Jalia and the Slavers (Jalia - World of Jalon) (14 page)

18.
The Association Meets

While Jalia and Daniel lay snoring in bed, the people of Telmar were acting like an ant’s nest into which a little child has poked a stick and stirred generously. Telmar hadn’t taken its subjugation by the Mine Owners Association easily. Its citizens had a long tradition of democracy and they couldn’t have become enslaved by anything as simple as a direct attack.

The Association took the city by stealth, using that most corrupting of substances, pure gold. Before its citizens were aware their freedom was under threat they found their leaders in prison and the Association running their army from the monasteries.

The Association applied a gentle touch, only arresting and torturing the most outspoken of Telmar’s people. It only takes a few examples to silence the masses. The Association claimed it had to take up draconian powers to protect Telmar from the raiders it claimed were ready to wreak havoc on the city given the slightest chance.

Yandin Selda himself had stood before the jeering citizenry in the Great Square on Fum and told them it was either torture a few or they would be responsible for the destruction that followed, the threat from outside was so great. Enough believed him and Telmar resumed its business, in many ways indistinguishable from the free and democratic place it had been, but days before. It is always this way when cities move from freedom to tyranny, very few notice its passing. Few citizens use free speech and most don’t care about its disappearance, provided they and their children are safe.

Holding onto Telmar still required a standing army ready to suppress its citizens. The loss of Vincend Gore, who ran the island of Trey was damaging. The other Owners had been able to retain control because of the bridges connecting the islands and because Trey was populated with administrators and the upper classes. They were the people with most to lose in a revolution.

Now they had lost two more of their number. Dell Broad who controlled the island of Fir and Jal al’Breen, who controlled Cee. Only Ona, Fum, Du and Sep remained directly under the Association’s control. It was inevitable that parts of Telmar would break away unless the Association did something to stop it.

The four remaining members of the Association met in Selda’s monastery on Fum that evening. Each brought a retinue of guards, while Silla Klint came by ship bringing three large ships with her. These she moored in the harbor at the bottom of the cliffs.

The large round table, which was the traditional venue for meetings for the leaders of Telmar, looked empty with only four Owners occupying it. Each brought four armed guards to the meeting room and these grim faced men glared at each other across the table as their leaders conferred.

Silla Klint stood out as the only female Owner. For a man to buy, steal, and hold a set of mines by force required him to have a will of iron and a tendency to kill people first and ask questions later; for a woman to achieve the same position required her to be stronger and much more ruthless. It was a paradox that she was also beautiful and dressed highly impractically in flowing silks with a fancy hat.

It was Silla who set out the facts to the assembled men.

“If we have not already done so, we will have lost the islands of Cee and Fir by the morning. The locals will pull the bridge supports and overwhelm our men. The only thing to consider is if we wish to try and retake them.” She saw disbelief in Dan Malick and Hadon Slate’s eyes, but then she had always known those men were fools.

“That may well be the case, my dear,” Yandin Selda said calmly, “But our threat is not from the islands. The locals won’t try and retake the rest of the city. Their old rivalries with the other islands will result in them adopting a waiting game. They are not a threat to us. The woman Jalia al’Dare and whoever is working with her are our real enemies.”

“I can send my men through to Cee in a few hours. The people on Trey didn’t rebel when Vincend was killed, so why should they now?” Hadan Slate growled as he rose to his feet. Yandin looked at him with disdain. There was always one loud mouthed idiot in any organization and Hadan Slate was theirs.

“Sit down, Hadan. Shouting won’t help the situation,” Yandin said soothingly. Slate sat down, but pushed his chair away from the table as if to distance himself from the others.

“It’s not your head that She-Devil will part from your body next,” he muttered low enough to ensure that Yandin didn’t hear him.

“We don’t have enough money to pay our soldiers should the mob rise,” Dan Malick interjected. He was a tall broad man who looked more like a giant than a human. In many ways, despite his physical bulk he was the least confident member of the Association. His choice of Ona revealed his desire to have an escape route handy should things go wrong. “My mines are producing nothing as the seam we followed has petered out. I am having enough problems paying for the food for my slaves.”

“Fool,” Silla hissed, “Let them go while your experts search for another seam. You can always round them up later.”

“Let’s not fight among ourselves,” Yandin said calmly, though his eyes blazed with anger. “The problem is the al’Dare woman and her assassins. Given she has a king’s ransom in gold, our gold I would remind you, it’s not surprising she has the means to buy the best.”

“She’s already has our gold,” Hadan complained, “Why is she attacking us?”

Silla hissed at his stupidity and turned her head from the table.

“Because we are trying to get it back,” Yandin explained as patiently as he could. His left eye developed a small tick as he spoke and the observant would have noticed how tightly he bunched his fists. But no one had accused Hadan of being observant. “What are we going to do about her assassins is the question?”

“I have had my men on high alert for days,” Dan Malick told them. “No one who looks in the least bit like an assassin has crossed the bridge to Ona.”

“Assassins rarely look like assassins,” Silla muttered while still facing away from her fellow Owners.

“I can assure you my men have checked everyone who came onto the islands by the bridge in the last month and none of them were your al’Dare woman or an assassin. They undoubtedly came by boat. All the captains take on passengers when it suits them.” Malick slapped his fist on the table making it shake. “This is not my fault!”

“I don’t care how they got here. They’re here now and we have to deal with them!” Yandin shouted, his patience finally running out. The others didn’t seem to understand they might be dead in the next few days if they didn’t do something. “Has anybody any ideas?”

The other Owners were taken aback by Yandin’s outburst. He was always the calmest among them. That was the quality that persuaded them to make him their leader in the first place.

“I for one,” remarked Silla as she stood up from the table, “Am going back to Sep. You will note I dropped the bridge supports to my island the day we heard the gold was lost. Nobody gets on or off Sep without my knowledge. Every fishing boat is searched coming or going. I would suggest you all take similar precautions and find out which island the assassins are on. Good day to you, gentlemen.”

Silla walked to the door with her men at her side. Yandin Selda’s men who were closest to the door looked as though they might stop her and Silla’s men drew their swords. Yandin nodded at his guards to let Silla out and they stepped aside.

Silla turned back at the door and addressed Yandin. “I do hope you turn out to be one of the survivors.” She walked out, heading back to her ships.

Halfway down the corridor she was intercepted by Alin Bredin who stepped into her path. Her men began to draw their swords but she motioned them to stand down.

“What can I do for you, Alin? Your master and I have already had words, I’m afraid.”

Bredan looked around furtively to make sure no one was near enough to overhear them. “I take it, my lady, that you understand the seriousness of the situation?”

“I’ll be ensuring that the assassins do not alight on the shores of Sep, if that’s what you mean,” she said cautiously. Silla knew she had to be careful what she said to this man, his loyalties were to Yandin.

“My master hasn’t realized the gravity of the situation. He believes he can stay and fight.”

“You have advised him to flee?” Silla wasn’t startled by this revelation, but tried to act as though she was.

“My lady, I have been with Yandin for twenty years and this is the first time I’ve regretted it. It might be time for me to seek a wiser master who has need of my talents.”

“Are you seeking a position with me?”

“Are you offering one?”

“Selda would never permit you to work for me in Telmar,” Silla stated as she looked at Alin Bredan appraisingly. If he responded to that statement correctly, she could use him.

“I very much doubt that that will be a problem, will it my lady?” Bredan said, with what was certainly a degree of humor in his eye. With those words, Silla Klint was sold.

“Have you brought your baggage?”

“It’s already packed on your ship. I bribed one of your men to take it there.”

“Walk with me, Alin Bredan. I would have you tell me where you think a woman of my skills should go, purely from a hypothetical viewpoint, of course.”

“I believe there are opportunities in Slarn, my lady. The King of Slarn has died and there is no obvious successor. If the stories are true that you didn’t trust the vaults at Brinan and have the funds, then it might be possible for you to buy a kingdom,” Alin explained as they walked towards her ships.

“I like the way you think, Alin. Please call me Silla, there is no need for formality between us.”

The ships sailed within the hour and set sail as though they were heading for Sep. Once they rounded the island and could no longer be seen, the ship carrying Silla continued across the lake towards the river Jalon and Slarn.

“It is convenient that we can get to Slarn by ship. I would hate to have to travel out of my way to gain a kingdom,” Silla said as she led Alin down to the hold at the bottom of her ship. “Do you think this will be enough gold?” she asked as she opened the lid of a massive chest sitting on the hold floor.

“More than enough, my lady,” Alin rubbed his hands together in glee. “This is going to be the start of a wonderful relationship.”

Back at the meeting, Yandin Selda wondered where Alin had disappeared to. They could use his advice. They had concluded that Dan Malick and Hadan Slate would be the next targets as Silla Klint was difficult to get at and Yandin Selda too well protected.

A messenger reported that the people of the islands of Cee and Fir had driven the Association’s men from their islands and collapsed the bridges. This was annoying, but entirely predictable. They were also getting reports that the people of Trey might have rebelled. They would know for sure by morning.

The Owners decided to set an elaborate trap at both Malick’s and Slate’s monasteries. The men would be hidden in their dungeons while people who looked like them would sleep in their beds. Alin was good at planning such things and Yandin sent some of his men to find him. So far, they had had no luck at all.

19.
Taking the War to Yandin

Daniel woke at nightfall and prepared a meal for the two of them. It wasn’t particularly appetizing, as he had to use dried meat. He didn’t want to risk going out into the town for fresh provisions, as it was likely the Association would be on the lookout for strangers.

He woke Jalia and presented her with her evening meal in bed. The two sat on the bed and discussed possibilities until late into the night. They then slept again to be woken by the crowing of the local cocks.

Jalia decided to try and be nice to Una and see if that kept her nipples and inner thighs from damage. Since Daniel insisted she shouldn’t kill the woman this was the only thing she could think of to make her visits bearable.

Much to Daniel’s carefully hidden amusement; Jalia swept the bedroom floor with a besom as Una entered it. Una sniffed in a way indicating approval as Jalia dutifully lay on the bed and spread her legs for inspection.

“Such a commotion in the city overnight,” Una said as she placed her hands on Jalia tummy and felt the baby the magic ring created in her mind.

“Has there been further trouble?” Daniel asked with a hint of fear in his voice. He didn’t want this woman to get the slightest idea that he might be a source of the trouble.

Una sniffed her disapproval at Daniel’s apparent fear. “Not enough trouble yet, young man. The islands of Fir, Cee and Trey have been reclaimed by the people from those scum and their cursed Association. It’s long overdue in my opinion. Anyone who has to rule using prisons to torture people isn’t fit to be any kind of a leader, and the mine owners have done that and worse.”

“Does that mean the Association is finished?” Jalia asked her in her most innocent voice.

“Not yet, my dear,” Una said as she gave Jalia a friendly slap on the thigh in the exact same place where she bruised it the day before. “But something strange is going on in Sep. My cousin tells me that the ships carrying Silla Klint…,” Una paused to spit on the floor after she spoke the mine owner’s name, “back from her meeting are no longer in the harbor at Sep. No one can get on or off that island. Any fishing boat approaching the harbor is shot at.”

“Have they caught the assassins?” Daniel asked.

“No, thank the gods! They still have four more bastards to kill. The rumors have it that they are led by a woman over six feet tall with massive breasts barely contained by her solid gold breast plate. I’d like to shake the hand of a woman like her, I can tell you!” Una spoke with more than a hint of hero worship. “It’s a shame girls like you don’t aspire to be like this woman, Jalia,” Una confided as she gave Jalia’s thigh another wince inducing slap. “But some are best suited for breeding, I suppose.”

Una looked at Daniel. “The baby is overdue and complications may set in if we leave it in there for much longer. I have some herbs to induce the birth, which I’ll bring tomorrow.” Una looked disapprovingly at Jalia. “So this is your last chance girl to get into labor, for tomorrow you’re going to give birth whether you like it or not.” Una stood to leave.

Daniel hurried over to her and led her to the side of the room. “Is it safe for me to go down to the shops to get fresh food? I suppose there are a lots of the Association’s men out picking on strangers.”

Una gave Daniel a look of pure contempt. “You would think so, but it’s not the case. Dan Malick…,” Una paused to spit, “is acting as if there is no threat at all. The monastery gates are wide open with barely a guard standing there. He has driven through the streets twice today in his coach, acting as though he hasn’t a care in the world.”

“They tell me the same is true of the bastard on Du. I can only hope this Jalia woman brings her assassins and kills them both. You would think they wanted to be attacked the way they’re behaving. I assume it’s bravado to show they aren’t scared.” Una stopped to spit one last time. “So you are safe, young man, to get your wife food. She looks as though she could do with some.”

Una got her bag from the bedside table and left. Daniel sat on the bed besides an angry Jalia who was rubbing at her thigh, trying to take the sting out from Una’s repeated blows.

“That woman is driving me crazy. Hitting me at the same time as she is telling me how wonderful I am. And who came up with the crazy story that I walk around in a breastplate made of gold? How stupid is that?”

“Don’t forget the big breasts,” Daniel said with a smile on his face.

“I wasn’t objecting to the big breasts rumor, just the other bits of it.” Jalia said and pouted at him.

“Your breasts are perfect just the way they are. I don’t see why you think they should be hanging down like a cow’s.”

“Never mind that,” Jalia snapped. “I overheard your conversation with Una and it’s clear the Association are laying a trap for that hoard of dangerous assassins they think they have.”

“It could be a double bluff. They might have already worked out that our real target will be Yandin Selda.”

“I don’t believe they’re that clever. Why should they start acting intelligent now?”

“There are bound to be guards on the bridges and you know what that means?”

Jalia sighed, “Yes I do, but we have no choice do we?”

“None at all, Jalia. None at all.”

It was beginning to get dark when Jalia and Daniel reached the bridge between Ona and Fum. This was one of the shorter bridges between the islands but it was still nearly half a league long. It is difficult to see clearly in twilight and that’s why Daniel and Jalia had chosen this particular time to cross the bridge. It was also a time of day when there were few people crossing.

They stayed in the shadows as a farmer’s wagon rolled over the last part of the bridge towards them. There was no sign of anyone else on the bridge except for four guards who had positioned themselves at the midpoint. It was an incredibly stupid place to wait to check on people, but Daniel and Jalia could only be grateful that whoever had made the decision was absent when the brains were handed out.

They walked hand in hand towards the guards. It was likely that in the twilight they looked like lovers out for a stroll. That was certainly the impression they were striving to give.

They managed to get within yards of the guards before the men noticed they were armed. They still looked so innocuous that none of the guards drew their swords. Daniel could scarcely believe that after the murders these men could act so stupid.

“Out for a walk, are we?” the leader of the guards asked as he finally pulled his sword from his scabbard and walked to where Jalia and Daniel waited for him. “It’s unusual to see a woman dressed to fight…”

It was at this point that Jalia drew her sword and Daniel stepped towards the other men. None of the guards carried a crossbow, which was a blessing. But two of them had pikes, which always made a sword fighters life difficult.

Nobody spoke. The guards licked their lips nervously. They had all heard the stories about Jalia and at that moment the man facing her saw her as over six feet tall in his mind and had no regard for her breast size.

The men with pikes lunged at Daniel, trying to spear him and end the fight. Daniel pushed one of the pikes aside with his sword and sidestepped the other as he closed in. Three seconds later both were dead as Daniel had stuck his sword deep into the bowels of the man on his right and slit the throat of the man on his left with his dagger.

Jalia sparred with her opponent, testing him out while keeping an eye on the far end of the bridge to watch for anybody coming. She knew she had to end the fight quickly but it all seemed very unfair to her. The guard lunged foolishly at her and she caught his sword on the hilt of her knife, pushing it away as her sword struck deep into his stomach. The man gasped as he fell to the ground and died.

Daniel faced the last of the guards who looked at his dead fellows and dropped his sword raising his hands high in the air. “I give up. Please don’t kill me. I was only doing this job to feed my family. I don’t even like the mine owners.”

Daniel and Jalia walked towards him as he stepped away. The guard found himself standing against the low wall on the side of the bridge. Beyond the wall was a thirty foot drop into the water. It was a quarter of a league to shore in either direction.

“Jump,” Daniel commanded the man, who looked at him in horror.

 
“I can’t swim, I’ll drown!” he begged. The grim faces looking at him gave him no comfort at all.

“Jump or I will kill you where you stand. We can’t risk you telling anybody where we are going. They will find you gone, but they won’t know if we’re heading to Fum or Ona. At least if you jump, you might survive.” Daniel’s voice was cold as ice and the guard knew he had no choice.

The man jumped, screaming as he fell into the waters below.

“We need to get these bodies over the side,” Daniel said. They ran to the nearest body, picking it up and flinging it off the bridge. In a couple of minutes they had cleared the bridge of bodies.

Daniel looked over the side of the bridge where they forced the guard to jump. His limp body floated face down in the water. Daniel sighed and they continued their journey.

They reached the monastery about an hour later. It was fully dark and the streets were lit with bright flickering torches. The monastery was dark and imposing protected by a wall over thirty feet high. The main entrance was blocked by a pair of oak doors. They stood over fifteen feet high and were shaped to match the curve of the arch at the top. The doors were reinforced with enormous iron bars. It was Daniel’s opinion that if you set a fire against the doors it would take two days before the doors would be weak enough to smash through.

Guards patrolled the battlements at regular intervals. There were so many guards that there was never more than thirty feet between them. Two guards with crossbows had no other job but to watch the gate, ready to shoot anyone they didn’t like the look of.

“Looks impossible to me,” Daniel said

“So let’s do it then,” Jalia said with a feral grin on her face.