A Horrible Test

Rudsis was cleaving into the trunk of a tree with the sword when the owl caught up with him. It alighted on a stone near to him and decided to look at the man for a minute or two before interrupting his fit.

"Dissapointed yourself?" it asked.

Panting heavily, Rudsis turned around and glared at the bird. "What are you?"

"Owl," it said. "You've seen owls--"

"WHAT ARE YOU?" Rudsis screamed more to vent than out of sincere curiosity. With an incredibly fast and practiced two handed swing, he intended to cut the owl in two where it stood.

But the blade clashed with the bird's body, which stopped it. Rudsis had not expected the resistance, and his hands slipped from the blade's hilt. It fell to the ground. Wide-eyed, Rudsis turned his head slowly from the sword, to the owl. It was whole, unharmed.

It pecked at one of its wings before looking up at the human and saying, "I'm something you can't kill with a sword, Rudsis."

The former guard staggered back some steps on the verge of fleeing.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," said the owl. "How many times could I have killed you? Get it together, man. If it's not clear to you that I'm here to help you, then there is something wrong with you."

"But what are you?" Fear was clear in his voice.

"One of many things. There are so many things that what I am barely matters. And if you were to be honest you'd tell me that it doesn't matter. You want to get rid of Treni. What else do you need to know?"

"How?" Rudsis went for the sword and checked its edge. Somehow, it was undamaged. "How do I get rid of her?"

"With the help of the witch."

"It's too slow. I can't let the folk suffer Treni any longer."

"Is there something in your ear?"

Rudsis sheathed the sword and furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"Check your ear. There must be something in it. You keep ignoring everything you are told."

"There is nothing in my ears."

"Make sure. Stick your little finger in there."

"My ears are fine!"

"Then listen, man." The owl leaned forward and spoke each word in turn. "You need the witch's help."

"What help?"

"Her blood." The owl stood normally again and shrugged.

Rudsis blinked several times out of confusion. Both because he didn't expect to hear what the owl just said, or to see a bird shrugging. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you think the gods hunted down Inarentas?"

"Because they're the only ones that can kill them."

The owl chuckled. "Yes. Yes they are. Listen." It recited:

"Very little will harm the gods.

Nothing of man will cut their skin.

But a woman's blood will give them pause,

if the blood coursed through a witch's veins."

Realization lifted Rudsis' face and eyebrows.

"Just like the spider," said the owl. "But you'll do more than make Treni ill if you bathe your blade in the blood of your mentor."

Rudsis hurried back, leaving the owl to close her eyes, laugh, and say to herself, "Humans will believe anything if it's in verses." It then breathed in deeply, and thought, "Please, please pass this test, you oaf."

Afena was sitting next to the fire, preparing little pouches with materials to use for magic, when Rudsis came back to the cabin. He slowed his jog to a walk and stopped to tower in front of the witch.

"Is it true that your blood will kill Treni?"

Deliberately, Afena set aside the things in her hands to look up at Rudsis. He looked down at her with slightly raised head and contemptuous eyes.

"Who told you that?" she asked.

"Is it true?" His demanded stiffly.

Afena stood slowly, reaching into one of the secret pockets in her tunic to take out a wooden chip with a carved symbol on it. "Let's say it is," she shrugged. "What are you planning to do."

"Protect the folks." Rudsis unsheathed his blade. "Before more of them have to suffer."

Afena thumbed the wooden chip, which disappeared. In its place, her wooden sword appeared. Wordlessly, she held the practice prop in both hands and got into a fighting stance.

Rudsis launched his attack quickly, thrusting at Afena's neck. She was able to deflect the blow and counterattack with a swing to his gut. He blocked, used his strength to push Afena's blade up and over, leaving her open, and tried to elbow her face.

Afena ducked and retreated a few steps spinning, deflecting with just in case, placing her blade in front of her, tip down. She immediately leaned forward to reach, and thrust like a striking snake at his neck. Rudsis dodged leaning to a side, and slashed upwards, but Afena had continued her pirouette and was nowhere near where Rudsis had aimed his attack.

Both retreated, and took a moment.

Afena advanced, feigned a swing to the the arm, then a thrust to the neck, then a swing at the head. Rudsis moved to block each and everyone of the attacks perfectly, anticipating more than perceiving them. When the real attack at his legs came, he jumped back, then forwards with an overhead attack.

Knowing the blow would overpower her, Afena raised her blade diagonally with both hands, and summoned as much strength as she could to her arms to resist the initial impact. Rudsis' blade slid along hers, and she counterattacked with a quick flip of the hilt to whirl the blade in a downwards diagonal slash.

Rudsis sidestepped, avoided the blade, and tackled Afena. She went down and rolled on the floor to get back on her feet, but Rudsis pressed the attack. She thumbed a rune on the hilt of her sword, and an invisible barrier blocked his blade, which would have cleft her collar bone.

Rudsis gave two steps back, and said, "Your wooden sword should have broken."

"It's enchanted. Do you see how much you've improved? Do you understand what this time you've taken has done to you? Go back to when you first found my cabin. Do you think you could have taken my blood, coated your sword, and gone to kill Treni? Or would you have gone only to throw yourself at death?"

"That is no longer the case. And I can end the folks' suffering now."

"Fine." Afena threw her wooden sword away and fell to her knees, arms open. "Go ahead."

"Can your blood kill Treni?"

Afena said nothing.

"CAN YOUR BLOOD KILL TRENI?" Rudsis advanced on her, raising the hilt of the sword above his head, tip down, pointed straight at Afena's chest.

She stared defiantly at Rudsis' eyes. "Yes. Now you can harm me in order to protect the folk of Crown. Now you can sacrifice me just like Treni would have sacrifices to feed her power. Kill one to save the many. Betray your principles, and make yourself feel better by thinking that there was no other way. Crown has its guard, but who is protecting me, Rudsis? Who's here to stand between me and harm?"

Rudsis adjusted his grip on the hilt, knuckles whitening.

"Where were you, Rudsis," asked Afena, "to protect my father when we was being beaten? Where are you now to protect me?"