thought.
“Mahai,
is there any way up the back side of that escarpment?”
“Yes,
but it would take some time to get there.”
Aiyan
lay quiet for a moment.
“Belay
that talk,” Lerica whispered sharply. “There’s two dozen trained Baskillian
killers up there with him. You’ll never get close to him while he’s with his
army. We have done all that we can.”
She
looked to Kyric for support and continued. “We know the strength and the
location of his troops, and we know they won’t be marching right away. We
should go back to King Tonah and report what we’ve seen.”
“Maybe
the three of you should do exactly that,” Aiyan said. “Anyone on watch tonight
will be near exhaustion. I’ll stay and look for an opportunity.”
Mahai
slid back off the rock, taking a knee and signaling Aiyan to join him. “There’s
more at stake here than you and Soth Garo. Men are taking his blood here
before our eyes. If they are doing so because of threats to their wives and
children, it is because they are hostages. I need to scout around and see
what’s going on in the village. Maybe I can find where the unconverted
Silasese are being held, maybe talk to them.”
“What
good will that do?” Lerica said.
“I
can’t say. Maybe they know something about Soth Garo that we don’t know.
Maybe they’re only shut away in their houses and we can rescue some of them.”
“I
suppose you are simply going to go among them,” Kyric said.
“The
right headdress, a little face paint, and they will think I’m Hariji. I know
enough of their pig-tongue to fake it.” He stood and peered over the boulder.
“I just need someone with a big head. There’s a likely candidate.”
A
hunter had left the swirling mass surrounding the fire, staggering across the
field to find a shady spot along the tree line. He sat down, and his head
slumped forward.
Mahai
smiled. “I’d better go get him before someone wakes him up.”
Aiyan
gave him a hard look. “Don’t get caught.”
CHAPTER 6: Seahorse
It
was an hour before Mahai came back. A line of dark clouds rushed at them from
over the sea. The rains would begin soon.
Mahai
had been able to scrape some purple paint off the face of his victim, and with
the headpiece and Hariji tunic — a rectangle of red and black cloth with a head
hole, held down by a stringy belt — he really did look different. And off he
had gone, sauntering across the clearing, shouting with the crowd when another
Silasese took the blood, joining the turning circle, going halfway around and then
disappearing. Soth Garo continued to give his blood. The line of fifty men
had been reduced to no more than a dozen.
“The
remaining Silasese are being held all together,” Mahai said as he wiped away
the paint and changed back into his own clothing, “inside an open enclosure,
just below the drop off at the far side of the clearing.”
“How
many hostages?” Aiyan said.
“Several
hundred.”
“Guards?”
“About
thirty.”
“How
much of a drop?”
“Enough
to break your leg,” Mahai said. “There’s only two ways down: A cut in the
rocks where they’re bringing the men up, and a ladder near the north side of
town, at the head of the path that runs through the woods to the wedding
house. You know, where they came out earlier.”
“What
about the town?”
“It’s
a mess, but it’s nearly deserted right now. There is a camp about a quarter
mile south along the road — maybe a few hundred more Hariji there.”
“What
are they doing?”
“Resting.”
Aiyan
nodded. “A fresh reserve in case of the unexpected. I’m sure they’ll be used
as guards tonight.”
“So
can we go now?” Lerica asked.
Kyric
blinked in surprise. “I though you weren’t afraid of anything.”
“I’m
not. I’m just bored.”
Aiyan
ignored them, saying to Mahai, “Thirty guards. Are any of Soth Garo’s men
“Mahai,
is there any way up the back side of that escarpment?”
“Yes,
but it would take some time to get there.”
Aiyan
lay quiet for a moment.
“Belay
that talk,” Lerica whispered sharply. “There’s two dozen trained Baskillian
killers up there with him. You’ll never get close to him while he’s with his
army. We have done all that we can.”
She
looked to Kyric for support and continued. “We know the strength and the
location of his troops, and we know they won’t be marching right away. We
should go back to King Tonah and report what we’ve seen.”
“Maybe
the three of you should do exactly that,” Aiyan said. “Anyone on watch tonight
will be near exhaustion. I’ll stay and look for an opportunity.”
Mahai
slid back off the rock, taking a knee and signaling Aiyan to join him. “There’s
more at stake here than you and Soth Garo. Men are taking his blood here
before our eyes. If they are doing so because of threats to their wives and
children, it is because they are hostages. I need to scout around and see
what’s going on in the village. Maybe I can find where the unconverted
Silasese are being held, maybe talk to them.”
“What
good will that do?” Lerica said.
“I
can’t say. Maybe they know something about Soth Garo that we don’t know.
Maybe they’re only shut away in their houses and we can rescue some of them.”
“I
suppose you are simply going to go among them,” Kyric said.
“The
right headdress, a little face paint, and they will think I’m Hariji. I know
enough of their pig-tongue to fake it.” He stood and peered over the boulder.
“I just need someone with a big head. There’s a likely candidate.”
A
hunter had left the swirling mass surrounding the fire, staggering across the
field to find a shady spot along the tree line. He sat down, and his head
slumped forward.
Mahai
smiled. “I’d better go get him before someone wakes him up.”
Aiyan
gave him a hard look. “Don’t get caught.”
CHAPTER 6: Seahorse
It
was an hour before Mahai came back. A line of dark clouds rushed at them from
over the sea. The rains would begin soon.
Mahai
had been able to scrape some purple paint off the face of his victim, and with
the headpiece and Hariji tunic — a rectangle of red and black cloth with a head
hole, held down by a stringy belt — he really did look different. And off he
had gone, sauntering across the clearing, shouting with the crowd when another
Silasese took the blood, joining the turning circle, going halfway around and then
disappearing. Soth Garo continued to give his blood. The line of fifty men
had been reduced to no more than a dozen.
“The
remaining Silasese are being held all together,” Mahai said as he wiped away
the paint and changed back into his own clothing, “inside an open enclosure,
just below the drop off at the far side of the clearing.”
“How
many hostages?” Aiyan said.
“Several
hundred.”
“Guards?”
“About
thirty.”
“How
much of a drop?”
“Enough
to break your leg,” Mahai said. “There’s only two ways down: A cut in the
rocks where they’re bringing the men up, and a ladder near the north side of
town, at the head of the path that runs through the woods to the wedding
house. You know, where they came out earlier.”
“What
about the town?”
“It’s
a mess, but it’s nearly deserted right now. There is a camp about a quarter
mile south along the road — maybe a few hundred more Hariji there.”
“What
are they doing?”
“Resting.”
Aiyan
nodded. “A fresh reserve in case of the unexpected. I’m sure they’ll be used
as guards tonight.”
“So
can we go now?” Lerica asked.
Kyric
blinked in surprise. “I though you weren’t afraid of anything.”
“I’m
not. I’m just bored.”
Aiyan
ignored them, saying to Mahai, “Thirty guards. Are any of Soth Garo’s men
Similar Books
