Chapter One - Fatewalker

31 Aug

“It must be understood, given the circumstances, that the events which follow almost definitely occurred in a different order than the assembly of these pages. Although the fragments of history have been gathered, a clear beginning has not thus far surfaced. In itself, this does not create a link to the anomaly; an unclear starting point may be entirely understandable since one does not often notice the exact moment they begin to change.”

The shouts sounded closer now.

here.

Reidu stopped running and trudged to a halt, exhausted both mentally and physically. He retched, mentally mourning the loss of precious moisture from his body.

He was muddy, bleeding, blistered, and drenched with sweat. Desperate for a bath and massage. Every strained, gulping breath was a deliberate action. He'd been running for his life for a day and a half, in the polar opposite direction he wanted to be running. But one did not survive against L’Chaya bloodhunters by running toward them. Neither did one hide from a hunter by standing near the top of a hill like Reidu was.

"Here? You're sure?" he thought. He didn’t even try speaking aloud. The very idea constricted his throat and dried what little moisture his mouth retained.

when have I been unsure? have faith, Reidu.

"You weren't so sure before," he thought angrily, scanning the moonlit hilltop. "Or have You already forgotten the riot You caused?"

perhaps we remember it differently. I recall telling you to buy the man a beer.

"He swung a spiked mace."

I know.

"At my face."

directly.

"That doesn't usually indicate a desire to share a pint and discuss the finer things in life."

you’ll never know now, will you? and then you lit his beard on fire.

"Hmph. Self defense. Plus, the barmaid with the candle happened to be in easy reach: I thought that was You. It's not my fault the fire spread."

oh, yes. this is MUCH better. in fact, instead of handling things peacefully, you should always start riots. The thrill of the chase, the pitfalls of dark and unfamiliar forests, and of course being hunted by bloodthirsty mobs from the local tribe of mercenary killers. What better excuse could you give for missing dinner?

Reidu’s labored breath caught anew at the mention of dinner. Kateisha. Where would she be now? She hadn’t seen him dashing away but he had seen her, just snatched glimpses through the crowd as people ran in all directions. He hadn’t seen her leave, exactly, yet he knew her well enough to be confident she wouldn’t have let herself get dead in something as mundane as spreading flames.

She would, however, think he’d abandoned her. Again. Tayek’s Golden Chains, but she would be angry. No, he corrected himself, angry wouldn’t begin to describe it. He gasped a laugh despite himself.

He straightened, wincing, and turned to listen for his pursuers. He had stopped maybe a hundred meters from the treeline. Maybe what he’d heard before had been echoes, making the angry group sound closer than they were. Perhaps he could circle them now, double back? If he was incredibly lucky he would gain enough of a head start to find Kateisha. Or a horse, at least.

No. The short rest he’d taken confirmed that the loudness of shouting was the result of strong legs. He had hoped his pursuers simply had incredibly healthy lungs. They must have those too, actually, to still be shouting after chasing him for just under two days. Reidu himself could barely get enough breath to remain standing.

they are almost upon you.

Reidu’s head swivelled side to side. No hiding place. Nothing so much as rhyming with hiding place. Bare hillside. Not even a medium sized rock. What kind of place has nothing but plains? he thought, exasperated. He briefly considered running down the path, deeper into the plains. Maybe he could find a mudpit and lure them over it? A useless hope, he knew, but enough desperation will make cobwebs look like a sturdy rope.

"Tell me something comforting," he gasped.

look up.

Reidu whipped his head back and stared wildly at bright stars in the night sky. Half a dozen groupings of them barely failed to form believable constellations of a weasel, but he saw nothing that would scare the L’Chaya. Some bloodhunters had their first battle kill by age twelve.

"What? Where? What is it?"

it's a nice night, isn't it.

Reidu deflated, crumpling to his knees. His flowing linen garments were long since ruined anyway. What was a little grass and mud?

"Yes, I would hate to die in bad weather."

Reidu's mind momentarily pulsed with a hearty, rumbling chuckle.

I've always liked you, Reidu. you're funny.

It happened then, as it sometimes did. Reidu was slammed out of his body with tidal force and found himself behind a rocky outcropping.

He peeked over the top and there was his body, standing where he had left it, looking around wildly. That would be what was happening now. How far forward had he skipped this time?

And how had he not seen this hiding spot from where his body stood? It was perfect, plenty of space for one person to crouch and no incidental gravel to give away the position.

The tide began receding. Further down the path heading into the plains, five phantasms sprinted backward, heading back into the trees. They stopped near where his body stood, blinking and casting about. Then they jogged backward until they were swallowed by the forest. The pull increased and Reidu was sucked to his feet, drawn inexorably back to his body. He let the current take him, keeping his eyes on the hiding spot as he went. It blended beautifully into the landscape, a natural illusion of stunning quality. How long the hunters would run without doubling back, he didn’t know, but they would run. He’d seen it.

Reidu staggered as body and spirit reunited. Relief flooded in as a pent up breath escaped.

“Never doubted You for a second,” he grinned, wincing as he jogged toward the outcropping, his overtired muscles almost as torn as his robes.

don’t thank Me yet.

There were plenty of stones on the way over and Reidu managed to keep his feet on them. No bent grass or dirt smudge would betray his dash off the path. According to human tracking capability, he would appear to have evaporated on the spot. So, as he dropped behind into his hidey hole, Reidu tried to tell himself this wasn’t too easy.

It was odd, though, wasn’t it? he thought, taking longer breaths, slower and therefore quieter breaths. The bloodhunters would come jogging from the treeline, but sprint full tilt into the plains. Why the change in speed? Had they assumed he must have been that much further ahead? It was like they had seen someone. Reidu peeked out from his perch.

A girl stood looking at him, perhaps three meters away. Reidu strangled his yelp before it could leave his throat.

“Girl! Come here!” he hissed, waving wildly.

She leaned away. Which made sense, Reidu admitted with gritted teeth. There wasn’t enough room anyway and he was a stranger. Quite wise of her, really, except that her common sense was going to get them both killed.

Oh. Ohhhhhhh. Reidu’s eyes closed. He huffed a dead chuckle. That’s why the hunters had run. Reidu hadn’t seen the girl, when he was shown this place; he’d watched the hunters, watched himself, worried about himself, but as usual hadn’t looked much further than self-concern and so hadn’t noticed anyone else.

He opened his eyes. The girl stared at him, unmoving, eyes darting toward the forest. He was so tired. All he had to do was let the fatigue take over, let himself sink straight down and he would be fine. The future awaited.

He stepped out and limped past her. She shied away but he didn’t make any move toward her.

“I don’t know if you understand me,” he said as he passed. “But those who chase me will not be kind to you. You’ll be safe just there.” Reidu gestured at the hiding spot.

Maybe she understood. Or maybe it was the enraged bellowing of his pursuers. Either way, she flicked around and scampered out of view. He fell once more to his knees. This is it, he thought. Finally a foe I couldn’t outrun. Perhaps it was a mercy.

Three warriors crashed through the last line of trees in an otherwise balding landscape; all other flora here barely deserved a title of shrubbery. The hunters spotted their prey quickly, seeing as Reidu was on his knees, on a hill, in the moonlight.

The packleader, a man with a char-streaked and somewhat boiled face, thrust his mace into the air and charged, bellowing. The other two screamed and raced after him. Another two broke from the treeline at a sprint. Five in total, Reidu guessed each one to be at least grarengu, a DeathKnown, in his or her own right.

Reidu watched them sidelong, from the corner of his eye. It was their flapping furs that inspired terror, he decided. It made for a less human impression, inspiring thoughts of something more primal. Wild fury incarnate.

Reidu turned to watch his oncoming doom, and calmly smiled.

The pack slowed, their battle cries wandering off and getting lost in the empty night air. It was extremely unusual for a victim to alter escape tactics from Panicked Flight to Passive Acceptance. Apparently, it struck some vague warning bells. Four sets of eyes sought direction from their leader who blinked hard, as if willing his eyes to see something different. Reidu’s lips flickered into a short-lived smile.

They surrounded him and Reidu had a revelation; he had been wrong. The furs were a nice touch, but it was the metal and bone tied into their hair and beards which made the L’Chaya seem utterly feral. That, and the fact they used their enemy’s blood as battle paint. Back in the town, he had smelled the barrels of it long before he had learned what it was. And that town was just a large trading post, really.

The leader’s eyes flicked side to side. He jabbed his chin at a few of his men who then turned around, scanning their surroundings. The others tightened ranks, towering over Reidu. All their faces promised two things: a prolonged and painful demise, and that they would sincerely enjoy inflicting said demise.

Their chuckle scraped like sandpaper. Reidu absently noted that the metal chiming sounds from their dangling longbraids was yet another great, if ominous, touch. Sootface brought two fingers and a thumb to his sternum, pinched together. Spreading those fingers and extending the hand in Reidu’s direction, he spoke.

“Yuh have the honor of dyin’ at the hands of Hyisvaer,” he grated. “Yuir will is stronger than yuir legs, it seems. Know that each here is grarengu, for however that eases yuh.”

His longbraids chimed low and hollow as he shook his head softly. "D’yuh remember yuir words to me?” he said.

Reidu dropped his eyes. “‘I am here for peace.’”

“And to bring God’s blessing, yuh said. Both of yuir promises, lies.” He spat. It seemed odd to Reidu that a culture whose defining trait was a genius for murder would have such a problem with lying.

Hyisvaer leaned a fraction closer. “I know what yuh are, little priest, or what yuh pretend to be. It matters none. Either way, I know the treacherous fiend yuh serve and fer yuir sake I hope yuh've made peace with him, yuir lying god."

A thundercloud growled in Reidu’s ear, making him jump. He glanced up at a clear sky.

Uh oh.

"He’s not ‘my’ God," Reidu said quickly. “And He never li–”

"Airn't yuh goin' to beg fer yuir life, then?" grunted a warrior directly to the left, interrupting Reidu's protest with a war mallet to his shoulder.

“Wait,” said Hyisvaer. “Let him finish abandoning his faith. Go on, priest. ‘Not yuir God,’ yuh were sayin’. Would yuh like to pray to one of our’n? They won’t save yuh though, I’m a-feared.” A chorus of granite coughs rang out, the strange little laugh peculiar to the L’Chaya.

Reidu exhaled, closing his eyes. These people didn’t understand. Even if they did, they weren’t going to listen.

The worst part for Reidu was the strong suspicion that he could have prevented this.

The thunder got louder. Reidu’s heart felt filled with lead as the pressure in his head began. His arms quivered at his sides, his muscles locked until his head felt like it was coming apart. Every time, his hands lifted almost of their own accord and pressed against his temples. Reidu would have laughed at the irony had his teeth not been gritted; events were out of his hands now.