meetings: felt like writing a fight

The rock spring stood out among the dunes, a beacon to Tanye’s weary eyes. She was certain that her face had garnered the first permanent lines of her life as she had just spent the past several days squinting into the blazing distance. She hadn’t noticed excessive crow’s feet on the people of Midras, but she hadn’t really looked. Now she found herself sitting atop Deuel and trying to picture the face of Alhea or Oringo, even Rishi. She failed to conjure a detailed enough image of the inn-keepers, but her mind lingered on Rishi. She was greatly disturbed by his bizarre appearance, and though she hadn’t spent much time with him, she was left with a sense of wonder and a little bit of concern.

You don’t yet know the complexity of the power that has brought us to this juncture. But you would never believe me if I told you.

It was strange things like that, things that she would have dismissed had almost anyone else uttered them. But there was something about Rishi, and his uncanny knowledge of and intervention in her quest had stirred Tanye’s senses.

“Who is that master of yours, Deuel?”

The horse didn’t reply, as she had expected. He continued along his course, which Tanye was now even more aware of. She hadn’t trusted Deuel the first time, but now she was weary because of what Rishi had said. Deuel wasn’t going to help her this time. She laughed at herself and shook her head. Right. Like he could really affect the way the horse responded to her. She knew she was entertaining a rather high opinion of his skills for having met him only once. But it was just those damn instincts again. She knew she was supposed to trust them. But was she really expected to take the word of a crazy man from the desert?

The rocks were closer now, just a few yards away. Rishi hadn’t mentioned anything about it, but Tanye remembered Samsara’s precise instructions: where you find the horse you will leave him again. Deuel saw the spring as well, and he quickened his pace without any cue from Tanye. She held the reigns, but let him go. The sooner she was back to the cool of the forest, the better. She squinted at the cluster of red rocks, recalling its appearance from her first arrival. Something was different. Something was off. Deuel seemed to notice it as well, and he slowed his trot, almost beginning to veer off course. Tanye pulled the reigns.

“Hold on, Deuel. It’s okay…” she said softly, trying to comfort both the horse and herself.

All around the rocks, the cacti and other small desert plants had been trampled. The sand was disturbed, showing faint tracks and trails. Something had moved through here, and apparently more than one of them. The faint bubble of the spring was beckoning Tanye, but she was uncertain of what to do. They needed water. Her supply was dry and Deuel needed it more than she did. But Deuel didn’t seem to want any parts of the spring, and he kept trying to walk away as Tanye held tight to the reigns.

“Shhh….”

Tanye tugged the reigns, but Deuel was refusing to go any closer to the spring. She exhaled and sat completely still, closing her eyes. All seemed quiet. She could not hear anything particularly disturbing to her, but she was not so well versed in the language of the desert. After quite a while of waiting and listening, Tanye decided the threat had moved on. Water was too important. But Deuel would not budge despite Tanye’s coaxing.

“Come on, now. Don’t you want some water?” She asked, petting his head. Deuel threw his head back and whinnied, startling her somewhat. Tanye shook her head and gathered herself, “Fine, I’ll just have to bring it to you, then. I’m not leaving you out here with no water.”

She needed it, too. Deuel stamped the ground a few times but took not a step closer. Tanye jumped down from his back. The heat of the desert floor immediately seeped through the soles of her boots as she carefully walked toward the rocks. She went slowly, staying low to the ground and alertly checking for any sign of danger. Her swords were drawn quickly and silently, she was taking no chances. She knew better then to completely ignore the gut feeling of both herself and the horse.

The rocks seemed to grow in height as she approached them. They stood tall, a strange and out of place cluster amidst the otherwise flat desert. But the spring was also located in a gully, making it difficult for Tanye to see to the horizon. She didn’t like it, and decided that she should get the water quickly and return to Deuel, who was pacing around and making a commotion. She felt agitated enough without the horse’s antics, but she knew better then to dismiss them. Her senses were alert—

 There was a sudden fwfff as an arrow flew past Tanye’s head, striking the red rock behind her. She had just knelt beside the small spring, she had just been missed. Her head snapped up and she was on her feet, her eyes darting around for her assailant. She barely had time to react before another flurry of arrows came at her. She heard them in the air, but the desert sun glared in her eyes and she couldn’t see where they were coming from. Two pierced the ground around her, but one struck her leg, sinking into the thigh.

Tanye let out a yell, simultaneously looking up to see Deuel being overtaken by what looked like a band of thieves. She couldn’t suppress it, and she screamed, “NO!!”

She ignored the arrow that had almost completely pierced her leg, and began running toward Deuel. She smelled it now, they weren’t regular old bandits. Orks, and more of them then she had ever encountered alone. One or two was not a problem, but three were currently trying to take control of Deuel, who was rearing back and defending himself valiantly. Three more orks were running toward her from beyond the spring. The archers. They were no longer drawing their bows, but now were wielding rusty-edged blades.

They came at her with surprising speed, different then the orks that had migrated into the southlands. Their skin was black and sweaty, and their stench was coming at her faster than they were. She gritted her teeth and planted her feet firmly to the ground, drawing both swords and waiting. The first ork came at her head on, but she deflected his hasty strike with one of her swords, throwing off his balance and thrusting her second sword into his chest. The ork screamed, its eyes widening but revealing no edge to the black pupil. He spit blood on her and she stumbled backward, heaving her sword out of his chest with a grunt. The second ork was upon her just as the first stumbled away making horrible squeals and croaks of pain.  

“Bastards!” Tanye yelled, her frustration overtaking her. She tried to calm down, knowing that any frantic moves would cause her death, but it was nearly impossible. The second ork swung his blade at her, but she met it in the air with one of her own. They pushed against each other, each testing the strength of the other. Tanye’s thigh muscle was completely torn through, and she could not hold the weight of the ork. She stumbled backward and he grinned, exposing his black gums and pointed rotten teeth. What a horrible mistake. Tanye didn’t know how she had let herself make such a horrible mistake.

The ork threw his entire weight at her, but Tanye was unable to counter and she was knocked to the sand. She rolled over as quickly as she could, barely getting out of the way of the ork’s blade, which he stabbed into the sand with all of his strength. He had stabbed harder the necessary, however, and Tanye saw her opening as he was trying to pull the sword out of the ground, grunting agitatedly. She kicked him in the stomach with her good leg and he was knocked back, loosing the grip on his weapon. But the third orc was already there, his sword lifted high and ready to fall on her head. Tanye looked up, the ork’s poised weapon silhouetted against the harsh sun. The ork let out a curdling cry and lurched forward, preparing to bring down his blade. Then Tanye heard a horse coming toward them, the earth pounding beneath her head with the sound of its hooves.

The ork was distracted just enough by the approaching rider, and he was caught completely off guard as a braided leather bola howled through the air and snagged his sword, yanking it out of his grip.

“Get up!!”

Tanye didn’t question the voice. She immediately surged upward with her swords, stabbing both of them into the confused ork’s torso. He shrieked and fell, choking up sticky black blood onto the ranger below him. Tanye pushed him and he stumbled backward, no longer a threat. She was on her feet slower then she would have liked, but just in time to see Rishi circle around on Digo, wielding a long staff. He descended upon the remaining ork like a wind, swinging the staff in a wide diagonal ark. It whipped down with surprising agility and speed, as if it was merely an extension of his arm, and cracked into the ork’s skull. Another one down. Tanye’s spirits lifted somewhat as she caught Rishi’s glance. He pointed his staff toward the other three orks that had been trying to capture Deuel. They were no longer bothering with the horse but were running toward the two humans at full speed, rage fueling them to avenge their defeated companions.

Tanye poised herself for the one coming at her. He let out an incomprehensible wail and threw himself at her, the head of a heavy iron mace propelling his force. Tanye’s eyes widened and she sidestepped the deadly blow, the ork falling past her. She went in for an attack, but the ork used the momentum of the missed swing to hurl the mace backward again. He spun with it just as Tanye slashed her sword across his side. She felt the force of the spiked mace ream against her chest and the entirety of the air was knocked from her lungs. The crushing power of it caused her to drop the sword she had attacked with, which had not had nearly the effect she had hoped for. The ork was still coming at her as she staggered back, grasping the mace in both fists and preparing for a finishing blow. But he had slackened his pace in his certainty of victory, giving Tanye just the opening she needed. He raised the mace high in order to bring it down on her head. Her remaining sword flashed from beneath her cloak, puncturing the ork’s stomach like a needle, down to the hilt. The black blood flowed over her hand and her grip slipped from the handle as the ork fell backwards. She fell as well, barely able to take a breath. Blood was slowly soaking her cloak.

Digo’s hooves were pounding the earth around her like music. Deuel’s thunderous trampling joined Digo’s, and they seemed to encircle her. The sun brightened the dust as it was kicked up into a confusing haze. Tanye couldn’t see anything at all, but she could hear the wind-like sound of Rishi’s staff swinging through the air and his voice cursing the orks in his foreign tongue. The sun seemed to glare brighter and brighter, and her breaths drew shallower and shallower.

Time felt as if it had stopped. The sun and the sky became one, and all around there was the sound of wind and sand. Overhead circled birds with a wingspan like I had never seen. Their shadows were blue and I did not fear them, but their cries were like those of people dieing. They cried and cried and circled and circled, and I was in the center.