She noticed that the sun was peeking through the trees, and beginning to break over the east gate. Would it be a good day, or another day that they would have to fight for their lives in order to see the next day?
kDira wretched.
pART 3
The Karn
cHAPTER 20
Six Months Later
The lone figure, tired and frozen from the cold winter air and whipping snow, struggled through the streets of Karn City, a crutch under one arm. No one noticed the limping, broken man; everyone was inside next to a fire trying desperately to keep warm. Undeterred by the cold and snow, the cloaked man continued his way further into the city.
Ahead he could see the object of his destination, the colossal structure that he had heard so much about, many months before, the Karn Palace. Sylys Hayden, beaten and humiliated by kDira and the Blackhorn, had since driven most of his tribe away. Many more left to join the Blackhorn, some just left. By winter he had found himself alone, the anger and hate building inside him.
Slowly he hobbled along; this trip that would have taken a healthy warrior four days had taken him almost two weeks. He was tired and hungry, and glad to see the end of his journey getting nearer. If the Karn killed him this day, he was ready.
He had been told that the Karn Palace was well over twenty levels skyward, but he intended to make every step upward to make his plea to the Karn people. At the base of the Palace, he found two guards that did not even acknowledge his presence. It was true that without a king, the Karn people could do little thinking for themselves.
“Excuse me, brave Karn warriors,” he said to the two guards.
“What do you wannnnnt, outsiderrrrr?” the larger of the two Karn guards hissed. He wore a thick fur coat over some well used leather armor, and he had a long sword sheathed at his side.
“I wish to speak to your king,” Hayden said in as pleasant a voice as he could muster.
“Karn have no king, outsiderrrrr,” the Karn replied, “now be on your way. No time for you.”
“Then who is in charge, I must speak to who is in charge,” Hayden insisted.
“Council in charge. Council see no one, outssiderrrrr,” Karn again hissed.
“They will see me,” Hayden said as he turned to enter the Palace north door.
“Ssstop! Outsiderrrs do not enter the Palace alone!”
“Then I suggest you escort me in. One way or another, I am going in,” Sylys Hayden persisted.
The Karn thought about his options a moment, then turned to the other Karn guard and said, “Wait here, thisss will not take long.”
“Let’s go, outsiderrrrr,” the Karn said, opening the door and heading up the stairs.
“Slow down now,” Hayden said, “You see I have an injury,”
“Injury won’t be a problem if I kill you here,” the Karn sneered.
“You don’t want to do that,” Hayden insisted.
“Why not, outsiderrrrr?” the Karn said defiantly.
“Because I can lead you to the people that killed your king!” replied Hayden.
The Karn showed a hint of a smile.
“You tell meeee, and I will tell the council.”
“I think I will keep that to myself until we get to see the council. No need to spoil the surprise.”
The Karn huffed as he turned to continue up the stairs, slower this time. It was a long, painful climb for Hayden, but he was over his pain when he finally reached floor where the Karn said the council resided. It was not the top floor, that floor was reserved for the king. As of now, it was empty.
The door to the council room creaked opened, and the Karn guard grabbed Hayden by the arm and muscled him into the room.
“Sssorry to bother the council, but found this outsiderrrrr, he try to get in. Say he needs to talk to the council,” the Karn hissed in a most eloquent way, obviously putting on a show for the Council.
The Council appeared to consist of at least seven Karn, ordinary by appearances, though none wore the decrepit leather armor that warrior Karn wore. They didn’t sit at a table, or at a table at the end of the chamber, but were lounging over the various chairs that seemed to have just been placed anywhere in the room for no apparent reason.
Hayden limped with his crutch to within a few feet of the nearest council member. The Karn were obviously eyeing him over, and they were most certain that killing him would not be a problem for the one Karn guard there in attendance.
“Great Karn Council,” Hayden began, but he wasn’t allowed to finish his thought.
“Who are yoooouuu? What do you want, outsiderrrrr?” one of the council members near the center of the room hissed.
Hayden took a few awkward steps in his direction, but was stopped by the Karn guard.
“I am Sylys Hayden, leader of the Midlanders, great council members,” he said. “I have come here to offer my services. I know who killed your king, and I can take you to them. I offer my skills, as a leader, to lead your people to victory and gain, not one, but two breeders as a prize!”
Several of the council members rose to their feet.
“You know who killed our kinnnnng?” one of them screeched. “Who was it? Was it you, Midlanderrrr?”
“Oh no, great Karn. We are a victim of the same treachery as you,” Hayden pleaded. “We did not have a breeder of our own, so they killed my entire tribe in front of me.”
“Why would we follow yoooouuu?” the council member growled.
“It occurs to me that while you are a tribe in search of a king,” Hayden went on. “I am a king, in search of a tribe.”
“We will pick our own king, outsiderrrrr,” the Karn hissed again.
“It has been months since your king has been gone. How many have stepped up to be king?” Hayden asked. There was no answer.
“How long will you go before your tribe no longer has warriors fit to be king?” Hayden continued. “You must gain breeders soon, and you must have a king that can get you those breeders.”
“Great Karn Council,” he went on, “I am that leader you need. I can take you to the breeders, and I can avenge for you the death of your king.”
kDira was warm within her hut, a fire burning in the hearth, the scent of burning wood lingering in the air. kDira could feel the kick of her growing baby, and it warmed her as much as the burning fire, but scared her just the same. Uncertain about her future, and if she could raise a child – something she had never considered in the past.
Agis had been taking care of her as the days grew colder, and even took on the leadership role in the village. Over the past months, a few dozen more Midlanders joined the tribe after watching the deterioration of their leader take place right before their eyes.
Putting the tribe to work reinforcing the walls of the village, and adding placements for more archers around the perimeter was a top priority. Getting the village ready for winter was the next priority.
The two Princess Mothers, Abril and Nepra were also with child, and it was uncertain if they were conceived from Karn or Midlander, or even Blackhorn, but it was decided that the lineage did not matter. The tribe was already a band of misfits thrown together out of necessity. The children would be just as much Blackhorn as virtually everyone else in the tribe.
It was fortunate that the tribe, over the last few months, increased by twenty or so warriors consisting of defectors from the Midlander tribe. The word was that Hayden was quickly going insane with his hatred towards the Blackhorn, and especially kDira, and he was becoming more and more unpredictable, and would often go off in violent rages. Occasionally the target of his rage would end up dead. They had learned early not to question him.
Elick and Guller were busy coming up with ways to improve their defenses, with the constant shadowing by Noske, the young Interpreter apprentice from Midlandia. Noske was a fast learner, and was quickly finding ways to contribute to the brain pool. Elick and Guller found him very handy to have around.
Having three Interpreters w
as not only uncommon, it was unheard of. Tribes were lucky to have one. But not only did the Blackhorns now have three, they were even taking time to teach others the basics of interpreting, to decipher the symbols in the tomes to be able to gain knowledge from them. At least four others now had some basic understanding and were interpreting the smaller, less complicated tomes and scrolls.
With the walls more fortified and the huts buttoned up for winter, all they had to do was hunt, stand guard, and wait. It was certain that Hayden would not rest until he found a way to hurt kDira, and probably the rest of the Blackhorn, but they had no idea what he was planning. Numbering close to fifty, the Blackhorn were the strongest they had been since the Karn devastated their village, but it wasn’t until three more visitors showed up at the gate that day that they realized how vulnerable they just might be.
The three visitors were escorted in to see kDira, Agis and Ari stood guard of their Queen Mother. They were obviously more Midlander defectors due to their darker skin and manor of dress. They were unarmed, having left their weapons near the front gate. Two were female, one male. Noticing that kDira was with child, they began to realize that kDira was more than just the Blackhorn leader now.
“Queen kDira,” the older of the females began.
“kDira is fine. No need for formalities,” kDira corrected.
“kDira, we come to you from Midlandia with news,” the female Midlander began again.
“Please tell me Hayden is dead,” kDira said much more seriously than Agis thought appropriate.
“No, Queen… No, kDira,” the Midlander went on, correcting herself. “Sylys Hayden has left Midlandia.”
“Don’t keep us in suspense. Where did he go?” kDira, uncomfortable from her condition, and impatient because she really wanted to relieve herself but there were too many people around, had little patience for a stranger not getting right to the point.
“kDira, the last thing he talked about was going to Karn City to convince them to follow him.”
The Midlander female paused, not sure how to break the news that was weighing so heavily on her.
“Hayden wants to use the Karn to get revenge on you, on the Blackhorn.”
“Agis, get Elick and Guller in here,” she said with a hint of urgency to her voice.
Agis, not wanting to leave kDira’s side, called out to one of the warriors that were passing by and instructed them to bring the Interpreters right away.
As they waited, kDira wanted to know more about her visitors.
“What is your name, Midlander warrior?” she asked.
“My name is Blazen. My friends with me are Hrona,” she said, pointing at the other female, then the male, “and Nonham.”
Nonham was the lone male, rather skinny and younger than most. From what kDira had seen, he appeared to be the youngest Midlander she’d seen.
“Why did you wait so long to leave Hayden,” kDira asked.
“Fear, mostly. But when he started talking of going to lead the Karn, we knew then that we had to get out of there while we still could,” Blazen explained.
“I appreciate the information.” kDira said. “How long ago did he leave for Karn City?”
“About two weeks. We left the same time, but the snow and cold made the trip very difficult. We lost our way more than once.”
It was then that Elick and Guller entered the hut. kDira relayed the story that the tree Midlanders had told her.
“Do you think the Karn would accept an outsider as a leader, or a king?” kDira asked.
Guller and Elick looked at each other, questioningly. Quietly they discussed it back and forth for a moment, then Elick turned to speak to kDira.
“The Karn are not the brightest race on the planet, but they do have an instinct for survival. Who knows how long they might take to crown another king, and with Hayden stepping up and planting the idea in their heads, he might be able to convince them that he would be the best choice. “
“Plus,” Guller added, “he does have a military advantage that they wouldn’t have without him. He knows what we have, how many, and what our defenses are capable of.”
“And he is smart,” Elick continued.
“There is that, yes,” agreed Guller.
“What does that mean?” kDira asked. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well,” Guller went on, “the Karn are a force that works the philosophy that more is better. They just keep the ranks advancing until they overwhelm their enemy and win.”
“Hayden is more of a strategist,” Elick jumped in. “He would try some less blunt tactics; maybe make more strategic strikes at critical points. Less damage, fewer losses.”
“How long, do you think, it will take him to get the army ready?” kDira asked.
“From what I have heard,” Elick said, “the Karn do not like the cold. I would suggest that we be ready, but I would not expect a winter attack. I think early spring at the soonest.”
“And they will be coming for the breeders,” Agis added.
“That is a certainty,” Elick agreed.
“They do not know that kDira is a breeder,” Guller said, “so that is a good thing.”
“It doesn’t matter,” kDira said. “Hayden wants me dead. I am a prize to him either way.”
Sylys Hayden was instructed to wait outside the council chamber door as they discussed his future, or possibly lack of future, with the Karn. Hayden would never admit it, but for the first time since he was a young kreb, he was afraid. His life had boiled down to this; his alliance with a sworn enemy. Though the temperature in the outer area was quite cold, Hayden was sweating.
After what seemed like forever, the Midlander was signaled back into the chamber. This time the council members were standing in a half line opposite the door. Hayden stepped in, and the door was shut behind him.
“We think about what you said, Midlander,” the eldest one said. We find your offer… interesting.”
“We will allow you to lead an army of one hundred Karn against the Blackhorn murdererrrrsss,” another of the council members spoke up. “Bring us a breeder, and the Blackhorn leader alive, and we will declare you king of the Karn.”
“Certainly,” Hayden spoke up, “you can spare more than a mere one hundred warriors?”
“How many does a great leader like Hayden of the Midlanders need to conquer a small band of Blackhorn?”
“They will have the advantage of a walled village; we will be in the open,” Hayden countered. “Surely you can see the need for more warriors?”
“I will give one hundred. The Great Hayden of Midlandia will impress us with his leadership,” the eldest stated firmly. “You can start organizing the army tomorrow. This warrior,” he said, pointing the guard that had brought Hayden up to the council chamber, “will show you to where you will stay. I will instruct someone to bring you some food and tomorrow we will have an army ready for you to begin training.”
With that, the eldest instructed the guard to remove Hayden and take him down to his living area. The council turned and went on about their lounging. The guard grabbed Hayden’s arm and escorted him out the door, then down two flights of stairs to a floor that appeared empty.
“This is your home now, for a little while,” the Karn guard said with a laugh. He obviously thought it was funny that Hayden thought he could lead the Karn into battle. “Food here shortly, Midlanderrrrr.”
The door shut with a thud, but Hayden noticed that there was no indication of it being locked. After a few moments, he went to the door and tried to open it, and to his surprise, it opened freely.
“That is a good sign,” he said to himself, shutting the door again.
Turning, he looked over his living conditions. It was obviously, very luxurious at one time, but now, with a century of deterioration and Karn abuse, it was not looking, or smelling too nice.
The floor had, at one time, been red, but now in most places it was brown, or even black. Who knew what might be living inside those fi
bers? The chairs, though they seemed sturdy enough, had some sort of fabric covering that was all but rotting off. Only the solid wood chairs were suitable to sit on. He walked the main area, then turned to walk through the double doors on the side of the chamber. They opened to another, smaller sitting area, and the open doors to the left showed the way to the bedroom.
The bed, unlike almost everything else, seemed rather clean, and he was relieved to see that. There was a fireplace in the sitting area, with some wood stacked next to it. In just a bit of a search he found some flint, and he promptly set to making a fire. He had no more than had it lit when he heard someone come through the main door to his living quarters. He hobbled out to see that it was a Karn female with a basket in her hands.
I bring food. You Hayden?” she asked. She was a muscular woman with Karn features who looked to be about thirty years of age. “You eat now.”
She carried the basket in and placed it on a low table near a couple of chairs. Hayden limped over and sat down, expecting the most vile of cuisines, but to his surprise it appeared to be some sort of dried meat that looked to be every bit chideer or rock-goat. There were some bread loaves and a bota that he hoped held some bryne.
Without hesitation, he picked up a piece of dried meat and took a bite. Though it was a bit spicier than he was used to, it was very tasty and he finished it eagerly. To his delight, the bota bag was indeed filled with a sour but satisfying bryne, much like pongo, but it also had some sort of spice to it. The bread, though dry, filled the belly and he was not going to be picky now. He had gone many days without eating and any food was better than spending another night hungry.
“Are you going to join me?” Hayden asked of his female guest.
The kDira's World Anthology Page 18