Sacrifice for the Quagga God (A Bunduki Jungle Adventure Book 3)

by J. T. Edson

  ‘So the Mun-Gatahs have her, do they?’ Athena put in. ‘Don’t worry, Beryl will save her for you while we’re rescuing my sister.’

  Smiling at the princess’s display of faith in her, Beryl told Bunduki how they had arrived so fortuitously. The Mun-Gatahs had abducted four Amazons and, later, the queen’s second daughter, Ariadne. Accompanied by Athena, a ‘Finger’ of her Regiment—Thalia, the ‘Nail’ and ten warriors xxix—and three scout-messengers from the Antelope Regiment, Beryl had set off in pursuit. They were hoping to catch up before they were too far into enemy territory and either effect a rescue or delay Ariadne’s captors until the reinforcements for which she had sent joined them. Having lost their quarry’s trail where a vast herd of migrating herbivores had passed over it, Beryl had sent two of the ‘Antelopes’ ahead and had followed in the general direction the Mun-Gatahs were taking. When the remaining scout had seen Bunduki, Beryl had decided to investigate. Leaving their horses with the ‘Antelope’, she and the rest of the party had advanced on foot. The python had launched its attack as they were reaching the top of the slope. Recognizing its victim, improbable as learning his identity had appeared, she had led the attack which saved his life.

  ‘Then I shouldn’t think we can both be after the same party,’ the blond giant declared without asking what Beryl would have done if she had not identified him. ‘Anyway, I’m sure the six who came after me have turned back. So I’d like to return after I’ve eaten and take up the trail.’

  ‘You’d better stay with us, Bunduki,’ Athena interrupted. ‘The Mun-Gatah are very good warriors and very fierce.’

  ‘Don’t you think I’m capable of defending myself?’ the blond giant inquired, having detected a hint of challenge in the girl’s comment and knowing it must be met if he was to have his suggestions to form an alliance with the Amazons accepted.

  ‘You’re a fair archer,’ Athena conceded, with an air of amused condescension. ‘But how are you with a spear, axe or sword?’

  ‘Good enough with any of them,’ Bunduki declared, having glanced at and received a quick nod of confirmation from Beryl. ‘But I’m best with my shield and knife.’

  ‘Hey, Tara!’ called the princess, grinning delightedly. ‘Bring your sword and shield. He wants to show us how well he can use them. Don’t hurt him, it’s all in fun.’

  A rumble of excited chatter rose from the Amazons and they looked at the youngest of the ‘Finger’, whose skirt was still wet from having crossed the river to retrieve the Thomson’s gazelle. Showing no sign of alarm over having been told to attack such a large opponent, she laid down her axe and drew the wooden hiked sword from its sheath. Grinning and exchanging comments, Thalia and the rest of the ‘Finger’ gathered in a loose group around Beryl and Athena.

  Picking up his shield, Bunduki slipped his left arm through the two carrying loops and drew the bowie knife with his right hand. Allowing its blade to point towards the ground, he stepped forward with the shield held vertically in front of his chest.

  Letting out an Amazon war yell, Tara sprang forward. She was delighted to see that the blond giant did not offer to move his shield. Held in such a fashion, it would be far less protection than he imagined. Whipping up her sword, she aimed it at the top of the shield. It was her intention to bury the blade in, twist and leave his torso exposed for a thrust with the sword.

  A disgusted sniff burst from Athena. From what she could see, Bunduki was far from being a capable warrior. If he had been, he would have turned the shield so that his attacker’s sword met and was deflected by the convex outer surface. Any Amazon fresh from training would have taken such a precaution.

  Duplicating the princess’s summation, Tara put all her strength behind the blow. Except for one very important detail, of which she was in ignorance, her tactics would have been correct. She was not striking at the usual layers of smoothed and hardened leather padded with tightly packed grass. Instead, her blade met a substance that was strong enough to resist missiles of far greater power and velocity. Beneath the covering, the fiberglass ‘packing’ had a thin rim of finest carbon tool steel.

  A yelp of pain and alarm broke from Tara as her weapon was halted with a violence that numbed her whole arm. While the blade did not shatter, the hilt was torn from her suddenly inoperative grasp. She staggered back a pace and her shield sank to dangle uselessly by her left leg.

  There were concerted gasps from the majority of the onlookers as the blond giant went into a lunge, with the clip point of his huge knife thrusting in the direction of Tara’s completely unprotected breast. An instant before it made contact, while Thalia and some of the ‘Finger’ were starting to grab for weapons or moving forward, his hand opened. Releasing the bowie knife, his thumbs and fingers closed so his knuckles could dig gently into the girl’s bare stomach.

  ‘Perhaps I should try someone with more experience, your highness,’ Bunduki suggested, looking straight at the princess as he retrieved his knife. ‘Or a person closer to my own rank as son of our nation’s lord, Tarzan of the Apes.’

  Taking her gaze from the very shaken Tara, Athena read a direct challenge in the way she had been addressed. However, while she was ever willing to accept a call to prove herself, she had learned the value of forethought from Beryl. Having seen how effective the blond giant’s shield could be, she decided to take another way of asserting her superiority over him.

  ‘I think you can,’ the princess admitted, tossing aside her shield and drawing the sword. ‘Unless you aren’t willing to meet one of greater rank, that is.’

  ‘I count it an honor that you are willing to favor me, your highness,’ Bunduki declared in mock gravity which was obvious to all who heard it, and discarding his shield.

  Spurred by the big blond’s derisive attitude, Athena leapt forward and directed what was meant to be a feint at his head. Moving with his exceptionally well tuned reflexes at their swiftest, he sent his knife to intercept the sword. Before she could prevent it, their weapons came together. Twisting his hand inwards, he caused her blade to slip along his until it was halted by the brass quillon of the guard. Continuing to rotate his hand, he trapped her sword between the back of his blade and the forward pointing lug of the quillon.

  Athena let out a squeal of dismay and annoyance as she found her sword arm was being forced outwards. To make matters worse, before she could resist, she was turned until her opponent was standing behind her. Disengaging his knife, he transferred it so that the three-eighths of an inch rounded back of the blade was resting on her throat.

  ‘I’d say you’re dead, your highness,’ Bunduki remarked. ‘Drop your sword!’

  Bafflement flickered across the little princess’s face, followed by a mischievous grin as she saw a way in which she might still turn the tables on the very capable man. Looking at the five youngest members of the ‘Finger’ who were standing in a group around Tara, she gave a quick backwards jerk of her head. Then, having tossed aside her sword, she propelled her bent right arm to the rear as hard as she could.

  Watching Athena, Bunduki had deduced from her actions what she was planning and braced his enormously powerful stomach muscles. While her elbow arrived with considerable force, it failed to produce the result she was counting upon. Instead of being knocked backwards, folded over and winded, he stood his ground. In addition, he retaliated with the same devastating speed which had characterized all of his movements during the two attacks. Once again, he dropped the knife and his right hand rose to take her by the scruff of the neck. Working in perfect co-ordination, his left gripped her belt and the top of her skirt. Then, with a surging heave, he raised her until she was held horizontally above his head.

  Wishing to save the princess, whose good nature and high spirits caused her to be very popular, the five youngest Amazons leapt forward. They were bunched together, which proved to be unfortunate for them. Before any of them could draw a weapon, or reach him, Bunduki tossed Athena at them. Shrieking curses, they all went down in a tang
led heap of waving arms and legs.

  ‘Well, your highness,’ the blond giant said, walking forward without offering to retrieve either of his weapons, as the girls began to roll apart and get up. ‘Do you think I might be able to defend myself?’

  Sitting with her hands behind her on the ground, Athena stared upwards. Then the humor of the situation struck her. Always a good sport and with a well developed sense of fun, she found her and her companions discomfiture more amusing than annoying. Throwing back her head, after staring around at her would-be helpers, she began to laugh.

  ‘You’re not too bad a warrior—for a man,’ the little princess conceded, accepting the blond giant’s offered hand and bounding to her feet. Her face was aglow with merriment and admiration and she went on, ‘You just might be able to take care of yourself, I suppose.’

  Realizing that he had received what amounted to an accolade from Athena, Bunduki smiled as his eyes met Beryl’s. Gathering up his knife, he sheathed it and swung the back-quiver across his shoulders.

  ‘What do you think happened to Dawn, Bunduki?’ the blonde asked, as the big man was retrieving his bow.

  ‘I wish I knew,’ Bunduki admitted grimly. ‘According to what I read from the tracks, she’d either escaped or been released before the attack. But I didn’t have a chance to follow and learn what had happened to her.’

  Before the discussion could be continued, two slender girls leading several horses came into view at the top of the slope. Armed only with swords, their skirts and head bands were made from the hides of Grant’s gazelles. Bunduki deduced that they were members of the Antelope Regiment.

  ‘We’ve found them, my lady,’ announced the taller of the pair, slipping from the single-girth, light-weight saddle of her lathered and obviously hard-ridden mount in front of Beryl. ‘Melissa is following them and sent me to report.’

  ‘I didn’t expect we’d be lucky enough for them to have stopped and made camp,’ Athena remarked.

  ‘They haven’t, your highness,’ the messenger confirmed. ‘They didn’t even stop when some of them brought another prisoner.’

  ‘What kind of prisoner?’ Beryl inquired, before Bunduki could speak.

  ‘A woman, my lady,’ the messenger replied. ‘But I don’t know to which nation she belongs.’

  ‘What was she like?’ Bunduki demanded.

  ‘You may answer,’ Beryl authorized, as the messenger glanced at the blond giant and, showing surprise at discovering that he was still armed, turned to her for guidance.

  ‘She wasn’t a Gru-ziak,’ the messenger obliged. ‘In fact, apart from her clothing, she might have been one of us. She was about my height, with short, curly, tawny hair and wore a dress that looked as if it was made from eland’s hide.’

  ‘It’s Dawn!’ Bunduki ejaculated, with mingled relief and anxiety. ‘Where are they?’

  ‘Far ahead,’ the messenger answered, after having received another confirmatory nod from Beryl. ‘Much too far for us to be able to catch up with them before sundown.’

  ‘Then we’ll keep going after dark!’ Athena stated.

  ‘If we do, we’ll ride the horses into the ground and still might not have reached them,’ Beryl pointed out. ‘Which won’t do us, or Ariadne, any good.’

  ‘What can we do, then?’ the princess asked.

  ‘Follow as far as we can this evening, rest until morning and move on as soon as the sun comes up,’ Beryl replied. ‘Will you stay with us, Bunduki?’

  ‘I will,’ the blond giant answered, knowing the woman’s decision was correct. It would avail him nothing to set off immediately if doing so resulted in the loss of the quagga. What was more, the Amazons’ aid could spell the difference between success and failure. So he was willing to accept the delay as it would increase his chances of rescuing the girl he loved. ‘Having taken the trouble to capture them, the Mun-Gatahs won’t harm Ariadne and Dawn tonight and, all being well, we’ll catch up and find a way to set them free in the morning.’

  Chapter Eight – She’s Lord Dryaka’s Prisoner!

  Watching the Mun-Gatah woman rushing at her, Dawn Drummond-Clayton knew she was facing greater peril than she had been when dealing with Dolvia. She noticed that, while other members of the raiding party were reaching for weapons, neither Gromart nor Fabia offered to do so. In fact, the Administrator made a gesture as if waving his subordinates back. However, the girl did not have time to spare for considering his motives. He had not included her assailant in the prohibition, so she needed to devote all her attention to defending herself.

  Much to her relief, small though it might be, Dawn saw that the woman was wielding the sword in the usual Mun-Gatah fashion. Showing a complete lack of caution, she aimed it in a horizontal swing with the girl’s neck as her target. Crouching at the last moment, Dawn allowed the weapon to pass so close above her head that she felt it stir her hair. In her eagerness to show superiority to the unconscious Dolvia, the woman had failed to take into account that her intended victim might not stand still to be struck. Carried onwards by her momentum, she ran into and bent across Dawn’s back. Instantly, the girl straightened up. Screeching with alarm as she realized what was happening, the woman felt herself being raised into the air. Helpless to prevent it, she turned a half somersault. More by luck -than design, although she lost her hold on the sword, she came down on her feet. She soon had cause to regret having done so. Seeing that her attacker had landed in what she regarded as an unsatisfactory manner, Dawn interlaced her fingers. Pivoting around, she swung her arms like the batsman in a baseball game responding to a pitch. Her linked hands thudded between the woman’s shoulders with considerable force.

  Struck before she had an opportunity to recover from the throw, the woman was knocked staggering. Desperately, she twisted around so that she could face the foreign girl. Doing so proved to be a serious mistake. She was unable to stop herself and went backwards against the cart which was carrying the caged bull-Mangani. Startled yells burst from the onlookers, but their warnings came too late. Before the woman could even realize what was being said, she found herself in terrible danger.

  ‘Bal-Tak kill!’ the man-ape roared as he saw a chance to get to grips with one of the hated Tar-Mangani, xxx thrusting both arms through the bars of the cage.

  Although the woman could not understand the Mangani’s words, hearing only what she took to be three meaningless snarling grunts, she became aware of her peril when his powerful hands caught hold of her. However, in one respect she might have counted herself fortunate. In his eagerness to come to grips with one of his captors, whose treatment of him had been far from gentle, Bal-Tak had grabbed her by the shoulders. Numbing and painful as the hold might be, it would have been more dangerous if he had grasped her head or neck. What was more, despite lifting her with no greater effort than if she had been a small child, the gaps between the bars were insufficient for him to reach her with his well-developed teeth.

  Dawn had no cause to harbor anything other than ill towards any member of the Mun-Gatah nation with whom she had so far come into contact. Certainly the woman was no exception, having shown no hesitation over attacking and trying to kill her. For all that, Dawn could not abandon her to her fate. Humanitarian considerations alone would have caused the girl to intervene, but she could also envisage possible benefits from doing so. The only way in which the Mun-Gatahs could save their countrywoman would be by killing, or at least seriously injuring, the Mangani. If she could prevent that, she might gain what could become a useful ally. In addition, by succeeding, she would impress her captors and their other human prisoner. The latter, like gaining Bal-Tak’s friendship, could prove advantageous in the future.

  The problem was, how to effect the rescue?

  Dawn thought that there might be a way.

  In addition to being able to speak Mangani, the girl was conversant with their ways and behavior patterns. While the knowledge had come from the species with which her grandparents and adoptive great-grandparents h
ad had contact on Earth, she was gambling on the race inhabiting the jungles of Zillikian having a similar culture. The Mangani’s family structure was basically a male dominated hierarchy, but the females also had social status. In fact, the mate of the dominant bull could exercise a certain amount of authority over the subordinate males.

  Remembering Bunduki’s description of his first meeting with the Mangani, Dawn considered that she might have one thing in her favor. The second bull over whom he had gained physical ascendancy had been called ‘Bal-Tak’, meaning ‘First Born’. Of course, due to the limited number of words available, the name was frequently used. However, if he should be the one with whom the blond giant had dealt, she could turn it to her advantage.

  ‘Bal-Tak!’ Dawn shouted, darting towards the cart. ‘Kreeg-ah!’

  On the point of changing his hold to encircle the woman’s neck, having found he could not reach her with his jaws, Bal-Tak was so surprised to hear his own language being spoken by a Tar-Mangani that he refrained. Instead, standing with his captive’s weakly-struggling body dangling in his hands and ignoring her screams, he stared at the speaker. The word ‘kreeg-ah’ could be a warning, threat, or command to desist from some activity, depending upon how it was employed. From the tone in the Tar-Mangani’s voice, it had been meant in the latter context. He sensed that his challenger was a female. If that was correct, she must be high in her family’s hierarchy. The way in which she had dealt with her two attackers supported the supposition.

  Having recently been ejected from his family after an unsuccessful attempt to wrest control from his father, Bal-Tak was still suffering from a sense of inferiority. It had been increased by his having been captured while roaming the bush country which separated the jungles from the plains in search of another band to which he might attach himself. However, he did not care for the idea of yielding to a female.