Chapter 3

They continued to wander the land, only stopping for the nights and spending the days far away from any main roads where clashes happened. They had found no place to stay, and Aislin began to worry about how they would spend the winter. Once, they had returned to the hut she’d seen when she travelled to the girl's village, only to discover that it had been taken.

The girl was silent most of the time, but slowly, she had begun to sign shorter sentences. More often than not, though, she still mimicked what she needed. At least she had a name now: Eru. She had told Aislin one night, signing it while staring into the flames of the fire, refusing to meet her gaze. Despite the girl’s rough stance and fierce mood, Aislin enjoyed her company. She was skilled with the atlatl and more savvy than most.

This day, they travelled along the border of the Zarvān Kingdom, the sworn enemy of her nation and the ally of the Kareshi’s. The war had become even more bitter in the last weeks, and they heard clashes even as they lay down to sleep. With some luck, the dense forest would provide them with more shelter.

Eru ran up to her as she walked, signing wildly.

“Wait, slow down… I don’t understand.”

The girl glared at her, took a deep breath and then signed again, this time slower.

“You… found a hunter’s hut?”

Eru nodded, took her hand and began to pull her along.

“I’m coming, wait…”

The girl dragged her across the rough forest floor, then stopped and pointed between the trees. Aislin peered through the dense forest. The girl was right, there was a hut. Aislin glanced around, then slowly walked up to it to inspect it. It was simple, and she recognised it as a lodge used by the Kareshi’s when the hunting season came. It had stood abandoned for a while, by the looks of it, but it wasn’t as damaged as she had feared, and would give shelter for the winter.

“Good place”., Eru signed.

Aislin peered around. She was right, this could be their chance to survive the coming months. She opened the door. A rough table used for preparing the game stood against the wall, and a bed piled with blankets lay in the corner next to a fireplace that seemed intact.

“Good place”, Eru signed again.

Aislin nodded. They didn’t have much of a choice. She nodded at Eru, and the girl turned and disappeared among the trees. Aislin had stopped worrying about her getting lost or doing something foolish. She’d proved more savvy than most, despite her age.

Aislin stepped inside. It could need a clean-up, but it should be a good place for the coming months.

It took them most of the day, but when the evening came, they had something they could call home. For the first time in a long while, they slept in a bed, and Aislin huddled under the thick blanket as she lay down next to Eru. Sleep did not come easily, though, and they spent the night restlessly listening for any noise that would herald intruders. But the sun rose the next morning, and the day turned out to be uneventful. They gathered wood, and Eru hunted rabbits that they skinned.

That night, an evening that Aislin would look back on for years to come, she sat by the fire. Eru had gone to bed early, and Aislin sat staring into the flames. She wished this war would end, but she knew it wouldn’t happen any time soon. After many years of tension, the Dragon Lord of Zarvān had seen his chance to crush his centuries-old enemies, and she didn’t think he would stop until he’d conquered her land. She sighed and got up to lie down next to Eru. She stared up at the ceiling, huddling underneath the blanket and hearing Eru’s ragged breathing next to her.

She must have fallen asleep in the end because she woke up to a loud bang on the door. She jerked up, and Eru leapt off the bed and stared wildly around her. The fire was almost out, and only a faint glow lit up the room. Aislin signed for her to be silent, and then grew still, straining to hear. It was quiet, and she carefully got up and fetched the sword standing by the wall.

“Do you hear something?”, Aislin signed to Eru.

The girl shook her head and then signed,

“Big.”

The girl was right, but it couldn’t be soldiers; they would have heard them clamouring outside the cabin. Another raider? No, they would have tried to get in. There was another loud crash, and Aislin jolted in fright. The cabin fell silent again, and Aislin thought she could hear someone talking outside.

“We need to attack”, she signed at Eru.

The girl glared at the door, then signed back,

“Surprise.”

Aislin nodded. They slowly crept towards the door, Aislin straining to hear anything outside. She took hold of the handle, glanced at Eru, and then counted to three. She flung the door open and rushed out, sword in her hand, and halted. There was no one there. She peered around, and only then did she see the faint shape of a horse wandering further away. Was that it? A lost horse? She glanced around, and Eru came up to her, pulling her sleeve.

“What is it?”

The girl pointed at a dark figure lying motionless some distance away. Carefully, Aislin walked up to it. The faint moonlight glistened in their armour. A soldier. That meant there must be more of them. Eru came up and halted next to her, then saw the armour and quickly hid behind her, signing frantically,

“Kill it. Kill it.”

Aislin peered around. It was quiet, and she could see no one else, but an enemy this close was not a good sign, even if they were unconscious.

“Kill it!”

Eru pulled her sleeve, signing desperately. Aislin stared at the unconscious figure. She had never killed someone on purpose before, only once in a fight with another raider when her sword got an unlucky hit. This was different. But they couldn’t let them live, and the horse would give meat for the winter.

She slowly raised her sword and closed her eyes. It was for the best. It was war, and a soldier was an enemy, no matter what nation they belonged to. She let the sword fall.

There was a loud clunk, and the sword slid off the armour and landed silently on the damp ground. Aislin dared to open her eyes. The figure stirred, opening their eyes.

“Help me…”