Book Two - Chapter Thirteen

“I am going after them,” Lusya said. It was true that it was risky, but so was doing nothing. They could take Ariya anywhere, and there was no guarantee they would not harm her. “As long as I keep my distance, I should be able to find an opportunity to strike.”

“Wait!” Ander called before she had taken a single step.

Lusya whirled on him, head tilted slightly, a hint of a scowl furrowing her brow. “What is it? We are in this situation because of your insistence on playing at heroism.”

She knew that wasn’t entirely true. They had wandered into this confrontation. Ander and Ariya had both forced her to commit to it, and Ariya would have done so whether he had been there or not. For that matter, Lusya would likely have chosen to get involved without their input. It was unlike her to be so swayed by emotion, but all her effort the last few months would be for naught if she could not retrieve Ariya.

“I’m sorry,” Ander said, holding up a hand in a placating gesture. The other still clutched at his wound. “But you rushing off isn’t going to help. You’re not thinking clearly. Plus, even if you won, you’re tired from the fight. If you go now, you might just make things worse.”

“Was it not you who wanted to do the right thing regardless of the consequences?”

“I said when it wasn’t the best thing, not when it was bad,” he said. “I don’t think getting Ariya killed is the right thing.”

He was right, of course. She needed to stop and plan her response. Rushing into it was as likely to end in disaster as it was to work. There was the distinct possibility that Ariya would not be usable after this regardless. Even so, Lusya had to try to retrieve her. But not right now.

“Very well,” Lusya said. “Stay here. I will retrieve medical supplies from the carriage.”

He gave a pained smile and nodded. “Right. Thanks.”

Luckily, the carriage and its supplies were largely untouched. Lusya’s back had been moved aside to reveal Ariya, but its contents were all present. None of Ander’s supplies seemed to have been taken either, even though many would have fetched a decent price. Lusya surmised that the lookout had seen signs of the fight and hurried to take Ariya hostage.

Lusya retrieved bandages and poultices known to stave off infection and dull pain and returned to the square.

“You will need to remove your shirt,” she said as she knelt beside Ander.

He chuckled. “Right. Payback time.”

He took off his cloak and shirt without complaint. She assumed he was referring to the fact that he had seen her undressed before. There was no need for “payback,” but she saw little need to correct him. Although, this would not have sufficed if there was. A man’s upper body was not considered nude in the same way as a woman’s, though she was aware many would find his alluring. His clothes hid it well, but he was quite muscular, in the lean way of many trained warriors, motomancers in particular, whose abilities made building muscle less important. He was a bit bulkier than most high-rank demons, who had powerful motomancy from birth and inherent strength that defied their builds besides. Even a human motomancer had more need to build muscle. Putting that aside, she began dressing his wound, and he winced as the bandages touched the cut.

“You got over that pretty quickly,” he said. “Most people would still be fuming. Shadows, I probably would be, if our places were swapped.”

“My emotions are not strong or long-lasting,” she replied. “It is unusual for me to become so upset at all. Solving the problem will be more effective than raging about it.”

“I’d picked up that you were stoic, but damn.”

She finished bandaging his wound and stepped away. “It is done. I suggest you avoid sudden or extreme movement for the time being.”

Ander nodded. “Got it.” He pointed toward the statue. “Him too.”

The man from before—the mayor, according to Gisala—was still lying face down on the ground there, still alive. But he was weakening. The rising and falling of his body with each breath was almost imperceptible now. Lusya cared little for his fate, but she nodded and moved to treat him as well.

She tapped his shoulder and tried to prompt him to move or speak, to give some sign of consciousness. He was unresponsive, forcing her to tear off his clothes and do everything herself. It was difficult to tell if he was comatose, in shock, or otherwise conscious. His face was buried in the dirt, and she couldn’t turn him over due to the gash on his back. She would have to treat that first, though it was far from his only injury.

The wounds were more severe than Ander’s. The main wound she had noticed was long and deep, more so than Ander’s cut. He had a variety of other bruises, cuts, and stab wounds dotting his back as well. Some were little more than flesh wounds, others would have been alarming alone. Taking it all together, the man’s life was in danger, but it was possible that he would survive. Although, that wasn’t likely with the treatment Lusya could provide.

Lusya dressed the wounds on his back before turning him over. He was awake, but his eyes were glassy, and he remained still and silent, though he did look at her. That, at least, was a good sign. The only serious wounds on his front were the other sides of a few stabs she had seen on the back. She treated those as well and stood. By then, other villagers had started to filter into the square. Many were injured, and even those who were not walked with slow, hesitant gaits.

“A-are they gone?” one woman asked.

Ander nodded. “If you’re asking about the bandits, they ran away.”

The woman breathed a sigh of relief and fell to her knees. “Oh, thank goodness. Thank you both so much.”

“You don’t need to thank us,” he said. “It was the natural thing to do.”

Other villagers let out similar exclamations, and a dull roar filled the area as they talked among themselves. Several charged over to Lusya and Ander to offer handshakes and embraces. It was more physical contact than she was used to from strangers, and some were a bit too forceful for her tastes, but it was tolerable, and she did not want to cause a stir—or draw Ander’s ire—by being rough with the injured and traumatized to break away.

“Is there anything we can do to repay you?” one man asked, as he gave Lusya’s hand a vigorous shake.

“Doubtful,” she replied.

“What she means is that you’ve lost enough,” Ander said. “You don’t need to do anything for us. Just focus on recovering. All of you.”

That was an accurate enough interpretation of her response, though he had added some nuance she had not intended.

The man frowned. “Well, if you’re sure.”

“In fact, I don’t think we’re done helping you,” Ander said. “Do you have anyone who knows healing here?”

The man nodded. “Yeah, a couple of us.”

“Well, we’ll leave the serious injuries to them,” Ander replied. “In the meantime, we can dress anything minor.”

“I have little interest in that,” Lusya said.

He smiled. “It’ll be a good way to get your mind off things for a little while. You’ll be able to take a fresh look at the problem afterward.”

She supposed that was a valid way of approaching things.

“Very well,” she said. “I will help.”

“Besides, do you have anything else to—.” He stopped, frowning. “Wait, you’re agreeing with me?”

She nodded. “Does that upset you?”

“Well, no,” he said, scratching his head. “But now I feel like an idiot for thinking of ten more arguments to use on you.”

“I am still not convinced you are not an idiot,” she said. “Let us begin.”

They set about tending to the injuries of the townspeople. The ones Lusya and Ander handled were indeed minor. Some scarcely warranted treatment at all, little more than scratches. Still, the task distracted Lusya. She did not stop thinking of Ariya, but her focus was divided, at least.

True to that man’s word, a pair of villagers eventually arrived and looked at those more seriously injured, including the supposed mayor. Apparently, his actual title was baron, but this town was the only thing of note in his domain, having been granted to him after some favor to a higher noble. The healers systematically removed Lusya’s bandaging and stitched up his wounds before reapplying fresh bandages. According to them, the bandages had likely helped with staving off infection and blood loss, so it had not been entirely wasted effort.

By the time Lusya and Ander were finished, the sun had started to descend, but there was still plenty of daylight left. A benefit of late spring. Plenty of time left to travel. Their healing had taken them all over the town, and by the end they were back near the carriage. Once she had finished, Lusya moved to it to consider her options. The woman bandit Ander had spared had had her throat slit at some point, so there was no getting any information out of her. Ander started to follow Lusya, but one of the healers, a frail-looking old man, grabbed him by the arm.

“Oh no you don’t, young man,” the old healer said. “I see that injury. It’s already practically soaked through the dressing.”

Ander chuckled. “I guess you would notice.” It would have been hard not to. He had not put his ruined shirt back on yet. “But I’ll be fine, it’s not that bad. You just focus on the other—”

The old healer gave Ander a quick smack on the back of his head, which seemed counterintuitive behavior for a healer.

“Don’t play tough with me, son,” the old healer said. “I won’t have one of our saviors bleeding out because he’s so brave and selfless. Come with me, right now.”

He dragged Ander away, toward where the other healer, a young woman who might have been the old one’s apprentice, was treating other villagers. There was no doubt Ander could have broken away at any time, but, despite continued protests, he made no earnest attempts to do so.

“Hey, Lusya, tell him I’m fine!” Ander called.

Lusya chose to ignore him. He probably would have been fine with just the bandages, but his wound was bad enough to benefit from a more proper examination and treatment. Right now, she had to focus on what she was going to do next.

Going after the bandits may or may not have worked, depending on how far and how quickly they had fled. She had last sensed them moving north. That seemed to be a pattern with them. She wondered if they had some destination in the north, or if they were simply combing the land. Not that knowing the answer alone would help her much. Knowing they were going somewhere but not where was useless, and knowing they were combing the land but not their system or where they had started equally so. Either way, without more information, all she could do was chase after them.

However, that came with its own risks. She had some training in stealth, but it was far from her area of expertise. If they spotted her, they may well have followed through on their threat and killed Ariya. On the other hand, not pursuing them would give them more time to get away, possibly to move in some unexpected way. She was no tracker either. Their wagons would restrict them somewhat, but there were still myriad ways for them to go. She would have to figure out some way of locating them.

“That is the scariest doctor I’ve ever met,” Ander said as he approached, interrupting her contemplation. “He threatened to castrate me if I didn’t sit still. Can you believe that?”

She cocked her head and blinked. “I see no reason not to.”

He chuckled and leaned against the wagon. There were fresh bandages on him now, not a spot of red to be seen. The healer had likely stitched his injury. “Seriously, though, you’re way stronger than I thought. I’m really glad I never pissed you off.”

“Your strength is also remarkable for one so early in his training,” she said.

Ander smiled. “I appreciate you saying that, even if it really doesn’t feel like it right now.”

“Losing to a former captain does not make you weak,” she said. “It simply means she was stronger.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. I still wouldn’t say I’m anything special, though.” He paused, frowning. “How do you have two Sacred Blades, by the way? I was shocked just to find out you had one. I thought more than that was impossible.”

“I will not answer that question,” she replied.

“I guess I can see why you’d want to keep something like that to yourself,” he said. “What were their names again? Lu-something, and…?”

“Lunera is the white one,” she said. “I will not share the other.”

He groaned. “Oh, come on. Blade names are unique, so it’s not like it would mean anything to me. I just like hearing them. They’re all cool and mysterious, and they just get you wondering if they mean something, you know?”

“I do know,” she replied.

He blinked. “Not the answer I was expecting, actually.”

“Their enigmatic nature sparks curiosity,” she said. “They seem meaningful, or at least linguistic in nature. They do not feel like random gibberish, yet there is no record of any language into which they might fit. They are fascinating.”

Ander’s face lit up in a renewed smile. “Right? Finally, someone who gets it. At most, everyone else I talk to about this is all like, ‘yeah, that is weird,’ and most just go, ‘they’re random, you’re overthinking it.’ I don’t think I’m going to be the one to crack the code or anything, but it’s still cool to think about.”

“Indeed.”

She had never attempted to have a true discussion on the matter, but when it had come up, she had gotten the impression that most were rather dismissive of it. It was true that it was likely unimportant. Barring the slim possibility that understanding a Blade’s name—if there even was anything to be understood, as the appearance of language did not necessarily mean they were meaningful—bestowed some kind of power, there was little practical reason to care, but it was an interesting matter.

Ander looked at her expectantly, grinning from ear-to-ear.

“I am still not telling you the black sword’s name,” she said.

“You’ve got a lot of secrets, you know that?” he said, before sighing. “So, what’s the plan?”

“I will return to Larsev,” she said.

Ander raised an eyebrow. “What for?”

“It is likely the scouts they sent out have moved faster than us,” she replied. “I intend to inquire into their findings, if any. They may help me locate the bandits.”

She had decided that would be her best option. Any information on the bandits’ travels or behavior could give her a more intelligent way to approach them, and the Larsev guard was the best potential source she knew of.

He nodded. “Good plan, I didn’t think of that. Then?”

“I will eliminate the bandits and retrieve Ariya,” she said. “The specifics will wait until we know more.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” he said. “I’ll have your back.”

She nodded. “That is appreciated.”

It did not seem in his nature to leave now, but he could have. There was nothing obligating him to assist her.

“Don’t mention it,” he said with a smile. “To Larsev we go.”