Sisera's Gift 2: Sacred Blood

by Robyn Wideman

  It was during this time that it became clear that dragons communicated with each other. This revelation was a changing point in the war. It was soon widely accepted that dragons were intelligent beings and not just animals fuelled by instinct. They must not be hunted like beasts but fought against as you would an army.

  The Brotherhood then discovered that they could amplify their abilities, as well as augment them in some cases, using magically imbued artifacts. This again gave them the element of surprise. They could obscure from view large companies of troops but the dragons could sense the magical energy radiating from the items so it was a short-lived tactic.

  While the monks of the Order focused on magic the warriors and engineers were creating incredible weapons with which to fight the war. From smallest darts, that would pierce the eye of a dragon if thrown with accuracy, to huge ballista’s that would hurl massive razor tipped missiles. The blacksmiths had become some of the best in the world.

  The Sacred Blood funded many of their exploits through the sale of fine and innovative weapons to bandits, mercenaries, armies, and kings all around the world. To move their merchandise around with ease, the priests would create illusions to hide the transports. Humans were easy to manipulate when compared to dragons.

  Transports were usually given a mid-level priest as an escort so when Grakes and the rest of the crew found out they had the High Priest of the Order accompanying them as well as their regular priest they were astounded. They knew the voyage they were on was an important one.

  As Tarak walked down the East Docks, as this section of harbourfront was known, he thought back to his days as a hoodlum and the night he, Santaal, and his gang had fought the Brotherhood that fateful night. Tarak wondered what was in the crates that they were unloading when he tried to tax them for doing so. Now that he knew the truth he could not trust his memory of crates filled with under-ripe melons. Magra was the priest assigned to that transport.

  Magra was just a mid-level priest in the Order and thus put his life on the line when he saved Tarak and Santaal from the blades of the Sacred Blood warriors. His intuition proved excellent as Tarak and Santaal both proved themselves devoutly faithful. As Magra rose through the ranks of Order then so did the two brothers, as he was their mentor and teacher.

  On his deathbed, Magra had revealed to Tarak and Santaal that the reason he chose to save them that night was because he had a premonition that they would be the change that the Brotherhood needed. As his faithful student, Tarak vowed to Magra that he would devout himself to saving the Brotherhood and returning it to its former glory. Magra had known that the powerful spells that they cast to keep the dragons away were soon about to fade. He had given Tarak all the knowledge and power he could to aid in the inevitable war but it was up to Tarak to set the Brotherhood on the right course of action.

  Magra never trusted Ewan or Omar Hussein as he had never trusted their father who had been the leader of the Order for over thirty years before his death. The brothers decided to share the leadership role instead of fighting for it, which was the last good decision they ever made. Tarak was always very conscious of their actions and intentions as he trusted them as much as Magra did. Both were hot-headed and, at times, unnecessarily violent. If it wasn’t for his sacred vow to never use magic on any who pledged allegiance to the Brotherhood, he would have had them kill each other years ago.

  As it turned out Ewan got himself killed by a female dragonblood that they had captured and were torturing for information. Served him right, though. He had a large troop of warriors without a priest. He was told that they would be no match but he refused to listen. Omar did not fare much better, returning to Castle Pornoux with only one man, Cullen Davies, in tow. Tarak was on his way to aid them personally but was delayed along the way. When he finally arrived in Oxvein the filthblood girl had somehow already bonded with a dragon. Tarak was astonished but happily surprised. He relished the challenge of battling a flesh and blood dragon as well as a powerful dragonblood warrior mage. He knew at the time that he was unequipped to battle the girl so he returned to Castle Pornoux to consult with Omar and Cullen.

  Tarak had left an agent of the Brotherhood to spy on the girl, Shayla was her name, while they devised a plan and rebuilt their losses. The girl was wily, though, and she managed to escape undetected and without a trace. Disappointed but not discouraged, Tarak began recruiting an unprecedented number of agents and sending them throughout the world to track dragonbloods. These agents would integrate themselves into communities and gather information, keeping detailed records of local defences as well as key members of society. Often these agents were bards, barkeeps, merchants, or healers trained by the Brotherhood from a very young age.

  The Brotherhood had many villages around the world that were fiercely loyal to the teachings of the Sacred Blood and made an excellent breeding ground for recruits. From a very young age the children in these villages were all taught to despise the dragonkin so to serve the Brotherhood at Castle Pornoux was the ambition of every child. Those that showed an aptitude for fighting trained to do so. The children that showed academic prowess learned engineering or medicine. Children that showed inclination toward both went to Castle Pornoux to be trained in the Basilica to become the next generation of the Brotherhood’s warrior monks. All the rest of the normal children were taught trades and skills that would be useful to any community while still providing a great amount of information. They studied how to fit into any local society while still being inconspicuous. They learned how to keep meticulous records. Every child in these communities, regardless of parentage, had lessons in religion, blacksmithing and the art of subterfuge.

  Over the last few hundred years, the Brotherhood had secretly built a massive spy network that had at least one agent in every castle, city, or estate across the known world. This network was instrumental in the Brotherhood’s ability to sell arms to those they knew needed them and had the means to pay for the finely made weaponry.

  Tarak looked around and discovered that while his mind was wandering through the past his body had taken him to South Gate. The district was the largest and oldest in the city. The crowded hovels were home to the common class who struggled to survive the rigors of life. It also had the largest marketplace in the city. With vendors from every corner of the world, one could find about anything there, legal or otherwise. It was a dirty cesspool of cultures. For most people, it was the smell that was most difficult to adjust to but for Tarak, it was home.

  Tarak walked slowly through the narrow, cobbled streets lined with tent covered stalls. He frequently had to squeeze himself through tightly packed groups of people. He noticed several people were giving him dirty looks as he passed them. He stopped at a booth that sold tunics and investigated his appearance in a looking glass.

  “Looking for a new tunic, friend?” A round, red-headed man greeted Tarak with a wide grin.

  “Perhaps,” Tarak said as he checked his reflection. “Tell me. Do you I look odd to you?”

  “Well, friend. I would say you look mighty fine except that, if I’m honest, it is a lil bit offensive to me that you are wearing the garb, including the insignia”—the ginger man pointed his chubby finger at Tarak’s chest—“of the Black Tooth.”

  Tarak looked at himself in the mirror again and began to chuckle. He was so caught up in the nostalgia of returning to North Port that he hadn’t changed his appearance. Sure enough, when he saw his reflection the man looking back at him wore the uniform of a Black Tooth buccaneer. That explained the harbourmaster's initial reaction during their first encounter. Tarak could not believe he had been so absent minded.

  The Black Tooth was a gang of pirates that called the Grim Isles home. They would loot and sink any ship they caught passing through their territory. The council of Droll decided they needed protection and hired a fleet of elite mercenary ships to patrol the waters the route took. These mercenaries set up bases on islands around the route to increase the protection they co
uld provide. The initiative was incredibly successful and North Port became incredibly wealthy. Pirates were a huge reason that North Port prospered the way it had. The Black Tooth figured that they should take their cut right from the city. They would send small raiding parties right into the city at night and steal from any person foolish enough to open their door to a stranger or even leave a window open. It was not long before the hired navy was tasked to hunt and destroy every Black Tooth settlement or base, which they did with tremendous success. The flag of the Black Tooth was never seen hoisted again, but the memory of the atrocities done to the common citizens lived on through the local culture.

  Tarak used the symbol of the Black Tooth to mask their identity as Sacred Blood to any other ship they may pass along the way but also as a sign to any pirate crew that would seek to attack the Brotherhood transport ship that they would only find death if they tried.

  Tarak thought for a moment, then turned back to the chubby ginger.

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” Tarak said.

  The tunic salesman took a double take and blinked his eyes several times. Tarak enjoyed watching the confusion in a man’s face when he can’t decide if he can trust his own vision.

  Gone was the garb of a sailor. Instead, Tarak was wearing a tight suit of jet-black lambskin, that was in fashion at the time.

  “Wa…wa…wa.”

  Tarak grasped the man by the shoulder and looked him deep in the eyes.

  “Don’t worry, friend. It’s not just you,” Tarak said as he placed his thumb and forefinger on the man's face. The man collapsed in heap on the compacted dirt floor. Tarak stepped over the limp body and headed out into the market.

  15

  The trip across the Gray Sea was not a long one, but it was a dangerous one. There were natural maelstroms that plagued the waters as well as the threat of pirates. Many pirate gangs called the Grim Isles home. There was a route though that led straight south through less dense island placements, in addition a mercenary navy hired by North Port and Bridgewater patrolled the waters. This gave them peace of mind but it was still dangerous.

  “Did I ever tell you I hate sailing?” Kai shivered in the corner of the little cabin. The boat rocked back and forth in the night storm. Rain and waves battered the little windows of the cabin.

  “You’re a big wimp.” Oshri laughed at Kai. He was on his feet rocking with the ship. He looked like he was performing an absurd tribal dance. Kai would have thought it was hilarious if he was not trying to keep down his dinner.

  “I have some herbs that will calm your stomach,” Adina said. She walked around as if she were unaffected by the turbulence. Evidently, she had perfect balance. Kai would consider that more later when his brain was back in working condition. Adina took a small pouch from her satchel and took a pinch of the light green contents. She dropped them into a cup of water and brought them to Kai. He accepted the cup and forced himself to swallow the bitter liquid.

  “Thanks,” said Kai and wrapped himself in the blanket once again.

  …

  “What an amazing place,” said Kai, eyes wide, as their ship pulled into the West Docks in the city of North Port.

  “Oh, just wait.” Oshri was hopping around in anticipation.

  Kai watched the old man and smiled. As much as the old man irked him there was something about the old guy that Kai respected. It always amazed Kai how much energy Oshri had for a man of his age. Kai did not know what his age was, but he assumed Oshri was in his late sixties just from the way he looked. It did not come from how he acted.

  “When we arrive, we need to make our way south into the city. There is a great market place where we can gather the supplies we need for our journey,” Adina said.

  “And some great drinking establishments as well,” said Oshri. He hopped about in excitement.

  Adina threw him a sour look. “We are here on business, old man. You can service your lecherous tendencies another time.”

  Oshri’s face drooped low. “Another time then,” he said then the smile returned, and he acted as if nothing had happened.

  They walked through the busy narrow streets of the great port city. As Kai had never been to Droll before he was amazed at the different culture. The people dressed differently and talked differently. He enjoyed the sound of their accent but had a hard time deciphering their slang words.

  “Holo.” Someone had called that out several times until Kai finally looked around and found that in fact, it was a call for him.

  “I am not Holo. My name’s Kai,” he said to the source of the shout. Oshri burst into laughter and Adina tried unsuccessfully to hold back a laugh. Kai looked around at his friends. “What are you guys laughing at?”

  “You are not Holo!” Oshri’s voice faded into renewed laughter as he could not hold it in any longer.

  “What? What is Holo?” Kai was very confused.

  Adina patted him on the shoulder and looked him in the eyes. She gave him a big smile and said, “I’ll tell you when you get older.”

  Kai begged her for more information but she was unwilling to give up the secret. Begging Oshri did just about as much good but it did produce three more laughing fits from the old man.

  Kai was starting to get angrier at being in the dark but then they walked past a large wooden gate carved with dragons. This marked the entrance to the marketplace. Kai began to feel overwhelmed by the amount of people crammed into this section of town. They passed vendor after vendor.

  “You can buy anything here,” Oshri said with a huge smile on his face. He grabbed Kai’s arm and looked him directly in the eyes. “Anything!”

  Kai laughed at the old man who went bounding off again like a small child chasing a small rubber ball.

  They walked for what felt like forever to Kai. The streets twisted this way and that. There did not feel like there was any structure to the layout. Kai smiled and thought about the village at the Tower. This must be what it turns into, Kai thought to himself.

  “There.” Oshri pointed to a large gray house with a small stable attached. As they approached Kai saw a sign hanging on a large metal post dug into the ground in front of the house. “Gervy Brothers” was carved into a large slab of oak wood. The sign looked like it had a shiny finish that intrigued Kai.

  They approached the house and as they got closer Kai could see that the place was alive with work. A blacksmith shop was in full production with four workers going about their business. There was a stable with young boys tending to four horses.

  A large woman greeted them as they got to the gate of a low fence that ran around a large yard in front of the house. The place stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the close fitted buildings and tents of the marketplace. She held out a hand to greet the group but as soon as she saw Oshri she squealed with glee and ran to give him a great big bear hug. Oshri looked like he was being swallowed by a jelly monster.

  “Oshri Cheni. My Lord Sol I never thought I would see your pretty face ever again.” The woman laughed as she bounced around holding Oshri as tight as she could. Kai thought for a moment that his head was going to pop right off.

  “Hi Betsy.” Oshri managed to remove his face from her ample bosom to squawk a greeting. Betsy laughed and let Oshri go.

  Betsy turned to Adina and Kai and threw her large soft arms around them. “Welcome. Anyone who is friends with this beautiful hunk of man meat is welcome at the Gervy House.”

  “Thank you,” said Adina. “Oshri has told us we can supply ourselves here for a journey south.”

  “Oshri told you correctly. Follow me.” Betsy grinned and grabbed Oshri by the arm, pulling him toward the house. Kai and Adina looked at each other and laughed.

  Betsy took them into the house where she served hot beef stew with slabs of fresh bread. Kai gave Betsy a list of supplies they needed. She called out to a boy in his early teens and instructed him to prepare the list. She told him that if there was anything they did not have on hand that he should send a runne
r into the market to get it.

  “We’ll have you ready to go within the next couple of hours. Clean yourselves up and relax. Enjoy what the Gervy House has to offer.”

  After he had eaten Kai went to the baths and slid himself into one of the hot pools to soak the pain out of his muscles. The gods did not make him to be a sailor. The sea did not agree with him. When he finished, one of the attendants pointed him toward the steam rooms. Intrigued he followed her instructions and entered one of the saunas. He sat for a while enjoying the heat draw prickles of sweat from his pores.

  “We need one of these at the Tower,” Kai thought to himself. After a while, he went and jumped in a cooling pool then headed off for a massage. He laughed to himself. “This is the life.”

  After being pummeled by a big friendly ginger man Kai dressed in his traveling gear again. It had been cleaned while he was cleaning himself. “What a place,” he thought to himself.

  He had been wandering through a gallery looking at paintings of battle scenes when Adina entered the room to find him. He noticed that she looked as if she had undergone a similar treatment.

  “The horses and gear are packed and we are ready to go,” she said.

  Kai followed her out to the yard where Betsy, Oshri and a small host of servants were waiting. Three great white stallions stood packed and ready to go. Kai thanked his hostess and dropped a small sack of coins into her hand. She laughed and handed the sack back to him.

  “Oshri has already paid for all this,” Betsy said with a wide grin.

  Kai looked at Oshri who returned the inquisitive look with a smile and a wink.

  16

  “More tea, handsome?”

  Tarak gave the serving girl a grin and nodded his head. She filled his empty pot with steaming, aromatic liquid. He watched her until she had completed the task, then returned her wink with a wide grin. He settled back into his chair to watch the large tent across from the tea shop.