Doron's people placed statements at the inns. Others were sent around the villages. The next day, a crowd of men willing to go stood in front of his building.
Shibek watched the newcomers who explained that they are looking for skilled people for a new settlement in the village. The next day, he was in Garva visiting his good friend Yuzil, with whom he often spent time.
“Yuzil, this is a golden opportunity for you. They will give you land, a house and two women.”
“Yes, but the winter there is very long. Summer is only two moons.”
“Look, people there will need goods. Your brother and I have a lot of sheep and wool. If you arrange things in place so we can carry goods, we will make more gemi than we can spend. Then you will be able to move back into Gavra as a rich man. I'll give you a purse with gold now with which you can start trade there and build warehouses.”
“You've managed to persuade me, Shibek,” agreed the man happily.
Yuzil aligned in the long queue in front of the building and waited. When his turn came, he handed a golden coin to Doron's clerk without being seen. She disappeared as it was in the hands of whiz,
“Write me as a trader. I plan to import goods and trade there with the locals.”
“Name?”
“Yuzil of Garva, son of Bahran.”
“Done, you are on the list…”
While leaving, the man saw hundreds of others waiting. Grinning, he went to the pub to celebrate with Shibek.
Chapter X
The robbers
The great city gate opened widely and Urta entered Galan, also known as the second city, followed by one hundred guardsmеn. Excited, the crowd was running down the square. Boril Muno greeted him with his escort, pleased,
“Tur Urta, welcome to our city. Dul-Erhu Terter sent word about your arrival. Any help is welcome. Several bands with which we cannot deal roam in our territory. I hope that you will destroy them!”
“Boril Muno, thank you for the warm welcome, but I am still only deputy of the Tur.”
“Yes, but with your deeds, you are sure to command Dakush forces one day.”
“Where will you accommodate us?”
“Guards may remain in the barracks with the rest of the garrison, and for you, I have prepared a private villa for guests.”
Three days later, after his guards rested and Urta sobered from the great feast in his honor, he called both stotnics of the city and Boril for a meeting. On a large oak table, a map of the city and its territories was spread out, bordering some of the tribes not subordinated to Garva, living in inaccessible forests and mountains.
“First I want to know in which areas these bandits make forays?”
Stotnic Rutek showed on the map and added, “Their chieftain is a former slave who escaped from the city. His name is Ihal.”
Boril Muno continued, “A few days ago, ten of my men travelled to lots of villages and the lower lake to collect the taxes. On the way back, however, before “Enova meadow” between some steep cliffs, Ihal's people ambushed them. Only one of the guards came back alive. He said that everything happened very quickly and unexpectedly. He escaped thanks to his rapid and crazy horse who got scared. He failed to even see what happened.”
Stotnic Dragul intervened in the conversation, “Along the lakes, there are swamps between which I found a trail leading to the mountain. We can make an ambush there too.”
“Show me the place on the map!” Interrupted Urta.
The man approached and pointed,
“Good, we'll note all possible places for ambush and all settlements for which you suspect that they have supporters. It is important to catch their informants.”
“I already know one,” said stotnic Rutek. “He lives near the big lake, alone. He deals with fishing and he was noticed at night helping transport people with his boat. Nobody knows where he leads them though. There are fishing villages around, you can see on the map how big the pond is. We do not have enough people to control it all.”
“There is a village with lush meadows and pastures where people breеd sheep. Interestingly, they lost a lot of animals, but no one has seen a bandit. Apparently, they have an insider between the shepherds.
“Dragul, prepare two hundred guardsmen. We will visit this fisherman.”
The horsemen set off on the road towards the lake. They stayed the night at a big roadside inn. Part of the guards made camp next to it and spent the night there.
“Innkeeper, bring us food and pour wine.”
Slaves served the tables. The owner of the inn came to Urta,
“What brings you here? Will you eat only, I can offer you slaves?”
“Robbers!” Vicar Tur interrupted him. “Dul-Erhu personally sent me to kill them. Do you know anything about them? Did they come to you?”
“Many people stop by. I don't know, some of them might have been bandits. For now, they have not robbed me,” the superstitious man knocked on wood.
“Are you sure that you do not know them? Maybe you get something in return ...” hinted Urta.
“Let the gods keep me from such people. Somebody might unjustly be accused in front of you?”
“You will tell everything after I torch your inn in the morning with your children still inside!”
The fat man turned pale and swayed,
“Please, Lord, have mercy on my little sons. I really don't know anything, but I swear I will send someone to Galan if I learn something. Now eat and drink at my expense. I will pull out meat for the guards outside too.”
“Is he telling the truth?” Urta turned towards stotnic Dragul.
The man shook his head in denial,
“Lying dog. They have to visit you. There are only forests and marshes around.”
The owner fell to his knees,
“Mercy Lord, the only thing I heard were some drunks who said they had interacted with a fisherman near the big lake.”
Urta shook his head,
“See? It wasn't so difficult.”
In the morning, the Vicar left one guard with the innkeeper disguised as a merchant, to spy. Naturally, the owner of the inn willingly gave him a room for free. The cavalry took the road for the lake. In the afternoon, guards surrounded the hut of the fisherman, and two of them went inside, but it was empty,
“The boat is tied down,” returning, two others reported to stotnic Dragul.
“We move on to the village with the sheep. When we don't see the hut anymore, three of you will go back through the woods unnoticed and wait for the fisherman. He may have noticed us and hid. I want him alive. You will wait with him until we return.”
The army set off again. The three riders broke away and slipped into the thicket. Late in the evening, they came to the village. Barking dogs greeted them from afar. Fires flared and there was a sudden attack. There were villagers gathered, pitchforks and torches in their hands. Once they saw that the intruders were not bandits, they calmed down and cheerfully greeted the soldiers. The locals killed some rams and prepared wine for the newcomers. Urta's army made camp on a vast meadow in the village.
Vicar Tur was invited to the house of the biggest sheep merchant in the village. On a large table, a few wealthy men were gathered. After brief greetings and toasts, strangers began to complain,
“From my flock, they already took over thirty rams, not to mention the herd of Manol.”
“What do you mean took?” Inquired Urta.
“The shepherds say the bandits take them while grazing in the meadows. We have long complained to Boril, but only now has he sent troops.”
“Does anyone know how many people they have?”
“Twenty, thirty, but there may be more in the forest...”
“I expected to be more, this is the first good news today. What else can you tell me about them?”
“They are well armed and move on horses. The shepherds say they often appeared from the wolf ravine. From there on, everything is forest.”
“Tricky place t
hey have chosen! They see everything in the plane, and we can't ambush them. The bandits know the paths through the woods and move quickly with the horses.”
In the morning, the army went back to the hut where the three guardsmen waited with the captured fisherman. He was tied to a pole,
“Are you the famous Kardi?”
“I am, my Lord.”
“Say now, what is your business with Ihal?”
“Who?”
Urta made a sign to one of the guardsmen, and he swung his whip removing a bit of skin from the belly of Kardi,
“Do you remember now?”
The man shook his head in assent.
“I'll turn you over a slow fire like a ram on barbecue, and while your flesh is sizzling, you'll say everything.”
“Where will I hide then? Ihal will kill me.”
“Don't think about him. He will die long before you. And I will reward you well, the world is big. Take your pick!”
“A man from Galan is giving me information that I give to the bandits in turn. They are usually two.”
“What's the man name?”
“Grigor.”
Stotnic Rutek stared blankly,
“He's under my command. I'll impale him alive!”
Urta calmly continued his questioning,
“How do you deliver the information?”
“At the far end of the lake, behind the hill, there is a hidden place where they wait for me. I go there with my boat.”
“Untie him,” ordered the vicar. “Five guardsmen will go with him when it gets dark outside, so the enemy doesn’t see them. We'll wait in the village. I want you to catch at least one live bandit to take us to their camp. Dragul, select five of the best warriors you got and let them leave with the boat when the fisherman tells them. He knows best how long the trip is. Once you catch the bandits, come straight to the village with the boat.”
At midnight, the small vessel arrived in the village. Guardsmen led with them two of the robbers. Dragul began to question them, “Where is your camp? Which of the two of you will take us there?”
None of the men spoke.
“We'll start with you!” Stotnik pointed one of the thugs. He pulled his knife from its sheath and cut off his ear. The man made an ugly grimace, viciously narrowed his eyes, but he did not make a sound. Clutched teeth and yelled,
“When Ihal learns of this, all of you will die in torment.”
Urta drew his sword and cut the man on the spot. Blood spurted from his body and flooded the other man, who was not so tough,
“I'll show you the place,” he spoke with a trembling voice and hope.
“If you are not playing tricks, you may live. Prepare the horses!”
The cavalry slowly entered the wolf ravine strewn with many trails. The moon illuminated the little river that wound in the middle of the gorge. Going through it, the soldiers went out to a large flat area covered with reeds. The bandit showed them the secret path and the men entered an old oak forest, in which it was easy to ride. The whistling of the wind in the branches of the huge trees lit by the moon and their ghostly shadows created a terrifying atmosphere in the mysterious country.
“Lord, this is the territory of Ihal. The forest is full of traps. I was forced to join them, that’s why I gave them up. The chief recruits two young men for his band from each village, and if someone does not agree, problems follow. I was taken a moon ago.”
“And the one I killed, what was he?”
“A trusted person from the old bandits.”
“How many people does Ihal have?”
“About sixty. They live in wooden houses built of woven branches high in the canopy of the oaks. Everybody is moving along on rope bridges between them. Horses are kept in a garth nearby.”
Urta shook his head,
“Tie the horses here! We continue on foot. Prepare inflammatory arrows.”
Shortly before dawn, the camp was seen in the distance.
“Dragul, take your people and walk around. You will kill the guards in the paddock where they keep the horses and cut their way of escape.”
Stotnik bowed, and his men followed him. Walking around the camp, guards crept through the trees. Suddenly, there was a hiss and moan of a dying man. Dragul turned and saw one of his men crushed by a beam with sticking iron spikes. The army stopped and began to look for other surprises. The commander motioned for them to watch their steps and pulled ahead. Not long after, he stopped and showed them a tightrope inches from the ground. In line of two, all went after him, carefully jumping over the suspicious obstacles.
Dragul was already calmer since they had approached the horses and the bandits. Suddenly, he lurched forward, falling into a deep pit. The echo of his cry spread through the forest. His body hung lifeless on the sharp spikes at the bottom. There was a roar of horn coming from the camp. The deputy of the stotnik waved, and the guardsmen attacked the bandits guarding the horses. The attackers took cover behind the fence, lit a fire and began to shoot flaming arrows towards the closest huts in the trees. The dry leaves and grass on the roofs instantly burned with terrible force.
On the other side of the camp, after hearing the horns, Urta gave the order to attack. Hissed flaming arrows caused panic among the robbers. The bandits also started shooting arrows from the rope bridges. A dozen guards fell dead, failing to hide behind the trees, but the fire quickly grew, and Ihal's men began to descend by rope ladders, scattering in different directions. The army surrounded them, and the bloody carnage started. Wounded, Ihal fell to the ground and remained without power. Seeing him, the rest of his men surrendered. The guards tied them and drove them back to Galan, along with their horses.
At the gates of the town, Ihal and the traitor Grigor were impaled alive on stakes for edification. After two days of grievous pangs, the men died. Urta sent the horses and slaves as a gift to Dul-Erhu, hoping to return to the capital. The reverse news was that he should stay a few more moons to exert control over the population.
Chapter XI
Ruler of all
“Oh, Great Jah, scouts reported of an approaching army,” bowing on his knees, dressed in fine fabrics and silk, the man said to the ruler.
“Army? How many and who are they?”
“About 800 people, some are riding horses. They are well armed, but we do not recognize their totem. Apparently, they are coming from distant lands.”
“Give orders to meet them by the river. If they have hostile intentions, kill them all. If not, let their leaders be my guests.”
“Let it be your will,” the man bowed on his knees again and left.
Army of five thousand arranged in battle formation and drove off to meet the intruders. By the river, the two armies stood facing each other for some time. One person from both sides raced ahead and met in the middle. After brief negotiations, they returned. The Indi reported to his leader,
“They come in peace. It's hard to understand each other because they are speaking an old dialect.”
“Tell them to make camp by the river. We'll send animals for food. Their leaders are to come with us, where they will be greeted personally by the Great Jah San Bera Kalmut Dokun, ruler of all.”
Ugo and Bain were welcomed to the palace. The Lord of all was sitting on his throne. Both bowed deeply and served at his feet a box with precious stones inside, opening it before him. The ruler gestured, and the man next to him asked, “Great Jah wants to know where are you coming from and why?”
They bowed again,
“My name is Bain, chief of the Sarani. We live many moons away from here. Large danger loomed over our land, which forced us to make this long trip. We come to ask for help. The tyrant who wants to enslave my family is Dul-Erhu Terter. He has ten major cities, encircled by walls. His army is big, well-trained and on horses. The lands are rich. There are gold mines and many slaves.”
Hearing of the mines, Great Jah grew interested and personally spoke to them,
“And where did you find
these gems?”
“They are from the mountain Idarshi.”
The ruler turned to the man next to him,
“Let them relax now, and tomorrow we will talk with them about everything. Make terrain maps.”
The man bowed and gestured the visitors to follow him.
Ten days later, on a large bed, Bain, and Ugo spoke, surrounded by naked slaves while smoking hookah,
“Something is happening. They treat us well, but we have no news.”
“As far as I heard from the slaves, they are taking good care of your army. Perhaps Great Jah has not decided whether to help us.”
“Then why was he asking about the riches of Dakush?”
“Maybe they have enemies and can not be deprived of the army?”
“I don't know how to feel right now. Am I a guest or a prisoner?” thought Bain. “If they refuse to help us, we might not live too long after that!”
“There's nothing we can do. No turning back!”
***
In Gabo Dara, Mo Draco was discussing with his wife,
“The glory of Urta grows and with it his influence. Now he returned to Dakush, and my spies reported that he is up to something.”
“You are Tur, call the army to you under pretense. Without it, he can't do anything.”
“I'll send a message to Dul-Erhu today, but I do not think he will entrust the entire army to me. Something has to happen with the tribes along the border. And then when I lead the army, Urta may die somewhere in combat. I have a trusted person for the job.”
A few days later, news reached Gabo Dara. The messenger came panting into the hall and bowed before the Boil,
“Tur Mo Draco, Dul-Erhu Terter is dead. Urta made a coup and proclaimed himself the new Dul-Erhu! The Second city acknowledged his rule. For the others is not known yet. There's a rumor they are intentionally delaying, waiting for word from you.”
The Lost Empire of Dakush: Rise of the Tribes (Book Book 1) Page 6