Chapter 55. Journey Into Darkness

emony nearly landed on Morisedd as the little monk was shoved toward he and Uriel.  In the flickering light of the campfire he watched sadly as the exhausted woman was fitted with her own four point shackles and collared like a dog.  Since they had won free from Maatu three days before, Lemony no longer rode in the cart beside Uriel and Morisedd.  Instead, the monk was made to rush along on foot to assist with healing those wounded in the many encounters with the vicious creatures of the petrified forest.  The poor thing was on the verge of collapse, cut and bruised and barely able to stand as her bonds were locked in place.

The only peace Lemony had now was at night when she was allowed to lay with her friends upon the cold ground to share body heat and meager blankets.  The insult to her being was made greater by the fact that Kiku’s clan forced Lemony to attune only skills and spells that helped them, leaving her nothing to heal herself.  It was a clever ploy, for it was insurance against Lemony fleeing.  She could not survive alone with no means to protect or aid herself and it made her utterly dependent upon the other monk to cover her when she drew poisons into herself or gave of her own health to heal others.

She groaned to her knees as her leash as locked to the same chain that attached the three of them to a stony tree. She looked awful, drawn and pale as she clattered beside him.

“Is it okay if I sleep on you?” she asked in a small voice that was strained with fear and sadness.

“Of course, Lem,” he said, shifting his wrists a little so that she could lay her head on his lap, her scalp nearly touching Uriel’s.  The elementalist lay sleeping peacefully for the first time since being thrown in the cart. 

“Is Uriel alright?” Lemony whispered, yawning.

“We’re both doing fine, Lem.  They let us sit on the bench of the cart now,” he said.  He did not say that Kiku wanted them both in plain sight where anyone seeking to confront her surviving clan could see that she held hostages in easy reach of her assassins and archers.

He and Uriel were never without their shackles, but he did not envy Lemony her freedom.  Merely watching her trot wearily along, staggering and having to be picked up and occasionally dragged, was exhausting.  Twisted Lou was constantly cruel to her, boxing the poor monk about the ears and yelling unintelligible Canthan slurs.   She was free during the day, but at a great price.

“I can’t take much more,” Lemony sighed.

“Nonsense,” Morisedd replied, stroking her shoulder and nearly recoiling from the jut of her bones.  She felt frail as a bird beneath his touch, a husk of her formerly rounded and robust self.

“We need blankets over here,” Morisedd called to the guard that was posted near them.  The assassin glared at him coldly and turned his back pointedly to them.

“Don’t talk to them,” Lemony breathed, “Kiku is losing her grip on the guild.”

“How do you mean?”

“I overheard them squabbling.  There used to be two guilds.  An assassin named Nitaje was the leader of one.  He ran a school for assassins called the Golden Blade.  That is why the banner of Red Lotus has the dagger in it.  They merged.  But I guess he wanted to be in charge so he was constantly plotting against Kiku.”

“So was it the Golden Blade faction that assassinated Dojin?”

“Yes, while very obviously dressed as Red Lotus Clan.  Apparently Kiku killed Nitaje and that was their way of repaying her.  Most of them left after that.”

Lemony shivered in silence for a time, moaning softly in pain as she tried unsuccessfully to get comfortable on the hard ground.

“Some of the Red Lotus think we’re a liability,” Lemony continued, “They think they can move faster without us, that maybe just killing us and leaving our corpses to rot would throw pursuers off of their track.  But Kiku thinks it better to preserve us for she knows there is money on our heads for our safe return.  No one will harm us and by extension, her people are safe while we’re alive.”

“But they’re killing you,” Morisedd thought sullenly, wishing he could do something for Lemony.  And then, as if reading his mind, Kiku strode toward them, valuing them enough to see how they fared.  She called the other monk over and pointed at them, speaking harshly in Canthan before leaving the woman’s side.

“Hello, Huan Yue,” Lemony breathed as the monk knelt at her side and placed her hands gently upon her, uttering prayers.  Lemony sighed softly and thanked her.  Morisedd listened as the two of them conversed in Canthan, Huan Yue in musical tones and Lemony in staggered bursts.  He did not understand a word but perceived a small bond of friendship between the two women.  Huan Yue glanced over her shoulder to see if they were being watched, then nodded politely at Morisedd before rising and moving toward the camp.  She returned shortly thereafter with a pile of blankets and an iron kettle with the remainder of the evening’s spicy stew in it. 

As Morisedd awkwardly covered Uriel and himself with two of the blankets, Huan Yue had already helped Lemony to sit up and was helping her eat stew from a battered mug.  Morisedd thanked the monk when she finished helping Lemony and made his friend comfortable, tucking two blankets around her.

Huan Yue turned her attention to him now.  He was ravenous, taking everything that was offered to him.  Uriel, however, woke blearily and refused, huddling under her blanket and lowering her face to his lap once more to sleep.  He stroked her head gently, his fingers playing over her raven tresses and drawing a grim smile to her face.  She had spent her breath on her tale and had said little since then, only occasionally expressing her love and asking for his forgiveness, which he gave many times.  Clearly she could not forgive herself.  If they ever walked free again, he would make that his first duty.

But first they had to survive.  He placed a hand upon Lemony’s shoulder, trying to comfort her so that she did not give up.  They needed her.  She was their source of hope and their only window on the shadowed world of their Canthan enemies.

“Hold on, Lem,” he said gently, “We’ll get through this somehow.”