Part 17 - Sticks and Stones

While we wait for the incapacitated villagers to regain consciousness so we can make our escape, Araja offers to answer questions about her absence. Once she escaped from the giant – yes, the same one who had been chasing us – she sought refuge in a tree and prayed for guidance. She was answered by the gods themselves and her sister seemed to be caught up with them at the same time. She hands Araja a dagger and demands she slay her before misfortune can happen. Now Araja possesses the God slaying dagger we needed to start sealing the portals the Gods have been using for their own benefit.

Rekka prickles as Araja goes on with her tale: “Great! You’ve regained your memories, so now you’ve got half an idea as to what you’re doing instead of a whole idea?” Rekka snarls at the villagers in turn, hopelessly wondering why their God hadn’t bestowed more common sense into these people.

I frown at Rekka’s words, but decide it’s no use to jump in. We were all tired and anxious to leave with hardly any protection from the creatures in the dark. Araja ignores her, but this only fuels Rekka’s anger.

She mutters a few words in a language I don’t understand, “Let’s just stand here wasting time we don’t have!” she snaps.

Araja can’t ignore Rekka’s antagonism any longer, “I know we need to get out of here, that’s what we all want,” she tries to say calmly, but her voice waivers with tension, “Let’s wait for Brook to come back so we can hopefully get our stuff back. And since we’re waiting I thought I’d use my time wisely and answer some of Isaac’s questions.”

"REALLY?” Rekka roars, “If my brain is still working you can get out, in fact you’ve been out several times! You didn't just watch five people's skin fall off,” she said, ticking each point of on her fingers, “You haven't lost all your things for the second time in many weeks. You didn't just lose over 100,000gp that you were saving. You don’t have the whole of Deity-dom wanting your death. You might be some whatever General from whatever time,” Rekka used her fingers to make invisible quotations, punctuating the word General before hastily moving on, “but I am a 15 year old, who is now up against the whole world! I don't care about what you think. I am not spending another night in fear of some unknown creatures attacking and killing the group! I wouldn't be in this mess if I didn't meet up with all you, so leave me alone!" Rekka turns on her heel with her back to everyone.

There was an eerie moment of silence to follow. I cup my knees to my chest trying to ease the burning sensation in my lungs. Part of me sympathizes with Rekka’s words, but the other part wants to shake her for her outburst. Weren’t we all going through the same thing? Why should Rekka’s problems outweigh our own? I knew she spoke the truth, but I wish she didn’t have to take it out on us. I didn’t know what to do. I had Shodan, which was now just a weapon handle, my amulet of healing, which was now just a fancy piece of jewelry, and my bag of holding, which was now just a drab shoulder bag. My gloves, quivers of fire and ice, shortsword, ring, goggles, and longbow were all just ordinary accessories. All of my protective armor was gone, my potions, the dragon slaying hammer (which was now just a hammer), my brand spanking new dragon hide shield, aaaaaand all of my carefully managed wealth. I felt naked!

Suddenly Isaac strides over to Rekka, “I will not tolerate this any longer!” With a resounding crack, Isaac cuffs Rekka’s cheek, sending the girl sprawling, “You are going to get more people killed with an attitude like that! If the whole deity-dom was out to get you then you'd already be dead, so stop tying yourself up in knots about it. We're ALL exhausted from swimming and near drowning. Araja passed out earlier for no apparent reason. We're taking a moment to catch our breaths and ask her why she passed out and see if she's going to do it again so when we are, say, walking next to a lava flow! I need to know if Araja still has our backs and I'm not going to allow your childish sense of entitlement to get in the way. Now SIT DOWN and calm yourself."

As Rekka recoils, she pulls her shortsword from its sheath. She utters an unfamiliar word and takes a swing at Isaac’s middle, “I told you to leave me alone!” she yells at the peak of her strike.

Isaac! I say to myself as he doubles over holding his front. Is that blood? Did she actually…?

 Isaac stumbles backward. He unsheathes Hubert, but instead of retaliating he turns and runs to one of the secret doors, disappearing. A trail of blood follows him.

Rekka turns to us, holding her sword at the ready as if daring us to attack her.  Araja straightens herself and says darkly, "You’re going to make an excellent deity. How fortunate am I that I get to serve you?" She spins away from Rekka and follows Isaac’s blood soaked path.

Rekka stands there, fuming, with nothing left to say or do. The new girl leans over and says some words in Rekka’s ear.

That’s it! I pushed myself off the floor using the wall to brace myself. I had seen and heard enough. I wasn’t going to fight Rekka. I knew better than to waste my energy, “What have you done? We are in no condition to be fighting,” a coughing fit wracks my body. “This isn’t all about you, Rekka, nor Araja. We’ve all lost something.” I cast an eerie gaze toward the Bar Wench's body and shudder, "How can you make friends so quickly – the way things have been going – and now that Jessica is dead? Come on Gideon. We better find Isaac. Rekka can stay here with her new friend. You better hope Isaac isn't dead." I leave it at that and follow Isaac’s trail.

I’d always known Jessica’s true name, but I chose not to use it…until now. Bar Wench was only a nick name, but it had power and meaning behind it. It was like – addressing someone by saying Sir or Miss. It seemed more proper. I never called my mom or dad by their names, especially my dad! If I were to slip and say “good morning, Randal” instead of dad, he would quickly turn around and glare at me as if I’d cursed in his face. Repeated slip ups resulted in extra chores or sometimes a slap. When Mother used his name though, he would smile at her, the most beautiful smile, as if her words were sweet honey. He hardly ever proffered me the same…

I shook my head, a flush of anger filling my cheeks. How could I be thinking about them at a time like this? Everything seemed to remind me of them recently. I have more important things to think about! Like Jessica, and Isaac – who may soon be dead – and the villagers, and finding a way out of this godforsaken…

Araja walks past me, back toward the water where we left Rekka and the villagers. As she passes she informs me Isaac will be alright and that she has a plan for getting out of the Under Dark. Gideon and I continue toward Isaac, not wanting to leave him alone and defenseless to hungry beasts that might be lurking about.

Suddenly I hear Araja shout, “Rekka!”

Great, I thought, Now Araja’s in trouble. I can’t leave Isaac here… Gideon and I move to either side of Isaac, “Come on,” I say, not giving Isaac much choice, “we can’t stay here. We’re far to exposed.” Once Isaac was on his feet, I asked Gideon to bring him back to the cavern so I could quickly check on Araja.

When I get there, Araja is now where to be seen! The villagers are huddled against the wall in fear and Rekka is lying motionless in a pool of blood…her blood! I rush over to her, despite my aching lungs, and lift her head, “Rekka!” I yell. Her own sword ran her through and through. Her hands still gripped at the hilt. It was obvious Rekka had taken her own life.

Everyone in Eporhtnacyl, every child, every teen, and every adult knew that suicide wasn’t acceptable. It was drilled into your head by teachers and parents alike. Taking your life was the easy way out, the cowards’ way. “Endure to the end” was the town’s motto.

 “You stupid, stupid, girl!” I shouted, even though I knew she couldn’t hear me, “If you die I won't be there to mourn you! I'm done mourning! I've mourned for too long!"

Now I knew why my every waking thought led me back to my past. I lost my family, my home town, Podunk, my possessions, friends, and now Rekka. My memories were all I had, the one thing that couldn’t be taken from me! It was like they were haunting me, popping up when I was most vulnerable. Even now, images of blood and death consumed me.

Araja returns…on a flying chair? A whole flock of them in fact have followed her down from the surface and collect us up, even Rekka’s dead body. They usher us to the surface as if controlled by a whirl wind. We burst into the sun light…a glorious feeling, as if we’d been stuck in the Under Dark for days.

My chair deposits me on my feet as they make contact with the ground, “Where’s Rekka?” I shout. She’s there on the ground with Araja and the unicorn around her. The unicorn’s horn is at Rekka’s chest, healing magic coursing through like glowing light, but it doesn’t seem to flow past the point where it contacts her skin.

Suddenly the unicorn speaks! I knew he could but he never spoke in a language I understood, “She's not dead...yet," he says, "But something's preventing me from healing her. I'll keep trying, but if she doesn't stabilize soon, there won't be anything I can do for her."

“Gideon, please help her!” Araja pleads, tears wetting her cheeks.

I touch Rekka’s forehead, “Be healed!” I command, touching my amulet with the other. I feel energy course through my hand, but a barrier seems to repel the energy, “Shards! My amulet won’t work!” I exclaim.

Gideon tries, but seems to be thwarted by the same barrier. He shrugs his shoulders having done his best.

“Isaac, what’s going on?” I say, grasping at any chance to bring Rekka back, “Why isn’t our healing affecting her?”

“Hmph,” Isaac responded. I expected no less, “Not like I care if she bleeds out. But... maybe try using a bandage and stop the bleeding in a moot mundane way? It could be a magic item, like when I couldn't heal Araja – ”

Suddenly Araja grabs the sword and wrenches it from Rekka’s stomach. The unicorn’s magic flows into Rekka, giving her skin a healthy glow. Araja reports that she’s stabilizing, but Rekka never wakes. And then, just as soon as her body became stable, Rekka disappeared. We were all dismayed. Where could she have gone? We needed Rekka! Without her the whole of existence would be doomed!

I snapped, “You!” I point at the small woman, the one who was the cause of this whole mishap in the first place, "You were right there! Why didn't you stop her!?" Araja yells something at me, but her words are lost on me. I only have the woman in my focus.

When the woman see’s me she pulls out some paper and begins writing! WRIGHTING!!! “So now you're deaf? You weren't a minute ago. Why didn't you stop her?” I repeated in vain, “Did you kill her?" I step closer to her, but I’m wise enough to keep my distance. I can feel my muscles stiffening, my blood boiling with anger. And then, at the peak of my rage she disappears.

Two pieces of paper seem to hover for a moment, and then float to the ground where the woman once stood. I pounce on them with a snarl, as if I were one of the mind controlled beasts that once roamed the continent, and hastily read them, expecting her answers to my questions to be written on them.

On the first paper:

Why blame the person who just got here? How was I supposed to know Rekka was going to kill herself? Maybe you need to learn to treat your other party member or other people you JUST meet with a little more respect than blaming or killing them. If you are suppose to be good, why does death follow you everywhere you go?

On the second paper:

Cortanna,

Don't hate the night or fear the moon like you always have.

After reading the notes I growl in frustration, crumple them up, and throw them as hard as I can into the wind. She wants me to trust her? How can I trust ANYONE when all they do is turn around and stab me in the back! I began making a list of all the people who’d wronged us, There was Soap, the Priestess Y’dey, Briar, Lupic, the Prince, Pendral and his gang, the Aither Drow, dragons, daemons, and all kinds of magical beasts, even the farding Gods themselves, just to name a few…!

I look over where the notes landed, and quickly recover them, What does she mean by the moon and the night? Is she talking about werewolves? Then what would the night represent? I pocket the notes, another mystery for another time, I hope I don’t run into her again, and if I do, I felt my hand go to my weapon handle. The villagers begged for us to kill her. I still didn’t know why, but the idea was beginning to sound more appealing as I had come to know her. One thing was for sure, I would be on my guard.