by Lori Holmes
“Now!”
As one, his men rose from their positions and let their spears fly at the fleeing herd. Two fell to the attack. The rest of the beasts did not look back as they bolted away into the snow, interested only in saving their own hides. Eldrax let them go; he did not have time for sport and two beasts were more than enough to feed his men. A joyous crow went up around him in celebration of the successful hunt.
Eldrax savoured the jubilation in his effective leadership for a couple of moments before snapping: “Silence! Take what we need and do it quickly.”
In the open, the scent of blood would carry on the breeze. Wolves or worse would be honing in on their position before long. Much as he enjoyed a fight, Eldrax was conscious of the warmth of the Light Bringer slipping over his skin and how, with each passing moment, the witch that he sought was getting further away from him, perhaps even now running into the arms of another. Wrestling with other predators was not a luxury he could permit himself.
“Hurry!” He barked when he felt that his men were not working fast enough in butchering their kills. He did not permit time for a fire to be set and so they ate the fresh meat raw. The men obeyed willingly enough so he pretended not to see the fresh resentment on their tired faces. They had been hoping for a respite long enough at least to have a cooked meal.
It still took too long, by the time Eldrax had cleaned his bloody fingers and mouth in the snow, the light of the day was already waning; the winter days were frustratingly short. Eldrax shrugged off the inconvenience. They would travel through the night. He wanted Juran’s witch in his clutches by dawn.
On they ran, through the shadows, cursing often in the blackness as their reckless speed caused them to trip on hidden rocks and stumble over pitfalls in the land before they could be seen. Dawn broke to find them weary with frustrations simmering to breaking point but still Eldrax had not got his wish. As the light of a new day spilled over the snowy ground, empty handed, he was forced to rest his failing men.
There was still no sign of his quarry. The faintest tug of desperation took a hold in his heart. His men dared not look him in the eye for fear of rousing his temper. He knew he was losing their respect again but he would not show weakness and give up. He would succeed, even if he had to chase her all the way to her accursed forests. Driving his men harder than even he thought he could, Eldrax led them in the pursuit of Juran’s mate for another whole day and night. He even risked thinning their forces by sending out scouts to extend their ground coverage.
Eldrax mounted a low rise as dawn broke over their third day of pursuit and peered into the distance, sure that this time she had to be within his sight.
Nothing.
No small vulnerable form struggling through the snow in a last desperate bid to get home. Eldrax paced back and forth as his rage and frustration crawled under his skin, fighting to break out. He was not used to being thwarted by his prey. There was no way in the Nine Gods that she could have travelled this fast. His mind worked furiously. If she had not come this way then where could the witch have gone? Juran had no friends among the other Cro clans. Tanag had been right, she had nowhere to go other than back to her own people.
“You have failed, Eldrax.”
Cold shock shot through him as Eldrax spun to face Hanak. The other warrior stood before him without deference. The remaining men whom he had not sent forth to scout were gathering behind Hanak in support. He snarled at them, baring his teeth.
“We have chased this witch on your command for four days and nights and we are no closer to catching her now as we were when the pursuit began. It is madness! A true chief would see that.”
“I am your true chief!” Eldrax screamed as he raised his spear. The men behind Hanak shifted apprehensively but their faces were determined as they gripped their own weapons.
“Chief Eldrax!”
Haleb, the youngest of the group, came running over the snow from the scouting mission Eldrax had sent him on. Oblivious to the brewing fight he had just returned to, the boy’s blue eyes were bright with excitement. “There is another camp to the west. I did not approach for the risk of being caught but I believe it to be the Eagle Clan.”
Eldrax’s heart gave a leap. He turned away from Hanak and his rebellious supporters to face the direction Haleb had indicated. The barest movement on the horizon caught Eldrax’s roving gaze, curling and insubstantial. His lips peeled back from his teeth.
The telltale column of smoke grew in his vision until it was all he could see. There was the answer. He ground his jaws together. Attacking would mean starting a blood feud with a clan that had never been a threat but Eldrax did not have to think twice about his next move.
The Eagle clan was not powerful. They had numbered a little over fifteen on their spy’s last count; nothing more than a troublesome gnat to the Hunting Bear clan. The elderly Chief Rikal had made a grave mistake in meddling in Eldrax’s affairs. Eldrax would slaughter every man woman and child in that camp until he had what he wanted.
He paced before his men, searching each of their features in turn. “The Eagle clan has taken freely what you have shed your sweat for!” He jabbed with his spear and their faces turned towards the column of smoke on the horizon. The cold anger that had been directed at him just moments ago now flickered in the direction of the rival clan.
“Murzuk might have allowed others to take what was ours but I will not! I am your chief now and I will ensure that no one will take what is ours again!”
Murmurs of agreement went up from the gathered men as they raised their spears in support.
“The name of the Hunting Bear Clan will be feared from the Mountains of the Nine Gods to the Witch Forests of the South! Distinguish yourselves as warriors and you will be graced with the spoils of battle!”
More cries went up. “Red Bear! The Red Bear!” Their hands tightened upon their weapons, faces bathed in fierce determination, all qualms regarding Eldrax’s right to lead forgotten with the promise of blood and glory.
“Follow me, brothers!” The men fell into formation behind him. He could almost feel them vibrate at his back and his lips twisted in pleasure. The possibility that their corpses might be fodder for the vultures by nightfall had not crossed even one of their bloodthirsty minds. They were powerful, invulnerable. Eldrax relished their eagerness; these were exactly the kind of men he needed to fulfill his vision of a ruling clan.
If by the end of battle a corpse littered the ground that did belong to one of the Hunting Bear Clan, he hoped it was Hanak’s.
A sentry from the rival clan was the first hapless creature they came upon. The boy was inexperienced and Eldrax was on him before he could raise an alert. Clamping his hard hand over the boy’s mouth, he snapped his neck in one sharp motion and let the body fall boneless to the ground, the sound of the snow muffling the impact. The Eagle camp was now only a short distance away on the other side of a low rise.
Eldrax felt his blood begin to sing with the promise of battle. Motioning his men to keep low, he inched forward on his belly until he could look down on his unsuspecting victims. Their own scout’s last report had been accurate. The Eagle clan was small. Five hide shelters had been erected around a large camp fire where a haunch of ox was roasting, tended by the women and a handful of excited children. Eldrax felt his mouth water at the scent of cooking meat. He was hungry. This raid would provide more than one spoil.
He could not see the witch but that meant little. She was most likely hidden away inside Rikal’s own shelter. Two warriors stood guarding the largest construction, confirming his suspicions. No chief he knew would waste time in claiming such a gift. Rikal was probably at her right now, hoping for half-witch spawn of his own. Eldrax’s jealously spiked and he swiftly laid his plans. The Eagle men were at ease. They did not suspect what was to come.
“Slaughter all of their warriors first and take what women you desire,” he hissed to his followers. “But if anyone harms the witch, I will hang your guts out fo
r the scavengers.”
He gave no more instruction before he bellowed the attack, throwing himself from concealment and charging over the hill.
“The Red Bear!” The wailing cry ripped through the air. The terror on the faces of his adversaries as they screeched his warrior name was the sweetest of thrills. “The Red Bear!”
Eldrax pounded towards his enemies, the rest of his men moving to flank him. Two young Eagle clan warriors rushed forward to meet him in a brash move but their fear and inexperience betrayed them; their hands trembled upon their weapons.
Eldrax’s hands were steady as his spear swept theirs aside. He twisted, driving the sharpened tip between the ribs of one of the defenders before the adolescent could recover his balance, digging in just far enough to kill. In the same motion, he brought the butt up to block the desperate swipe the other made at his back.
Pulling the flint tip from the body of the dying warrior, Eldrax pivoted so fast that the second defender did not have time to get his spear back in position. Eldrax’s weapon found the soft flesh of his throat. He laughed as his victim’s blood decorated him in the colours of battle.
“The Red Bear!” This time the cry went up from his own men.
The rest of the Eagle warriors were not so rash and they had formed into a defensive formation against Eldrax’s raiders. Tanag was leading the Hunting Bear warriors in making quick strikes, testing the capabilities of the rival clan, trying to taunt them into breaking rank.
Eldrax’s eyes flickered to the largest tent again. He did not have time to play these games. The taste of blood burned hot on his tongue and his muscles began to quiver until he could no longer contain the killer instinct clawing to be free. Roaring like an enraged bear, he charged the line of Eagle warriors, aiming right for the centre.
He was only one man but the Eagle men quailed at the sight of his twisting face, unnerved by the savage magic that drove him. He crashed headlong into their lines. A few tried to put up a quick defence. Howling, Eldrax parried their blows and threw himself bodily at them. The force of his blow sent several warriors to the ground. Eldrax barely felt the impact, laughing and bellowing, he fought off all attempts to try and bring him down.
A few Eagle men managed to land a few glancing blows, but the stings only served to fuel Eldrax’s blood rage. He had killed three men before the rest of the Hunting Bear warriors came to his support, swarming through the chaos he had created. It was too easy!
Yanking his spear free of yet another kill, Eldrax twisted eagerly, searching for another. He found only bodies littering the ground around him. Panting and dripping in blood, he turned this way and that, muscles twitching with the need for further release. His own men kept to a safe distance.
“What are your orders, mighty Red Bear?” Tanag’s voice cut through the pounding in his ears. It took Eldrax a few moments to comprehend. The witch! His blood rage drained away and Eldrax lowered his spear. All of the Eagle warriors lay dead or dying in the snow at his feet. Only one of his own men had fallen. Unfortunately, it was not Hanak. Hanak was crouched by the fallen man’s side, muttering a blessing as he closed the staring eyes before spearing a moaning Eagle warrior in vengeance, hastening his demise.
There was one face Eldrax didn’t see, however.
Eldrax beckoned to Tanag. “Find me their chief.”
Tanag bounded away at once with another of the men.
Beyond the scene of the battle, the women of the Eagle clan were cowering on the ground wailing in their grief and begging for mercy. Eldrax turned away disdainfully.
“We have him!” Tanag called only moments later as he dragged the Eagle chief before Eldrax. “We found him trying to escape, he was near his shelter.”
Rikal’s tawny eyes were wild with fear and rage. “Why have you done this?” he shrieked. “We were no threat to you! You had no right to attack us!”
Eldrax flicked his spear, bringing the dripping tip up under the fallen chief’s jaw. “I have come for what is mine. Hand her over to me now and nobody else need die.”
Rikal spat in his face. The Hunting Bear men gasped but Eldrax only wiped at the spittle mixing with the blood staining his face. He gave a laugh then plunged the tip of his spear into the meat of the other chief’s leg, watching him fall to the ground before him. It was a mere flesh wound. He did not want the other chief dead; not yet. He needed Rikal to know he was utterly defeated before he finished him.
“Search the shelters!” He ordered his men. “Once she is turned over to me, your reward is these.” He gestured to the grovelling women. His men dived into the shelters. More shrieks of terror rose as they uncovered those who had attempted to hide from the initial wave of slaughter.
“No!” Rikal cried as two of Eldrax’s men entered his tent. One of the warrior’s emerged with a sandy-haired Thal woman. Eldrax narrowed his eyes at the sight of her. He despised Thal women. The second warrior reappeared carrying an infant boy whose hair matched the Thal’s perfectly. The boy struggled and kicked against his captor.
“He’s a strong one!” Tanag gasped as the boy’s heel connected sharply with his midsection.
Witnessing the capture of his mate and son, Rikal diminished, his shoulders sagging in defeat. “What do you want?” he asked as the rest of Eldrax’s men completed their search of the Eagle camp.
Empty handed, Hanak approached, uncharacteristically nervous. “We can find no sign of the witch,” he muttered, close to Eldrax’s ear. “She is not here.”
Eldrax’s gut twisted. This had been the very last possibility. Now here he stood in the midst of the Eagle clan’s destruction and still he did not have what he’d come for. He could feel the eyes of his men weigh heavily upon him.
No! He would not accept failure. Rikal had that witch and he was going to take her from him no matter whose blood he had to spill.
“Where is she?” Spittle flew into Rikal’s proud face. “The witch from the southern forests. Where have you hidden her?”
“I do not know what you mean!” Rikal shrieked back. “Have you lost your mind? You know as well as I that no witch other than the one belonging to the Black Wolf has ever survived beyond the forests.”
Eldrax’s mouth twisted as he lifted his chin. “The Black Wolf are no more, Rikal, I slaughtered every man, woman and child in their camp!” Eldrax had the satisfaction of seeing firsthand the shock that rippled over the other chief’s face at this news. “Juran’s witch eluded me but, by our lores, she rightfully belongs to me now. She would have passed this way in an attempt to rejoin her people so stop lying and tell me what you know!”
“I-I can’t! I haven’t seen any witch!”
Eldrax snarled. “Bring her.” He jabbed a finger at the Thal woman his men had dragged from Rikal’s tent and parted the furs at his waist. To take another chief’s mate before him was the ultimate insult. “Hold her down for me.”
The Thal woman screamed and lashed out, fighting her captors.
“Wait!” A high voice shouted over the noise of Rikal’s fighting mate but Eldrax did not heed it, his focus was now completely on the woman. It took three of his men to subdue her. Despite his aversion to Thal women, Eldrax felt his arousal peak. He would enjoy dominating such a creature. Perhaps he would keep her alive long enough to bear children for him. He took a step forward.
“Wait!” The voice cried again. Irked, Eldrax’s eyes flickered over to a young man. The scant whiskers on his chin and the cracking of his voice suggested he was just leaving boyhood. He had survived the assault by cowering with the women. He stood now despite the best efforts of the woman who must be his mother to drag him back down. “Two days ago I went with the hunters to set traps in the foothills of the mountains.”
Ahhh! This sounded like what he wanted to hear and Eldrax finally turned his focus from the woman his men were holding for him. He did not back away, however, keeping his threat ever present. “And?”
“One of the traps, it was sprung but the rope was cut clean thr
ough. Whatever that trap caught… it was no animal.”
“Another clan stole your kill maybe?” Eldrax drawled at the boy.
Rikal shook his head and broke in. “We are the only clan within days of here. My hunters also spoke of strange tracks, small tracks, like those of a child wandering alone. They left the area quickly because no child could be alone so far from a tribe. They suspected unlucky spirits. But,” his voice became pleading, “if what you say about the Black Wolf is true, it’s possible the trap was sprung by the quarry you seek. That is all I know, I swear on all the gods-”
In the corner of his eye, Eldrax saw his men shift unhappily and Tanag drifted completely out of his line of sight. If Rikal’s scout was correct, the witch was still in the foothills of the Mountains. He could see the rebellious resentment returning to their faces.
Feeling like a cornered animal, Eldrax snarled and, before anyone could draw breath, he had the tip of his flint knife pressing into the other chief’s neck. “The gods abandoned us long ago, Rikal!” he spat. “What I say is true. The Black Wolf are dead by my hand. I am the power in these lands now. All that you see belongs to me-”
Eldrax’s threat was cut short as a spear seared past his ear. It passed so close that the tip sliced into his cheek. Howling in anger, he whirled, ready to gut the man who had dared to strike him.
“You make one more move and you are dead, boy.”
The blood drained from Eldrax’s face as he froze, knife in hand. The figure of a man was standing before him, his familiar blue eyes glinting like shards of ice.
“Murzuk?” It was Eldrax’s turn to believe in unlucky spirits. He took an involuntary step back, shaking his head in an attempt to clear the terrible vision, but the old leader of the Hunting Bear clan remained, a mere ten paces away, with three other men at his back. Rannac was among them. The older warrior still had his spear arm extended, an expression of disgust on his face as he surveyed the bloody destruction around him.
