Warden (Blade Asunder Book 3)

by Jon Kiln

  The flaps of his tent were pushed to one side and a tall tan skinned man entered his temporary abode.

  “Dramand, my friend, I had not realized it was you.” Qutaybah smiled, always pleased to see old acquaintances who have done much work for him in the past. “What brings you to my part of the world? Surely we have far too much rain for you here,” he laughed.

  “Well, at this time of the seasons, I know I will stay dry, Qutaybah.” He grinned back and sat down on the cushions opposite.

  Qutaybah personally poured him some orange tea, happy to spend time with a good man.

  “I do not know if you presently have ongoing business with the Akkedis, Qutaybah?” he began, and noted Qutaybah’s features take on a seriousness. “I hear that one of the leaders, known as Ghaffar, is seeking intelligence in the human underworld with regards to Queen Myriam. I know of your fondness for the Duchess D’Anjue, who is related to the the royal family, so wondered if it was wise to seek your advice?”

  “It is always wise to seek my advice in all matters, Dramand, but, yes, I do have a personal interest in this and a particular fondness in this family. Tell me more.” Qutaybah wondered why he had not yet had this information already. His spy network was second to none.

  “The message is aimed at influential humans who may wish to see the Queen come to harm. With my curiosity piqued, I sent in one of my men to dig a little deeper.” He paused for breath and Qutaybah leaned closer to him, not wanting to miss anything.

  “For some reason they wish to spread a message that Queen Myriam has died in an accident in Vandemland. My sources tell me that the Queen is actually away from the castle, but this information has only just been publicly announced. I have to wonder why the Akkedis would be interested in the humans, let alone the Queen?”

  “It is indeed a conundrum,” Qutaybah replied. “I’m glad you have a man in this as we can use him to filter out this Ghaffar. He is one who I would wish to be rid of, once and for all. Tell me, has anyone responded to this request from the Kingdom, do you know?”

  “Yes, I just received word today that a Lord Josiah is willing to do business with Ghaffar.” Dramand stopped, and smiled. “Strangely, rumors are abound regarding a group of humans and a scuffle in the Akkedis Empress’ chambers. Now, under normal circumstances I would have thought that unlikely as outsiders never gain access to the Akkedis city, let alone a human.” He shook his head as if agreeing that this was indeed an impossibility. “But now I see you are involved, perhaps it is not so unlikely after all?”

  “Ahhh.” Qutaybah put up his hands, palms outwards as if to admit it was all his fault. “That would be my doing.”

  “Surely, even the great Qutaybah cannot possibly infiltrate the Akkedis Empress’ city, let alone her chambers?” Dramand knew that Qutaybah’s reach was long, but this far?

  “I have my methods, Dramand. You, more than any other, should know that. We go back a long way. Will you help me to squash these irritants?” Qutaybah asked. “This Lord Josiah needs teaching a lesson or two as well, especially if he threatens the human royal family who I consider my allies. And, as for the elusive Ghaffar, he needs to be eliminated once and for all. Long has he caused mischief in Vandemland, and yet he always manages to slip through my fingers. It is high time those gems were spread about Vandemland more equally, do you not agree?”

  “I have no love for the Akkedis,” Dramand admitted. “However, I have an immense fondness of everything that sparkles, especially of the valuable type.”

  Both men laughed at this. “You and me both, Dramand,” Qutaybah said. “We can agree upon this.”

  Qutaybah could not be happier. He had planned to march onto the Akkedis city the very next day, with a good portion of his army of mercenaries. With Dramand’s men too, they would be a formidable force and it would greatly increase his chances of success.

  “So, great leader of great mercenaries, what is it you are plotting that I have missed, so far?” Dramand asked, realizing that Qutaybah was already knee deep in this tale.

  “Well, how about the opening of the Akkedis mines? I understand they are full of precious gems, but the Akkedis keep it all to themselves. Many emissaries I have sent to negotiate a trade agreement, and many an emissary has never returned. If we could take those mines, we would be richer than our wildest dreams.”

  Dramand clapped his hands together as he could not contain his excitement at such news.

  “You would go on such an adventure without me?” he asked.

  “My friend, it is not just for wealth I take this action. I have a personal involvement in the human royal family and would like to see them returned safely,” Qutaybah admitted, honestly. “I have also sent one of my best men in there, in the hope that he may get an opportunity to strike at the Akkedis Empress.”

  “Your personal involvements are mine too,” Dramand informed him. “Together we will see your allies released, and our purses bulging. When do we start?”

  “I go tomorrow. The Akkedis have ruled that part of the desert long enough. It is time we showed them that, in this land, we share.”

  Both men raised their glasses in salute, and drank to their partnership and their upcoming venture.

  32

  Myriam was forever tired, although they were now taking blood from the Duchess too, which provided her with some respite. She wasn’t happy that they were starting on the Duchess again, but her grandmother insisted. “We need you at full strength,” is all she would say on the matter.

  Linz and Hendon were still being used, but they had large amounts taken and not very often. Between the four of them, they were managing to feed the Akkedis Empress, for now.

  “This cannot go on forever, grandmother,” she complained to the Duchess.

  “Oh, it will not need to dear, you just need to be patient. Our rescuers will arrive soon.” The Duchess was adamant that all would be well, in the end.

  “Well, I hope it is before one of us dies. I have no idea how Ganry and Perseus are doing. They haven’t visited for a while and that makes me worry all the more. I have no idea why Ghaffar keeps them alive, and if I did, I may have some leverage in their keep. I have threatened to stop allowing my blood to be taken, but they simply say they’ll force me anyway. The servant girl, Arriba, hasn’t been around for a long time either. I cant help but feel that this is all very foreboding.”

  “You should try and do something to take your mind off of all of this. You could sew with me.” The Duchess lifted the tapestry off her knee that she was mindlessly creating. “I find it relaxes my tensions.”

  “No, I don’t think it would help grandmother, I was never any good at crafts,” she admitted. “The last time I spoke with Ganry and Perseus, we agreed to discuss an escape plan, but they have not been back since. Perhaps they were caught escaping their cell. I do believe that Perseus could escape from this place single handedly. I don’t know how he does it, but he seems to be very talented at the art of escape,” Myriam finished, her thoughts now wandering off to Perseus.

  “He is a Suggizon,” the Duchess informed her.

  “A what? What is that? I suppose it must be a tribe of warriors within Vandemland, is it?”

  “Come and sit by my side, Myriam, and listen to me,” the Duchess suggested. “I don’t wish to shout to you across the chamber.”

  Myriam sat in a comfortable chair, thinking that it must have been brought in to the city for the humans only, as an Akkedis would not fit in it. Then she wondered the same about the beds and other furniture.

  “Your mind is wandering, Myriam, and I need you to concentrate on what I tell you,” the Duchess said, quietly.

  Myriam looked at her grandmother, who had been such a formidable woman in her youth, and indeed not so long ago during the coupe of the royal family. Now, she was looking old and weak.

  “Myriam!” she heard the Duchess’s voice shout her name, and jumped with surprise. “Your mind wanders, child. It is the lack of blood in your brain, I’m
sure of it. Now listen to me. Perseus is from a rare breed of snake men. He can shape shift into a giant snake. I know of this because he works for Qutaybah, as you know.”

  “Yes,” Myriam said, listening to her grandmother’s words. “I have a vague memory of the Suggizon from my history lessons, now I think of it. I thought them legends, not real?” she questioned.

  “I have seen him change with my own eyes. He is very real, though there were not many of his kind left. Those that survived were secreted far away by Qutaybah so they could be left in peace to breed. Hopefully, he has saved the species. The few that are caught these days are eaten as a rare dish, would you believe, by barbarians.” The Duchess was clearly angry at the very thought. “I knew that Qutaybah was trying to increase the population but that was years ago. I must admit I never queried over the progress of that project.”

  “I thought Qutaybah was a slaver and leader of mercenaries?”

  “He is not a man to be double crossed, that’s for sure,” the Duchess replied. “If he sent you here, then there will be more to the plan. Otherwise he would have come himself. I doubt he would have known that the Empress wanted our family blood for her own personal supply. When I can talk to Perseus again, I will find out why he is here. If he was meant simply to be your guide, he would have left you at the stones you told me of, the ones where the sand worms attacked you. There was no reason for him to go any further. You had the Akkedis to show you the way.”

  “I do believe you are correct, grandmother,” Myriam agreed, thinking her grandmother to be very clever. “You think that Qutaybah had another objective in mind?”

  “Indeed, he has other investments in this project, I guarantee you that, which is good because it should align with our interests,” Duchess D’Anjue said reassuringly. “We just need to survive long enough.”

  33

  The temporary camp was busily packing away. They had been told that a long journey lay ahead and the troops were readying themselves to cross the desert. Pans clanged, hammers banged on wooden poles, and voices chattered. Women folded the washed and dried clothes from the previous day and packed up the food rations. Everyone seemingly had a task to do, or they would not have been required to join the troops. Qutaybah kept his slaves busy. There was no time for leisure and no time to waste.

  “I know this is the way, Dramand, because I was the one who led them here many years ago,” he told his desert friend.

  “Those are not easy mountains to be crossing. It could take us all year.”

  “We do not need to go all the way as we have arranged a small holding here,” he said, pointing his finger to a place in the desert on the map. “We built a village so that the Suggizon would know of anyone attempting to cross the mountain pass that hides their people. This village consists of humans, mainly. There should be a Suggizon on duty, so they can send a message fast to the town hidden in the mountains. For all I know, it could be a city now. I have not visited in many years and Perseus tells me, very proudly, that it has grown.”

  “I think we had better stop talking and get moving. We have a long way to go. Though why you insist on these people being involved is beyond me,” Dramand complained as he rolled up the large scrolled maps.

  “I promised Perseus that if he killed the Akkedis Empress it would make his people rich. They will have a part of the gem mines.”

  “By the time you have given all the parts of the gem mines away, there will be none left for those of us doing all the work,” Dramand complained again.

  “Bah, there is plenty to go around. These people need to find a trade to enhance their population. Did you know they were almost extinct when I found Perseus?” Qutaybah exclaimed.

  “Your heart is too soft,” Dramand laughed, knowing it to be true. Qutaybah was a hard, but fair man. He was not seen as cruel, but those who crossed him would soon feel his wrath.

  “If the plan is to drive the Akkedis out of their city, then we will need more men than we have here,” Qutaybah informed Dramand. “I have already dispatched riders to Palara. They will warn the Regent of the betrayal and plotting between Ghaffar and Lord Josiah. I am also hoping as a result of this news, he will send some of his best troops to help in the rescue of his Queen, and join us in battle at the Akkedis city. With our men combined, humans and the mighty Suggizon, I am certain victory will be ours. Do you agree, my friend, that are we going to make ourselves rich?”

  Qutaybah did not wait for an answer. He climbed onto the seat of his camel and instructed the caravan to get moving. They could not battle the Akkedis without the Suggizon. He had promised Perseus. Besides, he felt they were the perfect race to take over the running of the lizards gem mines.

  It was time for them to come out of hiding and for the Akkedis to disappear. He never had any love for the lizard people. They were bad business dealers, greedy and never caring about anyone, not even their own. A selfish nation of creatures that deserved to be vanquished.

  The caravan of over a hundred mounted troops set off into the desert, called Saraba. The trek across Saraba is a dangerous one, even for seasoned troops like these.

  The heat is relentless, making it almost impossible to travel during daylight, especially when the sun is fully up. The sand worms are a constant threat, with routes having to be plotted that take into account solid rock formations for refuge. This can often double the time it takes to get from one place to another.

  Not only are the sand worms a problem, the desert has many tribes, some friendly, others not. Whilst they were well equipped for trouble, they needed to complete this part of their journey with as little distractions as possible.

  Qutaybah had ensured there were gifts a plenty to bribe those who could make their passage easier. Arms for some tribes, food for other ones, clothing for another and even gems and gold for some. All would be appeased so this caravan could continue its journey unhindered.

  They traveled for almost twelve hours and as they ascended a huge sand dune, an oasis came into view. A small patch of ground with a pool of water and a number of palms that offered shade from the ravages of the midday sun. The caravan headed towards it and in no time, the soldiers and beasts were refreshed by the cool clear liquid. All rested under shade.

  “It would be much quicker to go south following the dry river bed, rather than climbing the two huge dunes that stand between us and our destination,” Dramand said to Qutaybah.

  “Indeed, but I would not wish to go too close to the Akkedis just yet. Besides, we have yet to meet up with the Suggizon. They are crucial to the success of my plan.”

  Hours of riding had made his back ache, and Qutaybah rubbed at it absentmindedly. “For now, Dramand, enjoy this beautiful oasis. It is the last one on our route. This is my favorite. For some strange reason, a single coconut tree fruits here every time I arrive. No matter what time of year, it always provides me with this refreshing drink of coconut milk. I think it is a magical tree and bears a good omen. I go out of my way to talk to it whenever I am passing.”

  “Pffff, you talk to a coconut tree?” Dramand scorned good-naturedly.

  “Indeed I do. A warrior should always make time for the little things in life. Things that may not seem important, but who knows how anything might change your future, eh?” Qutaybah took a long sip of the drink in the coconut cup.

  “Talking to trees, my friend, can only be a sign of desert madness,” Dramand warned him. “I fail to see how a coconut tree can be of any use in your life.”

  “See, it provides me with nutrition, right here in the middle of nowhere, how can that be?”

  The debate over the lonely coconut tree, went on well into the night, as the two friends discussed the mundane subject. This eased the strain of travel, as friends are meant to do.

  The next day would find them approaching the village that guarded the pass to the Suggizon. Arriving with an army of men would cause consternation, and tensions would be high.

  34

  Myriam was restless, as
always, though she had not provided blood for a few days. She found she could not sleep in this place. There were no windows to open, no fresh breeze to cool her skin. Just the same stuffy air that kept recycling itself, stale and damp.

  Something was bothering her, something niggling at the back of her mind. She had not seen Linz or Hendon for days as the guards had stopped her leaving the room. Luckily she still had the company of her grandmother. Though now she thought about it, the Akkedis had not taken any blood from the Duchess either. That could only mean they were bleeding the young men dry.

  With a sudden start she jumped up from her bed. Concern over her companions causing her to pace the floor anxiously. What if they were to go too far and kill Linz and Hendon? She would demand the very next day that she be allowed to see her compatriots. Just as she was composing a speech in her head, she heard a door slowly open. It was the door to the empty room. Why hadn’t they put the boys in there? she wondered.

  As the door opened, she was unsure who to expect, friend or foe. Could it be the Akkedis servant girl, Arriba, whom she had not seen her for a while? Could it be one of the boys, though why would they come that way? All these thoughts quickly scanned through her mind and she felt relief flood over her when she saw the figure move into the light.

  “Perseus, it is so good to see you,” she said, approaching him. “I was worried you had both been murdered.”

  “I come with grave news, Queen Myriam.” He spoke with a resigned sadness and would not look her in the eye.

  Myriam sat down, her legs trembling, readying herself for the bad news.

  “Please do not tell me that Ganry is dead?”

  When he did not reply, she choked, not wanting to hear those words.

  Perseus took her delicate hand, trying to offer some comfort.