“Yes, it was.”
“This is definitely about Malak. The Angel, that is Malak. Remember, I told you —”
“Yes, I remember.”
“What does it say, Elick?” Agis asked.
“It says, essentially, that the Angel, Malak in this case, will rule the Middle Kingdom,” Elick interpreted. “I must assume that the Middle Kingdom is Midlandia.”
“So, it is as we feared,” said Agis. “He did go to Midlandia, and now he has managed to take Winter there. I would have to guess it’s against her will.”
“Of course it’s against her will, Agis,” kDira snapped. “There is no way she would ever go with Malak willingly. You know how suspicious she is of him!”
“I know. You’re tired. I know you don’t mean to yell at me.”
kDira stopped to take a breath. “I am sorry. You are right, I am tired.”
“Does the scroll say anything else?” Agis asked.
“It warns that blood will try to take down the king. It doesn’t take much insight to see that the blood this is talking about would be you, kDira.”
“You are right it is me. I will take him down if he lays one finger on Winter. If he wants to go off and rule Midlandia, more power to him, but he better not touch our daughter.”
“It also says that blood will defeat vanity,” Elick continued.
“What do you suppose that means?” Agis asked.
“I am not certain, but it might be the loophole that could invalidate the provicy. It might be telling us that there is a way to defeat him.”
“kDira, I have Omiroe rushing to Midlandia to gather information,” Agis said. “If we gather an army quick enough, we could possibly intercept him on his way back to us. You are aware that we also lost two others”
“I do not want to take an army, especially if we are shorthanded. Who are the traitors, by the way?”
“Shamaya and Trang.”
kDira shook her head. “No, we are not taking an army.”
“kDira, we must do something. We can’t just let them have Winter.”
“I will go alone. I will talk to Malak.”
“I cannot let you do that. I will go with you, and I insist on taking a few more. Ari for one.”
“I can’t ask Ari to go. She just came off many days travel. She should stay.”
“I bet if you asked her, she would go in a second.”
“I am sure you’re right, that’s why I won’t ask her. We will meet up with Omiroe; he will join us.”
“Acetec or Oleg. I think we can trust them.”
“We will take Acetec. You, me, Omiroe, and Acetec are all we will be taking. The rest will stay here and guard the camp. Elick, you will be in charge of the guard. Make sure the village is secure with extra guards while we are gone.”
“Understood, Queen Mother.”
“Come, Agis, let’s gather the necessities and be on our way. We will leave the young ones with the Princess Mothers. We have no time to waste.”
“Do you not want to rest up a bit? You just came off the trail yourself.”
“I will rest when we get Winter back.”
“I am tired already, and we haven’t left yet.”
“Would you like to stay here?”
“No, kDira.”
“Then shut up and get your kreb butt moving.”
“Yes, kDira.”
Elick watched as they left, not even shutting the door to his hut. He casually walked over to the door and shut it.
“Be safe, Queen Mother.”
cHAPTER 22
Omiroe, though completely exhausted, managed to make his way to the walls of the Midlander village. Hiding outside the main gate, he arrived just in time to see Winter taken in through the entryway, hanging from the tree limb that Fralek and Trang were carrying, and followed by Shamaya. He considered attacking them and trying to free Winter, but he would be terribly outnumbered. He decided that this was not the time to react in haste.
As the three Midlanders and Winter passed through the gate and the door closed behind them, Omiroe turned and began his long run back down the path to the Great Highway. His, and everyone else in the Blackhorn tribe’s, worst fears have been realized.
“There’s my wonderful sister,” Malak said as the trio brought her, still hanging from the branch, into the Midlandia village. “I hope she wasn’t too much trouble.”
“She’s a fighter,” Fralek said.
“I would expect nothing less of my sister. Put her down.”
Fralek and Trang complied, dropping her on the ground at Malak’s feet, none too gently.
“She looks to be no worse for wear. I trust your adventure was enjoyable, my dear Winter?”
Winter huffed through the now dirty and dry gag still in her mouth.
“How rude of us. Untie her from the log and deliver her to my chambers. I wish to speak with my sister. Nonham, send some fresh guards and show these faithful Midlanders where their new huts are located. I apologize; your old huts have been re-occupied by some newer members of the tribe.” Then he looked at his sister being untied from the branch. “Welcome to your new home, my sister.” And with that, he turned and headed towards his hut.
Shortly, Winter was escorted into her brother’s hut, her hands still bound, and placed in a chair. Two guards stood on either side of her. Malak pulled up a chair of his own and sat in front of his sister. “Ungag her,” he ordered.
One of the guards complied, pulling the gag out of her mouth and letting it drape around her neck.
“Get her some water, she must be parched. Did they treat you well, Winter?”
Winter held her bloody wrists up to show Malak, not saying a word.
“You don’t seem to have much to say to your brother. Do you have no words of affection upon seeing me again?”
A guard handed Winter a cup, which she held up to her mouth and eagerly gulped its contents. She raised the cup toward the guard in a gesture for more. The guard complied, pouring a bit more water from the pitcher into her cup.
Again, she drank, this time considering spitting it into her brother’s face, but she felt that what she really wanted as an explanation as to what was going on.
“Why have you done this, Malak?” she asked.
“Right to the point, as always, my sister,” Malak replied. “I was going to ask how the family was doing, but if you insist on skipping the formalities, then fine, we will do that.” Malak paused to get up and pour himself a drink, but of bryne, not water. Winter watched him stroll casually, as though this were the only home he had ever known. Malak took a sip of the bryne then sat down once again.
“My dear sister, you know as well as I, that I was never a true part of the Blackhorn.”
“That is silly. You were raised a Blackhorn, trained as a Blackhorn, and mum and Agis raised you as their son.”
“Silly?” Malak laughed. “Who is the silly one? They treated me as though I bore the plague. Surely you could see it. I knew from the very start I was different, not like you. You were the golden child; you could do no wrong.”
“You never tried to be part of the family. You were always rebelling.”
“Quiet. I have listened to you enough through the years. This is my kingdom now. I am the king!”
“You are a spoiled child.”
“Silence!”
“Untie my hands and I will take you over my knee and spank you like the child you are.”
“Do you wish to be gagged again? I said silence!”
Winter then remained silent for a bit. She waited for Malak to calm down but did not let him have the next word.
“What is it you have planned for me, Malak?”
Malak smiled, knowing that she had just defied him once again, but did not act on it. Instead, he sensed it as a more civil tone and continued.
“Why, you are the Midlanders newest breeder! You will fill the kingdom with new young warriors and more breeders. They will be fine examples of what Midlanders should b
e.”
“You think I will allow you to breed with me, you sick bastard? I will die before I allow that!”
“Now, now, my lovely sister. I have no intentions of breeding with you. What kind of monster do you think I am?”
“That has yet to be determined.”
“Fair enough. But I am not so sick as to bed my own sister. No, I have some fine, healthy warriors in the tribe who will make fine breeding stock, worthy of your lineage.”
“You would just hand me over to them? You are a sick bastard.”
“I am not aware of you bleeding yet. Have you bled?”
“I would not tell you that.”
“We will find out soon enough,” Malak promised.
Turning away from Winter, Malak continued. “Guards, take her to her holding cell, get her cleaned up and fed, then we will begin breeding her. Also, have Nonham double the guards on the wall. We have no time to waste; I suspect my lovely mum will not just let this go. I expect an army to show up at our main gate soon.”
“My sister, I was hoping you would be more willing, but I see that it will have to be done the hard way.”
“Curse you, Malak! You will die at my hand. You wait! You will see!”
“We shall see who dies at whose hand.”
“Has anyone seen kDira?” Ari asked. Nobody seemed to have an answer, so Ari quickly ran to see Elick.
“You must honor her orders and stay here,” Elick reminded her after revealing kDira’s plan.
“She is walking into a trap. I do not think Winter is the prize they are after. I think she is just bait to bring kDira to their doorstep.”
“You might be right, but you must obey her orders. She is the Queen Mother.”
“I know she is the Queen Mother. Where do you think I have been all these years? I have served her loyally. I lov…” Ari said, choking on a sob. “I respect her a great deal.”
“I know how you feel about her. It is no secret. We all love our Queen Mother, but it is stronger for you. It is a path we cannot walk.”
“That has no bearing on this. I must do something. I have to make sure our Queen Mother is safe.”
“If you do go after her, I do not want to know about it. My orders are to make sure we double the guards on the walls and see that the village is safe. If you go, you go alone. We cannot afford to lose any more people for fear of putting us in danger if we are attacked.”
“I understand. I will speak no more of this. Anything I do is of my own free will and no concern of yours. Can you tell me which way they went?”
“I am not telling you that they went North to the Great Highway. If I did tell you that, it would probably upset kDira that I told you that they went North to the Great Highway.”
Ari laughed as she hugged the Interpreter. “Thank you, Elick. You are a wonderful man.”
“Good luck, Ari. Keep the Queen Mother safe, and return our Princess.”
“That is my plan,” she said, leaving the hut and heading off towards her own. She would eat a big meal, sharpen her arrows and sword, and be off under the excuse of going on a hunt.
Winter found herself in a small hut with no windows and only one door. No longer bound, she had been stripped down and clothed with the most basic of garments; a beige tunic that opened down the front, with no belt or other means of fastening it. She had to hold it closed continuously to keep her modesty from being compromised. Her wrists and ankles still burned from the ropes with which she had been tied to the log.
It was evening now, and she had been cooped up inside the hut for hours. There was a very uncomfortable-looking cot along one wall and a chamber pot for her to relieve herself on another wall, but nothing more. She waited and paced, then waited some more.
Through the cracks in the door and walls, she could tell it was growing darker outside. And then she could hear a commotion, a group of people coming her way. She readied herself to take advantage of any opening she could make use of to attack or escape.
The door opened quickly, without warning; two Midlander warriors came in and grabbed her arms before she could react. Malak followed the two in and stood before his sister.
“I trust you have had time to eat and freshen up a bit?”
Winter spat in his face without hesitation. Malak flinched just a bit, but walked to his captive, took the fringe of her tunic and wiped his face, exposing her breast in the process. She struggled to maintain her modesty, but to no avail.
“You will mother our children. You had best get used to the idea.”
“I will kill any Midlander baby that you put inside me.”
“So strong-willed, like our mother. But you are not in control here, and kDira has no control here. I want you to meet Tridan. He will be your first. He has orders not to come out until he has finished. These two here will assist him as necessary.”
“What is wrong with you, Malak? You were not raised like this.”
“I was raised an outcast within my own family! I am Sylys Malak, son of Sylys Hayden. You will do as I say in my kingdom, or you will suffer long and hard. Now, Tridan has business he must attend to. See that you do not disappoint him… or me.”
With that, Malak turned and left, and two other guards shut the door behind him. As he strode away, Nonham joined him, and scuffling could be heard within the hut behind them.
“Do you think it wise to mistreat your sister, the daughter of kDira, this way? It would be better to win her over slowly, get her more comfortable with the idea of her new role, in her new kingdom.”
“Nonham, do you doubt me?”
“I only offer suggestions. Of course, your word is final.”
“Do not forget that,” Malak said, stepping up his pace to leave Nonham behind. Nonham stopped and watched the Malak continue up towards the king’s hut. He shook his head, and then continued on towards the king’s hut himself.
cHAPTER 23
A day out from Blackhorn, kDira, Agis, and Acetec met an exhausted Omiroe, forcing himself to keep running homeward. The aging but fit warrior collapsed into the arms of Agis, who carefully sat him down on the ground at the edge of the Great Highway, north of Blackhorn.
“What did you find, my friend?” Agis asked, holding Omiroe steady. “What did you see?”
“It’s Winter,” Omiroe panted. “They have her.”
“Who does? The Midlanders?”
“Yes. Shamaya, Trang and Fralek carried…”
“What?” kDira interrupted. “Carried what?”
“They carried Winter into their village, hanging wrists and ankles from a log.”
“You were right, Agis,” kDira admitted. “We should have brought an army to destroy the Midlanders once and for all.”
“And I believe I saw Malak inside the walls as they took her through the gate,” Omiroe added.
“You have done well, Omiroe. You have a choice now,” kDira said. “You can go back to Blackhorn and rest; I would not blame you. Or you can come with us back to Midlandia to negotiate the release of Winter.”
“I see no choice in the matter. I am with you, always.”
“I am glad to hear that. We will take a rest here, get some food and drink, and be on our way.”
“Yes, Queen Mother.”
By the beginning of the next day, Ari had just cleared the Kaiba Forest to the east of Blackhorn when she heard something coming up behind her. She dropped down prone in the tall grass as she waited to see what might have been following her. She checked her breathing to not only not give her position away, but also to allow her to hear clearly the sound of what, or who, was approaching. She only wished she could quiet the sound of her own heart. Then suddenly her tracker emerged from the woods.
“Charlomine! What are you doing out here?”
“Ari, I have come to join you. I must help you rescue Winter and keep the Queen Mother, my mother, safe.”
“Absolutely not, young lady. You are only fourteen seasons old. I cannot be responsible for you out there, and you are
far too young to be getting into a battle like this. You could be seriously hurt, or killed. I cannot have that hanging over my head.”
“I don’t see as you have any choice, unless you are going to take me back to Blackhorn over your shoulder. I can take care of myself. I am as good a shot as you with a bow, and I can run faster than a chideer.”
“I don’t know about you being a better shot than me —”
“I’m a very good shot.”
“Yes,” Ari said, then paused. “Yes, you are.”
“Then you need me. I am going one way or the other. I would rather be with you, then against you.”
“But they will be worried sick back in Blackhorn when they find you missing.”
“I told Elick what I was doing. He’s the one that told me what you were up to.”
“Elick. That old dolt can’t keep his mouth shut.”
“I told him I was going either way, but it would be safer if I could catch up with you. He seemed to see the sense in that.”
“Do you think you can keep up, young kreb?”
“Do you think you can keep up, elder Ari?” Charlomine quipped.
They both laughed. Ari took a sip of bryne, and Charlomine took the cue to take a drink of the water she had brought.
“Okay, then,” Ari said. “Let us get going. We have a long way to go, and a lot is riding on us getting there before your mother and Agis get there. If we are too late, then it may all be for nothing.”
“Race you!” Charlomine said, standing up and running in an easterly direction.
“Damn kreb! Hey! It’s that way!” Ari said pointing northeast.
Charlomine adjusted her course and headed northeast. “I know!”
Ari smiled as she watched the young daughter of kDira scamper away. For a moment Ari forgot the danger she and her new tag-along might be facing. Then it all came back to her, the weight of the situation, and the danger that her friend kDira and kDira’s daughters Winter and Charlomine might be facing. She stood up and gathered her things and raced on after young Charlomine.
The kDira's World Anthology Page 36