Cracking the Shell   von elektroyu
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                     Kapitel 13: Friends, Family & Lovers
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The next time I met him was just a few suns later. Rhaya had just given me a new
hint about the lost squirrel and I combed through the North Shroud, trying to
find the exact spot she had described, when I found myself surrounded by the
same lancers that had challenged Foulques before. I could hardly believe my
eyes, or ears for that matter. They'd spread around me, lances not quite
challenging, but already in their hands. I stared at Kimison, who again kept
talking for all of them.
 
“Khuma'zi, we know it's not fair to confront you like this, but there's no
other choice. This Duskwight will have to pay, no matter what. So I'm asking
this of you once again: back out of this. This is your last chance. If you keep
defending him we'll have to take action against you as well.”
 
“Why? Why are you so bent on spilling blood?”
 
My voice was overflowing with the disbelief I felt. I wasn't too concerned about
their numbers, but it would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid at all. The tip of
my tail quivered nervously to the side. Still, the weight of my own lance
strapped to my back was comforting. Also, I still hadn't given up on talking
them out of it. But I had to be more careful than last time.
 
“You can't even imagine how we feel, can you?”
 
I whirled around, shocked to hear this distinct clear voice here, now. Rhaya
stepped into the ring of people around me, clutching her staff in both hands.
Her golden eyes looked at me troubled, but determined. She was here? Here among
those people who challenged me about Foulques? Had she really been lying to me
before? But there had never been any indication that what she'd said hadn't been
true. I didn't find any words, I just kept staring at her, trying to understand
how this could have happened.
 
“You don't have anyone that's more important to you than your own life,
Khuma'zi?”
 
I did. Of course I did. Qiah. My aunts, my cousins. Foulques. Of course.
 
“Well, even if you don't understand, please step back and promise that you
won't interfere any longer. Please.”
 
The pleading in her voice sounded honest, but my mind still hadn't kept up.
 
“Why are you here, Rhaya? I don't understand.”
 
Her lips tightened to a thin line, but her voice was very quiet. Hardly more
than a whisper.
 
“I... I lost a loved one to that Duskwight. I just didn't know it was him when
I met you in Coerthas. Otherwise I would've denied my help. But I'm making him
pay for it now. So please don't get in our way, or you'll have to share his
fate.”
 
Her eyes were torn and the set of her mouth grave, but the determination under
all that emotion was as clear as a mountain spring. Still, she probably didn't
really want to hurt or even kill me. I couldn't imagine her doing it either way.
Not her. She was too pure, too honest for that. Maybe I could find a way to
shatter that determination and change her mind.
 
“I can't. I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean either of us needs to resort to
vio--”
 
“It's no use, Khuma'zi. Everyone here made up their mind. Nothing, nothing you
say will change that. Ever.”
 
When I looked back at Kimison, the lancers around me readied their weapons so
they were pointing at me. Their faces were determined. A strong wave of aversion
to fight them washed through me, and I clenched my fists, ears drawing back.
 
“Stop that. I'm not going to fight you!”
 
“You won't have to, it's your choice. But we'll still make sure you can't
interfere and save that bloody murderer again. You've had your chances to back
out!”
 
A thrust from him, and a slash from the side from someone else. The latter
ripped the cloth of my pants when I dodged, but didn't hurt me much. My tail
whipped to the side.
 
“That doesn't make sense, Kimison! I know full well that what he's done is
beyond inexcusable, and I can imagine how much this hurts you! But how can
killing him ever be able to erase even one bit of your sadness?!”
 
Again, a thrust from the side and from the back, and two from the front and from
the other side right after. I couldn't dodge them completely, but my armor
protected me. Still, the impacts hurt and knocked the air out of me. They were
serious. They'd kill me if I didn't protect myself. I took the lance from my
back and readied myself. The lancers around me didn't lose their determination,
but their movements hesitated for a moment. My breathing was a little erratic
still.
 
“There has to be a way to--!”
 
“No, Khuma'zi! There is nothing else for us here!”
 
Voyce backed up his words with a powerful slash aimed at my arm, but I
sidestepped and knocked his blade to the ground. Before I could even lift my
lance again, though, someone grabbed my tail, hard. It was a cowardly move, but
it made me painfully realize just how serious they were. No matter what, indeed.
I whipped around, hissing furiously, and slashed the lancer deeply across the
arm. He let go of me with a yelp, but the others took the chance that presented
itself. I kept moving, but I felt numerous blades at once inflicting cuts and
bruises through the armor. Again and again I knocked lances down and away, and
used the flat side of the blade for powerful blows against arms, legs and
torsos. I had to somehow make them unable to fight without hurting them too
much. But the lances around me drew blood and aimed to kill. And their wielders
were receiving healing spells. My heart squeezed painfully. Rhaya didn't need to
hurt me. It was sufficient for her to make sure that the others were kept
enabled to do it. I still couldn't believe it, despite the evidence hurting me
further every second. This was so very wrong.
 
My body worked on it's own. Dodging, blocking, thrusting, sidestepping, more
dodging, more thrusting. Everything faded into a strange, surreal haze. I wanted
to give up, but I just couldn't. I didn't want to hurt them, but I needed to. I
couldn't do anything about their pain, but I couldn't let them hurt Foulques in
turn either. I'd probably die here protecting him. Even so, I couldn't, just
couldn't betray him.
 
Hot pain shot through my calf and made me fall to my knee. A sharp pain to my
side followed closely. Something whizzed past my ear, stirring my hair and
making two disturbing thuds as it impacted behind me. Another sharp pain as the
blade in my side got removed. I strained my ears and echo to anticipate the next
thrust, the next slash. But something was off. Nothing happened.
 
Belatedly I noticed footsteps behind the sounds of the many labored breathings
and looked up. Hands clenched, eyes afire, he came walking towards us. His lips
were curled up in a smile.
 
“Aren't you a mighty lot, the six of you bullying a single poor kitten? Let me
join in on the fun!”
 
I blinked up at him, eyes wide. Why was he even here? Why now? And who in all
seven hells did he call 'kitten'?!
 
Mouth agape, my gaze followed him as he walked past the first lancers and past
me. Nobody made a move to interrupt him. Everything was eerily quiet. It
confused me at first, but then I understood why.
 
He nonchalantly set his foot to the lancer on the ground behind me and pulled
his lance out of him with a sickening abrading sound. It was Kimison. No wonder
the others were hesitating.
 
“Pardon me, it's only five of you now.”
 
“Foulques! Why did you kill him?!”
 
He'd done it again. Despite all the pain and severity of my injuries I couldn't
help but feel disappointed and angry. Foulques returned my upset look calmly,
but a little irritated.
 
“Because, you idiot, he was about to kill you, and did you want that? And
besides...”
 
A quick jerk of his chin motioned to Rhaya. She was already casting a spell.
Raise? So she had mastered that spell? I'd heard it was one of the hardest
spells to learn and very few people ever mastered it. I knew Rhaya was an
experienced and high-class healer, but it was still a surprise. Her eyes were
wet, but her mouth was still set in a hard, determined line.
 
“So it's six against two now, yes?”
 
“No! It's nobody against anybody. Just stop this nonsense, every one of you!
It won't change a single thing.”
 
I gasped and caught my breath when pain flared up from my wounds at my little
heated speech. Still not able to move from my sitting position on the ground I
glared up at Foulques, then at the others. My breathing was labored and I felt
slightly dizzy from the pain, but this had to stop now.
 
“Just listen to me! All of you!”
 
Foulques' mere presence seemed to make them hesitate. They glanced at the newly
raised Kimison, who didn't say or do anything for a moment and only stared back
between his friends and Foulques. I used the chance.
 
“Kimison. Voyce. Rhaya. And you, too, Thaisie, Nantain. You there, as
well.”
 
I winced at Rhaya's name and gasped for air a little. It still felt unreal. The
boy whose name I didn't know didn't make a move to tell his name.
 
”Tell him. Tell him who he ripped out of your life, tell him exactly what he
did to you. And you!”
 
I glared at Foulques, a firm warning to heed my words.
 
“Listen closely, and when they're done... you know what to do.”
 
His eyes narrowed, but he didn't object right away. He looked like he was
contemplating whether to do as I said or to tackle the situation differently.
The others were the same. It was silent for a few breaths.
 
Then the lancer's glances got impatient and I feared they'd attack us again, but
from beyond Foulques I could hear Rhaya's broken, determined voice.
 
“He was my fiance. His name was Silvaire Fierlaine. We had... already started
to prepare for our wedding. Despite all the talk and condemnation we've gotten
from people. We were ready to face it all, ready for the burden we'd have to
bear for the rest of our lives. The wedding was just a couple more suns
away.”
 
Her voice hitched. Tears welled up in her eyes and she stopped. She sniffed and
stifled a sob before she continued.
 
“I would have raised him, but-”
 
She had to stop again, wiping at her overflowing tears with shaking hands.
 
“... but you turned him into Ashkin, so...”
 
She couldn't finish her sentence. She didn't need to. She sank to her knees and
fought for composure. I felt a sharp pain in my heart that was very different
from the ones I felt on my body. I felt sorry that I'd prompted her to relive
her loss, but at the same time I felt that it was the only thing capable of
dissolving this mess. Somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered how Foulques
had even gotten his hands on that powder he'd been using to turn those people
into Ashkin, but I shoved the disturbing thought aside for now.
 
Voyce went over to Rhaya and laid a comforting arm around her tiny shoulders. It
did nothing to lessen her sobs, but from the familiarity of the gesture I was
sure it helped her, if just a little.
 
A quick glance at Foulques made me hope that it had been the right choice. He
didn't move or say anything, and his face was dark, eyes fixed on Rhaya.
 
After a moment Voyce started speaking as well.
 
“Not only Silvaire.”
 
He looked up at Foulques, hate and loss burning in his eyes.
 
“One of the others was my brother Noes, and there was our friend Maenne. They
were all family to us! Every single one of them!! You didn't even think about
those things, did you? The lives you were destroying, and the families you were
ripping apart... because of what?!”
 
Voyce didn't move from his spot beside the still crying Rhaya, but he clearly
started shaking with emotion. Tears were filling his eyes and began to overflow,
and he wasn't the only one.
 
Thaisie spoke up as well.
 
“Maenne was my sister, and she was married to Nantain. You have no idea what
you've done to our families!”
 
The nameless Midlander boy had followed Voyce and was now standing near him and
Rhaya. His voice was very quiet, I had a hard time understanding him.
 
“Noes was my best friend. I looked up to him, he was always there for me. My
family died in the Calamity, so now there's no one left for me.”
 
Voyce watched him with a pained expression, but didn't object. He looked like he
knew those words well, but for some reason he seemed unable to fill the spot his
brother had left behind.
 
It was silent for a while. Then Kimison finally spoke, his voice hesitant at
first and slightly shaking.
 
“Silvaire was my friend. As were the others, but he was...”
 
I turned around to his quiet words, wincing at the pain that flared up in my
side at that small movement. He stared at the ground, his eyes full of pain and
hatred.
 
“He was like a brother to me. He was a very special person to all of us.”
 
Some of the lancers nodded quietly, but all of them held so much loss and pain
in their eyes that it was hard to take in. I watched them strickenly. I knew
that all of them lost someone dear to them, but I hadn't had any idea that those
people had been connected that closely. It just made everything all the worse. I
glanced up at Foulques, waiting for his reaction to these revelations, and for
him to answer the question Voyce had asked.
 
There wasn't either one, but he certainly looked kind of frozen, at least to me.
I waited a few moments longer, and fervently hoped he'd say something.
Preferably something acceptable that could lessen or even dissolve the need for
any more violence. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry. I felt dizzy.
 
Kimison snorted when Foulques remained silent and unmoving.
 
“Nothing, eh? Thought as much.”
 
He readied his lance and pointed it at Foulques, face distorted in rage and
bitterness.

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