A Paladin's War Ch. 06

© Antidarius 2021

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A PALADIN'S WAR

CHAPTER SIX

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6.1: Vesovar

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Elaina sat on the small cot she'd lain down on what felt like both an age ago and at once only minutes past, her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her heart still hammered at her ribs as if it wanted to smash them to pieces, though it was a little better now than it had been upon waking. She barely registered Noah's concerned face before her, the sharp angles of his cheeks and nose looking all the sharper the way they caught the light from the lantern sitting in the corner of the room.

The memories of those mad dreams and visions kept spinning through her mind. They were fading, but all too slowly for her liking. Gods, it feels like my brain's been pulled apart like a ball of yarn. Her muscles twitched involuntarily, too, from time to time, quivering like jelly.

"You should have a drink," Noah was saying. His voice was distant, muffled, even though he was right there. He was holding out a clay cup from where he knelt beside the cot, its contents unknown.

Another voice sounded, and Elaina managed to look up enough to see Edda standing in the doorway. She was asking her brother if Elaina was alright.

"Her nerves are shattered," he replied without taking his eyes off Elaina. "But she is steadying slowly."

That was an understatement, Elaina knew, even in her current state of disarray. Edda said something back, asking what had happened.

"I'm not sure," Noah answered slowly. He held the cup steady as she reached for it with a shaky hand. "But I think it was significant."

Elaina barked a laugh, making Noah and Edda start. Well, she had meant it to be a laugh, but it had sounded more like a pained groan. Significant? I feel I've been trampled by a herd of Sorral bison! She only slopped a little of the liquid onto her hand as she brought the cup to her lips. "Gah!" she sputtered as the burning sensation hit her mouth. "W-What is th-this?"

"Whisky," Noah told her calmly. "To settle you. You're shaking like a leaf in a summer storm." As he spoke, the little she'd managed to swallow hit her belly, spreading a pleasant warmth. "See? You're feeling better already."

She took another swig, bigger this time, and felt the effects grow. Taking a deep breath, she handed him back the cup, forcing her lips into a smile of gratitude for his care. He grinned and held the cup out for Edda to refill. She took it and hurried off.

"It is good to see you awake," he said when they were alone. "I was worried you would not come out of your sleep." He put a hand on her arm and squeezed gently. It was then that Elaina looked past him to see the room in a state of upheaval. A broken chair lay in one corner, and against one wall a washstand lay in splintered pieces, as if it had been dashed against the stone. What had happened? Had there been an attack? When she asked as much, Noah shook his shaggy head.

"You are a restless dreamer," he said in that slow way he had of speaking. "You were thrashing about so, I thought you were going to hurt yourself, so I held you down as much as I could." He shifted his weight a little, and Elaina caught the slight wince on his face as she felt pain flare in his ribs through the melda. As she became aware of the ribs, a dozen other hurts in his body bloomed in her mind. "You are very strong," he finished with a grin.

"Oh, Noah! I did this to you?" She felt awful. Forcing herself forward, she shuffled closer and put her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly, careful not to antagonise any of her own lingering hurts, which he could no doubt feel, too.

"You are worth this pain, and much, much more," he said into her neck. "Though I hope every night with you is not going to be this way. I might not survive the month." His beard felt fuzzy against her soft skin. She suddenly wanted very much to make love to him, pain or no. Chuckling, she kissed him softly.

Edda returned, then, and they ended their embrace so Elaina could drink another tot. Whether it was the whisky or her natural abilities, she was starting to feel better by the second.

"How long was I... dreaming?" That was the gentlest way of putting it. She shuddered again as more visions flashed, though they were dimmer, now.

"A night and a day," Edda answered. The young, auburn-haired arohim watched her curiously. "Will I be as strong as you one day?" She asked suddenly, a light of mischief in her grey eyes. "I'd very much like to throw Noah around like that when he annoys me!"

"Edda!" Noah growled, looking over his shoulder. "Now is not the time!"

Elaina made soothing noises to her meldin before answering. "It is most likely," she told Edda seriously. "If you train hard and apply yourself. You may even surpass me." Edda seemed pleased with that, but her face sobered when Noah addressed Elaina.

"My love, are you well enough to travel? If we want to get to Vesovar in time, we must leave tonight. We made a promise to Burin."

"Yes," she replied firmly, suiting her words by pushing herself up from the bed and standing. Her legs felt as if they might fold any moment, but she made herself remain upright. Noah slipped an arm around her waist for support. For the first time, she realised she was wearing only a white shirt and nothing else, all the way unlaced and hanging open.

"You're so pretty," Edda murmured appreciatively. The girl was quite openly looking her up and down. Elaina smiled and thanked her for the compliment before Noah chased his younger sister out with instructions on what to gather for their journey.

A short time later, the three were mounted out the front of the house and trotting south at a pace Elaina could manage without falling off. Noah was keeping a close eye on her, and she could feel his concern coming strongly through the melda, but she was recovering quickly. Noah had found her a snack of dried meat and bread and some cheese which had helped her along somewhat, though she wished there were time to eat more.

The night felt close as they rode, the darkness clinging to them like a second skin despite the pole lantern tucked behind Noah's stirrup and the shorter one lashed behind Edda's saddle. The fat moon was shrouded by thick clouds, offering little extra light to see by, though Elaina hardly needed it. Her night vision was not fully restored, yet, but she could see well enough. To her, the passing trees and shrubs and the contours of the grassy ground beneath Willow's hooves appeared in her mind as impressions, colourless and still somewhat fuzzy, but no less real than actually seeing them in the bright of day.

It had not taken much convincing to make Noah concede to her riding at the front; even not at her best, her abilities would still give them an edge they wouldn't otherwise have if something went awry. Besides, travelling at night was dangerous at the best of times. A bear or a pack of wolves presented almost as much risk as encountering darkspawn.

Just behind her, his grey's nose almost bumping into Willow's rump, Noah was muttering about not being able to see in the dark, his shaggy head swivelling this way and that as he eyed the trees to either side of the track. His bow was held before him crossways, resting on his saddle, though Elaina knew he could have it raised with arrow nocked faster than she could blink.

Edda rode beside her brother, her big eyes even wider as she rode plump Dancer, more a barrel on legs than a horse. Elaina wished the girl could have ridden behind her or Noah, but if they were attacked, she needed to be able to fight unhindered. She realised she was fingering Shatter's hilt and made herself stop lest Edda see the motion and grow more worried. As it was, the girl felt scared enough. It was a wonder she wasn't a blubbering mess from the fear Elaina sensed in her. Poor child. First she loses her parents and sister, then she must leave her home in the dark under threat of a darkspawn attack. She's doing better than I would in her shoes.

The first half hour passed uneventfully, apart from a drizzle that set in and gradually soaked through their cloaks, leaving them in a chill damp that only got worse when the wind arrived. It wasn't a gale by any stretch, but any wind at all when you were wet and cold was unpleasant. Noah softly grumbled about bowstrings and moisture, most of it lost in the sporadic breezes.

When they reached the Vesovar Road, Elaina led the party south toward the city, though she kept them off the road as they threaded their way out of the Hills of Gaela and into more level terrain.

Edda asked a couple of times if they might stop and light a fire, but got a firm 'no' from Noah, despite the fact he was as chilled as she was. Elaina felt the cold distantly; the warm light of her vala kept the worst of it at bay.

Going by the dim moonlight shadowed by the clouds above - now sitting low off to the west, they'd been riding for about four hours when Elaina pulled Willow to a halt in a small stand of ash and quietly suggested a short stop to stretch legs and rest the horses. She didn't need it, of course, but Noah's ribs had been shooting jolts of pain through him at every step. You wouldn't know it to look at him, except for maybe a slight tightness at the corners of his eyes and mouth, but she felt it well enough.

The rangy hunter dismounted with an ease that belied how much the action hurt him, and Elaina felt another pang of guilt at knowing she was the one who'd done it to him. She would have to make it up to him soon.

Feeling much better than she had upon waking, Elaina walked a circle around the small clearing while Noah fussed over Edda, all the while ignoring her protests that she was fine and didn't need his help. It made her sad, that Edda was now his only family. It was no mystery as to why he was being so protective of his younger sister. Not his only family, she reminded herself. He has me, now. And in turn, the rest of the arohim.

At some point, Edda's annoyed remarks towards her brother dissolved into tears, and she fell against him, sobbing. Elaina watched sadly, a tear escaping her own eye as she felt the girl's pain as well as Noah's, the latter much stronger for Elaina. She gave them as much time as she dared before gently interrupting and getting them moving again.

Not long later, under a pre-dawn sky dimmed by the clouds, Noah rode up beside her. He said nothing for long moments, then spoke quietly, for her ears alone. "A day and a night to reach Vesovar, then fight a battle at the end." He didn't look at her directly as he continuously scanned their surroundings, an endless series of hills broken by the occasional ridge.

Elaina didn't respond right away. He didn't want her to, really. He just wanted to say it out loud to get the concern out of his mind. She almost suggested that he not fight and let the Dwarves handle the battle, but after losing his family, he would want to be in the thickest of it, to make the darkspawn pay with blood for his grief. That was not the way to end grief - she knew that better than anyone - but Noah would not appreciate a lecture on the matter at this moment.

"Yes," she said finally. "That is our course." She kept her own eyes ahead. Her senses told her far more about her meldin than her eyes ever could. He nodded - and oddly - relaxed.

"Perhaps it is for the best," he said with a sudden smile. There was actually something of a sparkle in his eyes! The pain inside him had lessened somewhat, but he should be months, if not years, away from healing that grief.

A little alarmed at his sudden transition, Elaina searched the emotions coming from him quickly, trying to understand. When she realised, she pulled Willow up short, making the mare snort in annoyance. "You are expecting to die tomorrow, aren't you?" It was not really a question. Edda's gasp from behind her made her wish she'd been more careful, but she was too incensed to care. Her gaze bored into his as she awaited his reply.

Noah reined in his grey and turned to face her. "It is possible," he said as if saying Dwarves were short. "Likely, even."

"Likely?!" Elaina scoffed. Gods, but she was angry at him! Years she had kept herself from melding again, but Aran had made her want to open up, and so Noah had happened, too, and now he wanted to go and die on her? She would kill him herself, first! "There are ninety thousand Dwarves set to fall upon Vesovar like a godly hammer! Our victory is all but assured! All we must do is..." She trailed off as she remembered the plan she'd hatched with Burin. "Oh, Noah, you cannot think we will fail at this."

Her heart sank. All this time she had been envisioning herself riding into danger to draw the enemy out of the city, but of course, Noah would insist on riding with her. His heart was telling her he loved her, but that heart was broken in two after losing his family, and he wasn't sure he could find his way back.

Angrily, she dashed tears from her eyes. "You will not throw your life away so needlessly, you understand? You have people who need you." She jerked her head toward Edda to punctuate her words. The girl was staring at Noah ashen-faced, as if already seeing his death in her mind.

Noah smiled sadly at his sister. "I am sorry, Edda. I have been a fool. Please, forgive me." After a long moment, Edda nodded quickly, though she still looked shaken.

"I could not bear losing you, too, brother," she said tremulously. "Please, stay alive for me?"

Noah nodded and said he would of course do so, but Elaina felt the lie on his lips, and saw it in his eyes. "Would you throw away my heart so easily?" She asked him in almost a whisper. "After so short a time together?"

His mouth tightened at that, and she felt the conflict in him. Love fighting against pain and sorrow and rage, each struggling for dominance. Aros, please let him be alright, she pleaded silently.

Her question, he did not answer as he turned his grey and cantered on south, leaving the two women watching his retreating back.

The sun rose behind a thick shroud of grey clouds above, though little rain fell as they journeyed further south and east. No further bands of darkspawn hampered their route, which meant they had either moved north already, or were camped in Vesovar. Breaks from the saddle were kept brief; it would be close to nightfall by the time they reached the city.

Would she even recognise Vesovar, more than thirty years since leaving it? What about her family? After all that had happened, she hoped they were alive, even if they did not wish the same for her. It isn't their fault, she told herself for the millionth time since leaving so long ago. The Heralds poisoned their minds. Still, she could not completely repress the sadness that had plagued her so long ago, the same sadness that sometimes reared up in her when she pictured the faces of her mother, father and brother, looking at her as if seeing a monster.

Stop it! She chided herself. Up ahead, Noah shot her a questioning look over his shoulder. He would have felt her emotions just now and would be wondering what they were about. She hadn't told him about them, yet. She hadn't even told Aran, though she got the sense he knew she was keeping something from him. She would tell him when ready.

Love before hate, she reminded herself as she followed Noah up a steep, grassy incline dotted with thick clumps of knifegrass. Suddenly she realised the air had a stillness to it that hadn't been there before, and she hadn't heard a bird chirping for some time.

Alarmed, she opened her mouth to call to Noah - he was nearly at the crest of the rise - but he was already dismounting to walk the last few feet in a crouch, keeping his head low. Motioning for Edda to stay back, Elaina did the same, keeping her vala suppressed, until she was peeking over the rise with him. Down below, in the valley between this hill and the next, a long column of darkspawn wound its way past. Small, dark Goblins running with hulking Trolls of grey or dark green in the winding snake of monsters, alongside dog-faced Gnolls and their razorbacks - the giant boars they often hunted with.

The front and rear of the column were out of sight from here, the way they were threading between the hills so, making it impossible to guess the darkspawn numbers without her vala. Beside her, Noah's fists were tight balls on the grass, his face a grim mask. She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, and when he looked at her, she shook her head slowly. After a moment, he nodded, and she exhaled in relief. He was raw, inside, and liable to try and throw himself down the hill in a rage if she didn't keep an eye on him.

"So many," she whispered as she watched the column. "We're lucky we did not run into them." Noah said nothing, his stony grey eyes fixed on the valley.

"We need to move," he said finally, jerking his head west. "Get out of these hills. It's too dangerous to continue this way."

Elaina had to agree. Silently, they retreated down the slope and remounted. When Edda opened her mouth to say something, she was silenced by Elaina putting a quick finger to her own lips. With Elaina not daring to open her vala even slightly, Noah took the lead and led them to the base of the hill, then west, toward the Vesovar Road.

The grassy folds of land grew shorter and fewer between as they rode at a quick canter, hurrying but at a pace the horses could maintain for a time. Still, that did not stop them running almost headlong into a scouting party of darkspawn not a mile from where they'd seen the main force. A dozen Goblins and two Trolls skidded to a halt at the top of the next hill, perhaps two hundred paces away, while Elaina and Noah and Edda were at the bottom, looking up.

A moment of shocked surprise froze everyone, and then the darkspawn uttered gleeful cries and charged, the Goblins leaping down nimbly while the Trolls thundered heavily. Elaina steadied Willow as she whickered in fear, and Edda was having trouble with Dancer, the plump mare rearing and rolling her eyes. An arrow took a Goblin in the face as Noah loosed, and his second took another in the chest, crumpling them both at full tilt, their bodies sliding down the slope limply.

Elaina drew Shatter and looked at Edda. The girl had tried to pull her bow from her back but had dropped it while trying to control her horse. She couldn't fight, and with her horse going wild, she couldn't flee. Making her decision, Elaina roared and leaped from the saddle toward the darkspawn, flashing up the hill and meeting them in four long, vala-enhanced strides that covered twenty-five paces each until she crashed into them, even as Noah's arrows flashed past her to find corrupted flesh. He would not hit her; he was a good shot, one of the best she had ever seen.

Careful not to let the Goblins touch her, she moved among them, smashing heads and bodies while avoiding the massive clubs carried by the Trolls that threatened to crush every bone in her body. A few Goblins fell afoul of those clubs, which helped Elaina some as she fought to stop them getting to Edda.

Once the Goblins were disposed of, Elaina squared off with the Trolls. Both of a size - easily nine or ten feet and half as wide - the blunt-faced brutes grinned hungrily as they eyed her, no doubt hoping to cart her off for their fun. The grins slipped when an arrow found the eye of one. It roared in pain and clutched at its face while the other stepped forward and swung at Elaina, its club crashing into the ground where she'd been standing. She took its knee first, Shatter crushing the bone and bringing a scream that dwarfed that of its companion, before disabling the arm that held the club.