Engaging Evil (Warriors of Vhast Book 2)
Page 17
Bianca nodded and started checking her mounts. She started to saddle Firestar and would have left the others behind, but they started to push at her. It is less fuss to let them run free behind. They went out of the open gate and noticed that the village men were heaping more earth in front of the wall. It looks like Dharmal has already been laid to rest alongside his henchmen.
“See,” said Hulagu to the girls, “she is followed everywhere by them. You and I they would bite. Her they nuzzle.” Father Christopher had been right—from the faces of the Khitan girls, despite the other women being far more beautiful than I am, perhaps there are things that others envy about her. With that thought in mind she gave a laugh and dug her heels in and headed off to the small patch of green woods that lay up the valley’s river. The others followed, trailing behind her. I have grown a lot since I left the nuns and I have a lot more growing to do, and…damn Anahita…I know that it is wrong but, knowing what Astrid has been up to, I did want a man in bed with me last night, even if it was only to hold on to.
They rode behind a little patch of woods on the village side of the stream, where they would be out of sight of the wall. Dismounting and leaving the horses grazing together on the long grass they started to gather fallen sticks and limbs and to make two long piles of wood. Hulagu keeps making them far apart and the girls are coming behind him to push them closer together. Will we all go through this? Oh well, Hulagu knows me for what I am, but his…köle don’t and they are the ones who have to learn to trust me. I’ll join them in keeping them close.
When they had two hands of paces of wood piled up in rows Hulagu called a halt. They threw their last loads on and started to light them. Once they were all alight the attendees started to undress. We didn’t do this last time. We must be more serious now. Should I take my blades off? If I singe my skin it will grow again, but if I singe my leather straps and sheathes, I will have to replace them. It seems that, apart from being naked, nothing lewd will happen. That is good. I am sure that I am scarlet already. Saint Ursula, please forgive me. I will confess to the priest later…I forgot to mention the fires last night.
Having stripped off all their clothes, the other three sat down crosslegged near one end and seemed to be quickly lost in thought. I guess I will do the same… She jumped a little. I have never been tickled by grass quite like this before. When the fires were well alight Hulagu stood up. He walked to the start of the passage they had built and slowly walked through it. Even over the fire I can smell burnt hair. He sat down again at the other end. One after the other the other girls did the same.
They really are beautiful. Each are taking longer than the person before them. Do I have to do that? What are we doing? Is it a sign of penance, of cleansing, or of courage?
Now it is my turn. Slowly she stood and approached the opening. It looks very narrow now. She screwed up her courage and began to walk. Slow…slow. I can feel the fire lapping up my sides and smell the smoke now, mingled in, the stink of my hair catching alight—all of it. Eventually, after what seemed like an hour, she had walked out. The girls rushed at her. They are brushing ash and burnt hair off me and…I hurt in a few places. There is a look of pride on Hulagu’s face. Why?
“You took twice as long as we did,” said Kãhina. Is that awe in her voice? “You truly are one of us.” Anahita kissed her as a sister.
They slowly dressed and kicked the remains of the fires out and used water from the stream that they fetched in a leather bucket to dowse them thoroughly before riding back to the village. The smell of burnt hair hovered all around them. Firestar sneezed.
How funny. Half of the village has abandoned breakfast and are standing on the wall. It seems that Father Christopher prevented anyone from following, but they are all trying to work out what we were doing. I may be grinning inside, but I think we have to keep a straight face and not answer any questions.
Let the singed hair and the smell of smoke on us keep them all guessing.
Chapter XV
Ayesha
All of the Khitan, even Bianca, smell of smoke. I can see singed hair here and there on all of them and, as the women brush each other’s hair I can see little burnt bits falling all over. Bianca has perhaps lost a third. She looks smug. None of them are saying anything though. They are just deflecting, or even ignoring, questions.
After a late breakfast and Mass the work of the village went on. With Verily in tow she went back to sorting weapons. The mages soon disappeared, taking a selection of the items that had been identified as magical up to the roof. I suppose Rani is right. Until we know what is happening with the carpet and its mage, we cannot afford to be very far away from it. The mages will spend their time up there with the watch.
That is funny. Astrid is trying to go out to the lookout, but she has been grabbed by some village women…I think her protests will be futile…One of them has fetched Basil and he is being sent in her place. It seems that, although they may have spent the night together, they are now not allowed to see each other…Astrid is still protesting as she is being dragged off.
Thord took Ayesha to the cliff and together they dragged up the miner, Harald Pitt and some of his tools. You cannot help admire how quickly the stumpy Dwarf, who looks comical walking and even funnier on his sheep, has scaled the rock face. I would have had difficulty doing it half as well. Thord has just taken a hammer and some small metal objects from a pouch at his belt and, alternatively hammering and attaching a good rope, he has just gone up the flat cliff in no time at all. I just used the path he made. She looked back down. There are still no handholds I can see.
“Can you teach me how to do that?” she asked.
“What?” asked Thord.
“Climb like that. I can climb, but I need something to hang onto or at least a small amount of slope. That is flat with no cracks and…well… hard.”
“Yes. Good rock.” The miner is nodding in agreement.
“Good rock?”
Now both of them are agreeing. Thord said, “Good rock. It’s hard; fractures clean ’n’ doesn’t split ’n’ shatter. Makes it easy to climb, if you know what you’re doing.”
“It’s also better to mine,” said Harald. “Yes it’s hard, so it’ll take longer to dig, but you know t’at when you have a tunnel it’ll last. Nothing worse t’an being below ’n’ worrying about whether t’ tunnel’ll collapse behind you.” Each is comfortable that the other knows exactly what he is talking about. They are nodding again.
Ayesha shook her head. Trust me to get side-tracked. “But can you teach me to climb like that?”
“You want to learn? A Human?” He doesn’t have to be so obviously amazed. “It’s rare even among Dwarves for someone to want to learn to do this for fun. I am rare among Dwarves.” He grinned before saying, “Of course I’ll teach you; I’ll take any chance I can get to climb. Good cliffs here…wait until I show you how to jump off’n them.” Jump off them? “You do use rope,” he added as if in consolation. I feel scarce better at that. What have I just volunteered for?
“Can I learn as well?” said the miner. “I’ve always t’ought it’d be good not to have to rely on ladders when you’re down a shaft. Too many t’ings can happen t’ere.”
Thord rubbed his hands together and chortled. “E’en better. Now, let’s see about t’is way in.” They set to work to see if they could close off the flaw in the valley’s defences, at least temporarily.
~~~
Astrid
What are these bloody women up to? I haven’t been here before… one of the small buildings alongside the courtyard that is also our main street. Seemingly every woman in the settlement is in attendance. They have stripped me bare. I am being prodded and measured…at least they are nice about my size, my muscles and my ‘marvellous’ breasts…without a by-your-leave one has plumped in front of me and is lifting my boobs in each hand as if she is weighing them and judging them. I may have landed into a village of frustrated brides and they are all determined to ta
ke years of this frustration out on me. Why are they arguing about fabric and what colour it should be for? When did that start? I have to take a stand.
“Enough…if I have a choice in this then I want red.” They are all looking at me…Aren’t I allowed an opinion? “At home red fabric…any red fabric is very expensive and so, if we get a chance we wear it whenever we can. We don’t have special dresses to get married in so, if I am to have a good dress, I want it to be red.” Well that kept them all quiet for a moment…where are they going? There is a rush to the rear of the building. There is a lot of noise there. Soon they emerged with a bolt of fabric. It was red. It is also made from very deep pile velvet. I am sure it is the sort of material that is seen in a court, not in a dress in Wolfneck.
“I hope you don’t mind.” That was the girl who seems to be in charge, the one who judged my boobs…I have been told her name…what was it…something wrong…she is from Freehold…Fortunata, that is it. “This was brought in for a robe for Dharmal, but he changed his mind for some reason.” She handled the fabric lovingly before holding it up beside Astrid to show its drape and colour. “It will show your pale hair so well.” Several other women are agreeing. Last choice I get.
Astrid felt the fabric. Never had I felt anything so soft, so lush. The colour is a rich dark red, darker than blood. It must be worth a fortune. Theodora might be used to things like this, but not a working girl, even one from one of the richer families in Wolfneck. They are eagerly waiting on my approval. Look at the expression on their faces. After a pause and with a sigh, she nodded. “It is just right. It is perfect.”
On hearing this, there was a collective sigh and the women flew into action. It looks like I am going to have a new chemise as well…white silk…something around my waist and lower chest that they have brought out already made. They call it a corset. Do I have to? I have heard about them. I might even have helped to catch the whale whose bone was inside it, but I have never seen one before, and am not sure I want to see one now. I am sure that it doesn’t look very comfortable.
She said so.
“It is not supposed to be comfortable,” said Fortunata sternly. “It is to make you look like a lady, not like a hunter. You move like a cat all of the time. He expects the hunter. We will surprise him by giving him a lady.” Nodding like a bloody shelf of wooden dolls. Astrid also had silk pants quickly produced for her with a drawstring to keep them up. They, at least, feel good and I am allowed to keep them on.
Astrid surrendered.
~~~
Bianca
After lunch Rani announced that Stefan would go out to replace Basil in the lookout. Father Christopher grabbed Bianca. “When Stefan goes out, make a pretext to detach that Bryony from him. I want you to find out what she is up to. She is not from his village, she is from the Swamp. I don’t even know what religion she is. Stefan is one of our people and a Christian. I want to make sure that he is safe with her.”
“And how do I do this?” asked Bianca.
“I don’t know,” replied the priest. He is a bit flustered. “I know little about women. Surely there is some women thing you can make an excuse about…and use your sense…whatever it is, when you talk to her.”
Bianca thought a bit. “I have an idea.” She had her lunch and quickly headed for the gate and climbed up to the wall so she could see when Stefan came out. I don’t have long to wait and, yes, the girl is beside him again. She is like glue. Even the two mages allow each other to get further apart than that…I am sure that the girl has not been more than a few paces from Stefan since I first remember seeing her…and it is hard to forget that red hair and cleavage. Should I unlace some more of my bodice? It will even make some of my knives easier to get to in a hurry. No, that is not the point. Saint Ursula forgive me, the point is to show off my one asset, my one claim to beauty. However, yes, the girl definitely needs someone to find out more about her. They approached the wall and Bianca clambered down.
“Stefan,” said Bianca, “introduce me to your friend. We haven’t met yet.”
“Haven’t you? Bianca t’is be Bryony verch Dafydd. She be from t’ Swamp. Bryony, t’is is Bianca of t’ Horses. Despite her dress, ’n’ her singed hair, she be from Freehold.”
“You are about to replace Basil at the lookout, aren’t you?” asked Bianca disingenuously.
“Yes, we be just a goin’—”
“Well, don’t let me keep you. I just want a chat with Bryony.” With that she linked her arm through the taller woman’s and, before she could protest, turned her and started back into the village. A brief glance back showed Stefan standing there just opening and closing his mouth. She waved him on his way.
I have thought this out. I don’t think my sense, whatever it is, will work if I am subtle. I have to be direct. The priest is up on the veranda. Good, I will have backup if I need it and the girl only has a spear and bow with her, neither of them are ready nor of much use at this range.
“Tell me about what you are up to with Stefan,” she said bluntly.
Bryony pulled away and faced her. “Why do you want to know and what right have you to ask?” She sounds indignant.
“I ask because I am the one who asks questions,” said Bianca. Now, make sure she sees my eyes cross to where Dharmal had lain. I am getting the hang of this business of asking things and being… threatening. You have to bluff. Now I cross my arms, making sure my fingers are near two hilts…and wait.
She suddenly looks quite agitated. “I meant no harm. I just wanted a man to hold. I was taken from my husband on my wedding night and kept as a toy by one of the women here. I miss my husband so much and Stefan seemed nice and there are so few men among you and…” She broke into tears and began sobbing. “I am sorry. We have done nothing yet except hold on to each other. I will leave him alone if you want me to. I meant no harm. Did you want to take me instead?” There is fear in her voice. Two offers in one day. I wish my luck were as good with men. Still I cannot feel any funny feelings about anything the girl says. She might be honest.
“There, there, that is not what I meant,” Bianca said. “I don’t think that I am interested in women…that way at least. I just want to make sure that you are not going to hurt him. Men are just so fragile.” She reached up to comfort Bryony and soon had her leaning down and sobbing on her shoulder. Looking past her she could see Father Christopher and she gave him a quick shake of her head. “Do you want to marry him?”
“I don’t know,” Bryony sobbed. “We haven’t even really made love yet. We slept together and we were naked, but all he did was hold me while I cried. At the moment I just need someone who will hold me and look after me and…and make me feel safe. I like him to hold me and comfort me, but I don’t know anything of what I want past that.”
“In that case, I am sure it will all be alright. Just remember, you are not to hurt him, or you will have me to answer to.” Time for me to sound grim. I may know that I am bluffing; she won’t. “Go along now. Go and do something in the village. Don’t go after him. He should have some time away from you. That way he will find out if he does like you and not just lust after you, and besides, men are very easily distracted and he should be watching for enemies that are coming here, not just at your cleavage.”
Bryony swallowed and tugged the gap in her top closed a bit as if to lessen its impact. She gave a quick bob at Bianca and fled.
Well, a bob…just like Theodora gets…I may develop a reputation here. Several other women are looking at me as well. Let us see…She began to softly sing a beautiful little tune. Well, it is a beautiful sounding song until you actually listen to the lyrics. Once you listen for a while you realise that everyone in the song dies in one gruesome manner or another. A lot of the old songs seem to be like that. She wandered up the courtyard looking about. Ahead she could see the Dwarf and Ayesha, with one of the village men climbing a cliff. The village…they were always calling it ‘the village’. Didn’t it have a name? I should find out.
“I…I don’t know. It doesn’t have a name,” the girl stammered. “They didn’t tell us. We just call it the village. That is all we have needed.” Again the girl, the woman really—she is sure to be several years older than me—gives me a bob and moves away.
“Then we must give it one,” said Bianca, and continued on her way, going back to her quiet song. Would it be useful to be seen as fifteen hands of enforcer? There was a certain irony here. Astrid, who is nearly three hands taller than me and a lot stronger and far more dangerous, is being fussed over somewhere in the village while I, Bianca, the one who is almost useless in a fight, am scaring the women. If I take this role it will certainly distract from the others, but I have told them my story. What was in that? Have they seen more in my behaviour with Dharmal than I had meant to be seen? If I’m not going to have anything else to pass the time, unlike my new brother, then I will have some fun. Speaking of which, where has Hulagu gotten to?
~~~
Hulagu
Hulagu was on the roof with the mages. He had looked down and, although he couldn’t hear what she said, he watched Bianca’s little performance. She certainly is playing up to the role of a Khitan woman in a walled village. I wonder if she knows that. What is more I am curious about what is she up to with the way that she is acting.
Chapter XVI
Stefan
Why did Bianca stop Bryony? Why did I just leave her behind without asking what she wanted? I know I am certainly getting used to having the red-head beside me, but why did Bianca want to step in? Now, I admit that I am glad to have some time to myself, but I haven’t asked for it nor have I given any indication to anyone that I wanted it…at least I don’t think I have. I suppose that I will find out what it is about when I get back.