The sacrifice, the crime

The cool air fills my lungs. There’s no smoke, no ash, no deafening roar of flames. I’m wrapped in an absolute silence, broken only by the drip of water somewhere nearby. I can feel a hard, cold surface beneath me — uncomfortable. The exhaustion is gone, replaced by a calm I haven’t felt in a long time.

I open my eyes to a faint white light that seems to come from crystals set in the rock. The dim glow doesn’t hurt my eyes. I sit up.

I stretch my arms… “Wait!” I hold my hands out in front of me. “They’re back,” I run my fingers along my throat where my carotid had been cut. “It’s gone too — not even a scar…” «One, two, three, thirty-three trentines.» “I can even speak; it’s like that time with the smert jesera, or… where am I?” I wonder, looking around. I’m in a room with rocky walls — it looks like a cave. The walls are smooth. The air is cool and damp.

The memory of the battle and everything that happened rushes back. «No doubt about it — I’m dead. This must be Valhalla, or maybe Tartarus, or Yomi? Ah, whatever. I just hope Nadia is okay…»

«I’m sorry to disappoint you.» A voice catches my attention. A thin man with a small goatee and long wavy hair tied back steps out from a corner. «Hi, I’m Vlahar,» he says cheerfully, waving.

«What?» I ask, staring at him, confused by his behavior.

He sticks his tongue out and grins. «Heh, no, eheh, not dead after all, no. Anyway, you’re at our base — come on, get ready, we’re going to see the others,» he urges, beckoning me along.

«W-wait, who are the others?»

«Eeh, the others are your friends,» “So Nadia’s safe, thank.” «and members of the resistance, too.»

«The resistance?» I repeat.

«My boss will explain it better. Meanwhile, if you want, we recovered the weapon and armor of the enemy you defeated,» he says, pointing to the foot of the bed. I get up and see Wilkotak’s gear piled there. «Unfortunately the helmet was ruined… Anyway, I’ll leave you a moment. If you need anything, I’m around the corner, and there are fresh clothes if you want.»

«Wait.» I call after him before he turns the corner. «Who patched my wounds?» I ask without taking my eyes off the armor.

«They told me it was the girl. Why?»

«Nothing. Thanks.» I hear his footsteps receding. I put on the clothes, and with some hesitation, Wilkotak’s armor too. «Here I go,» I say, leaving the den.

I follow the man down a long corridor until we enter a room. «Nadia! Laila!» I shout happily, handing my greatsword to Vlahar. Both of them run to me and throw their arms around me. I glance at the bandages on Nadia’s arms and the scratches on her face. “If only I’d decided sooner, she wouldn’t be like this. Still… I’m glad she’s alive,” I think, hugging her tighter.

«Eeeehh, sorry to interrupt,» the man says. We all turn to him. «We should go now.»

Without saying another word, we follow him up some stairs that open onto a vast space crowded with people, where a man with olive skin seems to be waiting for us. «At last, Søren has recovered! Hail the one who saved Slapnik!» the man cries, waving his arms. “Saved?” Everyone present starts shouting and cheering, raising their cups. «Finally, we have someone who can stand up to a loutky!» they yell again, joyful.

«Wait, what?!» I blurt, turning quickly to him.

The man puts an arm around my shoulders and keeps pumping his fist in the air. «Don’t worry — if you have questions, I’ll be happy to answer them,» he murmurs.

«Actually, I have a lot to ask.»

«All right,» he says as he guides me with his arm, «Vlahar, take our guests and celebrate with them. Me and Søren will go to my quarters for a moment.»

«Okay, sure!» Vlahar replies cheerfully. Nadia, Laila, and I exchange a look before parting again.

The moment I step into his quarters I notice Persian-style furnishings. He leans against a wooden sideboard. «Go on, what did you want to ask me?»

«First of all — is what Vlahar said true? Was it Nadia who healed me?»

«According to my men’s reports, yes. She did it right after you passed out.»

«You were watching?» I ask, suspicious.

«No — my people were just in town at the time. They joined you after your fire cremated the king’s soldiers.»

«I see…» “I don’t know if he’s telling the whole truth, but he doesn’t seem like the sort to lie.” «Who are you?»

«We are the resistance: people whose land was stolen and turned into this wasteland. Folks who, from birth, have been forced to endure the king’s abuses and the violent actions of his armies at the slightest hint of rebellion. There are cells across the country, laying low but ready to act.»

«So you’re planning to fight Goran?»

«Yes. And I believe with your help we might have a chance.»

«I’m sorry, but after meeting him we survived by a miracle. I can’t risk going up against him again.»

He steps away from the furniture and approaches me in long strides. «Wait — you survived Goran? Then we might actually have a chance to kill him once and for all!»

«Don’t you get it? I don’t want to go anywhere near that psychopath again!» I say. He takes a step back, hope dimming in his eyes. «Besides, I can’t bring myself to kill anyone.»

«That’s odd to hear after what you did,» he replies, stepping back a little more. I look at the gauntlets, then back at him, eyes wide. «Relax — you didn’t finish off the captain. My men took care of that.» “For all his annoyingness, I’m glad it wasn’t me.” «You killed the loutky.»

«So? What’s wrong with that?»

«Once, loutky were the children of the first rebels—transformed by the king and forced to kill their parents. Since then they’ve served him as puppets.»

I… lean against the wall and vomit. «Sorry,» I gasp.

He puts a hand on my back. «It’s okay. It’s your first time killing someone, isn’t it?» Even hollowed out as I am, I can’t answer him. «Don’t blame yourself — you freed him from that eternal torment.»

«I don’t care!» I snap, shrugging off his hand. «I killed a child. Don’t expect me to do it again!» I storm out of the room.

I push through the crowd in the main hall. I reach for Nadia’s hand, but as I get close, waves of nausea return and I clamp a hand over my mouth to hold back the sickness. «What’s wrong?» Laila asks.

«We’re leaving!» I say, pushing past them. They follow without arguing.

I see Vlahar and grab the greatsword from his hands without stopping. «Where are you going?» he asks, smiling with two cups in his hands.

«Let them go — they’ll come back,» the leader answers, placing a hand on Vlahar’s shoulder.

I stride out of the cavern.