The Warriors Path

by Brian Thomas

  She began walking towards the horizon where the horsemen had appeared leaving Bulusi to follow, which he did calling two of his sons to join them and shaking his head with a small grin. He had expected some reaction to the incident from her. A female reaction of some sort. Even men could be ill after such a battle the first time or when the tension of an attack had passed but she was a cool one, a real ice maiden. Following the two swords strapped across her back, a handle showing over either shoulder, he could see she had already moved on in her own mind and anyone who mistook her for an easy mark was going to be surprised. Surprised and dead!

  Shushan followed the trail left by the horses in the tall grass and came to the point where the riders had seen her group and changed direction. Looking along the line the horsemen had been travelling she could see a new faint trail in the tall grass ahead. Watching carefully to ensure she was not surprised by whatever made the trail she began to follow it. After a few steps she saw blood on the grass and checking it more closely saw it was fresh. She continued another fifty feet or so and had nearly reached the tree line her own group had left a short time ago when she found herself looking into the eyes of a boy of about fifteen or sixteen. He had a slight flesh wound in his shoulder but was otherwise unhurt and he had the look of a cornered lion about him as she watched him while getting over her surprise. He was dressed like the men who had attacked her, though unarmed apart from a knife which was held in his hand, ready. He looked strong and hardened by life but he didn’t yet have the same animal ferocity of the men they had just killed.

  As they silently regarded each other Bulusi and his men caught up, starting when they saw the youth and bringing their bows to bear. Shushan didn’t take her eyes off the boy and saw his realisation of imminent death as the bows were brought to bear. There was a flash of anger if anything, which turned to resignation before all emotions were closed off. Signing Bulusi to hold Shushan spoke to the youth. “Do you understand our language?”

  The boy looked surprised she had spoken to him rather than killing him outright. “A little.” he replied cautiously.

  His accent was strong and the words difficult to pick up but she was pleased they might be able to understand each other. “Who are you and why were these men chasing you?”

  Interest flickered in the boy’s expression and something bordering on hope. “My name is Mordaki. They are from a different clan and attacked my people’s camp two days ago. I was herding our horses when they attacked. I killed one of them,” his head lifted in pride and defiance, “but this group broke off and have been chasing me since. My pony took an arrow and died in the night. They were about to come upon me when they saw you. I saw you first,” he said in accusation, “I got closer to you before hiding hoping they would see you and go after you instead.” His surprise was clear as he added, “I did not expect you to beat them.”

  Shushan raised an eyebrow. “We were ten to their twelve and we had bows.”

  Mordaki was unaware of any insult as he replied. “They are of the steppes and you are dirt diggers. They should have killed you all without any loss.”

  Shushan heard Bulusi snort behind her but she managed to contain a smile. “How many are in the group that attacked your camp and what will they do now?”

  Mordaki frowned as he thought. “They are about two hundred and fifty. They had many horses with them and have taken more from my camp. They will tend their wounds and enjoy the spoils. Most of the men from my clan will have been killed but others will be kept for sport or slaves, the women will be their entertainment. I do not believe they will leave before morning tomorrow but they will not stay another night after tonight. At least I do not think they will.” Mordaki’s jaw was set as he spoke, his anger and frustration plain to see.

  Shushan frowned at him. “But why did they attack your group?”

  Mordaki looked surprised at the question. “They are of the Green Snake clan,” he spat on the ground for emphasis, “we are of the Running Dog clan.” It was obvious Mordaki considered this sufficient explanation.

  Shushan tried again. “Which direction are they likely to go next, the men who attacked your clan?”

  Mordaki indicated with his chin in the direction Shushan and her men had been heading when they had been attacked. “They will probably go over the ridge, on the other side there is good grazing and a river.”

  It was obvious he did not know of the new settlement and the Green Snake Clan nomads would be heading straight for it once they finished what they were doing. Making a quick decision, Shushan issued her instructions to one of Bulusi’s sons. “Find Zun and tell him what has happened, what you have heard. Tell him we will scout their camp but to prepare for an attack. You understand?”

  The man nodded and began to trot towards their settlement. Bulusi watched his son go, his concern obvious. “Perhaps Zun would want us all to go back.” he speculated.

  Shushan gave him a quick smile. “Perhaps he would, but he is not here and I am in charge.” Turning to Mordaki she asked, “Can you walk back with us, show us your camp?”

  Mordaki nodded enthusiastically but added. “It would be easier if I could ride.”

  Shushan shrugged. “Come on then.” and turning, began walking back to the men who had managed to gather the four remaining horses. She would leave one of the men to stay here with the three horses they would leave behind. They were valuable but she had no intention of trying to ride one of the beasts herself. Mordaki stood and followed behind Shushan. He looked Bulusi and his other son over who both watched him carefully for a false move, not trying to mask their lack of trust in him. Ignoring their suspicions Mordaki was unable to restrain his curiosity. “She commands and you follow her?”

  Bulusi gave a grim smile. “We do as we please boy and it pleases us to follow her.”

  Mordaki was intrigued and ventured another question. “She carries swords, the men allow this? They are not angered at a woman bearing arms?” He was obviously admiring the weapons she carried across her back and wishing they were his.

  Bulusi kept the grim smile and chuckled. “The Ice Maiden doesn’t much care what men think and any who think to take her swords from her are likely to be short of a few fingers. Enough questions now boy. Choose a horse and know if you attempt to run I have not missed a target the size of a horse since I was half your age. Run and you will be dead.” There was grim certainty in the warning and Mordaki was careful not to raise their suspicions further. He had seen their shooting and been impressed. Their dress marked them out as dirt diggers but he had seen the Green Snake warriors punched out of their saddles by the force of the blows, most dead before they hit the ground. It was a memory to bear in mind.

  It was almost noon when they reached Mordaki’s camp. They were masked by trees on a ridge while looking down on the site, Mordaki warning that if they went any closer the camp dogs were likely to sound the alarm. The camp contained about fifty dome shaped yurts made from poles and animal skins, many with a tethered horse outside. There were lots of men moving around the camp, most seeming intoxicated as they staggered about. Occasionally some of the men could be seen dragging a reluctant woman behind them. A number of men had been tied up to poles and had been used for target practise, their bodies literally peppered with arrows as they hung limp in their bindings. On the other side of the camp and in the distance were hundreds of horses in two separate herds and goats scattered across a broad area peacefully grazing, oblivious to the activities in the camp.

  Shushan counted five men patrolling the herds at a good distance out from the horses. She looked across at Mordaki noting the taught expression and burning hatred in his eyes, tears on the verge of brimming over with the frustrated pain of seeing his people as captives below. Thinking of his earlier comments she asked, “Can your women ride?”

  Mordaki was slow in his response as he stared at the camp, burning the sight in his memory lest he ever forget. “Yes, but not as well as the men of course.”

  Of co
urse not as well as the men. Who would ever believe a woman could do something as well as a man, Shushan thought in irritation. But she could see Mordaki’s obvious pain and kept her irritation to herself knowing he would probably not even understand it anyway. Rather than risk being discovered she ordered them all back and they started the return journey to the stockade or to meet Zun on the way if he had decided to bring a force out.

  By late afternoon they found Zun’s scouts and minutes later saw him trotting at the head of a force of four hundred men. All had either a sword or pike and half also carried bows. The pikes were fifteen feet long and armed with vicious heads, designed for snagging on a rider’s gear and pulling him from his mount.

  Zun signalled the scouts to carry on and sent additional pickets to the flanks. Shushan signalled Mordaki down from his horse as Zun ordered his men to rest in the tall grass while he conferred with Shushan. Zun held his peace as she explained what they had done and seen, though his increasing concern was obvious. “They will attack our settlement once they find it but it will be at their choosing. Alternatively, we can attack them and remove a threat from our rear, possibly capturing their horses. The horses would be valuable but too costly in lives unless we can pin them down without being outmanoeuvred.”

  Shushan had been thinking along similar lines since talking to Mordaki and suppressed any excitement as she instead adopted a thoughtful pose. “I have an idea.”

  Zun raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, which she ignored as she continued. “If some of the captives were to break free and leave the camp, would their captors not follow as they did with Mordaki? If they were sufficiently angry, perhaps many would follow. In any case, a strong party could be made to leave the camp to follow those escaping.”

  “And how would the captives escape? None of us will get past the dogs to help them without raising the alarm.” Zun queried doubtfully.

  “We are strangers but Mordaki could sneak in without setting the dogs off. If he could take some horses the escape would be all the more convincing and they would follow quickly, too quickly perhaps to look closely where they followed. If Mordaki could lure them in to a gully we could trap them and strike from ambush.” Shushan looked embarrassed as they all looked at her. “It might not get all of them but it would at least reduce their numbers.”

  Zun frowned. “Is there such a place nearby? We do not have much time before they leave, if we have even guessed that right.”

  Bulusi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “There are a number of such places we have seen in the last few days but we will need one fairly close to their camp, we need their anger still hot and they will feel more secure the closer they are to their camp.” Glancing at Shushan he added speculatively, “I saw you looking on the way back, this is why we did not come in a straight line I suppose?”

  Shushan nodded. “I think I found a suitable trap for them, if they can be made to enter. A small valley which quickly becomes a steep sided gully and there are plenty of trees and boulders which would provide concealment and cover for our archers. I do not know if we could close the entrance after they enter, it may be too wide.”

  Zun stared at Shushan as he thought. “Any better ideas?” he asked the others.

  Bulusi ventured cautiously. “We could just go back to the stockade and see if they mean us any harm. Maybe there is no need for us to take the risk of attacking them.”

  Zun shook his head. “They have already attacked our foraging party declaring their intent towards us and will not leave what they will see as a soft target sitting right across their path. They have cast the die and we are better placed to bring the fight to them now, while we still have the element of surprise on our side.”

  Bulusi nodded in agreement, not really convinced by his own suggestion but curious at Zun’s reaction.

  Mordaki had been struggling to keep up with the discussions. “You must not enter the valley from the same direction you expect the Green Snake clan will use, tracks in the grass can be seen more easily from a horse and the horses will detect your foreign smell letting the riders know there is something to fear within the valley.”

  Zun looked across at Shushan who nodded. “I am sure we can come at it from one side and cross over to the other once we are well in, then it would be too late for them.”

  Zun looked at Mordaki speculatively. “You are willing to try this? Can you return and then escape from your own camp on horseback, leading them into the trap?”

  Mordaki gave Zun a pleading look. “I can do this. To save what is left of my clan and to lead these dogs to their deaths, I would risk this and much more.”

  Zun watched the boy closely. If he were to inform on them to the Green Snake clan then they could be caught in the open and harried all the way back to their own settlement. But if he could be trusted the plan would eliminate an immediate risk. Zun quickly came to a decision. “Shushan will lead us to this valley and from there you will return to your clan and enter at night. For it to work our enemy must act in haste and be in hot pursuit. They will only do this in daylight and if we are to shoot them we must be able to see them. The best time for them to be aware of your escape would be at sunrise. If all goes well they will follow you in and we will take them from above and out of their reach. We have the rest of the evening to find the site and the night to prepare for the attack.” Turning to Mordaki again he asked. “Is there anything you need?”

  Mordaki looked longingly at the weapons on Shushan’s back as he said with conviction. “A sword and my knife.” Zun doubted the youth had possessed a sword of his own yet. They were too precious amongst the nomads as well as his own people to be handed out lightly but he may have need of one and he would send no-one into such a situation unarmed. Zun signalled to one of his men. “Return the boy’s knife and give him one of the swords recovered from the nomads killed earlier.” Mordaki looked disappointed and Zun added, “If the sword is seen or you are captured it will be less suspicious than if you suddenly acquired a sword of superior quality.”

  Mordaki nodded and ever the pragmatist forced a smile while strapping the sword around his waist. Only this morning he had believed he was dead for sure, first by the Green Snake Clan and then by the Ice Maiden. Now he owned a sword and was about to bring down vengeance upon his people’s enemies. Surely the Gods smiled on him today and would not raise him so far only to deny him at the last moment.

  Bulusi at last nodded and Mordaki was lost in the dark within a few strides on his way towards the camp, quiet now as night closed in. Bulusi would stay and if anything looked amiss return to Zun as fast as he could. If the pursuit took off after the boy as planned Bulusi and his group of five were to watch for any flanking action proving a betrayal by Mordaki. If it went well they were to take out the guards on the herds while Zun delivered the ambush. He allocated a rota for watch-keeping. Laying down he used the soft turf as his mattress to get some sleep while he could.

  Mordaki had used the night to crawl to the edge of the camp undetected. Outside the furthest sphere of light thrown by the fires he lay in the tall grass waiting for the deep night before dawn to come, worrying about being discovered too soon or leaving it too late and being silhouetted as he moved in at sunrise.

  Mordaki had been lying still on his belly for hours when he became aware of a snuffling near by. He almost jumped out of his skin when one of the camp dogs discovered him, licking his face and hands enthusiastically as he tried to push it away. The dog began snuffling and snapping at him thinking it all a great game, until Mordaki punched the dog away and it went with a yelp.

  As it disappeared a man loomed up ahead and slightly to his right. The man stepped cautiously into the dark drawing closer to Mordaki, standing only a few steps away as he listened intently to the night. Mordaki, his heart beating so loud he thought the man would hear, slowly withdrew his belt knife but stayed on his belly in the tall grass. The man eventually grunted, starting to undo the laces to his breeches and relieving his bladder. A pungent s
tream of urine landed only inches from Mordaki’s face, the man sighing in relief as he looked out in to the dark. He’d began looking more closely at Mordaki’s position when he turned sharply towards the dog which had been licking Mordaki’s face only minutes earlier growled in the grass from the side.

  Knowing the guard had seen enough to make him suspicious and would look back Mordaki launched himself from the ground. He was covered in hot piss as he drove a shoulder into the man’s midriff and clawed for a grip on the guard’s throat as he gagged, savagely plunging the knife into his gut as they went down. Mordaki had taken the man by surprise but leaping from his prone position had not completely winded his victim and he received the man’s knee in his own guts as they landed with Mordaki on top. Despite the searing pain from the heavier man’s startled defence Mordaki pulled the knife clear and plunged it in again, higher up this time and ripping it free before plunging it in again, driving it in deep and twisting it into the struggling mass beneath him while desperately gripping the man’s throat to keep him from calling out.

  Eventually the struggles ceased and Mordaki released his stranglehold on the man’s throat before rolling free and nursing his burning groin, biting his lip to prevent any sound escaping, wondering that the whole camp had not heard the struggle. He lay on his back silently sucking in great gasps of air while he recovered. The dog returned to lick at his face and bloody hand.

  There was already a hint of brighter sky and frustrated with lying in the grass Mordaki rolled on to his front and stood to take the man’s place on guard duty. Walking casually and in full view he was less likely to be taken for an intruder once he was inside the camp as he now was.

  Wandering over to what had been his own family yurt he took a breath before pulling the flap aside and stepping in. He was looking into the eyes of his mother, which widened in surprise and fear as she saw who it was in the dim light from the embers of their cooking fire. Between his mother and younger sister a man he did not know lay with a proprietary arm thrown across the waist of his sister.