Leshy PoV
I shot straight from the garden, after placing Caleb a short distance from where I assumed his home was, as it was the direction he always came from when entering the garden.
I shot across the night and counted, 1… 2… stop.
The scent of blood and fire hit my nose, I heard the familiar clap and breeze flow by me.
I heard hundreds of rustles… a crowd…
I also smelled the familiar sweat of Barbatos.
“Barbatos, what occurred.”
My nephew, and commander, Barbatos… I heard his muscles contract as he kneeled, then his soft voice rose up, “My lord, the Lamb and Valefar had a fight.
Deephaven is in ruin.”
“I see… That… foul Lamb, she holds only cruelty.
Destroying all semblance of-”
“My lord, that isn’t what happened.” an unfamiliar voice interrupted me, and many told it to hush.
One of Barbatos’s men pinned him.
“Cease your anger.
Mortal, speak your piece,” I approached him, and sniffed, canine.
Loyal and sharp kind.
“What happened here, that my commander is wrong?”
I heard his chin tilt upwards as his clothes rustled in shivers.
Chainmail… must be a guard.
“My lord, The Ordered was not wrong but… The Lamb is not at fault here.”
I could hear everyone tense, even Barbatos flinched, his belt leather flapping.
“Then who is…”
The guard quivered severely, “It was Valefar, when guards went to fight the Lamb, she killed one instantly, but-”
“There is a but?
Past the Lamb committing murder?” This was interesting.
“The Guard was someone under me, Adren.
He guarded the front gate with Leshy… a guard of that name, not you… my lord.”
“I would imagine, now get to the ‘but’.”
“The Lamb revived him, stating that she wouldn’t be a monster… I… didn’t know what to do there, then Valefar showed up.
He mocked the Lamb putting effort to revive Adren… then… he killed both guards.
The Lamb attacked him out of anger… and throughout the fight tried to save as many as she could…”
“And Valefar…?” this… would not stand…
“He threw her into people, targeting places with many people, I saw him throw her from the sky into the market….
where many died… I don’t think any from the market made it out.”
I considered this, and my voice was dark, “And how do you know that the Lamb cared for your losses?”
“…
She saved me… aborting something that would hurt Valefar for my sake and bringing me to safety, then protecting me from Valefar directly trying to kill me… she told me to evacuate… and I did what I could… but the city is too dangerous…”
I heard one of my cultists, “So, you took the order of the foe of the Old Faith?!
Heretic!”
Barbatos’s men yelled condemnations, but my nephew, himself, stayed silent…
I spoke, “And what of Valefar, what happened to him?”
The guard slacked… it was like he accepted death… why…?
That is when Barbatos spoke, “Was she injured?”
The guard… I heard his chin rise and fall.
A nod… “She had many severe injuries… I was amazed she could still move at all.”
“Why didn’t you kill her?” Barbatos’s voice was cold.
“…
I couldn’t… I owe her my life… she saved me and every person still alive today.”
So, I spoke, “From a disaster that would’ve been prevented had she not come…”
“My lord, the Lamb came to face Valefar, but Valefar chose to kill civilians.
I will not blame her for this…” his voice had a calm resolve, as though he didn’t care what I would do now.
I stood up, “Do all of you share this sentiment… that the Lamb was not responsible?”
None of them spoke… expected, the guard was dead, but they had a chance…
“It is… if she wasn’t there… we would all be mmf-” A child spoke, and her mouth was smacked shut.
“I see… Barbatos…” My voice was grim, and every one of Barbatos’s men tightened the grips on their weapons, the sound of rubbing increasing… ready to kill them all with my simple word.
But…
“Weren’t the Lambs the target of your Hunt?”
and
“Is that how you justify Genocide?!”
…
Caleb’s words struck me…
I stood to my full height, I could hear them cry… like… I did once…
“Barbatos… take them to Lessia, give them food and arrange shelter, even if it is tents.
If you lack money, I give you permission to use some of my funds to buy what is needed.
Many have died this day, let us not have more.”
I addressed the whole group, “Soldiers of mine, make two groups, one scour the city, see if there are any other survivors.
Give first aid and get them to Lessia.
Am I understood?”
One cultist sputtered, “My lord, they praise the-”
“Did I stutter?
Like it or not, this catastrophe was done by a commander and mitigated by the Lamb.
Should it be said that we take offense when our foe does good?
Or should we do good ourselves.”
Then I turned in the direction where I smelled Barbatos from, “And one last order… strike Valefar from all places of honor and books of stations.
Let his name be passed from history and forgotten.”
Barbatos breathed relief, “Yes, my lord… Men, you heard our god!
Do what he has commanded!”
I turned to the guard, “What is your name?”
“Oedip, my lord.”
“Oedip, lead what remains to Lessia, follow Barbatos, he will not lead you astray.
I did not name him the Ordered for nothing.”
I would leave… but some could be alive.
I entered the city and smelled people.
I heard a girl crying.
“Child…”
“Mommy… please… wake up…”
The child ignored me… focused on something soft she was shaking.
“Mommy, please… I can’t lose you… not after daddy…”
“What happened to your father, child?”
“…
he was taken by those hooded guys… my mom said they’d sacerfick him…”
“Sacrifice…”
“Yeah…” I heard her chin turn, “You’re big… do you know if my mommy will be okay?
I don’t want her to leave…”
The mother’s heart wasn’t beating… I could tell that sitting there, I felt, and she had a broken arm and crushed leg…
“Girl, what is your name?”
“Amy… what’s yours?”
“I am Leshy… there are kind people outside of the city, they’ll take you somewhere safe.”
“And… Mommy?”
“I will handle her, Amy.
Go on, now.”
I heard her muscles unevenly tense as she moved… a hobble… a child… but her legs were definitely injured, and she’d seen such devastation.
“One moment…”
She paused, and I put one finger on her leg, and pressed energy into them.
Her muscles stopped tensing unevenly.
“Woah, thank you, Mr.
Leshy… are you a god?”
I smiled… “Go to the guards, they’ll keep you save.”
I heard her chin go up and down, then she ran off…
Through the night we found 142 more people, the second group went with them to Lessia.
I stayed behind, and found every last body…
I pressed my finger to the ground and graves formed under them, and filled over each body.
And… like Narinder once did… I sung…
“Oh when fires light and darkness be…
What comes in, oh what we’ll see…
When shadow covers all their eyes…
This song we sing to know their lives…”
Then, flowers bloomed, their vines twining and snapping, covering the graves.
The first ritual I ever saw… and my favorite one…
I sighed, then left the ruins.
Deephaven being no more than a memory…
The Lamb… she was my enemy… and would come for my head… but was she wrong for it?
Amy’s father was a sacrifice to me, her mother died to my own commander, she would grow up alone… and would she hate me then, once she was old enough to know my role?
The Lamb, I participated in the purge… no… the Hunting of her species…
What was I?
I… I was no better than them… none of us were… were we…
I was just as bad as Haro.