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Hejira: Sanguine Wave

By Mantrid Brizon

Episode 44: What Goes Around

Screaming in terror, a woman runs from her home. Pursued by several vicious warriors who chase her with ill intentions, she stumbles over something. In the early morning light, she failed to see the half-charred corpse of her neighbor’s son. Scrambling to her feet, the woman leaps over another body, extends an arm, grips a tree and uses her momentum to swing around a corner, temporarily losing her pursuers. She stops in her tracks as she looks at the back of a very attractive and young human woman.

With a palm outstretched and orange aura flames shooting twenty feet before her, Faye burns several villagers into crispy statues. Frozen in terror, Faye realizes the woman’s presence. Glancing back and over her shoulder at the woman, she grins a sinister grin and slowly turns to face her.

“Well, aren’t you going to scream?”

Turning to run, her surroundings glow brightly. For a brief moment she sees the fire flowing past and around her. The heat is so intense that she feels cold, screaming in agony as she falls to the ground.

“Scream for me, bitch!” Faye cackles.

The warriors shield their faces as Faye burns the target of their next sexual conquest until she is naught but ashes.

“Damn...” One grumbles.

“She was beautiful, too.” The other remarks.

“Was.” Faye snickers.

On the outskirts of the burning village, a raven with a little collar and golden disc attached swoops in from the nearby forest. It lands atop a cage, where several soldiers wait for messages. They feed the bird a reward of human carrion, flesh torn from a poor soul who fell to their blades. Taking the note from the bird’s protective container, the soldier reads the contents before quickly dashing for the engulfed village. He swerves around a screaming man as he lay on his belly, having been impaled through his back and staked to the ground.

He swerves again to avoid one of his own warriors who pins a teenage boy to a wall, jabbing a dagger furiously into his gut. Rounding a corner, the messenger looks for Faye, the Harbinger. She stands in the center of town, a foot planted atop the back of a dead old man as she holds her arms out. Each palm emits a stream of aura fire as she torches more buildings. So destructive is the Harbinger that most of Adelram’s soldiered retreated to their rally point to avoid being accidentally killed by their own leader.

“This is what you get, Casius, you rotten old bastard.” She growls, looking down at the corpse beneath her foot.

“Harbinger! Harbinger!” The soldier exclaims.

“What is it?” She turns to him, instantly shutting off her aura flamethrowers.

“We have a message from the capitol! King Adelram has a new order for you!” He says.

Swiping the note from the messenger, her big brown eyes scan the parchment.

“Fucking figures... Alright.” Faye sighs, turning to the messenger. “Tell the men to prepare. As soon as I’m done here, we’re moving out.”

“Yes, Harbinger! May I ask where we’re going?”

“Back home. We need to regroup for a full-scale invasion.” She answers.

The runner carries out her orders to the letter and the men quickly prepare to move out. As she had said, she finishes leveling the entire town by herself. Collecting two large sacks of coins as plunder, she drags them back to the rally point where the army awaits her return. With the aid of her men, they load the heavy sacks upon a horse-drawn cart. With nothing left to steal or burn, she raises a hand and motions for them to march, leading the way herself, as she often does.

Riding atop their horses, Steve looks toward Madina, who glances back at him. They are only a few short hours away from returning home, after about a week of hard travel. In that time, the pair had grown quite close. The previous two nights, they even slept next to each other, and this morning they both awoke still holding the other. Madina has taken considerable comfort in Steve, after the devastating realization that Sahvath was never going to be of help to them.

Riding through the field, the guards see the four horsemen and quickly open the gate. Using a monoscope, they know that it’s Sarvah, Red Claw, and two of their own. They’re all eager to finally be home after two weeks on the road, though the news they bring back isn’t what they’d hoped for. Sarvah feels a knot in the pit of her stomach. In her time on the road, she’d grown accustomed to having few responsibilities; it was a refreshing break from leading the Feather Fingers. She enjoyed all of her time with Gareth, basking in the delightful radiance of his company.

Now that they’re back home, however, she knows that they’re going to have to return their focus to training their troops and preparing for war with king Adelram and the Silver Teeth tribe. Villagers gather around as the group returns. Gareth and Sarvah stop in the street and climb down from their horses. Steve and Madina offer to return them, a suggestion that they can barely hear over the exclamations of the villagers. The size of the crowd and the noise they emanate draws further attention.

“What happened?!”

“Did you meet Sahvath?!”

“Will he help us?!”

The questions bombard Sarvah and Gareth. She feels an anxiety growing within her as she looks to the frightened and curious citizens. Gareth is quick to wrap her in his arms and lead her away. Naomi and Travahn emerge from the home where Naomi lives with Kelly, Vahna and their son, Zeike. Vahna peeks out, cradling her toddler in her arms. A group of warriors in training, both human and Sahvorai and varying in age, join the group of citizens. Kelly pushes his way through to meet them.

Struggling with the crowd, Gareth and Sarvah nearly walk into Kelly, who wades through from the opposite end. Upon seeing his friends, he greets them both with an embrace and then turns to lead them through the crowd. Rinahra and Emma now watch from Rinahra’s house. The feline Sahvorai, Rinahra, is visibly elated at Sarvah’s return, though Emma looks somewhat disappointed. They walk through the streets, followed by the curious onlookers who continue to question them incessantly.

“Alright everyone, calm down! Return to your homes! When we know what’s going on, we’ll tell you!” Kelly exclaims.

“We’re on our own!” Sarvah suddenly yells.

The crowd falls silent. With Gareth’s arm draped over her like a cloak, she slowly turns to face them. Many stare with strange expressions, as if they could not understand her.

“We found the first hall. The forbidden lands were empty and void of life. We spoke with Sahvath, but it proved useless. Sahvath will not intervene to help us.” She says.

“What will we do?!” An older village woman asks with fear in her voice.

“What kind of nonsensical question is that? We were going to win this war without Sahvath! It would have been nice to have assistance, to force a peaceful end without bloodshed; we simply have to finish this the hard way. This changes absolutely nothing.” A confident Sarvah boasts.

Feeding on her enthusiasm and strength, the crowd accept her answers and slowly disperse. Turning back to Gareth, she slips an arm around him. Though she appears to be strong and self-assured, she is buckling inside. She needs to hold him just to have the strength to keep going. For all her knowledge and power, she’s still a sensitive and fragile creature. Gareth leans in, kissing his lover tenderly before leading her inside their shared home.

“Well, would you like your own updates?” Kelly asks as he closes the front door behind him. “We’ve been very busy since you’ve been away.”

“I can imagine.” Sarvah sighs.

“Our soldier’s training is going very well. I managed to teach them all of the formations and used your modified line to allow our archers to shoot from behind shield and spear bearers. I’ve also made sure that armor and weapon production continued, at least to the point we could manage.” Kelly explains.

“Sounds like you’ve been busy.” Gareth remarks.

“We’ve also received word from many of the chieftains. A horseman came with a message from the Crooked Trees and Sightless Eye, informing us that a small tribe, Orange Veil had joined us. Orange Veil managed to bribe information from someone who had managed to leave Adelram’s territory and warned them of an attack. They cooperated in an ambush killing nearly two hundred of their warriors and causing them to flee!” Emma proudly exclaims.

“They’ve been waiting for another attack, but it hasn’t come yet. We have horsemen ready to send and receive messages.” Rinahra adds.

Sarvah turns and approaches Rinahra and Emma, who stand close together. Giving each one a warm embrace and a kiss to the cheek, she thanks them for all that they’ve done for her and their people. Both women are taken aback by the display. Sarvah certainly isn’t acting herself. Noticing the change, Gareth is quick to shoo them away.

“Well, we can catch up tomorrow. For now, we’d just like to relax and sleep in a real bed and have a properly cooked meal.” He says as he walks them toward the door.

“Right. You’ve been away for some time. You could use it.” Rinahra nods.

“We can handle things for you until tomorrow.” Emma chirps.

“I still remember those days. I’m glad we have a home to ourselves and aren’t just sleeping on the ground.” Kelly adds.

Holding open the door, Gareth presents the passageway to their guests, who promptly see themselves out. Closing the door behind them as they leave, Sarvah takes a seat in a chair by their dinner table. Racing back up to her, Gareth sets down his pack and kneels beside her.

“Are you alright?” He asks in a soft and gentle voice.

“No.” She says, shaking her head. “I don’t want to be here. I was so much happier out there on the road with you.”

“I know, sweetheart, but we need to be here.” He says, resting a hand on her leg.

“But why? Why can’t we just tell the all to burn in hell and live out in the wilderness? Why can’t we start our family and ignore the world’s problems?” She asks with a whimper.

“Because, sweetheart.” He says, taking her into his arms. “We can’t outrun them forever. If Adelram succeeds because we didn’t stop him, that makes it our fault. If we live in the wilderness, maybe in two hundred years, he’ll find us and our horde of children; you, me and our dozen or so sons and daughter won’t stand a chance.”

Sarvah chuckles. Even now, his subtle but continuous humor makes her smile.

“I know. I just don’t want to do this. I don’t want to be in charge.”

“Let me carry the burden for you.” He says, rubbing her back.

“Thank you.” She sniffles. “Why are you so good to me, Gare?”

“Because I love you more than anything.” He answers.

“And I love you too.” She says, kissing his cheek.

“I’ll cook us some dinner and then we can head upstairs, relax, make love, and then relax so more.”

“Okay.” She giggles. “That sounds wonderful.”

After cooking and eating a meal, the couple retire upstairs, spending that day as they’d planned. Sarvah and Gareth relieve their tension multiple times before falling asleep early, and staying asleep until late the following morning. With much to do, the lovers finally pull themselves out of bed, put on their clothes and head downstairs. Finding Rinahra at her home next door, they collect Emma and several others. They meet in the field and stand around the log table.

The group, consisting of Sarvah, Gareth, Emma, Madina, Steve, Claire, who is Emma’s assistant, Rinahra, and Kelly, plan the next phase.

“Kelly’s done an amazing job of training the soldiers while we were away, and Emma and Rinahra did just as well leading the Feather Fingers. I think that they’ve proven that we can take this war to the next level.” Gareth begins.

“And what’s that?” Steve asks.

“... Battle. Specifically, small skirmishes. On Earth, in our time, it was called ‘guerilla warfare’.” Gareth says, motion between himself and Kelly.

“And what is this ‘guerilla warfare’?” Emma asks with a raised brow.

“Small, tactically advantageous battles. After Adelram suffered defeat by our allies in ECTO, he’s probably going to want to mobilize. He’s an impulsive and childish leader, not unlike a few from Earth’s recent history. We don’t want him to mobilize his army without risk, so if we can move quickly, I’d like to send teams of our best trained soldiers to invade his outskirt villages.” Gareth continues.

“... Villages? Won’t there only be innocent people there?” Madina asks with a horrified expression.

“This is war. The goal isn’t to kill villagers, but any who fight us are going to die. The goal is to disrupt his supply lines and burn their fields. By the time they realize what’s going on, we’ll move to the next village, harassing them faster than they can mobilize. We might also use a village as bait to lure them in, and slaughter his men in an ambush. If we do that long enough, he won’t ever be able to mount a full-scale attack without risk, and our allies can continue to build and prepare their forces. When we’re ready, we’ll lead our own full-scale invasion.” Gareth says with confidence.

“What did you do on Earth, before you came here?” Steve asks.

“I guess you could say I was food and drink merchant. Why?”

“How do you know about all of this then?” Steve looks at him with confusion.

“Books are your friends.” Gareth grins.

“So, who will lead these missions? As if I need to ask...” Kelly murmurs.

“I will, of course. If Sarvah wants to go with me then-”

“I do!” She chirps.

“Then we’ll just do what we did last time. Kelly leads the militia, trains them and watches over Wildwood. Rinahra and Emma are still in charge.” Gareth explains.

“Alright then. What should I do?” Steve asks.

“Kelly can give you a chore. Until and after, though, why don’t you watch over Madina. Make sure she settles in and has a nice place to lay her head.” Gareth teases.

“I’d love too! I mean... Okay.” Steve grins.

Madina flushes. With their business completed, the group disbands to continue about their day, preparing for the upcoming assault. Gareth rushes up to Kelly, catching him and pulling him back. Leading Kelly away from the group and back to Sarvah, Gareth looks around.

“What’s going on, man? Are you two alright?” Kelly asks.

“I’m not sure... I mean, I’ve got a bad feeling and I was hoping you two would humor me.” Gareth answers.

“Of course, my love!” Sarvah chirps.

“Sure, man. What do you need?”

“I have something I need you to do, and you can’t tell anyone about it except for whoever you charge to do it. I mean anyone; not Emma, Rinahra, Steve, etc. Sarvah will commission the supplies, while you will get a crew together to do the work.”

“What are we doing?” Kelly asks again.

“Just a little home improvement.” Gareth says with a grin.

After several days of travel, Faye and her army group return to Adelram’s capitol. Relieving her soldiers of duty for the moment, Faye heads for king Adelram’s fortress. A raven caws as it flies overhead, entering a window of the only tower attached to the structure. Walking into the guarded home without an issue, Faye, the Harbinger of the Silver Teeth, makes her way toward the study to report back to her leader. On the way, she stops at the sight of a wounded Balian sitting in a hallway and drinking from a bottle.

“What the hell happened to you?!” She snickers.

“Some bastard decided that I didn’t have enough scars!” Balian chuckles, looking down at his stitched arm.

“That isn’t why I’m being called back from a very successful campaign, is it?”

“I’m sorry, Harbinger, but this is different. These weren’t villagers; they were better organized than we were... We might actually have a problem here.” Balian says with a stone face.

“Not anymore; not with me here.” She boasts.

Rising from his bench, Balian follows Faye in walking through the fortress. Entering the study, they find Adelram standing beside a quietly reading Padina, who sits in a comfortable chair. A guard stands with a bowed head, waiting for instructions.

“That’ll be all. Return to your post.” Adelram orders.

“Yes, my Lord!”

The guard races past Faye and Balian.

“I’m glad you’re both here. Would you like to know what this is?” Adelram asks the duo, holding up the slip of parchment.

“Of course.” Faye chirps.

“It’s my agent within Wildwood. She sent a raven.”

“She’s quite loyal, as I knew she would be.” Padina remarks, turning a page.

“Apparently, the Feather Fingers have come up with a very clever plan. I admit, had I not known about it, it certainly would have worked to foil my growing utopia.” Adelram continues.

“What’s this plan?” Balian raises a brow.

“To attack villages with some strategic value to destroy supplies, lower morale, and ambush the detachments sent to deal with them. Apparently, they wanted to keep me busy while they prepared for a massive invasion. This alliance... They are far stronger than I could have ever imagined, and with a general like this... Well, if we don’t move fast, we may very well lose.” Adelram grumbles.

“Sir, I highly doubt tha-”

“Don’t you patronize me!” He growls, flipping a table in anger. “You’re supposed to be my Harbinger, the bringer of world peace, and you’re fucking it up! These people can’t see the greater good I’m bringing them, and not only are they fighting back, they’re doing a damn good job of it! Now I want you to do something to make this stop so that we can finish this!”

“This leader isn’t all that creative.” Faye chuckles.

“They certainly fooled me. I was born in this world, and I’ve never heard of villages and citizens being used in such a manner. I’ve conquered the land of every tribe and town I came across, not hung it out like fresh bait.” Adelram retorts.

“This leader, whoever they are, is certainly skilled in the arts of war.” Balian remarks.

As he speaks, Faye has a sudden realization. Once a year for six years, and sometimes twice in a year, Gareth had read ‘The Art Of War’ by Sun Tzu from cover to cover. However, she too has read the book, though not nearly as frequently.

“I think I know who their leader is, my Lord, and I believe I know how to counter him.” Faye begins.

“Well? Speak!”

“With this knowledge, we can guess which villages they’ll strike first. Obviously, they’re coming from Wildwood, so they’ll be within a week’s marching distance from there. We pick the villages that are high risk, evacuate them, and station soldiers there instead. We may want to harvest early as well, just to be safe. When the Feather Fingers arrive to destroy the village, we’ll have an ambush of our own waiting for them.” She explains.

“So... What? We just kill them all?” Adelram raises a brow.

“Not at the village...” Faye answers with a sinister grin.

“I think I know what you’re planning, and it’s brilliant.” Balian interjects.

“I know.” Faye chirps.

“Alright... Do whatever you have to do. Just make this work.” Adelram commands.

“It’ll work. Trust me.” She coos.