On Death's Honor

Chapter 26: Orik Has Questions

The boy's face turned scarlet, he glanced over his shoulder to see if any of his family were awake.

"I won't help you take my father to your cult."

Ah. That's right.

"Believe me, kid, I have no love for them."

"Yet you still follow their codes."

A thin, humorless smile curled at my lips.

"Not by choice."

Lanie scowled, his brain working to disclose who, exactly, I was.

"Why would they force you?" He finally asked. "You don't even have the Sixth Source."

I don't have time for this. I leaned forward. He took a step back, bumping into the door frame as he did so.

"Listen, Lanie. Every moment you spend questioning me is a moment a monster is getting further and further away. She just turned Canden's countryside to blood and ash. I will speak to your father, whether you approve or not."

Again, his eyes darted to my sword before resting on my face. Without breaking free from his gaze, I untied the coin pouch at my belt, raising it for him to see.

"He won't go unrewarded."

A muscle in his jaw twitched.

"Are you certain you weren't born a demon, yourself?" He finally asked, but didn't give me time to respond. He briskly turned around, leaving the door open as he made his way towards where I assumed his father was.

I eyed the markings carved on the doorpost, Lanie's question lingering in my mind like an annoying thorn in my side.

No, being a demon would have made things significantly easier. They'd have killed me long ago.

-.-.-.-.-

We were sprinting through the open farmland scattered between Canden and the rolling hills that stretched far to the east. I needed to find Mutnya's base before she returned. She would be taking her time now that she had her fill of blood, but I needed every bit of spare time I could get.

Not to mention, the gelbeast wasn't at all too keen on attempting to slow down, anyway, wanting to put as much distance between herself and that bloody field as possible. So she ran harder and faster than any other land horse could ever hope to manage. I sat low on top of her, my legs pressed firmly against her sides as I wrapped my arms around her neck. Orik sat behind me, pressed against my back, his bulky arms awkwardly wrapped around my front. I knew it wasn't comfortable writing the beast without a saddle.

Unfortunately for him, I didn't exactly care at the moment. At least he didn't take much convincing. The moment I mentioned that I was hunting a nymphtan, he was halfway out the door, proving that he was more than the simple man he'd claimed to be once again.

The sun was making its way across the sky, as if eager to be done with the land so quick to water its soil with the liquid life of others. Pretty soon, we were going to be looking at a mere handful of hours in daylight. I wasn't much looking forward to the upcoming snow and winter chill. Horrible thing it was, to be constantly exposed to biting winds, freezing rain, and blinding snow.

We ran ahead until there was maybe thirty minutes of light left, casting the valley in more shadow than exposure.

Orik was all too quick to dismount, but the gelbeast looked at me as if she wasn't ready to stop even after a day's worth of riding. I patted her flank.

"We'll be riding hard tomorrow," I assured, her breath warm on my face. "Get some rest." As my own legs and backside were complaining something sore.

We stopped by a little grove of trees, steering well away from the crumbled roadsides to avoid any unwanted attention. I took the time to scout the area, making sure that we didn't just accidentally stumble into some sort of nymphian dwelling place or graveyard. The last thing I needed was for the nymphtan far behind us to draw out more tree ghouls while we slept. I'd know the woodland surrounding Canden was old. I just didn't think it had been old enough to harbor so many dormant nymphs that resided within their trees.

Orik didn't know that little detail. I didn't bother to tell him that the nymphtan we were hunting had already laid waste to Canden's outer country. I wasn't sure if Lanie told him, either, or if he expected me to fill his dad in what was going on. All I'd said was that there was a nymphtan I needed to catch and was currently on the move, then made sure to avoid running past Canden in the open.

He didn't ask many questions until we set up camp.

"You said you needed me for the auzir," he began as I huddled deeper within my cloak. We'd decided not to risk a fire in case the nymphtan saw. I wouldn't put it past her to make the decision in hunting a pair of lone travelers, even after she'd gotten the bloodbath she'd craved.

There was also the chance of running into Bonosoli. I wasn't sure where the runkin was at this point, but I also didn't want to chance running into a higher ranking Circle member when I was supposed to stay in Canden. I'll deal with that bit later.

So we sat, backs against a tree, hoping that it wouldn't snow or rain. Orik had snagged a bit of cheese and bread before he left, to which we split. Tomorrow night would be a day of dried meat and whatever we could scavenge out in the wild. According to Orik, there were a couple of small villages that dotted the way between here and the hills we were heading in. I still wasn't decided if we should stop for food, there. Wasn't sure if Orik would want to delay hunting the nymphtan, either.

"Yes. I need you to use the symbols that will help me sleep for a couple hours. I can't fight a nymphtan if I can't think clearly."

Orik nodded.

"You won't be helping me fight her," I added. Then, at his sharp glance, I rolled my eyes. "Once we get there, I recommend you take the gelbeast and circle back around to Canden-"

"And how, exactly, do you suppose you'll get back?"

"I won't. I'm not going back."

Silence. Orik sighed.

"We have some questions for each other," I said after a moment. Orik tipped his head in acknowledgement.

"We do."

I glanced over at him.

"You're not a simple man, Orik. How do you know what a nymphtan is? How to use auzir?"

"Is that not common knowledge?"

"You know it's not."

"I told you. My wife-"

"You weren't there when Sanvik was executed, when the Circle made an appearance," I interrupted. "She couldn't have known-"

"Sanvik was executed?"

I stared at him. He narrowed his eyes.

"They killed your best friend, and now you're one of them?"

I looked away. This was not something I wanted to discuss.

"What happened to you, H-"

"You don't know me, Orik," I interrupted. He laughed.

"You may not remember me, but I remember the grief you gave our elders-"

But I was already shaking my head, wishing he would just forget about the things that occurred over twenty years ago.

"Enough of this." I stood, briefly stretching myself before turning on him. "Clearly, we won't be giving any answers. I asked for your help because I need you to use auzir. Wake me up in a few hours' time so we can switch watch."

Orik remained seated, staring up at me in the dying sunlight.

"I can do that," he said slowly. Then he rose to his feet. "But I want something answered."

When I remained silent, he continued.

"Why did you join them?"

It was instinct that made me act. I stepped forward until we were inches apart. I had to raise my chin slightly to meet his eyes, but fuck, I needed to get it clear to him that my past was off limits. He didn't want to tell me where he learned his stuff? Fine. I could live without knowing. I wasn't going to spill my life story because he just so happened to remember a girl from decades ago.

"How many times must I say that I am not who you think I am?"

~ 2078 Words ~

Orik's back! For a little while, at least