Ashrak watched as Fallon said something quietly to his sister before both of them giggled. He blinked and smirked. He’d never heard his sister giggle before in her life. No matter what happened on this trip, he was at least glad to have seen that. “Are you going to share what was so funny?” Ashrak asked his sister. “I’m sure we could all use the distraction.”
Ellian turned in her saddle and grinned before looking at Daka and shrugging. “I’m sorry, old friend, but you should be used to this ribbing by now.” She paused for a moment with a twinkle in her eye before continuing. “Fallon said that at least the heat makes him sweat more. Whatever creature that is in his lineage makes him smells so bad it probably keeps the Helgren at bay.”
While everyone joined in the laughter, Daka rolled his eyes and put one of his hands against his massive chest. “Do you see the respect I get?” He said dramatically. “No, you don’t, because I don’t get any. No matter how many times I saved their lives this is how they treat me.”
Ellian scoffed and raised one of her eyebrows. “I seem to remember that it’s Fallon’s arrows that have saved you more than a few times, Daka. With that great bulk of yours, you forget your neck can turn that massive stone you call a head and look around yourself every once in a while. How many times has a guardsman almost snuck up on you just this year?”
Daka snorted and crossed his arms over his chest while looking away. “Perhaps one or two,” he said petulantly though they could all tell he wasn’t serious.
Up ahead, Fallon did not turn around but held her hands above her head with all five digits on one hand, and two on the other declaring the actual number. The action elicited another round of good-natured chuckles before they were interrupted by a more serious grunt from Daka. He had been looking off to the side and seen one of their scouts coming back. “Ellian,” he said. “Jabalt is returning early.”
They all turned, frowning at the man as he rode up to them on his dancer. It did not appear he was in a hurry, but his face looked concerned as he came near. “Soldiers,” he said to Ellian. “It looks like they passed this way only a few hours ago. There might have been twelve to fifteen of them.”
“Which way were they headed?” Ellian asked with a frown on her face.
“Roughly the same direction we are going,” Jabalt answered. “There are signs that scouts have also passed this way even earlier. Not all of them are headed in the same direction, though.”
Ellian turned and looked at Ashrak. “There’s no way they could have followed us to have made it out this far; they would have had to have been sent days ahead of anyone leaving the city. My bet is that these are Count Stavix’s men.”
Ashrak nodded in response, agreeing with his sister. “Do you think they are looking for us in particular?”
Ellian shrugged, but Nilesh spoke from under his day shade. “If I were a betting man, I’d say they were sent to kill anyone they could find that even remotely looked like a seeker.”
“Jabalt, take Sorcha and go find these soldiers for us,” Ellian said. “I want to know what they’re doing and if they’re in our way. We will wait here for your return.”
The darker man nodded and then gestured to one of the other bandits who broke off from the group and followed him as he headed back over the ridge. With the hand gesture from Ellian, two more bandits moved to watch positions while the rest of them dismounted. They were in a small, rocky depression, so it was as good a place as any to stop when they weren’t sure if there were soldiers around.
After an hours wait, Jabalt and Sorcha returned. Their faces, if anything, looked grimmer than when they had left. “What is wrong?” Ellian asked as they rode up.
“We found them, and they aren’t exactly in our way, but it looks like they set up an ambush on one of the main trade routes through this area,” Jabalt said.
“It looks like they're not discretionary about who they kill, either,” Sorcha said. “They’ve already got some bodies in a sand pit hidden from view of the road. I saw some small bodies in the pile.”
“Scum,” Daka rumbled as one of his massive hands found the hilt of his ask and squeezed it. “Can you tell whose men they are?”
Sorcha nodded. “It’s as you guessed, Ellian. They are Count Stavix’s soldiers.”
Chari gave Ashrak a stricken look. “They’re just killing anyone? Is there anything we can do to stop it?”
Nilesh frowned and shook his head. “There are likely numerous murder parties spread throughout this part of the desert. Even if we stop one, it won’t do any good, and some of us might get killed in the attempt. It’s not worth the risk.”
“Not worth the risk?” Ellian said, stepping up to Nilesh angrily. “This is exactly the kind of crap these monsters have been doing to my people for centuries. I’m not going to stand by and let them just kill people for their game. What kind of gutless coward are you?”
Nilesh looked up into the angry, scowling face of Ellian and held his hands up before backing away. Despite his movements, he looked angry. “I’m not a coward,” he said and paused for a second before continuing. “Listen, I don’t mean to anger you, and I know your passion. It’s my job to know things and I’m not going to shut-up when something needs to be said. I will go along with whatever you all agree to, but I’m not going to let you do it without offering my honest opinion.”
Ellian looked like she was going to step forward and punch Nilesh, but Ashrak stopped her. “He’s right, Ellian,” he said as he grabbed her muscular arm. I’m all for going to kill those soldiers and am pretty sure by the looks of everyone else, were going to do just that, but shutting Nilesh up for a different point of view isn’t the way I want to rule. That’s how father ruled. Do you want to be like that?”
Ellian paused for a long moment as she stared intently at Nilesh. Finally, she blinked and looked at Ashrak before shaking her head. “No,” she said softly to her brother. “I don’t want to make decisions like he did. I think I’d rather gouge my eyes out with the dagger.”
“Right,” Ashrak said. “Me too and in this case, we are still going to go kill those bastards who so sorely deserve it.”
Chapter 13
Count Stavix lounged in the intricately carved wooden chair that sat before a table filled with delicacies. He reached over and picked up a morsel, examining it closely before popping it into his mouth and chewing. There was plenty of light in the large tent because the lower walls had all been drawn up to allow for airflow but still keep the sun from overwhelming the interior. They’d been camped in this ruin for a few days already. It was not far from the capital but isolated enough to give the appearances that he was searching for something. It’s not like anyone would live long enough to get close enough to see that he was only idling his time.
Still, he had sent a large contingency of his forces out into the desert to kill as many of the other seekers as they possibly could. Since they had been sent out days before the contest started, he’d been forced to give them orders to kill any traveler they came across, within reason. He grinned to himself and shook his head before picking up another piece of food. He didn’t expect many travelers to live through the next several weeks because he paid his soldiers to be effective, not reasonable.
Still, he looked out on the large camp that surrounded his tent. There should be enough men here to make anyone think twice before trying to confront him here, even the general. Despite his confidence, he still had spies constantly reporting on the general’s armies to make sure they didn’t start heading in his direction. His men were trained better and with better equipment, and the Brunish army was scattered all over the Dukedom. It really shouldn’t be anything to cause him worry.
Except, it was something to worry about when Paven Rhendu started pulling all of his troops back to the capital and leaving everywhere else unprotected. Count Stavix picked up the document lying next to his plate and looked at it for the hundredth time. The bastard was making some power move which left the rest of the duk
edom completely unprotected. He’d received three other messages from Lords that hadn’t put enough money into their own troops and were screaming bloody murder.
This news, coupled with the reports that the Duchy of Chreen was sending troops across the channel in more and more aggressive raids, and he wondered if he’d have a Duchy rule when this was all over. Even if he returned early with the Golden Bands, he wondered if he’d have to lay siege to the capital just to be able to sit on the throne.
He raised his hand gesturing towards one of the servants to come closer. “Have Colonel Xern come to my tent and tell him to bring his maps.”
The servants scuttled out of the tent quickly and returned not more than ten minutes later with a stout, dark man who seemed to have a perpetually bland look on his face. The man held several map cases in his hands, and he bowed low when he came to stand in front of the Count’s table. “You called for me, Your Excellency?” Colonel Xern asked while keeping his head down. He had learned a long time ago to not come out of his bow until given permission.
Count Stavix eyed the top of his man’s helmet for several moments, letting him stay in the uncomfortable position for several heartbeats. Finally, he relented and gestured toward the table covered with his dishes and cups. “You may rise, Colonel,” Count Stavix said coolly. “I wish to discuss where you have our troops stationed in the desert. I am concerned with the movements of General Rhendu’s forces and more importantly the fact he’s pulled many of them back to the capital. What do you make of this strategy?”
The Colonel nodded and looked down at the plates of half eaten food before looking uncomfortably up at Count Stavix. “May I move your food, Your Excellency?” He waited until granted permission before touching any of the plates, but shortly had one of his large maps spread before the Count. “If you see here, my Lord, our scouts report several large troop movements back towards the capital. Most are just beginning their march since it took time for General Rhendu’s messengers to reach the various outposts. The farthest of them probably haven’t even received word yet though it looks like he sent messengers out to all of them.”
“What reason do you think he has to bring all of his troops back to the capital?” Count Stavix asked. He had his ideas, but he wanted to see what his man would say.
Colonel Xern looked up and shrugged. “Simple, my Lord. I believe General Rhendu plans to surround the capital and kill everyone that comes back in hopes of achieving the Golden bands that way. If he can get all of his men in place, it is a sound tactic. Even with all of our troops, it would be a difficult proposition to break through safely.”
Count Stavix nodded and grimaced. “Yes, that is what I thought as well. We can’t let the general get all of his troops into place. That has a very good chance of ruining my plans, or at least making them more difficult than I would like.”
“We already have many of our troops scattered deep in the desert scrub, Your Excellency,” Colonel Xern said, indicating several places on the map within a few hundred kilometers of the capital. “We don’t have massive troop concentrations though we do have substantial enough groups to perform some serious harassment of his soldiers. If I instructed them to focus on delaying and not getting into any pitched battles, it might keep enough of his troops away to give us plenty of time to return to the capital once we find the Golden bands.”
Count Stavix looked at the map and to where the Colonel was pointing. There was no way his combined forces could defeat Rhendu’s soldiers if they all made it to the capital, but if he could catch them in small enough groups out on the roads, his smaller numbers could inflict far more damage. “A wise plan, Colonel,” Count Stavix answered. “Tell the captains to inflict as much damage as possible without destroying themselves. I think it’s time General Rhendu feels a bit of pain.”
The Colonel bowed and gathered up his maps before turning to leave. Count Stavix watched him go and picked up another morsel of food from one of his plates, letting the small bit of fruit roll around his mouth before crushing his teeth down upon it soft flesh. For just a moment he imagined it to be one of his enemies, making his lips curl up in a feral snarl while he chewed.
Chapter 14
Ashrak looked around at everyone and spread his hands wide. “What?” He said. “What’s wrong with that plan? It’s guaranteed to lure some of them out, and I’m pretty sure I’m faster than a bunch of overburdened soldiers. I’ll make it around the corner, and then you can ambush however many of them follow me. They’ll be completely out of position.”
Chari was staring at Ashrak hard while the rest of them just looked at him like he was crazy. “You do realize they will have bows, right?” Daka said slowly as if he were talking to a complete idiot. “I mean, if it were us and we’re bandits, we would just shoot you right away. I don’t think the soldiers are going to be much different.”
“Well, I am expecting that, but my armor is going to be more than good enough to stop their arrows,” Ashrak said in exasperation.
“Ashrak,” Chari said. “They don’t know about your armor. You keep forgetting that not everyone follows you around and knows what’s going on in your life.”
Ashrak looked at Chari for a moment before his face brightened. “Oh yeah,” he said before turning back toward Daka. “I do keep forgetting about that.” He stood up straight and faced the big man with a grin. “Go ahead and hit me in the chest with your axe.”
Daka’s eyes, if anything, got even wider. He looked over at Ellian with a small bit of fear on his face. “Uh, Ellian?” He asked in a slow, careful way. “Does your brother have a history of odd behavior?”
“Not really,” Ellian said with a frown. “He has been away. Perhaps he fell on his head at some point.”
Chari shook her head and stepped forward. “No, he’s okay,” she said. “Our tunics are armor. A friend of ours created them out of glimmer steel. They’ll protect better than even the thickest metal armor. Go ahead and tap him on the chest with your axe and you’ll see how good it is. There’s no reason to hit him as hard as you can though you could if you wanted to and it would do nothing to him.”
Daka looked unconvinced but took his double bladed ask off of his back and moved toward Ashrak. He squinted his eye at the white-haired noble before gripping near the head of his weapon and tapped it against Ashrak’s chest. He did not do it hard, but hard enough that his eyes widened as his axe head was stopped cold.
“By the gods,” Daka said. “That’s a strange feeling. It felt like I was tapping lead.” He reached up with his other hand and placed one of his massive, hammy fingers against Ashrak’s chest and pushed. He easily moved Ashrak a few centimeters back whereas the axe hadn’t made him budge at all. After a few more pokes, the big man balled his fist and punched the same place he had been poking with his finger. His fist stopped with a meaty sound, and Daka pulled his hand away, shaking it.
“Did it hurt?” Ellian said, watching the big man carefully.
Daka shook his head and looked up with a bewildered expression on his face. “Not even a little,” he said. “I could tell my fist hit something, and it was stopped cold, but it was the strangest feeling in the world.”
“It’s kind of like punching a hard pillow, isn’t it?” Ashrak asked as he grinned up at the small giant.
“Yeah, it’s something very like that, “Daka said, grinning back. He quickly took several more punches which became increasingly violent, but they didn’t affect the young lord at all. In fact, by the time Ellian interrupted them they were laughing like schoolboys.
“Okay, children, that’s enough,” Ellian said as she stepped forward to inspect Ashrak’s tunic herself. “This is amazing armor. I wondered why you were wearing these fancy tunics out here in the desert. It makes your plan a bit more likely to succeed.”
“Wait,” Chari asked. “Are we really considering this idiot plan? I mean, what if they run him down or shoot him in the head before he can get back around the corner?”
“I
could always pull my tunic up over my head and just look out through the neck hole,” Ashrak said lamely.
“No, that’s brilliant,” Chari said angrily and threw her arms up in the air. “You’ll be dead and look like a dolt.” she paused and narrowed her eyes at Ashrak which for some reason, just made him more nervous. He discovered why when she spoke again. “Why don’t I go? I’ve got the same kind of tunic, and I’m at least as fast as you are.”
“Now wait just a minute!” Ashrak exclaimed. “There is no way I’m letting you go out there by yourself.”
Chari crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at him defiantly. “And why not?”
“Because!” Ashrak practically yelled as he threw his arms in the air. He completely failed to see the grin on Daka’s face or the narrowed eyes of Ellian and Fallon. “Because there’s no way I’m letting you go out there to risk being killed by a bunch of filthy soldiers.”
“That’s exactly how I feel about you going out there, you big idiot,” Chari said, suddenly speaking in a small voice. She looked up at him for a long moment while her eyes grew moist and she turned away.
The Glimmer Steel Saga, Boxed Set, Books 1 - 4 Page 98