An exuberant crowd of Royal Skythians and Sauromatae hailed their arrival to the war council. Here at last - the promise of reinforcements against Persia. The glory of Skythia was coming together. United they could defeat the mightiest foe!
“If that offspring of a filthy strigoi is allowed to live, he is bound to ruin us all. You know this Zoltan. For this purpose was he born. Look -” Xobash pointed a long bony finger ending in a curved, blood-encrusted nail at Sava. “He is young yet but already he has surrounded himself with power. Even now I feel the False Prophet’s curse closing in around us.”
Hssst. Angered, Zoltan shook his black onyx scepter topped by two striking serpents facing a black sun. The serpent heads were filled with seeds that hissed when shaken. Even though the two ennarei were partially hidden from sight in the crowd, Sava glanced over and stared directly into their eyes.
His piercing gaze said it all – I know what you two are about.
The sorcerers felt their powers shrink. Reaching deep within, their eyes shot forth the dark hypnotic gaze of the kako mati. Sava’s eyes dropped first, but not before the priests recognized the menacing spark of revenge and rebellion flickering in his sea green eyes.
“You see? I warned you.” Xobash rasped in Zoltan’s ear. “Now that son of a soul-sucking strigoi senses our intent. His mind is stronger now and he has returned with powerful allies. You have waited too long to ruin him. It is only a matter of time before he finds a way to come after us. Destroy that bastard son of a vukodlak before it’s too late!”
“I have devised a stratagem to ruin Sava slowly.” Zoltan’s voice dripped venom. “Piece by piece I will destroy that which he loves most. It is a plan from which the true son of Sarpedon cannot escape.”
At the name `Sarpedon,’ Xobash drew his black cloak over the lower half of his face. “Hssst. It is forbidden to speak that name aloud.”
After escorting an overjoyed Dodona to the Budini encampment to be reunited with her people, Sava and Brata proceeded to Sava’s family yurt. There he embraced his parents, Skopasis and Dragana, his younger sisters – Danae, Vayu and little brother Gavril.
Sava slung an arm across Brata’s shoulder. “This is my great friend Brata. I found him near to death in the land of the Black Cloaks. He speaks only rarely. I want him to stay with us, for he is with me always.”
Sava gazed into his parent’s eyes, studying their expressions, hoping his father would not ask too many questions. His main concern was to keep Brata under wraps and away from the Black Cloak contingent which had already arrived for the war council.
“Brata, our home is your home.” Skopasis laid a warm hand on the Black Cloak’s shoulder and Dragana smiled in assent.
Brata’s rich earthborn eyes lit up and he bowed, palm over heart.
“Have the Tauri arrived yet?” Sava asked.
“Nay, but a scout reported that a large party of horsemen is headed this way. They should be here before nightfall. The Geloni, the Black Cloaks and the Androphagi are already here.” Skopasis answered, his vigilant gaze full of questions.
The title of war leader was not inherited. Skopasis had become Great Voivode of all Sauromatia by his own hand and by the vote of the warrior council. He was well over six feet and massively built, but his leadership was not just based on his prowess and cunning in battle. Skopasis was a magnet among men.
With the war council about to begin on the morrow, the voivode was intent on developing friendly relations with all the nobles. In this way he hoped to influence the final vote for the alliance. The fierce Tauri were viewed as a vital addition to the alliance.
“Sire, I gave my word to King Yagya that if he came to the war council, I would gift him two of my best five year old stallions by Zlatna. One for him and one for Sorsha, the daughter of his cousin.” Sava turned to his sisters. “Danae you and Vayu go to the stallion field. Get Marich and Bandar. “
“Marich and Bandar?!” Danae stiffened in shock and dismay. “But they are the best sons of Zlatna that we have left now that Zar is gone.” She pointedly did not add - Because father gave Zar away to Hahq.
“Why must we always give away our best?” Vayu added her protest. “Danae and I were planning to ride Marich and Bandar in the 1,000 Mile Race next year.”
“Aye. Why must it be those two? We have other fine colts by Zlatna that you can give the Tauri king. The girls have spent long hours training Marich and Bandar.” Dragana said.
“And I have the bruises to prove it.” Vayu added.
Sava shook his head. “I gave my word. Both Bandar and Marich are out of my mares and they bear my mark.” He was referring to a small ear notch that he cut soon after the colts were foaled.
“So-oo who is this Sorsha?” His mother’s lips curved in a knowing smile. “I understand the need for such a lavish gift to the Tauri king, we need his support for the alliance. But who is this woman that you must gift her with one of our best horses?”
For the moment the war council was forgotten. The family was all ears, waiting to hear about this new entity who might be about to enter their tight knit circle. This – Sorsha. Surely the gift of such a valuable horse was a huge mark of favor by Sava.
“Sorsha is…”Sava trailed off. Just her name rolling off his lips carried him away… The most beautiful woman I have ever met. Nay, `beautiful’ does not do her justice.
“Sorsha is like a noble white mare, brave and free spirited, yet calm and steady. Sorsha walks in her own light.”
“Ahah. My brother has given away his heart.” Danae teased.
“But what about Bari?” Skopasis’ arched black brows winged together. He and Dragana exchanged a concerned look.
“From childhood our families planned that you two would marry. Bari is a great match for you. She is handsome, strong and good natured. Are you going to throw her over for some stranger?” Dragana asked.
“Boreas is my blood brother. He was my chief ally when I strove to become voivode.” Skopasis put in, crossing muscular arms over his chest. “Many warriors follow Boreas. He has vast herds of cattle and horses. He will provide a rich dowry to help you and Bari get a good start in life. I would hate to tell my great friend that you have turned your back on his daughter. He will think that in your eyes she is not good enough. What can this Tauri stranger have that Bari does not?”
“Sire, I was only with Sorsha a few days in Taurica, not long enough to decide that I want to marry her. I invited her to come to the council. She is my good friend. For now.”
“Hmmh... It is clear you are taken with this Tauri girl. It takes only a moment to determine the course of a lifetime,” Dragana said. “So tell us more about her. What is Sorsha’s lineage?”
“Sorsha’s father was King Yagya’s cousin. Her mother was Royal Skythian. Both her parents were killed when cannibals raided their camp. She was only ten summers old then. Even with an arrow in her leg she rode all night to find Yagya’s camp. But by the time Yagya brought help it was too late for her mother and father. Sorsha will not bring any wealth, should we decide to marry. Nothing beyond the good will of King Yagya and maybe an alliance with the Tauri.”
“An alliance? Did Yagya say this?” Skopasis’ penetrating dark eyes questioned.
Much as Sava would have liked to reassure Skopasis that Yagya would view a marriage between he and Sorsha as grounds for an alliance, only the bald truth would do. Skopasis would see through anything else.
“Nay. Even if we marry, I would not count on Yagya to join the alliance against Persia – unless he is sure that we can win. Yagya is a sly old fox. He will take any measures necessary to make sure the Tauri survive this war, even if he has to go down on the knee before Darius.”
They all heard the words Sava did not say: Unlike we Sauromatae who have pledged our very existence to bonds of honor and loyalty.
“So, let it be for now,” Skopasis said. “You gave your word and the Tauri have traveled far on it. We will show them our Sauromatian hospitality.”
<
br /> Sava flicked a commanding glance at Danae. She bowed her head in disappointed acquiescence.
“Alright brother. Let’s go Vayu.”
Wearing buckskin leggings and carrying braided hempen ropes slung over their shoulders, the girls strode out to the horse pen next to the yurt. Two horses were caught with an easy loop around the upper neck. The rope was looped around the horse’s lower jaw, the rope acting as a bit and the end as a single rein. The girls took off in a thunder of hooves and dust.
“Gavril go to the kibitka and get two ceremonial saddles and bridles, the ones inlaid with gold.” Skopasis told his youngest. “Then help Danae and Vayu groom the stallions when they bring them in.”
“Sire, I want to welcome the Tauri before they get to camp. Will you go with me?” Sava asked.
“We will all go. But first I want to hear all that you have learned in your travels. Everything.”
“Aye my son, my heart.” Dragana laced her arm around his shoulders. “It is so good to have you back with us. When Hahq came back and said you had gone on alone, we feared we had lost you forever. Come, eat, drink. Rest and tell us all.”
“That would take days.” Sava smiled.
“As long as it takes.” Skopasis said. “I need to know the minds of the leaders you spoke with. Anything that might affect their decision to join the alliance.”
As Sava began recounting his journey and all the people he had met, so many unforgettable faces came to mind. At the same time he felt Skopasis’ dark eyes literally boring into his mind, assessing every detail for veracity.
His father excelled at gathering and deciphering valuable information from his scouts and informers. Skopasis’ shrewd, subtle mind would immediately sense any wavering from the straight and narrow, especially from his own son.
Trying not to reveal Brata’s secret, Sava steeled his mind against his father’s drakonian stare - at once intimidating, armor piercing and spell binding. It was the stare of a coiled viper poised to strike, assessing weakness, probing, perceptive and stunningly intense.
He could never actually lie to those glittering dark eyes, but he could leave out a few important details. Above all he could not admit he had stolen Brata out of the Black Cloak’s sacred kurgan. If he did, all Haides would break loose. In the interests of the alliance, Skopasis would have to make sure that Brata was returned to certain death at the hands of his own people.
After years of war and raiding the success of the war council depended on building good relations with the other tribes.
Through supreme force of will, Sava was able to hold Skopasis’ unblinking gaze while deliberately omitting the truth. He could not betray his friend. They had come too far together. He would make sure that Brata was disguised and kept a low profile until after the council.
Fortunately the Black Cloaks had not gotten close enough to see Sava’s face as they pursued him across Melanchaenia. So he rationalized as he wove his story to Skopasis, deliberately omitting the salient, incriminating facts about Brata. At the same time he grieved that he betrayed his father’s sacred trust and that this would come back to haunt him.
Too late Sava realized Hahq would also report to Skopasis. And Hahq would not hold back on all the dirty details about Sava’s theft from Black Cloak’s sacred burial kurgan.
If I can just persuade Hahq to wait until after the war council tomorrow before he tells Skopasis the full story on Brata.
The two stallions were brought in, groomed and saddled. Dressed in his best kurta, embossed leggings and boots, Sava rode out with Brata, his family and a score of Skopasis’ warriors. They carried a red banner emblazoned with the black image of Mata Drakaina, serpent goddess, progenitor of the Reptile People.
Mounted on Zlatna, Sava led elegant, fleet-footed Marich for Sorsha, while Skopasis led the magnificent dark bay, Bandar, for King Yagya. A few miles outside camp they halted, lining the crest of a grassy ridge. Any horsemen approaching from across the Sea of Grass could be seen from this point.
As the sun was descending over the vast western horizon a mounted party broke into view. Unmoved, the Sauromatae waited. But the horses stomped their impatience, shaking their heads, tails swishing, bridle bits clinking.
Chapter 23 - Sorsha
Her breath smelled sweet as cinnamon
When she put her lips to mine
She slipped her tongue in between
It was like sampling nectar
In Heaven -
Lucian, The Golden Ass
Dark clouds gusting in with the close of day hovered over the advancing tribesmen. There was a sense in the air like the tension before a coming storm. Sava estimated their number at 30 horsemen. Then he spied their banner - a black falcon, wings outspread, symbol of the Tauri.
At Skopasis’ nod the Sauromatian warriors grunted, Hoh! Spears raised in salute, iron points glinting in the sun. The line started down the ridge at a cadenced trot, the banner of Mata Drakaina fluttering.
Seeing them, one of the Tauri stood up on the back of his trotting horse, gracefully balanced, arms waving in a grand welcoming arc.
Sorsha!
It had to be her. Thrilling with anticipation, Sava waved, whooped and gave Zlatna his head. Sensing his excitement, the stallion shot forward. The gift horse Marich galloping alongside, easily pacing his sire. The waving Tauri dropped back into the saddle and broke ranks, galloping out to meet him.
Charging straight up to the strange horse, Zlatna came to a sliding, dust-churning halt. Sava found himself gazing into Sorsha’s sparkling, sloe dark eyes. He side-stepped the stallion so the horses stood parallel. He and Sorsha faced each other, knees touching.
”My noble White Mare, my Sorsha… Seeing you again has made this evening brighter than day.”
Sea green eyes smoldering in the golden rays of the setting sun, Sava’s warm gaze shot living fire into Sorsha’s vulnerable heart. Placing a large hand on her thigh, he gave her a warm squeeze. Flickering desire surged to her sweet spot. Leaning over, he slanted sensuous lips over hers in a melting kiss.
“I dreamed that somehow I forgot about you and you drifted away from me…like sand slipping through my fingers.” He breathed into her ear. “I thought I had lost you forever. My heart grieved.”
“I too feared the Fates might keep us away.” Her lips brushed his ear, voice silky low. “But you told me to come My Lord. And no matter what, I would have found a way to come to you. There is always a way, Adoni.”
Palming the back of her head, he kissed her again, a deep, core-melting kiss. With his body blocking the vision of the approaching Sauromatae, his hand slid up her thigh so the V of his thumb and forefinger fit into her cleft. In those few moments he squeezed and caressed her sweet spot, making it throb.
Oh - ahhh. She released a husky sigh.
In the background Sava was aware of swiftly approaching hoof beats. The others would soon be upon them, but he could not seem to pull away from their soul entrancing kiss.
Then from the corner of his eye he caught the excited swish of a long black tail followed by an ear splitting squeal, a tremendous snort and an impatient stomp.
Without breaking the kiss, one eye flicked over to Marich. Nose to nose with Sorsha’s chestnut mare, the stallion was arching his swan-like neck and pawing the ground. Lifting her tail, the mare responded with ear busting squeals of excitement. Zlatna was also showing signs of interest.
“Two stallions and a mare. The perfect recipe for a wild mating frenzy.” Sava’s lips curved in a salacious grin as he pulled Zlatna away. He pointed his chin at the buckskin stallion. “So how do you like Marich? He is yours now.”
For a long moment Sorsha could only stare. Words were meaningless sounds in comparison to the living glory of the spectacular golden buckskin stallion. When Zlatna charged up, she had observed the other horse’s natural balance and speed. How his canter floated, effortless. A beautiful mover.
Now in a glance she absorbed Marich’s long-legged, fleet conforma
tion. The long, angled shoulder. The broad chest and deep heart girth. The powerful, sloping croup which gave his hind legs the angle to come well under his body, to run and jump in great bounds.
She noted the tough black boxy hooves. How the stallion stood - alert, short-backed and balanced. Poised to take off in any direction, even straight up.
Marich’s golden brown eyes, so full of vitality, locked on hers. The stallion saw her. Studied her. A hot stinging blurred Sorsha’s eyes. She could not repress a small convulsive sob. Marich was more than a horse. Sava had gifted her with a Being.
With this extraordinary stallion, she a lonely orphan, was given the proverbial keys to the kingdom. With this horse she could win big races. With Marich’s size, speed, and proven bloodlines, he would sire superior offspring, able to outrun anything on the Sea of Grass except maybe another Zlatna-bred horse.
Breeders would pay well, coming from near and far with their prize mares, or to buy Marich’s offspring. With this stallion she could make her own way in life.
Marich was all this and so much more. The pure honor, the privilege to own and ride such a horse. A horse kings would ride, if they could find one. Sorsha found herself laughing, her heart overflowing with crazy joy, at the same time hot tears blurred her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Struggling to control the wild gamut of emotions she wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
“You have done me a great honor Sava. He is magnificent.”
“Marich is a wind demon. You can outrun the wind on him. Once you earn his trust, Marich will work for you until he drops.”
“How can I earn his trust?” She asked, sensing the innuendo in Sava’s words.
Offering a cryptic smile and a slow shrug, he replied: “Be yourself Sorsha. No matter what happens, don’t allow fear to take your mind. Horses sense fear. It makes them tense.”
“Is Marich as fast as Zlatna?”
“Why don’t you ride him and find out?” Sava’s tone was husky, seductive.
Wine God's Sorcery: The Horse Lords Page 12
