by David Wind
Secure in her knowledge of the future, confident that everything was in place, each detail honed to the precise moment—except for one—she began to chant. Slowly and carefully, choosing the right combinations of words, as Master Fasil had taught her, she grew a calling. Slowly at first, and then faster, words spilled from her mouth, unintelligible grumbling to the uninitiated, but a powerful calling to those who understood.
Standing, her body elongated, growing taller, wider as she spun thrice in a circle. Slowly and without haste, her arms extended, her hands open while each finger moved in a different pattern from the one next to it, and she created a strange shadow cloud.
She lost all sense of time as she worked and, two hours later, as the cloud grew denser, Lessig’s left arm rose, her hand making small concentric circles. She stopped suddenly and raised both arms skyward. A half minute later, a large dangelore flew over her head, and then hovered above the shadow cloud.
Keeping her arms raised, the words pouring from her mouth, she used her palms to push at the cloud. The cloud rose and surrounded the carrion-eating bird. “Now!” Lessig shouted.
The cloud entered the dangelore. The dangelore froze in mid-air, suspended by the powers flowing from Lessig’s palms. An instant later, the dangelore trembled madly. Then the dangelore faded and, just as it was about to disappear, it solidified again and, like Lessig’s transformation to Afzaleem, the dangelore doubled in size. Go now, she commanded this new dark spirit. Find them!
Nearing exhaustion, she pushed to it a mind picture of Areenna and Mikaal and sent the dark spirit she’d created toward Tolemac. Then Lessig sat. She closed her eyes and drew up as much energy as she could, and sent a calling to her Master.
Everything is in place; everything is ready. They come as planned.
<><><>
Blanket-like, the clouds above the mountain sealed the moon and stars from sight. The night breezes filtering through the trees of the mountainside carried a chill that was much more than just the temperature.
At the base of the mountain, fifteen hundred feet below Areenna, and a half mile away, the men and women of Northcrom made camp as silently as if there were no people about. The kraals grazed a quarter mile further away, guarded and kept silent by two of Sirc’s women of power, while the rest of Northcrom’s forces ate cold food and slept as much as possible.
On the mountaintop, Areenna, Mikaal, Neleh, Sirc, and Retsel talked of what would happen in the morning. “We are fortunate; the sky aids us with these clouds,” Retsel said, looking upward.
“That it does,” agreed Mikaal.
Areenna looked from one to the other. “But only so much. It is past midnight. We have four hours before we move into position. I am concerned about the ghazi on the other side of the pass. I think it unwise to send men there. If they are heard…”
Retsel shook his head. “My Lady, we have trained all our lives in the mountains of Northcrom. Nowhere in Nevaeh will you find warriors more comfortable in the mountains than are ours. Trust me; trust us. The ghazi will not hear or see them. I sent close to two hundred of my most experienced archers. They move to circle the ghazi now. Two hours before dawn, they will climb to a point above the ghazi archers. There, they will await the signal.” He nodded to Sirc on his last word.
Sirc met Areenna’s gaze openly. “With them is a Women of Power , strong enough to hide them.”
“A risk it still is.”
Mikaal nodded at Areenna’s words. “But one we must take. There are too many ghazi on both sides to allow one side free reign. If what you have foreseen is accurate, and I know it will be, then we must have archers on both sides of the pass.”
“It is still dangerous. If Lessig senses them…”
Sirc leaned forward. “My Lady, these men are well trained. Before dispatching them, the consequences of capture were impressed upon them, not just for themselves, but also to their families and all of Nevaeh. If found, they will proclaim themselves lost in the mountains. Bound by blood and family to Northcrom and to Nevaeh, they will die before giving our people away.”
Areenna took Sirc’s hand in hers. You have no idea of Lessig’s powers. She is Afzaleem now. Your people will have no chance against her. If discovered, they will all be lost.
Sirc’s eyes widened. Afzaleem… I…
Can you reach the woman with them?
When Sirc nodded, Areenna said, Explain this to her. She must be prepared.
“I will,” Sirc whispered.
Mikaal stood and stretched. “Then we are ready?”
Retsel and Sirc stood. “We are,” the captain replied.
Mikaal grasped Retsel’s arm. “See to your people. Areenna will give the signal to move your warriors into position. The archers must be here before light.”
As the two left, Areenna went to Mikaal and took his hands in hers. I am worried about Lessig. We know not what she does.
There is no way to learn.
Areenna, smiling slightly, shook her head. An instant later, she disappeared.
No!
Areenna returned. We need to know. She turned to Neleh and sent a thought. Can you block us?
“Why could I not?”
“We will be hidden, cloaked within an ability’s spell.”
Her face reflected her puzzlement. “Can you not do so yourselves?”
“The hiding takes much energy. If we tire, we lose both the hiding and the block.”
Neleh closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she spoke. “I can do so, but I think it unwise.”
Areenna looked from Neleh to Mikaal and then back into the fourteen-year-old sorceress’s eyes—the pale yellow orbs that always seemed so many years wiser than her years. “Why?”
What if you need the energy tomorrow? You will not have rested enough. Can we not send Gaalrie or Duv? You have told me that Lessig has done the same to you, when you went to the Island.
Mikaal laughed. Again, you surprise me, Little One. Perhaps we should do this in a different way. Send both Gaalrie and Duv. You think him ready?
He will do whatever is necessary. We can see through their eyes, hear through Duv’s ears while Gaalrie watches from up high.
Mikaal nodded thoughtfully. “Prepare them.”
Areenna called Gaalrie while Neleh stroked Duv’s head. The instant the treygone landed, Areenna scooped her against her chest, and pressed her forehead to Gaalrie’s head. Together, they impressed their need on their aoutems, and then released them.
Gaalrie flew high while Duv disappeared into the trees as silently as a breeze moves across an open sky.
<><><>
Lessig was surrounded by a circle of eleven women of power, each of whom she had subverted during the past decade and trained for this very moment. Five of these women had gone to and returned from the Island; the others had gone to Lessig instead of the Island. She spoke quickly, detailing what she expected from them. “Tomorrow is our last day of preparation. Tomorrow you will make certain all ghazi are ready. In the morning, you will gather them together and give them their instruction; before dark, place them where they must be for the attack. They are to eat and sleep there and on the next morning, take no action until all the riders are within the pass. When the last of our fighters enter the pass from both the north and south entrances, I will seal it. The moment the archers release their shafts, your ghazi attack. When our fighters meet theirs, have the archers join the fight. There will be no escape for our enemy.”
She paused to raise her hands, her palms facing each other. She closed her eyes, and spoke in a strange language. Seconds later a small fiery sphere spun between her palms. Yellow and orange sparks flew from it as the sphere whirled faster and faster.
“With the fighters come Women of Power who will do their best to protect their people. You must stop them. Stop them from protecting their fighters. I care not how, by death or by magic, but this your purpose. Close your eyes!”
Lessig looked from face to face, making certain every eye was shut. T
hen, with a sudden clap of her hands, she crushed the sphere and it exploded outward, the orange and yellow sparks shooting into the eleven women. Each woman glowed a dark orange-amber. The glow lasted a half-minute before fading.
“Open your eyes,” she commanded when the glow died. “Do not waste the power I have given you. Learn its use, understand its power to block and destroy the Nevaen witches. Use it only against the women. Do not fail me in this. Tomorrow, when our enemy lay dead in the pass, we go to Dees and join our Masters. Now, go, make ready while I prepare a sensing shield should someone try and sniff us out.”
When she was alone, she remained seated on the ground, her misshapen legs crossed, her hands resting in her lap. She closed her eyes and pushed outward with her senses, again seeking the essence, the aura of the ones she must find.
She stopped suddenly; a sensation of being watched burned along her spine. She turned suddenly, staring into the trees behind her, searching, seeking, but could not find what she thought she’d sensed seconds ago. Everything seemed normal.
She turned back and closed her eyes again. From deep within her, she began to cast the spell for the sensing shield.
Behind her, twenty feet into the woods and protected by Neleh’s powerful block, Duv turned and padded deep into the woods.
<><><>
Breaking the joining with Neleh, Duv, and Gaalrie, Areenna took Mikaal’s hand in hers as the need to touch him and hold him suddenly caught her. Griping his hand tightly, she looked into his gray eyes and drew the comfort she needed. She knows not The Masters have sent a back-up force in case she fails—they trust no one but themselves.
Which is what will defeat them, Mikaal replied, returning the pressure of her hand. Then she looked from him to Neleh. We should rest now.
“We must warn Enaid and Roth of their plans.”
Mikaal shook his head. “The shield she spoke of… is such possible? If it is, we cannot take the chance she will detect us. We lose our surprise if she does. No, we must wait until fighting begins, then you can reach out to Enaid.”
A half hour later, Neleh was asleep, as was Mikaal, but for Areenna, sleep was evasive. Turning restlessly on her silks, she could not find a comfortable position for sleep. She waited another few minutes and, finally, slipped from between the silks and stood.
She put on her boots and began to walk. The keenness of her sensing told her nothing was near. She walked to the edge of the woods, and stepped within. Above, Gaalrie followed her, hopping from branch to branch as she walked aimlessly.
She could not stop the sadness that had descended when she’d tried to fall asleep. The sadness that sprang forth with the knowledge of all who would die in the fighting when the sun came, bringing Roth and his warriors.
Stopping at where a fallen tree lay, she stared at what was left of its bark and then sat. Unexpectedly, tears fell, creating wet pathways down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, fought the sadness, fought the tears, but could not stop either. How can I do this?
The air turned cold even as the breezes died. She opened her eyes to find colors shimmering before her. And, then, she was staring into the wavering face of Ruth, The Speaker of The Eight.
Cry not child, for what comes is not death but renewal. Everything is as it should be. The past has guided us to this point. Hold strong and we will be victorious; weaken, and Nevaeh falls. Hold strong and your children will live in a world of hope, which is what you already sacrificed so much to bring about.
Is there no other way?
The Speaker closed her eyes, briefly. There is not. The deaths of so many lie not upon your shoulders; rather, upon on the vileness of those false imitations of life rests this responsibility. The fault and blame is theirs, brought on by an ideology of hatred. Without you to bind the Trinity, to blend with the male and the chosen child, they will control the entire world. Prepare yourself, Areenna of Freemorn, for the future you can bring to all people. Rid yourself not of the sadness; accept it as part of who you are, rejoice in it, for that is what makes you truly human. Only then will you understand the essential meaning of freedom and life as it should be lived by all who walk this earth.
CHAPTER 35
THE ATTACK ON Tolemac came three and a half hours after midnight and three hours before dawn. The first wave of ghazi was nearly invisible in the cloud-covered moonless sky; however, after spending all their lives within the low light of the cavern, The People’s eyesight was unmatched at night.
“They come,” called one of the four on watch.
Everyone on the outer walls became alert. The ghazi were moving slowly forward, four contingents of fighters marching to the four gates. How many they could not see, but thousands were there.
“Wait until they are close enough to be accurate. Release your stones in alternating groups. Do not let them get too close. Concentrate on the ones closest to the gates. Stay low; let them think we are not ready.”
The men knelt, peering through the tightly spaced balustrade, which had been set up for arrows, not slings, which made it difficult for slingshots. To be precise with their rocks, they had to stand.
The minutes ticked by, five, ten, fifteen slow minutes passed until Ham, the leader on the wall, tapped the man on his left, then on his right. “Prepare.”
Because he had been hunting the giant freesh, and not at the mountain of the Two Peaks when other of his people had fought the ghazi, he’d only heard of them, not seen them. Now, as they closed the distance, his breath caught at his first sight of these semi-human creatures. Terrible they looked, taller and broader than any being he’d known, these warriors moved forward like lumbering beasts. Their distorted faces, unhampered by helmet guards, were comprised of uneven eyes set above mouths that were either small circles or large gaping holes and noses that were two small ovals pushed through flat skin.
Their arms were longer than was natural for a man, and each of the charging warriors carried both axe and sword. Most wore shabby leather armor across their chests, and their helmets resembled inverted bowls atop hairless heads.
As Ham watched their approach, and waited to give the final signal, men along the parapet of the outer wall passed word to the next. Two minutes later, Ham stood and shouted, “Aim for their heads or legs. Now!” He slung and released his stone. Two seconds later, Ham’s target struck the ground. As he knelt to pick up the next stone, the man beside him rose and slung his stone.
When the third group released their slings, the first stood again. Ham released his stone just as the clouds parted and the moon appeared, showing beneath it a dark cloud of approaching arrows.
“Shields!” he roared, and the fifty men knelt and lifted their metal covered wooden shields over their heads. Most shafts fell harmlessly into the grass behind them; a half dozen struck the shields.
“Now!” The next group stood, released their stones and, kneeling, raised shields. A moment later, another rain of arrows fell.
Looking through the slit, he watched the ghazi draw near and realized the men had barely put a dent into the charging warriors. Thousands were coming, and wave after wave of arrows flew. They were twenty yards from the wall, and behind the first wave, both battering rams and ladders followed.
The People were able to fire their stones three more times before the ghazi reached the wall. “Go! Now!”
Moving in concert, their shields held over their heads and shoulders, the fighters of The People, raced down the four sets of stairs and across the lawn, while behind them battering rams struck the four gates.
“In!” Ham shouted as they poured through the keep’s two open gates. The instant they entered, the gates started rolling closed. The last man didn’t make it. An arrowed pieced his neck and he fell a foot before the gate. Ham turned and ran back. He grabbed the fallen man by the shoulders and squeezed back inside just before the gate closed and the metal rods snapped into place.
Above them, Sirod stood in the parapet, watching as the gates in the outer wall burst apart and th
e horde of ghazi poured into the great lawn surrounding Tolemac’s castle keep.
<><><>
Enaid jerked awake, her eyes popping open under the power of the vision, her breath catching in huge gulps of air.
“What happened?” Roth asked, sitting up and wrapping his arms around his wife.
“Tolemac… they have broken through the outer wall. Tolemac is besieged.”
Roth held her tightly, his confidence strong. He had built Tolemac with knowledge not used in three thousand years. “It will hold,” Roth insisted. He kissed her forehead. “It will hold. Sirod and The People will stall this army until we return to finish them.”
<><><>
Mikaal awoke slowly in the pre-dawn hours of the third day from when his father and the Nevaen army left Tolemac. The comfortable warmth from Areenna’s body made him wish he could pretend the day ahead was over and they were elsewhere. Accepting the impossibility of his need, he slipped from beneath his silks and away from her. Outside, he took care of his personal needs, and then went to the area overlooking the ghazi ambush. He cast his senses outward, cautiously searching for the enemy and ready to retreat at the first sign of Lessig’s sensing shield. He found them on both sides of the pass, hidden in the trees. Most were asleep, but several were awake, standing guard.
Turning, he went to where Charka grazed. The blue kraal pressed his head to Mikaal’s chest in greeting, and warmth flowed between them. He lifted Charka’s head so he could gaze into his aoutem’s eyes. Today is why we were created. Today is why we are together. The emotions crossing between the kraal and the man were indescribable, only accepted.
He returned to their small camp and as he bent to wake Areenna, she sat up. “I felt that,” she whispered.
He bent and kissed her. Not their usual chaste kiss, but one long and deep, mixed with love and passion. When he drew back, he smiled. “And that, I hope.”
Areenna said nothing; she sat up and stroked his check with two fingers. “I need to move.”