Chapter 9: Will You Regret Your Actions?

  Ninah’s hand twitched toward her dagger. “Who are these people, Roshana? Friends of yours?”

  “Definitely not.”

  “Not friends,” said the guard. “She just owes me a service.”

  He took out a single coin which he handed to the man who had led them there. “Now, get out of here.”

  The man bowed and fled past the two ladies, unable to look either one in the face. “That is how you get coins?!” asked Ninah. “That seems…wrong.”

  The man laughed at her. “Look, gentlemen, I can spend time with the lady here and you can spend time with the wild woman she has with her.”

  “Wild?!” said Ninah. “I don’t think I like you very much. I don’t want to spend time with you or your men.”

  The men laughed and she glanced at Roshana. “I didn’t realize I said a joke? What was it?”

  Roshana backed up into Ninah as she turned to face the men at the alley entrance. The guards were all moving in now, keeping a wary eye on the knife inches from Ninah’s fingers. The smile on the leader’s face caused her to quake and a pinprick of sea green light began to form in her almost closed fingers. Her face was pale and she began to breathe heavily.

  “My dear lady…not again.”

  The entire group spun to see, once again, standing heroically in the alley entrance, Avner with sword unsheathed and shield at his side while Haran skulked in the background, his ax out and ready. The leader of the group paled slightly and muttered “What in hellfire…”

  “Hush man!” said Avner. “I am reprimanding the lady right now. I will get to you in a moment.”

  He turned back to Roshana and said matter-of-factly, “If you go wandering down dark alleys, what do you expect, especially with another woman in tow? If you insist on traveling, you should find better companions.”

  “Now just a moment…” started Ninah.

  The cry of the leader cut her off. “Kill them!”

  The men hesitated. They readied weapons and advanced slowly on the pair, ignoring the two ladies. Avner dodged the spear thrust at his upper torso and let it slide past him. He grazed the man's hand with his sword, causing him to cry out and drop his spear. A smack between the eyes with the pommel downed him. “We still aren’t killing?” growled Haran.

  “Too much trouble,” said Avner. “Besides, it’s only their leader that really needs a permanent lesson.”

  Haran jumped back as a spear thrust at him and he pushed aside the second jab with his ax handle. He grabbed the shaft of the spear and yanked, pulling the man off balance and straight into his fist. He was still holding the ax so a good deal of the handle also struck the man’s face and he crumpled to the ground, clutching his broken and bleeding nose. The four men backing the leader looked to one another, fear and uncertainty written across their faces. Avner jerked his head to the side.

  The men took the hint and, dropping their weapons, rushed past the two men, leaving their wounded companions on the ground. The leader stood alone, his face now deathly pale as he dropped his own weapon. “Look…I mean you no harm.”

  “But you meant her harm,” said Avner. “This lady makes poor choices and you would punish her for them? Better to teach her gently than with…whatever you had planned.”

  “Just a moment,” said Roshana, stepping forward and finding her voice at last. “I understand what you are saying, but it is my duty to help. I am sorry this man has taken advantage of my position, but I will still do what is necessary to help those in need.”

  “Lady…Roshala, or whatever, while I understand the noble role you wish to play you must still be smart about it…”

  He trailed off as she approached the unconscious soldier with the sliced hand and, pulling up her sleeve, took the bleeding hand in her own and lifted her hand palm upward. Her eyes lifted heavenward then she ignited a sea-green orb of light in her hand. Ninah gasped and gazed at it with fascination. “What is that? How are you doing it? What are you doing?”

  “I am an Athelward,” said Roshana, studying the wounded wrist and flexing her fingers to cause the orb to begin expanding and flattening on her palm. “Surely you have heard tales of them.”

  Avner and Ninah gazed with fascination while Haran, scowling darkly at her power, grabbed the leader by the front of his tunic and drew the ax close to his neck. Roshana applied the now flat energy across her palm to the man’s hand and a burning sound emanated from it. Instead of frying the man’s hand, however, it engulfed it in a light of sea-green energy, swirling about and sending sparks into the man’s skin. Roshana closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate, her brow furrowing as her fingers began to twitch in patterns as she pulled away from the wound.

  She remained this way for a moment and, much to Ninah’s surprise as she leaned as close as she could to get a look, the skin sparked with electric tendrils that seemed to sew the wound shut. Upon completing this task, Roshana opened her eyes and sat back with a sigh.

  “Does it tire you?” asked Ninah. “How strange it is! But so wonderful to watch! Did you heal him completely?!”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “As much as I could,” said Roshana, standing and wiping the dust from her dress before noticing she left blood stains from her hand on it. She looked down forlornly then shrugged. “Ah, well. I used my best knowledge of the human body to ensure all the proper tendons were reattached and I closed the wound. I cannot replenish blood or heal every injury.”

  Ninah gestured to the man writhing on the ground still with the broken nose. “What about him?”

  Roshana barely glanced at him. “Broken nose. It isn’t serious or won’t cause any permanent damage. He will live.”

  Avner gestured to the leader. “And this fellow. Lady, I think it only prudent I give him a more permanent lesson that you don’t heal if you want him to learn anything.”

  Roshana faced them but could not respond because, at that moment, several figures entered through the alley. Amos and E’Tar emerged together with Suti right behind them. Amos said, “Avner! There you are! I thought…oh…what…”

  He stopped to view the scene before him: two wounded men and one still under Haran’s ax. Suti strode up to Avner and hissed, “What have you done, Avner?! These are Rim-Sum’s men! He will not take kindly to this interference.”

  “That is only if they tell him,” said Avner. “I doubt any of them have that much standing to even receive an audience with him. Especially if I hint some might still be traitors.”

  “Please let me go!” said the leader. “I swear, I won’t tell anyone. I won’t touch the lady ever, I swear!”

  “Tsk! So much swearing!”said Avner.

  “As if we’d trust you,” said Haran, causing the ax to cut the man’s neck ever so slightly. The man let out a whine and pulled away.

  “Don’t struggle, my friend. You will only make it worse,” said Avner. “Now…as for a suitable punishment for what you have done.”

  “Avner…” said Suti, her tone sharp and warning.

  “What in heaven's name is going on here?” asked Amos, his face having grown fearful and confused.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Avner.

  “I…I came to speak with you…out of the earshot of Ari’El.”

  “Can we focus on one issue at a time,” said Haran, shaking the man still in his grip.

  Suti stepped forward. “Avner, either kill this man or let him go. In either case, I suspect I am going to have to cover up your mess…again.”

  “I think we should let the lady choose his fate,” said Avner. “She is, after all, the offended party here.”

  Ninah raised her hand “Well…I think I was a little affected too…I think, was I?”

  She addressed Roshana with this last question. Roshana took her hand and squeezed it. “It was my fault you ended up in this situation, and I apologize for dragging you in.”

  Suti stared at her, bug-eyed. “Don’t tell me you will take the blame for the appetites of this…pig?”

  “I don’t,” said Roshana. “But I did rush into this trap without being careful.” She moved forward to stare into the frightened man’s eyes, his gaze unable to meet hers. The ax blade dug in again and he gasped. Roshana raised a hand to stop Haran and stared deep into the man’s eyes. “I wonder…will your conscience even bother you about this? Will you regret your actions when you look into my eyes? Or will you simply forget…and go on again as before?”

  “I have learned, I swear…gah!” The ax blade digging in stopped his continued pleads.

  Roshana’s face contorted with disgust and rage, looking like she was ready to vomit. She lashed out and slapped the man across the face and backed away, gasping at her own action. She then turned away. “Let him go.”

  Suti raised an eyebrow in disapproval and Avner nodded, “If you are sure…Haran.”

  Haran growled and shoved the man to the dirt, watching him crawl into the alley. Amos and E’Tar shifted aside to let him pass, then they glanced back up at the group gathered in the dirty courtyard. “Well,” said Amos, “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.”

  Avner shook his head. “No, of course not. Just some heroic work which we are best at.” He turned to Roshana. “Well, my lady, it would seem this is the second time we have had to rescue you…and from the same band of men. We really must stop meeting this way.”

  “Believe me, it was not my intent to even meet you again.”

  Avner let out a choked laugh. “Oh really? Is that your way of saying thank you?”

  Roshana nodded, “I do thank you…Avner correct?”

  “Good sir!” said Ninah, moving forward to clasp his arm forcefully and shaking it quite furiously, like she was milking a cow, “We are forever grateful and in your debt that you helped us be rid of those nasty men! How can we ever repay your kind nature?”

  “No need…” said Avner, extracting his arm from the pumping. “Are you the guard of this young lady Roshana?”

  “More, we are friends!” Ninah turned to Roshana, “I’d say we are qualified as friends now after everything we have been through.” Her gaze shifted from Roshana to the large form of E’Tar just behind her and her eyes bugged out. “Oh, my goodness! You are massive aren’t you!”

  E’Tar blushed and shifted behind Amos slightly, which did nothing to hide his bulk. “Aren’t you just fascinating,” said Ninah to E’Tar as she moved closer, studying him like she would an interesting tree and he fidgeted under her gaze.

  Amos stepped forward to confront Avner. “Could…could we talk?”

  Suti shook her head vigorously and Avner waved her away. He said, “I would love to…but I am a little busy at the moment. I should get to the palace…”

  “Oh, well it doesn’t have to take long, Avner,” said Amos. “I just wanted to know what you were doing here and wondered if I could help.”

  “Help?” said Haran and Avner almost in unison.

  Suti stepped forward, “I think it would be best if your brother escorted this young lady back to the sanctum. Don’t you? You can catch up later.”

  Avner nodded. “I think that is sensible. Trust me, Amos, I will find you and we will talk.”

  “But…when? Where?”

  “All things to be worked out later,” said Avner.

  E’Tar pulled his gaze from the short lady below him and turned to Amos. “Torun is waiting for you at the Sanctum. He did want to speak to you today and it is almost midday.”

  Amos shook his head. “I completely forgot I was supposed to meet him. Oh, confound it!”

  “All the more reason to go,” said Avner. “Trust me, we will find each other again. Don’t worry.”

  “But what are you doing? I could help…”

  Suti shook her head again and Haran joined in this time as well. Avner noticed both and said, “Not at this moment, little brother. Now escort this young woman to her destination and meet whomever you are supposed to.”

  Amos frowned but nodded, gesturing to Roshana. “Come along then.” She followed, nodding and smiling at Avner one last time. “My thanks once again, Avner. Hopefully, it will be the last time we meet like this.”

  “But not the last time,” muttered Avner as he smiled and waved to her.

  Suti, standing close by, rolled her eyes and said, “To the matter at hand?”

  “Ah, yes, of course. Let’s find where the herdsmen gather for the evening and confront them there.”