“I assume this is an invitation?” the man stated as he circled around to one of the campfires.
He approached from the far side keeping the fire between him and the Legionaries. At the fire, he squatted and peeled off a piece of pork. The hot meat hovered in the air and he waited expectantly.
Alerio seeing the delay, reach to his roasting pork and peeled a section. He shoved it into his mouth and began chewing.
“Yes, the meat is an invitation,” Ceyx replied as he also took a piece.
“You’re going the wrong way,” the man said as he nibbled. “While I appreciate the hot meal. There’s nothing up ahead for you.”
“We’re going to the Golden Valley,” announced Alerio. “I have business with the Dulce Pugno.”
The hunter ceased chewing and stated, “They don’t take recruits.”
“I didn’t think they did,” agreed Alerio. “Then again, they want their Nocte Apibus back.”
“And what would you know about the Night Bees?” inquired the man.
“I have them,” Alerio admitted. “Well, not on me. They’re coming by caravan.”
“Yes, the cart with the fat man, four swordsmen and six archers,” the man reported. “They’re about a day’s travel from here. So, we shouldn’t kill them?”
“You can kill all of them except for the fat man,” Alerio offered. “I need him and the cart when I speak with the Sweet Fist.”
“What makes you think they would want to speak with you?” the man asked. Then he held out a palm to stop Alerio from answering.
He waved an arm and twelve men and boys emerged from the trees. Some hopped rocks to cross the stream while the rest moved from the wagon trail side.
“I’d like my fellow Watchers and their apprentices to hear this,” the man said.
As the Watchers gathered around the fires and cut slices from the pork, the Legionaries got their first look at the unit’s make up. For every adult male, there was a teen, and a young child about ten years old.
“Please. Tell us why the Dulce Pugno want to speak with you,” the man ordered. “If your story is good, maybe we’ll let you return from where you came. If not, there are many graves in this valley.”
Ceyx looked around at the mountain splendor before saying to Alerio, “Yup, it’s a good place to die.”
“No one is dying today,” Alerio assured him. “At least not us.”
“You speak bravely for a man on restricted land in a dale that’s hard to find,” the Watcher stated. “Tell us why you are here.”
“There are four Nocte Apibus missing,” Alerio said as he stood. He unsheathed his gladius and tossed it to the other side of the fire. Next, he pulled his knife and it joined the sword. “I know there are four assassins dead and four missing Night Bees. I know this, because I killed them.”
Arrows were notched and bows aimed at Alerio.
“They were our friends and family,” the Watcher explained. “Why should you live?”
“You keep threatening that,” challenged Alerio. “There are three reasons I should live. One, the Dulce Pugno wants retribution. I guess from your hesitation and questions; you are not with the organization. I’m here to plead my case. Number two, the legend is that the man possessing a Nocte Apis must return it to the Golden Valley himself. I have four Night Bees. Number three, the man must face a test to see if he lives or dies. Unless you consider my skill at roasting meat a test, I have yet to be properly tested.”
He sat down and plucked a hunk of pork from the skew.
“Shoot or eat,” Alerio ordered while holding out the food for people at both campfires to see. “I choose eating.”
The Watcher raised a hand and indicated for the bowmen to lower their weapons.
“You require the fat man to live?” the man asked Alerio.
“Yes. The fat man and the cart must accompany me to see the Dulce Pugno,” the Legionary replied.
“While we eat tell us how you killed four apprentices of the Sweet Fist,” the Watcher suggested
Everyone stopped eating and leaned forward. Apparently, they were in awe of the Dulce Pugno and wanted to hear how he had managed to kill four of the assassins.
“You say they were apprentices,” Alerio responded. “That explains why they came at me like a pack of vicious dogs. No tact, just a blind attack. It helps that I am a better swordsman than most. Still, whoever trained them is a poor instructor. Over confidence and rash tactics is why they died.”
“You just saved me from a long lecture,” the Watcher exclaimed. “The fat man and the cart will be brought to you. Do not move from this camp. Do not, unless you seek death.”
The Watcher and his unit stood and dispersed. Soon, they had all faded into the surrounding forest.
“That went better than I expected,” Ceyx said laying back against the boulder. “You know Alerio, one of these days your mouth will get you into real trouble. I thought it was today. And, we were going to die.”
“Not today,” stated Alerio as he also leaned back against the hard granite stone. “Not today.”
Chapter 74 - Entrance to the Golden Valley
Two days later, they saw a pleasing sight. Or, a sad sight if you were Speckled Pheasant. The Rebel Captain walked beside the mule as five little boys herded them along the trail. Each little Watcher had an arrow laying across their bow and seemed prepared to use it.
The Rebel looked road weary and foot sore. As he stumbled up to the Legionaries, he exploded.
“I am going to kill you both slowly,” he bellowed. “I’ll skin the flesh…”
Shouting him down, Ceyx announced, “We’re moving. Try to keep up.”
Alerio and Ceyx marched off. When Speckled Pheasant hesitated, one of the little Watchers poked him with an arrow. The Rebel jerked hard on the lead and he and the mule followed.
Three hours later, they arrived at a dam. Behind it, a lake occupied half the gorge. While the main trail tracked around the earthen dam and deeper into the narrowing dale, the little Watchers guided them off the path.
The new course took them over a wooden bridge spanning the stream Alerio and Ceyx had camped beside. At the far end of the bridge, they entered a village of craftsmen. A wheelwright’s hut and work area strewn with partially constructed wheels was the first. Next, a blacksmith’s forge glowed and the ringing of a hammer on an anvil echoed over the water. After these trade areas, they passed a cooper shaving slats for barrels and a carpenter’s stand where boards were being fit together. Between the carpenter’s yard and a work area with a potter’s wheel and kiln, the little Watchers pointed to an empty hut.
“Finally. I can’t go on,” exclaimed Speckled Pheasant spotting a bench at the hut.
He dropped the mule’s lead and staggered to the bench and plopped down.
Alerio took the opportunity to inspect the cart. After checking a pouch for the Nocte Apibus, he lifted it out, and dropped its strap over his shoulder. Then, he lifted out the duel gladii rig, slung it onto his back, and tied it down.
“Think we’ll need our armor?” Ceyx asked as he reach into the cart.
“Him, not you,” the Watcher in the green and brown leathers stated. The man had appeared out of the twilight like an apparition. “Him and him,” he repeated while pointing to Alerio and Speckled Pheasant. Then he pointed at Ceyx, “Not you.”
“Just a second,” complained the Legionary. “If Alerio is going, so am I.”
“He will be tested,” the Watcher explained. “You will not. So stay and wait, or die. Please make a choice. We’ll gladly fulfill your request.”
Up and down the row of huts, all the craftsmen and their assistants had exchanged their tools for bows. The bows had notched arrows resting on the strings and they were all aimed at Ceyx.
“I’m sure you’ll be comfortable here,” suggested Alerio. “I bet they’ll feed you. Maybe they’ll have corn mush and goat jerky.”
“I’d rather die,” Ceyx replied before realizing what he had jus
t said. “No, I’ll stay. Here’s me staying.”
The Legionary stepped purposely to the bench, used his walking staff to shove the Rebel Captain over, and sat down.
Sunlight faded as the sun dipped below the high mountain peaks. Darkness descended and cooking fires were lit. As the aroma of boiling stew drifted over the craftsmen’s village, the Watcher walked to Alerio and Speckled Pheasant.
“You will follow the path to the Golden Valley,” the Watcher advised while pointing to the bridge.
Chapter 75 - The Golden Valley
Alerio and Speckled Pheasant marched stiffly back over the bridge. Neither man spoke. The mistrust and dislike between them was almost a physical presence.
At the path where the Watchers had them veer off towards the bridge, they turned toward the Golden Valley. A few yards away, torches lined the trail. Along with the sunlight, the warmth of the day vanished. They shivered in the cold of the mountain night.
Alerio and Speckled Pheasant followed the torches until they reached a wooden wall. A doublewide gate opened. They stepped through.
The chill vanished. Almost as if the warmth of the sun had reappeared, the air temperature rose to a comfortable level. In front of them, touch lined paths meandered through the dark. Bright spots of light identified widely spaced huts. Some huts near the gate were opened sided, as if work areas, while other huts had doorways.
Three men stood waiting for them inside the gate.
“Captain. Welcome to the Golden Valley,” one of the men said pleasantly. “Please come this way. We have refreshments and a place for you to rest after your long journey.”
As the Rebel began to follow the pleasant man, he turned and flashed an evil grin at Alerio.
“Legionary. Come with us,” another of the men ordered.
He motioned and stepped off. Alerio followed. The last man fell in behind them.
They wandered along one of the lighted paths. Alerio marveled at the well laid black stones under foot and realized the warmth he felt radiated from the ground. The path snaked around but, generally favored one side. Just when he thought they would have to climb the mountain to go farther, the path made a sharp turn. They arrived at an entrance set in the side of the hill.
Inside, Alerio looked around and marveled at a large cavern. It was dome like with several small round tunnels leading off into darkness. Some openings were overhead, others head and shoulder high, and a few sat at floor level. His escorts indicated one of the floor level tunnels. He and the men marched to the back of the dome.
The tunnel ran straight before it turned and the floor angled up. A few minutes later, it intersected with other tunnels. Here, the walls changed from smooth to showing signs of pick and ax work. The guards stopped a few steps into a side tunnel
“In there,” his escort instructed.
If it was a cell, his jailer didn’t know what they were doing. First off, the door was constructed of stretched leather. He could easily rip the material off the frame. But where would he go? Secondly, they hadn’t taken his gladii or his knife.
A bed had been chiseled out of the stone, a bedroll lay on one end, and a burning torch lit the small room. He laid on the stone and closed his eyes.
A noise caused him to look as the flimsy door opened. Two men walked in with trays. Behind the men, faces peering in lined the entire door frame.
“Refreshments, mead, and water,” one of the men stated as he and the other man set the trays on the bed. “You have time.”
“Time for what?” Alerio asked. The men didn’t answer. They walked out shutting the door behind them.
Alerio, being a young guy, was always hungry. He tossed back the cloth covers and dug into the food. The best part he decided was the honey in the clay pots. After eating, he stretched out and fell asleep.
Chapter 76 - The Return of Four Nocte Apibus
“Legionary. Awaken please,” a high pitched voice announced.
Alerio shook himself awake and sat up. The voice belonged to a boy about ten years old. He was standing close to the foot of the stone bed.
“Good morning young man,” Alerio said with a smile. “Is it time?”
“It is,” the boy replied as he walked to the doorway. “If you’ll follow me?”
Alerio picked up on a bit of nervousness in the lad’s voice. But, the little one didn’t display any outward sign of his apprehension as he marched steadily out of the cell. After all the faces peering in when the food was delivered, Alerio was surprised to find the tunnel empty.
His small escort guided them up and down through new tunnels. Alerio was completely lost when the boy held aside another sheet of leather. For a heartbeat, the Legionary thought it lead to another cell. It wasn’t.
The circular room with the black sand floor could have been called an arena. Tiers of ledges circled the room. Over a hundred people sat quietly on those shelves watching the Legionary walk to the center of the sand. Some tiers were low enough to easily reach with a jump from the sand. Others were so high, Alerio needed to crane his neck to see the upper level. It was a fighting pit, he decided.
“Lance Corporal Alerio Sisera,” a voice called out. “Why have you invaded the Golden Valley?”
Alerio spun around seeking the source. Three people occupied a wide space on the second tier. One stood in front of her chair and the other two were sitting in their high backed chairs. One of them was Speckled Pheasant. The Rebel raised a clay mug and saluted Alerio. After taking a drink, he smirked in an irritating I-told-you-so manner.
The Legionary reached into the pouch and pulled out the four knives. With two in each hand, he held the Nocte Apibus above his head.
“I’ve come to return, four Night Bees,” he announced.
A murmur ran through the crowd.
“And how did you come to have, four Nocte Apibus?” asked the woman.
“I killed four of the Dulce Pugno,” stated Alerio. “and took the Nocte Apibus.”
“Do you mean you were part of an Infantry squad?” the woman challenged. “A squad that caught our friends inside the Legion Post and killed them before taking the Night Bees?”
“No, Ma’am. I killed them single handedly,” Alerio boasted, “I alone killed your assassins.”
More murmurs ran through the crowd. This time words rose above the buzzing. In essence, they all said the same thing, “Kill him. Kill him.”
The woman sounded unsure about Alerio’s statement, “For now, it’ll stand as you state.” Then she looked around Speckled Pheasant and spoke to the other man, “Brother. By what terms did we commit ourselves to the contract.”
The man on the Rebel’s left stood as the woman sat. Speckled Pheasant glanced from one side to the other, from the woman to the man, obviously confused by the proceedings.
“The Captain contracted for our services,” the man boomed so everyone on the ledges could hear him clearly. “He refused our first offer to use experienced craftsmen. Pleading low funds, the Captain negotiated with our representative. It was agreed upon to use four apprentices. Each apprentice would sting twice with the Nocte Apibus before leaving. These were the basic terms of the contract.”
Speckled Pheasant’s head nodded enthusiastically all through the speech. The man sat and the original speaker stood. When the woman stood, the Rebel ceased his head movements and settled for glaring at Alerio.
“There are no witnesses to consult, except for Lance Corporal Sisera.” The woman said before asking, “Lance Corporal. What are your recollections of the events the night you captured four Nocte Apibus?”
“I was walking a guard post. The guard on the next position failed to report,” Alerio described. “I left my post to check on him. When I tripped over the guard’s body, I shouted for reinforcements. That’s when I saw the shadows coming over the wall.”
“Point of clarity Lance Corporal,” she asked. “They came over the wall? From outside or inside the Post?”
“From outside the Post,” Alerio replied
. “I saw their shapes because they were backlit by the lights from Crotone’s harbor. As I shouted for the Sergeant of the Guard, the four men attacked me. Two came straight at me. For assassins they lacked discipline and died quickly. The other two divided, attempting to hit me from the sides. I downed one, but lost my helmet. The last of your lads sliced my scalp before I could bring my blade around.”
“You were wounded?” the woman asked. “Where?”
Alerio pointed to his head and traced the half-moon scar with a finger.
“Doctor. If you would?” she called out.
From another entrance, a man walked briskly to the Legionary. He held the torch he carried over Alerio’s head and probed the scar tissue. Three times he traced the line of stitches using different pressures on each pass.
“The scar is indeed the sting of a Nocte Apis,” the man announced before exiting as rapidly as he arrived.
Again, restless mumbling rose from the tiers. The standing questioner leaned over and look past Speckled Pheasant’s belly.
“Subtext?” she asked of the man on the other side of the Rebel.
“Yes. Two points,” the man on the Rebel’s left side said as he stood. The woman sat down.
“The Captain’s men were to remove the guards from the wall,” he reported. “Allowing our less experienced assets to infiltrate the Post. It appears this section of the agreement was not executed.”
Speckled Pheasant shifted uncomfortably. Alerio enjoyed his uneasiness until the man continued with the second point.
“Failure to clear the wall was a grievous breach of the contract,” the man stated. “Nevertheless, one guard should not have been a hindrance even given the youth of our dead. Therefore, it is my opinion the contact be voided and declared null with the Captain forfeiting his payment.”
The man sat and his female counterpart on the other side of the Rebel stood.
“Are you in agreement with the findings, Captain?” she challenged.
Clay Legionary (Clay Warrior Stories Book 1) Page 19
