“Yes, we shall make the tower our home,” replied Isabella. “Who is it that can help?”
“Oshri Cheni. A dried up old prune of a mage who lives in the Dark Forest. He probably knows more about dragon magic than any person on Seron. I’ll bring him to the tower, but he’s no spring chicken. It would be faster if we had a horse for him to ride.”
Kai answered, “You can take my horse. Bring the mage to the tower.”
“What of the bandits?” asked Adina.
“Now that we’ve found a solution to our magic teacher problem, we’ll be handling the housing situation. From here, we’ll head to the tower and inform the residents that it’s time to move on,” said Kai. Defeating the bandits was a far more dangerous task than Kai let on, but he didn’t want Adina to worry. By the time she and the mage arrived, the bandits would be dealt with, one way or another.
Adina laughed, “I would have bet my life no one would ever remove those bandits from the tower, but a Dragonblood … Well that makes anything possible. I shall have Oshri at the tower in three to four days’ time.”
“Thank you, Adina. I look forward to seeing you again,” said Isabella with a smile.
Adina grabbed the reins of the horse and started back to the forest. Kai could hear her mumbling to herself as she went. “A Dragonblood! Oshri is going to soil his pants when he finds out.”
Raven looked at Kai. “It seems we’re now short a horse. Should we divide the pack animals gear onto the other horses?”
Kai shook his head. “No. This is a perfect time for me to work off some of the softness I gained living in Shelby. I’ll run.”
“Are we heading to the tower today?” asked Raven. “You’ll be going into battle tired.”
Kai thought about Raven’s words. It was one thing to run back, he certainly did need to increase his endurance, but to try and attack the tower while tired would be foolhardy. “No, we’ll head back to the ruins tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll deal with tower.”
28
DAWN CAME EARLY TO KAI. After lending his horse to Adina, he’d run back to the ruins. But instead of taking the road back, they swung west. The going had been slower, but they’d covered new ground that gave Kai even more knowledge of the land surrounding Mara. It had been a productive venture, they found several patches of wild berries and old farms that had been deserted with crops gone wild. The old farms would take work, but the flat fertile land would give excellent harvests in the future.
Getting up, Kai stretched out. He felt good, the long run had warmed his muscles up but had not over taxed him.
Sometime during the night Sisera had returned and was now sleeping aside Isabella. Kai didn’t understand how the bond between the child and the dragon worked, but he knew they were now connected in a way few humans ever were. Perhaps twins shared some of the same connection. Kai knew that some A’kil, a race of magic blood humans, were able to share an emotional connection with animals and other humans, but those magic users were almost as rare as Dragonblood.
Raven was already awake. She was away from the camp sitting on large boulder, watching the sun come up over the mountain. As Kai walked closer he could see she was running a wet stone over her war axe. She was preparing to go to the tower.
“Morning,” said Kai. “Sleep well?”
“A few hours. I am a light sleeper, especially on the night before a battle.”
Kai knew exactly what she meant. “We could wait. The Dragon’s Tail will arrive and even out the numbers.”
“You know as well as I that if a large force comes towards the towers, they will simply close them and wait us out. Even bandits can defend the tower. Two of us can walk right up to the gates and they won’t blink an eye.”
Kai nodded, “That was my thought as well. Do you think the gates are open?”
“I spoke to Sisera when she returned last night. There are twenty bandits living in the towers, but during the day almost half of them go out raiding. The gates were open all of yesterday and only three men are guarding them.”
This report was welcome news to Kai. Two against twenty was a tall order, even for two accomplished warriors. But half that number, and spread out over the tower was a different proposition altogether. Especially if they could trick the guards into letting them walk through the front gates. Kai smiled at Raven.
“I don’t like the look of that smile,” said Raven. “What are you plotting?”
“You’re going to hate it, but it will get us inside the tower with no trouble.”
Raven groaned, “I won’t do it!”
…
Luca looked down from his position on the wall surrounding the tower. A warrior was walking towards the wall, but what the warrior was pulling is what caught Luca’s eye. The warrior was leading a woman by a rope tied to her neck. Her hands were tied and her head was down. A slave? Or a prisoner? Luca didn’t recognize the warrior, but a woman … what a treat that would be. And from the look of her, she was a fine specimen. Tall and muscular, her raged clothing showed a taut stomach and long supple legs. Her chest was covered by her top, but any fool could see she had a healthy pair of breasts hiding under the thin clothing.
Luca slipped down from his post on the wall, calling to Findlay, one of the other watchmen. “Let’s go see what this is about? I haven’t had a woman like that in months.”
“Who are you kidding, you’ve never had a woman like that. I’ll signal Cameron not to sound the alarm. Let’s see if this stranger is sharing before we notify the boss.”
“A dangerous idea, Uriah will be angry … but by the gods, she does look like a tasty morsel. I agree, get Cameron and let’s see what this stranger wants.”
Luca climbed down from the wall. Normally when a stranger came they would stay in their positions on the wall. But a single warrior with a woman slave wasn’t a threat. There was no need to stay on the wall, especially when they could meet the man at the gates and take a closer look at his prize.
The stranger was tall, and heavily armed. A sword on his hip, bow over one shoulder, and a war axe over the other. In one hand, he carried a small sack, in the other he held the rope of the woman.
“Who are you and what ye want?” asked Luca bluntly. He spoke to the warrior, but his gaze focused on the woman. Up close he could see that she was huge. Taller than him, with a body that looked like it rivaled any man for power, yet her smooth and creamy skin, and long dark hair were incredibly feminine and desirable. Luca had never seen a more attractive woman.
“I’m Kai. I’m looking for a new home. I hear the tower was a good place.”
“Who’s the woman?” asked Cameron as he and Finlay joined Luca at the gates.
“My gift to you. I thought I’d exchange her for the tower,” said Kai.
“Uriah would never go for that. Perhaps he would let you stay here if you agreed to share her,” said Luca as he leered at the scantily clad Raven.
“Share her? How many of you are there?” asked Kai.
“Ten right now, but twenty or so every night. Sometimes as many as forty, depending on who’s hiding and who’s out raiding,” said Cameron.
“I think that’s too many men for sharing. Perhaps I’ll just take the tower,” said Kai.
“Perhaps we’ll just take the woman,” said Luca.
“I think we should call Uriah down. Something is not right about this,” said Finlay.
“After,” said Cameron. “Let’s kill this fool, have some fun with the woman, and then call Uriah.”
“You want the woman?” asked Kai. “Here, she’s all yours.” Kai let go of the rope.
As Kai let go of the rope, Raven let go of the leather straps she’d been holding over her hands, pretending to be tied up. She reached out and grabbed her axe from Kai’s back.
“What the hell?” said Cameron.
…
Luca took his sword and swung at Kai. Kai avoided the swing and drew his own sword. As he defended himself against the bandit, Raven attacked the other
two bandits. The one called Finlay roared and attacked while Cameron tried to turn and run to the tower.
Raven’s axe met Finlay’s sword in a clash of steel on iron. The superior metal of Raven’s weapon broke the bandit’s sword. Her heavy axe sliced into his chest.
Kai knocked Luca’s sword away and stabbed the bandit. Kai let go of his sword, letting it fall with the bandit. He pulled his bow from his back and took aim at the fleeing Cameron. His arrow caught the cowardly bandit in the back. Kai looked at Raven, “Looks like I’m ahead on the bet again.”
Raven shook her head. “Only because I agreed to your stupid plan. Now give me my clothes.”
Kai grinned at the female warrior as he picked up the small sack he’d brought with him and threw it to Raven. “Are you sure you don’t want to fight like that? You look rather fetching.”
“I have no problem showing my body, it’s the lack of armor that makes me feel naked,” replied Raven as she put on her iron gauntlets and removed the rope from around her neck. “Being led around by a rope was not an experience I’d like to repeat.”
“Next tower we invade I’ll let you lead me around like the prisoner,” said Kai.
“Fine, but I get to dress you too. I’ll make you wear a thong and nothing else.”
“Hardly fair, You’ve more clothing on than that,” said Kai.
“Who said anything about fair?” replied Raven with a wink. She cleaned the blood off her axe. “What now?”
“We enter the tower. If they weren’t bad at math, there are seven left. Judging from the smell of these ones, they have plenty of ale here. I’d say many are still asleep. Move quick and silently, and thin their numbers out.” Kai led the way.
Inside the outer walls and gate was a courtyard. The tower itself was a thick stone structure built into the side of the mountain. The tower entrance was protected by a huge set of thick wooden doors braced and hinged with iron. Luckily, the bandits left the massive doors open, relying on the outer gates to provide them with security. The allure of Raven’s half-naked body had been enough to get them through those gates. The easy part was over. From here on in, they would be fighting their way into the bandit’s lair. Kai retrieved his sword from the fallen bandit, cleaned it and returned it to its sheath. Despite the fact that most of the fighting would be in close proximity, he preferred to use his bow. The bow allowed him to strike multiple targets at any range.
They carefully walked into the tower, taking advantage of shadows. Once they were through the large doors, Kai looked around. The main floor was large and spacious, with doorways leading into rooms that had been carved into the mountain. There was a main staircase that went upwards. Noises from above hinted that the bandits were indeed on the second floor and higher. Moving stealthily, silently they mounted the first set of stairs. The second floor of the towers was filled with smaller rooms than the wide open first floor. They entered a dining room, and noted the kitchen’s nearby location. On either side of the large dining room were two long hallways that went the length of the tower, appearing to lead further into the mountain. These hallways were lit with torches, as the minimal amount of light from the tower windows wasn’t enough to light the passage ways. It looked like both of the hallways would lead to bedrooms. Silently, Kai pointed for Raven to take one hallway while he took the other. Raven nodded and stealthily strode down the hallway.
Kai got to the first room, the door was closed. He carefully opened it as slowly and as quietly as he could, but the hinges did not co-operate. The door made a loud creaking noise. The bandit inside started to wake.
“Who the hell?” stuttered the bandit and he looked at Kai. He dove for the sword beside his bed, but Kai’s arrow caught him in the chest. Kai moved to the next room and the next after that. Killing men this way brought no glory, like the glory of winning, of surviving, face to face combat on a battlefield. The inhabitants of the tower were not honorable warriors deserving of a warrior’s death. Kai felt no regret, for the men were the type that didn’t believe in open warfare. They were the type that struck from ambush and robbed anyone who came in their path. A fair battle was not something they deserved or would even appreciate. When Kai finished clearing his hallway three of the bandits were dead. He returned to the dining room, where Raven was waiting.
“How many?” asked Raven in a whisper.
Kai put up three fingers.
Raven put up two of her own. Five more bandits were dead, plus the three guards. Only three remained. So far they’d been lucky. The early morning attack along with the foolishness of the outer guards was going according to plan.
They climbed the next set of stairs, which lead to a wide corridor. One side of the corridor was dark while the other was lit with torches. They followed the torches until the corridor opened into a large room. It was study or library of some sort, and at the far end of the room was a table where three men were sitting and talking. “I say we go south and raid the roads around New Cresthill. It’s the biggest port on the isle, plenty of travelers with coin,” said one of the bandits.
On the opposite side of the table from the man who spoke was a large man, focused on a map sprawled out on the table. “No, not yet. We’ll go north into Prozia and then raid back down through the Valley of Tears. We haven’t hit them in months. They always have a good amount of food in the valley, even if they don’t have the coin.”
Kai and Raven walked into the room. “I think the best plan would be to leave Seron. Perhaps Droll is friendlier toward thieves,” said Raven.
The three men all turned and looked at the intruders. “Where in the seven hells did you two come from?” bellowed the leader.
“Some of your men attacked us, the other day. We decided to return the favor. Now you can choose to leave the isle or to stay and be buried here, your choice.”
The men drew their swords and ran towards Kai and Raven.
Kai sighed. Why did they never choose the easy option? He waited until the men were half way across the room and then raised his bow. He fired three shots as rapidly as he could. Unlike the first bandits where his aim had been off, this time Kai was on the mark. All three men fell. Kai let his arm fall to his side. The battle was over, and it hadn’t started.
Suddenly a sharp pain took Kai by surprise as a blade plunged into his side. A fourth bandit had been standing in the dark corner of the room.
Kai’s sharp intake of breath was a sound Raven recognized. It was the shocked breath sound that came with a wound. Raven turned sharply, swiftly, striking the corner bandit with her axe, killing him with one slicing blow. Blood spattered both Kai and Raven.
Kai looked down at the blade sticking through him. “Damned bandits can’t count worth a shit. Ten men my ass,” he swore.
Raven dropped her axe, looking at the wound. “It looks worse than it is. I can tell from your blood that it didn’t strike any organs. A deep flesh wound,” she said as she pulled the bandit’s sword out of Kai’s side. Kai gasped. He had not been ready for the removal of the sword. “What ever happened to the soft gentle touch of a woman?”
Raven snorted. “Reserved for babies.” She searched the room and found an old curtain the bandits had removed from the window. She torn the curtain into strips and returned to Kai. “Take off your shirt and armor,” she ordered.
Kai gingerly and with her help, lifted off the shirt, his chainmail armor had deflected the blow away from his midsection, but the blade had still penetrated the armor. With his armor and shirt off, Raven wrapped the curtain around his belly. She pressed it tight against the wound to help slow the bleeding.
“I think you let him strike you so that you would get out of cleaning this place. These bandits are messy. Pigs would have kept it cleaner.”
Kai shook his head. “No, it was just stupidity. I should have known they would lie about how many bandits were truly here. You should go now. Head back to camp, get Isabella and Sisera. Once you are back here, we’ll close the gates before any other bandits can retu
rn. They can die like their friends or leave the land, but we must not make the same mistake they made and let our enemies walk through the outer gates.”
“Don’t let any half-naked women walk in and there won’t be a problem,” joked Raven.
“If they look like you, I might not be able to help myself,” said Kai as he grinned though the pain.
Raven looked at him thoughtfully for a second then leaned in and kissed him.
Kai accepted her kiss gladly, her lips pressed against his. For a moment, he forgot about his injury and raised his arms to pull Raven in tighter. Her kiss was soft but persistent. Raven broke the kiss, and stared into his eyes. “I’m going to retrieve Isabella. Be safe.”
Kai watched the woman walk away. The kiss had been unexpected, yet pleasant. He hoped more were in his future.
29
“KING EOTH WAS THE ONLY KNOWN DRAGONBLOOD to ever bond with two dragons at the same time,” said Sisera as she explained more of the history of Dragonbloods to Isabella. “But Lord Brendon Upshaw was the strongest Dragonblood. His dragon magic was incredible. It’s said he could control people’s minds. Lord Upshaw and his dragon Kerath, an evil black red with a taste for humans, killed thousands before another Dragonblood, Lady Meridith and her gold-silver, Arterah, killed them. That was almost a thousand years ago, a dark time in the history of man and dragon. Many dark dragons used their Dragonbloods to control humans as slaves,” said Sisera.
“That’s awful,” said Isabella. She was sitting beside Sisera on her balcony and Sisera was giving her a dragon’s perspective on history. It seemed dragons were very detailed in their stories—it was a dragon’s way of passing down knowledge from one generation to the next. Now Sisera was sharing the stories she’d learned with Isabella.
Sisera shrugged. “It was a different time. Dragons were more powerful, humans were weaker. As humans became more powerful, the balance of power shifted. But humans becoming more powerful than dragons hasn’t stopped the killing of humans. Instead of death by dragon, humans kill each other far more often than dragons ever did. There were far fewer wars when dragons ruled the world, but I don’t know that returning to such a state would be any better.”
Sisera's Gift (Dragonblood Sagas Book 2) Page 14
