by Robin Roseau
"I believe we are obligated to fight," I said, "even if our charges do not."
"The ones who do not wish to fight will be in the first group, and possibly the second. The fiercest fight should be at the end. We will bring overwhelming numbers."
"And for our raid, how do you suggest we find so many, especially as our numbers will be reduced?"
"Hmm. You will take them in the street. I will host two events, one at the same inn your middle group visits the first night, and a second event here. We will send two of our trades at a time, perhaps with a small number of friends, especially for the women, and they will follow a prescribed path. More or less."
"More or less?"
"They must pass several agreed landmarks but we can't make it too easy."
I laughed. "I would not like to be stymied because someone sneaks better than we are prepared."
"Then you'll have to do your final raid here, where I will be waiting. If you arrive before some of our offerings, you can simply wait for them here."
I smiled. "So they will have their things here, waiting for us to take with us."
"Yes."
I sighed. "This is still going to be chaotic."
"Yes, agreed, but imagine how much fun it's going to be."
"We are few," I said. "We would be easily opposed."
"I won't send more against you than you can handle," she promised. "But do you have enough rope?"
"Oh hell," I said. "I knew I forgot something."
She laughed again. Then she sobered. "Are you going to fight?"
"You can count on it."
"Want to make a little wager? I promise, it'll be fun."
"Let's hear it."
"I bet I can take you without a real struggle."
"Oh?"
"Yep. You won't see the capture until it's too late."
"Oh, you think so. And what do you want if you win?"
"I get to keep you tied all night."
I laughed. "And if I offer an effective struggle?"
"You may treat me as a prisoner until the last morning, but then you have to let me go."
I laughed again. "Agreed."
She smiled, and we clasped hands. "Let me retrieve our offerings. Do you have your tablet?"
"I do." I drew it out from inside my tunic.
* * * *
She was gone only a minute or so, and when she returned, she brought not six people, but nine. They formed a line behind her, and she strode towards me. "Chaladine, Beacon Hill offers you a choice of these nine people who have volunteered to be galatzi prizes. Some of them have questions for you. One or two may withdraw their offer, and so I brought more than six. They wish to interview you, and then you may interview them. Then we will send them away, and you and I will reach agreement."
"Very good," I said. "Ask your questions."
They had good questions. Some of them we had already answered. Several of them wanted to know who would claim them, and I explained I didn't know, but they would have their say in the matter, and we would not force any agreements.
"You promise?" One darling girl said.
"I promise," I agreed.
They asked about the Governor, and the trip, and how they could expect to be treated. None of the questions was poor, and I answered patiently, even when some of the questions were remarkably similar to questions someone else already asked. Finally, the questions ended.
Luradinine had stayed out of everything, but when no one else had any questions, she stepped forward. "Until a few days ago, I did not know this woman. But I have grown to trust her. I believe she would do her best to be assured you were all treated will. It is frightening to leave the only home you have ever known, but it is exciting at the same time. If it helps, I will be traveling with you to Sudden, as I wish to discuss other issues with the Sudden Vendart, and so I will work to ensure your proper treatment. Are there any last questions?"
There weren't.
"Does anyone wish to leave?"
They all stayed, although a few looked unsure.
She turned to me.
"Luradinine," I said, "Should we discuss this first, or should I perform my interviews."
"I believe everyone here is a good fit for Sudden, and so I wouldn't warn you off anyone." I smiled at that. "I believe you should hold your interviews."
"Very good," I said. "I have met some of you, and so if I spend little time with you, it is probably because I have already made up my mind." I looked at Kalorain. "Without even interviewing anyone else, I would accept the Vendart's daughter. Kalorain, will you go to Sudden?"
"Yes." She smiled. "But I will fight when you come for me."
"It is your choice if you wish to stay for these interviews," I said. "You are my first choice."
"I will stay," she said.
There were five women and four men. They were, on average, somewhat older than the group I had brought, but none of them was over twenty-one.
I collected names and took pictures on my tablet. I had to show them what I was doing, but I explained that I couldn't talk at great depth about it, and they would have to save their questions. I asked each why they were making this offer, and what sort of person they thought would fit them.
Most of them had a hard time answering that, so I prompted to help them. Man or woman? Younger than you or older. What is this person's most important characteristic. Questions like this.
I asked them if they liked to learn.
Amongst the group were the two sisters who I had met last night. "Is my choice between you, or if I want you both, would you both go?"
"Our parents are gone," said Reannaine, the elder of the two. "Our parents had a temporary arrangement, completed when Riardarn was born, and he left the village a year or two later."
"I don't remember him," Riardarn chimed in.
"I just remember little bits," said Reannaine. "And our mother died two years ago. We ask that if you take one of us, you take both of us, and we also ask that you give us to people who will let us see each other as often as possible, maybe even every day."
"We wouldn't mind if we ended up sharing a house," Riardarn added. "Or were neighbors."
All told, I spent two hours interviewing them. In the end, I didn't care for two of them, one of the men and one of the women. Finally I verified no one had changed her mind then turned to Luradinine. "I would like to discuss my thoughts with you."
"Perhaps you and I could enjoy a late lunch at a nearby inn." I nodded. She turned to the assembled offerings. "If you all could take an easy lunch and return in two hours, we can settle this."
* * * *
Over lunch I told her the two who hadn't impressed me.
"They're both good people, but I can see how you wouldn't be impressed."
"That leaves seven. I have to pick one more to turn down."
"I have questions for you," she said. "How sure are you that these galatzi prizes will be given the opportunity to help the governor?"
We talked about that for the better part of an hour. I told her everything I knew and a few things I had guessed. In the end, I said, "I do not believe Father will turn anyone down who wishes to help, but I cannot make promises about their future partners."
She pursed her lips. "I want some promises from you."
"I can try."
"You promise it will be their choice?"
"Yes, in the same fashion as my people were given choices today, I believe, but Father may have plans that give them even more choice in the matter. But I promise they will not be forced into a particular union."
"Do you promise to do your best to ensure anyone who wishes to help the Governor in the fashions you have mentioned will be allowed to do so?"
"Do my best?"
"Yes. That is a promise for your actions, not a promise binding upon your father or their future partners. But it may mean you will negotiate before final matches are made."
"You have my promise."
"Do you promise to let me ta
ke you as a galatzi prize for one night?"
I smiled. "I promise."
"Do you intend to take me as your galatzi prize?"
"I do, but I must free you in the morning, and it is your choice to travel to Sudden with us. If you do, I will invite you to share my tent, and assuming we are still both interested, my bed in Sudden. But then you will return here, and I will remain there."
She nodded. "You may have all seven, if you want them."
"All of them?"
She nodded. "It is our contribution to Talmon," she added. "And when finally we begin rejuvenation therapy on Talmon, Beacon Hill must not be excluded."
"Beacon Hill will not be excluded as long as I have any say in the matter."
"I believe we have an agreement, Chaladine."
"I believe we do, Luradinine."
Raids
There were a total of nineteen of us from Sudden in Beacon Hill. Six would remain behind. Eight others would make the journey to Sudden with us. It was to be a certain amount of chaos.
As we had planned, Luradinine hosted a party at her home. All of us attended. It was a little awkward. We hadn't told the galatzi trades they would be taken tonight, but the rest of us knew what was to happen later. Still, Luradinine and I did what we could to make it normal, dancing together and then inviting others to dance with us. We kept the party moving.
In ones and twos, about half the Beacon Hill contingent slipped away, including everyone who was making a claim and Luradinine herself. We were left with the people we would take the next night plus a variety of others, enough to keep a party going.
We hadn't told any of the volunteers when the raid would be, and if they guessed, they didn't show it.
Finally, I sent Lanaine and Toropid back to our camp along with two of the couples who had come. Lanaine eyed me carefully, but she said nothing, and the six of them left without a fuss.
I waited twenty minutes, and then two of the couples said they were going to hit an inn for a few drinks and some music. They then talked Ballatarn and Leeradano to join them.
We waited only another ten minutes before I declared it as "Late, and it is time for the rest of us to go."
My heart was pounding.
I had the last two couples plus Farratain and Iradain with me. We got two blocks before Iradain edged over to me. "It's tonight, isn't it?"
"Are you going to fight?"
"If I do, he has to work for me."
"If you do, he also gets to treat you like a prisoner, if he wants to, until you give birth to your first child."
"Oh please," she said. "I'll have him wrapped around my finger inside a week."
I laughed. "It's your choice. Just remember, we don't fight hard enough to hurt people, and no weapons at all."
"My tongue is plenty of weapon," she said with another grin. "I know Farratain isn't going to fight. If I don't fight, does that mean there's no fight?"
"Not necessarily," I said. "The rest of us could fight, but they could drag the two of you away and leave enough to keep us occupied. Luradinine and I agreed to a plan, but I believe she is going to change it."
"But it's tonight."
"Yes. Probably before we get to camp."
We got about two blocks through the dark streets before we found ourselves at a dead end. We didn't know the town that well, but I had thought this street went through.
"I think I'm lost," I admitted. "I thought we came this way earlier."
"We did, I'm sure of it."
"Well, we're not going this way now."
We backtracked two blocks and turned south before finding another street west. Three blocks later, that street was blocked by a set of wagons turned on their sides. I stopped and stared at them, then laughed.
We turned south again, the only choice, but then ahead we saw a large group of villagers, armed villagers. We turned away from them.
Twice more they turned us down the path they wanted, and there was little I could do about it. Luradinine pushed us exactly where she wanted us, and then she ambushed us.
I didn't even see that part coming.
Suddenly from in front of us, eight black-clad people appeared, wearing the proper sashes. "Galatzi raid!" they yelled. "Galatzi raid, and we're taking all of you!" They ran at us.
"Pull back," I yelled. "Pull back."
But I sprang forward along with the two men, prepared to hold off the raiders.
Form must be followed, after all.
But then I heard Farratain scream, and when I jerked my head, I saw her with someone's arms around her as she was dragged through a doorway. Before anyone could get to her, the door slammed and was barred from the inside.
It was only after the fact that I was sure the person who had taken her was dressed in black with a white sash.
The six raiders in front of us continued to push us backwards. Thirty seconds later, however, we lost Iradain almost exactly the same way we lost Farratain, but this time there were four of them. They appeared out of nowhere, swarming her and yanking her from her protection. If she wanted to fight, she didn't get a chance. They threw a large sack over her head, wrapped arms around her, and pulled her through another doorway. I rushed to help, but the door slammed in my face, nearly giving me a bloody nose in the process.
At that point, there were five of us remaining, and they were ready to relax, but still the raiders pressed us.
"You can't take all of us," Hastarine yelled. "You got your galatzi prisoners."
"There is one more," they yelled back. "We're taking Chaladine, too."
"You can't!" Hastarine said. "She's not for trade."
"Actually," I said, "I told Luradinine she was free to try, but she has to free me tomorrow. But if I make it too easy on her, she gets to take extra liberties. So we keep fighting."
Right now, it was only six against five, and the six facing us weren't actually trying to engage so much as drive us backwards.
But then four more added from a side street, and I knew they waited. They didn't try to trap us between them but simply sought to drive us in a particular direction. All of them wore the sashes. They managed to drive us down a narrow alley, and it was screaming "trap" at me, but it was ten to five, and we let them force us down the alley.
So far, they hadn't made a real effort to catch us, and we proceeded down the alley, two in front, then me, then two behind. But then suddenly, with a loud yell, the group following us all ran forward together. They grabbed the two protecting me in back, pulling them away. There were struggles, but it was five on each of them, and side wager or not, I couldn't let them catch me this easily. I watched as two of my guards were pulled away.
Everyone was laughing.
All ten of them kept their prizes. I turned around, and the three of us ran, even though I was sure there was a trap.
There was no trap. We made it through the alley, bursting out onto a main street. To our left was another armed group, cutting off escape in that direction. I wasn't sure how I felt about the use of armed groups during a galatzi raid, but the two times we had seen them, then had been easily avoided, and they hadn't offered pursuit. I didn't know what would happen if we had rushed them, anyway. Would they have let us through?
I didn't want to find out.
We ran the other way, and that was the trap. We got two blocks when a group rushed us from the entrance of a building. There were eight of them. Two of them threw themselves at me; the other six went for the dregs of my escort. The two didn't try to catch me; they just held me off while the rest overpowered my guards and dragged them away.
"This is hardly me not seeing it coming," I said to the two facing me.
They both laughed and pushed back their hoods. They were the two sisters, Reannaine and Riardarn. "She has a message for you," Reannaine said. "She's waiting for you, somewhere between here and your camp."
"Don't try to blackmail us into telling you where. We don't know," said her sister.
"You get one minute," Reannain
e added. "After that, pretty much the entire village is after you, and if we catch you, you won't like it."
"So don't dilly dally."
"But we don't get to run, so if you hurry, you'll stay ahead of us. If you make it to your camp, you win."
"What's with the armed groups?"
"Just obstacles. You're supposed to avoid them."
"You're almost out of time," Riardarn said. "If I were you, I'd run. Your camp is that way." She pointed.
I wasn't sure if she was lying, but it was the direction I was traveling, and I took off. I ran a half block then ducked down a dark alley between two houses, very close together, immediately moving far more quietly.
I made it to the back yards of the houses. It was dark, and I slipped behind the building on the right. I listened, and then I heard a great many people pass in the street I had just left.
I waited for several minutes, but no one came to search for me, and I wondered if I had lost them. I chuckled quietly. Our camp was on the west edge of town. I was pretty sure Luradinine would either be waiting very near the camp or else somewhere she could drive me. I decided if I could approach camp from an unexpected direction, I could slip past her. And so I cut across the back yard, heading back the way we had come, hoping to circle around.
Beacon Hill was like a rat's warren, however. No one saw me, but I kept running into one sort of obstacle or another, and my choices were not as varied as I would have preferred. A few times, I had to change direction to avoid patrolling groups of villagers. Several times there were dogs that set up a fuss, and each time I retreated rapidly from the noise, clearing the area as quickly as I could.
But then I was forced between another two houses to avoid another patrol. Again, they didn't see me, but then they came to a stop immediately in front of me, and they began combing through the brushes near the street and were moving slowly in my direction. I faded back between the houses, cut across the back yards, then slipped between the houses on the other side.
I walked almost directly into the arms of one of the patrols. The only reason they didn't catch me was they didn't recognize me instantly, but they gave chase, yelling loudly the entire time.