Cure for the Invisibles: 2013

Kya quietly turned the page in her book. It was a meaningless action; she knew all the words by heart. Her muscles deemed it necessary, and she was in no mood to object. It was calming to feel the smooth paper between her fingers and listen to its soft crinkle as it flattened against the other pages. Nothing assuaged her nerves quite like it.

Strangely, though, she didn’t need it. Her heart wasn’t thundering and her palms weren’t sweaty. Her body felt perfectly serene as she rested in her window-seat to watch the sun rise with just a book to keep her company.

After the confrontation in the Ballroom, Kya simply walked back through to halls to her quarters, closed the door, and settled down to rest. But she couldn’t rest. The mental exhaustion from the day overwhelmed her, yet she was not granted the relief of sleep. Her mind was not racing with thoughts nor were her muscles aching in protest. If anything, she felt…. Fine.

But she wasn’t fine. She couldn’t possibly be fine. She’d had a sparring match with the Third General of Nibheis in the morning, punishments of incompetent soldiers by noon, an unexpected rendezvous in the springs in the afternoon, and finally a betrothal by sunset. Never in her life had she experienced such hectic day, yet the Spirits weren’t kind enough to let it end.

So Kya stayed awake. To occupy her mind she found her favorite book tucked beneath her mattress and began to read. The voice in her head quickly switched to that of her father’s as she read the words. It was one of the earliest gifts she had ever received from him, and he used to read it aloud to her each night as a child. It was how she learned to read the ancient language; her father was better than any tutor she had.

‘…For when there is nothing to be seen, open your ears. The Spirits, though hidden from your eyes will whisper into your ears. How painfully simple, yet tragically out of reach, for my ears hear nothing but the stream I played in as a child and the crackling fractures of my weeping soul.’

The story was about a Knight sent to battle in one of the great wars. When he returned he found his village ransacked and his beautiful bride-to-be stolen by the enemy. He circled the continent in search of her.

‘I yearn for her arms to hold me still, for it her voice to send me whispers rather than listen to such callous taunts from the Spirits above.’

Why wasn’t she anxious? If she wasn’t, though, shouldn’t she be asleep?

‘Aru’mat the Baleful, so twisted in his work, so distant from the realm of his people.’

A prickle ran along Kya’s spine. What if she ‘hid’ again? She had no say in the matter. Her mind and body would work without her consent. It had only happened twice before, and it had frightened her then. But she had been just a child.

‘The Angels ignore me, the Mers have deserted me. I am alone in my troubles.’

Kya placed her book down, unable to read anymore. The morning sun was just barely starting to creep over the horizon, bathing the surrounding forests in crimson and gold light. The deciduous trees had all turned to color and most had lost their leaves. The constant rains started to turn frigid and frost would greet them each dawn.

The autumn was dying like a fickle flame. The snows would come soon and winter would fall upon them like a smothering blanket. And yet the General still wanted to continue north. With all her procrastination she felt that this would be her best way of keeping him here. The trail would be much too treacherous in the winter. Even he would have to admit that.

Sadly, Kya looked about her room, her eyes settling on the several packs that she had prepared whilst wasting the night away. She didn’t know why she so quickly obeyed the General’s order; perhaps she was afraid he would follow through on his threat and pack for her, leaving her with a potato sack for clothes.

She still truly believed that they would not be leaving. She didn’t know what all he planned to do with the ‘information’ he required in the Fortress, but she knew that he shouldn’t get it. So if she could keep him in the Capital through the winter, perhaps she could think of a better plan.

A knock on her door disrupted her reverie. She looked up, just then noticing that the sun had risen much higher than she thought.

“Come in,” Kya called, assuming it to be a servant bringing her breakfast (she preferred to eat alone).

The door clicked open, but Kya didn’t hear anyone enter. She looked to the door and her face froze.

“Have you been up all night, then?” General Noden asked.

“Yes,” Kya responded before she was given time the think. Something sparked in her and the thrill of anger was tingling at her fingertips. How dare he come in here like this?

“I am planning our departure for tomorrow before dawn. Ensure you rest tonight.”

He made it sound like she preferred not to sleep all night.

“What do you want?” Kya asked. Her voice wasn’t nearly snippy enough. Come now, why hadn’t the anger reached her tongue yet?

“I wanted to congratulate you on your betrothal of course.” Hilt’s face cracked into a wicked grin and he swept into an obnoxious bow.

“You can leave now,” Kya said, picking up her book and continuing where she left off.

“I see you packed. How much food do you plan on bringing?” Hilt asked, ignoring her. He wandered into the room and nudged the many bags she had piled in the corner.

“I’m mostly bringing things to keep me warm. If you’ve forgotten, you want us to travel up through the Eversnows in on the brink of winter. It might be a twinge cold.”

Hilt snickered, though Kya couldn’t imagine why.

“Why are you laughing?” she asked. “Do you think it’s some joke?” Here it was, finally. She knew she could draw up some fury at this bastard. “No one has ever survived this journey so late in the year. The snows pile up so deep that no horse can travel through them. The winds blow hard enough to rip trees from their roots. The cold can freeze a man in mere minutes. Why do you think we did not travel immediately when I had heard of the King’s departure?”

“Because you’ve been looking for a reason not to go.”

“No!” Well, yes. “It’s because it was too dangerous then. It’s suicide now.”

Hilt walked over to her and leaned down so he could look her right in the eye. “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing I brought such a knowledgeable guide. We won’t waste time getting lost in the mountains.”

The General stepped back, still beaming and started quizzing her on what she intended to bring. “How many arrows do you have?”

“Three dozen.”

“Water?”

“Four waterskins.”

“Clothing?”

“Enough for myself.” Kya was growing irritated again. She slumped back into her little window-seat and tried to focus on the book.

“What are you reading?” Hilt asked, kicking off his boots and falling onto the pristine silk sheets of Kya’s bed.

“Get off my bed,” she ordered.

“Why?”

“Because you smell.”

“I bathed just yesterday. Or have you forgotten…?” The smirk grew wider. Too bad her bow and arrows were across the room.

“I’m not going North,” Kya finally said, running out of options. “I refuse to risk my life, and the life of my horse. If you were the only one capable of dying, I’d happily lead the way. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

“I nicked some cheese and bread from the kitchens; I figure we’ll hunt for our own meat. There may be fewer herds as we go north, so we’ll have to ration it,” Hilt said mindlessly, squirming against the sheets, rubbing his filthy southern self all over them.

“Are you even listening to me?” Kya asked, turning to glare at him.

“I would suggest not bringing the book, unless you want to use it as tinder. Though old parchment like that starts a fire beautifully.”

“I’m not going!”

“As you say, but those neatly packed bags say something different.”

“You cannot make me go.”

“I will carry you, if I must.”

“I will tell the council who you truly are. Cress already knows and Master Silae has his suspicions. He told me himself that I should be wary of you. From what I gather, he was the one to suggest marriage to Cress.”

Kya hated to think that, but there was no other explanation. Despite having a big heart, Cress was rather lacking in the intelligence region. He would never have imagined this type of solution. The Cress that Kya knew would beg and plead and then sulk when he didn’t get his way. No, only Master Silae was smart enough to throw engagement on the table as a way of protecting her. But he knew exactly how painful that would be for Kya. Had he guessed how dangerous ‘Damien’ was?

“How is your hand?” Hilt asked, now sitting up.

“What?” Kya asked. Her mind had been elsewhere.

“The blisters on your hand. Do they still burn?”

Kya glanced down at the bandage on her right hand. She blinked and tried to recall if she had felt the burning ache at all since the springs. She had been far too occupied with other matters. But now, as Hilt reminded her, the tingling prickle began to return.

She didn’t know too much about hand-to-hand combat, but she was fairly certain that a punch to the face didn’t leave the attacker with nasty blisters. She had written it off as some strange reaction to the hot water, but when Hilt had mentioned it the night before, she grew suspicious. Speaking of which…

“How did you do that to me?” Kya yelled.

Hilt blinked, obviously confused at her outburst.

“In the springs. One moment I was fine, and then…” Kya’s face flushed. “How did you make me do that?” She had been so distracted from the ‘event’ that it nearly slipped her mind. Well, not entirely, but she had been focused on so many other things.

“I didn’t make you do anything,” Hilt said in a calm voice. His chin was tilted down and he glowered at her beneath bushy brows. He seemed to be daring her to make another accusation.

She wasn’t one to leave a dare unchallenged.

“How did you make me kiss you? You know as well as I that I would never touch you unless I was slitting your throat,” Kya glowered.

The General smirked and leaned back on the bed, rolling his eyes. “You obviously need to gain better control over your oh-so-susceptible feminine emotions, dove. I did nothing. You were the one who threw herself at me like a desperate old maid.”

“I did no such thing! All I did was kiss you! And at that, I had no control over my body! And don’t call me ‘dove’!”

Hilt snorted, but said nothing.

“And my hand,” Kya said, trying to change tactics. “Why did my skin blister when I hit you?” she demanded.

“Perhaps your skin is too delicate for such gruff attacks,” Hilt shrugged.

“Stop acting like I’m some simple fool. You did something to me in those springs. So what is it? Have you southerners finally perfected your magic tricks? There’s no other explanation for my actions and what you did to me.”

Kya wanted to continue, but Hilt finally sat up, rolled off the bed, and wandered to the door.

“Hey!” Kya called after him. “Where in the seven hells do you think you’re going?”

“Didn’t you just ask me to leave but a few moments ago?” Hilt asked, turning to glare at her.

“I—“

“Listen, dove,” Hilt cut her off. “That ‘magic’ you speak of is innovation and science. Only you foolish northerners still call it magic. What happened to your hand isn’t sorcery, but if you had a pinch of logic in that pretty little head of yours, you’d be able to figure it out. As for what you did in the springs to me, I don’t have much of an explanation. It seemed to me that you lost control and your true urges reared their nasty heads.”

Kya stared at him. She wished she could retort, but her mouth conveniently stopped working.

“Stop trying to lie to yourself. Some magical force didn’t make you do anything. Thinking so only proves how oblivious you are of this world. You’re lucky that I’m the one holding you captive and not someone else from Nibeheis; there are plenty who would kill you for such blatant ignorance.”

Hilt walked to the door, but stopped before he left.

“Unless the world ends, which is a possibility when in such proximity to you, we will be leaving three hours before dawn. I would suggest taking your bags down and tacking your little dwarf horse tonight so it doesn’t hold me up.”

He turned to leave, but paused again. “You should use Aeonium.”

“What?” Kya asked, hardly able to register the change in tone. It almost seemed… caring.

“Your hand. See if your healers have Aeonium. It helps with burns.” And with that, Hilt left.

Huffy, Hilt stomped down the hallway with no clear direction. Anyone would be better than that idiot girl. Of all the bloody assassins to finally agree to lead him north, he got the most worthless one in all of Elivagar. How had she even survived this long? Why hadn’t a bear torn her in two or a Kerrin snatched her off that bloody pony?

And how dare she blame him for what happened in the springs? The girl was so worried about her image she couldn’t admit she had the urges of every other slut on the continent. Women, they were pathetic. This was why he never married. He couldn’t bear to be straddled with such a whiny species.

Flustered, he continued mindlessly down the halls, taking turns whenever he was presented with them. Eventually he came to a dead end. He began to turn about when something sent the prickly hairs on the back of his neck aflight. He drew in a deep breath and smiled as the scents of hickory, bacon, and sticky sweat reached his nose.

“How long did I stay with you? That disgusting scent of yours has been burned into my nose ever since. Have you considered a bath? I can recommend the wonderful springs below, but I have a feeling your little dick would nearly burst at the thought of how many naked bodies have been in it. Or, perhaps it’s just the one naked body that will get you off. I can tell you all about that one.”

Nearly swimming in the tantalizing torture, Hilt turned to stare down the fat boy, Cress.

“I’ve seen every curve she has to offer, but you already know that, don’t you? You heard a lot about my little meeting in the springs with her, but didn’t see any of it. Is that why you hate me so much? You’re jealous that I’ve seen your beautiful, pure princess and touched every part of her that I wished?”

Gods, Hilt had been waiting to do this for so long. That slimy old man had barely calmed his appetite; the wound in his shoulder had already begun to fester. The man didn’t know it, but the flesh tasted acrid. He needed more. Never had fat been so appetizing.

Cress appeared to be resisting Hilt’s taunts, though. He hadn’t pissed himself yet, at least. There was nothing worse than dealing with prey that wet itself. Not even rabbits did that. Humans were disgusting creatures.

“Princess Liore has told me that her order still stands: you are to leave the Capital immediately. I am to escort you out of the city,” Cress announced, his voice quivering.

“Really? What about the council? We were supposed to meet with them this morning. What do you think they’ll say about the Princess making such demands?” Hilt asked, slowly approaching the fat man.

Cress swallowed hard, but did not step back. “I told her you would say that, and I told her that the Council will not agree with her.”

“Then why are you here?” Hilt asked. “You know how dangerous it is to be alone, little Cress. They haven’t even time to pull the drapes back for the morning sun. No one is here.”

Still, the man refused to move. Shame, Hilt was hoping for a good chase. It had been ages since he was able to practice a kill in such an open place.

“I came to tell you that I still intend to challenge you.”

“Oh?” Hilt asked, smirking. “You will not win.”

Cress ignored him. “I will be waiting at midnight on the bridge out of the castle.”

Hilt stared at him. “Odd place to have a duel.”

“Midnight.” Cress turned and walked away.

He could do it, right then. It would be so easy. He could change, sneak up behind him, scare him just a twinge, and then perhaps he could have some fun. Shame he was wearing his favorite coat. The embroidery was just too exquisite to ruin with the oaf’s blood.

“Tonight, then,” Hilt said to the now empty hallway. He clapped his hands together and listened to the slow dying echo bounce off the walls.

He would just have to wear something more appropriate at midnight.

Still looking for more?

Next Section

Cure for the Invisibles

Pages

Friday, December 27, 2013

Characters: Cress

Characters: Hilt

Characters: Kya

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

A: Ch. 7.2