by Alma Boykin
Thank You for good luck Rada prayed. She’d been out with Sgt. Biss and a guard on one of her random inspections of the border watch posts when the mercenaries attacked. The comtech on duty at Singing Pines had managed to get a message out warning her not to return; otherwise she’d be dead or captive, probably both. Rada and her men had snuck back close enough to the settlements to see that human mercenaries had indeed captured Singing Pines, then had dodged pursuit, abandoning their vehicle in the process, and retreated towards the Wildlands. En route they’d met the hunters and their three juniors. Apparently the men had similar thoughts as their lord, because they’d all ended up at two weapons and gear caches she’d had established a number of years earlier.
So what to do next? Someone would miss the patrol they’d ambushed and would come looking, sooner rather than later. The news of resistance heartened the Defenders and gave Lord Ni Drako some ideas. The extra weapons they’d captured also helped, and a plan slowly developed in Rada’s mind as the King’s Dagger and the Celestial Fan crossed the western horizon and vanished from her sight. Drakon IV lay relatively close to the center of the galaxy and the Highway of the Gods provided more than enough light for Rada’s feline eye, even at double-dark of the moons. Help me Lord. Show me the best path to follow, please, and forgive me for the lives I’m going to take.
They moved out at first light, traveling hard and fast toward the badlands near Burnt Mountain. Biss and Teerki confirmed what Rada remembered about some of the more recent settlers there, and the withdrawal of the humans made it the best place to start the re-conquest from. By nooning the group moved into two lava-tube caverns near the mountain’s northern flank. Schriik and his assistants got the radio up and charged while one of the hunters went out to try and make contact with a relative he could trust. The others made themselves comfortable and caught up on sleep, cleaned weapons, mended gear and otherwise kept busy. Greykin had decided that close to Lord Mammal was the safest place to be and to her men’s amusement Rada found herself with a small, determined shadow.
The hunter and his cousin appeared with fresh meat and news just before sundown. The newcomer’s neck spines went rigid with surprise when he saw Lord Ni Drako and then he bowed very low. “My lord! They swore that you had died!”
“Not yet,” she said a little grimly. The men talked about what they needed to do to eject the small force holding Burnt Mountain.
“Challenging but not impossible,” Biss declared after hearing the final plan. The defenders had the advantage of local knowledge, surprise, and a large slug of deviousness. Everyone slept as deeply as they could and Rada took a double watch, mulling over the next day’s tasks. She would not be fighting, at least not at first, and not at all if things went as hoped. Huntmaster Bala suggested an especially good trick and as superstitious as lowland Azdhagi were, Rada decided that it would probably work. The Lord Defender and “his” males spent the next day preparing for their attack and gathering further intelligence on the larger situation.
The lowlander soldier on picket duty at Burnt Mountain that night wasn’t happy but he wasn’t overly concerned, either. The border country life suited him not at all and he could hardly wait until his lord and the others decided who would take over the hunting lands and he could go home. The air felt unseasonably cold, strange things lurked in the woods, and he’d grown used to the softer life of his lord’s estate and urban residence. The bodyman grumped and went back into the shed he and his fellow guards had built.
While he warmed himself, three shadows crept past the shelter. The guard finally heard something moving around and went out to see which animal made the noise. When he stepped clear of the shed, one of Ni Drako’s hunters slammed the unwary reptile in the head, dropping him in his tracks. They trussed him up and left him in the shack after putting out the fire. Then the rest of the party, minus the juniors, continued on towards the main enemy camp.
A tail-stiffening screech cut through the night, followed by weird howls. The sleepy lowlanders crawled out of their tents to see angry phantoms advancing from the darkness, their muzzles, spines, talons, and tails glowing faintly. The spirit of the Lord Defender, his death wounds ghastly and raw, drove the ghosts before him as he strode into the camp. More howls drifted on the night wind and the terrified Azdhagi panicked, trying to flee as the first ghost attacked. Very real blades, blaster shots, and cross-bow quarrels accounted for a number of the lowland fighters before a living Sergeant Biss called out for them to surrender. Scared and completely demoralized by the chaos and darkness, the lowlanders gave in as the Lord Defender’s ghost faded from sight.
By sunrise the Lord Defender’s supporters seized control of Burnt Mountain. Rada and her men had washed off the nightglow moss powder before approaching the main lodge and the adjacent settlement. As Rada remembered, several retired Imperial soldiers and Defenders had settled at Burnt Mountain, and once the situation clarified, they volunteered to take up arms again. “Too bad we can’t do that trick at Singing Pines, my lord,” Teerki sighed as they looked in the direction of the larger, fortified estate.
Rada shook her head. “No. The humans won’t spook as easily and I’d just as soon not repeat the deception so soon.” That, and some of the lowlanders swore that they had seen an enormous, dark form with burning eyes and talons pacing just ahead of the Lord Defender’s “spirit.” Rada sincerely hoped that they’d seen nothing more than what their own overactive imaginations had conjured up. Imperial Majesty, if it was you, many thanks, but please return to your rest and stay there!
After catching quick naps, the soldiers, hunters, and Lord Defender gathered on the broad, roofed porch of Burnt Mountain’s hunting lodge later that afternoon. An hour before, two of the scouts had brought the juniors in from the caves and Rada had a discrete word with the estate manager about Greykin. He in turn spoke with an older female, and she took the little grey one into her charge for the moment until Greykin’s surviving family could be located or someone adopted her. “House Ni Drako will provide her mate-gift, should that be a concern,” Rada informed him. The other juniors went with families where they had distant relatives, thus freeing the men from that burden. Rada had thanked all four juniors personally before sending them away. Now she looked over the grey, brown, and green assembly and took a deep breath.
“First,” the Lord Defender said, her voice clear and carrying. “Very good work, and well done! I imagine the tales of last night’s fight will get better over the centuries, down in the soft country.” Growls and tail thumps followed her words and she let the males settle before continuing, “A good start to a long fight, men. But it gets harder from here and the risks will grow. Right now, the traitors and their mercenaries think their patrol was taken by bandits or rebels and are not looking too closely this direction. That’s about to change.” Rada made eye contact with each of the twenty or so Azdhagi seated on the wooden floor. “From now on, they will be hunting for us. And I suspect they will use everything they can to find us, including threatening civilians. Your families. But,” she snarled, “they don’t know highlands folk or hunters.”
She felt the mood shift and their attention sharpen as she outlined the next steps. Before she finished, tails swung in affirmation and the reptiles started twitching with eagerness to get underway. “This will be long, hard and very dangerous, “ she cautioned. “If anyone feels that they are needed more here, protecting their family, I understand and you have my permission to remain with full honor. Otherwise, we move out at dawn. Sergeant Biss has assignments. See Scoutmaster Teerki if you need weapons. Azdhagia!” she yelled, and the soldiers echoed “Azdhagia!” A score of tails pounded the wood, raising dust.
Biss called “Dismissed!” As the males filed off the porch, Rada slipped away to where the communications equipment had been set up.
“My lord, we’ve been getting communications in a language I don’t understand.” Scheer said, handing her an earpiece. She listened to the recording for a few seconds bef
ore gesturing for something to write with. The pale brown reptile passed her a writing stick, ink and paper, then slid out of the way as she sat down and started transcribing what she heard. Do these people have no sense of radio security? Rada wondered as she copied out both sides of the transmission. Apparently they thought that using Trader would be enough. Well, yes, since I’m dead there’s no one out here who speaks Trader, so it is fairly secure—except that some people understand Trader even if Azdhagi can’t speak it very well. Whoever we’re dealing with must have been the lowest of low bidders to be this complacent and lazy. The conversation ended after three or four minutes, long enough for Scheer to go do something and return.
The Wanderer translated what she’d heard into Azdhag, sat back and rubbed the scars under her blind eye. “Has there been anything on the Royal frequency?” she asked.
Scheer checked his notes. “Not since sunrise, Lord Mammal. I caught a bit of a transmission then, but they have been very short. Probably to keep from being tracked, my lord.”
She rose to her feet. “Just before you tear the equipment down, transmit ‘The Lord Defender is on the move,’ on the Royal channel, in the clear. And we’ll be leaving earlier than anticipated.” She patted him on the shoulder, “Very, very good catch, Corporal Scheer.”
Sgt. Biss found her napping in the shadow of the porch, stretched out on the ground. He sighed at Lord Ni Drako’s lack of dignity, then woke his lord. “Scheer says we need to move our departure forward, my lord?”
The Wanderer didn’t open his eye, although his ears twitched. “That’s correct. The traitors have warned Singing Pines about the missing patrol and will be sending extra troops to investigate. We move out at midnight.” His good eye opened and he smiled tiredly. “I know. We’re all wearing thin and night marches are misery for everyone. Tell Bala and Tirkee that I’ll take point.”
The noncom clawed the dirt a bit. “My lord, permission to speak freely?”
“Go ahead Sergeant.”
“My lord, can we do this? We don’t have heavy weapons, or air cover, or even body armor.” He glanced around to make certain they wouldn’t be overheard. “Lord Mammal, isn’t there some way you can rally the Defenders, get weapons and then make yourself known?”
Rada rolled upright into a sitting position. “No Biss, I can’t. If I were to issue a call like that, I would become the biggest target on this planet. And my lifespan, yours and anyone else’s within ten kliqs of me would be measured in minutes to hours. We have to hit fast and hard, win some small battles, and start building momentum before we can gather more resources. It’s been almost four sixts since the first attacks. We can’t wait any longer or the traitors and their mercenaries will be too well established. Right now they are still distracted and we have a fighting chance. Later? None at all.”
Biss could see the wisdom in the mammal’s words, even if he didn’t care for the prospects ahead. “Very well, my lord. I’ll pass on the schedule change.” He bowed and started to leave.
Rada stopped him. “Biss, you have a good point and don’t hesitate to ask me when you’re concerned about something. And just for your information, I am insane.” Lord Ni Drako gave him a warped grin, then laid back down, eye closed. The tired sergeant shook his head as he walked away. If he’s insane, I hope it’s catching, Biss decided.
They reached Singing Pines halfway between midnight and dawn. They’d already eliminated one patrol and left the survivor muzzled and tied to a tree. He’d shivered as Bala observed to Sergeant Biss, “Roklat aren’t too picky this time of night.”
Biss, intrigued, observed, “That’s useful to know.” Now Biss and Rada stood beside a large tree about a half kliq from the main manor house, watching for signs of activity.
“My lord, are you certain this is such a good idea?” Biss thought the Lord Defender took too many risks and worried about the mammal’s safety.
“Yes, Sergeant, I am. The humans won’t want to share credit with the traitors’ forces: they will be eager to catch the Lord Defender unassisted.” Rada smiled down at the noncom. He didn’t appear very reassured. Trust me, Biss, I’ve been doing this since before your dam and sire’s dam and sire exchanged genetic material. “Are the men in place?”
“Affirmative, Lord Defender,” he replied formally.
“Very well. Take your position, and wait for the signal,” the Lord Defender ordered. Biss saluted and walked farther into the darkness of the woods. Once he’d passed well clear, Rada ran up the antenna on the captured radio. “Singing Pines, Ground One,” she broadcast in Trader.
There was a burst of static, and a voice replied in Trader, “Calling Singing Pines, say again?”
Rada grinned a little, her tail swishing in the shadows. “Singing Pines, this is Ground One. Your father was second cousin to pond scum and you commanding officer’s got fewer brains than a lobotomized fruit fly. And get the fuck out of my castle! Ground One, over.” That should get their attention, she thought.
“Ground One, who the hell are you?” an angry voice demanded.
“Ground One is” and she switched to Azdhag, “Lord Defender Ni Drako.” Back in Trader she continued, “I’m back from the dead, and you have half an hour to open the gates and surrender before I arrive and my troops attack.”
While she talked and watched, Biss and most of her other men snuck around the back of the manor house. Rada glanced at her timekeeper and wondered what Biss thought of the passageway. There was damned all chance the humans had found the back entrance to the keep first, since it had taken her and Zabet almost a century of residence to locate it! A quarter of an hour after her first transmission, Rada caught a hint of light from the west wall. The flash vanished and she picked up the radio again. “Singing Pines, Ground One. You have fifteen minutes. Ground One out.” Behind her, on a hill two kliqs from the house but in sight of it, two of the scouts lit a bonfire in response to the light. Not five minutes later, small explosions shook the edge of the woods south of the main gates.
Sure enough, as Rada watched, the gate opened and a group of humans boiled out. They hesitated and appeared to discuss something, then began heading southwest, where a trail led into the woods. No, not that way she thought. OK Lord. Please may I not have screwed up worse than usual. She fired her rifle into the air, drawing their attention. As soon as they caught sight of her and started after her, she cut and charged for the manor house, running across the open area as fast and low as she could, zig-zagging to make a harder target. Not far from the gate, she “tripped” and fell, rolling.
As she dropped, her soldiers opened fire from the cover of the battlements and gate, assisted by some of the servants. From out of the woods came more shots and shadows charged the humans from behind, cutting with talons, knives, and farm implements. The humans managed to kill two of their attackers but the combination of surprise and numbers worked for the Azdhagi despite the darkness.
Lord Ni Drako picked off another human, then raised her rifle. “Cease fire!” her voice rang over the open field. The Azdhagi and humans obeyed, and she continued, “You’re outnumbered and outgunned. You have five minutes to lay down your weapons and surrender. After that, my men finish you.” She’d used Trader, but she’d briefed her men on what phrases and sounds to listen for. As she waited, Sgt. Biss and the manor Steward came up beside her. “My lord, Singing Pines keep is secure,” Biss reported, and the steward bowed low, a bit nervous.
“Be easy, Steward Seekl. I’m not a ghost.” Yet.
The humans were talking and a female voice called back, “Who are you?”
Rada answered in her best parade ground voice “Lord Defender Ni Drako. You have two minutes.”
“Teerki wants one of their hides as a trophy,” Biss informed his lord. She stared at him before realizing he was joking.
“Tell him not to waste the effort. Their skins are too thin to use for much of anything,” she replied.
The human female in command called, “We surrender,” and
the Azdhagi heard weapons hitting the ground.
“Damn,” Biss muttered under his breath.
Rada walked closer to the mercenaries and informed them, “Hands in the air where my men can see them and no tricks or I’m not responsible for what happens to you.”
Things moved smoothly until an Azdhagi started to take a human female lieutenant’s weapons. She snarled at the hunter, pulling a grenade out of her jacket as she did. The reptile dropped to his belly as four shots hit the human. The Lord Defender folded her arms and looked at Biss, then growled, “All yours, Sergeant.” The humans died quickly.
“Are all the mercenaries accounted for, Biss, Seekl?” Rada inquired.
The two talked for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, Lord Mammal. Three from the walls, ten in the keep, the radio operator and one down in the village that the people will be bringing in shortly,” Biss reported.
The Wanderer grinned as she rubbed the scars under her bad eye. “Well Sergeant, it seems someone wanted us to succeed!” Then she frowned abruptly. “What about any of the people here who worked with the mercenaries?”
Steward Seekl eased up closer to his lord, and explained quietly, “Ah, my lord, there was an unfortunate accident in the village, according to the headman, and three people were injured or killed. And a servant was hurrying to greet your men and tripped. Fell and broke his neck. So sad.” His neck spines flared a bit as he gave his lord the news, and Rada’s mouth twitched.
“Indeed tragic,” was all she said.
Seekl bowed low. “Lord Defender Ni Drako, welcome back to Singing Pines.” The soldiers had returned, aside from the three on guard duty, and Biss called them to formation. The Lord Defender and “his” men marched into Singing Pines by the light of false dawn.
Four or five hours later Rada frowned as she listened to the Singing Pines village headman’s account of the previous sixts. “And there’s no trace of them?”
