The Coastal Kingdoms of Olvion: Book Two of The Chronicles of Olvion (37 page)

“Just sit back and let us help you.”  Dwan turned to look at the person who said the words and was surprised to see Dayel there, dabbing with a wet cloth at the blood around her mouth.

King Ruguer slept in a lavishly appointed room that was reserved for the purpose of accommodating visiting kings to the kingdom of Northland.  The bed was so large that it was almost comical, and the linens on it were outrageously luxurious.

As the sun rose so did Ruguer.  It was a habit that had been born of his days as a military man, and he had never been able to break it.  Nor did he particularly want to.  He had tried to learn to stay in bed longer because his beloved Meena, so enjoyed the mornings when they lay together, holding each other as they talked about whatever was happening in their lives and in Olvion.  It did not take long, however, for him to become anxious, and Meena would smile and tell him to go do whatever it was that kings do.  That was just one of the thousands of things that he loved about his warrior queen.

After cleaning up and getting dressed he opened the double doors of his royal apartment.  As he expected, his royal bodyguard was waiting for him.  He walked through the two rows of warriors and led the way back through the castle.  He had intended to go back before the Parliament and continue his request for more participation by this kingdom.

Ruguer’s procession was met by four Northland warriors as they passed through a carved granite archway which led to the larger part of the castle in which Minos’ royal chambers were located.

One of the four introduced himself in the manner that was proper for greeting a king.

“My Lord King Ruguer, I offer the greetings of the kingdom of Northland.” He inclined his head slightly and placed his fist against his chest.  Ruguer returned the salute.  “Please allow me to introduce myself and my fellow warriors.  I am Zalman and I have the honor of representing the warriors of Northland and the Parliament of this noble kingdom.”

Ruguer noted that none of these warriors wore the ridiculously ornate uniforms that he had seen on the royal guard of the king.  “Thank you for your greeting, Good Warrior.  I’m confused.  You say you represent the Parliament and the warriors of Northland?  Who, then, does Portus represent?  Is he not the Sword of the King?”

Zalman stood straight, trying to match Ruguer’s eyes.  Being almost six feet tall, Ruguer was considered a near-giant among the shorter-statured men of Olvion.  “My Lord King, I have the unpleasant duty to inform you that the entire administration of King Minos has been suspended until certain…matters…can be resolved.  Alas I am not at liberty to elaborate on the subject.”

The look that passed between the two warriors said volumes without the need for spoken words.

“Of course,” Ruguer answered.  A hint of a smile came to his face.  “Tell me, Zalman, why do you and your warriors not wear the uniforms of the Royal Guard that we saw yesterday?”

“Permission to address you warrior to warrior, Good King?”

Ruguer nodded. 

“The uniforms were the idea of King Minos.  They were not well received by the Parliament or the unfortunate warriors who were forced to wear them.  They have been removed from service and have been repurposed.”

“And what
repurposing
have they been put to?” Ruguer asked.

“They have been cut into smaller cloths and are now used as cleaning rags, Lord King.”

Ruguer laughed and noticed that Zalman was trying mightily not to join him in his laughter.  “A proper use for such garments, Warrior.  Very well, lead me to the Hall of Parliament, I have more to say to them.  Along the way, when we are not in earshot of any members of Parliament I would enjoy it if you addressed me simply as Ruguer.  I was told I was needed in the role of king, but I consider myself a warrior first and always.”

***

The earlier part of this morning was much more pleasant than the previous one.  The thousand plus warriors were able to walk overland for much of that time, crossing over shallow rivulets and streams.  Now though, they were hip-deep in swamp water again.  This part of the swamp was choked with high water-weeds which limited their vision drastically.  Taggart slogged along, his height making the trek easier for him than the others.  He looked at Toria and saw that the water was up almost to her chest.  He considered asking her if she wanted to ride on his shoulders, but he was certain she would regard such an offer as being condescending.

So he continued on in silence, ignoring the foul smell of rotting vegetation and mud from the banks.  It was fortunate that the floor of the swamp was sandy and firm, making for good footing.  The day had started out chilly but was now a comfortable temperature, and the water was almost warm for some reason.  Taggart saw several spots along the way where air or gas was bubbling up from below and guessed that the island might be over a submerged volcano which was active and heating up the swamp.

At any rate, the group continued on.  The battles of the previous day were not forgotten, and the warriors moved quickly but carefully.  Taggart saw that Lyyl walked on one side of Toria while Geraar was on the other.  They would never tell her, but he was certain that they had positioned themselves to protect her.

As for Taggart, on his left Tay shadowed his steps.  Now that the entire force had reunited, Jo-Dal and Spall walked along his other side.  There was not much talking and what there was, was spoken in whispers and low tones.  All were still aware of the dangers that might still surround them even though nightfall was a long time off.

They passed a few additional patches of dry land and always took advantage of them to allow their warriors to rest and refresh themselves.  It always felt so good to be out of the smelly water.

The swamp eventually seemed like it was getting shallower.  Most of the warriors were still wet past their knees, but that was better than what they had been experiencing earlier that day.

As their group came to a natural bend in the waterway Tinker sent Taggart a psychic warning.  In the corner of his eye he saw Toria draw her sword, obviously having been ‘pinged’ by Pan. Lyyl waved to get Taggart’s attention.  When Taggart turned the young warrior pointed to his left.  Back a few yards from where the leaders of the procession walked, a dozen or more hairless animals milled in the shallows.  They had been poking their pig-like snouts into the water and rooting around for some unknown reward.  Now they heard the humans, and they all pulled their heads up.

“Anyone know what those things are?” Taggart asked.

Jo-Dal shook his head.  “I’ve never even heard of anything like them.”

The animals looked like a cross between an Earth hyena and a wild boar.  They all sported powerful chests and sturdy rear legs.  Long tusks protruded from their dripping mouths.

As they watched, more of the animals splashed over to join the original pack.  Several took a few steps closer to the warriors.

“Tinker doesn’t like them.  Everyone be on their guard.”

Taggart, Jo-Dal and Spall stopped and placed themselves between the beasts and the rest of their assault force, waving their people on behind them.  Tay, Lyyl, Toria and Geraar fanned out beside them without waiting to be told.

At first it looked like it was going to be a non-event.  Nearly half of the force had passed by while the number of the odd and hairless pig-hyenas grew.  Now there were nearly thirty of them gathered in the shallows.

Geraar hefted his spear up to his shoulder.  “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Almost as if on cue three of the creatures charged them.  It may have been only a bluff attack, but Taggart was not willing to take any chances.  He pulled his sword and waited for the predators to reach them.

Before that happened, Geraar’s spear streaked out and plunged deeply into the side of the lead animal.  It squealed shrilly and fell over biting at the protruding weapon.  There was a twanging of a bowstring and one of the remaining two dropped stone dead with an arrow in its forehead. 

The last animal persisted in its attack despite what happened to its brothers.  Just before it reached the group of warriors Lyyl’s javelin struck between its huge shoulder blades.  It flopped over and pawed the water in pain.

Taggart looked at the three young warriors and back over to Jo-Dal and Spall.  “It would appear that our talents were not needed here.”

The others laughed.  Lyyl and Geraar stepped over and retrieved their weapons from the now-dead animals.  Even Tay recovered her arrow and wiped it clean on the animal’s back.  As the last of the assault force passed, Taggart saw the other pig-hyenas starting to feast on the bodies of their fallen.

Just before night fell the procession of warriors found themselves walking on dry ground.  The topography started a gradual climb signaling that the group had finally passed through the swamp.  Taggart and the other leaders signaled a halt.  The group would set up camp and give the warriors a chance to eat, rest and have dry feet for a change.  Everyone’s mood had lightened considerably.

Taggart and Jo-Dal left Spall to organize the night defenses while they scouted ahead.  The landscape continued its slight elevation.  They passed through dry flatlands and then entered a forested area.  Finally they got through the dense trees and came out on top of a low hill.  Looking out to the north they were just able to see the sea.  Sitting on bluffs overlooking the entrance to the island’s natural harbor was a cliff.  Arrayed on the cliffs were numerous manmade structures that were still too far away to make out with the naked eye.  Taggart withdrew a small telescope from the bag he wore over his shoulder and extended the glass.

“Well, Lord Jo-Dal, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that we have found our objective.  Those structures over there are catapults and trebuchets that are guarding the entrance to the harbor.”

Jo-Dal accepted the telescope from Taggart and looked for himself.  “Yes, and I think I know what the bad news is.  There is no way we can approach them in daylight.”

“Correct,” Taggart answered.  “So we must somehow take a thousand warriors through two days of travel at night and use no lights or campfires.”

Jo-Dal snapped the glass telescope shut.  “Why is it that things can never be easy?”

***

On the second day after the incident at the slave auction the door above the women opened, and Tallun made his way into the cellar followed by two of his men.  Dwan was sitting on a bench leaning forward so her damaged back would not touch the wall.  She noticed that Morlee and his men were not with Tallun.

Tallun turned to look at every woman in the cellar, his eyes coming to a stop when he saw Dwan.

“Be quiet and listen to me.  I want no interruptions.”  The last part of his announcement was directed at Dwan.  “Because of the outrageous actions of one of you (another look at Dwan) the plans to sell you while in Kylee have been canceled.  Instead we will take you to the port of Altaan where the selling of slaves, especially female slaves, is well established.”  He gazed at every person in the cellar to make certain they understood.  “If any of you have plans to repeat your previous behavior you should bear in mind that the slave markets we will be using are very experienced in managing bad behavior.”  He looked at Dwan.  “They are not above cutting one throat in order to save a dozen.  Bear in mind that we will be selling you all in a group.  Once we are paid we have no interest in what happens.  Sleep well, we will be leaving on the evening tide in two days.”

He stood for a while as if he expected some reaction other than silence, especially from Dwan.  When none came he turned and clattered up the stairs.

They heard the door shut and lock.  All of them quickly gathered around Dwan, asking her what they should do.  Her status as the leader of the other twenty seven women was now firmly established.  She held up her hands.

“I can’t make your decisions for you.  In two days we will be marched to their ship and taken to another port.  Once there we will most likely have only two choices; compliance or death.  A decision such as that can only be answered individually.  Each one of you has to decide for yourself.”  She smiled and looked at all of the women standing and sitting around her.  “We are women of Olvion and Aspell.  I am sorry that you are in this situation, but I can think of no one else I would rather face this with.  No one can condemn you if you face slavery and life over defiance and death, but for myself, I will never submit to the humiliation.  I love one man, and no other will ever touch me. If it takes death for that to remain true, then death it shall be.”

***

Tinker saw the girl approaching with Pan riding her shoulder.  She leapt from her Tag’s lap to the ground and sent Pan a wave of happiness.  He sent her one back in reply.  When the girl sat beside Tag, Pan jumped to the dirt, and the two nuzzled each other in welcome.

They engaged in their version of happy play which consisted of chasing each other around in circles and in larger orbits while still remaining close to their humans.  After a few minutes of such interaction they wrestled for a moment or two and then just quietly lay beside each other.

Tinker cast out emotions and images to convey her worry about the events which were to come.  So far the only danger they faced was Pan’s climb of the cliff.  He had been helpful to the girl, but Tinker was not certain that the climb was the reason for his tasking.  The Awareness was not known to assign simple or brief obstacles to be overcome.  Tinker felt that more perilous duties lie ahead for her mate.