EMPIRE OF THE CASTAWAYS

Chapter 10: Shadow Corporal

Ravindra 

Frostreach's brief summer came in undramatic fashion, only gradual change from cold that killed to cold that merely hurt, and during this period Ravindra celebrated his eleventh birthday though he didn't know his exact birth date and had to choose a day arbitrarily based on Auratigris's suggestion that summer solstice was good time to be born because it was the longest day in the year and therefore gave most time for whatever one wanted to accomplish before darkness returned, which was the guardian's way of saying something philosophical about life and death but wrapped in practical observation about planetary rotation and sunlight angles. He was taller now, though still small for his age compared to lowland children he'd seen in mining village last year, his body was strange combination of thin from inconsistent diet and hard-muscled from endless training, with shoulders beginning to broaden and hands already having thick calluses in places where weapons and rope and rough stone had scraped skin repeatedly until skin surrendered and built permanent defense. His face lost all childhood softness and now had sharp bone structure with eyes too old for biological age, eyes that had seen enough death to recognize it without thinking and had learned not to blink when seeing blood or hearing screams because blinking was waste of time that could be used reacting to next threat.

On the day he first saw the bandit group, he was hunting mountain rabbits in area located several hours below cave, following tracks that brought him closer to trade route sometimes used by brave caravans trying to cut travel time by crossing mountains instead of circling them, and he'd already killed two rabbits with accurate stone throws when he heard sounds that shouldn't exist at this altitude, sounds of loud coarse laughter and conversation in Ruskan language carried by wind from trade route direction. Instinct honed by years of training immediately made him drop to low position behind nearest rock formation, body automatically taking posture making silhouette as small as possible while eyes scanned area for escape routes if needed and ears listened with intensity filtering every other sound except those relevant to identifying threat. That sound came closer, and with it came smell familiar to anyone who'd lived near people who didn't often bathe or wash clothes, smell of sweat and leather and something else that might be dried blood or might just be filth stuck too long to distinguish from original body odor.

Ravindra waited with patience unnatural for eleven years old, patience learned from hunting animals with sharper instincts and faster reflexes than humans and that could only be caught by those who could sit still long enough to become part of landscape rather than threat to be avoided, and while waiting he slowed breath until almost nothing and let mind empty itself from everything except pure awareness of surroundings because minds too full of plans or worries or emotions were minds that couldn't react fast enough when situations changed unexpectedly. The group finally appeared on path located about fifty paces from his hiding place, close enough to see details but far enough not to be detected if he stayed still and didn't move in ways attracting attention. There were four of them, all adult men with large bodies from combination of hard physical work and eating well enough, wearing mixed leather and iron armor saying they weren't regular soldiers but also weren't ordinary farmers, and carrying weapons ranging from decent quality longswords to axes clearly made for cutting wood but equally effective for cutting flesh and bone if needed.

What made Ravindra pay particular attention was what they carried in group center, a smaller older man with hands bound before body and rope around neck held by one bandit like dog on leash, and though Ravindra couldn't see his face clearly from this distance he could see how the man walked with unsteady steps as if already beaten or abused in other ways making movement painful, and there was something in posture saying this was someone who'd accepted he might die but still hadn't fully surrendered to that fact because bodies had survival instinct lasting longer than rational hope. Bandits spoke with voices loud enough to be heard even from fifty paces, clearly not worried about who might hear because in this area they were largest predators and none were foolish enough to challenge four armed men unless they had larger group or unreasonable confidence or active death wish.

Ravindra should let them pass, should stay in hiding place until they disappeared in distance and then continue hunting or better yet return to cave and report to Auratigris about bandit presence in this area so guardian could decide whether this was something needing handling or ignoring as problem that would solve itself when Frostreach claimed another victim from those foolish enough to underestimate mountains. But there was something in how the old man walked, something in how his head stayed raised despite clearly disadvantageous situation, that reminded Ravindra of something Auratigris once said about how true courage wasn't absence of fear but action despite fear, and though he didn't know this man and owed him nothing, part of him couldn't just sit and watch while someone was tortured or killed by people clearly enjoying power over the weaker in ways making him think of slave hunters he'd killed two years ago and about how world might be slightly better with four people like this fewer in it.

The decision came with speed surprising even to himself, and before he could question the wisdom of what he planned, his hands were already moving to take stones he carried for hunting, choosing four heaviest and most balanced for long-distance throws, and mind already calculating angles and distance and wind and all other variables needing consideration when trying to hit moving targets from stationary position. Four against one was bad odds even for trained fighter, and for an eleven-year-old child it should be suicide, but Ravindra had learned from Auratigris that battles weren't always won by strongest or most numerous but by most prepared to use every available advantage and most willing to take risks others would consider too dangerous to attempt. His advantages were surprise and distance and fact enemies didn't know he existed and therefore wouldn't expect attack, and risk was if first throw missed or didn't injure enough to disable then he'd be exposed and have to fight four adult men at close range which was scenario where he'd certainly lose unless miracle or divine intervention occurred which he couldn't rely on because gods if they ever existed were already dead or gone and wouldn't help foolish child on remote mountain.

He rose from hiding position with movement quick but controlled, arm already moving in arc learned from thousands of practice throws, and first stone flew through air with rotation giving stability and speed, hitting rearmost bandit in group precisely at temple with force enough to make cracking sound audible even from fifty paces and make the man fall without chance to scream or even understand what hit him. Second stone was already airborne before first reached target, throw hitting front-right bandit with nearly equal accuracy, this time striking back of neck at point where spine met skull, and impact made the man fall forward with face kissing ground and body not moving in ways saying he was also unconscious or dead though from this distance hard to know for certain. The remaining two finally reacted, heads turning seeking attack source, and one of them was fast enough to see Ravindra standing atop rock formation with arm already moving for third throw, and the man shouted warning coming too late because third stone had already left Ravindra's hand and flew in trajectory that would hit shouting man precisely in chest with force enough to crack ribs if not break them completely.

The last bandit, who was largest and who held rope at prisoner's neck, released rope and grabbed sword with speed surprising for someone his size, and he began running toward Ravindra with shout that was mixture of anger and perhaps slight fear because three friends had fallen in seconds and he didn't know whether his enemy was one person or small army hiding in rocks. Ravindra threw fourth stone but this time his throw was less accurate because target moved faster and more erratically than previous three, and stone only struck shoulder instead of head, enough to make the man stumble but not enough to stop momentum, and now he was only thirty paces away and closing with speed making Ravindra realize he had perhaps ten seconds before battle became close range where size and reach advantages would be completely on bandit's side. He jumped down from rock formation and began running, not away from bandit but at angle forcing the man to change direction if wanting to pursue, and while running he drew knife from waist, only weapon he carried because he'd left training staff at cave this morning thinking he'd only be hunting rabbits and didn't need larger weapon.

The bandit pursued with persistence saying he wouldn't let someone who killed three friends escape without punishment, and Ravindra could hear heavy breathing and heavy footfalls behind getting closer with each second because longer legs could cover distance faster though larger body required more energy to move, and he knew he couldn't just keep running because sooner or later he'd tire or run out of area or make mistake making him stumble and fall and that would be end. So he chose to change game, stopping suddenly and turning in movement almost making pursuing bandit crash into him because not expecting maneuver so foolish or so brave depending on perspective, and in moment when bandit tried stopping momentum and raising sword for swing that would split this child in two, Ravindra was already moving lower, knife moving in arc targeted not at body protected by thick leather but at leg only protected by thin wool pants, cutting tendon behind right knee with precision from Auratigris's lessons about anatomy and weak points in human body.

The bandit screamed and fell to one knee, sword dropping from hand suddenly losing strength from pain shooting from ruined leg, and Ravindra didn't give him time to recover or search for weapon, already moving behind with speed making movement look like blur, knife moving again in efficient brutal motion, cutting side of neck where carotid artery was close to skin surface and where one deep cut was all needed to ensure death in minutes if not seconds. Blood spurted in red hot arc, hitting snow not yet completely melted and creating pattern looking like abstract painting from certain perspective, and bandit tried pressing wound with hand but blood flowed too fast and too much to be stopped with simple pressure, and his widening eyes in shock and fear stared at Ravindra with expression saying he couldn't believe he was defeated by small child, and then light in those eyes began dimming and large body fell sideways with dull final sound.

Ravindra stood amid four corpses with breath emerging in fast white mist and heart beating too fast from adrenaline and physical effort, and for a moment he could only stare at what he'd done with mixture of emotions he couldn't clearly identify, not pride but also not regret, perhaps just exhaustion and awareness he'd just killed four humans in less than two minutes and that should make him feel something more intense than this strange emptiness. Then he remembered the prisoner, old man now sitting on ground with hands still bound and eyes staring at Ravindra with expression that was mixture of fear and gratitude and perhaps also slight horror at this child's ability to kill with efficiency that should require years of training and war experience. Ravindra approached carefully, knife still in hand because trust was something to be earned not automatically given, and he stopped several steps from the man, close enough to speak but far enough to react if the man proved dangerous though in bound condition and clearly already beaten.

"Who are you?" the man's voice hoarse from dehydration or perhaps from screaming during torture, and language he used was Common with accent saying he came from lowlands where various nations mixed and shared dialect. Ravindra didn't answer immediately, using time to assess whether this man was threat or just unfortunate victim, and after several seconds feeling longer he decided risk of letting him live was less than potential benefit of getting information about world beyond Frostreach still mostly mystery to child who'd spent most life on remote mountain with only guardian as teacher. "Doesn't matter who I am," he finally answered with voice colder than he felt because showing emotion was showing weakness in situations where status was still unclear, "what matters is you're still alive and they're not, and now you owe a life and I'll collect that debt with answers to questions I have."

The man nodded quickly, too quickly perhaps because trying to prove he was willing to cooperate and wouldn't be problem, and Ravindra cut rope on hands with knife still wet with bandit blood, quick movement making the man flinch slightly from reflex fear knife might be used on him instead of rope. "Who are you and why did they capture you?" Ravindra asked while stepping back several more paces to give space making question not feel like interrogation though fundamentally that's what was happening. The old man rubbed wrists red and abraded from too-tight rope, and when he spoke his voice carried exhaustion from more than just physical fatigue. "My name is Gregor, once corporal in Ruskan army but now just small trader trying to survive by carrying goods between mountain villages, and they captured me because they wanted goods without paying and perhaps also because they thought it was fun to torture old man who couldn't fight back." He stared at corpses around them with expression difficult to read. "You saved my life, child, though I don't know why you bothered since clearly you're not someone who does things from kindness without expecting something in return."

Ravindra didn't dispute that observation because it was accurate enough though actual reason for intervention was more complex than simple transaction, but letting this man think there was clear motive was better than explaining sometimes he did things because they felt right even when logic said it was foolish. "You said once corporal, means you have knowledge about how armies operate and perhaps also about political situation in world beyond these mountains," he said while cleaning knife on snow before returning to sheath at waist, "and that knowledge is something valuable to me because I live separated from that world and need to understand how it works before I can make plans for what I'll do when time comes to descend from this altitude and enter game played by twelve nations dividing world among themselves like children fighting over toys."

Gregor stared at him with eyes suddenly sharper, as if reassessing who this child was who spoke of twelve nations and political games in ways saying he'd already been thinking about things that shouldn't concern normal eleven-year-old, and in that gaze Ravindra could see moment when this old man realized perhaps he wasn't just saved by chance child but by something rarer and more dangerous, someone already shaped by mountain and whatever lived at this altitude into something not entirely human in thinking or acting. "You're right I have knowledge," Gregor finally said with voice more careful now, "and I'll share gladly as payment for life, but I must warn that knowledge about world beyond these mountains might make you wish you never knew because what happens in lowlands is mixture of small wars and political intrigue and suffering from ordinary people caught in middle of games played by powerful people who don't care about collateral damage."

Ravindra smiled, small expression not reaching eyes and making him look older and harder than actual age. "I've already lived eleven years in Frostreach with only guardian as family and seen enough death to know world isn't good or fair place," he said with tone carrying certainty from direct experience rather than untested idealism, "so tell what you know and don't worry about protecting my feelings because I have no illusions about human nature or about what's waiting when I finally enter world that cast me out as infant."

And there in middle of snow stained with blood with four bandit corpses lying around them like proof of what could be done by child trained by guardian and shaped by mountain knowing no mercy, old trader who was once soldier began telling about world Ravindra had never seen but would one day enter with intent to change or destroy depending on what was needed to achieve goals still forming but already beginning to take shape in mind of child rejected by twelve nations and who would make them regret that rejection in ways they couldn't imagine in their worst nightmares.