“What about them?” He nodded towards Nadir and Vin who were standing and talking to Arkon as he checked the saddle straps on the horses.
Zo strode over. “Vin, there are some mages heading this way. You need to hide the older children right now.”
“How do you know that?”
She helped Leo to mount his horse. “Never mind that. It doesn’t matter how I know. It’s true. And you need to act on it now.”
Arkon handed her the leash of her gelding. She mounted with ease. “We will have to circle around,” she said, guiding her horse.
“Go on. Quick!” Arkon shouted at Vin. Nadir was already running inside the inn. “Hide them.”
The horses cantered off. At the edge of the village, Zo looked back and was relieved to see Vin and Siaz herding a few children out of the inn towards another one of the houses. If they acted quickly, they would be able to hide them before the mages arrived.
“Will they be alright?” Leo asked.
“I think so. Come on. We can’t afford to get caught now.” She spurred her horse to pick up speed.
Leo’s vision had saved them from a whole lot of trouble. If they were trapped inside the village, there would have been a fight. They could hardly afford the loss of any more time. The horses, refreshed by the break, cantered gracefully on the hard, dusty path that led through the orchards. Ripe, red apples hung from laden branches, some already half-eaten by birds. Leo stopped his horse, and stood on its back to pluck a few good ones.
He tossed one to Arkon while stuffing others in his pack. “You want one?” he asked Zo.
She shook her head, amused by his appetite. “Don’t you ever get full? I saw you wolf down an entire loaf of bread at the table.”
He shrugged, and bit into the juicy apple. “This is good.”
Arkon laughed. “The cooks are going to work double time to feed him in the castle.”
“Stop right there!” Three men jumped down from the trees. One grabbed the reins of Leo’s horse. They wore torn, dirty clothes but the knives held in their hands were polished and honed to razor-sharp edges. “Hand over your coins.”
Zo could deal with them with a flick of her hand, but the moment she did so, she would alert the mages back at the village. On a raid, they were sure to be monitoring any unauthorized magical activity. She exchanged a glance with Arkon, nodding in the direction of the village. Would he understand her hesitation to use magic, and realize the cause of it?
“You boy! Get down from the horse.” The one who was holding the reins of Leo’s horse commanded.
“Do as they say!” she told Leo, afraid the man might hurt him.
“Listen to the pretty lady, boy,” another laughed. “Get down now. All of you!”
They dismounted. Arkon took off the pouch that hung at his belt. “We don’t want a fight,” he said in a quiet, calm manner.
The one who held the reins of Leo’s horse laughed. “Neither do we, friend. You seem to be a wealthy lot. Fine horses these are! There should be enough coins in that pouch to feed us for weeks, if not months. Now, hand it over!”
“Liam! What about their horses?” the second man asked.
“What about them?”
“We could sell them in a town and make some money.”
The man licked his bottom lip. From his demeanor and attitude, it was clear that he was the leader of this little band of dacoits.
“Probably escapees from the army,” muttered Arkon as he sidled closer to Zo.
“You! No talking!” The third man jerked the reins away from Zo’s hand. He leaned in, sniffing, his dirty face inches from hers. “She smells nice,” he sniffed. “Haven’t had a woman under me in weeks, Liam! Remember the last one! How she squealed and cried while I had my way with her. Can we keep this one? We could…”
They never heard what he was about to say for Arkon unsheathed his sword, and took his head clean off before anyone could as much as blink.
Zo watched the blood spurt from the decapitated torso. The head flew in the air and landed at the base of a nearby apple tree. The body fell down with a resounding thud. Her mouth hanging open, she stared at Arkon. Stepping in front of her, he raised his sword, its edge glinting with the blood of its unfortunate victim.
“I suggest you get the hell out of here,” he said. “And next time you come across a woman, show some respect.”
The two remaining men exchanged glances, their expressions betraying their inability to comprehend the changed situation. They remained rooted to their position, both staring at the fallen body of their friend. Leo kicked Liam. Dropping the reins of Leo’s horse, he ran. His companion followed quickly.
“I don’t…”
Arkon took a cloth out of his pack and cleaned his sword. “It was necessary.” He sheathed his sword. “Less filth on the earth.”
Unable to find words that expressed her feelings, Zo chose to stay quiet. She mounted her horse. “Let’s just move.”
Leo looked back at the dead dacoit. “Did you see his head fly clean off?”
“Leo!” she rebuked. “A life lost, no matter how unworthy, is nothing to laugh about.”
“Sorry,” said the boy, looking contrite.
Somberly the party moved on, the horses gradually picking up speed as the terrain opened up. Leaving the orchards behind, they traveled through uninhabited, grassy plains. The death of the dacoit lay heavy on Zo’s conscience. She saw the necessity of it, but Arkon’s heartless brutality shook her.
They stopped at night under a single tree that grew in a hollow in the plains. Tethering the horses to one of the roots that stuck out of the ground at an odd angle, Zo groomed and fed them.
Finished with the chore, she moved closer to the fire Arkon had built. He passed her a loaf of bread and stale cheese which she ate quietly. Leo slept soon afterwards, exhausted by the journey.
Arkon banked the fire. Zo pulled her cloak closer. The night air had acquired a slight chill, and though she would have loved to sleep next to a roaring fire, it would amount to announcing their presence to anyone who was passing through the plains within a league.
“You feel I should’ve just scared him or something? Maybe run my sword through his arm?”
Zo stood. She unrolled her blanket and lay it down on the grass. “You did what was necessary. Your quick action prevented a long drawn fight. We would have lost precious time…but that doesn’t mean it makes me happy that we killed him without as much as a thought.”
“With your magic you could have probably flown them to the top of the trees and leave them hanging there,” he said glumly. “I didn’t think of that.”
Zo’s lips curved in a smile. “They would’ve screamed and the mages would have come to investigate. Also any magical activity would have drawn the mages to us like moths to flame.” She looked him in the eye. “We are in the midst of war, and in war we all have to make hard decisions. You did the right thing, but I just hope we all don’t lose the respect for the sanctity of human life. If we did so, what would be the difference between Vindha and us?”
“We are different than him because we are fighting for a chance to live with dignity, and he is fighting for domination,” said Arkon.
Zo wished that was true, but war was never so simple. As they were engulfed deeper into this conflict that seemed to be overtaking the entire mainland, they would all find themselves making life and death decisions on a daily basis.
She hoped they had the strength to do what was right; and not what was mere convenient or easy.
The moon shone brightly, oblivious to the ongoing drama on earth. In the distance an owl hooted, signaling the beginning of its hunting season. Listening to the night sounds, Zo closed her eyes. She prayed their troubles were over soon, but from the looks of things, anything could go wrong at any moment in this war-torn land.
Until they were back home safely, none of them could afford to drop their guard.
Chapter Eighteen
After a quick, cold meal in the morning,
they resumed their journey, all of them eager now that they were only a day’s hard ride away from the sea. The original plan called for Zo writing in the diary and requesting Alicia to send a boat to pick them up, but at Arkon’s insistence, she didn’t. Instead, they headed towards a coastal town east of the cliffs where they had disembarked. The idea was to hire a boat that would take them to Iram. In these trying times, Zo foresaw no problem in renting a boat as any boatman would be willing to get good money for one day’s travel.
At least they had enough money and didn’t have to worry about that one particular aspect. The punishing pace Arkon set gave them all little room to think about much else. As they neared the sea, Zo lulled herself into thinking their troubles were nearly over. Could it be that they would escape from this blood-soaked land without any further trouble?
At night, they reached the town that bordered the ocean. After getting two rooms in a tiny, but reasonably clean, inn that was at a walking distance from the beach, Arkon left to sell the horses. Zo and Leo stayed in the inn and ate dinner. As soon as Arkon returned, they all slept. As the first light of sun cracked open the velvety darkness, they ate a hurried breakfast of stale bread and cheese in their rooms. After slinging their packs over their shoulders, the three walked towards the shoreline where Arkon had arranged to meet the boatman he’d hired for their trip back to Iram.
Zo strode forward, excitement coursing through her body. So near the end of their journey, she couldn’t wait to see her brother and her sister. She knew they were alive. Although she had stopped checking the diary two days ago, dreading the words that would bring her the news of their death, in her heart, she knew they still clung to life. Just barely, though. She was running late. This was the morning of the eighteenth day. She should have been home four days ago but unexpected delays and battles had added to their journey.
Everything was now in the past. It was nearly over. Soon, she would be home.
A dog barked somewhere. The lanes were deserted and the main town gate was still not open. They joined the line of travelers and wagons who were queuing to leave the city at the break of dawn. As the sky to the east glowed with a gorgeous harmony of colors, the gate was cranked open by the guards manning the guard house. Leaving the dusty road, they crossed through a field of newly planted rice crop and reached the pebbly path that led to the beach. The trail was lined with oak trees, their leaves rustling in the balmy sea breeze.
Except for the distant horizon where colors tinted the sky, night clung to the sky with a dark obstinacy. It was a beautiful and peaceful beginning to the day. Their destination was a mere heartbeat away, and it seemed as if nothing would go wrong now.
Even as Zo thought that, in the next instant, they were surrounded by seven black-robed mages. Too late, Zo realized, they were cloaked in an invisibility spell that kept them from being detected until Zo and her companions were right in their midst.
“Hello princess,” grinned one of them. “Or shall I say cousin? After all, we do share the same blood.”
Grateful she hadn’t revoked the protective shields around Arkon and Leo, Zo gazed at the slightly overweight mage who was dressed in a green tunic underneath his robe and wore a thin, hammered gold band on his head. His oily, black hair glistened in the light of the stars that still dominated the sky.
“Who are you?” she said.
“I am Areez, the eldest son of king Vindha. You have led me a merry chase across my own land.” He wriggled his fingers, three of them encumbered with gold rings that gleamed even in the pre-dawn darkness. “Never mind, though. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you that I simply couldn’t wait any longer to make your acquaintance.”
“What do you want?” she asked. Carefully, she took stock of the mages who were surrounding them. Apart from these seven, there was another who worried her the most. He was standing under a tree, his legs slightly apart, and arms hanging loosely as if he was watching a mildly amusing drama he’d seen before.
There was a stiff stance to his shoulders, and even at this distance, she could see the red gleam in his eyes.
Pulling her attention away from him, she focused instead on Areez. Even if the other mage was the most powerful of them all, it was clear that Areez was the one in command. He was a prince, and in charge of this party.
“What do I want? How can you ask such an obvious question?” His laughter was mirthless. “I want to kill you, of course, just like my spy will kill your brother, and due to her own good intentions, your twin sister, back in Iram.”
“You?” Zo stared at him in shocked silence. “What?”
“Well, I must admit it took my spy a while to figure out that the king was protected by a binding spell. Your sister Alicia did a good job of hiding that particular fact even from her most trusted advisor. Still, it isn’t too late even now. All I have to do is kill you here…and I’ll get rid of your entire family.”
Anger unfurled inside her. “You sent someone to kill Seve?”
“Yes, me.” He pulled a face. “Actually, I must not take credit for the entire scheme. It was my father’s idea to kill your brother. After all, he does have a legitimate claim on our throne, and we didn’t want any pretenders after we’ve done the necessary task of uniting the entire world.” He shifted on his feet, nearly dancing as if he couldn’t wait to share his triumphs. “My father devised an ingenious plan. Since you were all safe in Iram, courtesy your father’s blood oath, we needed you to come out from behind the border. And what better way to do it then to send a killer to murder your brother. We knew you or your sister would come to avenge his death.”
Anger rendered her unable to form a coherent thought.“You…?”
He grinned. “Seve was supposed to die. I did entrust the task to a rather special person. It seems she didn’t quite finish the job.”
“She?” Zo thought of Zima. Was she the person Areez was referring to?
“Oh, well, too bad. It seems I must finish what was started. Once I kill you, your brother dies because he needs the flower of rosem you carry, and so does your twin due to the binding spell. Naturally, once you are all dead, my father will inherit the throne to Iram because he is your closest relative. And if the people of Iram are unwise enough to put up a resistance, we will deal with them after all the kingdoms have been conquered.” He spoke so easily, with a lilting tone to his voice, almost as if he was telling her his plans for the day rather than the diabolic scheme to kill three people and enslave many thousands more.
Arkon stared at Zo, a shocked expression on his face. He hadn’t known about the binding spell. Neither did anyone else at the castle. Now, Zo’s suspicions were confirmed. It could only be Zima. She knew where Zo was heading and why. She must have sensed Alicia had bound herself to Seve’s fate, and passed on the information to Vindha.
By underestimating Vindha, they had made a fatal error. No wonder there were mages tracking her. They knew one of them would come from the island, either to take revenge for Seve’s death or to find the antidote for the poison.
“You get ahead of yourself, Areez. You’ll have to kill me first in order to fulfill this audacious dream.”
Raising his hand, Areez checked his fingernails as if her statement bored him. “Oh, I’ve heard you are one of those rare people with a double dose of talent. The two mages you bested while they were chasing this boy were suitably tortured for their role in letting you get away. Then you got the better of the other two I sent after you. I specifically told them to track you and not to engage in a battle…but eager for the glory of my favor they disobeyed my orders. They were also punished for their blunder. We nearly caught up with you at the chasm. Even after we tortured your guide to get information about your whereabouts, he couldn’t tell us anything of value. The idiot didn’t know anything.”
“You murdered Erob?”
Areez shrugged. “Naturally. He was of no use to me. Should I have left him alive to tell you about us? In any case, that for
ced me to change my plans. Instead of traveling across the country looking for you, I decided to wait for you here.”
“How did you know I would come to this particular coast?”
“A little bit of this, and a little bit of that. It wasn’t so difficult to track your movements.” He grinned insolently. “And now, princess, we really must get on with the job at hand. You’ve had a good streak of luck but I’m afraid your time has come to an end.”
Raising her hands, Zo fired twin balls of fire at the two mages flanking him. Their shields stopped the attack. Undeterred, she sent bright bolts of lightning crackling at all of them.
The earth under her feet trembled, arrows of fire hurtled in her direction, and the air around her crackled and hissed with magic as she was attacked. One mage sprayed jets of boiling hot water at Arkon, attempting to burn him. Zo's defensive shield held strong, protecting him from the onslaught of magic.
Her gusts of wind lifted one mage and threw him on top of a tree. He fell, breaking the branches on his plunge downwards, his screams echoing in the silence. With a loud thud, he finally dropped on the ground, legs sticking out at odd angles. He was dead.
Meanwhile, Zo ducked, countered, and parried off one blow after another, keeping all the mages on their feet as they attempted to kill her. It was all Zo could do to keep them from harming her. There were too many of them, and she was the only one from her party who could do magic. Just as she thought she would never be able to turn the battle in her favor, Arkon ran, ducked, and thrust his sword through one of the mage’s chest. Blood gushed out in a fountain and the mage fell in his own puddle of gore. For a moment, the rest of the mages stopped to gasp at their friend’s body.
Clearly this was something unexpected.
Zo quickly realized the golden opportunity. The mages had made a crucial error. Discounting the danger from non-magic soldiers, they had left gaping holes in their shields. They were not prepared for any physical attacks.
Without giving them any time to recover from this new development, Zo jumped over a plant that had sprouted near her feet, its vines growing and slithering to tangle her in its web. “Arkon,” she yelled.
The Demon Mages (The Power of Three Book 1) Page 22
