by West, Shay
“So you have said, countless times. Yet you, and all your kind, cannot seem to say what this mysterious thing is!”
“The bones do not say.” The seer trembled, fearing the queen's anger. Yet what she read in the bones scared her even more. The Seers' Guild had met in secret to discuss what they had all been sensing for some time now. The bones, the stars, the whispered words of the good spirits, all foretold the same future; something was coming to Astra, and it would destroy everyone. It did not matter the question put to the seers. The only answer they could discern from their craft was the same. The townfolk and nobles had begun to talk, their fears taking on a life of their own, flitting from ear to ear, so all in the city and even those in the outlying villages knew of what all of the seers and fortune tellers were sensing.
The queen glared at the top of the woman's head. She would never admit the seer's words frightened her. This was the third one that had been brought before her. She had wanted to know of the whereabouts of the Mystic and those who accompanied him. She had been furious to discover her pet was missing. She had had every man put to death that had been guarding her bedchamber. She could not fathom why someone would endanger themselves and the lives of others in order to save the life of one scrawny village boy.
Fa' Vel was right. There is something unique about that boy.
She had begun to wonder if Master Brok was a dark magician, able to somehow penetrate the magic fields protecting her bedchamber. Or perhaps he was able to summon the key from her bedside table, without having to enter the bedchamber at all. However he did it, she was determined to have answers. She demanded a search be made for the Mystic and the five villagers.
“All I want from you is the location of the old man and those young people.” Queen Cheye leaned forward and put her finger under the seer's chin, forcing her to meet the queen's livid gaze. “You will work the bones again, and tell me what I wish to know.”
The woman's body shook as she sobbed. “When the question is put to the bones, they only tell of danger.” She choked back her sobs. “Perhaps those people you seek are somehow connected to what the bones speak of.”
The queen's eyes widened as she sat back in her chair. This was a possibility she had not thought of before. But how could one skinny old man and five children destroy the people of Astra? She frowned as she tried to puzzle it out.
She snapped her fingers and a servant, dressed all in white, came scuttling up.
“How may I serve your Grace?”
“I want you to find the best trackers in the city. Give them the descriptions of the old man and the five who ride with him. Tell the trackers that when they are found, I want them brought back to me immediately.” The queen smiled as she enjoyed a sip of wine. “Tell the trackers that a Lordship will be given to the one who brings me the old man.”
EARTH
The only sounds to be heard in the frigid winter night were the creak of saddles, the clink of tack, and the stomping of the occasional hoof in the deep snow. General Ted Smith clenched his jaw to stop from snarling orders to the men to keep their mounts still. His agitated words would carry much further than the sounds of the restless horse. He absently patted No Name's nose, feeling a surge of pride that at least she could stay quiet.
The General, along with a dozen Protectors and his Chosen, stood just below the top of a hill, hidden amongst the tall pine trees. The men looked like little rotund, fuzzy bears, wrapped in many layers of skins and furs to protect them from the cold. The General allowed no fires. On this moonless night, a fire could be spotted from a distance and the alarm sounded. Ted intended to be in and out of the Horde camp with none the wiser.
Silent as a shadow, Tess Golden appeared next to the General. The only part of her that was visible was her hazel eyes, peering from above layers of cloth wrapped around her face.
“Report.”
Tess reached up and pulled the cloth down. “The encampment lies a few miles east of here. They have guards walking the perimeter. The men are staggered and all patrol randomly.” She sighed. “They will be difficult to move past sir.”
“Can we kill one or two, enough to create a gap, without the others noticing?”
She shook her head. “The Horde has cleared an area about 500 yards or so of all trees and brush. We cannot sneak up unseen.”
General Smith ground his teeth in frustration. He knew, deep down, that the Horde were as smart and savvy when it came to battle tactics and defense as the Jhinn. He had hoped that Tess could find a weakness in their defenses. The Horde did tend toward overconfidence and the Protectors had never attempted to rescue anyone.
A group of Protectors had gathered to listen to Tess Golden's assessment of the situation. Their shared glances spoke volumes. The General clenched his jaw, readying himself for what was to follow.
“Sir, it sounds as if the Horde are too well fortified to attempt a rescue.” One of the Protectors came forward. “The men are lost, sir. We should go back, before Horde scouts spot us. We don't have the numbers to fight.”
“No. The operation will go on as planned, Protector, even if it means your life. Is that understood?”
The man's jaw clenched in anger. “I would gladly die to save any of the Protectors, or the Jhinn. What I do not understand, sir, is your insistence that I lay down my life in an impossible rescue mission. Others have been taken by our enemies. Why no rescue for them?” The man's hazel eyes were hard. “Why these three?” His voice was low, yet it throbbed with barely suppressed emotion.
The General met the man's glare and had no answer.
Or at least none that he could give.
He understood the man's anger. The Cowboys had taken his brother not long after he became a Protector. His brother's body had been found out in the middle of a great sea of prairie grasses to the east of the Jhinn encampment.
“If you no longer care to follow orders, Protector, you are free to leave at any time.” The General was nose to nose with the man, the mist from his breath curling around the man's head in the darkness. “That goes for the rest of you as well.” He stepped back and let his eyes roam over the crowd. “I do not have to explain my orders to you. You will follow them, or you can leave the encampment.
For good.”
The man who had challenged the General stared at Ted for a few tense heartbeats before saluting and moving back to stand with the other Protectors.
Ted was relieved, but he let nothing show. He hated having to keep his Protectors in the dark. The men and women he served with were a rare and special breed. They placed an enormous burden on their own shoulders by taking on the task of looking out for the Jhinn. In the years that he had been working with these extraordinary people, he had come to see that they did indeed deserve the honor of being among the Chosen. He held them in highest esteem, and wished that he could explain why they were here and why Sloan was so important, not only to the future of the Jhinn, but to the entire galaxy.
He turned to Tess. “Take me to the Horde encampment.”
* * *
The two set off through the darkness. The white snow reflected what little light there was and allowed one to distinguish dark from pitch black and to see the hulking shapes of the trees and brush. Only the crunch of their feet breaking the crust of snow broke the silence.
Tess never faltered and led the General silently to the edge of the trees closest to the Horde camp. From here they crawled on their bellies to the top of a small rise and the General got his first look at the encampment.
The Horde lived much like an army on the move. The people stayed in tents made of animal hides, scraped clean of hair. They were staked tightly down in the ground and kept the heat from the fires in nicely. There was a small hole in the top to allow the smoke to escape. Surrounding these cone-shaped dwellings were large supply wagons. Mastiffs stood guard, chomping on bones and growling if anyone came to close. The General's stomach gave a lurch when he recognized a human leg bone.
The cam
p was silent, save for the cracking of fires and the snarling of the mastiffs. Just then, a scream pierced the night. The female voice trembled in terror as her shriek of agony rent the silence. The General heard the faint sounds of laughter as the shriek died into breathless sobs.
He glanced at Tess and grabbed her arm. “There is nothing we can do for her,” he whispered. “If you rush in there, they will do the same to you. Or worse.” He fixed the angry woman with his piercing gaze. “Our people need you. We came here to rescue our men. We cannot allow ourselves to be swayed into a rash action by our emotions.” He gripped her shoulder in sympathy.
Tess nodded and turned back toward the Horde camp. The two sat in silence, watching the guards make their random sweeps of the perimeter. The cold seeped into every crack and slight opening in their clothing and soon the two were shivering, muscles tense and trembling as they tried to stop their teeth from chattering.
Ted touched Tess on her arm, applying enough pressure so that she could feel it through her layers of garments. When she looked at him, he signaled with his head that it was time to go. Just as he was turning to go, one of the tents flapped open violently and a man staggered out under the weight of a body of a young woman. He dumped her corpse unceremoniously next to the pile of bones and scraps that the mastiffs had picked over, and then swaggered back inside.
The General was glad Tess had not seen the dead woman. Silent as shadows they slipped from the hill, being careful to brush their tracks from the snow. The General did not want a guard or scout to happen across their tracks.
The walk back was torturous. The General could not see a way through the defenses of the Horde camp, not with only twelve others to do the fighting. Fear began to set in.
Ted was so lost in thought that he almost walked into Tess's. She gave him a reproachful look before she crouched down in the snow. The General was not long in following her example. He cursed himself for allowing his thoughts to wander.
“Movement up ahead.” Her breath was warm on his ear.
“How many?” He whispered.
She shook her head. “Sounded like more than one.”
Ted took the lead and motioned her to move forward slowly. They did so, staying on their bellies. Ted's muscles protested as he forced his cold body to creep along, being careful to make no noise. He grew tense as he heard noises coming from directly ahead. They were not taking care to keep silent. As he listened he could hear three distinct voices. He and Tess were too far away to make out any words or to determine if the voices were male or female.
Tess crept closer until she was next to the General. Her eyes were wide as she listened to the trio move further away. He met her gaze and saw in her hazel eyes the fear that matched his own.
The three were headed straight for the Jhinn rescue team.
The General and Tess drew back and made their way through the trees. They crept quickly and silently through the snow in order to get ahead of the three strangers and intercept them before they reached the rescue party. The two did not bother to hide their tracks, concerned more with catching the strangers than with concealing their passage.
Ted led them to an area that gave them the advantage of taking the people by surprise. He signaled to Tess to take position behind a large spruce. He walked a little ways up the game trail that he assumed the three would be using to make their way through the forest. He had noticed the trail as he and Tess listened to the strangers move through the night. Walking through deep snow was exhausting, and left obvious signs of a person's passage. Using game trails made for easier travel, as long as they were heading in the right direction. The game trail the three strangers were using headed straight for the rescue party awaiting the return of their General.
General Smith stopped dead in his tracks as he caught the faint sound of movement ahead. He turned and made his way back to Tess, forming a plan of action. He had no way of knowing if the strangers were men or women or if they were injured or armed, friend or foe. He had to assume that worst; the three were men, armed and dangerous.
He reached Tess and whispered hurried instructions. She nodded and stood with her back against the tree, head turned slightly to the right to catch sight of them as they passed her hiding spot. Ted stood behind a large spruce on the opposite side of the game trail.
His heart began to race as he heard the people huffing and puffing up the path. His instincts screamed at him to peer around the tree to catch a glimpse, so as to know exactly what he and Tess were up against, yet he remained still as stone.
He controlled his breathing. He did not want the mist from his breath to give away his position. He slowly flexed his fingers and toes, keeping the blood and warmth flowing.
The three made their way past the trees where the two stood ready for ambush. Ted waited until they were out in front, and then moved quickly yet silently up behind the two on the right. He grabbed one around the throat with his left arm while hitting the other at the base of the neck with a hard blow using his right hand. The person crumpled to the ground. The captive caught by the neck bent at the waist, hoping to throw his captor off balance. Ted was ready and had set his legs. He hauled the man back—he had determined by now that this was indeed a man—close to his face, tightening his grip. The man's breath came in gasps as he tried to suck in air past the choke hold.
Ted glanced over at Tess and saw that she had knocked the third stranger unconscious and stared at the General and his captive, eyes wide and hands covering her mouth.
Ted spun the almost unconscious man around to face him, gripping him by the front of his white furs. The General was stunned to find himself facing the one man he had come to rescue.
* * *
“The others are dead, sir.”
Sloan kept his eyes glued to the small blaze the General had allowed when they returned to the rescue team. Several men had cleared an area of snow and dug into the frozen ground as much as they could, using rocks and stones, making a pit for the fire. Sloan ate some stew as he recounted his tale.
“Samson had hoped that seeing Bishop and Riley tortured and killed would persuade me to talk.” Sloan looked at Ted, his green eyes hard. “He was wrong.”
“What did he want?” Ted asked.
“He wanted to know details about the numbers of Jhinn and the number of Protectors. He asked about crop yields, livestock counts, how much game we had seen, how much food we had stocked, where we kept the hidden stores, all sorts of questions.
“I was to be drawn and quartered in a few days.” Sloan shook his head. “He had men out shooting game and had the women delving into the stores for a feast.” He glanced at the two women who were seated across from him. “Valery and Amber came for me before dusk. They wrapped me in skins and kept my face hidden as we made our way to the latrines.
“The girls had stashed light colored furs and we used those to make our escape. We crawled through the deep snow on our bellies and somehow made it past the guards.”
General Smith crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. He had no reason to doubt his Protector's story of how the two girls had helped him escape, but Ted's instincts told him something about the story did not quite ring true.
“How did you manage to cover your tracks? It seems a difficult task to perform while crawling on your bellies through deep snow.”
Sloan paused for a heartbeat before answering. It was so fast that Ted would have missed it had he not been looking for it.
“The girls went first and managed to crawl through a trail the Horde had recently made while out looking for game. If any of the guards had happened across our tracks, they would think that they were made by the hunters.”
Ted caught the glance shared between Sloan and the girl named Valery. She gave the slightest nod, just the barest tilt of her head. She went back to staring absently at the fire. The General's brow furrowed even more. There was no concrete evidence for his misgivings but he could not help but feel that Sloan was lying.
* * *
General Smith set guards around the perimeter of their camp, in case the Horde sent men out to look for the missing captives. Sloan shared a tent with a fellow Protector while the two women sat huddled by the fire. Ted watched them for a time from the shadows beneath the great pines. The elder, Valery, was a tall girl, with jet-black hair pulled back in a severe bun. She wore a thick bearskin cap with flaps that came down over her delicate ears. She tried unsuccessfully to catch the eyes of the men around camp. Her plump red lips pursed in annoyance. Her demeanor suggested that she was not used to being ignored, which did not corroborate the story Sloan told that she was a slave.
The younger girl, Amber, was a slight, delicate thing with pale skin, auburn hair, and big blue eyes. She kept her gaze averted, except for brief glances to the men moving about the camp. Large tears rolled down her cheeks. Her demeanor was that of a slave, trying her best to remain unobtrusive.
Ted wanted very much to know their story. What were their positions in the camp? How had they managed to gather the white furs and hide them near the latrines with no one seeing? Did they have them hidden for long months waiting for the perfect opportunity for escape or had they somehow stashed the garments after Sloan had been taken? Why would they risk their lives to save a stranger? His gut told him things were not as they seemed.
General Smith approached the pair. “I will show you to a tent.” He waited patiently for the two to rise and reluctantly leave the warmth of the fire. “I have a few questions I would like to ask you as we walk.”
“If you don't mind, General, we are weary. Perhaps the chat can wait until tomorrow.” Valery put her arms around the other girl's shoulders.
“No. It can't.” He turned and began walking toward the tent the two women would share. “I am curious to know more about the two of you. How did you come to be in the Horde encampment?”
