Hunting Party
Under the apple tree in front of the house Vero and Virgil crossed swords, which were really carved tree branches, again and again. The battle pushed one way, and then the other. A strike blocked, followed by a counterstrike, and then the same again in turn.
Veronique was named for her maternal grandmother, who had died while Mama was pregnant. She had been born in the large wooden house Father had built for Mama before they were married, and where the whole family lived together. Besides herself, Mama, Father, and Virgil, there were also her older sister Yvette, and her baby brother Antoine.
Virgil was her twin brother, so Vero supposed that of all the people she knew, they had known each other the longest. They had been inseparable even before they were born and, besides Mama, Vero liked him the most of anyone in the family. Not that she let that fact deter her during their duels. Sometimes he called himself her older brother, which frustrated her quite a lot, because they were twins. And while he had been born first, it wasn’t by more than a few minutes, which Vero didn’t think ought to count against her.
He attacked her with a thrust which she could easily parry with a horizontal sweep. She spied a weakness in his position and prepared to follow up with a lunge forward and a powerful overhand swing. She realized too late that it was all just a feint. He sidestepped her strike and swatted the branch out of her grip with a stinging wrap on the back of the hand.
“Ow!” Vero clutched her hand to her chest. Her eyes began to water from the pain, but she blinked rapidly to disperse it. She was much too proud to let her brother see that he’d made her cry. “You rat! That was too hard!”
“Father hits me twice as hard when we train. Suppose you were in a real fight? You might be dead now.”
Vero wasn’t really listening; she was more concerned with the thin trail of blood along her hand. “You cheated! I hate you!” She kicked him as hard as she could in the shin and in seconds, they were both sprawled wrestling on the ground.
Vero was too mad for a reasoned defense, and Virgil was easily the stronger of the two of them. It wasn’t long before he had captured both her hands and pinned her down by sitting on her chest.
“Yield!”
“No! Let me go!”
“Say you’ll quit, and I’ll let you up.”
Vero refused to cease her struggling, ineffective as it was. “I won’t! Get off of me!”
“Oh, very well.” Virgil allowed her to get up.
Vero had already begun to cry in earnest, so as soon as she regained her feet, she turned her back and ran into the house. Mama was spinning wool, but came to check on her once she saw the state Vero was in.
The person Vero loved the most in the world was Mama. She loved all her family to a greater or lesser extent of course, but Mama was special. She was, Vero felt, the most kind, beautiful, and wise woman on the planet. She had long brown hair and wonderful green eyes which Vero and Virgil had both inherited. Vero couldn’t see her own eyes of course, but if they looked like Mama’s, and people often said they did, they must be very pretty indeed. Vero felt fairly certain that, of all her siblings, she was Mama’s favorite, but she didn’t like to point it out.
“What’s wrong, dear one?”
“Virgil… and we were practicing… and then… too hard, and… defended myself…” Vero explained through wheezing sobs, while presenting her hand to Mama as evidence, before coming to her conclusion. “And I won! But it still hurts Mama!”
Mama kissed her hand and began to prepare a cold poultice. “Now Veronique, if you don’t want to get hurt, then why do you start fights with your brother?”
Vero didn’t answer. She had only told Mama the story for sympathy, and maybe so that Mama would punish Virgil. She wasn’t really interested in hearing a lecture about changing her own behavior.
“Why don’t you play a nice game with your sister instead?”
“Yvette doesn’t like playing games. She just likes to talk about nothing and complain that she isn’t married yet. Maybe if she was more interesting, she wouldn’t have so much trouble finding a husband.”
Mama took the poultice and pressed it against Vero’s hand. “Well, there are lots of other girls in the village you could play with instead. I’ve told you before that you wouldn’t get hurt so often if you stopped roughhousing with your brother and his friends.”
This was not going at all the way Vero had wanted, so she decided to refocus Mama’s attention. She let her eyes water up again. “My hand still hurts, Mama.”
Mama relented and hugged her tightly, which was all Vero had really wanted all along. “Very well than, dear one. Would you like to say a prayer for healing together?”
Vero nodded, and Mama must have felt the motion against her chest. She led them to the moon shrine the women in the house used for prayers. Mama and Vero clasped their hands together. Mama recited the words in Liturgical and Vero repeated them, although she had no idea what they meant.
“Feel any better?”
Vero did feel better, at least a little. “Mm-hmm.”
“Why don’t you help me with my spinning and we can tell each other a story.”
Vero loved playing storytelling games and agreed very quickly. She held the distaff and Mama began to go back to work with the spindle.
“Once upon a time,” Mama began.
And very far away…
…There was a kingdom, ruled by a very good king,
And the people there were very prosperous and happy.
But one day a fearsome dragon,
Which roosted under the nearby mountain, took notice of the kingdom.
All the treasures of men eventually fall into the hoards the dragons,
But the dragon was impatient and did not want to wait.
She felt terrible envy when she saw the people so happy;
The dragon believed they must have an astonishing treasure to have such joy.
She set out from her mountain for the castle town;
She approached the town at night with great stealth.
“But the dragon was spotted!” Vero interjected.
A girl had climbed up to the tallest tower in the whole castle.
She saw the dragon and warned all the soldiers.
She shouted down to them.
‘Hey you lazy louts! Don’t you know there’s a dragon coming?’
And then they all had to jump into their rusty armor right quick,
Because they had all been eating, and drinking, and making jolly,
Instead of training and keeping the peace as they really ought to have been.
The militia all rode out with their lances, and their swords, and their axes.
The dragon swooped down on them, and plucked them up in its great claws.
It flew way up in the air, and flung them way away over the hills.
Then it smashed back down, and crumpled up the men like dry fallen leaves.
It grabbed them in its mouth, and crunched them up in its jaws.
The cavalry tilted at it, but their lances all broke against its hard scales.
The dragon roared, and all the horses took fright and threw their riders.
The dragon took a great breath,
And then blew fire over all of them, and burnt them to a crisp.
So then more troops came out, with crossbows and trebuchets.
And also, the king’s war wizards came out with them too.
There were catapults loaded with massive great stones,
And the wizards set them alight with magic fire.
They fired the flaming boulders, but the dragon dodged them.
Then it smashed all the big war machines into splinters.
Crossbow bolts pelted the dragon from all sides.
None of them hurt the monster at all though.
The war wizards called down lightning on the dragon.
And that did hurt it, so the dragon got very mad.
It beat its wings so fast that it knocked all the wizards off the city wall. Splat!
Vero couldn’t really think of anything else that should happen, so she stopped and Mama took over once again.
The dragon perched on the castle wall and roared to the king,
‘See the destruction I have wrought.’
‘Now show me king of men,’
‘What is the most precious treasure you possess?’
The king brought out all his gold and silver,
But there was nothing there unlike what the dragon already owned in great abundance.
The dragon became very wrathful;
She demanded that the king tell her what he prized most in his entire kingdom.
The king replied, ‘My daughter, is more beautiful than all the wealth in my keep;’
‘She is more precious to me than all the treasures in my vaults.’
The dragon smiled at the king with great cruelty and said,
‘Then give her to me, and I promise I will leave.’
‘Otherwise, I will burn down your castle around you;’
‘I will slay your people; I will lay waste to your fields.’
‘I will reap such destruction that all men will know,”
‘And no one will ever return here.’
The king was very frightened,
But still, he could not bear to lose his beloved daughter.
However, the princess had also heard what the dragon had said,
And she could not bear to see her people come to any further harm.
The king forbade her to leave the castle,
But the princess knew many clever ways to avoid her father’s guards.
The princess loved a man in the city whom she would often visit,
But she could not marry him, because he was only a smith’s apprentice.
She went to see her love;
She told him that she intended to give herself to the dragon.
The apprentice pleaded with her not to go;
He begged her to stay hidden so the dragon could not find her.
But the princess told him to have faith in the gods,
And that all would be well in the end.
The princess went to the dragon and called out ‘Here I am!’
The dragon looked at the princess, and found her beautiful.
But, of course, dragons are eternal,
And she knew that eventually age would eventually take its toll on the princess.
However, the dragon also looked at the king and his people;
She saw them weep when they learned of the princess’ sacrifice.
Witnessing their misery satisfied her envy;
The dragon took the princess carefully in her claws, and flew away.
The king was fraught with worry;
He began to pull out his beard and lose his hair.
He put out a call for any great hero who would come to his aid;
A grand tournament was announced to determine who should face the dragon.
If the warrior should rescue his daughter, the king proclaimed;
The savior would be given the princess hand in marriage.
All the greatest knights in the realm came;
Their shining armor gleamed in the sun.
They wore their coats of arms on colorful banners trailing their lances;
All but one knight on a tired old horse, whom no one recognized.
This knight’s armor was plain, he carried no standard…
…And he never removed his helm.
“But Mama, why wouldn’t the king just send all the knights at once and kill the dragon that way?”
“Because the dragon would see a big horde of knights coming, and might gobble up the princess before they got there.”
“Ah, I see. Um… give me a moment…”
Oh! Oh! And for the tournament they put up a great big arena,
Away from all the fires and bodies from the battle,
And the knights all got onto their great big warhorses, and raced at each other;
They smashed their lances against each other’s shields, and sent themselves flying.
One knight was very masterful at tilting.
He broke lance after lance and no one could knock him down
So, a greedy knight decided to try and impale him through the back,
But the valiant knight heard the evil one behind him.
He stood up in his saddle and leapt right off his horse!
He grabbed the backstabber and pulled him off his mount!
Once they were wrestling fair in the mud,
The chivalrous knight easily pinned down the evil one.
Once everyone had seen that he’d won,
He killed the dishonorable coward by stabbing him all over with his dagger.
And then there was a great big melee,
And one of the knights had a huge axe! He swung with both hands!
One of the knights clobbered another with a great big mace,
And he also had to use both hands.
The honorable knights all met in the center, and battled with their swords;
Until the big giant with the axe came,
And they all had to wallop on him together to bring him down,
And then they all went back to slashing at each other again.
A big group of bad knights all had one good knight surrounded,
And he had to duck out of the way as they swung at him,
And then he had to beat each of them in a row;
Just like one, two, three!
The crowd were all cheering very loudly for him,
But then the one with the mace charged!
The mace knight knocked him down and started to pummel the good knight,
But then the good knight turned them over and started to thump the bad knight!
Vero paused to catch her breath and think of something else exciting to happen. She allowed Mama to take over again in the meantime.
“And in the end, after all the excitement was over…”
It was only the mystery knight who was left standing;
The king commended him and declared him the winner.
The crowd wished to behold the face of the man who would rescue the princess,
Or perish very bravely in the attempt.
However, the knight refused saying,
‘I shall remove my helm, but only when I return your princess to you.’
The king found this very strange,
But chose to respect the knight’s wishes.
The enigmatic warrior set out at once for the dragon’s lair;
The lonely peak rose up high above him.
The knight stopped and then dismounted,
Although his stallion was brave enough to stand beside him, he bade it to stay.
He knew the dragon’s lair would have tight walls and uneven floors;
It was no place for a cavalier and his charger.
A single winding road led up to a cavern mouth;
It glowed with red and orange from an inner fire, somewhere unseen.
The knight drew his sword and ventured into the cave,
But stared in wonder at the massive dragon-size of the entrance.
The brave knight saw he was only an insect to her;
Regardless, he continued forwards in search of the illumination.
The strange glinting light led him on like the will-o-wisp;
Until at last he found the source…
Gold! A whole pile of it!
Just laying across the floor!
The knight began to rush towards it at once;
Before remembering himself and his reason for being there.
He advanced cautiously, with his shield raised,
And did not weigh himself down with worldly treasures.
As he drew forwards, he saw more gold behind the first pile;
Silver, jewels, and gemstones as well.
Past that pile there was another, and then another,
And the knight realized that he beheld only the thinnest outer traces of the horde.
All he saw were but a few scraps, carelessly discarded;
A trail, leading to caverns, monstrous in size.
The dragon’s vaults stretched deep down into the earth;
Vast enough to accommodate the great halls of a hundred castles within.
Suddenly, there was a rush of air,
And a horrible sound coming up from the unseen depths.
The knight could hear the dragon bellow,
And he began to climb down the mountains of treasure.
His feet sank into a desert of precious golden sand;
He slipped and slid over drifts and dunes of coins.
Until at last, he found the dragon;
She roosted over a great forge she heated with her own fire.
The forge contained a great mass of molten gold,
And beside it was the captured princess.
The dragon knew that human beauty is only ever temporary,
And so, she intended to cast the princess in gold.
As a perfect statue, the pure form of the princess would be preserved for all eternity;
It would become the centerpiece of her collection.
The knight stepped forwards and challenged the dragon;
He raised his sword up high and swung it with all his might.
But the dragon’s scales were too hard;
The blade shattered against the dragon’s hide.
The dragon laughed.
‘You see, Ser Knight, no blade forged by mortal hands can penetrate my armor.’
‘But look here, Ser Knight, I have jaws that bite.’
She snapped her jaws, but the knight held his courage.
‘And look here, Ser Knight, I have claws that catch.’
And she flashed her claws, but the knight still held his courage.
Vero made signs to Mama that she wanted to continue the story again. “And… and then…” Vero started off haltingly. “And then, the dragon pounced at her- at- at the knight, I mean.”
The dragon pounced at her;
Like the way a cat pounces at a mouse.
But the knight jumped away at just the very last moment!
Treasure was sent flying everywhere.
The dragon chased after her- after the knight…
…But she slid away on her shield!
And ahead of her she saw another sword in the treasure,
And it was glowing, because it was magic.
The knight swooped over towards it,
And she reached out and grabbed it as she slid right by.
Behind her, the knight heard the dragon taking a deep breath;
It was about to breathe its fire at her!
But she spun around, and raised her shield, and blocked the whole blast of fire!
She took the magic sword, and the dragon was surprised!
And she stabbed it right in the heart!
The dragon fell over and died! The good knight won!
“The knight was victorious,” Mama began very seriously.
But before she climbed back up to the princess;
She stopped, and drank some of the dragon’s blood.
At that moment she heard the song of nature,
And for one brief moment she saw eternity as the dragon did.
As the dragon lay dying, she told the knight,
‘Now you have seen the world as it truly is.’
‘Though you may return to your castle, you can never go home.’
And the dragon died.
The knight returned to the princess,
And they both traveled back to the castle together.
The people had heard echoes of the great battle,
And they feared that the brave knight had been killed.
Suddenly a cry went up;
The knight and the princess had returned!
The knight rode to the castle in triumph with the jubilant populace;
They stood before the king, who embraced his daughter.
Then, he asked the unknown hero to show them all his face;
Slowly, the knight removed the helm, and revealed…
Mama smiled and paused for Vero, who nearly exploded with excitement.
It was the girl! The one in the tower who warned the soldiers!
She was the princess’ sister, who was just as pretty, but also strong too!
She knew the other knights weren’t any good.
So, she had to save her sister herself.
Mama picked up the narrative again seamlessly.
And because the second princess obviously couldn’t marry her sister,
She told their father that she wanted her elder sister to marry whomever she wished.
The elder princess ran at once to the blacksmith’s apprentice,
At last, they could finally be married.
For you see, it was he who had made the plain-yet-sturdy armor,
And it was he who had cared for the old horse when its master had abandoned it.
The second princess explained how he had given her these things,
So that she would have everything she needed to rescue her sister.
There was a grand wedding and everyone celebrated;
Except for the second princess.
She found she could no longer enjoy her old simple pleasures as she once did,
And she remembered the dragon’s final words.
At last, she donned her armor, mounted her horse…
…And vanished into the night.
The king and his people were very sad that their heroine had disappeared,
But the princess told them all that her sister had gone on to greater things.
This answer satisfied the king and his people,
And together they all lived happily ever after.
“I liked that story. Let’s tell another, Mama.”
“But we’ve finished all our spinning for today, my love. We’ll tell another story tomorrow.”
Vero nodded. Mama sent her out to fetch herbs and vegetables from the potager garden beside the house and water from the river for supper. While she was working, Virgil slowly meandered towards her. Eventually, he stopped and watched her pulling up carrots and onions.
Vero wanted to wait for him to say something, but eventually she decided that he wouldn’t so she would have to. “I’m sorry I called you a rat, and said that I hated you. I didn’t really mean it.”
“I know you didn’t. I’m sorry we quarreled too.”
Virgil watched her finish loading her basket and walked with her down to the river. He showed no inclination to help her carry the food basket or the water bucket. Vero washed the dirt off the vegetables. Virgil wandered downstream to make water, then returned and lay out on the grass in the sun.
Vero made some sly comments suggesting that he was too weak and tired to carry the water back to the house, which eventually induced him to help her. When they got back to the house, Virgil was called away. Father was holding Antoine, and ordered Virgil to put the animals in for the evening.
Father occupied a more distant role in Vero’s life than the other members of her family. She was very proud of him, but she never really spent much time with him. He was often very busy managing the family farm. He was the richest man in the village, and owned his own land, but that didn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of the world. The house he had built was very sturdy, but they all lived in only a single room.
His hair had turned mostly grey, but it had once been red. Even though he was getting older he was still very big and strong. He wasn’t native to Velois, but had come there from the Pict highlands far to the northwest. He had come to the south as a mercenary during the last interregnum, but he decided to stay when he met Mama, who was training to be a priestess at the time. They fell in love and got married. It was a story Vero often asked Mama to tell her because she thought it was very romantic.
Antoine was much younger than his other siblings. Vero and Virgil were several years younger than Yvette, but Antoine was more than a decade their junior. The gap had resulted from a miscarriage, still-births, and infants too weak to live more than a few weeks. Vero had often been surprised each morning that he was still alive. Although now that almost two years had passed, she decided that perhaps he wouldn’t die after all.
She hadn’t begrudged the baby Mama’s attention when she thought that he would only be around for a few weeks, or a maybe a month, but recently she had begun doing her best to refocus Mama’s priorities back to herself. If Father was so enchanted by having another boy, then let him look after his ‘miracle son’.
Inside the house, Vero helped Mama make the soup. Vero started a fire and set the water to boil. Mama chopped the vegetables in to pieces and started to cry when she cut the onions. Vero solemnly assured her that she mourned the loss as well, but there were always more in the garden. Mama laughed with her through the tears.
Yvette came inside first, but slowly all the family came trickling in after her. Yvette was already eighteen years old, and terrified that she wasn’t married yet. Physically, Yvette looked more like Antoine then Vero or Virgil. Both twins had Fathers hair and Mama’s eyes, while Yvette and Antoine had the reverse.
When they were all younger Yvette would play with her and Virgil, she took the role of the princess, while Virgil and Vero were knight and squire. But Yvette never played with them anymore, so as far as Vero was concerned that made her mostly a non-entity. Her most redeeming feature was that she seemed to enjoy watching over Antoine, probably because it let her fantasize that it was her baby.
Father led Virgil and Antoine through evening prayers at the sun shrine, and they all sat down to supper. Vero took a place on the bench next to Mama and leaned against her whenever Mama didn’t need to use her arm to eat.
Vero was considering her soup and bread when there was a knock at the door. It was later than any visitor would usually come, but it was a summer evening and still very warm and bright out for the hour. Father stood up from the table and answered the door.
Vero’s place at the table faced the entrance, and she leaned over away from Mama so that she could see the man Father was speaking to. He was old, though not quite as old as the village alderman. His hair was mostly gray except for patches where it was dark. He was short, but broader shouldered then she would have expected for a man of his age. His expression was very mean, and he gave Vero a terribly fierce look over Father’s shoulder when he caught her looking at him. He was dressed practically in rags, but she saw that he wore a sword on his belt.
The stranger and Father were speaking too quietly for Vero to hear what they were saying over her sister’s incessant prattling and the baby’s screeching. Virgil was trying to draw her attention by pulling faces at her. She acknowledged him, and with exaggerated lip movements, but no sound, he asked her ‘Who. Is. It?’
He was seated directly opposite her so he couldn’t see the stranger from his position. She shrugged back and he rolled his eyes in annoyance. Through looks and gestures Vero and her brother argued covertly as to which of them would ask Father about the stranger once he returned. In the end, Virgil relented that he would be the one to broach the subject. There was never really much choice, they both knew full well that Father would only tell her to be quiet if Vero asked, and that attempt would salt the earth when it came to any further questioning.
Vero watched as Father bid the stranger farewell and closed the door. Virgil was on the verge of ruining everything by pelting him with questions at once, but Vero was able to wave him off. They waited for Father to have time to sit back down so that they could question him more casually. Mama, who had been watching the two of them the whole time, gave Vero an indulgent smile and gently tried to untangle the rat’s nest of strands in her hair, while Virgil began the interrogation.
“Who was at the door?”
“A slayer, sent by the baron.”
“What’s a slayer, Mama?” Vero whispered.
“A brave warrior who uses spells, special magic just like those little prayers I taught you, to hunt monsters.” Mama whispered back very conspiratorially. “They were all wandering elven knights at first, but then they mostly they became human as time went on. The emperor built them great big academies to train more and more of them, back when the emperors were still good and all humans everywhere belonged in the Imperium.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“It was, sweet one.”
Virgil had been watching Mama whisper in her ear. Vero nodded to let him know that she had gotten the whole story and that she would tell him later.
He narrowed his eyes at her, but no matter how unsatisfied he might be, he still couldn’t do anything about it at the moment. He asked Father another question. “What did he want?”
“Our lord has hired him to lead a hunting party. Every man strong enough to hold a weapon has been called up to go on the hunt.”
“What is the hunt for?”
“A griffon, that damn fool Abedias has let one loose.”
Abedias was a wizard the baron had kept as a retainer since before Vero had been born. Father was certain he was up to no good, but Vero had never met him, or even seen him, so she couldn’t form an opinion one way or the other.
“Mama, what’s a griffon?” she whispered.
“A griffon is a kind of chimera, an awful abomination that wizards create out of different parts of poor captured animals. Griffons are made from hunting birds and predatory mammals, usually eagles and lions. Their mutations leave them in constant horrible pain so they’re very hostile and aggressive all the time. Their creation is illegal in some lands, it’s a very evil thing to fashion one.”
‘Wizards. Make. Them.’ She mouthed to Virgil who rolled his eyes again in response.
“When is the hunt?”
“Sunrise tomorrow, so get to sleep early to be ready.”
Vero could hardly contain her surprise, and before thinking she blurted out. “We’re going with you?”
Father gave her a very imperious and intimidating eye, but addressed his response to Virgil. “You’ll be coming with us. The lord has called for every man old enough to hold a weapon, and yes, that includes my son. Besides the levy, we’ll have the wizard, the slayer, and half a dozen knights with us. You won’t have anything of importance to do, but it will be a good experience for you, and a chance to make a good impression on a knight you might soon be squired to. Most important, I expect you not to make a nuisance of yourself to any of these important personages, understood?”
“Of course, Father.”
“What about me?” Vero was too impatient to hide her disappointment any longer. “I’m just as old as Virgil is, and I’ve had as much practice with swords as he’s had!”
Vero always watched Father when he gave Virgil his lessons at sword play. Father was much too busy with the farm to spar with him as often as he needed, so Vero had been given permission to act as his training partner.
“You’ll stay with the rest of the village women and children in the temple while the men are away.”
“I don’t want to.”
Vero thought that Father would be furious, but after a moment of silence to hold his temper, he replied in a moderating tone. “There may be injuries during this hunt, in fact, it’s very likely. You and your mother know the healing arts, your time will come later, but this hunt is no place for a girl.”
“I’m just as old as Virgil and-”
“Enough. I’ve made my decision.” Father’s tone made it clear she was in for a hiding if she tried to push her luck any farther, so she bit her tongue to stifle any reply. Yvette continued to babble about nothing in particular, but Vero paid her no mind and spent the rest of the meal brooding in silence.
After supper was over, they got ready for bed and Vero gave Virgil an abbreviated version of everything Mama had told her, but she was too upset to take much pleasure from it. Vero wanted to complain to Mama, but she and Father wanted to be left alone together, which only made Vero even more furious. She curled up next to Virgil and he put an arm around her. He listened very sympathetically as she complained, and let her use his shoulder as a pillow.
“Well, from the sounds of what Father has said, there won’t be much for me to do. I suppose I’ll just be sent running around fetching things. You won’t be missing anything really exciting, I’m sure.”
“If it won’t be dangerous, then why can’t I come with you!?”
“Don’t get cross with me. Father made the decision. I’m sure he has his reasons.”
“It’s not fair!”
“When I come back, I’ll tell you everything that happened.”
“But I won’t SEE any of it. No adventure like this has ever come here before.”
“No… I suppose you’re right.” Virgil admitted reluctantly.
“And it won’t ever happen again. And it’s all going to pass me by. I hate it. I hate it!”
“I know, but there’s nothing we can do about it. So why be upset?”
“You could talk to Father.”
Virgil chuckled. “No, I couldn’t.”
“You could try at least.”
“Do you really think there would be any point?”
Vero couldn’t honestly say that she did, so she said nothing at all.
“I’ll tell you everything that happens. I promise, it will be like you were right there, you won’t miss a thing.”
“You’ll forget things.”
“I won’t. I’ll tell you everything the moment I get back. I’ll even write it down for you if you like and you can read it over and over. And once it’s dead I’ll ask Father to take you to see the body.”
“Hmm.” Vero still wasn’t happy, but there wasn’t any more to be said. She thought she would be much too annoyed to fall asleep, but Virgil rubbed her shoulders and she drifted off almost at once.
***
Mama woke Vero early the next day with a kiss to the forehead. Even so, Vero was in a foul temper all morning at the whole situation, and Mama must have known it, because she kept a firm eye on her at all times while they got dressed and made breakfast. After a quick meal of scrambled eggs on buttered bread they trudged out to the temple in the village center.
The rally point for the levy was also at the village, so Father and Virgil came with them. They all arrived together just as the sun was coming up over the trees. There were only a few people milling around, despite the orders to be there at sunrise, but it was summer so it still felt very early. No one seemed distressed that so few had arrived so far, and Vero silently fumed at Father all over again for dragging them out so early just to make them wait.
Father took Virgil off to report to the lord’s marshal. The trickle of people coming to the temple slowly began to increase, but Vero couldn’t find anyone she had the slightest interest in. She tried to sneak off to find the Slayer, but immediately found her arm caught in Mama’s grip of iron.
“Where are you going, dear one?”
“I’m bored Mama, there’s nothing to do here. I just want to go look at the slayer. If nothing else, I’d like to see him at least.”
Mama looked like she was about to chide her, but at the last moment she relented. “Oh, very well. Let’s take a walk around the village while we wait, we’ll see if we can’t find this slayer.”
“Thank-you Mama!” Vero threw her arms around Mama and hugged her close.
They held hands and walked together through the village until they saw a colorful pavilion set up just on the outskirts. There they found the Slayer speaking with a man who could only be Abedias.
Vero had never seen that mage before, or any other, but the man certainly looked like she thought a wizard should look. He wore a long sky-blue robe and a tri-cornered hat on his head the same color as his robe. He held a wooden staff and had grey hair with a long beard. The only thing that didn’t seem to fit was his complexion, which was a dark olive shade. Wizards were supposed to spend all their time reading and experimenting in towers and things, so she thought that he really ought to be pale.
Besides them, there were also a few handsome young knights in splendid chainmail with beautiful colored tabards. Vero tried smiling at them, but they treated her like a child and ignored her. They were all looking over something on a table. Vero thought that it might be a map, but Mama held her back from getting close enough to see.
“Greetings Olivia, you are as beautiful as ever I see.”
Vero had been so interested in the Slayer and the others that she hadn’t noticed the Baron approach. He called her Olivia, but he was speaking to Mama. Mama bowed her head and did a deep curtsy. Vero watched and did her best to reproduce the movement.
“You’re too kind, my lord.”
“And this must be your daughter. She looks a very pretty one as well.” He took on an exaggerated high-pitched tone and waved to her. “Hello, little one.”
Vero found his patronizing attitude very grating, and answered in her mostly courtly and dignified manner to let the Baron know that he could take her seriously. “Good morning, my lord.”
The Baron turned his attention back to Mama. “I don’t expect this hunt to be much trouble, but it never hurts to be cautious. Will you give us Queen Luna’s blessing?”
“I’m not ordained, my lord.”
“You’ve still had the training. You know the prayers.”
Mama obliged. She recited a few lines in Liturgical and made the wide U-shaped sign of the moon.
“Thank-you. You’d best get back to the temple, we’ll be off very soon.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Don’t worry yourself. It should be a simple matter; I’ll have your husband and son returned to you soon, I trust.”
Vero would have liked to have stayed longer, but Mama pulled her away and dragged her back to the temple. By the time they returned, the village looked like it was a market fair day. People were everywhere and she found Virgil with a pack of their friends. She had only just arrived though when the men began to move out, and Father called Virgil away from them.
Virgil gave Vero an empathizing look then turned away to leave. Mama came and rounded the rest of the children up soon after. She took them into the temple, which was being readied as a hospital to tend to anyone wounded in the hunt.
With everyone packed inside, the temple was very tight and filled with the abrasive squalling of infants. Everyone was staying away from where Mama, the temple’s elderly priestess, and a pair of young acolytes prepared to tend to the wounded. Vero was glad to stay with Mama and help them anoint bandages with holy oil, alcohol, and medicinal herbs.
Soon they were all in a rush, because they discovered that the seals on the temple’s medical stores had been faulty, necessitating them to prepare everything they needed from scratch. Then Antoine became so colicky that Yvette couldn’t quiet him, and Mama had to go look after him herself until she could calm him down. This left Vero in the care of the venerable old priestess.
Mother Zora probably wasn’t a hundred years old, since people generally didn’t live that long, but Vero thought she definitely looked like she was. She had been the priestess of the village’s temple of the Earth Mother since Vero had been born. She was blind, but she wasn’t deaf. She could actually hear quite well, which made it dangerous to curse, even very quietly, within the vicinity of the temple. As Vero soon rediscovered herself.
“Language dear. You mustn’t be so wrathful my child. This is no time to offend the gods with a blaspheming tongue, my dear.”
“I’m sorry, mother.”
“The Earth Mother always forgives my child.”
“Oh, mother! It seems we’ve run out of aloe!” Vero had been deliberately applying an exorbitant amount to each bandage for the previous half an hour to make sure of it. “I’ll run and fetch some more from the temple garden; it will only be a moment.”
“Such an industrious little one. Run along, but be quick now. It’s dangerous to linger outside.”
It was all Vero had been waiting for. The moment she was through the door and out of sight, she was off running. It had been just more than an hour since the men left, but there were so many that they had been moving slowly and left a very obvious trail. Vero tore off after them as fast as her legs could carry her, and she felt certain that she would catch up before midday. She hoped so at least, because she had no food with her and didn’t fancy the idea of skipping lunch.
Once she was far enough that she couldn’t see the village any longer, she slowed from a run to a steady march. She realized she hadn’t brought any water either. She marched for what felt like hours and the sun climbed higher. She still had a trail to follow, but off the trail the wild grasses grew up taller and taller, until at last she was trekking through a field as high as she was. It started to seem as though the trail was just winding back and forth like a snake, but she couldn’t tell because she couldn’t see over all the damned weeds.
It was dreadfully hot, and she was just beginning to seriously question the wisdom of running off as she had done, when she heard a rustling in the plants and her heart stopped.
There was something moving in the field. It was moving fast, and it was coming right for her. She was certain she ought to do something, but, in the moment, she was too terrified to think of what.
Then a figure emerged from the weeds and her worst fears were realized.
“Mama!”
Mama crossed the space between them in a flash, with rage in her eyes, and caught Vero up in her arms like a doll. “Gods Veronique! Are you simple?! What in all the hells are you thinking, damn fool girl!?”
“I’m sorry Mama! I was just about to come back, I promise!”
Vero really did mean it. She saw that Mama’s expression wasn’t really so fierce as it had seemed at first and that she had tears on her face. Vero felt so completely awful at that moment, that she was certain that she had been just a moment from turning around on her own.
“Quiet! Just you wait until your father hears what you’ve done! And don’t think you’ll come crying to me when he’s finished thrashing you. You scared me nearly to death!”
“I’m sorry Mama! I really, really am!”
There was a loud and terrible shriek. The sound was like an eagle’s screech, but too deep and much too loud. Vero felt Mama tense.
“When I tell you to Vero, run as fast as you can.”
“What is it Mama? What’s happening?”
A large shadow passed over them. Vero was too afraid to look up and see what had made it.
“Vero, run!”
Mama pushed her and Vero ran as fast and as hard as she could. She expected Mama to be right behind her, but when she looked, she saw that she was alone. The shadow passed overhead once more and she heard the screech again. At any moment, she expected to be snatched up like a field mouse caught by a hawk.
Then her feet tripped over something, she knew not what, and Vero tumbled to the ground. Her mind screamed at her to get back to her feet and run, but her body refused to respond. She huddled into a ball and wished for Mama to pick her up and carry her away from that awful place. She closed her eyes tightly, but she could hear the sound of powerful beating wings slowly descending down towards her.
Vero realized that she was about to die. She felt a massive form land immediately adjacent to her and waited for the horrible moment when the monster would kill her. She expected to feel sudden pain and to be torn apart at any second, but it never came.
There was an intense pulse of heat and Vero heard a wounded scream from the creature above her. There was a rush of air as the monster launched itself back into the sky. Vero opened her eyes and saw Mama on a hill holding aloft a silver icon of the moon and chanting loudly in Liturgical. The wheat around her was scorched and smoking, and Mama was burned and bleeding.
There was a deafening screech and the griffon dived down towards her with talons extended. It was huge, larger than a fully grown bull at the torso, before even considering the enormous span of its wings. Vero watched it drag Mama to the ground and hid her eyes so she would see no more.
***
Vero realized she was alone.
Still involuntarily shaking in terror she opened her eyes.
“Mama?” Vero picked herself up and crawled unsteadily to where she thought she had last seen Mama, but in the tall grass she couldn’t find her, and she couldn’t think why Mama wasn’t looking for her. “Ma- ma.” Vero tried to shout, but her voice was caught in her throat like in a nightmare. She tried again. “Where are you, Mama?”
“Here. Here.” Vero could hear a weak whisper and followed it.
She passed through a wall of grass and found Mama. She was lying on her back in a spreading pool of blood, her arm was twisted under her at a horrible angle, and her skin was scorched and black in places. Her breathing was labored and Vero could see exposed ribs protruding from her chest.
“Mama? What do I do, Mama?”
“Vero? I can’t see you.”
Vero sat down and took Mama’s good hand in hers. “I’m here Mama. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”
“Are you safe? Are you hurt?”
“No, Mama. I’m not hurt, but I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to fix you.”
“Listen to me, I love you, Veronique. Do you understand?”
“It’s my fault. I’m sorry Mama- I didn’t mean-”
“Not your… Listen, Vero. Tell the others- Tell them I love them too, Virgil, Antoine, Yvette, your father… tell them I love them…”
“Mama, you have to teach me. I don’t know the prayers to heal you. It’s my fault, but I don’t know how to fix it. Mama?”
“Vero… love you…”
“I love you too, Mama- Need to teach me- Don’t know the prayer…”
Mama didn’t say anything. Vero couldn’t hear her rasping for breath any longer.
“Mama? Say something to me.” Vero squeezed Mama’s hand, but she didn’t move. “My fault… I’m sorry! Mama!” Vero pulled Mama’s arm more forcefully, but there was still no reply. “I’m sorry! Don’t leave me, Mama! Don’t leave! I’m sorry!”
Vero cried against Mama’s chest and tried to pull Mama’s arm around her, but it just fell limp. She wasn’t sure how long she cried.
It should have been you. It’s all your fault. Mama died because of you.
“Don’t know how to fix- don’t know how…” Vero had to speak aloud to know what she was thinking.
If you had stayed in the temple, Mama would still be alive. You killed her.
“Someone knows- Father knows- Father knows… what to do…”
Vero stood up and began to walk, although she hardly knew where she was going. There were tracks she was following, but she had no notion if she was following them forwards or backwards. Only that she must follow them, and could not stop for anything.
He’ll know it’s your fault. They’ll all know you killed her.
It was tremendously hot, but Vero couldn’t stop herself from shivering and her legs trembled under her with every step. Her mouth was dry, but she continued to repeat her task over and over to herself, because she feared that if she stopped, she might forget it. “Find Father. Father will fix it. Find Father. Father will know what to do.”
You should have been the one to die. You deserve it.
Vero marched and marched through unchanging fields for what felt like an eternity, until she heard the sounds of men and horses ahead of her. Smoke was visible on the horizon and she could smell the burning.
Burning. Like Mama.
Vero thought she must have been close, but the distance between her and the hunting party just kept going and going. There was shouting, but when she came closer, Vero heard moaning underneath it. It sounded like a great groaning mass of voices, wounded and in despair. When she stumbled into the smoldering battlefield, no one took any notice of her.
No one will help you. They’ll know you’re a murderer.
“One! You said there was only one griffon!”
Vero couldn’t see Father or Virgil, only the faces of mournful and broken men. With no idea where Father could be found, she let the sounds of shouting guide her.
“…and if the baron gives me leave, you’ll be one of those bodies in a moment, magister!”
“Master slayer, you will, of course, receive due compensation for the additional heads.”
“My lord, I-”
“Enough out of you, damn fool wizard! You killed these men sure enough. Gods! I nearly died myself!” The Baron was shouting down the wizard Abedias. Beside the two of them, the Slayer was examining the bodies of four dead griffons. Past the griffons were lines of men laying still on the ground.
“The question is, is this all of them?” The Slayer asked with grim resignation.
The Baron bore down on the wizard with a ferocious gaze. “Is it?”
“Y- Yes I believe it is.”
The Slayer stood up, turned, and also stared down Abedias. “You believe?”
“Griffons are really very fragile-”
“They didn’t seem so fragile when one tore this out of my plate!” The Baron thundered and gestured towards an enormous gash in his steel breast plate. The strike must have come just short of his chest, or he would certainly be dead.
“I mean internally. Very prone to organ failure. I need many specimens, because without the most careful care, they die in great numbers. Given their natural expiry rate there should only have been one left by now according to my calculations, perhaps two. Four griffons are totally unprecedented, I’m certain this is all of them. Certain.”
“Your ‘careful care’ is what’s been killing them, and drove them mad enough to break free in the first-” The Slayer noticed Vero watching them. “Gods, what’s a child doing here?”
“It’s Olivia’s girl.” The baron called for one of his men. “Bring her something to drink!” He kneeled down and clasped her hands in his. “You’re covered in blood, are you hurt?”
He’ll find out what you did.
“Ma- Mama…”
“Where is your mother, little one?”
It’s your fault.
“Mama…” Vero began to cry again and could say no more.
The Baron put a waterskin to her lips and Vero began to drink.
“What happened to your mother, dear?”
You killed her.
“Griff- griff…” Vero tried to say more, but she was startled back into silence when the Slayer struck the Abedias and sent him sprawling to the ground.
The Slayer stood over him with a terrifying expression, but the wizard remained unmoved. “It’s simply another one. And another bounty for you, so don’t look so fierce at me!”
“Another one? Another griffon, another chance to die on behalf of a lying sadist, another orphan!” The Slayer kicked the wizard hard in the stomach.
“Not in front of the girl. I’ll have him dealt with later, she’s seen enough already. And gods, but it’s not over yet.” The Baron pulled Vero to her feet, and the Abedias slinked away like a whipped dog.
“Fa- Find Father.”
“I- I’ll take you to him, little one. And your brother.”
The Baron led her past the griffons, along the row of bodies who Vero tried her best not to recognize, until the end where Father and Virgil lay sleeping.
“I’m… I’m very sorry, my dear. I’ll give you time alone with them.”
Vero feared that Father would be angry if she woke him, so she shook Virgil first, but he didn’t respond. Then she tried to wake Father after all, but he didn’t move either. The baron said he was giving her time alone with them, but she didn’t know what to do with them if they wouldn’t wake.
She sat and looked at them, her mind a complete blank.
The Baron was speaking to the Slayer behind her. “There’s no way to know that there’s only one more left, and I won’t be getting anymore fighting out of this lot. I’ll pay you for the other four if you wish to close the contract now.”
“No, I’ll take the fifth as well. This is my trade after all.”
“Is there anything you’ll need?”
“More bolts for the crossbow. Medical supplies. And rations, I may have to stay out here overnight.
“You’ll have them.”
Vero looked helplessly back and forth from Father to Virgil. Her brother’s clothes were torn and stained with blood, but he still had his dagger on his belt.
“Mama said- said to tell you- that she loves you. Both of you. This is all my fault. I’m sorry.”
Vero pulled the dagger off her brother’s belt and followed the Slayer. He spoke with one of the Baron’s men, who gave him the food, and then the ammunition he had requested. Then he left the camp, and Vero trailed after him. He moved slowly, carefully looking for something. Vero couldn’t recognize what exactly he was looking for, but it must have been some sign of the monster. They weren’t going back the way she had come, so he must have known something that she didn’t.
She kept her distance until she found him stopped and obviously waiting for her.
“Why are you following me?”
“I want to go with you.”
“Why?” He sounded annoyed.
“The griffon, you’re tracking it.”
“What of it?”
“I want to hurt it. I want to kill it.”
“Chimera never stop hurting, so that should give you some satisfaction. And it’ll be a lot more likely to kill you then the other way around.” The Slayer crossed his arms.
“I don’t care.”
“Go back to the village.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Fine.” He turned and set out again at a very brisk pace. Vero did her best to keep up, but he ignored her completely, and soon began to out distance her. Eventually, she lost him in the weeds completely. He wasn’t bothering to hide his tracks though, and Vero may not have known how to find a griffon, but she could follow a man’s trampled path through the thick field easily enough.
However, the sun finally began to set, and the trail became harder and harder to follow as the light dimmed. Vero also began to realize that she hadn’t eaten all day. The heat was making her lightheaded, and even the sundown didn’t seem to dissipate it. She was almost completely lost when she saw a trail of smoke against the faint pink sky. She followed it.
The slayer had a cauldron boiling over a large fire. He sat well away from it and ate his rations with his wineskin on his lap. Whatever was boiling in the cauldron smelled terrible.
“Godsdamnit. I told you to go back to the village!”
“I said no!”
“Imbecile.” The Slayer paid no further attention to her.
Vero also sat away from the fire, but at a respectful distance from the Slayer. They were on the edge of the Whitewood and she sat with her back against the trunk of a tree. The forest started with a few outlying trees, but became very thick almost immediately. Sometimes she and Mama explored the forest together, looking for mushrooms.
Never again.
They sat and waited for a long time and Vero began to cry again. She pulled up her knees so the Slayer wouldn’t see her. Eventually she stopped, and still, nothing had happened.
“May I have some water, ser?”
The Slayer grumbled something and tossed a waterskin onto the grass near her. Vero took it, and even though it was bitter with vinegar, she drank it all very quickly. So quickly, she began to choke in her haste.
“The griffon will be arriving soon.” The Slayer wasn’t looking at her, and appeared to be speaking to no one in particular.
“You put something in the cauldron that will bring it here, didn’t you?”
The Slayer did turn to face her, but he looked displeased at being interrupted. “Yes. When it arrives, take cover in the woods and hide if you want to live.”
“I don’t.”
“Then run out and get killed, I get paid the same. Only stay out of my way, because I don’t intend to die here.”
Vero crouched with her dagger ready and waited. The Slayer drew blood and spread it over his eyes while chanting a spell. Then he spread more blood over a few of his arrows while performing a different chant. She expected to hear a screech before the griffon attacked, but there was nothing except the sudden gust of wind. Vero still wasn’t even sure what was happening, but the Slayer was already on his feet with his sword in hand.
The griffon landed and immediately overturned the cauldron with a buck of its head, sending boiling water and sparks everywhere. The Slayer wasted no time and rushed the creature with a long powerful slash along the neck. The monster shrieked and slashed back at him with its taloned claws, forcing the Slayer back.
The Slayer immediately danced forwards again, but not quite so close as he had the first time, and executed a quick cut across the griffon’s torso. Neither strike was fatal, but the griffon began to bleed badly. It was also scorched with burns across one side of its body. It began to retreat backwards, and then turned to try and take flight. The Slayer sprinted after the monster and delivered one last vicious swing, this time taking aim at the griffon’s nearest wing. The creature faltered from the blow, but still forced its way into the air.
It’s escaping and you’ve done nothing.
Vero ran after them as fast as she could.
The Slayer dropped his sword and grabbed his crossbow, which he had kept ready on a sling. He fired and the bolt struck the creature in its hindquarters, eliciting another shriek, but the griffon continued to rise. The Slayer stopped and readied another bolt. It seemed to take him forever, and Vero had caught up to him well before he was even finished.
He took aim, but Vero could hardly see the griffon anymore against the dark night sky. It did seem to be flying in circles over them, trying to gain altitude with a hobbled wing. Even so, Vero doubted he could possibly hit the monster.
The Slayer fired. It was only a glancing blow, but it still struck the creature’s strong wing and sent it slowly spiraling back down to earth. The Slayer began to sprint after it once again, after retrieving his sword, and Vero ran after him.
He easily outpaced her, but also the griffon, so when it landed it came down between them. It was moving defensively, and its cries sounded wounded. The Slayer pressed his advantage by splitting the creature across the snout, but misjudged its remaining strength, and was tripped by a raking claw to the legs. The slayer fell to the ground with a cry and the griffon pounced on top of him.
Vero rushed forwards and buried her dagger into the griffon’s flank with all her might. The monster whipped around at the unexpected attack, an action which sent Vero off her feet. The creature began to lurch towards her, and Vero scrambled away as quickly as she could manage from her back. She had no idea where her weapon had gone, but at the moment her only concern was avoiding the griffon’s razor-sharp beak.
The griffon bit once and Vero rolled over to evade it. On all fours she began to gain speed. The griffon bit again and barely missed, passing between her legs, but caught her dress and pulled her up short. She felt a heavy paw push her down and claws slicing into her shoulder.
Vero shut her eyes tightly and waited for the griffon to bite down and break her neck. Instead, the griffon leapt off her as it turned again, in response to another attack from the rear. The Slayer had returned to his feet, and the monster was now moving sluggishly in its own defense. It slipped on the bloody grass and collapsed. The Slayer stabbed his blade deep into the griffon’s neck and at last, the creature was still.
“Ah!” The Slayer fell backwards. “Whoreson griffon! Godsdamn leg… Girl! Help me back to the fire.”
Vero moved to do as she was ordered, but stopped beside the griffon. She bent down beside one of the massive creature’s wounds, which was still weeping blood. She cupped her hands under it and let them fill with the blood. She brought it to her lips and drank, although it tasted brackish and foul. The night was completely still.
She turned back to the Slayer who motioned for her to hurry. She helped him onto her shoulder and they walked back to the fire. The Slayer examined his leg in the light. There were three long horizontal gashes just above the knee on his right leg. They were bleeding very badly.
“Fortunate it was no higher or it might have removed something vital. Show me your shoulder… No, that’s almost nothing. Can you move it?”
Vero made a circle with her arm and nodded.
“Just a scratch then. I need to close up my leg, fetch the bandages and catgut from my bag.”
Vero did so, but when he tried to take them from her, she could see that his hands were trembling too badly to hold them. “You’re shaking too much. I’ll have to sew them up.”
“Gods’ sake! Give me my wineskin at least.”
The Slayer took the wine and began to drink. Vero cleaned the wounds with water and began to suture them closed. There was blood and the Slayer grunted when she pressed the needle through his flesh, but after everything that had happened to her Vero didn’t feel any nerves during the procedure. She didn’t feel much of anything at all.
When it was finished her stitches weren’t much straighter than they were patching clothes at home, but they held him together all the same. She found antiseptic poultices in his bag and bound one over the wounds with clean white bandages. The Slayer checked her work and grunted with satisfaction before returning to his wineskin.
Vero checked herself. While treating the Slayer she had slowly become painfully aware of her own injury. Right after the battle she had hardly felt it, but the pain had grown steadily ever since. She washed it and bandaged it with another poultice. The bottom of her dress was torn from the hem to her knees, but she had no other injuries so far as she could tell.
By the time she had finished, the Slayer had already drunk himself unconscious. She checked, and he was still breathing. She must have fallen asleep herself soon after, because she remembered nothing more from that night.
***
When she woke, it was early morning. For one moment, she wondered if everything had been a horrible dream. Then she opened her eyes, and saw the body of the griffon who had murdered Mama.
It’s your fault.
The Slayer was already awake. He handed her a loaf of bread with nuts and berries inside. “Here, eat. Probably starving, stupid girl.”
Vero didn’t feel hungry, but she began to munch the loaf slowly and soon discovered she was starving.
“We go back to the village soon. My leg is stiffer than- Well, it hurts. I’ll need your shoulder.”
They didn’t go directly to the village, but instead went to the Baron’s motte and baily which overlooked it. The baron met them in the hall. The Slayer fished the griffons severed paw out of his bag as proof of the kill. The Baron already had a purse prepared, filled with republican ducats and Velian crowns. “The crowns are all clipped, of course, but the gold should cover the balance.”
The Slayer put the purse away without counting the money and bowed. “More than generous, my lord. The wizard?”
“Undergoing chastisement. I’ve sent a messenger to the high basilica in Vermillion, requesting an inquisition into possibly heterodox magical practices.”
“Very good.” Vero helped the Slayer stumble his way onto a bench.
“Your leg, should I send for a doctor?”
“No, my lord. I’ll just sit and rest a moment, then leave and trouble you no longer.”
“Are you looking after the little one?”
“For the moment. The whelp’s been following me since last afternoon. I’m not sure who to bring her to.”
“She has an elder sister in the village.”
She knows what you did.
“I don’t want to go there.” When Vero spoke, the Baron looked at her sympathetically, before the Slayer twisted her ear.
“Quiet girl.”
Once he had rested the Slayer took her out of the castle and back to the village. The closer they came to home the sicker she felt. When they arrived, they found Yvette in the doorway weeping holding little Antoine. When she saw Vero, she turned furious.
“You survive? The gods take my parents, and my brother, but leave me a helpless babe, and a useless child who does nothing but eat!”
“Ma- Mama… she said… she said to tell-”
“You killed her!” Yvette set the baby aside and began to approach them. “She went out to find you! Why didn’t you die!?” Vero tried to cringe away behind the Slayer, but her sister grabbed her and tried to throttle her. “It’s your fault! You killed her!”
The Slayer pulled Yvette off. “That’s enough. She’s your family- gods’ sake. She lost her parents… same as you.”
Vero looked up at the Slayer. “I don’t want to stay here. Take me away, please.”
“Yes, take her. We don’t want her.” Yvette returned to the Antoine who had been startled by the fighting and started to scream. “She’s had her woman’s blood; you could make her your wife. Or take her east and sell her as a slave to the elves or Imperials if you like. Only-” Yvette paused to think. “Only, if you take her… I think we deserve something.”
“You certainly deserve something. But I don’t want her either. Luna’s tears, she’s your sister.”
“And what am I to feed her with? I don’t even know how I am to look after myself and my brother.”
“You would abandon your own flesh and blood?”
“Who are you to judge me? I have no husband; only what my father has left me. Shall I take food out of the baby’s mouth to give it to her? I can’t afford to care for her.”
Vero pulled the Slayer’s arm. “Please, ser. Let’s just go.”
Yvette sneered at her. “And she evidently would rather be with you.”
The Slayer drew a few silver crowns from the coin purse. “Here, with my condolences.” He weighted them in his hand a moment, and then threw them at Yvette with all his might. She was forced to bend forwards to shield Antoine, and cried out when they struck her back before ricocheting away. He pushed Vero forwards. “Go inside and change your clothes, you have a spare dress?”
Vero nodded.
“Find a bag and take whatever you wish with you, but only what you can carry on your own.”
Yvette tried to stop Vero, but the Slayer grabbed her by the hair and held her back. She spat and cursed at him, while Vero discarded her ruined blood-soaked clothes. She put on her clean dress and got out her father’s traveling pack. His old bedroll was still attached, and she put her winter cloak and her brother’s spare clothes inside as well. She also put on Virgil’s tough leather boots.
She considered taking some food with her, but she thought about what Yvette had said, about feeding herself and the baby. She decided to take only a waterskin instead. After some more thought she also took Mama’s prayer book and walked back outside. The Slayer held her sister in check until she was finished. When they left, Yvette had started weeping again behind them.
Vero and the Slayer traveled the whole day in silence until the sun began to set and they made camp. The Slayer gave her another loaf of bread for dinner. As she ate, Vero gradually worked up her courage to speak. “Where are we going, ser?”
“Do I look like a knight to you?”
“What?”
“Don’t call me ser. My title is master slayer”
“I’m sorry.” Vero became quiet again because she didn’t want to make the Slayer even madder at her.
“I know a convent of the Sisters of Charity near the capitol. They care for orphans there.”
“I don’t want to be an orphan. I want to be a slayer.”
“Why?”
Vero thought about the question for a long time. “It was a monster that killed Mama. It should be punished.”
“The griffon is dead. That’s not enough?”
Vero shook her head.
“I’m taking you to the convent. I’m sure you’ll be happy there, in time.”
“I don’t want to be happy. I want to kill them- To find more monsters, and kill them too- Again and again, until there aren’t any left in the whole world. I want them all to hurt and to die like-”
“That’s enough.”
They stayed quiet while they finished dinner. The Slayer laid out his bedroll and settled into it, cradling his wineskin. Eventually, Vero decided to press the issue again.
“I could be your apprentice.”
“I told you, I made my decision.”
“I practice fencing and wrestling with my brother. And when I do farm work, Father says I’m strong for a girl, and I don’t ever get tired. Mama taught me about herbs and medicine, and- and prayers… and….” Vero thought she might start crying again, but she didn’t. “Please master. I can do it, if you teach me.”
“You’re incapable of following instructions.”
“I’m not, master slayer! I’ll do anything you say, I swear!”
“Anything I say?”
“I’m not afraid of hard work. If it’s possible, I’ll do it. I promise.”
“Come here.” The Slayer motioned her closer.
Vero stood up and did as she was told. The Slayer put an arm around her and pressed his body against her. She had no idea what he was doing and froze in place. Then he began kissing her with wine-soaked breath and trying to pull down her dress.
“No! Stop it!” Vero pushed him away. The Slayer was much stronger than her, but he let her go at once as soon as she resisted him. She worried he would be angry, but he immediately turned over onto his back and returned to his wineskin.
“As I said. The nuns will look after you.”
Vero watched him, but the Slayer seemed interested in nothing else besides his wine. “I’m sorry master slayer, only you surprised me. I’ll do what you want.” He didn’t do anything, or even acknowledge her. Vero slowly removed her dress herself. “See master, I’ll do anything. Only- only you must promise to teach me, to be like you.”
The Slayer didn’t bother to even look at her. He laid on his back silently for a long time before eventually remembering that she was there. “Oh, get dressed and go to sleep.”
“Please, master.”
“Hmm.” The Slayer paused and Vero waited for him breathless. “I’m going to the capitol regardless, but it’s a long way to Vermillion. I’ll decide what to do with you when we arrive.”
“Thank-you, master slayer!”
“Don’t thank me, girl. Gods! Whatever you do, don’t thank me.”