Jaime attacked Raven with a flurry of quick slashes, his blade went low towards her knees, then high to the shoulders, and then side to side. It was an impressive combination of attacks, but Raven calmly blocked them all. When Jaime stopped attacking, his sword arm dropped the slightest bit and his breathing was starting to get heavy. She’s letting him wear himself out, thought Kai in admiration. No sooner than he realized her intents, Raven changed tactics. Now she was attacking. Her war axe had greater reach than Jaime’s sword, and she was putting it to good use by pressing ahead. Where Jaime’s attacks had been quick slashes, Raven’s attacks were powerful swings. Jaime was forced to duck and block several in a row. The strength required to block the heavy war axe was taxing Jaime’s energy even more. He was now visibly breathing heavier. Raven pressed her attacks, until an overhead swing forced Jaime to stumble back. A quick boot to the chest finished his fall to the ground. A combination of cheers and groans could be heard from among the men watching the sparring session. It was obvious the men had taken to betting on the outcome. Kai smiled as he watched Raven pull Jaime up from the ground. It had been a good contest and now all the men in the brigade would know that Raven was their equal on the battlefield. Her willingness to spar with Jaime and the men would give her a level of respect that only a warrior can earn. Kai admired that about Raven. She was as much of a warrior as anyone in the brigade. Kai headed down the stairs to catch them before they started sparring again.
When he got to the courtyard, the normal training had resumed. With the spectacle of Raven and Jaime sparring over, the men had returned to their own sparring. Raven and Jaime were laughing together when Kai joined them. “A well fought match, you two.”
“No, it wasn’t,” said Jaime. “Raven cheated.”
“Oh, and how did she cheat?” asked Kai, amused by Jaime’s comment.
Raven chuckled, “He says he was dazzled by the brilliance of my eyes, the creamy complexion of my skin and the curves of my cleavage. So I told him if a pretty face and a pair of tits distracts him, he should never fight in a tavern.”
Kai laughed and soon Raven and Jaime joined him.
“I thought since you were so busy with Camdyn, I’d try my luck stealing your woman away, but I have changed my mind. I have a hard and fast rule, never bed a woman better with a weapon than you.”
“From what I’ve seen you should become a monk then,” said Raven.
Jaime grabbed his heart, “That cuts deep. Your tongue is as sharp as your axe.”
“You can keep your thoughts about my tongue to yourself. And for the record, I’m no man’s woman. I haven’t made up my mind about Kai yet, but if the rest of you try anything funny, you’ll find out just how sharp my axe really is.”
Kai bit his lip to keep from smiling. Jaime had always been a real ladies man, his good looks and easy way with words made him very popular among the female population, but it seemed that Raven was immune to his charms. That she considered him a potential mate was something he already knew, they’d been flirting and getting closer as they spent more time together. Still it was nice to hear her declare herself off-limits to Jaime and the rest of the men of the brigade. Time would tell where he stood with the lovely northern warrior. Satisfied with the way that conversation had ended, Kai brought up his plan to visit the nearby village. “Raven, would you care to join Jaime and I on a scouting expedition? We’re going to make a visit to the village west of here. Introduce ourselves and see what the temperament of the village is.”
Raven nodded, “Isabella is training with Oshri today, that sounds like an excellent idea.”
…
The village was only an hour’s ride from the tower. The trio galloped over the familiar ground of the valley, but when they started getting into the hills, they slowed down. This was new territory and an excellent opportunity to scout. The hills were not as numerous as Kai had expected. Not tall enough to be considered mountains, but still high enough to give one a good view of the area. Looking back towards the tower, Kai could see that the top of the hills was slightly higher than the tower itself. To the west, Kai could see two smaller forested hills and then another valley. Farther west was another set of mountains. Kai knew that not far beyond those mountains was the western coast of Seron. Kai stopped his horse. He then turned to Jaime. “A good place for a watchtower.”
Jaime turned his horse around in a slow circle. He gazed over the land. “As good a spot as any. You can see both valleys, the village, and the mountain pass to the north.”
“If we establish trade with the village, this would be an excellent relay station for messages as well,” said Raven.
Kai looked around again. Both of them were right, this would be an important part of the tower’s defenses. A lookout point here, and another further south, would give them advanced warning of any enemies approaching in any direction. They’d make plans for an outpost when they returned from the village.
Continuing on their way. Kai could see the village. It was beyond the second set of hills, nestled into the forest and opening up into the western valley. A strong flowing creek was just past the village. As they descended into the forest, Kai counted rooftops. From a distance, it appeared the village was as big, if not bigger, than Shelby.
Once over the second smaller hill and through the forest, they walked their horses slowly into the village. Kai’s guess had been correct, this village was easily the size of Shelby, and probably another half over. As they started down the main street of the village, people started to stare at them. Looks of fear and distrust filled their faces. “It seems visitors are not common here,” said Kai.
“Perhaps they are common, but unwelcome,” replied Jaime.
This made sense to Kai. If the bandit’s who’d had made their home at the tower came here, they probably were causing trouble.
A group of men came out onto the street. They were yielding various weapons. But none of them were warriors. One of them had a pitch fork while another a blacksmith’s hammer.
“Hello there,” said Jaime, greeting the men.
“What ye want?” asked one of the half dozen men.
“My companions and I have recently settled to the east of here. We thought we’d come introduce ourselves and see if your village had a tavern to visit.”
“Sure, we have a tavern, but the beer is awful,” said the man with a pitchfork.
Another man turned and complained. “My beer is not bad, you just eat so many damned hot peppers that your taste buds are dead.”
“Hush, you two!” said the first man. It seemed he was the leader of the group. “East of here you say? Where about?”
“Mara. The Tower of Kings,” said Kai.
Looks of disapproval were all over the men’s faces. The man with the pitchfork actually spit on the ground at the mention of the tower. “The tower is home to bandits and thieves. You’ll get no welcome in Mirefield.”
“The previous tenants of Mara have been removed,” said Raven.
“The three of you cleared the tower of bandits? I have a hard time believing that,” scoffed one of the men in the crowd.”
Raven got off her horse and walked up to the man. She towered over him.
“Actually, only two of us cleared the tower. My companions here were too rude and removed the bandits without my help,” said Jaime in a friendly tone. “Rather inconsiderate of them I’d say. I mean there are only so many bandits in this territory and if we are to remove them all, it’s not fair that they started without me.”
“You intend to remove all the bandits from this area?” asked the leader. “That’s no easy task. Why would you do that?”
“We intend to be good neighbors. We’d like to have trade with your village and the others in the area. Bandits are bad for business,” said Jaime with a smile.
“Well, if that’s the case, perhaps you will find Mirefield a much friendlier place. Bandits have been a scourge on these lands for a long time.”
“There are fif
teen less of them no,” said Raven as she stared down the man who’d questioned her word.
“Fifteen?” said the leader. “The two of you killed fifteen men?”
“Not all at once,” said Kai. “We had two separate encounters with the bandits. First a small group tried to rob us when we camped for a night at the ruins of Mara. After that, we gave the bandits staying in the tower the opportunity to leave this land. They refused.”
“Why didn’t you wait for this one? He looks like a competent warrior,” said the leader.
“It wouldn’t have been a fair fight if we’d waited. Besides a point was being made,” said Kai.
“What point was that?” asked one of them men.
Kai smiled, “If two of us can take care of a dozen bandits, imagine what a hundred can do?”
“You have a hundred warriors at the Tower of Kings? What in the seven hells do you need a hundred men for?” asked the leader nervously.
“I’ll tell you everything about us,” said Kai. “But you’ll probably be wanting that beer first.”
“I already need a beer,” said the one Raven was staring down. “This one is making me nervous. She looks like she is going to rip my head off.”
“You did question her honesty and abilities as a warrior. What did you expect?” said Kai.
“James quit standing there like a bloody fool. Apologize to the woman so we can go have a beer and not have our blood splattered all over the streets,” said the leader in an agitated voice.
“I apologize. I have a big mouth,” said James.
Raven smiled, “Apology accepted.”
The leader turned to Kai and Jaime. “Come down from your horse. We’ll go to the Inn and have an ale. It’s better than Lowen’s beer.”
“Why does everyone keep insulting my beer?” groaned Lowen.
“Cause it tastes like ass?” said James.
“Dammit, you know why. I haven’t had proper hops in months. No one grows them in the western valley and the Morgan family refuses to return to their farm. The bandits were taking advantage of his wife and daughter.”
“Where is this Morgan farm?” asked Kai.
“About an hour south of the ruins of Mara. They have a little cabin along the mountainside. They were growing hops and grain, but the bandits scared them off. They’re now living at the Brant farm.”
“I’d like to talk to this Morgan,” said Kai.
“He’s in the fields about now, but James will go fetch him.”
“Drats, I was looking forward to hearing their story,” said James with a pout.
“Your big mouth earned you the trip,” said the leader. “Tom, take their horses to the stable.” He then stepped forward. “I’m Jerrod. I’m the blacksmith and the leader of the village council.”
Kai shook his hand. “I’m Kai Woods, my intimidating female friend is Raven and this is Jaime.”
“A pleasure,” said Jerrod as he turned and led them into the Inn.
The Inn was simple, a large open bottom floor and a second story with rooms. A large fireplace served as a source of heat and the Inn’s cooking area. A small boar was roasting over the open flames. A plump woman was busy basting the beast as they entered. The aroma of fresh herbs and spices mixed with the cooking meat was pleasant. Four large tables with benches was the seating area for all in the Inn. Each table could easily hold a dozen men. Lowen signaled the plump cook to bring everyone ales. “Since you all hate the beer you can have ale,” he muttered.
Kai sat at the table. Jaime took the seat to his left, Raven his right. Jerrod took the seat across from him, the rest of the table filled with the men who’d accompanied Jerrod onto the street.
Kai sipped his ale. It wasn’t bad. He’d certainly had worse. But his desire to drink was gone. He’d drunk enough in Shelby for three lifetimes. He’d sip his ale to be social, but his days of getting drunk were behind him. Kai could see that Jerrod was looking at him expectantly, waiting for Kai to explain the hundred men camped at the Tower of Kings. “Have you any dragon sightings in this area lately?”
Jerrod’s bushy eyebrows lifted at the mention of dragons. “A few,” he admitted, but none that could say for sure it was a dragon they saw. A traveler from Ridgefield said dragons had been plaguing a sheep farmer north of the city, but we’ve heard such talk before from farmers trying to avoid their taxes in Ridgefield. The council there is corrupt and greedy and takes most of the profits from the farmers, but with roads being so dangerous these days, they dare not send their goods north.” Jerrod paused for a moment, “My father’s father was a young boy during the dragon wars. He told me many stories of the beasts. He thought they were magnificent and it saddened him when they disappeared. He says the Isle of Seron hasn’t been the same since. Is it true then? Have the beasts returned.”
Kai nodded. “Yes, they have.”
A rumbling among the men interrupted the conversation. Dragons returning was big news!
“I told you I saw one,” said a man at the end of the table. “No one wanted to believe ol’ Cain. But I did.”
Jerrod rolled his eyes. “Cain you also saw trolls the other day.”
“I did see trolls!”
“You saw the Varra kids playing in a field. They may be as ugly as their father, but they are no trolls.” The men at the table laughed. In a lower voice that wouldn’t reach the end of the table and Cain’s ears, Jerrod said, “Cain likes wild mushrooms. He isn’t picky about which ones he eats and sometimes he sees things.”
“So are the stories of dragons true then?” asked a short thin man sitting beside Jerrod.
“I suppose it depends on which stories you’ve heard,” replied Kai.
“Dragons are as smart as us, have magic and some serve humans.”
“Yes, yes, and I don’t know if serve is the right word. There are humans that bond with dragons. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Dragonbloods.” Kai paused to look at the faces of the men around the table, almost to a man they nodded. Good thought Kai, the more of their history they know, the easier this will go. “Dragonbloods were often royals, not always but often, and when they bonded with dragons, some would gain dragon magic. Before the dragon wars, many of the kingdoms of Seron were ruled by Dragonbloods. Mara was one of those kingdoms.”
“The kingdom of Mara was great when ruled by a Dragonblood. It was only afterwards that it turned to shite,” said one of the oldest men at the table.
“That’s Harrold, his grandfather was a farrier at Mara before it fell.”
“T’was a fine, fine kingdom before the dragon wars,” insisted Harrold. “When the last Dragonblood died, it was a sad day in all of Seron. Mara was never the same after that. I’d be glad to see another Dragonblood ruler in these lands.”
Kai nodded, “I don’t know about a ruler. But with the return of dragons, so too have the Dragonblood returned. We serve Lady Isabella. She is a Dragonblood, and has bonded with a dragon.”
“You lot are Dragon’s Tail, aren’t you? I’ve seen the blonde one before, at a tournament in Kosal.”
“Yes, Jaime and I are Dragon’s Tail, although we are now going by the old name, Daxrah. Raven is Lady Isabella’s personal representative. Lady Isabella and her dragon have decided to make Mara her home. We’ll be living in the tower.”
“Will your Lady be claiming these lands?” asked Jerrod. Kai could see the doubt and suspicion in his eyes.
“No. Lady Isabella does not desire the name of ruler. She’s still learning what it means to be Dragonblood. However, she does want these lands to prosper again. Removing bandits and opening the old trade routes is her first intention. If she is to one-day rule these lands, it will be a mutual agreement between those villages that choose to become part of the new Mara. However, that is a conversation that won’t happen anytime soon. For now, she only wants to offer our assistance in the bandit situation, and we request you consider opening trade with us,” said Kai.
“An interesting offer,” said Jerrod. “I think
we would consider trade with Mara, especially if the bandit problem is being dealt with. As for the potential of joining Mara, that is something we’d need time to consider.”
Kai smiled. “Jerrod, take as long as you like. As I mentioned before, Lady Isabella is in no hurry to declare herself ruler over anyone. She intends to learn as much as she can about being Dragonblood before she does anything else. We’re more concerned with being a good neighbor to Mirefield.”
“The Dragon’s Tail … sorry Daxrah are well known to some of us. Your word is good here,” said one of the men standing behind Jerrod. Kai looked up at the man. He had a square chin and piercing eyes that held Kai’s when he looked at him.
“That is Fredrick, he’s the other half of the village council. He prefers to listen while I talk, but when he speaks, he speaks for the village.”
Kai nodded, it seemed that their visit to Mirefield was going better than expected. “Thank you, Fredrick.”
“You’ll be needing supplies soon,” said Fredrick. “A hundred men is a substantial number to feed.”
“We’re set for a few weeks, but yes we’ll be looking for food crops.”
“There is always an abundance of wheat available. We can’t afford to pay for mercenaries to guard our goods to take them to the coast. Fresh vegetables are also available.”
Sisera's Gift (Dragonblood Sagas Book 2) Page 19
