Bastial Frenzy (The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 4)

by Narro, B. T.

“No,” Reela answered.

  “No people,” Vithos added.

  By then, the smoke made it impossible to see more than one whole person at a time even though they were crowded together.

  “What is this?” Terren whispered to himself. “What could Tegry Hiller be planning?”

  “Terren! Terren! Where are you?” It sounded like Hem.

  “Here.”

  “It’s a trap. Move your people back!”

  “Get back!” Terren began to shout.

  There was a crash somewhere to Zoke’s right. He heard people screaming. By the force of it against the ground, his first thought was it had to be a fireball cast by Doe or Haemon.

  No, that can’t be. I would’ve seen them if either was near.

  Another crash—this time on his other side. People nearby started bumping into him.

  Panic had turned everyone around. They ran blindly back toward the forest, tripping over each other in the smoke. There were more crashes behind Zoke, in front of him, and to each side. Every time, he heard screams.

  “They’re launching boulders!” someone yelled.

  “Back, back, back!” Terren shouted. “They’ve brought out their siege weapons.”

  Suddenly, everything made sense to Zoke. All of it had been a distraction, starting from when they were still in the forest. Tenred’s fighters had killed as many from Kyrro as they could before escaping, but they’d wanted to be chased. Then they’d charged before Zoke’s commanders could devise a new plan, taking them by surprise.

  During the charge they’d opened the gate and wheeled out their siege weapons along with the boulders. They’d never meant to hope for victory in armed combat out on the field. The Krepps who didn’t stop had misunderstood the plan.

  How many had they killed, and what other trickery did Tegry Hiller have ready? Zoke was beginning to feel anger toward the sneaky bastard Humans. They had no honor to fight in such a way. Haemon and the Krepps had marched right up to the Academy and then attacked. They’d brought nothing but a battering ram and ropes.

  But these Humans were irritating. There was no way to know what else they would put in his way. He hadn’t even had a chance to swing his sword and already so many had been killed.

  The boulders continued to crash down behind Zoke, though he and the others were deep into Corin Forest again.

  “We’ll wait for the smoke to clear,” Terren said. “I must speak with the commander. Don’t leave these woods.”

  “Damn,” Alex muttered. Staring back toward the smoke, he was completely still as boulders made the ground rumble. “Damn them.”

  Chapter 16:

  ZOKE

  When the smoke dissipated, Zoke followed Terren toward the edge of the forest for a glimpse. Reela, Alex, and Vithos went the other way, going with Hem to search the rest of the forest around them for traps and enemies.

  “I’d expect Hiller to have moved his men back behind the wall,” Terren said.

  “What kind of weapon do they have that can throw boulders so far?” Zoke wondered. He’d read nothing of siege weapons, and the Krepps certainly had no experience building them. He’d only heard about them when he’d arrived at the Academy.

  “A catapult. Do you know this word?”

  “I don’t.”

  “I would explain, but I’m sure you’ll see them in the near future.”

  “Aren’t catapults what Effie destroyed when she set fire to the fort that Tenred built in these woods?”

  Terren carefully continued forward without pause, looking to his sides as he spoke. “Quessa reported that none of you had time to see the siege weapons being destroyed by the fire. Isn’t this accurate?”

  “Yes, but I can’t imagine how they would’ve gotten them out of there.”

  “Perhaps they rebuilt them or were able to repair them.”

  Another question came to Zoke, this one discouraging. “Why don’t we have catapults?”

  “We do, and we’re building more. They’re in Kyrro City.”

  “Then why not bring them with us?”

  “We can’t push them through the Fjallejon Pathway. It’s too narrow in some places and the ground is uneven. We didn’t have enough time to go around the mountains. Our only opportunity to engage Tenred is while the Krepps are retreating. Soon they’ll be ready to attack again. We don’t need catapults to win this battle. We have the numbers as well as the ability to destroy their wall through corrosive potions and battering rams.”

  Do we still have the numbers? Zoke decided not to ask, for he knew Terren wouldn’t have the answer. Their dead hadn’t been counted yet. Many of the bodies would be crushed and hard to distinguish.

  They reached the end of the forest. Zoke had pictured the boulders incorrectly. Some were round, as he’d imagined, but most were jagged pieces of rock that looked to have been ripped straight from a mountain. Many were clearly fragmented chunks of Tenred’s wall.

  Behind each chunk of stone was a trail of bodies soaking in pools of red and brown. Ahead was an open field. Not one Human or Krepp could be seen, at least not alive. The whole Tenred Army had hidden behind the wall.

  Terren sighed and turned to start back into the forest. “The King of Tenred is a vicious man,” he said. “I heard a few things about him from Hem that couldn’t be revealed while we were at peace.”

  I’m sure it’s nothing compared to Doe.

  “He has the temper of a child, sometimes injuring his warriors during his fits. He’s lied to his own people to persuade them to share his opinions, such as the need to conquer Kyrro. His rivalry with Welson Kimard is the most frightening thing. He’s sworn on many occasions that he won’t stop until Welson is dead, convincing those under him that our king is evil. I can’t fathom how he even came to that belief himself.”

  “How would Hem know all this?”

  “Many of our spies have overheard what goes on in Tenred’s castle, just as I’m sure many of their spies have been within ours. It’s unavoidable, given our history. But only recently have our psychics become strong enough to sense loyalty. I wish I knew why Hiller feels such malice toward our king.”

  Zoke didn’t find himself wondering. “Why are you curious about this? If he won’t stop, then he must die.”

  Terren shook his head. “Curiosity is in our nature.”

  “Curiosity will bring you nothing but torment and injury. This is taught to Krepps when we’re young.”

  “That’s a crime against imagination and creativity. No wonder you Krepps are so serious and dull.”

  Zoke nearly spat on Terren’s boots. “We have jokes. Better ones than you Humans.”

  “I was teasing you. But now I want to hear.” He paused. “Go ahead. Give me your best joke, Krepp.”

  “Now?”

  “It’ll be hours before we’re ready to fight again. I have time for one joke before I set my mind on battle strategy.”

  Zoke was in no mood for jokes. “You Humans are strange.”

  “I’m not ready to laugh with death fresh on my mind. But I’m curious as to what kind of jokes you Krepps think are funny.”

  “Your curiosity is annoying. In the wrong setting, a joke is just a riddle with an idiotic answer. I’ll tell you one after we win.”

  Terren nodded. After a brief silence, he asked, “Have you spoken with my nephew, Cleve Polken?”

  “Yes, but only briefly.”

  “You reminded me of him just now, though I can’t say exactly why. It’s something about the way you speak. Not the sound of your voice—yours is unlike any man’s—but the tone, the certainty in your words.”

  “You’re not the first to say that.”

  “And you’re both stubborn in your virtue, like you can’t be bothered by the mundane.”

  “Most Krepps are like this. Perhaps your nephew isn’t like me, but he resembles Krepps in general.”

  “He certainly wouldn’t want to hear that.” Terren smiled.

  Zoke hadn’t heard Terren talk l
ike this before, and it made him uncomfortable. Terren was the headmaster of the Academy, an officer in this army. It was so different from how he’d spoken when they’d climbed through the secret passage to the top of the Fjallejon Mountains, when they’d prepared for an unexpected battle. It was as though Zoke were back in the tribe, performing his duty of gathering Krepps for punishment and then Doe had asked how his day was going.

  Then he remembered he’d had the same feeling with Vithos. He’d never really known the Elf before they were both outcast and Vithos had started telling jokes. Was Terren more like Vithos than Zoke realized?

  Terren’s hard tone returned when he spoke next. “It’ll take some time to strategize with Hem, but we must determine what else Hiller could have planned before we storm their wall. I hate to admit it, but we weren’t prepared to be blindsided while still in Corin Forest. It disrupted everything, and we’ve lost many because of it.”

  “Is there a chance you’ll retreat?” Zoke kept his tone indifferent to hide his opinion—that the Humans wouldn’t be able to bring down Tenred’s massive stone wall.

  “That’s not an option. We must scare Hiller into peace. If we leave Tenred undamaged, they’ll be ready to attack us shortly. If they march with the Krepps, then hope is lost. We need to prevent this at all costs.”

  “But I don’t believe this battle is in your favor any longer. You don’t know what’s waiting behind their wall. That same reason is why the Krepps lost. They underestimated you Humans.”

  “Whether or not this battle is in our favor makes no difference. We have to fight, and we have to win. Otherwise, this war will soon be over.”

  “I understand.” Zoke didn’t wish to retreat. He only felt it was important to learn the Humans’ thoughts on this battle. He craved to deal vantikar to Sawdar and Brady, though he still worried his sister was there.

  Soon, he heard the voices of others in the Kyrro Army. They were just through the trees ahead. But there was something bothering Zoke that he wanted to know before Terren got too involved with the other officers to answer more questions.

  “How is it you can speak to me about jokes and I can remind you of your nephew so soon after we were forced to run in shame?”

  “Shame?” Terren was incredulous. “We’re still here, aren’t we? We haven’t fled back to Kyrro. You honestly feel shame?”

  “Yes. To flee is always an embarrassment to the warrior and his family. I’m sure the Krepps that came to Kyrro feel heavy shame and will receive many insults. This doesn’t happen with you Humans?”

  “We’ve done no dishonor. But I won’t to try to change your mind. The shame you feel comes solely from within yourself. If you don’t wish to feel it, then that’s your problem to solve.”

  “I wouldn’t try to get rid of it. We should feel shame when we flee, for the fear of shame makes us…” He couldn’t remember the right word in common tongue. It was a phrase he was too used to hearing in Kreppen.

  “Morons that are more likely to be killed,” Terren said.

  “Not courage,” Zoke said, ignoring Terren. “But close to that. What’s the word?”

  “Courageous, but I like what I said better.”

  Some fighters were having their wounds looked at by chemists. The rest were focused on feeding themselves and each other, as well as passing leather water pouches back and forth. The sight of Zoke caused a few people to jump at first as he followed Terren through the thousands. Most were men, tall, large, and loud—or perhaps those were the Humans he noticed first. There were females—mages and chemists, and a psychic or two. But they looked miniscule, like children. It was what Zoke first thought of Effie because of her size. So he figured these women were just as tough as she was.

  For a breath, he wondered why she and Steffen hadn’t come. But there were many Human actions he didn’t understand. It was easier to end his curiosity than find the answer.

  Reela tended to blend in more so than the other women, for she was tall with more girth, and she wore a stern expression that was found on many of the men’s faces. Her ears were what separated her. Though they weren’t noticeable from afar, like Vithos’ ears, they still poked out enough from her thick brown-blonde hair that Zoke could spot them from where he stood.

  “It looks like something has happened in the time we were gone,” Terren commented. “The officers appear concerned. I’ll go speak with them.”

  Then Zoke noticed it too. There was worry in the hushed dialogue and long looks, not only between the officers—who were standing in a circle—but among many of the other Humans as well.

  As Zoke crossed through various groups, one woman among five men questioned him. “You went with Terren to the edge of the woods, right?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Did the enemies retreat?” All the men became silent as they waited for Zoke’s answer.

  “Yes, no one was there.”

  “I see.”

  When Zoke continued forward, he heard that group sharing the news with others. Zoke realized he could’ve asked the woman what happened in the time he was gone, and she would’ve told him. He wouldn’t have thought to ask anyone but Vithos, Alex, or Reela. It was comforting to know others would speak to him if he needed information.

  When he got to his group, Alex explained, “One officer and his men haven’t come back yet.”

  “Could he just be taking longer than the rest?” Zoke asked.

  Alex shook his head solemnly. “All he needed to do was search the forest to our northwest to make sure no enemies were preparing another trap. It shouldn’t take this long. Everyone else finished a while ago. There isn’t a lot of forest for each team to cover. Something definitely happened.”

  “Then why haven’t we gone to find out what it is?” Again, Zoke found himself confused by the Humans’ behavior. Krepps would’ve gone the moment they suspected their enemies were there.

  “Might be trap,” Vithos said. “So many traps.”

  “We’re waiting for the officers,” Alex said. “They’ll know what to do.”

  Behind Zoke, the boisterous men suddenly had quieted. He could hear the rustling of their weapons and armor as they stood. Turning, he found their commander, Hem, walking through. He seemed to be headed toward Zoke and those around him.

  “You three, you’re going northwest with Terren.” Hem pointed to Zoke, Vithos, and Reela.

  Alex puffed out his chest. “I’m requesting to join them.”

  “I can’t allow that. The more there are, the likelier our enemies will see them.”

  “Then let me go in Zoke’s place.”

  “No. You stay here.”

  Alex’s brow furrowed. But when Reela went to her toes to whisper something in his ear, he seemed to understand.

  “Go,” Hem commanded. “There’s no time to waste.” He pointed to where Terren was waiting with one of his bulky arms waving his sword.

  “What did you tell Alex?” Zoke asked Reela as they jogged.

  “The truth—that his brother doesn’t want him going because he’s worried about his safety.”

  “Then why didn’t he just say that?”

  “Because Hem must be a commander first and a brother second.”

  “Everyone understand,” Vithos said. “Only you ask.”

  Even Vithos, with his lesser grasp on common tongue, wasn’t confused by the lack of emotion between the brothers. Embarrassed, Zoke resolved to say no more about it.

  Vithos lowered his head apologetically. “Must be hard, Zeti with enemies. I no mean insult.”

  “That’s not why I mentioned it,” Zoke said.

  “It’s alright.” Reela gestured with her hand that he didn’t need to continue. “We understand.”

  They think I want Alex and Hem to act more like brothers because of Zeti? Zoke wanted to correct them, but he started to wonder if they might be right. They were psychics, after all.

  Terren’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Now it’s time for the three
of you to stay quiet and listen. Twenty men and women led by a very competent officer haven’t returned. They could’ve been killed or captured. I can’t imagine any other reason for their disappearance. It was their task to investigate these woods.” He extended his arm. “They were not to go past five hundred yards ahead of us, nor were they to veer more than fifty yards in either direction. The sections of the forest to the left and right of this area were covered by other teams, and nothing suspect was found.”

  “Did those teams hear anything?” Reela asked.

  “Some thought they might’ve heard shouting,” Terren said. “Hem believes a trap awaits anyone who follows the same path as the group that disappeared. So we’ll be coming around from the west. Come this way, and remember to keep quiet. Zoke, use that Kreppen eyesight to search for bodies in the trees. You’ve seen the camouflage they wear, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Keep your footsteps light, and watch the ground for irregularities—gatherings of leaves that could be covering a trap, taut string, that sort of thing. Reela and Vithos, let me know immediately when you sense anyone’s presence.”

  Zoke tried to study every tree while watching the ground as well. But he soon came to realize he couldn’t monitor the whole forest at once, not without stopping for minutes at a time. But Terren walked quickly, expecting Zoke and the two psychics to keep up.

  He stepped on a small stick. It broke with a snap. There was a sound in the bushes. The two psychics pointed their palms at it. Terren and Zoke drew their swords.

  “Just an animal,” Reela said.

  They continued.

  A feeling of dread was grinding in his stomach. What if Zeti is with the enemies in this forest? If they’d dressed her in the same brown and green shirt and pants, he wouldn’t recognize her. She’d only ever worn old, gray leather. Did this mean he would have to stop Terren from killing any female Krepp they found in the trees? What if it wasn’t her…and one of the Humans was injured or killed because Zoke protected her? His dread became worse. He glanced at Reela’s neck, at the bruises where he’d choked her. He was thankful he hadn’t dug his claws into her soft flesh.