by C. R. Daems
"I'd prefer that neither you nor your men risk your lives trying to protect me. The mission's more important. Besides, I'm not totally defenseless."
"So I hear. If you have time, I'll introduce you to my troop." He led me through the stable and into an open area where groups of men and women practiced with and without weapons. Sergeant Mirce was deep in conversation with another sergeant, a thin wiry man I recognized from Inari.
"Qi'Nisha," Javaid said, nodding toward the thin sergeant, "This is Sergeant Volos."
He grinned and nodded a greeting. "Yes, qi'Nisha and I met at Inari. She won a copper and an apology from me for believing idle gossip." He waved over his men who would be going to the Sands and introduced each one. "Qi'Nisha, I have some men in my detail who question sergeant Mirce's story about you and Irmak. Would you mind a small workout with the disbelievers? Of course, I'd like them fit to leave with us tomorrow."
"I'd like that. I love the dance…sparring, and I can use the practice." As I waited, I quieted my mind and found my center, not wanting to make the same mistake I had made with Irmak.
A tall, muscular young man left the group and turned toward me, inviting a match. I walked to within a few paces, bowed slightly, and stood relaxed and ready. Lieutenant Javaid walked up, put his hand between us, and looked at each of us until we nodded. Then he dropped his hand and stepped back. The young man leaped forward, driving his large fist at my stomach. I rotated at the waist ninety degrees to the right, changing my profile, and his fist slid by, barely scraping my shirt. The force of his attack propelled him forward and slightly off balance. I used the momentum from my rotation to push him in the back, and he stumbled past me.
He turned, his face twisted in anger. This time he walked back slowly. When I saw Volos getting ready to stop the fight, I shook my head.
He had long arms, so when he was within reach he threw a punishing punch at my face. I had practiced self-defense for many years at the Qi'temple as part of my training. The last couple of years I had found that when I was deep into the dance, like now, my opponent appeared in slow motion. I knew the young man wasn't trying to punch me. His arm had already begun to slow halfway to my face and his weight shifted onto his left leg for a right kick. I waited. When his kick came, I slid sideways, using my arm to push the kick pass me, slipped it under his leg, and pushed skyward. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, unable to maintain his balance, he fell backward.
Over the next hour, each man on the detail had a match with me. Fighting a master of Qi must have been frustrating. I was yin and never attacked or resisted. I moved either to avoid the attack or to give in to the blow. The force was negated because it found no resistance—like hitting a piece of cloth dangling on a string. By the end of the matches, the anger of losing had mostly faded. As no one had won a match, there was little to be embarrassed about.
When I finished the last bout, I bowed to the group and walked over to where the lieutenants and sergeants waited.
"A very interesting demonstration, qi'Nisha. I've heard of yin-style fighting but never thought it would be effective against trained soldiers. I'll have to revise my opinion. Although in war, I believe a combination would be best. It does emphasize that soldiers are intuitively yang-style fighters," Javaid said. He had not only watched, but he had evaluated the techniques.
"Judging from Lieutenant Irmak and the rumors from Inari, I'm thankful you returned my troopers undamaged...except for some egos." Volos grinned. "If we get time, I'd appreciate some lessons."
"I'd enjoy that." Before we could leave, I noticed a tall, muscular man approaching, a sneer creasing his thin lips, eyes alive with excitement.
"All those tricks were cute like you and phony like all you Qi'advisors. Everyone is afraid to hurt you for fear of retribution from the duke. I'm not." Before anyone could react, he reached out and grabbed my arm. He pulled me toward him, preparing to punch me in the face. I didn't resist. The force of his pull slammed me into his chest before he could punch.
Air exploded out of him as my shoulder impacted his solar plexus. Slipping one foot behind his, I continued driving forward. He tripped and fell backward but didn't let go. Using the momentum of the fall, I drove my knee into his chest as we hit the ground. His grip loosened, and I rolled onto my feet.
He staggered to his feet, his face twisted in rage, while gasping for breath. I stood still, sucking Qi from the ground beneath me. As I did, Volos started toward us, but I shook my head. I didn't feel in any danger, and someone might get hurt while trying to interfere.
The man pulled a knife out of his boot and lunged at me. I raised my hand, letting my Qi expand outward. He slowed but continued to struggle forward. Rooted to the ground, I didn't move; consequently, the harder he pushed, the more he compressed my Qi.
His face and neck muscles stood out like rope cords as he strained to get close enough to cut me with his knife, which slowly swung back and forth in front of him. I retreated into myself, trying to gauge how much force to release. The total force of my now compressed Qi, if released, would rupture organs and snap bones. The thought of using Qi like that repulsed me. My life was not in danger, but I had waited too long to decide and felt his knife slice across my hand, a second before I released a measured amount of Qi. He left the ground and landed two body-lengths away, screaming in pain between gasps of breath.
"You three, take that idiot to the stockade. The duke will deal with him tomorrow." Volos shouted, pointing to a group of men who had been watching. "Are you alright, qi'Nisha. You're bleeding."
A few drops of blood splattered to the ground, but the bleeding was already slowing.
"I'm fine. It's shallow and my own fault. I was trying not to seriously injure the man and spent too long thinking about it."
Someone handed me a piece of cloth. After inspecting the cut, I wrapped it tightly and the bleeding stopped. It was shallow and would be healed in a few days. While Javaid stood staring at me, Irmak laughed.
"That bastard will be black and blue for a week. I know. Just imagine if she had been mad at him."
CHAPTER SIX
The Sands: Scouting the Sands
The next morning, we were ready to leave as the sun began to lighten the sky. The troops had formed into two lines. All was quiet except for the occasional clatter of a harness when a horse shook its mane. When the duke and qi'Senka strode out of the castle doors, he waved the lieutenants and me over to the steps.
"I wish I were going along with you, but the Qi'advisors are right. I belong here. Remember, you're there to find information, not to fight, unless there's no other choice," Tebos said. He scanned the assembled troops, and shouted, "Good hunting, and may the Watcher guide and protect you."
Taking that as a dismissal, we mounted and rode through the castle gates into town. Few people were in the streets, and the only sounds where the cadence of the horses' hooves. The guards at the main gate saw us coming and had one of the huge doors open when we arrived.
Lieutenant Javaid estimated it would take two days to reach the Nazar Mountains. There we would cross the Kiwaq River into the Iovis Corridor, officially no man's land because it wasn't part of one of the provinces. Although the town of Arbor was on the east side of the Black River, which defined the Iovis Province border, its loyalties shifted depending upon the issue. They liked being considered part of Iovis when it came to protection from the tribes but claimed independence when it came to matters of government. Consequently, it was difficult to predict whether they would choose to enforce Wenrich's order forbidding Hala from crossing its borders into Iovis. Only time would tell.
The first day, it was slow going single file along narrow trails through the dense forest. To make up time, Javaid and Irmak decided to ride an additional four hours. We finally stopped and made camp only because it was too dark to see the trail.
"Irmak was right. You certainly aren't slowing us down. You look in better shape than most of the detail," Javaid said as we sat around the fire eatin
g.
"The credit goes to Windrunner. He makes the ride easy."
"Irmak said you don't mind standing...sitting watch. Is that true?"
"Yes, it's less trouble for me than your men."
"Would you take the late watch? I doubt there will be any trouble here in Hala, but you never know. We're close to the Kiwaq River and the border with Iovis. Some overzealous lieutenant may decide to prove how brave he is and cross over."
"Wake me when it's time." It was pitch dark when I heard private Jacklin walking toward me.
"Is it time?" I asked, sitting up. He nodded. "Point me in the right direction." I snatched up my bedroll and walked for several minutes into the forest. There I spread my blanket and sat. I found the area peaceful and made for meditation with only the sounds of nature: squirrels running up and down trees and through dry leaves, owls hooting, and wolves' yellow eyes watching me as they passed in the distance. Slowly, I sank into a deep meditating state—seeing nothing but aware of everything—while my mind reviewed what I had seen and heard that day, and organized it for inspection.
Duke Tebos was a man of action but open to advice and willing to change his mind. Qi'Senka was logical and wise, but her caring nature tended toward bias—concern for Tebos might unconsciously favor one action over another. Javaid was young and eager to prove himself. He would be quick to act. Irmak, on the other hand, was steadier and would listen before she acted. Volos and Mirce were seasoned soldiers who would follow orders. Biases I'd need to be aware of when making an observation. Smudges of light stained the eastern sky when footfalls approached me from behind, I smiled. It must be hard for any non-Qi to believe that I could rest and keep a vigilant watch.
"Is it time to go?"
"In about fifteen minutes. Everyone's eating right now, so you have time," Javaid said. "Irmak said you'd be alert...and rested. I found it hard to believe. Of course, I had thought Qi'advisors were inactive women who sat round waiting for someone to ask them a question. No offense intended."
"None taken. We do sit a lot, and my function is to answer questions." I couldn't help but grin. "But as training to fight prepares a person to be a soldier, what you refer to as sitting prepares us to be Qi'advisors and develops the Qi I use to fight."
"That fight was amazing. I thought he'd kill you. He acted too fast for any of us to stop him." He walked over to me and knelt, but hesitated before taking my injured hand and turning it over to examine the cut. It had been superficial and was healing nicely.
"So soft," he said, lightly running his thumb over the cut. He let go and nodded toward the camp. "Come, you just have time to eat before we leave."
Javaid remained quiet on the way back to the camp. When we arrived, all eyes turned in his direction.
"Yes, you owe Lieutenant Irmak money. Qi'Nisha was alert and heard me approaching long before I reached her."
Groans greeted his announcement.
* * *
The pace picked up as we neared the mountains and the forest thinned. Just before sunset, we reached the Kiwaq River, and Javaid decided to stop for the night. As the troops made camp, he called Irmak, the two top sergeants, and me aside.
"I doubt Arbor will try to enforce Duke Wenrich's sanctions. They normally maintain a two hundred–man army, but the recent raids resulted in a large number of deaths and wounded. Besides, I'd imagine they would want to stay close to the town until a united Rhybac takes some action to keep the tribes in the Sands. Still, I suggest we avoid contact with them, just in case Wenrich sent reinforcements. Anyone have any other thoughts?" No one commented. "Qi'Nisha?"
"I agree. We should avoid any contact, if for no other reason than to deprive Wenrich of any information about our party. Duke Wenrich will expect Hala and Ferox to mount a scouting party of several hundred troops. He would; therefore, he would need to commit a moderately large force to engage us. But because he still has to be wary of the tribes, I doubt he would try it now. It would be better to wait and hope the tribes either slaughter us or, at very least, significantly reduce our numbers." That's the good news. Now the bad.
"If he feels temporarily safe from the tribes, he may decide to engage us on our way back, hoping we had incurred some losses against the tribes, thus making it easier to overcome what's left of the scouting party. That may be tempting for two reasons: it would reduce Hala and Ferox's military and possibly eliminate both dukes. In either case, he would have an easier time bringing the two provinces under his rule."
"Why would he think we'd have that large a force or that the dukes would accompany the expedition?" Javaid asked.
"Duke Sandar and Duke Tebos each intended to accompany the scouting party before qi'Senka and I pointed out the disadvantages of them going. And although Duke Wenrich wouldn't consider going himself, I believe he's smart enough to understand that Duke Sandar and Duke Tebos would feel it's their responsibility. As to the numbers, they each originally planned to take one hundred. Duke Wenrich is more aggressive than they are and would assume their numbers would be much larger."
"Qi'Nisha is always cheery. If the tribes don't kill us, Duke Wenrich will when we return." Irmak snorted. "Just kidding. Now that we know what to expect, we're better equipped to use it in our favor."
"I agree," Javaid said. His eyes slid back to me. "We'll stay on the Hala side of the river as long as the terrain permits, at least another four leagues. We'll leave around midnight tonight. That should allow us to cross while it's still dark and put some ten leagues between us and Arbor before sunrise."
* * *
As we approached the foothills of the Nazar Mountains, the terrain became rocky and our progress slowed. Being cautious, Irmak and Javaid sent two men across the river to scout the area before we attempted a crossing. They returned a short time later and reported the area clear. The weather had been dry for several weeks and the river was only waist deep, so the horses had little trouble with the current. For the next two hours, we rode at a walk to lessen the noise and dust of twenty riders and to make it look like a normal patrol to anyone who might see us from afar. Over time, the land became increasingly sandy, the trees smaller, and shrubs more numerous as we moved further into the corridor. We stayed close to the river, which provided some cover because the trees were more numerous and the shrubs taller. Just after noon, Javaid and Irmak found a small, densely wooded area and decided to stop for the day.
While the soldiers made camp and prepared a hot meal, the lieutenants, top sergeants, and I huddled for a conference. Javaid seemed to be taking the lead with Irmak's silent approval, although I knew in an emergency she wouldn't be waiting on him for direction.
Javaid had been sneaking looks at me rather frequently. I suspected he was interested in me academically, physically, or both and would look for an opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.
"We're now in the Sands and it's decision time. Irmak?"
"Even with less than twenty troops, we are a fair-size force and will be easy to spot in open country. We definitely need advance scouts well in front of us. The bigger question is which direction and do we need to split up?"
"Splitting up, we cover twice the area, but we have twice the exposure. And double the risk. If one group's discovered, it could cause the tribes to look for other troops in the area," Mirce said.
"Qi'Nisha, you did say your function was to respond to questions. So, it's your turn." Javaid grinned.
I grinned back, enjoying the banter. "What's the question?"
He laughed along with the others, relieving some of the tension everyone felt.
"How do you suggest we go about scouting the tribes?"
I paused to consider what I thought the leader of the tribes had revealed about himself by stealing the Royal Scepter.
"The ground in the Sands has little cover and the tribes will be on alert waiting for Rhybac's reaction to their raids. So I think you should scout at night and rest in the daylight. At night, the scouts may be able to see fires or other signs of their camps…y
es, camps. I wouldn't think he or she..." I smiled at the look on the men's faces. "…would mass his forces. It would be a foolish strategy, and he's proven he's no fool. You should assume you're looking for multiple groups. Sergeant Mirce has a valid point about the potential risks of splitting your forces—not only the additional exposure, but a smaller force would be less able to defend itself in the event it is discovered. It would also be difficult keeping each other informed." I paused and looked around. Hearing no comments, I continued.
"You do, however, need to look in more than one direction, since it's likely there are multiple groups. If each night you send out one or two men each in different directions, you could cover a large area and with minimal risk. When they report back in the morning, you will have a better idea of the safest and best direction for your next camp. And if the tribes discover one or two men, they may consider them stragglers, given a larger group can't be seen in the area."
The two sergeants nodded and exchanged a few words with each other. Javaid had a silly smile on his face but said nothing. Irmak was the first to respond.
"Qi'Nisha, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea for you to go with us, but I'm glad the duke let you come. You've just told us all the things we should have known and considered...but I'm not sure if we would have considered them all and come to the same conclusions. I suspect we would have been more, how did you put it, yang—aggressive. We are soldiers. We know how to fight; being sneaky isn't our best skill."
That got a few smiles and nods of agreement.
"Set up a rotation schedule for the scouts. Since the scouts will be out all night and moving with us when we change camp, they'll need to rest the following night. For tonight, let's do two teams of two men each: one north along the Nazar Mountains and one east toward the Karp Mountains. They're to be back by morning. We'll also want to make a roster for the night lookouts." I nodded when he looked at me. "Include me in the rotation."
