the Moonlight Warriors: Ch 6: Don't use that name!

The next day dawned bright and early, although it was alone. It was several hours before any of the Moonlight Warriors decided to join it. First to rise was Jamie. She entered the main cave, yawning widely. She stoked up the fire, and put on some water for tea. While the water was heating, she picked up five cups from one of the shelves which covered the natural walls of the cave. When the water had boiled, she poured it into all the cups, and added tea leaves to steep. When the tea had steeped sufficiently, Jamie picked up four of the cups, and woke everyone else up.1

15 minutes later, the rest of the Moonlight Warriors were up, and reasonably awake. Over breakfast, they discussed what to do with the 20 or so warhorses. Elphina suggested giving them to the Derfewite army, which everyone agreed was a good idea, but nobody had any idea how to get the horses to the Derfewite army. Eventually Jamie had the idea of picketing them outside the City for the guards to find in the morning, but Luna pointed out that the guards would see them coming, if they were half-competent. Finally, they decided that they would have to look after the horses until better arrangement could be made. They also discussed letting the Derfewites know about the killing of the Sapi vanguard. Finally, they decided that Saccabera could go back down to the city, and drop a sealed piece of paper from the Moonlight Warriors. They doubted that the Derfewites would believe it, but they hoped that, with time, the Derfewites would come to trust them. 2

After they had finished their breakfast, Saccabera saddled a horse, and rode into the city with the note to drop, while everyone else tided up from breakfast. That finished, they went for a walk through the forest, keeping an eye out for the bandits who had taken over the forest, soon after the taxes had been raised, a necessary evil to pay for the army. However, when the poorer people had been unable to pay the taxes, they had turned upon fellow men, and then into the forest where they tried to make a living in the trees. The Moonlight Warriors weren’t going to fight them, but if they were attacked, they would defend themselves, just as they would against armed Sapis’3

They entered a clearing which bore signs of being recently used. There was a ring of stones in the middle, and the remains of a fire. Akira bent over the ground, moving slowly as she attempted to track the people who had been there. Hearing movement, not far off, the Moonlight Warriors huddled instinctively. Akira climbed up a tree, and vanished. Luna stood in front of Elphina and Jamie, her twin swords drawn. Elphina had her bow strung, and an arrow nocked. Jamie stood at the back; ready to climb up a tree should any fighting start. Suddenly, a girl, no older than 15 at the most, ran hastily into the clearing. Elphina nearly loosed her arrow, but stopped herself at the last instant. The girl looked around, and suddenly seemed to notice them. “Men, following me, not far behind.” She said in Derfewite. Luna and Elphina nodded, and turned back to where she came from. Jamie held out her hand, then helped the girl into a tree, then followed her. 4

20 or so men raced into the clearing, saw the women, and immediately split up. The girl, who was by now safely up the tree with Jamie, couldn’t help admiring the way that the two women faced what seemed to be almost certain death looking so calm. The men hung back, clearly uneasy about fighting people who, even though they were outnumbered about 10 to 1(not including the two up the tree, Akira having vanished), were so calm about fighting. 5

Everyone stood still for a couple of seconds, before Elphina clearly got bored, and sighed, shooting an arrow at of the men, going right through his right hand, knocking the knife out of his grasp. As he stared blankly at his hand, fumbling for a weapon for his left hand, Luna, stabbed him in the chest, killing him outright. As if that was the cue, all the men attacked Luna, completely ignoring Elphina, who stood back and continued shooting at men who were clearly trying to get behind Luna. Luna pivoted, ducking under a wild sword thrust and returning it with one of her own, more controlled stabs. Elphina was steadily shooting arrows into the fray, somehow avoiding Luna. Running out of arrows, she unsheathed her 2 long knives and dived in, avoiding feet and generally causing chaos. The girl was watching the fight avidly, sating like she had never seen anything like it before. Jamie was up a tree trying to stop the girl falling out whenever she moved too suddenly. Suddenly, Luna fell forward, pain transforming her face into a mask of agony. Elphina spun on the spot, killing almost the rest of the soldiers in one fell swipe. She turned, unsheathing and throwing one of her throwing knives into the back of the last bandit, who pitched forward onto his face and lay still, blood trickling out of his mouth. Luna moaned, blood pouring out of the wound that stretched all the way from her right shoulder to her left hip. Elphina walked over to the man she had killed and pulled out her knife, cleaning the knife before sheathing it. A sudden thud made Elphina turn again, to see that the girl had fallen out of the tree. Jamie had already climbed down and was bending over Luna, wiping off the blood with her hands. Elphina was no healer, but she knew enough to know that if Jamie couldn’t help Luna, then it was highly unlikely that she would live to see a more professional healer. Elphina just stood there, staring dumbly at Luna, blood dripping from her many skin wounds onto the forest carpet of leaves. Even the trees had stopped rustling, the wind seeming to die down in respect for Luna. 6

Then Jamie looked up, and the relief on her face made Elphina go weak at the knees with relief. 7

“News, I have important news for everyone!” Saccabera shouted as she raced back into the clearing, then stopping up short as everyone looked around at her. She scanned the clearing quickly, took in all the dead soldiers, then her gaze fell onto the still unconscious girl. “Is she alright?” Elphina hurried over to her, and turned her over to examine her more closely8

“She’s fine, just out for the count” Elphina giggled, then started laughing. Jamie looked back, not smiling, then motioned to Saccabera to pick her up. Jamie picked up Luna, and they all hurried back to their camp, Jamie being careful not to jolt Luna too much, and Elphina trying to stop her outbreak of giggles and lead the horse.9

Once back at the camp, Jamie hurried with Luna into Luna’s bedroom and shut the door. Several minutes later she came out, grabbed her bag and disappeared again, calling out to Saccabera to put the new girl in her bedroom. Saccabera complied, and then they all sat around the table, wondering if Luna would live to be thanked for saving the girls life. Several minutes later, Jamie came out, looking weary but happy. 10

“She’ll live, but there’s going to be one big scar for the rest of her life.” Jamie answered everybody’s unspoken question. “She won’t be as agile as she was, nor will she be able to use her right arm as much as she’d probably like, but she will live.” Jamie collapsed onto her chair, then looked expectantly at Saccabera. “So what was the news that was so important?”11

Saccabera started talking as Elphina got up and started making some tea for everyone. 12

The young girl woke slowly, and peered around warily. There were no sign of her father, and that worried her. Usually he was always with her after she had had a nightmare. Then she realised, it hadn’t been a nightmare. She rose quietly, and was about to open the door when she heard her father’s name in the conversation.13

“Anyway, it turns out that Aron was planning to assassinate the King and Queen while still making it look like the Sapis did it, to get Paige on the throne now, while’s she’s young so he can rule through her. But there is 1 other problem.” Saccabera paused for a moment, before carrying on. “We don’t know where the princess is.” There were shocked gasps from everybody in the room. “There are rumours that he has locked her up because she refuses to co-operate with him, but I know differently.” Again she paused, “He doesn’t have a clue where she is either.” 14

“Talking of young girls, I’d better check on our guest.” Jamie said as she rose from her chair, and crossed the room to the door. On the other side, the young girl in question was in turmoil. She didn’t have a clue who they were talking about. Her dad wasn’t even called Aron. But as the footsteps got closer and closer she realised that she could think about this later, when her head wasn’t pounding so much, and so slipped back into bed and closed her eyes just as the door was pushed open. 15

“Father,” she yelled, bolting upright, not knowing what she was going to do afterwards, just thinking it was a dramatic way to wake up. “Father,” she continued, starting to believe that maybe she had had a nightmare, and the person coming in was just her father to comfort her “Father, I had such a weird nightmare, and I…I” the girl burst into tears and reached out for her father. 16

“Shh, calm down. I’m not you’re father, and it wasn’t a nightmare, but you’re safe now, so calm down.” Jamie whispered soothingly. She opened her eyes, and her breath hitched, but she controlled her sobbing, but couldn’t stop the tears pouring down her cheeks. 17

“Who are you?” She asked in barely more that a whisper. “And where am I?” She looked around the room, and saw the rough walls of a natural cave. Then she looked at Jamie, and realised that she could trust her. 18

“Do you feel up to coming into the main room with me?” Jamie asked in the same soothing voice.19

The young girl complained about her headache, all the nightmares she had had, or at least thought that she’d had, fainting on the forest floor, sleeping in her clothes, and was about to complain about the fact that she’d just discovered that her father who, it turned out, had lied to her for the past 15 years as to who he was and who wanted, it seemed, to commit high treason, before she remembered that she wasn’t supposed to know about that. “But apart from that, I’m fine.” she finished. Jamie looked at her searchingly with a little smile on her face, then nodded to herself, and turned and led her out into the main cave. This cave was larger than the room she had just left, with a small fire in the middle, and everyone else sitting around a table off to one side. The girl also noticed what was evidently the entrance. Jamie gently pushed her over to the table, and she looked around at everyone after she’d sat down. The person on her left was the archer the young girl had noticed, tall, with her long dark hair braided. She wore a guarded look, and her hands were never far from her throwing knives. Next to her was someone she didn’t recognise, who was quite muscular, who sat with her hands crossed over her chest. Paige watched as the dark person who came to collect her sat down opposite her. She smiled at the young girl, who smiled timidly back. 20

“Right, who are you?” the archer asked brusquely.21

“And why should I tell you? How do you know I can trust you?” the girl shot back shot back. 22

“Simple. You can’t. However, if you don’t tell us your name, we have no way of knowing who you are, so we kill you. Like I said, it’s simple.” The archer replied, this time more kindly. 23

“O.K. then, you tell me your name, and I’ll tell you mine. Simple, just like you want.” She shot back sarcastically. The muscular person shot an angry look at the girl, then a pleading one at the archer, who shook her head slowly.24

“Fine then, I don’t play games with kids. I’m the Queen of Sheba. And you are?” the archer replied, the derision clear in her voice. Paige glanced over at Jamie, who had tensed, and sensed that it would be bad to lie.25

“Well, O.K. then, my name is Paige.” Paige replied, sensing even as she spoke that nobody would believe her. As soon as she said that, Jamie glanced up sharply, before looking down at her lap again, while the woman who was so dangerous with a bow drew her knife and pointed it directly at Paige’s neck. 26

“That name is for the princess and the princess alone. Do not try to use that name to cover up your identity. Now tell us, what is your name.” the woman holding the knife said, her strong voice even and calm as it echoed around the cave.27

“Fine then,” Paige replied, “call me Sophie.” At these words, Jamie looked up again, and stared at Paige, her brown eyes searching more thoroughly over Paige’s face, then looked away again. Paige noticed that she was rubbing something on her right forearm as she did. The bow-woman sheathed her knife.28

“Right then, I’m not the Queen of Sheba but in fact Elphina Gladerider, this is Saccabera Alfhild and this is Jamie.” Elphina replied, pointing first to herself and then to her companions. “And that,” she continued, pointing to the empty chair on Paige’s right, “is Akira Tabor’s place, when she feels like joining us. And that is Luna Scarlett’s place, but at the moment she is asleep somewhere” Elphina said. 29

Paige stared at her in shock. “Not the Elphina Gladerider. The person who was sent away to another country to live and now has a 500 crown price on her head for information?”30

“Yes, the one and only.” Elphina replied, her voice bitter. She sighed. “I hate having to deceive my presence to my father and his wife, but I must. If the people who tried to kill me knew that I was alive, they would surely stop at nothing to get me, even threaten my family. You see, I am one of the few people who know what the spy looks like. In fact, I’m the only one, if we take it that my aunt’s family has been killed, as is probably the case which would mean that, if I had been killed, as was supposed to have happened, he would make a brilliant spy, because nobody would have known. Now they want to kill me so that no-one will find out about him being a spy.” Elphina looked down at her lap, her many braids hiding her face. Saccabera got up to make more tea, gently patting Elphina on the shoulder as she passed.31

They all sat in companionable silence for a while, each thinking of their past and family, Jamie staring into her tea as though she was trying to memorise its hidden depths. She thought about her time in Sapi and of the other slave she had had a brief relationship, well, as much of a relationship as one could have with a fellow slave, and the shame of running away without telling him. She started crying as she remembered how she and her boyfriend had been abused in the seraglio when their relationship had been discovered, before they had both been whippped to an inch of their lives. 32

Saccabera began singing softly, and everyone stopped reminiscing to listen to the soft melody.33

“Sweet baby sleep! What ails my dear?34

What ails my darling thus to cry?35

Be still my child and hear me sing thy lullaby.”36

By the end Paige was crying into her tea.37

“That was beautiful,” Jamie whispered, not wanting to ruin the atmosphere.38

“My mother used to sing that to me and, and my brother.” Saccabera almost whispered, then fell silent, thinking of that fateful day, tears falling unchecked down her face as she remembered the expressions of her parents’ faces and the guilt she still harboured deep inside her. Nobody spoke, and Elphina patted Saccabera gently on her back, surprised by the look of self-loathing on her face.39

Saccabera sighed, and stood up, muttering a prayer to her brother as she did so. Trying not to look at anyone, she made her way outside and almost ran down to the river that ran swiftly along, not as high as it did when the floodwaters fuelled it, spring had gone, making way to hot summer.40

She sat for a while, listening to the birds singing merrily in the trees, and feeling the warm sun on her back and her light blond hair that was so much like her brother’s.41

She picked up a stone and threw it angrily down the river. It skimmed 6 times before finally dropping into the water, a new personal best for her. Her brother had managed 6, but she had only ever managed 5. She smiled humourlessly. Her brother. No matter how hard she tried to forget him, he was always in her mind, haunting her thoughts and her feelings, even her dreams.42

A twig cracked loudly nearby; she jumped and looked around. There was no-one there.43

“Karl?” she whispered. A figure walked out, and for a moment, she thought it was her brother, come to tell her that it was time for dinner. But then realisation struck, and she turned away.44

‘You wanted him dead, didn’t you? You killed him, little girl, you killed him and you liked it.’ A voice in Saccabera’s head taunted, laughing as she dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, trying to block everything out, the thoughts, the memories, but they would not be stopped. Like a great tidal wave, the memories crashed around her, forcing themselves in her, the sound of wood on wood, the smell of her family’s home, the feel of the rapture, the absolute power flowing through her. She wanted to feel alive again, actually feel the power, not just some memory usually kept under lock and key, hidden away in her mind.45

A hand came down on her shoulder. Saccabera swung round, her hand still balled into a fist and she dimly heard something crack. Deep down, inside her, something rebelled against the power in her. A vague muttering began inside her as she stood up to face this new monster. She brushed the mutterings away, but they were insistent. Saccabera drew back her hand to slap whoever got close enough, and, as she did so, the mutterings became a roar that filled her head. She fell to her knees, her hands clawing at her ears, fruitlessly trying to block out the sound. She opened her eyes, and saw Elphina lying on the floor in front of her, gave a little moan, and fell to the floor in a faint.46

Half a minute later, Elphina woke up. Licking her lips, she tasted the salty tang of blood. Groaning, she sat up, feeling her nose. It felt broken. She staggered upright, wincing as she did so, the pain in her head making her feel as though she was being squeezed mercilessly in the grip of a madman. She grabbed a tree for support as she nearly fell over. She breathed deeply for a while, feeling the blood continue to flow out of her nose and into her mouth.47

Feeling steadier, Elphina took a few steps, then, finding that she wasn’t too unsteady, walked over to Saccabera, who was still out. She knelt down at her head, and felt for a pulse. It was weak, but steady. She tried to stand, but failed, so she crawled over to the stream. She got some water in her cupped hand, and rinsed out her mouth. She spat the bloody water back into the river. She drank some, then carried some more over to Saccabera and threw it over her. It had the desired effect; Saccabera woke up, coughing and spluttering. She jumped up, looking for the enemy, her hands balling into fists. Elphina started laughing, but stopped because it hurt her head.48

Saccabera saw Elphina and relaxed, her hands unballing and her shoulders unclenching. She looked at Elphina strangely, then started crying softly as the memories came flooding back. How could she have? After countless promises, both to herself and the memory of her brother, how could she have hurt someone else? She had promised herself that she would never fight again, because of the power that she felt, that both scared and excited her.49

She turned away from Elphina and started walking back to the cave, not noticing the singing birds and the sunlight, falling dappled through the trees.50

Elphina followed, thankful that Saccabera could not see the confusion that she felt and was sure was etched all over her face. She didn’t know what had happened.51

Saccabera was battling hard with herself. She wanted to run away, but equally she wanted to stay. This was the second place she had called home. She didn’t count the numerous aunts and uncles who had grudgingly let her stay while her mother had been ill in the final months before she had passed away. They all considered her a mistake, an accident that should have been killed. Only her parents hadn’t thought her a mistake, refusing to leave her for the wolves, like so many parents had with the weakling twin. But that hadn’t stopped them working her twice as hard as her brother. Not that he hadn’t pulled his weight, everyone had to. She had always felt, though, that she had worked twice as hard as him, sowing seeds, ploughing fields, everything it had seemed. She sometimes resented her twin for that.52

‘So, you did want to kill him then?’ the voice in her head asked teasingly. Saccabera swung her hand violently round, angrily hitting a tree. The voice laughed. Saccabera scowled ferociously. She had promised herself that she would not think about Karl, her brother any more. He was gone, and nothing could change that. It was over now. She didn’t go back to the cave, but instead turned right, down to the clearing Luna had found her, after she had run there, exhausting herself running away from Ka, her parents.53

‘You mean the pain of dealing with it, the responsibility you would have had to shoulder.’ The voice in her head said malevolently. She curled up in the roots of one of the big trees surrounding the clearing, refusing to talk to the voice. Instead, she let the tears she had kept bottled up for over three years, the tears of the first fourteen years of her life, the tears of not being treated fairly, of always being second best, no matter what she did, of the way her aunts and uncles looked at her, and all the insecurities she had ever felt. Exhausted again, she fell into a deep sleep, her dreams haunted by memories of her childhood.54

The next thing she knew, she was lying on her back in the room she used as a bedroom in the cave. She lay there, trying to summon the energy required for moving. It didn’t help that every part of her ached. The memories came back slowly, a trickle that seeped slowly into her mind, forcing her to watch as they replayed themselves. She had been fighting someone, Karl, she hadn’t meant to break his nose, but that wasn’t Karl, that had been Elphina, she had killed Elphina, but she hadn’t killed Elphina, only knocked her out. At least, Saccabera hoped that she had only knocked her out. And then there was the feeling of aliveness, of absolute power that coursed through her, which she both yearned for and deeply abhorred. Saccabera tried to stop thinking then, but the memories refused to be stopped, throwing themselves at her thoughts until she remembered fully, fighting her brother, how she had loved hitting him, loved it as he fell to his knees in submission before her, loved it when he…..55

“Saccabera?” Jamie asked, standing in the doorway. “Are you alright?”56

Saccabera shook her head mutly. Jamie came fully into the room, and sat down on the floor next to the bed.57

“What’s wrong?” Jamie asked gently. Saccabera sighed.58

“I miss my brother.” Saccabera admitted, tears falling unchecked down her face.59

‘Yeah, yeah, go on; burden someone else with your troubles’ the voice in Saccabera’s head said spitefully.60

Over the next half-hour, Jamie teased the entire story about Karl out from Saccabera. Everything was told, how Saccabera had felt all-powerful at the sight of Karl lying broken at her feet, and the leaded exhaustion that had followed. Saccabera also told Jamie about the whispering that had invaded her mind the second time she had turned battle-mad, the whispering which had roared at her, forcing her into the oblivion of unconsciousness. Jamie left Saccabera then, to return a moment later, with a cup of something hot. “It tastes disgusting, but it’ll do you good.” She promised.61

Saccabera took the cup, and gulped down the foul-tasting brew in two gulps, resisting the urge to gag on the taste. Finished, she lay back on her bed, and closed her eyes. Presently, her breathing eased, and her face relaxed, in sleep. Jamie picked up the mug, and left, leaving Saccabera to sleep peacefully. 62

“Will she be alright?” Elphina asked immediately in Sapi, when Jamie entered the main cave.63

“Physically, she will be fine. But mentally, I do not know. It will take time for her to forgive herself for hurting you.” Jamie replied in the same language, glancing at Sophie, who was sitting on a chair, staring at the fire, trying to stay awake. “Sophie?” Jamie called, in Derfewite.64

Paige stated, and glanced around, before she realised she was being addressed. She turned to face Jamie, yawning hugely. “Yes?” she said, before another yawn overtook her.65

“Go to bed. You can sleep in my bedroom tonight. Then tomorrow we’ll start cleaning out the other room, and you can have that. Don’t know what we’ll do for clothes, though, you’re too small to fit in anyone else’s.” Paige nodded only half-following the conversation. Jamie sighed, and led Paige into her room, and swung the curtain across. Elphina yawned widely. 66

“I’m off to bed now too.” She said, before another yawn overtook her. “You will be fine out here, won’t you?” 67

Jamie nodded, and steered her into her room. “I’ll be fine.” She promised, before leaving Elphina to battle her yawns for the use of her mouth.68