by P J Berman
‘I assume you mean your Hentani girl? Ezrina, isn’t it? Do you think she’ll do it?’ asked Silrith.
‘I’m certain of it. She’s a savvy girl who hates Jostan as much as the rest of us. Plus there’s that sister of hers, Jezna. I don’t know her so much but I’m sure she’s capable of keeping Jostan occupied.’
‘Twice the distraction, twice the chance of success,’ said Silrith. ‘So that’s settled then. Have them brought up to me as soon as you can. Let us not forget though that they have a choice in this. I shall not force anyone to do such a dangerous mission.’
‘Yes, my Queen. If that’ll be all, I shall fetch them right away.’
‘Thank you Gasbron.’
That night, in an almost hidden corner of Rildayorda, Silrith’s plan was put into action as the moon reached its zenith. Ezrina was still unsure as to why she’d been hand-picked for the task, let alone Jezna. But she supposed that if it looked like she was going to be discovered it made sense to have Jezna there to buy her some time by causing some kind of distraction.
The dirty work would be Ezrina’s task, but that didn’t bother her. After all, she had sworn to her father on his death bed that she would always be an enemy to the King of Bennvika and now she had a chance to kill one. When it came to the method itself, the nature of the mission repulsed her with every fibre of her being, but it was all in the name of Bertakaevey. Even the sins they committed in life would be rewarded in the afterlife if they were done for the glory of the holy Goddess. Ezrina kept telling herself this over and over.
She and Jezna had washed the red ochre patterns off their bodies and wore plain white serving girl’s dresses, cut fairly short in a bid to tempt Jostan further. They were joined by Gasbron, who had done away with his Chief Invicturion’s uniform in favour of a militiaman’s garb; his shield painted white for disguise and his spear tassel carrying the red and gold of Kriganheim, which also happened to be the colours of Bastalf.
‘Huh, how the mighty have fallen. Suddenly not quite as ruggedly handsome as before,’ Ezrina appraised him.
‘Nice try, but don’t think for a moment that I believe you were getting all excited just over the uniform,’ he said.
‘Maybe. Maybe not.’
‘Well I think he looks very dashing, Ezrina,’ Jezna gushed.
‘You see! At least someone isn’t blind,’ said Gasbron.
‘She’s just being polite,’ said Ezrina.
‘You just have no appreciation for a real man,’ said Gasbron. ‘Either way, down to business. Let’s go through this one last time.’ They were now standing by a small door in the city wall, near Rildayorda’s East Gate. Ezrina rolled her eyes. She already knew it all by heart and even Jezna would be able to handle herself so long as Ezrina was nearby.
‘So, when we go through this door,’ said Gasbron. ‘We will follow the steps down into a tunnel which will take us under the walls and some way into the forest. Once there, we head for the camp. Do you both remember what to say?’
‘Yes.’
‘And Jezna, what else do you need to remember?’
‘If someone stops us, let Ezrina do the talking.’
‘That’s it. When we get close to the camp, we need to hide until we see someone else being challenged by the nearest sentry. That way we’ll be able to find out the password. If we can’t do that, we’ll have to improvise and find another way in. Once we’re in, I won’t be able to follow you any further. You two will be on your own for that part. Once you find Jostan’s tent, do whatever you have to do to complete the mission. Are we all clear on that?’
‘Yes.’
‘Right then girls, here we go.’
Ezrina walked over to the door, carrying a flower basket. She would never have spotted the door without Gasbron pointing it out, covered as it was in moss. Not in the darkness she wouldn’t have anyway. With both hands, Gasbron pulled on the handle and the door groaned until it was fully open. Then he took a burning torch from a nearby brazier and stepped down on to the stone staircase, with the girls following. Jezna shut the door behind them.
Ezrina shivered as they reached the end of the staircase, which led into the cold, damp tunnel, yet she was a little warmer than she might have been and the trio’s surroundings glowed a lurid orange with the light of the torch, causing rats to scurry away into the background.
‘Ezrina! Hold my hand! I don’t want to slip!’ came Jezna’s voice. Reaching behind her and taking Jezna’s hand, she kept moving on, following Gasbron. This far down the floor was wet and the surface treacherous, and Jezna was making it awkward for Ezrina to walk. She stayed behind Ezrina, apparently not wanting to look at the rats.
‘Come on,’ Ezrina chided her. ‘You’re slowing us down.’
Eventually, through the light of Gasbron’s torch, they began to make out a second stone staircase, which they soon reached and climbed. They stopped as Gasbron began to push at the ceiling and with a great effort he opened the hatch at the top of the stairs. He clambered through it, revealing the night sky above as he turned and reached for Ezrina’s hand, pulling her upward.
Once back above ground, they found themselves deep in the woods. They took care to shut the hatch. The door had been covered by earth and thickly growing grass and so was perfectly camouflaged. Gasbron looked around them.
‘Are you sure we’ll be able to find our way back?’ asked Ezrina quietly.
‘Honestly, no,’ said Gasbron. ‘But we can’t mark out this position in case the enemy find it. We’ll just have to pray that the Gods guide us back safely.’
Ezrina and Jezna looked at each other in shock, but Gasbron apparently didn’t notice and began to stride away. Focusing her mind on the job in hand, Ezrina followed Gasbron and headed for Jostan’s camp, with Jezna behind. At the very least, they trusted that Gasbron was heading in the right direction anyway. Soon they began to make out the camp’s distant flickering fires.
All three of them strained their ears for any sound as they moved, freezing at anything that sounded anything like the crunch of a twig or the rustling of leaves. Anything could be out there and not just the enemy. Wolves, even demons or wood spirits. It didn’t bear thinking about.
As they approached the camp, they began to hear the ominous sound of hammering on metal and wood. In the distance stood a sentry. They huddled behind an enormous oak tree. This close together, even in the shadows Ezrina could make out Gasbron’s features and judging by his expression he was enjoying the perks of the job, with both her and Jezna pressed against him. She felt a hand squeeze her buttock. She held up a finger in warning, with a stern look, but he just looked confused. Then she realised whose hand it had been.
‘Someone’s coming,’ Jezna whispered.
‘Password!’ the sentry called.
‘Deadlock,’ the second soldier called out.
‘Deadlock?’ Ezrina and Gasbron mouthed to each other. Despite the situation, the password seemed strangely overdramatic. Quietly, the three crawled away from the tree, just a few metres deeper into the forest, until Gasbron decided it was safe to stand. He began to walk back towards the camp, with the girls in tow.
‘Password!’
‘Deadlock!’
The guard allowed them to come closer.
‘State your name and business,’ he barked when they were nearly on him.
‘Militiaman Yazdor of Kriganheim,’ said Gasbron. ‘I was out foraging for supplies when I found these two.’
‘Really? And what were they doing here-Urgh!’
Thinking quickly, Ezrina had thrown away her flower basket and pulled down the shoulders of her dress and flashed her bare breasts. It was all the distraction they’d needed. With a swift thrust, Gasbron buried the spearhead into the guard’s face. Ezrina was impressed and nodded her approval as the body dropped to the floor.
‘Right. I can’t follow you any further,’ said Gasbron. ‘I’ll deal with the body. You go in while I stick our friend here behind one of those trees. I�
�ll be standing here on guard duty when you come out, but in the meantime, you’re on your own. You’ll just have to use your intuition to find your way to the royal enclosure.’
‘Come on,’ Ezrina told Jezna, taking her hand and they crossed the threshold into the jaws of the enemy.
There was an unnerving hammering coming from somewhere within the camp, but nobody stopped the girls for quite some time. In fact, it was like they were invisible; just another pair of camp followers running errands for their betters. Their only problem was finding their way to their target. They knew from their briefing that the royal enclosure would be towards the middle of the camp, set a long way back from the front line. Other than that, they had to work it out for themselves.
Unfortunately, there were no real giveaways. Time was in short supply and Ezrina knew that for their plan to work they had to make it there before the genuine concubine did and they had no way of knowing her current position.
‘We’re going to have to ask someone,’ Ezrina said finally in resignation. ‘Remember, I do the talking. Say nothing unless I tell you to speak. It looks like we’re going to have to start our act early.’
‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ Jezna asked.
‘We’ve got no choice. Anyway, I doubt all the girls in the camp know where it is. They won’t be surprised seeing a pair like us asking where to go.
‘Excuse me, sir!’
A spearman looked around to see who had called.
‘Excuse me, sir, we have been sent to do our duty to the King tonight, but we’re not sure where to go. Can you direct us please?’
‘You poor girls. Looks like you two are in for a long night.’
‘It is our duty to obey our King. He honours us with his attention,’ said Jezna. Ezrina glared at her for speaking and she dropped her head in apology.
‘Well, if you say so, love.’
‘So can you tell us where to go?’ Ezrina asked.
‘Better than that. I’m off duty. I’ll take you there.’
They followed the soldier and soon came to a wooden fence that surrounded some larger tents. At the entrance stood a pair of guards, one of whom wore strange black armour and a demonic helmet with just a single eye slit, while the other was a Divisioman.
They thanked the soldier and approached the guards.
‘What did he mean by a long night? That didn’t sound good,’ said Jezna.
‘Shut up!’
‘Sorry.’
The very idea of what they were about to do to get close to the King repulsed Ezrina. The idea that she might have to lie with a man she hated and see Jezna do the same. It was sickening. Still, it was a means to an end. She had to get to Jostan for the benefit of her people, even if Silrith had her own reasons for sending them there. She still didn’t understand why Silrith had sent Jezna with her. Maybe Gasbron had told her of her affection for Jezna and sent both of them so that, in protection of each other, they’d see the mission through and not simply try to escape. Those Bennvikans must have believed that they really were sisters. They’d had to lie to everyone they came across for what seemed like a lifetime. After all, the true nature of their relationship was punishable by death under Hentani law, which was still implemented in many areas with high Hentani populations.
‘We are the King’s concubines for tonight,’ Ezrina stated when they reached the guards. The soldiers looked at each other but pulled their spears out of the girls’ way. They moved in and despite their fear, still chucked to themselves as they heard quiet curses of ‘lucky bastard’ and the like from the guards. Immediately they spotted a tent that was much larger than the others, but there was no light inside, so it couldn’t be that one. They walked on. There were many Divisiomen milling about here and there, as well as more of the soldiers in black armour, but the girls were allowed to move freely.
This was, however, until they reached one of the few tents that was guarded; again by one man in that intimidating black armour, alongside a Divisioman. It was the only tent comparable in size to the one they had seen earlier and this time there were many candles that could be seen burning inside.
Ezrina said the same to these guards as she had said to those on the gate earlier, but this time they demanded a search. As she was felt up by rough hands, Ezrina wondered if they were actually bothered about the King’s safety, or if they just fancied a good grope of some young, firm female flesh. Looking over, she saw that Jezna looked petrified and she prayed that her lover wouldn’t give them away. But then, there had probably been many girls who had been genuinely in this position as the King’s concubine who had looked the same at this point.
Content that the girls carried no weapons, the guards allowed them to pass through. There was no-one inside. The interior glimmered with a deep orange tone and was filled with richly decorated furniture, along with lavish cushions and gleaming ornaments. At the far end was a bed, behind a semi-transparent curtain.
It was only once they had both stepped in fully though that Ezrina noticed the large square tapestry hanging at the side of the tent. Jezna went to lie on the bed, while Ezrina moved to inspect the image further.
It was suspended about three feet off the ground. It was mainly white, but woven into it was the outlined image of a man in long robes; his arms open in a welcoming pose. Yet his face didn’t quite fit with the rest of the picture. The crazed expression he had was most unsettling and from his scalp sprouted a number of serpents. Across the top of the tapestry were woven the words ‘Almighty Estarron, Lifeblood of the World’.
This wasn’t any God that Ezrina recognised. Maybe this demon was the Verusantian God? Was this where Jostan prayed? Why was the God’s name written in Bennvikan? Jostan must be planning to covert his followers to worship his God. Maybe his enemies too? It was a terrifying prospect and she made a prayer to Bertakaevey to protect her from such evil. She knew she’d rather die than turn her back on the true Goddess.
Then she heard a voice outside.
‘Get out of my way! I demand to see the King!’ The voice was female.
‘I’m sorry. We’re under orders not to let you in until further notice, my lady.’
‘Hide,’ Ezrina whispered, motioning for Jezna to go and crouch behind the bed. Meanwhile, Ezrina got down on her hands and knees and crawled closer to the entrance, just out of sight of anyone who might be able to see inside.
‘He’s got a girl in there, hasn’t he? I should have seen this coming,’ the woman outside continued. ‘I am his betrothed. Yet already he loses interest in me. This is a humiliation.’
The sound of a dress dragging on grass signified that the woman had given up and had turned to leave.
‘Who’s she trying to kid?’ Ezrina heard one of the guards say in a gruffly common Bennvikan accent. He must have been the Divisioman.
‘What?’ the other asked in thick Verusantian tones and a voice that suggested he was still less than comfortable in the language of his counterpart.
‘I’m his betrothed! It’s as if she thinks that she and the King are a secret. Everyone knows they’ve been goin’ at it for weeks! Maybe months - ever since you lot got here. It’s the worst kept secret in Bennvika. It’s cos she’s pregnant that he’s losin’ interest. Likes them slim, doesn’t he? Old Accutina might still be a nice little piece for now, but before you know it she’ll be so fat you could roll her all the way back to Kriganheim.’
‘Yeh! Still, what I’d do for a roll with her tonight!’ said the Verusantian with a laugh.
‘Poor girl. She’s used to lying with a King. I doubt she’d appreciate you porkin’ her!’
‘Do you think if I did she’d get pregnant twice?’
‘I dunno. But if she pushed out two, the ugly one’d be yours. Seriously though, I bet that baby’s not even King Lissoll’s. I’ll wager that’s King Jostan’s kid!’
Ezrina’s interest flared at that. Accutina’s presence in the camp was most curious, but with any luck, the Dowager Queen kept with Bennvikan
tradition and carried the Amulet of Hazgorata wherever she travelled. The jewel would be just the symbol of divine favour the Hentani would need in order to find their strength if Jostan began forced conversions. She made a silent prayer to Bertakaevey in thanks for such an unexpected opportunity. Getting back to her feet, she walked over to the bed.
‘Jezna,’ she whispered. ‘Get up. There’s been a change of plan.’
As Jezna climbed out from her hiding place under the bed, Ezrina crouched down and began pulling at two tightly embedded pegs that held part of the tent in place.
‘What are you doing? Where are you going?’ Jezna asked.
‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
‘But what if someone comes? Don’t leave me here.’
Ezrina stopped and turned to her lover.
‘Jezna, look, this army was on a course to destroy our homes and slaughter our people before it was diverted here. If we are going to have to fight to put that Bennvikan girl on the throne then we can damn well do something to benefit our own people too. If that unborn baby genuinely is King Jostan’s, then even if we kill him, his line remains intact and there is a good chance that this Accutina might try and take power for herself so that she can be regent and her son can be King when he’s born. When he grows up, the threat to our people remains. We have to destroy the whole line. Understand?’
Jezna nodded, but Ezrina was still frustrated with her for causing a delay.
‘Good. I’m going now. Hopefully, she hasn’t got too far.’
With that, Ezrina pulled the two pegs free and wriggled under the tent flaps, out into the open, picking herself up off the damp grass. She looked around and spotted a well-dressed young woman in the distance. Yes, that had to be her. Surely only a royal could carry herself with such arrogance if the Hentani’s nobility were anything to go by. She must have paused to consider going back and remonstrating with the guards again, before deciding against it.
A fateful mistake, thought Ezrina as she stalked her prey, making sure to keep out of sight.
Eventually, she saw Accutina reach another tent; possibly blue or purple; it was hard to tell in the dark. It was smaller than the one she’d just come from but still fairly large. As her target paused at the entrance, Ezrina saw that unsurprisingly this one too was guarded, though this did at least prove the girl’s identity.