Coil of Worlds

He slanted a look at Chion and grunted. In a scant amount of time, they’d assembled together enough supplies for their coming excursion. Forced to leave behind the burning torch, Skye had a moment of regret. He was at a distinct disadvantage in the black tunnels. The Abani woman would lead him through the tunnels while he pulled the cart. Thankfully, the cart rolled smoothly under his touch. Grabbing the handles with both his hands, they walked through the village under the baleful eyes of the village men. Though it was impossible to see without the fire, he felt their distrustful eyes on him, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up in wariness. The women called out prayers to Lara as they passed.

As promised, the strange woman left her hand on his arm, guiding him and the cart through the maze of cottages and rocks. The Abani woman didn’t reply to any of the farewells, though Skye did hear the big whoosh of air escaping her lips once they entered the ramp.

He didn’t understand her wholehearted relief, but she was different from any woman he’d previously met.

Perhaps it was the Abani culture. He’d never crossed paths with an Abani. He had studied what little information was available in the scrolls about the culture. Abani men rarely ventured far from their frozen homeland, preferring to trade within their own kingdom.

Hours passed and Skye listened to Lara hum yet another song—its beat one that lifted his spirit. Every once in a while she tapped her hand against her thigh. He lost count of the number of songs she hummed while they walked.

Skye pulled the cart to a halt when the woman stopped humming in mid-beat and squeezed his arm in warning. He felt the tremor pass through her hand. He unsheathed his sword and maneuvered from between the cart handles. He held his breath as he tried to determine which direction the threat came from. He whispered fiercely, “What approaches?”

He heard a slight scrape to his right. He turned his head and sniffed the air. It was the Abani woman. The whisper of her clothes as she crept closer told him she feared saying anything louder than necessary. Skye felt her heated breath against his ear as she spoke. “Chion says a band of thieves heard the cart’s wheels. They sent a scout ahead to see how many are in our group. There is no way around. We will have to fight our way through.”

He turned his head, bumping his nose against hers by mistake. “Tell me when the scout retreats. I will need your help to move the cart to one side of the tunnel. I don’t want them attacking us from both sides. I will wake Eiren and tell her the situation.”

As close as they were standing, he felt her nod once in acknowledgement, her hair tickling his nose. Trusting the woman to apprise Chion of his directions, he closed his eyes and called to Eiren.

Eiren, you must wake. We are under attack.

Regret tinged every word when she replied. I apologize. I am not yet able to assist you in the coming attack. I’m more hindrance than aid.

Do not fear. We will protect you from more harm. He tried to hear past their immediate surroundings.

Besides being quiet, can I provide any assistance?

Already shaking his head before she finished, he stopped and gave a fleeting thought more consideration. He smiled at the insanity of the idea. It was foolhardy, but it might work.

I am blind in these tunnels. Could you be my eyes in the coming attack?

He felt her excitement at the idea. My Lord, I would be honored. Together we will defeat this unknown enemy.

Now it is a waiting game. The beginnings of battle readiness threaded through his body. He reached out to assure himself the cart was within easy reach.

The woman abandoned the need to whisper and said, “The scout just retreated.”

As he moved into position to haul the cart against the tunnel wall, he warned Eiren, “Tell me if anyone approaches.”

He saw her golden eyes peek over the short sides, her head swiveling back and forth. Once the cart was in position, he turned to face outward, but kept an opening for the small paka to see around him. He heard the woman digging around the bottom of the cart.

Without having to ask her, the Abani woman volunteered, “I found my club.”

He snorted. The woman required weapons training. In what little time he’d known her, she had already been in several skirmishes. She murmured, “I feel them coming. They’re wanting blood if their emotions are any indication. They mean to kill us.”

She could feel their…emotions? Belatedly, he realized he didn’t have any true idea who this woman was or what she was doing in the tunnels. He gritted his teeth. He missed his three fighting companions. With them fighting at his side, he would have had no doubt the outcome of the coming skirmish.

The woman is correct, Eiren said. There are two creeping along the wall to your left. They just entered this corridor. I think more are behind them.

What are they carrying? What weapons are they holding?

There are two boys carrying knives. They are each carrying a knife in their right hand.

Thieves along the highways are a common occurrence. Young thieves are unfortunate, but it will not stop me from killing them. Knives are easier to fight against, unless they are excellent knife throwers. He shifted his weight until he faced the threat.

You are right, My Lord, Eiren agreed, though it saddens me to see children fighting like this. She was silent a moment. They are five leaps away from you and the woman.

He centered himself, mentally preparing himself to fight off these boys while blind. He heard their battle cries and then their running footsteps as they careened forward. He heard Lara’s screech as she swung the club toward one of the boys. That left the other one to him. When he felt Eiren’s rush of energy, he brought his sword forward in a swift arc, connecting with the thief’s body. The resultant, gurgling scream told him he’d dealt a fatal stroke. The boy fell with a last surprised gasp of air before silence met his ears. The woman was still beating the other boy into submission. A loud, sickening crack filled the corridor.

Skye smiled. He knew that sound anywhere in the world. If not dead, the boy was surely unconscious. He heard him drop like deadweight to the ground.

In a wry voice, Eiren updated him. She is uninjured. She is a fury when it comes to the club she holds.

Everything froze when a number of battle cries assailed the air. The others were attacking, having watched their friends fall in quick succession.

Be prepared, My Lord. There are seven more coming your way.

Cursing his sightless eyes, he closed them and sent his other senses outward. Something shimmered beyond his vision. Suddenly, his vision pierced the darkness and he could see the oncoming foes as if he fought them in broad daylight, only he couldn’t distinguish their features.

The closer they came, the more he was able to determine their movements, almost as if they had passed a designated perimeter necessary for sensing them. Their movements—not their features—were the only thing that mattered in this fight. He heard Eiren cry out his opponents’ positions around him. Skye couldn’t tell her he no longer needed her directions. He didn’t have time to tell her he could visualize the advancing enemy.

He waited for them to come to him. Holding off for the perfect position, he went from standing motionless to a flurry of action in one sinuous move. He grinned as he took on three of the enemy. He quickly disarmed one by slicing the tendons of one wrist with a flick of his arm, forcing the boy to drop a sinister-looking knife. The other two leapt back in retreat. The awkward movements spoke of their shock at the swiftness he had disarmed and injured their friend.

Skye was right. He didn’t need to see their features to overpower them.

Their hesitation cost their friend his life. In one smooth motion, the boy stood with a sliced throat. He gasped for air while his only working hand reached up to halt the blood gurgling from the grievous wound. The thief fell forward, but gravity shifted direction when Skye’s powerful kick sent him flying backward to hit the opposite wall. He imagined the remaining boys sharing a wary look before they both took a courageous step forward. Skye grinned so hard his smile bared a row of teeth.

Done waiting for their attack, he sprang forward, twisting and twirling the sword like it was a natural extension of his own body until both boys fell from their injuries, blood covering each of them. Knowing they were both out of the skirmish unless they could miraculously heal gut wounds, Skye turned his attention to the three hovering on the outskirts of the boundary. His skills proved unnecessary when an infuriated Chion stormed the three, attacking them from behind. He couldn’t help laughing at the strident screams that reached his ears over Chion’s roar.

Eiren’s insistent feline scream filtered through his battle rage, and he turned, somehow pinpointing Eiren and the Abani woman without looking. The Abani woman was hard pressed defending herself against her larger foe. Skye leapt forward a second before the thief could cut the woman’s arm open to the bone. He grabbed the boy’s narrow shoulder. Jerking the shoulder back, he let the boy’s weight do the work as it slid down onto the upturned sword, puncturing his chest. The boy yelled in pain and surprise at the abruptness of the attack.

The boy was dead. His body just hadn’t caught up with the change. With brute strength, Skye moved the boy away from the woman before twisting the sword to the right. With his knee Skye slid the would-be thief off his sword. Without looking, he knew the only thieves left alive were the two he gutted to save himself time while there were others to fight. He leaned forward and swiped the blood from the blade onto the back of the man’s shirt.

He couldn’t see the extensive wounds, but Skye could smell them. They were not long for this world.

Staring dispassionately down at the two thieves, he heard Eiren’s voice through the dull roaring in his head. It was as if her voice came from a long distance away. Another shimmering haze took over his vision before he was once again blind.

Blinking several times, thinking the strange vision would return, Skye cursed aloud when his eyes met darkness instead. Skye hadn’t had time to get his bearings and couldn’t walk to Eiren’s side. Eiren called out to him again, tendrils of her worry flowing through their bond.

“I am here,” he finally acknowledged.

He felt her relief rush over her. Looking in the direction of her voice, Skye realized Eiren’s golden eyes hovered in the dark a short distance away.

“Eiren, I need your help to reach you.”

He saw her head nod. Of course, My Lord.

He thought it odd he heard wariness in her voice. Was it because of him? With the blood pumping through his veins so soon after the short skirmish, he dismissed the thought to consider later.

As she led him through the bodies littering the ground, he asked Eiren, “Were you harmed?”

No, My Lord. Both you and Lara fought the thieves before they could harm me.

Her eyes closed. When she shifted herself lower, seeking a more comfortable position, he realized she had sat up during the fight. He rolled his shoulders and sheathed his sword.

I thank you for your assistance, he said, giving her a slight bow.

My Lord, you are most welcome, though I wonder whether you truly needed my assistance. I admit I have never seen a fighter such as you. She was quiet for a moment before she shared what was on her mind. Are you sure this was your first battle?

He smiled at the pensive tone in her voice. Yes. My training did not fail me when I most needed it. I am glad.

I am uncertain whether your training or your innate ability is responsible for the manner in which you fight.

“What do you mean? I have trained as a warrior for most of my life.”

My Lord, I have observed throughout my lifetime the practice of warriors. Your skills go beyond the training you received. You began to focus on the oncoming battle and you no longer needed my eyes to show you where your attackers were. Nor did you need my eyes to assist you during the actual fighting.

About to protest, he caught himself when he recalled the odd shimmer overtaking his vision. At the time he hadn’t questioned the occurrence. He’d merely taken advantage of the sight because it allowed him to protect Eiren.

Eiren must have felt his uneasiness because she changed the subject. My Lord, you have flecks of blood on your face and hands. Before we continue, you may want to wipe away the remains of the battle.

He shot her a lop-sided grin. I have realized, My Lady, that you are absolutely fastidious about appearances.

Her eyes widened in pleasure before she sent him a purr of contentment. You called me My Lady.

Her words pulled him up short; he had not even noticed. When had the change within him occurred? In confusion, his grin vanished, a frown taking its place. Skye did not have a ready response, so Eiren closed her eyes with a tired sigh and fell into a doze, leaving him to argue with Chion and Lara before they left the bodies behind.

When Lara protested, Chion said with patience, When we reach Malkese, the elders will be notified of the dead. They will receive a proper burial. They will be received by the God and Goddess.

Skye asked, “You would provide a ceremony for thieves?”

These children were forced to this deed because of the war between Kureto and Pyran. Starved and with no other recourse, they turned to thievery. Fate, if left to the God, would have given them another life altogether.