Spears of Redriver

Part Twelve - Reunited

Carthus matched Atora's pace down the dark corridors of the jail. Cells lined the walls on each side as they carved around a few corners. To the young Maeli, the prison seemed to run on forever. Back home, they didn't have jails at all, and the idea of locking someone in a cold and dark room seemed barbaric to Carthus. 

In the clanlands, if someone committed a crime, there was proper punishment. Most of the time, the offenders were cast out for a period, forced to live in the wild on their own. If it was a violent crime, the offender was either marked with scars on his face or killed altogether. There was no place for violence within a clan; there was enough violence between neighboring groups as it was. Despite the barbarism of leaving someone locked up, Carthus was eager to learn the ways of the world. 

"I take it that this is all normal to you?" Carthus asked, trying to force some conversation after a period of following Atora quietly. She ignored him, responding with only a glance backward. He prodded again, "we don't have jails or prisons back home."

She went on quietly, turning another corner. 

"Are you mad at me?" Carthus joked, but when she ignored him again, he reached for her arm, "why?".

"You!" she turned fiercely, stopping in her tracks. Carthus almost walked into her, but her outstretched arm kept him back, "you made me look like a fool back at the gates, Prince Cadan was not happy that I lost the strangers!".

"I did not mean for that to happen, I didn't know if I could trust you or any of the Rytari then...and the Nadaens came at us in that crowd! We had no weapons and no way of fighting them," Carthus defended himself, and then added, "I'm sorry."

"Maybe we could've helped you!" Atora replied, less harshly this time.

"I didn't believe a word you or Prince Cadan told us on that trip...still don't know if I believe any of this now" Carthus exclaimed. 

"Forget it; it doesn't matter anymore." Atora shook her head and turned to continue. 

"Hey, I really am sorry!" Carthus followed her again.

She ignored him again as they turned another corner. 

"You did smile when you first saw me in that cell" Carthus joked. 

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm just glad that you and your friends are alive, you all seemed like good people, but...maybe I was wrong!" Atora replied quickly, giving him a smile over her shoulder. 

"What do you mean you were wrong?" Carthus laughed. 

"You lot did cause all of that chaos in the streets," she said, pointing at the doors at the end of the hallway, where two dwarves stood guard, "Oro is in there."

"He's not under lock and key?" Carthus asked examining the doors and the guards. The cell doors were all made of iron, each with a small barred window at the top, while these were simple wooden doors that had no locks. The guards stood at the ready, armored and armed. 

"He was injured and is in the care of the healers. Go on in; I will fetch Jeden and all of your belongings" Atora urged him on. She turned and quickly disappeared down the hall.

"Injured huh?" Carthus whispered to himself absently and walked past the guards. 

He pushed open the doors and stepped inside the infirmary, letting them shut behind himself. Everything past the doors was not as he had expected. It was a single long room nearly fifty feet long. Each wall was lined with small cots where the injured or sick were being tended to by white robbed dwarves with small masks and belts full of vials and pouches. The room was clean and well lit by small floating robs that glowed a bright white light. 

Magic? He thought, examining the orbs in wonder. Each hung in the air just under the ceiling, completely unsupported by anything. He had never seen anything like it, but the thought of Oro injured pulled his attention away. There was no time for idleness. His gaze swept across the room as he walked, but each cot had an unfamiliar face in it. 

Most of the people in the cots were rough looking dwarves, but there were a few elves and even some bregiri. The only Maad man that Carthus saw was at the very end of the room, bandaged and sitting against the wall on his cot. Carthus smiled when he saw that Oro was up. He stepped quicker across the remainder of the room and stopped right in front of his friend, who had his eyes closed and didn't notice him approaching. Carthus frowned at the large split and wrapping that held what was left of Oro's arm up to his chest.

"Oro..." Carthus said quietly. 

The larger Maad Maeli slowly opened his eyes and blinked, adjusting to the light. His blank eyes stared off at Carthus, seemingly right through him.

"How are you brother?" Carthus asked.

"The Nadaens took my hand" he gestured down to the stump in the wrappings. He moved slowly but forced himself up away from the wall and stood in front of Carthus. 

"I'm sorry Oro, I should've been there!" Carthus lightly embraced his friend. They released, and the larger man placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"It's not your fault...they had us surrounded and outnumbered, even Jeden fought back," Oro sat back down on the edge of his bed, still showing no emotion. To Carthus, he seemed to be in shock. The large man blinked a few times, "where is Jeden?"

"He is on his way here, alive and well," Carthus said, "Prince Cadan got the king to release us."

"Prince Cadan?" Oro asked as if confused by the name and then nodded a moment later. He almost smiled for a second, "the healers, they gave me something...some herbal mixture...to numb the pain."

"Are you feeling better?" Carthus asked, "I know it will take getting used to but..."

"They took my hand Carthus," Oro exclaimed. There was an obvious fear in his eyes now, "I will never hold a spear again...and the Nadaens that did this left before we ran, to report to Jahkai."

"I know you Oro, and you won't let this stop you! I'll train with you until you can hold any weapon in hand...I won't give up on you!" Carthus barked, paused, and then continued softer, "and I'll find the bastards that did this to you!"

"Carthus! Oro!" Jeden's familiar voice cut in, followed by the young Maad and Atora behind him. Jeden hugged one after another and then stopped to glare at Oro.

"I'm glad you are well," Oro said to the smaller man. 

"I'm glad they patched you up Oro" Jeden smiled, but Carthus could see a hint of nervousness in him. 

"They are releasing us," Carthus said.

"What will we do now?" Jeden asked.

"Go back to Deredeus' villa...pay our respects to the man..." Carthus said.

"He died?" Jeden asked suddenly.

"Yes, he died from his wounds, and the man in charge of the Coren Swords now refuses to go after the Nadaens," Carthus said, "I will gather those that will fight on with us, and we will get it done...for Deredeus and you, Oro." 

"They will likely report back to Jahkai...he was not there during the attack," Jeden said. 

"Jahkai will not trouble us any more. I killed him...that's why I was not there," Carthus said with regret, "I went to cut off the snake's head, and this madness happened...I should've been there."

"He's dead? And you didn't tell us that you were going after him?" Oro asked.

"I didn't want to involve you; you've both sacrificed too much for me already" Carthus exclaimed.

"We are in this together Carthus!" Jeden said. 

"When you find the rest of the Nadaens...I want to be there!" Oro said, "don't go after them alone as you did with Jahkai."

"I promise," Carthus nodded in agreement, "we are in this together!"