The Shadow Gypsy (The Shadow Sisters)

by C. R. Daems

  "Good choice of familiars, Ryana. At the time, we all thought you crazy playing with Ahasha bats," Rong said, as her grey owl, Chiba, landed on a nearby tree limb, Fayza's cat, Zara and Yafa, Hajna's wolf, appeared in the doorway. "Chiba places four in the town."

  "Yafa has Ulfur and his aide in the main building," Hajna said.

  "Good. Hajna, Fayza, you need help with the four in town?" Rong grinned. It appeared more of an assignment than a question.

  "Not unless they're hiding."

  "Ryana, Erica, I think we should keep Ulfur and his aide as hostages, until we learn more about the relationship between the Snowmen and the Assur." Again, more of an assignment than a question, which I was happy to let Rong and Hajna do. I was a little late getting mentors, but they were welcome.

  We made our way to the main building and to the room where we had been taken initially. The door was partially ajar.

  "Lieutenant Hroar has taken six men to visit the captives. They were given Passion nectar with their meal this morning so they should be ripe for the men. It's a good thing. Duty at the Sanctuaries is boring. When do you think we will be ordered into Tarion?"

  "Soon, Vidar. Soon. The last time I talked to our Supreme Leader, Askell, he thought he'd have the leaders of the provinces neutralized and Dazel ready for a military takeover. Within a cycle, the Snowmen will control—"

  "We need to discuss that," Rong said as she pushed open the door. I followed ready with my blowtube and a rockberry dart. Vidar's response was almost immediate and both swords left their scabbards. But before he could move, I had a dart in his throat. He took one step, then one sword and then the other fell out of his hands as he collapsed. Lord Ulfur stood but did not reach for his swords.

  "What happened to my men?"

  "If I understand the God Perun's rules, they will be reborn as goats or something. They certainly hadn't reached perfection," Rong said as she sat facing Ulfur.

  "You are the women who live in Ahasha valley, aren't you? What do you want?"

  "Yes, those of us in black are Shadow Sisters. If I remember my ancient history, we chased you Snowmen back to your mountain caves last time we met. As to your second question, I'd like you to return to your caves, but I suppose asking nicely isn't going to work this time either. I would like to understand your relationship to the Assur people, and what are Sanctuaries?"

  Ulfur was quiet for a long time before speaking. "The God Perun chose the people of the mountain peaks because we were closest to him. Many years ago, Askell's father had an edict from Perun to spread his word and to stop the evils of the people in the low country. We encountered the Assur and other small villages and consolidated them into places of peace, were the people are safe and live in accordance with Perun's rules."

  "So the God Perun condones murder, kidnapping, rape, torture, lies, deceit... Hard to tell your evil from ours," Erica said, holding up her hand before Ulfur could answer. "I know. Your evil is necessary to stop ours. I think I prefer our evil men. At least, they don't pretend to be doing a God's work."

  "And then there were two," Hajna said as she entered the room with Roisin. She had her hand over her mouth, and her face was pale. She remained quiet as we locked up Ulfur and Vidar.

  "Roisin, we would like a tour of Sanctuary seven so we can understand what you do here." Rong said.

  "What is going to happen to Lord Ulfur? Who will protect us now?" her voice rose as her eyes darted here and there as if looking for the danger.

  "Protect you from who?"

  "Evil," she said as if it lurked everywhere.

  "While we are here, we will protect you. When we leave, the Snowmen will send additional men." Erica said. I thought that a good answer. We weren't going to convince any of the Assur they didn't need protection or that the Snowmen were evil. That seemed to calm Roisin, and she spent the next two days giving us a tour, answering our questions, and introducing us to others, so we could get their input.

  I had to admit Sanctuary seven was a peaceful place and the people happy. They believed in the God Perun, and his rules as laid down by the Snowmen. The privileges the Snowmen demanded, like anytime sex, and having servants to cook, clean, and serve, were considered payment for Perun's protection via the Snowmen. The village raised children in the Perun religion, those born to the village women and those brought in from elsewhere, and produced things for the Snowmen. Roisin didn't know all the things the Sanctuaries produced, only that each Sanctuary tended to be unique. Sanctuary seven produced clothing and processed the Passion flower into nectar. She didn't know how many Sanctuaries existed, only that this one was the furthest north. Snowmen assigned Sanctuary seven were rotated every season, except for Lord Ulfur and his aide, who had been here for many cycles. The supreme leader, Askell, periodically visited the village. When he did, he always left with many bottles of the Passion nectar.

  "Well, Ryana, have we found out what we came to find? This was your idea, and a good one," Rong asked on the morning of the third day.

  "No," I said for no logical reason. It was intuition speaking. What we had found was interesting, put names onto the aggressors and exonerated the Assur but... "How many Storm Wizards are there? How big is their army, and is it large enough to attack Tarion? Are they planning military action, and if so, where? Where are there Passion flower fields and how well guarded are they?"

  "I agree," Rong said. "We can conjecture from what we already know, that the Snowmen planned to take Hesland a province at a time using the Passion nectar to control key people, like the king and province leaders. The army in that case would be an occupying, not an invading force. We can assume the Storm Wizards would be far more effective in the desert protecting their Passion flowers and their Sanctuaries from invaders than fighting against a castle. And we can assume that our Sisters are destroying that strategy by killing the Snowman prophets, alerting the province leaders, and destroying the Passion nectar they find. So, unless we assume the Snowmen are just going to retreat back into the mountains, we need to understand what alternatives are available to them. That requires answers to Ryana's questions."

  "Roisin thought there was a Sanctuary west of here, higher in the mountains, and one south, closer to the desert floor. Which one?" Hajna asked.

  "South. The main army and the Storm wizards will be located on or near the desert floor to protect the Passion flower fields from potential attacks from the Zunji and Tarion."

  "Fayza, Hajna, the prisoners," Rong said. I could have hugged her. They had to die, but it would be hard for me. I reached down and pulled out two needles and held them out for Fayza and Hajna.

  "Rocktail," I said. They nodded and took them. Neither Sister needed to prove her skill with weapons. This was a simple assassination. They walked off together, talking.

  * * *

  After assuring Roisin she was safe and new guards would be coming to take the dead guards’ places, we left, choosing the southern trail when well out of sight. We pretty much understood the functions of the Sanctuaries, but I doubted they contained the answers we needed. The desert floor, or someplace close to it, was where the flowers, soldiers, and wizards would be found, and the answers we were seeking. Of course, the deeper we got into Snowmen territory, the more difficult it was going to be to get out. And the reason I suggested we leave our horses with the other horses at Sanctuary seven.

  "You're joking?" Hajna said, looking around the group. "It's going to take a couple of sixdays with the horses. Without them, it could take a season or more."

  "We've been stuck teaching too long, Hajna," Rong said, nodding. I can see Fayza agrees with Ryana. From here on in we will need stealth, not speed. It won't be long before they realize we're here and a search will start. We can't just ride into their camps, and if they find our horses, they will know we're in the area, and it will narrow the search. Erica?"

  "I'm comfortable walking. I prefer contact with the earth. It gives me nourishment and strength." She smiled. Like Hajna, I would like to get i
n and out quickly, because of the strain on Luka and the clan over my absence. But our need for information outweighed everything. The trails varied from packed dirt, wide enough for two wagons side by side, to rocky paths barely wide enough for one wagon and needed a sure-footed horse. We rested during most of the day, preferring to travel at night. Each night one Sister took the lead while the others followed close enough to help but far back enough not to be seen. The lead person wore her herder clothing while the others wore black.

  We saw only two riders over the four days it took to reach the next camp. It happened on the second night, with Fayza in the lead. When I saw Zara coming down the road, I knew Fayza had encountered something. The three of us worked our way slowly to Fayza. When we reached her, she pointed to a small fire some thirty paces ahead sheltered by several small pine trees. I held up my hand to stop, and sent my darling to the spot, where Kasi found a limb to rest.

  "I prefer Sanctuary three to seven. The women there are a bit younger and a few actually enjoy the sex," the younger of the two said. The two sat near the fire holding sticks with meat into the fire.

  "I prefer five. They tend to have newly captured women. They give the older ones Passion nectar. Now, that's fun," the other one said and laughed.

  "When do you think we'll be leaving for Tarion or one of the provinces?" the younger one asked.

  "Mostly rumors, which vary day by day. I heard they are expecting the Supreme Leader, Askell, sometime this season. He will be the one to decide."

  "You think our army can defeat the king's?"

  "In the desert yes, our Storm wizards would be the deciding factor. In Tarion against a castle, no. If Leader Askell can get the king under control with the Passion nectar, we can walk right in and take control. If he can't, I doubt he will attack Tarion or Araby."

  "I've seen Wizard Maeja working with the other two, making small storms. That sand stripped the leather off the dummies they were using. The army wouldn't have much left to fight afterward."

  "Yes, the desert is open and has sand to throw at our enemies. Cities don't have either. The wizards will help, but they will be far less effective. In the desert, the army defends the wizards. In the city, the wizards defend us." They became quiet after that and retired soon afterward. Fayza and Hajna made short work of them.

  * * *

  The Sanctuary, village, or camp we encountered on the fourth evening was several times larger than Sanctuary seven. From our vantage point, some six or seven stories in the foothills, it appeared the Snowmen had a small army camped there, four times the number of white-robed individuals, and at least three wizards, judging by the black-robes with a silver swirling pattern on the hem, sleeves, and back of the robe.

  Over the next two days, the five of us scouted various areas. I chose the desert floor. At night, I used Kasi and Anil's eyes and ears. But during the day I use my sight to monitor the activity, since bats flying around during the day might raise some suspicion. The next morning we met and compared findings.

  "There is a significant army presence here. I estimate thirty hands of Snowmen and another ten hands of Assur. The Assur look young and appear to do all the dirty work. They train with spears and bows, whereas the Snowmen like swords. Some of the Snowmen are quite impressive with their double swords. The question is whether they have additional army units in other villages further south and how many individuals at the Sanctuaries," Hajna said, while drawing a map in the dirt of the village and the location of the Snowmen and Assur military. "Their current numbers are not too far from the military of a province, if you don’t count the other lords’ and ladies’ security forces,"

  "I watched the Snowmen training. They would be a match for any of our province armies," Fayza said.

  "This is definitely a military Sanctuary. They have several blacksmiths who make weapons and other groups that make military clothing. I’d need a couple of days to be sure, but the output from these shops would appear more than needed by the size of the army here," Rong said, marking off the locations of the shops.

  "The earth tells me they have four fields of Passion flowers. A newly planted field. A second with plants one year old. A third with two year’s growth. And a mature three year old field. The fields stretch well to the south of here. From what I know of the plant, it takes three years for it to produce the flowers needed for seeds for new plants. One of the reasons the plant isn't all over the desert is the lack of bugs to fertilize the flowers and produce the seeds and animals to eat the seeds, which then are deposited with nutrients to help it grow." Erica said.

  "What I saw supports everything you saw. I managed to get close to the mature field of Passion flowers. The white-robes are collecting the ripe seeds and flowers. They make no attempt that I can determine to process either the seeds or the flowers. That suggests that they send the flowers to one Sanctuary, like seven, and the seeds to another for processing. There is probably another Sanctuary that plants and maintains the new fields. I also got the impression the Passion flower is taboo to the Snowmen and the Assur. I saw no interest from the workers or guards," I said, thinking back over my night and day watch. "There were Snowmen and a Storm Wizard on guard night and day, but from their positions and attention, they were watching the approaches to the fields. I suspect that is how the Zunji were caught." I marked the position of the guards and wizard on our dirt map to show why I had come to that conclusion.

  "Interesting," Rong said. "They are exceptionally organized, and that confirms the Sanctuaries each serve a specific purpose. It dispels our theory about the Assur and establishes the Snowmen as the enemy. And it confirms they intended to conquer Hesland using the Passion drug but puts in doubt whether we could stop them by cutting off the supply. It appears unlimited."

  "And although their army may be able to overthrow a province, given time, a combined Hesland could easily defeat them. By that one sergeant's word, a Storm Wizard wouldn't be as effective in a town and certainly not against a castle," Hajna said.

  "Careful, I doubt that sergeant knows the wizard's true powers and how they could be used. If he could raise enough dirt and debris, he might be able to blind the soldiers on the wall while the Snowmen climbed over, or stop the castle from closing their gate, or..." I warned. "We still don't know enough about the wizards or their supreme leader."

  "Ryana's right. What we know about their supreme leader is that he has excellent organizational skills and is a strategic planner. His plan must have been developing over many cycles and was brilliant. Using the Passion drug he could have turned each province into a Sanctuary with the Snowmen our protectors. My question is whether the God Perun has always been the Snowmen's religion, or did Askell invent it or steal it from the Assur? He has certainly made good use of it."

  "The religion has probably existed in one form or another as long as anyone can remember. But like all great leaders, Askell has shaped it to meet his purposes," Erica said. "I would doubt a great leader would abandon his goal because we upset his original plan. The question is, then, how will he revise it?"

  "You’re right, wizard. The game doesn't end because we've drawn blood. Any ideas?" Rong looked around the group.

  "He'll strike were he feels we are vulnerable, a distraction, not an abandonment of his original strategy," I said, in fortuneteller mode. A feeling based on what I had seen or heard.

  "I don't guess you can tell us what the distraction will be?" Rong snorted.

  "No. Something dramatic. His strength against our weakness."

  "The fortuneteller, Ryana, sought out by province leaders and wizards," Erica said, smiling. "Neither wizards or nobles believe anyone can tell the future, yet you have attracted both. My brothers and sisters have spent many hours speculating about what makes them seek you out. I now understand. You somehow have the ability to use your accumulated experiences, as a Shadow and gypsy, and apply it to an individual's future. Like now. You are warning us what Askell will do, and I believe you will be right."

 
"I agree. Most of us are more comfortable when we can use what we know to form a logical opinion. But it is obvious that sometimes we know the answer without having all the facts in front of us. Why? Because sometimes our minds have worked out the answer based on things we've seen and heard but don't consciously remember. Most of us would disregard any such thoughts without facts to support it. Ryana is comfortable with the process and accepts it. Yes, I too believe her. The question is then, how to proceed given that is what will happen?" Rong looked to me. I didn't have a clue—as usual.

  "We could create our own distraction," Hajna said.

  "It would be helpful if we knew what was happening in Tarion and the provinces," Fayza said.

  "Yes, and where Askell is. Nothing is going to happen until he says so, and that means until he returns here," Rong said. "And if our Sisters have been successful, I would imagine that would speed up his return and response."

  Everyone was silent after that. I was sure we all agreed with the other's sentiments, but that didn't help with a course of action. Yes, it would be nice to know what was happening back in Tarion. My visual-self would give anything to know how Luka and the clan were dealing with my absence, to see Luka, and stop him from worrying. My shadow-self would like to know how the king was recovering, how my Sisters were doing in finding and destroying the Passion nectar, and the status of the province leaders.

  My visual-self trembled at Hajna's distraction suggestion, while my shadow-self accepted it as duty. And Rong was right. Askell would soon return, but how did that help us decide our best course of action? I wondered if we wouldn't all be better off if, like Roisin, if we would accept the God Perun's doctrine of attaining perfection through rebirth. She and the others seemed content with their lives. Or maybe, like the common man on Hesland, she was resigned to the idea because it was less painful than fighting it. Hoping the God Perun was real and a better life would come, like all the women who visited the fortunetellers. But as the Snowmen at Sanctuary seven proved, no one would be safe from their abuse. No, if the God Perun did exist, his commandments were being abused. We, the Shadow Sisters, had no choice except to oppose Askell and the Snowmen as we had zo'Stanko and se'Dubben. Our current system of nobility wasn't perfect, but it was better than visions of the likes of the Snowmen, zo'Stankos, and se'Dubbens.