Corrupting a Daughter of Light

"What happened instead?" I asked, guessing from his tone that things hadn't exactly gone according to plan.

"Before I could rush in for another attack I was sure would best him, your mentor worked a Miracle. She imprisoned the man in a cell of light before telling him that she would leave him there to rot until the miracle wore off if he did not choose to surrender peacefully."

"That's amazing! That's a terrifyingly difficult miracle to work."

Tashek grinned at my energetic response. "Clearly the would-be-robber agreed. He quickly surrendered, not trusting that your mentor's miracle would wear off before he died of hunger or thirst. Quite the impressive woman, that mentor of yours."

I nodded my agreement and was struck by a sudden hope. As casually as a cat waking up from a long nap, I purred, "She really is. I don't suppose she ever mentioned me to you, did she."

Seeing right through me, Tashek laughed and said, "Several times."

"What did she say about me?" I asked, barely able to contain my excitement at the prospect of learning what my mentor had thought of me.

Tashek brushed his dark locks away from his gorgeous blue eyes before saying, "She told me she was training the most talented future Daughter she had ever seen. Said you would one day probably be more powerful than she was. She was proud to call you her sister, even before you were given your First Rights."

I felt myself glowing as brightly as Mara's light. For Dani to say that I would one day be more powerful than even she was truly was a complement of the highest order. Still, even as flattered as I was at that moment, a small trickle of fear leaked into my heart. Dani had not been there that terrible day. The day my miracles had failed me in our combat training.

***

On the morning of the fourth day, I woke to the gentle rolling of the wagon. Unlike the previous few nights when Tashek and I had made camp, Tashek had insisted on journeying on through the night, suggesting that I try to rest in the back of the covered wagon. When I had asked about it, he had merely said that this part of the Queen's road was known to be a little more dangerous and that he'd rather be half a day's journey to Ranthe by morning than make camp a day's journey from any settlement.

I had let the matter drop the night before. I could tell the holy Knight did not wish to trouble me with his worries. Still, now that we were that much closer to Ranthe, I guessed he would be more open about what had shaken him so badly the day before. I knew that batting my eyes at him a few times was sure to get him talking at the very least.

Rubbing sleep from my eyes and doing my best to tuck my hair back into a ceremonial braid, I crawled across the wagon floor and poked my head outside the wagon cover. Tashek turned in his seat to greet me with a worn smile. The night had clearly been a long one for him, but his smile seemed to suggest he felt he had come out victorious in the end.

"Would you like me to take the reigns for a bit? I'm sure you're several hours past wanting to lay your head down to rest."

Tashek shook his head seriously, his eyes a bit glazed as he said, "We're not out of the woods yet. It is my duty to see you safely to Ranthe. I can't afford to grow lax with my responsibility, even with our destination that much closer, not even for sleep. If anything were to happen to you on my watch, I would never be able to forgive myself."

"Very well, my valiant knight, but upon our arrival, I will use the coin Dani gave me to secure lodging where you will rest from then until Mara's light crests the sky anew."

"That...sounds lovely, actually," The weary knight said, acknowledging how much his body truly needed the rest.

"So, brave knight, what is it that had you so worried last night that you felt we couldn't afford to make camp?"

Tashek's expression grew dark as he thought on the question. After a long pause, he asked, "How much do you know about what's been going on in Haven these past few months?"

"I know that the monsters of this land have grown listless. Clearly. We wouldn't be going to Ranthe if that weren't the case."

Tashek sighed and said, "That's not even the half of it."

Not wanting to be seen as sheltered or ignorant, I quickly said, "I also have heard that the movements of these breasts have become organized, but I'm inclined to agree and say that such rumors are just rumors. Orcs and the like are not capable of such coordination."

Tashek grimaced and said, "So far, my brothers-in-arms have been quick to agree with that, but I'm not so sure. We know that more and more maleficent creatures pour in from the Wastes surrounding Haven each day. They are attacking more frequently and some argue with regularity in their attacks. Farms burn. Men turn to violence as their livelihoods are disrupted. More and more people are disappearing, and even aid from the church now seems to avoid venturing to the border settlements of Haven." He shrugged, his expression a little hard as he said, "I don't know what to make of it all. All I know is that I need to keep you and the other Daughters safe. For many, you are the only light and relief in a world growing darker by the day."

In that moment, I wanted to reach out to him, to cup his face in both of my hands, assure him that he was doing all he could, and promise I would do the same. I wanted to look into those deep blue eyes and offer any word that would act as a salve to the worry that clearly wounded his soul. I wanted to serve him as a Daughter, just as I wanted to serve the people of Ranthe. Sadly, I was stopped from doing either.

Before I could so much as draw my next breath, there was a wicked whistling sound that tore through the air followed by a loud thud as something slammed into the canvas covering the wagon. In seconds, the thick canvas was smoking as two more fiery arrows joined the first, sinking into the overhanging fabric as they singed its fibers.

Tashek pulled me out of the wagon before I truly had a sense of what was happening.

"My scepter!" I cried, realizing I had failed to grab it from the wagon.

"A little fire won't hurt a holy relic like that," Tashek said, hefting his spear as he unclasped his shield from where it had rested on his back, "The same cannot be said for you, fair maiden."

That had not been my concern, but I did not say as much to Tashek. Scepters made for the daughters of Mara were crafted to hold some of Mara's own light in their shafts, something that Daughters could draw on to help them work Miracles. Without it, I would only have the inner light of Mara that flowed within my veins to draw from. I just prayed to the goddess it would be enough.

With nothing else to defend myself with, I reached for the sacred dagger Dani had given me just before we had parted ways, the second of the two gifts each Daughter who was blessed with her First Rights was given. the blade felt small in my clammy hands, but still, I held it out before me as I pressed myself against Tashek so we stood back to back, waiting for our foes to face us, even as the flames eating at our wagon grew ever higher.

LightSoul whined as he started to feel the heat near him intensify.

"Your horse, my brave knight," I said, moving toward him, raising my dagger to cut the reigns.

"He will be fine," Tashek said, pulling me back into formation with his shield hand, all while keeping his eyes focused on what was before him. Though he tried to say it with confidence, the brief glance I had seen of his face told another story. Just as there had been genuine passion in those cool blue eyes the day we had met, so was there now true fear swirling within them

It was a good thing Tashek had pulled me to him. Barely ten seconds of tense silence had passed when the thicket of trees and brush seemed to come to life as about twenty figures of various sizes stole their way to the clearing around the road. Even as I tried to catch a glimpse of our attackers, I felt myself recoil in horror. I had never seen a goblin or an orc before. Yet now I was sure I had seen both.

Most of the figures that now surrounded us were big brutish things with teeth the size of tusks on their lower jaw and jagged weapons that looked far more crude than any I had seen before, but with a steely glint that promised they would cut me just as surely as my own fine dagger would. The skin of these taller ones was a faint pink and leathery, looking to be as tough as tanned cowhide. Their faces were almost human, but their snouts were almost apish and their eyes a pure, hateful black.

they weren't the only ones to form a permittee around us though. There were about five other smaller creatures that stood about a head shorter than I did. Their skin was a mottled white and green with patches of scales that seemed haphazardly arranged. The places where there weren't scales looked stretched and pale like corpse skin. Their eyes seemed too big for their angular heads, the yellow-green of them almost forming full circles save for a singular slit that ran down the center of each one. Their faces were covered with strange, almost fishlike spines and their noses were almost nonexistent. They were more like two bony slits, as if there had once been flesh there that had been carved away. These I knew had to be the goblins.

Even as Tashek stared down the twenty monsters that had entered the clearing, he whispered "Fear not, my lady, I will protect you at any cost."

"I will do likewise."

"You will not," Tashek said fiercely, "The people of Ranthe need you. You must get to them safely."

"I will after I have seen to your safety first."

Before Tashek could try to argue further, the biggest and most heavily scarred of the orcs stepped forward. He wore sheets of metal that had been roughly smashed into the shape of armor. Though much of him was nearly as exposed as I was in my ceremonial garb, he didn't seem to worry. He took one look at Tashek, showed his horrible fanged sneer, and spat disparagingly before us.

"You reek of fear, armored human," He said in a voice that sounded more akin to a dog's growl than anything I had heard uttered from something standing on two lakes, "The stench of piss emanates from your pathetic loins."

"I will see you dead for your jests, orc," Tashek said, though his voice quivered. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that the shaft of his spear shook just as much. As good of a fighter as he was, he sensed he was no match for twenty of these beasts by himself.

The orc cocked his head, a small look of confusion that was closely followed by a humorless grin. "It was no jest, human. Mere observation. You have no need to fear. I shall not claim your head for my collection. You have something I need. My goddess demands it."

"I am not to be trifled with, Orc," Tashek said, brandishing his spear as he took a step forward, carefully watching his opponent for his reaction.

The orc was unfazed. He pointed his chipped and scraped blade at me as he said, "Give us the girl, and we will leave. Defend her, and we will take your head for a trophy as well."

"I will not sit idly by and let you take her! She is my charge to protect!" As scared as Tashek was, he stood firm. For that, a part of me felt a pang of something far stronger than gratitude.

"A warning was given," The orc said with a snarl, "My goddess's desires were met. Now my blades shall be." Without another word, he charged Tashek. Tashek rushed to meet him. The two clashed in a flash of sparks, as Tashek used his shield to knock the orcs blow away. He followed it up with a quick thrust from his spear. It looked as if it would find the weak point between the orc's armor and its neck, but I couldn't watch to be sure. At that same moment, the other nineteen figures had started closing in as well. While most seemed to be eager to meet Tashek in battle, several made straight for me, including most of the foul goblins. Panicked, I sought the Light of Mara within myself and focused my will in the way Dani had taught me. Yet even as I tried to remember how to properly form the Light with my desires and will, I found myself struggling to remain calm. My legs felt like leaves in the wind, ready to give way at any second. My arms felt heavy. My blood pulsed in my ears, drowning out my own thoughts as I heard the thunderous beating of my heart, playing out what could be its very last rhythm.

Desperate, I called the Light forth anyway, hoping it would be enough to buy me time. There was a blinding flash of light that sent all of our foes reeling. It was strong enough to momentarily blind even myself, but monsters not of Mara were particularly susceptible to her Light.

"It's just a bit of light, maggots!" The orc nearest me called out, "Don't let her witchery stop you. Grab what we came for."

At the same time, Tashek let out a sonorous cry as he thrust his spear into the orc. The creature let out a hideous howl, its bellow almost otherworldly as its spirit was torn from its ruined flesh.

Despite Tashek's display of might, the goblins were quick to recover. They started sprinting toward me, their luminous eyes practically bulging as they leered at me. Finally remembering some of what Dani had taught me, I summoned a piercing bolt of light. It flashed through the sky, just as the first had, but this time the light had true shape and mass to it. It skewered the goblin closest to me, burning a hole clean through the center of his head. For a split second, I was able to see straight through the newly formed hole to the forest beyond, as if it were some third eye that the goblin had spawned, giving sight to those who peered into it rather than to its owner. Then the creature crumpled to the ground, its mouth agape in a gormless circle, the scent of sizzling grey matter and flesh filling the clearing.

Still, it was not enough. The other goblins continued to close the distance that separated them from me, their crudely shod feet beating a heinous melody against the ground as they went. I needed something more. Something that would truly hold them off.

Please don't fail me this time, I thought as I summoned as much of the Light in me as I could.

With a quiet prayer, I let out a wave of light. The miracle surged from me like an explosion, erupting into a sphere of impenetrable light. Many of the nightmares that surrounded me were thrown off their feet as the shield of light that now surrounded me forced them back, its rays digging into the ground around me. I watched as the creatures got to their feet. A few of them started smashing their weapons against the barrier that now protected both me and the now burning wagon. Their crude blades slid off the Miracle as if they held no true edge.

I grimaced at the sight, trying to ignore how much hotter the flames from the wagon were now that I had trapped them in this shell of light with me. It was a small price to pay, though. Not only could I protect the supplies we had brought for the people of Ranthe, but I could spare Tashek and his horse from the rustic weapons that sought our blood. Tashek did love this horse dearly. That much had been clear during our four days of journeying together. I just had to hold this shield until the monsters gave up their cause. They were sure to tire soon. They had to. The Blessed Mother had always told me they were brutish creatures, incapable of the clever cunning that man was. That was always been what had separated us from them. It was the one thing that gave us an edge over their relentless strength.

"Little human witch," a guttural voice said from just beyond the wall of light. Sweating as I strained to maintain the Miracle I was performing, I turned to look at the speaker. I was met with a bone-chilling sight. Tashek was not inside my barrier of light as I had assumed. He was just outside the shield, now forced to kneel at the feet of an almost naked orc, whose blade rested against Tashek's neck. That was impossible, though. I had formed the miracle just as Dani had taught me. I had cast the Miracle of Protection just as she had taught me. It should have encapsulated him as well. What had gone wrong? What had I done to condemn this man to an unjust death?

The orc snarled fiercely and said, "You are fond of this flesh worm, yes? You look at him as if he were your mate."

"No," I protested, "He is charged with my safety. I look at him with gratitude for all he has done for me and our glorious Mara."

The orc flared his nostrils at the sound of Mara's name, his grip tightening around his corroded sword. For a split second, it looked as if he would bring the sword down on Tashek's neck, but the creature refrained. At last, he snorted before saying, "It matters not why you look. Just that you look. I know its meaning. Bring down this wall of light and I will not behead him. Remain in your blasphemous spell and I will see that you watch him die."

"No!" I screamed, rushing to the light that separated me from the orc and Tashek. I tried to reach a hand out for Tashek, desperate to pull him to safety, but my fingers could not pass through the light. It was harder than stone even to my own touch. Protect me though it might, this wall of light also trapped me. The orc raised his sword high, his eyes meeting mine, daring me to test his patience. Worse, I felt the Light within me start to waver. I was not strong enough to maintain this Miracle of Protection for long. Minutes maybe if I was lucky. Would that be enough for these creatures to lose interest in me? Even if it was, it would surely come at the cost of Tashek's life. I couldn't allow that. I had promised to protect him just as I would protect the people of Ranthe.

"Don't hurt him！" I pleaded even as I started undoing the Miracle of Protection. The light started to fade, receding back into me. It was as if rays of twilight were shining on me, their gentle rays empowering me as they danced across my skin and holy raiment.

"No!" Tashek screamed, trying to get to his feet only for the orc near him to roughly smash his face back into the ground, "Luna, you mustn't. Who knows what horrors they will try to inflict on you."

"Better on me than on you," I said, my eyes watering as I said it, "A Daughter serves the people of Mara. May you use your life for the good of the church and her people."

"Don't give up. I will save you from this. I'll find a way." Tashek continued to try and struggle and fight, but the orc held him firmly in place.

Even as I watched the helpless knight try to fight against fate, I was rushed by two orcs and the remaining three goblins. They all seized me, their grips like iron vices. One of the goblins, with nothing to grab onto, reached a cold, scaly hand toward my face. His clawed fingers dug into my skin as he pulled me closer to his bulbous eyes, turning me roughly this way and that as he inspected me. "Oh, she will be fun to toy with," The unholy creature said through a fanged smile, his breath warm on my face. The four that held me laughed humorless laughs as they started to haul me to where the Orc holding Tashek stood.

"No!" Tashek screamed again, fighting even harder to break free now, even as the orc held him in place with one hand on his face and a booted heal crushing the nape of his neck, "Luna, don't give up hope. I'll find Dani. We'll work something out. We won't abandon you！"

"You have served your purpose, human," The orc holding him said. Before I could so much as let out a scream, the orc raised his sword high and brought it down hard on Tashek's neck. Blood spattered everywhere, spurting from his throat like a geyser. A horrible gurgling croak bubbled from the hole the blade had left in his neck as his life's blood leaked away by the second.

The clearing around the Queen's road was suddenly filled with a horrible scream. It wasn't until a full twenty heartbeats later that I realized it was my own. Twenty precious heartbeats. Too many for poor Tashek. He was slipping closer and closer to death with each of his own futile beats. I needed to save him.