“It sure would be nice to have that gold Brontos gave you,” needled Mistake, “or at least something other than my daggers to get food with.”
“The villagers gave us what they thought they could spare,” replied Rejji. “You are just looking for an excuse to start stealing again.”
“It would have been easy, Rejji,” she grumbled. “They weren’t even watching me.”
“We will find another village or some travelers we can ask for food,” Rejji promised. “Maybe I can find some work at the next village and pick up a few gold coins.”
“Maybe,” Mistake frowned, “but we have been a week on the road now and haven’t seen any other travelers and the villagers are suspicious of everyone.”
“Can’t say as I blame them,” responded Rejji. “If Wyant was right about the Jiadin gathering all the tribes together, Fakara is going to become a much more dangerous place than it has been.”
“It never has been safe,” Mistake pointed out. “You have lived in a idealistic world, Rejji. Outside your little village, people have been robbed and murdered daily. That is the way of this world. You take what you can get and guard it from others.”
“Well that is just stupid,” Rejji stated. “If people worked together, there would be more for everyone. Our village survived because we shared everything. Nobody was left to fend for themselves.”
“And where are they now?” Mistake blurted out and immediately regretted it.
Rejji halted on the trail and stared at Mistake. “The people who attacked our village will pay for it,” he promised. “If all the young men of the villages weren’t running off to join the bandits, the tribes would think twice about attacking the villages. Somebody has to stand up to them.”
“I am sorry, Rejji,” apologized Mistake. “I shouldn’t have brought that up, but you should not believe that everyone is good at heart either. While all of the tribes are bandits, not all bandits are members of the tribes. There are other bad people in this world. Someone will always be there to take what is yours, tribesmen or not.”
“There are a lot of good people too,” countered Rejji. “Those villagers this morning didn’t have to give us anything, but they did, and they don’t even know us.”
“True,” admitted Mistake, “but that has not been my experience in the past.”
“Of course not,” chuckled Rejji as he started walking again. “You never bothered to ask.”
“All right, Rejji,” she smiled, “I am willing to try it your way, but I am still hungry.”
As they rounded the next bend in the trail, four men stood blocking their path. Rejji and Mistake halted and gazed at the men who were brandishing swords. They wore no markings of any tribe, but they did not look friendly.
“You are trespassing,” declared a tall lean man. “Do you have gold to pay the fee?”
Mistake’s hand hovered near the dagger on her belt as she asked, “Do you have any food to spare, good sirs?”
The men laughed and Mistake heard laughter coming from behind her as well. She stole a glance behind her and saw two more men on the path they had just walked down.
“We have no gold,” Rejji stated. “We didn’t know we were trespassing and we offer our apologies. If you will point out the shortest path off your land, we will be gone swiftly.”
“Your hand goes any nearer to that dagger girl and you will have one less arm,” sneered the tall lean man. “Why don’t you remove it and drop it on the trail before one of boys thinks you plan on using it.”
Mistake looked at Rejji and when he nodded she dropped her dagger to the ground.
“That’s a good girl,” grinned the tall lean man, which Mistake now assumed to be the leader. “It’s a long ways off our land and would take you days on foot, so we will give you a ride so you aren’t tempted to stray further into it.”
Mistake sensed the men behind her coming closer and started to turn when she felt the blow to her head.
When Mistake came to, she was in a wagon made into a cage and Rejji was holding her. There were other people in the cage as well and Mistake could see three more such wagons behind them. There were at least twenty riders accompanying the wagons from what she could see.
“What happened?” Mistake asked.
“They don’t like us talking,” Rejji whispered. “I assume the men behind us hit us over the head. I woke up just a few minutes ago. I guess they found a lot of trespassers.”
“They are slavers,” whispered an old woman next to them. “You give them any trouble and they’ll cut you just as soon as look at you. They been working these trails for over a year, but I never expected they would come into the village.”
“How do you know they are slavers?” Rejji asked.
“My husband was killed by them,” the woman cried. “They said nobody would buy him cause he lost a leg a while back and they didn’t want no cripples.”
“Quiet in there,” shouted one of the riders. “Keep your traps shut or I’ll shut them for you.”
Rejji looked at the people in the cage with him. Most of them were old and over half of them were women. There was one small boy around ten years old and another that Rejji figured was a year or two younger than himself. The older boy had a wild, ragged look about him and he stared constantly out the back of the wagon. The boy intrigued Rejji because his clothes appeared to be all animal skins like Mistake’s. Everyone else was dressed like normal villagers with mostly clova wool garments. Many of the people appeared to be sleeping and nobody spoke.
Mistake caught Rejji’s attention and showed him that she still had the daggers in her arm and leg sheaths. Rejji looked around the wagon again to see if there was anyone else who might still possess a weapon, but he didn’t see anyone who was likely to.
The trail they followed was well used and they headed mostly westward. Several stops were made to add more people, but none of them were put in Rejji’s wagon. The caravan rode mostly in silence, but the driver of the wagon behind them cursed loudly at times and used his whip on the horses when they didn’t follow at the desired distance. He didn’t appear to know much about handling horses, Rejji judged. Rejji’s wagon always slowed smoothly for stops, but the wagon behind them often jolted with the horses continuing along until they almost bumped into Rejji’s wagon. The driver would then apply his whip and try to pull the horses back.
When they stopped at night, the slavers would take the prisoners out one at a time to relieve themselves and then pass out pieces of stale bread, a bucket of water, and a cup. It was the only time anyone was allowed out of the cages. Even if Rejji could get away, there was no way that he could do so with Mistake and he was not going to leave her behind. It was doubtful that he could even succeed at it in any event. What Rejji did discover was that there were only a couple of guards at night and they were usually too far away to hear people talking.
Mistake tried picking the lock on the cage door at night with one of her daggers but was unsuccessful. After a few days, the prisoners tended to stay awake and talk at night, while trying to sleep during the day. Sleeping during the day was difficult, as the trail grew rougher the closer they got to the Fortung Mountains.
One day they stopped to add more prisoners to the cages. As usual, the wagon behind Rejji’s had come too close while stopping. When the slavers brought an old man to Rejji’s wagon, the horses spooked and rose up. It appeared the horses would come down and crush the old man and the slavers dove out of the way. The old man stood there, frightened for his life. The older boy in animal skins, who had been silent the entire journey, started making strange noises. To Rejji’s amazement, the horses remained on their rear legs and actually backed up before coming down, sparing the old man’s life.
Nobody seemed to have tied the horses’ actions to the sounds the boy made, but Rejji knew there was a connection. That night he moved next to the boy and started to engage him in conversation.
“What was that you did today to save the man’s life?” Rejji asked.
The boy glanced at Rejji and then returned to gazing out the back of the wagon.
“I guess either you can’t talk or don’t wish to,” surmised Rejji. “I will respect your wishes, but I wanted you to know that I appreciate what you did for the man. You truly saved his life.”
Rejji patted the boy on the shoulder and was going to return to his spot next to Mistake when the boy spoke.
“Why do you care what happens to him?” the boy asked. “You do not appear to know him.”
Rejji stared at the boy and immediately sat down next to him.
“No, I have never seen him before,” admitted Rejji. “That does not mean I should not try to save his life as you did. Why wouldn’t I save a stranger if I could? We all need looking after at one time or another in our lives. I am just glad you had the ability to make a difference. I would not know how to do whatever it is you did.”
“It is bad enough the horses have to suffer the driver they have,” stated the boy. “He is a man that should not be allowed near animals. If the old man had died, they would have taken it out on the horses.”
Rejji’s jaw dropped as he realized the boy had acted to save the animals from harm and not the old man.
“You like animals very much I guess,” offered Rejji. “I guess I should be doubly thankful to you. For you not only saved the old man’s life, but you saved the horses too.”
“Animals are pure,” the boy declared. “They do not know greed and hatred as man does. When they must kill, they do so swiftly and efficiently and do so only for food or to protect their young. Man kills because he likes to.”
“Your words are sad but true, my friend,” nodded Rejji. “My name is Rejji. What are you called?”
The boy smiled at finding someone who understood things as he did. “My name is Bakhai,” he grinned. “You are not like the others. You understand the evil of man.”
“I have seen more of it than I care to,” agreed Rejji, “but there are many people who are kind and generous too. I guess you have not run into many of them though. Where are you from?”
“I lived in the Giaming Mountains mostly,” Bakhai said. “There are many animals there and it is peaceful. I should have stayed there instead of trying to become accepted by those who look like me.”
“You mean you live with the animals?” asked Rejji. “What of your parents?”
“I do not have parents,” Bakhai answered. “The animals are my family. It has always been so.”
“Then who taught you to speak?” inquired Rejji.
“I spent time in many villages,” Bakhai frowned. “I was trying to find others like myself. At first the people were friendly and took me in. They taught me their ways and language, but always they ended up chasing me away. They did not like me talking to the other animals. They said I was possessed, a spawn of evil. Then they would chase me with their weapons or their farm implements. Whatever they could find to hit me with. I do not like people.”
“This happened more than once?” questioned Rejji.
“Many villages I went to,” nodded Bakhai. “All were the same. I was going home when these people caged me.”
“Is that what you did with the horses?” Rejji asked. “You spoke to them? Did they understand you?”
“Of course they understand,” Bakhai stated. “Why would I talk to them if they did not understand me? Can you not talk to the animals?”
“No,” Rejji replied. “I wish I could, but I wouldn’t know how to begin.”
“You would really want to?” Bakhai grinned. “You do not think I am possessed?”
“Possessed?” Rejji asked. “Of course not. You have a rare talent and should be proud of it. We should all use the talents we were given to make things better for everyone. At least you know what your talent is. I have yet to find mine.”
“You are unlike any human I have met,” smiled Bakhai. “I like you. When we get out of this cage, I would like to come visit your village.”
Sadness fell over Rejji’s face as he thought of his village. He wondered if perhaps Bakhai had the truth of it after all. What other creature besides man would destroy a village for no reason?
“I have no village,” declared Rejji, “but I would love to see your home when we get free. Mistake and I were headed for the Giaming Mountains when we were captured. She seeks the Sage of the Mountain. Have you heard of him?”
“I have never heard of such a person,” answered Bakhai, “but you will like my home. The girl can come too. Why does she have such a strange name?”
“I guess because she has had experiences like yours,” sighed Rejji. “You speak truth about people being cruel. They really are not all like that though and finding a good one is worth the effort.”
“Well,” grinned Bakhai, “I found you and it makes me very happy. Animals are always friends, but they do not think much. There is not much to talk about with them.”
Rejji saw Mistake waken and motioned her over. He introduced his two friends to each other and they sat talking most of the night.
***
“As you had anticipated, My Lord,” smiled Veltar as he stood with Grulak and Diakles on the platform at the peak of the pyramid. “Most of the tribes have kept the majority of their men around the lake.”
“Of course,” stated Grulak, “they are not fools. I am sure they know why I have summoned them all here. The trick is to get them all to unite under me without too many losses.”
“Why do we even need them, Father,” asked Diakles. “We have more than enough men to overrun Khadora now. None of these tribes will dare stand against us here in Fakara.”
“You underestimate both Khadora and these tribes, Diakles,” scolded Grulak. “Look down there. Over a hundred tribes are assembled. None of them can come close to our strength, but together they could cause us to abort our attack on Khadora and end up defending our position here.”
“The Khadorans are a like problem, Diakles,” smiled Veltar. “They are broken into clans that hate each other and constantly fight amongst themselves, but if they were united, it would be a potent army.”
“You are too cautious, Veltar,” sneered Diakles. “I think you make my father appear weak before the tribes. We should not be asking them to join us. We should be demanding their obedience. If we brought out our reserves on the peninsula and surrounded them, they would fold in a minute, begging to serve my father.”
Veltar seethed as his jaw tightened and his veins grew large and visible. Grulak saw this and knew his advisor and his son were going to come to odds.
“Diakles,” Grulak commanded, “go down and make sure all of the tribe leaders are assembled. Tell them that I will speak to them within the hour. Go.”
“Maybe the boy has a point,” Grulak stated after his son had entered the temple. “I do not mean about the weakness of the tribes or Khadorans, but about a show of strength to the tribes. It appears to them now that we are of equal size to the largest of them, when in fact we have most of our men hidden.”
“The boy has much to learn yet,” Veltar said as he tried to calm himself. “While none of the tribes can match your strength, there are overly proud men who lead them. Some may be feared into obedience, but many will bolt if they feel threatened. I have such a demonstration planned for them, but one that will display our power in such a way as to not make them feel immediately threatened. It will be a show of power that will cause them to dwell upon the ill fortunes of opposing you, but not an immediate threat that they must counter or die.”
“And you are saving this as a surprise to me?” asked Grulak. “Why shouldn’t I know your plan?”
“It is something you will appreciate,” laughed Veltar. “Come I will tell you about it on the way down.”
The leader of the Jiadin and his advisor wound their way down the inside of the massive Vandegar Temple. The temple was filled with Jiadin troops so that they would be hidden from view of the gathering tribes. Another large detachment of Jiadin troops were hidden on a peninsula to the north of the temple and would only be used in the event that fighting broke out, which was not expected.
“Impressive,” grinned Grulak as they exited the temple and stood looking down the steps at the assembled leaders. “I wondered what all those carts arriving during the night were for. I meant to ask you about them. Will it really work?”
“Of course,” smirked Veltar. “After they are fully prepared to think about the lake lesson, we will have the men in the temple start marching out in an orderly and non-aggressive fashion. I have figured that it will take a full four hours for all of the men to get out. So while the leaders are thinking about my demonstration, they will be watching a show of your real might. Only a fool would choose to oppose you then. It is important that no aggression be shown them before that time though or they will bolt.”
“Your plan is excellent, Veltar,” nodded Grulak. “I approve of it. I think we should get this started right away. Where is Diakles? I want him to see the mastery of his father at work.”
“I am sure he is watching,” offered Veltar. “Nothing this big has ever happened in centuries. Nobody would want to miss it.”
Veltar moved away from Grulak as the Jiadin leader began his speech from the top of the stairs. He reentered the temple and climbed several stories to a balcony that overlooked the lake and the assembled leaders and yet offered a place to keep him out of sight while still allowing him to hear what was going on. He watched the faces of the most important leaders for signs of whether they would join or not.
Veltar felt that Grulak was excellent in his speech. He saw many leaders agreeing that the union of tribes would be best for all, but there was also a large number who recognized the power play Grulak was selling, that it would not be a union of equals. Veltar knew the time for his demonstration was fast approaching. He merely had to wait for one of the leaders to ask the right question, and he felt strongly that the leader of the blues would be the one to ask it. The Chadang were a very large tribe and had an ancient feud with the Jiadin. He would be surprised if their leader did not ask the question.
As expected Vrylok, leader of the blue tribe, the Chadang, rose and signaled a question and Veltar began the incantation.
“What if we decide we don’t want to be part of your army?” Vrylok shouted. “What then?”
A tremendous roar echoed across the plain as the water of Lake Jabul started boiling. Steam rose off the lake and the water roiled and spat up in spouts and geysers. The tumult increased and soon human body parts could be seen rising in the geysers of the lake. Everyone’s eyes were transfixed on the spectacle as the continent’s largest lake threw off huge clouds of steam into the air.
It ended as quickly as it had started and the steam drifted off with the wind. Left floating on the surface of the lake were hundreds of bodies, the bodies of the slain villagers that Veltar had arranged to bring to Vandegar Temple. The bodies were in various stages of decay and the smell of that decay carried on the wind.
When everything had subsided and attention was once again returned to Grulak, he spoke. “I am sorry,” he stated loudly. “What was the question?”
Vrylok was beet red and everyone could see the fury in his face, but they could also see his fear. He sat down in his seat silently and Grulak continued explaining how the tribes would conquer the continent.
Veltar knew that his lake trick had accomplished its goal, as fear was evident on most of the faces. The small knots of leaders who had obviously been talking amongst themselves about leaving had become silent.
Veltar looked curiously as a Chadang rider approached Vrylok and spoke to him. Vrylok shot a look of pure hatred toward Grulak and rose as if to speak. Whatever was said by the Chadang rider spread like a fire amongst the assembled leaders. Within moments, every assembled leader was on his feet and heading towards their own troops as vanguards of the tribes came forward to protect their leaders.
Veltar could hear Grulak screaming and cursing and ordering his men to attack. Veltar saw everything coming apart, everything he had planned so long for. His mind burned with rage as he tried to figure out what had gone wrong. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw movement across the plain. He turned and stared at the reserve army of the Jiadin that was supposed to be out of sight on the peninsula, except it was charging towards the temple. He narrowed his eyes and saw the banner of Diakles at the front of the charging army and knew what fool had spoiled his plan.
The tribes had somehow learned of the approaching Jiadin army and had reacted as Veltar had warned. He looked below and saw Grulak screaming at his army within the temple, trying to get them to come out and attack the tribes.
Veltar swore as his rage climaxed. He knew how long it would take that army to get out of the temple and by then the tribes would be long gone. Veltar entered the temple and tried to get to his quarters to plan the campaign of subduing the Fakaran tribes, which he had hoped would not be needed. The temple, however, was full of warriors trying desperately to get out. He returned to the balcony and stared at the approaching Jiadin army and vowed to himself that Diakles would pay dearly for his foolishness.