The Beasts of Rainfall

Chapter 8- Her

Clio came back into the world slowly, unwilling to leave the painless, quiet sleep that she was so rarely granted. Ever since her brothers died, she usually had nightmares. But the pain slowly came back, concentrated on her throbbing head.

Then, she thought she felt a washcloth on her hair, and she heard someone whistling softly. Griffin.

Clio’s eyes snapped open and she jerked her head up reaching blindly for her bow, her knife, something-- but all were gone, and a wave of nausea passed over her and she let out a small sigh of pain.

“Wow there! It’s all good, don’t panic! Your safe.” said a chipper male voice.

Clio turned again, and found herself looking straight at a square jaw and slightly scruffy smiling face framed by spiky neck length white hair.

...Griffin?

He blinked his dark green eyes at her quizzically, and asked “Heya, how do ya feel?”

Definitely not Griffin.

Clio relaxed back into the makeshift bed she was lying in, and realized that she was staring up at an earthy, brown ceiling. Strange.

“Um. Like my head was slammed into a tree... because it was... Could you... could you please tell me what happened?”

The man frowned at her, and shook his head. “Well, I know Kane wants to talk to you, but you just come out when you're ready, ok? Now, I did not get the best marks in the ‘Medics’ section of Bane training, but I do know that you need some water, and Kane told me to give you this.”

Clio opened her mouth to ask what kinds of marks this ‘Kane’ got in Medics, but a fistful of tangy, smooth herbs were stuffed into her mouth, and she choked them down as the man offered her a flask of water.

Clio took it, and drained the whole thing. “Thanks. I’m Clio Bane, by the way.”

The man smiled crookedly. In the old days, people would receive their last names based on what they did, and that tradition was just dying out. There were a heck of alot of ‘Banes’ in Rainfall.

“Oh, yeah, I know. My name’s Jax Cross, and you can join us outside when you feel better. Your friend’s alright, by the way, he pulled that arrow out of his leg by himself, and he’s just resting and talking to Kane. He eats alot.”

Now that was Griffin.

Clio frowned and watched as Jax stood, bowing his head a little so that his head wouldn’t scrape the hard packed earthen ceiling, and opened a small green door on the ceiling, disappearing without another word. The light that filtered through the door evaporated as it closed, leaving Clio with a small candle next to her nest of blankets.

Clio sat back and took a sip of her water. She estimated that the little hideout she was in was around twelve by twelve, and assumed that it must be one of the small underground hideouts the Banes had hidden throughout the forest. She had never learned where these were, thanks to the Queen.

Another wave of pain passed over her, and Clio let out a sigh. Her thoughts were a jumble of confusion, she needed to sort them out before she acted.

Griffin. She had trusted him, because as crazy as his story sounded, she had went over it in her head, and it made sense. In a way.

The little things that didn’t fit, she had planned to ask him that day... until Mace came along.

Clio narrowed her eyes and turned her head back to stare up into the sky, only to find the ceiling of dirt above her. Right.

Clio shook her head. The way Griffin had spoken about saving his people, creating peace... she saw how eager, how earnest his eyes were. Eyes usually did not lie. She was fairly certain that he truly did want to end the bloodshed, to have peace.

But he had said something, before Clio lost consciousness... he had said that he had to finish this. For some her? Because... Because they did something to her... who was her?

Oh.

Clio pushed herself up carefully and slowly, scanning the weapons and blankets scattered around the fort until she found her own bow and quiver, then her hunting knives.

Placing them carefully by her nest and straightening it up, she took two knives, slipped them into her belt, and carefully unlatched the square green door in the ceiling. Clio blinked and smiled as the cool wind greeted her, wind that smelled of fresh rain and wild flowers. Clio’s smile faded as she remembered the price paid for the rain that all in Rainfall so dearly loved.

“Ho there, Clio! You feelin’ ok?” A loud voice boomed from a campfire a little ways away. Clio turned, smiling as she did, for she recognized this voice.

“Bruce? I didn’t know you traveled with such a large party.” Clio said, catching sight of at least three other figures sitting next to the fire. She let out a squeak as Bruce reached down and ruffled her hair with one of his large hands, beaming broadly.

“And I didn’t know you went alone! Well, not countin’ Griffin. He ain’t a Bane, isee?”

Clio’s eyes darkened a little “No, he is not. Speaking of that...” Clio’s eyes swiveled back to the campfire, where Jax was lounging against a tall tree with two other men... one of them being Griffin.

“Heya, come join us Clio! We want to hear who attacked you. We’ve just been listening to Griffin’s stories, they’re starting to weird me out.” Jax waved at her slightly from where he sat, and patted a rock next to him. Griffin looked up, laughing from something the other man had said, and saw her.

Clio scowled as she made her way over to the camp fire. Bruce trailed behind, looking a little confused, like usual. Griffin smiled.

“You did not just smile.” Clio said with resignation in her voice. Griffin’s smile flickered.

“Ok, I know that looked bad, really bad, but they deserved it. I... I had to. You have to understand, they--”

“Wait, what? Who? What?” said Jax, frowning.

“Those three Banes you found dead.” Clio said coldly. “You wanted to know who killed them? It was him, he isn’t what he says he is, he is a Beast! Literally!” Clio stepped towards him, her eyes narrowed. Griffin closed his eyes briefly and rubbed his foot, a weary look on his face. “But Griffin, answer this for me-- your sister. How recently did she die?”

Griffin stopped, his eyes widened, then narrowed. “How did you--”

But he fell silent as the third man, the one Clio had not yet paid more than a glance to, stood. He was tall, almost as tall as Bruce, and strongly built. His thick, sandy blond hair almost reached his waist, and it was all tied up in dreadlocks. He carried a large sword at his side, an unusual weapon for a Bane, and his plain green eyes went deep, and carried both light and darkness. This man was the leader here.

“Griffin has told us the truth about the beasts. He told us the story of Finn and the Warlock, and how the Rians fled from the sun. But he did not tell us that he was the one responsible for the deaths of those men. We found the both of you passed out on the ground among the bodies, and thought you must have been attacked.” He glanced towards Griffin, who lowered his eyes. “But I believe that we should not judge him until we hear his story.”

“His story? But he just told you--”

“No, he just told us of a bigger story. Now, I want to hear his. Glad you’re alright, Clio. I am Kane Scyther. Now Griffin, after we get Clio some food, I want to hear your story.”