The Hadra

by Diana Rivers

  Now I was sure they would all be on us with drawn swords, but I had not counted on Alyeeta’s power of drama. She leapt to her feet, a frightening sight with the firelight flashing madness in her eyes. In the wildest way she began screaming and shouting, “Never! Never! I have never cheated anyone in my whole life. Never in all my sixty years has anyone called me a cheat. Take back those ugly words, young man. You are the cheat. You tell such monstrous lies because you are losing.”

  The soldier was also on his feet, trying to shout her down, his face red with anger. “I saw you tap that die with your finger. I saw it clear as could be with my own eyes.”

  “You see, you are lying. No one else saw it. You are trying to taint my good name. You have dishonored my family. I swear by my mother and my mother’s mother that I play an honest game.”

  “No doubt! You probably come from a whole family of liars and cheats!”

  At that, Alyeeta began screaming and tearing her hair, dancing up and down in a circle, and shouting, “Liar, that man is a liar!” At the same time, the soldier was shouting, “That Witch is a cheat!”

  I sensed the captain advancing through his men and so was able to warn Alyeeta before his hand fell on her arm with a tight grip. She whirled on him, saying between her teeth, “He called me a cheat because he is losing, but in truth, he is the liar.” Then she turned to the soldier and yelled even louder, “Take back your lies, or I will cast a spell on you. The spell of the green snakes or the spell of the red dogs or the…No, it will be the spell of the black toads! Yes, that is the very one. Recant, or I will rain black toads down on your lying head. If a single one of them touches you, your manhood will shrivel to the size of a thumb. Then it will turn purple and drop off.” Alyeeta was waving her free arm about wildly. She seemed both comic and frightening. She certainly seemed mad.

  By now, the other soldiers had begun shouting raucous mockery at both Alyeeta and their comrade. They called her names and taunted her to do her worst. As the captain attempted to restore order, some even reached out to poke at her with sticks and fingers.

  Breaking free of the captain’s grip, Alyeeta suddenly stood up to her full height. Her appearance was truly terrifying. In her deepest voice, the one she used for casting spells, she thundered, “A curse on all who mock me. Yes, by the Goddess, I shall rain down black toads on all who mock me. They will cover this beach by the thousands. Any man they touch will have his manhood shrivel up and fall off. That man shall be of no use to his wife or to any other woman—ever again!” Raising her arms to the heavens, she intoned, “With the help of the Goddess, I shall bring this curse down on all these laughing fools.”

  Now all was in an uproar. The captain had to shout for silence several times before he could make himself heard. “Old woman, you have caused more trouble in this camp than a herd of goats. You must be out of here now, this night. And take your idiot sister with you, before she comes to some harm. I am tempted to run you through with my sword for the disturbance you have made in my camp.”

  “Wait, Captain, I have only told the truth. For the sake of my honor, tie me to that tree for the night.” She was pointing to a giant silverleaf at the top of the bank. “If I cannot cover this beach with black toads by morning, then you can all run me through with your swords. You, Captain, can have the pleasure of being first. Then the rest of you can bloody your weapons in my old body. Before you go hack the Kourmairi of Mishghall to bits, you can practice on me. Chop me up and throw the pieces to the fish if it pleases you. By evening I will be nothing but bones on the bottom of the Escuro, never to bother you again.”

  The captain shook his head in disgust, but his men had already gathered enough rope to tie up four horses. “My money,” screamed Alyeeta as they started pulling her toward the tree. “Do not let him take my money. That is what he wants, that liar over there. He only wants my money. If my curse comes true, it shows that my heart is pure in the sight of the Goddess. Then my winnings are honorable, and that one is the liar and the cheat.” She was pointing at her accuser.

  The man lunged at her in a fury, but the captain blocked his way, saying, “Man, you will get your vengeance by morning light.” Then he turned to me. “Here,” he said sharply. “Gather up all this money.” To Alyeeta he added, “Your sister will be holding your money safe for you. If you win this wager, it is all yours. If you lose, it is forfeited, along with your lives. Now, Witch, no more shouting. Enough commotion. Do not tempt me to run you through right now. We must have some peace in this camp tonight. We have much work to do tomorrow.” As I scuttled sideways to gather up the money, I kept my eye on the captain, drooling a little for effect.

  They tied Alyeeta to the giant silverleaf, the one she had pointed to. I followed after her, sniveling and hobbling and clinging to her skirts, yet ready in an instant to defend her—with my body if need be. The rope was wound many times around Alyeeta and the tree trunk, binding her securely to it. Silverleaf trees are sacred to the Witches, and I thought Alyeeta had chosen this one for her own purposes. It seemed like an ancient being as it towered over the other trees on the bank, rising tall and straight out of a great tangled nest of roots. In the flicker of torchlight, those roots looked like snakes, writhing from the shore out into the water. Its branches spread wide, and its broad, flat leaves gleamed like huge silver coins as they turned slowly in the breeze.

  The captain set a guard on us, saying, “Old woman, if this is any sort of trick or if you seek to escape in the night, this soldier has orders to dispatch you instantly, you and your sister both. Now, we will have no more shouting and screeching and spellmaking, or I will end your life right now, is that understood? We will see in the morning what your spells can do. I trust my sleep will be better than yours.”

  Even all bound with ropes, Alyeeta drew herself up to her full height. With great passion and sudden seriousness, she declared, “My Goddess will not fail me. She will protect me from all harm. I will sleep as well as anyone here.” Listening to her words, I wished I could feel half so confident.

  “We shall see what the morning brings,” the captain repeated as he turned away and went striding up the shore.

  As I crouched beside Alyeeta, I asked in her head, What if the toads do not come? What will we do then?

  She answered in whispered Kourmairi, “Do not fear, Little One. I will think of something else. They are easily played, these men. But the toads will come, Tazzia. I can already feel them gathering under our feet.”

  I sensed a young guardsman eyeing me hungrily, no doubt thinking that with my sister tied and helpless, I would be easy prey to his lust. Picking my nose diligently, I turned to stare straight at him with vacant innocence. When I knew I had his full attention, I let a little spittle run from the corners of my mouth. Then, for good measure, I began to scratch vigorously, first my head and then my crotch. I could feel his skin crawl with revulsion. He turned away in disgust and said to the man standing watch, “And to think we bought food from those two.” I thought to have no trouble with him that night.

  The camp began to quiet, as the captain had forbidden any further exchanges with the Witches or any more games of chance. When all was still, I felt Alyeeta tapping at the edges of my mind. Reach for the horses and make a strong contact with them all. They must run free when the time comes and not let these soldiers mount. I sent my mind out among the horses, gathering them in a net of thought that I could come back to later. I also kept watch on the soldiers so that none could sneak up, thinking to stab or rob us. I expected to keep watch on the whole camp, but I must have dozed, for I was awakened by Alyeeta’s voice in my head. I have tranced the guard, and I think the others sleep. Untie me quickly, for I cannot hold him long. But leave the ropes in place, so nothing will be noticed till the time comes for action. Especially free my hands. I will need them for the proper effect.

  Moving as cautiously as possible so as not to draw attention, I did as she told me. The fires had burned low and there was little light, save
for some ground-glow. Untying was not so easily done. They had wound her round many times; also, that tangle of roots at the base of the tree was slippery and treacherous underfoot. As I worked, I could feel Alyeeta’s presence in my head, impatiently urging me on. At last it was done and I could breathe again. This time I was determined to stay awake, though Alyeeta assured me that it was safe to sleep. “You will be wakened soon enough,” she whispered gleefully.

  Chapter Five

  In spite of my best intentions, I must have dozed again. I was jolted awake in the gray dawn by a terrible, loud trilling. This was instantly followed by shouts and screams. Toads! Toads everywhere! Alyeeta was right! The ewee had really come, just as she said they would. There were toads all along the river’s edge. Whichever way I looked, there were little black toads: toads bursting through the sand, toads leaping about, toads making that ear-splitting sound. There were more toads than I had ever seen before at flood time, toads in such quantities, I could almost believe Alyeeta had spelled them into existence.

  I shook my head in amazement. The whole shore had suddenly erupted into a scene of wild confusion. Shouting in terror, the Zarn’s guards were fleeing in all directions, many with toads clinging to their clothes. They were leaving behind a chaos of belongings that littered the ground: food, clothes, tents, armor, weapons, and equipment. To goad them on, Alyeeta began waving her arms about wildly and screaming like one possessed, “You see, I told you, the curse has come true, the curse of the black toads has come down on your heads!” Our own guard had disappeared, without even a backward glance.

  Frightened by all the noise, the horses were already skittish and ready to run. It took only a little push from me to make them afraid of the soldiers. Fully awake now, I threw myself into mind-speech with the horses and saw them rear up and leap away from their riders, throwing off those few who had succeeded in mounting. Some of the horses went thundering past us down the shore, while others dashed off into the woods. The frightened whinnying of horses and the curses of men were added to the maddening trilling of the toads.

  Alyeeta, meanwhile, had thrown off her ropes. She was standing atop the high, gnarled roots of the silverleaf, arms raised, calling out to the Goddess and screeching at the men. Cursing, raving, and threatening, her madness seemed to be the central core of the turmoil that was swirling around us. “I told you I could do it!” she screamed at the fleeing soldiers. “I told you what would happen! I told you that I, Alyeeta the Witch, could bring down the curse of the black toads on your heads! Cheats! Liars! Fools! A curse on you all! Your manhood will shrivel up and fall away!”

  In a matter of minutes, the shore was cleared of men and horses. As soon as I could release my mind-touch from the horses, I turned to Alyeeta. “Come down from there,” I yelled at her. “Come down quickly, before one of them turns back and thinks to finish you off.” She shook her head and triumphantly shouted more nonsense. Plainly, she was enjoying this sham of power. Annoyed, I grabbed her arm for a hard tug. She pulled back, but I was stronger. I succeeded in moving her from her perch so suddenly that she almost fell on top of me. We were none too soon. She was just starting to scold me for my interference when suddenly one of the men, raving madly, ran at her with his sword straight out before him. “Alyeeta!” I shouted in warning. Just in time, she rolled out of harm’s way. Howling in rage, the man plunged on past her. Unable to stop in time, he dashed straight into the swollen Escuro and, with a scream, went swirling away. Almost instantly, he was out of sight, carried off in the rush of the floodwaters.

  It seemed no time at all before the guards were all gone. Soon, even their shouts were distant. Alyeeta picked herself up and brushed off her clothes. “Now that all this rubbish has cleared itself away, we can signal the Kourmairi,” she said with satisfaction. Clearly she was very pleased with herself. In fact, she seemed almost smug. That smugness could easily have been her undoing. It could even have cost her her life. As she threw back her head to laugh, I looked up just in time to see the captain bearing down on her, riding fast with his sword drawn. He was aiming straight at Alyeeta, shouting, “Death to you, Witch!”

  Without a thought, I threw myself in front of her, directly between Alyeeta’s body and the captain’s sword. The impact of that force was as violent as a blow. It threw me to my knees, but it was force only, not sword and flesh. The horse had reared up before the captain could strike me. At that moment, his own sword seemed to turn against him. Then, as he lurched forward in the saddle, it was wrenched from his hold. For an instant, it appeared to be suspended in the air in front of me. Then it fell with a clatter on the gravel at my feet. The captain himself lay sprawled on the ground, with blood spurting from his side.

  Much to my surprise, he struggled to his feet again almost instantly. He was clutching his side. Blood was oozing through his fingers. He was staring at me in amazement. “So, Witchling, you are not at all what you seem.”

  Throwing aside all semblance of age or witlessness, I held up my hands in front of me and said forcefully, “Not again, Captain. Your next try will likely kill you.”

  He made a slight bow, some mixture of mockery and respect. There was a strange smile on his face. “Khal Hadera Lossien! I have been sent often enough to hunt you down. Somehow you always managed to disappear before me like smoke or mist. I never really expected to see one of you at work. Your skills are most impressive. I suppose I should be grateful not to be wearing my sword through my innards.” His anger seemed to have melted away. Toads were leaping all about him, landing here and there. Some were even hanging from his clothes, but he ignored them.

  Somehow, his praise made me feel foolish as well as a little angry. “If your aim had been better, you would probably be dead now, and through no skill of mine,” I answered gruffly. With a slight bow of my own, I added, “Hadera Lossi, I hear that is what they call us now.” Then, just to try out the name, I said, “Lorren.”

  His eyes flew wide with surprise. “How did you know?”

  “I picked it out of your head,” I said quickly, afraid I might have betrayed Hereschell’s trust.

  “Well, you will certainly be something to watch in times to come.”

  Bothered by the sight of his blood, I reached into one of our baskets for a cloth, watching him carefully all the while. I tore the cloth in half and reached the pieces to him warily. “Fold one over to make a pad and bind it on with the other. I would help you, but I cannot trust you.”

  “I will do well enough for myself,” he said, watching me intently. “I cannot say that I have much trust for you, either. Who knows what you might do next.” Never taking his eyes from us, he pulled up his shirt, and with hands made awkward by pain, he bound his side. The wound was bloody but did not look vital.

  “Lucky for you, your aim was not true. I would have warned you of the danger, but I had no chance.”

  “You would have warned me and so saved my life? You fight a strange battle, Hadera Lossi.”

  “I fight no battles at all,” I said with annoyance. “We did not choose to fight this battle or any other. If we could, the Hadera Lossi would choose to live in peace far from your cities. Instead, we are hunted by the soldiers of the Zarn, all across Garmishair and into Yarmald. We are burned alive if you catch us. In spite of that, I take no pleasure in turning your blade back on you. It is nothing I can wish or unwish. And I certainly take no pleasure in your pain. I feel it almost as my own.”

  “She has the curse of empathy,” Alyeeta said tartly. “It is one of the gifts, or one of the curses, of their powers. Personally, I am not nearly so kind to people who try to kill me.”

  He was shaking his head in amazement. “Well, this is a fair day’s work. Two women have beaten the Zarn’s army, with no blood shed but my own and no help but tiny black toads. I salute you, Daughter of the Great Star. And you, old Witch mother, I suppose you are also not what you seem. What else can you call down out of the sky besides black toads?”

  “Red dogs, green snake
s, and a great black bird-of-death the size of your horse, with a beak longer than your sword. Take care with your tongue and do not tempt me, soldier.”

  “I will consider myself warned. As you can see, I am trembling in my boots. Having seen the spell of the black toads, I have no wish to provoke you into calling down dogs or snakes.” He looked up and down the shore that had been so quickly emptied of men and was now strewn with their leavings. “I think Mishghall is lost this day, but it is not likely to be the last battle fought for that city. The Zarn of Eezore has set his mind on it, and he is very determined.”

  Alyeeta turned a wolfish grin on him. “Do not count on winning the next time either, Captain. There is something new in this land that the Zarns have never dealt with before.”

  Ignoring her, he turned and looked me straight in the eye. “And what of the toads, Hadera Lossi, what are they really?”

  “Only toads. They are the ewee, the flood toads of the Escuro.” I said this without thought. He had drawn the truth out of me through no will of my own. Quickly, I shut my mouth before any more words could leap out. He picked up one of those little black creatures and held it in his bare hands, not seeming the least bit afraid. Then he bent to peer at it closely. “They do indeed appear to be real toads, and very small ones at that. I have never seen anything like them. Clearly, the Shokarn know nothing of them. There is nothing like this in Garmishair. Do they come out only at flood time?”