidden by the trees; they swept in from behind, catching another couple of men not moving fast enough to avoid the flashing arrows.

Screaming commands, trying to watch two directions at once, they were fixed on the sky, and were unprepared for the running Elvin, who rushed out from between the houses, swords swinging.

Rasten’s first swing nearly decapitated one of the Eridians, who fell, still clutching his bow, sword still sheathed. He was more properly welcomed by the next, and found himself met by a strong and skilled Eridian, who was determined to survive. There battle was sharp and vicious, before Rasten managed to slip past his opponent’s guard, and drove his sword deep into the man’s chest. He barely managed to pull his sword back and spin, to meet the blade of another, a young man who had much determination, but less skill than a seasoned warrior should posses. Rasten hacked this one down quickly, and then ran towards another place, where one of his Elvin was desperately fighting two Eridians. Before he could reach them, the elf was wounded deeply by a thrust as he was locked against the other man’s sword.

Rasten slashed the closest Eridian with a blow more apt for chopping a tree down, then one which a sword master might approve of. He engaged the second man, his anger brutal, but well controlled, Master Roein’s harsh lessons about not being overwhelmed by his emotions still fresh. He made short work of this one, cutting him badly, and swiping the blade from his hand with a stinging blow, that snapped the Eridian’s weapon.

Rasten quickly turned, looked for more attackers, but found none still standing. Several of the Eridian women emerged, to survey the destruction, and to mourn the loss of their men. Rasten ordered the wounded to be tended, and went to see about his own fighters. He found one dead, and one badly wounded. Several had small cuts. The Elvin flyers made short work of the two that had fled afoot, their arrows deadly.

He was trying to deal with his own feelings, when one of the Eridian women came running at him, screaming, and brandishing a dagger. He grabbed for his sword hilt, but just as quickly released it, the idea of using a sword against an unskilled woman too unacceptable. He let her get close and commit herself into a vicious overhand strike, and stepped handily to the side, grabbing her wrist. A quick squeeze of his strong hand, and she cried out in pain, and dropped the weapon.

“Why don’t you kill us all!” she shrieked, before descending into sobs. Rasten swiftly turned her around, and rudely secured her wrists with a pair of Elvin handcuffs, taken from his pocket.  Taking her shoulders, he turned her around.

“Why should you wish such a thing?” he asked, his Eridian much improved. The woman seemed shocked that he spoke her language. He gently wiped her eyes, further astounding her.

“How shall we live with no one to help or provide for us? Who will husband the animals or tend the crops? We are doomed to a life of poverty, more than normal. No one will take us as wives...indeed, there are few men to spare as it is!” she complained, a deep sadness touching her.

“This is another reason why this foolish war with the Elvin needs to stop!” Rasten said, disgusted. The woman seemed puzzled by this.

“There has always been war...we have to fight against the Elvin, or none of us would survive!” Rasten shook his head, amazed by this.

“The Elvin only wish to have peace, so your people might have a chance to grow and prosper, and so that we should lose none of our own,” he sighed.

“I know only what we have always believed. What will become of us now? Will you burn our homes too, and leave us to wander, helpless and alone, until we perish?” she demanded.

“What is your name?” Rasten demanded.

“Ericora. Who are you?!” she demanded, drawing herself up. Several of the other Elvin had come near, curious to see what Rasten might do with this bold woman of the enemy.

“I am Rasten, son of Sayarin...perhaps you’ve heard of him?” he asked, a small smile showing. Ericora put her hands to her mouth, and looked suddenly pale.

“We are doomed!” she moaned.

“Where are the Elvin, who were captured and brought here?”

“Gone! Shocara came, and killed our leader, Rumarin, for taking them. Her men took all of them!”

“To her own village?”

“I suppose...she said nothing of what she intended. Apparently she feared the Elvin would come, and inflict a terrible retribution for the taking of them, and the killing of their people. Apparently her fears were justified!” the woman sobbed, looking over her village, strewn with dead Eridian men. “Will we die also?” she managed to whisper, terrified.

“Bring all of the women and children out!” Rasten commanded, giving no hint as to his intent. Ericora gestured for the other women to come to her, and spoke a moment, before they all went towards their houses, resigned to their fate.

“Lord Rasten, what is your thought?” one of the warriors asked.

“I am not willing to be evil enough to leave them here. We will burn the dead, and take the others to Alarinad. Summon the rest of our flyers!”

When the women re-emerged with their children, Rasten was able to get a firm count, quickly determining that they were short on ways to transport the entire village. He dispatched a pair of flyers, to go to the nearest Elvin encampment, and to return with as many as they could muster. Since this would take several hours, he and the Elvin set to work, to deal with the bodies. The women were made to prepare themselves, ordered to take little; the Elvin had no lack of means with which to feed and cloth this small band of refugees.

The women said their goodbyes simply and with only tears and a few words; death had been too common for too long to greatly touch them. Now they were overwhelmed by a new fear; what would their fate be at the hands of the Elvin? Was something more terrible than death awaiting them? None of them had ever had contact with the tall and odd Elvin, who now seemed only polite and kind. That this seemed nothing like what they had been taught to believe made them uneasy and even more insecure; was the world nothing like what they had believed?

When the extra flyers arrived it was near mid-afternoon. Rasten divided up the captives as evenly as possible by what they weighed, and soon had all loaded. He had taken a modestly sized young woman with a toddler, and strapped them in front of him, admonishing the woman to hold tight to the child.

They were soon aloft, several of the woman being sick quickly, and all looking utterly terrified. Some of the older children had ridden on such a beast once or twice, and these ones seemed quite excited, and much less scared.

The trip to Alarinad was long and tiring, again taking two days. They had stopped near an Elvin town to camp and feed their captives. Knowing they were well within Elvin lands, none were inclined to try escaping, especially burdened with children as most were. The next day the Elvin stopped only twice to let their passengers relieve themselves.

Rasten did not relax until the lights of the city were visible in the distance. As they approached, the young mother sitting in front of him managed to turn, and ask what she was seeing.

“That is Alarinad, the Elvin capital...it will be your home for the foreseeable future!” he informed her. Had he been able to see her face better, he would have seen a look of abject wonder well displayed.

They landed in a large open space next to the Citadel, and Rasten summoned guards and helpers from within. He was busy dealing with this mass of Eridians, a number close to one hundred in all, when Amein arrived, curious. The Eridian women and older children seemed helplessly stunned, both by the immensity of the buildings well displayed all around them, and the vastness of the Elvin city. They also were being watched by many Elvin, who were curious to see such a mass of Eridians in their midst.  Seeing an entire village worth of Eridian women and children, Amein was almost speechless, finding Rasten, and tugging on his sleeve.

“You have decided to simply take all the Eridians, and make them ours?” Amein asked, eyes sparkling.

“Apparently I have a soft heart; I had no desire to leave them to starve or suffer alone. We rendered most of them widows, and have only three prisoners,” he replied. “They know only what they have been taught of us, which is nothing flattering. The one with the reddish hair tried to stab me, but was shocked that I could speak to her, and listened to her fears!” Rasten explained what she had said, regarding a woman’s life after losing her husband. This disturbed Amein as much as it had Rasten.

“Perhaps we may help them to have a better life...you intend for them to stay...permanently?”

“I wish them to be human, not Eridian...at least for now,” he said, suddenly tired from the long  ordeal.

When all had been attended to, Rasten went to find something to eat, and then took a bath. Amein had gone to settle the Eridians, in a place both secure and where they might be well cared for. When she returned to the Citadel, she went in search of Rasten, finding him at last, on the balcony outside their bedroom, staring into space. She silently walked up behind him, knowing he would be aware of her presence.

“How many did you kill?” she asked softly.

“Too many,” he replied, his voice showing the strain of his emotions.

“I hope you never feel less terrible than you do now...when you stop hurting, when you no longer see the enemy as a living thing, but as something to despise, something to just cut down and step over, with no thought or care, you will have lost your soul, and become evil!”

“You still feel miserable when you cut someone down? Even if they are utterly evil?”

“Of course! Every living thing, even the most wicked, once had the possibility of being a decent being, a caring soul. No one and nothing is born evil, Rasten, they become that way, often by the hand and mind of others. You should at least mourn the good that once was, or was once possible. Tell me, do the Eridians not believe we are evil?”

“The ones we brought back all did...they expected us to rape and kill them, at the least, or leave them to perish slowly. They were much surprised that we are not as they expect!”

“But they are the women of those who do us harm...why should we not despise them?!” she demanded.

“Because we still have a soul, and are more worthy than others might choose to be?”

Amein slipped around him, where she could lean close and kiss him. “You will be a great leader! When you can care for those who are most helpless to your power, you display a wisdom and honor that is what all Elvin yearn to have! I know how hard it is to see people you care for fall and die. That urge to seek revenge is sharp and seductive, but only if you can rise above it, will you find the better path!”

“Such a path seems hard and evil right now!”

“It will always seem so, but your feet will become surer, and you will grow beyond your doubts and misery! Come, you don’t need to have me, you just need to be held and cuddled!” she whispered, and hugged him tightly.

“It doesn’t help to feel a failure, either!” he confessed.

“Why would you? Because our people were not there? That is not your fault!” Amein scolded him.

“But we went for that purpose, not to punish the Eridians!”

“But in time, Shocara will hear of this, and perhaps consider that the taking of our people is not worth the price!”

“If she doesn’t kill all of them in spite! All we can do is hope she’s not happy with the Kaderi!”

“She killed their leader, and took the captives...that wasn’t meant to show her approval, I’m certain of that!” Amein exclaimed.