Rojuun (6 page)

“No.” A thought came to her. “Hey! You cast
a spell that looked powerful. It was when those riders started
attacking, right when they killed fa . . .” Tears streamed down her
face again. The horrifying image of her father dying was one she
had shut out.

Tathan grabbed her hands. Wiping the tears
away, she squeezed her cousin’s hand and composed herself. “What
was the spell you cast?”

“It wasn’t a spell,” he replied, getting up
and walking to the window. “I found an item in a wizard’s tower one
time, called a rune ball. They are powerful, rare and expensive.”
He took a deep breath and moved back to the table. “I’ve been
saving it for a time when I would need it. I needed it last
night.”

“You found it?” she asked, frowning.

Tathan stared at her in guilty silence for a
moment. “Well . . .”

“You stole it? . . . Tathan!”

“Not . . . exactly” he said.

Arms crossed, she glared at him from across
the table.

“The wizard was already dead and he didn’t
need it anymore. So it wasn’t stealing,” he said, satisfied with
his own explanation.

“Really . . .” she said, suspicious. “And
how did the wizard die?”

The look on his face was even guiltier.
“Well . . . He sort of died from a sword through his heart . . .”
Tathan looked anywhere but at her.

“Was it your sword that went through his
heart?” she accused.

With a sigh, he confessed, “Yes. He had been
trying to have me killed for a while, so I killed him instead.”

“Why was he trying to kill you?” she
asked.

He glared at her. “You ask way too many
questions, Cousin.”

She didn’t respond other than to raise her
eyebrows.

Tathan ran a hand over his face. “Fine. He
was trying to have me killed because I stole a few things from
him.”

Her mouth opened in indignant shock as she
tried to find something to say.

“Here’s the thing Liselle, I’m not a great
person. I’m a rogue, a thief and a killer. I’m not a bad guy
though.” Tathan waited for a response other than Liselle’s
horrified stare. He finally stuttered, “I . . . I don’t know how to
explain it.”

With a stony gaze, she said, “Try.” When he
didn’t come up with anything she added, “You came here and killed
thirty warriors. You used a magical object to destroy half of them,
and then jumped around killing the rest all the while moving faster
than anyone I’ve ever seen.” She spoke thoughtfully. “You tell me
of how terrible the world is and how bad you are . . . I want to
trust you because you’re my cousin and the only family I have, but
can I? Can I trust you Tathan?”

Without pause, he answered, “Yes. No matter
what else I’ve done in my life, I will do everything in my power to
keep you safe.”

Liselle chewed on a piece of bread as they
sat in silence considering each other’s words. After a bit, she
asked, “So what do we do now, Tathan? Where do we go from
here?”

“I take it you don’t want to stay?” he
asked.

Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her
head no. He nodded in response. “I didn’t think you would, and it
wouldn’t be safe anyway. Those were scouts and one got away. More
will come in a few days.”

Alarm filled her. “More? . . . Who are they?
Why did they attack our house? I don’t understand Tathan!” The last
came out as a plaintive shout.

“I know, I know. Peace, Cousin. I’ll
explain.” Tathan took her hand back to squeeze it. When she was
calm again, he continued, “They’re from the Empire of Iynath.
Emperor Kravka has a goal of conquering the world.

“I heard of Iynath the last time we were in
Rothton. It was years ago. The townsfolk were talking about the
Empire taking over the world. I didn’t think the talk was serious.”
Trepidation crossed her features. “Rothton . . .” Liselle trailed
off.

Tathan finished the sentence for her. “. . .
Has most likely been conquered. Their warriors don’t normally kill
everyone like they tried here. The emperor wants people to continue
to work in order to provide for his armies. I understand he’s
brilliant. He’s also violent and terrible, but brilliant
nonetheless.”

“So do we go to Rothton or somewhere else?
You said you came from the west, right?” she asked.

Tathan picked apart a piece of bread. “We
don’t want to go to Rothton or beyond. They’re running war in that
direction and we would not fare well. Plus the scout will have made
a report and they’ll be looking for us.”

“Alright, not Rothton, but did you come from
the west or not?” she asked again.

“I
did
come from the west, but it
wouldn’t be wise to go that way. There are . . . people who don’t
like me,” he said. “It’s not pleasant in that direction either, for
reasons I won’t get into.”

“So we can’t go to Rothton or to the west.
There isn’t any other way to leave the valley unless we want to
climb over mountain ranges, which I do
not
want to do.”

“We could take the road to the north.”
Tathan tossed one of the pieces of bread into his mouth.

Liselle frowned. “There’s no road to the
north.”

He gave a sly smile. “Well . . . It’s hard
to find. The road is ancient from what little I know. It goes
through the mountains to the Willden Forest. I think that’s the
only way we can go if you don’t want to hike over mountain
ranges.”

Her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward in
her chair. “The Willden Forest is haunted and has countless other
dangers. We stand a better chance of living if we go through
Rothton or to the west.” Liselle sank into her chair, hugging
herself. “I’m scared, Tathan. I wanted to explore the world, but it
sounds like every path ends in death, not adventure.”

He tried to comfort her. “It’s true that
death will be looking for us and it
will
be difficult to
avoid in spite of our best efforts.”

Liselle stared at him. “That makes me feel
worse, Cousin.”

Tathan squeezed her hand again. “It’s best
you be prepared for death, that way when you don’t die, it’ll be a
nice surprise.”

“Oh . . . wow . . . yeah. Don’t ever take up
a job inspiring troops or anyone else, Tathan. You’re terrible at
it,” she said, rolling her eyes. “So we’re going to die no matter
what we do, is that what you’re saying?”

“No . . . Not like that.” He struggled with
how to make his point. “If you’re afraid of death, it paralyzes
you, seeking you out,” he explained. “Know it’s possible, do your
best to live, and you stand a chance,” he finished.

Liselle stood. “You have a very dark mind,
Cousin. I will expect to survive and leave it at that.” She grabbed
some meat and cheese, stuffed them in between two slices of the
bread, and then walked outside, ignoring the bloodstains still on
the wall of the main room.

Tathan followed. “I’ve packed some clothes
for myself and food for us both. I kept four of the horses,” he
said, pointing at them, “figuring we can ride two and use two for
packhorses, though the warriors would kill us for using their
warhorses in such a manner.”

“Wouldn’t the warriors kill us anyway?” she
asked.

“Exactly my point,” he grinned. “I didn’t
pack anything of yours, but I’d suggest traveling light and ready
for rough terrain.”

“We’re really going to do this aren’t we,
Tathan?” She looked at him, steeling herself for the hard road
ahead.

“Yes, Cousin. We really are,” he said giving
her a hug for strength.

Chapter
6

The next morning, they stood looking down at
the gravestones of their parents and Laremy. A chill breeze brushed
the air and the sky was cloudy, a perfect day for standing in front
of graves. Tathan knelt to place a wooden figurine upon the grave
of his sister Mariah. It was something he had carved in his
travels.

The graveyard had all of their ancestors in
it dating back at least twenty generations, probably more. Tathan
had traveled a fair amount of the world and had never seen a single
family with such a graveyard. Nor had he seen one with such
powerful enchantments on it. It was consecrated against evil,
animals left it alone and it grew larger to accommodate new family
members.

“Were the holes already dug when you brought
them here, Tathan?” Liselle asked.

The question surprised him. “How did you
know?”

Liselle pointed at the grave of Tathan’s
father. “When your father died, and later your sister, the holes
were already here. Uncle Laremy remarked at how extraordinary it
was. Headstones came up after they were buried too.”

“Yeah . . . That too.” He shook his head in
amazement. “I drew my sword thinking it was zombies the first
time.” He chuckled at his foolishness. “This place, the house, this
graveyard, all of it is magical. I’m sad to leave it.”

“As am I, but I feel a need to leave now.
Everything is packed and I want to be done with it. I don’t want to
be sad here anymore.” She looked at him, eager to get away.

“You want to be sad somewhere else then?” he
asked jokingly. Tathan felt terrible when the tears welled up in
her eyes. She was going to be miserable for a while no matter where
they were, but she was trying to be brave and get on with life.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Yes, let’s go now. The horses are
ready.” He led her to them.

Earlier that morning they had released the
livestock and chickens kept in the barn. Tathan would have locked
the doors to the house had there been any, but there was no need
for such things where thievery did not exist.

Liselle had never ridden a horse. Tathan
showed her how to mount and give it basic commands with the reins
and knees. The horse glared at him, but was too well trained to
cause problems. They rode two and led the others, which carried
supplies. They would forage and hunt to supplement their
provisions.

The flowers drooped in sorrow as they
watched Liselle ride away. She turned back to them and waved as
more tears ran down her cheeks. She would miss them the most.

The cousins followed the brook north until
it turned off to the eastern mountains. There had been very little
speech between the two as they grew accustomed to the horses. It
was healing to travel in silence.

At midday, they stopped for lunch. After
eating, Tathan looked at Liselle’s garb. She was well prepared for
the road with woolen leggings and a green tunic she had made. They
were sturdier than most clothing found in shops throughout the
countries he had traveled. There was also a wool lined, hooded
leather jacket, which would keep her warm and protect her from rain
and snow. Though it was overcast, the weather was warm enough that
she kept the jacket off. A bow made by her uncle was tied to the
saddle along with a quiver of arrows.

Liselle undid the ponytail in her dark,
curly hair and sat down on a fallen log to braid it. She took the
flower pin out of her hair. Tathan hadn’t realized that it had long
green strands with leaves. As Liselle re-braided, she wove the
strands back into her hair, making them disappear again. The purple
petals of the flower usually sat above her left ear, though he
remembered it being in different places on occasion.

Tathan was worried for her. Much of the
world was dangerous for young women, especially attractive ones
like his cousin. Liselle was taller than most women were and had a
pretty face, which would be noticed by men. Long lashes highlighted
pearl grey eyes that originally seemed ready to challenge the
world, but had been filled with a sad tentativeness since leaving
home. As Tathan moved to check the horses, he decided that anyone
who took an evil interest in her would die quickly. Tathan would
not risk his cousin’s safety.

***

As she sat braiding her hair, Liselle
studied Tathan’s garb, not realizing he had just done the same with
her. It was dark and foreign to her eyes. The leather jacket he
wore was pure black with runes down the front opening. It had no
other markings or even seams. It was the jacket he had worn when
fighting off the riders, yet there wasn’t a drop of blood on it or
even a stain.

The leggings were dark brown, made of a
material she didn’t recognize. Thin bands at the ankles kept them
tightly wrapped. The tunic was black with brown leather sewn
throughout in a way that was alien to her eyes. His black leather
shoes fit his feet tightly. In fact, all of his clothing was tight.
She realized he made no noise whenever he moved.

Other than that, he was tall with short,
black, curly hair. His face was handsome, she supposed, or could be
if he would smile occasionally. She wondered what had caused him to
be so dark and jumpy.

“Tathan,” she called to him. “The way you
fought was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Where did you learn
that?”

“That’s a long story, Cousin.”

“I’d like to hear it. You can tell me as we
ride.” She finished the braid and moved toward her horse.

***

He helped her onto hers and then got on his
own. “Alright, I’ll tell you as much as I can.” Once they were
moving, he began. “After leaving home, I traveled west along a
small trail down the mountains. While walking, I would swing a
stick thinking I was some great hero.” Tathan grinned wryly. “I
didn’t know anything of the world or how rough it was. In the first
big town I came to, a group of thugs ambushed me and left me for
dead in an alley. My mighty stick was useless in a fight. It lay
broken next to me.”

“That’s terrible!” Liselle exclaimed in
astonishment. “Well, obviously you didn’t die. What happened
then?”

“I was found by monks who took me to their
monastery and healed me,” he said. “I stayed with them for a year.
They taught me basic self-defense and meditation, which I
discovered to be a very useful tool.”