City of Dod: Land of Szornyek, #2

Chapter 1: The Lecui

Askari crouched, muscles tense and senses alert as a stick cracked in the distance. She heard another stick crack. And another. Something was in these woods—garg or animal, though? That was the question. She waved a red flag in the air, hoping the next sentry would see it—and that this wouldn't be another deer, like the last two times she had waved the flag.

She waited impatiently. She felt like something inside her was roaring to get out, and it was all she could do to keep it quiet. One breath after another, one order after another, she kept her head down, did as she was told, and waited restlessly.

Restless. That was a good way to put it, she thought. Antsy. Anxious. Unsettled. Only yesterday, Elol had asked her how she was doing after the deaths of so many in their community, but she hadn’t known how to answer. But restless—that was it. She felt like she wanted to run. Fight. Move. Do something. Anything. And these mosquitoes weren’t helping. She reached up and squished one between two fingers as it hovered near her shoulder. She couldn’t risk slapping her arm when it landed—it would make too much noise. But she had become excellent at snagging them out of the air. If she had been fighting or running or doing anything at all, she probably wouldn’t have even noticed them.

Around her, a light breeze blew, soothing her sticky, sweaty skin. It was unusually hot for this late in September, and keeping watch in these temperatures was distinctly uncomfortable, despite the shade provided by the still green-leafed trees.

The sun hung low in the afternoon sky, and the squirrels bickered loudly in the trees. A few birds chattered and hopped about in the dry leaves on the ground. Whatever was coming didn't scare the native animals, so it probably wasn't a garg, or at least not a large or dangerous one. She hoped.

A yellow flag flashed back at her. Zaj had seen.

Taking smooth, silent breaths, Askari crept forward, keeping her head low, moving as slowly and silently as she could—and then she heard it: a thumping noise, branches breaking, an extended rustling as something pushed through the foliage. She tensed, wondering what it could be, but felt a sense of relief wash over her—at least she wasn't wrong. Again.

She heard a stick crack to her left and turned—Zaj ducked low only a short distance away, trying to see through the thick undergrowth. He nodded at her and crept closer to the sound.

Abruptly, he stood up. As one of the tallest members of the Baratok community, his head easily rose above most of the bushes. Askari's eyes widened. What was he doing? Whatever was in the woods might see him!

A smile crossed his face. He waved, indicating to the other sentries it was safe to emerge. Frowning, Askari crept forward, still staying as silent as possible, and peered through the branches.

A tall, broad-chested man sat on the back of a beautiful chestnut horse. It tossed its black mane as Zaj stepped out of the trees. Askari stayed low, but her breathing slowed. A human. Not a garg, not an animal, not a threat—probably. A human. A rather good-looking human, in fact.

Hey there! the stranger called, flipping his ponytail of long, tight braids over his shoulder. He appeared young, around her age, she guessed, and had bright white teeth. And broad shoulders. Very broad shoulders. She shook her head a little, trying to clear her thoughts. She was supposed to be on guard duty, not staring-at-strange-men duty.

Ho, traveler! Zaj called back. Can we help you?

If you have a safe place to spend the night, the rider called back, I would be grateful.

Of course. One of my sentries will escort you back to camp. Zaj looked around, catching Askari's eyes. Your shift is almost up, he said. Take him back and tell Adelbert to head out.

Sure, Askari replied. She ducked under a branch and stepped out in front of the horse. She felt oddly nervous, but she told herself it was not his presence that unnerved her, just the size of the horse he rode. The Baratok didn't have many horses—only a few to pull their wagons—and she had never learned to ride one. What other reason should she have to be nervous in front of a stranger?

Follow me, traveler, she said and began to jog through the forest, leading the stranger back toward camp.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw that a short distance behind the stranger, three other sentries followed, watching to make sure he wasn’t going to try anything. That was good—they were following Elol’s new protocols. She ducked under a few branches and wove around two thickets, choosing a path the horse would easily be able to follow. Running felt good. Like all the restless energy pent up inside her was flowing out into the world around her.

When they arrived back at camp, the children crowded around the horse, wanting to touch it and see the stranger, but Vica, the elder in charge of food and gathering, shooed them all away. The sentries who had followed them vanished back into the woods, and several on-duty warriors stepped forward to flank Vica.

Everyone was on edge these days, with the Baratok numbers so depleted. Even off-duty warriors had a tendency to be on-duty, at least in the way they observed the world around them. No one ever wanted to be taken by surprise or trapped by a garg again. Since then, the Elders had instituted an entirely new set of rules regarding how many people would be on watch at a time, who would be trained to fight, and how weapons were to be handled and maintained. As much as Askari hated all the extra rules, the structure they provided at least made her feel like the elders were doing something to prevent another massacre like the one they had experienced at the teeth of the bloodthirsty rarohan.

Welcome, traveler, Vica called out, waving.

Thank you, he replied, dismounting with ease. Askari found herself staring at a small scar on the edge of his jawline but pulled her eyes away as soon as she saw he’d noticed her stare. He winked, and she flushed.

We have hot food, Vica said, bending down to pick up a child who clamored for her attention, and a safe tent for you to bunk down in for the night. Will you be staying long?

I'm just passing through.

Askari gave the newcomer a small, embarrassed smile and headed off to find Adelbert, glad to be out of the man’s intense gaze. Adelbert was gobbling down some food when she found him.

You're up, she said, smacking him on the back. Adelbert was a few years younger than her and still in training, but certain to be a strong warrior when he came of age.

He nodded with a mouth full of food and stood, still trying to spoon soup into his mouth.

Askari jogged off toward Harcos' tent. She liked working the day shift as a sentry, it turned out. It meant that she wasn't tired all the time, and when she completed her shift, she still had time before bed to do other things. Like sharpening her blades. Or spending time with her friends. Of course she had other tasks that had to be done, but it also meant she could see what Harcos or Shujaa was up to.

Done already? Harcos asked as she poked her head into the wagon where he worked. He wore only a vest, and Askari noticed, not for the first time, how filled out he had become. Since they had returned, he had taken a much more serious interest in hand-to-hand combat training, and she was proud of his progress. He now split his time evenly with practicing and managing the community library. He had been tasked with making copies of the books filled with illustrations of monsters and information on where to find them and how to kill them, which they had brought back from their travels. The elders were paranoid that something might happen to the originals.

Brought in a traveler, Askari said, grinning. She knew Harcos would be interested and probably go harass the man for information as soon as he could.

What? Harcos sat straight up and rapidly began to put away his tools. Where's he from? What's his name?

I don't know anything about him, Askari said, shrugging. Except that he has a horse. Chestnut. And he was riding it with a saddle, and he seemed good at it. Plus the broad shoulders, scarred jaw, and wink. But she wouldn’t mention those things.

How could you not ask more questions? Harcos moaned. If I never have a chance to talk to him, I might never learn anything new! You could have at least gotten a few details.

Sorry. Askari grinned at her friend. But don't worry, he's staying the night.

Harcos packed away the last of his tools and hopped out of the wagon. Let's go find him!

He hurried through the camp, Askari following in his wake.

Hold up, Vica called, hailing Askari. It appeared she had already handed over the stranger to another elder. You owe me three baskets of sorted fruit.

Right now? Askari asked.

Right now.

Askari sighed—the stranger was much more interesting than sorting fruit, but she had been trying hard to do the work they asked of her without question—which was probably part of the reason why she was feeling so restless. No arguments, no pushing back, no disagreeing—she simply trained, slept, and did what they asked.

It had only been three months since the Baratok had left the caves where they fought a barlang, a pack of rarohan, and a large group of gyiks. They lost nearly fifty people in the ensuing battle, and everyone was still grieving. As they fled the plains where it had all taken place, they lost two more due to their wounds, and the whole community still struggled to get their feet back under them.

Now everyone had more tasks, and the elders were much more focused on keeping everyone safe. Vigilance was their new motto, and they had created an entirely new set of rules for nearly everything—sentry duty, guard duty, the flag system for warning of danger—in addition to creating a system for tracking who had what weapons and where they were at all times, so that in the instance of a crisis, they would know exactly where they could find what they needed.

Askari felt partially responsible for the whole thing. She had been pestering the elders about the rigidness of their rules, and feared her pestering had swayed them to consider making a decision they would never normally make, despite the fact that she hadn’t even been there at the time. No caves: the rule was simple enough. But the elders had broken the rule, without her even there to argue for it, and they had suffered greatly as a result. Askari had decided to step back a little after the last battle to really think about it. Maybe the rules served a bigger purpose than she had considered before. They had clearly been informed by experience, they weren't random; maybe she should work a little harder to understand them before she criticized them.

That said, her grandmother, whom she met when off trying to acquire the book for the Elders, had largely agreed with Askari about the rules—there were too many of them, they were too strict, and Minda had even suggested that the rigidity of the rules interfered with the prosperity of the community. Now, Askari felt she should take a little time to study and understand the rules, to gain a better grasp of how the community was set up, and to figure out how they had come to the place they were in now.

But it didn’t change the fact that she was bored. Restless. Antsy.

And Elol had noticed. Elder Elol had trained her since she was small, and was the closest thing she had to a parent in the community. Since returning from her mission, she had begun to ask him questions, mostly beginning with the word why, and he had done his best to answer all of them. She had learned a lot, but had worked to keep her opinions to herself, unless she was debating with Harcos or Shujaa.

Now, she tried to keep her head down, not break any rules, and do the work that needed to be done. Maybe she would find a way to make a difference and maybe not, but at the very least, she had to understand how and why everything operated before she tried to argue. And in the meantime, she was boiling with an unknown energy that wanted to make her explode. But she didn’t. She did chores. Trained. Showed up for sentry duty. And listened. But she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand it.

Askari followed Vica across the camp, waving briefly to Harcos so he would know where she had gone. He would have to find and interrogate the stranger on his own. She felt a small bubble of disappointment begin to rise, but she decided to ignore it. Grabbing several baskets, Askari sat down near the fire and began to sort the apples. It was their third harvest, and they would continue to gather more and more of these throughout the fall. She picked through, separating out the bruised and wormy ones. Those would be used for preserves, cooking, and cider, while the others could be eaten fresh. Apples were great because they lasted a long time and would stay edible through the winter.

Some of the younger warriors who weren't old enough for sentry duty had thrown a few logs onto the fire, and sparks flew high into the air. The children began to gather, sensing that Elder Dano was preparing to tell a story. She was the quietest of the Elders, but she told the best stories. Rumor was that she had a photographic memory, that she could remember everything she had ever read.

You want help?

Askari glanced up to see Shujaa standing nearby. She had a bandage wrapped around her hand where she had gotten a rash from something poisonous. She had been more adventurous the last few months, trying to learn as much as she could about plants, healing, and medicine.

It's going to be a good year for apples, Shujaa said. I can already tell.

Sure! Askari grinned at her friend.

Have you seen Harcos? Shujaa sat down on the log beside Askari and reached to help sift through the apples.

He ran off to find the stranger who came into camp, Askari replied.

A stranger? Alone? Shujaa raised her eyebrows. Who was it?

Askari shook her head. I don't know anything about him. Only that he rode a horse. And he had white teeth and broad shoulders and a scar on his jaw, but she wasn’t about to mention that out loud—not to Harcos, not to Shujaa.

Shujaa laughed. I'm sure Harcos was quite irritated with you for not harassing him with questions and finding out every possible detail about him.

He was. Askari laughed along with her, and then glanced over toward the fire. Dano had begun to speak, and the children around her sat rapt by the story. She wore rings on her fingers, and her necklace of teeth glittered in the sunlight.

And then the fog wrapped around my ankles and around my fingers, she said, and it dragged me down. The koponya stood over me, angry, ready to eat each of my toes, one by one. I began to breathe in the fog, and all I could see around me were hundreds and thousands of koponyas, all saying my name. Dano—Dano—Danooooo—

One of the children shrieked. Askari grinned. She remembered being their age, listening to Dano's tales. They were scary, but the people always triumphed over the monsters in the end. It wasn’t like that in real life, unfortunately.

But Elder Elol was waiting behind the door for the garg. Just as it was about to take its first bite, Elol jumped out, his sword in hand, and STABBED! Dano jerked her hand forward as if she were jabbing with a sword. Another child shrieked. And the koponya fell over dead!

The children clapped wildly.

What she neglects to mention, Askari heard from behind her, is that we lost five people that day. Koponyas are nasty business. And there weren’t really hundreds of them. Only two. She turned to see Elol standing there.

He settled down on the log beside Askari just as a small commotion arose a short distance beyond the fire. The stranger appeared, led by Vica. He carried a bowl of soup and smiled at those listening to Dano’s tale. He sat down next to the elder and set his food down beside him.

Tell us a story! one of the children exclaimed.

About koponyas? His smile broadened as he gazed at the circle of children before him.

Yeah! the children yelled as one.

Alright. The stranger made his eyes wide and clasped his hands in front of him. One day, I was out in the forest, hunting.

For food! one of the children called out.

That’s right, he said. I had been out all day and all night, and was very tired. I decided to head home, but then I heard a small sound coming from a bush nearby—a little squeaking noise. He made a peeping sound with his mouth, and the children laughed.

Askari was impressed by the stranger’s performance. She wasn’t good with large groups of children. One or two? Yes. She could manage that. But once she had to deal with more than three, she was a lost cause.

I walked over to the bush and pulled back a branch, and something exploded out of it! He jerked his torso backwards, as if he were avoiding the imaginary creature, and threw his hands up in front of his face. All I could see was orange!

That’s my favorite color! a little girl called out.

Because it’s the best color, the stranger replied, grinning at her. I ducked, and over my head leaped a strange, long-legged garg, with slimy legs and feathers all down its back. A tolla!

One of the children shrieked.

I reached for my blade, but before I could go after the garg, fog appeared at my feet. It built up around me, swirling and churning, coming from out of nowhere. He dropped his voice to a low pitch, barely above a whisper. It went up my legs, up and up past my knees, and up to my waist, until it was all around me.

The children sat frozen, staring at him with wide eyes.

Then, in the middle of the fog, I saw a face peering out at me. It was made from bone, with empty eyes, a long nose, and two vicious-looking horns. I felt like I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. And then I began to see images—visions—of my wildest nightmares all around me. Tentacles, teeth, claws, shining eyes and horns… He leaned forward. A koponya. And then, the koponya spoke. It said— He dropped his voice even lower and growled, Leave, human, or die!

Another child shrieked. Askari realized she had stopped sorting apples and was staring at the stranger’s face. The story was mesmerizing.

I asked it, ‘Are you going to kill me?’ I was so scared.

What did it say? a little boy whispered.

It said in a very deep voice, ‘I am a protector, not a killer.’ The stranger leaned back. I told it thank you for not hurting me, and then it let me go and I ran home as fast as I could!

What does it mean? one of the children asked. Being a protector?

Askari found herself wondering the same thing, and was quite curious to hear the stranger’s answer.

It means— the stranger tried to respond, but was cut off by Dano.

I think that’s enough, she said, waving her hand. Let the stranger eat.

A chorus of No! rang through the small crowd, and Askari noticed a frown settle on the stranger’s brow. What had Dano prevented him from saying?

He brought the bowl of soup up to his lips and drained the remaining liquid in one gulp, then leaned over and said something quietly to Dano. She nodded and looked out over the group of children, signaling to Elol. The stranger followed Dano’s gaze and caught Askari’s eyes. He grinned at her over his audience’s head.

Askari felt her stomach flip flop, and she rapidly shifted her attention back to the apples, trying to ignore the feeling.

That's my cue. Elder Elol stood and glanced back and forth from Askari to Shujaa. I need you two to do me a favor.

Anything, Askari said. Especially if it involved hunting or sneaking around or doing anything besides sorting apples.

Elol leaned in close and dropped his voice to barely a whisper. Find Agi, Harcos, and Sasa. I want the five of you to meet me at my tent in ten minutes. Finish sorting the apples though. He gestured at the apples and then strode in the direction of his tent.

Askari felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her as a grin crept across her face. What a curious group of warriors: Askari, Harcos, Sasa, and Agi were all on the same team, but he hadn't mentioned Lyront or Zaj, who were also on their team, and Shujaa was on a different team completely. Plus, Harcos wasn't good at fighting; Sasa was their team medic; and while Shujaa was a competent warrior, her abilities lay more with plants and medicines too. It sounded like they were going to have an interesting evening.

Odd, Shujaa said, shrugging. She tossed a bruised apple into the preserves pile and stood up. I'll round everyone up and then come get you.

*     *     * 

Askari waved as Shujaa strolled toward the warrior tents. She wondered if this had something to do with the stranger. Either way, it felt good to have something different to do.

Elol had a small lamp glowing in his tent when Askari arrived. She ducked into the tent behind Shujaa and saw that Harcos, Agi, and Sasa were already there. She tried not to grin as she noticed—the stranger was there too.

This is Fane, everyone, Elol said, introducing the stranger. From the Rokkin community.

Everyone murmured greetings as Elol went around the circle and introduced each of them.

You're the one who led me in, Fane said when Elol got to Askari.

I did, Askari said with a small smile. She met his eyes for a moment and then looked away. He had an intense stare, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She could feel warmth begin to creep up her neck.

Fane has some interesting news, Elol said. He nodded at Fane to speak.

On my way through, Fane said, I saw signs of a lecui, only about four miles from here.

A lecui? Harcos' eyes grew wide and a grin crossed his face. Really?

Fane grinned back at him, a sort of crooked smile that was both flattering and distracting. Really. Looks like a big one too. I'd hunt it myself, except my friends are a ways off, and it'd be too dangerous to do alone.

You could come with us, Harcos suggested cheerfully.

I'd love to, Fane replied, but I can't—I have to leave as soon as the sun comes up. Got a lead on another garg we’re hunting. A voro, if you can believe it.

Askari had never heard of a voro, but she could tell by the crease in Harcos’ brow that he at least had an inkling of what it was.

Who says we're going after the lecui, anyway? Shujaa asked, frowning. Baratok don't hunt. It's against the rules.

I don't mean to interrupt, Agi said, but could someone tell me what a lecui is?

Askari felt relieved. She hadn't known either and was glad Agi had been the one to ask, especially given the looks of mild annoyance Shujaa and Sasa shot her way, as if everyone was already supposed to know.

It's a rather large garg, Elol explained, and unique in that it has self-healing and regenerative properties.

"Not only self-healing, Harcos said, his eyes bright with excitement. It can heal us too—and they're extremely rare!"

"You mean we are hunting it?" Shujaa asked, eyebrows raised.

Elol kept his voice low. I am sending you on a quiet mission. We don't want the details spread around camp, understand? Hunting is not something we do often, but this is a special case. Their blood is extremely valuable, and can help with everything from wounds to diseases to the common cold. It would be irresponsible not to go after it.

Agi surveyed the group and crossed her