Chapter 4

Year 163 – Summer – Quartus Mensis – 35th day

Velika Forest, southeast of Tree-Fall Village, northern Vale

Among the large forest of the Vale, the noise of civilisation broke the silence of nature. The rings of their mail hauberk were rattling with each step. Their blades were chopping a path through the forest. On this unpolished road, they walked, followed by their mules.

Her helmet hung on the back of her shoulder. Her silver hair was braided in a long tail and swayed from side to side as she advanced through the wood. She cut the branches with a large one-handed sword, carving a way for her companions.

Nelis –“Are you sure this was worth it? We lost close to 20 days of plundering for this . . .”

Lanaya –“Are you doubting my judgement?”

Nelis –“Yes, like always. That’s my duty!”

Jurren –“Alphael will give us money for these slaves. He will save us months of travelling and selling.”

Lanaya – “There you go!”

Nelis –“Still, I don’t like him. He’s not trustworthy!”

Alphael –“I can hear you.”

Nelis –“You’re not trustworthy! Better?”

Alphael –‘’ . . .’’

Lanaya –“Nelis, stop. We already settled it in Almuharib.”

Alphael –“No, no, let him speak his mind. I’d rather solve the problem now. Why am I not trustworthy?”

Nelis –“I don’t know you. You said you travel every year, but we’ve never heard of you before. Besides, traders aren’t trustworthy.”

Alphael –“Well, I suppose I can agree that some of us are not the most trustworthy people, but do you mind me telling you what I think?”

Lanaya –“Be careful, Nelis, he might poison your mind with words! Ahahahahah.”

The youngest recruit abruptly joined her laughter in a slightly forced manner.

Leo –“Ahahah, great one!”

Jurren –“Don’t force yourself to laugh, Leo. Lanaya’s got a bad sense of humour, and she knows it. She won’t get offended.”

Lanaya –“What did you say?”

Nelis –“He said you’re not funny, and yeah, you can speak your mind on the matter.”

Lanaya –“Aren’t you supposed to show respect to your leader?”

Jurren – “With all the respect that you deserve, you are the best leader on this earth, and I would die under your order.”

Nelis –“You forgot to add that being funny is not required to be a good leader!”

Lanaya –“This is getting nowhere. Alphael, let us hear what you have to say.”

Alphael –“Thank you, I didn’t want to stop your humble chat. So, umm . . . I was about to say that trust is nothing but a facet. We use it to describe the behaviour of others in a fast and general way. If someone tends to lie, he won’t be trustworthy, while if someone says the truth, he will be reliable. But what happens when the person lies in order to help your safety or tell you a truce that places you in danger?”

Nelis –“The context matters, obviously.”

Alphael –“But if you have no way to know if the person is lying, wouldn’t you assume he is saying the truth? If you don’t, wouldn’t it mean that everyone is lying unless they can prove otherwise? And if you talk to a stranger, it means they are automatically lying since you cannot prove that they are trustworthy because you don’t know anything about them.’’

Nelis –“Correct.”

Alphael –“But wouldn’t that stop you from interacting with others and reduce your chances of accomplishing your own goal in the same way? It is as if you would enter a cage to protect yourself from the wolves.”

Nelis –“I can trust those who have been through hell before my eyes, because when the world around you leaves you alone, only then will you show your true self and only then will you be able to develop a bond stronger than blood. Why do you think families often matter more than friends? It’s not because of the blood link or the desire; it’s because they took care of you while you had no other choice but to rely on them. It’s because they used their own sweat for your sake, asking for nothing in return. When someone creates such a bond with another, they can call each other a family, may their blood be blue or red. Two broken souls can hold each other. Sometimes, through sheer luck, a single broken soul will be carried by another, but in the world where you and I live, both of us can fully hide our true intent, and that alone makes you untrustworthy.”

Alphael –“Aren’t you being a little too careful? Even your leader seems to have faith in me.”

Nelis –“And that’s exactly why I won’t. I would rather be wrong all the way than blindly trust you during that critical moment where I shouldn’t. Until that day, may it ever come, I’ll be the dog in the herd looking for a wolf.”

Alphael –“Staying alert like that must feel like quite the burden. I pity your fate.”

Nelis – “Everyone carries a burden. Choosing which one is where the luxury hides.”

Leo –“I didn’t know you were like that, Nelis . . .”

Jurren –“I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t trust you either, Leo. He doesn’t even trust Elgan, who’s been here for two years.”

Leo –“Really?”

Lanaya –“Don’t worry too much about it. I trust you and I will put my faith in your potential. But if you want to earn my respect, you’ll have to gain his.”

Elgan –“And that may well be out of your reach.”

Nelis –“That’s not entirely true, although not far off.”

Leo –“I mean, you trust the rest of the band, right?”

Nelis –“Only those who have proven themselves worthy of it. Well, I trust them more than that trader since I know their intent.”

Alphael –“My only intent is to trade.”

Nelis –“Which doesn’t say much about how you’ll achieve it.”

Leo –“How can you not trust your own companion?”

Lanaya –“If you take ten branches and take the biggest one, you could probably break it. Breaking them together might seem much harder, but all you need is to set them aflame, and they’ll blaze into ashes. Opening your trust allows you to form bonds and gain the strength of your allies, but it also opens yourself for betrayal. Anyone who walks in the dark will need a light to find the way, but as long as you are in the light, you are showing your weakness. The more you follow the light, the more you’ll be afraid of the dark. Keeping allies in the dark keeps those in the light safe. I trust each and every single one of you, and I can do that because Nelis won’t.”

Jurren –“Leo, you’re still young, but you’re not that built up so you might want to learn from Nelis. He’s got a shitty character, but if I had to put my life on the line, he would be the one I’d trust for the task.”

Lanaya –“Maybe another time. There is something ahead.”

Nelis –“How far?”

Lanaya –“A little less than a mile, but I don’t think it’s moving. It smells like blood and sweat.”

Alphael –“You’re kidding, right? How could you smell anything a mile from here? We can barely see 40 feet away with all these trees.”

Lanaya –“Everyone draw your weapon and stay on guard. We will find out what it is.”

All 18 members of the Silver Lining drew their weapons and kept marching forward as Alphael and his personal guards watched from afar. Once they arrived, they established a perimeter around the target and advanced in a half-circle toward it. Petra, a girl from the band of the Silver Lining, arrived first to the scene.

Petra –“Hey! What the shit is that!”

Lanaya –“It’s a blood bath. It probably happened yesterday.”

Leo –“I want to throw up.”

Lanaya –“Now, this is truly a fight to the death . . . Jurren, Radomil, toss the wolves aside!”

Lanaya looked at the inert, wrecked body of the little girl drenched in blood.

Lanaya –“Incredible! That crazy bitch is still alive. Nelis, can you get her back in shape?”

Nelis –“I’ll try . . .”

Lanaya –“We are establishing camp here. We will continue in five hours. Owen, Brys! You’ve got three wolves to cook.”

Owen –“You heard that, folks? We’re eating meat today!”

Nelis grabbed his healing pouch and opened it. Inside, he saw bottles and jars of varying sizes made from clay. The items were surrounded by fattened linen to protect them from insects. Nelis then took some water and a linen rag to clean the girl’s body as the others were installing a tent above his head. He cleaned 17 partially open wounds. He took salt from a jar and applied it to each of them to stop the bleeding before unsheathing an aloe leaf and filling each wound with its gel. Nelis packed his items and took a fishing hook and a cotton thread to sew her skin together.

Nelis sought any wounds he might have missed. As he set his eyes on her face, he slowed his pace, contemplating her traits like one would stare at a dying sun hiding behind the horizon. Her slanted eyes were shaped like waxing gibbous moons flipped to the side. She had mono eyelids. Her skin was tanned with a tone of yellow, like the sand at the edge of the southern sea. She had a tattoo of a dark full moon above her heart. Nelis noticed her right arm was completely burned from the tips of her fingers to the top of her elbow. The scars seemed to have been the work of either oil or boiling water. She wore a strange amulet made of amber. Nelis dressed the girl with new clothing and brewed her herbal tea from white willow bark. He cradled the girl while feeding her sips of tea, one after the other.

Nelis then let the girl sleep in the tent, and after three hours, she woke up.

What happened? Where am I?

She heard voices from outside.

Brys –“You say that like you’re following orders, but you’ve stolen her pendant without permission, didn’t you?”

What? My . . . no . . . you prick!

Nelis –“I didn’t steal it. I’m just looking at it while she sleeps.”

Brys –“And I just want to do the same, but with her!”

Nelis –“It’s a no, and it will stay a no.”

Brys –“And if I give you a bigger portion?”

What’s that smell?

Nelis –“That’s really tempting, but no.”

Owen –“You’re not serving bigger portions. Not when I cook it.”

Brys –“Well, I prepared the ingredients, so it’s also my meal.”

Nelis –“I might regret it, but I won’t change my mind. Sorry! She’ll keep her intimacy.”

The smell of roasted meat filled the air. The tender meat of the wolves she fought the night before, yet it felt too good to be true. Had she been captured by those attacking her village? Or were they refugees of the Vale?

The girl stepped outside of her tent and witnessed the army in front of her. It was like an undisciplined military camp. Bags were scattered on the ground, and the soldiers sat next to trees. Half of them were still eating the meat of the wolves, which had been cooked over a fire.

No banners, are they mercenaries? There are so many . . .

Leo –“Hey, the girl is up!”

Vatra looked to her left and saw a kid younger than her sharpening his sword. At that moment, a man with short brown hair approached her.

Nelis –“Do you remember your name?”

Vatra –“Give it back!”

Nelis –“I’ve heard more common names!”

Vatra –“Give me my amulet and I’ll answer.”

Nelis –“Here.”

As she grabbed it, she glared at him with both fear and anger.

Vatra –“Don’t you ever dare steal from me again!”

Owen –“Careful, Nelis, I bet she bites!”

Nelis –“Shut up! So, what’s your name?”

Vatra – “Vatra . . . I’m Vatra. Where am I? What happened?”

Nelis –“I’m Nelis. We found you in a bloodbath with three wolves.”

Vatra –“How long have I slept?”

Nelis –“After I healed you, I’d say three hours, but before we found you, I have no clue.”

Vatra –“I have to go. Which way is south?”

Nelis –“Before I answer, I have a question. What is a girl like you doing in the middle of the forest fighting for her life without any supplies?”

Who the fuck are they? I mean, they healed me, but . . .

Vatra –“I don’t remember!”

Nelis –“But you remember you wanted to go south?”

Jurren –“Vatra, our leader should be back soon. She would like to speak with you before you go. The south is this way!”

Lanaya –“There’s no need for that Jurren; I’m back. Owen, give her a bowl!”

Owen –“Right away!”

Lanaya –“My name is Lanaya. I am the leader of the Silver Lining. Today, you are my guest, so relax and eat. After all, you’re the one who hunted them.”

Confused by her stature, Vatra scrunched her eyebrows while looking up with an intense curiosity. The person before her had the voice of a girl and the face of one, yet something was off. It wasn’t just her height or the purity of her skin, no. Her silver hairs were glittering under the sunlight, and her eyes were so vivid they almost appeared empty. She seemed too perfect to be human and far taller than the average girl.

Vatra –“What are you?”

Lanaya –“What do you mean?”

Nelis –“We’re mercenaries.”

Vatra –“That’s not what I meant.”

Lanaya –“I’m not that different from you. Besides, I bet your eyes are strange as well in these lands.”

Vatra –“True . . .”

Lanaya –“Anyway, I don’t want to anger you. Let’s eat.”

Vatra followed them and sat next to the fire. She examined her injuries. They had been sutured. She fumbled with the thread to see how tight it was.

Nelis –“Don’t!”

Vatra raised her head halfway to look at him and slowly let the thread go.

Nelis –“If you open it, I won’t close it off again.”

Vatra –“Why did you heal me?”

Lanaya –“I would like to recruit you.”

Vatra –“To what?”

Owen –“Here’s your meal, miss huntress.”

Vatra –“Ehh . . . Thank you . . .”

Vatra tried to process the request she just had, but her stomach was growling for mercy, so she ate without answering.

Lanaya –“When I saw your corpse in that pool of blood, I saw your soul. You’re a fighter, and those are the kind of people I need.”

Vatra listened to her, worried about making a costly mistake.

Lanaya –“One day, I’ll change this world into a better one, a world where everyone will have a fair chance, a world where our fate won’t be written at our birth. Most people make the mistake of trying to live happily in the current state of their world. Yet by accepting their fate, they simply doom their descendants to live the same hardship they didn’t solve. I am the leader of this mercenary band, and we are the Silver Lining. While we might be sellswords, our goal is just.”

If they are mercenaries, who are they working for?

Vatra –“The Silver Lining . . . Never heard of it.”

Lanaya –“Can you tell me a bit about you?”

Vatra –“Like what?”

Lanaya –“Do you have a family?”

Vatra –“They died long ago . . .”

Lanaya –“Some relatives, then?”

Vatra –“None that I know of . . .”

Lanaya –“I’m sorry to hear, but you see, everyone here had no relatives when they joined me, and now we are like a family. If you want, you could help us build this Elysium.”

Vatra –“Isn’t paradise meant for the dead?”

Lanaya –“As if any god would give you that. They don’t care about us. We’re like ants to them. If they intended to give us one, they would change this world into one. The truth is that we are the only ones who can make it happen. I won’t force you, but I know our fates are linked. I can feel it through your soul. Like a sleeping veil awaiting its awakening. If you want to step up to the fate bestowed upon you, we will welcome you.”

Vatra –“I’m sorry, but if I have the choice, I’d rather walk my own path.”

Lanaya –“We’ll give you a few days’ worth of food and a sword. If you want to join us, we’ll be heading north to join the Kalator. If you don’t, I’ll advise you to not stay in the Vale for too long.”

Vatra –“I had a dagger. Could I have it back?”

Lanaya –“Sure. If that’s your decision, I’ll respect it.”

A short moment later, Vatra was about to leave south with her dagger, her swords, and food supplies.

Vatra –“I won’t forget the help you gave me.”

Lanaya –“Until we meet again!”

Vatra –“Farewell, Lanaya.”

Lanaya –“And if I may hope, will it be as friends.”