cut into me, testing me.
And I said, testing him, 'Do you think we're alike? The Red Knights are our enemies, as they are yours. What is strange is that you allow them to ride freely across your lands - the Zayak, too.'
'You say,' he muttered. He shot me a keen, knowing look. 'I think you want us to attack them, yes?'
'I have not said that, have I?'
'You say it with your eyes,' he told me.
I continued scanning the glints of red armor along the river looking for a standard that might prove the presence of Morjin
'If we attacked them,' I asked Bajorak, 'would you join?'
'Nothing would please me more,' he said, causing my hope to rise. And then my sudden elation plummeted like a bird shot with an arrow as he continued, 'But we may not attack them.'
'May not? They are crucifiers! They are Zayak, from across Jade River!'
'They are,' he said, turning to spit in their direction, 'and Morjin has paid for their safe passage of our lands.'
This was news to us. We crowded closer to hear what Bajorak might say.
'In the darkness of the last moon,' he told us, 'the Red Knights came to Garthax with gold. He is greedy, our new chieftain is. Greedy and afraid of Morjin. And so Garthax allowed the Crucifier's knights to range freely across our country, from the Jade River to the Oro, from the Astu to the mountains in the west. They are not to be attacked, curse them! And curse Morjin for defiling the Danladi's country!'
His warriors, savage-seeming men, with faces painted blue, braided blond hair and moustaches hanging down beneath their chins, nodded their heads in agreement with Bajorak's sentiments.
'Was it Morjin, himself, then,' I asked Bajorak, 'who paid this gold to Garthax? Does he lead the Red Knights?'
'I have not heard that,' he told me. 'Were it so, we would attack them no matter if Morjin had paid Garthax a mountain of gold.'
'It will come to that, in the end!' Kashak barked out. Blue crosses gleamed on his sunburned cheeks to match the smoldering hue of his eyes. 'Let us ride against them now, with these kradaks!'
'And break our chieftain's covenant?'
'A chieftain who makes covenant with the Crucifier is no chief-ten! Let us do as we please.'
Bajorak, too, shared Kashak's zeal for battle. But he had a cool head as well as a fiery heart, and so to Kashak and his other men he called out: 'Would you commit the Tarun clan to going against our chieftain? If we break the covenant, it will mean war with Garthax.'
'War, yes, with him ,' Pirrax said, shaking his bow. 'We're warriors, aren't we?'
Now Atara stepped forward, and her white blindfold gleamed in the strong sunlight. Her face was cold and stern as she addressed these fierce men of the Tarun clan: 'It's wrong for warriors to make war against their chieftain. Can not Garthax be persuaded to return this gold?'
Bajorak shook his head. 'You do not know him.'
'I know what my grandfather, Sajagax, said of Garthax's father: that Artukan was a great chieftain who would never scrape before Morjin. Does a lion sire a snake?'
'Garthax,' Bajorak said, 'is not his father's son.'
'Have you tried helping him to be?'
It was one of Atara's graces, I thought that she tried ever to remake men's natures for the good.
'Help him? ' Bajorak said. 'You do not understand. Ganhax quarreled with Artukan over the question of . nether we should treat with Morjin. And two days later Artukan died while drinking his beer . . .of poison!'
'Poison !' Atara cried out. 'That cannot be!'
'No, no one wanted to believe it - certainly not I,' Bajorak told her. 'But it is said that upon taking the first sip of his beer, Artukan cried out that his throat was on fire. One of his wives offered him water, but Artukan said that this burned his lips. Everything . . . burned him. No one could touch him. It is said that he put out his own eyes so that he would not have to bear the torment of light. His skin turned blue and then black, like dried meat. He screamed, like a kradak burnt at the stake. It
And I said, testing him, 'Do you think we're alike? The Red Knights are our enemies, as they are yours. What is strange is that you allow them to ride freely across your lands - the Zayak, too.'
'You say,' he muttered. He shot me a keen, knowing look. 'I think you want us to attack them, yes?'
'I have not said that, have I?'
'You say it with your eyes,' he told me.
I continued scanning the glints of red armor along the river looking for a standard that might prove the presence of Morjin
'If we attacked them,' I asked Bajorak, 'would you join?'
'Nothing would please me more,' he said, causing my hope to rise. And then my sudden elation plummeted like a bird shot with an arrow as he continued, 'But we may not attack them.'
'May not? They are crucifiers! They are Zayak, from across Jade River!'
'They are,' he said, turning to spit in their direction, 'and Morjin has paid for their safe passage of our lands.'
This was news to us. We crowded closer to hear what Bajorak might say.
'In the darkness of the last moon,' he told us, 'the Red Knights came to Garthax with gold. He is greedy, our new chieftain is. Greedy and afraid of Morjin. And so Garthax allowed the Crucifier's knights to range freely across our country, from the Jade River to the Oro, from the Astu to the mountains in the west. They are not to be attacked, curse them! And curse Morjin for defiling the Danladi's country!'
His warriors, savage-seeming men, with faces painted blue, braided blond hair and moustaches hanging down beneath their chins, nodded their heads in agreement with Bajorak's sentiments.
'Was it Morjin, himself, then,' I asked Bajorak, 'who paid this gold to Garthax? Does he lead the Red Knights?'
'I have not heard that,' he told me. 'Were it so, we would attack them no matter if Morjin had paid Garthax a mountain of gold.'
'It will come to that, in the end!' Kashak barked out. Blue crosses gleamed on his sunburned cheeks to match the smoldering hue of his eyes. 'Let us ride against them now, with these kradaks!'
'And break our chieftain's covenant?'
'A chieftain who makes covenant with the Crucifier is no chief-ten! Let us do as we please.'
Bajorak, too, shared Kashak's zeal for battle. But he had a cool head as well as a fiery heart, and so to Kashak and his other men he called out: 'Would you commit the Tarun clan to going against our chieftain? If we break the covenant, it will mean war with Garthax.'
'War, yes, with him ,' Pirrax said, shaking his bow. 'We're warriors, aren't we?'
Now Atara stepped forward, and her white blindfold gleamed in the strong sunlight. Her face was cold and stern as she addressed these fierce men of the Tarun clan: 'It's wrong for warriors to make war against their chieftain. Can not Garthax be persuaded to return this gold?'
Bajorak shook his head. 'You do not know him.'
'I know what my grandfather, Sajagax, said of Garthax's father: that Artukan was a great chieftain who would never scrape before Morjin. Does a lion sire a snake?'
'Garthax,' Bajorak said, 'is not his father's son.'
'Have you tried helping him to be?'
It was one of Atara's graces, I thought that she tried ever to remake men's natures for the good.
'Help him? ' Bajorak said. 'You do not understand. Ganhax quarreled with Artukan over the question of . nether we should treat with Morjin. And two days later Artukan died while drinking his beer . . .of poison!'
'Poison !' Atara cried out. 'That cannot be!'
'No, no one wanted to believe it - certainly not I,' Bajorak told her. 'But it is said that upon taking the first sip of his beer, Artukan cried out that his throat was on fire. One of his wives offered him water, but Artukan said that this burned his lips. Everything . . . burned him. No one could touch him. It is said that he put out his own eyes so that he would not have to bear the torment of light. His skin turned blue and then black, like dried meat. He screamed, like a kradak burnt at the stake. It
Similar Books
Nipped in the Bud
Stuart Palmer
Dead Man Riding
Gillian Linscott
Serenity
Ava O'Shay
The Contraband Courtship (The Arlingbys Book 2)
Alicia Quigley
The Jewel of His Collection
Fae Mallory
The Boat to Redemption
Su Tong
The Dying of the Light (Book 1): End
Jason Kristopher
First Kill
Lawrence Kelter
The Ties That Bind
Liliana Hart
Tyler O’Neill’s Redemption
Molly O'Keefe