“Thank you again, sir.” Taking a thought, I snapped to and gave him a salute, “Commander Lahrcus.”
He snapped to in return, and with a subtle smile he saluted me back, “Scouts Captain Timber Wolf.”
________________________
AS WE PREPARED to ride out the next day, the whole city gathered to watch us file out in formal procession. A band was there playing heavy drums and horn music, the street was lined with people and everyone was cheering as loud as they could. It did me proud to see Hoscoe riding in front, on the right side of Lieutenant Commander Eppard. Watching the two side by side, if you didn’t know better you would automatically think it was Hoscoe leading us out, and in many ways he was.
It was Hoscoe’s plan of action the king had adopted, his tactical training we would be employing, and it was he who had laid plans for on-the-job-training to turn this into an elite fighting unit. The Vedoan style of line skirmish combat, favored by Chitivias, would not work here. Hoscoe had outlined a multi-stage course for campaign warfare. He contended, “We must focus not on that which is out there, but to find the source from whence the enemy is coming. Then we must resolve this source, permanently. Once the root has been severed, then we can burn the bramble. Otherwise, we are just cutting the grass as it grows up again.”
Just so you don’t get lost in my story telling, and in case you aren’t familiar with the Keoghnariu Military in general; light crossbows are usually referred to as an LBC, the heavy crossbow is referred to as an XL, XL being an acronym for Extra Long Range Crossbow. The XL made by Kiubejhan weapon smiths have the range of a northeastern longbow, about two hundred to two hundred and twenty rods, but with a heavier missile shaft and more knock down power.
A trooper usually refers to one soldier and a troop is a body of soldiers. One squad generally consists of three to ten troopers who usually work together, one platoon has at least two squads but four is the standard, one company has at least two platoons but rarely more than five or six, and a battalion has at least two companies. A regiment consists of at least two battalions and generally operates from an established headquarters; ours, however, was mobile and based on the army Hoscoe used to win two wars.
Hoscoe got his regiment, albeit a small one by his standards; one battalion of specialized close quarter soldiers and one battalion of ranged weapons.
The first battalion included our cavalry, one hundred and thirteen strong, riding combat-trained Arabian Chargers. Each cavalryman was personally trained by Commander Lahrcus, and the cavalry unit was headed by his own second, newly promoted Cavalry Major Maedhith.
Command Sergeant Cudty, who was going out as top sergeant of the regiment, handpicked the entire company of specialized ground combat troops. There were six platoons of the best two-hand sword and great axe wielders in the whole army. These soldiers carried LBC’s and were going to train as auxiliary cavalry while in the field. I was startled to find T-bone in the draft.
Cudty told me with some humor, “He’s a bruiser and can be an ass, but when he starts swinging that great axe, you’d do well to get out of the way. And believe it or not, when he’s in the field he’s a damn good soldier.” He grinned at me, “That walloping you gave him took him down a notch, but when Aldivert rode out while he was recuperating; I think he re-evaluated his position in our army.” Lieutenant L’Nahr from Eastern Square Barracks, and brother to the late Major Lamen, was commissioned with this company.
Lieutenant Ander was placed in charge of the second battalion with Field Sergeant Dudley as his second. One company had five platoons of XL sharp shooters. Another company of five platoons, which Dudley made his personal interest, carried the new 400 Magnum Resounder as well as XL’s. Each trooper in this company would carry half of the weapon on his horse, so each man had a permanent field partner. Once Resounders were assembled, one soldier would man the weapon while the other manned an XL.
We were the first to take out this still untested weapon. It was fitted with a reinforced steel leaf spring in the cross section, and instead of a wind up redraw, this weapon had a lever-action catch-and-draw mechanism The steel was some of the high quality new stuff being worked at the Brosman Iron Mines, and the weapon itself had been designed by Chief of the Mine, Gohruvae. Hoscoe believed this new type of steel could easily be the true wealth of Keoghnariu, not diamonds; he was calling it Keo-Steel.
Seventy of these weapons had been built and shipped to Kiubejhan for approval, and had only arrived within the last week of our departure. These were supposed to have a range of four hundred rods, therefore the name, and were fitted with a finely braided steel bowstring. If this weapon proved successful, it could revolutionize mobile missile warfare. Dudley Company, as it came to be called, were carrying sixty of these gems. Each operator had tested at firing three practice missiles per two minutes, all with five out of six marks at three hundred rods minimum.
The eve before we left, Dudley and a hunter named Kisparti went twelve for twelve at the three hundred and sixty rod mark. On the thirteenth round, Dudley made mark as Kisparti missed the circle by inches. Dudley was the man.
Merle was made sergeant of the 4th Resounder Platoon and my old pigskin partner, Becket, I was glad to see made sergeant of the 2nd. I got Izner and Puffer as squad leaders of my two scouting squads, and since Puffer and Vinci worked so well as a team, I assigned them to the same squad. Of course, Patriohr was with me, so I put him under Ize, and I made it a point to get Kisparti in my unit as well. I was even able to secure one more of those 400’s and a bail of ammunition for him to use. A hidden man with firepower at that range, I liked it.
Sergeant Deakir sought me out to serve as a scout. “You’re a sharp whipper, that’s for sure,” he said, “and I already heard you can talk with animals and have a canny sense of your surroundin’s. But I could do you a lot of good, and I was raised in those clan lands down south where you’re a’headin’. Nobody up here knows that land like I do.” How could I argue with that, and I figured I could learn a lot in actual tracking from him. I asked him to choose seven more troops to complete our scouting unit, and that was it; he became my second.
Two squads of troops were even going as our supply and chow unit.
Of us fourteen scouts, I learned Kisparti had a wife and three children. Vensi also had a wife expecting their first child, it wouldn’t be easy for him. It wouldn’t be easy for any of us, but he would have it especially tough.
The cavalry, Lieutenant Commander Eppard and Hoscoe were riding Arabian Chargers. I approached Lahrcus with granting the scouting unit these animals, as well. They were the fastest, most durable horses in the known world. He thought about it, and slyly suggested, “You think I can get the king to approve this?”
With a straight face I answered, “It would give me easy access, and a choice of animals to commandeer, should everything go bad and the need arise.”
There were fourteen of us, but since we were so important to the mission we were granted a compliment of twenty Arabian Chargers. I picked out a strawberry roan as my personal mount.
Five hundred and forty-nine men were riding out on the morning of 4.15.20, Keoghnariu dating. That included eight commissioned officers, twenty-six non-commissioned officers including a metal smith, a surgeon who was also going to write a history, eleven men responsible for supply, and twenty-one platoons of men who had no idea if they were going to return. Some of us, maybe all of us, were not coming back. But we rode out for a cause. Whatever happened, we were making history.
Have you ever donned a uniform and taken up a weapon to fight for a cause? Have you ever met the enemy face to face knowing it was either them or you? To kill brings the end to something, to someone’s life. All people have pleasures, nuances they enjoy in day-to-day living. And to end such a thing is a big responsibility which should not be taken lightly.
One of Hoscoe’s favorite rants, “There are those who like to speak against warfare and fighting, and I will be the first to say I prefer to sup my coffee and take up a brush or quill. But someone must be willing to do the necessary deeds which enforce order and safety for all. Let those who preach peace over war speak their mind. In some countries citizens have that right, but do not do it behind the walls of safety I, and others before me, have fought to provide. Let them step up to the front of the battlefield, away from my protection, and speak their words before the enemy. Otherwise, step back, shut up, and let me do my job.
“Speech is a good thing, as long as both parties are willing to make discourse under such terms. But the swine does not know that swine stinks, and the vermin does not care that it spreads disease. When all honest men and women lay down their weapons, the armies of malevolence shall rule the world. And then, then shall the weak-mouthed fools cry for the warrior to rise up.”
Hoscoe had a major problem with cowardice, and he believed all boys breaking into manhood should serve two years in the military. He said, “It gives perspective, let alone discipline. No one, man or woman, has any right to discuss how combat should be conducted unless they have successfully faced their foe in battle. And I have fought beside and against both.” He once poked me in the chest and said, “Dare you to consider, an equally well trained woman can be every bit as dangerous as a man, and a drawn and loaded crossbow does not care who aims and pulls the trigger. Therefore underestimate a woman not!”
Riding out in a two-by-two column formation, my own position in rank and file was directly behind Eppard with Maedhith to my right. The last time I was part of a big procession, I was in the back of a slave wagon leaving the town of Heins, and it wasn’t anything as grand as this. Now, I was an officer, and to my left I saw Riana in a place of distinction. She was waving to me with her head held high in pride. Waving back, I burned her visage into my mind for ever-safekeeping. Dressed in a beautiful array of green and gold, her red hair was flowing long over her shoulders and a white flower was in her hair.
She wasn’t weeping as many of the women were, she was seeing me off the way the lady of a warrior should; for what person wants what may be their last vision of someone they care for to be one of despair and mourning. Riana was standing strong, radiating courage and honor. Sitting tall in the saddle, I waved back to her. Would I return for her hand, would I touch those lips with my own once more?
Before us was the main gate to the city, and as it opened wide for us a host of horns sounded and I saw my friends, my brothers of another kind. They were holding their fists out to me in salute, and then the Dom let go with his saxophone as the rest made quiet. Out of the gates we rode to war, forward to our destiny … somewhere out there was the enemy’s lair and their point of entry into our realm … we were going to find it.
___________________________
Our first destination was the old ruin I had wanted to return and investigate. As we traveled, and due to the nature of the enemy we were dealing with, I adopted the policy of sending scouts out by twos or fours. In the jungle, that would move to fours and sixes. If necessary, I could draw on LCB troops. I generally partnered myself with Izner, Kisparti, Deakir, and sometimes Patriohr; Izner because we worked so well together, Kisparti and Deakir as much to learn from as anything else, and Patriohr because it was my job to teach him.
Kisparti, Izner, Patriohr, Cavalry Sergeant Pakur and I came up on the farm keep first. The place was desolate and as bad as I wanted to go on down there, we waited for the command to arrive as per orders. Truth to tell, had I been alone I would have gone on down.
One of the neat things about Pakur was that he had a communication system with Major Maedhith involving a Three Horned Falcon named Chymthina. The creature was beautiful to watch, well trained in her craft and turned out to be invaluable in our mission. I had Pakur send a message to Maedhith giving the good-to-go, in the mean time we kept a constant vigil on that old keep. I wasn’t trusting anything. Kisparti I put on a rise with that 400, ready to take the first thing that didn’t look friendly.
Everything was still quiet when the command rode in, but I was feeling mighty uneasy. Out last camp was less than a half day’s ride away, so when they arrived the area was secured straightway, then they took a nooning. The keep had a small well with good water, so our water supply was freshened.
My personal interest was the ruin, so while the bulk of our command secured the farm area and investigated the keep, I took two squads of cavalry, two squads of foot-men, one squad of LBC’s, Deakir, and Izner’s whole squad of scouts the mile and a half to the old ruins. Hoscoe had seen the well at Biunang and I had seen the runes in the hole in the ground with Lahrcus. Hoscoe saw where cogs had gone, I got to see the blurring anomaly dissipate and it gave me the same feeling as I had felt at this ruin. Deakir, who we called Deak, was a former clansman who knew the wilderness. So, hopefully we might find something of interest.
Hoscoe had been taught much of general history from an elvin perspective, and history specifically relating to the Dsh’Tharr and Kn’Yang’s lineage in particular. Since then he had been fascinated with all forms of military history, and he learned much from his journeys. He had been stranded in the frozen northeastern Wastes of Zynshai, spent two years as an able-bodied sailor on the Alburin Sea, and had traveled all over the northern half of Aeshea. Fascinated with culture, he absorbed what he could in his exceptional lifetime. But there is only so much you can learn.
Use of magic was dying out in the growing civilizations of the north, and this, clearly a situation intertwined with magic, was out of Hoscoe’s field of expertise. Strategic warfare, no problem; dealing with wizardry or worse, this was a new challenge.
As we got close to the knoll upon which the ruin set, I kept seeking out that weird, tingling sensation I had felt the last time. It wasn’t there.
Deak said, “It’s an old outpost, goes way back before the times of Set. The same kind of brick was used as is in them pyramids, just used different. There’s maybe two, two and a half dozen of ‘em all through the country. No one knows for sure who built ‘em. Wasn’t human, though. Or no human I ever heard of.”
Hoscoe asked, “How do you figure?”
“I seen some pictures on cave walls. The clansmen call them Picture Caves, showing some kind of insect-like creatures walking on two legs building ‘em. Tall, elf-like people, pointed ears but sort of birdlike in the face, were in charge.” Hoscoe and I passed glances at each other and Deak kept talking, “One cave I saw showed a bunch of those people bowing down to someone with the head of a falcon, he was painted all gold.
“Anyway,” he said, “those paintings are thousands of years old. Ain’t been anyone like any of those since the clansmen migrated down here after the Great War.”
“The Kl’Duryq War?” Hoscoe asked.
“Yup, that one. They’ve been fightin’ Tiskites, Minotaurs and each other ever since.”
“Weren’t there humans here when the clansmen came?”
Deak looked at Hoscoe with curiosity, “Well now that’s the thing, there used to be a huge civilization under the Mhn’O’Quai Jungle, before it was a jungle. Then they all up and disappeared. There were a few who supposedly stayed behind. Most married into the clansmen families. But the tale is they went to someplace they called Quas’Thyr, the fourth world. No one knows for sure exactly when or how they went. Some tales have them goin’ down into the Great Pyramid and not comin’ back. Other tales have them goin’ across the hanging bridge to Xibalba. I heard one tale that they went up into their temple and sacrificed themselves to the sun gods, in hope their souls would be taken to the sun.
“But these outposts, or whatever they really were, were here long before they came. My old chief said they were over five thousand years old. He said they were here before the pyramids.”
I asked, “Are you familiar with deep pits inside the walls?”
“Yup. The oldest ones are square, but then they started digging them round. It was where they lived. The wall was built up around the pit. Some of ‘em had a door you had to climb steps to get to, then there was stairs you had to go up or down into living levels. Some you had to climb a ladder to get to the top, then you went down from a door in the roof. In the southern jungle, there’s a whole city of the square ones built on top of each other, like a pyramid but only square.
“Up next to Sky Rock, there’s a round one, maybe eighty-ninety feet tall. Looks like a huge mud-hornets nest built into the ground. All of ‘em are built on hilltops or in the mountains. I seen a whole city built into the side of a mountain, but there wasn’t no way up there.”
I asked, “Have you heard of people disappearing in one of those pits?”
Deak just looked at me with a real serious expression, and then he said, “My mah told me of a time when she was out with her pah in the jungle, they were huntin’ for a rare flower to make some medicine. They got caught in a storm and accidentally happened on this ruin with some of the walls knocked down, just like this one up yonder. Her pah stepped down in a pit and reached up for her so they could have some shelter. Then it got all strange and as she was starting to reach down, he faded off to nothing.
“She made a three day trip in one day, but when she begged the clansmen to go back with her and find her pah, they wouldn’t go. He ain’t been seen since. The old ones tell of two, maybe three places around where the Lihtosax live that you don’t need to step into no pit and you might disappear. It’s almost like those bugs are helping to keep people out.”
Patriohr suggested, “Or keep something in.” We weren’t discussing this stuff in secret. My people needed to know what we were looking for, besides just the enemy. I glanced at Hoscoe, and I could tell from the expression on his face he liked Patriohr’s thought.
We were close enough to dismount and I wanted the knoll secured with every weapon trained on the center. I still didn’t feel that sensation, but I grabbed a rope as I dismounted. Hoscoe raised an eyebrow and Izner said, “Oh shizen.”
Hoscoe, Izner, Deak, Kisparti and a pair of six feet, four inch tall footmen with two-hand swords went up the knoll with me to examine the place. Crossbows were at the ready and we carefully checked everything. I was hunting for a pit when Deak found a scrap of cloth. It was little more than a few threads, but it had been caught on a rough edge of rock. It wasn’t weather beaten, as if it had been there for years, but it was a material he hadn’t seen before. Hoscoe thought it was a type of satin and it was purple.
Most of the walls had been broken in from time and weather, and there were several of those squared pits, but almost secluded I found a smaller one with easy access to the inside. On one side a metal rod rose up out of the rock beside it. There was still no tingling sensation, but Deak found another thread of the fabric. Kisparti suggested it might have come from a cape.
As I looked down into the heavily shaded pit, I couldn’t see the walls clearly. Shaking out a loop in my rope, Deak looked over at me and said, “Captain, I like you, but I hope you don’t expect me to do no trackin’ down there.”
“Nope,” Izner said, “he’s two fingers short of a full tankard of ale,” he quickly looked around, “meaning no disrespect. I mean, he’s going to go down himself.”
We anchored the rope and one of my footmen secured it on his shoulders. Easing back I went down a little ways into the shadows, and never did my backend feel more exposed than when I was walking backward down that wall. I pulled out that metal firebox and snapping the lid open, rubbed the little wheel of the fire-starter against my leg to ignite the match-sized flame and started reflecting it off of the walls.
I was down about six feet from the top when I saw what I wanted. Those runes were there, just like the one in the jungle. The floor was about another seven feet below and I was thinking about going down further, when a sudden streak and crack of ear splitting lightning hit the rod, which was fifteen feet away from my footman.
He was all man, that fellow. He jumped a foot, and me hanging on the rope, but he held his ground. He didn’t have to hold it long however. I was out of there faster than you can pee your pants, which is what I almost did. Another bolt of lightning and we were all against the brick remains wanting down off of that hill.
It took me a minute to realize the tingle I was feeling was the lightning, and not something magical in the ground. Fortunately this was a natural lightning storm. A little rain came down, but not much. We started heading to the horses when I exclaimed, “Mon’Gouchett!”
“What?!” asked Hoscoe.
“My firebox, I dropped it!”
Deak looked at me as if I were insane, “You’re goin’ back down in there?”
Matter of factly I replied, “Absolutely! There’s nothing wrong, it turned out to be only a little storm, and my firebox was a gift.” I looked at Izner who in turn just raised up his hands.
The only shelter at the ruin was under a couple of those structures, and nobody wanted any of that. So we waited with the rest of the unit at the bottom of the hill. We would be just as wet after riding back as if we waited the storm out, and I wanted my firebox back. It wasn’t just a sentimental gift, I saw it as an invaluable tool, an unlimited amount of fire; think about it.
As we made way back down I heard Deak mutter to Ize, “That mug is either crazy or he’s got balls of iron.”
Ize muttered back, “Not sure, but sometimes you hear knockin’ sounds when he uses the head.”
“So you use the head together?”
“Shael’s no, the sound is deafening.”
“Ain’t you supposed to be chums?”
“I know nothing about him, I just met him a couple of months ago …”
Deak responded, “Really? I heard you were born in different countries together. You even don’t look alike, exceptin’ in the chin.”
“Not really, mine’s real. He just holds his that a’way to look like me.”
I was making mental notes to keep them separated.
The shower didn’t last long, and when I went back down into the hole Hoscoe went with me. He wanted to see those runes for himself. We went down to the floor, this time. My firebox was easy to find as it was still burning and illuminated the whole pit, up to a point. As I reached down to pick it up, Hoscoe said, “Wait a minute.” He got low to the floor, then on his hands and knees, and he had that seriously intent look on his face.
I got down with him and whispered, “What is it Hoscoe, what am I missing?”
He paused, then with a smile he said, “That is just it … there’s nothing to miss.”
“Huh?”
“Look … there is nothing here. It is perfectly clean. There are no packrats nest, no bones of creatures who may have fallen in and were trapped, no debris of any kind or even dust.”
Hoscoe picked up my firebox, examined it and said, “Nice gift.” Stepping back against the wall, we noticed a spiral type design on the floor. Looking to the runes, they were almost exactly seven feet from the floor. Twelve of them were perfectly spaced out around the wall, a thirteenth one was centered in the floor. Thinking about the alignment outside, I looked up and placed myself on the compass. The one on the floor was facing south. ‘Thirteen,’ I thought. Scrutinizing the room, out loud I figured, “The room must be exactly thirteen feet across each side.”
“And from the floor to lip is another thirteen feet,” added Hoscoe. We were on the same train of thought. What ancient group based their culture on the numbers five, ten, thirteen and thirty-nine?”
“The D’Rhaotna Ieshintow, Followers of the Dark Path,” I answered, “Kicked out from the original Elvin Council, builders of Xibalba …” I was thinking, “… and often called the Drow, or Dark Elves. But didn’t they disappear long ago?”
“That is the theory. But those who call them Dark Elves generally construe they are indeed dark in color. The Analects of Puhtnam Jai warn that the D’Rhaotna Ieshintow are often seen as creatures of beauty, with hair of gold or silver, which actually refers to a bright to platinum blonde color. Only sometimes is their hair black or dingy orange-red. More often than not, they have a pale skin tone with commonly brown to rough blonde hair. It is their soul and intent, which render them the dark definement.
“The real question at hand is; are they here now and in league with these cognobins? Or, if not they, then who? For someone must understand how these things work. The cognobins do not seem to have the industry to figure these things out. And there is a wizard at work, yes, someone who was in concert with the Witch Queen. Lahrcus did not figure him to be a leader of any kind.”
Studying the runes, he asked, “Can you read these, Wolf? I cannot quite make them out.”
“Yes, I said. But they don’t make sense, not as a group. They are just common words and none of them would make a sentence. Did the well in Biunang have runes in it?”
“I have been wondering about that. All traces of a building were gone, and a wall was built up close around the well to keep livestock and children from falling in. There was no sun reflecting downward and I had to drop a stone to verify a splash. I would need to study it again.”
“But the water in the bottom … these are rooms, not wells.”
‘Unless, Wolf, unless a water source eroded itself into that old room decades, even centuries after it was last used.”
We looked around and I memorized the runes, I would not forget them or their patterns.
As we rode back to the farm keep we talked with anyone who had an idea, but none of us had any answers.
The command had secured the area and confiscated everything of use, but there was little to be found. There were definite signs, however, that someone had been there since I had been there with Leman. The destroyed farm keep had been thoroughly plundered. A cognobin would have smashed things around. But drawers and cabinets had been opened, and both root cellars had been raided. That was interesting. I thought of the wizard, but there were other humans out there. There was no telling who it might have been, and recent storms had wiped the tracks clean.
I went inside the keep with Hoscoe and Izner. Ander and Eppard were in there discussing the results of their investigation. The place had been picked clean. All that was left was pretty much the shells of buildings. Well, almost. Puffer came to join us only moments after we walked inside. He had something he wanted me to see.
“Out back, beside the stable, actually in the stable wall on the outside, was a series of wide puncture marks,” Puffer reported, “Captain, there were no footprints anywhere, and I do mean anywhere around the entire premises. But I figure someone was standing off by themselves, like, and was throwing some knives; some really nice knives with a healthy heft. If you take a good look, you can see it made a deep bite and they aren’t typical throwing daggers.”
Sure enough, the cuts were deep, and from the smell and color of the wood they couldn’t be more than three, maybe four days old. From the angle and height of entry, I figured the thrower to be a mite shorter than me. Stepping back, I walked around and had the strangest feeling I could tell about right where he was throwing from, a point about forty-five feet away. And his pattern was good, craiken good.
So what did that mean to me, to us? Other than his throwing … well, someone had erased all footprints. I remembered Wahyene and his making our trail disappear, so it would have to be a wizard, wouldn’t it?
Izner walked over to me as I was thinking and suggested, “Wolf, why don’t you find an animal and try to talk with it, mind think it, or whatever it is you do?”
With a grin I said, “Izner, you’re a genius.” Closing my eyes to near slits I concentrated, I attempted to *Summon* an animal, any animal at all. There were lots of small creatures around, if you knew where to look. From a burrow under the barn came something that looked like a cross between a squirrel, a ground hog and a cat. All eight pounds of it, with a long bushy tail, came waddling over to me as Hoscoe, Izner, Eppard and a few others watched quietly.
I reached down and picked it up, rubbing it behind its tiny ears I fed it a piece of dried carrot, and then held its head up to mine and relaxed as I focused on *Mind Speaking* with it. The little guy had hidden under its home when some creatures on two legs roamed around the place three daylights before. As best as I could figure there must have been a dozen or more. But there was this one who kept throwing something against the wall. As I tried to determine the thrower, I finally saw its face as it looked down at my little friend.
The thrower’s face was an elf. The elf had long, dark hair, and at one point two or three really tall purple creatures walked over, and the elf said something to them and then they walked away. After a long time, my little friend saw the elf wave his hands around and the dirt swirled all around. As I explained what I saw to the others, the vision was clear. A warrior-elf was giving orders to cognobins and humans alike, and this elf could also use magic. What I couldn’t tell, was whether the elf was Drow or not.
This was getting better all the time.
________________________
AS FAR AS I’m concerned, it should have been Deak in charge of the Scouts Division. Yeah, I had some cool awareness abilities, and I was learning to develop them much further, but he was the one who really knew his art of tracking and scouting. Deak was in the league of legendary trackers such as Trap of the Ahnagohr Mountains, Sandalfoot Bushwin of the Wilderlands north of Alburin, and Momma Shea of the Nahjiua Highlands.
In fact, all of the boys in my unit had more skill in scouting and tracking than I did. My commission was purely political. I had done what some considered heroic deeds which spawned action around me, and yes, with my senses I was able to ward off what would have been a massacre, but that didn’t make me a leader
I said as much to Deak and Hoscoe both, and Deak said, “Son, you just jumped the first and most important thing a leader has got to know. You admitted what you do and don’t know. What you got to do is learn from the ones who do know, and make your decisions accordingly. The next thing you got to do is accept responsibility for bad decisions as well as good ones, and you’re goin’ to make some bad ones. It’s part of leadin’. And you got to know when to be a leader and when to be a friend, ‘cause sometimes the two positions don’t make like they go together.”
Deak was waving a piece of meat at me and added, “When you make a decision, stick with it.”
“Unless,” Hoscoe slid his thought in, “sufficient evidence is presented to you to warrant changing your approach; and never, do not ever hesitate to listen to your subordinates. If they are afraid to submit important information due to a raging ego, you will not be likely to receive the whole picture. You want respect by courtesy and shrewdness, not fear by tyranny.”
Deak was chewing and nodding his head in approval.
Every chance I got, I learned from Deak and Kispahrti, as well. Every time they told or showed me something, I would use my Bardic training to imprint it in my memory, then I would immediately find a way to put it to use.
I also kept up my education with Hoscoe, only our classroom was now the realm of application under observation. We would discuss my choices and approach, and he would give me pointers, but he didn’t try to change my mind about anything and encouraged me all the way. He often questioned me, just to see what my answers would be, but he never did it in front of anyone.
“The men look up to you,” Hoscoe told me one evening at chow, “even the officers are talking how you are a natural leader.”
“How?” I asked, “sometimes I’m not sure what I’m doing, and it worries me I’m going to get someone hurt.”
“You know more than any of us knew at one time, young sir. Besides, it is not your knowledge which impresses them, it is your attitude. Regardless of your age, you are an officer, yet you are accessible. You demonstrate a genuine concern for those in your charge, and they know you will endure whatever they will endure. You have been set apart as a valiant and brave warrior, and even though many of these men are more physically mature than you are, they want and need you to respect them as well.”
When I could, I talked with our surgeon, Wesney. My experience with Hoscoe left me wanting knowledge of the human body, and he in turn wanted details of my excursion with Major Leman. And there was the art of hawking I wanted to learn about, as well. Sometimes at night, when everything was secure, I would play my flute for the men and I learned the names and favorite tunes of them all.
I spent as much time with Patriohr as I could, always wondering if he knew I was supposed to look after him. He had been educated in a school for soldierly gentlemen from the time he was six, until Lahrcus went to get him at age nineteen. He was brilliant, academically, and wonderful with horses. He had difficulty with some of his swordsmanship, and then I noticed he wrote with his left hand; something exceedingly rare for the time. On a whim, we started working with a full reversal of techniques, and he flourished when fighting left-handed. With his rapid improvement his confidence grew in everything he did.
When we trained, I practiced left-handed, too, so we both expanded skills. When we went out as a team, we would sometimes talk about just stuff. He was very conscientious about whether he was doing well, loved philosophy, and had a natural way with words. He was also a natural as a scout with an acute eye for detail.
We were to seek and find, that meant scouring many areas and investigating the five other known ruins similar to the one we had left. The process was time consuming and often exhausting. Several times we would find a location, make a headquarters, and travel round about the territory. I got the feeling we were being watched more than once, and I was thinking of that elf in charge of cognobins.
Twice the weather did that strange paranormal shift, and once, as we came upon one of those ruins I felt that tingling sensation. I thought I saw movement, but as we got up to the ruin and found the pit, Hoscoe, Puffer, Vensi, Deak and I all saw the blurring effect fade away. I didn’t go down this time, but the runes were there. All the pits I had seen had the same runes, in the same order, with the thirteenth one on the floor facing south. Three of the five pits we had investigated thus far were round.
Patriohr and I were on scouting detail through some really rough country when I started getting that *Awareness* sensation. I was limited in range, depending on how many and how big the creatures were and what kind of ground we were on, as to just how far out my senses would go. For now, at least, my senses were based on ground vibration that I felt through my feet, although I was trying to develop my sense of smell like some animals. Sometimes I thought I could almost feel where someone had been, but that could have just been my imagination.
More than once I had felt something, and it turned out to be a herd of the huge cow-like creatures they called buffalo. The meat was extraordinary and I got my first hunting experiences with them. Kisparti had hunted these things several times in the past.
Like I said, I felt a presence and was trying to sort it out, but it was Patriohr who was climbing up a ridge who first saw the body of men. Using the hand signs that Izner and I had taught all the scouts, he signaled me to come up quickly. They were to far out for me to hear anything, but I figured them to be maybe six hundred and twenty to thirty rods away. Focusing my vision, I was able to tell from their garb they were clansmen.
There was an easy dozen, if not more, securing their area. What would these men be doing here? Hunting? No, they weren’t outfitted for such, and what would they be hunting for that they couldn’t catch in their own …? Four of their number were taking wood to the top of the ridge they had just past. Deak said they used smoke signals a lot and taught me most of them.
I told Patriohr, “Go back and grab Deak and tell him where we are, to get Izner’s squad together stat, and have Kisparti bring his 400. Then tell Eppard and Hoscoe what we’ve got and stand ready to lead them here. I think there’s a war band on the way. Stay out of the dust, stay in the grass. Move!”
My conclusion could have been all wrong. But Deak told me a lot of clansmen were still resilient to Chitivias being a king of any kind. The main resistance leader from the war had not been killed, and he still made threats to the kingdom at times. I wondered if those who attacked Leman’s command in the night were possibly clansmen; and what better place for a rogue wizard to reside, than with the enemy of he who kicked him out of the city?
Should I have waited for the smoke before sending Patriohr? Within the half hour I knew; there was indeed someone back there, a force which was moving north. This was a scout team, and I was betting they had no clue we were here. The signal was a simple one, relaying something to the effect of, Safe-safe-safe.
Over the course of an hour, four more men appeared in the camp. A couple stood watches, but they seemed rather confident they were alone out here. Rather presumptuous, I thought, considering the cognobin occupation, unless they had reason not to worry about them.
Deak showed up with my unit and instructions from Eppard to take the camp, and if possible a prisoner or two. We needed information. Eppard had put the command on stand-by alert and was mobilizing an advance strike unit. He was probably two hours behind Deak. I told Deak the signal and he swore, “Those damned buggers are marching in force. Safe-safe-safe means there’s an army camp back yonder and these boys are just peeking the way to make sure there’s nothin’ in front.”
I asked, “Is it possible they are coming up to help fight the cogs?”
“Not on your life. Their war chief, Threstor, sent a message once saying he hoped the cognobins wiped out the whole city.”
“And he couldn’t have been deposed and someone else is trying to make good?”
“You’re tryin’ good, Captain, but it ain’t goin’ to come clean. If these boys are here, they’re plannin’ war on Kiubejhan.”
It was getting to be dusk. I quickly made my decision and asked, “Kisparti, see that ridge over there?” I pointed, “how quick can you get up there without them seeing you? Mind, I have no idea what’s back of it.”
“Give me a half hour, Captain.”
“Pick your place, then pick your man, preferably the one who looks most likely to be in charge. Make him dead, reload, and if anyone gets away from us …”
Kisparti was off and running. I looked to Deak, “Here’s what I want you to do …”
___________________________
The attack went without a hitch. Kisparti drilled the party leader while he was taking a drink from a liquor skin. The shaft went through skin, mouth and all. Izner and me had snuck up around the side, and Deak had the rest low crawling up the front. When Ize and me launched our attack, Deak’s men were off of the ground like leopards on the spring. It was over almost as fast as it began.
Deak had one man pinioned and I had another on his face and hog-tied. One man had broken through, but Kisparti made sure he didn’t get very far.
Eppard came up with one platoon each of cavalry and ground troops, and two platoons of XL’s. Deak affirmed the toughness of our two prisoners, and they weren’t talking. They were as committed to their mission as we were to ours. Eppard was considered a good man, but we were in a state of war. He didn’t torture these men for one reason, we didn’t have time. Since we were going to be on the immediate move and these men would be a liability, they were quickly executed.
Eppard now was faced with a dilemma of exactly what to do. That we needed to attack was not an issue, it was tactics and initial proximity of our two forces. We weren’t exactly sure where they were, and they apparently did not know of us. Deak went up with me to where the smokes were sent. Based on the lay of the land and how far out the smokes could have been seen, it took him a half minute to come up with two possible directions for their camp.
Kisparti had been down this way hunting, and while he hadn’t recognized the land from where we initially were, once he got on the back of that ridge he had recognized a landmark off in the distance. It was a big land, after all, and for one person to walk every bit of it and know every angle by site would be nearly impossible.
Suddenly I had an idea, “Commander, would you be open to attacking in the dead of night?”
That brought heads up, nobody down here fought at night. These people were highly superstitious and many clansmen believed if they died in evening battle, their spirits would roam forever in darkness.
“Look, they are camped out, and from what Deak tells me they may be drinking. We are up and ready. Let’s do this thing!” I dropped to the ground and started drawing a diagram, “Here are the two directions we are sure they may be. Me and Kisparti …” Kisparti just looked over at me with a deadpan expression, “… can ride hard this way. Someone with Chymthina can go this way. Give us a maximum amount of time, and then send Chymthina to you saying either yes or no whether the camp is in their direction. We won’t have the bird, but if we find the army we’ll start doing reconnaissance right away. If we don’t find it, we’ll ride in the other direction.”
I gave what I said a moment to sink in, and I noticed Wesney over there listening carefully. To the men holding onto old superstition, what I was suggesting would be absurd. Continuing my idea I said, “Send us each in with enough troops to find and set some points of attack, so when the full command gets there you can decide exactly what to do without having to delay.”
What Eppard did at that moment, I believe, completely took most of our fellows by surprise. He thought about what I said, then looked to the ridge where the smoke had been sent, back toward the north as if to Kiubejhan, and you could see something flow through his mind. Was it his family, goals he had set and hadn’t yet achieved, or his commitment to his task at hand? He suddenly looked up and said, “Lieutenant Ander, pick three cavalry troopers and get back to Marshal Hoscoe. I want the camp on combat alert, struck at fast speed, and assembled here double-time. We’re going into battle tonight.”
___________________________
Eppard split the unit he brought in half, me headed one way and Deak the other. Dudley had come and he and Merle’s platoon were with me. I also had Kisparti, Puffer, Vensi and Patriohr. We rode fast for around two hours until we found a large area where the enemy would have most likely camped … if … they had come this way.
Now that we were here, Kisparti recognized the site. He had been part of a big buffalo hunt in this valley and he said there wasn’t a level spot close by that might hold a large party, let alone an army, other than a small valley he knew in the other direction. We studied our site a few moments, and then Dudley said, “Wolf, I think they’re humping each other in the other direction.” Then he looked at me with a wry face, “or elsin’ we couldn’t help hearing them grunt and groan.”
Shaking my head, “Let’s get, gentlemen, or else we’re going to be left out.”
Dud looked at me in horror, “We gonna get left out of the humpin’?”
“Shael’s, Dudley!”
Turning our mounts, we rode the ridges in an attempt to get where our force was likely headed. We were sky-lining, and it was dangerous, but I was trusting to my senses to let me know before running into anything malignant. I was focusing hard all around and even down into the ground. It wouldn’t do to run into anything that could come up from below.
The sky was overcast for a storm and it was so dark you almost couldn’t see … you, I mean, not me. If it gives off any kind of heat, I can see it. So with Kisparti beside me, I rode in the lead. I could feel it, them, way before we got there, hundreds of men fighting to the death. We topped a ridge and saw it below us. The attack had gone off like paint strokes on an easel.
When the tally was done it turned out to be four hundred and sixteen men camped out down there; men who were riding with the intent of killing, raping and plundering Kiubejhan and anything in their way. The watchmen were not true military grade and were easily taken out. Then the XL’s mowed down a significant number, and before they could get organized they were hit again.
The cavalry ran through the camp, then the footmen came in as a second wave firing their LCB’s and then letting loose with their heavy weapons. The sky cracked with lightning as it began to drizzle. From where we were coming onto the scene, I could see a scattered group trying to slip through the end of their vale, and I stretched our unit, sixty-two men strong, out in a c-shaped line just high enough up to make for an easy scoop up. We waited for the last moment to fire, and then we rode them hard and back into the vale as a heavy downpour began.
It was all over before morning’s first light. Of the whole battle, we had fifty-three men wounded, no fatalities, and had fourteen prisoners. No one had to tell us how fortunate we were all the way around, but this engagement was an example of textbook strategy and tactical precision.
We were able to make use of their shelters, and they had camped for rain. The torrent continued, but Eppard didn’t want to linger for a multitude of reasons. As soon as it was light, we collected their pack animals, all of their supplies and the choicest of their weapons, and made quick time to the other vale where we made bivouac.
There had been clansmen in the fight, but by comparing gear and weapons, it became clear there were other groups involved as well. A large percentage of our opponents had bolas, blowguns, and some rather nicely made spears.
Deak and a few others determined these were of the Coumunti peoples, a fierce tribal group who often battled the Banupodai. How they could have gotten here was anyone’s guess. But it was orchestrated with specific intent, there was no accident in their being here. The prisoners were a mixture of warrior origins, and Eppard kept them under heavy guard until the camp was established, and then two nights later the questioning began.
The Associated Kingdoms Code of Combatual Conduct forbade direct torture to prisoners. There were several kingdoms and city-states who were part of that faction, but it hadn’t made its way down here. Lieutenant Commander Eppard had been chosen for his level headedness and leadership skill. He was also a straight up warrior with a deadly purpose who took his job seriously. These people were a threat to his way of life, what he believed in, and he had seen his men die at the hands of these people’s allies.
Once you take up a vocation in combat, you must understand there could be downsides. These men had reached a serious downside. Eppard himself conducted the interrogation, and his face never once broke past his cool and collected poise. I was there through it all and never once did his body heat go up beyond that of mild exertion. He had them all lined up on the backside of a ridge, and then tied them securely in a circle. I won’t go into extreme details, but it was an education.
At the first he asked some simple questions, to which he got no answers. So he poured lantern oil on the man, and as the man laughed and hurled insults, Eppard tossed a torch on him, as simple as that. There was no berating, no beatings. He, well, use your imagination. We all watched for about an hour until he stopped screaming.
Casually, Eppard walked over to the next, then without asking any questions used a smith’s hammer to break bones, one by one. That one took an hour as well. Then he had a third man pulled to the middle, stretched out, and he used a tourniquet on one joint at a time. On this one he used a saw. Okay, I won’t go any further, but you get the point. And he didn’t just go down the line either. He walked up to each, and with a smile he said hello. He spoke in a monologue about poetry he had read, paintings he had seen, and how he would make sure each of these men would die at night, without their weapons, and would not be buried with any honor.
Two of them kept staring at me, though, and I didn’t know why. But just before the sun started to go up, Eppard had each one who was left dragged off to where they couldn’t see or hear each other. They stayed that way all day until the next night came. When they were placed in their circle again, one of them started crying. We had us a talker. Before it was over, we had four talkers, on the basis that they would be killed in daylight and buried with weapons. Eppard honored their wishes, even though they wouldn’t have known otherwise. I never knew if he believed in that or not.
Boiling it all down, it was worse than imagined. Xiahstoi was said to have finally appeared and was making his home in the Great Pyramid. A Witch King, claiming to be the consort of Meidra herself, was now here and promising the goddess was on her way back. The clansmen had been promised full revenge on Chitivias … if … they worked with the union of Xiahstoi and the Witch King. Four lieutenants had been identified as working in concert with the Witch King; High Chief Threstor of the southwestern clansmen, an elf named Phostein, the Chief of Cognobins whose name was Hnugh, and surprise-surprise, Aldivert. Aldivert had been anointed by the Witch King himself to become the king of Keoghnariu.
Threstor was even now supposed to be gathering every one capable of handling arms to march up the western ridgeline to take the well forted Brosman Iron Mines. His conquest of the place would prove his loyalty, and the Witch King wanted control of that new steel. He would be joined by a cognobin force by an old outpost ruin a few days march away.
Aldivert had taken his loyalists and was forming a plan to capture the city. He had sent for and assembled three bands of Coumunti, this force had been sent toward the jungle line to merge with yet another force of cognobins. These were supposedly coming from one of the pyramids in the jungle. None of the prisoners knew exactly when this meeting would take place, but they had been looking for it at any time.
No one knew what the elf was about, only that he had at least five or six more, and they were capable of using magic as well as possessed of exceptional fighting skills.
One of the prisoners had seen the Witch King, the description perfectly fit Soyvette. So who, then, was Xiahstoi? Hoscoe stood behind his belief this couldn’t be the historical figure. His palace of skulls was in the eastern mountains, and nothing going on was reminiscent of his portfolio. Xiahstoi was egocentric and loved to be seen, he didn’t hide from view.
After much discussion it was decided to wait right here for the cogs. It wasn’t the best place to defend, but the hope was to allow them entry, attempt to bottle neck them, and hail them with bolts before charging them. Eppard was counting on their sense of superiority to not be as cautious as they may, and in all of their assaults they had performed without any real discipline. Of course, there was the elf. What if Phostein was along? He may have been the one in charge at the farm keep.
Our one hope was that they would come in expecting to meet comrades, and that they would come in the direction we wanted. Deak learned the smoke signal they were supposed to keep putting up as a direction guide. Our troops were positioned to make maximum use of all our firepower, and the cavalry positioned far out of eyesight for anyone entering the vale. I assigned Kisparti to any elf he might see, and take his time to seek one out. Dudley and a couple of his men were going to do the same thing.
Izner was with me, holding low to the ground, when we saw them coming. I let out my breath. There were at least two hundred of them. The thought crossed my mind, ‘They must not be too happy, marching all of that distance on hands.’ I remembered they had hands where feet usually went, sort of like an ape. It was why we figured they could climb so well and fast. Suddenly I had an idea, and then I saw the elves, three of them.
___________________________
Our camp was intentionally unorganized, and we used the enemy’s supplies and methods of cooking. Fires were blazing and meat cooking, hopefully to entice hungry cognobins. We were hoping they didn’t prefer raw meat and wanted them lured in as far as possible before we sprung our trap. The vale was all of perhaps eighty-five acres, or so, and we placed the camp far enough in, so all of the enemy would hopefully be past the point we wanted to bottle cap from potential escape.
Sure enough, cogs smelled the food and started going for it, only a couple looking around. But the elves; one was carefully looking the place over and calling out names. Another started going from tent to tent, while the third focused his sight on the surrounding ridges. It was he who started to open his mouth when a Resounder caught him mid chest and knocked him backward and into the ground. The elf among the tents suddenly went up on his toes with two bolts, each from a different angle, then he took a Resounder bolt that knocked him off of his feet backward. From the olive color of their skin I could tell at least they weren’t Drow.
The third elf hit the ground with a roll and came up with a green glow around him. A bolt hit him and ricocheted off as he threw a small sphere of light into the bush. The sphere split off into three different spheres which grew to the size of a pigskin ball, hit targets, and exploded taking some of our boys with it.
My idea, I had to try my plan. I told myself, ‘Focus, Wolf …’ the rain of bolts was horrendous, and I jumped out in the back of the mass, hoping my idea would work. I knelt down and put my hands into the ground, and ducked my head. I reached for the power … and felt it calling up to me like a song. Pushing into So’Yeth, I remembered what it was like as a child to cut myself on a blade of grass. ‘Razors,’ I thought, and imagined the grasses all around becoming like small, slicing *Grass Blades* against and under the walking hands of the cogs.
And it worked! I pushed harder, and tried to make the effect expand, but then a burst of energy hit me, hard, as I was knocked thirty feet into the back of a prancing cog. I felt as if my chest had been crushed and couldn’t breathe. The elf was running my way. *Self Heal*, I felt the bones pop back into place, and the burns reduced to first degree. He had drawn a sword and was amazingly evading the Grass Blades. He had some good skill, but I was better. Our fight would be exciting to see as we danced around the combat ground, fighting now all about us.
My skill was superior, and he knew it, but I couldn’t hurt him. Every time I landed a blow I would see a shower of green sparks. Magic, how do you beat magic? A javelin from a falling cog landed to my side. Sitting into a backward roll, I grabbed the weapon and switched tactics. Sheathing my sword and planting the javelin point into the ground at his feet, I vaulted over him as he ducked and rolled in confusion. My javelin head broke in the ground and elf-boy paused and grinned. I grinned back and reached down again, extending the power into the staff, I formed a *Thorn Blade* and the stick now began to hum in my hands.
His face took a look of surprise, and respect. We closed again, and this time I batted his sword to the side and smashed him in the knee with a loud popping sound. Whirling the staff, I hit him solid in the torso with the butt end, sending him twenty feet through the air. As he hurtled against a cog, I spun the spear behind my back to change position while doing an aerial barrel roll to increase momentum. As he struck against the cog, I landed on one foot and felt what seemed to be lightning reach from So’Yeth, through my body, into my hand and into my spear as I threw it. The elf saw it as it was coming and he suddenly disappeared in a puff of green and purple smoke. The cog, however, blew up as the spear ran him through.
___________________________
The battle was a clear victory, and it proved once and for all the win at Wolf-Nobin Hill was no fluke. We also learned some weakness of our enemy. Their feet had a soft under-sole. Also, they could sprint, but were shy on endurance running. Some had broken through and were trying to return to the jungle, several miles away. But our cavalry ran them down and finished them off. We killed two hundred and forty-three cognobins, but we lost some good men. Seventy-six; way too many for our purpose, and we had no means of gathering reinforcements.
We had a new problem, though, one which was inevitably going to happen. The elf escaped, and with that, the enemy would now know we were here and what we could do. And they now knew there was an elf who also had some power. Okay, I’m only half-elf, but they weren’t going to know that.
Did I say one new problem? We had several, but one was the fact that Eppard was now torn in his duty. We were to hunt and find the cognobin source and neutralize it. But we also knew a force was going to head for Brosman, and Aldivert was most assuredly planning an assault against the king. We were in no way close enough to get to Kiubejhan ahead of Aldivert, who even now may be there. Also, Eppard knew Lahrcus was to go to Brosman and oversee the making of new weapons with the Brosman Steel.
If a force was on its way, and included cognobins, he needed to know.
Eppard knew of the old routes through the Jungle of Kalki-Shurma, which was the one west of us now. It was where most of the pyramids could be found. It was the home of the Tiskites, huge constrictor snakes, mosquitoes the size of your hand, and the lost gold mines of Ziet’Jiao were supposed to be located there. If a team mounted on the fastest horses were to quick-time it across, Brosman was about on the same parallel as we were now, if only slightly further south.
Again, if, if Threstor were still getting his forces ready … Eppard thought it was worth sending a detachment with a warning. If Lahrcus wasn’t there, someone would ride the standard route fast to the north in hopes of meeting him. Eppard was at a loss as what to do about the city. He didn’t think Aldivert could take Kiubejhan by force without these troops. The city and defenses were too well planned.
We buried our dead and tended the wounded. Over the soldier’s graves I played a medley of their favorite songs, in particular what I would now call Chimothy’s Song. His bolt had been one of those that killed the elves, and he had been one of those taken by the spheres of exploding magic. Chimothy was indirectly responsible for a cascade of doors being opened up for me. Since that night at the pub we had played often together, even singing as a duet at Baldwin’s. War claimed no favorites, and if I hadn’t been quick to think, I would be beside him right now.
The trail Eppard was thinking of was some distance further south, and we would need to get closer to the jungle to shorten the warning detachment’s riding time. We were headed south, anyway. We left the next morning, but as we did I felt those eyes upon me again. I thought of that elf, and exactly where did he go?
________________________
IF WE WERE on alert before, we were on double alert now. Twice, I had watched someone vanish right in front of me. How did they do that? I was intrigued. After the battle, I had scouted the area where elf-boy and I fought. There were no traces of either of us fighting, but there were plenty of his tracks up to the point the fight began. Interesting. But there was something else, I thought I could *Detect* where he had started using his power. It was almost like a strong perfume that lingers in the air after the wearer has left the room; and his lingered from where he engaged it, all the way to where he disappeared. The last point was where it lingered strongest, like a signature, maybe, or a residue of some kind. I was guessing again.
As we rode, Deak talked with me a bit, “It don’t look like we’re goin’ to make it to my homelands.”
“Why?” I asked, “Are you giving up already?”
He smirked, “Not as long as I can pull a trigger. But look-it, they’re all comin’ up to us.” Deak seemed real disappointed, “I was shinin’ on to takin’ you up to Sky Rock. There’s stuff up there you’d love to see, especially you askin’ about history all the time.”
“Have you ever heard of something called Cherron’s Road?”
“You mean Cherron’s Pass? Yup, heard of it, an I’ve seen it. There’s a painting of it up in those caves, too. Only the painting shows some kind of writin’, like, across the top. But the arches themselves don’t have it.”
I just looked at him, and then asked, “Could you show me when we make camp?”
“Shore ‘nuff. I practiced those letters all of the time for years. Wouldn’t never forget ‘em.”
“Were you a clansmen at one time?”
He grinned a little, “I was a chief once, my boy.”
I just smiled, well now …
“Me and the king growed up together, when he left out for the north, I got sore. But he came back with all kinds of ideas of united and all, and I thought about it. You got to be chief by killing the current chief. You keep doing that and the best fighters eventually wind up dead or bad hurt. I was the first to ride with him and talk to the others. Some of ‘em wanted me to be the king, but I got to thinkin’ about it, and I liked bein’ able to go about as I pleased. Chitivias is the biggest prisoner in the kingdom, now. He can’t do nothin’ on his own.”
When we made camp I called Hoscoe over, “Watch this.” And I had Deak draw those symbols from the top of that painting. Hoscoe’s face lit up, they were the same symbols the old man had written on the skin.
“Hoscoe,” I said, “this is ancient Draconic.” Deak was staring at me.
I said, “It’s a brief poem in Draconic, quite pretty in fact … if you were a dragon. But I can’t think of a language it would sound pretty in for a human or elf to hear. The Keoghnariu dialect interprets it to say something to the effect of, Door, open up. I want to purge myself in the fires of the breath of your throat. Only it isn’t written in the tense of human reading. This is meant for a dragon, or I would say something that bathes in fire. Cherron doesn’t fit into the picture anywhere, except that he is connected to death.”
Deak’s eyes were wide as he said, “Sounds to me like one of us goes in there, we would be meetin’ Mr. Cherron right soon. I’d say that’s connection enough.”
Being out in the wilderness and wandering around for months, it brought a different kind of thinking to you. Lots of the men sank in moral and I found myself trying to lift them up. I would find some joke, tell a story, get them to talk about what they would do when this was all over. Hey, so far we had had three real engagements out in the badlands, some of us had, and we had won all three. And we had proven the cogs could be killed.
I tried to spend time with my chums, but it was hard. When we could get together we would talk it up, though. Patriohr was getting tight with us, as was Kisparti, Vensi and Puffer.
But then there would be times when I was alone. I wondered if was doing my job right, would I make it alive, what was Riana doing right then. I felt a big missing for her.
Was I doing the right thing with Riana? Would I be able to give her children? She wanted a houseful and it was common for half-elves to not be able to reproduce. What if I could, what would it be like to be a father, and watch my wife and children grow old and pass on while I was still young?
I had heard several people say, a parent should never have to outlive their children. On the other hand, what if I got killed out here, or somewhere else? She had lost two family members already, and what would it be like for her … to have her mate constantly go out to fight or defend, and I was now an officer, and not know if he was coming home alive?
When we got to where Eppard wanted to send out the messenger detachment, he asked first for volunteers. There was nothing for me to think about, I already knew I was going, so I stepped out. “No, Captain, I can’t let you go. It is imperative that you and your unique talents remain with the greater command.” Eppard was firm on the issue, period. Puffer and Vensi were the scouts to go, and Puffer was put in charge of the unit. Along with him were twelve cavalrymen, including Sergeant Pakur and Chymthina, two XL troopers, and six footmen, two of whom used great axes.
Their route would take them at a southwest angle through the jungle, and then loop around a bit before leading them over and through the Ahvohriu Mountains, skirt Cirsell Canyon, and eventually into the Mok’Taevun Expanse. The route should avoid the Tiskites, who preferred the lushness of the jungle to the more open regions. No one was known to inhabit the Ahvohrius, which were desolate, although they would have to be careful concerning water. Green scum was said to cover all water sources, but the last report was decades old.
It would be a hazardous trip, and the area had been a no-go zone for generations. But if anyone could make it, these fellows could. All would be riding the prized Arabs, and all were supplied well. I spent a few minutes with my men, encouraged them, and let them know I believed in them. It would be Puffer’s first command and I was proud of him; he and Vensi, both. I don’t know why, but I carried some darts in my possible pouch, the kind we used to throw at Baldwin’s. I gave each one a dart, as a token of luck.
Eppard saluted the detachment, and they were on their way.
The main command was settling into camp a few days later, when I felt a sudden tingling sensation and a flash of light in the not so far distance caught my eye, and then another one on the opposite side of the camp. I was yelling a warning when I saw a third flash on another side, and as the men were at arms preparing to fight, a fourth flash occurred making all four sides of the camp surrounded by these anomalies. Most of the attention was to the perimeter, when in the center of camp, a circular flash of light appeared with thirty-odd cognobins in the midst of it.
The attack caught us off guard … for a split moment … but not unprepared. For almost four years Hoscoe had been studying the element of our enemy’s mobility. Seeing the elf disappear in combat only verified circumstantial evidence of teleportation. We weren’t necessarily drilled just for this attack, but Hoscoe had surmised it would be something he would do, if it were possible.
Our troops were not green recruits, and we weren’t hack-and-slash clansmen with little to no disciplinary training. We were the very best of this country, from a city whose primary resource was its military. These cogs were learning the fact the hard way.
The standard procedure for making camp was done in stages, and at no given time was less than one third of the whole command at ready arms position. It was nothing like the every-man-for-himself, find a spot and unroll your gear, as we had seen of the makeshift force we had defeated.
I say all of that to say this, Eppard heard me, saw the situation, and when the cogs appeared in our midst he wasted no time in shock, he gave a simple command, “Shift Center!” The boys who had been assigned this command knew to instantly turn to and attack. Those who were assigned perimeter knew to not turn and focus outward. Before those cogs in the middle could wreck total havoc, half of them were going down to bolts. Close to a dozen were able to engage, however, and it got messy. Not to make it any easier, there were a handful of elves in the center.
Twice more, but not at once, a Cognobin Cluster appeared in the middle of camp, and both had elves with them. The fight wasn’t easy, and these guys were pissed. What’s more, it became clear just how important our cavalry was, right now they were all on foot and we were suffering for it. I couldn’t see Dudley or Merle, but Ander turned his unit to center and wound up directly engaged with one of the elves. Ander could really work that blade of his, and you would never know Hoscoe was closing in on one hundred and fifteen years of age.
Hoscoe caught an elf about to lend duty against Ander, and the fight I wish I could have seen, except I had challenges of my own. Off to my side a cog crunched a footman, then I heard T-bone let out a blood curdling yell as he charged the adversary with his great axe. Two more cogs joined in and I sheathed my bloody sword. I *Reached* into So’Yeth, and let the energy flow up. I pulled out two specially prepared wooden sticks for this matter, and I let the primal force out. I made a roar of my own as I leaped to join T-bone, my sticks humming in my hands and growing into thorn-like short blades.
We finished the three as if a well-oiled team of destruction and engaged more, both of us fighting as enraged beasts. I was coming down from my rage when my *Awareness* felt that signature residue of power I associated with my elvin sparring partner … right behind me of all places. Quickly I dropped down into left forward split, seeing my elf-buddy right behind me I swept hard with my left heel. As I scooped both of his legs he did a back flip, as if an invisible belt were supporting his weight, and landed effortlessly on his feet.
I was up and planted my sticks down and did a cartwheel off to the side to give me room to gather for an onslaught, and just narrowly evaded his blade. The energy I could both smell and feel was stronger on his blade this evening. Pulling in my spikes I formed wooden knobs on the end, like a cudgel, even as I did a double deflection from his next strike. His energy was totally different from mine, it wasn’t of So’Yeth or So’Yahr, it reminded me of Wahyene; each time our weapons clashed there would be a flash of light and a charge of electricity.
My foe meant business and he pressed me across the field as I fought to find tactical purchase. He was giving me all he had, and then I felt a burn across my side. I pressed against him, blocking his swing and delivered a head-butt to his cheek, opening a mean gash. Momentarily stunned, I head-butted him again, then batted his sword aside and shattered his left arm with my own magic weapon; a stick as hard as iron. He whirled off-side and swung that blade at me again and I ducked into a roll; missing me, his swing took a cog coming up on me from behind. That blade severed the cog in half like cheese, and cauterized the wounds as well.
My eyes opened wide and I couldn’t help saying, “Mon’Gou-shi-i-i-t!” I don’t think he felt like talking about it and suddenly he did his disappearance thing, re-appearing twenty feet away. Using a violent motion of his hips and torso, he swung his broken arm in my direction and a ring on his hand glowed, for the second time he smashed me in the chest with that burst of energy … only this time he disappeared just as he fired his ring.
‘I’m in big trouble,’ I thought as I felt myself hurtle through the air. I torqued my body hard and felt my back crackle in pain, but I landed on my feet facing the way I was falling. Staggering hard to regain my balance he appeared right in front of me. He meant to swing that energy pulsing blade at me, but I skewered myself with it instead. We both locked up eye to eye and I painfully asked with blood in my mouth, “I can heal, can you?” And with both sticks against his torso I pressed them into *Thorn Blades* and ran him through.
He wasn’t expecting that and he lost his grip on the sword, staggered back and smoked out once more taking my sticks with him. I now had a sword in my middle, but the magical energy was already fading away. Sinking to my knees, I realized the battle was over. And then from across the field someone yelled, “Watch out!” A wounded elf staggered up and aimed a stick like thing at Eppard. Eppard had just downed his last opponent and turned to look into the elf’s weapon as a small, orange dot of light hit him square in the chest and came out the back the size of a muskmelon.
The elf grew bolts from all sides, but Eppard was dead. I tried to stand up, and fell to one knee. Then T-bone was beside me and grabbing me by the shoulders. He was trying to tell me something as I passed out; but as the world turned black I couldn’t help thinking, ‘At least I wasn’t hit in the back of the head ...’
___________________________
Fifty-three of our men were lost, and we had killed two hundred and seventeen of the enemy. By combat standards, we were improving. The previous battle we killed three for every one of ours, this time the ratio was four to one, and our cavalry was grounded. But that was a cold way to look at it.
Our commander was dead, as was Cavalry Lieutenant Auce and two of our platoon sergeants. Several of the troops thought I was gone, as well, with that sword through my innards and me passed out. The surgeon came running to me, as did Hoscoe and my chums. It was hard to get me awake, but the surgeon didn’t know what to do. That damned blade was burned into my body. I looked Hoscoe in the eye, and told them in ragged words, “You’re going to … have to cut me … on both … sides of the blade … then pull … it out.”
They weren’t liking it, and truth to tell, neither was I. But they got me a stick to hang onto and a piece of leather to bite. There was no point in trying to keep too many secrets right now; I was in a bad way. The surgeon did his thing, and then he pulled that blade out. The whole time he was cutting away, I can’t tell you how it hurt. I think I groaned, or even screamed, but nobody said anything of it. I almost passed out again, but Hoscoe kept me around. When doc pulled that blade out I *Self Healed*, rather, I healed as best as I could. I was already used up. But I healed enough to keep me alive.
I looked at Hoscoe with a straight face and said, “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to pass out, now.”
His face sharing my off-beat attempt at humor, Hoscoe said, “Go ahead, Wolf, you’ve earned it.”
The blade was mine for a trophy, and a mighty fine blade it was. It a very high grade of steel, double edged and tapered into a fine point. Hoscoe said it looked like one of those swords made in the Kadmus Islands, known for producing some of the best blades in the world. Only they were few and far between, and expensive. This one had a slight radiation of magic on it that apparently only I could sense. I couldn’t wait to experiment with it.
When I came around, Ander was inside the tent with me. He had a couple wounds of his own, but when he saw me awake he said, “Mate, you’re absolutely insane. Their all talking about how you fought that elf and all.”
“Ander … yours was the fight I wanted to see.”
“I didn’t make sparks fly when I hit my opponents. And when those magic balls hit other guys, they died.”
“Ander, be quiet.” I was rested just enough … focusing inward, and into So’Yeth … I *Self Healed* some more, but it tired me to do it. It wasn’t complete, I was still sore and it looked like I had been cut a couple of weeks ago, but I would be able to walk. Reaching over to my chum who was staring at me, I grabbed his hand and did my best to apply the *Heal* effect into him, as well … as much as I could muster.
Ander jumped with a start as the muscle under his leg bandage twitched and a face cut reduced to a pink scar. Testing his arm in the sling, he slowly pulled it out and flexed it. Stealing a line from Dudley and putting a twist on it I said, “This doesn’t make us engaged.”
“Aw, common guys,” Dudley had just poked his head in, “I want to be in the weddin’.” He raised his eyebrows a couple of times and I threw a cloth over his face. We all laughed as a fellow from supply was bringing a pail of food into the tent, wondering what was so funny.
I asked, “How long has it …”
Dudley said, “Your lazy ass has been sleeping in. Fight was three days ago.”
“Three days?!” I was stiff and struggling to get up.
The supply guy said, “Captain, Doctor Wesney said you wasn’t to move.”
“Then go get him,” I said, “and Hosc-, Master Hoscoe and the Major, too.” Looking around I asked, “Where’s my pack? Never mind, there it is.” Rummaging through it I pulled out the bone tube.
As I was starting to leave, Dudley took my arm and in somber tone said, “Deak and Ize have been runnin’ the scouts, but you lost Nasty.”
“Hades Fire!” Nasty was one of mine. He had been nicknamed Nasty long ago because of several nasty habits he had, but he was a top class scout and warrior.
Hoscoe and Major Maedhith had moved the command away from the carnage. They were with all officers, save Ander, who was beside me, by a fire with Hoscoe’s coffee brewing. He had been thrifty with it, but obviously was indulging now. He looked from me to Ander, and then Wesney came in flushed and about to lay into us two for not being in bed when I said, “I’m glad you made it Doctor. I need you to read this,” and I handed him the tube. I know, I was to give it to Hoscoe, but I was pretty sure of what was in it and I wanted everyone to hear it read out loud.
Breaking the seal and giving it a quick read, Wesney’s eyes got large and his facial expression changed dramatically. He cleared his throat, looked around to everyone present and read with a hint of nervousness in his voice;
“I, Lahrcus, as Commander of the Keoghnariu Army and Kiubejhan City Defense, do hereby recognize Sword Master Hoscoe as General Tyorrin Hoscoe Val’Ihrus of the Dahruban Army, and as of the breaking of the seal of this scroll do hereby empower said General Val’Ihrus to act in my stead, in any capacity necessary, where I may not be present, for the purpose of defense of the Crown, the Kingdom of Keoghnariu, and all those who reside and the resources within.”
The document was signed by Lahrcus, the day before we left the city. I was betting it was what he left the meeting to do. As the document was read, the word went around like wildfire. General Val’Ihrus was here, in the flesh. Some of these soldiers had pretended to be the general as boys, fighting the legendary Jernigan War and winning the Battles of Wilcher and Donder Ridge, conquering the once unbeatable Ssuhonites, and more.
The tall, older man was more than a teacher. He inspired the men on the field. In just this last battle, he had single-handedly taken three of those elves at once and confounded their every move, and dispatched each of them in turn. Had he not once told me one person could make a difference? I saw it now. Once more we had won, yet our numbers were now almost a quarter less that we had begun, and our biggest fight was before us against a much greater force. With the mere mention of his name, however, in our presence the moral went way up.
But there was more. As the major snapped to and saluted him, I saw a flickering spark rise to flame in Hoscoe’s eyes. Something I had never seen. One of the greatest prides of my life was in seeing the general reborn. Always possessing great presence and charisma, it seemed always suppressed, contained. Now it was as if the shade had been removed and he became larger than life.
From that point on he was addressed as General, or General Val’Ihrus. But for me he would ever be Hoscoe.
Nothing was to be taken from Lieutenant Commander Eppard, he had done well and was a good leader. But now in the most important battle to come we had the Grand Master of the Battlefield, the man revered around the known world as the finest military mind of the age, indeed one of the finest generals in history; human, elf, d’warv or otherwise. The meeting turned from what should we do, to this is what we are going to do. He called upon everyone who knew anything about the country. Hoscoe believed, now, the focal point should be the Great Pyramid. The source, he believed, was the person called Xiahstoi.
Somehow, the current Xiahstoi had found a way to bring foreign beings into the country. They weren’t coming in from the southern coast, as some were thinking, and they clearly weren’t coming in from the Minotaur ruins as was first believed. And they weren’t demons. Hoscoe was hunching they were somehow being brought in through a means discovered, or rediscovered, inside or around the Pyramid. The Pyramid itself was located in the vast Rah’nor’Horuk Plain. According to Th’Khai, the Pyramid Lords fought their last battle here, before being driven back by the Minotaurs, Centaurs, Fauns and Volnien. According to myth, the plain rose twenty feet as So’Yeth reached up to bury the thousands upon thousands slain.
Hoscoe called officers and sergeants together and first asked if anyone present had even seen our destination. When it became clear nobody had, he knelt and drew a diagram on the ground as he explained, “The Pyramid of Rem’Nai Sezhukte is perhaps the most precise structure ever built. According to history, it is built with no mortar of any kind, yet the structure is five hundred and seven feet tall from top to bottom.
“The Plain seems to rise a bit in the area of the Pyramid, and it is itself based on a rock plateau that originally rose thirty-nine feet above the surrounding area. It was chiseled to a perfect dais shape one thousand, six hundred and ninety feet in diameter. A ditch thirty-nine feet deep and one hundred and thirty feet wide encircled the plateau and was filled with water. The only way to the Holy Dais, as it was called, was across a thirty-nine feet wide bridge on the south side.
“The pyramid itself is built in two primary levels on the outside. At the bottom is a perfect square facing the four true points of the compass. At ground level it is nine hundred and sixty-two feet from corner to corner, rises upward almost at a perfect fifty-two degree angle for one hundred and sixty-nine feet, to form another perfect square six hundred and ninety-seven feet per side.”
The exclamations were profound as everyone was in awe at the size of the structure. Hoscoe continued, “And that is not all,” he continued to draw in the dirt and speak, “to look at them, it would appear on each corner an additional square tower was built upon each of the base corners. The incline angle is different, but from the outer sides they taper inward, and from the inner sides they rise straight up, but the tower dimensions come out to two hundred and twenty-one feet per side at their base, and one hundred and sixty-nine feet at the top, which is flush with the top surface of the main structure. The sides are all smooth, and they are covered with a glossy layer of what looks likes quartz, at least mostly covered. Some pieces are now missing here and there from the gloss.”
Hoscoe allowed his drawing to sink in with everyone and then proceeded with his illustration, “Now we move inward sixty-five feet from the base edge, and rise upward again at fifty-two degrees for three hundred and thirty-eight feet to a final perfect square of thirty-nine feet to the side at the top. There are three sets of stairs, one on each of the southern, western and eastern sides, each of them thirty-nine feet wide. But here …” he drew a type of straight ridge, from the top of the structure straight down to enter the ground on the same line edge of the corner towers, “… on the north side there is this. It is like a dorsal fin, or something. Nothing recorded explains what this is, nothing I have seen, anyway.” I just looked at Hoscoe, and he looked back at me.
Someone started to ask a question, but Hoscoe held up his hand, “Here, here, here and here are the remains of smaller pyramids. There were twelve, all totaled, each one hundred and thirty feet tall which tapered down at the same fifty-two degree angle. The others have completely disappeared. This ditch,” he pointed at the circular trench he had dug, “has all but filled in with the shifting of the land.”
Someone asked, “So how are we going to attack this thing? How do we get in?”
“How to attack it? We do not. We find a way to lure them out. How to get in? That is a good question. What we have to remember, however, is this was once one of the most feared fortresses in the world. There used to be statues on each of those towers, and at the top was once a statue of Anu-Rah holding a mighty scepter. This scepter was feared and was said to control the sun. None of those statues are there, and they were too big to carry away. There is reportedly someone in there, now, which means at least some of the ancient secrets of this place are known. History says thousands were slain by some sort of unholy fire, but no one knows for sure. The facts are that the place did indeed fall and the power within conquered. Since then, the country has been ruled by the Minotaurs, Mhn’O’Quai, Tiskites, Clansmen, and now Keoghnariu.
“The pyramids have been a dead concern for thousands of years, until now. I believe we are contending with a two dimensional adversary who has found a once powerful, but broken weapon. However, even a broken weapon can be repaired. I do not think it has been, yet, but we must keep it from being so.”
Cudty made a statement more than asked a question, “General, sounds like you done been there.”
Hoscoe looked at Cudty with his teeth grinding expression before answering, “Yes. I and some companions came this way sixty-eight years ago, we were looking for the Eye of Anu-Rah. We searched all about this Pyramid before moving toward Sunaktat Gorge not far from Teshucarr Falls.
“Wheeew …” someone said, then Deak commented, “I know who you are, they got stories about you. You called yourself Scoey back then … it had to be you. Damn!”
We were still looking at the pyramid drawing when Chymthina flew in and landed on Maedhith’s arm.
________________________
CHYMTHINA WAS TO be sent back to us confirming the delivery of message. There was no way the unit could have gotten to Brosman Iron Mine that quick, so the message on her leg couldn’t be good news. And it wasn’t. The note read, Made to Ahvohriu. Atk by smthg new. V, S, Tn, C, Cl, W, Ar, Bt, Tr, R, me by ruin holdng off. Rest dead. Mssn faild. Sg P
Hoscoe thought a moment, it was all it took, and he looked right at me. I knew Hoscoe, and I knew his creed, No man left behind. It was a creed used by Faethurayng, the founder of what became called Gahjurahnge, and no one knew where he got it, or if it as he who made it up. His grandson, Ahnushain, became first War Chief of the Gahjurahnge, and he made it a mandate. By Oshang’s time those Gahjurahnge had became known as Rangers.
Those were our boys out there on that desolate rock. They sacrificed themselves for the mission and the tone of the message was their willingness to die as they were. We had learned a lot about each other in the last few years and I knew his mind. Those boys weren’t going to be forgotten or ignored. We were going to get them, now, and he was sending me to get them.
I asked, “How many?”
“As many as you need.”
“Deak,” I said, “Come with me.”
Deak knew the country as well as anyone, if only by information passed down from his people. He helped me outline the courses possible, how the land lay, and best ways to get to the ruins he knew of from our current position. There were stories of great apes up there, supposedly they had once been men but were cursed by the gods thousands of years ago. They had never been seen, but ... There were supposed to be big lizards in those mountains as well.
What Hoscoe, Deak and I discussed as well, was a ancient trail which sky-lined, but followed the mountain range all the way to the Rah’nor’Horuk Plain. If I took a proper force to get our boys, and then followed the trail, it could actually come in handy as a strike force from the back door; depending on how and when the actual battle or battles took place. Communication would be tough, but Hoscoe was leaving it up to me to let him know where I was. I already had an idea about that. Discussing it with Hoscoe, he liked it.
Our remaining command was grouped into three separate divisions. Major Maedhith was advanced to Lieutenant Commander of Cavalry, Ander and L’Nahr were made Captains and I became a Major. L’Nahr had A-Division, I had B-Division, and Maedhith had C-Division which was the cavalry. Hoscoe would take Divisions A and most of C and weave a path toward the Plain, but staying wide of all known ruins. The cogs had made a pattern of attacking within only a few miles of such, and Hoscoe knew we would be watched.
Playing a hunch that Aldivert would have already taken anyone loyal to him to make his army, Hoscoe was betting there were those who might be available among the mines that could fight. The diamond mining country, apparently still of little to no interest to the leader of the cogs, was actually not so far away in the scheme of things. Riders making double-time could get there, recruit who they could, and make use of all horses possible to reinforce us within the Plain.
Maedhith was to hand-pick his fastest riders and himself go recruit who they could … all remaining soldiers, guards, and any prisoners who Maedhith felt comfortable with. He was to promise amnesty to said prisoners.
I had Ander as my second; Izner, Patriohr and Kisparti with me as scouts; and Dudley to run my missiles. Dudley wanted Merle and his platoon, and we were assigned three platoons of XL’s; two of these were Resounder Platoons, giving me twenty-four of these weapons. We also had two platoons of ground troops, who had been well trained as auxiliary cavalry.
Of these, T-bone would have nothing but to go with me and he said, “That jiuk is a fighter all the way through and you know where you stand with ‘im. Ain’t no one handled me ‘afore and he fought aside me and made no guff about it and he’s a’goin’ for his boys. I’d go with him to fight the dragon.” When I made T-bone sergeant he up and stood proud.
I thought of Puffer, then tried to put it from my mind. By words of the note, he was gone, and it grieved me. He and Vensi had become one of us chums, and he was a good soul. He had him a girl he was going to marry when he got home and had sketched her picture he carried next to his chest. It was a good picture, too.
The sword I had taken from the elf became my main weapon. I had some ideas and I was going to try them. Whoever was responsible for Puffer I was going to find, and they were going to die. As the thought went through me, giving rise to my anger, I felt So’Yeth reach up and the sword tingled in my hand. Good.
Before we left, though, Hoscoe wanted to see me. We would leave the next morning, and he had a tent up off in the distance from the others. When I came in he was kneeling in front of a little floor table and a pot of tea was to the side, a new candle burning at the center. He sat quiet straddling a cushion with his knees. Another was on the other side. Motioning me to sit down in like fashion, I felt this was something special.
“Timber Wolf … this isn’t the most ideal place to observe this, but it is the best we can do.”
I was very quiet.
In that perfect Elvish of his, he explained, “Every generation, since Diustahn, a father has presented this ceremony to his child as a rite to adulthood.”
My throat was very dry and I felt emotion rise up strong in the man across from me, I felt it within me as well.
“I know … I know, I am not your blood father. But I would like to ask permission to perform this rite for you.”
Emotion made my breathing become tight, and I nodded.
We engaged in a variation of something called a Tea Ceremony. Hoscoe elegantly sung my lineage in a voice that wasn’t the most beautiful in tone, but was beautiful to me. Then quoted verse to me that I was to repeat, and we passed tea. He then brought out a special vial, poured it into a golden cup, where he got it I don’t know, then instructed me to place both of my hands on it in union with his. We put it over the candle and a mist arose. He led me through another chant and it seemed I heard the voices of my ancestors as we began to sing an ancient Gaelic song …
___________________________
We rode hard and fast for the Ahvohriu Mountains and all had one thought, to get our boys. Chymthina was with me and I communicated with her easily. I usually had her fly in advance and twice she helped me locate possible resistance. We found a cluster of cogs who weren’t expecting us at all, and instead of planning a fight we ran right through them, mad as we were. Hoscoe had instructed everyone in the skill of jousting, and we made good use of the defeated cog’s javelins and the Coumunti’s spears.
Just before our second engagement, I *Detected* movement in the not to far off distance; I was getting better at that. We prepared a night camp and made the horses all lay down. Then we laid about as if we were dead, weapons carefully arranged for quick use. We waited for what turned out to be a party of ten Tiskites to get close. Curious, they walked right in on our scene of mock tragedy. Then we rolled up and cleaned them with one volley. Remembering those blow darts, we frisked them of all they had and moved on.
As we got close to the mountain, we saw fixtures located up where anyone could see. I had Chymthina do a fly by, and as she sat my hand I performed *S’Fahn Muir* with her. I saw these were X-type crosses with the skeletal remains of people, Tiskites, and maybe an ape or two stretched out on these things. From careful study of the faces, I figured they had been hung alive. Finding a good enough location, I had everyone make a camp in the rock and I went into the woods alone.
Relaxing my mind I reached out to *Summon* with specific intent … I wanted something big, at least human sized … and I got it. I knew I couldn’t contact humans this way, but animals were so far a consistent yes. Why there was a difference, I didn’t know, and based on my experience with my momma, I wondered if it was possible with another elf … of course, that was my imagination working.
Landing soundlessly behind me from out of the trees, I felt the presence of the creature and smelled the reek of his breath. Slowly raising my hands so as not to startle him, I turned and looked up into the eyes of what must be a great ape. His arms were long and legs short, his body covered in a brown colored hair that looked burned at the tips. His intelligence was close to human level, but not quite.
[Friend], I tried to *S’Fahn Muir* toward him, [friend]. With that he grunted, and made a hand gesture. I expressed the sensation of trust, all the while humming and holding up my hand. Turning his head this way and that, he mimicked my movements and slowly growing closer we touched hands. He felt the essence of So’Yeth Magic coursing through my body as I opened my mind, and tried to *Learn* his language … the Bardic Way.
Speaking with a creature or asking for help was not new, but bonding with and making a friend with one, that was a fresh experience. I lived his entire life with him by memory, and I learned his name was Oot-um-numn. The Great Ones, as the apes referred to themselves, had ruled this part of the jungle for as long as their memory could be traced. Long ago they believed they ruled the entire land, and their true home was south of the wide, With teeth that could fly they made the Great Ones leave their home. Some of the hairless apes had flying teeth which made anything they bit become very cold-cold, so that the cold thing would break if it fell or was hit with a rock. Oot had no word for ice, but as he shared his memory with me I figured that that was what it was.
I wanted to know what this she-ape looked like, but I already was figuring it to be the Shaman Lady. Commander Lahrcus had warned me her intentions may not exactly be benign, and may be working toward her own ends. My friend had no memory of seeing her, however.
[How would you and your tribe like to regain the High-Up], I wanted to know. He mulled this over in his animal’s mind, and he became very excited. There were about other ten full-grown bull-apes in his tribe, and more not yet fully grown. He went back to his tribe and I returned to my camp.
My troops knew to be on lookout for these apes, and the awe was there as Oot brought me this old ape to the edge of the camp. The old one was leery about coming too far into the camp, but I went into the woods and did my animal talk thing. When I came back I said, “Let’s saddle up boys, we have some fellows to cut loose.”
The apes had seen, and I sent Chymthina to verify, five new crosses erected in the last couple days or so. With the apes I couldn’t be certain as to how long they had been up there, but at least we now knew right where they were. Getting to them would not be easy, and I asked for the seven strongest men to climb up with me and get them. We expected to have to carry the prisoners back down, and of the eight of us we should be able to get all five. T-bone, Merle, Becket, four more big fellows and I were going up. Once we located the peak, Resounders and XL’s were set and the place surrounded. Ander was ready to attack whatever showed up.
We got into position and started climbing; it was now up to Ander to do his thing. The climb wasn’t easy and I couldn’t focus on anything but my own job. We got part way up when the fighting started. Some really barbaric looking people with white faces and blood for war paint started showing up around the rocks, but I had to focus. An enemy bolt almost tagged me, T-bone got cut by one, and Becket took a bolt in the leg.
An ugly face loomed out of a hole in the rock right beside T-bone. T-bone grabbed the startled goon by the hair and with a heave, dragged him out of his hole and out into the air. I couldn’t see it, but I heard the scream all the way to his landing seventy-five feet below. At the same time Becket saw a goon take aim at Merle, and he threw a well-placed knife between the goon’s shoulder blades just as he took an Ice Bolt himself and fell to the rocks below.
Merle was first up on top, and goons started showing up like ants. He darted around one goon, then seized him in a hammer-lock, then grabbed his other arm and twisted it back, as well. Holding both of the white painted warrior’s arms behind him in a double-hammer-lock, Merle lifted him up with his left hand as he pulled his sword out to do battle.
Several bolts went into the white painted warrior as Merle used him as a human shield and cut down goon after goon. Right away one of the goons raised a crossbow up and fired one of those Ice Bolts at him. But just as the bolt was fired, Merle turned into it and his still kicking shield took the bolt as Merle charged into several of the goons, knocking them over the ridge with their quickly freezing tribe-mate, paving a pathway for the rest of us to make the top.
A horde of blood curling cries came from nowhere, and there must have been seventy or eighty apes ranging from five to over six feet tall come swinging off of foliage, leaping up the rocks, and what have you. Some of our enemy were making their way out of holes you wouldn’t have seen otherwise, but when the apes started arriving, some of these goons went back … but not all.
I made the top as Merle was paving the road. As I did, however, my *Awareness* went crazy, but there was nowhere to go. Merle was doing great with his shield, but although I was able to dodge, leap and roll away from four of the missiles, I got hit with the fifth and it was one of those Ice Bolts. Right away I felt my body get cold. Quickly I *Reached* down into So’Yeth, but I felt So’Yahr again, too, as if the solar heat was trying to enter my body, and tried to harness their joint power.
While trying to fight the Ice Magic and quickly becoming numbingly stiff, I watched helplessly as one of my troopers, a big teenager named Tahnus, just made it to the top and took an Ice Bolt as well. He stood up and became solid, then fell over backwards. T-bone made it up at the same time and rushed the shooter, who had fired from short range. Grabbing his crossbow like a man would take a stick from a baby, T-bone back-arm smashed the goon so hard he went up into the air and right over the edge. Off to the side I saw another aim a weapon, then go up on his toes as a missile from a 400 made him dead before he came back down.
The magical cold was rushing into my vitals as I *Pushed* back and breathed hard. I barely stopped the cold from flowing and was trying to push it back out, when from seemingly nowhere Cielizabeg appeared in front of me and head butted me, like a goat would, right in the chest. The ice was reversing and it shattered all around me and I thought she broke my sternum, but I fell backward into a crack and just kept bouncing from one rocky edge to another.
Trying to grab onto anything, I finally hit bottom and just lay there for a minute. I still felt the effects of that cold, and now I just knew I had a busted rib or two as well. I looked around and felt a glow of natural heat, but what I first noticed was the rank smell of lizard. Shaking my head to clear my vision, I saw a large cave seamed with huge amounts of quartz, and in that quartz were wide streaks of gold. Just to my side, however, was a lizard maybe twenty-five feet long … and it looked angry. All around was a scattering of bones, but none of them looked freshly gnawed on.
I had just got that new sword in my hand and was reaching for So’Yeth when a lightning fast tongue darted out from twelve feet away and nearly got me. If not for my own reflexes and skill with the blade, I’d a’been gone. Instead I hacked me off a big piece of tongue meat I wasn’t hungry for and tried to find a way out. A hole up above me looked inviting and lizzy hissed a fit as I ducked into a fissure that was leaking fresh air my way. Someday I just might come back, but this was not the time, and I had more important things to do up above. Locking onto my sense of smell I scatted out in a hurry.
I saw Cielizabeg as she turned from the ledge and I swiped a big one at her, but she wasn’t there. I mean she looked like she was, but it was an image. Turning I saw three more of her, so I just looked for the one that had heat while charging my own energy into the blade until it glowed with a greenish blue fire. The real Cielizabeg was to my right about fifty feet away, and behind her was a skull face. I hurled the sword at her like a javelin. Her own reflexes were quick as mine, and while I cut her good, it was the goon behind her who was impaled. She leaped from rock to rock as she managed to evade three daggers I threw at her and dove into a crack and that was that for her.
Shael’s, she was fast.
Two more goons came up with cudgels and I realized how stupid it was for me to have thrown my main weapon, magic or no. We were next to the edge and my sword was in the one groaning on the ground and I didn’t have time to pull my sticks and charge them. The first one I caught square in the chest with a drop-kick and knocked him sprawling off of his feet. Landing with my hands and using my energy to help, I was up again and caught the second who went over the ledge. The first was getting up, and as I got set in a better position, I drop-kicked him over the ledge as well. Another loomed up and I started to give him the same treatment, but seeing a spear in his hand changed my mind and I sidestepped, grabbed his weapon, did a spin about and sat down while planting a foot into his torso, then back-tossed him over as well.
Whipping the spear into a ready position, I looked around for more and saw Merle, T-bone, Corporal R’Chard and Squad Leader Caebus all standing beside me, each man looking for the next opponent. Merle still had a piece of his frozen shield on his arm, dead bodies were all around us, and I saw Footman Etwarryn sprawled out on the rock. He took two bolts and accounted for five of these ugly boys before Cielizabeg suddenly appeared, grabbed him from behind and somehow shocked him, then ran a long dagger in his back right before I had climbed back up from the hole.
Right at the moment, there were no more painted goons in sight. And then I saw Oot-um-numn and some of his fellows climb over the rocks toward us, or I should say me. There was a ceasefire … for now, anyway.
Two of the five men on the crosses were already dead, but Vensi was barely hanging on, and there was Sergeant Tobin and Soldier First Class Sedrick. Sedrick, I thought, that name rang a bell. He who was once a slave named Sedrick shall carry a prisoner of the same name to safety, hopefully. It wasn’t over yet. Retrieving my sword first, I pulled my dagger and cut Sedrick down, T-bone got Tobin and Merle got Vensi.
Caebus asked, “Captain, what about these others, they’re dead, sir.”
“We take them all,” said T-bone, who looking at me asked, “right, Major?”
“Absolutely! We’d best hurry, too, this lull doesn’t mean there isn’t more. I can feel them out there. They’re untrained savages and have just retreated into a cave, somewhere, while trying to figure what to do next.”
We each had brought enough rope to climb down. I used *S’Fahn Muir* to give Oot enough visual to show how he and his fellows could gather as many of those quivers on the dead bodies and bring them to us below. I then had R’Chard and Caebus arm themselves with enemy crossbows and as many of those bolts as possible. The apes carried down our dead. We weren’t waiting around for our hosts to make another try.
We were able to collect the pieces of Becket and Tahnus, and they looked really bad. They hadn’t been turned into crystal ice, they had been frozen, and there was a big difference. Two more of our boys had been frozen and were standing where they had been hit. I tried to use my own energy to reverse the effects, but to no avail. They had been frozen through for too long. I got them unfrozen, alright, but they were dead and I was physically wasted trying to do it.
I knelt beside Tahnus’s wrapped remains. He turned seventeen only the day before, and we had celebrated his birthday with pan-fried grain bread covered in honey I had climbed for myself, some dried fruits, and I taught him how to smoke one of my cigars. In his knapsack he had a wooden toy soldier he carried for luck. Maybe he should have put it in his belt as he climbed up there, I don’t know. I wanted to do something, say something. And there was Becket, always laughing and keeping everyone’s spirits up.
I looked around and saw Ander laying out instructions, Vensi was slowly trying to eat some stew, and Izner had a team out trying to find sign of the rest of Puffer’s unit. These were my friends who were getting killed. Who would be next?
Tahnus’s eyes were burned within my brain … I had stood there unable to help … a flash of memory and I saw my momma lying on that refuse pile, I hadn’t been able to help her either, or Parnell. Violently I shook my head to clear the images. Somehow, I needed to find some way to do better … I needed to …
Dudley walked over to me and asked, “You a’right Wolf?”
“No.”
I stood and he put a firm, understanding hand on my shoulder. There were no words, we looked each other in the eye as only good friends can and I knew he understood. Sometimes Dud could really get on your nerves with all that course humor of his, but I had learned that deep down he was a very serious person who was as good a friend as you could ever find. And if you really needed him to be serious, well, that’s what you would get.
Ten years Dudley had been doing this, I wondered what all he had seen, yet he was able to keep it all in perspective but never talked about it. I wondered if his craziness was influenced by his experiences. Most of his time had been around the mines, and that was dangerous territory.
Returning his shoulder grip I walked to a cook fire to get some tea. As I filled my cup Kispahrti walked over. I filled his empty mug and he said, “You got some nerve, Major.”
“Wolf, Kispahrti, call me Wolf.”
“Sure, Major … Wolf.” He smiled as he took a sip. “I can’t think of anyone who would’ve tried something like that. The rest of us would have just stormed the place. You saved a lot of lives placing us out like you did. The captain calls it a chess board maneuver.”
I thought about it, and then said, “I couldn’t have done it without you, or the rest.”
He smiled again as we were casually walking in the camp, “Yes, sir. That’s a fact. I put down three of them myself, who were aiming your particular hide as you climbed. You’re going to lose one, one day Major … Wolf. You fight long enough and it’ll happen. But I’ll go with you through Zaeghun’s Lair. The rest of them feel the same way”
I was humbled; I can’t put into words the encouragement I felt, and the heightened sense of responsibility. Not knowing what to say, I raised my cup to him and said, “Gondishaey.”
Kispahrti looked at me, tilted his head at the unfamiliar word, smiled, and ticked my cup, “Gondishaey.”
When Izner finally returned he reported the bodies of those of the messenger party weren’t to be found. My gut feeling said they had been fed to the lizards, there was nothing we could do. At least by the statements of those who were left, the missing were accounted for. I wasn’t leaving when someone might be alive. For me to go searching, though, would be a waste, and an insult. Izner and his team were better at sight tracking than I was. My success was due to my heightened abilities, although my skills were still growing. I could see and feel what most can’t, but there needs to be body heat. Lifeless forms just don’t radiate.
It looked like the apes got their mountain back, and I had a hunch I might have found at least part of that lost gold mine. Was that what these grizzly warriors were guarding, or were they up to another purpose?
Now I had to wonder about Cielizabeg, what was she doing here and how was she tied in to these goons? I only had a few minutes total worth of exposure with her, but nothing said leadership … she was a follower. Was Meidra here, too? Somehow I didn’t think so. If she knew I was out here she would have made an appearance by now. She had a personal grudge against me, and I knew she wouldn’t be one to forget. One big positive, though, we collected fifty-nine bolts that I could tell had the ice magic on them. I wondered if Cielizabeg put those together. Someone did, though, and that someone was powerful.
I was sure there was much more to be found in this ridge of mountains, but for now we were needed out on the Plain, at the Pyramid. We could come back to this another time if we were able.
________________________
AS WE GOT ready to leave the across the sky-trail, I communicated my thanks to Oot-um-numn and the Great Ones. Some of them had died, but they were definitely exhilarated in coming back to Big High-Up. I don’t think Oot-um-numn wanted me to go, but leave we had to do.
My plan had been to send Chymthina on to Brosman, but I believed Hoscoe needed to know what had happened here first. So I wrote a message, and holding Chymthina against my forehead and using *S’Fahn Muir*, I imprinted Hoscoe’s image on her mind, then away she went.
Hoscoe would have to send her back, and then I could follow my original plan. Barring her injury, she would still have more than enough time to get there before our troops would have. I was guessing she would arrive days ahead of the original arrival plan.
Vensi’s mind was really messed up concerning Puffer; they had grown up together and had always been best of friends. The attack had been sudden; four of the men went down at first fire, one to an ice bolt. Puffer had fought valiantly and led them into some rocks when a skull-faced goon aimed one of those bolts at Vensi. Puffer had pushed him out of the way taking the ice bolt himself. Then he fell and …
Some of the troops went down to well aimed thrown clubs, but then the detachment found a ruin to hole up in and defend from. As they settled in they heard a woman crying for help. She was a blonde elvin looking woman, pretty at first sight, but had an ever so odd twist to her mouth. She said her name was Night Faun and she had been trapped when her father, a priest, had been killed there and could they help her?
The captain had accepted her into camp and fed her. The next morning Vensi woke first to find the captain and his partner for the watch dead from slit throats. Within minutes after waking the rest, they were found and taken. The five had been chosen for sacrifice to a deity whose name our boys did not understand, and were then hung onto those crosses. All other troopers who hadn’t been slain were beheaded before the crucified five at the hands of Night Faun, who turned out to be Cielizabeg. She smeared their blood on her naked body and prayed in some strange sounding language.
I asked if anyone could come close to speaking some of the words. Tobin tried, and came close. His words were guttural, combined with sounds similar to coughing, spitting, and clearing his throat. Alarmed, I recognized enough of the phonetics to identify the oldest form of language used by the D’Rhaotna Ieshintow, which combined rough Draconic with that of the Diustahntei. It predated even the time of the pyramid builders.
Seven of my men were killed back there and I refused to leave them. There is an old saying that a soldier should be buried where they fall, it is the way of war, but I wasn’t doing it. I couldn’t trust that those goons wouldn’t dig them back up. I brought our three surviving ex-prisoners back up to health, myself, and then we moved out. We now had a full squad of scouts and a total of one hundred and three men in my command.
Before leaving, I examined the hand cudgels used by our foes. They were about two feet long, but ended in a menacing knob with a slight curve to it. Having lost my own sticks to the elf, I claimed two of these, but not before trying one on the body of a slain goon; I wanted the feel of the weapon, you must understand.
From time to time as we traveled I often felt those same watching eyes, and it made me very uncomfortable. But there was nothing I could do other than press south. We found a suitable place to bury our dead and had a proper ceremony, then we put them down deep and covered them with rocks. As we left, nobody said a word. The upcoming battle was on everyone’s mind, we could all wind up dead. All that mattered was completing our mission.
Once more that paranormal weather hit, and we had to leave the ridge and find shelter quick. As the storm ended I *Detected* the presence of what turned out to be a lurking band of deviant humans. About three dozen deformed, barbaric warriors thought they would surprise us. I made sure to be in front of the first as he raised up to yell and charge us down. The bitterness of that boy dying in front of me was haunting me and I took it out on this surprised surprise attacker. The scrap lasted only minutes and only one almost got away. Almost I said. I traced him myself, by scent and the trail of his essence. I told myself this was just practice, an attempt to develop my abilities as far as I could.
A well placed bola brought the deviant down. Around his neck was a necklace of human fingers. Turning to look up at me he hesitated … and then one by one I whipped my throwing knives into his body. I wanted, needed some catharsis, but it wasn’t there. Retrieving and cleaning my blades, he groaned once more. When I left, the deviant’s head was mounted on a pole.
I still wasn’t satisfied, and Tahnus’s eyes were still in my mind. How can you bring a boy back to life?
You can’t.
It was a good day when Chymthina came to my arm. Hoscoe and force had fought two short skirmishes and one more full engagement, but all had gone well. There wasn’t room for details, of course, but they were on schedule and he gave me a coordinate where we planned to meet. I gave our pretty lady a day to rest with good feed, and then imprinted her the same way as before, but with the likeness of Gohruvae, just in case Lahrcus wasn’t there, and sent her with a message of warning and our situation.
Rah’nor’Horuk Plain was directly in front of us, only one day’s journey and we would be there upon it. As the men made camp I stood with one foot on a ledge and beheld the vastness of the land. It was immense and felt heavy on the soul. You could travel out there for days and see only flatness in every direction. If not for the stars a person could get lost out there, with no idea which way to go. And out there somewhere was a Pyramid that someone calling himself Xiahstoi was making his home, perhaps bringing cognobins from some other place. There was the Witch King, and now Cielizabeg was back in the picture.
Standing there I smelled the mingled aroma of sage, herbs and other things. I could also *Detect* the sensation of the lone figure coming upon me from behind, slowly. I said in Elvish, “Good evening.”
Her voice was as eerie, somewhat chilling as before as she said, “You have grown. You are strong. To fulfill your destiny you must be stronger still.”
“What destiny?” I asked as I turned to look at her. Her head again took that odd tilt, as if she were curious. What was it about her that got under my skin? Was she evil? Lahrcus was right, she wasn’t human. But she wasn’t an elf, either. There was something about her face structure, she was wearing a hood, and her back was misshapen. “I can see you, but you’re invisible, aren’t you?”
“Am I?” she asked. And then suddenly she said, “Wihlabahk is coming …”
I felt dizzy, like the world was spinning out of control, but it couldn’t, I wouldn’t let it. I reached down into So’Yeth and embraced the heat, the source of my own power, to *Slow* the world down. Where was that roar coming from; and the pulse of that lightning? I felt as if I were somewhere else, someplace inside, but how … forcing myself to look up, I saw the night was clear … and then the displacement faded away.
“You mus-s-st be s-s-stronger-r-r … Wihlabahk is coming, but you it is who must make Wihlabahk come to end.”
Still reeling a bit, I asked her with a degree of forcefulness, “Who are you and what do you want from me?”
“Major?” It was Cudty walking up to see what was up, “Are you talking into the wind?”
Turning from the Shaman Lady to Cudty, then back to …
I looked around and said, “By the Hounds of …” Giving Cudty my full attention, and with some irritation in my voice, I said, “I guess I’m not talking to anyone at all.”
___________________________
Hoscoe had drawn me a map and shown me approximately where he wanted to meet. He warned me the plains would be much bigger than I could imagine, and that it wasn’t all flat. As we stepped off the last of that mountain, it did, however, look awfully flat. It looked flat until we started traipsing out on it, that is. We would travel a distance and sometimes find a ravine or gully. Sometimes we could go down and up the other side, other times we had to go around. Occasionally it took three to four times as long to cross what should have been a straight line.
I took to trying to *Detect* the lay of the land by reaching down into the ground just so I would know have an idea what was before us. After a while I got to where I could generally feel the ravines before we got there, and skirt a different path so as not to waste more time than we had to, but it was a lot of concentration and I didn’t feel very efficient the way I was doing it.
After a few days the irregularities in the ground became scarce and the land consistently smooth. Finally, you could look all around and not see a sign of anything, nothing, nowhere.
None of my men had been on the Plain before, except for Cudty, and he hadn’t been this far in. He’d had no reason too. If I was feeling the weight of loneliness, surely at least some of the men were. So I started singing. One by one the others started in and the mood lifted.
The word was, one of the things making travel in the Plain so dangerous was the inability to find water. With all of this grass, I knew there would be water somewhere, so I made it a point to *Detect* for it. Every camp didn’t find us beside a waterhole, but we didn’t go two nights in a row without it. It also came to me that I had subconsciously begun naming all of the disciplines and effects I had developed.
I also realized I was constantly trying some effect or another and it was keeping me exhausted; there were times I had begun fumbling my movements and ever so slightly slurring my speech. Ander noticed, Ize, Dud, Kispahrti … and they were all keeping me under careful eye.
Finally, way out there in the distance, by focusing hard I could see it; The Pyramid was there, and I felt a sense of foreboding run through my soul. No one else could make it out, but I could see the far off sparkle of the sun against the glossy sides where they came up to meet at the top.
How long since I had felt those eyes upon me? Not since … I suddenly had a hunch. Was it possible it was the Shaman Lady who had been watching me through some magical means, and not the Witch King, or the new Xiahstoi? Did the Shaman Lady just want to know where I was, previously; because she surely knew where I was now?