[Brinniel]

Shae kept at a steady pace, her teeth gritted against the pain. Would she make it in time? One could only hope. But then, how much damage could she really do? She was only one woman—an injured one at that. Where was everyone else from the tunnel? Didn’t they realize the slavers’ plans as well? Such thoughts rattled through her brain until they were interrupted by the sound of hoofbeats following her own.
Slavers.
Coming from behind, they clearly had the advantage. Shae was not prepared to fight this way and if she were to save herself, she would have to avoid it. Kicking hard, she picked up her pace hoping they would not catch up to her. And then, against the whistling wind came a voice clearly calling her name. Shae slowed, feeling rather confused. Then the shout came again.
“Shae! Wait up!” Slowing to a near stop, she turned her head, surprised to find Reagonn and another ex-slave named Syth on top of their horses. Other than a few cuts and bruises, both remained unscathed. “What are you doing?” the former asked. “This isn’t a race you know.”
“Sorry… I thought you were slavers,” she muttered apologetically. “…Were you following me?”
Reagonn hesitated, then nodded. “What happened back at the tunnel was complete chaos. Everything fell apart so quickly. Among the mess I saw you take off suddenly. You seemed to know where you were going, so Syth and I followed.”
“You were worried for me,” the woman stated plainly.
The man gave a slight smile and shrugged. “You should know it’s never smart to go off on your own like that. Especially in the middle of a battle. We fight together.”
Shae rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand why you men worry so much about me. You all treat me like I’m helpless, or something. You know, the last time I wandered off, I brought back the Fellowship. I’m completely capable of….” She trailed off, thinking for a moment before changing the subject. “Wait a minute…where’s the rest of the cavalry? What ever happened to Ayce and Darren? …Korden?”
There was a pause. “They fell behind.” The response came from Syth, who spoke with a quiet and solemn tone. The look on his face reflected the devastation the ex-slaves had already experienced in tonight’s battle. He continued, “Then we just took off…after you. We left them all behind.” The young man stared accusingly at the woman.
“Only because we had to,” was Shae’s reply. “We’ve wasted enough time…we ought to keep moving.”
“And where are we going, Shae?” Reagonn asked.
Shae could feel frustration taking over. There was no time to explain, and yet she had to. “Do you not understand?” she retorted. “We only fought half the slavers at the tunnel. Where do you think the rest are headed? Our women and children are in danger. I abandoned the tunnel to help them!”
“Of course,” Reagonn nodded, his eyebrow creased with understanding. “If help is what they need, then I am ready. How about you, Syth?”
The other ex-slave nodded as well.
“Alright then.” The woman took hold of her reins and repositioned herself on the saddle, slightly too quickly. A sharp pain hit her left side again, and she folded over despite all attempts to hide the pain.
A concerned Reagonn approached Shae on his horse until they were only a few feet away from each other. In the darkness, his grey eyes wandered from the blood on her forehead to the swollen wrist. “You’re hurt,” he stated simply.
“Well yes, that’s what happens when one fights in a battle.”
“You’re in no condition to fight.”
His comment angered Shae. Who was he to tell her what to do? “Of course I am,” she replied. “Surely you don’t think I’d let a few minor injuries stop me.”
The man would not let off so easily. “Minor injuries you may think, but keep fighting with a wrist like that, and you’ll do permanent damage.”
Shae smiled and held up her injured arm in front of Reagonn’s face. “Are you telling me you know how to fix broken bones now? If so, feel free to set it…”
Reagonn shook his head, slightly smiling. “Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll leave you alone. We’ll just make sure to have Athwen look at it once the battle is over.”
“If she’s still alive, that is.” Both frowned at the thought, but they knew it was possible—no one had seen the healer since she misled the slavers into the trench.
The sound of a loud tear startled the two. Looking up, Shae found Syth, holding out a strip of cloth. “Take it,” he mumbled to her. “It will at least stabilize your wrist for now.”
Surprised at his kindness, the woman thanked him and wrapped the cloth tightly around the swollen limb. When she was done, all three ex-slaves looked at each other. Nodding in unison, they continued on together.

***

Though the storm was clearly not over, the wind began to slow, if only slightly. Squinting into the distance, Shae could see the outline of where the women and children were hiding. They were close. But as they continued on, she heard the sounds of shouting and her heart sank. She had hoped to outrun the slavers, but already a battle had begun. With a yelp, the woman raced on even faster, with her companions following close behind. What she was not prepared for, was what happened next.

There was a flash of something whizzing by, then a loud gasp. Shae snapped her head around to find a spear skewered into Syth’s chest. The man stared at her for a split second, then dropped from his horse, and the animal continued to race into the distance. The remaining two ex-slaves instantly halted and dismounted. It was Reagonn who made it to Syth first.
After checking the pulse, he glanced up. “He’s dead,” Reagonn said, his voice hollow.
Shae nodded, but she was paying little attention. The owner of the spear was approaching quickly. He came at such ferocity, the ex-slaves’ horses began to spook and back away. The slaver shielded himself well, and from the angle they were standing, the woman knew there was no way to hit him with a weapon of their own. Unsheathing a throwing dagger, Shae waited until he was only feet away. With a flick of the wrist, the dagger left her hand and slid into the stallion’s throat. The horse died instantly, tumbling to the ground, taking the slaver with him. There was silence.

The wind began pick up again and much visibility was lost.
“You think he’s dead?” Reagonn asked.
Shae didn’t respond as the two glanced from the heap of the horse back to each other. A movement caught the corner of her eye and she shook her head. Reagonn turned around and approached the dead animal cautiously. “Watch out,” she warned him. Reacting to her sudden comment, Reagonn turned his head at the woman, a mistake that would cost him.

Instantly, the slaver was up. His body was slightly bloody and bruised from the hard fall, but otherwise it seemed little harm was done. Reagonn had no time to react, and in a flash of steel, the heavy blade entered his stomach. Shae yelled in horror as she watched the man she had known for years crumble to the ground. The slaver turned around and rose up his bloody blade as he gave the woman a hideous smile. He strutted toward her, sword still in hand ready to finish the job. Shae released her own newly prized sword from its sheath and used it just in time to block the attack. The two clashed swords and the woman found herself in a better situation this time using a stronger weapon. She used her swift speed to an advantage and this time it was she who knocked the weapon from her opponent’s hand. The slaver stared at his bloody hand in horror—two fingers were gone. Shae looked back at him in surprise, almost laughing at how easy it was to fight this supposed highly skilled man. Then her old injuries took hold and she doubled over as the pain once again hit her entire left side.

Shae’s opponent saw her vulnerable state and immediately charged at her. Before she knew what was happening, Shae was on the ground, her sword gone from her hand. The slaver pressed his bloody hand into her throat, and the woman gasped for air. She kicked and clawed at him, but the man on top of her was too large and too heavy. He raised his uninjured fist and plummeted it into her left cheek. She struggled, but he continued to hit her again and again. Shae was ready to give up, when suddenly the slaver froze in his movements. She glanced up, only to see the end of a blade protruding from his chest. Behind him kneeled Reagonn, growling with both anger and pain, as he grasped tightly onto the bloody hilt. The slaver took several short gasps, then collapsed right next to the woman.

Shae stood up slowly, still shaking from her attack.
I’m a complete mess.
She couldn’t help but think this as she wiped her nose and spit the blood from her mouth. Her face felt sticky from both her blood as well as the enemy’s. A soft groan brought her attention back to Reagonn. He sat clutching his stomach, grimacing from the pain. Immediately, she was at his side.
“Let me see,” she instructed. Reagonn stared back, reluctant to remove his hands. “Please Reagonn,” the woman pleaded. “I only want to help you.”
The man lifted his hands and Shae’s heart grew heavy at watch she saw. The slaver’s sword had thrusted deep into Reagonn’s stomach, obviously penetrating several organs.
“You can’t help me,” he whispered, and Shae knew he spoke the truth. It was impossible for anyone to survive such damage. Yet, the woman found herself unable to face the facts, and instead chose denial.
“Of course I can,” she spoke confidently. “We just need to stop the bleeding.” Shae took off one of his two layers of shirts and tied it around his stomach. “I will take you to where the women and children are—surely the slavers haven’t completely breeched the camp yet. You’ll be taken care of there. There’s no need to worry. You’ll be fine—I’m sure of it.” She stood up and looked about. Her stomach lurched as she was unable to find what she was searching for. “Where are the horses,” she asked, frantic.
“They... probably frightened off…during the fight,” Reagonn spoke softly.
Shae cursed in frustration. “Very well then, I’ll just have to take you there myself.” She grabbed at Reagonn in an attempt to pick him up. But the man was heavier than she, and with only one usable arm, carrying him was impossible. Yet, she could not let herself give up, so she tried again.
“Shae…Shae!” Reagonn struggled to call her name as blood spewed from his mouth. “Shae, please stop already.” She finally listened, and let go of the man. “You cannot save me…You know that.”
“No!” the woman yelled through both tears and anger. “Don’t you say that!” A hand reached up to Shae’s, and Reagonn pulled her down near him.
“It’s okay,” he whispered to her. “I’m ready to go.” Shae’s hot tears splashed onto his cheek. Reagonn coughed. “There’s still a battle out there,” he continued. “They still need you. Don’t….don’t waste all you energy on me.” He gave a small smile. “All these years, I killed in the name of my friend Bornir, seeking vengeance for his death. But no matter how many men I killed…it was never enough…” Reagonn coughed again and gasped several times for air. Then his eyes fixed and he went still.

Shae closed Reagonn’s eyes and whispered a short prayer for safe passage. Standing up, she found her sword buried in sand and re-sheathed it. Staring at her companions’ corpses, she struggled to hold back more tears. Once again, the woman was alone. There was nothing more she could do except continue to her destination where the battle carried on. And hearing the cries in the distance, she knew it was time to go.

With the horses missing, Shae had no choice to walk. Despite her exhaustion, she managed to keep a fairly quick pace, her bare feet trudging through the sand. Not once did she take her eyes off her destination. Sounds became clearer and shapes took form. The battle was ongoing and all those involved fought intensely. Still too far away to identify enemy from friend, Shae continued her steps to bring whatever aid was needed. Suddenly, a sound coming from behind caused her to freeze in her tracks. She whipped around only to find two slavers on horseback coming her way. Glancing around, Shae began to panic. She may be close, but she had not quite reached the women and children’s camp. The only ex-slaves in sight were occupied with their own battles. There was no one to help her.

Shae could feel the sense of dread creep through her insides. Without a horse, she could not turn and run. And her duels with one slaver had been difficult enough—battling two of them at once would be impossible to survive. Injured and alone, she was already dead. Where was help when she needed it? The slaver continued towards her, weapons in hand, and still no sign of help came. Shae had no choice—she would have to face this battle alone. Giving a deep sigh, the woman unsheathed her weapon, praying that her luck would soon change.