Kyra nodded as she grasped his explanation of General Vargas’s tactics. “You’re good at this investigating stuff.”
He didn’t know if he was good at anything, but he did understand war tactics and Vargas used solid ones in planning his ambushes. “I wouldn’t say that. If I were good at this, I would’ve picked a different location to scout from.”
“What do you mean? We are safe, we have a great view of the valley and no one can see us…” Kyra looked around and then she groaned as realization hit her. “We have to climb down. Getting up here was bad enough, now you have to carry me down? We are going to die!”
“Actually, going down is going to be much easier,” said Bazur with a small smile. “We just have to wait until Vargas and his men are a little farther away. It could get noisy.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of this. In fact, I am confident that I am going to hate it.”
Ignoring her comments, Bazur focused on watching Vargas and his men heading east. The valley path turned south after a mile, and once they were past that distance the Devil’s Arm was not visible. He had watched one of Vargas’s men leave the group and head back towards Westmere to spy on the watering hole. As long as they stayed on the east side of the Devil’s Arm, they wouldn’t be visible to him either. When Vargas’s warriors all disappeared from view, Bazur crawled away from his hiding spot back to where they’d climbed up. Taking his war scythe from Kyra, Bazur prepared to climb down. “You ready?”
Kyra reloaded their packs around her neck. “No, I am not ready. This is insanity.” Despite her protests, Kyra kept moving and was soon beside him, crouched at the edge.
“Just don’t look down.” Bazur moved so that he was lying flat on his back, right at the edge of the rock formation. “You need to climb on top of me.”
Kyra crawled over him. “What are we doing? How can you climb like this?”
“Wrap your arms and legs around me.” Bazur waited until she was fully wrapped around him. Her arms clasped around his neck while her legs squeezed his torso. She couldn’t get her legs around him without him lifting his back, instead she had her knees pressed against the outside of his hips squeezing in.
“You still haven’t answered me. How can you climb like this?”
“We aren’t climbing down. We are falling down,” said Bazur as he turned and let his body fall over the edge feet first. As they started to pick up speed, they flew down the sheer rock face. Bazur used his war scythe as a brake. Scraping it against the rocks to slow their fall. A couple of times the blade bounced off the rock face and almost caused them to start flipping out of control, but Bazur was prepared and let his arms go loose, letting the blade bounce around without overbalancing them. When they almost reached the bottom of the sheer part of the Devil’s Arm, Bazur pushed the scythe even harder against the rock to slow them even further. This time the blade slowed them greatly, but with his arms stiff to maximize the braking effect, he couldn’t prevent the blade from pushing them back. The blade took a big bounce off a ledge. It almost held on the ledge, slowing their decent to a near stop, but when the blade slipped off, they fell backwards and Bazur slammed into the ground with Kyra slamming into him.
“Oomph!” grunted Kyra as she landed on top of Bazur. “That wasn’t my idea of a good time. Next time you decide to climb a mountain, go find a goat for a companion. I’m keeping my feet on the ground where they belong. Are you okay? That had to hurt you more than me.”
Bazur took a deep breath. He hadn’t been completely sure using the scythe as a break would work. “I remembered you being lighter. Perhaps you need to lay off the sciane.”
“Jerk,” said Kyra as she gave him a quick punch to the shoulder before disentangling herself from him and standing up. “You obviously hit your head pretty hard if you are calling me fat.”
Bazur winked as he looked up at his beautiful companion. “I’ll live.” Taking her outstretched arm, he allowed her to help pull him up. His head had taken a bit of a bang when they landed, but it hadn’t blurred his vision, he just liked teasing her. “Come on, we should get down as quickly as possible. We are still exposed up here if another of Vargas’s men doubles back to watch the trail.”
Quickly, they finished making their way back down the Devil’s Arm, purposefully staying low and out of view from the watering hole. They made their way north, avoiding any areas likely to be traveled. Safely off the Devil’s Arm and out of view from any travels, they found some shade under a rock outcropping and waited. There was nothing they could do now but wait.
“Tonight I’ll sneak into Mauri’s camp. Now that we have some information about General Vargas, we can be more helpful to Mauri,” said Bazur.
“You want Mauri to turn back?”
“No. I think we are too far into the badlands. Vargas and his men will attack either way. Attempting to flee will just change when the attack happens. I’m going to help Mauri plan a counter-attack.”
“Are you sure that is wise? I don’t want to lose Vargas.”
It wasn’t the best plan, but nothing he could think of was any better. They needed to mix things up. If the attack was successful, there was no guarantee that Vargas would lead them to his employer. However, perhaps if the attack failed, he would return to his boss to explain or to get more money to hire new bandits. “It’s your choice, but I think that there is nothing to be gained by letting Vargas spring his trap.”
Kyra studied Bazur. She then ran her hands through her hair and let out an exasperated sigh. “I can’t think of a better idea. It’s risky, but the alternatives aren’t much better.”
The matter settled, Bazur settled in for a nap. Evening was still a way off and there was nothing for them to do now but wait.
“Do you ever miss it, your old home?”
His old home, Lagvon stronghold, did he miss it? It wasn’t something he spent a lot of time thinking about. At least something he tried not to think about. The old memories often crept up on him. The days when he had family, friends, and a purpose. “I was probably eight when I realized I was different than the other orc children in the village. I mean, I knew our family was different, my father stood out like a raven in a flock of doves. But I never realized his being different made me different as well, not until playing with the boys in the village and a couple decided to try to hurt me. First, they threw insults, half-breed, puny toothless twat, anything that pointed out that I was different. Then when that didn’t break me, they started throwing rocks. Another orc boy, Dalthu, jumped in with me and together we fought the two orc boys. When the fight was over, Dalthu became my best friend. One of the orcs we fought became another friend. It is the orc way to respect strength, and when he saw I was an orc at heart even though I looked different, he quit bothering me. The other orc child was different. He never looked at me as truly belonging among them. I was a good fight and I gained a couple friends, but it was then that I realized I was not like them. I would always be the son of a human. It was like that the rest of my childhood. Most of the orcs embraced me as one of their own, but there were always a select few who viewed me as an outsider despite Lagvon being the only home I’d ever known. When I lost my parents and was banished I had no choice but to leave. I do miss it. I miss much about my home, but I try not to think about it. It only brings pain. I refuse to let anger and regret rule my life.”
“Then why do you live alone in the badlands?”
“I was rejected from my home for being half-blood. The minute I walk into any city I am stared at for being half-blood. The badlands don’t care what my heritage is. The desert tries to kill everyone equally.”
“It sounds like a lonely life.”
“Are you any less alone than in the city? You are surrounded by people, but how many can you trust? How many treat you like an equal?”
“I trust no one but you,” admitted Kyra, “The rest want me for my body or for my skillset. But I don’t feel alone as much as I do out here. The city offers distraction. Out here,
surrounded by space and the vastness of nature, I feel more alone.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t trust me either.” Bazur would freely admit to wanting her body.
Kyra chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry, I know that you want me. I saw it in your eyes the first time we met, but you didn’t force yourself upon me. Even when I showed up at your cave and curled up against you, you showed restraint. Most men couldn’t or wouldn’t do that. I am grateful to have you as my companion. I don’t think I would’ve taken this job without you along.”
“You still might regret taking this job. It is going to get more dangerous before it is over. We still need to find out who is paying for the attacks. Tracking or capturing Vargas is no easy task. Especially when he is surrounded by so many warriors.” Bazur deftly shifted the conversation back to Vargas. His resolve to behave like a gentleman was only so strong, and now was not the time to consider pushing their relationship past that of a business partnership, despite the mutual attraction. Perhaps when this job was done they could revisit the matter, but even then it would likely be a bad idea. He feared that getting too close to Kyra and then have her reject him, would be like losing his family and friends all over again.
“I knew the job was dangerous when I took it. If it weren’t dangerous, they wouldn’t be paying us so much.”
…
When nightfall came, Bazur left Kyra and headed towards Westmere. As he had suspected, Mauri and his men were camped at the old fort. Three of Mauri’s men were on guard duty, but Bazur easily slipped past them and into the camp without being noticed. A fourth mercenary pretended to be asleep like his companions, but Bazur could tell by his breathing and the way he carefully concealed a weapon against his hip that he was waiting for Bazur to get too close to him. “I mean no harm. I want to speak to Mauri,” he said to the mercenary.
The mercenary silently got up, took a long appraising look at Bazur, and then went into one of the old fort buildings.
Minutes later, Mauri strode out with the mercenary at his heels. “What are you doing here? I told you that your assistance was not needed nor wanted.”
Bazur smiled. Such an arrogant shit! “My assistance has been paid for by the prince. I couldn’t give a rat’s ass if you live or die. I thought you might like to know you’re going to be attacked in the morning.”
“Impossible. My scouts have seen nothing. No one has followed us.”
“The moment you left Pera, heading north instead of east, every bandit within a hundred miles knew you’d be coming here. It is the only watering hole big enough for a group your size. They were at the watering hole earlier today.”
Mauri turned to his mercenary. “Is this possible? Could any idiot know where we are?”
The mercenary shrugged. “There are only so many watering holes in the badlands. If someone was watching Pera, then they know where we are.”
“Damn it,” swore Mauri. “We’ll just have to defeat them in battle. Thank you, Bazur, that will be all.” Mauri turned and went back to his quarters.
The man was not only arrogant, he was downright stupid, thought Bazur as he watched Mauri return to his quarters in the old fort. Bazur looked at the mercenary to see if he was as equally dismissive.
Looking back to make sure that Mauri couldn’t see, the mercenary lifted a hand, signaling that Bazur should wait until Mauri returned to the fort. Once the arrogant merchant was out of sight the mercenary spoke. “He’s not the most sensible client we’ve ever taken. I told him when we took this job that avoiding an ambush was almost impossible. He insisted he could do it by taking this route.”
“You took the job anyways,” commented Bazur.
The mercenary shrugged. “He pays well. My men are well trained warriors and have survived such attacks before. It is what we do. Although, I am not so confident in our abilities that I’d turn down knowledge of the forthcoming attack. I, Jediah, would appreciate your information. It will save many lives.”
Mauri might be stupid, but at least he hired someone with some sense. Jediah seemed a logical man. Hopefully, he was a good fighter. He would need to be. “About two miles from here, the valley starts to narrow and there are a series of box canyons. You know the spot?”
“Near the Devil’s Arm?” asked Jediah.
“Yes, just west of the Arm.”
Jediah nodded. “I know the spot. A good location for an ambush. My scouts went past there this evening without seeing anything.”
“Your enemy, a man named General Vargas, was there this morning. He scouted the area and then left. He will attack there.”
“General Vargas is behind the attacks? That is not good. He is a dangerous man. How did you know he was scouting the area?”
“I knew you were coming north from Pera, so I climbed the Devil’s Arm. I spent the day up there spying on the route.” Bazur didn’t mention that he wasn’t alone. The fewer people that knew Kyra was with him the better. Who knew if there was a spy among Mauri’s men or not.
“A difficult climb, but an excellent location to watch the valley from. That explains why they didn’t see you. So how would you defeat the attack. How many men does he have?”
“There were eighteen including Vargas. I counted six archers and the rest horsemen. It appeared that their plan is fairly simple. The archers will be stationed on the ridges of the plateaus and the horsemen divided into three groups, one for each box canyon. Once you are in the middle of the valley between the box canyons, the archers will open fire and the horsemen will surround you, pinning you down under their archer’s fire. To defeat the attack, I’d send out your two best warriors, ones who can move with stealth, and have them stalk the archers on the north ridge. When you enter the valley tomorrow, you stay to the north side, and at the first sign of attack or even before the attack if you can, you charge the warriors in the northern box canyon.”
“We would be committed to fighting in that box canyon. There would be no escape.”
“True, but if your men take out the archers, you would control the high ground and in the box canyon you can focus your attack. They would no longer have you surrounded and you could reduce their numbers down to equal, completely removing their advantage. At least with this plan you have a fighting chance to win. If you don’t engage the enemy now, they will just plan another ambush.”
Jediah nodded. “That is my fear as well. We will use your plan.”
“Best of luck. Don’t let Mauri’s arrogance be the death of you all.”
Jediah smiled, his white teeth contrasted with the dark campfire coal lit night. “Mauri barks, but the men are mine. They will bite on my command not his.”
Bazur left the fort the same way he came in, avoiding the sentries and stealthily making his way through the night till he returned to Kyra. He found her asleep. Good, he thought. She will need it. Tomorrow will be an eventful day.
13
BADLANDS
DAWN came early. Bazur tried to sleep but every time he shut his eyes he had visions of his parents being slaughtered and Snagluk standing over them, laughing at him saying how glad he was that he could finally rid himself of Bazur. The nightmares had been common occurrences shortly after the banishment, but with time had subsided. Now, something was drudging up the old feelings.
Ignoring the nightmares, Bazur thought about the day ahead. The plan he’d given Jediah was good, but once a battle started, plans went with the wind. Battles were won in the moment, adjustments made on the fly, the skill of the warriors involved all had more to do with victory than just having a good plan. Whether Mauri lived or died was now out of his hands. His focus was now keeping Kyra alive and helping her find out who was employing General Vargas.
“Is it time?” asked Kyra as she woke.
“Soon,” said Bazur. Mauri and his men would be waking now as well, eating breakfast, refilling their water containers, and breaking camp. They would likely be at the ambush site within the hour. “We should get moving.”
“Where are we
going to be during the attacks? We can’t let Vargas get away.”
“We won’t. We’ll be watching from the northwest. There is a ridge there that is near the box canyon but far enough away to be safe. From there we’ll observe the fight, and we can track Vargas down afterwards.”
“My safety can’t be your primary concern, Bazur. We need information. We have to be close enough to observe details. Anything we see that gives us hints as to who Vargas might be working for will be invaluable. We may never get another chance like this to observe Vargas in action. If we could somehow capture him…”
Bazur shook his head. “No. Capture is something we can consider in the future, it is too dangerous to think that way. You are no warrior and Vargas has eighteen men. Either you are as crazy as a borang bear beetle or you highly overrate my skills. Either way, we stick to the ridge. It is close enough.”
…
The ridge was as close as he promised. It was actually part of the same rock outcroppings as the box canyon along the north edge of the narrow valley where the battle scene was to be played out. The rock walls spread west, rising up into another small mountain of rock that snaked through the desert floor. The entire badlands were filled with these little valleys and ridges of rock. Not quite big enough to be considered mountains, but still providing hundreds of feet of drop to the low valley below.
The ridge Bazur had picked was only about a hundred yards away from the opening to the box canyon, but it was easily thirty yards higher and partially hidden from view by the ridge in front of it. They couldn’t see deep enough into the canyon to tell if Vargas’s men were there or not, but Bazur was confident they were. They settled in, lying flat on their stomachs to minimize the chance of being seen. In fact, they sat far enough back, they couldn’t actually see the valley below. There was no reason to expose themselves. They wouldn’t need to see Mauri and his men coming, they would hear them.
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