River God: The Horse Lords

by Diana Drakulich

  “You plan to kidnap her? Hahq are you trying to kill me? If word of this got out my life would be over. Why must you make this into such a Greek drama? There will be feasting and drinking at the war council. Masses of people will be there. Choose your moment and steal away with her. Bride-stealing is a hallowed institution. Everyone will accept that she is now your chosen mate. As long as Bari is willing. Is that the problem?”

  “Nay, Bari wants me. She will come.” I think.

  “Is she so mad for you that she will go against her father’s wishes and run away with you? That rich dowery you are counting on may not be forthcoming if you anger her family. Be very sure before you embark on such a rash action Hahq.”

  “Will you help me? Remember how I came back for you at the Black Cloak camp?” His large warm hand slipped inside her kurta and caressed her breasts, then pinched her sensitive nipples. He kissed her tenderly. “I could have left you but I faced down the whole camp for you.”

  “They were all asleep!” She scoffed.

  “Except for that man who bashed my head in with a club. How quickly we forget.” He rolled his eyes.

  With images of that memorable night when she had given him her heart passing through her mind, Yeva sank into the melting vitality of his embrace. If only Hahq could be mine… I would do anything for him…Bari cannot know the value of what she is getting simply by virtue of her birth.

  “Hahq I saved you from the Dark House. The debt between us has been paid in full and you know it. Why don’t you just take the first simple step and ask Bari to marry you? See what she says?”

  “What if she refuses me? She might say that her father forbids it. Even if he wanted to, Boreas will not break his vow to Skopasis. No matter what I do, no matter how many heads I bring to the king, it will not happen.”

  “Even though Sava is despised as a craven weakling?”

  “Bari is bound to marry Sava unless I can steal her away. Help me Yeva. You know how much this means to me. Bari is rightfully mine by birth. The only way I will ever get recognition from Skopasis is to take her to wife.”

  His callous words stabbed her heart. But under his talented hands and lips Yeva felt her determination to stay out of the whole debacle weakening. She cursed her weakness for him.

  “Why Hahq? Why must you use me to marry another? It’s not fair!” She hurled the words in his face, eyes blazing.

  “You are the only one with the knowledge to do this Yeva. You are a sorceress, a miracle worker. I believe in you.”

  “We had one success together and on that basis you see me as some divine being?”

  “Listen, you will not be involved. At all. Just give me the potion. That is all I ask. I will have someone slip a little into her family’s drinks at the feast befor the war council. Just enough to make sure they sleep very soundly through the night. If you do this for me Yeva I will always be in your debt. When I become voivode I will see that you get your just reward.” His voice vibrated with conviction as his sensual hands caressed her body with sinful intent.

  “What `reward’ – a long walk to the Dark House?” Ah. What a user this man is.

  “Never my beautiful Yeva, I will protect you always.” Hahq shook his head, his long black mane teasing down the powerful twin muscles of his spine. “But I must make my move. When I become voivode I will elevate you to the rank of high priestess. I will make you rich and powerful along with me. Only help me in this one small thing and I will never forget.”

  Kiss. Smooch. Nuzzle.

  “Hmmh? No one will be harmed. They will only sleep”. He cajoled.

  “But you already promised me your aid and support as my friend. That is enough for me.”

  “You need to understand something Yeva. When we get to the war council the Black Cloaks will be there. They will be looking for you. In Sauromatia there is no greater sin than that of treachery. When Skopasis hears about how you betrayed King Vartan, he might send you back to the Black Cloaks. And in many people’s eyes he would be justified.

  “Even though I saved your lives?!”

  “Even so. You would be sent back to King Vartan in the greater interest of pacifying the Black Cloaks so they will join the alliance against Persia. I will swear my men to secrecy and keep you hidden while we are in Royal Skythia for the council. But there are twelve of us. All it takes is one person swearing someone else to secrecy and the story is out. You know how people talk.”

  He was right. A shard of panic pierced her mind, shattering her hopes for a new life

  “Even if you get to Sauromatia, you will be distrusted as a witch with kako mati eyes who betrayed her own people. So which `friend’ do you want Yeva?”

  Wordless, she gazed into the glittering darkness that leapt from Hahq’s gold-flecked eyes. His bold countenance projected a fierce determination.

  “Do you want a poor, weak friend Yeva, or one who is rich, powerful and influential?” Hahq’s voice was a weapon, seductive, implacable. “As Skopasis’ eldest recognized son, married to Boreas’ daughter, I will be in a far stronger position to protect you. Help me to win Bari. You hold the key to our future Yeva.”

  Chapter 35 – Vampir or God?

  Not to know what happened

  Before you were born

  Is to be a child forever.

  For what is the time of a man,

  Except it be interwoven with that

  Memory of ancient things of a superior age?

  Cicero, Roman Consul, Orator, 106 BC

  Queen Toxaris’ attempt to intimidate Sava came too late. In a flash he sensed the true weakness of the Neuri – their isolation. Cloistered up in their holy mountains, the Wolf People had become inbred. Their numbers were falling.

  Not for years yet, but within a few generations, if they did not bring in new blood, the Neuri would eventually be conquered and assimilated or die out. And this they felt would be a great loss, not just for themselves, but for the lost history of the Sons of Man.

  “Forgive me My Queen, I now realize what unique powers your people have. What gods give you such a divine mentality, that I may worship them also?”

  Pacified, Toxaris laid down her sword for all things spiritual, especially God was a subject close to her heart, as it was to all the Neuri. Her voice had a uniquely resonant, rhythmic, spell-binding quality. Sava and leaned Brata forward to catch every word -

  “Look upon the Neuri to see the powers you once had, O nomads. We are Old Believers from the Golden Age of the Sons of Man. From before The Fall. Before the serpents took over the minds of men and split them apart. We worship one god - Jivan – God of Life. Jivan, who lifts the veil from our soul’s eyesight.”

  “But we see from your ring Young Sava that you worship Velesh, God of Death, Black Serpent of the Underworld. Tell us, what pleasure you get from your bloody sacrifices to Velesh and his kindred demons?” Toxaris asked.

  “Aye, we Sauromatae worship Velesh. Among others. By offering the blood of the living we invoke Velesh’ favor and appease His wrath.” Sava answered.

  “Velesh and his serpent demons feed on pain. On death. They give you nothing.” Toxaris said.

  “Who are these `serpent beings’? This has long puzzled me.” Sava asked.

  Toxaris gazed into space. Stillness fell. Every eye was on the queen.

  “The serpents are demons who inhabit another world. A world we cannot see. Just as God exists, so these vampir demons have always been. Strigoi and vampirs are agents of Velesh. Soul suckers who invade the minds of men with evil thoughts. It is they who tell men to drink blood. To chop off heads. To plunder. To enslave.”

  “The serpent demons whisper evil thoughts into the minds of men.” The Neuri sorcerer Vuk said. “They put images into our minds - so that we see ourselves doing evil.”

  Vuk’s words brought back to Sava the whispering Voices in the Cave of Sacrifice. How he had seen himself stabbing Brata with the flint knife. He flinched in an effort to block out the shameful memories.
r />   “Ah, I see from your eyes that you have experienced this.” Vuk said. You know how the serpents work to bend men to do their will, especially in times of great duress. When the minds of men are weakened by fear, drink, drugs, violence and death. Over and over the serpents whisper in our ears, telling us that one must do evil to survive. That Evil is good. White is black. Pain is pleasure. Don’t believe them.”

  Toxaris nodded. “The serpents whisper that Evil brings Power. Endlessly whispering, suggesting. And with each evil act the demons become more dominant in your mind. Until finally they command the minds of men utterly. Foolish Man, he thinks these suggestive, demonic thoughts are his own. That all the evil he does is his own idea. Hah. You see how Velesh tricks you? The Black Serpent and his agents have invaded the Minds of Men. The demons have given Men their minds. This is why the great civilization of the Sons of Man fell into superstition, into degradation and depravity.” Her resonant voice echoed from the rafters.

  She leveled her gaze at Brata, plunging into his dark regard. He felt himself falling into her golden-green gaze. He could listen to her words for an eternity. Words he had been dying to hear.

  “The serpents use their Agents of Chaos to goad us into to fighting each other. Clan fighting clan. Families split, hating each other. Tribe destroying tribe. The land scorched. Devastated. Death all around. This is sweet to the demon vampirs. They suck our blood. They suck our energy. They celebrate turning love into hate. Violence is Victory for them.” The queen’s compelling voice reverberated.

  “These `gods’ are vampirs. They revel in our pain. They eat our suffering. They gorge on our fear. Terror makes them strong, so they seek always to keep us weak and afraid. To corral us into being submissive herd animals like the cattle they hold us to be. Cattle to feed upon at will.” The queen’s words stunned Sava.

  “The acid taste of betrayal, so bitter to us – is what these Vampirs feed on. No act is too brutal, no atrocity too horrendous if it can be used to instigate violence. Fear. Distrust. These Agents of Chaos always play both sides. Behind masks of righteousness they spin intricate webs of deceit. Aye you nomads, listen well for my words are not my own but those passed down by lost generations far wiser than me”. Toxaris said.

  “As for this practice of blood sacrifice which is so endemic amongst mankind - To slaughter a good man or a mute animal because `the gods WILL it’? Hah. No god eats meat. No god drinks blood. So what `gods’ can they be?

  “Ah - Man, who was born holding the wonder of the universe in the palm of his hand, yet is so easily fooled. So easily used. The demons laugh as they hiss and piss in our ears. O Scions of the Solar Race, I cry for us all. I lament our fate.”

  This Vukari queen speaks truth. Listening closely, Brata was thunderstruck. Despite his iron control, chills ran up his spine. His vision tunneled and at the end he saw Toxaris, her golden-green eyes radiant.

  And yet if he had wanted to live with honor, to be respected as a man by his people, he had little choice. Like the Sauromatae, Black Cloak society was based on war and blood sacrifice. As an elite Black Cloak warrior from a young age, Brata was trained to be a cold callous killer. There was no remorse. No forgiveness. That was for weaklings. Now as he regained strength, it was like waking from a long, fever-ridden sleep. Forever changed.

  “Long ago the demon serpents invaded our lands.” Vuk said. The serpents turned the minds of the other tribes against us. Made them war against the Neuri. Why? Because we would not worship the Black Serpent or his pet demon, Ah-Gin, God of War. This is why we stay up in our holy mountains. Here we are protected.”

  “Who protects you?” Sava asked.

  “Jivan is with us. Always. His presence protects us from the serpents. God lives on Holy Mountain.” Vuk pointed with his chin.

  “Do those steps lead up Holy Mountain?

  Vuk gave Sava a piercing look, then nodded affirmation.

  “What are those statues at the base of the steps?” Sava asked.

  “They are the sphinx, keepers of the secrets and riddles of time.” Vuk responded.

  “Do you know what the inscriptions say?”

  “The one on the right speaks an ancient proverb.“ Toxaris’ spoke in clear ringing tones -

  Look well to this day, for it is Life.

  In this day’s brief course lie all realities of existence -

  The bliss of growth,

  The splendor of action,

  The glory of power.

  For yesterday is but a dream,

  And tomorrow is only a vision.

  But today, lived well,

  Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness.

  And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

  Look well, therefore to This day.

  “Wise advice for a life well lived,” Sava remarked. “Do you know how to read My Queen?”

  “Nay I cannot read. The Last Guardian was still there on Holy Mountain when the Neuri came, long generations ago. The Guardian taught us the meaning of the inscriptions, which we have memorized and passed down as our sacred duty.”

  “I cannot read either,” Sava shook his head. “It is a great loss that we have no written language. We can only pass down our history through word of mouth. Someday it may all be lost. What about the inscription on the other sphinx? What does it say?”

  “The sphinx to the left asks an ancient riddle. Only one who can answer the riddle is allowed to mount the steps of stone up Holy Mountain.”

  “Noble Queen, it is my great desire to climb those steps. Will you tell me the riddle?”

  Toxaris responded -

  I never was

  I am always to be

  No one ever saw me

  Nor ever will

  And yet I am the hope of all

  Who am I?

  “It is a riddle of life and the sands of time. Guess the answer and we will allow you to mount the stairs of destiny up Holy Mountain. If the god smiles on you, you may even receive a vision.”

  “Thank you. I will have to think on this.”

  Though Sava tried to mask it, the Neuri queen’s stunning blasphemy against the ruling gods of Skythia and Sauromatia had thrown his mind into tumult. Never had he heard anyone openly dare to condemn the gods’ demand for the blood of the living. In one bold swipe, Vuk and Toxaris had overturned the foundation of the entire Skythian belief system. And in this he found himself rejoicing.

  Finally at long last. If Toxaris’ words be true, then I committed no sin by saving Brata. But the Other World must be very lonely without the companion spirit of a brave friend, a faithful horse, a good dog…

  Aside from these strange Vukari, no one in Skythia dared speak out against blood sacrifice, for it had always been so. The grim gods who ruled the land demanded blood and must be appeased. The priests constantly proclaimed that war, black plague, hunger and death would befall the people if they did not sacrifice.

  And not just any blood. Only the best, most precious blood would do, for the gods know all. See all. If we fail to sacrifice, the Sauromatae will be conquered and disappear from the face of the earth. This Sava had always been told.

  Tonight these Neuri wolf people had given him a great gift, the moral support to consider – Is blood sacrifice Murder in the service of demons?

  Chapter 36 – What is War?

  I was surrounded by towers of lies.

  Then those towers came crashing down –

  Buddha Shakyamuni - Sage of the Shakyas - (Sakai/Skythians) 500 BC

  “Tell us O Nomads - What is WAR?” The Neuri sorcerer Vuk asked.

  War? Mentally Sava flinched from the piercing intensity of his golden-green eyes.

  “Have you ever really thought about this constant need, this perpetual demand for War, O Sava, Son of Skopasis. Your father is Voivode of Sauromatia after all. War is his business. War is the basis of your family’s wealth and your father’s power.”

  Caught off guard, Sava considered his answer, knowing it could affect the dec
ision of the Neuri to attend the war council. War, in the form of constant raiding and defense against invaders was a fact of life on the Sea of Grass. He had never seriously questioned the need for war, yet he had always been in a state of rebellion against raiding for heads and plunder.

  The sorcerer tilted his head in question, making the delicate golden bells on his antler headdress tinkle as 50 pairs of unblinking golden-green wolf- like eyes waited in profound silence. The Wolf People discerned Sava’s confusion as it slid over his face, read it in his eyes.

  “First of all, War is not the basis of my family’s wealth.” Sava responded. “Although I will agree that plunder has added to it, our main wealth lies in our herds of horses, cattle and sheep. We have bred our horses to be the fastest long distance runners in Sauromatia. People from all over pay to breed their mares to our stallions and to trade for our horses.”

  “And as for my noble sire, Voivode Skopasis, he has risked his life countless times to defend our people. Even you Neuri have your own voivode whom you call your Holy Warrior. Every tribe needs a skilled war leader to mount a defense or an offense. Is this not true?”

  The Neuri sorcerer nodded affirmation. A shade of respect passed over the faces of the Vukari. Sitting in silence they waited to hear more. War was clearly a subject of great interest to them.

  “How can we protect our people, our lands from invaders without battle? He who would live must fight.” Sava said. If we fail to defend our good land we will become but poor wanderers, attacked wherever we go. Finally to be wiped out. Swept from the face of the earth forever.”

  “Aye, self defense is the most common excuse for war.” Vuk said.“ But I ask you – Does not Skopasis also mount raids simply for the purpose of looting wealth which does not belong to him? Is that not in fact stealing? Does your father not take heads on these raids to mount around his kibitka as testament to his power?”

  “This is true.” Sava could only nod. But I have always refused to take part in raids for plunder.” And for this I have been ostracized and humiliated.