The Pursuit of Revenge

Part 1 - Orphan

Chapter 1

The sky was colored with the first pink and purple blush of dawn as Avalon pushed the window open and paused, looking out over the frost-covered landscape below her. A stray breeze brushed past, tickling her nose and making her shiver. It would warm up later, but for now it was cold. Thinking about the comfortable bed she was leaving behind, she sighed. Knowing she didn’t have an option if she wanted to avoid awkward conversations, Avalon pulled herself up onto the window sill.

Do you really need to leave?

She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the muffled voice behind her. You know I need to. I can’t get caught here.

Avalon smiled at the muffled sigh. You know I’m right, she added.

Fine. Do what you need to. Just make sure you close the window behind you.

Avalon carefully made her way out onto the slick, frost-covered window sill, closing the window as requested and looking over her escape route. Ready to move again, and not wanting to lose her balance and fall, she kept her back against the cold stone wall of the cottage while she slid her feet slowly to the left. After about three feet, Avalon paused again and gathered herself to make a leap into the large oak tree growing close to the building. The frost covered the tree too, but she’d used this route to escape numerous times over the past few weeks and wasn’t too worried about slipping — as long as she managed the jump over the gap in the first place, of course.

A deep breath and she was air-born, her feet wheeling uselessly in the air as she strove to reach the rough bark of the ancient tree without any sort of running start. Avalon hit a branch, arms reflexively closing around the limb as her breath whooshed out of her lungs and her feet scrambled for purchase on the slippery wood. She pulled herself up and moved quickly toward the trunk of the tree and then down to the ground. It was too early in the spring for leaves to hide her in the tree and she didn’t want anybody to catch her so obviously somewhere she shouldn’t be.

Avalon was running as soon as her feet hit the ground. She had chores that needed to be done before school, and she didn’t relish the conversation that would happen if she shirked her responsibilities. These days it seemed that her life was full of conversations she spent the majority of her time trying to avoid.

The village of Estermere sat amidst the foothills of the Tanglequartz Mountains, the mountain range that marked the border between Cembrance and the neighboring kingdom of Evendell. Each of the families that made up the village had small farms with vegetables, chickens, goats or cows, and every family had a flock of sheep. Wool was the primary trade commodity for the village, and without their flocks, the village would fade away. Everyone in Estermere had chores, and those chores varied with age and gender, and right now it was Avalon’s job to take care of some of her family’s animals.

Reaching the barn, she slipped inside and grabbed her basket from its hook just inside the door. The barn had stalls for their three goats on one side and a long chicken coop on the other. One of the goats raised her head and bleated quietly as Avalon lifted the latch to the coop and stepped inside. She liked collecting eggs from the nasty birds early in the morning when the hens were still basically sleeping — they were less likely to peck at her this way.

Slipping her hand under the first bird, Avalon quickly palmed a pair of eggs and withdrew them. Her fingers had brushed against another shell, so she reached in again to retrieve the last egg from this nest before moving to the next hen. She repeated the process over and over again, moving quickly and quietly, and disturbing the birds as little as possible. By the time she was done she could hear the rooster starting to stir and shake out his feathers, and Avalon retreated from the chicken coop quickly, her basket full.

Putting the eggs down outside the stall, she then went in to milk the goats. The buckets she used for this were ready and waiting, cleaned from the previous day by her sister. Finding her stool and selecting a bucket, Avalon sat down beside the first animal and got to work. Milking didn’t take long, and she turned the goats out into their paddock before picking up her eggs once more and making her way toward the cottage.

Ugg, Avalon groaned. "This is soooo boring! I hate this farm stuff... Wake up early, collect eggs, milk goats, go to school, do more chores, sleep and then repeat...forever. Never any change, never any fun."

When she reached her home, Avalon deposited her basket on the step, glanced through the window to see who was up and about, and then retreated from the building. Her mother was puttering around the kitchen, sleeves pushed up to her elbows and her hands covered with flour as she kneaded the day’s bread. Her mother was the epitome of everything Avalon didn’t want, and so she pulled away. There was a cluster of trees a little way up the road where her sister Eva would meet her later before they both continued into the main part of the village for school. She’d wait there.

Now you won’t even eat breakfast with the rest of us?

The voice startled Avalon and she sat up suddenly, bumping her head on a branch of the tree in which she was sitting. Rubbing her head, she glared at her sister before jumping down from her perch.

And why would I do that, Eva? she asked. I’d just get glares from Da, and Ma would start talking about ‘duty’ and ‘responsibility’.

Eva passed her a small basket and Avalon lifted the cloth covering it to look inside. Withdrawing a piece of buttered bread, she nodded her thanks to her sister for bringing something for breakfast as well as her lunch. The girls started to walk down the road into the village.

I don’t see what the big deal is, the young girl commented as she pushed a strand of light brown hair back from her face. "You’re nearly a wo-man and it’s time to starting thinking about ba-bies."

Avalon swatted at her sister. That’s enough out of you, she grumbled. I’m getting enough of that from Ma and Da.

It’s not like you don’t have a boyfriend, Eva pointed out, dark eyes sparkling. Even if Ma and Da don’t know about him.

You are far too nosy for a nine year old, Avalon commented, refusing to rise to Eva’s bait. She was not about to discuss her private life with a pipsqueak.

And you’re far too boring for a fifteen year old, Eva snapped back.

Speaking of boring...

Avalon trailed off, suddenly unsure of sharing her thoughts with Eva. Her little sister was helping her out while she tried to avoid ‘the talk’ with her parents, but she wasn’t sure the girl could keep a truly important secret. When Avalon didn’t continue, Eva stopped in the middle of the dirt road and put her hands on her hips.

Speaking of boring, she mocked.

Avalon took a deep breath. I’m thinking about leaving, she revealed.

What? When? How? The questions tumbled from Eva’s lips, one right on top the previous, and Avalon smiled.

Settle down, pipsqueak, she admonished. She grabbed Eva’s hand and pulled the girl into motion, continuing down the road.

Can you really picture me in skirts, she asked, gesturing at her current clothing with her free hand. I don’t even know how to bake bread, let alone how to care for a household.

But once the Planting Festival is over and school’s done, it’ll be Ma’s job to teach you all that stuff.

That may be true, but I won’t be happy with that life. Come on, Eva, you know me well enough to know that.

With a sigh, Eva nodded her agreement. Her older sister was a bit wild, that was true, and a calm family life really didn’t fit Avalon’s style. So when are you leaving? she asked.

I have lamb watch in a few days, Avalon replied. I’ll probably go then, just after dawn when Da will be heading up to the meadow.

Eva nodded again but didn’t say anything more, and the girls finished their walk into the cluster of buildings that most people identified as the village of Estermere. This was where all of the public buildings were located — the church, the school, the magistrate’s home, the bakery, the general store and the tavern. The various family farms spread out around this central cluster like the spokes of a wheel, most farms within easy walking distance of the central hub.

Avalon and Eva made their way to the school, a one room building used by the local priest to teach the children between the ages of five and fifteen how to read, write and figure. School would end with the Planting Festival, all of the children having duties at home caring for crops and animals until Harvestide. The younger children would return to school then, with the older children joining them as the weather turned colder and they were no longer needed at home. Upon reaching the age of sixteen, the children were officially considered adults and they moved on to their adult lives, starting families and farms of their own. That was the transition Avalon was trying to avoid.

As her friends called out greetings and Avalon returned them, she tried hard not to let her thoughts show. It was bad enough that she’d let Eva know what she was planning...nobody else could know. Avalon didn’t want anybody trying to stop her from trying to find a more suitable life for herself, and if she was going to be honest with herself, she didn’t need anybody making her feel guiltier than she already did.

Chapter 2

Avalon managed to avoid her parents for the majority of the next few days by pretending to be sick. She’d get up in the morning and escape through the window to take care of her chores, and Eva continued to bring Avalon her lunch packed with some extra food to make up for her missed breakfast. After school Avalon would take care of her chores and then she would go up to the room she shared with Eva, feigning illness and skipping dinner entirely. This farce continued until the day Avalon was planning to leave, and she knew that she needed to be ‘better’ for her father to allow her onto lamb watch that night.

Oh my dear, it’s so nice to see you. Are you feeling better?

Her mother’s dark eyes sparkled with concern and Avalon smiled back at her and nodded, taking a seat at the table. She may not want her mother’s life, but she knew that her Ma honestly did care for her.

I am feeling better, she acknowledged. It must have been a bug of some kind.

There are many illnesses around the village right now, her mother agreed, and Eva nearly choked on the bite of bread she’d just taken. As their mother turned her concerned gaze on her youngest daughter, Avalon glared at her sister. If Eva gave away her plan she’d... Well, she wasn’t sure what she’d do, but Eva wouldn’t enjoy it.

You sure you’re gonna be okay tonight? asked her father’s gruff voice, drawing Avalon from her consideration of possible tortures for her sister.

Yes, sir, she answered. I’m honestly feeling fine now.

The large man nodded, accepting her assurances and turning back to his meal. The patriarch of the family wasn’t known for being particularly verbose, relying instead on a few carefully chosen words. He worked hard, took care of his family, and Avalon couldn’t find any fault in that. With an internal sigh, she turned back to her own meal, second thoughts starting to swirl around her mind.

Not more than three bites of her stew later and all second thoughts were banished. Satisfied that Eva wasn’t going to choke again, Ma turned back to her older daughter, a smile on her lips. Avalon knew that smile, and she knew what was coming. Her mother didn’t disappoint.

So are you excited for the end of school? she asked, her tone indicating that Avalon certainly should be. Since she most definitely was not excited, she didn’t say anything. Her mother continued anyway, just as Avalon knew she would.

The Planting Festival is just around the corner, and we have to finish working on your dress.

The dress in question was a horrible concoction of pink fabric and lace that Avalon despised. Her mother had been sewing it for weeks, and now she was planning to teach Avalon how to do the fancywork stitches needed to finish it. Since she’d officially no longer be a child as of the end of school, the Planting Festival was supposed to mark her introduction to womanhood, and that meant her first dress. Joy. Avalon nodded and her mother kept talking.

We have to make sure you look your best. There will be a number of boys at the Festival and—

Mother! Avalon had heard enough and had no desire to let her mother wander down the path of conversation that started at boys. That inevitably led to conversations involving weddings, husbands and children. No thank you!

Avalon excused herself from the table, not even bothering to finish her dinner. When her father looked at her in askance, she assured him once more that she was feeling fine. I’ll just gather my things and head up to the meadow, she added. I’m sure the boy wants to get home to his dinner.

Fleeing the uncomfortable conversation, Avalon shook her head at herself. She was brave enough to shimmy out onto tiny slippery ledges and jump into trees, but she couldn’t stomach a single dinner with her family? It really was ridiculous, but it just proved to her all over again that leaving was the best choice she could make.

Avalon had just finished putting the last of her most precious belongings into a bag when she heard Eva enter the room behind her. You’re really going to do it, aren’t you?

She turned around. Yeah, I am.

With a sigh, Eva sat down on the edge of her bed and watched Avalon finish her preparations.

I’m leaving most of my clothes and stuff, she told Eva. I’d go through it all tonight and take what you want. Once Ma and Da know I’m gone, you may not have a chance.

Avalon pulled her bag closed and raised her head to meet her sister’s dark eyes, so like her own. I left you that sweater you like, she said softly.

Instead of saying anything, Eva threw herself across the room and into Avalon’s arms, silent tears running down her cheeks. Please don’t go, she implored.

Look, Avalon said, dropping to her knees so she could look Eva in the eye. You know I have to do this. The plans Ma and Da have for me just aren’t going to work, pipsqueak, but this isn’t goodbye. I’ll be back one day.

Promise? Eva rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes.

Yes, I promise, Avalon assured her with a hug. And until I come back, you’re going to have to collect the eggs and milk the goats.

With one last hug, Avalon kissed her sister on the forehead. Putting her bag over her shoulder, she draped her cloak over the same shoulder to partially disguise the size of the bag. She was about to be outside for the entire night and her parents expected her to take some supplies, but she needed a little more than that in order to make her getaway. Hopefully her parents wouldn’t notice the discrepancy because that would be...awkward.

So you know what to do? her father asked, meeting her at the base of the stairs.

Yes, Da. I’ve done this before, remember?

He nodded, patted her on the shoulder, and stepped out of her way. Getting past her mother wasn’t as easy.

You make sure you’re careful. There are wolves out there.

Yes, Ma, there are wolves. If there weren’t wolves, we wouldn’t need a lamb watch, now would we? Avalon knew that she shouldn’t be sarcastic, especially not with her mother, but she couldn’t help herself. The comment was so...so...inane!

Her mother was flustered by Avalon’s rebuttal. Well, just make sure you have your staff with you.

I will, and I’ve got Bo too, she answered, starting to push her way past her mother and out into the evening. The sun was already nearly to the horizon, and she wanted to get to the meadow before twilight fell. I’ve got to hurry, Ma. I’ll be fine.

Her mother finally let her out the door, and Avalon grabbed her staff, which was leaning against the wall nearby. Bo, the family’s dog, rose to his feet, tail wagging. He liked the trips up to the meadow, at least. Hitching her bag more firmly on her shoulder, she set out at a quick pace, following the well-worn path up into the foothills toward the meadow where the family’s flock was currently pastured.

Avalon reached the meadow with more than enough time for the shepherd boy to make his way home before dark. Ever since her brother had grown up and joined the army, a good five years ago now, they’d had to pay someone to help with the flocks since Eva was still too young. Not having Avalon after tonight would certainly cause her family some trouble, but she firmed her resolve as she settled onto a convenient stone and started to count the sheep.

At this moment in time the flock had a little over two dozen adult sheep and seven lambs. It was a small flock by the standards of some of the families in Estermere, but it was growing. Unfortunately, this was one of the most dangerous times of year for the sheep, and it was a distinct possibility that they’d lose a sheep or two in the coming weeks. With spring just arriving after a long winter, the wolves were hungry and the six week old lambs were very tempting. They’d already lost one lamb to the beasts, and everyone was working hard to avoid any more losses. The kyudi, large poisonous cat-like creatures native to Evendell, were also potentially a problem, though they rarely ventured this far from home.

Her count complete, all thirty-four animals present and accounted for, Avalon looked down on the village. From her current vantage point, she could see the lights of her family’s cottage as well as two of their closest neighbors. The main part of the village was hidden by a hill, but she knew it was there and Avalon really couldn’t dredge up any feelings of sadness at the thought of leaving it all behind. It would be an adventure, a chance to truly find herself.

As the moon rose, the lambs became even more visible in the darkness. Still so young, their wooly coats were still white and they shone in the moonlight. The adults wouldn’t be shorn until the nights were warmer, and their coats were long and dirty. Avalon cursed to herself as the moon’s light continued to brighten, making the shadows surrounding the meadow seem darker. She knew it would harder to see wolves coming, and she’d be forced to rely on Bo’s keen senses completely.

The moon-blindness was, in fact, the cause of Avalon missing the first signs of danger; that and the geography. By the time the fires in the village were big enough for her to see above the hills, they were well on their way to consuming the majority of the buildings. Jumping to her feet, Avalon’s first reaction was to rush down to help, but her better sense kicked in. She didn’t know how the fires got started, but for there to be enough buildings burning for her to see the fire all the way up here, something was definitely wrong. That was too much fire to be an accident.

Torn with indecision, Avalon didn’t notice the first of the men who entered the meadow from the shadows. Bo’s growl and immediate bark gave her enough warning to bring her staff to bear, and then Avalon was fighting for her life.

Reflex made her swing her wooden shepherd’s staff up and over her head, bringing it crashing down on the closest man’s skull. He dropped like a stone, unconscious and possibly dead, but Avalon didn’t have time to figure out which was true at the moment. She could see the silhouettes of two others in the clearing, and she could hear Bo growling off to her left, obviously occupied with someone or something else. In her peripheral vision she could see the flames from the village climbing higher as more buildings joined the conflagration.

Sheep scattered away from her as Avalon moved to attack the closest stranger, swinging her weapon up onto her shoulder once more. She knew that she needed every advantage. She was, after all, still technically a child and her assailants most certainly were not. Fighting lessons from her father flashed through her head and she whirled around to give her attack more momentum, striking out as she finished her turn.

When she didn’t connect with the man, Avalon stumbled as her attack left her unbalanced. She felt a blow to the side of her knee and found herself on the ground, face planted in the scant spring grass. A whimper of pain escaped her, but she kept a tight hold on her weapon as she rolled, bringing the staff up with her. Sweeping it across her body, Avalon forced her attacker to back away from her a little, giving her a few moments to figure out what to do next. Unfortunately, a few moments weren’t nearly long enough.

With the moonlight still playing havoc with her eyesight, Avalon nearly missed seeing the boot coming her way. She started to roll away at the last second, the man connecting with her ribs hard enough to bruise, but no longer hard enough to break. She let out a gasp of pain this time, followed by a moan.

As if her obvious distress were a signal of some kind, the man attacking her took a few big steps in Avalon’s direction and leveled another kick at her already aching midsection. Too hurt to move away this time, she took the full brunt of the attack and Avalon screamed as something inside her broke. The searing pain in her side ripped through her entire body, and she slipped blissfully into unconsciousness.

Chapter 3

Girl! Wake up, girl!

The strange voice calling her was pitched low but was insistent, and it started to draw Avalon from the pain-induced fog and darkness that surrounded her. She tried to move, but was stopped by the weight of a warm hand on her shoulder.

Open your eyes, girl. I need to know how badly you’re hurt.

She did as she was told, blinking owlishly in the unexpected light of a pair of torches buried in the ground not too far away. The height of the moon in the sky told her she’d been unconscious for some time, and panic roared through her as the events of the night came crashing back to the forefront of her mind. Avalon moved to sit up, an action that was stopped by both the return of the hand to her shoulder and the stab of pain the movement caused.

I need you to stay still, girl, the young man told her, and Avalon looked at him for the first time. His dark hair was cut very short, and he was dressed in the uniform of Cembrance’s army — black pants and gray tunic with the charging boar of Cembrance displayed on a checked field of yellow and green. She stilled, and he smiled.

Better. Now, what’s your name, girl?

Avalon.

Hi Avalon, I’m Heath. What were you doing out here all alone?

Dread rose again. I was on lamb watch, she answered, her emotions making her voice spike in pitch. Where are the sheep?

Again Heath stopped Avalon from getting up and potentially causing herself more damage.

There’s nothing you can do right now, so just stay still! he commanded, obvious exasperation starting to creep into his voice. You’re going to hurt yourself.

Her breathing ragged, Avalon looked at him. You don’t understand, she began.

And now isn’t the time to explain it to me, Heath interrupted her. You’re obviously in pain, Avalon, but you certainly seem to remember enough that I can rule out a serious head injury. Let’s figure out how badly you’re hurt, okay?

He kept the tone of his voice calm as he talked her down, and Avalon relaxed a little and closed her eyes. She tried to take a deep breath, and gasped instead.

Hold on, the solider told her quietly, closing his eyes. Placing a hand on her forehead and the other over her stomach, he took a deep breath and started to silently mouth strange words. Avalon watched him, curious and wondering what he was doing.

Within moments she felt warmth start to spread through her body, starting under Heath’s hands and radiating outward. Shortly after that Avalon felt some of the pain ease, and she took that deep breath she’d wanted to take. It wasn’t pain-free, but it most certainly hurt less, and she smiled.

Okay, Heath breathed quietly, opening his eyes once more. You’ve got a pair of cracked ribs and some bleeding inside your body. I’ve stabilized you for now, but you need a healer right away.

Aren’t you a healer? Avalon asked. Surely she’d just felt him cast some sort of healing spell. Heath laughed softly, the sound full of self-depreciation.

Nah, I’m not a healer, not really. I can cast a few spells, but nothing strong enough to fully heal your injuries.

Heath held out a hand and helped Avalon sit up slowly, judging his healing success from her expressions and movements. She grimaced as he pulled her to her feet, but she was soon standing on her own.

We need to get you to a healer, Heath stated again.

Looking around, Avalon saw the rest of the soldiers for the first time. There were nine of them, making this group quite small and likely just part of a larger squad. They were moving around the clearing and the surrounding area, and she took stock of the damage.

None of the family’s sheep were left in the clearing, and Bo’s body lay not too far away. In the distance, the glow from the still-burning fires in the village stained the night sky, and from this vantage point Avalon could see the ruins of her family’s home and those of their nearest neighbors.

Oh gods! What happened? She felt her knees go weak, and Heath was quick to catch her as Avalon slid to the ground, a look of shock on her face. She started to shake, and she wrapped her arms around herself, but the cold she felt had nothing to do with the early spring night and everything to do with the horror of the sight in front of her.

As far as we can tell, a group of raiders attacked your village. They set fire to everything to keep everyone busy while they took the sheep.

Avalon looked up at him from her kneeling position on the ground. They destroyed everything?

Heath helped her back up to her feet. I don’t know, he admitted, starting to lead her down from the meadow once more. I was sent up here to look for...

He trailed off and Avalon looked over at him. To look for survivors?

Yeah.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Heath’s hand on the small of her back. Avalon’s strength quickly failed her when they started walking down the rather steep incline, and he soon had to wrap his arm around her waist to prevent her from falling.

Did you find anyone else? she asked finally, her voice quiet. Survivor’s guilt was already starting to set in, and Avalon wasn’t sure what to hope for. That there was someone to share this horrible feeling with her, or that she was only one who had to feel this way.

My group only found you, Heath answered just as softly, almost as if he understood what she was feeling. Avalon stopped.

Nobody else? No raiders either?

No, no raiders, he confirmed, gently getting Avalon moving again.

But I knocked one of the raiders down, she protested.

I guess you didn’t hit him hard enough to kill him, Heath said. Or the other raiders took the body with them.

They finished their descent and rounded one of the many rocky outcroppings to find an army camp well on its way to being set up. Heath guided her toward a large tent located near the middle of camp, and Avalon stopped again.

"I wasn’t unconscious all that long, she said when Heath looked at her questioningly. How is this camp here? How are any of you here? You’re the army, and if my village was on fire, how did anybody get help so quickly."

Avalon tried to pull away from him, suddenly concerned that ‘raiders’ was a far too convenient excuse. The moonlight hadn’t been bright enough for her to see her attackers clearly, and the dark army uniform that Heath wore could easily be what her assailants had worn.

Whoa, relax, Heath implored, hands held up in front of him in a non-threatening manner. We’ve been tracking this band of raiders for a few weeks, getting closer each time they attacked another village, but not close enough to catch them yet.

The army knew about these men, and they did nothing? Distantly, a small voice in the back of her mind told Avalon that these abrupt mood swings weren’t a good sign, but the larger part of her didn’t care.

We weren’t doing nothing, Heath protested defensively. We’ve been tracking them, like I said.

You could have warned us, Avalon argued. You could have prevented this!

She threw her arms outward, gesturing to the entire valley and the destruction there. The movement aggravated her injuries, and she dropped to her knees with a cry of pain. Heath took a tentative step toward her, and when she didn’t protest, he closed the distance between them and crouched beside her.

For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, he said. Yes, maybe someone should have sent out a warning, but I’m far too lowly ranked to have any sort of decision making ability. Can I take you to the healer though? You’re going to kill yourself.

Avalon nodded, the pain making the decision an easy one, and Heath helped her to her feet once again. He walked with her the rest of the way to the healer’s tent and turned her over to their capable care.

Heath, she called out as he turned to leave. "Can you do