Honor Bound

by Michelle Howard

  Vaan nodded even as the action made the floor sway beneath his feet. “So that is the reason for your final act of betrayal. You fear the depth of my power. I control half of the Kaban territory. My Warlords enforce my law by word and actions. After months of talks, the Desani are interested in an alliance. If I get King Tarik Sabarn to agree, it brings peace and all will hail my efforts.”

  Dakar pointed a shaking finger in his direction. “Witness, his words! Overlord Vaan Galip, my brother’s son, is bloated with his power.”

  “I seek peace,” Vaan grit out, losing his composure. Blood pulsed through his veins and his heart picked up its beat to match his emotions. “We have been at war for centuries and at last, a cool head rules the Desani. The king who sits on the throne is reasonable. He’d have peace among us.”

  No more warring. No more battles to fight and finally a chance for Vaan to settle down and find a woman to birth his younglings. He was unwilling to take on such a family commitment when times were still turbulent and an enemy could easily use them against him. He would not be like Fenal and risk a woman’s life because of his constant battles.

  Thenl interrupted by laughing. No humor filled the braying sound. Thenl sauntered closer. Brave in the face of Vaan’s bound hands and absent sword. “The Desani are known for trickery. They can not be trusted.”

  Those around nodded, the warriors of his home as well. They listened to the lies and believed because they could not see, as Vaan could, that a better way existed. A time of peace could be had.

  Vaan took a deep cleansing breath and pulled his shoulders back despite the unnatural fatigue taxing his muscles. “Then they’d make good allies as it seems I can not trust my blood-kin or a newly appointed Warlord.” There was no mistaking Vaan’s meaning. Dakar and Thenl flushed red.

  “Enough,” Dakar declared. “You have been sentenced. For the good of Kaban, we ask your warriors to surrender their coccar.”

  Vaan felt a smile stretch across his face. Ahal. So be it. His uncle would love to get his hands on the insects that created the skin induced armor formed by the coccar beetle. The small blue green insect could only be found in the desert nestled beneath the sinking sands. A single sting from the coccar could kill a full grown man in less than an hour.

  Vaan did not understand why the Blessed One let him survive its killing sting. He fully prepared to die the night he’d felt the bitter sting in the heel of his left foot. A small tear in the sole allowed the insect to penetrate Vaan’s skin. But death did not greet him with open arms.

  The ancestors spoke of a bond with the deadly insects for those who survived the sting. While Vaan lay on his death bed, strange dreams came to him. In his dream, the beady red eyes of the coccar stared at him for endless moments and spoke to Vaan mind to mind.

  The coccar promised protection for him and all the Warlords unlike any had witnessed before in exchange for Vaan’s assistance in rescuing the insects nest mates. Vaan rose from his death bed stronger than ever to the astonishment of his Warlords who’d started the mourning process.

  Vaan traveled back to the spot of his injury, careful to not let the sinking sands swallow him whole. The coccar guided him to where twenty other insects hid in a shallow spot in the sand. Using an empty leather water pouch, Vaan placed the other coccar inside. The first coccar, who’d stung Vaan, referred to himself as Primary.

  Primary showed Vaan the true gift of his promise that day. The insect crawled up Vaan’s neck and used its sharp tail to puncture his flesh and burrow beneath the skin of Vaan’s collarbone. After a moment of discomfort, Primary once again spoke to Vaan mind to mind. “Call forth my protection, Overlord.”

  Unsure how he knew, the words fell from Vaan’s lips without prompting. “Armor up.”

  Within seconds, a scale like armor spread over Vaan’s body. It covered him from his throat, across his chest and down his torso. The bluish green armor resembled the shell of the coccar and flowed along the body with its square shaped pattern. The armor proved stronger than any weapon forged by man. No blade could penetrate its protective covering. It served Vaan and his men well in battle.

  “The coccar can not be removed.” The lie fell easily from Vaan’s lips. “It is a bond to the death.” In truth, Primary had never disclosed to Vaan if it were possible to transfer the coccar to another. The insects burrowed beneath the skin of the chosen and never surfaced.

  Thenl’s lips thinned upon hearing this news. “Tell us how to create the bond.”

  Vaan licked his dry lips. He knew many traveled to the desert to catch coccar in attempts to recreate the human body armor Vaan and his men enjoyed. The few warriors who discovered the insects and attempted to capture them, died from the poison of their wicked stings.

  What Primary offered Vaan could not be recreated by force. With the symbiotic bug imbedded beneath their skin, Vaan’s men admitted to sharper instincts.

  “Not possible.” The words sounded slurred to Vaan’s ears. Hapfe dung. He’d really consumed poison. He closed his eyes briefly. Ahal, so be it. He preferred a warrior’s death in battle but if this was his end, he’d accept it. His men, however, would pay the price for his misplaced trust.

  “It is foolish to take the advantage of the armor to your death,” Dakar chimed in while Thenl’s lips flattened further and his eyes glowered. The warrior begged Vaan on numerous occasions to take him to the desert in search of his own coccar but Vaan refused. Vaan was glad of that now.

  Thenl and Dakar cast furtive looks at one another. The other councilors glanced anxiously about, as they should. What these evil men sought to do would ruin all Vaan and his men fought for. Without Vaan and his top Warlords, who knew what would befall Kaban.

  Vaan’s remaining Warlords shuffled closer to him. More fell to their knees until only Argan remained at his side. If Vaan was as pale as his friend looked, the poison acted quickly. Was there a way for them to escape this unscathed? Many times in the past when all seemed lost, Primary had given Vaan direction in battle that turned the tide but the coccar remained silent.

  Vaan grunted in frustration. He’d led his men to their death with his pride and belief that no one could defeat them. Argan slumped to the floor beside him. Vaan refused the emotions crashing through his chest at the sight. He faced all those present, but his words were for his uncle and Thenl. “I sought peace. I fought for it and my men fought for it. We protected Kaban and her people. You will destroy all of it for your greed.” He allowed a moment for his words to sink in. “I will die with honor and the stain will mark you and your sons for years to come. Poison is a woman’s treachery. Your actions speak of the man within who is not a warrior.”

  Their expressions blanched. Then the world faded to black and his body tilted to the side. May the Blessed One welcome me to the Hills, he thought.

  ***

  Thenl controlled his pleasure as the mighty Warlords fell to the floor one by one. Vaan, the tough bastard, lasted until all the others passed out before crumbling himself. The Councilors immediately began talking amongst themselves. The stench of their fear laden talk filled Thenl with disgust. Dakar alone stayed firm on the plan they’d hatched.

  “The poison worked quickly as you promised. Let us take them to the courtyard and burn their bodies. It will warn others to the fact that brutality will not be tolerated.”

  Yes, Dakar remained committed to the plan, though it burned Thenl’s gut not to attain the secret of the coccar. No need trying to pry it from the bodies of the dead men. That had happened once when one of Vaan’s warriors passed on to the Hills to join the Blessed One. Instead of the insect emerging to connect with another, it chose to die. The armored shell turned to dust upon the warrior’s body within hours.

  “I claim last rites.” The shouted request came from the back.

  Thenl gazed over the small crowd present for judgment. A cloaked figure made its way to the front. Men and women stepped aside, clearing a path to the front. Dakar gasped when the figure pushed ba
ck the heavy brown hood upon reaching him. Murmurs rumbled through the crowd.

  “Ashaya.”

  She nodded but spared no glance for Dakar. Ashaya. Thenl knew of her but this was his first time seeing her face to face. Even with years upon her, she posed a beautiful physique with dark lush hair falling about a smooth unlined face.

  “Last rites,” Thenl stalled. He hadn’t thought of this.

  “Yes, Vaan is my son. An honored warrior for years. His men escorted me to my sister’s home upon my husband’s death.” Her black eyes glittered but her posture remained demure. She waited patiently for Thenl to speak. The crowd began to murmur. Chatter rose and spread until all knew who stood before him. Ashaya’s husband had been an honored Warlord who met his death in battle. None understood why she’d left her home immediately after and not taken her oldest son. Instead, she’d left Vaan behind in warrior training under his uncle’s care while she took Vaan’s younger brother and moved in with her sister.

  Thenl had two choices. He could strike her request down where she stood and ruin the hard work he’d put in to destroy Vaan’s reputation among the Kabanian people. Months spent planning how he’d take down the Overlord and his Warlords would be wasted. His other option required he at least look sympathetic. Last rites granted the family member a day of mourning with the body of their loved one. He could spare his vengeance a day to add to his look as the sympathetic Warlord. When the fervor calmed, they’d all name Thenl the new Overlord.

  “It shall be granted, honored Ashaya.”

  She straightened her shoulders and Vaan’s black eyes stared back at Thenl. “I would honor his Warlords as well. They have no family present to fulfill the obligation.”

  Curse her, Thenl thought.

  Dakar spoke before Thenl. Ever the eager fool. “Granted. We will load the bodies in a wagon and put them in the courtyard. Come morning when you are done grieving, we will set them ablaze. An end fit for their actions.”

  Her face paled. At last a reaction crossed her bland features, Thenl observed.

  “With their swords,” she added regaining her composure effortlessly. “So the Blessed One will know they fought well.”

  Chapter 2

  “You’re sure?” Doubt colored her tone.

  “Yes, Miki,” her old noan huffed as he trudged along side her across the rocky hilltop. “The old tales spoke of how cunning she was.” He braced the long wood staff in the ground and leaned his weight on it.

  Miki paused to check the lacings of her tanned boots. The move allowed her to give the man who’d raised her from a youngling, a chance to catch up. Sweat gleamed on his bald head when he reached her side. His chest rose and fell with each panting breath beneath his overlong grey tunic. Miki stood and brushed non-existent dirt from her favorite yellow tunic and tan leggings. Her hand trembled as she studied the aged map and journal.

  She couldn’t believe she attempted this course of action. Miki considered herself strong willed. Stubborn some would say but this ill advised trek into the hills stretched beyond any of her prior rebellions. If only going to the mystic caverns wasn‘t so important.

  “Ashaya may well be revered for saving us as well if this is truth,” Miki pondered aloud as she slowed her pace for him. The woman Ashaya Galip held prominence in the history annuals for her clever maneuvers three years ago. With the aid of an unknown friend, Ashaya managed to smuggle out the two wagons containing the bodies of the fifteen Warlords and that of her son the Overlord. The stories claimed she hid their bodies to rise again later and bring glory to Kaban.

  According to the worn journal Miki possessed, Ashaya discovered the plot to kill her son too late to warn Vaan Galip but with a servant’s help, she managed to switch the poison for a drug that caused deep sleep. At the time, the Kabanians believed Thenl’s lies. Others went along with the judgment for the chance at power themselves without the Overlord to stand in their way. The attack on Anane provided the perfect opportunity for betrayal.

  Many remembered the horror of the slaughter. There were children slain in their sleep. Women and men without fighting skills struck down where they stood. As Ashaya described it in her journal, the sight would never be erased from her minds eye.

  But things did not go as planned after the disappearance of the Overlord and his men. Those that turned against him and believed the lies suffered under the leadership of Thenl. Warriors faltered under the Councils rule without the strong hand and guidance of the Overlord and his top Warlords. The tentative truce with Desani fell through in days and the tide of war shifted in favor of the Desani King.

  Now the Kabanians sought an alliance with Mikayla’s people because their land bordered Kaban and Desani. The land Overlord Vaan tried to unite now struggled. The Raasa were fools for believing there was any honor left in the Warlord Thenl. The Council members strained to maintain control under Thenl and Dakar. Poor rule, betrayal and lack of honor left the Kaban territory ripe for the picking. The people suffered under strife and chaos.

  Miki double checked the map and her surroundings. The dirt path she followed veered sharply to the right. Overgrown brush covered what previously provided a clear trail up the hill side. Thank the Blessed One Miki traveled during the mid-day. At night, she’d easily lose her way.

  If what she planned worked, everything in her life was about to change. “Almost there, No-No.” She reverted to the name she’d used for him as a child. The reminder also acted as motivation.

  His tired smile rewarded her efforts. “I will rest, little one. You go on.” Eran promptly sat on the ground and folded his knobby legs beneath him.

  Miki paused. Doubt at her course of action plagued her. “Are you sure we can trust the journal belonged to Ashaya Galip?”

  Pale green eyes blinked up at her as he lay the walking stick beside him. “I trusted the friend who left the journal into my keeping. Those are Ashaya‘s words, I assure you.”

  Miki accepted his words. She needed to hurry. Someone would report her absence if she did not return soon. As the head of her household and a female, she was to be under guard continually. “You will rest and be here when I return?” Leaving him alone did not leave her with a feeling of comfort.

  Eran spread his thin arms wide and glanced around the hills and wooded terrain. “Be at ease, my child. No danger lurks here since we alone dared this journey.” His lips turned down in a grimace, baring the tips of his fangs as he adjusted his seat.

  Miki clicked her teeth and hesitated further. She wished they had chosen to ride. They were an hours journey by foot from home, less if one traveled by hapfe. Few animals equaled the speed of the dun colored bi-pedal creatures.

  “I’ll not tarry. If the caverns are empty, I’ll make haste returning.”

  Eran’s wrinkled faced creased with his smile. His thin chest heaved beneath his worn grey tunic. Mikayla studied him closer and realization hit her.

  “Noan.” His name broke past her lips on a whisper of sound and Mikayla hurried to his side, dropping to her knees.

  “Cease. You need not be saddened. I have seen many morning tides and the Blessed One has allowed a portion of those to be spent caring for my little Mikayla.”

  Tears welled in her eyes but she blinked them away. Her parents joined the Blessed One when she was too little to recall their faces. Losing her noan would break her heart.

  “I don’t wish to lose the only parent I’ve ever known.” She clasped one of his hands with hers and felt the fragile bones beneath his skin.

  “Today is not my day. I am but weary and won’t hold you up. This is important.” He used her hold to bring her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles softly. “I would see you happy and mated in a True Union with one you love before I go to my eternal sleep.”

  Mikayla’s relief lightened the grief in her heart. She’d have to trust he spoke truth. “Let’s hope we find the Overlord and his Warlords. I plan to offer one of them a chance for an alliance with us through mating.” With one last l
ook to reassure herself of his comfort, Miki climbed to her feet.

  “Do you have the sakar?” He released her hand and relaxed.

  Miki tapped the leather bag on her hip. “Yes.” Her pouch held Raasa venom carefully harvested from her oral sac over the last few days. The small round protrusions on the roof of her mouth housed the poison a Raasa could secret. According to the journal, Ashaya claimed it would awaken Vaan and his men from the deep sleep. Miki had sixteen injections to give. One for each male.

  “Then go, my little one. I will rest.”

  Miki leaned over, kissed his forehead and hurried down the path.

  Chapter 3

  Miki eyed the dark mouth of the cavern. Vines and bramble hung over the entrance, attesting to its untouched state. More vegetation growth trailed down the sides with bursts of yellow and lavender flowers spilling onto the ground. Miki crept closer, trying not to let the eerie silence unnerve her. The cavern existed exactly where the map indicated.

  A shiver of foreboding traced down her spine. Miki admired Ashaya’s choice of hiding place for her son. No one thought to search the neighboring lands of the Raasa for the bodies of the missing men. Ashaya’s tattered journal spoke of a strange male helping the woman in her mission. Together, they’d devised a plan to switch out the poison for a draught that simulated death.

  Instead of dying, according to the notes, the Warlords all succumbed to a deep sleep unbeknownst to Dakar and Thenl. Ashaya wanted to wake her son immediately after escaping but matters worsened and Ashaya accepted the stranger’s advice to hide the men in a long unused cavern on Raasa land with the hope that she’d return to free them. Miki didn’t know if such would have happened because Ashaya died a few months later, leaving behind the journal with the strange male who in turn passed it to his friend Eran of the Raasa.