Draggah

by Toby Neighbors

  It took him several minutes just to manage the pain and regain his concentration. He quoted the spell over and over, directing the magic where it needed to go. He wasn’t sure how the magic healed the body, but he could feel it working. The pain began to recede. When he was certain that the woman was well, he opened his eyes and let the magic fade away.

  The woman looked not only healed, but rejuvenated. She was smiling and talking to her family, who were gathered around her in concern. Tiberius was sweating from the pain and his head was spinning.

  “You don’t look well,” Filsa said as she knelt beside him.

  “Just tired,” Tiberius said, his throat cracking.

  “What can we do for you, Tiswanee?”

  “I need something to drink,” he said. “Something cool.”

  He sat, trying to get the world to stop spinning around him until Filsa returned. A few of the other wives were with her. One had food, another a jug of water.

  “It’s just water,” Filsa said. “Do you need something stronger?”

  “No,” Tiberius said.

  He drank from the cup she gave him, and wondered a little at the strange taste. He thought maybe the water had been left sitting in one of the clay pots longer than normal, or perhaps an animal had been drinking from the water supply, but it was wet and cool, so he ignored the strange taste. After a moment he felt better and his head cleared. He drank the entire cup, then ate a little of the mealy bread one of the other wives brought him.

  “I just need a few more minutes to rest,” he told them. “Then I’m going to work on some of the other injuries. Stay close to me.”

  He ignored the way the women seemed to beam at being asked to help. They wanted to please him and he guessed they hoped he would learn to love them. He doubted that Lexi would ever accept that. He doubted he could keep a whole harem happy anyway. He had enough trouble trying to please Lexi. He would have to find new roles for the younger wives soon enough, but for now he was glad for their help.

  “I need to work on this woman now,” Tiberius said. “But I’m not sure how much it will affect me. If I swoon, give me water and try to wake me, okay. As long as I’m still chanting the spell, let me be.”

  “As you wish, Tiswanee,” Filsa said.

  It took Tiberius a few moments to work up the courage to speak the words of the spell. He was afraid of the pain he knew was coming. He’d healed Rafe’s back when it was broken by his fall from the city walls in Avondale. His friend had felt very little pain, but Tiberius had felt it in all its exquisite agony. He didn’t expect that the woman’s bashed head would be any better, but he was afraid if he didn’t at least try that she would die and he would be responsible.

  He closed his eyes and put his hands gently on each side of her face. He ignored the crying children around her. Before he spoke the words of the spell, he let his mind connect to the magic he felt around him. Working magic made him more sensitive to the unseen currents of magic around him all the time. When he felt comfortable, he chanted the spell. Once again he felt as if he’d just fallen into a swiftly moving stream. He had to focus and force himself to stand steady in the magical onslaught before moving the magic down into the woman’s body.

  Immediately, his head began to ache. There was an intense pain at the back of his head, exactly he guessed where she had been hit with one of the wooden clubs. The wood wasn’t as hard as what was used to make shields or even doors in Avondale. In fact, it was even softer than the pine which grew so prevalently in the forest. Yet it was hard enough to break bone if wielded with enough strength.

  The pain in his head was terrible, but surprisingly it wasn’t as debilitating as he expected it to be. He let the magic flow and slowly the pain subsided. Once he was sure the magic had done its work, he probed the woman’s head with his fingers. There was no evidence of the wound, not even a lump. When Tiberius withdrew his magic from the woman, her eyes fluttered open and she looked around.

  Tiberius sagged once again, but this time he couldn’t stop himself. He fell back into Filsa’s arms and let sleep overcome him. He came back to himself a short while later. His mind coming around before his body did. He realized he had passed out, and despite the fact that it felt so good to just relax and rest, he knew he needed to wake up. He could feel that he had been moved. He opened his eyes and saw Lexi looking down at him.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said, his voice a hoarse croak. “Just tired is all. I need some rest.”

  “We all do,” Lexi said, “but we didn’t all pass out.”

  “The magic drains me,” Tiberius explained. “I need something to drink.”

  More water was brought. Ti had been moved back over to the far side of the tent where Lexi, Olyva, and Rafe had been resting. Tiberius looked over at his friend and was surprised to see him resting so well. The Trogooh had propped him up on pillows and made sure his arm was secure as well.

  “Is Rafe okay?” Tiberius asked.

  “He’s resting,” Lexi said. “Olyva gave him something and he went to sleep.”

  “Olyva?” Tiberius asked.

  “Apparently, you aren’t the only healer in the group,” Lexi said, but she didn’t sound very happy. “Those little twigs that are growing on her body have some type of magical sap. They ease pain and help people to relax.”

  “I better get up and finish helping people,” Tiberius said, but Lexi put her hand on his chest.

  “You’ve done enough for now,” Lexi said. “No one is in pain. No one is dying. You can heal everyone once you’ve gotten some rest.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Yes, I do,” Lexi said. “Now go to sleep. I’ll wake you in a few hours.”

  Tiberius didn’t want to give in. He wanted to get up and prove that he was strong enough to do whatever needed done, but he knew she was right. If he got up now, he would just pass out again. He might not even be able to control the magic he conjured. He could end up hurting someone even worse if he wasn’t careful. He decided he would sleep for a few hours.

  Laying back on the cushions was so wonderful he felt guilty, but only for a moment. Almost as soon as he closed his eyes, he fell asleep again.

  The sun was bright in the sky and although the camp was subdued, the noises of the day still trickled into Tiberius’ sleep. He dreamed that the ground beneath the camp was crumbling and falling into a great fiery abyss. The dream roused him enough that he rolled onto his side before going back to sleep. Then he dreamed that Mount Avondale was on fire. Thick black smoke rose up into the sky, and gray ash drifted down through the mists like snow. The mountain shook and rumbled like thunder. There were shouts and screams, but the voices sounded angry not frightened. Tiberius wanted the people of Avondale to flee, to leave the city and join him in the blighted lands where they could be safe, but the citizens ignored him. They were oblivious to the danger too.

  Tiberius moaned in his sleep and tried to call out to them, but his voice was muffled somehow. Then he felt the ground shaking all around him, but it wasn’t the ground.

  “Wake up, Tiberius!” Lexi shouted at him.

  She had hold of his shoulders and was shaking him to rouse him from sleep.

  “Tiberius? Wake up,” she said.

  His eyes opened but he had to squint in the light from the bright amber sky. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but his heart pounded away in his chest from fear. Something bad was going on, he was certain of it.

  “Tiberius,” Lexi said again. “Are you okay?”

  “What’s wrong?” Tiberius asked.

  “There’s trouble,” Lexi explained. “Te’sumee needs you.”

  “The captives?” Tiberius said. “Did they escape?”

  “No, but some of the raiders who did escape are back. They are calling for the Swanee. That’s you. Can you get up?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Sure. Just give me a hand.”

  Lexi pulled and Tiberius rose to his feet. He felt sha
ky, and sick. He knew he needed more rest, but there was nothing he could do about that now. He looked over and saw Rafe, sleeping easy. Olyva was standing beside him, her arms outstretched, but she was watching Tiberius.

  “Is everyone okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, but you need to come with me,” Lexi said.

  Tiberius walked with her, moving his legs as fast as he could manage. His limbs all felt heavy. His stomach twisted and churned. His head ached and his mouth tasted foul.

  “I’m not really presentable am I?” he said.

  “You could use some more sleep and a good scrubbing, but we don’t have time for that now.”

  “How are you?” Tiberius asked. “You didn’t sleep much last night either.”

  “No, but I’ll be okay. I got in a couple of hours of rest while you were healing people. I’ve just been helping out where I could today.”

  “Are the horses alright?”

  “They’re fine.”

  “What about the tribe?”

  “Everyone will be fine,” Lexi said. “We managed to save all but a few of the captives. The Rogu captured most of the attacking raiders. But some of them that escaped have come back.”

  “Why?”

  “Te’sumee says that it is customary for a tribe to deal captives for captives,” Lexi said. “But we have a lot more of them then they have of us.”

  Tiberius saw the reasoning behind the entire ordeal. One tribe raids another, taking their women, sometimes children or other valuables. Then, if one of their number gets captured in the raid, the raiders can then trade the least valuable hostages back to the tribe they were taken from. That way very few, if any, of the raiders would be lost in the attack. They would be at full strength when they returned to their own tribe to hunt for food and defend their people. The raids were aggressive and even violent, but not deadly.

  “So what do they need me for?” Tiberius wondered out loud.

  “Te’sumee says you must conduct the negotiations,” Lexi said. “Apparently the raiders are angry with us.”

  “Angry because they attacked us and were defeated, I suppose,” Tiberius said.

  They could see Te’sumee and several other Rogu warriors standing at the edge of the camp. They were looking out across the plain. Once Tiberius and Lexi made their way around the last of the tents, they could see the opposing warriors almost two hundred yards away. They had several captives, all women, along with some stolen goods as well.

  “What’s going on?” Tiberius asked.

  “Tiswanee,” Te’sumee said in a tense voice. “The raiders have returned to trade for their kinsmen. It is our way, but they have a grievance. They claim that Rafe killed two of their Rogu last night.”

  “I guess they shouldn’t have attacked our camp,” Tiberius replied.

  “It is not done, Tiswanee. The Hoskali are not killers.”

  “They attacked us in the night,” Tiberius said. “They stole from us, kidnapped our women and children. Two women from our tribe would be dead if I hadn’t been able to heal them. They did that.”

  Te’sumee looked at Tiberius with a frown.

  “You can’t honestly tell me it’s okay for them to attack us but we can’t fight back,” Tiberius said.

  “We fight back,” Te’sumee said. “But we do not kill. Never on purpose.”

  “Fine, I get that. But what is done is done; I can’t bring people back from the dead.”

  “Here they come,” Lexi said.

  “What is customary here?” Tiberius asked Te’sumee. “Should we just give them their captives back and call it even?”

  “I do not know, Tiswanee. This has never been heard of.”

  Tiberius shook his head as he walked out to meet with the raiders. He had to take several deep breaths to calm himself down. Lexi had stayed at the camp with several of the Rogu. Te’sumee and one other warrior walked out with Tiberius.

  “Peace,” said the big raider who was obviously the leader of the attacking group. “Is this your Swanee?” he asked, eyeing Tiberius suspiciously.

  “I am Tiberius and I lead this tribe. Who are you?”

  The big man eyed Te’sumee, who nodded to confirm what Tiberius had said. Then he straightened his shoulders and spoke in a loud voice.

  “I am Bu’yorgi, head of the Rogu and Velora of the sky tribe. You have one among your people, a rider of horses and wielder of steel. He has committed crimes against my people and must be made to pay.”

  “Crimes against your people?” Tiberius said angrily. “You raided our camp under the cover of darkness. You stole our women and children, clubed their parents, and stole their property. You have no right to accuse us of anything.”

  “We will have justice.”

  “And we will have our people back,” Tiberius said. “Let those captives go or you’ll never see your comrades again.”

  “Is that a threat?” the big warrior asked in surprise.

  “Of course it is, you dim witted idiot.”

  “Tiswanee,” Te’sumee said in a pleading tone.

  “Your insolence has no limit, strange one. I will not bargain in good faith with one such as you.”

  “No,” Tiberius said. “We will not bargain. You will hand over everything you took from our camp. Every captive and every bit of property you stole. Then I will decide what to do with your pathetic Rogu.”

  “You go too far,” Bu’yorgi said. “You are no Swanee. I will not accept this insult without blood.”

  Tiberius was angry, but he felt the threat from the larger man. Tiberius didn’t even have a weapon, yet he had insulted a much larger foe as if he had no fear. A nervous tremor ran up his spine. He wished that Rafe were with him.

  “Let us find a peaceful solution,” Te’sumee said.

  “No!” shouted Bu’yorgi. “I demand a Tuscogee.”

  “You challenge me?” Tiberius said.

  “I will fight your champion for the right to lead your tribe,” Bu’yorgi said. “If I win, you will be outcast and your tribe will be joined with ours.”

  “And if I my champion wins?” Tiberius said. “Then you will become our slaves?”

  The big warrior’s eyes narrowed.

  “It will be as you say, Swanee,” he said, spitting after saying the last word as if it were foul in his mouth.

  “At dusk,” Tiberius said. “Right here.”

  Bu’yorgi nodded and then turned around to walk back to the small group of raiders behind him. Tiberius was shaking all over, mostly from anger, but also from fear. He knew he couldn’t defeat the larger man without using magic, and he wasn’t sure he could use his magic effectively enough to defeat such a seasoned warrior.

  He looked at Te’sumee as they turned back toward the camp. The leader of the Rogu looked pale. Tiberius couldn’t tell if the tribesman was angry or afraid.

  “What is wrong with you?” Tiberius asked. “Did you really expect me to just roll over and give in to that ogre’s demands?”

  “Ogre?” Te’sumee asked. “What is this word?”

  “An ogre, you know, a big scary creature.”

  “Bu’yorgi is a great warrior, Tiswanee. Perhaps greater than your Velora, perhaps not. I do not know, but I am sure that Rafe will not be ready to fight the Tuscogee. I will fight in his place.”

  “No,” Tiberius said. “You won’t. Rafe will do it. I’ll see to his wounds.”

  “Are you sure he will be ready?” Te’sumee said. “The Tuscogee is a Hallinsae.”

  “A fight to the death,” Tiberius said. “I know it. Rafe will be ready, or I’ll fight in his place. No one else will die because of me.”

  “We cannot allow it, Tiswanee. It would shame the entire tribe.”

  “What’s the difference,” Tiberius said. “If we lose, I’ll be killed. I might as well fight for my life.”

  “No, it cannot be. You must have a champion.”

  “Then we better hope Rafe is ready,” Tiberius said.

  Chapter 27

&nb
sp; Tiberius

  “You did what?” Lexi said angrily.

  “I did what I had to do,” Tiberius replied. “The idiot was angry because Rafe killed two of his warriors. But they almost killed two women from our tribe. They kidnapped half a dozen more.”

  “So you insulted him?”

  “I confronted him,” Tiberius said. “There’s a difference.”

  “Ti, have you taken into consideration that the Hoskali do things differently than we do,” Lexi said as they walked back into the camp. “Surely you could have found a way to deal with this without making things worse.”

  “I didn’t make things worse,” Tiberius said. “I did the only thing I could.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yes, it is. You remember what you told me about that dagger of yours?”

  Lexi and Tiberius both looked down at the finely crafted Wangorian dagger that Lexi kept tucked into her belt.

  “About the night you stole it. Remember that?” Tiberius asked.

  “That was different,” Lexi said.

  “You didn’t have to fight those men,” Tiberius said, ignoring Lexi’s reply. “You could have given them the dagger.”

  “They would have killed me anyway,” Lexi said, her voice tight with anger.

  “I thought about that a lot,” Tiberius said. “And you know what? You’re right. They wouldn’t have just taken the knife. They would have seen you as weak. They would have beaten you and probably raped you, perhaps even killed you. I get it. You did what you had to do.”

  “This is different, Tiberius,” Lexi said.

  “Different how? If we gave in to their demands, what would have happened next? We would have basically been saying that if you attack us there are no consequences.”

  “Rafe killed two of them,” Lexi argued. “Don’t you think that is consequence enough?”

  “They’re mad because we fought back, well too bad,” Tiberius said.