Unforgivable II
Part One
Sleepless Wanderer
The night was silent and still, nothing stirred within the growth of trees that surrounded the road sides as the cloaked shadowy figure passed by. The nocturnal creatures sensed the mounting turmoil that toiled within the wanderer and their silence was their eerie respect.
Sofia kept her eyes firmly on the road in front of her forcing her feet to move beneath her as they dragged across the dirt and gravel. Her sleep deprived body no longer listened to her full commands to walk silently, she was just thankful she was still upright and moving at all. It had been three days since she had last slept. Her supply of rare herb was nearly depleted. Only enough for one more dose remained and she refused to use it until she knew where to get more, until than she would fight the need to sleep to the bitter end. She refused to succumb to the lucid nightmares that haunted her mind when she closed her eyes.
It had been more than three months now since that violent, bloody morning when King Delafons men had finally found where they had been hiding. Three long months since her father had been tortured and murdered like the criminal he hadn’t been. She had returned to late to aid him, but she had made those men pay, blood for blood. Three months since she had slept without the aid of the potent dream suppressant herb she had come to rely so dependently upon.
She had buried her father’s body near a small hidden lake within the mountains close to their cabin. It was a calming place they often went to and let their thoughts drift off with the sound of serenity. She thought it fitting for him to finally know such eternal peace and hoped in the afterlife he would be able to bring the rest of the family so they too would finally know peace.
After she had returned to the cabin and in a fit of uncontrolled feral rage had butchered the bodies of her enemies. Leaving a clear message for any else who came to the cabin searching for her. She had been distraught and overwhelmed with every emotion, but one emotion dominated the rest, hatred. She had almost thought to try and move on, to accept what had happened, but she knew there would be no doing that, not until revenge was slice upon her blades, she was her fathers’ daughter.
Sofia opened her tattered, crimson cloak, allowing the cool night air to caress her soft skin in hopes it would help keep her awake. She had been astonished to find the memorable cloak within her fathers’ things before she had left the cabin. She had always assumed he had rid himself of everything from that dark time, she was glad he hadn’t. She knew it was just an old threadbare piece of material but it brought a strange unknown comfort to her almost as if her father’s strength remained within its fibres. It was within the folds of the cloak that she had found the tightly wrapped leather pouch of strange yellowish herb. She had known her father often added something to his taze late at night, for she had seen him do so on more than one occasion yet it had never occurred to her what it had been or even to ask.
On that first night after her father had been killed she had tried to sleep, but lucid nightmares of the past and present had lashed through her mind with such force that she always awoke screaming in tears. Memories she had hoped were long since removed. After three nights without sleep she had decided to add a little of the hidden herb to her own taze not truly knowing what it would do, if anything. She had awoken late the next day within the wooden rocking chair by the hearth long burned out. She had no recollection of when she had fallen asleep all she knew was it had been peaceful and her mind still of all thoughts. She had always wondered how her father had dealt with the nightmares that had plagued him so frequently. Now the only time she would allow herself to sleep was when she took the herb, she could not stand the nightmares that haunted her when she did not.
The warm glow of a camp fire in the distance pulled her from her bottomless thoughts. Anxiety rippled through her at the thought of who they might be, a fear born of half a life time on the run. Her first thought was to melt into the woods and go around them but even she knew in her present state she would be hopeless within the dense woods. She pulled her cloak tight around her as she neared the small camp at the side of the road, her fingers fidgeting with the bone hilts of her twin daggers. She could see only two men sitting around the fire making ideal chat as she came into their view.
“Hey who is there?” The larger of the two called out and both men got to their feet defensively to get a better look at the lone figured that approached.
Sofia kept her head low and ignored them silently praying they would just let her walk by. She had had very little contact with others over the years and had less desire to do so now.
“Hey you!” The big man called again. “I’m talking to you what are you doing out here this late?” Both men were slowly moving onto the road to intercept her and she was forced to stop several feet from them.
“It’s dangerous to be travelling this late at night you know,” the other said man with a blackened grin, “especially a female all alone, a lot of bad people out here that might think to kill and loot a lone traveler, right Hank?”
Hank chuckled callously. “Ya Rick you’re right, maybe even worse.” His hand rested casually upon his sword hilt. “So how about you come over by the fire and stay the night, safety in numbers and all. We will be really good company to a pretty little thing like you.”
Sofia’s heart was pounding in her chest, her breathing quickened as she felt the apprehension growing in the air. She glanced over to the wagon and caught sight of a pair of female legs dangling lifeless from the back. Below those legs the ground was stained with blood and a motionless hand showed from behind the wagons wheel, a man and his wife or perhaps a father and his daughter. Her insides twisted with rage at the very thought of what these highwaymen had done to these poor people.
“What do you say sweetie?” Rick said stepping over to her side resting his hand on her shoulder, “how about you come over near the fire and make this nice and easy for us.”
Sofia’s mind flashed back to a night so long ago when she had been but a girl and a similar fiend had placed his hand upon her shoulder with comparable intent. A wicked grin crossed her lips, she had been but a girl back then, new to the use of a blade. That ignorance felt like a life time ago. Her hand snapped out from beneath her cloak, her blade burying itself into the soft flesh of Ricks underarm. The blade slipped between ribs, the gurgled blood filled gasp that escaped his lips a moment after ensured her she had punctured his lungs. She twisted and pulled her blade free, Ricks hand slipped from her shoulder as he slumped to his knees fighting through blood filled gulps of air for the last precious moments of existence.
“Merciless gods woman!” Hank cried out, his sword ringing loudly in the still night air. “You’re gonna pay for that you little bitch!”
Sofia sank back low in a crouch, Hank’s blade missing her neck by mere inches. She could tell he had expected to land the strike as he failed to reverse the blade to renew his guard, the arrogance killed him. She launched herself forward both her blades buried into his midsection nearly out the other side. She looked up into his eyes to relish in his surprise and did not see his thick fist. Pain erupted in the side of her face as the power of the blow sent her sprawling and she fell to her knees.
“I am going to see you– dead before I am!” Hank growled in bitter determination as he staggered towards her, his blade near dragging on the ground with the effort as life was slowly slipping away from him.
Sofia’s blinked back the disorientation just in time to see Hank lifting his sword, instinct reacted and her leg snapped out connecting with his knee with brutal force. He pitched forward bellowing in agony as his broken leg could no longer support him. Sofia rolled to the side as Hank crashed down where she had been a moment before. He was still and did not move again, the scarlet stained tips of both her blades protruded from his back now.
“Why are you two so damn quiet all of a sudden? You guys didn’t pass out already did ya?” A drunken voice mumbled from the tree line. Sofia’s attention went to the scrawny dirty man who stumbled out of the trees onto the road. “Can you two believe it I actually got lost in there trying to find a good place to take a piss. I didn’t think I was that…” His voice trailed off as he took in the scene of carnage before him. “What in the hell is going on here?” he mumbled in disbelief as he seemed to sober immediately.
Sofia’s eyes went from the new comer to Hank’s fallen sword and back, murderous intent plain across her face even in the low light of the moon and campfire.
“Sweet mother of the gods don’t kill me!” The man cried out as he turned and began to run as fast as his drunken legs could carry him.
Sofia snatched up the sword and gave chase knowing he would not get far….
authorjamesfuller 