“Do you know why I asked you not to kill this particular river dragon?” Jabari’s voice was calm like the whisper of the desert sands before a storm.
Khalid lowered his head so that he was looking at his master’s toes. “I am ignorant as always, Jabari.”
“Yes,” the noble hissed. “Yes, you are.”
While circling the captain of his guards, Jabari held out his hand for a sword. A second later a blade found his waiting palm, and he placed the naked edge against the back of Khalid’s neck. “The Pharaoh himself asked me to protect something for him and provided me with a guardian. What do you think he will say when he finds out that one of his most prized possessions is dead?”
Khalid was starting to get a sense of just how badly he’d fucked up. Disobeying an order from the Pharaoh was tantamount to spitting on the gods themselves. No one would be so stupid, and yet here he was.
“I am sorry for failing you, Jabari.” The sword pressed against his neck hard enough to draw a few beads of blood, and he stopped speaking immediately.
“I can forgive failure.” Khalid heard the sounds of men being forced back into the courtyard as Jabari continued speaking. “Betrayal is something the Pharaoh won’t let stand. My word is law for a reason. Not so you can pick and choose which of my commands to follow.”
Khalid felt the weight of death sitting on his shoulders. “I never meant to betray you.”
“And yet you did,” Jabari hissed in his ear.
There was a commotion behind him, but Khalid couldn’t turn. He heard the sound of shuffling feet coming from behind, then the first of the men passed him. It didn’t take long for him to figure out these were the porters that helped carry the crocodile and chests back to Naroosh. The soldiers shoved men to their knees in a single-file line.
An execution line.
Jabari removed the sword from Khalid’s neck and laid a warm hand on his shoulder. “Imagine what the Pharaoh would think if he knew it was my very own captain of the guard who slew his guardian and not some wayward hunters?” His face pulled into a mask of rage. “You put me at risk. Me!”
Spittle flew from Jabari’s lips as he snarled, “If I thought killing you would solve this for me, you’d already be dead.” He tapped his sword against Khalid’s broken arm. “Instead, I’m going to scrub you from the histories so thoroughly it will be as if you never existed. The Pharaoh must never hear of this betrayal. I will not be perceived as weak.”
“If you promise to spare the girl, I’ll do whatever you want,” Khalid pleaded.
All of this was for nothing if Neema died too.
“She is rather fetching.” Jabari ran his fingers through Neema’s long black hair. “I think I may keep her for myself. Can’t let her go running around the kingdom telling everyone about what happened.”
Jabari motioned with one hand, and one of Khalid’s soldiers sprang into action. He stepped up to the first man while pulling a long thin blade from a case. With practiced ease, he slammed the blade down between the vertebrae on the man’s neck, killing him instantly. One by one he moved down the line, and the soldiers dragged the fallen bodies away.
It was a death factory.
For every one of the men that died, Khalid felt part of his heart wither and die. He had led these men to this fate. None of them knew what they were signing up for. All of this was his fault. There had to be a way for him to make it right. Why would the gods hand him this amazing victory only to have him laid so low?
Maybe there was something greater going on here, a struggle between the gods. If he let himself be killed like the others, would he be letting Eternia down? There wasn’t much time for him to make a choice. The line of men in front of him was rapidly shrinking.
Would he die like a dog, or would he take a chance that Eternia had greater plans for him? When death was on the line, the choice was easy. He wanted to live. Khalid would fight, and if the gods wanted him to live, then he would live. If the soldiers cut him down, he could only hope that the scales would tip in his favor as he stood before the gates of the afterlife.
Moving with speed born from decades of training, Khalid rolled forward and out from under Jabari’s grip. His master expected nothing but total subservience and wasn’t prepared for the move. Now that he was back up on his feet, it would be easy enough to dodge Jabari’s blade. For all his ruthless talents, Jabari was a shitty fighter. For someone who killed as many people as he did you’d expect a little more talent with a blade, but it was clear he was more comfortable giving the order than executing it himself.
Khalid dodged inside a wild slash by Jabari and slammed the elbow of his broken arm against his opponent’s elbow. He fought against the explosion of pain long enough to pluck the sword from Jabari’s fingers. Everyone was frozen. Not a single person moved as they all watched in shock. What manner of man would be so foolish as to lay a hand on the noble?
Khalid grinned as Jabari backed up, but it wasn’t the right time to press his luck.
It was time to get the fuck out of there.
“Time to go.” He slid the sword into the empty sheath on his back and grabbed Neema’s wrist with his free hand, dragging her to her feet. There was nothing left to say. They would need all their breath sprinting for their lives.
The soldiers moved to encircle Jabari. His immediate safety was more important than cutting Khalid down. He didn’t know if the further delay was a gift from the goddess or if it was a final show of respect from some of his soldiers, but he wouldn’t waste the opportunity to flee.
They ran. “Can I trust you to stay with me? Khalid shouted as they sprinted.
Neema pulled her wrist free. “Just get us the fuck out of here.”
He shoved the girl away as he dodged a lazy strike from one of the newer soldiers. Without the girl to hold onto, he pulled Jabari’s blade from his back. This man was no match for his skill even with one broken arm, but he didn’t need to be. All the soldier had to do was slow him down, and when the others caught up, his and Neema’s fates would be sealed.
He faked a slash to the left and spun in a quick circle to the right. The man was as pitiful a swordsman as he thought, and now Khalid stood right behind him. It would have been easy enough to cut the man down, but he didn’t want to fan the flames of hatred any more than they had been already. Instead, he kicked the man in the back and sent him sprawling on the ground.
Then the real race to freedom began.
In a flash, the two fugitives were out into the cool desert night. The wind he’d felt stirring as they entered the outlying village was turning into a gale. Just the kind of thing that would make tracking the two of them through the desert impossible. At least one of the gods was smiling down upon them.
There was no time to think. All they could afford to do now was run. Jabari would send an army after them when the storm cleared so they had to be gone by then. This wind was their chance to make a clean escape. As they ran through the winding streets, the reality of their fate dawned on him.
Khalid was an exile.
“There is something wrong with this new Pharaoh, and I swear to the gods I will find out what it is,” Khalid huffed to the moon as he ran. “Evil will not be allowed to swallow the land of my people. I will give my last breath to see the people of Naroosh free again.”
“What about me?” Neema cried as she struggled to keep up with his relentless pace.
For the first time, he considered what to do with the girl. He couldn’t leave her alone. If she went back to Naroosh, Jabari would kill her. If he left her anywhere else, she’d be sold into one of the pleasure houses or worse. He didn’t see very many options in front of him.
“You will come with me, and I will train you. One day you will carry on my quest for justice when I am no longer able.” Khalid meant every word.
There was something evil happening in the deserts. The new Pharaoh wasn’t a man worthy of respect. If the gods had seen fit to let him escape, they must have agreed. It was time
that someone stood against the spreading madness before their kingdom was lost to darkness forever.
Chapter Six
Brother Colton liked being in charge.
He found that it was always easier to give the orders than do the grunt work. Although if he told himself the truth, he’d rather let someone else handle the hassle so he could go back to his alcove and continue his research. It seemed as though no one liked to read about the past to save the future anymore, but whenever shit hit the fan, who did they call on?
Researchers like him.
Sure, the field agents liked to take all the credit for the temple’s success, but without the power of the research team, no one would know the correct anti-curse to use or even how to break the seals on something as simple as a reaper chest without getting their damn heads cut off. Brother Colton had always found the true heroes rested well behind the action.
It was much safer there, and they had cookies.
Getting chased around the countryside by murderous werewolves wasn’t exactly his thing. He needed a bookshelf, a desk, and somewhere to heat his tea. Brother Colton snorted in disgust as he thought about what some of Tristholm’s new priests were drinking. Some invention brought in by the travelers, and it had a rather foul name. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t quite think of it.
Coffee.
Who would drink the vile stuff? He’d overheard two travelers in town talking about a special kind of seed that could only be harvested after a large feline ate it and shit it out. What kind of crazy person saw a cat shitting and thought, hey, I wonder if I can make a drink out of that?
None of that weird brown bitter crap for Brother Colton. He only drank the finest imported teas. It was his one little eccentricity, at least that was what he liked to tell himself. It wasn’t as if he needed his pay for anything else, so he spent his coin on fine tea and rare books. One of these days he might even get back to his books if the High Priest got tired of torturing him with forced social interactions.
Thankfully it was only ten in the morning, and he was done interacting with humanity for the day. The afternoons were his time to read and pray. Sometimes, if he thought he could get away with it, he even snuck in a quick nap.
You couldn’t work hard all the time.
A nap sounded like a damn good idea at the moment. He might lose his temper if he had to settle another petty dispute before lunch. The thought of some tea, a few of those delicious cookies his chambermaid baked daily, and a quick nap eased his mind quite a bit. Brother Colton didn’t know how anyone else felt, but a good cup of tea, an old book, and a little nap was all it took to set the world right again.
When he woke up, he’d be more than happy to preside over another battle of “who was the most devout.” It was amazing what young people could find to fight about. Eternia only cared that you believed, not how many times a person made her symbol in front of their chest as they prayed.
Brother Colton was just starting to indulge himself in the daydream of a relaxing afternoon when he spotted a group of people walking toward the temple gates. If he wasn’t mistaken that was Seraphina herself, and it couldn’t be.
Not them again.
The thought of a nap quickly evaporated as Brother Colton straightened his robe to receive guests. He hoped Tim didn’t want to drag him out on some kind of crazy adventure again. One carriage ride of death was enough for him.
As he walked to meet his guests, Brother Colton saw a blur from the corner of his eye.
“Just when today looked so promising!” He let out a weary sigh.
The last thing he needed was Jessi pestering the travelers with her insane babble about trouble at the farm.
“Oh, no.”
Brother Colton hiked up his robes in a very unpriestly way and started to run.
Chapter Seven
Tim felt a grin spread across his lips as he saw Brother Colton.
It always expedited things when you knew the man in charge. Although at this point, Tim would be kind of surprised if any of the temple priests didn’t know their little band of travelers. They had made quite a name for themselves so far. He still wasn’t sold yet on notoriety being a good thing, but having friends in high places sure seemed to help them along.
Lifting his hand to wave, Tim noticed the expression of greeting on the priest’s face turn to one of concern. It wasn’t until the rotund priest started running toward them that he grew concerned. If there was one thing Brother Colton didn’t do, it was run. If the man was sprinting toward them, the situation must be dire indeed.
There wasn’t time to think of what to do. Tim spun in place, darted between JaKobi and Cassie, and fired off his Snare spell. He watched the spell fly hoping that it would be strong enough to contain whatever horror was charging at them now. His eyes followed the spell's progress as it collided with a young woman.
What in the fuck?
Why would Brother Colton be so worried about the girl coming toward them? Tim decided he wanted to find out before the man reached them. Ignoring his friends’ questioning gaze, he ran toward the startled girl.
“I can’t move,” the young woman flatly stated as she looked up at Tim in confusion.
Tim waved away her concern. “It will be gone momentarily.”
There was no need to tell the young woman that the level of his Snare spell was so low that she didn’t have much to worry about. If the girl put a little more effort into her fight, she might have already been free. For now, she was stuck in place, and Brother Colton was far enough away he’d have time to ask her a few questions before he arrived.
“Honey,” ShadowLily laid a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “I know we’ve all been on edge lately, but I don’t think Paul would be too pleased if you started attacking the temple’s acolytes without provocation.”
“He didn’t attack her exactly.” JaKobi knelt and poked the acolyte’s legs.
“Hey! Stop that!” the girl shouted as she swatted JaKobi’s hand.
Cassie stepped forward and pulled the fire mage back to his feet and away from the girl. “Sorry about him. He’s all curiosity and no manners.”
“Well, how often do you get to see a Snare spell at work up close?” JaKobi exclaimed in excitement. “Normally we use them and run away.”
Tim’s spell broke, and the young woman stumbled forward, landing in his arms. She obviously wasn’t there to cause any of them harm, but he hadn’t figured out exactly what she wanted yet.
Gently setting the young lady back on her feet, Tim asked, “Was there something you needed?”
“Yes, you big oaf.” The acolyte swatted his arm. “I need to talk to her.” She pointed past Tim at Lorelei.
Cassie grinned. “That’s a first.”
“Probably a real blow to the ego.” JaKobi snickered.
“You know I liked it better when you two weren’t on the same side,” Tim grumbled.
Lorelei stepped forward, looking as shocked as the rest of them. “What can I help you with?”
“There’s a problem…”
Brother Colton barged into their circle around the girl. “Jessi, I told you not to bother anyone with this nonsense.”
“It’s not nonsense.” Jessi stamped her foot in frustration. “People are dying.”
Seraphina stepped forward and laid a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “Calm your heart little one, and tell us what you’ve found.”
Jessi looked around at all the expectant faces, her eyes finally settling on Brother Colton.
The priest had the same kind of worried expression a dog walker gets when they reach in their pocket and realize they’re out of bags. “You have their attention now. You might as well tell them your story.”
It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but it gave the young woman the strength to continue. Jessi drew a deep breath and plunged into her tale. “A harpy is attacking farmers along the southern field. No one has died yet, but several men were injured.”
�
��Jessi, the foreman told us that the injuries were due to accidents. It makes more sense than a monster attacking them.” Brother Colton shook his head sadly as if he felt bad for wasting their time.
Face scrunched up with determination, Jessi continued, “People say things when I’m around that they wouldn’t when they see one of the priests coming. Sometimes it’s as though they forget I’m even in the room. Trust me. There’s a problem.”
Tim wondered if they had time to go off on a goose chase when the deserts of Naroosh were calling to them. If they got distracted by every little side quest, they’d never make any progress toward the endgame. On the other hand, it wouldn’t do much for their reputation if they left without looking into it and people died. Being a hero wasn’t easy work. Thankfully, this time the burden of making the decision wasn’t on him.
Tim gave Lorelei a slight nod letting her know whatever choice she made they would all stand behind her.
The ranger looked around at all the faces, clearly pleased that everyone trusted her to make the right call. A grin spread across her lips as she looked down at Jessi. “I think we have the time to check it out.”
“Weren’t we about to…” JaKobi’s words trailed off as Cassie’s elbow slammed into his ribs.
“No.” Cassie frowned at the fire mage. “We weren’t.”
Tim felt for the guy. He’d been on the receiving end of a few elbows in his day and knew that the hits didn’t feel very good. It probably didn’t help that in this game Cassie was extra strong, and JaKobi was what was commonly referred to as a squishy. Although if you asked the fire mage, he would probably call himself a glass cannon.
Lots of firepower but easy to break.
The same thing could be said about Tim’s class, but his ability to pull health from his targets and to heal gave him a better chance of survival. Not that Tim spent much time deluding himself about his prowess in battle. If he found himself facing multiple opponents without a tank to hide behind, the results wouldn’t be pretty.
Deserts Of Naroosh Page 6