Rise of the Red Harbinger (17 page)

Yasaman took him by the thick black hairs of his chin and turned his face to hers. “I can be open to that.” She smiled and kissed his cheek, then stood with the cloak still draped around her. “Come, let us get ready. They will no doubt be calling on us shortly. You should check and see what’s happening outside.”

With that, Bo’az fastened his breeches and boots, and then stepped outside. Rhadames sat just outside the cave entrance. He turned at the crunching of Bo’az’s boots on the gravel of the path. Rhadames smirked at him and softly quipped, “It might be best for you two to be quieter from now on. It’s amazing that no beasts found us with the way you both were carrying on. Let me guess, first time you’ve had knowledge of a girl?”

Bo’az flushed. Was it so obvious? What haad he heard?
What if he knows about me?
He nodded in response. “It is not your business what we do in there. Perhaps you should focus on other things, like looking out, rather than listening to us.”

Rhadames fired back, “Boy, consider yourselves lucky that Gibreel is a deep sleeper who snores and that Linas was too far to hear you both. Otherwise they may have killed your friend just to shut you up.” He stood and towered over Bo’az. “Now get your things so we can go. The other two are already ahead of us.”

“What about breakfast? Is there no time to eat? I’m starving!”

“We can eat soon. We are in a bit of danger right now though.”

“Now what?” Bo’az could only imagine what they faced next. “Did the ranza cats follow us?”

“I wish it were that easy. Gibreel found silberlow droppings about a quarter mile ahead. And there is only one path to the other side of the mountain.”

More strange names
. “Silberlow?”

“Mountain cats. If you thought the ranzas were vicious, well, the ranzas stay out of the mountains because of the silberlow.” Rhadames glanced ahead then back at Bo’az. “Now go get your things. Silberlow are stronger, leaner, and deadlier than the ranzas, and they can blend in with the colors of the mountain.”

As Bo’az turned back into the cave, he shouted, “So then why didn’t you wake us if these things are so deadly and nearby?”

“You were safe in the cave! The silberlow hate fire. All you would have to do is restart your fire and the cat would not enter. Unfortunately, it would also wait outside until you finally left.”

Bo’az crouched inside the cave and gathered his pack. He found his shirt and put it on. Yasaman stood beside him now, “Are they all ready? It is time to go?”

Bo’az nodded in response then stood and exited with her. “Where is my horse, Rhadames?”

“Linas and Gibreel led it with theirs when they embarked. After Gibreel saw the droppings, we thought the horses would be better targets. So they took three and I have mine.” Rhadames started walking, “Come. Follow me. And stay close.”

“You took my horse to use as bait?”

Yasaman cut in, “Wait. Droppings? What’s going on? She looked back and forth between Bo’az and Rhadames for an answer.

Rhadames explained, “There are mountain cats—silberlow, nearby. Gibreel found their droppings not far ahead. So we must be cautious. And yes Baltaszar. Your horse is a better sacrifice than you are. Or would you rather we sacrificed your precious bedmate here? You know how the others feel about her.”

Yasaman blushed and fired back, “Are you implying that you do not want me dead, Rhadames?”

“To be quite honest, I do not care if you live or die. Our journey is difficult either way. You are beneficial because you provide an easy sacrifice for any predators. But you are also a burden because you can potentially slow us down. But do not take any of it personally. I would not go out of my way to kill you.” He stroked his thick dark brown beard as he walked and spoke.

They reached Gibreel and Linas after walking a half mile upwards. The mountain had a wide flat clearing with a few short trees and shrubs interspersed, with a few low-topped caves several yards to the left. The two of them held five lit torches in their hands.

Gibreel muttered “Finally,” to himself, but loud enough for Bo’az to hear. “Let us go quickly. We will go on foot and carry torches. If any silberlow come upon us, we don’t want frightened horses throwing us over the side of the mountain. We must make haste. Their tracks litter this trail.” Gibreel handed each of them a torch.

Linas interjected, “Let us go now. No wasting any more time.” He turned and walked to the path, leading his horse along. Bo’az and the others turned and followed as Gibreel once again flanked them.

Bo’az glanced constantly over at Yasaman as he walked side by side with her.
Should I say anything else? Should I tell her again how I feel just so she knows? Or maybe I should tell her I’m okay with what she wants to do. That way she won’t think this situation is awkward for me.
Bo’az was about to fumble over more words to say to Yasaman when something slammed into him from behind. His body lurched forward as his head whipped back and then something else punched his head forward. His torch dropped and he tumbled to the ground along with Iridian. Rocks and horse’s limbs scratched, stabbed, and beat against his defenseless body. Bo’az was twisting and turning too fast to feel the pain of any of the blows.

Bo’az scraped along the rocky path, knocking against horses and people. In the hurtling frenzy, Bo’az caught glimpses of Gibreel and his horse tangled with the rest of the mess. When they finally stopped, deafening growls and the shrieks of a horse drowned out Bo’az’s groans as he lay on his stomach. All of the cuts and bruises felt like fire burning through Bo’az’s skin and dull aches penetrated his bones. Iridian lay on her side, trapping his already-broken left arm. Thankfully, his arm had gone numb.

“Yas!” He swiveled his neck searching for any glimpse of her. “Where are you? Yasaman, can you hear me?” Chances were slim that she would hear him over the snarls of what was clearly a silberlow ripping apart Gibreel’s horse. A few moments later, the growls and snarls of the silberlow turned to shrieks and sounded further away. The same beast then screamed in a deathly agony amid men’s shouts.
Who could be rescuing us?

Iridian rocked back and forth, neighing and trying desperately to stand. The more the horse shook, the more Bo’az worried about his arm.

“We’re going to shift your horse, boy. When we do, roll yourself away.” Rhadames nodded to Bo’az as he and Linas heaved and removed the weight from Bo’az’s arm. The moment the pressure was released, Bo’az rolled his body, thankful for the long awaited freedom. He tried to stand but wobbled on his knees and put his good hand down to stabilize himself. Only then did Bo’az actually look at his body and see the pools of blood caked and stained on his clothes. He shook his head vigorously to clear out the cloudiness and rose again slowly. This time he managed to stand and surveyed his surroundings.

Yasaman lay face down on the ground twenty yards ahead in a disheveled heap. One of her shins was bent forward.
She won’t be able to walk like that. They won’t let her go on.
Bo’az walked as quickly as he could toward her, though he was still wobbly. Running would only have caused him to fall. He knelt and rolled Yasaman to her side.

“Bo’az, my leg,” she croaked, groggily.

“Shh, I know. I know. We’ll have to figure something out. Some way for you to walk without them taking much notice.” He sat her up.

“There’s nothing Bo. There’s no way to hide this. I’m…I’m scared. I don’t want them to kill me Bo.” Tears flowed from the corners her eyes and dripped onto Bo’az’s hand as he cupped her face.

“Listen. They will not kill you. I won’t let them. We have too much to look forward to now for me to lose you.” Bo’az fought back the tear that tried to break free from his eye. He stifled a crack in his voice.

Gibreel limped over. “Go help them with your horse, boy. She’s going to have to be put down. You should be the one to do it. Here, take my blade.” The man was surprisingly warm. But then again, Gibreel knew animals well. Maybe he knows how difficult it is. Maybe there’s something human in him after all.

“I have to stay here with Yasaman. I need to help her.”

“I will get her to her feet. Go take care of your horse.”

“Are you going to help her or kill her? Or are you going to leave her here as bait for more silberlow? I don’t trust you.” Bo’az had gingerly walked a few feet, but turned and faced Gibreel, inspecting the man’s every move.

“Now is not the time for this, boy. Your horse is in agony. Comfort it in its final moments and then kill it. I promise I will not leave the girl here to die or use her as bait. Now go.” Gibreel’s notorious scowl returned to his chiseled face as he spat on the ground.

Bo’az gazed at Yasaman for a moment and staggered to Rhadames and Linas. Behind him, Yasaman whimpered in pain as Gibreel lifted her and acted as her crutch. Bo’az turned once more, his heart still aching at the thought of Yasaman in so much pain. Realization punched his mind as he turned, seeing Gibreel dragging Yasaman toward the edge of the path. The side of the mountain was completely vertical here, allowing for an easy drop. Rage and madness invaded him as his heart beat through his chest. Summoning all of his body’s willpower, Bo’az found the will to run and raced to the pair. His legs still wobbled somewhat, but Bo’az would not give in. He reached Gibreel’s back just as the man shoved Yasaman over the side of the mountain. Her scream echoed on and on.

Bo’az realized he was screaming aloud, as well as in his head. Gibreel stood before him, looking over the side of the mountain. With all of his remaining strength, Bo’az shoved the muscular man off the side of the mountain. Gibreel screamed, just as Yasaman had, as he hurtled to the ground so far down below.

“What happened, boy?” Rhadames demanded over Bo’az’s shoulder, “What just bloody happened!”

“He…he threw her off the side!” Bo’az’s body convulsed as he stepped away from the mountain’s edge. “The bastard killed her!”

In the distance, Linas shouted a nonchalant order, “Tie him up Rhadames. He will travel the rest of the way bound hand and feet.”

Rhadames shouted back, “Understood!” He then turned back to Bo’az and shoved him to the ground. “You had better hope that we don’t face anything else on our way home. You may not have liked Gibreel, but he’s the one who saved us from being attacked more times than you know.”

Bo’az doubled over. The numbness had left his arm and the pain throbbed from fingertip to shoulder. “He killed her, Rhadames. What was I to do? I loved her. I am nothing now. My life is nothing. He deserved to die. He wanted to kill her from the start. She was mine. Mine to love. He had no right!”

“Look boy, I don’t know what your name is. But I’m sure your brother, the real Baltaszar, would beg to differ about this girl you love.”

Despite his pain and the world beginning to swirl, Bo’az shot Rhadames an icy sneer.

“I told you that you were loud last night. It was not Baltaszar she was moaning for in the night, but it was his name she was saying in her sleep.” Rhadames looked around and then lowered his voice. “Obviously I’m not here to kill you, or you’d be dead already. But listen and listen well. Linas is a good man, but if he finds out that you’re not Baltaszar, he’ll kill you on the spot. That’s why I lied to him back at your house when he asked about the line. You look exactly like Baltaszar except there’s no black line on your face. Twins, then?”

Bo’az refused to answer.

“Don’t be a fool. I met Baltaszar the night before we came to your house and sent him on his way. He had the mark on his face. Yet, the next day you claimed it had already been gone for days.”

Bo’az acquiesced, clutching his arm. “Yes. We’re twins.”

Rhadames nodded, his eyes showing he already knew the answer. “You’ve kept the lie pretty well so far. Keep it going if you want to stay alive.”

Bo’az could feel the rope tightening around his feet. “Can’t you just kill Linas and let me on my way? Then you could just tell Darian that we were all killed.”

Trust me, boy. If I could, I would let you escape. But I need to keep an eye on you now to ensure that you live. And I still have unfulfilled promises to your father. I cannot afford to die or to be tortured just yet, which is what would happen if I let you go. In the meantime, it would be in your best interest to sleep. And no matter what, do not tell me your name. It’s better that I don’t know it. And now I’m going to have to put you to sleep.”

As Rhadames finished speaking, the cloudiness in Bo’az’s mind once again turned to blackness and oblivion as something smashed the back of his skull and knocked him flat on the ground.

Chapter 7

A Blind Man in Vandenar

From
The Book of Orijin
,
Verse Forty-Nine

We do not merely judge you by your treatment of those whom you love. Be kind to those whom you do not know. Whom you do not understand. Whom you do not love. This fault has twice been the downfall of Mankind.

The blackness remained
despite opening his eyes. The only difference was the innumerable pairs of beady red dots. Baltaszar sat up, as if from lying in bed, but could see nothing around him nor beneath him aside from the darkness.

Eyes. They’re eyes!
The epiphany did not comfort nor disturb him. It was merely an admission to something he realized he’d known all along.

The air grew heavy and hot, as if an invisible fire roared all around him. The eyes simultaneously melted and dripped, forming a red pool that moved toward him. As the thick liquid reached his right hand, Baltaszar screamed from the scorch of heat.

The darkness ripped away and Baltaszar jolted from sleep and sat upright.
These damn dreams again
. He inspected his hand; it was surprisingly very warm but not burnt. And all evidence of the snake bite had disappeared.
How is this possible?

He heard a knock nearby and, for the first time, realized he lay in a bed in an unfamiliar room. The walls were bare, with the exception of empty candle holders and a mirror and dresser to his left. Before he could respond, the door opened and a young girl peeked inside.

“Is there trouble, Lord Harbinger?”

What did she just call me? “Lord Harbinger?”

She opened the door and stepped into the room. “I apologize, my lord. We do not know yer name but, well, the black line. Obviously ya are a Descendent. So we’ve taken to callin’ ya Lord Harbinger.”

At further glance, the girl wasn’t really so young, but likely of an age with Baltaszar. She was slightly shorter than he and had a thin frame. Her grey, almond-shaped eyes were more beautiful than any he’d ever seen, even Yasaman’s. She’d tied her silky-thin black hair behind her head and wore a simple brownish-grey frock, similar to those that the maids wore in Haedon. The only difference was how low cut it was, revealing the girl’s huge bosom.

Baltaszar caught himself staring too long and the girl giggled at his gaze. He cleared his throat, “Baltaszar. My name is Baltaszar. I’m fine, just a bad dream.”

“Lord Baltaszar. Just like Darian’s best friend. Or so they say. I am Anahi. If ya need anything, anything at all, all ya have to do is ask.” She winked at him, “I make it a point ta take care o’ all Descendants to the best o’ my abilities. Especially ye…we don’t get many o’ ya brown-skinned boys this far west.”

“I…all right.” Baltaszar had too many questions to start asking while naked in bed.

Anahi turned to leave the room and gave Baltaszar one last smile. “Weird that Desmond didn’t mention anythin’ about other Descendants bein’ in this area. He just left a few days ago.” She didn’t wait for a response and closed the door behind her.

Baltaszar got up and found his clothes folded in the dresser, washed, dried and smelling of lavender. He pulled them on and left the room. As he’d suspected, he was at an inn. Though it could have been anywhere. He had no idea how long he’d slept or how far he’d traveled. With any hope, he was in the town Slade had told him to find.
Van…Vandenar. Well, let’s find out, shall we
.
Are you still not talking to me?

He got no response.

Good. Maybe I’ll never hear from you again.
Baltaszar walked down the hall past other rooms and then down a wooden staircase at the end. The bottom gave way to a large community room where a few people sat eating at tables. He cautiously entered the room but no one even glanced up at him.

“Lord Harbinger!” A hearty voice shouted from his left, “Yer finally awake! That’s one heck o’ a bite ya took, we were wonderin’ how long you’d be out.”

The voice belonged to a middle aged man behind the bar. His almond eyes and yellow skin were similar to Anahi’s, though that was the extent of the resemblance. The man had only short grey hair on the sides of his head, which matched the hair sprouting from his ears. He was chubby but not fat, and as soon as Baltaszar saw his smile, he knew the man was the type who was always smiling. “My name is Baltaszar. Baltaszar Kontez. Is this Vandenar? Am I in Vandenar?”

“Baltaszar, huh? Will do, son. Name’s Cyrus Baek. Yes, this is Vandenar, well no, this here is my inn, the Happy Elephant, but well, yeah, in Vandenar. Anyway, how ya feelin’ son?”

Baltaszar leaned on the bar counter, “I’m better, tha…”

“Go on, sit down boy. Ya don’t hafta worry about bein’ polite an’ so lordly ta me! Go on, sit on the stool; get comfortable!” Cyrus pointed to the high wooden stool next to Baltaszar.

Baltaszar sat and continued, “I’m fine, thank you. Was it you who rescued me?”

“You bet it was. Me an’ my fishing crew. We saw ya from way off, wavin’ an’ thrashin’ about an’ once we saw ya go down, we knew exactly what happened. That river is darn full o’ them sea serpents. We catch one of ‘em for every five fish we get. An’ they got so much poison that ya can’t even cook ‘em. Just gotta throw ‘em back! Some reason, they only eat certain fish though, so at least they save some fer us.

“But anyway, like I said we saw ya from far. Only when we actually picked ya up did we realize yer a Descendant. Hopefully ya can forgive us takin’ so long. Had we known we woulda tried ta get ya much quicker.”

Baltaszar looked around at the few other patrons eating and yawned. His mouth watered at the sight of plates with hot food. “It’s nothing. You came and saved me and I’m alive and well because of it. Thank you. It doesn’t matter who I am or what’s on my face. You’re a good man.”

“Least I could do. Ya look hungry son; let me fix up a plate fer ya.”

“I have no coin to pay you. Besides, you’ve done enough already. I’m sure you could use my room for someone else.”

Cyrus chuckled, “Ha! Yer money’s no good here, my lord. Any friend o’ Desmond is welcome here, no charge. The King can bring his ass here an’ I’ll tell him the same darn thing! Vandenar an’ the Happy Elephant protect our Descendants! Anyway, what was I sayin’? Oh, right. You folk eat an’ stay free. Whenever ya want.”

What is he talking about?
“Desmond? I don’t know who Desmond is.”

“Oh. Yer new to the House? Maybe Desmond doesn’t know ya too well then. He just left fer the House, too. Doesn’t really know many o’ ya. Speakin’ o’ which, what brings ya all the way up here anyway? Summer’s endin’ an’ ain’t much happenin’ in Vandenar now. Ya lookin’ fer someone in Vandenar? Or were ya lookin’ for somethin’ in the Never? Is that why you were crossin’ the river from up there?”

Baltaszar’s eyes shot up. “You know of the House of Darian? Is it far from here? Slade told me to come here and people could direct me to it. I’m not here on business. I’m from Haedon. That’s why I came from the Never.

“House is about a week’s ride from here. Just gotta follow the road south. Ya never been there yet? Never heard o’ Haedon. How far is that?”

“Haedon is in the mountains. About a three day walk into the Never.”

Cyrus chuckled again and whipped the counter with his white hand towel. “In the Never! Haha, boy! All ya gotta say is ya can’t tell me yer business. Psshh. I’m used ta Desmond givin’ me the secrecy bit. He’s my nephew an’ he ain’t even straight with me. So ya want some food or what?” He poked his head through a door behind the bar, “Ellie! Make me a plate o’ eggs an’ a steak! I got a hungry Black-line boy out here! Desmond’s friend! Make it quick!”

“Thanks again. I am starving. But seriously. It’s no joke or trick. My town is in the forest up in the mountains. It’s called Haedon. Our chancellor is Oran Von.”

“Yep. Now you’re definitely lyin’, boy. ‘Haedon’ means ‘hidden city’ in Imanol, the old tongue. Who in their right mind would call a town ‘hidden city’ an’ then put it in the middle o’ all that haunted forest?” Cyrus shook his head at Baltaszar, “I know I look dumb, son, but I still got more wits than hair. What ya drinkin’?”

Baltaszar understood now that it would be pointless to pursue the argument further. “Water.”

“Anyway, yer welcome to stay as long as ya need, boy. Friend o’ Desmond or not, I know ya boys always up to somethin’ important. I won’t get in yer way, just holler if ya need anythin’. ‘N if anyone’s snoopin’ around, I won’t tell em’ yer here. Have some breakfast then go back an’ rest up some more. I’ll send Anahi up ta take care o’ ya. She’s lookin’ forward ta seein’ ya anyway. Won’t shut up about ‘the brown-skinned Lord’.”

A maid came through the door with Baltaszar’s breakfast, three eggs over a giant steaming steak. Baltaszar took the knife and fork and immediately shoveled food into his mouth.

“Eat up boy, we got plenty o’ that. Not many travelers now that summer’s done, so let me know if ya want more.” Cyrus set a mug of water next to Baltaszar’s plate.

Baltaszar could only nod; he stuffed his mouth with a new mouthful as soon as he’d swallowed the previous mouthful. The steak was twice the size of any he’d ever had in Haedon. It tasted a bit gamey, compared to steak up in Haedon, but it was still amazingly delicious. After a few minutes, he’d cleaned the plate and would have asked for another, except that he didn’t want to impose. The feeling of a full belly made him lethargic and he decided he would heed Cyrus’ advice to rest for a while more.

“Anythin’ else I can get ya, boy?”

“No thank you, Cyrus. That was incredible. I think I’ll go take a nap.” Baltaszar returned to his room and lay down. Sleep would come easy with his body still tired and coupled with a full belly. He drifted off for what seemed like hours of thankfully dreamless sleep and woke up to something warm pressing against his body. Baltaszar blinked away the sleep in his eyes to see Anahi nestled against him, her head on his bare chest. “What are you doing, girl?” Baltaszar jolted out of the bed as the well-endowed girl awoke, disoriented. “Are you crazy or something? I didn’t tell you to come in here!”

Anahi furrowed her brow, confused and insulted, “I told ya that I would take care o’ ya, my lord. Ya didn’t refuse, so I assumed ya were fine with some good ol’ snugglin’.” Her confusion turned to annoyance. “Are ya so dense that ya didn’t understand my meanin'? Or were ya so enchanted while starin’ at my breasts that ya didn’t hear anythin’ I said?”

Baltaszar flushed at the accusation. He had no defense against her, he should have known better. “No, you’re right. I didn’t do anything to turn you away. I suppose, deep down I didn’t think you were serious. That maybe you were simply flirting casually.”

“So then, do ya want me ta stay or not, Lord Baltaszar?”

“Please don’t call me that. It’s just Baltaszar. I am no lord. And though I would love for you to stay, I cannot. My heart belongs to another, and I cannot be with another girl knowing that we might still have a future.”

“That’s quite noble o’ ya. Most men forget they’re taken the second another girl offers herself ta them.”

“Well I suppose I’m not most men. And believe me, it’s nothing personal. I’ll regret refusing you, but I’d regret accepting your offer even more.”

Anahi nodded her head then stepped to him and kissed Baltaszar on the cheek, and pressed her chest to his. “Very well, my lord, perhaps another time when I’m the lesser o’ two evils.”

I’m such an idiot
. “You said that you take care of us Descendants. Do your services extend beyond sneaking up on people while they sleep?”

Anahi cocked an eyebrow at the question. “I suppose it depends on the service ya require.”

“Well, the thing is, I know incredibly little about the world beyond my town. I was thinking that you could escort me about Vandenar, show me the city.”

She smiled at the request. “I would love ta, Baltaszar.”

Baltaszar smiled back at her acceptance. “Will Cyrus be angry at your absence?”

“Cyrus doesn’t get angry at anythin’. An’ he loves any Descendant who stays here. Besides, this is a slow time o’ year. Ya saw the common room; there are hardly any guests fer me ta entertain or rooms fer me ta clean. Let me just change inta normal clothes. Meet me downstairs in a few minutes.”

Baltaszar dressed and headed to the common room. Cyrus was sitting at a table chatting with what Baltaszar assumed were some friends. He nodded and smiled to Cyrus as he walked to the door and Cyrus returned the gesture with an ear to ear grin. Baltaszar was unsure of whether he’d simply grown jaded over the past few years in Haedon, but he had difficulty accepting that people could be as generous and genuine as Cyrus seemed to be.
Perhaps the world isn’t as dangerous and evil as Bo’az had always thought it to be.

He’d only had to wait a minute or two before Anahi came downstairs to meet him. She’d changed into a long light blue ruffled skirt that covered her feet and a tight white turtle-necked blouse that was mostly covered by a thick brown scarf she’d wrapped around herself. Again, Baltaszar stared at her for a moment too long.

“Does this not suit yer tastes, my lord? Or is there a different meanin’ in yer stern expression?”