Mouse had given Liandra his tale. It was one full of pain, confusion and fear, but there was love too, and kindness; love for the man who now knelt on the floor in front of her. After receiving his injuries, Mouse had retreated to a dark corner of his mind, a place free of hurt and malice. He had been afraid to leave that place, but Liandra had managed to talk him back. It had felt like hours, the time she spent inside Mouse's mind, but it can't have been more than a few seconds to those watching it happen.
'How did you know his name?' the man on the floor said. His long hair, half black, half grey, fell about the deep lines in his face. He may have been ageing, but he was thick across the chest, and looked strong enough to properly hurt someone if he wanted to. Auric, Mouse had said his name was Auric.
Liandra opened her mouth, but Mother cut her off with a finger waggled in her face.
'Liandra.' Mother's voice was stern as an axe. 'Do not talk to this man.' She turned, and the finger pointed at Auric. 'You leave my daughter alone. I don't know what kind of madness ails you, but it has nothing to do with her. She has a love for animals, that's all, and the bad sense not to listen to her mother. Captain, it's time to go.'
The captain strode over from the bar, his boots resounding against the hard floor. 'As you wish. But first there is something I must do.'
There was a ringing sound, the scraping of steel against leather, and the captain stood there with his sword gleaming in the midday light. 'Auric the Blackhand, in the name of Corrim Vallendred, High Emperor and steward of Nothstrum, I take you into custody for war crimes against the Empire, pending summary judgement.' The captain pointed the tip of his sword at Auric. 'Will you come willingly? Please say no.'
'What are you doing?' Liandra shouted. 'You can't do this.'
Mother jerked at Liandra's arm again. Why won't you keep quiet?' Mother's voice rang in her mind.
'Stay out of this, girl. This man is responsible for the deaths of hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people, some of them as young as yourself.'
Auric sighed, down on the floor. He gave Mouse another teary-eyed pet, put his mouth near the dog's ear and whispered something. Liandra could feel the turmoil pouring off the old man.
'I suppose I've had more time than I really deserved,' Auric said sadly. 'Halford, will you take Mouse to Jayna and Flynn, ask them if they will look after him?'
The barman's jaw had hung open for the last several minutes, but he seemed to remember now how to use it. 'Uh, I…I can do that, I suppose.' Halford walked over from behind the bar and came over to grab Mouse's collar.
Auric scratched the dog once more. 'I'm sorry, boy. I can't stay with you. But at least you're alive. You go with this nice man now.' Auric let Mouse go and Halford led him away through a door at the back of the inn.
Auric rose, stared at the captain. He spread his arms wide. 'I come willingly and without resistance.'
'Do you have any weapons?'
'None of manmade design.'
The captain narrowed his eyes. 'Turn around. Put your hands together.'
Auric turned, slowly, stretching the moment out. Liandra supposed he was in no rush. There was no fear coming off him either. He put his hands together, and the captain sheathed his sword, grabbed a leather cord out of a pocket and approached Auric. He moved with caution, looking for any signs of movement or resistance from the older man. Liandra knew there would be none.
The captain grabbed Auric's wrists, pulled him backwards, off balance, and threw him to the ground. Auric hit the ground face first. There was a hollow clonk as his skull collided with the wooden planks.
'God's tits, you bastard. I said I was coming willingly,' Auric shouted.
The captain stood over him, whipped the leather cord around his wrists and lashed it tight. Auric seethed as the leather dug into his skin. 'Can't be too careful. A man like you is hard to take at his word.'
'The war was ten years ago, prick. I haven't hurt a human soul since.'
'Tell it to the dead.' The captain jerked Auric to his feet. A purple mark had formed on the old man's forehead. 'Alessa, take Liandra and return to the stable. Tell the others we have an additional prisoner, then collect your things and meet me back here. As soon as you return, we leave this place.'
'Good,' Mother said. 'We've spent too long here already.'
Liandra opened her mouth once more. 'But—'
'No more, girl.' Mother raised her voice, brought her face down to Liandra's until their noses almost touched. Mother wasn't angry, though it would have been easy for her to be. She wasn't concerned, exactly. She was afraid, Liandra realised, anxious to be on the road. 'You've caused enough trouble already. The time comes when you have to learn to do as you're told.'
Liandra swallowed a guilty lump at the back of her throat. She knew she could be reckless. She knew she caused Mother trouble. But how could anyone possibly understand, without feeling the things she felt, knowing the things she knew? She would have burst if she had to sit there a moment longer and ignore Mouse's pain. It was the only way to stop it. If Mother had felt it, she would have done the same thing. Liandra liked to think anyone would, but then, she really had no way of knowing.
'As you say, Mother. You are right, as usual.'
Mother smiled sadly, kissed Liandra on the forehead.
They left the captain alone with Auric in the inn and walked back around to the stable. Mother hurried their pace, dragging Liandra behind. The other two soldiers lounged in the hay, sharing a heel of bread. Stroud was still tied to the pole where he had spent the night. McJames, the one with the funny haircut that made his hair look like an upside-down bowl, teased him by throwing crumbs just outside his reach. Beecham encouraged McJames with hearty laughter, a spot of drool running down his cleft chin. Stroud, for his part, mostly ignored their antics. There was a sense of quiet contemplation coming from the big prisoner. It seemed he was biding his time.
'Ahem,' Mother said, as her and Liandra walked under the shelter of the stable roof. 'Would you two comport yourself with the decorum befitting soldiers of The Empire? Cruelty to this prisoner is not warranted.'
The soldiers turned lazy eyes towards Mother. 'Huh?' McJames said. 'Vallendred's cruelty is what got us here in the first place, is what won his stewardship over this poxy land.'
Poxy? thought Liandra. She had actually found what she had seen of Nothstrum over the last few months to be quite charming.
Mother sighed. 'I doubt he would see it that way.'
'What would you know, woman?' Beecham piped up. 'You ain't ever set foot on a battlefield.'
Liandra felt Mother's anger grow. It radiated off her like a fever. She put fists against her hips. 'Have either of you, fresh little buttercups? I know a lot more than either of you could imagine. Vallendred would have you—'
'The captain arrested someone,' Liandra cut Mother off before she said something she would regret. 'Said he's to come with us, and we're to meet him at the inn. We're leaving town.'
The soldiers sat up at that, frowned at each other. 'Arrested someone? Why the fuck would he do that?'
'Watch your mouth in front of my daughter,' Mother snapped, clapping her hands over Liandra's ears.
Beecham rolled his eyes. 'Sorry, little one,' he said, with a glare at Liandra.
Mother removed her hands from Liandra's ears. 'He knew him,' Mother said, exasperated. 'Said he was guilty of war crimes. His name was Auric Black something.'
'Auric The Blackhand,' Liandra said.
Now the soldiers stood up. Their faces dropped. 'Are you telling me Auric The fucking—sorry—The fricking Blackhand is here, in bum-frick Brunholm, and the captain's taken him into custody?' McJames said.
'It seems that way, doesn't it?' Mother's anger had quelled for the moment, but her tone was full of ice.
The soldiers slowly turned to one another. 'We're bloody rich,' they said, in unison. They embraced each other, danced about the stable, kicking up hay and dust, whooping and hollering with delight.
Mother raised her voice. 'The captain said to be ready, to bring his things. We leave immediately.'
The two quit their celebrating and stood in the stable looking like idiots, smiles slowly drooping off their faces. 'Right.' They released each other, and brushed themselves off sheepishly.
'And where is Father Fairwell?' Mother said, with a look of sudden realisation.
Beecham shrugged. 'Went off to pray somewhere. Said he'd be back in a minute.'
'Well, I hope he is.' Mother turned her attention away from the soldiers. 'Liandra, collect your things. Make sure you are ready to depart.'
Liandra nodded, and walked to the other side of the stable. She passed Agrafell on the way, and the horse looked up at her. She felt his calm, but his boredom as well, his longing to run, to have the wind rippling through his mane. His tale had been one of contentment, running across the middle lands of Nothstrum. His master was kind enough, fed him well, looked after his feet. But recently, Agrafell and other horses he had met in the area had been full of fear. Many of them didn't want to run at night, often feeling like there was something dark lurking in the shadows. Liandra pushed the fear out of her mind, gave Agrafell a parting smile, and gathered her things.
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