Dark Shores of Salvation, page 35
part #3 of Travails of the Dark Mage Series
“Master Kermudge,” Kenny replied. “Maybe he needs help with those trees.”
She shrugged. One adventure was as good as another. Anything to keep her out of the garden. “That sounds fun, too.”
“I like Master Kermudge.”
Jira nodded. “I do too.”
“Then we’ll help him?”
“Yes.”
A little giggle then “Good!”
Letters class dragged on interminably. When Master Ioni finally called an end, they were out the door and headed for the orchard.
They reached the trees without being sent to the garden and proceeded to hunt for Master Kermudge.
After racing around the orchard with no luck, Kenny began to lose enthusiasm for the task. “Where do you think he is?”
“I don’t know, Kenny,” Jira replied. “We’ll find him.”
“I’m getting hungry.”
She knew that tone. He was nearly done and wanted to head home. Sighing, she said, “It shouldn’t be too much longer.”
“Okay,” he replied.
It was your idea in the first place, she wanted to say, but didn’t. It wouldn’t do any good. In fact, it could very well utterly kill his enthusiasm for finding Master Kermudge.
She didn’t necessarily want to find him, she just didn’t want to work in the garden. It was a sunny day, fairly warm and exploring the orchard was fun. At least for her.
As often happens when Kenny’s enthusiasm waned, he got distracted. Before Jira knew it, she had lost him. Realizing he was gone, she retraced her steps and when she couldn’t find him hollered, “Kenny! Where are you?”
“Over here, Jira,” came his voice.
She raced in that direction and found him kneeling on the ground looking at a circle of stones. Within the stones were old bits of fruit, some leaves and a couple twigs.
As she approached he turned toward her and held up a stone. “One of the stones from the pool,” he said excitedly.
Blue veins ran through the small stone. It was roughly the size of her palm and its edges were smooth.
“How did it get here?” he asked.
Kneeling next to him, she saw a ring of fourteen stones, seven of the blue-veined ones and seven ordinary ones. They formed a perfect circle. If she didn’t know any better, she would swear it was a vyrilyzk, an offering to the earth spirits that some farmers put out in the hopes of getting a better yield. But her Uncle always formed them with leaves, not stones.
“Better put it back, Kenny,” she said. “Master Kermudge wouldn’t like it ruined.”
“Oh, okay.”
He set the stone back into the spot from which it had been removed.
“Is this the decoration he said he was going to make with them?”
She reached out her hand toward the stones and touched one of the blue-veined ones. “I think so.” Then she touched one of the others. They were just stones as far as she could tell.
“I like this,” Kenny said as his hands moved over the ring of stones.
“It does look pretty,” Jira replied.
Kenny got to his feet. “I’m really hungry now.”
Jira sighed. “Okay, we’ll go get something to eat.”
“Good. I want a meat pie.”
“You always want a meat pie.”
He grinned. “’Cause I like ‘em.”
She turned to head back when she realized that she didn’t know which way to go. Pausing, she looked one way and then another.
“Come on, Jira,” Kenny urged. “Let’s go.”
Growing nervous, she glanced to him. “Do you know which way to go?”
He looked about for just a moment before tears started to bubble forth. “Are we lost?”
Yes, but she’d never admit such a thing. She looked into his nervous face and pushed her own nervousness way down inside her. Now was not the time, she told herself. Taking a deep breath, she pointed off to the left and said, “This way.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” she replied. Taking his hand, almost more for her own comfort than his, she led him from the ring of stones.
It was dark. Aleya had the entire University in an uproar. Her daughter was missing and they were by the gods going to help look for her.
“Where is that girl!” she demanded and not for the first time.
“I’m sure she is fine,” Brother Nick said reassuringly.
“Do you have some priestly knowledge of that?”
“Well, no,” he admitted. “But Jira is a smart girl, and she is with Kenny after all.”
She snorted. She loved Kenny like he was her own son, but he needed a few more years yet before he’d be anything but a liability in a crisis situation.
Meliana was out with Master Roland, Ezra, and Arkie searching for their lost wee ones.
Aleya had stayed at the University to “encourage” the rest of the residents to offer assistance. To her chagrin, most were not that interested, saying how kids were want to wander off from time to time but would find their way back. Invariably, such words of wisdom came from those who had no children.
Fires burned brightly throughout the University; the area practically glowed as a beacon to guide them home.
When she first realized Jira and Kenny were nowhere to be found, her first thought was Alain; that he had done something to her after their little altercation. But he had been with several others during the last few hours and had nothing to do with her disappearance.
First the knife fight, now this.
Not for the first time, she took one of her arrows, set the shaft in one of the bonfires. Once the wooden shaft caught fire, she fired it into the air. Its flaming trail could be seen for miles until gravity pulled it back and it was lost to sight.
“Jira!” she hollered.
Other cries of “Jira” and “Kenny” could be heard throughout the area.
“Where are they!”
Igniting another arrow, she fired it into the sky.
It was cold where they huddled beneath a large tree. It was not a fruit tree so they were in the forest. How far in she wasn’t sure. She had wanted to stop trying to find their way home once the sun went down but Kenny would start crying. So she continued on. Once it got dark they must have wandered from the orchard and into the forest. Upon realizing that, she adamantly refused to go any farther. The last thing they wanted to do was get farther and farther away from home.
“Jira, I’m scared,” Kenny said.
“I know,” Jira said. “Me too.”
She put her arm around him and held his shoulder. In her other hand, she held one of her knives.
They had sat there for what seemed like hours and it just got colder.
“I need you to close your eyes.”
“What?” he asked. “Why?”
“Because I need you to.”
“Okay.”
He seemed to relax a little.
“Are they closed?”
She felt Kenny nod.
“Okay, keep them that way.”
Jira commenced to hum.
“I like that.”
“Shhh!” and keep your eyes closed.
Once she heard his “Okay,” she resumed her humming.
Little Brother, she thought. I need your help.
She hummed a song her mother used to sing to her when she was sick. One full of love and evoked a feeling of safety.
It hadn’t taken long before she heard Kenny snore. The fact that he’d fallen asleep made her smile.
Little Brother, I need you! We’re lost!
Then off in the distance, came the sound of something moving through the brush. A twig snapped, a stone dislodged, and it sounded like it was heading in their direction.
“Little Brother,” she said. “Is that you?”
Light appeared between the trees. When it came closer she could see a man held it.
“Jira?”
“Kenny?”
“Master Kermudge!” she cried.
Kenny snapped awake.
Master Kermudge paused, the torch moved from side to side. “Jira?”
“Over here!”
The torch turned and headed in their direction.
“Master Kermudge!” Kenny exclaimed excitedly and raced toward him, wrapping his arms around the old man. He started to cry.
“It’s okay now,” he assured him. “We’ll get you home.”
Jira wrapped her arms around him too. A tear coursed down her cheek but was quickly wiped away.
“How did you get out here?”
“We were looking for you,” Kenny said.
“For me?”
“Yup. Thought you might need help with those trees.”
Master Kermudge laughed. “I appreciate that. Next time, however, leave the trees to me.”
“I promise!” Kenny said matter-of-factly.
After handing Jira his torch, Master Kermudge took them each by the hand and led them back to the University.
They encountered a pair of University residents after entering the orchard. The pair ran back to inform their mothers that they were on their way.
“We’re in trouble,” Kenny glumly said.
“Most likely,” Master Kermudge replied.
“Would you be mad at us?” he asked.
Master Kermudge chuckled. “Oh, yes. I would most definitely be mad if you were mine.”
“But you aren’t?”
He looked down at Kenny and said, “Disappointed is all. You are safe so all will be well. You two should know better than traipsing in the forest after dark.”
That wasn’t the answer he had hoped for.
The glow from the University grew as they approached. Before they left the orchards, their mothers and most of the searchers that had returned were there to meet them.
Meliana wrapped her arms around Kenny, thankful he was okay.
Aleya on the other hand, she was not so forgiving. She spoke not a word, took her daughter by the hand and led her back to the guesthouse.
“Guess we should all go to our rooms,” Master Roland said. “They’re safe, if not from their mothers.”
A few laughed, a release after a happy conclusion to a worrisome time.
When Jira got home she got the tongue lashing of her life.
Her free activities were seriously curtailed and additional chores were heaped upon her shoulders, including an extra hour in the garden. But through it all, she feared her mother would take her knives. At the end of it, when she was sent to her room, they remained strapped to her waist.
Lying in bed, she smiled. Now that had been an adventure!
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Life in Abu Dar was a stark contrast to how it was prior to what everyone is calling, The Day of Azhan the Great. Joy could be found in the marketplace, people threw parties and life in general was good.
Azhan and Miko were feted to party after party. First with Abu Dar’s council then other notables scattered throughout the city. They were in high demand, the Heroes of Abu Dar! Merchants and Nobles alike flaunted their daughters in the hopes of acquiring the most desired bachelor in all of Abu Dar for a son-in-law.The Hero in question enjoyed himself immensely.
After the battle and the utter defeat of the enemy, Azhan was given a large villa to stay in while he worked to prepare for the enemy’s next assault. No one for a moment thought the enemy would take such a whipping and simply melt away. They would want payback!
James had twice communicated briefly with Miko and his apprentice via his walkie-talkie construct. He had said he was pleased with how everything turned out and that he wanted Miko back at the temple as soon as possible; discreetly of course. With their newfound celebrity and notoriety, it would be days before Miko could slip away and make his way to the temple.
Miko needed to come talk to Lord Kinezki. They needed to know if he was friend or foe. James leaned toward him being a friend, but he just didn’t know and wouldn’t take any chances just in case.
Lord Kinezki had seemed genuinely happy to learn of the enemy’s defeat; that he had been wrong about Azhan and wished to make amends. Which was exactly what both an innocent man and an enemy spy would say given the situation. He needed Miko.
The enemy hadn’t been idle since their debacle of an assault. After losing nearly eighty percent of their forces as well as all but two of their priests, they pulled back a safe distance. They still posed a threat, so the citizens of Abu Dar remained sealed tightly within their walls. It would take some time before sufficient forces arrived to allow them another shot at the city.
Days after Azhan the Great’s victory, Miko finally was able to slip out late one night. He arrived at the temple in the guise of a beggar. Once he made his presence known, he was taken to the Viewing Room.
He was the first to arrive. Father Keller arrived next then James and Jiron. Miko was quickly filled in on Lord Kinezki and what James hoped he could learn.
“I have not heard anything about him being in league with the enemy,” Miko explained. “Lord Assat regards him highly while Councilman Izzazi considers him a scoundrel, but an honest scoundrel. There is growing concern as to his well being. Some think he has met an untimely end when the tavern burnt to the ground.”
Jiron nodded. “He almost did.”
“I would like you to talk with him and use your high priest voodoo to determine if he’s telling the truth to a few questions.”
Miko grinned at the ‘voodoo’ term. “I can do that. I have not long, however. We have an early morning breakfast with some noble or other.”
“Enjoying yourself are we?”
He glanced to James and shook his head. “To be honest, I have given serious thought in having Azhan tell them to leave us alone.”
“Then do so,” James replied. “Let it be known that Azhan has to prepare and that takes solitude and privacy.”
Miko nodded.
James turned to the Viewing Table and the bird’s eye view of Abu Dar appeared. Scrolling the image, it came to rest on the encampment more than an arrow’s range beyond the main gate.
Men had continued to arrive ever since the assault; priests as well.
He zoomed in on an area with six tents. These were twice the size as the others and of much finer quality. Two guards stood sentry before each.
“These house the priests and the commander of the army,” James announced. He scrolled slowly before the image suddenly zoomed in close. “This is the highest ranking priest they have.”
The image settled upon an old, tall priest with a thin ring of meticulously trimmed hair surrounding his tonsure. He stood speaking with two other priests.
“Too bad we can’t take him out.”
James looked up from the mirror at his friend. “I don’t know that I want to take him out.”
“What?” Jiron exclaimed. “You can’t be serious.”
Miko looked up from the mirror. “I am very serious.”
He pointed a finger at the priest. “That is the one man on this continent who for sure knows exactly what they are doing here. If we can somehow capture him, we could learn all we need to.”
“Capture?” Jiron said. “Thought you wanted to ‘take him out’.”
Miko shook his head. “Capture would be best.”
“I agree,” added James. “Be helpful if we could interrogate him.”
“That is a tall order,” Father Keller said. “If he isn’t their high priest, he’s the next best thing I would imagine. He would be very powerful.”
“I know. I haven’t quite figured out how to do it.” James glanced at the others. “If anyone else comes up with a plan, let me know.”
“Tinok and I could sneak in and take him,” Jiron offered.
James shook his head. “Way too risky. I would think after what we did to their assault, there would be safeguards in place all over the place.”
Jiron nodded. “You may be right.” Taking a tactical look at the camp layout and the sentries, he concluded it would be near impossible to do that.
“What we need to do is get him closer.”
“How?” Father Keller asked.
“Well, if Abu Dar were to fall, he’d move right in until the army headed out to take the next city.”
Jiron’s eyes widened. “You mean to let them take the city?”
“There is no way I can prevent it,” James explained. “The last time I had time to prepare spell-bombs around the city. I doubt they’ll fall for that again. Anything I do from this point on they will have a better chance to counter. No, Abu Dar has to fall. We need information.”
“What of the citizens?” Father Keller asked. “Have you thought what will happen to them?”
“Absolutely. Once the city is taken, they will be far better taken care of than under the present ruling council. In many ways, the average person will be much better off; the slaves for sure.”
He glanced to Miko. “We’ll have to kill off Azhan.”
“What?” Miko demanded. “We cannot simply sacrifice him.”
“Don’t mean that he is actually going to die, merely that they need to believe that he dies in a horrible fashion that will leave nothing left for them to examine.”
Jiron grinned. “Like The Wallowing Swine.”
“Precisely.”
There they had pretended to hack off Perrilin the bard’s arm in a ruse to gain favor with an underworld figure.
“How do you plan to do that?”
“I haven’t a clue as yet,” he admitted. “But I figure we have several days if not a week or two before they gather a force sufficient to take the city.”
Laughing, Jiron said, “After what you did to them last time, they are going to want twice the men.”
Miko nodded. “They could very well bring in every man they have so far brought over from their homeland.”
“Okay, suppose you kill off Azhan and let Abu Dar fall. What then? If it is all to capture that priest, he’ll probably only be in town long enough to quell the population, which won’t be long. After that, he’ll move on to the next city.”
