The Jackal of Nar

by John Marco

  "Knock," the innkeeper insisted.

  Dyana tapped lightly on the door. A sprinkle of yellow paint peeled away. Something inside the chamber stirred. She backed away as the door creaked open. A disheveled young man stood in the threshold, teetering to one side as his bleary eyes washed over her. He was dark, maybe even handsome by foreign standards. His face was thin and haggard and his clothes were filthy, like his breath. A spark of interest lit his eyes.

  But he said nothing. He merely regarded her with his wild gaze. Sudden fear rushed through Dyana and she faltered. His hand was there to catch her. A rough hand, calloused and hot against her soft skin. The faint hint of a smile stirred on his lips. Very gently he drew her into the chamber and closed the door.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  In the Dring Valley, rain had been falling steadily for more than a day. It was an unexpected cloudburst, and the men in the trenches were ill prepared for it. The homes they had dug for themselves in the earth were unstable even in the driest weather, and in the copious rains of the valley the trench walls seemed to melt away on top of them, covering them each in an inescapable slick of mud. But storms in Dring were not uncommon, and the men did their best to fight away the damp with cloaks, and the rats with shovel backs. The rats always seemed to multiply in the rain. Worse, it was necessary now to keep the igniters of the flame cannons lit continuously, for it would be impossible to fire up the weapons in such weather. So, when the first raindrops began to fall, Lucyler had ordered that the cannons be kept warm and ready, expending more of the precious kerosene fuel.

  The unanticipated rains had ruined much of the food stores, and what little had been left untouched by water had been gotten at by rats. Unlike the men, the rats were plump now. Already two men were lying near death, and Lucyler thought it likely they had consumed some bread or meat that the rats had crawled over and diseased.

  Lucyler had taken his charge over the company with grave seriousness. Yet he alone couldn't provide for so many men, and he had already sent a dozen of the soldiers out of the trenches to hunt for game. But Lucyler wasn't one to shrink from duty, and while he had sent the others into the relative calm of the plains, he had given himself a more difficult task. The plains did have game, but it was the lush forests that were teeming with life. That the birch forests might also be teeming with Drol was of little consequence. They would need meat if they were to survive, and lots of it. Lucyler knew that only the forest could provide game in such abundance.

  He had started out alone, his bow and jiiktar on his back, when Crodin had decided to join him. Crodin wasn't the best of hunters. Unlike Lucyler, he preferred the devouring blast of a flame cannon to the precision of an arrow. But he was as good as any other at slogging through a muddy forest, and Crodin had decided it best that Lucyler not go alone.

  They had disappeared into the birch grove at the first gray light of morning. Lucyler was grateful for Crodin's company, but he was more grateful for the serenity he found in the forest. To his great relief, there were no signs of Voris' warriors, and although they spent their first hours mindful of every sound, they soon settled in to the peaceful rhythms of the forest, and by midday even Crodin had two wild birds slung over his back. Lucyler, more skillful with a bow than his comrade, had been able to land four birds, and after a time they began stowing the fowl under a blanket in a small clearing they had made for themselves.

  The rest of the day was much the same. The hunting was good despite the poor weather, and they had seen no evidence of warriors or spies. Since they had landed more game than they could comfortably carry, at dusk they settled down in the tiny clearing. Nighttime in the valley could be treacherous, and both men thought it best to wait until morning before attempting the journey back.

  Crodin was asleep long before Lucyler. Of all the men in the company, it seemed that only Crodin was capable of sleeping anywhere. He had drawn his cloak about his body, rested his head on a particularly smooth stone, and was sleeping before Lucyler had finished storing the last of the birds. When at last Lucyler turned to lie beside his friend, he couldn't help but chuckle at the snoring. Still, feeling the thousand aches of his own body, he could easily understand Crodin's weariness. They had hunted almost without rest today, and Lucyler guessed that they were a good distance from camp. At dawn they would return to the others, and they would need all their strength to haul so much game.

  But Lucyler's sleep was not as sound as Crodin's. When he was a boy, there had been a Daegog who was the leader of all the Triin, even the warlords, and Lucyler had slept under trees that no man claimed to own. Time and the revolution had changed that. Now, though his blood was still Triin, there were many parts of his homeland in which he was no longer safe. Tonight, under the constant, melancholy rain, these thoughts tormented him. Despite the heaviness of his eyelids, Lucyler lay suspended in that strange state between wakefulness and dreams, listening to the lulling calls of night creatures. He heard them in the canopy of trees above and saw their eyes twinkling like stars. Yet they did not disturb him. Lost as he was in his own troubled thoughts, he paid them only slight regard. Finally, he fell into a fractured sleep of visions and remembrances....

  And then he awoke. It seemed to him that nothing in particular had roused him, yet he couldn't understand why his eyes had opened. He listened, unmoving, to the croaking of wild things, and waited for whatever had disturbed him to come again. But he heard nothing. He glanced over at Crodin. The man lay in a deep slumber, his mouth slung open to the incoming rain. The familiar sight put Lucyler at ease. He sighed, and rolled over onto his side.

  The moment his eyes closed he heard the sound again. He was awake now, and so could hear it clearly this time, shrouded though it was in the noises of the forest and the storm. Lucyler sat up and cocked his head to listen. It was a cracking sound, like that of a great animal moving over sticks. A familiar sound. All day long Lucyler had heard that sound as they themselves moved through the woods.

  Lucyler leaned over and put his lips to Crodin's ear. "Crodin, wake up!" he whispered, giving the sleeping man a jab in the ribs. Crodin only rolled away from him. "Damn it, Crodin, wake up," Lucyler repeated.

  Still Crodin did not awaken. Furious, Lucyler pinched Crodin's jaw between his thumb and forefinger and squeezed, shaking Crodin's head until the man's eyes suddenly opened.

  "What the...?"

  Lucyler quickly put his hand over Crodin's mouth. "Be still," he ordered, then dragged his hand away so his friend could breathe. Crodin looked about fearfully.

  "What is it?" he asked, watching as Lucyler slowly retrieved his jiiktar from the mud. Lucyler ignored the question, putting up his hand to silence Crodin as he scanned the murky forest. "God, Lucyler," Crodin repeated. "What's going on?"

  "Quiet!" Lucyler ordered, then cursed himself for his loudness. If he was right, whatever was out there hadn't noticed them yet. Slowly, soundlessly, Lucyler got to his knees, all the while focusing his eyes in the darkness, watching intently for any signs of movement. Again he listened, holding his breath so that only the din of rain on leaves could be heard. At last he heard the sound again. Much nearer.

  "What's that?" asked Crodin, scrambling to his feet. Lucyler grabbed hold of the man's cloak and pulled him back down into the mud.

  "Get down!" he ordered.

  Crodin fell into the mud, then looked about in a terrified daze. To Lucyler's great relief, though, the man was finally silent.

  For almost a minute the two stayed like this, kneeling in muck with their eyes fastened on the woods. At last a spot of crimson appeared in the dark maze of trees. Lucyler narrowed his eyes to confirm his worst suspicions--warriors. Even in the blackness of the forest, their scarlet robes betrayed them.

  "Oh, Lord," moaned Crodin. "Do you think they've seen us?"

  Lucyler shook his head. "No, not yet. I am sure they do not expect us here."

  "How many of them are there? Can you tell?"

  "I cannot see," admitted Lucyler. "Pick up
your sword. We have to warn the others."

  "What? We can't move. They'll skin us alive if they discover us!"

  Lucyler turned and glared at Crodin. "Those warriors are heading for our camp. They may all be killed!"

  Crodin protested, getting to his feet. "How are we going to get back to camp? We can't even see!"

  "Just follow me," called Lucyler over his shoulder. He was already moving through the rain. After a moment he heard Crodin's boots squishing in the mud after him.

  The moon, nearly invisible behind a thick blanket of clouds, lent almost no light to the forest, but as Lucyler ran he kept his jiiktar stretched out before him, letting the weapon guide him. He could feel the jiiktar's twin blades cutting through the foliage, breaking the branches that strove to pluck out his eyes. Already the branches had torn great rents in his sleeves, so that now they bit into his flesh as he dashed past them. He felt the warm sensation of blood running down his arms. He ignored the pain as he ran, reminding himself that he was a Triin. Like the warriors he raced against, he did not need the light of the sun to run through a forest.

  "Slow down," came Crodin's sudden plea from behind. Lucyler slowed just long enough to glimpse his comrade. Barely visible in the darkness, Crodin's face was red with effort.

  "No," answered Lucyler quickly. "Keep up!"

  "I can't," insisted Crodin. His voice was little more than a wheeze. "I'm not a goddamned Triin!"

  Cursing, Lucyler stopped and turned to Crodin. Crodin was stooped, his hands on his knees. He looked about to vomit.

  "Listen, Crodin," Lucyler demanded. "Those warriors are headed for our camp. We must warn the others to be ready for an attack. If you cannot keep up with me..."

  "Just go," Crodin interrupted, panting. "I will follow as closely as I can."

  Without a word, Lucyler turned from Crodin and continued on his dash through the forest. He wanted to say something, to call back some apology over his shoulder, but there was no leisure for that. Already Voris' warriors had a lead on him, and if he was to reach the camp before his enemies he would have to run as quickly as he could.

  He moved as if in a dream. The calls of the night creatures, the scratching limbs, the rain and the mud: all these things were lost to him. He didn't care what noise he made or if his fellow Triin could hear him. He moved with feline sureness, like a leopard or one of the giant lions of Chandakkar, leaping over fallen trees and ducking under the vines that stretched out to strangle him. Faster and faster he raced, his jiiktar brandished before him, until the world became a dark and manic blur.

  Lucyler ran like this unceasingly, unknowing of time.

  And then he was out of the birch grove, in the clearing where burnt bodies littered the earth. Exhausted, he fell to his knees, and the delicious madness of the run left him as quickly as it had come. Not far away, he could see the sparkling pinpoints of the campfires, the glowing igniters of the flame cannons. Shaking with exhaustion, he rose unsteadily to his feet and, ignoring the burning and pleading of his muscles, ran toward the camp. He could see the trenches clearly now, the huddled men within them oblivious to his approach. The sentries hadn't sighted him.

  "Awake!" he cried madly. "Barret! Gilliam! Awake!"

  At his cry he saw the stirring of the sentries on the trench deck. They raised their bows as they spotted him. Lucyler put up his hands, flailing them wildly as he ran toward the trenches. Still the sentries drew their bowstrings back, and still Lucyler ran to them. Though he half expected an arrow to slam into his chest, he continued on at full speed, shouting his name and waving to the sentries.

  "Hold! It is me, Lucyler!"

  Now he was only yards from the first trench. On the deck, he could see the sentries murmuring to themselves, clearly confused as they tried to discern who or what white-skinned Triin charged toward them. Then the man lowered his bow.

  "Lucyler?" shouted the man. "Is it you?"

  Lucyler at once recognized the gruff voice of Gilliam. "Yes, Gilliam!" he yelled back. "Wake the men. There are warriors behind me!"

  Immediately the other sentries dropped their weapons and peered out into the blackness. Lucyler threw himself onto the deck and skidded across the rain-slicked wood. Before he could fall into the trench beyond, Gilliam caught hold of him. Gasping, Lucyler let the other man support him.

  "Warriors," Lucyler said. "Following me. We have to wake the others, be ready for them--"

  Gilliam nodded, then turned to the others in the trench, barking at them to wake the men and make ready for an attack. Soon the air was filled with the ringing of drawing steel and the hot burst of flame cannons coming alive. The deck shook with the heavy load of armored bodies as the men took their positions. When he was finally satisfied with the activity in the trenches, Gilliam turned back to Lucyler.

  "Lucyler," Gilliam asked. "Where's Crodin?"

  "I do not know," admitted Lucyler. "Behind me, I think. He could not keep up with me, and I had to warn you. I had to leave him."

  "It's all right," said Gilliam calmly, putting a hand on Lucyler's shoulder. "Crodin's a good woodsman. He'll find his way back safely. How many Drol are there?"

  "I saw maybe a dozen," said Lucyler. "But they wore the red of warriors, Gilliam. More of them are coming."

  "You're probably right," said Gilliam. "Spies wouldn't wear the scarlet." Gilliam looked Lucyler over, inspecting his bloody arms. "What about you? You are injured."

  Lucyler was about to tell Gilliam that he was well enough when a cry from the deck stopped him.

  "Here they come!"

  Together Lucyler and Gilliam twisted their heads to look out over the clearing. There, barely illuminated by the meager moonlight, they could see someone running toward them. Gilliam raised his bow again, but Lucyler reached out and pushed the weapon down.

  "No! Nobody fire. It is Crodin!"

  Crodin was running like a man being chased by wolves. Again and again he stumbled, looking over his shoulder for whatever terror was trailing him. Even through the darkness Lucyler could see the look of panic on Crodin's face. Worse, the noise of the wind kept him from hearing what Crodin was yelling.

  And then Crodin stopped running. He stopped so suddenly that Lucyler didn't know what had happened until he caught a flashing glimpse of red in the forest. Crodin dropped to his knees, hung there for a moment, then fell facedown in the mud. From out of his back a dozen feathered arrows protruded. Behind him the white birch grove turned scarlet with Drol.

  Every dark crevice of the forest was oozing red-robed warriors. They emerged as if from a fog, silent and purposeful, their jiiktars and bows in hand. With them were packs of war wolves. The beasts snarled and fought against their chains, their red eyes glowing. Lucyler watched in horror as the tide of men poured from the woods. He could see them plainly now, some with torches and brands, and in moments all the white of the birches was lost behind a curtain of crimson robes. Yet they didn't run for the trenches or shoot a single arrow. They merely stood there, letting their numbers swell.

  "We're done for," whispered Gilliam. He lowered his bow at the unbelievable sight. Already a defeated moan was rising from the trenches.

  Lucyler's mind raced, groping desperately for a strategy to save them. But he could find none. His men were sick from starvation and hopelessly outnumbered. Even the flame cannons would do them little good now. The rain would cut the range of the weapons in half, and he was sure there wasn't enough fuel for a prolonged battle. He turned and glanced out over the trenches. Everywhere his soldiers were frozen with fear, their faces drawn in fright and as white as his own. Like him, they understood the impossibility of victory.

  Richius, Lucyler thought remorsefully. I am sorry, my friend.

  I have ruined us.

  "What are they waiting for?" said Gilliam anxiously. "Why don't they attack?"

  Lucyler knew why. "They know they have us. They want us to surrender."

  Gilliam sneered. "In hell. I'd slit my own throat before submitting."


  Lucyler focused his attention on the milling warriors beyond. A single man was walking slowly toward them. He was shouting something in Triin, but Lucyler couldn't decipher the words over the noise of the rain.

  "Look at that," said Gilliam. A thin, evil smile crossed his lips. He raised his bow again, drawing back on the string so that the arrow aimed straight at the approaching warrior. "Goodnight, gog!"

  "No," insisted Lucyler. "Do not kill him. He is coming to tell us something."

  "What's he saying?"

  "It's Triin," another soldier on the deck answered. "Lucyler, what is it?"

  Lucyler shrugged. The words were still lost under the storm. Then, when the Drol was only yards from the deck, Lucyler understood.

  "Kalak! Oonal ni Kalak?"

  A shudder went through Lucyler at the words. The Jackal!

  Where is the Jackal?

  "Lucyler?" pressed the soldier.

  "Richius," he said coldly. "They are calling for Richius."

  "My God," said Gilliam. "Praise the Almighty Richius isn't here." Turning to Lucyler he said, "Please, Lucyler. Let me kill him. Let me kill him before he speaks another word."

  "No," answered Lucyler stiffly. "We will see what else they want of us."

  "Why? You know what they want. If we surrender..."

  "Quiet!" snapped Lucyler. The Drol was just outside the trench now. He stood there fearlessly, uncaring about the score of arrows pointed at him, an expression of contempt on his pale face. His body was draped in the same brilliant scarlet robes as all Voris' warriors. When the Drol stopped outside the deck, Lucyler stepped forward. Only then did the Drol's expression change. He looked at Lucyler in disbelief.

  "Triin?"

  Lucyler answered the man in their shared tongue. "I am."

  The warrior sneered. "Traitor."

  For a moment Lucyler said nothing, frozen into silence by the insult. That this Drol, this zealot who had sided with Tharn against the royal line of Lucyler, should call him traitor...