The Rage of Dragons (Book of the Burning)

by Evan Winter

  He charged. The laughing man was closest. He was also the most prepared. Tau closed the distance between them, the Laugher swung, and Tau darted outside the arc of his blade, crossing his swords in an 'x' and leaping on the Indlovu behind the Laugher.

  The collision knocked the second man back and Tau's blades fell on either side of his neck, beneath the protection of his helm and above his leather armor. Tau sliced as hard as his could, the dulled edges of his sword drawing cuts just above the man's collarbones. The Indlovu's neck spurted blood and he screamed, dropping his weapons and grabbing for it.

  Tau spun into the next man, hoping to take him down before the seven remaining Indlovu could encircle him. This Indlovu was staring, slack-jawed, at the blood pulsing from his sword-brother's neck. Tau stabbed him as hard as he could. His practice sword could not pierce their thick leather armor, but the strike was vicious and Tau felt the man's ribs break. The Indlovu stumbled and Tau, sensing danger, spun again, whipping his sword around. He missed the Laugher, who had come from behind, but Tau carried through with his spin's momentum, catching the one with the broken ribs in the side of the head and sending him flying into the dirt.

  The Laugher traded his smile for heavy attacks that came with surprising speed. Tau blocked three of the man's cuts, saw him pause, knew he was being baited, and ducked. A sword whizzed over Tau's head and he backpedalled, slamming his elbows into his unseen attacker's chest.

  The attacker wheezed and Tau stood to his full height as fast as he could, smashing the top of his head into the man's chin. He heard the Indlovu's teeth click together and Tau's head was spattered with sticky wetness. Tau broke away from the man and faced him, ready to continue the fight.

  The Indlovu had bitten off the tip of his tongue and his mouth was a soup of blood. Tau went for him, punching the pommel of his sword into the man's throat stone. He gurgled, reeled back, and went over, as Tau was struck from behind.

  Tau spun. It was the Laugher. Tau caught the man's followup, but his back was burning from the cut he'd taken there. The Laugher struck again, Tau blocked, and was hit on the helmet by one of the other Indlovu. He staggered, threw a shoulder at the nearest man, trying to break free of the circle in which they had trapped him. The Indlovu he ran into was as solid as a mountain and he pushed Tau back.

  With no choice but a bad one, Tau moved to the center of the five men surrounding him. The Laugher pointed to someone behind Tau and waved the rest forward. Tau spun blocked the jab aimed for his spine, spun again, stopped a head strike and blocked a blow on the tip of his weak-side sword. He spun, engaged the Laugher, cutting him on the cheek. He whirled for the next man, was hit from behind and cut on the calf.

  He roared, spinning this way and that, crossing swords with Indlovu after Indlovu, taking cuts on his arms and legs, and bleeding from everywhere. They couldn't get a clean hit, but they had him penned in, and it was only a matter of time.

  The Laugher, blood and sweat streaming down the side of his face, smiled. "Kill him," he said and all five men attacked.

  HISTORY

  Tau went for the Laugher. He tried to block and Tau's sword smashed into the wrist on the Noble's shield arm, breaking it. The Laugher cried out, his shield sliding free.

  Tau pushed on, his other sword lashing out and taking the Laugher in the cheek, splitting it open. The Noble fell back and Tau had his escape. He took a step, took a heavy hit to the back of the head, saw stars and found himself on his knees. He tried to stand but was kicked to the ground. He rolled, his head spinning as fast as his body, and was kicked again, right before the edge of a dull blade thudded into his side.

  Tau scrabbled to his knees. He'd lost one of his swords. He could see it. It was a few strides away. His head was pounding. It was hard to think. He crawled for the blade and was kicked.

  He rolled to his back, looking up at a cloudless sky. It was hot. He spat blood and saw the silhouettes of four Indlovu standing over him. He squinted, trying to see their features past the brightness of the day. He reached for his remaining sword. It was gone.

  He'd done well though, he thought. There had been eight at the start, eight Indlovu in leather armor. And the one with a missing tongue tip, he'd never speak properly again.

  "Kill him!" shrieked the laugher from somewhere beyond the four Indlovu. "Kill him!"

  "To the Cull with you," Tau said, his words coming out slurred, making him think the hit to the head had been worse than it felt. He saw a sword rise into the air and kept his eyes open, watching it. He'd died before, he thought, trying to convince himself that doing it one last time wasn't special.

  "The world burns!" came a shouted mishmash of voices and the sword, raised above him, came down and into a defensive position.

  The four silhouettes closed in around Tau and he tried to sit, to see what was happening. He couldn't move though, not with his skull throbbing itself to pieces. He turned his head, seeing stuttering afterimages as he did, and saw the shuffling of Indlovu feet, saw their heels. They had their backs to him.

  He heard the clang of swords and one of the Indlovu tripped over him. The Noble's weight made it difficult to breathe and Tau tried to push the man away. He couldn't do it. He had no strength left. Another Indlovu fell beside him. This one's eyes were glazed, unseeing.

  "Goddess' mercy! Mercy!" called out a Noble, his voice tight. Tau was facing the man's heels, which, as Tau blinked, turned into the soles of leather shoes. The Noble had gone to his knees and dropped his sword. Another blink and the man was pushed into the dirt, face down, beside Tau.

  "I'll have your heads!" That was the Laugher, no mistaking his voice.

  Tau twisted his head in that direction, lights flashing behind his eyes in time with the throbbing in his head. The Laugher was fighting Uduak, Hadith, Kuende and Mshindi.

  He was focusing on Kuende and Mshindi. Not surprising. The two men had shared a womb, fought like they could read each other's minds, and their preferred weapons were absurdly long swords that always caught an opponent's attention. Still, the Laugher was making a mistake, Tau thought, by focusing on the twins instead of Uduak or Hadith.

  Hadith smashed his shield into the Laugher's back, pushing him towards Uduak, who clubbed him, putting him down hard.

  "Blood will show," Tau slurred, the words striking him as funny. They'd won, somehow. They'd beaten the Indlovu, made it into the Queen's Melee and it had been Hadith's doing. Tau had, as far as he could tell from his prone position in the dirt, mostly taken a beating. He wanted to laugh, he started to, then darkness took him.

  "Never seen the like," Tau heard a voice say. "There were eight of them. Eight! I wasn't so close, but I was close enough to see him holding them off." It was Anan speaking.

  Tau forced his eyes open and had to squint. It was day and bright but there was no sky. No, that wasn't right. There was a sky. Tau was in a tent.

  "I didn't see it. I was positioned to see Hadith tackle the group with the Gifted." That was Jayyed.

  The only tents in the Crags this big, thought Tau, were the infirmaries. There were a couple for Lessers and one extra large and well equipped one for the Nobles.

  "Foolish of them," said Anan, "to send five Indlovu against forty-nine of us."

  The tents were open on the sides. Tau hadn't turned his head, but he knew that. Still, it was bloody hot. Bloody bleeding hot.

  "Truth? I thought it was clever," Jayyed told Anan. "It would have worked on any other Ihashe Scale. How many men would you use to assault a Gifted's position, if you saw she had four Indlovu with her?"

  Tau let his eyes close. His head still hurt and it felt like it was twice its normal size.

  Anan grunted. "You think they expected more men to splinter off?"

  "You would have sent more men," Jayyed said. "I would have sent more men. Hadith though, Hadith sent Tau, Uduak, and four others."

  Anan chuckled. "Goddess take me, but I swear I'd let a woman snip away one of my seeds to have seen the faces of those five I
ndlovu when they dashed round the dune and charged into forty-nine Ihashe!"

  "The entire crawl over they must have been thinking how easy it would be," Jayyed said. "They'd show up, their Gifted would blast as many fighters as she could, and the five Indlovu would take care of the few she couldn't hit. Then, they'd go back to help the men they left as ambush."

  "Eight Indlovu," said Anan, awe in his voice. "He ran after their Inkokeli and into seven others. Then, he fought them!"

  Jayyed chuckled. "You say it like he won."

  "You didn't see it, Jayyed. I know we've watched him in the practice yards. What he does... what he... It was eight Indlovu though, eight... and he had me believing he could do it.

  "A Noble lost most of his tongue, the other hasn't yet woken from the knock Tau gave him... and their Inkokeli? Goddess wept, you can see into the fool's mouth through the hole in his cheek."

  "Tau is exceptional, I can't deny and will easily grant that. He's no Ingonyama though and, being foolish enough to fight eight men, he's lucky to have come out of it with little more than scrapes, cuts, and a demon of a headache. He'll be fine, this time, but if the Indlovu had three more breaths alone with him we'd be attending a burning tonight instead of a celebration."

  "Ack, an inyoka has warmer blood," Anan said, "but I know you, and I've never seen you as proud."

  There was a pause. It was long enough that Tau thought it might be a good time to let them know he was awake.

  "I'm not sure I have been," Jayyed said.

  Maybe it wasn't the best time. Tau heard footsteps and then shuffling feet as Jayyed and Anan turned to face whoever was approaching.

  "Umqondisi. Aqondise." That was Hadith.

  "Hadith, Uduak, Chinedu, Yaw, well met," said Jayyed.

  "Awake?" Uduak asked.

  "Not yet."

  "Why is his head wrapped?" said Yaw. "Was his skull cracked?"

  That was, Tau realized, why his head felt so damned heavy. It was bandaged.

  "Nothing broken," said Anan. "The bandages are to hold down swelling and to stop the bleeding. Scalp cuts bleed like a woman on her moon."

  Tau had had enough of people talking about him and decided to make his entrance. He turned his head towards the voices. "I'm awake," he rasped. "Can't sleep with Uduak's booming voice in my ear."

  "Not near an ear," rumbled Uduak.

  "Tau!" said Chinedu, coughing. "We... did it!"

  Tau knew, wanted to hear it anyway. "What?"

  "The Queen's Melee!" answered Yaw, throwing a fist in the air. "The Queen's Melee! We're in!"

  "First time in..." started Hadith, "How long has it been?" Tau was sure Hadith knew how long it had been to the day.

  "First time for Lessers in twenty-three cycles," Jayyed told them. "And the Ihashe have never placed at the Melee. Never."

  "Time for new traditions," Hadith said.

  "The world burns," said Yaw.

  "It will," Tau promised, receiving broad smiles from everyone but Jayyed, who looked away.

  "Goddess' eyes, Tau," Yaw said, "why'd you charge into eight Indlovu?"

  "I was chasing one, didn't know he had friends."

  They laughed.

  "Good to know you're not completely mad," said Hadith.

  Yaw wore a large grin. "I'm telling it the other way. In my story you see all eight of them and you charge! I was there, wasn't I? Who can say it went different?"

  Hadith shook his head. "You and your stories." He turned to the big man. "Uduak?"

  The big man nodded. "Thirsty."

  Hadith stroked his chin. "Thought you might be."

  "Only one thing... for it," said Chinedu, coughing and grinning.

  "Only one thing," echoed Yaw.

  Hadith looked to Tau. "Drinking houses and celebration. We achieved something that may not earn us a page in the history books but it merits a footnote and a hangover, at least. Tau, if you can stand, you can drink."

  "You're not at risk of punishment for the duel," said Jayyed. "Kellan Okar did not seek restitution and the time allowed for him to do so has passed. Make no mistake, if you go to the city, and I'm not sure I should allow it, you need to be careful."

  Tau considered going. He needed to see Zuri but Jayyed's mention of Kellan Okar took him to darker places. He thought about the beating the Laugher and his seven Indlovu had given him. They'd intended to kill him and he'd been unable to stop them. He needed more time in Isihogo.

  "Not sure I can handle enough liquor to split costs with you drunks," Tau told his brothers.

  They looked disappointed and Hadith wasn't ready to surrender. He tried another angle. "Tau, take the day to yourself. It's earned. We have time. It's two moon-cycles to the Melee."

  "Yes," Anan added. "Today you lot secured our place. Means we don't skirmish again until the Melee. That's good for us. We can focus on training hard and careful. No injuries and a well-rested Scale, ready for the real show."

  "Both the Northern and Southern Isikolo as well as the Citadels will attend the Melee," Jayyed told them. "It's the largest gathering of initiates in each cycle. The Guardian Council will be in attendance and even the Queen, herself, will come to observe. It'll be difficult contest but I can't say I'm not excited to be participating, instead of watching."

  That settled it. "Aqondise Anan, are any of the other Scales returning to the Isikolo?" Tau asked.

  Anan hesitated, probably thinking Tau should celebrate with the others. "Some of the Scales that came to watch will leave soon. The second skirmish is under way and I imagine they'll march once it's over."

  "May I return with them? I hope to rest and return to training as soon as possible."

  It was Jayyed who nodded assent and Hadith, his opportunity to sway Tau gone, sucked his teeth. Tau appreciated that his sword-brothers wanted him with them. He had to go back though. He had to be ready, if he was going to kill Kellan Okar in the Queen's Melee.

  CHAPTER TEN

  PRISONERS

  It had been a moon's-cycle since the skirmish with the Laugher and Scale Chisomo left to compete for one of the final spots in the Queen's Melee. The Isikolo saw them off and several Scales accompanied them to the Crags. Scale Jayyed, their position secured, remained behind to train. Jayyed and Anan agreed the men could not afford to attend. Tau was glad. Time was too short to let any go to waste, even if the past moon's-cycle had taken a toll.

  Every night Isihogo and its demons tempted Tau, offering him his greatest wish in exchange for agony. Every night he accepted their offer and they brutalized him. The horrors of countless deaths lingered and, during the day, he fought to hold onto his sanity. But, when the sun fell beneath the earth, Tau embraced the madness. He needed it to fight the monsters.

  The Queen's Melee was almost upon them and Tau Solarin, a Common of the Omehi, man of average height, strength, aptitude, and born without any particular gift for combat, had suffered the underworld and its demons in preparation. The path had its costs but he had traveled it, coming out the other side with an intuition for fighting that was more like instinct.

  Tau had gone to the demons as a man but under their cruel ministrations he had been transfigured. On difficult nights, when the underworld came close to breaking him, he tried to remember that. And, on that night, a moon's cycle from the Melee, he had to tell it to himself over and over again.

  The evening had been grueling. The demons were hunting in packs and his deaths had been harrowing. Tau was shaken up but the day's torture was done and he was near the barracks, ready to fall into his cot, hoping for a dreamless sleep. It was his weariness that allowed the thing in the Isikolo's main courtyard to get as close as it did.

  Tau saw it late but with enough time to snap his hands around the hilts of his swords, ready to draw. It spoke with a human voice.

  "Tau? I've been looking for you," said Aqondise Fanaka. "You've been summoned to the Umqondisi quarter."

  The words made no sense and, before speaking, Tau shut his eyes, hiding the demonic
face he saw in place of Fanaka's plain features. "Summoned?"

  "You're needed in the dignitary rooms of the Umqondisi quarter."

  Tau didn't know they had dignitary rooms and, though he knew where the Umqondisi quarter was, he had never been there. It was where the Isikolo's masters had their beds, baths, and meal halls.

  Tau forced himself to look at Fanaka's glowing yellow eyes, snout, and dagger long teeth. "I don't know the way," Tau told him, working hard to keep the distaste out of his tone.

  "Go into the quarter, the dignitary rooms are the third building on the right."

  "Thank you, Aqondise."

  "Tau?" the man said, stepping closer, and causing Tau to draw a finger-span of bronze. Fanaka, eyes wide, retreated, raising empty hands. "Are you well?"

  Since Scale Jayyed's last skirmish Tau's reputation had taken on a life of its own. Yaw's stories played some part in that and it seemed even the Aqondise were unsettled around Tau. He let his sword fall back into its scabbard. "Apologies, Aqondise. Apologies. It has been a... a trying night."

  "Of course," Fanaka said. "You train hard. I understand."

  Tau inclined his head. "It's late. Am I expected tonight?"

  "You are," Fanaka said, eyes flickering to Tau's scabbarded sword.

  "Thank you, Aqondise, for the message and advice." Tau pressed his palms together and touched his fingers to his forehead, saluting. It wasn't necessary, but he hoped the extra respect might repair any damage his odd behavior had caused. Fanaka did a slow-blink, recognizing the salute, and he left. It was getting harder, Tau thought, to hold himself... together.

  The Umqondisi quarter was hidden from plain view behind walls and a gate. The gate was open and there were no guards. They weren't needed. Initiates would not go in uninvited.