Engaging Evil (Warriors of Vhast Book 2)

by Cary J Lenehan

  “Most children who are brought here die. These beasts kill them, or they kill themselves, or they lose the will to live and just die. The few of us who survive grow hard and learn to survive. I think it is easier for the girls who come here when they are grown. More of them live.”

  My voice is growing bitterer in tone as I speak. Perhaps now I can afford to be more honest with myself. Perhaps it will not get me killed. Perhaps that no longer even matters. Perhaps one day the dreams will stop. She could feel a wave of relief run through her and yet leave her…empty. “You would not understand. You grew up free with families who loved you. You have not seen and lived the horrors that we have every day here.” Naeve and Lakshmi had recovered now and sat clutching each other for support. Both were nodding at her. They want me to continue. “We are always tired and sore. We get little rest. By day we work in their fields or in their mines, we feed them, we mend their clothes and we work to make them comfortable and at night, unless you can divert them somehow, they reward us by having sex with us in any way they want. If we protest we are beaten. If we kill one of them we die—very, very slowly and publicly. If we get too old or lose our looks—for any reason—we die. When we die they do not bury us, they just throw our bodies away like rubbish into the river. We each try and learn something special…something that we hope will make them value us more. I entertain…Naeve looks after the animals and milks them, and Lakshmi…well let us just say that she knows how to make the most tired and drunken man respond using her mouth. Sometimes this works to prevent them from being cruel. That is the most we can hope for. Sometimes it does not. Tonight it did not work for me and I am very sore. I hate being taken that way. I am sure he would have preferred it if we were all boys.” The other two nodded again.

  “If I am now truly free I might even leave this valley and see the world. I don’t know. I have been here most of my life and there has not been a single day that I could call happy until just now. What little I can remember from before I was sold was bad, but this has been ten years of the hell the Brotherhood preachers ranted about and promised to all sinners. I was a child. I had done nothing to deserve this.” With that Verily finished her story and sat back, crossing her arms. “Now tell me about your lives. I want to hear about families and people that have grown up happy.”

  With that the other two women told their stories to her. The first, Bianca, told of being an orphan and of the nun’s of St Ursula who had loved her and raised her in their own way and how they cared for her. She told of her work and the city and how she had got here. I wish that my life had been like hers. A quiet life of hard work with a lack of excitement and a safe place to go to at night, it sounds great. She looked at Naeve and Lakshmi and saw the wistful expressions on their faces. They are feeling the same. That changed when the girl started to describe the attack on her caravan. Now we all get grim again. Most of us here knew all about that. As she continued with the tale Bianca told them in detail about what she had done to Koyonlu. That is the first really good news I have heard in ages. The man was an animal. To her surprise Verily found she had jumped up and hugged the woman in gratitude. I didn’t mean to do that. Naeve is even worse…covering her in kisses as if she had been given the greatest present ever…actually, in a way, she had been. Hearing what the Khitan had passed on about their captives was even better.

  The next girl took a while to begin her story. Once she started it became apparent why. It all sounds like a fairy-tale…a childhood as the last and youngest daughter of a sheik. It looks like the other rescuer girl have not heard this story before either, as she was as entranced as the rest of them. Ayesha then told of being chosen to train at Misr-al-Mãr as a ghazi, a Holy Warrior, the first woman to do so. She told of what that meant and of what she learnt and she told how she got here. Verily looked at the faces of the other two. I wonder if my eyes are just as wide. Again, it seems to be news to Bianca that one of the mages is a real Princess, from Darkreach admittedly, but still some sort of Princess. What does all of that mean for us now? Will it change my situation? What does this woman’s story mean to me? The Caliphate is nearly as bad as my home in keeping women from doing things. If this…little princess could become a…ghazi, what does that mean for me? Now, if I am free, could I stop being a prostitute or even a servant? Can I change my life into something completely different?

  “If you can do that, I can do anything,” said Verily. “I only know what to do with a knife from practicing on my own. I can throw one, I think acceptably, but that is the only weapon I have. Can you teach me to use things properly? There are many magical weapons on the dead and in their rooms. I can learn to use them.”

  “How do you know that about the weapons?” asked Ayesha.

  “I have been all around this valley in ten years and I can, sort of, smell magic. I have told no-one, but I think that is what it is that I can do. Fire magic smells like spicy cinnamon, water magic like fresh cut hay, air magic is sort of tingly and earth magic is like a damp rich field that has just been ploughed. Is that unusual outside?”

  She could see Bianca and Ayesha look at each other in surprise. “We may be training you in knives, but I suspect our lady mages will want to spend a long time with you as well,” said Ayesha. “I admit that I have heard of people having this ability before, but it is a very rare talent.”

  “It is as well you are all women. Although the women bandits were bad, they were not as bad as the men…and there were less of the women and they only started paying attention to me recently. I do not think I will be able to stand to have a man touch me or be near me…even one who had rescued me…for many years. My beauty is my curse and I would not want to be near someone who looked at me and thought of me like that. I would have disfigured myself, but then they would have killed me. I might trust a blind man…but that is all.”

  “I am sure it will be good if you talk to Father Christopher,” said Bianca, who spoke up and then, for some reason, looked surprised as she said, “I will sit with you when he does but, although he is not the same as my priests or yours, he is a wise and holy man and I think you will find him,” she paused and searched briefly for the right word, “calming.”

  I may listen to her words, but I doubt that I will ever trust a man again. All men, and even some women, want to do is possess her beauty and use it and use her. I cannot believe that a man could look at me in any way except as an object of his lust or as something to take his pain and anger out on.

  After all of that Lakshmi, always the practical one, started dragging rugs and blankets down from storage cupboards and upstairs and they made a type of nest from them and went to sleep together. There were men, and even a Dwarf, coming in and out of the room, but they had not touched any of the girls yet and they had had many chances.

  I suppose that I have to trust them not to rape or kill me out of hand at least…at least for the moment.

  Chapter VII

  Rani

  Rani looked out over the village square. I hope that I am doing the right thing. Her eyes tried to avoid the one patch of grass with its staked out prisoner, and even more so the row of naked bodies that were the pathetic remains of the bandits. Everyone is still looking at me, even my lover. She scanned the broader landscape. The morning has dawned bright and clear, but there is a light frost over everything—including the hair on Dharmal and the bodies. Everyone is standing back so that I am in front of the group as we gather. The three slaves who were already freed are torn between tormenting Dharmal and trying to hide from him, so they stay back as well. Being at the front cast me in the position of leader doesn’t it?

  Dharmal looked up and calmly addressed her. “My masters should be along to free me soon. T’ey have promised me t’at t’ey have seen my future and I’ll be t’ King in Dwarvenholme when t’ey leave t’ere. If’n you release me ’n’ agree to serve me, and t’em, I am sure t’at you will be forgiven.”

  “I intend to release you…” said Rani “from this coil of existence
so that you may be reborn as, say, an earthworm or something even lower and more unclean. You will spend many, many cycles of existence expiating this one before you are again reborn as a sentient. First however, I want information. But even before that, I want your former slaves to see what has happened to your ruffians and to watch what will happen to you.” She addressed her companions, “Can we let the slaves out please and gather them over here.” She indicated the front of the mage’s house beside the grass, and turned to the three freed girls. “Can you please reassure your companions that we mean them no harm and that we are here to free them, and can you help us gather them together?”

  Verily, Lakshmi and Naeve nodded and went with Ayesha and Bianca to unlock the women’s quarters. Ayesha then gave the keys to Stefan, who went to unlock the male slaves.

  The women and girls were gradually brought out and chivvied into a group by Ayesha, Bianca and the three women who had been freed last night. From their looks and skin they came from all over, except Darkreach. The young ones were either held by the older women or stood tight beside someone hanging on to skirts or hands. They were all obviously afraid, despite the assurances of the women who ushered them out. They kept looking from the row of bodies to Dharmal staked out before them, to various members of the party, particularly the men. Some of the older slaves made tentative moves towards Father Christopher. She noticed that he was wearing his crucifix and his icon openly on his chest, something he had not done when they were travelling. Perhaps they expected there to be a priest among their rescuers and he must either have looked priestly to them, or maybe the least warlike, as he sat on the veranda with Astrid and a still weak Basil, but others pulled them back into the group. Looking around it was obvious that all of the women in the village were very attractive.

  Bianca had commented on this to Verily within her hearing. “Yes,” she was told, “they rape and kill anyone else on the spot. If anyone loses her looks, even if it is because of beatings by them, she is disposed of. Some of them like taking a pregnant woman, but they kill all babies out of hand, so we try and avoid having them. It does not always work. I have lost two.” Her voice dripped bitterness.

  When the men were released it was apparent that one was a large man, who walked with a limp that told of a broken foot, and who had already rid himself of the chains on his legs, although he still bore the rings they were attached to. He is looking a bit nervous about what he had done. “You would be the smithy then?” asked Rani. She had seen him approach and had gone over to him.

  He nodded.

  “We will get you to do the same for the others when we are finished here if you do not mind.”

  He again nodded and this time smiled.

  “Stefan and Hulagu, can you please go to the watch tower at the gate and see that we are not interrupted. Keep your eye on the sky and the gap for the river.”

  She addressed the whole group in Hindi. “I am Shri Rani Rai, and these are my friends. They will tell you their names later and we will learn yours.” She waved a hand around. “Following omens and prophesies…and for other reasons, we set out from all over the Land. Almost all of us were attacked by evil beings, which we now believe were trying to stop us from meeting. We followed more omens and information to come here after these scum attacked a caravan that one of our group was a part of. They looted and destroyed the caravan and raped the women, except for Bianca here…” who she pointed to, “who escaped, but I am sure that many of you are familiar with that part of our tale from your own experience.” There were some nodding of heads among the audience at this. “They were after something that the caravan carried and they got it. We now want that same thing and we want to…indeed from the omens we have received…we must…bring these scum to justice.

  “We want to find out why we were attacked. We want to find what the omens point us towards and we want to fulfil our geas. We are some of the way towards this. Many of the bandits have died, most at the hands of the Khitan, some at our hands in different places. We now hold their secret fastness and have Dharmal, their leader, at our mercy. If there are any others left we will track them down and find them and kill them, and Dharmal is now about to help us by telling us all about what he has been doing and why.”

  During this speech Dharmal had been looking up at the sky and to what he could see of the ridges.

  How annoying. It seems that he really is expecting to be freed. Rani moved to stand beside him and gained his attention by lightly kicking his damaged knee. Dharmal gave a yelp of pain. “One problem.” said Rani…I need to talk partly to the captive dwarf and partly to the rest of the audience…“With serving evil is that evil has no sense of being loyal to its followers. It keeps them until they are no longer useful and then it discards them. You have served your purpose and now that you have failed you will be discarded. Speak to me now and I will grant you a quick and easy death.” There were some groans from the women. “Try and hold out and it will be harder for you.”

  “You have heard all you will from me,” said Dharmal. It is obvious that he is a bit nervous now. I can hear bluff and bluster in his voice. “Ahmed has taken t’map to t’Masters ’n’ you’ll not be able to find ’em now. You would have worked t’is out for yourselves. If I were to tell you more I’ll not be rescued now, nor will t’ey find my body ’n’ bring me back if you kill me ’n’ I’ll be in agony in t’afterlife. You might as well kill me now.” He is trying to sound confident but, lying there naked and staked out in the open, with one knee at an angle, despite being bound, and a foot completely broken, he looks and sounds more pathetic than brave.

  “Generous of you to give me your life, which is already in my hands,” said Rani, “but you are wrong. We have found another map and already know how to get to Dwarvenholme. We just wanted to see what book was worth the life of a whole caravan. You will talk. Today, tomorrow, some time later, but you will. We will find out all you know of those whose dog you are and of their plans. Will you speak now?”

  Dharmal remained silent.

  Rani gestured at Bianca, who moved forward. “Have you met Bianca? No, that is right, it was her caravan you destroyed and yet she managed to escape you and then kill her pursuers. Do you know how hard it is to get Khitan to talk about their business? She killed Kitzez outright and then captured Koyonlu and broke his will before killing him herself. From him she found out all about you and the book and this place…aren’t you curious how this little girl did that?”

  Now Dharmal is starting to look a little nervous. His eyes are locked on Bianca. He is trying to work out how the small, plain girl, laden with knives but seemingly no threat to anyone could be so dangerous. I can see the expression on his face as he tries to work out how she could defeat and question his men.

  Give him time to stew and consider what I said…Bianca has smiled at him…That little smile has made him far more nervous. It is a shy smile. Even I can see that it is a nervous one. Why is Bianca looking at the priest? What did my Princess tell me about confession and sin? Now Bianca is looking from Dharmal to the priest to me. We will see if I read this right…Rani nodded at Bianca and the girl moved towards the priest. Rani followed. Maybe I should have talked this out last night.

  “Father, you are not my priest, but you are all that I have.” There was despair in her voice as she spoke quietly. Rani looked back towards Dharmal. Basil had moved down and was keeping his attention away from what was being said. “Father, please,” she quietly spoke, “should I do this. I did it before, but I was not quite myself then and I am still not shriven from that.”

  Father Christopher paused before replying. It seemed that he was trying to think about his answer, to avoid the glib. “Your Dominicans would be better able to answer that than I as they use similar practices on my kind,” he said wryly. “Many who are far wiser than either you or I have thought about this problem. Can you do evil in service to good? Is it justified? Does it taint the user? I am sorry, but I do not know the answer. My opinion, and it
is only that, is that if you realise that what you do is wrong…and you abhor what you are doing…and you confess and are absolved as soon as you can…such deeds may, and I stress may, be forgiven by God. He is merciful in His wisdom. Having said that, and having given you this advice, some of the blame has now shifted from you to me and, although you are of the schismatic faith, I will still take your confession as a believer who holds to the Nicene Creed. I have no-one to confess my sin to. You have a hard choice, child. I hope you choose wisely.” He gave her what Rani assumed was a blessing and she turned again to Dharmal, crossed herself, and took out her thinnest and sharpest blade and started toying with it. Christopher gave Rani a look. I think our priest may not approve of what I am getting Bianca to do. She moved back to her place. It is, however, needed.

  Dharmal had twisted his head around and tried to watched and hear all of that was being said. He may have even heard a little, although it was not hard to guess what it had all been about. Now he was looking very nervous. “I’ll not speak,” he said, his voice beginning to betray uncertainty.