The Slave War

by James E. Wisher

  When he reached the gate, the pair of guards on duty hastened to let him in. Moz reined in and asked, “Where can I find your commanding officer?”

  “General Rend is either in his tent or patrolling the grounds, Ranger,” one of the guards said. He provided directions to the tent and Moz nodded his thanks before kicking his horse into motion.

  The king’s uncle was overseeing things himself. That was a surprise. Though from what Moz had heard over the years, the general was a true warrior, not a courtier playing a part. He was just the sort of man Moz liked to deal with, nobleman or otherwise.

  As he rode past soldiers he received either a nod or a salute. They all looked so young. Moz doubted any of them had served in the last war. They were probably saluting the armor more than the man that wore it. When he reached the general’s tent, the guards hastened to hold his mount while he got down.

  “Is he in?”

  “No, sir. The general is out surveying the troops, but he should return within the hour. I can find a place for your horse.”

  “Thank you. Have any bards arrived in the last few days?”

  “Yes, sir. They’ve been a great help with the refugees. Their tent is four up on your left.”

  “I’ll check in with the general in an hour.” Moz returned the soldiers’ salutes and made his way up the dirt path to the tent.

  He was still fifteen feet out when the flap burst open and a blond ballista bolt shot out and ran up to him. Ariel wrapped her arms around him and looked up. “Where have you been? I missed you.”

  “Sorry, kiddo.” Moz crouched and scooped her up. “Some bad men held me up. But I’m here now and that’s what matters.”

  “I saw some bad men too. They made me run away from the castle. My big dragon showed them. She was awful mad when they attacked us.”

  “I’ll bet. Is she still around?”

  Ariel’s face scrunched up. “She’s looking for food, but she’s not too far away. I told her it was okay, but she’s stubborn.”

  “Probably won’t hurt to have her close. Just in case. Hopefully she taught the bad men a lesson and they won’t come back. And if they do come back, I’ll be here to help. Make sure she knows that.”

  Ariel smiled as bright as the sun. “Will you stay for a while?”

  “As long as I can. All my work is finished. I’ve learned as much as I can about the people that want to take you away. Now all that’s left is to keep them from getting their hands on you.”

  He shifted to look past Ariel and found Callie standing in the tent flap watching them, a little smile curving her lips. He let a sigh slip out. It was beyond good to see her all in one piece.

  “How about we go back in and sit down?” Moz said. “You’re getting heavy.”

  Moz set her down, but she kept a tight grip on his hand, as if she was afraid he might take off again. Callie held the flap open for them. Inside, there were two other bards, one he didn’t know and the other a senior instructor named Lucy.

  “You’re late,” Callie said as he ducked past her.

  “Long story. I need to see General Rend when he gets back, I’ll tell you about it then.”

  “Bad?”

  He flicked a glance at Ariel who had found a seat on a cot and now had a little dragon in her lap that she was petting like a cat while the second buzzed around waiting for a turn.

  “Bad enough. Nothing she needs to hear about. Looks like you had some trouble too.”

  “They attacked the school.” Callie’s voice held more heat than he’d heard in a while. “I didn’t even have a chance to bury the fallen.”

  “I know. I went to the college first. I’m sorry, Callie. I know how much that place and your students mean to you.”

  Her expression hardened. “We’ll rebuild, better than ever.”

  “I have no doubt.”

  Moz found a seat for himself and the second dragon landed on his leg. He flinched, but it just stared at him until he started rubbing its back. The moment he did, the damn thing started purring. Just when you thought life couldn’t get any stranger.

  Chapter 29

  “How long are we going to have to camp out here?” Rondo asked.

  He and Shade had been holed up a mile from the fort for over a week waiting for Lord Black to return with whatever they were going to use to subdue Ariel. Rondo wasn’t at all cut out for roughing it, and a week without a roof over his head, this close to winter, had him at his wits’ end.

  He was cold, stiff, and miserable. It was pitch black and all he could imagine was more of those snakes from the capital ruins slithering around just out of view. Ridiculous of course, but that’s what happened when you had nothing to do but sit around and let your imagination run wild.

  Shade tossed another stick on their fire. “If you’re not happy, you can always complain to the boss when he gets here. No doubt you’ll find him very understanding.”

  Rondo snorted. The odds of him finding the courage to complain to Lord Black were only slightly worse than the odds of him wrestling a dragon to the ground with his bare hands. “Thank you, Shade, but I believe I’ll stick to complaining to you.”

  “Aren’t I the lucky one. Don’t worry, it can’t be much longer. The boss won’t want to get mixed up with the army and they’re due to arrive in a day or two.”

  “You’re right about that, Shade.” A familiar voice spoke in the darkness. A moment later Umbra stepped into the firelight. “The process took a bit longer than Domina expected, but the poison is ready.”

  Umbra’s gloved hands emerged from the folds of his voluminous black cloak. In the left was a blowgun and in the right a vial of dark liquid and three needles.

  Shade took both and checked the straightness of the blowgun. “Haven’t used one of these in a while. Anything I need to know about the poison?”

  “Assuming you don’t want to take an eighteen-hour nap, don’t let it touch your bare skin.”

  Shade grinned. “Good to know. What’s the plan?”

  “You two are to infiltrate the fortress tonight. Dart the girl and make for the westernmost part of the wall. Leonidas will open a path for you. Once you’re clear, make for the Carttoom side of the border. We have a company of soldiers waiting to escort you to safety.”

  “Carttoom regulars?” Shade asked.

  “Indeed. We have many friends in the military. Luckily one of them was posted to the Carttoom border fort.”

  “Somehow I doubt luck had much to do with it if the boss is involved. Anything else?”

  “You’ll need a distraction to successfully escape. Don’t strike until Domina begins.”

  “Let me guess,” Shade said with obvious distaste. “Explosions from heaven?”

  “I can’t compliment her on originality, but her effectiveness can’t be argued. Just make sure you’re in position. You have ninety minutes.”

  “Starting when?” Rondo asked.

  Umbra vanished into the night. “Now.”

  “You said you were sick of camping out,” Shade said. The assassin slipped the blowgun, darts, and poison into hidden pockets in his cloak. “Cut the horses loose. I don’t think we’ll be coming back for them.”

  Rondo pushed away from the fire. “You know, since I met you guys, I’ve gone through more horses than in my whole life prior.”

  “At least you can afford to buy replacements. Hurry up. If we’re not ready on time, you’ll wish the dragon had killed you.”

  A fifteen-minute jog brought them to the base of the wall and left Rondo gasping for air. He was a scholar, damn it, not an assassin. Shade allowed him three deep breaths before boosting him up to the top of the wall. Rondo lay sprawled across it, half on one side half on the other, doing his best not to fall off into the compound. Below, a trio of guards were marching past not twenty feet away. Rondo fought to keep his rasping breath under control so they wouldn’t hear him.

  Shade hoisted himself up a moment later. He watched the departing guards with the same look
Rondo’s cat used to watch the mice that occasionally found their way into the mansion. Those men were dead, the only question was whether or not Shade let them go. In the end, three bodies was a mess they didn’t need. Once the patrol was out of sight, Shade dropped silently to the ground. He motioned for Rondo to join him.

  He swung his leg from the outside of the wall, wobbled for a moment, then fell, landing with a dull thud. Not exactly graceful, but at least he hadn’t broken anything.

  “What now?” Rondo asked as he dusted himself off.

  Shade touched a finger to his lips.

  Good point. Talking probably wasn’t the best idea.

  Shade set out, slipping like a wraith through the camp, so smooth and silent sometimes even Rondo lost sight of him. Rondo tried his best to imitate the assassin, but was like a newborn fawn learning to walk, clumsy and awkward. At least no alarms were raised and that was all that mattered in the end.

  When Shade finally stopped it was behind a tent that blocked them from the view of the patrolling soldiers. Rondo wasn’t sure how long they had to wait, but he guessed at least half an hour.

  “The patrols weren’t this frequent when I snuck in the first time,” Shade whispered so softly Rondo could barely hear him. “The fortress is on alert for some reason.”

  Rondo didn’t know what to say to that, so he just nodded. More out of boredom than anything, he eased over and peeked out from behind the tent. He jerked his head back at once. The ranger, Moz, was strolling down the path directly across from them. What the hell was he doing here?

  Rondo tugged Shade’s sleeve and whispered, “The ranger’s here. He just walked by.”

  “You’re sure it was him?” Shade asked.

  Rondo nodded. He’d never forget the ranger’s face.

  “That’s not good. He probably warned the fortress commander about us. Which would explain the extra patrols. Nothing we can do about it now. Nothing like an extra challenge, right?”

  Rondo grimaced. The last thing he wanted was an extra challenge, especially one from a man that seemed obsessed with him. How long had Moz been hunting him anyway? It felt like half his life, but was probably only four months. Maybe Domina would drop an exploding potion on his head.

  Shade and Rondo stayed quiet after that. It’s surprising how much you could hear around you when you were standing still in the dark. Somewhere kids were laughing. To their left, a group of men were arguing the merits of various sorts of manure on their gardens, chicken and rabbit appeared to be the most popular options. A pair of passing soldiers chatted about the meaning of the extra patrols they’d been taking. Sounded like no one had given them any details, only to keep their eyes peeled for anything unusual.

  That was good. If they didn’t know exactly what to expect it meant they weren’t sure when or if the attack was actually coming. The element of surprise remained with Rondo and Shade.

  When the first explosion rocked the night, Rondo nearly jumped out of his skin even though he was expecting it. A second and third explosion sounded shortly thereafter. Flames lit the night and laughter turned to screams.

  Shade had the blowgun out and was dipping one of the needles into the poison. “We’re up.”

  Rondo’s whole body tensed and he fought to relax. Nothing short of success was going to get him out of this predicament. He needed more focus and determination now than he ever had at any point in his life.

  Shade had the blowgun to his lips.

  His chest expanded as he took a deep breath.

  The explosive exhale was nearly silent. A moment later he tossed the blowgun aside and ran out from behind the tent.

  Rondo hastened to follow.

  Getting left behind tonight would be a death sentence.

  Just as Shade had hoped, Domina’s first explosion drew the ranger out and away from the tent along with a pair of bards. He had a dart primed and ready a moment later. His gaze never wavered from the open tent flap. The moment he saw a flash of blond hair, a puff of air sent the needle zipping through the night.

  His first shot took the girl at the base of the neck. She reeled and collapsed instantly.

  Shade tossed the blowgun aside and sprinted towards the tent. There were still at least two bards watching over the girl. He needed to strike while they were distracted.

  The younger of the two bards, a girl about sixteen, saw him coming.

  She opened her mouth.

  Shade whipped his arm forward, sending the blade of his dagger through her open mouth. He couldn’t let any of the bards use their abilities.

  The older woman shifted to stand between him and Ariel. She was unarmed but raised her fists as though intending to fight him off.

  He respected her guts but didn’t have time to grant her a fair fight. He flicked his wrist again, this time sending a second dagger into her stomach. She collapsed, groaning in pain.

  Shade collected his weapons and kicked the still-living woman aside. He knelt beside the unconscious little girl and checked her pulse. Still strong, good. He didn’t know who the boss would be angrier with if she died, him or Domina, and he didn’t particularly want to find out.

  “Watch out,” Rondo said.

  Shade ducked an instant before the two little dragons flew through the space his head had occupied a moment earlier. He leapt to his feet, daggers raised.

  “Grab her,” Shade said. “I’ll hold them off.”

  From the sounds behind him, it sounded like Rondo was doing as he was told. He nearly smiled at the idea of having to rely on someone as utterly unreliable as Rondo, but here he was.

  The dragons came hissing back at him.

  Shade dodged one and knocked the other aside. He checked the edge of his dagger. Too much human blood covered it to tell for sure, but it didn’t feel like his blade had cut through the dragon’s scales.

  “I’ve got her,” Rondo said.

  “Then go. Northwest corner, remember? I’m right behind you.”

  There was shuffling and the whisper of canvas. Shade waited until the dragons started their next attack run. When they were a few feet away he leapt back and thrust the tent flap in their path.

  Both were caught up in it. Rondo was only twenty yards away, the girl over his shoulder, moving at a quick walk. Shade’s first instinct was to take Ariel himself so they could move faster.

  He rejected that plan at once. With her in his arms, he wouldn’t be able to fight off anyone trying to stop them. They were stuck moving at Rondo’s speed.

  Fires burned behind them, but the explosions had stopped. A hundred yards separated them from their exit point. Probably three minutes at the rate they were going. That was a lot of time for something to go wrong.

  “Shade!” Rondo shouted.

  He spun. One of the guard patrols stood directly in Rondo’s path. He’d been so sure pursuit would come from behind, Shade hadn’t even given a thought to potential obstacles ahead of them.

  Shade sprinted forward, daggers in a reverse grip, their blades running along his forearms. The three soldiers weren’t much older than the bard he killed earlier. Outside of training, Shade would have been shocked to learn they had any combat experience at all.

  The tips of their swords trembled as he ran at them.

  “Halt!” the central man managed to say before Shade was among them.

  His daggers flashed left and right.

  Blood arced into the sky.

  Two were dead before they could even try and attack. The third made a weak slash that Shade evaded before stepping in and stabbing him in the right eye. The whole encounter lasted two seconds.

  “Shade!” Rondo shouted again.

  “For the gods’ sake what now?” Shade turned in time to see the little dragons dive bombing Rondo who in turn was using the girl’s body as a shield. A surprisingly intelligent move on his part.

  Shade glanced at the blade of his right dagger. If the edge wasn’t sharp enough to slice the dragon’s hide, maybe the tip would pierce thro
ugh. One thing was certain. If he couldn’t get those damn dragons off their tail, they’d have no hope of getting out before someone caught up.

  Now or never. Shade ran back toward his partner.

  The dragons were totally focused on Rondo.

  One came diving in. He stabbed at it, missing its little body but hitting its left wing. The dagger caught on something and the dragon went flying into the dark out of control. He hadn’t killed it, but as long as it was out of commission he didn’t care.

  The blow to its partner seemed to focus the second dragon on Shade. It came diving in, flames dripping from its mouth.

  A plan instantly formed. When the dragon breathed fire, Shade leapt into the flames, dagger leading.

  His blade went into its mouth and down its throat all the way to the hilt. He’d run it nearly clean through.

  The supposedly unconscious girl thrashed and screamed as though she had been the one stabbed. The reaction lasted only a second then she went limp again.

  “What was that?” Rondo asked as he struggled to get her back over his shoulder.

  Shade didn’t have a clue. He flicked the dead dragon off his dagger. His face and arm stung from minor burns, but he didn’t have time to tend them now.

  “Let’s go,” Shade said. “Before anything else shows up.”

  Chapter 30

  Moz was sharpening one of his throwing knives in the tent he shared with the bards when the first explosion shook the canvas. The Dark Sages had finally arrived. For some reason he’d expected a subtler approach. Perhaps the increased patrols he’d suggested had forced them to take an aggressive tack. Whatever the reason, he was up and on his feet before the first echoes had subsided. Callie was only a second behind him.

  “Tonia, Tamsin, find the enemy ship,” Callie said. “Albert with me. We’ll need your power to contain the fires. Lucy and Amanda, stay here and protect Ariel.”

  Moz didn’t wait to hear any more orders. He was out of the tent and racing toward the blaze lighting up the eastern section of the fortress. Once they finished softening up the opposition, the real attack would come. He wouldn’t let a single soldier get past.