Talon of the Unnamed Goddess, a Fantasy Adventure Read online

  "Well, merchants, my offer still stands," Anton repeated. "You may pass unharmed without your mules."

  "Hi'Radulf will have you hunted down and killed!" A thin merchant snarled his threat as he passed. "Leave us our mules and we won't report you."

  Anton barked with laughter, deep into his role as a bandit. "Go while I'm still in a good mood." The two merchants kicked their horses into a gallop and headed for Dassel.

  "What do you think, Anton? Will it work?" Tafadzwa asked.

  "I think we got lucky. The commander will be under great pressure to find us since we robbed wealthy and probably influential merchants."

  Anton sent two of the men to clear away the bodies. He regretted the deaths, but the traitorous lords had forced this war on them. They resumed their positions.

  Early morning the next day two farmers and their wives and children pushed barrows full of vegetables toward the city.

  "Stop," Anton said. The two families were armed with swords, old and not well maintained, weapons to discourage a single robber or two.

  "We are protected by the armies of hi'Radulf," the older man said. "The last robbers were hanged."

  "What are you selling, old man?" Anton asked.

  "Selling? … Potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and some rabbits. You want to buy something?" the old man's eyes widened with astonishment.

  "How much for all? Consider, you don't have to go all the way to Dassel. You can sell it all without haggling with hundreds of people."

  "All?" The old man huddled with the others for several minutes. "One gold."

  "Sold," Anton said as he produced one gold piece and flipped it to the old man. "Unload it here, and leave."

  "We could have gotten the food cheaper, Anton," Tafadzwa said, scratching his chin.

  "We could have taken it, and they knew it. But these people may someday be your subjects. Your rule will be easier if they don't all hate you. Besides, we need food, and our farmers will be back as soon as they can."

  Tafadzwa laughed and nodded his understanding.

  The next day was much of the same. The group Tafadzwa had sent to blockade the river managed to stop several riverboats, sinking one of them. Several more farmers sold their produce and went away happy.

  The next morning dawned cool with a damp breeze off the river. Anton sat next to the fire with a cup of a hot drink steaming in his hands when Tafadzwa strode up.

  "My scouts just got back. They spotted three patrols on the roads. One patrol is two leagues north of our warriors' base, the second is a league from the city, and the third patrol is in our area and escorting two groups of farmers. Do we take them all?"

  "No, fir'Warrior. Let's take the patrol with the farmers. We want the commander to send out a large group after us. We still want to appear to be a small but well-armed group of bandits."

  When Anton and his ten warriors reached the farmers and their Valdan escort, it was two hours after sunrise and the group was less than two leagues from the city. There were eight soldiers. Hidden within the trees, Anton waved a signal for the Jaddahans to open fire with their bows. The Jaddahans were expert at firing from horseback. He listened to the steady thwap of the bows behind him as, one by one, five soldiers fell. The farmers panicked and ran for the side of the road while the soldiers milled around, then charged toward the trees where Anton had his men.

  "Charge," Anton yelled. They burst from the trees at a gallop. The exchange was over in a few minutes. Eight soldiers lay dead in the dirt. One of the women the soldiers had been escorting knelt, holding her clasped hands up toward Anton.

  "Please! Please! Don't hurt us. We'll give you what we have."

  Anton laughed. "No need, since we'll buy it from you."

  The woman's mouth dropped open for a few seconds before she spoke. "My neighbor told me the bandits bought food from them, but I didn't believe it." The transaction went quickly and the Jaddahans were gone before a second Valda patrol encountered the farmers.

  As Anton and Tafadzwa sat breaking their fast at the campfire, two scouts came in with the news that the road was swarming with large groups of Valdan soldiers.

  "Well Anton, what do you think?" Tafadzwa asked with a grin, his dark eyes sparkling.

  "Hit-and-run ambushes, fir'Warrior. Draw them into the woods if they will come. Be ready for an all-out assault, but try to avoid it.

  Six groups worked the roads, killing small groups when they could find them. Anton went with one group. They ran across a patrol of about twenty. He looked them over and decided his group could take them. The first volley took down five, and they faded back into the forest with the Valdans following. Hidden in the trees, they took almost half down with short bows as they charged. It turned to one-on-one fighting. In spite of the Valdans' advantages with their long swords and crossbows, the short bows and knives Jaddahans favored were perfect for their hit-and-run tactics. Long swords were best in open spaces, and crossbows took time to load.

  Anton backed against a small ravine, luring three fighters after him. As they ran at him, he snapped his throwing knives into the throat of one and then another. The last one reached him and screamed with rage. Anton caught the fighter's blade on his, twisting his own to slash across the man's throat. In the meantime, his group had cleaned up the few remaining Valdans.

  For the next two days, nothing happened. Reports from the other two groups revealed less action, but they had still killed some fifteen soldiers. Anton and Tafadzwa talked it over around the campfire after dusk fell and decided they needed to change their tactics. They took fifty from the south and fifty from the east and moved them to the Livorno group in the north. Opening the road to Livorno was clearly the commander's priority.

  Two days later, Tafadzwa found Anton watching the road leading to their blockade.

  "Anton, this is what we were looking for. My scouts just came back. They tell me close to one hundred fifty soldiers are hunting us. They are only about a league away."

  "Good. I'll send these twenty warriors down on the road. When they are seen, they will run, using the road, until they reach our ambush area. There they will disappear into the forest. Not too fast; we need the Valdans to follow."

  Anton and Tafadzwa joined the bait group on the road. They rode at a walk with scouts, ten to twenty paces in the forest on each side. Anton made sure the army had seen them, and then he ordered a retreat. He brought up the rear to make sure that the Valdan army followed, pacing to let the army keep them within sight. A little over a league later, he signed to turn to the north and enter the forest. The ambush was set about three hundred paces from the road. Two hundred warriors waited with bows.

  "Watch for the traps! Make sure and go around where we set them." Anton pointed to the far edge of the killing zone, and his men edged around it.

  The Valdans followed

  "Fire!" Tafadzwa shouted to his archers. They rained down arrows on the oncoming Valdans. Anton heard the Valdan commander shout an order to charge. Anton shook his head over the stupidity of charging the archers. Over half of the Valdans died before the bloody hand-to-hand fighting began.

  Anton could never tell how long a battle lasted. They seemed to last forever and yet be over in an instant. He wiped the sweat that dripped down his forehead as he held up his hand to stop. The ground around them was littered with Valdan bodies. A few Jaddahans lay moaning among them. He watched as a handful of Valdans, still alive, rode back toward the road.

  "Why let them go, Anton? We could catch them easily." Tafadzwa stood, his clothes covered in blood, his face flush with color.

  "No, fir'Warrior. Those were no more than ten, and they will convince the castle commander that we have an army out here and are preparing to attack the castle. Now he will have to send messengers to hi'Radulf who will say Dassel is under attack. It will take a messenger at least seven days to reach Savona. Keep the blockade for now, but send messengers to Zenjir, Terni, and Dahab with news of our success. I don't believe the commander will send out a
ny more soldiers. We wait for the next phase of the war."

  "What about Valdans troops from Borkum and Adorf? They are both Valda cities. The commander may ask for reinforcements from those. They could have a hundred each."

  "I don't believe they will send anyone. At best, they could send only fifty or so, and even that small a number would weaken their castles. No, I believe Aisha's plan has delivered Dassel to you."

  Anton motioned toward the bodies around them. "Let's see to our own men. We have a few dead, perhaps twenty-five or thirty, it looks like, and the wounded have to be seen to."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Dahab: Talons called to war

  The sun streaked the western sky with gold as it dropped below the horizon. The day's heat eased. I had requested an early halt. We rested before our approach to Dahab the next day. Awotwi had dispersed ten scouts beyond the camp to detect intruders so that we had plenty of warning in case of attack. We had traveled for four days and should reach Dahab the same time Master Anton and Tafadzwa should reach the area around Valda.

  We pitched camp, an informal sprawl of small cooking fires and tents. Rhiannon, Awotwi, and I sat on the ground in a circle around a fire built between our two tents. We all ate a simple dinner of grain and bits of meat. I felt more comfortable with this dinner than dining at the lavish feasts put on by the nobles at Savona, Terni, and Livorno.

  "Fir'Warrior, how far are we from Dahab?" I asked.

  "We are about eight leagues from Dahab. I would expect to reach the city around noon tomorrow. I have sent a warrior ahead to alert Second Lord Faddei that we come by order of hi'Baqir, so he does not think they are under attack and can arrange for our comfort."

  "Your family would be proud of you, fir'Warrior Awotwi. You will make a fine leader of an army someday." The young man seemed much older in his ways than some of the other nobles' sons I had encountered. I liked the Jaddahan people and their way of life, probably because it mirrored my life at the Aerie.

  "You changed much for us, Aisha Talon. Third sons like me, and fourth and fifth daughters like Isooba and Emerka, had little to look forward to. At best, sec'Warriors. Now with Tafadzwa off to run a kingdom, I will be a consort to another kingdom and can expect to command the army in Granya, and Emerka and Isooba can command the army in Jaddaha or Valda if they want or take a more peaceful path." Awotwi smiled. "This war under your leadership will do much to give me the experience I will need to command wisely."

  "I don't think you will be following me. Master Dragos will probably determine our strategy, and hi'Rhiannon is in command." Children leading children. Rhiannon and Awotwi are only sixteen, and I'm only eighteen.

  "I may be the hi'Lady of Savona, but you will lead, Aisha. I trust you and your plan," Rhiannon said.

  "Thank you, hi'Lady Rhiannon. Tomorrow we will know more." I stood to retire for the night.

  * * * *

  We broke camp with only a sliver of light on the horizon, hoping to reach Dahab before the worst of the heat. As we approached the city, two riders rode toward us. Awotwi held up his hand for a stop, and we waited to see who approached. When they got close, I recognized one of the riders from the Aerie, one of the few women Talons.

  "Good morning, Master Bakaar," I said as they slowed their horse to a stop in front of me.

  "Good morning, Aisha Talon. Master Dragos wants to see you, immediately."

  "Fir'Warrior Awotwi and I will accompany you, Bakaar Talon."

  "Your contract with Aisha Talon has been terminated, and your presence is not required." Bakaar waved for me to join her.

  "My betrothed, I want to go," Rhiannon said with a smile at Awotwi.

  "Warriors, to me!" Awotwi shouted, and a hundred knives flashed into the light of day and a hundred warriors surrounded the two Talons.

  "Aisha, this does not help you," Bakaar said.

  "Bakaar Talon, although I would not advise the action hi'Lady Rhiannon has taken, she has an interest in the upcoming war and has information Master Dragos needs. That being said, I do not command the hi'Lady, nor do I command the son of hi'Baqir. And based on what has happened in the past several weeks, I don't believe they are bluffing." I spoke without emotion, but I felt sick knowing what she said was true, and my duty would be to defend the two Talons in a fight.

  "All right, hi'Lady Rhiannon, but I can not guarantee how Master Dragos will react to your aggression." Bakaar pursed her lips slightly as she looked Rhiannon up and down.

  "Aisha, are you still my bodyguard?" Rhiannon asked. I was impressed with Rhiannon's assertiveness, but she had just put me in a very dangerous situation. If I said yes, I would defy the clan's call to war, to assemble and break all contracts. If I said no, I might jeopardize the alliance that would benefit the clan's war on hi'Radulf. It came down to what was more important, her or the clan?

  "Yes, hi'Lady Rhiannon, I am your personal bodyguard, although I may not be for long."

  "Then fir'Warrior and I will accompany you to see Master Dragos." Rhiannon gave an imperious tilt with her head.

  "Sec'Warrior, take the troop to the Jaddah compound and get them settled," Awotwi ordered, readying himself to accompany Rhiannon and me.

  **You have made a great mistake, Aisha,** Bakaar signed as she and the other Talons turned their horses. We proceeded toward the city, Rhiannon, Awotwi, and me following. Dahab was smaller than Zenjir, but it seemed to spread out for several leagues in every direction and had more tents than permanent structures, such like I had never seen before. Each tent was the size of a small house, bright with colors, designs, and multiple pendants for their many poles. A canopy shaded the front area of the tents where men and women sat and ate, conversing on beautiful crafted rugs.

  "Fir'Warrior, why all the tents?" I asked.

  "They are nomads," Awotwi said. "They come to Dahab and negotiate contracts for their caravans, buy and sell merchandise, and exchange information with friends. They spend many months each year traveling the sands to the cities of Atusei and Enurta on the Great Mother Sea."

  An hour later, we entered the city and were led to a large inn, the Cool Sands. I recognized Talons everywhere I looked, and, as I dismounted, Master Dragos stalked out of the main entrance.

  "Bakaar, who authorized these persons to accompany Aisha?" Dragos asked.

  "No one, Master Dragos. They insisted, and we were too outnumbered to resist," Bakaar replied.

  "And now?"

  "We could eject them, but I believe Aisha would object," Bakaar said.

  Bakaar remained relaxed, but I knew she would act instantly at Dragos's slightest gesture.

  "Would you, Aisha Talon?"

  "Yes, Master Dragos. I am sworn, by contract, to protect hi'Lady Rhiannon," I said, although I knew the Talons were no threat to her.

  "In violation of the clan call to war, a call that terminates all contracts. Are you clan or not?"

  "I am clan, Master Dragos, and I have answered the clan's call to war. I stand ready to be judged by the clan's council."

  "And if they chose to banish you from the clan?"

  "I have acted in what I thought was the clan's interest. If the council disagrees with me, then I deserve banishment and death." I knew this to be true. My only thoughts had been to aid the clan in destroying Radulf in revenge for my brothers' deaths. If I had been wrong, I was not fit to be clan.

  "NO! You can come with me, Aisha," Rhiannon shouted.

  "If I have dishonored the clan, I will cut my throat. It is our way, hi'Lady Rhiannon. Be patient. The clan will give me a fair hearing." I looked at Dragos.

  "Yes, Aisha Talon. You are Talon and entitled to a hearing before the full council. I guarantee hi'Lady Rhiannon that you will get a fair hearing," Dragos replied then turned back to me. "Do you know where Anton Talon is? I thought he was in Zenjir with Cezar, Vasile, and Marku."

  I reached inside my blouse and pulled out a rolled-up parchment, which I handed to Dragos and waited as he opened it. Before he could react, I added, "I beli
eve hi'Lady Rhiannon and fir'Warrior Awotwi need to be there. They have information the council will want."

  "We will meet here in two hours. That will give time for the three of you to rest and refresh yourselves. The meeting will be held outside the city, where we can talk without being overheard or interrupted."

  And one new female Talon can be punished without a fuss, I thought.

  * * * *

  Rhiannon and I got a room at the Cool Sands Inn. This time we had to freshen up with the pitcher and bowl in the room.

  "Why can't you come with me, Aisha, if the Raptor Clan no longer wants you? I want you. You can be my minister and advisor and bodyguard." Rhiannon rambled on as I washed.

  "I am clan, as you are Granyan. You agreed to a marriage to someone you didn't even know to save your land, your people. Should I do any less?" What I chose not to say was that one did not just leave the clan, especially when they had you here for judgment. I had acted in what I thought was the clan interest. Now I would have to answer for my decisions.

  "But you said they would kill you. I will have fir'Warrior Awotwi protect you."

  "No. That would undo all you have set in motion. It would wreck the alliance and ruin your chance of regaining your place as hi'Lady. What is done is done. We will hope I have done the right thing, and the clan sees it that way."

  * * * *

  Rhiannon and I walked out of the inn, where Awotwi waited with two Talons and our horses. We rode back past all the tents and into the desert. After about a league we came to a huge white tent standing alone with no identifying marks. One of the Talon guards took our horses' reins as we dismounted.

  Inside, Master Dragos and five Talons sat dressed in black silk. Each shirt had a silver Raptor embroidered on the sleeve and sashes with two four-talon feet of a Raptor around each waist. Rhiannon and Awotwi were also wearing silk, Awotwi all white with gold crossed sabers, of the house of Baqir, and a maroon sash. Rhiannon wore a matching light-blue outfit with a darker zigzag pattern and a white sash. After everyone was seated, I slowly removed my outer clothing to reveal my knives, which I removed and staked in front of me. I then redressed in my black silks with the embroidered Raptor and single four-talon foot on my sash, as befit my rank, and sat.