“A point,” Marcus conceded.
“I could just sneak in to Pune and complete the Quest myself,” Brynn offered.”
“I don’t think so,” Jade replied witheringly.
“But I could,” he insisted.
“And what would we do, sit here and wait?” she said. “As if. I’m not letting you get killed again.” She gripped the boy’s shoulder and squeezed hard until he squeaked in protest. Cadoc sent her a quizzical look, which she ignored.
Phoenix sighed, shelving his instinctive desire for action with difficulty. They needed to think this through first. “I don’t know about you lot but I’m tired and hungry. Why don’t we camp for the night and see how it looks in the morning?”
“Sounds good to me,” Cadoc jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I saw a spring in a thicket of trees just back there. Should be enough fodder for the horses as well as water and shelter.”
Phoenix suppressed another irrational surge of envy. He should have been to the one to spot a camping place. He shook his head at his own reaction. He had to stop comparing himself to Cadoc. It was not helpful.
Jade sent some witchlights to hover low over the broken ground ahead as they made their way slowly and carefully back to the spring. Cadoc was right: it was a perfect campsite. Their fire was sheltered and hidden by a thick grove of trees surrounding a crystal clear natural spring that bubbled out of the mountainside. Nearby, a small, grassy clearing provided food for the horses. Once Jade created the illusion of a fence between the trees, the horses seemed quite content to stay there.
They were a merry enough group. Dinner was a thick stew made of bits and pieces from both lots of supplies and supplemented with some of the flatbreads the Indian villagers ate. Leela had given Jade the breads and a bag of spices for seasoning when they’d left that morning. Jade added some of the spices to the pot; Cadoc threw in a few dried vegetables and Brynn added a freshly-dressed hare he had brought down with a casual shot from his sling. Along with a skin of wine from Heron’s stock, it was a delicious, filling meal.
Afterward, they reclined in various states of half-sleep, gazing at the small fire in comfortable silence. Brynn brought out the little bronze whistle given to him in Svealand and piped a quiet, drowsy little tune. The flames flickered and danced hypnotically, occasionally sending tiny sparks sailing into a dark sky. The smell of woodsmoke reminded Phoenix of camping trips in Scotland with his parents but not even the thought of his father could bother him at the moment.
He sat now with his back against a tree, eyelids drooping, feeling content and relaxed. For once, no-one was chasing them, imprisoning them or attempting to kill them. It was a welcome relief. This was what adventures should be like. So much for Level Four being harder than Level three. Apart from a small brush with a large number of snake-people and Jade being careless with a life, it was all going pretty easily. They just had to bypass an inconvenient army and they’d be home free. They were sure to come up with a good plan for that after a decent night’s sleep.
Idly, Phoenix considered sliding off into sleep right where he was but his neck was already getting stiff and a rock was digging into his backside. Besides, if he put up his leather tent, he’d be protected from the dew. At least then he’d get a few hours sleep before his watch.
Yawning, he shook his head. His thinking was getting a little muzzy but it did occur to him that no-one had even talked about setting watch. Jade was usually almost compulsive about it. Feeling uneasy, he glanced around at his friends and frowned. They had all actually dropped off to sleep. Cadoc lay buried under a pile of blankets on the other side of the fire. Brynn had fallen on to his side and now snored loudly, his head pillowed on Jade’s backpack. Jade was curled up under her cloak, her beautiful face relaxed and unworried for a change. Even Marcus slept soundly, his sword still lying in his open hand.
Phoenix sighed. It seemed like the first watch belonged to him. Well, he’d better add wood to the fire and find somewhere a little less comfortable to sit; otherwise he’d be snoozing, too.
He reached out a hand to push himself off the ground. It wouldn’t move. He stared at his arm in confusion. OK, the other one, then. That one refused to move, either. What was wrong with him? With a huge effort, he raised his heavy head and looked blearily around the campsite. Was that a flicker of movement in the trees?
Fear gave his body a shot of adrenalin. His right hand crept across his lap towards Blódbál’s hilt. If he could just get hold of the sword, its magic would wake him up.
Before he could reach it, fifty or more men stepped into the firelight, their dark eyes and sharp swords glittering. The last thing Phoenix remembered was the point of a blade pricking at his throat. Then darkness claimed his mind.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jade awoke with a splitting headache and a mouth tasting of mouldy cotton wool. Screwing up her face, she cracked one eye open and immediately regretted it. Daylight stabbed her eyeball, exploded into her brain and sent chills of nausea flooding through her body. Was this what a hangover felt like? If so, then when she got back to the real world, she would never, ever get drunk.
She desperately needed some water to clear her mouth. Then she’d be able to at least say a healing spell that would clear the headache and nausea. She dry-swallowed down the queasiness. Next she tried to roll over and made an unpleasant discovery: her hands were tied tightly behind her back.
What? Who?
Suddenly the headache didn’t seem so important. Lying still, Jade sifted through her memories of the night before. They had made camp, made dinner, eaten it, …..and then what? All she remembered was watching the fire and feeling more and more drowsy. Surely they hadn’t all fallen asleep without setting watch? How could they?
A sudden flash of recall made her want to groan. The spices. She had put those spices from Leela into their stew. The Indian woman must have drugged them. But why?
To find that out, Jade realised she’d have to open her eyes again. Under her breath, she muttered the healing spell. It wasn’t one hundred percent effective but at least it took the edge off the headache. Cautiously, she opened an eye and found the dim daylight bearable. She seemed to be lying on dirt, on her side in some sort of large tent. There were other lumpy shapes around her. One of them moved and groaned. It sounded like Brynn.
She wriggled over to him and put her mouth near his ear. “Brynn…wake up.”
The boy’s body jerked. His eyes flew open then screwed shut again. He opened his mouth then clamped it shut when Jade spoke.
She whispered. “Don’t throw up and don’t make any noise! We’re tied up in a tent somewhere. I think we were drugged last night. Stay still a moment.”
Brynn was silent for a few seconds, his eyes firmly closed, his throat working as he held down the nausea. Finally he gave her a tight grin through clenched teeth.
“Number six, huh? Well, at least no-one’s killed me yet.” He grimaced. “Although I almost wish they had.”
With a grunt of effort, Jade twisted and squirmed until she managed to pull her feet through her looped arms and brought her hands up in front of her. Touching Brynn’s head, she murmured the healing spell again and heard him sigh in relief.
“I need to help the others,” she whispered in his ear. “You work on getting yourself free.”
Brynn nodded and repeated her trick of getting his hands to the front. It paid to be flexible. Casting frequent, wary glances at the tent-flap, Jade struggled over to Phoenix. One by one, she applied the healing spell on him, Marcus and Cadoc; whispering instructions and reassurance as they came awake. Unfortunately, none of them could get their feet through their hands – they were less flexible and just too well-tied. The knots were too tight for her or Brynn to work loose.
Worried, Jade whispered harken and closed her eyes. Blocking out the small noises her friends made, she listened beyond the tent walls, trying to find out how much time they might have before someone arrived to check on them. It was impossib
le. There were so many conversations going on and so many other, weird noises that there was no way she could pick out what might refer to herself. She could hear fires crackling, horses stamping, laughter and drowsy complaints; harsh orders and whispered insubordination. Then, from somewhere close by, came a bizarre trumpeting that almost blasted her sensitised eardrums.
Pulling her mind back into her skull, Jade groaned. The headache returned with a vengeance and a repeat of the healing spell barely scratched it this time. She needed her herbs and some water.
“What was that?” Brynn squeaked, awed by the noise.
“An elephant,” Marcus sounded grim. “I’ve seen them in the Games in Rome and my father sometimes uses them in battle. We must be in the army camp.”
“It sounds huge!” Brynn looked apprehensively up at the tent roof.
“They are,” Marcus agreed. “But what are they doing here? I thought they came from Africa.”
“There’re are some in India, too,” Cadoc said in a low tone. “Indian kings put armour on them and use them in battle here, too. In an army this size, there will probably be at least a thousand elephants as well as horse cavalry.”
“Who cares,” Phoenix hissed. “I just want to know how we get out of here – with all our stuff. They’ve taken my sword.”
Jade gasped and patted awkwardly at the front of her shirt with her fingers. She slumped in relief. The Hyllion Bagia was still there, under her shirt, tucked into her waistband. Her dagger and staff were gone, along with her backpack but their captors hadn’t found the Bag or her amulet.
She caught Phoenix’s eye, about to reassure him but he shook his head at her. Startled, she raised an eyebrow. He glanced at Cadoc and shook his head firmly again. The message was clear. For some reason, Phoenix didn’t want the Player to know about the Bag.
Annoyed, Jade pressed her lips together and frowned at him. She supposed it made sense but it felt wrong to withhold such vital information from their fellow captive. He was as much a victim as they were. Along with their Quest-item, the Sudarsharna, the Bag contained all sorts of useful items: torches, food, Roman weapons and money. For a long moment, Jade debated ignoring Phoenix’s warning and revealing the Bag anyway. Just as she had almost decided to do so, her Elven ears heard approaching footsteps.
“Down!” she hissed and flopped down on her side, facing away from the tent opening. Once more she extended her hearing, focussing on the approaching soldiers. This time she got luckier.
“I’d rather Lord Bhumaka sent someone else to bring the prisoners to his tent,” one of the soldiers muttered.
“Are you scared of Bhumaka?” the other jeered.
“No – well, yes but not this time. I’m more worried about the prisoners,” the first said hurriedly. “Haven’t you heard? One of them is a…vetaala.”
“A vampire?” his friend scoffed. “I heard the rumour when the scout group came back yesterday but I don’t believe it. They’re not real.”
“Oh? And I suppose you don’t believe in the Naga, either?”
“Them, I believe in,” the second man said, fear in his voice. “I just can’t believe Lord Bhumaka has made an alliance with them. You can’t trust the snake-people. It gives me the creeps just to see them in our camp. Is it true that they are going to fight on our side against Guatamiputra Satakarni?”
“I don’t know and I don’t want to know,” the first man replied. “I just want to get this job done and get away from all of this. I’m a merchant. I’m of the vaishya caste, not a soldier. I’ve got a dozen fishermen to manage back in Śūrpāraka. We should leave soldiering to the Kshatriya caste. I don’t even see why we are fighting for the Saka, anyway. Everyone knows that Guatamiputra is the real Raj, not Bhumaka.”
“Hush!” his companion hissed. “Don’t say that near one of the Saka troops if you value your life. The pay is good, that’s all you have to worry about. Who cares who calls themselves Raj, as long as there’s enough food to feed our families?”
Jade had heard more than enough. Her heart raced. If the Naga were in league with this Bhumaka then the last thing she and her friends needed was to be hauled into his tent. The Naga would be sure to recognise their attackers and demand vengeance. She didn’t understand everything the men said about castes and Sakas but one thing was clear – somehow they had to escape or change their faces before being taken before Bhumaka and his Naga allies.
That was it! She held her breath as a kernel of an idea flickered in her head. Rolling over, she jerked her head at the others.
“Here they come. Pretend to be more ill than you are and whatever you do, don’t look surprised when you see each other. Cadoc, you’re a mute. Don’t speak.”
Understandably, they sent her confused, blank looks but she didn’t have time to explain. Instead, she closed her eyes and drew on as much power as she dared. Her own appearance had to be first as she was the most remarkable of the group. She drew a mental picture of Leela’s oldest daughter, Mallika. Superimposing Mallika’s pretty, brown-skinned image over her own face in her mind, Jade whispered the Elvish illusion spell and heard Brynn gasp in amazement.
There was no time for talk. The soldiers were almost at the door. The footsteps came closer, slower now as the men’s reluctance to see a vampire dragged at their feet. Jade concentrated on each of the others in turn, replacing their faces with illusions of men and a boy from the village. It wasn’t easy. She hadn’t really taken much notice of individual faces. Hopefully the change would be just enough to make Bhumaka believe he was dealing with a group of natives, rather than outlanders. Their clothes and gear could be a problem. Jade didn’t have enough strength to change everything and her powers wouldn’t work on anything iron, anyway. Hopefully the others would catch on and someone would come up with a plausible story to explain their gear.
It was done just as the soldiers shoved back the tent flap and barked a harsh order.
“Get up. Lord Bhumaka has commanded your presence.”
With more groaning than was strictly necessary, the friends struggled to their feet. Jade cast another surreptitious look at her companions. If it wasn’t for their clothes, she wouldn’t have recognised any of them. Brynn looked much like himself but with darker skin and hair. Marcus and Cadoc were similarly altered. She just hoped she could maintain it. She didn’t like their chances as obvious outlanders in the middle of an army. Now they just had to come up with a good reason why a bunch of Indian natives were dressed as foreigners.
As they were marched at spearpoint through the camp, she could almost feel Marcus’ disapproval. He had grown up in Roman army camps. Discipline and organisation were the keys to a Roman army. Most of the men were full-time soldiers: living and breathing the army life; bonded in 8-man tent-groups; marching all over Europe; seasoned fighters.
This camp was definitely not Roman. It seemed to be made up of motley groups, scattered in disorderly fashion over the field. Most were Indian men but there were some women and even a few children scurrying about. Clearly, the men were not regular soldiers. Uniforms were sketchy and tattered at best; most men didn’t have tents or bedding of any sort; food seemed scarce and cooking utensils minimal; skinny dogs roamed wild, snapping at anyone who approached; weapons were dull and notched. The only things that seemed well cared-for were the elephants.
Jade watched with amusement as Brynn’s expression changed to slack-jawed wonder as they passed near to an elephant-handler’s area. Five enormous beasts were tethered with nothing more than a thin piece of rope tied to a small metal stake in the ground. Piled on the ground nearby were random stacks of plate armour and bales of hay. As the group passed, one of the large males raised his trunk, pointed his long white tusks to the sky and trumpeted loudly. The rest of the elephants shuffled restlessly and rubbed their trunks across each others’ grey, wrinkled backs as if seeking reassurance.
Jade could have used some reassurance herself. Her illusion gave them at least half a chance of getting out of this
alive but it would take more than her minor, and at the moment quite weak, magic to regain their freedom. Somehow, they had to get their gear back and escape from the middle of a one-hundred-thousand strong army.
As they moved further through the camp, she noticed a change in the atmosphere. In this area, about a third of the army were clearly not native Indians. Better organised into close-knit groups, these soldierly factions became more common as the companions were marched through the camp toward their destination. The soldiers had paler skin than the Indians. Instead of the dhoti, they wore long coats, decorated trousers, short boots and odd, pointed hats that made them look like overgrown garden gnomes. Scary garden gnomes with fierce expressions, long, dark hair and full beards. Many were practicing archery; using recurve bows with deadly skill. Some were mock-fighting with battle-axes and knives. Big gnomes you didn’t want to mess with.
Realising who they must be from the guard’s conversation, Jade leaned over and whispered ‘Saka’ into Marcus’ ear. He frowned and nodded. Then she said the word into Phoenix’s ear but whatever Marcus knew, Phoenix didn’t. He just gave her a look of non-comprehension and shrugged. She wasn’t much wiser. Whoever these Saka were, wherever they came from, they seemed to make up the fighting core of an otherwise rag-tag army of Indian recruits.
Their Indian guards marched them toward a large pavilion in the middle of the army. A huge, round tent made of gaudy silks and fluttering flags, it had to be the residence of someone important. At the entrance stood two, expressionless Saka. Gleaming spears were angled across the doorway.
The steps of their escort soldiers faltered as the group approached the tent. Apparently common footsoldiers were wary of the elite troops that guarded their leader. They stopped about fifteen feet away from the door and stood, shuffling their feet. One of them prodded Phoenix in the back with the butt of his spear.
“Go on then. Lord Bhumaka is waiting for you,” he grunted.
Jade glanced at Phoenix and shrugged. It wasn’t like they had many options. There was little chance of escape from the middle of a one-hundred-thousand strong army. Phoenix nodded back. He drew a deep breath, he pulled back his shoulders. By the way his bound fingers clenched and opened and he frowned down at his left hip, Jade guessed he was missing Blódbál. She had to admit, as much as she found his berserker link to that sword frightening, it was also reassuring to know they had a magic sword on their side. Without it, how could they succeed?
The Sudarshana Page 7
