Zion - LotNM Character Prologue (Artemisia - 1st Draft)
Her heart raced in anticipation, the beat quickening as she closed in. There were six, she was sure of that, so it would be six against one. The odds hardly seemed fair to her but if six were all they had, six would have to do. They'd already caught sight of her flitting through the ruins around them and pulled back together, swords drawn and wavering. The smell of their fear was enticing her, pulling her in. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold back much longer. The heat was already rising through her body, tensing her muscles and toying with her senses, she could almost taste the spray of their blood in the air.
A bird broke cover on the far side of the group and, as it distracted them, she seized the instant to vault the wall she had been using for cover. The distance between them closed in a blur, they lacked even the time to scatter before she brought the heavy blade around from behind her back in a forward thrust, letting its own momentum carry it forward, the pole that mounted it sliding onward through her grip as metal met metal and bones shattered. The first figure tumbled to the ground with nothing more than a grunt but before it could come to rest she was spinning, blade sweeping upward and then over to come crashing down in one fluid movement. The dented breastplate split, cleaved in a spray of blood that spattered her face. There were still the other five... they had weapons... they had surrounded her... but that wouldn't make a difference because the blood was flowing and she could already feel the intoxicating flow of life running into her body. She couldn't stop now. Adjusting her grip, she stepped onward into the fray, whispering a prayer.
Artemisia unhooked her rigid metal helm from her horns and shook out a scattering of sweat before placing it on a level section of the ruined wall. The building had once been a grand library. If someone took the time to dig around in the rubble they could still find rotten sections of book cases and the withered rags that had once been leather book bindings. It had been abandoned almost a century ago, as the city retreated in from its outer walls during the wars. Little of the original structure remained now, the upper floor had almost completely collapsed, but it still offered more shelter from the dry winds than most of the buildings this far out in the old city.
Silently, she sat down next to her helmet, propping her over-sized pole-arm against the will beside her as she rummaged in a tattered leather pouch hanging at her waist. After a few moments, she withdrew a dark, curved stone about the length of her hand. Along one side the stone had been inlaid with silver, marking out the shape of the sickle moon.
Still in silence, she lifted her weapon, placing the heavy, axe-like blade across her lap and balanced it carefully. That done, she turned the stone in her hands, running a thumb over the silver marking and mouthing something, a brief prayer perhaps, before dragging its flat edge along the length of the blade with a steady metallic grinding. She repeated this motion with care, sometimes turning the blade to catch the light in a search for imperfections before adjusting her grip and starting over.
"How do you stay alive out here when I can get this close without you even noticing?" The voice was soft and familiar, taking a tone more of curiosity than anything else. Artemisia continued sharpening her blade without looking up.
"What makes you think I didn't notice?" There was a brief pause followed by a chuckle.
"Well, I was doing my best to sneak up on you. How well did I do?"
"You left by the western gate and followed the path through the old gardens until you came to the fountain. Did you notice the last statue has finally fallen in? Such a shame. It was quite clever, climbing through what's left of the livestock market pens to stay off the roads but you've been limping since then, so it mustn't have worked as well as you hoped." With a defeated sigh, the bedraggled looking sight hound slumped down into a lazy sit with his back to the wall, adjusting his formal temples robes around his legs.
"How in the six cities do you do it? I really thought I had you this time." He grinned as she finally looked up from her task.
"If I told people that, they might actually manage to sneak up on me."
He laughed and rested his head against the cool stone, enjoying the breeze through his greying fur. Then, glancing around, he caught sight of the broken assortment of armour she'd piled up a little further along the wall and sighed. He didn't waste time asking where it had come from, Artemisia had been unofficially patrolling the ruins of the outer city for years. No matter how many were killed, there always seemed to be more criminals and thugs trying to take advantage of the lack of law and order beyond the inner city walls.
"What did you do with the bodies?" She paused again to answer.
"I cut them up and scattered the chunks through the ruins, it's surprising how far you can spread a man."
"Wha... why?" The surprise was genuine.
"The fresh meat should draw some of the larger beasts into the ruins, I needed something to kill tomorrow anyway." He almost responded in reflex but held his tongue just in time. She hadn't gone back to her sharpening and was watching his reaction closely, a dark glint in her eye. A moment of silence persisted before she continued, "I buried them outside the wall, deep enough that the scavengers won't find them."
"It's more than they deserved, I'm sure." He relaxed, smiling as the whetstone resumed its glide along the blade. "I thought you'd have grown out of teasing me by now."
"And I thought you'd have given up sneaking around years ago, it can't be good for the joints at your age." He knew she was teasing him this time.
"Hah! I've not got that many years over you, old girl. Not all of use can be blessed with such a youthful complexion." She smiled, then took him completely by surprise.
"How long are you planning to spend building up to asking me?"
He knew the nervousness must have shown in his voice, he hadn't wanted to come at all. Not because of the danger out here, the holy amulets he carried warded off the lesser creatures that lurked this close to the city. He hadn't wanted to have to be the one to ask her, much less order her. He knew what it would mean to her better than anyone.
"So you know why they sent me out here?"
"I watch the gates to make sure the caravans and farmers have safe passage in and out of the city. I could tell you of every major arrival in the past few months and there has been one that should have been there but is strangely absent." She was right. They'd done their best to keep the rumours down but more people were noticing the absence of the caravan returning from Zion every day.
"So...?"
"Find someone else."
Shifting uneasily where he sat, he sought a way to phrase his words. He'd have to tell her everything sooner or later so he decided to go with the bare truth.
"It's worse than you know."
"It always is." He hesitated, then the words came tumbling out in one rushed breath.
"We aren't the only ones, the mages have had word from agents in some of the other cities and their scrying seems to confirm that at least some of the other envoys have not returned home." That made her pause, but only momentarily.
"I fail to see why their troubles should concern me." Her tone was cold, controlled.
"You know why, you know how fragile this peace has become in the last few years. There are people in the other cities who are already looking for somewhere to point the blame."
"And plenty in our own, no doubt."
"It could mean war!" His tone wasn't angry and his voiced was not raised, he spoke pleadingly.
She turned the whetstone over in her hand and slid the blade from her lap, sighting along the edge briefly before leaning in against the wall beside her helmet.
"Perhaps I would welcome the return of war. Bandits and robbers seem to hold little challenge or satisfaction for me now."
"Don't play games, we both know that another war is the last thing you'd want. You've changed, more than you'll admit, you aren't the person now that you were then." She sat in silence. "People will die and it won't take long to reach the walls of Myrh. You'll be drawn back into it whether you want to or not." Still, she didn't respond and he relented into silence for a time. Eventually, she returned the whetstone to its pouch and picked her helmet up from its resting place.
"So why am I the one you come to? There must be dozens of up and coming young soldiers and priests who'd do anything for a place on an important delegation to Zion. They'd no doubt see it as the making of their career." It was a question but there was no objection or curiosity behind it. He could feel her resignation but the victory formed a knot of guilt in is stomach.
"You've travelled the road before, many times with few casualties, and you're familiar with the city... would be the official reason."
"And the truth?"
"We don't... I don't want a war. The last thing we need is some eager youths, desperate to make a name for themselves, provoking a dangerous situation."
"Is that all?"
"No... we don't know what's happened to our people and we don't know who can be trusted. I know I can trust you, both your loyalty to Myrh and that you'll keep the others safe, whatever happens."
Silence fell between them again as she slid her helmet into place, fastening it to the neck-plates of her patchwork armour. Standing up, she lifted her weapon from its resting place, gripping it just below the blade.
"I never had a choice did I?" He didn't answer. "So am I to be hired as a mercenary or conscripted back into the army as an officer again?"
"You really think you're officer material?" He'd retorted the taunt out of force of habit and his breath caught in his throat in panic as soon as the words escaped. He held his breath, fearing he'd pushed too far at a critical moment.
She smiled, he breathed again.
"There is just one other thing I was asked to tell you..."
"Yes?"
"Be sure to pack your old armour." The leather binding around the pole-arm shaft creaked as her grip tightened. She didn't look at him when she spoke her reply.
"So all your speeches, about my not being the same person, were hollow?"
"Not at all... but just because we know you've changed, doesn't mean everyone else has to know..."