Chapter 19
Bakun hosted us for another two days, updating me on the extent of the local troubles. I was correct that he had not expected me to survive the attack, a number of people had spontaneously died in the streets, most of whom were known to be sorcerers of some stripe. Those who were slaveowners, had their slaves disappear. These incidents had begun shortly after the slave traders had arrived, and the implied connection was obvious enough for a deaf bat to follow. And yet, the governor's soldiers had taken no action, even going so far as to warn the townsfolk not to make trouble. Those same soldiers were also not acting to curb the bandit attacks between Nesratin and Bani, which was nonsensical. Disrupted trade flowing into and out of the city could only weaken Lord Bani'kari's position.
The whole situation continued to confound me, but at least Nesratin had been spared the viridian contagion. Word was that the district of Bani was largely free of the sickness, although it had struck the southern city itself.
When I judged Myta well enough to travel, Bakun arranged for us to join a caravan headed southeast. Apparently the bandits were less likely to target larger groups. I toyed with the idea of investigating the slave traders further, but in the end I knew it was far too dangerous. No telling how quickly the sorcerous assassin had recovered. They would have to be an utter fool not to pair any subsequent attacks with a physical assault. Were it not for Kubek's ultimatum, I would never even have considered the idea. Investigation and infiltration were not where my strengths lay.
The day of departure was the first time I'd been out of the backrooms of the tavern in days, and I was grateful for the fresh, predawn air. Dallying and training with Myta was very enjoyable, but I was tired of being cooped up. There were more traders in the caravan than I was comfortable trying to meet and remember, but as we formed up, I did make a point to acquaint myself with those immediately before and behind us in the train. Ahead was a woodworker named Mutil, who specialized in shaping mana wood. With him were his two apprentices, who seemed to think of themselves as guards for the trip, carrying heavy wooden mauls as though expecting to use them at any moment. I admired their spirit, but their movements showed clearly that the two youths hadn't the first clue about fighting.
Behind us, a woman and her young daughter were transporting nuts and dried fruit. Dani and Denu. They weren't merchants per se, just driving the goods from one place to another. Normally they would be safe enough on the roads, as such simple goods weren't valuable enough to attract brigands, and Dani would 'ugly up' herself and her daughter to avoid attention. But the current crop of bandits were apparently seizing even basic foodstuffs, not fearing patrols on the road at all.
We set out when the sun crested the horizon, not that we could really see it. The jungles of southern Ramana were dense and tall, with a thick canopy. Still, we had just enough light to make our way. Ita and Ina were happy to be moving again, and I had to rein them in from chasing the special herbs I would normally pursue. Being prevented from earning their treats made the goats grumpy, but they settled by mid morning. With all the dire talk around the bandits, I half expected us to be attacked immediately after leaving town. But that day passed without incident, as did the next. Our second night out of town however, found Myta shaking me awake in the small hours of the night.
"Master, they're here." Her voice was low, close to my ear, her hand over my mouth. I gave her shoulder two quick taps once I was awake enough to understand what was happening, and she immediately released me to guard the tent's entrance. I threw on a bare minimum of clothing, grateful that we had decided to keep some packs ready with essentials. Should the worst happen, we could grab those, the goats, and flee. Leaving the tent and cart behind.
"There," said Myta as I joined her at the tent's entrance. I cast my gaze the way she was pointing, seeing nothing at first. One of the night sentries was off in that direction, next to a standing torch. A few moments later I caught the movement, skulking closer to camp through the brush, on the nearer side from our lookout. They must have eliminated the guard already, silently. I wondered for a moment, why Myta had not raised the alarm already, but her grim mood told me. She must have seen enough figures to believe that our caravan stood no chance. There was a possibility, however slim, that the two of us could slip away.
We couldn't though, I was certain. These men moved with far too much discipline, this assault was far too smooth and practiced. These weren't bandits, at least not ordinary ones. They would certainly have surrounded the camp, and I suspected that they would hunt any who fled. Our camp was too well illuminated to rouse the guards without alerting our attackers. I saw only a single option.
Cupping my mouth with my hands, I leaned from my tent and faced the center of camp. Then, with all the power of my lungs, I let out the screech of a hunting raptor. It was all I could think to do that night rouse the guards, while sowing some confusion among our enemies. Raptor attacks on humans were rare, hunting packs of the dog-sized lizards usually went after herbivores, but they did happen. And if a pack was large enough, they could be a real threat to even a few armed men. Of course, they almost never moved at night.
*Her hands shook, their strength stolen by fear. The demon towered over her, its nearly human face masked in blood.*
Myta's memory slammed into me, causing me to lose my balance and fall, half out of the tent. I scrabbled backwards, with all the grace of a startled cat on a sheet of ice, grabbing my vas by her arm.
*The taste of blood in her mouth was unable to wash away that of her fear. She was paralyzed, not by the sight of the beast in front of her, but by the monk behind her. Deriding her, with a judgmental laugh.*
I grunted and fell away from her. Myta was shaking violently, lost in her memory. Her eyes completely blind to my presence. It was the worst possible moment, but of course that was why her memory had awoken now. The stress and fear throwing her into one of the worst moments of her past. I needed to help her now, immediately, because I needed her help to survive the next few minutes. Entering the meditation took me only a breath, and my whole world was consumed by blood.
*Clutching her spear, Myta screamed as the blood splashed over her face. Monk Entreyu had told her that she must kill the beast in a single strike, but the hulking mass of the demon was far too great. Even if he held her fate in his hands, losing her weapon to some foolish, over-ambitious strike, would only see her dead.
"You're done now, touched filth." His contemptuous laugh echoed in her ears. "Can't follow directions, can't kill the demon? You're just as worthless as that rat said you were. And even the shit I scrape off my boots has value to a rat."
His mocking laughter continued, burning in her ears like acid. Unable to block it out, she screamed. Her hands were shaking with fear, but still she tightened her grip on her weapon. At least the blood masked the demon's once-human face. She couldn't stand to see it here, sneering at her again.
Like some cross between a bear and an ape, the demon stood up on his hind legs, beating his chest. The odd, metallic symbol on his gut glowing brighter. Her chest screamed in pain as she stood, though she was oddly grateful. The back handed strike had pushed her beyond the range of beast's wild thrashing, or she would already be dead. A few cracked ribs were far better than a crushed skull.
