A Soldier's Life - 383 - Shocking End

I did spend a few hours on the last two chapters addressing some of the concerns. Still need more reworking, especially in 382. When I start editing Book 5 in two weeks, I can hopefully infuse some better reasoning for helping Mynasha and Glasha. The orc boy necromancer may also get a rewrite based on this, and the Khronus interaction is definitely getting an overhaul.

Chapter 383: Shocking End (terrible chapter name I know)

Men, women, and children rushed away from the obvious magical combat in the direction of the matrons’ residences. I had not seen this area of the city in the dark last night, but as I ran against the flow of people, each residence appeared as a two-story square building occupying an entire block. The buildings were not aesthetically impressive, but they seemed capable of being utilized as fortifications, with only the windows visible on the second floor. Around the entrance of each structure was the relief depicting the tribes crest.

I really hoped the others from Earth did not cause this disturbance. Was it too much to hope for this being a dragon—a small one—instead of Earthers being involved? My gut told me it was too much of a coincidence not to be Karina and Anika.

As I pressed through the streets, a few casually dressed people on the roofs were gathered near the edge to try to see what was causing the commotion. I sent out a few earth pulses, but they were not helpful with so much confusion and chaos. The flow against me lightened, and I soon found myself in an open street of sandy brown cobblestones with a few tribal warriors moving with me. I came to a stop as dozens of warriors had leveled blades and spears at Karina, who was bloodied and standing protectively in front of Evie and Lexi. Both girls looked terrified, and Karina was defiant.

Anika was here too. Her twisted body was charred and still smoking a dozen feet away with a dead-eyed stare. Evie’s eyes were locked on the dead woman, but I did not have the luxury of releasing any anger for her vengeance at the moment. I hoped the girl was smart enough not to bring her back. Lexi’s hands were on Karina’s hips, her face twisted and eyes sunken. I thought she had bottomed out her aether, probably from healing. This was about as bad as it could be.

What did they do? I scanned the scene and quickly pieced together what likely happened. There were others under guard in the square. A catkin with familiar black-and-white markings held its arm at an odd angle. He was the tracker from Yuetsen—Kaede, I recalled. Two other men, with hard faces and light adventurer’s armor, were kneeling nearby, their hands held up in the universal sign of surrender.

A fourth adventurer was face down and likely dead, either from Anika’s or Karina’s hands most likely. I remained at the edge of the encirclement as things calmed down. I couldn’t see any locals involved in the fight. I guessed another group of adventurers from Yuetsen had caught up to us here, most likely entering after us. Konstantin would be disappointed that I had not scouted the city and churned the local rumor mill before retiring to the inn. However, I did not speak the local dialect, and I would have appeared very suspicious walking the outer walls. I glanced back the way I came, looking for my companions, but they were not in sight.

Karina stood on wobbly legs, and her forearm and thigh were bleeding as she gasped for air. The tribesmen seemed to be waiting for someone with authority to arrive and were currently content the disruption had ended. Karina’s eyes scanned the crowd, and when she found me, we locked eyes. She was pale from blood loss and looked apologetic. I didn’t understand why Lexi had not healed her yet. Then I used my aetheric sight and understood. One of the tribesmen was unweaving spell forms similar to Castile’s ability.

I stepped forward, “Let the girl heal the woman!” I barked in Elvish. My announcement drew the eyes of everyone, some hundred warriors and spectators. Two warriors faced me defensively. My intention was to save Karina and also alert everyone that Lexi was a healer. Magical healers were treasured in every kingdom, and if things went south, they should at least respect Lexi’s ability.

A man who wore a soft leather smock with a bull emblem turned to me. His thin, silky black hair blew with a stiff breeze, but my aetheric sight saw the tendrils led back to him. His tone was dispassionate. “Once it is safe, the matrons will determine what will be done with the violators of the peace,” he said, not removing his weave. He tilted his head, studying me. “Do you wish to share in their crimes?” 

I tempered my response but remained truthful, as it would not be hard to find out we had arrived together. “No. We were tasked with escorting them to this city. Our association has ended.” He nodded slightly but didn’t question me further.

Two women in dark gray robes with black glossy embroidery entered the square. The black embroidery clearly depicted spell forms, and the yarn glistened in the early morning sun, reminding me of spider silk. Both were middle-aged, with signs of crow’s feet on their faces as they assessed the scene and talked to each other. 

As they reached the man I had a few words with, more matrons arrived. Most were gray or graying, but all wore similar robes. Some of these matrons had their tribal warriors for protection, but I was not sensing that they all felt the threat neutralized.

Soon, a dozen matrons were talking to each other as the catkin and two other adventurers were presented with their wrists bound behind their backs. Karina and the children did not escape that fate but were saved for last. Karina was weak and barely holding on to consciousness, but no one appeared concerned. If there were not fifty armed tribesmen warriors in the square, I might have tried to get her a healing potion.

It was Lexi’s pleading, helpless, fatigued eyes that compelled me to act. “Is someone going to heal the woman? She is going to die if no one does anything?” I yelled at the conclave of tribal matrons.

One of the older matrons, with silver-gray hair, arched her eyebrow. She spoke immaculate Elvish in response, “I am Matron Sien and will decide her fate. She broke the peace, and we should reward her with healing?”

I was slightly frustrated. There had not even been a trial yet. Karina was barely conscious, and Lexi looked drained. “The red-haired child can heal her if your man doesn’t interfere,” I retorted and stepped out from the crowd unthreateningly.

The matron studied me, and I felt a chill pass through me as my forearms tingled. She was not showing any signs of aetheric casting, but I was clearly being targeted. My aether sight confirmed it, as I was able to see the faint spell forms in the air in front of her. “The child?” She said skeptically. “Do you know them, then? Did you play a role in this?” she asked in a measured tone.

My itching forearm told me I was being questioned under a truth spell by Sien. Not many of the matrons spoke Elvish, as very few were drawn to our conversation. A pair were questioning the catkin, and five others had taken to inspecting Anika’s body and the dead adventurer.  

I repeated my assertion, hoping becoming involved was not a mistake, “No. I escorted them to the city, but our affiliation ended there.”

“Escorted?” Matron Sien questioned.

I thought I could help their cause here, as their identities would be discovered soon anyway. “They are the otherworlders who are being blamed for the destruction in Yuetsen. They were not involved. They came here seeking Matron Lucette’s counsel.”

I scanned the crowd to see if any of the matrons responded to the name, but none acknowledged it in Elvish. “Ah,” she said more to herself than to me. “And the child can heal?”

I nodded, and the woman told the man to release his spell. “Lexi, you can now heal Karina,” I yelled to her over the crowd's rumblings. Lexi heard me, closed her eyes, and Karina stopped bleeding, but Lexi looked sleepy from the effort. The matron appeared surprised, and the child’s healing act drew the attention of others, not just the matrons. Although I could not speak the language, I could see the shock on people’s faces. Karina’s wounds may have closed, but she was weak from blood loss and in no shape to fight.

The woman turned to one of the warriors, and I heard Lucette’s name before he ran off. Things seemed to be sorted and the crowd was beginning to disperse. Anika was still dead. “Karina, what happened?” I asked, stepping closer. Although she was healed, she looked pale and weak. Her eyes were unfocused. “Evie, what happened?” I inquired of the blonde girl.

Evie looked hopeful that I was here. She blubbered a little as she spoke. “We…we…were waiting for an…audience. The cat man and him,” she pointed at the dead man, “grabbed Lexi. Then…then…”

“It’s fine, Evie,” I reassured her. Then, switching to Elvish to address the matron, I explained, “The adventurers tried to kidnap the girl but did not initiate the fight.”

The matron with the truth spell form cocked her head. “Are you sure?” She asked like she knew something I didn’t. “Truth is a fickle mistress. We will see exactly how things progressed when Matron Jette arrives,” she replied.

We did not have to wait long before three more matrons arrived, one of them being led by the warrior I thought was sent to retrieve Matron Lucette. Matron Lucette had faded blonde hair, clear blue eyes, and an expression of curiosity as she took in the scene. If I were to guess her age, I would say it was in her late fifties. It was one of the other matrons, with a tidal wave of strawberry-blonde hair, that took center stage. She looked too young to be in charge of a tribe; her gray robes had no embroidery as she checked both bodies. At first, I thought she was going to commune with the dead, but she eventually took a hefty pouch from inside her robes and made a massive circle of silvery dust. 

All the other matrons pulled back, and the prisoners were dragged back as well. The warriors from the various tribes set a perimeter to let her work. I had no idea what she was doing, but my aether sight told me she was leaving aether weaves on the dust as she circled the site. When she made a complete circle, she stood in the center, and translucent people appeared within. Dozens of them, but I recognized Karina and Anika with the two girls. They were standing in the plaza's center, talking and gesturing in silence.

The scene from the past seemed to accelerate forward so fast that everyone was just a blur. It rewound and sped forward in a dizzying display until it finally paused, and what had happened was finally revealed.

Kaede walked through the crowd and came up to the group. Lexi had wandered a few feet away, and Kaede put his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. Karina went wide-eyed and punched the catkin, who was thrown away like a cannon. Anika’s blade was out as she attacked another adventurer. The illusion of the man was pierced through the heart and then kicked by Karina off Karina’s blade. As it rolled away, the illusion merged with the corporeal body of the dead man as it stopped.

Then there was a flash of lightning that came from outside the sphere of influence of this expansive illusion. Anika was struck and thrown away. Matron Jette replayed the incident twice, but the mage who cast the aetheric lightning was not within the spell’s range. After the lightning, people scattered, and Karina stood over Anika’s body while she tried to defend the children from the two other swordsmen who had been detained. As the illusion progressed, Karina took a few wounds as defending against blades with fists was not feasible. Then, tribal warriors swarmed in to end the conflict.

My companions finally arrived, but a perimeter had been established, and they were not allowed closer. I waved to Castile, indicating there was nothing we could do at the moment. A few matrons stepped into the circle, replaying the scene multiple times as they directed Matron Jette on what they wanted to see. It was difficult watching Anika die over and over again, and even more so seeing Evie’s tears stream down her face as she couldn’t turn away. I was concerned about what I observed, as Kaede had not attempted to kidnap Lexi at all—only trying to turn her, likely in an effort to identify her.

The woman I assumed was Matron Lucette was now speaking to Matron Sien. Between the two, it was difficult to determine who held more authority. Lucette frowned throughout the conversation. Eventually, Matron Sien addressed me, confirming my fears. “It appears you are mistaken. The otherworlder was the first to attack and kill. Her life is forfeit.”

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