Nigan looked at him. “What’s so funny, Commander?”
“You look like a massive peacock, with all that plumage. You make a great target to aim at.”
Risy hit Nigan’s shoulder. “Told ya, ya shoulda changed.”
Nigan looked down at the fine double-breasted vest of red velvet with its shiny, silver buttons, the white silk shirt under it, and the wine-colored breaches. “Yeah, okay, so I don’t blend. I’ll change. Be right back.”
As Nigan moved back to his horse, they continued to watch Duke, who stopped by the possible grave and sat there, looking it over for a while. Then he called out, “Okay, I got all we need from here. Come on over.”
They all walked over to see what Duke was looking at, and found it was clearly a grave. The top had a pattern of grey stones, all of about the same size, shape, and color, arranged into a pattern that looked like the Nhia-Samri cat symbol.
“A Nhia-Samri grave?” someone asked.
Duke nodded. “Yes, and very disappointing, too. This is the grave of Ossa-Ulla.”
He looked at Duke. “How do you know that? I don’t see any markings.”
Duke looked at him with amusement in his eyes. “Elades, I can smell him. Ticca, Ditani, Lebuin, and someone I don’t know made this grave. Ticca was tied to that tree over there for a time, too. They removed all signs of the camp, but there was a fire over there, and Ossa-Ulla bled heavily ten feet over there, which is where I think he died.”
Elades looked at all the spots indicated. “So Ticca was captured and then rescued by Lebuin, Ditani, and this other person? Why is it bad that Ossa-Ulla is dead? He was a serious threat.”
Duke shrugged, which was unusual to see a wolf do. “As to why it’s bad Ossa-Ulla is dead, I had a lot of detailed plans for what I wanted to do to him for instigating the murder of Magus Vestul.”
Ladro made a choking noise and moved off, looking sick.
Duke gave Ladro a look, but didn’t comment. The scouts chose that moment to come back and stepped up to him and Duke. “Sir, we can find little sign in any direction, except for east. Two people came here from that direction on horse. But the horses have been taken. There are occasional trail signs, but no solid trails to follow.”
Duke smiled. “Not surprising, for Ticca. I am not sure what happened, but I do know that five horses were here, too. Ticca and this other person led them back here from someplace just east. When they were all done, the entire group left, heading south together with Ticca and this other person erasing the trail.”
Elades looked at Duke. “Sir, if Ticca was rescued from Ossa-Ulla by her allies, who made the Nhia-Samri grave for Ossa-Ulla?”
Duke looked him in the eye, surprised by the thoughts his question had stirred up. Duke stopped smiling. “That is a very interesting question. We should catch up and ask it personally.” He looked back on the majority of the squad. “Everyone rest up a little. I’m going to confirm their trail. When I get back, be ready to continue the hunt.” Duke stood and padded south out of the glade with his nose hung low.
Being able to hunt like a hound must be so damned nice. They can cover their tracks, but they sure cannot cover their scents. Remembering the chemicals the Nhia-Samri had tried to hide from them in Llino, he amended his thought. Well, at least, they cannot cover their scents in only a day. If they had a couple of weeks, maybe they could. He nodded. Always correct your own mistakes and remind yourself of your tactical errors, even if only in thought. Turning back, he went to get his horse as Nigan stepped into the glade. He had changed into a rich-looking forest green, single-breasted vest, with blackened brass buttons over a dark green silk shirt with dark brown leather cuffs. His wide, brown belt was fastened over the long vest. He had on brown leggings with tall leather boots, and wore a triangular brown leather cap.
“Nigan!”
Nigan looked at him. “Sir?”
“I told you to stop looking like a target.”
Nigan looked down, confused. “This works as well as what you have on, sir.”
“You look like a damned noble out on a fox hunt.”
Nigan puffed up and smiled. “Thank you, sir. Glad you like it.”
Risy had come out of the woods behind him and was trying to not laugh.
“Risy, tell your partner to dress better.”
Nigan looked down and held his arms out, turning around slowly. “Better! I’ll have you know, this is a most excellent outfit, and it cost over thirty pence!”
Risy shrugged. “I can’t get him to dress normally, since he started impersonating Lebuin.”
Nigan looked at him. “Just because we are tromping through the forest, doesn’t mean we have to dress like beggars.”
A number of Daggers looked over at the conversation. A few of them, and not just the women, frowned as if insulted. Elades felt his blood pressure rising. “Beggars? Are you saying we are dressed like beggars?”
Nigan looked around at the other Daggers, who were watching with various looks of amusement. “No, sir, you pull off that ‘rugged warrior’ look very well.”
A handful of Daggers started laughing. He wasn’t sure who they were laughing at. All of the Daggers present were paying attention. A soft voice he couldn’t identify came from behind him. “The commander should stand down. Nigan is pretty sharp today.” Turning around, he noticed his second in command was standing there with two squad members, all three of them looking innocent.
Turning back to Nigan, he meant to keep an even tone, but his voice sounded high, even to him. “Fine, dress how you like. But don’t cry to me when you’re the first one shot by the enemy.” Turning, he strode past his second, as more Daggers joined in the laughter. He didn’t stop until he reached his horse. Pulling his wine skin from the saddle, he took a long drink. He tried to reason himself down. Lebuin has almost ruined poor Nigan. Oh well, at least, he’ll blend in better than in those damned reds.
The rest of the horses were brought into the glade, and then they all waited. Some Daggers took advantage of the break to stretch out, and others gave themselves and the horses water. A few who had just come off of scout duty stretched out on the ground with their eyes closed, resting. I love working with seasoned Daggers, with no one asking what to do. I might as well relax. Doing some stretches and practicing the patterns, he watched the sun. It was barely past midmorning. They had ridden pretty fast out of Algan, once Duke knew where Ticca had headed. Ticca went out of her way to mark her trail up to right before the glade. She was leading them into the glade. I wonder if she knew it was there all along, or figured she’d find an ambush point somewhere.
After a time, everyone had settled down; they were exchanging stories about the fight nearly six weeks ago in Llino, where the Daggers, under Duke’s command, had attacked the Nhia-Samri outpost there. Of course, the well-trained city guard, under the command of Dohma, had kicked it over the top when things were uncertain. I wonder what Dohma is doing now. He was elevated pretty damn fast from Captain of the Guard to Princes’ Regent of Aelargo. Duke doesn’t mess around with putting things in order. He recalled the week-long execution of the descendants of the pirate usurpers, who had taken control of the Aelargorian Kingdom some time ago.
Nigan and Risy had been hanging out with the same six Daggers since they left Llino, and now was no different. He smiled as the Daggers chatted and laughed. Probably poking fun at Nigan or me, or both. Nigan is a fine Dagger, and those two sure as hell are good fighters. I hope they survive this war with the Nhia-Samri that Duke has declared. With their quick wit and easy smiles, they’ll make great mentors for the next generation of Daggers. His thoughts took a tactical turn as he reviewed the band of friends. Nigan and Risy are good line fighters; Sabri is as good a scout as her husband Coedy; Tuage is an excellent fighter and engineer; Carda is a top intelligence Dagger with a lot of specialty defense training; Epton and his sister Persa are a capable defense specialist pair with counter-intelligence experience. All I need to do is add a medical specialist, an
d they’d be a complete fire team.
He pulled some jerky out and chewed it thoughtfully while drinking water from his other skin. Across the glade, talking with a group of Daggers was Boadua, a priestess of Dalpha and medical Dagger who had replaced Nippon when he was killed in the Llino fight. I’m glad she signed up. I feel a lot better knowing I have an experienced medical Dagger for the squad. She hasn’t mentioned what returning to Dagger duties meant to her temple oaths. But she landed softly.
Elades had been resting a mark before Duke came back and signaled them to follow. They fell back into riding order, and he signaled the scouts to move out on Duke’s cues. The trail was so well hidden that if it wasn’t for Duke, he was sure they couldn’t have tracked Ticca. Damn, her abilities are still shocking me. Only Duke appears to expect her skills to be this exceptional. First, she is able to command the Llino city defenses, a trick I thought was reserved only for the regents and Duke. Plus, she killed at least three Nhia-Samri in one-on-one fights. And she was able to fight Ossa-Ulla, who by all accounts was the best of the bunch, to a standstill, during her escape. Of course, knowing her uncle, I shouldn’t be that surprised. Still, Ticca has immense talent, and Duke hasn’t corrected his standing orders to stay out of her way, which I am sure is not an oversight. I wonder what was in that book he examined at the Mayor’s house in Algan. After reading that, he said something about ‘not again.’ I’m still waiting to find out what he meant by that. Laughing, he recalled that working with Duke often meant one was left with unanswered questions.
CHAPTER 4
THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
The left side of Lebuin’s face felt like someone had punched him. His right arm also felt heavily abused. He was lying on his back, and his head was being held in someone’s lap with a warm, soft hand. Opening his eyes, he saw the blue sky and the bottom of a dirty, tear-stained, female chin. Tears were still beading on the chin and dropping into his hair. Two people were exchanging some heated words, but he couldn’t make them out. As his mind cleared, the words began to take on meaning.
“…it was.”
“Damn it, no, it wasn’t, and you know it. You cut her!”
“She made a mistake. I could have cut her deeper.”
“You should know better than that. You could have used the side of the knife and made the same point without the cut! And what was all that, trying to strangle her with murder in your eyes? She was down with that wrestling move! What the hell were you thinking?”
“Okay, so I got a little miffed that she cut me back. It wasn’t serious.”
“Yes, it was serious. You cut her! That was out of line. You wanted to prove you were better, and lost control! Both of you lost control. Both of you are responsible for this. Step up and accept your part of the blame. When he wakes up, you are going to have to apologize for attacking his high priestess like that! Especially, since he has named you his general.”
“Lords and Ladies! That was so she would follow my lead. He wasn’t serious, and please stop with all this stupid priestess stuff. It isn’t like he’s…oh, crud.”
“’Oh, crud’ is right. Yes, he is, and you know it.” Ditani sighed. “At least, we are lucky neither of you is hurt. We are also lucky this happened here and now.”
Ticca’s voice was subdued. “I don’t follow you.”
“Well, now we know she can’t use those blades until he has a lot more resources.”
“How do you know it was the blades?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. She said Lebuin accepted them, which means whatever power source they used to be attached to has been replaced by him. When you two went at each other full force, I saw him fade to white, and then to grey, as he tried to get to you to stop you. He didn’t have time to say anything.”
Illa noticed his eyes were open, and started petting his head and talking rapidly. “My Lord! Oh, my Lord, I am so sorry. Take my mana! I have been trying to feed it to you, but I don’t know how. You need mana. Please take mine—take all of it. Take it now. I swear, I’ll not draw my odassi until you say to again. Please forgive me. I felt you fall and knew it was my fault.”
He tried to speak, but couldn’t, so he smiled weakly and moved his head to indicate he would be okay.
“My Lord, please understand, you must take my energies. My Lord, you must.”
Lebuin’s mind was moving slowly, and it took a minute more before he understood what she meant. Looking inside, he found he had only a small fraction of magical energies left. He searched for his connection to Illa and found it. She was already sending him more than normal. But she was untrained, so it was not as much as she could give. It took a few more minutes to figure out how to draw mana from her, but once he did, he got more energy, and his mind started moving faster.
Trying again, he croaked out, “Illa, what happened?”
“Ditani thinks my fight with Ticca using the odassi drained you of all your magic. Please take all you can from me. I don’t need it to live, but you do.”
Reaching again for the connection, he pulled all that was left and he felt better. But there was still so little, he wasn’t sure what else he could do. All the power that had been built up was gone, and it would take weeks to restore it with Illa as the only source.
Illa seemed to be reading his mind, which was possible, given their connection. “My Lord, the laws say you can draw from the mana lines if you are starving and have no more followers’ energies. If you take all of mine, you may draw from the mana lines. But only enough to restore you to health.”
Smiling, he knew what she meant. Illa had no more power to give, and he did need more. Reaching out, he found a nearby mana line and refilled his energy levels. He did not take as much as he could hold. He stopped, drawing well short of his estimate of the laws’ allowances. He still felt weak, but his head was clearing. Sitting up, he looked around. Illa had dropped her odassi a few feet away.
Ticca was standing a couple of feet off, looking at him. “Are you okay?”
He nodded. “I need a little time for the mana to flow through me a bit more. That was the oddest feeling I have ever had.”
Ticca knelt, putting her head on level with him and looking into his eyes, she said, “Lebuin, I am very sorry. It is my fault. I lost my temper and let this get too far out of control. I knew better. There is no excuse.”
Illa shifted to his other side, also kneeling. “My Lord, I too, lost control. I am sorry. I am as much to blame as anyone. More, I have studied the laws and should have surmised from them, the implications of a situation such as this.”
Lebuin looked back and forth between them, then up at Ditani. Ditani was standing there with his arms crossed, looking as pleased as any parent for a child who had gotten out of control, but who had properly made amends. This feels so strange. I don’t like having people kneeling to me.
“Ticca, Illa, it is okay. I didn’t think of it, myself. In fact, I am going to have to do a lot of thinking about any incantation before I cast it now. Most of my magical workings require a lot of power.” Remembering some of the other details of the Elracian books of magic, he added, “But I know there are ways to do the same with less energies. I will have to be careful for a long time.” Remembering that he was a God and that Illa was his follower, he figured it was worth giving her formal absolution. “Also, I forgive both of you. Please don’t do it again, though.”
Illa sighed in relief, and Ticca relaxed too.
They both were seeking forgiveness. This is going to take a lot of getting used to.
Ticca looked worried, but at least, her smirk came back.
“Can you stand yet? You might want to walk and breathe.”
“Thanks, Ticca. Please, would you two help me up? I am not sure if I can stand, and my face feels like the ground was mad at me for falling on it.”
Both women smiled that his sense of humor was returning. They stood and helped him to his feet. At first, he was somewhat wobbly, but it passed. Ditani went and brought back a hot cu
p of arit, which he took and drank while walking around. After a quarter mark, he was feeling normal.
“Maybe we can spar a little more. I think I need to move, and that will pump stuff around.”
Ticca stepped over. “Are you sure?” He nodded. She looked at Illa. “Well, I was planning on doing something new for our training exercises, now that we have Illa. We can do three-on-one combat. We can do the basics and keep it slow and controlled. Does that sound okay?”
He smiled. “That sounds fun. Illa, Ditani, are you two okay with this?”
Ditani looked him over, and Illa was considering it.
Well, at least, she didn’t blindly agree. That is a very good sign.
Ditani nodded. “It does sound fun. Just promise me you’ll stop us if it’s too much for you. We all need to be in good standing, if we’re to continue down this path we are on.”
Illa stepped over and picked up her odassi, cleaning them off and sheathing them. “I agree with Ditani. Will you stop if I sense anything wrong with you?”
Laughing, he told her, “You’re not my mother. You’re my high priestess.”
“Different title, same job,” she snapped back at him.
He relented, holding up his hands. “Okay, okay, you two. I promise if I feel weakened, I’ll stop. Satisfied?”
All three of them nodded. Ticca stepped over to Illa, holding out her hands. “Illa, I am sorry—I was out of line.”
Illa took her hands in her own. “I, too, went too far. Comrades?”
Ticca nodded. Letting go of Illa, she drew two knives and spun them around, her hands dramatically ending with holding them by the blades, hilts towards Illa. “I’ll give you the sheaths for these later, so you can have them to use instead of those odassi.”
Illa took the knives and smiled.
Ticca clapped her hands and turned to face all of them. “So let’s start with you three attacking me, and I will show you the basics. We’ll keep it slow until you two,” indicating Ditani and Lebuin, “have the feel for it.”
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