FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (123 page)

     For Serene and Sky, this ‘deal’ would mark a significant event in their military careers. Besides the promotion, pay rise and personal glory that would undoubtedly follow, the elimination of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan would free up the Fallsian Military’s resources to deal with other pressing issues such as the Serpentian and Aridyte threats, demon attacks and more importantly, Liberation Raids. Serene had no doubt that the powers that she had developed under Ray’s training would be useful in rescuing her fellow Fallsians from the Serpentian mining camps and pleasure houses. Sky had it in his mind that with the threat of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan gone, King Patrum would allow Liberation Raids to be carried out; and he intended to lead as many of these raids as he could. He felt that it was another way for him to redeem himself for his dark practices of the past.

     As for Rod, he was hoping that with the elimination of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan, not only would King Patrum authorise Liberation Raids, but an invasion into Serpentian territory. Rod hated the Serpentians. And with the loss of so many friends and comrades at Fort Eastguard, he yearned for vengeance
!
A yearning that could only be satisfied with an invasion of Serpentia, so that he might inflict the pain and suffering that he had experienced from the Serpentians back upon the Serpentians themselves.

     For Dawn and Eclipse, this ‘deal’, if it went through, would mark a sorrowful ending to a large part of their lives. It meant the ultimate betrayal of their beliefs and the abandonment of the essence of their souls. But for the sake of ensuring the safety of the widows and orphans who were trapped in the clan, and also for vengeance against a perverted and abusive leader, it was a small price to pay; and they
wanted
to pay it. Not doing so would be more expensive that they could ever imagine. To be tyrannised by outside forces was one thing, but to be tyrannised by one of their own was quite another. They
needed
this deal to go through. This was their only card left to play.

     Ray cleared his throat to break the awkward silence.

     “Accepted _ the king has done of this of your offer, and grants you that which you have requested,” he said finally; handing the king’s letter to Eclipse.

     Both Dawn and Eclipse’s expression remained unchanged, but their hearts skipped a beat or two. Eclipse took the letter from Ray and together with Dawn, read its contents. Satisfied with what they had read, both afforded smiles on their faces. They were not smiles of happiness, but smiles of relief. Hope had truly returned to their hearts.

     Without wasting any time, Eclipse took a piece of paper and began drawing the layout of The Lair. When she was done, both she and Dawn took turns explaining everything they knew about The Lair and the clan. They explained everything; from the floods that plagued them to their refuge in the hills, their abuse at the hands of Deputy Governor Greel and the Fallsian Military to their ultimate decision to rebel and their first assassination until the present. They mentioned about Weed Venn, Soft Pillows Inn and The Market. Then the discussion focussed back on The Lair itself. Every chamber and passage in The Lair was described in detail.

     Ray and the others took a few moments to digest the vast volume of information given. Then they began discussing a plan of attack. Though it clearly hurt Dawn and Eclipse to help bring about the attack on The Lair, they did so in a committed manner. Tears rolled down the eyes of the two seasoned assassins as they sold their souls to their enemies.

     The call of the rooster interrupted their deep discussions and concentrated thoughts. It was morning the next day, and none of them had realised it. The only indication that they had of not having a full night’s sleep was the throbbing headache in their skulls. Realising that it would then be counter-productive to carry on, Ray temporarily ceased the discussion and ordered everyone to go to bed. Seven weary souls walked groggily out of Command and Control to their designated sleeping quarters and tents. But Sky did not go to bed immediately. He sent a despatch back to Fallsene City to inform his superiors about Weed Venn and Soft Pillows Inn. No doubt that by the time they all got back to Fallsene, Weed Venn and his workers would already have been arrested.

     Tears were rolling down Silk’s cheeks again. Hers was not a silent sob this time. It was a crying plea. But the clanmaster would not listen. Instead he told her to shut up. Then he ripped the blouse off Silk’s sister and fulfilled his desires. And all Silk could do was to cry in the corner. Her sister’s scream was hell to her ears, although it was heaven to the clanmaster’s. This terrible ordeal lasted throughout the night.

     The
24
th
Morning of Fifth Month of Dry Season
saw Silk outside The Lair, picking mushrooms in the forest. Her eyes were still red from sobbing the night before, but the tears that welled in her eyes were fresh. She was lost in depressed thoughts and wandered about in a slightly dazed fashion. There was a gentle tap on her shoulder. She gasped and jumped in surprise.

     “Relax, Silk
!
It’s me,” said the person who tapped Silk’s shoulder.

     “Founder Menox
!
” Silk exclaimed.

     “What happened, my child
?
Why are your eyes so watery
?
” asked Eclipse.

     Silk broke down in tears. Her body trembled with every sob. Eclipse could guess what had happened to Silk. The twisted cruelty of the clanmaster was no mystery to her. She put her arms around Silk and let her sob for awhile. Her plans could wait just a little longer.

     Eclipse pulled Silk towards a large bush. When they were both crouched in the bush, Eclipse’s face turned from sympathetic to serious, but not too stern.

     “Silk, I know life’s hard for you now. I can imagine the suffering you and your family are going through right now, but I need you…,” said Eclipse.

     “My sister too
!
He took her too
!
” Silk interrupted suddenly, and then she cried even harder.

     Eclipse gently pulled the girl’s head towards her shoulder and stroked it in a sympathetic manner. The crying died down a bit.

     “Silk, I know what he has done to you. We know how evil the clanmaster is. That’s why we tried to stop him. That’s why your father tried to stop him. We went out to meet Dawn and find a way to stop the clanmaster. But we were ambushed. Your father fought valiantly. But we were severely outnumbered. He didn’t stand a chance
!
I almost didn’t survive either. But you
do
understand why we had to try, don’t you
?
No matter what happens, and no matter what’s the price, the clanmaster must be stopped,” said Eclipse softly.

     Silk pulled her head away, looked at Eclipse in a compliant manner and nodded her head.

     “Good
!
I knew you’d understand. You’re your father’s brave girl
!
This is war, Silk
!
We’re at war with the clanmaster now
!
And to win the war, there must be sacrifices
!
I need for you to make a sacrifice. Are you willing
?
” said Eclipse.

     “Gladly, Founder Menox
!
What is it
?
” asked Silk.

     Eclipse hesitated for a moment. She truly felt sickened with what she was about to say. But it was the only way. The clanmaster had to be stopped. The widows and orphans had to be saved, even if it meant sacrificing some of them.

     “What is it
?
” asked Silk eagerly.

    “I…  This is what I need you to do. Take this bottle. Pour its contents into the wine barrels. You have to do this before dinner time. This is very important, Silk; you mustn’t get caught
!
Tell all of our people and those who follow Founder Breven to avoid drinking the wine tonight. Tell them to prepare to leave The Lair. They must do so inconspicuously.  They can expect to leave tonight. Can you do this
?
” instructed Eclipse as she handed Silk a small, corked ceramic bottle.

     “Yes, Founder Menox
!
” said Silk confidently, the spirit returning to her soul.

     “There’s one other thing,” added Eclipse, then she paused and took a deep breath.

     Silk looked at Eclipse eagerly. She wanted to know what else she could do to help bring down Clanmaster Collart.

     “I need you and your friends to seduce the guards tonight
!
” said Eclipse reluctantly.

     “What do you mean
?
” asked a confused Silk.

     “Gather your ‘more attractive’ friends. Take the contents of this container and mix it with talcum powder. Rub the powder lightly on your chests. Don’t worry
!
The contents are not dangerous to the touch. Then I want you all to seduce all the guards at exactly midnight. Every guard who guards the main exit and the escape exits as well. All of them are to be seduced. You’re to entice them into sexual contact. Make sure you present your chest to them. They’re required to breathe the powder in. Make sure they breathe it in. When… when it’s done, go back to your chambers and wait,” explained Eclipse as she passed Silk a small, round metal container.

     “What do we wait for, Founder Menox
?
” enquired Silk.

     “An attack
!
You and all those who are on our side
must not
take part. Tell them that they must tie a yellow armband on their left arm when the attack happens and they must have no weapons on them. This is very important, Silk. Yellow armbands and no weapons at all. Can you do all of these
?
” answered Eclipse.

     “Yes, Founder Menox, I can
!
” Silk announced confidently.

     “I’m sorry to have to put you and your friends through this, Silk,” expressed Eclipse.

     “To
not
go through this would be much worse,” came the depressing reply.

     Eclipse and Silk looked into each other’s eyes and nodded. Silk got up and walked briskly back towards The Lair. Eclipse got up and walked to another cluster of bushes nearby. Ray stood up from the bush.

     “Do _ how could you of this, to ask them to sacrifice their body as such
?
” asked Ray in a slightly disgusted manner, though he knew what the answer would be.

     “My followers and those of Dawn’s uncle’s are considered traitors now. They’re treated virtually as slaves without any humanity or dignity at all. What I’ve asked her and her friends to do is no different than what they are going through every night,” replied Eclipse.

     “Trial _ but surely, there should be one of this to ascertain their guilt, and even if they were to be found guilty, surely your laws would not allow for such an abuse, such a victimisation
?
” questioned Ray.

     “We are assassins, Minvian Iddell
!
What do you expect
?
” answered Eclipse pointedly.

     Ray was silent at that reply. She had, as far as Ray was concerned, a very valid point.

     Ray’s thought went to the bottle that Eclipse had given to Silk. He had his suspicions, but he wanted confirmation as to its contents.    

     “Content _ of this, what was in that bottle
?
” he asked.

     “The same drug we used to impair your judgement on the night we attacked your order. I retrieved both the bottle and the metal container from the basement of The Spot. Your people did not recognise them for what they were, but I did,” replied Eclipse.

     Ray nodded with a strained smile. So it seemed that the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan and Clanmaster Venom Collart would get a taste of their own medicine after all. Vengeance could not get any more poetic than this
!

     Silk walked calmly through the woods, but internally, she was anything but calm. She was excited and anxious. She had seen her mother get slapped and beaten by Clanmaster Collart and his minions. Besides the beatings, her mother was repeatedly raped by the clanmaster’s minions while Silk was violated by the clanmaster himself. And the worst part was, he had claimed her sister too. Sweet, young Cotton, only 15 years old, and she had already lost her innocence, and along with it she lost her hope as well.

     Silk’s family was not the only one to suffer such a fate. There were many such families undergoing the same type of torment as well. Some families had the fathers ‘executed’ by sending them on difficult missions without proper backup; or ambushed on their way back to The Lair, just because they had beautiful daughters whom Clanmaster Collart coveted. And when Venom was done with these girls, he would hand them over to his minions. For the minions, it was party time. But to the girls, it was a type of strange hell. They suffered; but were so accustomed to the suffering that it felt like a daze to them. It was as though their souls had left their bodies and they were watching their own violation from a third person’s point of view. Could anyone’s existence be any lower, any more depressing than this
?
No
!
This was as low as it could ever get, reasoned Silk. But finally, she would have her vengeance
!
All of them would have their vengeance
!
Eclipse had planned something, but Silk had her own plans too.