by J A Deriu
The land seemed to be acting out in hundreds of stories like this. There was no order, and wolves patrolled the night. The crops that had not been stolen lay unharvested. The few villages that stood had a hundred men blocking the road with ancient muskets and pitchforks. The buildings for worship burned the fiercest, and even the graveyards seemed to have been dug up.
As she got closer to her goal, the world did stiffen. The word that she had managed to garner in the piss-holes and other pit stops was true. A great army was gathering, and with it brought tough order. The peasants could breathe easy, and the brigands were hanged from trees. The army had banners that had not been seen in a century. They were gathering around their prince for great battles to come.
She had to sneak through their lines. Although she had no quarrel with the army, they would not understand her mission. This meant that she had to leave her barbarians, the three of them, in a deserted outhouse on an out-of-the-way track. They would be content to fish, hunt, feed the horses, enjoy the countryside, and patiently wait for her return.
She moved at night, often within earshot of the camps. The soldiers were lively, full of bravado, and sang songs of their victories and their prince. She stopped to listen and added the luster of their singing to her bank of signs. One world was passing, and another was coming into being. She was creeping closer to her destiny and savored the moment with song to accompany her.
The prince’s tent was guarded by a hundred men, fierce Cossacks who took pleasure in the feel of their weapons and kept their attention as if they were stationed on hot coals. Only the noble-looking woman with hair of flames entered as she pleased. She was the countess whom Zoe had spied in Karakorum. Few others were allowed. There was no hope like this, so she waited.
The prince found a loose flap at the rear of the tent and waited for the Cossacks to change their guard to scamper his way into the woods. He really wanted to be alone – very alone.
She had cleared her mind and poked her head around the tree to see what he was doing. He had opened his satchel and taken out a long pipe. He lit the thick end with the strike of a match and joined the thin end to his lips. He billowed his cheeks until smoke puffed out and then took a long drag, with his face cavorting into a satisfied smile.
She could smell the potent odor of the narcotic and concluded that it was time to act. It was her style to be dramatic. She climbed branches of the tree without making a noise and felt for a sturdy limb. She readied herself, feeling a little unusual, as she only had the one weapon, her rapier, sheathed and strapped to her back. Her other weapons were wrapped in cowhide and stashed under a rock. She lifted herself like an acrobat and, with minimal effort, swung herself so that she would appear to him in flight for a moment before standing gracefully on a patch of dirt in front of him.
He was unnerved only for a twitch. “Who the hell are you?’ he said in the language of an Englishman and without drama.
She could speak the language. It was one of the eight that her mentor had taught her to master. She did not say anything and slowly lifted her open hands to show her intent. He had no panic and took another drag of the pipe before squinting his eyes to study her.
“I have seen you before.” He hesitated. “I thought it was a dream. How do you explain your eye? I have never seen anything like that.” His calm face, with the inkling of a wry smile, showed that he had seen much in this time, and nothing worried him, as if were living in a farce.
“I have two pupils in the one eye,” she said. “It is nothing to fear.”
“Ha, I am not scared.” He lowered his pipe and leaned closer to her. “I think it looks great. Has it always been like that?” She nodded. “What do you want? I can’t remember what you said last time, and I spent no time thinking about it because I thought it was not real – from too much Mongolian beer.”
“I have arranged a second meeting with you to do what is honorable.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I know who you are, Prince. It is well known that you are the son that has come to free this land from the curse of the Ottomans. I will introduce myself so that you will know me. In your language, you would say my name as Zoe. I am only a few years older than you. I was born in a mountain village of Circassia. You would know of this land. It is agreed that the most beautiful women in the world come from this place. The sultan’s harem is overflowing with my sisters. I make no claim for myself in regard to this.”
“I do not know this place – but that is no surprise. I did not listen in geography.”
“Ah, I would have liked to have experienced school even for one day. My people lived between your Russian people and the Turks of the Ottomans, and we were no one’s favorite. We were left to marauders and murderers and the whims of armies that marched through our lands. My education was with blades and pistols. It had to be to survive after raiders in league with the Ottomans attacked my village.” The prince showed no desire to for her to hurry. He took some short puffs on his pipe and finished with a longer one. His body was relaxed, and his eyes followed her with no concern. “It came that I used my skills to do more than survive. I mastered a profession. I have crossed empires for this craft. It is true that I have contracted with the Ottomans – they are the most generous paymasters and always have work. Hmm, but enough of my story. I wish to assure you that I am skilled in my craft.”
“So what is it you want?”
“I want to make a deal. I offer my services to you. I ask not for coin of any type, only your royal support.”
“Why? Why would you do that?”
“Many reasons. You are the one that the forces of darkness fear the most. We have common enemies, and they are many. Your back is not safe. There will be ones like me that are employed to harm you. It will take a swift dagger to strike at these shadows in the night. And, most important, I have seen our prosperous alliance in the clouds.”
“The clouds?” He looked at the sky for a moment.
“Yes, and many other places too.” She reached over her shoulder and unsheathed her rapier. She had not used it in a long time. It glinted in the sunlight as she held it high. “I pledge my sword to you. I will strike at your enemies in all corners of this world.”
He curled his lip and thoughtfully nodded his head. “If I offer you this support, will you stop creeping up on me?”
She tilted her head. “If it is important to you, and I am sanctioned, there will be no need.”
He continued to nod his head. “I think I could use someone like you.”
