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TUNDRA of HEROES
TOH is a work in progress—I am still editing it. There are some rough spots; there may be inconsistencies. Don't hesitate to shoot criticism my way!

The Conductor


"Do you have a message you want me to pass on to anyone, Master Huros?"


Jeuni paused in mid-transaction, a handful of silvers hovering over the countertop.


"Come again?"


"I asked if there wasn't some message you wanted to leave behind." Nug the grocer peered down at Jeuni over the tops of his spectacles. "With this much food, you're going somewhere yeah?"


"Yeah, I guess I am."


"Where, if you don't mind my asking?"


"The Shaded Orchard," Jeuni said, gesturing with his wrist for the grocer to take his money.


Nug complied solemnly.


"Which Shaded Orchard?"


"All of them, Mister Nug." Jeuni laughed quietly. "It's not like I'm heading straight for death! I wouldn't need a month's worth of rations for that, not when I have this." A knife flickered between his sleeve and his hand briefly.


"Don't do anything reckless, Master Huros. This town wouldn't feel the same without your midnight swearing."


"Get out, it's not that loud."


"'The fucking sun is freezing the fuck over!'" imitated Nug at half-volume. Jeuni looked down and glared at a tray of dried venison. "We'll miss you."


Jeuni looked up again and smiled.


"I doubt you can speak for the whole town. Now let's see, did you get the wine?" He bent over and rummaged through the large sack at his feet.


"There's an extra bottle, a gift from my family. My kids loved your show, you know, back when you performed in the marketplace."


"Well, I'll love this bottle right back," chuckled the juggler. "Is the money okay? It's all I have right now."


"Don't worry about it, Master Huros. Just be sure to come back."


"I'll try," he grinned.


Jeuni hoisted the sack of provisions over his shoulder and turned to go.


"Wait! Master Huros, you never answered my question about the message."


"Right! Yes, yes—tell my manager he can go drown in the eastern trench blood-river."


"Is that all? Nothing for Master Gyurot? Nothing for your—"


"Nothing. I'm leaving now, Mister Nug." Jeuni looked back over his shoulder and smiled at the grocer. "Thanks for feeding me all these years."


"You're welcome, Master Huros," said Nug. "Good luck with your travels."


"Good-bye."


"Good-bye."


Jeuni stepped out of the dimly-lit store and into the sunrise. Aside from Kihara, who stood leaning against the storefront, the streets were empty, another symptom of the winter season. The farmers who would usually be scurrying toward their fields were at home, enjoying the warmth of their blankets. Jeuni shivered as the cold whipped his fingers. After checking to make sure no one but Kihara was watching, he stashed the sack of provisions under his cloak and buried his hands in his tunic pockets.


"That's that," said Jeuni. "Are we ready to go?"


"You're going like that?" Kihara asked. "In those clothes?"


"They're the only clothes I have." Jeuni shrugged, then turned around quickly, causing his blood-stained cloak to flare out. His green tunic and brown trousers, his leather boots—he had worn nothing else in years.


"You'll be cold in the South," warned Kihara. "But I guess you'll be able to make do with your magic."


"It can't be colder there than it is here," laughed Jeuni. "It's freeeezing." He rubbed his arms and shivered. "Let's go."


* * *


As they walked, Jeuni explained their route. Memories of eight years ago surfaced—he remembered talking to other draftees about escaping the Midlands, he remembered the warnings and advice that had been passed through the ranks.


"We're going to head straight for one of the border outposts."


That's where I was turned back eight years ago.


"Why not avoid the guards completely?"


"If patrolling soldiers ambush us, they'll likely kill without asking questions. It's safer to face'em head-on."


This time I won't be rebuffed.


The town was already far behind, and conifers peppered the rolling hills of Byhr. A blanket of clouds had blocked out the sun, leaving the verdant landscape gray.


"So should we just take the road?"


"No," said Jeuni, looking down at the wagon trail that wound between the hills. "The territory within the borders is safe, and we don't want to attract unnecessary attention."


"But if we don't follow the road..."


"We'll get to an outpost. I've been there before, and the southern border hasn't changed. It's just trees out there, after all."


* * *


It began raining mid-day, just as Jeuni and Kihara entered the woodlands proper. While only a small percentage of the downpour reached the two travelers, the sound of the rain drumming on the forest roof amplified the stormy sensation. Haphazard chinks in the upper foliage revealed an inky sky.


"We're going to need a light," said Jeuni, pausing, "or we could make camp and wait for the storm to blow over."


Kihara stopped and nodded, and her eyes lit up.


"Shadows, part and give me a lamp," she said, her voice for an instant resembling that in which she'd sung. A small white orb flickered into being by her shoulder, shedding soft light in a fifteen yard radius.


"Amazing," said Jeuni, smiling appreciatively. "Not as amazing as immortality, though."


"Please." Kihara shook her head sadly. "It's not even real magic. It's nothing compared to what you can do."


Jeuni laughed. "I can't do anything."


Kihara began walking again, Jeuni stumbling to catch up.


"You're dry as a bone," she noted without looking back.


"It has been a while since my last drink!" exclaimed Jeuni.


Kihara shot him a disapproving look, and pointed up. His gaze followed her finger, and he saw a raindrop splatter against the air above him, followed by another.


"Pitter patter," he chuckled, "it's like being indoors."


Kihara giggled despite herself.


"Didn't you say you wouldn't tell me you're not a wizard anymore?"


"I honestly didn't notice," said Jeuni, "somehow—"


"It's alright, Master Huros. Let's press on."


The two walked side by side through the forest as the trees and underbrush grew thicker. Kihara quickly realized that though her coat was still damp, she was no longer being pelted by the rain.


"Thank you, Master Huros."


The juggler kept his eyes trained on the terrain ahead and didn't respond.


* * *


"I can hear them," said Kihara.


"Yeah, we're getting close to the outpost." Jeuni smiled. "It's almost time to break through."


"Will you be alright?"


"I'll be fine. I'll get through."


"You've been turned away before," the girl pointed out. "Do you need me to help?"


"No—in fact, I want you to stay behind when I go in. I need to do this on my own."


"Seems you're just brimming with confidence."


Jeuni's smile was grim.


"I'm going to the Shaded Orchard," he said, "no matter what."


They ducked under a series of low-hanging branches and came to the eastern edge of a clearing. Makeshift covers constructed of spears and bucklers protected a ring of torches from the rain. The torchlight illuminated a large wooden compound, a dirt path cleared through the pines heading north, and a dozen Byhryn border guards.


"I won't be turned away," Jeuni muttered before stepping out of the shadows.


"Halt!" shouted one of the men, leveling a crossbow at Jeuni. "Who goes there?"


"Calm down, Fyld, he's one of us!"


"Shit, you're right," sighed the crossbowman, lowering his weapon. "What were you doing out there on your own? The captain won't be happy."


Jeuni blinked.


"Me? One of you?"


Kihara sighed silently from her vantage point in the trees.


"Oh!" Jeuni exclaimed as he took in the garb of the soldiers and then examined his own outfit. Green tunic, gray mantle, brown cloak and trousers. "I always forget that this is your uniform."


The crossbowman Fyld took aim again in an instant, and three of the guards drew swords.


"What country are you from?"


"Byhr," shrugged Jeuni, "or was it Harnecia? My town is a bit hectic—"


"Definitely suspicious," muttered a spearman, only to be met with glares from the other guards for being slow on the uptake.


"What's your business here?" asked Fyld.


"I'm just traveling," Jeuni said, waving his hand dismissively. "I was hoping you'd let me through."


"No one crosses the border."


"Yeah, it's illegal! Citizens should stay home."


"If you try getting through here, we'll need to take you into custody." The crossbowman sighed. "If you turn around and go home like a good little dog we'll only have to write you up."


Jeuni burst out laughing, causing visible discomfort in the ranks.


"He's a crazy," whispered the spearman loudly.


"Could we get your name?" Fyld asked.


"Jeuni Huros."


The soldiers gaped.


"You're alive?"


"You know about me?" Jeuni raised his eyebrows. "That's pretty far for the name of a tavern juggler to spread."


"What juggler?" Fyld adjusted his aim and began squeezing the trigger. "You've been wanted dead for eight years!"


With a twang, the bolt left the crossbow. Jeuni sidestepped nimbly, flicking a corner of his cloak into the path of the missile, which, instead of tearing the fabric, disappeared.


"Take him down!" roared Fyld, and the entire group surged forward, brandishing their weapons.


Jeuni dashed forward, ducking between the soldiers, using his smaller size and tumbler's agility to outmaneuver his opponents. As he leapt between them, rolling between the legs of one and somersaulting over the shoulders of another, countless daggers flashed between his sleeves and hands, seeking out new homes in Byhryn sinew. Soldier after soldier crumpled to his knees, unable to move, flailing wildly with whatever limbs were still in service.


In thirty seconds flat Jeuni was the only one still standing.


"H-how," coughed Fyld, glaring up at the juggler.


"You'll survive," sighed Jeuni, "it'll just be a pain in the ass to move for a while."


Kihara stepped into the clearing, clapping softly.


"Impressive act, Master Huros. Shall we move on?"


"Yeah." The juggler put his hands back in his pockets and began walking toward the wooden guardhouse. As he walked, he furrowed his brow. I knew Byhr wanted me dead, but why? "I wonder what I did to become so famous. Maybe I deserted?"


"You did do that, yes," murmured Kihara.


Jeuni looked back over his shoulder. "Kihara? Did you say something?"


The girl stood in the middle of the clearing, immobile. She looked at Jeuni, features expressing the same worry she had shown right before his attempted suicide.


"Master Huros, run—" she fell to her knees "—good day, Master Huros. Did you have fun with my subordinates?—GET OUT!"


"Kihara, what the hell are you—"


"Allow me to introduce myself, Master Huros," Kihara curtsied, then pointed to her right. At the edge of the torchlight stood a man in a black trenchcoat and a black top hat. His face was hidden between the low brim of his hat and a curtain of shoulder-length brown hair. "I am Captain Tomora Ynthon, of the southern division's eighth border patrol unit."


Jeuni blinked. He pointed at the black-clad man and then at Kihara, glanced quizzically between them.


The black-clad man nodded.


"Ynthon," Kihara said again, "my name is Tomora Ynthon."


"Jeuni Huros," said the juggler, skin crawling as he continued uncertainly, "nice to meet you?"


"Not so nice for you, actually. Pretty damn unlucky to be quite honest."


Jeuni noticed that the man's hands were moving ever so slightly as Kihara spoke, drawing subtle patterns in the air at his sides. A puppeteer? He seems to be controlling her voice somehow... maybe if I stop his hands. The juggler reached under his cloak to produce a dagger, but found nothing.


"Oh, please. You don't want to pull any weapons on me."


"What's going on? How are you talking through Kihara?" I know I have more daggers in there somewhere...


"She's a wonderful instrument, wouldn't you say?" Kihara seemed to gag momentarily. "Her voice can even do things like these! Consume your source, o fires, and be gone!"


The ring of torches flared up and disappeared in a short-lived, crackling inferno. The light from Kihara's hovering orb remained; some light leaked out from cracks in the guardhouse walls.


"The god gave her such a power. Isn't it beautiful? But mine is more beautiful yet... "


"Kihara, is this guy one of your buddies?"


Kihara, eyes glazed over and mouth twisted into a grotesque smile, shook her head slowly and mouthed 'covenant.'


"Yeah. And he's controlling you?" Jeuni turned back to the new arrival and glared threateningly. "Let her go right now, Captain Puppet. I don't know what your game is, but I'll kill you if you hurt her."


"Strong words, Master Huros, just as I would expect. But here's what's going to happen—no, you can stop looking for your daggers, you won't find them—listen, just stand there and listen will you? You're not going to accomplish anything if you move before I explain the situation to you."


Jeuni gritted his teeth.


"Listening? Good. As you guessed, I am a Holder of the Covenant. The seventeenth, to be exact. Tomora Ynthon, of Cresso." The man raised the brim of his hat to reveal piercing red eyes and snow-white skin. "Country bumpkins, the Huros family, eh? Yeah, you wouldn't know where Cresso is. Anyway. I'm here, working the border patrols, and I'm going to stop you from crossing. Don't worry—I won't kill you, though I can't say the same about this disgraceful excuse for a true worshipper. Shame, as she's such a wonderful voice."


"Why don't you speak for yourself?" demanded Jeuni.


"It is not my place to question the motives of the god." The man shrugged as Kihara spoke. "He wills and I obey. Is that so odd?"


No shit it's odd. "What the hell is this god of yours, anyway?"


"My! Don't you live in the Holy Empire of Byhr?"


"We don't like the clergy where I'm from," said Jeuni. "The last cleric to pass through town wound up floating downstream to join Harnecia's trout catch."


The man grinned predatorily and stepped closer to Jeuni.


"A wonderfully violent spirit. I like it, I like it... now, I don't suppose you'd like to come into the guardhouse for a spot of tea?"


Jeuni's mind raced. He couldn't fight the black-coated Holder without his knives, and he didn't understand what was going on. What's his goal? It's like he's toying with us... I'll have none of it. Tea? This isn't a picnic!


"You'll taste your own blood before I drink your tea."


"To refuse would be rude," sniffed Kihara. "I must stir up some manners in you, mustn't I."


Jeuni found himself walking toward the guardhouse against his will, limbs jerking, reaching for the doorknob, turning it, pushing the door open, crossing the threshold, seating himself at a small wooden table. The inside of the guardhouse was spacious and surprisingly clean; four chairs sat around the table, another dozen stacked neatly in the corner. A stove, a rack of dishes, a rack of cutlery, two shelves of rations, a rack of swords, and a handful of braziers comprised the only other furniture.


Ynthon sat down across the table from Jeuni as Kihara busied herself making tea.


"You can control us."


"Yes."


"Is that why I can't find my knives?"


"Indeed."


"Impressive."


"Thank you, thank you. Well, enjoy your tea, little wizard," said Kihara, setting a mug down before him. "Maybe you'll be able to think of a way out of this mess."


Jeuni picked up the mug against his will and took a series of sips to the beat of Ynthon's tapping foot. So I'm powerless? I might as well play along for now, especially since he seems to enjoy running off his mouth. Maybe he'll let his guard down, or give me a hint as to how to get away.


"That's right, don't resist it. Tea does a body good."


Jeuni glared at Ynthon briefly, quickly averting his gaze when he saw the Holder's eyes boring into his own like twin spears slowly being shoved further into a torture victim. Play along my ass. The juggler raised his sleeve to his lips, and the mouth of a wine bottle appeared just long enough for him to take a draw at it.


"That was surprising," admitted Ynthon, still speaking through Kihara.


So if I catch him off-guard, can I do whatever I want?


"Are you going to surprise me with more of your magic, Master Huros?"


"How did you even know I was a wizard? Did your god tell you that?"


"No, Master Huros, I knew on my own. You see, I'm a bit of a wizard myself, and we tend to flock together."


"That's bullshit. I've never even seen another wizard in my life."


"Oho? That's interesting—and false." Ynthon leaned closer, elbows resting on the table, an impish glint in his eyes, pointy white teeth bared. "You've seen another wizard, though maybe you didn't know it. Maybe he was as good a performer as you are. But yes, you're right, wizards don't come together nearly as often now as they did thirty years ago. We used to be rounded up, you know, thrown in jails to rot together."


Jeuni met the Holder's stare and blinked impassively. Does he know I can blow him away? Is he keeping me from doing it? What if I tried?


"Wizards, Master Huros, operate outside the rules of the divine. I knew one once, a very powerful wizard. He put my own talents to shame. He looked quite a bit like you—haha!—and I imagine the god would be rightly scared of his powers. No number of Holders would have stood against him, that's for sure. He was peerless, he was. But that was a lifetime ago, and he's long dead. Odd, isn't it, Master Huros? Wizards have power much truer than that of any Holder, power independent of worship and allegiance, yet when the dust of nations is blowing across the wild Midlands in a millennium or two, we Holders will remain while mortal wizards lie forgotten in the earth."


"You're not very entertaining to listen to," sighed Jeuni.


"Are you saying you're tired of my voice?" asked Kihara. Still standing by the stove, she reached for a knife.


"Wait, what—"


"Master Ynthon isn't done with it yet, it seems, though words aren't what he wants to hear."


Jeuni tried standing, but found himself rooted to his chair. "Kihara!"


Kihara shrieked as she drove the knife into her palm. She fell to her knees, coat hem turning red with blood.


"Stop it!" Jeuni screamed at Ynthon. "Stop doing this!"


"This much is fine," Kihara cackled between gasps. "We're immortal, I said."


"But why!" cried Jeuni. "Why?! Didn't you take the same covenant? Aren't you—"


"We serve the same god, but have no ties to each other," said Kihara, pulling the knife out of her hand in a spurt of blood and driving it into her left knee. Another cry of pain was followed by muted moans. "—I'll be fine, Jeuni, I'll regenerate, it's just pain, just run! Run!"


"I can't!"


"She's lying, you know," Kihara chortled. "We Holders can stop each other from reviving, you know! I'm going to kill her, Master Huros." Ynthon smiled wider still. "She's going to die, Master Huros! Can you save her?"


Something, anything to save her—magic? But maybe I haven't already because he's keeping me from it—no, no, I'm just telling myself that, aren't I? Fucking do it, Jeuni! Tear him to shreds!


Jeuni sat motionless in his chair watching Ynthon's index fingers twitch on the tabletop. In his peripheral vision, Kihara stabbed herself again and again, each time spilling more and more blood.


"I guess... you can't save me," cried Kihara, her mouth leaking more blood than words.


I want to!


Just then, a monstrous figure barreled into the room, the guardhouse door bursting into pieces in the thing's wake. Jeuni watched in amazement as a man seven feet tall, clad in blue armor and wielding a six-foot sword, leapt into the air, shaggy black hair brushing against the high ceiling, and brought his sword crashing down upon the table.


Ynthon leapt back to avoid the splintering furniture and suddenly Jeuni could move.


Too absorbed in the motion of combat to assess whether the intruder was an ally or an enemy, the juggler produced a handful of knives from his cloak and tossed them at Ynthon. One met its mark in Ynthon's shoulder; the others burst into black flames in midair and vanished. The swordsman made another charge at Ynthon only to drop his sword at the snap of Ynthon's fingers and cartwheel back across the room and into the wall, against which his head made a dull impact. Jeuni had leapt forward in the meantime and tumbled around Ynthon, his fingers working furiously under his cloak. Having fastened metal wires to two walls and the stove, Jeuni pulled his hands together, only half-expecting Ynthon to become a pile of body parts.


The expectation wasn't met as Ynthon opportunely slid on the spreading puddle of Kihara's blood and fell to the ground. The wires tightened just above his nose, clipping off a slice of his hat's brim. He rolled onto his side immediately to avoid being skewered by the giant's sword, only to be greeted by a table leg to the face. With a mighty heave, Jeuni sent Ynthon rolling into the sword rack along the opposite wall.


"Why," pleaded Kihara, now completely horizontal on the floor, the knife buried in her abdomen, "why won't you use your magic?"


"Why do you want me to?" Jeuni yelled, attacking in unison with the swordsman, each bringing a blade down on Ynthon's torso.


A sharp blast of wind shot through the broken door, knocking the dagger from Jeuni's hand and pushing Ynthon out of the arc of the giant's sword.


"I'll withdraw for now," announced Kihara, "but don't expect to get off so easy next time, Master Huros! I hope to be entertained, little wizard, perhaps this time by your magic."


Shadows flew into the guardhouse, encircled Ynthon, and rushed him out into the rain.


"Pity," said the swordsman, "we almost had him."


Jeuni took a deep breath and turned to face the new arrival. Fur-lined blue plate-mail, long gray cloak, massive blade, the shaggy black hair of a wolf and the bright golden eyes of an eagle.


"You."


"Yes, me, Master Huros," said the giant.


"I was getting the feeling I hadn't seen the last of you, beast-man."


"You'd have seen me sooner had regenerating from a state of liquid flesh not been so tricky. But we can leave the pleasantries for later, Master Huros—we should leave this place immediately, and take Kihara with us."


Jeuni looked down at Kihara, dismayed. So much blood... there's no way she's alive.


"Will she be able to revive?" he asked.


"Should," said the giant, leaning down to scoop up the girl's corpse before walking over to the doorway. "It looks like we chased off the Seventeenth in the nick of time. What are you waiting for? Follow me—no, I'm not your enemy. Our fight the other day was a test, one which you passed with flying colors, obviously."


Jeuni sighed, relieved, then turned to follow the giant.


"I have a lot of questions," he warned.


"I hope I can handle them."


The giant smiled, and Jeuni grinned despite himself. As they trudged through the needle-littered mud, the rain let up and the cloud cover broke. Moonlight filtered through the treetops and illuminated the path ahead; the guardhouse faded into the forest behind them.


There goes the border.


"I did it, Kihara," murmured Jeuni, looking over at the corpse in the giant's arms.


You'll come back, and we'll see the South together. Nothing has changed.