by Sam Sea
"You do not sacrifice yourself for me!" She yelled back.
She jumped forward, bounced herself of the wall, and with her extended sword sliced the snake's eye. But snake still jerked and slammed her whole body against the top of the tunnel, throwing Mikka off, losing the grip of her sword. Two long daggers instantly appeared in Mikka's hands.
"Must be a brain there someplace..." she said as she jumped at the back of her head, plunging the daggers deep inside, how many times - she lost track off. But as her head finally collapsed down, she took back her sword and with few strokes cut off serpents body in half.
Les's legs were just a arm's length inside the snake. She held them and with all the strength in her body jerked Les's out of the snake.
With his eyes closed, she tried to snap him, but he did not respond. She felt his pulse and then slammed his heart with her fist few times.
"Somehow I knew you were going to die here..." Mikka sad voice became less than a whisper as her heavy breathing could not take away the pain of the loss she felt.
As she threw her body against the tunnel's wall, she set in despair. Until Les let go of a coughing sound, and then took on a really deep breath.
"Man... that was close!" He said, sitting himself already up, unaware of grieving Mikka. "I am really glad you are good at calculating where to chop... Little bit further toward the head, and I would have lost my legs."
Mikka chuckled and turned her head around to hide her watering eyes. "I guess, this makes us two to one, today." She told him as she composed herself.
Les laughter started slow, but soon ringed through then entire tunnel. Even Mikka joined in with the eyes not stopping to mist.
****
"Mikka can I ask you something... Back there at the clan's camp... I moved... I think, I moved really fast. I didn't know I was that fast... I mean, I was never slow, but that fast."
"Yeah, you’re much faster now. It's my blood. It made you like that. Your body seemed to have accepted it. And it's already starting to work. That's why you are still alive and why can heal so well."
"Does that mean I am a god now?” Mikka looked at him seriously but after seeing his grin, she didn’t know what to make of it.
“You are no god… You die just as fast as any man. Don’t ever feel invincible, ever. You start to feel like that, I’ll cut an ear off your head for not listening to me.”
But her harsh words did not erase his smile.”Thank you.,” he whispered to her. “Thank you for everything."
But Mikka was not sure he understood or believed her. "Just don't... don’t let it get to you. Just because you are faster, doesn't mean you cannot get hurt or killed. And... try not to use it for spreading more misery around. There is already enough of it as is..."
:you know, when that serpent swallowed you..."
"Yes..."
"That was one of the rare times I felt affair..."
Les nodded his head, unready to ask any questions.
"I'm glad you did... It means that maybe we are somewhat similar."
"Yeah, but doesn't that mean I am not your angel anymore?"
She was teasing him now, and he knew it. He returned her teasing smile. "You will always be my angel... No matter what."
Chapter 17 - Master Urko
Master Urko came out of the underground tunnel exactly where Derran thought he would. It was in the first line of trees which provided the cover for his escape. Two of his followers were the first to come out as large pieces of the turf covering the hole flew open. Derran waited patiently, leaning on the bark of a nearby tree.
"It was you!" Master Urko yelled as he saw Derran standing there. "I had a deal with your people. Why this now?"
"You did not have a deal with me… Besides, you don't get to ask questions."
Two of his followers took out their swords and started to position themselves for a circular attack.
But Derran would have nothing of that. He took his staff, pointed at one of them and the flash of lighting had turned one of the man to dust. The other one
"I do not know who you were dealing with, but you better have some answers for me. "Then his staff flashed again and the light turned the other man.
Master Urko looked around. "So it is true...? You use magic."
"Questions...Who ordered the killing of kings?"
"If you wanted information, why didn’t you just..." He is stalling, waiting for others to come, waiting for help.
“There is a talk that all five kings will be killed during the Gatherings. I heard something about that but I cannot tell you that much more about it..."
Derran pointed his staff and the sound wave it produced lifted Master Urko up from the ground, then broke his back as it smacked him against the tree trunk."
"Who do you think I am, a foul?" Derran’s voice thundered and rang across the forest with the wrath of an angered god.
"You don't get nothing out of killing me..."
"You are so wrong... I think you are a varmint, and I get a lot of satisfaction of exterminating varmints."
The noise Derran heard made him turn his head for a second to see Mikka and Les come out of the tunnel.
"We better leave... There are at least twenty of them behind." Les said. "A few minutes from here, there's a shack in the forest. There should always be fresh horses in there. But it's guarded, so watch out for the arrows."
They roped Master Urko, and since he was not ready to walk fast enough, they tied him to Derran's horse. They found the shack, but careful as they were going about it, there found nobody. If there was a guard or two, they must have fled. Three horses inside were all saddled up, but seemed rested and well fed. As they rode out, the old priest blew repeatedly on his horn, the sound caring itself for miles, signaling to others that the job had been done.
By nightfall, they were back at their gathering place, but Ronnich and Lord Eirnar were still not there.
"Were there any trouble here?" was the first thing Derran asked of his men as they circled him with the relief that he was back.
"No, my lord. Everything is quiet. You're the first person we see ever since you left."
"What about our little prince?"
"He is sleeping in the coach. Brother Sarti is there with him."
"We wait for others to return. As soon as they come we leave and travel through the night. So be ready."
"Did he get out of him what you wanted?" Mikka asked Derran as they stretched their legs next to the fire, priests taking care of their horses.
"Not yet."
"Do you want me to work on him?"
"No, I am going to work on him... right now."
"I can help." Les jumped in. "I took some of the same medicine he gave me at the Old Mill Tavern. Without the miracle water, he will scream in pains within minutes. And might answer all your questions."
"Didn't you say just a few days ago that he may never talk, even if he was tortured?" Derran
"Wall, we can always try."
"He just likes to try... give him the same poison you got, right?" Mikka said, making sense of the crazy glare in Les's eyes.
"Sure, why not? He did the same for me.."
"I think you better go and lay down in the coach... Your body is not healed. Even if you do not feel pain now, you're far from being well." Derran said as he felt the fever on les' forehead with the palm of his hand. He took out a small battle with bluish liquid inside. "Go to the coach, and drink this. It will bring sleep and rest to your mind. Rest and live. We have a long run soon. You did good today. You should feel good about that."
When Les disappeared inside the coach, Mikka looked at Derran. "You know he will not probably make it, doubt he will even wake up. He's got eternal bleedings-"
"Since when did you start to care?" The old priest's harsh words cut her off.
Mikka nodded her head and set next to the fire. Priests have placed a few corns-on-a-cup to be toasted there, and a bass they seemed to have caught in the stream nearby. She reme
mbered the last time she ate was a day ago, and decided to burn her fingers first with a hot potato that was baking inside the fire. If Les did a good job by killing what? Two three of them today, than what about me? I have done a terrific job then. How many have I killed? She took a long sip out of the wine bag.
"If that's all there is, I am leaving in a few hours. I have to make the city as soon as I can. Remember our deal."
"Before you go I want to talk to you... But first, let me look at this Master Urko… "
He sent remaining of his priests out to guard the camp, and then set down next to the assassins’ leader.
"I see a lot of pain in you..." He started to talk slowly. "I can take you to the place where there is no pain, where nothing but warmth of the god’s love exists..."
"There is no such place." Master Urko hissed through his teeth.
"There is so much hate and confusion inside of you..."
"Old priest, don't waste your stupid words on me. Just tell me what you want and I'll tell you the price."
Derran took a deep breath s he considered option. "No, what I want has no price.”
Looking at cold, steady eyes of an old man, Master Urko felt unnerving sensation suddenly overcome him. "I will tell you nothing!" he screamed.
Derran swiftly grabbed him by his throat and squeezed so hard that Urko's eyes almost pooped out. He fought for the breath. "I see you are missing a lot of teeth in your mouth. Didn't care to put in poison capsule, huh? Isn’t that what you teach others to do?" He mocked him as he let him go, and then stood up above him.
Master Urko spit at his boot.
"I was hoping we would need to do this the hard way." Mikka grinned, sitting restively in the fire opposite of them.
Derran walked over to the wagon and took out of his bags a strange looking bundle, spreading it all out next to the fire. Mikka knew what was coming and became more interested. "You’ll regret now for being so stubborn," she said, giving Master Urko grinning look as she took a long swing at her wine bag.
Next to the fire, the priest unwrapped the cloth covering the bundle, revealing a long wooden box from which he decided to take out a long shining needle. He washed its tip with the greenish liquid from one of the glass bottles that was also in the bundle.
"Do you want to hold him, or will I have to do everything?" He told Mikka.
Master Urko suddenly seemed unable to hide his fear. As the light of the fireplace revealed the long needle approaching him in the hands of the priest, he started to jerk around, the ropes tying his hands and legs seemed like a hook in the mouth of a giant catfish...
"I can make him talk without that."
"Yeah, him screaming his guts out is not something I want to hear tonight."
Mikka didn't even bother to use her hands who were occupied now with the cup of corn, slightly toasted more than she would have wanted it to be. She pressed her knee and the weight of her whole body on one of the cheeks of the Master, and as he tried to move his head, the priest unrobed his upper body and stuck the needle inside his neck.
It was not more than a second after that Master Urko's whole body became quiet, then relaxed as if all life left him. His eyes turned completely white, and saliva had already started to run from the corner of his mouth.
"The light you see is the light of god. And you are to answer to the light everything. Do you understand?"
"I do..." Master Urko's voice seemed
"Who are you?" was the first question Derran asked him.
"I am Urko, the master of Black Claws."
"Where were you born Urko, the master of Black Claws."
“We do not have time for these…" Mikka anxiously reminded Derran.
But Urko felt obliged to answer anyway. “I do not know... I do not remember, but the master who took me in when I was just a small brat, said that he..."
"Where is that master now?"
"He died over twenty winters ago."
"How?"
"I've killed him, and then I became the master."
Derran seemed to be satisfied with the answers and took a second to drink a glass of water before asking him another questions."What do you know of wildmen?"
"They are men just like us who-"
"Why are they raiding so deep inside the kingdom?"
"They were instructed to do so... and given a special potion. It makes them stronger, more violent, braver... It also disfigures their face, their brain and their body. It's the poison that makes them do crazy things, and in the end it leaves them permanently damaged."
“Did you give them this poison?”
“No.”
"Who gave it to them then?'
"The grand priest of Bo’Ra.”
Derran jolted with shock. "I didn't do such a thing!" Derran protested with a yelp.
"Well, you know he cannot lie now... So..." Mikka said.
"How do you know this?"
"Wier of Sikor told me."
"How do you think he knows this?"
"He has a spy in the court of the king Klin…"
"Who was behind these all?" Derran's words came out with anger, much louder than he intended to. He could not believe the old, ailing king had any part of this.
Master Urko waited to answer it.
"Name him! In the name of the light, name him! Did king of Kartar had anything to do with this?"
“It was not the king himself, but someone else around him. Who exactly I do not know…”
"Why would anyone want to do that?"
“They want to create a chaos."
"Why?"
"They want to kill as many of five kings as they can. The price was put on all of them. More finished dead more gold would be given."
"How exactly were you planning to do that?"
"They want to give the same potion to all the people in the city. Whoever drinks the water will be turned into a crazy beast capable of killing and eating anything in its path. The madness that will insure will make everyone kill each other. There will be... a blood bath, a carnage without equal.. "
"Who came to see you about ordering this?"
"The emissary from the north…”
“Who?
“His name was Neron. I took jobs from him before."
"Who was behind this Neron?"
“Someone at the court of Kartar I assume…”
“Who else was involved in this?”
"I do not know..."
"So why do you referrer to the conspirator as them?”
"Because I know the emissary is not strong enough to do any of this all by himself. There must be others…"
“How is this poisoning to take place?”
"They are to take poison to Three Rivers and poison everyone there…” Mikka felt sudden jolt of fear and anger raise inside of her and she was not quietly sitting down anymore.
“How is this to take place?” she demanded the answer.
“The plan has already set in motion and there is nothing you can do about it."
"How is the poison going to be delivered to the city?" Mikka demanded again.
"A team of black claws in a disguise of entertainers are taking it with them in the wagons."
“When did they leave?”
“Three nights ago… They should be upon the city within next day. You will be too late to stop them.”
"What exactly are they going to do with the poison?"
"They are going to release it in the water."
"Where?" The anger flew through Derran's mouth. "Where?"
"At the spring that supplies the fountains throughout the city…”
“At the spring of Sim Mountain, above the city?"
“Yes…”
“That would do it…” Derran looked at Mikka.
"We have to stop them," she answered him, not accepting the possibility of the poison being released.
"It is too late… You will fail…”
Les paced around, thinking hard before he asked another question. "Are t
here any other plans... anything to do to assassinate the kings."
"Yes... "
"Tell the light! What are those?"
"As the city goes into chaos, twenty of my best assassins, together with those that had delivered water, will converge on the Castle of Three Rivers where all the kings should be staying."
"What are their instructions? Who are they to kill?"
"Everyone..."
"What?"
"Everyone they run into a castle."
"When is the attack to take place?"
"A day after the water is poisoned... in two days time."
"They certainly can't think they could kill everyone inside? That is a suicide mission." Derran demanded explanation.
"No, but the castle’s defenses will be compromised, and as the guards are occupied with fighting the threat from outside, they will do their worst inside. Each monarch they kill is worth ten thousand gold pieces, each child of theirs is worth half of that…"
"This was orchestrated to create chaos... It was not done by any of the royals. It must be someone else behind it all."
"Someone who has toxin that can change the man into a mad monster..." Mikka added. "It seems to me that all of this is all done by someone with an insight far above this planet.”
“You are right… That’s exactly what I was afraid of…” Derran frown as he too accepted such possibility
Master Urko's body suddenly snapped its completely relaxed state to start jerking around. "He is faltering... The drug is losing its power. If you don't pull the needle out, you'll make a plant out of him." Mikka warned him. “Not that he does not deserve it.”
"You are right. We may need more information from him. He still has to live." Derran said and the second later the needle was out, but the assassins leader body was still quivering in convolution.
Master Urko mouth foamed and bitter words groaned through it.
"You're not a speaker of gods... You’re a demon," he told Derran
But Derran didn’t even bother to look at him when he spoke "No, I'm just a man who decided to make things right. And you, you haven’t'." Then he emptied the container of a small blue bottle into his mouth and instantly Urko’s body relaxed as he passed out.
“This is all so wrong…” Mikka was shaking her head. “If I didn’t burn too much energy coming here, I would not had to leave my ship and we could have finished all of this in no time.”