Blood Will Tell

XII

A hanafiend: a hideous attempt at a hybrid between a man and a desert spider. From afar, it looked very much like a spider, with its eight legs sprouting from the sides of its nude body. Up close, though, one could see the ways it was molded to be more like a man—at the end of each limb was a hand, at least twice as large as the average man's hand, its palms padded with thick skin to withstand the scorching hot ground; its main body was not round and bulbous, but long and slender, with clearly defined thighs that would branch into pairs of hind legs; and its head did not have pincers, but a more humanoid mouth and only a single pair of eyes, though it did have slits in place of ears and noses. It had almost no fur to cover its skin, which was as beige as the sand that sifted between its stubby fingers.

The hanafiend crawled across the desert. It was not nearing the post or the village, but instead crawled past it. Edin held his breath. Perhaps, if it would continue along its path, then he and Rowan would not need to slay it.

The hanafiend tilted its bald head towards Stoll. A right arm lifted off the ground, outstretched towards the village, and then stomped on the sand.

The course was changed.

"You think we can ask her to kill it?" Rowan asked.

"I don't know, maybe," Edin said. "You ask her."

"No, you ask her! She's your mentor."

"Was my mentor. You ask. You suggested it."

"Edin, I'm shy."

"Shy? You talked to her during the inspection!"

"That's different! I-I wasn't asking her to do something, you know."

"I'll go with you." Edin stood up from his seat. "You talk."

The two of them trod side by side towards the stairwell. Edin gestured, and Rowan climbed the steps ahead of him. Quick and light thumps chased a series of loud and heavy thuds.

When they got to the second floor, Arden was still watching from the window, her back facing the stairwell. The recruits exchanged glances. There was a gesture with the head, followed by a nudge.

"Uh, Senior Arden?"

"What is it, Rowan?" she addressed him, her back still facing them.

"There's a hanafiend approaching this post."

"I can see that from here."

Edin and Rowan shot glances at each other. Was Senior Arden Mægenstern reluctant to head into the battlefield? Surely Idelhen's most powerful guardian could take on such a creature?

"Why are you two still here? You're both guardians, are you not?"

Rowan gulped. "Yes, we are."

"That's all I need to hear."

The two boys exchanged another set of looks before both of them climbed down the stairs. They were trembling from head to toe, albeit not so visibly.

"We have to fight it," Rowan said.

"And we better get started now, before it gets too near the village," Edin added.

Rowan gave a nod, his head bobbing up and down like a loose spring.

Edin opened the door. "After you."

"After you." Rowan gestured. "You're older than me."

Edin sighed and exited the post ahead. He closed the door behind them. At once, they trod towards the creature, their throats as dry as the parched ground beneath them.