"I know your secret, Vena." Varma said from behind Venamo while the tension in the room was thick.
"I hold no secrets." Venamo replied back while looking outside through the insect net.
"Ohh but you certainly leave some things untold. It was you who thieved Nofa's expensive red ink from her sack." Varma said out loud so that everyone in the room heard.
"Huh? What would you do with it?" Nofa asked and raised her head.
But before anyone could say another word, Yilka raised his head and popped up from where he was leaning on a wall.
"Red ink? Did you say red ink?" Yilka asked Varma.
"Y-yeah. I did. There was a stain of red ink on the inside of Vena's shirt, as if he had wiped a pen clean with it." Varma answered.
"The letter. The letter! The letter was written with red ink!" Yilka exclaimed with wide eyes.
He went over to Venamo and spun him around with force to get the two brothers face to face.
"And you told me to go dig through Nofa's sack because you wanted me to find that letter, which you wrote!" Yilka shouted into Venamo's face.
Venamo remained silent. Yilka smacked him in the side of his skull.
"Say something, shitbag!" Yilka yelled.
Venamo grabbed Yilka by his bad shoulder and shoved him away.
"You dare put your hands on me again? Yes, I did what I did. I did write that letter and I did want you to find it." Venamo said sternly.
"Why do you want to get in the way of me and Nofa?" Yilka shouted and grabbed Venamo's shoulders angrily.
As defense Venamo dug his claws into Yilka's bad shoulder.
"Don't try that again like you did last time! Answer!" Yilka shouted and shoved Venamo's hand away.
"Because you can't be with that Wicked woman! They are called that for a reason! You can barely even call yourself a man yet and you'll go crazy for any woman who so much as talks to you. A woman like Nofa is an outcast for a reason. And if you were with her, you'd be an outcast too. Even worse, you'd go on to create some cursed, half-wicked children with that..." Venamo was talking before Yilka slammed the man's head through the insect net that separates the indoor from the outdoor.
"I don't need your guardianship anymore!" Yilka shouted at Venamo's face while holding on to the man's neck.
Venamo smashed his forehead into Yilka's nose, sending the younger man startling back. As Yilka charged back at Venamo, the older brother put him in a painful twisting arm hold.
"Do not put your hands on me! You're turning against your own family for the sake of some woman who only pretends to care about you! She is tricking you, but you in your youthful ignorance can't see it!" Venamo shouted at Yilka while twisting his arm.
Yilka then used his whole body to push Venamo into the nearest wall as hard as he could. The impact of the collision made Venamo let go of the hold.
"I'm not turning against my family! I just wanted to be with a woman that I love!" Yilka shouted at Venamo while standing a few steps away from him.
"She's a distraction. Do you understand the stakes at play here? You can't distract yourself with feelings." Venamo reasoned.
"Having something, or someone to lose only pushes me and makes me fight even harder." Yilka responded with while holding his sore arm as blood leaked from his nose.
He then turned his sights to Nofa.
"I was wrong. I was so wrong to doubt you. I'm sorry! I believed the letter that he planted in there and I pushed you away from me for no reason. I was a gullible fool who..." Yilka began explaining sincerely to Nofa as he looked directly into her eyes.
"I know. You were tricked. I'm disgusted too. I've tried to make him accept me. I've sure tried but he just can't be changed." Nofa replied.
"What are you saying about me over there, witch?" Venamo asked angrily from where he was and began walking towards her.
"Cut it out for now!" Varma shouted as she got in front of Venamo to block his path.
"This is none of your concern, girl." Venamo coldly said to Varma.
"Keep away from her." Yilka coldly said to Venamo and glared at him with mean eyes.
"Fool. I tried to help you to a better path, but you don't want to get off that path. Perhaps I should just accept that you can't be helped." Venamo said.
"I don't want what you call help." Yilka said to Venamo.
He then turned to Nofa again.
"I regret pushing you away so much. I... I should have been more willing to talk with you." Yilka pleaded to Nofa.
"Yes, you should have been. It hurt how cold you were to me so suddenly. And you weren't even willing to talk it out at first. And you also went digging through my stuff without telling me. How can trust someone like that?" Nofa replied.
"I'm sorry! I've learned my lesson from this. I promise, I have. Can I be forgiven?" Yilka asked desperately.
Nofa let out a deep exhale.
"I don't know. You were upset because you were led to believe something that you thought was true. In your shoes, I'd be upset too. Right now it's not you who I'm most upset at. But it's been made clear that I'm not wanted here, and me being here seems to only be a distraction that causes discord." Nofa said.
"You are wanted here! You've been a great help and... I need you here." Yilka assured.
"I also want Nofa to stay, for what my opinion is worth." Varma commented.
"But neither of you are the captain here. And the captain won't budge. I don't know how to feel. I can't believe that Venamo would pull such a dirty trick..." Nofa spoke.
Right then some loud banging came from the ceiling, accompanied with some shouting in the language of Haimana
"Maybe we should call it for the night and continue this tomorrow with clearer heads." Varma desperately suggested.
"Yes. Perhaps we should." Venamo bitterly added.
"I just... need a moment." Nofa said and left the room while only wearing the gown that she usually has under her robes.
When Nofa left, Yilka was ready to follow and grabbed his shirt from where it was drying.
"You have nothing left to say to her." Venamo told him.
"Yes, I do." Yilka adamantly replied and left the room as well.
In the wooden hallways Yilka caught just a glimpse of Nofa and saw that she was going up a staircase quickly. He went after her, but couldn't catch her. He kept pursuing, but at every floor he could only catch a glimpse before Nofa disappeared behind a corner again. At the top floor, Yilka caught a glimpse of Nofa climbing a wooden ladder out to the roof. He followed her up to the roof.
Up at the roof Yilka spotted Nofa curled up at the edge of the roof looking at the occupied city on the other side of the dome.
"Careful there." Yilka said and approached Nofa from behind.
"I am careful." Nofa said back and sounded like something was off.
Yilka knelt behind Nofa, and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
"Could be more careful." He said.
Nofa said nothing in return, but only breathed uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry. Again." Yilka said.
"I know." Nofa said.
"What's on your mind?" Yilka asked with genuine concern.
Nofa swallowed.
"You know, when the first person after father's death who was actually nice to me, suddenly starts pushing me away, it hurts more than you think. I know that you're sorry about it. I hope you meant what you said. That you wouldn't keep your feelings hidden. And also..." Nofa spoke and went quiet again.
"Whatever it is, say it. Please." Yilka said.
"It's probably obvious, but I don't like Venamo. In fact, I can't stand him. And he feels the same way about me. I do not want to spend another day near him. But I will. For this." Nofa told him.
"I wholly understand why you feel that way. And believe me, he's wearing thin on me too." Yilka said and wiped his bloody nose clean.
"After all of this is done with, I think I'll move away somewhere. I mean, I'm used to living in a village where nobody cares for me, but he makes me afraid to even live near him." Nofa admitted.
"Don't even suggest that. I couldn't live with myself if I let you go. If anyone or anything threatens you, I'll be there." Yilka promised and squeezed harder.
Nofa cracked a slight smile, but didn't let it show.
"You saying you want to live with me once this is all done with?" Nofa asked.
"I'd love nothing more than that. I know it's foolish to plan that far ahead, when each day could be our last. But damn it, I want to believe that we'll get there! That we'll get back home yet and that I'll get to be the man by your side through everything that we have to face. And I'd never ever hide my feelings again." Yilka assured.
"If you truly mean that with all your heart, then that'd make me happier than anything in the created world. Truly. But I'm not sure if I do." Nofa replied.
"I mean it." Yilka once again assured.
"Of course you'd say that." Nofa said with doubt in her mind.
Yilka sat down next to her on the edge of the roof and looked at the same dark cityscape that Nofa was looking at. The moment was unpleasant for both of them, as neither knew what to say next. Yilka listened to his head over his heart, and opened his mouth first.
"If you want to be alone and think things over, I can let you." He said.
Nofa remained quiet and looked ahead. Yilka took that as an affirmative answer, stood up and went back inside.
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbGXURYFHK
A night passed, and morning rose, but it was impossible to tell because of the black smoky sky. An uncomfortable sleepless night inside the dormitory was ended when a loud toll awoke everybody inside
"What was that?" Yilka asked and sat up on the floor.
"I don't know, but it doesn't sound good. Be ready." Venamo said while getting up from his spot on the floor.
"I have a bad feeling about that sound and I reckon we'll have to fight or flee!" Yilka told the others.
"Be nice to have something to fight with!" Varma complained when she remembered that she left her bow and her stone on the boat.
"Just stay back! We have to go now!" Venamo told her and headed out the door.
"If things get bad, fly away." Yilka told Varma and also headed out the door.
"If things get bad, I'll fly to the boat and get my stone!" Varma replied and followed.
At the exit of the dormitory Venamo and Yilka nodded at each other, and Yilka tightened his grip on his cudgel.
"Hand your weapon to me. I can fight better with it." Venamo requested.
"You've trained with a sword. I'm used to this." Yilka defiantly replied and kicked the door open.
He let out a roar of battle and charged outside with his Beast Slayer held high. He however stopped when he noticed that nothing really was going on. Just students walking about and milling about. Some students came out of the door behind Yilka and said something to him casually before heading to the academy building.
"Huh?" Yilka said.
"I have your back! Where are they?" Venamo said and rushed out with his fists raised.
"All seems ordinary here." Yilka commented.
"What was that loud bellowing sound then?" Venamo asked.
"No clue. Where's Nofa?" Yilka wondered.
"Up here, fools!" Nofa shouted from the roof of the dormitory.
"Nofa! What do you see form up there?" Yilka shouted.
"A big bell that signals the natives to come out! At the top of that tower!" Nofa replied from up where she was.
"Is it safe to come out?" Varma asked while peeking from inside the dormitory.
"Come out of there! There is no threat here." Venamo told Varma.
"And I believe it's time for you to begin leaving." The voice of Lapis could be heard saying as he approached.
"Can't even stay for breakfast?" Nofa said as she hovered down carried by Blueberry.
"You can. The rest can go." Lapis said to Nofa.
"I'd rather just go." Nofa said with no interest in the man.
"Well, you are expected to leave then." Lapis said with an arrogant smile.
"There's a guy on that roof over there." Varma said and pointed to a house far away outside the dome where a Vastusarian soldier with a crossbow was overlooking the street and the school.
"We can't really just head out or we'll be spotted by him." She then added.
"You can leave through any side of the dome." Lapis reminded.
"But all sides of the dome are surrounded by the city." Varma argued back.
"Can I at least get my robe back before we leave?" Nofa asked and suddenly felt self conscious about how much she was showing.
"I prefer you this way." Lapis said.
"Right. See you soon." Nofa said and headed inside the dormitory.
"It's not too late to join us." Venamo said to Lapis.
"We talked about this enough yesterday. The academy needs its hero around." Lapis replied.
"If their hero returned from a quest as an actual hero, they'd like that even more." Yilka made the case.
"Enough of this. He's not coming. But can we borrow a crossbow from one of your guards?" Venamo requested.
"You want to shoot the guard up there?" Lapis asked.
"Not me. Her." Venamo said and pointed at Varma.
"You want to send the little girl to fight your battle?" Lapis asked.
"Little? Pft." Varma murmured.
"She can... do it better than any of us. I assure." Venamo replied.
"I'm not sure if I can allow you to do that." Lapis said.
"Trust me. I can handle it better than both the boys. Though I've never shot a crossbow." Varma assured.
Lapis pondered for a moment.
"Well. If she really can. But don't expect any help from us if things get ugly. And you better return the crossbow." Lapis said.
He then called one of the gate guards over and got handed a crossbow with an arrow.
"You get one arrow. We can't waste them. Make your shot count." Lapis told Varma as he handed the crossbow to her.
Varma accepted it, and quickly realised how heavy it was.
"Vena, are you sure this is the best way to go? Ngh." Varma said while holding the crossbow at aiming position.
"You have any better thoughts then? Just do this and we can get going." Venamo told her with authority.
"I mean, I could fly past him and distract him so the rest of you can sneak past him and meet me at the boat." Varma suggested.
"Too dangerous. My way is surer." Venamo insisted.
"Wait, fly?" Lapis wondered.
"I'm not sure if I can do this. I've never fired a crossbow before and this thing is hard to aim with. More so when I'm flying." Varma warned.
"Well, you don't really have a choice now." Venamo coldly told her.
"I think her way sounds better." Yilka added.
"Two to one." Varma smugly said.
"Do not start with me now." Venamo ordered.
"Or what? What if we do?" Varma asked.
"If the soldier sees you fly past him, and stays alive to tell others, that wouldn't be good for you. You've already gotten unwanted attention elsewhere." Venamo told Varma.
"Well, true. But he has enchanted armour covering his torso. An enchanted helmet too. I can see the glow from here. This stone arrow won't pierce that." Varma pointed out.
"Aim for the neck then. You should know that the neck is a weak spot." Venamo said.
"I know that, but it's a really hard shot." Varma replied and felt unsure.
"The risk is too great. Don't try it." Yilka told her.
"See? He doesn't believe in you. Prove him wrong." Venamo told Varma.
"Don't just manipulate her like that." Yilka said to Venamo.
"It's not manipulation. It's encouragement. Either way she does it, she's risking herself. May as well have a chance of killing the soldier while she's at it." Venamo said sternly and seriously.
"So should I do it or not?" Varma questioned.
"Just do it, damn it!" Venamo told her impatiently.
"Alright. But if he shoots back, I may have to drop this thing to fly faster." Varma said.
She then spread her wings and took a deep breath. Lapis now noticed her wings for the first time since they weren't blending in with her cloak anymore. He was surprised by them, but before he could comment, Varma began running and took to flight.
She flew through the electric dome, and gained altitude as she flew above the wooden houses. She ducked the airboats carrying burning ropes as she flew closer to her target. When she flew over her target, the soldier didn't even spot her. High in the air Varma raised the crossbow to her eye level with some difficulty, but the crossbow waved and swung as she flew and aimed at the same time.
"How am I meant to aim like this?" Varma thought in her poor attempts at aiming.
She stopped moving into any direction and instead stayed airborne in one spot while aiming, but it still wasn't easy because of the crossbow's weight.
"Good enough." She thought as she did her best at lining up her shot.
She pulled the trigger, and the stone-tipped arrow went flying towards her target. It hit the target straight in the middle of his back, and a poof of white smoke came from the armour covering his body.
"No!" Varma exclaimed.
The guard was alerted and noticed the stone arrow laying besides his feet. He picked it up and then looked up at Varma. He then blew into a whistle.
"No no no no no no." Varma repeated to herself and began flying back towards the academy.
She heard the sound of steps below her and when she looked down, she saw more Vastusarian soldiers down there. A few of them had crossbows, and just in time Varma saw a bolt flying towards her. The bolt hit her crossbow and shattered it to pieces, showing Varma the power of enchanted weaponry. She ducked a few more bolts while making her way to the dome, and when she flew inside it, a few crossbow bolts hit the dome but got bounced away by it. Once Varma was inside the dome, she landed back where her fellows were. She began pulling her own hair in shame.
"I missed. I knew I'd miss. Why did I agree?" She complained alone.
"You're right. You did miss! And now they're all guarding this exit and they'll all remember you now! And you also dropped your crossbow so you can't even go try again! Foolish little girls shouldn't be trusted with anything like this. Hunting skills don't run in the blood, clearly." Venamo scolded her with.
"It was you who suggested this!" Varma argued back.
"Don't start that with me now." Venamo said and stood over her.
"If we did it my way and I had just distracted the guard, they'd all now be far away from the gate instead of right by it!" Varma defended herself with.
"If you had actually hit that easy shot, they'd all still be in their stations unaware of us!" Venamo countered with.
"Easy? If it was so damn easy, why didn't you do it yourself?" Varma asked.
"Because I don't have wings that I can fly close with. But if I did, I'd use them better than you!" Venamo said angrily.
"Come on, leave her alone! It was a hard shot and it was bad idea to even try it." Yilka defended Varma with and inserted himself between the two.
"It wouldn't have been a hard shot for her father! But if she had spent more time training archery instead of collecting bird feather and writing useless poems, she'd be worth something as a hunter." Venamo replied with.
"I have trained archery, but not with a crossbow!" Varma argued back.
"A true hunter adapts to circumstances. Your father knew that. Perhaps it would have been better if he had survived the famine year instead, but you had to hog his share and now we're stuck with you." Venamo scolded her with.
Whatever Varma was ready to say in return couldn't even leave her throat after what Venamo said to her. It hit her in just the right spot and cut her deep in so many ways that she couldn't even get a word out. Her breathing got faster and her eyes began to get moist as she just looked at Venamo's shoes.
"What? Vena, what is wrong with you?" Yilka shouted at Venamo and stared at his face.
"She needed to hear that. Perhaps it's just the kick in the butt that she needs." Venamo reasoned.
"What is everyone getting so hot about?" Nofa's voice said as she finally returned outside.
She noticed Yilka arguing with Venamo, and then noticed how Varma was frozen like a statue and looking like she was simultaneously boiling and breaking inside. She then noticed all the soldiers outside the dome and even more questions spawned in her mind.
"What happened here?" She asked as she petted Varma's head.
"Varma fumbled our best shot and now she wants your pity." Venamo answered.
"Something tells me you're leaving something out." Nofa said to him.
"Oh come on already! We don't have time to talk details and most certainly don't have time for a pity party for a fool. Straighten up, girl." Venamo angrily stated.
He then smacked Nofa's hand away from Varma and grabbed a fistful of Varma's hair.
"What are you still moping about? Straighten up." He angrily said to Varma and slapped the girl in the face.
Right after he did it, he wasn't even allowed to do or say anything, because his leg got swept and he was tripped to the ground on his back by Yilka.
"What! The! Fuck!" Yilka shouted at his face while raining punches on Venamo's nose and eyes.
Varma only watched as Yilka beat his brother and Nofa knelt by her to check on her. Neither had any intention or desire to stop Yilka. Venamo covered his face with his hands, and so Yilka kneed him in the ribs a few times. Before Yilka could dish out more punishment, he was dragged away by large pale arms and tossed on the paved ground.
"Leave the nice man alone!" The lonely stranger the travellers had met outside the dome shouted in Yilka's face in the language of Haimana.
"Degolani! Who let you in?" Lapis said to the tall man in the language that they both speak.
"Nobody. The guard couldn't stop me. I'm not staying out there." The tall pale man called Degolani replied to Lapis while holding Yilka down.
"Get this guy off me!" Yilka shouted.
"Why were you beating the nice man?" Degolani asked Yilka, but of course Yilka couldn't understand.
Before Yilka could respond, a deep voice with authority in it caught everyone's attention. The voice came from right outside the dome. Right outside the gate was a dozen soldiers protecting a prestigious looking older man who was wearing robes made of enchanted mail and decorated with pieces of gold.
"Academy of Haimana, we are not here for a fight, but to inform you of something." The older man announced, and continued:
"We want to give you props for your cleverness. Stone arrows can go through your barrier, while metal arrows can't. We hadn't realised that, but now we have. If you do not take down this barrier within the next thirty days, we will build trebuchets outside the academy and leave nothing standing. If you take down the barrier, the building will remain unharmed, and everyone inside will be left alive." The man added.
Lapis looked in horror and went over to discuss with the man.
"Looks like you doomed this place." Venamo said to Varma as he was wiping his own face and getting up.
Varma said nothing back.
"Yilka, we will settle this later. Right now we need to get out while the soldiers and city guards are over there." Venamo said and began quickly walking one way.
Yilka walked a different way from Venamo. Nofa stayed by Varma.
"Come with me and Yilka. I don't trust Venamo to be alone with you." Nofa whispered to Varma.
Once Venamo noticed that nobody was following him, he rushed to Yilka.
"Where do you think you're going? Follow me, fool!" Venamo said to his brother.
"I remember where the boat is. We'll see you there." Yilka said and kept going where he was going.
"Fine. Have it that way then. No time for this." Venamo said and went over to Varma and Nofa.
"Witch, stay away from the girl. Girl, fly to the boat. We'll see you there and we'll sail across the Kemioe lake and go to where Vakevata dropped us off. Now quickly." He said to them.
"No." Varma said quietly.
"No? You intend to fly over the whole lake alone?" Venamo asked.
"I actually genuinely hate you." Varma said and looked up at Venamo's bloodied face before taking to flight and heading towards the direction of the ship anyway.
ns216.73.216.207da2
