“Now you’re just ranting,” Aiden observed calmly. “Let me know when you’re done.”
“I’m done, but you ought to know that if this fight goes badly, I’ve got no problem with deserting your doomed cause.”
“Noted,” Aiden answered. Robert continued to stare at him, fuming, but once they stopped talking, they could hear some sort of commotion coming from outside, echoing faintly along the metal tunnels.
“Does that sound like—” Robert began.
“Nellise,” Aiden finished the sentence as both men rapidly headed for the exit. Her voice became more distinct as they travelled and found the guards glaring at her. Nellise was harassing an Akoran over near the tent city.
“Is she trying to sabotage our diplomatic efforts on purpose?” Robert growled in disbelief. Aiden didn’t have an answer, though he did spot Pacian following along behind the outraged cleric, cautiously monitoring the situation yet doing nothing to calm her down.
“What happened?” Aiden asked of his old friend when he and the mercenary caught up. Pacian observed the scene with grim focus, one hand idly toying with the hilt of his vythiric dagger.
“We were walking along, talking with some of the local women when she noticed that man,” Pacian confided without taking his eyes off Nellise. “She seemed to recognize him immediately and followed him around the camp. When he told her to get lost, she started screaming at him, calling him a coward and a murderer.”
Aiden didn’t recognize his face, but the scars upon it seemed very familiar to him — burns arranged in long strokes, similar to those of the magical sceptre he had used to battle the savages. He knew then at least one of those men had survived, and Nellise had the misfortune of running into him.
“Your face is burned into my mind — I shall never forget it!” Nellise yelled at him. “How is it you walk freely among the people of Akora? Where is the justice in that? How many others have you slain in cold blood?” The scarred Akoran glared down at her, his outrage at this public humiliation growing by the moment.
Men and women around the area whispered to each other as they watched, a fact the big man was very much aware of. Pacian had moved away from the others and was slowly making his way around the back of the distracted man, the cold look in his eyes chilling even for Aiden to behold.
“You talk too much, woman,” the Akoran growled in halting Aielish. “You should know your place. Woman not tell men how to fight war!”
“I will not be silent,” Nellise snarled, the angriest Aiden had ever seen her. “You are using that word as an insult. The women of Akora are better than that, you barbarian.” She hustled over to the nearest tent and grabbed one of the women by the arm, pulling her to her feet. She was several inches taller than Nellise, with robust arms and a full figure, apparently used to work and hardship.
“From what I have seen, women do most of the work around here,” Nellise declared loudly. “They cook, clean, bear and raise your children, yet have almost no say in the internal workings of your society.” Aiden appreciated that Nellise was an educated woman, though he suspected some of the longer words were being lost on her target audience.
“Yet you take every opportunity to belittle them, tell them to stay quiet,” she pressed. “What do you contribute? You lord yourselves over the rest, taking your assumed rightful place at the head of your world, but from what I’ve seen, you have no better claim to rule than any other tyrant. The women of Akora could easily run this society. They are just as strong and determined as the men, yet they do not treat others as lesser people, or I’d wager, put helpless captives to death.”
Engrossing as her confrontation was, Aiden noticed the imposing figure of Chief Morik storming across the compound with Criosa struggling to keep up. His anger was understandable to some degree, but it was the look on the princess’s face that had Aiden worried.
“Dame Nellise, you overstep your authority,” Morik growled at her, the control evident in his voice. “How dare you accost one of my people in public! If you have a problem, you should have spoken to me first.”
“You knew of what happened to us at the hands of your people, yet this man continues to walk freely amongst you?” Nellise shot back, undaunted. “What manner of man are you who will not defend the honour of innocents? By permitting crimes of this nature to go unpunished, you are little better than the tyrant you replaced, sir!”
“It is not your place to dictate how I govern my people!” Morik roared.
“I can only hope you learn the lessons your own daughter was trying to teach you,” Nellise pressed. “You strike me as an enlightened man by the standards of your people, but if you hadn’t been so wrapped up in tradition and bowing down to the whims of the ignorant, perhaps Valennia would still be alive today. You have dishonoured her memory.”
There were a number of Akoran men in the area who listened to her tirade with growing outrage. Those who could not speak the language had others translate for them, and the environment was growing increasingly hostile. With her attention firmly upon Morik, Nellise failed to see the scarred Akoran man draw a hatchet from his belt, but fortunately, Pacian was on the alert. With a quick slice from one of his daggers, the hatchet fell to the ground, along with a line of blood that stained the snow.
The scarred warrior clutched at his hand and whirled to face Pacian with rage in his eyes. Before it came to blows however, Morik intervened.
“Enough!” he bellowed. “The Outlanders are expelled from Akoran lands. I give you one hour to leave before I have you removed.”
“Perhaps we are better off without your aid,” Nellise remarked quietly, eyeing the man who had participated in the slaughter of helpless men and women. “If you cannot treat your own people with respect, I cannot expect you to show respect for others, let alone a desire to support the pillars of civilization. May God have mercy upon you if we fail in our task.” With that, she turned and with Pacian in tow and stalked away.
“As much as I’m disappointed with the outcome of this meeting, I must say I am in total agreement with her message, if not the method of its delivery,” Criosa said quietly to Morik, whose stoic features were unreadable. “I still believe there is a brighter future for both of our peoples, but it is further off than I had hoped. I will take my people and leave immediately. You will have no further contact from us, and I expect the same from you.”
Morik remained silent as Aiden and his companions turned and followed Nellise back to the large pavilion, watching cautiously as the crowd of Akoran onlookers slowly dispersed. Unaccustomed to public displays of a controversial nature, they seemed stunned by Nellise’s words, and more than one woman looked at her with respect as she strode past.
Sayana stood watching the proceedings with her father at the entrance to the pavilion, concern evident upon her face even as her eyes were brimming with tears. As Nellise approached, Sayana moved forward to embrace her. At first uncertain of the reason, Aiden looked at Kerik and noted that his jaw was set in an obstinate line, and he looked upon his daughter with hard, flinty eyes.
“We’re leaving,” Nellise whispered to the sorceress, who sniffled and wiped the moisture from her eyes. What few supplies they had left in the tent were quickly gathered up by the ladies, while Robert stood across from Kerik, observing him meaningfully. Kerik made a move towards Sayana, possibly to get her attention, but one raised gauntlet from the steely-eyed mercenary stopped him in his tracks. Once they had left the tent and moved away from the area a little, Robert stepped in and stood nose-to-nose with the shaman, one hand on his sword.
“I didn’t hear what you said to her, but I can take an educated guess,” Robert growled quietly. Kerik didn’t back down, but neither did he make a move against the dangerous man. “Akora’s hatred of magic is well known, despite the crazy bullshit I’ve heard shaman’s like you perform. You’ve got a bit of a double-standard there, but I’m not going to judge you on that. Treating your own flesh and blood like a monster, now that’s some
thing I take issue with. That daughter of yours has more courage in her thumb than half of your goddamned people put together. I ought to know, because she kicked my sorry behind halfway to hell and back.”
“I have no power,” Kerik retorted in surprisingly clear Aielish. “I am simply the conduit for the will of our ancestors. To compare Those Who Walk Among Us to the unholy power Sayana is afflicted with is an affront to all the generations that have come before me. Hers is a power without heart or soul, the living energy stripped of anything found in nature, and corroding everything it touches.”
“What about your wife?” Robert pressed. “Was she an affront to you as well? Or did you try and ‘cure’ her of her ‘affliction’?” His voice dropped to little more than a whisper. “Do her screams haunt you at night?”
“Enough!” Kerik spat. “I will not be lectured to by an Outlander on the manner in which we conduct our lives. Your people have done enough harm here today — begone, and take your uncouth women with you.” Robert sneered back at the old shaman as he slowly turned and began to follow the path taken by the rest of them, with Aiden falling into step beside him.
“Don’t ever tell Sayana I did that,” Robert asked of Aiden as they trod through the snow.
“What, defend her honour? Yeah, women hate that,” he drawled as they hurried to catch up to the rest.
* * *
They headed west, leaving the flat country of the High Plains and entering the frozen, rocky slopes of the Highmarch Mountains. Towering pine trees, all but absent on the plains, appeared with greater frequency as the day wore on, and signs of life were returning to the frozen slopes as spring finally began to impact the higher altitudes of southern Aielund.
It was Criosa’s intention to cut directly across to the fort, which lay over forty miles away. Given the difficult conditions, this would probably take them nearly two days. Aiden walked apart from the others for a time, hoping to speak privately with Salinder without the others overhearing. Thankfully, Robert hadn’t mentioned anything he’d learned in the cave, for Aiden dreaded the discussion that would erupt if the rest of his companions learned their primary weapon against the Ironlord was broken.
“Salinder, we need to talk,” Aiden whispered as he carefully moved through the brilliantly lit snow-covered landscape.
I am listening, the sword replied in his mind with a strong, deep voice. If Aiden hadn’t heard of the dragon spirit’s faded state back in the cave, he wouldn’t have guessed Salinder was on the verge of truly dying.
“How much time do you have left?”
That cannot be quantified, given the unknown variables in such an equation, came the glib response.
“Stop avoiding the issue,” Aiden whispered harshly. “We may face the Ironlord and its army within days — will you last that long?”
Even if I do, I no longer have the power to destroy it, Salinder admitted.
“Do you know of any other way to harm it?”
If I did, do you not think I would have tried other measures already? I had a limited window of opportunity to exact my revenge upon it, and that window has now closed. I… The dragon’s voice trailed off for a moment in mid-sentence.
“Sal?” Aiden whispered, alarmed at the sudden silence which grew longer until he realised Salinder wasn’t going to continue. A chill ran along Aiden’s spine as he came to realize just how far gone his ally was.
“Go back to sleep, Sal,” he whispered, then he hurried to catch up with the others while he pondered the implications.
As the sun sank below the horizon, Sayana suggested they make camp for the night in a sheltered copse. It was the first time she had spoken since leaving Akora, for nobody had tried to force a conversation with her during the journey.
Later, they sat around the campfire and ate a simple meal Sayana had cooked for them. There was a measure of caution amongst the group following the events in Akora, and a certain weariness that cast a pall over the meal. So, it was a surprise when Sayana began to speak.
“I lived in this area for many months after I was abandoned,” she began, her green eyes catching the light of the fire. “There are some caves around here that provide good shelter in the winter, and small game is plentiful. I think my people expected me to starve out here, but my father had taught me to hunt and survive, because he knew what would happen to me if my true nature was discovered.”
“If he saw it coming, why didn’t he stop it?” Robert asked.
“My father was torn between his love for me, and the pressure of dealing with the impact my mother and I were having on our society,” Sayana explained. “At least, that’s what he told me. He reminded everyone that killing a witch would bring a curse on the killer, just to make sure nobody tried to murder me in the night. I suppose I should be grateful for what little he did for me, but he thinks I’m just as tainted as the others believe me to be. I don’t think I’ll ever return to Akora not after today.”
“It’s their loss,” Robert said with a shrug.
“What did happen to your mother?” Pacian asked of Sayana. “She was alive when you were kicked out, right?” She didn’t answer immediately, and Aiden suspected she was steeling herself to deal with some unpleasant facts.
“I never knew, until I spoke to my father about it,” she said without emotion. “When Sarissa learned of my exile, she went berserk, slaying the men who had thrown me out and threatening to destroy a good part of the tribe if she didn’t get her answers. Alone, she was no match for the combined might of the Akoran shamans. She was burned at the stake that very evening.” Nellise and Criosa gasped at this revelation, and Aiden could barely believe it himself.
“I bet Kerik was watching the whole thing, too,” Robert grunted. “He could have at least had the courage to stand by his woman until the end.”
“You must have been furious,” Pacian remarked, simmering with rage. “Why didn’t you take revenge on that despicable bastard when you were alone together? He must have known what his people were going to do to his wife.”
“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it,” Sayana whispered back, “but if I were to do so, if I summoned all my power and scattered his body to the winds, I would only be confirming their opinion of me. Ultimately, I have to be better than that if I truly want to effect change and honour my mother’s memory.” Nellise put her arm around Sayana’s shoulder and held her close, a tear trickling from her cheek.
“You two have had an eventful day,” Criosa remarked, wiping moisture from her own eyes. “I have a world of respect for you both, for things could certainly have turned ugly had you decided to seek revenge. I don’t think any of us would have objected. I only wish I had known everything that happened to you in the past prior to coming here, for then I might not have been so forceful in my desire to gain the Akorans as allies.”
“It took a lot of effort to tell you of this even now,” Sayana explained with a tired voice. “I’m still not entirely used to sharing such personal information, but you’ve all done so much for me over the past few months — if I can’t trust you, who can I trust? Anyway, I am utterly spent, so if you’ll excuse me I’m going to sleep.”
“I think we should all turn in, for tomorrow, we arrive at Fort Highmarch, where the real work begins,” Criosa said.
“We should set guards through the night, this close to Akoran lands,” Robert advised. “I’d volunteer, but I could use some kip first.”
“I’ll take the first watch,” Aiden offered, adjusting his sword belt as he stood up.
“I’ll relieve you after midnight,” the mercenary agreed as he settled down by the fire. Pacian and Nellise found each other, as expected, and curled under a blanket together, while the other two women settled into their bedrolls for the night.
Aiden stepped outside the range of the firelight and magically shifted his vision so he could see by the faint moonlight coming through the overhead clouds. Finding a nearby tree to lean on, he craned his neck around and made sur
e all was safe before taking out one of the scroll cases strapped to his back and retrieving the belt that was coiled up within.
Precious gemstones embedded into the buckle indicated it held a powerful incantation, and shifting his vision once more he could see the aura of power suffusing it. A number of runes were etched around the edge of the buckle, and with a simple word Aiden knew he could invoke the power of the device. He recognized several of the sigils upon it as protective designs, and silently thanked his benefactors for allowing him to use what was clearly an ancient and powerful device.
Aiden was suddenly jolted out of his reverie by the sound of somebody approaching from the camp. He relaxed when he saw Criosa creeping through the snow-covered forest toward him, her blond hair visible even in the dim light.
“You should be sleeping,” Aiden advised in a quiet voice, releasing the hilt of his sheathed sword.
“I tried, but there are things waiting for me in my dreams,” she whispered back, wrapped tightly in her blanket and appearing exhausted. “Do you mind if I stand watch with you for a while?”
“I could use an extra pair of eyes,” Aiden replied with a wan smile, his concern for the woman he had grown to both admire showing in his voice.
“We didn’t do well today,” she continued. “Akora has several thousand warriors deep in their territory, none of whom will be coming to our aid this week.”
“You couldn’t have known they’d be on the verge of a civil war,” he suggested. “I also think it’d be the height of hypocrisy to accept the aid of a people whose laws and traditions we find so abhorrent.”
“Right now, I’d ally with Tulsone if it would save our Kingdom.”
Soldiers of Legend Page 21
