Dances of Deception: A Legends of Tivara Story (The Dragon Songs Saga Book 3)

by JC Kang

  Tian tapped his chin. It sounded like the Teleri way, but... “How can we trust you?”

  Shoma placed his right hand over his heart. “I swear by the spirits that I speak the truth.”

  His oath was greeted by chatter. Yuha had told Tian in no uncertain terms that breaking a promise to the spirits had dire consequences: the oathbreaker’s life energy would never reunite with the universe when he died, cursing him to forever wander the netherworld between life and death.

  The chief raised his staff again, silencing the crowd. “My people. I wanted you to understand this threat before telling you that my decision has been made. Kaiya, Tian, Weiyong, and Jun may not be of the Kanin race, but they are members of our Maki tribe. We will never sell out one of our own. It will be war. We have three days to prepare. Heads of households, come meet with me. Everyone else prepare for our warriors’ departure.”

  War chants resounded through the morning forest. Tian’s heart sank. The village of almost three hundred only had about eighty men of fighting age. Even with the advantage of terrain, it would be almost impossible to defend against superior numbers and weapons. He exchanged glances with Ma Jun, who shook his head.

  Tian looked to Kaiya. Maybe he had been right to begin with. It would be better to leave.

  Hati pushed through the crowd to meet him, and hustled him towards the platform.

  As soon as the war council convened, Tian stepped forward. “Chief Nuwa. We can’t possibly defend this village. Not from their invasion force. Please do not throw your lives away for us. Kaiya and I will flee.”

  The chief smiled, his wise countenance the calm at the eye of a maelstrom. “Tian, who said we will defend the village?”

  Tian fell silent. If not the village...

  Chief Nuwa’s expression returned to its usual gravity. “A wise warrior chooses the place where he does battle. A day east of here, along the river trail, is Omiwa Gorge. The north bank between the cliffs and river is such that only two men can pass at a time.”

  The chief held up two fingers, then brought his hands a finger-length apart. “At its narrowest point, only one man can fight at a time. The river flows so rapidly that not even the great horses of our plains kindred can negotiate the current.”

  A bottleneck. The strategy could work, though it would only be a matter of time before the Teleri would send more men. It might prove to be a temporary reprieve.

  The chief drew lines in the air with his fingers while the warriors nodded. “It is one of only three paths that lead to this village from that direction; one of the other trails is treacherous, winding up the cliff; the last is out of the way. We will also do our best to draw them away from those other paths with ambushes.”

  Tian frowned. What if the Teleri took one of the other paths? It wouldn’t have been the first time an enemy did not stick to script.

  The chief continued. “Our men will engage their troops in the gorge, at the narrowest spot. I will send word to our Maki kinsmen to the north to bear down on them from the cliffs above; and I will further request to the Omiki tribes in the south to rain arrows from the south bank of the river. Does anyone have any suggestions?”

  Ma Jun, a household head like Tian, stepped forward. “What happens if we don’t hold the gorge?”

  Chief Nuwa smiled grimly. “Then we will fall back, with half the men returning to the village for defense while the rest of us harass them with arrows along the path.”

  And dozens would die for nothing. Rehearsing his words in his head, Tian stepped forward and dropped to his knee, fist to the ground as if he were addressing Hua royalty. “Chief Nuwa. I humbly request the honor to enter the gorge first.”

  The chief favored him through pursed lips. “Normally, that would be Hati’s right. But if he is willing to relinquish that, then you may be the point of our spear.”

  Tian turned to Hati with pleading eyes. “Brother, please. It is Kaiya they want, and I will take the responsibility of being the first to fall.”

  Hati nodded. “It’s been a generation since we went to war, and I had very much hoped to prove myself as my father did before me. I relinquish this honor, for you, my brother.”

  Fighting a tear, Tian extended his right hand in his left in the Maki motion for thanks. “I can’t possibly face three hundred men, one right after the other. You will have your chance.”

  The chief clapped his hands once. “Depart after lunch. Let all the warriors prepare for this generation’s struggle.”

  The men erupted in cheers. Still, Tian’s stomach flipped. How many would die because of them?

  As the group dispersed, Chief Nuwa motioned Ma Jun over. “Jun, you will stay behind and formulate a strategy for the defense of the village. Keep in mind that our most robust warriors will go with the war party.”

  Ma Jun opened his mouth, but no words came out. He simply nodded.

  He must have wanted to join the war party, even if he was still not in fighting condition after these several months. Had the roles been reversed, Tian would have felt the same way, to be first to defend his family.

  He placed his right fist in his left hand, saluting Ma Jun in Hua fashion for the first time since they arrived in the village. “Lieutenant, I temporarily relinquish my duty to protect the princess, and return it to the capable hands of the imperial guard.”

  Ma Jun straightened and returned the salute, bowing his head.

  Tian placed his hand on his shoulder, in Maki fashion. “My brother, please protect my wife.”

  The next several hours blurred by as the frenetic activity around Kaiya bewildered her. Many small drums were set up in the village square around the two large drums. Mothers and wives painted the faces of their children and husbands. Grandmothers prepared food for the march, while grandfathers told stories of the last time an aggressor tried to invade. Middle-aged men beyond their fighting years sharpened spearheads and arrowheads, and children made good-luck charms of shiny river stones.

  At last, the hour of departure arrived. Husbands and wives, mothers and sons all bid tearful farewells. Kaiya held Tian for a long time, memorizing the feel of his body against hers. He would surely sacrifice himself if the need arose. Was this the last time she would feel his warm embrace? Even after the call to march had been given, she pressed against him, unwilling to let go.

  The chief presented Tian—as head of the column—a relic from the past war: a Kanin horse saber. Kaiya hid her smile. He already had one from their first disguise escaping Iksuvius. How long ago that seemed!

  Tian hefted the weapon and smiled. With his free hand, he rubbed her on the back. “Don’t worry, my love. These sabers will serve me well in a close-quarters engagement against Teleri spears.”

  He shouldered his pack and turned to leave. She held on to his strong hand as long as she could before he pulled away. His fingers brushed over her palm.

  As the seventy-five warriors filed out down the path to the river, women played the drums to send them off. Wiping tears from her eyes and summoning up all the bravery she could muster, Kaiya joined them. The beating of her drum echoed from her heart, and the sound carried deep into the forest. The warriors answered the drums with a hearty cheer.

  After several hours, the last rays of sun disappeared into the west, leaving a foreboding red glow on the horizon. The village grew eerily quiet, with even the littlest children seeming to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

  To distract herself, Kaiya sought out Lana. She found her at the village center with Ma Jun, who’d already laid out plans for the village’s defense. He was explaining the evacuation plan when a young scout rushed up.

  Noki, a refugee from another Maki village, was one of Tian’s original lodge mates. The one Tian sent to follow the Teleri patrol. Panting, he collapsed. “The Metal Men are coming! After they left the village yesterday, they split up at the river. One group headed east with the Shaki guide, and I followed the captain and two others west.”

  The villagers muttered am
ong themselves. Kaiya’s heart pattered.

  “Where did they go?” Chief Nuwa’s shoulders slumped.

  “They stripped off their armor and ran to Wild Turkey Island, arriving around midnight. It was horrible. What was once our Uloki kinsmen’s village, guarding the Shrine of Kahala, is now overrun with the Metal Men and ogres. Many tribespeople from all over the plateau were held in chains.”

  Where was that? Kaiya searched faces as a wave of upset murmurs rippled through the crowd.

  Young Noki sighed. “As soon as the captain entered, their camp went wild with cheers, and it looked like even at that late hour, they were making preparations for war. I hurried back as fast as I could.”

  Ma Jun’s face flushed. “A trap. The Shaki lied to us to draw our fighting-aged men in the opposite direction. He is with our warriors now, maybe ready to betray them as well.”

  Kaiya shuddered. They were undefended. “The men must be warned.”

  The old chief seemed to age even more. “All the able-bodied men are gone, and we’re all tired from today’s preparations. No one will catch up with them.”

  “Lana, then,” Kaiya said. “She’s a shaman, like Yuha. Can they communicate?”

  Lana shook her head. “I’ve expended myself, coaxing thorn brambles to grow around the village.”

  Chief Nuwa shoulders slumped. “Spend the rest of the evening collecting what is dear to you, and rest well tonight. We evacuate the village at dawn.”

  CHAPTER 49:

  War on Two Fronts, Part 2

  After a forced march to ensure they would reach the gorge before the Teleri, Tian rested among fifty of the Maki men. With no word back from the vanguard, all seemed relaxed for the time being.

  He looked at each of the inexperienced warriors’ faces, looking for signs of frayed nerves. Perhaps it was the ritual Yuha led to help ward off harm, though Tian didn’t feel the calm relief flood over him like the others claimed.

  On the southern side of the path, the waters of the North Kanin River roared, fed by the melting snows. Cliffs rose twenty feet above them on the left, their white rock faces creating a glare off of the afternoon sun. At the top, Maki kinsmen from other villages, fifty in all, also waited. In the unlikely event that the Teleri took the higher, narrower path, they might very well have to fight for their lives. The more probable route would result in Chief Nuwa’s villagers bearing the brunt of the attack.

  On the cliffs along the south bank, a hundred feet away, fifty Omiki archers—many of whom had learned spear techniques from Tian—also waited. This was the first major conflict the region had seen in a generation, and none of the warriors here had fought in those wars. Indeed, many had not yet been born. A nervous excitement trickled through the ranks. All hoped to win glory.

  Tian tapped his chin. Perhaps the Teleri weren’t even coming. Something was off. A trap, maybe? This location was almost too easy to defend. Unless the Teleri came by a different route. Yet the path above them along the cliff would be too treacherous in armor. The path on the south bank was wider, but there was no place to ford further downstream.

  No, this would be the route they would have to take. It was just a matter of waiting. He sat down with Hati and shared some cured elk meat.

  He’d hardly eaten three bites when shouts rang out from the eastern reaches of the gorge. The yells came closer. It was their own advance scouts. They ran through the gorge, none looking wounded. Tian sprung to his feet, making way for the vanguard.

  The last man through stopped and caught his breath. “One hundred Metal Men, with spears and shields, supported by fifty Shaki archers. Our arrows couldn’t penetrate their shields. They’re close behind.”

  The men cheered. Hati grinned. “Less Metal Men than we thought. A third of what Shoma predicted.”

  “I am happy to have been wrong.” Shoma’s smile spread ear to ear.

  Tian bit the inside of his lip. Certainly the Teleri were not so arrogant as to think they could take a village in unfamiliar terrain with so few swords.

  Hati motioned everyone to quiet down. “Signal our Omiki kinsmen to target the Shaki archers when they are in range. They’re our most dangerous threat.”

  The sound of heavy boots echoed down the gorge, just above the roar of the river. Then the first Teleri troops came in sight. Heavy infantry, wearing dress uniforms and steel helms with T-slots. Their shields were made of heavy ironwood, reinforced with steel. They carried short Teleri spears, meant to be used one-handed.

  Behind Tian, all bravado melted away, overcome by worried chatter. Tribesmen pointed and muttered.

  Swords and daggers hanging at the Bovyans’ sides clanked as they marched single file, in perfect unison. Black banners with the gold sun fluttered in the gentle breeze.

  Tian looked back and took stock of the men. None seemed to have panicked, though many clutched their spears with white knuckles. “Steady, my brothers,” he said. “They can still only fight us one at a time. Their peripheral vision is poor because of their helmets.”

  Yuha flashed him a smile and chanted an invocation to the spirits. The men behind him settled down. Tian felt no different, though perhaps it was because he had fought for his life before.

  At about twenty paces, the Teleri leader raised his hand to stop his troops. He walked forward, the insignia on his uniform marking him as a commissioned officer. A Shaki man skittered along the narrow gap between the soldiers and the cliff face, trying to reach the front. Tian and Hati went to meet with them.

  The officer spoke first. “Brave and noble savages, you are hopelessly outnumbered by a better-armed force. Withdraw now, and you and your villages will be spared.”

  The Shaki started to translate, but Tian interrupted him. “Teleri captain, your numbers are meaningless in this gorge, and your armor is not impenetrable. Return to where you came from, or meet the point of our spears this afternoon.” He raised and shook his spear with a falsetto shout, and even if the tribesmen didn’t understand what he had just said, they joined in.

  The officer laughed. “You must be the Cathayi who defeated our men. You may have faced us before, but they will cower in fear as they taste Teleri steel for the first time.”

  “You speak in big words for someone who hides behind the rest of your men. Or are you brave enough to try my spear first?”

  The officer laughed again, though now with a hint of anger. “That stone spearhead will break on my armor. It is hardly a challenge. But perhaps if I dispense with you now, the savages will surrender.” Turning back to his own men, “I will fight the Cathayi first. If I fall, Lieutenant, you take charge and begin the assault.”

  He turned to face Tian and dropped into a fighting stance, left foot forward and spear cocked back in his right hand. Both sides cheered.

  Tian motioned Hati back and assumed a relaxed side stance with his right foot forward. He held his spear at the ready, left hand at the butt and the right about two feet up the shaft in the power-thrusting position. Standing ten feet away, the Teleri officer saluted.

  Tian returned the greeting.

  The officer hurled his spear and charged as he whipped out his sword.

  Tian swatted the spear out of the way with a subtle motion. He stepped forward with his left foot, and stabbed with only his left hand to reach maximum spear range.

  The Teleri ran right into the unconventional attack. The surgical thrust slipped through the opening of his helm, and he collapsed to the ground in a loud clatter.

  Both sides fell silent, the only sound the gushing river at their side.

  “Archers, shoot!” the lieutenant shouted. “A virgin to the man who fells the Cathayi!”

  Tian rolled forward and worked the fallen officer’s shield off his arm. He hazarded a glance up. Arrows arced from behind the Teleri line and descended. He held the shield above his head like a parasol and slunk back towards his comrades. Several stone arrow tips ricocheted off the shield.

  “Omiki archers, shoot!” Hati yelled. “Maki
men, attack!”

  The Omiki on the south cliff and the Maki above them emerged from where they lay under the Teleri line of sight. Arrows filled the air.

  The barrage at Tian ceased and he dropped the shield to the side. Retrieving his spear from the head of the fallen officer, he strode towards the Teleri troops.

  They adjusted their shields to cover themselves from the enemy volleys coming from the south. Though the Omiki arrows just bounced off the shields, some hit the soldiers in the legs, slowing them down. Large rocks and arrows rained down on them from above.

  Tian knocked the helm off the next Bovyan before he could even lower his shield. The back swing slashed across his eyes. Screaming, he covered his face. Tian stomped through his knee.

  A spear thrust past the collapsing man, at Tian’s face. Tian dropped his own weapon, caught the incoming attack, and yanked the attacker into the first. The two collapsed into a heap. Tian punched the steel-tipped spear through the second’s knees. Yet, more Teleri came, picking their way among their fallen comrades. Injuries from arrows and stones didn’t deter them.

  Tian was precise and efficient, oftentimes killing or incapacitating an enemy with a single thrust. He gritted his teeth. It was easy. Too easy. The Bovyans’ attacks, though skilled, left openings they meant for him to exploit. Why? He shot a glance back, seeing if he could pick out Shoma from the tribesmen gathered behind him.

  Each Teleri he faced seemed more tired than the last, having faced a constant barrage of arrows and stones in the bottleneck. His own limbs tiring, Tian yielded his position at the head and allowed Hati to take over.

  With his improved spear technique, Hati dispatched several while suffering only a few cuts. When he tired, he gave way to the next warrior. The Bovyans barely tried to defend themselves. And within an hour, they had fallen to a man. The surviving Shaki archers fled.

  With the Maki’s respect for life, they treated the Teleri survivors. Yuha led a prayer that would help guide the spirits of the fallen to rejoin the energy of the universe.