Chapter 94: A Traitor’s Tale

“Stryg!” Loh yelled as her apprentice careened towards the ground.

Rhian rushed to his side and scooped him up in an embrace before his face touched the shore. She groaned at the weight, nonetheless she carried him over to the drow mage.

Loh glanced between the washed up raider and her apprentice, “Max, go and try to stop the raider’s bleeding. Whatever you do, make sure he stays conscious.”

“On it,” Maximus hurried over to the one-legged raider.

Loh touched Stryg’s cheek tentatively, he was burning up. His face was a darker shade of blue, his eyes were closed, and his breath was ragged.

“Stryg, what did you do?” Loh frowned in concern.

“He… was getting away… I just wanted… to stop him,” he panted weakly.

“So, you cast a spell to do just that,” she sighed.

“I didn’t… try to.”

Loh stared at the stream, its natural current had returned to normal. So, it was not like when Stryg had tried casting a vigor spell with the root-bison, Loh surmised. This was born out of natural desire and strong emotions, there was no intent nor control.

Her apprentice seemed to have cast the torrent spell from instinct, like a new mageborn unaware of their power. It was dangerous to the spellcaster, more than anyone. This was exactly why he needed proper teachers in each of the chromatic colors.

“Your body is suffering backlash from improper spellcasting, it seems worse than last time,” Loh stroked his hair. She pointed at the stream, “Rhian, lower him into the water up to his neck. It won’t do much, but it’ll help cool him down a bit.”

“Leave it to me,” Rhian nodded. “It’s going to be okay, Master,” she cooed.

Rhian walked into the stream until her lower body was completely submerged. She then lowered Stryg in gradually. His body shivered at the touch of the ice-cold water.

He opened his eyes faintly, “Thank you.”

“That’s my line. I would have been shot by that crazy woman had you not chucked that spear at her,” she glanced at the dead archer still hanging from Stryg’s spear.

“I wasn’t going… to let them… hurt you,” Stryg mumbled weakly.

“You didn’t have to go so far. I may be the greatest centaur you’ve ever set your eyes on, but... I’m just a beastkin. You’re a mageborn, you shouldn’t risk your life for mine,” she chuckled bitterly.

Stryg curled his fingers around her silky black hair and studied her face, noting each feature at a time. The faint, barely visible freckles that dotted her cheeks. The way her nose wiggled when she was excited or how her thin lips trembled when she was afraid. But, most of all Stryg stared at her stone-grey eyes that watched him intently. Rhian’s brow furrowed.

Within her worried look the answer seemed clear to Stryg.

“You are a daughter…. of Ebon Hollow… I will risk... my life…without question,” he spoke slowly but resolutely.

Rhian’s eyes widened, “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Stryg slowly tapped his chest, then tapped Rhian’s forehead, “The tribe... protects their own… always.”

~~~

Loh crouched next to the injured raider, “Talk, before my centaur crushes your balls.”

“Fuck you, city whore,” the raider spat.

“Max,” Loh snapped her fingers.

Maximus placed his hoof on top of the raider’s groin and began pressing down. The raider screamed in agony and tried thrashing away, but Maximus placed another hoof on his chest.

“You have five seconds to convince me to stop Max from making a paste out of your little friends down there. Do you understand?” Loh asked in a deadpan voice.

The raider nodded vigorously. She raised her hand. Maximus stopped pushing down, but he did not lift his hooves either.

“Please, just kill me. We both know I’m not getting out of here, please, just finish it,” the raider sobbed.

Loh snapped her fingers.

“Okay, okay! I’ll talk, I’ll talk!”

“What tribe are you from, why did you run away, and why are you out here?” Loh asked.

The raider swallowed, “I am from Bronze Eagle. My tribe was attacked two nights ago. They killed many of us, including our chief. The rest of my people submitted to that whoreson, but not me and mine. We ran away the first chance we got. That’s why we’re here.”

“Who attacked your tribe?”

“The Cairn tribe.”

Loh stiffened. “Who was their leader?”

The raider licked his chapped lips, “Chieftain Marek.”

“What direction was your tribe seen last?”

“South-West.”

Loh stood up and dusted off her pants, “You’ve convinced me.”

Maximus stepped away.

The raider sighed in relief.

Loh kicked down on the man’s balls with all the force she could muster. A high-pitch squeal escaped the raider’s throat as he convulsed. Loh kicked him again, over and over. Froth dripped from his mouth as he twitched uncontrollably.

“Fucking raiders,” Loh spat on the dying man’s face and walked away.

Maximus had been extensively trained for battle, hardened to the harsh realities of death, yet he could not help but wince at his Mistress’ attack.

“Go pack our things, we move out in ten,” Loh said.

“Yes, Mistress, right away,” he ran up the hill with a newfound vigor and appreciation for life.

“Rhian! Get Stryg out of the water. We may be in danger here, we need to get out of this area as soon as possible,” Loh called out.

“Danger!?” Rhian swivelled her head around.

“Move, now!”

“Yes, Mistress,” she bobbed her head.

~~~

Loh glanced at the setting sun, “We should be fine for today. But, we’ll have to get up early and keep moving.”

“We’ll have the camp packed before sunrise,” Maximus said as he finished setting up the logs for the campfire.

Loh created a small orb of fire and shot it into the dry logs. The wood burst into flames, giving off a soft warm light. Rhian tucked her legs underneath her and rested by the fire. Stryg sat next to her, his head resting on her chest.

“How are you feeling?” Loh asked.

“Better. I can feel my toes again, so that’s nice,” Stryg wiggled his feet.

“Casting without knowledge is dangerous, I’m glad you pulled through alright.” Loh sat down on her bedroll.

“I’m sorry for being indisposed… again. Thanks for picking up my slack, everyone,” Stryg made a short bow.

“I’m just glad you caught the last raider before he escaped,” Maximus said. “It’s good to know we have a blue mage in our party. We won’t have to worry about dehydration while in the Valley.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know Master could control the water,” Rhian said excitedly.

“And no one else should. Stryg’s blue magic will stay a secret between the four of us. The world will only see Stryg as a tri-manifold mage, nothing more,” Loh said sternly.

Luckily, only their centaurs witnessed Stryg’s magical feat. It would not be difficult to keep his magical talents a secret, for now. Loh would have to be more careful with Stryg in the future.

Loh grabbed a twig and stoked the fire, “Tomorrow we’ll head towards Mellow Bloom. It’s the largest city nearby. It may not be one of the Four Great Cities, but they still have a decent population of about 10,000. We should be safe within their borders.”

“I thought you didn’t wish for me to train near many people? At least not until we arrive back at Hollow Shade,” Stryg said.

“We’ll have to postpone training for a few days. The Cairn tribe is nearby and I would rather not risk facing an entire tribe with only the four of us.”

“Master… Who exactly are the Cairn tribe?” Stryg asked. “I noticed you froze when that raider spoke their name.”

“It doesn’t concern you,” Loh snapped. She sometimes hated his acute senses.

Stryg nodded slowly, “I’ve gotten myself in plenty of dangers this past year. You’ve helped me many times and asked for nothing in return. If you do not wish to tell me of our enemy, then so be it. I trust you.”

Loh’s shoulders sagged, she hung her head, and clasped her hands. Since when had it become our enemy?

“Sooo, who wants to tell a story tonight?” Rhian asked with bright eyes. The nightly storytelling was her favorite part of their journey. “I told the story last night, so it’s gotta be someone else,” she looked around the group.

No one spoke up.

She glanced down at Stryg and tapped his shoulder, “Can you tell us another story of the Blood Fang tribe?”

“You’re interested in stories about blood and gore now?” Maximus raised an eyebrow.

Rhian scratched her nose, “Not exactly. To be honest, I grew up hearing scary stories of the Sylvan Tribes. But, it was only today that I realized how selfless they are.” She smiled at Stryg, “The Blood Fang tribe must have cared for you a lot. I can see why you miss them.”

The tribe comes first, always. The tribe protects their own, always. The tribe is strong together, always, First Mother’s teachings echoed through Stryg’s mind.

And yet he had been the outlier in every regard. Back in Blood Fang what strength had he known? What protection had he been given? Had he actually placed the tribe first he would never have abandoned his tribemates in that cave.

You are a disgrace to our people, he could practically hear First Mother whisper.

“I’m tired, the magic took a lot out of me,” Stryg mumbled.

“Eh, does that mean no story?” Rhian pouted.

“Not from me. I’m just gonna rest my eyes for a bit,” Stryg closed his eyes.

“Rest eyes…” Loh muttered. “Hey, Stryg, I just thought of a crazy idea. Well, I’ve had the idea for a while now, I just wasn’t sure if I should say anything. But, screw it, can you do me a crazy favor?”

“I think we have different definitions of crazy,” Stryg opened his eyes.

“Do you see the setting sun over there? I want you to stare at it,” Loh grinned.

“What? You know my eyes are sensitive to light,” his slit pupils narrowed.

“I know, it strains your eyes, right? But, you said you trust me, so trust me now,” Loh crossed her arms.

Stryg mumbled something under his breath. He turned his head and looked straight into the sun. He squinted at the harsh brightness.

“How long do I have to do this?” He winced.

“Just for a little longer,” Loh drew closer to him until she was right next to his face. Stryg’s lilac irises were shivering.

“How much lon-” The outer ring of his irises broke and expanded until they completely covered the whites of his eyes.

Stryg’s world darkened to a shade of black. The sun turned a soft white, its setting rays like ribbons in the ebon sky. He glanced at Loh, her face was framed in silver outlines, especially near her cheeks. She was smiling.

“I was right! I had a theory, but I was right! Your eyes change when exposed to very bright light. Now that we are certain of the trigger to the transition we can study how exactly your eyes are affected,” Loh laughed.

“Wooaah, your eyes did change,” Rhian said in awe.

Maximus added another point to his mental list of the goblin’s strange traits.

Stryg looked all around him, taking in the sights. The campfire looked like orange paint strokes shifting in the dark world. He noticed something odd.

“I can’t see the smoke. Actually, I can’t see the clouds either,” he muttered.

“Can you not see them at all or are they just hard to see?” Loh asked.

“I can’t see them at all, the clouds are just gone, same with the smoke.”

“Interesting. I’ll have to start taking notes,” Loh pulled out a small journal.

“What if you were wrong?” Stryg asked.

“Hm?”

“What if your theory about my eyes had been wrong?” Stryg’s slit pupils were still.

“Well, based on the sensitivity of your eyes, you would have most likely suffered some visual impairment for a while. It’s why I never suggested it earlier. But, just now it hit me, you heal faster than normal. So, what was to stop your eyes from healing too? Besides we’ll be resting in Mellow Bloom soon enough,” Loh shrugged.

Stryg shook his head. “We definitely have different definitions of crazy,” he couldn’t help but laugh.

Everyone grew quiet as they stared at the goblin.

“Hm? What is it?” Stryg asked skeptically.

“Nothing, it’s just... I don’t think we’ve ever heard you laugh before,” Loh said in wonder.

“Oh,” Stryg tilted his head.

“Best campfire ever,” Rhian whispered.

Loh looked at her companions, nostalgia striking her. She opened her last bottle of wine, “The Cairn is a Valley tribe. They’re a bunch of damn raiders led by Marek, a war lord.”

Stryg’s ears perked up, “Do you know this Marek?”

“Not personally,” Loh shook her head. “But, all raiders are the same, just a bunch of unhinged savages. Marek is... he’s the one who killed my brother.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have siblings,” Stryg frowned.

“I don’t, not anymore. It was a long time ago,” she took a sip of wine. “I was a general back then.”

“What’s a general?” Stryg asked.

“The highest military command besides Marshal of the Armies. I did not know I had the honor of travelling with such a distinguished warrior,” Maximus bowed.

Loh swished the bottle around, “It wasn’t like that. Not really. House Noir may not be able to match the military strength of some of the other Seven Ruling Families, but our armies still hold their own. I was given the command of House Noir’s northern army.”

Loh took a long swig, “I was busy leading a thousand soldiers in a military expedition, when my grandfather, Lord Elzri himself, decided to pay me an unexpected visit.”