Chronicles of Death

With Raven gone, Katya left a few heavy copper coins for a tip and then went on her way. The night was still young and the first mark on the map wasn’t far. About thirty miles. On foot, that would be quite the trek, but Katya didn’t travel by foot anymore.

Vrana had gifted her with the unique ability to transform into a raven. It was a little on the nose considering that ravens were the animal associated with Vrana in the legends, but it made traveling faster and simpler. Once alone, she closed her eyes. Upon opening them again, she was the raven. A large, intelligent bird she had always admired. A true gift from a God known for his love of them.

The transformation had been nothing short of terrifying at first. Turning into a creature so much smaller and frailer. She’d never dreamt such things possible. Only those who had made a pact with a God or a God themselves were capable of such feats. That and mastering a body she was unfamiliar with had taken time. She did well enough now but it felt unnatural even so. Still, she could pass off as a normal bird to most onlookers.

Flying wasn’t easy either. Raven had given her lessons. He had the same gift. Even though she was no master of the raven she found the transformation calming. The life of a bird was far simpler than the one she now lived.

The flight between towns was peaceful. A rare thing to be cherished.

Other birds passed her by, and the occasional cloud moistened her feathers. She admired the sky as it changed from the pinkish hue of evening into a thick, inky purple smattered with stars.

The rooftops of Carva, her destination, came into view. Judging by its layout and proximity to the mountains she guessed it to be a mining town. She flew toward the mountainside and just as she had expected, she found a cavern with metal tracks leading inside. Carts surrounded the tracks and there were several buildings laid alongside them. Large archaic machines were covered in dirt and rust. She circled the mine to make sure it was abandoned then landed behind one of the buildings.

A path led through the trees and into town. Even from there she could see the silhouette of military tents in the forest. There were soldiers seated amongst the tents, talking, eating, and relaxing. They didn’t behave as if they were on guard. She knew little about the armies of Mahinaka and their Generals. Only that one General was a woman, and the rest were men. That inclusion of a woman was odd considering the current state of Mahinaka.

Women were not valued as equal.

When a woman had been gifted a pact with Veran rumors had flown and so had the outrage. She had to be formidable, Katya thought. Lupinaio, overall, was unkind to women.

She made her way through the path leading back to town, hoping to overhear soldiers exchanging information.

Mahinaka, in particular, was one of the worst countries for women. It was even worse for anyone who fell beyond the typical spectrum of gender and sexuality. Polygamy was a sign of status for men. The more wives they had the higher their status. The lower class rarely had more than one spouse because they couldn’t afford it. Which was good, Katya thought. Women weren’t items to collect. Anyone who thought differently could meet the sharp end of her blade.

It didn’t matter what she thought, really, because governments in Lupinaio didn’t listen to the voices of their people. The truth didn’t matter. Not when governed by greedy, selfish, and fractured minds.

Veran led by example.

He had twenty-seven wives from what Katya had been told.

Polygamy was fine. Who was she to dictate how people loved each other? But this was not love. This was ownership.

Greed.

Personally, the idea of having more than one lover sounded exhausting. Romantic relationships had never been her strong suit. That had never stopped her, but it certainly got her into more trouble than they were worth.

While night had fallen, Carva was filled with life. Shops were open late to cater to the soldiers invading their town. Katya pretended to browse wares at stalls while eavesdropping.

“Shouldn’t be here more than a week, I suspect. Just keeping an eye out for that bitch and her army.” A soldier spat. They were speaking of Lysette, probably. There were times when Katya understood Lysette’s wrath, but she couldn’t assume the woman’s motives either. A shiver ran down her spine. She’d never forget the crazed look in Lysette’s gray eyes. Black and white hair wild, tan face stained with blood.

Her stomach was sick at the memory.

“Where’s the General? A letter has come for him. Probably more orders from our paranoid King.” Another soldier joked. The others laughed.

“Where else would he be? Drunk that he is. Can’t miss him with that blue hair and beer belly. And the smell.” More laughter but one of the soldiers smacked the one who spoke on the back of the head for speaking ill of their commanding officer. The woman behind the counter of the stall that sold little bundles of herbs avoided eye contact. Katya offered her a sympathetic smile which she dared not return.

The people of Mahinaka deserved better.

Would killing their God help? At least there would be an opportunity for change then. An opportunity to grow beyond a corrupt and selfish leader dictating their way of life. A leader so different than his peoples that he could not possibly comprehend their needs.

She left the shop and then made her way toward the pub which was easily spotted. It was surrounded by soldiers holding pints of amber liquid. Some sang loudly and off key and others fell over themselves, drunk.

It would be dangerous for a woman to make her way through the crowd, but her cloak and armor obscured her gender enough for her to get by relatively free of harassment. Once inside, she was met with a wall of overwhelming stench: body odor and liquor. She hid her disgust. Deep, disgusting breaths. She would get used to the smell soon enough. It was no easy feat. She nearly vomited at first. But repeating that it was nothing eventually tricked her face into believing it.

The inside of the pub was less busy than the outside. The General liked his personal space, it seemed. There were very few allowed within the building and even less were allowed close to him. A soldier at the door looked her over and allowed her to remain inside. The General sat alone at the bar. Unmistakable for his blue hair and the smell, just as advertised.

The tables behind him held a dozen soldiers.

“To Alev!” A group of men cheered from the table in the corner. The General with his blue beard turned to them with a pint in hand. Amber liquid sloshed and splattered on an already filthy floor. He was drunk, cheeks rosy.

For the pub to smell as awful as it had, the group must have been at it for hours. Katya stood in the corner for a time, observing. No one had noticed her entrance. This man, Alev, had a key. It was likely hidden on his person. With as important as it was, it was likely never out of his sight. She would get close to him and find out.

Raven’s reminder to kill the pact-keepers to prevent Veran from returning to full strength rang in her ears. The blade she’d been gifted was special. It wasn’t that it was designed specifically to kill a God but rather that it separated magic from a being, and it would allow her to defeat many foes, not just Gods. Though the whole God thing was a bit more complicated, she’d been taught.

But Katya didn’t like the idea of blindly killing for the sake of killing. If she did not need to then she would not. She was also prepared to do what was necessary. Alev bore symbols of flame all over his armor, armor that barely contained his body. It looked to her that his weight gain had been recent and rapid. The front of his collar stuck above his armor and was stained with mead and sweat. His eyes were red and brimming with magic. The blue hair atop his head was thinning and combed over to barely cover a massive bald spot.

Yet, he was a warrior. He carried himself as such. He’d become complacent with time, that much was sure, but he was a man who had seen battle and won. Katya would be on her guard despite how sloppy a mess of a man he seemed.

Several men entered the pub and approached the General to speak. But they were dismissed quickly with a glance. The female waitresses and barmaids, however, were welcome at his side. It seemed Alev played favorites with his soldiers and was desperate for attention from women. The barmaids couldn’t have looked less comfortable. Some took a temporary seat next to him when invited before hastily insisting they had work to do.

Katya rolled her eyes.

Here she’d thought this would be difficult. Cozying up to him to try and find the key would be easy but she would have to get all her sarcasm out of her system first.

What’s that cologne called? Repel for Men? Did they not have your size at the armory? Are those ill-fitting faulds or are you unhappy to see me? Who’d you have to crush to get this job? Does soap flee from you in terror? Beer goes in your mouth, not your beard, easy mistake to make though.

With a deep, cleansing breath, it was out of her system.

Now to feign interest in him. Lying had its purposes. Maybe he could give her some useful information on the status of the war. Tension had mounted since the war had reached a stalemate. While a temporary peace treaty was in effect, she doubted it would last long. Lysette was their ruler only because the Gods were cowards.

Her blood boiled.

Katya had seen Lysette kill Paya and steal her magic after not having thought it possible.

All the more reason to do as Vrana had asked.

Unconsciously, her hand fell to the spot on her neck where a locket had once hung. Within it was a photo of her niece and nephew. They’d been far younger in the photo than they were now. That is if they were still alive. Their father had passed away and she’d taken them in. Katya had never wanted to be a mother, but she still cared for them deeply and wished to do right by them. The locket was now left safely with Raven.

Corym and Lenna were old enough to fend for themselves but had still lived at home. Ailen, her girlfriend at the time, had been their caregiver when Katya had gone to war. They’d had to hide what they were at the time. Old laws and all that. Katya had never preferred one gender or the other. Love was love. Her heart stung at the thought of those she’d left behind.

It had only been months ago but now it felt like a lifetime.

But this was not the time to dwell on what she could not control.

Sheath hidden beneath her cloak, the God-Killing blade felt heavy at her side. It had been too long since she’d gotten into a good fight. She was sure that would end tonight. Checking her appearance in the mirror behind the bar, she pulled off her hood and smiled at her reflection. Her feminine face had held her back on many occasions.

Tonight, it would make up for that.

She made her way to the bar, ignoring the catcalls that came suddenly with the revelation that she was a woman and leaned against it. Tapping her fingers on the wood, she drew attention to herself.

It was sticky.

Everything about the situation was uncomfortable.

“A pint of whatever’s on tap, please.” She smiled at the barmaid whose face fell at the sight of her. There was a warning in her eyes, a warning to flee but Katya ignored it. She wasn’t leaving. A few seats down, the General roused. She could feel him looking her over, lingering on her body and stopping at her face. What was he even looking at? She was cloaked and armored!

“I’ll pay for that, young lady.” He slurred. The barmaid came to him to collect payment. He tossed a filthy coin toward her. It bounced off of her cheek and clattered onto the ground behind the bar. He laughed then leaned up on his stool to catch a glimpse as the barmaid bent over to retrieve the coin. Disgusting. When he sat back down, he looked to her and grinned before patting the barstool next to him. “Why not come sit next to me, lovely lady?”

“How kind of you. I think I will.” She took the seat next to him, and he seemed pleased. The bartender slid her a glass, warning behind her eyes. A large welt was forming on her cheek where the coin had struck. This poor woman was making nowhere near enough money to deal with Alev and his goons. Maybe Raven was right to think they deserved death. Katya feigned sipping from the drink just in case. Alev was more pleased than ever, beaming.

“Alev. General Alev. Fire General, that is. One of Mahinaka’s finest. Pleasure to meet you, madam.” He grinned. Katya laughed and Alev seemed nervous. Perhaps he was not so good with women.

“That’s an impressive title. You must be quite the warrior.” Katya flattered him. He grinned confidently but avoided eye contact. Sometimes people were so simple that it was kind of pathetic.

“Sure am, little lady. Seen more battles than you can imagine! I’m sure you must think that… my shape doesn’t scream warrior, but I assure you that I’ve been at this for a long time. I can handle my own just fine even now. As vigorous as ever.”

“You don’t have to prove yourself to me.” Katya played into his ego. He was interested in war. In combat. He’d made it clear immediately and she was good at talking about that stuff. She imagined he didn’t encounter many women who were interested in battle in Mahinaka since so few were allowed to join the military. That and she had bored many a friend, including Ailen, with talks of war in the past herself. “You’re a General. The title speaks for itself.”

“Smart lady. Give her a special drink, will ya? The good stuff.” Alev tapped the counter without looking up. A second, smaller glass joined her first, but the color was a sickly green. The barmaid gave her another warning look. Katya wasn’t going to drink anything that was given to her tonight.

“Did you take part in the battle against the Supreme Goddess then? I’d imagine so. I also imagine that you aren’t happy with the stalemate.”

“Damn right, I’m not! We would have won. Defeated that bitch. We had almost driven her forces into Layabre before they had that damn summit. Now she’s takin’ our people as slaves and claiming right to us. Not only is Veran our God but now we have the so-called Supreme Goddess to bow to? No thanks.” He spat on the counter. “It’s a damn shame.”

“I agree. I know that most are content for the war to end but I think if we had kept pushing then victory would have been ours. After all, she’s just a woman and the throne she took was that of another woman.” Katya would play into the sexist world of Mahinaka. Alev smirked. A person with any brains wouldn’t have fallen for it.

“You speak ill of women, though you yourself are one?”

Katya had to try her best to keep her lip from twitching.

“Some know their place. Others do not.” Katya would avoid lying if she could help it though she would admit it was something she’d grown quite good at over the years. Her secret was not to dig too terribly deep. Don’t overtly lie. Talk around the subject instead. Katya would only answer when asked and agree with what was said even when she didn’t.

Most people yammered on about themselves without any care for much else anyway. If she kept the conversation focused on Alev then it should be fine.

“Smart woman. Understands how the world works. Rare.”

“I’m fascinated by battle. By war. I would love to hear more of your stories. How you became a General. I imagine you have many to tell.”

“Oh? Curious. Most women think they’re above talk of war.”

“I said I was curious, did I not?”

“I suppose.” He turned with a grin. It was not at all charming the way that Raven’s was. Manipulative was the word she would use to describe it. Then he spoke. On and on. The hum of the soldiers behind them continued on too. Hours passed. He droned about foes he’d defeated and feats he’d accomplished. He embellished to make himself into a hero, but Katya had seen enough war to read between the lines.

He sprinkled in tales of women he’d wooed and wives he’d taken as though this would impress her. Katya smiled and laughed when appropriate, asking for details. She was a rapt listener even though inside she was suffering. He made a bold move to push her hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear.  She had to silently remind herself that her time would come and soon at that.

The night wore on and the bar emptied, the crowd outside dispersing. The dozen soldiers loyal to Alev remained though the guard at the door had gone. They were drunk and quiet. Alev had sobered up considerably while he’d spoken. Katya had not touched either of her drinks. While Alev spoke, she had searched and found the trinket she desired. The key of flame hung around his neck on a thin length of twine.

Once he’d even bragged about being entrusted with it. Made a big deal of its importance. He’d claimed that no other could be trusted with such a valuable thing. She knew that was untrue since there were three other keys for her to obtain. Alev had a nasty habit of lying though who was she to judge?

The time was finally approaching.

She had gotten all she’d required of him. The location of the key and a decision on whether or not to end his life. With a quick touch mistaken as affection, the key was hers. Now for the rest.

“Life can be lonely being a man of my stature and skill.”

“And what of your wives?” Her mask of interest faded. He’d told her of his conquests, all eleven of them. The details masqueraded in his lies. He’d tried to make the stories romantic. Try not to vomit. His time was coming to an end. He had proven what kind of a man he was. Given an inch he would take an undeserving mile.

The lies he told, and his treatment of others had convinced her to follow Raven’s advice.

He deserved death.

Maybe they all did.

Her life was forfeit to Vrana anyway. What did it matter how dirty her hands were? That and there would be one less scumbag like Alev walking through Lupinaio unchecked. He and his soldiers had demeaned the women in the pub all night long.

Lupinaio would be a better place without them.

“They aren’t you, young lady. No offense meant to them. They don’t understand me. Not truly. Not the way you do.” He hopped from his stool and her eyebrows shot to the top of her forehead. “You are worldly unlike anyone I have met. You know of war! Of combat. And most importantly? You know your place. It is clear that you are not from Mahinaka. There are no women like you here. But I will not hold that against you.” He hadn’t bothered to even learn her name. “Do not leave this place. Stay instead with me! A beauty like you shall make a perfect twelfth bride. You will overshadow all the wives before you!” He held his hand for her to take and Katya stared in utter disbelief. Wow. That was some intense desperation. “We will be wed in the morning. Wear your finest gown and we will celebrate in your honor.”

There was no holding it in anymore. The game was over.

Katya laughed.

Alev scowled.

“Oh, no. No! You have misinterpreted my intentions. I have no interest in you.” Katya had expected a great many things from a man like Alev, but a marriage proposal had not been one of them. Perhaps she had played her role too well.

“Why bother flirting with me all night then, woman?”

“I didn’t. You spoke at me as though I were a wall. And I required something from you, so I listened.”

“W-What?”

“Your key, sir.”