Amendments (6 page)

              Noir asked the man, “How many towns have been freed?”

              Someone else entered the conversation.  “We've heard about three.  There may be more.”

              Noir asked, “When did the Savior come to this town?”

              The man sitting next to Noir answered, “Our leaders were slain a week ago.  We woke up one day and simply found all of them dead.  We are waiting for the capital’s response.”  He gave a sharp look to the other men and said, “Since
most
of us have continued working hard, we are hoping they will go easy on us.”  Drunken groans of disapproval were uttered from the men in back.

              Noir thought for a moment while the loud conversations erupted in the room once again.  Could this be Ratt they were talking about?  He thought back on all the times they had talked about Tier in the past.  It was obvious that Ratt harbored anger toward how Tier treated its people and Tier's king, but he couldn’t imagine Ratt slaughtering din slaves and innocent people.  “What more can you tell me about the Savior of Tier?”

              “Not much,” someone else responded.  “He attacked at night, so none of us saw him.  There was little sign of a struggle, despite all of the bodies.”

              “I saw the carnage,” another man in a dull red shirt lamented.  “It was terrible.”

              Noir asked, “This may sound strange, but could you tell if the people were attacked by someone with an axe?”

              The man in the dull red shirt gave Noir a suspicious look.  “I suppose it could have been an axe.”  The man frowned.  “What do you know, Luxin?  Out with it.”

              Noir shook his head in disbelief.  “I think I may know this Savior of Tier.  I think it might be a friend that I traveled with some time ago.”

              A few of the men stood quickly startling Noir.  One yelled, “Get out!”

              Another waved his hands dismissively at the others standing and said, “Sit down.  None of you have been whipped or threatened for days because of this man's friend.”

              The men who stood did not sit back down.  The man who was sitting next to Noir calmly said, “I think you should go, Luxin.  These people have mixed feelings about the Savior of Tier.  They're drunk and their emotions are understandably running wild.”

              Noir gulped down his water and put a few tali on the counter from his belt pouch.  “Thank you, sir,” he whispered to the man sitting next to him.  The standing, angry men continued to watch Noir.  Noir slid off his stool and announced, “If this Savior of Tier is my friend, I do not know why he is doing this.  I am actually on a journey to try to find him.  I assure you his intentions are good.”

              No one moved or responded to what he'd said, so Noir simply picked up his bag and walked out.  Once outside, he realized how tense the situation had been because he had unconsciously grasped the lux within him.  As Fafnir had taught him, if he did not use the lux he called forward, it could harm or even kill him.  Noir funneled lux into a light shield above his head.  It shimmered for a moment, and then dissipated.  Noir let out a long sigh.

              Noir had been looking forward to relaxing at the inn for a while, but now he felt even more tired than before.  He also wasn’t sure what to do.  He hadn’t learned anything about Aimee or how to find Ratt, if this Savior of Tier really was him.  Also, if the Tierians really were on their way to cut the town’s population by one tenth, he had to find a way to not let that happen.  His conscience didn't need the weight of any more death put on it.

              Noir looked around and saw one of the guards that he had talked with before.  Noir went to him.  The guard gave a quick bow.  “Hello again, Luxin.”

              “Can I ask you one more question, sir?  Since your overseers were killed, who has taken over leadership of this town?”

              The guard chuckled, “Well, that’s the problem.  No one has.  We were just now discussing who should lead us until new overseers come.”

              Noir cautioned, “Someone has to get those people in the inn working again.  Don't they realize what is about to happen?”

              The guard sighed and took off his leather helmet.  “You don’t understand, Luxin.  The people of this town have not seen a day free from work since they were young children.  I know because I grew up here.  You obviously didn’t grow up in Tier.  Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you are from Chiron.”

              “I’m not from Chiron.”

              After stopping and staring at Noir for a moment, the guard said, “I won’t ask, then.  Our town is torn.  Some want the town to stay this way.  They want us to fight the Tierian forces when they come.

              Noir was shocked but encouraged.  “They do?  But they wouldn't have a chance!  That's noble but foolish!”

              The guard laughed, “You’re telling me?”  His face became serious.  “The thing is, Luxin—no matter what, men will die.  That is what happens in Tier.  The Savior of Tier should be renamed the Destroyer of Tier.”

              “I can help.”

              “How, sir Luxin?  Surely you cannot fend off a whole battalion.  Even if you did, they would simply send more.”

              Noir's knew what to do.  “Have you heard of Talik?”  The guard looked at him inquisitively.  “The free town on the borders of Chiron and Tier.  Have you heard of it?”

              “Of course I have heard of it.  That is where the battle of the Lumin happened, right?”

              “Yes.  That is where I come from.  The leader of Talik is Captain Grandel, a former Chiron general.  He has built a safe haven for anyone who is tired of the tyranny of either Chrion or Tier.”

              The guard asked with a knowing look in his eye, “What are you saying, Luxin?”

              “Take the people of Lithe there!  I promise you he will take them in if they truly want to be free!”

              Looking at Noir for a long moment, the guard nodded.  “I hear what you are saying, Luxin.  However, you would be hard pressed to get these people to move.  Most of them have lived here their whole lives.  Their families live either here or in nearby towns.  Also, the Tierian army would probably follow us there and slaughter us for deserting.”

              “If they left tonight, the army might never know where they went.  Even if they found out, Talik has a sort-of amnesty from both kingdoms because of the Lumin’s first decree.”

              “And how long will that reprieve last?  Most doubt that the stories of what happened there are true anyway.  I do not think that would be an easy idea to sell to the people of this town.”

              Noir started to argue when he heard a voice behind him.  “What the Luxin says is a sound plan.”  Noir turned to see the brown-cloaked figure that he had seen previously beside the inn.  “...if we could convince the tired old fools to go, that is.”

              The man's hood was still pulled down, but parts of scarred flesh could be seen underneath.  The sight made Noir uncomfortable again.  He took a few steps back so he could see both the guard and the cloaked figure, but resisted grasping lux.

              The guard’s voice showed signs of disgust.  “What would
you
know?”

              The cloaked figure responded, “You forget I was a Luxin myself before….”

              Noir said with surprise, “You were a Luxin?”

              “I still am… kind of.  My name is Ruith.”

              Noir bowed.  “I am sorry, I did not expect….” he trailed off, not sure what to say.

              “Do not worry, Luxin Noir.  I am not much to look at these days.”

              Noir put his hand on the hilt of his sword and took a step back.  “How do you know my name?  I have told it to no one since I have been here.”

              The cloaked man put out one hand in caution.  Noir noticed that his hand was not scarred.  It looked completely normal unlike the man’s face.  “Do not fear, Luxin Noir.  You said your name when you approached the gate.  I watch the gate when these fools do not.”  He motioned at the guard.

              The guard’s posture tensed.  “Do not call me a fool, Ruith.  The town is on the eve of destruction.  We have much to deal with
within
the walls.”

              Anger strained Ruith’ voice.  “Straghs can get in now just as they could before the Savior of Tier came.  You openly condemn the workers in that inn for being lazy, but
your
duties to this town have not changed either.”

              “I have guarded this town for years, Ruith!”  The guard growled.  “I know how to protect the citizens of my town!”

              Noir put up his hands to caution both men.  “Stop, please.  This is a dire situation and we need to be level-headed about it in order to get anything done.”  He looked at the guard.  “What is your name, sir?”

              The guard scowled at Noir.  “Alphonse.”

              “Alphonse, Ruith, we need to do something to….” Noir stopped when he realized that Ruith was walking away.  “We need to work together, Luxin Ruith!” he called after him. 

              The cloaked figure called back, “Don’t call me Luxin,” and continued to walk away. 

              Noir turned back to Alphonse.  “Who is he, anyway?”

              “He’s an old fool!”  He spat.  Then Alphonse collected himself and clarified, “I’m actually not sure who he is.  They say he’s half insane.  He appeared in Lithe a few years ago, but he comes and goes on occasion.  I’m not sure how he eluded the din slaves or overseers for all that time.  I also don’t know what is up with the scars, if you are wondering.”  He shook his head and looked Noir in the eyes.  “Look, Luxin Noir.  You are welcome to stay as long as you like, but I don’t think there is much you can do for us.  I am going to go back to my guardsmen and discuss what will happen in the coming days.  Good luck to you.”  Alphonse turned and walked away.

              Noir was left not knowing what to say or think.  His suggestion for them to go to Talik seemed like an obvious decision.  Why would they not want to go?  He couldn’t just leave them to their fate, but they didn't seem to be open to his suggestions.

              Noir walked to the front gate of the town and passed through.  He made his way along the open grass toward the bushes that he hid in earlier.  He needed time to think, and if the Tierian army came, perhaps he could help in some way.

Chapter 6

The Culling

              Noir was awakened by a noise from the town below him.  He had sat on the hill and watched the town.  He had been thinking on the problem for an hour or so.  He realized he must have fallen asleep as the evening came.  Now, the light had completely faded and a few lit torches could be seen within the town walls.

              Noir's gaze swept across the town and something startling caught his attention.  To Noir's best guess, about a hundred men in formation marched toward the eastern gate.  “The Tierian army is here!” Noir exclaimed to himself.

              Noir immediately picked up his things and ran toward the opposite side of the town from where the troops were approaching.

              Noir arrived at the gate and flung it open.  No one was in the streets.  “They don’t even keep a watch at night?” Noir asked himself.  He immediately began running to the doors of houses.  On each, he struck the door loudly with the hilt of his sword.  “The Tierian army is here!” he yelled at each door he knocked on.  In Noir’s wake, people started flooding the streets in their sleeping clothes.  Others cried out in terror.  Some scurried, trying to gather supplies and loved ones and more still yelled to their friends and neighbors to wake up.  To Noir's surprise, many simply stood outside their houses.  They looked resigned to whatever fate was about to come their way.  Noir noticed Ruith had also been running and knocking on doors.  The entire town was alert as the soldiers entered the town.

              The soldiers marched down the main road calling for everyone to exit their homes and come to the road.  Townsfolk of all kinds waited with hunched postures by their front doors as the soldiers walked past.  A few of the town guards hurried toward the small Tierian army and formed in a line in front of them.  Each knelt to one knee in front of the army, which had stopped and begun to fan out in a long line of their own.  The army wore matching dark iron armor with gray clothes underneath.  Once their ranks had been assembled, the leader of the Tierian army called out, “I am Lieutenant Dunn.  Who will speak for this town since your caretakers have been killed?”

              One of the guards stood up.  Noir recognized the voice of Alphonse.  “I will, sir.”

              “We received word that the armored murderer came and attacked this town two weeks ago.  How many in your town guard died in this battle against the menace?”  Alphonse bowed again but said nothing.   The Tierian leader barked, “Speak!”

              “None, sir.”  Noir heard a few hushed whispers from the townsfolk around him.  A few soft whimpers started.

              “How can this be so?  Did you not fight this armored man alongside your overseers and Din Mage?”

              “With respect, sir, what can a handful of town guardsman do against an adversary who can destroy a Din Mage without taking a scratch?”

              Lieutenant Dunn barked, “Silence!  I am no fool!  Your guard did not confront this enemy!  What I see is a town in revolt!”

              The whispers around Noir became scared murmurs and the sound of crying increased.  Noir could tell that this was not going well, but he had no idea what to do or say.  He thought he might be able to take on this many soldiers with his lux, but he would need the help of the fifteen or so town guardsmen.  However, Noir was not sure they would fight. Even if they killed all of the enemy, what purpose would it serve?  The Tierian capital would simply send more men in greater numbers next time.  However, after this, the people might be more willing to flee to Talik, but that would mean one tenth of Lithe’s population would have to die for them to learn!  Noir had to find another way.

              Lieutenant Dunn continued, “To send a message to this enchant armor murderer, we must thin the population of this town.”  Noir heard more angry and worried murmurs around him.  “He must know that any town he tries to liberate, he is only harming in the end.  Our census records indicate that this town’s population is four hundred and thirty.”

              Noir’s mind reeled as soon as he did the math.  “Forty-three people can’t die today!” he growled through his teeth.

              “If you flee, you will be immediately slain.  This will NOT count toward the ten percent.  Therefore, I suggest you stay put.  Remember, this is for the good of your town and all of Tier!  The King looks after you and supplies you with everything you need, but the kingdom needs to work in the designed way.”

              Noir again growled to himself, “This guy’s a
madman
!”

              “Assemble in four rows before me and my men here in the street.  If you are hiding anyone in your home, I suggest you go and get them now or else my men will slay them when they find them.”

              A few people quickly scurried off.  The weeping had grown and the sound made Noir angrier.  A few voices called out in dissent, but were hushed by others.  Alphonse took a step toward the Lieutenant and put a hand out to the other man’s chest in a defiant gesture.  “This is insane!  We have done nothing wrong!  We are obviously not in revolt!”

              The Tierian Lieutenant stared at Alphonse for a long moment.  Then, he raised one finger into the air, and brought it down to point at Alphonse.  Five Tierian soldiers drew bows and rapidly fired at Alphonse.  The guardsman opened his mouth to speak as five arrows shot toward him.

              Noir acted despite his reservations about the current predicament.  He grasped his lux and made a light barrier in front of Alphonse.  The five arrows clattered against the barrier and fell to the ground harmlessly.  Instantly, every Tierian soldier had their swords drawn.

              “Where is the Luxin?” Lieutenant Dunn yelled.  “You know it is illegal to harbor undocumented vigor users!”

              The people standing near Noir looked at him and stepped back.  The soldiers’ eyes fell to him as the townsfolk parted.  Immediately, the soldiers started toward him.  “You, there!  Luxin!  You will stand down!  Any further use of lux will mark you as an enemy of the crown!”

              Noir took a couple steps back.  His mind reeled.  His hand itched for his sword, but he felt that would only make things worse.  His feet wanted to run, but he knew he couldn’t compete in a footrace with hundreds of battle-trained men.  The soldiers came closer with their swords pointed toward him.  The sight was terrifying and absurd.  How had he gotten into such a place?  For some reason, his mind lurched to quiet moments like watching television with his parents, taking notes in school, and being with his friends at school.  He never imagined he would long to be back in school.  Noir wanted to hide and be gone from that place more than anything.

              Then that thought reminded Noir of something he had learned during his time in the Chiron capital.  He quickly used his lux to weave light around his body in a specific, curved way.  It required a fairly large amount of his lux, but he knew it would be worth it.  Anyone who looked where he stood would see light that was bent around his figure.  Noir would be mostly invisible, though it was not a perfect illusion.

              Though Noir felt no different, the result was obvious on the advancing soldiers.  They stopped and started looking around.  A few thrust their weapons in the empty air in front of them.  Noir slowly walked backwards.  Quick movements would make him easier to spot.  He tried not to bump any of the townsfolk who looked equally surprised at his disappearance.  Noir was glad it was dark.  The effect was much easier to spot when it was light.

              Lieutenant Dunn yelled wildly to the area around him, “I am no fool, Luxin!  I know of the Luxin disappearing trick!”  Contrary to his words, it was obvious Lieutenant Dunn did not know where Noir had gone.  “Luxin, I will make this easy.  Obviously you want to protect these people.  If you do not show yourself and surrender to us, we will reduce
twenty
percent of this town’s population instead of ten!  Then we will hunt you down like a dog.”

              Noir had moved to the other side of the street behind a wooden fence to watch.  He felt sick to his stomach.  He had only made things worse.  He had no idea how to get out of this situation.  “I just need time to think,” he murmured to himself.  “No one is here to get me out of the messes I make any more, so I need to find a way on my own.”

              The soldiers lined up the townsfolk on the street.  Children clung to their mother’s and father’s legs, making wet spots on their pants and skirts with their tears.  Many men argued with the soldiers who ignored everything they said.  However, to Noir’s surprise, many of the townsfolk adults simply stood resigned to their fate.  It was then that Noir finally understood the oppression that the Tierian people were under.

              Soldiers began going through the houses searching for people hiding.  Noir continued to watch in horror.  He had to give himself up unless he thought of another way to help these people.

              Noir’s attention was drawn to a screaming girl.  She was being led by her hand down the street by one of the soldiers.  Noir immediately noticed her bulging abdomen.  He couldn’t help himself and exclaimed, “No!  They can’t!”  However, what he said was lost in the commotion.

              “I found this one hiding in a food bin, Lieutenant Dunn.”  One of the older women screamed and ran to the girl.  The soldier pushed her away violently and she fell to the dirt.

              The pregnant woman yelled, “Mother!”

              The soldier pulled harder on the pregnant woman and pushed her down to the ground in front of the Lieutenant.  He bent down and looked into the woman’s eyes.  “You heard what would happen to those who hid.  It’s a shame too.  You’re fairly pretty for a commoner.”  Lieutenant Dunn turned to his soldiers and snarled with vicious mirth, “I’m glad she doesn’t count toward the twenty percent.  I wouldn’t know whether to count her as one or two!”  He laughed at his own joke and a couple of the soldiers joined in, but most stood silent or shifted their weight uncomfortably.  Noir was glad to see they all weren’t vile like this man.

              Lieutenant Dunn drew his sword.  “Well, I guess we have an example to make here.  She can be the first to go.”  He raised his sword as though to pierce down into the woman’s neck.  “If anyone else is hiding, you should go tell them to reveal themselves unless they want this to happen to them.”

              Noir realized he'd rather die fighting a hundred men than let the pregnant woman be harmed.  He let his light illusion fall and instead used his lux to make a light barrier over the pregnant woman.

              Suddenly, the Lieutenant was cut in half.  The top half of the man flew limply to the side and the bottom half fell straight down.  A bluish-green blur sped past and into the ranks of the shocked soldiers.  Three of them were violently flung into the air.  Their bodies flailed about and fell into the rest of the men, knocking many to the ground with shouts of surprise and pain.

              “It’s the Savior of Tier,” Noir heard someone near him say breathlessly.

              The blur stopped in the middle between the townsfolk and the majority of the soldiers.  Standing over the Lieutenant’s body was a young man with dark skin and light hair.  He was holding a large, silver-colored axe and had on the custom Azurite Knight armor that Noir had spent dozens of hours helping to craft in Godo’s workshop.  The young man’s back was to him, but Noir knew it was Ratt.

              “Soldiers of Tier!” Ratt yelled.  “I can slay every one of you in less than a minute if I choose.”

              Many soldiers had regained their poise and now drew their bows back and aimed at the young man before them.  Dozens of arrows flew.  Ratt simply held up one of the bracers on his arm and a light barrier deflected each of the projectiles.  Noir saw the yellow lux going from the bracer and into the light barrier.  He distinctly remembered working on that piece since it involved mostly his skills with lux to make it function.

              Ratt called out again, “You will stand down now, or perhaps I need to thin twenty percent of
your
numbers!”  The soldiers looked at each other.  Most of them let their bows fall to the ground or slung them onto their backs.  “You are looking at the Savior of Tier.  I stand for the people that you have tormented and enslaved for so long.”  Ratt put his axe over his head and into a leather loop on his back.  He pointed at the soldiers, moving his hand across them to point at them all in turn as he spoke.  “I have a message for you to take back to the king.  Tell him and your leaders that the winds of change are coming.  Your din handlers and overseers can go back to whatever hole they came from, or be slain by me!  We, the people of Tier, are to be free!  The king will pay for ruining Tier.  You will pay as well if you oppose me.  Give your leaders my message.  Go!”

              Ratt’s bravado somehow grated with Noir.  Did Ratt know what he was doing?  Noir pushed aside his misgivings and moved toward Ratt with excitement.

              Many of the soldiers had already been moving toward the gate of the town.  After Ratt finished his speech, they all turned to flee.  Cries of relief and reverence rang out among the townsfolk.  They cheered and hugged each other.

              Noir pushed his way past the celebrating townsfolk.  Noir called out to Ratt, excited to be reunited with his friend.  Ratt looked at the celebrating people with a small, impish grin on his face.  Noir recognized that self-satisfied look from when he would best Ratt in an argument or beat him at some sort of game.  It felt good to look upon his friend’s face after not seeing it for months.