by John Booth
He worried because Daniel had been on the road for well over a year and his main creditor was getting increasingly impatient. If he and his magic dagger didn’t turn up soon that creditor might choose to extract payment from Yousef’s flesh.
Selling Daniel’s dagger behind his back was one thing, but Yousef had done something far worse. He tried to convince himself it was for Daniel’s own good. That he needed someone to tell him what to do, that he would be happier than being out on the road.
Yousef knew it was all a lie. It was just a way to justify that he was not a bad man. The truth was that he had no money and no prospects of earning any. He had sold the only things of value he still possessed, even though he didn’t really own any of them.
Yousef heard his name being called. The coffee shop was on one side of the market square. It was here that he and Daniel agreed to meet. Yousef stood up and grimaced at the pain that shot from the base of his spine and into his lungs. When he had his breath back he headed for the door, walking stick in one hand and cushion in the other, calling out Daniel’s name.
He didn’t recognize Daniel at first. The boy had grown into a man. Yousef’s eyes stared avariciously at the train of donkeys. How had Daniel managed to buy as many as seven? Yousef couldn’t imagine how it was done, but they would help him survive. He didn’t pay any attention to Jalia at the end of the train. It was beyond his imagining that such a noble lady could have anything to do with Daniel.
Yousef limped forward and hugged his brother warmly, “My dwelling is just a little way from here. Come, Daniel, let us make haste.” He led his brother from the market and through a narrow alley to the courtyard of a house he had bought on the promise of what his brother has sheathed on his belt.
Daniel didn’t question where his brother had found the money to pay for the house. He led his donkeys into the yard and started to tell Yousef how much money he had made.
“Yousef, I have been most successful. This should keep you in comfort for a considerable time.” Daniel passed his brother a heavy leather purse. It’s weight almost made Yousef regret the deal he’d made.
“Daniel can I borrow your dagger for a moment?”
Jalia had dismounted and was hidden behind the donkeys. She backed away as she sensed something was wrong. Daniel trusted his brother and gave him the dagger and its sheath without a second thought.
Yousef handed the dagger to the servant who had appeared from nowhere. He came with two burly men who stood either side of Daniel. The servant hurried away into the house.
Yousef clapped his hands and the men grabbed Daniel. Daniel stared at his brother in shock. Yousef spoke reassuringly as he began to struggle.
“Daniel, as your guardian I have indentured you to the Toxeth Clan. These are their men. They will take you to Glal Toxeth’s house and put the slave mark on your head. When you have the time to think about it, you’ll see this is the best for both of us. They will give you a life I could not afford and the money they pay me will enable me to survive. I’m sure you wouldn’t begrudge me that.”
Daniel spat in his brother’s eye. Yousef wiped his face and nodded to the men, who dragged Daniel away. He looked into the leather purse Daniel had given him and spotted the sparkle of gems and the glint of gold. He went into the cool of his house to investigate it further.
Jalia stood in the shadows and watched Daniel being dragged away. She would deal with that later she decided, first she had a theft to carry out.
She was furious at Yousef’s betrayal of his brother and was determined to recover Daniel’s money and dagger before she went to free him. If anyone was going to own that dagger apart from Daniel, it was going to be her. It certainly wasn’t going to end up with some low-life in Delbon.
Jalia had heard Yousef say Daniel was going to be branded, but she knew if she lost sight of Daniel’s dagger or money she might never see them again. Some things had to be put above mere facial cosmetics.
Yousef’s house was dark. Jalia waited just inside the door until her eyes adjusted enough to allow her to sneak through it. Though she regretted the delay, there was too much risk she would stumble over something if she didn’t.
After a couple of minutes with her eyes closed she found she could see well enough to locate and sidle passed the servant who took the dagger. He was in the kitchen preparing coffee and freshly cut fruit. Beyond the kitchen was a large room that was cool despite the oppressing heat outside. Yousef sat on a high backed chair pouring over the contents of the purse. He had them laid out on a table and was busy sorting the coins and gems into piles.
Just beyond the money on the table was Daniel’s dagger, which Yousef had unsheathed. The impossibly sharp blade glimmered in the dim light. Jalia considered running Yousef through with her sword. She calculated it would pass through the woven back of his chair without problem and into his back.
The problem with that plan was Daniel. He had shown unreasonable loyalty to his treacherous brother and might be upset if she killed him. Jalia dithered in an unusual state of inner conflict, well aware that time was passing and she ought to be rescuing Daniel. Finally her indecision became too much for her to live with and she drew her sword, advancing on Yousef, who was blissfully unaware as he counted his unexpected fortune.
Jalia stepped in front of him, her sword pressed against his throat in a smooth action.
“Take the money thief and spare me my humble life,” Yousef whispered hoarsely, scared that even talking might cause the sword to cut.
“It is you that is the thief, stealing money from your own brother and selling him into slavery. You should be ashamed.” Jalia also whispered, well aware of the servant only a room away.
“You know Daniel?” Yousef could hardly believe that a girl of such beauty and dangerous fire could be Daniel’s friend. Daniel never had any contact with girls.
“I’m his best friend.” Jalia said as she took the dagger from the table.
“That dagger is promised to an important man. If you take it from me he will kill me.”
“You should have thought of that before you betrayed Daniel.”
Jalia scooped the money and most of the gems into the purse. “Keep the change,” she said as she headed for the door.
Yousef gasped in relief as the sword left his throat. He knew better than to call for his servant, this girl would kill them both for sure. He had seen the look in her eyes.
As she reached the door, Jalia had a thought. She turned back towards Yousef, sword in hand.
Justice
When she got back to the courtyard, Jalia walked passed Daniel’s donkeys, which were still laden with trade goods. She had mounted her horse before she decided the donkeys should come too. She tied the lead donkey’s rope to her saddle and set off down the street feeling conspicuous. Her instincts as a thief suggested a less visible withdrawal.
When Yousef’s servant entered his master’s room with coffee and fruit he saw at once he had been robbed. He was about to cry out for help when Yousef stopped him. “Don’t, I deserved this. Just help me to my feet.”
Jalia asked the first person she saw the way to the Toxeth Villa. The man gave her directions and warned her how dangerous the family were. He was offended when she laughed. As she rode away dragging Daniel’s recalcitrant donkey train behind her he shook his head in disbelief at her wanton foolishness.
The villa was massive and its gates tall and imposing. Two brutish men stood in front of the gates carrying heavy cudgels in their hands. Jalia tied her horse and the donkey train to a hitching post near the gates and walked up to the men. They patted their cudgels against the palms of their hands, giving her both searching and appreciative looks.
One of the men moved behind her while the first blocked her way. They made ready to hit her or let her enter, whichever proved the more appropriate.
“I’ve come to see the leader of the Toxeth Clan.”
“Glal doesn’t see sluts without appointment,” the bigger of the two replied.
Jalia drew her sword with one hand and Daniel’s dagger with the other. The men reacted far too slowly. Jalia slit the throat of the man behind her with the dagger in a single slash, while her sword knocked the cudgel out of the hand of the man in front. She forced him back against the gate. Her sword point rested lightly against his throat as he heard the other guard drop to his knees, blood spurting relentlessly from the fingers he wrapped around his neck.
“Please, don’t kill me.” The guard against the gate gasped, his face white as his friend slumped to the ground and lay still.
“How do you get the gate open?” Jalia asked, her sword point moving lazily in small circles a hair’s width away from his throat.
“I have to call the password. If I do it, Glal Toxeth will kill me.”
“If you don’t, I’ll kill you right now. It’s your choice.” Jalia stepped a foot or so back and indicated he should turn and face the gate. Her sword point pressed against his back, out of sight of anyone looking from the gate.
“Toxeth Rule,” he said in a loud voice. “The Lord Toxeth has an important visitor.”
A small wooden slot opened in the gate and an eye stared out at the guard. Jalia moved so the eye could see her face, but not the sword in her hand. She smiled in an eager way.
The slot closed and Jalia heard the sound of bolts being drawn. The gate opened and a small man sidled out, pushing the gate open behind him.
Jalia hit the guard on the back of his head with the pommel of her sword before tackling the little man. For such a small man he reacted rapidly, pulling his own sword and parrying her blow. The fight lasted thirty seconds or so. He proved good with a sword, so Jalia had no choice but to gut him with a trick move she learned from her instructor when she was ten.
The little man looked down at his spilling guts in astonishment. He tried to hold them in, dropping his sword in the process and falling to the ground. Jalia stepped over his body and entered the courtyard beyond the gate.
The Toxeth Villa was a large group of connected stone buildings one of which was a stable. Jalia heard a yell coming from the stable and ran to its door. She inched the door open and peered inside.
Two men held Daniel by the arms. A third man stood in front of him clutched at his groin. A red-hot branding iron in the shape of an S rocked on the dirt floor. Jalia surmised Daniel had kicked the man in the family jewels as he attempted to brand him. She slid inside the stable, closing the door, and hid behind a barrel to watch.
Daniel made his legs limp so the men holding him were pulled down. Then he pushed up, putting all his strength into the thrust. One of the men lost his grip and Daniel swung around and kneed the man holding him in the groin. The man continued to hold him for a couple of seconds before dropping to the floor.
The other man rushed at Daniel, grabbing him in a bear hug and lifting him off the ground. Daniel used the man’s weight against him by leaning backwards as he was lifted and the man stumbled backwards and lost his grip.
Daniel rolled away and stood, looking around for a weapon. The man who had tried to brand him had recovered and once again held the branding iron, thrusting it forward like a dagger forcing Daniel back. Daniel kicked at a leg of the brazier, tipping it over and scattering red-hot coals between him and the man with the branding iron. The man retreated as the other two got to their feet..
The three men regrouped and prepared to attack. But their efforts came to nothing as an unseen force ripped the weapons from their hands and pushed them back against the wall.
“Witchcraft,” one of them said angrily
“I hope you’re not implying I look like a witch,” Jalia said as he moved into sight. “I would have to take strong action against a man who called me a witch.” She looked expectantly at the men, but they stayed silent.
Daniel crouched over with his hands on his knees, trying to recover his breath. “Have you been here long?”
“It was a pretty good show and I didn’t want to interrupt you. But they were armed and you weren’t.” Jalia pulled Daniel’s dagger and sheath from her belt and threw them to him. He caught them and grinned at her as he tied the sheath to his belt and drew the dagger.
The voice made them jump. An enormous man stood at the door, with many men with swords just behind him. They looked as if they knew how to use them.
“This boy is my property,” the massive man repeated, now that he had their attention.
“Not very likely,” Jalia retorted, “I bought him from his brother Yousef over a year ago and he has been on the road with me since.”
“I have a deed of ownership,” the fat man continued and waved a piece of parchment at her, “What do you have little girl?”
Jalia whispered a command and a whip detached itself from the wall and whipped the ground less than an inch from the big man’s feet. He didn’t flinch.
“Unless you and your men would like to be whipped by my invisible companions I suggest you let us go.” Jalia smiled at the man, “It would be the wise thing to do.”
“I suppose I could retrieve my money from Yousef,” The man said as a second and third whip joined the first to hang in midair before him. “Or perhaps my men could cut your invisible men to shreds.” He made a gesture and the men moved forward.
Daniel said something in a whisper and his dagger whipped from his hand and fell upon the men, cutting their belts so their trousers fell down. Two fell over; the others clutched at their trousers, dropping their swords in the process. Daniel’s dagger flew back to his hand.
“It appears I am at a disadvantage,” the fat man said, gesturing to his men to fall back. He bowed to them. “My name is Glal Toxeth and I am sure we will meet again some day. Perhaps that time, the tables will be turned.” He gestured and one of his men ran to open the barn door. “Please feel free to leave.”
Daniel and Jalia made their way cautiously to the door, alert to the possibility of a trick, but Glal Toxeth’s men moved aside as they approached. Jalia stopped by Glal and ripped the deed from his hand. “I’ll have this, if you don’t mind.”
Some of Toxeth’s men stepped forward, but again Glal made a gesture and they stopped. “Until we meet again, my dear,” he said pleasantly, but it was clear he was seething with rage. Daniel and Jalia retreated from the villa as quickly as they could.
Out on the trade road a few hours later, Daniel stopped his donkeys near a rock big enough to sit on and gestured Jalia to come over to him. She pulled out Daniel’s leather purse from her saddle bag and Yousef’s silk cushion. She threw them at Daniel saying, “A couple of presents for you.”
Daniel put the silk pad over his knees and grabbed Jalia, pulling her on top of the cushion. Lifting her skirt out of the way he started to spank her hard enough to bring a curse to her lips.
“What’s this for? Now you just STOP!”
“I’m captured and about to be branded and all you can think of is to steal my money back. You even steal my brother’s one respite from unbearable pain. What about me? Did you even care?”
Jalia struggled to get free, but he anticipated her moves and held her fast.
“Oh, I did, Daniel, I did. But your dagger was much too important to leave with him and I wanted to punish him. I wanted to make him suffer for selling you into slavery.” Daniel relaxed his grip and Jalia levered herself up to sit on Daniel’s lap. She felt warm and tingly in his arms.
“How did he get that injury anyway? You never told me exactly how it happened?” Jalia leaned towards Daniel and snuggled into his chest.
“I saved his life when we were captured by slavers and he wanted to know how I did it. He beat me until I was willing to tell him and then he didn’t believe me.”
“And…” Jalia prompted.
“Well, there he was, holding the dagger.” Daniel stopped his story and dropped the dagger to the ground so it would not respond to his commands, “And then he said ‘Magic Sword, my ass.’ Well you know how literal the dagger is, so it flew from his hand and stuck right up
his…”
Jalia convulsed with laughter, Daniel kissed her forehead as she held him. They remained locked in a loving embrace for a long time.
The Witch
Jalia and Daniel left the area in a hurry, making good their escape. Daniel’s donkeys were still laden with the trade goods bought for the markets of Delbon. While the goods would have commanded high prices in the city it was not clear they would sell well anywhere else. The typical villager of Jalon rarely had money for exotic spices, for example.
Daniel had spent the last few years trading the golden triangle, defined by the trade routes between the cities of Delbon, Bagdor and Enbar Entar. He once traveled much further east to the ancient city of Akbar Arout. It was at the end of the known world, being sandwiched between the steep sides of the High Mountains to the east and the endless deserts of Atribar el’Dou to the south. But he had never traveled to the west or to the fabled cities of the north. Nobody traveled those roads these days.
The companions could not return to Bagdor or go back to Enbar Entar, so Daniel led Jalia further west, into territory he only knew from the descriptions given by old traders who still remembered their journeys to Ballis and beyond.
“Look, Jalia.” Daniel grabbed a stick and drew a long line in the sandy soil. “If Enbar Entar is at the eastern end of this line, Delbon would be near the middle and far to the west is the city of Ballis. Beyond Ballis are the coastal towns of Gal Nee and Gal Hoe, which lie on the coast of the Endless Sea. To the north west of the line is Ranwin, also known as the City of Glass. We can go west to Ballis or north to Ranwin. The road we are taking is met by one going north to Ranwin a couple of days travel from here.”
Jalia considered their options before making her mind up. They both knew it was her choice to make.
“Let’s go to Ballis. Maybe once we have been there we can go on to one of the towns by the sea.” Jalia’s voice turned wistful, “I’ve never seen the sea and my mother told me she came from a place by the sea.”