Slavers of the Savage Catacombs (6 page)
Read Slavers of the Savage Catacombs Online
Authors: Jon F Merz
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Epic, #General, #Historical
C
HAPTER
N
INE
Ran felt full and content as he settled in for his first shift of sentry duty. He’d already relieved Kuva and sent the burly warrior to get some sleep. As Ran shifted in the deep shadows on the hill overlooking the caravan’s camp, he felt a cool breeze wash over him, and he shivered in the night. He looked away from the camp and off into the wilderness that extended in all directions. Fortunately, Yasseh had picked an excellent spot to make camp. There were meadows on all sides for at least half a mile. The hill Ran stood on gave him a perfect vantage point, and he would be able to spot anyone trying to creep up on the camp.
If Ejul and his band of thugs really did intend to attack the caravan, this would be a foolish place to attempt it. Ran or any of the other warriors would be able to spot them long before they got close and could take appropriate steps to counter their attack. The question was, would Ejul really do what he’d said he would do to his group?
Ran felt fairly confident that he would. If Ejul had thought nothing of throwing his lot in with Kayo and Magya, then he would certainly have little problem attacking his own father’s caravan. Again Ran wondered what would make Ejul betray his father. He couldn’t fathom doing such a thing, but then again, Ran had only the foggiest memories of his own father before their farm had been attacked and his family killed. That he could even remember his father at all was something of a miracle, Ran decided.
His eyes scanned the dark, but Ran was careful to not focus on anything directly in his line of sight. He’d long since been taught to look out of the corner of his eyes to see better in the dark. Movements registered better that way. At this time of night, anything that moved meant it was either an animal or a man. Ran’s hand stayed on the scabbard of his sword in case he sensed something moving out there in the night.
He shivered again and thought about Cassandra. This journey west would bring him to Valrus eventually. What would her reaction be when they saw each other again? He shook the image of her out of his head and tried to concentrate on watching the evolution of the night. There would be time enough to think about Cassandra later.
There was also the fact that Ran had disobeyed an order from the Nine Daggers clan that he had to worry about at some point. Even now, the elders in Gakur might be deciding whether or not to have Ran killed for his betrayal. But did they know yet? If Tanka had seen him leave with the caravan and informed Gakur, that would be the only way for them to find out. If Tanka had not seen Ran or decided not to tell the clan, then Ran was safe.
He smirked. Safe was a relative term, of course. He was heading west on a highway where travelers were frequently ambushed by brigands. Ran felt fairly certain that the caravan had enough guards with it, but if they were attacked by an overwhelming opposing force, then things would get bad pretty fast. He couldn’t worry about the what-ifs, however. At least not right then. Sentry duty was boring enough, and Ran had to force himself to maintain a disciplined mind so he would be alert in case anything happened.
His shift passed without incident, and Ran found his way back to his bedroll a few hours later. With his hand on his long sword and Ryu perched nearby, Ran dropped into a deep sleep by laying on his back and rolling his eyes back under their lids.
At dawn, Ran woke and glanced around. The rest of the camp was still fairly quiet, but Ran was used to waking earlier than most thanks to the years of intense training back at the shadow warrior school in Gakur. Ryu eyeballed him as he rose. He grinned at the bird and then watched as it took off to do some flying about. Ran walked to the water basins and threw some of the cold liquid on his face to help reinvigorate him for the long day ahead. Within the hour, the entire camp had eaten a quick breakfast and the wagons started rolling out of the meadow. Yasseh once again assumed the lead position and waved them all forward.
Kuva found his way to Ran again. “How’d you sleep?”
Ran shrugged. “No complaints. I went to bed and woke up alive. There’s something to be said for that.”
Kuva grinned. “An interesting perspective. I heard you were from Nehon.”
The question was far more direct than Kuva should have been, but Ran nodded anyway. “That’s right. I came over to Igul from Hiryu. Do you know it?”
“Never been there,” said Kuva. “I hail from Adosa. The journey to Nehon was always deemed far too unsafe for any of us to attempt. The Dark Sea claims many. I didn’t want to be another of her victims.”
“I was shipwrecked in southern Igul only a few weeks ago thanks to a terrific storm that blew us off course. The fact that I survived was pure luck.”
Kuva grunted. “That and your ability to fight. They kept you alive. A warrior spirit is so often misunderstood, confused with only seeking violence. But the real truth is that the spirit of a warrior allows one to endure under the harshest environs. As you certainly found out.”
“A philosopher, too?” Ran smiled.
“Probably a better philosopher than a warrior, if truth be told,” said Kuva. “But don’t tell old Yasseh that. I need the money, and this journey should go a long way toward helping me pay off some debts back in Adosa. I hope to go back there some day and grow old while I make wine.”
“Well, I happen to agree with your assessment about the warrior spirit. Most don’t understand. And those that claim to are sometimes far worse than those who are simply dumb to it.”
“Indeed,” said Kuva. “Gunj would understand it probably. If you could get him to talk to you.”
Ran cast a glance over at Gunj, who sat astride a horse today instead of a wagon. The horse seemed miles too large for the small man, but Gunj rode it with a sense of authority and the animal obeyed him without question. Ran frowned. What was it about the little man that intrigued him so much? If Gunj had been from Nehon, Ran might even have suspected him of being a fellow shadow warrior. But Gunj hailed from Igul. And northern Igul at that. The Nine Daggers clan would never have allowed him entrance to the training program. But Gunj clearly had a warrior background.
“I think Gunj talks to whomever he wants, whenever he wants,” said Ran finally. “If you happen to catch him at the right time, then maybe he’d tell you something interesting. Otherwise, it’s probably just wasting your breath.”
Kuva nodded. “Agreed. I can’t help but think he doesn’t feel too inclined toward me. When Yasseh had him test me, I threw a single punch, and then it was all over.” He smirked. “As I said, probably a better philosopher than warrior, but there you go.”
Ran smiled. “Kuva, your appearance might be one of your best assets. You look utterly intimidating. Those arms are huge, and you look like you could easily kill anyone you happened to look at.”
“Thank you,” said Kuva. “Hopefully my dreadful appearance won’t scare off the women. I’d like to meet a nice girl in the west and bring her back home to Adosa.”
“There aren’t enough nice girls in Adosa for you to marry?”
Kuva sighed. “I’m bored with them. They all look rather the same, and I want someone different. I’ve heard tell of a kingdom far west of here where the women are more like warriors in their own right. Adosian women are more content to raise children and do little else. I want someone I can appreciate as a fighter. Strength attracts me, you know?”
Ran thought about Cassandra and how adept he’d seen her in combat. “I think I can appreciate that.”
“Anyway,” said Kuva with a sigh. “It’s still a ways off. But a man can dream, can’t he?”
“Sometimes that’s all we have,” said Ran.
Ryu suddenly swooped down and perched on Ran’s wrist. Unlike most times, Ryu gripped him harder this time, and Ran felt the power of the falk’s talons coming close to breaking his skin. Ryu also seemed agitated and kept fluttering its wings.
Kuva pointed. “Something’s got your friend there upset.”
Ran remembered Tanka telling him that the falk would only get upset during times of danger. Ran frowned. “Something’s not right. Get to your station.”
Kuva wheeled himself around and rode off to the right flank again. Ran kicked his horse in its side and urged it toward the front of the caravan. Ryu squawked as they rode. The bird had obviously seen something on the road ahead. As he rode up, Ran glanced around and noticed that they had come into steeper terrain now. Steeper terrain meant better opportunities for ambush.
Yasseh glanced back when he heard Ran approach. “Everything okay?”
Ran shook his head. “The bird is upset.”
Yasseh guffawed. “Maybe it’s just hungry. Did you feed it earlier?”
“It feeds itself,” said Ran. “Falks don’t get agitated unless there’s danger nearby. And Ryu is quite obviously agitated now.” Ryu squawked once as if to underscore this point.
Yasseh frowned. “What would you have me do?”
Gunj rode up a moment later. “Is there a problem?”
Yasseh pointed at Ryu. “Ran says his bird here only gets upset when there is danger. Do you know anything about those birds?”
Gunj shrugged. “I do not, but I have heard that they are remarkable creatures. Perhaps it would be wise to listen to this one.”
Yasseh shook his head. “I’ve got a convoy of wagons to keep on schedule. I can’t simply stop here because a bird, of all things, thinks there might be trouble ahead.”
Ryu squawked again and then took flight. Ran watched as it circled high overhead. “That’s perhaps a mile away.”
“Then we’ll soon find out if there’s any truth to what the bird claims,” said Yasseh. “Keep your men ready, but we’re moving on.” He rode off, leaving Ran and Gunj behind.
Gunj eyed Ran. “Yasseh is sometimes more a businessman than a worldly traveler.” He shrugged. “This is his way.”
“And do you agree with him?”
“I’m not paid to agree or disagree,” said Gunj. “But I do think he’s right. Keep your men ready for an attack. If one comes, it will be quick. These hills have caves aplenty in which to hide.” Gunj urged his steed on to catch up with Yasseh.
“My men?” Ran frowned. Since when had he been promoted to captain of security? He turned and waved Kuva over. “Pass the word that there may be trouble. If it happens, Gunj says it will be quick. I’ll take the front, and you cover the flanks with the other men.”
“Understood.” Kuva rode off to relay directions. Ran kicked his horse again and drove to catch up with Gunj and Yasseh. As he did so, he noticed that Gunj had a curved saber, the likes of which Ran had never seen, in his hand. It would be interesting to see him use that in battle, he thought.
Ahead, the road curved around behind a hill. Ran glanced up and saw Ryu circling just beyond it. He shook his head. The location was the perfect spot for an ambush.
Yasseh had slowed to a trot now, and Gunj had as well. They were about half a mile away from the bend in the road. Yasseh held up his hand and signaled for the caravan to stop. Ran heard the snort of horses and pack mules as they ceased their forward momentum.
Ran drew alongside his employer. “That bend in the road concerns me.”
Yasseh nodded. “Agreed. The positioning would be a perfect one for an attack. And your bird seems to be circling overhead as well.”
“If there was an ambush party waiting, they would no doubt try to shoot the bird out of the sky,” said Gunj. “It is, after all, acting a bit like a marker.”
Ran eyed him. “You don’t think there’s anyone there?”
“I don’t know,” said Gunj. “But it seems a bit ridiculous to imagine a bunch of thieves lying in wait while a falk circles overhead. Don’t you think?”
“A lot of people never look up,” said Ran. “It’s possible they don’t know he’s there.”
Ryu let loose a loud squawk at that point. Ran sighed. “They’d certainly know he’s there now.” He waited for an arrow to pierce Ryu’s side, but none came. Ran shrugged. “You might be right, Gunj. Maybe there’s nothing there.”
“Excellent,” said Yasseh. “Then we can continue.”
Gunj put a hand on his arm. “No. Not yet.” He looked at Ran. “Ride ahead. See what the bird is upset about.”
“All right.” Ran eased his horse forward. As the horse sauntered down the road, Ran kept his eyes peeled to either side of him. Spindly shrubs that offered little concealment lined the road. Beyond them, linden trees and tall grass obscured his view.
Someone could hide an army in there,
thought Ran.
And you wouldn’t know it until it was too late
.
He approached the bend in the road. Ryu squawked again and then flew down to perch on Ran’s shoulder. Ran slid out of his saddle and eased his long sword two inches out of its scabbard. As he walked, he kept his right hand on the hilt, ready to draw and cut in a single motion if he was attacked.
The road curved, and Ran craned his neck to look around it, aware that every eye in the caravan was on him at that moment. If he’d been alone, Ran would have approached this location in a far different manner. But no one knew that he was a shadow warrior. He had to act like a normal warrior, not one trained to infiltrate and conduct reconnaissance.
There.
He smelled it before he saw it. The scent was one he knew all too well, but Ran kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.
The stench of death hung in the air as he rounded the corner. Ran’s eyes roved all over, but he saw nothing moving in the brush. Nothing stirred at all.
Certainly not the body in the middle of the road.
C
HAPTER
T
EN
Ran eyed the body for a few seconds. While he’d never personally seen this, he had heard accounts of robbers using a corpse to conceal some type of booby trap—usually snakes or dangerous spiders. When someone came around and rolled the body over, the snake or spider would bite them. Ran frowned. He had no desire to be bitten by some poisonous beast. The convoy was only a day old; getting injured now would be the worst.
Ran knelt in the dirt track and studied the clothing. Something seemed familiar about the clothes. Ran recognized the pattern; he’d seen it somewhere recently but couldn’t quite place it. He moved around and tried to examine the corpse from every angle. As he got closer to the face, his heartbeat quickened. He glanced down toward the arms, but the hands were tucked under the corpse.
Ran used the scabbard to pry it under the corpse and heave it over.
He exhaled as he did so, almost surprised that there were no snakes underneath. But what he saw confirmed for him what he had suspected only moments earlier. He walked back around the corner and waved the caravan forward. As he waited, Ran kept eyeballing the surrounding landscape. It was possible that even now they were being watched. He tried to pick out which of the high hills that encircled them would provide the best cover. There was one he thought a likely candidate a half mile away.
His concentration was broken by Yasseh riding up. “What have you found?”
“You’ll need to see it,” said Ran. “Come down off of your horse, though.”
Yasseh frowned but slid down from the saddle. Behind him, Gunj reined in his horse and slid down as well. As his feet touched the ground, Ran noted that he had one of his hands on his sword scabbard.
Yasseh rounded the corner with Ran and then stopped short. “Is it . . . ?”
Ran nodded. “I’m sorry.”
Yasseh fell beside the corpse of Ejul and took one of his son’s lifeless hooked hands in his own. Ran heard a smattering of some obscure language, and then turned away to give Yasseh time to grieve. He met Gunj’s stare.
“You found him like this?”
“No. He was on his stomach. I turned him over in the event that his murderers chose to leave something nasty behind.”
Gunj only nodded. “Good thinking.”
Yasseh had recovered himself, and, as he stood, he dusted his pants clean of dirt and dust. “Who did this to him?”
Ran looked at the gaping wound in Ejul’s neck. They’d slit his throat and bled him dry before leaving his body in the middle of the road. The only candidates that Ran could imagine were the band of robbers Ejul had been convincing to attack the caravan the other night. But could he tell Yasseh that? Ran didn’t think he could without bringing undue suspicion down on himself.
“If I had to guess,” he said finally, “I might think that a band of robbers kidnapped and tortured Ejul into revealing the direction of our travel.” Ran pointed at Ejul’s corpse. “This is a warning that they’re out there. Watching us. Even now, perhaps.”
Yasseh drew close to Ran, rage on his face. “That . . . is my son.”
Ran held his gaze and didn’t blink. “I know it. I mean no disrespect to him. But they clearly wanted us to find him here. They wanted us to know what they did and what they know.”
Gunj steered Yasseh away from Ran. “He is right, master.”
Yasseh let a big gulp of air slide from his lungs. “I know it. Damn it all to the gods. I know it. My poor son . . . my poor son . . .” His voice trailed off, and Gunj nodded toward Ran as he steered him back toward the horses.
The remainder of the caravan trundled up and slowed down some distance once they spotted the figure in the middle of the road. Ran waved Kuva over, and the big man jumped down from his horse.
“What is it?”
Ran thumbed over his shoulder. “Yasseh’s son. They murdered him and left him here.”
“Why would they do such a thing?”
“I don’t know,” said Ran. “But what matters now is that we keep our guard up. There’s every likelihood that they’re watching us even now.”
“You think?”
“It’s what I would do,” said Ran. “They’re probably trying to judge our strength and the best time to attack us.”
Kuva shielded his eyes and looked off into the landscape. “Where would they hide?”
“Pick any of the hills that are encircling us right now. Any one of them could provide enough cover for an attacking force.” Ran wondered if the men he had seen talking to Ejul the other night had recruited others to help them or if they were still the same number. He’d have to assume the force would be large enough to overwhelm the caravan. That meant at least a dozen heavily armed men against Ran, Gunj, Kuva, and the three other guards. Probably some of the merchants and their employees would fight, but not all of them. They were merchants, after all. Not warriors.
“You think the attack will come soon?” asked Kuva, lowering his hand.
Ran nodded. “They will wait for what they think is inevitable.”
“Which is what?”
Ran held up his hand. “Wait a moment.”
Gunj walked over. “Yasseh says that we are to bury Ejul now.”
Ran eyed Kuva. “You see?” He looked back at Ejul. “If we bury Ejul now, we will be attacked either before or during the funeral proceedings.”
Gunj sighed. “I tried explaining that to Yasseh. He is insisting that his native traditions be followed, however.”
“Is he willing to risk the entire caravan for that?” asked Ran. “Because if we stop to do this, we are handing it over to whoever killed his son. That doesn’t strike me as being very smart. And I would think Yasseh would understand that.”
“He’s just lost his son, Ran,” said Gunj. “Perhaps we can all use a bit more latitude in our thinking? Empathy, perhaps?”
“I was hired to help guard this caravan,” said Ran. “I’m not trying to be heartless. Or cruel. But I am trying to make sure that we consider all of the eventualities of our decisions. And deciding to hold a funeral right now while we’re sitting here surrounded by hills that could easily conceal an overwhelming attacking force is a foolish thing to do. If you don’t want to tell Yasseh that, then I will. I didn’t sign on for a suicide mission here.”
“You are right.”
Ran turned and saw Yasseh standing there. The merchant’s face looked pale and haggard. But Ran saw enough anger still lurking in the man’s eyes that Ran hoped he’d be a decent fighter when the attack came.
Yasseh walked over to Gunj. “He is right. Wrap Ejul’s body in the funeral shroud and place him in the back of one of my wagons. We will bury him later, after we are free of these accursed hills. Hopefully, the gods won’t be too angered by my actions.” He walked away and remounted his horse.
Gunj eyed Ran. “That was fortunate.”
“Shall I detail the men to wrap the body?”
Gunj held up his hand. “I’m more familiar with the customs of Yasseh’s people. I will take care of it.”
“How long?”
Gunj shrugged. “A few more minutes shouldn’t matter.”
Ran eyed the hills. “I hope they believe that.”
“Let them come,” said Gunj. “I’ve seen Yasseh fight when he’s angry. It’s not a pretty sight. But it is effective. He’ll hold his own when we’re hit.”
“Good to know,” said Ran. “We’re pressing on though, right?”
“Yasseh appears to be taking your advice, so yes, we are. Let me get Ejul’s body taken care of and then we’ll keep moving. Make sure your men have their wits about them as we continue. This is going to get tricky now.”
As if it wasn’t already, thought Ran. He glanced at Kuva. “All right, pass the word to the other men. I’m going to scout ahead of the main caravan. See if I can find any tracks or sign of what we’re dealing with here.”
Kuva’s eyebrows knotted. “You sure that’s a good idea, boss? Being out there alone . . . I don’t know.”
Ran smirked. “Don’t call me boss. And I’ll be fine. Hopefully, they left some sort of sign when they ditched Ejul’s body in the middle of the road. If I can use that to locate them or at least get an idea of how many we’ll be facing, it’s worth the risk to me.”
“Fair enough. Give a yell if you need backup.”
“I will.” Ran eased through the throng of the caravan and slid up into his saddle again. It had been years since he’d tracked from atop a horse. Ordinarily, he would have preferred being down on the ground, where he could read the sign better. But his reasons for staying on his horse were twofold. First, if he got into trouble, he could hopefully outrun his attackers and at least get back to the relative safety of the convoy. Second, if they were being watched, and the attackers suspected someone was tracking them, it might compel them to attack early. Ran wanted to know what he was facing without giving them any indication of what he was doing.
At least that’s what he hoped to accomplish.
From his saddle, Ran looked at the edges of the road. In particular, the scrub brush that framed the dirt highway. He recognized a few species of scrub pine and juniper, but otherwise the flora was foreign to him. Regardless, Ran knew what he was looking for and roughly two hundred feet down the road, he found it.
The broken branch might have been the result of a bird landing on it. Or it might have been due to a large animal passing through the underbrush. As Ran drew closer, however, he saw the impact of a boot heel in the soft earth near the branch. Judging from the lack of wear on the track, it was recent. Ran estimated it was perhaps an hour old. He eased his horse over to a nearby bush and let it munch on some of the branches while he studied the ground. From where he spotted the track, the ground sloped up and away into the hills. A few feet farther up he saw more tracks and counted at least three distinct sets.
Ryu squawked overhead and landed on Ran’s arm. The bird perched there quietly. Ran eyed it. “You’re not fidgeting.”
Ryu’s eyes swung and met his. The bird blinked once and then took off again. Ran watched it spiral around the sky overhead, gradually extending its circles as it did so. At the outer edge of its circle, perhaps two miles off in a northwesterly direction, the falk squawked again.
Ran grinned. He’d have to remember to thank Tanka when he saw him again. The falk was proving to be a very useful companion. Ran watched as it came zooming back and then lighted on his arm again.
“Thanks.”
Ryu cooed and then settled down on Ran’s arm. Ran turned his horse back toward the caravan and trotted back to meet them as they approached. Kuva’s face lightened as Ran drew in alongside him.
“Find anything?”
“Tracks,” said Ran. “They lead up into the hills. At least three men, but I’m guessing there are many more. They probably just used three to get the body down and then to erase the signs as they retreated.”
“Which hill?”
“According to this fellow,” said Ran, pointing at Ryu, “there’s a hill to the northwest of our current position. That’s where they are.”
Kuva raised an eyebrow. “We’re going to trust a bird now?”
Ryu’s head swung toward Kuva, and the falk squawked once at him. Kuva drew back. “What in tarnation is that thing anyway?”
“Falk,” said Ran. “They’re very special birds, apparently.”
“Bred and raised in Nehon,” said Gunj as he rode up. “Most people have never seen them outside of that island nation. But they are excellent trackers. Their eyesight is rumored to be extraordinary. If Ran thinks the bird was able to locate the raiding party, then I think it’s wise that we trust it. The bird, after all, can see things we cannot.”
“You heard?” asked Ran. “About the hill?”
Gunj nodded. “What do you think?”
Ran smiled. “If it was up to me, I’d pitch camp. Make a show out of preparing a funeral. Once the sun sets, we lead a small party out to that hill and ambush them before they can mount their attack.”
“Risky,” said Gunj. “What if we stumble into them on the way to the hill?”
Ran shrugged. “We’ll hear them coming, and we can put an improvised attack in on them still. They’ll think that they have the element of surprise when it’s us that has it. Even if they have superior numbers, our offensive move can disrupt them. If they haven’t planned for it, they won’t know what to do.”
“Most of these raiding parties are comprised of thugs, not warriors,” said Gunj. “There’s a chance your idea might work.”
“The other option is to sit here and let them work their way into a superior position and attack us. We’ll be purely defensive. I don’t like waiting to be attacked.”
“Nor I,” said Kuva. “I say we bring the fight to the bastards and get vengeance for Ejul.”
“Don’t let vengeance cloud your judgment,” said Gunj. “I happen to agree with you both, but I’ll have to talk it over with Yasseh.” He wheeled away and worked back toward where Yasseh sat. Ran watched the smaller man talk to Yasseh and then glanced at Kuva.
“Here’s hoping.”
Kuva grunted. “Your plan makes the most sense. Yasseh is a reasonable enough man. He listened to you back at the kill site. He should listen to you again.”
“Or at least listen to Gunj. Either way is fine.”
“How many of us in the raiding party?” Kuva eyed Ran. “Because I don’t want to be left behind and miss out on the fun.”
“All of us,” said Ran. “It’s a risk, but it’s a bigger risk to leave any capable fighters behind. Especially if we blunder into a huge force. We’ll need everyone there. If we lose, it won’t matter anyway. Will it?”
Kuva grinned. “I like the way you think. Big risk, big reward.”
“I’m young,” said Ran. “Some would say I’m impulsive.”
Kuva shrugged. “If it works, who’s going to argue?”
Gunj rode back over to them. “All right. Yasseh agrees to the plan. We will pitch camp at the next suitable location and wait.” He eyed Ran. “There’s just one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Yasseh wants to come along on the raid.”
