A: Ch. 10.1

Chapter X

“Stop pouting. This is what happens when I get bored.”

“There was no reason to push him like that. You could have seriously injured the girl.”

“Yes… the girl…”

“Not to mention the harm you inflicted on Evelynn.”

“Rubbish. That hag is too sensitive. It’s not like I was exposing her hidden sanctuary to the very people that destroyed it. She cries too much. She’s really obnoxious, Brother.”

“Aru—“

“Silence. The girl is waking. I need to see her reaction, and more importantly, what she saw.”

“What she saw? She saw the Lycaon, as you wanted her to.”

“As you say.”

The soft splattering of raindrops bouncing noisily was the first thing to rouse her from a numbing, dreamless sleep. The cold attacking her skin hit her next, followed by the horrible aching throb behind her eyes.

Why was her head so sore? Her tongue felt thick and fuzzy, as if it had been ages since she last used it. She swallowed hard, but her throat was swollen and prickly. Everything tasted of smoke and ash.

Ash? Why did that thought set off a clattering of alarm bells in her mind? Why was it so difficult to remember? Confused and disoriented, the Lieutenant tried to pry open her eyes.

“Careful, now,” a familiar voice said. It permeated the air and struck her ears like a piercing arrow. Of all the times! Why did the bloody General have to be in her bedroom?

But she wasn’t in her bedroom. It didn’t rain in her quarters. She was outside.

Raking her tongue over her teeth and desperate to decipher what had happened, Kya propped herself up, blinking away crusty goop and tears from her eyes. Her head panged in protest, so she stopped, barely raising herself up more than a few inches.

“What…?” Kya asked. Her voice was raspy and hardly recognizable to even her own ears. The girl looked around, trying to take in the scene. Bramble and the General’s horse were nearby—she didn’t have the mind to remember his name. The sky was dull and monotonously grey as it dribbled fat droplets of rain around their camp.

A camp, then? When did they start traveling? Kya looked around, noting that Hilt was seated unnecessarily far away from the small fire. His eyes were weary with dark circles beneath them, yet very concerned. It was a strange expression, much like you would see from a terrified child caught in the act of stealing some sweets.

General Noden was staring at her with fierce determination, yet Kya could not understand why. She tried to piece together everything she could remember. She had gone to see Master Silae and he gave her the small bag. She had taken it to the stables and ensured that all her packs were organized and Bramble’s saddle oiled and fit for a long journey. Then she went to bed.

And then she awoke to smoke.

A whirlwind of frantic, jumbled memories attacked her mind in a flurried onslaught. Panic consumed every other crevice, eliminating any room for pain or reason. Kya was suddenly on her feet, flailing as a tight blanket had impeded her desperate desire to escape. She stumbled, her heart stammering so loud she could hear nothing else.

Her foot caught on something and she hurtled back toward the ground only to be snatched back upwards by a strong, solid arm.

“Stop!” Hilt roared, pulling her upright and trying to pin her arms at her side.

“Let go!” Kya screamed, tugging, pulling, scraping and kicking everything she could. Hilt seemed torn between keeping her close so she couldn’t escape yet far enough to avoid her scratching claws.

Kya used this to her advantage, quickly seeing an opening and leaping upon it. Instead of pulling away, the girl quickly lurched forward, darting swiftly underneath Hilt’s arm and dashing away from his grasp.

“Kya—stop!” Hilt called, turning quickly to go after her. But Kya was already gone. She had to go. Fast. Faster than ever before.

She ran to Bramble. The pony scampered back, nervous from the scuffle. No saddle, only a bridle and harness. No reins. That would have to do. Kya catapulted herself onto the small horse’s back just as Hilt caught up with her.

Eyes. Eyes like nothing she had ever seen. A figure enshrouded by purple mist with a wicked grin of brilliantly sharp teeth. The memory latched onto her mind, blocking all other senses and movements. It was crippling, petrifying. What had she seen? Nothing in this world had ever created such numbing, impervious fear. Not even the man-beast that had just grasped hold of her pony’s harness.

Kya sat upon her darling Bramble, panting heavily. Her legs were clutching the pony’s back, her fingers trembled and turned white as she squeezed the pony’s mane. She stared at Hilt. She was acutely aware of each hair on her arms as it slowly stood on end as well as trickling sweat that mixed with rain upon her brow.

“Stay away from me,” Kya whispered. She was shocked she said anything. She had expected them to stay locked in a battle of stares for all eternity. To be frank, she would have been fine with that.

Hilt glared at her, but Kya did not flinch. “I need you to listen to me,” he said. “What you saw—“

“What I saw was what you truly are,” Kya growled. Her voice was shaking, but she ignored it. “You’re a monster, a demon, a cursed beast designed by Aru’mat the Baleful himself to live a torturous life on this world.”

A shiver crawled down Kya’s neck as she heard a distant cackle.

Hilt clenched his teeth together, though he appeared to hear nothing. Kya must have imagined it. “If you would just listen—“

“To more of your lies?

“Lies?” Hilt asked, smirking. This infuriated Kya.

“Cress tried to warn me! He told me that you were a monster. And here I was defending you at the castle! And after everything that I saw… I’ve been a fool for ignoring it for so long!” A sickening twist tugged at Kya’s stomach as she remembered coming upon Vawl, the corpses lying about, tortured and dissected in a variety of perverse fashions. And Cress… For the second time, Kya felt the lump form in her throat. Cress was dead. He was in the castle. She saw it collapse. There was no way he could have escaped. Her lungs ached and tears prickled at her eyes. They did not fall.

It appeared that Hilt saw this lapse into silence as acceptance of the situation.

“What you saw at the castle was not something that I planned on showing you,” Hilt said calmly, though Kya noted that his grip on Bramble’s harness grew stronger, as if he feared her sprinting off into the forest. To be fair, she was still considering it.

“Let go of my horse,” Kya ordered.

“No,” Hilt responded. “I still need you to take me north.”

“And why would I do that?” Kya demanded.

“Your precious Capital is destroyed. Every last man, woman and child was eliminated by that demonic flame which engulfed the castle. No building stands. No life remains save for some rice patties and a few stables of horses. You have nowhere else to go. As your position requires, you are to go to the royal family and report the status of the Capital. As I recall you telling me, your precious King Yaro is in your northern fortress.”

He was right. That’s where she should go, where she would go if not for him.

“Armies need to be rationed and dispatched while the smaller villages must be evacuated to the bigger cities. You need to move away from the coastlines, into the inner countryside. It’s the only way your country will survive at this point.”

Kya blinked, trying to comprehend the transition Hilt made. He was giving her tactical advice?

“Once Nibheis hears of the fire in the Capital, it will attack from the Ylid Sea, taking Port Herring and Parsear. Nibheis’ navy will destroy your own. If your pluvial nation wants to survive, the people must move inland, as quickly as possible. The only person capable of such a mass relocation is your King.”

Befuddled, Kya tried to understand Hilt’s words. He was trying to help her. Those eyes which had been so intense, so scrutinizing, were round and full of concern. But it didn’t make sense. This was the monster which consumed (Kya felt her stomach wretch at that realization) an entire village because she had touched a nerve by taking his horse.

She swallowed hard, forcing herself not to break her gaze. She felt a twinge of… acceptance? Belief? She couldn’t pinpoint the feeling. It was strange.

“What are you?” Kya finally asked.

Hilt smirked, loosening his grip on Bramble, but not letting go entirely. “I’m a Lycaon.”

The name seemed familiar, yet she knew she had never heard it before.

“It’s an ancient species that was developed alongside humans, Hafga, and the Watchers. We are opposite the Despearti.”

Hilt lost her entirely and her face obviously showed it. The General shook his head and tugged at the pony that obediently followed him back to the camp.

“You should rest. You hit your head pretty hard, well, several times. I expect you have a concussion. I tried to splint your wrist as I couldn’t completely cushion our fall, but you effectively destroyed it in your escape attempt. You need to stop doing that. It never ends well for you.”

Kya looked at her wrist. It was bruised, swollen and quite tender. The remnants of a makeshift splint were unraveling. She looked at Hilt, confused. What was a concussion?

“How long have I been unconscious?” Kya asked.

“Two days. We’re about half a day’s ride west of the Capital.” Hilt stopped the pony and reached up to help her off. Kya flinched back instinctively.

Surprisingly, the General appeared hurt. He shrugged it off and finally released Bramble before walking back to his distant spot, far from the small fire nearly extinguished from the rain.

Kya paused, contemplating her situation. She could go, right then. It would be difficult without reins or saddle (or even a pack) but she could flee. She felt behind her, instinctively looking for her bow or even her small blade.

“I wouldn’t bother,” Hilt scoffed, watching her. “I took all your weapons. I assumed it would be painful to sleep upon a quiver of arrows.”

Realization hit Kya. “How did we survive that fall? Let alone get our packs and horses! And when I fell from my room—”

“I’ll tell you everything later,” Hilt said wearily, resting against the damp trunk of a tree. “You need to sleep, unless you plan on staying up on that runt.” His shoulders slumped and the lines in his face finally relaxed. It occurred to Kya that Hilt likely hadn’t slept the whole two days.

Slowly, Kya slipped from Bramble’s back. She touched the pony’s neck, appreciating the soothing familiarity of the pony’s fur and bristled mane. She walked, rather awkwardly with stiff steps, back to the makeshift bedroll. It wasn’t until now that she noticed the canopy of evergreens Hilt had tried to make to block her from the rain and keep a fire lit. She had destroyed it in her rampage.

Strangely embarrassed, she settled down on the bed of needles and a wool blanket. She had a right to be upset, right? Then why did she feel like a scolded puppy?

She swallowed hard as the vision of the man on the cliff came back to her. There had been more than one figure there, but her eyes had locked on just that one. Had Hilt seen them, too? He must have, Kya told herself. She just wished she could shake the vision as easily as Hilt seemed to.

The Lieutenant looked at the man as she curled up under the battered canopy. He seemed to accept that she wouldn’t flee as his eyes were already closed and his breathing even. 

Kya prayed for sleep, but as she laid her head down, her vicious mind only greeted her with visions of swirling flames and eyes within the rocks.

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