Amashanae - Book 1

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  ”Should have gone after him” Juara muttered as he pulled his horse beside Amashanae’s as they rode the path they hoped would lead them to Kiarra. The forest was much less dense now, and the path had gotten much wider but obviously no more often used. They had not encountered another living being after the crazy man. They passed smaller pathways deviating from the path they followed every now and then, but none looked any more used than the one they were on. So they continued on the same path, because it seemed to keep leading them to more or less correct direction. “I would like to have a little discussion with him, yes I would” Juara continued, caressing his injured fist, clearly feeling less than comfortable.

  “Am I hearing resentment in your voice?” asked Amashanae.

  “He just got me by surprise. ”

  “Strange how you fell so easily” Amashanae smiled.

  “It was the drink” Juara said and stared at the elf. “He just got me by surprise. And quit smirking. I would have jumped him if it had been me watching and ye assaulted, so thank ye very much.”

  “I would be more interested in what did he mean about the beast. It does not sound like good news to me” Amashanae said, trying to change the topic and hide her amusement of the plight of the warrior with hurt pride.

  “Ayh,” welcomed Juara the change of direction. “Strange things are happening these days. Plenty of evil creatures on the move, that is for sure.” He winced as his hurt hand touched the saddle. They had done their best to undo the damage, but the wound did hurt plenty. They had cauterized the finger with a red-hot dagger and applied some hopefully healing herbs and a bandage, and all this medication Juara had taken with clenched teeth but otherwise barely expressing pain, in an attempt to salvage at least some of his hurt pride. But the hand ached and throbbed under the bandages and his spirits were low, as he wondered if he would be able to wield a sword properly for a good while. “It may be good that we stumbled across such a deserted road through the forest. Who knows what armies are out and about.”

  Amashanae did not reply, immersed in her thoughts. Then suddenly the path seemed to open into a clearing, and as they approached it became clear that there was something ahead; a dwelling of some sort, as they could see an old fence feebly trying to keep the foliage out of the clearing, and the roof of a small house visible behind the last few trees. The horses neighed as they pulled to a stop.

  “Shh. Hold it!” ordered Amashanae, and Juara gave her a look, but obeyed. They dismounted the horses and discussed.

  “It appears to be a cabin or a house of some sort. Strange location, in the middle of the woods.” Juara said.

  “Unless we are already on the outskirts of Kiarra.” Amashanae answered.

  “I do not think so. There should have been more traffic already, if we were close.” Instinctively Juara dropped his hand on his sword, pulling it back and grimacing as if he had touched red-hot iron.

  Amashanae eyed him with an expression mixed with amusement and pity. “Let us tread lightly. I shall go onto the yard first; stay back and wait until I give you a signal.”

  “We will”, said Asaryen, touching Juara’s left hand and giving him a supportive look. “Go ahead.”

  Amashanae gave her reins to Juara and casually walked towards the opening ahead. Even before she got to the yard of the house – for it was but a small, solitary house – a smell of death glided into her nose. Warily but quickly she eyed the yard. Nobody in sight. No traces of recent habitation; no smoke rising from the chimney and tall, unbent grass everywhere. But in the grass she saw something out of place in such a rustic view – signs of fighting; a couple of rusty partial plain mails, a sword jutting upright here and a moss-covered spear there. As she approached, she saw human remains as well. Skeletons and rotting bodies in final stages of decomposition lay scattered in front of the house. Not only soldiers it seemed, but a few plain-clothed bodies as well. It certainly was a place where nobody would feel like they wanted to visit. She gestured to the others to come closer, but retraced her steps to meet them halfway in the yard. Their horses snorted and neighed, clearly scared. The air itself seemed dead calm and stale and they all could feel there was something there, and it was cloaking them in.

  Asaryen was clearly very scared of the house. “I-I really think we should go away”, she shivered and glanced around. “I really do not like this place”

  “I do not agree”, Juara said and dropped the bridle from his hand, stepping forward. “I mean, a nasty place this seems, yes, but there is something that… that beckons me in that house.” He took another step towards the house. A small drip of blood dropped from the bandage wrapped over his right hand. The pain was constantly throbbing but he did not flinch.

  “I feel a presence too, but it is not calling me”, Amashanae said and gestured towards the house and the dead bodies. Or was it? “The front is scattered with bodies. I feel like approaching a nest of some hideous beast and the spoils of its meals. There is something evil there, that is for sure. We should steer clear of the house and walk around it quickly.”

  ”Juara, please don’t go in there”, Asaryen pleaded. ”Please, let’s go away.”

  “Do not ye worry girl, there is probably nothing in there. Whatever has killed these people…probably gone away a long time ago” he grinned at Asaryen assertively. But it did little to soothe Asaryen’s nerves.

  “Fine. If you want to go there and get killed, I am not going to stop you” she said angrily, turned on her heels and sulked.

  “She is right, Juara. Come on, let us get of here”, Amashanae added and began to pull on the bridle. But before they had the time to continue their argument, the door of the house flung open noiselessly, and an eerie, feminine breath of voice whispered from the pitch black darkness behind the doorway, quietly but very clearly:

  “Help me… save me”

  Amashanae’s hair stood up with fright. It was very similar to her dream. And the voice was somehow eerily familiar to her. She gripped the leather strap, keeping the horses in check, calm outward but thoughts raging inside her. What was this? To her horror Juara immediately started towards the house. Of course, a warrior’s weakness should be ladies in distress, this was like an invitation to him, she thought bitterly. Juara tried to bare his sword with his hurt hand, but grunted and flung it out of the scabbard with his left hand, took running before the others even realized it, he had crossed the yard and plunged in through the door. Asaryen or Amashane had no time to do anything about it.

  “Help me…save me…save yourself” the voice beckoned once more.

  The door slammed closed after Juara. Amashanae quickly gave the horses to Asaryen and started towards the house herself. Asaryen began to sob and gripped the reins and tried to hide behind the horse. It was then that they heard Juara shout out loud inside the house:

  “By the God of Two Skies, what are ye!”

  There was a loud rustle of sounds as Juara apparently attacked something, letting out his battle cry. Amashanae drew her blade and jumped to the door. She tried to kick it in, but it did not budge.

  “Juara!” Asaryen was now screaming in terror and could not stand still any more, but ran towards the house, holding the horses that followed her hesitantly and with wild eyes, neighing and kicking. Reins still in her hand she joined Amashanae at the door, banging it with her fists and bawling. “Juara!”

  The man screamed inside. Amashanae stared at her wrists, eyes wide and bewildered.

  “This would be a good time?” she whispered. Nothing happened.

  Asaryen pounded the door and looked at Amashanae, shocked.

  “Do something!”

  Amashanae continued kicking and pummeling the door as inside the sounds fell silent. Finally the door gave in and smashed open to reveal the room inside. It was completely silent there. Asaryen rushed in, having dropped the reins and with no regard for her own safety.

  “Wait!” Amashanae yelled, but Asaryen was already inside.
She followed her without hesitation, but what they saw then made them freeze on their tracks and dropped their jaws. The house consisted of only one large room, and in the middle of the room floated something, suspended in the air and radiating a weak glow in the darkness. It had a form of a beautiful feminine figure, and even though it appeared translucent, they could not see through it, nor make out its distorted features well. Asaryen sighed:

  “A wraith!”

  The wraith’s hands pointed towards the women and its head tilted to the side as it whispered again with a smile on her lips, with long, drawn vowels, as if out of breath:

  “Help me… save us…please!”

  As their eyes quickly began to adjust to the dim light inside, they saw Juara lying unconscious by the wall. He seemed alive and serene, but there was a green moss-like growth that seemed to have started growing on his skin like a fungus and kept creeping up his sides.

  “What are you?” Amashanae asked, staring at the wraith. It stared her back in the eye and continued smiling gently.

  “Help …”

  “I will show you help” said Amashanae, swinging her blade at the wraith. It went straight through the apparition as if mere air. “What...”

  The wraith lifted up its head and let out a cry with a sound like silver coins falling on a platter echoing around the room, which suddenly seemed to them had begun growing larger. But it was a cry of desperation, not victory, and it gave Amashanae more strength.

  Amashanae tried to swing her blade again, although she already knew it was for nought. She saw the moss grow quickly on Juara, almost touching his face now.

  “Amashanae, do something”, Asaryen begged with tears welling in her eyes.

  ”But what?” Amashanae lowered her blade and quit slashing. “Steel will not harm her!”

  The wraith gestured and screamed unintelligible words again, as if her voice was reaching from somewhere very far from there, and Amashanae suddenly felt something reaching up her leg, something growing there.

  “Then we shall try something else”, Asaryen suddenly said, and this time all the fear in hear voice had vanished. She wiped her eyes and stepped up to the wraith and started yelling at it:

  “You stupid ghost! Let Juara go! You have no right to take him from me!” she screamed. “What are you to lure men here to die, you monster! You’re a fool if you think I’ll let that happen, yes you are!”

  Amashanae looked at Asaryen, astonished, but for some reason not surprised. She understood what sort of a girl Asaryen could be when the push came to shove. She looked at the wraith. It is a ghost, what could she do to it? Scare it back to the underworlds whence it came?

  “Listen to me you ghost-woman”, Asaryen kept demanding. “I want him back!” and to Amashanae’s astonishment the wraith stopped moving and slid backwards with hands reaching towards them, as if she were suddenly sinking behind.

  Amashanae tried reaching at Juara, now almost entirely covered with moss, but something prevented her doing so. There was moss already growing on her leg, too. She looked at the young girl facing the wraith with desperation. Go ahead Asaryen! Whatever it is, it is working” she thought, pressing against the force that seemed to give in slightly as she pressed, but growing stronger by the second. She could also stare at the wraith, which now bent forward towards the raging girl heroically staring her down.

  “Does your hero love you?” it spoke to Asaryen with a grave voice, reaching out its arm and holding a small red object in it.

  With that Asaryen quieted down, looking at the wraith and losing momentum. Tears began to appear in her eyes once again. The wraith seemed to try to say something but the figure contorted and twisted. Amashanae kept pushing and trying to reach Juara, staring at the two female figures wrestling their minds in the middle of the room, when it suddenly dawned on her what was required. It came in another vision, a flash a heartbeat long, but this time it was different. It was warm. The wraith changed just for a blink of an eye, but for a moment she could saw a familiar face replacing the wraith’s visage. It was her. Time around her stood still as she just stared at the wraith; a moment immersed in some shady, blurred version of reality, and she was not alone in it. But as suddenly as she had been drawn into it, she was shaken back out.

  ”You love him? Your hero?” they made out from its words as the wraith exclaimed and seemed to laugh and cry at the same time.

  Asaryen had lost her edge and could not say anything more, only retreated in the face of the apparition, began to sob and fell on the floor. But now Amashanae knew what she had to do. She pushed Asaryen aside and stepped right in the front of the wraith, using all her willpower to drag her feet through the moss that seemed to be growing everywhere by now.

  “Me. Look at me”, she stared the wraith directly in its eyes. The wraith stared back at her and tilted its head, its expression changing to that of a child, and the others stared in awe as they realized the wraith now looked like a mirror image of the elf. Amashanae whispered and the wraith bent forward to listen. And as it did the moss started disappearing from Juara’s face, and his eyelids wavered as he began coughing and moaning quietly. The moss vanished like smoke all around them and the wraith seemed very pale now. Asaryen got up also, seeing the wraith falter, and screamed at the ghost with all her voice:

  “Get back! Begone!”

  But the wraith’s gaze had never left Amashanae’s eyes. It smiled a peaceful smile now as the moss receded, and Juara opened his eyes. The first thing he heard returning to consciousness was how the wraith said something to Amashanae:

  “There is love, remember!” and then it suddenly vanished. Amashanae and Asaryen rushed towards Juara.

  ”Are you alright?” Amashanae asked, helping him stand up.

  Juara coughed deep.

  ”I think I am… Ye girls… Ye saved me”, he stuttered.

  Asaryen held his arm and hugged him, but then, before he had time to say anything more, she stepped back and gave him a mighty slap across his face.

  “Don’t you ever do that again!” she yelled and promptly marched out, huffing and puffing angrily.

  “Ouch! What did I do to her?” Juara asked, cheeks flushed, and picked up his sword. He wiped out the rest of the moss from his armour, puzzled.

  “What is this wickedry?” he held small pause. “And there was a… wraith? What happened to it? Did I kill it?”

  Amashanae laughed, and there was a strange, relieved sound to her laugh.

  ”Our bad-tempered friend battered it back to the underworld where it belongs. You should thank her. She is so worried about you and she got scared, that is all”

  Juara stared at Amashanae. “Well, I better go right away then”, he then said and started after Asaryen. Amashanae watched him go and heaved a sigh. Such a big baby…such babies. For she knew the truth of why the wrath had vanished in thin air. She knew the truth why it had freed Juara, and she knew there would be a time she would have to make good on her promise. Because in the wraith she had seen her fate to be some day to have to make a selection between what she wanted to become; it had promised her that she would find herself and become whole again. To rid herself from the burden she felt inside her. And it had made her make a promise to make the right choice, when the time would come. It had not said it with words, and it was not to be in words, but in deeds. What deeds, and in what time, she did not know yet, but her heart was for once filled with a feeling of there being a future for her. A chill ran down her spine and she made to leave the dark room, but something caught her eye on the ground. She bent down to pick it up. A small, heart-shaped jewel stone. She picked it up and examined it briefly and then pocketed it. Again letting out a deep sigh, she gave a last, careful look at the now abandoned and quiet, normal room and stepped outside where Juara was apologizing to Asaryen. Oh yes, she knew why he was saved.