As they got near the village, Hayden halted his tribe while he and Duard went ahead with two warriors to get a closer look before exposing his entire army. Once within site of the walls, Hayden confirmed that Gedana was correct, the village did appear empty. With the night sky growing darker, there were no signs of lanterns or torches. Not so much as a sound could be heard coming from within the walls. Hayden and Duard agreed that they would bring forward the army and enter the village. If nothing else, they could plunder anything that had not been removed by the Blackhorn. He sent a warrior back down the path to advance the army.
As they waited, they speculated as to what the Blackhorns were up to. Were they hiding inside, or had they run away in the face of battle?
“kDira is not afraid to take on an army larger than hers,” Hayden said. “This has been proven. And this time the odds are closer to her favor than they were with the Karn.”
“She’s bold,” Duard agreed.
“Bold is right. But I wonder if the thought of putting the breeders at risk once again has weighed on her more than winning a battle?”
“Where would she go?” asked Duard.
“Maybe not far at all,” replied Sylys. “Maybe they are just waiting in the woods somewhere, hoping that we will just leave when we find the village empty? I will see to it they have no village left to come back to. We will raze it to the ground.”
As the warriors from the north caught approached, Hayden had decided his plan of action. He would take his warriors into the village though the open gate.
“Be ready for an ambush!” he said to his tribe. “They could be hiding just inside the gate! Onward!”
Hayden waved his arm, and as he did his small army headed to the gate, ready for war.
cHAPTER 19
The Midlanders entered the gate, weapons ready for an attack. Slowly they all filtered in, with Hayden and Duard at the center of the group. The village was deathly silent, except for the sound of the intruders.
Upon seeing no one immediately inside the gate, Hayden motioned for everyone to spread out and search the village. Slowly, cautiously, in groups of two, the army split up to search various areas of the town. When the first pairs reached the nearest huts, they searched and found no one. They reported back to Hayden as they did so, ensuring that their leader was informed of every move.
As they started to make their way back into the village, their searches became quicker and quicker.
Suddenly, without warning, Blackhorn warriors appeared out of nowhere and began to attack the Midlanders. Caught by surprise, they weren’t ready and many fell in an instant. At the same time, several archers appeared from hiding along the top of the wall and opened fire on the group still in the town center below. As several of the Midlanders dropped from lethal arrow wounds, the remainder, including Hayden and Duard, ran for the huts, suddenly coming face to face with Blackhorn.
Agis met Duard with his gleaming sword slicing the air, only to meet the sword of Duard just in time to save him from losing his head. Duard countered with a swing of his own sword and Agis ducked the blur of metal that passed just over his head. The violent swing put Duard just a bit off balance, and Agis took advantage. Without hesitation, he sliced Duard across the midsection, bringing a shriek of pain from his foe. Duard tried to return attack, but with his abdomen muscles cut open he could not muster enough strength to bring his sword around. The look of pain and distress was replaced with fear as he saw the sword of Agis plunge through his heart and he dropped to the ground. Removing the sword from the chest of his enemy, Agis moved on to the next Midlander.
Omiroe and Edu were in battle with three other Midlanders. They were both holding their line in battle, when Edu took a slice across the arm. Reeling in pain, he retreated a step, but the Midlanders sword took another slash at his upper thigh and he fell to the ground. Before the Midlander could make the fatal blow to Edu, two elder Blackhorn, formerly of the First Hill Tribe, grabbed the Midlander and hauled him to the ground and without pause one sliced the throat of their surprised Midlander foe.
Swords clashed against swords as the Blackhorn drove the quickly dwindling Midlanders back out into the town center. Suddenly, Fralek was in front of Hayden, ready for battle.
“The mule lives!” Hayden said, laughing.
“I am not a mule, I am a Blackhorn, and I have a score to settle with you,” Fralek scowled.
“A score to settle with me? You had best find a true warrior to fight in your place, mule!”
Fralek swung his sword and it met the sword of Hayden with a mighty clash. Spinning around he swung again, and once more the attack was countered. As fighting went on around them, the two battled back and forth in the middle of the square as though this was the only fight that mattered.
Soon many Midlanders had fallen, and not a single Blackhorn had been killed. The remaining Midlanders surrendered their weapons, but Fralek and Hayden were locked in mortal combat. Clash after clash of steel against steel, back and forth the battle went. Suddenly, in a change of tactics, Hayden dropped down and swept the legs out from underneath Fralek with his foot and the unsuspecting Blackhorn hit the ground with a thud. Quickly, Hayden moved in for the kill, but it was Fralek that changed the tide of the battle in his favor with a solid kick to the groin. It was Hayden that fell to the ground this time. With the odds now in his favor, Fralek jumped to his feet, and putting his foot on Hayden’s chest, raised his sword and prepared to end the fight.
At that moment one of the Midlander warriors grabbed a sword and began to rush Fralek. With sword ready to swing, the Midlander was ready to bring down Hayden’s attacker, but after only a few steps in Fralek’s direction he fell to the ground, an arrow piercing his heart. Fralek and everyone else looked up onto the wall where the arrow had come from. It was Ari who fell the attacking Midlander. kDira gave her an approving nod to Ari.
Again, Fralek turned his focus finishing Sylys Hayden.
“Stop!” kDira yelled just before Fralek could plunge his sword into his chest. “Do not kill him.”
“I owe him that much, kDira,” Fralek said between breaths.
“I know you do, and I could not blame you,” kDira said, “But you have beaten him. And now he must live with that.”
Fralek pushed his sword tight against the chest of Hayden, and considered how good it would feel to finish him off.
“Fralek, not now,” kDira ordered.
Fralek stood there for several moments, relishing his position over his former tormentor. Then, with a swift flick of the sword, he lifted it from Hayden’s chest, and in one smooth motion brought it around and sliced his cheek wide open, so much so that teeth could be seen through the wound.
Hayden let out a scream of pain as his mouth gushed with blood.
“Let him up,” kDira ordered.
Fralek complied, taking his foot off his chest as two Blackhorn warriors grabbed Sylys Hayden by the arms and lifted him to his feet.
“Now,” Fralek scowled, “whenever you think of me you will remember not to call me a mule.”
“Fralek, that is enough,” kDira ordered. “Sylys Hayden, it looks to me like you have about ten warriors left here. Take your people home, but if you come this way again we will hang you from the gates as my own personal trophy. Agis, see that our prisoner is brought out.”
“Yes, kDira.”
“Do not think that we are done here, mighty kDira,” Hayden said defiantly.
In a flash, kDira pulled her knife and slashed Hayden across the chest, then once across the upper thigh, and for good measure, came around the back of his leg and cut his Achilles tendon. Hayden once again fell to the ground screaming.
“Do I hang you now from our gate? Or do you leave us alone forever?” kDira said forcefully.
“We will leave. We will not be back,” Hayden said gritting his teeth in pain.
Agis brought out Svila, the Midlander prisoner as requested and sent her over to join her tribe. As she walked by several o
f the bodies, she recognized her friend Gedana lying in a pool of her own blood, two arrows protruding from the side of her chest.
“You Midlanders, take your leader and go home,” kDira ordered. “I suggest if he talks of coming back here again, you slit his throat and live the rest of your lives in peace.”
Two of the Midlanders helped Hayden up off the ground and assisted him in walking to the gate. The rest of the Midlanders wasted no time in getting out of the village.
“Why didn’t you let me kill him?” Fralek asked of kDira.
“Because this is better. We hurt him,” kDira replied. “Nice touch with the cheek,” she continued, “that was very artistic.”
“Well how about your little whirly, twirly, slash-the-foot thing,” Fralek asked? “That was something right there.”
“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “Close the gates and set the watch!” she ordered.
“Threg and Oleg, take charge of getting these dead Midlanders taken care of. And get some torches lit.”
“Yes, kDira.”
“Agis, come with me,” she called out to her friend.
Together they walked to Elick’s hut. Once inside, they were met by Elick and Guller.
“Is the fighting done? How did we do?” Elick asked.
“We did well. Many Midlanders are being piled up to be burned as we speak. Hayden, what’s left of him, is on his way back with a handful of his tribe that laid down their arms to stay alive. I don’t think he will be back.”
“That is good to hear,” Elick said with a smile. Did we lose anyone?”
“No one was lost,” kDira replied.
“Edu was hurt pretty badly,” Agis added. “His wounds are being tended to, as are others.”
“I am happy to hear we did not lose anyone,” Elick said, “but sad to hear of brave Edu being hurt. He is older, and not as fit to mend as you younger warriors.”
“I want to tell you something because I don’t know who else to tell,” kDira said, changing the subject.
“What is it, brave kDira?”
“Guller already knows of my retching.” She began.
“Guller has told me,” Elick interjected.
“I feel there is something wrong with my body,” she said. “I feel sick every day, and I cannot control my retching. Sometimes, when I smell food, or get the odor of anything, I just lose control of my innards.”
“We no longer have a healer, so how do we find out what is wrong?” Agis asked, concerned.
“When Guller informed me of your illnesses, we both started researching what it might be,” Elick went on. “It could have been something you caught in the tunnels under Karn City, but you should be over this by now. Food poisoning the same, you should be past it by now.”
“But there is one thing that cannot be ruled out,” Guller said. “It is entirely possible you are with child.”
“Have you lost your senses?” kDira said in disbelief. “I am not a breeder. I am a kreb!”
“You may very well be the new Queen Mother,” Elick said.
“There is just no way…” kDira said, looking at Agis. “This is your fault!”
Agis stood there, dumbfounded. He was at a loss for words.
“I must speak with the Princess Mothers at once,” kDira said, heading for the door, and Agis followed.
“Please do not follow me,” kDira asked, but it was not an order. Agis complied.
Agis had found a chair to sit in out in the town center and filled a cup with bryne. After an hour sitting under the starry sky, kDira walked out and sat next to him.
“The Princess Mothers agree with Elick,” she said. “They believe I have a child in me. Your child, Agis.”
Agis stared into his cup, not knowing what to say. Rarely did a kreb know if he was the father of a child within a tribe because a Princess Mother would often take on several mates before she discovers that she has been impregnated. Often, she would pick out the strongest and fairest of the tribe and mate with them.
Fatherhood was something that did not exist, at least not in Blackhorn. Father figures came from all over the village. Roll models came from both males and females, and could be found anywhere within the tribe. Generally, the Princess Mothers raised their offspring until they were old enough to become krebs, at about eight or nine seasons old, and often a mother would have two or three more children coming up behind them. It was a cold, but necessary process to ensure the growth of the tribe as quickly as possible.
Agis looked up and into her sad eyes.
“I cannot see myself raising child after child like a Princess Mother. I am too accustomed to being a warrior, a kreb,” kDira explained. “What kind of Princess Mother would I make?”
“Queen Mother,” Agis corrected. “You would still be our leader, but you would still be the leadership that we all need. Besides, you’re not that good of a fighter anyway,” he continued, trying to lighten her mood.
kDira backhanded him in the chest, and they both laughed. kDira needed to laugh.
Outside the city and to the north, Hayden and his handful of beaten warriors found a place to camp for the night. The two warriors helping Hayden laid him down in the soft grass in a small opening in the woods and attended to his wounds in the ever-darkening night. One of the warriors gathered some wood and started a fire.
“Svila, come over here,” Hayden spoke from his lips covered in dried blood. There was a noticeable hiss leaking from the hole in his cheek.
Svila walked over to Sylys and knelt next to him.
“What is it, my leader?” she asked, sheepishly.
Suddenly he reached out and grabbed her by the neck. The anger in his eyes was as apparent as the fear in hers.
“Why did you tell them we were coming?” he hissed.
Through Sylys’s tight clench, she managed to choke out an answer, “I didn’t, Sylys… They… already… knew.”
“How could they possibly know if you did not tell them?” he demanded, cinching his grip ever tighter.
Svila’s face was turning red, and even in the dark by the light of the fire, everyone could see that she was in agony.
“I… don’t… know….,” she forced out of her constricted larynx. “Please…, I’m… sorry…”
“I don’t accept your apology, kreb!” he said, as he squeezed every bit of her throat into his clutching fist. Then, with a sickening snap that everyone around the fire heard, Svila’s body went limp. With no further use for her lifeless body, Hayden flung her body to the side.
“Someone drag her out into the woods. Maybe the blackber will drag her off instead of us tonight?” he said with a sinister tone.
Once again, the two warriors went back to tending to Hayden’s wounds. One pulled out a bag with bandages and from it he produced a fine bone needle and some thread. Hayden took several long draughts of bryne before he was ready for what was to come.
When he gave the word, the warrior began sewing up his cheek with the needle and thread. Hayden growled in pain in protest, but did not move. He knew that if he wanted to go back to having only one mouth again, this needed to be done. It only took a few minutes, but it seemed like hours to Hayden, and when it was done, and the thread knotted off, he took several more swigs of bryne and to everyone’s relief, he passed out.
kDira and Agis retired to her hut, and at the urging of Elick, a guard was set outside, as well as outside the huts of the other Princess Mothers, Abril and Nepra.
Lying in kDira’s bed, Agis held kDira tightly. Somehow knowing that the child growing within kDira was his changed his perception of what it meant to be a father, and a mate to a female. It was uncharted territory for him, and very unlike any Blackhorn he’d ever heard of. Yet now, it just seemed natural somehow, this need to want to cradle the Queen Mother carrying his child. It seemed natural to want to see this child grow and be everything that one would want of their very own child. Above and beyond any other child Agis had ever known, this child, the one that was now fore
ver tying him and kDira together, meant so much more than he could imagine.
“Queen Mother,” he whispered in kDira’s ear.
“Stop,” she said.
“Get used to it,” he said. “Not only are you going to be the Queen Mother, but you deserve it more than anyone ever has. You are already a leader, a great leader.”
“Stop, I said,” she insisted.
“What are you afraid of?” Agis went on.
kDira remained quiet. She didn’t want to respond with the answer she had in her head. It was the same answer that she had in her head when the idea of making her a leader was first presented.
“kDira,” Agis insisted. “What are you afraid of?”
“Failing,” she said through her internal pain. “I am afraid of failing.”
“You have a lot of loyal followers that are willing to do anything it takes to ensure you do not fail,” Agis assured her.
kDira said nothing. As the stresses of the day, and the fatigue of the late hour weighed down upon her, she cried, and Agis just held her that much tighter.
In the morning, Hayden was sitting up next to the newly rekindled fire as others milled around to get him something to eat and drink, and check his wounds one more time before moving on.
“Hayden,” one of the warriors said, “would you like us to fashion a gurney to carry you back to Midlandia?”
“I would not!” he said, angrily. “Fetch me a branch that I can use as a crutch and I will walk myself. I do not need help.”
“Yes, Hayden,” the warrior said, snapping into action.
“The day I need to be carried is the day you lay me on the funeral pyre.”
As the morning progressed, the Midlanders had fashioned a reasonable facsimile of a crutch for Hayden, and once everyone had packed up and gotten ready, Hayden stood, and the entire troop began the slow march home.
kDira, once again, was up and around before most others in the village, including Agis. As she walked out into the village, she looked at all that was around her, and all those standing watch, and she thought about all those sleeping soundly at this very moment because of decisions she had made. She could not feel the baby inside her, but she knew that this child would also come to count on her every decision. Could she continue to make the right ones? She feared the worst, and she wished that Queen Dachraolene was still here; if for no other reason than to ask her what to do next.
The kDira's World Anthology Page 17