Into the Deep Wood

Marat woke her up in the middle of the night, but it wasn’t for her watch. Before she could speak, he motioned for her to remain silent. The fire was long out, and he held the mare’s reins, gently petting her to calm her.

When Val took a step forward, he shoved the reins in her hands and disappeared into the dark - his movements so smooth and silent that she could have sworn that the second she looked away, he just faded into thin air.

“Tie her, follow me.” The hushed tone came from behind her after a few minutes. It took everything in her to stifle the startled yelp.

Marat took her up a thin trail running around the back of the rock formation. The dirt below their feet was soft and made no noise. Once on top, he put a hand on her upper back and guided her to get down as he did. He pointed out into the vastness, to the foothills they had come from before leaving the road.

“You want to keep watch. What do you see?” He whispered to her.

Squinting, she focused on the darkness. Under the moonlight, the landscape appeared without detail. She saw shadows, but they could have been rock, man, or plant.

“I… can’t tell…” She whispered back.

“You’re looking too closely. You’re looking at the trail. No matter, they’re over there.” He pointed to the very left of the scape, where some rocks protruded from the slope of a hill.

But still, she saw nothing.

“It’s a tracker party,” he continued, “there are seven of them. They aren’t southerners.”

“Us? Are they looking for us?” The volume of her voice jumped significantly and then dropped off as the embarrassment forced her to be quiet.

“Can’t be sure… but it is safer to assume yes.”

“How can you see?” She asked, only barely being able to make out what she assumed to be the heads of people standing around near other dark shapes.

“They travel light; they are without heavy gear - or supplies. They have a bigger camp to go back to nearby.” He explained.

Val furrowed her brow.

“They do not make a fire, yet they are stopped for the night. It is not vagabonds; they sit straight in their saddles, like soldiers. We cannot stay; they will search the foothills. They do so at night in hopes of startling a horse or coming upon smoke from a fire that was not put out in time.”

For some reason, when she had asked to take the second watch, all she had in her mind were creatures of the Nothing - in her thoughts, she would wake Marat, and they would face it together… or he would face it as she stood to the side, Val was not delusional in thinking that.

The grim reality of it was settling in. They would have been smarter than the Nothing-touched, but this was a matter of matching wits with men.

And at that moment, men seemed far more dangerous.

“Come.” He turned back. In the camp, they silently gathered their things, and Marat strapped them to the mare.

“Marat, what are we doing? Where are we going to go? She can’t go up the mountain…” Val felt like she was hissing the words to him, trying to remain quiet. But she saw him shake his head.

“They have us cornered, Val. We will slip out as best we can and get as far as we can before they hear us. And they will hear us.” He pulled himself up on the horse behind her. Aditi took a step, and they both cringed at how loud her horseshoe was on the rocky surface.

But, the men had been far off enough that perhaps they wouldn’t hear.

The second they rounded the outcropping, Val’s heart jumped in her chest. She could see the men clearly now.

They were stopped. At least two were seated on the ground. But she could not tell how far they were; the night blended everything into the dance of light and shadows.

“Hold on tight; when I tell her to go, we cannot stop.” His lips were right next to her ear, and the vibration of the words sent goosebumps down her arms.

What poor timing.

At a slow walk, they moved further and further from the men, but not fast enough for either of their comfort. All it would take is one seeing them - shouting for the others - and there would be a pursuit.

Marat’s eyes were focused on the gathering; perhaps that is why he did not see what Val saw.

The eighth man.

She grabbed behind her to alert Marat, who’d just then turned forward to see the dark outline of the rider ahead. He stood still but was clearly facing them. And they were riding right for him.

The whistle cut the air with such force that Val flinched away. At the very same moment, Marat kicked Aditi to go forward, right into the man. His horse neighed, taking a few steps back from the advancing animal - and as they passed, she saw the man sweep a blade, but it had at once met Marat’s own with such force that they rang loudly together and the sword was knocked out of the soldier’s hand.

She could not see the pursuit, but she felt it. She felt Marat urge the mare, felt how hard he pushed the animal on. She closed her eyes, her limbs going numb from holding on. At that moment, she thought she could hear them above Aditi’s steps.

She heard their rumble rising behind them, the rocks kicking out under their hooves.

The wind whipped her face, leaving it stinging. The horse was fast and with might, even if it had not been allowed the time to warm up.

Gods, but do not let her leg hit a burrow hole, Val though. Do not let her slip.

But, it seemed the animals had already been exhausted because they began to fall behind while Aditi had only broken a sweat.

It was a long time before Val stopped hearing the pounding of hooves behind them and even longer until Marat had allowed them to slow. All three were rattled, exhausted, and worse for wear than when they had begun.

“Only five of them had gone after us; the rest were not mounted and could not get up on their horses in time,” Marat said as they slowed to a stop. They dismounted, and he allowed the mare to drink from his canteen - emptying the last of their water. She was drenched in sweat now, but her ears were perked, and she seemed entirely undisturbed by the events. He patted her on the neck. “You are a good horse, Aditi.”

They looked around; the landscape here had changed. The jagged rocks and large boulders were replaced by steep mesas and tall buttes. Marat led the horse, Val following behind. She cautiously listened for any sound indicating their pursuers nearby, paranoid at any shifting rocks or rustle of dry bushes.

They walked slowly, for the sake of exhausted Aditi, and up a hill leading off the trail. Marat would not stop until the morning light bathed the hills in golden reds. And then, it was only atop a steep mesa, its sloping side left far behind them.

“We will see them coming from here. They won’t be able to approach without taking the long way around.” He told her, looking out at the path they followed far below them. His face twitched slightly with disappointment, noting the twists and turns that were visible to them now.

“Pigshit.” He muttered. “It’s a Legho road.”

Val looked up at him. She remembered him telling her that people had built winding roads leading nowhere to mislead and trick the Legho - as it had to walk every road in every territory before returning to the beginning, and then walking them again.

“So it will take us… where?” She asked, hoping the answer had not been what she thought.

“Likely into the depths of a canyon. Nowhere good. Many, many of these litter the deserts as the Legho’s proximity here cannot harm the populace.” He turned away from the road, and Val saw just how exhausted he was. He’d been sleepless and worn by the sun and dehydration.

“Marat, please, sleep. I will watch the road.” She begged him. She saw his face was still hardened, considering her carefully. “I slept. I will wake you up if I see anything, hear anything.”

She looked at him, her eyes pleading.

“Please, trust me.”

It seemed like those words had conquered him because he nodded and sat down heavily against his pack. The day would bring heat with it, and they were out of water. So, he would only sleep a few hours. That could not do too much harm. They had plenty of room to retreat into the mountains if the scout party appeared, even if it meant getting horribly lost.

The landscape was just a neverending vastness below them. Every now and then, while keeping watch, Val would look back at Marat. He looked so troubled, even in his sleep. She’d decided that she would not wake him to get going until he woke up on his own - he needed the sleep.

But, this idea was cut short after only a couple of hours.

She saw dark dots on the horizon, far more than she recalled the night before. Behind them trailed a cloud of dust, and although still far - they rapidly made their way toward them.

They did not come down the trail in the same direction as the night before.

“Marat!” She tapped him carefully, and he woke before she could say his name twice. He must have recognized the urgency in her voice because, without a word he stayed low and moved to the cliff edge. He remained still for a moment.

“Fasten everything onto her. They are not following a road. They are coming directly for us - they already know we are here. We missed a tracker nearby, and he must have returned to get them.”

Her eyes got wide.

It was her fault.

He saw the look on her face, and his own became frustrated.

“Val, you are not a soldier - not a hunter - it is not your fault you did not spot a master of their craft in their element. It could have been before I was even asleep. Stop this pity party and get her ready.” He waved toward the horse.

Even though his tone was rough and annoyed, in his words she heard the reassurance that she had needed. He did not blame her, or make her feel as if she had broken his trust. And that… it mattered.

“Fuck.” He muttered to himself. There were at least twenty, but it was not what worried him the most.

At the group's head was a large white horse with a large armored rider. Even from afar, Marat could see the sun reflecting off his chestplate. Behind him, the standard bearer flew a flag embellished with a three-headed dragon outlined by a red sun.

Johannes, flying the colors of the Roska, of Korschey.

“Marat, let’s go…” She pulled at his sleeve, but as if in a trance, he did not budge. “Marat, please, come on…”

She saw how tightly his jaw was clenched, how white his knuckles were.

“Take Aditi. Stand back in case they fire arrows. Do not let them see you.” He warned but did not move himself. Val took the mare far enough from the edge where she could not see the riders approaching anymore, but not so far that she couldn’t hear them.

The thumps of the horses' hooves rumbled like growing thunder shortly after. To her horror, Marat stood at full height, right on the edge.

“What are you doing!” Her words were strained as she tried to keep them quiet, but she forced them out like a hiss.

“Johannes!” He shouted down, the words coming with the full of his chest. “Johannes!”

She heard a voice but could not distinguish what it had said - she was too far from the edge, and the cliff was tall and steep.

“Marat!” The wide, white smile on Johannes’ face gave away his pleasure of knowing that he was moments away from besting his rival. He sat atop his horse, neck craning slightly to look at Marat atop the cliff. His voice carried with a boom, but the distance still made it difficult to hear. “My good friend! By the All-Father, but that haircut suits you!”

“Leave, Johannes!” Marat called back.

“Oh no, my friend, I cannot do that!” The horse beneath the man stepped from one foot to another, and he squinted at the sun, still smiling. “A better man than you has told me a little secret, and I intend to come for what is mine! Imagine my surprise when I found out that there was a Golden right under my bed sheets! By the All-Father, but I near ascended to godhood myself that night!”

Marat felt himself shake, it was a quiet anger that raged beneath the surface, and he would be damned if he allowed Johannes to see.

“Alas, it seems you will not let go of what is rightfully mine. Not even your own brother could stand in your way! Twice!” Johannes continued - and although he could not see Marat’s face, he knew that the last of his words would hit their mark.

“Return to the cock in front of which you kneel, there is nothing for you here, whore-swine!” Marat shouted down.

“Return that to me which kneels in front of mine, brother!” Johannes laughed, his demeanor light as if it was just a friendly game they played. “You have nowhere to go, Marat! No refuge! I know you are headed west –so I will save you many leagues and days - they will turn you away. I cannot go everywhere to find you, but I will make sure you cannot go anywhere to hide!”

Marat’s throat tightened. They’d been in their pursuit for longer than he thought. He hoped that Valeria could not hear.

“What do you want, Johannes? What is it that Korschey wants?” Marat called back, more to buy time than anything. He scanned the men; about half were archers who could fire in seconds, and the other half had the ranged weapons - but they were not in hand.

So cocky and sure was Johannes, so eager to show Marat how little he had to do to win. But, they would fire at him when the conversation grew cold and their general bored.

All Marat had to do was retreat from the edge to ensure they were firing blindly.

Johannes’ words already revealed that he knew that they could retreat into the mountains, with not enough men or time to cut them off from behind.

“My brother, but I want it all!” Johannes swept his arms around as if to encompass the world. “You think I bow to a hedonist and carry out his wishes? Do you think I would deliver her into his bed? My friend, you have been gone a long time!”

“And yet, you fly his colors!”

Johannes’ patience seemed to grow thin as the thrill of the back and forth began to fade.

“Come, Marat. What are you going to do with her? Run for the rest of your lives? Because what, you love her?” The tone had clearly changed, the feigned pleasantness gone from Johannes’ words. “If you give her to me, you will know she will be safe. If you run until Korschey finds her, she will meet a much, much worse fate. That I can promise you.”

Marat stepped back, steadying his breathing and gaining composure. The mere sight of the man had flooded him with rage-blind hatred, and he found that no matter his resolve, he could not remain calm any longer.

More than anything, he wished to tear the smirk off Johannes’ face, rip him to shreds - and display his remains in front of his own men. He could see the blood flow in his vision even now.

But then he looked to where the horse stood slightly down the hill, Val hiding behind her and peeking out with anxious concern.

This was not the time. He knew their count, their weapons, and their armor. He saw how heavy the horses' steps were with the weight they carried.

But, he knew that the three of them could not outrun Johannes’ men if they ended up in hot pursuit as the night before.

“You have mere seconds, Marat!” Johannes was growing impatient. “You die either way; the choice is merely what happens to her. Show her mercy, give her to me, and I will show it to you with a quick end.”

Marat held eye contact with Val for a heartbeat, then turned to the cliffside again.

“Eat pig shit, Johannes!”

He hurried away from the edge and heard the whistle of arrows and neighs of the horses below as they were forced into immediate movement. The party split; they would circle the mesa and come up the gradual slope soon - whatever he just cornered them into doing, they would have to do fast.

“Come on.” He boosted her onto the horse, getting up, and spurred Aditi forward. Behind the flat top of the mesa was a series of arched stone formations and steep rises.

He veered directly into them with confidence he did not have.