The Shadow Gypsy (The Shadow Sisters)

by C. R. Daems

"The left side was lightly manned and had several of their supply wagons and support people, like cooks. The interesting thing was a changing of the wizards. A wizard approached the one closest to me, they talked, and then the one that had been on guard walked off in your direction while the other stayed in his position," Fayza said, rubbing her chin in thought.

  "Yes, that fits with what I saw. That wizard you saw leaving replaced the wizard near me. Jago, you said five wizards. I'd wager they have three on the front, on the fighting edge of their formation, and two guarding the rear. To keep them from getting exhausted, they rotate every so often so that each gets time in the rear to rest, while keeping their vulnerable rear protected."

  "What now?"

  "I think we wait for Araby and hopefully Tarion to arrive." I said. We now knew what we faced. I didn't have a plan, but maybe Fayza, Jago, and Cadell could think of something.

  "I don't think you have too long to wait. I feel two armies moving towards us. One is Araby and the other is coming from the direction of Tarion. Araby should be here by morning. The other I would think in late afternoon."

  "Let hope it's the king’s army and not the Snowmen," Fayza said. "That would certainly liven things up."

  "The Snowmen's wizards are active," Jago pointed to a huge Sandstorm in the east. "They are on the move east, towards the northern part of Calion."

  * * *

  Captain Cadell had used caution and led a small detail an hour in front of the main force to avoid early discovery. He smiled broadly when he saw us.

  "I'm glad to see you. I wasn't looking forward to engaging the Snowmen on our own. Their small army was a real challenge, and we're a third smaller now."

  "The good news is that the Tarion army will be joining us later today," Jago said. "I can feel my sister Wenna is with the approaching army."

  "What's the situation?" Cadell asked. I gave him a brief overview as we waited. Two hours later, the Araby army arrived with wu'Lichak. I was impressed, she was walking along with Boyan.

  "This is a very uncivilized way of traveling, but I have to admit it would have been cruel to bring horses. Without water, they would be useless." Boyan handed her a small cup of water, which she sipped showing a tremendous amount of self-control and good sense. "I can understand why no one tried to take this land from the Zunji. All they would have to do is keep moving, and the invading army would slowly die. And then what would you do with the land if you won?"

  "Yes, it is a hard life, but the Zunji are content with their lives. They are a wonderful people when you get to know them. And their presence in the desert may well save Hesland from the Snowmen. Because without the Zunji, there would have been no way to stop the Snowmen from occupying the land and invading the provinces at will," I said. As we sat eating and talking, the Tarion army arrived.

  "Your Majesty," , wu'Lichak said as everyone around our circle went down on one knee—except the Shadows who merely bowed our heads.

  "Rise. Wu'Lichak, you and I are too damn old to be out walking in the desert." He laughed and sat as a young boy ran up with a skin of water. He looked up at Rong. "What now?"

  "You should collect your senior military, and we can all get briefed on the current status."

  It took a while to collect the Earth Wizards and captains with the two armies. With the king and wu'Lichak, Boyan and Captain Tymon, and the Sisters, there were twelve of us. For some reason, the update fell to me. I outlined what Fayza, Jago, and I saw and my conclusions about rotating the wizards to keep them rested.

  "The Zunji have the Earth Wizard Erica with them. If we could coordinate a three prong attack we may be able to breach the circle and kill the wizards, since they would be vulnerable," the king's captain, Elliot, said.

  "If one of the three can breach the circle and at what cost? We still have the Snowmen to fight, and they number around forty to fifty hands. We may out number them two to one now, but what about after our attempt to breach the circle—and what if we don't?" Cadell asked and laughed. "My fortuneteller told me strength wouldn't win. We would need wit."

  Wu'Lichak laughed, her eyes darting to me for a second. "I agree with Captain Cadell and his fortuneteller. We need to create a diversion that will permit a Shadow to slip into the circle and kill a wizard. Then we could attack that weak spot."

  Everyone looked to us.

  "Give us a moment," Rong said, waving to Jago, as we walked out of hearing. "The fortuneteller is right. It's the way we defeated the Araby and Tarion blockades."

  "Jago, could you and the other two Earth Wizards create a ground disruption under one of the wizards in the rear?" I asked.

  "Yes, but unless we are very close, we won't cause much damage and are unlikely to kill the wizard before he retaliates. And if we are close, the other wizard will come to his aid... Yes." He smiled. We returned and worked out the planned attack. The three Earth Wizards would quietly approach the Wizard on the left which should be the weakest, given they rotate counter clockwise off their frontal line attacking the Zunji. As soon as the Earth Wizards began their attack, the king and Araby armies would rush forward, giving the appearance of trying to breach the line by killing that wizard. Shadows would be to the left of the wizard being attacked and to the right of the wizard on the right. That way Shadows would be in position to take advantage of any opening created by the Earth Wizards' attack. The Earth Wizards would know by the feel of the earth if one of the Storm Wizards died and would direct the armies towards that opening. The Earth Wizard attack would start two hours before sunset, but we had to be in place before it started.

  "Same teams," Rong said, smiling at Hajna. "They worked well last time."

  "Yes, Spies are extremely sneaky—and deadly," Hajna said, grinning. Rong had penetrated the Snowmen's line and killed the rear wizard, and like Fayza had done for me, Hajna had helped Rong escape.

  After hugs all around, Fayza and I trotted in a wide circle to the right. Both moons were out tonight. Setebos was a half moon and only an hour from setting, and Sycorax was at quarter moon and just rising, creating complex shadows around small rises, trees, and shrubs. Small clouds occasionally blocked the moons, making for an eerie landscape. When we had worked our way to within thirty paces of the Storm Wizard we stopped. Fayza was close enough to cover my approach when the commotion started and trying to get any closer could unravel the entire plan. I dropped into the moment where neither time nor expectations existed.

  When the ground began to rumble and shake, the wizard’s attention shifted toward the movement after only a cursory scan of his area, as did the ten Assur guarding him. As the intensity increased, he took several more steps in that direction with only a quick look back. The Assur's attention was also glued to the direction of the disruption. When the Storm Wizard started to raise a storm wind, I stood straight and threw three knives, on after the other. The last two weren't necessary. The first sunk deep into his back in the area of the heart, as did the second. The third missed high as he stumbled and fell. The Assur were disorganized for a moment, between the earth shaking, the storm from the other wizard, and their wizard falling. By the time they realized what had happened and turned around, Fayza had killed three, and I had moved deeper into the circle using wagons, barrows, and shadows to stay hidden.

  The Snowmen's army stayed in formations behind the wizards. After a Sandstorm, they would rush past and descend on the disorganized opponents, kill, and retreat behind the wizards before their opponents could reorganize. I don't know if the Earth Wizards had managed to alert Erica with the Zunji or if fate was with me, because the Snowmen and the Zunji were fighting again, which had the front lines fully engaged. And now that the rear had been breached, the Snowmen that were not manning the front lines were rushing to support the rear.

  That left the middle almost vacant, except for cooks and other nonmilitary, many of them women. I subdued one with a rockberry needle, put on her robe, and picked up the several skins of water she had been carrying. Working my way towards t
he front, I joined several others waiting for orders to help. The Storm stopped. The Snowmen's formation charged past the wizard and into the Zunji who were struggling to respond. Although they had cloths around their faces and bodies, many had been ripped away,, along with skin down to the bone.

  I drew a throwing knife, ran several steps, and threw. It was a long distance, but everyone, including the wizard, was watching forward. The knife rotated over and over as it arched toward the wizard. Finally, it slammed into his back, sinking up to the hilt. The wizard to his right saw him fall. I don't know if he identified me as the thrower or panicked. He spun in the direction of the women where I stood and pushed a wave of wind at us. A mistake and the reason the Storm Wizards were vulnerable from the rear was because they couldn't attack behind them without killing their own troops. Snowmen, women, and I were thrown back into carts and barrows. People were thrown against me, and me against others, as sand and rocks pelted us. When I opened my eyes, it was chaos. The king's men, the Araby, and the Zunji poured in from every direction. I tried to move but couldn't. Suddenly, a Zunji stood over me, spear raised.

  "Shadow?" He stood looking down at me. "Gero! Over here." A minute later, Gero stood looking down at me. With his spear, he pulled aside a section of my white robe.

  "Shadow?"

  "Gero," I said. His eyes brightened, and he helped me to my feet. They had to hold me up or I would have fallen. My left arm was definitely broken, a couple of ribs, and I was bleeding from several places were the cloth had been ripped away. I closed my eyes and quickly opened them as my head spun and my knees buckled. Only Gero and his warrior kept me upright. Staring out into the desert, I thought I saw a group of Zunji approaching with...

  "Father approaches, now that the fun is over." He laughed, but his eyes were sad. In my fogged mind, I saw a wizard rise up out of the sand, his robe soaked with blood, a broken spear sticking through his shoulder and out his back. He turned slowly and his fiery eyes locked on me. It was Askell. He screamed and turned towards Sizwe. The ground in front of him heaved outward.

  Anil, Kasi, attack, I mentally shouted. Although my eyes were closed, I saw my darlings dive at him, sink fangs deep into his neck... and spiral away as Askell whirled, bringing the desert floor swirling around him. I screamed the pain of a thousand deaths as my darlings’ sight failed. I passed out.

  * * *

  I woke with Rong bandaging my arm and fought my way loose, screaming. Fayza caught me in a hug.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Anil, Kasi... I must find them... bury them..." I sobbed. My other scars were mere scratches. I had sent my darlings to their death. I had had no choice... Yes, I did have a choice, and I sent them to their death. I hated myself. I would never be whole again. I would find them and live out my years in the desert where I would bury them.

  I felt Fayza nudge Zara into the desert, Hajna called Yafa, and Rong her owl, Chiba. And I let myself sink into blackness.

  * * *

  I woke in a wagon not caring where it was going, wishing they had just left me in the desert to die or to wander as my punishment. I sought the refuge of blackness again.

  * * *

  I lay dreaming, a dream to rival that of the Passion nectar. I had found two furry little bats drowning in guano. I washed the guano off them and took them home with me. I loved them and they loved me. Today, they lay on my naked chest inside my shirt as I lay looking at the stars. They would stay with me forever—until I killed them. I jerked fully awake, pain radiating through every fiber in my body.

  "Ryana, relax. You are safe," said wu'Lichak's voice. "You are in the Earth Wizard's lodge in Sandel. You and your friends are in good hands. You should be able to travel in a few days. Lord Boyan is staying with a detail to escort you home to your clan. I'm leaving today, but I want to see you when you reach Scio."

  "I don't want to return to Scio. I'm going back into the desert where I belong."

  "Why?"

  "Sizwe can bury me with my darlings." I couldn't stop the tears. They felt like hot lava burning a path down my cheeks and dripping onto my chest.

  "Do bats like the desert?" she asked, smiling.

  "No!" Anger flared up in me, and wu'Lichak jerked back. Erica stopped my forward motion with a hand and with the other reached into my shirt. When it emerged, Kasi sat in her palm.

  "Her wing is broken, but she will fly again when it heals. Anil had both his wings broken and lost some skin, but he too will heal."

  * * *

  The ride back to Scio with Lord Boyan took a sixday. We spent a lot of time at night talking about life growing up and reminiscing.

  "I used to lie awake trying to figure out how to prove you were a Shadow. Every time I thought I'd proved it, you shot down my theory," Boyan joked. "You gave me lots of headaches."

  "A good lie must be very close to the truth. That makes it easier for you to remember and harder for the other person to disprove. I attended the Shadow Sisters' school, and the Shadows do learn to need less sleep. All true. The lie was that the Shadows didn't think I was suitable."

  "I was sure until you got married. I thought Shadows didn't get married."

  "They don't, but not because they can't. It's because they couldn't bring their husbands to Ahasha, and they would only get to see their husbands now and then."

  "What about fortunetelling?" he asked, as a kind of open ended question—how?

  "I told everyone the truth, but you and they chose to believe something else." I grinned. I told everyone this is the future I see most clearly, they chose to believe I saw their future.

  "I don't understand?"

  "I will leave you to pounder that, Lord Boyan. As my teachers would say, 'if I told you the answers, you wouldn't learn anything.'"

  "Well if you ever want to hide as a noble, Lady wu'Lichak would make you one and give you the land to go with the title. It's hard to understand, but she has told me many times you don't need or want money or titles."

  "Your liege is a very smart lady."

  * * *

  I couldn't help but cry at the reception I got when Boyan delivered me to the Tobar clan wagons. The first hours was nothing but kisses and hugs and comments about how much I had been missed. And then the questions started. Wu'Lichak had told the clan via Santo and Lujza that she had insisted I go with her to war as her advisor, in other words her fortuneteller, and that I had been injured by a Storm Wizard.

  "It was a lot of fun for most of the campaign..." I explained in some detail the fight at Sandel, the march in the desert chasing the Snowmen, and the final battle. "Well, it was a lot of fun until that damn Storm Wizard broke loose and caused a storm that hit where Lady wu'Lichak and her security were camped. I had moved up to see better, and the damn wind swept me off my feet and into a wagon and people and scraped me along the ground." I enjoyed telling the story part true, part lie—history written by Ryana.

  Luka had a smile on his face the whole time, partly because he knew I was making up my part in the story and that I had survived. I couldn't help but feel like the luckiest woman on Hesland. When we finally entered the wagon that night, I pushed Luka onto the bed and stood looking down at him.

  "It's time," I said.

  "For glorious lovemaking," he said, smiling and beginning to undress.

  "No." I said, not smiling, and his smile faded.

  "To make a child."

  The End

  Thank you very much for reading The Shadow Gypsy.

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  Novels by C.R. Daems & J.R. Tomlin

  Crdaems.com

  Jrtomlin.com

  The Shadow Ryana

  Fantasy/Epic/Romance

  Ryana, a worthless girl-child, is sold to a mysterious woman who takes her to the hom
e of the Shadow Sisters who are prized for their abilities as spies and assassins. She survives years of training in spite of being unconventional: adopting poisonous bats as familiars--something no one else would dare to do; choosing the blow dart as her weapon of choice--a weapon the Sisters don't teach; and relying on intuition rather than logic.

  As she completes her training, the Shadow Sisters are under attack. The senior Sister selects Ryana to find out who is killing Sisters and why--because her intuitive approach has proved effective, even though her youth and inexperience makes it unlikely she will survive.

  As she travels through the kingdom as a member of a gypsy clan, she finds the only way she can protect the Sisters and hope to discover the underlying plot is through ever more violence and killing. As she proceeds through the provinces, her secret enemies come to call her the Sister of Death and become desperate to find and kill her. But in her desperate fight to protect the Sisterhood and the kingdom, Ryana fears that she has destroyed herself and the only life she ever wanted.

  Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Shadow-Ryana-ebook/dp/B00A8TUTWC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357102595&sr=8-2&keywords=daems

  The Riss Gamble

  Book I in the Riss Series

  Science Fiction/Fantasy

  A young girl dreams of seeing the stars and meeting aliens. Her chance comes in the form of a project offering a college education, commissioning in the SAS Fleet, and a partnership with an alien. She successfully qualifies and wins one of the coveted ten positions. Of course everything comes with a price—the alien is a parasite that inhabits the body and mind, and is there for life. Is it a dream or nightmare come true—or maybe both?

  Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Riss-Gamble-ebook/dp/B0068XKZQM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332997239&sr=1-1

  The Riss Proposal

  Book II in the Riss Series

  Science Fiction/Fantasy