The Auric Insignia Page 3

- Hence the question......

  This realization seemed to perplex her, leaving them both thoroughly baffled. She bit her lip and muttered to herself under her breath.

  -This isn’t right, that’s not what we’ thought. Unless he’s lying. Are you lying!?

  - Why would I lie about something like that!? That doesn’t make any sense! Who’s we, anyway!?

  - Yes, why would you......? Oh, we, us, that’s me and the other Kappas.

  - There’s more of you!?

  - Of course.

  Her black sclera eyes, like two pits of tar, honed in on his, as if she was looking for any signs of falsity. After a moment of inspection, her confusion didn’t ease.

  - You don’t seem to be lying.....

  - That’s what I said! No wait, Roarke, what are you doing? You’re better than this. I mean you dream about weird stuff but this, this is like from a fairytale.

  - Oh, I can assure you, you’re not dreaming.

  - I’m not so sure, how would I know?

  With inhuman speed, she reached up a smacked him on the head. Before he could realize, Roarke’s forehead was burning.

  - Ouch! What good did that shit do!? You can get slapped in a dream, you know!

  - Oh, stop being such a bonehead! You’re not dreaming, okay!

  - How did you do that!? You were like a blur, you moved so fast.

  - Well thank you, but I’m nothing out of the ordinary.

  - Why do I get the sense our comparatives differ?

  - Right, of course, I’m talking compared to other Kappa.

  - Do I even have to ask?

  - Don’t you know anything?

  - Humor me....

  Rubbing his forehead, he motioned towards the house.

  - I don’t know about you but I got a feeling I should sit down for this.

  Roarke started making his way back to the house, but as he reached the door he remembered he only had one chair. Living alone as he did, he had no reason for either purchasing or taking the time to fashion a second one since he normally never got visitors. Manners concerning how to treat a lady floated to the surface in the waters of his mind, muddied by the absurdity of the situation.

  - I only have one chair, you can have it.

  The expression on her face led Roarke to believe she didn’t know what he was talking about.

  - And I don’t know anything.... A chair, something sit on?

  - Why would I want your chair thingie, I can sit just fine by myself.

  And with that said, she gracefully lowered herself down onto the grass outside the log cabin.

  - More chair for me then.....

  He pulled up the chair and sat down with an audible suspiration. Rubbing his face in one last attempt at waking up, he took a deep breath and forced himself to face reality.

  -So okay, I feel like I jumped in into the middle of a drunken campfire story here so some context would be highly appreciated.

  -Well if it’s like you said and you don’t know anything, I’m not sure where to start.

  -At the beginning would be nice.

  She bit her lip and wrinkled her nose making her whiskers dance on her face, contemplating what to say. Her fingers running through the thick rusty fur of her tail.

  - Like I said before, my name is Korri and I am a Kappa, a member of the Kappian decree. A Kappa is a leader of sorts, or rather a champion of their respective kind and every race has one, or had.

  Roarke had always been a man of the world, who believed in hard work and the simple things in life, things he could see, touch and subsequently ignore for the preference of his own mind. Had it not been for the woman sitting in front of him, he would have cried liar. Slow conscious breaths embodied his ambivalent state of mind.

  - Okay, go on.

  - Well our role is to act as keepers, caretakers if you will, of the balance.

  - What balance?

  - The only balance, between the light and the dark, between chaos and doldrums, between life and death.

  - Lets say this is true.

  - It is true!

  - Okay fine, fine. You have to understand my skepticism. I mean first I find out woodfolk are real and there are overgrown rodents running around. Then you tell me there is a secret group of animal puppeteers controlling life from the shadows.

  - First of all. you’re as much an animal as I am so don’t act so high and mighty. Secondly, We’re teachers, guardians, not clandestine overlords. At least we’re not supposed to be.....

  - What do you mean?

  - Forget I said anything okay, it’s not my place to say, that wasn’t what I was sent to do.

  - Do what?

  Her hands flew up to her face in an attempt to stop the words from sounding but it was too late, Roarke’s interest was peaked.

  - You had a mission to do here?

  She jolted unto her feet and started to make her way towards the treeline.

  -Me and my stupid mouth. I wasn’t supposed to say anything, Korri you stupid pig nut, you don’t even know if you can trust him....

  - Hey, where are you going!?

  When he noticed that she wasn’t stopping, he set out after her.

  - Hello wait!

  When she noticed he was pursuing her, she picked up the pace.

  - Stop, you shouldn’t run, your leg was hurt badly!

  - I’m fine, I’m going t.....

  Her injured leg gave way beneath her and she collapsed on the ground. Roarke sped up, curiosity suddenly replaced with concern. As he reached her, he noticed her wound had been torn open, blood pouring out. He ripped of his shirt and stemmed the flow whilst removing his belt to fashion a tourniquet. By pain or by chock, Korri seemed to travel in and out of consciousness. With both hands on the wound, he bit down on his belt and jerked his head sideways. She screamed as the noose tightened around her leg and then seemed to fall back into oblivion.

  - Okay hang in there......

  He lifted her into the air and started running as fast he could, back towards the house. His mind was racing, looking for a way to deal with the situation. Mixed with his adrenaline was confusion, granted, she had exerted herself and torn the wound but it had healed extremely fast just over night but now she was bleeding profusely. As he placed her back into his bed, a sliver of hopelessness had inserted itself into his mind, steadily growing. Roarke had been given a reasonable amount of common sense but that only went so far, and a cold sweat had began running down his face as realization hit him. She was dying and he didn’t know what to do. His shirt, which had been grey, was now completely dyed in an ominous dark red, the injury showing no signs of improvement.

  - Come on Roarke! Keep it together, it’s not over yet!

  He squatted next to the bed, racking his brain for a solution, but as he closed his eyes, his mind failing him, he heard a faint voice.

  - Fire....

  His eyes shot open to see Korri’s tired eyes looking at him. She grasped his hand and mustered what energy and self control she had left, as she uttered two words before going limp.

  - Burn it.

  Roarke scrambled to his feet and rushed outside to collect the firewood he had been cutting before. The next minutes went by in a haze, his mind focused solely on one task as he struck his fire steel and subsequently waited for the fire to catch on. His hands were shaking as he pulled out the red hot poker from the fire, heat radiating from it, warming his face. He steeled himself as he approached the bed and removed the tourniquet. Before the blood flow could increase, he lowered the metal rod to cauterize the open wound. It was greeted by the hissing of burning flesh and fur. Relief mixed with worry grasped Roarke as he realized she was too far gone to react to the procedure, her mind deep in an uneasy slumber. Finishing up his makeshift operation, and after he had bandaged the wound, the tension broke. A tension that had fueled him, and like a bird who had lost its wings, he came crashing down.

  He woke with a jolt, like rustled from a bad dream, his heart was pounding and his body
was covered in a cold sweat. He had fallen asleep leaning against the wall next to the bed, trying to stay awake. Rubbing his face, he resisted his body’s urgent demand to return to the floor. Whilst steadying himself against the wall, he inspected the dormant face that stuck up above the covers. She was asleep, and breathing, he saw with relief. Whilst reprimanding himself for these unorthodox sleeping positions of late and the number they did on his back, he made his way over to the pantry to start making something to eat. He scrounged up some dried deer meat and some dush roots, planning to make a stew. Going out to get some water from his reserve, he glanced up towards the sky, noting that the sun was set low to the east, indicating that they had slept through the remainder of the previous day and had kept on sleeping all throughout the night.

  - What have you gotten yourself into........

  Once he had gotten the fire burning again, a somewhat pleasant smell began to spread through the small house. This time he chose to wake his unconventional guest instead of being scared to death once more. He poured a bowl of stew and threw in a chunk of torn bread joined by a wooden spoon. He carefully opened the door to the bedroom as not to startle her, but to his surprise he found her awake, sitting up, waiting for him.

  - So what are we having?

  - You’re awake!?

  - Obviously, good morning to you too!

  - Hilarious, truly. How long have you been up?

  - Oh I woke up when someone blundered out of here an hour or so ago.

  Roarke grimaced a smile and handed her the bowl.

  - It’s nothing fancy but it will fill your stomach.

  - Thank you. What’s that meat? Elk? No wait, deer right?

  - Yes that’s right. That’s not a problem is it? The meat I mean, I didn’t murder a friend or something?

  - Killing for food isn’t murder, it’s survival, so no the meat isn’t a problem. I’ve dabbled in carnivorous cuisine before.

  - Good, I didn’t want to offend.

  - How did you catch it, I mean don’t humans use tools, weapons to hunt?

  - True, most hunters use a bow but I’m a lousy shot so I rely heavily on my snares.

  Before he could continue, she had leapt from the bed and grasped him by the throat, pressing him against the wall.

  - You use snares!?

  - What the fuck is wrong with you?! Let me go!

  - Answer me!

  - Yes, I told you! I can’t hit any...

  - The snare that hurt me, the metal one, was it yours?

  - Y-yes.

  The lack of air made Roarke’s head throb with pain as he tried to fight her grip.

  - I knew I couldn’t trust you, you’re a spy assigned to guard the borders towards the Kappian realm!

  - What are you talking about?!

  - The snare, it was poisoned with Eitr.

  - I don’t know what that is!

  - Lies....

  - Why would I poison my snares? Ir doesn’t make any sense, the meat would be useless.

  - Sustenance isn’t your mission.

  - I don’t have any mission. I had just bought those snares because they came recommended.

  Her resolve broke and doubt began seeping in through the cracks, making her loosen her grip.

  - Who!?

  - Brock.

  - Who’s Brock?

  - The smith in town. He recommended them, he promised these wouldn’t brake. You have to believe me, I saved you, didn’t I?

  Her grip loosened even more until her claws finally released his now sore throat. Roarke dropped to the floor, coughing violently.

  - For a second there I thought you were going to kill me.

  - I was.

  ***

  Hello smith

  - So tell me, Brock, what kind of man is he?

  They were sitting outside the house, he on his chair and she on the ground. Roarke sipped the brew he had made from herbs to calm his aching throat.

  - Like I said, he’s the local smith.

  - I mean is he dangerous?

  - He’s strong as an ox from working the forge his whole life, but he is no warrior if that’s what you mean.

  - There are far greater dangers than brute strength.....

  Her eyes seemed to drift, though Roarke found it hard to tell. Those black eyes made it seem like she saw nothing and everything at the same time. Time passed with nothing said and Roarke gave up hope that she would continue. Even if he was curious, he didn’t want it to seem as if he was. Roarke was like that, he got curious like any other, he got cold, tired and felt everything everybody else felt, but he denied it, he denied the world to see who he really was. He wanted to be viewed as unmoved by the currents of life, a blank slate, more like a sculpture of a man than an actual one. A stone figure, disengaged from the rest of the world, untouched and unaffected. This had always been the case for as long as he had had a personality to speak of, whether or not the world was fooled could be debated however.

  There they sat, close in body but remote in mind, the silence of the forest resting like a blanket over them, until Korri’s voice cut through.

  - I have to see this man.

  - Why?

  - He may information, information vital to the Kappian cause.

  - Motivation aside, how are you going to get to him? I mean sure, the security is basically nonexistent but I think someone will notice if a giant squirrel walks into town.

  - As if you bald monkeys are normality incarnate.

  - Monkeys?

  - Never mind, don’t worry about it. As for the smith, we will go in the cover of darkness.

  - We!?

  - Unless you have something better to do?

  She smiled a toothy grin showcasing her murine teeth. She had called his bluff, forcing him to either admit his interest and go with her or vehemently deny and stay behind. Annoyed with himself and the fact that he had been unsuccessful in hiding his true feelings, he caved with an audible sigh.

  - Fine.......

  - Great, then I don’t have to force you. We leave when the moon stands at its highest.

  Sitting in a tree overlooking the village they made an odd sight for anyone watching. Roarke had reluctantly climbed up after Korri wouldn’t stop insisting that this was the easiest way to get a grasp on the outlay of the village. Blatantly ignoring the fact that Roarke was ill-equipped to climb any tree, let alone a tall one. Whilst holding on to an overhanging branch, knuckles turning white, Roarke slowly pointed with his free hand.

  - You see that house there? The big one with the extra large chimney.

  - What’s a chimney?

  - The big smoking tower thingie on the roof.

  - Yes of course, why didn’t you just say so?

  Roarke rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, planting his other hand on the branch as well.

  -Yeah well anyway, that’s Brock’s smithy and he lives in the back with his wife Jennifer.

  Being a village consisting of workers, people of sparse means, early nights was generally the norm, as such, the dirt streets were empty except for one lone guardsmen on duty for the night. Sitting by a brazier in the town square, he hardly seemed to pay much attention to his surroundings. His position was one of tradition, the night shift was divided between the able bodied men and women of the village. Situated so remote, the chances of bandits raiding was so low that the main job was to look out for fires and to sound the alarm should the livestocks be attacked by predators, trying their luck in the dark.

  - Okay, I’ve seen enough, lets go.

  Having formulated a plan, she pushed herself off from where she had been sitting. Clearing every branch on the way down, she landed gracefully sixty feet below.

  - Showoff......

  With clammy hands, Roarke started his descent, hurrying to catch up, he nearly slipped on the moss that covered the arms of tree. As he was nearing the forest floor, he stepped on a patch of bark that gave way, causing him to slide off the branch. Before he could compensate and steady hims
elf, he fell the remaining distance, landing on the only rock protruding from the earth within viewing distance.

  - Fucking piss, shit, ass, shit.

  - Are you done yet?

  Biting his lip to suppress a retort to the amusement he had heard in her question, he got on his feet and joined Korri as she waited by the treeline.

  - We’ll chance an eastern route through the houses and hope we don’t come across anyone, rather than risk being spotted the sentry. Observant or not, even a blind hen will find a grain of corn once in a while.

  Between them and Brock’s smithy were residential houses, four of which they would have to pass within close proximity of.

  - Does he have more than one entrance?

  - How would I know!?

  - You’ve been there!

  - Yes in the front, in the store, buying supplies. Jennifer is not so beautiful I have had to bother with learning any other entrance.

  Korri gave him a look of bewilderment.

  - What do you mean?

  - Oh never mind, I guess it’s likely he has a back door, considering the size of his house.

  - It’s likely!?

  - What do you want me to say? I don’t notice stuff like that, before tonight that information would not have served any purpose.

  Shaking her head in disbelief, Korri set off, quiet as the night itself and before Roarke had gotten halfway, she was already hugging the side of the first house. They ran along the side wall until they had an open patch of ground before the next house. Once again Korri took the lead and rushed across the open space, halting without a sound. Roarke, not being quite as light on his feet, struggled to keep up and still remain silent. With only the moon and the shine of some distant torches to light his way, it was a wonder he could make his way at all. As they rounded the corner, that luck had run out. Hidden in the dark was a water trough, not seeing it until it was too late, Roarke ran into it and fell in with the sound of the splash bouncing off the walls.

  - Who’s there?

  Roarke twitched his head towards the sound, frantically blinking to get the water out of his eyes. When his sight regained its focus in the new light, he saw an old lady standing over him, lantern in hand, squinting with a concerned look on her face.

  - Roarke, is that you? You scared the life out of me, I thought it was the woodfolk coming to get me!