Jalia and the Slavers (Jalia - World of Jalon) (11 page)

Crun was getting back to his feet when he saw a loaded crossbow only inches away from his hand. He grabbed the bow and swung it towards Jalia. Her thrown knife caught him in the throat, but he was determined to kill her and lifted the crossbow up towards her. Jalia whispered to her magic ring the moment before the bolt fired.

Crun grinned in triumph, despite the knife sticking out of his throat that would certainly kill him. He knew he was dead but at least he had managed to take the bitch with him. The triumph turned to horror as she opened her hand and showed him the bolt he had fired. She had caught it. He took the impossibility of that to his grave with him.

The slaves watching the fight hadn’t seen what happened. Crun’s body blocked their view for the final moments of the fight. They became silent. They saw Crun fall to the ground and Jalia walk over to him. She put her hand down to retrieve her knife and casually dropped the bolt besides the crossbow.

Anybody looking at the scene later would assume that the bolt had fallen from the crossbow before Crun fired it. That assumption was just fine with Jalia.

She walked over to the cage and the cheering slaves. The cage was locked and she had to go back and search the bodies for the key.

“Off you go then,” she told them as they got down to the road and looked around uncertainly. “If you follow the road that way you will find a turn off for Brinan in a week or so and I’m sure you’ll be welcome there. There are farms and hamlets on the way where a little work will buy you food.”

The freed slaves milled around considering their options. Pip came to her and gave her a hug. “Thank you, Aunty Gally,” he said, giving her a big wet kiss on the cheek, staring at her still uncovered breasts in admiration.

Jalia hastily fastened up her tunic, took him back to her horse, and put him up on it. As she climbed behind him and galloped away, she whispered in Pip’s ear. “If you don’t tell anybody, especially Daniel, that I had my breasts out in that fight, I won’t give you the spanking of your life for calling me, Aunty Gally just then. Is it a deal?”

Pip gulped. Jalia had given one of the children a spanking on the day she arrived for insulting her, and he had seen how hard she could hit. “It’s a deal,” he told her, and not another word was said as they rode back to the farm.

15.
Base Camp Ona

Jalia rode the donkey side-saddle with poor grace as Daniel walked besides her dragging the donkey along by its halter. Daniel was dressed as a farmer, his sword was missing and his clothing reflected a farmer’s needs, with many pockets and made of the strongest, most hard wearing of cloths.

His boots were made to withstand a thousand clods of clay and not to allow him to move quickly. He chewed a length of straw that dangled loosely from his mouth. The only thing in common with his normal dress was the dagger at his belt. That looked old and nondescript and fitted the rest of his clothes perfectly.

While Daniel looked almost unrecognizable, Jalia had undergone an even more startling transformation. Sitting on the back of a donkey that looked as though it might die of old age any moment, she wore a long, worn, bulky farmer’s-wife dress. Gone was the sword from her back and all of her usual clothes. She looked harassed and annoyed. As well she might, because the woman Jalia had become was well gone in pregnancy with her belly sticking out over her knees.

Daniel trudged wearily down the road towing Jalia and her donkey behind him. They had almost reached the bridge connecting Ona to the mainland.

When Jalia had returned with the Pip, it was clear they should leave the farm as soon as possible. They risked Gorn and Risa’s family by being there and it was time to take the fight to the enemy. Daniel had decided on a course of action, but still had the little matter of selling his plan to Jalia.

“Dan and his wife have a closed up house in Ona. He was a cobbler until the troubles forced him back to his father’s farm. They have offered it to us and it sounds as though it will make a good base.” Daniel explained after they had eaten that evening.

Dan Caulder was Trela’s father and a good man. Daniel insisted on paying him for using the house and they concocted a story to protect him from the Association, should they ever connect the house back to Jalia and Daniel.

“We will ride to the house tomorrow,” Jalia said.

“There is the small matter of our disguise, Jalia. The Association will be on the lookout for you and possibly me. We must make sure that nobody connects the couple going over the bridge with either of us.”

“And how do you plan to achieve that miracle?” Jalia asked with a degree of curiosity. Daniel had always been the strategist. Jalia’s approach to planning was to charge forward with her sword raised. While quite capable of creating and carrying out complex plans, she rarely chose to do so.

“I’ve bought an old donkey from Gorn and we will go disguised as a farmer and his wife.” Daniel tried to sell the easy bits of the plan before mentioning the bit he was sure she wouldn’t like.

“You bought a donkey? You have four of them in the stable.”

“I think we’ll probably lose any animal we take with us.” Daniel said, as if that answered the question.

“You do get overly attached to yours. They are only donkeys.”

“Give me one of your knives,” Daniel demanded. Jalia pulled the knife that lived in her boot, started to hand it over to Daniel hilt first, and then stopped with her hand halfway.

“What exactly do you want it for?” she asked suspiciously.

“I want to keep it as mine, forever.”

Jalia pulled the knife back from his waiting hand so fast she came close to stabbing herself.

“Not a chance, these knives are a part of me. I’ve had them so long.”

Daniel waited for her to make the connection.

“Alright, keep your damned donkeys.”

“There is one other thing to help with the disguise, Jalia…” Daniel paused and Jalia looked expectantly at him. She knew he was going to ask her to do something she wouldn’t like. She knew that from the start as it was written all over his face. “I want you to pretend to be full term pregnant.”

“What’s the point in that? We won’t be able to carry on the pretense after we get into the city, no matter how big a pillow I stuff up my skirt.”

“Our excuse for entering Telmar is that you lost your first child at full term and we want to use a city midwife.”

“Yes, I guessed it would be something like that. But as soon as we start doing anything, the Association will be around to the house sticking a knife into my belly to check if I bleed.”

“Not if we’ve been to a midwife and she confirms you’re pregnant.”

Jalia paused for thought. “That would work. Does Gorn know of a midwife who will lie for us?”

“Unfortunately no, but I have a cunning plan,” Daniel grinned at Jalia in a particularly wicked way. “We’ll use your ring to convince her you’re pregnant. Then we can make our moves against the Association without fear of discovery. The Association will assume we’ve entered the city by boat and they’ll spend their time checking barns and boat-houses while we sit safe in Dan’s house.”

“Can my ring do that?” Jalia was unconvinced the magic ring was up to it. If the task was to gut the midwife or throw her in the lake she was sure it could do it, but this would involve affecting the woman’s mind.

“Ask the ring for a sign,” Daniel prompted and Jalia created the appropriate question.

“I’m only getting a faint tingle from the ring, as if it isn’t sure,” Jalia said a few seconds later.

“Ask it if it will work if you go through the motions, so all it has to do is convince the midwife your belly is large and a baby is inside it.”

“Magic ring, will it work if we do what he just said?” Jalia asked and shook the finger in pain. “There was no need for such an enthusiastic response,” she grumbled.

“So, it’s settled then?”

“Well Daniel I’m not sure…” Jalia began, and stopped in mid-sentence as Risa and two of her daughter’s in law entered the room with a maternity dress, a big pillow and sewing kits. “I see you have it all planned,” she shouted at Daniel’s back as he fled the room.

Their swords and usual clothes were stored in the pack dangling from the donkeys back on the other side to the one where Jalia’s feet hung. While her disguise was effective, it was also hot and heavy and she wondered if this was what pregnant women put up with. Jalia never intended to get pregnant, but now she was clear what she would tell Daniel, if he ever was to ask her why not.

The bridge across the lake was a wonder of the world. It hadn’t looked impressive to Jalia when she viewed it from the top of the hill, but when she saw it up close it gave a very different impression. It was wide; wide enough for at least six carts to travel abreast while its arches were big enough to let large boats go through them.

The most impressive feature of the bridge was its center sections. These were not made of stone like the rest of the bridge but of iron. Great iron wheels and cogs made it possible to swing the sections down on massive hinges to make it impossible to pass.

“How do they ever get them back up into position again?” Jalia asked in wonder as their donkey cautiously stepped over the four inch gap between one swinging section and the next.

“Gorn told me there is a barge that can lift the sections back up by use of counterweights. But any attacker can be prevented from access to Telmar by these things. They were constructed by the Magicians Kings for security.” Daniel marveled at the things the Magician Kings had done during their reign. Nothing like this could be built today.

Guards were stationed by the control levers. Ten heavily armed men viewed them with suspicion from behind fortifications. One of the men came out to talk.

“What do you want?” the man enquired as if he neither cared nor really wanted an answer.

“My wife is pregnant…”

“I can see that. We have enough screaming brats in Telmar as it is. Go away.”

“She has trouble giving birth. We seek a city midwife to help us. I have leased a house in Ona from a farmer we met on the trail.” Daniel started to search his pockets for the lease he and Dan had written. He knew exactly which pocket it was in but he intended that to be the last he looked in. He wanted to give these men the impression he wasn’t very bright.

“How many pockets have you got in those trousers?” the guard asked irritably. Daniel triumphantly pulled a scrap of parchment from a pocket on his leg. The guard stared suspiciously at the paper. He had some trouble with reading, but he could read names and recognized the name Dan Caulder. He gave the paper back. “I suppose it won’t matter if you leave the city after your wife gives birth. Good luck to the two of you.”

Daniel eased Jalia and the donkey past the guard and through the gates set in the fortifications. Some of the guards jeered as they went by and Daniel hung his head as though frightened. Jalia worked hard at suppressing the urge to jump off the donkey to find out whether these guards could swim.

Ona was the most nearly round of the islands of Telmar and was approximately three miles in diameter. The road wound along the northern edge of the island and into the bustling streets of Ona’s harbor and market. They had a good idea of where to find Dan’s house. He told them to take Monk’s Street up the hill towards the monastery. His house was halfway up on the left.

The donkey brayed in irritation at having to carry Jalia and the packs up the steep cobbled street. Daniel had to hit him with his reins to get him to move at all. Jalia wanted to get off and walk but that would have ruined the deception. It would certainly have been a lot quicker though.

At the house, Daniel unlocked the door. He would have to go around the house later, pulling out the long nails used to fasten the window shutters closed. He helped Jalia down from the donkey and, holding her arm, helped her into the house. As soon as they were in and the door closed Jalia shook his hand off her.

“I am not an old woman, you know.”

“It is just part of the act, Jalia.”

“Well go out and get some of these windows open before I die from a lack of fresh air.”

When the windows were open, Daniel went down to the market and bought food. He then went in search of a midwife. Jalia waited on the bed in a simple shift ready to command the ring as soon as Daniel entered the house.

“I’ve brought the midwife, Trella my love!” Daniel called as he entered the house. A small round woman with a no nonsense attitude followed behind him and winced at his words. Una Thorn proclaimed herself the best and most experienced midwife on the seven islands of Telmar and she had no time for love or sentiment of any kind.

She felt her life would be a lot easier and less wearing if the younger couples of the island gave up sex until they were much older. Sex was overrated in her personal opinion.

Daniel escorted Una to their bedroom, calling out to Jalia as he climbed the staircase, professing his undying love. When they reached the bedroom, Una swept past Daniel as if he wasn’t there.

“Huh, no wonder she has trouble. Those hips are far too small to give a baby easy passage, and look at her tits, man. I’m going to have to find a wet-nurse if the child is going to have anything to eat.” Una swung over the bed and flung up Jalia’s shift so she was revealed naked with the shift draped over her face. “She is certainly near term judging by the size of that belly. God knows how the poor baby is going to get through that pelvis. Spread your legs, girl!” Una ordered.

It was fortunate Jalia’s face was covered, as it is doubtful any magic could have disguised her anger. However, it was covered and Jalia reluctantly spread her legs for this rude arrogant woman.

She didn’t do it fast enough for Una who slapped her inner thighs to get her to move faster. Jalia’s hand clenched onto the bed and imagined she was squeezing Una’s throat. Una put her hand on Jalia tummy and nodded as she thought she felt a baby kicking within. She turned her attention back to the area between Jalia’s legs

“Well a man might enjoy looking at it, but it’s quite impractical. She will tear for sure when the baby is born. All this hair will have to go.” Una turned to face Daniel. “Do you want me to have it off or will you do it when I’m gone?”

“Oh, I’ll do it, Mistress Una. She’ll be as bald as a baby when I’ve finished, I can assure you.” Daniel tried hard to keep from laughing and hoped Una would mistake his facial contortions for deep concern.

“See that you do a good job. I shall be around tomorrow to check. If you need me sooner, you know where to find me. Good day, sir.” Una picked up her bag and swept from the room. Seconds later they heard the front door slam.

Jalia flipped the top of her shift down and shouted. “I’m going to kill that woman before we leave and if you don’t get that grin off your face, you’re going to die too!”