“I am sorry, Lord Marak,” apologized Rejji. “I had no idea we were doing this so long. I have kept you from meals and even a chance to relax after your long journey.”
Marak gazed up at the sun and laughed. “I am as guilty as you are,” Marak replied. “I guess I was so involved that time did not register. There is plenty of time for food and relaxing now that I have seen all of Ghala. I must tell you that I am very impressed. Your workers are happy and content. Their workmanship is fine and they all seem to get along well with each other. This is not the picture of Fakarans that we have in Khadora. If all Fakarans are like this, Khadora will have a wonderful neighbor and trading partner.”
“All Fakarans are no more like this, than all Khadorans are like you,” Rejji retorted. “Your compliment is well received though. The people of Ghala have concocted a feast in honor of your arrival. It is with your own food, but I trust the local flavor of preparing it will delight you.”
“Let us not keep them waiting then,” chuckled Lord Marak. “I hope your people have had more sense than us and eaten something during the day.”
Rejji led Lord Marak to the center of town. The people had built long tables with construction lumber and the tables were heaped with food. There was a merry atmosphere amongst the people and several had gotten together to play music on improvised instruments. The Torak soldiers were interspersed with the locals. With the exception of their black and silver uniforms and the weapons they carried, it would have been hard to tell them apart.
Marak made a motion with his fingers, unseen by most, but Halman and Gunta appeared swiftly by his side. He gave them instructions to have his men go lightly on the ale as they were leaving in the morning. Rejji watched as Halman and Gunta casually infiltrated each group of people that contained a Torak soldier and passed some undetected signal to the soldiers.
“How do they do that?” asked Rejji. “I have not seen either one of them open their mouth and yet each soldier is putting his ale aside.”
“When men have lived and worked together for a long time,” Marak explained, “they come to know one another well. My men know that drinking and missions do not mix. It only takes a tap of a finger from Halman or Gunta for the soldiers to know that I am requesting something of them and they know what it is. They are good men and well trained. Botal is an excellent squad leader.”
“I have learned from Botal,” nodded Rejji remembering the tripwire trick. “You seem to inspire the best in your men.”
“You do as well,” smiled Marak. “I am very pleased with Ghala and you should be too. I look forward to meeting your other people, the Qubari.”
“I hope you do not take offense, Lord Marak,” stated Rejji, “but I do not wish to take the whole squad into the jungle.”
“No offense is taken,” responded Marak. “I would do the same in your position. I do hope that you will allow Halman and Gunta to accompany us. The stress it would cause them to have me out of their sight would be cruel punishment.”
“I have heard them called your twin shadows,” chuckled Rejji. “I have planned for them to come with us. I figure a small party should be able to sneak past the hellsouls easier.”
“Our party will not be much smaller than your last,” stated Marak. “I think wading through the hellsouls will be a more accurate description. As long as you have your staff, we will be fine.”
“You are optimistic,” frowned Rejji. “There are hundreds of them and one nick of your skin can be fatal.”
“Then we shall not let them get close,” Marak said seriously.
Plesy and Copi approached Rejji and Lord Marak and the conversation changed to talk of Ghala and Khadora. The festive atmosphere continued well into the night, but the Khadorans slipped off one by one and went to sleep. Rejji retired when Lord Marak left and shut the festivities out of his mind.
Rejji awoke at dawn and found the Khadorans already enjoying their morning meal. None of the men showed any signs of over imbibing the ale. Rejji joined them for the meal and then they all walked to the corral. Bakhai and Mistake arrived to wish them a safe journey as they mounted their horses and headed for the gates of the stockade. Many townspeople had arisen and they all stopped whatever they were doing to watch the Khadorans leave.
Chapter 28
Hellsouls
Rejji announced that they had reached their destination and Squad Leader Botal signaled for the column to halt at the edge of the Qubari Jungle. Botal dismounted and indicated that the squad should make camp.
“We will be leaving the horses here,” Rejji said to Lord Marak.
Rejji felt he was being watched and he waved in the direction of the jungle. Marak issued orders to Botal to keep the squad on alert, but ordered that they were not to enter the jungle. Rejji led Marak, Gunta, and Halman into the jungle.
“Welcome home, Astor,” Mobi called softly.
“Greetings, Mobi,” smiled Rejji. “Meet Lord Marak and his men, Gunta and Halman.”
“Welcome Khadoran friends of the Astor,” smiled Mobi as he appeared on the trail before them.
“Thank you for allowing us to enter your realm,” replied Lord Marak.
“Are you alone?” quizzed Rejji.
“I am,” answered Mobi. “Dumo felt it best if I was the only one to accompany you into the city.”
“Actually,” frowned Rejji, “there is no need for you to enter Angragar again. You have already shown your courage and skill. I merely wanted a guide to the ancient city from this direction. How is Voltak?”
“Voltak is fine,” responded Mobi. “The timing was close, but adequate for his recovery. I will show you the way to Angragar as you wish. I will also accompany you into the city unless you expressly forbid it. I do not do this to show my bravery or courage. I do it to protect the Astor and because I consider it an honor.”
“Mobi speaks wisely,” smiled Marak, sensing that the Qubari was feeling as if Rejji thought the Khadorans were better than the jungle warriors. “As Astor, you are important to your people. It took me a while to accept Halman and Gunta as my shadows, but I have never regretted it. There can be no finer warrior in the jungle than one who lives here.”
“You are both correct,” nodded Rejji. “I fear the loss of any Qubari, but this struggle is as much theirs as anyone’s. I welcome you to this expedition, Mobi, and I am glad that you made me see the faults of my thinking. Let’s go to Angragar.”
Mobi grinned as he spun and led the way down the narrow trail. Mobi stepped up the pace gradually as he sought the optimum speed for the Khadorans in their fancy outfits. He thought he would feel more distaste for the foreigners, but the sight of the warrior, who he had seen in the mural, and his understanding words, pleased Mobi. The pace he was able to maintain also pleased him. Well after the sun had set, Mobi called a halt and indicated they would spend the night in the clearing just off the trail.
“We are not far from Angragar,” announced Mobi. “We will be able to enter as the sun rises.”
Mobi prepared a meal and Lord Marak peppered him with questions about the jungle and the Qubari people. Mobi appeared pleased with the interest Marak showed and began asking questions about life in Khadora. Mobi’s eyes landed on Marak’s sword as the Khadoran lord removed his black cape.
“Is that the snake sword in the mural?” Mobi asked.
“I have not seen the mural yet,” reminded Marak as he drew the sword and handed it to Mobi. “Did it look like this?”
Mobi nodded his head and held the Sword of Torak up to examine it. “What is so special about this sword?”
“I really do not know,” frowned Marak. “It was a gift from the Chula people to me, yet I have been told not to say that it is a gift. It has great significance to the Chula. They call it the Sword of Torak, which is also the name I chose for my clan.”
“It feels lighter than I would expect from just looking at it,” admired Mobi. “So you are considered the Torak as Rejji is considered the Astor?”
“Yes,” nodded Lord Marak, “but I do not know the meaning of it. The Chula say in time I shall know. That is one of the reasons I wish to see this mural.”
“I understand,” stated Mobi. “I know much confuses Rejji as well. I guess it is for God to tell you what it means when the time comes. We only know that the coming of the Astor has been foretold for centuries. The Qubari are excited.”
“Maybe the mysteries can be solved in Angragar,” posed Marak as he took the sword back from Mobi. Mistake mentioned a large library there.”
“Yes but we did not have time to really examine it,” interjected Rejji. “Do you think books that old would reveal anything?”
“The mural is just as old,” reminded Marak. “If the Astor and the Torak can be pictured in a mural, then perhaps the books hold clues as well.”
“It is dangerous to remain there for a long time,” warned Rejji. “While the hellsouls did not enter the temple last time, there is nothing to say that they won’t become less fearful this time.”
“Then we shall strike fear into their hearts,” promised Marak. “Instead of fleeing from them, perhaps we should engage them. The four of us can use our skills to slay them, and you can use your staff to ensure they do not return.”
“There are hundreds of them,” warned Mobi. “We could be overwhelmed quickly.”
“Then we run,” chuckled Lord Marak. “What I am saying that we should try to do,” added Marak as he turned serious, “is to attack them straight on, so that they have cause for fear instead of us. I do not expect that we can kill them all, but fear can be a powerful weapon too.”
“I understand,” nodded Mobi. “Fear has gripped the hearts of many who have entered the jungle. The plan might buy us enough time to accomplish what we want to. Let us rest long this night then, so we are fresh in the morning.”
The group finished their meal and retired for the night. Rejji awoke before the lightening of the sky and saw that he was the last to awaken. Halman and Gunta sat around a small fire and ate the morning meal, while Marak and Mobi talked softly in the bushes a few paces away. Rejji helped himself to some food and wandered over to the conversation.
“If they could be delivered to an enemy,” Marak was saying, “then they could tip the balance of a battle.”
“As long as the enemy did not know of the aftereffects,” nodded Mobi.
“Would if be possible for me to take a lygrim plant with me to Khadora?” Lord Marak asked.
“I will ask Dumo when we return to the village,” stated Mobi. “I do not foresee any problem with your request though. It may not survive well in Khadora, but I am sure you have already thought about that.”
“I am sure my mages can come up with something to keep it healthy,” replied Marak.
“How could the lygrim be a weapon?” asked Rejji.
“Because of the long sleep that follows when you stop,” responded Mobi. “If the enemy thought that there was no price to pay for the extra energy and had their troops eat it, the army would sleep soundly after they got to where they are going.”
“So the army would be very vulnerable,” nodded Rejji. “That is a great idea if you could get the enemy to buy it.”
“It is just something to keep in the back of your mind,” declared Marak. “Now that the Astor has arisen, we should begin our trek to Angragar.”
Halman and Gunta were already extinguishing the fire as Rejji returned to the campsite. Everyone gathered their belongings and Mobi led the group onto the trail as the first rays of the sun started to filter through the jungle canopy. It was less than hour to Angragar and Mobi led the group at a steady, but not punishing pace. As they arrived at the large gates, the Khadorans drew their swords and Rejji touched the gate to open it.
“Protect the Astor well, my friend,” Gunta said softly to Mobi. “He is the key to our survival.”
“Nothing shall touch him,” nodded Mobi as Rejji closed the gate.
“Does this street lead to the temple?” queried Lord Marak.
“Yes,” Rejji responded. “It is quite a ways up it though.”
“Then allow me to lead,” suggested Lord Marak as he signaled Gunta to the right and Halman to the left. “If Mobi will cover our rear, I think we can keep you in the middle of us safely. Touch each hellsoul that you can reach safely, but leave those that would require you to leave our circle.”
Rejji had seen enough of the skill of the Torak soldiers to agree to Marak’s plan and he nodded. Marak led the group along the broad avenue with Rejji protected in the center of the human diamond. They walked silently and their eyes never stopped scanning the streets and buildings. They progressed three blocks before Halman made a hand signal indicating trouble ahead. As they approached the next intersection, Rejji felt his staff warm his hand. Halman halted short of the corner and let the rest of the party continue. As they entered the intersection, three hellsouls appeared to their left on the cross street.
Lord Marak stepped towards them and swung his long sinuous sword. He swiftly decapitated the first hellsoul. The body disappeared in smoke and Marak converged on the second. Halman stepped out of his hidden position and attacked the last hellsoul, which had not seen him. The small battle was over in seconds as Marak moved back into position at the head of the group. Rejji touched the body of the hellsoul that Halman had killed with his staff and the body dissipated instantly. There were no bodies from the two that Lord Marak had killed.
“Lord Marak,” Rejji called softly. “You didn’t leave any bodies.”
“I noticed that,” Marak frowned. “Has this happened before with anything other than your staff?”
“No,” Rejji replied. “The last time it was like the one Halman killed.”
“I suspect the Sword of Torak has similar properties to your staff,” Mobi stated. “Did it warm your hand, Lord Marak?”
“I did not notice,” Marak admitted. “Let us worry about it later.”
The group returned to silence as Lord Marak led them deeper into the ancient city of Angragar. A shriek was heard in the distance as they passed a cross street and Rejji saw one of the creatures several blocks away. Rejji expected Lord Marak to pick up the pace after the shriek, but the Khadoran stayed with the same steady pace they had started with. He wondered if Lord Marak had even heard the shriek or knew what it meant.
“They know we are coming now,” Rejji said nervously, but Lord Marak just nodded.
As they got closer to the square in the center of the city, more shrieks were heard and more hellsouls were seen down the cross streets. Everyone in the party knew that the hellsouls were gathering in the square to attack the humans, but nobody spoke. Lord Marak kept their advance to a steady and predictable pace. Half a block from the square, Lord Marak suddenly stopped.
“Mobi, be very careful now,” Marak said softly. “They will come from my end first, but soon they will come your way too. Pay no attention to what we are doing up here. If you feel there are too many at your end, shout.”
The group stood in the center of the broad avenue and waited in an eerie silence. For several minutes, nothing happened. Eventually, a hellsoul appeared in the square and peered down the avenue. It stood there for a moment, perhaps perplexed by the halt of the humans, and then it let out a loud shriek and moved towards them. Others could be seen coming around the corners of the building in the square. Halman and Gunta moved forward and stood abreast of Lord Marak. Soon the square was blotted out as the black shapes funneled into the broad avenue.
Marak swung the Sword of Torak as the first black shape stepped close enough for him to reach. The head of the hellsoul went flying upwards and turned into a puff of dark cloud as its body fell to the ground as a pile of cloth. Shrieks echoed off the buildings as the wave of hellsouls continued forward. Soon, the three Torak soldiers were swinging their swords back and forth. Bodies started to pile up around Halman and Gunta and Rejji darted behind each of them in turn and touched his staff to hellsouls as they fell. Rejji heard Mo
bi behind him clashing with his spear and suddenly Mobi’s voice rang out.
“More than I can handle back here. The dead are starting to rise.”
“Now we move forward,” called out Lord Marak.
The three Torak soldiers screamed as loudly as they could and started moving forward, felling the hellsouls as they advanced. The hellsouls hesitated at the sound of the screams, and as they saw the black clad Torak soldiers coming at them through the billowing cloud of smoke, many of them turned and ran. Those that didn’t run were sliced by the long two-handed swords wielded by the Khadorans. Rejji ran after the Khadorans in a zigzag as he raced to touch each fallen body with his staff. As they entered the square, Marak saw that the hellsouls had spread out into a large semicircle, which he figured is what they had planned all along.
“Which way is the temple?” he called out.
“The large building on the right side of the square,” Rejji answered.
“Get ready to run,” ordered Marak. “As soon as we show which direction we are going, the others will try to close in on us. My men will open a path for you to run through. Don’t worry about touching their dead; just get the door open for us. Now!”
The Khadorans turned as one and charged the portion of the semicircle that blocked their path to the temple. Shrieks filled the square, as the intent of the humans became known. Halman and Gunta stopped short and turned to face the curve of the semicircle as the hellsouls converged on them. Marak continued onward and started slashing at the thin line of hellsouls with his long sword. Rejji raced through the gap created by the Khadorans with Mobi on his heels. Mobi halted on the steps of the temple and turned to face the square as Halman and Gunta slowly backed their way towards the temple.
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