Call of the Herald (29 page)

"Hello, Nat, and please call me Catrin, like
you always have."

"As you wish, Catrin. I'm sorry I couldn't
deliver this dire news sooner, but it wasn't possible with what's
been going on," he said. "I'm afraid that by some deception, your
destination is known to the Zjhon. I don't know how they found out,
but we'll need to be extra careful about who we talk to about our
plans."

"How did you come to know the Zjhon knew
where I was going?"

"It wasn't just one thing, you see. Much of
the Zjhon fleet left the harbor, sailing east toward the cove, but
ships were also reported off the northern coast. Before I escaped
Harborton, Miss Mariss got news the cove had been raided and one of
the pirate ships captured. It was enough. The news came from the
ship that escaped, and those on board suggested a new place to meet
you. We need to get you there as soon as possible. Every day they
remain in hiding is risky." It seemed like a thin hope to Catrin,
surrounded by the Zjhon, and she felt trapped.

"Before I leave, there is a most unpleasant
task I am obligated to perform," he said and took an object from
within his robe unlike anything Catrin had ever seen before. An
ivory tube, it was about as long as her forearm and decorated with
fanciful carvings that were enhanced with gold and gemstones. The
ends were topped with gold caps in the shape of a man and woman
embracing--the symbol of the Zjhon empire. Catrin reached out
slowly, unsure she wanted to accept it.

"This is the other reason I think we've been
betrayed. This contains a message and was delivered to Miss Mariss
through the channels of the Vestrana. Somehow the Zjhon have
infiltrated the Vestrana, and we have no idea whom to trust. I'll
leave you so you can read the message, but we must speak again
soon. There are many things we should discuss," he said as he
walked away.

Catrin felt a new burden on her shoulders.
She feared what was written inside, afraid the words might find
some way to hurt her and those around her. She walked to where
Benjin stood. He looked refreshed after his bath and was pulling
his hair into a braid as she approached.

"A storm is coming," he said, rubbing his
shoulder, but when he saw the look on Catrin's face, he waited for
the bad news. She handed him the tube and told him how it had been
delivered. Benjin was stunned and hesitated to take it--perhaps for
the same reasons Catrin was loath to hold it, both fearing what it
might contain.

"Please, read it for me. I don't have the
courage."

"Perhaps that would be wise. They could have
rigged it with a trap," Benjin said. He carefully removed the
golden cap. It fell away, and nothing leaped from the tube. He
pulled the rolled parchment from the tube, placed it on the ground,
and examined it closely before picking it up. He unrolled it and
read aloud.

Salutations to the Herald of Istra from His
Eminence, Archmaster Emsin Kelsig Belegra, spiritual leader and
chief evangelist of the Holy Church of Zjhon.

The Zjhon nation has extended its warmest
greetings, and you have evaded my emissaries and ignored our
requests for talks of peace. You must not care that lives will be
lost.

I do not know why you wish ill toward the
Zjhon nation, but we only seek your salvation. Our request for
talks of peace still stands, despite your refusals. If you present
yourself to any of my emissaries, they will bring you directly to
me, unharmed. Your companions are also welcome.

If you persist in your attempted flight from
the Godfist, we will interpret it as a hostile action against the
Zjhon nation. For your own sake, do not seek to flee or to invade
the Greatland. My emissaries will remain on the Godfist until you
have presented yourself to me personally. This matter must be
settled between you and me. It would be a pity if your countrymen
and mine suffered needlessly as a result of your selfishness. I beg
you to put away your ego and do what you know is right.

I trust you will choose your path wisely.

Most gracious regards,

Archmaster Belegra, humble servant of the
Gods

"I don't know which part is the most
offensive," Catrin began. "I've never heard so many thinly veiled
threats and insults. Why would they wish to provoke me in such a
way? What does he mean, I have refused their offers for talks of
peace? No one has made any such offer. He makes it sound as if
their invasion is my fault!"

"Please stay calm, li'l miss. They wrote
those things to provoke you, hoping you would do something hasty
and foolish. It's a common tactic in warfare: taunt your opponent
and instill doubt and fear in him whenever possible. There's not
much in that letter we didn't already know. Try not to fret over
it."

But she could not put the message out of her
mind. "I'm going to take some time to meditate. Perhaps I'll find
some inspiration," she said as she went into her tent. Her own
clothes were by her bed, cleaned and folded. The solitude of the
tent and the feeling of changing back into her old clothes
comforted her, as if they helped her hold onto that which was
Catrin. Her thoughts were scattered, and she tried to focus and
meditate on each one. She pondered the archmaster's words and
Benjin's reaction to them, but she thought there had to be some
undercurrent she was not seeing. She found no answers.

The sound of many people shouting yanked her
from her thoughts. Shadows ran past her tent, and the commotion
continued to grow louder. Benjin reached her as she was emerging
from her tent.

"What's going on?" she yelled above the
noise.

"I don't know. When I heard all the
commotion, I came here to make sure you were safe. Let's find
Vertook." They scanned the sea of confusion for Vertook, but it was
difficult to identify anyone in the morass, and it took a while to
locate him. Benjin spotted him wading through the mob and heading
for Catrin. He shouted and waved his arms, but they could not hear
his words, and they waited anxiously for him to get clear of the
throng. He rushed toward them, and the chaos he left behind seemed
to take on a purpose as horses were saddled. That meant the Arghast
were preparing to ride, and Catrin's anxiety was intense when she
heard Vertook's words.

"Many soldiers coming from all around
us."

Chapter 19

Belief systems are fragile things. How will
you react when your reality suddenly ceases to exist?

--Ain Giest, Sleepless One

* * *

"You ride with me," Vertook said, giving
Catrin no choice but to follow him to his horse. They would all
ride on horses with the other men, whose saddles contained a second
set of passenger flaps that held soft leather stirrups. The flaps
provided little cushion, but they had a large ridge around the back
that would help keep them in place when they were riding at
speed.

Before Catrin could get her boots into the
stirrups firmly, Vertook issued a battle cry and the horse leaped
into a full gallop. Catrin grabbed at the leather straps that hung
from the sides of the saddle and held on with white knuckles,
struggling to get her boots in the stirrups. Once her boots were
firmly planted, she settled into the rhythm of the horse's powerful
stride. Vertook's eyes showed his pleasure that the Herald had such
fine riding skills.

The riders sent clouds of dust into the wind,
and Catrin squinted to keep sand from her eyes. Vertook reached
into his saddlebag and produced a headgear for Catrin--this time
one with eye slits. She felt a little unsteady as they rode, but it
was much better than sand in her eyes.

Cheslo and the others rode in tight formation
with Vertook, and Catrin saw her companions donning headgears as
well. Like a flash flood, they rolled toward the valley entrance in
a headlong rush, lest they become trapped.

The mouth of the valley was narrow, and the
horsemen funneled together, close enough for Catrin to touch the
rider beside her, and as they passed through the narrow opening,
they smashed together, nearly unhorsing her.

Clear of the valley, tribesmen surrounded
their leaders in a tight, diamond-shaped formation. Vertook
directed them straight toward the line of Zjhon soldiers
approaching from the north. The wind whipped, and visibility
dropped to near zero. The Zjhon were obscured by a veil of dust and
were barely visible along the horizon. Despite greater numbers, the
Zjhon attack seemed ill advised; they were still distant and spread
thin, but Catrin supposed their hands had been forced when the
Arghast intercepted their prey. Had the Arghast been less vigilant,
she would have been trapped.

She turned her head to see who was behind
her, but she could see little through the headgear and the dust
that roiled up behind them. As she gazed higher, she could still
see the top of the towering fountain, and she was amazed to see a
pair of eagles floating on the thermals in the mist surrounding it.
They swooped and dived through the water, and Catrin felt a moment
of vindication and joy.

The Arghast remained true to the straight
path they had chosen, and the enemy forces seemed to be gauging
their purpose. As the Zjhon formed into a more dense and organized
force, Catrin shouted to Vertook, telling him to take evasive
action, but he continued on his direct course.

Looking at the dense formation of Arghast
surrounding her, she wondered if Vertook planned to ride straight
through the gathering Zjhon. The closer they came to the Zjhon, the
more prepared the enemy appeared, looking ready to stand fast
against the approaching onslaught. Many soldiers dismounted and
held long pikes to protect against the charge, but by concentrating
in one area, they committed themselves to holding that ground.

Vertook raised a reverberating cry, and
riders charged in every direction, forcing the Zjhon to abandon the
ground they held. Catrin held on tight as Vertook turned his mount
sharply and headed east. The Arghast horses were winded, but so
were those carrying the Zjhon. The Zjhon horses had not been desert
bred and were on unfamiliar turf.

Catrin looked around desperately for her
Guardians, but the headgears and the dust made it nearly impossible
to identify anyone. Vertook's gambit provided a temporary
advantage, but hordes of Zjhon reinforcements began to flood the
desert, swarming around isolated pockets of the Arghast. One of the
tribal leaders rode in close, and Catrin heard Nat shouting and
pointing northeast.

"To the cliffs! Must get Catrin to the
cliffs!"

Vertook nodded and angled them in the
direction Nat indicated. No matter which direction they chose, they
would have to break through the Zjhon at some point, and Vertook
veered for the largest gap in their lines. In the same instant, Nat
cried out in warning. Catrin snapped her gaze to where he pointed,
and Vertook cursed when he spotted a formation of soldiers closing
in from the north.

These men and their horses wore protective
gear, making them much better prepared for desert fighting. The
horses showed a bit of lather but did not appear as winded as the
horse beneath Catrin. Vertook shouted and turned east, pushing
their mount to the limit. Catrin was humbled by the dedication and
courage of the Arghast horses, who gave all they had. Feeling such
affection and gratitude for the mount that was so valiantly bearing
her and Vertook, she placed her hand on the horse's
croup behind the saddle,
and unaware, her
emotions--love, peace, and energy--flowed from her hand into the
horse. As she touched him, her hand grew hot, and a tingling
pulsated in her palm. The horse seemed to respond to her gentle
touch and was rejuvenated. It leaped ahead of the horses
surrounding it.

Vertook slowed his mount to let the others
make up the ground he had gained. The approaching Zjhon formed into
a tight wedge and closed at great speed, making Catrin wonder if
this was where the fighting would truly begin. It was terrifying
and she could not envision it.

The tension in the air was palpable, and she
could hear little above the muted thunder of hooves pounding the
sand. No one spoke, shouted, or cried out. It was eerie and
unnerving, and Catrin could feel the hair on her arms and neck
stand on end. The approaching Zjhon were mostly armed with swords,
but a few carried bows. The Arghast were armed with wooden spears,
and they looked puny beside the cold iron.

Vertook desperately sought to evade the
menacing wedge, but it continued to grow closer. The low din was
shattered when the Zjhon overtook them, cries of man and horse
ringing above the muted thunder, accompanied by metal striking
hardened wood. Catrin ducked under a sword as it whistled by her
head and was still off balance when a soldier slammed his mount
into hers. She was nearly knocked from the saddle by the impact and
leaned out perilously to one side as Vertook smashed the soldier
across the face with the butt of his spear.

As she straightened in the saddle, Catrin
caught a glimpse of Cheslo and Benjin. She screamed as she saw them
collide, at full speed, with a Zjhon soldier. She watched in horror
as all three went down, and she was unable to distinguish anything
in the chaos. The Zjhon were trying to divide the Arghast to deal
with them individually, and they were doing an alarmingly good job
of it. Vertook and Catrin were forced away from the others and
found themselves surrounded by Zjhon.

* * *

Riding behind a man whose name he did not
know and whose dialect he did not seem to speak, Chase watched
Benjin go down. He thought he saw Catrin nearby. A Zjhon soldier
was bearing down on Benjin, and at the same time, at least a dozen
were going after Catrin. Time seemed to slow as Chase was torn by a
decision that must be made in an instant; there was no time for
debate or second thoughts. He yanked on the shoulder of the man in
front of him, pointing and screaming, and by the mercy of the gods,
the tribal leader turned his horse toward where Benjin had fallen.
Chase cursed and climbed to one side of the horse. Putting his
right leg in the left stirrup, he coiled his muscles like a snake
about to strike. An instant before a Zjhon blade would take
Benjin's life, Chase jumped.