We weren’t handcuffed, but we weren’t armed either. The nomads seemed focused on Luther with no less than four guns trained on him at one time, while the rest of us had only one guard.
Xena walked behind the truck. She was covered up by a thick chain that wrapped around her torso and hooked to the rear of the transport truck. I wondered why they kept her operational, perhaps they felt they could extract evidence regarding the Warden’s murder.
A middle-aged man with a ponytail held an old revolver to my liver. I tried not to look at him or the gun, attempting to appear as calm as possible even though the sense of dread overwhelmed me. As we hit ruts in the road, I felt him poke the barrel into my stomach harder and harder.
He leaned in. “You know, we don’t get many women up on the mountain,” he whispered. I could smell rotten meat on his breath and the stench of his body odor. He smelled like he hadn’t showered in weeks.
I turned my face away from him as he leaned even closer. “Before I came here, I used to see women, occasionally. My mother was a slave. I grew up with a group of roaming wanderers not far from here. They used my mother as bait, to trap more women. But I’ve never seen a woman with such short hair like yours before. It’s different. Do you prefer women? Is that why?” he asked in a seductive voice, smiling. “And where did you get that scar?” he questioned, running his dirty finger along my hairline.
I jerked away. “Get the fuck off me!” I blurted out, staring at him in the eyes.
He laughed at me loudly and dug the gun barrel into my side. “Tough talk. I like it. I bet you’re used to having the upper hand escorting the Engineer around. You probably intimidate people with your swords, and your fancy-dancy equipment, pushing your fucking Legion bullshit. All your morals and laws. I’ve heard about it since I was a boy. That’s probably why you killed the Warden, isn’t it? Someone stands up for good and you slaughter them to maintain control. There can be only one shining city on the hill, isn’t that right?” he instigated.
Luther was sitting across from us. I saw him clenching his fist while glaring at the man as he spoke to me. Luther had to be careful not to show any sort of preference. I could be tortured or raped if they found out I was his wife.
“Well, almost the end of the line,” the guard beside me said. I noticed a trail of smoke coming from near the mountain entrance. As we approached, I saw three dozen nomads standing between the Warden’s statue and the cave entrance, waiting.
They were circled around a large fire facing us.
I noticed Roman in the middle of the nomad formation. He was one of the first nomads I’d met. His position reminded me of a liaison or advisor for the nomad leadership.
I recalled him ordering the execution of one of his own men because I was groped. He did this without hesitation. It made me wonder how rational he would be regarding the accusation against Luther.
Roman seemed displeased with his arms crossed as he narrowed his eyes at us. I wondered if Soran had radioed him about why we were his prisoners.
The truck stopped and the nomads stood us up. “Let’s go,” a man covered in face tattoos said. He poked Luther in the back with his gun barrel. The metal on metal clacked when jabbing Luther’s armor. “The Engineer’s breastplate is mine after this is over,” a nomad whispered to his comrade.
They escorted us out of the truck, front and center near Roman. “On your knees,” Soran ordered us. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed Xena was lying down wrapped in chains while a guard stood over her.
Soran paced back and forth. “Roman... nomads... after all this time we’ve discovered who the Warden’s real murderer was,” he said, locking his eyes on Luther.
“So you say,” Roman muttered as Kodiak brought up the rear with several more nomads in tow.
Roman seemed to take his time looking into each one of the returning nomads’ eyes. “Men, let me understand something. You’ve destroyed seven of the raider’s vehicles? Isn’t that what you reported?” Roman questioned.
“Yes,” Soran said.
“Then where are our solar panels?” Roman asked. The nomads looked at one another without a word.
“Weren’t the solar panels the main reason you left?” Roman challenged.
“There were, complications...” Soran replied, glancing over his shoulder at Kodiak.
Roman tucked his hand under his chin. “Complications? So, in just over twenty-four hours, you’ve managed to lose General Haik along with twenty men, and uncovered a plot that involved the Warden’s true assassin. You’ve destroyed seven raider vehicles but somehow you failed to bring back any of the solar panels despite having ample space in the transport truck?” he confronted. “Men, please, tell me I’m missing something here,” Roman added.
Soran’s nostrils flared as Kodiak stepped in front of him. “Roman, it’s one big mix up. Look. We’re all exhausted from the battle and trip there and back. Tempers and emotions are high because of the loss of General Haik and our comrades, but as next in line to lead these men, it’s my belief that we should allow the Engineer and his knights to go home, immediately. These baseless accusations of such a crime would surely result in war between our two peoples,” Kodiak explained.
Soran’s head whipped toward Kodiak. “Accusations? You’re the one that told me that the Engineer killed our Warden!”
“Well, it’s possible Senator Barrus was lying. Barrus was a traitor. Do you truly believe a man labeled as a traitor, and banished from his home would come to us and sing the Engineer’s praises? No, he wouldn’t. He would lie.” Kodiak stretched out his arms. It was odd to see Kodiak coming to our defense. I gathered his strategy was to win back our lives, thereby increasing his chances of securing an alliance with the Legion against his own enemies. Fat chance.
Roman arched an eyebrow. “Kodiak. First of all, if Senator Barrus told you the Engineer was responsible for the Warden’s death, why did you keep it a secret from us, and especially General Haik? And there’s absolutely nothing that says you were the General’s next pick to lead us—”
Soran stepped in front of Kodiak. “Exactly Roman, Kodiak has kept far too many secrets, but he is not alone. I have to admit something to everyone here.”
“What now?” Roman asked, sighing.
Soran slumped his head. “The General told me before he died, that if anything were to happen to him, that I must assume command. This is a heavy burden, but I’m willing to respect the General’s last wishes,” Soran said. Kodiak laughed loudly and shook his head. I heard several other nomads behind Kodiak chuckle.
“Well Soran, we would hate to burden you with such responsibility, but do you have any proof that General Haik declared you as his successor?” Roman asked.
“Hell no, it’s a lie,” Kodiak mumbled.
“Silence!” Roman roared, glaring at Kodiak.
“Soran, I’ll ask you again... do you have evidence?” Roman asked.
Soran gulped and shook his head. “Not yet, but—”
Roman raised his hand, silencing Soran. “Let me be clear, brothers. This is an absolute embarrassment for our people. Look at this squabbling and deceit. Part of me wishes we could kill these Legion knights for fear they would tell others just how far we’ve fallen since the Warden’s passing. But we cannot. We must stand for justice as the Warden has taught us. And if you must know the truth, I was closest to the Warden. No one here will argue that, and even though General Haik replaced him as our leader, he was not the Warden’s first choice to lead,” Roman hinted.
“You told us the Warden’s first choice died,” Kodiak said.
“But did he?” Roman asked, crossing his arms. Roman waded around in front of us and stopped. He looked down at each one of us. Surprisingly, Roman grabbed a rifle from one of his men. “I’ll give this right back,” he said.
Roman walked away from the group about ten meters. He aimed the rifle barrel down in the snow and began to etch something. He took off his coat and covered his work as Soran and Kodiak looke
d at one another in confusion.
“Ah, excuse me, Roman, but this isn’t a time for riddles. We have a situation on our hands,” Soran said.
Roman turned around and faced the group. “No riddles. But underneath my coat is the name of the man the Warden said would lead us one day. Does anyone know the name of that person?” Roman tested. Everyone looked at one another. “No one? Fine. Engineer, I want you to tell me the young man’s name to your right,” Roman instructed.
Luther slumped his head and slowly turned it to his right. “Leo... his name is Leonidas,” Luther replied.
“Ah, yes.” Roman lifted his coat from the ground as the nomads surrounded the area. The letters LEO were etched in the snow.
“Impossible!” one of the nomads proclaimed.
Soran’s eyes widened as Roman pointed at Leo. “That young man, is the Warden’s only son. It was only now in the light of the fire that I got a good look at him,” Roman said, walking in front of Leo.
“Boy, you might have the long blond locks of your mother, but you have your father’s look. There isn’t a nomad here that has seen the Warden without his mask, except me, and I remember,” Roman concluded.
All eyes shifted toward Leo.
“But why, why did you tell us he was dead?” Soran demanded.
Leo raised his severed arm. “I almost died.”
Kodiak snickered. “Well, well, isn’t this just special,” he said, throwing up his hands.
“Wait. You uncovered who the Warden’s son is, so what now? We accept this boy as our leader by default and become the Legion’s puppets?” Soran challenged.
“If he’s the Warden’s son, then why the fuck did he hide it from us? If he wanted to lead, he would have told us already. I agree with Soran. This man is loyal to the Legion. We’ve all heard the stories about this knight. He’s the Engineer’s right-hand man. We’ll be under the Legion’s thumb if we kneel to Leo,” a grizzled nomad spoke up.
Roman stepped forward. “If some of you wish to disobey the Warden’s last wishes, then, go ahead, but you do understand most of our soldiers will recognize him as the rightful leader regardless of his status within the Legion. Many here even suggested kidnapping Leo before we heard he was killed,” he said.
Soran put his hands on his head. “Roman! I cannot believe this. He’s not even a fucking nomad! He’s Legion. This revelation doesn’t mean a damn thing,” Soran argued.
Roman held his arms out to his side. “And who were you before you came here twelve years ago, Soran? Huh? Kodiak? Neither of you were nomads, and neither was I. I was a pillager before the Warden took me under his wings,” Roman reminded, pointing at the Warden’s statue.
Roman glanced at the ground. “Remember where you stand, remember the symbology of this mountain. We can all fall to the lowest depths, but even then, we have the potential to rise to the highest summit. Have we forgotten the Warden’s teachings so quickly?” Roman questioned, gazing into the distance. He seemed to reflect on his own personal journey as the nomads remained silent.
Roman paced back and forth. He met eyes with each nomad. “Whether we like it or not, many of the Warden’s values, his core was based on Legion principles and laws. He was trained as a knight. We’re not the same, but we do share a kinship,” Roman said.
Soran stepped forward. He pointed at Luther. “This man murdered our Warden. Kodiak tells me there are several witnesses in the Legion that will testify against him, that he even admitted it. Not only that, I’m not completely convinced this man is our Warden’s son, what if—”
Leo stood up. “I am the Warden’s son!” he roared. I gulped as his voice sent a chill down my spine. His words echoed off the mountain, startling a group of crows that flew out of a tree next to us. His commanding, powerful voice reminded me of Luther’s as Soran’s eyes widened at the outburst. Despite Leo speaking out of turn, no one challenged him.
Leo pointed down at the ground. “And you will at least hear my words. I was there when my father was killed. I watched him fall, and if I can accept what the Engineer did as fair, then so can you. Make no mistake, I might have been a boy when the Architect took my father away from me, but I loved him. I still love him. But the Engineer upheld the law, he killed the Warden in combat for his crimes against the Legion.”
“But that was so many years ago!” Soran shouted.
Leo glanced at Luther before pointing at Soran. “How you dare say that to me! I know that!” Leo shouted as his lip trembled. I could see the conflict within him, a tug between the love for his biological father and Luther as he attempted to wrestle and hold righteousness above all else.
“Nomads. There is no expiration date on the deaths of women and children that fell to my father’s orders. I heard him admit with my own ears that he wanted the Engineer dead. Why? Not just because the Architect controlled him, but because he was jealous of the Engineer. Whether you like it or not, and despite my father’s redemption, he committed murder out of envy,” he said, looking down on Luther.
Leo pointed to his chest. “As much as I hate to admit it, my father paid for his crimes by a virtuous hand.”
Silence ensued as I looked at Luther. Soran walked slowly toward Leo, looking him in the eyes. “Even if you are the Warden’s son, to speak of him in such a way is heresy, and that gives you no claim to rule our people!” Soran yelled as he yanked out a pistol, pointing it at Leo’s head.
Twelve nomad soldiers behind Soran followed suit, pointing their weapons at us.
“Soran,” Kodiak said nervously.
“No! I’ve had enough of this shit, Kodiak. This knight could destroy the Warden’s legacy with his lies, and I will not stand for his slander!” Soran shouted.
“As I told you before, if you kill him, we’ll be forced to fight the Ghosts of the Red Army alone, and we’ll create a new enemy. The Legion could destroy us by themselves!” Kodiak reminded.
“I don’t give a fuck about the Ghosts, Kodiak! And the Legion doesn’t know we have their knights as prisoners,” Soran argued.
“Are you seriously stupid enough to believe the Legion doesn’t know what is going on? They could be on their way here, now,” Kodiak said.
I stood up. “The helmet you removed from my head,” I spoke up, nodding at one of the guards holding it.
“What about it?” Roman asked as Soran’s eyes widened.
“It’s been transmitting audio and navigational data about our mission the entire time. Everywhere we’ve been will be visible by the Legion. They’ll know exactly what happened to us,” I lied. Navigational information was collected by Legion technicians, but I embellished for effect.
Kodiak shrugged. “See Soran? You’re creating enemies. Powerful ones. It’s unnecessary. You’re not fit to lead any more than the Warden’s slanderous child. Even less actually. The only option is me. I respect the Warden’s legacy and I understand the need for alliances—”
Soran turned his pistol away from Leo, slowly raising it toward Kodiak. Kodiak put up his hands. “Whoa, now is not the time for irrationality,” Kodiak pleaded, raising his eyebrows. Several men around Kodiak raised their rifles at Soran and his men.
Luther waved Leo and I down as Soran and Kodiak’s men yelled at one other. “Kodiak, tell your men to lower your weapons!” Soran demanded.
“Get that fucking pistol out of my face, Soran!” Kodiak warned. Roman stepped between Soran and Kodiak’s men with his own soldiers.
“Everyone, drop your weapons!” Roman ordered.
“Captain,” Xena said, surprising me.
I turned around and noticed she had crawled near me. “What?” I muttered as the nomads were distracted.
“This is a potentially dangerous situation,” she said.
“I understand that, Xena.”
“I’ve taken the liberty to intervene,” she said plainly.
“Huh?” I asked, staring at her wrapped in chains. I heard radio chatter on the nomads’ belts, but they were too preoccupied with each o
ther. As I homed in on the voices, I could hear men calling for help. My eyes widened as the situation became clear.
“Luther,” I mumbled. He turned toward me.
“When I tell you to get down... get down!” I yelled. Luther outstretched his arms, pushing Leo and Neona from their knees flat into the snow as a flash of light bloomed behind us.
I looked up as Soran’s men were vaporized into a red-brown mist. Their fur clothing wisped into the air. Kodiak dove into the snow as the AA tank climbed the hill behind us, searching for more targets while it fired over our heads. The trees behind the dead nomads were engulfed in flames.
“Captain, my apologies. It took me longer than expected to gain remote control access to the AA tank,” Xena said.
Roman’s men retreated behind the Warden’s statue as Kodiak’s troops ducked for cover. “The android hacked that tank! Kill the machine first!” Kodiak’s men fired at Xena while she was on the ground. She rolled through the snow wrapped in chains making herself a more difficult target as laser fire landed all around her.
I dug in as low as possible, then I felt Luther’s body atop of me. He corralled Neona and Leo close to me, shielding us all with his wide frame. “Don’t move,” he said, gritting his teeth. I could feel his arms pulling us tight beneath him. With every gunshot and laser strobe, I felt his hands shaking. I peeked out as return laser flashed overhead.
Xena remotely zapped each of Kodiak’s men using the AA tank. This weapon was overkill for humans; it was designed to shred aircraft. Steam funneled up from the ground as snow evaporated after each target was melted. One of Kodiak’s men threw down his rifle and put up his hands, but it was too late. Xena scorched his rifle in mid-air, burning through it and killing him in the process.
“My god,” I muttered. His boots and a clump of smoldering clothes were all that remained.
The Legacy of the Lioness Page 12
