Abandoned

Cadden’s arrow missed. It struck a wooden box beside the man.

The sound of the thunk caught the man off guard, and he scrounged around until he picked up a blade and searched for his attackers.

“You’re a little off,” I said to Cadden, and readied an arrow.

“It was the wind,” Cadden replied readily. “I was aiming for his hands of course. I wanted it to *hurt,*or main. Much worse than instant death.”

I didn’t reply, and notched my bow.

The shadow figured our location. “Wait!” he cried out. “It’s me! It’s me! Perlov!”

“Do you know him?” I asked Cadden, while I pulled the fletching to my face.

“Yes! We left him back in Kerrengan. Drop it.”

I kept my arrow drawn. “Tell him to come over.”

“Get over here!” Cadden screamed back.

Perlov moved cautiously to our direction. “Is it just you?”

Cadden glanced back at me. “What’re you doing here?”

“I’ve been searching for everyone. When Captain Aleken told me to stay… well, I just couldn’t, so I followed the Lancers, lost you guys a few times. So, is it just you—” He noticed me aiming at him. “I see,” he muttered. “I don’t mean any harm.”

I remained silent. My string still taught. “I don’t either,” I said.

“I’m not the one aiming a bow at you, am I?”

“No,” I said, “you’d have slit my throat if you caught me sleeping instead.”

He sheathed his blade. “It’s not what you think. It’s for protection.”

Cadden rapidly waved a hand in front of my bow. “Why don’t we take a breather? Good idea? Crain?”

“I’ll start a fire,” Perlov said hastily, “I can start a fire.”

“Fine,” I said and relaxed. Stopping myself felt like holding in a sneeze. “Start a fire. There’s firewood beside Captain Aleken’s tent.”

Cadden stiffened when he heard the dead captain’s name.

Perlov squinted at the reaction. “What?”

“He’s dead,” Cadden said, “ all of them.”

“I see.” Perlov bowed his head for a few seconds, then lifted it shortly after. His eyebrow raised. “How did you two survive?”

Cadden folded his arms. “By the skin of my teeth, I swear it. I was deep inside the Stronghold while everyone slept, searching for anything we might’ve missed—being thorough and all—when I heard it all. They came in like lightning, I heard their herd of horses clammer above me. Then their screams. Alekan’s.” Cadden shuddered. “Then everything quieted.”

“Ah.” Perlov looked away, and walked to the center of the camp, glancing briefly at the fading sunset. He placed stones in a circle and readied kindling for a fire. “It’s night. We should report it to Captain Gabrindel first thing tomorrow. Captain Nazan too if he’s near. The Bounters must’ve staged their real forces nearby, that’s how you must’ve won the Stronghold so easily. Sickening how they’d sacrifice their own like that.”

Perlov’s kindling was made full of leaves, thin forest needles, and scarce branch shavings.

“Don’t light that fire,” I said. My voice was flat, and most people assume my tone as a suggestion.

Perlov shook his head and pulled out his flint and steel. “The Bounters must be long gone, knowing we’d come by full force after their ambush. Scum like mercenaries.” He struck his steel and sparks flew into the leaves. It didn’t catch. He aimed it again towards the wood shavings.

“Strike that again, and I’ll kill you,” I said plainly.

Cadden stepped in between the two of us. “Woah, woah, Craine. Perlov’s right. I’m exhausted, I’d kill for a night’s rest. Been up for a battle and a half, I swear, I’m starting to see ghosts on this camp.”

“I’m confident that the Bounters are gone.” He struck the steel again. I quick fired an arrow into his thigh. It barely dug in, and he tore it out of his leg soon after. “What the shit is wrong with—”

I had dove on top of him with my bow handle pushed against his throat.

“I told you not to strike it. I told you not to strike it. I told you—

Cadden pulled on my shoulder. “Thats enough! You’re gonna kill him!”

“Don’t touch me. He’s another stain from Taeleera. He’s trying to signal for us.”

Perlov tried to speak, but he gurgled something from his throat instead. I knew what he wanted to say. A poor excuse, or fake explanation that’d reach into my ears like sewage water.

“We don’t know that!”

I continued to strangle Perlov. He struggled against my bow. Desperately searching for leverage against me. He kicked up his hips to rotate me off. The harder he kicked the harder I pushed.

Cadden kicked me off. When I fell to the ground, I growled, and prepared my bow as if to swing at him. Easing my threat, I stared Cadden down and said, “Tie him then.”

He hesitated like a fool, considering my demand. Do people not see what I see?

“Fine.” He darted into his tent to find rope.

Perlov coughed and wheezed, gingerly dabbing at his throat. “Never seen you like this Craine,” he croaked. “Must be drained from the battle.” He sneered after saying that, keeping his eyes on me as his hands were tied. “You believe me, right?” he asked with a vulnerable demeanor.

“Hm?” Caddened faced him as if he was taken out of a daydream.

“You believe me, right?”

“Oh yes.” Cadden held a coin purse between two fingers, which jingled as it was stuffed into his pocket. “No—truly, I swear. Well maybe a little less now. I suppose we’ll have to wait until Captain Gabrindel can vouch for you.”

“He will, I promise, he will!”

“You saw him before coming out here?” Cadden asked.

“I did. He told me yours’ whereabouts and assigned me to join in your efforts.”

“Then it’s settled.” Cadden turned to me. “We’ll wait until he returns, how long should that be? Are they waiting the fire signal?”

Perlov tried to hide his glances towards his kindling. “No, no. They should be coming regardless of the fire—the fire was for you, I brought rations from Kerrengen.”

I snuffed out the fire. “I’m satisfied. You?”

“Very.” Cadden nodded and headed back into his tent. “Seems we’ll have a peaceful night’s rest regardless.” The flaps to his tent closed, and I heard him sigh and slump onto the ground.

Perlov looked at the closed tent and then to me. His expression full of confusion. “So you see,” he stammered a little, but strengthened his tone as he spoke. “Go on, untie me. If Captain Gabrindel were to see me like this, you’d be banished on the spot. An arrow to the leg? Outrages, he’d say.” He scoffed. “I’ll tell him it was an accident, though. I like you Craine, and I know you’re exhausted after a battle, so I can look past it. After I’m untied, I’ll settle everything, a fire, a supper, and then we’d be heroes back in Kington.”

I picked up a nearby stick, and begun to whittle it down.

“Are you listening?” Perlov asked.

It takes awhile to get the arrow shaft perfectly round the way I like it. Once the crust is cut off, the interior wood glides against my knife.

Perlov spoke louder. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

“I keep a few of these arrow tips in my pocket. I’m not sure why. It’s not like I can whittle down an arrow in the middle of battle.” I chuckled. The air stalled, and I lowered my voice. “Should I be saddened with Aleken’s death?”

The man in front of me squirmed, ignoring my question.

“What do you think?” I asked again.

“Huh? I don’t know,” he said, “I mean, he was a great captain. And uh—you know, it’d be much easier to talk without being tied up. Could we just…”

“His body was all wrangled. Damn Bounters didn’t even spend the time to close his eyes. I feel angry more than sad. But I’m happy? I’m happy that I do *feel something, *at the very leas—”

“Got it. Got it. I completely empathize with you.”

“I felt something… killing Captain Gabrindel. I’m so inept at describing my feelings. It’s almost like I’ve been starved. No matter how much I’ve eaten, I don’t know where it all goes.”

The man stiffened.

“Killing you, won’t satiate anything, I’m certain. I tried strangling you, but it wasn’t the same… still. If the war is nearly over, then how am I going to exist once my purpose is over. A piece of me is happy Captain Aleken is dead, and I hate it.” The arrow I had been whittling was fully fitted with an arrowhead now. Notches on the side were carved for fletching.

“My men are coming after me. They’re going to capture you and kill you. Let me go, and I can call them off,” the man said.

“The thing is, I know it must’ve taken you a few days to find our camp. But you already know how Captain Aleken liked to pick out the worst parts of the forest to stage up. I’d bet you’re the only one that knows of this place.” He kept still. Wooden. He knew that a tremble would show weakness, sway my opinion one way or another or something.

“No. That’s not true,” he said flatly. “I notified the Bounters of your possible whereabouts before I journeyed this way, it’s only a matter of time before they find me.”

After settling my fletching, I examined it and looked up at him. “I’m certain they will. Vultures are easy to spot, even in the distance.”

I stood from my position, and he flinched when I did.

“Try not to be too loud,” I said, “I really *hate *loud corpses.”

I grabbed him by the hair and began dragging him to my tent. He tried dragging his heels into the dirt, squirming, kicking, and eventually screaming out. “Help!”

Dropping his head for a moment, I crushed his windpipe with my heel, and continued dragging him, while he gagged and coughed.