Daughter of Hauk (The Raven Chronicles Book 1) (9 page)

              Arwenna grinned at her friend. “I can do that. It gives me a good excuse to spend time with the new arrivals and some tasks I can give them. They’re looking at me like some kind of demigod, wanting to jump at the chance to have me tell them what to do. I should be able to keep them out from under your feet.”

              “Huh?  Vhat happened this morning vhile I vas tellink stories with grandma?” Y’Dürkie’s brow furrowed with concern.

              Quickly, Arwenna filled Y’Dürkie in on the happenings of the morning. “Barek and I aren’t entirely convinced yet that Joss and his friends aren’t here for other reasons. Keeping their hands busy organizing the infirmary, taking stock of the talents of the other clerics, etc. should keep them out of trouble. And it will let me keep an eye on them to a small degree.”

              The tent flap opened again, making all three of them look up. Joss, Irini, and Lian slipped through the opening. Arwenna introduced them to Y’Dürkie.

              “Here is the clothing we promised, Daughter.”  Irini said as she and Lian both handed Arwenna bundles of cloth. “We hope you enjoy them.”

              “I’m sure they’ll be wonderful, thank you. And, please, just call me Arwenna. If we are to work together, we need to stop tripping over ourselves when we talk.”  She put the bundles down on a small table and turned back at them. “We are in dire need of evaluating the healing strength we have out there. Barek and Y’Dürkie have put me in charge of making sure we can heal everyone that gets wounded in the war to come. Irini, Lian, I would very much like you to go out and start asking questions. Get the names of any healers, even if they aren’t clerics, and find out how strong they are. Find out if there’s anything else they can do besides heal. That is a good place to begin and will let us know what we have to work with. The girls nodded enthusiastically, eager to start their task. “Joss, I’d like you to stay here for now. You and I have quite a lot of catching up to do, and I’m going to need your help organizing the healers.”

              Joss agreed swiftly. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

              The two girls headed out to start their task. “If you could give me a few moments, Joss, I really would like to change.”  She apologized with a small smile.

              “Of course! I’ll be here when you’re ready to start planning.” He took a seat not far from the war table that Barek and Y’Dürkie were standing over.

              Arwenna gathered up the gowns and disappeared back into her small room. She began to look through the fabric to find a nice assortment of well-made dresses. One of the girls had even put a pouch with some jewelry in with the clothing.               Y’Dürkie’s voice carried in to the room, “So, you are the long lost childhood friend?” Drawing in a deep breath, Arwenna took her time in selecting what to wear. Y’Dürkie would want time to interrogate Joss and Arwenna found herself anxious to hear his replies.

              “I suppose that’s one way to look at it. Both of us were fairly young when the village was destroyed, so most of our childhood was spent elsewhere,” came his reply.

              “Vhere did you end up?”

              There was a small pause before Joss responded. His voice was almost too low for Arwenna to hear. “I’m not certain that it’s much of your concern.”

              Y’Dürkie’s voice snapped like iron. “If it deals vith Arvenna, it
is
my concern. Barek’s as vell. She is a sister to us both, and has gone through much over the last year. I am not goink to let anyone near her that I think vill hurt her. So, care to answer the question?”

              Arwenna realized she had been holding her breath during the exchange and began to change into one of the gowns at random. She might have to step out faster than she thought.

              “My father darted into our house the night the demons swarmed the village and woke us all up. He had me hide in the cellar with my mother while he and my older brother went to help repel the attack. Mom started to panic as soon as they left and crawled out after them. When the raid was over, I started to climb out. Our house had collapsed on top of me, so it took me a while to move things around enough to get out. That’s how I burned my hands.”  There was a brief pause, and then he continued. “It wasn’t quite daybreak, but I could tell there wasn’t much left of the village. I looked around for a while, trying to see if anyone was still alive. The demons had slaughtered everything that breathed. Arwenna’s house was…well, you could barely recognize it as a house. I heard hoofbeats, probably just an animal in the woods, but it scared the daylights out of me. I started to run and ended up falling down the embankment near the river. I must’ve fallen in and floated downriver for a while. A fisherman found me and pulled me out. They took care of me for a time. Some clerics of Hauk came by one day and they handed me over to them. I stayed with that Order for several years. About two years ago, I was sent to a church in a village about four days ride from here.”

              Barek spoke up, “I’d like to know more about this beacon you say led you to Arwenna, if you don’t mind. How does it work, and who else is going to hear it?”

              “I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to help with that. It’s not really a sound, more like a pulling from the inside out. The three of us woke up one day with an overwhelming urge pulling us this way. We went before the head of the church and told him. That’s when he told us about the Chosen of Hauk. They don’t appear often, but anyone feeling the call is obligated to go find them and give any aid possible. It’s almost a calling in and of itself to be selected to aid a Chosen, be they a Daughter or Son. He gave us each a horse and as much food as could be spared and sent us on our way. It’s only going to be heard by followers of Hauk, and even then it’s selective.” He paused again. “Father Tate was adamant about that. He said Hauk had spoken to him, warning us not to trust anyone who claimed to follow Silas, as corruption had taken hold of some.”

              Arwenna brushed aside the canvas flap, eyes wide as she strode across the room towards Joss. “What do you know about them?”  The question came out as an insistent whisper. She kept her eyes focused on Joss, not noticing the chair she sank into next to him. “I need to know what you know of them. And about what they made me do.”

              She watched him take a deep breath and glance over at Barek and Y’Dürkie. His eyes gave a brief warning of some kind, then shifted when he looked back at her. “There had been rumors for some time that some who followed Silas were corrupt, that they wanted to bring a demon lord into this world to begin the Age of Decay. The rumors started to get more and more frequent, so Father Tate began to pay close attention. There were names given, including all of yours, saying you were at the forefront of the effort. One of the rumors talked about a demon lord who had taken the form of a raven and ran with your group. Another said the demon had tried to take over a cleric of Silas named Arwenna.”

              Arwenna closed her eyes, remembering the voice that had for many months spoken in the silence of her mind over a year ago. “It may well have tried, but I kept it at bay. I know who it was that it was able to control, however.”

              “This is the person we go to war to fight, then?”

              Arwenna took a quivering breath and plunged forward. “His name is Senyan. I was raised for no other reason than to help him gain enough strength to be completely taken over by the demon. They led me to believe that I was helping him. All of us,” she gestured to the others, “were led to believe that. At least one of our companions has fallen for good; another is in the mountains calling a new mount. There was another with us, but she’s disappeared. We’re afraid she’s been seduced into joining Senyan. There’s a chance I’ll be able to break the binding spell between the bird and Senyan, but it’s risky at best.”

              “And I still do not vant you to even try it,” Y’Dürkie grumbled at her.

              Arwenna smiled at her before turning her attention back to Joss. “There’s a lot more that has happened. Some things more recent and painful than others. What it comes down to is that we have to go to war to either stop it, or banish the demon if it’s come through. I was put into the position of betraying someone we all knew and respected, and that betrayal led to his becoming the herald for a demon. It wasn’t a conscious thing on my part, but it was still my doing. I allowed myself to be led around blindly and now I’ve got to do what I can to fix the wrong. I won’t have you risking your life without knowing why we do this, Joss. There will be no hard feelings if you were to decide to leave.”

              Arwenna kept her eyes fixed on Joss as he looked at Barek and Y’Dürkie before turning his head back towards her. “So, can I at least volunteer to make sure you eat more than one meal a day?  You’re thin as a rail, Arwenna. You’re going to have to get lots of food and rest before you can tackle a war march.”  A smile lit up his face as he faced her.

              “Food? Someone in here has not eaten yet?” D’Mitta came in and surveyed the room. “Ve need to fix that. Ve cannot plan a good var on empty bellies.” 

              Arwenna blinked, startled for a moment, and then began to laugh. “OK, OK. I surrender.”  She held up her hands. Everyone else began to laugh with her.

              Arwenna let Joss help her up and walked back towards the map table as he darted out to find them some food. Once he had left the tent, she met Y’Dürkie and Barek’s amused faces. “Well? Do you still think he’s going to knife me when your backs are turned?”

              “Anythink that boy vould vant to do to you vould require our backs to be turned,” was Y’Dürkie’s reply. “I do not think ve,” she pointed at herself and Barek, “have much to vorry about. But you might, Arvenna.”

              Puzzlement furrowed Arwenna’s brow, making Barek chuckle. “He’s fairly smitten with you, Arwenna. You need to watch yourself around him.”

              Arwenna dismissed their comments with a wave of her hand. “I doubt it. I’m sure he’s quite taken with one of the women he came here with.” 
Besides
, she thought,
I’m not going to be ready to trust a man, elf or human, for some time to come.

Chapter Eleven

            
 
A
rwenna and Joss found a quiet corner in the pavilion a while later, intent on working through the names that Lian and Irina brought back. The others talked about the battle ahead, something Arwenna wasn’t inclined to help plan. She wanted to save lives, not discuss ideas on how to take them. Tuning out the discussion on the other side of the room, she huddled near Joss and tried to make heads and tails out of the pile of parchment in front of them. After some time, there finally seemed to be something workable emerging.

              “Here’s a couple more names that would be good to keep handy if Barek needs field medics. They’re slightly stronger and can do basic first aid. This is the type we could use to bandage up the wounded and haul them back to the infirmary tent for healing.”  Arwenna concentrated on adding the names to a separate sheet.

              “I heard Barek and Y’Dürkie talking about your having a cousin.” Joss commented. “From what I remember, you and your mother lived alone.”  He was curled up in a chair next to her, doing battle with another pile of reports.

              Arwenna closed her eyes as her mind shuffled through the myriad of memories that had so long been closed off to her. “Mama always said I was all she had left. Everyone else had died from a sickness of some kind. Lexi is the daughter of her sister. According to Lexi, the sisters had a falling out years before I was even born that kept them apart. The bunch of us came across Lexi about two years ago and she stayed around. Lexi knew who I was, but it took a few campfire chats for me to put enough pieces together to figure it out. My memories from childhood were quite foggy at that time.” She smiled at the memories. “Enough about me, though! How did you like being raised the way you were?”

              Joss took a long drink of water out of a cup before responding. “It was good enough. Those first few months were hard on more than just me. The fisherman who found me was quite done with having children around. One day some Clerics of Hauk came by to bless the nearby fields.” He paused, a faraway look in his eyes. “I wasn’t around them long before they sensed that I had some small healing talents. Not all that much, mind you. Irini is the real healer of the three of us. But enough that I could keep livestock upright and healthy and take care of the minor ailments most people come down with. Something tells me you’re not much of a slouch when it comes to healing, either.”  His face had an expectant look on it.

              “I suppose not. I managed to keep Barek and Y’Dürkie upright and fighting most of the time. I’m not real certain yet just what is still there, though. So much of what I was trained for had ulterior motives behind it. I’m not even sure how to talk to Hauk. I know it’s different than when I prayed for aid from Silas. I was taught to fear Silas, and that any possible offense would result in the loss of my magic. I know now that Hauk’s not like that, but I’ve got years of training that I’ve been trying to undo in months.”

              “I could talk to Irini and Lian for you, if you like. They both loved the rituals and would be able to recite them by heart. I tended to skip over service as much as possible.”  His self-deprecating smile made her laugh a little.

              “You pick. I don’t want to give the friend you are seeing any more reason to hate me. She must resent the time I am spending with you. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the curiosity out of her voice.

              Joss blinked, taken aback. “The one I’m seeing?  I’m not seeing either one of them. Lian’s engaged to someone back home; the wedding was postponed once she got the Call to aid you. As far as Irini is concerned, she’s married to the church. She has no interest in anything else from what I can tell. The only conversation she would keep up with on the road here is if it had to do with the Call and what we could possibly do to aid you. I’m pretty convinced that she doesn’t even think I should be here, that I wasn’t worth the honor of being called to your side.”

              Arwenna turned back to her piles of parchment, her mind racing to find the best reply to what he had told her. The awkward silence continued for some time.

              “Arwenna, what happened to you? After the raid, I mean. Where’d you go?” Joss asked quietly.

She put her quill down for a moment and leaned back. She absently rubbed at the palm of her hand. “I ran through the cornfield and hid behind some boulders by the main road. Some clerics of Silas found me the next day. One of them offered to take me in.”  She kept her tone very even. “He and his wife raised me for about ten years, but the only religion that was allowed was Silas. It didn’t take long for me to forget about Hauk, or the village. My mark was somehow hidden as well. I think they cast some spells early on, to repress things they didn’t want me to remember. It wasn’t bad, until their son came home. He and I didn’t exactly get along.”  She felt the muscles in her face tighten at the memory.

              “Why is that?”  Joss’ voice stayed quiet.

              “Bohrs resented me, I think. His mother was very affectionate and treated me like the daughter she never had, and I think it made him jealous. There was something else about him that always made me uneasy. His mother saw it and warned me about him before she died. She made me promise to be polite to him in public but made me swear never to turn my back on him. She was more observant than even she knew, I think.”  Arwenna stared off into the distance, not really focused on anything in particular. Her thumb continued to absently rub at the palm of her other hand.

              “He’s done something to you, hasn’t he?” Arwenna jumped slightly as Joss took her hands in his. “What was it, Arwenna?”

              “Something? That’s a mild understatement. From what I can gather, Bohrs and his father are both part of the Corrupt of Silas and were among the ones who set me up all along. Bohrs himself killed me about a month or so ago. He killed me in this world, and tortured me to try and break my faith in what I can only describe as hell. I was to be his ‘reward’ once the demon came through. Hauk found me in time, and brought me back. I have no doubt Bohrs still thinks of me as his property, bought and paid for.”  She lowered her head, trying to keep her tears at bay.

              A small jolt raced through her as Joss lifted her chin gently and wiped at a few tears with his fingers. “No one owns you, Arwenna. Not even Hauk. And I’m going to do everything I can to make sure the closest Bohrs ever gets to you again is in a coffin or in chains.” Arwenna searched his eyes, feeling the fear slowly fade from her stomach, before she collapsed against his chest.