by C. R. Daems
Ayria thought him an officer from the uniform lying on the ground at his feet. The man beside him had his mouth clasped tightly shut on what were probably moans of pain. He was white faced. Eventually, he too would beg for mercy. Negozi studied the older soldier for a moment. "What is your name and rank?"
"Erdem... I'm a lieutenant in the Zeno army." Tears rolled down his cheeks and blood dribbled from several old cuts on his cheek.
"Erdem, you said that your new king wanted to send a large army but decided not to. Why?"
"Duke Sandar brought this young...woman with him to a meeting of the dukes. She was a Qi'advisor—"
"What's a Qi'advisor?"
"Some kind of wise woman." His voice broke but he continued at Negozi's glare. "She was very powerful—killed a senior sergeant who tried to rape her."
"What did she do to stop your new king?"
"I heard she warned him you'd be waiting..."
"How?"
The lieutenant tried to jerk away from Shani and Idowu as they stepped closer to him. The sudden movement caused him to scream in pain. Negozi waved them back and waited for the man to calm himself.
"Why did he send you, then?"
"I'll tell you!" he blurted, his eyes rolling toward Shani. "They decided to send scouts into the Sands. Dukes Wenrich, Janko, and Fabiao sent us to scout the Castor Corridor, and Dukes Sandar and Tebos sent troops to scout the Iovis Corridor."
"Bolaha?"
"We saw or heard nothing. When we left in answer to the threat to Kunto, no one had entered the path to our west. Could this group be a diversion? We should return immediately."
"How big is the army Dukes Sandar and Tebos are sending into the Sands?" Negozi asked.
"Duke Wenrich is an arrogant bastard." Tears streamed down the man's face. "Sandar is smarter. I'd bet his scouting party is small."
"Ayria, go with Bolaha and find those scouts. If that Qi'advisor is with them, I want her alive." Negozi said. He held up his hand. "Alive and unharmed, Bolaha. We need to know who and what she's advised. Our worst enemy is surprise."
CHAPTER TEN
The Sands: Scouting party captured
Everyone was awake long before dark. We ate a cold meal, trail bread and dried beef, not wanting to give away our presence with fire or, worse, smoke.
"It's awful quiet out here," Volos said, chewing on his dried beef. "It's hard to believe there are thousands of tribesmen out here. If we're lucky, they may feel safe this far into the Sands and have campfires, which will help us find them. How close do you want to go, qi'Nisha?"
"That's up to Lieutenant Irmak. When she feels we have enough useful information," I said and looked to Irmak, who gave a small laugh.
"I thought we had enough information back at the Karp Mountains. But you were right, we had a reasonable conjecture but no proof."
I sat meditating, waiting for dark. Near dusk, my Qi sensed a slight tremor in the ground. Minutes later, I saw them. A large group of tribesmen, hundreds, stretched out across the landscape moving south—toward us. We looked to be in the middle of the line.
"Lieutenant," I said, slowly easing back into the ravine. "Several hundred warriors are moving this way. It's only a matter of minutes." We had been lucky, because our horses were saddled in preparation for leaving within the hour.
"Mount up." Before Irmak had finished speaking, everyone was in the saddle and moving.
When the tribesmen spotted us, their war cries and shouts cut through the clatter of our galloping hoofbeats, and the chase began. From the look of it, the tribes knew or guessed we were out here. If that were true, they would probably have alerted the tribe in the center, which had been acting as a decoy. In that case, they would be waiting ahead. An hour later, my suspicions were verified as several hundred tribesmen materialized less than a half league in front of us. Irmak called for a halt. Although the horses were sweating and breathing hard, we might have been able to outrun those behind us but not the ones in front of us, even if we were fortunate enough to fight our way through them.
"Any advice, qi'Nisha?" Irmak asked and laughed as she and the others drew their swords. She was no longer a fish out of water. This environment she understood.
"Wait and see what they do." Charging them was sudden death. Waiting allowed them to get closer but didn't worsen the odds. They were already zero. "A live prisoner has a chance to escape."
"Lieutenant, maybe one of us can get through and alert the duke," Volos said, while staring at the oncoming warriors. "It's worth a try. Besides, I don't fancy being a prisoner. I'd rather die fighting than staked out on some anthill."
Irmak was silent for a moment. When she nodded, Volos and Boain spurred their horses, screaming as they charged. The tribesmen responded in kind. A minute later, they clashed. It lasted but seconds. By the look on her face, Irmak would have like to join them but felt it her duty to protect me.
The tribesmen slowed their advance and stopped some twenty paces short of us. Two women on horses approached, accompanied by four warriors on foot. The tallest woman looked to be a warrior from her dress and the weapons at her belt, and in charge by the way the warriors watched her. The other woman didn't appear to fit with the warriors. She looked much older and was dressed like a priestess or an elder of the tribe.
Although she carried the Royal Scepter, I didn't think she was the leader. I was sure he or she would be a warrior. When they were within five paces, they stopped. The warriors had short bows and spears. Irmak sat with her sword bared.
"You do not look like a warrior," the old woman said, looking directly at me. "You could live if you come with us peacefully. The Great One would talk with you."
It appeared the Great One had sent his warriors to find the scouting party, somehow knew or suspected a Qi'advisor might be along them, and wanted her alive. That gave me some bargaining power.
"Take us both alive or kill us."
"No, qi'Nisha," Irmak said as she prepared to charge. I put my arm out, stopping her with Qi. When she felt it increase, she reluctantly gave in.
"You can't stop us from killing her," the woman pointed to Irmak.
"True. And you can't stop me from dying."
The old woman came closer. As she did, I could feel her Qi pushing at me, growing in intensity as she neared. Irmak was being pushed away. For a second, I thought about pushing back, but that was not the Qi way. I didn't and to my surprise, I began to absorb her Qi. The old woman stared at me in shock.
"Let the warrior live, for now. Tie her," the old woman said.
"Irmak, drop your sword. Remember you're here to protect me, and you can't do that if you're dead," I said, hoping that would do the trick. I studied the old woman as I heard Irmak's sword drop and, shortly afterward, her knife.
"There's no need to tie us. We're no threat and will go peacefully."
"Can you stop us?" the warrior woman snarled.
"Yes," I said, staring into her eyes, which blazed with anger. The old woman nodded and turned to the warrior.
"Let them ride untied unless they make trouble." The younger woman looked to defy the old woman but then bowed her head. With a signal and words I didn't understand, we were surrounded and moving north.
* * *
We reached their camp just as the light of day touched the horizon. They led us to a large tent where a tall, muscular man with bronze skin sat watching us. The flap to his tent was open, and I could see the inside had nothing except for a rug, several blankets, and weapons. A sword rested within hand's reach. The witch walked over to him and spoke quietly for several minutes. He rose and walked over to me, inspecting me as he approached.
"I am Negozi, the leader of the peoples of the Sands. Witch Ayria tells me you are a woman of power. You maybe, but you will answer my questions. If not, it will be very unpleasant for you."
"I know no secrets. But you will not believe me although you have no basis to assume I do. Therefore you will have me tortured regardless of what I say." I could n
ot prove I was telling the truth or that I didn't know something Negozi hadn't asked—unknown secrets. "My body can be disfigured and crippled, but not made to tell you anything I don't choose to tell."
His jaw tightened, then he smiled. "You think you are stronger than a warrior...dog-soldier? Come, I have many begging to tell me anything I want to know." He nodded to two warriors, who grabbed me by the arms and half dragged me after Negozi as he wound his way past tents and groups of warriors sitting in small groups. Bows, knives, and spears lay next to each warrior. I saw no older women or children. The women I saw looked muscular, dressed for action, and had weapons next to them. As we walked, the sounds of men in pain became louder with each step. It sounded like a battlefield of wounded and dying men. Now and then a scream pierced the air. Although in the middle of the camp, we soon walked into a large open area. Men hung between poles and others lay staked out on the ground, their bodies burnt from the sun, bleeding from multiple cuts, skin hanging loose, and legs and arms twisted into unnatural positions. I fought for balance but failed as bile rose in my throat and tears streamed down my face. Those still able to speak begged to tell the women warriors anything they wanted to know. Negozi stopped, turned to me, and smiled.
"If you are wise," he said and his smile grew wider, "You will just answer my questions and avoid the pain and scars the women will inflict. In the end, you will beg for them to stop like those you see before you."
"But I am not wise, I'm Qi," it was all I could say, because nothing I could say would change his mind.
"Qi'Nisha, tell them..." Irmak said but faltered. She was a soldier and felt she shouldn't give the enemy any information, yet she wanted to protect me, so her mind locked in turmoil.
"I have an idea," Negozi said and smiled. He waved to several of the women warriors and said something I didn't understand. The women grabbed my arms and dragged me to two poles, tied me spread eagled to them, and then stripped me naked. They then tied Irmak, spread eagled, to poles facing me but put a blanket over her to protect her from the sun. "Perhaps the lieutenant is the wise one and can convince you to talk or maybe tell us what you know and save you both. If nothing else, she will know her faith if she fails." He said something I didn't understand to the women then turned and walked away.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Irmak. I know you would rather have gone out fighting. What I observed going on could provide beneficial information, but I failed to anticipate that the captives could alert the tribes of our presence. Ironically, all this suffering is unnecessary. No one here knows what the dukes will do next. Negozi's plan was excellent, but now that it has been ruined, the future is unpredictable. If or when you wish to die, tell me. That is the least I can do for you." With that I sucked Qi from the ground and let it fill me until my body flowed with rivers of Qi. It was a magical place where I became one with the earth around me. Like the sand, I could be trampled on, dug up but not hurt. Like the rocks, I could be smashed but not hurt. Like the earth, I needed nothing. But unlike the earth, I was aware of my surroundings like a hawk is aware of the wind. I could feel the presence of a warrior in front of me, steel slicing across my breast, and blood dripping down my stomach. And although time ceased to exist, I remained aware of each cut, blow, and heated blade.
And I felt the Qi of those staked out in the sands—weak but alive. I was aware on some level I could draw that Qi to me and end their suffering. The warriors wouldn't let them go and they couldn't escape. They would die where they lay. But did that justify me taking—killing—them? Unconsciously, my mind sorted through the issues and resolved the many conflicts. I drew their Qi to me. Sometime later, the warriors began shouting, and I felt blows raining down on my body and knew at least one rib had broken. I knew Irmak was screaming. Then it stopped.
"Irmak, do you wish to die now? I'm ready," I said coming back from my magical place. I felt the pain in every fiber of my body but managed to control it with Qi. I had destroyed lives, and life no longer seemed worth going on. The Path had ended in a warriors' camp. I had no regrets. I walked the Path with no desire to follow or lead, and this is where it had led. But soon my body would no longer function, and Irmak deserved to die without the suffering the warriors would eventually cause. I pulled in more Qi and could feel myself rising slowly, pulling the poles out of the ground. I expanded my Qi until it touched Irmak. She stood staring at me, tears in her eyes.
"NO!" the witch Ayria screamed, waved the women warriors away, and stepped in front of Negozi. "She stinks of power." As Ayria slowly approached us, I could feel her expanding her Qi to protect herself. It was moderately strong, but I doubted its ability to save her from serious injuries.
"We will free you...and your lieutenant, and treat your wounds. You will be fed and kept comfortable. Negozi may decide to have you killed, but you will not be tortured. Please, Negozi acknowledges the truth of what you said and wishes to speak with you."
"Well, Lieutenant Irmak, alive, who knows. It might be an interesting day. I promise you we will not die like lambs," I said, knowing I could manage the pain and realizing the Path should not be rushed. I could no more tell the future than change the past.
"I'd rather go out fighting than slaughtered like cattle. Until then, I have to protect you or Sandar will have me cleaning piss pots for the rest of my career." She choked out a laugh. Ayria said something, and the warriors untied me and gently laid me on a rug, which they used to carry me to a tent. Irmak was released and walked beside me in silence, rubbing her wrists and looking worried. The warriors carried me into a tent and laid me on the floor. As soon as they did, Ayria knelt beside me, gently inspecting my body.
With Irmak's help holding and turning me, Ayria spent hours applying poultices, stitching skin together, and bandaging me. Aware but deep in meditation, I felt little pain. When she finally left it was dark, and I slept.
* * *
Over the next four days, Ayria looked in on me several times a day, applying salve, changing bandages, and checking to see if we needed anything. When Irmak wasn't hovering over me, she was allowed to wander the camp, accompanied by two warriors. When she returned later that day, she was quiet.
"I found four other prisoners, which to my surprise they allowed me to talk to. They are strung between poles like you were and their bodies covered with cuts, strips of skin hanging lose, burn marks from red-hot knives, and broken bones. They are senior military: two top sergeants and two lieutenants. Just like you conjectured, they told me one moment they were chasing fleeing warriors and the next they were surrounded with nowhere to retreat." She stopped to take a sip of water before continuing. "Over a thousand, qi'Nisha. That maniac Wenrich sent over a thousand troops into the Sands after you and qi'Senka warned him." Irmak paused and rubbed her eyes. "They had tried to resist giving up any information, but they gave in after a day of torture. I can't blame them. Looking at them and watching them working on you, I don't know if I could have lasted as long as they did."
"Try not to guess. It will only depress you and possibly make you do something foolish."
* * *
Ayria arrived as usual to inspect my wounds and surprised me by staying when they brought the morning meal of grain, cheese, and water.
"Witch...?"
"Nisha," I said, understanding the witches were the tribes' equivalent of Qi.
"Witch Nisha, are you strong enough to see the Great One, Negozi? He is anxious to talk with you."
"Yes, your care has my body healing nicely. I'm a bit shaky but I can manage."
"Can I trust you not to try and kill him like you did those prisoners?"
"Yes. They were only hours away from dying and in much pain. My Qi demanded I help them, although against my teaching of remaining detached. But one cannot ignore one's Qi. I do not hate Negozi or the tribes although they wish Rhybac harm, just as I do not hate Duke Wenrich for his arrogance that caused the death of over a thousand men." I know that sounded harsh to Irmak, who sat looking shocked, but a Qi'advisor coul
d not be a judge or responsible for the decisions of others and be Qi. To do so would make the Qi'advisor partly responsible for the outcome and, therefore, no longer an unbiased observer. To Ayria, that also sounded strange if for a different reason, and she sat silent for a long while.
"I believe you. Come, Negozi is waiting."
* * *
Ayria held my arm for support in case I needed it and led me to the same large tent where the same tall, muscular man sat. His face was expressionless as he watched us approach. After I sat at the edge of the circular rug in front of him, he smiled.
"My Witch Ayria was right as usual. You are a woman of power. And you were right. You cannot be made to talk. My warriors told me you never flinched while they tortured you. Can all wise women do that?"
"To one extent or another. Just as you can't torture the Witch Ayria."
"Of course, I can be tortured."
"Sit, and I will prove it." I knew from our first encounter that she had a strong Qi. I thought, like myself, it had been a combination of training and dedication. Ayria stopped and stood staring at me. Negozi watched with a slight smile, as if watching an interesting contest. Finally, Ayria sank to her knees and folded back into a sitting position within my reach. I put my hand out. "A knife, please."
When she handed me her knife, I lifted her arm, pulled back her sleeve, and gently touched the knifepoint against her arm. Her face muscles tightened for a second then relaxed. I could feel her Qi building, which was the reaction I had hoped for.
"Witch Ayria, let yourself sink into the power you're building. Let it surround you. Think of nothing but the power." At first, the Qi leaked from her. She didn't trust me, but the Qi was winning. That feeling, once felt, was hard to resist. I waited as she pulled her Qi around her. Then I lifted her arm again and stuck the point in deep, until blood leaked out. Ayria never flinched. She would be aware of what had happened and feel the pressure but not the pain. I stood and handed the knife back to Negozi.
