Ashar'an Rising (Nexus Wars Saga) (58 page)

Valdieron had no intention of killing the man. “What good if your family grows up to hate you for what you have become? Go to them.”

The man scrambled away, sobbing, and Valdieron turned to the remaining man, the leader, who was also sobbing and cradling his broken arm.

“
You son of a whore, you broke my arm. I can't believe it. You're gonna pay for this.”

“
What are you going to do, Art?” The man's own words used back on him made him cringe, especially when Valdieron recovered his Dragonsword and came over to lift his chin with its tip.

“
Come on, man, it was just a joke. No harm done.”

“
Not to me,” assured Valdieron, pressing the tip of his sword harder into the man's neck, the keen tip easily drawing blood. “What have you done to the horses and my friend?”

“
Just a sleeping drug. Puts anybody to sleep. Please, don't kill me.”

“
How'd you come by the drug? Sounds like it would be expensive to buy.”

“
I stole it off a merchant back in Sha'kar. Couldn't sell it, its easily recognizable and traced because only one merchant trades it, so I decided I had to make a use for it. Me and the boys haven't killed anybody, I swear it.” Whether the tears were from the pain of the wound or fear, Valdieron couldn't tell. He had no desire to harm the man now the danger was past, and though his story was unbelievable, he realized the man was in no state to come back if he was released.

“
How long before it wears off?”

“
Four hours,” whispered the man. “Less for the horses.”

Valdieron cursed, and the man's sobs redoubled as he suspected he was going to be killed.

“
Have you got any more of that drug left?”

“
A little,” confessed the man, reaching into his shirt, pausing briefly as Valdieron pressed harder with his sword. Slowly the man drew out a small pouch and held it up for Valdieron to grab.

“
Give me your waterskin. I assume the water in it is clean?”

The man nodded, and reluctantly removed his waterskin and handed it to Valdieron.

“
You can come back and get your weapons tomorrow. If I see you or your men before I leave here, you won't have to worry about your families any more. Got it?”

“
Yes. Yes thank you, young Master.” Slowly, the man rose, still with Valdieron's sword at his neck, but he stepped away slowly before realizing he was really free to go and spun about and ran off, disappearing quickly. His cursed cries to his cowardly companions rose up and slowly faded away too.

“
Four hours.” Sighing and ruing the lost time, Valdieron kicked the discarded weapons into a pile and placed the pouch of powder into his pocket. He couldn't sleep again, though he doubted the brigands would be back soon, so he took to pacing around the bowl until first the horses, then Javin, woke. Valdieron explained to him what had happened, and the Darishi angrily cursed the brigands and their bad luck, especially as Valdieron emptied their waterskins, but was glad for the clean water from the brigand's waterskin to soothe his parched throat. It took him a while to fully waken, during which time Valdieron gave the horses the remaining water to drink. At least now it was late afternoon and slightly cooler, but unless the sky that night was clear, they wouldn't be able to travel far. Wanting to be away from the bowl as soon as possible, Valdieron led the horses while Javin followed unsteadily after, his hands none the less pressed to the hilts of his sabers.

By morning, after travelling for a few hours under the light of the twin moons, then resting until dawn, all were tired but ready for another day's ride under the hot sun. Luckily for them, by mid morning the towering city of Sha'kar became visible in the distance, and for the first time in many days, Valdieron felt a surge of hope at the sight of the strange and intimidating city. Inside, he knew Kitara was being held somewhere, though how he would find her, he didn't know. He also knew somewhere inside was a link to who he really was, and although finding it seemed equally hopeless, he was determined to discover something, even if it was just a lead to somebody who might know.

The streets of Sha'kar were surprisingly empty, at least in relation to the teeming streets Valdieron had seen in Thorhus. The people here didn't seem as rushed, or needing to be somewhere else. Most were armed, even the women, while other armed city guards filtered through the streets. They wore dark leather uniforms with studded breastplates, and carried swords in red scabbards. Most wore wide brimmed hats with red material wrapped around them. All were armed, some more heavily than others, but all looked like men who knew the streets and knew how to use the weapons they carried.

What surprised Valdieron about the city, apart from its enormous walled fortifications and the sheer size of it, was the fine craftsmanship that obviously went into the buildings, which despite being like small forts themselves, were almost all adorned with varying hues of stone, with marble and sandstone predominantly making up arched windows and doorframes. Thin pillars supported railed balconies high above the streets, while roofs were almost all tiled rather than thatched, probably due to the fact stone doesn't burn as easily as thatch.

They had already decided to try the markets first and hopefully find a merchant who was interested in buying the pouch of poison. It was a potentially dangerous plan, but they needed the money, barely having enough to pay for even the least reputable Inn. They also had little else of value other than weapons and Llewellyn's old texts on Bladesinging, and Valdieron wasn't prepared to sell either. Javin had said as a last resort he could sell Firefox, but that would have to be if they were really desperate. Valdieron appreciated his friends’ offer, knowing he could never sell Shakk.

Valdieron let Javin approach the merchants, knowing that if any of them recognized the powder as the stolen goods the brigand had spoken of, they might believe the Darishi's story about coming across some dead brigands and finding the powder on one of them. Valdieron would be more suspicious, for they would assume he was a local and probably the thief who had stolen it in the first place.

They were lucky when the third merchant he solicited was eager to buy the powder. He was an old, bent merchant, who had the appearance of a one  time thief himself, and Javin guessed the merchant recognized the powder for what it was. While he assumed from the brigand’s telling that it was quite uncommon, he asked for more than what he assumed it was worth, but the old merchant made only a brief show of haggling before taking the package for eight gold.

Javin met Valdieron a few blocks away in a small park they had passed on the way into the markets, so Javin had the chance to lose any pursuers if any should try and follow him, which he thought might happen as the merchant had seemed to be not too concerned about the price. There seemed no signs of pursuit, so the two looked for a suitably cheap Inn where they could stay.

It took them a while, as the Inns here were both small and unmarked, so it took them asking somebody where an affordable Inn might be before they found one. It was a two level building of stone, plain from the outside and cozy on the inside. The Innkeeper, a slender man of aging years with a thin moustache and long braided hair, which was common here, charged them one gold for the night and another gold for stables for the horses and food, while drinks were extra. They agreed, not knowing if it was cheap or not for the city, but they trusted the man wasn't overcharging them.

Something caught Valdieron's eye as Javin haggled for the lodging. A board of notices was hanging behind the bar, and one large notice caught his attention. It read:

Need Money?? Think you can last in the Arena of Gladius? Come and test yourself. Worthy applicants will be sponsored to enter the games, and pay is dependant upon success.

A small portrait was set below the note, a sketch of a man's head: Dark hair slicked back and pointed beard, with sharp features. His eyes were deep and he wore large rings in his left ear. He didn't know how he knew, but the face was the face that had been haunting his dreams recently, mocking him.

He didn't tell Javin until they were at their table; away from prying ears and eyes, and the Darishi eyed him skeptically at first, but Valdieron was adamant it was the same person.

“
Then what do you propose?”

“
I don't know,” confessed Valdieron with a sigh. “Maybe we can ask around and see what this Gladius is? Perhaps we can enter it, and try to get close to this man.”

“
That might not be a good idea, Val. From what you have told me, this man might well know your face, so if you go hanging around his game, he might discover you and have you dealt with.”

“
Maybe. But if this Gladius is big, he might not have any dealing with who enters it. If both of us are able to compete, then it will give us both a reason to be there. I think we will have to find out more before we make a decision, but that seems like the best choice so far.”

“
All right, we will ask around and see.” Their food was ready then, so they were quiet as they ate, for they hadn't eaten a large, warm meal for many days. The room was beginning to fill when they finished, so they decided to retire to their room early rather than risk exposure.

There was warm water in their room so they were able to wash and change, though all of their clothes were worn and dirty and in need of a wash and a patch. Valdieron stretched out on the lumpy bed, feeling the strain and pressure of the last few weeks catching up to him, and he couldn't suppress a huge yawn.

“
I think I'll go down and start to find out what I can about this Gladius,” said Javin, belting on his sabers and combing his long hair back with his fingers. “Drunken people tend to care less about who they speak to, or what they speak of.”

“
All right, just don't spend all of our gold on ale. We might need it.”

Javin gave him a wink and left.

Alone, Valdieron stared for a time at the ceiling, letting his thoughts roam, but he couldn't help thinking of Kitara, and wondered where the Princess was at that moment. He pictured her in his mind, her dark hair, blue eyes and strikingly beautiful features. He remembered her voice, as she spoke to him and as she had sung, so beautiful and captivating it made him shiver. He knew he had fallen for her: from the first time he had heard her voice, then the first time he had seen her true face. He realized it was a foolish infatuation: she was a Princess and he was nothing more than a farmer, with a heritage that was for the most part unknown. He had nothing he could give her, nor could he even rationalize that he would be alive for long, considering his quest, but it still didn't make him stop thinking about her and worrying about her. It was all he could do not to rush to where this Gladius was held and storm the building looking for her, but reason told him that would most likely just get him killed.

For some reason, as he drifted off to sleep and found himself in Kel'Valor, the strange face did not haunt him, nor was his mocking laughter audible as it had been, incessantly at the edge of his hearing. Kel'Valor felt more comfortable than it had, and he made his way to the Hall of Magic with a spring in his step.

He was eager to learn more about Magic, something both mystical and intoxicating, like a drug, because he wanted it, and would need it in the days and weeks to come. The learning proved much more different than he had gone through in the Combat Ambit, for it required a focusing of the mind to accept and manipulate something that to all aspects was inconceivable. Essence wasn't anything that could be seen, though it could be felt, becoming more tangible with experience.

He wondered once more of magicians he had read about in his youth, figures of great power who battled huge monsters from distant lands and tossed lightning and fire like a farmer tossed meal to his fowls.

The thought made him smile as the Hall of Magic opened before him, and for the first time in many days, he kept that smile as he set about learning more about the ways of his ancestors, the Kay'taari.

“
This is the building,” stated Javin, as the two stopped before what appeared to be a huge coliseum, circular with a large square building set into its front. This building was ornate in the extreme, with railed balconies, marble pillars, and stained glass windows that depicted a myriad of scenes. A huge gate was opened leading up to the building via a cobbled path, flanked by thick hedges, with a row of circular fountains set in the center of the path, sprouting a constant spray of clear water. Armed guards stood at posts around the complex, dark figures wearing dark clothing rather than armor, with swords across their backs.

“
Zhak Lomar is the man's name. He is supposedly a descendant of one of the noble families, thus his wealth, but I heard one old man last night say he was linked with the local assassin's guild. They are called Kiroba.”

“
Well, at least our gold was well spent”. Val had found out that morning upon waking that Javin had spent all but enough of their money for one more night's stay, but he conceded the information was invaluable. One more look at the guards who patrolled the complex, and he wondered if they weren't the Kiroba assassins Javin spoke of. He had a feeling they were watching everything while appearing to be merely patrolling.

“
Let's go. This place gives me the creeps.” Javin nodded and the two joined the rush of people once more and wound their way back to the Inn. It was terribly warm inside the city, where the sun beat down mercilessly, and the huge walls and buildings kept all but the strongest wind away, so there was little respite. Not that the locals seemed to be bothered by it, but just the short walk to and from the Gladius building to the Inn had both of them sweating and parched.