“Strike her now, or I will have the guards strike you from here to the Karn Palace. Now, Strike her!”
Muzi was trying to hold back tears as she turned to face kDira. kDira’s eyes begged her not to strike her, and through her gag she tried to plead with her, but Muzi’s fear of Hayden was much stronger than kDira’s muffled cries for mercy. Muzi swung the belt and it slapped kDira across the midsection. kDira flinched and cried in pain.
“Hit her harder!” Hayden demanded. Muzi swung again and the slap of the belt left a red welt on kDira’s chest. Again, kDira cried in pain and tears were running down her face.
Muzi had to wipe her own tears away, and Hayden demanded again and again to strike her. He told Muzi to move around to her back side and repeat the strikes again and again.
Before too long, kDira became limp as she hung there by her hands, bruised and bleeding from chest to her knees. Finally, Hayden gave to word to stop. He walked over to kDira and slapped her face a few times to bring her back to awareness. Then he grabbed her face and made her look him in the eyes.
“How ironic that you would end up the breeder I won in battle,” Hayden sneered, looking directly at her eyes. Lucky for you, actually, because if you weren’t a breeder, you’d be dead by now.”
“Muzi, go back to our chambers, I have other plans for you,” he said, waving her out the door.
Then, in a symbolic act of rubbing salt in the wounds, he urinated on her and laughed as he left.
“We have to do something,” Agis said. “We can’t just sit here and wait for them to kill her.”
“Hayden won’t kill her,” Threg said. “He needs her to make it back to Karn City to show them he fulfilled his mission for them. She’s a breeder, and the Blackhorn leader. What bigger prize could he offer them? He won’t kill her.”
“Yes,” Agis agreed, “but he might not treat her very well. If he hurts her…”
“kDira is strong,” Ari chimed in, “She can take whatever he dishes out.”
“It doesn’t mean she wants to,” Agis said. “We took them out once before, we can do it again. And last time we had fewer warriors.”
“Last time they were drunk and sleeping, if the stories I heard are true,” Ari added.
“That is true. I still cannot sit up here knowing she’s down there and we can’t do anything to help her.”
For the first time, Fralek spoke up. “They will be leaving at first light, I would bet,” he said. We have ten good archers; we will pick them off as they leave from above, Agis and I will lead the rest down to the platform and attack the rest in the chaos. But we must make sure kDira is safely on the ground before we start shooting.”
“That is a good plan,” Agis agreed. “We will camp here on the ridge, and we must ensure someone stands watch in case they try to move out in the night.”
“I will stand first watch,” Threg said.
“Wake me in a few hours so you can get some sleep, then,” Fralek said.
“Then that is what we will do,” Agis said. He was relieved that they had a plan, though not as solid as he would have wished, it was a plan none-the-less.
By first light, Ari and the archers were posted along the ridge, waiting for kDira to emerge from the Keeps opening. The sun was blinding as it crested the horizon to the east.
As predicted, the Karn started to exit the opening within the canyon and stepped out onto the scaffolding. Several scaled the ladders down to the bottom of the Ocheebee Pass awaiting Hayden and kDira. After several minutes, they could see kDira emerge, her hands tied tightly behind her, her clothes obviously ravaged, and a hood pulled tightly over her head. She had obviously taken a beating, and was crying desperately. She struggled as they tied a rope around her waist to lower her down to the canyon surface.
Agis reacted, and tried to jump to his feet, but Threg held him down.
“Not yet,” Threg said, “If we attack now you risk her falling to the ground.”
Hayden, dressed in his ornate Karn robe, went down next. The signal was given, and the archers stood and began taking out Karn targets. One shot the two Karn manning the ropes that held Hayden and he fell to the ground with a thud and a cry in agony as his legs crumbled underneath him.
Other Karn rushed out of the opening as more arrows came raining down, picking them off one by one. Ari noticed Hayden trying to crawl for cover, and ended his movement with a quick shot to the center of his back. He fell limp to the ground.
Agis saw kDira lying on the ground, a Karn Guard trying to pull her to her feet. Omiroe turned and fired his crossbow cleanly through the guard’s eye socket, dropping him to the ground as well.
Agis, Fralek and Omiroe jumped down onto the platform completely surprising the Karn that were standing there. A few quick swipes of daggers sent them tumbling into the canyon below. Two more Karn came out the door and were quickly defeated. One fell in the passage and one followed the others over the side. To the surprise of the three Blackhorn on the platform, there were no more Karn coming out.
“That can’t be all,” Omiroe said.
“We need to get to kDira,” Agis exclaimed, starting to climb down to the canyon floor. One by one, the other Blackhorn made their way into the keep to seek out the rest of the Karn.
Agis, reaching the bottom, rushed over to his leader.
“kDira, are you okay?” he asked as he gently rolled his bruised and battered friend onto her back.
He heard muffled cries under the hood, and he reached down to remove it from her head. When he did so, the horror of the situation struck him like a rock from above.
The face was not that of kDira’s. Agis stood in anger.
“What is going on?” he yelled. He stepped back a minute to make sense of what happened. He looked over at the body of Hayden, and went over to check his body.
Removing his hood, Agis realized that he, like the woman impersonating kDira, was not the real Hayden.
“Agis, there is no one else in the keep,” Threg yelled down from the scaffolding.
“This is not kDira!” Agis called back up. “It’s not her, we were tricked!”
Agis went over to the imposter girl and removed her gag.
“Who are you?” he demanded. “Who are you and where is kDira?”
The girl lay there and cried. Agis slapped her face and she turned away.
“Answer me or I will torture you until you do! Where is kDira?”
“Hayden took her out the west passage then north several hours before dawn,” she cried. “He has many hours’ head start on you. He has most of his army with him. Please untie me.”
As the Blackhorn made their way down the scaffold, Agis untied her and sat her up.
“What is your name?” Agis asked.
“My name is Muzi. I was Hayden’s servant.” she said.
“Do we trust her? Or do we kill her?” Fralek asked.
“You are not full blooded Karn, are you?” Ari asked.
“I am only a small part Karn. My mother was not a Karn, and my father only half Karn,” she said.
“I say we kill her!” said Agis.
“Please, Hayden beat me and called me his mule. I have no love for him,” she said between sobs.
“Yes, he enjoys calling people his mule” Fralek said.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you,” Agis said, backing her up against the canyon wall, holding his dagger to her throat. “Make me believe that you wouldn’t slit my throat in the middle of the night, or lead us into a trap.”
“Hayden wanted me to send you north into the canyon,” she said trying to keep her composure. “His warriors will be waiting for you there.”
“How does that help us?” Agis said, pushing her tighter against the rock wall. “We need to catch them as fast as we can and we’re wasting time.”
“You don’t know about the east entrance to the keep, do you?” she asked.
“What east entrance?” Agis demanded.
“Just like the west tunnel out, there is one on the
east as well,” Muzi said, feeling Agis’ weight on her lifting a bit. “You could be up and out of the Pass in very little time and then cut northeast to intercept them. Or you could just follow the canyon along the East Ridge and take out the archers waiting on the edge for you to pass under.”
“Please trust me. Look at my body,” she said, beginning to sob again. “I want Hayden dead too!”
Agis let her go. She wrapped herself in the robe to get warm in the cool air.
“Do you know the Karn Palace well?” Ari asked.
“Yes, I do,” Muzi answered. “I know every bit of it.”
“Do the Karn have any breeders at all?” Ari continued.
“They have a couple, but they are old and though they are still fertile, the babies are rarely born alive,” she said, and then she paused, as though she just had an epiphany. “That’s why I recognize her…”
“What are you talking about?” Agis asked.
“When I first saw kDira, she looked familiar to me,” she said.
“Where do you know her from?” Ari asked.
“I don’t, but I think I know her mother,” she said, eyes wide open, staring into space.
“What are you saying, girl?” Agis demanded.
“I think her mother is in the Karn Palace.”
“Princess Jilleane is still alive?” Edu said. Edu, older than the rest, was the only one that really knew Jilleane well before she was taken by the Karn eight years ago.
“That is her name,” Muzi said. “Yes, she is alive, but leading a miserable life. She is raped and beaten almost daily, it is no wonder her babies do not survive within her.”
“Can you take us to her?” Agis asked.
“I can, but it would be suicide,” Muzi warned. “There are many Karn Guards, and Hayden’s army is only a small part of it. They will be there soon as well. That will be an additional advantage.”
“Not if we beat them there, we will have a surprise for them,” Agis said with a glint of hope in his eyes.
cHAPTER 25
As promised, Muzi showed the Blackhorn the back way out of the east side of the keep. Once at the surface the small band walked quickly, sometimes jogging or running to make better time than the Karn that had to make their way north around the Ocheebee Pass.
They began walking eastward, retracing the path that Hayden had made on his way to the Karn Keep. There had not been a lot of snow, and a fair amount of sunshine, so the path they made a few days earlier was still visible.
“Where is Princess Jilleane being kept in the palace,” Agis asked of Muzi.
“She is down, underground,” she replied. “I can show you a secret way in that will get you past most of the guards, but once inside you will have to be careful.”
“Of course,” Agis said. “Is she alone? Are their guards?”
“Your princess is not alone, there are only two, one is younger than your Jilleane,” Muzi explained. “She was from Midlandia.”
“Does Hayden know that his Princess Mother is there?” Agis asked.
“I don’t think he wants her to know he is there and why,” she explained. “That would make him look to be a traitor. I don’t think he has the courage to face her.”
By nightfall they had reached the edge of the Great Plains. Looking east they could see the lights of Karn City. The stars on the crisp, clear night and the light of the mostly full moon made the image surreal. It was beautiful, yet horrifying.
“Let us find the old encampment of the First Hill tribe where the elders came from,” Agis said. “That will give us shelter for the night. Then a day’s journey to Karn City where we will go in by the dark of night.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Ari said. They moved onward until they found the abandoned camp of the First Hill tribe. In one of the various make-shift huts they found some blankets and bits of clothing of which Agis offered Muzi. She gladly accepted, stripping off the cut and tattered clothing that had once been kDira’s. There were two beds that seemed comfortable enough.
“You will be staying here with me,” Agis told Muzi. I sleep light, so if you try anything, or try to leave, I will know.”
“Agis, this is going to be the best night’s sleep I have had in a long time,” she assured him. “I have no intention of doing anything against you.”
“I’m still keeping one eye open,” Agis said.
“I should have cut her tongue out,” Hayden said in a rage. After many hours of waiting, and now the sun going down, the Blackhorn never did appear at the end of the Ocheebee Pass. They planned on walking as far as they dared in the dark before stopping for the night.
“She showed them the back door,” he went on. “I just know it, she is leading them out and is planning on intercepting us.”
“It would appear so,” General Tutower said.
“Where is her loyalty?” Hayden blurted out. We will be ready. We will be ready day and night!”
“Yes, Hayden,” the General said.
“King Hayden!” Sylys demanded.
The General paused, looking at the Midlander, sizing him up.
“King Haydennnn,” the General hissed.
“If they attack us tonight, or before we get to the Palace, kill her!” Hayden said pointing at kDira.
kDira, exhausted and in agony from being beaten, stumbled along, her hands and arms bound tightly behind her back so tight that her elbows were almost touching. Her mouth was still gagged, and her mouth was so dry it choked her.
“Let’s make camp here,” Hayden called out, bringing everyone to a stop in the middle of the clearing, halfway between the Great Plains and the Valley of Death.
“General, see that a tent is set up for me and my queen,” Hayden ordered. “We would like a little privacy tonight. Wouldn’t we, my precious Queen?”
kDira tried to voice her displeasure, but her dry throat only leaked out dry gasps. She struggled and tried to run, but a Karn guard stopped her in her tracks.
“When my tent is ready, tie her face down to the ground inside,” Hayden said. “We must see if our new Queen is worthy of the title.”
Though the bed was comfortable enough, Agis didn’t get much sleep. His thoughts were with kDira most of the night, and when they weren’t, he was trying to decide whether or not he could trust this girl that claimed to want to help them now. If she was trying to trick them, she was certainly committed, as the bruises throughout her body would test anyone’s convictions. Either way, they needed to get to the Palace, and if necessary he could force information out of her. To his relief, so far, the information has come freely, without reservations.
The morning sun was beautiful over the dull grays of the Valley of Death. Agis, after finally falling asleep was awoken by the sounds of his fellow Blackhorn getting ready to move out. Remembering his situation, he quickly glanced over, and was happy to see Muzi still in her bed, sleeping soundly.
“Girl, get up!” he called over to her. She stirred, rolled onto her back and stretched. “Get up, I said.”
“I told you I was going to sleep well,” she said. “How did you sleep?”
“I slept fine,” Agis said. “You need to get up, we need to leave.”
Agis stood up off his bed and walked out of the hut. He found Edu, Omiroe, and Threg standing over a fire eating bits of dried meat and drinking some bryne. They handed Agis a piece of dried fowl and offered him a bota bag to sip from.
“We didn’t think to pack food for a trip, did we?” Agis said.
“Some of us did,” Edu said. “Maybe the Karn will set a welcome table for us when we get there?”
“We would probably be the main course,” Agis said.
“Not likely,” Muzi said, stepping out of the hut. “The Karn are not cannibals, though they might proudly display you hanging from the walls as they celebrated their victory over you.”
“She’s a ray of sunshine, isn’t she?” asked Edu.
Omiroe handed Muzi a bit of food and a drink of bryne before every
one gathered up their gear and started down the road towards Karn City.
Hayden stepped out of his tent to the accusing gaze of the Karn warriors sitting around the fire eating rock-goat. Inside the tent, they could hear the muffled whimpers of kDira. The General went into the tent and brought her out, sat her down on a log, and removed her gag.
“What are you doing?” Hayden protested. “I did not approve that. Gag her immediately.”
“She needs to eat and drink or she die, Haydennnnn,” General Tutower hissed. “She no good to the Karn dead.”
“Very well, give her some food and drink and do it quickly, I don’t want to hear her whimpers.”
“Are you that much of a coward that you can’t bear me to be heard,” kDira said dryly. The General tipped a bota of sour bryne into her mouth and she gulped it eagerly. The General pulled it away far too soon to satisfy kDira’s thirst.
“Watch your mouth, my Queen,” Sylys warned, “The Karn do not need your tongue to make babies.”
“I will kill any Karn babies that come out of me, you sick bastard,” she screamed at him. “And yours!”
“Shove some rock-goat in her mouth before my generosity wears off,” Hayden said, looking away. “We will see what you are capable of. If you don’t produce babies, you are of no use to us.”
The General put some rock-goat up to her mouth. She bit it off and chewed it slowly. Another bite was offered; she accepted it and ate it willingly. Then she was offered one more swig of bryne before she was once again gagged.
Soon they were up and moving eastward again. Hayden was limping along as best he could with his crutch, kDira following behind with a rope around her neck and occasionally needing a tug to be told to keep up. By mid-day they had reached the Valley of Death.
The Blackhorns were making good progress; their destination was the opening that lead to the tunnels underneath the city, the same tunnels that they used to infiltrate the Karn Palace many months earlier to rescue the Princess Mothers.
“You’re going where?” Muzi asked.
“To the tunnels under the city,” Agis explained. “We can take them to right alongside the palace without anyone seeing us.”
The kDira's World Anthology Page 22
