He reached the riverbank and stepped into the water. He walked until he was knee deep and then he sat down and let the cold water flow around his body. He shivered as he raised his hand out of the water and touched it to his lips. His lips stung with the touch and his tongue greedily stuck out and licked his fingers. He dipped his hand again and savored the small amount of cool liquid he could lick off his fingers. He was hesitant to indulge in too much water too quickly after having his body starved for it, so he kept dipping his hand into the water and pressing it to his parched lips. When the inside of his mouth felt functional again, he lowered the flask into the water and let it fill. He brought the flask to his lips and sucked in small amounts of water, letting it flow around in his mouth before swallowing it. He repeated this several dozen times until he felt energy starting to surge in his body. He wondered how close they had been to dying while he dunked his head under the water.
As his senses started to return, Rejji felt the exhaustion of his body setting in. He let his body float in the water for a few minutes before refilling the flask and heading back to Mistake. When he reached her, he stripped off his soaked tunic and spread it over her so the moisture would soak through to her. He opened the flask and sat down next to her. Using his finger as he did in the river, Rejji wet it and placed it on her lips. Soon her tongue came out to lick his finger as his own tongue had done. He repeated this until he felt she was ready for some water. He eased her head up and held the flask to her lips. He had to pull the flask away several times to stop her from gulping the water. Eventually her eyes opened and she looked around.
“We made it,” Rejji announced.
Mistake smiled weakly and reached for the flask.
“Take it slow at first,” he warned. “There is plenty of it here. I need to rest now.”
Rejji stretched out beside Mistake and closed his eyes.
***
Mistake surfaced, shook her head and gazed up at the sunlight filtering through the trees. With a smile on her lips, she swam to shore where she had left her clothes. The water felt more wonderful than any water had ever felt and she wondered if the trip through the desert had made her appreciate it more. She still hadn’t found out how they had made it. When she woke just before the first rays of the sun, Rejji was still sleeping and she didn’t want to wake him. However they got here, Mistake was sure she didn’t walk and that left few other choices other than Rejji carrying her. He had a right to be exhausted she thought, and if he wanted to sleep through another day that was all right too.
She reluctantly rubbed the water off her body and wrung her hair dry. She was getting dressed when she heard the riders approaching and she darted behind a tree. She counted six of them going by and they were heading towards where Rejji was sleeping. After they passed, she raced after them, keeping herself behind trees and out of sight. She heard the cry of discovery and knew they had seen Rejji. Stealthily she approached to find the riders in a ring around Rejji who was sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
“And what do we have here?” questioned a large man with a scraggly beard who appeared to be the leader. “Speak up boy. What are you doing on our land?”
“Your land?” repeated Rejji. “I didn’t know this was your land. I was just resting from a long journey.”
“Are you alone lad?” asked the leader. “Who are you traveling with?”
Rejji looked past the riders and saw Mistake with her hand on her dagger. He quickly shook his head and diverted his eyes in another direction. “I am alone,” Rejji lied.
“He must be a spy, Brakas,” one of the others declared. “Let’s gut him and be on with our business.”
The leader held up his hand and stared at Rejji. “How did you get here, lad? Tell the truth now or I’ll let Klavin have his way with you.”
“I came to join up,” Rejji blustered. “My village was wiped out by the Jiadin so I figured I would join you guys to get revenge.”
The leader’s eyebrows lowered as he stared at the young villager. “You did, eh? And how did you know where to find the Zaldoni? Who told you where we are?”
“Well I didn’t know exactly where to find you,” Rejji said. “Somebody just told me to head north until I reached the river and I would find you. Guess he was right.”
“Bah,” spat Klavin, “he trying to get us to believe he crossed the badlands to get here. I tell you he is a spy.”
Brakas dismounted and approach Rejji. He pulled his sword and held it towards Rejji. “Stand up,” he ordered.
Rejji rose, careful in his movements lest he skewer himself on the bandit’s sword. Brakas moved the sword to Rejji’s waist and with a flip, severed the string holding the pouch to Rejji’s belt and flipped the pouch into the air. One of the other riders caught it and hefted it appraisingly.
“A fair amount of gold on the lad,” he reported.
“Spy wages,” spat Klavin. “I say we gut him.”
“Shut up,” Brakas bellowed. “Where did you get the gold, boy?”
“I collect shark’s teeth and sell them to a merchant who comes by the village,” Rejji said. “I usually buy stuff from the merchant in exchange, but since the village was destroyed, I took the gold instead.”
“A lot of gold for some old fossils,” Brakas stated as he held out his hand.
The bandit who had caught the pouch tossed it to Brakas. Brakas held it for a bit and then stuffed it in his shirt.
“There are dues for joining the Zaldoni, boy,” Brakas grinned. “Where is your weapon?”
“I don’t have one,” admitted Rejji. “I was hoping the Zaldoni would have spares I could use.”
Brakas snickered and nodded at Rejji. “Get on behind me,” he ordered. “You make any funny moves and my men will slice you from seat to noggin.”
Rejji stole a glance towards Mistake as he bent down to retrieve his tunic. He mouthed the words to her to tell her go away and then rose and mounted the horse behind Brakas.
Rejji wondered about his strategy for dealing with the situation while the patrol turned and headed back the way they had come. He looked for Mistake but could not find her and smiled. He didn’t like leaving her alone, but these men certainly would have harmed her. Of that, Rejji was sure. He wasn’t sure why he had lied about joining them, but at the time it appeared that the lie was the only way he would survive. The bandits always needed recruits and if they didn’t need you, they killed you. Trying to hunt for the bright spot in his situation, Rejji wondered if he would learn anything from the Zaldoni that would help him get his revenge on the Jiadin.
The patrol of Zaldoni tribesmen rode slowly through the forest along the banks of the Meliban River. There was no chatter from the bandits, only the sounds of the horses making their way along the path. They rode for about an hour before Rejji saw a wooden stockade wall appear in the distance. At its appearance the men started chatting casually as if the need for silence had been extinguished.
As they got closer, Rejji spied men, all wearing the green scarves of the Zaldoni, along the wall of the fortress. A few shouted down greetings as the large wooden gate swung open to admit the returning patrol. Rejji felt the eyes of the men focusing on him as they entered the fort.
Once inside the gate, Rejji glanced around. They rode into a large open area and dozens of men were moving about. Far ahead of the patrol, Rejji could see scores of small huts with footpaths leading off in all directions. The inside of the wall had a platform along it with ladders, for gaining access to it, sprinkled along its length. There were weapon racks beside each ladder and small holes bored through the wall to allow people to look out.
Off to the left in the distance, Rejji could see huge stables and could hear the pounding of a smith. To the right, set back in a clump of trees, was a very large hut with steps leading to its porch. There were wooden rails outside it to tie horses to and that was where the patrol went. Rejji tried to get a feel for the size of the fort as they rode across the great square of barren dirt, but he
could not see either end of the wall they had ridden through. He was awed by the immenseness of it all. He had thought of the bandits as small groups of riders as that was all he had ever seen visit the village, but this fortress clearly showed that the bandits were very numerous.
It was the greens who came to his village each year and he looked around to see if he could recognize anyone, but he could not. There were just too many faces there.
Brakas waved the other riders off as he ordered Rejji to dismount in front of the large hut. As Brakas landed on the ground, the other riders turned and headed for the stable area.
“Inside,” Brakas ordered brusquely as he tied his horse to the rail. “And don’t speak unless spoken to.”
Rejji nodded and mounted the steps and opened the door. He heard the heavy footsteps of Brakas behind him as he entered the large room. The room was the full width of the large hut, but not very deep. There were chairs to the right and a big desk to the left with a surly looking man sitting behind it. Brakas pushed past Rejji and approached the desk.
“Is he here?” Brakas asked the man.
“In the meeting room,” nodded the man. “He is alone though.”
Brakas nodded and shoved Rejji down a hallway leading towards the rear of the building. There were six doors off the hallway, three on each side, but the destination Brakas had in mind was obviously the doorway at the end of the hall. The smell of smoke hit Rejji before he even entered the room, so he was not surprised to see a fire smoldering in a pit in the center of the large room. The room was huge and must have occupied the whole back half of the building. There were wooden benches attached to each wall and a big circular piece of wood that Rejji figured was for covering the fire pit when they needed floor space. There were no windows in the walls and the only door was the one Rejji had just come thru. A lean man sat on one of the benches running a stone over his sword. He stood when Rejji entered the room. Brakas entered right behind Rejji and his big hand reached and grabbed Rejji’s shoulder as soon he entered the room, forcing Rejji to halt.
“What have you here, Brakas?” the lean man asked.
“Found him along the river, Wyant,” Brakas responded. “Claims he was coming to join us.”
“How did he make it to the river?” frowned Wyant. “Why didn’t our sentries spot him?”
“He says he came across the badlands,” scraggly beard replied. “Klavin thinks he is a spy.”
“Klavin thinks you are a spy, Brakas,” sighed Wyant as he approached Rejji. “He thinks everyone is a spy.”
Wyant reached out and grasped Rejji biceps. He ran his hands down Rejji’s arms and twisted his wrists so he could inspect Rejji’s hands. Rejji was still wearing the fingerless gloves he was so fond of, and Wyant frowned.
“Remove the gloves,” Wyant ordered.
Rejji removed his gloves and stuck them in his belt. He offered his hands back to Wyant and the Zaldoni leader examined his palms.
“You appear muscular enough,” Wyant stated, “but I doubt you have the makings of a warrior. A good swordsman is more than just muscle. It takes coordination and intelligence and practice. Mostly practice. What is that scar on your hand?”
Rejji gazed at the discolored crescent centered in his right palm. “I don’t know,” the boy admitted. “I have always had it. Some kind of birthmark my grandfather said.”
“Well at least it is not from an act of stupidity then,” smiled Wyant. “You can put the gloves back on if you wish. Have you ever handled a sword?”
Rejji donned his gloves once more and looked up at the leader. “No, I haven’t,” answered Rejji. “Nobody in the village owned a sword.”
“Then what are you doing here pretending that you want to be a Zaldoni?” questioned Wyant.
“He said he wanted to avenge his village,” offered Brakas. “He said it was wiped out by the Jiadin.”
“Is this true about the village, Brakas?” Wyant asked.
“It is,” nodded Brakas. “One of my men recognized this boy as the one who spends his time on the beach. The village was destroyed several days ago.”
Wyant turned and paced the room for a few awkward moments as if something was troubling him. He came back and handed his sword, hilt first, to Rejji.
“Kill Brakas,” he said to Rejji.
Rejji stared at the sword and then at the man who gave it to him, but he didn’t move.
Brakas laughed and Wyant shot him a foul look. “I just spent an hour putting an edge on that sword, Brakas. I don’t like wasting my time.”
Turning to Rejji, Wyant shouted, “I said to kill Brakas. I don’t like repeating myself. Do it now.”
Nervousness coursed through Rejji’s body as he awkwardly held the sword. He looked at Brakas who was standing there casually laughing. He felt he was being tested or being made fun of, but he couldn’t figure out which. Rejji gripped the sword tightly and lunged at Brakas. Brakas swiftly dropped to one knee and brought his sword around in a flash. The flat of Brakas’ blade struck close to Rejji’s hand and the leader’s sword flew from Rejji’s grasp. Rejji tried following it with his eyes and saw Wyant grinning as he caught his sword and sheathed it.
“Finish it,” Wyant said to Brakas.
Rejji turned to see Brakas approaching, his sword carving large swaths through the air as he approached. Rejji started backing away from the bandit, but soon felt the bench behind him, leaving no room to retreat further. Rejji looked at the snarl on Brakas’s face as he approached and thought of the cruelness of surviving the attack on the village only to die days later because he made a foolish gamble with false bravado. His mind raced to find a way out of the attack, while his body stood frozen. Finally, in desperation, he pushed himself off the bench and threw himself at Brakas. He dove with arms before him and aimed for Brakas’ ankles. His hands stung with the pain of impact, but he managed to topple Brakas. Rejji quickly rolled to his feet and tried to make it out the lone door to the room.
Wyant stood blocking his way and shaking his head, all the while grinning at the boy. Rejji turned and saw Brakas regaining his feet. Rejji tore across the room to the bench on the far wall. Brakas was swearing now as he approached and Rejji was sure that this was no longer a test of any kind. With adrenalin pumping through his body, Rejji eased his foot back and tried to move the bench. He nodded to himself as the benched moved slightly, knowing that it was not nailed to the wall.
A quick glance towards Wyant showed that the leader was enjoying the display of fighting and had actually moved closer to Rejji as if to get a better view of the killing blow. Everything seemed to Rejji to be happening in slow motion as his mind raced through observations and options, although Rejji’s options were pretty slim.
As Brakas charged across the floor, fury evident on his face, he held his sword high and screamed at Rejji. Rejji cowered by stooping down and turning his back to the charging bandit. Even facing away from his attacker, Rejji’s mind could still see him charging and the boy trembled as he waited.
When Rejji decided the time had arrived, he picked up the bench and swiveled as he hurled it in the direction of the charging bandit. Brakas had actually been closer than Rejji had anticipated and the end of the bench sailed easily into the bandit’s head. Brakas went down backwards in a heap, his sword clattering to the floor.
Rejji scrambled across the floor and dove after the blade before Brakas could regain his feet. He scooped up the blade while still sliding across the floor and when his momentum slowed, Rejji leaped to his feet and ran back toward Brakas who was still sprawled on the floor.
He skidded to a halt and towered over the bandit’s body as he brought the sword up and prepared to strike. Rejji felt a sudden smack on the back of his head and his vision blurred. The room started spinning and Rejji felt like he was falling. Then Rejji’s world turned to darkness.
Chapter 4
Bandits
Rejji woke with a splitting headache. He reached for the back of his head to feel for blood, bu
t could find none. The room was totally dark except for the small amount of moonlight coming through the vent hole in the roof, which allowed the smoke to escape. He tried to remember what had happened through the haze of his mind and slowly it came back to him. In his fight with Brakas, he neglected to remember about Wyant. He shuddered when he replayed the scene in his mind and realized he had been about to kill a man. He wondered what had gotten into him. Killing Brakas would not have gotten him free of the camp. He speculated whether this is how all men reacted in a fight for their life. Did reason and negotiation take leave when a man’s back was up against the wall? He hoped he never had another chance to find out.
Slowly Rejji rose off the floor and tried to scan the darkness for the presence of anyone else in the room. The moonlight was dim and he could not see very far, so he made his way to a wall and started walking around the room to check it out. When he reached the only door to the room, he silently tried to open it. It was locked. He completed an entire circuit of the room and ended back at the door. He was the only occupant. He looked up at the hole in the ceiling again, but realized there was no way to reach it. Even if he tried to build something out of the benches, it would fall far short of reaching the high ceiling. He had never been in a room where the ceiling was so far off the floor. At home he could easily touch the ceiling without jumping.
Rejji heard footsteps coming down the hall and he eased himself along the wall and away from the door. He heard another door open and then some clatter through the wall where he had moved. Someone had entered the next room and was moving furniture around. More footsteps sounded in the hallway and they entered the next room as well. Rejji could here muffled voices through the wall and pressed his ear to it. The voices were faint, but Rejji could hear them talking.
“What was it?” inquired Wyant.
“Just a fire,” reported Brakas. “There was a large pile of leaves that went up, but there was no sign of anyone around. I think one of the returning patrols probably got careless with his bocco and it just took a while to ignite the leaves. It was right off the trail coming in.”
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