Kiku and I woke up early to get a head start on the day. I even requested that we eat a portable breakfast. The inn’s answer was to hand us two large bread rolls filled with hot vegetables, pieces of chicken, and a thin coating of sweet sauce that excited my tongue. Buns in hand, we followed the main western road. The paved path of stone ideally led to a trade town by the Siti Bin River’s eastern shore, where Thiet’s trade goods found a buyer on the other side of the river in Shia.
Despite being no warrior, Kiku assured me her time prowling Pukam Forest made her more than adept enough to endure how much I planned to walk in our travel days. I could hire the coach service available throughout the route if I wanted to squander a good amount of our coin, but that would not get us to Siti Bin much faster, and we needed to save our standards for unseen expenditures.
At noon we ate and rested for an hour, though it appeared Kiku did not need it. Villages with small inns, taverns, obliging farmers, and carriage stations provided travelers with surfeit choices to sleep and eat in. However, with neither of us having trouble finding a decent sleep under a calm sky, we hoarded our coin for the next two nights by electing to camp without a roof over our heads. Kiku earned plenty of experience looking out for anyone who might stumble upon her hideouts in Pukam, so I trusted her to keep a sharp watch for trouble when I slept.
Trouble here meant bandits. The nearby Fulns gave determined criminals a thousand places to hide after robbing a single man or entire caravan. Mercenaries defended the road, but they mainly paid attention to wealthier caravans and travelers, and that’s if the mercenaries themselves didn’t have connections to the bandits. Without another warrior by my side, the possibility of being ambushed by bandits concerned me to the point I got off the road and sought cover anytime a branch snapped or when nature became too quiet.
A gloomy, overcast sky met us on the third evening. I enacted my plan to circumvent insinuations of bad intentions when I heard the neighing of a trotting horse somewhere behind us. Kiku and I squatted behind a cluster of tall shrubs just as Kiku pointed out the animal to me. I still didn’t see it until the horse crossed the road well to the south of us. It wore a saddle, but no rider sat upon it. The renounced mount appeared to have an embedded arrow in its hindquarters, provoking its unbroken trot. The wounded creature disappeared back into the patchwork of woods that grew between the last village and the next.
We waited several minutes after the distressed din died down to ensure that whatever caused the horse harm did not catch us out of our hiding place. I gave the all clear once no danger made itself known in that time. Clarissa or Odet would surely compel me to investigate the disturbance, but I didn’t see them around.
Less than half an hour later and we arrived at a single tavern village. Not opposing Kiku’s request to eat a warm meal before finding a spot in the woods to sleep in, the two of us entered the tavern.
The regular business from travelers gave the owners the coin to maintain a bright, cozy atmosphere in the modest building. However, my bowl of rice and vegetables tasted overcooked. With the place packed with patrons, I forgave the blunder and ate the food with the pair of sticks stuck in the food. Combined with my ability to twirl knives around my fingers without cutting myself, observing Kiku perfectly eat with the sticks gave me enough to handle the utensils without looking too stupid.
Despite huddling against a corner, my appearance drew quite a bit of attention in a place unused to foreign visitors, including the tavern owner. Kiku told everyone I was her prestigious bodyguard from across the sea. Naturally, that made her a dignitary worthy of such protection. I thought the pet gorilla waiting for her back home in Shia was a nice touch. A kindly farmer offered to take us in for the night to hear a couple of our adventures, but we did not get a chance to decline it.
A brash voice of a woman burst through the tavern door. She called for the aid of a healer. A child’s life depended on one. A barmaid answered that the healer was indeed here. An old man holding a bronze staff not much thicker than a thumb stood up from his seat next to other elders.
Through his frayed beard, his hoarse voice asked, “Where is the child?”
“Here, here,” responded the deliverer of bad news.
“Hurry, bring him to me.”
Those that had been standing made way for the short-haired woman in hunter’s garb. The blue boy in her arms wore a high-quality red cape and a purple shirt of velvet. A table near the healer was hastily cleared in time to lay the boy’s body down. The healer’s hand stroked the boy’s forehead as he bent down to rest his head on his chest.
People crowded the huntress, blocking my view of the healer. They demanded to know how she encountered the child. She described how she stumbled upon two carriages empty of its occupants and their horses either stolen or on the loose. A search of the area had her find at least two lifeless bodies and a half dead bodyguard, who informed her of the unconscious child he hid in some bushes.
“Is he still alive, you think?” a barmaid asked the hunter.
“I’m going back to check,” she answered.
“Aye, me too!” said a patron.
Grabbing a butcher knife sheathed in his apron’s pocket, the tavern’s proprietor, Kazuhiko, said, “Those spineless whoresons might still be in the area. They snatched one of Master Moul’s hardiest stallions not last week! They’re getting far too close for comfort. Anyone who can swing an axe or cast a spell needs to come with us.” Turning to Kiku, the large, roundish man asked, “What of your prized bodyguard, Lady Du? Care to lend him to us?”
A wry smile beamed at me. “Well, care to help?”
I lowered my mug of water, knowing full well I could not disregard this call for help. No one here looked like a warrior, so hardened bandits would certainly kill a few of them without capable help. To the man who requested my services, I said, “I’ll require your finest tobacco when I get back.”
“Done. Someone get us some horses and dogs!”
While the animals were being retrieved, someone asked how the child fared.
“The lad is holding on,” answered the healer. “A spell of ice struck his delicate form, but a gentle flame over his heart should bring him back. He may have to lose a finger or toe, however. Ah, too soon to tell.”
“Where is your apprentice, Master Ha-Sun?” asked Kazuhiko. “We’ll need him if we wish to save the bodyguard.”
“Young Chae should be working in my medicine hut. Pick him up on your way.”
Minutes later, Kiku and I followed the hunter and the volunteers outside when we heard dogs barking. Getting them from somewhere in the tavern, a barmaid handed out axes and a couple of swords to everyone who needed a weapon. Not including the hunter’s heartier example, five gnarled horses and four excited dogs were gathered on short notice.
My riding skills had still not improved a great deal, but Kiku stated that her ability to steer a horse equaled her ability to swallow Akachii whole. So as best as I could manage it, I took the reins and had my gray horse trail its galloping brethren for the three or four miles we needed to cross. First we took a half mile detour northeast of the village outskirts to acquire the apprentice, who may have been a touch intoxicated going by how much he fumbled getting on the hunter’s horse.
The horses were running out of breath just as the hunter slowed her horse to canter off the flattened dirt path. Kazuhiko kindled a lantern to light the way. A man not much older than me cast a quavering fireball over his hand for the same purpose. These flames did little to brighten the outline of a carriage on its side farther up ahead. Partly because I wanted to and partly because I had some trouble stopping the dumb horse, I headed for the carriage.
Once I succeeded in halting the horse, I dismounted and told Kiku to get off and hold the reins. From the ground I could tell that the carriage must have overturned when its horses pulled it off the road and down a drop off two feet deep. I jumped on to the door, lit a dragon stone, separated the flame from the rock, and looked insid
e. No one alive or dead. I expanded my search from there.
An arrow at the base of a tree, shards of ice floating in a growing puddle, and a mess of hoof prints, provided more clues that a disaster occurred to the carriage passengers. The less subtle sign came when I saw the second empty carriage and a poorly armored man lying on his stomach with two arrows sticking out his back. I figured him to be the coachman. His fist clutched at something. I pulled apart his frigid fingers and freed a small green shoe.
As I stood back up with the shoe in hand, Kazuhiko jogged up to me and said, “Poor bastard is barely hanging on. Big gash above his hip. Chae will do his best, but I fear it is too late… Whatcha got there?”
I handed him the item and let my flame dwindle to nothing. “A child’s shoe. I remember the boy in your tavern had both his shoes on.”
“Gods curse them all! How can a man be so heartless? To whisk away a child while they scream and cry for their mother?”
“Unless her body is somewhere around here, I assume the mother has also been taken. We’re dealing with slavers.”
Coming closer, Kiku said, “The Fadraeesa, more like.”
“I fear you’re right, Lady Du,” said Kazuhiko.
“Who are they?” I asked Kiku.
“Bandits aren’t the first to use the Fulns as their asylum. Not every ancient tribe accepted the message of the true gods. Some fought to keep their obsolete way of life. They lost, of course. The Fadraeesa in particular retreated into the Fulns, and there they practice an old religion that occasionally calls for human sacrifices.”
“They ought to take the bandits themselves, but cowards don’t like victims that fight back,” added the proprietor. “Despicable.”
“Rumors say the Fadraeesa have access to a vlimphite mine. They’ll offer a few raw vlimphite crystals to the criminal sect every time they want more sacrifices.”
“We have to chase the fuckers down before they reach their hideout. There’s still a chance we can catch up if they’re laden with extra people.”
“They still have a head start,” I said. “And I don’t see dead bandits. They hit fast and hard. These are not unskilled enemies. We should leave this to trained and properly equipped warriors.”
“Aye, we will. As much as I desire to execute them myself, I know we’ll be outmatched in a straight fight. What I want to do is track them down and wait for real soldiers to catch up and do something other than allowing them to escape. Then they’ll learn not to attack so close to my home again.”
“Or you only succeed in making your village the target of retribution.”
“A possibility, such as the possibility of my death, but I’ve lived long enough.” He opened his hand to show me the little shoe. “This child has not. Look, you don’t have to go with us. Your charge is Lady Du, and I cannot ask that you bring her into greater danger. I will ask that you tell every able-bodied soul you see about us, and give your horse to anyone who wishes to lend their support. I thank each of you for coming this far.”
Kazuhiko bowed and left to rejoin the others.
“Ah, there goes a man of conviction,” said Kiku. “I doubt the others will really want to chase after the bandits, but they’ll follow him nonetheless.”
I clenched my left fist. “Are you making fun of my conviction, Lady Du?”
“A little. I just find this scene interesting. A fat man who helps people get drunk for a living is about to get on an old horse and ride into the dark to chase some slavers, and all the while a young dragon knight has his feet stuck to the ground.”
“You want me to get involved?”
“I want you to embrace who you are. You lost half a soul, yet you chose to fight the Advent in Uratama knowing you couldn’t win. Now that same half-soul is worried about a few slavers. These are two different men.”
“That they are. The first man had capable allies to help him. The second has ill-prepared villagers.”
“Why should any villager or ally even matter? What do you want to do, Mercer? Shall we leave? I won’t think any less of you if you do, but I get the sense that you don’t. Isn’t interrupting a rape what snapped you out of a spell? Didn’t you tell me to warn as many people as possible to get out of Uratama? Surely you must care here.”
I grunted like my dragon would. “Aye, maybe I do want to go hunting for slavers, but I also want to make it back to Tawahori alive.”
“And you believe men pathetic enough to attack a family are a true threat to you? They may have shown some skill attacking two carriages, but they have no experience against dragon fire or your blade. If you want any chance of accepting corruption back into your soul, then fear cannot be present in your decisions. Fear always leads to the worst of your futures, Mercer. Are you that afraid of mortal men? Do you think such low-born scoundrels hold any sway over your fate?”
Exempting Chae, the nigh dead bodyguard, and the young villager with the shaky flame, I watched everyone mount their steed. A few of them gazed in my direction, no doubt worried that the best warrior in the group looked to be staying behind.
“Removing my fear of scoundrels will not make me invulnerable to them.”
“It will make you less vulnerable. But hey, it sounds like you’re just not ready yet. We yet have weeks before you need to be.”
Kiku handed me the reins so she could get on the horse. I knew her last words were meant to agitate me. And why shouldn’t that work? After all, she was right about my fear. I lost half my soul, my sword, my friends, and my corruption. Why shouldn’t I be afraid? The hooves drummed deeper into the woods. Those damn villagers must have been afraid, right? What did they have to embrace except their plots of land? Yet a single brave soul was all that it took to spur them on.
Fuck it! I could always run if the slavers turned out to be too much. Besides, whether or not I accepted corruption back into my life, I needed to find out how much warrior remained after losing so many of my advantages. How much could I handle? Who knows, maybe pushing myself to my limit or beyond it would definitively answer whether a higher being had any vested interest in me.
I jumped on the horse and had the heavy-eyed animal follow the others. I practically felt Kiku’s smile through my cloak, shirt, and armor.
Chapter Thirteen
The hunter, being a natural tracker and knowing the land better than any of us, led the search. Though the idea was to catch up to our quarry, we could not force our horses to gallop at full speed that often. Apart from being uninspiring examples of equine vitality, the darkness and uneven, sylvan terrain made it likely that even a war horse in its prime would stumble and injure itself at some point.
The Fulns bulged out of the ground thirty miles to the north. Supposing the slavers were slowed by their living load, they would still reach the jagged hills an hour or so before we did. That’s when the horses they stole would become an even bigger inconvenience, though I expected they conceived some method to conceal their breathing plunder or they would not bother filching horses in the first place.
Perhaps indicating how well the slavers planned their attack, a drizzle of rain fell an hour into the pursuit. As luck would have it, the drizzle did not transition into anything heavier, so if the villains hoped for falling water to disguise their escape, they stood a better chance at getting their own spit to do a better job than the sky.
For another two hours anyone with night adjusted eyes could discern the hoof prints and disturbed ground from atop their horse. Following the signs of our enemy heightened in difficulty when more and more rocks replaced dirt and grasses. The woodland became less dense at this point as well, not that it was that crammed with trees to begin with. If it wasn’t for the clouds and drizzle, I would already be worried about bandit lookouts in the Fulns spotting us.
During our latest rest period, a few of us went up ahead to find the next set of prints. Lots of loose rock and flattened stones made finding tracks problematic, but one dog seemed to have little trouble following a scent that had been
presented to him back at the attack site. One of the scents offered to him came from the child’s shoe.
The hound impatiently led us on a northeastern path for a few hundred yards until we came upon an open patch of damp dirt. Thanks to the pitted, unsecure nature of the rocky landscape around it, our quarry had to use this path to get closer to the Fulns. However, as evidenced by the single group of hoofs prints dividing into two smaller groups, the slavers had taken a precautionary measure against being easily tracked from this point on. One set went north while the other headed northeast. Our hound appeared most intent on going east.
“Hmm, what now?” asked Kiku.
“We go east,” I replied.
“Why not north?” asked Kazuhiko.
“The dog prefers east. Anyway, there’s almost no woodland left to cover our progress to the north, and we can’t risk splitting this group in half to track both sets of prints. I’m going to need everyone’s support if something goes wrong.”
“What kind of support? Do you have a plan?”
“Aye, I do. Mae and I will be able to sneak forward while the rest of you stay close to the horses and dogs. In the event you hear one or both of us screaming for our lives, then you can send the whole group to our position. With any luck, seeing horses and dogs charge after them will make the bandits think a much larger force is coming and they’ll retreat long enough for us to make our escape. Does that sound good to you?”
“Eh, it’s better than exposing ourselves and making a ruckus. At least a patrol or two has to be tracking us by now. By morning we might have an actual force to scare the bastards.”
“Maybe, but we can’t plan for what may or may not happen. Let’s get back on our horses and push them one more time. We’ll stop once we find a good place to hide them in case the sky clears. Then Mae and I will go on foot the rest of the way.”
The Dragon Knight and the Light Page 14
