Vessia
Vessia heard many stories about someone called the Bone Whistler. None of them were good.
Then one day, a new rumor swept through the tribehold: The Bone Whistler's army is marching on Yellow Bear.
The exiles panicked. Some ran at once, fleeing toward the Green Woods. Others answered the call of War Chief Hertio and joined his warriors to "face the blooded spear like men."
Danumoro stayed.
"I've already run once. I wish I could dance Red."
"Not to heal," Vessia said.
"No," he agreed. "Not all dances are for healing."
Soon, new exiles arrived. They were not from the Rainbow Labyrinth. They were Yellow Bear tribesfolk whose clanholds had been destroyed by the Bone Whistler's army. They begged for help to save the clanholds still in the army's path.
Hertio agreed to send Tavaedies and warriors to help.
Danumoro offered to go. He told Vessia not to come with him.
She followed anyway.
By the time they got there, the battle was already over. The ground was covered with wounded.
"It looks like I will be healing after all," Danumoro said grimly.
This time, the Yellow Bear Tavaedies did not argue. They let him join their healing circle.
The Tavaedies divided the wounded into two groups. One group they treated right away. The other group they tied up.
While the Tavaedies healed the first group, Vessia wandered over to the second. One man caught her eye.
He had strong features and a well-shaped body. She had learned that this meant he was considered handsome. But that was not why she noticed him.
She noticed the way he looked at her. Directly. Without fear.
"Why did they tie you up?" she asked. "Why aren't they healing you?"
He looked amused. "They would rather piss in our teeth."
"Why do you serve the Bone Whistler?" she asked. "No one likes him."
"The Bone Whistler doesn't care if he's liked," the man said. "He wants to be loved. People love most what they fear most."
Vessia frowned. "That's not how Danu explained love to me. He says he loves me, but he's never said he fears me."
The prisoner studied her. "I don't know why, but I think I should fear you."
She looked him over. His bare chest was covered with gashes. His arms were tied behind his back. His legwals were torn, and he hadn't shaved in days. Blood, sweat, and dirt stained his body.
"Well, I don't fear you," Vessia said.
The man laughed. His voice was low and smooth, like a purr. "You hurt me more than any weapon on the battlefield, beautiful one."
The Tavaedies had finished healing the first group. Now they walked toward the prisoners, knives in hand.
"Ah," said the prisoner, tipping his chin toward them. He smiled boldly. "Here come my executioners."
Danumoro stepped in front of them. "Don't."
The prisoners looked surprised. Vessia noticed that all of them glanced at the handsome one, as if waiting for a signal. That was strange. He wore no marks of rank. In fact, he wore less than the others—almost like he had taken off his outer garments on purpose.
He's their leader, she thought. But he doesn't want us—his enemies—to know.
"You of all people should want the blood of these murderers, Herb Dancer," the Yellow Bear Tavaedies told Danumoro.
"Then listen to me now, when I ask you to spare them," he said.
They argued. At last, they agreed—but none of them would heal the Bone Whistler's warriors.
Danumoro folded his arms and spoke to the prisoners.
"If you give me your word you won't run, I will heal you."
Again, the men looked to the handsome one. He gave a small nod.
"We'll do it," said a gruff warrior. He held an unconscious man in his lap. "Start with Bapio. He's in a bad way."
One by one, Danumoro treated the wounded enemy warriors. Some died, but he gave each man his full effort. Vessia could see that.
The handsome man waited until all the others had gone before him. He said his wound wasn't bad.
Only when Danumoro called him did Vessia realize the truth. A broken arrow was still stuck in the man's lower back. He had kept it hidden the whole time.
Danumoro was furious. "This is a terrible wound! You should have let me treat it right away!"
"I'm fine," the man said.
Now that Vessia knew, she could see the truth. His smile was tight with pain. He had been in awful agony while waiting.
Grumbling, Danumoro brought him to the center of the healing circle. He pulled out the arrow. The man grunted but didn't cry out. Danumoro pressed leaves to the wound and began to dance.
Light formed around the man's body. All people had auras, but his glowed brighter than most. It was colorful and strong.
Danumoro saw it too. After the dance, the wound looked better, but Danumoro frowned.
"You're a Tavaedi," he said.
The man raised an eyebrow. "If you were going to kill me, you should've done it before you drained your aura healing me."
"Tell me your Shining Name," Danumoro said.
"No."
"You owe me your life. You won't even give me your name?"
"I won't owe you for long."
"What does that mean?"
The man gave a cocky smile. "Even now, the War Group of Vio the Skull Stomper, top Zavaedi of the Bone Whistler, is surrounding this place. You're trapped. When they close in, they'll butcher you like pigs at feast."
Danumoro turned pale. He ran to warn the others.
It wasn't a bluff. Soon they heard war drums. The trap had closed.
Danumoro came back with the Yellow Bear Tavaedies.
"You owe me a lifedebt," he said to the prisoner. "You must let us leave."
"I owe you," said the prisoner. "Your friends wanted to kill us."
Before Danumoro could argue, the prisoner raised a hand. "But since you showed rare kindness—and since…" he looked at Vessia, "I'm in a generous mood, I'll let your whole group go free. In trade, you leave me and my men."
"Agreed."
A short time later, the Yellow Bear war party walked past rows of Rainbow Labyrinth warriors in silence. The prisoners walked the other way.
Just before leaving, the handsome prisoner turned and called out to Danumoro.
"We're even now, Healer. Be careful. Next time we meet, the balance will be fresh. I'll owe you nothing. Don't expect unearned mercy from me. I am Vio the Skull Stomper."
The Yellow Bear tribesfolk gasped at the name. Danumoro clenched his fists.
"I wouldn't expect mercy from any of you scum!" he shouted back.
"And yet," Vessia said softly to him, "you did show them mercy."
"I wish I hadn't," Danumoro said. "If I had known who he was, I would have let his warriors kill me, if it meant I could cut his throat first. The others were right. I was a fool to spare them."
So many contradictions.
Vessia didn't think she would ever understand.