Beyond the Hell Cliffs (7 page)

“What is going on in there?” Hemmil asked, yanking the flap open and stepping in.

“Paladin!” Onyx exclaimed, more out of surprise than agitation, and turned to place herself between him and Raegith.  “I am tending to this man’s wounds and you will not interrupt me.”

“I heard shouting… from both of you…” Hemmil stammered, not used to being ordered by a woman.

“The boy’s wounds are more severe than I expected,” Onyx lied.  “Replace yourself at the entrance and let me finish my work here.”

Hemmil grumbled, but turned and exited the tent.  Once he was gone, Onyx turned around to see Raegith sitting on his cot with his tunic over his lap.  He was more anxious than he was embarrassed, but
did not know how to deal with either emotion.

“I
apologize for my reaction, my lord,” Onyx finally said.  “That was a natural response to stimuli and I am a female, so it makes sense your body might respond when your mind is unaware…”

“
Yeah, exactly!” Raegith said, cutting her off.  “It’s completely natural!  Nothing weird about a 16-year-old getting excited about being touched by a beautiful girl and then… nearly slapping her across the face with that excitement!  You’re not going to tell anyone about this, are you?  It wouldn’t make a very good campfire story.”

The Faeir simply sat there in shock and confusion.  Raegith was not expecting
his first time around an actual woman to go so horribly wrong.

Onyx took a moment before addressing him
.  “I will tell no one, my prince.  I would not have you humiliated for which you cannot be faulted and I am professional enough for this.  You can trust my word as a healer.  Further flattery is unneeded, do you understand?”

“Flattery?”
Raegith asked.

“What you said to me,” Onyx replied.  “
I am a Stone Seer; it is inappropriate to give any compliment to me, no matter how well-intended.”

“A Stone Seer?”
Raegith asked, sliding closer to her.  “I’ve not heard of that.  Is that why you can manipulate water so?”

“My prince, we cannot tarry,” Onyx said, coming to her feet.  “I must get you washed and mended.  There is no time to explain things to you that do not matter.”

“Nonsense,” Raegith
said. “I won’t let you near me again unless you promise to tell me about being a Stone Seer.  I’ll find someone else.”

“Why?” Onyx asked.

“I want to know,” Raegith replied, slipping even closer to her.  “I don’t know what kind of rules your kind follow that dictate who does and does not matter, but I know that you’re responsible for me.  If you plan to take care of my wellbeing, then I intend to know everything about you.”

“It would take too long to explain,” Onyx said.  “We haven’t the time and if
Paladin Hemmil comes in to see you in your current… condition…”

“Are you not my healer after this night?” Raegith asked.  “We have many nights of this ahead of us and I would use our time to learn of you rather than count wrinkles in my tent.”

“Then you must be ignorant of the Stone Seers,” Onyx hissed.  “Else you would not ask to be entertained by one.  Turn and let me wash you.  If it is a companion you wish for, I shall request you be given a roommate.”

Raegith simply crossed his arms and stared at her, not moving.

“What in Rellizbix could be taking you that long, healer?” Hemmil asked.

“My prince, please, let me do my job!” Onyx pleaded with him.

“Then promise me,” Raegith said, standing firm.  “Promise me that we will help each other gain a purpose.”

“I promise,” Onyx said after a moment of thought.  “As pointless as it may be, I promise to tell you of the Stone Seers, but not this evening.  Now turn and be still before it is too late!”

Raegith smiled and turned, doing as she asked.  Onyx used the same technique to wash the rest of him, letting the water orb spin along his body from his calves to his head.  The water whirled over his body, scrubbing off clumps of grime and blood and cleaning out his scrapes and cuts.  It felt like he was bathing in a river rapids and the excitement of it, well, excited him all over again.  Once she was finished, she reached into a pack and produced fresh clothes for him.  He dressed as she packed up what she had and went for the tent flap.

“Oh, Onyx,” Raegith said.  The healer stopped and turned to look back at him.  “I wasn’t flattering you.  You are a beautiful creature.”

Onyx gave him a confused and suspicious look, but left without a word.  Immediately Hemmil came in to inspect him, but Raegith was already in his cot, relaxing and on the verge of sleep.  Hemmil looked over his feet and stroked his beard.  Satisfied that the healer was, in fact, doing some remarkable things, he left without a word and Raegith drifted to sleep before he could attempt to think about Onyx.

The days continued
as always, save two things: Hemmil was more of an instructor now than a taskmaster and Zakk was even more competitive and intolerable.  At night Onyx would come to mend his wounds, though she did not bath him completely every time.  She spoke to him of being a Stone Seer, which was the term given to Faeir born under the Elemental of stone, cursed with opaque eyes.  The stone Elemental was a much more chaotic patron element than the others, which is a bit ironic since stones appear to be solid, immobile and the symbol of uniformity.  Faeir born under the stone Elemental are influenced by the chaotic magic of the element, normally coordinating with a particular gemstone.  The only other Stone Seer Onyx knew of was an old, male hermit named Garnet who had darker skin and pure red eyes.  As Stone Seers were considered a mutation and their chaotic magic a heresy, they were treated as inferior and normally wound up in servitude or seclusion.

“So does being a Stone Seer allow you to manipulate water like that?” Raegith asked
as Onyx scrubbed him down and attended a cracked rib.  He was standing naked inside the tent with his left arm raised as she prodded him and appraised his winces.

“No, one has nothing to do with the other,” Onyx said.  “
My Stone magic is of mending flesh, but I channel it through the element of water in order to focus the power.  I have had a natural ability with water all my life, which makes being a Stone Seer so much more tragic.  No one trained me to work the element; I did this on my own, in secret.”

“How have you made it this far being a Stone Seer and a heretic?”

“Luck,” Onyx said, letting his arm down and pulling the bucket closer to her.  “You’ll need completely washed down, there are too many wounds that could fester and you’ve gone five days without one.”

“It makes me tougher,” Raegith replied, slipping his shorts off.  “I can feel my skin hardening and my pain tolerance widening.”

“Raegith, five times I have had you remove your shorts to be washed and each time you are in a similar state of… excitement,” Onyx said. 

“Well, you see, I normally have a lot more time to myself than this, so I haven’t had a chance to… uh…” he tried to explain.

“I can create something that will cure you of this without affecting your will, I promise it won’t.  We can’t let you go on like this.” Onyx continued.

“I’d rather we find some other way of remedying this,” Raegith said, turning around to face her.
  She immediately backed away.

“What…” she stammered.  “My prince, what exactly are you getting at?”

“You can’t possibly be that oblivious, Onyx,” Raegith said.  “My hard-on has nothing to do with some bodily malfunction.  It comes from hearing your voice, the smell of you in my nose and the touch of your hands.  It comes from the need that I have for you, Onyx, surely you’ve figured out that much.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Onyx said.  “You’re young and your body is changing and…”

“I’m sixteen years old, Onyx, not twelve,” Raegith said, edging closer to her.  “I’m only young to those who live twice as long as I.  When I was thirteen I stole a kiss from a Twileen girl bringing me food and that was the last time I have even seen a female, much less been in the presence of one.

“Then you come to me, fix my wounds, wash my body and open up to me about your amazing life
and you think I could keep things professional between us?  It’s you I burn for, Onyx, and no matter how much water you pour on me, I won’t be extinguished until I have you.”

“We are not doing this,” Onyx said, approaching him and grasping his shoulders.  “
We are on a mission together and once that mission is completed, I will return…”

“No, you won’t
,” Raegith replied, reaching up to touch her face. “You will not return to your kingdom to waste away your talents and your life.  I will always have need of you, Onyx, and I would place you above all that would treat you as an outcast.  Promises have been made to me.  I will not go back into imprisonment after this and neither should you.  If your people will not allow you to join me, then I will steal you from them.”

“You
do not know the Council and the power they have!” Onyx exclaimed. 

“I
don’t care about them.  I will find some way.”

“This is too much, Raegith,” Onyx said, pulling away.  “We have wasted too much time.  Turn so that I may wash you.”

“Think about it, Onyx,” Raegith said, turning and letting her
summon the water to rinse his grittiness away.  “I would make it so that you are never again held back from using your skills, in a place that appreciates your magic and your unfaltering beauty.  In your eyes I see power, where others see a curse.”

“It would mean turning my back on the Faeir,” Onyx said. 
“Turning away from my culture and my entire race.”

“Only those who would treat
you as a lesser being, Onyx,” Raegith said.  “If hatred is so deeply ingrained in Faeir society that none could ever see past your eyes, then they do not deserve to have you among them.”

“I am finished, my prince,” Onyx said, taking up her bucket and pack and leaving fresh clothes for him.  She paused before leaving and turned back to him.  “You treat me with more honor than I deserve, my prince, and I know your heart is in the right place, but this idea is too much.  I am putting it from my mind, as should you.”

Chapter 5

The next day, Raegith pushed his training well past the normal time, cutting late into the evening.  Even after Hemmil called a halt to him, Raegith refused to leave the area.  Hemmil, trying to cut things short, ordered Zakk to step up the spar.  Having a renewed respect for Raegith’s abilities, Zakk was not so easily defeated.  In fact, the boy had trained even more intensely since his defeat, if such a thing was even possible.  The fight wore on longer than either expected, as both unleashed their fury on each other.  In the end, Zakk was too encumbered by his armor for such prolonged unarmed combat and he could not match the natural agility of Raegith.  After an extensive battle, Raegith outmaneuvered Zakk and pulled the soldier to the ground with a forearm around the boy’s neck and clinched until the solder signaled defeat.

Despite the intensity of their battles, Raegith could not help but feel a growing respect for his rival.  He had never seen such a determination to excel
.  He could not be sure if the feeling was mutual, however, as Zakk was practiced at keeping his emotions in check before his mentor and his discipline would not allow him to speak of such things to Raegith.  In nearly two months Zakk had only said a few sentences to him and usually only did so when Raegith managed to trick him into it.

“The day has come, sir!” Raegith said, shaking off the pain from his fight with Zakk.  He squared his stance, lifted his back heel and motioned Hemmil to attack him.
  “I’ve been waiting a long time for this and when we’re done, I’m moving on to weapons.”

“We’ll see about that, lad,” Hemmil growled.

Just as Hemmil reached Raegith, the young man reached out and jabbed the older Saban in the eye.  As soon as Hemmil reached up to his face, Raegith pummeled his midsection with a flurry of blows and then raised up with an uppercut.  Hemmil was much less affected by the attack than Raegith anticipated and caught his arm before his fist hit.  Hemmil yanked the boy in close and slammed the top of his head right into his sternum, taking the wind from him.  As Raegith staggered, Hemmil slammed him with three heavy punches to the body and a shove that sent him tumbling.

“
You’ll not catch a veteran with moves like that,” Hemmil said, rubbing his eye with the back of his hand.  “Are you finished?”

“Not yet,
Paladin,” Raegith said, getting to his feet.

Raegith approached and threw a jab at Hemmil.  The big man went to block it, but Raegith threw it short and followed it up with a blow to the gut.  The punch didn’t land hard and Hemmil almost laughed as he shrugged it off and threw his own haymaker.  Raegith was counting on the heavy follow-up and ducked under it with ease,
raised his leg up and kicked out hard into the man’s side.  Moving quick to stay behind his enemy, Raegith darted to his outside again and hammered him in the ear with his open hand.  Hemmil roared and swung about, nearly taking Raegith’s head off, but Raegith instead spun to the opposite direction and wound up to his rear again.  This time Raegith slipped an arm around the man’s neck and went to clinch it tight with the other arm.  Hemmil was not fooled and shot his arm up to get in between the choke hold and Raegith could not get a good lock with the man’s thick arm in the way.  When Raegith tried to release, Hemmil collapsed to the ground and rolled, taking the boy with him.

As the two rolled, Hemmil threw the back of his head right into Raegith’s face.  The blow not only crushed his nose, but stunned him enough to make him release his hold.  He had enough sense to shove away from the big man, but not enough speed. 
He struggled to breathe and the blood from his nose was getting everywhere; in his eyes, mouth, even his ears.  Hemmil was on him in an instant and after three blows to the head, Raegith plunged into darkness.

He awoke to warmth on his boots and the sound of crackling embers.  Raegith could make out a fire nearby, but everything else was dark.  His head ached horribly and he could not breathe out of his nose.  When he tried to sit up, pain shot through his arm and he quickly dropped to his back, abandoning any attempt to move.

“Just lay where you’re at, boy,” Hemmil said from somewhere beside him.  “You’re in no danger out here.  Rest up.  Come dawn we’re riding south… need to catch up with the company.

“Why are we staying o
ut here tonight?” Raegith asked, memories of his fight coming back to him.

“You’re the bastard who wanted to keep me out here past sundown,” Hemmil replied.  “
None of us are up for a four hour horse ride tonight and by the time you got done taking a bath and getting spoon-fed by that pagan Faeir it would be time to start all over.”

“
Well, I won’t argue with that logic,” Raegith replied.

“
I’ll be sure and thank the Fates for that, then,” Hemmil grumbled.

“
Did you just make a joke?” Raegith asked.  “Aww, Hemmil, I’m truly impressed.”

“
Don’t get accustomed to it,” Hemmil said.  “Humor is not a Paladin’s strong point.  We leave that bullshit to the bards and barbarians.  Zakk follows the code of the Paladin and it will keep him alive on the battlefield much sooner than a quick wit and funny words.”

“Yeah, but that kind of wrath won’t keep his bed warm at night, I bet,” Raegith replied, looking over at the sleeping form of Zakk across from the fire.  “Don’t we all need some purpose beyond war and death?”

“I suppose,” Hemmil said, his voice growing to almost a whisper. “It was my hope that he might have been given… more options.”

Raegith turned his gaze back to Hemmil, confused by the statement, but the man was staring off to some memory beyond the fire.  There was a sorrow on the hardened man’s bruised face that seemed so foreign to him, as if he were looking at a different person.  Zakk was something more than just a squire to the Paladin.  Raegith wondered at the relationship between the two, but did not move to speak the questions that came to mind.  Everyone deserves their own time for reflection without interruption.  Raegith had been given a decade of it, sitting alone in a tower with nothing but his thoughts and fantasies, but it seemed as if Hemmil had not been given enough.  Or maybe, it was only that Hemmil had so much more to reflect upon than Raegith did.

Raegith
, Zakk and Hemmil rode into camp as it was packing up the next morning.  They looked like hell in a hurricane, but neither stopped to rest before grabbing a bit of breakfast and going back out into the field for more training.  This time Raegith was given a practice sword and heavy leather armor, as Hemmil demonstrated sword techniques and Raegith repeated them.  Unlike the natural skill he had in unarmed combat, Raegith was completely inexperienced with a sword and progress was slow.  Hemmil did not drill Raegith as he had before, giving patience to both of their injuries.  As the sun dropped low, Hemmil called off training and they mounted up early.  At the camp, Hemmil was called to a meeting with the officers right away and two soldiers led Raegith and Zakk back to camp.

It was not their tent that they were led to and Zakk was not allowed to leave for Raegith’s cleaning, as he always did before.  Something was very wrong and though it
merely troubled Raegith, Zakk was openly anxious.  He would not sit down or even begin to remove his armor, though he was clearly injured and in pain.  Raegith had never seen him so upset and unnerved.  After a short while, a Faeir man in white and blue robes came into his tent with a bucket of water and medical supplies.

“Who the hell are you?” Raegith asked, reclining on
a cot.  Zakk moved away from the man in nearly a fighting stance.

“I am
Anicetus, a medical officer of fourth platoon,” the tall Faeir replied.  “I have been sent by Captain Laurent to clean your wounds and see to any injuries you have incurred.  I also have a potion that will rejuvenate you and…”

“Get out,” Raegith interrupted.  “If Onyx will no longer see me, then I will suffer these wounds on my own, tell her that.”

“Onyx?  Who is… oh my, the Stone Seer?” Anicetus asked with a hiss.  “She is a monstrosity!  Whoever attached her to your escort group was an absolute fool and our captain is getting to the bottom of this as we speak.”

“
Where is she?” Raegith asked, coming to his feet.  “What has happened to her?”

“Where is Hemmil?” Zakk asked.  He turned to Raegith, his eyes betraying his discomfort with the situation.  “Raegith, we have to
get back to our campsite.  We are not a part of this regiment and they have no right to keep us here.”

“
Check your attitude, squire,” Anicetus said.  “You may not be of our regiment, but you are of the Rellizbix Army, are you not?  As a Medical Officer, I am an officer of this nation’s army and your superior.  We, all three, have our orders here.  Rest assured, we are acting in your best interests.”

“I rest assured,” Raegith said with a smile.  “
Relax, Zakk, we’re in good hands here.  Besides, I have this blister on my knee that looks infected.  Sir, could you take a look and assuage my fears?”

“Of course,
soldier,” Anicetus replied, bringing the bucket over to him and pulling up his pant leg to look at his knee.

Raegith reached down and grabbed the man by the ridiculous hair “idol” on his head and yanked the medic’s face downward, smashing him in the face with his knee.  There was barely a grunt from the colorful man as he crumpled to the ground unconscious. 
They were such fragile things.  Pulling his shoes back on, Raegith pulled up the back corner of his tent and looked through. 

“By the Fates, Raegith, what have you done?” Zakk squealed.

“Like you said, he had no authority over us and he was getting on my nerves,” the prince replied, ducking back into the tent.  “Get to the rest of our group, Zakk.  Tell them to come find me and do it quickly.”

“Stop!
  Just stop, okay,” Zakk said, clearly unnerved.  “We’re already in a ton of trouble and if we go out and cause something to happen…”

“Dammit, Zakk, lock it up!” Raegith hissed, grabbing him by the arm and shaking him.  “Now is not the time to lose your shit, alright? 
All that practiced discipline is useless if I can’t count on it when it matters.”

“Okay,” Zakk said.  He took a deep breath and his face hardened into the emotionless mask Raegith was used to, though his eyes were still wild with fear.  “Okay, I’m good.  Now what are we doing?”

“Get to Boram and Tavin,” Raegith said.  “Walk, don’t run, but go quickly.  Tell them we’re getting out of here.”

“Where will you be?” Zakk asked. 

“Getting Onyx back.”

Raegith stole a cloak from a rack as he passed through the camp, heading towards the center.  He was looking for the second carriage; the one that was part of his group but separated from the others.  He found it easily enough. 

Pyrrhus was right at home with the other Faeir, even among the Regiment.  Raegith wondered if the cool-acting Mage even worried about being exposed among his own kind.  Raegith waited at the side of a tent for the tall mage to withdraw into his carriage before approaching.

“What in the hell are you doing here, prince?”
Pyrrhus asked.

“Where’s Onyx?” Raegith asked.  When t
he Mage waved him off, the boy crossed the carriage under the cover and yanked the man off his seat and onto the floor, gripping his windpipe with between iron fingers.  “This is my serious face, Mage.”

“
You’re angry, prince,” Pyrrhus replied, not bothering to even look frightened at the boy’s threat, but doing nothing to counter it.  “You’ll expose us all, though.  The Stone Seer is lost to us.  As her owner, I’m more upset at this than you, but we have to deal with it.  The mission comes first.”

“Bullshit.  You could do something if you wanted.”

“Faeir custom, boy,” Pyrrhus said.  “You have no idea what you’re getting into here… but I’m curious to see just how far you’re willing to take this.  What’s your plan?”

“Well…” Raegith said.  “I kind of hoped that you might have one.  I’m really surprised you haven’t burned me to a crisp, yet.”

“There are a lot of things in this carriage that don’t react well with open flames.  Let me go and I’ll guide you to the Seer, but you had better thought of something by the time we get there, because you’re on your own.”

Pyrrhus
and Raegith moved out of the back of the carriage and across the camp towards a tent.  It was not a long way and Raegith wondered if the others in the group had managed to get out of the camp, yet.  He was starting to realize that planning was not exactly a talent for him.  He had no idea what he was going to do about Hemmil.

“Two Faeir eunuchs are keeping watch over her,”
Pyrrhus said, pointing at the tent.  “If you can’t outwit them, then you should at least be able to overpower them.  They are resistant to combat magic, but like all Faeir, they’re not resistant to much else.”

“Thanks,
Pyrrhus.  About Hemmil…”

“I’ve obviously managed to put together more than you have and I’ve only been thinking on it for a few minutes.  You get my property back.  I’ll get the Paladin and our comrades out.”

Pyrrhus took off towards the officer’s tent and Raegith entered the tent where Onyx was being held.  To Raegith’s surprise, it was not a pair of frail Faeir guarding the Stone Seer, but a handful of Sabans in armor who were very surprised to see Raegith in the tent.  One slowly began to draw his sword.