Talon of the Unnamed Goddess, a Fantasy Adventure

by C. R. Daems

  "You bitch." She muttered her last words.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Dassel: Life can be complicated

  I woke to a knock at the door. "Enter," I said, assuming it was the healer, Lesedi, who had insisted I needed rest. The knife cut deep, and I had lost a fair amount of blood. I hated being incapacitated, but even Talons needed rest. Bakaar and Jiang had been seriously injured yesterday and would need several day's rest.

  To my surprise, fir', no, hi'Lord Tafadzwa entered. I had spent years among men and never felt embarrassed being half dressed or being seen in a nightshirt. Now I did. My cheeks flamed as he approached. I restrained myself from making it worse by grasping at the blanket.

  "Good morn, Aisha Talon. You look better today." He stood beside my bed, smiling down at me.

  "Good morn, hi'Lord Tafadzwa." Why do I feel so awkward? I wondered. Maybe because he is a very good-looking man. Tall, lean, and muscular, a strong face…stop it!

  "Are you all right?" He took my hand and sat beside me on the edge of my bed.

  No, I'm not all right. I'm confused. His hand holding mine made my skin tingle all the way up my arm, and my face felt flushed again. I must be sick; I'm running a fever.

  "You are very lovely, Aisha. Especially in the morning with the early morning light on your face and the color in your cheeks." Tafadzwa ran his hand across my cheek to brush back my hair.

  I couldn't think what to say. My mind focused on his hands and the growing heat in my body. Where is all my control? Gone! He cupped his hands around my face and bent over to touch his lips to mine, gently at first, but grew demanding. My head was on fire, the warmth creeping down my body. I put my arms around his neck and returned his kiss, my lips parting under his.

  "Ouch," Tafadzwa moaned as the knives strapped under my breasts dug into his chest, but he didn't move away. I reach behind me and released the harness without releasing his wonderful, sensuous mouth. I guessed it was too late to cut his beautiful throat. I giggled.

  His hand slid down, cupping my breast. I lost myself in wave after wave of heat. I was a woman, I mused, as Tafadzwa's kiss deepened. Until now, I had never really considered myself a woman and the others males. We were just Talons.

  I sighed when his kisses stopped. Then his breath tickled my ear.

  "Marry me, my sweet warrior. Be hi'Lady of Valda."

  "Marry?" I squeaked as I shot upward, pain shooting through my injured arm. "I can't."

  "Can't or won't?"

  "Can't. I'm clan, I'm under contract, I'm…" words failed me. Marry. Hi'Lady. My head was exploding.

  "I think I have loved you from the first time we met, Aisha." Tafadzwa slid his arms around my waist and pulled me against him. It was unfair; I had trouble enough thinking without him cheating by holding me. "Don't clan members get married?"

  "Most don't, but some do. But they must still fulfill contracts for the clan and can't always take their wives. Besides, I'm under contract to hi'Lady Rhiannon." I began to come back to cold reality.

  "Yes, I will have to work on my sister Rhiannon. I may also have to challenge Master Dragos for your hand. But those are minor problems to overcome."

  "Challenging Master Dragos would be a terrible idea." I would normally have laughed at the thought, but Tafadzwa' death wasn't funny. "Don't even think such a thing. It is impossible."

  "Difficult maybe, but not impossible—"

  A knock at the door jerked us both around to face the door. "Who is it?" I asked while he jumped up.

  "Rhiannon."

  "One moment please, hi'Lady." Tafadzwa took a deep breath before he opened the door.

  "Good morn, sister Rhiannon. You look well rested, and you brought food. How thoughtful." Tafadzwa sounded pleased with himself and the world.

  "Good morn, brother Tafadzwa. You look to be in particularly good spirits. I think my bodyguard is in need of a chaperone." Rhiannon scrutinized Tafadzwa and then, me. "Will you break fast with us, brother? You look hungry, and Lesedi said Aisha needed food to rebuild her strength."

  "Thank you, Rhiannon. But I'm afraid I've given your bodyguard a very bad headache." The servants began laying out the food. "She insists on honoring her contract to you, although I suspect it is as much out of affection as duty. She insists on remaining clan, again, out of devotion rather than honor. And she refuses to marry me, although she loves me." Tafadzwa explained as if he spoke his thoughts out loud rather than talking to us.

  "I didn't say that I love you," I squeaked. "And I am clan. It has nothing to do with devotion. I remain clan until the day that I die."

  "Marry?" Rhiannon blurted.

  Tafadzwa tilted his head and looked at me for a long moment before he answered her. "Yes, I've asked her to be hi'Lady of Valda. She has refused for the reasons I just stated, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up."

  "You've turned Tafadzwa down to stay with me?" Rhiannon asked in disbelief.

  "No, hi'Lady Rhiannon. I am committed to you and will not abandon you. But I am also clan. It is who I am. Would you wish the same fate on me as the Eagles?" Reality intruded on the illusion.

  "Well, I think I shall go see how Master Jiang is doing and issue my challenge to Master Dragos." Tafadzwa rose to leave, but he looked thoughtful.

  "Tafadzwa!" I exclaimed, not sure if he was serious. "Don't! He will kill you."

  "Since you asked, I won't challenge him, for now." Tafadzwa strode out of the room with a smirk on his face.

  "Goddess. Knife fighting and war are easier than dealing with a determined man." I buried my head in my hands.

  "Let's eat, Aisha. Maybe food will help."

  * * * *

  Lesedi appeared just after the servants had cleared away the food. Rhiannon and I sipped a frothy fruit drink. "Hi'Lady Rhiannon, I need to check on Aisha Talon," she said. I idly wondered what it would be like to be deferred to like that. By the goddess, Tafadzwa has me actually thinking about being addressed as hi'Lady.

  "Good, I'm as interested as you since Aisha is my bodyguard. I hope she hasn't been overly active." Rhiannon grinned in my direction.

  "Aisha, how are you feeling?" Lesedi asked, examining my arm and then my chest. "You look a little flushed, but your arm and chest seem to be healing well. Your temperature feels normal."

  She felt my head before adding, "It will be a week or more until we can remove the stitches. You must keep my poultices on the wounds for the next couple of days."

  "How long before she can travel, Healer Lesedi?" Rhiannon asked.

  "A couple of days, I should think."

  "How are Master Jiang and Bakaar Talon?" I asked. I knew they were far more seriously injured than I was.

  "Both will recover from their wounds. However, it will be several days before they can be up and around."

  "Hi'Lady, I would like to visit them, if you don't mind." I hoped she wouldn't insist I stay in my room.

  "Of course, Aisha. You must be concerned for your brothers. I will join you, in case you need help or a chaperone." Rhiannon blushed at what she let slip, and we both laughed.

  * * * *

  "Good morn, hi'Lady Rhiannon," Jiang said. "Sister Aisha, you look well. I had an interesting talk with hi'Lord Tafadzwa. I understand you are betrothed to the hi'Lord." His lips twitched into a grin totally out of character.

  "No! I hardly even know him! I mean…" I broke off. This love stuff was very confusing. Being a Talon was much easier.

  "I don't hear your usual decisive tone, Aisha," Jiang said, and this time he laughed, though it ended in a coughing spasm. "I am confident you will find the right answer in time, Sister Raptor. I know marriage is a difficult subject for Talons. But I trust you to make an honorable decision, one that we can all live with. For now, hi'Lady Rhiannon and you must take the army north to Savona."

  "We should wait for you to heal, Master Jiang. I can't advise the army." I fought all the conflicting demands on me and tri ed to see a clear path in the right direction.

  "It wil
l be weeks before I can travel, and, even then, I would slow you down. Hi'Radulf slipped out of Dassel while we fought. Anton thinks he assembled a hundred troops and headed to Savona, where he has another hundred." Jiang paused. "I sent word to Master Dragos to meet you at Terni. By now, he will have about ninety Talons assembled. Hi'Lord Tafadzwa will keep three hundred warriors here in Dassel but will send two hundred Jaddahans with hi'Lady Rhiannon, plus the Granyans. With Master Dragos's Talons and the additional Granyans you will pick up on the way, you will lead an army twice that of sec'Tadzio and hi'Radulf."

  "But they have the castle at Savona," Rhiannon said.

  "And you have the Talons and the support of your people, hi'Lady Rhiannon. Those are two powerful advantages." Jiang stopped to cough before continuing. "Anton Talon will share command with you Aisha, at hi'Lady Rhiannon's pleasure."

  "That is most acceptable, Master Jiang. I will be sorry to lose your council. I look forward to seeing you well at Savona Castle in the near future."

  "Thank you, hi'Lady Rhiannon. I will attend your coronation."

  * * * *

  The next day, Anton and I went over our anticipated route, stops, and timing. Anton estimated nine days to Livorno and another five days to Terni and another four to Savona. Then we spent another hour going over our strategies.

  When I stepped out the door into the corridor, I found one of Tafadzwa's warriors waiting for me with a carefully bland look on this face. "Aisha Talon, hi'Lord Tafadzwa awaits you in the east garden to join him for the midday meal." I raised an eyebrow but followed him without a word.

  He ushered me down the stairs and out a narrow doorway into a well-tended garden, a sparkling fountain centered in the swath of grass amid a few blossoming fruit trees. For the first time since we had joined our forces he was not armed but wore dark blue trousers and a soft belted shirt. A table was set under one of the flowering trees.

  He smiled when he saw me, and I couldn't help but return it. He held out a hand. "I think we should talk, Aisha."

  I hesitated before I let him take my hand. He rubbed his fingers back and forth across my palm as he looked down at it. When he finally looked up, he had a slightly abashed look on his face. "I rushed you too much, yesterday. I know I did."

  I couldn't help the way my lips twitched into a smile. "A little. I'm not used to a man kissing me or wanting to marry me."

  As our eyes met, we both relaxed with nothing to say until he raised my palm to his lips. "I'm sorry. I'm used to getting my way, you know, but that's a habit I'm sure you can cure me of—if you will."

  I reached up to brush my lips across his. "Master Jiang said that perhaps there is an honorable solution." Then I forgot what I was going to say as he pulled me against him in a long kiss.

  When he released me, he beamed, laughed, and motioned toward the table. "The Healer Lesedi says you must eat to get your strength back."

  * * * *

  We left two days later. I was anxious to get on the road, but I hated leaving Tafadzwa. We spent as much time as we could together, and every minute was wonderful. I managed to forget about everything except being with Tafadzwa and learning about him and his country. I could envision myself being his wife but not how we could work such a thing out.

  "Remember, my sweet warrior, you are committed to me," Tafadzwa said just before we left.

  "I will remember, my love. And you, when those ladies chase you, that my knives are sharp." Actually, I wished him happiness above all else.

  "Sister Aisha, it must be hard leaving," Anton commented as we rode side by side next to Rhiannon.

  "Are you married, Master Anton?" I had never wondered before.

  "No, most Talons take their pleasure where they can find it. Few marry. We tend to move a lot, which makes for poor marriages. Your problem is far more complicated, Sister."

  "One problem at a time. Savona first." I forced my attention to the war and pushed away thoughts and feelings I couldn't resolve now, maybe not ever.

  "Hi'Lady," I said, "we don't want to delay your return too much. But I suggest you spend some time in each village we pass, talking with the people. It should pay off later, and you may pick up additional volunteers for your army."

  "I agree, hi'Lady Rhiannon. Your people will help if you ask." Anton added.

  * * * *

  For the next eight days, we sweated without relief in the saddle under the hot summer sun, faced uncomfortable nights, ate basic meals, and stopped at every village to talk with the people. True to Anton's word, we added forty soldiers, more than half with experience. We arrived in Livorno on the afternoon of the ninth day.

  Lucjan greeted us. "Greetings, hi'Lady Rhiannon. I am pleased to see you looking well. The rumors are flying everywhere, but everyone seems to agree you won at Dassel." Lucjan served us a very lavish midday meal, during which Rhiannon brought him up to date on the events at Dassel and Radulf's escape.

  "We believe he and his army are heading back to Savona," Rhiannon said.

  "I doubt hi'Radulf could have taken the castle with only a hundred men, at least not without a very long siege. But I'm glad he chose to pass us by. My strength is now up to eighty. I've managed to recruit another fifty-five men, many with experience, while you've been gone. Do you need reinforcements, hi'Lady? I can spare, at least, half of my garrison."

  "Aisha, Anton, what do you think?" Rhiannon asked.

  I looked to Anton, who nodded for me to continue. I wasn't sure if everyone deferred to me because I had somehow become Rhiannon's advisor, because she trusted me, or because I was being tested. Maybe all of those reasons.

  "Sec'Lord Lucjan, I think you should send a token force, say twenty-five, as your support and commitment to the hi'Lady, so that the people of Livorno can take pride they participated in the overthrow of sec'Tadzio and hi'Radulf." I looked back and forth between Lucjan and Rhiannon. Both nodded.

  "I will make sure you have my best twenty-five, hi'Lady, and with your permission, I will lead them."

  We stayed two days, which allowed Rhiannon some rest. She took time and visited the town. I went on alert for trouble, but none occurred. The people loved her easygoing style and the fact she seemed to care about them.

  At night, I lay awake, trying not to think about Tafadzwa. I succeeded in putting him out of my mind when I was awake, but I would wake up knowing I had dreamed about him.

  * * * *

  We arrived in Terni late in the evening, a day earlier than we had planned. I could feel the rising excitement in the troops as we came closer to Savona. One would have thought the Jaddahans were going to a party, not a battle. As Master Jiang had predicted, Master Dragos and ninety Talons awaited us inside the gate. The castle hummed with activity. "Greeting, hi'Lady Rhiannon. I see my sister has managed to keep you alive."

  "It's keeping her alive that has been the problem over the past few weeks, Master Dragos." Rhiannon's quip surprised me. "But yes, she and your Talons have kept me safe. I owe you my thanks. I will not forget your help in returning order to my lands."

  "We have a mutual interest. If we would have had advance notice that hi'Radulf had escaped the battle at Dassel, he would be dead now. Unfortunately, the Talon patrol that encountered his retreating army was insufficient to stop them. There were only nine in the patrol, a poor excuse, but…. They killed thirty and wounded many others."

  "I would like to give everyone the chance to freshen up, and then perhaps you, your council, and my war council could meet to discuss Savona, Master Dragos?" I had to admire my charge. Master Dragos could intimidate almost anyone, yet Rhiannon seemed at ease with him.

  * * * *

  We met two hours later over an elaborate meal of roasted meats and honey-basted vegetables in a small dining room. The troops ate in the larger reception hall normally reserved for royalty. The war council included Master Dragos and four Talon Masters, three of which met at Dahab for my review, Master Anton, Rhiannon, Awotwi, Lucjan, Sevin, who was the ranking noble at Terni, and me. />
  Rhiannon and I spent the first hour detailing what had happened since we left Dahab, except for my growing love affair with Tafadzwa.

  "The war has gone well," Dragos said. "Sister Aisha's assumptions and unorthodox strategy have proven effective and even decisive. No one could have anticipated Salda's unexpected attack. The Raptor Clan is pleased with you, Aisha. You have served hi'Lady Rhiannon and your clan well." Dragos both astonished and embarrassed me, but surprises happened a lot lately, not that it changed anything or made my life any simpler.

  "The question is, how do you recommend we precede now, Master Dragos?" Rhiannon asked.

  "You command an overwhelming force, hi'Lady," Dragos said. "However, sec'Tadzio and hi'Radulf hide behind a massive stone structure, and that equalizes the sides. So far, you have won by outwitting your enemy. I would suggest you continue that strategy."

  In the end, it was decided that breaching the city gate would be easy, but taking the castle would not.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Savona: A kingdom liberated

  We departed Terni with an additional one hundred Talons, forming an army of approximately five hundred Granyans, Jaddahans, and Talons. Moving such a large army required twice the time of a smaller force, so it took seven days to reach the outskirts of Savona. Each night we reorganized the units and their leaders, met the commanders, and discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each unit. By the time we reached Savona, we were an army, not a collection of guards. On our arrival we made contact with the five Talon scouts Master Dragos had sent ahead.

  "Hi'Lady, Master Dragos," the lead Talon scout reported, "the city is wide open. Sec'Tadzio occupies the castle with a hundred remaining fighters. The reaction to the rumors that hi'Lady Rhiannon survived is mixed. Most favor her return. Sec'Tadzio faces trouble maintaining control with so few troops, and he can't depend on the city guard, who favor hi'Lady Rhiannon or just hate sec'Tadzio."