Aftermath

So I spent a good hour writing this and was supposed to leave ten minutes ago but I couldn't just leave in the middle of it. I have no idea what Raya plans to do, I've never seen him like that before. He's proving to be highly unstable. And he likely used a knife to do that little... "trick" of his. He can't actually.

Ihhhck.

For some reason Durth and Raya are tumbling between the sheets. O.O

But I have to go, so we'll see if they go that way.

No doubt the conversation with Edno was watched and someone told the other guy to be there. What's in the bottles? Not quite sure, but thank they weren't what Durth thought they were.

Read, Review and Enjoy.




Within the walls of the fortress Tah disappeared. One moment she was there, the next time Durth looked up she was gone. Raya seemed unconcerned with the woman’s disappearance so Durth dismissed it. As it was, Raya led Durth into the large entrance doors of the fortress.

The place was huge. Built all of rubble, bits of stone that had survived the sudden destruction of the world. Some things were new, the huge wooden doors for example, were new, thick, attached with awkward looking metal hinges. The torch brackets inside the fortress were new as well, if the lack of soot behind them was any indication. But again, the metal holders were lanky and looked like they were not professionally done.

Down the main hall stood several stiff looking men, all staring at nothing, all looking pained for some reason.

“Failure,” a voice snapped down the hall, making Raya come to a stop between two of those people, “is not an option, Cousin. Should you fail. Here is where you shall spend the rest of your days. Some of the old ways are still remembered. These men thought they were good enough to be Brother to our Father. They failed. So will you. Best to turn around now.”

Raya stiffened, looked back at Durth and shot him a look, an annoyed look, as if expecting to find Durth slinking back towards the door. Durth blinked at Raya, confused for a long moment before he lowered his eyes to the floor.

Which was made of broken ceramic tiles! Durth wondered how much plastic could be found in the fortress. If there was anything else that had been found amongst the ruins that had been the city.

When Raya continued on, Durth followed behind the Cousin as he was meant to do. He stopped a foot behind Raya when the other man stopped.

“Brother Edno, a pleasure to see you, I had not realised that you had succeeded in your duties to Father.”

Durth shuddered. Why did he keep getting the feeling Raya was saying one thing but meaning something entirely different? Maybe it was the way Raya said ‘duties’ like it was something lewd or creepy. Or maybe it was just the fact that he still wasn’t entirely settled on being Aniege. It wall seemed so conflicting.

Power was said to be a gift from the gods but the Aniege wanted to destroy the power of the people while following the will of the gods. The Aniege set up a patriarchy but denied the rights of the lords outside of their society even though failure in the Aniege society meant death. If one was lucky. Though, Durth still didn’t know what happened to the unlucky ones…

“I have only just recently accepted the terms and position,” Edno murmured as Durth risked a glance upward. Edno was an old man, lines working through his face. Laughter and stress had worn into his skin. Foggy eyes flickered to Durth and something like amusement passed over Edno’s face before the older man focused on Raya, “I see that you have begun your own ascent.”

“That I have, if it be the will of Father, I shall become like unto Brother to him, I shall take on that highest of ranks and serve as sword to our most gracious lord.”

“You. Want Maktar’s position?” Edno hesitated, “Raya, that. You do realise that any Cousin may take Maktar’s position at any point.”

“I do.”

“From his cold, dead fingers.”

“I do.”

“You cannot possibly defeat Maktar in combat. The man was a top spy and assassin for the old government long before you were born.”

“Exactly. Long before I was born, he was learning to kill. I respect the man, I respect his position. But he is between me and what is rightfully mine. I cannot move further in my duties without taking his rank, and thus his life.”

There was a long moment of silence, “all this for a damnable broadsword?”

“I like that broadsword.” Raya muttered, “it. It’s like getting between a man and his lover. Or. A man and his supper. No. A man and his lover, the only thing he craves and you are standing in the way.”

Edno took a step back at Raya’s last words. The older man sounded shaky as he said, “Welcome to Bayen Nort, Cousin Raya, may the gods guide and protect you.”

“Thank you… Brother.” Raya moved around Edno and Durth stood rooted in place for too long.

Edno was trying very hard not to look frightened. Durth rushed to catch up to Raya. His Cousin was younger and more fit than Edno, certainly, but Edno was a Brother and protected by the laws of the Aniege, the laws that Raya obeyed. So why was Edno so shaken by a few words?

At the end of the hallway was another set of doors. Tah rejoined them there, a sleeping Shirn in her arms as she fell into step behind Raya and beside Durth. Raya walked the length of the long room they had entered and came to a stop in front of another man with a woman on either side of him who each had a babe swathed in blankets in their arms. The women were identical twins, both wore a choker around their necks with a little piece of plastic painted with the same symbol. The mark that meant war.”

“Maktar, your women are beautiful, your children plentiful.”

“You dare speak to me like this?”

Durth would have smacked himself in the forehead if he thought he would have gotten away with it. He had expected. Well. Anything except meeting the Brother Raya wanted to replace. Really? Couldn’t they just sit down and relax? Recuperate from a long day’s walk before they took on that person who was well known for killing?

“Dare? It is not daring when you are of lower rank than I am.”

“Durth,” Tah hissed.

Durth pulled is eyes away from Raya and Maktar and to the woman. She motioned very subtly with her head to where Maktar’s young women were drifting away. Were they expected to do something? Stop them? Join them?

Would he be out of harms way if he went towards the women? Durth followed Tah’s example and began ‘drifting’ towards Maktar’s women. Behind them the two men, older and younger, began a very calm argument. Words tossed out. Tah made a sound at the back of her throat and turned, pushing Shirn into Durth’s arms.

“Whatever happens, do not drop her,” Tah muttered to Durth, “and do not move. At all. Understand?”

“Don’t…”

“Move.”

“… o… Sure?”

Tah gave a quick nod and went after the women. Not a polite conversation, not a quick catch up to friends, she went after the women. Grabbed one by the hair, grabbed the other by the neck and knocked their heads together. They had children in their arms!

And then the little bundles tumbled to the floor and unrolled. Bottles. Plastic. Bottles. Filled with something, some blackish stuff that Durth didn’t recognise but knew was not anything that could be easily made. Was not water or edible.

He turned just slightly and caught the movement of Maktar attacking Raya. Saw the flash of the blade and saw Raya dance back, his shirt reddening where Maktar had slashed him. Raya made like he was going to attack and when Maktar responded, the younger man side stepped, twisted his body in a way that Durth did not think was possible and dodged the blade, grabbing hold of Maktar’s arm in the process. Raya snapped the arm upward and outward, dislocating Maktar’s shoulder. To which the old man grunted and brought up his other hand, blade grasped and laying against his forearm as he slashed.

Durth glanced at the women.

Tah had one of the sisters on the ground, foot pressed into the woman’s throat as she shook and snarled at the second one. Blood ran from Tah’s hairline and between her eyes, down the side of her nose. But it was the women who were bruised and obviously beaten.

Back to the men, Maktar’s second arm was a bleeding mess and Raya tossed the blade aside, looking bored.

Looking.

Durth’s heart skipped a beat. Every instinct in him told him to run, to get away. There were stories of soldiers getting that look and then turning on their own companions, their own friends. But Tah had told him to stand still, to not move and if he did, he might escape Raya but Tah would hunt him down and.

And.

Durth glanced back at the women. Tah had one by the nose and the other by the ear and both of the twins were crying loudly as she snapped and snarled something at them about having respect and being decent people.

The crack that resounded through the room stopped Tah cold. Durth looked back to Raya. The man had Maktar’s head in his hands, head cocked to the side and a curious look on his face as the body slumped to the ground.

And the head stayed in his hands.

“What in the name of the gods is going on…” the voice trailed off, the person dressed in gray with a little patch over his heart came to a complete stop and paled considerably as Raya tossed Maktar’s head over his shoulder and turned towards the voice, “Brother. I.” Eyes lowered immediately, the young male held his hands away from his sides, “Father sent me to fetch for him his sword and his shield. I had not realised that you were busy.”

A long, long moment of silence.

“I wish to clean before speaking to Father.”

“Of course, Brother, permit me to take you to your rooms and see to your needs before reporting to Father.”

Which was like the servant saying he didn’t presume Raya knew where his rooms were, but at the same time seemed to state that the servant really, really did not want to be there.

“Of course. Tah,” Raya turned towards her, “bring that one, I am going to want some entertainment.”

Tah tugged on the nose of one of the twins. To which Raya shook his head. His woman tugged on the ear of the other and Raya nodded. Tah let the one go and dragged the other forward. Raya followed the servant out and Tah stopped beside Durth and let out a sound.

“Follow his lead,” she muttered.

“What’s he going to do to her?”

“I don’t know. But if we’re lucky, all he wants to do is kill her.”

“What if we aren’t lucky?”

“Sometimes he likes to be rough.” Tah growled, marching towards the doorway where Raya had disappeared into.

“Rough?”

“In bed.”

“But. That’s…”

“Rape?” Tah snapped, “do you think that’s been lost on me. But it’s either her, you. Or me. Which do you think I would rather he ride? Which would you rather he rode?”

Durth adjusted the babe in his arms, “her. She doesn’t have to get up and practice in the morning. And you. Well. Once he got his feet under him you’d smother him with a pillow and then where would we be?”

Tah’s eyes narrowed as Durth passed her, “this is serious.”

“That has not escaped my attention. But if I think about it too much I might be tempted to let her go,” Durth muttered back, “it is against everything I believe in.”

“I don’t want-” the woman began

“Shut up,” Durth and Tah both snapped at the woman as one.

.