She pushed Ashwarawu away, or tried to, for the powerful young man Just grabbed on tighter and pressed his lips against hers more forcefully.
Brynn slipped her hand under his and gave a subtle twist, freeing her enough to pull back.
„No,“ she said.
It she had picked up a knife and stabbed it into his chest, Ashwarawu’s expression would have been no less incredulous.
„You deny Ashwarawu?“
He lessened his grasp as he spoke, and Brynn wriggled free and went back to sitting against the side of the tent.
1 do not even know you,“ the woman replied. She hated the wounded look on his face, the expression that she had put there. For a moment, she felt very foolish and very ashamed that she was not more of a woman.
„I am Ashwarawu!“ he said. „I am the bringer of hope to the To-gai-ru I am he whom the Behrenese fear!“
„In all those things, you speak truly,“ Brynn admitted, her voice barely a whisper.
„You should feel proud that I have chosen you to lie with me!“
Brynn looked at him hard, her expression sufficient to keep him at bay for indeed he had started to advance again. She tried desperately to sort through the myriad feelings and thoughts that were swirling about her mind, but all that she could ask at that moment was, „Is gratitude a reason to make love? „
Ashwarawu sat back, looking very much as if he did not understand.
„I do not know!“ Brynn spouted. „I am not sure.“
„Pleasure me,“ the man demanded. „Let me pleasure you, for tomorrow we might die upon the field!“
On one level, his words made perfect sense to Brynn. Did she wish to die a virgin, after all? In truth, to that moment, she had hardly thought about it, for her life had been full of so many other joys and responsibilities.
On another level, though, Brynn could not dismiss her feeling that this was not right for her. Not at that time. So many things about Ashwarawu seemed appealing - his appearance not the least of them. But so many other questions remained in the back of the woman’s mind.
„No,“ she said with conviction. „I do not know you. I serve you with my blade, and with my body in battle.“
„You would serve me well tonight,“ the man complained.
„That is not a role I choose,“ Brynn said, and though the conflicts remained within her, she was on solid emotional ground, had made up her mind and would not be persuaded otherwise.
„Ashwarawu!“ came a voice from outside, some distance away.
The To-gai-ru leader glanced at the tent flap, then back at Brynn, coldly, but then moved and pushed the flap aside.
„Barou is very sick,“ the distant voice explained. „And others are feeling ill.“
Ashwarawu grabbed his furs and crawled for the tent entrance. He glanced back at Brynn once, his expression clearly conveying his demand that the events of that night be kept secret between them. „We will finish this another time,“ he said.
Brynn didn’t know if he was referring to the discussion or the lovemak-ing, and she even got an uneasy feeling that there was a veiled threat in his statement.
She collected herself then and started to follow, but paused once, considering the irony of it all.
On the field the day before, Ashwarawu had been able to make her put A he questions of her conscience and take the lives of the two wounded here he had essentially tried to do the same thing, to use her as an ion of his wishes, whatever her own desires might have been, nuch of what Ashwarawu did offended Brynn at a very instinctive level* and yet, he was proving to be effective. Undeniably. Was this the definition of a leader? Brynn did not know.
That night, Barou, a young warrior still in his teens, died, and many others grew sick. It didn’t take the To-gai-ru long to realize that the men had been poisoned.
Pasonel stepped in, offering to examine all of the foodstuffs. No one auite understood what the mystic meant to do, but no one questioned him,
either.
He approached each bundle of food solemnly, falling deep within himself, and, as an Abellican monk employing hematite might do, he sent his sensibilities right into the food, visualizing any „sickness“ within the foodstuff.
He told them which of the supplies were fit to eat, and which were not, and though many sent questioning looks his way, unable to comprehend his methods and therefore doubting his conclusions, Ashwarawu nodded his agreement.
The powerful leader walked up to the first bundle Pagonel had proclaimed as safe, lifted the meat to his mouth, and tore off a huge chunk.
„So, you have found a way to be useful!“ Ashwarawu declared, and all of the raiders began to cheer for Pagonel.
Brynn watched it all, scrutinizing Ashwarawu’s every move, studying how he played upon the emotions of the crowd, turning their hope to the benefit of his own stature, but also to the general good feeling and morale. It was obvious to her that Ashwarawu understood that the poison placed in the food could have more emotional impact than the physical toll it had inflicted. The poison could have shaken the confidence of the raiders in themselves, in the weaknesses of their enemy, and in their leader.
That was all behind them now, suddenly, as long as Pagonel’s proclamations about the food proved accurate.
Brynn, who understood the deeper levels of magic and perception because of her time with the elves, was beginning to recognize the depth of this Jhesta Tu mystic, and had no doubt that his decisions about the foodstuffs would prove correct.
They did indeed over the course of the next week.
Several uneventful days followed, as the raider band regrouped. As with 2 period following almost every victory, more soldiers came in to join with mighty Ashwarawu. Brynn watched the leader closely throughout that time enod, measuring his words and his actions, trying to determine what he „ doing that worked well, and what seemed not so effective. All the while, she couldn’t dismiss the obvious fact that Ashwarawu was really a very young man, younger than she was herself.
What he lacked in maturity and tact, though, he made up for in sheer bravery and ferocity.
That was his secret, Brynn decided. His bravery was dominant, so much so that his mere presence lent strength and courage to those around him as it had when he had lifted the meat Pagonel had said was untainted to his lips and taken a huge bite of it. He had not ordered a lesser to taste the food. And in battle, Ashwarawu did not follow his warriors in.
No, he led, howling and cheering, inviting the enemy to fight him.
Also to the man’s credit, Ashwarawu did not pressure Brynn in those days, nor did he try to ignore her. He treated her pretty much as he treated everyone else - except that Brynn often caught him stealing glances at her.
Brynn awoke one morning to find the camp all abuzz. She found Pagonel not far from her tent flap, the mystic looking on in amusement as many of the other raiders flocked about a middle-aged To-gai-ru woman.
„Ya Ya Deng has arrived,“ the mystic explained, though the name meant nothing to Brynn.
„An informant from Dharyan,“ Pagonel went on in response to Brynn’s blank stare. „Her cousin works in the great temple of Dharyan and often overhears Yatol Grysh and his leaders.“
Brynn nodded and turned back to regard the woman.
„She came in to tell us of the poisoned food,“ Pagonel went on. „Though she recognized that she would likely arrive too late.“
„How convenient for Yatol Grysh,“ Brynn remarked off-handedly, and though she wasn’t really suspicious, the thought did cross her mind that any such informant had to be handled carefully.
„Her information has been reliable on many matters, I am told,“ Pagonel replied. „Ya Ya Deng is among Ashwarawu’s greatest assets.“
„She must be loyal to have come all the way from Dharyan, though she knew that her information would not be timely.“
„She came in to inform Ashwarawu, as well, that the two twenty-squares of Jacintha soldiers who arrived in
Dharyan will not be staying, nor will they be heading west to To-gai,“ the mystic said. „Apparently, they are to return to Jacintha on the first true break in the weather.“
Brynn looked at him curiously. „Twenty-squares?“
„Ashwarawu learned of their arrival in Dharyan. Perhaps that is why we have not been skirting the borderland of late. I believe that our leader feared that his reputation might have grown too strong too far to the east too quickly, catching the attention of enemies he is not ready to face.“
Brynn nodded, understanding well why Ashwarawu would welcome the news that eight hundred trained and well-outfitted soldiers were turning back to the east instead of coming his way.
„A fine line, is reputation,“ Pagonel warned. „While it benefits among al- inspiring confidence and support, its effects on the enemy are varied. one hand, how much stronger are your forces if the enemy is in fear because of your reputation. On the other, the game is dangerous ,ur enemy is powerful enough to destroy you, as the Chezru Chief certainly is, concerning all of To-gai.
Brvnn nodded but did not reply. This was an important lesson, she knew, and one that she would not forget.
Winter’s grasp grew thin on the land early in God’s Year 841. Several terms reared above the plateau, only to fizzle as they crossed out of the mountains, turning to a gentle rain or disappearing altogether.
On the last day of the second month, with all of the fanfare they had brought upon their arrival to Dharyan, the two Jacintha twenty-squares marched out of the western Behrenese city. They left behind the sixty-four soldiers Yatol Grysh had requested the previous summer, but seemed no less diminished as they marched, rank upon rank, down the eastern road.
They crossed through Bohgadee, the next Behrenese city in line, two days later, again with horns blaring, and then continued on down the eastern road, into the sandy desert, empty for many miles before the next oasis and city.
And there, in the empty wasteland, the army of Jacintha executed their turn, with Chezhou-Lei Dahmed Blie’s group turning south and back to the west, and Chezhou-Lei Woh Lien’s group turning north and then back to the west.
Advance groups, posing as simple scouting parties, had already prepared their camps, in the foothills along the mountains northwest of Dharyan, and in the cave complexes along the plateaus southwest of Dharyan.
There they would wait for proud Ashwarawu to err.
Chapter
* 18 *
Baiting the Hook
arwan Pestle settled into his chair at Yatol Grysh’s side in the main audience chamber of the temple in Dharyan.
Wan Atenn walked into the room almost immediately, storming up to stand right before the pair.
„You have heard the latest reports of the rebels, I suppose,“ Yatol Grysh remarked.
Carwan Pestle nodded, for he, too, had heard the reports, which placed Ashwarawu closer to the rim of the To-gai plateau than before.
„Ashwarawu is within striking distance of Dancala Grysh,“ said the Yatol, referring to a small outposter settlement, just over the To-gai rim, that had only recently been renamed in his honor.
Wan Atenn nodded.
„That settlement must not fall!“ Grysh yelled suddenly, rising from his seat, a huge scowl upon his thick-jowled face. „I will not be insulted as Chezru Chieftain Douan was insulted by the fall of Douan Call“
„The Jacintha soldiers have departed, Yatol,“ Wan Atenn reminded. „I have few warriors at my disposal - “
„You have the garrison of Dharyan, bolstered by the men from Jacintha who remained behind. That should be sufficient to crush the fool Ru and his wretched followers.“
Wan Atenn stiffened, squaring his shoulders and puffing out his broad and powerful chest. „Even with the additional soldiers, the defense of Dharyan -
„I did not ask you to defend Dharyan!“ Yatol Grysh screamed at him.
„Yatol?“ the seemingly stunned Chezhou-Lei warrior asked. „That is my mission, above all. To defend Dharyan and to defend Yatol Grysh.“
„And to defend the reputation of Yatol Grysh, you must defend Dancala Grysh,“ the Yatol explained.
Wan Atenn spent a long while staring at his leader. So did a confused Carwan Pestle. He had rarely seen the calculating Grysh so animated, and 11 hardly believe that Grysh cared so much about a minor settlement C°U haj borne his name for only a few months.
„Dancala Grysh has only a partial wall, and no defensive emplacements,“ j. Atenn explained. „To properly defend it will take nearly as many solder“ as are needed to defend Dharyan itself.“
„Then take them.“
„Yatol, I cannot,“ the Chezhou-Lei warrior gasped.
„We have more than three hundred men in garrison,“ the Yatol said.
„More than enough to defeat the one or two hundred known to ride with Ashwarawu, even without defensive emplacements. And even if our losses -e heavy in the fight, ridding the land of that dog Ashwarawu will be worth the price. I will call to Jacintha for replacements, if need be, once the battle is won. „Perhaps you should put out the call now, Yatol,“ Wan Atenn offered.
„Reinforce Dharyan before ordering the garrison out on the hunt.“
„Dharyan is secure.“
„There are goblins in the mountains to the north.“
Carwan Pestle looked at the Chezhou-Lei warrior curiously after that remark. There had been no recent reports of any goblins forming in the mountains - not in any real numbers, anyway.
„You wished to poison the rebels, and so we tried, and so we failed,“ Yatol Grysh countered. „How many embarrassments must I suffer at the hands of the dog Ashwarawu? No more, I say. He is said to be near Dancala Grysh, and so there you will go with my soldiers. And there he will die, and I will be bothered in hearing his name no more!“
Wan Atenn stiffened again, noticeably. „I will not, Yatol,“ he said calmly. „I am bound to remain by your side whenever I perceive that you are vulnerable. And so you shall be if…“ He paused and stared at the Yatol, then nodded hesitantly. „When,“ he corrected, „the garrison marches to Dancala Grysh. They will defeat Ashwarawu without me, I am sure.“
Yatol Grysh stared coldly at the Chezhou-Lei warrior for a few moments, then gave a tension-breaking laugh. „Press a hundred men into service to accompany the garrison,“ he said. „It will take at least that many to make up for the absence of Wan Atenn in the battle for Dancala Grysh. And select another hundred civilians to bolster our walls. The Shepherds can spare a couple of weeks away from their flocks, and this business should be promptly concluded. It saddens me that you will not be there as my personal representative when Ashwarawu is killed, but I will not force you to abandon your vows to protect me.“
with a click of his heels and a curt bow, Wan Atenn spun about and strode powerfully out of the room.
i do not think…“ Carwan Pestle started to ask, but the Yatol cut him short.
I am weary and will retire now,“ he said. „Come with me to my private
quarters, that we might speak of these new decisions. Perhaps I will send you as my emissary to Dancala Grysh.“
That remark certainly widened Carwan Pestle’s eyes, but he held his tongue, obediently following his master from the audience hall, back to the lavish private quarters.
„Speak openly,“ Grysh said as he fell into a comfortable chair in a small and cozy room.
Carwan Pestle stammered over a couple of words.
„Speak, young Shepherd,“ the Yatol demanded. „This is a glorious time Do you not understand?“
„You mean to chase Ashwarawu across the steppes, Yatol?“ Pestle asked nervously. „I thought that our policy of bolstering the defenses of the settlements slowly and deliberately, of encouraging walls to be built around every village, and of sending soldiers out to oversee the construction of proper defenses was becoming effective. Over the whole of the winter, Ashwarawu has not struck at a single village. Only caravans.“
„
Of course it has been effective,“ Grysh replied. „Ashwarawu cannot risk defeat at a minor settlement when so little gain is to be found and so great is the possible loss. He will attack Dancala Grysh only if he perceives that there is little risk.“
„The town is not the best defended of the settlements, at last assessment, but - “ Carwan Pestle was stopped short by Grysh’s renewed laughter.
„Wan Atenn understands,“ the Yatol explained. „That is why the glory-hungry Chezhou-Lei refused to leave Dharyan.“
Carwan Pestle’s face screwed up with confusion, then his eyes gradually widened as he began to catch on. „You believe that Ashwarawu will bypass Dancala Grysh and strike at Dharyan?“ he asked incredulously.
„All signs are that his force has grown stronger,“ the Yatol reasoned. „Ashwarawu’s reputation lends courage to all the Ru, and each of his victories sends more warriors flocking to join him. A great and significant victory could mobilize the entire region of To-gai behind him. Ashwarawu is no fool. If he thinks we are weakened here, he will desire that significant victory - one that will carry him to greater glory over the course of the summer. He knows that he cannot continue striking and running, that soon enough we will grow tired of him and send an army powerful enough to hunt him down and utterly destroy him - I am sure that he was a bit worried when two twenty-squares marched into Dharyan at the beginning of the winter, fearing just that consequence. Thus he needs the big strike, the huge victory, to wave as a rallying pennant to the other To-gai-ru. He will come against us, and then he will be mine.“
Carwan Pestle sat back and digested it all; and of course, it then made sense to him. All of it. For why would Wan Atenn ever have truly feared for Yatol Grysh and Dharyan with eight hundred soldiers camped within a day’s march of the city? a coordinated plan, all a ruse designed to lure Ashwarawu, to the rebel leader think that the grandest prize of all was his for the tak-
Carwan Pestle stared at Yatol Grysh with sincere admiration then, for
Transcendence Page 28