by AS Hamilton
Nathan shifted back, only his reflexes allowing him to gain him a grip on the elvan's wrist. They struggled for an endless moment and then Nathan wrenched the weapon from his assailant and plunged it into the elvan just above his collarbone. Daniel watched the light fade from the hauntingly-beautiful silver-green eyes as his body slumped to the ground. What a waste!
Daniel looked up and a moment later found himself meeting the Thane's gaze. Nathan had also been looking down at the two elvan, but there was no regret in his eyes. It was dangerous being around Nathan when he was angry.
'Now you will never know for sure whether they were rebels or just slaves,' Daniel observed coolly, putting indifference in his tone and body language. Nathan frowned, but Daniel bowed deeply before the Thane could respond. 'Forgive me, my lord, but I must ensure the patrol leaders are informed of the changes to their orders before they head out, as you instructed.' With that the mercenary leader made another bow and then moved towards the archway leading to the barracks, being sure to maintain a steady, unhurried pace.
A startled, frightened wail almost made him stop and turn. The cry chilled his blood and sent a shiver down his spine. Daniel tensed his jaw again, but did not release it, steeling himself against the thought of the eighteen dead bodies that would bloody the marble of the grand forecourt of Ancoulan Palace, seventeen of them elvan and one soldier.
The Thane was venting his wrath. It would not be the first time an elvan prisoner had tried to kill Nathan, but this was not what angered him. What riled the Thane was that the elvan had killed his friend quickly and almost painlessly and then forced Nathan to dispatch him the same way, leaving no chance for Nathan to interrogate either. Nathan was well-known for his ruthless interrogation techniques, and the elvan, when caught, would often try to kill themselves and any companions caught with them to spare them the suffering of the torture that was sure to come. All the prisoners would have been searched in order to prevent this, but when it came to elvan it was harder to guarantee that they had not used their talent to hide the weapon or to acquire one. Even the human prisoners found ways to make sharp implements out of the most innocuous-seeming materials like sticks, parchment and even linen. These last two required ingenuity and knowledge of how to wet and dry soft materials to harden them, but the prisoners talked of these things and Daniel had seen more than one example.
These two had acted without hesitation, one playing the role of the misfit to distract the soldiers from the other's movements. Daniel wondered whether the defiant one had actually been royalty, and had his companion killed him out of respect for that rank? Had the companion taken the role of assassin so that if he failed and survived, he would be the one to endure the torture?
It struck him as intensely poignant that no one would know what had happened to them. Their partners and children would never know how they lost them, just that they were gone. Daniel purposefully turned his mind back to his work. Thoughts of compassion where elvan were concerned were risky, as compassion could be twisted into betrayal if the Thane thought it would suit his purpose. And who knew if or when an Abbarane mage was tuning in to your thoughts? He might feel sorry for the wretches, but he wasn't about to do anything about their situation.
Day 1 – Night
Mehani Woods
(near Sey-sjhon River, just past the river junction)
Silence and shadow gave up their knowledge of the great may-en-ghi as she padded into the warm glow of Brynn's fire.
'Baschia!' Brynn welcomed. 'I was afraid you'd become lost,' he grinned, teasing her.
Baschia turned eyes of molten gold upon her friend and snorted. 'I was delayed investigating your enemies,' she sent, raising her head to scent the air and stalking off towards the nearby river.
She had the presence of a god, Brynn thought, as he watched her melt into the night. When Brynn first met the may-en-ghi, he had been stunned by their regal bearing and exceptional intelligence. They were a race of dragon, but similar in form and gait to a cheetah with scales instead of fur, horns curving back from their temples, and magnificent feathery manes that trailed down their spines to meet whiskered tails. The same feathery hair graced their lower legs. Baschia's head, when standing, came to Sershja's shoulder — children could ride her if she let them. The image of Baschia with several children on her back, yelling with excitement, brought a whimsical smile to his face. Baschia would just as soon hide than confront such a nightmare, and she'd have no trouble there; the may-en-ghi were masters at camouflage.
In general, the may-en-ghi residing on the edge of the plains or in the desert were gold and tan, while those from the forested areas, like Baschia, were a blend of blacks. The most unique thing about their colouring was its ability to change when they moved into a contrasting environment. The scales of a gold may-en-ghi would react to the loss of light if she walked into a cave and darken within moments. The change flowed through to the mane at a slower rate, but fast enough so that she would soon be almost undetectable. As adults, they learned to control the change and he had seen them disappear into thin air, and reappear. Just as Baschia did now, emerging from the blackness. First, her golden eyes, slanted and glinting in the firelight, then the night gave up its hold upon the features of her majestic head, her horns arcing back. Lastly her great paws, falling silently upon the ground.
Brynn dipped his head towards a portion of deer he had unwrapped and left not far from the fire. 'Refresh your strength and tell me what you have discovered.'
Baschia purred her thanks as she settled and tore off a mouthful, chewing for a short while before she said, 'I came across several patrols. Four came very close to you. One in the Alarus Forest, two hidden in fields waiting for you, and the last questioning farmers. They all search for an elvan riding a white and grey horse. They believe you are heading for Sal-Cirus.'
As she spoke, Baschia also sent Brynn her memories; the men in the forest, those in the fields, and the riders questioning farmers.
Brynn swore at her news because it was solid confirmation they were not just close, but actually on his trail; looking for him specifically.
'Now, now, language like that will merely foul this beautiful night,' Baschia admonished lightly. 'I have had a thought about how to draw off these patrols and a theory as to how they deduced your destination.'
Brynn leaned against the tree behind him. 'I am certainly open to ideas on both counts.'
'As you know, Sarre has been gathering intelligence in Ancoulan.'
Brynn nodded, uncertain of how this was connected, but willing to hear his friend out.
'Well, he reports that a document he came across describes an amber stone found in Sal-Cirus several turns ago. A mage claimed it was connected to the Saviour. In investigating this, Sarre discovered that between Thane Aldarsan and Thane Kennelm, some twenty mages have been consulted in regard to this. Unfortunately, one of them suggested that the stone is integral to The Prophecy. Then someone reported your passage on a white and grey horse, which this same mage linked to a reference in The Prophecy. This lead Thane Kennelm to conclude that the elvan he is looking for is heading to Sal-Cirus to retrieve the stone. I believe this sparked the increase in patrols. Other mages have proposed alternative meanings regarding the stone, but the Thane does not care for their interpretations.'
Brynn resisted cursing again, allowing Baschia to continue.
'Earlier this evening, I got in contact with Sarre again, in order to get an update before I caught up to you. His report was a little more positive. It seems that Thane Kennelm is so determined to find the rider of the grey and white horse, he plans to head a patrol himself.'
Brynn smiled. 'That could be due to my influencing him to leave Ancoulan and conduct the search for himself. I wanted to erode his coordination of the search; with the Thane away, his administration of the search will be less organised.'
Baschia sent her satisfaction. 'That works well with my proposal. I suggest that tomorrow I take your spare boots and lay a fals
e trail. I can leave scuff marks, broken grasses and boot prints, which their mages will identify as belonging to you.'
'How will you do that?' Brynn asked curiously.
'Give me your boot.'
Brynn tugged off his boot and placed it before her, Baschia rose, took the leg section in her mouth and then looked for a patch of dirt in the grass before pushing the boot heel down into the ground. Brynn stretched out on his hands and knees so he could get a closer look. Sure enough, she had made a discernible heel print. Changing the angle of her head, Baschia then made a half-print using the toe-end of the boot.
He chuckled. 'That will work perfectly.'
Baschia dropped the boot and made a face as she licked her gums. 'It does not taste very good, but you can tie them together and I can use the rope to hang them over my neck when I do not need them.'
He had seen may-en-ghi carry things like that before, some even used satchels when they had to transport something long distances.
'I can use my talent to create illusions of you,' Baschia continued, 'and ensure farmhands and shepherds alike see it so they report it to the Thane.'
The may-en-ghi had talent, indeed, they were the ones to teach the first elvan mages. Many a may-en-ghi mage possessed skills walking the planes that most elvan mages could only dream of achieving. Brynn's may-en-ghi tutor, Sala, was considered one of the most highly-skilled in his community. Baschia was originally a hunter and warrior in her clan, which they called a ghani, but because she had been selected to assist elvan mages, Sala had trained her in everything a may-en-ghi mage would learn, including illusions, listening to others' thoughts and, most importantly, how to avoid elvan and human mages on the planes via planes only may-en-ghi could access. This access had been passed on to a few select elvan, but only those that the entire may-en-ghi community approved.
'How will you draw him to the trail in the first place?' Brynn wanted to know.
Baschia made a soft rumbling sound as she thought about it. 'It would take something dramatic. Something they could not ignore.' An idea started to emerge as Baschia recalled something Sarre told her a few sennats ago. 'Sarre reported to me recently that there is significant friction between the Thane and the mercenary leaders. Thane Kennelm killed Edgar Wulfsbane, who led the mercenary company Wulfguard. The Thane merged Wulfguard with Sentinel, a group of trackers the Thane is using to fill out his numbers.'
'Sentinel is, very quietly, sympathetic to the rebels.' Brynn said. 'As you said, they are mostly trackers, and they have let quite a few of our side 'get away from them'. There are also human rebels within their ranks.'
'I knew the rebels had placements in a few of the mercenary groups,' Baschia sent, 'but not which groups specifically. Unlike Sentinel, Wulfguard have a reputation for doing things such as burning entire villages in the middle of the night, giving the sleeping victims little chance to escape.'
'I have heard that they engage in worse deeds than that,' Brynn noted darkly.
'Then you will have little objection to my suggestion.'
Brynn had a feeling she was going to propose something that tested his ethics, but he gestured for her to continue.
'Wulfguard are now on tracking duties and will make up some of the patrols on your trail. If I locate a Wulfguard group near your last sighting—'
'Or create a sighting for them and have them report it in, making it my last sighting.'
Baschia dipped her head. 'I can kill them and leave signs of you carrying out the deed, implying that they got too close. This would capture the Thane's attention. I can draw them off towards Denas and Malithorn Abbarane.' Baschia paused, uncertain of his reaction to her next words, but decided she had made the right decision and could defend it. 'I already had Sarre, in his undercover guise, plant the thought in the minds of the Ancoulan mages — and thus, Thane Kennelm for they would convey these thoughts to him — that the Saviour is heading to Denas to assassinate the Great Lord.'
Brynn shook his head. 'Wait! What? Baschia! Sarre is in a precarious position. You risk him by giving him such instructions.'
Baschia held her ground. 'We discussed it, and I gave him the option of not carrying out the direction.'
Brynn snorted, Sarre was not one to avoid risk, he would have done it either way and he suspected Baschia had been relying on it when she suggested it to him.
'A part of the purpose of this exercise,' Baschia continued, 'is to divert the attention of those searching for the Saviour and get the Abbarane military out of the cities, particularly Sal-Cirus, so you have greater chances of getting to Toormeena. You have already used your influence to send the Great Lord out of Sal-Cirus. My direction to Sarre supports these goals.'
Brynn's sigh told Baschia that he saw her point and could not fault her decision. 'It does tie in nicely to this plan of yours,' he observed.
'It was unintentional at the time, but, yes.'
'Do you really think you have to kill the scouts, even Wulfguard deserve trial before execution,' Brynn pointed out.
Baschia sensed his doubt, and judged he needed more assurance. 'I do not think any of them are without blood on their souls, however, in days of old, the fenjo would have judged them with a truth-seer. While I am not a truth-seer, like you, I have been trained to hear other's thoughts, I can use this ability to perform a similar role and meet your sense of justice.'
'You will need to let at least one live,' Brynn reminded her, 'else who will tell the Thane where to find them?'
'The patrol paths are designed to intersect every two days, if I kill them the night before they are due to intersect, the other patrol will look for them and find them close by.'
'Especially if you use your talent to help them along?'
Baschia remained silent, knowing the answer was obvious and the question rhetorical. Brynn was now considering the paths of the future, assessing her plan's chances of success.
Finally, he nodded. 'Make the deaths quick.'
'Is there any other way to deliver death honourably?'
Day 1 – Night
Ancoulan
Lamplight gifted the darkness with a golden glow; soft, inviting, peaceful. Daniel finally blinked. shifting his gaze away from the small wall-mounted light. Some men would be embarrassed by Daniel's habit of sleeping with a light on. Daniel preferred it. There was no need for his eyes to take precious seconds to adjust if the unexpected occurred. Men were more reluctant to sneak up on you in the light; they felt exposed, vulnerable. It made them more prone to hesitate.
He turned his back to the light so he could gaze out his window. It was early evening, the stars low in the sky. It was not unusual for the mercenary to get an early night, he had to be up before dawn overseeing the patrols leaving that day, checking on reports as scouts came in, and generally keeping things on schedule. Normally, they didn't have to live by such a strict timetable, but then they didn't always work for Thane Nathan Kennelm. The Thane of Ancoulan had spurned the mercenary group for several seasons and it was only after they had successfully protected the Thane of Venshui's caravans four times from rebel raids that Nathan deigned to interview Daniel. They had then been given several small jobs, and Daniel suspected Nathan had rigged a few in order to test them. One had been escorting four caravans carrying essentials like medical supplies and preserved foods. The caravan routes had been plotted through areas where it was known the rebels preferred to ambush. They might as well have written signs on the transit wagons saying the risk was high but well worth it. Daniel could only credit Fate's mercy that they were able to fend the raiders off with minimal injuries and damage.
The mercenary leader twisted onto his back with a groan, he was never going to get to sleep if he couldn't get his mind to wind down. If only he didn't see those crumpled bodies every time he closed his eyes... Nathan just had to summon him back and show off his power. The Thane was so proud of killing them, as if it somehow made him superior. Daniel scoffed. Any animal can kill, he thought bitterly, it took more courage
and skill to settle your differences.
Determined not to be haunted by Nathan's black deeds, the mercenary leader focused on Andarea's largest moon, which was visible from his window. Daniel let the glowy orb blur in his vision as he willed himself to sleep.
Day 1 – Night
Denas
The evening was pleasantly warm, the soft breezes bearing the smells of roasting meat and spiced vegetables. The tangy scent of hot escala filled the air. The native fruit became alcoholic when boiled until it smelled ripe and turned from a deep red to a bright orange. Oblong in shape, it was about the size of a big man's fist. The fruit was a speciality of the city of Denas, and large orchards of it surrounded the city. For elvan, it was just a pleasant drink, but for humans it was similar to drinking wine.
The sounds of the festivities below drifted up in spurts through the open doors of the private balcony of the Great Lord's rooms. A light breeze carried the voices of men talking, a flute and harp here, women's laughter there. Malithorn drifted out onto the balcony but did not walk to the edge, not wanting to be seen. Placing his crystal glass of white wine on a dainty glass table, he noted that it was etched with an intricate maze of escala blossoms that hid butterflies, bees and birds. A remarkable piece, he decided, perhaps remarkable enough to take back to Sal-Cirus. His bare feet enjoyed the warmth of the cream tiles as he appreciated the beauty of the city and the halo of stars shimmering above it. The weather, this time of the turn, was conducive to the festivals that would soon occur nationwide. His father had established the annual celebration after he conquered Andarea. Denas had started early as a tribute to their visiting ruler — Thane Jeriteen's idea.