Chapter 11 – Poached

Dena convinced her to at least wait until the sun came up, but that didn’t stop Syl from pacing.

“Would you sit down? Just for a minute?” Dena asked for the fifth time. “You’ll have blisters on your feet before we even take our first step outside the village.”

“I should have left already,” Syl echoed what she’d said at least four times. The conversation was getting old.

Dena sighed dramatically. “And, just like I said before, going out when the Lake-Wolf could see you, but you couldn’t see it, wouldn’t have done your father any good. Unless you want to finally explain to me what you thought you saw from that roof?”

Syl was purposely avoiding that subject. What had she seen? How could she possibly try to explain it? “Saw” wasn’t even the right word.

“Didn’t think so,” Dena said flatly. “Well, while you’ve been pacing, I’ve been packing.”

“Packing?” Syl asked. Her eyes had barely left the window facing where the sun would rise.

“Food and water, a blanket for each of us. An extra quiver of arrows each,” Dena said, pointing to the small piles beside her.

Syl’s eyes narrowed at a fourth small bundle. “And that?” she asked.

“Uh…” Dena hesitated. Guilt plastered her face.

“You poached a cherry pie while my mom is out treating Galli, didn’t you?”

“That’s not exactly true…” Dena said, but didn’t meet Syl’s eyes. “It wasn’t a pie…”

“How many?” Syl asked.

“Just a couple… for us to share!” Dena emphasized.

Syl just shook her head. People were dying. Her father was in trouble. But Dena focused on pie.

And yet, as Syl took a breath, it was the first time she didn’t feel like something was sitting on her chest. Even if for only a moment, her friend had taken her mind off all the things rattling around inside her head.

When she looked at Dena, she saw that her friend understood. She understood how important it was to Syl. So she took care of the things that needed doing. The things Syl couldn’t do, because she was too busy worrying.

Syl walked over and wrapped her arms around Dena. “Thank you,” she said.

Dena hugged her back. “We’ll find him. Don’t worry.”

“We will,” Syl agreed, finally able to think clearly. She gave Dena one last squeeze before letting go and stood up straight. Her muscles were tense from the nervousness and pacing, so she began her Ka-Sho stretching routine.

“You’re… not going to want to spar… are you?” Dena asked nervously.

“Helps me focus,” Syl answered with a smile. Her Sho-Val sat comfortably in the harness over her shoulders, and her bow was beside the arrows Dena had prepared. She wasn’t sure if either would work against the Lake-Wolf.

“Do you think Galli was telling the truth?” Dena asked, as if reading Syl’s mind.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Why would he lie?” Syl asked back.

“Well, I don’t mean I think he was lying. But, do you think it happened like he said? Four of our best hunters killed in the blink of an eye? I just can’t believe it, you know?”

“It is hard to believe,” Syl admitted as she slowly went through each of the twelve Ka-Sho-ready stances. With each stance, her head became clearer. More alert. Less stressed. “It was a surprise attack. They weren’t expecting an ambush on the road. Probably tired from the long day. Not at their best.”

“I guess,” Dena said. “Vacksin is going to lead the other hunters out just after first light to where Galli said the attack was. Despite what Velena said, he’s got vengeance on his mind.”

“It’s not vengeance,” Syl corrected as she flowed into Pal-Bok. “It’s ambition. You saw him last night. He respected Lorac, but he’s always wanted the position. If he can kill the thing that killed Lorac, he believes that will earn him the respect of the other hunters. Of the village. It would secure his position as Lorac’s replacement, no matter what Velena says.”

“He doesn’t like you,” Dena pointed out. “Might make it tough for you if he’s on top.”

“He doesn’t like my dad,” Syl corrected. “He was courting my mother before she met dad.”

“Ugh,” Dena said. “Can you imagine Vacksin being your father?”

Syl almost lost Pal-Bok as she shuddered at the thought. “I’m glad he isn’t, but it won’t matter to me if he’s the lead hunter or not. I’m going to follow in my parent’s footsteps and he’d be wise to stay on my good side.”

“Most people think it’s wise to stay on your good side, though admittedly for different reasons.”

“Why does everybody assume I’m violent?” Syl asked with a scowl.

“Because anybody who enters the Ka-Sho ring with you ends up bloody, bruised, embarrassed, in a river, limping, upside down, or any combination of the above,” Dena said as she counted off the possibilities on her fingers. “I think you actually did that all to Rogar in one match…”

“He made a comment about my hips,” Syl said and grimaced at the memory. She’d been in a particularly foul mood that time.

Dena chuckled. “So, you see what I’m saying?”

“No idea,” Syl lied, and finished the final stance. When she let her breath out, her body was light. Prepared. Not as good as if she’d gotten a good night’s sleep, admittedly, but it would do.

“Are you ready?” Dena asked and nodded towards the window.

A crack of light peeked over the eastern mountaintops and through the window. “You don’t have to come with me Dena,” Syl said. “It’s dangerous…” she trailed off as Dena shook her head.

“Somebody needs to be the rational one, and to watch your back,” Dena finished more seriously. “If the Lake-Wolf was able to sneak up on Lorac’s group, we need to make sure we’re extra careful.”

“I can’t change your mind about going, can I?” Syl asked. Was it fair of her to risk Dena’s life?

“No more than I can change yours,” Dena confirmed. “We’re in this together.”

They gathered up their things and threw the small sacks over their shoulders. Dena hadn’t packed much, just enough for two or three days at most. They’d be all the way to Teb’s farm if they didn’t find Syl’s father by then. And if that was the case…

Syl shook her head to stop that line of thinking. She wouldn’t go down the ‘what if’ path. Not now.

She opened the door a crack and checked for anybody outside. “All clear,” she whispered, and slipped out.

Her mother was still in the clinic, making sure Galli survived the night, but Syl didn’t want her to see them leaving. Enna would most certainly try to stop them.

Syl and Dena jogged quietly down the street, then angled towards the outskirts of town, the reverse of how they’d brought Kilik’s body to the clinic. The lingering scent of the festival hung in the air, but the village was deathly quiet. Where there should have been singing and dancing until the sun came up, nothing stirred.

People were at home with their families, their doors locked tight, and their weapons at the ready. Syl and Dena were little more than shadows as they ducked under shuttered windows and darted past closed doors.

As the tip of the sun finally crested the mountains, the edge of the village came into sight. They’d made it without anybody seeing them. Or, more importantly, trying to stop them.

Syl’s eyes were on the woods. Where the Lake-Wolf would be if it was still nearby. She didn’t have that same ominous feeling she’d had on the roof, but she was still on edge. Her nerves were taught and her fingers twitched in anticipation of something happening. Of anything happening.

When movement came around the corner of a building, instead of from the woods, Syl’s tension exploded into action without thought. Out came her masterpiece, bladed Sho-Val to arc down in one fluid, lightning-quick motion.

Straight towards Kule’s wide eyes.