Genocide

Amala and Carn hurry back to Westmark, but find refugees there from persecution.

41.

Genocide

 

They knew they were being tracked, but since they could not see those tracking them, they had no choice but to keep riding as quickly as they could on the narrow forest path.

Amala was nearly crazy with nerves as she sat beside Carn in the bumping, creaking wagon.    She felt so helpless riding in the wagon, but with the Geis on her, riding a horse was out of the question.   Stupid dress, she thought, glancing down at the long Elven dress that kept her from riding like she should. 

They hadn’t come up with one that would have allowed her to ride a horse normally.    She’d never learned how to ride side-saddle, for she’d very seldom worn dresses, even as a child.

Adding to her frustration was the thick braided hair that seemed to always get in her way.    She’d never had hair longer than her shoulders and that had been when she’d been very young.   It was like a nightmare for the tomboy, and the knowledge that Faesidhe rebels were tracking them from the top of the forest trees, probably just waiting for a clear spot to ambush them, did nothing to calm her down.

“Sorry” Carn said after the cart was jolted by a hole in the dirt road, “How are you doing, Amala?”

“Well, I’ll tell you: I’m pondering just taking all of my clothes off -since I doubt the Geis would effect me if I was naked- then undo this crazy hair, fashion it to cover my private parts, grab a horse and ride like mad for Westmark.”

Carn smiled slightly, “Sorry about the ride - these wagons aren’t really made for speed.”

“I don’t know how you do it, Carn; we need to find you a suitable steed.   I’ve seen some larger warhorses that would support you.”

“Yeah, but horses don’t like the smell of Bugbears and they usually go crazy if one is on their backs.”

“You really don’t act like a Bugbear, you know.   I doubt the horses would notice.”

There came a crashing sound from ahead where the two sons of Governor Demmet rode, along with a pair of Faesidhe guards.    A large tree fell in the path in front of them, nearly crushing one of the guards in the process.

“Oh great, an ambush.”  The Drow girl said with a somewhat weary, but calm sigh.

Instead of arrows sailing down from above, thankfully the attack was on the ground.   From either side of the road 12 Elves rushed in with swords drawn.

“They should have used their arrows.”  The Drow girl said to Carn with a confident smile.   She leapt to her feet as a Faesidhe man jumped onto the cab of the wagon.   With blindingly fast movement, he swiped at her with his sword, aiming to detach her head from her neck with the blow.

But Amala was even quicker.    She ducked the blade, her left hand shooting out and catching her adversary’s wrist, while she punched him in the gut with her right hand.   The Faesidhe Elf tumbled over the side of the wagon, but not before she had stripped him of his sword.

Meanwhile, another Elf had attacked Carn from the other side, cutting him in the arm and shoulder before he kicked out the Faesidhe’s legs, sending him crashing down onto the seat of the wagon.   Before he could do anything else, Carn had grabbed him by the back of his leather armor and flung him off the cart into the nearest tree, breaking his neck.

Another Faesidhe assassin leapt mightily into the cab from the branch of a tree, squarely into Carn’s chest, knocking him backwards.

But before the Elf could plunge his sword into the Bugbear, he was tackled by Amala, sending the two of them crashing on top of Carn.  

She grabbed his sword arm then slashed at his other arm with her captured sword.   Her slash was deflected by his leather armor and the Elf rammed his knee into her belly, but she held on to his wrist.   He managed to grab her wrist, hoping to keep her sword at bay long enough to free his weapon and kill her.

Amala saw only one choice and she acted.    Rearing back, she rammed her forehead against the bridge of his nose.   Pain exploded over her, but she had anticipated it and moved through it.    The move had caught him off guard and he released his hold on both her wrist and his sword.  

She slashed across where she knew his face should be, as she wasn’t able to see for the moment due to stars dancing across her field of vision from the impact of her blow.

Her aim was true and he fell back and then rolled off the wagon, mortally injured.

Carn was already moving by the time she had crawled over to him.

“Are you alright?” She asked the Bugbear as her head throbbed with her heartbeat.

“Yes, but I am quite angry and I need a weapon.” He replied, and she handed him one of the Faesidhe swords a moment before another Faesidhe assassin jumped into the cab with his sword drawn.

With a terrible roar, the Bugbear was on his feet, surprising the Elf with the remarkable speed of Carn’s people.  

Both swung their swords at each other at the same time, but the Faesidhe man was no match for the strength of the enraged Bugbear and he sank down to his knees from the force of the blow.

Amala didn’t wait for Carn to strike again,  thrusting her sword into the assassin’s chest.   His armor did not protect him and he fell over dead.

But Carn was still enraged and he leapt off the wagon with a very fierce growl, charging ahead where the other Faesidhe assassins were battling their escorts.  

One of their Faesidhe guards lay dead and Bieo Demmet was injured, but one of the rebels also had been killed.

Carn’s roar turned all attention to him, and Amala raced after him, moving slower than usual due to her unfamiliarity at running in a long skirt.

One of the Faesidhe rebels counter-charged Carn, but the long-armed Bugbear sent him flying through the air after he clubbed at him with his Faesidhe sword.  Another assassin attacked him, but Carn was moving at full speed now and he just knocked his sword thrust aside then ran over him.   

The remaining five Faesidhe rebels swarmed upon the enraged Bugbear from four sides.   But Amala had now caught him and she moved at once to his right flank to assist.  

Her opponent noticed her at the last moment and changed his planned attack against Carn to now come against her.   So it was very sloppily executed and she took advantage of that, spinning his sword downward and then, moving at her very quickest, slashing upward.   Her aggressive move gutted the assassin, so she moved on to the next rebel before his corpse even hit the ground.

Carn had used his sword as a club to beat down one of the Faesidhe facing him into the ground.   But the move had broken the sword and now the three Faesidhe assassins that were left standing were moving in.  

The Bugbear endured several wicked slashes to his arms and legs as he attempted to grapple with his nearest opponent.

Amala engaged the rebel on Carn’s right, but the Elf was ready for her.   Her slashes and thrusts were skillfully parried, yet he could do nothing but defend himself from her quick and aggressive attacks.

This gave Carn one less adversary to contend with, and Linel and the uninjured guard engaged one of the two assassins that had attacked him.

Linel was quite skilled with the sword and within moments another assassin had fallen.   

Amala’s opponent sensed impending doom and abruptly spun and ran toward the forest, which caused the remaining Assassin to do the same.

But they weren’t fast enough.   Carn lunged and tackled one of the rebels, pounding him with his fists until he died.    The other assassin nearly reached the cover of the trees before he fell lifeless with one of Linel’s throwing knives sticking out of the back of his neck.

 

They found the bodies of ten of the twelve that had attacked them and theorized that the other two had only been injured and had escaped back into the woods.  

They bound their wounds, thankful for Linel’s wisdom in packing healing balm.   Carn had several deep slashes on his arms and legs, but endured them stoically and let Amala wrap his wounds, while Linel attended his brother’s wounds.

“You really shouldn’t use an Elven sword as a club.”  Amala gently teased as she wrapped Carn’s arms in bandage.

“The puny little thing; I would have been fine if it hadn’t been so flimsy.”

“Carn, if you had any more cuts on you, you would look like raw meat.”

“Well, I’m too big to engage in swordplay.”

“I could train you.”

“I doubt you could train me to fight like you do.”

“It’s possible.   You are quite quick for a big guy.”

“Most Bugbears are, I’m told.”

“So you haven’t been around many of your own kind?”

“No, never, actually.  But do you remember when Mutt and I came to work for Thorm?”

“Yes, Thorm was very skeptical at first.    But you won his favor, I guess.   Good ol’ Thorm… I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“Yeah, I can’t either.    He was a great boss… and a great friend.”

“So what did you do before you came here?   You said you never were around any other Bugbears.”   Amala asked, sensing a bit of discomfort from Carn about the questions.

“Well I was an orphan, and so was Mutt, so we just started moving around together.   Most human communities don’t like Goblins and Bugbears, so we were constantly travelling.”

“But where did you start out?   What was your earliest memory?”   Amala pressed, and the Bugbear shifted nervously.

“I don’t really know.    Probably in Aeropolis, that is about as far back as I can remember, and I was young then, but old enough to survive.”

“So you don’t have any memory of your parents?”

“No.”   He seemed very nervous, almost as if he was lying to her.

“And you were a child old enough to survive on your own: this is the oldest memory you have?”

“Amala, I’m a Bugbear; we don’t remember things like Elves do and our lifespans are quite a bit shorter.   We’re a lot like animals - we have instincts and survive that way.”

She just looked at him questioningly, but decided not to pursue the matter further since he was injured.   Carn seemed far too intelligent to be a Bugbear.   She’d never heard one that spoke as clearly as he did.    There was a story here that he wasn’t telling her or anyone, and she wondered why.   

Linel interrupted her pondering by walking over to them and asking them how soon they would be ready to resume their trip to Westmark.

“I’m almost done wrapping his wounds.”  She told the Elf, “How is your brother?”

“He’ll be alright, Lady Amala.   His wounds were somewhat serious, but the balm works quickly and he will mend.”

“Do you think we’ll be attacked again?”

“I doubt it; their numbers are scattered all across the forest, so we should be able to reach Westmark without trouble… I hope.”

“I shall keep a couple of those assassin’s swords strapped on, just in case.”

“A wise plan.    I must say, your swordsmanship was very impressive.”

“Thanks.   I miss my own swords, though.   If I ever find this ‘lady of the forest’ that took them…”

“It looks as if you have mastered any sword you use.”

“I don’t know about that.   I just tried to stay alive.”

“Thankfully, you succeeded.”

 

***

After a brief rest, they wrapped the body of the dead guard in some of the assassins’ cloaks and put it in the back of the wagon.   Carn insisted on driving, but Amala was glad he did, as she wasn’t too thrilled with driving a wagon -alone- with a corpse in it.  

By late afternoon they were near the eastern entrance to the great forest - which also was the exit to Westmark.

Amala was greatly relieved to see the forest fading behind them as they approached the Walls of Westmark.    No armies besieged the city now, but she was surprised to see a long line of people on the Southern highway, most of them seeming to carry all of their possessions on their backs.

As they drew nearer, she could see that the majority of them were not humans but were Elves, Halflings, Half-Elves, several Dwarves and even a few Orcs or Half-Orcs.

They rode past them quickly, but those that saw them pass seemed to recognize them somehow and an excited murmur spread through their ranks.

She could hear the words ‘Drow’ and ‘Duchess’ and even her mother’s name a few times.    As if reading her mind, Carn leaned over and murmured, “They think you are the ‘barmaid Duchess’.”

Amala laughed, “Why would they think that?    Aside from both of us being Drow, there is little that mother and I have in common.   Surely they should know I’m not her.”

“Amala, you don’t look the same as you did.    Your hair and that dress-“

“Don’t remind me, Carn!”   She growled as they approached the main gate.    The guards were staring and talking to each other as they looked her up and down.   She felt very awkward, and finally she could stand it no longer.

“Well?   Are you going to let us in, or will I have to get you in trouble with my father?”

Upon hearing her voice, the guards blinked in surprise and looked at her even more closely.

“Lady Amala?” One of them asked hesitantly.

“Of course it’s me!   For Yesh’s sake, let us in!”

“Certainly!  Guards!” 

 

A moment later the gates creaked open and they rushed through them.    Amala was surprised to find so many people in the streets, most carrying packs and many with horses and mules loaded down with belongings. 

“We need to talk to General Luca.” She told Carn and Linel as they weaved their way through their crowd toward the Ducal Keep.    

Amala was painfully aware of everyone staring at her, especially the men that they passed.    She simply had to find a way to cut her hair and get her usual clothing back.   She couldn’t take this much attention; she felt as if she wanted to seclude herself some place until she could find out how to cancel the Geis.

But her thoughts kept going back and forth between her brother and sister and their group on the Quest with the mysterious ‘White Lady’ who was impersonating her, and her parents off in the Underdark, going through only Yesh knew what.

Luca was very surprised to see her and wondered about her appearance as well, but she explained to him all that had happened.   He had no idea how to help her break the Geis, but it was of minor importance, as since they had left for the funeral days ago, much had happened in the Duchy.

The day following their departure, the Southern highway began to be crowded with large numbers of refugees fleeing the Southern Empire.   They told of a senate mandated ban on all non-human, intelligent races in the boundaries of the Southern Empire.    Emperor Fortatius gave them one week to leave the Empire or be executed, and throughout the Imperial lands, demi-humans fled in droves.   

Many came northwest to Westmark and Dullerm, hoping to find asylum here.

“We’ve had nearly 1,000 so far,” Luca told Amala, “Without your parents ruling on this, I decided to err on the side of compassion and allow them to come here, though we are rapidly filling up.”

“I am sure they would have agreed with your decision, General.” She replied, sensing that even he was looking at her differently now.

She had retired early then, mainly to get away from everybody that had come to see her and tell her how beautiful her long hair was, as well as exclaim how much she resembled her dead sister Aranthi.

 

***

 

Carn had also went to his quarters in the Dwarven Armorer’s Guild barracks and slept, but was startled an hour before daybreak by a page sent by Amala requesting him to come to her quarters immediately in the Ducal Keep.   He quickly dressed and hurried over there, his mind racing over potential disasters that might have befallen her.  

Perhaps she was dying from having tried to cut her hair, and now she wished him to find her parents and tell them.   Other grim scenarios filled his head as they let him into the Keep and he rushed up the stairs to the room they directed him toward.   

Certainly he wouldn’t have been summoned so early if it wasn’t something very important, and his heart was racing nervously by the time he reached her door.   He knocked and she bid him come inside.

 

He paused for a moment after he opened the door, for what he saw took him off guard.    She sat in a chair next to the bed, her lovely silvery white hair freed from her braid and flowing majestically down her back.    But equally unsettling to him was her attire.   She wore a very rich silky white gown that was extremely sensual.

The low cut neckline of the gown proudly highlighted her full bosom in the most terribly wonderful way.    He was stunned that she would wear such a sexy night dress, and he hesitated, suddenly very nervous about entering her private chambers when she looked liked that.

“Come on in, Carn.” She said to him, seeming puzzled at his hesitation, “It’s alright; I asked you to come over here.    What’s wrong with you?   You look like you’re afraid that you are walking into a trap or something!”

She laughed, stood up and came over to him, amused but puzzled at his terrified expression.

“Um… maybe I should come back later.”  He suggested, feeling his hands grow shaky and sweaty.

“No, I want to see you now, before everyone gets up.    I’m sorry I had you come over so early, but I thought it would be easier this way.    I had to take your braid out last night because I just had to wash my hair.    Good grief, it took me forever to unwind it, and nearly as long to wash it, Carn!    I crept in and out of the bathhouse at midnight so no one would see me.”

“Oh.” He mumbled, not knowing what else to say.   He found that he couldn’t help but keep glancing down at her cleavage and this terrified him even more, so he finally began to consciously stare her in the eyes and lock his gaze there as she went on talking.

“I didn’t have a night dress, but I remembered that Aranthi’s clothing was still in her old room, so I went over there and tried to find one.    I’ll tell you this, Carn: Everyone claims I look so much like Aranthi with this stupid long hair, but she was definitely more petite than I am!   I couldn’t find any of her night dresses that would fit me… except for this one, and it seems too tight in the chest.”

Carn just grunted to indicate that  he had heard her.

“It just feels too tight to me.   Aranthi was not as big as the rest of my sisters.   Doesn’t it look too tight to you?”  To his bewilderment, she thrust her chest out in front of him, for his opinion.  

“Uh…” He wasn’t able to say anything more, but she took his reply for conformation.

“I thought so " she wasn’t as big as Mom and me.   Or Snoe!   She’s really developing quickly!   She’s quite a bit bigger in the chest area then last year, don’t you think?   She’s really growing up!   I’ll bet she couldn’t wear this gown either.”

 

Carn was not used to feeling such awkwardness and blushed beet red at Amala’s casual conversation about her family’s well-known generous busts.    She wasn’t even embarrassed!  

He just nodded, unable to speak right then, and Amala went on, completely comfortable and apparently without a clue on how awkward she had made him.

“Anyway,” She continued, walking back over to the chair, “Between the tight dress and this hair, I could hardly sleep last night.    So I thought I’d ask you to braid it again - this time in two braids on each side, so it won’t feel so heavy.   Can you do two smaller braids?”

He grunted an answer and nodded, though he feared that his trembling, sweaty hands would fail in the attempt.  

“Good.   Come over here and sit down; you’re so tall I thought it would be easier for you to sit to do it.”  

Carn did as she said and sat down on the chair.

“I appreciate you helping me, Carn.   I didn’t want to ask any of the ladies to braid it as it’s a bit embarrassing to be a woman and not know how.   Besides, I knew they’d just go on and on about hair styles and all, but all I need is just tightly wound braids.   You did such a good job on the last one; I thought you were just the person to do it.”

To his amazement, she sat down on his knee, facing one side and holding her hair out to him, “Here, go at it.    I trust you.    I’m sure Mom would be mortified to see us here together, so don’t say anything about this, alright?”

He nodded, rather dumbly taking her offered hair.   His fingers felt nearly numb and his hands were visually shaking now, but still the girl didn’t seem to notice, but kept on talking as relaxed as she could be.

“I mean - think about it.  What’s to worry about?   You’re a Bugbear, and I’m quite sure I don’t look anything like a female Bugbear, right?”

“No…” He managed to reply.

“Exactly!   Mom would get so upset for nothing!   Bugbears are not attracted to Elves, and especially not to Drow!   It would be like a human thinking a Troll was attractive!   Mom just doesn’t understand that different species are not aroused by non-similar species.”

“Elves and humans are close and can interbreed, but what a Bugbear finds attractive is totally different than what humans and Elves find attractive.   I’m sure what you find stimulating in lady Bugbears is nothing like what a human or an Elf would find attractive.”

“I’ve never…uh… I’ve never actually seen a female Bugbear.”

“Really?   Well, even still, I’m sure you would feel something if you ever did, though.    You’d be drawn to what your race finds attractive.”

“Yeah.” He flatly replied, perplexed at her naivety.   Yet she  completely trusted him because she thought their different races would keep him from finding her attractive.    As a result, she seemed to be totally relaxed and amazingly open to him.

He had not known her extremely well, but he did know that Amala Dullerm was known for feeling uneasy around anyone that was not her family, so her trust of him was shocking.

It was also flattering to Carn, so he wasn’t about to set her straight on who he found beautiful, or what lustful thoughts went through his mind as he very nervously braided her wonderful hair.

“Your hair is like full moonlight falling on new snow.” He said as he finished braiding one side.

“I’m ready for the spring thaw!” She joked, unadmittingly flattered at his rather poetic comparison.   A Bugbear with the thoughts of a poet or bard - how odd, Amala thought to herself.

Though he trembled terribly, his nimble hands gracefully and quickly braided the long silvery white strands into perfect forms.   

Amala smiled after seeing his handiwork and she turned around to offer him the other side as soon as he finished.   

Carn forced himself to focus on the task at hand and he was just finishing her second braid when abruptly there came a flash of blue light that caused both of them to jump to their feet in alarm.

 

Both of them recognized the visitor immediately.   It was Queen Eioldth.

“Your Majesty!” They said in unison, bowing to her.    Carn wished he could have jumped through a window at that moment, for the lovely Elven woman seemed rather taken back by finding the two of them together in Amala’s room.

“Hello, Amala.   Hello Carn.   I wasn’t expecting to find you here.”  She said to him and he blushed again, which of course showed more than it usually would have shown since his hair had not grown long enough to cover a blush.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I was…uh-“

“He was braiding my hair, believe it or not.”  Amala said, showing Eioldth his handiwork.

“Your hair!”  Eioldth sighed in delight, “Look at it!   My goodness, child, it is so long and beautiful.   Valmiai really got you with that Geis, didn’t she?”

“Who?”   Amala asked.

“Valmiai - the ‘white woman of the forest’ that did this and took your place.    She’s a very old, very powerful Fae creature, somewhat like a Nymph, but far more powerful.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes, and she apparently has a grudge against Helios, so she will certainly be helping your brother and sister and Aedric.”

“But why didn’t she just go as herself?”

“I really don’t know.    I do know that your brother has encountered her several times before and she seems to have some sort of interest in him.   She even helped your father out some years ago, though he doesn’t know it was her.   She was the Banshee that he encountered that helped drive the Demon of Rage out of him.   Don’t worry about your family, child, Valmiai seems to be quite fond of them.   Unless they do something to anger her, they are perfectly safe.”

“So you know what has happened to everyone?”

“Yes, we can see many things, but I cannot tell you more about that.   Yesh allowed me to tell you about Valmiai.” She turned to look at Carn, “But we do know most things about anyone we choose to - there are no secrets with The Watchers.   Even though someone may seem like someone else, we know who they truly are.”

Carn shifted a bit apprehensively, but the Elven woman turned back to Amala and smiled, “So don’t worry about Valmiai - we are watching her.    Now, for the reason I was sent here…”

She repeated the same basic message that the other Watchers had told the others, but modified it to reflect what information Amala and Carn knew.  

“Yesh wanted me to also tell you about the refugees.”  Eioldth continued, “They come from the southlands, but more will come to Westmark as they see your father and mother as their best hope of survival.   The Emperor will finish forcing them out of the Southern Empire, and will try to kill those who did not leave.   So many more will flee and will come here, and this will be a great challenge to your parents and those who govern here.”

“I would suggest making preparations for this.   Their numbers would also perhaps be useful for some sort of defense, as Torrin will demand of Redburr, or more likely, both Redburr and the Emperor, to destroy this stronghold of demi-humans. “  

“So war will certainly come here.   Amala, you can assist by encouraging and inspiring these refugees and helping them feel like they are welcome here.   As there will also be some of the goblinoid and Orc races coming here as well, I suspect Carn could also be useful as an ambassador.  He seems to possess very remarkable intelligence and charisma for a Bugbear.”   Eioldth smiled at him, but he could see a knowing look in her eyes that frightened him.

“Your Majesty, I wish you could stay here and advise us.”   Amala said to her.

“Child, I will be watching, but Yesh is restricting our involvement.    Another thing - don’t call me ‘Your Majesty’, for I am no longer your Queen.   It is a title that soon, I imagine, you will be speaking to your parents.    But that depends on the success of many.   Be strong and courageous, child, and you as well, Carn!   I must depart now, so farewell!”   

With a blink of light she was gone, leaving Carn and Amala standing there wondering about many things.

 

Reviews

[Elina]

"They knew they were being tracked, but since they could not see those tracking them, they had no choice but to keep riding as quickly as they could on the narrow forest path." You may want to reword a little, so there's not such an abundance of "they."
"From either side of the road 12 Elves rushed..." You'll want to spell twelve out.
"...he just knocked his sword thrust aside then ran over him." Maybe if you said "...aside before running over him." ?
"...as since they had left for the funeral days ago, much had happened in the Duchy." Perhaps, instead, "...as much had happened in the Duchy since they had left for the funeral days ago."
"...as they let him into the Keep..." I think you were wanting "led," here.
"...she took his reply for conformation." I think you were wanting "confirmation." ?

I'm super excited to find out what Carn is hiding...though I have my suspicions...

[Eddie Davis]

Thanks, Elina, Carn was a big surprise to me as well, as my Muse through a big surprise in the story line that is actually working out really well. It ties up a few things quite nicely too. I've been writing a lot this week and the Carn story line is so fun to write that I am now going back and working on the other story lines. You will be surprised at what you'll find out about Carn.

[Elina]

I can hardly wait...but will do so with bated breath.