Children of Fire and Sun: The Rebellion (Updates Resume From April 2025)

Chapter Eleven: Maysa (Æscford)

"The things I do for you, my sweet." Remus sighed in a theatrical manner, causing her to smile even wider.

A distinguished grunt brought their attention back to the watering hole. Sure enough, the object of their conversation was here; a male boar with two distinguished tusks protruding from its mouth. Maysa squinted harder, her heart in her mouth. This could be the one. Their waiting would at last pay off.

It was of a stocky build with a muscular bulk. The fur was bristly, with patches that seemed to have never grown, a probable side effect of scars gained from fights. Yet what caught Maysa's attention was not its impressive tusks or its massive length. It was the way it walked with a noticeable limp.

A fresh cut was present on its hind legs, too precise to have come from another animal. Her conviction grew stronger, that this was the one, when she peered closer at its left tusk. Even from a considerable distance, the dark crimson stains were visible. Not only that, its tip was broken.

"We are in luck, it seems." Remus shared a look with Maysa.

She sat up straight on the branch upon which she was perched. Careful not to rustle the leaves and thus alert the beast, she brought out an arrow from her quiver. She fitted it into her bow and positioned it in front of her. Maysa maintained her vigil as the boar leaned over to lap the murky waters of the watering hole. That is when she released the bow.

The arrow twirled in the air, a whisper in the wind. It pierced through the boar's hide from the left side, moving deeper as it ripped apart vital arteries. Momentum carried it even deeper, puncturing the left lying before embedding itself in the boar's heart.

All of it happened so fast that the creature did not get the chance to comprehend what had happened. It emitted a feeble squeak, before staggering backwards in unsteady steps. In the next few moments, it fell, which caused the arrow to drive even deeper into its body. A small pool of fresh blood appeared beneath the fallen beast.

Back on the treetop, Maysa and Remus did not share the exuberance that might be expected of two experienced hunters after a successful hunt. Their faces bore grim lines as they watched the once majestic animal bleed to its death. Alone and unattended, save for its killers. Who would remember it after its death? Its life would remain unaccounted for, its most precious moments unknown.

"Forgive us," Maysa felt a tear trickle down her cheek. "We had no choice but to do this."

She hoped that the boar's soul found peace at last, whose sole mistake perhaps was to defend the territory upon which they had so rudely trespassed.

~•~

It took the three of them until evening to haul back the dead boar to their camps.

For the first time, the two separate encampments came together for a night of revelry. The corpse had been cleaned, skinned and roasted, whose meat had been shared amongst men of both sides. They devoured this delicacy with mugs of ale, their jests and laughter creating an unnatural raucous in the forest.

"I must say that I have never had such soft boar meat," Edmund said, chewing on a large thigh of the slain creature, ale in his left hand. "Praise the gods for this meal!"

Janus sat beside him near the fire, his face bearing signs of relief. He, too, indulged in ale and meat, as the men spoke of past exploits and similar hunts. Save for Maysa and Remus, they all were engaged in banter and camaraderie, their differences forgotten for the moment. As for Maysa, she stood beneath a tree, wearing her favourite emerald robe. Somehow, this revelry did not feel right to her. Did they forget Lysa was still missing?