Rise (War Witch Book 1) (5 page)

“Oh, look! You can see Rheumer from here!” Chara cried suddenly, shading her eyes against the afternoon sun and pointing excitedly.

The warrior squinted against the bright light and saw for herself. From the top of the hill they’d crested, much of the village was easy to see, spreading out below them as it nestled against the edge of the sprawling forest called the Softwood.

A windmill made slow turns in the afternoon breeze, almost blocking out the mill behind it, where a narrow stream turned its wheel with a steady, comforting sound. Farther down, children splashed and played about the bank, their giggles and cries reaching the two women on the slow moving wind.

Across from them was a large, long building Chara identified as the village bakery, the teasing aroma of warm bread reaching them as she said it. Next door, a potter’s house, smoke rising steadily from behind it where the clay was fired.

The soft ring of steel on steel drew the warrior’s eye to the blacksmith, farther up beyond the mill. Trees crowded her view beyond that, but the high roof of what she guessed to be an inn peeked at her over the canopy, multiple chimneys of brick dotting the building.

Glancing back down, she saw the stream turned at the base of the hill, cutting across in front of a wide field dotted with dozens of tree stumps. A low bridge spanned the distance, granting access to the town.

A soft smile touched her lips as Chara waved her to follow. Such a peaceful place, so like her own home, the one lost years ago. She felt an instant kinship with the people of Rheumer, and much of the tension that had been building in her since she’d met the girl faded.

This was the kind of place she could gather herself, and prepare. A simple community, some would say, but she could feel it even from where she stood. These people were decent, kind, and honored the Gods. It made her feel warm in her heart to step into their lives, and have them step into hers.

An hour later, the two women crossed the bridge, Chara explaining that the field belonged to the village healer, John Kal, who’d been promising to clear those stumps for as long as she had been alive, at the very least. For reasons the warrior couldn't grasp, the girl even told her of the boy she'd kissed under the bridge, then stopped herself, and blushed before directing her new companion’s attention elsewhere.

She took it all in with patience, smiling and nodding as they made their way to the inn, where Chara lived with her family. Many villagers waved as they passed, welcoming Chara back home, getting a wave in return from her, while the warrior got a brief life history of each individual.

She could’ve done without that last part.

Her Avatar found it interesting, at least.

Pressing on at the same frantic pace she used to talk, Chara pointed out a lovely blonde girl named Melanie, her best friend, and another girl with mahogany hair named Lucy, her other best friend. The warrior waved politely to both, getting a smile from the first, and a look of annoyance from the second.

She decided not to try and figure that out. Her Avatar snickered at her in sing-song.

Reaching the inn, Chara all but dragged her up the steps, onto the long, wide porch, and through the doors, which stood open, letting in the early summer breeze. Dizzy from the wild gait of the young girl, the warrior found herself being given a seat in the large common room as Chara continued to rattle out random details too fast for her to keep up with.

"Mom!" Chara bellowed between pointing out things to her new friend. "That tea set use to be owned by a Blessed, but I can't remember who they were now. Dad! Oh, hey, a famous bard once sat at that table over there and told stories all night. I'm home! Do you see that ale stein over the mantle? Given to my Dad by the King of Fival, so you know. I brought company! That cabinet was carved by my great uncle, Terry, from a tree that was hit by lightning, and I'm told it's blessed by Rajan. She's a Blessed of Ramor!"

The warrior blinked several times, feeling as if she must be getting whiplash trying to look at all the trinkets Chara pointed to her between shaking the walls with her calls to her parents. One thing she was sure of, though. The girl had a set of lungs on her.

Like a tiger
, her Avatar crooned.

"What’s all the ruckus?" Kate asked, voice thick with exasperation for her daughter, as she exited the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel.

"Mom, look!" Chara cried, jabbing a finger at the warrior. "A Blessed of Ramor!"

The warrior gave a small wave, trying to smile, but feeling nervous from her new admirer’s hectic manner.

Kate looked her over and nodded. "So I see. Is she staying?"

"Yes," Chara declared, then glanced over at the warrior. "You are, right?"

She held up a couple fingers, trying to say that she’d likely be in town for a couple days. Mother and daughter stared at her in confusion. Slowly, she lowered her hand, and tried to find something to stare at, in what she hoped was a distracted manner.

"So, yes," Chara said again. "For a few days, probably."

"Can't she speak?" Kate asked.

Chara grimaced. "Mom!"

"What?" Kate shrugged. "Seems like a simple enough question."

Chara stormed across the room, taking her mother by the arm, whispering, "She can't, okay? She's a mute. Doesn't even have a name that I can tell. Never mind that, though, she's a Cleric of Ramor."

Kate gave her an annoyed look. "Ramor doesn't have a priesthood, honey."

"Yeah, well, he does now," Chara huffed. "I saw her throw a fireball from her hand with my own two eyes."

Kate managed to look both exasperated and irritated at the same time. "Why in all the realms of Heaven would she have been doing that?"

"To kill the Demon Seed that attacked me," Chara exclaimed, trying to keep her voice hushed.

As her mother sighed heavily, Chara glanced over at the warrior, smiled, and gave her a thumbs up. The warrior arched an eyebrow, utterly lost.

"Right, so she saved you from Demon Seed," Kate said. "Is that what you're telling me?"

"It is," Chara told her, looking triumphant for no reason.

"Sweetheart, no one has ever seen Demon Seed in this area, or in Fival at all, for that matter," her mother groaned. "Maybe you dreamed it."

Chara gaped. "I did not! Ask her!"

"How is she going to answer if she can't talk?" Kate retorted.

Chara had to think about that for a minute. "Just ask her!”

"Fine, fine," Kate gave in, turning back to the warrior with a gentle, patient smile. "My daughter tells me you rescued her from Demon Seed."

The warrior nodded, holding up three fingers with each hand.

"See?" Chara gloated. "I told you so."

Kate scowled slightly. "Well, whatever, I suppose. You're welcome to take your ease here till you're ready to move on, Miss."

Chara stared at her in disbelief. "Mom! She's a Blessed! Of Ramor!"

"Yes, I can see that, but that doesn't help us run the inn, now does it?" Kate replied with a snort. "Now, off you go, get to the kitchen. Dinner won't cook itself."

"But, Mom!" Chara protested.

The warrior slumped in her seat, thankful for the sudden silence. It lasted only a moment, until the sound of clattering pans erupted from the kitchen.

"Chara!" Kate cried.

The warrior sighed heavily. Her Avatar did the same. In song.

Chara's father, Diem, returned home a good hour later, carrying a load of firewood on his back. As soon as he entered the common room, he spotted the blonde in armor, with the Wolf paw mark on her forehead, as she looked off at nothing.

He couldn't say for certain how intently he stared at her in his shock, but he realized later he may as well have bored a hole in her head. She appeared to notice after a moment as she shifted her gaze over to him.

The two stared at each other for some time before the Blessed lifted a hand, giving him a wave as a nervous smile crawled over her face. Somehow, Diem managed to regain control of his senses, remembered he had manners, grasped that one of Heaven's Holy Warriors sat in his inn, and stopped staring like a teenager seeing his first pair of breasts.

"Greetings, my friend," he said, voice a little higher than he would’ve liked. Steadying himself, he slid the firewood off his back and coughed timidly.

The warrior's smile grew slightly more nervous as she nodded to him.

"Sorry about that," he finally said, dusting himself off before crossing the room and offering his hand. "We don't ever see your kind about these parts. Caught me off guard. I'm Diem, proprietor of this inn."

The warrior shook his hand warmly as she rose, bowing her head for a moment before tapping her throat and shaking her head. Diem stared at her in confusion, still pumping her hand eagerly, until he realized he was doing it, and tried to be relaxed about letting go of her. From the weird look she gave her hand, he knew he’d failed.

Trying to laugh the whole matter off, he stuck his hands in his pockets, before they did something else embarrassing. "So, who might I have the honor of saying stayed in my inn?"

The warrior stopped staring at her hand to give him a concerned look before patting her throat again and shaking her head. Diem smiled and nodded for a full minute before he got it. He managed not to feel a complete fool, but not by much.

"Oh. You mean you can't talk, right?" he blurted. So much for not feeling a complete fool. Part of him desperately wanted to go bang his head on something for a while.

The warrior nodded slowly, giving him that concerned look again, the one that openly wondered if he'd been dropped on his head a lot. Chagrined, Diem took a steadying breath, and reminded himself that Blessed were people, too. He had to repeat it several times.

"My apologies, Miss," he finally told her, bowing low. "It's been many years since I was in the company of a Blessed. All that the world owes you, and I make a total ass of myself. Please, forgive me."

The warrior gave him a gentle smile and waved the whole thing off. Relieved, he motioned for her to sit as he fetched a bottle of whiskey from a nearby cabinet, along with two glasses and joined her.

"I'd love to ask what brings you, but I figure you’d have a hard time telling me, so why don't I ask how long you plan to be in our fair town?" he said, pouring them both a glass.

Remembering the fun from earlier, the warrior shrugged a bit, holding up first two, then three fingers before downing the whiskey. She didn't have a lot of hope at this point of anyone understanding anything. The entire town appeared to be full of idiots.

"A couple days, eh?" Diem nodded, refilling her glass. "If you have a horse, we can stable it out back."

The warrior blinked, surprised, and then shook her head. After a moment’s thought, she set her coin purse on the table and mimed holding reigns.

"Need one, do you?" he asked. "Well, that won't be too hard to manage. I'll talk to a couple people in town and see if I can find you a solid one for a decent price."

The warrior stared at him wide-eyed. Just to be sure, she mimed putting on a backpack, drinking, and eating as well.

"Oh, don't worry over that," Diem chuckled. "You'll leave town provisioned for a trip to Lansing if that's what you like. I'll see to it myself."

Pleasantly surprised, the warrior laughed silently and nodded, then bowed her head in thanks. Diem flushed a bit and
pshawed
the whole thing off as his wife and daughter returned from the kitchen, arguing, like always.

"I'm just saying that Hale was looking forward to you getting home," Kate was saying as she carried a massive pot roast into the room. "It wouldn't kill you to go by and say hi to him."

"I was attacked by Demon Seed, Mom," Chara countered, hauling a stack of plates. "I've had a bit more on my mind than whether or not I've made Hale happy today, you know?"

"Really, Chara," her mother sighed. "With that attitude, he'll be married to someone else before you know it. Then where will you be?"

"Still single," her daughter shot back, setting the plates down on a table.

"That's what worries me," Kate grumbled. "I swear, between this and how I have to drag you into the kitchen, I don't know how you'll ever make a husband happy."

"So what if I don't?" Chara clamored. "So what if I'm single my whole life?"

Diem gave the Blessed across from him a nervous smile, shrugging as if to say, what can you do. The warrior nodded, wide-eyed as she twiddled her fingers on the table, trying to look anywhere but at the two women.

Kate gave a huff. "Never mind that for now. We've got a guest, and dinner to serve. Set some tables, won't you?"

With an anguished wail to the heavens, Chara snatched up some plates and stomped away to do as her mother wanted. Kate shook her head in dismay as she headed back to the kitchen to fetch the rest of dinner.

"Sorry about that," Diem offered. "That would be my wife, Kate, and the tempest over there is my daughter, Chara. They're both so headstrong, they could break rocks by head-butting them."

The warrior nodded slowly, trying to smile, before pointing at Chara and using both hands to walk her fingers across the table. After a moment, she realized how stupid that looked and stopped, heaving a weary sigh.