Aftermath

It's always nice to see a warrior smart enough to be afraid of something. Especially when that something is a hundred or so angry Sidhe.

This is very short, and I apologise for that. Working on something has fried my brain. Unfortunately.

Read, Review and Enjoy.





The village was ready and willing to help the troupe. The trailers set up quickly, with young men and women flocking to meet the troupe and help. Once the trailers were set up, robed priests arrive with carts to take the bedding that needed washing. Ayan retrieved the blankets from Una’s trailer, much to Durth’s embarrassment, and handed them over to the priests. The troupe members ate and chatted with those who came to greet them as the Sidhe wandered off.

Durth found Raya and pulled the young man into the woods surrounding the village.

“Ayan is Aniege, but you already knew that.”

“Yes, he’s got the,” Raya grinned and motioned to his face, “adorable little nose.”

Ayan was not attractive to Durth. Perhaps there was a reason for that, but the young Aniege seemed just another face in the crowd. Nothing interesting, physically, about him.

“He said his father is a Whisper.”

Raya frowned, “what? The few Aniege alive don’t have power.”

Fear clawed at Durth’s stomach, “except for him. The one we’re looking for.”

“Which would mean,” Raya sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “that he’s back where we picked Ayan up.”

“If we leave now, we could be there in less than a week.”

“He’s surrounded by Sidhe, Durth, we need the troupe to take us to him.” Raya growled.

“We do not,” Durth said, not believing Raya.

Raya held up his hand as some animal squealed in the forest, he motioned to Durth to follow him and set off through the brush. Through a thick patch of branches was a small plain. On the plain, Hohi crouched by the head of a felled deer, head cocked to the side as if listening for something.

“Oi, Hohi,” what person greeted another with ‘oi’? Did Raya know more about the Sidhe than he let on? “C’n eh have bit o’hat deer?”

Lazily said, at the word ‘deer,’ the only word Durth could really make out, Hohi looked up and bared his teeth. There was something very wild about the Sidhe, but he still reacted by sitting back and taking the deer’s back leg in his hand. A twist that seemed to take no effort on the Sidhe’s part and the hip cracked, the leg came off and landed at Raya’s feet.

“Thank-ee.” Raya said, motioning to Hohi before he reached down and plucked up the deer leg. He turned back towards where the troupe was camped and walked off.

Durth followed closely behind. When he was certain it was safe he said, “so? You took off a man’s head, you can take them.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Durth. I am powerful, I am capable, I know I am. And still the Sidhe scare the crap out of me. I don’t often count myself a smart man but even I know not to walk into the territory of two Whispers, the territory of the Aniege and of the Sidhe that are part of what was once called the Program. Because,” Raya stopped and drew close to Durth, “that is who he was said to be with, no matter the rumour or where it comes from, where he’s supposed to be, he’s surrounded by the Sidhe of the Program.”

“What program?”

“The,” Raya stressed the word, “Program.”

Durth frowned and stepped away from Raya, “as in, the one with the Sidhe Whisper? The one with Mik, the ambassador who was assassinated?” Durth felt sick, “that would mean…”

“M’wn is the survivor,” Raya muttered, “Ayan’s daddy dearest is the only Sidhe to survive a bone farm and the aunts and uncles, Lillow and Hohi, Souse and Ashun are the Sidhe who declared war on the people and then stood behind Whisper. Hohi, I know his type just looking at him. He’s a warrior like me, which would make Lillow,” Raya swore under his breath, “his off pair. He’s offensive, she’s defensive and she’s coming into fertility soon. Not to mention the pair of them are guarding their adopted sister.”

Durth gave Raya a look.

“You can tell,” Raya muttered, “the way Lillow grooms Ashun’s hair, the way she keeps feeling Ashun’s belly. Sidhe don’t let other Sidhe touch a pregnant female, only family members can.”

“Point being?”

“Point being,” Raya shifted the deer leg, drawing Durth’s attention to the hunk of meat, “if we walk into Sidhe territory, that tribe’s territory, without invitation and without a trusted guide, we will wish we had been the deer.”

“They aren’t-”

“They,” Raya snapped, “have been trained to fight like people. Their Whisper lost his mate to us and we would be searching out the Whisper the Sidhe Whisper is guarding with his life. If you think we’ll be given enough time to explain before the pain and a world of hells starts, you’ve another thing coming.

“Una must go through the area several times a year.”

“He does, twice a year, Ayan said.”

“Twice a year? That would only give him a limited range.”

“Meaning he hasn’t been to see Vera recently,” Durth said, “which… is bad?”

“Very bad, Una and Vera not speaking is a very bad thing. Means one of them is unstable and Una just woke. Bad.”

“How is it bad for us?”

“Kinda,” Raya winced, “need Vera alive and whole.”

“But you also need Una alive and whole.”

“No,” Raya shook his head, “no, not really. Actually. If Una isn’t whole we can slide him back into place with the outcome. If Vera is off kilter then she’ll make a wrong step and then instead of getting an immortal…”

“You’d have a squashed million-trillion people.”

“Squashed or exploded something, yes,” Raya muttered, grimacing before he gave himself a shake, “come on, we’ll take this to Tahl-ra and see if we can find me a new broadsword.”

“You just got that sword.”

“That I did, but is it my fault the sword is a piece of garbage? Flawed from one end to the other. Need… something else.”

Durth wondered what was up with Raya and his damned swords, but decided it was better to simply keep his mouth shut.


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