*****
Night cloaked the column as it wended its way along the shingle beach marking the eastern bank of the Slave River. The water funneled through a long, narrow canyon, hammering and roiling across heavy boulders and rocks in a steep descent before finally thundering over the Tripwire Falls a mile or so to the south. High cliffs extended north and south, enclosing the gorge in gloomy shadow even under a noonday sun. At night the darkness was stygian, with water-slick gravel and stones creating a high risk for a turned ankle. The expedition had to proceed carefully and quietly, even though the sound of pounding water helped disguise any noise the warriors might have made.
So far they had avoided detection, swiftly silencing any Chimera scouts and warriors who might have given warning. It was surprising how lightly defended the breeding caverns were. Hardly any Chims whatsoever, but there had been enough to ‘interrogate’ – and a bloody, awful mess it had turned out to be. From them, the Ashokans had gained a fairly accurate picture of the cave system they planned on invading. According to the Chims, the breeders were housed in large caverns, widely dispersed throughout the cave system and guarded by roughly five thousand of their fellows, just as Li-Dirge had said.
Five thousand Chimeras… On an open field, two thousand Ashokans could have easily taken them, but in the tight quarters of the tunnels and caves, it would be a painful, deadly slog. Kumma speed and power would count for so much less in such narrow confines.
And since a man could easily get lost in the confusing warrens, the Marshall had insisted each warrior be given a map of the caverns and tunnels. If anyone got separated from their unit, they had to have a way of getting out of there.
As for the plan of attack, there were three entrances to the caverns, and the Ashokans already held them, having quickly overwhelmed the small defending force of Chimeras. Now it was time for the rest of the warriors to get in there and get the job done. Marshall Tanhue had split his command into three equal columns of just under seven hundred men each. Rukh had been assigned to the unit tasked with entering the southernmost entrance.
“I can’t believe we’re going into those caves,” a warrior walking near Rukh murmured to a companion. “We have no idea what we’ll find in there.”
“We’ll be fine,” his friend replied. “That claw of Tigons and those traps of Braids we captured told us all we need to know.”
“You think we can trust the word of a Chim?”
“No, but they only told us what we already figured to be true, like the Baels all being dead,” the second warrior replied. “Or how the Sorrow Bringer killed all them horned bastards Herself and put the Tigons in charge. Just like the Shektan said.”
“You mean the Hume Champion. Can’t forget what a great warrior he is,” the first man said, a sneering tone to his voice. “Naaja bastard.” He spit to the side.
Rukh clenched his fists. He was about to speak up, but almost immediately, he swallowed any harsh words he might have said. What was the point? Even if he put a beatdown on those two, nothing would change. The others wouldn’t care. The casual slurs would continue.
At that moment, he wished he’d never been chosen for the expedition. As for the two men in question – a Muran and a Rahail – they had no idea who it was walking right next to them. It was the Tainted bastard himself. He supposed they thought he was just another Kumma.
“He is naaja,” the second warrior said. “But I wouldn’t rile him. Word is he’s tough as nails.” He glanced at his friend. “You hear how his lieutenant sent him scouting ahead without backup?”
“I heard,” the first warrior said. “It was wrong if you ask me. The Shektan is Tainted, but it was a suicide mission. I say if you want to see a man dead, kill him in honorable combat.”
“You want to be the one to take him on?” the second warrior scoffed.
“Who? The Shektan? No chance. I heard he’s the one who took out most of the Chim scouts on our way in. Ten, twenty at a time…it didn’t matter. He laid them all low. My lieutenant says all we did was follow his trail of dead Chims to their doorstep.”
“I heard he took down three Balants by himself,” the second warrior whispered. “Charged right in and cut them to mincemeat.”
There was a whistle of appreciation. “His lieutenant better be careful to watch his back. A man like the Shektan might snap at any minute.”
Rukh moved away. The men still didn’t like him, but at least they feared him. It was something he supposed.
“Move out.” The order came in a harsh whisper. “Double time.”
The Ashokans marched into the cavern, quick and stealthy. Rukh glanced around. Dead Tigons and Braids littered the floor, about twenty of them, their bodies riddled with arrows. They had been killed only a few minutes earlier. Fresh blood still oozed from their wounds, and their bowels had emptied. It stank. Fluttering lanterns, evenly spaced on the relatively smooth walls of the tunnel, provided a disjointed light. It looked like he wouldn’t need the dozen or so oil-soaked torches on his back. He shrugged. Who knew? Maybe the rest of the caves wouldn’t be as well lit. Better to keep them.
The column reached a bifurcation, and Rukh took a look at his map. He was glad to see it showed the split where the column had halted. Maybe the information from the captured Chims would turn out to be accurate. The plan now was to further divide the forces at each junction of the tunnel until there were thirteen units of fifty warriors working their way through the cave system, with each group clearing a predetermined set of tunnels and caverns. It wasn’t ideal, but with their force structure, it would have to do. Fifty warriors in cramped quarters should be large enough to handle whatever enemy forces they came across but also swift enough to get the job done: kill the breeders.
Their unit quickly divided into the predetermined thirteen units, and Rukh found himself assigned, as expected, toward the back of the squad. It was the most dangerous position to be in, but somebody had to do it. No surprise the lieutenant in command of the unit had chosen him for the job. It was just another punishment for being what he was. As a naaja, he was expendable.
They marched into the depths of the caves, and Rukh’s stomach clenched as he imagined the shadows and adjoining tunnels hiding Chims waiting to leap and kill him. He was thinly supported. Would he even have time to get his sword and spear ready? He scanned behind the column constantly, especially the intersecting tunnels, looking and listening for danger.
It was a quarter mile before they finally came upon the enemy, a nest of Ur-Fels loping down a side passage and lumbering into the center of the unit. For a second, the Chims looked comically surprised to see their hated enemy marching through the very heart of their home. After they got over their shock, the Ur-Fels screamed their outrage and attacked. Most quickly died beneath the swords of the warriors, but one of them managed to escape, speeding away and howling warning to his brethren.
Rukh wiped sweaty palms on his pants. Suwraith’s spit, but he wished he were somewhere else all of a sudden. Life was suddenly about to get much more interesting.
“Cavern coming up.” The whispered word came down the line.
The pace quickened. They entered a wide, tall space. Within were strange creatures, like hairless, pasty versions of an Ur-Fel, chained at their necks to the walls. They were skeletal in appearance with protuberant abdomens and naked. Their mouths gaped when the Ashokans entered, revealing broken yellow teeth, and they took to howling. Their cries drew twenty Ur-Fels, who immediately threw themselves at the squad, but were swiftly cut down by a hail of arrows. The breeders were similarly killed.
“Move it. Take the tunnel to the right,” the lieutenant whispered.
They traveled several hundred yards before coming to a jumbled halt.
“The hell are we?” Rukh heard the lieutenant growl. He and the first sergeant had their heads bent close to one another, furiously whispering as they studied their maps.
“We’re supposed to be here,” the first sarge whispered. His voice w
as loud enough to carry as he pointed at his map.
There was pause in their conversation as the lieutenant scratched his chin. “Suwraith’s spit.”
Rukh’s head snapped up. He heard something. A scrabbling noise from behind them. He searched the tunnel leading back to the Ur-Fel breeder’s cavern, listening as closely as possible. They had passed a bend in the passage…his eyes narrowed as he concentrated. He heard it again. And something else. His eyes widened. He knew that sound. It was the growls of Tigons on the hunt. “Incoming,” he hissed loudly, his heart pounding. “Tigons.”
His words had the squad spun around and facing back in the direction they had come.
Before they could form up, fifty Tigons rounded the corner. With their prey in sight, the Chims eschewed their prior quietness. They bellowed in rage and charged.
Rukh threw two Fireballs into the faces of the lead Tigons. They stumbled and fell, tripping those behind them. It bought the Ashokans just enough time to form up. The front rank, three wide, quickly Shielded, while those behind them hurled Fireballs.
“More Tigons coming from up ahead!” someone shouted.
There were just as many as in the first group, trapping the squad in between.
“Second and third ranks, bows only. Front ranks, Shields and Fireballs!” the first sarge yelled out.
His words were hardly needed. The Ashokans knew their business. Fireballs screamed out, incinerating the charging Chims. The tunnel quickly filled with smoke and the stink of burning flesh. It didn’t slow down the Tigons one bit. Thankfully, the damn cats, as they often did, threw their weapons aside in their unthinking fury and kept on attacking. It was a slaughter as arrows ripped through them. The few who managed to close were quickly hacked down. Bodies littered the ground, and blood splattered on the walls, soaking the floor and making footing slick.
Just as the Ashokans breathed a sigh of relief, another group of Chim charged in from a side passage, this time Balants. Twenty of them. They smashed into the center of the Ashokan column, separating a group of fifteen warriors from the main force.
Rukh was one of those cut off, and he had little room to maneuver, pressed on both sides by hooting Balants, who were busily laying about with their clubs. He launched a Fireball straight into face of one of the elephant-sized, baboon-like Chims. The creature howled in pain, and Rukh took the sudden opening to fall back. The other Kummas had already planned for such a situation and fought in Triads and Duos. They were ably defending themselves, dispatching the Balants in a swift movement of sword and spear. No one had bothered to offer such an arrangement with Rukh. He fought alone.
His spear was knocked from his hands, and he was pushed further away from the column. Most of the Balants were swiftly put down, but of those still alive and fighting, a full five stood between Rukh and the rest of the squad. With a little luck, he might still be able to rejoin the unit, though.
He moved forward just as hissing cries arose from behind him.
Rukh spun around.
Suwraith’s spit. Luck wasn’t with him.
From beyond the bend in the tunnel and the mangled bodies of the Tigons, he heard the fast approaching sound of more Chims coming to join the battle. Braids judging by their cries.
Fragging unholy hell.
There was no way he could regroup with his column.
Time to run.
Rukh disengaged and took off down a side passage.
Four Balants gave chase. Rukh opened up some distance but not too much. He had a plan. He conducted Jivatma, letting it fill him, holding it until…He glanced back. Now. He let it out in a sudden burst. Fire Shower. The Balants didn’t even have time to scream. And just as Rukh had hoped, their carcasses ended up blocking the tunnel, hindering the pursuing Braids.
Rukh paused, needing to get his bearings. He pulled out his map. He quickly had a rough idea where he was. He also knew where the column was headed. So…if he cut down the tunnel over there, he might be able to reconnect with the squad. He put away the map and was about to set off when more Tigons appeared from up ahead.
Rukh ran, Shielding as he took a random intersecting tunnel. He unlimbered his bow as he went. He outdistanced the cats, but they followed close behind. At a bend in the passage, Rukh turned, aimed, and fired. One down. Two.
He flinched. Damn it! The Tigons were throwing spears. Hard. A few almost penetrated his Shield, causing it to compress against his chest. Time to go.
More spears and arrows peppered his back, but his Shield held. He drew on his Well, running faster. He took a turn at random, temporarily losing his pursuers and found himself in a large open cavern. His nose wrinkled in disgust. It smelled like cat piss. It had to be a Tigon breeder’s cavern. Rukh paused for a moment, disturbed by what he saw. The creatures looked like deformed and stunted Shylows, with slack jaws and drool collecting on the ground. Suwraith’s creations were all so damn ugly. The breeders howled at his presence, and he raced through the room, stabbing and cutting until the space was silent.
There were three entrances to the chamber. From two of them, a number of Tigons entered. The Chims saw Rukh standing amongst the mangled corpses of their breeders, and their eyes filled with crazed hatred. They screamed, a sound like a mill saw cutting bone.
By now Rukh had grown accustomed to his fear. It was like an old friend, not even hindering him anymore. He set it aside and took careful, steady aim with his bow and fired. An arrow in an eye. Another in a mouth. He smiled without humor. The Tigons even more pissed off than before. Good. Sometimes, in their anger, they took the time to rip at their fur. They did so, and Rukh took advantage of their stupidity. He raced for the one unblocked exit. The Tigons moved to intercept. It would be tight getting out. His gut tightened involuntarily as two Tigons surged in front of him, flanking the passage he needed. He rolled under their sword swings, was through the doorway and out, before rising and sprinting away.
A short-lived surge of relief passed through him, but he wasn’t out of the shithouse yet. The Tigons would give chase. The two in the lead were well ahead of the others. Their mistake. Rukh taunted them, keeping just out of their clawed reach. The Tigons ran harder, opening up even more distance between themselves and their fellow cats. The tunnel widened. It was the opening Rukh had been looking for. He spun around, sword at the ready, surprising the Chims. He slashed one Tigon across the throat before the cat even had time to raise a sword. The other one blocked a slash. Its return sweep caught empty air as Rukh twisted aside. A viper fast thrust took the creature through the heart. It gurgled its death even as it fell to the ground.
Six or so left. The others still chased after him, roaring their rage.
Let them.
A cold malice had settled over his heart. Weeks of abuse at the hands of his fellow warriors, weeks of resentment at his mistreatment, at the fragging injustice of it all…someone would pay. It was just the Chimeras’ bad luck that it would have to be them.
Rukh took a moment to quickly clean and sheathe his sword before running on. He had a plan. All he needed was the right opening. A few moments later, he had it as he came upon another large, round space, this one empty. No breeders. Maybe his luck was changing. There were two entrances, the one he had entered and one directly opposite. He briefly considered another Fire Shower, but it was overkill. He could handle the Tigons with sword and bow. Besides, he needed to save his Jivatma as best he could. Today was going to be hard as the unholy hells. He didn’t want to waste his strength.
He ran to the opposite exit and crouched in the shadows, hidden and ready, ears straining for any flanking pursuit. He heard none, although he did pick out the distant sounds of battles echoing through the tunnels. He had no idea where the fighting was taking place or where his unit might be given the honeycomb nature of the caves.
His attention snapped back to the task at hand as a Tigon burst into the chamber. It ate an arrow. Another stumbled over his fallen brother, throwing off Rukh’s aim, and his arrow sailed a
bove it, but caught another Tigon in the chest, downing it. Three more entered the room. Time for one final arrow. Another one down.
Three of them then. He could handle it.
The Tigons closed, and Rukh dropped his bow and drew his sword, wiping sweaty palms on his pants before engaging. He conducted Jivatma and moved in a blur.
His training took over. No thought to it but muscle memory. He’d practiced these moves ten thousand times until they were as natural as breathing. He attacked right, ducking a slow, reckless slash at his face. A further slide to the right, and a kick crunched into the Tigon’s knee. Something broke, and the cat went down, howling in pain. He parried a disemboweling thrust. Step back, leap over the other two Chims, and surprise them. Their backs were to him, and he pithed one, slamming his sword-tip through the back of its skull and into its brain. The other cat spun, and Rukh parried its thrust. He edged inside, hammering the pommel of his sword into the Tigon’s chin. It bit its tongue in half and gurgled in pain. A kick to its gut brought it wheezing to its knees. A slice to the throat and the Chim was done. Take care of the injured Tigon, and it was finished.
Rukh cleaned his sword on the corpse of a Tigon and gathered his arrows, feeling oddly satisfied. Stupid Chims. Let them come. He’d kill any others he came across, too. And if he died here, on this night, he was determined to have it on his terms, doing what he’d trained all his life for. He was a Kumma. He was a warrior, and he had a mission to complete.
But first, he had to clean up. He stank. His face, hands, and clothes were covered with blood and bits of Tigon meat, leaving him wet and sticky. There were even chunks of flesh in his hair. Luckily, one of the cats had a canteen full of water, and Rukh used it to rinse off as much gore and blood as possible from his hands and weapons.
A Warrior's Path (The Castes and the OutCastes) Page 47