Chapter 30: Separation Anxiety

Patrick hit the man again, harder this time. It brought him no pleasure, and each time the man cried out in pain it only made it harder to continue. Maybe he should have let Rillith handle this after all.

“I keep telling you!” Lelinas cried. Bloodied spit emptied from his bruised mouth. “I don’t know any of these things.”

Patrick did not like to harm a man this way, always preferring to kill them quickly and be done with it. He struggled to pull back his fist for another blow to the head, and hesitated.

You must be strong, he told himself. This is one of the men attacking your villages, invading a nation that never wronged him.

Patrick hit him again, and he sagged to the floor in Rillith’s powerful arms. “I want positions,” Patrick demanded. “I want to know goals, ambitions, anything. Give me something, my friend, or this will only get more painful.”

The stench was becoming an issue, the reek of burning flesh filling the air. Saerina had taken great care to make sure that nothing of this man’s scouting party remained intact, for fear of the man watching behind the scenes. They had blind-folded Lelinas. His eyes were now as useless as the men he’d commanded. Saerina assured them that the wicked-man watching from afar could not listen in, limited instead to sight.

Saerina had asked Patrick to find Sehn, and Patrick had in turn dispatched Daniel. This man, Lelinas, he threatened Patrick’s home, his people, and he’d not let any other take the responsibility that belonged to him.

“He tells us nothing for a reason,” Lelinas pleaded. “We know very little.”

“Then tell us the little you do know, or I will start by removing one of your legs. Keep in mind, the Elven woman from earlier has many spells at her disposal. Aside from the one she’ll use to cut your leg off, she can also tell any lie from truth.”

It was partly true. Saerina had no such spell of distinguishing fact from fiction, but her natural talent allowed her to do something very similar. Saerina could take one look at a person, and know instantly their demeanor, their mannerisms, and often what they’d say. Patrick found it fascinating. Though she obviously couldn’t read technical details off a person, such as army formations or their hidden agendas, she could as easily spot a lie as well as truth.

Each time the man denied having knowledge, she shook her head. Only this time, when Lelinas claimed to ‘know very little,’ she offered a curt nod.

“Well, start speaking, then.”

“We were sent here to scout your land, and find any gaps or openings, as well as any poorly defended farming villages. The plan is to occasionally split the army up into smaller raiding parties. We were told to keep a lookout for ones with a higher population of women than men. That way, in addition to restocking our food and supplies, there would be entertainment for the men.” Patrick looked over to Saerina, who nodded. He filled with an intense rage.

Against his own desire, Patrick hit the man again, this time harder than any before. A tooth flew out of his open mouth. He pulled back an arm to strike again—and was stopped. “Easy now, Patrick,” Saerith said. “We are not the same as these barbarians.”

Patrick turned to him. They were no longer formal with each other, not since the bond formed out of certainty of death. “You didn’t seem to feel that way when you slaughtered all those beggars in Koringrath.”

Saerith sighed. “They couldn’t live while knowing the information I’d sought after. Beggars tell all, to any with coin.” Saerith leaned closer to Lelinas. “There’s more you’re not telling us, I advise you to speak quickly.”

Lelinas choked, coughing up blood. “There’s only one other thing that I can think of. We’re supposed to be keeping an eye out for some Elf or another. All we got to go on is a description. He’s tall, with intense green eyes, muscular but not overly so, and rude.”

Patrick looked at Saerith, then Saerina. All three nodded. “Do you know who I am?” Patrick asked.

“A…a traveling merchant, yes?”

“I am Prince Patrick Vasilis, of the Kingdom of the seven-pillars, the one that must shed a tear for every citizen of mine you slaughter.”

The man trembled, tears dampening the cloth on his blindfold. “This man knows nothing else,” Princess Saerina whispered. “There’s been enough pain, make it quick.”

Patrick drew his sword. “This is more than you deserve,” he said running the man through. The man shouted a final cry, quickly silenced. It was a fast death, merciful, and far more than the animal should’ve been granted.

“It is done, then,” Saerina said. Rillith released the man, letting his corpse fall to the ground.

The sound of hooves beating down on grass caused them to turn. Patrick frowned. “Daniel, why do you return alone? Where are Sehn, Nero, Cah’lia, and Rina?”

Daniel’s face reddened in shame. “I couldn’t find them, I’m sorry. Not only were they nowhere in sight, but the tracks were covered up, probably Cah’lia’s doing.”

“I don’t get it,” Rillith grunted. “We didn’t give them enough time to get so far away.”

“Don’t underestimate Cah’lia,” Saerina said. “She is an Elf like no other. She’s Resourceful, smart, and powerful. She probably hauled Sehn along by the point of his ear, while instructing the little Human girl on how to cover their tracks.”

No one bothered to dispute the claims. Saerina’s ability to read people was unrivaled. Daniel spun around, looking at their surroundings. “I think they’ll still be heading to the city of Hahl,” he said. “They’ll have to take a path through a mountain, at least based on the direction they fled. The only question is, which one?”

Patrick looked off into the distance, into the beautiful sunny valley of Hahl. There were six mountains. Not the largest in the valley, but all fairly majestic in their own rights. ”They’d have gone through the second one,” Patrick said.

“Agreed,” Daniel added, earning a nod from both Rillith and Saerith.

“So, I guess we’ll follow them through that one. All right, ready the wagon, and—”

“No!” Saerina interrupted. “They will not have gone that path.”

All four of them looked at her. “What do you mean?” Patrick asked. By now he knew better than to question her logic.

Saerina cleared her throat. “I’m sure that Cah’lia was able to take control of Sehn during the confusion, but by the time they’d gotten safely away, Sehn would have been quick to try and reassert command. Cah’lia probably told him they’d need to go through the second mountain as it was the easiest and safest path.”

“I see where this is going,” Patrick sighed. “No doubt, our Elven friend said something along the lines of.”

****

“Fuck your mountain choice, Cah’lia!” Sehn spat. “We’re going through that one, because I said so.”

Cah’lia was running low on patience with Sehn, back to his stubborn self. “Sehn, listen to me for a second. Not only is there an abundance of water and game, but the path is smooth, and we can pass through it in under three days.”

Cah’lia resisted the urge to sock him in the mouth, while he glared at her in defiance. “You dare challenge the Great Sehn to a mountain-selection war! I shall pick the mountain, and you shall impale yourself on the horn of a Cockalith!”

Rina tugged on Sehn’s arm, and he looked down at her and growled. “What do you want, Rina?”

“Rina thinks that Sehn needs to stop being silly and listen to Mistress Cah’lia. Rina thinks that all her decisions are good, and that all of Sehn’s are stupid.”

Nero shrieked at her, his voice high-pitched and frantic. “Rina! Did you just insult the Great Sehn? I won’t stand for it,” he said, his ears wobbling. “Here, Sehn, I managed to grab this before we left. I knew we’d need it.”

“Is that the scroll of insulting?” Sehn asked. “Good work, Nero.” He reached over to grab it, but Cah’lia was quicker. She snatched it from her brother’s fingers, and then both of them turned to stare at her in outrage.

“You can have this silly thing back when we get to Hahl,” she said. Cah’lia wanted to rip it in half, but she knew it meant a lot to the two boys in their own ridiculous way. Sehn didn’t keep his outrage for long. Acting out of character, he sat on the ground, sulking. “Let’s not go into any mountain, how about that?”

“Nero, Rina, can you two go play over there for a moment? I need to have a word alone with Sehn. Make sure you stay within my sight though, both of you.” She gave each of them a kiss on the cheek before sending them off. They were far enough away from the scouts, but she didn’t want to take any chances. If they left her sights for even a moment, she’d whip them both.

Sehn was sitting on the ground, his feet tucked in, with a look of misery on his face. “Sehn, what’s the matter?”

Sehn looked like he wanted to tell her something, his mouth moving but no words leaving his lips. Cah’lia understood. It was a pride thing. “Sehn, please, talk to me.”

“We…we shouldn’t have left them,” he whispered. “Not that I…not that I care about…Cah’lia, we left them to die.”

Cah’lia felt the urge to cry, and buried it immediately. Now, more than ever, she needed to be strong. She promised herself she’d not shed another tear, not until she’d done what she had to. Sehn needed her more than ever. There had been times before when she needed to take charge, times when she had to go against Sehn’s stupidity. Since leaving Koringrath, Sehn had been yielding more and more, and now it worried her. He’d never really been in charge, but prior to Koringrath he still believed himself to be. He’d gone from being commanding all of the time, to only partly. Looking at him now, sitting on the ground, with sadness he tried so very hard to keep buried, she knew that from this point on, she’d have to take control.

She sat on the ground across from him, folding in her legs. “You know why we had to,” she said. “They died to protect us from those men, to keep us alive.”

“I know that!” he snapped, his green eyes flaring for a moment, before once again returning to their previous state. It was so well-hidden that it was hard to notice, but deep down Cah’lia could see how much Sehn hurt.

Be strong, she reminded herself. It’s all on you now.

“Well, we can’t sit here forever,” Cah’lia said. “At some point we have to leave.”

“You’re right,” Sehn whispered. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot, actually. Cah’lia, let’s go home together.”

Cah’lia had to put a hand to her chest, for fear that her heart would stop beating. “What did you just say?”

“Let’s take Nero and Rina, and go home together. This whole trip was a mistake. I never should have gone along with it. What was I thinking? There is no treasure, only death for us both, and maybe even the children.”

Cah’lia lost control. She leaned over and slapped him, hard, across the center of his face. Sehn’s eyes returned to their normal intensity. “Cah’lia!” he yelped. “What was that for?”

“Did you forget what’s at stake? Sehn, you fool, you silly little fool. Did you not listen to what Patrick told you? Have you forgotten your promise?”

“No, I did no such thing, it’s just that…”

“Is this what you are now?” Cah’lia stood to her feet, and pointed at him. She allowed her disappointment to show on her face. “Is the Great Sehn really just some coward who gives up the first time something goes wrong? Oh, I can see it now, for years they’ll be talking about this! The Great Sehn, the man who went on a journey, and came back with his tail between his legs. Is that what you are? Is that what—”

Sehn leaped to his feet, and grabbed her. “No!” he shouted.

He pulled her in, and with a vigorous passion he kissed her. It was different this time. There was a force behind it, a heat. There was a feeling of need, of longing, but buried underneath both there was a hope. He ran his arms over her shoulders, and he pulled her in tighter. Cah’lia grabbed him back, and poured her own feelings into the kiss. Her own hopes, dreams, and desires for a future she knew she could never have. It was then that Cah’lia felt it. Something she would never tell a soul, something that if known would cripple Sehn. It was the moistness she felt on her eyes as they embraced, but it was not her own.

Sehn took a breath, and pulled away from her. “Hah!” he roared, pointing at her. “This was all a test, you fool! I wanted to see if I could convince you to give up. You barely passed. The Great Sehn never avoids danger. Come, Cah’lia, we’re taking the difficult mountain, even if I have to drag you!”

“If you say so,” she laughed. It was a fake laugh. It tore at Cah’lia’s soul, what she was doing. It was the deception, the truths that even now were still hidden from him. Sehn did not know he was going to die, and he wouldn’t accept it even if he did.

This won’t be the first time he has second thoughts, Cah’lia thought. As his pain increases, so will his reluctance. Gods grant me strength, because I don’t know if I can bring him where he needs to go. I’ll try, because that’s all I can do. I’ll try.